The Maiden’s Transformation: Gloria’s Declaration

She knew she had returned to reality, her body once more under her command, yet this realization brought her no joy.

For Gloria was nowhere to be seen.

A profound fear gripped her: that upon awakening from the mental space, the petite, adorable loli demon god who had granted her the gift of inner voice would vanish like an ephemeral bubble, popping into non-existence without a trace.

Such a reality was one she refused to confront.

If Gloria were absent from this reality, she would rather never wake up at all.

“No, no, no, no! How could this happen? Gloria-chan, where are you?”

She began to flail, kicking and punching, stirring up a commotion on the seabed. In an instant, a multitude of bizarre, colossal deep-sea fish scattered in terror, startled by this even stranger, scaleless creature, causing the ocean currents to surge. X, in her frenzy, ended up with a mouthful of seabed silt.

“Hey, what in the name of the Demon Gods are you doing?”

The familiar voice resonated in her mind, filling X with both shock and delight.

Immediately afterward, she felt her hands involuntarily press against her ample, post-surgery bosom.

“Quiet down and use your head. How could I possibly leave?” Gloria chided, a hint of displeasure in her tone, as she tapped what remained a voluptuous peak, even after its reduction.

“My soul is right here, within your gravity core,” Gloria explained. “Unless your body is utterly annihilated, torn to shreds, I can’t leave this place. Understand? Even if someone tossed you into a black hole and ripped you apart, living in your mental space, I could still bring you back. So be brave, and stop acting as if you’d be utterly helpless without me.”

“Mm-hmm!” X affirmed, her eyes gleaming with golden light.

“Alright then, now that you’re awake, let’s prepare to fire the first shot and announce my arrival to the Sistia World.”

“At your command, General Gloria-chan! Please give the order!”

“What in the world is ‘General-chan’?” Gloria sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. “Before the plan officially begins, try to summon the Silver Touch to cover your body. You’re not so perverse as to let your enemies admire your naked form, are you?”

“Oh, so what should I do?”

Observing X’s still-bewildered expression, Gloria suddenly recalled that she hadn’t yet imparted any knowledge on how to use divine artifacts.

“Do you know how Sailor Moon transforms? Like, ‘Moonlight, grant me strength!’ Just gesture a bit, chant a few slogans, strike some elegant poses, and let your soul memorize this sequence of symbols. Then, focus your intent, channel the surging psionic energy within your mental space, connect it to the Silver Touch, and mentally envision its form. The Silver Touch will then mimic the attire you imagine as closely as possible, covering your body and binding itself to that series of movements. This way, whenever you summon the Silver Touch in the future, a few chants will be enough to quickly call it forth… Your expression suggests you’re thinking, ‘How could something so idealistic possibly work?’ Yet, internally, you’re pondering, ‘This is far too embarrassing.’ Thus, you’d rather die than adopt this method. Am I wrong? Your face has already betrayed you. I can understand your thoughts. Before you encounter the rules of the universe, and even higher-level world laws, it would be quite difficult for me to explain the principle of broad mapping between concepts and entities. Rest assured, I will certainly teach you this knowledge in the future. After all, I am the Blasphemous Demon God, the very origin of materialism and dialectics. How could I possibly use such an idealistic method to teach my followers to comfortably use equipment with unknown principles?”

Gloria’s small mouth had transformed into a relentless typing machine, hammering each piece of information, sentence by sentence, into X’s mental space, making it impossible for her to forget. Her eloquence, moreover, left X so stunned that she had no room for rebuttal.

‘Wow, Gloria-chan is truly amazing. I wonder if her eloquence in that area is equally outstanding.’

Just as X’s thoughts were about to turn crimson, Gloria suddenly exclaimed, “Pervert!”

Startled, X hastily clutched her chest.

‘Darn it,’ she thought. ‘Because Gloria is so transparent, I’ve completely lost the ability to hide my own little thoughts.’

Whatever she thought was immediately reflected on her face. This, in turn, allowed Gloria to notice X’s depraved little ideas. Yet, X no longer seemed to care much.

“Since you’re unwilling to start, I’ll reluctantly borrow your body for a demonstration. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what others think of you; as long as you feel okay with it, that’s all that matters. If the lines are cool enough, your skin is thick enough, and your movements are graceful enough, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Come on, open your eyes wide, watch my movements carefully, and learn.”

“Mm, alright.”

Her left hand gently brushed over her eyes. Upon reopening them, a pale, frigid flame, both piercing and dazzling, ignited within her golden pupils.

The algae, fish, and ocean currents, all caught in the gaze of these eyes, fell into a state of absolute stagnation.

It was not that time itself had stopped, but rather the very concept of motion that was suppressed, rendered immobile by a formidable power emanating from a higher plane.

Capitalizing on this brief cessation, Gloria, temporarily in control of X’s body, looked up at the water’s surface and softly chanted: “What can be seen, can be trodden upon. What can be trodden upon, can be conquered. All that I pass through shall be my royal domain. Source of Dark Arts, Third Manifestation: Translation.”

A white silhouette, moving as if walking, glided with incredible speed across the dark seabed.

She trod elegantly and lightly upon the stagnant seawater, spiraling upward.

Her form flickered, and in but a breath, she surfaced.

Concurrently, a layer of transparent gauze, previously unseen, now clung to her pristine skin, imbued with the dark blue hue of the ocean.

Then, assuming a stance that seemed to bridge heaven and earth, she stood amidst the aurora and the waves. Her outer garment, in turn, became tinged with a delicate iridescence, adorned with a scattering of white foam.

“I shall use the moon as my mirror to scrutinize my transgressions. I shall offer my body as fuel to incinerate your darkness. The wind rises, clouds part, mist disperses, and the moon descends. Now, the time for change is at hand. Silver Touch, heed my command, and shatter the hypocrisy of this world!”

She raised her index finger, pointing directly at the silver moon.

As Gloria finished chanting these hastily concocted, chuunibyou-esque phrases, an invisible pressure dissipated, and space-time resumed its flow.

The night shattered, and black particles, like falling sand, rained down upon the flawless maiden’s jade-like skin.

Moonlight, meanwhile, transformed into an unending waterfall, cascading over the slender yet resilient figure.

The maiden shed her emperor’s new clothes, casting off all pretense, and donned a battle robe.

Her flowing white hair was gathered by a circlet of white light into a sleek side ponytail, cascading to her waist.

Moonlight streamed upon it, resembling countless stars ascending a pristine waterfall.

A formal gown, transitioning from silver to white from top to bottom, with delicate wave-like embellishments at the hem, materialized upon the maiden’s body.

A ribbon, seemingly sculpted from the night itself, cinched her alluring waist.

Around the gown, points of gentle starlight shimmered, supporting the maiden’s delicate form, making her appear as if she were one with the stars.