Ch 204: Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka

The large steel-jawed wolf leaped at Jinah, determined to tear off her throat, only to have its snout punched with enough strength to break his momentum. It laid on the ground, stunned for a second by the blinding pain, and Jinah drove her swordstaff through its heart, killing it. The underground hallway was now littered with wolf corpses.

[You gained 300 xp]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have gained the title: Wolf Slayer. A title given to a hunter proficient in fights against wolves. 40% increased experience against beast-type monsters.]

Jinah smiled as she freed her weapon. In order to properly use the massive strength that she had gained after signing the Soul Contract, Akeno had suggested a swordstaff to Jinah, instead of her usual spear, in order to add slashing movements to her repertoire. The blade part of the weapon was almost 1.3 meters long, and was affixed to a metal shaft of the same length, covered by a wrap of thin leather cords like a katana to ensure a firm grip.

Jinah watched her surroundings to be sure no other monster was nearby, then opened her status.

Status

Name: Sung Jinah

Level: 13

Fatigue: 15

Class: None

Title: None

HP: 965

MP: 180

--------------------

Strength: 28

Agility: 37

Perception: 23

Vitality: 34

Intelligence: 23

--------------------

Remaining points: 3

Jinah wondered for a second why her Status didn't take into account the passive attributes she gained from Noah, but shrugged and decided it didn't matter. She put her free points into vitality, as she wasn't concerned about her speed or strength. Fatigue, however, was a concern. its value increased the longer she fought, and since she couldn't leave his special dungeon unless she killed the boss.

It was all Kang Jeongho's doing, really. That guy wrote on the group chat that the loot boxes from the daily quests could give a key to open a special dungeon, and announced he would use it.

That was three days ago, and that was the last time anyone heard from him.

Akeno, Jeanne and Alter had announced on the group chat that they would try to obtain a key as well, in the hope of finding him. Jinah had done the same, and had been the first of the four to obtain a key.

They had gathered at the entrance, a ground-level access to a metro station, intending to explore it together.

And that was when things started going sideways.

After using her key and entering, Jinah turned to her companions and realized that they couldn't enter with her. The entrance had become a transparent wall she couldn't cross, and a system message informed her that she wouldn't get out without killing the boss or using a teleportation stone, which she didn't have.

Jinah had seen them made several attempts to enter, but it seemed she was now in some kind of mirror dimension. Akeno, Jeanne and Alter could enter the normal metro station, but not the dungeon.

With a sigh, Jinah carefully examined the edge of her weapon. The swordstaff was lent to her by Akeno, and had been crafted by Noah. As she expected, it sliced through the wolves' steel jaws with ease, and didn't show any sign of chip or dent.

She resumed her progression. When she turned a corner, other types of monsters appeared. monstruous apes, and black panthers.

Jinah dealt with them all easily. She estimated that they would have been a challenge, although not an unsurmountable one, if she possessed only the System she gained from the Carthenon Temple and average weapons. But Jinah now was very different from the Jinah that trembled in fear before the Lord, and her fatigue barely accrued as she found the escalator leading downstairs.

This was where the boss was waiting. She could feel it.

Taking a deep breath and casting Augment, Jinah descended the metal stairs.

The floor of the lover level was half flooded, and the tunnel on each side seemed to extend indefinitely. Jinah walked closer to the dock's edge, ready to attack anything that would emerge from it, and waited.

She suddenly turned her head to her right, as she felt the boss coming closer, preceded by a great wave.

As the wave was about to reach her, she jumped back, and the boss revealed itself. It was a snake.

A snake with a body that had to be at least a hundred meters long, covered by large blue scales that looked like armor. Its body was about two meters thick, and its heat towered above her, ready to strike.

The name appeared on an orange font, indicating a moderate amount of danger.

[King of the swamp Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka]

Jinah didn't intend to leave the initiative to the boss and created three light swords.

The boss rushed its head forward, trying to bite her. Jinah used Shunpo to evade to the side, then jumped up to avoid the whip-like tail. Being his by it would have sent her careening to the nearest wall, making her vulnerable to the snake's next attack.

