As Haruto sat down, Marena moved instantly. Before he could even process what was happening, her fingers struck a precise pressure point on the back of his neck.
"Sorry, Haruto," she whispered softly. "But this is for your own good."
Haruto's eyes widened in shock. His mouth opened to speak, but no sound came out. Instantly, his strength gave way, his mind spinning as the bright room dissolved into a heavy, swirling blur of darkness.
As he slipped into unconsciousness, fragmented voices drifted through the fading edges of his awareness.
"Like Lady Lilith said," Rutherford's deep voice rumbled as he stepped forward to effortlessly lift Haruto's limp body, "we need to bring him with us."
"Yeah, so hurry up and let's go." Toya urged quietly, glancing toward the corner.
"Don't give me orders," Rutherford muttered back coldly, hoisting Haruto over his shoulder.
And with that, the last remaining sound faded away, plunging everything into complete blackness.
As Daisy, Philo, Marena, and Geeli arrive at Lilith's grand mansion, the heavy double doors swing open to reveal the towering, serene hall inside.
Right as they step across the threshold, a critical meeting takes place among all the girls and Lilith to discuss a pressing problem: Haruto's severe lack of power.
Daisy crosses her arms, frowning. "Why are we even focusing so much on him right now? He's just lagging behind."
Lilith calmly shakes her head, her gaze steady. "Haruto is far too weak to survive what's coming. We need to bridge that gap immediately."
"Then I'll just fast-track his training regimen and push him through intensive combat drills," Daisy offers briskly.
"No, that won't work," Lilith explains gently, narrowing her eyes. "If you coddle him or just hand him strength, he will become entirely dependent on you.
To truly make him strong, we have to be ruthless. We need to fast-track his growth through actual crucible conditions."
To set the grueling plan into motion, Lilith looks over the group and chooses Toya and Rutherford to lead the frontline training execution.
But the moment their names are called, Marena steps forward, her eyes locked firmly on the goal with stubborn determination.
She refuses to be left out, demanding that she be allowed to help train him too. Seeing the fierce excitement and absolute resolve burning in Marena's eyes, Lilith gives a small, conceding smile and agrees to let her join.
Meanwhile, back at the facility, Toya, Rutherford, and Marena carry the unconscious Haruto straight to Lilith's domain, setting the stage for what happens next as he wakes up face-to-face with the ultimate test of his limits.
The scene shifts to a flashback showing how everything was put into motion just after Haruto was brought unconscious into the mansion.
While Haruto was still out cold upstairs, Lilith stood at the head of a long table downstairs, her eyes cold and calculated as she laid out a dangerous, radical plan. "Strip him of everything he currently relies on," she had stated flatly to the gathered group. "We need to shatter his illusion that this entire world is just some fun game or harmless playground. He needs to wake up and realize this is harsh, unforgiving reality."
Lilith leaned forward, her gaze sweeping over the room. "Let's make him believe that none of us actually know him or care about him. Break him down completely from the inside out. Mock his ideals, crush his confidence, and force him to face just how painfully weak he really is so he has no choice but to prove his worth on his own. What do you all say? Do you agree?"
Most of the room nodded in grim agreement, ready to execute the brutal training protocol. But Ivory and Lustra immediately stepped forward, crossing their arms in firm rejection.
Bellona tried to reason with them, stepping between the dissenting sides. "Listen, we're doing this for his own good—it's the only way to—"
"No," Ivory interrupted sharply, her expression filled with genuine concern. "Think about what this will do to him. He's always looked at us as friends. If we turn on him like this and betray his trust, it'll destroy him completely. He'll stop believing in anyone from our side ever again."
Before Bellona could answer, Lilith raised a hand, her expression unreadable as she shook her head. "Ivory... you're wrong."
Lilith stepped forward, her expression completely unyielding. "What is our ultimate mission, Ivory? It's to ensure he actually survives what's coming."
Ivory clenched her fists. "There has to be a better way to help him grow without destroying him!"
"There isn't," Lilith replied coldly. "Think about it—when he finally wakes up, what happens if he has no house, no resources, and no safety net? That is when he will truly understand the gravity of this world. Besides, I've already revoked every single credit and asset he had access to. Everything he owned has been pulled back."
Ivory's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "You... you actually did that? Even after everything, you know my magic doesn't work directly against him, but to go this far—"
"We can discuss my methods later," Lilith cut her off, her tone shifting into a chillingly pragmatic command.
"Right now, focus on the details. When he wakes up wandering the streets where no one knows him, we need to strip away every last trace of his old self.
We'll start by dying his hair completely black—making him look utterly ordinary, completely devoid of any special traits or power signatures."
