Azure blue, like a jewel. From orbit, the planet looked pristine, the kind of beauty that begged to be worshiped. But beneath that fragile blue veil, the surface was a graveyard of forgotten cities and skeletal skyscrapers leaning like dead trees.
Ash drifted through the air in lazy spirals, and the only heartbeat left in the world came from far underground.
Inside the Atlas Vault, a fortress of black steel buried five kilometers below Tokyo's ruins, Takumi sat cross-legged on a metallic floor surrounded by a silent ocean of dead monitors. His reflection stared back from one of the cracked glass panels—black hair, pale skin, a tattered uniform.
The silence pressed down like a living thing.
"So this is it," he muttered. "My grand transmigration reward… total extinction and an empty fridge."
He tossed a rusted book into the dark. Its pages tore mid-air, scattering like dry leaves.
The world had died a hundred years before he arrived—Qi revival, beast uprisings, technological collapse. It all sounded like a B-tier apocalypse novel written by a drunk author.
No cultivation manuals, no cheat items.
Just a dead planet and one confused transmigrant.
Takumi stared at the skeletons by the wall. "You guys had the right idea. Suicide pact and all that."
He exhaled sharply and dropped onto his back. "If I starve before I get isekai-ed again, I'm going to haunt whatever god wrote this script."
He closed his eyes and half-heartedly yelled into the silence:
"System! Activate! Open Sesame! Console command slash—debug mode—anything!"
Nothing.
He kicked a can. "Figures. Even the system's extinct."
And then—
beep beep beep.
Takumi froze. His eyes snapped open.
On the nearest dead screen, text flickered to life in bright cyan:
[Welcome to the Multiverse Sign-In Chat Group.]
[Synchronizing consciousness… Loading dimensional interface…]
[Designation: 'Reader Dad Most Handsome'. Group rank: ???]
"…you're kidding," he whispered.
The interface unfolded like glass fractals before him, projecting a chat window into the air. Rows of usernames and icons appeared. His heart hammered.
"Wait, wait, wait… group chat? Multiverse what?"
Before he could speak, messages began flooding in—
[Fujiwara Chika]:'Reader Dad Most Handsome'? Sounds like a bottom-tier web author, lol!
[Sagiri Izumi]:Ooh, a novelist? Maybe he's from a modern world!
[Zhongli]:Welcome, newcomer.
[Akeno Himejima]:Ara~ another boy joining? Be gentle, girls.
[Raiden Mei]:...Is this group ever normal?
[Makima]:Another one for observation. Good.
Takumi blinked at the names. His mind short-circuited.
Fujiwara? Sagiri? Zhongli? Makima?!
What kind of fever dream crossover was this?
He typed shakily:
[Reader Dad Most Handsome]:Hi? Uh, can someone tell me what's happening before my sanity expires?
[Sagiri]:A polite one! He's cute.
[Chika]:He's doomed.
[Zhongli]:You've been chosen by the Chat Group System. It connects individuals from multiple universes. Knowledge, artifacts, or power—exchange is possible here.
[Akeno]:And we get to tease newbies. Bonus feature.
Takumi stared. The air in the fortress trembled faintly. He glanced around, then muttered, "So I'm not hallucinating…"
The interface pulsed again.
[Would you like to sign in for the first time?]
He jabbed the "YES" icon immediately. Whatever this was, he'd take his chances.
A second later—
[Congratulations! You've received: Cocoon of the End.]
"...Cocoon of the what?"
[Zhongli]:Wait. Did he just get a mythical-tier artifact on first sign-in?
[Raiden Mei]:Impossible. The Cocoon of the End doesn't even exist in our store catalog.
[Makima]:Interesting. Something is... off.
[Chika]:HACKS! He's hacking! Arrest him, someone!
[Sagiri]:No way… new guy luck??
Takumi glanced up—and froze.
Before him, space itself began to ripple. A silver cocoon of light manifested mid-air, humming with low resonance. The ground beneath vibrated as metallic veins snaked across the floor, spreading outward like a neural network.
"Wait—what the hell is happening!?"
