Chapter 21: Terms of Contract

A third Reason had been named; it couldn't have been Yuko, so it had to be the other student of hers. While he could let her go to formally name her Reason, Hikawa didn't see a reason to do so. Two competing Reasons should be plenty to satisfy Kagutsuchi's game. It was time to solve that ridiculous riddle about the angels and move to the next stage of Creation.

His network of demons had given him a range of potential places: Ikebukuro, Asakusa, the outer reaches of the Ginza landmass. Most of them were simply hearing a trumpet that couldn't be found. Of course, searching for an angel with magic wasn't working. There were many kinds of angels roaming the Vortex World, mostly out in the sands. Searching for a trumpeter should only come up with two potential results, even if it took more time to specify.

Following what lead he'd gotten, Hikawa traveled to Asakusa. Both results led here; the two might be keeping an eye on each other. Or even working together, if the trumpeters could be blackmailed or something similar. He left the town with Samael and headed for the more desolate areas where the two angels were currently located. Kagutsuchi shone far overhead, watching and waiting.

"As tiresome as it is to walk this way myself, it is nice to see the results of my work," Hikawa said. The sand was of such a fine grade that it'd be safe enough to walk through barefoot even as it was evidence of the sheer magnitude of destruction.

"Even I do not meet many who could end the world with such refinement," Sameal said, coasting gently near him. "Albeit unevenly as many structures were left untouched."

Hikawa shrugged. "It was Kagutsuchi's doing, providing some fragment of civilization to we humans who walk under its light. I prefer the structures of its own make like the Obelisk myself, but it would reassure the others." The charm on his wrist twitched on its own, so he stopped and caught it between his fingers. "One of them is near."

Flying ahead a short distance, Samael coiled up in the air, then bellowed as loudly as he could. The air at one point went hazy, then darkened into an angel that was curiously hanging upside-down. It held onto a long trumpet and had a skull instead of a normal head. While Hikawa couldn't check on its exact statistics, he noticed that this was a Fiend Trumpeter. It probably wasn't the right one, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

"What reason do you have for bothering me?" Trumpeter asked, sounding a little annoyed. Due to his skeletal face, it was hard to tell if he really was.

"I'm searching for someone," Hikawa said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting to see if someone is worthy of bearing the power of death," Trumpeter said. "You are not worthy."

Revelations of death: this wasn't the Divine Messenger. Still, he didn't believe he was worthy? Hikawa frowned. "I'm not worthy of your power of death when I'm the Lord of Conception?"

"Not at all," Trumpeter said.

This could not stand. "Then you're another who is easily mistaken," Hikawa said, waving Samael closer. "If you won't believe me, I'll prove it."

"Do you really want to challenge me?" he asked, tapping his trumpet against his hand. "Very well, it's your funeral."

After mocking them, the three ladies laughed and teleported elsewhere. Naoki didn't feel intimidated by them. He'd been able to defeat others in his way. While sometimes he was defeated and killed, it was only angels or other fiends who had done so. He could tell from his horn that these were the three Greek fates. They still didn't scare him.

He glanced back to the center, watching the pulse of magatsuhi flowing up the tower. The design in here was cubes upon cubes, stacked on top of and stuck to each other to form walkways, walls, columns, and more. Within those cubical structures, there was a colossal amount of empty space that seemed like it should contain all the energy of the world. A faint beat and inaudible hum filled the air. But all the cubes didn't seem like something alive. It felt more like this place contained the soul of the world, waiting until it was strong enough to reach the light of Creation.

"It's faaascinating, isn't it?" a low voice brayed. "I could be contemplative here for hours."

Pulling his own attention away from the life pulse, Naoki noticed a demon drifting closer to them. The black-furred goatman had a purity of power within his soul. It reminded him of the true Kaiwan among the shades. And not only did he seem disinclined to fight, but the demon had a dark red flame between his long horns. Vile Baphomet, a true demon of dark magic who would be more difficult to defeat now than the fate sisters.

"I could too," Naoki said. "I saw you before Conception happened, Baphomet."

