Tactical Embarrassment

The world dissolved around us. One moment, we stood in the sanctuary's main hall, forty of us packed together as Seven appeared; the next, reality itself peeled away like layers of an onion. The stone walls, the newly constructed rooms, even the floor beneath our feet vanished, replaced by a vast, featureless white void that extended in all directions.

I blinked, fighting the disorientation. This wasn't my first trip to the divine realm, but the sudden transition still left me momentarily stunned. Around me, my classmates and our Voluptarian companions reacted with varying degrees of alarm and wonder. Nothing like a bit of cosmic kidnapping to spice up your day.

The space defied conventional physics. Distance seemed meaningless, objects both impossibly far away and within arm's reach simultaneously. Angles bent in ways that shouldn't be possible, creating corners that contained more than 90 degrees. The whiteness itself wasn't empty but somehow full, as if the void contained everything and nothing at once. My brain felt like it was trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded underwater.

"Is this...?" Miyako whispered beside me, her eyes wide as recognition dawned. "The selection room?"

Several of my classmates murmured in agreement, the familiar non-space triggering memories of their first moments in Voluptaria, when they'd chosen their abilities from the divine selection panel.

Our Voluptarian companions, however, reacted very differently. Noel's cream-coloured rabbit ears flattened against her head, her diplomatic composure cracking as she fell to her knees. Her voice emerged as a reverent whisper: "The Divine Nexus... it exists." Despite her obvious awe, she maintained enough presence of mind to observe her surroundings with a diplomat's analytical eye.

Beside her, Ruri's reaction surprised me. Her silver-patterned rabbit ears perked forward with intense curiosity rather than fear. "Fascinating!" she exclaimed, her eyes dancing with delight as she spun in place, taking in the impossible geometry. "The texts described it, but experiencing it is quite another matter!"

The Felinari trio (Vinera, Fryevia, and Mediena) huddled together instinctively, their cat ears twitching in alarm. Vinera's hand moved reflexively to where her shadow-steel dagger should have been, only to find the weapon missing. Viktora stood completely still, her fox ears swivelling in every direction as she tried to analyse the unanalysable.

I turned toward Seven, who hovered nearby, tablet in hand, looking completely at home in the non-Euclidean environment. She reminded me of an otherworldly office manager, casually reorganising reality while checking her to-do list.

"You could have just asked instead of abducting us all," I said, crossing my arms. "A little warning would have been nice."

Seven looked up from her tablet, her lips quirking into a slight smile. "This was faster. Besides," she gestured toward our Voluptarian companions, "their reactions are amusing."

I followed her gaze. The contrast between my Earth classmates, most of whom looked uncomfortable but not shocked, and our Voluptarian friends was striking. The locals were experiencing a fundamental shift in their reality. They were meeting their gods face to face.

"They're people, not entertainment," I protested, though my words lacked real heat. After our previous encounters, I'd come to accept that the divine numbers operated on a different moral framework. Like cosmic toddlers with godlike powers and the attention span to match.

Seven tapped at her tablet. "I've invited a few colleagues who have taken interest in your progress."

As if on cue, the whiteness rippled like disturbed water. A figure emerged, a woman with formal robes that constantly shifted colours like oil on water. Most striking were the tears that fell from her eyes, upward instead of down, defying gravity as they disappeared into the void above.

"Five," Seven acknowledged.

Another ripple, and a second figure materialized. This one had eyes containing actual galaxies; miniature spirals of stars swirled within her irises, occasionally sending shooting stars across her sclera. It was both beautiful and profoundly unsettling.

"Six," Seven nodded.

A third figure appeared, her hair flowing like liquid moonlight, not merely silver, but actually behaving like a luminous liquid, cascading around her shoulders in slow motion while emitting a soft glow.

"Eight," Seven continued.

Without warning, a fourth figure stepped out from Seven's shadow, though the featureless white void cast no shadows. This one moved with a fluidity that made it appear she wasn't walking at all, but rather sliding between spaces.

"Nine," Seven added.

Finally, a fifth figure simply appeared without fanfare, standing with a practical, measured demeanour, observing everyone quietly.

"And Eleven," Seven concluded.

