"I'm not a man-eating monster."
Yuri Mariya, just as described in the original work, was so slender that a gust of wind seemed capable of knocking her over. Seeing Kaido, her body uncontrollably softened, and the supposed "heart" mentioned in the original work completely disappeared.
The birdsong from outside the window reached her ears, but in Yuri Mariya's mind, the normally pleasant chirps had turned into a death sentence.
"Gulp..."
Cold sweat constantly seeped from her pores, slowly flowing down her pale cheeks to the depths of her beautiful neck.
Yuri Mariya, tense to the extreme, swallowed with difficulty.
As the Miko with Japan's most exceptional spiritual power, Yuri Mariya's spiritual perception was superior to others. Therefore, at such a close distance, she could clearly feel that no matter how harmless the handsome young man in front of her seemed, the aura emanating from within him was wild and terrifying.
Even the Eastern European Demon King she met in her childhood—his hidden oppressive power was far surpassed by this.
The Miko could feel where Kaido's authority came from.
Endless yellow sands, darkening the sky, ancient Egyptian merchant caravans struggled to advance through the desert. Priests prayed to the gods for the sandstorm to stop, only to summon an even stronger storm that buried them.
A jackal-headed, human-bodied deity watched all of this with indifference.
The illusion brought by the spiritual vision continued.
The desolate desert transformed into towering, majestic mountains. Beautiful elves sang and danced in the clouds, and majestic gods held banquets in their courtyards. They drank, sang, and danced until the earth trembled, and dark clouds loomed over them from a distance.
A colossal hand, blotting out the sky, crushed the divine mountain, and the disheveled gods scattered and fled, transforming into various animals.
A gigantic, malevolent shadow flickered in and out of sight within the storm, its unleashed power draining the color from Yuri Mariya's cheeks, leaving her trembling and hidden in the ruins.
Ancient deities, born at the world's origin, unleashed their boundless power on the divine mountain. Before the Evil God's selfish desires to dominate the world, even the King of Gods could only tremble, and the world plunged into deathly silence.
"The purest Evil God, is this the authority of the new King...?"
Yuri Mariya stared blankly at the demon unleashing its power in the darkness.
Why would a human obtain such power? If fear spread throughout the world, no one could stop him.
The girl's pale face was illuminated by a falling bolt of lightning.
At some unknown point, the Evil God, hidden in the dense darkness, looked at her. As Yuri Mariya held its gaze, countless blood-red eyes watched her coldly.
The distance grew shorter and shorter, and pure malice and terror surged and spread in her heart.
Finally, the most intense fear assaulted Yuri Mariya's consciousness. Screaming, her body also lost control of her mind.
Then...
In Erica and the others' eyes, Yuri Mariya, dressed in Miko attire, was seen screaming at thin air, and then, shortly after, she suddenly shrieked, falling to the ground unconscious like a madwoman.
Seeing her inexplicably unconscious, Sayanomiya Kaoru and Liliana's expressions tightened, and both rushed to check Yuri Mariya's condition.
The former feared that the "unreasonable" Yuri Mariya would cause trouble, while the latter recognized a friend she'd made in her youth and was simply concerned.
"Your Majesty, what's suddenly wrong with this Miko?"
Erica frowned, looking displeased as she stared at the unconscious girl.
Could the so-called most outstanding Miko be a lunatic?
The black-haired young man, known as the King, had already returned to the sofa and sat down, crossing his legs with a frivolous smile: "Who knows? Perhaps she presumptuously used her spiritual vision to see something more."
At that moment, Yuri Mariya, who had recovered some consciousness and clarity through sorcery, stood up with Liliana's support.
"Sit down, weren't you very tired just now?"
The girl, watched by Kaido, sat down with Liliana's help, facing the black-haired young man.
"..."
The girl who had just woken up dared not meet his gaze, and her trembling body indicated her current emotional state.
"First, have a cup of warm water to calm down."
What slightly caught Yuri Mariya's attention was a somewhat familiar figure.
Her long silver hair and heroic aura were still familiar even now.
Liliana.
The Italian girl she had met at the ritual site for summoning a god, when she was kidnapped by Voban.
Yuri Mariya hadn't expected that after so many years, the day would come when they could reunite.
But why was she here?
And with this terrifying new King.
"Thank you."
Reuniting with her friend calmed Yuri Mariya's heart slightly, but the lingering terror still hadn't dissipated.
"Prying into others' secrets is a bad habit. Keep that in mind for the future."
Kaido said.
"Yes... it was I who was too rude. Please... forgive me, Your Majesty..."
Yuri Mariya replied, trembling.
The spiritual vision just now was merely an unconscious act.
Seeing the Godslayer, she remembered the immense terror of that moment; her ability to think was suppressed to its limit, and her Miko abilities activated uncontrollably.
Even now, her brain still felt a needle-like pain.
"Without my permission, don't let it happen again."
Kaido said.
"U-understood."
Yuri Mariya unconsciously sighed in relief. Hearing this, she knew her previous rudeness hadn't led to such severe consequences.
"Then, my dear Miko, do you know what your next destination will be?"
