Chapter 869: The Value of a Chat Group Succubus
The apocalyptic Doomsday collapsed before it could even bare its fangs.
The anomalous Sephira crystals dissolved into nothingness, scattering like stardust in the wind. As a direct consequence, the severed pathways bridging the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the Qliphoth—the Reverse Tree of Life—reconnected with a resonant, world-mending hum. The shattered Sephiroth restored itself, its radiant light returning to the fabric of reality.
"My Angel is back."
The Spirit of Origin felt the shift more intimately than anyone else. The ethereal connection snapped back into place, surging through her veins. Absolute control over the world's spiritual laws was hers once again.
Well, almost absolute.
Ren, standing casually amidst the dissipating energy, remained a glaring exception to her dominion. A few of the surrounding Spirits had already recognized her true identity. Their weapons materialized instantly, stances shifting into rigid defensive postures.
"Ren! She's extremely dangerous! Get away from her!" one of them shouted, voice tight with panic.
Anyone who had ever witnessed the Spirit of Origin's true power harbored a deep, instinctual terror of her. Yet, Mio Takamiya remained entirely unmoved by their hostility. Or rather, she simply could not bring herself to care. She stood frozen in the center of the restored landscape, her eyes clouded with a hollow, deep confusion.
After having the veil ripped from her eyes, after personally witnessing the futile, aimless nature of her millennia-long machinations, the very foundation of her existence had crumbled. What was her purpose now? Was it to protect the Neighboring World? To annihilate humanity? Or to forge a utopia where Spirits could exist in peace? The answers slipped through her fingers like sand.
"You're out of goals, aren't you?"
Ren's voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. He had closed the distance without a sound, stopping just a breath away from her. The Spirit of Origin slowly raised her head, meeting his gaze with silent, empty eyes.
"Why don't you tag along with me?" He offered a relaxed, easygoing smile, extending an open hand toward her. "Come experience what a real human life is like."
A short distance away, Kurumi Tokisaki observed the exchange. Her mismatched eyes narrowed for a fleeting second before she let out a soft breath, the tension leaving her shoulders. Her dearest friend, Sawa Yamauchi, had already been granted a new lease on life thanks to Ren. He had reached into the river of time itself to rewrite her tragedies., the Spirit of Origin standing before them was no longer the exact same Mio Takamiya who had manipulated her in those false timelines. The burning, centuries-old hatred that had fueled Kurumi's nightmares simply dissolved, written off like an old debt.
"I have already experienced human life," the Spirit of Origin replied, her voice flat and devoid of inflection. The memories and sensations gathered by her phantom double, Reine Murasame, flowed directly into her own consciousness. To her, she had already lived among them.
Ren caught her drift immediately. He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "No, you haven't. What Reine Murasame went through was merely a fraction of the picture. An incomplete human life."
"Why do you call it incomplete?" She tilted her head. Her expression remained perfectly blank, yet the subtle gesture carried an indescribable, almost innocent naturalness.
"Because she missed out on the most important part," Ren said, his grin widening. "The emotional and physical life of humans."
He didn't even bother hiding the dagger; his true intentions were laid bare for all to see. Ren made absolutely zero attempt to conceal his shameless motives.
"Come with me," he murmured, his tone dropping an octave, dripping with persuasive warmth. "I'll take you on a journey to experience exactly what human passion is. Body and soul."
The Spirit of Origin blinked slowly, processing his words. "You wish to... combine with me?"
Kurumi covered her mouth, a melodic, teasing giggle escaping her lips. "Oh my, Ren-kun. It seems your lecherous little heart has been completely exposed."
Meanwhile, the Doomsday Chat Group's live broadcast interface was practically exploding with scrolling text.
[March 7th: Uh, isn't Ren just straight-up deceiving an innocent young girl right now?]
[Tushan Honghong: Young girl? Why do I get the distinct feeling that she is actually incredibly old?]
[March 7th: Ah? That's entirely beside the point! This is deception! It's practically abduction!]
[Misaka Mikoto: There's no 'feeling' about it, she definitely is!]
[Misaka Mikoto: This guy is just spreading his hormones everywhere again! The second he sees a pretty face, he loses all restraint. Seriously, where did this absolute pervert even come from?!]
[Shokuhou Misaki: Oh my, is someone getting a little jealous? ~]
[Misaka Mikoto: I am absolutely not! Hmph!]
[Shiroyasha: Honestly, rather than just a 'pervert', I think the term 'pile driver' suits our dear administrator much better.]
[Shinobu Kocho: Ah, well... that is...]