A heavy hush fell over the room as Ivory stared at Lilith, utterly horrified. She remembered how much Lilith had always secretly admired Haruto's distinctive hair and presence. For Lilith to suggest defacing him like this meant she was dead serious.
"It's a necessary cruelty," Lilith whispered, turning her back to the room. "He's grown far too comfortable because everything has been handed to him on a silver platter. If we keep coddling him, he'll just remain a helpless child playing a game. To force him to become a true pillar, we have to tear him down to absolute zero."
Ivory shook her head, her voice trembling slightly. "He already has enough raw potential! He would build his talent naturally without all this cruelty!"
"No, he wouldn't," Lilith snapped back, turning sharply to face her. "Obsession will always beat raw talent every single time. Every single time you reach the top, you realize talent alone is a joke."
The heavy, suffocating silence in the room grew even denser as the others realized just how serious Lilith was about pushing Haruto to the absolute brink.
Lilith slowly stepped closer to Ivory, her gaze locking onto her with intense, burning conviction. "You've got all the talent in the world, Ivory... but are you truly obsessed with it? Do you ever think about stepping out onto the street and screaming at the top of your lungs: 'I am the best! I can beat everyone on this street, if not the entire world!' You've created all these worlds and systems you always speak of, but let me ask you—can you honestly bet everything against your own creation?"
Ivory opened her mouth, her breath hitching as she tried to form a rebuttal.
Before a single word could escape, Lilith whipped around, cutting her off with a sharp glare. "Oh, don't give me that damn excuse about being gods and how 'we aren't allowed to interfere with human affairs'! You aren't some detached, untouchable god anymore, and we both know it. Your powers are just capped over Haruto for the rest of your life!"
The moment the word gods slipped out into the open, Marena blinked, leaning over slightly. "Wait... you three are actual goddesses?"
Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out an exasperated sigh as she held up a hand. "Hold on... just give me two minutes."
Lilith turned her sharp gaze back toward Ivory, her eyes flashing with cold intensity. "You want to talk about obsession? I am completely, utterly obsessed with power. I see that exact hunger in Philo, Seraphine, Marena, Daisy, Geeli, Toya, Bellona, and even a spark of it in Lustra. But you? And that damn professor?"
Hearing those words, the professor quietly stood up from his seat, adjusting his coat with a flat expression. "I'm heading out for some fresh air."
"Then don't ever bother coming back," Lilith replied without missing a beat.
Lilith snapped her attention back to Ivory, stepping closer as her voice dropped to a dangerous, chilling register. "I don't care about titles, and I certainly don't care if someone calls themselves a god. Remember this—I'm the one who forced all of heaven to bend the knee to me once before. I can do it again, and I did it entirely alone. Don't push me back into my old violent habits. I can tear down this entire sanctuary and laugh while I do it. Look at how pathetic you all are! Even after hitting Level 99, your actual driving power feels weaker than Level 20. It's pathetic."
Her chest heaved slightly as she swept her gaze across the silent room. "I could walk out onto the streets right now and scream that I am the absolute best, and turn anyone who challenges me into a bloody pulp. None of you have the spine to do what needs to be done. If I wanted to, I could wipe out every single person in this room in ten minutes flat!"
She pointed a finger back toward the core issue. "And you're standing here lecturing me about helping him grow slowly? You keep telling me he has hidden potential—I know he has potential! That's precisely why I chose to stick by his side and guide him in the first place. Without that push, he would still be stuck back at the Allesta Academy, getting bullied and played the hero around by low-tier nobles!"
Lustra raised a hand cautiously, speaking up from the side. "Lilith... you're missing the point. Haruto's power doesn't scale on raw numbers alone; he grows stronger through emotional resonance and bonds."
Lilith scoffed, crossing her arms. "I know very well that he levels up through his emotions—I've heard him climb all the way near Level 90 from philo. But right now, he's completely stagnant. Even a minor emotional trick from some experience maze's Arsenal is enough to completely disrupt his resonance loops. Did any of you even pay attention to that?"
Ivory's expression hardened, her jaw clenching as the biting weight of Lilith's public dressing-down settled over her. Meeting Lilith's intense gaze head-on, her voice carried a sharp, defiant edge. "Fine. What happens if this plan fails? What if we lose everything we've built, and he loses it all? Tell me, what then?"
Lilith let out a dry, dismissive scoff, tilting her chin up. "Please... as if you don't already know. Even if every single one of us loses everything—even if I were to lose this entire world and every piece of power I hold—it wouldn't matter."
A dark, confident smirk curved across Lilith's lips as she stepped forward, her aura radiating absolute dominance.
"If I lose it all, I will simply stand back up on my own two feet, bare my claws, and take back every single thing that was ever mine from the ground up," Lilith declared, her voice echoing with chilling certainty. "I built my empire from the ashes before, and I can bloody well do it again."
