"Managing Hell keeps me busy enough. I don't have the time to help you run the underworld."
"But it's not as if you can't do it, right?"
"That's not the point. Managing the underworld is your duty. Your refusal is meaningless. Now, come back with me."
With that, Meido stopped arguing with Wakaba and moved to act, planning to forcefully take her back.
However, just as she grabbed Wakaba by the neck and prepared to cross space to the underworld, her expression suddenly changed.
She realized she couldn't leave this world.
"Oh my, Meido, it seems you can't take me away after all."
Wakaba twisted her head free from Meido's grasp, turning to look at her with a smug, gloating expression.
She had clearly noticed Meido's unusual reaction, and combined with what Eriri had just said, she instantly knew who was behind it.
Meido ignored Wakaba, instead fixing her curious gaze on Eriri, who sat calmly beside her playing a game.
"This is your doing?"
"That's right. I won't allow you to just snatch Hiiro-chan away~"
Eriri turned to Meido, her face adorned with a confident, unquestionable smile.
Seeing that breathtakingly beautiful, self-assured expression, Meido couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration. This was the first time since entering the room that she had truly seen Eriri's real face—and it was exquisite beyond words.
"You've been hiding your true self well. I thought you were just some irrelevant human."
Her earlier doubts about why Eriri was so close to Wakaba now made perfect sense.
"Meido-chan… I can call you that, right?" Eriri said with a smile.
"Of course."
Meido nodded amicably, though no amount of goodwill toward Eriri would make her give up on taking Wakaba back to fulfill her duties.
"Call me whatever you want, but I still hope you won't stand in my way."
Before Eriri could respond, Wakaba spoke again.
"Meido, Eriri's on my side. There's no way she'll let you take me."
Meido ignored her, still watching Eriri for an answer.
"That's right, just like Hiiro-chan said…"
Eriri suddenly paused, turning to Wakaba.
"Hiiro-chan, should I call you 'D' now, or keep calling you Hiiro-chan?"
"Call me 'D.' 'Wakaba Hiiro' was just a false name. She died in that explosion."
D spoke bluntly, with no attachment to the name.
"Mm, 'Wakaba Hiiro' does sound nicer, but since you insist, I'll call you D-chan from now on~"
Eriri playfully winked at her, then turned back to Meido.
"Like D-chan said, I'm not letting you take her away."
Meido felt a headache coming on. If D refused, she could simply use force. But with Eriri, things were more complicated.
It wasn't that she was gentle—far from it; she had once slaughtered the entire angel race save for one last survivor. The problem was she couldn't read Eriri's full capabilities. Anyone who could easily seal off her spatial powers and convincingly pass for an ordinary human was not to be underestimated.
More importantly, Meido held a strong liking for Eriri and didn't want to fight her.
While she was still struggling with the dilemma, Eriri's voice rang out again.
"But…"
Meido's eyes lit up instantly. "But what?"
"D-chan says no one in the universe can match your attack power. And I consider my defense to be the strongest in the universe.
"So, how about we make a bet? I'll stand still and let you attack me however you want. If you can inflict even the slightest injury, I lose. If I lose, I won't stop you from taking D-chan—heck, I might even help you restrain her.
"But if you lose…"
Before Eriri could finish, Meido cut her off.
"If I lose, I'll agree to whatever request you make!"
She was more than satisfied with the bet—so much so she wondered if Eriri was intentionally favoring her. Meido was supremely confident in her attack power; even D could only take a beating from her. Not even the so-called strongest-defense Dragon God could withstand her strikes.
She didn't believe anyone in the universe could emerge unscathed from her full-force blow. To her, this bet was already won.
That was why she so boldly agreed to the no-limit condition.
"Good, Meido-chan. I like your decisiveness."
Eriri's lips curved into a sly smile as she looked at the confident Meido.
D, quietly sitting to the side, didn't interfere. From her two months of knowing Eriri, she knew Eriri would never make a bet that put her at a disadvantage. Remembering some of Eriri's earlier words, she suddenly had a feeling…
Meido might really end up as a true maid.
…
"Then let's start now!" Meido said eagerly.
"No rush. You can't go all-out here, so let's change locations first."
Eriri set down her controller, then lazily raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
In the blink of an eye, Meido and D found themselves on a vast, endless plain.
