Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 26: Paving the Way Forward

Later That Evening

A young girl in a brown cloak, its tattered edges half-hiding her beautiful azure hair and fading violet eyes, limped weakly through the forest. One of her arms hung uselessly at her side, marred by the telltale corruption of possession.

Once a noble, once adored, she was now just a husk of the girl she’d been. Betrayed by her family after developing the curse, she had been chased out of her home and forced to run away by herself. Now, dragging herself through the wilderness toward some unknown fate, she could only pray that her death would be swift.

Hope had long since abandoned her. There would be no rescue, no miracle, only the slow, inevitable end.

Slumping against a tree, she let gravity win. All strength drained from her body as her eyes grew heavy. A single tear traced a path down her cheek at the thought that no one would mourn her passing.

That was when she heard it, footsteps.

Her breath caught. Had they come to finish her off? She looked up weakly just as a shadow fell across her. At first, she thought her fading vision had gone dark completely, but then she realized, she was staring at a figure cloaked in black and gold.

He stood calmly before her, face hidden behind a white mask, hood concealing his hair. For a moment, neither spoke. She didn’t even have the strength to be afraid; she simply accepted that whatever came next, she would not resist.

Then, the boy extended his hand, not to finish her off, but in help.

“Even in the darkest of times,” he said softly, his voice calm yet powerful, “there is always a glimmer of hope. So don’t ever give up.”

Her eyes widened. The words, so simple, yet so full of warmth, pierced the haze of despair surrounding her. Before she could even think, her trembling hand reached toward his.

The moment their hands met, light flared around her. His magic washed over her body, dissolving the corruption of possession as if it had never existed. Her wounds closed, her strength returned, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt alive.

As the glow faded, the boy removed his mask. Blue hair, faintly tinted with silver, framed a face that could only be described as beautifully unreal. His golden eyes glowed faintly in the dark, eyes that seemed to hold the power to rewrite the world itself, and yet, they softened as he smiled at her.

“Welcome to your new life,” he said gently, still holding her hand. “My name is Akari Tempest. May I have yours?”

Her lips parted, but no name came to mind. That old identity, that old self, no longer mattered. “My name is meaningless now,” she whispered. “C-can you give me one?”

Akari’s smile deepened. “Very well,” he said, voice steady and warm. “From this moment forward, your name shall be Livia. And should you accept my offer, your codename will be Epsilon.”

The name resonated deep within her soul, as if it had always been hers. She could feel her spirit stir, her body strengthening further in acknowledgment of her rebirth.

“L-Livia…” she murmured softly, testing the sound. Then, a faint but genuine smile, her first since the nightmare began, curved her lips. “Thank you… I love it.”

“You’re welcome.” Akari squeezed her hand lightly. “Now come, Livia. I’d like you to meet others who once stood where you are now.”

Still dazed, she rose to her feet with his help, her hand remaining in his. She followed him without hesitation, not because of obligation towards her savior, but because she wanted to.

As they walked, she looked down at their joined hands and gave his a small, grateful squeeze. When he squeezed back, warmth bloomed in her chest, and her heart fluttered helplessly.

‘Akari-sama… thank you. For being my only light in this mad world.’

And in that moment, Livia made a silent vow, to give him everything she was: heart, body, and soul.

=====

Back to Akari’s POV

Right after saving Epsilon, or Livia now, the next girl on the list to recruit would have normally been Zeta, or Lilim: the golden-haired girl from the Golden Leopard Clan. She would go on to one day form her own faction in a desperate attempt to resurrect the demon Diablos, seeking its cells to make Cid immortal.

Her obsession with keeping him alive stemmed from tragedy, she had lost her parents, her clan, and her little brother to the Cult after becoming possessed. Her father had refused to turn her in, and it cost them everything.

But Zeta wouldn’t become possessed for another two years, when she turned twelve. And since dealing with her meant dealing with the entire Golden Leopard Clan, I decided it would be wiser to leave her for last, especially since a future member of the Knights of Rounds was currently residing in her village or would reside in the future.

That was why, instead, we were heading toward the next girl, one said to even scare Cid a little. And knowing that crazy sociopath, that said a lot.

I was, of course, talking about Eta, the elf girl who would one day revolutionize Shadow Garden with her insatiable curiosity for science and her relentless experimentation. One of the brightest minds of her generation... and one of the biggest handfuls.

