Christmas marathon (3/3)

Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.

Chapter 51

—The most lasting alliances are those that are signed with blood ties —

Selene's father before announcing her engagement to Marcoryan

The moon was up as the surroundings of Edzard's family palace were surrounded by various tents, which served as temporary housing for the Youkai who were currently sheltering within this pocket kingdom. While the tents weren't thick, thanks to this world being in perpetual spring, they were more than enough to keep those who used them as a temporary home warm.

When the Youkai arrived from Urakyoto, they were greeted by a landscape that surprised them, as they never expected to be in such a beautiful and virgin land. Upon arrival they were greeted by the maids who tended the castle and by Tiamat, who was together with Le Fay, Rossweisse and Aika. Seeing the youkai arrive, Aika began giving orders to the maids to start sorting the refugees out quickly, so that the refugees' entry into the kingdom can be expedited.

After several minutes at last all the refugees were already in this realm and the portal was closed. Many of the Youkai watched sadly as the portal that connected them to the land where they had lived for many generations closed, confirming that that dimension was lost.

After the portal was closed, Asia took command and began issuing orders for the census of the refugees to begin. And while that was taking place, Edzard and Zakir appeared, shocking everyone who saw them.

When they reached the place where Yasaka was, Akatosh's son told her that Urakyoto had been dragged to Coldharbour, but that this would not be a victory for Molag Bal, as he and the Lilmothiit filled the place with Aedric power, the which would render Urakyoto unusable by daedras. Those words were like a small stitch for the sadness that the youkais were feeling, since at least now they knew that the power contained in that dimension could not be used by the daedras.

After all that, magical tents began to be distributed, which were like small houses on the inside, in addition, apart from these, emergency supplies were also delivered for all the refugees, since they had arrived in this kingdom with few possessions, because they left a lot of things behind so they could get out quickly. While the Youkai refugees were given tents to serve as temporary homes, Yasaka and Kunou were given the option of staying in the palace, but both decided to decline, saying they wanted to be with their people.

It was that answer that made them also temporarily live in a tent, which was bigger than the others. Inside said tent there was a room with a table with several chairs, a place where an emergency meeting between the representatives of the youkais and their leader was currently taking place.

"Yasaka-hime. What was agreed upon at the Kuoh pact meeting? When can we return to Kyoto?" asked a kapa-like youkai.

Yasaka heaved a sigh and began to tell them what has happened.

Flashback

In the underworld, more precisely in Lucifer's palace, an extraordinary meeting of the members of the Kuoh pact was taking place. Present at this meeting were not only the founding members, but also all the members who have joined so far. That is to say that in this room were Sirzechs, Serafall, Azazel, Yasaka, Edzard and Odin.

"Then, we begin this extraordinary session of the Kuoh pact." Azazel said as he looked at everyone present.

Those present nodded and Azazel gave way to Edzard, who, getting up from his chair, took out a cube and placed it in the middle of the table. After pressing a gem that was in the center of said cube, it began to open and take the shape of a six-pointed star. On each of these points was a green gem. Also, apart from said gems the gem that Edzard had pressed slipped and ended up in the center of the star. Six green rays of magic arose from said gem, which impacted the other gems. All the rays merged into one and ended up forming a large screen across the center of the table.

After that, Edzard gave way for Serafall to continue with the meeting.

"Good. I will start the meeting by saying that the Kyoto youkai have formally joined the Kuoh pact." Said Serafall in one of those rare moments when she was serious.

Although Serafall's words could have caused joy in those present, this time it was not the case. Everyone from Yasaka to Odin had shadowed looks. This happened because everyone already knew what had happened in Kyoto, since Edzard, Azazel and Yasaka made reports that were sent to the leaders of the pact members.

"Boy, what exactly happened?" Odin asked Edzard seriously.

"Kyoto was attacked twice in less than a week. The first to attack were Dagon's followers, a sect or cult called the «Mythic Dawn»." Edzard replied as he moved his hand and made the screen show the cultists in their robes, also showing some items with the symbol of the Mythic Dawn. "As you can see, they are a group of Dagon fanatics who earned a place in Nirm's history by murdering the Septim family, the rulers of the empire during the third Age. These followers are usually battle mages or pure mages, but there are often some warriors as well. On the Kyoto battlefield I ran into Dagon's Champion, who was in possession of a Daedric artifact. Unfortunately for us though, Dagon took the artifact with him when I killed the champion. The second attack was carried out by troops from Molag Bal, who used an artifact called «Black Anchor» to take all «Urakyoto» to Coldharbour. The attack was not carried out by any sect, but was solely Daedra troops, which ranged from mid-level and a few high levels.

Edzard's words only added to the tense atmosphere in the room.

"Nirmnians attacking so soon, a champion with a Daedric artifact, and mid to high level Daedras…it seems the Daedric invasions have started in earnest this time." Said Azazel, who then moved his hand away and making magic circles appear, made various folders appear in front of everyone. "In these sheets are the results that we have obtained by examining the body of the 8 that Edzard "generously" allowed us to analyze. As you can see, the Nirmnians' bodies anatomically differ from those of Earth humans. The main difference is that their muscle and bone tissues are denser than that of Earthlings, which makes them naturally stronger physically than them. Also, I have a theory that it's possible that they may even have stronger anatomy than those of a demon or any other regular supernatural being. Also, if we use a bit of logic, we can deduce that if mere mortals can reach power levels like high-class devils just with training, well, the beings considered as gods by them are on a completely different level."

Azazel's words did not calm the concerns that everyone present had.

"How powerful do you think they are?" Odin asked looking at Edzard. However, it was not Akatosh's son who answered, but Yasaka who did.

"Very powerful… during the second attack on «Urakyoto» one of the sons of the Daedric prince Molag Bal appeared, a being called Ozzozachar. He… was very strong… during his battle against Edzard-dono, he swept the ground with him."

Yasaka's words sank like ice into the bodies of those who had not witnessed the attack, while Edzard clenched his fists in frustration, as he did not like to remember how Ozzozachar had bested him in their initial battle.

