"In the span of all of human history, how many grand figures lived? How many conquerors roamed the lands and paved their path to conquest in blood? How many ancient and wise grand pillars accelerated the growth of humanity, becoming the cornerstone of an era? How many people became lords and emperors, ruling over millions of subjects?
The truth was, thousands! Millions!
Despite the talent and ability to adapt that the humans have been gifted, despite how much they grow, despite how much they proclaimed themselves as the top predators of Earth; they were mere weaklings waiting to die.
For as long as humans lived and deciphered the mysteries of the world and universe, there was one secret they were unable to resolve, one mystery that plagued all of life, one mystery that would be the downfall of every being.
Death.
It was the true conqueror that reigned free under Heaven, it was the sole being that stopped the progression of humanity and life as a whole; it was an unsolved mystery that would forever torment the minds of all humans.
No matter what being, be they Devil, Angel, Youkai, Dragon, they would all fall victim to Death, they could only prolong it but not escape it.
Even me."
Tsuki sat in a rather simple room, it was something he had made inside the dungeon in case he needed a temporary base or resting spot, in his hand he grasped a thick white cover notebook; it was obvious by his expression that he was in deep thought as he continued to read through the contents.
'So even God feared death… death, death.'
It was unknown what Tsuki was thinking as he clenched the notebook but it was a construct made by god so it didn't crumble under his fingertips; he felt a certain uneasiness that he couldn't explain, whenever the thought of death came to his thoughts, anger and annoyance fueled his body.
Even Gamer's Mind couldn't quell the pure fury that distorted his mind.
Was it due to his previous death? The indignancy of the situation? Was that it? Clearly, even Tsuki didn't know the answer to his own question.
Tsuki sighed as he placed the book down on his bed, after finishing a fourth of the formation inside of Fourth Heaven, he explained to Michael the situation and left while receiving a reward for his efforts; naturally, this reward was in the form of God's personal notes.
On another note, he had gained a resistance whenever he mentioned God, he could even pray to him if he so wanted.
Back to the matter at hand; as one would expect, the notes that were given to Tsuki had many insights and thoughts of God, often talking about the difficulties of ruling Heaven and his experience in doing so.
He even briefly touched upon the Great War but it was obvious many notes in the book were missing, Tsuki wasn't surprised, he even expected it. How could Michael so casually give Tsuki, his enemy, all of the secrets that Heaven possessed? All of the secrets of their father and his methods?
All that Tsuki was given was practically useless to others, merely words describing God's life and daily activities; it was rather uneventful and wouldn't help Tsuki progress in any sort of way, much less give him any new methods or secrets.
But it was enough for Tsuki, it was only a bit of his reward and over time he would be gathering all of God's methods; whether Michael liked it or not. The attractiveness of the skills in God's possession were enough to even move Tsuki.
He sighed as he remembered the Garden of Eden.
What type of formation allowed for those creatures to exist? What sort of realm has God reached in his life where he could accomplish such a thing?
Allowing the creatures to live in true harmony and peace without suffering the disasters a creature would face in the wild, it was unthinkable unless he forcibly suppressed these thoughts; but it was clearly not that, it would show side effects, or perhaps it was the Will Suppression Formation but at a higher form?
No matter which way Tsuki thought about the garden, he couldn't come up with a concrete answer, not unless Michael personally allowed him to view the Formation; which was entirely impossible unless they made another contract with Tsuki signing away his life to Heaven.
There was no need to discuss the chances of that happening.
God's power and skills were beyond enticing, even a Devil would have an intense desire to gain the inheritance of God! Even if it meant betraying their entire kind and family, they would do it! But what was the use of the power without any freedom? Was it truly power if it constrained you?
Tsuki had never thought of taking this path, he valued his life and freedom far beyond a mere inheritance from God. Even if Michael added the entirety of Heaven, Tsuki would reject it, too many things needed to be taken into account before he even thinks about accepting.
Tsuki rubbed his head as he laid down on his bed, closing his eyes, he relaxed as he began to ponder.
Or that would've been the case, feeling a pressure press against the top of his body. Tsuki only took one glance to know who it was. With her firm and elastic breasts on display, light blue tips hardened in arousal, and a curvy swaying body, Reizoku sat below Tsuki's abdomen in an enticing manner.
Yet neither of Tsuki's expression or lower body changed at this, he closed his sole eye as he then spoke, completely ignoring the action of his familiar.
"What's the status of all the dungeons? Give me a quick run down, I still have some other matters to attend to and time is pressing, especially with their suspicion."
Reizoku pouted, her skillful hands reaching under Tsuki's clothes and caressing his smooth and pale naked chest; she traced around his protruding abs in a seductive manner, she was ignoring Tsuki's words.
The heir's eyes flashed in a ruthless manner.
Ever since he had been intimate with Reizoku, every action of hers showed Tsuki painfully clear of what she desired, or more specifically, what she desired inside of her. But how could Tsuki care about her interests? To him, the most pressing matter was to find a path where he could be clear of all suspicion and move around freely while continuously increasing his strength.
While he wouldn't stop using his Race's skill, how could he let Reizoku decide when it was time? Wouldn't this be like the master becoming the servant? Such a thing wouldn't be allowed to happen under Tsuki's gaze.
"Reizoku."
It only took a single word for said Familiar to feel a deep chill in her heart, the icy and ruthless tone penetrated deep into her bones as she innately shivered, she could only lower her head in fear of meeting her master's gaze.
