Rise Of The Immortal Black Dragon King

by SolPendragon

For earlier access join my Patreon for only 5 /Sol Pendragon Just change @ to a It's a story about a random guy getting transmigrated in High School DxD(AU) with a system. I mainly post on Patreon and WebNovel

30. Chapter 30

51. Blades and Beasts: Trials in the Forest.

Kouske's POV

It's been a few days since I told the Azusawas about the dungeon. They were clearly shocked that I had access to such a place. But it's definitely a place to hone one's skills. So, I just blamed everything on Vritra. It's all Vritra's fault, okay?

"Kid!"

I will just ignore Vritra's displeasure.

I have also started learning Senjutsu from them. I can't learn Youjutsu as it's exclusive to Youkais, but Senjutsu is different. As there have been cases of Senins being able to use Senjutsu, although rare. So, I am just trying to learn it. If it doesn't work, there's always a shortcut.

It seems to be able to use Senjutsu; one needs to have a calm and clear mind. So I was made to meditate and try to have a so-called 'Spiritual Awakening' by Aunt Arene. Do I have to be a monk, or what?!

Then I was told to try to detect nature energy, energy in everything around me. The grass, air, trees, birds, people, etc. Everything! I can detect them by using my Search ability which mainly detects magic or any other similar energy. But directly detecting nature is not its job. So I haven't made much progress at all.

I was even forced to learn different kinds of meditation like Yoga, Zen, and all. Apparently, there are various forms of meditation. But it's hard for someone like me to meditate. And being the host of an evil dragon also doesn't help. At least almost all of my negative tendencies are always mostly neutered by the system.

I'm currently in my Smithy. Despite my initial failure, I keep coming back. A bit of research revealed some basic mistakes I made while crafting that first knife.

Now, my focus lies on mastering the basics and gaining experience in blacksmithing. However, I realize the importance of seeking guidance from a skilled teacher soon; perhaps, the blacksmiths from Demon Slayer or Danmachi could be viable options.

Never mind. I begin by igniting a fire in the hearth using my Blaze Black Flare. Holding the iron with tongs, I gradually heat it until it reaches a malleable state. Directly controlling the firepower eliminates the need to manage the airflow.

Proceeding, I start hammering the heated metal into the shape of a knife on top of the anvil. The next step involves Quenching – a rapid cooling process by plunging the metal into water, oil, or other cooling substances. While this hardens the metal, it also has the potential to make it brittle, explaining my initial failure.

Initiating the Tempering process, I reheated the metal to a specific temperature and allowed it to cool more gradually. This crucial step reduces brittleness and enhances toughness in the final product.

Apparently, skilled blacksmiths can craft intricate designs and forms by employing repeated heating and shaping techniques.

Once everything was completed, I ended up with a decent knife. The final step was coating it. I began by properly polishing and grinding it. Then, I crafted a Bluing solution, usually a mix of nitric acid and other compounds. Submerging the knife in the solution, I covered it and gradually heated it, causing oxidation to form a protective black oxide layer that prevents rusting.

It had an ominous feel to it. So, I used Observe on it.

Unnamed Cursed Knife (F-): Crafted by a novice blacksmith using cursed flames, this seemingly ordinary knife carries the power to inflict curses. Stripped of its cursing ability, it aligns with the skill level of a novice's first foray into knife-making. Remarkably, this knife represents the novice's first success after previous failures. However, in comparison to someone else's initial attempt, it still falls short, which is quite pitiful.

Initially elated by the assigned rank, my joy waned upon realizing that, without its cursing ability, the knife itself still falls short compared to a novice's first attempt. This revelation left me momentarily speechless.

"Clarice, what's with the description? Are you making fun of me?" I inquired, my tone carrying contained rage.

[No? Why would you think that, silly? I am just like an operating AI for the system. The description comes from the system itself,] Clarice replies innocently, but I can't shake the feeling that she might be laughing behind my back!

The argument persisted for a while until Vritra intervened.

"Stop fighting like babies. You may suck at blacksmithing, but at least be happy about the progress. Now, shoo! Go show it to the others," Vritra chastised us softly. However, I couldn't help but think I heard a stifled laughter escaping from her.

Dejectedly, I entered the main house, clutching the knife in my hand. Despite everything, it marked my first success. So, there's nothing to be sad about, right? I should just stay positive.

*
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*

When I showed my knife to Lavinia and Sakuya, both genuinely congratulated me. Their warmth did wonders for my mood. Sakuya even asked if she could take the knife. Seeing no reason to refuse, I handed it over. [A/N: Suggest a name for it.]

"I will treasure it," came from a faintly smiling Sakuya, momentarily mesmerizing me. I couldn't help but wonder how beautiful she would look with a proper smile.

Clearing my mind of any unnecessary thoughts, I find myself inside the dungeon. The last encounter was unpleasant, so I'm extra vigilant about my surroundings.

Currently, I'm actually on the lookout for two specific monsters.

Foliage Wisp (Rank: E+): A floating orb of bioluminescent foliage, the Foliage Wisp lures creatures deeper into the forest with an enchanting glow. It can manipulate plant life, creating illusions to confuse intruders.

Briarback Entling (Rank: D-): Resembling a miniature version of an ancient ent, this creature is covered in tough, thorny vines. It can manipulate its surroundings, causing vines to spring up and create barriers for protection.

After searching for a while, one of my familiars, fighting separately on the other side, discovered a group of Foliage Wisps. I rushed to their location.

Upon finding them, I initiated the attack using Absorption Lines enflamed in Blaze Black Flare, accompanied by my other familiars. With this combined effort, we swiftly burned down most of the plants controlled by the Foliage Wisps. Noctis, utilizing his Shadow Swap ability, executed a hit-and-run tactic with a plethora of Shadow Knives, cutting down the remaining plants.

He seamlessly swapped places with or of the other familiars, creating a well-coordinated battle strategy. The continuous battles have fostered familiarity and cohesion among my familiars in combat.

After a prolonged battle, we successfully weakened them, and I applied taming to all six Foliage Wisps. As a result, I acquired their Plant Manipulation (E+) ability, which shares quite similar effects to Senjutsu. This newfound skill will undoubtedly aid me in learning and mastering Senjutsu.

Following their taming, I scattered the Foliage Wisps to allow them to engage in battles, gaining more power and acclimating to fighting alongside the others.

Spotting a Briarback Entling minding its own business, I took advantage of its unaware state and attacked it from behind. Utilizing Absorption Lines and Marionette Mastery, I continuously weakened and captured it. Through a sustained onslaught of attacks following the initial strike, we successfully subdued the Briarback Entling.

During my engrossment in the initial stealth attack, it turned out that someone else was being equally stealthy. A disgusting Ballboon attempted to sneakily attack me, but the foul odor gave away its presence. Fortunately, it was only a D- ranked one, and with the assistance of my familiars, I managed to defeat it without much trouble.

However, instead of killing it, I opted to use taming on both the Briarback Entling and the Ballboon. Consequently, I gained Vine Manipulation (D-) from the Briarback Entling and Foresight (D-) from the Ballboon. Additionally, this brought me to a D- rank in power level.

Kouske Miyamura
- Race: Human-Dragon Hybrid
- Age: 7 years
- Strength (Str): D-
- Endurance (End): D-
- Agility (Agi): D-
- Mana: D+
Skills:
- Summoning
- Taming
- Hypnosis (D)
- Body Transformation (D-)
- Teleportation (D)
- Memory Manipulation (D)
- Dark Curtain (D+)
- Senbonzakura
- Flash Step
- Cloud Steps
- Whirlwind Shield (E+)
- Skill Sharing (D+)
-Sense Sharing
- Mutated Sabnock Bloodline (A+)
- Metamorphic Mastery (B+)
- Ethereal Doppelgängers (B+)
- Demiplane (A+)
- Falna (C)
- Cognizance Nexus (D+)
-Time Magic (A)
-Gravity Manipulation (C)
-Search (D)
-Touki (C)
-Knife Throwing Technique (D-)
-Marionette Mastery (D-)
-Petrification (D-)
-Illusion Manipulation (D-)
-Vine Manipulation (D-)
-Foresight (D-)
-Plant Manipulation (E+)
Currently Shared Skills:
- Wind Manipulation (Hawks)
- Darkness Manipulation (Noctis)
- Ice Manipulation (Slime)
- Fire Manipulation (Slime)
- Water Manipulation (Slime)
- Earth Manipulation (Slime)
-Knife Throwing Technique (Sakuya)
-Marionette Mastery (Lavinia)
-Petrification (Mossveil Basilisk)
-Illusion Manipulation (Phantom Nymphs)
-Camouflage (Vorpal Viper Vines)
-Vine Manipulation (Briarback Entling)
-Foresight (Ballboon)
-Plant Manipulation (Foliage Wisp)
Items in Effect:
- Vritra's Sacred Gear (B+)
- Fountain of Youth (A)
-Condicarment (Bracelet) (C)
Items in Possession:
Boosted Gear (A)
Sacred Gear Extractor (A)
Resistance:
- Poison Resistance (D-)
Points: 745500
Overall Power: D-

Surveying the forest, I moved from one branch to another, attempting to get the hang of navigating through the towering trees. The forest was filled with colossal trees, and even their branches were substantial. Despite their size, these trees bore no fruits; they were sturdy throughout. Many branches were robust enough to withstand attacks from High-Class devils.

As I soared through the branches, a distant rumble echoed, accompanied by the ground shaking. Could earthquakes occur within dungeons?

The tremors were so intense that monsters in the forest scattered in disarray, their panicked screams echoing through the chaos. Enormous trees were effortlessly uprooted, and the earth ruptured, resembling the eruption of magma.

Leaping into the air, I took flight, and the sight that met my eyes left me astonished.

A colossal deer-like creature, adorned with at least six mountains on its back, traversed the forest. The immense size of the creature obscured the light, enveloping everything in darkness when it stood up. As it moved, accompanied by numerous monsters, the mere motion induced a profound impact.

The colossal deer-like creature briefly fixed its gaze upon me without any discernible emotion. It continued on its way, causing massive tremors and destruction. Although its gaze lacked curiosity or interest, the encounter left me terrified, sending shivers down my spine as the creature moved away.

I quickly used Observe on it.

The Sky Deer (B+): A colossal deer-like creature with numerous antlers covered in a dense forest on its back, possessing fourteen legs. It excels in aerial maneuvers and sky manipulation. The species can induce confusion and rapid decay in creatures within its forest using Time Manipulation ability. Sky Deer can create a space where hundreds of millions of years go by in a few seconds. The Sky Deer is known for its calm and gentle personality, but underneath it harbors a dangerous, unseen anger so great that even the fiercest animals within its forested mane strive to do everything in their power to keep The Sky Deer's sleeping rage dormant.

After half an hour, the Sky Deer stopped moving and submerged into the earth, leaving a humongous crater in its previous location. The tremors ceased as it settled.

"That was The Sky Deer, huh? It's terrifyingly humongous!" I said, visibly exhausted.

[As long as you don't disturb it, it won't cause you any harm. They are quite gentle creatures after all.] Clarice replied.

"Nn. But I wonder how big the Deer King would be. If just this thing goes into the outside world, it will cause chaos and panic in all the factions," I mused, sighing.
"Fufufu... Kid, get stronger faster so we can fight it quickly someday."

But for some reason, Vritra seemed oddly excited to see it.

After sighing for the umpteenth time, I left the dungeon for the day, feeling more mentally drained than physically exhausted.

52. Familial Bonds and a Shopping Spree.

Suzaku Himejima's POV

Living inside this place since childhood, I have been exposed to the supernatural way early on, as it is the main job of my family, the Himejima Clan.

