She paused for a moment, tapped on her keyboard for a while to pull up more data, and continued, "But in secret, that guy has already dispatched a special forces unit toward us. He's issued an assassination order against Seitenshi."
"On top of that, leaders from other regions are making moves too. The situation isn't looking great, but it's limited to this island. I honestly don't get it. This place is barely the size of a postage stamp—where do all these 'leaders' come from?" Asagi couldn't help but complain at the end. Calling them leaders was a stretch; they were basically just city managers. Some of these regions were even smaller than Dimensional Nexus University, yet there was a whole pile of 'heads of state.'"
There were also all sorts of organizations. Asagi didn't even know how to begin criticizing the information she found. The area was tiny, but myths and legends were a dime a dozen.
Ren Isana couldn't help but laugh when he heard Asagi's grumbling. "Who knows? Are those so-called special forces Cursed Children? Tell Ais to keep an eye on Seitenshi's side. We can't have her getting ganked."
Asagi nodded and pulled up the roster for the special forces unit. "A young girl with the Owl Factor. She's a NEXT mechanized soldier, specializing in long-range sniping and various weapons."
"Besides her, a guy named Kagetane Hiruko has also been invited. What he does is quite cruel—he used a 'jar-rearing' method to raise an Initiator. He also received the order to assassinate Seitenshi." Asagi laid out the many things she had discovered. Aside from those mentioned, many others had received commissions to assassinate Seitenshi. It was safe to say Seitenshi was currently a sitting duck, a target for everyone.
Miori Shiba listened to Asagi's words, a flash of pity appearing in her eyes. It was truly miserable; someone wanted her life at every turn. Should she be feeling a bit of schadenfreude instead?
"Hmm... confirm the locations of these guys. Then Asuna, Megumi, and Yukino, the three of you move out separately. Deal with them and bring the children back." Ren Isana didn't hesitate for a second. These were all familiar faces.
Tina and Kohina... since that was the case, he might as well let them handle it. By taking care of it early, there would be no need to keep those people around. Just wipe them all out.
"Got it. I'll send their locations to you now. By the way, I'm quite interested in those mechanized soldiers from the Five Provinces. I noticed there isn't much information about them on the network, so I'll need to make a trip there myself later." Asagi spoke to Ren while operating her computer to send the data to Asuna and the others.
The person in charge of the Mechanized Soldier Project, Albrecht Grünewald—the head of the Four Sages—had some very interesting mechanical technology. If they could bring those things back, they could likely trade them for quite a few benefits.
This was a first-clear reward pack, so she had no reason to miss out. Asagi informed Ren in advance, as that guy was currently in a laboratory somewhere on this island.
The one called Kagetane Hiruko had undergone his mechanized surgery through him. The machinery on Kagetane's body even possessed technology to manipulate repulsion, which was quite intriguing.
She had looked into the man's past and found some interesting details. He was a morally ambiguous figure, a mercenary type who acted entirely according to his own whims.
However, after seeing that he had kidnapped five women for experiments and used a 'jar-rearing' method to raise Kohina, Asagi immediately labeled him as a 'not a good person.'"
"Once these matters are handled, you can just go with Ais and the others. Regardless, there isn't really anyone in this world who can threaten your team." Ren Isana didn't mind when he heard Asagi's proposal.
The combat power of Ais and her group was basically an overkill in this world. Ren didn't worry much. With Ais's mobility, even large-scale weapons of mass destruction wouldn't be able to touch her.
"Good, I understand!" With Ren's words, Asagi felt reassured. When the time came, she would simply take Ais and the others for a visit. Having finished with that, Asagi shared some information regarding the Cursed Children with Ren, noting that many children were still unaware of the new policies being issued.
Some were hiding because they were afraid, fearing it was a trap. That was why only a few had shown up today. Moving forward, Seitenshi's people would need to work harder to convince those children to come voluntarily.
Ren Isana nodded thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, when everyone goes out, look for those children as well. It's normal for some of them to have a deep-seated distrust of strangers."
He understood the children's perspective quite well. Some people had truly disappointed those innocent children, to the point where many wouldn't trust outsiders at all.
These children who didn't trust outsiders still needed to be brought in. After all, they possessed considerable combat power. Some children weren't like the ones they met before; if you shouted at them, they might actually kill you!