Feeling a hand grip her chin, her head was lifted as she stared deep into the oh so familiar abyssal eyes.
"You don't intend to keep on disobeying my words, right Reizoku?"
Tsuki muttered into the ear of his Familiar harmlessly, his tone was plain and simple and yet it was akin to a roaring dragon in her ears, an instinctual fear overcame Reizoku as she meekly shook her head.
Tsuki's eyes flickered as he saw this, while his affection with her didn't drop in fear, she was evidently saddened; it was her first chance she could be so intimate with her creator, delving into immense pleasure and warmth, she would do whatever she could to keep the sensation for as long as possible.
Softly rubbing her head, Tsuki sighed.
"If you give me a good detailed report, I can spend a bit of time with you."
Her eyes practically shone at his words, her sadness and fear immediately replaced with a determined aura as she faced him; she got off from his body and spoke as Tsuki sat up, crossed his legs and closed his eyes while still paying attention to Reizoku.
"In the first dungeon, the production of families is going smoothly with over four thousand already made and the production rate is still increasing."
"The Second floor is already completely dominated with many slime farms already formed to obtain gelatine, of course the other bosses are included in these farms and thanks to our great lord we can harvest their souls."
"The Third Dungeon has many of our agents training and waiting to be used, for both their skills and sexually if you so desire; it would be their greatest honor.
"Fourth room has a total of one thousand and four hundred thirty seven Alchemists creating potions of various kinds and supplying them to a portion of the elite team to disrepute.
"Finally, the Fifth Room contains your Royal Sabers who are currently instructing the Red Dragon Empress."
Reizoku explained in one go as Tsuki sorted through all the information, seeing as how Reizoku didn't mention anything negative then he could safely assume there were no mishaps while he was away; this was good.
Each dungeon was used perfectly and through formations cooperation of the System, he was able to make it so all forms of life from all the dungeons solely spawned in the Second Dungeon; although only the dungeons he had completed.
Hmph, of course, without me your dumbass would just cause a rift in space.
In perfect timing, the sassy feminine voice once again returned in his head after such a long time apart from her host, although Tsuki would've preferred if the System had gotten back sooner. Many of his plans might've been able to be pushed ahead if that was the case.
Oh wow, I can feel the love from here.
Hearing the sarcastic tone, he inwardly chuckled.
'It's nice to hear you again, really.'
Feeling Tsuki's sincerity, the System quieted down into silence, if she had a physical form, smoke would be coming out of her ears; she could only try to regain her bearings and speak as confidently as she could.
O-O-Of course, you should be glad I'm back! You know how much e-effort I put into helping with the Royal Sabers?
Hearing her own stutter, the System had the urge to suicide, oh creator that was embarassing!
Tsuki merely had a small smile, something rarely genuinely seen, as he listened to the System's cute stutters.
The Royal Sabers was a single unit that Tsuki had created using the souls of countless dangerous beings, and many like dragons, chimeras, krakens, were all bought by Tsuki using his immense wealth. He wasted no expense to create the perfect familiars.
He had used all their souls and corpses to create the Royal Sabers; evidently, they were the cream of the crop, the elite of the elite, the private squad of Tsuki Satanachia.
It wasn't easy to create such a powerful team, hunting down the necessary souls and creating the vessels needed for the souls was an extremely difficult task; it had pushed Tsuki's connections and wealth many times.
Even with all his work, he was only able to create three whole members of this squad. Yet, this was far more than enough, with the vessels being created using a formation made by him personally along with every other Formation Master, they created the perfect bodies and even enhanced them.
By carving out enchantments on their skin and bones, they were able to achieve a level most devils could only dream of. Right when they were born, when the fused subdued souls dropped into the lifeless bodies, they immediately achieved Ultimate Class strength.
Ultimate Class strength at birth! Who could possibly believe this? Was Ultimate Class really so easy to achieve? No, it wasn't, at all.
Even rare geniuses seen once in a thousand years needed fortuitous encounters and luck to be able to obtain such legendary strength and proudly be a commander. They would be respected and admired by the masses and have their name marked down in history.
Their might would shake the earth and cause natural disasters with a swipe of their arms, even if they weren't nobles, they would be qualified to start their own house and have descendants that were considered of royal blood.
And yet, with the mere birth of Tsuki's three subordinates, they have achieved this level, this supreme level that wouldn't ever be looked down upon; even in a battle between Satan class beings, Ultimate Class could still affect the outcome of the fight.
Their worth to Tsuki didn't even need to be mentioned, they were easily his most valuable assets, the Formation Masters could be discarded and thrown out, so could Reizoku but the Royal Sabers could not be lost.
Currently, following the instructions of the System, they guided Elsha to using her powers and using the true strength of the Boosted Gear and she was making tremendous progress by the day, her talent with the Sacred Gear was shocking; with time, Elsha would even join the ranks of the Royal Sabers.
Tsuki smiled, his affection with her was rising, his influence on her mind growing and increasing by the coming days; given time he would have a member that could be on par with him. Of course, this wasn't a simple task.
Especially considering all the flaws his plan had.
One, if Elsha got remotely close to the underworld's civilization she would realize Tsuki was the instigator and sole reason why they were captured and why so many human lives were lost; undoubtedly this would be a large setback.
Secondly, Andreas was also an unknown factor, while he had given his familiar methods to cleanse his memories of any info he may come across; the unexpected could happen and his familiar's soul could dissipate without Tsuki knowing, and if he were to reunite Elsha and Andreas he would be able to inform her of the truth.
