After walking for quite a long time with calm but steady steps, Tiamat finally arrived in front of the modest Hyoudou house. She didn't stop, immediately pushing open the unlocked door and entering, carrying Issei's still unconscious body gently but firmly.
Michael, Dulio, Griselda, and Vasco followed from behind. The moment their feet stepped over the threshold, the same strange sensation assaulted them. The holy light magic that usually flowed abundantly within them suddenly went out, completely cut off. They felt frail, like ordinary humans.
However, unlike the previous domain of absolute silence, this time the effect wasn't that severe. The colors of the world remained, sound could still be heard, but all magic systems and supernatural energies were completely deactivated. Vasco Strada, who relied more on physique and will, only felt his holy power vanish, but his muscles and combat experience remained intact.
Dulio turned to Michael, his face full of bewilderment. "This... isn't just ordinary Anti-Magic. Even my most basic magic isn't responding."
Michael nodded, his face serious. "Even I cannot feel the light of Heaven. This place... rejects the fundamental systems of our world. This isn't just extinguishing; it's a rejection of the very essence of that energy."
Griselda looked at Xenovia walking beside her. "Xenovia, do you know what kind of Domain this is?"
Xenovia shook her head. "I'm not sure. Issei-kun created this to protect his house and family..." She paused for a moment, her cheeks blushing slightly. "...including me."
Vasco, hearing that, sighed softly. "Family... an unexpected, yet noble reason."
Once they were all inside, a somewhat surreal sight greeted them. Ophis was sitting calmly on the sofa, engrossed in a late-night TV program while munching on biscuits. Tiamat, after laying Issei down in his room, had returned and was relaxing on another sofa. Miki and Gorou Hyoudou stood with mixed expressions of fear, confusion, and curiosity seeing the group of strangers suddenly filling their simple house in the middle of the night.
Michael, as the leader, stepped forward with a calm and dignified demeanor. "Excuse us. I am Michael, the leader of the Angels."
Dulio followed with a friendly smile. "Dulio Gesualdo, an Exorcist."
Griselda gave a slight nod. "Griselda Quarta. I am Xenovia's guardian here. Thank you for looking after her."
Vasco, who had carefully laid the still-unconscious Irina and Asia on a soft carpet, introduced himself simply. "Vasco Strada. Just an old man."
Miki and Gorou looked at each other, before finally returning the introductions politely. Miki bowed. "I am Miki Hyoudou, Issei's mother." Gorou also bowed. "Gorou Hyoudou, his father."
Miki then looked at Michael. "Sorry for the trouble. How about sitting in the living room first? Even though it's late, almost eleven PM."
Michael smiled softly, trying to calm the atmosphere. "Alright. But we won't stay long. It's very late and we don't want to disturb."
Miki immediately hurried to the kitchen to prepare hot tea, while Gorou arranged extra chairs. Michael, Dulio, Griselda, and Vasco then sat down. The house was quiet, filled only by the sound of the TV broadcast and the regular ticking of the wall clock. Strangely, even with the subtle pressure from the presence of Tiamat and Ophis, this house felt... comfortable. Safe. Without magic, there was a strange peace enveloping it.
Gorou broke the silence. "Tiamat-san has told us a little about what happened to Issei. But... I still find it hard to believe that Angels truly exist."
Michael smiled warmly. "The Angel race does exist. Like many other races in this world, including the Gods. However, the war among the Three Factions has greatly subsided compared to the past. Though we remain wary of each other, I myself hope that one day all races can fully make peace."
Miki returned carrying a tray with tea and simple snacks. "Here's the tea. Sorry, this is all I can offer."
Griselda returned the smile. "It's okay. Sorry for the trouble."
They began to enjoy the tea, creating a normal moment that contrasted with the extraordinary chaos that had just occurred.
After a few sips, Miki's face turned worried. "Did... our son cause a big problem?"
Michael immediately dispelled that worry. "No. Not at all. He only suffered a disturbance due to a very strong clash of spiritual pressure—pressure from the Dragons, especially Great Red."
Gorou grew more anxious. "Is that Great Red Dragon evil?"
Michael shook his head. "No. He usually resides in the Dimensional Gap. We don't know for sure why he descended to this world this time. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to prevent that clash."
Michael then added in a soothing tone, "Please don't worry too much about Issei-kun. He only fainted from extreme exhaustion. He will be fine."
Griselda stood up, signaling it was time to leave. "Sorry for the trouble. Perhaps we will return to speak with Issei-kun after he wakes up and recovers."
Michael, Dulio, and Vasco also stood up. "Thank you for the tea," said Dulio and Vasco almost simultaneously.
Michael gave a final soft smile. "Once again, sorry for disturbing you in the middle of the night. We hope Issei-kun recovers quickly." He then looked around the room, his eyes lingering for a moment on Tiamat and Ophis before finally leaving with his group.
