["Why do I feel like I'm getting a little heated?"]
The System spoke.
"So, System, what should we do now?"
Although Caelus had dramatically torn open the false world moments earlier, there was no denying that he was still standing at the center of the stage his opponent had prepared.
More precisely, he remained inside the ritual site.
The current situation was far from safe.
Nyarlathotep also realized this. She regained her composure and casually threw the Lake puppet, which had been trying to cut off her head, behind her.
"It doesn't matter. You have already stepped into my trap."
"If I cannot perfectly and subtly transform you into my Grimm, then I can simply alter your cognition by force and achieve the same result!"
"On this stage, I will make that little girl called Cyrene, the one you love most, suffer the most horrific ending imaginable."
"Then I will force her to experience that ending again and again through an endless cycle!"
She smiled as thick shadows spread across her face.
They even dripped onto the ground like liquid, resembling black oil.
Caelus knew he could not confront Nyarlathotep directly.
Even if she was not a combat-oriented existence, she was still at least Eighth Rank.
Neither he nor Cyrene could oppose her in their current state.
Just as Caelus considered asking the System to take him and Cyrene out of this universe, a notification sounded beside his ears.
[Hidden Mission Triggered. Original Main Quest Overwritten.]
[Hidden Mission: Expulsion]
[Mission Objective: Expel Nyarlathotep from this world.]
[Mission Reward: 50,000 System Currency.]
"System, I don't think I can complete this mission."
["Host, this mission was never meant for you to complete."]
["The reason I didn't do anything earlier was because I was urgently arranging for this mission to be issued. If I had been any slower, it would have been too late."]
"Hm?"
["Why do you think Systems can carry their Hosts between worlds, travel across different universes, and complete all kinds of missions?"]
["Some Systems even plunder the foundations of entire universes and devour countless lives, yet powerful beings rarely come looking for trouble."]
The System's voice carried a teasing tone.
["Think of a System guiding its Host as an examination."]
["Now imagine an unrelated adult suddenly barging into the examination hall and causing trouble. What do you think would happen?"]
"They would be removed by security... Oh."
Just as Nyarlathotep prepared to forcibly alter Caelus and Cyrene's memories, cognition, and even their existence, every turning gear and operating rule within the stage suddenly stopped.
Nyarlathotep raised her head.
A colossal rift stretching across tens of trillions of light-years had appeared above the universe.
Beyond that enormous rift, a giant vast enough to support the endless heavens and earth looked down upon the universe.
"Pangu."
Nyarlathotep spoke the newcomer's name.
The giant looked down upon the universe and instantly understood everything that had happened.
"Leave."
Considering the giant's immense size, his voice should have shaken the stars and caused countless suns to burst apart.
Instead, it sounded no louder than the voice of an ordinary person.
Nyarlathotep looked unwillingly toward Caelus.
Seeing this, Pangu said nothing more.
Beyond the endless universe, his enormous true form raised an axe.
With a single strike, time, causality, existence, chaos, rules, and every change Nyarlathotep had made to this world shattered completely.
Everything the other System had done was erased as well.
The world broke apart and reassembled in an instant, far too quickly for even Caelus to react.
The stage had disappeared.
Nyarlathotep and the many puppets were gone as well.
Caelus now floated in outer space, with a planet resembling Earth behind him.
The enormous rift had also vanished.
Standing before Caelus was a muscular middle-aged man. His upper body was bare, revealing a powerful chest and abdomen, while his lower body was covered only by an animal-hide garment.
Caelus nodded respectfully.
"Greetings."
"There is no need for such formality."
"Although I drove that being away, there is no guarantee she will not appear again and create another scheme for you in the future."
"The main reason I intervened this time was because the matter involved a System."
"A System violated the rules and attracted a cosmic-level disturbance, causing severe problems within the universe itself."
"That is why I appeared according to procedure."
Pangu radiated no terrifying pressure or extraordinary aura.
Instead, he smiled with the warmth and simplicity of an ordinary middle-aged man.
"You are quite remarkable, though."
"You are one of the few beings capable of attracting competition between higher-ranked existences while still at such a low rank."
"Oh, right."
As Pangu finished speaking, static suddenly sounded beside Caelus's ears.
A notification followed, informing him that his mission had been canceled.
["They noticed I was trying to farm points!"]
The System wailed miserably.
Pangu shook his head.
"Do not try something so obviously against the rules again."
"However, your mission progress was interrupted because of an unexpected incident."
"Several instructors discussed the matter and prepared compensation for you."
As he spoke, two figures appeared in Pangu's hands.
One was the tiny fairy called Lief.
The other was Alice.
"You have two choices."
"The first is for me to manifest the Creator's authority through this little being."
"You may observe the principles represented by that authority."
"How much you learn during that period will depend entirely on your own ability."
"The second choice concerns this young girl."
"The true foundation of the Armor-Clad Ritual that Nyarlathotep prepared for you was this girl's original self."
"Alice's true identity is the real Grimm."
"The girl before you is merely an imitation assembled from an incomplete soul and various other fragments."
"I can trace this girl back to her origin and allow you to meet Grimm."
"I believe Grimm is currently in need of assistance."
"As for what reward you receive after helping him, that will also depend on you."
Caelus looked at Lief and Alice.
After considering his options for several minutes, he made his choice.
Pangu did not seem surprised.
He destroyed Lief's current existence, sending her back to her original universe to await resurrection.
For a long time afterward, she would be unable to use Lief as a conceptual identity and would only be able to exist in her original form as Mary Sue.
Caelus disappeared in the next instant.
...
Someone knocked on the door of a wooden cabin.
A man sitting beside a bed suddenly moved after remaining as still as a statue.
He looked at his lover, who lay upon the bed breathing steadily, then stood and walked toward the door.
When he opened it, he saw a handsome gray-haired young man with golden eyes standing outside in a black trench coat.
"Do you need help?"
Caelus asked.
...
Within a place filled with churning black chaos, a Nyarlathotep wearing Alice's appearance struggled to reconstruct her body and features within the shadows.
However, each attempt ended in another collapse as the conflicting forces tore her apart.
Beside her stood another Nyarlathotep in Stelle's form, quietly laughing at her misfortune.
She picked up the white flower lying nearby.
After breathing in its familiar fragrance, she carefully stored it close to her body.
Another competitor was gone.
Humming softly, that Nyarlathotep walked into the shadows and disappeared.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)