"A bundle?"
The girls were all a bit dazed, their eyes fixed on the strange bundle Ryuga had spread out.
How peculiar.
It certainly looked exactly like a bundle.
However, it was covered in "clock" patterns of various sizes.
"Is this a bundle?"
Elysia hesitated, extending a slender index finger to gently poke the fabric.
There was no special sensation, just a slightly cool touch at her fingertip.
But then again, it probably wasn't a normal "bundle"; everything Ryuga brought out was strange.
"Haha~"
"Although it looks like an ordinary bundle, it isn't. This is called the 'Time Furoshiki'."
Ryuga let out a light laugh, pointing at the clock patterns on the cloth with a mysterious smile.
"See these clocks? Red is forward, black is reverse! When the red side covers something, time will be accelerated, showing its future state; when the black side covers it, time flows backward, showing its past state."
As his voice fell, the room went silent for a moment.
Everyone held their breath.
Red for the future, black for the past?
"So... so incredible..."
Vill-V murmured, her eyes sparkling with pure wonder and curiosity.
She suddenly felt that she didn't even need to find that "teacher"; following Ryuga to learn would be just as good.
Cipher, on the other hand, tilted her small face up, her brow slightly furrowed in thought.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she snapped her head up.
"I get it! You want to use this to reverse the Tailor's time, returning her to the moment before her humanity was lost, right?"
Ryuga gave a gentle smile: "Little Cipher is so smart."
He reached out and rubbed Cipher's small head.
"Haki-Cipher" (Note: A nickname/pun on Haki + Cipher) immediately squinted her eyes like a satisfied kitten, the corners of her mouth curling up.
She loved the warmth of Ryuga's large hand.
Her cat ears twitched, and her tail was already wagging happily out of control, drawing joyful arcs in the air.
Elysia's eyes followed the swaying tail back and forth.
"!"
Suddenly, Cipher seemed to realize something.
Her pupils shrank instantly, and as if struck by a flash of inspiration, she jerked her head up, her gaze sweeping across the chests of Elysia, Vill-V, and Himeko.
Specifically, her eyes lingered intensely on those full contours for a moment.
Then she looked up at Ryuga.
"Wait! If... if the Furoshiki is left on for too long by accident, will the Tailor turn directly back into a child?"
"Yes, so the time must be controlled." Ryuga nodded, pointing at the clocks on it. "See? Once it's on, they move. One full rotation is one year."
One rotation is one year?
Cipher etched this into her heart.
"Then, by the same logic, will a person grow old if it's reversed?"
Ryuga still nodded: "Yes, after all, it's going to a future state, so living beings will naturally age. Here, let me do an experiment for you."
As he spoke, he began looking around the courtyard.
"Eternal youth, huh? When I get old, I'll use it too."
Elysia suddenly realized something.
Ryuga laughed: "You won't need it. After becoming an 'Ascended,' your lifespan is very long; ten thousand years isn't even the limit."
"Eh, there's such a benefit?"
Elysia was stunned.
Himeko also formed an 'O' with her mouth. "Ascended" can stay young forever?
A bold idea suddenly rose in Cipher's mind.
Taking advantage of the moment Ryuga lowered his head to search—
A sharp light flashed in "Haki-Cipher's" eyes, and her pupils darted around. Exercising a cat's ultimate agility, she reached out and snatched the "Time Furoshiki" firmly into her hand.
Then, with a whoosh, she bolted toward the bedroom like an arrow from a bow, whispering as she ran, as if trying to memorize it.
"Red! Red! Red!"
Ryuga was dumbfounded: "Hey—"
Without time to think, he took off in pursuit.
Himeko, Vill-V, Sakura, and Polysia were all stunned and instinctively about to follow, but they were stopped by Elysia's fair hand.
"Let's just wait."
The corners of Elysia's lips curled up into a meaningful smile, and a mischievous spark seemed to dance in her eyes.
