Chapter 166

CHAPTER 8 The Divine Blade’s Revenge Xul Luxu, still standing on her hands, eerily cackles. “Eeeeee. You must make a deal with the people of the underworld whenever you want something, for this is our way.” As I stand in mute amazement, Uno suddenly jumps in. “Ristarte, whenever you make a deal, you need to offer HP.” “Um… So you need…my stamina? Is that what you mean?” “No. It’s different in the underworld. To get straight to the point, you are about to be deeply humiliated.” “What the…?! So this is the ‘deal’ that you and Due were talking about?!” Uno nods solemnly. Xul Luxu then shouts: “Eeeeee! There’s no time to waste! Let’s get started!” Wh-what kind of humiliation is this? Don’t tell me they’re going to do something lewd to me!! “Eee. Raise both of your hands high into the air!” I’m so scared that I can’t do it, so Seiya says: “Rista, we’re doing this to save the spirit world.” “Er…” There’s no way I can refuse when he puts it like that. B-besides, Xul Luxu’s standing on her hands anyway, so it’s not like she can really feel me up or anything…right? Right as I timidly raise my hands into the air, Xul Luxu shouts: “Reverse!” Up and down suddenly switch places, and before I even realize it, Xul Luxu is smiling right at me! Everything around me looks upside-down… Wait! Am I standing on my hands?! “Wh-what did you do to me?!” I’m startled by the fact that I was forced into a handstand, but…is this supposed to be humiliating? If this is all it is, then— Fwp. The hem of my skirt suddenly falls toward my chest, and a nice, cool breeze brushes against my crotch. While I can’t see it myself, I know exactly what’s happening. My underpants are on display for all to see. “…?! Don’t look! Don’t loooooooook!!” Just imagining Seiya and Cerceus staring is so embarrassing that I scream! I try to get back to my feet, but I can’t move. This must be Xul Luxu’s special move. She and Uno watch, enraptured, as I freak out. “Eeeeee! What a wonderful feeling!” “I can feel the HP slowly filling my body… What great delight…!” “Wh-what is going on?!” I look up at Seiya while I’m still in a handstand, only to find him nodding with evident satisfaction. “I see. It appears they receive energy from seeing deities humiliate themselves.” “Th-they’re getting off on seeing me embarrassed?!” After a few brief moments, Uno solemnly declares: “Exactly. Here in the underworld, HP stands for Humiliation Points.” “Humiliation what?!” Why does my embarrassment give the people of the underworld energy?! This makes no sense! When I glance to my side, I notice Cerceus has been grinning at me. “What do you think you’re lookin’ at!” “Huh?! Nothing. I didn’t see your white panties.” “What the…?! I can’t believe you!” Xul Luxu suddenly waddles over to Cerceus, then… “Reverse!” Cerceus is forced into a handstand as well. “M-m-me too?!” “Eee. From now on, you two have to do as I say.” I-is she going to humiliate me again?! Cerceus and I shudder when… “Eeeeee! Now I want you to say twenty palindromes in a row while standing on your hands.” “H-hold on! Why do I have to play this stupid game with my panties still on display?!” “Eee. If you can’t do it, the deal is off.” Seiya clears his throat with an “ahem,” then glares at me with a piercing gaze as if to say, “Do it.” Groan… I’d rather take a brick to the head than do this, but…it’s for the sake of the spirit world! I have to! “All right, then… Uh… ‘Level.’” “Eee. Good. You’re next.” “…‘MAX.’” “Eee. No. Start over.” I am honestly struck dumb by Cerceus’s reply. “Cerceus?! ‘MAX’?! What the hell was that?!” “S-sorry, it was just the first thing that popped into my head when you said ‘level,’ and I can’t think straight, since all the blood’s rushing to my head…” He does have a point. All the blood is slowly rushing to my head, too! It hurts…and my partner’s an idiot! Sigh. You can do this, Rista. Stay calm. Do it for the spirit world! “Um… ‘Mom.’” “Hm… I’ll go with ‘Dad.’” “‘Stats!’” “…‘B-banana’…?” “That would be ‘ananab’ backward. Eee… Start over.” Good lord! How stupid is this guy?! Discouraged, I ask Seiya: “H-hey, Seiya? Do you want to give it a try?” “Of course, I don’t mind helping, but—” “But deities give so much more HPeeeeee.” “Well, you heard her. Sorry.” Ack! Why do we have to be the clowns?! I’ve gotten past my embarrassment and now only feel frustration and anger. Seiya, standing over my head, suddenly says: “You can do it, Rista. I believe in you.” “Huh…?!” Th-this has to be some kind of sick joke, right?! Seiya would never cheer me on…! “O-okay! I’ve got this!” The conditions couldn’t be any lousier. My panties are on display like a carnival sideshow, and all my blood is rushing to my head. Nevertheless, I continue to push forward thanks to Seiya’s encouragement, and I start the game back up. “‘Sagas!’” “‘Wow.’” “‘Noon!’” “‘Night.’ …Oops! Sorry, Rista…” “Cerceus?! Stop screwing up!” Cerceus keeps holding us back with all his mistakes, and we’re getting nowhere fast. Unoporta turns to me and says: “Ristarte, is it just me, or have you lost quite a bit of HP since you started?” “Um… I can’t tell if I’ve lost or gained any Humiliation Points.” “Oh, my apologies. I was talking about your Health Points. I was worried you were getting exhausted.” “Ugh!! I’ve had enough of these confusing abbreviations! Yes, I am running out of stamina! How long do you think I’ve been standing on my hands for?!” “Th-that’s what I thought. Xul Luxu, how about we take a break?” “Fine. I already have eeenough anyway.” Phew! Thank goodness! We can finally rest! Or so I think until Seiya suddenly suggests to Xul Luxu: “No. That’d be a waste of time. You need to continue until you get it right.” ““Wh-what?!”” Cerceus and I scream, but Seiya looks back at me with a cold glare. “Guys. I’m counting on you two.” N-now I get it! He’s not cheering us on! He’s torturing us under the guise of support! We end up continuing without any rest after that… It takes fifteen whole minutes, but we somehow manage to say twenty palindromes in a row. And yet, I feel no sense of accomplishment. Only sadness. I feel like I lost something important as a goddess. But contrary to my depression… “Eee. I haven’t had that much HP in forever.” “Yes, it has been a while since I have felt this full.” Both Xul Luxu and Uno seem really happy. Cerceus and I are finally freed from our handstands as well, so I deeply exhale and sink to the floor. “So are you going to teach us how to become demons now or what?” “Hm? What are you talking about? Eee… You have alreadyyy completed the ritual for Type: Opposite.” “What?!” “Eee… Not only was that humiliation, but it was also training to inherit the aura and move as well.” “Does that mean we can turn into demons now?!” “Eee. Get back into a handstand and chant your name backward.” I get into a handstand like she suggests. My panties are still on display, but I don’t care anymore! Um… If I say my name backward, it should be… “Etratsir!” Poof! I am suddenly engulfed in smoke, and when it finally clears, I’m startled by my appearance. My pure white dress has transformed into black leather, and my arms and legs are slightly tan! I look like I’ve been lying out on the beach! “Wh-wh-what happened to me?!” “Ristarte, there is a full-length mirror over here if you would like to see yourself.” When I look into the mirror Uno is motioning to, I freeze. It’s a black leather dress with a gap for my cleavage, and my exposed skin is a little darker than usual. My lips look a lot more provocative as well. But what’s most surprising are the bat-like wings growing out of my back! I even have a tail sprouting out of my lower back! I look kind of like a pixie! “S-so this is what it’s like to be a demon! This is actually kind of sexy…!”