This looked incredibly sleazy.
As Naohara stared at Pandora, who was wearing his face, rubbing his hands together, and smiling obsequiously, an indescribable sense of exasperation welled up inside him.
It was almost too much to bear. What was this, the obligatory sycophantic henchman found beside every villain?
"Change your face back, or I'll twist your head off and use it as a bowling ball."
Naohara smiled at the bowling-ball-like face before him.
"...As you command!"
Pandora paused for a moment, but returned to normal the very next second.
Although his reaction was somewhat exaggerated, Pandora wisely reverted to his original appearance.
After all, he had no desire to have fingers shoved deep into his mouth and eye sockets.
Of course, that did not mean he objected to anything a Supreme Being might do. He merely felt that such a condition would prevent him from properly fulfilling the Supreme Being's needs.
Therefore, he had chosen to return to his original form so that he could serve the Supreme Being in a flawless state.
Yes, that was exactly it.
Or so Pandora told himself.
"Here. Consider these your rewards for all your hard work."
Naohara smiled at the three people before him, each wearing a different expression. He produced four items and casually tossed them over.
Sephis reacted swiftly and caught the object flying toward him. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was a dark red bone.
He carefully examined it and noticed dark red arcs of electricity flickering across its surface from time to time. It also contained a strangely familiar aura.
At the same time, Pandora deftly caught the objects thrown his way.
They were two small Light Seeds, crystal clear and radiant like brilliant pearls. He gently ran his fingers over them, sensing the information surging within.
Finally, a mass of dark mist slowly drifted toward Albedo. She extended her slender fingers and carefully caught it.
The mist churned in her palm as though it were alive, sending a faint chill through her.
"I receive one as well?"
Albedo asked in confusion.
She could understand Pandora and Sephis receiving rewards.
But someone in her position was already being shown tremendous mercy simply by not being punished. She had never expected to receive what Naohara called a "reward for her hard work."
It left her both astonished and puzzled.
"I'm merely delivering it on his behalf. This portion of Demon essence is a reward from Momonga."
Naohara explained when he saw her reaction.
Understanding appeared in Albedo's eyes.
So that was it.
Yes, Momonga-sama had always been like this.
Although he was not skilled at expressing his emotions, he showed his care and concern for everyone through his actions.
His manner of expressing himself might be somewhat awkward, but it was certainly consistent with his usual behavior.
Still, she naturally looked forward more to receiving a gift directly from the man she loved.
She was a little disappointed.
If it had been the decisive Naohara-sama, then surely he would have...
A peculiar look flashed through Albedo's eyes at the thought.
It was clearly a gift from Momonga-sama, yet Naohara-sama had been the one to place it in her hands.
Hmm...
That gave her a very strange feeling.
Perhaps she ought to do something to repay Naohara-sama for his kindness.
Albedo rested her chin on one hand. Her wings shifted slightly behind her as she sank into thought.
Meanwhile, Naohara was carefully instructing Pandora and Sephis on how to use the items they had received.
"The Power of Catastrophe is far more dangerous than you can imagine. Without a related class, mastering it is nearly impossible. Niles Bahamut is the clearest example."
"Pandora, your racial traits allow you to transform and fight using the form I possessed before coming to this world. That lets you temporarily cast a portion of my Catastrophe Magic, but you also suffer backlash and cannot enter the most crucial Dragon Lord Transformation."
Pandora's transformation ability had numerous limitations.
There were some special classes he simply could not copy.
Examples included the Dragonslayer class Naohara had spent twelve years building, Ulbert's World Disaster, and Touch Me's World Champion.
If even World Champion could be copied perfectly, the game would probably have collapsed long ago. Countless Players would have relentlessly pursued the Doppelganger race.
After all, even eighty percent of a World Champion's strength would unquestionably place someone among the highest-ranking Players.
"Then will these solve my problem?"
Like an eager student, Pandora raised his hand high and asked curiously.
"Correct. Talents are astonishingly powerful abilities. Some are even comparable to World-Class Items."
"Of the two Light Seeds in your hand, one allows you to read a weapon's memories and activate the special skills of its previous wielder. The other allows you to divide your attention and perform two tasks at once."
Naohara nodded as he explained.
His idea was not particularly complicated.
Pandora would use the Talent to read the memories stored within his own equipment and acquire his transformation ability once again, thereby achieving a double transformation.
By stacking two character forms together, the transformed state's attributes could surpass the template's normal limit, reaching one hundred percent or perhaps even higher.
At the same time, the second Talent would allow him to divide his attention and read the equipment's weapon memories again. Through this unconventional method, he could acquire the transformed individual's special skills and overcome the final limitation.
"That truly is a revolutionary idea."
Pandora adjusted the brim of his hat. Even he had to admit that the concept was daring and highly feasible.
If it succeeded, he would gain power genuinely comparable to, or perhaps even greater than, that of most Supreme Beings.
And the two stacked forms did not necessarily have to be identical.
What would happen if he combined the templates of two completely different Supreme Beings?
Touch Me-sama and Ulbert-sama, for example?
Or Naohara-sama and Momonga-sama?
With forty-five templates, he could easily devise hundreds of different combinations.
Woohoo! Just thinking about it was enough to send his excitement through the roof!
After glancing at the visibly excited Pandora, Naohara turned toward Sephis.
He would never be stingy when it came to his own child.
"Sephis, I understand what you're trying to accomplish. You hope to achieve absolute control over the Lightning Element, then apply that understanding to other forces and reach the domain of Catastrophe by altering its properties."
"Yes, Father-sama. I believe this path is viable."
Sephis finally broke his silence and nodded.
Naohara nodded slightly in agreement.
"Your idea does have merit. After absorbing my Dragon Crystal, the fundamental nature of your bloodline has begun drawing closer to mine, greatly improving your compatibility with Catastrophe. However, that is still far from enough."
"This bone is a gift I prepared especially for you. It is a crystallization I nurtured over this period, and it will help you gain greater control over the Power of Catastrophe."
The dark bone was covered in mysterious runes, and blood-red arcs of electricity occasionally flashed across its surface. That was the manifestation of the Power of Catastrophe.
Although Naohara was not particularly familiar with changing its properties, he possessed absolute control over the Power of Catastrophe.
In the past, he had usually manifested Catastrophe as flames, but if he wished, converting it into lightning was equally effortless.
"Father..."
"Take it. It belongs to you."
Naohara spoke gently, then looked at all three of them.
"Now show me your new power."
***
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