Luo Hao floated quietly in midair, slightly lost in thought as she gazed at the dust-covered ground. Since she couldn't sense Eriri's aura at all, she had no idea if her attack had affected Eriri in any way.
Shinobu and the others also floated far away in midair, using their respective techniques. They clicked their tongues at the destruction caused by Luo Hao, though none of them worried about Eriri's safety. The only thing they were curious about was whether Luo Hao's attack had damaged Eriri's clothes even a little.
After a moment, the dust began to settle, and the city streets, which had been ravaged by Luo Hao's powers, reappeared before everyone.
The bustling scenery was gone. All the skyscrapers had collapsed, and the ground was split by a massive chasm that was tens of meters deep—something even missile strikes couldn't have achieved.
Eriri floated right above the massive chasm, in exactly the same spot as before. Her stance, with her hands on her hips, hadn't changed at all. Her cute school uniform remained untouched and perfectly clean.
Since she hadn't specifically used any techniques to protect the ground beneath her, Luo Hao's attack hadn't affected Eriri herself in the slightest, but the land she had been standing on was completely destroyed.
"Dear sister, do you have any more tricks up your sleeve? If not, it looks like you've lost," Eriri said with a bright smile, blinking her charming eyes as she looked at Luo Hao.
"Oh dear, little sister, you're really too strong. My attack didn't work at all," Luo Hao spread her hands in mock helplessness, her face full of resignation. "I give up. The gap is just too big."
After a few rounds of attacks, her fighting spirit had been completely extinguished. The battle was utterly boring—Eriri hadn't even lifted a finger, and all of Luo Hao's efforts were useless. She realized that staying close to Eriri and letting her pet her head would be far more enjoyable than fighting.
And so, the fight ended in a dramatic and unexpected way, just as Erica and the others had anticipated. The whole process lasted only a few minutes.
Eriri then used her powers again, restoring the city that had been destroyed. The skyscrapers reappeared as if the battle had been nothing more than an illusion.
The group returned to the now fully restored street. Eriri immediately wrapped her arm around Luo Hao's, rubbing against her—soft and fragrant.
"Sister, your strength is quite good! You're about mid-level in the Fifth Level, while Erica and Liliana are still at the early stage of the Fifth Level," Eriri said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Luo Hao became intrigued. "Fifth Level? I've never heard of such a classification."
"Well, I'm not from this world. This ranking system comes from the 'Myriad Realms'," Eriri explained.
"I see… No wonder I hadn't heard of you before," Luo Hao nodded, not particularly surprised.
"So, since I'm mid-Fifth Level, what level are you at, little sister? I imagine you're far stronger than me," Luo Hao asked.
"I'm mid-Eighth Level," Eriri said with a grin.
"Three level higher…," Luo Hao muttered. "Dear sister, could you tell me more about the Myriad Realms and this ranking system?"
"Of course! The Myriad Realms consist of countless universes, and I come from one of them. The ranking system is divided into nine levels in total…"
Eriri explained the ranking system of the Myriad Realms and the characteristics of each stage, leaving Luo Hao amazed. Her arrogance also diminished considerably.
She had always believed herself to be invincible in the world, but now she realized that in the Myriad Realms, she was just a minor character who hadn't even stepped beyond her planet.
"So Eighth Level is that powerful… I thought being three levels lower meant I could catch up with some effort, but the difference is insane. Up to the Sixth Level, you're still stuck on the planet, but at the Eighth Level, you're already capable of destroying universes?" Luo Hao couldn't help but complain.
"Haha, the higher the level, the greater the gap between sublevels. It makes sense," Eriri laughed.
Luo Hao was only venting her frustration; she didn't truly believe there was anything wrong with the ranking system.
Seeing that the conversation between Eriri and Luo Hao was winding down, Erica asked, "Eriri-sama, what do you plan to do with this dimensional world?"
It was no longer just a dimensional space; it could be considered a completely independent world.
