Chapter 85: Doomsday Journey! 

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The night passed without incident.

Eriri still refused to see him.

Nanashi went to check on Kie and the others.

They had spent the day thoroughly cleaning the house, inside and out.

The new decorations made the place feel warm and inviting—though to Nanashi, it just looked like a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Even if he wanted to do something for them, he didn't want them to overwork themselves.

So, after a simple greeting, a few hugs, and some light kisses, he left and returned home.

After a refreshing shower,

Nanashi lies in his bed.

The first thing he did was call Kanae.

"Kanae, aren't you coming out?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, she quietly emerged from his arms, as if she had been there all along.

A slight weight settled on his body. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, holding her soft, delicate form close.

He brushed his nose lightly against her hair, inhaling its faint, soothing fragrance.

Kanae gazed up at him, her eyes filled with warmth, tinged with an unspoken longing.

Nestled in Nanashi's embrace, she relished his warmth, unwilling to part from him for even a moment.

Though still feeling a bit tired, she was the first to speak.

"Nanashi… do you need me? I'm still okay."

She assumed he had called her for that reason.

Kanae was no longer as shy as she once was.

After taking that final step with him, she had already decided—Nanashi was the man of her life.

Her heart, her soul—everything she had—belonged to him now.

And if that was the case, she was prepared to accept everything that came with being his.

The gentle, caring, and composed woman he had always known had returned.

No hesitation.

No doubts.

No matter how unreasonable the request, she would accept it.

She was a traditional woman—one who would embrace everything that Nanashi was.

But—

"No," he said, tightening his hold on her. "I just want to hold you. That's all."

A girl like this…

He would cherish her. Love her.

How could he take advantage of her exhaustion for his own desires?

He wasn't some mindless beast, driven only by lust.

Even when faced with extreme temptation, like Marin, he had always considered the other person's feelings and restrained himself.

Kanae could feel it—the sincerity in his words, the warmth in his actions.

"…Nanashi."

Her gaze softened as she looked at him.

Slowly, their breaths intertwined.

And then—

Their lips met.

A slow, lingering kiss.

That night, nothing more happened.

They simply slept in each other's arms.

The Next Morning

Before dawn, he was awakened.

His phone was buzzing non-stop.

The group chat was going crazy.

March 7th: "Nanashi, come out! Quick!"

Nanashi: "What is it?"

Suzuki: "The boss is online!"

March 7th: "Check Doomsday Companion! It just appeared in Esdeath's world!"

Lemuel: "Nanashi, it's you again. Looks like this really is an administrator privilege."

His groggy mind instantly cleared.

The Doomsday Companion Journey appeared?!

Without hesitation, he clicked to check.

His movement stirred Kanae, still nestled in his arms.

She didn't say a word—just quietly observed, understanding that something important was happening.

[Doomsday Companion Journey]Participants: 5Duration: 3 daysTraveling Members: Esdeath, Nanashi, Tushan Honghong, Nami, March 7thMission: Eliminate the Plunderers

"Plunderers?"

Nanashi recalled Esdeath mentioning a new figure who replaced the fat minister.

So that's the target this time.

Nanashi: "I see it. Let's move."

March 7th: "Yes! I've been waiting for this!"

Nami: "I'm ready!"

Tushan Honghong: "I'll do my best!"

Nanashi confirmed his participation.

Immediately, a wormhole appeared before them.

"Are you going to another world?" Kanae asked.

Time in this world had paused.

But since Kanae was connected to him, she remained unaffected.

"Yes," he said, taking her hand. "Let's go."

Together, they stepped into the wormhole.

When Nanashi and Kanae appeared, the others had already gathered.

Judging by the surroundings, they were somewhere inside a palace.

The architecture and decor exuded luxury, though the area itself bore signs of damage—like it had recently been through a battle.

March 7th and Honghong eyed Kanae curiously.

"Is this Shinobu's onee-chan? Hello, my name is March 7th!"

"I'm Tushan Honghong."

Kanae smiled warmly. "Hello."

Nami walked over to Nanashi, casting a glance at Kanae. She pouted, then lightly kicked his calf.

Nanashi raised an eyebrow.