The girls looked at each other, full of confusion.
Only Elysia smiled craftily, looking quite mischievous.
(Looks like we're getting another sister.)
...
When Ryuga burst into the bedroom, he saw Cipher flipping the "Time Furoshiki" over, covering herself with the side as bright red as blood.
Her small body was curled up, knees to chest, arms hugging her legs, huddled in the center of the bed.
Like a butterfly about to break from its cocoon.
Then, in Ryuga's eyes, the "Time Furoshiki" expanded at a visible rate.
And Cipher beneath the cloth was rapidly growing larger under the accelerated time flow.
He could vaguely hear her low murmurs.
"One rotation... two rotations... three rotations..."
Then, rip.
Ryuga's ears twitched; it sounded like the sound of fabric being strained and torn.
It wasn't until Cipher suddenly threw off the "Time Furoshiki" and sat on the bed in a "duck sit" (W-sit) position, looking down at herself curiously.
So big!
Her waist was so thin it looked like it would break with a pinch, barely a handful.
Her bottom was perky and rounded, like a ripe, full fruit, containing amazing elasticity and vitality.
It was just that her clothes were ruined.
"Pfft—"
Ryuga's eyes widened, and he felt a heat in his throat, nearly spitting out blood.
The visual effect was too impactful; it was truly "breathtaking."
Because of Cipher's time acceleration, her body was also accelerating in growth. She was no longer the petite and exquisite little girl from before.
The "Haki-Cipher" before him was now a living, breathing cat-girl full of wild beauty.
Everything that should be big was big.
Everything that should be thin was thin.
Exactly the same as in the game's plot.
Naturally, her previous clothes had been burst open.
Now, the shredded clothes were hanging off her in strips, breathtakingly seductive.
Especially since her skin glowed with a pearl-like luster.
"Hehe~"
Cipher was very satisfied with Ryuga's stunned reaction and laughed triumphantly.
The cat licked the corner of her mouth, her eyes full of craftiness and provocation.
The next instant—
"Meow!"
With a flick of her tail, Cipher sprang from the bed like a nimble cat, her graceful body drawing a beautiful arc in the air.
She lunged toward Ryuga.
The few remaining shredded strips of cloth hanging on her body completely scattered and vanished during the leap.
The cat "thudded" as she hugged Ryuga.
Holding him tightly in her arms. At that moment, Ryuga only felt his vision go dark; he couldn't see anything.
His nose was filled with the unique fragrance of a young girl.
Ryuga's throat tightened, and he let out muffled "wuwuwu" groans of protest.
Coach!
She's charging!
...
A moment later~
When "Cipher," who had changed into a new set of clothes, walked out, the atmosphere froze instantly.
Ci? Pher!
"Hehe~!"
With a triumphant glance around the small courtyard, Cipher proudly puffed out her chest, seemingly showing off her "grand" bosom.
And Cipher finally understood what Ryuga meant by that sentence, "You should look forward to your future."
In the future, her "grandeur" would not be inferior to the other girls.
In fact, it might even be a bit larger.
Elysia's eyes sparkled, and she covered her mouth with a smile as bright as a flower: "Oh my~, what a truly cute little kitty."
After saying that, she tilted her head, her gaze darting quickly back and forth between Cipher and Vill-V, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.
"Hmm, looking at it this way, the grown-up Cipher and Vill-V look even more alike."
They were practically sisters carved from the same mold.
Moreover, that stubborn and proud streak was exactly the same.
Vill-V had a forehead full of black lines.
Himeko's pupils shrank slightly: "The 'Time Furoshiki' is truly miraculous."
Sakura's mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time.
Polysia lightly covered her vermilion lips, staring blankly at Cipher, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, her eyes full of shock and disbelief.
Was this still the "Little Cipher" she knew?
One second, she was a child with lingering childishness.
After a trip into the room and back out, she was already a graceful, mature, and charming "cat-woman" with a sexy and alluring figure.
