When he heard this, Finn's expression turned grave.
"Are you serious?"
Ais nodded firmly.
"Alright, I understand."
Finn didn't question it further. He knew Ais wouldn't joke about something this serious. Immediately, he stood and issued an urgent command.
"Cease all operations. Begin retreat immediately. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Return to the surface and the Familia headquarters at full speed. We must get back in the shortest time possible."
His order was swift and absolute.
Hearing the seriousness in his voice, the members of Loki Familia were momentarily stunned. But they quickly complied, rising to action.
"Leave behind anything unnecessary. Travel light. Move now."
Seeing everyone still packing, Finn interrupted.
"Good grief, why are you packing? We need to go now!"
World fusion wasn't a joke.
Ais had mentioned it before, and Finn understood the potential scale of chaos. With unknown worlds coming into contact, anything could happen. Escaping now was the smart move.
Drop whatever isn't essentialit wasn't worth risking their lives for. Loki Familia wasn't short on money.
Orders were absolute during an expedition. Finn's word was law.
No one argued. They tossed aside non-essentials and began the retreat.
Though the journey had been difficult on the way in, the return was much faster. Most of the monsters had already been cleared. That, and they weren't making stops this time.
They followed their original path back up.
Lower dungeon levels rarely saw other Familia members, so they moved without hindrance.
It wasn't until they reached higher levels that they encountered other adventurers.
Seeing Loki Familia retreating shocked many.
Weren't they supposed to be on an expedition?
Why were they back already? And so fast?
The sight of Loki Familia's swift retreat confused many. Familiar adventurers ran up to inquire.
"Captain Finn, you're retreating?"
To those questions, Finn responded:
"Yes. If you have no urgent business here, I advise you to return as well. Something major is about to happen."
He didn't elaborate.
Some things couldn't be discussed openly.
He had already given fair warning. Whether others listened was up to them.
With that, Finn led his group forward.
After Loki Familia left, the remaining adventurers looked at each other.
"Captain, what should we do?"
"Can we trust what he said?"
Some asked their own leaders.
Though they didn't know what Finn meant exactly, it clearly implied something serious was coming.
Their leaders quickly made decisions:
"We're heading back. Right now. Don't stay here."
Everyone respected Loki Familia and its captain. If they were retreating, something major must be up.
No one would abandon a major expedition for trivial reasons.
So, they started returning as well.
Even solo adventurers seeing the mass retreat dared not linger.
Who knew what might happen next?
Better to follow the main group out.
...
Ais: [I'm already heading back.] [Nothing has happened yet on our end.] [The world fusion probably hasn't started.]
On the way back, Ais checked the chat group.
Most of the messages were from Fujiwara Chika and the others.
They were currently doing missions and sharing what they saw.
The chat was flooded with gore.
Photo after photo of zombies.
If there was a report button, the group would've been deleted several times over.
Takumi: [Let Loki know.] [Get him to prepare a bit.] [Also notify the other gods. Whether it's by divine message or any other method, don't wait until the fusion begins and everything goes into chaos.]
So, Ais was heading back? Obedient girl.
Not bad.
That world of Ais's was manageable.
Some gods just liked having funnot inherently bad.
Once the fusion occurred, just have them keep their followers in check.
If anyone tried to stir trouble, Takumi wouldn't be polite.
With so many worlds fusing, there were bound to be troublemakers.
He never doubted that.
And if they caused problems then the solution was simple:
If the trouble couldn't be solved, then solve the troublemaker.
You're getting in the way of my points!
Takumi wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them.
Ais: [Understood! I'll talk to Loki as soon as I return.]
She took it seriously.
Originally, she thought the mission had nothing to do with her.
But now... it was her world involved?
Unbelievable!
Still, it wasn't all bad. After the fusion, she might be able to travel freely to Takumi's side.
She was secretly looking forward to it.
After chatting for a bit, Takumi was about to continue exploring.
But perhaps the heavens thought he had too much free time.
Prometheus's voice suddenly rang out.
"Spatial fluctuations detected."
Takumi froze.
Was it starting already?
Chapter 256: These Beasts... Are Really Weak!