The subduement of the White and Red Dragon would help but the method he made could only be used a few dozen times; of course the Red Dragon Empress was of no current concern regarding this, he could replenish the chains that held her Sacred Gear.
But as for the White Dragon Emperor?
It was impossible, too difficult; there were dozens of guards that guarded the mansion, there were surveillance formations laid out, and at all times there was a Lord from the Six Houses of Lucifer keeping watch of the child.
He would have to create an opening.
But how many times could he do this? How many distractions could he repeatedly make to sustain the chains that held Albion? Tsuki was only confident in being able to do so twice, a third time would simply be pushing it.
So then how could he assure the success of his plans? Tsuki sat in silence before he gained an answer.
Ruthlessness shone in his eyes once again.
000
Yasaka
Tsuki Satanachia, the great heir, the Prince of Dreams, the youngest Ultimate Class, the strongest devil of the younger generation; these were just a few of the titles that he had been given through his life.
Many doubted his skills, many thought the rumors were exaggerating, it was only until the Battle of England did these thoughts dissipate and scatter, becoming no more than a thing of the past. Everyone began to acknowledge the up and coming Tsuki, some even predicted he would be the next Satan Class of the underworld!
And in her hands, Yasaka herself began to truly see the source of this prediction, the reason for Tsuki's fame and strength.
'Lady Yasaka, I do hope we can share a cup of tea under the Elusive Mystical Tree; I have long heard of its beauty and hope to see it for myself. Ah right, to the matter at hand, I wanted to show my gratitude for your actions, it cleared up the situation with the Descendants and I hope because of this they show you well deserved kindness. So I hope once your schedule clears up for the up and coming months, as that would permit me to experience the unparalleled luxury of your gracious hospitality..'
Reading the note in her hand, she shivered.
There were many hidden meanings in the note the heir had sent, from the mentions of the tea to the very last note; even more intimidating was the fact that to others, this note meant absolutely nothing.
Even if she wanted to use it against the male, at most, it would draw the suspicion of the Satans towards Tsuki. His clean and manipulative words left no traces of weakness for her to exploit, it appeared like a simple and kind letter.
But Yasaka could only pale as she read the contents.
The Elusive Mystical Tree was something that could be considered exceptionally rare and it was something even the treasuries of many lords possessed so little of; the reason being that if used by an Alchemist, they could produce highly potent drugs that could even affect Satan Class beings, it was highly used in the Great War.
Him mentioning this tree along with his mention of the up and coming months meant that he knew about her plan, her scheme to obtain his seed and raise the status of the Youkai Faction by many levels.
If he wanted to, he could bring upon the demise of all Youkai.
Trying to drug the son of Doku? Raping him to shamelessy obtain his shield and indirectly the shield of the Satanachia? She would be lucky if her faction was only imprisoned for all eternity and not ruthlessly slaughtered and tortured.
And he made it painfully aware that were it not for him, the Devils wouldn't be showing such kindness. Of course she knew what Tsuki had said, this rumor has long since floated around in the Underworld.
The Youkai Faction were so courageous that they immediately agreed to help Tsuki fight Michael. But due to circumstances they escaped, completed their mission and even brought back Tsuki to heal him. Without them, Tsuki would've been worse off and might've even died.
This was the 'truth' the public knew, even the Youkai thought some elite hidden guard were sent to help Tsuki; as such, they reveled in this glory and were often filled with excitement and pride. The Youkai were beginning to get treated warmly by the common Devils and even adventures.
Their new base and city began to expand and grow, more merchants and devils approached them and their financial status reached a new level. This was the power that the words of someone like Tsuki possessed.
It shook Yasaka to the core, her hopes and dreams were becoming true but the closer she reached her goal, the firmer the grasp that Tsuki had over her.
It could be said that the entirety of all Youkai was now in Tsuki's hands. If it were before, they would've been able to suppress him, but Tsuki not only obtained evidence of what they were scheming, his strength had reached a whole new level!
Strength was the sole goal for all supernatural beings, it brought fame, glory, wealth, and it brought worship. With strength, one could roam the lands freely without kneeling to anybody, it was every beings' goal.
Now that Tsuki has displayed his strength, enough to match Michael and escape from said Archangel, the heir's influence grew by an uncountable amount of times. As for the evidence, Yasaka had no idea how Tsuki had done it, she could only toss it up to Dream Magic methods.
How could she have possibly known that Tsuki had infiltrated her faction? How could she have possibly known that Tsuki had already placed agents inside?
Tsuki's spy system was beyond terrifying, filled with agents that could absorb and take the place of others, their habits, personality, traits, all exposed before them; Tsuki had made a force of horror that allowed him to obtain information from many sources.
Naturally, a few of his agents have already taken the place of a little less than a dozen youkai. Of course, Yasaka was unaware of this piece of information, if not, she would've taken care of all the agents or at least isolated them from important info.
She sighed as she neatly folded the letter, her gaze unwavering and filled with determination, so what if Tsuki had control over their faction? So what if she had to submit her leadership role to him?
As long as all the Youkai were safe and prospering, she would sell herself to him. Tsuki had made his intention clear, as long as Yasaka yielded, he would give her his seed and negotiate; this was the best case scenario for her race in the current situation, a leader would have to know what was the best for their group and Yasaka knew precisely well.
Nodding to herself with resolution, she began to write a letter to the male.
000
Tsuki
When Tsuki had reached his manor, he was introduced with a warm greeting from all his maids and butlers, while also being kindly informed about his Father's long term departure; ever since the Descendants have been attempting to rile up the Underworld, the Lucifer Six have been busy, which included Doku.