"Shit." It was the only thing that Odin could say when he heard that. The leader of the Norse pantheon was aware of Edzard's level of power, since he had killed a god of his pantheon, so knowing that they had swept the ground with him, well, that caused him a lot of worry and panic. However, like everyone else present, he could not afford to show fear now.

"What other news do you have, Azazel?" Michael asked with concern, as he saw that his brother's face was still tense.

"It's about the Youkai of Kyoto." Azazel replied, drawing Yasaka's attention, who quickly looked at him. "I'm afraid they won't be able to return to Kyoto."

Azazel's words fell like a bucket of cold water on Yasaka, who just slumped back in her chair. Her face showed that she was shocked, but when everyone thought that she wouldn't say something, she spoke. "Why can't we go back?"

Yasaka's question was asked with a tone of voice that contained sadness, worry, and despair.

"When we arrived here after the evacuation, I sent orders for a specialized group to travel to Kyoto to search for the Youkai who had not been in «Urakyoto» during the attack. However, that was not the only thing I ordered them to do, as I also ordered them to examine the «Lay Lines» that run through the city and what we have found is worrying."

Everyone who was there looked expectantly at what Azazel was about to say.

"I am afraid that the «Lay Lines» are contaminated with an unknown power. And it doesn't take a genius to know that said unknown power is something to do with the daedras."

Azazel's words left everyone thoughtful, well, everyone, since one of them knew the answer.

"Chaotic Magic." Edzard said getting everyone's attention.

"What do you mean by that, Edzard-kun?" Sirzechs asked.

"Daedras, aside from using Magicka, also use something called «Chaotic Magic», a different type of magic that cannot be used by mortals. Even I can't use it, and I'm not a mortal." Edzard replied as he made the device display other images. "The black anchors are Daedric artifacts whose main function is achieved through «chaotic magic». When we were fighting in Urakyoto, Zakir mentioned that the black anchors had slammed into a source of power that ran throughout that land. At first, I didn't know what he was referring to, but now that you mention those «Lay Lines», I understand that they were the ones that were hit by the black anchor. So, when the metaphysical merger happened, those sources of power were contaminated by «chaotic magic»."

Edzard's answer, made Yasaka have a doubt.

"Is there a way to... to reverse that?" Yasaka asked with a bit of hope that there was a solution.

Edzard shook his head, since he didn't know any method for that, well, that was something relatively false, because he could intuit that there could be a way out, but that was for that source of power to be cleaned with the counterpart of the power of the «Chaotic magic», that is, the power of Aetherius. While that would remove the stain from that magic, that power still couldn't be used by the Youkai, since their bodies wouldn't resist Aetherius's power.

"I see…" Yasaka said as he plopped down on his chair.

"This opens up a new problem." Said Serafall drawing everyone's attention. "Where will the youkai stay now?"

That question could have confused Yasaka at any other time, but after hearing what had happened to the «Lay Lines» that indicated that his people could not create a new dimension to live in Kyoto, because for that dimension to be maintain it was necessary for the «Lay Lines» to constantly send power into the dimension. However, thanks to the «Chaotic Magic» that would not be possible.

Upon understanding that, the face of the leader of the Kyoto Youkais began to show absolute sadness.

"Maybe they can join the Kanto Youkai." Odin opined.

Yasaka looked at the Norse leader and shook her head. "I'm afraid that would be very difficult. Our culture and way of life is a bit different from that of the Youkai who follow Nurarihyon-dono."

"This complicates things quite a bit." Sirzechs said before letting out a sigh.

"I don't have a problem with them staying in my kingdom." Edzard said getting everyone's attention.

"Are you sure, Ed-chan?" asked Azazel looking at Edzard.

"Yeah, I don't see anything wrong with it. My kingdom is empty and the only ones living there are the ones in the palace."

"That's a good idea. Although, if they want, they could also stay in the Underworld." Sirzechs said.

Those answers made the Kyoto leader look at both and she was touched they were both willing to give her people shelter. Knowing that this important decision could not be made alone, she decided to discuss it with her advisors.

"I-I will discuss it with my advisors and convey my decision to them."

End Flashback

"And that was what was said." Said Yasaka finishing telling a part of the meeting, since the rest was about the capture of Edzard's parents. Not to mention that this was a secret that only the faction leaders knew about.

"So, we can't go back to Kyoto." said an Oni. The Oni were large humanoid beings as adults, but very small as children. Its main characteristic was its horns and the color of its skin, since they are usually red or blue.

"No… I'm afraid we won't be able to return. Because if I tried to reconnect with the «Ley Lines» my body and mind would be corrupted by the power of «Chaotic Magic». Furthermore, said power would prevent us from creating another dimension to live in Kyoto."

The youkais nodded sadly but kept their order. As much as it hurt, it had already been a few days and therefore the anger they had towards the daedras for taking their home had stopped being as explosive as a volcano to become as cold as Antarctica.

"So, which place do we choose? This world or the Underworld?" Yasaka asked looking at the youkais who were in the meeting.

The youkais present began to give pros and cons for both options. The main opposition to staying in Edzard's realm was, more than anything, that it was a remote world, which did not have much modern infrastructure, while the problem with the demon realm is that they would be at the mercy of unscrupulous demons there that they might try to force many youkais to become members of their peerages. The conversations lasted a few minutes where things began to heat up a bit, but fortunately they did not come to blows. In the end Yasaka decided to intervene and asking for a vote, the result was decided.

"Then, we will stay here, in the kingdom of Edzard-dono." Yasaka said after finishing counting the votes. A smile appeared on her face, because if you gave her the choice, she preferred this place. The air here was pure, and you could tell there was a lot of room to expand, and all these words had nothing to do with the affection she was beginning to take towards Edzard.

"Yasaka-hime." Called a Kamaitachi, a humanoid youkai with Huron features.

"Yes. What's going on?"

"Could you leave the writing of the petitions to us so that we can live comfortably here?"

The leader of the Kyoto Youkai raised an eyebrow curiously at that, but when she saw that everyone began to nod, she decided to accept.

'What's the craziest thing they could ask for?' Yasaka thought as she began to watch as they began to debate what to request.

