Chapter 1248: 5. Invitation

After Mela left, without the trashy loli’s incessant chatter, the area once again returned to silence.

Hamreign stood off to the side admiring the scenery, while Muen began thinking over the few things the old loli had said before leaving.

“She said I’m the ruler of my own Divine Kingdom, but exactly how am I supposed to rule it?”

Muen rubbed his chin and experimentally waved his hand.

The image of the surrounding city changed continuously according to his will. He felt that he could freely manifest any part of that ancient city, whether it was an exquisite building bearing the artistic style of that era or a spacious, orderly plaza.

The manifested areas were completely solid. They could be touched and even destroyed. Rather than calling them images, it would be more accurate to say that another world had overlapped with this one.

But other than that, Muen still could not discover anything special about this city known as a [Divine Kingdom].

Could it be used to trap enemies inside, constantly changing the positions of the buildings until they lost their way?

But its range was only around ten meters, and those city buildings were not particularly sturdy. Forget trapping a person, even trapping a pig seemed unrealistic.

“A Divine Kingdom is different from a crown. What matters is not the scenery it manifests, but you within it.”

The fiery-red figure was still admiring the scenery in the distance, but that voice, calm as a still lake, had already entered Muen’s ears directly.

“Hm?”

Muen blinked, then suddenly realized......

That was right. That bastard old loli loved saying half of something and withholding the other half. Before, he had been helpless against her and could only suffer beneath the torment of her riddles, but things were different now......

He had Miss Dragon now!

They were both ancient beings from a thousand years ago, and Miss Dragon had already formed a contract with him, making them eternal companions. Would she really refuse to teach him about something like this?

Now that Miss Dragon was so gentle, who still needed to endure that damned old loli’s attitude?

“Miss Dragon, do you mean that the core of a Crowned one’s [Domain] is the crown, but the core of this Divine Kingdom is me?”

“Correct. Those scenes are merely a form of evolution. They can be destroyed, and they can be reborn infinitely. So the important point is not how you use that area to influence the outside world, but how you use it to influence yourself.”

“Influence......myself?”

Muen glanced at the wall he had destroyed just now. With a thought, the wall was restored to its original state.

He could feel his absolute control over this place. Just as the old loli had said before, this was his Divine Kingdom, and he was the ruler here.

The key was how he could use this Divine Kingdom that belonged to him to influence himself.

Whoosh——

At that moment, the air was suddenly torn apart with a piercing shriek. Muen’s heart contracted sharply. From the corner of his eye, he saw an enormous boulder practically transform into a meteor, trailing a scarlet tail of flame as it smashed violently toward him.

Muen instinctively took one step back.

Only one step.

The boulder had been thrown at an astonishing speed, so fast that it had actually shattered the instant it was hurled, only to be forcibly compressed back together by some incomparably tyrannical force.

Combined with the fact that Muen had been completely unprepared, he had only had time to retreat by one step.

But that single step was nowhere near enough to move him out of the boulder’s trajectory. Hamreign, who had thrown it, seemed to have calculated even that tiny margin of error, completely sealing off every path of escape Muen had.

And so.

Muen instinctively activated his power.

A power that should have been one of his trump cards, yet here, within this Divine Kingdom, came forth in an incomparably natural manner.

Dong!

A faint tolling of a bell rang out.

The incoming boulder abruptly froze in midair, as though someone had completely pressed the pause button. The lava-like colors and vivid tail of flame were both fixed in a bizarre posture at that instant, as though they had been imprinted into a painting.

“This is......”

Muen swallowed. He stared fixedly at the boulder suspended in midair, realizing something as his heart began pounding violently.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps......

He began backing away, retreating slowly step by step until he moved from where he had been standing to the edge of the [Divine Kingdom].

The distance was not far, less than ten meters.

For a true Crowned one, such a short distance could easily be crossed at nearly teleportation speed.

But what mattered was not how quickly that distance could be crossed.

Quite the opposite.

What mattered was how long it had taken him to walk those mere ten meters.

Five seconds.

Muen still remembered that number.

Before he possessed this [Divine Kingdom], that had been the absolute limit for how long he could hold a target in Time Stagnation.

And even that limit only applied to enemies below the Crowned level. Against a true Crowned one, he could not maintain it for even a single second.

