[Ding! Assimilation Mode Activated.]
[Initiating Calculation…]
Highschool of the Dead World: Non-magical, planetary-level physical world.
• Assimilating this world will enhance the Host's Primordial Law Ring with additional physical rules.
• Teyvat Universe's World Power will increase by 6%.
• Teyvat Universe's total matter will increase by 9%.
• Teyvat Universe's Human Realm Force will increase by 3%.
• Teyvat Universe's spatial expansion will increase by 9%.
[Calculation complete. Beginning to break the barrier between universes.]
Before Teyvat could fully ascend into a microcosm, assimilated worlds had to be drawn into the Sea of Quanta, forming a fragile dependency.
That kind of dependency was easily shattered by the tides of the Sea of Quanta.
But now, things were different. The assimilated world was directly drawn into Teyvat's enclosed miniature cosmos.
At the outermost layer of the microcosm, the Highschool of the Dead World slowly emerged from a white vortex, settling into a pocket dimension within Teyvat's structured reality.
Right next to this dimension was the Earth from the Demon Slayer World.
Since both were versions of Earth, they could be considered parallel worlds.
The microcosmic structure had an interesting feature:
The further a world existed from the core, the lower its rule density and its overall world rank.
This meant that the further out a world was, the faster its time flowed.
For now, Teyvat's microcosm was still small. The current time dilation between the core world and the outermost layer was a simple ratio: one day in the core equated to seven days in the outer worlds.
Noah propped his face on his hand and sighed in mild disappointment. "Hah… I expected this, but I didn't think a non-magical world would provide so little in terms of new rules. Even its World Power is minimal."
"The only real gain here is the sheer amount of additional matter…"
Then again, it made sense. A purely material world followed only the laws of physics, and its physical rules were so thin that its technological advancement would naturally cap at the Information Age.
The strength of physical rules dictated how far a civilization could progress scientifically.
"Well… I shouldn't dismiss it entirely. I want both mysticism and physics to develop hand-in-hand. Even small increments in physical laws will eventually accumulate."
Noah turned his gaze toward the second world.
"The Black Bullet World… The only way to fix this one is a complete global purge."
"Venti deciding to cleanse the surface personally is a straightforward and correct choice. If he had instead chosen to grant humanity power to fight the Gastrea Virus themselves, I would have lost all respect for him."
The gods of Teyvat, despite inheriting Phanes' ideals of love, often let their emotions cloud their judgment.
Most gods, when faced with a world like the Black Bullet World, would foolishly distribute their divine power among humanity, allowing them to fight the Gastrea Virus on their own.
In doing so, many evildoers who deserved annihilation would inevitably slip through the cracks.
A gateway to another world materialized before Noah. He stepped forward without hesitation.
"The Highschool of the Dead World was salvageable, but I will not permit a single monster who harmed those children to exist in the Black Bullet World."
Back when he first watched Black Bullet, he had been depressed for an entire day, cursing the author as a cold-hearted monster.
Those girls were so kind—purer and more innocent than any ordinary human in that wretched world—yet from the moment they were born, they were subjected to relentless despair.
Abandoned at birth. And even if they somehow survived, they were constantly targeted as outlets for the rage and hatred of those who had suffered at the hands of the Gastrea.
This was not an isolated case. It was systemic abuse by human society itself—a deliberate and calculated act of cruelty.
The reason was simple: You carry the genes of the Gastrea, and I was hurt by the Gastrea, so you and all the other Cursed Children must suffer the consequences.
And yet, they never dared to strike against the true Gastrea.
After all, fighting Gastrea meant facing death. But harming these little girls? There were no consequences—no risk to their lives, no condemnation from society.
Even more absurdly, those who discriminated against and hurt the Cursed Children were the same ones who relied on them for protection.
Forget Noah—even if Phanes herself were here, she would have wiped this grotesque civilization back to the Stone Age without a second thought.
…
The Black Bullet World.
This world's civilization had not yet been completely destroyed. The total population still stood at approximately 750 million.
These people were concentrated in massive urban megacities.
There were only around twenty such cities worldwide, each housing anywhere from several million to tens of millions of people.
The Gastrea Virus outbreak had occurred less than a century ago—there were still elderly survivors from the old world alive today.
In many ways, each city functioned as its own independent nation.
