"Kawashima, I'm hungry."
Ran placed the smartphone down and looked at Toya with clear, expectant eyes.
"Fried tofu again?" Toya glanced at the waiter standing by the door, awaiting instructions. "Start with three portions of fried tofu."
"Certainly, sir." The waiter bowed respectfully and left to place the order.
Gabriel's large eyes widened in surprise. "Kawashima, that's a lot of tofu. Can Ran really eat all of that?"
"Trust Ran," Toya replied with a faint smile.
Fried tofu was Ran's favorite food. Just how much did she love it?
No matter how much time passed, or how many meals she had, Ran would never tire of fried tofu.
Moments later, three plates of fried tofu were placed on the table.
Ran couldn't wait and immediately began to feast, happily filling her empty stomach.
"I'm... I'm hungry too," Gabriel murmured, her soft voice tinged with shyness as she watched Ran eat with such gusto. "Could I get a meal as well?"
Toya waved his hand casually to the waiter. "Prepare a balanced nutritional meal suitable for a sixteen-year-old high school student."
He didn't ask if such a specific set existed.
This resort hotel catered to the world's most successful elite; they could provide any culinary delight imaginable.
As the hotel's most distinguished guest, none of his requests would be refused.
Even if they didn't have the ingredients on hand, the hotel would fly them in from anywhere in the world immediately.
"Thank you." Gabriel blushed as she thanked him.
"But Kawashima... next time, please don't mention my age. I'll eat whatever."
"What does it matter?"
Toya took a sip of his black tea and chuckled. "You're still young. You need to eat nutritious meals."
"Besides, I'm a VVIP here. I can order unlimited amounts of whatever food I want."
"Don't worry about the cost."
"Is this what it feels like to be rich?" Gabriel was filled with envy. If I had this much money, just imagine how many gacha pulls I could do...
.....
As noon approached, Sora and the others returned after playing all morning.
The observation deck instantly became lively.
Nyaruko looked at Gabriel in surprise. "Darling, why did you catch a little angel?"
"Aren't you worried about breaking the taboos of Heaven?"
"What taboos?" Toya looked at Nyaruko with a smile. "Remember the Sin-Star Holy Sword you made?"
"The first time I drew it, I killed an avatar of an avatar of God."
"I've already committed such blasphemy. What's one more angel?"
Reminded of this, Nyaruko nodded in realization. "That's true. I almost forgot about that."
"It's a pity God's presence is so weak here. I can't really show off the true power of the Sin-Star Holy Sword."
Nyaruko sighed with regret. "If you hadn't gone to the 'Future' banquet, who knows when we'd see the Holy Sword's power again."
"The sword really was a big help."
Toya nodded in agreement. "Without your help, maybe I wouldn't have made it back."
The four "selves" he encountered at the Future Banquet were each incredibly powerful.
Especially the last one, Divine Will, who possessed the strongest power and auxiliary abilities.
Without Nyaruko's sword constantly eroding the world and weakening Divine Will's control, he wouldn't have been able to defeat the four versions of himself.
"By the way, I almost forgot something important."
Nyaruko slapped her forehead in annoyance, her green eyes sparkling. "Darling, do you feel anything different after winning the 'Future' banquet?"
"Feel anything?" Toya checked his body suspiciously and shook his head. "I don't feel anything in particular."
"How can that be?" Nyaruko looked skeptical. "The Future Banquet gives unique rewards."
"Darling, try to sense it carefully."
"Unique rewards? I'll try." Toya closed his eyes and began to focus, searching for the reward Nyaruko mentioned.
In that moment, his consciousness seemed to sink into a dark, starless void.
The entire cosmic space was devoid of light, filled only with infinite darkness and cold.
Where is this? Toya wondered.
He had never been to this mental space before, let alone such a desolate, dark starry sky.
Hum—
Suddenly, a magnificent, resounding hum echoed.
In this moment, a formless, colossal giant seemed to be carving open the dark cosmos.
The entire world of darkness trembled. Boom after boom resonated through the stars until, finally, the shaking stopped.
Four brilliant stars slowly lit up in the sky.
Though they shone brightly, they couldn't fully illuminate the vast darkness.
Information flooded his mind, and Toya felt a dawn of understanding.
"Is this the reward Nyaruko was talking about?"
In reality, Toya slowly opened his eyes, a smile curling his lips. "Nyaruko, I think I know what the reward is."
"Every banquet has a unique reward. Even the Crawling Chaos doesn't know what it will be."
Nyaruko's eyes were full of anticipation. "Darling, show us your power!"
"Don't be too surprised." Toya chuckled softly and whispered:
"Sword Saint."
Boundless white light erupted, completely enveloping his figure.
The girls stopped eating and looked at Toya curiously.
"What's happening?"
"Is Onii-chan testing a new ability?"
Ran stared at Toya with solemn eyes. "That annoying feeling I haven't felt in years... it's back!"
"The aura is still Kawashima, but it feels completely different."
Under everyone's expectant gaze, the white light slowly dissipated.
A figure in white robes appeared, exuding an ethereal, unrestrained aura of a Sword Saint—a being who had transcended the mortal limits of the blade.
Toya stood clad in the flowing garments, looking like a figure of myth whose presence dwarfed everything in sight.
If he had a three-foot rblade in hand, he would look even more dashing.
Toya smiled at everyone. "This is my new ability: Sword Saint."
"At the same time, I have three other forms."
He then demonstrated the remaining three abilities one by one.
The Enlightened.
Vile Deity.
Divine Will.
These four abilities were obtained by defeating his four "selves."
By activating these abilities, he could gain their respective combat powers and temperaments.
Toya deactivated the final state—the ethereal, emotionless Divine Will—and returned to normal with a calm smile.
"So? Were you scared by my transformation?"
"Yes!"
Eriri patted her chest, still shaken. "That Vile Deity state was terrifying. It felt like one look would drag me into an endless abyss."
"The Divine Will was scary too." Utaha's expression was serious. "It felt like Toya truly lost all emotion."
"Like you only cared about pursuing the absolute Truth of the Universe, leaving everything else behind."
Toya comforted everyone gently. "Don't be afraid. No matter what ability I use, I am still me."
"It's just that the specific ability brings out a corresponding temperament."