Chapter 643: Shiroyasha's Experiment! The Chat Group is Above Hakoniwa!
"Can we really get back Leticia?"
Kuro Usagi was still not confident. Her long rabbit ears drooped slightly, reflecting her inner turmoil. The task seemed monumental, a mountain too steep to climb.
The gap between Ren and Parsus was simply too large. It wasn't just a gap; it was a chasm filled with uncertainty and danger.
"Oh? You dare to question my words, little Kuro Usagi? You seem to look down on me now."
Shiroyasha narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them. The air in the room grew heavy, charged with the immense pressure of a Demon Lord.
An invisible aura locked onto Kuro Usagi, pinning her in place like a butterfly on a board.
"!!!"
Kuro Usagi's rabbit ears instantly stood straight up due to her instinct for danger perception. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat of fear.
Realizing she had said the wrong thing, she quickly shook her head and waved her hands, her voice trembling slightly.
"Eh! No! Absolutely not! I don't distrust Shiroyasha, it's just that I'm well aware of how weak our Ren is. He... he's just not ready for something like this!"
She wouldn't dare to anger Shiroyasha. The White Night King's temper was legendary, and Kuro Usagi had no desire to be on the receiving end of it.
"Hmph!"
Shiroyasha merely warned her and then withdrew her aura. The pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Kuro Usagi gasping for breath.
"Of course, I don't rely on your Ren, so I found you outside help. Do you really think I would leave everything to chance?"
"Outside help? How can you find outside help for a Grace Game?"
Kuro Usagi felt confused. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of Shiroyasha's words.
Grace Games were very strict. They were bound by ancient rules and contracts, enforced by the very fabric of Hakoniwa.
Grace Game.
It is a game where "Grace" is used to compete with each other. It is the lifeblood of Hakoniwa, the currency of power and prestige.
The structure is very simple. A challenge is issued, terms are set, and the game begins.
The winner will receive prizes provided by the game's "Organizer." These prizes can range from simple treasures to the rights to a Community itself.
Grace Games have a strong flavor of proxy wars. They are the means by which conflicts are resolved, resources are distributed, and hierarchies are established.
Such as economic wars, logistical wars, and religious wars. The stakes are always high, and the consequences far-reaching.
Broadly, they can be divided into two categories.
Business for the purpose of buying and selling. A transaction of power and influence.
And trials given to humans by Shuras and Buddhas. Tests of strength, wit, and spirit.
Especially the latter games are mostly difficult games. They are designed to push participants to their limits, to weed out the weak and temper the strong.
However, their difficulty is also the trust of the gods and Buddhas in the participants. It is a sign of respect, a challenge offered only to those worthy of it.
Although they create difficult trials.
But that is a game held unconditionally by bestowing their power upon others. A gift disguised as a challenge.
Therefore, there must be benevolence towards the participants. A chance for growth, for transcendence.
As for the Community's Grace Games, like the current one, it's an invitation for proof issued to the Community. A test of their worthiness to exist.
In other words, only members of the Ren Community can participate. This was a fundamental rule, etched in stone.
Outside help is impossible. Or so it should have been.
"Heh heh, it's indeed impossible in Hakoniwa, but I've put in a lot of effort to research new possibilities."
Shiroyasha smiled triumphantly, snapping her fan open with a flourish. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and cunning.
She found a bug in Hakoniwa. A loophole in the system, a crack in the divine law.
Her consciousness opened the Chat Group. The interface shimmered into existence before her eyes, a window to other worlds.
Shiroyasha: "Erza, Nami, Kiana, you can come over now. The stage is set."
Erza: "Mm. I am ready." The Fairy Queen's voice was calm and resolute.
Nami: "Coming, coming, remember the reward. Don't try to shortchange me!" The navigator's greed was as reliable as ever.
Kiana: "Oh ho, this young lady is already excited. Let's show them what we've got!" The Valkyrie's enthusiasm was infectious.
That's right.
The outside help Shiroyasha spoke of were members of the Chat Group. Beings from other worlds, unbound by the laws of Hakoniwa.
She had taken a great risk to conduct an experiment. Bringing outsiders into a Grace Game was unheard of, potentially disastrous.
The experiment was very successful, but it also left her with mixed feelings. Relief, excitement, and a lingering sense of unease.
After the Chat Group members arrived in Hakoniwa, they were completely unaffected by Hakoniwa's rules. They were anomalies, glitches in the matrix.
They could possess their inherent power and were not monitored by Hakoniwa's central system. They were invisible to the eyes of the gods, ghosts in the machine.
This meant that the Myriad Worlds Chat Group was indeed completely above Hakoniwa, or rather, Hakoniwa was nothing compared to the Chat Group. A terrifying realization, yet thrilling.
So Shiroyasha, being in Hakoniwa, felt quite complex. A mix of awe and fear towards the power that Ren wielded.
But this also allowed Shiroyasha to be bolder in her subsequent experiments. With such a safety net, she could push boundaries like never before.
Because even if something went wrong, she could drag Ren over, or she could bring her family and escape through the Chat Group. A trump card unlike any other.
The experimental results were very useful. They opened up new possibilities, new strategies.
Erza and the others were not bound by Hakoniwa's rules. They were free agents, wild cards.
