Chapter 501: Finding the Target
Originally, Vali and the others had no intention of interfering in Haruto and Kuroka's personal matters, but Haruto's words irritated them.
They were all talented members of the younger generation. Just because he was slightly ahead didn't give him the right to act so arrogantly.
Besides, while Kuroka was strong, they weren't dependent on her. If she voluntarily chose to leave the team, it would be fine.
But for Haruto to say such things right in front of them—wasn't that going too far?
Vali and the other two frowned, their thoughts aligning similarly.
"Hey, Red Dragon Emperor, we—" Bikou, being the most impatient, was the first to speak up.
But before he could finish, Kuroka interrupted, "Bikou, let me explain this myself."
"Haruto, I understand your feelings, and I'm willing to go along with it. But I'm not planning to leave the team right now."
Kuroka smiled faintly. "Back when we were being hunted, Vali helped me. I owe him a debt, and I must repay it."
"It doesn't matter. With or without you, I will still defeat Great Red," Vali turned away coldly.
Ignoring his remark, Kuroka continued, "But don't worry. Our team is different from your household. Usually, we live separately and only gather when there's a mission to carry out."Although Familiars typically live with their masters to build rapport and understanding, Vali and his Familiars were clearly different from traditional demon Familiars."
Haruto instantly grasped the meaning behind Kuroka's words.
"You're saying that from now on, you can come home with me, and only when Vali needs your help for a mission will you go out?"
"Yes, usually missions don't take too long, and I can use spatial transfer to come back during rest periods in the evening."
"I see..."
Haruto nodded, realizing he had been stuck in a fixed mindset.
All the demons and Familiars he had encountered before had unusually close relationships, which led him to assume they must live and eat together.
In reality, even though most demons and their Familiars maintain a normal master-servant relationship, and even when living together, Familiars typically serve as butlers or maids, Vali's situation is unique. His Familiars are far more complex, making such a conventional dynamic impossible.
Take, for instance, Bikou and Arthur, who are present here—both are individuals of noble lineage who would never willingly submit to others. The same applies to Kuroka; otherwise, she wouldn't have killed that malicious demon and defected in the first place.
Once the matter was clarified, Haruto toned down his previously overbearing attitude. However, Vali and the others were still visibly displeased. Bikou sneered, "Don't project your own lustful tendencies onto everyone else."
Unfazed, Haruto chuckled and replied, "You're absolutely right, Great Sage. As a monk, you're above such worldly desires. My thoughts were indeed impure."
Though it sounded like an apology, Bikou only grew more irritated. "I've told you, I'm not the legendary Sun Wukong—that's my ancestor!"
"Same difference," Haruto waved it off. "Having inherited the Great Sage's bloodline, you're undoubtedly a steadfast... hmm, future Victorious Fighting Buddha."
"Tch, I have no interest in becoming any 'Victorious Fighting Buddha.' That's precisely why I joined Vali and the others here..."
Turning to Arthur, Haruto added, "And you, Arthur, must have inherited your ancestor's name as well."
After chatting with Bikou for a bit, Haruto remembered there was another historical figure present. Arthur Pendragon—his historical fame aside, especially in certain adaptations like a particular "Type-Moon" world, he was an absolute superstar.
"Yes, that's correct," Arthur, the blond bespectacled man, adjusted his glasses and replied softly. "Is there a problem?"
"Not at all, just curious why you'd join the Khaos Brigade. The Pendragon family's ancestral Holy Sword is still intact. If your goal is to restore your family's glory, with your abilities, you should have plenty of options."
"I simply find the current world a bit too dull."
Haruto's hopes for some juicy gossip were dashed—it turned out Arthur, like Bikou and Vali, was merely seeking excitement. Vali was a battle maniac, Bikou was the descendant of the Great Sage and naturally thrived on chaos, but he hadn't expected the heir of the King of Knights to be the same.
Hearing this, Haruto instantly lost interest. "By the way, let me ask you something: the historical King Arthur who founded the Round Table, your ancestor—was he actually male or female?"
Arthur frowned at Haruto, perplexed by the question. "Of course he was male. Who told you King Arthur was female?"
Not only Arthur, but Vali, Bikou, and Kuroka all stared at Haruto strangely. King Arthur was the Knight King of Britain—naturally male. They couldn't understand why Haruto would ask such a thing.
"Uh, just some unofficial histories..." Haruto promptly dropped the subject. It seemed this world hadn't been touched by bizarre rumors or any connection to the Type-Moon universe.
Indeed, if there had been even the slightest influence, concepts like Magic Circuits or Heroic Spirit summoning would have turned everything upside down. Compared to the magic of the DxD world, the mages of the Type-Moon universe seemed rather underwhelming. Of course, in terms of top-tier combat power, the Type-Moon world might not necessarily be inferior. But at the lower levels, the gap between the two was quite significant.
In truth, if the various factions continued their great wars, the Three Realms would likely end up dominated by ordinary people, with all mystical forces hidden in the shadows, resulting in an extreme polarization between low-tier and high-tier combat capabilities.
It was precisely because he foresaw the possibility of such regression for their entire race—and even the entire world—that Sirzechs joined forces with leaders of other factions to strive for peace, while continuously using Evil Pieces to reincarnate ordinary humans into demons.
Not only in the Type-Moon world, but even in the Primordial World that Haruto often reminisced about, the same pattern emerged later on.
Through successive wars, or what could be called "calamity tribulations," the supernatural receded, and ordinary people gradually became the mainstream.
Was this outcome good?
Haruto didn't think so.
While it might seem that the threat from supernatural beings was gone, in reality, life for ordinary people didn't change much. Instead, their chances of surviving disasters diminished.
Take natural disasters like tsunamis, tornadoes, and earthquakes, for example.
If there were powerful supernatural beings, such disasters beyond human control could be prevented in advance or even forcibly suppressed.
However, everyone has different perspectives. Some might believe that a completely ordinary world is better.
Bored out of his mind, Haruto's thoughts began to drift until Kuroka, who was enjoying their intimate embrace in his arms, called out to him, snapping him back to reality.
"Haruto, Haruto..."
Haruto stopped stroking Kuroka's smooth skin. "Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought just now."
"Meow~" Kuroka wriggled discontentedly in his arms before saying, "It's about time to head back. It seems we won't find any remnants of Loki's power today."
"Has it been an hour already?"
Haruto glanced around, feeling as though they hadn't moved since entering. His perception of time hadn't changed much either.
The Dimensional Gap was theoretically infinite—without boundaries, direction, or the flow of time. However, those with sufficient strength or mastery over relevant powers could sense changes within it.
Focusing his mind, Haruto carefully perceived his surroundings and realized that nearly an hour had passed since they entered. Moreover, their current location was extremely far from where they had started.
While Haruto was cuddling with Kuroka and letting his thoughts wander, Arthur and the other two had been diligently searching for their target, guided by their intense longing.
Strong longing not only ensured safe return to one's world from the Dimensional Gap but was also the only factor that could provide direction within it.
Whether searching for someone or trying to reach a specific place, maintaining intense longing would gradually draw one closer to the target while drifting through the Dimensional Gap.
That's the theory, but success wasn't guaranteed every time.
For one, it was unclear how intense the longing needed to be. If the distance was vast, even the strongest longing wouldn't achieve the goal quickly.
Take Vali, for example. He had always wanted to find the True Red Dragon God Emperor, Great Red, and had entered the Dimensional Gap multiple times, yet he still hadn't succeeded.
"Then let's head back and continue tomorrow."
Haruto was prepared for not completing the task in one go. His earlier frustration had also eased considerably after cuddling with Kuroka.
Kuroka gently licked Haruto's neck. "Okay, meow~"
Seeing that Haruto was ready, Arthur spoke up, "Everyone, get ready. We're heading back now."
No matter how long they drifted in the Dimensional Gap, the return location remained the same point in the human world from which they had departed.
