"Belfast, Formidable, Tohru... this time, you're coming with me."
Considering that the main goal of visiting the Nyaruko world was to bring back a few Outer Gods, Setsuna simply listed a few companions' names.
Lucoa also tagged along, flipping through information about Cthulhu Mythos with great interest.
A foreign pantheon—quite fascinating.
"Hehe~ perfect chance to meet those unspeakable gods~"
"We have some Deep Ones and other weird things back home too. They don't taste good though... wonder how the ones in that world are like..."
Tohru clenched her fists energetically.
"Stop. I'm not bringing you there to fight."
"They're not what you imagine. The Nyaruko world—aliens there are... quite comedic."
Setsuna stopped the dragon girl's strange ideas.
Suddenly.
His coat was tugged by a small blue-haired girl in a white dress.
"Commander..."
"I want to see another world too... and their divine colors."
Griseo looked up, her soft voice ethereal and calm.
"Ah? You?"
Setsuna was a bit surprised.
Little Griseo spent most of her time in the capital quietly painting alone. Other than himself and Jingwei, she rarely interacted with others.
Sometimes she'd go on art excursions to other worlds or join him on expeditions.
Ordinary worlds were fine—like the DITF world or the recently conquered Re:Zero world. Griseo wandering around was no problem.
But the Nyaruko world...
Setsuna felt something subtle about it.
"Do you know what kind of world Nyaruko's is?"
He lifted Griseo onto his lap. The little girl, barefoot as usual, sat quietly on his knees.
"I... know."
Griseo nodded slightly.
"Cthulhu... in legends, they're Outer Gods that can't be described, right?"
"Normal people, just by seeing or sensing them, would lose sanity and fall into madness..."
"I... I want to see those things I've never seen before. If possible... record them in my art."
"???"
The girl spoke sincerely—so much that Setsuna was stunned.
"You're that brave?!"
Normally, people would run the moment they saw a Great Old One—yet here was a girl wanting to study and paint them. This was a first.
Moreover, Griseo was easily influenced by her surroundings. Taking her to face Outer Gods sounded... questionable.
"I read about the Nyaruko world. It's not dangerous, right?"
Griseo tilted her head slightly, purple eyes filled with honest curiosity.
"Commander, may I?"
"If you're there... it should be fine, right?"
"...Since you've said that much..."
After a moment of thought, Setsuna nodded.
Her request wasn't unreasonable. The Outer Gods of the Nyaruko world weren't nearly as terrifying as in the original mythos.
Taking her out for some experience would be good—he could watch over her anyway.
...
A few hours later.
Outside the Stellar Base, on the vast plaza.
Setsuna activated the Hyperdimensional Star Map and selected their destination: Iar I'thphin-8.
[Nyaruko: Crawling with Love (Tier-IV Magic Age)]
That world housed numerous interstellar civilizations of the space age and a unique pantheon called the Cthulhu Mythos.
They existed in various forms scattered across the cosmos.
[Power Comparison:]
[Military Strength: Like a God]
[Economic Strength: Like an Ant]
[Technological Power: Comparable]
"..."
The Nyaruko world was home to many alien civilizations.
There existed the Cosmic Union—an organization maintaining order across the universe—and the Space Defense Agency, safeguarding native species.
Under the Cosmic Union's Advanced R&D division, they even developed technologies like barriers and temporal freezing, assisting the IADB (Intergalactic Archive Database) in defending against threats from beyond the cosmos.
Overall, beneath its comedic surface lay a vast and intricate world system.
"Why though?!"
The moment she saw the details on the screen, Tohru puffed her cheeks in protest.
"According to the data, their displayed power levels aren't that strong, right?"
"Why are they ranked stronger than us? Tch—"
"Not surprising."
Setsuna smiled and shook his head.
"Don't compare power levels with comedic characters. Nyaruko's true form is Nyarlathotep, and Kuuko's real form is Cthugha."
"Do you know who taught them in cosmic elementary school? Yog-Sothoth."
