The pull of the system trying to get rid of him wasn’t slowing down.

Damon could feel it constantly pulling at his existence. Heavenly Comprehension was buying him time, as much as his mana reserves allowed, but not much of it considering the rate at which it was being depleted.

Ayame noticed the slight change in his expression immediately.

"You have to go," she realised.

Damon nodded.

"The system’s trying to force me out."

Her arms tightened around him for a brief moment before slowly loosening.

There was disappointment in her eyes.

And more than that, there was sadness. Yet, despite how sad she felt, she didn’t try to stop him.

She understood better than anyone that some things simply couldn’t be fought, not even by someone like him.

Silence settled between them.

Neither seemed particularly eager to break it.

Then, the space around his body distorted slightly.

There wasn’t much time left.

Ayame noticed that quickly.

Her gaze lingered on him for several long seconds before she spoke again.

"Damon."

Something in her voice caused him to focus entirely on her, forgetting the strong pull that was weighing on his body.

"I love you."

The words left her mouth without hesitation, embarrassment or earlier sadness.

For a moment, Damon simply looked at her.

Ayame’s cheeks grew slightly red beneath his gaze.

"You took too long."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"You’re one to talk."

Her lips parted slightly before a small laugh escaped her.

The sound quickly broke apart as her eyes became watery again.

Damon reached up and brushed away a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I love you too."

Ayame froze.

Then her smile returned.

This time, it was brighter than anything he had ever seen before. Through the dozen worlds he had travelled, and just as many suns he had seen, there was nothing in the universe he had experienced that shone as bright as the smile before him now.

Neither of them spoke again. They didn’t have to.

They enjoyed the moment of each other’s company for as long as they could.

Then, the system’s pull intensified, clearly adjusting to his opposing force.

Slowly, light began to gather around Damon’s body.

Ayame stepped forward and rested her forehead against his chest.

"I’ll see you again," she said in a way that was not a question.

Damon placed a hand on top of her head. "Yeah."

The answer came easily, as for some reason, he had full confidence in those words.

The light around him intensified just as Ayame closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, Damon was already gone.

The only thing left behind was the lingering warmth where he had been standing moments ago.

And yet, despite parting for the second time, separated by countless worlds, a small smile remained on her face.

"I’ll see you soon, Damon."

***

The second the pull of the system overtook Damon’s refusal to be taken away, his surroundings vanished.

The familiar sight of the Kitsune estate was replaced by cold stone underneath and a sudden lightness of the air that was not present in Ayame’s world. He had almost forgotten how thick the air in her world was, filled with mana that lingered there for decades rather than months in his world.

He returned to the exact same spot he had left. The citadel they had taken over, and more specifically, the main hall, which was buzzing with life.

Countless people walked around him, not bothered by the sudden arrival of a man they didn’t recognise.

Damon took a moment to look around, unable to recognise anyone around him.

"Seems like there are a lot of new people," he thought, studying people with the expression of someone who hadn’t even seen his own reflection for a long while, let alone a chamber filled with actual human beings.

Seeing so many humans gathered in one place was strangely calming. In Ayame’s world, everything was in a constant state of war. Here, he was welcomed by peace and cooperation that he hadn’t seen in a long time.

He watched them walk about their normal days for a couple of moments before a sudden sound tore through the world, causing everyone to stop mid-step.

[Anomaly Detected! Third World Quest has been nullified...]

Damon frowned. ’Why would—’

Before he could even question it, the notifications continued.

[Fourth World Quest will commence shortly!]

"What the hell is going on?"

"Is this a fucking joke?!"

A loud commotion grew through the citadel’s main hall, every person drawing a different conclusion as to what was happening.

[Error!]

[Fifth World Quest will commence shortly!]

[...]

[Sixth...]

The notifications continued until the seventh world quest failed and the text changed altogether.

[Final World Quest *Slay the Anomaly* will commence now!]

Everyone paled at the words.

Even Damon was taken aback.

’It skipped all the other quests and moved straight to the final one? What the hell is going on?’

Without skipping a beat, he opened the quest menu and began to read.

[Final World Quest]

[Type: Assassination]

[Duration: 120 Days]

[Objective: Kill the Anomaly.]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: Death to all participants]

Damon’s frown deepened.

’Anomaly? Who is that?’

As though to answer his questions, another notification rang in his head, this time, directed specifically at him.

[You are the anomaly. Good luck.]

Damon blinked.

Confusion dawned on him for a moment before the Heavenly Comprehension quickly began to make sense of things.

Whether it was his manipulation of the threads of power or his direct opposition to the system itself, he had become the system’s target.

The window disappeared a second later, and when it did, Damon noticed every pair of eyes in the room staring directly at him.

His gaze swept across the room.

He noted the conviction in people’s eyes, the way their hands tightened around their weapons, the way their mana surged inside their bodies.

It was hard to say how, but it was clear that the system had told them who exactly the anomaly was.

He drew a sharp breath.

’Figures,’ he thought, before turning his gaze back to the people around him.

"Well?" he suddenly spoke, and the moment he did, every single human in the room charged at him.