The smile vanished from his face. Kaido looked at the light-brown-haired girl sitting opposite him and asked in a calm voice.
"N-not very clear..."
Yuri Mariya replied, trembling.
Honestly, she truly knew nothing.
This morning, she had just gone to work at the shrine as usual when Sayanomiya Kaoru captured her and brought her here. In her mind, there was only fear and dread.
"It's better not to know. You only need to know one thing," Kaido said softly, "Know your place and don't do anything unnecessary."
"My... my place?"
Yuri Mariya looked up in confusion and asked.
"Knowing what to do and what not to do—that's all you need to know."
After dispelling the oppression floating in the air, Kaido also didn't want to pressure Yuri Mariya too much. After all, what he sought was an obedient servant, not a mentally troubled lunatic.
"Sayanomiya Kaoru should have told you a few things in advance, so you know what to do."
"Mmm..."
The pressure suddenly dissipated, and the birdsong from outside the window once again became a cheerful melody in her ears. The girl's mood gradually relaxed.
Then, Yuri Mariya secretly glanced at Kaido, and seeing his gentle smile, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, think about it carefully."
Kaido said.
Although Yuri Mariya in the original work was portrayed as a delicate woman, deep down she harbored a stronger desire for control than anyone else. Whenever the protagonist wanted to do something, Yuri Mariya would jump out and say, "You can't do it like that, you should do it like this. If you insist on doing it like that, then do this to me first..." and so on.
Of course, the reason for Yuri Mariya's "indulgence" was also related to Kusanagi Godou being too weak.
As a Godslayer who possessed the strongest power, enough to casually overlook the world, he himself lacked initiative and merely allowed himself to be led by the nose.
Kaido knew this was likely intended to depict the typical "gentleness" of Japanese male protagonists, but he wasn't as "gentle" to the point of "stupidity" as Kusanagi Godou.
And the "thoughts" in Yuri Mariya's heart, Kaido would crush them bit by bit.
Killing could end everything, but it was far less pleasurable than training.
As Kaido pondered how to train her, Yuri Mariya also recalled the words she had been specifically warned about.
"By order of the Seventh King, the Miko's body will be used freely by the King."
The Miko's body? That phrase isn't very well chosen.
Hearing Yuri Mariya's words, Kaido chuckled softly.
"Do you really think if you only offer the Miko's power, I'll let you go?"
Sensing the gradually changing tone, Yuri Mariya's heart clenched again. She stammered, "I... I really don't know much..."
Indeed, she remembered Sayanomiya Kaoru's words about "pleasing the King with her body," but in the past, when summoned by Voban, all she did was offer the Miko's spiritual perception.
Therefore, Yuri Mariya, who was only sixteen this year, still held a glimmer of hope.
"Oh, really? Did Sayanomiya Kaoru truly not tell you?"
After saying this, Kaido looked at the man dressed in... oh, now he should be called a lady in women's clothing, with a half-smile.
Seeing Kaido turn his gaze to her, Sayanomiya Kaoru immediately lowered her head and respectfully said, "We Miko will serve in your presence from now on."
She had personally experienced Kaido's terror.
This neighboring Demon King wasn't like Voban or Luo Hao, whose moods could be judged by their expressions. One could only respond cautiously, based on limited guesswork.
Sayanomiya Kaoru also knew that Yuri Mariya still harbored yearnings for freedom, but even she, the committee director and head of one of Japan's four great families, could only humble herself. What right did Yuri Mariya, an ordinary girl, have to harbor such a desire?
"Hahahaha... Miss Mariya, what she said is different from what you said, oh."
Sayanomiya Kaoru and Yuri Mariya's reactions were as entertaining as one person drowning and clinging to a straw while another drowning person drags them down.
Kaido almost doubled over with laughter.
"Do you hear that clearly? From now on, it's forever, but another question arises: how far can your so-called service go?"
"Of course, everything!"
Sayanomiya Kaoru immediately gave her answer.
This eager display of loyalty made Kaido laugh.
One should know that this woman didn't think this way yesterday.
"I... I will also obey the King's orders forever!"
Knowing she couldn't escape, Yuri Mariya could only force herself to say those words.
"Everything? So, if I tell you to die now, could you do it?"
Kaido asked with a half-smile.
After a moment of silence, Sayanomiya Kaoru's right hand formed a blade, and the magical power condensed in it was enough to break rocks. Then she directed it directly towards her beautiful neck.
"Alright."
Hearing this, Sayanomiya Kaoru immediately stopped her right hand, which was now just a centimeter from her neck, still gathering magical power.
Drops of sweat appeared on her forehead, and the girl, whose heart was pounding, knew she had made the right gamble.
"Your value alive is greater than your value dead."
Kaido looked at Yuri Mariya, who had a pale face; this woman didn't seem to have reacted yet.
However, he didn't expect an ordinary person to have the courage to commit suicide.
He wouldn't treat these women with ulterior motives with the same attitude he treated Erica or Alice.
Playing with their dignity and destroying their will was their ultimate fate.
"Alice, you'll still have some maid outfits left, right?"
Kaido asked.