While the Youkais held their meeting, Edzard was sitting at the palace while looking at Marie walking with Asia's help. The little girl needed the help of one of her parents to walk because her eyes were bandaged.

Edzard's daughter had her eyes bandaged as a way of help until she can control her newly awakened powers. Seeing how his little daughter fell after she had stumbled upon her feet, Edzard's mind began to remember how he learned that his daughter had awakened her powers.

Flashback

Edzard had recently arrived since Urakyoto's dimension and was already flying where his daughter was resting. The situation seemed serious, because not even three seconds had passed since he finished talking to Yasaka when one of the former Diodora servants arrived and told him that his daughter had just woken up and she was that she behaved a bit weird. He didn't need any more word to start flying to his daughter's room. While flying, he didn't realize that Zakir followed him closely.

When he arrived at his daughter's room, he could see that she was not alone, because there were obviously Asia and the rest of the girls, but to Edzard's surprise Kunou was there.

"What happened?" Edzard asked by entering the window, called the attention of all those inside the room.

"Ed!" Asia shouted in a tone of voice containing despair. "Ed. Something happens to Marie. She is reacting strangely. "

Edzard looked at his wife and after nodding, he approached his little daughter. As he approached, he first noticed that she was injured. Seeing that, an insane primitive fury began to inflate in his chest. Who or whatever he dared to hit his daughter should begin to pray to the deity he followed, because he would send his soul as a gift to the ideal masters. Fortunately for those present, he could contain his anger, otherwise the entire room would be overwhelmed by his aura. When he managed to calm down, the second thing he noticed was that she had her eyes off and seemed to be in a kind of shock or coma, although she was awake.

"What happened?" Edzard asked by bending down and gently taking the face of his daughter, who was lying in her bed, he began to examine her carefully. Seeing that no one answered him, he stopped examining Marie and turned his face, looking at those present.

Those who saw Edzard's face were quite bothered, because Edzard's face was as cold as Antarctica. To the surprise of many, it was Kunou who took a step forward and began to speak. The little Kitsune began to narrate everything that had happened when she and Marie were attacked by her mother's adviser. With every word she told, Edzard was getting an idea of what had happened. He had understood that Yasaka adviser seemed to be a walking corpse when he attacked them.

'It seems that this adviser became a «Soul Shriven». But ... how did that happen? "Edzard thought of concern since that indicated that he had possibly infiltrated the factions. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Kunou's voice.

"Edzard-sama... Is M-M-Ma-chan injured?" Kunou asked through tears, as she had started crying halfway through her explanation.

Edzard looked at Yasaka's daughter and then at his wife, who besides him was the other person with the most concern on his face in the entire room. Letting out a sigh, he decided to leave the adviser thing for later.

"I see…so that has happened…" Edzard said with a tired voice as he reached his left hand towards his bag. Reaching in there, he pulled out two objects. One of the items was a white colored potion, while the other was a small white linen bandage.

"Asia, blindfold her please." Edzard said as he extended Asia's hand with the bandage.

Asia looked at her husband in confusion, but slowly nodding, she took the bandage and walked towards her daughter. Positioning herself behind her, Asia closed both of Marie's eyes before carefully tying the bandage around Marie's eyes. When she finished, Edzard walked over to Marie and held the potion to her mouth.

"Marie, dear, drink this." Edzard said as he made the little dragon begin to drink the contents of the vial.

The little girl's face grimaced as she tasted the contents of the vial, as the potion tasted very bad. The taste seemed like a mix of bitter herbs with hot spices while also being very salty.

"Don't spit it out, Marie. Finish it all." Edzard said, who then gently held up the vial for Marie to finish downing the potion in one gulp.

Edzard's daughter obeyed her father and finished drinking the potion, although she did not like the taste of it at all. The moment she did so, Marie began to nod, so Edzard laid her gently back on her bed.

"She just fell asleep, so let's go to another room to talk. There I will tell you everything that has happened." Edzard said as he saw Zakir arrive.

The Lilmothiit looked at Marie and, frowning, sighed. "I see…"

After that, everyone left that room, which turned out to be Marie's room.

Once in the hallway, they ran into Yasaka, who had been led there by a maid. After that meeting, they all walked together through the corridors for a few minutes until they finally reached a room where they could talk calmly. Said room was a room richly decorated with various paintings and furniture of good quality. In that room sat Edzard, his lovers, the members of his group, Zakir, Yasaka and Kunou. The ORC and Student Council members had returned to Kuoh after being teleported to Edzard's realm. They planned to use the excuse that they had to move up their trip due to personal problems, which would allow them to "leave" Kyoto before the rest of the students.

The room remained silent, which was broken by Yasaka, who after getting up, knelt before Edzard and did a dogeza.

"I'm so sorry, Edzard-dono. It is the fault of one of my advisers that your daughter is in that state." Yasaka said as she kept her head glued to the ground.

Seeing the leader of the Kyoto Youkai in that position, Edzard felt uncomfortable, not only seeing a faction leader kneel like that, but also because when doing the dogeza, the red hakama the kitsune wore would stretch and stick together to her butt, highlighting its shape, as well as allowing him to see a lot of her cleavage. Normally he could control himself much better than this, but now he himself was hot-blooded from the battle, which made his defenses against the temptation of meat low.

"G-get up, Yasaka. There is nothing to be sorry for." Said Edzard looking away, which surprised everyone, because no one expected that. "In fact, if anyone must apologize, it's me. My lack of quick reaction ended up dooming the home of your people."

After that, Edzard got up and kneeling, extended a hand to Yasaka. The kitsune looked at the hand and extending her own, she accepted the help. When she took Edzard's hand, Yasaka's mind went blank for a second, showing her a very rare kind of vision for her, because in this one she could see herself sitting on a hospital bed, wearing a white yukata while holding a small bundle in her arms.

The vision disappeared as she saw herself reach out and give the little bundle a kiss. When she came to, she could see that Edzard was looking at her strangely.

'What was that? Did I see myself having another child?' Yasaka wondered as she tried to comprehend what she had seen, but in the end, she decided to stop thinking about it, as she felt that this could not happen, since she had no couple currently.