Tsuki inwardly sighed in relief, that could buy him some precious time.
And with Doku's focus on the Satans, he would have no time to worry about Tsuki or divide his attention on his plan. Too many things needed to be done in this short amount of time, whether it was the potion distribution, keep surveillance on both the Sacred Gear users, scheme against Michael, or gain control over the Youkia; all of it took meticulous planning.
Oh wow, no wonder your mind is a mess, and here I thought the constant pounding of Reizoku's virgin pussy would make you relax even just a bit.
The vulgar words of the System entered Tsuki's mind as he snickered, even if he used a smug tone and such vocabulary; her jealousy was easily seen through by Tsuki. It was even amusing to him.
Hearing the familiar protests of the System, Tsuki continued to chuckle inside his room until a knock resounded from his door, he frowned; he had instructed the servants to refrain from interrupting him as he was going to be performing an important task yet they still knocked on the door.
He knew it was important if they disregarded his orders.
"Come in."
At his words, the familiar form of Sakura entered, her sparkling oceanic eyes that glimmered with the lighting, her curvy body that while it wasn't comparable to Grayfia or Serfall contained its own charm; her smile widened as she saw Tsuki and proceeded to close the door in front of the other maids.
Just as she did this, her smile and sparkle vanished as she kneeled with her head bent low to the floor.
"My Lord, it's a pleasure to once again be able to see you."
She humbly spoke with little emotion, Tsuki inwardly sighed, he needed his agents inside his own home; nearly every important servant was affected, even the Head Maid was an agent of his.
They were people before, but seeing no other choice Tsuki had ordered his familiars to absorb their bodies and use their forms; this way, Tsuki was able to see all that happened in the manor and nearly all info that Doku knew.
He hadn't expected to reach that point where he would discard Sakura, truthfully he had other plans for her but seeing the situation he was in back then having her absorbed was the best course he could take.
Of course, he didn't feel any regret in this, while he was warm with Sakura she was far from a friend to him.
"Seeing as how you knocked on my door despite my orders, I assume you have something to report?
Tsuki's inquiry was met with a short nod.
"The four heirs of the Lucifurge, Gremory, Sitri, Astaroth Household are currently waiting for you in the main room"
Tsuki gave another deep sigh. He could understand Sirzechs, Ajuka, and Serfall... but why was Grayfia here? Did the Lucifurge family want something from him? Or after so long, Grayfia wanted to talk? There was a high possibility of that though, the last he had conversed with the female was two weeks or so ago; having an ally in the second strongest house would help him in the long run, of course, his race made it so there was another reason to improve his relationship with her.
"Is there any more information?"
Tsuki asked as he stood up from his bed, preparing to leave, taking so much time with his maid would incur suspicion, and knowing Serafall she would just barge right in whenever she felt the slightest of impatience.
"There is one more…" She began with the slightest bit of hesitation. Bad news. "The state of the political structure is more fragile than ever before: Doku might be suppressing the situation but the other houses of the Lucifer Six are scheming for benefits and aren't putting in as much effort."
As the familiar who absorbed Sakura spoke, Tsuki sneered; but the familiar was not yet finished.
"Atop of this, the three descendants are attempting to regain the true power of their status and wage war against the two other factions for world dominance, rumors are beginning to spread and the unrest of the masses are increasing,this only dialed down because of your appearance but eventually it will spring back up again."
Were they idiots? Was their obsession for world dominance so great that it hindered the development of their mind? The Devil race as a whole wouldn't be able to handle both factions, it was impossible; Doku might be strong, one of the strongest the Devils have, but so did the other two factions.
He wouldn't be able to handle the assault of the two armies. Their chances of survival and victory was only drastically lowered by the situation in the Underworld, with so many houses split their kind wouldn't be able to unite and fight off the enemy, instead they would meet their demise!
If what his familiar said was the truth, then Tsuki needed to raise his strength, he needed to get stronger, he needed more skills, more power, more time. Tsuki's calm expression never wavered as he gave a calm sentence, it was unlike his current mindset.
"Thank you, keep up the work, and make sure to stay in contact with Team Phoenix, immediately contact me if some information is secured."
At Tsuki's words, she nodded.
Team Phoenix correlated to the team that was in charge of relaying information found in the Phoenix household, with all of Tsuki's funds he was able to place less than three agents in every household, some of them with only one.
Only the other houses of the Lucifer Six possessed none of his spies.
Tsuki was helpless in this regard, using his money to forcefully push their detective and spy skills can only be used on a select few; even more so because the project was relatively new and targeted the servants of all the houses which took time to properly target without suspicion.
It took a lot of Tsuki's training time along with his financial resources.
With time and effort he was able to create a social network that spanned across the entirety of the Underworld, both the Devils and Youkai were finally under his control, any information that got leaked would be heard first by him.
Naturally, he wanted to expand into the Fallen Angel territory and Heaven itself but that would take a whole lot more time, he predicted it would take a few dozen years at the very least; that was if it was in peaceful times, of course.
"Well then, wouldn't want to keep our guests waiting, please make some tea for them and return to your position."
Tsuki commanded which earned him a nod, giving a satisfied smile he finally headed out and towards the main room, or as one would call it, the living room.
Numerous thoughts collided in his mind, plans and schemes formulating and tossed aside as soon as they appeared, hundreds of paths laid before him yet each of them were dyed with blood, he couldn't take them; only death was certain.
