Ren Isana slowly sheathed his Tang Dao. Following this latest deicide, the aura of his blade had become even more terrifying. The god-slaying properties seemed to almost overflow from the edge; any deity who looked upon it would likely feel a deep sense of trepidation.
Utaha Kasumigaoka ran over at that moment, looking at Ren Isana with a face full of pleasant surprise. "Junior! It was a success. Thank you for your help; my Magic Power has increased significantly once again."
She was incredibly excited as she spoke. Beyond just the total volume of her Magic Power, her overall strength had reached a new level. In fact, because of the sudden surge in power, she wasn't even able to fully mask her own aura yet.
"So, are there any other Heretic Gods nearby? Can your [Precognition] still detect any?" Ren Isana asked after putting away his Tang Dao.
Faced with his question, Utaha Kasumigaoka immediately activated her talent to peer into the future. Unfortunately, this time her luck had run out; there were no more Heretic Gods within the range of her ability.
"There aren't any left. What a shame," Utaha Kasumigaoka remarked with a hint of disappointment. However, she quickly cheered up—the blood of four gods was already enough to make her weapon significantly more powerful.
Ren Isana estimated her [Noble Phantasm] was at least Rank A++ now, though he wondered what it would look like once its true name was liberated. Thinking this, he said, "Well, I'm preparing to head back. Do you want to come along?"
He looked at Utaha Kasumigaoka and asked the question casually. If she didn't need a ride, he would return alone; if she did, he would take her with him.
"Yes!" Utaha's eyes instantly lit up. If Ren Isana brought her along, she could save a massive amount of time. After all, she had no idea how many transfers she would need to take to get back to school from here—it was a huge hassle.
"Then let's go." Seeing her nod, Ren Isana said no more. A purple [Magic Circle] appeared beneath their feet, and in the next instant, he and Utaha Kasumigaoka vanished from the spot.
During the transfer, Utaha Kasumigaoka felt as if an eternity were passing. Her brain felt like it had been tossed into a washing machine and spun at high speeds. She had no idea how long it took before that terrifying sensation of vertigo finally subsided.
The scenery slowly stabilized before her eyes, but she was in no state to appreciate it. Her legs wobbled, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Ren Isana was quick to react and caught her in his arms. Utaha slumped against his chest, her face pale as she gasped, "So... so nauseous..."
The sensation was truly wretched. Seeing her state, Ren Isana cast [Calming Magic] on her, followed by a gentle application of [Healing Magic]. It was perfectly normal for someone to struggle after their first experience with such a long-distance [Spatial Teleportation].
"This..." As she gradually recovered, Utaha Kasumigaoka felt a bit depressed. Was it always this painful? However, looking at her surroundings, she realized why it had been so intense.
Her junior had literally transported her across half the world back to the Dimensional Rift entrance. It was no wonder her body hadn't been able to adapt. Realizing this, Utaha looked up at Ren Isana.
Only then did she realize she was still being held in his arms. Blushing slightly, she quickly stood up. Although her junior's chest felt incredibly safe and reliable, she still had to maintain her lady-like composure!
"Thank you. Are you heading back to school now? Junior, let's exchange contact information so it's easier to stay in touch later." Utaha Kasumigaoka looked at the handsome Ren Isana, her heart fluttering.
Handsome and powerful—who wouldn't be moved? She decided to get his contact info first. This was actually the first time she had ever asked a member of the opposite sex for their number, so she was feeling rather nervous.
Ren Isana didn't refuse her request. After taking out his phone and swapping contacts, he said, "I'll introduce you to my girlfriend once she gets back. I still have things to do, so I'll be going now."
His meaning was clear: he was letting her know he was already taken. His words made Utaha freeze for a moment. The contact info she had just secured suddenly felt a lot less precious. He already had a girlfriend?
The thought left Utaha feeling a bit gloomy, but she quickly shook it off. As long as he wasn't married, she still had a chance. And even if he was married, that didn't matter—married men were even better.
"Sure thing! I'll treat you both to a meal when the time comes!" Utaha responded with a smile. Having finished the exchange, Ren Isana gave the senior a nod and walked into the Dimensional Rift without looking back.
Seeing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka hurried after him. "Wait, junior! If you're going back to school, give me a lift! [Spatial Magic] is just too convenient!"
It was still quite a distance from the No. 3 Dimensional Rift to the school. Who would want to take the subway when they could return in an instant? Her priority was to keep up with Ren Isana.