"Is something wrong, Yasaka?" Edzard asked with concern, thus drawing the kitsune's attention.

Edzard's question made her remember that she was in his Palace, so trying to keep her emotions in check, she simply shook her head and lightly squeezed Edzard's hand to get up. However, as she tightened her grip, she noticed something and that was that Edzard's pulse was a little racing. Noticing that, the Kitsune blinked for a second and then put on a smile. Noticing that the same young man who didn't seem to feel uncomfortable seeing her naked right now was uncomfortable holding her hand, she was very amused, so she decided to tease him a bit. So, without giving it much thought, she ended up bringing her arms in front and placing them under her generous chest, making them appear larger than normal.

"Thank you, Edzard-dono." Yasaka said with a flirtatious smile, earning a grunt from a few people. Said growl came from Edzard's lovers, whose looks could have caused Yasaka to turn to ashes. After that, Edzard and Yasaka returned to their respective seats.

When Edzard sat down, his lower back was pinched by Asia, who had a pout on her face.

"Then, Ed." Ingvild said with an uncomfortable smile when she saw that scene, because it made her a little jealous. "What's wrong with little Marie?"

The way the half-demon asked the question showed that she was very worried about her friend/love interest's daughter.

"Apart from the injuries left by the blow and her skidding across the floor in Yasaka's palace, her current state is the consequence of her awakening of her hyper-reflexes." Edzard replied, drawing the attention of those present and causing a great commotion.

"A-are you sure, Ed?!" Mittelt yelled in amazement as she looked at Edzard, as she hadn't expected little Marie to awaken her powers so soon.

"Yes, I'm sure. The state that Marie is going through is a direct consequence of her having awakened that power." Edzard said with a bit of concern as he clasped his hands together and gently squeezed them. He did this because he knew what was coming, since mastering that power was complicated.

Edzard's answer made Asia, who had had her heart in her throat ever since she saw her daughter's state, calm down as she now knew that her daughter's life was not in danger. And it is that she was worried when her little daughter woke up and began to move in a strange way, because her steps were completely uncoordinated, in addition, her eyes went from being full of life to being off. All of that, added to the injuries her daughter had sustained, well, she completely panicked.

"How does awakening that power leave you in that state?" asked Azazel, who had just entered the room, since he had previously had to send some messages to request supplies for the youkais. Fortunately, when he was about to reach the room, he managed to hear Edzard's response.

"The powers of the heroes are very special because they break the normality of mortal bodies." Edzard replied, watching as Azazel sat up. "They may appear to be great gifts, but in reality, they are double-edged swords."

Azazel, Yasaka, and everyone who was listening just looked at Edzard in confusion, unable to understand why abilities that seemed to be great could be double-edged swords.

"I don't understand… How can such great abilities be double-edged swords?" Kunou asked as she blinked in confusion.

"Hero abilities are double-edged swords because they affect their wielders both positively and negatively." Zakir replied.

Those present looked at Zakir and looked at him with a mixture of confusion and mistrust. While many were grateful for the help, he had given them during the Kyoto affair, it was the fact that they didn't hear from him that caused them some concern.

"Um… I know we met during the Daedra attack in Kyoto…. but who are you?" asked Yasaka looking at the bipedal fox.

"He is called Zakir, and he is a Lilmothiit." Edzard replied.

Edzard's answer made Asia's eyes widen.

"U-u-u-a Lilmothiit…" Asia whispered in complete shock.

"Asia, Ed... what's a Lilmothiit?" Azazel asked shifting his gaze between Edzard and Asia.

"A Lilmothiit is one of the many races of Nirm. To be more precise, it is a race of mortal beings who fall under the group of beastfolk." Said Edzard who had to dodge a knife that went straight to his head. Said knife had been thrown by Zakir, who was frowning at Edzard's name for his race. Seeing his old acquaintance so upset, Edzard just smiled wryly. "Don't be mad at being called a beastfolk. Scholars have classified them like this for generations, I am just repeating what I have learned."

Zakir grunted in annoyance but did nothing else. Seeing this, Edzard took it as a sign to continue and thus began to tell him about the Lilmothiits. When he finished his story about them, they all looked at the Lilmothiit as if it were a fossil or an item that should be preserved in a museum.

"Get those damn looks off before I gouge your fucking eyes out." Zakir growled in annoyance.

"B-b-but…" Kunou stammered with a bit of fear seeing the fox growl.

Zakir looked at Kunou and letting out a sigh he looked at Edzard and spoke. "Okay, brat. I'll introduce myself from now on."

Edzard looked at Zakir and nodded, then took Asia and sat her on his lap, causing the ex-nun to blush quite a bit.

Zakir looked at those present and decided to introduce himself properly.

"A pleasure to meet you properly, leader of the Grigory and leader of the Kyoto Youkais. My name is Zakir, and I am a Lilmothiit, but other than that I am also a Hero of the Elder Scrolls." Said Zakir dropping the last of the biggest bombs on this crazy day.

Zakir's revelation made Azazel break into a cold sweat upon hearing that.

'By Gabriel and Penemue's tits... Another hero has appeared in this world...' Azazel thought as his mind tried to think of a way to get Zakir on his side.

"Stop thinking about trying to come up with some crazy plan to convince me to help you beat the asses of all Molag Bal's envoys to this world."

"H-h-h-how?" Azazel asked in surprise.

"H-h-h-how?" Azazel asked in surprise seeing that Zakir had guessed what he was thinking.

"The face you put on looks very similar to several guys I met years ago. They had that same look when they thought of making me join their groups to help them in battle."

Azazel was speechless and just nodded. However, it was at that moment that he remembered something important. So, he spoke again. "Zakir-san…you mentioned that you are a hero, right?"

"That's right. I am «The Vestige»." Zakir replied with a condescending tone of voice.

'Vestige?' everyone in the room wondered.

"A vestige is a mortal whose soul has been torn from his body, being supplanted by a Daedric vestige or also called a Daedric soul." Edzard said, thus answering the question that everyone except him and Asia had at that moment. "What makes him different is that he is a vestige who regained his link to Aetherius, thus making him the prophesied hero known as «The Vestige»."