She launched her swords. One of them found the boss's left eye, blinding it, while the two others made shallow wounds on its neck.

Enrage, the boss moved in a frenzy, trying to bite Jinah, whip her with its tail, or even simply crush her with its body. But Jinah was simply too fast, and her swordstaff inflicted deep wounds on the boss.

She almost got hit once, when the dock started becoming slippery from the snake's blood, and barely escaped the snake bite, its head crushing the wall behind her.

This proved fatal to the boss, though, as Jinah was now very close to its neck, and didn't intend to let go of the opportunity. With a shout, she shoved her swordstaff it its throat almost to the hilt and pushed upward until she felt the blade grind against the snake's spine. She kept pushing up as she pulled on the blade and managed to slice through.

The snake convulsed one last time, then collapsed, not moving anymore.

Jinah breathed rapidly as she got the notification of three level increases, and received some loot. The first was a small bottle of venom. The second was a blue torso armor.

[Item: Kasaka's scale armor.

Acquisition difficulty: B-rank.

Category: Protective Gear.

Reduce damage by 10%.

Strength: +5.

Vitality: +5.]

Jinah immediately equipped it. The translucent shape or the armor appeared around her torso for a second before disappearing. The System had an option to make the items intangible and invisible, although she would still benefit from the item.

[Notification: As the boss has been defeated, the dungeon will now revert to its original state.]

Jinah put the swordstaff back into the spatial ring Akeno had gifted her. She could have used the System's inventory, but found out previously that using the spatial ring was slightly faster, if she had to bring something out in a hurry.

The scenery suddenly changed, and the abandoned station suddenly wasn't abandoned anymore. Several civilians stared at her with surprised expressions, as she had suddenly popped out of thin air from their point of view.

Jinah ignored them and walked toward the exit, taking her smartphone from her pocket. She was already receiving notifications. She wrote a message.

[I'm back. The dungeon wouldn't let me out unless I killed the boss. It was a giant snake, comparable in power with the small statues, I think. Sadly, I haven't seen Kang Jeongho.]

Jinah sighed, as she was now almost certain her fellow Hunter was dead. Killing that boss without Noah's skill and the swordstaff would have required minor miracle.

…

"Bad news, Chi-Yul-sonsaeng?" softly asked the most skilled of his pupils. Her weekly training session with him had just ended, and she had changed back into her street clothes, a pink t-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Song Chi-Yul lifted his eyes from his smartphone and sighed. He never said anything about it, but he felt an almost paternal pride and Joy toward Cha Hae-In. She had reached heights far beyond him… Although, that might not be forever the case.

"Yes. One of my regular team members has been all but confirmed dead. His recent success made him reckless, it seems, and he entered a dungeon without adequate preparations… Please make sure you never grow overconfident, Hae-In."

"I am sorry to hear that, Chi-Yul-sonsaeng." said Hae-In with a lowered head.

She hesitated for a while, then took a deep breath.

" Chi-Yul-sonsaeng… did something happen? During our training earlier, you were… faster than before."

Chi-Yul looked at her in slight surprise, then chuckled.

"You truly are my best student, Hae-In. I thought I had done a good job hiding it, but you proved me wrong. Yes, something happened. But I am not prepared to speak about it right now. It will come out eventually, but for now, it would be dangerous for me to say more."

"I… see. I won't ask anymore, Chi-Yul-sonsaeng." nodded Hae-In.

"Thank you. When the time comes, you will be one of the first I tell."

"Thank you. Have a good day, Chi-Yul-sonsaeng." smiled Hae-In before leaving.

She hid her neck-length blonde hair under a cap, as she didn't want to be recognized, and left the dojo.

On her way home, she heard a woman's scream coming from under her, and the loud noise of a motorcycle's engine revving up. A woman had her purse snatched by a biker coming in her direction.

Hae-In quickly looked behind her, making sure that no bystanders would be injured by what she was about to do, then suddenly somersaulted above the biker as he passed her by, grabbing the collar of his jacket.

The thief was pulled out of the bike's seat with a strangled cry and made a rough landing as the bike was destabilized and fell to the side, stopping forty meters away.

