Seven Sins System Chapter 573. Not Like Before

Seven Sins System Chapter 573. Not Like Before

I huffed, stretching my legs out as I leaned back on the bench. "That’s a sign that you want to get to know me better. You want to be near me. Which means—good."

Puriel scoffed, her arms still crossed, her fingers gripping her sleeves tightly. "Good? You think this is good?"

I gave her a lazy grin. "Of course."

She shook her head, clearly frustrated. "Then what if—after all of this—the second war breaks out? What if we have to fight each other again? Just like in the past?"

I hesitated, pressing my lips together.

That was… a valid point.

One I didn’t like to think about and  that could ruin everything.

Because the truth was?

If it came to that…

I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to fight her.

Not seriously. Not the way I used to. Not like before.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah… that would be a problem."

She raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"

I smirked, tilting my head toward her. "I mean, it’d be really difficult to fight you now."

Puriel stared at me, searching my face, looking for hidden meanings.

I gave her none.

Instead, my grin widened as an idea formed in my mind. "But we could always pretend to fight, you know? Make it look real for everyone else, but in reality, we’d just be putting on a show."

She rolled her eyes, her shoulders still tense. "Oh, sure. Because deception is such a great idea."

I leaned in slightly, my voice dropping into something smooth and teasing. "Or…"

Her brows furrowed. "Or what?"

My smirk grew devilish. "I could make you fall."

Puriel’s entire body stiffened.

She blinked once.

Then twice.

Then her face contorted into a mix of horror and absolute disgust. "What?!"

I burst out laughing. "Relax. I don’t mean fall as in fall in love with me or something. I mean you already fallen for me after all."

Her expression didn’t ease.

I grinned wider, watching her reaction carefully. "I mean… I could make you a fallen goddess. You know, pull you over to our side. That way, we wouldn’t have to fight at all."

Her eyes narrowed, and I saw the exact moment she realized what I was saying.

She cringed, visibly disgusted. "Why would I go down? Just make yourself go up."

I blinked. Then I burst out laughing again. I grinned, letting her words sink in. "Make myself go up, huh?"

Puriel immediately looked like she regretted saying that.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her posture tense, like she wanted to take it back but couldn't.

I let the silence stretch just long enough to make her squirm before I leaned in slightly, my smirk turning downright wicked.

"You’re basically saying you want me to ascend, Puriel. You want me to be worthy of your realm."

Her face twitched. "That is not what I meant."

I chuckled, tilting my head. "No? Because it sure sounds like you’re inviting me to join the ranks of the divine."

She scoffed, looking away. "That’s impossible. You are literally a devil."

I tapped my chin. "And yet, you’re suggesting it as a possibility."

She shot me a sharp glare, clearly annoyed. "You twist words like breathing."

I flashed her a cocky grin. "It’s a gift."

Puriel exhaled sharply, as if she was holding back an entire rant, before rubbing her temples. "I walked right into that, didn’t I?"

I shrugged, leaning back. "You really did."

I couldn't stop myself from grinning wider.

Puriel, however, didn’t seem to share my amusement. Her eyes were locked onto mine, still carrying that flicker of uncertainty.

"But no," I finally said, stretching my legs out as I leaned back again. "I don’t want to go up. It sucks up there."

Her brows furrowed immediately, her frustration flashing back. "You say that, but you’ve never been there. You’d think differently if you were divine like me."

I let out a small chuckle, shaking my head. "Oh, I have been there and know I would be bored. That’s the problem."

Her expression tightened, her fingers twitching slightly. "You don’t even know what you’re rejecting."

I arched a brow, my smirk still lingering. "Sure, I do. You already said it yourself—there are plenty of corrupt souls out there, right? A lot more go down than go up."

She didn’t argue.

Because she knew I wasn’t wrong.

I exhaled, my gaze turning back toward the sky above us.

"That’s why I need to stay where I am. I need to be there, down below, making sure things don’t spiral worse than they already are. Up there? They don’t need me. They’ve got it handled. But down there? They need more hands."

She stared at me, her lips parting slightly like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

I turned back to her, watching her closely. "You see where I’m going with this, right?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You’re asking me to betray them."

"Yup," I admitted easily, flashing her a wicked smirk. "But that also applies to me if I go up, doesn’t it?"

She opened her mouth to protest, but stopped.

Because I had a point.

I grinned wider. "So, we’re even."

She looked like she wanted to throw something at me.

Before she could, though— A panting, crawling voice interrupted.

"We can’t… spare us…"

Puriel and I both turned, only to see three half-dead idiots dragging themselves toward us like they had just survived a battlefield massacre.

Ion had practically collapsed onto the ground, sweat dripping from his hair as he clutched at the grass. "D-Doc… have mercy… please…"

Darren flopped onto his back, arms spread wide as he stared up at the sky like he was saying his final words. "Tell… my story…"

Barry—who was honestly the most dramatic of the three—was lying face-down, his cheek pressed against the dirt, barely breathing. "No more… no more laps… I’m seeing the other side… it’s so… bright…"

I raised an eyebrow, completely unimpressed. "You guys are pathetic."

Ion groaned. "We know…"

Darren whimpered. "We’re sorry…"

Barry let out something that sounded like a dying whale noise.

Puriel covered her mouth, but I could see the small amused smile she was trying to hide.

I sighed dramatically, shaking my head. "Fine. Since I’m feeling generous, I’ll let you live."

All three of them collapsed in relief.