In the Demon King's Island, there stood a tower-like structure—the Tower of Time and Space.
It would tear through the space-time fabric of this world, shattering the dimensional barriers, and plunge into the unknown.
From above, one could see that the tower's center was hollow. It resembled a giant futuristic railgun, with antennae-covered barrels protruding outward.
"Mana furnace is running smoothly. Energy conversion device is functioning properly…"
Inside the Tower of Time and Space, Yazuki conducted one final check.
A holographic panel hovered beside him, this was the control interface for the tower.
It displayed various graphs: seismic waveforms, energy fluctuations, radar scans—all indicators showed optimal conditions.
Now, all that remained was to activate the tower.
With a wave of his hand, a new panel popped up, replacing the previous interface. It displayed a single, prominent activation button.
"Alright then—"
His hand moved to press it.
But at the last moment, he hesitated.
"…Screw it!"
SLAM!
He smacked the button down.
"What the hell was I hesitating for?! Useless!"
How ridiculous. Why would he back down now?
The instant the button was pressed, the dark purple mana pillars surrounding him lit up.
Their surfaces glowed with intricate patterns, resembling exposed electrical wires pulsing with power.
A low buzz vibrated from beneath his feet.
Then, a silver metallic dome enclosed around him, sealing him inside a spherical chamber.
With a snap of his fingers, the walls of the chamber turned transparent, allowing him to see outside.
This protective pod was his own creation, built using various minerals and advanced technology.
Its purpose? To withstand the Void Storm.
Now that he thought about it, what about those gods he exiled?
Wouldn't they be torn apart by the Void Storm?
…No, probably not.
As long as they didn't venture too far from this world, they wouldn't be affected.
Those fools had probably built a temporary shelter nearby.
Or maybe they had found some barren, minor worlds to inhabit.
Just like how Earth had satellite moons orbiting around it, this world also had lesser worlds floating nearby.
RUMBLE!
A deafening, thunderous roar echoed as the massive machinery rumbled to life.
The ground trembled.
Above him, the tower unfolded—its structure expanding like an inverted umbrella, its framework stretching outward.
"Mana Furnaces 1 through 10—maximum output, activate!"
In an instant, the entire tower began to glow.
"Space-time distortion device, activate!"
Above him, at the tip of the expanding umbrella-like structure, a gigantic, intricate magic formation appeared.
It resembled a compass of light, with multiple concentric rings spinning in various directions; some counterclockwise, some clockwise, and others flipping over entirely.
CRACKLE!
Electricity crackled as terrifying energy waves rippled through the air.
The entire world could feel it.
The sheer presence of this monstrous mana was overwhelming.
Every living being that sensed it…
Thought the Demon King was finally about to destroy the world.
Thinking about it, hadn't he already experienced 99 worlds?
Why was he still struggling so much?
According to light novel tropes, shouldn't he already have the power to create entire worlds at will?
To this, Yazuki had only one response,
"Bullshit!"
Each world had different power systems, making it impossible to carry over abilities from one world to the next.
Every time, he had to start from scratch.
"Crackle—"
Sparks danced across the protective pod, engulfing its surface.
Meanwhile, the magic formation above distorted space, forming a vortex of time and space—a swirling black hole that warped gravity, light, and reality itself.
The sheer gravitational pull ripped apart the Demon King's island. Buildings crumbled and levitated, drawn into the vortex like debris caught in a storm.
"Heh heh heh—"
Inside the pod, Yazuki let out a slightly deranged laugh.
"Come on, come on! Bring on world number one-hundred-a—pfft—!"
He slapped himself in the face.
What the hell was he doing? Cursing himself like that? Setting up a flag like an idiot?
"I'm going home!"
With a grin, his voice trembled with excitement.
He had said this a hundred times already.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a brilliant light engulfed him.
His vision blurred, his body felt weightless—
The protective pod had been launched, flung like a projectile from an electromagnetic cannon, piercing straight through the vortex.
The moment he disappeared, the space-time vortex collapsed.
The Demon King's island was left in ruins.
-------------
Once again, Yazuki found himself adrift in the space between worlds.
It was like an astronaut stranded in the vast emptiness of space, drifting endlessly without direction.
Except, this wasn't space.
This place was far worse—
The Voidstorm.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
Suddenly, a violent tremor rocked the pod. The entire capsule shook uncontrollably. This felt like entering a planet's atmosphere in a crashing escape pod.
"Tch, damn it—Voidstorm region is massive this time!"
Without hesitation, he gulped down bottles of enhancement potions.
"Glug—glug—glug—"
Veins bulged across his body, muscles swelled, his already perfect physique became even more defined.
Yazuki felt himself brimming with power strong enough to destroy the last world with a single punch.
If he didn't release some of it, he'd explode.
Next, he equipped his armor.
Its defensive strength rivaled the world barrier of the last world itself.
"Bang—creak—!"
The pod groaned under pressure.
It was buckling.
The Voidstorm was tearing it apart.
At last, the capsule shattered like an eggshell, leaving him fully exposed.
A tempest of nothingness assaulted him.
It was like a lone human walking against a sandstorm in the desert—except this storm could erase reality itself.
The violent winds tore at his skin, leaving deep gashes across his body. His armor disintegrated, corroded into nonexistence. Before long, he was reduced to a bleeding skeleton, staggering forward.
"Shit... just how big is this storm?!"
Soon, even his bones crumbled into dust.
All that remained was a naked soul resisting the erasure of existence. No, he still had one thing—
The Demon King's Ring on his skeletal hand.
He could hide inside, but…
Without an external force, he'd be trapped forever.
He felt heavy.
So heavy.
No… this time… it's really the end?
…Or not.
Far ahead, amidst the nothingness—
A light appeared.
Something was calling out to him.
"This feeling…?"
His heart(or whatever was left of it) shuddered. That call— It was the call of an otaku. It was the call of Earth.
He found it.
In an instant, a surge of unfathomable strength drove him forward.
He lunged toward the light—
And grabbed it.
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In a certain exhibition hall, the atmosphere was lively. It was a mid-sized doujinshi sale event, though far smaller in scale compared to the recently concluded Summer Comiket.
In one section of the venue, at the booth of the doujin circle "egoistic-lily"—