"Good, this is the world I'll choose." A spark of delight flashed in Kurumi Tokisaki's wine-red eyes. Afraid the white-haired loli might change her mind, she immediately made her decision on the spot.
Kurumi was utterly fond of this world—and for many reasons. First, its aesthetic appeal was unmatched; the girls of this world ranked among the top beauties across all anime worlds.
Second, none of the girls here were mere decorations. Each one possessed a radiant soul and a distinct, dazzling personality—their charm was practically off the charts.
Third, the world held limitless potential, with a complex civilization system that blended technology and mysticism. There were highly advanced warships, mighty mechanical guardians like Byakko and Suzaku, and mystic arts of the Far East—abilities that shone brilliantly on the arcane side.
Fourth, the variety of races was remarkable, with the witch clans standing out the most—descendants of angels and fallen angels alike.
Fifth, this world contained weapons of sin—divine armaments far surpassing the power of Noble Phantasms. Kurumi estimated that ordinary Heroic Spirits would be completely outmatched here. Only worlds like Dragon Ball could surpass this one in raw strength. Even legendary worlds like Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece might not hold a clear advantage over it.
Lost in joyful fascination, Kurumi subconsciously wiped away a nonexistent trace of drool, then entered the portal of the World's Mirror alongside Nero.
...
In the Far East, atop the Mitotsudaira mountain range, stood a city built upon a massive warship—its name: Musashi.
"Amazing... An entire city built upon a warship. What an enormous vessel," Kurumi murmured, standing on a drifting cloud beside Nero, both clad in red garments, gazing down upon the floating city.
In the anime, the Musashi warship was said to sustain an ecosystem for 600,000 people. Even if all of them were farmers, it still offered enough land for cultivation. That alone spoke volumes of its vast size. Kurumi estimated that Musashi was even larger than Itogami Island from Strike the Blood.
"I've decided," Kurumi said firmly. "I'll build my divine temple atop Musashi."
She took out a sketchbook—the embodiment of her World Essence, gifted by her mother, Alaya, when she was created. Kurumi had once shaped it into the form of a sketchbook.
"Return to your true form, my Essence." The sketchbook glowed with white light, transforming into a book—the Book of the World. This was its most fitting form.
As she opened it, a dazzling light shot forth, radiating across the entire world. The Book of the World became a brilliant sphere of light, its glow outshining even the sun.
...
Far East Region — Mikawa Defense Command.
"Lord Tadakatsu, two suns have appeared in the sky," reported the automaton Rokka with a polite bow.
Looking up at the blinding second sun in the heavens, Mikawa's defense minister, Tadakatsu Honda, stroked his graying beard thoughtfully. "I can sense a pure and vast divine power from that second sun... Could it be that a new god has been born? But even so, a god should not wield such overwhelming might. In this world where the gods are long dead, only unconscious fragmentary deities can still emerge. What could possibly generate such divine power to enshroud the world?"
"How strange... how strange indeed." Folding his hands behind his back, Tadakatsu added, "Contact the Asama Shrine. Ask the priests who serve the fragment gods what they know of this."
...
United Kingdom — Royal Palace.
Queen Elizabeth gazed up at the sky's second sun, her brows furrowing in thought before her expression brightened with realization. "This is divine revelation... The newly born deity must not be a mere fragment god—but something far greater."
...
K.P.A. Italia Holy Union — Vatican.
Pope Innocent knelt upon the marble floor, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. "A Divine Realm... this world has been saved!" he cried.
...
High above the sky, Nero turned to Kurumi and said, "The Book of the World has now linked with this realm. From this moment, your words will be transmitted as divine decree across the world. My lady, summon your Godseed and place it within the Book of the World."
Kurumi nodded and called forth her angel, Zafkiel. The great clock manifested instantly and, as though impatient, dove straight into the Book of the World. Its clock-like form melted and merged completely into the radiant tome.