He nodded. "For a brief moment. I'd apologize, but it's one of the terms of contract with human summoners. As long as they are strong in their craft, we demons must obey their commands. Even the hesitation I had ended up with him dismissing me because I did not follow through immediately."

"I see." With that in mind, it didn't feel right to blame him.

"I've heard whispers of you, Demifiend, that you're already bold enough to defy Lucifer and have humiliated Thor," Baphomet said, then chuckled. "Then I am glad I did not have to kill you. Hikawa ought to be more careful of you than he is."

"I scared him pretty good when we met again," Naoki told him. "What are you doing now that he's released you?"

He shrugged and tossed his head, making the flame larger for a second. "Nothing much, although I do have a charity commission I took on to amuse myself. I came here searching for materials I need. Were you thinking of trying to contract me?"

The question made Naoki suspicious. While Futomimi had suggested a demon like this could assist him, this seemed too easy. "Can I? I mean, you're not like these two I have now. Maybe I could handle one of your shades, but you seem more powerful than I could contract as a follower."

"That's correct," Baphomet said, impressed.

However, having this demon's help would make things easier. "But what would you say to an informal agreement to travel through the Obelisk together? I need to get to the top, but we could spare some time to help you look around for your materials."

"You're picking up on how to work things to your benefit well," he said. "I don't need the help myself to reach where I need to go here, yet you amuse me enough that I'll humor your request for an informal agreement. Very well, Demifiend, we will traverse this Obelisk together." He offered a hand.

Naoki nodded and shook hands with him for the agreement. And right then, a loud whinny filled the vast space, making Baphomet close his eyes and sigh. "Fooooouuunnddd yooooouuuuuu!" The ghost of an algae-coated horse flew by Naoki, making him wrinkle his nose at the stench. Fairy Kelpie, good with ailments but weak to force. "Massterrrrr…"

Brushing the kelpie away so it didn't nuzzle his head, Baphomet said, "No, I already declined you."

"Buuut liiike Masterrr..." the kelpie pleaded, seeming oddly lustful.

"No. If you must follow me, make a contract with him because we're traveling together."

"Okayyyy, for Masterrrr!" The kelpie then barreled over to Naoki, causing him to step back so they didn't collide. "I Fairrrry Kelpieeee, I EAT EVERYONE!"

"Uh, what?" Naoki said, not sure he wanted this demon along. Yet somehow, he felt like it was already a contract.

Baphomet chuckled. "Never had a contract forced on you before? Kelpie might be useful for you."

"Or he might prove more annoying than Arahabaki ever was," Kushinada said.

"Hey, I was never that bad," Arahabaki said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Exactly."

Kelpie was already snuffling near Naoki's shoulder. "Hmm, new Masterrrr smell different. Be niiiiccceeee to old Masterrrr."

Maybe it was karma for how he'd contracted Angel. Or just weird luck. "What is it after you for?" Naoki asked Baphomet.

"I'll decline to say exactly why," he said. "I have a passion for traditional means of summoning, even if it means having to fulfill the most bizarre requirements. The project I have now is, well, more complicated than traditional means of Fiend summoning even though calling upon your clan has a greater risk of death for the slightest infractions."

"You're a summoner?" Naoki asked. When Baphomet nodded, he thought of some things that had puzzled him. "I've heard a bit about that art and did some fusing, but I don't know a lot about it. What's with that paper charm that Hikawa wears?"

"It's a medium through which he controls magic and spirits," Baphomet said, explaining more as they went over to the nearby elevator. He seemed pleased to teach about summoning and various aspects about magic when they weren't involved with battles.

Those who entered the Amala Network without a destination in mind had to be willing to give up entirely on leaving. Unless one already had power, a destination could only be reached by being decided upon before entering. Otherwise, the halls never ended. Those who found this out by accident often succumbed to despair and were swallowed whole. But those who entered to find solitude would find it, and be able to exist as long as their will held out.

