Chapter 240: Origin Spirit
When she saw Franklin among the four arrivals, Kurumi Tokisaki let out a soft breath, and the hand holding her teacup stopped its involuntary trembling.
"You're back already? That was almost too easy."
Yoshino looked around curiously. Kurumi Tokisaki came into view at the wooden table, and across from her, a heavily mosaicked phantom figure also caught Yoshino's eye.
In an instant, Yoshino pulled Yoshinon behind Franklin to hide. Franklin, upon seeing the phantom, gently set Tohka down.
"Long time no see, Kurumi. Have you finished your business? Are you ready to start the deal?"
In response to Franklin's question, Kurumi leisurely sipped her tea before looking back at him.
"Not yet. I told you—I'd come find you when I was ready, not the other way around."
Franklin nodded in agreement, then turned his gaze to the mosaicked phantom that even his Rinnegan couldn't see through.
After a moment's hesitation, he activated Eye of True Sight—a skill he hadn't used in a long time.
In that instant, he felt the familiar sensation of his spiritual energy being completely drained. Fortunately, the ambient spiritual energy within a six-thousand-kilometer radius quickly replenished him.
Within seconds, his depleted reserves began recovering rapidly, and countless pieces of information flooded his vision.
Name: Takamiya Mio (Origin Spirit) (God) (Phantom) (???)
Age: 30/???
Race: Spirit Race (Dimensional Heavenly Tome???)
Bloodline: None
Physical Cultivation: Early Void-Shattering Realm (???)
Spiritual Energy Cultivation: Early Refining Void Stage (???)
Mental Power Cultivation: Realm of All Sentient Beings (???)
Soul Cultivation: Early Sixth Realm (???)
Technique: None
Angel 1: Omnipresent Sanctuary (???)
Angel 2: Paradise of Reincarnation (???)
Angel 3: Void (???)
Talent: [Dimensional Heavenly Tome???]
Comprehensive Combat Power: 200 million ~ ???
After reading the data, countless question marks filled Franklin's vision. He had never seen anything so outrageous. His legs went weak, and he actually staggered.
"You're probing me?"
A strange, genderless voice reached Franklin's ears, making him feel deeply uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I was trying to scan you—but it failed. You seem a lot stronger than me. Just who are you?"
At Franklin's words, the phantom fell silent. Kurumi fell silent. Yoshino, hiding behind Franklin, helplessly covered her face. Only Tohka and Yoshinon looked confused.
"It doesn't matter. Everything is proceeding according to plan. This time we absolutely won't be separated again. There will be no more mistakes."
The next instant, Kurumi summoned her twin pistols, aimed them at the phantom, and fired rapidly. The phantom paid no attention, casually waving a hand—every bullet dissolved into spiritual energy and vanished.
Where its hand seemed to pass through the air, a pitch-black spatial rift appeared. The phantom stepped slowly into it.
Only after the phantom left did Franklin begin to recover from the shock of its terrifying combat power. Thinking over what it had just said, he shook his head helplessly.
He had really spoken carelessly. In the Date A Live world, there was only one being stronger than him.
The moment those words left his mouth, even an idiot would know who the phantom was. But trying to talk his way out of it now wouldn't help anyway.
Franklin exhaled softly and turned to Kurumi, who was now looking back at him.
"That was the Origin Spirit? Just how strong is it? Even you looked shaken. Is it really so powerful that there isn't the slightest chance of winning?"
Seeing the faint anger in Kurumi's eyes and her frustration at his inaction, Franklin sighed softly and shook his head with a helpless expression.
"Before meeting her, I really couldn't imagine how strong she was.
Now that I've seen her and carefully scanned her, I realize I underestimated the Origin Spirit from the start.
Her name is Takamiya Mio—a female spirit. How strong is she? Let's put it this way: she could treat the entire Blue Star like modeling clay.
After learning that, do you think I had any reason to make a move just now?"
Kurumi's expression stiffened. She stared at Franklin in disbelief. "What did you just say?"
"What else could I say? All of your spirit crystals were granted by her—time crystals, elemental crystals, everything. As the Origin Spirit herself, how weak do you think she could possibly be?"
Kurumi fell silent. The glowing clock in her eye dimmed slightly, and a faint aura of despair spread around her.
Seeing this, Franklin scratched his head. He was about to comfort her when Kurumi sank into her own shadow and vanished.
Looking at the single cup of steaming red tea left on the table, Franklin shook his head helplessly.
All her efforts up until now felt like nothing more than self-entertainment—completely futile. Anyone would struggle with that kind of blow.
He considered chasing after her but decided against it after a brief thought. The best thing right now was to let Kurumi calm down on her own.
Turning back to the three girls, the corner of his eye caught something under the table. At some point, a white spirit crystal had been placed quietly on the ground. Curious, Franklin picked it up.
The moment he touched it, he felt the dense spiritual energy inside. Instinctively, he used Eye of True Sight, and several lines of data appeared.
[Crown Spirit Crystal]
Grade: Purple · Rule
Description: Condensed crystal of the Origin Spirit's Kabbalah Life Tree Crown ability
Usage: The being who obtains the crystal must sincerely desire its power
Effect: Absorbing the crystal turns the user into the spirit representing the Crown (combat power comparable to early to perfected Nascent Soul cultivators, variable)
Ability: Determined by the user's deepest desires and habits; essence remains Crown attribute
Franklin wrapped the white crystal in spiritual energy and sealed it completely with an Eight Trigrams seal.
According to the normal storyline, this crystal was supposed to belong to Origami Tobiichi.
But turning her into the very spirit she hated most would be incredibly cruel. For the moment, Franklin wasn't sure what to do about it.
"Lin, what is that? And who were those two people just now? You seemed to know one of them pretty well."
Feeling Tohka's curious gaze beside him, Franklin exhaled softly and explained patiently. "It's a spirit crystal—something that can turn a human into a spirit.
As for those two: one is the Origin Spirit, the being who created spirits in the first place.
The other is Tokisaki Kurumi—one of the girls I like, and also someone who became a spirit because of a spirit crystal."
At Franklin's explanation, Tohka's eyes widened. She forgot everything else he'd said—everything except the part about "one of the girls I like."
"Little Bro Lin isn't even trying to hide it anymore. Saying everything out loud like that—it's a really bad habit."
Franklin gently took hold of the stunned Tohka's hand, then reached out his other hand toward Yoshino.
"What's there to hide? There are still two more coming. If I don't say it now, it'll be even harder for Tohka to accept later."