57 57

Approaching my room, I see something small on the ground pushing against the door and trying to force itself under. Reaching down, I pick the small ball-like object up. It's blue with a swirl of green and yellow through it.

'Sasami,' I think. 'What the heck is this?'

[Oh, what a cute little slime,] she says.

"A slime?" I say, but then I remember reading something about Maria finding a slime in Zolgear's castle before they left. "This must be that slime."

The slime rubs itself against my skin and wraps itself around my fingers. I feel the smile spread across my face. "I'm not sure if Maria's named you yet, little slime, but I'm claiming my Main Character privilege here and giving you the name I want. So, I hope this works as I envision it."

Of course, I have to name this slime. Who knows when I'll get another chance to name one. I walk into the room and see Kuroka in her cat form curled up on the bed. I walk to the bathroom, set the little slime on the tile, and prepare to activate my Naming Ability.

"Okay, enjoy yourself and join us on the bed when you're ready, Suu," I say and close the door as energy drains from me and into the little slime.

I walk back to the bed where Kuroka has changed into her humanoid form and is watching me.

"What was that all about?" she asks.

"Just making a friend," I reply. "They'll come out when they're ready."

She raises an eyebrow but lets it go. "So, what is the plan? How am I going to meet with Shirone?"

Stripping down to my boxers, I lay back on the bed with my hands behind my head next to the voluptuous sex kitten. "I'm going to help everyone get to sleep, link our consciousnesses, and bring us all over into my Dreamscape," I say. "It's a dream world where I control its make-up, and time flows at a rate of about two months for every hour we sleep in the real world. So, you'll have a lot of time to work things out with Koneko while we're in there."

Kuroka looks at me blankly. "You're going to hold more than fifty minds in your Dreamscape?" she asks, dripping incredulity. "Your head's going to explode."

"What part of god, dragon, demon lord, didn't you get?" I say, grinning. She's the second to say something like that this evening. I tell you, where is the trust? "I've got this. There aren't going to be any problems."

'Oh, shit.' I sit up, realizing what I just did.

[Issei, there's a problem,] Sasami says.

'Well, fuck me,' I think, beating myself up. 'What's wrong, or are you just messing with me for raising a flag?'

[No! Something is really wrong with Ryo-Ohki. Please come in here, Issei!]

'Alright, I'll be right in!'

Kuroka is looking at me questioningly. I smile, leaning once more on my Mask of Thespis. "I'm going to hop into the Dreamscape right now so I can... set up somewhere to hide you until I can bring Koneko to you. It'll be quick."

I lean back and close my eyes, allowing my magic to pull me through to my Dreamscape and open my eyes to a blond woman with golden tan skin and incredibly blue tear-filled eyes clutching onto my chest.

"Ah-ah-I'm so s-sorry!" She wails. "I-I didn't mean to do it! I didn't see the poor little bunny there. I was just trying to find my way out, and I ended up over there. I mean, it's a very unusually designed building, don't you think? All these twists and turns and I can't tell which way is out. And I didn't see the poor little thing until it was too late. Please, forgive me!"

"Uh."

Yeah, I'm stumped. "Sasami? What's going on?"

Sasami is standing there with her head cocked to the side, staring at the crazy woman smearing tears and snot on my bare chest.

"I'm not really sure," she says, and my eyes widen.

"Seriously?!?" I ask, utterly shocked. The hysterical woman is still being hysterical.

"I'm afraid so," she says, nodding. "Ryo-Ohki started yowling suddenly, and the whole Dreamscape shook. Then she transformed herself into a crystalline form, which is sitting over there."

I look over to where she points and see a large red crystal floating a few feet off the ground, slowly rotating.

I glance back at the crying woman in my arms, and it finally clicks. It's stupid that it took me this long, but you have to understand that they aren't animated. If I was looking at an animated picture of this person, I would have picked it out immediately, but they aren't.

They're real now, and that comes with some changes. Think of the best cosplayer with the most perfect proportions to represent that character, and then go one step further. That's what I'm looking at, but it is still not exactly like the animation. It would be weird if it was.