Miyako edged closer to me, her voice a nervous whisper. "Er, I think I said 'Seven, Eleven, Six and Nine.' Now they're all here."

The gathered Aspects turned toward her in unison, their expressions amused.

"This is just a coincidence, Little Miyako," they said in perfect harmony, their voices overlapping in a way that shouldn't have been comprehensible but somehow was.

My classmates exchanged glances of recognition; they'd all met these beings during their selections. Hitomi gave a small wave. Kazuki adjusted his glasses nervously. The Kimochi sisters moved closer together, eyes wide.

Meanwhile, our Voluptarian companions looked like they might shatter from the strain of containing their emotions. Noel remained kneeling, her diplomatic training the only thing keeping her from complete prostration. Ruri, in contrast, looked absolutely delighted, her eyes sparkling with fascination.

I rolled my eyes. "You're being dramatic again. They're just people... sort of."

Seven raised an eyebrow at me, then turned to address the assembled group. "Allow me to formally introduce my colleagues: Five, Six, Eight, Nine, and Eleven of the Twelve."

Five stepped forward, her upward-falling tears catching light that had no source. When she spoke, her voice sounded like harmonious chords played simultaneously. "Your group has entertained us greatly."

Six leaned forward, her galaxy eyes swirling with fascination as she examined everyone. "Their development patterns are unprecedented," she said, and I swore I could see tiny solar systems forming and dissolving in her irises as she spoke.

Eight's moonlight hair flowed around her as she circled our group, her analytical gaze taking in every detail. She said nothing, but her hair rippled with what seemed like curiosity.

Nine moved between people without seeming to traverse the space between, appearing beside different individuals without warning. Several of my classmates jumped when she suddenly materialized next to them.

Eleven circled the group with a measured stride, her expression practical and assessing, as if mentally cataloguing everyone's capabilities.

"We've brought you here to evaluate your progress and make necessary adjustments," Seven explained, making notes on her tablet. She looked up at me. "Your amulet was destroyed in battle. There will be a one-to-one exchange."

I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. "Last time you 'helped,' I ended up making weapons for all of you."

Six's galaxy eyes twinkled with amusement. "That was most entertaining! Remember Twelve's golden gun? She still cherishes it."

"Speaking of Twelve," Eleven commented casually, "she forgot to activate time stasis when she brought you to us last time."

Eight's moonlight hair rippled with amusement. "The aftermath was quite hilarious."

Nine smirked. "We enjoyed the show. Your friends organizing search parties, the emotional distress..."

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Miyako rolled her eyes beside me. "Great to know our panic was your entertainment."

"My life is not a live broadcast drama for divine beings," I scowled. Cosmic reality TV was not what I signed up for when I got isekai'd.

Five tilted her head, her upward tears catching non-existent light. "Are you sure about that?"

I noticed Ruri's expression, pure delight at the idea of divine beings watching their adventures. Her silver-patterned ears twitched forward with excitement, and she seemed to be fighting the urge to ask a thousand questions.

The divine beings laughed in unison, a sound like both bells and thunder that somehow didn't hurt our ears despite its impossible volume.

Seven smiled enigmatically, tapping her tablet. "And wasn't that entertaining for everyone involved?"

Suddenly, I remembered our mission. "Where's Naomi? Is she okay?" I asked, thinking of the Kimochi sisters' mother who we'd been planning to search for in Takejin territory.

Seven waved dismissively. "Don't worry about her. She's quite safe. We just did an update for her before we had to go bring you over."

Nine added cryptically: "Probably would have met her if you called Seven, you know."

"What do you mean? Where is she? Is she in Takejin territory like we thought?" I pressed, but Nine was already moving away, examining Hina with unnerving intensity.

"Did you know," Six interjected, turning to Kazuki, "your world's quantum computing is remarkably similar to..." She caught herself. "Never mind. Different timeline."

"Different timeline?" Kazuki perked up. "Are you suggesting parallel Earth realities?"

Five placed a finger to her lips. "Spoilers."

Before we could pursue this line of questioning, the divine numbers began creating individual assessment spheres around each person in our group. Translucent bubbles of energy encased everyone, and within each sphere, something remarkable happened; status screens became visible, floating in front of each person.

