"Well, it can't be helped then."
Ryuji shook his head with a trace of regret.
"I just wanted to get you all out of here quickly. If you're unwilling, I won't force you. But as you've seen, things are clearly not normal anymore."
He gestured toward the sun, then turned to look at Rin and Song Hana.
A deep sense of unease tugged at his gut—a bad premonition. Truthfully, the moment his skill interface had started trembling, he already knew something was wrong.
No one had ever witnessed the end of a world. Who could say whether it would unravel slowly, or vanish in a flash?
"Which of you wants to go first?" he asked plainly. "Also, there's no time for anything fancy. Just use your hands."
In different circumstances, he might have welcomed the chance to share something more with Rin. But now, that desire had been crushed beneath the urgency of reality.
It wasn't about morals or hesitation—there was simply no time.
When time itself was starting to break down, anything unnecessary became a luxury. The world could end in the very next moment.
"…Fine, I'll go first. Right here?"
Rin raised her hand, her expression a mix of emotions she didn't know how to name.
Was it regret? Disappointment? If this time anomaly hadn't disrupted everything, she likely would've chosen to be with Ryuji without hesitation. But now, it was clear that time was a luxury they no longer had.
"Let's go inside."
Ryuji wasn't shameless enough to do things in the open. He and Rin quietly stepped into a side room.
There was no need for small talk. Rin's cheeks were faintly pink as her white hand wrapped around Ryuji's "dick," slowly stroking its length. She moved carefully, trying to memorize the shape and feel with her palm.
Ryuji didn't try to prolong anything. In fact, he wanted it done quickly.
The moment the sensation peaked, he released a thick stream of fluid directly into her hand.
"…That's quite a bit."
Rin stared at the warm, sticky substance coating her palm. She instinctively looked around for a container—she hadn't been joking when she said she wanted his child.
"How you use it is up to you," Ryuji said flatly.
Without hesitation, he placed a hand on her shoulder. In a world this close to collapse, there was no need for drawn-out goodbyes.
"…Alright."
Rin didn't know what else to say. One blink—and Ryuji's shimmering silhouette appeared in front of her.
The next moment, she was back in her own world.
The warmth still lingered in her hand.
"…This guy…"
Sighing softly, Rin carefully transferred the fluid into a small vial.
She trusted Ryuji completely now, but maybe that no longer mattered.
"…I just hope his kid doesn't turn out to be a total pervert like him."
She muttered under her breath as she sealed the vial.
Back in the collapsing world, Ryuji wasted no time. He called Song Hana next.
The former esports champion and ace pilot had nimble, confident hands—far more skilled than Rin's simple caresses. Her movements were quick, practiced, and surprisingly precise.
Naturally, she was sent away just as swiftly.
But the instant she vanished, Ryuji felt the ground tremble beneath his feet.
A second later, the feeling of freefall swept over him.
"Damn it!"
Something had gone wrong.
The moment he realized it, a flash of white blurred past his vision—and suddenly the sky lit up.
Chunks of steel shelters were falling from above.
But it wasn't the bunkers that had failed—it was the indestructible trader's wall that was collapsing.
That seemingly invincible terrain, which had previously shrugged off even Rias's and his strongest attacks with mere metallic clinks, now erupted in smoke and flying debris. Earth and stone broke apart in a chain reaction, collapsing all the way to the trader's building.
Yet the destruction only transformed the ground into normal soil and rubble—nothing cursed or magical.
The world was just falling apart.
Then, once again, Ryuji's vision shifted abruptly.
And beside him, a familiar voice rang out, laced with smugness and disapproval.
"Hmph. Humans really are useless. You're spacing out at a time like this?"
Gardevoir stood beside him, arms crossed, her eyes full of dissatisfaction.
"Thanks, Gardevoir," Ryuji said softly.
Ryuji quickly thanked her and crouched down to inspect the ground beneath his feet.
He slammed his fist into the earth—but unlike before, no cracks immediately appeared. Instead, there was only a small dent. The usual metallic clanging sound was absent as well.
Clearly, the invincibility here had been lifted.
As he examined the area, Rias arrived from above, carrying Mikoto in her arms along with his belongings. She landed beside him, her face tense.
