"Hehehe~~~"
Enma let out a light chuckle. Even after hearing all this, she remained remarkably calm, even carrying a hint of reflection as she said, "Crossing worlds... So, am I truly that weak?"
"Weak, huh..."
Alistair murmured softly, then shook his head. "Persephone, in her original world, never reached the pinnacle."
"To be more precise..."
"Even if she had reached the pinnacle, in the true multiverse..."
"In reality..."
"She'd probably only count as an upper-tier powerhouse at best. A true top-tier?"
Alistair shook his head; it was hard to say.
To put it bluntly, the multiverse was filled with absurd worlds—far too many, and far too absurd. No one knew what existed there, or how many terrifying beings lurked.
Overpowered combat abilities.
Explosive technological advancements.
Such worlds weren't exactly commonplace, but there were plenty of them.
It was precisely because of this that Alistair understood clearly: the path lay at his feet, but to walk it required genuine dedication.
The future!
No one knew what the outcome would be.
At the very least...
Not to mention much else...
[Dragon Ball] [Saint Seiya]
These two worlds stood there as examples. For now, it was just preliminary exploration, limited to the [Saint Seiya] world.
Otherwise?
The greatest likelihood was that problems would arise.
One must never doubt it.
If an outsider entered a world, what would happen in the hands of that world's powerhouses—or rather, those madmen who stood at the world's pinnacle and had the chance to truly venture into the multiverse?
No need to think; the result was obvious.
"Is that so..."
Enma whispered softly, smiling as she said, "Alistair, may I join you in witnessing a glorious future?"
"Of course."
With a wave of Alistair's hand, the subordinate god contract floated before Enma.
Enma took the contract without the slightest hesitation and signed her name. In an instant, a stream of light attached itself to her body.
Immediately after...
A torrent of divine power surged wildly into Enma's body.
Persephone raised her hand, setting up a barrier to prevent any leakage.
For Enma, she was truly looking forward to seeing a more distant future.
In this world...
In a certain sense...
Enma had already reached the pinnacle. Aside from the Three Noble Gods and extraordinarily special deities like Arahabaki, no other gods—regardless of their strength—could compare to her.
However!
Enma could not advance further. With Taizan Fukun's disappearance...
Enma became Enma Daio, fully ruling the underworld.
But then?
Enma could not progress to become the new Taizan Fukun; it was simply not permitted.
Once upon a time...
Under Taizan Fukun's command, the underworld was on par with Takamagahara. But now?
To be frank...
Enma was not allowed to advance further. If she wanted to witness a broader future, a more distant path, she had to choose another method.
Now...
Alistair's arrival had brought true change, and for Enma, that was enough.
"Enma-sama..."
Higanbana watched Enma, who had just signed the subordinate god contract and undergone earth-shattering changes, unsure of what to say. She opened her mouth, feeling somewhat awkward.
Higanbana herself had also undergone a transformation—an elevation in life, origin, and position—thanks to Enma.
She had achieved a sublimation.
From a great youkai, she had evolved into a ghost king.
Moreover!
This elevation was ongoing, but compared to the Enma before her, it was utterly incomparable.
Albedo observed the scene with complete composure.
This was a matter of origin; compensating for it later was extremely difficult. Besides, as His Majesty's grand steward, none of this affected her—it didn't matter~~~
Alistair watched Enma with interest, saying, "Honestly, I hadn't expected your position to transform so quickly."
"Hehehe~~~"
Persephone chuckled lightly. "Alistair, you're underestimating yourself—especially the connections between identities like Underworld King, Enma, Yama, and so on. They align closely with you, naturally bringing the greatest transformations."
"Well!"
"That makes sense."
Alistair thought about it and nodded. These deities who governed life, death, and reincarnation...
To put it simply...
Their identities aligned perfectly with his essence as the God of Darkness. Such a situation wasn't strange at all.
Alistair propped his head up, quietly observing the scene before him.
As time passed...
