Teil Ein.

““Haa… Haa…””

Pant the otherworldly Lene and Engel as they had almost exhausted their [Mana] while helping Engel in surviving [Pandora’s Box].

Due to this, all the room was frozen and the temperature was at least 15º C-zero; moreover, around Engel a ‘throne’ of ice grew and the temperature was way colder. Mr. Cole while being a [Fire Element] user, protected himself with a barrier, and as well protected the “normal” pair of parallels.

“Are you alright kiddos?” Asked Mr. Cole to the normal pair.

“Ye-Yeah…” Replied the popular Lene while being a little dejected. This was the result of her thinking she had screwed up with the cube.

[Mr. Cole]

Then Mr. Cole received a communication from his [Wake Up Call] artifact. They had been using it to communicate as they were ‘interrogating’ the parallels. What intel to unveil, what to keep and so on. It was Mr. Cole’s recommendation to hide Engel’s origins.

[Engel? Are you okay?]

Even if he was a parallel he barely knew, his similarity to Ange made him feel concerned for him.

[Yeah- I am. Well, I will have to excuse myself but I’ll remain like this a little while. I’ll activate certain magic tool and retire for at least 2-3 hours. Please do what is required and also tell the pair of parallels who helped me that my payment if returning them safe and sound to their dimension. That’s all. If you excuse me-]

And as Engel finished his call, a pair of pills appeared in front of him and he took them. After his [Mana] was replenished with them, he materialized the same tool Lene used and activated it- surrounding himself in a faint-purplish cube.

“Always my pace ain’t ye”

Muttered Mr. Cole a he directed himself towards the parallels lying on the floor.

Teil Zwei.

“You, the one with the school uniform.”

Asked Mr. Cole to the popular Lene. She felt startled but that was only her own guilt.

“Ye-Yes?” She asked.

“Let me ask- What was that exactly? What did you do to Engel? What the heck is that cube anyways?” Questioned Mr. Cole to what the popular Lene had difficulty answering.

“I-I don’t know. The cube activated itself, moreover, I don’t even know what it is. We just got it from the god and intended to use it for catching the [Gods of War].” Replied Lene quite flustered.

Mr. Cole wasn’t a walking polygraph as Engel is but, he could tell that the “normal” Lene was telling the truth.

Just as he was trying to discover what was going on- Someone butted in from the sides.

“Hey dude… I have a question fer ye...” Said the otherworldly Lene with a slight accent which would appear when she was quite nervous.”

“Yes?” Voiced Mr. Cole.

“I-If I’m not wrong… After the cube activated… It said [God of War Confirmed]. What exactly… Was that?” Asked Lene as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Her companion had also heard it and nodded in agreement.

(I see… They heard it after all. What do I do?...)

After pondering it a couple of seconds, he gave a long sigh and dropped his head.

“There’s no use to hide anything anymore. After this fiasco, it’s better if we don’t save anything to ourselves.” Replied Mr. Cole.

“I will tell you everything, but in exchange you also will tell me the whole intel you posses. For this, even if you don’t think it’s much, I will put on the table my honor as Alexander Cole, the one in charge of the [Black Swan Tournament].

I promise by my name that not a single detail will be overlooked in this exchange of information.”

As Mr. Cole said this, with a small feeling of discrepancy, the otherworldly Lene accepted his terms.

It’s not that it was a big secret, and even if she wanted to hide it, in this circumstances lack of information by both parties would lead to another fiasco like the one that had just happened; Also if the other party was willing to say everything why not comply? Not to mention, that the other side had given his name and honour as “guarantee” to give all his possessed information about the current situation.

For some strange reason, she trusted the words of Alexander Cole as some speculations formed in the back of her mind.

Teil Drei.

[Otherworldly Lene’s POV]

I won’t lie- It was a surprise.

The amount of intel we had could not compare to what Mr. Cole told us.

Even though it took a while he explained everything, even though it seemed unbelievable and actually I doubted what he was talking.

The older, and naked Engel here being from another dimension.

Our alternate versions, along other 3 people being the [Gods of War]

The speculation of this “god” that tried to do “something” to the naked Engel and his companions.