Yes, "big" in every sense of the word.
Her gaze unconsciously slid toward Cipher's chest, then quickly moved away, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.
Is this the power of the "Time Furoshiki"?
So powerful.
Even the Titans of Time aren't as powerful as you.
Creak~
The courtyard gate was pushed open again, and a childish and cute figure stepped in.
"Little Polysia, you really are here. About today's execution... eh?"
Trissha's words came to an abrupt halt.
Standing at the door, with one foot over the threshold and the other still outside, her mouth hanging open in a cute and slightly comical way.
She looked as if she had been frozen in time.
Looking at the strangers in the courtyard, her large blue eyes instantly froze, and she stopped smiling.
Fortunately, Polysia was there, and the Demon God had also returned.
"Lord Demon God, has your secluded cultivation ended?"
"Yes."
What confused Trissha the most was the cat-eared girl leaning beside the Demon God, who looked remarkably like "Cipher."
"Are you Cipher?"
Those eyes, those cat ears, that swaying tail, and that familiar nimbleness and playfulness.
Yes, it was definitely her.
But why had she suddenly grown up?
This morning, she was only half a head taller than her; how could she be about the same size as Aglaea in the blink of an eye?
Trissha looked at Cipher with a complex gaze. Could it be the power of time?
"So cute."
Elysia's eyes lit up. This must be the "Tribbie" who was shattered into a thousand pieces, right?
So adorable.
"Trissha, come here."
Suddenly thinking of something, Ryuga with difficulty and reluctance withdrew his hand from Cipher's "embrace" and took out the "Time Furoshiki" again.
Trissha was puzzled but obediently stepped forward.
"Hmm, let's go back ten rotations for now."
As he spoke, Ryuga draped the black side over Trissha's head, covering her completely.
"Eh? Eh!?"
Trissha was caught off guard and covered, her vision suddenly going dark.
The darkness made her senses sharper than ever before.
She could hear the rhythm of her own heartbeat and sense the divine authority of the "Gate" (Note: Referring to her role as a Gatekeeper/Titan) reviving in her body like bamboo shoots after rain.
Her divine power, which had been exhausted from frequently opening the "Hundred World Gates," was flowing back and filling up at an incredible speed.
She closed her eyes, her heart shaken.
So powerful.
Even the Titans of Time aren't as powerful as the Demon God.
She felt that she could open the Hundred World Gates again; opening them another 100 times wouldn't be a problem.
And Elysia and the others finally understood how the "Time Furoshiki" worked.
The moment it's draped, the clock hands on the front and back sides start to turn.
Since it was reversing now, it was turning counter-clockwise.
Actually, Zilean's time power could also do this.
But creating the "Time Furoshiki" was firstly prepared for Polysia, and secondly for Aglaea.
Her humanity was burning away every moment.
With the "Time Furoshiki," she could reset at any time.
As long as she remembered the time she took over the divine authority of the Titan of Romance, and didn't reset too far.
Of course, going too far wouldn't matter; just drape it the other way for a bit.
After ten rotations, Ryuga removed the "Time Furoshiki."
"How do you feel?"
Ryuga asked with a smile.
"Very comfortable. My divine authority is full again, and I... can protect everyone once more."
Trissha looked down at her hands, then up at Ryuga, her smile gaining a bit more softness.
The afterglow of the sun fell on Trissha's small face again, making her look radiant.
"Good. But you should still stay in Okhema as a messenger."
Ryuga raised his hand and gently rubbed her hair.
She had already been through enough.
Compared to the other Tribbies, she was actually a bit better off.
Although Tribbie endured the pain of 998 deaths, at least Castorice was there, making her much safer than her other sisters.
Trinnon was the last to die, exhausting her soul to help Baie open the gate.
(Pfft, in the first cycle, it seems Tribbie was taken away by Castorice; no wonder she's called a 'hostage'.)
"Okay."
Trissha nodded obediently.
