The two irregular pink stones had fused into a single pink energy orb, radiating soft pink light.
Under the influence of this light, even Roy, who had just been with two girls, felt a faint, restless itch in his heart.
What was this thing good for?
Roy hesitated for a moment before reaching out to touch the pink energy orb. It instantly merged into his hand, and then he heard the system's notification sound.
[You have obtained the Authority of Lust (Minor)!]
What the heck? Authority of Lust?
Roy felt a mix of confusion and awe, but thankfully, the system provided an explanation.
[Authority of Lust (Minor): This is a fragment of the original sin of lust. If you can collect all the powers of the original sins, you can become the true Lord of Hell, the supreme demon, Satan!]
So that's what it was—a requirement to become the Lord of Hell?
Roy lowered his head, deep in thought.
Indeed, after gaining the Authority of Lust, Roy felt like he could effortlessly manipulate others, making them fall into desire.
But was this kind of power really what he wanted?
Roy might not be the most morally upright transmigrator, but he had his own.
If he relied entirely on the Authority of Lust to satisfy his desires, wouldn't that make him no different from a hellish demon?
Still, the thing had already merged into his body, and Roy had no idea how to remove it. For now, he'd just have to live with it.
As for collecting the other authorities of the original sins…
Better not to think too much about it. Although Roy had unexpectedly defeated the King of Lust, the process had been incredibly tough.
He'd think about it again when he could take on a Hell Demon King head-on.
---
After opening the treasure chest, Roy had planned to rest, only to find there was no space for him on the bed.
After all, they were at a military dock. Even though Roy had been given a private room, the bed was a single one.
Jay and Delilah had taken up most of the space, leaving no room for anyone else.
With no other choice, Roy found a blanket in the room, spread it on the floor, and made do for the night.
The next day, Hammer sent Roy to California. Jay, Delilah, and Bartholomew were also sent back.
Bartholomew was headed to a military tribunal, while Jay and Delilah were to appear as witnesses.
Roy, however, didn't need to testify. After arriving in California, he first called Gerald to share the good news.
Gerald was thrilled to hear that Bartholomew had been taken down, and he and Roy spent hours drinking whiskey together.
Man, that guy really hated Bartholomew!
Roy stayed in Los Angeles for a few days, mostly hanging out with Saltana.
Unfortunately, Dalia and Amy were still out at sea, salvaging the treasure from the Antonia Grassa. This meant Roy couldn't form a flexible team during his time in L.A.
As a result, Saltana was feeling a bit overwhelmed by Roy's attention and even suggested he head back to Texas.
With no other option, Roy decided to give Saltana a break and find someone else. That's when he remembered there was one person in L.A. he hadn't yet won over—Melanie Hill, the short-haired senior beauty.
Some might have forgotten Melanie. She was the stunning senior that Alan Berg had introduced to Roy when he came to L.A. to negotiate with UCLA's administration.
Back then, Melanie had nearly fallen for Roy, but her reserved personality kept her from taking the leap.
In the months that followed, Roy hadn't spent much time with her. They'd kept in touch on MSN, but their connection had cooled off.
So, this time in L.A., Roy decided to rekindle things with Melanie and see if he could win her back.
Luckily, Melanie was in L.A., and when Roy asked her out, she agreed right away.
The two met at dusk, when the sun wasn't so harsh, and took a walk along Santa Monica Beach.
It was clear that deep down, Melanie still had feelings for Roy. But because of his playboy tendencies, she—someone who valued a soulmate connection—still had her doubts.
It was summer, and Santa Monica Beach was buzzing with activity. This was the same beach where Roy had fought in a boxing match.
At dusk, street performers would often play along the shore. Roy and Melanie commented on their performances, and that familiar, flirty vibe started to return.
"Roy, I can't believe you actually won an Olympic gold medal. Everyone at UCLA who's in the know is talking about you!"
The news that Roy would be starting at UCLA in the fall had spread, possibly with some help from the school.
After all, an Olympic champion enrolling was great PR for admissions. There was no way UCLA wouldn't capitalize on it.
"Too bad you didn't see me win in person."
Melanie pressed her lips together, giving a faint smile.
"I bet there were plenty of girls there cheering you on. Besides, I watched all your matches on TV."
Just then, someone seemed to recognize Roy and approached him.
"Excuse me, are you Roy Black?"
The Olympics had ended a month ago, and the hype had died down a bit, but Roy's fame at Santa Monica Beach hadn't faded.
"You've got the wrong guy. I just look a little like him."
The person hesitated, still studying Roy's face, clearly unconvinced.
Roy quickly grabbed Melanie's hand and left the scene, finding a spot to put on Niddy's black-framed glasses.
It had been a while since he'd been in the public eye, and Roy had almost forgotten he was a public figure now.
Seeing Roy with the glasses, Melanie's expression softened.
"You look like a totally different person with those on."
"Really? Can you still tell it's me?"
Roy flashed a grin.
Melanie reached out as if to touch his face but quickly pulled back, realizing it might be too forward.
"Roy, sometimes I think it'd be better if you weren't so… dazzling. If you were just ordinary, like you are now."
There was a hint of sadness on Melanie's face. She hadn't managed to convince herself to fully accept Roy, yet she was still drawn to his charm.
Especially now, when Roy had come back to see her. She'd been ready to turn him down, but one look at his face, and she found herself unable to resist.
He was like a deadly poppy—irresistible and impossible to quit.
"Melanie, if I were just an ordinary guy, would you still fall for me?"