As an ancient clan of Shinto mystics, the Himejima clan has stood in the shadows to serve the Shinto Gods and perform exorcisms against evil creatures to keep humans safe from their influence. As part of the Five Principal Clans who rule over the powers of the Sacred Beasts, the Himejima Clan is in possession of one known as the Vermilion Bird. The Himejima Clan has been blessed by the Shinto Gods, allowing its members to use the Fire Phase, one of the Five Elements.

But even though we are supposed to protect humans, we fail to protect our own family members, which is infinitely disheartening. According to ancient practices, those born without the blessings of the Shinto Gods or those who practice other arts are forced into exile.

I have witnessed countless members of my family being expelled. The current family head, my great-uncle Suou Himejima, is said to have exiled his own sister, my great-aunt simply because she practiced Buddhist Arts.

Even the one I looked up to, my aunt Shuri Himejima, who was supposed to inherit the sacred beast, has been exiled because she fell in love with a fallen angel. Witnessing all this pains me as my own family members hurt each other.

Despite being chosen as the next Suzaku, inheritor of the sacred beast Vermilion Bird, I am determined to go against my family's tradition and bring all of my family together. It has become one of my most desired wishes.

*
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I find myself in front of a shrine. This is the house of my aunt, Shuri Himejima. Even though she has been exiled, I have stayed in touch with her. She's honestly a lovable person.

When I get close to the courtyard, I find a small girl around the age of 8 sweeping the floor, adorned in a traditional Miko dress. I, myself, am also wearing one. She looks a lot like me. Well, everybody says that we both look a lot like her mother, my aunt. After all, we are cousins and sisters.

She's Akeno Himejima. Akeno-chan rushes over to me upon seeing me. She's honestly a good child.

"Nee-chan!" she says as she hugs me.

"How have you been, Akeno-chan?" I ask as I crouch down to her height.

"Fine. Why didn't you come for a while?" she asks with a small pout.

"Sorry for that, Akeno-chan. I will try to come more often," I reply as I gently stroke her hair.

To be honest, it has been harder and busier to keep up with my schedule as I am supposed to inherit the Sacred Beast in 2 years when I turn 15. So my lessons have become much harsher and more thorough, which leaves me with not so much spare time.

"Nn."

"Akeno-chan, please avoid bothering your elder sister; she's already quite busy as it is," a gentle voice from behind softly scolds Akeno-chan.

"I'm sorry, Okaa-sama," Akeno-chan says, her tone filled with dejection.

"It's okay, Oba-sama. She's not troubling at all," I reply as I look behind to find her standing, also in a traditional Miko dress.

"But aren't you quite busy around this time? It's already nearing time for the ritual," Oba-sama remarks.

"It's okay. I always have time for family," I reply, earning a smile from her.

"Now, let's go inside. The winter wind is very cold. And Akeno, how many times have I told you not to come outside around this time of the day? You will get sick!" Oba-sama looks displeased.

"Sorry," Akeno-chan meekly replies.

After that, we all enter the house. Inside, I find a middle-aged, gruff-looking man with black hair, a matching beard, and a muscular body. He's Akeno-chan's father, a Cadre Class fallen angel, Baraqiel.

"Greetings, Uncle," I say with a polite bow.

"Hmm," he replies shortly. He isn't one to talk much.

But I noticed Obaa-sama sending a glare towards him, compelling him to reply properly. It's always amusing, no matter how many times I see this strong-looking man easily frightened by his wife. Yet, it actually reveals their love, even in this humorous way.

"Hello. How have you been?" asked Uncle.

"I have been fine. Thank you," I replied, trying to stifle my laughter.

After that, he seemed to head towards the bathroom with some plumbing equipment in hand. I've always seen him doing mostly all the miscellaneous jobs in the house. I guess living for so long gives people all kinds of experience and makes them skilled in various fields.

Only the three of us were left behind. I conversed with Obaa-sama as I played with Akeno-chan. After a while, Obaa-sama seemed to want to say something.

"Suzaku, let's test if Akeno-chan is compatible with the blessings and abilities of the Himejima Clan," says Obaa-sama with an unusually serious face.

"Okay."

Akeno-chan was a bit confused, but after that, we proceeded to test out all her compatibilities. Fortunately, she was compatible with all the blessings and abilities of the Himejima Clan. However, for some reason, Obaa-sama looked sad. It felt like she wanted to say something more to me but refrained from doing so. She must be feeling sad that despite Akeno-chan's compatibility, she will not be accepted into the family, I guessed.

"Oba-sama, I will make sure that in the future, you all are accepted back into the family again," I declared with a determined look on my face.

For a moment, she looked surprised, but then she just smiled and hugged me tightly. I returned the gesture.

"Suzaku, you are kind—a child kinder than anyone in the Himejima Clan. Regardless of what suffering may happen, even if your dreams have changed, that kind and gentle heart alone will never change," Oba-sama said.

The words brought happiness, but for some reason, they felt ominous, like a foreboding of something. At that time, I still couldn't foresee what might happen in the future.

*
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Kouske's POV

Currently, I'm at a mall with Saki, Rin, Lavinia, and Sakuya. Saki had suggested this shopping trip, not just for herself but also for Lavinia. She even got Sakuya to join us. Rin has been with us since the start, as usual. I ended up joining their shopping spree even though I had initially decided not to come to the mall with the girls.

Saki is leading us around the mall, going from toy stores to restaurants, and even browsing through clothing and jewelry shops. She's quite the shopaholic, even buying jewelry. Rich kids, huh?

Well, at least I'm not the one burdened with the mountain of shopping bags this time. Saki has servants scurrying around with those bags for her. Oh, it seems someone just dropped a bag. Fortunately, she didn't act like a typical brat and yell at him.

"David-san, are you alright?" asks Saki.

The now-named David-san quickly gets up and replies, "I am fine, Ojou-sama."

"Umm... Am I shopping too much?" asked a slightly concerned Saki as she looked at the mountain of shopping bags in his hands.

"No, no, Ojou-sama. I just tripped a bit. You don't have to worry. Just have fun like you always do," says David-san with a smile.

"Nn!" Saki regains her enthusiasm and starts doing her things again.

It seems they spoil her quite a bit. But at least they are loyal and care for her genuinely, it seems. When Saki turned around to enter another shop, all the servants could only sigh. It's already been one and a half hours since we came here. I also want to get out, but all of them look so happy that I didn't say anything. Shopping with girls can be quite scary!
"Sakuya, don't you need to buy some more?" I ask her, noticing she only bought a single outgoing dress and three sets of maid's dresses. The outgoing one was only purchased because Lavinia forced her to.

"Thank you for your concern, Kouske-sama, but I've already bought plenty," she replies, lifting her bags to show me.

"I meant for more normal everyday clothes."

"You don't have to worry. I have enough of them. Though I could use some spare undergarments," Sakuya says, the last bit just a mumble to herself, though.

Hearing her mention of undergarments sparks some healthy delusions in my mind.

"Kouske-sama?! What happened? Your nose is bleeding!" asked a concerned Sakuya.

Thank God we were behind everyone, and nobody saw this. Well, considering God's dead, there's no need to thank him. I take it back.

"It's fine. Don't worry. It's just proof of being a healthy young man," I replied, which caused her to be confused.

I quickly wiped the blood myself with the tissue she brought out to help me clean it.

"I'll go to the bathroom to clean up properly," I say as I turn towards that area.

Before going, I notice one of the servants talking to Sakuya while pointing at me. She'll handle it properly, I believe.

I rinsed off the blood with clean water, but the uncomfortable part was hearing someone take a huge dump in one of the toilets.
Sometimes, having supernatural hearing backfires.

I hastily exit the toilet, but shortly after taking only a few steps, I begin to hear the sound of a child crying in the corner. With no one else around, I became concerned and decided to follow the voice to see what happened.

When I arrived, I saw a small girl crying with her hands rubbing her eyes.

"Oniii-chaan! Onii-chaan!"

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked.

Seeing me, she stopped shouting for a bit, but the tears falling from her eyes didn't stop.

"Are you lost? Where is your mother?" I asked.

"Onii-chaan!" She just started calling her brother again as she cried.

*sigh*

"Calm down. I will take you to your brother. Just tell me about him," I said.

"You... will?

"Yes. Where did you get separated from your brother?" I asked.

"We were...hic...shopping for my clothes...hic...but onii-chan ran off alone...hic..so I followed him...but I got separated in the crowd," she said while crying in between her sentences.

"Okay. Then let's go to the children's store section first," I said while giving her my hands to stand up.

She stared at me for a bit, then took my hands and stood up. I used this moment to use Memory Manipulation on her to get the pictures, names of her family, and where she was before.

I used Search to scan the area to see if I could find anyone from her family as I talked to the girl to calm her down a bit.

"So, what's your name?" I asked.

"Kotegawa.. Yui," she replied.

"Your brother's?"

"Umm... Kotegawa Yuu."

"Pretty close names."

I kept talking to her as I scanned the area. After a while, I found them around the area where she got lost. She seems to be from Issei's school.

"Kokegawa-san. Just walk straight ahead. You will see your family."

"Nn?"

"Walk straight up there." I showed her a path.

"Kotegawa..." (mumbling)

"What?"

"My name's KOTEGAWA! Not Kokegawa!" [A/N: Koke means fool.]

"Oh, okay," I said to her as she left. I did hear a small thank you from her, though.

I saw her reunited with her family. She was pointing this way to her parents, but I quickly started heading back to the shop Saki had entered.

After meeting with her, everyone continued their shopping for a while and had lunch in a fine restaurant. After only that, we all went home. I have come to realize that I hate shopping. PERIOD!

53. Threads of Love and Convictions.

Nakagami's POV

"Father!"

"At least, hear me out."

Father doesn't even want to talk properly. He didn't even consider it once when I talked about cooperating with Satanael. He's just too stubborn, and like the rest of the Five Principal Clans, doesn't like the other mythologies.

"No! Are you even listening to yourself? Seeking help from those crows is unacceptable!"

"Do you know how the other Clans would react if they came to know about this?"

"They would mock us!"

"But this might be our only chance to find a solution for Momiji-chan."

"There's no other choice. She will just remain in the Dome," said Father.

"But."

"No buts. We are done talking. Leave! I am busy as it is."

"And do not make the same mistake of being in cahoots with those crows again," said Father as he left.

I was left behind in the room to think alone for myself.

"If he doesn't agree, I might have to take some drastic measures!" (mumbling)

"Umm. Nii-san, is everything okay?"

After a while, I heard someone's voice and turned back.

"Ryuuta? Yeah. Everything's okay."

"But there was so much shouting that I could hear it from the outside."

"Don't worry. It happens sometimes," I replied.

"How have you been?" I asked.

"Fine."

"Have you met Momiji-chan recently by any chance?" I asked.

"Nn."

"How is she doing?"

"Bored. She was also complaining about you not meeting her for a while."

"I was busy. Take care of her and try to give her some time."

"Nn."

"Good. Don't you also have lessons to attend to?" I asked.

"Ugh!" but Ryuuta just made a painful expression.

"Relax. Even I also didn't like attending those when I was your age. But it gets better with time," I replied as I gently patted his head.

"Nn."

"Now go."

After he left, I was left alone to think for myself again. This might be one of my biggest mistakes... Or the wisest choices.

*
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Kouske's POV

I was sitting leisurely on the couch as I watched TV when the doorbell suddenly rang. Sakuya opened the door to find the old Granny next door.

"Hello," says Sakuya.

"Hello. How are you, sweety?" asks the Granny.

"I am been fine. Thank you."

They were having a bit of a conversation. Then Sakuya invited her in.

"Granny, how have you been? Sit here, please," I asked her, beckoning her to sit on the sofa.

"As fine as these old bones can be, dear," she laughs a bit.

