---o---
Seele sat in her room, fiddling aimlessly with a pile of cosmetics.
Seele didn't usually wear makeup.
There were two main reasons for this.
First, Cocolia's Orphanage was not wealthy.
Second, no one around her wore much makeup, so there was no one to teach her.
For a young lady like Seele, who grew up in such an environment, being skilled at applying makeup would be stranger than seeing a ghost.
But—
The love of beauty is a part of human nature.
Especially after falling in love, Seele had grown more mindful of such things.
After the person she loved called to say he was bringing her a gift, she had sought out Mei-jie, who came from a wealthy family and paid great attention to her appearance, and asked her for some makeup tips.
"Other me, what do you think? How does it look?"
A sweet, incredible smile graced the lips of the girl who was about to receive her gift.
"Didn't that pervert Big Brother already say it? You're a little fool. Even without makeup, you're still enchanting and adorable."
Having been asked this question many times already, Black Seele's voice sounded somewhat weary.
"But... with makeup, it should be even better, right?"
The young girl, who had no real skill in cosmetics and had struggled for a long time just to not diminish her own beauty, spoke with great seriousness.
Before accepting a gift from her lover, it was only natural to want to make herself look as pretty as possible.
That way, Big Brother will like me even more, right?
That was what Seele was thinking.
It was, one could say, a young maiden's secret little wish.
"If you really want to make that pervert Big Brother happy, you should just be more proactive at night."
As if seeing through the little fool's thoughts, a rather lewd and bold remark came from Black Seele, causing the gentle and sweet Seele's face to flush beet red.
"O-Other me! What kind of nonsense are you saying?"
Layers of steam seemed to rise from the face of the girl who, at night, basically relied on her other self to take the lead.
That appearance of hers was utterly adorable.
Black Seele was beginning to understand why that certain scumbag loved to hold Seele and tease her.
Even she, a girl, found her heart stirred by the sight. If that man, who basically thought with his lower half whenever he wasn't in combat or planning something, could resist her, it would be stranger than seeing a ghost.
Although, in the end, it was usually she who ended up pinned beneath him.
If this keeps up, will the child born in the end be considered mine, or the little fool's?
Black Seele fell into deep thought.
The question was a bit profound. After mulling it over for a short while, she gave up.
Then, she glanced at the time.
"Alright, it's about time. Stop dawdling and get ready to greet him at the door."
As if possessed, one of the eyes of the girl sitting before the vanity mirror transformed into a seductive, wine-red hue.
The body, now controlled by two minds, moved with a light and cheerful gait. She pushed open the bedroom door and walked towards the main hall.
And then—
She froze.
She saw a girl whose face was as pale as paper, her clothes stained with dripping fresh blood.
The sight of that crimson blood filled Seele's vision, making her head spin.
As if by instinct, the girl quickly fumbled for the phone in her pocket, preparing to call the hospital.
"B-Big Brother, who is she?"
Seele, who clearly hadn't recognized the true identity of the weakened girl, spoke in a strained voice thick with profound urgency.
"I am merely one who has been defeated."
Calmly, the girl drenched in blood fixed her night-dark eyes on the girl who seemed so worried for her, and stated her identity.
"Consider me a sacrifice, soon to be placed upon the altar."
Watching the girl who seemed impossibly calm, the panicked Seele was taken aback. The hand dialing the phone paused.
"It is the victor's right to dispose of the vanquished."
Athena, all of her divinity shattered because she had no means to counter the [Warrior] incarnation, coughed up blood and spoke placidly.
Though...
She didn't quite understand why the Demon King who had defeated her would act like a lunatic, smearing blood all over her clothes and face.
Could it be that a more miserable-looking loser would better accentuate his own magnificence?
Athena felt that her current appearance would only evoke pity from others, and in turn, cause them to despise the victor.
"She is the Heretical God, Athena."
As if afraid Seele wouldn't understand what Athena was trying to say, the young man spoke in a remarkably cold and heartless tone.
"Consider her the gift I prepared for you."
Seele remembered.
Big Brother had said that he would find a Heretical God for her, let her defeat the god, and thus become a God-Slayer.
So...
This was the god she was supposed to kill?
Looking at the young girl covered in blood, Seele, who had expected to fight a titan or some other ferocious beast, felt a pang of compassion rise in her heart.
"Big Brother, do I have to kill her?"
The girl, who was not a qualified warrior, lifted her head and looked at her lover, asking the question.
So she doesn't want to kill Athena?
It was more or less the reaction he had imagined.
Li Zihan pondered this, then deliberately furrowed his brow.
Seeing the young man frowning as if deep in thought, Seele's heart began to pound with anxiety.
"If you don't want to kill Athena, then we'll just switch to another target."
The unexpected words reached Seele's ears.
"Eh?"
Seele let out a cry of surprise.
He decided just like that?
Isn't that a little too casual?
"I did say that I had prepared backup Heretical Gods for you all, didn't I?"
"Since you don't want to kill Athena, let's just use a different one."
The young man, who had indeed kept backup gods in mind, smiled faintly and brought up a certain name.
"You still remember the Hera Stone Pillar, right?"
The young man mentioned the divine artifact he had previously asked Kevin to look into.
"That artifact can be used to summon a backup god."
The divine pillar known as the Hera Stone Pillar had already accumulated a vast amount of the earth's spiritual energy. Once released, it would manifest as a "dragon."
And the existence known as a dragon would, in turn, attract the God of Steel who slays dragons and serpents—Perseus.
Like a chain reaction, the Earth Mother Goddess, who views dragons and serpents as her kin, would manifest to protect them and battle Perseus.
That location could be used to create two God-Slayers at once.
Just enough for Mei and Seele, isn't it?
The young man, who knew full well that "Perseus" was merely a disguise for a certain god-king who had descended to the mortal realm to slack off, chuckled softly.
When that god tore off the outer layer of "Perseus," he would reveal a new identity, just as Prometheus had revealed his aspects of "Surya" and "Loki."
The sun, high in the sky, enters the underworld after it sets, does it not?
The young man chuckled softly. Under the contemplative gazes of both Seele and Athena, he passed a death sentence on a certain Lord of the Underworld who was goofing around in disguise.
"Get ready. We're going to kill Hades."
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: After spending all morning analyzing mythology, I finally found a suitable scapegoat.
By the way, the "Second Master of the Age of Gods" is so damn cool; he has connections to so many big shots.