The evacuation of Tokyo had taken only hours. The speed was terrifying, awe-inspiring, and—depending on who you asked—either divine or monstrous.
But for Takumi, standing at the heart of the Star-Destroyer's command deck, it felt… insufficient.
Not emotionally. Structurally.
He could already see the gaps forming: emotional trauma, social fractures, subtle mistrust from newcomers, the existential dread of uprooting an entire generation.
Saving them physically was the easy part.
Saving them psychologically was another world entirely.
1. Boarding the Ark
On the viewing screens that wrapped the command deck like a planetarium, the cursed children were being escorted into the massive ship. They moved in streams—shy, trembling, but bright-eyed. For many, this was the first time anyone had offered them protection without expecting them to die for it.
Kisara's transport docked on the right wing platform. Her silhouette appeared—a long shadow against the metal.
Takumi saw her hesitation. A fierce warrior with a deadened heart. Revenge had consumed her for so long she had nothing left to hold.
He silently teleported to the platform.
Kisara turned, sword still in hand. The two regarded each other: the newly freed girl soaked in blood and the man who had brought an entire civilization's worth of ships just to say "I'm here."
"…You're takumi?" Kisara asked flatly.
"Yeah." He scanned her aura with his Herrscher cognition. Her trauma was sharp; her spirit cracked, but not broken.
"You did well," he said quietly.
Kisara blinked.
She didn't expect acknowledgment. Especially not from a cosmic force that could rewrite traffic systems and planetary gravity by thinking too hard.
Takumi continued, "Revenge ends today. What comes next is your choice. Healing. Work. Freedom. You'll never be used again."
Kisara's expression twitched. Just barely.
"Don't act like you understand me."
"I don't have to understand. I just need to protect." Takumi stepped aside. "Come inside. A new life starts now."
Kisara let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"…Fine."
She walked past him. For the first time in years, her sword was sheathed without anger.
2. The Shadow Left Behind
Down on Earth, Rentarou Satomi stumbled through the ruined Tendou estate. His shoes slipped on blood. The corpses of guards lay everywhere.
He reached the center hall just as emergency personnel arrived.
"No… no…" Rentarou dropped to his knees. "Kisara… what have you done…?"
A terrified officer whispered, "The Tendou family… they're all gone. This wasn't an ordinary attack. It was… surgical."
Rentarou's fingers dug into the floorboards.
"Where is she?! WHERE IS SHE?!"
Someone pointed skyward.
Rentarou looked up—saw a transport ship ascending, merging into an infinite black hull.
"Kisara…!"
He ran outside. The robot patrol ignored him. The warships ignored him.
He was beneath notice.
For the first time, the future hero of Black Bullet felt utterly powerless.
And Takumi—omniscient through the deck sensors—noticed him.
"Should I…"
He considered pulling Rentarou in too. Not out of kindness, but because the future complications the man caused were statistically annoying.
Bronya popped up in the chat:
Bronya:
[Leader, you're thinking unnecessary dark thoughts again.]
Takumi's eye twitched.
Takumi:
[What? I wasn't going to drop-kick him into the sun.]
Chika:
[…You WERE.]
Megumi:
[…You definitely were.]
Takumi sighed in theatrical exasperation and closed the view of Rentarou before temptation got any stronger.
3. Screening the Adults — A Social Algorithm of Justice
The robots were still bringing aboard adults. Not many—Takumi had been selective.
A hyper-optimized soul scanner swept each candidate:
history of harming cursed children ❌
predatory behavior ❌
criminal activity ❌
significant humanitarian acts ✔
consistent protective behavior ✔
stable psychological indicators ✔
Those who failed were left behind. Terrified governments begged the robots to reconsider.
Takumi ignored them.
Some adults knelt before the robots, crying, "Please save us too!"
The AI responded in a soft tone:
"Please step back. You have inflicted harm on the Initiators. Evacuation denied."
No force. No violence. No negotiation.
Just absolute refusal.
Takumi watched it with a calm expression.
"Soft justice," he whispered. "No need to kill. Just… don't save."
Zhongli joined him on the deck. "Mercy and punishment do not always require blood."
"Exactly." Takumi gave a small smile. "Besides, my world doesn't need abusers."
4. Crisis in the Cargo Bay — A First Psychological Explosion
Inside the Bellflower Deck—one of the enormous indoor parks—some newly rescued cursed children began panicking.
They'd never seen so much clean space. So much food. So many lights. It was overwhelming.
A group of five huddled in a corner, shaking violently. One girl curled up, her hands over her ears.
Miori Shiba rushed in. "Takumi! We need emotional stabilizers!"
Takumi teleported down instantly.
