It turns out that Yuriko Takagi is an excellent cook.
The preparations for the evening banquet were perfect.
As for Saya Takagi?
She is a total "freeloader."
Aside from one dish—the rice bowl—which she makes perfectly, she is useless at everything else!
"As expected of the Lord of the Universe~" Alice leaned against the doorframe, her tone full of sarcasm. "Pastries, rice bowls... truly, the Lord of the Universe eats well!"
"Hungry?"
The Lord of the Universe invited Witch A to dine.
"Not hungry."
Witch A rejected the invitation. She added that she had not been hungry lately and that he should find food elsewhere.
"Alright then."
Riku smacked his lips and walked lazily toward the beach.
On the beach.
Riku wore swimming trunks, and Alice wore a bikini.
They lounged on separate deck chairs, wearing sunglasses. They looked like they were enjoying a very relaxing day.
After taking a sip of an iced drink, Alice squinted her beautiful eyes in comfort and asked lazily, "Dear, how long does it take to charge the 'Gate of the Universe'?"
"I am not entirely sure." Riku shook his head, feeling just as relaxed. "It is easy for the 'Gate of the Universe' to find universes within the Crystal Wall Sea; they are everywhere. The difficulty is breaking through the crystal wall system that surrounds them. Since I cannot know how powerful a universe is beforehand, I cannot predict how long it will take to break through."
There was no way around it.
That was the most difficult part.
The Crystal Wall Sea was full of universes, but the main problem was the time needed to pierce the crystal walls.
The time needed for an S-rank defense versus an F-rank defense was very different.
"What about the [Saint Seiya Universe]?" Alice continued to ask.
Riku took another sip of his iced soda, squinting happily. "The foundation has been laid. There is no way around it; we cannot rush things there. You know as well as I do that the waters in the [Saint Seiya Universe] are far too deep."
Alice agreed completely.
The waters there were indeed very deep.
It was a chaotic mix of many mythologies—ranging from deities, main gods, and god-kings to supreme gods, higher-level primordial gods, creation gods, and the absolute gods who wrote the myths themselves.
And on top of that!
Above the absolute gods, there was even that "Super God."
The most important part was:
You never knew where or when those "crazy" gods might suddenly appear. It was a real headache.
"In any case, we will take it slow. There is no need to rush." Riku was not worried at all.
The two lay on the beach, chatting and enjoying life.
There was no need to hurry.
Time.
It was the least valuable thing, and the one thing that required no rush at all.
As for little Klee?
The energetic little girl was having a great time in the neighboring [Apocalypse Universe].
Especially since Rhinedottir had made so many Dodocos for little Klee that they were practically their own species.
As for the original Dodoco?
Riku had provided the materials, Alice had sewn it by hand for Klee, and Klee had given it a name.
Finally!
Riku, the Lord of the Universe, had personally given life to the Dodoco and blessed it many times. This made it little Klee's companion and guardian.
That was not all.
Alice and Rhinedottir had each given a Dodoco special powers, and they wore matching hats to tell them apart.
"Papa, Mama~~~"
As the sun went down and twilight arrived, a sweet, adorable call rang out.
Riku and Alice sat up together and looked back.
Sure enough.
The energetic little girl was running over happily, followed by three Dodocos. The one in the center was the largest, and the two on the sides wore the witch hats of Alice and Rhinedottir.
"Little Klee, what is wrong?" Riku opened his arms, caught the running Klee, and gently pinched his daughter's cheek as he asked.
Alice stood up, sat on the edge of Riku's deck chair, and poked Klee's cheek softly.
"Papa, Papa~~~"
Klee looked adorable. Her two little hands poked at each other, as if she wanted to say something but felt shy.
"What is it?" Riku asked with a chuckle. "Little Klee, no matter what you want, Papa can get it for you!"
Lately.
Riku had finally managed to stop his daughter from riding her 'ghost fire' to drift through the universe every day. He needed to distract her quickly, so she would not cause more trouble.
Klee said obediently, "Papa, Auntie Rhinedottir has given life to more and more Dodocos. I think... the Dodocos want a home, too."
"A home?"
Riku understood what his daughter meant. He raised his hand to stroke her cheek and said softly, "Alright."
With that, Riku stood up holding his daughter, and Alice flicked her fingers, bringing the three Dodocos along as they followed.
Inside the [Longhuang Universe].
They stood on a planet that smelled of flowers and sang with birds. It gave off a faint blue light. The surrounding area, roughly the size of the Milky Way, had already recovered its deep, dark color.
The only thing missing was the twinkling stars.
Further out, there was only the vast, strange, multi-colored space of Nirvana.
If one looked closely—or viewed the universe from a distance—one would see a faint blue barrier slowly expanding.
Any Nirvana that touched the barrier was purified; it left behind a wisp of black smoke before disappearing completely.
Of course, this was only the beginning. Later cleanups—such as dealing with the evil gods and monsters hiding in the filth—would require them to take action personally.
"Little Klee, do you like it?"
As Riku spoke, he pointed his finger. A brilliant planet began to form in the universe at a speed visible to the eye.
In a short time, a massive planet, as large as Mars, had taken shape.
Riku waved his hand again, and the Dodocos that had been living on the planet beneath their feet, as well as those from the [Apocalypse Universe], floated down onto this new world.
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