As soon as Ritsuka's group arrived at the gathering place, Olga's, Rikka's, and Mash's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ri-Ritsuka... where are we? Is this... heaven?" Olga muttered in awe.
The scenery before them was truly beyond reason. The blue sky and the expanse of the earth merged boundlessly at the horizon. The surface they stood on looked like a water mirror reflecting the sky above it, yet strangely, the water did not wet their shoes at all.
Rikka looked around, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "This place is so beautiful, Brother!" she exclaimed, fascinated by the vastness and grandeur of the world.
"Hehe, beautiful, isn't it?" Ritsuka replied with a small laugh. A gentle smile adorned his face as the corner of his eyes shifted to look at Mash standing beside him.
Mash was frozen in place. Her head was tilted up, staring at the bright blue expanse above without blinking even once.
Slowly, her hand raised tremblingly, pointing towards the giant canvas. "Sen-Senpai... is this... is this what they call the sky?" she whispered softly, her voice laden with overflowing emotions.
"Mash?" Rikka turned her head, surprised to see the pool of tears starting to well up in the eyes of the lilac-haired girl.
Ritsuka smiled understandingly. His chest felt warm yet tight. He knew very well that for her entire life, this girl had only ever seen the steel ceilings of the Chaldea facility.
"I don't know whether what stretches above us is the real sky or not. But, Mash..." Ritsuka called out.
Mash turned her head, looking at Ritsuka with tear-filled eyes.
"...that is what the real sky looks like. It's very beautiful, isn't it?" Ritsuka continued, returning her gaze with the warmest look he could give.
After letting them soak in the beauty of the scenery for a moment, Ritsuka stepped forward, then turned around to face the three girls. Nobunaga, who had been silently observing, casually stepped up to follow Ritsuka. The Demon King stood tall beside him.
With a wide, sincere smile, Ritsuka spread his arms to welcome them. "Welcome, everyone, to a place where we are free to forge bonds unhindered by any boundaries."
Olga looked increasingly confused, a faint frown appearing on her forehead. "Bonds? What do you mean?" she asked, demanding an explanation.
Ritsuka had just opened his mouth to answer, but an unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted from thin air.
"It means you can freely form relationships with anyone. Whether it's monsters, demons, angels, gods, or humans... you are free to form friendships, alliances, or even enmities."
Along with the echo of that voice, glowing particles gathered and solidified right behind Ritsuka. An entity resembling a small boy glowing with light materialized there.
"Yo," he greeted casually while raising one hand.
"Who are you?!" Olga shrieked in a panic. She reflexively stepped back upon seeing the appearance of the unnatural entity.
Combat instincts immediately took over. From the shadows behind Rikka, Assassin instantly manifested himself. Silently and as fast as lightning, he aimed the barrel of his gun right at the light creature's head.
However, something impossible happened. In the blink of an eye—without anyone being able to see his movement—the boy of light had suddenly shifted position. He was now standing right in front of Assassin's gun muzzle, his face almost touching the weapon.
"It's dangerous, you know, pointing this toy around carelessly," he reprimanded in an innocent and playful tone.
Assassin froze instantly. His body was as stiff as a stone statue. He could feel an absolute and terrifying aura pressure crushing his existence from all directions, making him unable to move even a single finger to pull the trigger.
Seeing the tension, Ritsuka immediately intervened. "Assassin, Mash, lower your weapons. Don't worry, he's not an enemy."
Hearing the calming instruction, Mash slowly lowered her giant shield. Assassin, although still in a cold sweat and on guard, also lowered his gun and steadily retreated to Rikka's side. The weight of the invisible pressure also disappeared as Assassin retreated.
Ritsuka smiled slightly, then walked casually towards the glowing entity and stood beside him. He looked at his friends who were still confused.
"Let me introduce him. He is the owner of this dimension... as well as the one who gathered all of us here."
"Hey, take it easy. Even though I look like this, I'm not a bad guy," the glowing entity said in a cheerful and friendly tone.
Olga still stared at him with a sharp, suspicious look. Her analytical brain quickly caught an anomaly from the previous conversation. "Wait... Ritsuka said 'us' earlier. What does that mean?"
"Ah, about that. Simply put," the boy shrugged casually. "I gathered people from various different worlds to this place. You could say, I am forming some sort of cross-dimensional secret society."
Mash and Rikka looked at each other, lines of confusion clearly drawn on both their faces.
However, for Olga, she recognized that statement. She stepped forward with a furrowed brow. "Different worlds? Do you mean referring to the concept of Parallel Worlds? The operation of the Second Magic? Or... branching timelines?" she bombarded, seeking confirmation.
The boy of light shook his head slowly. A mysterious smile never left his face. "It's not like that. The different worlds I mean here are... worlds that are truly beyond the reach of the Root. Universes that are not bound to your system at all."
Hearing that one word, Olga froze. Her breath caught in her throat and her pupils shrank. All the common sense and the foundation of magical knowledge she had studied her entire life seemed to collapse instantly.
"W-What?!" Olga shrieked, her voice trembling in disbelief. "Impossible... So, there really are worlds like that out there?!"
The boy of light's smile grew wider seeing Olga's reaction. "Yes, of course there are. Rather than explaining it at length, it's better if I just show you directly."
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the space around them distorted. Three pitch-black vortex portals manifested, floating around them.
"Oh, and I apologize in advance," the boy of light added casually, as if just remembering something. "Actually, there is one more person. But it seems he is quite busy taking care of a few things in his world, so he cannot join in welcoming you."
From within the first and second black vortex portals, figures stepped out.
The first figure was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, stepping slowly yet full of authority, guided gently by his wife, Amane. The man smiled warmly, radiating a strange aura of peace.
"Nice to meet you. How are you doing, Ritsuka's friends?" Kagaya greeted.
His voice flowed softly, somehow instantly easing the tension in the air.
However, that calm did not last long. The second figure to step out was Koko Hekmatyar. The silver-haired woman walked with a relaxed and confident style. Her sharp eyes swept over Olga, Mash, then immediately locked onto the figure hiding in the shadows near Rikka.
The trademark wide grin of an arms dealer blossomed on Koko's face. "Hoho... from his posture and the way he holds his weapon, it seems the person over there is highly skilled with firearms, huh?"
Koko teased, staring straight at the Assassin with a sharp, calculating gaze.
Before Assassin or Rikka could respond, the air around the third portal swirled violently. From within that black vortex, stepped out an old man in a neat classic suit, complete with a walking stick in his hand. The magical aura exuding from him was so thick, it made the air around them feel heavy.
As soon as she saw the old man's face, Olga's knees felt weak. Her face turned deathly pale. Her eyes widened as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.
"Y-Y-Y-You...!" Olga shrieked hysterically. Her voice caught from a mix of deep respect, panic, and the absolute terror typically felt by Clock Tower magi when meeting him.
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg—the legendary User of the Second Magic—stopped in his tracks. Instead of radiating a terrifying presence befitting his reputation, the old man grinned widely, full of intrigue.
"Hi, girls! Grandpa has a present for you," Zelretch greeted in a cheerful and mischievous tone. He tapped his cane on the floor and winked one eye. "Are you interested in becoming Mahou Shoujo?"
Zelretch stroked his chin while looking in amusement at Olga, who was still as stiff as a statue. "Hoo... So, you want to ask Da Vinci to create a physical vessel for this girl?" he asked, confirming.
Ritsuka nodded respectfully. "That's right, Sensei. My plan is to return to Chaldea after this to pick up Da Vinci and bring Da Vinci here."
Koko's eyes immediately widened with enthusiasm. "Da Vinci?! Do you mean the legendary Leonardo da Vinci?!"
"Yes, that's the one."
A wide grin full of admiration adorned Koko's face. "Wow, amazing! I can finally meet the Genius of the Renaissance in person! I'm very curious about what he looks like. Considering his history, he must be a very wise, dignified old man with a long white beard, right?" she babbled excitedly.
Hearing Koko's overly high expectations, Ritsuka could only smile awkwardly, with absolutely no intention of correcting her.
Kagaya stepped closer to Ritsuka. His voice sounded soft. "Forgive my question, Ritsuka, but... does that figure truly have the ability to create a human body?"
"About that, there's no need to worry," Ritsuka answered reassuringly. "Da Vinci is an expert in that—artificial body engineering. I will introduce Da Vinci to you later."
Hearing the conversation, the boy of light entity who had been listening all along chimed in. "Rather than you bothering to return to Chaldea and wasting time, how about I just summon Da Vinci directly to this place?" he offered casually.
