Chapter 722: Synapse Replica! S-Class Hero Meeting!
"Stop! That tickles."
Ren reached out, his fingers deftly pinching the soft chins of the two Angeloids clinging to him.
On his left was Nymph, the Beta-type Electronic Warfare Angeloid, her twin tails messy and her blue eyes shimmering with unfulfilled affection.
On his right was Astrea, the Delta-type Close Combat Angeloid, whose ample curves were pressed tightly against his arm, her expression one of pure, puppy-like neediness.
They were pouting, vying for his attention, trying to steal another kiss before the day truly began.
"Heh heh, now you realize you can't handle it, right? Even a god has limits."
Iwanaga Kotoko, standing nearby while adjusting her beret, chuckled smugly.
She leaned on her cane, her single eye looking over the scene with a mix of mischief and feigned superiority. In her mind, Ren stopping the two Angeloids was a sign of surrender, a sign that his stamina had finally hit a wall after their earlier "activities."
She was truly overthinking it.
Ren glanced at the petite Goddess of Wisdom. His expression was calm, bordering on amused arrogance.
Handle it?
He could handle two hundred of them without breaking a sweat, let alone just three. His vitality was infinite; his stamina was cosmic. The only reason he stopped was to prevent them from spending the entire day in bed.
"Has Master grown tired of us so quickly?"
Nymph's lip quivered. The electronic lights on her ears dimmed slightly, reflecting her mood. She looked like she was about to cry the next second, her deep-seated fear of abandonment flaring up.
"Waaah! Master, don't abandon me! I'll be good! I won't eat your snacks anymore!"
Astrea, true to her nature as the lovable idiot of the group, immediately panicked. She hugged his arm with terrified strength, her golden eyes flooding with tears.
"I'll be useful! I can… I can chop things! Don't throw me away!"
To this, Ren sighed, though his touch on their heads was gentle.
"Stop messing around. No one is abandoning anyone. There's serious business to attend to now."
"What serious business?"
Iwanaga Kotoko looked over curiously, tilting her head. "Did another yokai steal a farmer's pumpkin?"
Ren stood up, the movement effortless and commanding. He smiled mysteriously, looking past the walls of the villa towards the sky.
"Probably dealing with a disaster that isn't quite a disaster. A shadow from a world that doesn't exist."
The mechanical chime of the System rang out, audible only to him.
[Ding! Detected Ren has encountered Uncertainty Doomsday. Doomsday Companion activated!]
[Doomsday Companion]: Two-person journey
[Companion Duration]: One day
[Companions]: Ren, Misaki Shokuhou
[Companion Mission]: Resolve the Synapse produced by an uncertain cause.
…
Outside, the world shifted.
The bustling city streets, filled with pedestrians and traffic, were suddenly plunged into twilight.
"What is that?"
"A cloud? No, it's too solid."
"Is it an eclipse?"
The city was suddenly covered by a huge, oppressive shadow. It stretched for miles, blocking out the sun completely.
Everyone looked up.
Collective gasps echoed through the streets.
They saw a massive, stone-like object looming in the sky. It was an island—no, a continent—floating upside down, defying gravity and physics. Ancient pillars and gears protruded from its underside, rotating slowly with a deep, grinding sound that could be felt in the teeth.
One second, people were shocked and panicked, pointing phones and screaming.
The next second, a subtle ripple passed through the crowd.
People lowered their heads. They blinked, looking confused for a moment, and then went back to their business. The massive floating continent was filtered out of their conscious perception, treated as a background detail or a trick of the light.
On top of a tall skyscraper overlooking the city.
Space warped.
Ren appeared instantly, bringing Iwanaga Kotoko, Nymph, and Astrea with him. The wind at this altitude whipped their hair and clothes violently.
"!!!"
Iwanaga Kotoko clutched her beret to keep it from flying away. Her single eye gleamed with envy at the display of power.
"Ren, can I learn Instant Movement? That teleportation was seamless!"
She asked, her mind already racing with the possibilities.
Having such an ability would make her duties as the Goddess of Wisdom so much easier. No more trains, no more limping through forests to mediate disputes between spirits.
Ren glanced at her, a playful glint in his eyes.
