As the boundary between life and undeath, if one wished to survive in the Hidden World, physical strength was of secondary importance. The soul was the true foundation that sustained the self.
The nearly stagnant flow of time here was proof enough: everything that existed in this realm was not material in nature. Without time as a reference, the boundaries between past, present, and future blurred, which was precisely why this place was called the boundary between life and undeath.
To maintain one's existence in such a domain, whether god or human, an individual had to possess memories powerful enough to define their own identity. Only then could they avoid being eroded by the environment.
As a result, those who dwelled here—gods and others alike—were compelled to transform their memories into the very roots of their continued existence. In the end, this led to the Hidden World containing nearly all memories, from the dawn of the cosmos to the distant future.
Of course, such a statement was an exaggeration. Even a world had limits to the amount of information it could contain, and not every god chose to come to the Hidden World.
However, certain knowledge was shared—such as how to repair a divinity. And that was Satsuki's purpose in coming here.
From the moment Ena first visited the Seven Heroes Shrine and met with Yuri Mariya, Satsuki had used the spell she left on Yuri—an improved version of the Telescope Technique—to observe the curse power within the Ama-no-Murakumo, and through it, the connection to the Hidden World.
However, that had been nothing more than a crude, one-way spacetime mark. It could only identify Ama-no-Murakumo's coordinates in the present world. It was impossible to locate the Hidden World solely through that marker.
That was why Satsuki had seemingly held back during the battle. In truth, she had repeatedly pressured her opponent into unleashing the divine power of Ama-no-Murakumo, until it reached a level sufficient to connect to the Hidden World—thus allowing her to enter it.
Once she reached the Hidden World, her objective was fulfilled. As for the three elders of the History Compilation Committee gathered before her, Satsuki had little interest in them.
However, searching this space for the specific memories and data she required was no simple matter. The reason was that the boundary between life and undeath was composed of overlapping layers of space.
Different memories and information were folded within these multiple dimensions. Although Satsuki stood above the boundary and her Tenseigan could see through space itself, the task still required time.
Thus, she subtly signaled Erica to find a topic and stall for time.
Though Erica did not understand Satsuki's motive, she grasped the hint and took the initiative to speak.
"May I ask what your purpose is in inviting Satsuki here? At the very least, you should give me—this 'Campione'—an explanation."
"To put it simply, we wish to see how strong she truly is."
"See Satsuki's strength?" Erica asked in confusion. "I'm the Godslayer. Why is the focus not on me?"
"We are not so dull as those youngsters above, incapable of discerning who truly leads among you. Miss Erica may be a Godslayer, but if she were to be compared with Miss Satsuki, she would still fall somewhat short."
The beautiful princess with glass-colored pupils and peerless looks spoke without the slightest courtesy.
Erica was momentarily speechless. During the battle against Athena, she had already realized as much.
Incidentally, this elegant courtyard was a space under her control.
"From the previous battle, I too acknowledge that Miss Satsuki indeed possesses such strength," the black-robed mage nodded in agreement.
After the two reached a consensus, they turned their gazes toward Susanoo at the center.
"Old sir, what is your opinion?"
"..."
The eldest god did not respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Satsuki—who appeared to be spacing out—with a complicated expression, as though deep in thought.
This puzzled the glass-eyed princess. "Does the old sir find Miss Satsuki unsatisfactory?"
Susanoo shook his head.
"One who can defeat a god through swordsmanship alone would be considered a hero of unparalleled rarity even in the age of myths. That such a figure has appeared in Japan is its good fortune. I am merely considering how she should be rewarded."
The glass-eyed princess blinked. "What is so difficult about that? Is not Miss Satsuki skilled in swordsmanship? Simply give her your Ama-no-Murakumo. If I recall correctly, her family name is Kusanagi. Does that not match your Kusanagi blade perfectly?"
"That will not do. That is a divine instrument I bestowed upon my own shrine maiden. It must not fall into the hands of another."
"...If giving the sword directly is unacceptable, then perhaps you could grant that little girl Ena to her side instead."