"How thoughtful of you. Here, have these cookies," says the Granny.

Apparently, she had freshly baked cookies and pies and came to give us some. So, Sakuya invited her in to have a meal with us.

"Thanks. It's delicious," I say as I bite into one.

She brought Rurune with her. This dog is highly intelligent and strange. I mean, I never saw such a unique breed of dog. It has red patterns all over its body. Though, it could just be me who hasn't seen such a breed before.

But I still used Observe on it previously. The revelation was not something I had expected.

She's a seven-year-old Cerberus. But she always acts like a normal dog and plays with us. Well, she's still just a child. But for some reason, she's really attached to me and Rin. Even now, she's sleeping on my lap.

"Well, obviously she's a Cerberus. Did you not feel her magic?" says Vritra as if I were an idiot and starts giving me info on Cerberuses.

"Granny!" Lavinia comes in and hugs her.

Lavinia has been close with this Granny as she lives just right in front of us.

"Oh, Lavinia-chan. You should not jump so hard on me. These old bones might not be able to handle it someday. Ha ha ha," says Granny as she laughs it off.

"Sorry..." replies Lavinia meekly.

"Don't worry, sweety. It's okay. Just be more mindful of my age next time," says Granny as she hugs her back.

"Nn."

Sakuya brings in the sliced pieces of pie on small plates and serves it all to us.

The pie was delicious. Lavinia is playing with Rurune while Granny forced her way into the kitchen to help Sakuya, even though she had told her to rest.

I got a message from Yama-san, the leader of the gangsters, saying he remembered someone from Italy who had reacted to the device when they were searching for Lavinia and even confirmed that person's current status.

It's been a full year since Lavinia moved in. I guess she could also visit her parents' house. I had already solved all the problems and paperwork regarding her properties in Italy and her citizenship in Japan. Same for Sakuya. We could all go on a family tour in Italy.

After that, I had lunch with everyone. We had Donburi. A hot bowl of rice with gyudon (beef) and tempura as toppings is always appreciated. But it is a bit too rich to have it every day.

I left to meet Yama-san as everyone else was chatting with each other.

*
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Rangiku's POV

I have been noticing for quite a few days that Cleria has been more and more absent-minded after her meeting with Akatsuki. She would occasionally blank out and stare into the air for nothing, wasting her time like that. We would have to call her multiple times to get her attention. But it looks like she herself hasn't fully comprehended her situation yet.

So, I brought her out to a park for a change, to have a heart-to-heart conversation. As her Queen, it's my job to get her back on track so that the others do not panic.

"So, what was the reason you forced me to come here so suddenly? I still have so much paperwork to complete, you know," says a slightly angry Cleria.

"Relax a bit, will you? You will get sick if you work all day."

"Ughh.."

"It's great weather, right? Try to enjoy it."

I say as today was particularly a good day. The clouds were clear and the winter wind was calm, creating a harmonious environment.

I could see children playing in the distance as their mothers were standing close to them. Mothers, huh? Suddenly, I myself felt a bit sad, and a few droplets of tears fell from the corner of one of my eyes.

"What happened?" Cleria asked, clearly concerned, but I laughed it off.

"Nothing. I am fine. We are here to talk about you, not me," I replied.

"About me? What exactly?" Cleria asked incredulously.

"Do you think it would escape my eyes?" I said with a slight grin.

"What exactly are you on about?" Cleria says, clearly confused.

*sigh*

It looks like this naive friend of mine is really stupid and too innocent for her own good.

"Cleria, you have obviously been acting strange for a while. Have you no self-awareness at all?"

"Strange? How?!"

"You seem to be so absorbed in thinking sometimes. What goes on in that head of yours?"

At my question, her face turns a hint of red as she thinks of something.

"Nothing. I was probably just tired."

"See, even your face is red. And being tired is all the more reason you should take more rest," I said as if rectifying her with a slight hint of anger.

This girl just works too hard. Maybe it runs in the family.

"Uggh.."

"You know, your strange behavior has been more apparent since you met with Akatsuki."

"What?! W-why are you suddenly bringing him into this?" she says with an apparent blush on her face.

"You might have been very calm and collected while speaking with him, but your nervousness was apparent to us, you know. We have known you for decades. Maybe only the kids couldn't tell."

"Well, sometimes, meeting someone for the first time... second time can be quite nerve-wracking, especially if that someone is as powerful as him," she says, trying to deflect the question.

"No, girl. You were just crushing on him. He's handsome and powerful on top of that. And female devils are attracted to power. So it's not that strange to have a little crush on him when he even saved our lives."

I laid it all out for her; otherwise, this overly innocent girl might not even understand it herself and just keep denying it, thus hurting herself.

I sometimes wonder if she was actually meant to be a nun but was accidentally born as a devil. Maybe she would have had an innocent love story going on with a priest or even an exorcist. I laugh a bit at my own thoughts.

Hearing my words made her face a deeper shade of red, as I could literally see steam coming out of her head.

"N-no. W-What are you even saying? That's impossible?"

She says while stuttering a bit, but was the last sentence asked to me or herself? I wonder.

"Why is it impossible? Just admit that you have a crush on him. Does your heart beat faster when you think of him? Does your head get hazy and full of spring? Does your face warm up when you think of him? Do you enjoy thinking about him?..." I kept urging her, as I know things like this should be said upfront with someone like her.

"I-I-I..." suddenly she falls on top of me.

Oh, she malfunctioned. Well, let's try again when she wakes up. I gently stroke her head as I look at the children playing, with a smile on my face. Having your own children and family... sounds nice.

*
*
*

Serafall's POV

"Hnnggh!"

I stretch my arms upward to ease my muscles. It's really bad news doing paperwork nonstop. I never signed up for this!

*sigh*

I let out a long sigh as I recall the past few times I have met So-tan's new friends, especially Kouske. He's suspicious. But I didn't feel any ill intention towards So-tan. However, he is definitely hiding something.

His mana level was unusually high for a human child. He was trying to hide it, but I could gauge his power. At first, I thought he might have been an adult magician faking his age. Upon investigation, he came clean about everything except for his mother's full identity. However, he acts unusually mature for his age. Is he perhaps a reincarnation of someone? Otherwise, how could we explain his unusually high power? Or is he just that talented?

There have been many cases where heroes of the past have reincarnated with all or partial memories of themselves from before. I will have to keep a watch on him to find out if he's dangerous for So-tan or not. If he's not, then he could become a valuable asset for So-tan. But if he's dangerous... I will personally eliminate him.

I unintentionally let my power run amok. The sudden spike creates cracks in the room.

*knock* *knock*

The sudden knocking brings me out of my thought process.

"Come in!" I say.

A uniform-clad girl with pink hair enters with a report, but from the look on her face, she is very nervous.

"What is it?" I say, trying to ease her, but I have a bad feeling about this report.

"Leviathan-sama, one of the heirs tried to kidnap an extinct sea creature from God Poseidon's territory, and he is furious. He has held the heir as a prisoner," says the girl nervously.

Just hearing that brings my mood down as my eyebrows twitch in anger. Can't these entitled heirs control themselves for a damn second?!

"Who?" I ask as I feel a headache coming later on.

"U-uh! It's Gragg Forneus from the Forneus Clan," she replies.

That damn troublemaker! It's not even the first time he has caused problems. Maybe I should let him stay in Poseidon's prison for a bit. It would serve as a reminder. And how did he come up with the brilliant idea of trying to steal from Poseidon with his meager power?!

"U-um, Leviathan-sama?"

"What?"

"There's going to be a meeting with the elders of the council. You also need to be there," she says meekly.

*sigh*

"Fine. I will be there."

*
*
*

The meeting was a disaster! How could those old coots even suggest we ask Poseidon to reimburse us when we were the ones who infiltrated his territory to steal?

*sigh*

These fools! They really like to stay behind and just act all high. I bet none of them would even be able to speak up in front of Poseidon.

*sigh*

I sigh for the umpteenth time. I hate being in charge of Foreign Affairs. I will have to deal with Poseidon properly so that it doesn't lead to any more trouble.

Damn, that fish-like monster! He should be banned from going to the sea! Last time, he tried to take over the oceanic territory of a minor God, proclaiming himself to be a pirate!

*sigh*

This won't end so easily. I also don't like interacting with that old pervert!

"I want to see my So-tan!" I say this as (imaginary) tears fall from my eyes.

54. Plans in the Darkness: Schemes Unveiled in the Shadows of Grigori.

Grigori

Omniscient POV

In a room on the furthest corner of Grigori, a man with the appearance of a tall, pale figure emerges. He possesses long black hair, narrow blood-red eyes, and elf-like ears. He is Kokabiel, one of the Cadres and Co-founders of Grigori. What sets him apart from other Fallen Angels are his five pairs of jet-black wings. He wears a black robe with detailed accessories and purple shoulder pads with gold streaks on the side.

Before him whimpers and bows a two-winged fallen angel who has one of his hands cut off, blood dripping from it, as Kokabiel growls in anger.

"You useless, pathetic little shit. Can't even do one thing right," growls Kokabiel.

"Please Kokabiel-sama. Give me one more chance. I will make it right this time!" says the injured fallen angel as he holds onto Kokabiel's feet, begging for mercy.

"Disgusting worm! Let go of my feet!" says Kokabiel as he kicks the face of the fallen angel, who falls to the ground, bleeding from the broken mouth.

After that, Kokabiel continues to kick him, creating cracking noises that make the fallen groan in pain. Even the other subordinates in the corner whimper in fear.

"I had already given you one last chance when I provided you with that Orb and the information on that Cluster. You had just one job, but you still failed. Do you know Azazel could have tracked it back to me if I was not cautious enough? I never had any hopes for those bat monsters. But they couldn't even take out even one of those filthy devils or the sacred gear holders in that town! And they even had the delusion that I would give them freedom!" says Kokabiel vehemently.

"Please, just one more—" the fallen angel tried to plead, but he was cut off as Kokabiel severed his head with his yellow-colored light magic.

"Clean this mess," says Kokabiel to one of his subordinates, who is scared shitless in one of the corners of the room.

"Y-yes!"

While they were cleaning the mess, one of the confident-looking eight-winged fallen angels came to the front and made a report.

"What is it, Gadreel?" asked Kokabiel.

"Kokabiel-sama. One of our spies working for Satanael just sent a message. It seems Satanael has found the identity of the holder of the Longinus- Telos Karma. He plans to meet with the wielder this Friday, and he plans to use one of his mock laboratories outside Grigori for this meeting," says Gadreel.

Hearing him, a wicked smile forms on Kokabiel's mouth.

"Give me his location when the meeting happens. Getting hold of a holder of History Breaker is a big deal. None of the factions have ever managed to find them before because of the powers of that stupid gear! I will definitely get my hands on it," says Kokabiel.

"Yes!"

*
*
*

In the deepest part of Grigori in a secret lab only known to a select few trusted people in Grigori, Azazel vehemently works on recreating his Father's work.

During his time in heaven, he had the privilege of seeing his Father's work on making the Sacred Gears up close, more so than any of his siblings. He was enamored with the idea of creating his own Sacred Gears.

Thus, he chose retreat and peace over the long wars that plagued the supernatural in the past. But even though he wanted nothing more than to just do research about Sacred Gears in peace in his laboratory, his job as the leader of his own faction proved to be difficult.

Just a few days ago, he had a meeting with Serafall, detailing an attack on one of the devil territories and a family member of the Rating Game Champion. It seems someone from his own faction was involved in the attack, as their specially made products were used to maintain communication and give orders to the Cluster.

Normally, he can easily find out about the one who's behind this by using the unique identification code magically inscribed on the Orb, letting him find out who had this registered under whose name. This is only known to a select few people, and the majority of his faction members do not know it, as it helps them easily find traitors who think they are too smart for their own good and use their own products to spy on them.