The quickest path to power was often laid with risks, many of them were demonic and would cause future problems, these obviously wouldn't be taken. So then, what could Tsuki do to increase his power?
Unfortunately, just as he opened the door to the room he had yet to find an answer to his question as he did so. He could only push these thoughts to the back of his mind.
His troubled and indifferent expression changed into a small warm smile, his eyes locked onto the four figures who sat in the chairs in the living room… well, two sat while the other two females glared at one another with imposing auras that slowly began to cover the room with frost.
Glancing at the maid at the corner of the room, he found her trembling body, either out of fear or due to the cold that inhibited the room, he didn't know. In regards to the ferocious females, only Sirzechs and Ajuka showed no care, they have long since accepted it.
With a wave of Tsuki's hand, gentle flames spawned from his palm and encompassed the room, quickly the temperature began to rise at an alarming rate; all signs of frost or the chilly aura vanished as sudden warmth invaded everyone's bodies.
"Seriously, is this how you greet me? Should I make a defensive formation in this room the next time we meet up?"
Tsuki humored with slight sarcasm; hearing a sudden voice, the four turned to meet Tsuki's dark gaze. Upon seeing him, Ajuka and Sirzechs sighed in relief, while they had heard rumors of Tsuki's return they wanted to see it for themselves.
Throughout the past week or so, they've felt tremendously guilty about leaving Tsuki to fend off against Michael, at the time, they might have argued against him if not for Doku's command to leave.
But now, the weight that pressed against their hearts finally lifted.
Grayfia's cold gaze also softened incredibly when she saw Tsuki, admiration mixed with a certain feeling swirled in her stomach as she saw him. In her opinion, it has been far too long since she last saw him.
Although they've talked on occasion whenever Tsuki returned to Lucifaad, he had always done it in a secretive manner as to not expose it to the public, she was only able to know of this due to a coincidental meeting. She was supposed to attend a meeting along with her father with Doku and was shocked to see the devilishly handsome son of his also there.
After that, Grayfia practically forced Tsuki to hang out with her whenever he came back to Lucifaad and he had kept his promise; as time grew, emotions rose in her heart and feats of strength from Tsuki were long since heard by Grayfia.
As a young female devil, her mother had engrained the fact that power was absolute, that power was meant to be adored, respected, and above all else worshipped. Even after becoming a young adult, this ideology became a part of her personality.
So when news of Tsuki's power shook the underworld, why wouldn't her heart flutter? Why wouldn't a pit of warmth form below her stomach whenever she thought of the figure that fought Michael?
Of course, just because someone possessed power didn't necessarily mean she would develop feelings for them, to her, Tsuki's power was merely a large bonus compared to his cold and usually indifferent personality that matched with his incomparably dark gaze.
Yet, a sense of doubt appeared in her mind; while she knew she was beautiful, desired by many men and even some women. With long strands of lustrous silky silver hair that gleamed under the glorious sunlight, a curvy and enticing figure coupled with her smooth and toned peachy stomach had captured the hearts of many lustful Devils, a plump rear that would ripple under the slightest of touches and a robust soft chest that bounced with every step, and long smooth legs,it was no wonder she had many suitors.
And yet she currently faced a competitor.
With an enticing figure no less than hers, Serafall glared with malice, her cute expression was only enhanced with her actions; one would have the urge to pinch her cheeks, she was simply too cute.
Watching Serafall glance at her with a smug smile, she ran up to Tsuki and practically ran into him with her arms wide open Serafall's large bust pressed up against Tsuki's chest, her dainty and rather short arms hugging onto him for dear life.
Her left eye could only twitch at the sight.
Suddenly, both Ajuka and Sirzechs had the urge to retreat, their hearts palpated in fear, beads of sweat began to roll from their foreheads as they took a few steps back. Dangerous! The fury and jealousy of women were truly something to fear…
"Tsuki, Tsuki, you bastard!"
Serafall began to pound at Tsuki's chest like a toddler, tears emerging from her eyes as she continued her harmless assault; Tsuki merely watched unphased with a warm smile. Grayfia had the ever increasing will to pull Serafall forcefully off of Tsuki.
"Why would you ever fight Michael, are you insane?!"
"You're never going to take up another dangerous task again, alright?"
"Nope, nope, I've decided, you're never leaving on a mission again!"
Serafall continued to rant as she repeatedly changed her mind, eventually, she had decided that Tsuki would be banned from ever picking up a quest ever again; in her mind, what if Tsuki chose another quest that involved Angels? Wouldn't Michael come back to settle a grudge and eliminate a great threat?
Tsuki's death would be set in stone, this was something Serafall was unwilling to see; Tsuki was never going to die!
"Serafall…"
Tsuki softly sighed, placing his pale hand on Serafall's head he proceeded to ruffle her hair much to her discontent; gaining a smug smirk, Tsuki nearly chuckled at Serafall's pout. Sirzechs sighed as he eventually spoke.
"Tsuki… well, you see, we came her for another reason as well."
At Tsuki's questioning gaze, Sirzechs continued to speak, the others stood in silence as they listened to the long red haired male.
"Due to… personal reasons, our family wants us to come home for a period of time and stop adventuring so we decided to disband the group until further notice."
His words were met with silence, Ajuka bitterly sighed while Serafall gave a look of downcast. Sirzechs was no better, he had begrudgingly given this news after all, why would he want to stop adventuring with Tsuki and the rest? None of them wanted to separate but the situation involving their family was too important.