Surrounding every city were colossal monoliths, each towering a kilometer high and infused with Varanium metal.
The electromagnetic field emitted by these Varanium Monoliths repelled the Gastrea, preventing them from approaching.
Beyond these protective barriers lay the world fully dominated by the Gastrea. Other than plants, the original ecosystem had been entirely replaced by these monstrous creatures.
In this island nation, five regions were enclosed by Varanium Monoliths:
Tokyo, Sapporo, Sendai, Osaka, and Hakata.
Although the cities were isolated, they remained connected through large aircraft, as the skies were relatively safer than the ground.
Tokyo, the world's leading producer of Varanium, had become the de facto center of this world.
Thus, the story of the Black Bullet World primarily unfolded here.
While the human population had dwindled due to the Gastrea Virus outbreak, technological advancements had not significantly regressed.
Every city remained highly modernized, complete with all the facilities one would expect in a contemporary metropolis.
Noah stepped through the World Gate, emerging into this world. He lifted his gaze to the sky, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Rumble—!
Wind-elemental energy rapidly expanded outward from the Tokyo region, spreading in all directions.
The once-blue sky turned entirely emerald, with clouds being dispersed by the overwhelming elemental force, leaving behind a vast, empty expanse.
From outer space, Earth appeared as though it had been stained, its color gradually shifting as if ink had been spilled upon it.
Venti had chosen to envelop the entire world with divine power, marking every single entity—human or Gastrea—that needed to be eradicated before the great cleansing began.
While Venti possessed the strength to annihilate an entire superpower in a single strike, covering an entire planet with divine energy for marking purposes was a much simpler task.
Once the markings were complete, the elimination process would begin, one region at a time.
At this rate, it would take no more than half a day to cleanse the entire planet.
As the sky underwent its sudden transformation, people across the world looked up in shock and confusion.
"The sky just changed color in an instant! What's happening?!"
"All the clouds disappeared in the blink of an eye! What's going on?!"
"Mommy, the sky looks so scary!"
Tokyo's central sanctuary.
"This is bad! Your Highness Seitenshi! The sky—the sky has suddenly changed color!"
At just sixteen years old, Seitenshi had been forced to become the ruler of the Tokyo region. The beautiful young girl stared out the window in disbelief at the now cyan-colored sky.
"Why has the sky changed like this?"
She was certain this was no natural phenomenon. Even the strongest weapons humanity had ever created, as documented in historical records, could not possibly cause such a complete transformation of the sky's color.
Turning to the elderly man beside her, she asked, "Chief Advisor, with all your experience, have you ever witnessed such a scene?"
Tendo Kikunojo, returning from his thoughts, shook his head. "Apologies, Seitenshi. Even in my lifetime, I have never seen the sky change like this. If this were a legend, however—"
"In ancient times, such celestial changes were often said to be the manifestation of gods or omens from the heavens. But of course, those are mere superstitions."
He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "However, Seitenshi, regarding the Cursed Children Rights Act… I must insist—"
To him, granting those cursed children the same rights as ordinary people was nothing short of naïve.
Maintaining order across the regions depended on directing the public's hostility toward the Cursed Children. If not for that, the people would inevitably turn their anger toward their rulers.
There was no way he would allow the Cursed Children Rights Act to pass.
As the people across the world gazed up at the sky in confusion, the entire planet had already come under the influence of Barbatos' divine power.
With his preparations complete, Barbatos began his manifestation across the world.
In every human-inhabited city, his projection appeared in the sky.
Brilliant azure light illuminated the skies above each metropolis.
"What is that?! It's glowing!"
"A person! That's a glowing person! What's happening?!"
"Is this some kind of new national weapon?"
As the people cried out in astonishment, divine presence descended.
Though humanity had no prior knowledge of gods, the moment they felt the might of divinity, they instinctively understood—they were witnessing a god.
Seitenshi stared at the radiant figure above in shock. "A god!"
Tendo Kikunojo's wrinkled face contorted in disbelief, his voice cracking as he exclaimed, "A god?!"
Just moments ago, he had dismissed legends as mere fantasies, yet now a deity had appeared before them.
The populace, in the wake of their initial shock, reacted in one of two ways—either falling to their knees in fervent prayer, pleading for divine protection, or staring up at the god's visage in mute astonishment.
