Chapter 561

"Huh... wait, that's strange. Could it be that I've misunderstood?"

Erice felt as if Melusine had just been right behind her; her presence felt so real.

Even if they were leaving, they shouldn't be moving silently on such a crowded road. Could they possess some kind of ability to conceal themselves? But that shouldn't be the case. Since returning from Tokyo, my abilities have improved to the point that even Lucius exclaimed, "You must have been secretly trained by Novia!"

Erice didn't think that the Novia Lucius mentioned was some scumbag from the Kuonji family, but rather the one from history. Therefore, the implication was that "your current power is comparable to Novia at this age," which is why Erice had absolute confidence in her perception.

If Erice could look up at the sky, she would probably notice a Kuro...

Immediately afterwards, as Twilight fell, Erice returned to the Kuonji residence as if she had completed a linear task.

Unsurprisingly, Melusine also secretly followed.

She was genuinely startled upon arrival, as two entities similar to Greed were among them. Could this be some kind of sin-filled stronghold...?

Just as she was thinking this and leaped over the mansion Great Gate into the courtyard—

"Get out, you're not welcome here."

A completely unfamiliar yet extremely confident voice rang out, piercing the silence in the air like a sharp sword.

Melusine looked closely and saw a small girl of similar build and hair color, dressed in a sheer purple robe... Was she Deity?

"If you have any self-awareness, you'd better leave obediently, or you'll understand what will happen to you later."

Kama gave instructions to Melusine, who was still in the mood, with an arrogant gaze that did not match his appearance, his tone full of arrogance.

They suddenly barged in; they must have been sent by Lilith too. If I don't make her understand who's the strongest soon, she'll probably start spouting nonsense. And what's with this size? Is Lilith unable to become like this, so she deliberately summoned something like this? It's utterly despicable...

"Are you very powerful, unknown Deity?"

"What?" Kama raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised by the question.

"Did your Dragon Kind lose to you?" Melusine continued to ask, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Dragon Kind? Could this guy also be Dragon Kind like Vritra? Kama felt a chill and began to speculate about the identity of the 'copycat' before him.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

"So, if I told you that I am the strongest, what would you do?" Melusine's tone became more serious, her pride as the Strongest Dragon was now clearly displayed in front of outsiders.

Kama did not remain silent in the face of these questions simply because he was considered the strongest; on the contrary, he was extremely displeased.

I can't even beat Metatron, but you, a dragon guarding the Great Gate like Vritra, really underestimate me...

Therefore, Kama revealed a contemptuous expression, his voice filled with disdain. "Probably, no... almost certainly, I will die. But I'm talking about you, so I suppose you can accept that?"

The moment the words fell,

Gale swept in from the distant sky.

Unlike physical wind pressure, it is a whirlwind imbued with Od —not a natural wind, but a pure surge of Od, proclaiming Melusine's wrath.

"How dare you underestimate me, the strongest? You've got some nerve. Unknown Deity, state your name."

Kama did not back down; instead, she flashed a horizontal V-sign and cheerfully announced her name. Her confidence and swagger contrasted sharply with her current appearance.

"I am Kama, the Love God, the Growth God, Mara, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven! I am the Great Goddess revered by Vritra, the guardian of the mountain (meaning I am not allowed to leave without food and water), the most beautiful person admired by the Great Goddess Durga (meaning Durga will always watch me to prevent me from escaping), the mistress of the Himalayas worshipped by the goddess Mohini (meaning I deceive Mohini by taking advantage of my status as her adopted daughter), I am, yes, I am also the executor of justice, the first light who fights for good (dark history)... Of course, my most important identity is still--"

Immediately afterwards, Kama's eyes were filled with deep affection for someone, an affection that even made Melusine feel strangely familiar.

"Kavia? My most important love!"

However,

"So who exactly are you? I've never heard of you."

Melusine sighed impatiently, glaring at Kama in response, as if to say, "What garbage are you giving me? They have no value whatsoever."