Things had existed like that for an untold time. However, words of power had reached into the Network. Someone had wished for a world of solitude; someone had truly wished for Musubi. The solitary souls weren't inclined to help someone else. Yet if Musubi came to guide Creation, they could actually live with this comfortable solitude they had found instead of wandering as lost souls. The souls of the network stirred to action at long last, seeking out their new light.

Isamu sensed them drawing near. Unlike with Naoki's strange powers, he didn't feel unsettled by these kindred souls. He welcomed their presence and they granted him what little power they had. It wasn't much, certainly not enough to summon a god with. But the Network became more and more natural to him as they continued to gather. Not possession, but transformation into something more than human. Yes, this was where he was meant to be.

Before long, he arrived at where he meant to go, within the Network instead of outside it. Information seemed tangible here; facts and truth bore weight. Dozens of lost souls had found him. They gathered around his soul to keep it from being crushed into data. If he tried to take this in his normal mindset, his movements would be hindered by a swampy density. But this wasn't normal space. He didn't need to be hindered by physicality. That let him move deeper within.

And he grasped his goal: a key that only existed as information until he held it and it gained a physical form. This would open the way into the Amala Temple within the Vortex World. It was a vital place to claim hold over: it had a massive amount of magatsuhi to summon a god with, it had a direct connection to the Network, and it was the place to trigger the final rites of Creation. Now that he had the key and the means to come and go from the Network at will, Isamu finally had a strong holding within this strange setting.

Mostly. He could do what he want within the Network, but outside, he would still be relatively weak. That was a problem when three powerful demons had already squatted in the temple, taking control of the lesser ones. But with some more time, Naoki would be more than powerful enough to take them out. Then Isamu had to have some way to control him. But as the Demifiend, Naoki was not bound by normal rules of being demon or human. He couldn't be contracted or commanded.

"But I do know what Naoki's after," Isamu said, smiling to himself. And from within the Network, it would be so easy to find. He couldn't count on their former friendship being enough, but he could count on them being more than enough to get Naoki to do his bidding.

"Hello?" a voice said. It sounded far off as it was trying to reach into this powerful space. "You're Isamu, right? Naoki's friend. He's been looking for you."

Out of habit, he looked to the direction of the voice. Characters swarmed between them. That had to be Hijiri, the guy Naoki kept talking about. Or… was it? No, Jyoji Hijiri was that guy's name, but there was another name behind it, one that bore a strong hatred towards it. "Aleph?" Isamu called back.

A painful scream was all he got in response. Isamu saw him with the Network's eyes, fallen onto his knees with his hands gripping his head. Ah, he wasn't supposed to be addressed by his true name because of the nature of his curse. He'd forget it again as soon as he recovered from the shock. In fact, 'Hijiri' was even more pitiful than Isamu was in the Vortex World, forbidden from doing so much and unable to know why.

Isamu laughed at that. "Man, you're destined to be nothing but a bystander. What a loser. Although if you could gain mastery over the Amala Network, you might find a way to escape your soul's fate. Heh, like that'll ever happen. The Network is mine."

Hijiri probably didn't understand, in part because he'd fainted. Although, there actually was a good chance that he could comprehend the Network quicker than Isamu had. If he was allowed to, he might even gain mastery over it before Isamu could. That could not be allowed. Isamu reached out to the terminal, than transported Hijiri away from the terminal and off somewhere random.

With that rival delayed, Isamu turned his attention towards his next goal. Musubi would be real and whether he liked it or not, Naoki would have to support him.

"This place just goes on and on," Naoki said, crouching at the edge of the lift. It was nothing more than another giant block, glowing red as it carried them further on.

"Eventually, it will grow far longer than what we traverse now," Baphomet said. "This is where all must come to meet with Kagutsuchi, once the road is complete."

"So no sense complaining when it's short like this," he said.

Kelpie had been knocked out in a battle on the last floor they'd explored. But despite it being one of his followers now, Naoki didn't want to revive it yet. Unlike the time when Pixie and Hua Po had been fighting, Kelpie had not proven itself useful enough to keep around. It did have some ailment spells to slow opponents down. But that didn't matter when the rest of them, especially Baphomet when he bothered to participate, could defeat the demons they encountered quickly. Maybe once he was done with the Obelisk, Kelpie wouldn't mind being dismissed as they parted ways with Baphomet.

