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"Smack."
A soft sound echoed as Anos lightly tapped Ais's thigh with the ruler.
"It's clear that you train a lot But from what I can see, your usual routine includes too much combat and adventuring."
"If you keep your body in a constant state of tension like that, improvement actually becomes harder. What you should be doing is relaxing your body, not tightening it. Understand?"
A faint red mark appeared on Ais's thigh where the ruler had struck.
"Yes…"
She frowned briefly from the sting, but quickly adjusted her posture.
Anos wasn't making excuses for some strange hobby. Everything he said was genuinely meant to help Ais improve.
The only reason he used a ruler was that they weren't close enough for physical contact.
If they had been closer, he would have corrected her posture directly.
Just like he did with Bell.
After having her posture adjusted several times by Anos's hands, Bell's eyes had nearly turned into spirals.
For someone as pure as Bell, that level of physical closeness was simply too overwhelming.
Ais, however, was different.
Whether the ruler touched her waist, her thigh, or her back, she only shivered briefly from the cold surface before calmly correcting her stance.
Still, for some reason, even though the ruler was cold, parts of her body felt strangely warm.
Almost hot.
She didn't say anything about it and continued preparing for the sword practice.
…
Freya Familia.
Freya sat in a luxurious room, gazing obsessively at the magical crystal in her hand.
Inside it played the scene of Anos fighting.
Her legs trembled slightly as they pressed together and relaxed again.
One hand rested against her cheek, as though she might bite it in excitement.
"Ah…"
"How pure… how intelligent… how heroic…"
"…how delicious."
The words slipping from Freya's lips were terrifying in more ways than one.
Her eyes glowed a deep rose red, the color so vivid it seemed capable of swallowing the entire world.
Whether it was the reflection of wine or the light from her gaze itself was impossible to tell.
"Mysterious, Truly mysterious."
"A being even the gods cannot see through. A person who leaves no trace in fate itself."
"Schemes… traps… domination… resistance…"
"Ah… how beautiful."
"How delicious."
Freya allowed her emotions to pour out freely.
From Anos, she sensed something that resembled the aura of a god.
Yet she was absolutely certain he was not a divine child.
What exactly was he?
What kind of future would he create?
And what would he taste like?
She wanted to know.
She wanted to know immediately.
…
Half an hour later, she finally calmed down.
Like a wine that had simmered intensely before becoming richer and sweeter.
"Ottar."
Freya gently swirled the wine in her glass.
"I want that man, no matter what it costs."
Noticing the slightly unhinged smile reflected in the glass, she composed herself.
No.
She couldn't lose control like that.
Eating him now would certainly be delicious.
But if he truly was the most mysterious and captivating existence in the world…
Then she would wait.
She would let him ripen into perfection before tasting him.
She reminded herself again and again.
No rushing.
She had to prepare this being called Anos Kanzaki to the perfect state.
"Ottar, how many people have seen this information?"
Freya raised the magical recording device.
"Lady Freya... Aside from the messenger who delivered it and me, no one else has seen it."
Ottar answered calmly.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"In that case, no one else is allowed to learn about this."
"You know what to do."
Freya hadn't expected the matter to remain so secret.
She had already considered hosting large events to distract other Familias from investigating.
But it seemed Ottar had handled the secrecy perfectly.
"Understood, Lady Freya."
Ottar nodded firmly.
"Until you reach your most delicious state… I cannot allow anyone else to damage you."
Freya smiled softly.
"I'll wait… for the day I finally pluck that fruit."
"To think about what flavor it will have…"
For gods, the most important thing was entertainment.
And nothing was more entertaining than the unknown.
…
Meanwhile.
In another world.
A world filled with demons.
A small black-haired girl stepped through space and descended into it.
"World Three."
Ophis murmured quietly.
She had visited this world once before.
Back then, she had only come here to recover from her injuries.
She had never expected Anos to drain so much of her power.
But now it seemed…
He had not lied.
"A boy who possesses divine power…"
"…can you truly kill the Crimson Dragon?"
Even the former Biblical God had failed to defeat the Great Red.
Ophis wanted to see how far this boy could go.
But more than his promise, she cared about something else.
The fact that he had used her power to open passages to other worlds.
It was like discovering a brand new universe.
"Possibility…"
"I saw possibility within him…"
Ophis stretched her small hand toward the empty sky, as though trying to grasp something unseen.
The possibility she spoke of was transcendence.
A path beyond the old world.
If Anos truly reached that point, everything would fall beneath him.
"But it doesn't matter…"
"As long as I reclaim my silence."
Ophis was curious about Anos's future, but she wasn't afraid of him surpassing her.
In fact, she hoped he would.
Only then could he truly help her defeat the Crimson Dragon.
"It's coming."
After waiting quietly for a while, a swirling vortex appeared before her.
The same kind of vortex she had used to arrive.
Her breathing quickened slightly.
He was here.
She suddenly realized something.
She had never asked him why he had invited her to this world.
But it didn't matter.
She was already here.
From within the vortex, a young man stepped out.
"…Hm?"
Ophis widened her eyes slightly.
Something was wrong.
His appearance was the same as before.
But his essence had completely changed.
"Did you recover your original source?"
She asked.
She knew Anos possessed the godhood of the Biblical God. Any differences before had been dismissed as changes caused by time.
But now his body itself had transformed.
It was neither his original physique nor the body of the Biblical God.
It was something entirely new.
Something like a god…
Yet not a god.
Something like a human…
Yet definitely not human.
"Ophis, did you notice something unusual?"
Anos asked with a smile.
"Yes."
"I… have high expectations for you."
Ophis nodded slowly.
"Ophis, from now on, when you're around me, could you stop referring to yourself as 'I, the great one'? Just use 'I' normally."
Anos extended his hand casually.
If his demeanor had been slightly different, someone might have mistaken him for a suspicious adult coaxing a little girl.
"Why?"
Ophis tilted her head.
She could change it, but she wanted to understand the reason.
She had used that form of speech for centuries.
"And it feels a bit too distant between people who have formed a contract."
Anos explained with a gentle smile.
"Is… that so?"
Ophis had simply kept using her ancient habit.
Had the world really changed that much in a few hundred years?
"Then… I will say 'I'?"
She tested the words carefully.
"Exactly."
Anos gently patted her dark hair.
"So… why did you call me here today?"
Ophis spoke slowly, like a child still learning how to talk.
"It's for something very important."
Anos answered seriously.
Recently he had finally gained some free time.
He didn't need to remain around Hestia constantly.
Which meant he could explore other worlds.
Of course, world travel shortened the lifespan of the dimensional gate.
But…
Well.
He could always borrow Ophis's power again later.
"Something important?"
Ophis immediately thought of one thing.
The Great Red.
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