"Hiss—"
The dragon girl immediately went silent.
The distributed dossiers clearly documented their identities.
The Three Pillars of Cthulhu—Masters of Time and Space, and the All-in-One.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the cosmic civilization's overall strength—and its classification as a Tier-IV Magic Age—was entirely thanks to these Outer Gods.
The cheerful absurdity of Nyaruko's story almost made people forget what terrifying beings those cute girls really were.
"That's... kind of intimidating..."
Belfast sighed softly.
"It's fine. Those Cthulhu girls are easy to handle—no harder than the dragon maids. Don't worry."
Setsuna activated his authority, tearing open the fabric of space.
[Spacetime Channel Constructed: Solar System → Nyaruko: Crawling with Love World]
A multicolored dimensional corridor appeared amid the stars.
Shuaa—
The group boarded the ship and leapt into the passage.
...
Whoosh—
After passing through kaleidoscopic lights and distorted scenes—
What met their eyes was a planet nearly identical to pre-space-age Earth.
Skyscrapers lined the horizon, vehicles flowed along the roads, and crowds filled the streets.
Thanks to optical camouflage and cognitive-interference devices, no one noticed the starship cruising in the sky.
"Oh, looks just like a typical pre-space-age civilization."
Formidable leaned by the window, peering curiously.
"That's because Earth here is a protected native planet."
Setsuna smiled.
In the Nyaruko world, Earth's technology was far too primitive to qualify for the Cosmic Union and was thus designated as a protected world by the Space Defense Agency.
Higher civilizations in the universe were forbidden from direct contact with Earth's inhabitants.
As a result, despite being part of a vast interstellar civilization, human scientists here still desperately used primitive telescopes to search for extraterrestrial life.
—Naturally, they found nothing of value.
The few aliens who descended to Earth as tourists were under strict supervision, with heavy restrictions on contact with humans.
"...Why do I feel like these Cthulhu Outer Gods have higher moral standards than me?!"
He realized an amusing paradox.
When the Starsea Empire encountered undeveloped or pre-space-age natives, they either turned them into vassals or threw them into zoos for study.
At the very least, they'd build an observation station to monitor the natives and earn some sociology research points.
By comparison, the Cosmic Union and the Outer Gods of the Nyaruko world were practically paragons of cosmic equality.
They'd probably just sign non-aggression and trade treaties on first contact.
"..."
"Putting that aside, Commander, how do we find them?"
Belfast glanced at the holographic console.
In the Nyaruko world, most of their target recruits were indescribable Outer Gods.
The human natives would be easy enough—Belfast and Formidable could handle that alone.
But the Cthulhu entities... who knew what would happen?
"As usual, let's assess the situation first."
Setsuna tapped a few commands on the control panel.
An invisible particle was launched into the void, gradually expanding into a translucent membrane that enveloped the planet in higher-dimensional space.
Then, it condensed back into a single particle, hovering silently in Earth's orbit.
[Sophon Unit 42 ready. Current world: Nyaruko: Crawling with Love.]
A familiar report echoed.
This was standard procedure upon arriving in any new world. Whether for reconnaissance or communication, the Sophon could handle it all.
"Scan the entire world. Locate our targets."
"Affirmative—"
In an instant, the Sophon completed a full three-dimensional scan of the planet.
A detailed holographic model appeared on the main console, displaying every structure and every living being down to the smallest detail.
"Target scanning in progress..."
"Timeline confirmation underway..."
Before long, Sophon Unit 42 provided a precise report:
"Confirmed—no targets detected on Earth."
"Based on stored records, expected targets are located on planets such as Nyarlathotep and Cthugha."
"Additionally, an unidentified alien settlement has been detected in the Pacific Ocean depths."
"Uh..."
"So none of them are actually on Earth?"
Everyone in the ship looked at the Sophon's report with strange expressions.
It made sense, of course—before the events of the story, Nyaruko, Kuuko, and the others would naturally still be living on their home planets.
"Where exactly are these Nyarlathotep and Cthugha stars located?"