On another flight of stairs up, Naoki sensed a dis of the Yoma clan climbing slowly ahead of them. There was a faint taste of dissatisfaction in the air; she must be feeling that strongly to leave traces this far behind. She might be the elegant lady Futomimi spoke of. Taking the steps quicker, Naoki and his companions caught up to her. "Excuse me."

"Hmm?" She glanced back, caught in her distraction; her long cape swung to the side as she stopped "Oh. Don't mind me, I don't feel like fighting right now. Go on ahead."

"You seem annoyed," Naoki said. "Does it have something to do with the fate sisters?"

While her expression didn't change much, she put her hand to her chest. "Oh? You noticed? Hmm, well it's not much concern to you, but they are really difficult to work with. The rules they put in place make everything a burden to do. For instance, the puzzle that lies just ahead blocks off the way to the elevator. We can reach the Cathedral here, but not the Fountain of Life, not without going through their puzzle. And they won't let it be bypassed unless they send down orders for us to move to another area."

There was a puzzle ahead that could be bypassed, then? Naoki wondered about something. "There's a Cathedral of Shadows here?"

"Yes, for some reason," the dis said.

"That's one place I wanted to stop at, actually," Baphomet said.

"We mean to challenge those sisters, since they'll get in our way," Naoki said to the dis. "Would you like to work with us?"

"Oh my," she said. "I would rather like that, actually. I sense no contract between you two, but you must be something special to get Baphomet to work with you. However, their rules would still bind me within the Obelisk. I can tell you how the puzzle works, which would be important as there are several in your way to the top. But I would be unable to bypass it."

"But what if I fused you into someone else who could tell me?" he said. Not only should that work, but their traveling group was larger than he was used to. And he had three other fiends he could call on if he needed a larger one.

For a second, she smiled. "The proposition gets more intriguing, I see. Very well, I'll trust myself to you. I am Dis of the Yoma clan, a pleasure to meet you."

Naoki nodded. "I am the Demifiend, same to you."

She looked ahead. "Well then, Demifiend, we can reach the Cathedral past the next intersection. Continue upwards when you get there."

Seeing no other choice, Samael snatched up the fallen Hikawa and fled from Trumpeter as quick as his wings could carry him. The fiend sent out a blaring note on his trumpet to taunt him; Samael wasn't going to fall for that. It had been a foolish battle, but his summoner had chosen to stay. Now that Hikawa was unconscious, Samael felt it was in his best interests to take him somewhere safer. He had been called upon to protect the man, after all.

The town nearby had a Fountain of Life, as most communities with demons should. Landing carefully on the road, Samael set Hikawa down and rapped on the door with his tail. Doors weren't things that he could handle nicely.

The healer came to the door for them. Seeing the human on the ground, she didn't bother greeting him and went to tend to Hikawa immediately. After using a few spells, she finally looked up at him. "You did well to bring him to me so quickly; this was perilous damage that could have ended him. I will take him inside to soak in the healing waters, but he will need to be protected for some time so he can recover. As he is human, magic alone cannot undo all these wounds."

"I have been charged with his protection, by his request," Samael said, twitching his head wings. This wasn't what he normally handled as an angel of death. But it was the terms of this contract.

As the healer brought Hikawa into her spring through telekinesis, Samael considered where he could take him. The Ginza bases were unsafe; Hikawa had basically abandoned them since the Nightmare System was running. The Obelisk was still under Nihilo's control. However, it was currently set up to test the Demifiend's capabilities. Samael considered that unwise as well, since testing that one would only serve to further his training. But then he wished to face the Demifiend when he was close to his full potential, so it was a foolishness he did not mind keeping quiet about.

There was also the Diet Building. It was not officially under Nihilo control yet. However, Samael knew it was one of Hikawa's further goals. It should be a quiet location currently. And if he knew some of the demons in that area, it would help both of them.

