A Multiversal Journey Beginning with the Supreme Sovereign

He felt it. He felt this dark womb rejoicing.

"Nutrition" was slowly flowing into this darkness through the mark left after Nangong Nayue accepted the invitation.

As an embryo, he too was absorbing this nourishment and growing.

Only then did Saigō realize that this so-called nutrition was actually the sustenance that nourished a world. He was plundering a world!

The Mother of Evil Gods truly deserved to be called the source of all darkness and sin. This ability lived up to the name of an evil god. She was nothing less than a true world-ending disaster, an irreconcilable enemy!

Nangong Nayue... I seem to remember she's a character from Strike the Blood?

Since I can seize a world's nourishment through her, can I expand this channel and obtain even more?

Nangong Nayue was very beautiful. Her doll-like, exquisite face, petite body, and especially her resilient yet cold personality were all deeply admirable.

It was a beauty different from Albedo and Shalltear's, yet no less stunning.

But compared to Nangong Nayue's beauty, the pleasure of nourishing himself with that nutrition was far more addictive than any woman.

Saigō had no interest in Nangong Nayue at the moment. What he was considering was how to use her to obtain more nourishment!

Nangong Nayue deeply regretted everything now. Had she known this would happen, she never should have let curiosity drive her to pick up that black slip of paper.

Could the reward promised by such an evil and terrifying being be to take her soul, then cruelly torture and kill her here?

Perhaps that would be cruel to humans, but to such an evil existence, it might very well count as a reward.

Thinking of this, Nangong Nayue actually felt slightly calmer.

After all, she was a Pure-blooded Witch, a monster destined to sell her soul.

At the Price of Your Soul, Nangong Nayue!

At this moment, Nangong Nayue recalled everything that had happened before.

She had picked up that strange black slip of paper on her way to high school.

As a Pure-blooded Witch, although she had not yet completed a contract with a demon, Nangong Nayue had received an elite Demon Slayer education since childhood.

Moreover, Nangong Nayue herself possessed extraordinarily powerful talent in the field of Space Control.

However, Space Control magic required far too much magical power and placed an immense burden on ordinary humans.

Although Nangong Nayue was talented in this respect, as a human, she could not freely use such techniques.

But both Nangong Nayue herself and the Artificial Management Commune of String God Island knew this.

Once Nangong Nayue formed a contract with a demon and gained inhuman magical power, she would inevitably master those Space Control Techniques.

As an outstanding Demon Slayer, Nangong Nayue had also sensed the mysterious power emanating from that black slip of paper. She could tell that the owner of that power was terrifying.

But just how terrifying the owner of the black paper was lay beyond Nangong Nayue's imagination.

Even as an outstanding Demon Slayer, in her own world, Nangong Nayue had not yet signed a contract with a demon, so her strength was not particularly great.

If Nangong Nayue's strength were "1," then whether it was a power of "10" or "100," she would be unable to distinguish the difference.

That was why the Archons of Teyvat and the Great Yokai of Gensokyo, after "picking up" this black slip of paper, had all been extremely cautious and dared not use it.

Yet although Nangong Nayue was surprised by the paper's power, she had not paid it much attention.

The Archons of Teyvat and the Great Yokai of Gensokyo were already immensely powerful, so naturally they could better sense the terror of the Mother of Evil Gods.

After picking up the black slip of paper, Nangong Nayue had studied the symbol on it.

Using some of String God Island's privileges, she found that the symbol was connected to a myth lost in her world.

For a Demon Slayer, such an "antique" left behind from the age of myths was naturally worthy of study.

Nangong Nayue had assumed that the paper was merely a trace left behind in the world by some long-vanished god, and had not thought much of it.

But who could have imagined that the god who left behind that trace had not perished? And that this god was unexpectedly terrifying.

It knows my name is Nangong Nayue. That isn't too surprising. Even among Demon Slayers, there are techniques that can probe other people's thoughts.

...Perhaps everything I'm thinking right now is being perceived by It.

Even after realizing this, Nangong Nayue did not stop thinking. Instead, she racked her brain, pondering what the terrifying god before her truly wanted.

That strange slip of paper had appeared in her world and before her for a reason.

And from Saigō's brief words earlier, Nangong Nayue reached an extremely horrifying conclusion.

"Invitation," "world's marker," and "sufficient value"—those words were enough to make Nangong Nayue tremble.

With her intelligence, she roughly guessed that this terrifying existence was likely interested in her world.

And if such a dreadful being were brought into her world because of her, then she would become a sinner to humanity, demonkind, and even all life on Earth!

The moment this conclusion arose, one thought surfaced in Nangong Nayue's mind—suicide!

Her personality was that unyielding. Unless there was a more perfect outcome, she would never compromise easily.

Even though she had admitted before Sendou Aya that she feared death, when faced with the choice between her own safety and the safety of the entire world, she would rather end her own life.

"Humans truly are a contradictory race. Some are so vile that they would sell everything just to survive, while others, like heroes and saints, can sacrifice themselves without asking for anything in return."

Saigō did not mind letting Nangong Nayue know that he truly could read her thoughts.

That terrifying voice made Nangong Nayue's delicate body tremble. Even her snow-white skin split open with streaks of blood.

"Abandon that foolish thought, Nangong Nayue! Your soul is now in My hands. You are merely a puppet on strings. Even your life is no longer yours to decide!"

"...Why do you look so miserable? Why are you so desperate? Weren't you, who intended to sell your soul to a demon, already prepared for this?"

"Since you were going to hand your soul over to a demon, then surely you should not care which demon receives it!"

Saigō let out a malicious laugh. As the evil of this world, that laughter contained absolute darkness and every sin.

