As Inaba Tsukiyo confirmed that Himejima Akeno had come for power, an aura not belonging to a human emanated from her body.
Feeling the change in aura, Himejima Akeno grew wary. Sure enough, just as she had imagined, this person was far from simple.
Although she became internally cautious, she maintained her gentle demeanor on the surface, smiling as she looked at Inaba Tsukiyo.
"You want the same reward as Koneko? Haha~ While I don't think Koneko would tell you the rewards she gets here, you're not fools. You should be able to sense Koneko's changes during this time, and also notice the weapon I gave Koneko. According to your terminology, that would be the so-called [Sacred Gear], wouldn't it?"
Himejima Akeno must have noticed the huge change in Tachibana Koneko's strength, coupled with the fact that she defeated that attacker in one move, which is why she set her sights on her, a customer Tachibana Koneko had served for a long time.
The main reason Himejima Akeno returned here this time, besides observing her, was to find out the reason for Tachibana Koneko's increased strength, right?
"Also, don't put on any disguises in front of me. In my eyes, any disguise is meaningless."
Opening her eyes, her burgundy pupils emitted an astonishing aura that surged towards Himejima Akeno.
Just as Inaba Tsukiyo said, Himejima Akeno had not shown her true emotions from the beginning until now; she had been constantly disguising herself.
Perhaps when she talked about Tachibana Koneko, her disguise would temporarily fade, but most of the time, what Himejima Akeno displayed was merely a deceptive facade.
...
Himejima Akeno withdrew her smile. Since her disguise had been exposed, and it was a detrimental factor, Himejima Akeno saw no need to maintain it any longer.
"You want me to help you increase your strength? Do you really think I would help someone I've just met who has ulterior motives?"
To be honest, besides Tachibana Koneko, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't care about anyone else.
Of course, she was referring to the people of this world, and did not include people from other worlds, nor did she include Mikazuki Munechika in this category.
Even if Himejima Akeno was in Tachibana Koneko's faction, she didn't want to enhance the other party's strength for free.
"Originally, I had a bit of a good impression of you, Miss Himejima. I can understand you disguising yourself in front of outsiders because I, too, used to constantly disguise my true self. But using your relationship with Koneko to approach me is truly disappointing."
'Indeed... It seems things aren't that simple.'
Himejima Akeno thought with a wry smile. If it were a Boy, he might have agreed to her request because of her beauty, but Inaba Tsukiyo was a Girl, and how could a Girl be attracted to another Girl?
Even if Inaba Tsukiyo had a tendency towards women, Inaba Tsukiyo wasn't very interested in her type of Girl, so naturally, there was no way she would help her increase her strength.
Inaba Tsukiyo was right; her purpose in coming this time was indeed to see how Inaba Tsukiyo made Tachibana Koneko stronger.
She didn't think that human training methods could enhance Tachibana Koneko's abilities. The only explanation, then, was Inaba Tsukiyo's own unique ability.
She had originally thought that she could get to the bottom of it by using this reward, but now it seemed she had underestimated the situation.
The fundamental reason why Inaba Tsukiyo so easily helped Tachibana Koneko improve her strength was that Tachibana Koneko was very likable.
Although she usually had a cold expression, once she fully opened her heart, Tachibana Koneko's cuteness couldn't be simply explained with words.
Himejima Akeno could indeed be considered a rare beauty, but she didn't possess Tachibana Koneko's cuteness, or perhaps she was too eager, trying to dig for treasure from Inaba Tsukiyo from the very beginning, which caused Inaba Tsukiyo's impression of her to drop significantly.
If she could, she would rather change her previous words to a casual reward. She believed Tachibana Koneko had said at the time that anything could be a reward.
Tachibana Koneko didn't know Inaba Tsukiyo's strength at the time, but Himejima Akeno clearly knew that Inaba Tsukiyo possessed unknown power, and this was one of their differences.
This was also why Inaba Tsukiyo's demeanor had such a significant difference between before and after.
She felt that Himejima Akeno was using her relationship with Tachibana Koneko, trying to get what she wanted from her by leveraging Tachibana Koneko's connection.
However, this was indeed what Inaba Tsukiyo disliked the most.
"However, since I've already promised you a reward, I won't let you leave empty-handed. It's just... do I have anything suitable to give you?"
Inaba Tsukiyo wasn't clear what kind of person Himejima Akeno was, nor did she know what kind of power she possessed.
Inaba Tsukiyo's own abilities were limited, and even if she had the power to turn ordinary people into Herrschers, she didn't want to use it on Himejima Akeno.
'Oh, right, since she's a devil, that ability should suit her. Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I contacted her.'
Recalling a certain tsundere but very kind-hearted goddess, Inaba Tsukiyo looked at the ring in her hand and poured power into it.
Under the gaze of Mikazuki Munechika and Himejima Akeno, a dazzling white light emanated from Inaba Tsukiyo.
When the white light dissipated, the one who reappeared on the sofa was no longer Inaba Tsukiyo, but a young girl with golden twin-tails.
"To only think of me at a time like this, you really did forget me, Tsukiyo-chan."
Ereshkigal pouted unhappily, speaking as if to herself.
'I'm sorry, Eresh. I'll make it up to you, so please help me.'
Inaba Tsukiyo's words appeared in Ereshkigal's mind. In her soul state, Inaba Tsukiyo transformed into a miniature figure, whose attire was similar to her usual one.
This chibi-style figure made very cute gestures, which significantly eased the expression on Ereshkigal's face.
In truth, she wasn't too angry; she was merely complaining that Inaba Tsukiyo hadn't summoned her for so long.
She was happy that Inaba Tsukiyo needed her power, even if it was just to use her own power to bestow a blessing upon someone she didn't know.
For her, the Goddess of the Underworld, a simple blessing was no big deal.
Her gaze returned to Himejima Akeno. Ereshkigal's wine-red eyes, identical to Inaba Tsukiyo's, looked at Himejima Akeno.
Seemingly noticing something, Ereshkigal stood up with interest. She first waved at Himejima Akeno, and an invisible pressure pinned her to the ground, unable to move.
Himejima Akeno was startled by this power and tried to use her own strength to break free from the suppression, but no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't. Even when her entire body was enveloped in lightning power, she couldn't break free.
"Give up. Even if you become a Heroic Spirit, the gap between you and me is still as vast as heaven and earth. If someone of your caliber could break my technique, then I, the Goddess of the Underworld, might as well step down."
Ereshkigal said fiercely. Although she often messed things up, she was still very confident in her strength.
Moreover, in this world, she could clearly feel that her own strength had been enhanced.
It might be related to the system of this world; extraordinary powers received different degrees of enhancement in this world.
Especially the power of a Goddess of the Underworld of her level showed the most significant increase. While it wasn't enough to return to her peak, it was impossible for Himejima Akeno to resist.
"You have a very special bloodline. Besides human, there's also a peculiar power within you. This should also be why you possess lightning power."
Ereshkigal curiously examined Himejima Akeno, who was kneeling on the ground. As the Goddess of the Underworld in Sumerian mythology, she was very curious about other regional power systems.
Although she could see many strange individuals in the Throne of Heroes and Chaldea, the system of this world did not exist within the Throne of Heroes.
"I see... According to this world's terminology, it should be a Fallen Angel, right? How interesting. You don't seem to be using the power of a Fallen Angel. It seems you have a very interesting background as well."
"..."
Himejima Akeno was drenched in cold sweat. She didn't dare to look up and meet Ereshkigal's gaze. This being who saw through her existence with a single glance was truly terrifying.
But... what exactly was going on? Wasn't she just talking to Inaba Tsukiyo? Why did this person suddenly appear? What was her relationship with Inaba Tsukiyo?
Most importantly, Inaba Tsukiyo's power was completely different from this person's. This person gave her the feeling of facing a High-Class Devil; in front of this person, she was simply too insignificant.
"Really... if I could, I'd really like to see this world. But this world isn't a Lostbelt, and I can't stay here for too long. Let's deal with your problem first; I've already promised Tsukuyo."
With a wave of her left hand, a cage-like lantern appeared in Ereshkigal's hand. Azure flames, like human souls, burned within the cage.
Ereshkigal shook the cage in her hand at Himejima Akeno. As the cage made a crisp sound, a faint glow flew out from it and merged into Himejima Akeno's body.
"In the name of the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, I bestow upon you the Protection of the Underworld!"
The Protection of the Underworld, a divine authority possessed by Ereshkigal, who ruled the Underworld as its pillar. She, who ruled the Underworld until the very end, was herself the Underworld, and the queen protected by the Underworld.
Regardless of the other party's race, even if they were just ordinary humans, upon receiving the Protection of the Underworld, they would undergo certain changes, which would vary according to their physique.
If the person receiving the protection had a conflicting protection within them, then the protection would turn into a curse, causing severe damage.
Himejima Akeno, being a devil and a Fallen Angel, naturally wouldn't suffer a backlash. She readily accepted Ereshkigal's gift, and her own abilities were continuously strengthening.
However, Himejima Akeno no longer had the mind to care about these things. After learning the true identity of the person before her, she had already fallen into a state of shock.
"Ereshkigal..."
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