You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"clever."

Iori smiled slightly—with the Japanese government providing cover, he could use cyber technology without restraint.

"Actually, we hope to receive more than just this kind of help from you."

Meteora calmly stated, "And the threat facing this world is probably more serious than you have imagined."

More serious?

The officials in the Cabinet’s Special Operations Group looked at each other, all with some doubt and worry.

In their view, if the number of “created beings” is allowed to continue to increase, it will inevitably lead to social unrest sooner or later, and the government will inevitably become the target of the people’s dissatisfaction.

If irreparable damage occurs, such as the destruction of landmarks like the Tokyo Tower, the prime minister will be held accountable, and a cabinet reshuffle is not out of the question.

So what if it gets worse? It's not like the world is going to end.

Of course, for them, the end of their political career would indeed be tantamount to the end of the world...

"Although it's just a hypothesis, if left unchecked, the Military Princess's amplification of the conflicts between different worlds could lead to a 'Great Collapse' in this real world—commonly known as the end of the world."

—Oh, there really is!

For a moment, the entire conference room became agitated, and the officials were clearly flustered, but they quickly calmed down.

As a country situated entirely on an earthquake zone, the fear of "annihilation" has always lingered in everyone's heart, and works depicting the apocalypse are as numerous as fish in a river. Although afraid, there is also a strange sense of relief, as if "this day has finally come."

Kikuchi glanced around the conference room, then asked Meteora, "What are the specifics? Could you explain them to us?"

...After a long explanation, Kikuchi let out a long sigh, his mood becoming even heavier.

If the "Great Collapse" really happens as Meteora predicted, its destructive power will be far beyond that of earthquakes or volcanoes!

“We understand… The government will certainly provide support at any cost, and we ask that you lend us your strength.”

"That was our original plan."

Meteora nodded.

"Finally, I have a question that I hope you can answer."

Kikuchi suddenly looked up at Iori and the others, her voice becoming serious.

"Your world is ultimately a fiction, merely a product of entertainment for our real world—no offense intended."

Now that you know all this, are you still willing to contribute your efforts to protect this "reality"?

Upon hearing this question, Iori narrowed her eyes slightly and then looked at Meteora.

He didn't think this question was simply "curiosity"; it was obvious that it was a test of the creatures.

The meeting room was silent. Even Kikuchihara's colleagues were looking at her with subtle glances, seemingly blaming her for bringing the matter to the forefront.

What if the answer is no?

"This one……"

Meteora was silent for a moment, then looked calmly at Kikuchihara.

"Excuse my bluntness, what you see as mere entertainment is, in our eyes, an undeniably real place, and a homeland where we once lived."

I do not believe that you created our world, and therefore our existence is inferior, nor do I believe that my world can be summarized by the word 'fiction'.

Kikuchi lowered his head and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I used the wrong words."

Indeed, you, with your intellect and independent spirit, cannot be judged by simple words.

"It doesn't matter."

Meteora replied without hesitation, "I will answer your question now—I will protect this world."

However, I did not come up with this idea under your instruction, but rather it was a careful decision made after independent thought.

This world is beautiful… Of course, I know my experience is limited; on other continents of the earth, there is still war and plague, it is not a true divine realm or heaven.”

The white-haired girl's eyes flickered, as if she had thought of something, and her expression softened.

"However, what I've seen and heard these past few days has made me realize something."

The people living in this world are not fundamentally different from the people I know in my 'hometown'. Everyone is striving to live and protect their own happiness.

Just as I guided adventurers in the Great Library to prevent Avaken from being destroyed by villains, I have now chosen the path of fighting against the Princess in Military Uniform for the same reason.

As for the cause and effect, the grievances and entanglements between us, the “created,” and the “Creator”—that is for us to deal with ourselves, and has nothing to do with ordinary people.”

"Yeah, anyway, we saved worlds all the way in our original world, so it's no big deal to save this world as well."

Unlike Meteora, Ceresia didn't think things through as much; instead, she simply and frankly expressed her thoughts.

"If you provide food and lodging, consider it a part-time job!"

Kikuchihara paused slightly, seemingly touched by their words, and then smiled for the first time in public.

"Of course, while other things are still undecided, high welfare benefits will definitely be provided for everyone."