Tsuki gave a look of sadness and surprise while also feeling rather joyous and bitter inside; if he left them, not only would it give him more time to grow, there would be less of a risk in training. But with them he had lost the advantage of being able to explore and leave the Underworld freely with the excuse of a mission, now everytime he left he might be met with suspicion.
Sighing to himself, Tsuki spoke.
"You wanted me to stop taking on quests because you three wouldn't be there, right Serafall?"
Serafall nodded, she was easily seen through, she feared that even with their departure he would continue on to take tasks; it was the worst outcome for Serafall.
"Then since we're all departing, it's only right I respect your wishes. From now until we regroup, no more quests."
Tsuki smiled as he said this, while it was an inconvenience to him, he only spoke these words to comfort them; if he was truly taking a dangerous quest that he needed to accept for resources or materials, then the Royal Sabers would accompany him.
Even then, Tsuki possessed the skill Lucky Intuition which would allow him to choose the best option possible; he would not make a loss any time soon.
Hearing the Satanachia heir's words, they smiled brightly and felt relieved, Serafall's smile grew bigger; if Tsuki gave her his word, then she could only trust it. Of course, a certain female could only cough awkwardly at his words.
Seeing their gazes gather towards her, Grayfia felt rather bitter inside, while she had the full intent on spending some quality time with Tsuki -preferably alone- her father had sent her to discuss an important matter regarding a region near Cocytus.
Recently, disturbances of Hellfire had begun to sprout near it and some of the Lucifer Six feared it would loosen the seals in Cocytus, which might allow some dangerous prisoners to escape from their confinements.
As such, she stood in place of her father to have Tsuki help in the important matter but now that Tsuki was also temporarily retiring, how could she dare request something so dangerous?
Seeing her troubled expression, Tsuki didn't hesitate to use Observe.
Grayfia Lucifuge
Level - 120
Class - Great Mage
Race - Devil
Alignment - Lucifuge Clan, Underworld
HP - 150,000 (5)
MP - 288,000 (4)
STR - 800 (4x) = 3,200
END - 700 (4x) = 2,800
DEX - 750 (4x) = 3,000
INT - 900 (4x) = 3,600
WIS - 900 (4x) = 3,600
CHA- 1,000 (4x) = 4,000
LCK - 400 (4x) = 1,600
Thoughts/Emotions about you: Desire, wants to be your lover, Hesitation, wants to give you a task but is now hesitating
Goal: Become a wife
Affection: 80/100
(Unknown)Fetishes: Maid, being dominated, degradation, Masochism
Secret: Likes the color pink
For a moment, Tsuki's thoughts were in silence.
You know, for an almighty Devil who has ridiculous stats, I thought her secret would be something shocking. Like, killed her own mother and replaced her with a doll she made or that she is the daughter from an affair. But really, pink?
Tsuki could only sigh helplessly, it wasn't as if he was expecting some top secret that he could exploit; at the most, he expected a repeat of Serafall's own secret. It was unexpected and quite confusing that Grayfia held her favor for the color pink as a classified piece of information.
Ignoring that.
Tsuki was rather surprised by Grayfia's motive to approach him, was it really that important? Tsuki was far from the only Ultimate Class the underworld had, he might not even be the strongest, he was merely the youngest in history which was why he gained fame.
Grayfia was the previous record holder and caused quite a shock to many, although it wasn't as impactful as she hadn't just participated in one of the largest battles in England and fought Michael.
As such, it made no sense for Tsuki to be handed the task… unless.
His eyes immediately shone with some understanding. The only possible way they would request this of him was either because they wanted to gain a closer relationship with him and the quest carried numerous rewards, or they simply lacked the manpower to send more Ultimate Class beings.
This was indeed the case.
While Tsuki had a little suspicion, the truth of the matter was that the Rebels and Government had finally attacked one another and the social structure of the Underworld was beginning to crumble at an incredible rate.
This also explained why Sirzechs and the rest needed to disband the group, they needed to go to their families to help resist the opposite force.
As such, due to the fact that there was barely anybody available who possessed the same strength as Tsuki, they could only form a group of a small number of people and send them over to complete the task.
Tsuki was merely one of the people that was invited.
"If there's something you want to discuss, there's no need to be so troubled- you can ask me anything."
Tsuki spoke in a warm tone as he smiled, his expression was like the rays of the sun, dazzling and bright, it carried the warmth to embrace one's soul; Grayfia couldn't help but find herself lost in it.
Now it was Serafall's turn for clear annoyance to appear in her expression, her pout becoming poutier as she glared at Grayfia with increasing coldness.
This glare only increased further with hostility as Grayfia awkwardly explained her request to Tsuki, naturally since they were so close, Tsuki's now former Adventurer Team also heard this and had troubled expressions.
Tsuki listened with interest as he stayed silent, while he wasn't rather concerned in taking up any more quests, he was rather interested in the prospects of visiting the grand icy lake that was Cocytus.
What was Cocytus? In a way, it was the Underworld's Tartarus, hosting many criminals that couldn't be held or killed off by normal means. It was the prison that the three factions commonly used, even the Angels negotiated and reached an agreement to send the most twisted of souls into Cocytus.
This wasn't why Tsuki was interested though, sure he could satisfy his curiosity and gain a deeper understanding of the world; he was more captivated by the prospect of meeting the most hated man in the Three Factions.
The Dragon Slayer, The Blind God, Blindness of God, Poison of God, or as he is most commonly known; Samael, the Dragon Eater.
