— — — — — —
"Why?"
For the first time, a flicker of surprise crossed Ophis's usually emotionless face.
"Why? Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"
Ryo looked at her and shot back, "Why should I agree to you?"
"I invited you."
Ophis said it calmly, as if that settled everything.
"You invite me and I'm supposed to accept?"
Ryo let out a soft laugh, amusement glinting in his eyes. "I'm not so cheap that I jump just because someone tells me to."
"..."
Ophis fell silent for a moment, then said, sounding slightly troubled, "I can't beat you."
So if she could beat him, she'd just force him to obey?
Ryo raised an eyebrow, studying her.
She was similar to how she was in the original story… but not quite the same.
Just as he remembered, Ophis was incredibly simple.
But simple didn't mean harmless. And it definitely didn't mean safe.
Children who could casually crush ants underfoot were often the most "innocent" ones. A being without any sense of good or evil—that was the truly dangerous kind.
And Ophis, standing right in front of him, was exactly that.
"Let's try a different approach."
Ryo extended his hand toward her, offering an invitation. "Come work for me, Ophis."
Hearing that, confusion flickered in her unfocused eyes.
"What's the difference?"
To her, it sounded no different from what she had just said.
"There is a difference." Ryo answered without hesitation. "It's about who's in charge. If I'm the one inviting you, then you follow my lead. That's the difference."
Ophis paused, then shook her head. "I just want to return to my home."
"Then I'll pack up your home and take it with me—and make you listen."
Ryo didn't hesitate for a second.
He had the ability. And the confidence.
Ophis caught the resolve in his voice, but still shook her head.
"I just want to go home."
She paused, then looked straight at him.
"If you try to take my home… then we're enemies."
"But you can't beat me."
Ryo's tone was full of confidence. That brief exchange earlier had already proven she was no match for him.
If she refused, all it meant was he'd have to put in a bit more effort to subdue her—without hurting her.
Ophis stared at him silently. Her severed left arm rapidly regenerated, smooth and unblemished in seconds.
"I can run," she said calmly. "For a hundred years. A thousand years. I can keep running forever."
The Dragon God who embodied infinity said the most cowardly thing imaginable—in the calmest tone possible.
And yet, Ryo could clearly feel her determination.
"Then I'll destroy your home."
The threat left his lips without restraint.
Right now, he sounded exactly like the kind of villain in a novel—using every method to force the heroine into submission.
And judging from Ophis's reaction, it was working.
At the very least, she looked troubled now.
She had already come to a conclusion the moment they clashed— She couldn't beat Ryo.
He was too fast. So fast that by the time she reacted, her left arm was already gone. And her instincts as a dragon told her that wasn't even close to his full strength.
So if he really went all out… she had no confidence she could protect her homeland.
She was cornered.
"I... I just want to go home…"
There was unmistakable grievance in Ophis's voice now.
Even Michael and Azazel, watching from below, could hear it clearly.
If the two above had been ordinary people, Azazel would've already jumped in for a heroic rescue.
Unfortunately…
One of them was his current superior. The other was the strongest Dragon God in the world.
If he got involved, he'd probably be dead in three seconds flat.
Still, making that being—the strongest in the world—sound this aggrieved… In a way, Ryo really was a professional bully… Azazel grumbled inwardly.
Facing the wronged Ophis, Ryo remained utterly unreasonable.
"Be obedient, and I'll let you go home. I can even help you take the Dimensional Gap back from Great Red."
Of course, after that, he'd find a way to cut the Dimensional Gap off and keep it for himself—or relocate it to Arcadia's base.
No matter how you looked at it, there was no way he was letting Ophis go.
Ophis frowned, thinking hard, searching for any other solution.
In the end, she bit her lip and stared at him.
"Then you have to take my home back first."
"Deal."
A smile spread across Ryo's face instantly.
No matter what she was thinking now, the moment she agreed to this, she'd already stepped into his grasp.
"There's no way… Ophis actually gave in?"
Michael's mouth hung slightly open, his face blank with disbelief.
That was Ophis. The Infinite Dragon God Ophis.
Even their God had been wary of her, never daring to act lightly. After all, when facing a being on the same level—Trihexa—God could only seal it outright.
And now… Ophis didn't dare act against Ryo at all. Faced with his threats, she could only compromise—ending up as little more than a captive.
If you really thought about it… if you compared it like that… If God faced Ryo…
"Ugh—!"
Michael suddenly groaned, clutching his head as he dropped to a crouch.
"Huh?? What's wrong with you?"
Azazel looked at him, then after a moment of scrutiny, said in disbelief, "You actually got punished by the system for blasphemy?"
Because of the system, any being in this world who harbored blasphemous thoughts while praying to God would be punished.
For angels, it was even stricter—just having such a thought was enough to trigger immediate punishment.
In severe cases, they could even be judged as fallen, their very existence altered.
Having experienced a fall himself, Azazel knew this all too well.
So it was easy for him to tell—Michael had crossed that line.
"Shut up!"
Michael snapped, glaring at him while enduring the headache.
Azazel chuckled, then looked back up at Ryo, his expression gradually turning serious.
"Don't take it too hard. Anyone in your position would've thought the same thing."
After all, seeing the Dragon God—one that all gods wouldn't challenge—reduced to this…
It was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
And probably the last.
"Hm...."
At that moment, Ryo—who had just tied Ophis's hands together with his tie, even finishing it off with a neat bow—looked down and said, "You two done sightseeing?"
"Now, go clean up the little rats that snuck in."
"Yes, sir!" After responding, Azazel turned to Michael. "You heard him. Time to work!"
Michael rolled his eyes, still wincing from the headache, then shot off toward the ongoing battlefield.
.
.
.