Clay had expected Yuru to be inside.

She wouldn’t leave until she got what she came for—not with so much invaluable information lying around.

But since it was impossible to tell where any particular record was located, he’d thought it would take time before she revealed herself.

Until she found something of worth, she'd want to avoid interference.

“Maybe I came out too early?” Yuru mused casually, her voice light and laced with a faint smile, as if she'd already stumbled upon something valuable.

“Couldn’t you at least act a little happy to see me? It’s been a while.”

Clay stood in silence for a moment before replying.

“You expected a warm welcome after attacking us with a Librarian?”

“You wouldn’t have been happy to see me even if I didn’t,” she quipped, twirling the Administrator book in her hand.

“This is what you’re after, right?”

“And if it is?”

“Sorry, I can’t give it to you.”

She shook her head.

“There’s way too much good stuff in here.”

She gestured toward the endlessly towering shelves of books, eyes gleaming.

“I may not be able to decipher everything, but I plan to come and go as I please. Every time I have the chance, I’ll learn more.”

Then, a halo appeared above Yuru’s head. Seeing it, Omni flapped his wings and flew in front of Clay, flustered.

“That! Give that back!”

“Hm? Why should I?” Yuru replied playfully.

“That’s mine!”

“No, it’s not.”

Yuru’s blue eyes glowed more intensely.

“It’s mine now.”

Suddenly, her voice came from right beside them.

Clay and the others turned their heads—Yuru was already among them.

WHOOSH!

In one swift motion, she grabbed Omni and hurled him away. She instantly blinked across space to the spot where he was about to fall.

THUD!

As Omni landed in her hand, she clenched him tightly and smirked.

“Power that lets you exist anywhere... Isn’t it just the handiest thing?”

“Y-you wretched—!”

“Well, there’s still a range limit, so it’s not perfect.”

She shrugged.

“But that’s hardly a problem.”

“Give me back my power!”

“I told you—it’s my power now.”

Yuru looked down at Omni coldly.

“You call yourself an ancient god, and yet you let a mortal take your power?”

“W-what did you just say—?!”

“Besides, you can still use some of it, right? Just think of it as... sharing.”

It was a completely one-sided claim, but Omni couldn’t even retort. He could only open and close his beak wordlessly.

“Ngh—!”

Before he could speak, Yuru squeezed him tighter, silencing his protest with a strangled shriek.

“Yuru,” Clay called, his voice low.

“Hm?”

She turned to him with a faint expression of surprise.

“Don’t tell me you two actually bonded in that short time?”

“He’s my guide.”

“Ohh.”

Yuru eased her grip a little.

“So you’re saying, don’t hurt him?”

“Yuru.”

“Got it.”

She released her grip, letting Omni fall to the floor.

“Urgh…”

Not sparing him a glance, Yuru turned back to Clay.

“I have a proposal for you, Brother.”

“……”

“Let’s work together.”

Yuru opened her arms with a soft smile.

“If you do, I’ll find whatever it is you’re looking for.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

She had clearly anticipated that answer.

“But in the end, you’ll agree to cooperate with me. Because I’ll make it happen. You’re searching for a method in here, aren’t you? I think there’s something really useful. Once I find it, you won’t be able to keep pushing me away.”

“You’re arrogant.” It was Athanasia who cut in, “You really think you can overpower Clay?”

“Did I say I would overpower him?” Yuru blinked, “I don’t need to. My goal is simply to get him to a point where we can cooperate.”

“Just thinking that’s possible makes you arrogant.”

Athanasia laughed bitterly.

“From what I’ve heard, you couldn’t even make up your mind when he needed you most. And now you think you can do something?”

“Yeah. I didn’t realize I’d go this far until I lost him. But the past is the past. Now I’m doing what I can.”

“You little—”

“Athanasia.” Yuru cut her off, calm and sharp, “That’s your name, right?”

“You even researched me?”

“I was just curious. And I happened to notice you stuck close to Brother. Is it because you’re another ancient god, like Omni? Is that what’s bothering you?”

“You insolent—!”

BOOM!

Athanasia’s ripple struck Yuru directly.

“I’ll knock some sense into you!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Multiple ripple blasts assaulted Yuru as Athanasia charged in.

“Athanasia!”

Clay called out, but she had already reached Yuru.

“!”

But what Athanasia saw—was Yuru smiling as she lifted her chin.

“Gehenna Reflexio.”

With that, Athanasia was hit by an identical blast—her own ripple magic—and sent flying.

♧

D-dammit…

Omni groaned as he watched Athanasia crash from Yuru’s spell.

How far has her talent evolved?

Not only had she stolen his halo, but now she also wielded the authority of the Akashic Record’s Administrator.

In here, she was practically invincible.

I need to find something the Demon King can use.

This place, now under Yuru’s control, no longer belonged to Omni. If he was to have a place, it would have to be at Clay’s side.

