Mai hadn't responded because she didn't know. Could anyone really fall in love with someone they had only known for a few days? Unless it was love at first sight, but Mai didn't think of herself as that shallow.
After clearing the street of Kabane, Rei Ao felt a rush of 'experience' flowing into him, bringing him joy.
"Killing Kabane really does allow me to level up."
But he wasn't just freezing the Kabane in place. He had frozen their energy and cells, leaving them dead and shattered into icy fragments.
Turning to Ayame Yomogawa, he said, "Weren't you planning to head for the Kotetsujyo? Lead the way."
"!!!"
Ayame quickly shook off her shock and pointed in the direction. "That way."
Leading the group to the Kotetsujyo:
[Ding! Trade completed!]
The knowledge of basic archery flowed into Rei Ao's mind, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
Ayame Yomogawa immediately started preparing to get the Kotetsujyo moving, but Rei Ao grabbed her hand.
Ayame, thinking he wanted to claim his reward, pleaded, "Please be patient, my lord. Once the Kotetsujyo has left Iwato Station, I will give myself completely to you."
Everyone around them finally understood. It seemed that Ayame-sama had offered herself in service to this 'god' in exchange for his protection. They were all in awe, realizing that Ayame-sama truly had no intention of abandoning them, going so far as to offer her purity to this deity.
Hearing this, Rei Ao's forehead creased in exasperation.
"Do I really seem that eager?" he thought.
"I was going to say, don't start the Kotetsujyo yetturn the steam whistle to its maximum volume."
"What?"
Ayame was horrified. "Turning the whistle to full volume will attract all the Kabane!"
Rei Ao gave a calm smile.
"Exactly. I want them to come."
"That way... I can kill them all."
Resisting Rei Ao was something Ayame couldn't do. The others certainly couldn't either.
"Woo woo woo!!!"
The whistle of the Kotetsujyo was turned to full volume.
Inside, everyone was filled with unease.
On top of the train, Ayame looked worried, while Mumei curiously watched Rei Ao.
"Is he really a god?" she wondered.
She didn't know.
But soon enough, she would witness a power akin to that of a god.
"Rumble rumble!"
The ground trembled as a deafening roar approached. In the distance, a massive horde of Kabane surged forward, like a dark flood, rushing in from all directions.
"So many!" Mumei exclaimed, her mouth agape.
"This many Kabane... there's no way we can kill them all. Shouldn't we be fleeing?"
"Flee? That won't be necessary."
What a joke.
This was exactly what Rei Ao had been waiting for.
With at least ten thousand Kabane charging toward him, all he could see was an endless sea of 'experience points'!
For the first time, he got serious. His expression became stern as he stretched out his arms.
"!!!"
Everyone felt the temperature drop dramatically.
But the biggest change was in the sky.
Freeze!
Rei Ao froze the water in the air, and in a radius of several hundred meters, the sky became filled with countless ice spears, each half a meter long. The sheer density of the ice spears darkened the sky, leaving everyone watching with chills running down their spines.
As the Kabane entered his range, Rei Ao's eyes narrowed.
"Fall!"
At his command, the ice spears rained down from the sky.
*Ding ding ding!!!*
The sound of ice colliding echoed loudly.
Below, the Kabane were obliterated. The ice spears pierced through them easily, shattering or skewering them. The Kabane couldn't even get close to the Kotetsujyo.
Moreover, under Rei Ao's control, the ice spears continuously fell and reformed, ensuring that no Kabane could advance.
"God... That lord is truly a god!"
"Could this be the domain of an ice god?!"
This god-like display left everyone in the Kotetsujyo filled with awe. Their reverence for Rei Ao reached its peak.
While the cold wind howled, Ayame Yomogawa nearly lost her balance.
A strong, warm hand pulled her into a firm embrace.
"Careful now, you haven't paid your reward yet."
"Rei Ao-sama..."
Ayame stared up at his calm face in a daze, her heart filled with as much admiration as anyone else watching.
~~~
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50 Advance Chapters!
Chapter 19: Black Smoke aka. Fused Colony
The ground and buildings were covered in a thick layer of ice. The Kabane that had been roaming around were now frozen like statues, completely immobilized.
Everyone, including Mumei and Ayame Yomogawa, had the same thought in their minds:
"Is this the work of a god?!"
In the chat group, there was one person particularly captivated.
Frieren: "As expected, he's getting stronger through battle."
She watched closely, observing Rei Ao's every move. The expanding ice field resembled a domain, and Rei Ao's control over it seemed to be improving.
