[Mass Release: 1/7]
"Mmmhaha~ Takumi-sama, I can't drink anymore~~~ slurp, slurp~"
When Takumi brought Setsuna back to the [Interdimensional Realm], he was greeted by the sight of Freya talking in her sleep, sprawled on the bed. After the long day's travel—and everything they had done earlier—she was completely exhausted.
Setsuna, though newer to it all, was now in about the same condition.
"Mmm~ Setsuna wants more… but she's too full now."
She rubbed her slightly rounded belly, looking both weary and resigned. It was all precious energy meant to make her stronger—not a single drop should've gone to waste. But there had simply been too much.
Even so, she knew she hadn't managed to truly satisfy Takumi. The thought made her drooping wolf ears fall even lower.
"Alright, enough for now. Rest up like Freya."
Takumi sighed helplessly at her guilty expression. Setsuna was far too obedient and loyal for him to bear being too rough with her.
She had sharp instincts, though—she'd clearly realized he was holding back.
Still, she couldn't resist the pull of exhaustion. The moment her head hit the pillow, she drifted into deep sleep.
Watching the two sleep soundly, Takumi gently pulled the blanket over them before checking on the progress of the [World-Crossing Gate].
[World-Crossing Gate: 35%]
"Fully conquering Setsuna and killing Blade really made it jump!"
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could travel to the second world.
Suppressing his excitement, Takumi surveyed the Interdimensional Realm. It had already tripled in size compared to when it first appeared.
"The Ice Wolf Tribe has plenty of capable females. As long as their loyalty's certain, I could bring a few here to live."
With that thought, he headed to the town of Lanaritta and brought Anna back.
To Anna, even a day apart had felt like years. When they reunited in her inn room, the two quickly found a way to ease the pain of separation.
Once their longing was satisfied, Takumi brought her to the Interdimensional Realm as well.
Watching all three women asleep, he scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I'll… introduce Anna to Freya and Setsuna later."
Murmuring that to himself, he left Lanaritta and returned to the main world. He needed time to settle his gains, digest everything properly, and prepare.
Once he was ready, he would crush both the old king and the demon lord in one sweep.
"Huuh… this is the same alley I left from. Guess the return point doesn't change."
Checking the time, he realized it hadn't moved either. So even though much time had passed on the other side, time here remained frozen.
That meant he could act freely—without any concern for the passage of time.
As dusk settled in, Takumi stepped out of the alley. But after only a few paces, he bumped into a gloomy-looking boy muttering to himself.
"Ahhh, I just want a girlfriend! My hundredth confession—rejected again! Why does it never work!?"
"Hm?"
Takumi's eyes narrowed, thoughts turning. Then, without hesitation, he thrust his hand forward—piercing straight through the boy's skull. At the same time, he rewrote the memories of everyone nearby.
[World-Crossing Gate progress +10%]
[Ding! "Protagonist Slayer (Red)" triggered. Do you wish to seize his existence?]
"So he was a protagonist… If I steal his existence, what would happen?"
The question flickered in his mind, and curiosity overrode caution. He selected "Seize."
Instantly, his consciousness sank into darkness. It was as if he were falling into the deep sea—reliving another life from within.
Two distinct lifetimes fused into one—his becoming the core.
Now, his parents were the descendants of a hero and a common demon. After their deaths, he was taken in by a hero village. From kindergarten onward, he'd been obsessed with love—but every single confession had ended in failure.
That other life, filled with endless rejections, intertwined seamlessly with his original path.
"Holy shit… it really feels like I lived another life."
Rubbing his temple, Takumi realized his merged memories felt natural—no conflict at all.
Well, aside from apparently gaining a few new "relatives."
[Ding! Gained Traits: Love Curse (Red), Protagonist's Aura (Green)!]
[Love Curse (Red): You shall have at least one hundred destined girls. Should love fail, the girl will die. Your love is eternal—and can rewrite fate itself.]
Note: "Failure" refers to the death of the female partner.
"...What?"
"Why is this red-tier?"
He stared at the screen, dumbfounded. Just reading it made his kidneys ache.
Love failure means death—and it's the girl who dies!?
Comparing it to his other red-tier trait, [Protagonist Slayer], Takumi noticed something else in the fine print.
"Wait… 'eternal and unchanging,' and it can 'alter everything'? Is that literal?"
The idea was absurd, but too dangerous to dismiss. Still, there were more pressing matters.
A hundred destined girls—"at least" a hundred. That part made his eye twitch.
"Raynare, Mio… Do they count? Setsuna? Freya?"
He grimaced. Technically, all of them had signed master-servant contracts. By definition, they were his slaves.
Unfortunately, the trait didn't show any counters or indicators, so he couldn't tell.
"Love failure results in death—but if I turn them into slaves, does that count as failure? If so, all the girls I worked so hard to claim might just… die?"
He began pacing in frustration.
"No. No way. A slave's love is still love! I said so, so it counts!"
Eventually, he gave up trying to make sense of it and decided to sleep it off.
But before he could take a step, a sharp scream echoed from nearby, followed by frantic footsteps.
"That's… from the alley I came through—and that's a demon's aura."
Frowning, Takumi turned toward the sound and took off.
Inside the narrow, empty alley, a sweet-faced girl was sprinting for her life.
"Haah! Haah! Ugh—why did I do this to myself!?"
Yuki Suou ran as tears streamed down her cheeks, mentally slapping herself for her curiosity.
Behind her, a monstrous creature chased—a grotesque hybrid, its lower body a beastly mass of legs and claws, its upper body that of a beautiful woman. Its shrill laughter echoed as it crawled at terrifying speed, tearing apart the alley walls with each step.
Hearing the falling debris behind her, Yuki let out a sob.
She had always been a devoted otaku—today she'd just come here to buy some anime merch.
But while browsing a store called "Spring's Blossom," she'd witnessed something insane: two girls screaming, a man appearing out of nowhere, and a swirling black void in his hand.
It was so surreal it would've stunned her for a century.
Strangely, everyone else nearby seemed to have forgotten it instantly—as if their memories had been wiped.
Yuki, unable to resist her curiosity, had followed the man… and ended up lost in this maze-like alley.
Now, a demon was hunting her.
Hearing the scrape of claws just inches away, she risked a glance back—
The monster's talons were less than ten centimeters from her face.
...
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