"Hehe... of course you're talking about recruitment... I always knew it, didn't I, Heiter?"
Himmel shot a knowing look at his friend, who nodded as if it were natural... quite the bastard.
If I didn't know he was a "flexible" priest in his relationship with faith, a bit like me in my past life, I would have thought he was a con artist disguised as a priest.
The goddess should select her followers more carefully.
"Why do you want two future old men later, instead of two young men right now?"
The unique atmosphere created by the duo's nonsense was refocused by the expressionless elf.
I admit, I appreciated the initiative.
"They're going to die anyway, so dedicating the rest of their time to me isn't such a high price, is it? And believe me..."
I unleash all the sacred energy I'm hiding inside me, just to make sure the message gets across.
"I am a being they will willingly follow when death comes knocking at their door due to old age."
Frieren alternated her gaze between me and my wings before stepping forward and pointing her scepter in my direction.
"I'll start..." she said in a cold tone, quite different from the indifference she was displaying earlier.
It seems I struck a nerve by talking about old age in front of a long-lived creature with her kind on the verge of extinction.
She must have remembered her former mentor.
But that's not my problem.
"Do you really think you have a chance of winning alone?"
I wasn't saying this out of arrogance.
I now have a good idea of my place in the power scale of this reality, especially after my little confrontation with Eisen.
Unlike Heiter, Himmel, or even Frieren, this guy is physically at his peak right now.
He's far from the tired dwarf we'll see in a hundred years, and much more experienced than the little elf who lived as a recluse in the woods for centuries after her master's death.
The only people here capable of really causing problems are Himmel and Eisen.
I know Himmel hasn't reached his peak yet.
But my instinct pushes me to remain on guard. And I've learned to trust it.
"Don't come complaining about the unfairness of the fight."
At Frieren's words, her companions gathered by her side, ready to face me.
I don't know when it started, but Aura's undead formed a circle around us.
A kind of improvised arena.
"Tsk... this idiot didn't flee, she's watching."
A new notification from the group chat resonated in my mind. But this isn't the time to worry about it.
It's been about ten minutes since I've been ignoring them, but this time, I was interrupted by the holographic panel that appeared in front of me.
[Congratulations. You have attracted your first potential patron to your stream.]
[The divine seat named The Throne of Blood and Skulls is intrigued by the group chat...]
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls smells the blood and grudge of those who were beheaded by The Guillotine...]
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls offers a quest, after understanding the situation.]
[Quest (rank D): Why just win? Show them despair.]
[Description: The Throne of Blood and Skulls has never tasted the blood of creatures from another universe. Observing this bloodbath has greatly stimulated it...]
[Objective: Kill them all.]
[Reward: 500 existence points and the interest of The Throne of Blood and Skulls.]
[Do you accept this quest? Yes or no?]
"No."
The moment I refused, several notifications popped up in the discussion thread of the chat.
But that's not my current priority.
The Throne of Blood and Skulls... it's a title too familiar and unusual for me to mistake its identity.
I'm undoubtedly dealing with Khorne, one of the four Chaos gods.
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls frowns at your refusal.]
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls spends existential energy to send "comprehensible" messages during the stream...]
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls: Under this pure soft light, I can see a powerful and strangely "familiar" rage... Stop playing the hypocrite and kill them all.]
"Uh... I think there's a misunderstanding, dear patron. I'm a jerk, not a psychopath."
Frieren and the others looked at me weirdly, but I simply ignored them.
They're upright people, and I haven't officially announced the start of the fight yet.
Anyway, they won't kill me directly because of the bet tied to their questions.
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls emanates a murderous aura in the higher dimension of its world...]
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls lets out a sigh of resignation and slightly calms its perpetual rage...]
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls: Very well... I'll be content to see these mortals at death's door.]
"There we go. Now we're speaking the same language."
I unconsciously looked at my future opponents like a bunch of walking existence points.
I'm not a Chaos fanatic, but I'm not narrow-minded like the people of the Imperium of Man.
I'd even use Slaanesh's pussy if I could become more powerful and keep my soul in the process.
[The Throne of Blood and Skulls has updated the quest.]
[Quest (rank D-): Why just win? Show them despair.]
[Description: The Throne of Blood and Skulls has not yet tasted the blood of creatures from another universe...]
[Objective: Defeat your opponents and leave them at death's door.]
[Reward: 200 existence points and a massacre-related gift of your choice within reasonable limits.]
[Do you accept this quest? Yes or no?]
"Yes."
I gladly accept this quest.
And about Khorne's lost appreciation? I don't care!!
I don't want to work under this guy and end up like that idiot Angron.
"We can begin."
I summoned my sacred energy spear, forged from a compressed barrier, and faced Himmel's group.
"Finally... I thought you had gone mad from staring into the void."
Himmel spoke in a relaxed tone, but he had drawn his sword during his entire speech.
A funny contrast between friendly words and gestures of antipathy.
"Possibly."
I didn't want to say more.
I released my sacred energy once again, but with my killing intent as a bonus!!!
Today, there will be blood for the blood god, and skulls for the Throne of Skulls.