Souta took out his system phone and glanced at the screen.
It was Kurumi contacting him.
Tokisaki Kurumi: "@Souta. I'm absorbing reiryoku leyline energy right now. It's working—I can clearly feel the upper limit of my reiryoku increasing."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Also, my 'Angel' is getting bigger."
Souta: "Your 'Angel' is getting bigger? What do you mean?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Exactly that—when manifested, its size keeps increasing. It's nearly as big as a small house now."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "I tested the enlarged 'Angel'—it can now generate time bullets much faster. What used to take one second per bullet now takes just 0.5 seconds. And each bullet can now affect two targets."
Souta: "That's likely a result of the sephira crystal's enhancement, which is pushing your 'Angel' to evolve. If your output doesn't improve along with your reiryoku levels, your strength might not actually go up by much."
In the world of Date A Live, spirits mainly attacked through their "Angels."
They didn't seem to have other spells or methods to channel reiryoku.
If reiryoku was a reservoir, then the "Angel" was the pipe that drew power from it. Even if you held an ocean of reiryoku inside, if your output pipe was the size of a toothpick, your attacks wouldn't get much stronger.
Too much power might even cause your "Angel" to overload and collapse.
Altair: "So even the 'Angel' is evolving? In that case, could Kurumi's time bullets evolve from affecting single targets to controlling time over a wide area? I recall you, Souta, once experienced something like that."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "I can't confirm it just yet. I've only absorbed a small portion of leyline energy so far. The change in influence isn't very obvious yet."
Souta: "I think it will happen. Eventually, a single bullet could control time across a whole zone. Whether it hits the enemy won't even matter as much anymore—the limitations would be drastically reduced."
Souta: "Oh, Kurumi, have you checked if your shadow space evolved?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "I've tested it. The space is much larger now, and the area where I can project shadow externally has also increased."
Souta: "Is that all? Any new spatial manipulation abilities? Like reversing causality within a space, slicing dimensions, or even consuming space?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "..."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Wait, Souta—why would you think I'd develop those kinds of powers?"
Souta: "Because those are the powers of your 'White Queen' form—your inverted self, which could manipulate space."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Inverted self? I... I've had one of those?"
Souta: "It's from a spin-off novel. I'm not even sure if that version of the world exists. But if it does, your sephira crystal should hold spatial manipulation abilities. Maybe as it evolves, those powers will surface."
Altair: "Oh? If Kurumi can control both time and space, her strength will soar. She'll be much more prepared to face Mio Takamiya."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Hopefully. But whether it's true or not... it's still too early to say."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Souta, when I get to the real world, don't forget to find me that spin-off novel."
Shiroyasha: "Looks group's going to produce another powerhouse besides me."
Souta: "Hey now, I count as a powerhouse too, don't I?"
Shiroyasha: "Hah? You, who I could one-shot? Where do you get the nerve to say that?"
Souta: "Your world's ridiculous—gods and Buddhas working together to create universes. Of course, I can't compare. But in any Earth-based world, I'm definitely a top-tier combatant now."
Altair: "Souta, didn't you get whooped by Mio Takamiya?"
Souta: "The Date A Live world is unique. The power gap is massive. You've got basic spirits, then you jump straight to Mio. Doesn't really count."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Oh? I remember you once said Dies Irae and A Certain Magical Index also take place on Earth, right? You're strong in those worlds too? Impressive."
Souta: "Kurumi, are you teasing me?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Fufu~ Are you mad?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Don't worry, once I finish absorbing the leylines, you'll get stronger too."
Souta: "Huh? You get stronger, and I benefit?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "What's mine is yours. Don't forget that, okay?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Damn it! I want to power up too! Why haven't I gotten any missions yet?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Souta, how about lending me your divine power first? I'll pay you back with points later."
Souta stared silently at his phone.
Hearing the word "loan" from Rin triggered some unpleasant associations.
Souta: "Rin, maybe avoid tossing around words like 'loan' so casually."
Souta: "Just trust me on this one."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "By the way, Souta, how's the newbie situation on your end?"
Souta: "I've already awakened her and resolved her physical issues. I should be able to head back soon."
Souta: "@Nezuko. Come say hi to everyone."
Inside the cabin, Nezuko looked up from her phone, confused.
She didn't understand why Souta didn't just speak to her directly—they were right next to each other.
But confused or not, she wouldn't refuse his request.
Nezuko: "Hello everyone, I'm Nezuko Kamado. I've been asleep due to being a demon, so I didn't say anything before. Sorry for worrying you all."
Altair: "As long as you're okay."
Shiroyasha: "Newbie, I helped save you too. Don't forget to wear something cute and let me take your picture next time."
Nezuko: "Huh? Um... thank you. I will."
Souta: "Alright, Shiroyasha, stop trying to take advantage of the situation. Don't you already have Black Rabbit?"
Shiroyasha: "Tch. One Black Rabbit isn't enough! I'm curious about what the newbie looks like—heehee."
Shiroyasha: "Actually, I want to meet all of you! When are you guys visiting Little Garden? I'll give you the best welcome!"
Yeah, maybe skip inviting Shiroyasha to in-person meetups.
Could be... problematic.
Tokisaki Kurumi: "@Nezuko. Do you want to bring your family back? If so, it might trigger a wish-related mission."
Nezuko: "Bring them back!? You mean... resurrection is real?"
Altair: "It is. One of my relatives was resurrected with help from the group."
Nezuko slowly put away her phone and looked at Souta, her eyes filled with nervous hope.
Nezuko: "Divine One... is resurrection truly possible?"
Souta: "There are two key conditions: the body must be intact enough to live again, and the soul must return to it. In your world... considering how souls linger, resurrection might be relatively easy."
He turned toward Tanjiro, who'd been drawn into the conversation.
Souta: "Tanjiro, when you fought the Hand Demon, didn't you see your little brother's soul?"
Tanjiro thought for a moment, then said uncertainly:
"I did... but I'm not sure if I imagined it."
Souta: "What about Sabito and Makomo? How did you know their names after they died?"
That's right—he might have imagined seeing his brother, but Sabito and Makomo... those were definitely real souls. There was no way he could've known their names otherwise.
Seeing her brother quietly acknowledge it, a surge of urgency rose in Nezuko's chest.
At that moment, two phones buzzed in unison.
Souta looked at his phone.
The system had issued a group mission.