Campione: Strongest# 421: An Experiment and a Game

Haru blinked, a look of bewilderment on his face as he watched the retreating figure.

Suddenly, he remembered his earlier, teasing words to Ryougi Shiki, spoken just before the Origin had awakened.

‘Hee hee hee~’ a voice, filled with a gleeful, mocking tone, slowly echoed in his mind.

‘You go up to a girl and say, ‘You belong to me.’ See? Now she hates you, doesn't she?’

Nyarko repeated the words in a pinched voice, her expression full of teasing.

“Your ‘just go for it’ approach isn't much better, is it? We’re just two sides of the same coin,” Haru pursed his lips and sneered.

‘What do you mean, two sides of the same coin? If you had listened to me and just used force, you two would be rolling in the sheets right now,’ Nyarko said with a displeased expression.

“And then get beheaded by a rampaging Origin?” Haru retorted.

‘With me here, you won’t die. Don’t worry,’ Nyarko said, patting her petite chest with a proud expression.

“Sorry, but hearing that promise from Lady Nyarlathotep makes me even more uneasy,” Haru said sarcastically.

‘Well, I won’t argue. Since she hates you now, let’s find a reason to get close to her,’ Nyarko pursed her lips and, reverting to her usual cloying tone, said softly.

“What do you mean?” Haru raised an eyebrow.

‘Didn’t I tell you? The things you’ve learned are too varied. The power systems of three different worlds are clashing inside you. You're at a dead end, aren't you?’ Nyarko said meaningfully.

Haru narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew she was right.

The authorities from the Campione world, the secret arts of the three races from High School DxD, and the magic and True Magic of the Type-Moon world—his abilities were too numerous and chaotic.

A jack of all trades, master of none. That was his current situation.

Her emerald-green eyes reflected his pensive face. Nyarko chose her words carefully, her tone persuasive.

‘You should understand that your constitution and soul are biased towards the earth attribute—the material aspect. But now, you possess parts of all four great rules, plus all that other miscellaneous stuff. Your power system has become warped.’

‘You’re halfway to becoming a true dominator, but you’re stuck at the gate. The reason is the imbalance of your power.’

“You mean I should abandon my other powers and specialize in the material rule?” Haru asked, his tone grave.

Abandoning power was no small matter. That kind of self-mutilation was not easy to bear. If he made the wrong cut, the consequences would be dire.

‘No need to abandon anything. Isn’t that girl right there?’

Nyarko’s lips curved into a smile. She patted the round, white sphere beside her and, looking at the young woman walking down the street, now displayed within the sphere, she said with a wicked grin, ‘The all-encompassing Root, manifested in a human form. This world is truly strange.’

After a moment’s observation, she shifted her gaze to Haru.

‘Use the material rule as your core, simulate the Root’s all-encompassing form, and integrate all your abilities into matter. This is the fastest shortcut to fixing your warped system!’

‘What you need to do is maintain your own balance by specializing in the material rule—the path of ‘One.’ Meanwhile, let the egg, which can deduce all things, walk the path of ‘All.’ Only by advancing on both fronts can you maintain the highest efficiency of strength improvement.’

Nyarko, in his mind, waved a teaching stick she had conjured from somewhere, wore a pair of black-framed glasses, and, pointing to a blackboard that had appeared from nowhere, she lectured, ‘In the end, this universe... hehe.’

“Why do I get the feeling you really want me to specialize in the material rule?” Haru looked at Nyarko with suspicion.

‘Because I am an earth-attribute Outer God! Don’t you think it’s a wonderful thing to be taught by a beautiful young teacher like Lady Nyarko?’ she blinked with a look of admiration.

‘Tsk.’ Haru clicked his tongue in disgust.

A huge tic mark appeared on Nyarko’s forehead. The silver-haired Outer God bit her cowlick in frustration and glared at him.

“I have a feeling I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you Cthulhu types. I’m going to run into a lot of trouble,” Haru said with a frown.

Nyarko looked at him with a smile, saying nothing. In her view, the moment he had obtained the Dirac Heart, he had been tied to her war chariot for life.

A silver light shot from her palm into his soul.

‘I’ll give you the secret art directly. It’ll take effect as long as you’re within five meters of that girl. Of course, negative-distance contact is better. Whether you use it or not, that’s up to you.’

Feeling the Outer God’s secret art pouring into his mind, Haru’s brow furrowed deeply. He studied it carefully for half an hour, and only after having Gaia and Alaya help him confirm there was nothing wrong with it did he relax.

Whatever Nyarlathotep was planning, she would eventually reveal her true intentions. And it was an indisputable fact that he was at an impasse with his own power. Since that was the case, he would give it a try.

With this in mind, Haru opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. In the dispersing crowd, he locked onto the two Asagami siblings and strode forward.

...

In a corner of the banquet hall, the two Asagami brothers, having finally finished their social obligations, sat exhaustedly in their chairs.

“How did the blind date go?”

A voice, filled with a deep malice, suddenly sounded in the ear of the now-named Masako (Masahiko) Asagami.

Masako’s face instantly turned deathly pale. She knew this was the voice of the ‘monster’ who had shattered her world a few days ago.

Kazuhiko, beside her, quickly stood up, his head bowed, and stood deferentially by Haru’s side. The male members of the Asagami family were now all but puppets in Haru’s hands.

No one dared to disobey the will of this capricious demon king. Therefore, the two direct descendants were exceptionally respectful towards him, even Masako, who was filled with a deep hatred for him.

“Ryougi Kaname... invited me on a date.” When she said the words ‘date invitation,’ a chill ran down her spine, and the hair on her body stood on end.

To go from a man who conquered women to a woman being courted by Ryougi Kaname... how could she not feel a chill?

“Good. I don't care what reason you use. Make Ryougi Kaname bring his sister on the date. Understand?” Haru said, his tone impassive.

“Yes!” Masako’s face was deathly pale, but seeing his cold, glinting eyes, she quickly lowered her head and replied deferentially.

‘Hehe, look at his chilled-to-the-bone expression. It seems the tragedy I created is quite good,’ Nyarko said with a wicked grin.

‘So boring. Can you do less of this low-class stuff? Just talking to that gender-bent freak makes me sick,’ Haru’s lip twitched as he complained to Nyarko.

‘Ha! You dare to say Lady Nyarko’s work is boring? Oh yeah? If you’re so good, let's see you do something more sophisticated. Can you? If not, then shut up!’

Nyarko bit her silver cowlick and said with a look of frustration.

‘How about a game?’ Haru’s lips curved into a wicked smile.

Nyarko raised an eyebrow, a look of keen interest on her face.