Melanie fell silent.
It was a paradox. Women always fell for the most captivating flower, but once they had it, they wanted it to stop attracting others.
Yet, a flower only stops drawing bees when it wilts—and by then, many women would scorn the faded bloom.
It was a harsh reality.
"Melanie, I once heard about this theory that there are impossible triangles in this world. Wanna hear about it?"
"I think I've heard of that. Isn't it something the Stuarts and the impossible trinity by economist Paul Krugman from last year?"
Of course, a top-tier college student would know cross-disciplinary stuff.
"No, no, I'm not talking about economics. I mean a sociological theory. Like the impossible triangle for men: handsome, rich, and faithful!"
That got a laugh out of Melanie.
"Are you trying to justify being a player?"
Roy already checked off handsome and rich, so faithful was clearly off the table.
"Melanie, you're missing my point. I'm not justifying anything, just stating a fact."
"What's the impossible triangle for women, then?"
"Beautiful, smart, and gentle."
Roy leaned closer, gazing into her stunning eyes.
"But I think you, Melanie, might just break that impossible triangle."
Feeling Roy's breath, Melanie's expression turned flustered.
"W-Well, I'm not as perfect as you think. A lot of people say I look too sharp, not soft enough. And I'm kind of a loner—hardly have any friends."
"That's the thing, Melanie. Life's never perfect. Even getting three good things at once is rare. So why overthink it?"
Roy pressed his forehead against hers, their noses touching.
This was well beyond the boundaries of just friends, but Melanie didn't pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes, mulling over Roy's words.
Yeah, life's not perfect. So why was she still chasing some ideal soulmate?
Did that kind of soulmate even exist?
In a daze, Melanie felt something warm and soft against her lips. When she opened her eyes, Roy was kissing her.
Her body stiffened for a moment before melting into him. She realized her body couldn't resist his kiss—craving even more.
Had she already fallen for him long ago?
Melanie sadly accepted the truth and threw herself fully into the sweet kiss.
Her ears picked up the sound of beautiful music, making her feel like she was in paradise, complete with a lovely singing voice.
But then, Roy pulled away.
"Roy, what's wrong?"
Breathing heavily, Melanie looked up at him, only to see him glancing over her shoulder.
Was something behind her?
She turned and saw a sunny, handsome guy with slightly delicate features, playing a guitar.
So that's where the romantic music and singing had come from.
Talk about a perfect mood-setter!
But Roy's attitude was oddly off, and Melanie couldn't quite figure it out.
"Roy, do you know this guy?"
Roy nodded.
"Adrian, what are you doing here?"
Adrian, who was actually Raphael's human form, grinned at Roy and Melanie.
"I was just passing through L.A. and saw you romancing this lady, so I couldn't resist playing a little love tune for you guys."
Roy was speechless. This guy had zero tact, barging in while he was in the middle of something.
"Can't you do something productive instead of wandering around all the time?"
"I am doing something productive—experiencing human life so I can better understand human psychology."
It sounded like something a certain unnamed author, Jiraiya, might say about "researching" at a women's bathhouse.
Roy was even more exasperated.
At this point, Melanie, still in Roy's arms, was thoroughly confused. Adrian's talk about "experiencing human life" sounded like he wasn't human himself.
Wait a second…
Melanie had encountered supernatural events before, like the Electronic Succubus incident and the Slender Man case. She knew the world held unnatural forces.
So, cautiously, she asked Roy, "Who is this?"
Roy introduced him.
"You can call him Adrian. He's Raphael's human form."
As a devout Christian, Melanie instantly connected the name Raphael to its meaning.
"Raphael? The archangel?"
Her eyes widened, her faith teetering on the edge of collapse. This Adrian looked like a slacker, like the neighbor's deadbeat younger brother.
If angels were like this, was there any hope for humanity?
"That's him! This guy just loafs around all day, never doing anything worthwhile!"
Adrian smiled, seemingly unfazed by Roy's jab.
"Roy, there's some disagreement in Heaven about the current situation."
With God suddenly missing, it wasn't just Hell stirring with undercurrents—Heaven was facing internal divides too.
Unlike Hell, which had split into clear factions, Heaven's disagreements were more… democratic.
Uriel, for instance, leaned toward proactively engaging with the human world to counter Hell's influence, which was why she'd been working closely with the federal government.
On the other hand, Gabriel, God's messenger and the one who'd blow the trumpet for Judgment Day, believed God hadn't vanished but was playing a grand game. Heaven just needed to follow God's old playbook and wait for His will, no changes required.
Gabriel also opposed the plan for archangels to take turns descending to Earth to deal with demons.
"Michael and I are the middle ground. We don't agree with Uriel's push to get cozy with humans, since that clearly goes against God's prior stance. But we also don't agree with Gabriel's do-nothing approach, letting the human world get tainted by demons."
So that's how it was!
Though Heaven had its disputes, the four archangels had reached a compromise through discussion.
Uriel could pursue her human alliances on her own. Gabriel, who wanted no changes, would stay and guard Heaven.
As for Michael and Raphael, they'd stick to the original agreement: every hundred years, they'd take turns coming to Earth to eliminate demons.
But Raphael was clearly bending the rules, sneaking down early to goof off.
"Raphael, you and Michael get along well?"
Adrian shrugged.
"Pretty well. I was created after her, and she's always looked out for me. In human terms, she's like a big sister. Oh, by the way, Roy, wanna come with me to meet someone?"
Melanie Hill (Demi Moore, iconic scene from Ghost)