SCIAW: Chapter 184/185

Chapter 184: Saving the Beauty Beneath the Iceberg

"Puff, puff, puff!"

Climbing out from beneath the snow, Sakuya spat out the dust that had found its way into her mouth.

"What the hell is going on?"

Looking up, she saw that the entire island was now covered by an enormous layer of ice.

"Oh my god… an iceberg fell down?"

Sakuya's face went blank with shock.

The whole island seemed to have been buried beneath the massive ice formation. If not for the smoke rising from the crater in the distance, one might have thought even the volcano had been affected.

Her chaotic thoughts gradually settled as she took in the scene before her, piecing together the situation.

"This is Shinomiya's doing again, isn't it?"

"No, it's not Shinomiya—it's her maid."

Sonoko, who had also just crawled out of the snow, shook her head slightly.

"Chika, Shinomiya, and her maid all went to another dimension."

"This kind of iceberg suddenly crashing down can only mean something went wrong over there. It's probably because her maid couldn't handle Shinomiya's outburst in that other dimension."

Sakuya nodded in understanding.

"That sounds about right."

"Spatial abilities are convenient, but there's definitely a limit to how much they can withstand."

The Door-Door Fruit was indeed a unique ability, but even something that special must have its limits.

At the very least, they now knew that such a limit did, in fact, exist.

"It's good that we figured this out now. At least I won't make the same mistake in the future."

"..."

Yet, as she looked at the massive iceberg covering the entire island, Aizawa Sakuya couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Then, it suddenly hit her.

"Wait! Nagi and Maria are still on the island!"

Her eyes widened in realization. She had been so caught up in analyzing the situation that she had completely forgotten about them.

"And Ran and Ren!"

Isumi, who had remained silent up until now, didn't seem concerned in the slightest.

"Don't worry."

Her voice was as calm and gentle as ever, effortlessly soothing the nerves of those around her.

"Amamiya-sama won't just sit back and do nothing in a situation like this."

"Besides, Miss Maria's shield can handle this kind of scenario. Nagi will be fine."

"All we need to do is wait here."

Isumi's steady and reassuring tone had an immediate effect, easing Sakuya and Sonoko's anxiety.

Indeed, the situation was urgent.

But the people they knew wouldn't just sit there and wait for death.

They had to have made some kind of preparation for an emergency like this.

At worst, it would just be a little troublesome to deal with.

And sure enough…


---

Beneath the iceberg, in a dim and suffocating space, Maria was desperately holding up a shelter using rock-elemental energy.

"Haa… haa…"

Sweat dripped down her face as she continuously squeezed out every last bit of her elemental power.

All she could do now was hold on for just a little longer.

She knew that Amamiya would definitely come.

"Maria…"

The space was nearly pitch black, but Nagi could imagine just how exhausted Maria must be right now.

Then, all of a sudden—

A burst of fire flared to life in the darkness, illuminating Maria and Nagi's faces.

A new figure had appeared in the confined space.

He immediately took in Maria's condition and, without hesitation, reached out grabbing Maria with one hand and Nagi with the other.

In an instant, they vanished in a flash of fire.

The space, now devoid of elemental support, collapsed the very next moment.


---

Above the iceberg, flames erupted as three figures emerged safely.

"Phew…"

After bringing Nagi and Maria out of danger, Ren let out a slow breath.

He was relieved that he had come to check on them first.

If he had arrived even half a minute later, they wouldn't have lasted.

Ren silently thanked his intuition.

"Mmm…"

A faint whimper pulled him back to reality.

Gently stabilizing Maria's exhausted body in his arms, he let her lean against him.

Using the Soul Assurer's power, he first soothed her emotions, then infused her with a small amount of spiritual energy, helping to restore her depleted elemental power.

As the spirituality entered her, Maria's Vision began to glow faintly once more.

Little by little, the elemental energy inside her started circulating again, gradually revitalizing her body.

"Haa~"

Maria's breathing steadied, her complexion regaining some color.

When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Ren's face—closer than expected.

She let out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like I held out long enough."

"Yeah."

Ren gave a small nod.

"You did well. How does it feel to push your Vision to the absolute limit?"

Maria recalled the sensation from earlier, and her face immediately twisted with discomfort.

"Horrible."

"It's like trying to squeeze out the last drop of water from a completely dry sponge, except the sponge itself feels like it's going to tear apart."

"Yeah, that's how it is for any power when you push it too far."

Ren chuckled, well aware of that sensation himself.

Seeing him smile, Maria couldn't help but smile back.

Then, her gaze shifted toward the frozen landscape around them.

"Miss Shinomiya really overdid it this time."

Ren, however, didn't think so.

"Well, I did tell her to release her power freely."

"Part of it was to test the limits of Hayasaka's other-dimensional space."

"And part of it was to let Shinomiya fully unleash her strength, so that she herself could understand the boundaries of her current abilities."

That said, he did feel a bit guilty about one thing.

"I probably should've reminded her to aim at the sea instead of the island."

"If this had happened near the water, the damage would have been much more contained."

After a brief moment of rest, Ren turned to Nagi, who had also calmed down.

"Sanzenin, you okay?"

"I'm fine… Maria was the one holding everything together."

Her voice was quiet, her lips pressed together tightly.

Ren could sense her frustration.

Smiling, he reached out and gently placed a hand on her head.

"Miss Maria is safe now, so don't blame yourself for feeling powerless."

"Just get stronger in the future."

"...Yeah."

Reaching up, Nagi wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, feeling just a little bit better.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 185: Ren, Are You and Shinomiya Dating?

