Chapter 254 The Sly Old Man's Visit
When the two Transcendent Incarnations left, the remaining seven Mortal Incarnations fell into disarray. All of them couldn't believe that the two left without instructing them of what to do next.
True, they only have Mortal strength at the moment but they're also a Transcendent in their World. Well, given that Remi didn't even give them so much as a glance after giving them instructions earlier. She probably didn't deem them as comrades but subordinates.
And since they're just an Incarnation, no one of them will die anyway.
Because of that, Ezyn and the others finally got a chance to end them. One by one they disappeared into motes of Dark Energy. To not waste anything I used the tanks to store the Dark Energy they left behind.
A Level 2 Source Energy is still a precious commodity after all. Even a drop counts. Too bad the Psyche Energy is still in that state. It could only be used for our Unique Abilities. Otherwise, that one will surely speed up everyone's cultivation, especially if it is released on Earth. The Dark Energy will not have any chance to permeate even if they breached it and that would probably spell the end of that Dark Cult. And in turn, it might become our chance to launch a counterattack.
I wonder what is really needed to awaken the World's Will of Earth?
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After gathering again, I told them what happened in the Core Room as well as in the Portal Room as we moved towards it
All in all the time we used in clearing this place was less than three hours. If not for the complex rooms which could lead one to a dead end, we would have cleared this earlier than this.
When the kneeling Dark Elf saw me entering the room again, I saw her face brightened as if she found a savior but upon seeing the others behind me, her face froze, especially upon seeing Yumiko.
"I see. So this is the Dark Elf who surrendered. How long has it been, Elena? Aren't you the one sending your tribesmen to their deaths? And now you're the only one left."
With a sneer, Yumiko addressed the Dark Elf woman. The others also have the same reaction. It's as if seeing the previous Boss who kept on making things difficult for them to turn into someone they can defeat in one strike.
That's how low she dropped from her previous state. She might not have any honor but all of those were for the chance to live.
Well, she can live but she will never be trusted again with anyone's lives. If she will be given a chance to live in this world, she needs to convert her adapted Source Energy to Spirit Energy if she wants to blend in.
Elena soon looked down and with a very downhearted voice, she uttered her reason.
"I… I don't want to die yet."
However, Yumiko responded with which it crushed her hopes.
"Do you think we will let you live? Just your existence is already a threat."
"But he said…"
She scrambled to her feet and turned to my direction. She stared at me with a hopeful outlook that I will speak for her.
"I told you, your fate will be up to them. Don't look at me. I'm neither a native nor the Helper of this world. You should appeal to them and not to me."
After saying that, I took the two girls with me and we continued to move towards the Portal Room. She was then left in the hands of either Yse or Harlan.
It's time to look for more loot before going back to the surface.
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"They're out! My daughter! Are you fine? This… your clothes are tattered. Do you have any injury?"
Jayce shouted upon seeing us and dropping what he was doing, he ran towards his beloved daughter and inspected her state all over.
Well, he's interrogating another Dark Elf who probably escaped from the front entrance. But based on that Dark Elf's strength, he's not even Rank 4 Mortal. Elena will be able to provide more information.
"Ugh. Father. I'm fine. I fought someone stronger than me which resulted in burnt parts of my clothes. Daisuke's always with me so nothing serious will happen."
Jayna shook her father off and immediately ran behind me to escape from his grasp.
After a while, everyone exited the Labyrinth using the front entrance. Elena, after being given the chance to live by Yse and Harlan as long as she will spit out everything she knows, showed us the passage inside the Core Room which could only be accessed there. It led straight at the entrance saving us the time to find a way to walk back from every room we passed through.
Since she knew that escape path, she really gave up and bet everything on surrendering rather than escaping by herself.
Ignoring Jayce's doting act to Jayna, my eyes observed the surroundings and caught someone I expected to show up.
"Principal."
A certain distance from the entrance of the Labyrinth, the sly old man in his suit and cane was standing straight as he watched us. Sugawara Hajime.
When he noticed my gaze, he bowed and smiled. Following my gaze, Yumiko also spotted him and with a confused voice, she asked.
"Why is the Principal here?"
"Either he predicted this or he knew from other sources such as the World's Will. Either way, it's great that he's here. We can ask him if you can now go to other worlds and if you can bring the natives with you."
"Kuramoto-kun, Yumiko-chan."
He greeted us as if it's natural to see him here. When the others noticed him, they all became alerted. Seeing someone unfamiliar showing up out of the blue, anyone will have the same reaction.
Only when he addressed us with our names and we acknowledged it did the others relaxed. Though they were curious, they moved back to give us the space.
"Great job at closing the Portal. That's one less problem for us. From today onwards, Yumiko is relieved of her duty as the Hero of this World."
"I understand the congratulations but is there a reason why you're here?"
"This is the first Portal to be closed. Of course, I needed to see the outcome. Are you not happy to see your father-in-law, Kuramoto-kun?"
"Rather than happy, I'm relieved that some of my guesses are now proven correct upon seeing you here."
The guesses I have about his involvement in every Mortal World. At first, he appeared as a shrewd individual whose only job is managing the Heroes, but as time goes by, his identity keeps getting more mysterious.
"Principal, does this mean I will not be summoned here again?"
"Yes, but you will gain the ability to come here. The World's Will of this World will be summoning you and giving you that ability. About Kuramoto-kun, you're the only one who can reason with it."
Ah. It's probably like that Portal Skill which the World's Will of World of Meta gave me. Without Yumiko's help, I will surely not be granted it due to its overly paranoid notion about me.
"Well then, I only came to see how you will handle the aftermath. But I guess my worries are misplaced. I will now depart to my next destination. To another world whose Portal is also about to close."
Eh? Why are you leaving already? I still have a lot of questions I need you to answer, you know?
Wait. Another world. I guess Yuko managed to do it by herself.
"Is it Yuko's Otherworld?"
"Yes, Yumiko-chan. You two are the most outstanding among the Heroes. But I guess, the credit goes to Kuramoto-kun."
"Don't jest. It's not just my credit. Without them, I will not be as useful. Anyway, won't you answer some of my questions first?"
Like confirming Sofiel's story and if It clicked, how did he know the identity of my Companions from my previous life? Is he already alive back then or he saw it through the use of his Clairvoyance?
I doubt his Clairvoyance to be that powerful, it's either someone told him or he's really existed during my previous life. Is he another reincarnator or something else entirely?
Ugh… There's a lot of unanswered questions.
"No. That will have to wait until you come back to Earth. Or you can ask some of it on Yuko-chan. A seal on her memory has been released."
As soon as he finished his words, he vanished from where he was standing. He probably teleported somewhere else instead of opening a portal for his use. To not show us how he travels to other worlds.
Haa… He ran away too fast. It's just a simple question,
My return to Earth will be after settling the worlds of my Companions. Barbarian, Meta and Elements.
And now another question arises, a seal. Then there's more than one seal. Does that mean like Sofiel, her memories will only come back bit by bit?
"Daisuke, what does the Principal mean about the seal on Yuko's memory? Does that concern of her being a reincarnator like Sofiel said?"
"Yes. It's a long story. I will tell you about it later. We need to prepare for Jayna's attempt. Even if there's no threat anymore, I want to be sure that it will go smoothly."
I answered. Since Yuko already remembered some of her memories, hiding the fact about her sealed memories is now useless. She will start wondering who put that on her and why.