Bab 113: That's Right, I Did It All
Seeing Utaha Kasumigaoka quietly eating her lunch, the group didn't say much, and Eriri then turned her attention back to Kiyo Ishimaki.
"Kiyo, didn't you have something you wanted to ask? You can continue now."
Because of Utaha's unexpected arrival, Kiyo Ishimaki had hesitated to ask more questions about the revival of spiritual energy. But now that Eriri had brought it up again, it was clear that she didn't mind letting Utaha in on these matters—or perhaps Utaha was already involved in this in some way?
This thought reignited Kiyo's curiosity.
"Eriri, was that teleportation you used just now? Like what we see on TV?"
"Yes, it was indeed teleportation," Eriri confirmed with a nod, before opening her mouth to accept a piece of abalone that Arifureta offered.
"Wow, that's so cool! So, are there many superhumans in the world now?" Kiyo Ishimaki excitedly swung her little fists, her enthusiasm evident.
"Well... not many," Eriri said, sweeping her consciousness over the planet. Aside from those related to her, no other beings with extraordinary powers had emerged yet. Those who had recently died, even if they were to become so-called "ghosts," would still need time to absorb the spiritual energy in the atmosphere.
Moreover, becoming a ghost wasn't an easy feat. Even in a world where spiritual energy was reviving, most humans would still vanish from this world upon death. Only those with strong obsessions might have a chance to become ghosts.
"And what about those monsters and demons—will they come out and harm people openly, like in the legend of the Hyakki Yagyo?"
"They might in the future, but not right now."
"Why not?"
"Because there aren't any monsters or demons in the world yet."
"Huh? But didn't you say that spiritual energy was reviving? How can there be no monsters or demons?" Kiyo Ishimaki was confused again. If there were superhumans, shouldn't there also be monsters and demons?
"Pfft..." At that moment, Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had been quietly eating her lunch, couldn't help but laugh, catching everyone's attention.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai, what's so funny?" Kiyo Ishimaki asked, feeling a bit puzzled by Utaha's laughter.
"Sakamaki-san, Eriri-san, are you having a middle school chuunibyou meeting or something? There's no way there are superhumans and monsters in this world," Utaha said seriously, though with a hint of amusement, addressing both Eriri and Kiyo Ishimaki.
She found their conversation both amusing and ridiculous, talking about teleportation, monsters, and spiritual energy revival. It all sounded like classic chuunibyou behavior. But she was also curious why Megumi Kato and the others weren't stopping them and were instead listening with interest.
"I didn't expect this side of you, Eriri. It's pretty cute."
Hearing Utaha's comment, Eriri couldn't help but roll her eyes at her. She didn't bother explaining, knowing that facts would eventually prove her right.
However, Kiyo Ishimaki, taking the conversation seriously, countered Utaha with a stern expression, "Kasumigaoka-senpai, we're telling the truth."
"If such supernatural phenomena existed, there's no way they wouldn't have left some trace by now," Utaha said, shaking her head. She thought Kiyo was too deep into her fantasy, unable to distinguish between reality and imagination.
Her sympathetic gaze towards Kiyo Ishimaki only made Kiyo more embarrassed, causing her to blush and look to Eriri for help.
Seeing Kiyo's pleading expression, Eriri couldn't help but laugh, and the others also chuckled along, leaving Utaha feeling a bit out of the loop.
"Senpai, it's true that these things didn't exist before, but the world's spiritual energy began reviving a few days ago. Soon, such things will start appearing, and there will be more and more people with special powers," Eriri explained seriously, since she had already decided to tell Utaha about the upcoming changes in the world.
However, Utaha wasn't easily convinced and still thought that Eriri and Kiyo Ishimaki were deep into their chuunibyou fantasies. But what happened next completely shattered her worldview.
Eriri extended her right hand into the air, as if the space itself was a container. Her forearm disappeared into the void, the space around it rippling like water as a simple circular spatial portal appeared.
Simultaneously, a similar portal opened next to Utaha's face, and Eriri's hand emerged from it, gently pinching Utaha's cheek.
The sudden sensation on her face made Utaha gasp in shock, her body instinctively recoiling. Staring at the hand that had just materialized before her, she swallowed hard, her face filled with disbelief.
Eriri's hand slowly retracted through the portal under Utaha's wide-eyed gaze, and as the portal vanished, Eriri's side returned to normal.
Taking a sip of her fruit juice, Eriri smiled lightly and asked, "So, do you believe it now?"
"Yes, yes, I believe it," Utaha quickly nodded. After witnessing such an unbelievable scene, she could no longer doubt the truth of their earlier conversation. Now, her curiosity matched that of Kiyo Ishimaki and Azusa Satomi.
"Eriri-san, was that spatial manipulation? Do you have other abilities? How can someone become a superhuman?" Utaha bombarded Eriri with questions.
"Senpai, calm down, calm down," Eriri teased, using the spatial portal to pat Utaha's head, making her cheeks flush slightly.
Withdrawing her hand, Eriri continued, "Because the spiritual energy in this world only started reviving a couple of days ago, there aren't any other superhumans or monsters in the world yet."
"I see," Kiyo Ishimaki nodded, her earlier confusion now cleared up.
