"Huff~~"
Letting out a soft breath, Shoyo slowly opened his eyes. The moment he did, he was met with the curious gaze of Ophis. Her eyes, once calm and indifferent, now shimmered with fascination. It was as if she felt her journey to the human world had already served its purpose.
"You… are not human?" Ophis asked softly, her head tilted slightly in wonder.
"Cough, cough… I think I'm still human," Shoyo replied awkwardly. He had only acquired the Avatars, not godhood or a divine spirit. In essence, he was still very much a human being.
"Are you willing to help me regain my original tranquility? If you are, I can grant you anything you desire."
Placing the small panda plush beside her skirt, Ophis asked the question seriously, far more sincerely than when she'd approached Cao Cao and the rest of the worthless Old Satan Faction.
"I do want to help you," Shoyo admitted honestly, "but I probably can't right now."
He knew his limits. With the power of his ten Avatars, he could easily eliminate a Middle-class devil and even take down an Upper-class one. In a desperate move, he might even be able to sacrifice himself to destroy beings above the Ultimate-class… but that would burn through his origin entirely, killing him on the spot.
"Why?" Ophis blinked, confused. Did he not believe she could fulfill his wishes? That was understandable. A being stronger than her might not need her assistance in the first place.
"Because I'm still growing. Don't be fooled by the Avatars you saw earlier, my actual power is extremely limited."
Shoyo shook his head. The strength of the Avatars was tied to his own. Even with the slight boost from the fusion just now, his current physical strength was only at the level of a Low-class devil. Human bodies were simply too fragile.
"Okay. Then… are you willing to help me?" she asked again, her voice softer now, but filled with hope. She knew he hadn't outright rejected her.
"If you're willing to help me, then of course, I'll help you."
Taking advantage of the fact that his hand still rested on her head, Shoyo gently stroked her silky black hair.
"Okay. I'm willing to help. What do you want me to do?... As long as I can regain my original tranquility, I'll do anything."
She tilted her head slightly, her voice almost dangerously sincere.
"I want you, "
Just as Shoyo was about to finish the sentence with ", to protect me," a spatial ripple tore through the air.
"Sorry, Ophis. I'll talk to you next time. Someone's coming."
Shoyo's expression tensed. Because of the power of his Avatar, he could sense spatial distortions, and whoever was approaching now, staying beside Ophis didn't feel like a good idea anymore.
[Fifth Avatar: Vamana the Dwarf!]
[Activate!]
A divine, dwarfish figure infused with celestial energy merged into Shoyo's body. With a light step, he seemed to phase through endless space, vanishing before Ophis's eyes in an instant.
"Wait… wait…"
Ophis reached out, her hands trembling slightly. She had never experienced this strange emotion before, this longing to keep someone close.
"......."
Clutching the small panda doll tightly, she gazed off in the direction Shoyo had fled. She could sense exactly where he'd gone… and also deduced who the new arrivals were from the spatial fluctuations.
Within the swirling red mist, a bespectacled young man appeared, Georg, descendant of Faust, the infamous sorcerer who once made a contract with Mephistopheles.
Trailing behind him, a man casually carrying a Holy Spear on his shoulder stepped out. Cao Cao, the wielder of the Longinus, the Spear of Twilight!
"Ophis-chan, could you please not wander off?" Cao Cao said with a sigh. "You're our boss. You should stay in the usual place."
What else could he do? If Ophis wanted to take a stroll, all he could do was ask Georg, the wielder of the spatial-type Longinus, to track her location.
"Mmm…"
Ophis nodded slowly. She now understood, it was likely because that boy didn't want to reveal himself, that he'd chosen to leave.
"Alright, then. Boss, you had your fun and found what you were looking for. Isn't it time to go back?"
Cao Cao smiled slyly. "Don't worry, we, as descendants of heroes, will do everything we can to accomplish great feats… like slaying the Great Red Dragon God~~"
His gaze landed on the panda doll in Ophis's hand. Hm. She must've taken it using her powers. Poor shop owner, but oh well, it was an honor to be robbed by the Infinite Dragon God.
"......"
Ophis remained silent, though a glimmer of reminiscence flickered in her eyes. Compared to Cao Cao, who had always boasted about defeating the Great Red, that boy, Shoyo, seemed much more dependable.
But… according to him, he still needed time.
She was willing to wait. Time held no weight for a being like her.
"Let's go, Georg. Let's head back."
At Cao Cao's command, Georg activated the Mist, engulfing all three of them in a dense crimson fog.
"Oh, by the way, Boss, while you were in the Japan, did you see any powerful Gods? Lion-men? Giant fish or anything like that?"
Cao Cao asked casually. Ajuka had only deduced Kuoh Town's significance because he had mastered the art of formations and programs. Most others could only guess at best.
"No..." Ophis answered faintly.
"Alright, then maybe our plans will need to change. Those Avatars looked just as powerful as the Great Red Dragon God!"
Cao Cao looked genuinely excited. As a hero's descendant, establishing legendary accomplishments was his obsession. To surpass all life forms as a human, that was Cao Cao's dream. Whether through noble means or treachery, he would traverse pantheons, gather strength, kidnap key figures, and use Ophis as his leader… All for his ambition. Or rather, his dream.
For humans, born weaker than gods and Buddhas, heroism meant pushing their potential to the extreme.
The Hero Faction was a gathering of such dreamers, humans who aimed to do great things.
---
Meanwhile, back at his home, Shoyo also reappeared.
"Huff~~"
He gazed off in the direction of Ophis. If possible, he would've liked to ask for her "snake" or some other trump card-level power to safeguard himself. But for now… it wasn't possible.
He had to rely on his own strength.
"First, let's get used to my current power."
When he fused the ten Avatars, a surge of spiritual energy from the world had flowed into his body. Now, his physical condition was much better than before. While he already understood the essence and usage of the Avatars in theory, he would only feel confident after testing them for himself.
Just as he was about to leave for some training,
Knock knock knock~~
Someone knocked on the door.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering a location sign-in!]
[Sign-in Level: Silver]
[Sign-in Location: Koneko Toujou's cat tail!]
[Sign-in Time Limit: 3 hours]
[Remaining Time: 3 hours]
The system's voice echoed crisply in his mind.
---