While his info regarding him was crude at best, he knew enough to know the heavily guarded secret that Samael was kept alive in Cocytus to suffer for all eternity. He was also keenly interested due to his crucial role in the ambush of Ophis, someone able to cause any sort of harm to a Dragon God earned his attention.
Giving a looker of ponder, it seemed to the others that he was giving heavy consideration but in fact he had already decided to go.
"You promised!"
Turning his gaze, Serafall stared at him with reddish eyes, she seemed ready to sob at any moment. Tsuki inwardly sneered but outwardly sighed, as if he was bearing a heavy burden; he looked deep into Serafall's eyes as he spoke.
"I did promise, but this is for the sake of the Devil race as a whole. If the criminals escaped because I wasn't there; wouldn't I only have myself to blame?"
Tsuki argued as Serafall glanced towards her teammates, as if looking for support but they could only stay silent and ask themselves. Would they go even if they knew the chances of dying were high? For their race, of course they would!
Serafall gnashed her teeth as she stood against Tsuki.
"Blaming yourself is better than being dead!"
She shouted back, her body trembling as she resisted the urge to scream and cry at him, only she knew just how deep her love for Tsuki went. She knew his strength, she knew his might that slayed dozens of Fallen Angels with little effort.
Yet she was unwilling to see him ago, to escape her.
She remembered the scene of Tsuki fighting against the One Eyed Wolf, she knew the reports regarding the damage he sustained, and her heart could only tremble at that memory. She wouldn't ever allow him to be in such harm again.
The Satanachia heir frowned as he carefully assured Serafall, it was almost as if he was treading on thin ice, or walking on a tightrope across canyons, a small mishap and he would die or in this case fear that Serafall would imprison him in a block of ice.
Ha! You're scared of her!
He smiled bitterly inside, of course he did, out of all the methods he possessed none of them countered Ice Magic; it was something that he would soon be investing in it seems. That was of course to traverse in the no doubt cold lake of Cocytus, to counter Serafall? He might need a few weeks.
"I still need to go, I can't allow so many people to die merely because of my lack of courage. Even then, I won't die, that I can promise."
His warm smile and kind eyes along with his soft words caused Serafall's heart to flutter, she knew that if she met his gaze with her own her resolution would crumble; he was her biggest weakness, it seemed as if he could persuade her to do anything.
But could she allow Tsuki to go through such a dangerous quest? Can she really hinder him and cause the deaths of thousands because of her own selfishness? Even if her own morality didn't allow it, she would push it down to the bottom of her heart.
Yet even when she tried to argue, no words came out, she could only give a dejected sigh as she compromised.
"You'll return safely… right?"
He nodded.
"You won't die right?"
Once again, a nod.
"You won't have any injuries and if the quest become peralious, even if many will die, even if you have to give up your teammates; if your life is in dangerou, you'll abandon the quest"
He gave her a surprised and meaningful look, out of all the people he knew, Serafall was perhaps the most righteous person he knew, a Devil who stuck to her moral compass deeply; yet at this moment she directly stated that she wanted him to abandon everyone and protect his own life!
Even Tsuki was slightly moved as he gave one final nod.
It was only then did Serafall relaxed, feeling assured; he would return safely and there would be no incidents, it was the only words she could say to herself to calm her down. Yet, her heart once again started to palpitate as she made one more demand.
"A-and when you come back, and you will! You will go on a date with me!"
She furiously blushed as she shouted, for a single moment silence ensued, Sirzechs face palmed, Ajuka coughed awkwardly while looking somewhere else, Grayfia felt furious, and all the surrounding maids and butlers were intensely confused. Wasn't the young female devil a being near Ultimate Class? Where's your demeanor and subtleness? Where?!
Similarly, Tsuki also paused as he stared at Serafall while the System shouted deep inside his mind.
What the fuck is this?! A soap opera?
Tsuki could easily understand the System's words, despite being so vulgar, as he also expressed the same feelings. He knew of her crush on him, of her admiration and desire, they were easily exposed with ease using his methods. Yet he never reciprocated them, he never expressed the intent to do so as he tried his best to suppress her affection, but even if said affection hadn't reached the limit she still commanded this, which was basically confessing.
He could only give a bitter smile of hopelessness.
He might be a devil, a killer, a man who commited great unrepentable while holding great regrets but even he wasn't completely heartless; no one was.
But how could he possibly accept her feelings? Would she be willing to truly be with him if he exposed all his deeds to her? Would anyone? The path he walked was lonely and cold, dangerous and bitter, it was a road he alone must walk while using anyone and everything.
All of these thoughts circulated his mind, yet to the outside world it was only a single second after Serafall gave her command that Tsuki spoke, opening his mouth.
Whether it was luck or pure fortune, at this moment, the doors to the room burst open as a single panting figure arrived.
Immediately the gazes of Grayfia and the rest of the males landed on the new Devil that had appeared, while Serafall's angry and vengeful glare of pure malice landed on said Devil's figure.
Before they could speak, the sweating male spoke urgently.
"L-Lord Tsuki, your appearance is demanded by the Six Houses of Lucifer and the Descendants, there has been a breach in the Grand Lucifaad Manor."
With a stuttering and tired tone, the Devil guard announced to the group, immediately the expressions of the group changed; even Serafall's anger faded without a trace as her eyes widened in shock.
The Grand Lucifaad manor was a newly constructed manor that was meant for grand feasts and small auctions, there were even rumors that the Descendants themselves would be living there but not even Tsuki could confirm nor deny this.