[Silver Wolf: True. His stats in the pile-driving category are completely maxed out. No one can beat him.]
[Ch'en: Hey! The topic is completely derailing!]
Reading the holographic screen, Ch'en rubbed her temples, feeling a deep, exhausting ache in her heart. Her cheeks burned a furious shade of crimson.
It was one thing to actually do that sort of thing with him, but did they really have to use such a crass, mechanical term like 'pile driver' to describe it? The worst part was that, having experienced his stamina firsthand, she knew it was a terrifyingly accurate description. That vivid sense of déjà vu made her squirm in her seat, a phantom heat making her skin tingle as if a thousand tiny ants were crawling over her.
[Tsunade: Enough serious talk, let's make this interesting. I'm opening a betting pool! How long do you think it'll take Ren to completely 'take down' this Spirit of Origin?]
[Tsunade: I'm putting my money on exactly one hour!]
[Kushina: Uh, Tsunade-sama, you're gambling again? It's bad enough that you do it constantly back in the village, but now you're bringing it into the Chat Group too?]
[Tsunade: Hahaha! I'm just feeling a bit fired up! A small gamble for fun never hurt anyone!]
[Kushina: Sigh... I really don't know what to do with you.]
[Kushina: Still, considering Tsunade-sama's notoriously terrible luck—losing literally every single bet she makes—as long as I pick a different time than her, I'm guaranteed to be safe.]
[Tsunade: Huh?!]
[Stella: Losing every single bet? Is her luck really that outrageously bad?]
[Erza: Would she even lose at a simple game of rock-paper-scissors? I must admit, I am quite curious.]
[Luo Hao: If it is truly impossible for her to secure a victory in any wager, it may be the result of a cursed fate. One should tread carefully around such misfortune.]
[Tsunade: It's not that exaggerated! I do actually win sometimes, alright?!]
[Kushina: Uh, Tsunade-sama... you're literally known across the nations as the Legendary Sucker. And on the rare occasions you do win, it usually means something terrible is about to happen.]
[Aqua: Pfft—Hahahaha! A Legendary Sucker! I can't believe there are actually mortals with such hilariously bad luck!]
[Tsunade:...]
[Tsunade: Enough about my luck! Just tell me if you're in on the bet or not!]
[Exusiai: First, you gotta tell us what the stakes are. What are we betting?]
[Tsunade: Nude photos! Whoever guesses wrong has to post a full-body nude photo directly into the group chat!]
[Tingyun: Oh my... what a rather scandalous condition.]
[Chito: Ugh... Is something like that really okay to post?]
[Tsunade: What's the problem? It's not like there are any strangers here. Everyone in this group basically belongs to Ren anyway.]
[Stella:...]
[Sylvia:...]
[Tsunade: Oh, right, there are a few newcomers who haven't crossed that line yet. But let's be honest, it's only a matter of time with him. Anyway, if you've got the guts, place your bets!]
[Shiroyasha: I'm in. I'll give it 10 minutes. The man is a terrifying succubus in human form.]
[Saeko Busujima: 5 minutes.]
[March 7th: Uh, you guys are exaggerating way too much! I... I think it would take at least half a day for them to build up that kind of relationship, right?]
For the next few moments, the chat was a flurry of activity as the girls threw out their respective timeframes, ranging from hours to days.
Exactly one minute later.
[Esdeath: Heh. It's already over.]
[Nami: Huh?]
[Vivi: Eh?]
Across countless different dimensions, dozens of pairs of eyes stared at the live broadcast window in sheer, unadulterated disbelief.
On the screen, Ren had already pulled the Spirit of Origin into a deep, intimate embrace. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and the two were locked in a passionate, breathless kiss.
It had taken him less than sixty seconds.
How the hell did he escalate things to a kiss that quickly?!
[Shiroyasha:...]
[Shiroyasha: I genuinely tried my absolute best to overestimate his shamelessness... but I didn't expect... I didn't expect that I would still underestimate the true terrifying power of a male succubus!]
[March 7th: Wuwuwu... Yours truly... Yours truly guessed completely wrong!]
Aboard the Astral Express, March 7th's delicate face crumpled into a mask of utter despair.
Sitting on the plush sofa beside her, Himeko lowered her coffee cup and looked over in confusion. "March? What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing at all!"
The horrifying realization of the bet's penalty crashed down on her. March shivered violently, her face flushing bright pink as she shot up from her seat and sprinted frantically down the corridor toward her private room.
Himeko watched the girl's rapidly retreating figure, a slight, bewildered frown creasing her elegant features.
"Did something happen to her?" she murmured to the empty parlor car.
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