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"Akeno, you should know about my ability, right?"
Anos smiled as he spoke.
"Anos, your ability really is unfair."
Akeno lowered her head slightly.
Although she had considered that possibility, she had not expected Anos to have known so early.
"That is right... I am the child of a fallen angel."
"And now... I am a twisted thing, born from a wicked devil and a tainted fallen angel."
Akeno spoke slowly.
A wicked thing unworthy of your light and holiness.
That was what Akeno added silently in her heart.
"No... At the very least, you are not that."
Hearing the girl speak in a way that was almost self-harm, Anos felt a slight ache in his heart.
Still, this was something she would have to face sooner or later.
"Is that so?"
A clear tear slipped from the corner of Akeno's eye.
At least...
At least receiving such an evaluation from Anos, even if it was only meant as comfort, was enough.
Akeno took it as words of comfort.
But in truth, Anos really did think she was fine.
"There is no need to hurt yourself as a form of atonement. Your bloodline does not represent who you are. Or are you saying, Akeno, that you are an evil creature like ordinary devils, or that you are as indulgent and corrupt as ordinary fallen angels?"
Anos stood up and looked seriously at Akeno beside him.
At the very least, before him, a god who could give a devil a Sacred Cross, mixed blood like hers was truly not a problem.
"No, I am not."
The moment she heard Anos describe devils and fallen angels like that, Akeno instinctively denied it.
She truly did not want herself to have that kind of image in Anos's heart.
Only after the words left her mouth did she understand what Anos meant.
He had not been talking about her.
"I know."
Anos smiled.
Akeno was always stubborn about this matter.
Although he could understand it, he still wanted to do his best to change that.
"Akeno, fallen angel blood is not something that matters. If you think I would hold prejudice against all fallen angels because of Kokabiel, then that would be a prejudice against me."
As Anos spoke, he helped Akeno put her shrine maiden outfit back on.
Just now, to prove her bloodline, Akeno had taken off her clothes and revealed the devil wing and fallen angel wing on either side of her body.
"Anos... do you think I am a stubborn, unreasonable woman?"
Seeing Anos's helpless expression, Akeno understood that he truly did not care about such things.
But she still wanted to hear him say it himself.
"Perhaps."
Anos's answer almost made Akeno choke.
She looked at him with slightly dissatisfied eyes.
He had clearly comforted her so gently earlier. Could he not go along with her a little at a time like this?
"But I like that about you."
Akeno's slightly resentful gaze did not affect Anos. He simply said what he had originally intended to say most naturally.
"Eh?"
Akeno froze because of Anos's sudden words, which sounded almost like a confession.
Was that a confession to her?
She began quickly analyzing that possibility in her heart.
But after thinking for only a short while, she smiled helplessly.
Had she been teased by Anos?
As expected, Anos was a sinful man.
"All right, Akeno. Michael should be arriving soon."
After finally helping Akeno put her clothes back on, Anos clapped his hands lightly.
"Anos, you really are a bad man."
After thinking for more than ten seconds, Akeno finally said that.
However, although her words sounded resentful...
She was smiling as she said them.
That was enough.
...
The shrine was empty.
Anos looked toward the sky.
Akeno had already gone out a moment ago. Now, he was waiting for Michael alone.
"Three, two... one."
As Anos counted down, golden holy light began shining in the sky.
Sacred radiance spread through the shrine.
If Michael had not restrained himself, any middle-class devil here might already have been purified by that holy light. Even high-class devils would have been burned by such powerful holy energy.
Of course, when it shone on Anos, it felt no different from ordinary sunlight.
A tall figure appeared in the air.
Golden wings gradually unfurled, and specks of light drifted around them, dyeing the entire shrine in sacred color.
The figure of a tall man gradually became clear. The halo above his head represented his identity as an angel.
Golden wings.
The symbol of a Seraph.
He was the current ruler of Heaven.
Michael.
"Hello, Red Dragon Emperor. I am Michael."
