The phenomenon of consecutive Divine Ascensions sent a massive shockwave through Orario, particularly among the deities currently residing in the lower world.
In the millennium since the Gods first descended in search of excitement, there had been recorded cases of a God or Goddess being forcibly repatriated to Heaven due to physical death. Usually, such incidents were triggered by their own clumsy recklessness, unforeseen natural disasters, or monster ambushes.
In short, while a Divine Ascension was an exceedingly rare event, it was never deemed impossible.
However, witnessing five Gods undergo Ascension simultaneously was an anomaly unprecedented in history. It shattered the complacency of the remaining deities. If five of their peers could be deported back to the heavens in the blink of an eye, who could guarantee that a similar fate wouldn't befall them?
"Oi, oi, oi... this is a real mess." Hermes muttered, staring at the pillars of light as they gradually faded. His usually playful expression was replaced by a grim seriousness, his sharp gaze hidden beneath the brim of his hat. "Looks like another emergency Denatus is back on the menu."
Hermes wasn't the only one with a bad feeling. Across Orario, from the cunning Loki to the radiant Freya, the same thought took hold. They needed to gather immediately to dissect the truth and unmask the mastermind behind this mass "homecoming."
Something capable of erasing five Gods at once was a threat no Familia in Orario could afford to ignore.
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Meanwhile, at the blast site that had been leveled to the ground.
Amidst the high-intensity inferno devouring the remains of the luxury once known as the El Dorado Resort—flames so fierce they could reduce a common man to ash in minutes—two figures stood completely unscathed. The fire licked at the air around them but failed to scorch them, as if an invisible, paper-thin membrane held the extreme heat at bay.
They were, of course, Charlie and Anna.
In the crucial seconds before the hundred Fire Stones detonated, Charlie had enveloped himself and Anna within Infinity. He had expanded the layer of slowed space from the surface of his skin into a transparent dome encompassing their immediate surroundings. In this way, anyone within his reach was perfectly shielded, as the explosive energy was halted at the outermost layer of the dome before it could ever touch them.
The feat was reminiscent of Gojo Satoru protecting Itadori Yuji from Jogo's Domain Expansion.
"Are you alright, Anna?" Charlie asked, his tone soft and grounding—a stark contrast to the burning hell surrounding them.
"..."
Anna remained in a daze, her eyes hollow as she stared at the total devastation. As an ordinary girl, when had she ever experienced a situation this harrowing?
Hearing that gentle voice, she looked up and studied her savior more closely. The young man's face felt hauntingly familiar, yet something gave her pause.
"Thank you... thank you so much for protecting me, sir." Anna finally whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of her relief. "If not for you, I would have... I don't know how to repay you for saving my life. I... I have nothing of value to give you as a reward."
Charlie offered a thin smile, his eyes softening. "I didn't do this for a reward, Anna. I did it because I wanted to save you, that's all. You don't owe me anything."
Having been forcibly exposed to the world's dark side of greed and deception, Anna had realized the bitter reality that nothing in this world is truly free. Selfless kindness was a vanishing rarity. With a piercing look and a flicker of returning caution, she asked, "Who are you, really? Why would you go this far for me?"
"You don't even recognize me? I suppose changing my hair color was more effective than I thought, huh..." Charlie gave a wry smile and tapped the earring at his lobe.
Instantly, a subtle magical shimmer washed over his head. The jet-black hair he used for his disguise bled away, fading into a shimmering silver-white that gleamed against the backdrop of the fire.
"Charlie-san! It's... it's you!"
Anna covered her mouth with both hands, her expression shifting to one of sheer wonder. Knowing that the mysterious figure who had braved such danger was Charlie, every trace of suspicion and fear vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of safety. Without hesitation, she lunged forward and threw herself into his arms, burying her head against his chest.
"Thank you, Charlie-san... thank you so much!"
"If you hadn't come, I don't know what would have happened to me. I was so scared..."
"It's alright now, Anna. Just think of it as a nightmare that's finally over."
Unaccustomed to handling a sobbing woman, Charlie patted her back with movements that felt slightly stiff and awkward.
Through his Six Eyes, Charlie could sense the presence of people beginning to cluster just beyond the reach of the flames. Since they were at the very heart of the inferno, they were still obscured from the sight of those busy fighting the fire to keep it from spreading to the rest of the Entertainment District.
(Before I leave, I have to know who set this death trap. Was the detonation of a hundred Fire Stones a coincidence, or was it designed specifically to erase me?)
The thought of an enemy lurking in the shadows while he stood exposed in the light unsettled him. Without delay, he tapped into one of his most abstract abilities: Causality Manipulation—Hundred Gauntlets.
In principle, every Action (Cause) in the universe leaves a residual trace in the world (Effect). While the Hundred Gauntlets wasn't a standard tracking or information-gathering tool, because it operated on a fundamental level of causality, Charlie could "force" reality to yield the information he required.
Charlie focused his entire concentration, strengthening the causal link between his existence and the explosion. He forcibly pulled on the invisible "Red Thread" connecting the scorched remnants of the Fire Stones back to their source—the mastermind.
"Cough!"
A second later, Charlie's body buckled. He spat out fresh blood that stained his palms, and the powerful aura surrounding him flickered and dimmed drastically.
"Charlie-san! What happened?!"
Seeing this, Anna panicked. Her face turned pale, fearing that Charlie had suffered some fatal internal injury while shielding her from the blast.
Wiping the blood from his lip, Charlie forced a small smile to calm her. "I'm fine, Anna. Don't worry... it's just a bit of fatigue-related strain."
That was a lie.
The injury was significant. He had just suffered a massive backlash from the laws of the world for trying to peek at a destiny involving a high-level existence.
(So the mastermind is a God? No wonder touching the causality of a Divine being caused such a horrific kickback...)
(Enyo... a name I haven't even heard mentioned in Orario.)
Though he had failed to obtain the perpetrator's exact location or full motive, Charlie now knew one thing for certain: this conspiracy was aimed squarely at his life. Anna was merely the unfortunate bait used to lure him into the jaws of a death trap.
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