Moreover, nearly two hours had passed, yet there was no sign of Rei Ao's power running out. In fact, he seemed completely at ease.
This further confirmed Frieren's hypothesis: Rei Ao was special. She wanted to study just how far he could grow through this method. It was a fascinating new research topic for her, beyond her usual focus on defeating demons, studying magic, and... researching human mating habits.
Stella: "Tsk... it's been almost two hours, and these monsters just keep coming?"
Ayame Yomogawa: "That's how Kabane are."
Ayame explained, "Anyone bitten by a Kabane turns into one themselves. As long as humans keep getting injured, the Kabane will keep coming."
Saeko Busujima: "They're similar to the zombies in my world."
Sakurajima Mai: "Why do so many of your worlds have these apocalypse-like scenarios with zombie outbreaks?"
Saeko Busujima: "Who knows? No one wants to face the end of the world."
Akame: "Wait, something seems strange about the Kabane."
Kato Megumi: "Hmm, they're not moving forward anymore. They seem to be retreating toward a mountain."
Stella: "Maybe they're scared? Rei Ao is pretty... persistent."
Kato Megumi: "Persistent?"
Saeko Busujima: "That's true."
Ayame Yomogawa: "Eh?"
Stella initially didn't think she had said anything wrong, but when she noticed the direction of the conversation, her face turned red.
Flustered, she quickly clarified. "I-I meant his strength, okay?!"
Frieren: "That doesn't make sense. Kabane are supposed to be mindless and emotionless. How could they feel fear?"
Rei Ao: "It's not fear. Something big is about to be born."
As the Kabane stopped advancing, Rei Ao dispelled the icy domain of spears in the sky. His eyes fixed on the mountain where the Kabane were gathering.
Ayame Yomogawa: "Rei Ao-sama, do you know what's happening?"
Ayame had been leaning into his embrace the whole time, feeling an inexplicable sense of safety. Her voice softened naturally.
"A big one is coming."
"A... big one?"
*Boom!!!*
As Rei Ao finished speaking, the ground trembled violently.
*Roar!!!*
A massive roar shook the earth as a colossal black creature rose from behind the mountaina behemoth towering over a hundred meters tall.
Though it appeared alive, its entire body was composed of countless Kabane, fused together into one gigantic entity.
"It's the Black Smoke!!!" Mumei shouted, her eyes full of tension.
Black Smoke was created when a Kabane formed a core and merged with countless others to become a gigantic entity. It would continue to absorb both humans and Kabane, growing ever larger. Some Kabane within it were already dead, while others, separated from the main body, could still move independently. Even if part of it was destroyed, it could quickly reassemble. The core, glowing blue, was protected by several layers of Kabane. Destroying the core was the only way to kill it.
Mumei was about to warn Rei Ao to be cautious, but she noticed a smirk of excitement on his face.
"Good, all gathered together. It'll save me time and let me enjoy my leisure afterward."
Rei Ao looked down at Ayame and reminded her, "Now's a good time to prepare to pay your part of the deal."
Ayame met his gaze, feeling her body go weak, but there was still concern in her eyes. Mustering her courage, she kissed him lightly on the corner of his lips before stepping away from his embrace.
"Rei Ao-sama, please return safely."
Rei Ao grinned. "Don't worry."
"I still have an hour leftI wouldn't want to waste it."
With that, he crouched low and launched himself into the air, soaring toward the blue core of the Black Smoke.
In the blink of an eye, he was face to face with the massive creature.
*Roar!!!*
Sensing Rei Ao's approach, the Black Smoke let out a furious roar. The Kabane surrounding the core quickly moved to shield it in layers. The creature instinctively understood the need to protect its core.
But Rei Ao didn't care how well-guarded the core was.
*Roar!!!*
The Black Smoke swung a massive hand toward him.
Kato Megumi: "Ao-kun, watch out!"
Sakurajima Mai: "Dodge!"
Ayame Yomogawa: "Rei Ao-sama!"
Several in the chat group cried out in alarm, but Rei Ao remained unfazed. Calmly, he clenched his fist.
"Hey, have you ever seen a fist the size of a sandbag?"
*Roar!!!*
The Black Smoke let out another deafening roar, but it wasn't in response to him.
"Well, let me show you."
With that, he punched forward with all his might.
*Boom!*
A massive shockwave echoed as the air itself seemed to explode. From the perspective of the onlookers, the Black Smoke froze in place for a moment.
Then, something strange happened.
The massive body of the Black Smoke began to change.
Ice!