Not all children were submissive. To handle these kids, Ren could only use special means to bring them back by force. Once they reached the facility, they would realize Ren and the others weren't lying to them.
"OK, I got it!" Asagi said no more. Having finished her report, she hugged her laptop and went back to rest. She had been exhausted lately, handling the data processing for the entire team.
After seeing Asagi off, Ren Isana stretched and looked toward Asuna and the others. "Tomorrow, you guys handle those targets. Mahiru and I will continue receiving the children being sent over. If any of you feel lonely going alone, you can take another team along."
The girls immediately shook their heads and refused the suggestion. They could handle this themselves. If they needed to call for backup for something like this, it would be far too embarrassing.
Seeing this, Ren didn't push the matter further. They could decide those details themselves; he was too lazy to micromanage. He stood up, returned to his room, and began to wash up.
Asuna, Yukino, and the others didn't linger outside either. They returned to their respective rooms to rest, preparing to complete their missions the next morning.
The night passed without incident. When the next day arrived, Asuna and the others set out early toward their mission objectives, while Ren Isana and Mahiru Shiina continued to receive the children.
Miori Shiba, having nothing better to do, also came over to help. Just like yesterday, Ren had Mahiru Shiina treat the arriving children with [Healing Magic] first, and then he would explain the situation of their world to them before sending them back.
While Ren was busy sending children home, Natsuki gathered the Sophomore students. At the moment, these students were quite bewildered.
Suddenly summoned, they had no idea what was happening. No one had explained anything; they were just told to prepare their supplies and gather at the field. They could choose not to come, but their credits would be docked.
Everyone had gathered early. Their homeroom teachers weren't with them; only the class monitors were maintaining order. When the time was almost right, Natsuki's figure appeared.
She looked at the students and spoke. "Next, you will be heading to another world. You will move as class units, and once you arrive, you will follow the commands of the person in charge there."
No one dared to speak, but as they listened to Natsuki's words, their eyes began to light up. Going to another world? This was an unexpected surprise! No wonder they were told to prepare supplies; they were heading to an i-sekai.
Natsuki looked at the excitement in the students' eyes and nodded with satisfaction. These people were being sent to Ren Isana to serve as his workhorses. Given their strength, they would be more than sufficient.
With that thought, Natsuki contacted Ren Isana directly. Through her [Communication Magic], she said to him, "I'm sending three hundred people over to you now. Find a place to prepare; I'll open the passage in a moment."
Ren, who had just sent off a batch of children, was startled by the voice suddenly appearing in his mind. He looked around before replying, "I'm currently at a school. You can send the people directly here."
Sending three hundred people? That was fantastic. It was exactly what he needed to solve his manpower shortage. A team of three hundred would be more than enough to scour the entire Tokyo Area!
On the other end, Natsuki said no more. After checking the prepared students, she began to teleport them away in batches, as moving so many people at once was a bit taxing even for her.
Once the students were sent off, Natsuki's figure disappeared as well. When they reappeared, they were back in the massive facility, though this time they weren't in the basement.
They were in a huge plaza. If Ren were here, he would have noticed that the architecture was very similar to the Dimensional Rift they had visited before, though the surroundings were filled with facilities instead of shops.
Natsuki returned to the plaza and activated the magic within. Before the crowd, a spatial crack appeared and began to expand. Once it reached a certain size, the [Dimensional Barrier] stabilized it.
A passage to the other world was opened by Natsuki, leading directly to the school where Ren was located. Ren Isana, Mahiru Shiina, and Miori Shiba witnessed the opening of this spatial tunnel with their own eyes.
Aside from Ren, Mahiru Shiina and Miori Shiba were completely stunned. Was this the power of [Spatial Magic]? It was far too absurd! Opening a passage across worlds? The two of them swallowed hard, unable to believe what they were seeing!
"Miss Shiba, please notify Seitenshi. This area needs to be cordoned off. Barring any accidents, this passage will be the permanent route between your world and ours." Ren looked at the opened tunnel and spoke to Miori Shiba.
Hearing Ren's words, Miori Shiba slowly snapped out of it. She hurriedly said, "Alright, I understand! I'll tell Seitenshi right away!"
After speaking, Miori Shiba pulled out her phone with trembling hands to call Seitenshi. Only by witnessing the opening of this spatial tunnel could one truly understand how terrifyingly advanced Ren's world was.
