(Image: Arianna)
Half an hour ago, Akuto was the one who used a teleportation formula from the next room to bring the sleeping Arianna over.
What Arianna did not know was that, long before she woke up, Akuto had already imprinted the influence of his succubus bloodline deeply into her body.
Before she was teleported over, Akuto first cast a "Sleep" formula on Arianna, sending her into the deepest possible slumber.
After that, Akuto pressed a long, lingering kiss to the sleeping girl's lips.
For a full thirty minutes, while Akuto experimented with "Fate Grafting" on Raphael, he also kept Arianna close—maintaining the activation of his succubus bloodline at its maximum throughout.
Akuto did this, of course, to obtain more initial ability slots as quickly as possible.
No matter which world it was, the early stage after descending always required rapidly securing a batch of ability slots, and the Godslayer world was no exception.
Because he had only recently arrived, his strength was not considered high. Even with Athena's divine power reinforcement, he was merely at the "Super Devil King" level.
With that level of strength, plus Akuto's ritual technique that far exceeded his rank, he should be able to erupt into a "Chief God" tier of combat power—enough to slay gods, but not enough to reach a higher layer of purpose.
To achieve the goal of assassinating a "thoroughly noncompliant Heretic God," or even "slaying the god's true body," Akuto needed to unlock at least two abilities in advance.
The first was the Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor.
Boosted Gear would ensure Akuto could burst out at least peak Chief God strength, possibly even pushing into the sub-Dragon God tier.
The second was the Usurpation Disk.
Previously, Akuto was able to seize Athena's Authority without unlocking the "Usurpation Disk" only because Athena attempted to invade and control him inside the cabin.
After the system intercepted and sealed Athena's power, it directly injected that power into the most suitable place—namely, the "Usurpation Disk" slot that had not yet been unlocked within Akuto at the time.
Only under that kind of circumstance—being invaded by a god, triggering the system's self-protection mechanism—could Akuto seize a god's Authority without unlocking the "Usurpation Disk."
Under normal godslaying conditions, Akuto still needed the "Usurpation Disk" to assist him.
After all, Akuto believed there was no way he would gain Pandora's recognition. Moreover, the system was almost certainly not going to allow Pandora to remodel his body.
…
In short, because his plan demanded it, Akuto wanted to obtain more initial ability slots as quickly as possible.
As for Erica, since she was a heroine, her fortune was stronger, and her personality was also more forceful. Even if Akuto relied on the succubus bloodline and pushed hard, one night would certainly not be enough.
Erica had always been proud. Even if she knew she was no match for a god, she would at most "submit in appearance," still far from genuine submission.
So Akuto set his sights on Arianna first.
Arianna was beautiful and adorable, and she also had that slightly airheaded softness. Compared to coaxing Erica, coaxing Arianna was obviously much easier.
Thus, while Arianna slept, Akuto quietly raised the degree of his succubus bloodline's influence on her to a fairly high level.
Of course, that alone was still far from "clearing" her.
Akuto's succubus bloodline did not possess "hypnosis" or "control." To a greater extent, it enhanced his allure to others.
After advancing to the golden tier, Akuto could even achieve "a thousand faces," or rather, "a thousand temperaments."
When facing someone who liked a "youthful" vibe, Akuto would appear "youthful" to them.
When facing someone who liked a "mature" vibe, Akuto's temperament would appear "mature" in that person's eyes.
And everything else—"world-weariness," "heroic spirit," "rugged strength," and so on—was within the range of what Akuto's succubus bloodline could adjust.
Beyond applying this to "capturing" heroine plotlines, Akuto even expanded it into the realm of "preaching."
Believers' imagination of a god's image varied according to personal experience and thoughts.
On Akuto's side, he had already begun remodeling the statues and crosses in the Akame ga Kill world and the High School of the Dead world so that they possessed the trait of "a thousand faces," ensuring every believer could see the ideal god in their own heart.
The method was simple: he directly designed the crosses or statues to carry the succubus bloodline's effect.
So long as, while using it, he held two intentions—"make non-living things become fond of me" and "make living beings become fond of me"—the succubus bloodline could transform the cross or statue into that "a thousand faces" form.
All in all, although it lacked direct "control" or "hypnosis," Akuto's succubus bloodline still produced powerful effects in certain… unusual directions.
And Akuto had never liked succubus bloodlines with "control" or "hypnosis" in the first place.
