Sardinia!
Rumble! Rumble!
Dust and smoke raged, rubble flew.
Countless buildings and streets were already shattered and broken.
Erica's figure leaped continuously across the rooftops.
Explosions constantly sounded behind her, but she didn't look back once.
'Has this divine beast already set its sights on me?'
She could feel that sharp gaze behind her.
Even as a veritable genius, facing the inhuman might of a divine beast, she couldn't help but tremble.
She had been injured just from clashing with it once.
If she fought it head-on, she would undoubtedly die.
But at the very least, she had to lure it to a sparsely populated area.
Just as she thought this, she felt the presence behind her getting closer and closer. An indescribable pressure enveloped her entire body.
"Damn it, even though I already summoned a Devil, why hasn't he come yet?"
Erica bit her lip slightly: "Even if he could just delay this divine beast for a moment..."
Hum!
A crimson magic circle began to flicker in the air before her.
Caught off guard, Erica stumbled directly into a warm embrace.
"Really, you summon us Devils to deal with this kind of dangerous thing, and you still have the nerve to complain?"
Erica looked up.
A handsome face was reflected in her eyes.
She was stunned for a moment, quickly came to her senses, and immediately broke free from Ayato's embrace.
"Mr. Devil, please grant my wish. At the very least, lure it to a sparsely populated area."
Her little scheme had been overheard, so she couldn't bring herself to make an excessive request and could only settle for the next best thing.
"No need for all that trouble."
Ayato turned his head, looking towards the dusty area, his eyes flickering.
There, a divine beast resembling a wild boar, a colossal being like a small mountain, was rampaging.
A Heretic God, and Erica Blandelli.
Almost instantly, he realized where he was.
If this were before, he would have run as far away as possible.
But now... that was a different matter.
Erica was a bit confused and asked instinctively: "What are you going to do?"
"Kill it, of course."
"Ah?"
Erica snapped out of it and hurriedly said: "Don't be impulsive. You have no idea what you're facing."
"I know perfectly well."
"It's just the Boar, one of the ten incarnations of that War God."
'War God, Boar?'
Erica's pupils contracted sharply. She also realized something.
"No."
She quickly spoke: "You know what it is, and you still dare to talk big?"
"I'm not talking big. I'm very confident."
"What are you saying..."
Erica's eyes widened.
'Did this Devil know what he was saying?'
'Did he think he was a Satan or something?'
Before she could react, the Boar incarnation charged forward with the force of a collapsing mountain.
Its violent aura was like a mountain torrent or a tsunami, seemingly intent on destroying everything.
'Damn it!'
Erica's expression completely changed.
'I had wasted too much time with this Devil.'
'How could I have been so careless?'
She wanted to dodge, but it was already too late.
"Don't worry, just watch."
Ayato raised his arm.
Terrifying magical power, enough to shake space, spread out in all directions from him.
Hum! Hum! Hum!
Under Erica's gaze, light blue magic circles rapidly appeared all around the Boar incarnation, trapping it within.
The next moment,
A brilliant light bloomed from the magic circles, transforming into a tidal wave of lightning that, like a gigantic surge, instantly engulfed the Boar incarnation's body.
"Roar!"
A piercingly miserable howl echoed through the entire city. The Boar divine beast, one of the incarnations of a god, was completely devoured by the lightning, dissipating within the rolling thunder as if it had never existed.
All that remained...
Was a massive, scorched-black crater.
Erica: "..."
'What did I just see?'
'A divine beast... was one-shot?'
After a long while, she finally came to her senses: "Who... who exactly are you?"
"You summoned me. Just a Devil."
"Haah!"
Taking a deep breath, Erica had regained her composure.
"I know you're a Devil. I'm just wondering which Lord Satan you might be?"
"No, I'm not a Satan. I'm just very strong."
Hearing this, Erica did not relax.
Summoning Devils and such wasn't uncommon in the mystical world.
But if the summoned Devil was too powerful, that was a different story.
"Alright, let's discuss the payment."
Ayato smiled: "I quite fancy you. How about becoming my servant?"
Erica's body stiffened. She forced a smile: "Mr. Devil, don't joke around."
"Why would I joke? Did you summon a Devil without knowing you'd have to pay?"
"Of course I know. Naturally, I refuse to become a Devil or anything like that."
Erica said seriously: "According to your Devils' contracts, I should be able to offer other forms of compensation, aside from myself."
'Not so easily fooled. I've finally run into someone who knows the ropes.'
Ayato's eyes flickered slightly.
In truth, as things had developed, so-called Devil contracts weren't that harsh anymore.
Otherwise, Devils wouldn't have stooped to handing out flyers on the street.
Some Devils even just took a bit of money after fulfilling a human's wish.
"What do you say, Mr. Devil..."
Erica appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly she was nervous.
This Devil, whoever he was, was undeniably powerful.
If he didn't play by the rules, what would she do?
Otherwise...
Run away now!
But... could she really escape?
But becoming a Devil... that...
If she angered this Devil, what then?
Ayato watched her, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
'It seemed this woman wasn't as resolute as she appeared.'
Finally, he spoke.
"For payment... other things are fine too."
"Really?"
Ayato said seriously: "Become mine."
Erica's face reddened. She gritted her teeth: "What's the difference?"
"Of course there is. You wouldn't have to become a Devil."
Erica: "..."
Well, that was indeed different.