A beam of intense heat struck Souta directly. The impact melted a large crater into the road, and the acrid smell of burning filled the air.
"..." Souta expressionlessly jumped out of the crater.
What kind of luck was this?
Standing still and doing nothing, yet still getting hit by a stray shot?
A new surge of spirit energy appeared in the sky. Souta looked around and quickly locked onto the source.
Right above him, a silver-haired girl wrapped in a pure white, fantasy-like dress floated, commanding multiple wing-like constructs.
Thanks to his divine power-enhanced vision, Souta surpassed human visual limits and clearly saw beneath the girl's skirt... pure white, perfectly matching her dress.
However, in contrast to her elegant appearance, her face was filled with hatred and anger as she glared at her enemy.
She was confronting a humanoid, mosaic-like figure.
The two clashed like meteors streaking through the sky, unleashing countless bursts of light and heat in the high-altitude battlefield.
Thunderous roars shook the ears of those on the ground.
"Tobiichi Origami..."
Souta memorized the directions the two figures were moving in.
Then, he quickly typed on his system phone.
Souta: "I just saw Tobiichi Origami!"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Looks like your guess was right. She really did return to the past."
Souta: "No time to chat. I need to hurry and save them."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Be careful, Souta. Using your power under Mio Takamiya's watch is risky. If things turn south, leave the Date A Live world immediately."
Souta: "Got it. I'll be careful."
Souta put away his phone and glanced at the park.
Shido Itsuka—no, Shiori Itsuka—was already attempting to seal Kotori Itsuka's spirit energy.
Scanning the surroundings, he quickly spotted the future version of Shiori Itsuka running at full speed.
The girl ran desperately while shouting Origami's name toward the sky.
Unfortunately, the distance was too great, and Origami couldn't hear her.
Souta bent his knees slightly and leaped into the air, tailing Shiori Itsuka from behind.
He still had no idea where 11-year-old Origami and her parents were, so to conserve his divine power, he had to resort to this method.
After all, based on the storyline, Shiori Itsuka was bound to encounter Origami's parents.
"...Why does this feel like I'm some kind of stalker?"
Souta followed behind while mentally mocking himself.
Something felt off—according to the original story, Shiori Itsuka should have used Natsumi's ability to transform into her 11-year-old self. Yet, she looked exactly like her 16-year-old version.
Butterfly effect, perhaps?
Shiori Itsuka stopped in front of a residential house after running for a short while.
Her eyes locked onto something near the house's outer wall, revealing a look of shock.
Souta arrived soon after, following her gaze, and saw a couple who appeared to be husband and wife.
Their clothes were tattered and burned, likely from escaping a fire, and their bodies bore multiple injuries.
Standing ahead of them was a young girl, likely an elementary school student.
Her white, shoulder-length hair and delicate features left no doubt—this was the younger version of Tobiichi Origami.
She had probably just returned home from school. Seeing her parents safely escape the fire, she teared up in joy and ran toward them.
But just then, a deafening explosion echoed from the sky.
The battle between Spirit Origami and Mio Takamiya had intensified.
Wing-like constructs converged, forming cannon muzzles. A concentrated beam of light and heat built up at the forefront.
With a thunderous roar, a beam of light descended from above—heading straight for Origami's parents.
Seeing this, Souta disregarded his cover and instantly teleported beside the middle-aged couple.
Golden radiance shimmered at his fingertips as he pointed at the air—immediately, Time Stop activated.
A domain enveloped him and Origami's parents, blocking the scorching beam.
No matter how fiercely the light and shockwaves raged, they couldn't penetrate the Time Stop field.
This was a defensive technique Souta had developed after being inspired by a certain anime, No Game No Life.
In that story, the Elves had created a spell called Kú Li Anse(Eternal Fourth Protection), which could halt time to block any attack.
Now, Souta's Time Stop formed an absolute defense, keeping the devastation at bay.
The stray attack wasn't powerful enough to break through.
When the chaos subsided, Souta deactivated Time Stop and looked toward the sky.
Thankfully, Mio Takamiya had disappeared, likely unaware of his presence.
His gaze met that of Spirit Origami, clad in her white, wedding dress-like spirit armor.
She froze for a few seconds before realization struck her.
She had almost... killed her own parents!?
Souta pulled out a Twelfth Bullet Yud Bet card from his inventory, infused it with divine power, and teleported it into the air beside Origami.
A message accompanied it:
"Take this and recite 'Extend Time.' It will let you stay in the past longer. I have some questions for you."
At that moment, Shiori Itsuka approached with a shocked expression.
"...You? The person outside the park earlier...?"
"Hey, Shiori." Souta greeted her with a smile.
"Eh...?" Shiori blinked, bewildered.
Not only did he know her, but he also addressed her so familiarly... Who was this guy?
Before she could process further, a collapsing building threatened to crush the 11-year-old Origami.
Souta stomped the ground—ice burst forth, spreading rapidly and freezing the falling debris solid.
The flames extinguished, and danger was averted.
"Origami, come over here. It's not safe there."
Souta gestured to the young girl.
Little Origami, still stunned from the earlier events, hesitated.
But since this man had saved her parents, she instinctively followed his instructions and clung tightly to his waist.
"Th-Thank you..." Little Origami spoke softly.
"...Thank you so much," Shiori Itsuka added, exhaling in relief.
She patted her chest as if to ease her nerves.
"By the way... who exactly are you?"
Shiori studied Souta from head to toe.
Was it just her imagination? Though she had never seen him before, he seemed oddly familiar.
At that moment, a cold voice interrupted.
"I'm curious about that as well."
Souta turned to the side—Spirit Origami, clad in a wedding-dress-like spirit armor, had landed without him noticing.