The charm points of anime heroines came from their differing personalities and appearances. If that personality disappeared under the influence of a succubus bloodline, it was no different from an empty doll with only a shell.
In Akuto's view, doing that was like having fresh meat and vegetables on the table, yet insisting on turning them into prepackaged food—and then forcing all the prepackaged dishes to taste exactly the same.
It was the most wasteful, foolish act imaginable.
That was why, before any "baptism," Akuto preferred to have heart-to-heart talks, go on dates, and observe properly first.
Akuto did not think conversation and dating were a waste of time. They allowed him to understand a girl's personality and life more deeply, and to learn the primary reasons she became who she was—so he could experience her charm more profoundly.
That kind of "talking" was like salt and seasoning in cooking. You could eat without it, but the flavor would be thin, and it would be a waste of the ingredients.
Only with the right seasoning could the ingredients reach their fullest effect and provide the greatest enjoyment.
…
It was the same with Arianna. Akuto merely used his succubus bloodline to awaken the "girlish" part within her, placing her in a state where it was easier for her to fall for someone.
As for who Arianna would fall for in that state—given that Akuto could appear as whatever a person preferred—was indeed a question worth considering.
Ahem.
Thus, after those thirty minutes, Akuto set Arianna beside him and removed the "Sleep" formula from her body.
Very soon, Arianna slowly opened her deep navy eyes.
"A strange ceiling… Where is this…"
When Arianna said that, she did not know she had already spent a long time held close to Akuto, and that there was now a noticeable trace of Akuto's power lingering within her.
Slowly, Arianna looked to the side—and saw Raphael, who was clearly at the edge of her endurance, her breathing unsteady, her expression slack with fatigue.
Arianna found it impossible to imagine that Europe's strongest female Holy Knight, the legendary Raphael-sama—so heroic, so powerful, the creator of countless myths—would show such a vulnerable, feminine side in front of a man.
And the one who had brought her to this point was Akuto, the youth rumored to be a god, yet seemingly not a god, but rather a new era's holy child, Yul.
…
After Arianna awoke, Akuto unhurriedly looked at the still-dazed girl.
Although her vibe leaned toward the "airheaded" type, Arianna's looks and figure were still top-tier.
As he spoke, Akuto slowly removed Arianna's round-toed black shoes and lightly held her delicate feet through the purple tights.
The deep, noble purple of the tights formed a subtle contrast with the overall tone of her outfit, perfectly outlining the long, well-proportioned lines of her legs—from her fuller thighs to her gradually narrowing knees, to her slender calves—every curve showcased to its fullest.
"E-eh? …Eh??!!"
…
Arianna had not expected Akuto to take off her little black shoes so directly.
"Um, wearing shoes on the bed really isn't good, but, but is this—"
Arianna could feel Akuto's warmth traveling through her body, making her heartbeat accelerate.
Arianna was right: wearing shoes on the bed really was not good.
But what she did not know was that, before she woke up, during that long spell of intimate closeness, she had been exactly like this—still in her shoes, unable to resist even in her sleep.
Akuto's reply was:
"Arianna-san, you've been peeking for so long. Don't you think you owe some compensation to me, the victim?"
Arianna: "Mm…"
"B-but Akuto-sama, aren't you busy? Raphael-sama is still…" Arianna glanced at Raphael, who looked as if she had reached her limit, and swallowed hard.
"Hm? Raphael?" Akuto smiled slightly. "Actually, Raphael is already just about at her limit."
Akuto gently drew the limp Raphael closer, holding her in his arms in a tight embrace, and kissed her with practiced ease.
Because Erica and Arianna had both been peeking, a great deal of time had already passed.
Now, Raphael's mind and body had been pushed to exhaustion again and again, to the point that she no longer had the presence of mind to react to Akuto teleporting Arianna over.
And after a third point of contact was added, Raphael finally reached the critical threshold of total collapse.
Thus, as Raphael was held in Akuto's arms, her gaze losing focus, her entire body trembling on the verge, Akuto finally heard the system notification.
[Ding!~]
[Congratulations, Host. Fortune Seizure Complete.]
[Fortune Source: Raphael.]
[Blank Initial Ability Slot +1. Current Total Initial Ability Slots: 5.]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host. Hidden Achievement Unlocked — Subduing Europe's Strongest Holy Knight, Raphael.]
[Congratulations, Host. Reward Obtained: Holy Child's Auspice (Golden).]
(End of Chapter)
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