"Scum Han, you really are a super scumbag."
Inside Ishtar's temple, Miss Ling's voice rang out, dripping with profound disdain.
"A scumbag is a scumbag," the youth, who had just quite enjoyed holding Miss Guda, casually picked up a watering can to clean the leaves of the temple's plants before taking out a small pair of scissors to prune them. "It's not like I just became a scumbag a day or two ago."
The girl, who was in a sense Li Zihan's second personality, projected herself using the Authority of Erosion. She looked at the man who had basically tricked Miss Guda into his grasp, and her face burned with secondhand embarrassment.
Just a few days ago, she had confidently stated that Miss Guda was different from the other girls Li Zihan had pursued, that she wouldn't just give in easily, and that he was probably going to get shot down.
And the result…
The result was that Miss Guda had given in easily after all.
The only difference between her and the likes of Seele or Kiana was the distinction between surrendering on the spot versus saying, "Please give me some time to think about it."
Li Zihan had agreed, and then promptly kissed Miss Guda.
After being kissed, Miss Guda, in whom Miss Ling had placed such high hopes, simply blushed like an apple, offering no resistance whatsoever.
Barring any surprises, it was only a matter of time before that girl fell completely.
Miss Ling, who had been desperately hoping to see the scumbag get his comeuppance—preferably with a face swollen from being slapped by a girl—felt a wave of despair.
To date, Li Zihan had indeed been rebuffed by women and had even been slapped.
But…
But it was always the case that, a few days later, the very girl who had snubbed him or slapped him would end up in his bed.
What was wrong with these women?
One after another, even if they liked him, they couldn't just give in on the spot! Couldn't they show a little more restraint?
Ling, who could never understand how this scumbag managed to succeed with nearly every girl he pursued, was perplexed.
Or was it that every girl around Li Zihan was the type to give in easily, only divided into those who did so at the speed of light versus those who did so at the speed of sound?
Miss Ling simply couldn't figure it out.
"Hey, hey, you've been using the power of Erosion behind my back, haven't you?" the original Herrscher of Erosion demanded, questioning her other half.
"I'm not dealing with some old fox. Why would I need to use Jizo Mitama?" the youth, who enjoyed amplifying his enemies' emotions in battle to create an advantage for himself, shrugged and continued pruning the flowers he intended to give Ereshkigal that night. "You just need to analyze them in advance and then purposefully show them the side they need to see."
The youth, who always chose his approach based on the target's personality and psychological profile, chuckled softly.
"Kiana can't refuse care and recognition."
"Seele will fall in love with the hero who saves her."
"And Ritsuka, who is already on the verge of being crushed by her mission, can't possibly refuse someone who can carry that burden for her, can she?"
The youth, omitting any mention of the subtle techniques that many wished they could learn but never could, summarized his process of conquering girls with extreme brevity.
"..."
Hearing his words, Ling fell silent.
She then looked up at the man who was, in a way, another version of herself, her expression complex.
This guy…
Is he a Ditto?
But seeing the completely casual look on his face was truly infuriating!
Miss Ling, who had been beaten up upon their first meeting and had been used as a tool ever since, felt an inexplicable rage bubble up as she looked at the scumbag who wore the expression of a master of love.
She had to make this bastard understand just how much of a bastard he was.
"Then why don't you explain Bronya's situation to me," Ling said, as if looking for a fight, bringing up the name of the girl who had fallen for him instantly after her affection was amplified by the power of Jizo Mitama.
And then, a rather shocking truth fell upon Ling's ears.
"Oh, I used a time-based power to revert Bronya back to her state before she was eroded," the youth shrugged, admitting that he had, on a whim, used Bites the Dust to turn back Bronya's personal time. "It's just that none of you realized it."
"Bronya is a very lonely girl who craves affection. With her promise to Seele having already been rendered invalid, was it really that hard to make her fall for me by giving her enough companionship and care?" the man who had already won over Seele stated the fact breezily.
"Still, it's a good thing it was Bronya. If Seele or Ana had been the ones eroded, it would have been difficult to explain why they bled despite it not being their first time."
Ling fell silent once more.
This guy…
No, this scumbag truly was a natural-born Sea King.
---o---
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."
The youth, who was actually quite interested in Ling but felt now was not the right time for a confession, continued to tend to the flowers.
Tonight, he would continue his nightly talks with Ereshkigal and discuss having her move the underworld—which was directly connected to purgatory, the Sea of Imaginary Numbers—to a designated location.
His primary objective was to use the Sword of the Word from Verethragna to "sterilize" Tiamat, whose very "existence is calamity," and then use a transcendent Fenghuang Down to awaken the primordial mother who had shut herself away out of self-loathing from being hated by her children.
After that, he would naturally send her to the Sea of Imaginary Numbers to prepare for the destruction of the source of Goetia's immortality: his second Noble Phantasm, Ars Paulina, an inherent barrier created from the amplified remains of King Solomon.
Once the second Noble Phantasm was destroyed, Goetia would no longer be able to influence the outside world through projections and would be forced to appear in his true form.
The youth smiled faintly, already planning to use some special means to kill Goetia directly and claim the Noble Phantasm he had been charging for three thousand years.
The secondary objective, of course, was to cooperate with Ereshkigal to subdue the currently mindless Tiamat, fostering their relationship in the process.
Once that was done, he could go back.
Give Mei his instructions, have Kiana and Sirin officially meet, try to get Seele and Bronya into bed together…
The smile on the youth's face grew wider, and he couldn't help but start humming a tune.
Then, for the first time in a long while, the true master of this temple—the Useless Goddess, Ishtar—walked over.
She stared at him, scrutinizing him from head to toe, and then nodded as if she was very satisfied.
"Is something wrong?"
Considering that Ereshkigal might need to use this body frequently to communicate with him, the youth, whose attitude towards Ishtar had become much friendlier recently, asked the goddess who seemed a bit off.
Is it my imagination? I feel like she's about to summon the Bull of Heaven.
For some reason, the thought of Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, made the youth's expression tense slightly.
As if gathering her courage, the goddess who shared a body with Ereshkigal took a deep breath.
And then—
Words that left both Ling and Li Zihan completely stunned rang out.
"I'm here to propose marriage."
Author's Note:
I feel bad for always bullying a good girl like Mei.
I've decided, from now on, I'll bully the Useless Goddess instead.