They were used to spatial transfers, so they weren't fazed at first—but soon, their calmness vanished. They realized they could no longer sense the underworld, hell, or any other planets.
In other words, if Eriri left them here, they might never get out.
Sensing the change in their demeanor, Eriri quickly explained:
"Ah, don't worry. This is a separate dimension I created. But to prevent Meido-chan from breaking it during her attack, I reinforced its walls just a little bit."
She made a tiny gesture with her thumb and forefinger, as if it were nothing. D and Meido both felt a twitch in their hearts.
Especially Meido, whose absolute confidence began to waver.
"Well then, Meido-chan, begin your performance!"
Arms crossed, Eriri floated casually in midair, her face relaxed and smiling, not a hint of energy emanating from her.
"In that case, I won't hold back."
Meido's expression hardened. Without hesitation, she drew upon her immense divine power, transforming from a gentle, graceful maid into a ferocious battle maid.
In a blur, Meido appeared right in front of Eriri, her fist—brimming with overwhelming divine power—slamming into Eriri's face.
The shockwave burst outward from the point of impact, erasing everything in its path for hundreds of thousands of kilometers in a massive fan-shaped void.
And that was only the faintest trace of the attack's residual force. The full power was concentrated on Eriri's delicate, flawless face.
Meido hadn't underestimated her in the slightest—she had gone all-out from the start.
Yet the strike, powerful enough to shake the cosmos, didn't so much as tilt Eriri's head, let alone leave a mark.
"Oh my, Meido-chan, was that a facial massage? Though I think the pressure could be a bit stronger~"
Eriri smiled sweetly at the dumbfounded Meido, treating the attack as nothing.
"This… this is impossible… How could this be…?"
The disbelief on Meido's face had erased all of her earlier confidence.
"No rush. You've got plenty of time—try some other attacks. See if you can make my face bleed, even a little. Honestly, since I was born, my face has never experienced a scratch. It's a bit troubling, really~"
Ignoring Eriri's teasing, Meido pulled back her fist, her tone helpless.
"Eriri, your defense is truly the strongest I've ever seen. Compared to you, D's defense is like paper."
Down below, D immediately bristled.
"Hey, Meido! If you want to compliment Eriri, fine, but why drag me into it? 'Like paper,' huh? Let me ask you—can you even kill me?"
Cut off mid-thought, Meido shot her an annoyed glance.
"Alright, fine, I won't mention you. Just stay there and watch."
But D didn't stop—if anything, she doubled down.
"Oh, I think you should give up. You can't break Eriri's defense anyway. Don't embarrass yourself—just admit defeat."
Hearing D's nonstop needling, Meido's face darkened. She had a sudden urge to abandon the bet and beat D to a pulp instead.
Before she could act, Eriri spoke up.
"Alright, D-chan, that's enough. How come you're never this talkative normally?"
Amused, Eriri looked at her. Who would have thought that the perpetually aloof "Wakaba Hiiro" would, when unrestrained, turn into someone so willful?
"Fine, I'll stop. You two carry on."
With Eriri's word, D held her tongue.
Eriri turned back to Meido. "Meido-chan, you had something you wanted to say. Go ahead."
"Forget it. There's nothing more to say. Let's continue."
Meido shook her head, her expression once again serious.
"Alright, then keep attacking~"
Drawing a deep breath, Meido put some distance between herself and Eriri.
Extending her right hand, a magnificent longsword appeared in her grip. She poured her divine power into the artifact, cloaking the blade in an immense energy flame.
In the next instant, she vanished—followed by a massive slash passing through Eriri's position.
For the next several dozen seconds, her form disappeared completely, replaced by countless massive sword beams flashing around Eriri.
When she finally stopped and reappeared in midair, Eriri was still untouched—not even her clothes had been disturbed.
All remaining confidence drained from Meido's heart.
"Enough. Eriri, I give up."
She dismissed her weapon, flying toward Eriri with a defeated look, as though gazing at a completely incomprehensible being—one of unparalleled beauty and strength.
"So, that means I've won the bet~"
"Yes, Eriri, you've won. You can make any request you want, and I'll agree."
The maid-clad Meido stood before her with a solemn expression.
"Anything at all?"
"Of course. An evil god doesn't lie."
"Even if it's taking over D-chan's work, managing the underworld for her without question?"
"Of course."
"In that case… become my personal maid!"
"Alright… Eh?!"
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