"By the way, where did Soichiro Takagi go?"
Su Luo sensed that something was off.
After taking a careful look around, he realized that Saya Takagi's father was nowhere to be seen, and there was no sign of Soichiro Takagi's corpse within the Takagi Family estate either.
Hearing Su Luo's question, Yuriko Takagi stepped forward to explain before Kaguya Houraisan could answer. "The head of the Takagi Family was killed by a trusted subordinate who suddenly became infected when the apocalypse first broke out."
"The Takagi Family has been led by me ever since."
When mentioning Soichiro Takagi, Yuriko Takagi deliberately used a distant, unfamiliar form of address, making it clear that she had not been close to him.
At the same time, she was subtly showing off her capabilities and trying to curry favor with Su Luo.
She could tell that the monster Kaguya Houraisan was exceptionally obedient in front of Su Luo, as though he was the one she followed.
And the blonde beauty standing beside Su Luo carried an even more overwhelming presence.
Just one glance at her was enough to make Yuriko feel an intense pressure, as though a massive mountain range were bearing down on her chest and leaving her unable to breathe.
Yet someone like that stood half a step behind Su Luo.
All of it highlighted just how extraordinary Su Luo was.
Either he was immensely powerful, or he held an exalted position.
Only with one of those things could Su Luo possibly keep two powerful women like them in check.
Thinking of Kaguya Houraisan's purpose in finding her, as well as her daughter Saya Takagi, she had no choice but to lower her head and show goodwill, hoping Su Luo would protect them.
She believed that even Soichiro Takagi, already departed for heaven, would understand what she was doing.
After all, she was doing this so their daughter could live safely and healthily in this cruel apocalypse.
"I see." Su Luo nodded, a trace of regret flashing through his eyes.
If Soichiro Takagi were still alive, he should have been able to provide one weekly chance to obtain a Random Entry as well.
What a pity. He had died right at the beginning of the apocalypse.
Su Luo put those thoughts aside. "You two, come aboard. I'll take you to see Rei Miyamoto and Saya Takagi."
At those words, joy immediately appeared on Yuriko Takagi and Kiriko Miyamoto's faces.
The two women boarded the Vimana one after the other.
Kaguya Houraisan came aboard with them as well.
Su Luo looked at Kaguya Houraisan, confusion flickering in his eyes. "Why are you coming up? Aren't you going to kill zombies and earn points?"
The Chat Group had rarely been this generous. It had actually generated a Hidden Quest worth a full fifty thousand points. If they relied on Check-in alone, it would take them years to accumulate that much.
He had not expected Kaguya Houraisan to be so leisurely.
"Hehe, did you forget what my ability is?" Kaguya Houraisan covered her mouth and chuckled.
Her beautiful eyes curved with amusement, carrying a hint of mischief.
The current Kaguya Houraisan was beautiful and elegant, completely unlike the shut-in girl Su Luo remembered.
Su Luo fell silent.
Reminded by Kaguya Houraisan, he suddenly recalled her ability.
Manipulation of Eternity and Ephemeral.
Eternity could freeze a target's time, preventing it from being affected by any outside influence that would cause changes to it.
Ephemeral, on the other hand, allowed Kaguya Houraisan to accomplish many things in a single instant.
For something as simple as killing zombies, Kaguya Houraisan had probably already maxed out her points using that ability.
As expected of someone from Gensokyo. Even if the yokai there were not particularly powerful, the abilities they possessed were rare powers involving rules and laws.
It seemed he would have to visit Gensokyo sometime.
Inside Rika Nanri's villa.
Su Luo brought Yuriko Takagi and the others back to the villa.
When Rei Miyamoto and the others saw their families return, they burst into tears of joy and poured out their feelings to one another.
Shizuka Marikawa and Rika Nanri were reminiscing as well.
Seeing this, Su Luo found a room, shut the door to block out the disturbances outside, and then opened the System Panel.
Host: Su Luo Bound Special Individuals: Rika Nanri, Paimon... (15 total) Random Entry Acquisition Attempts: 11 Exclusive Entry Acquisition Attempts: 11
"Very good. Twenty-two attempts in total. Even if my luck isn't as good as before, I can still get some fodder to feed the Gate of Babylon and upgrade it." Su Luo's eyes lit up.
Then, with a wave of his hand, he began drawing new Traits.
Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Trait: Ability to Manipulate Eternity and Instant (purple) Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Trait: Geo Element (Blue) Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Trait: Gate of Babylon (purple) Congratulations, Host...
After a string of system notifications.
Su Luo began reviewing this round's gains.
First of all, the highest-grade Traits he had drawn this time were only purple.
However, every time he acquired Traits, he did so with the mindset that they would all sink without a trace, so he did not feel too unbalanced.
Besides, he had drawn an ability related to time this time.