The criminal shouted in pain from a broken tailbone, and Hae-In easily recovered the purse, handing it to the woman who came running.

"Thank you very much!" breathed the lady.

"It's nothing." shrugged Hae-In. Many of the bystanders were walking closer, and it seemed some already had recognized her.

Ignoring them, she quickly entered the nearest side street and jumped to a wall, using it as foothold to jump to the opposite one, and reached the rooftop with the third jump. She quickly went from one rooftop to another until she was far away.

As she returned home, she reflected on what her swordsmanship's sonsaeng had said. He had been faster enough for her to notice, despite trying to hide his true speed.

And… what about his dead dungeon partner, then? If he died from acting recklessly… Was Song Chi-Yul the only one who got faster?

Hae-In considered investigating the matter, but finally decided not to do anything for now. She would wait for a while, for him to tell her directly.

…

"Welcome back." smiled Park Heejin, lifting her canned beer in salute as Akeno, Alter and Jeanne entered. She had been watching television after a hard day at work.

"Thank you, Heejin." smiled Akeno.

"How was the dungeon today?" asked Heejin, referring to the C-rank dungeon they had explored earlier.

"It went fine." shrugged Jeanne. "The guild members knew what they were doing and worked well together. They could have managed without us, really, but we made things a bit easier for their healers."

"That’s good to hear." Smiled Heejin. "Since it sounds like you didn't get a lot of loot, are you disappointed?"

"Not at all. The money we receive from the guild monthly is more than enough for our needs. I'll make dinner. What would you like to eat?"

"I'd love some Chap Chae and Bibimbap, please." said Heejin with an eager expression.

It had been about two weeks since she had welcomed the three A-ranks in her home, and she had absolutely no reservations about them. They were outside most of the time, did their own laundry and took up part of the house chores, cleaned after themselves, and most of all, the food Akeno created was always fresh and delicious.

And the best part was, she was getting paid for it!

Akeno moved to the kitchen and tied an apron around her waist. The dishes Heejin had requested weren't part of her repertoire, so she used her phone to search for the recipes.

Bibimbap was a fairly simple dish. A bowl with some white rice on the bottom, and toppings consisting of an egg cut in two halves, shredded cucumber, carrots, seaweeds with sesame seeds, mushrooms, soy, and minced beef.

Chap Chae, or Stir-Fried Korean noodles, consisted of noodles made of mung bean or sweet potatoes, and were cooked with shredded carrots, seaweeds, broccoli, and sesame seeds.

Akeno created the ingredients she needed and got to work, humming a tune.

As she did, Alter took a beer from the fridge and sat beside Heejin. She downed half of it in one go, and made a huge, satisfied sigh.

"That hits the spot."

"You guys are doing a lot of dungeons, I hear." smiled Heejin. "The guild requires you to do one per week, but you go dungeon diving every day."

"Yes." smiled Jeanne. "We have friends who aren't part of any guild yet, and we like to accompany them for safety reasons, just like we do for the guild."

"I see. Are those friends strong? If they're C or B-rank, they could apply for membership with your guild, you know?"

"We may suggest just that to them in the near future. But…" said Jeanne, hesitating for a moment as she quietly gazed at Heejin.

"Heejin, what are your plans for the next few days?"

"My plans? Personally, or professionally?" asked Heejin.

"Both."

"Well, it's Friday night, so I intended to go clubbing with a few friends, and maybe find someone interesting. That probably won't end well, since most men seem to be allergic to women stronger than themselves; but I'm not giving up on finding The One. Then some housecleaning this weekend, and I'll read the sequel of one of my favorite books. And return to work Monday morning, for some paperwork. We have a dungeon run Tuesday afternoon."

Jeanne nodded, and looked toward the kitchen, raising her voice.

"Akeno!"

"Yes?"

"You're done with us and Jinah. Should we give Heejin 'The Talk'? She's free all week-end."

"…Yes, that's a good opportunity. We'll do it after dinner." replied Akeno, stirring noodles and vegetables in a pan.

"The talk? What talk? And I said I was going out tonight, why are you saying I'm free?" frowned Heejin, her green eyes squinting at Jeanne.

