Coreal
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[Crossover] Ch 233: A Voluntary Choice
🕑 Added 2025-09-04 00:19:30 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
"Uuuwo—"
A muffled, almost kitten-like whimper slipped out of Pandora's mouth, like a stray cat mewling outside a window in the middle of the night.
"Please control yourself, Miss Pandora. Your noise is seriously interfering with my work."
"And let's be clear—if you hadn't taken it upon yourself to fuse with the Circle of Usurpation, this whole ritual wouldn't even exist."
Ryo's tone carried a warning as he traced ritual markings onto Pandora's right hand.
Pandora blinked her big, innocent eyes and stammered shyly, "I'm… ticklish."
"Do you want me to shut off your sense of touch?" Ryo asked, raising a finger.
"N-no, that's fine!"
Her gaze landed on the glowing energy at his fingertip, and she quickly forced a timid, obedient smile—after all, she was fairly certain Ryo could erase her existence if he wanted to.
He lowered his head again, his finger carefully sketching lines across her shoulder.
Pandora squirmed, struggling not to cry out from the unbearable itch, and turned toward Athena, who was casually flipping through tutorial book on her phone.
Forcing a smile, Pandora asked, "May I ask something? Why is Ryo drawing the ritual instead of you, Lady Athena? Surely the great and ancient Mother Earth Goddess can handle something as simple as this?"
Athena's hand froze for a fraction of a second before she glanced at Pandora with her deep, dark eyes. Her reply was cool and measured:
"To guarantee the ritual's success, I judged that it would be best for Ryo Yagami—whose control is more precise than mine—to perform it."
The truth was simple: the ritual affected the entire planet's mythic system, and Athena's own power wasn't enough. Only Ryo could ensure success.
But Pandora wasn't asking because she wanted an explanation.
Athena added lightly, "Oh, by the way, Ryo—since the Circle of Usurpation is inside Pandora, the ritual markings will have to cover her entire body."
Pandora froze. Her whole body? She was already barely holding it together with just her hand. And Ryo had to be the one to do it?
Sweat beaded on her forehead as she put on her best graceful, flattering smile.
"Lady Athena… we're both Greek gods, aren't we?"
"If by 'Greek gods,' you mean the ones who devoured my divinity, stripped away my Mother Earth's authority—then yes."
That was a straight-up rejection. Pandora's face went pale.
So asking Athena to take over was that impossible? Was this just an excuse to let Ryo tease her? It had to be!
Her lips twitched. Finally, she tried a little threat.
"This ritual… it's supposed to trap slain Heretic Gods inside the Circle of Usurpation, then siphon divine power from the myths, isn't it?"
If they refused to swap her handler, she'd just try to ruin things for both of them.
"How is that siphoning?" Ryo chuckled, calmly drawing another line across her skin.
"This is just an imperfect attempt to see whether the Earth's power can be converted into something higher. Sure, some little loss might happen in the process, but for the planet as a whole, it's an upgrade."
"Of course, since I'm purifying the planet's leylines with my Cosmo, I'll naturally take a bit of compensation. But really, it's just a sliver. Barely anything at all."
He smiled. "I doubt the planet will launch a full counterattack and send its gods after me over something so minor."
In truth, most of the leylines' energy was being converted into "higher power," which did raise the planet's overall level. Pandora knew this was technically true. Ryo's progress genuinely improved the quality of the leylines.
If a Heretic God descended onto the earth powered by Ryo's energy, its strength would be magnified a thousandfold.
But… only one percent of that new power got returned to the planet.
Yeah, just ONE percent!
Ninety-nine percent went straight into Ryo's pocket, and he had the audacity to call it "a little loss"?
Did this man even know what shame was?
Worse, the conversion would cripple the myths themselves. Gods might no longer even be able to descend to earth. Many would simply wither, swallowed up by the weakened myths, becoming nothing more than part of the planet's foundation.
The planet wouldn't care. It gained. Ryo gained. Both happy.
The gods? Total losers.
Athena and Ryo had cooked up something truly vicious.
A shiver ran down Pandora's spine as a terrible thought struck her.
She forced a stiff smile. "Wait. Don't tell me… your goal is to wipe out the gods?"
"Of course not!"
Ryo looked at her in mock shock, even pausing his drawing.
"How could I ever want to destroy someone as adorable, clever, and beautiful as Athena?"
At that, Athena's lips curled ever so slightly.
But Pandora let out a wail. "I get it now! I'll behave! Please don't kill me!"
She understood. The plan was to leave one god alive—Athena. Everyone else was doomed.
Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless.
She had thought Athena only wanted revenge on the Olympians. But no… Athena was aiming to be the only surviving god.
And if only one god survived, wouldn't that make her… the One and Only True God?
"Don't cry, Pandora. Why would I ever kill someone as sweet as you?"
Ryo reached out and gently patted her head with a soft smile.
"Really?" Pandora's face lit up with desperate hope. If obedience meant survival, she could handle that.
"Of course. After all, you're not really a god, are you? You were created by the gods."
Pandora froze, dumbfounded.
In the world of Campiones, gods often had multiple identities across different myths, thanks to humans weaving too many stories with too few divine spirits to embody them.
Much of it came from Steel Heroes trying to downgrade Mother Earth goddesses.
Pandora's own background was messy. Her past identities included the goddess Rhea, and further back, one of the oldest Mother Earths—Gaia herself.
Compared to Athena's "triple identity," Pandora's pedigree was every bit as high.
To her, she was a real goddess, an exalted Mother Earth.
But Ryo's words… were a blatant demotion.
And when gods got downgraded, what happened?
Orochi left behind the Kusanagi sword.
Medusa's death gave rise to Athena's shield and Pegasus.
Metis was swallowed and became part of Athena.
So what about her?
Would Pandora become a sword? A shield? A horse for Ryo to ride?
Or perhaps… a Divine Ancestor, a progenitor stripped of divinity but immortal, lingering between god and man?
That last one didn't sound so bad.
At least she'd survive.
Pandora's expression twisted as she whispered, "C-can I choose to become a Divine Ancestor?"
Better half-alive than fully dead. Against someone like Ryo, siding with the gods was hopeless.
"Of course!"
Ryo's smile was warm, almost fatherly. "If that's what Pandora chooses for herself, then I'll respect it."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded furiously.
"Yes, that's right, I'm choosing this of my own free will! Uwoo!"
Her sobbing made Ryo's grin widen even further. He tapped his finger in the air, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"All right then. Both hands are done. Next is your back, thighs, and front. Please cooperate."
Pandora's wails only grew louder.
It took her a long time before she finally choked out, trembling, "…Fine. I'll do it. Uuuh~"
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Comments
Coreal
Ooh i forget to edit it here sorry
Lost4rt
Pandora would become a Divine Ancestor, instead of a demigod.
