The True Strongest and the One Who Emerged from the Shattered Wall

The broken section of the living room wall suddenly gave way as someone stepped through. The figure who appeared was a woman with pink hair. It was Bathory!

"Autumn!"

Bathory shouted the moment she saw me.

Rebecca immediately stepped in front of me, shielding my body with her own and blocking me from Bathory's line of sight.

Oh!

Well done, Rebecca! She's protecting me!

Though Bathory had probably come here to protect me too, in her own way.

If she'd heard the story from Karen, she might have assumed Rebecca had kidnapped me.

Both of them were women who cared about me and wanted to save me. It would be awkward if they started fighting because of me. Wasn't there some way to stop them from clashing?

What... what should I do about this?

"Maid. Just who the hell are you?"

Bathory growled the question at Rebecca.

"I am Master's maid. Who are you to dare intrude upon Master's home? You look like a vampire... Even though I've been weakened, how could a mere vampire break through my barrier? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Unless... you possess divinity?"

"Divinity? I see. So you possess divinity as well, maid. Hmm? But these restrictions? What are these?"

It looked like Bathory had used her Eye of Truth to examine Rebecca's condition. Under normal circumstances Rebecca's level was so high that even the Eye of Truth would struggle to read her, but right now she was bound by the gods of Earth. Bathory would have been able to see her status window clearly.

"Maid. Why is someone as powerful as you calling our Autumn 'Master'?"

"Our Autumn? I have no idea what you're talking about. Master has always been my Master. On the contrary, why has our Master become your Autumn?"

"What? Always been your Master? I've known Autumn for over a thousand years, you know?"

"Hmph. I've known Master for a full ten thousand years and more. Yet you claim to have met Master a thousand years ago? That's impossible."

"...Ten thousand years? Enough. Autumn. Do you know this woman?"

After exchanging hostile words with Rebecca, Bathory suddenly turned to me with a warm, gentle voice. She was incredibly affectionate whenever she spoke to me.

"Uh... yeah. I know her. To be exact, we met in another dimension, I suppose..."

Ah... how was I supposed to explain this? If I told her what had happened with Rebecca (even though it hadn't exactly happened to me), it would mean I'd spent ten thousand years with her before returning. That would reveal the fact that I wasn't the real Autumn!

"...Another dimension. Ah. So that's what happened."

Bathory nodded as though she'd realized something after hearing my answer.

Why? What was it? Had she figured out I wasn't the real Autumn? Was she going to kill me? Could Rebecca even protect me against her?

"The current situation seems incredibly tangled. Autumn, it looks like the dimension you went to and this world operate on completely different time flows."

Huh? Time flows?

"Autumn. Remember when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we fought the ancient evil god together? ...When you sacrificed yourself for me. The place where you died was beyond the dimensional gap, so instead of reincarnating in this world, your soul was reborn in another dimension. While I waited a thousand years here, you spent ten thousand years ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there."

Bathory continued with a look of deep affection on her face.

"I used to think I was the most miserable creature in existence for waiting a thousand years for you, but you've been waiting ten thousand years for me in a faraway land."

Huh? What on earth was she talking about?

"And then you crossed dimensions again just to meet me. As expected, we're soulmates bound by fate! Still, it seems that during the journey between worlds you only managed to recover fragments of the memories we shared."

Excuse me?

"But it's all right, Autumn. I'll take care of you from now on. Do you understand now, maid? Autumn belongs to me."

Uh... it looked like she'd fallen into a completely ridiculous misunderstanding. Still, it was better than her realizing I wasn't the real Autumn and trying to kill me, right?

"I-I see... So when Master reincarnated this time and crossed into this dimension, it was to meet this woman? If that's the case, everything makes sense. Over those ten thousand years Master has been reborn as countless beings, but this is the first time he's crossed into another dimension. So this world was Master's homeland?"

Rebecca muttered, looking genuinely shocked.

