— — — — — —
"Name your price."
Everyone who heard that couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
But then, Azazel suddenly muttered, "Any price I want?"
Everyone turned to look, only to see him stroking his chin, grinning slyly and wiggling his brows like a shady merchant haggling in a marketplace.
His antics instantly took the edge off the tense atmosphere.
Michael understood what Azazel was doing. He clearly didn't think clashing with Ryo was a good idea and was trying to ease things before they escalated.
And Michael trusted the judgment of this ancient survivor of countless wars.
In a straight fight, they really might not come out on top.
But angels bowing to someone else? That was out of the question.
"Since this isn't a matter for a three-way summit, the angels will withdraw from this negotiation."
With that, Michael stood, clearly ready to leave.
Ryo didn't stop him. He just said casually, "Even if my offer is to revive your God?"
"No matter what you offer, angels will never—ah!"
Before he could finish, Gabriel slammed his head straight into the round table. Not only did his face get embedded in it, his legs even kicked up into the air.
After forcibly planting Michael into the table, Gabriel let go and immediately returned to her usual gentle, soft-spoken demeanor, quietly saying. "The angels accept this deal. Even if it means selling ourselves, so be it."
Ryo, Azazel, Sirzechs, Akeno… all of them were completely stunned.
What the hell?!
Aside from Ryo, no one even saw how Gabriel moved.
So the strongest in Heaven… was actually her?
That was a revelation.
Meanwhile, Ryo stroked his chin, his gaze drifting—somewhat meaningfully—toward Gabriel's impressive figure.
Even more striking than Akeno's already generous proportions.
The reason he lingered there, though, was because something clicked in his mind.
In this world, it seemed like powerful women… tended to be stronger the more well-endowed they were.
And Gabriel… was known as Heaven's finest in that regard. No wonder she could suppress Michael in an instant. Turns out she was the real top dog in Heaven.
"Man, it's been a while since I've seen Gabriel-chan get this fired up."
Azazel chuckled, clearly not surprised by her outburst.
Come on—he was a fallen angel who literally fell because of lust. Did anyone really think he wouldn't have thoughts about beautiful angels?
Of course he did.
But with Gabriel, the most he ever dared was a cheeky comment when she was in a good mood. Otherwise, he behaved himself completely.
Why? Because she was terrifyingly strong.
"But for the angels to make the first move…"
Azazel narrowed his eyes as he watched Michael pull his head out of the table, dusty and silent, before sitting back down.
He understood.
Michael had already agreed.
For angels, God was their very reason for existence. If Ryo could help revive Him, there was no way they'd refuse.
At the same time, Azazel realized something else—the angels had likely already been preparing for God's revival. Otherwise, Gabriel, who hated conflict, wouldn't have acted so decisively upon hearing the offer.
Azazel shook his head and turned to Ryo. "Mr. Yagami, I just want to know—what kind of benefits come with joining you?"
"For example, what's our 'sell-out' price as fallen angels? Are there war profits? Compensation for the fallen? What about daily benefits—insurance, housing funds, that sort of thing?"
Rubbing his chin, he looked every bit like a calculating businessman.
Ryo glanced at him, then casually pulled out several documents from his Gift Card and handed them over.
They were standard recruitment contracts from Arcadia, drafted by Leticia and refined by people like Orihime Inoue and Natsuki Minamiya.
Since Ryo planned to recruit talent in other worlds, he always carried a stack on him.
Azazel took them, gave them a quick look, then scanned the contents with his mind.
"Whoa. Six types of insurance, three kinds of funds, base salary plus performance pay, and seventeen different allowances… you guys are pros."
He squinted as he continued reading.
"But these 'Gift allowances,' 'Authority guidance,' and loot distribution from Gift Games… heh, a lot of unfamiliar terms. Must be specific to your world."
Ryo looked at him. "I'll be blunt. I've got quite a few enemies over there. And they're powerful."
"Confident, aren't you?" Azazel clicked his tongue softly.
Just from a single contract, he'd already picked up a lot.
That "Five-Digit Standard Contract" in the title especially caught his attention.
A power ranking system?
If this was five digits, then there had to be at least four levels above it. The question was how far it went.
And the fact that Ryo openly admitted to opposing major factions… that kind of confidence wasn't something just anyone could have.
"This contract says it's for five-digit-level individuals… if you don't mind me asking, what 'digit' are you, Governor Ryo?"
Azazel smiled, slipping back into a respectful tone, clearly signaling a shift in attitude.
The contract targeted high-level talent. From what he could tell, he himself barely met some of the criteria and exceeded others. It was obvious Ryo only wanted elites.
"I'm barely at four digits right now," Ryo sighed, looking almost regretful. "And I'm already the strongest in my community."
Yeah, right. Like hell I'm gonna believe that nonsense.
Indra, the top five in this world, didn't give him, Azazel, nearly as much pressure as Ryo did.
If Ryo was really just a borderline four-digit, Azazel would eat the table in front of him.
Still… a campaign across other worlds…
That idea stirred something in him.
This world's resources had already been thoroughly explored. If the fallen angels could expand into other worlds, that would open up entirely new possibilities—and security.
With that in mind, Azazel smiled.
"As long as it benefits the fallen angels, I wouldn't mind joining you."
Ryo glanced at him, then said flatly. "I think you've got the wrong idea. I don't take weaklings. And honestly, you're not exactly good either. You wouldn't even pass as decoration."
"Azazel… You're making this difficult."
Azazel froze.
A thousand thoughts boiled down to one word.
Damn.
.
.
.