Epic Of Caterpillar

Chapter 2935 - 2936: The Chosen Ones

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In the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, only five Multidimensional Clusters existed, each ruled by a Multidimensional Paragon. Together, these Clusters formed the entire Heavenly Dimensional Domain, governed by a Reality Monarch.

And right now, out of nowhere, Kireina had completely refined and claimed this entire Reality for herself. The original Dimensional Rulers, Multidimensional Paragons, and the Reality Monarch were left reeling from what had just happened.

Their Authority and power had been stripped away. After billions of years spent idling and obeying every command from the Empyrean Throne, they had all been reduced to crownless cosmic gods.

The six crowns, now Kireinaʼs, were freshly distributed to those she deemed worthy of such power—those she wanted by her side.

When she ascended through the Cosmic Staircase and vanished amid the celebrations of the Sun Godʼs death, some of her family and friends noticed first. Word spread quickly until everyone knew something monumental had occurred.

Then they saw her battling the Spider, climbing higher and higher still. Kireinaʼs Heart expanded without limit as the thorny vines of her Heart Essence spread everywhere—encompassing Universes, then the Multiverse, Dimensions, and finally the Multidimensional Clusters themselves.

Thus, the Sun and Moon Heavenly Dimensional Domain was enveloped by her Heart and internalized, allowing her to ascend to the Empyrean Throne while remaking this Heavenly Dimensional Domain to her will.

To shed the ill-fated name of Sun and Moon, she renamed it the Eclipsing Garden Heavenly Dimensional Domain.

Gardens, thorny vines, and flowers bloomed across reality, transforming it into a breathtaking new Realm. Even the former rulers stood in awe that, after so long, something was finally changing.

”Kireina has ascended…” Zehe murmured beside her son.

”I see…” Ryo muttered, gazing upward. ”Buddha-sama, do you think we can do anything?”

”Hmmm, it seems unlikely we can help,” Buddha sighed. ”We are Constellations… but reaching such lofty planes feels utterly impossible. Only Kireina herself, a Fragment of a Great Being, could climb so far in so short a time.”

”She is merely reclaiming her birthright,” the voice of Primordial Yggdrasil echoed from afar.

”No…” Flora interrupted gently. ”Kireina said she would not use that power. She rejected it.”

”What? Then how?” Aura wondered, not far from them.

”It is not that she abandoned it—she completely rewrote it,” Wasp explained with a sigh. ”Her awakening to the Heart Path, her training until now—everything she has achieved is her own effort, her own accomplishment.”

”Exactly!” Brontes declared. ”Calling it all birthright, just power she was born with, is wrong! She earned every bit of it!”

”Our dear daughter has truly grown so quickly, though,” Khaos sighed. ”Now we can do nothing but watch.”

”Hmm…” Lord Chaos sighed, clasping Khaosʼ hand. ”Kireina… to think you carried such a vast fate. Please, be safe… please…”

”The Planet Earth is stabilizing…!” Erika exclaimed, noticing the world had suddenly healed completely.

”Indeed, it seems the power Kireina shared with us has repaired the damage,” Charlotte said. ”The planet is even stronger now…”

”Mother Earth seems satisfied,” Flora added. ”Yet she wishes to help Kireina. It was thanks to her that we came this far…”

”Without her, we would all have been annihilated,” Harumi murmured. ”And… um, big brother, were you always an angel?”

”I am not an angel! I am a Nephalem—half Angel, half Demon— Wait, I guess I never explained that either…” Mammon muttered, embarrassed.

”I am well aware that the great beings here are largely powerless, so what can we even do ourselves, Vessel of Mother Earth?” the Dragon King of the East Seas asked.

”Even our ocean feels so small compared to everything else…” Gaby sighed.

”We… could find a way though! Come on!” Valentia insisted.

”Sister… maybe we should sit this one out, donʼt you think?” Aarae asked.