"If you can last an entire day," he said, his voice low and suggestive, "I'll let you learn Instant Movement."
"???"
Iwanaga Kotoko froze.
An entire day?
He must be joking!
She remembered the night before. She had almost died—figuratively speaking—after just a few hours. Her petite body had its limits!
An entire day… even if she could endure it through sheer willpower, her internal organs would stage a revolution.
Seemingly guessing her thoughts, Ren added, patting her head, "Don't worry, with me here, you won't die. My healing magic is top-tier. How about a resurrection service? I can heal you as we go."
"..."
Iwanaga Kotoko's gaze became profound. She looked at him with a mixture of horror and begrudging arousal.
"You pervert," she muttered, her cheeks flushing. "You really want to work me to death! Is this how you treat the disabled?"
"Master!!!"
A sharp, terrified cry cut through the banter.
Nymph fell to her knees. The peculiar high-tech panels near her ears were flashing rapidly with blue warning lights. Her eyes were wide, fixed on the sky.
"Master, that… that's Synapse!!!"
Her voice trembled with genuine terror.
For Nymph, that floating continent wasn't just a rock. It was hell. It was the place where she was created, tortured, and deemed a defect. It was the home of the Master of the Sky, Minos, who viewed Angeloids as disposable toys.
She was terrified as to why the Synapse, which shouldn't exist in this timeline, had suddenly appeared.
Shwing!
"Don't hurt Master!"
Astrea, reacting to Nymph's fear, had already summoned her weaponry.
Her photon sword, Chrysaor, hummed with lethal energy in her right hand. Her shield, Aegis L, materialized on her left arm.
Regardless of whether it was Synapse or not, no one would separate her from her Master.
Her white wings spread wide, feathers bristling. She had quite the posture, crouching low, looking ready to charge forward and cut the sky itself.
"Calm down, Astrea. Nymph, breathe."
Ren stepped forward, placing a hand on Nymph's shoulder to ground her.
"That's not the real Synapse."
Synapse is a constantly moving domain floating in the sky, referred to as the "New Continent" by Sugata Eishiro in their original world.
The stone pillars on it, known as "Rules," are the origin of the Angeloids' birth.
But Synapse was a setting from Sora no Otoshimono (Heaven's Lost Property) that he recreated in this world; it simply didn't exist as a separate faction here.
He was certain that the only beings born in the chaotic world were Icarus, Nymph, and Astrea, as well as a special person.
The Synapse had not been born naturally.
"Look closely," Ren commanded. "It has no mana signature. No life signs."
The Synapse before them, just as the Chat Group's Doomsday Companion notification had said, was an empty replica created by some uncertain factor based on the world's merging settings.
It was a hollow shell. A ghost.
He saw through its essence at a glance.
However, he wasn't flustered at all.
Let alone an empty shell. Even if it were the real Synapse, populated by thousands of Angeloids and Minos himself, it wouldn't be worthy of his serious attention. He could crush it with a thought.
Meanwhile, inside the Doomsday Chat Group.
[Shiroyasha: Hoh-ya, Ren, another Doomsday has appeared in your world? You really are a magnet for trouble.]
[Ren: Heh heh, calling it a Doomsday is really giving it too much credit. It's as weak as dust. It's just a floating rock.]
[Tsunade: Doesn't that mean there's nothing for anyone else to do again? I was hoping for a mission. The gambling dens here are boring.]
[Bronya: This time, only Misaki Shokuhou is accompanying him, right? Analyzing probability of romantic subplot... 99.9%.]
[Misaki Shokuhou: ...]
In Academy City, Misaki Shokuhou, who had just been very excited, awkwardly twitched her lips as she sat in the Tokiwadai library.
She held a cup of tea, her lace gloves tightening around the handle.
She had been extremely envious after seeing Misaka Mikoto's increased power in the virtual world previously. The "Railgun" had gained so much, while she, the "Mental Out," remained stagnant.
If only she had that opportunity…
But now she was suddenly told she had been excited for nothing? The threat was "dust"?
She was so angry she was trembling. Her blonde hair seemed to bristle with static.
'Why am I so unlucky when it comes to my turn? I wanted a grand adventure too!'
Wait, if Ren's Doomsday is very weak... doesn't that mean it's basically a date?
