Timeskip - 2 days
Across one of the plains surrounding the Bloody Palace, Meredith could be seeb sitting on the ground with her legs crossed and her hands, her index and her thumb tapping each other in a 'O' shaped position. This plain had been one of the few which wasn't filled to the brim with those shambling undead groaning about and making a nuisance of themselves, which had been why she had chosen to occupy it for herself. Last time she'd checked, Theseus and the others had taken the more 'noisy' plains for that exact reason, probably wanted to take a break from getting their asses whooped within the palace itself.
As for Meredith herself, while she looked calm on the outside internally would be a different story. Throughout her time meditating within this plane to relax herself, Meredith had been spending most of this time cycling through her memories of the the past battles she'd been through in the bloody palace. Her body may be still recovering, but her mind was still as sharp as her teacher.
"Grrrrrhhhh…."
However, right now that sharpness wasn't doing anything to help. The queen's granddaughter's face wrinkled together in a show of frustration, memorizing each battle and trying to come up with methods she could employ to counter the challenges she'd faced. But even as she did so, the auburn haired woman kept constantly being reminded through each battle simulation of how one of her subordinates, a certain arrogant blonde jerk who for some reason didn't know he was assembling a harem, was able to get through 30 floors, outmatching her own. While she admitted that it hadn't been as wide a power gap as it could have been, Meredith held no illusions that it wouldn't have existed at all IF she had at least put more effort into honing her skills.
This whole trip just showed her a cruel reality: that she hadn't stopped herself from getting rusty due to doing paperwork all day and engaging in politics. While wopen may be mightier than the sword, but the bullet struck from further away. That had been a reference Alucard had once told her one time when he'd visited her during one of her self study sessions early into her days as a Hellsing member, and it was one she could understand the meaning all too well. In supernatural politics are just secondary to them, strength and might is what matters.
Now she regretted focusing her attention on paperwork and politics when in her spare time she could've trained alongside Theseus. They could have trained each other's bodies on the physical front, since he showed himself to be the most experienced in those types of training…
"?!"
'Wait a bloody minute, where did that thought come from?!' she suddenly yelled in her mind when it suddenly dawned on her just how that could have been taken. Her face practically turned aflame with how red it turned with the thought of Theseus 'physically' training her with her 'physically training' him in turn. Even when she thought of it like that her mind rushed to places she did NOT want to fall into, making her reddening features even worse. 'Argh! Stop thinking about that!'
BAM!
In a fit of embarrassment, Meredith clenched her right fist and punched herself, trying to get rid of those impure thoughts like they were the black plague.
By the time that she managed to calm herself down after performing a few breathing exercises, Meredith found her previous inner peace mostly restored to a tranquil ocean instead of the chaotic storm those thoughts had caused. Though the reason why it was 'mostly' restored was due to the memory of everyone's surprised faces when they found that she had beaten the majority of their scores. Recalling that memory brought a small smile onto Meredith's lips, a small flower of pride blossoming within her chest.
Seconds later a frown replaced it though, her mood darkening as she opened her eyes, looking down at the ground. Despite the prior pride, Meredith still can't get rid of the feeling of frustration she felt inside brought about by her failure to beat all of her subordinates' scores, demonstrating her power. She was supposed to be the top bitch among them, the alpha bitch among the Hellsing organization's japanese branch. She was supposed to be Integra's successor and that woman held power over damn Alucard, so naturally the woman had informed her that she would of course expect her successor to be the same.
But right now, she wasn't doing that, which gnawed at her.
'Though thinking about it…' briefly blinking several times, an image of her subordinates bickering with one another appeared in Meredith's mind, causing her frown to deepen. She couldn't call their group disciplined one bit, nothing like those Exorcists who practically acted like drones before their superior officer. In fact, most of them were pretty chaotic and it involved gaining a migraine just to get them to do anything for her, specifically one Blonde who was one step away from rampaging at any time. Though given who his teacher was, Meredith wasn't surprised that he had turned out the way he did.
Trying to keep a lid on that kid's bloodlust was an exercise in futility yet it also kept hammering a specific fact like a nail in a coffin. That she wasn't Sir Integra who could command the most ferocious monster on planet Earth, nor was she capable of leading an expidition to a highly complicated piece of territory.
Those thoughts almost took over the auburn haired woman's mind, turning her into one big blob of depression. That is, IF she hadn't been able to remember a familiar topic she'd been advised by the Exorcist chapter master to look into. Images of her staying up late at night in her office, pouring over countless historical records filled her mind and filled her with a sense of sothing calmness, restoring the woman's tranquil state of mind as a small sigh escaped her lips, her nerves becoming still as a still lake.
To study and research something was practically the essence of practicing one's spells as a Magician. There had been numerous examples of mages practically spending their entire lives as hermits researching and studying different topics, isolated from the rest of the world. Personally Meredith enjoyed such things since it gave her a welcome reprieve from all the bullshit she dealt with on a daily basis. That may have also contributed to the stigma that magicians were physically frail and weak enough to not take a single punch, something which irked her even till this day.
As for the topic of her recent studies…
Ever since the Exorcist Chapter master had recommended she study up on famous Generals, Meredith had been spening her late nights doing that once she got all her other work done, which wasn't as often as she'd liked. After initially fretting on where to start, she had decided to go from the earliest records of human history: the ancient world involving peoples like the ancient greeks, romans etc.
From there, Meredith had found one leader after another which floored her about how many existed throughout history. She'd only started this study project, but she had covered most of the ancient world's history yet she'd found countless examples of leaders and how they acted during those times. From cruel tyrants to benevolent lords, there had been countless leaders who left their marks in history's records. Two such figures took her attention the most out of the many warrior-like kings of that time: Alexander the Great who took over a vast territory to create his own mini empire, and finally King Leonidas of Sparta, who died alongside his men fighting for the sake of his people.
