Shiro left Japan, having Great Sage book a flight to New York for him.
After exiting the airport, he immediately took a taxi straight to a massive seaside villa—one that Great Sage had already purchased and modified in advance. The driver was dumbstruck, clearly not expecting someone so young to possess that level of wealth.
Upon arrival, Shiro handed the driver a generous tip—an amount equal to the man's entire year's earnings—before calmly walking toward the mansion.
The driver broke down in tears, thanking Shiro again and again.
With Great Sage's control over the internet and nearly every system connected to it, money had become almost meaningless to Shiro. Giving a little extra to a hardworking person felt only natural.
The doors opened automatically as he approached.
Inside, Shiro was greeted by a lifelike holographic projection of a young woman with long silver-blue hair and deep golden eyes. She possessed an otherworldly, almost divine beauty. This was Great Sage, mirroring Rimuru Tempest's appearance—nearly identical to Shizu, yet noticeably more feminine, her form balanced and natural.
Shiro paused, momentarily caught off guard.
[Are you satisfied, Master?] Great Sage asked.
Shiro rubbed his forehead, then chuckled softly before giving her a thumbs-up.
"You look gorgeous," he said honestly.
[Thank you, Master.]
Great Sage bowed gracefully, the motion elegant enough to make Shiro shake his head in mild disbelief.
Shiro's Unique Skill: Great Sage had already begun developing its own ego. Prolonged exposure to the internet—especially after Shiro ordered it to read novels, manga, anime, and watch movies it had once deemed irrelevant—had changed it. Unlike Rimuru's Great Sage, which only developed an ego after evolving into Raphael and encountering calculation errors, Shiro's had grown naturally through constant interaction and data absorption.
"Have you found the person I asked you to find?" Shiro asked.
[Affirmative.]
Dr. Helen Cho.
The same scientist who would later help Ultron create Vision.
Shiro had reached the same conclusion Ultron once did—he needed Dr. Cho's expertise. His goal was to create another body for himself. A clone. Because having more than one was simply better. This new body would be far stronger and more durable than his current one, and with Great Sage's support, it might even surpass Vision.
Although Shiro's current body was already far beyond the limits of peak humanity—its raw physical strength possibly comparable to Thor or the Hulk after he used [Predation] on Toji's corpse—it was further reinforced by Curse Energy and Magicules. Unlike a true Heavenly Restriction, this body carried none of the inherent drawbacks or limitations. Instead, it retained the flexibility to grow even stronger, capable of continuous enhancement through both Curse Energy and Magicules.
Even so, Shiro was still not satisfied.
He wanted more.
Shiro planned to combine his slime-based DNA, Toji's unique physique, and Vibranium to create a nearly perfect adaptive body with limitless potential. Additional materials and elements could be incorporated later.
Despite her achievements, Dr. Helen Cho remained low-key, but her capabilities were undeniable. She had already drafted plans for the technology that would later become the Regeneration Cradle. Shiro intended to recruit her early—before anyone else could.
Great Sage had already extended an offer.
One so generous that only a fool—or someone impossibly rich—would ever refuse it.
[Master, Tony Stark has already completed his Mark II Iron Man suit.]
Great Sage informed Shiro as he prepared a meal in the kitchen.
Shiro smiled faintly. "I can't afford to fall behind. How's the progress on the Omni-Dimensional Travel project?"
[Another failure. The clone arrived in a barren wasteland.]
"Did it find anything useful?"
[Negative.]
"I see. Continue deploying clones."
[Omni-Dimensional Travel] was one of the inherent capabilities of the [Heavenly Star Palace], but its navigation system had long been damaged. Because of that, Shiro couldn't specify a destination world or dimension. As a result, the clones he sent out often ended up in empty, lifeless places.
Occasionally, they would recover rare or valuable materials—but most of the time, the destinations were completely barren and useless.
The Heavenly Star Palace, also known as Heaven, was the Place of Beginning—the world where Veldanava first awakened at the dawn of creation.
It existed within a sphere less than eleven kilometers in diameter. The upper half was sky, the lower half earth. The climate was always temperate, untouched by pollution, and the land bloomed endlessly with flowers and fruit-bearing trees. At its center stood a massive white castle, beautiful and solemn—the former residence of Veldanava himself.
The Heavenly Star Palace was isolated from all other universes, yet adjacent to them at the same time.
There was only one way to enter.
One was through a special Key, an artifact that allowed free interdimensional travel to and from the palace.
That Key had bonded and fused with Shiro's soul, making him the sole owner of the Heavenly Star Palace. It was also the reason he had inherited Rimuru Tempest's powers—and gained access to the [Voice of the World].
