Chapter 299: Cerberus's Curious Conversation; Still Human, After All
Clow Reed could only watch the Queen of Hell before him with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. It was the woman beside him who spoke first, her curiosity piqued. "The most powerful god? Are you referring to the Creator God?"
At her question, Cerberus paused his lapping at a bowl of water, looking up with some confusion. Lucifer, however, merely smiled, a hint of playfulness dancing in her gaze. "Creator God? Which one are you referring to? And at what level?"
Her response left both Clow Reed and his companion momentarily speechless. The woman tilted her head, a line of confusion creasing her brow. "Are there many Creator Gods? Shouldn't there be only one for each plane of existence?"
Lucifer waved a dismissive hand. "Every mythology has one. That fellow who calls himself 'God' claims the title. In the East, you have Pangu, who split the heavens from the earth. Then there's Brahma, Gaia, and countless others. Each mythology insists on having its own supreme creator, does it not? So, which one are you talking about?"
The woman paused, glancing at Clow Reed. The powerful magician hesitated before answering, "There... shouldn't be such a mythology in our world."
"If that's the case, then this 'Creator God' of yours isn't all that impressive. At most, they are powerful within the confines of your own world."
"Why do you say that?" the woman asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Any being that calls itself a god requires believers," Lucifer explained casually. "The faith of mortals strengthens them, grants them new aspects and identities. The power the two of you wield, however, has already transcended the mortal coil. To have mastered it to such a degree..."
Clow Reed opened his mouth to speak, but Lucifer's voice, though soft, cut through the air with absolute authority. "Your magic can already interfere with the fabric of dimensions, yet you are both still fundamentally human. Truly remarkable beings. But unfortunately, you are still bound within the dimension of your home plane."
Her words hung in the air. Clow Reed eventually offered a wry smile. "Miss Lucifer certainly explains things in great detail. But as for the matter of time..."
"Didn't your magic just stop her time?" Lucifer countered without missing a beat. "It can be done, so long as your own power is sufficient. It's hardly a new feat. Time itself holds little sway over gods and other powerful races, to say nothing of the considerable number of deities who command it directly."
The power of Clow Reed and the woman was obvious, as was the power of their world's Creator God. But as Lucifer had stated, every mythology had such a figure. Their strength was relative to the plane they inhabited. While they could act across various dimensions, they had not yet transcended the greater reality that contained their world.
The woman shifted her focus from the metaphysical discussion to a more personal one. "Miss Lucifer, if I may ask, what is your relationship with Mr. Ren? You seem quite familiar with him."
"Ah?" Lucifer's smile widened. "Ren? He's my man."
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
The sound escaped both Clow Reed and the woman simultaneously, their composure shattering for the first time. What in the world? This turn of events was not something they had anticipated. It seemed to have veered wildly off the path of their imagination.
Lucifer simply waved a hand, dismissing their shock. "Those are all minor details. I won't elaborate. You two continue your chat." Her eyes then fell upon the guardian beast nearby. "Cerberus, what are you doing?"
"Ah? Oh... just chatting," he replied, his attention fixed on a small screen.
"Hm? Is that the Electronic Empress again?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I swear, that Electronic Empress is a genius at staying up all night. She said she was hired to fix some system, so she had to pull an all-nighter and just happened to be free to talk."
Lucifer nodded, a hint of helpless amusement in her tone. "It's a wonder you two have anything in common to talk about for so long. What did you discuss?"
"Ah? Oh... we talked about Master. This person is really interesting."
Lucifer froze. She immediately leaned over, her eyes scanning the chat log on Cerberus's device. A moment later, a laugh escaped her lips. "You two were just talking about this?"
Cerberus nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! We were! It's pretty interesting. She mentioned a lot of Master's friends that she knows, too!"
Hearing this, Lucifer's interest was fully captured. She slid onto the seat next to Cerberus, a conspiratorial smile gracing her features. "Cerberus, my dear. Who exactly did she mention?"
"Ah? Let me scroll back up..."
Watching the two of them, Clow Reed and the woman were at a complete loss for words. A complaint was lodged firmly in their throats, but they had no idea how to even begin voicing it.
The Queen of Hell, Lucifer, a legendary figure of countless identities, and a Hellhound, a creature of myth and terror. These two beings were huddled together, gossiping about who their man and Master's friends were. Shouldn't they already know this? Wait... that wasn't the point.
The point was, why were two entities of their stature discussing such mundane things?! Shouldn't they be plotting how to drag souls to the underworld? Or at the very least, debating the intricacies of forbidden magic? This was simply too absurd!
Yuuka Kazami, however, was entirely unfazed. She had long grown accustomed to the peculiar reality of this establishment. Before, she had even witnessed Lucifer, the Queen of Hell, nearly choke on her tea while watching a slapstick comedy clip, her laugh surprisingly undignified.
Yuuka could confirm that while every aspect of the shop was excellent, from the food to the decor, the people within it were a collection of magnificent oddities. But perhaps it was precisely because the owner himself was strange that he attracted such a strange clientele.
Her gaze drifted to the two guests sitting there, who exuded an aura of elegance even while waiting in silent contemplation. These two... one could live but chose to die, while the other was already dead yet remained entangled in worldly affairs. Such existences were certainly strange in their own right.
Clow Reed didn't dwell on the bizarre scene for too long. For him, such things were ultimately irrelevant. He let out a soft sigh, a hint of genuine melancholy in his voice. "Alas... Natsume-kun didn't come today. I do miss his company."
The woman glanced at him, a gentle smile touching her lips. "To be missed by you... I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse for him. But he must be a good person."
"Mm. Natsume-kun is a very gentle soul. You should meet him someday."
"Oh? That sounds rather exciting. Tell me, what did you experience here that day?"
"Mmm... The Gu Lao Rou comes highly recommended."
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