Recognizing the woman got my brain in order. "Sasami, check my Ability List. Since Ryo-Ohki's incident shook the whole Dreamscape, and she has a tendency to manipulate the Abilities, maybe something changed. That might give us a clue."

"Okay, searching," she says.

I place my hands on the crying woman's shoulders and hold her out at arm's length. She looks at me with watery blue eyes and a quivering lip. I smile at the frazzled girl. "Do you know your name?"

Her tears slow as she cocks her head to the side. "Well, of course, I know my name I'm not an idiot, after all; just a little clumsy sometimes; I don't really mean to be, though. Oh, I'm sorry, you asked for my name, and here I am just running off on a tangent; how rude of me," she says in one breath, her tears drying up and a natural smile forming on her lips. "Anyway, my name is-"

Her face freezes for a moment before her expression falls as she realizes she doesn't, in fact, know her name. The liquid blue eyes spout tears once more, and the lip quivers in sadness. "Ah-I-I'm an idiot-Wah-haa-haa!" she sobs.

I pull her back into my arms and shush her gently. "Sh-sh-sh-sh, It's alright. It's alright. Sh-shh-sh-shh. I know your name."

"Y-you do?" she asks shakily.

"Of course I do. Even Sasami knows. Would you like me to tell you?"

She nods against my chest.

"Your name is Mihoshi," I say as the energy drains from me to form the Name.

She calms down a little, heaving sobs becoming hiccoughing sniffles. After a moment, she pulls back and looks up at me. "Are you sure? Because I'm not sure, I feel like a Mihoshi. Maybe Sasha or Sabrina or something, but Mihoshi sounds a bit strange. I mean, who ever heard of a Mihoshi?"

I roll my eyes. "Well, I guess you'll have to take that up with your parents. I mean, you don't want to second guess your parents' choice, would you?"

She puts her hand to her mouth. "Oh, you're right. That would be terribly, terribly rude of me. I mean, if they named me Mihoshi, despite it being such an unusual name, it must be something important to them. Maybe it was my grandmother's name. I wouldn't want to insult my honorable grandmother."

I nod along with her while creating a place for her to sit down. "Of course not. Now, why don't you have a seat right here while Sasami and I figure out what's going on? Okay? I'll be right back," I say, guiding her to a couch.

"A-alright," Mihoshi says. I smile, and she flushes, perhaps realizing she's been clinging to a bare-chested man for the last several minutes.

Turning to Sasami, I ask, "So, any clues about what happened?"

"It appears that Mihoshi is an evolution of the 'Lady Luck's Affection' to 'Lady Luck's Paramore,' an S-rank Ability," she says. To which I nod and make an approving noise. "Also, it appears there has been a massive shift in the Dreamscape. It has incorporated aspects from your Incubus, Space, and Time Magic, as well as your Enhance Magic Ability.

It has also separated the Reprieve of Somnus and Dreamscape aspects of Mind Palace in conjunction with your Pocket Dimension and Fabrication abilities to somehow synthesize a new Ability.

It seems to have empowered itself using the Mage King Element and the Font of Nectar aspect of your Harem King's Blessing and created a dimension within your Mind Palace. Yet, at the same time, it also seems to contain the Mind Palace as well. Um... I'm not sure how that works, but that's what the readings are telling me."

I blink. That's a bit to process. How the hell does that even work?

"C-can I even power this?" I ask.

Sasami shakes her head. "That's not a problem. The Ability is self-sustaining and even produces excess mana, like a mana reactor, which is constantly refining your body and bloodlines. You have fully unsealed your Togami bloodline, and your Demon Lord bloodline is evolving. Your Dragon King bloodline is nearly fully unsealed and shows signs of an evolutionary push as well."

'Jesus, when did I jump into a cultivation novel?'

"Alright," I say. "Break this down for me. What is this Ability, and what does it do?"

"Other than giving you an inexhaustible supply of mana, it is also a true realm where you have complete control. While you can still bring people inside through their dreams, you can also take it a step further and bring them in physically."

