Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, Heiligh Kingdom, Ur Village.

"Tatsuo-Kun, are you okay?" Sumire asked in a concerned tone while helping Tatsuo up from the ground.

"I'm fine." Tatsuo replied while shaking his head. "I just wasn't expecting her to say that."

"Well, you sure as hell should have." James said in a gloating tone. "I know you heard all that moaning while you were kicking her ass, right?"

"*Sigh* Unfortunately, I couldn't." Tatsuo replied. "When my mind is really in the fight, I tune out anything that's not necessary for me to take down my opponent... Or rather, my target, just the way I was conditioned to."

That statement caused Sumire, James, Aletia, and Shea to fall silent, a quiet rage simmering just beneath the surface. Even Tio, who had still been writhing and moaning in pleasure fell silent at Tatsuo's words, curious to know exactly what he had been through after hearing that. The only one who did not seem to care was Yukitoshi, who was still paralyzed thanks to the powder Tatsuo sprinkled over him the night before.

"Anyway, now that we got that out of the way, can we have that serious conversation?" Tatsuo asked, breaking the atmosphere. He then shifted his gaze to Tio, who was still in her dragon form before continuing. "Or are you too hurt to talk about that for now?"

"Oh no, Mast--- *Cough* I mean Tatsuo." Tio replied, coughing to cover up her slip of the tongue. "Just give me a few minutes to replenish some of my mana. Then, I'll transform back to my human form. After that, we can continue where we left off."

"*Sigh* I really don't wanna wait that long." Tatsuo replied while reaching into his [Inventory]. He then continued after pulling out a vial of Ambrosia. "Just drink this, it will restore your mana a little and heal your injuries."

"Are you sure?" Tio asked in a somewhat uncertain tone. "Something like that must be quite valuable. Are you sure you want to give it to--- *Gulp*"

Before Tio could finish, Tatsuo wrapped the vial of Ambrosia with his [Energy]. Then, he blinked it into the back of Tio's throat, forcing her to either swallow it or cough it up. And based on the very audible gulp, it was clear that she chose to swallow it.

After that, Tio's wounds began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye. A moment later, she was once again cloaked in her jet-black mana before shrinking down to her human size. Then, when the mana cloak dissipated, she picked Herself up from the ground and straightened her robes.

"Thank you very much." Tio said, bowing politely as she did so. "Though I'm sure I would have healed from those injuries before long. I am grateful for your assistance."

"Don't worry about it." Tatsuo said, waving dismissively. "Now, let's get down to business. What did you want our help with? Though, I'm pretty sure I know already."

Hearing that, Tio's eyes widened. Meanwhile, Tatsuo once again set up the table and chairs so that the group could discuss comfortably.

On a side note, Yukitoshi was dropped unceremoniously next to the table when James, who had been carrying him to make sure he did not get hurt during the high-intensity spar. But when the battle was over, he was treated with even less importance than a piece of luggage.

"Okay, so what have you got for us?" James asked once everyone was seated.

Tio did not respond immediately. Instead she glanced at James with little emotion. Then, she turned back to face Tatsuo, a beautiful, gentle smile blooming across her face.

"Something tells me she doesn't like me very much." James muttered.

"As I'm sure you are all aware, you were summoned to this world from your own by the so-called god of this world, Ehit." Tio said, beginning her explanation. "But I'm sure the Holy Church did not tell you everything there is to know about him. For example, how he is the reason for all the conflict that happens on Tortus."

Stopping there to let her words settle, Tio glanced across the five people sitting at the table with her. However, when she saw the unsurprised, almost bored expressions on their faces, all she could do was blink her eyes in confusion.

"Sorry, Tio-San." Sumire said while smiling apologetically. "But we kinda heard all that after clearing the Orcus Great Labyrinth and the Reisen Great Labyrinth."

"And that's why I said I could guess what you were going to ask us." Tatsuo added. "You want us to help you unalive that bastard who brought us to this world against our will, right?"

'Damn... Listening to this guy, it almost sounds like we didn't come here because we chose to.' James thought to himself after hearing the conviction behind Tatsuo's words. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd actually think we were from the same Earth as Nagumo and the others.'

