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"Serve you?"
The moment she heard that phrase, Tiamat's expression turned strange.
What exactly did serve you mean in this case?
The instant the possible meaning crossed her mind, Tiamat let out another dragon's roar.
"Only the strong can conquer dragonkind. You know that as well, don't you?"
She did not care what serving him was supposed to mean.
What she cared about was seeing the strength of the human standing before her.
Whether that artifact in his hand gave him absolute control over dragons or only over dragon souls, she had no intention of waiting quietly for whatever came next.
"Of course I know that, which is exactly why I came to invite you in person."
A card appeared in Anos Kanzaki's hand, its surface marked with the image of a white dragon.
With Tiamat's eyesight, she naturally saw it clearly.
It was a dragon of breathtaking beauty, overflowing with dreamlike colors and the radiance of the stars.
She did not recognize it, but she could clearly sense how powerful that crystal dragon was.
The card in Anos's hand dissolved into light and fused with the others.
Monster Card, Savior Dragon.
Monster Card, Stardust Dragon.
Monster Card, Dark Magician Girl.
Using Dark Magician Girl as material, tuning through the Synchro Wheel.
Synchro Summon. Savior Star Dragon.
Using the Heart of the Stars as material.
Savior Star Dragon. Super Evolution.
Crystal Light surpassed everything in the world.
This was the dragon that brought the light of salvation into reality.
Its magnificent wings slowly released crystal particles as the evolved True Savior Star Dragon silently bore its master upon its back.
Even though Savior Star Dragon was already doing its best to restrain its presence, Tiamat still felt the crushing pressure of its aura from up close, enough to unsettle her very soul.
"If it's fighting her, then this should at least be a little fun."
Anos stroked Savior Star Dragon's wing as though he were touching the finest jade in existence.
"An unknown Heavenly Dragon."
Tiamat stared at the dazzling Savior Star Dragon and fell into brief silence.
What exactly was this man?
How was he able to command so many dragons?
So his goal really was her.
He was trying to collect all dragonkind.
That disturbing thought surfaced in Tiamat's mind.
What she did not know was that one of the two strongest Dragon Gods in existence had already been very nearly brought to heel before her.
"So... Want to try?"
Anos smiled.
"Surely dragonkind doesn't lose its courage the moment it faces a stronger enemy."
Savior Star Dragon's effect was overwhelmingly dominant against opponents at the same level or one step below.
"Tch! Fine, let's do it."
Tiamat knew perfectly well that this was a provocation.
And a painfully obvious one at that.
But the truth was, any normal dragon, including her, would absolutely fall for it.
Running away was not even worth considering.
Back in the day, the Two Heavenly Dragons had openly challenged the three great powers of the Biblical factions all at once.
"Then I'll leave this to you."
Anos leaped down from Savior Star Dragon's back.
Savior Star Dragon clearly liked being close to him, but Anos still was not quite used to standing on its back and directing the fight from there.
He was still pretty new to the whole monster trainer business. Maybe once he had more experience, he would start fighting alongside his monsters more naturally.
Ahem!
There really was a unique thrill to commanding your dragon in battle instead of fighting personally.
Even so, rookie trainer or not, the result was obvious.
Under the effect of Savior's Light, any opponent weaker than Savior Star Dragon had no real way to resist.
...
"So this is what I'll be wearing from now on?"
Half an hour later, Tiamat, now in human form, stared at the maid outfit on her body with a face full of black lines.
She had the distinct feeling that she had been played.
And yet the look on that man's face suggested he was treating this with complete seriousness.
"That's right... From now on, you're a maid. Here's the maid handbook."
Anos produced the maid handbook Liliruca had put together with a completely solemn expression.
It was a manual created after Hestia Familia began expanding, originally meant to train new support staff.
Naturally, it also had a few additions arranged through the Ark Sphere.
"Uh..."
Tiamat's mouth twitched as she read the first few rules, each one sounding more ridiculous than the last. If she had not known for a fact that she was no match for Anos, she would have blasted him in the face with dragonfire on the spot.
