In the end, after long hesitation and weighing everything Ren had said, Queen Kaguya finally made her decision.
The Holy Kingdom… would become a vassal state of the Sorcerous Kingdom.
—
Because if what Ren claimed was true—
Then the Kingdom was already nothing more than a puppet in all but name.
The Empire? A fence-sitter at best.
Even its strongest knight—Ren himself—was now part of the Sorcerous Kingdom.
Under those circumstances, the so-called anti-Sorcerous alliance…
Was nothing more than a bad joke.
—
Ren had also explained that he had already reached an agreement with the demi-human "Divine Envoy," Aura.
Even if the Holy Kingdom became a vassal state, there would be no need to publicly announce it.
The Sorcerous Kingdom would not interfere in internal affairs.
Nor would it impose any demands on the human population.
The Holy Kingdom could continue as it always had—
Except for one thing.
The territories already seized by the demi-humans would not be returned.
After all, those demi-humans were now part of the Sorcerous Kingdom as well. Favoring one side over the other was impossible.
However—
In exchange, the Sorcerous Kingdom would order the demi-humans to cease their offensive and maintain the current borders.
—
Which meant…
The war could end immediately.
Yes, the Holy Kingdom would lose land.
But continuing the war carried a far worse possibility—
Complete annihilation.
—
This… was the best outcome Ren could offer.
And for the Holy Kingdom—
It was already far better than the fate that might have awaited them otherwise.
—
Ren knew that all too well.
In the original timeline, the Holy Kingdom had collapsed into chaos.
Countless lives were lost.
And among the most tragic fates—
Was Kaguya's.
A kind-hearted queen who had never truly done wrong…
Yet in the fall of the capital, her proud, nation-treasured beauty had been brutally destroyed by a raging demon general.
When she appeared again—
She was no longer human.
But one of the undead.
A fate so cruel it bordered on absurd.
—
Compared to that…
This ending was almost merciful.
—
At this point, the Kingdom had already become little more than a puppet of Nazarick.
Calling it annexed wouldn't be an exaggeration.
And now, the Holy Kingdom had also fallen under Nazarick's influence.
—
As for Ren—
His objectives in this world were complete.
Becoming an adamantite-class adventurer? Done.
The three main system missions?
All cleared.
Which meant—
He could now return to the main world.
—
Still, before leaving, Ren accompanied the Empire's emperor to attend the so-called "secret conference."
A gathering unlike any before it.
The usually reclusive Slane Theocracy had sent its highest authorities.
Even the legendary Dragon Lords—including the Platinum Dragon Lord—were present.
It was, without exaggeration, a summit of the strongest powers on the continent.
—
And yet—
Halfway through the meeting—
Everything fell apart.
—
Without warning, Ainz Ooal Gown appeared.
Not alone—
But accompanied by the Floor Guardians of Nazarick.
Uninvited.
Unstoppable.
—
A room filled with peak-level monsters.
The rulers of nations trembled.
—
But what came next was… worse than slaughter.
—
Ainz did not come to kill them.
He came—
To give them despair.
—
Standing before the gathered leaders, he spoke calmly:
"Crushing insects one by one… is far too troublesome."
—
Then—
He raised his skeletal hands high.
His hollow eyes burned with crimson light as they swept across the room.
—
And before all present—
He declared war.
—
As for what happened next—
Ren never saw it.
Because the moment his final mission was completed—
He was pulled back.
—
A flash of white.
—
And just like that—
Ren Kuroda returned to the main world.
—
He had traveled across worlds before.
But this time—
Had been the longest journey yet.
—
He had passed through the world of gifted anomalies, gaining the "Simulated Star Creation Diagram: Hyakki Yagyō."
He had entered the slime world, awakened as a Demon Lord, and pushed his yokai power to new heights.
And in the Sorcerous Kingdom's world…
Well.
That had mostly been for show.
—
Though not entirely without gain.
—
While that world hadn't boosted his raw strength much, it had been overflowing with rare and peculiar items.
Items that might not mean much to Ren himself—
But to others?
They were priceless.
Magic scrolls that could be used instantly.
High-grade potions capable of restoring wounds and mana in seconds.
In this world—
Those were treasures.
—
And Ren knew something else.
A storm was coming.
A war that wouldn't be his alone.
—
Which meant—
Resources mattered.
—
As someone who never hesitated to spend when it counted, Ren had stocked up heavily before leaving.
Now, all that remained—
Was to return and equip his people.
—
And so—
He reappeared.
Without warning.
Right in the middle of a city street.
—
A flash of light.
A sudden presence.
—
People glanced at him in surprise at first—
But only briefly.
In this world, supernatural phenomena had become increasingly common.
An exorcist teleporting into the street?
Not exactly headline news anymore.
—
However—
There was one problem.
—
Ren's face.
—
Far too recognizable.
—
In this world, he wasn't just known—
He was famous.
A top-tier exorcist.
A figure revered as the "Redeemer."
A living legend.
—
And so—
Within seconds—
The street erupted into chaos.
—
Even though exorcists had become more common with the rise of specialized academies, those at the very top still held a near-mythical status.
And Ren?
He stood above even them.
—
Before the commotion could spiral out of control—
He vanished.
—
In a blink—
He reappeared atop a nearby rooftop.
—
The moment he returned, Ren felt it.
The ambient spiritual energy—
Had grown stronger.
—
For both exorcists and yokai, that should have been a good thing.
But Ren knew better.
—
This surge wasn't natural.
It was the work of higher beings.
—
The denser the spiritual energy became—
The thinner the boundary between worlds.
—
"…If one world equals one week here…"
Ren murmured, gazing out over the city.
"…then I've been gone about three weeks."
—
He exhaled slowly.
"If I want information quickly, the fastest way would be to contact Kuka or Isshin Kamishiro…"
A pause.
"…but after the Nightblade God incident, my identity's probably already exposed."
A faint grimace crossed his face.
"A half-yokai walking into an official exorcist organization… yeah, that's asking for trouble."
—
He shook his head.
"…Not that those guys would attack me."
"But still… no need to make things harder for them."
—
His gaze softened slightly.
"First… I'll head home."
"Check on Ayami and Ruki."
—
"And then…"
"We'll figure out what comes next."