Ivory stood her ground, her voice cutting through the heavy air with sharp defiance. "I still don't accept this! This is my life, and I choose how to care for my creations—not you!"
Lilith let out a cold, unimpressed sigh, shaking her head. "Intellect is truly your worst enemy, Ivory. No wonder brilliant people like you always end up disconnected, overthinking every little detail. You fools sit around talking about philosophy, debating morals, laughing, winning, and acting like everything is a game—until reality finally catches up and destroys you."
"Is that so?" Ivory stepped closer, her eyes flashing. "At least I use my head! When it comes to pure intellect and strategy, I'm miles ahead of you!"
"And what has being 'ahead in intellect' actually done for you?" Lilith challenged, her voice rising sharply. "Let's put it to the test right now. Go ahead, challenge me. Because the brutal truth is this: if word gets out on the streets of heaven tomorrow that the dual incarnations of Creation and Nothingness are just sitting around here playing house and enjoying themselves, do you have any idea what will happen?"
Lilith leaned in, her gaze piercing. "What if the higher realms issue a direct order to wipe Haruto out tomorrow? Let me remind you, there are still thousands of ancient reincarnations and divine entities out there, and a vast majority of them are sitting comfortably above Level 90. Any single one of them could slaughter you three and erase Haruto without breaking a sweat if they wanted to."
She threw her hands up, scoffing at Ivory's tactical confidence. "And what are you going to do with your big brain against that? Talk your way out of it? Those are bloodthirsty, hyper-fixated reincarnations who only view Haruto as a stepping stone or a walking experience-point farm! You think your little intellect can stop a wave of ravenous gods?"
The fierce tension in the room hung heavily for a few seconds, the crushing weight of Lilith's words settling over everyone.
Ivory crossed her arms, glaring at Lilith with lingering frustration. "If you already had this whole thing figured out, why are you dragging me into it after all this time?"
"Because you're going to play along with the plan," Lilith replied smoothly, pouring herself a cup of tea. "If even one person breaks character or tries to coddle him, the whole thing falls apart."
Ivory hesitated, her shoulders dropping slightly. "Fine... say I actually agree to this. What happens if we go through with all this cruelty, and he still doesn't break past his limits? What guarantee do we have that he'll actually become powerful?"
Lilith paused, holding her teacup mid-air as a quiet, knowing smile touched her lips. She set the cup down and turned to face her.
"Let's assume the worst-case scenario," Lilith said calmly. "Suppose he shatters completely under the pressure, and he never manages to level up. Even if he fails at that... he will still win the one battle that actually matters."
From the back of the room, Seraphine tilted her head in confusion, stepping forward. "What do you mean? Win against what?"
Lilith's gaze swept across the room, her voice dropping into a solemn, grounded tone. "Our greatest enemy isn't the higher realms, or the gods, or even the bloodthirsty reincarnations out there. It's ourselves."
She walked over to the large window, looking out over the sprawling city skyline as the sun began to dip below the horizon.
"To conquer this world, we have to defeat our own worst habits first," Lilith continued softly. "You have to wake up every single morning, force yourself to work, and push through the stagnation. The cruel reality of the world outside only comes later. The hardest war anyone will ever fight... is learning how to conquer their own weakness."
Ivory narrowed her eyes, studying Lilith closely. "So you're really going to put him through hell just to make him powerful?"
Lilith took a calm sip of her tea, her expression unwavering. "Yes. Because in everyone's life, there comes a crucial moment—a point where someone breaks you down so badly that you have no choice but to rebuild yourself into something completely unbreakable. We are simply forced to choose: either we break him ourselves now, or the harsh reality of this world will do it to him later, and it might destroy him completely. This trial is inevitable, but I will drag him to the very top no matter what it takes."
Ivory crossed her arms, a skeptical look on her face. "Wait... why are you going to such extreme lengths to help him anyway? It's not like you asked for his help, and you've never been this invested in anyone before."
Lilith blinked, pausing for a fraction of a second before looking away. "There's nothing special to it. Drop it—you wouldn't understand right now."
Seeing Lilith deflect so abruptly, Ivory reached up, playfully tipping her hat back as a knowing smirk crossed her face. "Oh? There's definitely a secret behind why you care so much, isn't there?"
Lilith shot her a sharp, warning glare. "Don't push it."
Ivory chuckled softly, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, fine. But here's my counter-offer: if you want me to actively help with your plan and push Haruto past his limits all the way to Level 80... you finally tell me the real reason you're doing all of this."
Lilith stared at her for a long moment, weighing her options, before a faint, amused smile finally touched her lips. She set her teacup down on the table.
"Very well," Lilith agreed smoothly. "It's a deal but you have to help me push him first."