While it was just a simple creation for Eriri, to others, its value was immeasurable.
Even without considering the untouched resources, just the fact that the cultivation environment here was hundreds of times better than Earth made this dimensional world far more valuable than Earth itself.
"Well, I'll open three spatial gates between this world and Earth. Erica, Liliana, and Sister Cuilian, you'll each get control of one gate. How you handle things after that is up to you."
While this world wouldn't be of much help to Campione, it would be invaluable to regular magicians and witches.
After dealing with the dimensional world, Eriri and the others returned to Erica's villa, and only a few dozen minutes had passed.
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains who had followed Luo Hao to Milan had only just arrived at their lodgings.
Back at the villa, everyone sat down on the sofas again. It was only now that Luo Hao turned her attention to Shinobu and Athena. Although they had accompanied her to the dimensional world earlier, Luo Hao had been entirely focused on Eriri at the time and hadn't had the mental space to pay attention to the two seemingly ordinary young girls.
"Are you two also from another world?" Luo Hao asked. Given that Eriri wasn't from this world, she assumed Shinobu and Athena must also be from other worlds. Their mysterious backgrounds made them just as intriguing.
If Athena had been in her original form, Luo Hao would have recognized her immediately. However, thanks to Eriri's meddling, even other Heretic Gods wouldn't be able to recognize this girl as the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena.
"Ka ka ka, like Eriri, I do indeed come from another universe. But little Athena here is a genuine local," Shinobu said, sitting with her legs crossed on the sofa and placing her hand on Athena's head—only to have it swatted away in annoyance the next second.
"Oh? This little girl is named Athena? The same as the Goddess of Wisdom?"
"Hmph! I am the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena herself! You, a Campione, are but a child compared to me!" Athena declared arrogantly, though the sight of her saying this while dressed in a maid outfit was simply too adorable.
"Why can't I sense any aura of a Heretic God from you? Could it be that you've descended in your true form?" Luo Hao frowned. If not for Eriri's presence, she might have already slapped Athena with a few blows from her Flying Phoenix Twelve Divine Palms upon hearing her claim to be the Goddess of Wisdom.
"I descended from myth thousands of years ago. I've been asleep for most of that time and only recently awakened. That's when I met my master," Athena said haughtily.
"Mhm, Athena-chan is my cute little maid now," Eriri said as she got up, scooped Athena up from beside Shinobu, and placed her on her lap, rubbing her cheek against the goddess's delicate face.
"Ugh…"
Athena didn't resist Eriri's affection, and her clear eyes revealed a glimmer of joy, showing that she was in a rather good mood.
"Athena-chan is no longer a Heretic God and has nothing to do with the Goddess of Wisdom from mythology anymore, so there's no need to dwell on it, Sister Cuilian," Eriri said as she stroked Athena's silver hair, which felt as soft as silk, making her reluctant to let go.
"I see… I understand. But little sister, you truly are incredible," Luo Hao said with a smile, no longer fixating on Athena.
"Well, of course! Do you even know who I am?" Eriri tilted her head proudly, her face full of self-satisfaction.
On anyone else, such an attitude might have been annoying, but on Eriri, it only made her seem more adorable. Even someone as notoriously arrogant and self-obsessed as Luo Hao couldn't help but feel her heart race.
Although Luo Hao's face remained calm and smiling, her inner thoughts were extremely lively.
"Wow! Little sister Eriri is just too cute! So amazing! I love her so much!"
Soon, night fell, and the group happily shared dinner together. After spending several hours together, Luo Hao's attitude toward Erica and the others was no longer as harsh as it had been at the beginning, though she still wasn't exactly friendly.
Her bond with Eriri, on the other hand, had deepened significantly. They had practically been glued to each other for the past few hours, even sitting side by side during dinner, constantly hugging and holding each other.
So, what do you do after dinner?
Naturally, it was time to take a bath! And so, Eriri pulled Luo Hao into the bathroom with her, leaving Erica and Liliana both green with envy.