Ren didn't refuse her second request. After crossing through the Dimensional Rift, he brought her directly to the school gates. Since it was summer break, the entrance was exceptionally quiet.
"Then, I'll see you around, Senior. I'm off!" After dropping her at the gate, Ren Isana waved goodbye and vanished before Utaha could say another word.
Watching him leave, Utaha Kasumigaoka took a deep breath. She swiped her card to enter the campus and headed toward her dormitory. She had certainly met an extraordinary junior today.
It was a pity he had a girlfriend, but she wondered if he might be open to accepting another one. Her mother had always said that in this era, if you met an outstanding man, you shouldn't hesitate. If you hesitated, you'd lose your chance.
Utaha believed in that philosophy wholeheartedly. After all, if you didn't make a move, plenty of others would—especially for someone like Ren Isana. There was probably a line of girls waiting to throw themselves at him.
She would just have to see what kind of person his girlfriend was. If she wasn't good enough... hmph, then don't blame this senior! If you can't hold onto such an excellent man, let this senior handle it instead!
Ren Isana was completely unaware of Utaha's internal monologue. He had mentioned his girlfriend simply to make his status known; as for what she would do with that information, that was her business.
Upon returning to the dormitory area, Ren Isana discovered that the spatial passage had been moved. This meant he could finally sleep in his own room tonight.
After a careful check to ensure there were no lingering issues, Ren Isana left the area. He had actually suspected the spatial passage would be moved yesterday; otherwise, Natsuki wouldn't have told him to stay at her place for only one night.
Back in his room, Ren first gave the place a thorough cleaning and then took a shower. Once finished, he headed to the cafeteria for a meal before finally returning to his bed to relax.
Lying down, Ren took out his phone and sent a message to Maya, asking to borrow her workshop tomorrow. After that, he contacted Asuna.
"Asuna, are you awake?" Ren's voice reached Asuna's ears over in the Type-Moon world. Hearing him, she quickly finished off the vampire in front of her before responding.
"I haven't slept at all..." Asuna's voice sounded a bit weary. She hadn't caught a wink of sleep since yesterday, which surprised Ren.
"Did something happen?" Ren asked curiously. What could have happened over there to keep her up like this?
"I'm helping Arcueid hunt down a certain vampire. But once that guy realized what was happening, he started sending waves of low-level vampires to slow us down," Asuna explained.
Ren's eyes flashed with realization. Hunting a vampire? In all likelihood, it was Roa. It seemed she had indeed ended up helping Arcueid with that mess.
However, it shouldn't be a major problem. Asuna should be able to handle it, especially since the team had likely grouped up by now. With everyone gathered and Arcueid present, cornering Roa should be doable.
After they chatted for a while, Asuna suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, something happened with Kojou Akatsuki. A True Ancestor injected him with blood, and he's been turned into a Dead Apostle!"
Asuna quickly relayed the news. Hearing this, a literal question mark practically formed over Ren Isana's head. Was that kid really that destined to be with vampires? How did he end up being converted into a Dead Apostle?
"Is he okay? He just gave up on being human, just like that?" Ren couldn't even bring himself to complain. Going to the Type-Moon world and becoming a Dead Apostle? Even if he wasn't a True Ancestor, it was still a very tricky situation.
True Ancestors in the Type-Moon world couldn't be created through natural conversion; they were chosen by the planet itself. Furthermore, Dead Apostles had a very strict hierarchy, with True Ancestors at the absolute peak.
Since Asuna called him a Dead Apostle, Ren wondered what rank he held. Or had the kid killed a specific Dead Apostle and inherited their position? Ren was quite curious.
"He's fine. If anything, he's been strengthened significantly. He just has an extra [Vampiric Impulse] to deal with now. He hasn't drunk any human blood yet, so we're currently discussing how to handle this. Do you think we should send him back?" Asuna asked.
Turning into a vampire was a double-edged sword. Her idea was to have him return first, as things that couldn't be handled over there were better dealt with on this side.
"Hold on, let me ask Natsuki." Hearing Asuna's suggestion, Ren immediately cut the call and messaged Natsuki, informing her of what had happened to Kojou Akatsuki.
Natsuki was also quite surprised to hear he had become a vampire. She didn't hesitate, immediately messaging Ren back to tell him to have the boy activate his [Spatial Mark] to return. She would go pick him up personally.
Ren nodded to himself. It seemed Natsuki was taking this matter very seriously. Without delay, he contacted Asuna again. "Tell Kojou Akatsuki to activate his [Spatial Mark] and come back. Natsuki is going to meet him!"