Chapter 11 — Explosions. Literal? Figurative?
‘Phew’
Wiping the sweat from her brow—despite there not being any—Loki heaved a sigh as she surveyed the room that she had left in tatters due to her outburst. Everything was in a prim and proper manner, restored to how the place was before—not.
“Well, although I fixed it, everything’s crammed with Divine Energy. Not that it matters given his mastery in destruction. And if the Card’s right, anytime now, he’s gonna-!?”
Although faint, Loki sensed the chaotic maelstrom floors below, which could only mean one thing.
‘He’s back!’
Excitement welled up within her. Her Divine Energy thrummed in ways she forgot during these three years. Her body already quivering in anticipation, Loki could feel her mind revving up with all sorts of schemes to undermine and prank.
‘Aah~ It’s been so long since I felt like this! I know just the thing for his ‘Welcoming’ gift haha!’
Immediately vanishing in a burst of Divine Energy, Loki returned to the [Divine World].
* * * * *
*step*
His feet finally touching the ground, Yurei naturally waited until the vortex of energies around him settled down. While he waited, he felt a hint of nostalgia brush past him, a wave of apathy quickly drowning it.
“Hmm. Is there really a need for me to do this by the hand, Sky?” Asking so, Yurei slowly fused two one-foot thick, seven-feet wide square tiles at a right angle, barely a shimmer in the air as his Silver-blue Mana broke-down and reconnected all of the molecular bonds he could perceive.
“Yoisho. This is your home nya.” Sky replied as he slowly submerged two similarly fused tiles half-a-meter below the ground. “For such things Yu-nyan, the process is equally if not much more important than the end result you know nya?”
“Mmn.”
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But it is totally inefficient.
—Time-consuming as well—
++And boring as fuck++
“Tu-tu-tu. Efficiency isn’t everything Yu-nyan. When this is done, you’ll feel as content as when you finish your masochistic Spell Experiments nya! Or was it sadistic? Sometimes I can’t tell given how hard you’re on yourself nyaha-” *Flash* “Uwah! Oii! You almost burned my tail!”
“...It’s intact isn’t it? Plus my target wasn’t you.”
“What do you-! ? You shit! Attacking me while engraving! Two can play at that!!!”
“Bring it-!?”
“Nyahaha-!?”
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Hehe.
—Heh—
++Ahahaha!++
Tch.
Using the dormant Natural Energy within the lightless room, he was about to modify the room’s settings but stopped midway.
Moonlight.
Summoning his scythe, Yurei had it unfurl into a paper-thin inch-wide long strip, ordering it to wrap around his body from the soles of his feet to the tips of his furry cat-ears and tail.
Not taking any chances.
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Laws for World Travel Chamber |
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Did I really use such a bare-bone UI?
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WTC Laws — |
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| Implement [(2) — Divine World] Laws? | |
| Yes | No |
Much bet-!?
As the changes to the room took place, Yurei felt his Origin Energy rampage and explode. Were it not for Moonlight isolating him over the Construct Envy made, he would have suffered a greater backlash.
Crouching down, Yurei focused on the interaction between the Construct and the Laws, slowly revising and superimposing it on the bandages and mask protecting him. When no more Energy leaked out of his body and set off a chain reaction, Yurei sat down cross-legged in the room and braced himself.
Spoke too soon. This transition will hurt even more I guess.
| Implement [(3) — Earth] Laws? Transition from Immaterial to Material? | |
| Yes | No |
*spurt* *sizzle* *fwish*
“Haah.” *crackle*
Although he sensed it much more accurately with his perception, seeing it with his eyes was another matter altogether for Yurei. His skin ruptured from barely containing the three basic energies inside his physical body. Before his blood could soak and soil his clothes, it poured through the indiscernible gaps between the layers upon layers of inch-wide Moonlight strips and exploded in a gruesome manner when coming into contact with the space around him.
Halt everything barring the Nervous System.
As everything but neurons stopped their activity within Yurei’s body, he calmly felt the stationary blood within his veins easily provide surplus fuel despite utilizing 100% of his brain’s faculties. Tightening the bandages enveloping him, Yurei then manipulated the chaotic Natural Energy around him to slightly adjust the Constructs in accordance with the Laws of Earth.