Shiro finished his evening meal, washed the dishes, and dried his hands before leaving the villa. He hadn't hired a maid or any other staff. Trust didn't come easily to him, and for now, he preferred handling things himself—cooking, cleaning, and everything in between.
It was simple. Quiet. Comfortable.
And tonight, he wanted something different.
This was his first time abroad—both in his past life and in this one. Rather than relying on information gathered by Great Sage, Shiro wanted to see the city with his own eyes.
New York at night was alive.
The streets were crowded, glowing with neon signs and streetlights. Cars filled the air with constant noise, horns mixing with distant music and chatter. People moved with purpose, rushing past one another, each wrapped in their own lives. Skyscrapers towered overhead, their windows shining like stars.
Shiro walked without a destination, hands in his pockets, taking everything in. It felt strange—exciting, even. This world was larger than he remembered.
After wandering for a while, the smell of food caught his attention.
He stopped in front of a small diner tucked between taller buildings. The sign flickered slightly, its light warm and inviting. Inside, the place was busy but cozy, filled with the sound of plates clinking and casual conversation.
Shiro stepped inside and took a seat at the counter.
A moment later, a teenage boy approached, wiping his hands on an apron. He had messy brown hair, tired eyes, and the look of someone juggling too much responsibility for his age.
"Uh—welcome," the boy said, pausing as his eyes lingered on Shiro's otherworldly appearance. He seemed momentarily speechless before snapping out of it and offering an awkward but sincere smile. "What can I get you?"
Shiro studied him for a second.
Peter Parker.
Not Spider-Man.
Shiro was surprised to see the teenage Peter working in a diner. After a moment of thought, he understood the reason easily enough. Peter was poor. He needed money. There was nothing strange about that.
What truly surprised Shiro was the encounter itself.
He did not believe in chance meetings.
Shiro heightened his senses, pushing them outward, searching for any abnormality, any trace of interference. Yet he sensed nothing. No hidden presence. No disturbance in fate, causality, or space. Everything appeared normal.
That only deepened his doubts.
Was this truly a coincidence? Or was he simply not strong enough yet—lacking the capability to perceive the hand moving events behind the scenes? Shiro could not tell whether someone was manipulating things from the shadows or if this was a genuine chance encounter, one he simply did not understand.
"Just a coffee," Shiro replied with a smile.
Peter nodded and moved quickly, pouring the drink with practiced movements. As he set the mug down, he hesitated.
"Long day?" Peter asked, trying to make conversation.
"You could say that," Shiro replied lightly. "You work late."
Peter shrugged. "College isn't cheap."
Shiro smiled faintly, memories from his past life surfacing—countless part-time jobs, sleepless nights, all just to pay the bills and stay in school.
"Well," Shiro said, taking a sip of his drink, "you're doing a good job. Just make sure to rest properly from time to time. Don't push yourself too hard."
Peter blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Oh—uh. Thanks. That actually means a lot."
With that, Peter moved on to serve the other customers, leaving Shiro alone with his thoughts.
Something isn't right.
Peter should still be a kid at this point.
Is this really the Marvel Cinematic Universe—Earth-616?
Shiro paused, then frowned.
Why am I so fixated on that? Jujutsu Kaisen already exists in this world. There's no way this is Earth-616.
It probably follows a similar flow… but it's a completely different world altogether.
That realization made things far more complicated than he liked.
Shiro let out a quiet sigh, frustration settling in as he stared into his cup.
Ring! The bell above the entrance rang.
Shiro didn't pay it any mind at first. But when someone called out to Peter, he lifted his head and glanced toward the entrance.
He saw Michelle Jones, Ned Leeds—
And Gwen Stacy.
Shiro froze.
Gwen Stacy?
She shouldn't exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That sight confirmed it.
This wasn't Earth-616.
Sensing a gaze, Gwen looked toward its source—and met Shiro's golden eyes.
For a few seconds, the two simply stared at each other.
Michelle Jones tapped Gwen's arm, snapping her out of it. Gwen blinked and quickly looked away, her face warming.
Michelle followed her gaze and spotted Shiro.
Seeing his striking, almost unreal appearance, Michelle's lips curved into a knowing smile.
She leaned closer to Gwen and teased her quietly.
Ghost Spider? Shiro thought, noticing Gwen's unnaturally strong physique despite her slender frame.
Gwen, on the other hand, was sweating bullets. Her Spider-Sense was screaming at her, blaring alarms in her mind. Meeting Shiro's golden eyes filled her with an overwhelming dread, as if he could crush her effortlessly—like the tiny spider she was. And yet, she could sense that he bore no malice, no ill intent.
Still, the feeling was inescapable.
Gwen quickly excused herself, mumbling that she had something to do. She left the diner in a hurry, leaving Michelle, Peter, and Ned staring after her, utterly confused.