Reward & Punishment
"... No, only you could conveniently transform my words into a marriage proposal" Richter resisted the urge to deadpan while Grayfia and Layla resisted the urge to slaughter the goddess.
From her part, Yasaka's ears fluttered slightly before she closed her eyes exhaling deeply. However, Millicas and Kunou both looked back to see her tails were quite lively as if she knew what was to come.
"A pity... if my looks don't enter your eyes, you could always have my priestess Yasaka-chan. She's tall, has big boobs, shiny golden hair like your scales and a big bubbly butt. Did I say she has massive boobs?"
!!!
The Goddess of the Sun was selling her best 'product' it didn't take a rocket scientist to know why. Grayfia, Layla, Annette and Benneth were used to it and while Jie Yuan was wise enough to know the implications of political marriages, that didn't mean she liked to see someone being pushed so brazenly towards her new 'lord'.
"Amaterasu-sama! Kunou is here!" A flustered Yasaka tried to stop her master fruitlessly but once again her tails were more honest, they were fluttering back and forth in anxiousness and thrill.
'O-Oka-san, your tails' Kunou rubbed her temples, unable to raise her voice to talk to her mom about her predicament.
"No. My hands are currently full, Amaterasu... as you can see" Richter waved his hand towards his side filled up with girls of all races, shapes and forms. Not all of them were his mates, but it still made a point, "But thanks for the offer anyway. Yasaka is indeed a gorgeous young lady".
"Y-Y-Young? surely Richter-sama is jesting~"
"Truly regretful, Richter-sama. Please bear in mind that this proposition stands for eternity. Yasaka will stay single and bereft of love and passion until you accept her, don't you think that's pitiful? are you willing to condemn her to life in solitude like this?" Amaterasu wasn't ready to give up. Not only could she get her shinto faction under the wing of the most powerful dragon in existence, but she could also fill up her beloved priestess' heart which had been brimming with solitude for the longest while.
Someone as wise as her could easily tell that the 'mates' of the Golden Dragon God were not with him merely for political reasons. All of them looked 'satisfied' and all of them had a dramatic powerup in strength after pledging themselves to him. The members of the Nephilim Faction who had been a troublesome bunch prior; were powerful enough to hinder many lesser gods. They were now able to give someone like her a run for her money individually. And that was taking into account that she was one of the strongest goddesses in this universe!
There was too much to gain and nothing to lose becoming his mate. All she could expect is for Yasaka to squeeze her tails in there, eventually making way for her to enter as well. The queue is long and he just came back, 'We were lucky enough to meet him first, I can't let go of this chance!'
'You know what to do, Yasaka!'
'But Amaterasu-sama! I don't know him that well!'
'Does it matter!? You have had a highly restrained libido ever since Kunou was born don't you? he's able to satisfy all of those ladies, imagine what he will do to you!'
'...'
All the kitsune could do was emit an audible gulp and send a furtive look towards the man who seemed uninterested while having his tea of green leaves. It would be a lie to say she wasn't interested. But the priestess had her pride. Deep inside she desired to be chased by this dragon, even though it looked impossible instead of going through a boring political marriage.
"Amaterasu-sama please stop! I'm okay being single!" Seeing so many powerful ladies by his side, all of them with beauty no less than her own, Yasaka felt this discussion had no purpose.
"Sad. With her current strength she has no place among my mates".
"..."
"..."
Silence. With words like that laid on the table, the kitsune could no longer remain still. She coughed a little and turned toward the Golden Dragon with a 'smile'.
"Could it be that Richter-sama thinks I'm weak?"
'She's triggered now!' Everyone thought, seeing how her nine tails stood up giving her a rather threatening look.
"I'm only saying that compared to my mates, your strength is rather lacklustre. By this world's standards, you could be considered a strong individual" He clarified himself, trying to be 'polite'.
"But not by your standards, correct? I see...then after this meeting is finished I will take the liberty to challenge any of your mates to a duel to resolve this matter".
"..." There was no need to resist the urge anymore. Richter deadpanned while Layla, Benneth and Annette looked at one another as if to see who among them was going to be the one to face the kitsune. As for Grayfia, she couldn't participate due to her pregnancy, a sad state of affairs since the maid was craving some action.
"Please don't misunderstand, I am not doing this to become your mate or get your attention or anything like that!... I merely wish for you to understand that as a kitsune, I'm not weak in the slightest!"
'A Tsundere...' Millicas shivered.
'Okaa-san is a tsundere!?' Kunou couldn't believe it.
...
"Very well. After this meeting is finished, you shall face Annette, Yasaka. Whoever wins gets a reward from me, and whoever loses gets a punishment from me, do you dare?~" The Golden Dragon proposed.
"Yes, master" Annette's eyes turned sharp and she nodded towards her master, giving Yasaka a nice smirk afterwards.
"I guess you shall be my opponent, Annette-sama, I'll give it my best for the reward"
Both silver-haired and golden-haired ladies were thrilled for their match more than they were looking forward to the 'reward' or the 'punishment'.
"If that's the case, then I'd like to challenge Lady Layla for the same conditions".
!!!
Layla smiled towards Amaterasu who openly challenged her, she was going to accept when someone else spoke, no one expected this woman to be so openly competitive.
"You represent light while I represent darkness, Amaterasu. Why don't you challenge me?" Jie Yuan smiled lightly, giving Amaterasu a mere sidelong glance. She knew very well that she could devastate Amaterasu. They were on completely different levels, nevertheless... Jie Yuan wished to experiment with what the power of a deity in a foreign world was like. The only two individuals outside of her world that she had ever met were Richter and Regalzeva, one could say she hadn't been 'lucky' in that aspect since the two that she met were no pushovers at all.
Seeing who was requesting a challenge, Amaterasu frowned. If it was Layla Lucifuge she thought she could still win, but this newcomer... although one couldn't determine the definite strength of an individual just from their aura. One also couldn't fake the intensity of their auras. Jie Yuan was an authentic powerhouse. But she wasn't about to reject a challenge regardless of whether she won or lost. If anything... she'd achieve her objective regardless of the result so long as Richter's intentions were what she was thinking.
"Do you think I don't dare, Jie Yuan?" She clenched her hands, inadvertently heating up the place as the sun above increased in intensity. She sent a furtive glance towards Richter who seemed to be unconcerned with everything around him. The man merely sent her a smile and shrugged his shoulders, embracing Ni Jie tightly.
"Go ahead, give Jie Yuan a try, Amaterasu. You won't be disappointed".
"As you wish... I challenge you, Jie Yuan".
"I accept your challenge, Amaterasu, may the best win".