Volume 9 Chapter 69 Day Five (Turning Heavens)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”What’s happening over there?”
Yawashi Jiro’s voice was uneasy, eyes flicking north. Cartera’s thunder roared loud enough to rattle McGaref itself. That violet lightning—the same stroke that had shattered the Gonan Kingdom’s army in one blow—was being funneled into a single place.
”I can’t say,” Eileen answered, calm but taut. “But for now… let us follow Onee-sama’s command.”
She picked up the words like a relay baton. At the front, Natalie led us with her usual cool poise, though her knuckles were white around the staff.
”Eil-Eil… I, I want to stay in McGaref,” Mori-Mori whispered.
”No, Mori-Mori. You’re a slave. You have to obey Master.”
”But…”
Her voice wavered, her eyes brimmed. Morina almost never cried. But Takumi had ruled: if we evacuated the entire merchant guild it would throw the city into chaos. So only a few of us were walking out.
Mother Marina. Aunt Ranka. Father Katarina. All gone—and Morina, not even knowing yet, trudged forward alone.
”I’ve still got friends here,” Natalie murmured, voice soft but steady. “I was a princess who had to volunteer to become a courtesan for my people. And now I’m leaving them behind. But… I can’t defy onii-chan’s will.”
Other than classmates, only Natalie, Eileen, and Morina were leaving. That was it. Scaya and Clarice stayed behind, braced for the next war flare-up, killing time with the Adamantine Witch in a fragile pocket of peace.
”Maybe I should’ve stayed, too,” Shion sighed, voice taut with longing. “But I just… want to be with Ginga-kun. We’ve all already died once. I was kidnapped. Tomorrow’s never certain. So if I can, I’d rather stay beside him.”
”No one’s going to blame you, Shion-chan,” Honoka said gently. “You worked harder than anyone. And besides… McGaref is already—”
She didn’t finish. None of us needed her to.
At the west gate, two figures blocked the way: Holy Corpse General Raphastia and Witch of the Dead Arm Almaria.
”You may pass,” Raphastia intoned, “but per His Majesty’s orders, we must see each face.”
”So you are Natalie,” Almaria said, eyes sharp, like dissecting her already. “The phantom princess of a ruined nation. Enemy? Ally?”
Natalie lifted her chin, royal pride gleaming even as her collar caught the light.
”I am Takumi-sama’s slave. His woman. Nothing else.”
”…I won’t ask ‘which one.’ But it is disappointing. I’d hoped to find a familiar face among the First Emperor’s companions. Alas. Very well—come. So long as you cause no trouble, this Almaria, Witch of the Dead Arm, guarantees your safety.”
”Be cautious, Almaria,” Raphastia muttered. “The battle north rages fiercely. It may even be against Livia herself.”
That was the moment the world bent.
A ripple. A groan. Reality sagged like wet cloth.
Voices caught in our throats. We couldn’t scream, couldn’t breathe. And then—our bodies smeared into nothing.
The instant Livia unleashed her great magic—Turning Heavens.
* * *
”Damn, damn, damn you all! The dead should lie quiet in the Underworld, become magic stones! Nasu! You arrogant brat of a student! Just die, like that one beside you did!”
Livia’s mask had cracked. She had felled the First Emperor, but her allies were breaking: Maribel lay headless, Floria writhed on the ground, chest charred black by lightning.
”Well, well. Still twitching?”
Asakura Chinatsu moved without hesitation. Her blade reaped Floria’s head clean.
Ranking No. 2 and No. 4. Two witches down, just like that. And beside her, Chisame’s cursed blades rattled, eager, slavering, already trained on the next feast: Livia.
”Uh-oh, she’s stuffed herself too much,” Chinatsu cooed, stroking Chisame like a beloved pet. Her smile was the kind that made weaker souls wet themselves. “Careful, Chi-chan. Don’t go full purple-robot meltdown, okay?”
Even Cartera went still. She’s a monster, Livia realized. Chinatsu had become her equal. And with Cartera pressing the flank, there was no time.
She tried to stall.
”My, Asakura-san. You know killing is a crime?”
”Heehee. Probably. But I’ve killed lots already. Guess I’ll add Sakasaki-sensei to the list, too.”
”Don’t call me Sakasaki!” Livia shrieked, rage cracking her throat.
A bluff. A feint. In the next breath she smoothed her voice cold.
”Oh, that’s right. It was you, wasn’t it, Asakura-san? The one who found my dear sister’s body. How was she? Did she thrash? Cry? Piss herself in disgrace? Tell me, did you make use of the corpse after?”
Chinatsu’s grin froze. Then sharpened. “She looked… heartbreakingly sad.”
The killing intent burst like a storm.
Steel flashed. Chinatsu drove a stab forward, no hesitation, no elegance. Raw, emotional fury.
”Die.”
Behind her, Cartera’s lightning shrieked down. Grano’s war axe swung.
Livia should’ve had no chance. Should’ve.
But she had planned even this. Inside her body, a hidden talisman shattered.
A short-range teleport.
And she vanished.
”…Just as I thought.”
”…Knew it.”
”What—!?”
Even I reeled. Two Hikari-chan stood there now, one holding Floria’s spear, the other gripping Maribel’s staff. And Livia’s teleport landed her right between them.
The weapons pierced clean through.
Her scream tore the sky.
That was the Lucky Charm Skill. Activated, doubled, at the perfect instant. Not fatal, but enough. Enough to give Chinatsu her window.
”Thanks, Hikari-chan,” she sang.
Chisame lunged. Livia raised a hand, desperate.
But Rira’s voice cut across, trembling with godhood.
”Sit still, Livia!覚悟しいや!”
The goddess’s shout shackled her. Just a fraction, but enough.
Chisame’s cursed blade punched through the barrier and ripped her belly wide.
”Hahaha! Poetic! You’ve forced seppuku on so many—taste it yourself!”
Blood sprayed. Livia gurgled, tried to speak, but only coughed red.
”Girls, let me.”
Cartera stepped forward. “Chinatsu-chan, thank you. Takumi-kun’s revenge deserves my hand. When it’s done—you may kill me yourself.”
She advanced, lightning dancing in her palm.
I clutched Meruru with Aria, breath ragged, ready to witness the end of humanity’s greatest enemy.
It was over.
We’d call Shion. Heal Meruru. Collect Cartera’s stone when she self-immolated.
Peace. Finally, peace.
I swore I’d build it. No more famine. No more war. Free them all from slavery. Marry them—yes, even in some messy harem. Keep Naje alive, selfishly, because I couldn’t let her go.
A world reborn.
…That was when space twisted again.
My skin crawled. Livia laughed blood through broken teeth.
”Turning…”
Her epithet. Turning Heavens. Her last card.
”You’ll see… damn you all… adjustment… off—”
Chisame’s blade chopped her head clean. Dead. Truly dead.
But the magic was already unleashed.
”Tak-kun!”
Aria slammed against me, clutching tight, arms digging into my back like claws.
”I won’t let go. Not now, not ever. Not just me. Hikari. Chinatsu. Rira. Kurumi. Shiori. Kahoru—”
Her voice dissolved into static. The world unraveled.
* * *
”…Wait. Peaceful?”
I blinked. Alive.
”Tak-kun?”
”Aria. We’re… alive. Somehow.”
”Thank goodness. But Hikari and the others—they’re not here.”
I looked around. Recognition jolted me.
”This is… my room.”
Not metaphorical. Literally the room from two years ago. Where it all began.
Same wooden desk. Same battered walls. Except… the gouge in the floor, the one I’d made dropping armor mid-repair—it wasn’t there.
”Thought I’d never see you again,” Aria whispered, pulling close, lips trembling against mine.
We kissed. Just to prove we were still real.
”Tastes like you, Tak-kun. Guess that means it’s not heaven.”
”Right. Souls here go to the Underworld anyway.”
We shared a shaky smile, then opened the door—
”Oh! Takumi, Funakoshi-san! There you are! Done with shopping yet?”
Yawashi Jiro, bright-eyed, grinning like nothing had happened.
”Yawashi-kun.”
”Uh, yeah, it’s me. Don’t look so weirded out. Come on, Takumi—Ginga and the boys risked their lives getting this haul. Sell high, buy cheap. My cooking Skill’s wasted otherwise. Day eight of the Almost-Free Cafeteria, baby!”
Aria and I traded looks. Déjà vu. No—actual déjà vu. This was the labyrinth era, when we were starving but scraping by.
”Hey, Yawashi-kun. Do you… remember the McGaref war?”
”Huh? What war? Nothing like that’s happened.”
So he didn’t know. Was he like me and the First Emperor—another branch? Another copy?
”Anyway. Counting on you.”
He vanished down the hall.
I turned back to Aria. “We need to check the diary.”
I kept one, alongside the ledgers. Flipped through quickly—there were fewer volumes than I remembered. Pages ended much earlier.
”…Here. Look. This date—”
”What is it, Tak-kun?”
”Aria. We’re in McGaref. About two years ago.”
Livia’s last card hadn’t killed us. It had thrown us back.
* * *
And so, our new story began.
This time, we’d keep as many alive as possible. Prevent war. Build happiness for everyone who called this world home.
This is the tale of me, the lowest of my class, who was thrown into another world with only one Skill: Discount 99%. The Skill that would let me seize the world.
Notes:
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Cartera – Eternal Witch — The First Emperor’s mistress and a resurrected sorceress of immense power. Cruel and seductive, she takes pleasure in destruction and defilement. Her loyalty to the Emperor is absolute, and she shares his desire to end the world. First appears in v9c3.
• Eileen – The second princess of Lesta Kingdom, encountered as part of reparations.
• Natalie – A famous courtesan and former noblewoman; platinum blonde, busty, and elegant; known as Natalie Barklem, daughter of the Duke of Lesta Kingdom.
• Mori-Mori – Secretary and slave to Takumi-sama. Young, silver-haired, and brown-skinned. Recently came of age (first menstruation). Highly intelligent and skilled in administrative tasks. Holds a deep sense of loyalty and devotion to Takumi-sama, willingly offering herself as a ‘s*x-treatment onahole.’ Daughter of Ms. Marina, niece of Ranka-san. First appearance in v6c1.
• Marina – Ranka’s older sister. The formal owner of Merchant Guild Katarina.
• Ranka – She’s a guild shop assistant with a friendly demeanor and a practical mindset. Ranka’s recommendations are based on logical, merchant-minded suggestions, catering to the buyer’s needs.
• Adamantine Witch – Beria. Ex-Seron court witch, slain and revived in the Ghost Army but still herself. Aristocratic, cruel to subordinates, yet hopelessly devoted to her sister Scaya—defecting mid-battle to rejoin her. Wields adamantine barrier magic, proud and scornful of ‘paupers.’ First appears v9c11. Reminder: Noble witch whose pride hides desperate love for Scaya.
• Clarice – The ‘Witch of Abundance’ from Lesta Kingdom.
• Scaya – The ‘Flame Witch,’ employed by the Dark Elves; captured after the battle where the Celon Dukedom army was defeated.
• Shion – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
• Shion-chan – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
• Raphastia – A once-renowned general who now serves the First Emperor in the underworld army. He is referred to as a ‘Holy Corpse,’ indicating his undead state. Raphastia retains his self-awareness and will, which is unusual for the undead, and his loyalty to the Emperor remains unwavering. He is described as having a raspy voice and is one of the key figures in the Emperor’s command post. First appearance in v9c8.
• Almaria – ‘Witch of the Dead Arm,’ ex-Quvar court witch turned 2nd Division vice-commander under Raphastia. Dutiful but hot-tempered, she shoulders his neglect, mocked as everyone’s toy yet deadly with assassins from the underworld. Slew Rex Velacoat, captured Sheryl and Stella. First appears v9c11. Reminder: Earnest witch cursed to babysit a gambling general.
• Livia – 8th-ranked imperial witch, heir of Cartera and friend of Lilus (Neige’s sister), whose death drove her to hate Quvar. Austere, sharp, and feared, she opposed the Ghost Army and toppled Emperor by using then betraying Gritch, secretly backing Princess Sheryl. First appears v9c3. Reminder: Brilliant witch who twists loyalties to save the world.
• Chinatsu – White Wall — Black hair, B-cup. Adventurous, masochistic, Takumi’s first slave & lover. Master of Asakura-ryu Iaijutsu, wields cursed sword Chisame (blood-powered). 12th-ranked fighter, close to Hikari. First appears in v1c1 Prologue.
• Grano – The Black Flame General, a legendary figure from Quvar’s past, now resurrected as part of the First Emperor’s ghostly host. Known for his ruthless tactics and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, Grano commands a significant portion of the undead army. He is disdainful of the living, particularly those who oppose the Emperor’s plans, and shows no mercy in battle. His presence, alongside other legendary generals like Belhart, underscores the immense threat posed by the Emperor’s forces. First mentioned in v9c7.
• Hikari-chan – 4th Division leader. Stressed, relies on Takumi.
• Hikari – 4th Division leader. Stressed, relies on Takumi.
• Rira – A classmate and one of Takumi-kun’s harem members. She has J-cup breasts and short black hair, which she plans to dye blue. Rira enjoys playful and creative expressions of intimacy, including cosplay and affectionate physical affection. Rira is also known for her ‘Intuition’ skill, which has been evolving into something more advanced. She is a key figure in Takumi-kun’s life, offering both emotional and physical support. First appearance in v1c15.
• Naje – First princess of the Lesta Kingdom and deputy commander. The tragic princess of the Lesta Kingdom who was executed for her country.
• Kaho – 3rd Army leader. Worried, ceremonial magic.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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