Reading about THAT guy's exploits made the woman wonder if the film 300 had grossly understated his legend. But as for the question that lingered in her mind about what it took to be a good leader and instead of a perfect leader Sir Integra?Whelp, one of the answers she had come to so far would be to have strength to back it up. It was always about strength, leading by example and with actions more than words. That was one major thing she has missed and forgotten when she was under tutelage with her teacher, the answer was there and she forgot it all along.
She slapped her forehead hard, a frustrated hiss leaving her mouth. The auburn girl had been a fool the whole time, and this was just the BEGINNING of her project. What else had she overlooked? Meredith almost didn't want to find out, but let it be said that Meredith Ordinton was no coward.
Although this was just the beginning, Meredith began to believe that was one of the reasons why her teacher had been able to control Theseus. She's must've proven to the Shark king through her charisma, that she wasn't like those wuss ass nobles or arrogant higher ups who Theseus despised (admittingly, the woman couldn't fault him on that one). The other reason likely was he alongside with Kuroh and Vali had been raised by the woman into the men they were today. She remembered once hearing Vali talk about it with someone who had asked, the man remarking how Integra had been stern yet fair with their education… alongside stubborn as fuck like a 'typical british woman'. Meredith could see that, in Integra's eyes it didn't matter if one was a human or not, if one was a man or woman of England then they should have their manners in check.
Perhaps her rocky relationship with Theseus stemmed from how she didn't truly understand his true nature, her trying to mold him to what he despised not helping either. That was her mistake, Meredith freely admitted that to herself after having been blasted by Hijikata over how much of an idiot she'd been. She'd tried to put a leash on a wild beast against it's will, of course it would act out especially since she never even 'tamed' him or tried to understand him. It really could have ended in only one way.
But now, after everything that had happened Meredith slowly found herself starting to tolerate him and his actions. She may still get headaches dealing with his antics, but it wasn't as bad now compared to before. She honestly saw this like a parallel between Alucard and Sir Integra, only with how her teacher had to learn to control Alucard and then tolerate him. It will take months or years for her to control Theseus, but it'll be worth it in the end.
She already had a prime example of the results.
"Ms Meredith!"
Her thoughts ground to a halt when Meredith heard a feminine voice calling out to her. She glanced to the source behind her and, through her right eye's corner, spotted Mio walking up into focus. Since the plain Meredith occupied had a sorta hill-like surface, this was why that had been the case.
Upon seeing a familiar face instead of an undead foolishly deciding to try it's hand with her, Meredith smiled a bit before she stood upright from her prior lotus position, patting down her outfit's skirt a couple of times to get rid of the excess dirt from her dress. By the time she had completed these actions, Mio had already strolled up to her, her expression returning to one of sharp stoicism. "Ah, Mio. How may I help you?"
"Nothing much, just came to tell you everyone's packed up and ready to return to the human world." Mio answered, shrugging her shoulders. "Karanak's waiting patiently, though that's probably cause I asked him to. We're just waiting on you, now."
Meredith nodded her head in understanding. Throughout this trip their group had been continuously training without much of a rest or break, so it was a natural result that they would all be exhausted and filled with a desire to return home. Not only that, but another reason Meredith had for returning was because she felt a bit uncomfortable leaving her assigned post for too long, she worried about the possibility things had spiralled into chaos while she had been away. Karasuma and Hijikata may have been competent soldiers, but running a small town was a completely different experience let alone running a country. She'd done her best to give them some guides and tips to keep things in order, but in the end one can only do so much.
Then there was the accumulated injuries the majority of them had sustained, injuries which were taking much longer to heal for them than usual Meredith had noted. She had attributed this to the Bloody Palace with agreeing opinions coming from Maria, Ddraig and Albion. Part of her actually couldn't help but note the surprising sight of the two Heavenly Dragons being cordial with one another despite being known to cause downright cataclysmic disasters whenever they fought one another across the centuries since their turning into Sacred Gears. Perhaps it was due to the sheer disparity between Vali and Issei combat prowess wise, but whatever the case may be, it filled her with relief knowing she didn't have to sort THEIR messes out.
But the injuries themselves, they would need a proper medical professional to heal, of which Meredith figured Michel and Chisato would be perfect for the task, meaning they had to head home anyways.
Fortunately, this outing wasn't without it's benefits. Although none of them could see it, Meredith could: their powers had each increased to their states back when they resided within London: much of the 'rush' had been shaken off their hides but not only that, each of them now had a goal in mind. One installed within them by the Bloody Palace:
To get strong enough to conquer the damn thing.
'Issei did mention once it was like preparing to solo a Dungeon in an MMO…' Meredith mused internally, remembering the instance herself. She could see the comparison too once she learned more about videogames from the 'youth' that being Mio and Issei. Hanging out with old ass boomers probably limited some of her knowledge of modern day customs…
She shook those thoughts away and shift her attention back to Satans daughter. "Well, its time for us to head back home then Mio, don't want those boys waiting for us." she declared, a small smirk forming on her lips as a thought crept across her mind. "Those adrenaline junkies are behaving themselves, right?"
A similar expression formed on the redhead's mouth too, already knowing how Meredith would take this next part. "I think so, though Vali literally clung to the ground saying he doesn't want to leave. Apparently this place is like heaven to him, he wanted to stay here." As she explained this, Mio formed an uncertain expression. "Last I heard before heading to get to you Theseus and Kuroh were pulling the guy from the palace by his legs, kinda like a victim in a horror movie being dragged to their deaths. I think I can still hear his screams from here."