"Um... Yes?" Tio, completely taken aback by the new information, replied in an uncertain tone. A moment later, she finally internalized the information and put on a dumbfounded expression as she continued. "Hold on just a second, please. Are you saying that you've cleared not one, but two of the Great Labyrinths?"

"Well, the three of us have." Tatsuo replied while gesturing to himself, Sumire, and Aletia. He then gestured to Shea as he continued. "She's only completed the Reisen Great Labyrinth. But that's not really much of a big deal. Since, only a Synergist can make full use of the [Creation Magic] obtained by clearing Orcus Great Labyrinth."

Tio's brain seemed to go through a hard restart at that information. Like most people on Tortus, she knew about the Great Labyrinths. She also knows just how dangerous they are. So, to hear that the three people in front of her had cleared two of them was more than she was ready for.

"Um... Is she okay?" Shea asked in a concerned tone. "She kinda looks like her brain is about to leak out of her ears, or something."

"She'll be fine." Aletia replied. She then looked towards Tatsuo. "We should have put him to sleep first."

Though she did not make it clear who she was talking about, everyone present, who was still capable of following the conversation, knew Aletia meant Yukitoshi. And because of that, they all looked at the spot where he lay, completely immobilized and restrained. And when they did, they saw the gears in his head turning, probably coming up with some hair-brained plan to raise his standing once he was released.

"Oh, I forgot about him that fast." James muttered. "Hmm.... If I had access to freely use my Demonic Power, dealing with him would be no issue. But this damn world is restricting me too much."

"You know, there's probably a way to get around that, right?" Tatsuo replied. "How do you think Sumire-San and I can use magic and skills without magic circles? Well, why do you think Sumire-San can do it? I could do it from the very beginning, after all."

"Oh, you said something about that on the chat." James said in a tone filled with realization. "Eating magical beast meat, right? Yeah, I could probably handle that. It can't be any worse than Shion's cooking, right?"

"Oof! Yeah, I'm not sure it can compare to that." Tatsuo replied. "Eating Shion's cooking in Tensura granted people [Poison Resistance], after all."

"I don't' know about that." Sumire said, cutting into the conversation. "I did get the [Iron Stomach] Skill after eating magical beast meat, remember?"

"Oh... Yeah... That's right." Tatsuo replied. "Well, I guess it's a toss-up. Even so, we've got more Ambrosia. So, you can give it a try and we'll make sure to keep you alive."

"Sure." James replied with a shrug. "Let's do it after this conversation is over. And it looks like she's coming back to her senses, too."

With that, James pointed at Tio, who blinked her eyes as she returned to the here and now. Tio then looked around, her eyes eventually falling on James, as she did not remember any mention of him clearing either of the Labyrinths.

"What about you?" Tio asked in a markedly less friendly tone. "Have you completed either of the Labyrinths."

"Nope." James replied, popping the P with a smile. "I'm still stronger than everyone else here, though."

Once again, Tio blinked in confusion. Then, she turned her attention to Tatsuo, who had defeated her so effortlessly as if to ascertain the truth of James' declaration.

"Well, he was the strongest of us when we got here." Tatsuo muttered. "I'm not so sure about it now, though."

"Oh, you know I'm still stronger than you, Tatsuo." James replied with a grin. "Your pride just won't let you admit it without a fight."

Tatsuo only looked away in response, not confirming or denying James' claim.

"Anyway, I'll try out some of that magical beast meat before we head back to the village." James said while smiling triumphantly at Tatsuo. "But for now, let's finish up this conversation with the masochistic dragon lady."

James then shifted his attention back to Tio.

"Anyway, we planned to take care of Ehit." James said in a solemn tone. "But we'll have some work to do before then. And while we're doing that, you probably won't be able to find us for a while."

Tio's reaction to James statement was not what anyone was expecting. Instead of nodding in understanding or something of the sort, her eyes opened wide before she turned to look at Tatsuo with tears pooling in her eyes. She then threw herself across the table and wrapped her arms around Tatsuo's neck while most of her body was still lying on the table.

"Mast--- *Cough* I mean, Tatsuo, are you going to leave me behind? Tio asked in a panicked tone. "Especially after you ravaged my body the way you did. *Pant* *Pant* You should know, there's no way I could live without you after what you've done. *Pant* *Pant* Please, take me with you… *Pant* Ravage me repeatedly. *Pant* I need it--- Kya!"

