After hugging Kurumi, Souta felt like he didn't want to let go.
Her body was soft, incredibly comfortable to hold. Her long, silky black hair carried a faint, elegant fragrance that was subtly intoxicating.
He could feel two gentle mounds pressing against his chest—Kurumi seemed to be melting into his embrace.
The sense of possession was exhilarating.
"Seriously, thank you," Souta murmured softly.
If it weren't for Kurumi holding things down today, he could have still accomplished his goal, but the cost and time required would have been multiple times greater.
Kurumi didn't push him away. Instead, she pressed closer.
She tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze with soft eyes and said,
"There's no need to be so formal. Compared to all the times you've helped me, this is nothing."
Then, she playfully scolded,
"Besides, didn't I tell you not to say things that make us feel like strangers?"
A faint blush spread across her cheeks, and her amber eyes seemed misty, deeply alluring.
Souta wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but her voice sounded sultry, like a cat's paw scratching at his heart.
"This is the first time you've hugged me voluntarily, Souta... aside from when we traveled through dimensions together."
Kurumi's lips curled into a teasing smile, her voice tinged with seduction.
"Can I take this to mean that... you've fallen for me?"
Souta met her gaze head-on and admitted frankly:
"At this point, I won't deny it anymore. Yes, I have. Any man would."
He nodded firmly. "So just let me hold you a little longer."
Kurumi remained silent, neither nodding nor shaking her head—which was as good as approval.
In truth, she was feeling a bit shy.
But she had to maintain her "mature woman" image, so she kept a composed expression.
"What a selfish request... but—"
Kurumi's hands wrapped around Souta's back as she hugged him tightly.
"Since you're being so bold today, I'll allow it... just for now."
Her obedient demeanor made something stir inside Souta.
As he held her, his hands began to roam a little more boldly.
He wasn't entirely sure how much she would tolerate, so he slowly tested her boundaries.
His hands, which were originally resting on her back, began to drift downward.
His fingertips traced along her spine, caressing through the fabric of her dress.
Kurumi shivered slightly, as if an electric current had just run through her body.
Her thighs pressed together instinctively.
Souta's hands slid lower, resting on her plump, perky backside.
His fingers grasped her skirt slightly.
The texture was simply divine...
Souta felt his mind beginning to stray.
Of course—he stopped there.
After all, it was broad daylight, and they were inside the Path of Peace, Lord's private palace.
Guards patrolled regularly, and servants could enter at any moment to clean the room.
If things got out of hand, it would be impossible to recover from.
Kurumi gave him a knowing smirk.
"You're stopping already?"
"It'd be bad if someone saw us."
"Hmm... that's true. Then—"
Kurumi's half-lidded eyes gleamed with playful amusement as she whispered:
"Let's continue where we left off when we get back to the real world."
Right now, she looked absolutely intoxicating.
She continued in a voice dripping with mischief:
"I'll be waiting for your 'performance,' Souta."
Souta exhaled slowly.
He felt like Kurumi had just lit a fire inside him.
He needed to find something to do— anything to distract himself.
So, he quickly suggested,
"Chelsea's over there alone. She might be feeling uneasy. If she blows her cover, things could get messy. Let's go check on her."
But before he could leave the hall, Kurumi stopped him.
"Leave Chelsea to me," she said. "Souta, you've already gained faith. Shouldn't you test out your divine powers? Don't forget that part."
Hearing this, Souta smacked his forehead.
"Right! I totally forgot!"
"Lust is clouding your mind."
Then, without waiting for Souta's embarrassed reaction, she turned and left the grand hall.
With Kurumi gone, Souta finally managed to calm himself.
Once his fire had settled a bit, he focused his consciousness on his inner divine realm—the golden ripples of faith floating within his soul.
These were the tangible forms of faith, appearing as mystical golden waves within his divine domain.
"Alright, time to convert faith into divine spark using my divine flame."
Divine flame—the source of a god's divine spark.
It acted as a converter, transforming faith into usable divine energy.
If divine spark was like electricity, then the divine flame was the power plant generating it.
Only gods who ignited their divine flame could truly call themselves gods.
Under Souta's will, the golden ripples gathered together, slowly melting away like ore in a furnace.
In its place, a new energy emerged—
A golden light, as brilliant as the sun.
Souta could feel it surging inside him.
When he reached for it, he felt a thrilling sensation—a sense of absolute omnipotence.
This... was divine power.
The legendary "universal energy", said to be able to do anything.
Create and destroy worlds.
—There was nothing it couldn't do.
Of course—wishing for miracles like that was an absurd waste of power.
"Wait... does divine power always have a color?"
Opening his eyes, a golden brilliance flashed within them.
Even his entire aura shifted, exuding a holy and profound presence.
This golden hue... was likely a reflection of his personality.
Souta glanced up at the palace's ceiling.
With a thought, his divine power pierced through the material, allowing his vision to extend beyond—he could now see the sky above.
Then, he made a simple wish—"Teleport."
He appeared several kilometers away, floating high above the land.
He stood on the air itself, as if it were solid ground.
Of course—this was also divine power at work.
Then, on a whim, he snapped his fingers.
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, splitting the clouds as it crashed to the ground.
Deep within the newly grown forest, a bizarre, mouth-bearing flower was instantly reduced to ashes.
"Seriously, Shiroyasha? This is what you gave me?"
He glanced down at the charred crater left behind in the forest.
Plants that could walk? That was way too ridiculous.
Luckily, apart from that one aggressive plant, the rest of the mobile flora seemed docile, content to remain in the forest.
"Ugh... using divine spark burns through it too fast."
Seeing how half his newly converted divine spark had already vanished, Souta sighed.
"I need to cultivate a divine domain soon. That way, I can spend less power on miracles within my domain."