Story 4: Chapter: 4
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 4: Trade Affairs.
- Azrael -
I looked at the twin tailed Satan looking at me with an unknown glint in her eyes and used Observe on her to know the reason. My glasses were especially made by Azazel to prevent others from noticing my Observe.
The aim for today's visit was to search for information on some core members of the Youkai faction to use in our trade deals with the Youkai.
What Azazel didn't know was that I was currently a twelve winged Fallen Angel just like him and could probe even someone like Serafall.
The result however was a bit surprising. She thought that I looked like a male version of her sister.
Well, that's good for me.
If she wants to see a male version of Sona, I will give her just that.
I smiled, completely ignoring the previous greeting. "Hello, Satan Leviathan. It's a pleasure making your acquaintance." I bowed lightly.
"Mou, call me Levia-tan." She pouted.
"I'm sorry. That would be highly inappropriate of me. You are the leader of your faction while I am a mere chore boy who's slightly good with paperwork."
"Heh, as if Shemhazai would send a mere chore boy to accompany and control Azazel. Say… wanna join my peerage? I will treat you well."
Both Azazel and I stopped for a moment before I shook my head. "Thank you for your offer but I enjoy my current job."
"Oh. Too bad. But I welcome you if you ever change your mind." She waved it off and we teleported towards the Youkai territory in Kyoto.
The Kyoto Youkai territory is in the outer borders of Kyoto and protected by a barrier which is directly maintained by the Ley Lines passing under the city. This was one of the reasons why Yasaka couldn't be away from the city for long.
We reached the gates where several Tengu were waiting for us already. At the head was a kitsune with seven tails.
He bowed slightly towards Azazel and Serafall and threw me a casual look before leading us inside.
"Seichiro, how have you been? I think the last time I saw you was around seventy years ago in that geisha place." Azazel started and I already felt the beginning of a headache.
I had already checked the information on the guy and he was loyal to Yasaka. A genuine seven tailed Kitsune who served her mother before her and had taken care of Yasaka from her childhood, he was held in great regard by the Kyoto Youkai Chief as well as the rest of the eastern Youkai. He was a master of Senjutsu.
One of the main reasons he was here at the gates was to sense our emotions, or rather try to sense our emotions.
Both the leaders were far too experienced to let something as basic give their intentions away and as for me, I had my own Skills to keep mine disguised.
For him, I was looking around at everything in awe like a kid my age while I spied on every person I could find.
A win-win if I do say so myself, only in this case, both the wins were mine.
The normal people didn't give me any special information.
We made it to the conference room and Azazel took the lead and I followed behind.
Inside the room sat a woman with golden blonde hair, with nine golden fox tails spread around her like a luxurious gown of some kind. She was wearing a yellow coloured kimono which rested on… damn those can't be real.
Shuri had perked up by quite a bit after she inherited the Vermilion Bird. Kalawarner was quite big herself but neither of them had anything on the one in front of me.
Yasaka is in a league of her own.
I only eyed her for a fraction of a second before moving to other people. Beside her was an old guy who had a very weird shaped head and was calmly drinking tea. He dressed in a normal grey and green coloured kimono.
I used Observe on him to find his identity.
Nurarihyon, the Leader of the Western Youkai.
On the two sides of the room sat two rows of youkai, each belonging to the faction of the one at the head of the line.
Each one of them was strong.
In the Peak High Class to the Low Ultimate Class.
The ones at the top were much stronger though.
Yasaka was stronger, almost at Baraqiel's level while Nurarihyon was slightly weaker but it was due to an injury.
Their strengths however couldn't be quantified with just their physiques and energy levels. Senjutsu and Yojutsu are extremely unpredictable and all these people were masters of the art. They could probably trap even beings stronger than them easily.
One of the reasons I want to learn Senjutsu for myself.
"Yasaka, how long has it been? You seem to have grown even more beautiful in these years." Azazel broke the ice, although it would have helped if he was not staring at her breasts.
I let out a small, barely inaudible sigh which might as well be a loud shout in the ears of these hundred years old monsters.
Nurarihyon smirked at me and then at Azazel who returned the smirk.
The old man was as much of a pervert as Azazel, although he was just content with commenting about stuff.
"Nurarihyon, how are you, old friend? How about we catch up at one of the Oppai Clubs opened by my people after the meeting. I was invited but never got a chance to go there in person."
"Oh, sounds nice." The old man gave him a thumbs up.
The next part was a meeting between Serafall and the leaders of the Youkai Faction while Azazel acted as a mediator between the two parties.
The incident arose after Kuroka rebelled and killed her king. Although her sister was saved by Sirzechs, there were some idiots from Pillar houses who killed some Youkai in retaliation. This enraged the Youkai and they killed a few High Class Devils too.
Serafall was here to solve the matter before it escalated.
First of all, the Devils had no right to judge Shirone as she was a pure Youkai.
Kuroka was considered a Devil after she was reincarnated as one and her half Youkai side was ignored basically. The Youkai couldn't do anything because the Devils had two big sticks known as Sirzechs and Ajuka while the Youkai had none. So albeit reluctantly, they left the matter on a grey line.
That said, they took the matters in their own hand when the Devils started judging pure youkai and then even blaming the youkai for the actions of someone they had till a day before called a Devil.
The relations between different factions was like geopolitics. There were no allies, only profit. Hypocrisy didn't matter as long as they had a bigger stick.
That said, the Youkai faction was not clean either.
