Grayfia had never called him "Master" aloud. Not once. Yet in her heart, she'd acknowledged the title long ago.
When Takeyo mentioned it now, something flickered in her silver eyes, a warmth she immediately tried to suppress. But he'd already seen it. He'd always been watching.
He'd never needed to force anything. Never. He simply let things flow naturally. Though admittedly, he often added kindling to the fire before letting it burn on its own.
Night had fallen over the Underworld.
"Grayfia." Takeyo's voice carried an unusual weight. "I know it's late to ask this, but there's something I need to say."
"Yes, Master Takeyo." She maintained her professional maid demeanor, perhaps afraid that dropping it would shatter the persona she'd carefully constructed.
Her icy exterior was famous throughout the Underworld. But Takeyo, who'd studied the future carefully, knew the truth. Beneath that frost lived an extraordinarily gentle soul. In the right circumstances, her emotions burned hotter than most could ever imagine.
"My question is simple."
Takeyo held her gaze, drawing on everything they'd experienced together, every battle fought, every moment shared.
"Will you be my personal maid? Not just in this world or this lifetime, but across every dimension, through every eternity we face together?"
The words hung in the air between them.
Grayfia's response was a soft nod, her lips curving into the faintest smile.
"Isn't that obvious? Without me at your side, your impulsive nature would lead you into all sorts of trouble, Master."
Her tone was firm, but her eyes betrayed something deeper.
"Then I'll give you the power to walk that road beside me."
Takeyo could read the sincerity in her words as clearly as text on a page.
"Accept this."
He extended his hand. From his fingertip, a single drop of golden blood emerged, radiant, ancient, impossibly concentrated with power.
Through his mastery of the Three Thousand Great Daos, specifically the Path of Blood, Takeyo could now share fragments of his origin with others. It was similar to what the Phoenix clan could achieve through their Tears of the Phoenix, but far more potent.
His blood carried the essence of multiple divine lineages. Anyone who accepted his "Embrace" would have their racial talents amplified exponentially. Even those with mediocre potential could reach five-digit power levels. Someone of Grayfia's caliber? She could easily break into four-digit territory. Three-digit wasn't impossible.
"This is..." Grayfia's eyes widened, drawn inexorably to the floating droplet.
It felt like the center of creation itself.
"My Embrace," Takeyo explained with a slight smile. "In vampire terms, this would make you my eternal companion. My partner in truth."
"Master, you already know my answer." Grayfia's expression softened further. "I told you before, without me, you'd find yourself in all manner of predicaments. That hasn't changed."
She reached out and took the blood.
The golden droplet vanished into her palm, absorbed instantly.
A surge of transcendent power erupted from her body, subtle yet unmistakable. She'd been hovering at the peak of Ultimate-Class for years. Now, with Takeyo's essence flowing through her, she'd finally broken through to Transcendent-class.
But something else was happening too.
Her normally pale cheeks flushed pink. When she looked at Takeyo again, her eyes had transformed, soft, warm, filled with unguarded affection.
"Master..."
The word came out different this time. Vulnerable. Real.
This was a side effect of absorbing his blood, it stripped away pretense, magnifying true feelings. The effect was strongest immediately after the Embrace, gradually fading over time.
Though "gradually" was relative. The emotions it revealed wouldn't disappear. They'd simply settle into something sustainable.
And right now, that initial surge was more than enough.
The night was still young, after all.
After centuries of waiting, Grayfia finally fulfilled the wish she'd carried since her youth.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for completing a Plot Check-In!]
[Sign-In Level: Gold!]
[Sign-In Location: Grayfia's Twin Braids]
[Reward Obtained: Core of the Final Ex-Machina Unit!]
[Description: The Final Ex-Machina Core grants computing power that transcends dimensional limits. A single unit equipped with this core possesses calculation abilities surpassing entire clusters of standard Ex-Machina.]
Takeyo had sensed Grayfia's particular... preferences during their previous encounters. The twin braids weren't just aesthetic, they held special significance to her.
Hence the sign-in completion.
Without hesitation, he transferred the Ex-Machina core to Schwi for integration. Then he returned his full attention to more immediate matters.