"Sanzenin, help take care of Miss Maria. I still need to find Shinomiya and the others—I don't know what condition they're in right now."

Ren was genuinely worried about their situation.

Nagi gave a small nod and moved to support Maria in his place.

"You two rest here. I'll be back after I check things out."

"Got it."

Seeing Nagi behaving so obediently, Ren felt a bit more at ease.

In the next instant, he disappeared in a burst of flames.

Using divination, Ren had already pinpointed Shinomiya and the others' location. After a few consecutive flame jumps, he arrived at the site of the incident.

What he saw upon arrival made his heart tighten Kaguya, Hayasaka, and Chika had all collapsed, unconscious.

Without hesitation, Ren rushed to check on Chika first.

"Looks like she just fainted from shock."

Using Spiritual Vision, he examined her and found no physical injuries—just a faint discoloration at the top of her etheric body, indicating mental exhaustion.

Confirming that, Ren sighed in relief.

Among the three, Chika was the weakest. If even she had only fainted, then Kaguya and Hayasaka were likely not in critical condition either.

Next, he turned to Hayasaka.

Her etheric body was also slightly faded at the top, suggesting that she had passed out from shock just like Chika.

However, unlike Chika, Hayasaka's spirit body had suffered some damage.

"So, when the alternate dimension created by the Door-Door Fruit collapses beyond its limit, it also affects the user's spirit body."

"A mental impact, plus the shock-induced unconsciousness… a double blow."

Taking a deep breath, Ren focused on stabilizing her condition.

As he channeled his Soul Assurer abilities, Hayasaka's expression gradually relaxed.

Ren let out another sigh.

"The extraordinary traits of the Soul Assurer really come in handy."

Placing Hayasaka next to Chika, he then turned his attention to Kaguya.

She, too, was lying unconscious on the ice.

Just like the other two, there were no major injuries—she had simply passed out from the overwhelming impact.

"So, the alternate dimension created by the Door-Door Fruit isn't as invincible as it seems."

Thinking about it, this made sense.

If the Door-Door Fruit had the power to trap people indefinitely, it would be an unbeatable ability in battle. But clearly, the alternate dimension it created had its limits, it couldn't withstand excessive force.

Ren's gaze lowered to Kaguya in his arms.

"Her spirit body is weakened… she must have completely exhausted her current control over the Ice-Ice Fruit."

"She hasn't fully mastered it yet, but she pushed herself to the absolute limit before she collapsed."

"As for the Door-Door Fruit, it's still effective at locking people inside. But unless its ability is further developed, it can only trap those weaker than the user."

With that thought, Ren lifted Kaguya into his arms and vanished in a burst of fire.

This wasn't a place to linger.

He needed to bring them to safety first, then return to gather the others.


---

At the entrance of the island, three people waited anxiously.

Suddenly, a burst of flames signaled Ren's arrival.

"Amamiya-sama!"

Isumi immediately stepped forward, the concern on her face evident.

She was no longer as composed as before.

"Don't worry, Sanzenin and Maria are fine."

Ren's words instantly reassured her, and she visibly relaxed.

"Ren, is Shinomiya okay?"

Seeing him carrying Kaguya in his arms, Sonoko hurried over.

"She's fine too."

"When the alternate dimension created by the Door-Door Fruit collapsed, the impact was immense. The three of them were knocked unconscious from the shock."

"Physically, she's completely unharmed."

Hearing this, Sonoko finally let out a relieved sigh.

She glanced down at Kaguya, still in Ren's arms.

This woman really moves fast.

Even in a situation like this, she was a step ahead of the rest.

Sonoko admitted it—Kaguya was far more formidable than she had initially thought.

And she didn't want anything to happen to her over something like this.

"Sonoko, take care of Shinomiya."

"I need to go back and get Fujiwara and Hayasaka."

Ren moved closer, preparing to hand Kaguya over.

Sonoko nodded and carefully took Kaguya from his arms.

However, she wasn't exactly strong, so all she could do was help Kaguya sit down on the ground slowly.

After making sure she was settled, Ren turned and vanished once again.

The next ones to be retrieved were Hayasaka and Chika.

Since both were unconscious, he had to transport them one at a time.

Finally, he returned for Nagi and Maria.

Fortunately, they were both awake and able to walk on their own, so he simply guided them carefully.

The last person waiting was Ran.


---

"Sorry for the wait."

"It wasn't that long."

Ran shook her head slightly. It really hadn't felt like much time had passed.

"How are Shinomiya and the others?"

"They just fainted."

Ren's expression was visibly relieved.

"Hayasaka's spirit took a bit of damage, but it's nothing serious."

"Fujiwara just passed out."

"As for Shinomiya, she not only lost consciousness but also drained herself mentally."

"I think she released all the power she could control in the alternate dimension, and when it collapsed, she was caught in the backlash."

Understanding the reason, Ran finally relaxed.

For a moment there, she had almost thought Kaguya had done this out of jealousy.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she asked:

"So, Ren… does this mean you and Shinomiya are dating now?"

"...Well, I wouldn't say that."

Ren thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

Ran's eyes widened.

"But she confessed to you, didn't she? Doesn't that count?"

"That confession was interrupted."

Ren sighed.

"I do understand Shinomiya's feelings for me. Maybe they're the same as Sonoko's feelings for me."

"But for me, I feel like I need to respond to them properly before we can officially call it a relationship."

There were things he still needed to make clear.

"Huh~"

Ran placed her hands behind her back, her expression thoughtful.

"So… if someone else confesses to you in the future, would you still accept it?"

(To be continued.)