I took the time to Observe all the members and found that seven of the fifteen on Yasaka's side were discontent with her rule and six among those seven were already planning a coup.
The attacks on the Devils was a part of a bigger plan. These bastards were also the ones who were attacking the Himejima Clan and the other Principal Clans.
Their main aim was to ignite a war and in the commotion, assassinate Yasaka and put Kunou, her daughter, as a puppet ruler of the Kyoto Youkai.
One of them even wanted to marry Kunou when she became sixteen after Yasaka's fall.
The eight who were loyal to her, were not exactly loyal to her either but more to the seat of the leader. They won't rebel but they won't be selflessly laying down their lives for her either.
She only had five true supporters in these fifteen.
On the other hand, Nurarihyon's side was solid. They wouldn't blink an eye to die for their leader.
This was probably the difference between a homegrown leader who got her seat from her mother and someone like Nurarihyon who fought his way up from a single man.
Not to say that she was a bad leader. The Kyoto Youkai had actually flourished more under her rule than any of the previous rulers. She was quite good at managing a territory. It's just that most supernatural species, especially ones who are considered evil by humans are more often than not based on strength and she was more of the peace faction.
A few years ago, her husband was found to be a spy of the Nue faction and had successfully poisoned her and was about to use her body to resurrect Hagoromo Gitsune. She was saved in time but it discredited her rule more than she expected.
Fortunately, Nurarihyon's grandson solved the matter and Kyoto returned to her hands but there are still haters who want to bring her down using this excuse.
But I didn't have anything to do with this for now.
What I did pay attention to was the information which could be used by us, personal; details, even wealth or secrets they might have hidden.
Two hours later, the meeting ended and we were escorted outside towards the gate.
The second part of the meeting was something which would only happen between the Fallen Angels and the Youkai and Serafall didn't need to be present for it. This meeting was scheduled tonight.
We reached our room and the first to speak was Azazel. "So, how were they?"
"What?" I asked, looking confused.
"Yasaka's breasts. Among the top five pairs I have seen in my entire life and I have lived a very long life. So? Don't pretend you didn't know. I know you did."
"They had to be fake." I said. They weren't. "I mean foxes are known for their illusions. I have heard that Yakaka is very good at negotiations. It would seem most people are busy looking at her breasts to notice they were scammed. I mean… that size…" Those were my honest opinions but I knew from my Observe that the pair of bouncy goodness holding Yasaka's Kimono were not fake. Not that I would say that when Serafall was beside me.
"Right, right? They are obviously fake. I mean, Devils and Fallen Angels can slowly shapeshift into their desired forms and yet I haven't seen any devil with that size." The Leviathan joined in the conversation. "She just laughs that fake laugh and everyone is so busy watching them bounce they don't even realise they were scammed by her. Be careful of her, Az-tan. Don't let that vixen get her grubby paws on you."
"Hmm." What I want is to get my grubby paws on her. "If she really had breasts like those, I would pity her back. Oh, here." I brought out a card from my pocket and passed it over to Serafall. "I have just opened a branch in Japan. You are welcome to visit."
"What's this?" She asked, looking at the card curiously.
"A card for my massage parlour and spa. It's a business I run."
"You started a business?" Azazel asked, surprised.
Oh, yeah. I didn't tell him.
"I did, around a year and a half ago. Got some savings and hired staff. There are five branches in the human world. Kala manages them for me. I only visit there once a month on appointments."
I really had too much money and nowhere to spend it. Penemue made sure that I got paid according to the work I did and I barely had any expenses. All my training costs were paid by Grigori. And it was not just my own but also Kala's salary which had increased along with her strength.
There are twenty branches actually, not five. Two in Japan and eighteen in different countries. Most were placed in places of Supernatural activities to collect information and secrets of other factions.
My plan is to slowly fill them up with trained Fallen Angels or even human operatives and make an information network.
"Heh, you are a masseur, Az-tan?"
"The guy with the best happy ending massage parlour in Grigori." Azazel scoffed.
"My customers are always happy but please don't spread rumours." I rolled my eyes at Azazel trying to screw my chances. "My parlour is only for females and all the employees are also females. Wanna try a free sample?"
"Oho, are you sure?"
"A simple shoulder massage. " I smiled. I knew what she was thinking. She wanted to know more about me or rather why Azazel had even brought someone like me with him. For all her talks about Yasaka shaking her breasts, she wasn't doing or rather planning on doing anything different. The only difference here was the fact that she was also indulging in a fetish, what with me looking like a male version of her sister.
I for once didn't mind either. A win-win for both of us.
- Serafall -
Laying on the bed, she thought about how she got in this situation.
One minute she was flirting with the cute male version of So-tan, one she was even doubtful that Azazel might have created somehow and the next, she was on the bed, waiting for a massage.
It was, however, a good opportunity to gather some information about the boy. Azazel almost never brought anyone to follow him to the meetings, especially not someone unknown like Azrael. He said that Shemhazai had sent the boy. Either way, he did arouse her curiosity.
The fact that she was stressed from the meeting also had a lot to do with why she accepted the offer.
After all, what could a simple massage do?
This thought of her was crushed as she felt his fingers on her shoulders.
"Ahhhmhh." Her eyes widened as she realised what she had done and she put a hand on her mouth to suppress her moan and fail.
"Your shoulders are really stiff. You must be working hard for at least a few weeks if someone of your level is this stressed. Man, I don't envy your position."