"Sorry, Ryuji. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly!" she said, gritting her teeth as she looked around. She noticed the same changes he had.
But Ryuji noticed something more. His gaze fell upon the only other person they'd found here—a female merchant who had once silently endured his unrelenting energy. She looked the same, but everything around her was corroding and weathering rapidly. The building she was in looked like it would vanish at any moment.
Even more troubling was the sudden tremor in his system interface. He could feel his strength and regeneration capabilities slipping away. In just a little more time, all of his power would be gone.
Though he was still physically stronger than the average person—his muscles visibly defined after the intense training he'd endured—the supernatural power granted by this world had completely vanished.
Now, all that remained was a trembling status panel and the memory of his former might.
Mikoto remained silent. The current situation had gone far beyond what could be explained by Academy City's science. A blush rose to her cheeks.
"S-So... using hands should still work, right?" she asked shyly.
Ryuji glanced between Rias, Gardevoir, and Mikoto's flushed expression. After a moment of thought, he placed a hand on Rias and Gardevoir.
"You two should leave now. There are no more newcomers here," he said.
Rias hesitated, then nodded.
She could sense the decay of this world better than Ryuji could—and also the pull from her own world. She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.
"Take care, Ryuji. You're always welcome to visit me. This is your promised reward. Pour your magic into it, and you'll receive what we agreed upon."
She handed him a badge, and Ryuji accepted it. A moment later, he activated Rias's return function.
But—
"Ten thousand points?!"
Ryuji shouted in disbelief, and Rias looked at him, shocked.
"Ten thousand points?"
She had expected the return cost to rise under these circumstances, but not this much!
"Don't worry…" Ryuji muttered. Though surprised, he had more than enough reserves to cover it.
Before Rias could say anything more, her body began to fade.
And at that moment, the world shifted again.
The clouds above vanished. Everything Ryuji and Mikoto saw began to distort as if being squeezed. Cracks spread through the sky like shattered glass.
"Quick!" Ryuji shouted, grabbing Mikoto's hand and guiding it to his dick.
She felt a surge of dread, a premonition of death, and instinctively gripped his dick tightly. Embarrassed but resolute, she moved her hand up and down.
She didn't fully understand what she was doing, only that she'd heard rumors. Her soft, white hand trembled along his dick, her face a mix of shyness and frustration—a strangely alluring sight.
But—
The encroaching cracks gave Ryuji no time to wait for Mikoto's personal growth.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Gardevoir with one hand and Mikoto's brown hair with the other, pushing her head toward his dick. At the same time, he opened the return interface.
"Use your electricity!" he shouted.
"Huh?!" Mikoto gasped, but her lips were already wrapped around the tip of his dick. The salty, metallic taste flooded her mouth. Her face flushed deeply as she instinctively released an electric shock.
In an instant, Ryuji lost all feeling in his lower body. His energy surged uncontrollably—and ejected his load.
Mikoto, like someone opening a shaken soda bottle, was overwhelmed. Hot, thick liquid flooded her throat. She spat it out reflexively, but not before her face, hair, and uniform were splattered.
Before she could even react in outrage, Ryuji shouted, "Return!"
He didn't even check how many points were required. He only knew that if he waited, the cracks would reach them.
As the two girls began to vanish, Ryuji opened his own world-hopping interface and immediately clicked on Seria's portrait.
But this time… the transfer didn't go as usual.
Ryuji felt himself leaving the world slowly. But instead of warping straight to the Arad world, he entered a vast, endless darkness.
The last images he saw were of Gardevoir returning to the forest and Mikoto reappearing in a dorm-like place.
But he… he was in total darkness.
"I failed?"
That was Ryuji's first thought.
But the sensation of traversing worlds hadn't faded. There was still a force pulling him—dragging him toward a different world.
Clearly, his powers hadn't disappeared. They were still working... just in a strange and unpredictable way.
And though he floated in pitch-black darkness, it wasn't completely devoid of light.
For one, his own body emitted a faint glow. And scattered throughout the void were countless stars, glimmering like jewels.
But for reasons he couldn't explain, the overall feeling of this place was still overwhelming darkness. Despite all the stars, it felt cold, lonely, and empty.
After confirming that his abilities still functioned, Ryuji let out a small sigh of relief. He turned his head instinctively, wanting to see what was behind him.
And what he saw left him speechless.
Amidst the endless dark void, a fragile glass-like sphere, dimly lit and barely glowing, was being crushed between two massive orbs of light—each about the size of a soccer ball. The once-pristine sphere was now filled with cracks, its transparent shell splintering with every passing second.
He realized then—that was the world of 7 Days to Die.
"So that's what happened. No wonder it collapsed so suddenly. It was being crushed between two other worlds..." Ryuji muttered.
The explanation made perfect sense. Even someone like Rias, who could communicate with a world's will to some extent, hadn't sensed anything amiss. That meant this was an accident—something the world couldn't foresee or prevent.
"What a shame..."
He truly regretted it. If he had just a bit more time, he could have mastered the blood energy arts. He might've even gotten intimate with Rin, or gone all the way with Rias.
Especially Rias.
Once she returned to her original world, she'd be much harder to reach.
But Ryuji shook his head, smiling faintly.
"No, that's not why I stayed. I just wanted peace of mind."
He turned away from the slowly collapsing world, the fractured glass orb still trembling in his vision.
He hadn't stayed for lust or ambition—but to make peace with himself. And now, with that cursed world destroyed, no one else would be dragged into its horrors. He could finally start planning his next adventure with a clear heart.
But then—it happened.
Just as he turned his head—
The glass sphere shattered.
A massive shockwave tore through the void, rippling across space. Though that world was small compared to the glowing orbs, the explosion was violent enough to push the other two worlds apart, forcing them onto different trajectories.
Shards from the broken world flew in every direction. Most were absorbed by the surrounding worlds. Some dimmed and disappeared in the darkness.
But the force of the explosion blasted Ryuji away—hurling him through the dark at incredible speed. Several shards pierced his body, embedding deep within him.
The pain was indescribable.
His entire body burned as if set aflame, and his vision filled with distorted symbols. It felt worse than anything he'd experienced learning a new skill.
His interface twisted violently, glitching in and out of coherence—before snapping back to normal.
He had no idea what was happening. The pain was too intense. He couldn't think. Couldn't process. Couldn't breathe.
And in that agony—came a desperate instinct.
Suddenly, a line of text appeared before him:
[Consume all energy to digest world fragments and convert to World Power?]
"Yes!" he answered reflexively.
He didn't even realize what he had chosen. His body simply reacted, grasping at the one option that promised to end the pain.
The moment he confirmed, his consciousness faded into black.
Ryuji dreamed.
In his dream, he saw the rise and fall of a prosperous world. It had once thrived with ambition and innovation—but greed and war reduced it to a wasteland. Bioweapons leaked and created zombies. Radiation from a weapon-damaged moon caused those zombies to mutate and grow even more dangerous.
Humanity struggled, but survivors clung to life, preserving civilization in fragments.
Then, something far worse appeared.
Gods from other worlds, seeking worship and dominion, used that world's ancient myths to manifest as "Eldritch Lords." Horrors that defied reason—monsters conventional weapons couldn't kill.
The desperate remnants of humanity began to worship them, trading faith for power.
But the world's will—though faint and flickering—sensed the danger. It tore itself apart to expel the invaders, forcing them out through sheer sacrifice.
Yet in doing so, the world veered off its natural course and drifted into the intersection between realms.
Now too weak to alter its path, the world's will tried to appoint a "world master"—a single being to steer the world while it recovered.
But the intersection was crowded. More worlds collided. The chosen candidates were drawn in and tested.
And they died.
None reached full stats—none were worthy. And so, the world perished.
Yes, candidates. Because becoming a world master wasn't guaranteed.
And failure... meant death.
When Ryuji awoke from the dream, his head throbbed—but he finally understood what kind of insane world he had just survived.
Put simply, a god tried to take over 7 Days to Die. The world fought back. Barely won. But ended up drifting onto a cosmic freeway... and got hit by traffic.
So it tried to call for help—someone to take the wheel—while it repaired itself. And then... it got hit again.
And died.
Yeah. That about sums it up.
Ryuji opened his eyes—
—and was instantly stunned.
Because the world before him…
Was square.
~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter every 200 PS.