Under Olivia's explanation, Asia finally learned the truth about Diodora.
She hadn't misremembered—those female servants Akuto had won from Diodora, they were all famous nuns or saints of the Church!
Diodora had deliberately approached them, then revealed his identity as a devil, causing the Church to excommunicate them.
And his true goal was the saints themselves!
If not for the restrictions inscribed upon them—seals that would harm both sides, even trigger self-destruction, should a devil touch them—Diodora would have acted on his desires long ago.
"So... it really was like this..."
Asia's emerald-like eyes quivered, hot tears flowing down her face, rolling over her pure, delicate features.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Asia reacted, her head snapping toward Akuto.
"Kiryu-san said before, that Akuto-san has an 'Apocalypse' ability—that even before he met me, he already knew my name.
"Then... could everything that has happened so far... all have been within Akuto-san's foresight!?"
Her words exploded like a bomb among the saints.
"What? Apocalypse ability? Isn't that the legendary ability only a 'saint' acknowledged by God could possess?"
"This devil, Akuto—could it be that he made this wager with Diodora knowing all his secrets beforehand?"
"I once heard from Saintess Carisada, she said only those approved by the Lord could awaken the Apocalypse ability. Could it be... this Akuto-sama has, as a devil, received the Lord's recognition?"
"A devil... acknowledged by the Lord? Whoa~ if that's true, then he's practically a living miracle!"
Akuto raised his brows, surprised at suddenly becoming the center of attention.
Surely these saints weren't about to mistake him for some great savior here to rescue them, right?
"Don't look at me like that. I only took you from Diodora to spite him, nothing more," Akuto said honestly.
At least, before he confirmed these saints hadn't been tainted by Diodora, he had never thought of seriously targeting them.
He just wanted to break Diodora's spirit as much as possible and get a higher system evaluation.
"Pfft!!!~"
Hearing Akuto flatly deny being a good person, the saints who had been so cold all this time couldn't help but burst into laughter.
They had met countless people claiming to be good... but Akuto was the first to proudly insist he was bad. Truly one of a kind.
"Alright, enough laughing." Even Olivia had trouble holding her composure, though as leader she tried to rein in the girls' giddiness.
Since Asia had already spoken up for Akuto, Olivia naturally leaned toward working under him going forward.
And since they would be under him, she had no desire to sour relations with their new boss.
At that moment, Akuto realized something.
He was good at dealing with one girl, even two.
But when the number of women rose into the double digits, he was powerless. The trouble multiplied exponentially.
He knew why they acted like this.
On one hand, they had been stifled under Latia's watch for too long and needed release.
On the other, since they thought he was a "good guy," they felt free to relax around him.
A good guy? Heh...
Akuto decided to prove with action whether he was a good man or a bad one.
"Asia, come here. Absorb this piece."
He took out a Bishop piece.
"Didn't I just say it? Church saints have restrictions inscribed in their minds. Forget about becoming a devil's servant—just touching a devil should be impossible." Olivia frowned.
"Yeah, you did say that. But do you think I'd just blindly trust the words of an enemy faction?" Akuto shot back.
Olivia fell silent. She admitted he had a point.
While the two locked eyes, Asia suddenly stepped forward.
"Akuto-san, I'm willing to risk being hurt to prove it!"
So what if touching the piece would injure her? Asia feared pain, yes, but she had courage when it truly mattered.
"Oong~"
With determined eyes, Asia pressed her hand onto the chess piece.
In an instant, the Bishop piece dissolved into crimson energy and flowed into her body.
And... nothing happened.
There was no agony, no collapse. It all went smoothly.
When the reincarnation finished, Asia instinctively unfurled her wings.
From her back sprouted devil's wings as black and flawless as polished obsidian.
All the saints froze in shock.
"How is this possible?! Weren't we told there was a seal?"
"Did the Church lie to us? No, that can't be... Latia-sama also tested us many times—we all saw the curse with our own eyes!"
"Wait! I suddenly thought of one possibility! If I'm right—"
Olivia turned to Akuto, eyes burning with excitement.
