Second Adoption (4): A Daughter's Name
One thing I could say for certain was that, with my current strength, killing the Monstrous Strength Chaos God was impossible. And it wasn't because I was particularly weak. Even if someone ranked among the continent's top seven in martial prowess, the Monstrous Strength Chaos God was beyond consideration from the start. Even the Sword Emperor, currently hailed as the strongest among the Seven Strongest, probably couldn't sever her neck.
Of course, that old man might manage to neutralize her somehow.
Instead of beheading her, if her limbs were torn apart and scattered across the continent, the Monstrous Strength Chaos God still wouldn't die. She was a being that could be subdued but not erased. It wasn't for nothing that, a thousand years ago in the East, they chose to seal her rather than destroy her. If they could have killed her completely, they would have desperately tried. But while they succeeded in suppressing her, permanently eliminating her was beyond their power.
As a result, the Monstrous Strength Chaos God fused with the body of a girl offered as a sacrifice. That girl was the white-haired one standing before me now—like freshly fallen snow. She had inherited all the traits of the Monstrous Strength Chaos God, making her a monster in her own right. No matter how hard I tried, killing her was out of reach for now. To even find a possibility, I'd need to ascend to the 9th Hierarchy somehow.
So the first priority was buying time. A grace period, you could call it. I'd kill her. But not right now—so why not trust me once? As I kept repeating, it was a win-win for her too. If she was set to become a full-blown disaster in five years anyway, what was wrong with leaving things to me until then? If I failed to keep my promise even after that time, she could just kill me—no harm done.
It's a kind of gamble.
I didn't show it, but I swallowed dryly amid a faint tension, keeping my eyes fixed on the Monstrous Strength Chaos God. I knew it. That this was a gamble. A gamble for me, and a gamble for her. Especially from her perspective, it was like proposing a needless game she had no reason to play.
If she refused, I'd have no choice but to try something else. My brain just couldn't come up with any better option than adopting her as a daughter. So here I was, desperately hoping this proposal—this gamble—would work. To that end, I feigned utmost calm, still holding out my hand toward her.
"...You speak quite amusing words, stranger."
The next moment, a faint smile curved the Monstrous Strength Chaos God's lips, and I knew the gamble had paid off.
But.
"If you go that far, it means you're confident you can reach a realm capable of killing this one within five years, yes?"
"...Huh?"
"Judging by the power that sent the white tiger flying, I acknowledge you're a fairly skilled human."
Her words, laced with sharp fangs reminiscent of a beast's, sent an ominous chill through me whether I liked it or not. Somehow, I had a bad feeling this wouldn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped.
Cold sweat beaded on my skin despite myself, and the Monstrous Strength Chaos God smiled at me with crinkled eyes.
"I wonder if that sword of yours can truly sever this one's neck... A simple test seems in order."
"...!"
Those words were as good as a signal. A chilling sensation raced down my spine, forcing my eyes wide as I jerked my head aside.
Slash—!
"Ho."
A beat later, hot pain bloomed on my cheek. Even though I'd barely dodged, her claw had left a red line across my skin.
...If I don't respond properly, I'll die here.
My survival instincts rang alarm bells.
"Tch...!"
Nothing ever went my way. A peaceful resolution through talk would have been ideal, but I'd half-expected that might be too much to ask.
"You dodge well. Reaction speed: pass. Haha, then shall this one get serious too?"
What a monster.
I grimaced inwardly, biting back the words. Even a casual exclamation like that might earn me a scolding if spoken aloud.
No helping it. Things had come to this—peaceful resolution was off the table.
"Fine. If you want to test my skills that badly, let's clash. Daughter."
I twisted my lips and gripped my sword tighter. The Monstrous Strength Chaos God replied with a coquettish glance.
"Who decided I'm your daughter? This one hasn't acknowledged you yet."
"You will soon. Look forward to it."
"Hmmm... Just so you know, this one doesn't care for baseless confidence."
"You'll see soon enough."
I let my gaze cool to a steely chill, and she paused mid-reply, reading it before quietly closing her mouth. Our eyes locked in sharp confrontation, and in that brief silence—
—Ashen Light (灰光).
Flash—!!
A blinding gray radiance erupted from my gripped blade, and the Monstrous Strength Chaos God kicked off the ground, charging straight at me.
*****
How many hours had we grappled like that? How many wounds had we inflicted, how much fresh blood had we spilled?
By my sense, at least half a day had passed. The sun over the snowy peaks had faded, replaced by moonlight.
And the result?
"...Hah, hah."
"..."
Needless to say, my defeat.
At my current level, I'd lose ten times over, even resurrected. Against the Monstrous Strength Chaos God, alone—no chance.
I'd poured every ounce of stamina into the fight, only to be caught and flung into a snowdrift. Now she straddled my stomach, her slender hand clamped around my throat. Not enough to choke me out, but enough to make resistance futile.
I winced at the red liquid obscuring half my vision. Probably a gash on my forehead. During the fight, her claws and fangs had grazed me several times—it was inevitable. No way to emerge unscathed. Even in a skill test, we'd both been deadly serious.
Of course, I wasn't the only one battered...