"And that alien settlement deep in the Pacific... don't tell me it's what I think it is?!"
Tohru's mouth twitched.
"Report: according to all existing records, no precise coordinates are provided for planets such as Nyarlathotep or Cthugha."
The Sophon's response came swiftly and clearly.
"From current sensor scans, no intelligent life-bearing planets exist within a 300-light-year radius."
"Based on available literature, the Cthulhu Outer Gods' home system, known as Xoth, is located near the Taurus constellation."
"As for the alien gathering in the Pacific depths, it appears to be a facility called R'lyeh Amusement Park—frequented by extraterrestrial tourists visiting Earth."
"Huh?!"
Formidable's expression grew even stranger.
"Aliens come here to sightsee? What's so interesting about a bunch of primitives?"
Bonk—
Belfast lightly tapped her on the head.
"You didn't read the brief carefully, did you? Don't you know Earth's entertainment industry here is the number one in the universe?!"
In the Nyaruko world, while Earthlings were seen by other civilizations as uncivilized natives, they were universally acknowledged as the greatest entertainers in the cosmos. Their movies, anime, games, and comics were adored by countless alien species.
There were even interstellar smuggling rings trafficking Earth's manga and video games to other galaxies.
Naturally, Earth's R'lyeh Theme Park was the top tourist attraction for visiting aliens.
"...They're just pre-space-age natives! We should show them what real Starsea Empire entertainment looks like!"
"If those aliens don't start worshiping us as gods, I'll eat my hat!"
Formidable crossed her arms indignantly.
From the perspective of the Starsea Empire, Earth's entertainment industry was primitive and outdated.
Neither its quantity nor its quality could compare to the cultural marvels of the imperial capital.
"How about we ask Akashi to export some of our latest gacha mobile games to this world? The ones that are super popular in the capital lately?"
Tohru suddenly suggested with a mischievous grin.
"Their current games are stuck in the card battle and turn-based era, and the graphics are awful... If we dropped a full-scale open-world anime game here, that'd be a dimensionality reduction strike!"
"We could even implement an advanced gacha system and make the aliens pay tribute to us..."
"???"
Setsuna was dumbfounded.
Admittedly, she had a point. Compared to the Starsea Empire's vast multimedia and cross-dimensional entertainment industry, this Earth's creations were laughably simple.
At this point in its development, the planet's gaming technology was equivalent to the PS3 and Xbox 360 era.
Given the absurdly comedic nature of the Nyaruko world, flooding the galactic market with Starsea-level entertainment would absolutely make the aliens kneel and praise the God of Joy.
This world might not be suited for a full-scale military conquest victory... but what about a cultural victory instead?
"Hmm..."
"No, focus. We're not here for that."
He realized he was getting sidetracked.
"Let's find the people I came for first."
"...Understood."
Belfast traced a few lines across the starmap, analyzing distant coordinates.
"The spatial structure of this universe is slightly different from ours. If the Xoth system really is near Taurus, then it's not too far from here."
"Commander, are we going to Nyaruko's homeworld?"
Before Setsuna could answer, Lucoa raised her hand.
"Ara~ actually, I have a simpler method."
The dragon goddess folded her arms and smiled slyly at Setsuna.
"If the target is of divine rank, we could simply summon her here directly. What do you think?"
...
Half an hour later.
In a clearing on the outskirts.
Lucoa and Tohru were crouched on the ground, drawing an enormous and intricate summoning array.
The symbols within the array shimmered faintly—just one glance at them was enough to make one's head spin.
"Hmm... In our world, it's quite common for mages to use summoning circles to call forth familiars or demons from other realms."
"Cthulhu beings... well, they count as some kind of evil gods, don't they? I think summoning them through a ritual circle shouldn't be too hard."
Lucoa examined her creation and nodded approvingly.
"Commander, you'll be the one to do it."
"Me?"
Setsuna honestly had no talent for summoning-type magic—he had never needed a familiar in the first place.
"Of course. The summoner must silently chant the summoned being's name to establish a spiritual link."