Ritsuka turned in surprise. "Eh? You can just pull her from Chaldea like that?"
"Of course," the boy of light answered with a smile. Without further warning, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
SWISH!
Instantly, a human-sized black hole opened in the air, exactly a few meters above their position. From within the vortex of the portal, a panicked scream was heard, getting louder and louder.
"GYAAAAAA!"
THUD!
Someone fell tumbling from the air and landed in an ungraceful position, hitting the surface.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... that hurts so much!" the figure complained while rubbing her backside.
However, instead of the old man with a long white beard that Koko had imagined, the one who fell was actually a very sweet-looking little girl. The girl wore classic European-accented explorer-style clothes, complete with a backpack and roller skates on her feet.
The little girl—Leonardo da Vinci—blinked her large eyes, then looked to the left and right in confusion.
Koko's eyes blinked rapidly. She pointed at the innocent-looking little girl with her index finger. "Wait a minute... who is this little kid?"
Instead of answering Koko, the little girl turned her body and looked around. Her attention was immediately drawn to two figures she knew very well.
"Wait, Director?! And Mash?! Why are you guys here?"
However, before she got an answer, her gaze shifted to the old man in a suit near them. The girl's eyes instantly widened. "That appearance... that magical aura... Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg?!" she shrieked in shock.
Zelretch laughed softly, then bowed slightly with one hand on his chest—giving a classic gentleman's greeting. "Oh, I didn't expect the Universal Genius to recognize my name. It is a great honor to meet you, Mister—ah, no, I mean Miss Leonardo da Vinci," Zelretch corrected himself.
Koko's mouth fell open. Her brain, which usually processed logistics and war tactics in a matter of seconds, suddenly experienced an error.
"Wait! She is... Leonardo da Vinci?! This little girl?! Who isn't even as tall as my chest?!" Koko exclaimed hysterically.
Da Vinci put her hands on her hips, looking at Koko with a look of both wonder and pride. "Hmm? Is there something weird?" she replied casually.
The little girl waved her hand as if explaining basic laws of physics. "Listen here, this is called efficiency. That geezer's body had too many complaints! Back pain, blurry vision, low stamina... trivial things like that really hindered my performance as a genius."
Da Vinci then puffed out her chest and smiled full of confidence.
"So, I fixed it! I always pursue the 'Golden Ratio' in everything, including my own body. This form is the absolute peak of efficiency and aesthetics! Besides, logically speaking, who would want to look at a bearded old geezer when you can look at a beautiful, cute, and genius girl like me? That's just basic human logic!"
Hearing that overly confident explanation, Kagaya Ubuyashiki—who had been listening calmly all this time—now seemed at a loss for words. The gentle smile on his face froze.
"S-So..." Kagaya muttered slowly, his voice sounding slightly shaken. "The soul residing inside that sweet little girl's body... is fundamentally a bearded old man?"
Leaving Kagaya's confusion hanging in the air, Ritsuka clapped his hands once, breaking the awkwardness in the room.
"Alright, let's return to the main topic. I will explain everything to you, Da Vinci," Ritsuka said, taking over the conversation.
Hearing her name called, Da Vinci turned her head. Instead of listening right away, her eyes narrowed sharply, staring at Ritsuka from head to toe.
"Hmmmmm..." Da Vinci hummed lengthily, tilting her head. "You are... the 48th Master Candidate, right?"
"Hey, is your genius memory malfunctioning?" Olga interrupted quickly. "You misspoke. Ritsuka is the 47th Master Candidate. Not the 48th. The 48th is her." Olga pointed her finger at Rikka.
Feeling suddenly made the center of attention by a legendary historical figure, Rikka flinched slightly. She hurriedly bowed her body awkwardly. "H-Hello..." she greeted nervously.
Da Vinci blinked her eyes, looking surprised by that fact. "Oh? Is that so?" She chuckled while tapping her temple. "Sorry, sorry. Maybe the data in my head shifted a bit due to the effect of falling from the portal earlier."
Although she smiled, the glint in her eyes showed otherwise. Da Vinci lowered her head slightly and muttered quietly to herself. "But it's weird, huh... my rational memory and genius instincts are never wrong about numbers. Why does it feel like I'm so sure that he is the 48th...?"
In the place he stood, Ritsuka froze.
The title "48th Candidate" from Da Vinci's mouth earlier somehow triggered his sense of nostalgia. Ritsuka immediately shook his head vigorously, brushing it off. Now was not the time to think about trivial things.
"Whatever," Ritsuka thought.
He took a deep breath, brushing aside his doubts, then looked back at Da Vinci. "Alright, Da Vinci. Let's get the situation straight. The main reason why you were pulled here is..."
Da Vinci nodded slowly, her hand stroking her chin with eyes sparkling full of curiosity. "Umu, umu... Now I understand. So that's how the mechanism works," she murmured enthusiastically.
"A universe that operates entirely outside the control of the Root... As a scientist and a magus, this is an incredibly shocking anomaly!"
Zelretch laughed freely, striking his cane on the floor until it echoed. "Hahahaha! Believe me, Da Vinci! This space and time hold far more madness for the future. Don't be surprised if one day, a real alien entity joins in and sits casually with us!"
"Hoo? If that day really comes, as a universal genius, I will welcome it with open arms!" Da Vinci replied with equal enthusiasm.
Her gaze then shifted, scanning the room until it locked onto the figure of Kagaya, who stood calmly accompanied by Amane.
"You are Kagaya, right?" Da Vinci called out, smirking with the typical expression of a researcher who found a new toy.
"I am very curious after hearing a brief explanation about your world. If we have time later, may I dissect and research the physiology of the creatures you call Oni? Especially the pioneer... what was his name? Kibutsuji Muzan?"
Kagaya initially smiled gently. "I would gladly welcome the presence of Mister—ah, Miss Da Vinci, at our place," Kagaya replied with perfect politeness.
However, when she mentioned Muzan's name, Kagaya fell silent.
The smile on Kagaya's face did not disappear, but its warmth vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold aura that choked the throat. The air around him suddenly felt very heavy and dark.
"However... as for Kibutsuji Muzan..."
Kagaya's voice lowered. His tone of voice remained calm, but his words echoed like an absolute curse drawn from the depths of hell.
"He is not just a research subject. He must die."
There was no room for negotiation in his voice.
"This is not because I refuse to give him to you as a specimen, Da Vinci," Kagaya continued, every syllable dripping with the bitterness and suffering of a thousand years. "If Muzan dies, then all the demons connected to his blood will also perish. This is a non-negotiable price for humanity. He is a pure disgrace that tore apart the destiny of the Ubuyashiki family. He has slaughtered, torn apart, and devoured too many of my children in the Demon Slayer Corps."
Kagaya raised his face slightly. His expression was now the pure manifestation of an unbreakable blood oath.
"Our clan has sacrificed everything to hunt him down. As long as his cursed blood still stains the world, the screams of humanity's pain will never stop. Therefore, no matter how many lives must be sacrificed, no matter what kind of hell we have to go through... Kibutsuji Muzan must not exist. He must perish without a trace, no matter what happens."
Da Vinci fell silent instantly. The air around her seemed to freeze. The universal genius could feel the thick vengeance flowing behind every word spoken so calmly by Kagaya.
On the other hand, Oda Nobunaga actually grinned widely. A suppressed laugh was heard from the Demon King's lips. "Interesting... I really didn't expect this. This man who has a voice as soft as a spring breeze... turns out to harbor the fires of hellish vengeance within his chest," she praised, openly impressed by that murderous resolve.
Koko narrowed her eyes, one hand rubbing the back of her neck that was covered in goosebumps. "I thought he was just the forgiving, holy leader type. It turns out... the monster hiding behind that gentle smile is quite terrifying too, huh."
Olga and Rikka stood stiffly. Both of them felt the same emotional pressure.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Zelretch only let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. As an immortal entity who had traversed the webs of the universes, a series of tragedies and blood oaths like this were nothing new to him. He had seen all too often how vengeance could become an anchor that binds the human soul.
Meanwhile, Fujimaru Ritsuka stood frozen in his place.
His eyes were locked onto Kagaya's figure, but his mind was thrown far into the past. For some reason, over Kagaya's shadow that radiated absolute hatred, Ritsuka saw the overlap of a very familiar silhouette.
Unconsciously, Ritsuka let a name slip from his trembling lips.
"Taira no Kagekiyo..." he murmured softly.