He wasn't confident he could kill Nyaruko.
Moreover, Nyaruko had specifically warned him not to use "those eyes."
If he did, something bad might happen.
And that "something bad" certainly wouldn't be bad for her. It would only be bad for him.
"What a scam. If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered coming!" Toya sighed, turning to leave.
Since he couldn't kill Nyaruko, what was the point of staying?
Wait around for the Evil God's avatar to do something unpredictable and terrifying?
"Darling, where are you going?" Nyaruko tilted her head in confusion. "Are you leaving?"
"Of course I'm leaving. Unless you expect me to stay for dinner?"
Toya didn't stop walking.
Nyaruko blinked blankly. "Aren't you staying for dinner?"
"Nyaruko prepared a feast ages ago to reward Darling!"
"I'm going back." Just as Toya was about to step out the door, he stopped dead.
"Spatial distortion."
He knew this feeling. He had just spent nine days traveling from the first floor to the top floor because of this exact phenomenon.
"Do I have to spend another nine days going downstairs?"
Toya glanced at Nyaruko.
Seeing her snickering, he knew the time required would definitely differ from his estimate.
Whether it took five minutes or five years to reach the lobby depended entirely on Nyaruko's mood.
Seeing Toya stop, Nyaruko knew he had figured it out.
Naturally, she wouldn't let him leave just like that.
This was her Darling; of course, they had to be together forever.
"Darling, what's wrong?" Nyaruko feigned ignorance, blinking her big, innocent eyes. "Is there a problem? Can Nyaruko help?"
Toya stared deadpan at Nyaruko. "I'll take another way."
If the stairs were rigged, he'd just find another exit.
He didn't believe there was no other way out.
"Darling, please make yourself at home! This is Nyaruko's home, which means it's Darling's home too." Nyaruko waved her hand generously, signaling him to go wherever he pleased.
If Toya could actually leave, she would retire her title as the Evil God Nyarlathotep right away.
Toya walked to the window and opened it. Feeling the familiar spatial fluctuations and seeing the bottomless abyss outside, he sighed.
"Looks like you really won't let me go."
Closing the window, Toya looked coldly at Nyaruko. "Alright. How do I leave?"
He certainly wouldn't say something stupid like, "I agree to your demands, let me go."
If he dared to make an open-ended promise to an Evil God, he would be eaten alive—literally or metaphorically.
An Evil God was still a deity; words had power.
There was no room for luck.
Nyaruko tried her best to suppress her laughter. "Darling, I'm hungry!"
"I just made a big lunch and I've been waiting for you!"
Toya looked at Nyaruko and finally compromised. "Fine."
He agreed to sit at the table, but that didn't mean he would actually eat.
Could an Evil God's food even be consumed by humans?
As long as it wasn't a plate of writhing tentacles, he would consider himself lucky.
Hearing Toya agree, Nyaruko excitedly rushed over to grab his arm.
Zing!
The Demon Sword Murasame jumped from its scabbard on its own, its sharp, clear blade coming to rest steadily against Nyaruko's pale neck.
Nyaruko looked cross-eyed at the blade threatening her throat, pouting pitifully.
"Eh?"
"Darling...?"
"Oh?" A trace of surprise flashed in Toya's eyes. "It unsheathed itself?"
He hadn't made a move, yet Murasame had drawn itself.
"The Demon Sword Murasame has leveled up." Toya recalled an often-overlooked mechanic regarding Teigu, and realization dawned on him.
Every Teigu had a characteristic: evolution.
The higher the compatibility with the master, the more Murasame would respond to the master's will.
"Is this also why it remained undamaged after cutting through that entire living city?"
Toya gently retracted Murasame and said calmly, "Don't mind it. It just doesn't like you getting close to me."
"Of course, the feeling is mutual."
Nyaruko pouted, thinking to herself, Hmph, sooner or later I'll make Darling change his mind!
Human girls? How can they compare to Nyaruko? Nyaruko will stay by your side forever!
Before that, Nyaruko just has to work hard to become Darling's number one!
On the surface, Nyaruko beamed. "No problem! Darling, come quickly!"
"This is delicious cuisine Nyaruko spent a thousand years preparing. You'll love it!"
As she spoke, Nyaruko's exquisite black-and-white dress morphed into a maid outfit. She bowed slightly. "Master, please follow Nyaruko!"
Her mannerisms were that of a perfect maid.
"This ability..."
Toya was impressed. "As expected of the God of a Thousand Faces. The transformation was seamless."
It was as if she had always been wearing the maid outfit.
Nyaruko led the way, and Toya followed.
After they left the room, the space that had been reduced to rubble gradually restored itself, returning to its original state.
Clean, tidy, luxurious...
Soon, Toya followed Nyaruko into a magnificent dining hall.
Soft lighting illuminated the room, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
Inside, a dining table over ten meters long was groaning under the weight of various luxurious dishes.
Ingredients that would be considered rare treasures in the outside world were mere side dishes here.
"I don't recognize any of this..."
Toya scanned the table; almost every ingredient was alien to him.
None of this belonged to the mortal world.
"Darling, please sit!" Nyaruko considerately pulled out a chair, signaling Toya to take a seat.
"Mm." Toya glanced at Nyaruko, his eyes shifting back to the clear azure of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
"Still Nyaruko?" Toya blinked in surprise.
Even under the Mystic Eyes, Nyaruko—who should have been a swirling mass of chaos—maintained her appearance as a stunning silver-haired girl.
"Darling, don't stare like that."
"It's embarrassing!" Nyaruko squirmed shyly.
"Looks like the Evil God Nyarlathotep tweaked her form." Toya wasn't too surprised.
For an Evil God, maintaining a specific form under scrutiny was child's play.
At worst, she just restructured the avatar.
Toya looked at the feast on the table. As long as the food wasn't cursed, he might as well taste it.
But when his Mystic Eyes revealed the True Form of the dishes, he gasped.
Nyaruko stood aside, her porcelain cheeks glowing with pride. "Darling, shocked, right?"
"Nyaruko spent a thousand years collecting these ingredients!"
"A thousand years of my Main Body's time!"
"Incredible..."
Toya stared at the table. The true nature of each exquisite dish was laid bare before his eyes.
The dish closest to him wasn't meat or vegetable. It was a mass of incredibly clear, pure energy.
It contained no impurities. It was a physical manifestation of the Mystery of an entire era.
How did he know?
Because when the ruined city came alive earlier, it was this same Mystery that had fueled him, allowing him to fight until the city was dust.