"You can give me… what I want?!"
To everyone's shock, Ophis actually responded to Yoru's almost child-luring words, asking in a low voice.
"Of course. You should know very well what kind of power I possess. Other than me, do you think you can find anyone else who can help you?"
"Your power… doesn't belong to you. And your strength might not be greater than mine."
What caught Yoru's attention was that Ophis instantly saw through the fact that the power within him was not originally his own.
But Yoru didn't care. What Nyxthanesha had given him was different from Ophis' "snake." It hadn't been used to boost his raw strength, but to alter the nature of his power—granting him an incredibly overbearing draconic force.
This draconic trait allowed him to completely suppress any dragon power in this world. Even Ophis was no exception.
"Whether it belongs to me or not doesn't matter. What matters is that it's now completely under my control."
As he spoke, Yoru extended his hand toward Ophis, as though inviting her.
"So, come—state your wish."
"I want to go home. I want to kill Great Red… return to my homeland, and reclaim eternal silence."
Almost without realizing it, she took a step forward and placed her small hand into Yoru's. Her expression remained blank as she spoke words that carried only weariness and distaste.
The black Ouroboros—the serpent swallowing its own tail—symbolized not only "perfection," "cycle," and "completion," but also "devouring oneself."
The girl known as the Infinite Dragon God loathed her own existence, and hated everything in the world.
She simply… just wanted to go home. To return to that silent place, alone… forever alone.
"Peace… why seek peace?"
Unwilling to settle for just holding her hand, Yoru leaned in closer, almost in an embrace, one hand gently stroking her black hair—silky and impossibly smooth, like the finest satin in the world.
"Because this world is boring," Ophis replied simply, her pitch-black eyes still clouded and emotionless.
"That was the world of the past. Back then, people feared you, kept their distance, isolated you, and rejected you. No one truly saw you, Ophis. In their eyes, there was only the Infinite Dragon God—never the person herself. But things are different now. In this world… there's me. Someone who understands you, someone who knows you."
The endless chaos within her eyes contracted slightly. In the infinite cycles of her existence, Ophis had met countless humans, devils, angels—even gods. But never had anyone spoken such words to her.
Everyone who saw her reacted the same way—fear, and an obsession with her overwhelming power. But the man before her was different. He didn't fear her at all. Instead, he came closer… even touched her.
Could this loathed, self-devouring body… really be touched so gently?
"Do you want to see an interesting world? A world with me in it—a world unlike this one?"
"A world with you… would it really be any different?"
This time, her tone was different from before. The chaos in her eyes began to fade, and vitality slowly crept into those black pupils.
"It would be very different—so different it would leave you speechless with surprise. And do you really think this world is the only one?"
Yoru's eyes narrowed slightly as he revealed his greatest trump card.
The Garden of Gods—a separate world. He believed such a place would never bore her.
And as he expected, Ophis froze. The girl tilted her head adorably, then spoke in disbelief.
"Another world?"
"Yes. A colorful world, filled with countless strong beings. In that world, you'd never be bored. You're curious where my power comes from, aren't you? You should be able to tell—it's not of this world."
Ophis nodded lightly. As one of the pinnacle beings of this world, she could easily detect the truth in his power.
It didn't belong to her, nor to the Great Red—but it was greater than either of them. That could only mean one thing: it was a power from another world.
"Such a world… it really exists?"
Her small body trembled slightly, and in her eyes flickered something new—longing.
"It exists. So… be my pet. If you behave, I'll give you anything you want."
Seeing Ophis' tempted expression, Yoru narrowed his eyes, making a request so outrageous that everyone behind him nearly choked.
In their eyes, even if they didn't know why Ophis bore no hostility toward Yoru, asking her to be his pet was far too much.
"…Alright."
And then, to everyone's utter disbelief—Ophis agreed.
Even her original subordinates, Vali and the others, were left speechless.
If Ophis was now Yoru's "pet," then what did that make the Khaos Brigade, who served her?
"Maybe… Ophis doesn't even understand what 'pet' means?"
After a long silence, Vali muttered to himself, but quickly shook his head.
"No… that's not right. There's no way Ophis, as the Infinite Dragon God, wouldn't understand. She probably just doesn't care."
"Indeed… as a self-devouring serpent, Ophis likely has no attachment to her own existence," Sirzechs said calmly, agreeing with Vali's assessment.
"But still… it's hard to know what to say to this. Making Ophis your pet… this world really is insane."
Azazel scratched his head with a wry smile, his gaze toward Yoru now holding both reverence and respect.
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