But due to the sudden appearance of Andreas, the manor was reconstructed as dozens of Formation masters were deployed to construct a large formation that formed a barrier around said manor; it would serve to act as a way to both imprison the child and prevent anyone, be it Devil or other faction race, from getting in.
Yet, from the news of the guard, they were suddenly made aware that not even a few weeks laters after its creation, the manor was breached!
Tsuki adapted a grim expression as he heard this, nobody noticed the cold light that was evident in his gaze. He gave a single look at Serafall and then focused his gaze on the soldier.
"Well what are we waiting for, we can continue after our talk and after I finish the quest"
He spoke sharply as Serafall nodded, there was no time to argue and while she didn't like the three current Satans, she knew of the importance of the child and what it meant to have him; if her Family hadn't informed of her anything than that meant the Rebels had no involvement, which meant another party attempted to break in.
Everyone in the room knew of the urgency of the news as Tsuki stood next to the guard, his gaze turning to the group and giving a simple nod. They knew what it meant as they gave warm smiles.
It was Tsuki's odd way of saying goodbye. Although they understood, Serafall and Grayfia did grumble a bit under their breaths.
So without looking back anymore, Tsuki turned and vanished with the Guard, it was something only the highest of ranking soldiers possessed; a singular use skill that could transport them to the main meeting room of the Lucifer Six and Descendants.
Hmph, main meeting room my ass, they only made it so people knew of the location of their 'lords'. I wouldn't be surprised if it was only used once.
Tsuki ignored her grumbling, like always, as his vision turned white.
000
The manor was breached with clear signs of skills of experience, the formation was destroyed in a manner of seconds, yet the perpetrators that had entered the formation have been killed by the guards and had their corpses destroyed.
This was the simple crude and simplified version of what transpired in the Grand Lucifaad Manor, it was the explanation given to Tsuki as said male traversed through the halls, common Devils and servants bowing with reverence.
Tsuki's emotions never flickered nor contorted as thoughts flashed through his mind, being created and the discarded just as they were created, his Thought Processing had long since entered a level where he could think of hundreds of plans in a matter of microseconds; it was one of his most useful skills.
'Did they succeed?"
'How many were injured?'
'How many were successfully placed?'
'How much could they do with such little time?'
He quickly deduced as he suddenly came to a stop, staring at the large object in front of him.
Snorting with disdain as he was confronted by a dark wooden large door that had reached a height of multiple Tsukis, with a single palm the heavy and thick passage was opened by the male; despite its gaudy appearance, it was of no obstruction to Tsuki as he entered the main room.
Once again, he was met with the gazes of the Six Lords and Three Descendants, panic and rage was clear in their eyes; only Doku's gaze was void of these emotions, instead showing slight confusion and then warmth that was directed at his son.
Immediately, the voices that resounded in the hall ceased as the nine figures that sat in their chairs could only watch as Tsuki walked towards the front and gave a short courteous bow; most glared with displeasure but stated nothing, the situation was too perilous and fragile to care for such small things.
"Tell me Tsuki, what do you think of the situation?"
Beelzebub spoke, not pleased or displeased, he simply didn't care for etiquette, what was the use of such a thing when you were a devil? When you were a being that was above all races, he even felt it was right if Tsuki showed a loyal yet strong front.
Yet, even if he found it right, that didn't mean he didn't dislike Tsuki for simply being the son of Doku?
At Beelzebub's question, Tsuki held the contempt that was shown through his eyes.
'Do they already suspect me?...No, he merely wants to cause trouble and hopes Doku acts, I'm not his main object but by causing problems for me, my father would be roped in.'
Tsuki easily saw through Beelzebub, he didn't ask for Tsuki's opinion because he suspected him, he didn't truly. But if he displayed that he did, he could easily try to convict Tsuki which was the same as harming Doku.
The fact that Tsuki was only given a vague and extremely short summary of what had happened only supported Tsuki's thoughts, if he mentioned an extra detail that he wasn't supposed to be aware of, he would've fallen for their trap and cause Tsuki to be assaulted by suspicion.
One single short sentence but it actually holds such meaning…
Tsuki was too used to such methods, most high end businessmen used such slippery words in the presence of another to trap their victim or merely record the conversation; it was akin to a contract in a way, if they found a loophole within your words, they would abuse it and drain you for every drop of wealth or reputation.
It was ruthless.
Yet it was far too simple to counter it, even most teenagers could do it, in fact, they would be the most proficient in countering.
"The situation… ah, I wasn't really aware we had one, I merely rushed to her as soon as I heard I was needed."
Tsuki showed a rare expression of embarrassment as he said this. Indeed, this 'counter' was to simply act ignorant.
Just as the Lords heard this, most were shocked while others were furious, it was as if the matter didn't hold that much importance to Tsuki. Of course, Tsuki expected this but still decided to push forward with his sentence, it was simply because it was the lesser of two evils.
With an agitated expression, Beelzebub spoke, clearly explaining the whole situation to Tsuki without leaving a single detail. Of course he knew what Tsuki did, but he was helpless against it and was merely hoping he would be bold enough to answer fearlessly.
Yet at this moment, as Tsuki listened to the words of the Satan, as if a voice entered Tsuki's head; a barely concealed expression of joy showed on Tsuki's face.
His invasion succeeded!
000 000 000
AN
Yup! Tsuki strikes again like the fox that he is!
And yes, I added the whole soap opera thing with Serafall purely out of my amusement. I figured she was the type of person to say that, she's done weirder stuff. Or maybe I did it because I'm into soap operas? Who knows.