After receiving the true answer from Akuto, Griselda came to believe that being needed by Akuto was an extremely blessed thing.
Akuto's memories had shown it very clearly: the God of the Bible had once been incomparably powerful. Even the current world's strongest beings—the Crimson Dragon God Emperor and the Infinite Dragon God—were heavily restrained by His "Dragon-slaying" power.
And yet, even a God of the Bible that strong had still died under a cross-world-line pursuit from even stronger enemies.
There was no doubt that the world they lived in now was facing an unprecedented crisis.
If no countermeasures were taken, then in the future, this world of hers would definitely become nothing more than a vassal to the invaders.
The only one who had realized this crisis, and was willing to give everything to save this world—both in terms of ideals and reality—was Sai Akuto.
Once she understood this, there was nothing left in Griselda's eyes but compassion and aching tenderness for him.
In the past, the questions Griselda pondered were: "Can Holy Son-sama shoulder the burden God-sama left behind? Can he develop Heaven and the Church into something better?"
Now, the questions Griselda pondered were: "Holy Son-sama has already taken up God-sama's burden. Holy Son-sama is carrying the heavy responsibility of confronting otherworldly threats. As believers, shouldn't we be giving everything we can to support him?"
Precisely because she had seen the unimaginably heavy load upon Akuto's shoulders, Griselda stopped being passive and became active instead. She took the initiative to raise Sai Akuto up and devote herself to him.
There wasn't much she could do. But if Holy Son-sama wished her to become a partner with the attribute of "motherliness," then Griselda was more than happy to share some of his burdens.
...
Akuto could clearly feel the change within Griselda.
On one hand, Griselda had become almost too proactive and doting, constantly pulling him into her embrace, pressing him against her chest, overflowing with motherly love.
On the other hand, the line of faith connecting her to him—which had already been quite thick—had grown even thicker.
It was obvious that, after learning the whole truth, Griselda had cast aside all doubt and become even more devout than before.
Originally, Akuto hadn't really cared whether Griselda figured things out or not. He had believed that, living in his big family here at home, her thinking would naturally shift over time.
But since Griselda had already thought things through this far, Akuto felt he should respond in kind.
Finally managing to wriggle free from Griselda's overly enthusiastic embrace, Akuto took out a golden Angel Card.
"Vmm～～～"
As the fragments of the golden card merged into Griselda's body, Akuto activated the bloodline infusion method.
Under the combined effects of the bloodline infusion method and the Breaking-class Chess Piece, Griselda kept trembling, kept sublimating.
"Crk～～～"
In the end, with the support of the overflowing symbiote connection, Griselda broke through the shackles of the Maou-class in one go and became a twelve-winged Seraph!
That's right—not just any angel, but a twelve-winged Seraph.
Even Akuto was a little surprised at the sight.
[According to the God of the Bible's knowledge base, some Seraphs have golden wings because God-sama granted them a single drop of His own blood. That's why most Seraphs have far greater power than others at the same level.]
[There's no way my blood has reached the level of God-sama's. At the very least, His blood should be of a red or even multicolored quality.]
[Based on my analysis, Griselda's golden wings should be the result of two overlapping factors: "receiving my bloodline infusion" and "her faith reaching an extreme."]
As he stroked Griselda's golden wings, Akuto suddenly felt an urge to go around ruthlessly pua-ing the rest of the Church's members.
[It's decided. From now on, whenever I perform bloodline infusion on the Church's saints, sisters, female warriors, female swordswomen, and the female angels of Heaven, I might as well pua them a little while I'm at it.]
[With an example like Griselda in front of them, everyone will probably be very eager to express their faith in Holy Son-sama by "evolving into Seraphs."]
"Hu～～～"
After who knew how many rounds of bloodline infusion, the twelve golden wings on Griselda's back shone with ever-increasing sanctity.
But Griselda had only been conscious of that for a short while at the beginning.
As time passed and the number of infusions grew, her mind stopped forming any thoughts at all. She simply held Akuto in her arms, letting her overflowing motherliness saturate the very air around them.
Akuto looked at the newly evolved twelve-winged Griselda and nodded in satisfaction.
After her evolution, Griselda's aura had become even more sacred. Her saintly presence was more concentrated, and even her skin seemed softer—white as jade, with a faint golden glow.
"Griselda, you're really beautiful right now~" Akuto leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"..."
Griselda didn't answer. She simply hugged Akuto tighter, as if she never wanted to let him leave her arms again.
All she knew was: listening to Akuto's voice, feeling his heartbeat, she was utterly happy. It was a happiness even greater than what she had felt when praying to the Lord.
"Akuto-sama... could you say what you just said to me one more time?" Griselda pleaded, sounding like the devout holy sister she had once been, praying to God.
"What I just said? Of course."
"As long as you want to hear it, Griselda, I'll say it as many times as you like."
