Nyarlathotep—no, rather, the girl who called herself Nyarlathotep—froze the moment she laid eyes on Izumi.
Then, as if triggered by some absurd internal mechanism, the single ahoge on her head curled up… forming a perfect heart shape.
"Wow… so handsome!"
"And wait—Dragon-kind? A Godslayer? Multiple Simulated Star Creation Diagrams… and even Solar Authority?!"
"Waaah~!!"
Her eyes sparkled like a child discovering treasure.
With just a single glance, she had already seen through Izumi.
And that alone was reason enough—
Izumi attacked immediately.
A blinding aurora beam erupted.
BOOM!!
The attack grazed the edge of his own world as it tore through space.
Nyarlathotep shrieked and instantly ducked.
The beam barely missed her—brushing past her ahoge as it shot off into the void.
"W-Wait, wait, wait!! What are you doing?!"
"Don't just attack out of nowhere!"
Panicking, she vanished from her spot in a flash.
She hadn't expected this at all—Izumi didn't even hesitate before striking.
Izumi's gaze turned cold.
"Nyarlathotep. One of the Three Pillar Outer Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos."
"For beings like you… there's no reason to hold back."
Even if she didn't seem hostile, he wasn't about to take chances.
Someone of her level—a 'Two-Digit' being—sneaking around and prying open his world's barrier?
That was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
A low hum filled the void.
Izumi's power surged.
The authority of his Simulated Star Creation Diagrams expanded outward, pressing down on her existence.
Nyarlathotep's expression changed instantly.
"…Ah. That's bad."
The pressure was real.
Very real.
"H-Hold on!! Wait a second!!"
"We should talk this out first!"
She darted around frantically, dodging Izumi's attacks while shouting.
...
Inside the world—
Everything trembled.
The sky brightened unnaturally as stars shone even in broad daylight.
The sun flickered violently.
Powerful beings like Avrora and Ophis appeared near the outer boundary, watching the battle unfold.
Their expressions grew serious.
"That girl… she's strong."
...
Back outside—
"Stop already!!"
"If you keep this up, I'm going to fight back for real!"
Nyarlathotep shouted while dodging again.
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
Then—
He casually projected a fork.
And threw it.
"…Eh?"
Nyarlathotep's body froze for a split second.
"…Wait—"
THUNK.
"GYAAAAAH!!!"
The fork stabbed directly into her head.
She dropped onto the void like a defeated boss monster.
Izumi blinked.
"…That actually worked?"
He looked mildly surprised.
Nyarlathotep, meanwhile, lay there with teary eyes.
"This is cheating!!"
"How did you know my weakness?!"
"This is totally unfair!!"
Izumi sighed, the tension finally easing.
"Alright. Enough."
"Start talking."
"Why were you sneaking into my world?"
He folded his arms, watching her like a guard who'd just caught a thief mid-break-in.
Nyarlathotep sat up in a seiza-like position in midair.
She pulled the fork out of her head with a soft pop—
—and casually tossed it into Izumi's world like trash.
"…Rude."
"I just wanted to go inside and take a look."
"And you attack me like that? Seriously?"
She puffed her cheeks, glaring at him.
Izumi shrugged.
"If someone's prying open your front door, you don't exactly invite them in for tea."
"Besides… you look suspicious."
"Being part of the Cthulhu Mythos doesn't help."
"Hey!! That's slander!!"
"Total slander!!"
"We're NOT like what those books say!!"
"Ugh, who even wrote that nonsense?! Ruined our reputation completely!!"
She started fake-crying dramatically.
"…Stop acting."
Izumi cut her off instantly.
Her acting was painfully obvious.
"Hehe~♪"
She dropped the act without hesitation.
"Fine, fine. Breaking in was my fault."
"I apologize, okay?"
Then she leaned closer—
very close.
Sniff.
Sniff.
Her eyes lit up again.
"Wow… you're really interesting."
"It's been a long time since I found someone like you in the multiverse."
Then—
She winked.
"So~?"
"Do you want a wife?"
"I can bring you one right now~♪"
Izumi's brow twitched.
"…Speak properly."
"Or I'll hit you again."
Despite the difference in raw scale—
Izumi showed zero fear.
Nyarlathotep chuckled, finally turning serious.
"…Alright."
"At first, I was just curious about you."
"I've traveled through countless worlds… met countless beings."
"But none of them ever interested me."
She looked straight at him.
"Then I sensed you."
"I searched for a long time before finally finding you."
"And the first thing you do is attack me."
She pouted.
Izumi frowned slightly.
"You were looking for me?"
"Why?"
For a moment, something clicked in his mind.
The so-called "Outer Gods" in his world—
They weren't exactly what the stories described.
Abigail. Yang Guifei…
Maybe—
He'd been biased.
Nyarlathotep suddenly leaned in again, eyes sparkling.
"At first, it was just curiosity."
"But now—"
She clasped her hands behind her back, smiling brightly.
"Do you believe in love at first sight?"