Shortly after she started speaking, Tio's tone changed. From desperate and panicked, she started to sound desperate in another sense. Plus, she started panting and exhaling large amounts of air through her nose while she spoke. On top of that, she started pulling herself across the table inch by inch. And to anyone watching, it was clear that she intended to try to sit in Tatsuo's lap.

However, Tatsuo, creeped out by her choice of words and the way she was panting, grabbed her by the back of her robe and threw her off of him and onto the ground with an unintended amount of force.

"Oh yeah! That's what I'm talking about." Tio said, halfway between an enraptured scream and a euphoric moan.

"Aww, damn it." Tatsuo muttered. "Didn't mean to do that. That was an accident."

"Yeah, I think that only made things worse." Sumire added while looking at Tio with an uncertain expression.

"That's… Kind of gross." Shea said while leaning away from Tio.

Aletia did not say anything. Instead, she only looked at Tio as if her world view had shattered. Then, she looked off into the distance as if she were reassessing everything she had ever known.

"Don't worry about it so much." James said with a conciliatory smile on his face while patting Tatsuo on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it. Trust me, I would know."

"I don't wanna get used to it, damn it!" Tatsuo shouted in protest.

After that, the group was almost ready to leave. However, before they did, Tatsuo set up a magic circle so that Sumire could cook some of the magical beast meat they had collected for James to eat.

When the meat was cooked, James wasted no time devouring it. However, contrary to expectations, he did not have any adverse reactions to the magical beast meat, other than retching at the taste. Tatsuo chalked that up to the fact that, like himself, James was not fully human. So, his body adapted to the mana inside the meat much easier.

Even so, James once again gained full access to his powers as a Half-Devil. Then, using his ability to manipulate the minds of those weaker than him that is inherent to Devils, he modified Yukitoshi's memories before the entire group made their way out of the mountain range and returned to the Village of Ur.

By the time the group arrived in the Village of Ur, the sun had just finished setting in the west. Meaning, Aiko and her entourage should have already returned to the Water Spirit Inn. So, they made their way there without wasting time.

"You found him!" Aiko cheered in an amazed tone once Tatsuo, Sumire, James, Aletia, Shea, and Tio arrived at the table where she and the rest of her entourage were sitting. However, when she realized the state Yukitoshi was in, her expression turned into one filled with a mixture of anger and confusion as she voiced her doubts. "But why is he tied up like that?"

"You're not gonna like what you hear, Hatayama-Sensei." Tatsuo replied as he gestured for James to put Yukitoshi down. "When James found him, he was doing some pretty shady stuff."

"Shady is an understatement." James said with a note of disgust in his tone while ignoring Aiko's bright smile caused by Tatsuo's form of address. "He was negotiating with a Demon to betray humanity and kill you so that he could become the Demon Race's Hero."

Hearing that, everyone stopped eating and stared at James with disbelieving expressions. A moment later, Aiko and the Templars each reacted explosively, as they all stood from their seats.

"Luckily, I found him before he could do anything he would regret." James continued, completely unbothered by everyone's reactions. "You see, he had been amassing an army of mind controlled magical beasts with his [Black Magic] when the Demon approached him. And to make sure I didn't pass judgement too early, I listened to their whole conversation... I recorded it, too. You can thank Tatsuo for that, by the way. Anyway, after they finished talking and I confirmed that Shimizu was ready to betray us, I chased down the demon, killed him and his mount, and captured Shimizu on the way back to the others."

As he explained the chain of events, James took out the magic item that had the recording of Yukitoshi's conversation with Reiss on it.

"I'll take that as evidence." David said, reaching out to snatch the recording device from James.

"Yeah, I don't think so." James replied as he pulled his hand back. "We'll play it for you, but you're not getting your hands on this. Who knows what will happen to this information when it gets into the hands of the church."

James refusal caused David and the other Templars to grip their weapons, ready to take the device by force. However, before anything could happen, Aiko finally came out of her stupor.

"That's enough.' Aiko said in the most authoritative manner she could.

Immediately upon hearing Aiko's order, the Templars took their hands off the hilts of their weapons and calmed down.

"Damn... They're simping extra hard now, aren't they?" James said with a smirk.

