The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Chapter 774 - 774

Early morning, a crimson sun slowly rose from the horizon.The golden sunlight illuminated the sea, making it crystal clear and transparent. At a glance, it felt like being in a fairy tale world, breathtakingly beautiful.

Located in the center of the Pacific Ocean, Demon Sanctuary Island had no obstructions around it, allowing sunlight to pour into the city unimpeded.

Especially when living on the top floor of an apartment building, with no other structures taller than your own home, waking up in the morning became a form of torture.

The sunlight shone directly on your face, and even the curtains couldn't block its enthusiasm, making it impossible to sleep peacefully in your drowsy state.

"Haah..."

Eiji sat up from the bed, yawned, and wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes.

"So why did I have to choose the top floor of this apartment building?"

He scratched an itch while muttering complaints under his breath.

Truth be told, after living here for so many years, he had mostly gotten used to it.

But recently, after his "True Spirit Awakening" and synchronizing memories with his other two selves, he had become sentimental again.

His self from Chivalry of a Failed Knight, after resolving the troubles with Kanata the rich lady, saw two lines of text appear on the portal just two days later.

It was quite strange.

Previously, he would typically spend at least one or two months in each world before the name of the next world appeared, but this time, less than ten days had passed before he could traverse again.

Since he could traverse again, Eiji decided not to participate in the KOK League anymore. Competing in tournaments would at most earn him an international ranking, perhaps some better reputation and more money. But he was already world-famous and cooperating with the Kichijouji Conglomerate, so he didn't need to worry about money. There was no need to break into the international scene - continuing to traverse was much better.

From another perspective, Eiji could almost be considered the strongest in the Chivalry of a Failed Knight world, having already achieved his milestone goals.

His next goal, of course, was to become the strongest in other worlds, continuously embarking on journeys of self-transcendence - that was his true ideal!

This time, two worlds appeared simultaneously on the portal.

One was Konosuba World, which he had visited before.

The other was this current world, "Strike the Blood."

After bidding farewell to Kanata the rich lady, Eiji stepped through the portal.

Then, as expected, his soul split into two again, reincarnating into the Strike the Blood world where he spent fourteen years of life, only recently awakening.

"My Failed Knight self returned to Konosuba World, and my Type-Moon self... wow, went to the Sixth Lostbelt?"

Eiji maintained synchronization with his other two selves, marveling at the situation.

His consciousness had miraculously split into three parts, each controlling one self, with all three selves connected without any barriers.

Somehow, he felt like his soul had grown stronger again.

There was no particular reason - it was purely a feeling.

Maybe it was just an illusion.

Patting his cheeks twice, Eiji stopped letting his thoughts wander.

He got out of bed, took off his pajamas, revealing his well-trained and perfectly proportioned muscular body, then put on his school uniform with the white shirt base, smoothed down his hair that had been flattened while sleeping, made himself presentable, and finally walked out of the room.

Leaving the bedroom door behind and passing by the adjacent guest rooms, Eiji descended the stairs and entered the spacious living room.

The layout somewhat resembled Mrs. Pendragon's home.

"Go brush your teeth and wash your face. Later, I have something to ask you."

Someone was already waiting in the living room.

A petite figure was nestled in the soft sofa, holding a freshly printed morning newspaper in fair hands.

From Eiji's angle, only a cascade of jet-black long hair was visible, flowing like a waterfall.

"Okay."

Eiji responded casually and walked into the bathroom.

His teeth were brushed until they gleamed white, and not a trace of oil or stubble was left on his face.

Because this guardian was extremely picky about her housemates.

"Takeout again?"

After freshening up, Eiji returned to the living room and poked at the plastic bag on the table.

"As a guardian, you only feed me takeout every day, and the kitchen is just for show. I think there's something seriously wrong with you, Nanami-chan!"

"Quit complaining. You should be grateful I'm not making you pay for it!"

The girl on the sofa put down the newspaper, revealing a flawless face filled with displeasure.

She looked less like a girl and more like a child.

Appearing to be only around ten years old, she had the stature of an elementary school student. Though her features were delicate, they were undeniably youthful.