[Misaki Shokuhou: Since the Doomsday is very weak, why don't you let me handle it? I can control minds, maybe the rock has a brain?]
[Misaka Mikoto: Emmm, I think you're just greedy for doomsday points. Typical Shokuhou.]
[Misaki Shokuhou: Ara? I'm sorry, I'm not talking to a brainless savage like you. Go shock a vending machine.]
[Misaka Mikoto: ??? Who are you calling a savage?! Come say that to my face!]
[Misaki Shokuhou: Hmph. I don't speak 'brute'.]
[March 7th: You two really get along well. It's like watching a sitcom!]
[Misaka Mikoto: ??? Who gets along well with her?!]
[Misaki Shokuhou: ??? Who gets along well with her?!]
[Ais: So in sync.]
[Erza: Haha, isn't that a sign of getting along well? Fighting is a form of intimacy!]
[Trembling Tornado: Tsundere. How cliché.]
[Ren: Trembling Tornado, are you serious?]
[Trembling Tornado: What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?]
[Ren: Is it possible that you're a classic tsundere yourself?]
[Trembling Tornado: Huh??? Me? A Tsundere?! You want to die?!]
...
[Location: Hero Association Headquarters - S-Class Meeting Room]
The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy. The air conditioning was humming, but sweat was forming on brows.
The Hero Association's S-Class Heroes were holding a critical strategy meeting.
Seated around the massive circular table were the pinnacles of human strength: Silverfang (Bang), Atomic Samurai, Child Emperor, King, Zombie Man, Superalloy Darkshine, Watchdog Man, Flashy Flash, and Pig God.
A total of 10 S-Class Heroes were in attendance, representing the ultimate defense of their world.
Originally, each seemed to be focused on their own affairs. Pig God was eating chips. Child Emperor was typing on his laptop. Atomic Samurai was cleaning his teeth with a toothpick, looking bored.
Suddenly.
BOOM!!!
The heavy oak table groaned. A pen floated into the air and snapped in half.
Trembling Tornado's psychokinesis erupted without warning.
Green energy flared around her petite body, sending papers, water bottles, and chairs flying backward.
"Hm?"
Everyone was puzzled by her sudden movement. They looked towards the floating green-haired woman.
Tatsumaki was furious. Her face was twisted in a scowl, clutching her phone.
She was actually described as a tsundere? By that guy? In front of everyone?
"Trembling Tornado, you..."
Atomic Samurai, Kamikaze, frowned. He adjusted his kimono, looking annoyed. He had just opened his mouth, intending to stop her rude behavior with his usual arrogance.
"Sit down, little girl. We are in a—"
He didn't finish.
Tatsumaki's gaze sharpened. She turned her eyes, glowing with terrifying power, upon the room.
The next moment.
CRASH!!!
It wasn't a sound; it was a physical impact.
All the heroes felt a massive, invisible hand slam down upon them. It was psychokinetic pressure of a magnitude they had never experienced before.
Even breathing felt difficult. The air in the room became as heavy as mercury.
Superalloy Darkshine's muscles tensed involuntarily, his indestructible skin creaking under the weight. Flashy Flash, the fastest man alive, found his legs rooted to the floor.
All of them showed expressions of shock.
This power... it was so strong! It was suffocating!
The former Trembling Tornado was powerful, yes. She could lift boulders and stop missiles. But she would never have been able to completely suppress all of the S-Class heroes simultaneously with just her aura.
But at this moment, their bodies—honed through hellish training and battles—told them they couldn't resist. If she wanted to, she could crush this entire building into a sphere instantly.
Bang, the Silverfang, gripped the edge of the table. His aged face lost its usual calm, his eyes widening in utter shock beneath his bushy eyebrows.
'This pressure...' Bang thought, sweat trickling down his temple. 'It's not just psychic power. It's a fundamental disparity in existence.'
This young person... she's incredible!
Trembling Tornado... ever since joining that mysterious group... she has become even stronger!!
Unaware of their internal panic, Tatsumaki typed furiously on her phone, floating amidst the debris of the meeting room.
[Trembling Tornado: I am NOT a Tsundere! Take it back, you idiot Admin!]
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