Ren Isana and Natsuki left the world of Demon Slayer, leaving the members of the Demon Slayer Corps staring blankly at each other. Eventually, they all departed the Infinity Castle and returned to their headquarters.
Since they had all been pulled in from that location, they returned to the exact same spot. Seeing the mansion transformed into ruins, the crowd fell into a heavy silence.
Every face was etched with sorrow. Their master had sacrificed himself as bait and had left them forever. Currently, the Demon Slayer Corps was in a state of leaderless chaos.
However, a new situation had arisen, forcing them to pull themselves together and begin discussing matters regarding this new world.
Ren Isana didn't care about any of that. He didn't need to handle the aftermath; that wasn't his job. He and Natsuki returned to the Dimensional Nexus University, only to find Ren's dormitory completely cordoned off by a group of people.
This was the first time they had experienced a Dimensional Rift appearing suddenly within the school. When the two emerged from the rift, Director Ken happened to arrive at the scene. He looked at Ren with a hint of surprise.
Director Ken spoke directly to the two of them, "Come, let's talk somewhere else. Tell me about the situation in that world. Also, what did you do over there, kid? How'd you get yourself kicked back already?"
He walked away as he spoke, and Ren and Natsuki followed quickly. Once the crowd around them had thinned, Natsuki spoke up first. "That world isn't particularly strong. It seems the most powerful individual was killed by Ren in passing."
Speaking of this, Natsuki turned her gaze toward Ren. He likely knew the details of that world better than she did, so it was best for him to fill in the blanks.
"Right. I gained some new abilities in that world, one of which is called [Information Reading]. It's an ability obtained from the Root that allows me to read information directly from the world itself," Ren explained as he detailed the circumstances of the Demon Slayer world.
After listening to the explanation, Director Ken nodded, having a general grasp of things. Compared to the world itself, he was more interested in what Ren had done. He knew what the Root represented.
Hearing Ren mention obtaining a new ability from the Root, Director Ken's expression became quite strange as he looked at him. "What did you even do in that world? From what I know, the Root is the most core element of that world, right? Did those two actually allow you to enter?"
This was truly incredible news, bordering on the absurd. Logically, the Root of that world should be strictly guarded, much like a nation's most classified weapon facility—not even a mosquito should be able to enter.
"As soon as I arrived, I was pulled into a conflict called the Holy Grail War. That broken cup possessed the power to connect to the Root. Didn't I just smash through the whole thing in a single night?" Ren slowly recounted his experiences.
"Then I thought I'd take a peek to see what was going on. And guess what? They actually wanted me to work for free, helping them clean up trash. That broken cup was contaminated with a bunch of the Evil of This World. You think a guy with my temper could stand for that? I fired a shot of the [Holy Spear] on the spot, piercing through the hole and straight through the Throne of Heroes. That's when I saw the Root and gathered a fair amount of information." Ren sighed at the end of his tale.
"It's a pity... the time was too short. Otherwise, I could have obtained even more information and technology." Ren felt a pang of heartache just thinking about it, as if he had missed out on several hundred million Valis.
A mountain of gold was right in front of him, yet he could only take a tiny bit. Who wouldn't be heartbroken? Ren felt like he wouldn't even be able to sleep tonight just thinking about it.
Natsuki and Director Ken fell silent after hearing Ren's explanation. Director Ken looked at Ren with an incredibly strange expression; he truly didn't know what to say at this point.
This kid was truly bold. If that entity hadn't been watching over him, he probably wouldn't have made it back. After all, Ren's actions were the equivalent of tunnel-boring straight into a bank's vault. It was a miracle he returned alive.
"You really are something else..." Natsuki gave Ren a thumbs up. This student of hers was truly incredible to dare such a thing!
Ren spread his hands. Who told them to expect free labor? He had simply taken what was rightfully his as compensation. He didn't think he had done anything wrong.
"Since you're back, take some time to rest. It's summer break anyway; you can go check out some of the other worlds we've connected with," Director Ken said, not blaming Ren for his antics.
Ren nodded, then thought of something. "By the way, Director, I brought three Heroic Spirits back with me."
With that, Ren took out the Spirit Graphs of Da Vinci-chan and the others. Hearing this, Director Ken and Natsuki were both surprised. He brought Heroic Spirits back too?