In truth, Saigō was simply bluffing Nangong Nayue.

If Nangong Nayue committed suicide within this dark space, he could indeed reverse life and death with ease.

But if Nangong Nayue returned to her own world and killed herself, Saigō would be utterly powerless.

The divine nature of the Mother of Evil Gods was only effective within this dark space. His power could not extend beyond it.

Those invitations were already the result of every effort he had made to affect the outside world.

Outside this space, the power Saigō could display was only that of a Great Old Demon, and not even in its complete form.

If Nangong Nayue truly killed herself in her own world, Saigō would have no choice but to watch the marker vanish and lose the possibility of plundering nourishment from that world.

But Nangong Nayue did not know this. Saigō could completely rely on his absolute advantage in information to toy with her in the palm of his hand.

After all, such things came naturally to Saigō, who had once climbed to the upper ranks of a political regime.

"Who exactly are you?"

Nangong Nayue's face was deathly pale. She allowed her jade-like skin to split with bloody wounds, nearly staining her into a figure of blood.

She stared directly at that unimaginable existence and asked, word by word.

The lost mythological texts had long since vanished. That was why they were called lost myths.

Nangong Nayue did not know who this god truly was.

"I am the master of Zoroaster, the highest god of the evil realm, the Lord of Darkness and Death!"

"...Nangong Nayue, let us play an interesting game. You have no right to refuse!"

"You will sell your soul to Me, and according to the 'Witch's Ritual,' I will grant you the power of an incarnation created by Me."

"...The contents of the contract shall be the deepest wish in your heart. If you fulfill the contract, I will spare your world."

"If you fail, darkness and death will descend before you. Countless DAEVA led by the Six Great Devils will devour everything you hold dear!"

Deception was what demons did best, just like Demiurge.

Saigō, who was also a demon, had no intention of abandoning his old trade.

As long as he could deceive Nangong Nayue into signing a contract with him, he would gain a stable marker and continuously plunder nourishment.

He could even descend into Nangong Nayue's world through the contract!

Nangong Nayue's Watcher

Saigō's words made Nangong Nayue want to believe him, but instinctively, she felt that the words of such an evil and terrifying existence could not be trusted.

Nangong Nayue was not someone who would kneel and surrender without even resisting, nor someone who would give up all resistance without even thinking.

Although Saigō had told her that resistance was useless and that even choosing to end her own life would only make her a laughingstock.

But if she did not try, how could she know whether his words were true?

The moment that thought emerged in Nangong Nayue's mind, darkness churned before her, transforming into a pitch-black dagger like obsidian.

Nangong Nayue, who had been kneeling on one knee from the pain, abruptly raised her head.

Her beautiful eyes, as blue as the sea, could not even reflect that great figure within them. One could only imagine how enormous that terrifying existence was.

Nangong Nayue could not see any trait related to humanity in that dreadful figure. It was as though It was not toying with her at all, merely indulging a passing whim when faced with an ant.

It was like an adult suddenly noticing an ant carrying food. He had no intention of killing it, but found it amusing enough to crouch down and block the ant's path with a finger.

Perhaps to a human, it was a momentary amusement. But to the ant, the price might be its life.

Nangong Nayue did not hesitate. She decisively picked up the obsidian dagger from the ground, aimed its tip at her heart, gritted her teeth, and drove it in.

It would be impossible to say she was not afraid at all. She was, after all, only a young girl in the bloom of youth, an ordinary human.

Before the equalizing force of death, every human would feel fear.

But Nangong Nayue's resolute and decisive heart overcame that fear.

A stabbing pain struck her. Blood flowed away, her brain rapidly deprived of oxygen, and the breath of life quickly scattered from the wound.

Nangong Nayue was merely human now. With such a serious wound to her heart and without using her magical power to reconstruct her body and save herself—

Very soon, Nangong Nayue felt darkness closing in as her consciousness slowly faded.

So this is what death feels like...

Nangong Nayue sighed softly in her heart, feeling that it was not so bad after all.

Her doll-like, exquisite body fell onto the void-like ground.

After an unknown amount of time, Nangong Nayue felt consciousness return once more. She blankly opened her hazy eyes and slowly climbed to her feet.

The memories from before her suicide resurfaced. She lowered her head and saw that there was not a single wound on her flat chest, not even any damage to her clothes.

Even the countless bloody gashes that had previously split open across her body had returned to normal.

The obsidian dagger still lay at her feet, its tip stained with blood. That told Nangong Nayue that everything before had not been an illusion.

She had indeed chosen suicide. She had indeed died. Yet she had come back to life.

She raised her head again, wanting to meet that terrifying existence's gaze, but the pain that filled her eyes from looking upon It nearly made Nangong Nayue cry.

She hurriedly lowered her head and sighed softly.

She could not even choose death for herself. Now, she truly was a living puppet.

In the past, friends who knew her had jokingly said that she was as exquisitely cute as a doll. But Nangong Nayue had never imagined that one day, she would truly become a puppet.

For one called the Lord who held dominion over death and darkness, even reversing life and death seemed reasonable.

"Will you no longer resist?"

That terrifying figure spoke in a voice containing little human emotion.

Nangong Nayue gathered her thoughts. She was not someone who admitted defeat easily.

"I accept this contract, unknown god!"

This time, Nangong Nayue decisively accepted the other party's contract.

Since she could not even choose to end her own life, then she would challenge this unknown existence's game and sign a contract to sell her soul.

As a Witch, she was meant to sell her soul anyway. Since that was the case, who she sold it to made no difference.

What the other party had said before was not wrong.

Even if she made a contract with the kind of demons she knew, the contents of that contract would be nothing more than a Witch's wish, and that wish would be the foundation sustaining the contract.