"I am Melusine, please support the love between me and Novia! That's all, and oh yes, I'm the strongest."

"... ah?!"

565: Mushroom, you win (8k)

"Look this way! Look this way! Don't ignore me!"

Inside the Hall of the Kuonji residence, Metatron, the Angel queen who, in theory, should represent 'seriousness' and 'Lesser God,' but who now Perfection embodies 'Sloth,' was circling around Novia in a manner completely incongruous with her noble status.

That magnificent Holy Seat, which should have borne the majesty of Kingdom of Heaven, was now being used by her as some kind of high-class bumper car.

The Holy Seat, carved from pure gold and inlaid with countless gems, would sometimes "whoosh" slide to Novia's left, emitting a soft, coquettish hum that only Angel could hear; other times it would "swish" to the right, the edge of the seat almost brushing against Novia's hand holding a cup of Black Tea while she sat on the Sofa, her other hand reading a book.

Metatron himself lay sprawled on the soft cushion of the Holy Seat like a melted cat, his long golden hair cascading down like a waterfall. Only his Golden Eyes, which were usually squinted lazily into slits, were now staring intently at Novia with barely blinking eyes.

After all, this Sloth Angel queen should be curled up in a dark, sunless room filled with takeout boxes and game discs, playing video games all night long, and being the ultimate homebody who regards "going out" as an extreme sport. Rather, Sloth itself is a way to escape all responsibility and indulge in pure pleasure and comfort.

However, things can always take a turn for the better.

Having recently triumphed in the battle between Yumina and Kama, when everything settled down, her first reaction was neither the relief of surviving a calamity, nor the joy of defeating a rival, nor the excitement or shyness usually associated with victors. Instead, it was an indescribable feeling, as if her very soul had been ironed out—

"So comfortable..."

Yes, it's "comfortable." It's like being wrapped in the finest down comforter, or soaking in a perfectly heated hot spring. Every pore is opening up, and every nerve is basking in pleasure. After this ultimate comfort subsides, Wrath at being involved in this kind of thing and shame at how much I actually enjoyed it finally surge into my heart like a belated tide.

But, since it's so comfortable...

A sly glint flashed in Metatron's narrowed eyes.

Isn't it only natural for her, with her "Sloth," to pursue a higher and more extreme level of comfort? To be honest, this feeling is so much more comfortable.

Although, well, I might need to "move" a bit more during the process, unlike before when I could be completely paralyzed, considering the rewards... it's alright! Acceptable!

Besides, the Lord showed absolutely no intention of refusing, hehe.

Moreover, the most important point is--

Lord, Novia, he absolutely did not intend to refuse! Hehehe~?

Thinking of this, a silly yet slightly smug smile involuntarily appeared on Metatron's usually lazy and pretty face.

"Um... please don't ignore me..."

Seeing that physical harassment was ineffective, Metatron decided to upgrade his strategy, and his voice, which sounded like a spoiled kitten, became even softer and sweeter.

The next second, she flipped off the Holy Seat and jumped down lightly, slowly walking around to the Sofa behind Novia. Her soft, boneless hands gently reached over his shoulders and hugged her chest, her fair chin resting naturally on his shoulder. A few strands of golden hair playfully fell onto Novia's neck, bringing a slightly ticklish sensation.

"Hey, Master," she nuzzled Novia's shoulder affectionately, "It's such a simple thing, just a little response, just a little bit~"

"Indeed, it's a very simple matter."

Novia spoke calmly.

He might have just said something simple, but Metatron subconsciously interpreted it as a warning.

Clearly... clearly, during their previous tender moments, the Lord was so gentle and close, almost making her feel like she was the most special being in the world.

But in the blink of an eye, that soul-freezing indifference returned; this speed of turning one's back on someone, from a certain perspective, is simply "scumbag" behavior...

"Ahhh, no, no, no!" Metatron shook his head violently, trying to banish the disrespectful thought from his mind.