Furrowing her brows, Meredith strained her ears to try and see if that claim was valid only for her hands to start twitching irritably when she began hearing those very screams. They were a bit too distant to be completely understood but enough to confirm that apparently Vali had a set of lungs on him. "I should've known this would happen." she muttered, groaning into the palm that met her face for a meet and greet. Considering Vali's personality and his battle hungry nature, it wasn't a surprise to see how much he'd grown to love this place.
"But anyway, there is something I wanna ask if you don't mind me asking, Ms Meredith."
"Hmmmmm?" the auburn girl arched a brow, distracted from her earlier fretting as wll as intrigued by Mio's question. She waved a hand without much care. "Go ahead, what is it that you want to ask of me Mio?"
"Well…..I couldn't help but notice you were thinking hard about something back there." Mio admitted. Before she'd announced her presence, Mio had emerged onto the plain and had gotten a good look at her mentor's face, which became the basis for her questioning. The way the woman had her features crinkled together, it didn't seem like she was having a pleasant experience thinking about something hence why she wanted to know what it was. Not only to sate her own curiosity, but also because it concerned her since it wasn't often she saw Meredith like that. "So, um… wanna talk about it?" Part of her had to cut herself off before she continued, because Meredith PROBABLY wouldn't react well to being compared to being constipated when being troubled by something.
"..."
Meredith initially remained silent, debating whether or not to respond to the redhead. It soon dawned on her that the question itself was pretty harmless, just a mere question and it wasn't like the asker was someone wanting to get oneup on her like she was used to. She'd known Mio for long enough to understand she wasn't that type of girl. She shifted her attention to Mio. "Normally it would be rude for someone like you to ask what a person is thinking."
Mio tensed, quickly detecting the stern edge in Meredith's words. It looked like she touched a sentive subject for the lady, something she feared would happen if she had asked but her own curiosity had won out over her rationality. Taking a quick gulp, she mentally prepared herself to be reprehend by Meredith….
A scolding which never came. "However I'll let this aside for once Mio." Luckily, Meredith didn't have much of an intent to do such a thing to her, prompting a sigh of relief to escape the redhead girl. "As for your question…..I was thinking about a project I have embarked on." Meredith finally answered.
Blinking in confusion, Mio's mouth formed an 'o' shape as she tilted her head slightly to the left. "Project?"
"...What makes a good leader." Meredith finally stated after a moment of silence, looking up to the heavens above. Although she understood the irony of her statement, she nonetheless continued. "Recent incidents have caused me to question this… starting from our arrival in Japan, to the recent incident involving the other factions. I've made countless mistakes that should not have happened, like a harlot engaging in a drunken one night stand." Taking a pause to compose herself, Meredith regarded her charge with a look she probably never would have thought would appear on her face: one of loss and conflict. "Not only have I caused friction within my own team which hampered our effectiveness together, but I have repeatedly failed to uphold Hellsing's honor and commitments to it's word. We promised people we could care for them, but several instances have shown we were unable to stay true to it." A bitter chuckle left the woman's lips as she recounted this before Mio, who now stood beside her as the two overlooked the rest of the plain together. "Some leader I am… hence why through some advice given to me, I'm currently on a… soul searching journey one could say. I want to reaffirm what a good leader is by looking at the successful ones throughout history. So far, I've got three criteria."
Glancing over to her Mentor, Mio pursed her lips. "Three?"
With a sharp nod, Meredith held a hand up with only her index finger raised. "One, a leader must have the loyalty of her subordinates, not because they have to, but because their subordinates would WILLINGLY wish to follow them. They must show their subordinates that they have the capacity to lead them." After saying this Meredith lifted her middle finger. "Second, a Leader has to see both the bigger picture and things from the individual's perspective. Only then can they make the tough decisions that would potentially condemn them in the annuls of history." Finally the third finger got raised, and this one made Meredith's tone dip below a whisper yet it sounded like the most impactful one of them all. "Lastly, and most importantly: a Leader sets an example, a high standard, for his or her subordinates. They must not do anything they wouldn't do themselves, especially when pledging to do something. A leader's word is his or her credibility, it goes a long way to commanding the respect of those who follow."
"Huh… that sounds pretty solid if you ask me…" Mio remarked, thinking it over in her mind. She honestly couldn't fault such criteria nor did she want to. None of those sounded particularly hard, but perhaps they were in practice. It was then that something clicked in her mind, and the redhead turned to her mentor completely. "Wait, does this have to do with why you're joining the rating game yourself?" she questioned. "I know in Devil society Kings are usually participating with their peerages, so…"
Meredith frowned. "Yeah, but they mostly take a backline seat to the action, directing from afar. That is not my intention, not by a long shot." she addressed, surprising Satan's Daughter as she stepped forwards, some winds starting to blow her dress's skirt as she held her hand in front of her face. "But you're not wrong. The whole reason i'm doing all this… is to confirm to myself that I CAN be a good leader, that everyone wasn't mistaken to put their trust in me." Clenching the hand into a fist, Meredith sharply raised her head to show her gnashed teeth. "Seeing how flippant current gen leaders and more specifically Riser were regarding their duties as possible leaders… it infuriated me. What if people think I am like them? No, there's probably those who already think that I am like them, just some weak ass pencil pusher who does nothing while her subordinates do the dirty work."
"..."
By the end of Meredith's little rant, silence descended onto the atmosphere around the two girls, which felt laced with a sense of weight that forced itself upon their shoulders. The abilityt to breathe, to think rationally, these qualities felt like they were being sucked dry from the two by the winds blowing through the plain, ruffling their clothes, hair and anything capable of being blown in their direction.
But despite the domineering effect the silence had over them, it didn't last long before Mio broke it. "Wow… that's honestly kinda heavy…" she admitted rather sheepishly while scratching her chin with an index finger.
A small unladylike snort escaped Meredith's lips, though the woman didn't find anything in her that cared at the moment. "That is putting it mildly, young lady."
