Chapter 12: Worldline Shift, Eliminating Hidden Threats

"No way! Absolutely not!"

"I don't agree with this at all!"

There was no way Serafall would just sit back and watch Lucien and Sona consummate their relationship.

"I knew you wouldn't agree."

"Luckily, I'm a reasonable person. As long as you give me three more drops of Phoenix Tears, I can dissolve the contract on the spot."

Lucien proposed his terms once again.

"Six drops in total?! Do you think I have that many Phoenix Tears lying around? You might as well just sell me off!"

Serafall's eyes welled up with tears, playing the part of a pitiful, wronged girl.

Unfortunately for her, Lucien saw through her act immediately. This was nothing more than a cheap negotiation tactic.

"No three drops, huh? Then let's make a deal."

"Convert it into resources. Give me an equivalent amount of dragon-type magical beast corpses or essence."

"This..."

Serafall hesitated.

"Serafall, tell me—Sona is so young, her lips are so soft, her thighs so perfectly shaped. Shouldn't they feel amazing?"

"Tonight is bound to be a night to remember."

Lucien wore a dreamy expression as he spoke.

"Enough! Stop talking! I agree to your terms!"

Serafall couldn't handle this level of psychological warfare. She surrendered.

A few minutes later, the new contract was signed.

"Thank you for your business, Lady Leviathan. Once you deliver the goods, I will honor my promise and destroy the contract with Sona."

"But remember, I need to see the delivery within three days." Lucien reminded her.

"I got it."

Serafall pouted, poking her fingers together as she muttered under her breath.

"Lucien, you're such a bully! Always taking advantage of me!"

"A guy like you totally deserved to get dumped by Sona!"

Even though Sona hadn't actually succeeded in breaking off the engagement, that didn't stop Serafall from using it to take a jab at Lucien.

"Sorry, Serafall. Your wish didn't come true."

"Even if I get dumped, someone else is willing to take me in."

"Eh? Who?" Serafall's expression froze.

"Rias. The moment she learned of my engagement being broken off, she immediately offered to take my hand in marriage."

Lucien replied with a smirk.

"Rias willingly taking you in? Since when did you become so in demand?"

Serafall felt extremely irritated.

"Look at me—I'm obviously desirable."

"By the way, if you had tried to seize the contract by force, or suppress me with your power, Rias would've reported this matter immediately."

Lucien reached into his pocket.

A red bat flew out.

This was a familiar contracted to Rias.

When dealing with Serafall, Lucien never made just one preparation.

What if Serafall had simply snatched the recording crystal from Hayasaka Nao?

That would've cut his compensation in half.

"Tch! So this whole battle with Sona was just to set me up?!"

Now that Serafall had pieced together the full picture, she clicked her tongue in frustration.

"Exactly."

Lucien admitted without hesitation.

"What can I say? I needed money, and you had money. It was a match made in heaven."

"Hmph! I'm leaving to prepare your payment!"

"Until I return, you better not bully Sona anymore!"

Serafall shot Lucien a sharp glare before opening a teleportation portal to leave.

Watching Serafall's disappearing figure, Lucien quietly activated his Appraisal ability.

[Name: Serafall Leviathan (♀)]

[Level: Lv??? (100 levels above host, unreadable)]

[Attribute Evaluation: (Unreadable due to level difference)]

[Overall Rating: A-Rank Main God]

[Summary: Her bloodline has been refined to the extreme, leading to ascension beyond the limits of the demon race. She has surpassed the constraints of her kind and reached the power level of the top ten deities in the world.]

Lucien rubbed his eyes, double-checking his screen.

Was this really Serafall's data?

Not Sirzechs'?

Since when did Serafall have Main God-level strength? And how had she broken through the demonic racial limits?

Something was off.

The Serafall in the original storyline definitely wasn't this strong.

What had changed?

"This world isn't quite what I expected... Things just got even more interesting."

With Serafall gone, Shinra Tsubaki had also finished treating Sona's injuries.

"Lord Lucien, I will now escort Lady Sona back for further healing."

Shinra Tsubaki looked at Lucien with newfound respect.

Even with Sona underestimating him, a single blow had decided the match.

Lucien's contract beast was absurdly powerful. It was undeniable that he would have a significant place in the underworld's future.

"Go ahead. Once Sona wakes up, tell her to come see me."

Lucien gave the order before sending Tsubaki off.

With business concluded, Lucien turned to Hayasaka Nao with a wide smile.

"Miss Nao, today is a great day. Let's celebrate with a feast!"

After all, he had obtained a Forbidden Piece, awakened his High-Dimensional Succubus and High-Dimensional Leviathan bloodlines, and gained both an Appraisal Eye and a Copy Eye.

With these abilities, he was confident he could dominate all early and mid-game events.

Hard work yielding rewards felt good.

But cheating? Cheating felt even better!

As Lucien basked in satisfaction, a system notification rang in his head.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! You have triggered a Villain Sign-In Event!]

[Sign-In Tier: Blue.]

[Event Type: Scenario Event.]

[Event: Eliminating Hidden Threats.]

[Objective: Convert Hayasaka Nao into your subordinate to remove potential risks.]

"A Sign-In mission like this, huh?"

"Well, that makes sense."

"Since I have the Pieces, it's time to start building my own faction."

Lucien's gaze flickered momentarily before he returned to his usual demeanor.

"Congratulations, Lord Lucien. Agumon has successfully evolved, and your hard work has paid off."

Hayasaka Nao stepped forward, offering her sincere congratulations.

"Yes, and it's thanks to you, Miss Nao."

Lucien expressed his gratitude.

Without her help and support, he wouldn't have gotten this far.

"My help and support?"

Hayasaka Nao paused before smiling softly.

"You flatter me, Lord Lucien. I merely performed my duties."

"Duties?"

Lucien chuckled and shook his head.

"No, Miss Nao. That's not quite right."

"If you had reported my dealings with the Fallen Angels to Serafall or the Underworld's higher-ups, I would've been in serious trouble."

"So, I truly appreciate your discretion."

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