— — — — — —
A weakling?
Him, Azazel… a weakling?
Say that again, I dare you.
Of course, Azazel knew Ryo was joking, but the guy's completely straight-faced nonsense was seriously irritating.
"Oh, right. You could work as a researcher. The R&D department's been short-handed lately."
As if something had just occurred to him, Ryo rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.
Damn it!
That stung even more than being called weak. A researcher? So I don't even count as combat power?
"Hey, that's going too far! Are you holding a grudge just because I backed Michael up? But I had a good reason, didn't I?" Azazel said, his face dark with frustration.
"What do you think?" Ryo shot him a glance.
Honestly, if he didn't tolerate subordinates having their own little agendas, Azazel's constant fence-sitting would've gotten him buried long ago.
"Heh…"
Under that look, Azazel gave an awkward laugh. Then, noticing the others studying the contracts and finally Sirzechs watching him closely with a strange smile, he shrugged.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just a shameless opportunist."
The angels had already decided to align themselves with Ryo because of God. As for the fallen angels, they had no choice but to stand with the stronger side.
There wasn't really any alternative.
They still needed Ryo to solve the issue with their newborns. As long as his terms weren't too harsh, Azazel could only accept it.
And honestly, the terms weren't bad at all.
So the earlier plan he'd discussed with Sirzechs—allying with the devils to pressure the angels—had now flipped completely.
Now it was angels and fallen angels… against the devils.
Which was exactly why Azazel had no shame calling himself a weather vane.
Because that's exactly what he was acting like.
Sirzechs frowned, but in the end, he just sighed.
He understood. Strength dictated everything.
And he also understood why Ryo hadn't even bothered asking whether the devils would stay or leave.
Because from the very beginning, whether as Ryo or as the primordial being Lilith, their control over devils had been absolute.
With a sigh, he took out a pen, signed the standard contract, and said. "The devils accept your terms."
"…Sigh."
Michael glanced at Gabriel beside him, her cheeks puffed in irritation like she was one second away from throwing hands again. He sighed, then signed the contract as well.
Azazel quickly finished signing, tucked his copy away, then looked up with a puzzled expression.
"Alright, the recruitment part's settled. But Governor… what about the Infinite Dragon God?"
Ryo glanced at him and said calmly. "The Dragon God is also four-digit."
Azazel's mouth opened slightly. His eyelids twitched.
Sirzechs' expression changed too, his lips parting in shock.
Michael, meanwhile, looked down at the contract in his hand, confirmed his signature, and let out a long breath of relief.
"That's… quite the revelation," Azazel said, his face twitching like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The Dragon God… is also four-digit.
That one sentence carried terrifying implications.
It didn't just mean the Infinite Dragon God was rated as four-digit in Ryo's system.
It meant that even a being like the Dragon God… was only four-digit.
And Ryo had just said he himself was at that level.
Which meant they were on the same tier.
In other words, everyone in this room combined, even counting their factions, probably couldn't beat Ryo alone.
After all, among the world's top ten, it was widely accepted that ranks two through ten combined still couldn't stand against the Infinite Dragon God.
That was the kind of overwhelming gap they were talking about.
So why would they panic over the contract now? Simple. Because they'd all realized, a bit too late, that they'd just brushed past death's door.
Ryo Yagami hadn't said what would happen if they refused.
Now they understood. Refusal meant death.
Azazel wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression stiff.
"So… if the Infinite Dragon God really shows up tomorrow, are you planning to intercept it personally?"
"No," Ryo replied simply.
"No?" Azazel's sweat doubled. "Then… you're not thinking of sending us to fight it, are you?"
That's revenge, right? That's totally revenge.
Just because I disagreed with you for a second earlier?!
Come on, don't do this to me!
Boss, I was wrong. Can we pick a different assignment? Fighting a Dragon God is way above my pay grade!
If the situation allowed it, Azazel would've already been clinging to Ryo's leg, crying his heart out.
Ryo looked at him with a faint smile.
"Not intercept."
"We're going to lure it in."
"Lure…?" everyone echoed in surprise.
Michael's expression stiffened. "The intel says the Infinite Dragon God is suddenly heading to Kyoto. Don't tell me…"
"I set up bait specifically for dragon-types," Ryo said, the corners of his lips curling upward.
'Of course, you did…' Sirzechs felt his heart skip a beat.
He'd been wondering why the Dragon God suddenly made a move. Turns out this was all Ryo's doing.
At that moment, Ryo added with a smile, "Speaking of which, Rias, you helped with this."
Rias blinked, then suddenly realized something.
"You mean… the Kyoto barrier inspection today?!"
The moment she said that, she felt the sharp gazes of the three faction leaders land on her.
"…"
Rias shrank back, too scared to say another word.
She had a feeling she'd get beaten if she kept talking.
"Rias… you…" Sirzechs sighed again, but didn't scold her.
With someone like Ryo, was it even possible for Rias to notice anything? He could probably set up a spell right in front of her and she wouldn't realize it.
At that point, Ryo tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention, then leaned back in his chair.
"Alright. Next, I want you to discuss the arrangements for tomorrow's formal meeting."
The leaders of the angels, devils, and fallen angels exchanged glances, then asked. "What should the objective be?"
A smile tugged at Ryo's lips, clearly pleased with their response.
"The secondary objective is to wipe out the incoming opposition."
"And the primary objective…"
"…is to capture Ophis."
.
.
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