She wanted to reply but all she could muster was another moan as his fingers sunk deeper into her shoulders and slid behind her neck.
She had to double check if he was using any kind of magic but he wasn't and in the next one hour, she felt her entire body melt into a pool of jelly and her panties a soggy mess.
When she fell asleep and woke up two hours later feeling fresher than she had in years, the first thing she did was search for the boy's card.
She was going to get him in her peerage… No matter what.
- Azrael -
I left Serafall asleep in her room as one of the Devil attendants took care of her. The Hotel was actually a property of the Gremory House and we were actually invited by Serafall to stay.
"So, how was the Leviathan?" Azazel asked when I entered the room. He was already drinking.
"Asleep."
"Happy ending?"
"For her maybe. I just gave her a shoulder rub." I shrugged and took a seat, taking an apple for myself.
I looked around, observing everything in the room. Azazel seemed to have understood my concern and waved it off. "The room's clear. I checked. What did you get?"
"A lot. Nurarihyon's people are extremely loyal. It's the opposite for Yasaka unfortunately. She's sitting on the verge of a coup."
"And which side do you think is better investing in?"
"Yasaka."
"Brat, and you say you didn't get entranced by her twin peaks." He scoffed.
"The other side is trying to provoke a war, Azazel. They were the ones who attacked the Himejima Clan as well as the Devils. They are mostly a bunch of extremists, the man eater types. If they get their way, there would be casualties and Kyoto as well as a large part of Japan will be reduced to the mediaeval times again." I explained as he frowned.
"How many?"
"Half are already planning a coup. Half of the rest are loyal to the position and not the leader herself. She only has five supporters among those fifteen."
Azazel became quiet as he entered his leader mode. "What do you think is the best course of action for Grigori?"
"Targeted assassinations."
"Won't work on so many people."
"It will be hard but if Yasaka cooperates, we will have a decent chance to succeed without any kind of backlash. In fact, I have just the group who can take the blame?"
"Oh?"
"The Wizards of Oz. They have been fluttering around recently. Those crazy bastards are working with the exiles of the FIve Principal Clans. I think you might have heard of them." I offered.
"I did hear some rumours. What exactly are they planning?"
"I don't know but it has something to do with taking revenge on the Principal Clans. I will investigate the matter if you want me to."
"What about those loyal to Yasaka?"
And here was the difficult question. The question which is a part of the daily life of Leaders of any organisation. The politics between different supernatural factions is the survival of the fittest, a dog eat dog world. Expecting others to not attack you just because you don't attack others is like expecting a hungry lion to not attack you just because you are a vegetarian.
In fact this is not just true for the Supernatural factions but also for the normal human world. People don't think twice about kicking you in the gut when you are down.
"One of Yasaka's loyals doesn't have the best thoughts about us." I spoke. That guy's ideas, while good for his faction, would lead to a considerable loss for the Fallen Angels' side. I don't hate the guy or anything but we are just on different sides of the chessboard and I don't want my side to lose.
"Who?"
"Kumamaru."
"That guy… Yes. He is different from his kin. Bear Youkai are generally tactless, often led by their emotions and thus not dangerous against real players but he is a shrewd old man." Azazel said, slowly scratching his goatee. "Can you take care of it?"
I nodded.
"Then make sure it's not found out."
"Hmm."
"By the way, are you going for Yasaka and Serafall at the same time? Even I didn't try something that ballsy."
I looked at the man with a bland look. "Azazel….you are a certified pervert, a known playboy. Do you think they will let their guards down against you?"
The man looked offended. "And you are different?"
"Well obviously." I smirked. "I am not certified yet."
I left the man spluttering for a reply.
"Your apprentice might be good at keeping an eye on you Azazel but he is not exactly an expert when it comes to business. You should take your time to teach him properly. It will save us a lot of time." Yasaka smiled as she read the documents of the deal I proposed for tonight.
Azazel merely shrugged.
I didn't take any offence to her words. After all, I had only proposed 30% of the price of the things we were buying.
I would have been surprised if she had agreed to it. So I smiled and continued, "Do you think the price is low? I am pretty sure I added exchange of information as a part of the trade too."
"And that would make up for 70% of the price?" She chuckled mirthlessly while covering her mouth.
"All information has a price. The more important the information, the more the price. I think we both can agree on this?"
"Oh, and what information would make up for the two towns under the Kyoto Youkai?" She raised an eyebrow at me, challengingly, as if daring me.
"The information which deals with the continued existence of your Kyoto Youkai should cost much more than two towns but I am a kind hearted guy and offered you a discount." I smiled.
"Words have consequences, child. Do know the meaning of your words before you speak them. Some words cannot be said without thoughts." She spoke, her voice frosty.
"I know the meaning as well as the consequences of the words I speak or the leader of my faction wouldn't be behind me quietly all this time. The real question here is, do you, Miss Yasaka, understand the same?"
She froze for a second and then I felt her aura flared, putting some pressure on me. Azazel didn't move so I knew that he wanted me to take care of this.
As he had said, he won't be making any moves in the meeting.
Good.
Her aura got heavier by the second but the current me was someone with physique on par with Baraqiel and Magic Power on par with Azazel. Let alone this, even if she were to use the Leylines, I can still fight her to a standstill.
I didn't change my expression.
The pressure vanished after a few seconds.
"Speak." Only one word was said and I smiled as I passed her a small file.
"This contains just a small part of the information."
