Chapter 218: Nyx’s Introduction…?

[Idiot…]

In that same second…

FWOOSH!

A surge of dark water swallowed me whole, crashing over me like a tsunami.

I thrashed underwater, forcing myself to swim upward for air—but I couldn’t. Above me was nothing but endless, suffocating water. Every time I thought I was close to the surface, it slipped farther and farther out of reach.

W-What the hell—

SPLASH!

I was suddenly spat out of the water, my back slamming into a field of soft flowers as I slowly opened my eyes.

Where did I end up this time!?

I scrambled to my feet.

There was no time to waste. I couldn’t trust Julius to hold that thing back for long, and I wasn’t even sure if this place I’d ended up in was outside of time.

I wasn’t even sure if I was still alive.

“G-Goddess Nyx…?”

I tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Huh?

I looked around and saw nothing but endless purple flowers carpeting the ground like a serene field. Above me, countless stars hung in a void as dark as nothingness.

Where am—

“Mortal.”

A voice came from my left, and when I turned to look…

I saw a woman draped in white fabric that clung to her curves and left scandalous stretches of skin exposed. Her skin was pale as fresh snow, smooth and inviting, and her face… her face was devastatingly beautiful—sinful in how heavenly it looked, like temptation wrapped in a goddess’s features.

Wait… she looked familiar…

Evelina!?

“Do you like the appearance I’ve taken on?”

Her voice washed over my entire body. It was like Evelina’s succubus powers, but far… far more terrifying.

There was no mistaking who it belonged to.

It was Nyx.

“Tell me, what happened there?”

“H-Huh?”

“I’m talking about you releasing the False Hydra.”

Nyx stepped forward, then began to float, moving as if she were swimming through water. The moment her hands wrapped around the stars that looked so distant…

She plucked them out, the way you’d pick an apple from a branch.

“That place… I filled it with enough of my divine magic to keep outsiders away. Why did you ignore my warnings?”

“B-Better question, why aren’t you killing me…?”

I asked, stunned. I knew time was against us, but I couldn’t help it; I had to know. She’d abandoned me. She knew I’d clashed with demons—her mortal enemies.

So why bother with me at all? Better yet, why not go to Julius instead?

“Killing you? I have no interest in such mortal ideas of revenge, and even if I do, it doesn’t last long.”

Nyx laughed softly, cradling the star in her hands as if it were her child, before pressing it back into the sky like it was nothing more than a sticker.

“So, answer my question, mortal. Why did you disobey my warnings?”

“Telling mortals to stay away only makes them want to do the opposite, you know?” I joked, fully aware that excuses weren’t going to work here.

She was a goddess. What chance did I even have of lying to her successfully?

“Ridiculous answer.”

She cupped her cheeks with both hands and lay back in midair. I didn’t know where to look. She was beautiful, unbelievably beautiful, and that alone was enough to make my nerves crumble.

But at the same time… she was still wearing Evelina’s face and body.

So technically, I was admiring Evelina.

Before I could spiral deeper into that ridiculous line of thought, she spoke again.

“I’ll help you contain it, just like I did for heroes in the past.”

She drifted through the air toward me, turning until she faced me directly. She reached out, one finger brushing my skin, forcing me to meet her gaze.

It was like staring into an endless cosmos of magic.

“What do you suggest…?”

“Well… you become my champion. That is all.”

“What…?”

“You’re powerful, and you seem to be smart. I admire those qualities.”

Seriously?

In exchange for helping me, she wanted me to become her champion? To give me even more power?

It sounded like a win–win… and it definitely sounded like the kind of deal I would’ve taken in the past. The kind of deal I would’ve jumped at on my first day in this world.

But now? I’d rather not make deals with endlessly powerful beings again, even if this one was far more… morally kind than Beelzebub.

I didn’t want to be dependent.

Besides, if she decided not to help me, I could just teleport Evelina away from the city and let everyone else deal with this False Hydra, or whatever Nyx had called it.

“I refuse.”

I answered with a sarcastic smirk.

And, to my surprise—

Nyx laughed. Softly, even. Gods… Evelina would murder me if she knew this was happening.

“Good answer. You really are your father’s son.”

Nyx finally let herself drift down, and the entire realm bent around her. The flower field seemed to roll from beneath my legs up past my back before everything snapped back to normal.

I found myself lying down again, this time with Nyx suddenly beside me, my head resting on her lap.

Guess the textbooks weren’t lying.

She really was the most motherly of the pantheon.

“Then I’ll give you a hint instead… okay?” Nyx said.

“You know… I thought you’d be madder.”

“Centuries of watching over your kind have helped me control my emotions better.”

…Well, that actually made sense, I guess.

“Your black flames. Use them.”

The moment I heard those words from her, I realized I had one more question.

“You’re okay with cursed magic?”

“It’s better than demonic. Besides, it’s still magic born from the natural world. Better than that…” She paused. “Disgusting chaos you used in the past. So I’ll allow it.”

I nodded. Again, it made sense. I couldn’t tell if I was being stupid for agreeing with her so easily, or if she really was just that convincing.

But wait…

“Is that the only hint!?”

“Yes, and don’t complain. Now get going, stay in my realm any longer and you’ll turn stupid the moment you go back to the real world.”

She flashed me a dangerous smirk before pressing her hands over my eyes and forcing them shut.

She’s supposed to be a goddess, right?

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