But now, how much time had passed since the stone had been frozen?

Thirty seconds? Forty seconds? Perhaps even......

“It is only a stone. At your current level, you could probably keep it frozen for as long as you wanted.”

Hamreign stood at the edge of the [Divine Kingdom], also admiring the colors swept across the air like a violent stroke of a brush, as though viewing a work of art.

“Keep it frozen......for as long as I want?”

Muen’s eyes gradually widened...... He suddenly began to understand what it meant to be the ruler of a [Divine Kingdom].

And what the old loli had meant by......“omnipotent.”

This was not the outside world. This was his “world.” In other words, within this place, he could to a great extent remain unaffected by any outside rules, allowing only......his own rules to operate.

It was just like when he had pulled Miss Dragon into his mental space before. Within his “territory,” his Authority could be exerted to its greatest possible extent while requiring the smallest possible price.

“In that case......”

Muen’s gaze suddenly shifted. A trace of cunning appeared in his eyes as he looked toward Hamreign.

“Look! Miss Dragon, there’s an airpwane!”

“Airpwane? What is that?” Hamreign instinctively looked in the direction Muen pointed.

Perfect opportunity!

Heh heh......

A wicked smile curved across Muen’s lips, and he lightly stomped his foot against the ground.

The entire [Divine Kingdom] suddenly changed shape. If it had been circular before, it now became oval, enveloping Hamreign, who had been standing at the edge.

Time Stagnation!

As the faint tolling of a bell echoed through the void, Hamreign remained frozen in place with her head turned.

“It actually worked even on Miss Dragon!”

Muen was overjoyed. If even Miss Dragon could not resist his Time Stagnation, then there was probably no one in this world capable of resisting this move.

In that case......

“Wouldn’t that make me invincible?”

Time Stagnation was an absurdly powerful ability. Even when the duration had only been measured in seconds, it had saved him from danger several times and rewritten the outcome of battles.

And now, he could actually use it without restriction within the [Divine Kingdom]. Other than those Evil Gods, who could still be his opponent?

“Miss Dragon, don’t blame me. I only want to test where my limits are.”

Muen rubbed his hands together. Like the protagonist of certain special art books, he walked toward Hamreign with a wicked grin while carefully sweeping his gaze over her body.

It had to be said, Miss Dragon truly was beautiful.

Her long hair was like maple leaves, her skirt like the night.

Her skin was pale and smooth, like the finest jade, and her face was so exquisite and beautiful that even a god would sigh at the sight.

A thousand years had not taken away the slightest trace of her beauty. Instead, it had given that beauty the depth and richness of aged wine stored in a cellar.

And within that mature allure, the thing most worthy of careful appreciation was naturally that demonic figure of hers. Although she was clearly a full head taller than Muen, her proportions remained perfectly balanced, curved where she should curve and narrow where she should narrow.

Because of her previous coldness and violent temper, Muen had never dared overstep too much. But now......as companions bound by contract who would walk together forever, what was wrong with him helping her take a few body measurements?

Muen’s ten fingers rapidly spread and curled as he reached toward the place he was most satisfied with......

Then, halfway there, they suddenly changed direction and grabbed Hamreign’s jade hand.

Of course, this was not because he was cowardly. It was because......

“Hmph.”

Muen gave a cold snort. “You wouldn’t even let me touch your hand just now, so I’m touching it anyway. I’ve already touched it so many times. What’s wrong with touching it again?”

Muen carefully kneaded that jade hand. The feeling was still extremely familiar. After all, he really had held those hands many times before. Yet for some reason, touching them this time made his heart race and gave him a slightly different feeling.

No, this was probably only excitement over how powerful his ability had become. It was definitely not because Miss Dragon had become cute now!

As he carefully enjoyed the soft, warm sensation, several faint streaks of red unknowingly appeared across that now-uncovered face. Seeing this, Muen immediately mocked her without mercy.

“You were so good at putting on airs before. I thought your expression would never change. Looks like, in the end, you also......”

Hm?

As he spoke, Muen suddenly felt something was strange.

That was not right.

She was clearly inside his Time Stagnation. How could her face still turn red?

This was not some immobilization spell that merely stopped a person’s body while leaving their consciousness awake. Time itself had been paused. How could Miss Dragon possibly react to his actions?

Unless......

