"What's that…?"
"It… it's like a heartbeat."
The spectators in the amphitheater began to murmur after Thor lost one of his divine weapons.
Lü Bu had managed to destroy one of the two Járngreipr gauntlets.
"Oh, Lü Bu's gonna lose soon."
Doma closely observed the divine hammer of the Norse god after the destruction of one Járngreipr gauntlet.
"Hm? You seem pretty confident in Thor's victory."
Hermes noted Doma's words and decided to strike up a conversation with the demon.
Even though he found it odd that this man had so easily cozied up to his father, the god of commerce wasn't fooled.
Still, he found the creature intriguing.
He wanted more information about him.
'As the god of thieves and merchants, I have a certain knack for reading my kind… and this guy reeks of a swindler,'Hermes thought, eyeing the multicolored gaze of the uninvited guest.
The god's instinct wasn't wrong, but it wasn't entirely right about Doma either.
Doma could indeed be labeled a shady merchant, even a con artist in many respects, but the demon had never truly deceived his followers.
The Eternal Paradise Faith sect had never misled its believers, as hell, paradise, and reincarnation genuinely existed in *KNY*.
The products sold were mostly addictive in nature, but nothing that sheer willpower couldn't overcome.
Doma's shady side primarily lay in exploiting the darker aspects of society, like purchasing… or rather, adopting children on Hokkaido Island.
There was also his use of the Demon Slayer Corps' facilities and trainers to train his subordinates without spending a dime.
And even in those cases, the "adopted" children had lived better lives, and the Demon Slayer Corps had gained "temporary" recruits.
Thus, it was hard to call Doma a complete scoundrel.
In his view, he had simply played the game of life and taken advantage of the rules of a rotten System.
'He's starting a conversation with me? Interesting,'Doma thought, glancing at the god who resembled a certain butler demon with a thing for young boys.
The ice demon didn't flinch under Hermes' gaze and flashed a fake smile of his own, mirroring the god of commerce.
The two merchants were about to engage in a social battle, but Zeus didn't notice the subtle tension.
"Haha, isn't it obvious at this point? Take a closer look at Mjölnir, Hermes-sama," Doma said, pointing to the massive hammer, which was beginning to melt the orichalcum of the battle arena.
The divine metal couldn't contain the raw destructive power the weapon was unleashing due to its imminent awakening.
"Interesting, you really noticed that." Zeus nodded approvingly toward Doma.
"As expected from a man of refined taste, you picked up on Mjölnir's impending awakening." The king of the gods' words hit Hermes like a thunderclap.
Mjölnir.
The famous hammer wielded by the Asgardian god of thunder against the enemies of his homeland.
In the Record of Ragnarok universe, it's renowned for its destructive nature, and rumor has it that the Járngreipr gauntlets exist to protect Thor.
But the truth is quite different.
Thor didn't need protection to wield the mighty Mjölnir—it was the divine weapon itself that needed it.
The god of lightning was simply too powerful.
"You're gonna make me blush with embarrassment, Zeus-sama, haha."
Doma unfolded his fan to hide half his face, as was his habit during social interactions.
Even if Doma's smile was fake and he felt nothing at the moment, he had to make his interlocutors believe otherwise.
"…But I'd expect nothing less from the number one fan of the king of the gods." Faced with the demon's shameless flattery, the king of the Greek gods was pleased and turned his attention back to the arena.
'Even if I flatter him, there's no guarantee Zeus will grant my request for a divine weapon and a spot in Ragnarok,'the demon analyzed, glancing at the king of the Greek gods.
Doma already knew that deceiving gods wouldn't be easy, as they were highly experienced in many domains.
Muzan had been a taste of what to expect when facing someone with a wealth of experience.
And among these beings, gods like Hermes were the worst to deal with in a verbal sparring match.
The man had even managed to trick the god of truth, Apollo, when he was younger.
The ice demon knew Hermes wouldn't be fooled as easily as his father.
'I can't be passive like I was in KNY, but I mustn't be too aggressive in my actions either. I need to find reliable allies, ones willing to entrust their lives to me like the members of my sect—and fast,' he calmly analyzed.
Zeus had to be an option, not a necessity, in this quest. He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket and needed to seek other alternatives to boost his strength.
After all, divine weapons weren't the only way to quickly gain power in the Record of Ragnarok universe.
There were also individuals like Beelzebub who could help him achieve a rapid power boost.
Unconsciously, he glanced at the duo of Valkyries in a VIP section.
No, Doma wasn't thinking about seducing Brunhilde or manipulating her.
The woman's mind was too cunning and too strong, based on the information he had from Jay.
Doma's vision went beyond this woman and her striking appearance, as he observed her raw essence.
A Valkyrie.
'Who said Brunhilde controls all her sisters?'
A sly smile crept behind his fan, unnoticed by Hermes but not by Zeus.
According to Jay's memories, the leader of the Valkyries hadn't fully ordered her sisters to participate in Ragnarok.
