[You there, girl.]
And so, Aphrodite turned her gaze towards Sybil.
"Ah, yes, me?"
Sybil, caught off guard, responded instinctively.
At that moment, Athena felt a strange sense of unease.
'Don't tell me...'
She looked at Aphrodite.
Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty. It was said that no one was more beautiful than her.
No one should be.
"Wait a moment, Aphrodite."
Athena tried to stop her, but Aphrodite was undeterred.
[Would you like to join the competition?]
That casual invitation.
It wasn't Sybil or Athena who reacted most strongly to those words.
It was Frondier, who had been quietly observing the situation.
"...This is..."
Aphrodite herself was inviting an unrelated human to participate.
Her pride, or perhaps her arrogance, as the Goddess of Beauty.
Aphrodite had made a slip of the tongue. And she was unaware of it at this moment.
Frondier's mind raced.
His magic analogy was that of gears. As such, his thought process often resembled their workings.
Empty spaces were filled, and the gears in his head began to turn.
'Alright, I think this might work.'
A delighted smile spread across Frondier's face as he looked at Elodie beside him.
Elodie's face was crumpled in displeasure.
"...I really don't want to."
"We have to save these people."
Elodie reluctantly nodded.
Bzzt─
Just then, Frondier's phone buzzed once more.
[Frondier, it's Lily.]
"Why does she sound like that?"
It was as if he was suddenly using a walkie-talkie.
[Isn't this how it's usually done? Anyway, the devils are acting strange.]
"Huh?"
[Some of them are sneaking away. Of course, they could be citizens or Gods possessing humans, but the way they're retreating while glancing at Aphrodite...]
"Those are definitely devils."
The devils were retreating. In other words, they were trying to escape.
'The Gods are gathered here, and they'll need a significant number of devils to counter them. At least until Satan opens a gate.'
The devils had no intention of engaging in an all-out war against the Gods.
Even if they could win, fighting the entire Demonic Realm was a burden. However, if all that remained were the 72 Devils and the low-ranking devils of Agoris...
Frondier surveyed his surroundings with a serious expression.
He spotted several individuals with tense faces, subtly backing away.
'This is bad. They'll be exposed.'
They were currently hidden among the humans, so the Gods were unaware.
But if they left this place, they would be discovered immediately. And Frondier had a feeling that the Gods would be faster than the escaping devils.
Once that happened, there would be no turning back. Staying put would only diminish their chances of escape.
'If one devil makes a run for it, they'll all try to flee at once. With so many devils around, no one can guarantee their own survival.'
Frondier thought for a moment.
Sybil was here.
Poseidon had claimed that the story of the Golden Apple was an unchangeable fate, but Sybil's arrival had already started to disrupt things.
Subtly.
Frondier made up his mind.
At that moment, Sybil, who had been standing in the center of the plaza, suddenly looked up.
"Ah, that sound."
She uttered those cryptic words.
Aphrodite waited for an explanation.
"Oh, sorry. Only I can hear it."
"...Sound?"
Athena, standing nearby, inquired.
Sybil smiled brightly.
"You see, I'm a child loved by fate."
"...And?"
Naturally, Athena assumed it was a joke or an exaggeration. She chuckled softly.
"So, whenever fate is about to adjust itself for me, I hear a sound."
However, as Sybil continued, the amusement in Athena's eyes gradually faded.
"Like 'click, click, click.'"
A shiver ran down Aphrodite's spine as well.
"You can't hear it, can you?"
And then.
"Elodie, get ready."
Frondier de Roach removed his mask.
"What are you, wait, hey!"
Whoosh!
Frondier took flight.
Spreading his devil wings.
A devil spreading his wings and taking to the sky in this situation...
'The 72 Devils!!'
That was the thought that crossed the minds of all the Gods.
"Catch him...!"
One of the Gods hidden among the humans cried out unconsciously.
But to their surprise, the devil soared through the air and...
Thud.
Landed right in front of Sybil.
Spreading his wings, more menacing than any other devil's.
Sybil beamed at him.
"Hello, my devil."
"Sybil."
The devil embraced Sybil.
As her eyes widened in surprise, he produced a shimmering crystal.
"Close your eyes."
He enveloped Sybil in his arms, and...
Boooom!
A brilliant light erupted, engulfing the entire plaza.
Everyone witnessed it.
Gods, humans, even the Seven Deadly Sins in the Demonic Realm.
The descending devil, the dazzling light.
And amidst that light...
"Test."
Frondier.
Unleashing his demonic power.
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