"Shit! I thought I was going to have to spend a lot of LP or copy a Sacred Gear to do that."

"That's not all! Because of the inclusion of Font of Nectar, the mana here is of a higher level and purity. This improves the effects of magic skills and Abilities. Fabrication can be used to create living vessels," she says, excited. "Though, you won't be able to create consciousnesses due to your lack of high-level mind magics."

"Can't I get around that with Nomen?"

"Hmm. Maybe, but I feel like there will be some limitations there. However, the fact that you can create a real body for Ddraig now is what I was thinking about."

I smile at that. 'That's true. Maybe I'll be pounding a little dragon ass a bit sooner than I thought.'

"What about you?" I ask. "Don't you want a body, too?"

She waves it off. "I'm still evolving. I'll let you know when I'm ready for that step."

"Alright, you do that," I say. "So, what's the name of this Ability?"

"Oneiroi," she says. "And get this, it's triple S-ranked."

My eyebrows become intimate with my hairline. "Holy shit. That's the peak of this world, isn't it?"

Sasami nods. "Yeah, even most gods don't normally have Abilities at this level. Only those that are partially responsible for the creation of the universe would have something of this level."

I get a little nervous at that. "Sasami... Am I getting too strong for this world? I'm not going to break something, am I?"

"Are you only realizing that now, Issei?" she asks incredulously. "You are actually in an unusual state right now. You have a tremendous amount of power but are still somewhat vulnerable. I'm concerned that the outer gods that sent you here may attempt to rebalance the world to protect its integrity."

"You think that's possible?"

She shrugs. "Based on how much they blended together, it wouldn't be a stretch to believe they could modify things to give you more of a challenge. Think of it like a video game. If something becomes too easy for the players..."

"They get the nerf bat," I say, nodding. I sigh a little. "Well, let's hope, whatever happens, it won't be too severe."

"You should probably take advantage of this time to accomplish some of your goals and solidify your harem."

I chuckle. "Are you saying I should be having more sex?"

She nods. "At least take care of that horny dragon. She's very-."

Sasami pauses for a moment. "Issei, there is someone else inside the Oneiroi."

"How did they get here!?" I say, a touch of panic in my voice.

"Well, they must have arrived before the evolution. They are very good at mind magic and dream magic in particular, but now that they are here, they are at your mercy," she says. "But, I don't think you'll mind this visitor. She's just outside the Palace."

A screen pops up, and a petite girl with pale grey, almost white, hair waves at me. I immediately recognize her. "Can she see us?" I ask.

"Un," Sasami says, waving at Yui Kurata through the screen. "Can I let her in?"

"Sure," I say, shrugging. "By the way, what's the time ratio between here and the real world?"

"Right now, I have it set to a sixty-to-one ratio."

Issei nods. "Let's triple that. I want to have enough time to spend at least one full day with each of the girls once I bring them in."

She returns the nod as a door appears and opens to reveal Yui. I wave. "Hey, Yui. How have you been?"

She smiles and runs forward. "Hey! It's a nice world you have here," she says, spinning around. "How did you make it?"

"Trade secret, I'm afraid." AKA, I have no fricken idea.

"Oh!" she says and sticks her tongue out at me.

"Any word on where your body is? If we could find you, I might be able to help you," I say.

"Sorry," she says, shaking her head. "I think I'm in the Underworld, but I'm not sure where."

I nod. "Sasami, when we get to the Underworld, you'll be able to map it and find her won't you?"

"If she's listed in any record, I can. If not, you could always track back her astral signature from her dream body."

"Alright, when we have time to go to the Underworld, find out what we can, and if there aren't any records, we'll jump off that bridge when we get there," I say before turning back to Yui. "So, what are you doing in this neighborhood?"

"I felt a massive surge of magic in the dream, so I came to check it out. It felt familiar, so I came to say hi," she says.

I frown at that. "I thought this was all inside me?" I ask Sasami.