Muen’s eyelid twitched, and he raised his gaze with difficulty.

Sure enough, those golden eyes had lit up at some unknown point and were staring at him coldly......yet also with several traces of suppressed embarrassment and anger.

“There are two things I forgot to tell you before.”

The jade hand he was holding suddenly gripped Muen’s hand back with tremendous force.

“First, you are not yet a true [God], so this Divine Kingdom has not reached a level high enough to truly ‘form a world of its own.’ There are many methods that can weaken its influence. For example......”

Buzz.

A radiant crown appeared above Hamreign’s head. The clear light spilling from it actually caused the surrounding cityscape to become illusory.

“Second, a small cost does not mean no cost. You are not yet capable of sustaining the manifestation of a Divine Kingdom for this long.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Muen immediately felt a familiar warmth appear at his nose. His body softened, and his entire figure became unsteady.

“Third......”

Hamreign reached out and pulled, immediately drawing Muen into her arms. But the enchanting softness and fragrance could no longer intoxicate him, because a cold declaration followed.

“Domir was right. You have been far too arrogant lately. You do deserve to be taught a lesson.”

“......Could you be a little gentler?” The corner of Muen’s mouth twitched slightly. He knew a sparring session was unavoidable.

“I have always been gentle.”

Hamreign said softly: “You know that......my dear companion.”

With that, her jade hand suddenly twisted in reverse, and Muen felt the world spin around him.

......

......

Several minutes later, Muen lay on the ground with the jade bead that gentle-state Miss Dragon had given him held in his mouth. Yet what repeatedly surfaced in his mind was that wild and familiar battle.

Or rather, that one-sided crushing.

As expected......even if someone’s true nature was gentle, if they pretended in certain ways for too long, it was easy for those habits to become part of their actual personality.

Just as the old saying went, wear a mask long enough and it becomes your true face. No matter how adorable gentle Miss Dragon was, the way she looked when angry was still terrifying.

But......this was actually fine too.

Because whether it was the irritable Miss Dragon or the gentle Miss Dragon......they were both the Miss Dragon he knew and liked, weren’t they?

“Damn it, why does this make me sound like an actual masochist? Let me emphasize this again: I have never had any desire to become a pervert.”

Muen forced himself upright and discovered that Miss Dragon was once again standing far away, admiring the unchanging scenery.

This was a platform constructed by her magic, not actual land.

In the battle before, the powerful magic she had cast had not merely destroyed the Love God and the monsters summoned by the Love God. It had also completely annihilated the land here......the land where the city known as New Tars, which she had likewise destroyed, had once stood.

Hamreign stood there, and it was impossible to tell whether she was staring into the mist or into that emptiness.

The wind could not stir her skirt.

“Miss Dragon.”

Before that figure could become lonely once again, Muen suddenly called out to her.

“What is it? Do you want to practice with me some more?”

Hamreign turned back in confusion: “According to my knowledge, certain individuals among humans do possess a fondness for being abused by others. Such individuals are often given the title of ‘pervert’...... Of course, as my companion, even if you are a pervert, I will accept you completely......”

“I already told you, I’m not a pervert.”

Muen smiled bitterly, unable to understand why his reputation always seemed to fall for no apparent reason.

It had to be Pink Bear’s fault!

“I don’t want to keep getting abused. I only wanted to ask where you plan to go next.”

“Where will I go?”

A rare trace of confusion appeared in Hamreign’s eyes, but it quickly cleared.

“Of course, I will continue eliminating Pollution. Although those survivors have already been dealt with, Pollution is still spreading in other corners of this world......”

“There is no immediate urgency, right?” Muen continued asking.

“......It is indeed not particularly urgent. At present, I have no other clues, and searching for those sources of Pollution will also require a certain amount of time.” Hamreign frowned. “Why are you asking this? What exactly are you......”

“Nothing. I was only thinking that perhaps you could temporarily put your work aside.”

“Put it aside? And then?”

“And then......”

Muen extended his hand.

“Come with me and take a look around the human world.”

“The human world?” Hamreign froze slightly, as though she had never once considered that possibility.

“That’s right.”

Muen smiled faintly:

“Of course, not as a calamity or as the Dragon of Death and Doom. Simply as yourself......as Miss Dragon, and truly take a look at that world.”

“Take a look at the world......you have protected for so long.”