Things like ten centimeters beneath the hem must always remain visible, sincerity must always include enough of a neckline to make an impression, and if the master has not said otherwise, the bed must be warmed before he goes to sleep.
"Why do Ddraig and the others get to sleep all day while I'm the one who has to work?"
By the time she reached the end, Tiamat had veins bulging in her forehead. She hurled the handbook to the ground.
This was ridiculous.
"Because they don't have physical bodies Or are you saying you actually want to warm the bed?"
Anos raised a brow.
As expected, maid training was not going to be smooth sailing.
Still, that was part of the fun. If everything went perfectly from the start, the whole process would lose its charm. The joy of a training game was in the training itself.
"Warm the bed? Fine... I'll warm it. That's nothing compared to the nonsense above it."
The moment she said it, Tiamat marched straight into Anos's room.
Come on then.
Whom was she supposed to be afraid of?
She had lived for ages. Why would she be scared of one little upstart brat?
Tiamat was completely confident that Anos would never actually follow her inside. And even if he did, she was sure he would be the one getting teased in the end.
What she did not know was that not long ago, Anos had already survived a truly brutal battle with a billion-year-old virgin goddess at a transcendent level.
Compared to that, one female Dragon King was really not all that much.
"Interesting... This is actually kind of interesting."
Anos rubbed his chin.
Maybe he had spent too much time in Orario, where far too many girls practically threw themselves at him. Now that he was getting a different kind of reaction, he found it refreshingly entertaining.
"So... Should I deal with her tonight?"
He thought about the question very seriously.
Being looked down on by someone, correction, by a dragon, and doing nothing in return simply was not his style.
"On second thought, no matter which side I start educating first, the result will be the same."
Anos made his decision.
Whether from the heart or the body, the path into a woman's heart had to be opened eventually. The only difference was whether she opened it herself or he did it by force.
Still, he remembered one line in particular.
The body was the road to a woman's heart.
Tiamat should count as a woman, right?
He judged the question inwardly.
No.
That was Absolute Dichotomy's answer.
"Well, whatever. I'm not picky."
A female dragon?
Wasn't that even better?
Surely she had to be sturdier and stronger than someone like Ais, who was only half spirit.
On paper, it had looked like Ais and Hestia had spent the whole night together with him. In reality, Ais had only lasted two hours. The rest of the time had belonged entirely to Hestia.
That was the difference between a mortal body and a divine one.
Of course, if Hestia had not started using divine power, she would not have lasted much longer either.
By the end, it had turned into a stubborn duel between Hestia using divine power and Anos drawing on Ophis's strength.
"Hmph! A brat is still just a brat."
Lying on Anos's bed, Tiamat wore a smug expression.
At least for now, she had decided he was the type who only had powerful tools, not the nerve to match them.
If someone had provoked her like this, she would already have taught them a lesson in every possible way.
Click!
The sound of the door opening.
The instant she heard it, Tiamat's heartbeat shot through the roof.
"You looked like you were going to start mocking me if I didn't come in."
Anos stepped into the room with a smile.
"Y-you... why did you actually come in?"
Tiamat's reaction no longer matched her earlier boldness in the slightest. She was visibly panicked now.
What exactly was this man planning?
"Oh? And who was it that just invited me in?"
The smile on Anos's face deepened when he saw her reaction.
Yes.
This really was entertaining.
"I get the feeling you may have misunderstood something about me."
Anos had the distinct sense that Tiamat saw him as the kind of monster trainer who simply sent his monsters out to fight while doing nothing himself.
What a joke.
He was the kind of monster trainer who could physically beat his own monsters into submission if he felt like it.
He no longer had Ophis's power boosting him at the moment, but he could still use the power of monster cards.
He could not fully inherit the true Heavenly Dragon-level strength of True Savior Star Dragon, but he could load a lower-tier level of that power onto himself.
And at equalized levels, Anos was overwhelmingly dominant against almost anyone.
"So... would it work if I said I was just joking earlier?"
Looking at the overwhelming power flaring around Anos, even a Dragon King like Tiamat backed down for the moment.
"No."
Anos's reply was immediate.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
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