“What do you mean… Ryuune-san, where are you going?!”
Tsukimi Ryuune did not even glance at him.
Kagami Yuto wanted to chase after her, but at that moment he was suddenly struck by a gale so powerful he could not take a single step.
When he opened his eyes again, the girl before him had already vanished.
“Ryuune…-san.”
At the same time, on the rooftop of an office building in the center of Minamihara City, ten kilometers away.
Tsukimi Ryuune stepped out of a spatial rift with her hair streaming behind her, and standing in front of her was the cosmic weirdo she had not seen for many days, Jelanos.
He was holding a strange device in his hand, as if testing something.
“How is the preparation going?”
“Everything is ready, my master.”
“Now we simply await your order.”
Jelanos’s emotionless mechanical voice rang out.
Upon hearing it, Tsukimi Ryuune walked over to him with a touch of curiosity.
“So what exactly is this thing? Is this little gadget in your hand the weapon you said could destroy the world?”
“Yes.”
“This is something I obtained from the Land of Light— ahem, from a certain powerful cosmic scientist. It is a device called the Evil Beast Lock.”
“Monster Lock?”
“Mm.”
“What is it? What does this have to do with destroying the world?”
Tsukimi Ryuune snatched it from him in one motion and stared at it in complete confusion.
Then she heard his explanation.
“This thing alone is not particularly powerful. Its true core lies in releasing the Prison Capsules I hold, which will set free the true forms of the monsters.”
As he spoke, Jelanos opened his other arm.
Two cylindrical objects the size of AA batteries rested in his palm.
“These are…”
She curiously picked up one of them.
“The ultra-ancient monster Golzan, and the ultra-ancient dragon Melba.”
“Speaking of which, both of them are creatures from Earth.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing important. That is a story from another universe’s Earth. So, my master, have you confirmed your desire to destroy the world?”
Those words made Tsukimi Ryuune fall silent.
She slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop and gazed at the dense high-rises beneath the city skyline.
She did not know how great the destructive power of the object in her hand truly was, but if it could destroy the world, then it would certainly bring about a massive disaster.
“I do not want this either, but right now I only want to do things I have never done before.”
She closed her eyes, then slowly raised the Evil Beast Lock.
“You are a god. No one in this world has the right to judge you. Simply do whatever you wish without concern.”
“Heh. As if I needed you to tell me that.”
“By the way, how do you use this thing?”
“There is a circular slot on top. Insert a Prison Capsule into it, then pull the trigger below.”
“Like this?”
Following the instructions he had given, she slowly inserted one of the capsules.
The next second, the Evil Beast Lock in her hand emitted an emotionless mechanical announcement.
[Loading]
[Evil Beast Sequence 31, Melba. Release?]
“? And then?”
Tsukimi Ryuune looked down at it in mild surprise.
“Pull the trigger.”
Jelanos’s voice came from behind her, laced with encouragement and temptation.
Tsukimi Ryuune was silent for a second.
To be honest, she did not completely trust him, yet as the god of the entire Earth she truly could not imagine anyone being able to threaten her on her own turf.
Thus she harbored little suspicion.
And so the trigger in her hand was finally pulled with cold finality.
[Release confirmed. Melba]
The next second, a clap of thunder rang out.
The sky above all of Minamihara City was instantly blanketed in dark clouds, and in the vortex at the center of the cloud tops a spatial rift appeared.
This strange celestial phenomenon drew countless passersby to watch, and even attracted television crews.
Just as everyone was immersed in curiosity about the sky, little did they know that disaster was already approaching.
“Look quickly, what is that?”
“Am I seeing things? I think I saw a pair of eyes in the clouds.”
“Hurry and take a picture to post online!”
The next second, a cry that shook the heavens came from the sky, like the sharp screech of some enormous bird.
What followed and filled everyone with fear was the enormous black silhouette that gradually emerged above the clouds.
At that moment, Kagami Yuto had just returned to the office after fruitlessly searching for students in the teaching building.
The instant he opened his phone, he saw a headline he never could have imagined.
Giant Unidentified Creature Resembling a Dinosaur Appears Above Minamihara City!
Japan’s Ministry of Defense Issues Emergency Evacuation Notice to All Citizens, Urging Everyone to Seek Shelter in Subway Stations and Air-Raid Shelters!
“What the hell? Did I click on the wrong site?”
Kagami Yuto was a bit dazed.
But before he could confirm whether the news was real or fake, a strange screech coming from the direction of the city center instantly interrupted his thoughts.
Then he heard the air-raid sirens sounding at his school, along with the campus broadcast ordering all students to evacuate immediately.
“How could this be… the news is… real.”
He immediately took out his phone and opened a live video filmed by a passerby from a high building.
He saw a long-necked giant beast over thirty stories tall rampaging wildly through the city center.
The scene was filled with flames and the screams of passersby, a veritable hell on earth.
At the same time, the school he was in had fallen into complete chaos.
Ever since the news of the monster appearing in Minamihara City spread, everyone had been seized by panic.
He pushed open the door of his office, and everywhere his eyes fell there were students fleeing.
“Yuto-sensei!”
“Fujimiya-sensei?”
“Yuto-sensei, why are you still here? Didn’t you see the news online? The Ministry of Defense says the monster in the city center is heading toward our school. They’re telling all civilians in this area to evacuate as soon as possible!”
Kagami Yuto froze for a moment.
The instant he looked up, he happened to see fighter jets loaded with missiles flying over the school.
This scene only intensified the sense of crisis.
Of course Kagami Yuto wanted to flee as well, but right now there was something he cared about more than his own life.
“I’ll help you evacuate the students, Fujimiya-sensei!”
He gritted his teeth and, while overcoming the fear in his heart, spoke with a firm gaze.
He needed to know whether Tsukimi Ryuune had evacuated with the crowd.
Moreover, as a teacher, protecting the students had always been a responsibility he must fulfill.
At the same time, on the rooftop ten kilometers away.
Tsukimi Ryuune stared blankly at the monster wantonly destroying everything in the distance.
She glanced at Melba, then at the Evil Beast Lock in her hand.
A scene like something out of an apocalyptic movie was playing out before her eyes, delivering no small shock to the heart of this god.
Her heart did not feel particularly happy because of the people’s fear.
Compared to the ugly monster, her heart more subconsciously placed herself among the fleeing crowds, knowing just how desperate one felt when facing disaster.
She knew full well that this was her humanity as a person, but at the same time it was also the thing she most wanted to discard.
Because with humanity, she had never been a true god.