[Quest] Main Story Quest for the Protagonist — The Petite Goddess Viona.
[Quest Rank: Gold.]
[Quest Description: Viona is beautiful, pure, proud, and sacred—an existence not to be profaned. Unfortunately, the Host happens to enjoy provoking precisely those "sacred and untouchable" beings.]
[Quest Requirement: Pat Goddess Viona on the head for at least 5 seconds.]
[Quest: The more what Viona feels while being patted is not anger, the higher the bonus.]
"Hm?"
After the System's prompt snapped him awake, Akuto raised an eyebrow.
Many times now, even if he really was a pervert—though for the moment, Viona still hadn't realized she was facing one—he could still sense her hostility toward him steadily easing.
Ever since Viona revealed herself, Akuto had stopped walking.
From several meters away, Akuto's gaze met Viona's violet eyes through the empty air.
The atmosphere was still taut, as if a soundless string had been pulled tight.
The Host's hidden weapons, the Host's joking tone, the faint, discordant music—everything seemed to be isolated and washed out in this instant by some force, as though only the Host alone could remain indifferent to it all.
Viona's eyes were calm and without ripples, like an ancient well of unfathomable depth, quietly reflecting all of Akuto's figure within them.
If an ordinary lifeform were stared at like that, it would feel as if icy water were being poured into its body—chilling to the bone.
But on Akuto's side, the life force inside him was endlessly self-renewing. The circulation of a special energy caused his "immortal power," already at the peak of Maou-class, to erupt with strength beyond its original tier, reaching straight into the Maou peak.
Clearly, aside from his transcendent, supreme-god-level knowledge, Akuto's application of his own power also far exceeded others of the same rank.
Before this, Akuto had been attempting at all times to fuse "divine power," "fallen power," and "demonic power," yet the "Starlight Eye" that helped him fuse those three forces could not itself be fused.
Without a doubt, Akuto's use of immortal power was also capped at Level 08 as an upper limit.
Startled by the sudden, sharp surge of power within Akuto, Viona parted her red lips slightly.
Her voice was clear and ethereal, carrying a lofty pride that seemed detached from the mundane as she murmured, "You…"
"You clearly do not possess the energy grade of one who is linked to the Earth Mother, yet you can use your own crooked path to bring the enemy entirely under your control."
"You… possess a talent in formations that surpasses the vast majority of gods."
"And yet, you… are not a god."
"You—who are you?"
As she spoke, Viona examined him, and at the same time activated the authority of the Goddess of Mechanisms—balancing and countering positive and negative formulas, unable to employ attacks outside the category of formulas.
"Me?" Akuto shrugged, smiling at the small goddess standing by the doorway. "I'm just a passerby."
"It just so happens that I'm very interested in you, Goddess-sama… and in what you're pursuing."
His gaze did not bother to hide itself as it swept over Viona, finally stopping on that needle staff of hers—unmistakably extraordinary in character.
He was now thinking about a serious question: with that needle staff between them, was patting her head really still important?
…
Viona did not care about Akuto's lightly reserved attitude. She only spoke again, calmly.
"What I seek is not something you can touch."
"Though you are interesting as a 'demonic' being, once you are stained by a god's causality, you will ultimately invite destruction."
Her tone was flat, as if stating a natural law of truth.
Clearly, she had latched only onto Akuto's words—"I'm interested in what you're pursuing"—as a warning: do not interfere with her search for the "Ciel Bel Stone."
"Huh? Hahahaha—"
As if he'd heard something amusing, Akuto laughed out loud.
"Hm?"
With the functions of the Goddess of Mechanisms in effect, and drawing upon her sources of ancient knowledge, Viona finally realized something extraordinary about the youth before her.
She could see that Akuto's techniques were a composite—integrating heterodox formulas with the formulas of this world. If one judged by formula capability alone, her Starlight Eye could no longer cope with it.
Yet aside from measuring his formula capability and observing what he might reveal to gauge her strength, she could extract no further intelligence related to Akuto.
His fate, his emotions, his existence—everything seemed completely sealed away by something, impossible to窥视, impossible to read.
But the very fact that he could not be read was itself proof of how terrifying he was.
"Wandering upon the dust-bound earth, seeking the marks of ancient gods and the Fruit of Wisdom… You carry the aura of 'heresy.' You should not be deeply entangled with this world. Why, then, do you involve yourself with this land's great dragon vein?"
Viona's voice was light, but each word carried an unquestionable authority.
Unfortunately, in terms of strength, Viona's level was still too low. She had not realized that Akuto's true purpose here was to destroy and seize this world.
"Heresy?" Akuto did not evade at all, instead openly tearing aside his own veil and revealing his identity. "Does Goddess-sama mean the power system on me that doesn't belong to this world, or… do you mean me as a person?"
At his answer, a faint ripple flashed through Viona's eyes, but she quickly returned to calm.
She did not answer his question. She only said slowly, "You… bear marks that belong to somewhere other than this world."
"You… are not a god, yet you clearly possess concealment that can hide yourself."
"You… sealed this Domain. For what purpose?"
"It cannot be merely to窥视 what you are hiding, can it?"
Viona lowered her head slightly, the needle staff resting across her waist. The posture made even her movements look profoundly stirring.
A silent goddess—always unintentionally letting slip her gentleness.
No. It was because she was currently sealing this Domain.
Accurately speaking, Viona was not truly silent. She simply did not care about many things. When something truly mattered to her, she would still show violent emotional fluctuations.
"Yes, Goddess-sama, please speak. I merely wish to pursue the reason."
"As for why I locked down the great dragon vein and even sealed the entire Domain, I naturally have my own purpose."
"Your purpose… (jeh) …why?"
"What if I said my purpose is for you, Viona?"
As he spoke, Akuto activated the divine incarnation—"Valon"!
Of course, he did not do so to attack or defend. He used it as an ultimate-speed, ultra-precise "blink"!
In that instant, time seemed to be infinitely stretched, frozen solid!
Akuto left behind a faint afterimage where he stood, while his true body appeared before Viona like a phantom. The distance between them was compressed to the absolute limit!
In Viona's violet eyes—ancient-well calm—an instinctive shock flashed for a split second.
Because she had not expected Akuto to enter a godspeed state with no warning whatsoever!
The godspeed state was a realm only a few gods and godlike beings could attain. Once within it, they could often suppress opponents completely through terrifying speed.
So-called "godspeed" was not simply "the ability to move quickly from Point A to Point B," but the ability to "shorten the time required to move from Point A to Point B."
A normal human's speed was still bound to three-dimensional constraints. But under godspeed, the body became unusually light, and time itself grew indistinct—beyond what her Starlight Eye could track.
Thus, those capable of entering a godspeed state usually could move in ways physics could never achieve.
In the original storyline, Son Goku, Lancelot, and the Maou King Arold all possessed methods that could enter a godspeed state in similar fashion.
But most of them required a warm-up.
Son Goku needed to accelerate the Flying Nimbus. Lancelot needed his warhorse to charge. The Black Prince Arold needed to transform into pure lightning.
Yet Akuto… displayed "godspeed" before Viona without any warm-up at all!
In truth, Viona had misunderstood.
Akuto had not entered a complete godspeed state. His current state should more accurately be called "Pseudo-Godspeed."
A blue-rank divine incarnation like Valon was not enough to bring Akuto into a true godspeed state.
However, because Akuto required no warm-up, his burst movement could still push his speed amplification to a threefold extreme—beyond what Viona's Starlight Eye could manage.
In short, his motion was faster than vision could capture.
Like the lightest lightning, Akuto appeared in a flash.
Only, he did not target Viona's vital points—he targeted the hateful, dark-gray needle cap on her head!
The instant his fingertips touched the rough yarn, Akuto's hand trembled. He exerted a small force.
The needle cap atop the goddess's head slipped free into Akuto's hand all by itself.
…
Viona reacted as quickly as she possibly could.
Yet at the moment she had only just lifted her fingertip, Akuto had already completed every step and returned to his original position.
In the next instant, the time-freeze effect shattered!
Everything around them resumed flowing.
Passersby continued stepping forward. Leaves drifted down. Coffee continued to drip.
And Akuto had already "teleported" back to where he had been standing, as if he had never moved at all.
Only now, in his hand, there was an ash-gray, coarse needle cap.
In the next second, under Viona's stare, Akuto pressed the cap to the tip of his nose, savoring the lingering fragrance left upon it.
Akuto was certain Viona would not use any perfume, and yet there truly remained a faint, subtle scent—an immaculate floral fragrance, barely there.
Once she realized what had been done to her, the anger in Viona's eyes swelled.
"Impudent wretch!!!"
"Boom!!!"
Dark divine power surged violently from Viona's small body, rushing toward Akuto as he played with the cap where he stood!
"Long—!"
A torrent of dragon qi erupted from the ground and shot skyward, dispersing Viona's darkness.
…
After using dragon qi to intercept her strike, Akuto spoke again without hesitation.
"Viona, if I said I know where your dragon spirit is, would you believe me?"
At those words, Viona instantly lifted her proud head.
(End of Chapter)
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