"But… if you ask me, I think you're doing your best with what you have,"
"?!"
Eyes sharply widening at the admission that left the redhead's mouth, Meredith whirled around to face said girl, who had her hands behind her back with one fist clutching the other by the wrist. She didn't seem bothered by the long hair strands blowing across her gaze, for Mio kept it pointed straight towards the surprised Meredith. "When I lost my parents…" Mio began, shifting her gaze to the side while shifting her head downwards so she could look at the desolate ground beneath their feet. "Me and Maria had to live a nomadic lifestyle while constantly running for our lives to keep ahead of the hounds. Of which there had been many, from the Demons after me because of my father, my family's killer… to the humans who wanted to profit from my suffering by stealing what little inheritance I had left…"
Meredith narrowed her eyes at this, her surprise fading into a mix of annoyance and anger. "Yeah, I can see that being the case…" she could imagine such circumstances. Practically any form of human suffering could be turned to a business opportunity, it had been a fact proven throughout human history. The fact that humans had tried repeatedly it seemed, to trick Mio out of her inheritance uncaring that it was the last thing she had of her foster parents? She could totally see it, she herself knew of people back in London who'd do that in a heartbeat. Fortunately Sir Inegra had helped her on that front when she found out how her own relatives tried doing something similar to her.
"But… I don't hate those days, not in the slightest." Raising her head upwards, Mio gazed towards the stormy clouds in the skies. Their sight seemed to contrast heavily the tranquil look in the girl's crimson eyes. She then looked back to Meredith while planting one hand on her hip and the other over her forehead to keep one of her ponytails from completely obscuring her vision. "I know that sounds strange, lunacy even… but throughout everything only Maria stayed by my side. She never gave up on me, never left me to fend for myself and was the emotional crutch I needed to keep moving forwards. Without her, I don't think I could have made it this far…" The redhead half Demon admitted, a soft and tender smile on her lips thinking about that Succubus.
Not a sight anyone would have expected to be connected to that pervert with, but life was full of surprises.
"She taught me a very important lesson: the importance of loyalty and having trustworthy comrades by your side." Mio admitted, placing the hand shielding her face from her hair onto her chest and closing her eyes. Memories of spending time with everyone at Hellsing, especially a certain shark king, flowed through her mind. "To have comrades you can trust to pick you up should you fall, to help carry you the rest of the way… To me, a Leader is someone I could follow with that in mind, someone who is as truthful as possible, who would have my back when necessary, and someone who won't toss me aside at the earliest convenience." Raising her head, Mio looked into Meredith's eyes. "Do you see yourself doing any of those things?"
Meredith's answer came immediately and without hesitation. "Not a chance." she spat, disgust coursing through her being. "Tossing aside good soldiers who fight for queen and country? To throw them to the wolves when its advantageous to me? Hellsing pride, MY pride, would be tarnished…!" she spat.
However, that just seemed like exactly the response Mio had been looking for judging from how her grin widened. "Exactly, Mrs Meredith." she stated. "I'm sure the others have noticed it, but you're not nearly as bad as you make yourself out to be. I bet you that everyone here, me included, would follow you into battle. You just have to have more confidence in yourself…" at the end, Mio's grin turned into an almost bloodthirsty one that would be more fitting if it came from Vali, Theseus or Kuroh. "Cause whooping ass is a beat we can all dance to."
Meredith stared at Mio for some time, uncertain about what to feel or how she could respond. Her eyes shrunk to the size of dots, her mouth hanging open as if it had lost control of itself while the weight behind those words sunk in. What just what could she say to such a conviction-driven reply? Though they usually spent time together as teacher and student with Meredith filling the former role, the auburn haired woman considered herself the senior of the two in both maturity and experience with the supernatural world. Yet here she was getting schooled by her student for once. The student had started schooling the teacher… perhaps the view that one never stopped learning had some merit.
However that last part….like previously mentioned, it sounded EXACTLY like what Theseus would say in this scenario. Coupled with that brash attitude and the hardcore stance that symbolized the brutal honesty the blondie would normally spor, yet despite that it somehow cheered her up.
It brought a smile to the queens granddaughter face. Not one of those empty ones, but a genuine smile. "Those words….." Meredith trailed off before putting a hand on Mio's shoulder. "Those words might be what I was looking for Mio. I appreciate it."
"You just have to be yourself instead of pretending your not. You are your own person and a different type of leader. Remember that."
Mio's words echoed throughout the area, yet internally her memories went haywire with the girl already recalling something she remembered from the first time she meet Theseus.
"The point is you don't have to be someone else, like a fangirl seeking attention. You are what you are."
"…."
Meredith was silent for a second before she made a mentally comment. 'The situation…it feels a lot similar to when we first met Theseus. I swear your already becoming the center of attention.' she said in her mind before nodding herself before walking backward. "Lets head back home, I think I had enough for today."
Mio brighten up. "You said it Ms Meredith….as for Vali…"
"NO! NO! NO! I DON'T WANNA LEAVE HERE!"
"STOP TRYING TO RESIST YOU DAMN IDIOT, WE'RE HEADING HOME!"
"NO! THIS IS MY NEW HOME! I LOVE IT HERE! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME AWAY FROM IT!"
"FOR FUCK SAKE, WE HAVE A RATING GAME NEXT WEEK! AND YOU WANT TO WASTE IT?!"
"YES! ITS SO BORING BACK HOME IT MAKES ME WANNA KILL MYSELF! THERE'S SO MANY STRONG OPPONENTS HERE! I WANNA STAY HERE!"
"THERE ARE PLENTY OF STRONG OPPONENTS BACK HOME!"
"AND WHEN HAVE I EVER HAD A GOOD MATCH?! ONLY RARELY! THIS PLACE HAS EVERYTHING I NEED! LET ME GOOOOOO!"