Getting her to join, however, was surprisingly simple.

“Hello,” I greeted softly with a small grin as I dropped into her cluttered room unannounced.

Inside, a girl with long purple hair and matching eyes sat cross-legged on the floor, completely absorbed in tinkering with a collection of half-dissected gadgets, strange contraptions, and a few... live test subjects that I chose to pretend I didn’t see. Eta was cute and on top of that she was a cute elf, so she deserved some leeway.

I chose to ignore the grumbling from Ciel in my mind, which only caused her to pout more.

Eta showed no signs of possession yet which was good. I’d arrived a few months early.

“My name is Akari Tempest,” I said, still smiling as her pointed ears twitched slightly in acknowledgment. “I have an interesting offer for you, one I’m sure will catch your attention.”

Without waiting for a response, I reached into my inventory and pulled out a random smartphone, tapping play on a random YouTube video.

Eta froze. Her wide purple eyes locked onto the glowing screen as the sounds of digital chaos filled the room.

“…I’m in,” she said at last, voice flat but eyes blazing with curiosity.

“Great~ Let’s go,” I replied cheerfully, wasting no time. I placed my hand over her head, channeling my magic. “From now on, your name will be Eta Lloyd Wright.”

My energy flowed into her, magiules swirling and merging with her essence. She blinked up at me, utterly mesmerized by the sensation, and by me.

Her gaze now carried literal stars.

“Sure,” she murmured, still half entranced.

And just like that, Eta was recruited.

‘That was… absurdly easy,’ I thought with amusement as I scooped the dazed elf into my arms and leapt out the window. The moment we took flight, Eta began practically vibrating with excitement, eyes darting between me, the sky, and the phone still clutched in her hand.

“Fascinating…” she whispered, already scheming gods knew what.

‘Yup,’ I sighed internally, fighting a grin. ‘This one’s going to be trouble. Totally worth it though.’

“I will keep an eye on her since it seems Master is blinded by her cuteness.” Ciel deadpanned in the back of my mind.

‘Being cute is a superpower on its own, Ciel. You should know this from experience. After all, I always let you get away with whatever schemes you’re cooking up without complaining,’ I chided playfully, mentally wagging my finger at her.

In response, Ciel sputtered and went silent, proving my point and making my grin widen in victory.

=====

A Day Later

Waking up to the light of a new day, I found myself facing a familiar problem, one I’d long since gotten used to after living with Kushina and Izumi.

That problem being: waking up completely surrounded by female flesh on all sides, unable to move without disturbing anyone.

Liriel was tucked against my right, Yukime pressed to my left, Eta draped across one of my legs, and Luna across the other. Livia and Natsume had somehow ended up nestled between my legs and the two girls at my sides with Sara at the foot of the bed. Finally, sleeping on the far ends—next to Liriel and Yukime—were Marie and Sherry.

Considering how late it had been when we’d returned, none of them had properly introduced themselves yet, so I was a little surprised there hadn’t been any fighting over sleeping arrangements. If I had to guess, Liriel and maybe Yukime probably took charge and got everyone to cooperate. Those two worked surprisingly well together despite their rivalry.

Taking it all in, I let out a small, contented sigh and relaxed in bed, a smile spreading across my face.

‘Now this is the life. Surrounded on all sides by elves and animal-eared girls. My Rimuru side is practically dancing with joy right now for managing to accomplish one of his lifelong dreams. The best part? I’m only just getting started.’

I basked in the peace for a few moments before another thought surfaced.

‘By the way, Ciel, knowing you… I bet you’ve already thought of a good Ultimate Skill to gift Liriel once she’s strong enough, and Ultimate Gifts for the others who can’t handle a true Ultimate Skill?’

Ciel stayed quiet for a moment, confirming my suspicion, before answering in her usual confident tone.

“Correct. Based on the name you gave her, Liriel will have an Ultimate Skill related to water, though I’m still refining it. The others are still a work in progress,” she said smugly.

‘That’s my Ciel~ Keep up the good work,’ I praised warmly.

“O-Of course. It is my duty,” she replied, voice softening with a hint of embarrassment, which only made her sound even cuter.

‘Well, time to get up. I’ve got a lot to explain to them today,’ I thought, shifting slightly as I tried to free myself.

