If we reach 100 power stones, there will be extra chapters.
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"Huh? Where are we?"
Rias, Akeno, and Koneko instantly tensed up, scanning their surroundings warily.
It was the kind of instinctive reaction devils had whenever they found themselves in an unknown place. After all, the unknown usually meant danger, and danger usually meant someone was trying to kill you.
In short, it was a perfectly reasonable reaction.
Yue, who was standing near them, looked at the others with her crimson eyes and spoke in a calm voice.
"You don't need to be on guard. This is Yuu's doing, so there's nothing to worry about."
She had complete trust in Yuu, so she didn't seem anxious at all. In fact, she looked almost bored by all the unnecessary tension.
"Since you sound so confident…"
As Rias said that, the girls relaxed a bit more and started to take a better look around.
A cool breeze brushed against their cheeks. They realized the air was much purer than what they were used to. Like there wasn't a single trace of pollution. Just breathing it in made their lungs feel clean.
"..."
They were standing in a vast field of green grass stretching as far as the eye could see, with mountains and trees in the distance. To the right was a dense forest filled with tall trees.
There were streams winding through the terrain, and somewhere far away, they could hear the gentle sound of a waterfall.
Above them, even though the ground below was lit as if the sun were shining, there was no sun in sight. Instead, the sky was filled with stars and slowly swirling nebulas. It looked like a living planetarium.
One constellation stood out. Stars forming the image of a snake devouring its own tail.
The symbol of the Ouroboros. Eternal. Infinite. A circle without end.
'I'll admit I got a little pretentious with the sky design.'
"This place…" Rias looked around in awe. "It's beautiful."
"Ara… It feels like we're in a completely different world."
"…Smells nice." Koneko's small nose twitched as she sniffed the air.
At that moment, a female voice echoed through the entire space. It was soft, yet carried authority. Mike the voice of a goddess speaking from the clouds.
[Welcome to the world of Égida. Please listen to the following rules and important information.]
The girls flinched, glancing around to locate the source of the voice.
[This is a world contained within the sphere you saw in its creator's hands. The name of this world is Égida, and it can be adjusted according to the user's preferences.]
Rias looked up at the starry sky and murmured what she'd just heard.
"User? Creator's hands? Is it talking about Yuu?"
[Using the Temporal Manipulation function, the user can calibrate the time flow difference between the outside and inside. The standard setting for training is: 1 day outside equals 1 year inside.]
The girls' eyes widened.
"One year…? In a single day? That's…"
"Impossible." Akeno voiced exactly what Rias was thinking.
[Gravity Room option is available. The range goes from 2x up to 10,000x normal gravity. Gravity can be applied to specific areas or to the entire world.]
"Ten thousand times…"
Koneko looked down at her hands. Even for someone with her physical strength, ten times gravity was already enough. Ten thousand sounded extreme.
[Battle Simulation option is also available. This world can create perfect replicas of any living being the user has previously analyzed. Simulations can be adjusted in difficulty level.]
Rias exchanged a look with Akeno. Were they seriously inside an artifact? Everything they were hearing sounded completely absurd!
[The forest located to the east contains Beasts. The strength levels of these Beasts can be adjusted depending on the training needs. Within the forest, you'll also find Attribute Fruits that can permanently increase the Attributes of whoever consumes them.]
[Training inside Égida generates Training Points. These points can be exchanged for rewards available in the Égida Catalog. To access the catalog, simply say: "Open Catalog."]
The voice paused for a moment.
[That is all. Enjoy your stay in Égida. And remember: if you want these privileges, you must be ready to pay the price.]
And with that, the voice vanished.
The girls stood in silence for a while.
Then Rias spoke.
"Seriously… Yuu created this?"
"Mm. Yuu's amazing."
Yue lifted her chin and puffed out her small breast. Somehow, she looked quite proud.
"How should I put it? This is completely absurd," Akeno said, her eyes fixed on the sky.
Koneko just stared thoughtfully at the forest in the distance.
"…Fruits."
Of course. That was the only thing she cared about.
"Yuu said the answer was in magic. I'm pretty sure this isn't magic."
Rias sounded quite certain about that. Mages didn't do things like this.
"Ara~ Maybe Yuu-kun was joking about the magic part."
Rias stayed quiet for a moment, gazing up at the starry sky.
Then she laughed softly, making Akeno glance at her with concern.
"Buchou? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Akeno. I'm just… I'm just surprised. Really surprised. To create a world inside a ball… this kind of power. Who is Izumi Yuu?"
Izumi Yuu definitely wasn't a normal person.
He was probably the kind of character whose true power was never fully revealed. The kind who always had an ace up his sleeve. The kind who made the impossible seem possible.
And now Rias Gremory was standing inside a world created by that very same guy.
A world where she could train for a year while only a day passed outside.
A world where she could grow strong enough to defeat Riser Phenex.
A world where she could finally take control of her own destiny.
But at that moment...
"Buchou. What do you want to do?"
Rias looked at her Queen. Then at Koneko. Then at Yue. Finally, she turned her gaze toward the distant forest.
"I want to train. If Yuu gave me this opportunity… then I won't waste it."
One day outside equaled one year inside.
That meant she had all the time in the world to grow stronger.
Akeno smiled, thinking her King had finally found the motivation to fight for herself. Then she put a hand to her chin, as if thinking about something.
"Buchou… The voice earlier said we should be prepared to pay a price if we wanted to use this place. What do you think that means?"
What price would they have to pay?
Upon hearing that, Rias's expression froze.
"That's true. I completely forgot that part… A price, huh? Of course, something this ridiculous couldn't be granted so easily."
In the world of demons, nothing came for free. Everything had a cost. Even gifts came with strings attached.
She turned toward Yue.
"You… Yue-san, since you're the closest to Yuu, do you know anything about this price?"
The little vampire thought for a while. Yuu could have many ways to collect payment, and she didn't know which one he'd choose. So she shook her head.
"I don't know. You should ask Yuu directly…"
At that moment, a relaxed voice sounded.
"Hehe~ this world's nice."
When Yuu's voice came from beside Rias, she flinched. She quickly turned to him and found him gazing up at the sky with his hands behind his head.
It seemed he'd been there for a while, but they just hadn't been able to sense or see him.
He turned his head toward her and spoke in a calm, steady tone.
"The price, huh… Well, if you wanna get stronger than you are now, and unlock your full potential…"
He slowly lifted a finger and pointed at the Ouroboros constellation.
"Then you must bring an End, and gain a Beginning."
Rias raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips.
"Bring an end and gain a beginning? What are you talking about?"
Yuu grinned widely.
"Strip yourself of all your current strength. Abandon it completely, and start over. That's the price you have to pay."
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