"We'll tell you after dinner. But it will be an important talk, one that will have a big impact on your future. And it will take a while, so you may want to warn your friends you won't be going with them."

"You're acting awfully pushy tonight, Jeanne. What's gotten into you?"

"Heejin, that's a very important talk." said Alter. "It may lead to your Hunter rank being upgraded."

Jeanne and Alter certainly had Heejin's complete attention now.

"That's impossible! We can only awaken once, and no one can upgrade our power after that."

"Is it more impossible than creating food or clothes out of thin air?" shrugged Jeanne, and Heejin's mouth opened as she failed to retort.

"We'll tell you more after dinner." smiled Alter.

"…Fine. But you better not be pulling my leg." sighed Heejin, picking up her phone from the table.

"We aren't. We will give you an offer you won't be able to refuse." smiled Jeanne.

It was true. Even if Heejin declined, Akeno, Jeanne and Alter would simply engrave a Stop rune to prevent the Wind Mage from using her power, then bring her inside the Sanctuary for some "retraining".

…

"Hey, Junko." greeted Mikoto with a wave of the hand. The classes had just ended, and the students were returning to their dormitories or going into other parts of the city to do all sorts of activities.

"Oh? Misaka-san?" wondered Junko Hokaze as she turned. She was a pretty girl with gray eyes and long lavender hairs in ringlets. She was also known as the level 4 "Rampage Dress", able to use electric signals within her body to amplify her strength, although she risked damaging her body by doing so.

She blinked as she saw who was accompanying Mikoto.

"Good day, Shirai-san, and… Inoue-san, the Light Sword?" asked Junko with wide eyes, and a tiny bit of fear.

Takina wasn't surprised that the girl reacted that way. The very next morning after she killed Accelerator, the solar-powered, hydrogen-filled airship constantly travelling above Academy City displayed, among other things, the top five Espers.

Seeing that the first place was now a level 4, and that Accelerator had disappeared from the ranking instead of being relegated second place, had worked the Esper's community into a frenzy. It hadn't taken long for one of them to obtain Takina's picture and spread it around.

Some reporters had tried to hound Takina, and she had made a simple statement, saying "I caught Accelerator trying to kill someone. He refused to surrender himself to the authorities, so we fought, he died, and I will not say anything about the circumstances or the victim's identity, out of respect for her privacy."

This declaration had calmed things down somewhat, and no one doubted her, as Accelerator had a long history of using his power to injure anyone that got in his way.

But people were still wary of her, as proved by Junko's reaction.

"It's me. It's nice to meet you, Hokaze-san." smiled Takina.

Chisato, Tamamo and Hitomi introduced themselves, and Mikoto cleared her throat.

"We need to speak with Misaki."

"Shokuhou-sama? That's a surprising request, Misaka-san. I thought you disliked our Queen."

"I would dislike her less if she didn't keep trying to use her power on me." sighed Mikoto. "But there are times when even two enemies will band together to fight a greater evil. This is one of those cases."

"Please wait in instant, I will ask if she is available." said Junko, moving away and taking her smartphone.

"Why do we need to go through this person, Mikoto?" asked Chisato.

"Misaki often skips school and moves around a lot, and she has her own faction. She has her claws on somewhere around twenty girls in Tokiwadai. Junko is essentially her Chief of Staff, so it's faster to go through her than search all over the city." shrugged Mikoto.

"Ohhh, I see." nodded Chisato.

They didn't have to wait long as Junko returned.

"Misaki-sama is inviting you all to a tea party on her dormitory's balcony." smiled Junko.

"Thank you. Can you lead the way?" asked Mikoto.

"Certainly. Please follow me, everyone."

The girls walked out of the high school and followed Junko down a street.

"We don't have to go far. Our dormitory is closer from the school than your own, Misaka-san… And since I have the opportunity, Inoue-san… would you mind telling me what really happened with Accelerator? How did you kill someone who is essentially immune to attacks?"

Takina glanced at Mokoto for an instant and decided not to mention the Sisters.

"Hokaze-san, can I call you Junko? Please call me Takina, too."

"Y-Yes, I do not mind." nodded Junko.

"Thank you. I am going to tell you something you shouldn't repeat to anyone, aside maybe from Shokuhou-san, who is already aware, okay?"

"Yes."

"There is a dark side to Academy City. Illegal experiments are sometimes being performed away from the public gaze. I won't give you any details, in order not to paint a target on your back. But Accelerator was participating in one of those experiments. One with a significant death toll. We put a stop to it. As for how, I will say that while Accelerator's power provided him with a near perfect defense against attacks, his power itself wasn't immune to disruption."

"…I see. You found a way to stop Accelerator from using his ability." nodded Junko in understanding. She herself had been part of some not quite legal experiments, increasing her level from 2 to 4, but also causing her a lot of cluster headaches and other secondary effects. An incident had happened, and one of the other students had died. This was also in that place that she met Misaki, who helped her get rid of the headaches.

"Exactly. It was easy to deal with him, since he was so arrogant and overly relied on it. By the time he noticed his usual defense wasn't working, it was too late for him." shrugged Takina.

Junko stayed silent for a moment as they walked, then looked back at Mikoto.

"…Your reason for wanting to see Shokuhou-sama, is it related to one of those dark projects?"

"Yes." nodded Mikoto.

They traveler the rest of the way in silence, then reached the dormitory. It was a large, white building that vaguely looked like a mansion.

Junko led them inside, then to the second floor and toward the back of the building. Opening a door, they found themselves on a large balcony paved with white stone slabs, providing a good view over a flower garden.

This dormitory was clearly a wealthy alternative to the one Mikoto and the others shared.

On the balcony were a few tables, all occupied by female students, around twenty in total, wearing the Tokiwadai uniform, just like those Takina, Chisato, Hitomi and Tamamo wore.

The table farthest from the door had a single occupant, a beautiful girl with long golden hair, watching them with a mischievous smile. As they walked closer, Chisato noticed that the girl's brown eyes seemed to have a star-shaped light softly glowing in her eyes.

Mikoto looked like she had just bitten into something bitter as they made their way to that table, and the girl rose to her feet.

"Ara ara, if this isn't Miiii-saaa-kaaa-saaan! I am very surprised that you wished to talk to me. Last time I saw you, you were prostrating on the ground after you realized that those dream cards wouldn't save you from the fate of being eternally flat-chested." gloated Misaki Shokuhou as Junko moved to stand beside her.

A vein immediately appeared on Mikoto's temple, and her face got red. Without missing a beat, she advanced on Misaka and put her hands on Misaki's breasts, lifting them.

"Shut up! You think these pudgy lumps of flesh are so special?!" shouted Misaka, before suddenly stepping back and looking down at her hands with an incredulous expression.

Misaki's cheeks reddened as she had frozen in shock due to the molestation, and only when Mikoto released her did she got over the shock.

"Misaka-san, have you lost your mind?" asked Misaki.

All the girls were staring at Mikoto with stupefied expressions.

Mikoto fell on all four, as if all her hopes had been crushed.

"Masaka-san, would you mind not assaulting people, and then going off to wallow in despair by yourself?"

"They are… real." muttered Misaka, still not lifting her head.

"Ahem. It's a pleasure to meet you, Shokuhou-san." said Chisato, introducing herself and the others.

"We wish to speak to you, about a sensitive matter."

"Please take a seat. I am curious about what matter could have brought you here."

"Thank you." said Chisato as they sat. Junko moved to serve them tea as Mikoto also moved to take a seat, but sat sideways and kept muttering to herself.

"I had no idea they were so… heavy in one's hand… so soft, even though her clothing… or felt so springy as their pushed back against me… I was the one grabbing them, but it was as If they were clinging to my hands… embracing..."

Misaki stood, took her purse by the thin chain hanging from her shoulder, and used it as a flail to deliver a good whack to the back of Mikoto's head.

"Stop giving a review of my breasts, you pervert!"

"Aww… it hurts." complained Mikoto, holding the back of her head with both hands.

"Why are you even the one saying this now? I hate to be the one to say this, but you can pretty well eyeball how big they are." sighed Misaki.

