She answered directly this time, first giving them her name, and then...
“You know King of Light, F? I’m his little sister.”
...revealed a truth that told Ray and Nemesis all they needed to know.
Ray’s eyes widened as Nemesis said, “Huh?! So he is the one behind this!”
“Oh, I just asked him to lead you here. He’ll only watch now and not involve himself at all. This event—this stage—is all mine,” G said as she spun around joyously.
“Event...?”
“Yes. I’m about to... Oh.”
Before G could finish, the situation shifted.
Chelsea swung her greataxe at her, while Max rushed in with her katana.
What followed was a noisy clash. However, it wasn’t the sound of blades slicing through a human body...
“So you went at me the moment you realized I was planning something,” said G. “You work fast. That was probably the right move...though it looks like you can’t get past my bodyguard.”
...it was the sound of something abnormally strong deflecting their strikes.
A horde of octopus-like tentacles were now sticking out from G’s shadow, forming a barrier of flesh.
“Huh...?!”
“An Embryo...? No! A tamed monster!”
The tentacles then moved to retaliate against their attackers. Chelsea and Max dodged by jumping backward, but the tentacles shattered the stone stage.
“And a pretty strong one, at that,” said G. “I’m not sure how he measures up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s as tough as your summon... ‘Gardranda,’ right?”
“Well... You sure seem to know a lot about me,” said Ray. “Did you get all that from KoL?”
“He has nothing to do with this. I don’t think you understand how famous you are. You used her against both Hell General and King of Beasts—everyone knows about her.”
Hearing that made Ray scowl. First Jubei, now G—his fame was really working against him.
“Though, you seem to know me too. So we’re even on that count.”
“What do you mean?”
“This,” G said as she closed the umbrella she had been using up until now.
The last rays of the setting sun shone directly on her face.
That was all. From Juliet’s perspective, nothing had changed. Well, she was now wearing a choker that wasn’t there before, but that was it.
But that little change meant a lot.
“Huh?!”
“A disguise?! So good that it ignores Reveal and Truth Discernment?!” Ray and Chelsea raised their voices as though surprised by something.
“Huh? What’s with you two? She didn’t change at all,” said Max.
“Huh?! She changed a ton! She grew horns, a tail, and her face and clothes’re all different! And wait... If she actually looks like this, and her name’s G, then she’s...!”
“What’s going on...?” Juliet was lost.
Chelsea was talking about G’s appearance as though she had only assumed this devilish form just now, but those features had been present since Juliet had met her yesterday. Why was Chelsea so shocked?
“Wait...” Juliet said as she was struck with a sudden realization. “Did different people see you differently...?”
Those words made G’s smile grow deeper.
“Correct! I’m pretty well-known, and I got a lot of enemies, so I can’t go outside without a disguise.”
G put a hand on her neck and tore off the choker-shaped accessory. It was an Epic MVP reward, hidden until now by becoming one with her skin.
Its name was Nightcrawl Chaos, Netherface, and its effects were concealment and interfering with others’ perceptions. It also only worked when out of direct sunlight.
“Those who know me don’t see me as me. The only exceptions are those who’ve just found out about me and anyone on my friend list. This is off-the-record, by the way. It’s a secret I haven’t even revealed in my videos!”
“Friend... Oh.” The MVP reward obscured her true identity from everyone except those who didn’t know her—and those who were on her friends list. Yesterday, Max and Juliet were the former. Today, Juliet was the latter.
And since Ray and Chelsea already knew her, they saw her as someone else.
If you knew G’s appearance ahead of time, she simply assumed a different appearance, making you unable to recognize her. If you knew her job ahead of time, Reveal even displayed false stats. As long as she stayed in the shadows, no one could identify who she really was.
That was the reason G could walk around such a crowded city without anyone noticing her.
Juliet and Max didn’t know her, and thus saw her true form—while Chelsea, who regularly gathered info about powerful Masters even if they were foreign, had seen her differently.
“Since you didn’t see the real me, you must already know who I am, right?”
“Yeah...” Indeed—Ray knew too. Following his recent battle against Overlord Acedia, ZZZ, Ray had looked into the other Overlords and came across the one who revealed more info about herself than any other.
She was...
“A member of Desire, just like ZZZ... Overlord Invidia, G!”
“Yes! Exactly! That’s me! I’m the Overlord!”
An Overlord and a Superior. One of Legendaria’s greatest criminals who reveled in chaos.
That was G’s true identity.
Juliet’s eyes widened. The revelation of her friend’s real identity filled her with shock.
“And why would someone like you come here?” Ray asked.
“I came to take the arena! I’m gonna steal it!” G answered, proudly announcing that this was indeed a theft.
“Steal...?”
“Yes! Exactly!” G clapped once and then spread her arms wide. “I want an arena! This facility itself! It’s useful and rare even in this world, and I want it!”
She closed her right hand as if grasping something.
“I want to avenge my brother. I want to defeat the one who took him down—Ray Starling!”
She gave a thumbs-up with her left hand, then turned the gesture upside down.
“And I want to record my entire battle against you. This is my stage—my production—and I’m gonna bring it to the viewers!”
Finally, she drew her outstretched arms back and crossed them across her body, embracing herself.
“Three birds with one stone! That’s what I want!”
“Well, aren’t you greedy.”
“Yes! Yes, I am! Exactly!” G agreed with Ray’s comment, all smiles.
She once again waved her hand, syncing herself up with her cameras.
“I’m so greedy they call me the Bottomless! I am a member of Desire and an Overlord who carves the whole world away!” As she talked, she was becoming more energized. “That’s why! Here and now! I’m starting a game! By me! For me!” As she spoke, the sun completely vanished beneath the horizon...and night fell upon the world.
Thus, she declared her final intention.
“The night comes! The stars align! The time of the Overlord begins!” G held up the crest on her left hand, showing a design like a sunken temple...
“The event begins... Playground of the Great Old One—R’lyeh!”
...and announced the beginning of her reign.