"Mm. You guessed correctly," Akuto nodded, meeting her gaze. The two spoke at the same time:
"Because Akuto-sama is a devil acknowledged by God!" —Olivia.
"Because the God of the Bible is already dead." —Akuto.
Two completely different answers.
"...???"
The God of the Bible... dead?
Every saint froze, minds blank.
"God is dead? Impossible! God is still granting us His blessings!" Asia refused to accept it.
Calmly, Akuto explained:
"The one granting you blessings is not the God of the Bible Himself, but the faith system He left behind."
"After His death, the system has limped on under the Four Great Seraphs' maintenance—but it has grown far weaker."
"Not just the faith system. The sacred-demonic system and the Sacred Gear system He maintained also became unstable. Sacred and demonic powers now fuse... Sacred Gears suffer more frequent bugs."
"Some of you can bestow blessings even upon devils, can't you?"
"If you had stayed hidden, maybe it would be fine. But once exposed, to preserve the system's stability, the Church could only choose to expel you."
"This... is the truth behind your exile."
Everything clicked into place.
Why the Church expelled them indiscriminately.
Why Akuto, a devil, could wield the Apocalypse ability only saints were meant to have.
Why he could reincarnate Asia, a saint, as a devil.
It was all because... the God of the Bible was dead.
Silence.
A suffocating silence engulfed the room.
Akuto walked past the saints and stopped before Asia, then scooped her into his arms in a princess carry and brought her into his bedroom.
Just as he said—he had never been a good man.
Fwump
Asia landed softly on the bed, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, her eyes still shattered.
Only when pain surged through her body did she truly realize what was happening. Her beautiful green eyes widened, tears spilling once more.
Her petite feet, wrapped in white socks, clenched against the sheets.
Her slender, pale legs trembled weakly behind Akuto, swaying like fruit on a branch.
In the original story, after learning of God's death, Asia had been heartbroken—but she found the will to go on.
Because, at that time, she already had someone she loved. She had new companions.
But now, though she had affection for Akuto, he was not yet her pillar.
So Akuto decided to "fast forward" her dependence—taking her entirely as his own.
After making Asia his, the system chimed:
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, on completing a past-life objective — to possess the shattered-belief saint Asia and become her new spiritual pillar.]
[Reward acquired: Multiversal Reincarnation Pool (Purple).]
[Multiversal Reincarnation Pool (Purple): A powerful resurrection artifact. By placing the flesh and soul fragments of the dead inside, you can seize them from the Underworld itself and revive them on the spot.
Note: Cannot revive anyone stronger than yourself.]
The system confirmed its effectiveness.
Half an hour later, under the erosion of Akuto's symbiote, Asia finally responded—softly letting out a sound.
This sound, no longer filled with despair, carried faint traces of pleasure and longing.
It showed that physical needs could replace psychological ones.
Having lost her faith in God, Asia instinctively grew dependent on the one person left to her—Akuto.
But he did not want a mere toy that obeyed without question.
So he whispered in her ear:
"Asia, I like you. Whether God exists or not, I like you."
His straightforward confession lit up her broken eyes with a fragile spark.
Really? Akuto liked her? Then... that was wonderful.
As her legs wrapped around his waist on instinct, Akuto continued:
"As I said, the God of the Bible has been dead for a long time. But even without Him, the world continues on, and people live their lives.
"Rather than relying on a dead god, it's better to rely on ourselves to survive.
"Rather than waiting for blessings from above, we should strive to make this world better with our own hands. Don't you agree?"
Under his words, Asia's once-dead gaze regained light.
Yes. God might be gone. But she remained. Their hopes remained.
She must inherit His will and make the world better.
"Akuto-kun, even if you're a terrible villain who forcibly takes girls, you're right. Even if God has passed, we cannot stop moving forward."
"Is that so? A terrible villain, hm~?" Akuto smirked, thinking it was a fitting evaluation to maintain.
"Yes, a terrible villain."
With those words, Asia hugged him tightly, biting his shoulder, trembling as if her body might shatter.
(End of Chapter)
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