The Herrscher of Reason activated in a soft blue glow—not destructive, but constructive. He touched the air above the children.
A reality-based emotional stabilizer field bloomed like a warm breeze. Not mind control—but sensory filtering, emotional ballast, and grounding vectors.
The children's breathing steadied.
One little girl whispered, "…It doesn't hurt anymore."
Takumi knelt. "Hey. You're safe now. No more running. No more hiding."
A boy timidly tugged his shirt. "Will… we live here forever?"
Takumi nodded. "If you want. Or in the city below. Or anywhere we build. You get choices now."
Miori watched the scene and smiled softly.
"You're surprisingly good with kids."
Takumi muttered, "I'm good with systems."
"You're building a society of children, Takumi."
He froze.
Oh.
Right.
That realization hit him harder than expected.
Responsibility.
Legacy.
A civilization of his design.
The psychological weight expanded inside his chest—immense, intoxicating, and terrifying.
5. The Chat Group Reacts to the "Ark Arrival"
Back on the bridge, Takumi opened the group chat.
Sagiri:
[Is everyone onboard? Did any robots explode?]
Takumi:
[No explosions. I'm disappointed too.]
Chika:
[WHY are you disappointed—?!]
Yu:
[I want to meet the children. They're… like me, right?]
Bronya:
[Recommend organizing a soft introduction program. Bunny plushies ready for distribution.]
Himeko:
[Are the adults stable? The psychological turbulence must be extreme.]
Takumi:
[Working on it. I'll build a Culture Hub soon.]
Megumi:
[I suggest starting with routines. Humans relax when they know what tomorrow looks like.]
Takumi:
[Good idea. I'll create a Daily Rhythm Engine.]
Chika:
[That sounds illegal.]
Takumi:
[It's literally just a calendar.]
Sagiri:
[But your calendar might rewrite reality.]
Takumi paused.
"…Okay that's fair."
6. The Departure Ceremony — A New World Awaits
Finally—after every child, adult, staff member, and Initiator was checked aboard—the ship closed its hangar bay.
A hush fell.
Miori approached the command podium. Kisara followed, silent and steady. Tina Sprout, Kohina Hiruko, Asaka, Seitenshi Summer—all stood nearby. Over ten thousand adults and more than twenty thousand cursed children filled the observation sectors.
Takumi stepped forward.
His voice echoed across the ship:
"Everyone."
Silence.
"You have left a world that never protected you."
Eyes widened. Even the smallest children listened.
"You were hunted. Feared. Used. Lied to."
Takumi raised a hand. Holograms of shimmering project-city landscapes appeared—parks, schools, homes, libraries, water gardens.
"But in my world… you are citizens. You are children. You deserve safety, food, education, joy, and sunlight."
The screens shifted. A blue-green planet appeared below—Takumi's restored Earth, ready for them.
"This will be your home."
Kisara clenched her fists, surprised by the lump in her throat.
Tina Sprout wiped her eyes.
Miori exhaled—a week of tension melting away.
Takumi spoke the final words:
"You don't have to believe in gods."
"But if you need one…"
He placed a hand over his heart.
"…I'll be here."
7. The Jump
The Star-Destroyer's engines glowed a cool, cosmic blue. Reality folded around its hull.
A soft rumble.
A surge of light.
Space shimmered like a curtain being drawn back.
From the ground below, the people of Black Bullet's Earth saw a miracle:
The ship vanished into an impossible dimensional corridor.
Gone.
The world that had condemned the cursed children stared at the empty sky.
And in that moment, every adult who had once harmed, exploited, or abandoned them felt a quiet fear:
"What will that god do with his new civilization…?"
8. Arrival — And Takumi's First Crisis as a Leader
The ship exited the dimensional gate above Takumi's Earth.
Everyone gasped.
Lush forests.
Sky-bridges.
Floating solar fields.
Automated farms stretching like pattern quilts.
And at the center—
Takumi's City-Core, a shimmering megastructure of blue-white Reason-light.
Children pressed against the glass in awe.
Kisara whispered, "This… is where we'll live?"
"Yes," Takumi said.
But even as joy spread, Takumi felt a familiar weight forming inside him—
The weight of expectation.
Of a society dependent on him.
Of a world he was crafting from scratch.
Zhongli appeared beside him.
"You look troubled."
Takumi didn't deny it. "If I build everything for them… will they grow? If I step back too far… will they suffer? How do I balance being a creator and a leader?"
Zhongli smiled faintly.
"That," he said, "is the first lesson of civilization."
And Takumi, for the first time since becoming a godlike power, felt uncertain.
Excited.
Terrified.
And alive.