An Ordinary High-School Student is summoned to another world. This world is filled with spirits and magic but is also being threatened by the Demon King. The student makes contracts with twelve goddesses and, with their power, manages to kill the Demon King and save the world. He then revokes his contracts and returns to his original world. Sounds like the usual light novel plot, doesn't it?
For Tooi Cross, all this is a thing of the past. But one year after he came home, he receives another call from the other world. Having settled all of his business on Earth, Tooi decides to return there and, this time, stay there. But upon arriving in the other world, he discovers two major changes.
First, it turns out that the flow of time is ten times faster in the other world than on Earth. Consequently, ten years have passed, so the people Tooi once knew have aged much more than he expected and technology has advanced.
Second... those twelve goddesses who used to be on Tooi's side? Now, they've scattered around the world and are causing all sorts of chaos. As a result, Tooi is charged with a new mission: fighting his former allies and making them fall for him once more.
The Reunion With Twelve Fascinating Goddesses (Ikai Shinki to Reunion) is a Light Novel series written by Kota Nozomi and illustrated by Merontomari, which was published from 2014 to 2015 for two volumes.
This series provides examples of:
- A-Cup Angst: Alua hates the difference in chest size between her and her sister.
- Blow You Away: Ryura's power. She (and Tooi when using her power) can create tornadoes, Razor Wind, and even change the distribution of gases in the air.
- Clark Kenting: Tooi claims to be his own successor, since his actual identity is widely hated for the actions of the goddesses. He manages to maintain this facade despite looking almost identical to his previous self, just one year older. This is partly because he's only a year older, since most people aren't aware of the different time flows and would expect Tooi to be 26 by now.
- Cool Bike: Motorbikes have been invented in the other world prior to Tooi's return. They are powered by Ether, so only Spirit users can operate them.
- Cool Sword: Zodiac, Tooi's personal sword. It was forged by Zesca, the Deity of weapons, using Etherium mined by Gushana, the Deity of earth, and was completed using Tooi's blood and the souls of all twelve goddesses. It normally takes the form of a black short sword, but changes in appearance depending on which of the twelve goddesses possesses it.
- Experienced Protagonist: Prior to the start of the story, Tooi has already mastered the powers of the twelve goddesses and defeated the Demon King. Even during the year he spent back on Earth, he continued training in order to maintain his skills. However, it's noted that almost all of his power comes from the goddesses. Without them, he can't beat even an average Spirit Knight in a fair fight.
- Famed In-Story: Tooi is known far and wide for his unprecedented feat of contracting twelve Deities (the previous record being five) and defeating the Demon King, the latter giving him the title "Tyrant Slayer". However, he's now also hated by many for releasing the goddesses into the world where they then caused havoc.
- Fighting Your Friend: The entire premise of the series, where Tooi must face down the twelve Deities he let go without a proper goodbye and are now causing problems all over their world.
- Ryura Vega is stopping the Arludea Empire from settling her territory in the Fior Region, which the Empire must take back as part of a trade agreement with the neighboring Lectar Republic. This is because she wants to protect the scenery of the region she and Tooi shared as an important memory to her.
- La Shii Fomalhaut is a downplayed example, being that she's content to laze around in the Empire's maximum security prison and getting whatever she wants given to her. But after being impressed by Tooi's sincerity to be friends with the Nebulosa this time around, she promises herself to him—if he can defeat her in battle. Until then, she'll wait for him as the Final Boss.
- Zesca Aldebaran is running the Aldebaran Company in Arludea's north, carelessly selling weapons to anyone, including customers rebelling against Arludea for the sake of seeing weapons being given a reason to be used.
- Magic Knight: Spirit Knights are those who have contracted with one or more Spirits and can use them to summon weapons and armour.
- Magitek: Recent advances in technology fall in this direction. Examples are Ether-powered motorbikes and Spirit communicators (essentially telephones).
- Morality Chain: This is the reason why Laila makes Alua accompany Tooi on his journey, despite her being much weaker once Tooi has re-contracted with Ryura. Laila is concerned about Tooi potentially becoming a threat to the world in the future, and wants Alua by his side since he seems to restrain himself around her.
- Nominal Hero:
- Tooi admits himself to be this in his previous summoning, given that his goal in gathering the Nebulosa and defeating Hadar was not because he wanted to save the world and its people like an Ideal Hero would, but to use the Ether and treasures inside Hadar's castle and transport himself back to his dying grandmother still on Earth. Even in the present day, he'd still rather fight for the people he cares for, no matter what comes of it.Tooi (to Ryura): I... am not a hero or the savior. I don't have any reasons to place my life for strangers I have never even met before. But, I will do anything for you.
- This is also why Laila has Alua act as his Morality Chain, or kill him if necessary; Tooi slaying the Demon King merely coincided with his goal in returning to his world, so who's to say that, on a whim, he won't be as bad as the Demon King either?
- Tooi admits himself to be this in his previous summoning, given that his goal in gathering the Nebulosa and defeating Hadar was not because he wanted to save the world and its people like an Ideal Hero would, but to use the Ether and treasures inside Hadar's castle and transport himself back to his dying grandmother still on Earth. Even in the present day, he'd still rather fight for the people he cares for, no matter what comes of it.
- One-Man Army: Deities and Deity Knights. It's mentioned that a force of at least 1000 Spirit Knights is needed just to stand a chance against a Deity.
- Our Gods Are Different: Deities are the highest rank of Spirits, numbering twenty-one in all. Both the twelve goddesses and Demon King Hadar are examples of Deities. Humans can form contracts with them just as with lesser Spirits, becoming the rare and renowned Deity Knights, but this is obviously extremely difficult. A conversation with La Shii in Volume 1 reveals that since there must always be twenty-one Deities as per a natural law of the world, Hadar will resurrect... in some 100 years later by her estimate, and as a different entity from the previous Hadar. It is still not known whether this bodes ill or not.
- Our Spirits Are Different: Spirits are supernatural beings that live in the other world. Low level Spirits have the forms of animals, while Deities have human forms. Humans can make contracts with them to use their power.
- Playing with Fire: This is the signature power of warriors of Ifnatus, such as Gilfrain. They can produce heat so intense that it melts weapons used against them, and when used to attack, it can melt through enemy shields.
- Rule 63: Tooi is unnerved to learn that, among the many works of art based on his exploits, there's one series that has him as a female, and another that turns the twelve goddesses into males. This concept was introduced by Astarot, another human from Earth.
- Shoot the Dangerous Minion: Although it's more like Shoot the Loose Cannon; at the epilogue of Volume 1, Laila wants Alua to act as a Morality Chain for Tooi on their journey, though she has her younger sister keep their family sword to kill Tooi with should he ever run havoc.
- Smoking Is Cool: A number of characters, including Tooi's grandmother and Gilfrain, love to smoke.
- Spontaneous Weapon Creation: Zesca's power allows her contractor to manifest any weapon or other equipment that she has previously forged.
- Stellar Name: The twelve goddesses have surnames taken from various stars: Ryura Vega, Di Anna Altair, Zoema Spica, Zesca Aldebaran, Gushana Rigel, Minami Arcrux, Jimalta Mimoza, Al Ai Yuk Capela, Pandura Regulus, La Shii Fomalhaut, Mephiros Betelgaus.
- Technology Uplift: Much of the advances in technology is due to Astarot, another human from Earth. Unlike Tooi, he was able to bring his smartphone with him and uses the stored knowledge to his advantage. This isn't limited to technology but also to other things like military strategy and the arts.
- Ultimate Blacksmith: Zesca. She can make weapons that allow even the unskilled to use the power of Spirits and is also the one who forged Zodiac.
- Unobtainium: Etherium is a rare and powerful alloy created from compressing high-quality ether. It is extremely compatible with Spirits and makes an ideal medium for them. However, Etherium production is small and working it is impossible for humans as this causes it to lose its special properties. There is exactly one Etherium weapon in existence, Tooi's sword Zodiac, which was created by the goddesses.
- Year Inside, Hour Outside:
- Time in the other world flows at around ten times the rate of Earth.
- La Shii's Shrine has this property, fitting her nature as the Deity of time and space. Tooi used this in the past to train himself.