She took a few minutes to read everything and I observed her thoughts. It went from shock to disbelief to anger and then resignation.
"Just in case you think any of this is wrong, I also added an extra page with where and what to check to verify." I added, helpfully.
She sent someone to verify the information and the report came within thirty minutes.
I smiled.
Now begins the real negotiations.
Three hours later, the negotiations were completed. The woman drove a good bargain but I got something to make up for the losses.
A Hot Spring property on the outskirts of Kyoto to build my new Massage Parlour.
This property was owned by Yasaka personally. She offered and I took her offer readily.
At the very end, she spoke. "Are you not afraid that we will go back on our word after we finish reestablishing ourselves?"
"Hmm? You are a leader of your faction. A wise one at that if I might add. Would you really want to poke someone who knows practically everything, starting from the identity of your spies to the colour of your underwear? Yeah, I don't think so."
Information has strength depending on how it is used.
Every able leader knows this.
"You are a very dangerous man." She said at the end.
"Thank you. I have heard that girls dig this kind of thing." I replied with a smile.
Now that the negotiations are over, it's fine to kid around.
"Most do."She smiled back. "By the way, how are you going to convince the Five Principal Clans to help out? As far as I know, they would reject the offer just out of spite."
"I will think of something. Oh, on that note here." I passed her my card as well. "You look like you are quite stressed and could use a massage."
She took the card and made a face at me. "You do know that you are the reason for most of that stress, right?"
"Ït's a matter of perspective. You think I am the cause of your stress while I'd like to think that I am the reason you won't be suffering much worse things in the future. See, this version sounds better, doesn't it?"
"Tch. No fun."
We got up and she faced Azazel. "You got yourself a good successor."
"Meh… he's just a brat." Azazel shrugged at her comment and then looked at me. "What colour are her panties?"
….
….
Just like the guy to ruin such a good moment.
I looked at her and she shrugged. Fascinatingly, the Youkai are quite open about sex.
Well… if she doesn't mind, then who am I to?
I turned and left towards the door. "She's going commando." And then added. "Always does."
I am pretty sure Azazel spat his drink.
The meeting between Shizuka and Yasaka was scheduled two days later.
On the surface it was to discuss the matter about the Youkai attacks on the Himejima Clan's territories but what really happened was I brought Shuri to meet Yasaka in secret to discuss the matters of the deal.
My plan was fairly simple.
They were going to fight.
Not directly but through subordinates.
Or rather, they would let the matters escalate at the borders and send the rowdy ones to the borders to let them kill each other.
This is where the Fallen or rather I come in by fanning the flames as well as assassinating the key figures who are causing trouble.
After a certain period of serious fighting, both the leaders will face off and sign a temporary Peace Treaty with the Fallen Angels as the mediators.
In this way, both the leaders can show a strong front as well as eliminate any unruly characters under them.
Right now, I had Kala bouncing on my cock in her final spurt as she fell on my chest, enjoying her moment of bliss.
She had become stronger. A lot stronger than she was three and a half years ago, going from a common two winged Fallen Angel to a new Ten Winged Fallen Angel, a proper cadre level Fallen Angel.
Today was the celebration of her getting the fifth pair of wings.
I caressed her back as she lay on me, her cheeks on my chest.
"Your training has done wonders for you Kala. You are now a Cadre Level Fallen Angel, an Ultimate Class being. I'm so proud of you."
"Please… I know it's because of your gift. I don't think I could have reached this level in a hundred years."
Kala was my most trusted person, even on par with Shuri. I had told her the same things I did to Shuri and she in turn wanted to make me a Harem.
The massage parlours were actually her idea..
"You would have gotten there much faster. We often underestimate the effects of training. While higher starting level and blood does matter, our upper limits are still 12 wings, even without any tampering. And you have trained extremely hard."
It was true. She survived Penemue and Baraqiel's training. Although not as intense as my own, it was still quite hard. The fact that I gave her the motivation with my addictive touch and Massage Skill helped too but her own part in all this was undeniable.
"I know… but I wish there was a way to reduce or even bypass the training. Like maybe have sex instead to get stronger. I am pretty sure I would have had a dozen wings by now." She laughed but I froze in my place."You alright?"
She noticed me frozen and asked me and I broke out of my trance.
"I am a fucking idiot." I cursed.
"Azrael? What happened? Is everything alright?" She asked, concerned.
"Yes, yes, Kala, everything is alright. Or rather will be soon. Oh fuck, I don't believe I didn't think of this before?"
"Think of what?"Then her eyes widened as she seemed to have realised my thoughts. "Don't tell me you are actually thinking of making something."
Obviously I am.
Dual Cultivation. A term the cultivation novel authors used to justify the bullshit caused by their autistic shut-in protagonist because they couldn't write romance to save their lives. That said, the technique itself had its uses.
Tantric exchange was actually heard of even in this world but only done by human occultists or some devils before sacrificing the souls.
Those kinds of rituals are banned nowadays.
But I didn't need to do something like that at all.
All this time, I was blindsided by the idea that I needed sex to earn points and then get strength. The thought that I could get strength directly from sex never came to my mind.
Not even when I actually got the power of the Vermillion Bird… I am an Idiot.
I closed my eyes and thought of the Skill, just a basic F Ranked one.
It was costly.
Twenty Thousand for just a F Ranked Tantric Strengthening Skill. The Skill increased the magical power reserves of both partners when doing Sex. The gain will be very low but will add up in time.
More gain at higher levels.