"By the way, you came in person to deliver the message; is there no World Wide Web?"
"What's that?"
"..."
So, in this cycle, Aglaea hasn't created it yet?
He remembered it seemed to be something that happened after she began governing Okhema.
...
Elysia, Himeko, and Vill-V had already changed into local Amphoreus clothing and used "Jak'Sho, the Protean" to modify their appearances.
Except for the Chrysos Heirs, in the eyes of others, they just looked like local Amphoreus people.
Well, just a bit better looking.
And with the "Universal Pass" worn on them, they wouldn't be recorded or defined by the "803" (Note: Likely a reference to a monitoring system or law) when entering or leaving any occasion, nor would they attract Agostos's attention.
Himeko and Vill-V followed Polysia and Trissha to watch the execution. While Castorice was away on an expedition, some small-time troublemakers took the opportunity to jump out and try to overthrow the Chrysos Heirs.
Although a large number of elders from the Senate had been executed, troublemakers can never be fully eliminated.
These people wouldn't get to enjoy Polysia's mercy.
Heads were rolling.
Elysia and Cipher went with Ryuga to the Marble Sky Palace.
Sakura stayed to watch the house.
On the way, Ryuga also learned from Cipher about the various changes that had occurred after he left Amphoreus.
Castorice had set out on an expedition again.
It was said she had already reached the walls of the last kingdom.
A ripple rose in his heart; the fated journey of the "Flame-Chasers" (Note: Referring to the MOTHs/Flame-Chasers theme) was finally about to begin.
It was time to tell everyone the truth.
Hmm, the potion "Liar 800" (Note: Doraemon reference) should also make its appearance.
...
Marble Sky Palace.
Inside Aglaea's private residence.
"Lord Demon God, the wind has brought your message along the golden threads. Welcome ba—"
Aglaea had already prepared black tea to welcome Ryuga.
But before the word "back" could leave her mouth, she froze in place.
"Se... Sepharia?"
This is Sepharia, right?
What on earth?
In the morning she was Little Cipher, how did she become "Big Cipher" by evening?
"It's like this..."
Cipher smiled triumphantly, her gaze inconspicuously sweeping across Aglaea's chest, the corners of her mouth lifting even higher.
Hers wasn't smaller than Aglaea's.
So she blabbered on with an explanation.
"So that's how it is?"
"The power of time is truly miraculous."
"Polysia really is attentive. Then... I'll have to trouble the Lord Demon God."
As she spoke, Aglaea placed a hand over her chest and bowed, her skirt swaying gently, her posture extremely elegant.
"Also, welcome Miss Elysia to Okhema."
Elysia's eyes widened, starlight sparkling in them: "So beautiful."
This Aglaea was so elegant, so divine, beautiful in a way that didn't seem to belong to the mortal world.
"How long has it been since you inherited the divine authority of Romance?"
Ryuga suddenly spoke.
"Six years."
"Then let's go back to five years ago."
Ryuga thought for a moment, gave the "Time Furoshiki" a light shake, and draped it over Aglaea.
After the hands turned five rotations counter-clockwise, he reached out to pinch a corner, preparing to remove it.
Then, he was a bit stunned.
From inside the bundle, some threads, gold pieces, gemstones, pearls, and such fell out strangely.
"Wa-wait a moment..."
And from inside the bundle, Aglaea's panicked and embarrassed voice rang out.
But it was too late; Ryuga flicked his wrist and removed the bundle.
Whoa— so, so bright.
Ryuga felt as if a pair of newborn bright moons were presented before him without any cover, their luster dazzling.
His pupils shrank, and his mind went blank for a moment.
Looking down again at the threads, gold pieces, and jewelry scattered on the ground...
Ryuga understood.
This dress of Aglaea's must have been made less than five years ago.
Therefore, they had also returned to their raw material state.
And Aglaea, who had been wearing it, was now standing before him without any cov
To be continued…
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