(This is Chapter 157 re-edited heavily.)
When Ray returned home, he found the once-wrecked mansion restored to pristine condition. Without a doubt, it was the work of Sakuya, who must have reversed time to before its destruction.
With him were Sirin and Sakura, who had accompanied him back from the Danmachi world.
Ray recalled that Rias and her Peerage had been visiting, along with Asia. But strangely, they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, everyone was gathered in the garden—with another guest.
"Welcome home, Master. Mistresses," Sakuya appeared with a graceful bow.
"Who's visiting?" Ray asked as he shifted into his feline form and casually padded down the hallway toward the garden.
"An unknown guest. She introduced herself as your mother, Master," Sakuya replied, walking alongside him.
"Huh?" Ray stopped mid-step, casting Sakuya a skeptical look. "My mother?"
The image of the being he met upon his death as a human flickered in his mind. But before he could move another step, something stopped him. A sudden burst of energy surged through his vision as he witnessed the River of Time split, branching into a new stream.
He stood frozen like a statue, drawing the attention of those around him—but he ignored their stares, completely immersed in the visions unfolding before him.
Reflected in the water of the River of Time, countless scenes played out in rapid succession. In that single instant, clarity struck him.
"Clairvoyance?" he muttered. "No… These are memories. My memories from the future."
His brow furrowed as the flood of memories surged into his mind—then relaxed into a knowing smile.
"A timeline divergence… I see."
Without offering any explanation to the visibly confused Sirin, Sakura, or Sakuya, Ray strolled into the mansion as if nothing had happened.
Both Sirin and Sakuya, with their respective mastery over Space and Time, sensed a shift. But without complete control over both, they couldn't grasp the true nature of the change like Ray could. They only knew something significant had occurred. Like critter on the pond surface feeling the ripples while Ray stood before the pond overseeing it's entirety.
———
Earlier that day, during Rias's visit with her Peerage and Asia, tension had sparked.
Issei, ever the hothead with no sense of subtlety, became agitated by Grayfia's cold, distant treatment of Rias. The maid didn't even acknowledge Rias's presence.
Unable to bear Rias's obvious sadness, Issei lashed out. But the moment he did, he was sent flying, crashing hard into the garden wall. Even with his Scale Mail activated, the impact shattered the armor and left him critically injured.
Now, the Devils had already departed, and those who remained gathered in the living room with the mysterious guest—Ray's supposed mother.
Despite the lack of proof for her claim, everyone instinctively believed her. Those connected to Ray through his power could feel an invisible bond to the woman—an inexplicable sense of familiarity and comfort.
Even more convincing was the way she interacted with Ray's wives and daughters. Her behavior spoke volumes, far louder than words or auras.
"That little rascal," she sighed, cuddling her granddaughters with a fond smile. "I leave him to his whims for just a little while, and he ends up with half a dozen wives and a small army of daughters."
Still, like any mother, she began interrogating each of Ray's wives—curious about how their relationships began.
Kuroka went first. She recounted the night she met Ray while stalking her sister, Koneko. The other wives listened intently, just as curious about the tale.
When Kuroka quoted Ray's cheesy confession from that night, the woman burst into unladylike laughter, slapping her thigh with amusement.
Wiping away tears of laughter, she wheezed, "I thought he'd stay a hopeless virgin forever. Who knew he actually landed a lover?"
Then her expression shifted as if she sensed something.
"Oh, speaking of the devil…"
She reached out with her hand and tore through space itself, grabbing hold of something—or someone—on the other side. The door opens just as Sakuya arrives to formally present Ray.
But before she could speak, her mouth clamped shut in shock.
Ray, suddenly turning into his human form, had caught the outstretched arm—and without hesitation, snapped it with a brutal crack.
Gasps filled the room.
"Ray! She's your m—" Kuroka tried to warn Ray but he ignored her and stayed laser focused on the imposter.
With his other hand on his chin, Ray gazed at the person being dragged through the portal—disguises unraveling before his eyes as he tapped into his true power.
"Hmn. No wonder I didn't notice before… Blood Ritual," he mused. "You Hunters are clever, wearing even her essence as a disguise."
The moment she realized she'd been found out, the imposter's face twisted cold and shed her disguise. Silvery mist gathered in her left hand as she summoned the Blade of Mercy and slashed toward Ray with blinding speed.
Crack.
The blade shattered on contact, fracturing before it could even reach his wrist. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the pieces clattered to the ground.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Ray clicked his tongue. "Did you think such a flimsy toy could hurt me?"
His voice was calm, almost amused.
"The only reason those trick weapons worked on beings like me before is because of the power you borrowed. But to me, your so-called Great Ones are nothing more than insects. You really thought their power could touch me?"
His gaze bore into her soul, like the stare of an abyss—vast and incomprehensible.
Meanwhile, Kuroka and Ravel had already evacuated the children and guests. With Ray's power unrestrained, reality itself warped and bent in his presence. The very air around him twisted unnaturally.
The truth was simple: his avatar body was insufficient to handle threats like these. Hunters are granted with the power of the Great Ones. Their trick weapons are blessed by the Great Ones' blood. Naturally, Ray would go full god mode.
What annoyed Ray the most wasn't the Hunter. It was the memory of how, in a previous timeline, he had been weakened by some deus ex machina level nerf by the stupid author. Completely unrealistic, unless a being of higher dimensionality intervened. And those beings wouldn't waste their energy and attention on lower planes like this one.
The Huntress stared in horror at the shattered remnants of her most trusted weapon—an artifact that had felled countless foes across eons. Now, broken like brittle glass, it was nothing more than scrap.
Her limbs trembled. The truth had finally sunk in.
"No… This can't be… You can't kill me! We Hunters are—"
"—Undying? Immortal?" Ray cut her off, voice calm and mocking. "Of course you'd think that. I doubt you've ever faced someone with hax like mine."
He leaned in, the grin on his face stretching wider—tinged with sadistic delight. His voice lowered to a purr, thick with twisted amusement.
"Are you sure?"
He tilted his head, eyes gleaming like a predator savoring the fear radiating from his prey.
"How about we test that?"
Before she could respond, Ray snapped his fingers.
A blast of raw energy tore through her. Her body detonated—flesh, bone, and blood spraying across the garden in a grotesque display. The grass was soaked in gore.
Ray watched silently, studying the scene like a curious scholar. Then he muttered, "So physical destruction isn't enough. Makes sense. Her soul's still tethered to the Dream."
He saw it—an invisible force trying to reel her soul back into the Hunter's Dream, like a fisherman tugging on a hook.
But he wasn't going to let it happen.
Another snap.
Time reversed. The blood reassembled. Shattered bone, torn flesh—all of it pulled back together until she stood whole again, as if nothing had happened.
Snap.
No explosion this time. Instead, her soul simply vanished—erased, wiped from existence.
And just like that, the contract was nullified. The Dream lost its anchor. Without a soul, there was nothing to protect, nothing to resurrect.
It was like insurance: if you're injured, you get coverage. But if you're erased from existence—no name, no record—what's left to cover? Nothing.
With that mystery solved, Ray lost interest. He snapped his fingers once more.
From the shadows behind him, an identical Huntress stepped out—her eyes wide with dread. She was her counterpart from another timeline. The only difference? She'd seen what he could do.
Ray's voice turned cold. "I'll give you a chance. Kill your alternate self and take her place in this timeline. I'll let you live."
Slash.
Before he even finished speaking, the new Huntress had drawn her blade and slit the throat of her other self. No hesitation.
She didn't need time to consider. She'd felt the weight of his power. Opposing him was suicide. Being on his bad side? That would make hell look like a vacation.
But being in his good graces? That was safety. Opportunity. Maybe even luxury.
Besides, what choice did she have? He wasn't someone you could fight. This was a being who could condense entire multiverses into a singularity—effortlessly, like breathing. Trying to oppose him was like trying to fight an insignificant ant fighting the force of the Big Bang that created the universe.
And she wasn't that kind of fool otherwise she wouldn't even survive the Beast infested streets of Yharnam.
Feeling her sincerity and obedience, Ray nodded satisfied and returned the Huntress back into his Shadow Space before cleaning up the scene.
—————
(RC: A little rough since I couldn't grasp the feel of the fic.)
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