"…I was thinking that maybe the chain of your purse emphasized your cleavage, making them look bigger, when actually, they weren't all that different from mine." said Mikoto with a gaze that seemed a bit delusional.

"Has Misaka-san always been this dumb?" wondered Misaki.

"Mikoto, if you wish for larger breasts, that's easy enough to do, you know? Remember who we work for." said Takina.

"…Really?" asked Mikoto with hopeful eyes.

"Really."

"You! Do not deface my Onee-sama!" retorted Kuroko. "Her small breasts are perfect!"

Another vein appeared on Mikoto's temple at the mention of the word 'small', and she zapped Kuroko, making her fall to the ground as she spasmed.

"Average growth of one centimeter per week. Not only the size, but our method helps reshape them to a perfect form and balance between softness and firmness. And it's painless and guaranteed safe. Even when you grow older, they won't ever sag. I'm using that method right now." shrugged Takina.

Several of the girls listening seemed very interested as well.

"Inoue-san. Are you perhaps trying to scam Misaka-san?" asked Misaki.

"Not at all. That method has been used by many people I know, and the results speak for themselves. But let's talk about the truly important thing. Exterior."

Misaki's face instantly lost all expressions. She took from her purse a remote and pressed a button.

In perfect synchronization, Junko and all the students on the balcony headed toward the door and entered the dormitory, leaving them alone.

Once they were alone, Misaki stared at Takina and pressed a button on her remote again. She frowned as she did the same with Tamamo, Hitomi and Chisato.

"What is happening? I can't use my power on any of you." said Misaki, feeling uneasy.

"So those bangles truly work." nodded Hitomi, lifting her left hand to display the small silver bangle around her wrist. Its inner surface was engraved with a Stop rune, meant to stop mental interference.

"This tea is quite good." said Chisato with an appreciative smile.

"Inoue-san isn't wearing a bangle." noticed Misaki.

"I do not need it. I have another way to keep you out of my head." smiled Takina.

Misaki Shokuhou and her guests stared at each other for long seconds, before she sighed.

"…How do you know about Exterior?" asked Misaki.

"We'll keep this a secret, but our information is reliable." said Chisato. "Our source told us about another secret research project involving Accelerator, and when we investigated, every detail our source gave us was verified. Are you willing to hear what that same source told us about you and Exterior?"

"…Go ahead." frowned Misaki. She knew what project they were talking about, the one named Level 6 Shift, from reading the minds of a lot of researchers in the city.

"Exterior is a giant brain created from a part of your cerebrum, which they extracted from you some time ago. You use it to amplify your abilities, and you have brainwashed every scientist working on that project, except the lead one, that monster Kihara Gensei. You have seized complete control of that project. Am I wrong so far?"

Misaki's expression twisted in anger at the mention of Kihara Gensei, but she quickly regained her composure.

"I'll acknowledge your source, whoever that is. Why tell me, however? Either you dislike me having taken over Exterior, and you should have tipped Kihara and those above him to have my pawns purged and replaced, or you approve of it, and… so that's what it is. You intend to use me somehow, maybe blackmail me into compliance."

"No. We want to destroy it." said Chisato. "That kind of power can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. We want your help to find it."

"No." flatly said Misaki.

"No? Why?" asked Chisato, not understanding Misaki's immediate rejection.

"For all I know, you're going to sell me out to Kihara Gensei."

"There's no way they'd do that." protested Mikoto. "You can trust them, Misaki."

"Trust?" snorted Misaki. "How am I supposed to believe in such an unreliable thing? It was your blind trust that led to the Radio Noise Project, the creation of the Sisters, and the Level 6 Shift project."

Mikoto flinched, but Misaki wasn't done. Her expression changed to a humorless smile, and she seemed… jaded beyond words.

"For over half of my life, I have been treated as a Guinea pig. I have always read the minds of those close to me, to see what their goals were. I have read the minds of the scientists who secretly planned to dispose of me, once Exterior is complete. I have read the minds of people who seemed friendly, but only wanted to use me. I have read the fear they feel toward me. That is why I decided that I would never work with someone whose mind I cannot read."