"Well, you know what they say." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "Or at least I think I read this somewhere. Every man has a loli in their heart, somewhere. I guess they all found theirs."

Hearing that, Aletia looked at Tatsuo hopefully while the other ladies giggled. James, on the other hand, bellowed a loud laugh. However, Aiko did not seem to like Tatsuo's saying, as she rested her fists on her almost non-existent hips and glared at him with as much menace as she could muster.

"Calm down, Hatayama-Sensei." Sumire said while trying to stifle her giggles. "I think we should relocate to somewhere more private so that we can show you the evidence of Shimizu-Kun's crimes. Because I know you won't believe what we said, otherwise."

Instead of replying immediately, Aiko stared down Tatsuo, who smiled relaxedly in return, for a few more moments. Then, she exhaled an annoyed sigh before turning to Sumire and nodding in agreement with her suggestion.

After that, Aiko and her entourage finished their dinners before the entire group relocated to Aiko's room to watch the recording of Yukitoshi's betrayal.

"Why?" Aiko asked, heartbroken at the revelation that another one of her students was going to try and murder one or more of his classmates. "Why didn't you talk to me about how you were feeling, Shimizu-Kun?"

Unfortunately, thanks to the liberal use of paralysis powder Tatsuo used on him, Shimizu was unable to respond to Aiko's question. Though, looking into his eyes would have been enough to understand what he was thinking.

"Yeah, and if you weren't comfortable talking to Ai-Chan-Sensei, you could have come to me." James added while shaking his head. "Because anyone would have been better as a Hero than that self-righteous ass hat, Amanogawa. Hell, I would have helped you push yourself until you were way stronger than him if you had only asked me to."

Everyone, including Yukitoshi shifted their gazes towards James after hearing that. Everyone except for Tatsuo's group, that is. Tatsuo and Sumire were already aware that James found Kouki insufferable while Aletia, Shea, and Tio had no point of reference to judge him by. But everyone else could not believe how easily James had spoken about deposing Amanogawa as the leader of the Hero Party.

"Don't look at me like that." James said while smiling wryly. "It's no secret that me and that guy never got along, is it? And after I dropped Hayama off that bridge, he's been treating me like a damn serial killer. But hell, I probably wouldn't have even acted if he had sent someone else down into the abyss. But Tatsuo's my cousin, you know?"

"Anyway, now that we've completed your request, Hatayama-Sensei, there's no reason for us to stay in this village any longer." Tatsuo said while shaking his head with a smile on his face. "So, we'll be moving on tomorrow."

"Oh, and I'll be going with them." James added. "Even though the rest of the class is safer with me diving into the Labyrinth with them, they're not really growing as much as they could with a safety net like me to fall back on. So, let them know that I'm traveling with Tatsuo when you get back, okay?"

After that, Aiko spent the remainder of the night and the morning after trying to get Tatsuo and the others to return to the Royal Capital with her group. However, she had no success. So, as Tatsuo, Sumire, and James requested, she decided that she would bring news of Tatsuo's and Sumire's safety as well as James decision to travel with them back to the capital and the rest of the class once she was done with her work in Ur's fields.

Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Sumire, James, Aletia, Shea, and Tio loaded into the Hummer before they left the village after receiving their payment and rank ups from completing Aiko's quest.

"So, where are we headed next?" Shea asked curiously.

"Fuhren." Tatsuo replied. "A free merchant city situated between Heiligh and Hoelscher. After that, we'll head to Horaud to see if we can meet up with the Hero's party before heading to the royal capital to let everyone else see our faces."

"We can go shopping in Fuhren, right?" Sumire asked.

Immediately upon hearing Sumire's question, Aletia's, Shea's, and Tio's eyes lit up. Meanwhile, James began to shudder with PTSD symptoms. Though, no one seemed to notice.

"Sure." Tatsuo replied, having never experienced the horrors of shopping with women. "Go wild."

The ladies cheered at Tatsuo's declaration.

"*Sigh* I really envy your ignorance sometimes." James said as he patted Tatsuo on the shoulder from the back seat.

"Huh?" Tatsuo intoned confusedly.

Unfortunately, James had no intension of enlightening hi younger friend, thinking that some lessons are better learned through experience. Though, throughout the journey to Fuhren, James would shoot many pity-filled gazes in Tatsuo's direction.