After those words, Edzard only put on a smile before continuing to speak. "If you thought Aryne was old, this guy is a fucking walking fossil. I say that because he has been alive since before the war of the three banners. Said war began in the five hundred and eighty of the Second Era and at the time of its completion, the conflict had already lasted more than ten years. So... let's do the math. The second era lasted eight hundred and ninety-six years, so he was alive for about three hundred and sixteen years of the second era. The third era lasted four hundred thirty-three years. Finally, the fourth era lasted two hundred and three years, which confirms that he has lived more than nine hundred and fifty-two years."

Edzard's words left everyone in shock for a few seconds, especially Azazel who didn't know how to approach that. What little information the Fallen leader had on Nirm's mortals indicated that none had lived that long.

When everyone stopped being so surprised, they started to ask Zakir a few things while starting to make a ruckus. In the end, it was thanks to Azazel that things calmed down a bit and they were able to get back to the real question. When they did, both Edzard and Zakir began to tell how the abilities they had obtained had been double-edged swords, with Edzard saying that the amount of magic he possessed had been slowly destroying his body. And so, they came to the real question.

"Then... what are the dangers of the hyper reflex ability?" Asia asked fearfully as she looked at Edzard.

Edzard sighed, but before he could speak, it was Zakir who did.

"The ability itself puts a great deal of stress on the user's nervous system. But it also makes them lose their sense of reality, as they begin to see everything in slow motion or see it at normal speed without being able to control it. This has caused many of its users to fall into madness. In fact, Caius had many descendants, but they did not live more than three years after awakening the ability. However, that changed when Edzard's great-grandfather was born. This man's mother was the descendant of King Jorunn and was a great mage. She was present when her son awakened that power and managed to find a way for him to control that ability. The way it is controlled has been passed down from father to son ever since, allowing Caius' descendants to live a long time."

'Although that way is not the only one. There are some ways to temporarily control it, but the price to pay is… high.' Edzard thought as his mind threatened to make him remember something from his past. Fortunately, his wife asked a question, which brought his mind back to the present.

"So, will Marie be alright?" Asia asked with a bit of concern, as Zakir's words had revived her worries.

"She will be alright. Edzard did the same as she wrote in her book."

End Flashback

Edzard's memories ended when he felt something hit his legs. Looking in that direction, he saw Marie there, smiling at him as if nothing had happened.

"How are you, Marie?" Edzard asked as he picked up his daughter and sat her on his lap.

"Okay, but I want to know when these things are taken from me." Marie replied as she pointed to the bandage on her eyes.

"Soon. If you are lucky, it will be in two or three weeks." Edzard replied as he rubbed his daughter's hair.

"But that will make me spend my birthday blindfolded." Marie said with sadness in her voice.

"It may be so, but you need to be blindfolded until your body gets used to it. Also, if you keep taking the potion, it might speed things up and you might be all right before your birthday."

Edzard's words brought a smile to Marie, who then asked another question again. "Dad, when will Lint-san wake up?"

Edzard looked at his daughter and rubbing her head, he responded. "She should wake up between tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, at the latest."

The little girl asked that because Lint was resting in the palace infirmary thanks to the fact that he had given her the same power that he gave to all his lovers. However, unlike them, Lint was given another way, because the normal way he used to deliver that power used to be by pouring his blood directly into the system of the person who would receive it when he was in a state of arousal while they copulated. Unfortunately, since Lint was a reincarnated angel, they couldn't copulate like two normal people, as there was a high risk that she would end up falling and becoming a fallen angel.

It was that concern that made Edzard worry about giving Lint that power. While it was true that he could have just done it and that surely Lint would forgive him if he turned her into a fallen angel, he knew that she was happy to be an angel just like Irina. So, it was because of the affection he had for her that he didn't want to take that away from her, but he also didn't want her to feel less for not receiving the same power as the rest of the girls.

That worry had been torturing him for several days, but luckily, he received some help from Zakir, who was still in the palace along with the members of Vali's team.

Flashback

The night sky showed thousands of stars and a beautiful aurora borealis that was interspersed between green and red. Sitting on the same rock where he had drunk the last time the dead who tormented him in his dreams had grown bolder, Edzard found himself meditating again. However, unlike that time, this time, his worries, and doubts went another way. What path was that, well, it was that he had already been a few days after he began his love affair with Lint.

Even though right now she was sharing the big bed where they all slept in the main room, he could tell that she wasn't feeling entirely comfortable. So, deciding to find out what was wrong with her, he talked to her. The response he got was enlightening, especially because he understood that she wanted or she was trying to force herself to take the next step in her relationship, that is, she already wanted them to have sex. However, he wasn't sure if it was time, but he also understood why she was willing to take that step.

The first time they both copulate would not only mark another step in their relationship, but it would also mark the moment in which she would receive that increase in power that all his lovers had received. But the problem with Lint was her angel status. He didn't want her to lose that, as much as she told him it didn't matter, he could see she felt a little sad bringing it up. For that reason, he had been avoiding taking that step with her, even though there had been times when they could have.

"Looks like something's got you brooding, brat." Zakir said approaching Edzard.

Edzard frowned slightly upon hearing Zakir arrive, for he had been so focused on his problems that he didn't notice him approaching.

"It's nothing important."

"I do not think so. You have the same face that your father had when he was about to declare his love to your mother."

Edzard stood still, not knowing what to say when he heard that, but then a smile appeared on his face. His father was hardly ever a romantic, or rather, was he romantic with his mother, but according to what Decius and Darryn had told him, his father had needed the help of more than ten bottles of mead to be able to tell his mother that he loved her.

"I guess I have a love problem." Edzard said looking at the lake in front of him.

"When do not. Your family has problems with women. Although, you take it to another level, since you don't have one or two women, but you have five lovers." Zakir said with amusement in his voice before thinking about something else. 'Maybe six if we include Le Fay.'

"So, what's the problem this time?"

"The problem is with Lint." Edzard replied to begin to explain what was happening with the exorcist reincarnated as an angel.

