Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Zelel and Damocles meet
Vignette and Satania left in a hurry, running off as soon as dawn broke.
Rei Ao gently pushed away Tohru, who was clutching his head in her arms.
He then retrieved something from Mai's mouth that had been "maintained" overnight.
Gently patting her cheeks, he called softly, "Mai, wake up. It's time for school."
It was Monday, the first day back after the break.
"..."
Mai opened her eyes, meeting Rei Ao's gaze with a look full of resentment.
Why did he go all out with Tohru, only to leave the aftermath for her to handle?
Couldn't Tohru herself deal with it? Yet he had thrust the responsibility onto her, leaving no room for negotiation.
Rei Ao noticed her sulking. He kissed her forehead lightly and pinched her nose with a playful smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Yesterday, it was you staring longingly with those 'I want to' eyes. Now you're blaming me?"
"???"
A massive question mark formed over Mai's head.
I wanted it in my mouth?
She vividly remembered wanting something entirely different—lower down.
Mai didn't believe Rei Ao hadn't understood her intentions. He was just teasing her in retaliation for her initial refusal by deliberately withholding what she wanted.
"I'm not going to school today," Mai said, glaring at him in embarrassment. She was still reeling from the previous day's events, her pride stung.
She had indeed envied Tohru, who had endured Rei Ao's wilder side with ease.
Mai sighed. She was too weak compared to Tohru—a powerful dragon.
"Alright, you stay home. I'll head off by myself."
Rei Ao left the room, only to see Kobayashi and Vignette already up and about. He gave them a casual nod before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.
…
"Mommy, are you sure it's okay for us to leave without saying goodbye?"
The sword spirit asked Kobayashi as she walked to work.
"..."
Kobayashi's lips twitched.
After catching a glimpse of what went on in the bedroom last night, what else could we do? Stay and spectate?
"They won't mind," Kobayashi said curtly.
"Alright."
"By the way, Mommy, what were Oniichan and the others doing back there?"
The sword spirit asked with innocent curiosity.
"It looked like they were fighting, but not exactly…"
"Don't ask. You're too young for this."
Kobayashi's expression darkened.
There was no way she could explain that to the sword spirit.
"Fine…"
The sword spirit seemed disappointed but quickly perked up again.
"Oh! Mommy, Oniichan said you'd help me come up with a name!"
"Ah… Just pick something simple," Kobayashi said offhandedly.
"..."
But the dejected mood emanating from the sword spirit made her realize her flippant remark had hurt the girl's feelings.
Sighing, she relented. "Alright, I'll think of a name for you."
"Really?"
The sword spirit's enthusiasm returned, her excitement palpable.
Kobayashi scratched her head in frustration. "Let's see… Since you're a sword, how about 'Sword-chan'?"
"..."
The sword spirit didn't respond, clearly pretending not to hear.
That name was terrible.
"Uh…" Kobayashi also realized how ridiculous the name sounded.
She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"I've never been good at naming things. Give me a break here."
She paused, deep in thought. "How about something simpler? Let's go with 'Saint-chan.' How does that sound?"
"Saint-chan…"
The sword spirit repeated the name, savoring it. After a moment, a bright smile spread across her face.
"Hehe! From now on, Mommy, call me Saint-chan!"
"Alright."
Kobayashi exhaled in relief. At least the name wasn't outright rejected.
[Ding! You've unlocked a sub-chat group!]
The sudden notification made Kobayashi stop in her tracks.
"Mommy, did you hear that?" Saint-chan asked curiously.
Kobayashi's eyes widened. "You heard it too?"
"Mhm! It seems to be from Oniichan's chat group."
"..."
Kobayashi sighed. She instantly recognized the significance of the notification.
Her mind now contained new knowledge about the chat group's workings.
But rather than excitement, all she felt was a bitter smile.
"It feels like my ordinary life is getting farther and farther away…"
…
Dragon Realm.
The Dragon Clan and the Angelic Legion were in a tense standoff.
Leading the Angelic Legion was the Seraphim, under the command of Zelel, representing Heaven.
Opposing them, at the forefront of the Dragon Clan, stood an enormous red dragon with an imposing presence.
