"Welcome back!"
The moment Genichi returned, the tension on Demeter's face finally eased.
Ever since Genichi had gone into the Dungeon to challenge Udaeus, her heart had been in her throat. She knew he had plenty of trump cards, but a Floor Boss was never something to take lightly.
"I'm back."
Genichi pulled off his shirt at once, revealing his lean, powerful back.
Even though he had just gone through a fierce battle, there was not a single wound on him. His Level 5 body looked as flawless as new.
"Clean All."
With a single spell, his whole body was instantly refreshed. Every trace of sweat and dust vanished without a trace.
"Update my Status for me."
"No problem."
Demeter pricked her finger, and a drop of divine blood fell onto Genichi's back.
Her movements were gentle and practiced, but there was still a trace of heartache in her eyes.
Genichi's recent leveling speed was simply too fast, so fast that even she, a goddess, found it shocking.
He had gone from Level 1 to Level 5 in just sixty days, and now only eight days had passed and he was already about to challenge Level 6.
A growth rate like this was unheard of in Orario's history. Not even someone like Ottar had ever risen through the ranks this quickly.
As the Falna on Genichi's back gave off a faint glow, dense lines of text began to appear. Demeter carefully examined the changes in his Status, then blurted out in delight, "Your great feat triggered!"
That one sentence meant Genichi really had achieved a feat worthy of advancing from Level 5.
Even though Udaeus had not been killed by Genichi personally, he had faced the Floor Boss head-on and held out against it for a considerable amount of time. That feat was absolutely real.
"Good. Then help me..."
Genichi was just about to ask Demeter to level him up when the scene before his eyes suddenly blurred, and that familiar dizzy sensation hit him again.
That damned arena again.
His expression changed in an instant. Almost immediately, Genichi used King of Shadows.
Then he had his shadow use Cinder Ella to transform into his appearance, leaving it standing in the middle of the arena as bait while he himself quickly slipped into the shadow space.
Cinder Ella was Liliruca's magic, capable of taking on anyone's form, and it was perfect for use as a decoy.
Only after that was Genichi transported into the arena.
From within the shadow space, Genichi saw his opponent this time: another version of himself.
But the sight in front of him made him pause.
That Genichi was covered in blood, and there was a massive hole in his chest. It was a fatal wound.
His face was as pale as paper, his presence so weak it was almost impossible to detect. He was already on the brink of death.
Even so, Genichi did not hesitate for even a second.
In the arena, carelessness was the greatest stupidity.
He understood the rules here better than anyone: the victor took everything, and the loser lost everything.
Hidden inside the shadow space, Genichi silently approached, then struck a lethal blow before the other man could notice him at all.
As he plundered everything from that other self, a massive flood of memories and information surged into Genichi's mind like a tidal wave.
He closed his eyes and sorted through those memories, then quickly realized something was wrong.
He seemed to be a little unlucky.
More precisely, every version of himself that had transmigrated into another world seemed to be a little unlucky.
The version of himself that had gone to a slice-of-life crossover world awakened Spirit Vision despite having no power at all. He lived in constant fear every day and had nearly been killed by a vengeful spirit.
The Genichi who had gone to the DxD world had not been much luckier.
Judging by the timeline, if he had not crossed over in time, that world's Genichi would have been killed by the fallen angel Raynare before Rias could ever reincarnate him.
The Genichi of the DanMachi world had it even worse. He had been tricked by the Evilus remnants into an artificial labyrinth and used as a punching bag, day after day serving as sparring practice until Valetta finally snapped his neck with a kick.
And now, this Genichi from the world of Bleach was a mixed-blood Quincy.
Through the stolen memories, Genichi saw the short and miserable life this version of himself had lived.
His mother had been human, and his father a Quincy, so he had possessed the ability to see souls from childhood.
Originally, he should have inherited his father's Quincy power and become a warrior who fought Hollows.
But before he could truly become a Quincy, he was struck by Yhwach's Auswählen first.
After Auswählen, he lost all of his power and became nothing more than an ordinary mixed-blood human.
But his misfortune did not end there.
A Hollow passing by discovered this human with an unusually powerful soul.
To a Hollow, human souls were the finest food, especially the soul of a mixed-blood who had just lost Quincy power and whose spiritual state was still unstable.
Without the slightest hesitation, that Hollow attacked and drove a claw through Bleach Genichi's chest.
At the moment he was about to die, he was transported into the arena.
And then he met Genichi.
"What rotten luck."
Genichi murmured to himself, then walked straight across the arena.
These versions of himself who had crossed into different worlds all seemed to be shrouded in some invisible curse of misfortune.
Every one of them had suffered some kind of tragedy, and some had died in extremely miserable ways.
And the reason he could now stand here and take their power was, in a sense, because he was walking forward over their corpses.
"But since I've inherited everything you had, I'll keep moving forward with that strength."
Genichi spoke softly, as if making a promise to his dead selves, or perhaps declaring it to himself.
After plundering everything from Bleach Genichi, he did not gain Quincy powers. Those had already been taken by Yhwach's Auswählen. Even so, surviving was enough.
More importantly, he had gained the ability to enter the Bleach world.
That world contained Hollows, Soul Reapers, Quincies, and all kinds of beings.
If he could gain enough strength there, it might help his growth even more.
But for now, leveling up to Level 6 came first.
As the space of the arena began to twist, Genichi was sent back to the DanMachi world.
A flash of light crossed his vision, and he appeared once more in front of Demeter.
"Genichi! Just now, you..."
Demeter anxiously grabbed his hand. He had clearly been right in front of her, yet she had distinctly felt him suddenly vanish and then suddenly reappear. That was enough to make her suspicious.
"Demeter, you noticed?"
Genichi was a little surprised. Demeter had actually sensed that he had gone to that soul-space.
But he did not answer her question. Instead, he said, "Level me up first."
Though Demeter was full of questions, she still nodded and let another drop of divine blood fall.
As his Status updated, Genichi officially advanced to Level 6.
"Ah, your Skill!"
Demeter suddenly let out a startled cry.
(End of Chapter)
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