"...No. And what does any of that matter? Master spent ten thousand years with me. It doesn't seem like you spent anywhere near that much time together, does it?"

"What? Autumn is my husband! We even got married!"

"M-married? You married Master? Then... does that mean you two became intimate as well? ...Master sacrificed his own immortality for me! The time you spent with Master is on an entirely different level from anything you could claim! Besides, aren't you just lying? How could the Master I've spent ten thousand years with possibly be your husband!"

Rebecca and Bathory were now arguing fiercely. They were fighting over who had the closer relationship with me...

It was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shockingly petty battle between the two strongest beings in the entire world.

Even so, it was a relief they were only fighting with words instead of throwing punches. If they'd actually come to blows, our house would have been the least of it. The entire country might have been reduced to rubble.

Thinking back on what Bathory had said, she was clearly laboring under an enormous misunderstanding.

Let me organize the story based on her assumptions.

In Bathory's mind, I had first gone on adventures with her and even married her. That was the first event. Then, when I died fighting the ancient evil god (well, it was the real Autumn, not me), the location had been somewhere in the gap between dimensions rather than in this world. So instead of reincarnating here, my soul had drifted into another dimension.

In that other world I had met Rebecca and spent ten thousand years with her (again, that had actually been Aki, not me). Meanwhile, only a thousand years had passed in this original world. Therefore, even though I'd met Bathory first, I'd spent more time with Rebecca.

During all those years I'd unconsciously longed for Bathory, which was why this reincarnation had brought me back to the original world. In the process, fragments of my memories from the Autumn era had returned, but not perfectly. So the current me remembered Bathory but couldn't recall every single memory in full.

Yeah, that seemed to be the massive delusion Bathory was operating under. She was really jumping to some wild conclusions. After all, I was actually neither Autumn nor Aki.

Hmm... but you know...

When I thought about it...

This could actually work in my favor.

If we rolled with this setup, I could be Bathory's Autumn and Rebecca's Aki at the same time! That way I wouldn't be suspected by either of those overwhelmingly powerful women, and I could become the lover of both!

Okay. Let's run with this story.

"Ah. So that's what it was. No wonder I could remember the memories I shared with Bathory but not completely!"

"What? Master... are you saying everything that woman told me was true? Really?"

Rebecca turned to look at me with an expression of pure fear.

"Yeah, it's true. But I also have memories of the time I spent with you, Rebecca. Including the answer I couldn't give you back then."

!!!!

"You've finally remembered that moment! Now I can finally hear your answer! At last!"

Rebecca began twisting her body with overwhelming emotion.

"Wait. Autumn, what exactly was your relationship with her in that other world? You're my husband!"

"Uh... well, how should I put it..."

"Master and I are eternal companions! Master even granted me his own divinity!"

"Divinity? Autumn once possessed divinity? Whatever. What does that matter? Autumn is my husband!"

"Hmph. After ten thousand long years I can finally hear Master's answer! As if I'd ever hand him over to the likes of you!"

A deep rumble shook the room as Bathory and Rebecca began raising their energy. The moment they released their power the surroundings started shaking violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

These two were actually going to fight! I'd thought the situation was resolved, but now everything was falling apart! If they really started fighting it would be catastrophic! What was I supposed to do?

"Honestly. Both of you, Bathory and Rebecca, have no sense of proportion whatsoever."

The woman called Gaeul stepped out between Bathory and Rebecca.

Hey! What are you doing? It's dangerous! The two strongest beings in this world are about to throw down! Why would you walk right into the middle of it!

Huh?

The eyes of the other 'me' turned purple.

What was that?

Black energy erupted from Gaeul's body, swallowing the entire area in darkness.

"Female Autumn? Kugh."

"Female Master? Urk."

It was as if an overwhelming force had slammed down on them. Both Bathory and Rebecca dropped to their knees.

What the hell?

Don't tell me... she was the one doing this?