This is not to say that God is a scoundrel, absolutely not! It's just that God's personality, or rather His way of being, is inherently like this. To expect Him to remain in a certain emotional state is truly a pipe dream.

Of course, his state of 'ignoring the god of death' is actually the norm.

In fact, according to Metatron's shallow yet profound understanding of Novia, the Lord's mind is hardly disturbed by any external emotions, whether it is the self representing extreme Sloth, or Kama symbolizing intense Lust, or any other embodiment of sin.

Stripping away the emotions from memory so that they can no longer have an impact is an operation that is incredibly simple for the Lord.

So... my current ability to act cute and be affectionate is actually the result of being "indulged" by Him.

Ugh... Thinking about this, Metatron felt a little aggrieved, but also a strange sense of smug satisfaction.

Novia was unaware of the myriad thoughts swirling in Metatron's mind at that moment.

He probably never expected that a casual remark he made would cause the King of Angel behind him to imagine so many things.

However, the Angel Queen's rationality did not last long, and she was soon regained control due to her deep-rooted "Sloth".

Instead of curbing his disrespectful attitude because of the "warning," Metatron went even further, leaning his entire weight on Novia's back and even using his index and middle fingers to gently pinch a corner of the page Novia was reading.

"But, my lord," her voice regained its slightly sticky, sweet quality, "Is it really necessary to read this kind of book page by page so carefully? Although it's covered in dense text, for you, isn't it enough to simply 'recognize' its contents and store them directly in your mental database? Efficiency is paramount!"

"Knowing without experiencing is not enough, and the same applies to simply keeping things in your mind without reading them word by word."

"Um..." Metatron was momentarily speechless at these words, but she quickly found a new topic, trying to demonstrate her "value," and incidentally, she feigned a little coquettishness, letting out a small yawn, a few physiological tears welling up in the corner of her eye, "But, that 'Human Order Incineration Formula' that you're concerned about, that thing that guy who calls himself the Demon God King Goetia came up with, it's absolutely impossible for it to succeed! Surpassing the scale of Planet by using Reverse Canal is a completely reckless act. I don't know what it was thinking coming from Solomon. In the end, it's not an egg, no matter how much energy it possesses or how much Fate it gathers, it can't complete Celestial Conception."

In fact, Goetia's plan was doomed to fail; even if it had gone back in time, it would not have been able to create a new Planet.

Simply because it is not an 'egg'.

This was also the princess's assessment of him.

However, if we look at the 'eggs' in other worlds, we can see that Goetia's patch seems... well, how should I put it, like a clown who has carefully applied a full set of makeup, but forgot to put on his most important red nose.

Leaving aside Zeus creating a new Earth in the world of Prisma Illya, even the wandering sea god magician Gitz from the Great Adventure almost created a new planet using a unique barrier equivalent to a world egg, which took a thousand years to complete... It's just that Goetia's knowledge is not as extensive as that of the sea god magician, which is quite remarkable. It can only be said that Wild Gorilla can't function without the wisdom of Solomon.

Therefore, theoretically, if Mot's plan to recreate Planet using the Himalayas in the fr world not long ago were known to Goetia, it would be enough to make Goetia sigh and smile wryly.

Oh, I see. Actually, most of the Crowd knew this, except for me... After a thousand years, you really won, mushroom.

Novia showed no surprise that Metatron knew he was secretly assisting Caleb.

After all, he knew that Metatron had a Library. How should it be described? Perhaps it could be called the "Library of Earth Consciousness" or the "Akashic Records Branch"? However, before spending that night with Novia, her reading access was limited; she could only see the memories and emotions of individuals she had imbued with the 'Sloth' characteristic.

Specifically, it refers to the "book of life" of Alice, Yumina, and that Ms. Erice.

As for the reason... Metatron secretly glanced at Novia's profile, still focused on her book, and a small sense of vanity and happiness bubbled up in his heart.

"That's true, but Metatron, your previous ideas weren't that different from Goetia's, were they?"