Not long after Miori Shiba went to notify Seitenshi, Natsuki led a group of people out from the other side. Ren and Mahiru Shiina quickly moved forward to greet them.
Natsuki was a bit surprised to see only Ren and Mahiru. She couldn't help but ask, "Where are the other members of your team and your class?"
Facing Natsuki's question, Ren didn't hide anything and told her the truth. "They all have their own matters to handle. The people in this world play dirty. Seitenshi just took office, and all sorts of assassinations are already coming her way."
Hearing this, Natsuki understood immediately. Asuna and the others were likely dealing with those issues. She didn't press further; she trusted Ren had things under control in this world.
Natsuki looked at Ren, then at the students behind her who had all arrived. "I've brought the people to you. You decide how to arrange them. I only have one bottom line: don't kill the innocent."
She turned and left without looking back. Her last sentence was a warning, telling Ren not to actually wipe out most of the people in this world.
Ren had already sent his classmates to take out so many people right after arriving. Who knew what kind of ridiculous things he would do now that she had given him several hundred people?
She wouldn't even be surprised if she suddenly heard Ren tell her that they had already conquered the entire world. As for whether they could do it with these people?
Given Ren's level of absurdity, it was entirely possible. Moreover, the combat strength of these three hundred students wasn't weak; if they were too weak, they wouldn't have made it into this university in the first place.
The strength of these students was roughly on par with those in Ren's class, except they were Sophomores.
After Natsuki left, the Sophomore seniors all turned their gaze toward Ren Isana. Was this person their commander? Some among the crowd recognized Ren.
Because some had served as volunteers during freshman orientation, they remembered students like Ren who held special admission notices. Seeing that it was Ren now, they were momentarily stunned.
Ren Isana didn't pay much mind to Natsuki's warning. He wasn't the type to kill the innocent. For anyone he intended to eliminate, he would have Asagi Aiba pull up a mountain of evidence first to ensure no one could find fault with his actions.
After all, he wasn't some kind of homicidal maniac. How could he possibly commit mindless slaughter? With those thoughts in mind, Ren spoke up immediately. "Hello, seniors. I am Ren Isana!"
Hearing Ren's form of address, many were taken aback. Seniors? The person in front of them was a freshman? Realizing this, many were stunned. Just how capable was this guy?
To be thrown into another world as a freshman and then put in charge of all of them? That was the only thought in everyone's mind. Without real skill, the university would never have entrusted him with such responsibility.
"The world before you is a bit special. It's honestly quite exasperating. Even though it's already an apocalypse, a group of people still refuses to unite, choosing instead to play political games." Ren began to vent fiercely about the situation in this world.
He slowly shared information about this world—Gastrea, the Cursed Children, and all of it. He specifically emphasized the unjust treatment the Cursed Children faced.
As many listened to Ren's words, a murderous intent gradually began to seep from their eyes. It was obvious that everyone was furious. A group of children, the oldest barely ten and some not even middle-school age, were being treated like this?
The seniors who had younger siblings at home were especially enraged. One of them couldn't hold back and asked Ren directly, "Junior, who are we killing? Just say the word! We'll do whatever you say—we don't even mind conquering this world if that's what it takes!"
Miori Shiba, who had just finished her phone call, was frightened by these words. What was going on? What did Ren say to them? Why were they suddenly like this? What did they mean by 'conquering this world would be no problem'?
Have you all decided to conquer the world the moment you arrived? Miori Shiba felt completely numb and panicked. Were these people really all thinking the same thing?
"Whoa, let's not go that far. Some people in this city have already been dealt with by us, and Seitenshi is currently following my lead. What you seniors need to do first is help clear out the Gastrea around the city." Seeing how effective his words were, Ren quickly spoke to calm them down.
Ren then began to explain the tasks for the seniors, as well as the situation regarding Gastrea, including the fact that materials could be obtained from them.
Hearing Ren's explanation, everyone's eyes lit up. There was such a good deal? At the same time, some seniors silently gave Ren a thumbs-up. He truly was someone the university highly regarded.
He had actually taken over a region the moment he arrived in this world. That meant the area they were currently in was now the territory of Dimensional Nexus University, right? Clearing out the nearby Gastrea?
No problem at all. This was exactly what they, as students, should be doing. They might as well check out the neighboring regions while they were at it and help take those over too. Perhaps this was a form of territorial expansion? In that moment, something stirred deep within their collective DNA!