Then Kurumi's divine voice resounded through the heavens:
"Time never lies, its flow ever relentless. Madness yet tenderness. Threefold rebirth. I am the Spirit of Time. I am the Goddess of Time—Kurumi Tokisaki. Today, I ascend as the Main God. My radiance shall shine upon the world."
...
Asama Shrine — Japan.
The head priestess of Shinto, Tomo Asama, knelt before the shrine, her heart trembling with ecstasy as she listened to the divine decree. Across the world, countless people bowed in reverence.
Kurumi's Divine Oracle: "The overlapping of time and space has ended with my birth. The eternal cycle of the temporal ring is broken. Time now flows; history begins to turn its gears. From this moment, the world moves once more. I declare this the First Year of the Divine Era."
Kurumi's Divine Oracle: "On the first day of the first month of the First Divine Year, I shall establish the Temple of Time in the Far East, upon Musashi. Three months hence, I shall select shrine maidens as my divine attendants. After one year, I shall appoint the knights of my temple. Thus ends my decree."
A deep rumbling shook the ground the instant the oracle ended. The mountain that housed Asama Shrine trembled violently before the shrine itself vanished. Tomo Asama, still kneeling, looked upward and saw only the white clouds of the southern sky above her.
Moments later, grand palaces rose from the earth as though the land itself had birthed them.
"Could it be... the divine temple has been established here?" Tomo Asama gasped, covering her mouth as tears of joy streamed down her face. Her heterochromatic eyes—one wine-red, one icy-blue—shone with radiant emotion.
As the heir to Shinto tradition, Tomo Asama had dedicated both body and soul to the gods. But in this world where the divine had perished and history endlessly repeated itself, only faint and unconscious fragmentary deities could still appear. The spiritual paths of this world had suffered greatly.
Now, with the birth of a Main God under the Shinto path, the world itself would fall under divine protection. This heralded a new golden age for Shinto—while other faiths would decline. As one who witnessed this rise, Tomo Asama nearly fainted from the intensity of her joy.
...
"What's this?" Kurumi wondered aloud. Looking at her own hands, she noticed that a radiant halo had appeared around her body, glowing with a soft, sacred light. She had become a beacon of holiness—a literal living light.
"That is a Divine Aura," Nero explained, eyes fixed on the shining circle as if she might start drooling any moment. "It grants complete immunity to all attacks from any being below a Main God."
"I suddenly feel that my connection to the World's Mirror has vanished," Kurumi said with a faint frown. "Is that because of this halo?"
"The World's Mirror rejects any passage by Main Gods or higher beings," Nero replied. "Therefore, Main Gods cannot personally take on missions in other worlds. But this doesn't hinder you, my lady. You may choose an avatar—a vessel of your will—and travel the worlds in that form. For instance, since you devoured the temporal existences of Inori and Tsugumi, you can transform into either of them to act as a Heroic Spirit." Nero's tone carried a hint of envy. This truly was a world where divine lineage mattered.
"I'll pass on those two," Kurumi said dryly. "One's an airhead, the other's a loli—they'd get sold off before realizing what happened. Looks like I'll have to select a new avatar myself."
Her gaze turned downward, settling upon the newly built Temple of Time. In only a short while, it had gathered Musashi's highest-ranking leaders and representatives of other powerful factions.
There stood Lord Matsudaira Motonobu, ruler of Mikawa; his Four Heavenly Kings—Tadakatsu Honda, Yasumasa Sakakibara, Ii Naomasa, and Tadatsugu Sakai—as well as Tomo Asama herself, who had remained within the temple.
From the Western Campaign, the representatives were none other than Tachibana Muneshige, known as the "Peerless of the West" and one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, accompanied by his wife, Tachibana Ginchiyo. From K.P.A. Italia's Holy Union came Pope Innocent himself.
Within the main hall of the Temple of Time, the statue of Kurumi suddenly shone with divine light—and then, it transformed into Kurumi's true form. The Goddess herself had descended.
"Praise be to the Goddess of Time!" everyone cried as they knelt in unison. A throne materialized behind Kurumi, and she sat upon it with an expression of serene authority.
