At the same time, the impact of the explosion rippled all the way to Alexandria.
Every glass object—windows, glasses, crystal lamps—shattered simultaneously, as if struck by an invisible pressure from the sky.
The Shadow Garden members who were on duty suddenly dropped to the ground.
Their bodies trembled.
Not merely from physical vibrations—but from mana pressure so immense that their deepest instincts screamed danger.
Some bit their lips to restrain themselves.
Some… failed.
Inside the castle, Alpha stood near a window whose glass had been destroyed. Beside her, one of Kurumi's clones, a blonde elf, also watched the pillar of light that split the sky in the distance.
Unlike the other members, her body did not tremble at all.
Her expression was serious.
Confused—but controlled.
"Ash-sama…"
"Shadow-sama…"
Beneath her calm exterior, her mind raced.
Two sources of immense power had been unleashed simultaneously.
The scale exceeded even the worst mana simulations she had ever conceived.
And, more worryingly, panic was sure to begin spreading among the Shadow Garden.
Alpha closed her eyes for a moment.
She took a deep breath.
The next instant, she leapt down from the window.
Meanwhile, Kurumi's clone remained standing.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
She understood one thing very clearly: Gabriel was indeed powerful.
But the scale of this…
It was even beyond her predictions.
And the figure named Cid Kagenou—she had never expected a human to reach such a level.
"Quite fascinating…" she murmured softly.
Elsewhere, in a secluded gazebo, Morgan sat with her eyes closed.
Her elegant pajamas wrapped around her body, a drape hanging gracefully over her arm. In her right hand, she held a cup of warm tea.
The Bounded Field enveloping the gazebo trembled faintly, yet remained sturdy, resisting all the pressure from outside.
She sipped her tea slowly.
"The kids…" she murmured.
Her eyes opened.
Her gaze fixed on the towering pillar of light in the distance.
"Could they… not be so noisy?"
Her voice remained calm, as if the events were nothing more than a minor disturbance on an otherwise quiet night.
***
One night finally passed.
As a consequence of that sparring, Alpha had almost pleaded with Cid Kagenou and Gabriel to exercise restraint next time.
Not without reason.
The impact had been far too great to call it merely practice.
Now, under the bright daylight, Gabriel walked casually through the streets of Midgard.
His steps were light.
Yet his mind raced, reviewing the events of the previous night.
The two Atomic techniques unleashed simultaneously hadn't merely shaken Alexandria.
The explosion had created massive craters in Abyss Woods, destroying the soil layers down to extreme depths.
More than that—the atmosphere had nearly torn apart.
Even the spatial structure in the area had become unstable, faint dimensional cracks appearing like thin wounds on the fabric of reality.
If left unchecked, the world could have been overrun by Magic Beasts escaping through wild rifts.
Or worse, creatures from other worlds.
A scenario that could ultimately benefit the Diabolos Cult, the kingdoms, or even Shadow Garden—or unexpectedly harm one of the parties involved.
Fortunately, Gabriel mastered a wide array of Runes and spatial-based magic.
He stabilized the coordinates of space.
Seamed the layers of the atmosphere back together.
Closed the cracks that had nearly become gateways.
Without that, the world might have already changed last night.
Meanwhile, Cid and Alpha had finished off all the otherworldly creatures that had managed to emerge.
Gabriel exhaled softly.
"Perhaps in the future, I should spar with Cid in outer space?"
His gaze lifted toward the blue sky, recalling the intensity of the previous night—clearly not entirely a joke.
After a brief pause, he made a decision for the future.
Gabriel nodded slightly.
Outer space, if necessary.
Not long after, his steps led him to the front of Mitsugoshi Store.
He stopped.
The building towered five stories high, standing along one of the busiest streets in Midgard—an area never empty of passing noble carriages or merchants.
Its design was elegant yet modern, with a bright marble facade, tall pillars, and large glass windows reflecting the daylight.
The Mitsugoshi emblem was prominently displayed above the main entrance.
The front area was always bustling.
Rows of customers were neatly organized, guided by store employees dressed in elegant black-and-white uniforms.
Professional smiles never left their faces as they managed queues of both nobles and commoners without distinction.
Disciplined. Efficient. Trained.
Gabriel observed for a moment.
Then, without a word, he joined the line.
A short while later, a female employee approached him.
