Ten Lucky Draws: I Became OP

Chapter 652: I’m... Painting

Ash looked at both of them, his reddish-purple eyes calm and genuinely curious.

"Do you truly care for these beings?" he asked, gesturing lightly toward the terrified company still huddled behind the shattered remnants of the golden-white gate.

Eve’s faint smile faltered for a moment, hanging on her lips before disappearing.

She fixed her gaze on him, golden eyes reflecting the erratic glow of the battlefield as she searched his face for meaning.

"...What do you mean?" she asked, her voice steady but laced with caution.

Beside her, Eliya let out a sharp scoff, tightening her grip on her spear as she leveled a pointed glare at Ash.

"Tsk Ancestor... you know exactly what he means," she said, her tone edged with accusation. "Think back to the Ninth Lower Dimension—he burned everything to ashes with a single flame. Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten."

Ash remained quiet, his expression unchanging.

He was testing them — not out of doubt, but out of genuine curiosity.

They were the guardians of their very core, willing to risk everything to protect those they loved or were entrusted to watch over.

And Ash knew it.

He already knew how they felt deep down, but he wanted to see if his presence—and the way they now perceived him—would change what they said.

He understood that, at one time, they might have seen him as nothing more than a monster. Especially Eliya... and that was exactly what he wanted to find out.

If it did change what they spoke... that would be a real turn off.

Eve’s face clouded over as the memory rushing back.

She frowned and took a small step forward, lifting her hands as shimmering golden constructs began to coil and take shape around her fingers.

"Don’t even consider harming anyone under my protection again," she said, her tone steady and resolute.

"If you’re planning something like that... then I’m fine with being the one who takes the fall this time."

Eliya’s smile was edged with danger, her grip tightening on the spear as her twelve white wings shifted and spread slightly behind her.

"I should’ve ended you a long time ago," she said, her unblinking white eyes fixed on him.

"Letting you get this far was my mistake." Ash regarded them both for a moment before a low, genuine chuckle slipped out, quiet yet carrying easily across the frozen battlefield.

"Good," he replied simply, giving a small nod of approval.

He blinked once.

In that instant, everything unfroze.

The Divine Horrors resumed their roars and charges.

The battlefield exploded back into chaos.

But the company behind the broken gate was suddenly healed — their wounds closed, their stamina restored, their bodies glowing faintly with renewed strength.

And not just that....

SCHLAKKK!!!!

The massive Horror that had been looming directly above Eve and the company suddenly imploded with a wet, sickening sound.

Its twisted body crumpled in on itself, sending a burst of blood, ichor, and foul essence spraying out in a gruesome rain.

The mess landed everywhere—splattering over the shattered earth, streaking distant walls, and drenching the remaining fighters in a slick layer of dark, blackish-red gore.

Not a single drop touched Ash, his wives, or the comrades he had just restored.

The blood split and slid away from them, as though some unseen barrier shielded their space.

And it wasn’t just limited to that one Horror.

Across a span of an entire light year, every Divine Horror sight met the same grisly end.

One after another, they imploded with sickening, wet pops — bodies crumpling into nothing but vapor and a rain of crimson.

The quiet that followed was almost unbearable, broken only by the far-off echoes of battles still raging in the distance.

Eve and Eliya stared in stunned silence at the carnage — or rather, the sudden absence of it.

"This..."

Ignoring their stunned expressions, Ash lounged comfortably on the grand throne that had appeared beneath him, one leg casually crossed over the other.

With an effortless flick of his wrist, a massive floating canvas shimmered into existence before him, accompanied by a simple brush that hovered weightlessly in his grasp, poised for use.

Eve and Eliya exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes fixed on him in silent question.

"...W-what are you doing?" Eve finally asked, noticing that both her own and Eliya’s expressions were shifting rapidly.

Ash smiled and glanced up at the sky, where the rest of the group was already descending — Nia in the lead, followed by Elysia, Primordia, and Ouroborus.

"Things are about to get interesting," he said casually. "So, get comfortable."

Eve and Eliya looked up in surprise, only now noticing the other women descending from above.

Their expressions shifted once again from confusion to wary recognition as they watched the newcomers approach.

Eve’s gaze moved across the group before settling back on Ash.

"...Who are they?" she asked, her voice steady but carrying clear tension.

Ash’s smile widened as he introduced them one by one.

"These are my wives," he said simply. "Nia, Elysia, Primordia, and Ouroborus."

The titles were clearly unfamiliar to both Primordia and Ouroboros, and their reactions were the most intense.

Ouroboros blushed deeply, turning her head with a faint huff, while Primordia’s face turned a vivid red as she briefly avoided eye contact.

Eve stared at them for a few seconds, then looked back at Ash, her expression growing more serious as she glanced around at the countless Divine Horrors that had simply died around them, their bodies reduced to nothing but mist and raining blood.

"So.... what are you doing?" she asked again, her tone more insistent this time.

Ash laughed softly, the sound light and genuine as he dipped his brush into an invisible palette that appeared beside the canvas.

"I’m painting," he said simply. "It’s been quite a while since I indulged."

If one knew well enough anytime Ash chose to paint... things tended to be special type of masterpiece.

He looked over at the two women, his face relaxed yet radiating a subtle authority that was hard to ignore.

"You’ve both managed to impress me, and since you’ve passed my test." He said, "Go ahead—keep protecting as much as you like, for as long as you want.."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment, his reddish-purple eyes catching the light with a spark of amusement.

"In just a few moments, you’ll experience an entirely new realm of power and knowledge. You’re about to become the Endless Goddesses."