Uiharu's bright eyes reflected Noah's figure, her heart suddenly racing.
He… he's really handsome…
A strange, unfamiliar warmth bloomed in her chest, and a soft light shone in her gaze.
"M-my name is Kazari Uiharu, and I'll be attending Sakugawa Middle School soon…"
Saten, who usually acted carefree and bold, found herself just as nervous. "I-I'm Saten Ruiko, also from Sakugawa Middle School."
Noah smiled faintly at the two flustered girls. He could tell their reactions weren't unusual. It was something that happened naturally around him—his divine essence couldn't be completely concealed. Even when he restrained his power, his presence still carried an aura of perfection impossible for ordinary humans.
Any being with the instinct to admire beauty would instinctively react to someone beyond the limits of mortal perfection. It was simply part of existence itself.
"I'm Noah," he said softly. "Saten Ruiko, Kazari Uiharu—two very kind girls."
He gently patted their heads, his tone warm and reassuring.
Both Uiharu and Saten blushed deeply, their hands fidgeting at their sides.
"Um… Noah-senpai…" Saten hesitated for a moment, then nervously took out her phone. "C-could we exchange LINE contacts?"
Noah chuckled. "I don't really use that sort of thing. But don't worry—we'll meet again tomorrow. As an apology for earlier, take this as a small gift."
As he spoke, two Visions appeared in his hand, each glowing faintly with divine light.
The Visions had long since evolved through countless generations. Their ranks and quality varied—each determined by the strength and purity of the wish behind it.
The lowest grade of Vision was the earliest form, capable only of granting the power of a Lower God.
The highest grade came from a wish to save the world itself—a Vision capable of ascending to the level of an Almighty God.
Beings who attained such wishes were called saviors—unique across all mythologies.
Throughout the great worlds, only a few had truly achieved salvation.
Salvation didn't always mean saving a world or humankind. It could mean saving civilization, wisdom, or even the essence of hope itself.
Of course, reaching that highest level was a theoretical limit—whether one could truly achieve it was another matter.
At present, with so many worlds integrated into the multiverse, there existed many great eras filled with remarkable people—some driven by the desire to save, though only one had ever completed such a wish.
Saten's disappointment at not exchanging contacts quickly faded when she saw the glowing ornaments he handed them.
Though she still felt a bit embarrassed about the earlier misunderstanding, she could tell Noah hadn't meant anything improper.
"Wow… these are beautiful," Saten said, eyes sparkling. "Are you sure we can keep them, senpai?"
"Of course," Noah replied gently.
Saten and Uiharu held the glowing crystals carefully, thinking they were just glass pendants.
Noah smiled faintly. "If you ever have a truly great wish in your hearts, try praying to the Vision. Perhaps, someday, it might just come true."
The two girls looked at each other and laughed shyly, nodding with bright smiles.
"You're lying, senpai—we're not elementary students anymore," Saten said playfully.
Noah smiled. "You're pre–middle schoolers. I know."
"Then, are you a high school student, senpai?" Uiharu asked curiously.
Noah shook his head lightly. "No, I'm not a student," he said with a small smile. "We'll meet again tomorrow. You'll understand then. Until that time, my two adorable girls—see you tomorrow."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure gradually faded, disappearing completely without a trace.
Saten and Uiharu stared in shock, looking around.
"So, Noah-senpai is actually a high-level esper?"
"Looks like we'll really see him again tomorrow. Maybe he's one of the selected ones like us."
The candidate list for the Talent Workshop training program was public. Although this year's intake had several dozen names, both of theirs were well-known among classmates and friends from elementary school.
...
Meanwhile—
Near Jupiter's orbit, four massive celestial bodies could be seen circling the gas giant—its four largest moons, each as vast as Earth's own Moon.
At that moment, a man in silver armor, with fiery red hair and a beard to match, stood up from the center of an immense crater on Ganymede. His right arm was entirely mechanical, and in his hand he gripped a jet-black sword as dark as ink.
His expression was grim.
"What happened to this world? My entire divine domain has been forcibly sealed! I can't even touch the phase layer anymore—the only thing I can use is basic magical knowledge!"
He clenched his metal fist. "Forget it! I'll head to that blue planet and figure this out myself."
The age he had lived in was not one of cosmic space, but of endless land and sea. After his ascension to godhood, the world had been reset entirely. Yet even then, it had not become a starry universe. Only later, when Tezcatlipoca and the High Priest achieved godhood, did the world transform into a cosmic one.
A voice echoed faintly through the vacuum, carrying sound where none should exist.
"You plan to return to Earth? Heh… I'm afraid you won't get the chance."
"That steel arm and sharp aura—you must be one of those who became a Magic God through Nuada's apotheosis ritual, right?"
"No… the ritual came first. Nuada came after."
The cold voice carried a killing intent that defied all logic.
"What?" Nuada turned sharply, eyes widening.
There, walking toward him, was a man in a green lab coat, silver hair flowing to the ground, his expression calm and unreadable. In his hand was a staff twisted like the branch of a tree.
"You… that presence—Edward Alexander! You're still alive?!"
"Dead? Hm… yes, the former Edward Alexander is indeed dead. The one standing before you now is Aleister Crowley."
Aleister spoke coldly, showing no emotion. It seemed his plan to mislead the Magic Gods had worked perfectly.