"Tohru and I have somewhat... sensitive identities, so the target might detect us. You're perfect for the job."
"If one of the Cthulhu Outer Gods responds to your call, she'll descend to your side."
The dragon goddess smiled mischievously, clearly enjoying the show.
"...Alright then."
Setsuna took a deep breath and stood in the center of the summoning circle.
Following Lucoa's instructions, he recited a long and tongue-twisting incantation, channeling his mana into the array.
Thankfully, the ritual Lucoa had crafted was powerful enough—not like those crude mortal ceremonies that required black beetles, flowing flesh, and warm bones as offerings to summon Cthulhu's kin.
"Hear me, Nyarlathotep!"
"King of Infinite Space!"
"The One by Life Prolonged!"
"..."
As the chant continued, the sky darkened instantly.
Winds howled. The blazing summer sun vanished, replaced by a freezing gale.
From the layered storm clouds above came flashes of dark crimson light—ominous, pulsing like the heartbeat of a dying star. The entire sky was shrouded in an eerie, oppressive barrier.
All around, space groaned and twisted as invisible fractures spread through the air.
From the damp soil rose the stench of decay, as if the remnants of devoured rodents were festering beneath their feet.
In the distant void, a vast, shadowy form began to take shape—its countless tendrils writhing together like serpents, exuding a dreadful malice.
The silhouette expanded, writhing in the storm, gazing down upon the living beings below...
The eldritch pressure transcended both light and darkness, reaching into the boundless void.
An ancient, primal fear seized the heart—an overwhelming awareness of a being too old, too vast, too wrong to exist.
"Holy crap!!! She's coming!!!"
Setsuna could only gape in awe. Summoning an Outer God was absolutely insane.
If not for his strong mental fortitude, he would have gone insane just by witnessing the sight before him.
Watching from the side, Griseo felt her mind fill with indescribable shapes and colors she couldn't comprehend.
What... what is the Commander summoning? It's so terrifying...
...
Several hundred light-years away, in a distant, uncharted star system.
This system existed in no recorded starmap. Its planets were wrapped in green nebulae, and even its star burned in an unnatural hue of green.
No human telescope could ever detect it—the entire region distorted the fabric of space itself.
This was the birthplace of Cthulhu and Tsathoggua, the Toad God.
On one of the planets orbiting the green sun, an indescribable entity turned its gaze toward the void.
She had sensed it—a precise, flawless summoning of her true name from a distant star system.
Such a feat was nearly impossible; aside from her kin, few beings in the universe could even comprehend her name, let alone speak it aloud.
And the summoner... wielded a power almost divine.
"Hm?!"
She instinctively detected the anomaly emanating from the distant Earth.
"Aliens? ...No..."
"A criminal syndicate sneaking onto Earth? Still no..."
Normally, she wouldn't have bothered responding to mortal summons. The resulting phenomenon alone would be enough to shatter a human's sanity.
But this summoner knew her far too well to ignore.
"Hi-hi~ Guess I'll drop by Earth for a bit—"
Shuu—
The distortion lasted for over ten minutes.
Just when Setsuna began to suspect no one was answering his call—
Suddenly.
From beyond time and imagination came the booming of mad drums, followed by the shrill, blasphemous piping of flutes.
The dark, ultimate deity was drawing near.
"She's coming!"
Everyone's expressions tensed.
Boom—
The summoning array erupted in a blinding flash.
A girl with long silver-white hair and bright green eyes slowly emerged from within the circle.
She wore a black short-sleeved shirt, a gray-and-white plaid skirt, and thigh-high white stockings.
A single absurdly long ahoge stood atop her head. Her skin was fair, her face delicate and cute—in every sense, she was the picture of a beautiful girl.
"Hi-hi-hi~"
The girl stepped up to Setsuna, striking a pose reminiscent of a Kamen Rider transformation.
"I am the Crawling Chaos that smiles eternally!"
"Nyarlathotep sends her regards!!!"
"Tell me—are you my Master?"
"???"
—
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