And to earn that place, he needed to deliver something valuable.

‘I can’t believe it’s come to this…’

Omni found himself sighing with resentment, but he couldn’t afford to waste time. As Athanasia once again lunged at Yuru, and Yuru fired back with more attacks, the ensuing chaos gave him just the opportunity he needed.

Swoosh!

Omni scrambled to his feet and darted between the bookshelves, flapping his short legs as he ran. Perhaps because he wasn’t flying, Yuru didn’t seem to notice.

‘I know the location.’

Despite how the main hall seemed like an endless maze of bookshelves, it was governed by a hidden structure—one that applied only to the one who had created it: Omni himself.

‘There.’

His eyes glinted.

Even though he had lost the halo, the innate abilities of his true form remained.

Information tracking.

If something existed, its information left behind a trace only he could see—a thin glowing line that pointed to its location.

Tap tap tap tap.

He rushed through several shelves and turned a corner. And then—

“There it is…”

Omni came to a halt, swallowing hard.

‘What the hell is this…?’

Books were scattered all over the floor, as if someone had furiously thrown them about in a rage, failing to find what they were looking for.

‘Don’t tell me…’

There was only one person who could’ve done this.

Yuru.

She must have gone wild tearing through books while searching for something specific.

‘What was she trying to find…?’

Yuru had said she’d make Clay cooperate with her. At the time, it hadn’t seemed that odd—but now, in hindsight, Omni felt a disturbing chill creep over him.

‘It’s not just about using her own abilities to make him need her.’

Perhaps she was searching for a way to restore their relationship.

And methods like that… usually involved breaking taboos.

‘I have to hurry.’

Shivering at whatever terrifying plan Yuru might be pursuing, Omni quickly began rummaging through the disordered bookshelves. Even with his tracking ability, locating the exact book wasn’t easy.

The lines that normally led him to his target were tangled in chaos—likely a result of Yuru’s earlier rampage.

“Where is it…? Come on…”

Flapping his wings, he pulled books one after another from the shelves. And then—

“You found it?”

“!”

A sudden voice startled him so much that he crashed straight into a bookshelf.

“Guh?!”

Dizzied from the impact, he fell into a pile of scattered books. But there was no time to wallow—Omni quickly pulled himself out of the heap.

“You—!”

“Relax,”

Yuru pressed a single finger to the top of his head.

“Unless you want to end up as raven paste.”

Thud.

A crushing pressure slammed down on him. Omni collapsed flat onto the floor like a doll thrown aside.

“Grrgh!”

It felt like a hundredfold gravity had suddenly pinned him to the ground. Just as he feared he might burst apart, he shouted:

“F-fine! I surrender!”

“Hmm?”

“I surrender!”

He chose survival over pride.

“Th-this place is yours! Take it—I won’t complain!”

“Wasn’t it already mine whether you said so or not?”

“T-that’s…!”

“Well, whatever.”

Yuru lifted her finger.

Gasp!

Finally able to breathe again, Omni clutched his chest with his wings, panting heavily.

“W-what about the Demon King…”

Even while catching his breath, he couldn’t help but ask. But Yuru waved it off casually.

“Relax. You think I’d hurt him? Sure, that arrogant god beside him rubs me the wrong way, but I get that he needs her right now.”

“Then…”

“He’s busy fighting the Librarian right now. You know how powerful they are.”

The Librarians were the guardians of the Record—beings strong enough to prevent just anyone from stealing information.

There was no need to explain how overwhelming they could be.

“But Omni… I want to talk.”

“Aren’t we already talking?”

“Not like this.” Yuru smiled, “Let’s talk cooperation.”

“!”

“You’ve chosen to stick by my brother, haven’t you?”

She sounded like she already knew exactly what was in his mind.

“You’ve got nowhere else to go now that I’ve taken your halo. And you don’t want to get caught by me in a bad mood, either.”

“Grk…”

“And I know Clay doesn’t want to work with me. Not yet, anyway.”

Her voice softened slightly.

“So I get it. I’ll have to wait until I find the right solution. Until then, I can’t work with him directly. I’ll need another way.”

“So what are you expecting from me?”

Omni asked, utterly baffled.

“You’ve already taken most of my power. What could I possibly do to help him now?”

“Exactly because I took it.” She gently grabbed him again, “That’s what makes this possible.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Yuru pulled a book from her robes and held it out, “Bring this to my brother.”

“This is—”

“Coexistence Form,” she said, giving the book a shake, “Take this to him, and act like it’s a favor. Make sure you stay close.”

“…What exactly do you want from me?”

Omni’s tone turned wary.

“You’re a raven, but I want you to play the bat.”

The bat.

He knew exactly what she meant.

“You’ll be working for both my brother and me,” Yuru said with a brilliant smile—one far too radiant for the situation.

(End of Chapter)

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