Just as the spherical barrier broke through the multicolored Dimensional Barrier and slowly floated out, Kuroka's adorable cat ears suddenly twitched.
Immediately afterward, the charming face of the black-haired catgirl, still tinged with a faint blush, turned serious in an instant.
Haruto was the first to notice Kuroka's change and instinctively asked, "What's wrong?"
"I think I sensed Loki's presence..."
Kuroka's expression was hesitant. Just as their remaining time was about to end, she had detected their target.
If they continued to pursue it and tried to resolve the situation, there likely wouldn't be enough time.
But if they gave up now, there was no telling if they would be this lucky next time.
As the saying goes, the Dimensional Gap has no distinction of space or time. Finding a target depends purely on so-called longing and luck.
If they were unlucky, they might come ten or even a hundred more times without ever detecting Loki's residual energy form.
"Really? About how far is it?"
Haruto was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed.
He had prepared for a long-term battle, never expecting to make a discovery on their first attempt.
"If we keep going, we'll probably encounter it in about six or seven minutes."
Kuroka strained to maintain her perception, her deep purple magical energy rising, mingled with the youkai power of a nekomata and the inherited senjutsu.
Haruto also tried to sense it, deliberately employing his own senjutsu and the power of his bloodline, which grew ever closer to the root.
But he still couldn't match Kuroka's sensitivity to auras. Within the Dimensional Gap, he couldn't detect Loki's presence at all.
This was likely Kuroka's unique talent, something he couldn't envy into existence.
A sharp glint flashed in Haruto's eyes, his anticipation for dual cultivation with Kuroka growing stronger.
"But I can only hold on for ten more minutes at most..."
Arthur said gravely, "I suggest we come back tomorrow. If we get lost in the Dimensional Rift, even with Colibrand here, we might never make it back."
"Arthur, can't you hold on a little longer?"
Haruto felt a headache coming on. "I promise it won't take more than a minute to deal with that so-called energy form."
If he got serious and went all out, he could defeat Loki in under a minute, let alone some residual energy form.
"Fifteen minutes is truly the limit."
Arthur glanced at Haruto and said irritably, "If you hadn't shattered the barrier earlier, we wouldn't be so pressed for time."
Ultimately, the group chose to press forward.
Although Vali and the others had their own ulterior motives for accepting this mission, with Haruto present, they couldn't carry them out.
Solving the problem sooner meant they could attend to their own affairs earlier.
Haruto could roughly guess what Vali and the others were planning, but since it didn't concern him much, he let them be.
After advancing for about five minutes, Kuroka frowned and said, "That power seems to have detected us too... It's trying to escape!"
"This is really..."
Haruto felt somewhat helpless. Loki, being a veteran deity, was indeed not so easy to eliminate. Even with a targeted weapon, he could survive in such a manner.
Though it was called residual power, now inhabited by Loki's remaining consciousness, it had clearly become an intelligent, special life form.
If left unchecked and allowed to grow, perhaps one day the God of Deception, Loki, might fully resurrect.
Fortunately, with the Holy King Sword Caliburn, Haruto and his group were slightly faster than the escaping power.
But only slightly. By the time they caught up with the featureless, slime-like humanoid figure, ten minutes had already passed.
Beads of sweat formed on Arthur's forehead as he urged, "Hurry up and act. We can stay for at most three more minutes."
Haruto looked at him in confusion. "Wait, shouldn't we still have five minutes?"
"Don't we need time to return? And five minutes is the limit! Do you even understand what 'limit' means? Huh?"
The usually refined blond glasses-wearing Arthur had veins bulging on his forehead. If he weren't no match for Haruto, he would have loved to throw a punch.
Just like physical training, only by constantly pushing the intensity and reaching exhaustion—the limit—can one improve.
Everyone knows this, but how many can truly drain the last ounce of energy from their bodies?
Moreover, this approach actually strains the body. It might not have fundamental consequences and could be recovered from with rest, but it definitely has short-term effects.