"I see. That is a problem." Zakir said looking at the sky as he sighed. "But it's not one that has no solution."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you deliver your power requires you to be in a highly aroused state, but that doesn't mean you necessarily have to copulate with the girl, at least not for now. You can obtain the necessary status for that by drinking something that comes from the Sanguine realm."

"T-That's a good idea..." Edzard said, looking at Zakir in astonishment, realizing that he was right. He could simply obtain that state by drinking some of the wine that caused him to have sex with Aika, Valerie, Mittelt, and Asia a few months ago.

End Flashback

And so it was like the following night, he finished drinking what was left of that bottle, which for his good fortune was only half a glass. After that, he managed to give that power to Lint, who obviously fell into a coma after that. Once he left Lint in the infirmary, he lost control of himself and ended up having a super intense sex session with Asia, Mittelt, Aika and Valerie. That night the room was filled with the girls' cries of pleasure as Edzard had sex several times with each one, filling them with his seed on more than one occasion.

'And enough time has passed and it's time for her to wake up.' Edzard thought as he picked up Marie and started walking towards Asia. When he was by his wife's side, he told her to go for a walk in the garden, so that the three of them could spend a few hours in peace.

Lint's eyes began to move when she felt the sunlight streaming in through the window. Getting up slowly, she began to look around and saw that she was no longer in the room that she had begun to share with Edzard and the rest of the girls.

'What am I doing here?' Lint thought with confusion, but a second later she remembered what had happened. 'I remember. Ed gave me the same power as the rest of the girls.'

After thinking that, Lint put her hand to her neck and touched the place where she must have received the bite of her boyfriend.

'Will it have worked?' Lint wondered as she got out of bed.

When she got up, the sheet that covered her fell off, showing that she was naked, because during the time she had been asleep, Asia had overseen sponge-washing her body. Although the other girls could do it, Asia didn't know if Lint would feel comfortable letting Aika touch her naked body. Starting to walk towards the bedroom bathroom, she entered and looked at herself in the mirror.

The first thing she saw was that it had grown a bit, two or two inches. The second thing she noticed was that her body had matured in a certain sense. She hadn't been a big-breasted girl, in fact, hers were a little small compared to several of the girls she knew, but now they were larger, perhaps reaching a good eighty-odd inches. The rest of her body had also changed, especially her hips, which also seemed to have grown a bit more.

'Looks like it worked.' Lint thought happily as she prepared for the acid test. The real test was to see if she really had managed to gain more power. It was true that Mittelt had obtained one more set of wings, but unlike her, Mittelt was a pure fallen angel, not a reincarnated one. So, taking small breaths, Lint unfurled her wings. Seeing what her mirror returned to her, she was amazed, since she had obtained one more pair of wings, eventually having four pairs.

Seeing her new number of wings, Lint gave a very loud cry of excitement. Said cry made all the girls and Edzard go up to her room. So, hearing that they were arriving, she took a bathrobe and after putting it on, she left the bathroom.

"Lint, what happened? Why did you yell?" Edzard asked with concern on his face.

Lint didn't respond verbally, instead she went to where Edzard was and without thinking twice she gave him a strong kiss on the lips. When they parted, she just smiled at him.

"Why was it that?" Edzard asked with a smile.

"Nothing. I just wanted to kiss you." Lint replied with a smile.

Edzard just shook his head, amused by Lint's action.

After that, Lint was approached by her friends, who began to tell her about the things that had happened during the time she had been asleep. When they finished telling her everything that happened, Edzard told her to follow him, because he wanted to show her something. Lint agreed and asked the girls if they were going too, but they said they weren't.

This made Lint curious, but she still followed Edzard. When they left the palace, they began to head towards one of the hills that were around the castle. When they passed said hill, they continued walking until they reached a cave.

"Ed. What is this place?" Lint asked watching as Edzard started to enter.

"A gift." Edzard replied mysteriously as he created a ball of «Magelight» to light the way.

Edzard's words only made Lint curious, so she decided to follow him.

They both walked through a tunnel in the cave for a few minutes until they reached a kind of room, which had construction in which Edzard started a fire, which spread throughout the cave through a system of channels. This caused the place to be completely illuminated, allowing to see a kind of monolith in the farthest part of the cave.

Walking towards that place, Lint saw that that monolith was not natural, but had been made by the hand of a person. The monolith was made of white stone and measured more than two meters. It was decorated by various patterns of triangles, which were carved directly into the stone. These triangles were all around the outline, but you could see that they had not been made by a stonemason, as there were places where the patterns in the engraving were not symmetrical.

In the middle of the whole monolith there were some words engraved. Looking more carefully, she read two inscriptions on said monolith and when doing so, her eyes began to water, because on said monolith it was written:

«Raised in memory of Freed Sellzen, an exorcist who lost his way and only death gave him peace. May your soul find forgiveness and rest in the afterlife»

«Here lies Siegfried, an exorcist who lost his way, but who lived and died a warrior. May your soul find rest in the afterlife»

"I did this, so you'd have a place to pay your respects to both of them." Edzard said as he walked over to Lint and gave her a hug.

"T-t-thanks, Ed." Lint whispered tearfully as she looked at the resting place of the two people who could be considered her family.

"You do not have to thank me." Edzard whispered before cupping Lint's face and giving her a tender kiss.

While Edzard was with Lint, a meeting between Rias and Sona was taking place at Kuoh Academy in the ORC room. Both kings were accompanied by their respective queens. The whole room was in an uncomfortable silence, because both friends were worried about their servants, because since they arrived from Kyoto, they seemed different. In fact, none of those who went there were behaving in the same way they always did, as they seemed distracted by something. It was this distraction that had caused them to be unable to hunt stray demons effectively.

"It seems that what happened there has left a very scarred mark on them." Rias said with concern.

"I understand you, none of my peerage who went to Kyoto is alright. Physically they are, but they are not emotionally." Sona commented with a slight frown.

"Mine the same. Xenovia, Kiba, and even Issei seems to be in a bad way."

"That's to be expected, Rias-sama." Tsubaki said looking at the Gremory heiress. "After all, they saw someone they thought was invincible get brutally beaten to the point that he couldn't move for a while."

