"Vishnu... His arm?!" Ajuka's normally composed expression cracked with shock. "You... killed him?!"
The Satan hoped desperately that what he'd just heard was somehow mistaken.
However, the overwhelming divine aura emanating from the severed limb Takeyo held was unmistakable. This was definitely a body part belonging to one of the top ten beings in the world, a genuine transcendent-level god.
"Well, he wanted to kill me first," Takeyo said matter-of-factly, shrugging slightly. "So I killed him instead."
Though this was technically speculation on his part, it matched reality closely enough. More importantly, there was no way he could have allowed Vishnu to discover his identity and leave Kuoh alive. The Hindu god knew far too much.
"Because he wanted to kill you... so you killed him?" Ajuka's eye twitched involuntarily.
If you'd said you killed a ten-winged angel or even a Seraph, I wouldn't be surprised. But casually mentioning you killed a transcendent? One of the top ten beings in the world, likely top five based on actual combat capability?
"Haa... Hoo..." Ajuka took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, forcing himself to process the absurdity.
"In other words," he continued carefully, "you disappeared for all those days because you were fighting Vishnu?"
It made sense, in a twisted way. Takeyo had been bedridden for two days after his battle with the Dragon King. This time, he'd been missing for much longer, which suggested an even more intense confrontation with Vishnu. Although the revelation was difficult to accept, it seemed like the most logical explanation. Was that why Takeyo had returned in such rough condition?
"Yeah, I was out for about a month," Takeyo confirmed.
Well, mostly unconscious and enjoying some... pleasant recovery time. Though I didn't get to fully appreciate Jeanne's nursing services while conscious, which is a shame.
"You really are a monster, kid," Ajuka said with a wry smile, shaking his head in disbelief.
Killed Vishnu without anyone even noticing? At this point, if you told me you'd killed the true Red Dragon God Emperor next, I honestly wouldn't be shocked anymore.
"So... Sensei, do you want this?" Takeyo asked, casually shaking the severed divine arm. "I'll put it away if you don't need it."
He'd already extracted all the benefits he could from Vishnu's remains, absorbed what power was possible, recorded all relevant data. Rather than keeping it, he might as well use it to curry favor with his teacher.
"Yes! Of course I want it!" Ajuka said immediately, his researcher's instincts overriding his shock. "How could I refuse?"
I've already been dragged into this mess anyway. Might as well make the most of it and get something useful out of the situation.
"Good, good." Takeyo smiled and tossed the arm to Ajuka.
"With this thing, who knows what fascinating discoveries might emerge from my research," the Satan mused, examining the divine limb with scholarly interest. "Having to restart my entire research agenda from scratch is somewhat frustrating, but... this new topic seems incredibly promising."
"It doesn't matter much whether you can directly absorb power from it," Ajuka continued. "Just studying this should give you enough knowledge to develop better defensive capabilities. That's good enough for me, at least I won't have to worry about your safety as much anymore."
"Pretty much," Takeyo agreed.
All he needed to do now was heal completely and wait for time to pass. His natural growth would elevate him to High-Class Devil status within a year or so at most, even without any special training.
"Then I'll head back first," Ajuka said. "Remember, if there's anything you can't handle alone, call me. Don't try to deal with everything by yourself."
This kid... he always manages to surprise people in the most outrageous ways.
"I understand. Protecting myself is obviously the priority," Takeyo replied. "It's what anyone would do, isn't it?"
"Then I can rest easy." After saying this, Ajuka activated a teleportation magic circle and vanished from Takeyo's presence.
"He really does worry too much," Takeyo muttered with a faint smile. "Though I suppose... he should be more concerned about his own family situation."
He remembered that Ajuka's surname before becoming a Satan had been Astaroth.
And that troublesome woman Diodora, who'd joined the Khaos Brigade's Nilrem group, also bore the Astaroth name.
"Well, if she dares provoke me at some point, I'll just eliminate her," Takeyo thought dismissively. "Some 'snake' who managed to bite Ophis might have transcendent-level strength at best. How much trouble could she really cause?"