But when he checked the Orb, everything was erased, as it seemed the person behind this knew about this safety measure, which makes this all the more awful as it could be one of the core members of Grigori. He didn't let his surprise show on his face, and he didn't tell Serafall about any of this.

But it still makes him worry that some core members of his organization are still trying to cause so much trouble. This was the reason he put some surveillance on the people he suspected, with Kokabiel being the major suspect showing some irregular movements with his war-mongering personality.

*sigh*

"I wish I could just work on my projects without all these troubles. And we still haven't found out anything about the Sacred Gear Thief!" laments Azazel.

*sigh*

Then he hears the door of his laboratory being opened. Inside comes a woman with strong-looking eyes who has long purple hair and large breasts. She is Penemue, sometimes known as Benemune in human history, the Chief Secretary of Grigori.

Azazel still thinks she should refer to herself as Benemune, but she doesn't like being called that. The last time Azazel called her that she tried to snap off his precious dick! Since then, he has never once made the same mistake!

[A/N: 'mune' means breast in Japanese.]

"Azazel! Why are there so many inconceivable funds stated in the budget? And what happened to the fund for one of our subordinate companies in Iraq?" asked Penemue with a frightening look on her face.

"Ha ha ha! Doesn't it say precisely in that list?" replies Azazel with a frightened look on his face as he laughs awkwardly.

"It only says for 'research purposes'. Nothing else. What did you do with that?" asks Penemue.

"Just like it says. It was used for research purposes. You can just ask Sahariel (Researcher of the Moon) or the research department about this," replies Azazel.

"I just did. But they don't know anything about this," says Penemue.

"And what happened to the fund for the company in Iraq?" asks Penemue.

"Shouldn't you ask Tamiel since he's the Head of the Business Department?" says Azazel innocently.

"I also asked him. But he also doesn't have any clue about the fund," replies Penemue, trying to contain her anger.

"Someone must be embezzling the money! You should probably look more into it. It's your job, I guess. I think I have an urgent appointment right now. So I will leave. See you later," says Azazel as he quickly conjures a teleportation magic circle and leaves.

"Azazel! Stop! Did you again invest that money in one of your sacred gear projects? Come back, you fool!" Penemue yells as Azazel flees.

"What happened?" asks someone with the appearance of a handsome man in his twenties, with silver-white hair and purple eyes. His outfit consists of a purple beret hat, a purple trench coat over a black vest, white pants, and black boots, with ten jet-black wings. He is Shemhazai, Vice Governor of Grigori.

*sigh*

"Azazel again used assets reserved for other purposes for some of his sacred gear projects and ran away. AGAIN!" says Penemue.

"How many times does this make it?" laments Shemhazai.

*sigh*

They both sigh for the umpteenth time, seeing their leader's behavior.

"Don't worry. I will make him work on all the paperwork that he tried to hand off to me when he comes back. I will personally make sure he completes the paperwork for the last six months," says Shemhazai.

Azazel suddenly feels a chill run down his spine for some reason, as he is hung up on who to pick to sleep with today in one of the brothels he frequents. He still hadn't had the idea just how busy he would be in the upcoming days.

*
*
*

Kouske's POV

"So, let me get this straight. You forgot to tell me about the spirit summoning slot I get when my power increases—that too two times in a row?!" I ask Clarice while reeling in my anger.

[No?! Why would you think that? I was just... simply waiting for it to stack on. Yeah! That's right. I simply planned so that it can stack up, and you can summon a stronger spirit!] says Clarice, at first a bit nervous but then changing to a haughty and prideful tone.

That's not really convincing at all!

"Really? Are you sure you hadn't just forgotten to tell me?" I ask.

[Haha! If you used it when you were just at E~ rank, then the spirit would have at most been at E+ rank. But now you can just summon a spirit who is at most C+ rank, right? No problems at all!] says Clarice.

"But I could have summoned two spirits, right? I could have leveled up the previous one and then summoned another stronger one!" I say as my eyebrows twitch in anger.

"Zip it, kid. You had forgotten too. Just start the summoning," says Vritra.

*sigh*

What's done is done.

"What kind of spirit can I summon?" I ask.

[Fire spirit. But remember, high-class spirits have a deeper, more developed personality, and it's not always easy to make contracts with them, unlike with low-class spirits,] says Clarice.

I nod as I start the summoning. The same familiar blue magic circle lights up, illuminating the surroundings.

After a few moments, a phoenix appears! A literal phoenix! But it had deep yellow eyes, and the right side of itself was engulfed in hot red flames, while the other side emitted a cold blue aura, making itself divided into two colors. In fact, it was beautiful!

It was clear from the aura it emitted that it had the power level of a high-class being, at the very least. Still, I used Observe on it.

Krystelle Emberfaust
- Race: Frostfire Phoenix
- Age: 15 years
- Strength: D
- Endurance: C-
- Agility: C-
- Mana: C-
- Skills: Frosfire Fusion (C-), Immortality (C-)
- Overall Rank: C-

"Are you the one who summoned me?" asked the phoenix with a beautiful voice, carrying a noble tone.

"Yes! I am Kouske Miyamura. And I would like to form a contract with you." I replied.

"Ho? But a noble phoenix such as me will never enter into a contract with someone weak. I am Krystelle Emberfaust, from one of the noblest lineages in the Spirit Realm. Prove your strength to me. If you can defeat me, I will form a contract with you," said the phoenix haughtily.

55 Phoenix's Challenge: Proving Strength for a Noble Contract. Immortality vs Immortality.

Kouske's POV

"Sure! Then we will fight when the coin drops on the floor," I said as I flipped a coin.

We were already in the slime dungeon, so there was no need to worry about anything. It might be a tough fight as she's Ultimate Class while I am only High Class in power. But unlike the time with the disgusting monkey, I am far stronger than that time.

When the coin touched the ground, she was already standing in front of me, leaving behind a gust of wind in a straight line from where she was before. This was not surprising at all, as I have come to realize just how fast Ultimate Class beings can be after my fight with the monkey. I might not be able to keep up with her speed.

"Did that scare you a bit?" she said with a smirk(?) on her face.

Swiftly retreating, I increased the distance and unleashed Senbonzakura. The petals emitted a crisp sound, burning upon contact. They gathered, forming a swirling hurricane, rushing towards her.

Without attempting to dodge, she confronted it headfirst, employing her Frostfire Fusion skill. A cold, blue fire emerged, freezing the entire hurricane. Every flaming petal became encased in a blue fire, devouring my own. Damn! The contrast was striking!

"Were those blazing flower petals? At least they looked aesthetic," she commented.

Undeterred, I leaped in front of her with my Night Sky Blade in hand. Employing cloud steps to move unpredictably, I aimed to confuse her as I steadily closed the distance.

I slashed at her with my blade, but she formed a blue-blazing sword, blocking my attack. Her sword started freezing mine.

"You know, I might be a phoenix, but I do not like to get hurt unnecessarily," she remarked calmly.

At that moment, multiple swords and lances, enchanted with a pain multiplier, along with a paralyzer coated in my cursed flames, materialized behind her. They struck her unguarded back, and she wore a shocked and pained expression as she caught sight of me smirking.

"Aaarghh!"

Swiftly dodging the others, she kicked me away. However, the relentless pursuit of swords and lances continued, and she felt the gravitational force pulling her toward the ground. Despite the pressure, she stood tall, resisting being pushed down. The ones already in her body pushed even deeper, rotating and boring several holes, eliciting groans of severe pain as her flesh and blood made a scene of gore.

"Uggh!"

Quickly extracting the weapons, her heavy wounds rapidly healed. Creating icy blades enveloped in blue flames, she struck them towards me almost instantly, hitting my chest. With unconcealed fury in her eyes, she replicated what I did to her. The blades bored holes in my body as they rotated, but she aimed at non-lethal parts, mainly targeting my limbs, probably not to kill me.

Trapped in an icy flame encasing my whole body, I couldn't even react to her attack. Only my head remained outside the frozen inferno, and I experienced a strange sensation—a mix of fire burns and ice burns, far more intense than either alone. The pain was overwhelming, and I groaned, futilely attempting to escape the relentless grip of the icy flames.

"You really have no delicacy, huh? Doing such horrible things to a young lady such as me isn't cool at all," she said with unconcealed contempt.

Referring to herself as a young and beautiful lady seemed a bit strange, considering her current form as a burning and icy phoenix. It would have been more convincing if she had taken a humanoid form, if she even had any.

"Did you just think of something rude about me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, and I felt the intensity of her flame(?), ice(?) becoming even stronger!

"N-no! Nothing at all!" I replied, sweatdropping.

Damn! Women and their intuitions!

*sigh*

"Just surrender now. The fight is already over. You might die if you don't get treated soon. I might not form a contract with you, but I will at least heal you before leaving, considering you managed to summon me from the spirit realm, relieving my boredom," she replied haughtily once again.

Surprised, she looked at me, noticing there were no wounds on my body.
"Wh-what!? Where are your wounds? I definitely saw you taking heavy damage from my attacks! How did they heal so quickly? I didn't even see you using anything," she exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"I am also immortal, you know. I can still keep going. So the fight is not over yet," I replied, smirking and surprising her.

Suddenly, many weapons with the same pain multiplier and paralyzer, encased in my cursed flames, emerged. As she tried to quickly dodge, I had already trapped her feet into the ground with Earth Manipulation and used vines to hold her in place. Simultaneously, I employed Gravity Manipulation, pulling her hard into the ground. She fought to stand still, resisting the force that threatened to make her half-crouched as she struggled not to fall flat on the ground.

"And I can still use magic even in this state!" I declared, launching an attack towards her.

"Uggh!"

My weapons attacked her, and I also unleashed numerous elemental magics, causing her severe pain. After a while, she brute-forced her way out of it all and ascended into the sky. Despite attempting to maneuver strategically from the sky, the paralyzer and my Gravity Manipulation continued to affect her.

Parts of her body went numb, and although her immortality fought against it, the process of returning to normal took time, especially with my cursed flames encasing her. She relentlessly attacked me while I remained trapped.

Throughout, I struggled to break free, utilizing Absorption Lines alongside the cursive nature of my flames. But as they were being devoured by her Frostfire, it significantly slowed down the process.

After enduring a barrage of attacks and using my own magics and fire, I broke free from the bind. We engaged in a relentless exchange of magics, heating the ground, and transforming it into magma as our powers clashed. She attacked from the sky while I retaliated from the ground. The clash devastated the surroundings, but hers proved several times stronger, overpowering my assault. The attack enveloped me, and many parts of my body disintegrated in the process.

Seizing the moment, I attacked her unguarded back with my weapons as the magic subsided. My body fully regenerated, as if there had never been any damage at all. Similarly, she was also in perfect shape, having regenerated from the previous onslaught.

Fighting people with immortality does seem like a pain. While my cursed flames could potentially damage the souls of those with only body regeneration, she proved far stronger than me, making it less effective. Unlike the fake phoenixes from the Phenex Clan, she appeared to possess even some level of soul-regenerating powers. Otherwise, my cursed flames would have severely weakened her soul by now. I also noticed a scowl on her face, realizing that my own regeneration was also a challenge, allowing me to bounce back from any harm as if nothing happened.

"Are you really human?! How come you have such strong regeneration? What is this power?" she asked, tension evident in her voice.

In response, I launched another attack, and the cycle repeated. The landscape had transformed entirely, erasing the lush greenery and the scared little slimes that once hid. Now, only a scorching, hot magma-filled landscape remained, emanating coldness from certain parts. As the fight continued, her movements slowed down due to the constant barrage of paralyzer weapons, while I felt my mana depleting. Between us, I clearly had the lower mana level, creating a challenging situation. She recognized this, and though I wouldn't die even without mana, the pain with each attack became increasingly severe and really painful.

Finally, I employed Time Magic, as ashen-colored spheres with spiraling rings inscribed with ancient runes appeared, freezing her in time with my Chronos Lock spell. I sighed in relief. The fight had been exhilarating, but there was no need to kill each other, especially considering the devastation we had caused. Our clash had obliterated the entire forest and the adjacent riverbed. This was the longest and hardest I have ever fought.

Was this the power of Ultimate Class beings? Yet, even Satan Class beings, stronger as they are, become mere mobs later in the series.

Obviously, I couldn't find any of the terrified slimes, having heard their screams at some point during the fight. Unfortunately, those poor creatures must have disintegrated fully. At least those in the distant area and underground/underwater are safe. Their numbers will be refilled eventually, and the place will return to normal. I shrugged it off, but we needed to stop the fight.
I stepped in front of her and unsealed her from my Chronos Lock spell. A surprised expression crossed her face as she suddenly saw me in front of her, ready to launch an attack. However, I lifted both my hands to show my unwillingness to fight, and she halted her impending attack.

"What?!" she asks, confused.

"I think we've caused enough destruction, don't you?" I responded, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Let's just stop. We have been fighting for hours and it's not getting us anywhere."

"Why?! I was on the verge of winning," she exclaimed.

"No! You weren't!" I responded.

*sigh*

"Let's just call it a draw and leave it at that. We have been at it for hours. We don't have to kill each other," I suggested.

She appeared inclined to complain but eventually complied.

"OK," she relented.

"I will also form a contract with you. You seem interesting enough," she replied.

I was a bit surprised. I thought I would have to coax her more.

"Then, let's initiate the contract," I said as the familiar blue magic circle lit up, and we established a 50-50 contract.

Then, I explained a bit about my power—how each of us could gain one of our abilities and its additional functions, such as telepathy and location tracking.

"Oh? You really are unusual. Well, let's save this for another time. I'll head back for today and inform my parents. Goodbye."

She mentioned this as she teleported back to the spirit realm, where all my spirit contracts are supposed to originate. Even Hawks is from that realm and resides there.

"W-wait!" I exclaimed, but she was already gone.

*sigh*

Well, she's still a teenager, judging by her age in human terms, and she must have just been excited to share the news with her parents, I hope.

"Guess, I'll also head back home," I said as I turned back into my younger self.

"How did it go, Kouske-sama?" asked Sakuya as I teleported into the hallway.

"It went well. I was able to make a contract with an Ultimate Class Phoenix," I replied.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, surprised.

"It's good then. Wash up, and I will bring you some pie," she said.

It seemed Sakuya had made a pie with a variety of fresh fruits from the Demiplane.

"Ok."

After a while, I enjoyed a delicious pie alongside Lavinia and Sakuya, trying to forget the pain and suffering from the long battle. The pie was actually addicting. Soon, I would need to devise a plan to initiate business using products from the Demiplane within the supernatural.

At times like this, I was happy that I had already changed into the exact same clothes as in the dungeon. Keeping similar clothes is always handy, as it helped me avoid causing Sakuya and Lavinia any worries... or so I had thought.

Later on, Sakuya found that a set of my usual clothes was missing and somehow discovered the details of the fight. And I don't even know how she came to that conclusion. Well, it probably served as proof of her suspicion when I told both of them to not enter the Slime Dungeon today. Afterward, she actually lectured me for an entire hour. Damn! Maids are scary and hella efficient!

56. Doting Parents and Evolving Powers.

Spirit Realm

Omniscient POV

In a vast, ancient, burning castle, a cheerful young girl of around 15 years old strolled down the aisle. Her long blue hair with a red underside cascaded around her, and her fierce yellow eyes added to her captivating presence. Adorned in a modern, sleeveless dress that gracefully hugged her figure, intricate lace patterns adorned the bodice, delicately highlighting her shoulders. The dress flowed elegantly with a subtle A-line silhouette that accentuated her generous curves.

Crafted from what appeared to be a blend of silk and chiffon, the fabric gently swayed with each step, creating an ethereal movement. The neckline was modest, framing her collarbones, while the back dipped into a tasteful V-shape, adding a touch of allure. The mesmerizing blend of pastel hues in the color palette complemented her radiant aura. She had a modest bust size, and her attire accentuated her curvaceous figure as she moved gracefully.

She was Krystelle Emberfaust, the only daughter of the Phoenix Emperor. Usually, she stays within the palace grounds, rarely venturing outside. With only a few friends, she often finds herself bored and craving change. Today, however, is a special and joyous day for her.

She was summoned to a different world, the human world, to forge a contract with a human. She felt an overwhelming enthusiasm at the prospect of freely roaming and exploring the human realm—a luxury denied to her previously. Much like humans requiring astral forms to enter the Spirit Realm, spirits like her needed some form of physical body or an anchor to access the human world.

However, unlike her, powerful beings like her father, the Phoenix Emperor, could effortlessly traverse these realms. Even if prepared to accept the contract immediately, she, as a noble, couldn't easily reveal such eagerness. Hence, she set a condition for the contract. Even if the human were to lose, she would have pitied him and formed the contract.

Unexpectedly, he fought remarkably well, displaying a powerful regeneration she had likely only seen in her own parents. Eager to share the news, she couldn't wait to tell them about her new contractor!

After a while, she arrives in front of a large door guarded by several knights in full armor. They salute her as she comes into view. Without waiting any further, she slams the door open before one knight can ask for permission to open it for her. Unceremoniously, she enters her parents' bedroom.

"Father! Mother! I will be leaving to live in the human world!" declares Krystelle.

Inside were her parents—a handsome man in his late 20s with blood-red hair and yellow eyes like his daughter, the Phoenix Emperor, a normal fire phoenix who reached this stage with only hard work and unmatched talent. The other one is a beautiful woman in her early 20s with ocean-blue hair and crimson eyes, a rare ice phoenix whose ice can easily freeze time, the Phoenix Empress.

The Phoenix Emperor and his wife hastily covered themselves with a blanket and clothed themselves properly before her arrival. Thank goodness, they have such powerful sensing abilities and are used to their daughter's unexpected visits. Otherwise, just like that one time...
Their beloved daughter can be quite oblivious to many simple things.

"W-what?!" the always awe-inspiring and domineering Phoenix Emperor exclaims, unable to believe his baby bird would be leaving her nest so soon.

"Ara, you look so happy, dear. Did something good happen?" says her mother, resting one side of her head on her hand.

"Why would you be living in the human realm?!" asked the Phoenix Emperor, emerging from his initial surprise.

His wife sends him a silent glare and stops him from any further overreacting.

"I went to the human realm today!" says Krystelle excitedly.

[A/N: She didn't actually go there. It was just inside the slime dungeon.]

"Ho? How did you go there? Were you summoned by someone?" asks her mother, curiously.

"Nn," she nods.

"If you want to live there, did you make a contract with someone, dear?" asks her mother as the surroundings start to get icy cold.

"Yes! I made a contract, and now I can go to the human world as much as I want!" says Krystelle, oblivious to her surroundings as she was not being affected at all, but the poor soldiers standing outside were crying blood.

"W-what!? WHO IS THAT BASTARD?! Give me your contractor's name!" says the Phoenix Emperor as the surroundings get hotter and hotter without affecting her. The soldiers' cries of plea go unheard as they experience an icy cold aura from the Frost Phoenix Empress and a burning hot aura from the Fire Phoenix Emperor.

"His name? I believe he called himself Kouske Miyamura. And he even has awesome regeneration power, just like you guys," says Krystelle.

"That damn conning bastard!" mumbles the Phoenix Emperor.

"Ara, ara, ara. Ara? Ara, ara, ara!..." mumbles her mother dangerously.

"..."

?

*
*
*

After a while, they calmed down and managed to persuade their daughter to only visit the human realm occasionally. They sent her back to her room for now, pondering whether Kouske was truly human and just deceiving her.

"Felix! Find out the bastard who's trying to con our daughter; otherwise, I will go down there myself!" says the Phoenix Empress.

"Y-yes!" replied the Phoenix Emperor nervously while he was still moping, realizing his daughter was growing up so fast without his knowledge.

Just ten years ago, she was just a cute little munchkin, always saying that she would never leave her daddy and the spirit realm. While he was shedding tears in the corner, his wife's words brought him back to his senses.

He sweat-dropped, thinking about what his enraged wife would do if she went down to the human realm right now. She might casually freeze a few countries to death in her fury!

While now known as one of the most benevolent Empresses, deep down, he knows how much of a troublemaker and a tomboy she was when they met eons ago. And people wonder who their daughter takes after!

*sigh*

"Ara? Were you thinking of something rude, dear?" his wife asks with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

"N-no! It must be your imagination!" says the Phoenix Emperor.

"Nn... It must have been my imagination. But you would still be sleeping on the couch outside for the next week," she says innocently.

"W-what!? Dear, there are already recruits who admire and respect me so much. What would they think if they saw me sleeping outside like that?" he says nervously.

"Why would that be a problem? They would know sooner or later about you. And don't you dare leave to stay in other places," she says with her eyes closed.

"Y-yes!"

"And get all the information about that bastard!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

*sigh*

As he was kicked out of his own room, he looked at the state of his soldiers. He quickly heals all of them with a phoenix tear of his own. Unlike the fake phoenixes from the Underworld, he, a true phoenix, can make phoenix tears as easily as breathing.

When his soldiers wake up, he instructs them to send someone to the human realm and gather all the information about Krystelle's first contractor.

"Yes, sir!" replies the soldiers simultaneously.

His half-broken ego mends seeing the level of respect he's getting as he smiles.

After that, he unceremoniously goes to the couch to sleep, leaving the recruits confused, while the older ones clarify how and why for them, this has become normal over the years.

*sigh*

The mighty Phoenix Emperor goes to sleep, trying to ignore the talk his soldiers are having about him. Unfortunately, even if he's so mighty and strong, he cannot win against his wife. The last time he retaliated and just slightly used his aura, his wife sulked and went to her mother's house for a whole three hundred years.

In her own words, she can even kill him half to death, but he still shouldn't retaliate if he truly loves her. Only after coaxing her so hard did she come back and still complain about why he couldn't bring her back earlier. She started hitting him in the chest softly while mumbling cutely, 'baka' 'baka'. Well, at first, it was soft. As he tried to get intimate with her after so long, but then the power increased and broke several of his bones because of her feeling shy. Women are so damn unreasonable!

*sigh*

He just hopes for the best for his future son-in-law, as his daughter is starting to act more like his wife. But then he starts sobbing, thinking about how his baby daughter will have to leave his nest one day, further confusing the recruits as the older ones explain to them.
In his sadness, he temporarily forgets that his own daughter cockblocked him!

*
*
*

Kouske's POV

After a day, in the morning, Krystelle returned to the house.

"Hi, Elle," I greeted her as she teleported into the hallway.

"Elle?" she asks, confused.

"Your name's Krystelle, right? Elle's just a nickname of sorts," I replied.

"Whatever. Call your older brother. I need to talk to him," she says.

?

For a moment, I was confused, then I remembered I was in my adult self when I summoned her, while now I looked the usual.

"I am Kouske," I replied, which confused her.

Then I transformed into my older self, eliciting a reaction from her. I proceeded to explain a bit to her.

"You are weird," but that's all I got in response.

Sakuya and Lavinia also came to the hallway as they felt her aura. Fortunately, there was a barrier around the house; otherwise, she would have spooked all the devils in town. Sakuya already knew about barriers before coming here and is also practicing more of this world's barrier system after acquiring the necessary magic books on barriers. I and Lavinia are also learning about barriers. But I think at some point, it would be better for us to acquire some kind of Space Manipulation skill. Time and Space go well hand in hand, right?