This world being a “reversed version” of that Engel.

Other version of us trying to kill our versions in this plane.

Moreover, the one who actually repaired the giant airship above us was the naked Engel.

This amount of information is… Tiring.

Actually it’s not us who loses by saying all but these people. I feel ashamed now.

Still, by processing this amount of information, I am not the only one surprised. As these [Parallels] of us are here too, they also are as shocked. Engel, my companion actually was nodding all along but I be he understood little of it.

Anyways-

Even with all this intel, I do not know what to do. It seems that the naked Engel holds even more information but he has secluded himself in that strange energy chamber. The only thing me and my companion can do now is to either wait for Ms. Cole’s contact or the naked Engel to wake up.

Wait… Now that I think about it-

“Mr Cole, I have a question.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about it, but- Where are the nake… The white-hai… The older Engel! Where are his companions?!”

Really… He has so many traits I don’t know what to call him. He is only in his underwear, he had white hair but when the box absorbed all his magic his hair turned black. The only thing different now that he has his eyes closed, is that he is older than the other two Engels.

Still, we were talking about he and his companions being targeted, but actually, where are they?

“WHERE-ARE-YOU-LITTLE-PRIIIIIIIICK!!!!!”

Suddenly, in the middle of the room, a strange black crack was being forcibly opened and someone was shouting like mad while peeking from it.

“Wha?!”

The others as well as me, except Mr Cole were so surprised that he was the only one to actually voice his shock.

(But-But what the hell is that?! Who is… SHE?!)

I thought while attentively watching the person who got out of the crack… Most likely a Dimensional Crack.

(Wait… Wait wait wait wait wait!!!! Tha-That’s… That’s ME?!)

As the girl who got out of the crack started to survey the room quasi-desperately, I could see her face. Indeed it was me.

Even though her eye color is different and her hair is longer, I know she’s me.

After her, one after another, 4 people got out of the crack and it closed completely.

In my head, I didn’t care at all for the other 4 people… All I could think is about my older [Parallel].

(Is… Is that how I’ll look in the future?!)

I thought while abandoning all intent of hiding my surprise.

After all, there was still hope. After all, they will grow.

[End of Otherworldly Lene’s POV]

Teil Vier.

“Wha?!”

Voiced Mr. Cole as he watched how Lene and Co. Appeared from the dimensional crack.

“There you are, lil’bitch!”

Shouted Lene as she approached Engel who was meditating.

She absolutely wanted to break the cube and bitchslap him as much as she wanted but she didn’t want to hindrance his training… Not to mention that breaking such concentration would lead to not desired consequences.

She could only curse him in her mind.

“G-Gyaaa!” She voiced in frustration.

“Ca-Calm down Lene. Let’s just calm down and asses the situation that is going on now.”

Voiced Izaak, who was executing his job as the ‘tsukkomi’ of the group.

“A-Alright. I’ll calm down.” Said Lene as she actually scanned properly the room.

“Haa… More [Parallels] huh... I am not in the mood of deducting everything and all… I’m plenty mad with Engel already… Mr. Cole, explain what is going on.”

Ordered Lene with an overbearing tone. It was unusual for her to be uncourteous but it must be the effect of being mad with Engel.

Saying that, Mr. Cole wouldn’t be the one to point that out as he would suffer the rage of the most powerful woman he had ever met.

He gave a fast summary of the situation to everyone with the [Wake Up Call] and then the four companions of Lene made a sour face.

They of course knew what was coming.

Just as Lene was about to scream with all her soul and badmouth Engel for his carelessness, stupidity, irresponsibility and ‘my pace’ attitude, she clenched her fists and held all her words back.

“Haa…” She exhaled in helplessness.

“Wha-What’s wrong?”

Asked Krestin as she, as well as her companions were taken aback by her self-restraint.

“Nothing. I just thought that shouting to him right now wouldn’t be a nice ide-... Wouldn’t be appropriated.” Said Lene

Just as everyone was going to congratulate her matureness on the topic, she added something else.