She had figured out their relationship at a glance.

She's definitely a little jealous.

Nanashi chuckled and reached out, ruffling Nami's hair. "Let me introduce you. This is Nami."

Esdeath, never one for pleasantries, got straight to the point.

"My friends, I've met the new minister."

Nanashi looked up. "So, you fought?"

Esdeath's expression darkened slightly—unwilling, almost frustrated.

"Yes. His strength is… strange. No, rather, his ability is strange."

"What's strange about it?"

"He can release a black substance that covers his entire body. When attacked, it floods the brain with negative emotions, driving people insane and out of control. That's why I had to retreat."

March 7th tilted her head. "An emotional attack?"

"Or some kind of psychic energy?" Nanashi speculated.

He shook his head, then suddenly raised his voice.

"Forget that for now. Since we have guests eavesdropping."

March 7th tensed, drawing her ice bow as she scanned the surroundings.

"Someone's there?"

"Come out!"

Zzt!

Electricity crackled through the air.

Nami's eyes sharpened as she suddenly lashed out with a wave of blue lightning, sending bolts arcing in all directions.

The attack struck hidden spots in the shadows and behind the stone pillars.

Figures leapt out, revealing themselves.

"A sharp instinct," a voice remarked.

Eight figures emerged, surrounding them from different angles.

"Najenda, it's been a while."

Esdeath's aura surged—a chilling, lethal presence.

From within the group, a woman stepped forward.

Short white hair.

Black attire.

An eyepatch covering her right eye.

Her right arm—a mechanical green prosthetic.

She sneered. "I really didn't want to see you here, Esdeath."

Nanashi studied the group with interest.

A black-haired, red-eyed swordsman wielding the demon blade, Murasame. Akame.

A pink twin-tailed girl shouldering an oversized romantic turret. Mine

A bespectacled woman with purple hair whose big ass scissors could sever anything. Sheele.

Chelsea, with her signature orange-pink hair and headphones.

Leone, with her golden cat ears and the King of Beasts armor at her waist.

A crew-cut warrior, Bulat, wielding a Demon Dragon Armor.

A green-haired man, Lubbock, equipped with the versatile Cross Tail.

Tatsumi and Susanoo were absent.

Sheele was still alive.

Chelsea had joined early.

Something about this situation felt… off.

Esdeath noticed Nanashi's gaze shift toward the group.

A moment later, all the energy in her body seemed to drain, leaving behind a faint sense of disappointment.

"…Are you interested in these Night Raid members?" she asked.

Najenda stiffened.

Once comrades, now enemies—she knew Esdeath's character well.

Had that subtle shift in expression… been an attempt to show weakness to that man?

Impossible.

Esdeath would never do that.

Would she?

"I am interested," Nanashi admitted. Then he smirked. "But not in men."

His gaze flicked toward Bulat and Lubbock.

The moment his eyes landed on them—

"!!!"

The two men felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon them.

A suffocating, primal terror.

Bulat's muscles convulsed, sweat pouring down his face like a waterfall. He clenched his teeth, straining against the unseen force.

Lubbock swallowed hard, his throat dry.

It was like staring at an insurmountable mountain crushing down on him.

His legs gave out.

He collapsed to his knees in fear.

"Lubbock!"

"Bulat!"

Night Raid tensed, gripping their weapons.

What had that man done?

No sound.

No movement.

And yet—

The sheer presence of Nanashi had brought two of them to their knees.

Nanashi withdrew his gaze.

Bulat collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his body finally released from the crushing pressure. Though still trembling, the pain had begun to subside.

Najenda noticed something unsettling.

The people surrounding Esdeath—those she had assumed were merely her subordinates—seemed to be subtly following Nanashi's lead.

The woman who could summon lightning at will.

The short-haired girl wielding an ice bow.

The beast-like girl with fox ears and claws, much like Leone.

Who were these people?

What kind of Teigu did they possess?

Why had she never heard of them in the Imperial Capital?

And more importantly—

Who was this man?

"Who are you?" she asked, her gaze locked onto him.

Nanashi smirked. "You can call me Nanashi. But before that, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

He was curious about the nature of this Night Raid infiltration.