Hikawa was still unconscious when the healer brought him out. A group of manikins had shown up outside of the large gate, discussing amongst themselves when to do about him. Not caring about those mud dolls, Samael carefully took Hikawa back and boosted himself back into the air. It was quick to get anywhere here with flight; the trouble would be getting indoors.

While they were about halfway up the Obelisk, the Cathedral of Shadows was just the same as the others Naoki had entered. In fact, so was the minister. "Wait, there's just one of you, isn't there?" Naoki asked. "And only one of this place."

"Nngh," the minister grumbled, shifting his glasses.

Baphomet chuckled. "He's got you pinned, Mido."

The minister, apparently Mido, sighed. "Yes, I'll admit it. The doors are actually warps to my one Cathedral and there is only me. I thought I had it set up to be imperceptible this time."

"It all smells and feels the same, that's what tipped me off," Naoki said.

"Well I still have Hikawa fooled, I think," Mido said. "I hear that your formal name has been made apparent. How may I serve you, Demifiend? Or you, Baphomet?"

Getting out a stone to revive Kelpie, he said, "I wanted to do some fusing, but I hadn't decided on exactly who."

"I happened to be here, so I'd like to pick up and restore a medium," Baphomet said. "The chariot wheel."

"You're really going to summon him into this world?" Mido asked.

Baphomet nodded. "My past summoner has tested my patience on several occasions, finally letting me go when I tested his. I wish to," he chuckled darkly, "cause him some trouble."

"That could work," Mido said, calling out a small charm that looked like a golden wheel. "I've done what I could to repair it, but it needs a white pearl to finish it off."

"Well that's trouble," Baphomet said, his flame flickering faster.

"Mmm, Masterrrr?" Kelpie said, looking over to the goat demon. Baphomet ignored him.

"I have one," Naoki said, calling it out and offering it.

"Are you sure?" Baphomet asked, raising an eyebrow. When Naoki confirmed that, he smiled and accepted it. "How generous, you have my gratitude. Maybe I will invite you to the special summoning after all. It would certainly be educational for you." He then passed the pearl over to the minister.

"Oh yes, I'd recommend watching him at work if you have the chance," Mido said, letting some enthusiasm slip past his normal calm demeanor. He set the charm and pearl within his fusion chamber in order to fix the former.

Once he was done with that, the minister let Naoki take his hand to visualize what was possible. Dis was the one he certainly wanted fused… actually, it seemed an interesting demon could come of one fusion. "I'd like to fuse Dis and Kelpie," he decided.

"Masterrrr?" Kelpie asked, looking at Baphomet.

"Go for it, it'll be fun," Baphomet replied.

"Oookay!" Once Kelpie turned around, Baphomet looked relieved.

There weren't many skills Naoki felt had to be passed on with them, just the knowledge that Dis had. The demon that came out of the fusion chamber was different from both of his predecessors, being a large elegant bird with a red body and a rainbow of tail feathers. "I am Holy Feng Huang, glad to be of service," he said, bowing his small head.

"Have you had a goal in mind for your fusions?" Baphomet asked.

"No, just trying to keep a varied group," Naoki said, patting Feng Huang as he came close.

Baphomet's flame flickered. "An ordinary summoner could get away with haphazard fusions as needed, but someone like yourself might want to look into fusion chains, building up to an extraordinary demon with skills it normally wouldn't carry. I understand that you're simply getting started. But if you would like, I could skim your compendium and see if there's anyone special you could attempt fusing."

"My compendium?" Naoki asked.

"Yes, he means this," Mido said, summoning a large leather-bound book. "Custom to every summoner we… I serve, it records every demon you have had a contract with, and sometimes a few others who've had an exceptionally good contact. For a fee, I can summon the recorded version of any demon in your compendium. It comes in handy for fusion."

"Take it and let's see who you've got," Baphomet said.

Agreeing to that, he took the tome in both arms. It flipped pages on its own, detailing moves and characteristics of demons he'd worked with, from Kushinada, Arahabaki, and Feng Huang with him, to those like Shikigami and Kodama. There was even an entry on Incubus, despite Naoki only traveling a short distance with one.