Michael's voice was very gentle. He did not sound as though he had come looking for trouble.
The moment he saw Anos, he felt something extremely subtle.
A sense of familiarity.
He even felt a desire to draw close to him and remain by his side.
"Michael, did you come because of Irina and Xenovia?"
A faint golden light flickered in Anos's eyes.
The divine body of the Dungeon world's gods needed a long time to mature. To grow faster, Anos had used that world's Falna system.
Using divine blood as nourishment, one could accumulate great deeds and experience like an adventurer to grow stronger.
That was how it should have been.
However, after using Apollo directly as fuel for Forbidden Heaven, Anos had gained a growth speed far more terrifying than what Hestia's divine blood alone could provide.
By now, Anos could already use Divine Overlimit Mode for one or two hours a day. Of course, he usually chose not to use it to avoid exposing his identity.
Only, for a fairly long period after this, he might be using it a little more frequently than before.
"Xenovia and Irina? They are indeed very devout children."
Hearing Anos's words, Michael sighed helplessly.
Indeed.
They were very devout children.
But...
It was also an undeniable fact that they were no longer suited to return to Heaven.
Because they had already learned from Kokabiel that God had passed away. If they returned to Heaven now, it would inevitably shake the current system of faith in Heaven.
To maintain the faith system left behind by the Lord, although it pained him greatly, Michael had no choice but to leave those children on the devil side.
"Since you did not come because of them, then you must have something else to discuss with me."
Anos said with a smile.
Keeping Xenovia and Irina by his side was certainly due to his own wishes, but it was also meant to give Michael a suitable reason.
"Mm. There is indeed another purpose."
A golden holy sword appeared in Michael's hand, and a sacred aura of blessing overflowed from it.
The Blessing Holy Sword.
"This is the Blessing Holy Sword. I would like to offer it as a small token of gratitude to the Red Dragon Emperor, who maintained the balance between the three factions. Would that be acceptable?"
This time, Michael had truly come to deliver a holy sword.
The Ruler Holy Sword was currently lost. Without that sword, which could be called the strongest among all holy swords, even combining the other six holy swords would not restore Excalibur's former power.
In that case, it would be better to offer this as a favor.
In any case, Michael felt that once it entered the Red Dragon Emperor's hands, Anos likely would not care much for it. In the end, he would probably give it to Xenovia and Irina.
This could also be considered his compensation to those two children.
After all, he was the one who made the decision to exile them.
May the Blessing Holy Sword bless their future days.
"Since this is your goodwill, I will not refuse. I accept it."
Anos very naturally accepted the Blessing Holy Sword.
In his view, it was only slightly stronger than his own simulated holy swords. However, since holy swords could be fused and upgraded through alchemy, it still had some future potential.
Of course, that future potential was not for him.
Even the complete seven-in-one Excalibur would only be a somewhat convenient weapon in his hands.
If he wanted the ability to fire beams, would it not be better to place the Type-Moon world's Excalibur into automatic turrets, charge them, and fire them directly?
"Mm. I hope Mr. Red Dragon Emperor will become even stronger under the blessing of the Blessing Holy Sword."
"Also, congratulations, Mr. Kanzaki, on your victory in the battle between the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor."
Michael said with a smile.
Most of his understanding of Anos came from that matter.
The clash of Juggernaut Drives had become known to many. Not only the three factions, but almost every powerful force entrenched in Japan had been drawn to the battle between the dragons.
"The White Dragon Emperor is not someone you need to worry about, Michael."
Anos took a sip of tea as he spoke.
"..."
Michael smiled without saying anything.
Perhaps, to Anos, that really was the case.
This was also the first time Michael had seen such a powerful Red Dragon Emperor.
"Compared to the White Dragon Emperor, there are far more important things worthy of our attention, Michael."
Anos's eyes turned golden, and an aura completely different from before began to gather around him.
"This aura is..."
Michael suddenly stood up.
This aura.
There was no way he could mistake it.
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