She wore an extravagant gothic lace dress, and despite being indoors, she held a lace parasol. Her waist-length black hair cascaded naturally down her back.

"And don't add '-chan' to your guardian's name!"

She pulled out a folding fan from nowhere and mercilessly smacked Eiji on the forehead.

"Ow! That hurts!"

Eiji rubbed his forehead, grumbling in annoyance.

"Ugh, the same place again? I'm so sick of this..."

Ignoring the minor irritation—this was just part of their years-long routine—Eiji took out the breakfast from the bag. As he peeled off the plastic lid, the aroma wafted out.

But after eating the same thing for half a year, Eiji was truly fed up.

He had no idea how Nanami-chan could stand it.

"Shut up and eat quietly."

The childlike guardian glared at him coldly.

Despite her youthful appearance, her words carried an undeniable authority that made it hard to refuse.

Eiji gave an OK sign and dug into his breakfast.

"You skipped class yesterday?"

"You found out already?"

Eiji looked at Nanami in surprise between mouthfuls of food.

"Did you plant a spy on me? Do you have a crush on me?"

"Thwack!"

The guardian's expression darkened, and she smacked him again with the fan.

It was unclear how it worked, but every strike packed enough force to make someone cry.

"What were you doing?"

Nanami stared at him intently.

Her gaze suggested that if he didn't answer truthfully, she'd beat him to death with that fan.

"I went to Akira's place to hang out!"

Eiji rubbed his sore forehead, answering reluctantly.

"Akira..."

"Yeah, my classmate. Ask him if you don't believe me!"

Eiji declared with absolute confidence.

"I know."

Nanami's expression remained indifferent, as if she had no interest in the classmate he mentioned.

Her pale blue eyes remained fixed on Eiji.

"What did you guys play?"

"He said there was something good at his house!"

Eiji looked at Natsuki Minamiya with a meaningful expression.

"Something good... Tch!"

Natsuki Minamiya clicked her tongue in irritation, already having a rough idea what kind of stuff it was. With teenage boys, you could tell what they were up to just from how they acted.

"Whatever, I won't press further. As punishment, your allowance for the next month is zero."

"Stop it! I haven't had any allowance for several months already!"

"If you know that much, then behave yourself in class!"

A vein bulged on Natsuki Minamiya's forehead as she shouted at him angrily, like a roaring lioness.

"Such a handful..."

She massaged her temples, her face full of annoyance.

"One more thing."

She sighed, her eyes growing cold and sharp.

"Absolutely don't cause any trouble. Otherwise, I'll deal with you immediately!"

"I know, I know!"

Eiji said with a cheerful smile.

"After all, that's our agreement!"

Eiji's gaze shifted slightly.

The newspaper Natsuki had left on the table caught his eye, the front page facing up.

"〈Nilepuxi Interim Autonomous District Council Chairman Baltasar Zacharias was attacked by unknown assailants before arriving in port yesterday. His current condition is unknown...〉"

Looking at his obedient smiling face, Natsuki Minamiya didn't let her guard down in the slightest.

Four years ago, when this brat caused that major incident that swept through Itogami Island...

He had smiled just as innocently then.

...

"Natsuki-chan, why won't you ever bring me along when you teleport?"

"Young people should walk more. It's good for your health. Remember to lock the door."

After leaving those cold words, Natsuki Minamiya's figure suddenly vanished.

She was a state-certified Attack Mage, known as the "Witch of the Void," particularly skilled in spatial control magic. She served as an Attack Mage instructor for the Artificial Island Security Force and commanded high respect.

"Yare yare."

Eiji shook his head.

He put on a face mask and sunglasses, pulled up his hood to completely conceal his face, and only then left home.

After locking the door, he took the elevator down to the first floor and headed toward the station.

Roughly divided, Itogami Island consisted of five main areas: East Island, South Island, West Island, North Island, and Central Island.

The four artificial islands of East, South, West, and North surrounded Central Island, with Central Island serving as the hub connected to the others by monorail.

Natsuki-chan's home was located in West Island, known as the "City That Never Sleeps."

To reach Eiji's school, Saikai Academy, he needed to take the monorail loop line that ran over the sea to South Island.

