— — — — — —
"Mmn…"
The Holy Mother Goddess slowly stirred awake from her slumber. But the moment she saw her surroundings clearly, her pupils shrank sharply.
"You're awake?"
"Regalzeva" turned his head and looked toward the giant floating bubble suspended beside him, his gaze locking onto the Holy Mother Goddess inside—her hands and feet bound by shackles.
She had brilliant golden hair, much like Gabriel's, a face even more flawless than any angel's, skin as clear and blue as the sea, and most striking of all—the wings on her back.
If it weren't for her lower hairline and the fact that her chest was smaller, Ryo might've mistaken her for Gabriel herself.
But after thinking it over, it made sense.
In the DxD world, Gabriel had been one of the earliest angels created. Which probably meant the very first angel had been jointly made by Creator God and the Holy Mother Goddess, using the latter as a template.
And considering how much the Etoulde resembled an angel—except for the pointed elf ears—it seemed likely that the angels of the DxD world were, in a way, the Holy Mother Goddess's memorial to the Etoulde race.
The Holy Mother Goddess flexed her hands slightly, her eyes flickering.
'This custom divine restraint... it isn't activated? And this mechanical bubble—it's high-end equipment the Evie Empire uses to imprison organic lifeforms, sure, but there's no way Regalzeva would use something this basic to hold an Etoulde God.'
'Isn't he worried I'll escape?'
At that moment, 'Regalzeva' crossed his arms and sneered. "What? Found out your future's nothing but being reduced to a breeding tool, and now you're too scared to even speak?"
The Holy Mother Goddess narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a long while, "…Who are you?"
"Oh? At a time like this, you're more interested in who I am than in your own situation?" 'Regalzeva' sounded strangely excited. "Does that mean you've got no objections to becoming a breeding tool?"
That excitement baffled her completely.
Why was he so happy about that? Could mechanical lifeforms even reproduce with organic beings?
After a moment of silence, she tested him carefully, "If I said... I don't mind, would you tell me who you are?"
"Of course!"
'Regalzeva' slapped his chest in agreement.
Well... not slapped. More like pried it open.
A moment later, Ryo poked his head out from inside Regalzeva's body and grinned at her.
"Yo~"
"Yo?" The Holy Mother Goddess tilted her head, then awkwardly echoed it back. "Is that some kind of greeting in another world?"
"..."
Ryo sat inside the opened cockpit, legs swinging lazily in the air, "To be honest, after seeing you, I've got one burning question."
Keeping her thoughts steady, she asked, "What question?"
Ryo glanced at her figure and smirked. "Why does the Gabriel that you and the Creator God made have such a bigger chest than you? Seriously, it's like two basketballs. Whose idea was that?"
"..."
The Holy Mother Goddess fell into a long silence.
'Creator? Is he from DxD world?'
She immediately caught that detail and looked at him more closely.
Then it clicked. This was the existence Indra had mentioned—the absurdly powerful outsider from another world.
So he'd actually come to the ExE world. And wearing Regalzeva's mechanical body, no less...
Had Regalzeva already been dealt with?
After a while, she finally answered, "You may not believe this, but while Gabriel's face was modeled after me... her figure was designed by Creator."
She paused, "Actually, Creator tends to prefer women with a stronger maternal presence."
"I see."
Ryo nodded in realization.
But inwardly, he was calling nonsense.
'You think I'm buying that? I'm sure Gabriel's figure is what you wanted. Heh, God of Breasts, Chimune Chipaoti. Are all Etouldes this shameless?'
Seeing that Ryo seemed convinced, the Mother Goddess Chimune quietly let out a breath of relief and turned to the window.
Outside was a blur of endless forest rushing past. They were on a ship.
Judging by the surroundings, they were heading straight for the Evie Empire's capital.
"You're planning to directly assassinate Melvazoa and Seraselbes?"
"What else?" Ryo shot back with a grin. "Originally, I was going to use Trihexa to lure them out. But now that I've got you, things are much simpler."
"After I exposed you at the spaceport, Melvazoa and Seraselbes both declared they'd meet me personally in the imperial capital."
He chuckled, "Looks like they really hate you."
"Probably because I've leaked Evie Empire secrets so many times." She wasn't surprised.
She had infiltrated the Evie Empire through secret arts, constantly feeding intel to its enemies. Compared to Resetoras, who openly fought them head-on, her methods were far more subtle and far more infuriating.
It was only natural they hated her.
By now, those two probably wanted to kill her with their own hands.
"So?" Ryo smiled at her. "Be my woman, and I'll deal with the Three Evil Gods for you. Call it payment for my hard work this time."
"…Huh?"
Chimune blinked, then laughed helplessly, "But you want to kill them too. Why should I have to pay with myself?"
Ryo immediately protested. "That's where you're wrong. In business, doubling your profit margin is just common sense."
"I've never done business," she said, amused, "but I've seen children in my tribe trade before. Isn't ten percent profit already considered pretty good?"
"..."
"Fine, then I'll head back. I don't do losing deals."
The moment Ryo said that, she froze.
She stared at him blankly for a long moment before finally laughing in disbelief, "…Alright. I agree. Though I don't understand why a woman like me would catch the eye of someone as strong as you... if you're willing to destroy the Evie Empire, then paying a price is only fair."
Ryo blinked. "Wait, what? I was kidding, and you're actually offering yourself? Seriously? Have a little dignity, sister."
She stared back, equally stunned, "…Wasn't this what you wanted?"
"Nope." Ryo wagged a finger, smiling. "You're the one who insisted on this."
Then he kicked off lightly and slid back into the cockpit. Regalzeva's eyes lit up again.
"Alright. We're here." He looked at her and grinned. "Time for your performance."
She turned toward the window. Her gaze pierced through the glass and landed on the capital airport below, and at the head of the welcoming party stood two gigantic mechanical lifeforms.
The Malevolent God, Melvazoa.
The Wicked God, Seraselbes.
Her eyes reddened instantly. Clenching her teeth, she lowered her head deeply, hiding the hatred burning in her eyes.
"Now that's a good look."
"Regalzeva" laughed, grabbed the mechanical bubble containing her, and strode toward the boarding ramp.
.
.
.