“After all, whether I punish him right now or punish him later wouldn’t make a difference.” She said while giving a gentle smile. Such a gentle smile that no one would notice that beneath it lays a great evil directed towards an only one individual.

The smile was so real that all the other gods shivered in fear.

“Alright so now wha-???!!”

Just as Izaak was trying to formulate a plan with the help of his companions, he “tripped” over something dropped on the floor and fell on his knees.

It was [Pandora’s Box].

Even though all of them were talking about it, they had completely forgot that it was still in the middle of the floor.

It suddenly activated and started to suck out all of Izaak’s energy.

“Ghh!!”

He groaned and the cube suddenly stopped. It seems that it wanted a little more energy than what it sucked from Engel.

“What the?! The box was still there?!”

Voiced Mr. Cole as he had forgot about it.

“Is that the box that drained Engel?” Asked Lene as Krestin helped Izaak to stand up and checked his state.

Lene also quickly glance at it with her [Demonic Eyes] and he seems to be just fine. He only lost 1 to 2% of his [Mana] [Spirit] and [Mind].

(Strange…)

Thought Lene as she approached the box. She was ready to resist the drainage but it didn’t happen.

(I do understand Engel was too tired to oppose the drainage, as he is expert in magic control and that at the last moment, he was able to oppose it, but even though having such energy inside, it still wanted more… It still had more space to take energy. How does it work? Does it use it? Vanish it? Store it? Even with Ms. Cole and Engel’s mom joining us in research, it would take years to develop something like this…)

Without lowering her guard, she inspected and theorized about the box.

Just when she planned to save it in her [Item Box], it vibrated.

“Eh?!”

She was startled by it. Not by the vibration, but because it suddenly started to release more [Mind] Aura than it had before.

She also had detected a nearby fount of [Mind], as if calling the [Pandora’s Box].

While the box escaped Lene’s grip and flew towards the window on Mr. Cole’s office, a person arrived floating to receive it.

“Yes, Yes! YES! I knew it! I knew these trash would be able to gather the necessary energy to activate the box!”

Shouted the person floating as if feeding his own ego.

“Now you don’t have any use to me, and so I can carry my vengeance for Amaterasu…” He muttered in slow voice, but even so the gods were able to catch his words.

They didn’t get at all what he meant or the situation that started to arise.

It seemed that the person could understand their grievance and directed some more words to them.

“You seem to not understand what has just started… But it doesn’t matter! Cry! Grief! Scream! Suffer and Despair! Blame!

After all, this is something you can’t stop at all!!”

Voiced the man floating as if declaring his purpose and so- He rose the box.

“[Awake- Pandora’s Box] - [Lair of the Asterisk]!!”

Shouted the man, Tsukuyomi, theatrically as the box shone in a deep black light and so, hundreds and thousands of [Asterisk] of all the sizes spawned from the small box on Tsukuyomi’s hand while causing a great magical pressure, tremors and thunder.

“What the heck… Is going on?”

Voiced Izaak while everyone inside the room shared his very same thought.

Teil Fünf.

“Haaa….”

Engel slowly exhaled cold air from his mouth. Even surrounded by a temperature of -50º C, he felt normal.

All his mind had been replenished and as if he had just woken up, his energy was at its peak.

(Time to get out huh…)

He thought as he looked around him. The walls of the cube had been frozen from the inside and his view was blocked.

He commanded the cube and while absorbing all of the cold air around him, it disappeared.

Just to find a mayhem out of his ‘cocoon’.

“Shit hit the fan as I was out…”

Said Engel as he could see how thousands of [Asterisk] spawned from a high point in the sky.

“What do I do now?” He said to himself as the others hadn’t noticed he had woken up from his meditation.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze coming from his level as he looked at the sky. He moved his attention to the gaze and there- He saw his companion Lene glaring at him.

“O-Oh. H-Hi Lene…”

He didn’t know why, but immense fear had been born in him as he looked at her, suddenly smiling at him gently after an intense glare.

“Motherfucker!”

She cried after approaching at terrifying speed and punched him in the face with such strength that he fell to the floor and all the barriers he had placed beforehand vanished with the recoil.