Rias and Sona sighed, as it was true. And it is that they had told them what had happened during the battle when Bal's troops attacked. Everything was chaos with deaths everywhere, but they managed to cope with everything well. However, when they saw Edzard lose so terribly, they all got scared. Said fear seems to have turned into frustration upon learning, thanks to the Lilmothiit, that the reason Edzard had lost so horribly was because he unconsciously used his own body to absorb some of the force of the daedra's blows, thus preventing many from dying from the forces of the shock waves.

'That was what left them in shock, because they didn't expect him to have protected them like that.' Rias and Sona thought in unison.

The thoughts of both kings were on the same path... find a way for them to return to normal.

"We must do something to help them." Akeno said as she placed a hand on her heart, as she was worried about everyone.

"Yes, we must, but the question is… how do we do it?" Rias asked.

"I think I know how to do it." Said Sirzechs's voice appearing out of nowhere. Well, his voice didn't appear from nowhere, but he did it from a magic projection, which came from a small magic circle located between both high-class devils.

"Onii-sama!" Rias yelled in shock as she saw her brother calling unexpectedly.

"Lucifer-sama." Akeno, Sona and Tsubaki said in unison while bowing.

"Hello." Sirzechs said with a smile on his face.

"Onii-sama, what are you doing here?" Rias asked with a bit of confusion. "You're not running away from your job, are you?"

Sirzechs turned a little pale when he heard that. Raising a hand to the back of his neck, he began to scratch it with visible discomfort. "No, calm down. I just came to tell you that the Young Devils' Ratings Games will be cancelled."

"What?!" Rias and Sona shouted in unison, as they were shocked by the news.

"Why are you canceling the Young Devils' Ratings Games?" Sona asked looking at the underworld leader a second after regaining her composure.

"I'm afraid that the current situation has meant that we have to cancel them." Sirzechs answered with a sad smile because he knew that both girls would be sad.

"I see... it's because of Kyoto, right?" Rias asked looking at her brother.

"That's right." Sirzechs replied. "While it's true that only the higher-ups know why the Youkai can no longer return to Kyoto, we fear that the upcoming battles will make us send soldiers to fight on the front lines."

"And we too will be sent, right?" Sona asked as she adjusted her glasses, for she had managed to decipher what the Maou was trying to tell them.

"You're right, Sona-chan. You may also be sent to the battlefield." Replied Sirzechs with a smile seeing how smart Serafall's sister was.

"And what can that do to help our servants?" Rias asked.

Sirzechs looked at his dear little sister and sighed before answering. "To begin with, your servants are in that state because they received a huge reality blow in the battle of Kyoto."

"A reality blows?" Tsubaki asked.

"That's right. They thought that they had become stronger thanks to the training they received. While that is true, they have not managed to reach the level needed to fight the daedras. And what happened in Kyoto is what opened their eyes, so right now they are in a state of acceptance of their own weakness. So, when they realize that they still must get stronger, they will start training more intensely than before."

"Wait... Are you telling us that they will come out of their current depressed state on their own?" Rias asked looking at her brother's projection hopefully.

"That's right. In fact, which may happen within a day or two." Sirzechs said with a smile.

The faces of Rias, Sona, Akeno, and Tsubaki began to show smiles of joy knowing that their friends would be the same as always.

"And with that things will be ready."

Sirzechs's words confused the four girls, as they did not understand what the Maou was saying.

"Onii-sama... what do you mean by that?" Rias asked curiously.

"Laughs, Sona. I am afraid that canceling the Rating games will cause discomfort among the citizens. So, to make it up to them for that, I'm planning a big event that will last for two days."

"Onii-sama? / Lucifer-sama?" they all asked at once, wanting to know what the «Crimson Satan» was planning.

"I still can't reveal what event it will be. The only thing I will tell you is to get ready and start training, because what awaits you will be very hard." Sirzechs responded before saying goodbye and cutting off the transmission.

The moment the maou logged out, the four girls looked at each other and began to think, trying to guess what event it would be.

The throne room, a hall that Edzard never thought he would use in his entire life, was decorated with various banners of the Cumberland dynasty and the dynasty born of King Jorunn while a grand party was in progress. Said hall, normally empty and unused, was currently full of tables with food and different types of wines, most of them were from Nirm, but there were also some wines from the land, since not all of those in the room were supernatural beings. Fortunately, the room was large, so more than four hundred people could easily fit inside.

In the middle of this hall, in a higher place was the throne of this palace. The throne was a great seat made of white stone like the snow of the mountains. The entire contour had words in the language of carved dragons. The armrests ended with a dragon head carved each and, in the center, at the top, a small gem that shone with multicolored lights had embedded. This gem was inside a kind of box made of transparent glass.

'I never thought this hall would be used for something like this.' Edzard thought as he looked at his outfit. And it is that for this small celebration he was dressed in a light blue tunic decorated with silver threads, along with black linen pants and brown leather boots lined with wolf skin. On his shoulders was a large black silk cloak, which is attached at the front ends by a pure gold chain with two shields, one at each end. Releasing a sigh, he looked at the guests and smiled. 'Although I'm not really a party person, I'm glad to see that everyone is having a good time.'

And it is that this small party that was carried out was to celebrate the almost permanent settlement of the Youkais in this world.

"You seem uncomfortable with this, Ed." Asked Asia, who was standing next to him as she held a glass of wine in her right hand. Asia was dressed in an elegant white dress, which was adorned with some jewels and had a small crown on her head. This crown was made with finely intertwined silver threads to give it a beautiful appearance. Between some of the unions some diamonds and pearls were encrusted.

"You know I'm not someone from parties." Edzard replied with a smile.

"I know." Asia responded and then released a funny laugh. But then, when she calmed down, she looked forward. "But it seems that someone is having a lot of fun."

Edzard looked where his wife was looking and smiled seeing Marie walking hand in hand with Kunou. Yasaka's daughter was dressed in her shrine maiden attire, while Marie wore a beautiful dress, which was maroon in color with several ribbons. A small tiara was on her head, said tiara is also made of silver, but unlike the one her mother wore, it did not have diamonds, but had several emeralds. However, despite that, the bandage that covered her eyes seemed to overshadow how good his little daughter looked.