"Excuse me…" she said softly, with a perfectly professional smile.
Gabriel glanced at her. "Yes?"
"Congratulations, sir. You are today's 100th customer. We have a special gift for you. Please allow me to escort you for a moment."
Gabriel remained silent.
He didn't answer immediately.
His mind raced.
The calculation was simple—based on the rhythm of incoming customers, the position of the line, and the number of people he had seen enter the building earlier…
The 100th customer should have already passed several minutes ago.
Which meant only one thing.
A reason.
A reason so he wouldn't have to wait in line.
The corner of his lips lifted slightly.
Efficient. Perceptive. Responsive.
He silently praised them.
Even so—there was a hint of dissatisfaction.
The reasoning was too common.
Not creative enough.
"Next time," he thought calmly, "perhaps they could arrange a more subtle scenario."
And for some reason, he began considering giving them a small lesson one day—on the art of more elegant manipulation.
But before that, a little chaos would surely be enjoyable.
Consider it a sweet reprimand from the architect of the scenario.
Gabriel returned from his reverie and looked at the female employee calmly.
"The 100th customer?" he asked, confirming. "This isn't some… crafty merchant's scheme? A trick?"
Silence.
Several heads in the line turned.
Whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
"A scam, they say…"
"Isn't this Mitsugoshi?"
"Impossible, right…?"
The employee maintained her professional smile.
Yet behind that flawless expression—her mind raced wildly.
Had he been monitoring the flow of customers from the very start?
Or… was this some kind of test ordered by Shadow-sama himself?
No.
Shadow wasn't like this.
This figure is Ash.
Different.
Sharper. More aware. More… mischievous?
Was this a form of reprimand?
Had we been too blatant?
Should I call the Gamma-sama? Or report directly to Alpha-sama?
A cold sweat ran down her back, hidden beneath her tidy uniform.
Her smile nearly cracked for a fraction of a second.
"Hey, answer me?"
Gabriel's voice snapped her back to reality.
"O-of course not, Sir Customer," she finally replied.
It almost sounded awkward.
Almost.
Gabriel gave a faint smile.
Then, without waiting, he stepped into the building.
"Very well," he said casually, "take me to your boss."
The employee's heart nearly stopped.
Boss…? Did he mean—did he want to meet Gamma-sama directly? Or should I call Alpha-sama…!?
She immediately moved to follow.
"P-Please wait a moment—!"
At the same time, another employee who had noticed the minor commotion quickly approached.
"Is there a problem?" he asked softly.
The first employee whispered a brief explanation of the situation, still keeping her professional smile for the public.
The second employee immediately understood.
Swiftly, he turned toward the line.
"We apologize for the small misunderstanding just now. The 100th-customer program is part of our regular promotion. Please remain calm—service will continue as usual."
His tone was steady, reassuring.
The murmurs began to subside.
Meanwhile, the first employee was almost jogging to catch up with Gabriel, who strolled leisurely through Mitsugoshi's main entrance as if the grand building belonged to him.
In her heart, she could only hope this wasn't the beginning of a major internal evaluation.
Or worse— the start of a "special training" from Ash himself.
***
Soon after, the employee managed to catch up to Gabriel. Or rather, he had been waiting for him all along.
He leaned casually against one of the marble pillars inside the building. In his hand was an open glass jar of chocolates—clearly taken from a nearby display.
One piece was already in his mouth.
Before the employee could speak, Gabriel raised his thumb.
"The chocolate is good," he said flatly.
Yet no sound actually left his lips.
The words reached the employee directly in his mind.
Telepathy.
Meanwhile, Gabriel's presence had been concealed using his Gigan ability—making him visible only to those he allowed.
That was why, even though Gabriel appeared to casually take the chocolates and lean on the pillar, none of the surrounding customers noticed anything unusual.
To them, the area was empty.
The female employee immediately lowered her head slightly, her demeanor becoming more respectful.
"Thank you for the evaluation," she replied through telepathy as well, maintaining a professional expression for the public.
"Cocoa formula number three was indeed developed as an imported substitute."
Gabriel pushed himself off the pillar.
He strolled leisurely, then handed the glass jar back to the employee.
"Very well," he said.
This time, his voice could be heard directly—but only within the perceptual space he allowed.
"Take me to Gamma."
Nu showed no surprise. She merely gave a slight bow.
"Please, follow me."