As the saying went, time reigns supreme and space rules as king. Even if this Trait was not particularly powerful right now, once its level rose in the future, it would surely prove immensely useful at a critical moment.
His luck had been quite good.
As for the purple Gate of Babylon, it was essentially the Gate of Babylon without EX-ranked Noble Phantasms such as Enuma Elish and the Chains of Heaven.
The instant he obtained the Trait, he could clearly sense that the Gate of Babylon had grown stronger by several degrees.
Still, it was ultimately only a purple Trait, so the improvement it brought to the Gate of Babylon was nowhere near as obvious as last time.
But he was already satisfied.
After looking through the Traits he had obtained from the group members, Rei Miyamoto, and the others, he kept a few that were still somewhat useful, then fed all the remaining useless Traits into the Gate of Babylon in one go.
The result was obvious. They were ultimately just low-grade Traits, and using them to strengthen the Gate of Babylon was like tossing stones into the sea.
The increase in strength was practically negligible.
It seemed that if he wanted to raise a Trait's level, he would need to bind more Special Individuals.
Or perhaps he could try the Chat Group's Enhancement System.
Dinner at Rika Nanri's Home
With that thought in mind, Su Luo opened the Chat Group panel and found the enhancement function.
"I'll invest ten thousand points first and test the waters." After pondering for a moment, Su Luo used ten thousand points to strengthen the Gate of Babylon.
The next instant, Su Luo felt the Gate of Babylon's strength rise by several degrees. By his estimate, it was nearly the same as the improvement from merging a purple Trait into it.
Seeing that, Su Luo roughly understood the level of enhancement provided by ten thousand points.
He immediately used all his remaining points to strengthen the Gate of Babylon.
In an instant, Su Luo could clearly sense that the Gate of Babylon had drawn much closer to undergoing its transformation.
After finishing the enhancement, Su Luo closed the panel and lay on the bed, enjoying this moment of leisure.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open.
Artoria entered the room.
She had already removed her silver armor and was wearing a blue dress that revealed her alluring figure.
Her expression was no longer as calm as usual. A hint of dissatisfaction showed on her pretty face.
She felt that Su Luo's earlier act of consuming his own life force had been far too reckless.
Even if his body was special, he should not have acted so carelessly.
If he truly needed magical energy, he could have simply asked her for it. There had been no need to consume his own life force.
Thinking that, the dissatisfaction on Artoria's face deepened.
She walked over to Su Luo and grabbed his wrist.
Under Su Luo's bewildered gaze, she transferred her magical energy to him.
She would use her own way to express her displeasure toward this willful Master.
In the villa's living room.
Rei Miyamoto and the others chatted happily, and the atmosphere gradually became lively and warm.
If anyone else saw how harmonious they were, they probably would not believe they were living through an apocalypse.
Of course, that was only if one ignored the terrified glances they occasionally cast toward Kaguya Houraisan.
Kaguya Houraisan, who was also in the living room, could not be bothered to pay attention to these ordinary people.
As an Hourai Person who had consumed the elixir of immortality, she possessed a lifespan so long that it had no visible end.
She would not become friends with humans whose lives were so short.
After all, what was merely an instant to her might already be an entire lifetime for a human.
That was the barrier between long-lived and short-lived species.
Like an impassable chasm, it was a vast gulf neither side could cross.
Suddenly, Kaguya Houraisan sensed something.
She looked toward the room upstairs where Su Luo was, a mysterious smile curling at the corners of her lips.
She rose from the sofa and walked toward Su Luo's room with light, cheerful steps.
Rei Miyamoto and the others looked utterly confused. Still inexperienced in the ways of the world, they had no idea what could have made Kaguya Houraisan smile like that.
Kiriko Miyamoto, Yuriko Takagi, and Rika Nanri, however, understood what Kaguya Houraisan was going to do.
They simply did not say anything. Instead, they organized Rei Miyamoto and the others to begin preparing dinner.
Night fell.
Brilliant stars hung in the dark blue-black sky.
A crescent moon hung high above, scattering silvery radiance over the world.
Kaguya Houraisan stood on the balcony, looking up at the moon with a complicated expression.
The clear moonlight shone upon her, lending her an added touch of sacred grace.
Yet the moment she spoke, that sacred aura shattered completely.
"Luo, don't you think I'm especially beautiful right now?" Kaguya Houraisan turned to look at Su Luo as he adjusted his clothes, a playful smile rising on her lips.
"Believe me, you'd seem even more beautiful if you didn't open your mouth." Su Luo replied expressionlessly.
"Eh~ How heartless. You were calling me baby just a moment ago, but now that it's over, you've already changed your face."
"Tch, not a single man is any good." By the end, Kaguya Houraisan clicked her tongue, looking slightly annoyed.
Su Luo could not be bothered to respond to Kaguya Houraisan.
Before you continue