[ The transfer has been completed ]

I opened my eyes seemingly back in my own body miraculously above the ground.

Behind me lay the massive sinkhole created by Koharu, in which all of Hanakawa had been swallowed up. Water from the lake was still rushing down into the cavern, but the rate seemed to have decreased.

I approached the water’s surface and gazed at my reflection. Everything about me seemed normal except for my hair, which was now split down the middle with one half being its original shade of black while the other half was as white as Aeolus’s own hair. 

“Ah, so there was one minor side effect… It looks good on you though!”

His voice now seemed like a ghostly presence in my head. For a god, Aeolus seemed much more… carefree… than I would’ve imagined.

“Oh, right. I’ll be able to communicate with you like I am now. For you to talk to me, try thinking your thoughts ‘at’ me rather than just thinking. I’m no longer able to hear your regular thoughts.”

“Like this? Thank you for doing all this for me by the way–”

“No need to be so formal. It’s what your father would’ve wanted anyways.”

The relationship between Aeolus and my father was one of my main goals to uncover. First, however, was to get out of Hanakawa and find a way to go beyond the Horizon. My mind felt somehow clearer with Aeolus’ presence.

[ The Finale Event is underway. Survivors remaining: 1 ]

I glanced at the message. The number displayed was of no surprise to me. With the village sentry now gone, the only kind of person who could have survived would be someone like myself who had a god on my side, albeit an incomplete one. I briefly thought about how the concept of death no longer phased me.

“So there was one more?”

“I could’ve sworn we had gotten rid of them all.”

“Honestly, this round’s output was quite disappointing. I doubt the last guy will be any different.”

“Right? It’s a miracle they even got past the King of Wyverns event…”

Approaching along the shore was a group of archangel-type corrupted beings, each of which bore a long spear and hovered a few inches off the ground with large bird-like wings. I got the sensation that someone was flipping through pages in my head.

“Hey, what are you doing up there?”

“You’ve officially linked to the system for the first time. There were some interferences, but I’ve taken care of them with my authority. I’ve also taken the liberty to update your system’s information specifically with that library’s worth of knowledge on the corruption you have in your brain.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I heard a murmuring in my head.

“...so that’s what a corrupted is.”

Did this god really not know what the corruption was?

“Hey, kid, do us a favor and jump in the lake, would’ya? It’d save us the effort. Everyone else is dead now anyways.”

“Shut it.”

With the wind itself aiding me, I dashed towards the first archangel. 

“Oh, he’s fast–”

In an instant, the first archangel who shouted the provocative comment had their head torn off in my hand. 

[ You have begun Weaving (Stage 1) ]

So something like this was part of the messages now? I felt more assured after the ‘system update’ and now that Aeolus could upgrade and maintain order in my system.

Within a few seconds I had shattered all of their cores. The difference in power between my new body with Aeolus and my old one was astounding.

“Oh, found it! Archangel-type… rank 4 threat… Aaand, they’re all dead.”

[ Blessing of Aeolus has been consumed. Time until recharge: 72:00:00 ]

I felt the energy and control over the wind I held just moments ago vanish.

“Three days?! The hell is this?!”

“I was supposed to warn you about that but you went ahead and fought them too quickly– Your body is now made from the shard of a Key, meaning you have limitless potential compared to your original human body, but your… ‘spirit’ is still the same. You’ll need to strengthen your bond with me and develop a growing mastery over time.”

I sighed. Such an occurrence was to be expected, though. It was already a miracle for any part of me to still be in functioning condition. 

I began making my way around the sinkhole towards the gate, which surprisingly was still standing. It was time to venture beyond the Horizon.

“Kaito, I suggest you watch out. There is some unknown signal trying to use your system–”

Aeolus’ voice couldn’t be heard for a moment.

“Agh! The hell–?!”

He seemed to have been hit by something within the mindscape.

[ The Finale Event has gone off script. Now comm3nc1ng..// 3xt1— ]

As the new message was being written, it suddenly began flickering and shifting once more. Only this time, it wasn’t a system error. Someone was deliberately altering the system. After some time, the message displayed returned to being static.

[ Rejoice, for the one closest to God has arrived ]

A massive hole ripped in the sky above where Hanakawa once stood as a single corrupted descended from the opening. It bore six large wings like those of the archangels and a thorned halo above its head. From its featureless face, it spoke with a booming voice directly into my mind.

“Are you the one who killed my underlings?”