"Miteora, Miss Celestia, please take care of me until things calm down."

Seeing this, Iori's lips curled into a smile:

Things are on the right track.

The foundation for the two camps has been laid. The next step is to guide them (including Iori) to gain greater exposure, make these images more deeply rooted in people's hearts, and then acquire recognition and presence in large numbers!

What was just appetizers before is now the main course – as everyone knows, forming teams of hero characters is the most powerful way to fleece players!

……

"Ba Xiu, why are you staring at that Demon King without saying a word?"

A rather bizarre scene unfolded on the rooftop of an abandoned building: a petite and adorable magical girl actually approached a ferocious and stinky orc.

This easily evokes images of inappropriate content, but it's actually surprisingly harmonious.

Ba Xiu wouldn't consider a child of that age as a marriage proposal partner, while Mami Kaori's mind hadn't been corrupted by "knowledge." She simply felt sorry for Ba Xiu, who was always acting alone, so she came to chat with him.

The green-skinned orc hero glanced at the tiny figure who barely reached his waist. To the orc, her frail body seemed as fragile as a porcelain doll. However, as a pure warrior, he knew the terror of mages on the battlefield, so he did not underestimate Mami.

"It feels familiar."

"Familiar? You're not from the same work, are you?"

Mami was puzzled.

"No... but I've seen many people like him."

Ba Xiu squinted at the Demon King Oupai, who was sunbathing in the distance.

Powerful, self-centered, and domineering—such people are everywhere in his world.

He once admired those people, such as the king of the orcs, the strategist of the demons, and the so-called strongest demon emperor in history... As an ordinary orc born at the bottom, these powerful figures standing at the top of the pyramid were beings he could hardly even look up to.

However, one day he suddenly "demystified".

The cause was the fairy race who fought alongside him:

This race is only ten centimeters in size, so they are not considered "targets" by the orcs. Their bodies are naturally top-quality magical materials and have always been regarded as strategic resources by various races. Therefore, they are excellent allies with the orcs, who have almost no mages.

(If an orc is still a virgin at the age of thirty, he can automatically learn magic and become an extremely rare magic warrior... but given the difficulty, very few have ever appeared in history.)

The fairies loved to chatter when they drank, and that day, for some reason, they suddenly started telling him about "history." To be honest, Ba Xiu had absolutely no interest in it; he barely knew any characters...

Hearing the fairy chatter on and on, he impatiently asked when she would finish, and then heard a shocking truth:

The war has lasted for six hundred years, and the fairy tales have only been told for two hundred and fifty years.

The number of powerful individuals (regardless of race) who emerged during this period was countless. Even those who were bestowed with titles such as "Holy Sword Wielder" or "Elf King" were too numerous to count on two hands!

At that moment, Ba Xiu suddenly realized that these titles were actually nothing special; those great figures were merely a piece of paper or two in the grand scheme of history.

Then he became a "hero".

Even so, he didn't think he was anything special.

This Demon King from another world, in terms of strength alone, should be above Ba Xiu, and the aura he exudes is something the orc hero has never seen before... but he feels no fear.

What other worlds have no shortage of are these kinds of overlords!

The Demon King Oupai in the distance also opened his eyes, coldly staring at the Overlord Xiu across hundreds of meters.

"I don't like this person."

Ba Xiu's gaze was calm, showing no sign of backing down: "We have chosen different paths, which means we are destined to be unable to agree with each other."

"Domineering cultivator..."

Kind-hearted Mami became worried, but she didn't know how to dissuade her.

In the past few days, she has also learned more or less about the "truth" and is no longer the absolutely pure magical girl.

She knew that knights like Alice Tria often had their own beliefs and ideals, and were willing to pay any price, even their lives, to protect the justice in their hearts!

And the Overlord and the Demon King...

They must be doing it for some great and noble cause!

—The two people looking at each other:

[Anyone who interbreeds with other races is a pervert. Humans should have sex with humans, and monsters should have sex with other monsters!]

[Elven Saintess, Human Female Knight Supreme! Swearing to Defend Interracial Marriage!]

Chapter 461 Beating the Female Knight to Her Knees (JPG)

For ordinary Japanese people, the past few months have been quite eventful, with juicy gossip every day.