Brunhilde had even thanked them for answering her summons, knowing her war between gods and mortals was a selfish endeavor.
Some Valkyries had even hesitated to work with their partners at first, like Hlökk.
Doma saw a flaw there, an invaluable source of power he could gain without fighting or taking the risks that a deal with Beelzebub would entail.
'Even if a Valkyrie's power would be an incredible asset, I should consider Beelzebub to ensure the success of my quest,' he thought, analyzing his options through the Blood Demon Art: Vanity's Paradise.
He reviewed all the available information on the Valkyries and Beelzebub.
Quickly, the demon concluded that his plan was both credible and feasible.
What he needed wasn't strength but his eloquence and intelligence—two assets he had mastered since his human days at the monastery.
'Among Brunhilde's sisters, the one who'd likely be easiest to manipulate is…'
"You seem very interested in Brunhilde," Hermes' voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Indeed, but I wouldn't try to catch that venomous snake."
Doma didn't lie to the god of commerce.
The woman was very beautiful, but he deemed it too troublesome and pointless to try seducing her or befriending her.
One only had to look at what happened to Heracles and Loki, or how the Valkyrie Hlökk had been treated when meeting her partner.
'Brunhilde literally bet on Heracles' good nature to cause his death and showed no emotion toward her sister's reluctance to join her plan.'Unconsciously, the image of the loli refusing to work with Jack came to mind.
The man had literally forced her to entrust her life to him.
Did Doma judge Brunhilde's actions negatively? No, as that would be hypocritical.
And Doma was many things, but he didn't see himself as a hypocrite.
Besides, he had likely done far worse than Brunhilde at this point in his life.
Still, the demon had already deemed Brunhilde untrustworthy due to their similarities.
Brunhilde, Doma, and even Loki—they were all selfish people who just wanted a chill life at others' expense.
That's why Doma couldn't befriend them or entertain the idea of a romance with Brunhilde.
If he got involved with them, the ice demon figured he'd simply be used and discarded as soon as possible.
'A business relationship is possible, but I don't think I'd be forced into one,'he concluded mentally.
"A venomous snake? Haha, you're the first to compare that woman to a snake," Hermes laughed, amused, but the interest in his eyes had grown.
Unfortunately, he couldn't pursue the topic further due to a notification on a device.
"Uh… Zeus-sama, the official Ragnarok participant list just arrived."
The butler briefly bowed to his father, eyes fixed on the device displaying an image.
The divine world's technology seemed strange to Doma, but he had no intention of judging the celestial civilization.
He didn't even own a touchscreen tablet back home, after all.
"Hm… things are about to get more and more interesting."
The old god muttered these words while observing the list of names on the screen.
(Image)
Everyone could see the amusement radiating from Zeus, and Doma figured the moment was ripe to make a request.
"Um… Zeus-sama, may I also participate in the tournament?" he said with feigned respect.
His demeanor was that of a spoiled child asking something of his idol.
Zeus and Hermes turned to him, looking incredulous.
"Mr. Doma, far be it from me to offend Zeus-sama's number one fan, but you don't seem… adequately equipped for this tournament. And your strength… is a bit lacking."
Hermes was the first to respond, but Doma casually ignored him.
He hadn't been addressing the god of commerce from the start, but rather the king of the Greek gods.
"Well… why not?" Zeus said with an amused smirk. "This list is supposed to represent the best of both races, so… hehe."
The old man chuckled slightly at the end of his words before coughing and turning his attention back to the fight.
Yet, the divine king's message was perfectly clear to Doma—and to Hermes.
'You want to join the party? Then prove you're stronger than one of the official list's members and take their spot.'
A silent speech, but one charged with the innate brutality of the one who had seized power from his father.
'Excellent. I've gotten the essentials from Zeus.' Doma could now set out to find his weapon and the host of Satan.
Even if the king of the gods hadn't offered him a divine weapon, the right to participate through strength was more than enough in his eyes.
"I'll have to step out for a bit; this fight's already over anyway."
Doma rose from his VIP seat and headed for the exit.
"You're not staying until the end?" Hermes asked from behind.
There was a slight hint of disappointment in his voice, but Doma didn't care.
He had two "potential" targets to take down before he could join Ragnarok, and two or three people to manipulate… *cough*… convince to aid his cause.
Thus, the demon had no more time to waste on discussions or mind games with the god of commerce.
"Thor just broke Lü Bu's leg. This match is sealed."
Doma simply shrugged, answering without even turning back to the butler.
"And I've got a weapon to retrieve," he said as he left.
The demon's final words left the butler perplexed, but Zeus burst into laughter.
The king of the gods had already noticed Doma's interest in the Valkyries, but he hadn't imagined he'd genuinely want to participate in Ragnarok.
'This fan is truly fascinating…'Zeus thought as a divine aura slowly emanated from his body.
His golden eyes gleamed with impatient anticipation.
***
Author's Note: Yes, Zeus only gave Doma a chance to join the party without offering a power-up.
Bonus chapter at 400 votes.