"Hmm. That suggestion is worth considering."
"I object. Satsuki has me. That is more than enough."
...
Though the discussion revolved entirely around Satsuki, the person in question had remained largely silent since taking her seat, aside from a few initial words.
Only when the golden light in her lowered eyes gradually receded did her primary consciousness return to her body. At the same time, it signified that her collection of data regarding repairing divinity was complete.
Having achieved her goal, she had no desire to remain and waste time. Rising to her feet, she said, "I have no interest in becoming some guardian of the earth. There is no need for you all to trouble yourselves. However, if a Heretic God appears, I would be quite interested in crossing blades with it."
The moment those words were spoken, silence fell over the room.
After a short while, the black-robed mage spoke. "Such honesty is almost difficult to accept. However, I can tell that you speak the truth."
The glass-eyed princess also looked toward Susanoo in the center. "Though somewhat overly direct, I believe such a promise is sufficient. What do you think, old sir?"
If this were the Susanoo who once rampaged through Takamagahara, he might have been unable to resist teaching Satsuki a lesson for her arrogance. (Of course, the outcome would have been obvious.)
But the present Susanoo prided himself on having graduated from the stage of a Heretic God into a mature deity. Thus, he merely nodded generously.
"Very well. Let it be so. After all, if we completely strip those juniors of the History Compilation Committee of their authority, they would surely grow dissatisfied. Though they are inept at handling major affairs, they are still somewhat useful when it comes to cleaning up afterward."
As he spoke, Susanoo withdrew Ama-no-Murakumo from his embrace and handed it to Satsuki.
"Oh, and one last matter. Although Ama-no-Murakumo still harbors immense divine power, my shrine maiden's body is temporarily unable to wield this divine sword again. For now, I shall entrust it to you. When her body has recovered, you may return it to her."
"Very well."
Satsuki nodded, accepting Ama-no-Murakumo with a calm expression. She then took Erica's hand and left the small hut.
Standing beside the flowing stream, Satsuki once again activated the spatial power of Yomotsu Hirasaka. In the next instant, the two stepped into it and drifted gracefully away from the Hidden World.
...
The next day.
At the Sayanomiya residence in Sanbancho, Chiyoda Ward.
Sayanomiya Kaoru, the central figure of the household, sat in a rocking chair in her study. She continuously made phone calls to coordinate with her subordinates while sending messages to various government agencies, ensuring that all parties maintained a unified narrative regarding the incident at Jonan Academy High School.
Over the past few days, they had truly experienced what it meant to be so busy their feet never touched the ground.
First there had been the Athena incident. That one, at least, had been manageable. Although it caused widespread power outages and mechanical failures, the areas directly damaged were limited to the rooftops of several industrial buildings. There were few nearby residents, so handling the aftermath had been relatively straightforward.
Then came the matter of Marquis Voban. The battleground had stretched from a luxury hotel district in central Tokyo all the way to a park plaza in the adjacent streets. The issues that required handling were far from simple. At least several thousand residents had directly or indirectly felt the shockwaves and aftermath of that battle.
Several buildings had been caught up in the clash between the three "Campiones," and even now construction crews had yet to fully clear the ruins.
And now, disaster had struck Jonan Academy. Although the affected area was relatively remote, it was still a place where minors studied. The impact and resulting public opinion were far more intense.
The History Compilation Committee had already prepared press releases and public guidance, intending—as always—to attribute the accident to a nonexistent earthquake. However, numerous journalists and independent media personnel had later arrived at the scene. From within the fractured concrete, they discovered extensive evidence of shoddy construction.
As a result, the incident quickly became entangled with issues of corner-cutting and corruption. In just half a day, Sayanomiya Kaoru had already seen the relevant ministers bow in apology on television three separate times.
Only after finishing a round of urgent coordination did Kaoru stare blankly at the computer screen before her.
"That old gentleman truly does as he pleases. After this disturbance, our reputation within the government will likely decline again. I'm afraid the proposal to increase our budget will be shelved once more."
