Chapter 404: "I Am the Space God-King! God-Kings, Step Forward and Meet Your Death!"
....
11:59 PM.
At this moment, the entire group gathered along the edge of the balcony.
"The fireworks are about to start," Seito said with a warm smile, his right hand gently stroking Hiyori's soft white hair.
"Yeah," Sora nodded, breaking into a grin as well.
Before anyone else could speak...
Dong~!
Dong~!
Dong~!
Zip~!
Countless streaks of light shot up from various corners of the city, soaring straight into the night sky! Tiny pinpricks of light competed to burst open, exploding all at once in an instant.
BOOM!
The fireworks launched high into the air, piercing straight toward the clouds! A dazzling vortex unfolded before their eyes—a stunning display of vibrant, colorful fireworks blossoming like flowers in full bloom. A delicate bud suddenly burst open high above the clouds, revealing a breathtaking flower that showed off its noble and elegant beauty.
The long-awaited fireworks bloomed right on schedule, scattering across the sky like petals from heaven! But beauty comes with a price. As the flowers withered, they dissolved into falling sparks that sliced through the dark sky, drifting downward to blend into the snowflakes before vanishing completely. All that remained were the endless gasps of awe from the watching crowds below...
Seito and the others quietly admired the ever-changing light show, enjoying a wonderful sense of peace.
"This is really nice," Haruno Yukinoshita murmured, her beautiful eyes reflecting the bright fireworks as she smiled warmly.
Everyone else felt the exact same way. Guests who were celebrating their very first Spring Festival on Earth—like Hestia, Lili, and little Hiyori—had eyes shining with excitement. Watching the endless stream of fireworks rise and blossom across the night sky stirred an indescribable warmth deep within their hearts.
It felt completely surreal, like a dream.
The breathtaking sight brought a comfortable silence over the balcony, and they simply stood there taking it in for ten straight minutes.
Even as the fireworks continued to light up the night, Seito turned his head toward Hestia and Lili. "How is it? The New Year on our Earth is pretty great, right?"
"It's way beyond just 'pretty great'!" Hestia's eyes sparkled with tiny stars. "It's absolutely breathtaking!"
"To be fair, Orario has fireworks too, but..." Lili chimed in, before shaking her head with a soft sigh.
Hestia knew Orario had fireworks as well, but compared to the atmosphere here on Earth, it always felt like it was missing that special warmth.
Seito merely smiled without saying a word.
"Mmh~ so happy~" Hiyori mumbled, resting comfortably against Seito's chest as she admired the fireworks above.
Seeing her get so comfortable made little Shiro pout her lips in annoyance. She stomped over to Seito's side, looking quite cross.
Since the rest of the group was busy chatting and looking up at the sky, no one noticed the silent battle brewing around Seito.
"Big Brother Seito~" Shiro glared angrily at Hiyori.
This was clearly my exclusive spot! Why is another L*li barging in and stealing my place? Shiro was not happy! Shiro felt deeply wronged!
"Sister Shiro~" Hiyori looked up, reaching out her tiny hands to pull Shiro closer with an utterly adorable expression.
Seito chuckled and extended both arms, effortlessly scooping up the two tiny L*lis—one on each side.
Shiro froze for a moment, then leaned back against Seito's chest, curiously studying the little beast-girl holding her hand. Seeing the pure, innocent look in Hiyori's eyes, Shiro realized she had been overthinking things, and a sweet smile broke across her face.
Seeing that the two weren't going to pick a fight, Seito let out a quiet sigh of relief.
After spending half an hour out on the balcony, the group finally walked back indoors. The neighbors from the third floor and the Yukinoshita sisters said their goodnights and returned to their own apartments.
Sora looked at Shiro tucked comfortably in Seito's arms, stretched his arms, and prepared to leave as well. Even though Seito's place was packed, Sora didn't see any issue. After all, both Shiro and Hiyori were tiny L*lis who barely took up any space.
Seeing that the main living room had cleared out, Seito stood up while holding Shiro and Hiyori. "I'm heading back to my room too."
With that, he turned and walked toward his bedroom. The remaining girls exchanged glances before heading back to their respective rooms to turn in for the night.
Inside Seito's bedroom.
Seito slipped under the warm covers, placing the two little cuties, Hiyori and Shiro, right by his side.
Kirukiru Amou and Kanade Tachibana walked in shortly after and spotted the two L*lis in bed. Neither of them minded in the slightest; the bed was huge, with more than enough space for everyone.
The group snuggled under the cozy blankets.
"Everyone's going to arrive tomorrow,"
Kirukiru Amou couldn't help but mention as she lay back against the pillow.
"Yeah, we're definitely going to have our hands full. Thank goodness for divine power," Seito sighed with emotion.
If they were still ordinary humans, cleaning up and preparing the building every single day would take an immense amount of physical effort. But with divine power, everything changed; a simple sweep of energy could instantly clean the entire hallway.
Kirukiru Amou nodded in complete agreement.
Meanwhile, Kanade and the two little cuties had already drifted off to sleep.
"Let's get some sleep too," Seito whispered, looking over at them.
"Mhm." Kirukiru Amou nodded softly.
They closed their eyes, letting the quiet night take over.
At the exact same time.
In the Central Region of the God-King Star Sector.
Seito's six shadow clones were currently gathered together in one spot.
Just moments ago, a few more enemy deities had been released into the area, and the clones had promptly wiped them out! But after that quick battle, the Central Region fell back into dead silence, forcing the six clones to assemble and discuss their next move.
"What's our game plan now?" Clone No. 1 asked first, looking around at the others.
No one answered immediately. The enemy gods were refusing to step out again, which left the clones feeling quite annoyed, unable to think of a quick fix.
Clone No. 2 thought it over for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey... do you think the main body's divine power points are already maxed out by now?"
Clone No. 2's lips curved into a sly grin.
The moment he said this, every clone froze in realization.
That was right! Doing the math, that last wave of divine energy they harvested was more than enough to push him over the threshold! The main body was likely already at the peak stage of the God-King Realm right now!
"Should we just drop the stealth and go loud?" Clone No. 3 said with a mischievous grin.
Why stay sneaky now? It was time to go wild! As long as the main body had reached peak God-King power, their baseline mission was officially complete!
"Agreed!"
"Count me in!"
"Same here!"
"Shut up!"
"You shut up too!"
As they chatted, the conversation quickly veered off topic, but everyone was in high spirits. They could act as recklessly as they wanted now. Even if these clone bodies got destroyed, it wouldn't matter—their main objective was already accomplished!
With that thought locked in, the clones looked at each other and shared a knowing smile before vanishing into thin air.
When they reappeared, they were floating high in the sky directly above the Central Region of the God-King Star Sector!
Clone No. 1 took a deep breath and roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the entire realm:
"I am the Space God-King! God-Kings, step forward and meet your death!"
....
Thank you for reading.