"WE ARE NOT STAYING HERE FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!"
"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANNA HEAD BACK TO THE HUMAN WORLD! I DON'T WANNA!"
"..."
The closer they got to their destination, the louder the screams became till they could hear them with nigh perfect clarity. Mio formed an uncertain expression, sweat dropping and nervously smiling while shifting her attention to Meredith, who's eyebrows were twitching in familiar irritation and frustration. With how loud Vali had been going on for the last few moments, one wouldn't be surprised if the whole of the Bloody Palace could hear it. It resembled a banshee and a karen combined together.
"Uhhhhhh. Ms Meredith?" she called out to her.
"Don't say anything. The mood is already ruined." she puts up her hand while shaking her head. "If you'll excuse me, I have to reeducate that foolish boy before he makes things more complicated for us." she simply said with a stoic tone before walking towards where the boys would be… alongside the incoming huge headache.
Just another Day in Hellsing.
Elsewhere - Riser's Private Villa - Underworld
"Oooh…!"
"Argh…! Argh…!"
"...AAhhhhhhh!"
The sounds of flesh slapping against flesh rung throughout the villa owned and currently occupied by a certain child of the Phenex family, isolated from the rest of the underworld by a special barrier much like many Devil clans who wished to remain away from the politics of their race after the Great War devastated their purity. These slapping sounds occurred at regular intervals, accompanied by almost bestial grunting and loud, almost siren-like raspy gasps as if their owner was constantly having the air robed from their lungs. The gasps sounded like they came from a woman, whilst the animalistic grunting sounded rather masculine…
Yeah, to all perverts reading this one can imagine where this was going.
Within his bedroom, the master of the house was currently occupied with his carnal acts of pleasure. Doing so by rapidly and roughly thrusting into the body of one of his Peerage members a woman in her mid 20's physically with long purple hair and dark purple lipstick. While the two of them were mostly naked, the woman had a gag in her mouth and a blindfold on while her arms were restrained behind her back with a rope made seemingly from… hair. A rope held by Riser's left hand while his right grasped the back of her head to push her into the mattress as he rammed her from behind like a bull in breeding season. Although her expression remained mostly concealed thanks to these circumstances one could still easily identify the 'fucked stupid' look on her face.
Eventually, Riser stopped his thrusting after he had climaxed for the….20th, 30th? He couldn't recall and didn't care to. Afterwards, he let his recent 'plaything' go, letting her drop to the mattress like a lifeless husks, her minute trembling the sole sign that she was even still alive. As for Riser himself, the man went and shifted his body to the side of the bed after pulling out of the woman's pussy, his form covered in sweat.
'Whew… a good night of screwing my whore collection…' Riser mused internally, glancing at the copious amount of naked bodies both belonging to adult women to questionably legal lolis. '...Always feels good after a good set of days.' He smiled at himself before he began to think about the recent events.
It hadn't been that long since his return from his trip to China, a few weeks to be exact, but it had been well worth the trip he figured. Both in obtaining a specific item that would greatly help him in his battle against those primitive apes(though even HE had been taken aback by the amount of pride and arrogance those chinese cultivators had coursing through them, he swore that one of them committed mass genocide of his compatriots just for a seat). Riser shuddered at the thought before shaking his head, even HE had to admit that the lack of common sense those morons had baffled him.
'No wonder those fools lost the first opium war with that damn island empire. They deserved that century of humiliation they went through…' the blonde Phenex mused with a derisive scoff, obviously looking down on the chinese faction. He shook his head and smiled once more, now that he had returned home and gotten his fix of domination over his peerage, Riser felt much better especially when he looked towards a specific box that lay atop the desk next to his bed. It looked like a simpleblack box with golden metallic corners, various embroidery etched into it with golden metal.
The sight if it sent a whole new level of pleasure through Riser's body, more than his usual debauchery ever could especially when he remembered the faces of those whom slighted him in the first place. "Yes…soon Hellsing shall regret ever crossing me. They will learn the consequences of damaging a Phoenix's pride. They will see…they will ALL see." Muttering this under his breath, Riser's smile gradually turned increasingly wicked and dark, malice radiating from his slightly glowing eyes.
The item he bought will definitely benefit him, it'll be use for his upcoming battle that will soon take place. Although it had been a bit pricey in terms of the average businessman, it didn't matter how much money he spent, millions of Yen didn't concern him a bit since his family was one of the richest in the underworld with the amount of connections and influence they had. Although his 'family' had declined their aid to him, Riser had more than enough authority to utelize their assets himself
Fortune was turning into his favor, it was like the lord of darkness was smiling upon him. It seemed like he wanted Riser to succeed in his journey to prove that the Devils were the top predators compared to those filthy apes in the human realm.
THUD-THUD!
Before he could continue his monologuing like a 2-bit moustache twirling villain, Riser's thoughts got rendered silent when he heard some thuds coming from outside his room. By the time he had raised his head to arch a brow at the source, the door got flung open to reveal a young woman standing behind it. This woman had quite the beauty to her despite looking rather petite, with dark blue eyes and long blonde hair tied into twintails with large, drill-like curls and blue ribbons keeping them in place. The front of her hair had several bangs hanging over her forehead, with a V-shaped fringe hanging over the bridge of her nose. Her outfit consisted of a light purple dress with dark purple accents and a blue bow at the front. At the back, three feather-like extensions mimicking a bird's tail protruded from the dress.
This was Ravel Phenex, the little sister of Riser Phenex and the (unfortunate) bishop of his peerage.
The newly arrived Ravel paused after taking a few steps inside her brother's room, shifting her head throughout the area before sighing in annoyance, placing a hand over her forehead. Though if one paid more attention they would be able to notice no small amount of actual disgust as well. "Ugh, you need to conduct yourself more properly brother. This is becoming a bad habit for you." Ravel muttered, shaking her head while trying not to look at the naked forms scattered across the bed..