Natsuki-chan had it great—she could just teleport directly.

But she never brought him along, making him take the train for four years even though they were going to the same place!

So annoying!

Saikai Academy.

Located on a gentle slope in South Island, it was a coeducational six-year combined junior and senior high school with approximately 1,200 students.

Because it had both middle school and high school divisions, and land was already scarce on Itogami Island, even with specialized design to maximize space usage, the campus still felt quite cramped.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning! It's so hot again today!"

"Well, it is an island near the equator. I heard the temperature today is 30 degrees!"

"Uwah, and it's already November!"

On the gentle slope, rows of roadside trees stood tall, with young boys and girls in middle and high school uniforms gathering in clusters, chattering animatedly and occasionally bursting into laughter.

Eiji walked among them, yet no one was around him.

He wasn't wearing an unfriendly expression—after all, with his face covered, no one could see it anyway.

Simply put, his reputation wasn't great.

"Is that the one?"

"Yeah, the weirdo from the middle school division!"

"I heard the school ordered him to keep his face covered. Apparently, he can't even remove it during class. Almost no one in the entire school knows what he looks like!"

"Why?"

"Who knows? I don't really care."

"I heard he caused some kind of disturbance back then?"

"Then why cover his face?"

"No idea."

"Honestly, that just makes me more curious..."

Sidelong glances were cast his way from small groups around him, as if everyone were avoiding something filthy, keeping their distance.

In this world, the agreement between Eiji and Natsuki Minamiya was that he must never reveal his face in public.

On this island, there were many who feared his face.

Not that he cared about the opinions of a bunch of kids. He strode confidently up the slope, passed through the school gate, and entered the middle school building.

Inside the classroom.

Eiji's arrival prompted a brief, subdued silence. Furtive, peculiar glances drifted toward him.

Despite the Japanese emphasis on politeness, not a single person came forward to greet him, subtly isolating him.

In Japanese student culture, cliques were rampant.

Anyone with a slightly reclusive personality was easily labeled a weirdo. No one wanted to talk to a weirdo, indirectly ostracizing them from the class—a form of cold bullying.

"What a bunch of shallow jerks!"

The classmate sitting in front of Eiji indignantly voiced her frustration on his behalf.

"If those guys saw your real face, they'd definitely regret not getting close to you sooner!"

"That would just trouble me," Eiji replied, sitting in his chair, his tone utterly indifferent.

"I've had enough of being popular. If they suddenly swarmed around me like flies, it'd make me sick."

"The way you talk always makes me feel like you've lived some kind of dramatic past!"

The girl in front of him pursed her glossy pink lips, looking at him with exasperation.

Normally, students his age would struggle to endure this kind of cold bullying, but he seemed to thrive in it, completely unbothered, carrying himself with a maturity beyond his years.

"Hahaha, well, he is the legendary 'Narcissus resurrected in modern times'! It'd be strange if he didn't have a dramatic past!"

The spiky-haired boy from the adjacent seat leaned over with a cheeky grin.

"Narcissus?"

The girl in front blinked, her long, carefully curled eyelashes drawing attention.

"What's that, Keiju?"

"What, you don't know, Asagi?"

Yaze Keiju crossed his legs, looking nonchalant.

"He's the most handsome man in Greek mythology. They say he once saw his own reflection in the water and fell so deeply in love with himself that he couldn't tear himself away. In the end, he drowned trying to embrace his own image."

"I think there's something a bit off about that kind of man too...Aiba Asagi's expression turned subtle.

"Good morning..."

Just then, a slumped figure walked in through the door and took the seat behind Eiji.

"Morning, Kojou. Looking pretty lifeless first thing in the morning - did you get too excited last night?"

Yaze Motoki grinned suggestively.

"Gross! Motoki, you're disgusting!"

Aiba Asagi immediately started rubbing her shoulders, looking thoroughly creeped out.

"Your mind is so dirty, Asagi!"

"You're the one who deliberately used that ambiguous phrasing!"

The two began bickering without holding back.

"Natsuki's been hospitalized again."

Kojou Akira let out a deep sigh, his face full of exhaustion.