Time to return? It only took a few seconds to get here—could the return trip really take two minutes? Clearly, he just couldn't handle it!
Haruto curled his lip but didn't provoke Arthur further.
Not only had he confirmed his relationship with Kuroka today, but he'd also found Loki's residual power entity. In his good mood, he decided not to bother with this silver-plated pewter spear—all show and no substance.
He voluntarily flew out of the spherical barrier to avoid damaging it again with his power, which would force the group to return prematurely.
Even without Caliburn's ability, it seemed he could survive safely in the Dimensional Gap.
After sensing the Dimensional Gap's effects on himself, Haruto reached a conclusion.
The Dragon God Class could completely negate the Dimensional Gap's adverse effects. Though he wasn't at that level yet, he already had one foot in the door.
It was this slight gap that prevented him from freely entering and exiting the Dimensional Gap like a Dragon God Class, entirely unaffected.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed Caliburn's ability at all. Haruto could have acted alone, spending days wandering the Dimensional Gap if necessary, and eventually, he would have found Loki's residual power entity.
The humanoid slime brimming with Loki's aura only possessed the strength of a lower deity, but perhaps due to prolonged exposure in the Dimensional Gap, it had undergone some mutations...
Simply put, this was its home turf, and its combat power had been amplified.
More importantly, the residual consciousness of Loki within it clearly recognized Haruto, consistently avoiding direct confrontation and only seeking to buy more time.
The aftershocks of their battle made the Dimensional Rift increasingly unstable. If this continued, even if Loki's residual power were truly eradicated, the Twilight of the Gods would still arrive.
Yet, the more this happened, the less Haruto could unleash his full strength.
Although Arthur claimed they could hold on for three more minutes, Haruto had promised to resolve it within one.
With only a dozen seconds left of the promised minute, Haruto grew increasingly anxious.
"Boom!!"
Another collision shattered the humanoid slime into fragments, its aura growing weaker, yet it showed no signs of vanishing.
Seeing this, Haruto finally made a decision.
Such a peculiar life form was exceedingly difficult to kill without sufficiently powerful force to grind it away.
"I hope the Dimensional Barrier is sturdy enough..."
Muttering to himself, Haruto's body became enveloped in crimson steel armor.
"Balance Breaker? Instantly activated?!"
Vali, who had been observing the battle while preventing Loki's power from escaping, was startled by the sight.
Even after his rigorous training, he couldn't guarantee achieving such smooth and fluid execution as Haruto.
Moreover, he noticed that Balance Breaker seemed to place no burden on Haruto at all.
Either he didn't use his Sacred Gear, or he immediately activated Balance Breaker.
Vali's perception was accurate—not only Balance Breaker, but even Juggernaut Drive imposed almost no strain on Haruto.
Thus, under Vali's astonished gaze, Haruto slowly recited an ancient incantation.
[I, who awaken as the Two Heavenly Dragons that seize the principles of supremacy from God]
[Scoffing at the infinite, concerned with illusions]
[I, shall become the Crimson Dragon's Overlord]
[And sink you into the crimson purgatory!]
[Juggernaut Drive!]
This was Haruto's second time using Juggernaut Drive since defeating Azazel.
The first time, maintaining it for just ten seconds nearly cost him his consciousness.
But now, aside from the surging magical energy resembling red mist, he felt no discomfort whatsoever.
"As expected of one of the world's only thirteen Sacred Gears. The original owner was merely at the Heavenly Dragon level, yet as a weapon, it can unleash such power..."
Feeling the immense power within his body, Haruto finally understood why just ten seconds back then had nearly trapped him forever with Ddraig inside the Sacred Gear.
That level of power had indeed been far too overwhelming for him at the time.
Azazel hadn't expected Haruto to be capable of using Juggernaut Drive back then, or he would never have fallen so easily.
Well... even so, if not for Rias delivering the finishing blow in time, Azazel still wouldn't have perished.
A veteran Fallen Angel who had led his kind for so long was truly beyond comparison with ordinary Satan-Class beings.