Joining a community would naturally be recognized. The system would accept them, unaware of their true nature.
When they left, they would silently depart from the community without any violation. No trace, no penalty.
Among the three of them, the weakest, Erza, could destroy a star. Her Requiem armor alone was a force of nature.
Not to mention Nami and Kiana, who possessed Ren's power and could approach two-digit levels without being detected as abnormal by Hakoniwa. They were titans disguised as mortals.
She was determined to get Leticia. By any means necessary.
...
Meanwhile, in a dimension of pure luxury and comfort...
Ren was still teaching Yuriko how to control the power of the Infinite Angel he had just given her. His patience was endless, his touch gentle yet firm.
The teaching method, of course, was direct physical training. A hands-on approach that left little to the imagination.
Around them, her daughter Saya, and Shizuka Marikawa, among others, had just come in and were adapting to their new powers under his guidance. They moved with newfound grace and strength, their bodies thrumming with energy.
However, they were also exhausted from the excessive training. Their breaths came in short gasps, sweat glistening on their skin like morning dew.
"Hmm?"
He was a little puzzled when he saw Shiroyasha in the Chat Group asking Erza and the others to go to the Hakoniwa world. A frown touched his lips.
"Hmm?"
Yuriko was equally puzzled. She paused, her chest heaving slightly.
Yuriko, leaning on the windowsill, turned her head, her eyes filled with vibrant confusion. The sunlight caught her profile, illuminating the flush on her cheeks.
She was at a critical moment in controlling her power. The energy surged within her, a wild river she was learning to dam.
Ren, however, stopped, causing her breathing to become disordered. The sudden lack of guidance left her adrift.
Seeing this, Ren left with the training equipment. He moved with fluid grace, his presence commanding yet comforting.
He lay back down among Saeko Busujima and the others on the bed. A king returning to his throne.
Then he gestured: "I've put the equipment here, you can learn by yourselves, right?" His voice was lazy, teasing.
It was still a bit troublesome to teach them hand-in-hand all the time. Sometimes, a teacher needed a break.
Anyway, the quality of the training equipment was high enough, so there was no problem letting them use it. It was intuitive, potent.
This way, he wouldn't be needed for teaching; they could self-study. A practical lesson in independence.
Miyamoto Rei and the others glanced at the neatly arranged training equipment, their expressions flickering, all of them tempted. Curiosity battled with fatigue.
Even Alice couldn't help but swallow, the previous lessons still vivid in her mind. The memory of power was addictive.
But Yuriko quickly grabbed it; she hadn't finished her training and would absolutely not give it to anyone else. Her determination was fierce, possessive.
"Mm~ Ren-kun, let me do it."
Yuriko also understood Ren's meaning. She knew what was expected, what was desired.
She pursed her red lips and found the training equipment herself. Her movements were eager, almost desperate.
Under Saya's tired and shocked gaze, she began to frantically self-study and train. A mother's dedication, twisted by desire and power.
Ren, meanwhile, focused on the Chat Group. His mind drifted across worlds.
Ren: "Shiroyasha, why are you looking for them? Planning a raid?"
Shiroyasha: "Yo, you really are always lurking. Don't you ever sleep?"
Ren: "Stop the nonsense, what are you up to? Why are you inviting them to Hakoniwa? Is there a festival I don't know about?"
Shiroyasha: "Tsk, of course, I need their help with something. A little... cleanup operation."
Kiana: "Mm, Shiroyasha said she needed our help to play some kind of game. Sounds fun!"
Erza: "Grace Game. A challenge of honor."
Nami: "We heard it wasn't difficult, so we agreed. Plus, the pay is good!"
Ren: "..."
Ren frowned slightly. Easy money in Hakoniwa usually came with strings attached.
If an ordinary Grace involves defeating the opponent, it would indeed not be difficult for them. They were powerhouses in their own right.
But the issue with Hakoniwa's core... The fundamental laws of that world were not to be trifled with lightly.
Shiroyasha: "I know what you're worried about, don't worry, we've already experimented, and Hakoniwa's core won't place any restrictions or restraints on them. It's like they're invisible to the system."
Shiroyasha: "Although it's annoying, the existence of the Chat Group is beyond what Hakoniwa can compare to; even I have to admit that. It's a higher authority."
Ren: "Oh?"
Hearing Shiroyasha's immediate explanation, Ren became interested. A spark of curiosity ignited within him.
His eyes flickered. If the system could be bypassed...
If Hakoniwa had no effect on the Chat Group members, then it would be fine for him too. He was the Administrator, after all.
Didn't that mean there was no need to worry about going to Hakoniwa at all? The playground was open.
Shiroyasha: "Hmph, if I hadn't been tricked by you, I wouldn't have resorted to this; anyway, if something goes wrong, you'll bear the responsibility, right? You owe me."
Tricked?
That was true, in a way. A clever maneuver, a slight of hand.
He exchanged an insignificant piece of information for a Terresia. A fair trade, in his eyes.
Ren: "Alright, as long as you have a sense of propriety. Don't break my members."
Since Shiroyasha said there was no problem, there was no need to worry. She knew the stakes.
Seeing Saeko and the others once again overwhelmed by Yuriko's performance, he decided to focus on the matters at hand. The training was far from over.
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