The intrinsic quality of Warhammer and Kajiri Kamui Kagura was already absurdly solid. Suzuna's aggressive promotion and hype only worked because the books themselves were genuinely strong.
Suzuna had just received the newest manuscripts of Kajiri Kamui Kagura and Warhammer sent over by Raize. The story of Third Heaven was already approaching its conclusion, while Warhammer had entered a highly gripping phase—its massive worldbuilding firmly capturing readers' attention.
The fourth day, Eternal Mercurial Recurrence, also known as Dies Irae, was a particularly special arc. Raize had previously told Suzuna that this part would be adapted into a game, allowing the novel and the game to mutually promote one another.
Looking at the even more expansive plot of Fourth Heaven, it was indeed perfectly suited for game adaptation.
This generation's god was extremely unique. Unlike the previous three—True Self, Wu-Can, and the Star—who were limited to a single time axis and a single universe, this new god shattered and reconstructed the structure and function of the Throne itself.
It became capable of governing multiple timelines and multiple universes. As such, the legion flowing from it encompassed infinite parallel universes, making its domain far superior to the previous three—a true "Restorer of the Lineage."
Under the principle of Eternal Mercurial Recurrence, after death, people returned to the womb of the mother and endlessly repeated their one and only life. For those with happy lives, this was bliss—but for the unfortunate, it was an unending hell. As such, this law was also known as the "Prison" or the "Containment Facility."
A very special worldview—and an equally domineering one. This was a world ruled by extreme fatalism.
Seated at her desk, Suzuna's cheeks were flushed red with excitement as she immersed herself in the new manuscript. Raize had yet to encounter any bottleneck; the scope of both stories continued to expand.
She had once worried whether he could handle such an enormous narrative. Now it was clear she'd been overthinking it—the stories only grew more compelling.
Just then, her assistant entered the office with a slightly troubled expression.
"Editor-in-chief, there's a bit of a problem."
Interrupted, Suzuna frowned and set the manuscript aside.
"Go on. What trouble now? With these two explosive titles, we should've already shut those people. Is it external?"
"Yes, Editor-in-chief."
The assistant nodded.
"Because we released Warhammer and Kajiri Kamui Kagura almost simultaneously, other publishing labels seem to be preparing a counteroffensive."
The assistant placed the compiled materials on Suzuna's desk. Suzuna's expression barely changed as she carefully read through them.
Indeed, just as reported, quite a few publishers were trying to challenge Shorinsha.
There were many capable authors, but only a few truly caught her eye:
The author of the twice-adapted super-popular work Legend of the Phantom Blade, Muramasa Senju.
The author of Explosive Dark Fairy, Yamada Elf, with sales exceeding one million copies.
Recently notable names like Izumi Masamune of Silver Wolf's Reincarnation, and Kasumigaoka Utaha of Love Metronome.
Heh. They really put in the effort.
Suzuna calmly searched up these authors' new releases on her computer and spent twenty minutes reviewing them. When she finished, a look of disdain appeared on her face.
"Only Muramasa Senju is passable. The others don't have much substance. Yamada Elf's and Izumi Masamune's new books aren't nearly as engaging as Kajiri Kamui Kagura. As for Kasumigaoka Utaha—romance-focused—she's already eliminated in this competition."
"Warhammer's readership spans students, young adults, and full-grown adults. Its quality and breadth are beyond their reach. And Kajiri Kamui Kagura…"
She didn't say the rest out loud.
Because Kajiri Kamui Kagura would be adapted into a story-driven game by Raize himself—the boss of Raiden Games, also known as Dugo-sensei.
Recently, Raiden Games' titles had exploded in popularity, with enormous traffic. That alone guaranteed another massive wave of promotion once the game launched.
At present, Warhammer's sales slightly exceeded Kajiri Kamui Kagura, but once the game was released, that balance would shift again.
As long as the quality remained this high, no one else stood a chance.
Why did she say Utaha was already out?
Because the youth campus romance market was limited in scope. Its reach simply couldn't compare to Warhammer. Even if new releases caused a short-term impact, it would be nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
As for Kajiri Kamui Kagura's fans—Japan never lacked otaku. Dugo-sensei's storytelling and book quality were unquestionable. It was hard to believe he was a debut author.
The heat behind Warhammer and Kajiri Kamui Kagura showed no sign of cooling. Both had the potential to become god-tier works. Otherwise, why would Shorinsha promote Dugo-sensei as "peaking at debut"?
"Competing in strength and foundation? You're nowhere close."
A cold smile appeared on Suzuna's refined face. She looked down at the manuscript in her hands, then thought again of Raize's identity.
As long as nothing went wrong on Raiden Games' side, Kajiri Kamui Kagura and Warhammer were guaranteed hits. The mutually beneficial relationship between Shorinsha and Raiden Games was something only Suzuna herself truly knew.
Warhammer's world had only revealed a corner so far, yet its brilliant and classic elements were already abundant. Readers who had been repressed for a long time felt an incomparable sense of release whenever a new twist appeared.
Kajiri Kamui Kagura had long since entered its stride. Raize already had the massive fourth heaven storyline fully prepared.
Anyone who read the opening would be firmly hooked. Though many readers complained about Dugo-sensei killing off so many beloved classic characters—
After all, Kajiri Kamui Kagura's structure mirrored real dynastic change. Many readers clung to past characters and stories, even resisting the arrival of a new era. Yet once the new story unfolded, they still read on.