Back in his classroom, Takeyo addressed his curious classmates with a cheerful expression.
"Anyway, I know a lot happened while I was gone, but I'm back now, everyone!"
"Yeah! Takeyo-kun is finally back!" several female classmates exclaimed enthusiastically. "Yang-kun, do you have any idea how much we missed you while you were visiting your hometown?"
"Ah, Takeyo-kun... I can't help it anymore... You seem even more handsome now than before!"
"Tachibana, you feel it too? I thought I was imagining things! There's definitely something different about Takeyo-kun now, not just looks, but... this incredible presence!"
The commotion his return caused was significant, with multiple students crowding around him.
Takeyo understood the change they were sensing. His appearance hadn't altered dramatically, but there was a deeper magnetism now, a strange, almost primal charisma that drew people to him. This was likely the unique attraction brought by his consolidated human bloodline origin.
"Hey," Aika Kiryuu called out to him once class ended, pulling him aside with that characteristic mischievous glint behind her glasses.
"So Takeyo-kun, is it true you're living with Asia now?"
Light reflected off her lenses as she spoke, giving her an oddly knowing appearance.
"Ah... yes, that's correct," Takeyo admitted.
The moment he confirmed it, he could see Aika's imagination going into overdrive based on her expression alone.
"It's not what you're thinking," he added quickly. "I'm just providing her with a place to stay."
Even as he spoke, Takeyo felt something unusual. In his system space, one of his stored items was glowing with unusual intensity.
"Oh? 'Providing housing'?" Aika's grin widened. "You mean like those internet stories about 18-year-olds opening their homes to take in homeless girls for various reasons?"
"'Age 14 to 24, fair-skinned and beautiful, busty and naive preferred'?" she quoted with obvious amusement.
Same old Aika... always the familiar pervert.
"If that were the case, my house would be overflowing with residents by now," Takeyo replied dryly. "There's no shortage of beautiful girls in either the mundane or supernatural world. I couldn't possibly afford to house them all."
Want beautiful girls? They're everywhere if you know where to look.
"That does make sense," Aika conceded with a laugh. "Well then, should I submit a job application to work at Takeyo-kun's house?"
She was clearly joking, but Takeyo's attention had shifted elsewhere.
"It doesn't matter if you want to apply," he said, frowning slightly at the growing disturbance in his system space. "But I have something urgent to deal with right now, so... sorry, I need to leave for a bit."
"Eh? Huh?" Aika blinked in surprise as Takeyo simply walked away mid-conversation.
He used teleportation magic at the nearest corner, materializing inside a secluded sports equipment warehouse.
[Ding!]
[Warning! The host is losing control of the Mysterious Sailor Suit!]
[Please inject your own power into the item to regain control of the Mysterious Sailor Suit!]
The system alert sounded the moment Takeyo entered the warehouse.
"Hmm?" Takeyo frowned and withdrew the sailor uniform, an item that had always seemed vaguely "gentlemanly" in nature.
Beyond its luminescent glow, the blue sailor suit with its blue ribbon trim was being covered by a spreading layer of black material, as though foreign matter was attempting to corrupt and consume it.
"What happens if my control over this thing is stolen?" Takeyo asked.
[Ding!]
[You will be unable to obtain the world coordinates, and this item will disappear forever!]
"Alright, let me try something first." Takeyo touched the sailor uniform carefully.
He'd always felt this particular blue sailor suit with its matching ribbon looked strangely familiar, though he couldn't quite place why. And the texture... it felt remarkably high-quality.
Though he wasn't perverted enough to press it against his face and inhale deeply, his enhanced senses and keen perception told him something interesting, this garment retained certain chemical compounds that created specific olfactory signals.
In other words, this was the genuine, worn article.
"That said," Takeyo muttered, "allowing someone to steal my possessions? That's not a habit I intend to develop."
His eyes narrowed as the Sacred Heart of the World Dragon manifested on his chest, glowing with power.
"Hss..." The moment he touched the sailor uniform properly, Takeyo sensed an entirely different power system from this world flowing through the fabric.
