Ex-Machina on a Dimensional Journey

"I was actually stupid enough to question a machine. I really wasn't thinking straight this time."

Shido had somehow managed to talk himself into accepting it.

Xiu Er immediately lost interest. He had thought Shido would use Tohka's spirit power in a fit of anger, summon Gokurokugai, and trade a few blows with him.

Unfortunately, the other boy regained his composure too quickly.

Since there was nothing else to do, Xiu Er had no intention of lingering. Before leaving, however, he decided to explain himself.

"Answer: This unit did not take Hermit's life. The previous action was solely for treatment."

"Huh?"

Shido was dumbfounded. He had seen the laser pierce Yoshino's head with his own eyes, yet the other party claimed it had been treatment?

Although Yoshino, lying in his arms, did indeed seem to have no wounds, was that even possible?

In front of others, Xiu Er had always acted with few words, or spoken in the manner of the Ex-Machina, presenting himself as an emotionless machine. It was all to fit the role of an intelligent armed robot without a sense of self.

After leaving those words behind, Xiu Er opened a Space Gate and vanished before everyone's eyes.

This sudden incident ended with Shido's date with Yoshino failing.

Looking at Yoshino, Shido saw that, just as Xiu Er had said, all the wounds on her body had disappeared. She really had been "treated."

At that moment, Kotori's voice finally sounded through his earpiece.

"Shido! Can you hear me?!"

"Huh? Ah! I can hear you."

Pulled back to his senses by Kotori, Shido hurriedly replied.

"What is it, Kotori?"

"You still dare ask what it is?!"

Kotori's voice suddenly rose, making Shido's eardrums ache terribly.

"Hurry up and bring Yoshino back to the ship with Tohka. I'll deal with you later."

"Okay..."

Faced with his little sister's words, Shido could only agree dejectedly.

There was nothing he could do. He had been the one at fault.

He really had acted impulsively just now, so he was willing to accept punishment.

After ending the call, Kotori leaned back in her chair.

Thankfully, the Spirit Hunter had not attacked Shido. The weight in her heart finally lifted.

Yet one question still troubled her.

Just before leaving, the hunter had looked up at the sky.

And on the image displayed aboard Fraxinus, the person he had looked at was their ship. His mechanical eyes met the camera.

He had discovered them!

Then again, considering he possessed such advanced technology, detecting an invisible ship probably was not difficult.

But Kotori felt that things were not so simple.

Because she had the feeling that the hunter in the footage had been looking directly at her.

Kotori did not know why she had such an illusion, but an eerie sense of panic filled her heart...

Kotori's Choice

Controlling water and cold air was the ability of Yoshino's Ice Angel.

No wonder it rained almost every time Yoshino appeared. So she had been creating "artificial rain."

As for defense, she could use that ability to condense ice shields with astonishing defensive power.

For Xiu Er, defensive power was not something he lacked.

Zadkiel did not actually improve him much, and controlling water and cold air was merely an extra benefit.

But that did not stop Xiu Er from wanting to collect it, just like how some people playing games liked to unlock every collectible and achievement.

Besides.

He was already here...

Since he could take it, why not?

There was no loss in taking it anyway.

His purpose in coming to this world had been to contact, analyze, and copy the Spirits' powers. Naturally, he would collect every Spirit as much as possible.

Now, Yoshino's Angel had also been collected.

All that remained were Camael, Hoshimiya's Angel, and the others he had not mentioned. Xiu Er truly did not want to come into contact with those others, and all of them had direct connections to Mio.

The first two were manageable, but the third was a problem. According to the original plot, at this point in time, that Spirit's Angel had not actually been born yet.

Xiu Er had no solution for that. In the original work, Angel had been born only after Origami Tobiichi went through a series of events and was granted a Spirit Crystallization by Phantom.

There was only one way to see her now: use Kurumi's Zafkiel and send himself back into the past with Yud Bet. Then he could meet the Spiritified Origami, who had arrived in that time period by the same method.

But his Pseudo-Codex: Zafkiel did not possess abilities beyond Het, and going to find Kurumi...

What a joke. He had beaten her up first, and she had already regarded him as an enemy.

And now he was supposed to go find her?

Ha. He could find her if he really wanted to, but she could not avoid him fast enough. Would she help him?

He might as well wash up and sleep. If she really did help him, Xiu Er would think something was wrong.

What about the Dimensional Device that had brought him to this world?

When the system modified it and integrated it into his body, Xiu Er had gained a clear understanding of all the device's data and capabilities.