Looking at the Spirit Graphs Ren produced, both were curious. In the next moment, they saw Ren pouring his Magic Power into the chess-piece-like objects as if it cost him nothing.
In just a few moments, those three pieces transformed into three humanoid silhouettes. Immediately after, the Magic Power in the air began to surge toward them wildly. The silhouettes soon solidified, finally returning to their original forms.
Landing on the ground once more, Da Vinci-chan opened her eyes and scanned the surroundings before speaking with pleasant surprise, "It looks like we succeeded. But *Master*, why did you return so quickly?"
Their memories had stopped at the moment Ren used a [Command Spell] to dissipate their Magic Power and return them to the Grail. Although they had left the Type-Moon world, they still knew how much time had passed.
They had expected it might take some time before Ren would release them, but they hadn't expected it to be so fast. Had it even been a few hours? Ren was already back?
"I didn't have a choice. I was thrown out by Gaia and Alaya," Ren said helplessly, repeating the story he had just told Natsuki and the Director.
After hearing his explanation, the three Heroic Spirits understood. The way they looked at Ren was filled with the same strangeness as Natsuki and the Director. They felt Ren was truly lucky not to have died over there.
"Director Ken, this is Da Vinci-chan, Morgan, and King Arthur," Ren introduced the three to the Director and Natsuki.
Hearing those three names, Director Ken's eyes flickered. The legends of these three naturally existed in their world as well—in fact, they existed in many worlds, so they were no strangers to them.
"Greetings to you three!" Director Ken nodded to them, welcoming their arrival. He even provided each of them with a pass so they could move freely throughout the school.
"If possible, may I use your library to read? In return, I can write several books on [Magecraft] for you," Da Vinci-chan requested.
Since she had come to this world, she naturally wanted to properly research its many facets. Although she had exchanged a lot of information with Ren, researching things herself was always faster.
Director Ken's eyes lit up upon hearing Da Vinci-chan's offer. He was more than happy to agree to such a deal; it was the best possible outcome. He immediately gave his consent.
Director Ken then personally escorted Da Vinci-chan and the others away. Ren didn't need to worry about the specific arrangements. Once they were gone, only Ren and Natsuki remained.
Natsuki looked at Ren and spoke, "You can't go back to your dorm for now. Stay at my place today. It'll also give you a chance to help me look after Kayo and the others."
A new Dimensional Rift had appeared at the dorm, so it was obviously impossible for Ren to live there. He would have to wait until the spatial tunnel was moved before returning.
Ren didn't refuse. It didn't matter where he stayed. By going to Natsuki's place, he could also see how Sakura was adjusting to life here. Once the decision was made, Natsuki used [Spatial Teleportation] to take Ren to her apartment.
When they arrived, Ren was a bit surprised because Natsuki didn't teleport them directly into the house; instead, they stopped at the bottom of the building.
As she led Ren upstairs, Natsuki explained, "That girl Kayo said that every time I use [Spatial Teleportation] to get home, I give her a fright because I appear so silently."
Ren was surprised by this answer. Was it because of Kayo? On second thought, it actually made a lot of sense.
Suddenly appearing inside a house when someone else is home can easily startle them. No wonder Natsuki didn't teleport straight in.
Ren followed Natsuki into the faculty apartment building. The teachers lived here, including Yor Forger and even Hestia.
This was his first time here, and Ren was quite curious about the surroundings. It looked very high-end, similar to luxury residential complexes on the outside.
Natsuki led Ren into the elevator and took it to the 7th floor. Under her guidance, they stopped in front of one of the rooms. Natsuki pressed the doorbell directly.
Before long, a youthful voice came from inside, "Coming! Please wait a moment!"
Ren quickly recognized the voice. Wasn't that Sakura? And from her tone, she seemed to be doing quite well—no trace of sadness, and she even sounded a bit cheerful.
The door opened, and a little girl in a black gothic dress appeared in the doorway. When she saw Natsuki, Sakura was pleasantly surprised. The moment she spotted Ren, her surprise grew even more. She shouted happily, "Brother Ren!"
Ren really hadn't expected to see Sakura here, let alone in a gothic dress. He couldn't help but look at Natsuki. Had this woman infected Sakura with her own fashion sense? He wondered if Kayo was the same.
"Brother Ren?" Just as Ren was thinking that, Kayo ran out, also wearing a white gothic dress. Was this the legendary black and white lolita duo?