Neither of them had ever bathed with Eriri before, yet Luo Hao had managed to do so within just a few hours of meeting her.
-
-
The next day, at Luo Hao's invitation, Eriri decided to go to Mount Lushan with her for a while. Shinobu and Athena, however, were left behind at Erica's home, which inevitably caused a bit of a tantrum from Shinobu.
Instead of taking a plane, the two used their powers to instantly transport themselves to the small wooden house deep in Mount Lushan. Luo Hao's disciple, Lu Yinghua, and the other disciples of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains were completely forgotten by Luo Hao.
As for Alice's impending visit, Eriri wasn't particularly interested.
Over the next few days, Eriri and Luo Hao spent passionate nights together on Mount Lushan. During this time, Eriri told Luo Hao about the chat group, and they made an agreement for her to join the chat group in the future.
With reluctance in her eyes, Luo Hao watched Eriri return to Erica's home. After bidding farewell to Erica and Liliana, Eriri then left with Shinobu and Athena, returning to the world of Saekano.
...
[Ding! The chat group has finished upgrading! The chat group is now reactivated!]
[The Multiverse Same-Sex ♀ Friendship Group has been upgraded to High-Level Intermediate chat group, raising the maximum strength enhancement for group members to Level 8, Stage 6.]
[From now on, group members' nicknames will be fixed as their real names (with longer names shortened), and their power levels will be displayed.]
[New functions have been added: ① Exploration System, ② Sparring System, ③ Lottery System. More features will be introduced later, so stay tuned!]
[Exploration System: Group members can obtain information on living beings within their line of sight. By consuming points, they can explore every corner of their world.]
[Sparring System: The chat group arena allows group members to summon sparring dolls, ranging from Level 1, Stage 1, to Level 8, Stage 6, to help them quickly master their powers.]
[Lottery System: Spend points in the lottery area to win prizes from special abilities, weapons, bloodlines, etc., from worlds known to the chat group. You could also win several times, hundreds of times, or even thousands of times the points spent. There are three tiers of lottery: 100 points per draw, 1,000 points per draw, and 10,000 points per draw. The higher the tier, the rarer the items you can win.]
Three days had passed since Eriri left the world of the Campione, and just at that time, the chat group's upgrade was finally completed.
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 3, Stage 5): Woohoo! I'm back!]
[Yuuki Asuna (Level 3, Stage 3): I'm finally Yuuki Asuna and not just 'Asuna.' Everyone kept calling me Asuna instead of my full name. Crying.jpg]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Asuna, doesn't 'Yuuki' and 'Asuna' sound the same in Japanese? No big difference, right?]
[Kanae Kocho (Level 3, Stage 9): Doesn't seem like a big difference… Anyway, Eriri, long time no see! I missed you, send me a pic! Drooling.jpg]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Kanae, have you changed your personality?]
[Arche (Level 3, Stage 7): I think so too, Kanae, have you awakened some kind of perverted attribute? Lol.jpg]
[Erica (Level 5, Stage 3): Eriri-sama, it's been three days, I've missed you dearly!]
[Elaina (Level 3, Stage 7): Uh… are none of you paying attention to the chat group's new functions?]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 3, Stage 5): I'm out! The chat group was offline for seven days, and I haven't finished using my points! I'm going to level up my strength! I'll think about the lottery later. See ya! Peace.jpg]
[Yuuki Asuna (Level 3, Stage 3): Whoa… Eriri's strength has increased again? Level 8, Level 5? How can you keep getting stronger at the cosmic level? Terrifying!]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Terrifying!]
[Kiss-Shot (Level 4, Stage 4): Terrifying!]
[Sakura Tohsaka (Level 3, Stage 6): Terrifying!]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): Terrifying!]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Gabriel, your power… have you been playing games this whole time???]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): Yep! Smug.jpg]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 2, Stage 8): … Am I the only one still at Level 2??? Shocked.jpg]