The divine power around Enma gradually dissipated. Her appearance remained unchanged, but her attire had undergone a complete overhaul.
Enma floated in mid-air. Her long, fair, and straight legs were barefooted, wrapped in clusters of pitch-black flame clouds. Her original kimono had transformed into a snow-white dress resembling a cheongsam, accentuating her impressive figure without reservation. From the waist down on the left side, it turned pitch black, and the patterns on the dress, when stared at for too long, evoked a sense of death.
Her raven-black hair was still pinned up, like that of a noblewoman. Her once white-like eyes now held points of light. Her slender fingers spread out, revealing blood-red nails. Floating around her were six deep gray orbs, representing the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Enma!
She had once been merely Enma Daio, managing the underworld. In a sense, she fell far short of the true Taizan Fukun, who governed life, death, and reincarnation.
But now...
Simply through signing the subordinate god contract, Enma's position had sublimated, transforming her into Taizan Fukun. She had become the new Taizan Fukun.
The points of light in Enma's eyes slowly faded, and her attire vanished, reverting to that noble and elegant kimono.
Thud!
Thud!
Enma landed on the ground, stepping toward Alistair. Moments later, she threw herself into his embrace, even displacing Persephone's position.
Seated on the divine throne, Alistair instinctively wrapped his arms around the incoming Enma.
Soon after...
Alistair felt his clothes dampen. He shook his head gently, stroking the Enma who had begun sobbing in his arms, while his other arm held Persephone. Fortunately, the divine throne was large enough.
Otherwise, sitting there while embracing the Underworld King and Taizan Fukun might not have been possible.
"..."
Albedo remained indifferent, unfazed by the scene.
Higanbana, however, fell silent.
Would she wake up tomorrow with her left eyelid twitching first, only to be dealt with by Enma Daio—no, no, Taizan Fukun-sama?
Higanbana trembled, having seen something she shouldn't have. It was terrifying.
Please!
This wasn't something she was meant to witness!
Higanbana's inner self let out a marmot-like scream.
Enma's silent weeping soon subsided. She lifted her head—as expected of Taizan Fukun, despite crying for so long, her eyes showed no trace.
"Alistair..."
"Hehehe~~~"
Alistair looked at the hesitant Enma, who seemed a bit embarrassed, and said nonchalantly, "No need to mind it. Crying it out is a good thing. After all, everyone needs to vent their emotions."
"I understand."
Alistair didn't ask why; he could roughly guess.
Once...
Under Taizan Fukun's leadership, the underworld and Takamagahara were not opposed; they were two separate domains.
Now?
After Taizan Fukun's death, Enma managed the underworld but fell completely under Takamagahara's jurisdiction. Even with various unexpected events, what did it matter?
It was utterly meaningless.
Now, Enma had finally broken free from her past, and of course, she was overjoyed.
Overcome with emotion.
Perfectly normal.
Persephone said warmly, "Enma, congratulations."
A smile appeared on Enma's face as she replied, "Persephone, thank you."
The two women were gentle with each other, getting along well.
Though...
Their personalities differed.
Persephone's nature was inherently gentle; even as the Underworld Queen, it remained so.
Enma, on the other hand, was noble and mature.
To be precise...
Neither woman had a domineering personality. Even as Underworld Queen and Taizan Fukun, this held true, and there was no need to change it.
Who were they showing it to?
They faced Alistair's subordinate gods and dependents. As for lower beings? They couldn't even meet them.
Alistair embraced Enma on his left and Persephone on his right, both seated on his lap.
Alistair couldn't help but smack his lips. Honestly, if the timing weren't off, he'd really want to try and see what differences there were between the Underworld Queen and Taizan Fukun.
"Alright, after all this, has your mindset settled?"
"Mm."
Enma nodded. Alistair smoothly lifted both women, leaned back a bit, then set them down again.
Reclining on the divine throne, Alistair continued, "Enma, there's something I'm curious about. Do you know what's hidden beneath the underworld?"