Griselda, before leaving, looked at Miki. "Please look after Xenovia. Though I am her guardian, I may visit another time to check on her."
Miki replied with a warm smile. "Of course. They're all fine here."
After the guests from the Church left, tranquility returned to the house. Tiamat still sat on the sofa, her mind far away, still processing the serious warning from Great Red about other worlds, the Evies Race, and threats beyond imagination.
While his body lay on the bed, Issei's consciousness was thrown into a place that wasn't a place.
He opened his eyes, but what he saw wasn't his room. It wasn't anything. Just absolute emptiness without color, form, or sound. He looked left and right, but there was no spatial reference. When he looked at his own hands, their shape appeared blurry, as if his very existence was beginning to dissolve.
Then, in the distance of that emptiness, a scene appeared like a silent film. A small black-haired boy, perhaps around 10 years old, was fighting an entity whose form shifted unpredictably—sometimes humanoid, sometimes a tentacled monster, sometimes just thick black mist.
For some reason, Issei's eyes felt hot. Tears welled up without cause. He could feel the boy's state. His soul... was torn. Not intact like a normal human soul. Severely wounded.
Suddenly, that shadow—turned. Not towards the boy, but directly at him, as if it could see him in the midst of this void.
─── ⚠️ SYSTEM WARNING ⚠️ ───
Consciousness Condition: Existence Deviation Detected
Current Status: Direct Contact with Void Memory – ████ Exousia
Identity: [Issei Hyoudou]
Soul Status: Unstable
Body and Soul Synchronization: FAILED
Life Signal: Drastically Decreasing (16% stable)
⚠️ Warning: Void does not acknowledge your existence
⚠️Risk: Severance from original reality
⚠️Effect: Loss of form, sound, taste, and meaning
Emergency Anchor System activated…
▶️Seeking Reference Point: [Original Reality – Kuoh] [Japan]
▶️Matching Self-Identity: [Issei Hyoudou, Ddraig Host]
▶️Locking Soul Threads: [Sacred Gear Contract – OK]
🛡 Anchor System successfully bound consciousness!
🔄Initiating return process...
🌀Pulling consciousness → Reintegrating body → Reviving
⏳ Time remaining before existence vanishes: 3... 2... 1...
As if sucked by an invisible force, Issei's consciousness was brutally pulled out of that void.
Morning sunlight crept through the window, hitting Issei's face. He opened his eyes slowly.
But what he saw... was wrong.
The world before him had no color. Everything was in grayscale. The contrast was low, shapes looked blurry, as if seen through frosted glass. He moved his hand in front of his face, but the movement felt slow, unresponsive.
He tried to hear. Silence. Profound silence. As if the world was wrapped in cotton. Even the ticking of the wall clock in his room was barely audible.
Then, inside his head, a "system message" appeared, not as a sound, but as knowledge suddenly present in his mind, accompanied by terrifying mental visual warnings:
🔻[ANCHOR SYSTEM WARNING]🔻
[User: Issei Hyoudou]
Status: Exposed to Residual Void – Type Beta
⚠ VOID SYMPTOMS DETECTED:
[Eyesight]
▸Colors reduced → world appears in grayscale
▸Low visual contrast, objects hard to recognize when moving
[Hearing]
▸Ambient sound muffled Total
[Taste & Touch]
▸Reflexes slowed
▸Temperature & taste differentiation impaired (salty tastes bland, hot feels cold)
📉 CONSCIOUSNESS STATUS:
Anchor Stability: 58% ⬇ (slowly decreasing)
Additional Psychic Effects:
❗ Some memories automatically locked
❗Personal memory fragments corrupted (type: emotional & sensory)
❗Memory recall: FAILED
[WARNING]
MEMORY BLOCK DETECTED:
· Name: Not accessible
· Time: Corrupted
· Emotional bonds: Not recognized
System cannot link memory identity to current condition.
⚠️ Recovery probability: <24% without external help or Absolute-class entity.
🛡 SYSTEM RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Do not force memories to resurface
•Avoid Void contact points, such as Void Gauntlet
•Contact Ophis for existential reconstruction assistance
•Prioritize protection of core memories: name, purpose, sacred contract
[Void does not erase you all at once. It erodes… until you forget why you live.]
—System Anchor Log#Void_004
The message disappeared, leaving an even more frightening silence and emptiness in his mind. Issei sat on his bed, staring blankly at his gray-scale bedroom wall. He tried to remember. What was his name? What happened? Why was he here?
His mind was empty. A primal fear, deeper than the fear of death, began to spread—the fear of non-existence, of being forgotten by oneself.
His lips trembled, uttering the first words that emerged from the darkness of his eroded memory, his voice soft, full of deep confusion and fear:
"...I... who am I?"