"Huh?"
As the blinding light faded, Xiaomei blinked in confusion. "What just happened?"
Kiana waved her bat dramatically. "That glowing thing flew at you, and Tatsuki just went slash with his blade and cut it down."
"So… Tatsuki saved me?" Xiaomei's eyes shimmered with realization.
"It was nothing. I was going to deal with it anyway, I just didn't expect it to come after you."
In truth, Tatsuki felt a little unsatisfied. A Doomsday Journey that was supposed to last an hour had been wrapped up in just a few minutes — far too quickly.
"Thank you so much!" Xiaomei bowed politely.
"I should be the one thanking you," said Suoh Mikoto as he stepped forward. "Without you, the Golden King… or rather, the Colorless King, would've been impossible to deal with."
It was the truth. The Golden King was known as the strongest King, overwhelmingly powerful against all others. Even Mikoto, after his growth, had only been able to hold his ground.
Tatsuki simply smiled. "That was the point of the Journey, wasn't it?"
But then—
"Urgh… my body…" Xiaomei groaned.
"Huh? What's going on?" Both she and Kiana gave startled cries, drawing Tatsuki's attention.
Frost spread out from Xiaomei's feet, encasing the walls and floor in ice. At the same time, Kiana floated into the air, space itself splitting open around her in jagged rifts.
Tatsuki lifted his gaze to the heavens. "That is…"
Everyone — Munakata, Hisui, and all the clansmen — looked toward the Dresden Slate at the Obelisk Tower. Above it, two Damocles Swords shone. One was golden, heralding the birth of a new Golden King. The other was formless, invisible to ordinary eyes, but unmistakable to Kings and outsiders alike — the sword of the Colorless King.
New Kings had appeared. Logic dictated that it should've been Kiana and Xiaomei who ascended. But reality defied expectation.
Tatsuki: the Seventh King, the new Colorless King.
Kiana: the Second King, the new Golden King.
The birth of new rulers shook the world.
Tatsuki's eyes narrowed. He glanced at the Slate. Was this payment… or bribery? In an instant, he understood his new power. Unlike the Colorless Kings of the past, his domain was not "Change" or "Interference." It was Chronos — the power of time itself.
His status confirmed it:
S-Rank Ability: King of Chronos (lv 5).
He turned to Mikoto. "What level is your Kingly power?"
Jolted out of his shock, Mikoto hesitated before answering, "A-Rank. The Red King."
"..."
So the Slate had handed him an S-Rank, already at level five? What was that supposed to mean? Was it trying to bribe him after sensing his earlier thought of destroying it? He really had considered "eating" the Slate for a moment, though only in passing. Now it seemed to have bribed him into leaving it alone.
As for Kiana and Xiaomei, both soon returned to normal.
"What about you two?" Tatsuki asked, raising a brow.
Xiaomei stared at her hands in disbelief. "I… I think I became some kind of outsider. I got an A-Rank ability, Ice Domination."
Tatsuki's brow twitched. An outsider with power on par with a King? Really?
Kiana, meanwhile, stood with hands on her hips, laughing smugly. "Hahaha! I'm now the Golden King! My title is the Void Sovereign, and my ability's S-Rank — the King of the Void!" She snapped her fingers, tearing open a spatial rift, then looked at Tatsuki expectantly, thinking he'd be shocked.
Instead, his expression was… peculiar.
"What's with that look?" she asked blankly.
Tatsuki shook his head without answering, though inside he couldn't help scoffing. This girl already has a Herrscher of the Void slumbering inside her, and now she's the Void King? This is just absurd.
Still, it was obvious: the Slate had flat-out bribed the three of them. Tatsuki said nothing further, only smiling faintly.
"We should get going."
As he turned to leave, a scratching sensation on his arm drew his attention. The little white cat was pawing at him, eyes filled with conflicted emotion.
"What do you want to say?" Tatsuki asked.
After a moment's hesitation, the cat's body glowed with white light. Before everyone's astonished eyes, she transformed into a beautiful pink-haired girl in a white dress, with heterochromatic blue and gold eyes. Her voice was clear yet nervous as she asked, "May I… join your clan?"
Tatsuki stroked his chin. Now that he was the King of Chronos, he could indeed form a clan. "What's your name?"
The girl frowned, struggling. She had erased her own memories with her powers, even her name. At last she said, "I am… Neko."
"Alright."
With a single thought, Tatsuki accepted her into his clan. Control and bond settled instantly. Since he wouldn't stay here forever, it was best to take his people with him.
Feeling the connection, the girl's eyes lit up. She threw herself at him, rubbing against him like a real cat. "Tatsuki!" she cried happily, finding safety in his presence.
Kiana and Xiaomei exchanged bewildered looks, unsure what to make of the scene.
Tatsuki let her cling to him, then turned to Xiaomei. "Would you like to join my clan as well?"
"Can I?" she asked with hopeful eyes.
"Hey! I want Xiaomei in my clan too!" Kiana shouted like a child.
Tatsuki chuckled. "Let her decide for herself."
After a moment's thought, Xiaomei bowed apologetically to Kiana. "I'm sorry… but I want to join Tatsuki's clan. He saved my life."
Kiana deflated instantly like a popped balloon. "Fine…"
Thus Xiaomei became a member of the Chronos Clan — though without compulsion, since she would eventually return to her own world.
"Well then, let's leave."
With a wave, Tatsuki sent Mikoto out of the Obelisk Tower, then guided the others back.
…
"Wah! Where is this?"
The pink-haired girl trembled as she found herself in an unfamiliar space.
"This is my home. Relax." Tatsuki stroked her head.
"Your home?" Her tension melted into curiosity as she looked around. Her gaze quickly locked on the bulging blanket on his bed — and the black cat sleeping atop it.
The blanket shifted. Kanae, bare and half-asleep, sat up, rubbing her eyes. Long hair spilled over her shoulders, barely covering her form. "Ming, you're back… and who's this?"
"She's Neko, my…" Tatsuki faltered, unsure what to call her.
Light flashed, and the girl instantly turned back into her feline form. "I'm Tatsuki's pet!" she declared proudly.
"Eh?!" Kanae's drowsiness vanished at once. A person turning into a cat right in front of her eyes was too much. Her exclamation woke Haru, who leapt up with fur bristling.
"Meow! (Who are you?!)" Haru hissed.
"I am Neko, Tatsuki's pet." The white cat lifted her chin arrogantly.
Haru tilted her head, then looked at Tatsuki questioningly.
"That's right," Tatsuki confirmed. "She's… my pet."
With that assurance, Haru dropped her guard, even patting Neko's head. "Meow, meow! (Don't worry, I know this place. I'll look after you!)"
Neko blinked, then in a flash of light transformed back into her girl form.
"Meow?!" Haru froze, dumbfounded.
So she can turn into a human? Then… why can't I? She stared at her paws, trying to stand on two legs, as if sheer willpower could make her transform.
"Pfft!" Tatsuki and Kanae both burst out laughing at the adorable sight.
…
The next day, Tatsuki introduced Neko to the others. They were mostly just curious about her shapeshifting — especially Yukino, who as a hardcore cat lover couldn't keep her hands off Neko's feline form, and Abe no Seimei, who kept insisting she was some kind of youkai or shikigami, much to her annoyance.
Tatsuki had planned to set her up in a spare room. But Neko refused, insisting she wanted to follow Haru's example and sleep in his bed in her kitten form. In the end, he could only relent.
Of course, Tatsuki still had to attend school. So he left her in the care of Sayuri and the others for the day.
...
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