Naturally, all that earned me was a series of sleepy murmurs as every single girl instinctively snuggled closer.

‘…This might take a few minutes.’

=====

A While Later

We were all gathered in the living room now, everyone seated comfortably in a wide semicircle with me in the center so I could see them all.

“Alright everyone,” I began, resting back in my chair with an easy smile. “I’m sure you all have questions, no matter how long you’ve been here. So go ahead and ask. I’ll answer truthfully.”

That instantly caught their attention, and Liriel was the first to speak, fitting, considering she’d been the first one I recruited.

“You’ve said before that you’re not from this world,” she started, her words making the newer members blink in surprise. “What exactly did you mean by that?”

“I mean exactly that,” I replied smoothly. “I wasn’t born here. I traveled through time and space to get here, from a world that’s both similar and completely different from this one.”

Gasps and wide-eyed looks followed, exactly as expected.

Through our shared connection and Thought Communication, I had Ciel project an image of my original world, Earth, directly into their senses. To them, it felt as if they were truly there making them gasp and turn around in awe with their eyes trying to take everything in.

“As you can see, my world was far more technologically advanced than this one,” I explained, the view shifting across sprawling cities, high-speed trains, airplanes, even space stations orbiting above the planet. “Humanity created wonders through sheer will and innovation.”

“…Marvelous,” Eta breathed, her tone flat but her eyes shining with almost manic fascination. Her hands were already flying across the notebook I’d given her.

Natsume and Luna were doing the same, whispering to each other in excitement, while the others simply stared in awe. The only exception was Sara, who, rather than watch, had quietly knelt beside me and was holding my hand, pressing it against her head so I’d rub her ears.

Naturally, I indulged her.

“…There’s no magic there from what I could tell. No other races either, only humans,” Yukime muttered, her sharp gaze flicking toward me (and briefly, jealously, toward Sara).

“Correct. Good catch, Yukime,” I praised with a smile, earning a preening grin and a happy swish of her tails. “There’s no magic at all in that world. Only humans and a few intelligent animals.”

“To think humans could build all this…” Livia murmured, captivated by the sight of a concert hall filled with music.

“I think it’s beautiful~” Natsume gasped, her eyes wide as she watched a film reel play across an old cinema screen, gradually transitioning into modern theaters.

“To live in such a world…” Luna whispered reverently as the image shifted to massive shopping centers and bustling cities.

“Their fighting techniques are far more refined than what’s taught here,” Liriel noted, studying martial arts matches, various fighting sports and anything combat related with an analytical gaze.

“Of course,” I continued, “this world was just one of many I’ve visited.”

With a wave of my hand, the projection changed to another place, the Elemental Nations. “This one uses something similar to magic, of which some of you might already recognize.”

Scenes of shinobi battles, chakra techniques, and mythical beasts filled the room. From there, I guided them through glimpses of the Resident Evil and HOTD worlds, giving brief explanations along the way.

Those familiar with chakra — Liriel, Yukime, Natsume, Sara, Luna, Sherry, and even Marie to a degree — widened their eyes in sudden understanding.

The questions came quickly after that, and I answered them all patiently. Most were about technology, others about chakra, and a few about the strange worlds I’d mentioned. I could already tell it would pay off later, curiosity was the best fuel for growth.

Still, I kept one eye on Eta throughout it all. At some point, she’d stopped watching the projections entirely. Her violet eyes were locked on me instead, burning with an intense mix of fascination, greed, and something that could only be described as obsession.

The second most focused was Livia, her eyes practically sparkling as she watched footage of surgeons performing plastic operations and medics using healing chakra while looking down at her chest from time to time then looking at the others with slight envy.

‘Luckily for you, Livia,’ I thought with amusement, suppressing a grin, ‘you don’t need any surgery to get a curvy figure and big breasts later on. I’ve got literal magic hands, and they’ve already been field-tested plenty.’

I was normally a being that appreciated all sizes and shapes when it came to the female form so I had no problem if Livia wanted to remain as she was since flat could indeed be justice if she wanted. However, if Livia wanted it I could also make her even curvier that Natsume becomes in the future if she wanted.

I was just an amazing person like that.

“More like Master is a huge perv.” Ciel muttered in a deadpan.

‘That too~’ I agreed without shame causing her to grumble.