Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers

"What is that thing?"

"It looks like space magic, judging by the way it's distorting the air."

"…Interesting. Looks like a powerful being is about to step out from that dome of fissures."

"Yeah, and it might be a strong one at that."

About two kilometers away from where the Spatial Quake had appeared, two girls in fancy outfits watched the scene unfold calmly.

The first girl appeared as a beautiful young maiden with pale, porcelain-like skin and striking red eyes that glowed faintly even in the shadows. Her long, silver hair flowed down her back, the ends softly curled, swaying with the breeze. Despite her youthful face, she exudes an eerie aura that hints that she wasn't a human.

She wore a gothic, Victorian-style black dress adorned with layered frills, lace, and ribbons, paired with a deep crimson corset that accentuated her slender frame. A matching black bonnet with red accents rested atop her head, completing her doll-like appearance. White stockings and black shoes maintained her consistent gothic aesthetic.

Her delicate hands were covered in white gloves, and her lips often curled into a small, amused smile that could shift into a predatory grin in an instant.

Standing beside her was a girl who was the complete opposite.

She had dark skin and a boyish, childlike appearance, with pointed ears that hinted at her non-human nature. Her golden hair shimmered under the light, and her heterochromatic eyes, one blue, the other was green, glinted sharply as she watched the distant dome.

She wore reddish-black dragon-scale leather armor beneath a white and gold vest, embroidered with an intricate sigil that marked her origins and power.

Below, she wore a matching set of white trousers and gold-plated shoes, while around her neck hung an acorn necklace emitting a gentle golden light. A whip was fastened at her waist, and a giant, decorated bow was strapped across her back.

These two were none other than Shalltear Bloodfallen and Aura Bella Fiora, the Floor Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Aura had been stationed in the northern part of the forest, overseeing a team of golems and elder liches as they constructed a warehouse. Everything had been proceeding smoothly until her watch alarm suddenly went off, reminding her it was time for a break.

Her heterochromatic eyes lit up with excitement.

"Snack time! It's hamburger, french fries, and cola today!" she exclaimed, already feeling her mouth water as she thought about the food Pestonya had prepared for her.

However, when Aura arrived at the patio table covered by a parasol to block the sun, she froze for a moment. Sitting there, sipping tea with elegant composure, was Shalltear.

Aura's lips twitched. Of all places, she didn't expect this vampire bitch to show up here of all times.

"What are you doing here, Shalltear?" Aura asked, stuffing the burger into her mouth as she sat down.

"Ara~ I heard from Ainz-sama that you were tasked with constructing a warehouse in this area, so I became curious and decided to take a look," Shalltear replied gracefully, a smile playing on her lips as she took another delicate sip of her tea.

"Do you have nothing better to do than come all the way out here?" Aura sighed, already suspecting that Shalltear had only come to this place to annoy her.

"Of course not. I came to deliver a message from Ainz-sama," Shalltear replied, her smile never wavering as she gracefully retrieved a scroll from somewhere within her dress and handed it to Aura.

Aura took the scroll and quickly unrolled it, her eyes scanning the contents. As she read, a bright smile bloomed on her face.

The message was short, asking about the progress of the warehouse construction and, at the end, inquiring about her wellbeing.

Aura's heart swelled with joy, as if she had a tail wagging slightly as she held the scroll close, delighted by the supreme being's kindness.

Meanwhile, Shalltear's eye twitched, her graceful smile straining as she watched Aura's smile. A quiet, sour feeling of envy twisted inside her. It annoyed her that Ainz-sama would show such care toward Aura.

"Yosh! I'll work even harder for Ainz-sama!"

After stuffing the last bit of her burger and fries into her small mouth and downing the cola in one go, Aura pumped her fist in the air, cheering herself on.

She was about to head back to the construction site when, suddenly, both she and Shalltear froze, their eyes widening in surprise.

A constant shockwave reverberated from deep within the forest, accompanied by thunderous roars that echoed through the trees, sending birds and animals fleeing in all directions.

'Someone is fighting!'

These thoughts crossed their minds at the same time as they locked eyes. Without a word, they nodded in unison, deciding to head to the battlefield to investigate.

Not only were they curious about who or what was fighting, but they were also mindful of their duty. Since they were building a base near this area, if someone dangerous approached and discovered their operations, it could lead to potential trouble for Nazarick.

In the next instant, Aura and Shalltear vanished from their positions, dashing toward the location of the battle at incredible speed.

When they arrived, the two were stunned by the sight before them.

A black dome of chaotic spatial distortion churned violently at the center of the battlefield, its edges tearing at reality itself. Not far from it, a pitiful, gigantic tree was dragging its massive body away, desperately trying to escape the storm.

Spatial quakes are very dangerous after all, and the two of them thought that their chances of surviving that spatial distortion was quite low.

...

The evil tree backed away in terror, letting out a helpless roar as it retreated further into the forest. Meanwhile, the Spatial Quake descended, tearing through the forest as it made contact with the ground, obliterating everything within its reach.

Fortunately, the spatial quake had manifested in the sky, reducing the potential destruction to the forest below. Still, even without fully descending, it left behind a massive crater, nearly seventy meters wide, carved into the earth by its violent power.

The evil tree watched, trembling, as the spatial quake slowly began to fade, relief washing over it as the oppressive danger disappeared.

As the spatial quake disappears, the figure of the hateful human that caused that phenomenon became visible again. It roared at him but it suddenly felt something was different from this person that it fought before.

Yet, due to its deteriorated mind, the evil tree, now little more than a mindless monster, ignored the strange, instinctive fear it felt and charged at Shido once more.

It swept its massive branch toward him, intending to crush him, while simultaneously launching bullet-like seeds in a furious barrage.

However, Shido simply raised a hand.

A blackish-white barrier formed in front of him, effortlessly blocking the colossal branch and seed bullets as if they were nothing. Absorbing the force of the attack and dispelling its effect completely.

The monster froze for a moment, stunned, before an even greater rage overtook it. It swung its branches in a wild frenzy, lashing at Shido with everything it had, while shooting seed bullets in rapid succession. Yet all of its desperate attacks were in vain.

The blackish-white barrier held firm, completely blocking every strike, preventing even a single blow from reaching Shido.

The evil tree roared, preparing to continue its assault, but Shido calmly lifted his left hand, letting a faint pulse of Reiryoku gather at the tip of his gauntlet.

He lightly swung his hand in the direction of the monstrous tree.

"Shlosha Rakia! (Trinity Firmament)"