The answer was no.

The Dimensional Device could break through world barriers and open Dimensional Channels between different worlds, allowing Xiu Er to travel to other worlds.

But there was one limitation: the timeline of travel was random, and once he arrived, the current time would be locked.

The world would be recorded and fixed by the device. When Xiu Er left, it would leave an anchor point at the current moment. The next time he returned to that world, he would return to that time anchor and continue from there.

Likewise, after Xiu Er left No Game No Life, the instant he departed had been recorded in the device. The next time he returned, he would go back to the moment he had just left.

So even if he spent hundreds of years in other worlds before returning, to outsiders it would only look as though Xiu Er had stepped through the gate and immediately stepped back out.

He had gone off topic.

Xiu Er, who had no time limit, actually had more than enough time to wait for Origami to become a Spirit.

But if there were other options, efficiency-minded Xiu Er would never simply wait so stubbornly.

Besides, Origami becoming a Spirit was tied to the past. Based on Origami's current situation, Xiu Er knew that his arrival had not affected her becoming a Spirit.

However, there were still two Spirits he had yet to contact, so there was no need to worry about Origami for now.

And he had already decided on his next target...

Back then, after Xiu Er left, Shido and Tohka brought the unconscious Yoshino back to Fraxinus.

Reine volunteered to handle Yoshino's physical examination. She took the still-unconscious Yoshino from Shido's arms and headed to the medical room, while Tohka returned home first.

As for Shido, whom Kotori had kept behind, he endured a long and merciless scolding from her.

Shido understood that Kotori was worried about him, so he did not complain at all.

Although this operation had ended in failure, the affection Shido had gained from Yoshino had not decreased. As long as nothing went wrong on their next date, they should succeed.

In the end, after sending Shido home, the matter finally came to a close.

Some time after the Yoshino incident—

When Shido successfully sealed Yoshino in the footage, everyone aboard the ship erupted in cheers.

Kotori alone was different. Her expression was far from good, as though something had been troubling her all along.

"Commander, is something bothering you lately? You've been like this for several days now."

The handsome blond man beside her became concerned about Kotori's condition.

The blond man, Kyouhei Kannazuki, was Ratatoskr's vice commander and one of Kotori's most trusted subordinates.

He had also once been AST's ace before transferring to Ratatoskr and becoming Kotori's subordinate.

Seeing his beloved commander wearing such a troubled expression, Kannazuki resolved to help Kotori solve her problem.

"Please tell us. We will definitely help you."

Kannazuki spoke with absolute confidence.

The commotion also caught the attention of the other crew members, but they said nothing. They simply looked at Kotori with serious expressions.

They had all noticed her behavior over the past few days. Kannazuki had merely asked the question on everyone's behalf.

Seeing the crew's attitude, Kotori was honestly a little moved.

But this was not something they could solve.

"...What if I told you it was related to the Spirit Hunter?"

In response to Kotori's answer, Kannazuki wore an expression that said he had expected as much.

"So that's it..."

Everyone aboard Fraxinus knew one thing: their commander was actually a Spirit as well.

Kotori Itsuka, identified as Camael, had released vast flames when her spirit power went out of control during childhood. She had been sealed by the young Shido.

Now, there was a risk that the seal would break, and Shido needed to seal her again.

But Shido seemed to have forgotten about sealing Kotori. They had not chosen to tell him, and Kotori believed the time was not right yet.

But now, the Spirit Hunter who had suddenly appeared had clearly targeted every Spirit, copying their abilities.

Then as a Spirit herself, she would definitely become one of the targets on his hunting list.

And because of that glance on that night.

Kotori was certain that she would be his next target.

Thinking of this, she ultimately declined everyone's kindness.

"Thank you, but there's no need for you to worry. I'll handle it myself."

Seeing Kannazuki's face filled with sadness because he could not help her, the gloom in Kotori's heart faded considerably.

Although Kannazuki usually looked like a pervert, despite being so handsome and powerful, why was he such a pervert?

That was how others evaluated Kannazuki.

But whenever something serious happened, he was also an extremely reliable powerhouse.

That was one of the reasons Kotori trusted him so much.

After finishing the day's work, Kotori bid everyone farewell and teleported from the ship to a small road near her home.

This time, she did not choose to teleport directly home.

And instead of walking toward home, she turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Today, her instincts were screaming warnings. If she went home, she might drag Shido into this as well.

Kotori's intuition told her that today, that person would come for her.