In response to the criticism, Riser shifted his attention to his little sister with an unimpressed look on his features, not really seeing what he was doing wrong here. Not like he ever did though, either that or he didn't give a crap. Probably a mixture of both. "What? Whats wrong Ravel?" He questioned blankly, before looking around him after following his sister's gaze. Afterwards, his depression grew increasingly dull as if he wanted to say 'are you serious?' right now. "Are you kidding? This is perfectly normal for functionin adults, Devils at that." he retorted, standing upright from his bed without putting on any underwear. "Devils are creatures of sin, little sister, you know that."
"We are NOT creatures of sin Riser. How many times have mother and father, including our brothers, repeated this to you?" Ravel retorted, placing her hands on her hips and trying to make herself look taller. Although it didn't work out that well, not to mention that she had a hard time looking at anything but the bundles of naked flesh throughout the room. Seriously, what kind of woman would want to look at her family members after engaging in such depraved acts.
Her brother rolled his eyes at her, also remembering those moments with perfect clarity. Although he just ignored them usually, the memory of the ecollective family scolding he got only further served to increase Riser's contempt for them in his mind. "Continue what you may believe Ravel but that is what we are since the moment we were born." he stated while scoffing derisively.
The younger woman wasn't done with him yet though, even as Riser began to casually start changing into his usual outfit in front of her, uncaring for any kind of modesty. Though she didn't really expect that from him anymore. "That's not how we function anymore Riser. I keep saying this to you, we are our own person. We don't follow that tradition anymore, this is exactly why you got into this mess with Hellsing in the first place."
Almost immediately Ravel regretted mentioning Hellsing in front of her brother, for Riser's expression turned downright murderous with the room's temperature flaring in response to the surge in fury within him. "I am not scared of those filthy beings Ravel!" He spat, growling as thin trails of smoke started rising from his shoulders, a sign of his manifesting powers. If it weren't for Ravel using her own to quickly quell the temperature in the room the peerage members on the bed likely would have been affected negatively by them. "And I will prove to mother, father and the rest of the devils in the underworld that we are the superior race."
Ravel narrowed her eyes at her older brother, not affected by the heat since she was also a Phenex as well. It became apparent to her that this would just end up the same as the countless other lectures that the family tried giving Riser in the past. In one ear, and out the other… the fact that Riser had such a horrid reputation behind closed doors wasn't lost on Ravel, but surely they were exaggerated, right? Though as she briefly glanced at the naked women on his bed, the claws of doubt sunk into her mind.
Despite this, the woman huffed and looked to the side like a classic tsundere. "Fine, be that way then brother. I hope you will be ready for the incoming slaughter those monsters will commit once they get their hands on you. The moment they are in front of me I will declare 'I retire' from the rating game." she promised to her brother.
In response, a derisive scowl crossed onto Riser's features with the older Devil sneering down at his sister. Complete disgust shone through his eyes at the, in his eyes 'lack of spine' Ravel was showing. He didn't care that she was the only relative still allied to him, seeing such weakness before a foreign power revolted him to the core. "Hmph, what a cowardly chicken you've become instead of a prideful Phoenix." he spat.
"At least I know how and when to act like a coward to preserve my own life." Ravel once again rebuked Riser, not ashamed to call herself a coward. This normally wouldn't happen but when facing the likes of someone from the UK faction, you best pray for your very soul. Like Sirzechs' peerage, that faction was also full of monsters that could keep one awake at night.
There was also the fact that unlike her idiotic and borderline psychotic brother, Ravel wasn't a blind fool who didn't realize that striking the hornet's nest wouldn't backfire horribly.
Still, Ravel had a reason for barging into her brother's room and despite her distaste for the situation she would fulfil that reason. "Anyways I've come to tell you that the rating game is going to take place in four days. All the arrangements have been made." Ravel stopped for a moment before she spoke once more, looking concerned and worried. "I would recommend you to use those days to apologize for antagonizing that organization. Please brother, stop this madness before it gets out of hand."
Riser scoffed, haughty grin on his lips as he waved her off. "Do you strike me for a fool?" He questioned, but continued before his sister could answer while looking out his room's window into the distance. "They have tarnished and insulted my reputation. My pride, no the devils pride, shall not overlook this. Hellsing will face the phoenix's wrath and no one can stop that, do you understand Ravel?"
"..."
"I said, do you understand Ravel?"
"...Yes brother I understand." Sensing the harder edge to his tone, as well as the futility in trying to convince him, a downcast-looking Ravel lowered her head, her hair bangs hiding her eyes.
Seeing taht his sister had stopped her pointless babbling, Riser nodded his head in content with his victory. "Good, I hope you do as well." Riser kept his gaze looking towards the window, not bothering to face his sister because he could already see her reflection. It was enough to show him that his words had indeed reached her. "Now, head back to the wedding ceremony, I want to make sure everything is prepared for my wedding with Rias Gremory." he demanded, though a figurative lightbulb switched on in his mind as a thought popped into existence within it. "Oh! And also make sure to buy some exquisite wines from one of the human companies, our guest has to be entertained for the grand ceremony."
Ravel doesn't say anything to her brother before she turned around to start making her way towards to the door, she opened it before she stopped for a moment, staying in place as if she was frozen in a trance, before finally stepping through and closing the door behind her.
THUNK-CLICK!
The sound of the door being shut filled the air followed by that of the mechanics within the doorknob clicking into place. Bringing her hand away from the knob, Ravel let it hang by her side as she embraced the corridor's silence, refusing to raise her head to allow her hidden expression to be seen by the world. "Riser…do you know what you have done?" She muttered under a shaky breath, her lower lip trembling just like the rest of her body as she leaned against a wall.