"... Hehe~?" Metatron's cheeks instantly flushed a suspicious red. She stuck out her little tongue guiltily, trying to get away with it with this cute gesture. "Um, Master, please don't mention it again! I won't do that anymore, I'm all for humans now!"

"Never mind, it doesn't matter anymore." Novia sighed softly, reaching out to ruffle Metatron's soft blond hair. "By the way, how's the situation at Chaldea now?"

I've spent over ten years in the FR worldview, and I wonder how things are going at Chaldea? They should have finished conquering the Seventh Singularity by now.

Novia's idea was simple: theoretically, if Chaldea's progress was fast, they could overcome the Singularity with minimal difficulty. For example, in the Seventh Singularity, as long as they were fast and made no mistakes, Tiamat wouldn't have awakened... But then again, Tiamat was mainly on their side now, so they had essentially eliminated the 'enemy'.

"Okay, okay! Please wait a moment, I'll take a look for you right away--"

Metatron immediately perked up; this was a great opportunity to share the Lord's burdens!

His golden eyes, which had been lazily squinting, snapped open in that instant.

However, soon, those eyes, now fully open, gazed up and down at Novia, whom he was holding tightly, with a rather puzzling look.

A storm raged within her: Wait! That Chaldea Master... Ritsuka Fujimaru... She... she must be insane... No, no, the Master's current appearance is indeed... quite kind and approachable... right?

Since the goal is to check the latest situation at Chaldea, the most direct and effective way is naturally to access the "book" of the girl named Ritsuka Fujimaru, who is watched by various mythological systems and countless Heroic Spirit and is hailed as "humanity's last Master."

Metatron thought this way, and he did this way.

As a result, she smoothly experienced Ritsuka Fujimaru's memories and emotions, and as Novia had expected, the Seventh Singularity had indeed been cleared.

This, ironically, made him feel somewhat fortunate. He felt that the problem could be solved without him, and he also felt that if he encountered Ista, Ereshkigal, or Quetzal in the Singularity... the former two would make him subconsciously look up at the endless Universe and the pure black hole above, while the latter would cause Novia physical pain in his heart.

As for the reason for Metatron's surprise, it was...

"My past, my power, everything I've endured, was all for saving my mother, for bringing her back, for the emergence of New Humanity. I cannot understand, I cannot accept, why did I lose to you?!"

It was a beautiful person with long green hair that danced in the wind and striking purple eyes; her name was Kingu.

Before it stood two people: the Chaldea Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Mash.

"Master..."

Mash seemed to want to block Ritsuka from advancing towards Kingu, but Ritsuka shook her head at her, indicating that she didn't need to worry.

Then, with firm steps, she walked step by step to Kingu, who was on the verge of collapse.

"You really can't understand?"

"Why, why have you been able to persevere to this extent? You must have encountered unimaginable pain, felt suffocating torment, and faced profound despair capable of crushing all hope! Yet, both your mind and body have become incredibly heavy, so heavy that they are almost crushing you... Why do you still struggle to move forward? Why are you unwilling to give up?!" Kingu raised his head, his purple eyes bloodshot. "Although I understand that the loser has no right to ask so many questions, personally, I really want to know, you— Ritsuka Fujimaru —as a small, ordinary Old Humanity, what Answer you could possibly give to my question just now."

Based on the body of the clay doll Enkidu created by the gods, and born for the return of the 'Mother', Kingu could not understand what reason this weak human girl, who seemed so fragile that she should not have continued to live, could have come to this point.

Humanity's defeat and the end of the old era were inevitable Fate.

Even if they were lucky enough to conquer all seven Singularity, they would still be absolutely unable to stop the Demon God King was burning away Human Order.

Rather than dying in despair and struggle before Delusion impossible Future, it would be better to accept one's Fate of destruction sooner and more decisively.

Faced with Kingu's almost desperate question, Ritsuka's face revealed a bitter smile tinged with helplessness:

Actually, I don't know.