Nyaruko smiled and explained, "Darling, that dish you're looking at is literally the Mystery of an entire era."
"To obtain the Mystery of this era, my Main Body had to pull quite a few strings."
Various dishes were arranged on the long table. Each one contained, to some extent, the crystallized Mystery of a lost time.
"Darling, taste the delicious cuisine I meticulously prepared!" Nyaruko's emerald eyes sparkled with anticipation. "I guarantee it will suit your taste."
"So many Mystery..." Toya sighed inwardly.
To think such a vast amount of Mystery had been harvested just to create this meal.
He could only imagine how many worlds had degenerated from magical realms into mundane ones—or perhaps were destroyed entirely—to fuel this feast.
"Let's eat. It's impossible to reverse it now, anyway."
Adhering to his principle of never wasting food, Toya began to eat.
He had to admit, the taste of cuisine made from the Mystery of an Era was indescribable. It was divine.
Although he hadn't tasted food from cooking anime worlds like Food Wars!, he was certain these dishes were on par with, if not superior to, anything they could offer.
"Strange. It feels like... a void inside me is being filled?"
With every bite, Toya felt a deep, primal craving.
A craving to consume more Mystery to complete himself.
Beside him, Nyaruko smiled, her porcelain face glowing. "Don't be surprised, Darling."
"Darling is physically complete—otherwise, you wouldn't be able to see Nyaruko's true form without going insane."
"If Darling's status weren't high enough, you wouldn't be worthy of Nyaruko."
"However... Darling's identity as a Savior isn't fully baked yet."
"When Abe no Seimei went mad a thousand years ago, he was terrified of Nyaruko's punishment. So, he recklessly gathered the world's Mystery to steal the power of the gods."
"That was the only reason the world survived Nyaruko's wrath back then."
Just then, as Toya consumed the food, the Mystery of the Era he possessed began to resonate.
An ancient book he had bought from a second-hand shop in Kamiyacho—which he kept tucked inside his clothes—began to reveal its true form.
Nyaruko was about to continue speaking when a trace of confusion flashed in her beautiful eyes. Her nose twitched slightly. "Huh? What is that strange smell?"
"Ugh, what a disgusting aura!"
A familiar, repulsive scent drifted through the air.
Nyaruko sniffed the air, hunting for the source of the stench she hated so much.
"Hateful smell?" Toya looked at Nyaruko in confusion and teased, "You're an Evil God. Is there actually something in the multiverse that you hate?"
As one of the top Outer Gods in the Cthulhu Mythos, the idea that she had a "hated item" was amusing.
He couldn't imagine what kind of existence could gross out the Crawling Chaos.
"Yes! And a lot of it!" Nyaruko stopped, her face deadly serious. "Nyaruko hates them."
"I hate their smell."
Nyaruko looked puzzled. "But why is that smell here, in Nyaruko's territory?"
She sniffed around until her gaze landed squarely on Toya.
Nyaruko stared at him solemnly. "Darling, are you carrying something?"
"Take it out quickly. That thing is trouble."
She was absolutely certain the stench was coming from him.
"On me?" Toya looked down at himself. "Apart from Murasame, I shouldn't have anything..."
When he came here, he was prepared for a fight to the death. He had only brought his sword.
...Or so he thought.
"Wait, there is one thing." Toya reached into the inner pocket of his clothes and pulled out an ancient, simple book radiating the aura of time.
Seeing the book, Toya was surprised. "It survived?"
He had just gone through a bloodbath, fighting countless anomalies and tanking explosions.
Yet this cheap old book he bought for 20,000 yen didn't have a scratch on it.
"Darling, throw it away! Now!"
"It really is those annoying gods!"
Seeing the book, Nyaruko's emerald eyes widened in horror. "Get rid of it!"
"Or we're going to have big trouble!"
"Hmm?" Toya frowned. "Why?"
Just as he was waiting for an explanation, the aura of time around the book intensified. Time itself seemed to freeze.
The tattered cover of the book peeled away, revealing its true form.
It was a tome carved from translucent, white gemstone.
Ancient, warm characters glowed on its surface.
Toya looked at the text. Somehow, he recognized it immediately.
"The Scripture of the Way?"
As Toya whispered the name, a warm, serene energy filled his heart. All worldly worries faded away.
In that moment, his consciousness was stretched to infinity, flying toward a distant, invisible horizon.
He was heading into the vast Chaos to merge with the infinite Rules of the universe.
Nyaruko stared at The Scripture of the Way in Toya's hand, her expression ugly. "Damn Gods of the East! You even dare to plot against my Darling?"
This time, she dropped the "Nyaruko" persona entirely, speaking with the authority of the Evil God Nyarlathotep.
That showed just how furious she was.
In the infinite shadows outside the known universe, the True Body of Nyarlathotep emitted mad, piercing shrieks, broadcasting its rage across dimensions.
If not for the barrier of the infinite shadows, Toya's entire world would have instantly mutated into a realm of madness.
The sacred, magnificent Evil God tried to intercept Toya's consciousness, but it was blocked by chaotic, opposing forces.
The owners of these forces were clearly other Outer Gods.
Back in the Tower of Holy Glory, Nyaruko paced anxiously around Toya's frozen body. "Darling, please don't let anything happen!"
"Don't listen to the Eastern Heavens! They are the real lunatics!"
If anyone heard Nyaruko say this, they would be shocked.
The infamous Crawling Chaos, the most chaotic of the Outer Gods, actually claimed there were gods crazier than her.
After what felt like an eternity, Toya's eyes regained their focus. He let out a long, heavy breath.
Nyaruko rushed over, grabbing his shoulders. "Darling, are you okay?"
"If anything is wrong, tell me immediately."
"My Main Body is ready to purge any interference from the Eastern Gods right now."
"I'm fine." Toya shook his head gently, his eyes cold. "That Scripture just dragged my consciousness straight to the Will of the Eastern Heavens."
"I was almost assimilated."
Nyaruko looked even more worried. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Why don't you let Nyaruko take you to my Main Body for a proper check-up?"
"And do what?" Toya shot her a flat look. "I have zero interest in meeting Nyarlathotep face-to-face."