"Damocles Emperor of Demise, leader of the Chaos Faction and one of the strongest beings in this world," Zelel remarked, her voice steady despite the overwhelming pressure radiating from the dragon.
Dressed in angelic armor and wielding a holy sword, she locked eyes with the dragon and said, "Are you willing to form an alliance?"
Though aware of her own inferiority in power, Zelel showed no trace of fear.
The dragon's fiery eyes glowed as it gazed down at her.
It finally spoke, its voice deep and commanding.
"Angels of another world, I will ensure that my Chaos Faction does not harm the human realm."
The Damocles Emperor of Demise was a being of foresight.
War was a constant in its world, but the arrival of a new opportunity—a collision and merging of worlds—offered the possibility of a different future.
While the Emperor of Demise was entangled in the vortex of endless conflict, it saw a chance for its progeny to escape such a fate.
This was why it allowed Tohru to leave the Chaos Faction.
"Only the Chaos Faction?"
Zelel furrowed her brows slightly, though she understood the logic.
As powerful as the Emperor of Demise was, it did not rule the entire Dragon Realm and therefore could not speak for other factions.
Even so, this outcome was favorable. Heaven had successfully established a non-aggression pact with both the strongest dragons and gods of this world.
However, the Emperor of Demise had one condition—one that put Zelel in a difficult position.
"You must permit members of the Dragon Clan to enter the human realm."
Its justification was clear:
"We need to observe whether the humans of your world are as greedy and deceitful as the humans of this one."
The Emperor of Demise harbored a deep disdain for humanity, considering them the most detestable race in its world.
"This…"
Zelel hesitated.
Allowing dragons to enter the human realm was incredibly dangerous. A single dragon could easily annihilate an entire city.
Even though she had heard of a human awakener appearing in the human realm, it was impossible for such a person to grow strong enough to protect the realm so quickly.
With only the balance of power among Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife to rely on, managing dragons in the human realm seemed an insurmountable task.
Sensing her concern, the Emperor of Demise reassured her:
"The dragons entering the human realm will not harm humans. However, if you cannot accept this condition, our alliance is off the table."
This was a thinly veiled threat.
While the Emperor of Demise had no particular desire to start another war, it would not hesitate if the alliance fell through.
"..."
Zelel had no choice.
Although Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife each had trump cards to contend with the Dragon Realm, such cards were not to be used lightly.
"Fine. We accept your condition."
Zelel agreed, though she silently prayed: "May the awakener in the human realm grow stronger soon."
The human realm belonged to humans, and it should be protected by them.
…
As for Rei Ao, the person Zelel was pinning her hopes on, he was blissfully unaware of any of this.
He was discreetly using his abilities to enjoy an intimate moment with Megumi Kato in the classroom.
Meanwhile, his classmates were abuzz with discussions about the recent death of Tomoya Aki.
When class started, everyone quickly returned to their seats, their chatter silenced by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Click, click, click.
In walked their homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka.
The students were puzzled.
Wasn't the first period her class anyway?
Shizuka wasted no time in getting to the point.
"Class, we have a new transfer student joining us today," she announced.
The classroom erupted in murmurs.
"A transfer student?"
"Do you think it's a guy?"
"Maybe it's a cute girl!"
The room buzzed with speculation until Shizuka clapped her hands for silence.
"Come in," she said, gesturing to the door.
A tall girl with short, dark purple hair walked in and stood at the front of the class.
"Introduce yourself," Shizuka instructed.
The girl nodded, bowed to the class, and turned to write her name on the chalkboard.
At first, Rei Ao's attention was on her striking appearance.
But when she wrote her name, recognition dawned on him.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Michiru Hyoudou. Please take care of me!"
Michiru Hyoudou.
She was Tomoya Aki's cousin.
Rei Ao was surprised to see this background character from the story taking center stage here.
As it turned out, Michiru's transfer was the result of a family plea.
After Tomoya Aki's car accident, his behavior and mental state had visibly deteriorated.
Fearing that he might harm himself, his family asked Michiru's mother to convince her to transfer schools to watch over him and offer support.
Michiru agreed, as her aspirations lay in music rather than university.
However, before she could settle in, Tomoya Aki passed away.
With her transfer already processed, Michiru decided to stay and finish her schooling here.
~~~
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