Through years of diligent instruction under Kuromueina, Zwei honed her skills until she was finally able to resist the Magic Power of Death to a degree. She eventually offered Isis a sincere apology for her reaction during their first meeting, and Isis accepted it with a gentle smile, telling her that she didn't need to worry about it. Thus, the relationship between them was restored.
Of course, while the lingering thorns in their hearts had not vanished entirely, one could say they had reached a meaningful milestone. Then, one day, Kuromueina gathered the family to discuss a specific matter.
"I think it’s about time I told you all the truth. About the God Realm... and the world's Creator God, Shallow Vernal."
"Ah... what was that again? It’s like a fairy tale, isn’t it? That a God named Shallow Vernal created the world... But for you to go out of your way to bring it up, does that mean it’s actually true?"
"Yeah. And eventually, I plan to pick a fight with Shallow Vernal. I don't really want to replace her as God or anything; she just pisses me off, so I want to punch her once."
After that casual preamble, Kuromueina began to explain the nature of the God Realm and the Gods. It remained a mystery how she had come by such knowledge, but as the Oldest Demon—having lived in the Demon Realm longer than anyone else present—it was not entirely strange for her to be privy to secrets unknown to the general public.
Once she finished her explanation, Kuromueina requested her family’s cooperation for the eventual day she would challenge the God Realm. Her family members readily gave their consent.
"Low-ranking Gods, High-ranking Gods... and even Supreme Gods. It sounds like a predicament, especially that Authority Absolutely Superior to Magic..."
"...I think... it will be difficult for us to handle the Supreme Gods... unless the matchups are in our favor."
"Based on what I’ve heard, I should be the one to handle the God of Space-Time. According to Chrome-sama, her ability is similar to my own authority. If anyone can oppose the Authority of Time, it would be me."
Magnawell and Isis murmured their thoughts, while Ein analyzed the situation with a serious expression. Having listened to Kuromueina, they understood that high-tier High-ranking Gods and those of the Supreme God-class would be exceptionally formidable opponents.
In particular, they recognized it was highly likely that the Supreme Gods currently possessed more power than they did. Their assessment was that they could only fight on equal footing if they managed to catch the Gods off guard or secured advantageous matchups.
"If that God of Life’s authority deals with life itself, then Isis is undoubtedly the best match. I’d love to have a go at a Supreme God myself, but... this is for Kuromueina’s goal, so I guess I’ll just have to hold back."
"So you actually know how to show restraint, Boss... I’d like to join in too, but we can't exactly leave Zwei-chan all by herself. We’ll need someone to stay behind... well, if it comes to that, I suppose it’ll have to be me since I’m the weakest... How disappointing."
In reality, Zwei currently lacked the strength required for a battle against the God Realm; at her present level, she would only be a burden. However, if they left her alone in the Demon Realm, there was no telling who might try to exploit that opening. Thus, Ozma’s presence as a guardian was a necessity.
As their strategy began to take shape, Lilliwood spoke up about the greatest obstacle with a grave expression.
"But... what will we do about the God of Fate? From what I have heard, it seems no one other than Kuromueina is capable of opposing her..."
"Yeah. I’m worried about that too. The Authority of Fate is simply too powerful; it’s not even a matter of compatibility. If I have to defeat her myself, I’ll be exhausted before I even reach Shallow Vernal... So, we’ll hold off on the plan until we find a countermeasure for the God of Fate."
Indeed, at their current level of strength, the Supreme Gods were superior to Isis and the others. Combat would not even be feasible unless they held a distinct advantage.
Ein, who possessed an Authority of Time similar to that of the God of Space-Time, could negate time manipulation. Isis, whose Magic Power of Death acted as a specialized counter to life itself... these two were required to handle the God of Space-Time and the God of Life, respectively.
To handle the vast numbers of High-ranking and Low-ranking Gods, they planned a vanguard of three: Magnawell, who excelled at wide-range destruction; Megiddo, who possessed high, well-balanced combat capabilities; and Lilliwood, who could provide a continuous Magic Power Supply and heal her allies with her inexhaustible Magic Power. However, even with that formation, the God of Fate—the strongest of the Gods—would still bar their path.
They could find no favorable matchup against the Authority of Fate, which was far too versatile. They lacked the final piece necessary to counter an authority that functioned as the very logic of the world. Consequently, they reached the conclusion that they could not move forward for the time being.
The Advancement into the Demon Realm was the objective Kuromueina had spoken of. It would only be fulfilled another thousand years after this conversation... once the entity known as the Final Piece finally arrived in this world.
At the same time, the arrival of that entity... Shaltier, would drastically change the lives of Kuromueina and the residents of the Demon Realm, while also bringing a dramatic transformation to Isis’s world.
Serious-senpai: "Ah, I see. From the perspective of the members back then, they really didn't have any way to counter Fate-san..."
???: "Fate-san's authority covers the entire world and is a total cheat that can interfere with any destiny, after all. Unless you take a measure like m—Alice-chan, where you change destiny itself or take an approach that breaks the rules without being bound by them, or unless you have a similar authority, she's impossible to oppose."