The angel descended before Yuji, and a white ball surrounded the two of them. "We can speak freely in here."
Yuji noticed the transparent white barrier enveloping them. 'A barrier, her favorite ability for killing people inside of...' he thought, recognizing the barrier from previous regressions.
The barrier created an environment where no sounds could escape, and outside views were completely blocked. Only those inside could see the world beyond the barrier.
"The contract. I want all the conditions to be removed. As for what I'll receive, I want a feather of your angel wing, 50,000 Gold every event I reach 1st place, and your word that you will not attempt to indirectly kill me," Yuji asserted, outlining his terms.
Furious at Yuji's demands, the angel's anger flared in response to the unexpected terms.
"You want everything, and I get nothing! A mere human expects me to essentially serve him! I tolerated your disrespect due to your minimal talent, but if you attempt to belittle me again, I'll kill you!" the angel vehemently declared, her frustration boiling over.
Yuji shrugged, "If you won't agree to a contract with those conditions, then I'll approach another angel. It's that simple."
The nonchalant manner in which Yuji spoke conveyed a lack of seriousness, amplifying the sense that her pride had been trampled upon by beings she deemed inferior and worthless.
This wasn't the first instance of Yuji deliberately stepping on her pride. Since their initial encounter, he had consistently and intentionally challenged her sense of superiority.
"I'll accept your conditions only if you accept mine! But if you deny my conditions, I'll kill you before you can make a contract with another angel!" She threatened Yuji, releasing her bloodlust to pressure Yuji, which was futile as he didn't feel anything.
"Fine, if you accept my conditions, I'll agree to let you be my wife." Yuji teased with a wide grin on his face.
She snapped then and there. In a serious conversation, he had the guts to play around. She snapped at that moment. In the midst of a serious conversation, he dared to play around, even suggesting she could become his wife. It was akin to implying she would serve a human, an inferior race in her eyes.
She summoned her sword of light.
The sword of light emanated a radiant brilliance, casting a celestial glow in its surroundings. Its blade, a flawless beam of luminosity, seemed to be forged from the essence of stars themselves. The hilt, adorned with intricate patterns that shimmered like constellations, was encrusted with radiant gems that pulsed with an otherworldly energy.
Yuji looked at the sword of light. That sword was the strongest weapon he has ever seen through out his regressions.
It possessed the unfathomable ability to defy the very fabric of reality. Its ethereal blade, when unsheathed, could cut through the constraints of time and space with no effort.
She was about to swing it down on Yuji but hesitated, stopping midway.
She looked at Yuji, who displayed no fear despite the perilous situation, maintaining a confident smile throughout.
She then comprehended the reason behind Yuji's behavior around her.
'He knows?! How did he find out?! Did another angel tell him so they could form a contract with him?!' She thought to herself, a mix of anger and confusion overwhelming her.
The reason behind Yuji's calm demeanor before her, despite her possessing a weapon that could erase him in milliseconds, was due to the influence of the game masters.
The angels were just tools of the game masters.
They were present to oversee the test, while the true control rested with the game master who reveled in entertainment. The reason she couldn't kill Yuji was that the game master enjoy entertainment.
Yuji's existence served as the embodiment of entertainment for the game masters.
She could eliminate the players who lacked entertainment value, much like how she killed the man when she first appeared.
Killing Yuji would be equivalent to defying her creator's will, potentially resulting in her getting erased from existence by the game masters.
Angels value their life more than anything, even more than their pride. If she found herself in a dire situation where her life was at stake, she would willingly cast aside her pride and beg for her life, even if it meant pleading to a human.
If others were aware of this dynamic, they might question why Yuji insisted on the clause preventing his death in the contract conditions.
The reason for including the clause preventing his death was that while she couldn't directly kill him, she had the ability to manipulate the tests, placing him at a disadvantage and potentially leading to his death.
Indeed, manipulating events to indirectly cause Yuji's death was the only way to avoid the game masters punishing her for killing him.
Executing such a plan was easier said than done, considering she couldn't instantly spawn powerful monsters to cause Yuji's death.
It has to be during the event they were currently on.
As an example, if she wanted to eliminate Yuji in the other event, she could spawn millions of goblins and zombies, directing them to target him.
The rationale behind the game masters accepting this approach was that Yuji would meet his death due to the event they orchestrated, not at the hands of an entity he could never overpower, regardless of his strength.
She gave up and sheathed her sword of light.
"I'll accept your conditions…" she uttered in a tone of defeat, acknowledging the terms set by Yuji.
The next moment a system message popped up before Yuji.
| Contract |
| #9032 wishes to form a contract! |
| Receive: |
| A feather from her wings |
| 50,000 Gold every 1st Place Placement |
| A vow to not attempt to indirectly kill you |
| Conditions: |
| Do you accept those conditions? |
| Yes | | No |
Yuji pressed yes.
Then, golden ancient magical letters swirled in a mesmerizing dance, forming an intricate pattern around both Yuji and the angel before merging into a radiant chain of enchantment. With a gentle press against their body, the mystical letters bound them. In the next moment, the golden letters vanished, leaving behind a connection between the two.
If she went against the conditions, she would be killed by the contract.
As she prepared to dismantle the barrier and leave, Yuji's voice halted her in her tracks.
"Since we are now partners, let's forget this altercation of ours ever happened and begin our relationship anew. I'll give you a new identity, one that isn't based on the order you were created. Val, that will be the name that will reach the ears of all the angels and strike fear in everyone's heart. I promise you this, I'll make you the strongest angel. Together we will destroy every other competitor and reach the top of the universe."
She paused for a moment, without turning to face Yuji. After a few seconds, the barrier dissipated, and Val returned to overseeing the test.
Yuji looked inside his inventory and saw the angel feather.
| Angel Feather |
| Grade: | | ??? |
| Type: | | Craftable |
| The Feather of #9032! A powerful crafting material that can create the strongest of weapons! |
Yuji stared at the feather.
'The first piece to creating the strongest hidden class!'