More concerning, it seemed to be attempting to invade his own body.
"Sorry, but I'm no pushover," Takeyo said coldly.
He could sense the opposing force had held back initially, likely testing him. He believed the entity on the other end could also sense his own restraint.
[World Dragon Armor!]
[White Dragon Emperor template loading...]
[Red Dragon Emperor template loading...]
Since this was clearly a battle of raw power, he'd use the divine tool that granted him functionally infinite enhancement, the Sacred Heart of the World Dragon, with its limitless attribute scaling.
"Oh? The opponent's increasing their output," Takeyo observed analytically. "The power I'm using has clearly reached Satan-class level now."
Though he'd only just crossed that threshold, it was undeniably Satan-class power.
"Looks like I need to get serious."
[I, ]
[Who awakens as the Heavenly Dragon that stole the principles of supremacy from God, ]
[Laugh at the "infinite," and grieve the "dream", ]
[I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination, ]
[And I shall sink you into the depths of the Crimson Purgatory!]
[Juggernaut Drive!]
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]
In an instant, more than half the foreign corruption vanished!
After activating the Red Dragon Emperor's Juggernaut Drive, Takeyo could clearly feel his opponent struggling.
"So their strength hasn't reached transcendent-level," he analyzed. "If that's the case, this becomes much simpler."
If the enemy hadn't achieved transcendence, then victory was assured.
"I'm not particularly fond of being observed," Takeyo said quietly, his voice taking on an edge.
He didn't intend merely to repel this intrusion, he planned to counterattack through the connection.
Based on the opponent's somewhat strained power output, Takeyo estimated they were operating at peak Satan-class strength, their absolute limit.
"I certainly don't need to use the World Dragon's transcendent incarnation for this," he mused. "So then... this technique should work."
A powerful azure radiance blazed from the platinum gem representing the White Dragon Emperor's power!
[I, ]
[Who awakens as the White Dragon Emperor that takes the law down to the darkness, ]
[Gaze upon the extremity of the Heavenly Dragons!]
[The supremacy of the White Dragon!]
[I shall restrain the infinite, devour dreams!]
[Passing through the infinite destruction and the dawn dreams overbearingly, ]
[I, as the Unsullied Dragon Emperor, ]
Takeyo's armor underwent a dramatic transformation, beginning to emit brilliant silver-white flashes!
[Shall lead you to the silver illusion and ultimate magic!]
[Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive!]
[Silver Ascendant Dragon!]
This was the technique that pushed the White Dragon Emperor's power nearly to its absolute zenith, the Silver Ascendant Dragon form. Using this state, Vali had once defeated even Hades's most powerful Death God!
"Compress!" Takeyo commanded.
[Compression Divider!]
[Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide!]
At that moment, across dimensions, the alien demon in some unknown world felt a force beyond all comprehension tearing through its very existence.
Its body compressed vertically in half, then horizontally. Then vertically again!
Within moments, the alien demon's volume had been halved repeatedly, shrinking exponentially smaller!
"How could this exist?! How could such power exist?!" the alien demon screamed in terror, unable to comprehend what was happening.
This was supposed to be routine work! Just a minor obstacle! It was merely a simple confrontation, why did the opponent suddenly explode with such overwhelming force?!
However, Takeyo showed no mercy whatsoever.
"Perish," he said simply.
With a casual snap of his fingers, the demon compressed to a size invisible to the naked eye, reduced to an unrecognizable infinitesimal scale.
Finally, after trembling in mid-air for a brief moment, the alien demon vanished completely from existence!
Its final thought before disappearing was simple: Why... why was I so unlucky today? I only wanted to complete a simple contract...
"Snap."
With Takeyo's finger snap, the alien demon disappeared from this world without leaving any traces!
"Haa... Hoo..." Reverting from the Silver Ascendant Dragon back to his ordinary state, Takeyo panted heavily.
"That should... resolve the issue," he said between breaths, examining the now-pristine sailor uniform.
The mysterious garment had returned to its original blue appearance, all traces of corruption eliminated.