"Beneath the underworld..."
Enma fell slightly silent—not because she didn't want to say, but because she was reluctant to.
"Alistair, do you plan to seek her out?"
"I do have that in mind."
"Her..."
Seeing Alistair nod, Enma sighed helplessly. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "I don't actually know when this happened."
"By the time I was born, everything was already like this."
"I only know..."
"That beneath the underworld lies the Land of Yomi."
"It's said..."
"That a part of that destruction goddess and world mother is sealed there—or rather, the true Izanami is there."
"I don't know more than that."
Enma shook her head; she was unaware of further details.
"Hmm~~~"
Alistair pondered thoughtfully. He had probed the Land of Yomi beneath the underworld with his will and found much, sensing it clearly.
The Land of Yomi was sealed.
Within its seal, powers of destruction and creation intertwined.
To be honest...
Alistair found this world's Takamagahara pantheon quite strange.
Both Izanagi and Izanami existed.
Yet!
After probing with his will, Alistair confirmed: Izanami was here with him, while Izanagi's divine power was nearly extinguished—practically dissipated.
"Hmm~~~"
Alistair lifted the arm holding Enma and rubbed his brow, pondering, "If that's the case..."
"Forget it."
Alistair shook his head. "Thinking about these things is pointless. No use overthinking; I'm not interested in backstory. Let's conquer the whole world first."
After considering, Alistair decided he was too lazy to think further.
No point.
What did it have to do with him? He was here to conquer, to devour—not to watch a show. Their tragic tales had nothing to do with him.
"Hmm~~~"
Alistair pulled out his divine group system and opened his memo.
Let's see...
Capture great youkai.
Subdue Enma.
Gather Takamagahara pantheon.
Subdue Izanami.
Devour world.
Alistair deleted the first and second items. Next up was the Land of Yomi.
"Alistair."
Persephone teased softly, "Not planning to think it over more?"
"No point!"
"Tsk!"
Alistair smacked his lips, bored. "What does this have to do with me? The world's original story can be whatever it wants; I'm not interested in tales. I'm more interested in tangible benefits."
"At first, I wasn't sure about the Land of Yomi."
"Now..."
"The Land of Yomi is confirmed. Next, claim it and subdue Izanami."
"If..."
"One could say..."
"Truly, as per my thoughts, the original Izanami held the position of an ancient god. Now, Izanami definitely holds the position of an absolute god."
"These are all gains. Afterward, devour the entire world and gather the Takamagahara pantheon."
"And..."
"The ghost realm—I need to research that too."
"There's so much to do in this world; no time to study backstories."
Alistair rattled off a list of tasks. Higanbana listened, quietly lowering her head.
Not suitable.
Not suitable.
She was just a weak, pitiful, humble, and helpless Higanbana! Once a minor great youkai, now a minor ghost king. Could she really know these things? Could she truly participate?
Higanbana felt like a husky mixed into a wolf pack—appearing elegant...
In reality...
Trembling.
In short...
To sum up...
Higanbana truly felt unworthy and shouldn't know so much!
"In any case..."
"There are many things I need to consider in this world."
"Moreover..."
Alistair rubbed his brow, muttering, "I haven't uncovered many things in this world yet. After all, it's a complete world; delving deeper into everything isn't easy."
"So many gains to consider; no energy for other nonsense."
Only upon truly arriving in this world did Alistair realize how vast the benefits were—various gains, all sorts of things needing organization.
He really had no time for so much else!
Enma said softly, "Alistair, then I'll guide you to the Land of Yomi. The seal on the Land of Yomi was left by the previous Taizan Fukun. If I hadn't advanced to Taizan Fukun, I probably couldn't open it."
Alistair nodded at this. The seal was simple; breaking it forcibly wasn't an issue.
But the problem was!
If forcibly broken, it might cause issues. Stable opening was key.
Everything centered on maximum gains; harvesting the most was core. Otherwise, losses would be his own.
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL