— — — — — —
"If possible, I would prefer to drive both you... and that one... out of this world." She said calmly.
Ryo simply smiled at that.
"But I understand very clearly," she continued, lifting her gaze to him. "In reality, all I can do is judge the situation and decide how many seeds of hope I can plant here… or in your powerful world."
"You seem to know a bit about Little Garden?" Ryo asked in surprise.
"I wish I knew more."
She shook her head calmly. "Unfortunately, this matter seems to be beyond my capabilities."
As she spoke, she turned to look at the system behind her. "In truth, the system I created changes every single minute. But beginning several centuries ago, every two years, it would suddenly develop several new functions that even I could no longer analyze."
"And by now, aside from a portion of my authority, even its most basic rules have been completely rewritten."
At that, she looked back toward Ryo and said seriously. "I assume this was the work of your companion, the Lady Lilith from another world?"
"Impressive."
Ryo praised her sincerely.
Even with the advantage of system authority, for a four-digit being to sense traces of Algol's three-digit-level methods was already proof of terrifying talent.
"To be honest with you..."
Ryo sighed, his expression turning serious. "I want to invite you to join us."
"Why?" She asked.
"How about world peace?" Ryo replied with a playful grin.
"I suppose that would be enough." She forced out a faint smile.
Afterward, she asked, "If I join you, will you abandon your invasion of this world?"
"No, no, you've got it backwards."
Ryo hurriedly waved his hands.
"It's not about abandoning the invasion. It's about becoming the orderly side afterward."
He paused, then asked instead. "Do you like having a backyard?"
"..."
"I think I understand what you mean."
Her eyes showed understanding. After a brief pause, she asked, "You also have enemies in your world?"
"Yes."
Ryo let out a relieved breath. He was extremely satisfied with how sharp she was.
"Are they very strong?" She asked hesitantly.
"Not exactly..." Ryo looked conflicted.
Facing this God, who already seemed half-hooked, he wanted to explain properly, but at the same time worried he might scare her off.
"I see. So it's a matter of numbers."
She immediately understood.
From Ryo's hesitation, she concluded that his enemies probably didn't overwhelmingly surpass him individually, but possessed an absolute advantage in scale.
She had already noticed it the moment she asked how strong his enemies were.
If there truly existed a single opponent far stronger than Ryo, then no matter what, he should have shown at least some fear or caution.
But he hadn't.
Instead, he hesitated over how to answer.
Which meant the enemy's high-end combatants likely couldn't crush Ryo directly, but their numbers were immense.
And if that was the case, then Ryo's reason for recruiting her became obvious.
'A lack of combat personnel...'
She quietly relaxed a little before saying, "I accept."
Ryo froze for a second before breaking into a smile.
Then She added, "However..."
The moment Ryo heard 'however,' his heart skipped a beat.
According to Murphy's Law, anything following a "however" was usually bad news. Probably some outrageous condition.
"But I hope the angels can remain behind in this world in my place. At minimum, half the angels must stay here."
"That condition, I think..."
Ryo instinctively started to refuse, but suddenly paused halfway through.
Honestly, leaving Seraphs behind was less useful than having Asagi Aiba manufacture more mechanical soldiers. Sure, those weapons were only barely at a six- or five-digit level, but at least they came in large numbers.
Spreading his hands, Ryo advised her earnestly. "That condition is fine. I can agree to it completely. But personally, once you arrive in Little Garden, you'd better reconsider that arrangement."
She blinked in surprise before speaking in a somewhat defeated tone. "It sounds like angels don't have much value in your world?"
If even the angels and devils she painstakingly created were insignificant in Little Garden, didn't that mean all her research had gone in the wrong direction?
Although her focus had shifted toward Sacred Gear evolution in recent years, realizing her ancient creations might essentially be failures was still a blow to her.
"It's not about that..."
Ryo thought for a moment before explaining seriously, "In our world, there's also a God like you. With the same identity."
He paused deliberately before adding, "Personality-wise… not at all the same."
She froze, "He's your enemy?"
Ryo nodded with a subtle expression.
"I think I understand now."
Her demeanor finally became truly serious. "In that case, angels absolutely cannot be allowed to travel to that world. And comparatively speaking, the number of Fallen Angels should also be limited."
"As for devils... things are easier there. With Lilith around, He probably won't care too much."
'Good lord, I might've picked up a monster...'
Ryo stared at her as she calmly calculated deployment numbers.
Maybe this was what people meant by: Only you truly know how to deal with yourself.
His expression became increasingly strange.
In the end, however, She sighed softly. "I think I understand your situation now. If that's the case, then I should contribute some strength as well."
'Contributing strength to stop the violent two-digit version of yourself, huh...'
Ryo complained inwardly before asking, "What conditions do you need to revive?"
He knew perfectly well that She right now was merely a lingering will. Full resurrection was still some distance away.
And since they had already reached a preliminary agreement, there was no point wasting more time.
Might as well move straight to reviving her.
Faced with his question, She answered without hesitation, "Bring the Holy Spear of the Setting Sun and the Sephiroth Graal... I can use the Sea of Life here to revive myself in the most suitable state."
"I see."
Ryo immediately revealed a look of understanding.
As expected, when it came to this sort of thing, professionals really were reliable.
Then She hesitated for a moment before awkwardly requesting. "However, regarding the method of my revival, I hope you won't tell the angels."
"I understand. I get it."
A teasing smile appeared on Ryo's face.
After all, those two artifacts had originally belonged to them.
If the angels learned the treasures capable of reviving God had once been in their own hands, only to be lost because of their negligence, they'd probably explode on the spot.
Ryo chuckled softly and extended his hand.
"Then, happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation."
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PS: To accelerate the DxD arc, a bonus chapter will be released for every 200 power stones.