Mukuro Hoshimiya ran very fast.
She wasn't sure why she was running so fast, but she just felt she had to get off that street immediately, as far away as possible.
Before my mind could even process what my legs were doing, I had already turned into three alleys.
Then she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Because she heard a familiar voice.
"Huh? Mukuro Hoshimiya?"
Mukuro Hoshimiya looked up.
Atalanta was standing on the sidewalk across the street, holding the hands of two little boys, with five or six children carrying schoolbags following behind.
Her long, light green hair swayed gently in the sunlight, her lion ears stood straight up, and her green eyes held a look of surprise.
She was probably escorting kindergarten children home from school.
Mukuro Hoshimiya's mouth moved before her brain did.
"Ah, hello."
I instinctively returned the greeting.
Then her brain caught up and told her that now was not the time to strike up a conversation with someone.
Getting home is the priority.
"Well, I'm going now, bye-bye."
After saying those words, Mukuro Hoshimiya turned and ran.
Atalanta stood there, watching the golden figure disappear around the corner of the street.
My ears twitched in confusion.
" Mukuro Hoshimiya?"
The children held her hands, gazing curiously in the direction where Mukuro Hoshimiya had disappeared.
"Teacher, who is that person?"
"Big sister. I'm leaving, I'm going home."
Mukuro Hoshimiya ran all the way back to that dark purple gothic room.
Push open the door. Go inside. Close the door. Lock it.
The series of movements were executed in one fluid motion, so fast it felt like something was chasing her from behind.
There was actually nothing behind him.
She leaned against the door, catching her breath. After confirming that the door was locked, she slid to the ground as if her bones had been removed.
I sat on the ground for about ten seconds to recover.
Then she got up, took off her boots, and plunged back onto the huge double bed.
Bury your face in the pillow.
On the small bed next to the large bed, Belphegor remained curled up, fast asleep.
Mukuro Hoshimiya turned to her side, lay face down on the bed, rested her chin on the pillow, and looked at the sleeping demon king.
" Little Bei."
"Hey, Little Bei."
"I know you can hear me. Stop pretending."
Belphegor's breathing rhythm changed slightly.
Its eyes were still closed, but its round body moved slightly, as if in response.
"Those people told me a lot of things today."
Mukuro Hoshimiya's voice was muffled, her face half-buried in the pillow.
"They say the Earth in the real world is on the verge of destruction."
"You've drained the Greater Grail. The land is withering, the ocean is drying up."
"You really went a bit too far, Little Bei."
Belphegor didn't speak. Its dormant state meant it wasn't very talkative.
But Mukuro Hoshimiya could feel that connection fluctuating slightly, like a "I heard you" response.
"If there's any way to salvage the situation now, we should try to save the planet."
Mukuro Hoshimiya rolled over, changed her position, and lay on her side, supporting her head with one hand.
Do you have any ideas?
The sense of connection wavered again.
This fluctuation was much stronger than before, as if it were conveying a complete message.
Mukuro Hoshimiya closed her eyes, receiving the stream of information emanating from the depths of her Spirit Origin.
Belphegor proposed two solutions.
The first option.
They used the Greater Grail, whose magic had been drained by it.
The Greater Grail's original function was not destroyed; only its magic was completely drained.
Simply refill it with a large amount of magic, and its wish-granting function will be restored.
Then, using the Greater Grail's wish-granting function, the outside world environment can be modified to restore it to its state before its magic was extracted.
The earth became fertile again, the rivers were full of water again, and the atmosphere became rich again.
It's like "rewinding" the Earth back to its state before it withered.
The second option.
It directly materializes the current dream world, covering the former Earth.
This plan is more radical, but also more thorough.
The dream world is directly transformed from the spiritual realm into physical reality, making it a real world that replaces the withered old Earth.
The new Earth will be more habitable for humans than the old one. The sunlight will be warmer, the air fresher, and the ecological environment more perfect.
It is almost 100% identical to the current dream world.
When everyone wakes up, they will find themselves in a real world that is exactly the same as the dream.
You won't even notice any change.
Belphegor's current ability to achieve this level is largely thanks to the contributions of the UO souls from other planets in the solar system.
The fact that planetary-level souls were woven into the underlying structure of dreams gave the current dream world the conditions to become otherworldly and materialistic.
Without the support of those UO souls, the dream world will forever remain a dream and can never become reality.
Mukuro Hoshimiya opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.
Two options...
"They all sound pretty impressive."
She turned over again and pulled the blanket over herself.
Then she thought of something else.
What Metatron said.
If we do not return to the Tree of Life, countless universes will face the danger of collapse.
"What she said really doesn't sound like a lie."
Mukuro Hoshimiya muttered something under her breath.
Metatron's gaze. Those all-seeing, inhuman eyes.
There was no wavering or hesitation in it.
It's like stating a fact that has already happened and cannot be changed.
"But."
Mukuro Hoshimiya buried her face in the blankets.
"How embarrassing would it be if I just obediently went back like that?"
"I was chased by a group of people for ages, and then when they said, 'You should go back now,' I obediently went back?"
"That's so embarrassing."
She stayed under the covers for a while.
Then it poked half its head out, its golden hair sticking up messily in the air.
"No."
Even if I eventually have to go back, I must do it in a spectacular way.
"At least leave with some dignity, right? You can't just slink away like that."
Glug glug glug.
My stomach is growling again.
Ah, I'm so hungry.
Mukuro Hoshimiya rolled over, preparing to get up again to find something to eat.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Mukuro Hoshimiya's body stiffened for a moment.
She got out of bed and tiptoed to the door.
Cat's eye.
She peered inside.
A familiar figure stood outside the door.
Long, light green hair. Lion ears on his head. Dressed casually.
Atalanta.
By this time, all the children in the kindergarten had been picked up by their parents.
Atalanta came specifically to confirm that she hadn't misread it.
After all, this is a dream.
In the real world, Atalanta, a top hunter in her previous life, was confident that she would never misjudge her prey.
But anything can happen in dreams.
Perhaps it's just that I've been wanting to see the other person so much these past few days, that's why I'm having this illusion.
Atalanta took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
Then she spoke.
" Mukuro Hoshimiya, are you in there?"
I think I just saw you run inside.
"If you're here, can we talk?"
Mukuro Hoshimiya stood behind the door, her hand on the doorknob, her fingers slightly clenched.
Should we open the door?
Opening the door would be tantamount to admitting that I had just fled in panic, which would be incredibly embarrassing.
If we don't open it, the other person probably won't just leave, right?
Before the brain could finish thinking, the mouth had already started moving.
"Not here."
In her previous life, Mukuro Hoshimiya had a rather bad habit.
The mouth moves faster than the brain.
She regretted it as soon as she said it.
It was quiet outside the door.
Even the sound of the wind blowing through the street became exceptionally clear.
One second. Two seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Standing behind the door, Mukuro Hoshimiya felt like she was suffocating.
Atalanta stood outside the door, her expression complex.
Ultimately, it was Atalanta broke the silence first.
"Um."
Her voice was calm, but there was a clear hint of disappointment in it.
" Mukuro Hoshimiya, you don't want to see me, do you?"
"I'm sorry to bother you."
"But I'll probably come back to see you again later."
Footsteps sounded.
The soles of my shoes tapped on the stone pavement outside the door, once, twice, and then gradually faded into the distance.
Mukuro Hoshimiya stood behind the door, her fingers gripping the doorknob tightly.
Ugh, so embarrassing!
Why did I say "I'm not here"?
Everyone could hear me talking inside!