Nuada looked at him with an expression of intrigue, as though viewing an entertaining toy.
"How fascinating. This world truly has become an interesting place. All these sudden changes—was that your doing?"
Then his tone shifted.
"No, no, that's impossible. A mere magician without access to any divine domain couldn't possibly cause something of this scale."
"But perhaps… it still has something to do with you."
"Tell me the truth, Aleister, and I might let you live."
From beginning to end, Nuada never once regarded Aleister as an equal. Even stripped of his divine domain, he believed Aleister was far beneath him.
Aleister smiled—quietly at first, then with growing amusement. "Heh… haha… even now, you remain so arrogantly confident. I'm relieved to see it."
There was no way he would ever tell the Magic Gods what had truly happened to this world.
And certainly, they had no right to know of that being's existence.
To die without understanding—that itself was mercy enough.
Without a sound, the Spiritual Formula — Spiritual Tripping activated. Aleister raised his hand, forming a gesture as though holding a Western sword. Alongside the motion, three glowing numbers—[3][9][11]—appeared beside him, sparking with energy.
"Hmm? A magic formula? Just ordinary magic? Aleister, are you trying to make me laugh?"
Nuada sneered, watching Aleister's movements and the flickering numbers. Without realizing it, his mind wandered—imagining the divine sword from his own godly domain.
That sword was the greatest manifestation of his power as Nuada—a blade capable of cutting through anything in existence, even the world itself.
Aleister's smile widened. "Hahaha… to think you would drop your guard completely before my magic. Truly…"
Spiritual Tripping gave shape to ambiguous imagination, turning fantasy into tangible power. The greater the imagination, the greater the force.
Simultaneously, Aleister's Blasting Rod flared to life, amplifying the spell tenfold.
Because the attack originated directly from the target's own mind, the strike was unavoidable.
"Hm?"
Nuada suddenly felt a crushing wave of deathly pressure. His eyes widened as he reacted instinctively, summoning his sword and swinging it at Aleister with all his strength.
Even without divine power, his might far surpassed that of ordinary magicians—beyond even a single world's standard, easily multiple times greater than any human.
His strike was fast—but Aleister's magic was faster.
Crack—Vmm—
From Earth's national observatories, telescopes trained on Jupiter detected a flash—a silver-white line slashing across Ganymede, splitting the moon cleanly in two.
That line did not fade. Instead, it expanded, faster than the speed of light. In moments, it reached Neptune, slicing the gas giant apart as though cutting through cake.
But it didn't stop there. The white line spread through the depths of space, beyond the limits of causality itself.
The Milky Way was cleaved in half. Countless stars along its path exploded, and in the next instant, entire galaxies were severed, endless stars bursting apart in a chain of destruction.
Even the cosmic microwave background radiation was split in two.
And still, it didn't end. The slash pierced the barriers of reality, cutting through the layered phases of existence until finally, it faded upon striking the world's boundary.
Rumble—Rumble—Rumble—
Ganymede disintegrated into cosmic dust. Aleister stood motionless in the void, staring at the bisected form of his opponent.
The body had lost all vitality—both scientifically and magically, Nuada no longer existed in any form.
"Arrogant and ignorant Magic God," Aleister murmured, smiling faintly as he raised his staff, releasing a constant stream of spells upon the corpse.
As a cautious—and perhaps obsessive—magician, Aleister knew one rule above all: always confirm the kill. Every single cell, every magical factor had to be destroyed.
That still wasn't enough. He had to disintegrate the very matter of the corpse, then seal and scatter the remaining atoms throughout the physical world in different locations—to ensure that no resurrection would ever be possible.
Of course, the disturbance near Jupiter didn't escape the notice of the top-tier beings on Earth.
Aiwass looked up toward Jupiter and smiled faintly. "Oh… Aleister. The moment the Magic Gods fell, you were the first who couldn't resist taking action. Hehehe… it seems you've really slain one."
Elsewhere, Niang-Niang—had been preparing to capture a defiant angel to use as her mount. But before she could act, she felt it: the fall of Nuada.
"Aleister? That man who founded the scientific faction?"
"No… wait! This aura—this magical signature—it's Edward Alexander!"
A laugh escaped her lips, light at first, then swelling into manic amusement.
"Oh, I see! Hahaha… how interesting. Edward! The little worm who once tried to amuse us is still alive—how unexpected, and how delightful!"
Aiwass frowned slightly, puzzled by her reaction.
"Oh? You show no sorrow at your comrade's death—on the contrary, you treat it as entertainment?"
"Don't you fear death, false goddess? His fall proves that even Magic Gods can now be slain."
Niang-Niang waved a hand dismissively. "Ah~ forgive me, little angel. It's just been far too long since I've visited the mortal world—I've forgotten most of its customs."
"But death… if this were in the past, perhaps I'd have enjoyed experiencing it for myself. Yet now, with something so entertaining before me, how could I possibly allow myself to die?"
Her tone shifted into playful mockery. "And you? Do you really think a little angel like you could kill me? Don't make me laugh."
"Now then—kneel before me!"
She threw her arms wide with a booming laugh. The wide sleeves of her divine robe expanded, and from within them flew countless magical treasures, each one pulsing with divine power.
"Unlike the others, I'm different," she declared proudly. "A part of my strength is fused within these artifacts! Even if I lose my own power entirely—it doesn't matter in the slightest!"
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