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Finalizing the modifications, improvements and revisions, Yurei got up and walked towards the door a few steps away. Knowing fully well that, now it was solely his active control over his energies preventing another disastrous aftermath, he steadily turned the knob around, the coldness of the element soothing his already cold hands.
* * *
Tch. Of course they would raid my house. Three years is more than enough to pierce those flimsy wards.
Looking down the hall exasperatedly, Yurei noticed multiple traces of Divine Energy. The most ‘generous’ being—
Loki.
Knowing that it was better to get it over with, Yurei spread his perception throughout the mansion and instantly took down the wards, establishing new, more progressive ones. Yet sadly, he wasn’t fast enough as he hurriedly raised his head in reflex to the two masses of Divine Energy already within the barrier, momentarily losing grasp over his Mana.
*KABOOM!*
* * * * *
Moments prior to the barely manageable explosion, Loki was in the [Divine World] with four more individuals seated across the sofa as she emptied wine glass after wine glass.
<<What’s up with her? Guzzling such fine wine down like a depressed alcoholic?>>
<<It can only mean one thing Reincarnation>>
<<If it’s about him, then why drag me into this Fortune?>>
<<It’s because you care about him don’t you?>>
<<There’s no way I care about that obnoxious, precocious brat Fate!>>
<<You say that, yet you still haven’t dismissed the beer cans on the table>>
<<Tch>> “You gonna say what’s wrong Loki? If not, then I’m leaving.”
Dematerializing the beer cans littering the small coffee table, Reincarnation was about to leave when he, along with Fate, Fortune and Jesus felt their senses fool them.
“dead”
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“Huh?”
“He’s… Yurei’s… dead.”
“stop messing arou-!?” “This isn’t a funny jo-!?” “Oh really now-!?” “Do tell us, how-!?”
Thinking of it as another prank of hers, they were about to rebuke Loki for her poor taste when they felt their breath get caught in their throats, a foreboding sense of dread rising within them as they saw tears stream down Loki’s face as she gave a mirthless chuckle, waving her hand rather forcefully to materialise a transparent ball.
“That’s the thing… hehe, weren’t it for me, it would be crumbles already. Now ya know right, the fool’s really dead.”
Staring at the crack-riddled, crumbling form of a playing card with a familiar energy signature barely held together by the sphere surrounding it, while three looked on with disbelief, a certain loli kept her cool and played along as her eyes met Loki’s.
‘Figured it out eh?’
‘I have known you long enough to discern as such fufu.’
“N-no…”
Tagging in, Jesus hesitantly extended her hands to gently hold the orb, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes as her entire body trembled and shook at the devastating trauma her mind received.
“There’s no way that’s true!”
Snatching the globe out of Jesus’ hands, Reincarnation fiercely glared at it, his eyes trembling as he tried to figure it out. “This is just another prank of yours, I’m sure of it!”
Raising one hand, Reincarnation broke the sphere as Fate and Fortune closed their eyes and exhaled a despondent sigh, barely concealing their rampaging emotions.
*shatter*
The sound of glass shattering rippled through the room, everyone but Loki looking on with disbelief as the card finally crumbled to dust, scattering across the table and floor before fading away.
“Believe me now?” Loki asked snappishly as she waved the shards away, disappearing in a wave of energies as well.
* * *
<<I have to hand it to her>>
<<True, although in poor taste, she’s gotten better>>
<<But, given that she did this now…>>
<<Yes>>
<<Fufu~ He must already be here~>>
<<Speaking of>> “Umm, Reincarnation?”
“No… but… this?”
<<Ara, he totally fell for it~>>
<<Heh. Well, it shows how much he cares>>
<<Yes. I’m recording this as well. Hopefully with this, the two will finally make amends>>
“Reincarna-!?” “!?” “!?” “!?”
<PSYCHE! YOU ACTUALLY FELL FOR IT HAHAHAHA!!!>
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Silence befell the room as everyone but the person in question gauged his reaction. If the abrupt descent of Non-Sentient Divine Energy shocked Reincarnation—as well as every other Deity in the [Divine World]—Loki’s words were the trigger that brought him back.
His face twisted in rage, he stood up with a force that thundered across the room, taking off as he shouted with a Killing Intent perceived throughout the entire [Divine World].
