Harkein’s underground base was obliterated by the downfall of Forneus, causing an overload of mana. The resulting surge of explosive power ravaged everything, leaving nothing in its wake.

The terminals, which could have been sold for a high price in the Surface District as rare technology, as well as weapons so powerful they made existing ones seem like toys, and the corpses of soldiers with abilities beyond human strength; all of it was swallowed by the tidal wave of energy and vanished.

Time passed with the curtains of the night falling upon the sky as residual fires continued to erupt throughout the base. The Lion Rabbit had left and the national army watched from a distance.

However, there was movement in the charred remains of the base.

Under the light of the starry sky, a shimmering space resembling the silhouette of a girl appeared.

“We were defeated.”

A shadow stretched and spoke to this fluctuation resembling a ghost.

“This outcome was expected.”

Another shadow extended and spoke as well.

“But there’s a problem.”

A third shadow stretched out, making it three in total. 

They all spoke in women’s voices, each with a transcendent tone. Anyone who heard those voices would feel enraptured and also have a sense of foreboding.

“Originally, it was destined that the transmigrator would defeat him.”

“Originally, it was destined that the transmigrator would fall.”

“In any case, it was a fate that could not escape our grasp.”

The three voices harmonized in their concern.

“Something’s off… Could stealing the transmigrator’s memories have changed fate?”

“Indeed. But even in this altered fate, the transmigrator was the one we were dealing with.”

“The fate we weaved has shifted greatly. The fate we read changed the moment the man appeared.”

“We can no longer foresee it. No, a new fate has been revealed.”

“Indeed, indeed. We can just aim for victory on this new fate…”

The three voices shifted from concern to suspicion. It was clear that the unwavering certainty they once had had been shaken.

“Chefei’s fate no longer exists.”

“There is no future in which he survives.”

“It has been severed. Chefei has no fate; neither life nor death.. He has perished even though he should have been an immortal demon.”

“His fate disappeared the moment he was defeated by that man.”

“It seems that while we thought we outwitted the Earth Library, the ones who were outwitted were us.”

“…Indeed. However, we hold a new fate for victory in our hands. All we must do is weave this new path.”

The three shadows nodded as if in agreement, raising their hands.

“It seems that, as long as we are not killed by that man, the thread of fate will not vanish. Let’s make use of the puppets as planned.”

One of the shadows moved its hand as though weaving something.

“Let us weave the thread of life. We shall spin another thread.”

Raising its hand in a solemn voice, one of the shadows caused a single golden thread to appear and float in the air.

“Let us sever the thread of death. Cut that fate.”

Another shadow raised its hand, holding scissors, and made a cutting gesture. A light metallic sound rang out as a decayed and rotting thread appeared in the air, drifting away before vanishing.

“Let’s connect it. We will weave the thread of life anew.”

The last shadow moved its hands as if knitting something. The golden thread floating in the air connected to another golden thread emerging from the ground, and together they wove into a single strand.

At that moment, light seeped out from the thread. The dazzling glow filled the ruined base, but fortunately, no one was there to witness it.

Except for the three shadows.

And as the light subsided, a boy lay on the ground. It was Yoroizuka Toko, who had been killed a short while ago. 

Although he had undoubtedly been slain by Chefei, there wasn’t a single wound on his body, and his spirit armor was undamaged. His skin had a healthy complexion, and his breathing was normal as he softly snored in his sleep.

“Has he been revived?”

“That’s not accurate. He didn’t die.”

“Indeed. He was fated to survive.”

The three shadows smirked, satisfied as they looked at the revived Toko. Their grinning faces were unsettling and sent chills down one’s spine despite being shadows.

Then, a voice came from the transparent girl who had stood silently until now.

“Use your authority to quickly gather spirit energy in order to restore my power too. That’s exactly why you exist.”

“Leave it to us, Princess.”

“Even if our opponent can erase fate, it’s merely cutting one thread from the tangle.”

“We cannot be defeated.”

The three shadows bowed their heads deeply in respect, and as they did so, hands, heads, torsos, and legs emerged from the shadows, revealing the forms of human girls.

These were the three companions of Toko, who had supposedly been reduced to ash by Chefei. Yet their bodies bore no scorch marks whatsoever.

“I leave it to you. I’ll take another look into the transmigrator’s memories. The opponent this time doesn’t seem to be a reinforced spirit warrior created for fighting demons. Only by overcoming this crisis will my father’s revival be possible.”

With gentle, comforting words, the three girls deeply bowed their heads, and the transparent silhouette of the girl disappeared, seemingly satisfied.

And thus, only Toko, who was softly snoring, and the three girls remained.

◇◇

“Wake up, Toko! Hey, wake up!”

Toko gradually regained consciousness as he was shaken vigorously. If he didn’t wake up soon, the rough shaking would have made him nauseous.

“Ugh, you’re so loud! You’re going to make me sick!” (Toko)

Annoyed, he violently shook off the hand that was grabbing his shoulder and glared with slightly angry eyes. In his line of sight were the familiar faces of his three companions.

“Kuuko, huh. Could you be a little more calm, please?” (Toko)

The three girls -cheerful Kuuko, quiet Shis, and always composed Ato- were all present.

Toko let out a deep sigh and gave them a tired look. Kuuko puffed out her cheeks and angrily placed her hands on her hips, feeling offended.

“But you fainted right after protecting us, Toko! We were worried about you!” (Kuuko)

“Protected? Hmm… Oh, right, that’s what happened.” (Toko)

Kuuko’s words jogged Toko’s memory. He glanced around and his mouth twisted into a wry smile.

“Yeah, I did well. I’m surprised I survived this much destruction even if my spirit barrier was at full strength.” (Toko)

It was full of machinery and tools that don’t have their original shape anymore. Even the remaining chunks of debris were like congealed slime, still radiating considerable heat.

The last thing he remembered was encountering soldiers from the Underground District. Then, a new force appeared from above while they were fighting, turning it into a chaotic three-way conflict. Using his sharp intellect and judgment, Toko had managed to make the enemies clash and slip away unharmed.

However, flames engulfed the base when the enemy ship was shot down. Toko had used up all his mana power to create a spirit barrier and protect everyone -and that was how they had survived. 

He passed out due to the exertion, but that was far better than dying, so he sighed in relief.

“Still, you really live up to your name, Toko the Immortal. Even though you’re the heir, you keep taking on dangerous missions and always make it through!”

“Yeah, a normal person would have died many times over already.”

“Indeed. It is impressive you escaped that botanical garden. Even though it would be normal to become plant fertilizer in that scenario.”

The three girls chuckled softly, though there was a hint of derision in their smiles. However, Toko, oblivious to their subtle mockery, took their words as compliments and smiled bashfully in return.

It was true. Toko constantly undertook perilous missions despite being the heir to one of the most powerful Armed Families in the Surface District. Although he wasn’t fully aware of it himself, he always ended up on dangerous tasks but always managed to survive. This track record had solidified his standing as the next head of the family.

His title was: The Immortal Thunder God.

“Well, I am strong. I couldn’t let myself die here, not when I have to protect you girls.” (Toko)

“Hyaa! Being told that makes me love you even more!” (Kuuko)

Kuuko threw herself at Toko, overwhelmed with emotion, hugging him tightly as he patted her head with a grinning face.

“Toko belongs to me.” (Shis)

“You two are so hopeless. Toko is destined to be my precious partner.” (Ato)

Shis and Ato also clung to him so as not to be outdone, pressing their bodies against him, though the spirit armor made it feel a bit rough.

(Hehe, I’m so popular, I can’t help it. Maybe I’ll invite them to bed next time… These three keep making moves on me, but they’re so hard to get. This time, though, I should be able to get at least one of them!) (Toko)

Toko grinned with a sly expression. His hands aimed deliberately at their chests and rears, intending to hug the three girls who had clung to him…but just at the wrong moment, the girls quickly moved away.

This always happens, he thought, clicking his tongue at his bad timing before pulling himself together. Now wasn’t the time for this.

The sky, now visible through the melted barrier, had already turned to night. It had been daytime when they stormed in, so a considerable amount of time had passed.

“H-Hey, did you all report that we survived?” (Toko)

The area was destroyed to this degree. He started to feel uneasy, wondering if they thought they were dead.

“Nope, we didn’t contact anyone. We couldn’t just leave you behind, Toko.”

Their carefree response was exactly what he thought, which left him pale.

“What are you doing?! You should’ve just carried me out when I was knocked out! Everyone must be worried!” (Toko)

“But Ato told us not to contact anyone, right?”

“Huh? What’s up with you, Ato? You’re usually so calm and composed.” (Toko)

Toko, now angry, looked at Kuuko, who was fidgeting awkwardly and looking up at him. Seeing this, he turned to Ato, who responded with a calm, collected gaze, insisting it was the obvious decision.

“Would you rather return triumphant with a precious item, fully conscious, or be unconscious and have that item taken from you while they pretend to treat you? Which would you prefer?” (Ato)

“Well, obviously the former, but…a precious item?” (Toko)

Shis slapped something onto his face before he could finish asking. He peeled them off in confusion and found out they were several metal cards.

“What…is this?” (Toko)

“Did you forget? These are the security card keys to access other ancient ruins. We found them before we came here, right?”

The three of them leaned in to peer at Toko, their eyes oddly glassy, almost inhuman, making him shake his head. These three would sometimes have such creepy expressions.

“R-Right. Yeah, this is a huge achievement then. My standing will grow even stronger with this.” (Toko)

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the Toko we know.”

“We’re counting on you for the next ancient ruins.”

“You might even go down in history as a great hero, Toko.”

A strange feeling nagged at the back of his mind, but it was quickly brushed aside by the sight of the security card keys to the ancient ruins in front of him.

“Exactly! Alright, let’s get out of here!” (Toko)

With that, Toko took off running, and the three followed. His speech and demeanor had subtly shifted, but Toko didn’t notice.

His memories and personality now seemed like a patchwork of fragmented pieces, but the three girls continued to smile, unconcerned by the change.