Her appearance had changed completely. Her previous Astral Dress was gone; now she wore divine vestments—a long black gown trimmed with white ribbons and draped in a flowing crimson cape. It was regal, imposing, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Kurumi had designed it this way deliberately—elegant and dignified, far more restrained than her usual bold style. As she would put it: Since I am now a goddess, I must embody divine dignity. Without it, mortals would rise in chaos, and the world would fall into disorder.
"Rise," Kurumi commanded coolly.
In this world, "rise" did not mean standing from one's knees—it meant lifting one's body upright while remaining kneeling, eyes lowered before the divine.
"Tomo Asama," Kurumi spoke with a calm, divine voice. "You possess heterochromatic eyes, as I do. I find you pleasing. Would you devote yourself to me, serving as my shrine maiden for all eternity?"
Though her expression remained cold and aloof, Kurumi's inner thoughts were far less holy: Her beauty even surpasses Inori's. And that gentle, traditional shrine-maiden temperament—too perfect! I can't resist. I'll bring her into the temple first, then figure out the rest.
"This is my highest honor," Tomo Asama said, lowering her head in fervent devotion. With a mere thought, Kurumi bestowed upon her the Mark of Time. Instantly, Tomo felt the flow of time around her—like invisible currents of water streaming through the air.
"Come forth. My shrine maiden shall forever remain at my side," Kurumi declared coolly, though in her mind she was thinking, Come closer, let me get a good look at you.
"You are excellent. Three months from now, you shall oversee the selection of new shrine maidens on my behalf." And while her voice carried divine composure, her inner monologue was anything but divine: Ah, such a lovely figure—full curves, exquisite legs, graceful waist, soft hands, blue hair flowing down to her waist, and that gentle smile. Those heterochromatic eyes... exquisite. A true delicacy. Surely she must taste divine~
Kurumi's voice filled the temple once more: "This god requires a mortal vessel to walk among the worlds. You may select a pure and holy maiden to act as my avatar. In exchange, I shall grant you one wish—anything you desire. You have ten days."
In other words, Kurumi thought mischievously, I just need a body for my next mission. Now, hurry up and send me a beautiful girl—I can grant any request! But anyone who dares to make indecent suggestions... will die.
As her throne faded, Kurumi's divine form dissolved back into stone. In truth, she had only dismissed her Divine Aura and secretly slipped away—to the residence of Tadakatsu Honda.
Hehehe... Futayo Honda, Kurumi thought gleefully. The purest and most noble knight in my heart. How could I possibly overlook her? Daryll and Hugo might have been loyal, but alas—they were men. How could the Goddess's knight possibly be male?
The world's technology was advanced, yet its architecture retained a harmonious, nature-friendly design. Most buildings were constructed of wood, surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lush greenery. The floating city of Musashi itself resembled a mountain fortress aboard a vast warship, with forests encircling the Temple of Time. A paradise suspended between nature and machinery.
Tadakatsu Honda's estate resembled an ancient Japanese manor. At its center lay a tranquil pond beside a blooming cherry blossom tree. The main buildings were arranged along one side of the courtyard, where banquets were often held beneath the open sky.
Shu! Under the cherry tree stood a young woman with long blue hair tied into a ponytail, wearing the uniform of the Musashi Guard. She was practicing her spear techniques—wielding a traditional polearm with elegant precision. This was Tadakatsu Honda's daughter, Futayo Honda.
Futayo was a girl of unwavering discipline and loyalty—a warrior through and through. Her sense of duty was absolute, and her straightforward nature often made her appear a little naive about worldly matters.
Her beauty was undeniable, and her figure nothing short of breathtaking. Kurumi couldn't help but compare—She's only slightly less beautiful than I am, she thought smugly.
Despite Futayo's serious expression, her face carried a soft, youthful beauty. Her attempt to maintain a stern demeanor only made her look like a child earnestly pretending to be an adult—adorably so. So cute... impossibly cute, Kurumi thought, her eyes sparkling with delight.