Nightfall.
Southwest of the capital, inside Kurumi Tokisaki's residence.
Kurumi had summoned four clones, changed into her Astral Dress, and called forth the Angel of Time—Zafkiel.
She was determined to teach Setsuna a lesson.
"Setsuna, it seems you still don't understand the situation, do you?"
Kurumi and her four counterparts closed in on him.
She spun her flintlock pistol in her hand, golden-red heterochromatic eyes gleaming with an air of absolute control.
"Before the power of time, all beings are insignificant. Not even you can escape—"
"Don't tell me you actually want to fight?"
Setsuna leaned back on the bed, watching Kurumi's somewhat theatrical performance with amusement.
"How could that be, Setsuna?"
"You know my abilities well, so can you guess how I plan to use the Second, Fourth, and Seventh Bullets?"
Kurumi suddenly leaned in close, pressing the barrel of her flintlock against Setsuna's chest.
"…"
This was certainly a test of imagination.
Setsuna pondered for a moment. On Zafkiel's clock, each of the twelve numbers represented a different time-based ability.
The Second Bullet slowed the target's time flow.
The Seventh Bullet completely stopped time for the target.
As for the Fourth Bullet—it could rewind a target's time, effectively restoring their previous state.
A useful skill for undoing injuries…
"Are you thinking of playing with time-stopping tricks?"
Setsuna mused.
"Like hitting yourself with the Seventh Bullet first so I can teach you a few things in real-time?"
"Hahaha—"
Kurumi burst into laughter, leaning in so close that her forehead pressed against his, her tongue flicking across her lips.
"Setsuna, I warned you before our date started—you would regret this."
"I'm going to freeze your time and enjoy you however I like… Perhaps multiple times~"
"If you get exhausted, I'll just use the Fourth Bullet to restore your energy, and then we'll continue. Again and again, until sunrise…"
"This night will last far longer than you expect—after all, I am the Spirit of Time."
"…"
Setsuna realized that when it came to indecent creativity, Kurumi was a genius rivaling Nia Honjo.
So that's how she intended to use the Fourth Bullet? To drain someone completely, then reset them and start all over again?!
Would the Spirit of Origin approve of you using Zafkiel like this?!
"Maybe you should rename yourself to Zaizen Nanami?"
"What nonsense are you saying?"
"My dear husband, let this beautiful night begin—"
With a wave of her hand—
"Seventh Bullet!"
The clock behind her pointed to VII, and black-red energy surged into her flintlock.
Bang!
Setsuna felt the surrounding space and time lock in place.
The Seventh Bullet was a game-breaking ability in battle, capable of freezing time for its target.
"Hmm?"
"Strange…"
Something was off.
A person affected by time stop should lose their ability to think.
Yet, Setsuna remained fully conscious. He wasn't frozen at all—or rather, he had only been momentarily affected.
Perhaps it was the protective blessing from Mio, or the chaotic nature of the Wisdom Cube's power, or even the residual effects of the Spirit Sealing Technique he had obtained before.
Whatever the reason, his resistances had stacked to absurd levels.
But Kurumi clearly hadn't noticed.
Satisfied, she pushed Setsuna back onto the bed and moved closer, signaling for her four clones to watch as she "conquered" this man.
Kurumi's four clones blushed, a mix of curiosity and excitement in their eyes.
If all went as expected, once the main body was done, it would be their turn next.
"Ara, Setsuna, aren't you usually so impressive?"
Kurumi cupped Setsuna's face, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered.
"You're the Commander of the shipgirls, the Master of the Heroic Spirits, the husband of the Spirit of Origin… and you carry many other grand titles…"
"But right now, aren't you completely helpless? After all, no one can resist the power of time, fufu…"
"…"
Setsuna remained motionless, pretending to be frozen by time, curious to see what the so-called "Worst Spirit" would do next.
"Tsk tsk—"
A wave of satisfaction welled up inside Kurumi.
She had conquered the Commander.
The man who ruled this world was now at her mercy.
Of course, Kurumi meant no real harm.
She simply enjoyed indulging in her playful antics.
Previously, Setsuna had caught her off guard with his direct advances, making her blush in front of everyone. Now, she was finally getting her revenge.
"My dear husband, I love you deeply~ From now on, you must serve as my precious nourishment…"
"I'll make sure this is an unforgettable experience for you…"
Kurumi's pale fingers gently traced across Setsuna's face.
Then, she lowered her head and left a delicate mark on his forehead.
"…"
"I truly do like you, Setsuna, but you're so cunning, gathering so many girls around you…"
"Oath-bound? We could always make our own oath. Even if you were to die, I'd just travel back in time and save you…"
"…"
Believing Setsuna was still frozen, Kurumi spoke freely, rambling on with all sorts of affectionate and bold words.