"Your system interfaces require recalibration," Seven said, manipulating her tablet with rapid movements.

Our Voluptarian companions gasped as they saw their own statistics materialize before them for the first time. Until now, only we Earth students had access to system screens.

"I've always had to use scrying orbs for this!" Noel exclaimed, her diplomatic reserve breaking in the face of such wonder. "How efficient!"

Ruri poked at her screen playfully, quickly adapting to the new interface. "Ooh, is this my magical affinity measurement? It's higher than I thought!"

A collective gasp rose from the Voluptarians as "Inventory" appeared on their screens.

"We can access our own stats directly now?" Vinera asked cautiously, touching her screen with a measured movement.

"Just like the otherworlders..." Fryevia whispered, her green eyes wide.

Five moved between the spheres, her upward tears creating miniature rainbows as she passed through light. "Your skills have developed chaotically," she noted. "Especially you, Andie. The skill absorption from your fallen classmate created significant imbalances."

I looked at my own status screen, which now showed a complex web of abilities I'd gained from Shinji after our battle. Many overlapped or conflicted with each other, creating inefficiencies. It was like looking at a tangled ball of magical yarn that someone had let a cosmic kitten play with.

The divine beings occasionally played with reality like children with toys. Six casually created a miniature solar system between her fingers, letting planets orbit for a moment before collapsing them back into nothing. Eight's moonlight hair reached out impossibly far, wrapping around distant objects and bringing them close for examination. Time itself behaved strangely; moments stretched into what felt like hours, then compressed into seconds.

After what might have been minutes or days, the divine numbers stepped away for a private conference. Their forms blurred at the edges as they huddled together, communicating in ways mortals couldn't perceive. Seven's tablet displayed complex diagrams and calculations that shifted faster than the eye could follow. Eight's moonlight hair pulsed with data-like patterns, while Six's galaxy eyes expanded to share visual information that made my head hurt to look at directly. Eleven gestured precisely, apparently suggesting practical applications for whatever they were discussing.

Occasional bursts of divine laughter or disagreement manifested as colour shifts in the void around us, ripples of blue, gold, or crimson that expanded outward before dissipating.

Our Voluptarian companions watched with a mixture of awe and analytical interest. Noel had recovered enough to observe with a diplomat's eye, while Ruri seemed ready to burst with questions. Viktora's fox ears twitched constantly as she tried to process everything.

"They're basically cosmic children with unlimited power," I explained to the others. "Powerful beyond comprehension but sometimes surprisingly... childish."

"They remind me of the faculty committee meetings back home," Amakata-sensei commented casually, earning surprised looks from several students. She shrugged. "The politics are the same, just with fewer reality-warping powers."

Viktora edged closer to me, her analytical mind clearly working overtime. "How many times have you met them? What are their specific domains? Is there a hierarchy among them? Do they actually create reality or merely manipulate it?"

Before I could answer her rapid-fire questions, Ruri slid next to me with a playful smile. "So you've met them before? How... intimate are your divine connections?" Her silver-patterned ears twitched suggestively.

"It's not like that," I protested, feeling heat rise to my face. "They're just..."

"Just what?" Nine asked, suddenly appearing beside us without crossing the intervening space.

I jumped, startled by her instantaneous arrival. "Just... divine aspects with cosmic powers?"

Nine laughed, a sound like wind chimes in a hurricane. "That's us. Except when we're not."

The divine beings returned from their conference, apparently having reached decisions.

"Adjustments are necessary for continued progress," Five announced, her upward tears creating a small constellation above her head.

Seven approached me directly, materializing something from her tablet, a new amulet that hovered in the air between us. "Your Amulet of the Twelve was destroyed," she said.

I touched my chest instinctively, remembering the moment during my battle with Shinji when the protective amulet had shattered, saving me from a killing blow.

Seven presented the new, more elaborate amulet. Unlike the previous simple disk, this one was an intricate medallion of interwoven metals. At its centre was a dodecagram, a twelve-pointed star, with each point representing one of the Twelve. The material gleamed with an otherworldly light, its surface rippling occasionally like liquid metal.

"This one contains stronger protections," Seven explained.

