Chapter Title: Lemonia, the Light Deity
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jeon Yeol blatantly revealed his hostility, and the woman tilted her head.
"Why are you so wary of me?"
"Because I've seen you."
The woman wore an expression of utter incomprehension.
"I have no memory of seeing you."
"No, I saw you. In the future yet to come."
At that, the woman stared intently at Jeon Yeol before suddenly vanishing.
"Gasp!"
The woman who had disappeared reappeared behind Jeon Yeol.
She wrapped one arm lightly around his neck and pulled him close, resting her other hand on the crown of his head.
In that instant, Jeon Yeol felt something soft and yielding against the back of his skull.
It was the woman's breast.
She's this tall?
He hadn't noticed from a distance, but up close, she was practically a giant.
But she wasn't as large as Jeon Yeol imagined. She was simply floating in the air above him.
Jeon Yeol tried to shake her off.
Yet strangely, no strength would enter his body.
A moment later, the woman released him and vanished once more, only to reappear right before his eyes.
"I understand your reaction, Jeon Yeol. You've endured a truly horrific future."
"You... read my memories?"
"Yes. I'm sorry for doing so without permission. Until yesterday, there wasn't a single lifeform on Earth worthy of Master Call. I was about to give up and leave today when I spotted a faint light and came to investigate. It turned out to be you."
"What are you talking about? Are you planning to invade Earth ahead of the future I know?!"
The woman slowly shook her head.
She then pressed lightly against her chest with her right hand and spoke.
"My name is Lemonia. To stop my twin sister Demonnia, I'm summoning chosen beings across the universe through Master Call."
A faint smile touched Lemonia's lips at the end.
It was a minor gesture.
Yet somehow, that single small smile swiftly quelled Jeon Yeol's rising agitation.
It wasn't solely because her smile was breathtakingly radiant.
What Jeon Yeol now sensed was the profound magnanimity of an immense being—one he dared not challenge lightly.
Lemonia was striving to treat him, a far frailer existence, with genuine courtesy and respect.
"Has your anger subsided a little?"
"..."
Jeon Yeol nodded.
"As I said, my sister and I are twins. So it's only natural you'd misunderstand me at first glance. Still, yours is a truly unique case. To regress by inheriting the powers of other espers... Thanks to that, you're the only one on Earth qualified for Master Call."
Jeon Yeol had countless questions—about Master Call, about thwarting her twin sister.
But above all, he burned to know her true identity.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Lemonia, the one who governs light. If I vanish, light itself fades away. Conversely, my sister governs darkness. Thus, should one of us sisters disappear, the other follows. Light and darkness can only coexist."
"Are you saying right now... that you are light itself?"
"Yes. My sister and I embody the beginning and end of all things. We've preserved balance without clashing until now, but Demonnia grew greedy at some point. She now seeks to shroud the universe in darkness. Of course, she won't erase me entirely. Darkness requires even a sliver of light to exist."
The face Jeon Yeol had witnessed in his previous life.
That colossal visage looming over Earth for eight long days—it had been Demonnia.
"What exactly is Demonnia's goal?"
"I can't reveal that yet. But one thing is certain: her sister must be stopped. Before the dark races under her command invade a planet, I train its inhabitants to grow strong.
That's my mission. But worlds like Earth, teeming with feeble lifeforms, I abandon from the outset. Even summoned via Master Call, Earthlings fail to clear the first dungeon for years."
"What... exactly is this Master Call?"
"What makes one the true master of their planet? Someone with the power to defend it, surely. To forge such masters capable of shielding their worlds from the dark races, I summon the qualified. That's Master Call."
"Then what qualifies someone?"
"I'll explain using Earthlings as the benchmark for clarity."
Lemonia raised her right index finger.
"First: physical strength exceeding an Earthling's by a hundredfold or more."
She then extended her middle finger.
"Second: exceptional potential ability. One of these must apply. Potential ability here means the esper powers you know. But Earthlings lack physical might, and those with potential are rare—their strength negligible even when present."
"Then I meet the criteria?"
"Yes. An immense potential slumbers within you."
"But... after the aliens' first invasion, espers emerge among Earthlings injected with their Mana Hearts."
"Far too late. Preparation must begin now. You have six years left. Become stronger than the 'Rubian' who strike last."
"Rubian?"
"The mightiest of the dark races. Demonnia assaults target planets starting with her weakest minions, escalating levels step by step. For reference, the 'Phakum' who razed Earth are five full levels below the Rubian."
"Five levels..."
Jeon Yeol was speechless.
Alien invaders grew more than twice as formidable with each wave.
The gulf between even single levels was vast.
Yet the Phakum—who he'd deemed the ultimate apocalypse—lagged five levels behind Rubian.
How much more monstrous can they be?
Jeon Yeol, convinced Phakum were the pinnacle of terror, plunged into despair.
Lemonia watched him quietly for a moment before continuing.
"Don't lose yourself to despair. If you conquer the trial I offer, you can surely safeguard Earth."
"Impossible. I've faced alien might firsthand. All of humanity united couldn't halt them. Now you expect me alone to stand against them? No way."
"I never said to fight alone."
"...Pardon?"
"You'll grasp my meaning in time. The key point is this: as you know, Earth will soon draw Demonnia's gaze, and the dark races will descend."
"Then why dispatch the weak first? Stronger forces from the start would conquer planets effortlessly."
Lemonia's face clouded faintly at the question.
With a bitter smile, she replied.
"My sister revels in this game. Like a child at play... She's steeped in pure, unadulterated evil. She acts without a shred of malice, yet to her victims, she appears the very embodiment of malevolence..."