Caught completely off guard.
Takumi hadn't expected the fusion to start so suddenly. A new world was already beginning to merge?
"Where is it happening?"
"Is the first wave of fusion starting already?"
Takumi was surprised, but he didn't overthink it. Instead, he began preparing.
Prometheus sent the coordinates directly to Takumi. Once he received them, he sprang into action.
"Alright, Kazuma, enjoy yourself. We have some work to do."
With that, Takumi left Kazuma behind and opened a spatial portal to get to work.
Just then, Eris returned.
"Lord Takumi, please wait for me!"
Eris hurried over, determined to go with him.
Meanwhile, Aqua had finally digested everything that was going on. She was still somewhat dazed. Who could've expected something this outrageous to happen?
Their world was merging with others? Who would believe that?
If Eris hadn't told her, she never would've believed it. But it was true. Heaven had even given her orders: Don't cause trouble.
To Aqua, that was infuriating. What did they mean by "don't cause trouble"? Was she that untrustworthy?
Unbelievable!
Though Aqua was annoyed, there was nothing she could say.
Takumi and the others departed immediately, heading toward the coordinates where spatial fluctuations had been detected. The location wasn't far, so they arrived quickly.
The place was a forest. Was this where Aqua had been dunked like a pig in water?
Takumi muttered to himself as he scanned the surroundings. He could already feel the intense spatial energyso strong that it was visible to the naked eye.
The space above the forest rippled like the surface of a lake. It trembled and wavered, as if something were about to emerge.
Gradually, cracks began to appear.
Seeing this, Herta quickly pulled out some devices she had specifically brought along for monitoring inter-world spatial fusion.
Data acquisition. Exploring the principle.
That was what Herta was most excited about.
If she could gather enough data on how worlds merged and understand the mechanism, perhaps she could open interdimensional portals herself in the future.
She'd even set machines to analyze the chat group's travel portal when they first arrived. Once she returned, she planned to study those findings in detail.
But now, she had to gather as much data as possible about this fusion.
Soon, data began flooding the screens of her devices.
Herta stared at them intensely, her eyes shining brighter with excitement.
"Two spatial frequencies... colliding and merging continuously."
"Good grief, this is literally forcing two different spatial dimensions into one!"
She couldn't help but exclaim.
It was absurd!
Herta's research enthusiasm was boundless. Takumi glanced at her but didn't comment.
Becausesomething was coming through!
The fusion between the two worlds was beginning to show results. It seemed the other side was also a forest.
Takumi could clearly feel space stretching. Trees, rocks, and natural elements from the other world began seeping into their own.
A brand-new forest started merging with the one they were in.
The trees and plants were clearly different. The unfamiliar species stood outflora that this world could never have produced. The differences in species were obvious.
That forest was being forcibly inserted into theirs.
The two spaces collided, and various plants began to intermingle chaotically. Even animals from the other world started appearing.
"Something's not right."
"The animals merging in... seem pretty weak."
Takumi rubbed his chin thoughtfully and decided to investigate.
He still didn't know what the other world was. Since it had begun merging, maybe he could trace the spatial coordinates and locate the source?
He didn't hesitate.
Using his spatial authority, Takumi locked onto the origin of the disturbance. After a short attempt, his eyes lit up.
He'd found it.
The two worlds had already begun approaching. The forest was just the beginning.
With a flick of his hand, Takumi opened a massive spatial portal.
The portal led to the dimensional riftthe space outside of worlds.
If the world were Earth, then the rift was like the atmosphere. Dangerous and turbulent.
Through the portal, everyone saw swirling spatial storms and violent riftsnormal in this realm. Without significant power, one could be torn apart in an instant.
Just sensing the energy made Bronia and the others take several steps back in fear.
"What are you doing?"
"This place is terrifying. Why open a portal here out of nowhere?"
Houraisan Kaguya was puzzled.
"I'm heading to the other world. I'll stay there for now. If anything happens, contact me through the chat group."
"Let me check it out firstsee what kind of world we're dealing with."
Without another word, Takumi stepped into the rift.