First, someone witnessed an unidentified flying object in the sky, then many inexplicable explosions occurred, and various snapshots were uploaded to the internet. Although the scene was chaotic, you could see superpower battles with incredibly realistic special effects!

Some people believe this is the hidden underworld beneath the light, and that superpowered individuals lurking in the darkness are beginning to enter the public eye, which has led to the rise of many groups of enthusiasts of the supernatural, superpowers, and aliens.

However, most people remained "rational" and regarded those images as special effects videos made by hooligans, with the "actors" in them even being cosplays of certain anime characters, so of course they couldn't be real!

Just as the public was buzzing with excitement, several industry giants announced an unprecedented mega-scale collaborative event, opening up their IP libraries to each other and launching a series of related projects, including but not limited to live-action films and stage plays.

—This news instantly ignited a frenzy among fans both in Japan and abroad. With the powerful promotion from the media, even those who had no interest in ACG culture knew that this was a "revolution of a new era of subculture."

And it wasn't just in Japan; even across the ocean in the United States, Europe, and a major Eastern power, related news remained incredibly popular. Eventually, its influence extended beyond the project itself. Illustrators, voice actors, directors, light novel authors… these people who don't usually speak out became as excited as children celebrating Halloween, joining in in their own ways.

Fan works based on various famous ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) memes have also begun to grow exponentially, much like the Big Bang.

According to incomplete statistics, on a well-known gay dating website, Bilibili, the leader of the Ganghua Group sacrifices himself tens of millions of times every day, while the Time-Stop Vampire fights Fishmonger Qiang more than five million times.

(The number of doujinshi on a certain pink app has also started to surge, especially those works that have lost their popularity and have long been marginalized. They have now been revitalized, and the heroines who once dominated the doujinshi world have made a triumphant return—but we will not go into details here.)

In short, this was a carnival for otaku, and almost everyone felt it:

The Japanese government has really gone all out!

Anyway, to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States as the king, Iron Man and Old Ma tweeted their praise—this certainly can't be done by just carrying two boxes of milk.

Thanks to the powerful reach of the modern internet, nowadays, unless you get a close look at the scene, even if you encounter a "character" on the street, people will just assume it's a professional cosplayer, and some magic tricks will be seen as special effects or interesting technology-driven magic tricks.

If you only watch the video, even if it shows people flying and displaying "realistic special effects that surpass Hollywood's", no one would be surprised.

Because American tech giants have already spoken out, saying that these videos were made using the latest AI-assisted technology and 3D projection technology that is still under development, and they want to take this opportunity to promote them to the world—in short, all sorts of impressive-sounding but incomprehensible things!

The most unbelievable people are actually the technicians working at these companies, whether it's hardware or software... They have absolutely no idea when their companies reached such an amazing level...

However, their voices couldn't make a ripple under the overwhelming media coverage, especially after the world's top leader, US President Donald Trump, personally stepped in, which directly ignited public opinion!

Actually, the president himself isn't a hardcore anime fan, unlike Jack Ma who likes to generate buzz... but unfortunately, he was paid too much money by others!

He was following the same path as those people in Silicon Valley, so he really had no reason to refuse.

After all, even the ruler's family didn't have any surplus grain.

As a result, this island nation in the far east has become the focus of the world for several weeks, with its popularity surpassing that of the World Cup and the Olympics. The series of "concept short films" launched by the new project have not disappointed expectations. Their quality has definitely surpassed that of top Hollywood teams, and they have even reached the point where people can't tell the difference between reality and fiction. They have completely subverted everyone's imagination of technology!

In the midst of this nationwide celebration, Iori, who occupies an important position in the "project," has appeared on camera many times, and has left a deep impression on people around the world... suddenly finds that things are getting a little out of control.

He underestimated the fervent effect of the information age.

To be honest, he just wanted to generate buzz and used all the conventional methods he could think of, but he never expected it to escalate to this point.

This was like a fuse, or the first domino... The resources he invested attracted many professional and amateur creators, producing a large number of interesting works (of course, some that were blinding), which in turn gathered even more fans.

Simply put, he created a stage for these usually marginalized niche circles to perform to their heart's content, releasing all the passion they had accumulated!