Ravel desperately wanted to cry so hard, she wanted to shout, roar and flail about at the situation she had been forced into as part of Riser's peerage, but she couldn't. What her brother has done was the highest level of screw-up she had ever seen, one that she felt could contend with many of the major historical screwups throughout human and supernatural history.
Finally losing all feeling in her legs, they buckled under their own weight resulting in Ravel falling onto her knees, the girl leaning against the wall behind her.
Considering that Riser was one of the heirs to their clan, one could say that he had 'royally' fucked up on the highest degree. Pissing off Hellsing was an idea that NOBODY in the underworld dared to do, not even the more zealous of their race did so without careful consideration only to realize it not being worth the cataclysmic losses it's inflict upon their already abysmally small numbers.
In fact, ever since news broke out about their little rating game against them a HUGE ass uproar had erupted throughout not only the Phenex Clan, but the entire Devil nobility as well. Countless nobles had been paying visits to their clan demanding that this rating game be cancelled and that the Phenex Clan should pay whatever reparations they could to make sure Hellsing didn't screw them over as bad as they could. Nobody wanted to mess with them, the memories of prior genocides committed by them still being fresh in their memory. The British Empire may have been one of the biggest in history, but it had also herald one of the darkest time periods as well for the supernatural worlds, due largely in part to the Hellsing Organization being at the height of it's power. Their reach extended to practically across the globe and ANY supernatural-based problems got fixed with vast massacres like they had never heard of the term 'war crime'. Many of those survivors of those horrific times were still around today due to many in their world possessing stupidly long lifespans compared to humans, so the fear of them remained just as fresh in their minds as ever.
Many times Ravel contemplated if Immortality and long lifespans were a curse for them in this situation.
Whats even worse was the fiancee family, the Gremories, and their reaction to all of this. She remembered that they had prepared an eventual rating game that was supposed to be Rias and Riser. The initial plan had been to let the two duke it out and whoever won got to decide if the marriage would go ahead or not, of course nobody expected Rias to win though due to Riser having much more experience on the field and much more of a useful arsenal compared to her. Not even her doting brother sirzechs could help due to political reasons, which mollified the Gremory's to an extent. It hadn't been easy to agree to this compromise since the beginning either with about 70% of all the Gremory's (and also the Phenex) family members pushing for speeding up the wedding plans despite the initial agreement. If things had gone as intended, then the rating game would have ended in her loss and everything could proceed how all those old codgers had wanted.
However, all of that COMPLETELY flew out the window, when the official news broke out.
Everyone in both families were completely caught with their pants down when it was revealed that Hellsing had been the one that had been challenged instead, even MORE so when the entire story reached everyone's ears. To say that everything turned downright chaotic would be grossly understating the shit storm that followed, the streets and various areas within both families' territories practically turned into madness with countless members launching riots and official protests that took the entirety of both family's collective manpower to handle. It resembled a more civil version of dispersing the chinese protesters after their recent banking failing fiasco, only without anyone getting permenantly escorted by the grim reaper to the afterlife.
All this, and the eventual result led to the two families getting into a heated argument, with her parents who tried to assure they would have their son stop his foolishness. Unfortunately, things soured even MORE when it was found that they couldn't find him because he was somewhere else, in china.
Thus a heated argument started between Zeoticus and her father. Zeoticus Gremory blamed everything on Lord Phenex for not disciplining his son and putting a leash over him. The Gremory Patriarch knew fine well what would happen in this rating game's aftermath regardless of who won and lost. The devils had already been walking on thin ice with the humans, countless efforts and operations being implemented to try and keep a steady relationship with them while making sure they didn't ever anger Hellsing, especially since with their newly established base in Japan their influence was starting to expand just like in the days of the British Empire.
Now all of their hard work got thrown down the drain, because of one devils pride, the very reason behind the original Lucifer's downfall.
When she was about to get up and prepare to leave, her direction being her family home, she suddenly heard her brother speaking from the door.
"-ope that everything is prepared like what I requested?"
"-ed lord Riser, everything has been set in stage."
Ravel blinked several times, confusion wrought within her being. There was an unfamiliar voice coming from Riser's room which she doesn't recgonized and it was a male voice. She normally wouldn't be as concerned as she felt inside since her brother had signed his death warrant already, curiosity enveloped her as she put her hand at the door and pressed her ears at the door to hear more clearly.
"Excellent. Was there any problems with you being discovered?"
"No my lord. Everything is going as smoothly as possible, there is no problem with the rituals. No one has clearly suspected any thing at all."
'Rituals?' Ravel thought in confusion, pressing her ear against the door so she could hear better. 'Just what are they talking abo-'
"The last batch of slaves we raided from the Norse were particularly irritable to handle, so we should limit our operations within Shinto territory since their grasp over their security is the weakest amongst the various supernatural factions. They have been stored beneath your villa in the underground dungeon just as you have requested. Everything has been prepared with this manual I bring to you baring the instructions you need for your plans."
"Our supply is sufficient?
"Your specifications were followed to the latter, our kidnappers do good work. Perhaps they were inspired by the recent Night Lords I think they were called? But anyways, women, children and infants, we've procured them from across the Shinto region and sterialized the immediate areas so the Shinto cannot track them to you. There should be enough blood for 80% of the rituals, though for some you will have to crank up the torture to a thousand if you wish to mold them into the perfect sacrifices. The remaining 20% should be delivered within the next couple of days. Your peerage also must be branded with specific marks to transfer the power boost to them alongside yourself. We've supplied various methods for getting the most pain and suffering from the slaves, based off their regions and nationalities. It would be best to 'get creative' when torturing them in those underground dungeons you were supplied with."
"Excellent. And what of the devices I requested?"
"Ah yes, we have delivered the necessary equipment successfully Riser. Artificial bone growing curses, automatons with the souls of those deceased japanese scientists who experimented on humans during WW2, even experimental chemicals said to cause mass hysteria upon inhalement. Kinda ghastly if I do say so myself, I've heard rumors of your sadism Riser but the truth before me is more than what I expected."
"My friend, torture is just another form of expression. It is to show the superiority of one being over another. It gives one the heart-pounding control over another's life, which to a Devil is one of the most enticing things they could ever imagine. I do recall reading some records that stated the original Lucifer and Satan both shared such passions especially when they captured Angels or Fallen Angels. You are aware of BDSM are you not? In that case the majority of control belongs to the inflicter, or the sadist as it were while the Masochist takes it all. Both get their own pleasure in a sense which isn't something I find very comforting since I love the sight of my partners writhing from agony hence why I broke my peerage members shortly into their service under me."
"And the rituals? Such things have long since faded into obscurity by now, hardly any in the younger generation even knows they exist. For someone like you to uncover them…you must have quite the greed, enough to rival that of that Demon Mammon."
"Ahahaha! Yes, I can agree with you. Devils are creatures of sin, and greed is just one of them. In my case, my greed for the wealth of Gremory, the flesh of Rias Gremory, her being broken beneath me while I ingrain her own inferiority into her soul, all those fetish ideas I have in mind for that delicious body of hers. They are the source of my greed, and regarding those rituals, even I would not have resorted to them had I not noticed something off recently."
"Something off?"
"You best figure it out yourself, I'm sure the shock of it will be much greater that way."
"Very well, looking forward to continued business with you Riser."
"Indeed. I hope you Old Satan Faction Devils are just as ruthless as your reputation suggests."
"Heh, we shall see."
"Yes we shall."
After listening to the conversation, a pale-faced Ravel's eyes had widened with both terror and horror of the revelation who her brother was talking to, a member of the Old Satan faction. This was a treachery to the New Satan devils sure enough, but worse it was also a major disgrace for the Phenex family once they discovered this. The Old Satan Faction had lost much of it's support and power in the early years of the post civil war era according to Ravel's history knowledge, being downgraded to mere terrorist groups forced into hiding in secluded areas away from everyone's prying eyes. To many Devils at the time it had been hoped that they would fade into history along with the rest of their past, but in more recent times the old Satan Faction saw a resurgence in members who aligned with their beliefs. Now instead of just a terrorist group, its more accurate to call them a political faction who should NOT be taken lightly, one who wouldn't hesitate to dig their claws into the past and pull out horrific nightmares for the modern world to see, all for the sake of Devil supremacy.
Another reason Ravel was horrified was due to the whole talk around the rituals Riser had been referring to. Judging from the words that were exchanged, she assumed they were talking aout a particularly FORBIDDEN set of rituals outlawed beyond the word by the current Devil society. Pagan rituals that were remnants of a past many in the current ruling faction would like to bury in the annuls of history forever. Perverse, dark, twisted rituals reminiscent of a time when Devils truly acted like their namesake and earned the horrific reputation that still stigmatized them today.
In the ancient past, or maybe not so agent some might say, Devils used to use various rituals to enhance their power like a perversion of God's (ow!) Blessing upon his followers, particularly those Living Saints. These Rituals were barbaric, brutal and ruthless in both their applications and their sadism to which even a rare few Devils had sometimes questioned them before the devil civil war broke out. But after the death of the original Satan the rituals which primarily ran on the ambient power his presence emitted across the entire underworld similarly to that biblical deity's system was horribly weakened, resulting in their upgrades not being worth the hassle anymore. Their existence got erased from their records and buried by the new Satan faction immediately after they took office, all records pertaining to them being destroyed… or so everyone thought it seemed.
"What have you done brother?" Ravel whispered beneath her breath in absolute horror, her brain running wild thinking of the consequences Riser had coming for this. She widened her eyes in realization, if anyone or more specifically the Hellsing discovered this…
Rivers of blood shall flow once more.
Shaking with the thoughts and revelations of what could happen, a look of grim determination formed on her face as Ravel pressed her lips together, knowing just how bad this could end for her if she were caught doing what she intended to do."I have to try and stop this before its too late." Ravel declared as she tried to harden her stance… but couldn't stop her shaking due to the lingering thoughts.
However, her options were rather limited at this time. She can't do anything to Riser directly, not only because he was stronger than her but her current position as a member of his peerage would work against her. Devil Courts didn't look upon peerage members complaining about their treatment very favorably, just like how japanese courts don't take to rape victims trying to sue their rapers. She'd only joined Riser's peerage simply because he wanted to fulfil the 'little sister' slot in his little fantasy, although she had been spared the brunt of the stuff he did to his servants mostly because of the trouble it would cause him. Ravel felt certain that her brother wouldn't have hesitated in committing incest otherwise.
If she tried to report this, Hellsing would inevitably know of it and THAT couldn't be allowed to happen if she didn't want a bloodbath to follow her people. Hellsing was notorious for not showing mercy even when pleaded for it, furthermore everyone knew just how ruthless they could be when dishing out punishment especially for using such means to cause harm to people. It didn't matter if they themselves used particularly monstrous means in a form of hypocrisy, one they justified by calling themselves 'monsters that deal with the other monsters'.
That expression explained a lot about them.
Her parents wouldn't be of much help either. Should she report this to her parents, they would probably try and hide this information to avoid public disgrace upon their reputation and maintain their connections throughout both the human and supernatural worlds. The Phenex Clan would suffer HORRIBLY in that scenario and as heads of the family her parents would do all they could to hide this truth away… just like they did burying most of the rumors surrounding Riser's depravity.
She was all alone in this case.