The fortress shook violently. Dust rained from the ceiling. Then, the cocoon split open like an egg, releasing waves of blue light that melted into the walls. Machinery rebooted, wires regenerated, and the Atlas Vault transformed before his eyes into a living, breathing structure.
[System Notice: Headquarters construction complete.]
[Chat Group HQ established in host's dimension.]
[Time Dilation Ratio: 1 : 100.]
Takumi shielded his eyes as the world solidified.
Where once lay ruin and rust, now rose a futuristic citadel: glass panels glowing with runic circuits, hovering drones patrolling the air, and holographic screens flickering to life along the corridor walls.
The sound of power returning echoed like divine thunder.
Then came the second shock.
A door—smooth and luminescent—opened across the hall. Out stepped a tall man in elegant robes, holding a tea cup as if none of this was remotely unusual.
"...Zhongli?" Takumi croaked.
Zhongli smiled faintly. "I believe introductions are in order, Group Leader."
Takumi blinked. "Leader? Me?"
The tea god inclined his head. "Yes. The system has designated you as the Chat Group's leader due to your world's temporal dilation advantage. To us, your world is… how did the moderns say it? Lagging behind by a century per minute."
The Headquarters Meeting
Within an hour (subjectively), the HQ's central hall was full.
They appeared one by one through dimensional projections—Fujiwara bouncing excitedly, Sagiri carrying her tablet, Akeno with her teasing smile, Raiden Mei standing stoic, Makima sitting cross-legged, and Zhongli calmly explaining cosmic laws like it was a board meeting.
Takumi, still in a torn jacket, stood at the center of a technological cathedral that pulsed like a heart. The floor beneath was engraved with fractal geometry—each line humming with infinite energy.
"Alright…" Takumi said slowly. "So, to recap… you guys are from different universes, connected by this… chat group system thing. And it built this place inside my world?"
Fujiwara raised a hand. "Yup! And apparently, your world runs super slow. So while five minutes pass in ours, a whole week goes by for you! Isn't that awesome?"
Takumi deadpanned. "Awesome. Sure. I get to age faster."
Sagiri tilted her head. "But it means you can prepare stuff, right? Like… tech, civilization, rebuilding your world? You're basically the god of time efficiency!"
That line hit him harder than he expected.
A god of time efficiency.
In this dead world, with infinite solitude… that title felt both absurd and right.
"Still," Mei said quietly, arms folded, "why him as leader? Shouldn't the one with the most experience or divine authority take that role?"
Makima's eyes gleamed faintly red. "Because the system chose him. And systems don't make emotional decisions. They make purposeful ones."
Zhongli nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Our host's power of Herrscher of Reason grants him construction through cognition. Creation from understanding. A fitting core for civilization-building."
"Herrscher of what now?" Takumi muttered. "That's a real thing?"
Raiden Mei sighed. "It is. A Herrscher can manifest technology, reshape matter through will… essentially, if you can imagine it, it exists."
Fujiwara gasped. "So he's like a 3D printer—but with feelings!"
Everyone paused.
Zhongli actually chuckled. "A rather apt description."
Power Awakenings
The system flared again.
[Initializing Power Synchronization.]
[Assigning Authority traits based on user compatibility.]
One by one, glowing runes appeared under each member.
Zhongli's aura turned amber—gravity itself bent subtly around him.
Akeno's wings unfurled, trailing arcs of violet lightning.
Sagiri's digital pen projected blue holograms that became real objects.
Fujiwara's energy spiraled into pure luck distortion—a chaotic aura that made nearby drones explode or win lottery simulations simultaneously.
Makima… her shadow flickered, and several drones kneeled as if recognizing a higher will.
Takumi watched it all, heart racing.
Then his own rune ignited—a crystalline fractal spinning in the air before sinking into his chest.
Suddenly, he could feel everything.
Every atom in the fortress whispered. Every screw, every circuit, every data stream flowing through the HQ's veins—he could sense it all.
He lifted his hand unconsciously, and a hovering console disassembled itself mid-air, its components orbiting his palm like obedient stars.
"…Holy hell."
