— — — — — —
Cao Cao's face flushed bright red, like a tomato.
Just a moment ago, he'd mocked Ryo for taking Jeanne hostage over the Holy Spear.
Then, in the very next second, the spear had latched onto Ryo like an overeager lapdog. Even after being tossed away, it shamelessly flew right back to his side.
For Cao Cao, its former owner, the humiliation was immeasurable.
Worse still, Cao Cao's personal strength wasn't outstanding. Without the Holy Spear's support, even with his countless battles and refined skills, he could at best contend with a high-class Devil.
With that level of power, challenging Ryo was a joke. Hell, he probably couldn't even beat this incarnation standing before him.
In other words, with a simple gesture, Ryo had effectively crippled him.
Meanwhile, Ryo stood there with Jeanne tucked under one arm and the Holy Spear in his other hand, sighing dramatically. "The spear's easy enough to get. But a living, breathing beautiful girl is much harder to find."
His gaze drifted toward Jeanne. "Especially one carrying Saint Jeanne d'Arc's spirit."
There was a playful look in his eyes.
The Holy Spear was certainly powerful, but the truly terrifying one was the version in Little Garden. The one in this world was, at most, a replicated Divine Artifact. Things like that were everywhere in Little Garden.
But Jeanne was different. The Maid of Orléans herself was a three-digit powerhouse in Little Garden.
Just imagining the value of a spirit connected to someone like that was enough.
Ryo couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Of course, nobody else knew about the bizarre value calculations running through his head. As a result, everyone's expressions became rather strange.
Wait... Is this guy interested in Jeanne?
Hercules might have more muscles than brains, but he wasn't stupid. Hearing Ryo's words, he immediately reached that conclusion, and his expression turned increasingly weird.
Nearby, Georg felt a surge of righteous indignation.
The only cute girl in their team was being targeted by someone else. NO. How was that acceptable? Was fate determined to keep him single forever?
As for Jeanne herself, her expression became equally complicated.
Despite technically being a hostage, she somehow looked a little pleased.
The strongest person in the world had just said the Holy Spear wasn't as valuable as she was. Wasn't that basically a declaration that her beauty ranked number one in the world?
Though she'd become a prisoner, Jeanne found herself oddly unable to dislike Ryo. After all, who hated being complimented?
...
Ryo paid no attention to their reactions. Instead, he casually weighed the Holy Spear in his hand.
Then he squeezed.
Crack.
The shaft of the Holy Spear, which had accompanied Cao Cao through more than a decade of battles and had always been considered indestructible, shattered piece by piece.
Fragments rained to the ground.
The sight sent chills through everyone present. That was the strongest Longinus in existence.
Even Satan-level beings and many of the world's top ten strongest couldn't leave so much as a scratch on it. Yet Ryo had crushed it with a casual squeeze.
The most terrifying part? This wasn't even Ryo himself. It was merely an incarnation of his.
How were they supposed to fight that guy? Offer themselves up as sacrifices?
In an instant, every member of the Hero Faction fell silent.
The thoughts they'd been entertaining moments ago suddenly seemed laughable.
The only thing they could do now was hope Ryo wasn't in the mood to kill them. Nothing else was in their hands.
"..."
Amid the dead silence, Ryo continued crushing the spear.
"Hm? Not enough force?" He tilted his head. "Or maybe it just needs a little more encouragement."
Jeanne stared blankly as the spear disintegrated before her eyes.
The shaft vanished bit by bit. Eventually, only the spearhead remained.
Then, a sacred, exalted will emerged from within it.
The surrounding air churned violently. Wind swept through the room, lifting everyone's hair.
At first the presence was faint. Then it grew stronger. And stronger.
Its majesty increased with every passing second, as though some ancient existence was slowly awakening.
Soon, a glowing phantom emerged from the spearhead. Its appearance was hidden beneath layers of radiant light.
The moment it appeared, it demanded, "Who are you? And why are you destroying the spear that houses me?"
"There's someone inside the Holy Spear?!" Cao Cao stood frozen.
He had possessed the spear since birth.
He had studied it tirelessly for years.
And yet he had never discovered that smashing it to pieces would cause a person to pop out.
And who was this?
Could it be... God?
Had Ryo just awakened the legendary dead God by breaking the Holy Spear?
Was this the spear's real purpose?
"..."
Everyone who arrived at the same conclusion felt their brains short-circuit.
While the room was still processing the shock, Ryo glanced up at the glowing figure.
Then he tossed away the spearhead and slapped the phantom.
Boom!
The layers of divine light exploded instantly. And the figure beneath was revealed.
Silence fell across the room.
The woman standing there possessed silver hair and brilliant eyes, her beauty cold and dignified.
"Mm." Ryo nodded in satisfaction. "Much better. You look a lot nicer without all that glowing."
Then he looked at the Creator God and asked, "So? You got the data, right?"
"I did." Her voice carried helpless resignation. "Even if you hadn't destroyed the spear, my memories would have gradually transferred to you through our connection."
"Too slow." Ryo rejected the idea without hesitation.
His time was valuable. He wasn't about to waste it waiting for a spear.
'Too slow? You spend most of your days wasting time with women and can't even wait this long?'
God glanced at Ryo, then at Jeanne tucked in his arms.
But she chose not to say anything. After all, this was technically her future boss.
Best to leave him some dignity.
"Take the remaining spearhead to Heaven. When it reaches the Sea of Life, the Holy Spear will restore itself automatically. At that point, I'll awaken completely and be resurrected."
"Resurrected?" Cao Cao's face changed instantly.
Unfortunately, neither of the two people involved paid him any attention.
They simply continued their conversation.
"That can wait." Ryo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "There's something else I want to ask first."
"Ahem... Do you know where the Mother Goddess is?"
.
.
.