"It is, or will be, but the initial formation is based on a crossing over between dream and reality. The easiest way for it to form is by pulling energy from the Dimensional Gap."

That scares me. "We're not stepping on a very large dragon's toes, are we?"

"In the grand scheme of things, it's the equivalent of someone taking a glass of water from the tap in your house. You're unlikely to notice it. Yui-chan could only notice this because she was on the edge of your Dreamscape when it started."

"Oh?" I say, eyebrows up. "Were you looking for me, Yui?"

"Yes and no. I was looking to see who was mass-manipulating dreams, and it just so happens that it was you. Funny coincidence, really. It is nice that it is you, though, and not someone with malicious intent."

"Well, I'm bringing a whole lot of people in here. Would you like to join us? We're in a time dilation in here, so every day on the outside is about half a year inside."

"Holy cow!" she yells, eyes bugging out. "How do you get the time difference so great? I can only get a one-to-eight ratio."

"I'm insanely overpowered and have Sasami here to manage things. It's a big help."

"Oh, yeah. I remember you. So, your name is Sasami," Yui says, then turns to see Mihoshi sitting wide-eyed on the couch, looking between the three of us. "I don't think I've met you, though."

"Oh! Oh! I know this now," Mihoshi says, excited. She stands up and bows deeply. "It is an honor to meet you, miss. My name is Mihoshi."

Yui stares at the adorably vapid blond briefly before leaning over to me. "Is she alright?" she whispers.

"Uh," I say before answering confidently. "Yeah. I think so. Mihoshi's just getting used to everything."

Yui nods.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mihoshi," she says, speaking slowly and in a loud voice. "My name is Yui. I'm a friend of Issei's."

Mihoshi is confused at first and then gasps and covers her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that you were hard of hearing," she says. "I will endeavor to speak louder and more clearly in the future."

I... I just can't. "Sasami," I say, turning to the equally exasperated girl. "Is there anything else I need to know about? Is it safe to bring the girls over?"

She looks over at a screen that pops up and nods. "It appears to be safe and stable. Ryo-Ohki is still in a state of hibernation, but her state does not seem to be influencing any of the Abilities any longer."

"Great. Let's set it up and bring everyone over then."

.

.

.

A short while later, I sent Mihoshi and Yui to explore the town that we replicated in the Oneiroi, and at the center is the Mind Palace which has taken the form of an enormous World Tree. I'm standing in what could be called the command center of the Palace with Sasami and Ddraig, who decided to grace us with her presence a short while ago.

"Still no Brynhildr?" I ask.

"She's feeling shy," Ddraig says.

"Seriously!?" I ask, eyebrows shooting up, a little surprised. "Badass warrior, hero of heroes, Brynhildr is shy?"

Ddraig shrugs. I shake my head. "Well, make sure we leave a door open for her to come in whenever she's ready."

Sasami nods. "We're ready when you are, Issei."

"Alright, bring Kuroka here and send the rest to the corresponding rooms they are in in the outer world. Maybe they won't even notice the shift and can rest until morning."

"There is a likelihood that certain members will notice the transition," Sasami says, making adjustments on the screen to manage the transition.

"Serafall and Shiela?" I ask.

Sasami nods.

"And Ageha and Claudia as well. And, of course, Kuroka," She says.

"You should fuck that little pussy before she gets out of hand," Ddraig growls. She's been watching since Kuroka first showed up and was not impressed.

"Wouldn't be hard," I say, shrugging. "Kuroka has two goals in mind, one is reuniting with her sister, and the other is breeding with someone strong to help rebuild her people. I think I qualify, but honestly, I'm not really ready for kids just yet."

A dark corner of my mind thought of the idea of upgrading the cloning Ability to create a score of permanent clones of Kuroka and Koneko and knocking them all up with entire litters of Nekoshou kittens and populating the Oneiroi with them. An entire magical world of catgirls... Maybe I'll file that away for later.

Suddenly, Sasami finishes preparing the transfer, and a magic circle forms with Kuroka appearing in front of us, still naked and tempting.

"An entire world of catgirls," I mutter under my breath.