"I see! You really are far more interesting than those ordinary fools!"
Priscilla covered her cherry-red lips with the back of her pale hand and burst into delighted laughter.
At last, she understood why Shiro had refused to choose either heads or tails.
From the very beginning—The moment she chose either side, defeat would become inevitable.
"To make my defeat so undeniable, you even employed such a peculiar technique."
"Very well."
"I acknowledge it."
"This victory belongs to you."
Priscilla showed no anger whatsoever when events developed beyond her expectations.
Instead, her interest only deepened as she openly admitted defeat.
"As a reward for entertaining me, state whatever you desire."
Originally, if Shiro simply wanted Priscilla to lose, all he needed to do was guess one side of the coin and manipulate fate so it landed that way.
But Priscilla's attitude had made him change his mind at the last moment.
He had initially considered summoning a bird to snatch the coin away.
Yet that would obviously never convince Priscilla she had truly lost.
She would simply toss another coin.
And with Priscilla's wealth, trying to make her run out of coins was absurd.
Someone who casually tossed holy gold coins around like copper pieces would hardly care about losing a few.
'If you think either possible answer will inevitably lead to your victory...'
'Then I'll create a fate that should be absolutely impossible.'
With that slightly mischievous thought—Shiro forcibly intervened in the planet's fate.
He carved his own mark into it and altered the destiny of the falling coin.
After striking the ground—It remained standing perfectly upright.
An outcome that should never have occurred under normal circumstances.
This was a fate beyond the reach of Priscilla's Divine Protection.
And because Priscilla had realized that—She voluntarily admitted defeat despite neither of them ever choosing a side.
"Tch."
"So you deliberately stirred up my competitive side and tricked me, huh?"
"You really are a cunning woman."
Yet after Priscilla conceded, Shiro showed no happiness whatsoever.
Instead, he looked slightly annoyed.
Had Priscilla really lost?
Judging purely by the coin toss—Perhaps.
But what if Priscilla had never cared about winning or losing the wager in the first place?
They were guessing heads or tails.
If she won—Priscilla gained a subordinate she liked.
But did losing truly leave her with nothing?
No.
The moment she lost—Priscilla received the answer to something she had been curious about.
Shiro truly could distort fate.
So from the perspective of the overall outcome—This was actually a win-win situation.
Priscilla had not truly lost anything.
Instead, she had used the opportunity to gain valuable information.
It should have been a result everyone could be satisfied with.
Unfortunately—Shiro was not satisfied at all.
He had only done something this childish on a whim because he wanted to see Priscilla make an irritated expression after losing.
Yet rather than showing the reaction he wanted—She looked thoroughly delighted.
So the slightly displeased Shiro could only redirect his attention elsewhere.
"Forget the reward."
"I'm not one of your people anyway."
"And you never actually guessed heads or tails."
"If I suddenly start demanding something from you, it'll only give other people something to gossip about."
"Insolent."
Priscilla's crimson eyes overflowed with arrogance incomprehensible to ordinary people.
"Who do you think I am?"
"My will is the will of the world."
"How could I possibly withdraw a promise merely because of the meaningless chatter of a rabble?"
"Really?"
"Don't wait until after I make my request to say something like, 'Anyone who accepts something from me naturally becomes my subordinate.'"
"There does not exist anyone in this world worth making me disgrace myself by lying to deceive them."
"I see."
"In that case..."
Shiro nodded and took two steps forward.
He stopped only an arm's length away from Priscilla.
His gaze shifted toward the right side of her body.
There—Something invisible existed.
And that "something" was actually the reason Shiro had left the main street and entered this alley in the first place.
"Then let me see what exactly has been calling out to me from afar this entire time."
With that—
Shiro reached toward the empty air beside Priscilla and grabbed.
The next instant—
Whoosh—!
As though responding to his movement of its own accord—An unbelievable wave of heat erupted from the void.
Scarlet light flared around Shiro's right hand.
And rather than fading with time—The radiance grew increasingly violent.
Eventually, it expanded into a vortex of blazing fire.
Looking at the fiery spiral that seemed to contain limitless energy, Shiro appeared to understand something.
His right hand suddenly clenched.
At that movement—The flames surrounding his hand rapidly converged toward his palm.
Gradually—They formed the shape of a weapon.
Only once the radiance faded did the weapon's full appearance reveal itself before everyone.
It was a massive crimson sword.
Exquisite patterns covered its blade.
It shone with a radiance as dazzling as the sun while emitting enough heat to visibly distort the surrounding air.
Under the sword's scorching presence—Even the nearby stone walls showed faint signs of melting.
Looking at the gorgeous, almost bewitching greatsword in his hand, realization appeared on Shiro's face.
The reason he had entered this alley was not because Priscilla possessed abilities somewhat similar to his own.
It was because his divine markings had sensed a call and activated in response.
Yet after entering the alley—Aside from Priscilla and the three thugs, Shiro had never found the actual source calling him.
Only after following his intuition and reaching into the void did he finally discover this greatsword hidden there.
And the instant Shiro grasped its hilt—The sword itself told him its origin.
Within this world existed ten swords bearing absurdly powerful abilities.
Together, they were known as the Ten Swords of Power.
Reinhard's Dragon Sword was undoubtedly the most famous among them—But the remaining nine were by no means ordinary.
And the weapon currently held in Shiro's hand, radiating astonishing light and heat, was one of those Ten Swords of Power.
Like the Dragon Sword—It possessed a will of its own.
Its sheath was the void itself, allowing it to be drawn anywhere at any time.
But anyone it refused to acknowledge would be burned merely by attempting to wield it.
The [Yang Sword].
…