Dranexx looked back over his shoulder toward Akube.
"Hey, Aku! Are you coming or not?!"
Akube immediately waved his hand.
"Wait for me, man!"
He hurried forward.
"Don't be like that, buddy!"
A smirk spread across Dranexx's face.
"After you, bro."
"Hold on!"
Lisa's eyes widened.
"You're leaving us behind?!"
Dranexx shrugged.
"You guys haven't received your blessings yet."
His expression remained indifferent.
"I can't wait any longer."
A slight frown appeared on his face.
"That Grandmaster pissed me off."
He turned away, his aura slightly distorting the space around him.
"I'm done hanging around."
Without looking back, he raised a hand.
"See you on the other side... if you survive."
A grin appeared on his face.
"Bye."
The next instant—He vanished.
Lisa stared at the spot where he had disappeared.
"Drane"
She stopped herself and clenched her fist.
"Damn that guy!"
An annoyed expression appeared on her face.
"Does he even know anything about this world?!"
"Well..."
Reika folded her arms.
"I already got my blessing."
She turned toward Shina.
"...Shina, have you received yours?"
"N-Not yet but—"
Shina suddenly blinked.
"Oh!"
She looked surprised.
"What's this?"
A bright smile appeared on her face.
"It looks like I just received mine!"
She looked excited.
"It's from the Grandmaster of Purity!"
"Really."
Reika looked slightly surprised.
"I got the same blessing."
Lisa blinked.
"For real?"
She glanced between the two girls.
"Is it even possible for two people to receive the same blessing from one Grandmaster?"
Before anyone could answer
A deep, echoing voice filled the realm.
"Of course."
The students immediately looked up.
"That rule was abandoned long ago."
"A single Grandmaster may now bless multiple individuals during the same summoning."
Lisa narrowed her eyes.
"They deserted the rules?"
Her expression became suspicious.
"That sounds suspicious..."
She crossed her arms.
"Are they playing some kind of mind game with us?"
Suddenly
A dark sigil burned into the air before her.
Lisa froze.
Black flames spiraled around her hand.
"You have received the Blessing and Protection of the Grandmaster of Amatarasu."
The system's voice echoed through the realm.
The flames continued to dance around her fingers.
Yet they did not burn her.
They obeyed her.
Lisa's eyes widened.
"Amatarasu...?"
She stared at the black fire.
"Black flame...?!"
Her expression immediately changed.
"A pretty girl like me wielding something this destructive?!"
She panicked.
"What if I lose control someday-?!"
The flames flickered violently in response.
Reika glanced at her from the side.
"Amatarasu..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"that's trouble."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"She'll become something dangerous in the future..."
A brief pause followed.
"We need to be careful around her."
One by one, pillars of light descended throughout the realm.
The students looked around in surprise.
"All worlders have received their blessings."
"You will now depart."
The realm began to fracture.
Countless dimensions appeared throughout the surrounding space.
The students watched in stunned silence.
"Use your powers wisely."
The Grandmaster's voice echoed one final time.
"Survive."
"Grow stronger."
"And perhaps..."
A brief pause followed.
"We shall meet again."
In a flash of divine light everything disappeared.
The students were scattered across different lands of the new world.
Alone.
Lisa staggered back.
"Wait… I'm alone? No way. What the hell?! I thought we'd all teleport to wherever Dranexx and Akube are…"
Silence.
The wind brushed against the empty wasteland around her.
"…Tch. Fine. I guess I'll have to use my powers. I need to survive, right?"
But something felt strange.
How were Dranexx and Akube able to command reality itself? To bend laws like they were nothing?
"Answer."
The voice echoed directly inside her mind.
Lisa froze.
"W-Who was that?!"
"It is I… your personal assistant."
Her eyes widened.
"I am the System governed by your Authority. I was created through your desire to have a certain individual in your life."
"W-Wait be quiet!"
Her face turned bright red as she covered it in embarrassment.
"Y-You system or whatever, stop talking!"
"As you wish, ma'am."
A pause.
But the truth lingered.
Her power had manifested from a single, buried desire.
To stand beside one person.
Dranexx.
Even if she had never admitted it… even to herself.
Now they were separated.
And something inside her shifted.
If she wanted to stand beside him…
She couldn't remain weak.
Her soul had chosen its purpose.
To rise.
To evolve.
To reach a level where she wouldn't be left behind ever again.
Lisa slowly lowered her hands, her expression changing from flustered to determined.
"Well. This is new. I can practically do whatever I want, huh?"
She looked around at the unfamiliar terrain.
"But first, I need shelter. Surviving comes before romance."
A small smirk formed.
"What a hassle…"