Right after Souta asked his question, the system immediately slapped him with a harsh reality check:
[No, an ability created with divine power is just a simple ability. Its strength is directly proportional to the divine power consumed, but without the foundational support of a corresponding worldview, it has no growth potential.]
"Oh? Are there specific requirements for abilities?" Souta asked, intrigued.
[The abilities you possess now are either obtained through the lottery system from different anime worlds, like 'Half-Cold Half-Hot,' or extracted from anime characters, like 'Time Manipulation.' These abilities are supported by their respective worldviews, which means they carry the foundation of an entire world. Because of this, they have an extremely high potential for growth. Not only can they be nurtured into a 'Divine Authority,' but they can even evolve into a universal 'Principle.']
"A universal 'Principle'?" Souta frowned. "What does that mean?"
[A 'Principle' is a supreme power above 'Divine Authority.' For example, in the DnD worldview, deities are immune to time-based abilities, so no matter how much divine power you use, you cannot apply time-stopping effects on them. However, if you wield the 'Principle of Time,' interfering with gods using time would be effortless—just a mere thought would suffice.]
Souta's eyes widened. "That much of a difference?"
[A 'Divine Authority' is just a world's rule, while a 'Principle' dictates world rules. A 'Principle' has the essence to determine the form of existence in the multiverse. At its initial stage, a 'Principle' can already forcefully influence an entire universe. You can think of the 'Principle of Emanation' from Dies Irae as an example.]
The system's explanation made Souta even more astonished. If a 'Principle' could interfere with an entire universe from the get-go, wouldn't the 'Principle of Time' allow him to freeze an entire universe's time instantly?
But then he recalled the system's example and realized it wasn't that surprising.
In Dies Irae, the 'Eternal Recurrence' Principle wielded by the Mercurius, supported by the 'Throne,' could rewind the entire multiverse to its initial state countless times, making it eternally repeat itself.
So, in that context, a 'Principle' having such power didn't seem that far-fetched.
"If that's the case..." Souta pondered. "Does that mean the only way I can obtain new 'Divine Authorities' in the future is through the lottery system or by making new friends?"
Souta sighed. It seemed that if he wanted to grow stronger, he would have to make more close friends.
For now, though, he needed to find a way to replenish his divine power. Running low felt incredibly uncomfortable.
With that decision, he immediately opened the friends' chat group and checked on Kurumi's progress.
Souta: "@Kurumi. @Chelsea. How's the rescue mission going?"
Not long after, a response came.
Chelsea: "We only managed to save Cornelia."
Souta: "Huh? Wasn't Cornelia already rescued last time? You mean you haven't made any progress at all?"
Kurumi Tokisaki: "It's not that we're not making progress. We have to wait until the right moments when these people naturally 'exit the stage' in history before we can save them. That takes time."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Souta, you finished your mission?"
Souta: "Yeah, I already received the rewards. I checked on the Fate world—Rin and Illya's futures have improved. So, this matter is settled."
Illya: "How can it be settled, big brother? You have to come back often! Illya misses you!"
Rin Tohsaka: "@Souta. You bastard, Sakura keeps asking about you every day! When are you going to visit her? She's driving me crazy!"
Souta: "Sakura? Why is she asking about me?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Just come and see for yourself!"
Illya: "Rin, using your sister as an excuse? You're so shameless!"
Rin Tohsaka: "Nonsense! I'm telling the truth! Sakura really wants to see him!"
Illya: "Hmph! Lame excuse. No dignity at all."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "..."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "@Souta. Care to explain?"
Souta sighed. He knew this situation was unavoidable.
Could these people at least learn to keep such things private instead of posting them in the group chat?
He wasn't sure how to respond, but at that moment, Kurumi suddenly sent him a private message.
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Never mind. No need to explain. I can already guess, and I was mentally prepared for this. After all, I can't stop you from doing your missions."
Souta: "Are you mad?"
Kurumi Tokisaki: "A little, but it's fine. I won't lose to them."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "By the way, Souta, you better watch out for my clones. They've been really looking forward to seeing you again. When we return to the real world, I'll make sure they 'properly entertain' you."
His mind conjured up a scenario, and suddenly, his back felt weak.
Kurumi hadn't increased her clone count recently, had she?
The last time he checked, there were already over a thousand of them.
If there were even more now... No, no, he definitely didn't want to find out.
Chelsea: "By the way, Souta, did you need something from us?"
Chelsea's message in the group chat snapped Souta and Kurumi out of their private conversation.
Souta: "I'm almost out of divine power and wanted to return to the Path of Peace to replenish it. But since you guys are still rescuing people, I'll have to wait."
Chelsea: "You can go to the Path of Peace and collect faith by yourself, though."
Souta: "No, remember? If I travel to the 'Akame ga Kill' world, I'll be sent directly to you."
Chelsea: "I can just return to the future for a while. Once you replenish your divine power, I can go back to the past."
Souta: "Forget it. Just hearing that sounds like a hassle. I don't have anything urgent to do, so I can wait."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Souta, why don't you gather faith in my world instead?"
Souta: "Huh? The Date A Live world? I don't have a religious following there."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Did you forget about Honjo Nia's manga? That series is wildly popular worldwide. If admiration for a character in a manga counts as faith, you should be able to collect a considerable amount."
He had to admit, Kurumi's perspective was impressive—he hadn't even considered that.
The manga Honjo Nia created was based on his "savior" deeds, making its protagonist a sort of avatar for him.
If audience admiration for the protagonist counted as faith, then this could be an incredibly lucrative source of divine power!
Souta quickly asked the system for confirmation and received a reply:
[It can be classified as faith—albeit a highly diluted version, about one-tenth the potency of real worship.]
"A tenth? But it's a numbers game," Souta thought, excitement rising.
A globally popular manga—how many readers did that mean?
And how many of them would revere the protagonist?
"Could this boost my divine rank straight to level 5?"
Souta was suddenly full of anticipation.