Chisato leaned back against the back of her chair, closing her eyes as she understood.

Of course people would fear a mind-reader or mind-controller, and of course she would pick up on that. Misaki indeed was a jaded person as a result. So she made a decision.

Chisato removed her bangle and extended her hand toward Misaki.

"You need physical contact to read memories, right?"

"Chisato, are you sure?" asked Takina.

"Yeah. I trust Aria's assessment of her. And if I'm wrong, we can always use force."

Misaki looked deep into Chisato's eyes, then accepted her hand, and she began to read her memories.

Chisato's work as a Lycoris. Her encounter with Takina and Aria. Aria revealing her nature as a Champion. Their adventures in her world, then on a world where she became the pilot of a giant robot. Her reluctance to kill people, contributing to Takina's death. Her encounter with the six other Champion's representatives, as well as the seven deities. The summoning of Tamamo, the Holy Grail War, and Noah. Takina's revival. Chaldea and the World Fragments. Their recent trip to that cursed world where they met Hitomi, and the horror of the Demonic Pillars. And the way they trained the girls they had an interest in to share Noah's abilities and increase their numbers.

It took her three minutes to explore all those memories, and she was blushing fiercely when she released Chisato's hand.

The way she looked at her guests was now quite different, and she would need time to process the revelation that her world, even herself personally, had been created by a deity based on a fiction existing in another world. She shoved that particular bit of knowledge into a corner of her mind for later consideration.

She now knew that she couldn't say no. If she did, they would stuff her into that Sanctuary of theirs, and she wouldn't come out as a free woman. But she wanted to say yes. What she had seen was too marvelous and full of possibilities to pass up. And she intended to get something for herself doing it.

"…Can you call Noah? If he can do something for me, I will cooperate fully."

"Sure." smiled Chisato, taking her smartphone and calling him.

When his face was displayed on the smartphone, Misaki didn't waste time.

"Noah. I am Misaki Shokuhou. Do you recognize my name?"

"Yes." smiled Noah. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you?"

"Chisato has let me read her memories. All of them. I want you to resurrect someone. Dolly, the first of the Sisters…"

Mikoto and Kuroko made shocked gasps, but she ignored them.

"…Without the life support machines embedded in her body, and with her health issues fixed. You can do that, right?"

"I can. I'm assuming her power level is about that of a Sister, so it won't be hard for me to do so."

"Thank you." said Misaki, taking a deep breath. "Then, I am yours."

"Wow. That's quite decisive, and I appreciate your trust. Do you wish for me to do it now?"

"No. After we meet in person. I want to be there when she regains consciousness. Thank you." said Misaki.

She nodded to Chisato, and the latter turned her phone to face Noah.

"That was your goal all along, right, Noah? It was for this that you chose to start as a healer." asked Chisato.

"I will not lie and pretend it wasn't a major consideration." grinned Noah. "You can move the world with a lever big enough, and being able to bring back lost loved ones is one hell of a lever."

"Yeah. Just like you did with me." smiled Chisato. "We have things to do, and this place isn't secure. See you later, Noah."

"Later."

Chisato ended the call and looked back at Misaki, and Misaki smiled.

"I will convince my clique to go with me as well. Akeno isn't the only one who will have a head start on Imperial harem politics."

"…Just remember that sabotaging each other is forbidden, okay? And you'll be under Akeno until the crisis is solved." said Chisato with a roll of the eyes. She could sense this Misaki would be trouble.

"Yes. I won't engage on something so irresponsible… Misaka-san, you can rejoice. What Inoue-san said is true. it's a pity, I won't be able to tease you about your chest much longer…"

Mikoto snorted, but Chisato could see she was happy at the confirmation.

"…But prepare yourself. There are some interesting times ahead of us." grinned Misaki, wondering how Mikoto would react if she knew exactly what Chisato and Takina intended for her.

She would have to undergo the same thing as well, and Misaki blushed again at the thought, but… she considered it an acceptable price to pay to gain immortality and access to several worlds. And she didn't intend to be Noah's slave indefinitely. Little by little, she would gain Noah's favor and become his Queen... She looked forward to making Mikoto her personal maid.