Even her way of addressing him had shifted to "my dear husband."
"Woah—"
The four clones gasped in awe, thoroughly captivated.
The eyepatch-wearing chuunibyou Kurumi burst out dramatically:
"Ahh!! This is the embodiment of our main body's burning love!!!"
"Hmm…"
Kurumi continued to monologue for several minutes.
Once she felt the time was right, she studied the motionless Setsuna.
"Now then, it's time for the main course."
Currently dressed in her Astral Dress—a gothic gown—it was, in many ways, quite convenient.
"Haa… haa…"
Her clones, faces flushed with excitement, eagerly watched their main body in action.
Just as Kurumi was about to take the next step—
Setsuna suddenly spoke in a calm, steady voice:
"Are you finished?"
"Shall we get to the real business now?"
"???!!!"
Kurumi's pupils dilated in shock, her body freezing momentarily.
Instinctively, she tried to back away, but Setsuna firmly grasped her wrist.
"Y-you… why?!"
Her face turned crimson, panic flashing across her features as she hastily raised her gun.
"Seventh Bullet!"
"Second Bullet!!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kurumi fired multiple shots at Setsuna—but nothing happened.
"It's useless. Shooting me at this point seems a little excessive, don't you think?"
Setsuna chuckled, pulling the struggling Kurumi closer.
"Why?! Setsuna?! You heard everything?!"
Kurumi's face burned with embarrassment. Her once composed and confident demeanor crumbled.
"I heard it all. And 'my dear husband' sounds quite nice—let's make that your permanent way of addressing me."
Setsuna effortlessly pulled Kurumi into his embrace.
With his overwhelming strength, resistance was futile.
"Didn't you just say it was time for the main course?"
"And that the beautiful night was just beginning?"
Gulp—
Kurumi Tokisaki swallowed nervously and cautiously lifted her head.
"Um… dear husband, perhaps we could call it a night?"
"Do you think that's possible?"
"Ah—!"
With a startled cry, Kurumi and her four clones finally understood just how terrifying a man empowered by dual Wisdom Cubes could be.
...
The next day.
Golden strands of sunlight seeped through the curtains, casting a warm glow into the room.
The winter sun made it all too tempting to stay in bed.
Setsuna opened his eyes, freshened up, and got dressed. A glance at the clock showed that it was nearly noon.
He walked to the bed and gently brushed his fingers over the sleeping girl's serene face.
She lay on her side, her long, ink-black hair cascading over the pillow, her expression peaceful.
"Mmm…"
Kurumi Tokisaki slowly lifted her heavy eyelids, groggily sitting up, her face full of disbelief.
How?! How could she, the Spirit of Time, have lost?!
Setsuna chuckled, ruffling her hair.
"How do you feel, little Kurumi? Wasn't that an unforgettable experience?"
"!!!"
"Dear husband, please… don't bully me anymore…"
Kurumi replied, her voice exhausted.
She barely had the strength to sit up, let alone dress herself.
Her original plan had been simple—use the Seventh and Second Bullets to freeze Setsuna in time and savor him slowly.
Then, just when he was reaching his limit, she would use the Fourth Bullet to rewind time and restore his stamina.
A perfect cycle.
With her clones assisting, she had been confident that she could thoroughly tame him.
But reality was far from her expectations!
The Seventh and Second Bullets had no effect on him! The Fourth Bullet? She only ended up using it on herself.
Whenever she was on the verge of collapse, Setsuna would remind her to use it again—just so he could keep going.
And when she miscalculated the precision of her time rewinds, she ended up experiencing certain once-in-a-lifetime pains more than once…
But Setsuna, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
What the hell?!
She had used more Fourth Bullets in one night than she typically did in an entire month of battle.
Setsuna had even replenished her energy, turning the process into a perfect perpetual motion machine.
It wasn't until the first light of dawn that he finally let her go.
As for her Astral Dress and her other abilities…
Absolutely useless.
Not only was he powered by dual Wisdom Cubes, but he also possessed the blessings of the Spirit of Origin, Sirens, and countless other mysterious energies.
Zafkiel's measly spiritual energy was nothing against him.
Kurumi realized that once she donned her Astral Dress, her twin tails only served one purpose—to increase Setsuna's attack speed.
This man had even suggested she fire the First Bullet on him—to accelerate the process.
Truly unforgettable.
This was an experience she would never forget for the rest of her life.
Setsuna was terrifying. She swore she would never play with fire again.
And so, Kurumi Tokisaki had been tamed… in a very special way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven