With the majority of their class and the entire capital wiped out, Yogiri and Tomochika left behind the Kingdom of Manii in search of additional Philosopher’s Stones, the energy sources they were told to gather if they ever want to make it back home. Having received one stone from the Sage Sion, a second from Risley, and having taken a third from the self-styled War God Raiza, the pair next set their eyes on a new country in the east, following a lead on the potential location of another Sage. With the half-demons they were assisting now comfortably settled in the City of the War God, the two have left their previous companions behind to begin their journey home. But of course, nothing is ever simple. One after another, strange new people begin appearing in their path to block their progress, and some of their former companions may not yet be willing to let them go...

After their entire class was transported to another world, Yogiri Takatou and Tomochika Dannoura were abandoned when it was discovered they had failed to receive the Gift, a special power that the rest of their class inherited from a powerful Sage named Sion. What none of the others knew, however, was that Yogiri already had his own unique power — one that multiple world governments back home were keeping him under observation for: the power of Instant Death! With Yogiri’s abilities now exposed and being scrutinized by Sages and Swordmasters alike, this unlikely duo continues their adventure, determined to find a way back to Japan. The only lead they have to go on is to follow their former classmates’ trail and track down the formidable Sion in the hopes that she’ll be willing to negotiate. But even with the power of Instant Death on their side, the world around them seems intent on making the task as much of a hassle as possible!

Awaking to absolute chaos and carnage while on a school trip, Yogiri Takatou discovers that everyone in his class has been transported to another world! He had somehow managed to sleep through the entire ordeal himself, missing out on the Gift — powers bestowed upon the others by a mysterious Sage who appeared to transport them. Even worse, he and another classmate were ruthlessly abandoned by their friends, left as bait to distract a nearby dragon. Although not terribly bothered by the thought of dying, he reluctantly decides to protect his lone companion. After all, a lowly Level 1000 monster doesn't stand a chance against his secret power to invoke Instant Death with a single thought! If he can stay awake long enough to bother using it, that is...

After waking up to absolute chaos and carnage while on a school trip, Yogiri Takatou discovers that everyone in his class has been transported to another world! He had somehow managed to sleep through the entire ordeal himself, missing out on the Gift — powers bestowed upon the others by a mysterious Sage who appeared to transport them. Even worse, he and another classmate were ruthlessly abandoned by their friends, left as bait to distract a nearby dragon. Although not terribly bothered by the thought of dying, he reluctantly decides to protect his lone companion. After all, a lowly Level 1000 monster doesn't stand a chance against his secret power to invoke Instant Death with a single thought! If he can stay awake long enough to bother using it, that is...

Having finally made it out of the tower, Yogiri and Tomochika are greeted with an apocalyptic scene—or at least, it would have been, if not for Yogiri accidentally killing the Dark God who’d been trapped there. Despite the flawless execution of the goddess Vahanato’s plans, they amounted to nothing more than releasing her lover’s corpse from its imprisonment. After a quick visit from the Hedgehog and brief encounter with the Dark God’s surviving spawn, Yogiri and Tomochika are finally able to resume their journey to the capital. Meanwhile, with the disappearance of yet another Sage, Sion is finally beginning to realize just how much of a threat Yogiri is to their world.

Having overcome countless trials (without much difficulty), Yogiri and Tomochika finally managed to reunite with their classmates in the capital. But between the efforts of Ayaka, a synthetic classmate who swore revenge against her fellow students, the meddling of Sion, a Sage determined to cull the weak and produce a new superbeing from their class of candidates, and the revival of the Dark God Mana, the majority of the class — not to mention the entire capital — were ultimately wiped out. Somehow, amid the chaos, the unlikely pair were able to draw Sion out and acquire their first concrete clue about how to get home: they will need a number of Philosopher’s Stones, powerful artifacts carried within the bodies of the Sages. After taking one from Sion and finding another dropped into their laps by Risley, the only surviving clone of the Sage Lain, who they killed some time earlier, the two highschoolers set off in search of a third energy source, leaving a trail of ruins behind them.

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.