”We fought so much… but still, the fact that we canʼt go with her… I guess there would come a day when weʼd be left behind,” Lilith said quietly.

”…Not exactly.”

FLAAASH!

A colossal Pillar of Celestial Enlightenment manifested before everyone, glowing with radiant beauty and startling them all.

The voice that emerged belonged to Astraea, who stepped forth from within. Her existence had fused with the Pillar alongside Andromeda, Origin, and Asteria, transforming them into Gods of this Heart Dimension.

”Astraea!” Charlotte cried. ”So thatʼs where you were…!”

”Sorry for disappearing,” Astraea said. ”Weʼve been occupied. Kireina-samaʼs power has grown tremendously, and she insists on fighting alone because she believes it is the right path. However, that is utterly wrong. We must help her—and I will, even if she does not want us to.”

”But how?!” Rimuru asked desperately. ”Guuu… Iʼm so worried too, but what… what can we even do?!”

Astraea opened her radiant palms, summoning seven distinct crowns. Five shone blue, while the sixth gleamed with pure white light.

Behind her floated seven hundred more crowns in a dazzling array of colors.

”These are Crowns of Authority,” Astraea explained. ”After Kireina-sama absorbed this entire Heavenly Dimensional Domain, she claimed these crowns but never used them. I propose we do. Five of you will become Multidimensional Paragons, one will become the Reality Monarch, and everyone else will receive a Dimensional Ruler Crown. Once we all become Dimensions ourselves, we can aid Kireina—even as small Dimension Spirits within the Summit of Existence—as long as we remain bound to her soul.”

”Thatʼs possible?!” Lilith exclaimed.

”A-Amazing!” Amiphossia said. ”Then we have to do this!”

”We have to help her—she canʼt face the three sisters alone!” Zehe declared.

”I know some of you have little connection to Kireina and simply crossed paths with her, but…” Brontes murmured. ”Youʼre free to return to your lives. Donʼt burden yourselves with us.”

”Hahaha! What are you talking about?!” Susanoo laughed heartily. ”Kireina is part of my life now! Sheʼs the woman I love.”

”I agree,” Obhedhrur nodded. ”Sheʼs the only woman who ever stirred anything in me, and she helped me awaken my Heart Essence… I owe her a debt I must repay.”

”My sister is gone, but thanks to her we avenged her,” Tsukuyomi said. ”And perhaps, once this is over, we can find a way to bring her back with her powers… For that reason and many more—and perhaps as an apology for the trouble we caused her before—we must help.”

”I…” Matsuo muttered, staring in awe at everything unfolding. ”I couldnʼt do a single thing in the end… Iʼm the most useless…”

”No, Matsuo,” Frank said, reaching his friend. ”You carry the power of Amaterasu-samaʼs final will. You will definitely be able to help.”

”Thatʼs right, man! Cheer up!” Evan nodded. ”We might be meeting for the first time, but youʼve got the potential to be a real Hero! And I know that better than anyone.”

”Since when have you been such a gloomy idiot?” Erika teased. ”Come on, Matsuo—youʼve gotta lock in!”

”Hm,” Harumi agreed with a nod. ”Letʼs do this together like we always do—as friends.”

”Everyone…” Matsuo began to cry. ”T-Thank you for never losing faith in me… I will… do everything I can to help her, to atone for all the stupid things I did and said…!”

As the group shared this heartfelt reconciliation, Matsuoʼs father and Hinata smiled from behind, gently holding an orb containing the Great Ancestorʼs Soul—who was sobbing uncontrollably.

”Uuughh, Matsuo, Iʼm sorryyy… itʼs all my fault, guuuuhhhh…” she wailed pathetically.

”Crying wonʼt help now, Great Ancestor,” Matsuoʼs father sighed. ”Please—this time, help us.”

FLASH!

The orb shattered and she emerged fully restored. Slowly she floated toward Beowulf and Clementine—she had been meant to fight alongside them, yet caused endless trouble and ultimately contributed nothing.

”Iʼm sorry I couldnʼt help,” she apologized to them.

”Shouldnʼt you be apologizing to that brat instead of us, girl?” Beowulf laughed. ”Bwahahaha! Look at her face—sheʼs really sorry this time!”

”Itʼs the first time weʼve seen you look so sad,” Clementine said with a gentle smile. ”Maybe youʼve truly changed? I wonder. Thereʼs someone else you should apologize to.”

”…”

The Great Ancestor drifted toward Matsuo, watching the young man chat happily with his friends

”Matsuo.”

”Great Ancestor?”

She struggled to speak at first. ”Amaterasu-sama is no longer with us, and I am deeply sorry for that… At the same time, I… I feel I owe you an apology. What happened to you must have been my fault—my lack of insight, my fear, perhaps everything and more… I know this is not the time, now that we see how vast this conflict has become, but…”

”I know,” Matsuo said with a soft smile. ”Itʼs fine… Thereʼs no point holding grudges. Thatʼs something my friend here taught me. So… I want to think the same way he did. I forgive you.”

”Oh, Matsuo,” the Great Ancestor sighed in relief. ”Youʼre a good child… Thank you… I promise to do better from now on.”

While this unfolded, Astraea continued explaining the plan to the gathered groups. Noahʼs party, Chaosʼ group, Ervas and Veronica listened intently. Genesis and her Supremes remained silent, absorbing every word.

”I like your idea, but how can we possibly grow strong enough so quickly with just a crown?” Noah asked. ”Wonʼt it take many years to master these powers?”

”Yeah, I was thinking the same,” Iris agreed beside him.

”…Maybe we can be given time to train?” Clementina—the blue-haired vampire by Noahʼs side, the frozen moon once used as a pillar in the Dimensional Labyrinth, whom Noah had rescued and whose tormentors he had destroyed—asked.

”You will,” Astraea confirmed. ”We are not outside right now—we are within Kireina-samaʼs Heart. There is significant Time Dilation here. We have billions of years to grow stronger and prepare. While seconds pass in the Summit of Reality, billions of years unfold here.”

”Thatʼs incredible…!” Frank exclaimed. ”Now we can take our time and grow strong enough to catch up to her—no matter how long it takes!”

”Yeah!” Matsuo said, suddenly excited.

”But who will receive the crowns?” Chaos asked.

”Even with billions of years, the crowns themselves are the most critical,” Abyss noted.

”I agree,” Ervas said. ”Astraea, has Kireina decided who should hold them?”

”No,” Astraea replied.

”She hasnʼt?! So itʼs up to us? What—do we have a wrestling match to decide or something?” Veronica wondered, rubbing her ghostly chin.

”No, I will decide,” Astraea said. ”As the current Administrator of Kireinaʼs Pillar of Celestial Enlightenment…”

Astraea had already made her choice. The six crowns floated around her as she surveyed the vast crowd, everyone waiting in anticipation.

”Six Crowns, Six Chosen Ones. Step forward as I call you.”

”The First Multidimensional Paragon Crown goes to Noah.”

”The Second Multidimensional Paragon Crown goes to Frank.”

”The Third Multidimensional Paragon Crown goes to Chaos.”

”The Fourth Multidimensional Paragon Crown goes to Ervas.”

”The Fifth Multidimensional Paragon Crown goes to Veronica.”

They stepped forward. Many felt disappointment—even several of Kireinaʼs children and wives looked perplexed at not being chosen—but no one complained. They all agreed these five were the strongest.

”Now, the Crown of—”

”Wait,” Veronica interrupted.

”We can wield one crown as we fuse,” Ervas explained. ”Please give this second one to someone else.”

”I see. Then it is decided,” Astraea nodded. ”The Fifth Multidimensional Paragon Crown goes to…”

Tension rippled through the crowd as everyone closed their eyes and hoped.

Among them, a certain old friend of Kireina simply watched in quiet awe and silence.

Things had truly changed since their days in Vida. Time marched on, Kireina and everyone else advanced further and further, leaving him—and many others—behind.

He was only an old friend now, though she still cared for him… He had contributed his small part, nothing more.

Yet he felt content. He had witnessed Kireina-sama grow so vast and mighty across the planes of existence, starting from a mere caterpillar—or, as he remembered, the tiny butterfly he first met.

”Wagyu!”

As that name rang out, silence fell. Every gaze turned to him—the proud wolf standing among his pack.

”...?”

He looked around, confused, tilting his three massive heads.

He had grown into a powerful Cosmic Beast, yet he still paled compared to many of these titans.

And yet…

Wait.

Did she just say his name?

”…HAH?!”

Wagyu gasped in shock and disbelief, looking everywhere, unable to process it.

”M-my name…! Is this a joke?”

”Hm? No, Wagyu. Please come forward. You have been chosen.”

”…”

Wagyuʼs three mouths fell open in utter astonishment.

”W-Why me?! Iʼm so weak compared to someone like her parents!”

”Is that what you believe? These crowns are infused with her Heart. Those who share the oldest history and deepest bonds with her will become the strongest. Wagyu, you are Kireina-samaʼs first friend, are you not?”

Wagyu swallowed hard. The wolves around him nodded encouragingly and urged him forward.

”Come on, bro—go ahead!”

”Youʼve earned this title.”

”I always believed in you!”

”Letʼs howl for our King!”

”Awooooo! Awooooo!”

The Cosmic Wolves howled in celebration as Wagyu stepped forward.

Kekensha greeted him with a proud nod.

”You got this, Wagyu! Go for it!”

”…! Yes!”

Tears of joy streamed from Wagyuʼs eyes as he raced through the cosmos to Astraea and received the crown.

FLAAASH!

Like the others, immense power flooded him. His eyes widened as his perspective shifted dramatically.

”T-This is…! Amazing…!”

Astraea watched in awe—the crown reacted so powerfully it seemed made specifically for him.

Once the five Multidimensional Paragons were chosen, the final crown—the Reality Monarch Crown—hovered beside Astraea.

”And the greatest crown goes to the one Kireina loves most deeply…” she said with a warm smile. ”Rimuru, step forward.”

”G-Guuuh?! M-Me?!”

Rimuru gasped, hands trembling as she looked around. No one objected—they had always known Rimuru was Kireinaʼs most cherished and pampered wife.

She was also her first love. If Kireina had ever chosen to have only one partner, Rimuru would be that one.

”Yes, you, my dear! Come here—hurry!” Astraea urged warmly. ”Take it.”

”Guuuuuuhhhh!”

Rimuru expanded into a gigantic slime, reached Astraea, and donned the crown. She bounced happily among universal marbles, making them tremble with joy.

”Wagyu! Wagyu! We were chosen!”

”Yeah! Rimuru! Weʼre back together as a team!”

As they celebrated, Astraea nodded. ”Now, to everyone else—take a Dimensional Ruler Crown! There are more than enough for all!”

The Dimensional Ruler Crowns distributed themselves, gleaming brightly above each head.

Everyone felt tremendous power surge through them as they claimed ownership of a Dimension.

Because there were more crowns than fighters, most received not one but two—or even three—further amplifying their strength.

”Now, I have modified this dimension into a vast challenge universe,” Astraea announced. ”We will train as long as needed and grow as much as possible! Letʼs begin!”

A giant white portal opened, ushering everyone toward the next phase.

No matter how long it took, they would do it for her—the one who had given them hope and saved them time and again.

Some acted out of deep debt, others out of love, some because she was a friend, a mother, or a revered ruler.

Whatever their reason, they united for one person: the one who believed she had only brought them suffering, who now fought alone to protect them all.

For Kireina.

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