"You know, Arahabaki is a good comrade, but he has been fainting every few battles," Baphomet said.

"So many demons around here are using fire, it's nonsense," Arahabaki said.

Ignoring that, Baphomet guided the tome back to another entry. "Try summoning this Raja Naga and fusing them together. It should keep his physical prowess while reducing the weaknesses you have to work around as your group's leader."

There was quite a fee attached to calling Raja Naga back, but Naoki was curious as to where this was going. "All right, let's do that."

Mido took his tome back. "Very well. You will need to reconfirm your contract with Raja Naga, and pass over the payment of course."

Once Naoki paid the fee, the minister used the tome to summon the snakeman within the fusion chamber. Raja Naga flexed his arms as he appeared. "I am Raja Naga of the Snake clan, glad to be of..." he glanced over and saw them, "ser...vice… ah ha, hello sir..."

"Hello again," he said. "I am the Demifiend, thanks for coming. But I'm fusing you right away."

"Oh, sure, that's fine, no complaints from me," Raja Naga said, keeping wary. Baphomet chuckled at this.

"Hmm, I hope this turns out well," Arahabaki said, going on ahead into the other chamber.

"Most important is keeping Focus with this line," Baphomet commented. "But -kunda and -kaja skills, especially the combination ones like War Cry, are valuable as well."

"I was thinking that," Naoki said, accepting the minister's hands to set up the skills. As the result was another warrior, it was easy to get what he wanted on the new demon.

He was human again, this time wielding a sword and wearing armor. "I am the Kinshin Okuninushi, glad to serve you as always," he said. He tossed his black hair. "Hmm, I could really be a male idol this time around, don't you think?"

"Definitely," Naoki said, amused that he still had that dream.

"You might even be a better singer now," Kushinada said, smiling briefly.

Baphomet looked over the other demons, then nodded at some thought. "Yes, there is still work to do, but with these three in the correct fusion chain, you could make a contract with a demon that is rarely seen. You'll need two more demons, one of which is already in your compendium. For now, train these three to learn their natural skills. We should be able to discuss the next steps after ascending this Obelisk."

"Are you two still going to be against fusing with each other?" Naoki asked, looking to Kushinada and Okuninushi.

"Not unless he does anything horrible between now and then, no," Kushinada said.

"It wouldn't bother me now," Okuninushi said.

"That's good. Thank you again, Mido." He then looked to the newest follower he had. "Feng Huang, you still remember how to skip the puzzle?"

The bird trilled several notes. "Certainly, but it will be easier to explain on site. Go back to the split in the stairs and head inward."

After more twists and turns to the stairs and paths, they arrived at a set of blocks that stood out for their stark black material with glowing blue patterns on the sides. The blocks on the floor felt like they could crumble if used too much. The blocks that were in their way were too smooth to climb and too large to jump. From the patterns, it appeared to be a moon phase puzzle. This one with only four floor blocks looked simple, but Naoki could tell a larger one would hurt his mind trying to get through.

Feng Huang went to a glowing sphere at the start and put a foot on it. "This affects the phases of Kagutsuchi, and those blocks will only come down at the right phases. It's meant to be solved by stepping on the floor panels and moving phases. But if you take too long, the panels vanish."

"And it'll be extremely obvious to the whole Vortex World that someone is trying to pass these," Naoki said. Flying demons like Feng Huang would have no problem, but those that had to stick to the ground would be blocked.

"The puzzle is meant to start when this orb is touched and released," he said, still holding onto the orb. "It resists being moved, but if you push it just right," Feng Huang got the orb slightly forward and down, clicking it into a new place, "the puzzle deactivates entirely. I know the placement of this one, but I don't know the unlocking position for higher sections."

"Now that I know that, I'll be able to figure that out quicker than those phase puzzles," Naoki said. The path ahead to the elevator was unblocked and obvious, but there was a side path as well. "Let's explore around; we need to train anyhow."