"Besides yourselves," Alistair said, not answering directly but posing a counterquestion, "what else could entice a god?"
"..."
Leone fell silent.
No.
It wasn't that the price was too high. On the contrary, to Leone, it seemed too small.
Just offering herself to restore peace and tranquility to the world?
Was that truly possible?
"Lord God, can offering ourselves really change the entire world?" a steady, mature voice asked.
A woman with short silver hair, an eyepatch over her right eye, and a mechanical right arm stepped forward. Dressed in a sharp black suit, she exuded a commanding presence. She had appeared behind Leone and Hill unnoticed.
"Boss..." Leone murmured, at a loss for words.
Along with Najenda, Night Raid's leader, came two other women.
The first was a girl with sleek black hair and crimson eyes, dressed in a schoolgirl-like outfit, a long sword at her waist. She seemed innocent, almost cute, but the overwhelming bloodlust radiating from her proved otherwise. In the eyes of Alistair, Persephone, and Ker, she was steeped in the aura of countless kills.
The second was a petite girl with pink twin-tails, dressed in a pink gown and black stockings. Her loli-like figure sparked a desire to dominate.
Akame.
Mine.
Aside from Chelsea, who had yet to join, all of Night Raid's female members were now present.
"To be precise," Alistair said, scanning each of them, "for me, there's nothing but yourselves that piques my interest."
"The desires of a god?" Najenda asked, her calm words carrying a hint of danger.
Who knew if the god would take offense?
"Pretty much," Alistair said nonchalantly. "I'm the God of Darkness. All negativity is under my command. I don't restrain my desires, nor am I controlled by them. I simply follow them."
"But that's not the point."
"The point is you yourselves."
His words left Najenda and the others confused, unsure what he meant by "yourselves."
"How to explain..." Alistair mused, smiling. "Every world has people favored by its fate—call them protagonists. You are all such people."
"You may die someday."
"But before that, you'll do things that can change the world."
"That's the world's favor toward you."
"And that's your true value."
As he spoke, Alistair turned to Ker. "Ker, handle it."
"As you command, Your Majesty!" Ker bowed and vanished in a step.
"Najenda, Akame, Mine, Leone, Hill," Alistair continued. "You're all favored by this world. In the future, you could overthrow this corrupt Empire and establish a new order."
"Of course, it's largely meaningless."
"This world is already corrupted by the darkness of human hearts. No matter who takes charge, it's just a cycle repeating itself, like endless reincarnations."
Alistair calmly explained, then looked into the distance, a rich smile on his lips. "Persephone, you chose well. The darkness in this world—I quite like it."
Truth be told, Alistair hadn't expected this world's darkness to be so profound.
Born from human hearts, it had wholly tainted the world, plunging it into depravity and shadow.
A cycle of empires rising, decaying, falling, and rising again.
"Truthfully, Dust, I hadn't anticipated this either," Persephone said, smiling. "But it makes this world the perfect first step."
She'd chosen it for its suitability and her ideas about Teigu, but its darkness exceeded her expectations.
"Then..." Najenda hesitated, then asked carefully, "Lord God, are you willing to help change this?"
She knew he was the God of Darkness. A world steeped in darkness would surely appeal to him.
"Hmm~~~" Alistair looked at the five women, smiling. "Of course. But, as I said, are you willing to offer yourselves?"
With a wave of his hand, five familiar contracts floated before them.
"If you're willing, sign these contracts."
"If you refuse..."
"Well, I'll send you to the Underworld. I'm sure, in Hell, you'll be more inclined to sign."
"After all, from the start, you never had the option to refuse."
"Did you?"
Alistair's smile was warm, but his words sent a chill through them.
Sorry to say, but Alistair was a true God of Darkness, not some benevolent deity.
***
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