When the God of another world…… Earth God appeared, Shallow Vernal stood directly in front of her, while Kuromueina took a step backwards and got down on one knee.
Kuromueina certainly may have been half of Shallow Vernal-sama, but the God of this world is only Shallow Vernal.
In this place, the Earth God and Shallow Vernal are of the same rank, while Kuromueina is treated as one rank lower, so she was waiting in the back.
[Welcome to our world, God of another world…… I guess this is the first time we’ve met on that body.]
[Greetings, Unnecessary, Question, One.]
[What is it?]
[Standby, Ability, Powerful, Who]
Earth God asked in a matter-of-fact tone, about the being standing behind Shallow Vernal….. about who Kuromeina is.
For someone as powerful as Earth God, she could instantly gauge that Kuromueina’s power was comparable to Shallow Vernal’s. That was why she was curious about her identity.
[This is Kuromueina. She’s my half-body and the counterpart of my being.]
[You, Yourself, Divided?]
[That’s right.]
[Comprehend.]
After receiving Shallow Vernal’s explanation, Earth God seems to have understood, and moving her gaze towards Kuromueina, she gives her a slight nod.
Recognizing that this is a signal that she is allowed to speak, Kuromueina deeply bowed her head before speaking.
[It’s a pleasure to meet you. God of another world-sama…… My name is Kuromueina.]
[Honorifics, Titles, Unnecessary, You, Equal.]
[……Alright. Then, once again, nice to meet you.]
[Acknowledged.]
The fact that Earth God had told her that Kuromueina was her equal, gave her the right to speak as freely as Shallow Vernal on this occasion.
Understanding this, she stood up and told her regards in her usual tone of voice, to which, Earth God nodded with the same expression on her face.
[……Since you’ve told me that I’m your equal, can I ask you one thing?]
[Approval.]
[Thanks…… I’ve heard most of the situation from Shiro. I also heard that you promised not to harm Kaito-kun…… but could you promise not to do any harm to any being in this world other than for self-defense?]
[Possible…… Condition, One.]
Hearing Earth God’s words, Kuromueina’s eyebrows slightly moved.
To be honest, for Kuromueina, she wasn’t expecting this request to be granted. The other party was the pinnacle of another world, and a request that would restrict their actions could be taken as impolite.
However, Earth God didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by it, telling her that she can follow Kuromueina’s demand, but there was one condition for that to happen.
[……Condition?]
[I, Split Body, First, Made. Thus, Trial, Needed…… Battle, Demand.]
[It’s the first split body you’ve ever made, so you’re asking for a battle to get used to it.]
[Affirmation.]
[……Shiro.]
[Yes, I’ll make a space for you in a moment.]
The condition that Earth God offered was a battle with Kuromueina.
It seemed that Earth God had never built a split body before, and wanted to have a wholehearted battle as a test run. Originally, she was going to demand it from Shallow Vernal, but one look at Kuromueina and she knew that she was as powerful as Shallow Vernal. Hence, she could have either of them as an opponent, but she decided to fight Kuromueina, who was making demands, since it would make the conversation smoother.
As Kuromueina nodded and stood up, Shallow Vernal created the same space that she usually fought in with Kuromueina to prevent damage to the God Realm, and teleported the two of them there.
On one hand was half the body of the pinnacle of this world, Shallow Vernal. On the other hand was the split body of a God, the pinnacle of another world. The batte between such beings would definitely be fierce.
If it weren’t for this space, the battle would have been so horrendous that several places of the world would have been destroyed…… You could say that their battle was completely even.
[……Haahhh…… The God of Kaito-kun’s world…… She’s strong…… I wonder when was the last time I got this tired?]
[Admire, You, Strong.]
Kuromueina, having the appearance of a dark-haired Shallow Vernal, murmured, and Earth God lightly claps her hands and praises her.
[Well, thank you…… I guess it’s about time, isn’t it?]
[Affirmation, Battle, Gratitude.]
Earth God agrees with Kuromueina’s words, who suggested that they finish their battle with this.
Seeing her reaction, Kuromueina, still in the form similar to Shallow Vernal, nodded once…… and after a slight pause, she spoke.
[……I’ll tell you just this much though.]
[……?]
[If you ever break what you promised…… At that moment, I’ll obliterate that split body of yours.]
[You, I, Ability, Equal, Execution, Impossible.]
Responding to Kuromueina whose sharp eyes were filled with killing intent, Earth God in a matter-of-fact manner.
Earth God was saying that Kuromueina and her are evenly matched in ability…… And even if she were to break her promise, it would be impossible for Kuromueina to defeat her at that moment……
[……That’s right. You and I are almost evenly matched…… “If I were to just remain like this”, that is.]
[Comprehension, Lacking.]
[What I had exhibited earlier was the strongest I could in “this form”…… However, even though we had said that we’re different beings, deep down, that should have been proof that deep down, I’m still half of Shiro and this should be my true form.]
[……………………]
Up until now, Kuromueina has exhibited her greatest power when she had the same appearance as Shallow Vernal.
It was only because Kuromueina recognizes that form as her true form…… However, what if that was changed?
[……You and “the me before” were evenly matched…… However…… My beloved child had changed me.]
With those words, black mist enveloped Kuromueina’s body, and just as it seemed like the mist gathered up together…… There appeared Kuromueina, in her normal young girl form, only her hair was longer than normal.
[Holding my heart in his embrace, warming it up and gently supporting it…… That’s why I, if it’s for Kaito-kun’s sake…… To a greater extent, I could evolve and become even stronger. That’s why……]
[ ! ? ]
Thereupon, the face of Earth God, whose expression had never changed until now, changed, and her eyes widened in astonishment.
Before she knew it, Kuromueina was right in front of Earth God, her fist stopping short in front of her face, and even with Earth God’s power, she wasn’t able to grasp her movements at all.
[I’ll have you know, I’m “stronger than Shiro” now.]
[Surprise, Perception, Mistaken.]
[Remember, if Kaito-kun even gets a single scratch on his body…… I will never forgive you.]
After quietly telling her those words, Kuromueina withdrew her fist and left the space.
After the battle was over and a few words were exchanged, Earth God told them that she was going to observe this world before disappearing.
Kuromueina and Shallow Vernal, who remained in the God Realm, quietly looked at each other and exchanged a few words.
[……How is it?]
[……Honestly, I have no idea what she was thinking. I tried constraining her pretty strongly, but her response remained indifferent…… I don’t even know how serious she was in our fight.]
[Is that so.]
With the opportunity of battle, Kuromueina was measuring the Earth God. But unfortunately, the results weren’t satisfactory to her, and she still has lots of doubts.
[……The fight was also like she was tracing a pre-set move, and she didn’t respond to any inviting openings or to my faints. Fighting her feels really weird…… It was as if I was fighting a very high-performance golem.]
[……You can’t let your guard down around her huh.]
[Unnn. I can’t read her objective or her true motives at all…… Let’s keep an eye out for her movements for a while.]
In the end, for the girls, the true intentions of the Earth God remained a mystery…… And they didn’t even know if she was being “serious” in the fight just now or not.
As Kuromueina and Shallow Vernal remained grim, they just kept staring at the golden gate where the Earth God had appeared.
Feeling anxious within their mind, thinking that something big and tumultuous is going to happen in the future……
<Afterword>
Q: When does Alice’s arc start?
A: How long have you been under the illusion that Alice’s arc hadn’t begun yet……