"Woah! A real phoenix!" exclaims Lavinia as she sees Elle for the first time.

"Kouske-sama, is she...?" asks Sakuya.

"Yes, she's the one I made a contract with last night," I replied.

"Nn. I am Krystelle Emberfaust! Remember my name," says Krystelle... smugly(?).

"Hello, my name is Sakuya Izayoi, Kouske-sama's maid," Sakuya introduces herself.

"And my name is Lavinia Reni," says Lavinia.

"Nn," nods Elle.

"Can I touch your feathers?" asks Lavinia innocently.

"Reni-chan, you shouldn't. You could get hurt," admonishes Sakuya as she looks at her half-burning and half-cold body.

"Mou~. But they look safe to touch!" says Lavinia as she pokes Elle's half-cold body part.

"See?" says Lavinia proudly.

Perhaps due to her affinity for the ice element, she doesn't appear to be greatly affected by the cold, but in reality, she radiates both intense heat and cold.

Elle was struggling with Lavinia as she was hugging her feathers and feeling her up(?). But after a while, she relented. Lavinia was in pure bliss.

"They are so soft," says Lavinia with a goofy face.

I would also like to get a chance to feel those mofu-mofu feathers of hers' one day. But if I say something now, she's going to get mad, for sure. Sakuya had a stoic expression, but with the subtle change in her facial features, I could tell she must be thinking the same.

"So, what did you come here today for?" I asked, getting back to the topic.

"You previously said we could share one of our abilities with each other, right? That's why," she said as she finally got out of Lavinia's hug.

"Yeah."

"First, you should try to reel in your powers a bit. It's leaking a lot," says Sakuya, reminding us how it would have been troublesome if not for the barrier that Sakuya has always put up surrounding the house.

Then she slowly but surely reeled in her power. Afterward, I started giving her a brief description of my other powers.

After a brief deliberation, she chose Plant Manipulation (E+), even though I tried to convince her to take Wind Manipulation or Gravity Manipulation (C). She wanted to create burning and freezing plants that she could command and control manually for both short-range and long-range attacks.

If only we could share more skills!

[You can actually, as your power increases, in the future,] says Clarice.

'Oh, that's good then,' I replied in my mind.

I obviously chose her Frostfire Fusion (C-); it complements my Blaze Black Flare, enhancing its overall power and ability, making it far stronger than before, and giving it the power for more heat and even freezing effects. But the color remained the same: purple.

57. Nakagami's Resolve.

Kouske's POV

For the last few days, someone has been spying on me. I couldn't tell, but Vritra and Sakuya could feel their presence—another Ultimate Class spirit. Elle said it must be someone working for her parents. They can be quite the worrywart for her sometimes, she says.
She said nothing bad would happen, but the blatant hostility was there. However, I decided to ignore that. Apparently, she is a phoenix princess in the Spirit Realm, and her father is the Phoenix Emperor, one of the strongest in that realm. I just hope I do not have to face him so soon.

Another thing is that Elle turned out to be a bishoujo. Yes! A bishoujo! She wanted to go out and explore the town. When Sakuya told her that it would be very difficult to go out like this, she turned into a voluptuous, beautiful human girl with bluish-red hair and yellow eyes.
I shoved off the job of showing her around to Sakuya and Lavinia, who happily undertook the task. They have been going around town a lot and shopping a lot with the other girls. I am happy not to be involved in their shopping spree.

Today, I suddenly found out that Nakagami Nakiri is taking Momiji somewhere along with some of their practitioners. It seemed like he was getting her out secretly. Thank goodness, I secretly placed my insect familiars on the perimeters of the Nakiri Clan previously.

I have come to understand that I am using bugs and insects quite a lot, much like the Beelzebub descendants, as 'King of Flies' is their bloodline ability. It is actually quite powerful, as proven by an unnamed descendant of Beelzebub in the series.
After having his power enhanced by the Malebranche, he had turned himself into a powerful chimera of dragons, insects, and other things with extraordinary regenerative powers and poisonous blood, which made even Sirzechs fight him in his True Form.

So I am thinking of acquiring this bloodline ability, as it's already similar but a bit different from what my taming skill does. If I just kill Shalba Beelzebub in the three factions meeting in Kuoh in the future, I could also become the Clan Head of the Beelzebub Clan, one of the Satan Clans.
Then I can hold two voting rights in the Demon Council and get control over two devil territories freely. Well, I guess I will have to talk to Serafall soon after acquiring that bloodline. For now, I will go to where Nakagami is going. I won't ever get another chance like this.

*
*
*

Omniscient POV

Today was the day to meet with Satanael. But Nakagami still couldn't convince his father. So when his father was out of the territory, he snuck Momiji out of the Dome Barrier. With several of his trusted jutshushas, he's taking Momiji to the meeting place that Satanael designated for them. Even though he wanted to be the one to designate a place, Satanael insisted that he would need his lab equipment to check on her.

"Nii-san, where are we going?" asks a confused but excited Momiji, as this was the first time she was going outside the Dome Barrier. For most of her life, she has only been confined to that place.

"We are going to meet someone who can help you get free from the curse. If everything goes well, soon you won't have to stay hidden in that place anymore," says Nakagami as he gently pats the head of his sister.

"Nn," hearing that, Momiji was even more excited than before.

On their journey, they had to stop multiple times as Momiji would suddenly get excited over the smallest of things she saw and ask what they were—things she had only seen in books. She would try out eating in restaurants and cafes. Even though she has eaten all of this stuff before, even though she was confined, most of her wishes were always fulfilled for her. Still, eating in a place with a lot of people is a whole new experience.

Even though Nakagami is always a bit serious, he still couldn't refuse his sister, as it was one of the rarest times when he had seen his sister being genuinely happy. So he was trying to accommodate her as much as he could. His sister was very excited, seeing even the most normal things like schools, hospitals, and even tall buildings. He could see her longing for a normal life as they had stopped in front of a school where students were going home, chatting with their friends, further strengthening his resolve.

On their way, when they reached more than half the way, he and the jutshushas felt something was wrong. There was no one around them anymore, even though they should still be inside the residential area. Suddenly, a barrier was placed around the place, which made them all the more worried and cautious.

"Those damn crows! They betrayed us!" says one of the jutshushas as he points to the sky, where multiple fallen angels can be seen.

Many fallen angels start attacking with their light magics as Nakagami hastily makes an earth dome to protect his sister.

The jutshushas start counterattacking with their spell talismans and swords in hand. Nakagami easily kills all the fallens flying in the sky with his dragon shots. After that, more and more fallen angels come into view.

"As expected of the strongest Ouryuu in history. Those low-level scrubs couldn't do anything to you. I would have been disappointed otherwise," says Kokabiel while clapping and laughing as he comes into view.

"What's the meaning of this? Where's Satanael?" asks Nakagami calmly.

"He must be in his lab waiting for your arrival," says Kokabiel as he smirks.

"So, this is your doing? What do you want to achieve by stopping us here?" asks Nakagami.

"The holder of Telos Karma, obviously. Give me your sister," says Kokabiel cockily.

"Then, negotiations are off the table, huh?" says Nakagami as he prepares to fight by releasing his dragon aura and coating himself in touki, making Kokabiel widen his eyes at the amount of dragon aura and touki he's releasing.

But Kokabiel tries to deny this feeling and launches numerous light spears with his light magic. Nakagami easily destroys them with the sword in his hand. Seeing this, Kokabiel becomes furious.

"Don't get cocky just because of this, filthy human!" screams Kokabiel as he launches another barrage of attacks.

But this time, Nakagami jumped high up in the air and was already in front of him, and kicked him in his solar plexus, eliciting a painful groan and blood from his mouth as he got smacked down to the ground from the sky. As Nakagami approached Kokabiel, he felt someone closing in on his sister. It was Gadreel, an eight-winged fallen angel. Gadreel managed to break the earth dome barrier as it was hastily put up. Those jitshushas who tried to stop him were mercilessly cut down.

"Aaah!" screams Momiji, seeing the barrier get broken and Gadreel in front of him.

But just as Gadreel was about to hold Momiji, some strange phenomena started happening. Multiple stray attacks from the surroundings, from both allies and enemies, hit him, making him stunned and off-balanced even though they couldn't do much.

At this time, Momiji started running towards her brother.

"Nii-san!"

As Gadreel tries to pursue her, he is again hit by stray attacks, and even a powerful eight-winged war veteran fallen angel like him lost footing and fell face first on the ground, giving time for Nakagami to reach his sister.

This all happened so fast that it left all of them stupefied.

"So, this is the power of Telos Karma?" says Kokabiel, surprised.

Then both Gadreel and Kokabiel attacked Nakagami with their light magic. But no matter what they did, he easily destroyed their attacks, making them more and more furious. By this time, the jutshushas and the fallen angels are at each other's throats, no one leaving an inch for one another and trying to kill at the first chance.

As the fight between the three goes on, multiple cuts and bruises appear on both the fallen angels, while Nakagami remains mostly unscathed as he protects his sister. Nakagami kicks both of them, distancing themselves as their bones crack and break, making them groan.

Just as Nakagami was about to swiftly end the battle, the barrier cracked, eliciting everyone's notice. From outside the broken barrier comes Satanael and his subordinates.

"What are you doing here?" asks Kokabiel, confusedly.

"I was wondering why it was taking so long, and when I looked in this area, I found that this barrier was placed. I never imagined you were the one trying to foil my work, Kokabiel," says Satanael.

"Satanael! Help me defeat him. Don't you also want to get your hands on the Longinus?!" screams Kokabiel upon seeing Satanael and his subordinates.

"Ho? You are far too shameless to ask for my help when you yourself tried to stab me in the back," says Satanael calmly.

"It's not time for that. We can talk later. Help me defeat him first," says Kokabiel, seeing Nakagami quickly charging up his dragon shot.

"Nn. I guess you are right. Taking her away is way better than the previous agreement we had," says Satanael, confident that he and Kokabiel, with their subordinates, can definitely beat Nakagami, even if he's a powerful individual.

Satanael swiftly strikes Nakagami with his holy-demonic sword, Arondight, creating an opening for Kokabiel to evade the intensified dragon shot. Despite Arondight's dual nature, it lacks the equilibrium found in Kiba's future Sword of Betrayer. Satanael releases a colossal beam of both holy and demonic aura, obliterating everything in its path. Nakagami adeptly sidesteps the onslaught, holding his sister on his shoulder.

"How did you acquire Arondight? Shouldn't it be in the hands of the Pendragons?" Nakagami queries, astonished.

As Satanael continues his assault, Nakagami grapples with the challenge of simultaneously defending against the attacks and safeguarding his sister.

Satanael responds to Nakagami's inquiry, "Let's just say I have my ways, Ouryuu. Now, prepare yourself for the true might of Arondight!"

The intense battle unfolds, each clash resonating with the power of holy and demonic energies, leaving the outcome uncertain.

Nakagami, deflecting attacks, senses someone approaching from behind through his earth veins connection. Swiftly launching earth strikes, he leaves Gadreel gasping for breath as the air is knocked out of his lungs.

Instantly narrowing the gap using earth manipulation, Nakagami closes in on the injured Kokabiel, who remains on the ground. Despite Nakagami slashing at him with his sword, Kokabiel, drawing on years of experience, dodges with pure instinct at the last moment.

Satanael closes in on Nakagami, engaging in close quarters as they exchange sword strikes, creating sparks, dust, and gusts with each clash.