The next Skill was E Ranked and cost Fifty thousand which I bought too, effectively clearing all my points balance.
No regrets.
"You didn't do it, did you?" She asked me suspiciously and I gave her my widest grin as I held her waist and thrust in from below eliciting a moan from her.
My current Skills Page looked something like this.
Light Magic(B)(Active) Level 9
Light Affinity(D)(Passive)
Lightning Affinity(D)(Passive)
Fire Affinity(C)(Passive)
Holy Affinity(D)(Passive)
Fallen Angel Physiology(B)(Passive)
Holy Lightning(B)(Active) Level 5
Holy Flame(B)(Active) Level 8
Purifying Flames(B) Level 8
Holy Magic(C)(Active) Level 8
Lightning Magic(C) Level 9
Fire Magic(B)(Active) Level 5
Teleportation(D)(Active)
Mind Magic(C)(Active)Level 5
Barrier Magic(C)(Active) Level 2
Appraisal(B)(Active)
Discerning Eye(B)(Active)
Massage(B)(Active) Level 8
Clean(B)(Active)
Relaxing Touch(B)(Passive) Level 5
Charming Presence(B)(Passive) Level 5
Tantric Strengthening(E)(Active) Level 1
Enhanced Potential(B)(Passive)
Enhanced Talent(C)(Passive)
Enhanced Magical Reserves(C)(Passive)
Enhanced Stamina(C)(Passive)
Enhanced Regeneration(C)(Passive)
Damage Resistance(B)(Passive) Level 2
Iron Will(B)(Passive)
Suppress Power(B)(Active) Level 7
Pain Resistance(B)(Passive) Level 8
Lightning Resistance(C)(Passive) Level 9
Fire Resistance(C)(Passive) Level 3
Abnormality Resistance(C)(Passive) Level 3
Danger Sense(C)(Passive) Level 5
Martial Arts(B)(Active) Level 5
Spearmanship(C)(Active) Level 9
Purification(C) (Active) Level 9
Acting(B)(Active)Level 2
Sex Mastery(C)(Passive) Level 8
Addictive Touch(C)(Passive)Level 5
Self-Fertility Calibration(D)(Passive) Level 8
For now I needed to… umm practise my new Skill. Yup, practise my Skill because practice makes a man perfect.
There are some traitors in every faction.
If we remove them all, some other will always take their place. This was especially true for factions which were not really strong.
Being weak in the Supernatural world was like a sin not even the worst of the sinners wanted to commit.
And for people like me, this was extremely easy to take advantage of.
The plan between Shuri and Yasaka was going to start in a month and I still had two weeks before that. Coincidentally, I got some information from one of my parlours in Romania about a certain monster in the basement of the Tepes King.
It was hard but not impossible to find someone ready to work for me for a certain price.
The one I found was actually the prince of the Tepes faction, Marius Tepes, a guy who was in cahoots with the Khaos Brigade later on.
All it took was an E Ranked enhanced Magic Power Reserves Skill to show him that I can increase his power and he was willing to sell even his mother.
Truly a disgusting guy because unlike my dear mother, his mother actually doted on him.
A promise to make him an Ultimate Class being was enough to make him get both Gasper and Valerie to me.
But this was not it.
I had pretended to use a curse on him which would kill him instantly if he tried to betray me to completely wipe out any thoughts of double crossing me.
Both Kala and I were in disguise as I sensed him coming to the decided location, followed by two other children.
"M-m-marius, where is that place you told us about?" A petite blonde girl asked? Girl? What the fuck?
Both the children were girls.
Was this another Vali- Velvet case?
"Shut up and follow me quietly." He barked at the girl causing both of the girls to back down in fright and then turned towards me." I have brought them as you asked. You can take them away. Just give me my price. Make me stronger." He asked hurriedly and I could see the children grow pale at his words.
I ignored the guy and walked towards the two who were hugging each other in terror. "Don't worry. I am not going to hurt you. I have nothing to do with the Vampires who hurt you. If you follow me, I promise to give you a normal life and a chance to make a lot of friends who are just like you. They have a part-human heritage too and not shun you like the vampires." I said as I caressed the hair of the two softly, my Calming Presence and Addictive Touch coupled with the Massage Skill, working to blow their stress away as they relaxed. "So, would you both like to come with me?"
"Y-y-you won't hurt us?" The girl asked and I shook my head.
"Never."
Both of them nodded their heads. Valerie was not exactly convinced but she was much smarter than Gasper and understood her situation so she didn't complain.
It would take some time to win their complete trust.
Kala took them to one of our safe locations and I turned to face the guy who was getting restless by the minute. "Good Job, Mr. Marius. You brought them both here on time."
"I did. So give me the power."
"You sure did. But… you also did something extra, didn't you?" I shot four light spears in all directions, crushing trees and snow around the area. The ones hiding in those places in their bat forms didn't even get a chance to scream before they died.
Four High Class Vampires.
For a force like the Tepes faction, they were quite high up the ladder.
The idiot had recruited them to capture me after he gained Ultimate Class strength so that he could find my secret.
… I am sometimes astonished by the sheer stupidity of these idiots.
Without a second thought, I threw a Light Spear through his head and confirmed that he was dead.
It took another hour to make the setup look like a vampire hunter attack.
Just like that I had gotten my hands on two Longinus Class Sacred Gear users.
I wonder what Azazel will think when he finds out.
At least Velvet will have some new friends to play with.
Yup, Velvet got some new friends alright.
They got along too well due to their similar ages, backgrounds and childhoods. There was something which made Velvet jealous of Akeno all this time and that was friends and family.
Not to say that they hated each other. They were rivals, fought each other at every thing but they didn't exactly hate each other because I was between them, a shared interest.
That said, Akeno suddenly got Tsubaki and Momiji, not to mention she also had Shizuka as an elder sister at home.
This was something which made Velvet feel that she was falling behind.
Today however, this feeling was swept away by the arrival of the blonde airhead in front of me.
"Ara Vel-chan, you look so cute in your training clothes." Lavinia hugged the seemingly irate girl but after knowing her for so long, it was obvious to me even without Observing her that she was actually loving every moment of this.
I would love too if those well developed knockers were pressing on my back, something which I intend to rectify very soon too.
Lavinia was brought to Grigori by Azazel to help us against the Wizards of Oz.
The main reason however was to help her gain control of her Sacred Gear which she dislikes using.
I was babysitting for the entire group near the Kyoto borders where my new Hot Spring Spa was opened.
The Himejima girls, the Slash Dog team, and the White Dragon team were all stationed here. The Slash Dog team insisted because they heard that their classmates were captured and were in danger.
Surprisingly I had not seen Sataneel in Grigori before leaving either.
For this reason, I was asked to investigate and today I got some information. This particular information made me drop everything and rush to Grigori.
I left Momiji incharge of the situation as she was the most level-headed among everyone and left for Grigori.
- Azazel -
He sat down in his office. Azrael has suddenly requested the meeting and had asked for the highest level of secrecy.
Penemue, Baraqiel and Shemhazai were with him in his office as they were the only ones who knew of Azrael.
The door to the office opened and Azrael walked in.
"What was so important that you had to run all the way here? Did you get something important on them?"
He nodded.
"Report."
"The Utsusemi Agency, the rebels of the Youkai, the Wizards of Oz and Sataneel's followers have formed a new organisation called the Chaos Brigade. Their goal is to artificially stimulate Sacred Gears to give birth to new Longinuses or at least his goal is that. Every group is in there for their own reasons. The Utsusemi Agency want to use the organisation to bring down the Five Principal Clans, the rebel Youkai want to take down the Kyoto regime and the Wizards of Oz are just a bunch of crazy idiots who are researching taboo magic. They have used the children and bound them with some kind of spirit in the form of an Artificial Independent Avatar Type Sacred Gears. The children however lose their sanity or sense of self and become mindless killers. Their initial targets were the Four Fiend Sacred Gears as they were at the top level and would have the best chances to become Longinuses. And then…"
He saw Azrael paused looking tense.
Something which can make this insane brat tense and hesitant to speak….
"What is it, Azrael? Speak up." He commanded.
He took a deep breath.
"Sataneel… he plans to find Ophis to use its power for his project."
Azazel blanked out for a moment. "What?"
"Sataneel plans to bring Ophis into his organisation."
Even after listening to the news twice, he was still unsure.
"Are you sure?" Baraqiel asked and he nodded.
"Yes. The guy I observed was one of the top levels of the Utsusemi Agency. I didn't attack or capture him to not spook the enemy."
"What oher plans do they have?" He asked, regaining his bearing.
"I don't know. I came back as soon as I found this. I thought it was important enough to be informed first."
"Good call." He said as he massaged his head.
"What do we do Azazel?" Shemhazai asked. "This has gone far beyond simple misconduct. We don't involve 'It' with our matters. This has to be stopped before other factions are spooked out. Not to mention the risks."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Prepare a team. Baraqiel will lead it and bring Sataneel back. If he denies, take him down. Shemhazai, call for a meeting of the Cadres and declare Sataneel rogue as soon as it happens. Penemue will then inform other factions of this news."
Baraqiel left the room to get the team ready and he turned to Azrael to give him further instructions, his cell phone rang.
He picked up the call and on the other end, he recognised the voice of Kalawarner.
"Azrael… we… we were attacked. They took Shigune, Natsume and… Akeno. Shizuka went after them. It was a witch with the Incinerate Anthem and Sataneel. We are still fighting. Need backup."
Azazel felt a burst of enormous magic power for only a fraction of a second before it disappeared but that alone told him all he needed to know about Azrael's state of mind.
"Let me take care of this, Azazel." He asked with an eerily calm voice. It reminded him of his brother with the same name before he went to a war.
Thank father that Baraqiel had left just a moment ago or he would have had an even worse reaction. He shook off his thoughts and opened his drawer before taking out something and throwing it at him. "Bring everyone back safely."
"Okay." He kept it inside his inner pocket and teleported right away.
- Kalawarner -
She shot spears of light at the monsters who attacked them from all directions while barely maintaining a barrier to hold back their assault.
The attack had been very sudden and they were overwhelmed by numbers. She was cut by the Demonic Sword that Sataneel was carrying and was weakened. All she could do was be passive in the fight since.
Azrael would be so disappointed.
She had trained so hard all these years, gained ten wings only to fall like this….
The one at the lead of the monsters, Hanezu Himejima was trying to talk and convince Tobio to follow them but the boy was holding back despite his own injury.
The others were injured but still fought on.
How long will the backup take to arrive?
As she was having these thoughts, dozens of light spears rained from the sky, piercing more than half the monsters in the area, completely destroying them and in the very next moment, she felt a massive aura fall down on the area.
She looked up and saw a figure in a golden armour in the sky. He wielded a golden spear of light in his hand as he looked down on everyone.
Holy lightning crackled around his body and he vanished from his spot in the sky to appear in front of the Onmyoji and the very next instant the Onmoji's head flew up in the air. The figure blinked throughout the battlefield at speeds which she could barely follow and heads flew in his wake. The entire battlefield was calmed down in a minute and he appeared in front of her.
He threw her a vial of clear liquid. Phenex Tears.
"Take care of everyone. Inform Baraqiel and the rest about the location when he comes here. I will take care of the rest."
"Wait. Take me with you." The new girl, Lavinia ran up to him and so did some of the other children.
Unlike others, she was uninjured.
Azrael didn't say anything and just looked at her.
"I will not hold you back. I promise."
"Okay."
He teleported away with her.
- Azrael -
I was busy this last month due to the Youkai affairs so I didn't have the time to check on Sataneel and he did all this.
Fucking damnit.
The information Hanezu Himejima's Observe gave me indicated that they targeted Akeno both because the Boosted Gear user's blood and ability could be used to increase the power of other Sacred Gears as well as because she was the daughter of the current Clan Head of the Himejima Clan and Baraqiel.
In a way, if I hadn't given her the Boosted Gear, she would have been safe.
The reason Akeno was here in the first place was because of me. The more I thought of this, the angrier I got.
"You are stronger than you let others know. Why is that, kid?"
The voice of the Golden Dragon Fafnir sounded in my head.
Ah yes. He was kinda bonded with me while I was in this Balance Breaker mode. Obviously he would know of my strength.
"It's the safest way to grow stronger. The less the people know of my powers, the less they try to kill me. I hate troublesome things."
"Hmm sounds fair. There are always idiots who want to test themselves against the strong. Such a bother. The strong don't have the obligation to be their test subjects. I have been in that situation too many times. Good luck."
We reached the borders of their base and I put Lavinia on the ground. "Wait here for me. Prepare a barrier so that they don't teleport out. I will send the hostages here. Secure them. I am faster so it will be better if I go in alone."
"I can help."
"I know. But for now the life of the captives are more important. Whatever you want, I will help you with it later… Please?"
She looked quite reluctant but agreed and started making a barrier while I flew up to the top of the base.
My Observe showed me the weak point of their Barrier.
I slipped through the weak point in the barrier.
- Shizuka -
She was tied to the pillar near the side of the room as the magicians prepared for the ritual in the hall. She was kept in this place so that she could see everything with her own two eyes. Akeno was in the centre of the Ritual Circle while Shigune and Natsume were on the sides.
She had rushed to help them but couldn't do anything as she was captured and that too by members of the Himejima Clan, the same members whom the clan had exiled.
"A wonderful sight isn't it? To finally see our dreams having a chance to be realised. The power of the Four Fiends will be released and they will wreak havoc on the self righteous bastards who threw us out just because a whimsical God thought it would be funny not to bless us." The guy in front of her who was apparently her own uncle spoke.
"Why do this? They are your family too. Suzaku-sama tried to invite you all back to the clan. Please… stop this madness."
"Why? Why, you ask? But of course you wouldn't understand it. After all, you were always the princess, from the moment you were born. Do you know how it felt to be treated as an exile, an outsider from the moment you were born? To have your own father look at you as if you were a curse for no fault of your own? The entire System of the Five Principal Clans is corrupted and it needs to be changed from the core."
This person was the son of Suoh Himejima, the former leader of the Clan. She had heard of him having a son but as far as she knew, he had died in a mission outside the clan.
Apparently that wasn't the case. She knew that her clan and the rest of the Principal Clans had done a lot of bad things and she wanted to change them too but apparently, she didn't know enough yet.
"What, are you surprised that such a thing can happen in the Himejima Clan? Hahahaha my father, your Granduncle Suoh Himejima gave me two choices, either I disappear and never appear in front of the clan or he will have me disappear forever to remove the dishonour I had brought him. I really wanted to see his face as I trampled on his so-called Honourable Clan. Too bad he had to go and commit suicide. To die in such a pathetic manner by his own spell… and he said I was a disappointment."
What?
"He was killed. He was attacked by the Fallen Angels when they tried to attack Suzaku-sama. He didn't die…"
"What? Who told you that farce? The thing is, all the members who tried to attack Shuri Himejima died due to the security arrangements of the buildings. The building was protected in a way that if the door was forcibly broken and the security was tipped, the entire building would be flooded by inflammable gas and guess what they did when it happened….?"
She found herself without any words….
"Hahahaha those idiots used Fire Spells in a building full of inflammable gas. Pathetic. Did the rest of the Clans and the Shinto cover it up? Yes. Maybe that is so. Or how would it look, the head of one of the Five Principal Clans dies by his own spell? You don't believe me do you? Think, if the Fallen had really killed them, would they be allowed to stay in the Clan? Would this abomination of a daughter of his be allowed to roam around with Clan? Would Shuri even be allowed to sit in that position? I have seen the video of his death myself. Sataneel was gracious enough to bring me closure by watching his last moments. But you don't need to worry. I won't kill you. The Himejima Clan as well as the rest of the Principal Clans will need fresh blood to revive. You might have been raised by those bastards but your blood is pure. You will be used…"
She felt the urge to vomit with each word he said but all this was stopped by a voice.
"Oi… can you move aside? This girl… she's my fiance." She heard a voice. The same voice which she had resented all these years. She looked up quickly only to see the flying head of the man who had kept her locked in this place.
The bindings tying her in place fell to the ground and the seal on her magic disappeared in the next instant.
She opened her mouth to thank him but all she could utter was…. "Why?"
"You are Shuri's family. If you die or… suffer, both she and Akeno will be sad. Not to mention, until she cancels our engagement, you are my fiance. I am fine with letting you go but till then, you are my responsibility."
She tried to say something but was stopped. "We don't have time to talk so just listen. Just reply in yes or no. Do you have any problems with Sacred Gears?"
She didn't understand the reason for this but shook her head.
"Good. Remember this answer. Now go out and meet with Lavinia and help her maintain the barrier to stop these people from running away. I will free them and bring them out. Understood?"
She nodded.
And he walked out the door, leaving her with mixed feelings.
- Natsume Minagawa -
She tried her best to break the ropes restraining her but could hardly exert any power. Her bond with Gryphon was silent as well.
She looked to the side to see Akeno and Shigune unconscious as the magicians prepared the ritual circle.
"Don't struggle. You are going to become much stronger than you could ever imagine. Too bad we didn't get the rest of the Four Fiends and the White Dragon Empress or your power would have been even more." Sataneel spoke as he checked the magic circle and walked away.
"I don't want this." She managed to spit out her words despite her wounds. The crazy bitch with the one who had attacked her with Holy Flames was the one who heard her words and merely rolled her eyes.
"Oh poor little princess is angry. So scary! Sensei, can I play with her a little please? Just a little bit?" She asked the old woman.
"Don't play with the experiments, Walburga." She replied, making the girl pout.
All of them were crazy. Every single one of them. She wished the Governor would find them missing and send help quickly.
Dammit. There were so many things she wanted to do before she died. She hadn't even had her first kiss yet.
She didn't want to die in a magical science experiment for a bunch of crazy terrorists.
Just as she was thinking about this, she saw one of the people who had attacked her return.
"You are late Hanezu. Where are the rest? Don't tell me you failed to win against a bunch of kids?" The witch, Augusta scoffed at the injured man before turning and concentrating on the work.
The man glared at her but didn't say anything as he walked behind her.
And then it happened.
All in a flash.
She was pretty sure that if she had blinked her eye, she would have missed everything.
One second, the man had been walking, the other, three heads around him flew in the air. Two magicians as well as Augusta were killed in an instant.
Black Wings emerged from behind the man as his face changed into one she had known for a while. "Azrael."
Golden Lightning flashed and she found her bindings opened.
"Take them and go out the backdoor. Lavinia and Shizuka are waiting there. I will keep them busy." He threw a vial of clear liquid at her and then started attacking.
This was probably the first time she had seen him fight and the scene made her fall into a daze.
As far as she knew, he was good at paperwork and massages and thus Lady Penemue kept him beside her but the power she was feeling from him right now… it was similar to what she felt from Baraqiel-sensei or even more.
The golden lightning… wasn't it holy lightning?
All barriers were pierced without being able to resist his attacks and the enemies were falling left and right till another figure with black wings rushed and clashed with him pushing him back.
"Natsume, leave."
She was broken from her daze and picked up both Shigune and Akeno as she called upon her Sacred Gear to help clear the way.
She took one last look at the guy, wrapped in golden lightning as he clashed with Sataneel without losing any ground before rushing out.
- Azrael -
I was pushed back to avoid the blow from the Demonic Sword Arondight. This fucking blade was not only a demonic sword but also had Dragon Slayer abilities not to mention Sataneel was a very skilled swordsman himself. My lightspear was only keeping up because of the holy lighting coursing through it.
"A ten winged Fallen Angel with Holy Lightning. I didn't know Baraqiel had another child. Then again, it's just like Azazel to keep a hand like this hidden to use. First that unknown Ten Winged Fallen Angel and now this. You dear Nephew just ruined a lot of work, do you know that?"
"Azazel has offered to take you back if you surrender right now. If you resist, I will not be responsible for whatever happens next."
"Hahahaha and who will stop me? You? Alone? From what I am sensing, they have already run away, leaving you behind while you are alone, surrounded by people crying for your blood. The area is already secured by barriers and you have nowhere to escape. You should be worrying more about yourself than me."
"Should I take it as you resisting?" I asked to confirm.
"Take it whichever way you want. It won't matter. You won't be leaving here alive. One of Baraqiel's children was going to die here today. It was the deal. I guess I will have to make do with you." He raised his sword in front of him.
I chuckled. "Good thing you resisted. I didn't want to lie to Azazel. You see, I am angry. Extremely angry. You touched the last thing you should have in this world. The last people who tried to touch it, Suoh Himejima and his lackeys don't even have full graves. As for me being alone, surrounded by the barriers? The only thing I am happy about this situation is that we are surrounded by these barriers. Now I can go all out without worrying about anyone." I brought out the Downfall Dragon Spear in front of me as two more wings popped out from behind my back. I saw his eyes widen but I didn't stop and I let my power roar.
"Balance Breaker!"
_x_x_
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Author's Note:
Another chapter of the Get Creative Snippet.
Azrael is mad and people are going to get chopped or fried or both.
Sataneel will feel the wrath of the Sex Angel.
Also, I actually did forget about the Dual Cultivation Skill because that's something which would be right at home in a world powered by perversion.
Azrael has started establishing his network and now we will see the Lelouch brain work behind that Lelouch face.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.