Utaha, on the other hand, caught onto another piece of crucial information in Eriri's explanation.
"Wait, when you say 'we,' do you mean Kato-san and the others are superhumans too?"
"That's right. Arifureta, Shia, and I are all superhumans. My power is wind," Megumi Kato confirmed, not hiding anything. She extended her hand and conjured a small ten-centimeter-wide tornado, the breeze making her hair dance, giving her an ethereal beauty.
Utaha, Kiyo Ishimaki, and Azusa Satomi stared intently at the small tornado, leaning forward as if they wanted to get closer to it, their eyes filled with envy.
Seeing them lean in, Megumi dismissed the tornado, causing Utaha and the others to look disappointed. They then turned their curious gazes toward Arifureta, Shia, and Aoi Kujou, eager to see more.
Arifureta and the others didn't hesitate to showcase their abilities, satisfying the trio's curiosity.
Watching the various displays of power, Utaha's expression became complicated. She had initially thought they were indulging in a chuunibyou fantasy, but now it was clear she had been the fool.
"By the way, Eriri-san, you didn't answer my earlier question. Since spiritual energy is reviving, how can we become superhumans?" Utaha asked, eager to find out how she could gain such powers.
"It's a gradual process. Those who have the potential to awaken will naturally absorb the spiritual energy from the atmosphere over time. When they've absorbed enough, they'll awaken special abilities and become superhumans," Eriri explained.
It was clear that this was mostly up to luck. Without external interference, those destined to become superhumans would eventually do so, while those who weren't would never gain such abilities.
Perhaps as time passed and humanity adapted to the spiritual energy, it would become easier for future generations to awaken as superhumans. Eventually, it was possible that all of humanity could become superhuman.
However, Utaha was a decisive person who preferred to take control of her fate. She didn't want to rely on luck to become a superhuman.
"Is there any other way besides that?" she asked.
"There is—artificially creating superhumans," Eriri said casually, making Utaha roll her eyes. It sounded as if creating superhumans was as simple as flipping a switch.
In this world, there were no cultivation methods, no periods of myth or magic. Since the dawn of the planet, it had always been in a state of mundane reality. The so-called mythical stories were either folk tales or reflections of information from higher worlds, turning into the legends of this world.
And "spiritual energy revival" was just a term. To be precise, Eriri had evolved the planet, turning it into a higher world. Even so, the legendary mythological figures wouldn't appear, and any monsters or demons would be evolved forms of existing life on Earth.
In the future, some of the most powerful superhumans might proclaim themselves as gods from myths, but it would only deceive ordinary people.
Thanks to the spiritual energy that Eriri infused into the world, the most any being could achieve would be the Third Level. They wouldn't be able to break free from the planet's constraints by their own power.
Even among superhumans, there would be differences in talent. Ordinary superhumans might never reach the Third Level in their entire lives.
What Eriri meant by artificially creating superhumans was using her cosmic energy to transform them, making them like Megumi Kato and Aoi Kujou—superhumans not bound by spiritual energy, as their advancement relied on the cosmic energy Eriri infused into them.
As long as they accumulated enough cosmic energy, they could eventually become Eighth-Level beings. However, reaching the Ninth Level would require more than just time—it would take a physique like Eriri's or other extraordinary circumstances. Otherwise, their limit would be the Eighth Level.
Still, even at the Eighth Level, they would transcend the limits of mortality. Unless a Ninth-Level being killed them, they would exist eternally.
"So, can you use any other abilities besides spatial manipulation?" Utaha asked again.
At this point, she still couldn't distinguish between magic and elemental powers. She had seen Arifureta and Shia use various types of magic, assuming they were multi-powered beings, while Kato and Kujou seemed to have single abilities. So she was curious about the extent of Eriri's powers.
"I have many abilities. Almost anything you can think of, I can probably do," Eriri said proudly, raising her head slightly. Megumi took the opportunity to gently wipe away the sauce at the corner of Eriri's mouth with a tissue, her movements tender.
This scene made Utaha, who had been staring at Eriri, freeze for a moment. Then she shook her head to clear her thoughts and, pretending to be surprised, said, "Really?"
Though she was trying to distract herself with fake surprise, she was genuinely shocked by Eriri's claim. If Eriri could really do anything, wouldn't it be easy for her to conquer the world?
"Of course. I was the one who caused the spiritual energy revival," Eriri added.
This brief statement left Utaha, Kiyo Ishimaki, and Azusa Satomi stunned. Until now, they had assumed the spiritual energy revival had empowered Eriri and the others, not that Eriri had triggered the revival herself.
The difference between the two was enormous. In their minds, Eriri's power was now on a completely different level. Another thought crossed their minds: if no other superhumans existed yet and Kato and the others had powers…
"Kato-san and the others' abilities…" Utaha began.
"Yes, I gave them their abilities too," Eriri confirmed.
"…"
The three of them fell silent. At this point, Eriri was practically omnipotent in their eyes. Although they were eager to gain such enviable powers, they didn't have the courage to ask Eriri for help. After all, their relationship with her was still just that of ordinary friends and classmates, unlike the deeper connections she had with Kato and the others.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone