"Lady Alice, please calm down." Megumi Kato did not resist, though she felt slightly uncomfortable with such intense enthusiasm.
"Aya-ya-ya," Alice said, holding her like a porcelain doll. "It is because Megumi agreed to join me right away! This is the first time I have ever issued an invitation so seriously. Those girls in the [Apocalypse] Universe had no choice but to agree because of the outbreak of The Dead in their world, but Megumi is the first one to accept me like this willingly."
"Lady Alice..." Megumi Kato felt her consciousness fading.
There was no helping it. In the face of such overwhelming [stats], everything else was insignificant. Megumi felt like she was about to suffocate.
"Ah!" A cry of surprise followed, accompanied by a flurry of movement.
Megumi Kato was forced to lie across Alice's lap like a little baby, with Alice gently stroking her cheek. In a sense, although Alice was a lively and adorable person, her maternal instincts had grown stronger and stronger since the conception and birth of Little Keli.
"Megumi," Alice continued to ask with a smile, "can you tell me now?"
Megumi Kato slowly recovered from the suffocation. In that moment, she felt as if she had seen her great-grandmother in the afterlife. Suddenly, she understood something. No wonder she did not have "them," as they were simply too lethal.
"No one would refuse," Megumi Kato said as she slowly sat up, maintaining her posture and speaking calmly. "When an opportunity is placed right before your eyes, how could anyone refuse? Neither Utaha nor Eriri will refuse."
"Hee hee hee," Alice laughed. It was exactly as she had thought.
Sure enough, the next day, Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri both made their choice.
***
[Longhuang Universe]
"Darling!"
"I..."
"Eh?"
When Alice returned with the three young girls and was just about to call out, she discovered that her darling was not there.
"Madam!"
Accompanied by an elegant and refined voice, Chiyo Rurikawa walked over with measured steps. She held the hem of her skirt and performed an elegant curtsy.
Alice tilted her head and asked curiously, "Chiyo, where is my darling? Why is he not home?"
Chiyo Rurikawa smiled and said, "Madam, the Master was invited by Lady Saori to handle some matters."
"Fine then!" Alice smacked her lips, appearing quite unhappy.
The three girls watched this scene quietly, especially Chiyo Rurikawa. This elegant and refined maid was clearly more than she seemed, as the aura she gave off was entirely different.
"Ladies, this way please!" Chiyo Rurikawa looked at her mistress, who had already dashed off in a whirlwind, and then at the three nervous girls, smiling as she said, "Madam has gone to find the Young Mistress. I shall make the arrangements for the three of you."
"Yes!" the three girls replied in unison.
They were still very nervous, even the mature Utaha Kasumigaoka. No matter how sharp-tongued she usually was, she did not dare to act up at a time like this.
***
[Saint Seiya Universe]
Riku sat in a chair with his legs crossed, looking lazily at the young girls before him. He said helplessly, "Saori, so... you just wanted me to come and take a look? I would not forbid anyone you have chosen!"
Speaking of which, it was quite ridiculous. Riku really could not figure out why she had called him over.
Ah! They were not all young girls. There was also a tall, elegant, and mature woman wrapped in bandages who seemed to be observing him slightly.
Kyoko, Shoko, Mii, Katya, Erda, and Xing Xiaoling.
He was very familiar with these six. Each of them was a Saintia, serving as Saori's personal attendants.
"Eh?" Riku looked at the girl Shoko and was stunned for a moment. He said in surprise, "Has the 'God-Slaying Power' been given to this child? What about that guy? Pegasus?"
Regarding the matter of Pegasus, he really did not know, or rather, he had not paid attention to it at all.
The "God-Slaying Power" was indeed a good thing, but it did not mean much to him since he was not a god. Besides, that was something for God Kings and those below them to play with. As for higher levels? Do not be ridiculous!
It was just like the Golden Arrow currently held by Rika Minami as the Silver Saint of Sagitta. The power to slay gods? Without a doubt, it possessed it! But if it were truly an unstoppable bug, it would have been dealt with long ago. Do not think these gods are easy to talk to, as that is not how it works at all.
"Pegasus..." Saori sighed softly, then said calmly, "He left."
"He made a different choice, I see." Riku was quite calm about it, then changed the subject. "I have no objection. It does not matter who the 'Cosmic Core' is given to. Besides, those who can become the Saintias of Delphinus, Ursa Minor, Corona Borealis, and Cassiopeia clearly have the talent. Is that not a good thing?"
Delphinus Mii.
Ursa Minor Xing Xiaoling.
Corona Borealis Katya.
Cassiopeia Erda.
Adding Equuleus, these five constellations were all very special. Kyoko was the Night Owl God and held the "Power of Protection," while the other four constellations were the same, possessing a portion of the "Power of Protection." It was not that the power was split up, but rather that they converged into a single whole.
So, if one really studied the eighty-eight constellations, they would find some very interesting things. Many constellations that seemed to be Bronze actually contained special powers. Some constellations that seemed to be Silver were actually just fodder.
"Speaking of which..." Riku looked at the girls, who were clearly nervous, and simply smiled. "There is no need to be so tense. I am not some man-eating monster. When you think about it, from now on, we are all one family."
The words "one family" were not misplaced. Once they absorbed the "Cosmic Core," they truly would be part of his family.
"Mr. Riku!" The six girls all performed a respectful salute, placing one hand over their chests and kneeling on one knee.
Meanwhile, Mayura stood calmly with her arms crossed, quietly watching it all unfold.