Even the blind could see the deity's image the moment they felt his divine presence.
For divine power did not merely affect the body—it touched the very soul.
In the streets, a young girl with cloth wrapped around her eyes clasped her hands together, looking toward the heavens in silent prayer.
On the outskirts of Tokyo, in the slums where the Cursed Children lived, the orphaned young girls gazed up at the divine figure in stunned silence.
One of them tugged at the pants of an elderly man beside her. "Elder… that's a god!"
Matsuzaki, their guardian, quickly pulled the girl down onto her knees. "Children, kneel and pray to the great god!"
He had taken in the abandoned children of the outer district, watching over those cast away by society. Though he could not always provide them full meals, he ensured they would not starve to death.
The children were obedient and kind.
It was his compassion that drove him to care for them—he could not bear to see them perish alone in the streets.
But his power alone was limited. Though the Cursed Children had incredible resilience, without food, they would still succumb to starvation.
A god… A real god exists in this world.
He could only hope that this divine being would hear his prayers—that these children might receive just one full meal a day. That alone would be enough.
Atop a skyscraper, a man in a red tailcoat, wearing a clown mask and a top hat, stood beside a young girl with short blue hair—one of the Cursed Children. He clutched his forehead with one hand, his expression manic as he stared at the divine apparition in the sky.
"A god! There really is a god in this world?!"
Then, spreading his arms wide, he laughed hysterically.
"Hahaha! O mighty god! Have you finally grown tired of this wretched world?!"
The little girl beside him tugged at his sleeve, her crimson eyes filled with innocent curiosity. "Papa, what is a god?"
…
At the window of a university hospital, a woman with long, unkempt violet hair stood in disbelief. She wore a white lab coat over her school uniform, her entire demeanor disheveled. Staring at the sky, she muttered to herself.
"A god…"
She had once been the lead researcher for the New Human Creation Project, before the rise of the Cursed Children. She was once considered one of the greatest minds in Japan, one of the Four Sages.
She had never believed in the existence of gods—such notions were nothing but superstition to her.
Yet now… a god had manifested before her eyes.
If this was truly a god, then was the sky's transformation a sign of divine descent?
But if gods were real… then why hadn't they appeared when the Gastrea Virus first broke out?
…
While the world's people reacted with awe, prayer, or skepticism, the divine figure in the sky finally spoke.
[People of this world, allow me to introduce myself.]
[I am Barbatos, the God of Breezes and Hope. By divine will, I have come to save this world.]
As Barbatos surveyed the human cities across the planet, his initially solemn expression softened into one of sorrow.
Everywhere, in every surviving city, humans were abusing, abandoning, and even murdering young girls.
And yet, those very children—pure of heart, kind, and innocent—possessed the most untainted souls.
Human civilization had become diseased, spiraling into self-destruction. Their morality had twisted beyond repair.
Initially, Barbatos had questioned the severity of the Heavenly Principle's judgment—was it truly necessary to wipe out such a vast portion of humanity? Perhaps some among them were innocent.
But now, he understood.
This was not a case of a few bad individuals. It was a systemic rot, a civilization-wide corruption that could not be undone.
If the corruption was not completely excised, humanity itself would be doomed.
According to the Heavenly Principle's decree, 70% of humanity was to be erased.
As the divine proclamation echoed through the skies, people across the world erupted in fervent cries.
"A god has come to save us!"
"Finally! Please, Lord, destroy all the Gastrea!"
"Bring the world back to how it was!"
"I've had enough of this cursed existence!"
"Yes! But why did the god only come now?!"
…
Countless voices flooded Barbatos' mind. His sorrowful gaze gradually grew distant and cold.
Half of these cries were complaints—complaints directed at the god for not arriving sooner to save them.
Now he understood why the Heavenly Principle was so indifferent.
The depravity of humanity here far exceeded that of Mondstadt's aristocracy in the past.
He let out a soft sigh before continuing his decree.
[Humans, I shall purge the Gastrea from this world.]
Before the people could rejoice, the next words left them frozen in shock.
[However, while a god may love humanity, that love is not unconditional. Only those with kindness in their hearts shall enter the new era.]
[As for the rest… they shall be erased alongside the Gastrea, in accordance with the will of the Heavenly Principle.]
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