Held in the arms of this overwhelmingly maternal holy sister, Akuto felt a sense of care and acceptance he had never experienced before.
The Church really was an amazing place.
Only in a special institution like the Church could such uniquely sacred, exquisitely flavored saints be "produced."
"Griselda, you're so beautiful~"
"I really like you."
"Especially when you're holding me like this. It makes me feel like I've gone back to my mother's arms."
Akuto had no memory whatsoever of his own mother.
In theory, even if both his parents had died or he'd been adopted, he should at least have some vague impression of them.
But in reality, from childhood to now, he had never once laid eyes on his so-called mother.
In a sense, that could probably be considered a kind of childhood deficiency.
So, after soaking in Griselda's overflowing motherliness, Akuto felt as if something cramped and cramped inside of him had finally loosened up and expanded.
The holy sisters of the Church were born to save the souls of the world.
He was just selfish, turning those holy sisters into his own personal treasures.
Griselda gave a gentle smile and extended her hand toward this boy who wore his lack of love so plainly on his face.
With one hand, the holy sister hugged Akuto even tighter. With the other, she slowly stroked his head.
"Yes, Akuto-sama. It is my honor if I can let you feel what a mother's presence is like."
"If Akuto-sama doesn't mind, in certain special situations, you can call me 'Mama'~"
Griselda had long been ready to take on the role of a "mother-type girlfriend." Her every word was filled with tenderness and concern, showing the fullest extent of her motherliness and doting love.
Hearing this, Akuto chuckled to himself. It seemed that once Griselda had gotten into the role, she couldn't wait to unleash her "mother mode."
"What do you mean, 'special situations'?" Akuto asked with a smile.
"For example... now?"
Griselda smiled sweetly, gradually increasing the twist in her waist. She already knew that Akuto was very pleased when Xenovia called him "Papa" in bed. In that case, what time could be more perfect than right now?
"T-then... Mama?" Akuto tried calling out.
"Mm! Little Akuto~ it's Mama~"
Griselda showed a smile more gentle than any she had ever worn before. As she hugged Akuto, her upper body leaned forward, their shared connection sinking deeper as her eyes rolled up again.
And then, golden light suddenly surged around Griselda's entire body.
Akuto first hissed in a breath at the abrupt change in pressure. Before he could savor the sensation, the sudden appearance of that golden glow stole all of his attention.
Because... this golden radiance did not come from Griselda herself, nor was it the light of a Seraph!
In that glow, Akuto sensed a dense aura of "another world"!
The next second, a female voice seemed to echo down from the heights of the heavens, growing clearer with every passing heartbeat.
[Shuu-chan? Can you hear me?]
[Can you hear me? If you can, could you answer me once?]
[I'm one of the deities living in a world called "exe." I preside over motherhood and breasts; everyone calls me the Holy Mother Goddess～.]
[Shuu-chan? If you can hear me, could you answer a little faster? If Shuu-chan replies within a few seconds, I'll give you a very warm, creamy blessing on your face, okay～]
...
(Considering how hard it is to keep a straight face with the term "Breast Goddess," let's call her by her other title, "Holy Mother Goddess," most of the time.)
...
"Hm? Holy Mother Goddess? In other words... the Breast Goddess?"
"Damn! I actually managed to connect with the Holy Mother Goddess?!"
Akuto knew exactly who this Holy Mother Goddess was.
The Holy Mother Goddess, true name "Kine Kichoumi," nicknamed the Breast Goddess, was a high-ranking spirit deity from the exe world.
In the original storyline, during the battle against the evil god Loki, Hyoudou Issei's obsession with breasts led him to accidentally establish a connection with the "Breast Spirits," subordinates of the Holy Mother Goddess—and thus created the first contact between the two worlds.
Later on, he frequently conversed with the Holy Mother Goddess, and even accepted a bizarre mission to gather twelve Heavenly Wings in order to save the world.
So now, the situation was...
"Either it's because of my own longing for motherliness, or because of the extreme motherliness Griselda is radiating right now..."
"Anyway, it's probably because emotions related to motherhood have reached an extreme that I managed to connect with the Mother Goddess Kine Kichoumi."
The more he thought about it, the more subtle Akuto's expression became.
Whether it was because of himself or because of Griselda, forming a link with the Holy Mother Goddess under these circumstances was... more than a little hard to stay serious about.
...
Within a few short seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Akuto's mind.
"Holy Mother Goddess-sama, may I ask what business you have with me?"
Before the countdown on the Holy Mother Goddess's "facial blessing" invitation could end, Akuto sighed and answered just in time.
He sighed because he really didn't want to establish any kind of connection with the Holy Mother Goddess.
Forming a link with her meant that the degree of erosion from the exe world into DxD's world had already become quite deep.
If the Holy Mother Goddess could reach across... then what about the evil gods of the exe world?
...
(End of Chapter)
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