Boom!
The air shook violently, and it was as if all color had been stripped from the world, leaving only two hues twisting against each other.
A terrifying pressure swept outward, making even the entire temple tremble faintly.
Above the wide platform, two points of light faced one another from afar.
One figure wore gold and white full-body armor and held a spear-scythe shaped like a cross. The black and white hair on the figure's head was especially striking.
The other figure looked somewhat… unusual.
Its entire body was green, a plant-type heteromorph made entirely of vines, with a bright red flower blooming atop its head.
It looked slightly short in stature, dressed in a simple white robe and holding a staff set with black gemstones.
"How scary~"
"Who would've thought the Theocracy was hiding a monster like you, and you're not even human."
A slightly playful voice came from the vine-made figure.
There was no doubt that this was Pandora in a transformed form.
The model for his current appearance was none other than one of Nazarick's Forty-Two Supreme Beings, the one known as Zhuge Liang, [Punitto Moe].
On the other side, Zesshi Zetsumei paid no attention to what he said.
Her eyes remained locked on the figure before her, the scythe in her hand ready to strike at any moment.
She did not know his identity, but from the probing exchange just now, she could clearly feel one thing.
The monster in front of her was no weaker than she was.
"If I had a child with him, it would definitely be strong."
The thought suddenly flashed through Zesshi Zetsumei's mind.
"Well, I honestly wouldn't mind playing with you a little longer, but it'd be bad if we disturbed the Supreme One."
"So… playtime is over."
Pandora spoke to himself, sounding somewhat regretful.
There was no denying that the girl before him was quite strong.
Her level was probably around 85, and the weapon and armor she wore had also reached divine-class.
If it were Demiurge's Evil Lord Wrath, it might end up being a hard fight.
But for a level 100 guardian like him, that was all it amounted to.
As soon as the words fell, Pandora's form began to change.
Just now he had only been playing around, so he had taken the form of Punitto Moe-sama, whose combat power was not especially outstanding.
But now he intended to deal with her as quickly as possible, so naturally he would take the form of the Supreme Being with the greatest combat strength.
Profound darkness began to spread, and the aura filling the air grew more and more evil and violent.
"He can still… get even stronger?"
Faced with a scene like the end of the world, Zesshi Zetsumei stood on guard, yet at the same time, she found herself growing even more excited.
From the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.
With dragon horns on its head and its entire body covered in pitch-black dragon scales, it was Naohara's dragonoid form.
However, because the form had not been updated, it was not the latest version of his dragon transformation, but the old version from back in the game.
"What incredible power."
Pandora clenched his fist and could not help but sigh in admiration.
With a casual wave, the darkness formed a barrier that enclosed both him and Zesshi Zetsumei.
After all, the Captain of the Black Scripture was still nearby.
Having accepted Naohara's blood, he could barely be counted as one of their own.
At the same time, a faint dragon's might began to spread.
It was not the dragonoid's own dragon's might, but an aura Pandora was imitating, the presence of the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
After all, someone had to take the blame.
Instant Death Magic: [True Dragon Annihilation…]
Just as the spell was about to activate,
"Disperse."
A soft voice came, as casual as if someone were calling out at random.
Then the surging darkness abruptly vanished, as though it had never existed at all.
"Naohara-sama!?"
The moment the control over the magic was taken away, Pandora froze and quickly turned around. A familiar figure came into view.
Ignoring the confused Zesshi Zetsumei, Pandora instantly returned to his original form and stepped forward to Naohara.
"Naohara-sama, you have finally come out. I wonder…"
Pandora knelt on one knee and spoke respectfully.
"It's over, Pandora. From now on, the Theocracy and the Sorcerer Kingdom will be allies. True allies."
Naohara shook his head and spoke with a meaningful tone.
Pandora was briefly stunned, but he understood in the next moment.
So there was no conflict.
It seemed Naohara-sama had reached some kind of agreement with the other side.
And the other party was probably watching this scene right now.
Pandora quickly analyzed the situation in his mind while quietly standing up and moving to the side in a respectful posture.
Naohara nodded slightly when he saw that. Talking to someone smart really was comfortable.
He glanced at the empty space beside him, then looked forward.
There was still one more trouble to deal with.
The girl holding the war scythe had already approached and was now looking directly at him.
"Zesshi Zetsumei?"
Looking at the girl before him who felt both familiar and unfamiliar, a name surfaced in Naohara's mind.
"Who are you?"
Zesshi Zetsumei looked at the figure before her, and a slightly twisted smile appeared on her face.
She had seen everything that just happened.
With only a casual word, he made the magic disappear, and he even made that shape-shifting monster submit to him.
If she mated with someone like that, the child born from it would surely be unimaginably powerful.
"Hey, let's fight."
"If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me. Ruin me, play with me, I won't mind at all."
Zesshi Zetsumei smiled.
Her face was undeniably beautiful, but the expression on it now was twisted and filled with madness.
The sight made Naohara instinctively think of Renner.
"We are invaders. As a member of the Theocracy, are you really fine with that?"
Naohara was not surprised.
With the memories of his first life, he understood Zesshi Zetsumei's personality very well.
Her goal was simple.
She wanted to find a husband who could defeat her.
Race did not matter. Appearance did not matter.
The only standard was strength.
However…
Naohara's lips curved slightly upward as he glanced toward the empty air beside him.
Several shadowy figures there now wore extremely awkward expressions.
Sweating bullets now, aren't you?
"Ahem… It must be because of the inherently evil bloodline of the Eight Greed Kings."
The phantoms of the Six Great Gods hurriedly found an excuse in their hearts.
"What's the problem?"
"If I win, everything works out perfectly. If I lose, then with the strength of the Theocracy, they wouldn't be able to do anything to you anyway."
"So let's fight!"
Unaware that her ancestors were currently watching, or perhaps not caring even if they were, Zesshi Zetsumei spoke eagerly.
The war scythe in her hand clanged lightly, as if it too was looking forward to the upcoming battle.
Pandora, who stood to the side, fell into thought when he heard this.
It actually… sounded reasonable.
He did not look down on Zesshi Zetsumei or think she was some lowly creature unworthy of being near a Supreme Being.
Whatever a Supreme Being liked, a subordinate had no right to oppose.
"You might die, you know."
After thinking for a moment, Pandora finally said with a smiling reminder.