"Oh dear oh dear~ Don't say it like that~"
Even after being exposed as not her real body, Nia Honjo cheerfully waved her hand:
"I'm still a beautiful girl after all~"
"Coming out alone to meet a boy requires some self-protection measures, doesn't it?"
"You can understand this little precaution, can't you, Luo Shu?"
"That much I can understand."
Luo Shu nodded, then his figure gradually turned transparent before Nia, revealing the indigo flames burning within:
"After all, I didn't come in person either."
Nia froze, then puffed her cheeks in annoyance:
"Illusion technique using the Mist Flame?"
"Did you use that Abyss Artefact Super Vision with X-ray capability to lock onto me and create this illusion?"
"Meaning your real body is still 5 kilometres away?"
"Sigh, though I knew you'd be cautious, I still feel somewhat annoyed."
As Nia complained, Luo Shu's figure solidified again, returning to normal:
"I think voluntarily revealing this as a fake body shows considerable sincerity."
"Fine, fine, have it your way."
Nia wore an indulgent 'what-can-I-do-with-you' expression before shrugging:
"Fake meeting fake is somewhat fair in its own way."
"Now then, let's get to the main topic~"
"What do you know about the Hell Sect, Luo Shu?"
Hearing this question, Luo Shu frowned before replying:
"The organisation Hao Asakura is involved with? Quite influential in America, even cooperating with the SDS. Beyond that, I haven't researched further."
"That sect has more dangers than just Hao Asakura."
Nia muttered, then sighed as if expecting this:
"A friendly warning."
"The Hell Sect, or rather, Hell behind it, is searching for something called the Creator's Relics."
Luo Shu's brows furrowed deeper as he looked at Nia with slight confusion:
"Could you explain that more specifically?"
"No idea." Nia spread her hands. "Raziel only showed this intel before the information got erased."
"Though I can't be completely certain, it seems the one who intervened was a demon called Sebastian - currently the head of the Hell Sect's core organisation, the Sin Council."
"His current power level should be approaching that of an Apostle, I think?"
Nia explained with uncertainty in her tone.
Hearing this, Luo Shu fell silent for a long moment before finally responding:
"Are you suggesting the Creator's Relics refer to my... special trait?"
He was asking whether it was because of the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System on him that the Hell Sect and the forces behind it had become mortal enemies with him.
However, since the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System involved his true secrets and he also wanted to probe whether Nia Honjo was aware of it, Luo Shu spoke somewhat vaguely.
"I'm not sure."
As if oblivious to Luo Shu's probing, Nia Honjo shook her head and said:
"There are quite a few divine relics in this world that I can't retrieve information about. I can't confirm whether what you possess is the so-called Creator's relic."
"But there's one thing I am certain about."
At this point, Nia Honjo said meaningfully:
"The demons pursue the Creator, yet they also fear that Lord."
"Because of these conflicting thoughts, Hell gradually split into two factions."
"The Grand Dukes who feared the Creator chose to support the Hell Sect, severing the connection between our world and Hell, taking Hell far away."
"The others, while still fearing the Creator, indulged certain fools, allowing them to approach the Creator with demonic power in the hope of seizing divine relics."
"The former gave rise to the current Hell Sect, while the latter spawned Truth Astronomy."
"Though one is in Europe and the other in America, their backers are actually the same group."
"They, or rather, They, call themselves True Hell."
Luo Shu listened intently, and after hearing this, his index finger unconsciously tapped the table, producing a rhythmic sound:
"True Hell?"
"So Truth Astronomy and the Hell Sect are backed by the same force."
"That's not funny at all."
"Can't be helped. That's just how boring the world is."
Nia Honjo nodded deeply in agreement, then glanced at Luo Shu before adding:
"You've probably guessed it already, Luo Shu. Robert, or rather, the person operating under that name, is a member of the Hell Sect."
Hearing this, Luo Shu felt both lingering fear and relief:
"So I was actually walking on death's doorstep?"
He had suspected as much, but never imagined the Hell Sect had already reached people close to him.
Worst of all, Sayuri Sawamura had originally planned to take Luo Shu to meet Robert today.
If they had actually met and he'd let something slip, wouldn't he have immediately come under the scrutiny of those Grand Dukes in True Hell?
So he was actually taking a stroll by the gates of hell?
"Exactly." Nia Honjo suppressed a laugh, smiling gracefully. "That Mr. Robert thought the same thing."
"Eh?" Luo Shu was astonished.
Seeing his reaction, Nia Honjo chuckled: "The Director of the SDS's Hidden Management Department, a suspected Demigod, suddenly approaching his wife and meeting her in secret."
"What a terrifying situation!!"
"To avoid being killed by a Demigod, naturally, the only option was to abandon his identity and flee for his life, right?"
After saying this, Nia Honjo blinked playfully at Luo Shu, her expression exceptionally mischievous.
Her antics left Luo Shu with an extremely peculiar expression.
"What do you call this? 'Weak reeds scaring wolves—both sides afraid'?"
Luo Shu had thought the Hell Sect had reached out to those around him, attempting to get close through Eriri. But in reality, the other side believed Luo Shu had caught onto their scheme and was conspiring with Sayuri Sawamura to eliminate them, forcing them to fake their deaths and flee.
"Tsk!!"
After piecing it together, Luo Shu couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath:
"So, what exactly happened?"
"Was it not the Hell Sect testing me by killing and replacing Robert, but rather that Robert was a member of the Hell Sect from the very beginning?"
"It seems Luo Shu-kun has figured out the sequence."
Nia Honjo said this with an amused look as she watched him:
"In Mr Robert's eyes, you were the one testing him!"