Her tone was filled with helplessness.
Although the History Compilation Committee had powerful backers, those figures generally refrained from interfering with the day-to-day operations of secular governance. As a result, the Committee's practical influence within the state apparatus was relatively limited.
And while the Committee's members possessed certain abilities, they were not transcendent beings who could live detached from worldly concerns. They still depended on state funding.
They had only recently gained a new Godslayer and had hoped to use that opportunity to secure a larger budget. But after this turmoil, that plan would likely come to nothing.
Since ancient times, organizations responsible for handling aftermaths had always been thankless roles. Otherwise, those ministers would not have so readily handed over that authority.
Shaking her head, Kaoru turned to her colleague.
"How is Ena's condition?"
"At present, it's not optimistic. She used far too much divine power. The fact that her body did not collapse on the spot is already fortunate."
The one who answered was Touma Amakasu.
After receiving a call from Yuri Mariya that day, the "ninja" had rushed to the scene immediately—only to find Ena lying naked on the ground.
He had taken off his outer garment at once to cover her body and then carried the unconscious Ena back to the headquarters of the History Compilation Committee.
At this moment, Ena was still receiving magical treatment in the infirmary, but the situation was far from hopeful.
The shrine maiden responsible for healing and a mage who examined her injuries concluded that her physical functions had withered and begun to collapse due to erosion by divine power. To eliminate the problem at its root, the divine power currently lingering within Ena's body would first have to be removed.
No one within the History Compilation Committee possessed that ability.
The situation only began to show a faint glimmer of hope when Yuri Mariya arrived.
After observing Ena's injuries with her spiritual sight, she spoke.
"The divine erosion runs deep. At present, the only one who can resolve this may be Lady Erica."
"Erica? She can remove the divine power within Ena?"
"Miss Erica possesses an Authority capable of severing divine power. If that power were used for healing, it should be able to dispel the residual power of Ama-no-Murakumo remaining within Ena."
Touma Amakasu added, "I previously attempted to seek assistance from the 'Campione,' but I have been unable to contact them. Miss Yuri, do you know where they are now?"
Yuri nodded.
"My spiritual sight sensed the surge of curse power when Ena unleashed it, so I witnessed the final scene. Miss Satsuki and Miss Erica were likely drawn into the Hidden World by the divine power of Ama-no-Murakumo and the prepared spell formation surrounding them."
"The boundary between life and undeath—the Hidden World?!"
Sayanomiya Kaoru's expression turned grave. As a Hime-Miko, she knew well how terrifying that realm was to ordinary people.
"What is their situation now? Can they return safely?"
Yuri shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I do not know. The Hidden World consists of overlapping layers of multiple spaces. Even my spiritual sight cannot clearly perceive within it. However—"
"However?"
"From what I observed at the very end, Miss Erica and Miss Satsuki allowed themselves to be drawn into the Hidden World voluntarily. They did not appear concerned about their ability to leave."
"This..."
Kaoru froze. Just as she was about to say something further, the space beside her suddenly folded like paper bending in half. A pitch-black spatial corridor manifested out of thin air.
Before Kaoru or Touma could react, Satsuki and Erica stepped out from within the passage at an unhurried pace.
Their relaxed expressions bore no trace of having just journeyed through the Hidden World.
"You... you've come out?"
Kaoru was stunned. This scene did not merely overturn her understanding—it completely shattered the established framework of spatial magic within the magical community.
The Hidden World was a realm of overlapping dimensions. Returning from such a place was nothing like being pulled into it. The process required traversing multiple worlds. To this day, no non-divine being had ever been able to freely travel between the two realms.
Yet Satsuki, who had just stepped out of the spatial corridor, clearly did not regard such interdimensional travel as particularly difficult.
The mark she had placed upon Yuri Mariya already served as a spatial coordinate. Even if that failed, she could have used the divine power of Metis left within her system as an anchor to perform a Amenotejikara conversion.
Thus, returning to this world had always been a matter of course for her.