Jeanne watched Rod walk away and quickly caught up.
"Where are you going?"
"To find Ophis, obviously."
"But those devils are still in there. We can just wait a bit."
"We can wait, but there's no need to."
Rod said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
They weren't superior and subordinate. Waiting outside for a few minutes was already more than respectful enough.
"Huh? Wait"
Jeanne had only just reacted when she realized Rod had already gone deeper inside.
Left with no choice, she hurried after him.
Rod moved through the interior of the building.
The system map had already thoughtfully marked Ophis's location with an arrow.
The farther in he went, the fewer members of other races he saw. Instead, the number of devils increased, and the hierarchy became more apparent.
When he reached the final door, two devil guards stopped him.
"Halt. This is not a place you should be coming to."
"Uh, see? I told you, Rod, we should just go back first. It'll be our turn soon enough anyway."
Jeanne let out a small sigh.
Bang!
The moment her words fell, before she could even react, she heard two dull thuds.
When she came back to her senses, the two devils were already lying on the floor, enjoying a sweet and peaceful nap.
Hey! No sleeping here!
"Huh?!"
While Jeanne was still in shock, Rod had already walked through the door.
The room inside had been completely remodeled. There was no extra furniture, only a battle-worn interior that resembled a temple, though one that looked slightly shabby.
But the space inside was far larger than expected. It was likely the result of some sort of interior expansion magic.
Only two figures were in the room.
No men, just two women.
The system also helpfully provided character panels.
Katerea Leviathan, and Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God.
One of them stood below the platform. She was a dark-skinned beauty with long, smooth brown hair, dressed in a close-fitting leather outfit that perfectly outlined her curvaceous figure.
Perhaps because the weather was too stuffy, the zipper of her leather suit had been pulled all the way down to her navel, exposing a wide stretch of brown skin.
Katerea Leviathan: （·V·）
At the same time, the leather fabric disappeared completely around her thighs, leaving her long, toned legs exposed to the air.
Below that, she wore a pair of purple knee-high boots.
Hiss
The moment Rod saw Katerea, he couldn't help sucking in a breath.
When he watched the anime, he hadn't thought this villain looked especially impressive, but seeing the real thing, he felt she was absolutely not beneath Rias or Akeno.
As expected of an Old Maou descendant. She really had the goods.
As for the other woman, the panel identified her as Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God.
Her jet-black hair, dark as ink, fell all the way to her waist, tied with a purple ribbon. Her dark silver eyes carried an empty, innocent look.
She wore a black Gothic Lolita dress. Compared to Katerea, it used a lot more fabric, and there honestly wasn't much else to comment on.
She was small.
A l0li.
The moment Rod arrived, Ophis's gaze shifted toward him.
And in that instant, Jeanne felt a pressure as deep as an abyss descend upon her. The immense force nearly robbed her of the ability to breathe.
That alone was enough for Jeanne to confirm that this person truly was Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God.
Rod, on the other hand, was completely unaffected.
Still, the pressure weighing on Jeanne disappeared almost immediately. Ophis herself had no extra emotions. She had merely turned her attention toward the two intruders.
If anything, Rod's reaction made Ophis faintly curious.
After all, most people who met her for the first time would show some kind of unusual behavior.
In front of the Infinite Dragon God, acting normal was what made someone seem abnormal.
Katerea narrowed her eyes.
"Who are you? Didn't I tell them not to let anyone in until I was finished here?"
Her voice was cold, carrying a lofty, superior tone.
The next second, an icy chill surrounded Rod and Jeanne from all directions.
Katerea had noticed the two guards asleep outside the door.
Her expression turned cold.
"If you don't have a reasonable explanation, then die."
Seeing this, Jeanne recovered enough to quickly speak before Rod made a move.
"Don't attack. We're from the Hero Faction. Just like you, we've come to join Khaos Brigade."
As soon as those words were spoken, the coldness in the air eased slightly.
Katerea and the Old Maou faction she led had also come here after hearing that Ophis had become the head of Khaos Brigade.
Of course, Katerea's true objective was Ophis's power.
As long as she could consume the "snake" that Ophis granted her, she would instantly obtain immense power.
That power would immediately raise her to a true Maou-class level.
If she wanted to overthrow the current Maou government, that power was essential.
"The Hero Faction?"
Katerea murmured the name.
"It's an organization founded by the descendants of the famous heroes of history."
Jeanne added.
Hearing that, the killing intent on Katerea's face completely disappeared.
Although she was displeased that Rod had knocked out her subordinates, she had no desire to create extra complications before the plan truly began.
The human faction might not be particularly strong in this world, but the humans once hailed as heroes in history had indeed achieved some brilliant victories.
During the great war of the past, all three factions had once fought with human participants among their ranks.
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Jeanne also began explaining the ideals and goals of the Hero Faction.
"So the Hero Faction of this era has fallen that low after all."
After listening, Katerea glanced at Jeanne, a trace of mockery appearing on her face.
"You want to prove the strength of humanity to us, yet in the end you still choose to join Khaos Brigade and seek the protection of Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God."
Jeanne froze at those words.
If this had been before, she would have immediately refuted it.
But her beliefs had already begun to waver after hearing what Rod said earlier. And now, hearing Katerea say the same thing only made Jeanne doubt even more whether the Hero Faction's current ideals were truly correct.
"I told you, my thinking was right. Jeanne, the Hero Faction right now isn't much different from a pyramid scheme."
"I already said it's not a pyramid scheme…"
Jeanne instinctively muttered a rebuttal, but her heart was already in turmoil.
At that moment, Katerea smiled faintly and fixed her eyes on Rod.
"You're with the Hero Faction too? I'm interested in you."
In truth, ever since Rod and Jeanne had barged in and drawn Ophis's attention, Katerea had been closely observing Rod.
Under the double pressure of both Ophis and herself, Jeanne had shown clear signs of nervousness, but this man hadn't displayed the slightest bit of panic.
That surprised Katerea.
After all, even she had not been as calm as he was the first time she met Ophis.
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