Ice rapidly spread from the core throughout the entire body, freezing everything solid. Cracks started to form.
The hundred-meter-tall behemoth shattered inch by inch, pieces of its body falling to the ground as solid ice blocks.
Its core, along with every Kabane inside, was frozen completelyshattering into tiny fragments of ice from the inside out with a single punch!
~~~
You can read up to Chapter 69 in my Patreon and other stories!
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50 Advance Chapters!
Chapter 20: Trade Ongoing *cough*
Stella: "Did he just... take it down with one punch?"
Frieren: "Interesting technique, gathering cold energy into his fist and releasing it all at once."
Frieren: "Judging by the degree of fragmentation, that monster called 'Black Smoke' was completely frozen and shattered."
Frieren: "@Rei Ao, your power doesn't seem to be just about controlling ice or cold energy, right?"
Rei Ao: "Yeah, my ability is a bit more unique."
Rei Ao didn't doubt that in the future, he could freeze space, time, or even more abstract concepts. This was the true potential of conceptual abilities.
Akame: "So strong."
Akame: "If I make a deal, can you come help Night Raid?"
Rei Ao: "Haha, I'm always open to deals. The more, the better."
At this point, Rei Ao felt confident enough to accept Akame's kind of requests. After clearing out nearly 100,000 Kabane in the area, his level had skyrocketed.
[Name]: Rei Ao
[Level]: 28
[Abilities]: "Freeze," "Self," "True Sight," "Conversion," "Blessing," "Cognitive Disappearance," "Basic Archery," "Busujima Style Swordsmanship"
[Description]: You possess the power to make a town disappear from the world.
He had gained eight levels in one go! The Kabane were even better for experience than the zombies from Saeko's world. Rei Ao could feel his power growing to the point where he could likely destroy an entire citythough just a little shy of that level. If he were to face Esdeath, he still wasn't certain of a guaranteed victory, but he no longer feared her.
But now, something more pressing was on his mind.
Rei Ao: "Let's talk about deals later. I've got important business to take care of. Gotta go."
Stella: "Pfft, important business? You mean more shameless activities, don't you?"
Back at Rei Ao's house...
"You see?" Sakurajima Mai gave Kato Megumi a playful look, now more confident. "He's a pervert. Do you really think I'd fall for someone like that?"
But Megumi's response left her stunned.
"Oh, Sakurajima-san doesn't like Rei Ao-kun? That's a relief."
"Huh? Why is that a relief?"
Megumi nodded calmly. "Because... I like Rei Ao-kun."
"Huh?!"
After eliminating the Kabane in the area, the Ktetsuj (Iron Fortress) resumed its journey. Everyone, having narrowly escaped death, revered Rei Ao as if he were a god. They had witnessed a miracle and fully believed he was divine.
As for Rei Ao, he wasn't interested in being worshiped as a god. At the moment, he was more focused on indulging in one of life's greatest pleasures.
"Oh, you prepared this carriage specially for me?" Rei Ao entered the carriage where Ayame Yomogawa was waiting to fulfill her part of the deal.
The surrounding carriages had been cleared out, and no one complained. They all knew that Ayame was about to serve the 'divine being,' and this was seen as an honorable duty. Some had even begun teaching their children that they should aspire to be like Ayame.
Inside the carriage Ayame had prepared, there was a neatly made bed on the floor and a large wooden tub filled with hot water in the adjacent carriage.
Now, it was just the two of them.
Ayame, too nervous to meet Rei Ao's gaze, spoke timidly, "Rei Ao-sama, please allow me to bathe first."
"Bathe, huh?"
Rei Ao glanced at the large wooden tub that could fit two or three people and grinned. "Sure."
He scooped Ayame up into his arms.
"Huh?"
Meanwhile, Kurusu groaned as he held his bandaged head.
Grimacing in pain, he recalled the moment he had been knocked unconscious with a single kick. That man...
"Wait! Where is Ayame-sama?!"
Worried about her safety, Kurusu urgently questioned the people around him. At first, they flinched, but then they gave him looks of disdain. Word had already spread that this man had offended the divine being. Even though he was a samurai, he had lost all respect in their eyes.
Unbeknownst to Kurusu, Rei Ao had already become revered as a god by everyone on the Ktetsujhis status now even higher than Ayame's.
Kurusu, unaware of the full situation, sensed that something had changed. Grabbing one of the men by the collar, he demanded, "Tell me, where is Ayame-sama?!"
The man, unafraid, looked him in the eye and sneered, "Ayame-sama is currently serving the divine being. What do you want?"
