Raphiel adjusted her halo. “What do you want, pest?”

Lilim flicked a contract onto the desk. “Tired of the same old soul-wrangling. Let’s play a game. We each design a ‘perfect partner’ – using one human as the base. Whoever creates the more desirable, powerful, and devoted life form wins. Loser deletes themselves from the Book of Existence.”

“Congratulations,” said the angel, hovering near his dusty manga shelf. “You’ve been selected for the Sakusei Battle .”