Amidst the chaos, more and more jutshushas fell to the relentless onslaught of the fallens, overwhelmed by their numerical advantage. Nakagami attempted to aid them, striving to kill as many fallens as possible.

However, facing the combined might of the three fallen, including the ominous threat to his sister, he found himself constrained. Finally, Nakagami tapped into the earth veins, connecting with the unending well of ki it provided, complementing his touki. With a resounding howl, he battled against the multitude of fallens and the two Cadres of Grigori simultaneously.

"Aaarghhh!"

However, Nakagami's body struggled to adapt to the new technique. Despite gaining access to an infinite amount of ki from the earth veins, his unfamiliarity with this power made it challenging to maintain the enhanced state. The ongoing battle would have been significantly easier if he didn't have the added responsibility of protecting his sister and the other jutshushas from the relentless onslaught of the numerous fallen angels.

The battle persisted, with the resounding clash of swords and magic echoing in the air. Nakagami unleashed multiple dragon shots and controlled earth spikes, striking down even the fallens in the sky and burying them beneath spiked earthen weapons.

Although capable of causing powerful earthquakes, the presence of his sister and the jutshushas prevented him from employing one of his most potent forms of attack. Instead, he utilized earth manipulation to swap places with his sister and the others, safeguarding them from the menacing grasp of the two Cadres.

With his body adorned with numerous cuts and bruises, Nakagami showed signs of increasing exhaustion as the relentless battle wore on. The excessive use of ki from the earth veins took its toll, pushing him to the limits of fatigue.

[AN: To be honest, I feel like I am downplaying Nakagami by a lot. He's supposed to be a calm and cautious individual. He defeated Tobio in a Balanced Breaker state with only one-tenth of his full power. He's extremely adept in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, as he defeated Tobio barehanded. He could potentially use an unending amount of ki from the earth veins, depending on the place, like the mountains or rocky areas. Compared to that, these guys are just mobs. Let's just say it's because it's still a good few years before that.]

As young Momiji witnessed her brother getting cornered, she desperately racked her brain for a way to aid him, despite lacking knowledge of powerful spells. In a pivotal moment, even though she had never controlled her Longinus or even knew its capabilities, the will of the Longinus sensed her heartfelt emotions and orchestrated a miracle.

The barrier that was put up by the fallens for the second time was again broken, and she could see a man with a rob covering his whole body with jet-black draconic wings on his back as he flew in the sky. With his face concealed by a mask, Momiji could only discern the handsome silhouette, marked by black hair and striking crimson eyes.

58. Infernal Negotiations: Treacherous Bargains and Hidden Deals.

Kouske's POV

Honestly, I caught the final moments of the fight between Nakagami and the two Cadres through my familiars. Nakagami's strength for a human is simply astonishing, and Vasco Strada is supposed to be even stronger, being considered the pinnacle of human strength! Gosh!

Remarkably, Nakagami is quite young, only in his early 20s. The dragon aura he's emitting is truly staggering! He bears a resemblance to an older Ryuuta. It's the first time I've seen Momiji Nakiri, too. She possesses captivating light blue eyes and light-blond hair that cascades to her mid-back, reaching just above her upper chest in the front. Her bangs gracefully hang just above her eyes, complementing her buxom figure. Despite being just around 13 years old, she stands tall, radiating beauty. I noticed dirt adorning her silhouette, while Nakagami, covered in cuts and bruises, was fighting with dead weights, slowing him down.

My sudden appearance drew the attention of everyone in the area as I soared through the air. Swiftly, I utilized Observe on them.

Nakagami was around B rank, while Kokabiel and Satanael were around B-. Interestingly, Kokabiel appeared stronger than Satanael, showcasing a power gap within the same rank.

A fallen angel ranked at C+ was also present, but my own rank was only around D-. The odds were stacked against me; all of them surpassed Elle's strength, and I had previously struggled against her, though I would never admit it in front of her.

It was Kokabiel who first called out to me, his eyes widening at the sight of my draconic aura and wings.

"You! You're that Sacred Gear Thief! What do you want now!?" he demanded, his anger evident.

"Tsk... I go by Akatsuki. Do not give names to people willy-nilly," I replied with a hint of contempt.

I was aware of the names and accusations thrown my way on DeviNet. I wasn't a thief; I purchased the gears with my hard-earned points. How could I have known the system had the function of stealing? Those who called me a thief, along with their mothers, were the real thieves! If anyone deserves that title, it should be Clarice!

[Hey!] yelled Clarice in my head, but I ignored her.

"What do you want?" asked Satanael with some excitement, looking at me with a strange hunger(?). What's wrong with him?

"Her," I replied, pointing at Momiji, causing Nakagami to frown and snap Momiji out of her daze. I am sure, I saw her blushing profusely. What's she imagining? Teenage hormones and all!

*sigh*

"We called dibs on her first. You think you can just take her away, appearing out of nowhere like this?" Kokabiel retorted.

"No one's taking my sister!" declared an enraged Nakagami, his aura bursting again. I could practically see his veins bulging with anger!

"Kill him," Kokabiel ordered to all the fallens stationed a bit far away from Nakagami and himself, alongside Satanael and another fallen.

"Don't kill him. Instead, capture him alive! I need to question him," Satanael commanded.

As the fallens approached me, I snapped my fingers, causing blazing black Sakura petals to envelop the sky. It confused the fallens, but as the petals touched one of them, he was set ablaze, screaming profusely before being burned to a crisp.

"Aaaghhh!

The power behind my flames has intensified with Elle's skill, capable of effortlessly burning away individuals far stronger than me. These flames inflict various forms of pain, from burns to frostbites, as they consume the soul. Additionally, I've gained the ability to freeze people using my formidable flames. Moreover, my flames can now devour other flames, assimilating their attributes into my own.

Witnessing this, the other fallens were left stunned and fearful, as it unfolded instantly before anyone could react. Though Kokabiel seemed poised to command the hesitant fallens to attack me, I swiftly incinerated them all, obliterating their existence. I acted even before Kokabiel could issue any orders, leaving those present in a state of shock.

The bloodied Jutshushas in the back appeared horrified, fearing they were next and anticipating their imminent demise. Nakagami was prepared to jump at me, but I withdrew all my flames, causing them to vanish and surprising everyone.

"I am not your enemy, Ouryuu. You're aware of the incident from a year ago, right? Not a single one was killed or harmed in any way. We share a common goal—you want to free your sister from that affliction, and I seek possession of the Longinus. I can safely remove that burden from your sister. What do you say?" I asked Nakagami, but he appeared hesitant, while Kokabiel simmered with anger. I aimed to leverage the inconvenient news on DeviNet to my advantage.

"How can I trust you?" Nakagami inquired.

"For now, let's fight together. We can discuss the details later," I replied.

"Nn," Nakagami nodded.

"You filthy half-breed lizard! Do you think you can defeat us just because you killed a few of those lowly scrubs?!" exclaimed an angry Kokabiel.

"Kouske, pluck out his tongue," said an annoyed Vritra.

'Nn.'

"I can, crow!" I replied.

Understanding my limits and realizing my body couldn't keep up with their movements, I swiftly opened a few portals connected to the Demiplane. Emerging from these portals were the most poisonous and thorny vines of a plant in the Demiplane. Their vines were incredibly sturdy, and the poisons were potent, capable of easily killing Satan Class beings. I had been nurturing and strengthening them with Clarice's help for the past year. Many other deadly organisms also resided in the Demiplane, fully under my control for moments like these. It's called Lurking Lilians (B).

Before anyone could say anything else, I struck first. The vines, enveloped in my cursed flames to enhance their abilities, seized the three fallen angels, leaving them stupefied. Their attempts to break free proved futile.

""Unhand me,"" they all exclaimed.

As they continued cursing and hurling insults, irritation built up within me. Manipulating the thorns, I caused them to bore deeper into their flesh, injecting mild poisons meant to inflict pain rather than cause immediate death.

But the eight-winged crow became increasingly annoying, spouting degrading remarks about humans, like humans should know their place; they are just our slaves, parasites to us, living off of us by begging for our mercy, etc. In response, I escalated the dose, directly killing him. With a swift incineration obliterating his corpse, an eerie silence fell over the place.

"You, you... You cannot kill us! We are Cadres of Grigori! Do you think Grigori will let you go if you kill us right now?!" stammered a now-frightened Kokabiel. Satanael's scowl transformed into a panicked expression, visibly disturbed by the turn of events.

"Grigori is already on my tail. Do you think I am afraid of Azazel? He can come to my doors directly if he has any problems with me," I replied to Kokabiel cockily, leaving him staring in disbelief. Well, Azazel wouldn't know my address to come to my door.

"You are bluffing!" says an enraged and frightened Kokabiel.

"Oh, am I?" I smirked as the vines tightened around them.

"W-wait, wait! Let's make a deal! What do you want?" Satanael pleaded, maintaining more composure than Kokabiel.

"What could you even offer me at this moment?" I inquired, injecting a hint of mockery into my tone.

"You can have Arondight if you want! It's the sister sword to Gelatine and Excalibur. It's extremely powerful due to its dual nature," Satanael pitched, adopting the demeanor of a professional salesman peddling questionable items.

"And? It's already mine since you lost the fight. Moreover, it isn't even a good bargaining chip, considering the trouble with the Pendragons once they catch wind of this," I replied stoically as I took possession of Arondight lying on the ground. After that, I put it away in my inventory.

Satanael's face shifted into a look of panic.

"Is that all? Then let's finish this," I declared, tightening the vines further as I prepared to escalate the dose of poison in their systems.

To be honest, I already have something in mind, aware of what Satanael can offer. However, I need him to articulate it himself. As for Kokabiel, I do not know what he can offer.

"W-wait! My Sacred Gear research! I'll share my research data with you! Just spare my life. You're interested in Sacred Gears too, right?" Satanael pleaded hopefully, while Kokabiel remained silent, understanding his perspective.

All this time, Nakagami slowly tended to his and the others' wounds, staring at me without breaking his focus and remaining vigilant beside his sister. Recognizing his current incapacity for a confrontation, he refrained from intervening in my negotiations with the two Cadres. On the other hand, Momiji's eyes sparkled with admiration as she witnessed me skillfully dispatching and capturing the fallen adversaries effortlessly.

"And do I need to wait for you to return to your lab or something? Do I look like an idiot to you? How can I even be certain that what you're offering is genuine?" I questioned.

Swiftly, I acquired a C rank skill from the Shop called Truthful Trace, allowing me to discern between truth and falsehood upon activation. Though not a passive skill, it holds considerable power, capable of verifying words spoken moments before activation and exposing lies, even from some Gods of Mischief/Lies.

"No! It's genuine. I always keep all my research data with me. If you promise to let me live, I will give the data to you," panicked Satanael assured.

Having activated my new skill, Truthful Trace, it confirmed that Satanael was telling the truth.

"W-what about me? Let me go too," pleaded Kokabiel.

"You, shut up! Where is it? I'll spare your life if you hand over all your research data up to this date," I asserted.

"Really?" inquired a skeptical Satanael.

"Or do you prefer to meet your end right here?" I added threateningly.

"No, it's alright. I'll trust you. If you could just loosen the vines a bit, I can give it to you," Satanael requested.

"Just tell me where it is. I'll retrieve it if it's on you," I replied.

Satanael sighed, revealing the location where he kept his pen drive. For a moment, I braced myself, thinking he might point to some unsavory place based on his initial statement. Fortunately, it was tucked away in a hidden pocket under his pants. With the assistance of my vines, I retrieved it. On the ground, I noticed Nakagami shielding his innocent sister's eyes to spare her from this atrocity.

I swiftly retrieved a laptop from my inventory, drawing curious gazes from everyone. In this era, laptops were not yet widespread or available, so I had to purchase one from the Shop. Inserting the pen drive into the laptop, I encountered an encrypted code when attempting to open the folder.