<GET BACK HERE YOU IMBECILIC SCUM!>
Coincidentally or not, right as Yurei exploded due to the Divine Energy assaulting him, Reincarnation also exploded rather animatedly as he left a trail of carnage in his wake, not even Loki’s supposed family barring him as he trashed his abode.
* * * * *
“*cough* Haah. This… sucks.”
His throat a hybrid of frost and fire, Yurei felt his lungs burn and freeze with the first and last breath he took in the state he was in. Laying sprawled on the floor of his own house, he continued to convert all the Divine Energy surrounding him into Origin Energy before slowly taking it in. He laid there, vaporizing the ice that spread throughout the corridor before it could thaw when—
“Yo Yurei! How ya’ doing?!”
Hearing a familiar voice, Yurei looked up to see the face of a young teenage girl grinning mischievously at him.
*boom*
“Woah! What was that for?!”
Unable to speak, nor use his energies for Telepathy or Thought Transmission, Yurei used the Natural and Divine Energies around him to form a single word from the mist in front of Loki who backed away due to the small icy explosion near her feet.
『Miso gy ny』
“Ah~ right, right.” ‘Almost forgot the shit you did three years ago.’ “Sorry `bout that. Been so long since I last saw ya kay, hehe… Is this better?”
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“Well? Are you going to comment or am I actually having a conversation with a wall?”
『Why T m H d le ton ?』
“I could barely make that out. Well…” sitting down beside Yurei, Loki continued, “long story short, their franchise hit big and raked a lot of cash. What about you? What’s with the Mummy getup?”
『Shit fan』
“Heh. So shit hit the fan huh?”
Giving a barely perceptible nod, Yurei furthered his questioning.『Divine Energy?』
“Courtesy of yours truly plus a few other kind bastards. We all wanted to chain you here as a Deity after about… six months since you left. So we did what we could. We gave some ‘inspiration’ to a few Humans and… one thing led to another and now there’s an Evil Spirit named after you in a game called Ph@smóphōbīã. It can manipulate minds and shaves away at the player’s sanity. Oh, and the frost right here? Also one of its abilities. Nice right?”
Nice my life.
『Die.』
“*chuckle* Oh please, you know how much I like it when people compliment me, especially my friends and family.”
Hearing him say that made Yurei pause in his inefficient conversion of Divine Energy, barely any left. Resuming his task, he looked away from Loki when he uttered a hoarse crackle, tiny explosions occurring around his mask.
“sorry”
“Are you imitating King Explosion Murder? Because I have to say, that’s a rather decent imitation with all these explosions you’re setting off.”
“…”
“Hah fine, I already had my fun so… apology accepted. Just… know that there won’t be a next time. Capiche?”
『K』
“Good. Now tell me. What the fuck happe-” *BOOM* “…I don’t suppose you can let those four peer through, can you?”
Hearing Loki’s inquiry into the continuous ‘knocking’ at his doorstep, Yurei dismissively showed the screen at the corner of his vision.
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Unregistered Divine Perception Blocked! |
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3 Aspectual + 1 Aspect Wielder-level Deity back-tracked! |
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Number of Barred Penetrations: 69 |
“*chuckle* Must be the kind bastards I mentioned. Why don’t you get a hang of this while I inform them?”
Giving a nod, Yurei made another 『K』 before walking away, switching on the portable gaming console Loki just handed over and quickly getting accustomed to it.
* * *
Watching him walk in the same manner as he did all those years ago, Loki called out to him as he reverted back to his—her more prominent form.
“Hey, Yurei?”
Turning around, Yurei patiently waited as Loki scratched and messed up her already messy hair.
“Argh! Well... Welcome home ya shithead! I’m- well I guess we all are but you know what I mean don’t ya!? I’m glad that you’re back here in one piece hehe!”
Seeing her cheeky smile right before she left, Yurei turned around and walked away, leaving two messages for her.
“shut up.” 『thanks ya damn nerd』
“Heh- Hahahaha! You’re really going on with that character huh?! That’s fucking cute of you, ya know! Spoiler alert! That hothead almost dies cuz of the nerd, hahahaha!”
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Guess I should catch up on that manga as well.
