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Erica, Become My Follower
Sardinia!
Boom! Rumble!
Smoke and debris filled the air.
Buildings and streets lay in ruins.
Erica's figure darted from rooftop to rooftop, moving like a shadow through the destruction.
Explosions kept going off behind her, but she didn't look back even once.
That divine beast... had locked onto her.
She could feel its piercing gaze, hot and sharp like a blade at her back.
Even as a true genius, standing against a god-beast with inhuman power made her tremble.
They had only clashed once—just once—and she was already injured.
A direct fight? She'd be dead for sure.
Still, she had to at least lure it somewhere less populated.
That was the plan, anyway... but the rumbling behind her was getting closer.
The pressure was unreal—like it was physically crushing her.
"Damn it… I did summon a devil, so why aren't they here yet?"
Erica bit her lip. "If you're gonna show up, even a second of distraction could help!"
Buzz!
A dark red magic circle suddenly flared to life in front of her.
Caught off guard, Erica ran straight into a warm embrace.
"Really now? You summon a devil to deal with something this nasty, and you still have the nerve to complain?"
Erica looked up.
Reflected in her wide eyes was a strikingly handsome face.
She froze, stunned for a second—then quickly snapped out of it and pulled away from Minato's arms.
"Devil... please, I need you to fulfill my wish. Just lure it away to somewhere deserted."
She didn't dare ask for anything more. She just needed a little time.
"No need to make it complicated."
Minato turned toward the smoke-filled chaos, his eyes narrowing.
There, a massive creature the size of a small mountain—looking a lot like a giant wild boar—was rampaging wildly.
A rogue god… and Erica Blandelli.
In that instant, he understood exactly what kind of situation he'd walked into.
If this had happened earlier in his life, he would've run as far as he could.
But now?
That was a different story.
Erica blinked, still confused. "Wait—what are you planning to do?"
"Obviously, I'm gonna kill it."
"...Huh?"
She snapped back to attention. "Are you insane? Do you even know what you're up against?!"
"Of course I do."
"It's just a wild boar. One of the war god's ten incarnations."
War god? Wild boar?
Erica's eyes widened—she realized something.
"No, wait—if you know what it is, how can you still talk like that?"
"I'm just really confident."
"You—what did you just say?"
Erica stared at him like he was nuts.
Does this devil even realize what he's saying?
What, does he think he's some kind of Demon King or something?!
Before she could finish that thought, the boar-god avatar came crashing toward them like a mountain landslide.
Its energy surged like a tsunami, ready to annihilate everything in its path.
Crap!
Erica's face went pale.
She'd wasted too much time arguing with this guy.
How could she have let her guard down like this?
She wanted to dodge, but there was no time.
"Relax. Just watch."
Minato raised an arm.
In that instant, terrifying magical power burst from him, shaking the very air around them.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Right in front of Erica's eyes, pale blue magic circles formed in all directions around the boar avatar, locking it in place.
And then—!
Blinding light shot out from the circles, followed by wave after wave of thunderous lightning, crashing down like a tidal wave and engulfing the beast in an instant.
ROOOOOOAR!
The god-beast's tortured scream echoed through the city.
But the lightning swallowed it whole—one of the god of war's avatars, completely wiped out in a flash, as if it had never existed at all.
All that was left…
Was a charred, smoldering crater.
Erica: "..."
What... what did I just witness?
A god-beast—one-shot?!
It took her a long moment to gather herself. "You… who the hell are you?"
"Didn't you summon me? I'm just a devil, that's all."
"Hahh…"
She let out a deep breath, finally pulling herself together.
"I know you're a devil. I just don't know which Demon Lord you are."
"I'm not a Demon Lord," Minato said with a smile. "Just really strong."
That didn't calm her down one bit.
Summoning devils was normal in the mystical world.
But summoning one this powerful? That was a whole different issue.
"Alright then, let's talk about payment," Minato said, smiling playfully. "I've taken a real liking to you. How about becoming my follower?"
Erica froze for a second, forcing a smile. "Come on, Mr. Demon, don't joke like that."
"Who's joking?" Minato replied calmly. "You summoned a demon. Didn't you know there's a price to pay?"
"Of course I do. But becoming a demon or whatever… sorry, I'll have to pass."
Erica straightened up and said seriously, "According to the demon contract rules, aside from offering myself, I should be allowed to pay with something else."
Tch, not an easy one to trick—she actually knows the rules.
Minato's eyes flickered slightly.
Honestly, by this point, demon contracts aren't even that harsh anymore.
Otherwise, demons wouldn't be out on the streets handing out flyers.
Some demons even grant humans' wishes just for a bit of cash.
"So? What do you say, Mr. Demon…"
Erica kept a calm face, but deep down she was nervous.
She didn't know who this demon was, but he was clearly ridiculously powerful.
If he decided to break the rules, what could she do?
Should she… run for it now?
But… could she even escape?
Still, becoming a demon… that's…
What if she pissed him off?
Minato observed her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Looks like she's not as firm in her decision as she pretends to be.
Finally, he spoke.
"Fine. You can pay me with something else."
"Really?"
Minato nodded seriously. "Become mine."
Erica's face turned red as she bit out through her teeth, "And how is that any different?"
"Well, for starters, you won't have to become a demon."
Erica: "..."
Okay… I guess that is different.
"....."