"What's the code?" I inquired.

Resigned to his fate, Satanael provided the code.

Upon opening the file, I discovered numerous documents containing vast information on Sacred Gears. Swiftly, I copied all the valuable data to my laptop.

"Is this all?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes!" Satanael replied confidently and promptly.

However, my skill indicated he was lying. Damn, deceptive crows! He must have regained some of his composure and considered his situation. I tightened the grip of my vines.

"W-why? I fulfilled your demand!" growled an angry Satanael.

"Our deal was for you to provide all your research data until now. What you gave me is incomplete. I can easily verify if you're lying or not," I replied confidently, leaving him stunned.

"W-wait! Don't kill me. I will give you the other half!" pleaded Satanael.

"Don't make the same mistake again this time!" I warned.

"Yes!"

He pointed to a location on his body where the other pen drive was hidden. I had to cut it open to retrieve it. After obtaining the code, I copied its contents. Confirming that this was all, I destroyed the two pen drives, visibly devastating Satanael.

"W-why? WHY DID YOU DESTROY THEM?! You could have just handed them back to me! My years of work!" Satanael cried out loudly, unable to contain his anguish.

I knocked him out, silencing his annoying screams. Turning my attention back to Kokabiel, I wore an evil smile as my eyes flickered red, visibly frightening him.

59. Redemption and Revelation: Unveiling of the Black Dragon King.

Kouske's POV

"W-what do you want now? Haven't you already gotten what you wanted? Release US (ME)!" barked Kokabiel, frightened.

"What are you even saying? The deal was to spare Satanael's life, not yours. Now cough up all you have. But what can you possibly give me at the moment?" I asked with a grin.

"Y-you, you! YO..." I increased the dose a bit and intensified my cursed flames, halting his curses in their tracks.

"Argh!"

"Fine! Just stop this!" he said with a pale face.

I stopped but maintained a silent, stoic gaze at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I-I don't have anything of value on me. But if you just release me, I will give you as much money as you want," he said, disappointing me, fear evident in his eyes.

*sigh*

"Don't you have any digital currencies? Don't you have money in your bank accounts?" I asked, prompting him to look at me hopefully.

"Y-yes. I have money in my account," he replied.

"Then transfer all the money in the account I tell you to," I replied, leaving him stunned.

"All?!" he asked, visibly surprised.

I didn't reply, only intensifying his ongoing torture.

"OKAAYY! STOP! I will transfer it. Just unbind me and give me the account number," he replied, resigned.

"Just unlock your account for me. I will do the rest," I replied.

After he granted me access to his account, I transferred all the funds to a disguised account I had created using someone else's identity for situations like this. His account had only around 3500 million dollars, relatively low for a crow who has lived for so long. I'm sure he has other accounts or different kinds of assets, but I don't have all day. I also need to make a deal with Nakagami. So, I was content with what I obtained. After a while, the transfer was completed.

"Give me a way to contact Azazel," I told him.

"What?" he asked.

"I will personally hand you both to him. Just give me his contact information," I replied.

"Why?!" he screamed.

But after witnessing the stern glare I gave him, he complied. Then, I also rendered him unconscious.

After that, I descended to the ground in front of Nakagami, who maintained a defensive stance, calculating my actions and attempting to decipher my motives.

"Now what?" he said to me, preparing to attack at any chance while shielding his sister.

Momiji, who had previously seemed dazed and lost in some wonderland, now faced the harsh reality with guilt and pain, looking somber as she gazed down upon the fatal wounds on the jutshushas and her brother.

"Like I said before, I don't want to fight you guys. I just want to get Telos Karma," I replied.

"Then, our fight is inevitable, as I cannot let you harm my sister," he said, enraged. Even the fatally wounded jutshushas on the back stood back up to fight alongside Nakagami.

"Relax! Me getting the Telos Karma doesn't necessarily mean harming your sister," I replied jovially.

"You call ripping a part of my sister's soul not harming her?! Do you think that just because we, the five principal clans, do not like sacred gear users, we do not know even the basics? If someone's sacred gear is taken from them, they die," he said, looking more and more furious as time went on. This revelation also visibly scared Momiji, as she gasped.

"Haven't you heard about what happened one year ago?" I asked, remaining as calm as the silent ocean.

"But Longinuses are different," he added.

"I can also safely take out Longinuses. It wouldn't cause her harm in any way. I promise you. I will do it in front of you. Just give me a few seconds," I said.

"Even still, I cannot trust someone who hides behind a mask," he replied.

"Sure. As a bonus, I will even heal your jutshushas," I replied as I unmasked my unblemished face, revealing fully my crimson red eyes and black hair.

"Like I said before, I am Akatsuki, this generation's one and only Black Dragon King," I said with a grandeur bow as if an artist were entertaining his audience.

"So?" I asked as I moved closer to the jutshushas.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Nakagami, halting my approach.

"Trying to earn your trust," I replied.

"Some of the wounds look serious. Do you really want to risk their lives by betting on the hastily done first aid that was just provided? Let me help you; I can heal them," I added.

After a brief moment, he moved aside from my front, which he was previously blocking.

"Don't try anything funny," he added.

"Nn."

After that, I used some of the E-ranked potions I had made, which miraculously healed them instantly, surprising all of them.

"Are those Phenex Tears?" he asked, stunned that I would use such precious things on them.

"No. They are specially made by me. This was made only with alchemy, without any of the Phenex's help. If you would like, I can even sell them to you. What do you say? But for now, let me help your sister. I promise it will only take a moment, and nothing bad will happen to her," I said.

While Nakagami was busy contemplating, Momiji came forward.

"I will believe in you. Help me," said a determined Momiji.

"Momiji! Don't trust a stranger so easily!" rebutted Nakagami.

"Nii-san, I think I would like to place my bet on him, instead of being locked up in that place for all my life," replied Momiji with some sadness, which made Nakagami stop in his guilt.

After a while, he looked at me with determination and warned, "I will hunt you down to the end of the world if I have to if you cause her any harm."

"Don't worry," I replied with a smile.

Then, I took out my Sacred Gear Extractor from my inventory. It was a fist-sized transparent Orb emitting purple hues.

"What's that?" asked Nakagami.

"Something to bring out the Longinus. There's nothing more for you to know," I replied.

"Are you ready?" I asked Momiji as she prepared for the moment that could potentially change her life.

"Nn!" was all she replied after a long breath, her heart thumping, eyes closed.

I could feel Nakagami and the other jutshushas' stern gaze as they watched my every movement.

I gently touched the Orb to Momiji's chest; in reality, it could have been placed on any part of her body. Instantly, a golden-coloured halo appeared inside the Orb, attracting the curious gazes of everyone. But I tucked it away in my inventory for later use.

Momiji still had her eyes closed.

"It's done. You are free," I replied, finally conveying the significance to everyone present.

"D-done? T-then, am I really f-free?" replied Momiji instinctively, tears falling from her eyes, unintentionally.

Nakagami rushed to his sister.

"Are you fine? Do you feel any kind of discomfort anywhere?" asked Nakagami.

"No," replied the silently sobbing Momiji as she shook her head.

Nakagami checked to see if she still had her sacred gear or not. Then he proceeded to hug her, offering comfort and allowing Momiji to cry to her heart's content. Even the other jutshushas wore somber expressions witnessing this. Years of imprisonment must have weighed on her, even if the imprisonment was luxurious and her every demand was fulfilled. Still, a prison is a prison, no matter how you beautify or justify it.

After a while, Momiji calmed down. But she looked embarrassed, crying like a baby in front of so many people.

"Thank you so much!" Momiji said as she turned towards me and bowed.

"No need to. I just wanted the Longinus. Nothing more," I replied, a bit shaken by her sudden heartfelt thanks.

"No, still, thanks to you, I can lead a normal life now. Once again, thank you very much," she replied with a bright smile on her teary-eyed face, almost captivating me. But I kept my poker face.

"You also have my utmost gratitude. Thank you. You can tell me if you need my help any day with something," Nakagami added, bowing politely.

"I will keep your word on that," I replied.

"Hmm."

"Then, let's part ways here. I also have to hand them over to Azazel," I said, pointing at the two unconscious Cadres of Grigori.

"Ok. But how will I contact you again? I also want to have a proper talk about the potions you just used, if we could buy them," said Nakagami.

"Here," I gave them a summoning paper with Vritra's magic circle on it, similar to the devil's ones, and also provided them with a number that cannot be traced.

"So, we will meet again?" Momiji asked hopefully, as she smiled, her face flushed red.

"Yes," I replied.

Nakagami had to pull Momiji's hand to take her away from here, breaking her entranced state.

"Bye," says Momiji as she turns back to look at me shyly, as she goes back with her brother.

"Bye," I replied.

Then I wait for a while for them to leave the perimeter. I recast the broken barrier and proceeded to call Azazel.

Azazel: "Hello?"

Kouske: "Hello. Azazel, right?"

Azazel: "Yes. But who are you?"

Kouske: "My name is Akatsuki, the one you've been slandering as the Sacred Gear Thief all over the DeviNet."

Azazel (unconvinced): "Listen, kid. It's busy hours, and I am going through something very unpleasant right now. If you just want to prank someone, then call someone else. I do not have time for this."

Omniscient POV

Grigori

*sigh*

Azazel sighs as he replies to this unknown caller.

"Azazel! Enough with the jokes. Focus on the paperwork. Last time, you also did something similar to get away from doing any paperwork. I won't be fooled this time," yelled the always calm and cool Shemhazai.

After hiding away from Penemue, Azazel never thought he would be forced to go through this when he returned. At least he had a good time before coming back.

Azazel was already frustrated as it was, but now someone was pranking him by impersonating the one they had been looking for the last whole year but found nothing about. That guy has no reason to get himself caught like this.

"I am not the one doing anything this time. Someone just called, claiming to be the Sacred Gear Thief," Azazel replied frustratedly.

"Put him on speaker," says Shemhazai.

Azazel put him on the speaker. Even as frustrated and on edge as Azazel is, he is not one to hastily make any decisions or judgments. So, he will still have to verify if this was a prank call or not.

While his number is not that hard to find as he has the habit of giving it to whoever catches his interest, most people wouldn't have the guts to prank him like this. He is the one doing the pranking most of the time, never to anyone too important or influential, mind you. His pranks are always, mostly harmless.

Kouske: "Do you think I am free enough to just prank call you? You will see when we meet. I will send you live footage."

Then Azazel saw the live footage of two of his Cadres unconscious and bound by some kind of thorny vines. The thorns were digging into their flesh, and honestly, it looked painful, judging by the amount of blood leaking out, making a scene of gore. Then the live video sharing ended.

Azazel and Shemhazai both became serious and surprised to see not only one but two of their Cadres in such a state.

Azazel: "What do you want?"

Azazel asked seriously, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush. Whatever his identity may be, whether he is telling the truth or not, right now he needs to save his comrades, more than anything else.

Kouske (jovially): "Don't be so stiff. They are just fine. I don't plan on unnecessarily antagonising Grigori. I plan to hand them over to you. I will send you the location. Let's meet face-to-face and talk."

After that, Azazel was sent a location on his phone.

"Azazel, this is a trap," says Shemhazai worriedly.

"I know. But we cannot just leave two of our core members to an unknown fate," says Azazel as he gets ready to leave.

"I will also come, just in case something happens. I will inform Penemue about this," says Shemhazai.

"Hmm," replies Azazel solemnly.

They cannot be sure how strong this person is, being able to defeat both Kokabiel and Satanael or how many people are with him. So they need to be cautious.

But they cannot afford to lose two of their core forces, as it would only break the balance between the three factions and cause more friction and chaos.

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