The white-haired girl materialized suddenly, her presence barely a whisper, her voice raspy, her expressionless face like carved stone. Compared to Koten, she seemed more like a phantom.

But her existence was infinitely more terrifying than any ghost's.

The Executors felt nothing of the girl's arrival, but when her voice cut through the air, the four remaining, mobile Executors instinctively whipped their heads around.

Seeing the girl standing at the crossroads, they all froze, for she looked like yet another low-level scrub.

Though being an Executor for the Church and needing to vent frustration by slaughtering mere cannon fodder was a pathetic state of affairs, at this moment, nothing else could regulate their moods so effectively... Besides, honestly, finding a genuine 'scrub' in this city was proving remarkably difficult.

To encounter two in a single night—their luck stat was truly off the charts.

"Wait! This person..."

But before they could make a move, one Executor pointed a trembling finger at the white-haired girl, his face contorted in sheer terror, as if he were gazing upon a monster.

"What is it?" The others were utterly perplexed.

"She... she... she... she is... ORT!" The man stuttered, taking a full ten seconds to manage those few, choked words.

Though brief, the meaning was earth-shattering. The moment the others heard it, their expressions plummeted instantly from euphoria to absolute dread.

"The Fifth Progenitor, ORT?!" Their voices were thick with shock and fear.

Who was ORT? She was a figure of terror, categorized by the Church as the ultimate taboo. When ORT first arrived on Earth, the original Fifth Progenitor had intended to confront her, only to be instantly annihilated by a single blow. Her terrifying power required no further explanation.

While ORT's presence in the city was no secret, she wasn't one to cause trouble or flaunt a mocking demeanor; conflicts with her were generally rare. But the world always contained a few foolhardy types who overconfidently kicked iron plates, much like the Fifth Progenitor of old. The outcome, needless to say, wouldn't differ much.

It was in this precarious situation that Merlen witnessed the scene unfold. He immediately recognized the true identity of the harmless-looking little girl. Though confident in his own strength, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could challenge ORT. He decisively chose to retreat, swiftly relaying ORT's current form to the other Church members.

Although they hadn't recognized her initially, once prompted by their companion with the better memory, the others instantly recalled the matter, and... they once again realized just how incredibly lucky they were.

Out of all the powerhouses in Fuyuki City, they first encountered the weakest of 'scrubs,' only to immediately run into ORT—whom they mistook for a scrub but was, in reality, the strongest entity—their luck was utterly absurd!

But this was the kind of luck they wished they could deny with their dying breaths!

In truth, they were still unaware that the "weakest scrub" they had encountered was actually a powerhouse on par with ORT. If this heaven-defying luck were applied to the lottery, two dollars would certainly return fifty million.

"The Fifth Progenitor?" Hearing their words, the white-haired girl, previously expressionless, suddenly frowned. Without any visible motion or attack, she merely blinked her eyes, and the five Executors crumbled instantly, like wind-eroded fossils, dissolving into white dust that scattered on the breeze.

"I told you long ago, do not lump me in with such inferior beings."

A faint note of displeasure tinged the girl's tone.

The twenty-seven Progenitors, beings known as 'Non-Human,' possessing strength capable of facing True Ancestors head-on, were mere 'inferior beings' in her eyes. Any other person uttering such a statement would be met with derisive laughter, but... she possessed the right to say it, solely because she was the Mercury UO.

Among the twenty-seven Progenitors, neither the Ancestors themselves nor the Dead Apostles maintained a strict hierarchy. After all, every one of the twenty-seven was fiercely proud; even with differences in strength, none would willingly place themselves beneath another, especially given the presence of an anomaly like the Mercury UO.

She disdained even being grouped with the Progenitors; only entities categorized as UO could earn her acknowledgment.

Therefore, the ranking of the twenty-seven Progenitors was not based on strength but on the level of threat they posed to humanity as assessed by the Church; otherwise, the Mercury UO would undoubtedly rank first.

Effortlessly dispatching the five Executors, the white-haired girl approached Koten, who seemed paralyzed by fear, staring blankly at her.

"Why didn't you attack?" After a moment of silence, the white-haired girl finally spoke. Her tone now was vastly different. Against the Executors, it was one of indifference and scorn; toward Koten, it was an exchange between equals.

Naturally, she was perfectly aware of Koten's true identity.

Koten seemed confused, blinking her eyes in bewilderment. "What?"

"Those humans. They intended to kill you. Why did you not fight back?"

"I... I don't know how to fight at all. I was so scared." As she said this, Koten pouted with an expression of grievance, like a child abandoned by its parents.

"You don't know how to fight?" The white-haired girl paused, looking closely at Koten for a moment, then understood instantly. "I see. You are merely a projection. Where is your main body?"

Koten pointed towards the sky.

The UOs had come to Earth under orders from the planet's will, tasked with eradicating life forms, or more accurately, humanity. There was no internal conflict among the UOs; they all knew each other. However, ORT was the complete form, fully conscious, whereas Koten was only a projection, and having spent too long interacting with humans, she was somewhat muddled. Thus, the initial communication with ORT was slightly disjointed.

Of course, their essential nature as UOs remained unchanged. In close proximity, they gradually sensed each other's auras, and communication smoothed out.

"Thank you for saving me, Little Water Water," Koten said happily a moment later.

"Little Water Water?" The white-haired girl frowned; clearly, she was not fond of that address.

"Mm-hmm," Koten nodded assertively, "Because you're from Mercury, and the name is cute... Little Water Water is very cute."

"...Then should I call you Little Goldie or Little Heavenly? Corpse of Heaven." The white-haired girl said this after a brief silence.

"My name is Koten," the girl shook her head. "That's the name my Master gave me. Isn't it cute?"

"Master?" As the two walked and chatted, the white-haired girl suddenly stopped dead upon hearing this, looking at Koten in disbelief. "You have a Master?"

A UO having a Master? That sounded utterly ridiculous... No, that sounded utterly humiliating!

"Yes! Master gives me food, clothes, a place to stay, and even names me. He's very kind to me..." Koten started, then suddenly remembered she was still hungry and pouted again. "But it's a bit bad right now; he's not giving me anything to eat."

"..." The white-haired girl truly didn't know what to say.

"Oh, Little Water Water, do you have any food on you?" Koten looked up at her with a begging expression.

The white-haired girl felt speechless again. Although she wanted to make the other girl understand that they didn't come to Earth for snacks, she couldn't withstand Koten's gaze. She finally produced a few steamed buns and handed them over.

Koten immediately snatched them up excitedly and began devouring them ravenously.

The girl is eating...

After she finished, watching Koten's expression of utter contentment, the white-haired girl couldn't help but say, "Before worrying about food, I think you should focus on improving your combat ability. Even though a projection can resurrect if killed, being taken out so easily by humans is too embarrassing."

"Combat ability?" Koten stroked her chin thoughtfully, then declared, "That’s too much trouble. Besides, Master told me I only need to play the guitar."

"Play the guitar?"

"Mm-hmm. Listen to this." Koten nodded, pulled out her guitar, and lightly plucked the strings with her fingers. "Sss...!!!"

Snap!

The very first note had barely sounded when the white-haired girl's expression drastically changed. She shot out a hand like lightning and clamped down on Koten's arm, speaking gravely. "Stop playing. I understand."

"Huh?" Koten blinked, utterly confused as to what the other girl understood.

"Put the guitar away. Your Master is absolutely right; knowing that much is sufficient. Also... I apologize for underestimating you just now; I will reflect upon it."

Did I get underestimated? Koten was full of question marks.

Having finally eaten her fill, she had intended to play a little guitar to relax, but judging by the look on the white-haired girl's face, she apparently didn't care for her music. Koten reluctantly tucked the instrument away.

However, unwilling to remain silent in her contentment, she continued while walking. "Little Water Water, do you know why all the convenience stores are closed now? I looked for a long time and couldn't find any."

"Don't you know? We are currently in the Reverse World."

"What is the Reverse World?"

"It’s like the two sides of a mirror."

"...I don't get it. Can you use a simpler analogy?"

"...It’s the world without good food."

"Oh, now I understand. Then what is the world with good food called?"

"Do you mean the world with convenience stores?"

"Mm-hmm."

"That is the Front World—the world you usually inhabit."

"I see. I like the Front World; I don't like the Reverse World."

"...I can tell."

"But speaking of which, if this is the Reverse World with no good food, why do you have provisions on you?"

"Don't you think you ask too many questions?"

"But I'm hungry again. Do you have any more food...?" The white-haired girl suddenly felt that coming to save her was a mistake. Should she just let this creature starve?

...

Having stayed up all night writing until now, I'm starting to fade. For now, this will be the stopping point. I will decide tomorrow whether to release more depending on the situation. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider giving recommendation votes and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.) RQ