Turning his head, a little more, he saw the rest of his lovers talking to each other. Each one dressed in high quality garments and jewelry made of different materials. Lint, she wore a beautiful white dress with silver accents along with a silver tiara with rubies. She followed her, Aika, who was wearing a blue Victorian dress with a silver tiara with golden topazes. Next up was Mittelt, who wore a long pale cream gown with a silver tiara set with sapphires. Last, but not least, was Valerie, who wore a red and black Victorian gown along with a silver tiara set with multiple rubies.

He could see that they were chatting about something, so using his enhanced senses he was able to hear the conversation, and this was about why they had to be dressed like that. They may not show it, but one of them hadn't wanted to wear her dress, and that had been Lint, who had felt a little weird about wearing it. However, knowing that it was a formal event, she reluctantly agreed.

Looking away from them, he began to see the guests. There he was able to see the final two members of his group along with Tiamat. A smile was plastered on the faces of the three women, who all wore their own formal clothes. Ingvild, wore a light lilac dress for her outfit, while Rossweisse, who had wanted to go with her formal suit of gray pants and blazer, ended up wearing a white dress with light pink ruffles. Next to the Valkyrie was Tiamat, who was wearing a dark blue dress and holding a cup of wine in her hand.

Finishing looking at them, he looked at Zakir, who was talking to a youkai that was a nekomata. Old Lilmothiit wore a simple blue tunic, along with black pants with boots. On his shoulders was a black linen cloak. The humanoid fox was having a good time and from what little he could hear, the beastfolk was telling the youkai about his childhood, recounting how he used to get into trouble while playing in the hills near his childhood home in Bruma.

'Damned old fox. You're having fun with this, right?' thought Edzard who felt the need to deliver a powerful blow to the Vestige, since he saw him and raising a glass of wine, he gave him a toast.

"Hey Ed." Asia called her husband when she saw a group of people approaching.

Edzard paid attention to her and looked ahead. In doing so, he saw that the ones approaching them were Yasaka and two of her advisors. One of them was a Tengu and the other an Inu, who wore traditional Japanese yukatas. On her part, Yasaka wore her shrine maiden attire, but she wore a golden crown on her head.

"Edzard-dono, Asia-dono." The three said while giving a small bow.

Edzard and Asia did the same in response.

"They look like they're already ready." Edzard said as he looked at the scroll that the Inu had.

The scroll he brought was large, large enough that he had to carry it with both hands. As the group of three approached, the party went quiet, and everyone began to see what was going on.

Seeing that the atmosphere had calmed down a bit, the four of them walked towards a square table that was in front of the throne. The two advisors stayed behind after putting the scroll on the table. When the way was clear, Edzard and Yasaka walked over to the table. When they got there, they both unrolled the scroll and began to read its contents aloud. The first lines that the scroll contained were the lands that the Youkais will receive to settle, said lands were a few kilometers from the place where Edzard's palace was. The following lines were some that allowed the Youkai to have their own justice system and all the bureaucratic things they had possessed in Urakyoto. And so, the rest of the lines mentioned were some reasonable requests.

When they both finished reading the scroll, they looked at each other and nodding, they moved their hands and took some lighted candles that they had next to them and poured the wax on the scroll. When the melted wax fell on the scroll, Edzard and Yasaka affixed their respective seals. The Yasaka seal was a gold seal, which stamped the coat of arms of the city of Kyoto, but with the peculiarity that it was inside a magic circle. Furthermore, the seal that Edzard used was the seal that had belonged to his ancestor.

After that, they both shook hands and raising the parchment together, they showed it to all the guests, who began to applaud. When that action stopped, they both put the scroll back on the table, but it was at that moment that Yasaka saw something peculiar. And it is that, in the final part of the scroll, it began to be written, no, the most correct thing to say was that a new line began to be revealed, the content of which left Yasaka as stone.

When Edzard heard the almost imperceptible gasp of the Kyubi, he turned and saw with surprise how the Youkai leader was wide-eyed looking at the scroll. So, feeling a little worried, he began to reread what was on the scroll.

'A place to settle and be able to build their homes. Request to maintain its independence in terms of judicial, administrative, and religious matters…. Something that I don't quite understand, because that makes this seem more like a vassalage treaty than a refuge treaty.' Edzard thought a bit calmly, seeing nothing strange there, but it was the moment his eyes fell on the last line on the scrolls that he saw why Yasaka was so astonished. 'To reinforce compliance with this treaty, as well as a form of thanks, our leader, Yasaka, will be engaged to be married to Edzard Cumberland Rolandson.'

After reading that, Edzard could only say one word…. "Shit."

Author's note:

To those who have made it this far, Thanks for reading. Because being honest, I do not know how to write much in English and I'm relying on Google translators and the dictionaries that come with office 2019.

And chapter 51 is out, this being the last chapter of the Christmas marathon.

It is at this moment that I apologize if the chapters have not been of very good quality, but the truth is that I have been writing and translating them at night, from 11 pm to 2 am, since in the past weeks I have been in final exams and that added to the fact that we are in the period of closing the accounting accounts of companies, well, that has left me without time.

Well, putting that aside, we see that this chapter has dealt mostly with some of the consequences of Bal's invasion. Starting off, the Kyoto youkai can no longer create a dimension using that city's «Lay lines» (Ishibumi, why don't you give more information about some things?! -_-) which left them without a home, well, that is until they decided to go to Edzard's kingdom (I must think of a good name for this kingdom).

It also looks like Lint already got her new pair of wings, so the O/O scene is coming XD. In addition, we see that Edzard has given Lint a place so that she can bring flowers to her "relatives".

I have also given some information about the physiological differences between Earth humans and those who inhabit Aurbis, everything will be revealed in the future XD. We also see that there are negative effects from the awakening of Marie's ability, and that Edzard thinks that apart from the method he has used, there is another method, a method that will be revealed in the future.

Finally, we see that someone has played a "Joke" on Edzard and Yasaka, who do you think that being is? XD

Well now before I go I wish you all a Merry Christmas and have a great time with your family and friends. I say goodbye until the next chapter.