I stared at the amulet, recognising the distinctive shimmer of the metal. "Wait, isn't this silver-celestium-umbranium? Didn't you say there were no more samples of this alloy?"

Seven's voice carried that familiar explanatory tone, tablet in hand. "I've renamed it 'Concordium.' Much more elegant than listing all three component metals every time, don't you think? And before you ask, yes, I've discovered it has an... interesting property I hadn't anticipated."

"What property?" I asked, immediately suspicious. Divine 'surprises' tended to be the kind that ended with me in mortal peril.

Seven tapped something into her tablet. "Tell me, Andie... do you actually remember how you died after the battle with Shinji?"

The question hit me like a physical blow. Flashes of memory surfaced, standing victorious over Shinji, the sudden pain starting at my fingertips where they gripped my katana, system notifications flooding my vision, my body failing as skills transferred...

"I thought it was the overload from absorbing all those skills at once," I said slowly, a creeping dread forming in my stomach. "Are you saying it wasn't?"

"Not entirely," Seven replied matter-of-factly, as if discussing a minor experimental hiccup. "My analysis shows Concordium has what appears to be a Combat Intent Drain System, quite fascinating, really. When wielded with combat intent, it drains approximately 0.00085% of maximum HP and 0.001% of maximum MP per gram per second. Your katana weighs 380 grams."

I did the mental math. "That's... that's about 30 seconds from drawing to..."

"To fatal drain, yes," Seven finished, her organised mind quickly confirming my calculation. "You were already wounded from the fight with Shinji. The drain was simply the final variable in the equation."

I instinctively reached for my katana, then stopped. "So, I've been carrying around a weapon that can kill me in half a minute at low health, and you didn't know?"

Seven waved dismissively, the practical manager handling a minor workplace issue. "A previously undocumented property of a new alloy. Had you sheathed your weapon immediately after combat, the drain would have been negligible. Your extended combat stance during skill transfer was... an unforeseen test case but I will say this is a skills issue on your part."

"An unforeseen test case?" I repeated incredulously. Being a divine guinea pig was getting old fast.

"The smaller amounts are even more peculiar," Seven continued, ignoring my outburst. "Concordium under one gram exhibits no drain whatsoever. I have no explanation for this threshold effect. Perhaps a minimum critical mass is required? I'll add it to my research queue."

I looked at the amulet with relief. "So, this is safe, then? Wait, how many samples of this stuff actually exist? You said there weren't any more, but clearly that wasn't true."

Miyako tensed beside me, her eyes narrowing. "51 rings? You have material for 51 rings and never mentioned it?"

I avoided her gaze, suddenly finding the featureless white void incredibly interesting. "It wasn't relevant at the time."

"Not relevant?" Miyako's tone was dangerously sweet. "51 engagement rings wasn't relevant?"

Ruri's ears perked up with delight. "Engagement rings? How fascinating." She leaned closer to me, her voice dropping to a sultry purr. "I'd be happy to help you... test one."

"Can we focus on the amulet please?" I asked desperately, trying to change the subject. This conversation was heading into dangerous territory faster than a runaway train.

Seven cut in with obvious amusement. "In case you can't count, this is the fourth sample, but technically the first. The second sample was for your katana, third sample was for your Chokutō gunblade, the fourth for the 51 rings… so this is the first one. Didn't you ask where it went?"

Six leaned in, her galaxy eyes examining the amulet with childlike fascination. "It contains safeguards against multiple interference types."

"Including some you haven't encountered yet," Nine added cryptically, appearing at my other side.

Eleven approached with a practical expression. "The defensive capabilities exceed the previous version by 47%. You'll find it more effective against both physical and magical attacks."

I reached for the amulet, trying to ignore Miyako's sidelong glances. The metal felt warm against my palm, almost alive. As my fingers closed around it, the amulet glowed briefly, attaching itself to me on a level deeper than physical contact. I could feel it attuning to my essence.

Noel watched the exchange intently, her diplomatic training evident in her careful observation of the interactions between mortals and divine beings. Ruri, meanwhile, observed me with a playful, predatory smile that made me nervous. Being caught between divine whims and Ruri's flirtations was like being between a rock and a very attractive hard place.