[Gate Between Worlds Progress +30%]
[Ding! "Protagonist Slayer (Red)" triggered. Do you wish to plunder this existence?]
"Yes!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Takumi chose to plunder.
In that instant, heaven and earth halted; time itself froze. He could see Zeus, furious beyond measure—his expression fixed at that very moment.
As Takumi plundered and devoured Bell's existence in its entirety, the threads of causality were plucked, and the ripples spread across the whole world—reaching to the very end of the timeline.
This time it wasn't merely replacement. Takumi seemed to have turned the target into nourishment and absorbed him completely.
Everything about Bell's existence was wiped from this world in a heartbeat—no trace even upon the timeline.
He did not substitute Bell's experiences. Rather, he became a child who appeared out of thin air, picked up and adopted by a pair of kind sisters.
Those two sisters went to the Dungeon; he stayed in the village to grow up. Until now—exiting the "Simulated Life" state—he arrived at this empty forest.
Zeus's figure had long since ceased to exist, and the earlier world-ending shockwaves had vanished without a trace. The merging and consolidation of the timeline erased all marks.
Takumi's original purpose surfaced in his mind.
"Track down the traces of my adoptive mothers, Alfia and Meteria, and head for the Dungeon."
[Ding! Gained Traits: Goddess's Favor (Purple), Heroic Wish (Blue), Single-Hearted Yearning (Blue), Protagonist's Aura (Blue)!]
[Goddess's Favor (Purple): Your existence can easily capture the hearts of any goddess.]
[Heroic Wish (Blue): You can store up intent for proactive actions to strengthen the effect; the degree of strengthening is determined by the stamina and spirit consumed.]
[Single-Hearted Yearning (Blue): When you hold yearning toward one person, your training efficacy increases according to the intensity of that yearning. Grants charm-immunity.]
Regarding these acquired Traits, Takumi didn't feel any immediate change. What he cared about more was the alteration of the timeline.
"Replacement and devouring look similar, but the results are worlds apart."
Possessing the Interdimensional Realm, Takumi could sense the shifts in causality. The entire world had used him—the "protagonist"—as an anchor and underwent changes to a certain extent.
"[Love Curse] is flexing—actually twisting the track of fate. Suddenly I've got two convenient mothers. Adoptive mothers… that's a bit exciting~."
Reviewing the memories in his head, Takumi couldn't help the flush on his face. Alfia and Meteria, who should have died, seemed to have survived because of his interference. Skimming the letters they'd sent, Takumi could only roughly judge that they'd recently run into some trouble.
"Only reporting good news and hiding bad… now I don't even know what happened. The latest letter is from half a year ago—after Hera Familia and Zeus Familia set out together on an expedition, they sent word they were safe."
"My love radar says they're fine… Whatever the case, I need to hurry." The ahoge atop Takumi's head twitched as he gazed toward the distant city of Orario and its Dungeon.
This world was astonishingly vast; fortunately, he had a map from his adoptive mother Meteria.
Setting out at once, Takumi skimmed through midair, overlooking the boundless land. Even without going full speed, he estimated he could reach Orario within two days.
But halfway along, a group below caught Takumi's attention.
It was a fox-eared girl and a Pallum man. The Pallum looked to be only up to Takumi's waist.
The two were fleeing for their lives, with dozens of orc-type monsters chasing them from behind. In truth, monsters weren't exclusive to the Dungeon—this world had them in every corner, just not as densely as within the Dungeon.
A band of orcs this size already counted as a monster pack. An ordinary village facing dozens of orcs would be almost certainly overrun and destroyed.
Chased by the orcs, the fox-eared girl and the Pallum wore expressions of utter panic. The fox girl's hair was a cascade of gold; her features were exquisitely cute, her skin like white milk.
She wore an expensive kimono that perfectly hid her shapely, delicate figure. A fluffy fox tail poked out from behind, swishing frantically—adorable to the extreme.
As stunning as her beauty and attire were, they were obviously unsuited for flight. She could hardly run fast at all and, with tears in her eyes, cried, "P-please, slow down a little, I can't keep up~"
"Who'd slow down for you, dead weight? Get lost!!"
The Pallum hurled a crude curse and picked up his pace. He truly was fuming to speechlessness. Ever since scheming against this fox-girl, his luck had been rotten nonstop.
Originally, this fox-girl—Haruhime Sanjouno —was a girl of Far East noble birth. When he visited her home, he set his sights on Haruhime. To obtain her, he deliberately offered divine food intended for worship of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, then let Haruhime mistakenly eat it—provoking her father, an official responsible for serving Amaterasu, into a rage.
Afterward, he played the good man and sweet-talked them, bringing Haruhime along in his caravan for the return trip. But on the road back to Orario, before he could even lay a finger on Haruhime, they were attacked again and again by thieves and bandits.
Now they'd even run into a pursuit by dozens of orc monsters—the caravan suffered terrible casualties on the spot, leaving only him and the fox girl Haruhime to escape.
At this point, he felt nothing for Haruhime but pure resentment. Because of her, his luck had been absolute garbage!!!
Seeing the orcs closing in, a trace of glee and relief crossed the Pallum's face. With Haruhime behind as a scapegoat, he could still buy himself time to flee.
Thinking this, the Pallum sped up yet again.
Watching him sprint for his life while cursing her, Haruhime's eyes welled, grievance choking her heart. She'd been inexplicably scolded by her father and cast out of her home.
Thanks only to this Pallum guest's guidance had she survived until now. Why, then, would this normally mild-faced man spit such vile words at her? Was all of this… truly her fault?
The more Haruhime thought, the more convinced she became. Perhaps only death was her destination.
Already drained of strength, she slowly came to a stop. The orcs behind immediately closed in, maws gaping to bite down on the unmoving Haruhime.
Her whole body trembled—she could only await death's arrival.
Boom!!!
Like the drop of a titanic hammer, a field of force crashed down, shattering the snarling orc before Haruhime in an instant. The next orc swung its spiked club, but before it even brushed a hair on Haruhime, a spear of light lanced through its torso.
Corrosive power surged from the wound, and within a single breath the entire orc crumbled to ash. And that was only the beginning—one spear of light after another poured down like an unending storm.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
Dozens of orcs vanished on the spot. Only a few scattered magic stones clattered to the ground.
[Ding! Randomly plundered Traits: Great Strength (Green), Toughened Skin (Green)]
[Toughened Skin (Green): Your skin becomes exceedingly tough, able to withstand ordinary blades.]
...
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