Najenda weighed the risks and benefits before speaking calmly.

"Wherever humans exist, darkness follows."

"And where there is darkness, evil thrives."

"For those with nowhere to turn, for the sins even the gods neglect, we bring retribution from the shadows."

"We are professional assassins."

"Night Raid."

"Whoa! A secret assassin group? That's so cool!" March 7th's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"The way you introduced yourselves was amazing!"

Her innocent enthusiasm was completely genuine.

Snap!

She even pulled out a small camera and started taking pictures.

For some reason, Mine, Leone, and the others—who had always taken pride in their mission—felt oddly embarrassed seeing their familiar motto praised with such pure admiration.

Even Najenda wasn't immune to this reaction.

She could only endure March 7th's admiring gaze and continue speaking.

"Our mission is to assassinate the minister."

"Because of him, the entire Imperial Capital—no, the entire world—is in chaos. The streets are filled with relentless violence: arson, murder, and looting at every turn!"

Nanashi glanced at Esdeath.

"Is that true?"

Esdeath nodded grimly.

"On my way back to the capital, I witnessed it firsthand. People were killing and plundering like wild beasts, attacking not only each other but even animals and dangerous species with terrifying brutality."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Now that I think about it, they all seemed to be under the influence of the energy released by the new minister."

Nanashi fell into thought.

"So this is the core catalyst behind the world's downfall? That predator is more capable than I expected."

If this corrupting energy spread unchecked, the consequences would be catastrophic.

More concerning, however, was the nature of this power—Nanashi had already observed that it could absorb vitality, reproduce, and grow exponentially.

If left alone, it would soon engulf the planet, siphon its energy dry, and ultimately reduce it to a lifeless husk.

"How do we track down the one responsible for this chaos?"

Among all things, Nami despised senseless destruction the most.

The minister's actions filled her with fury.

"Finding him won't be difficult," Nanashi replied. "But I'd rather make him come to us."

He clenched his fist.

In that moment, he could clearly sense and comprehend the vast areas of the planet already corrupted by this energy called Fel energy.

It was a force that amplified the darkness lurking in people's hearts.

Everyone driven mad by violence carried traces of it within their bodies.

And at its core, all fel energy across the world seemed to converge toward a single point—

Him. 

Somewhere in the mountains...

A man cloaked in black, radiating a dark aura, let out a twisted laugh.

Scattered around him were the mutilated remains of various strange creatures.

"Hehehe… I didn't expect to encounter someone capable of freezing space."

His voice was laced with amusement as his eyes gleamed with malice.

"Only Level 4, yet strong enough to manipulate space? Tsk. Good thing I stayed one step ahead."

This man—the Plunderer Minister—had once clashed with Esdeath.

He smirked, stretching out his hand as swirling tendrils of dark energy coiled around his fingers.

"But it's too late!" He cackled. "This world is already tainted beyond salvation. My fel energy has completely transformed it into the perfect breeding ground for destruction!"

His dark green tongue flicked across his black lips, his expression one of pure exhilaration.

"I never imagined the sins in this world would be so… deliciously potent."

His gaze roamed over the twisted landscape surrounding him.

"This wretched land is the ideal incubator for fel energy. The corruption here runs deep."

A thought crossed his mind, his eyes glinting with greed.

"If I absorb all the fel energy I've cultivated… could I ascend to Level 6 Plunderer?"

He could hardly contain his excitement.

To him, this world was nothing more than an insignificant experimental field.

Humans and creatures alike were mere test subjects.

Everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.

If nothing unexpected happened, this "harvest" would conclude without incident.

He simply needed to wait—wait for the fel energy to spread and grow.

Once it blanketed the entire planet, the world's fate would be sealed.

When all living things were extinguished, the ever-growing fel energy would begin draining the planet's very essence.

And then… the world itself would collapse.

(Note: The concept of "end of the world" doesn't necessarily refer to the destruction of the entire universe, but rather the annihilation of everything within a given observer's scope. For example, if a Space Gourmet Hunter(*Toriko) were the observer, the "end of the world" would encompass the entire universe. If the observer were the people of Pirate World, then their "end of the world" would be limited to their planet.)