The Monstrous Strength Chaos God was a mess too. For starters, one arm was gone—neatly severed by my sword aura, likely tumbling somewhere midway down the snowy slope. Blood dripped steadily from her shoulder socket, but it wasn't cause for worry. She was the Monstrous Strength Chaos God, after all. Her physiology differed from a frail human like me. A short rest, and a new arm would regenerate soon enough.
Plus, a gash marred one eye socket, and her side—where my blade had bitten deep—was soaked red. Still, wounds that would be fatal to others meant nothing to her.
Compared to that, my subdued state was far graver. No missing limbs or excessive bleeding, but utterly drained. In this condition, she could pluck out my heart with a flick of her finger.
"...Mm..."
I tried subtly flexing my right arm, still clutching the sword out of stubborn pride.
Whoosh!
"Best stay still. While this one is feeling generous and merciful."
"...Tch."
Straddling my stomach, she wrapped her thick tail around my wrist, binding it. Snow leopard tail—pure white, fluffy-looking, dotted with cute black spots.
Her grip strength is insane.
...No joke. Even in perfect shape, I doubted I could break free if properly bound.
I sweated nervously, and she let out a light scoff.
"Hmmm... For someone who boasted of beheading this one in five years, you fell awfully pathetically. How do you expect to keep such an absurd promise like this?"
Still gripping my throat with one hand, tail securing my wrist, she smiled. Her ethereal beauty shone even brighter with that smile.
"Mm..."
I made a troubled face but awkwardly countered.
"Still, I showed potential, didn't I? You're not exactly unscathed yourself. My sword left its marks all over."
"A loss is a loss."
She crescented her eyes in amusement at my rebuttal, lowering her posture. The closer distance let her excited breaths tickle my face.
"You know it too. This one could kill you with a twitch."
I eyed her oddly exhilarated expression warily and asked back.
"So, you're going to kill me? Even though I'm a human with the potential to beat you someday?"
"Hehe, who knows..."
Her ambiguous tone trailed off as her slender fingers trailed my throat. I tried maintaining composure, but having my lifeline in her grasp was unnerving.
I stared uncomfortably into her bright golden eyes, waiting. She opened her mouth, then closed it, gaze shifting as if pondering—
To my upper body she straddled. Precisely, my heart at center.
With a妖しい glint, she eyed it like a cat licking its chops.
"...That wouldn't be bad. Devouring the heart of the man who dared dirty this one's nest and mock me."
"..."
"You, who dared treat this one as 'just human'—I wonder if you'd still see me as one when I eat your liver."
A refined killing intent. Her eyes chilled, fixed on my heart. Her lithe, cat-like form coiled—as her lips neared my chest—
"...Heh, scared?"
"..."
Suddenly chuckling, she shifted, pulling back from heart-biting position to bring her small lips to my eye level.
And.
Lick...
Her red tongue flicked out, lightly lapping blood from my forehead. Blush tinged her cheeks. Straightening, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and grinned.
"Fine, I like that spirit. Bold to claim this one as daughter, but..."
"..."
"I acknowledge you. You're a fine man. Being your daughter for five years wouldn't be bad."
Despite pretending otherwise, her words relaxed my tension-filled muscles. It meant I'd passed the test—and she'd accept my proposal.
Whew.
I exhaled lowly, and she—visibly pleased—smiled softly, pressing my chest. Her severed arm had long since regrown cleanly.
"You, my fated one in a millennium. Your name?"
Her fingertips playfully rubbed my throat.
Feeling her weight still on me, I replied awkwardly.
"...Kyle."
"A good name."
Lick—
Was the Monstrous Strength Chaos God secretly a vampire descendant? She reached again, stealing more blood from my forehead, then sucked her finger clean with a pop.
Somehow, acknowledging it felt like losing, so I ignored the sight and asked back.
"And you?"
"Hm?"
"What's your name? What should I call you?"
If she was to be my daughter, I needed a name to call her.
But the answer didn't come quickly. A half-beat later, puzzled, I turned—her face clouded, lips sealed. As if reluctant to answer.
She irritably swept back her white bangs and spat.
"...You act like you know all about this one's past and plans, yet you don't know something so trivial."
"..."
"No name. Call me whatever's convenient. 'You' like now, or anything..."
I studied her expression briefly, then spoke casually.
"Then, may I give you one?"
"What?"
She whipped around, stunned, and I gazed into her rounded eyes, pondering leisurely.
After all, wasn't naming the first gift a parent gives a child?
If she shunned her true name for some reason, a new one would do. No need to treat it as official—just a nickname.
Monstrous Strength Chaos God, Monstrous Strength Chaos God...
I stroked my chin thoughtfully. The child meant to seal the Monstrous Strength Chaos God, a thousand years ago, in the Eastern continent...
"Mm."
A perfect name came to mind without delay.
I looked at her still-bemused face and said.
"Sina. How's that?"
"..."
"Suits you."
Meaningful, apt, easy to say. And it sounded lovely.
I smiled confidently, offering the new name—and...
"..."
Sina pondered it silently, then faintly blushed on both cheeks, jerking her head away as she rose from my stomach.
Her curt parting words:
"Do as you like."
I smiled contentedly in silence.