Zhongli folded his arms. "The Herrscher of Reason Authority. You are now the engineer of reality here."
Fujiwara clapped wildly. "He's Iron Man! No—he's God Man!"
Akeno giggled. "Ara~ quite the upgrade from starving survivor."
Suspicion, Jokes, and the Weight of Power
The group settled into casual banter, but beneath it all, Makima's gaze lingered on him.
When the others began exploring the HQ—Fujiwara chasing a drone, Sagiri testing holographic tools—Makima approached him silently.
"Takumi," she said, voice calm but edged. "Does it feel heavy yet?"
He frowned. "What does?"
"Reality." Her eyes glowed faintly. "When you can build or destroy worlds by thought, even by accident… you begin to question if your emotions still belong to you."
Her words sent a chill through him.
She smiled faintly. "Be careful, Leader. The stronger your cognition, the thinner the wall between creation and delusion."
Then she walked away.
Takumi stood there, her words echoing.
For a second, he saw something—an image, maybe a hallucination—his hands covered in ash, cities rising and collapsing in rhythm with his breath.
He blinked hard. The image vanished.
"Right," he muttered. "Dark godhood issues. Fantastic."
Slice of Life Chaos
By the time he rejoined the others, chaos had already bloomed.
Fujiwara was teaching Zhongli how to play "Uno" using holographic cards. Sagiri had made a digital whiteboard labeled Project: Civilization 2.0. Akeno was testing her lightning powers by recharging HQ batteries manually, laughing as sparks flew.
Mei was calibrating the fortress reactor, muttering about scientific consistency between worlds.
"Takumi!" Chika called. "Come help us pick a name for the new civilization!"
He rubbed his temples. "We don't even have citizens yet—"
"Exactly! That's why we need branding first!"
"...You're terrifying."
Zhongli sipped tea, utterly unfazed. "An early sense of identity cultivates stability, even in empires of data and ruins."
Takumi sighed. "You're enabling her."
"I'm mentoring."
The group burst into laughter when the AI drone, reprogrammed by Fujiwara, rolled past them with a sign reading:
WELCOME TO TAKUMIVERSE.
Psychological Breakthrough
Later, when the others had gone off exploring, Takumi stood alone on a balcony overlooking the glowing core of the HQ.
It pulsed like a beating heart—his creation. The Herrscher power whispered inside his skull, soft and endless. You can rebuild the planet. You can rewrite physics. You can bring back humanity.
He stared into the void of possibilities.
"…and if I mess up, I can erase everything too," he whispered.
A thin smile tugged at his lips—half awe, half fear. "Great. I'm a one-man apocalypse."
From behind him, Sagiri appeared, holding two steaming mugs. "Coffee?"
He blinked, startled. "You made coffee? How?"
"Chat group item exchange," she said proudly. "Spent three points. Worth it."
They leaned on the railing together, sipping silently. For a long moment, there was no noise except the hum of the reactor.
"Takumi," Sagiri said softly. "When I first joined the group, I thought it was just a game. Missions, points, silly chat. But you…"
She looked at him seriously. "You're the first one whose world actually needs saving."
He didn't answer. Just looked at the endless darkness below.
"Then let's make sure it's worth saving," he said finally.
Closing Scene — The First Command
A holographic bell rang across the hall.
[Mission Board Activated.]
[First Multiverse Expedition Available: 'World of Regret #01 — Evangelion.']
[Difficulty: Catastrophic.]
The group's chatter went silent.
Akeno smirked. "Starting with that one? The system's cruel."
Fujiwara: "Wait, isn't that the world where—"
Sagiri: "—everyone has issues?"
Makima: "Perfect training ground."
Takumi's expression hardened. The fear was still there, buried deep—but alongside it, a pulse of purpose.
He turned toward them. "Alright, everyone. Prep for mission brief. HQ stays under time dilation until we return."
"Return?" Mei asked. "You're coming too?"
Takumi smiled faintly, eyes glinting. "Leader's job, right?"
The fortress lights brightened in answer.
The Multiverse Chat Group had awakened.
And for the first time, the dead Earth hummed with the heartbeat of gods.