He didn't bring the othersthey couldn't withstand the spatial pressure. Plus, someone had to stay behind and monitor this world.
After he left, the others looked at one another.
"Let's split up and keep watch."
"Be on guard."
"These beasts... are really weak!"
Herta examined the monsters.
She couldn't help but complain.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Indeed, these creatures weren't very strong. They could handle them easily.
Everyone promptly got to work, setting up defenses.
"I'll report to the guild!"
Seeing the situation, Eris quickly spoke up. The monsters in the first wave weren't powerful. She would notify the guild so they could send some adventurers.
"No problem! Thanks for running over."
Herta agreedno point in wasting resources.
Eris took off immediately.
As soon as she left, Herta froze one of the beasts and began dissecting it for research.
Chapter 257: Scum Are Not People
Were these magical beasts special in some way?
Herta was intensely curious. Just as she caught one for study, she paused in surprise. These beasts were they absorbing mana?
It was faint, but Herta had definitely sensed it. Having researched mana thoroughly, especially after her exchange with Hakase, she knew what she was sensing. With that confirmation, Herta blinked and immediately shared her findings in the group chat.
Herta: [Something's off. These beasts that fused in just started absorbing mana?] [They clearly didn't have any before.]
While Takumi was in another world, he received Herta's message and glanced up at the massive creature before him.
A dragon.
There wasn't the slightest trace of mana on its body, and yet it was capable of flying through clouds and mist. Takumi's arrival had startled it awake, but before it could act, he directly suppressed its consciousness and began reading its memoriesfrom birth to present.
Through this, Takumi slowly understood what kind of world this was.
Danger Beasts.
Thousands of years ago, humans had brought armies to this place and fought this creature, even harvesting some of its hair.
Now it was clear to Takumi. This world was the world of Akame ga Kill.
Super-class Danger Beasts.
Takumi quietly muttered to himself as he looked at the dragon. Its hair had been turned into an Imperial Arm.
So that's how it is.
This world's upper echelons were utterly rotten. If they ever learned about the existence of other worlds, their first instinct would surely be to conquer them.
You could never underestimate the darkness of their hearts.
With that realization, Takumi made up his mind. Time for a massive purge.
But waithis mission was to protect humanity.
Would a purge risk mission failure?
He opened the group chat interface and navigated to the AI assistant module. Since he wasn't sure, he'd just ask directly. If he didn't know, the chat system certainly would.
He typed in his question: "This world's humanoids are too dark. If I purge them, will I fail the mission?"
He fully intended to execute the worst of the upper class.
The reply was swift: [No.] [Scum are not people.]
Takumi couldn't help but smile at the answer.
"So scum aren't considered people, huh?"
"I get it."
Takumi: [Figured out what world this is.] [It's Akame ga Kill.] [Image attached.]
He also posted the chat system's answer.
Everyone who had seen the anime was speechless.
Bronya: [Scum are not people huh.]
Fujiwara Chika: [You're gonna purge that world? Sounds like a hassle!]
Megumi Kato: [Emm yeah, some of those people definitely don't count as human.]
Zhongli: [Akame ga Kill, huh? I watched that recently. Not exactly uplifting.] [That empire's already completely decayed.]
In Takumi's world, Zhongli had downloaded many animeespecially ones about human governance. He found them quite thought-provoking. After watching Akame ga Kill, he'd even wondered: if he entrusted Liyue fully to humans, would it end up the same way in a few hundred years?
Human nature cannot withstand temptation.
Some people in that world truly didn't qualify as human.
Herta: [So that makes three confirmed worlds so far.] [KonoSuba, DanMachi, and Akame ga Kill.] [The main course hasn't shown up yet, has it?]
The task was said to involve several worlds, and the rewards were unusually high. The worlds known so far couldn't possibly justify the points given. Even DanMachi, for all its divine residents, was relatively weak.
Takumi: [Exactly.] [To be blunt, these worlds aren't worth that many points.]
The real main dish must be on its way. But what kind of world would justify such high rewards?
With the confirmation that purging wouldn't affect his mission, Takumi relaxed. Time to clean house before the worlds fully merged.