They searched for remnants of the old era—only to be captured by the new one instead.
That was the true charm of Kajiri Kamui Kagura—utterly irresistible.
---
At the same time, within a chaotic dimensional rift where countless colors blended together, a group of three men and two women traveled inside a spherical bubble of distorted space.
One of them was Vali, who had previously crossed paths with Raize.
Another was a short-haired young man wearing a golden circlet, casually carrying a dark-red iron staff over his shoulder. He was Vali's friend and teammate—a monkey who had inherited the bloodline of the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Sun Wukong.
A blond man held a bottle emitting intense holy light—the power of the holy sword he carried was what maintained the bubble protecting them.
"Vali, weren't we heading to the Dimensional Gap to fight and train today? Why are we changing course?" the monkey complained impatiently, staring at the chaotic colors outside.
Monkeys hated staying still, and Bikou himself was battle-hungry—otherwise he wouldn't get along so well with Vali.
They'd planned to fight and gather resources in the Dimensional Gap, but their leader suddenly announced a detour.
"Don't tell me you found another interesting opponent, Vali?"
A crisp yet alluring female voice spoke.
One of the two women present—Kuroka Toujou—was dressed in a black kimono, her voluptuous figure accentuated, cat ears twitching atop her head. She held a box of chocolate sticks, one between her lips.
She knew Vali's personality well—a pure battle maniac and seeker of strength.
She'd once been interested in his dual identity as Lucifer and the White Dragon Emperor and had even proposed bearing his child. Vali, having little interest in women, had bluntly rejected her request.
Anything that could distract Vali from combat training had to be related to battle—or something beyond it.
"Is that so, Vali?"
Arthur Pendragon, the blond man in a suit and glasses holding the holy sword, glanced at Vali with a gentlemanly demeanor, seeking an explanation.
Vali's cold expression softened into an intrigued smile as he recalled Raize—the man who had left a deep impression on him.
"Yeah. I met someone interesting—someone I really want to fight. He might even become our teammate afterward."
The group nodded knowingly at the first part. But at the mention of "teammate," their interest was piqued.
"Vali-san, what kind of person is he?"
The other woman—a blonde, curly-haired girl in a British-style school uniform—asked curiously. Her name was Le Fay Pendragon.
Arthur was her older brother. Both were descendants of King Arthur. Arthur wielded the ultimate holy sword, the Sword of the King—Caliburn—capable of severing space itself, making him one of humanity's strongest candidates.
Le Fay herself was a genius mage, highly skilled and knowledgeable, capable of wielding advanced magic.
Kuroka was a nekomata of extraordinary power, once classified as an SS-rank rogue devil. After becoming a devil, her aptitude in sorcery and senjutsu was terrifying.
Now, she too was one of Vali's companions.
And Bikou—the descendant of Sun Wokung—needed no explanation.
This team had no ordinary members. Anyone Vali acknowledged was guaranteed to be exceptional.
"A human," Vali said after a moment of thought. "One who may be hosting an as-yet unknown Longinus."
"An unknown Longinus!?"
Bikou repeated in disbelief. The others were equally shocked. If that were true, such a being was indeed qualified to join them.
Arthur pushed his glasses up, a look of realization flashing in his eyes. No wonder Vali had changed course today—this was worth it.
Every Longinus wielder possessed extraordinary power. With proper development, reaching peak Maou-level(Peak Satan-class) combat strength was entirely possible.
And this one was an entirely new, unknown Longinus. If the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade learned of it, they'd stop at nothing to recruit him.
"Then, Vali—have you experienced his Sacred Gear's power firsthand?"
Kuroka asked, licking her lips with interest after finishing her chocolate stick.
Vali shook his head.
"We didn't fight. We only faced off briefly. But his power was holy—like Arthur's sword. It made my body tremble."
"His holy energy far surpassed that of the Seraphs and Cao Cao's True Longinus. Albion even said it reminded him of the God of Bible."
The description was shocking.
Stronger than Heaven's seraphs? Stronger than Cao Cao's True Longinus? Power that reminded Albion of the Biblical God!?
Bikou scratched his head, looking at Vali strangely.
"With that kind of holy power, you—an actual devil—still want to recruit him?"
"Why not?" Vali replied calmly. "Arthur wields the ultimate holy sword and he's our teammate. Inviting a human with even stronger holy power—what's the big deal?"
Arthur, who was caught up in the situation, showed a helpless expression. Could it really be the same?
Although his Caliburn could even cut through space, if that being with divine power was truly as Vali described, then his abilities would be no match.
Vali naturally understood his teammates' thoughts on the matter and said with a cold and deep gaze, "If we can recruit that guy, he would absolutely be a trump card against devils!"
The only other reincarnated devil present, Kuroka, shivered uncomfortably at Vali's words.
Although she knew she wasn't the target, the coldness in his tone made even this reincarnated devil tremble.
Arthur, who understood Vali's words better, pushed his glasses expressionlessly. He could roughly guess what Vali was thinking, but he had no interest in bringing it up himself.
Now, however, he was curious about the being Vali mentioned. Meeting them wouldn't hurt, and if they could become teammates, that would be something to celebrate.