Schwi had needed an upgrade anyway. Her evolution had been helpful, but limited. The standard Ex-Machina frame, even an evolved one, couldn't handle the computational demands Takeyo's projects required.
She'd proven that during preliminary calculations, where a mere seconds of analysis had overloaded her systems completely.
But a Final Ex-Machina? That was different.
The Final Ex-Machina represented a super life-form capable of analyzing entire world systems. Similar to how Terminus Est had evolved into metallic life, Schwi would transcend her original parameters.
With computing power and emotional capacity enhanced to match her new existence, she'd be perfect for assisting with his most complex work.
As Takeyo's direct support unit, she would excel.
"Ten percent certainty?" The voice of The God, manifesting as her avatar, carried skepticism. "I hope you're right."
"As long as we gather sufficient power, facing another world's threat becomes straightforward enough," Takeyo replied confidently. "Leave it to me."
His Transcendent-class physique alone, when channeled through his standard incarnations, could reach the absolute limit of Transcendent tier. If he pushed to his Super-Limit incarnation, he'd touch the second-stage Dragon God level, the tier where Ddraig and Albion resided at their peak.
Combined with his other abilities, he should manage without resorting to his Origin incarnation.
Using Origin was costly. It damaged his fundamental essence, and there was no guarantee he could eliminate four different evil gods, each with Great Red-level threat potential, before the strain became catastrophic.
Better to have standing combat power that exceeded Great Red's baseline.
That was what he and The God had been developing.
"Hmm..."
Takeyo finally rose, his business concluded. Grayfia remained beside him, silver hair splayed across the pillow.
There was still much to do.
But then, unexpectedly, another system notification arrived.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for completing a Plot Check-In!]
[Sign-In Level: Diamond!]
[Sign-In Plot: The Union of Red Dragon and White Dragon]
[Plot Details: The handshake between the hosts of the Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Emperor]
[Reward Obtained: Nameless Spellbook!]
[Description: A World-Class Item of unknown origin, possibly from the Overlord universe. This legendary tome records ALL magic within a world, automatically cataloging even newly created spells. Its value equals that of the world itself!]
[Function: Upon observing a new world, the Nameless Spellbook analyzes its magical systems and records every spell, technique, and mystical art within that reality!]
The Red Dragon Emperor sign-in had completed! Issei must have finally met Vali.
"I didn't expect that kid to trigger something this powerful," Takeyo murmured, examining the system space where the Spellbook hovered.
Magical formulas from every system in the current world were flooding into its pages, Devil magic, Angel miracles, Fallen Angel techniques, Eastern sorcery, Western wizardry, everything.
"And if it's the multiversal version..." His eyes gleamed. "That means I can carry this to other realities, let it absorb their magic systems, then retrieve it later. Every world's complete magical knowledge, cataloged and accessible."
Traveling between dimensions was trivial for someone at his level. The only issue was targeting, without specific coordinates, you might end up anywhere in the infinite multiverse.
But that was a problem for another day.
On the other side of the room, The God watched him zone out, golden eyes narrowing.
"Are you going to keep standing there, or do I need to drag you to the workshop myself?"
"Coming, coming." Takeyo smiled helplessly.
Perfect timing, actually. He could test both Schwi's new computing capabilities and the Nameless Spellbook's potential.
After Takeyo departed, Grayfia's eyes slowly opened.
Silver irises reflected tender warmth.
"His goal is the stars and seas beyond..." she whispered. "My duty is to serve at his side. To ensure he never strays from his path."
"Evil gods from another world..." A trace of worry flickered across her features. "Even the True Scarlet Dragon God Emperor would be powerless against the highest-ranked evil gods. At most, he could handle subordinates like the Marine Prime Dynast."
"But he can do it. I've seen him fight with The God's power merged, witnessed the Heaven Formation's true might."
She remembered that battle. Takeyo, channeling the combined essence of The God's Origin, had demonstrated power that defied description.
"Then next..." Grayfia sat up gracefully, silver hair cascading over her shoulders. "I should prepare lunch."
Despite everything they'd shared through the night, despite her elevation to Transcendent-class, she was still a maid at heart.
And a proper maid didn't neglect her duties.
How could she rest when her Master still had work to do?