Chapter 74: Nasty Secrets
"You might not want to hear this."
Kurumi's concerned voice entered Shido's ears.
"You can tell me." Shido gave a fearless smile, nevertheless. "Whatever information you got, I have heard worse."
Seeing how dauntless he was, Kurumi nodded with a smile full of pride. She was glad that her man had become stronger, both physically and mentally.
"Alright then, I am not good at explaining things in words." Kurumi took a step forward, summoning her pistol in her hand. "So, it's better if I transfer the memories to you with my 10th bullet."
Normally, people would get alert over this. But, Shido simply gave her a nod and closed his eyes for the impending bullet. He knew that she wouldn't hurt him. Well, not anymore.
At this point, she was one step away from Shido, the intimate distance made Origami and the others a bit jealous.
Kurumi, however, paid them no heed, and suddenly wrapped her arms around Shido!
Amidst everyone's gasp, she kissed Shido on the lips!
"..gulp"
Despite their unpleasant reactions, Kurumi raised her hand and pointed the pistol at the back of Shido's skull.
Boom!
—
Roland Clayton Jr., charisma in his stride,
With a glance, he made hearts open wide.
Wealth and power, his empire vast,
His conquests with women, they were unsurpassed.
One day, a gentle old man drew near,
With a secret organization, he held dear.
Promising him and his father a life without end,
And treasure unending, a deal to extend.
With a nod, they agreed, without delay,
Funding the cause in a peculiar way.
They embarked on a journey, their path long,
Seeking eternal life and riches strong.
—
...
Several years ago.
"Hell yeah, another hot girl is gonna appear!"
A young, handsome man with blonde hair clapped his hands loudly in a secret projection room. On his right side sat an older man, bearing a striking resemblance to him.
"Jeez, tired of the ones you already have?" the older man said with a wry smile. He was Roland Clayton, one of the elites of the Round Table, holding authority over the secret organization known as Ratatoskr. Now, he watched live footage with his son.
The footage depicted a spatial quake that had just destroyed a portion of a street. In the middle of the crater stood a beautiful girl. Her short, gray hair flowed in the wind, and her beret with a cross on top fluttered. She had a slender figure, and her curves were accentuated by her transparent nun dress. A troubled expression graced her delicate face as she flicked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Never seen a girl with a nun's dress this lewd!" Clayton Jr. breathed heavily, his chest heaving up and down. "She's totally my type..."
"Aren't human girls enough for you? This one is an untamable Spirit," Roland warned his son, both as a father and a mentor. However, his words fell on deaf ears.
"So what? Don't tell me you've never wanted to have a taste of them!" Clayton Jr. retorted. Roland Clayton, wealthy and powerful, had experienced different kinds of women throughout his life, gradually losing interest in them. Now, hearing about the Spirits, beauties beyond the standards of any human girl, he could barely contain his desire. But he knew they were too powerful. Only by finding a way to seal their powers could he indulge himself. For now, it was better to maintain a low profile.
Well, tell that to his lustful son.
Suddenly, several girls clad in armor entered the footage, interrupting the peaceful scenery surrounding the Nun Spirit. Clearly, they were hostile toward her.
"—Fucking AST!"
Clayton Jr. exclaimed angrily.
The Anti-Spirit Team (AST) always launched attacks on Spirits that appeared in the crater, yet they never managed to harm them.
"AST really sucks!" Clayton Jr. stomped his feet in frustration. "They never try to communicate, always resorting to useless violence! I'm surprised the Spirits haven't overtaken humanity by now."
As he spoke, the armored girls fired gunshots and laser attacks at the Spirit dressed as a nun. However, she summoned a book that resembled a Holy Bible, drawing everyone's attention.
'Man, she's so captivating,' Clayton Jr. thought to himself, unable to tear his gaze away. 'She's holy and lewd at the same time!'
In the next moment, something magical happened: All the AST girls lost control over their CR-units and fell to the ground, unable to float. Thankfully, they activated their Territory in time, saving themselves from injuries.
Meanwhile, the Nun Spirit had vanished.
"Father, let me try to win her over," Clayton Jr. finally turned to his father, his handsome face full of confidence and determination. "I think I know her weakness."
...
A day later.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Inside the elevator of a tall building, a gray-haired woman in plain clothes asked with a troubled expression.
Beside her was a handsome young man, who was wearing a charismatic smile. His tailored suit wrapped tightly around his strong physique, emphasizing his masculinity in a fascinating way.
"Like I said, I'm here to save you!"
He smiled confidently once again, took advantage of the fact that the two of them were alone and leaned against the hard surface of the elevator with his right arm.
"The Second Spirit, Nia Honjo."
The moment he uttered those words, the interior of the elevator tensed.
The woman named Nia looked at the man in astonishment, and this further satisfied the man's gaze.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." He gave her a reassuring smile, waving his hands nonchalantly. "After all, I'm here to save you."
"..."
Nia looked at the man with mixed feelings, unwilling to utter a word.
At this moment, the door of the elevator opened, and she quickly seized this opportunity and walked out, leaving the charming man inside.
But soon enough, he made it out and followed her closely.
"Please don't be scared, at least hear me out."
She continued walking, ignoring his words on purpose.
"You lost control of your senses, that's why you caused a spatial quake, right?"
"And the moment you emerged, those AST tarts tried to kill you immediately. It must be tiresome, right?"
"That's why Ratatoskr, a secret organization, is striving to protect innocent Spirits like you. I know you didn't create those quakes on purpose, otherwise you would've fought back, right?"
Nia gritted her teeth, clenching her delicate fists tightly. Her expression could not be seen by him in his angle, but it didn't make him the slightest concerned.
At this moment, she had already walked past her room, but she did not turn back to it. She worried that this stalker might memorize it and keep harassing her later on.
She did not understand.
She was wearing plain clothes and looked like a tom-boy, yet this stalker was able to recognize her. Not just that, he said that he wanted to protect her? From what?
Ever since she was transformed into a Spirit by a mysterious being covered in mosaic, she gained a special Angel named [Rasiel] and was able to google everything in this world. Of course, she was just 17 in high school, and being a Spirit really messed up her normal life. For instance, she was constantly drawn to the Neighboring World against her will.
It caused her quite a bit of trouble in the beginning, but thanks to her Angel, she found a way to keep her reiryoku steady and avoid being summoned to the Neighboring World. Therefore, her life was back to normal.
Despite that, she made a life-changing decision: Drop high school and skip college!
As it turned out, staying in school was a waste of time for her since she knew all the answers, only anime and manga could make her feel entertained. And to make her life more fun, she decided to draw manga on a professional level.
Although she had been through quite some hardships in her mangaka career, she wouldn't trade it for anything else. And again, thanks to her Angel, she was able to stay in human society without causing a single spatial quake for the next 20 years or so, until...
One day, she got really drunk in a bar, started a fight with a bunch of lousy women, and accidentally caused herself to be summoned to the Neighboring World again!
Later on, she was suddenly summoned in the real world again, but this time, a bunch of AST girls tried to attack her without warning. She understood that they were just trying to protect their homes, so she did not fight back and simply deactivated their Realizers. Despite not being a strong combatant among Spirits, she made up with her unique skills and strategies.
Nevertheless, she was being stalked by this frivolous guy...
"I need to pee."
Before he could react, she entered the women's restroom quickly and shut the door.
"..."
He wasn't particularly mad nor distressed. Instead, he was happy.
Tapping into his earpiece, he gave instructions to the staff on top of the Fraxinus airship, telling them to shut off all the security cameras and drones. He needed some privacy to work his magic.
As it turned out, he requested to be the "negotiator" between humanity and Spirits, hoping to resolve everything peacefully. In addition, to get this Spirit.
On the other side of the door, Nia activated [Rasiel], her omnipotent Angel, and had him figured out completely.
"I see."
After checking the content related to this guy, she said with a cold voice, adding some strokes on her Angel. Then, she stepped out of the bathroom, and the guy's gaze met hers.
"Come in~"
Suddenly, she smiled at him with a flirtatious tone, waving at him before going back inside.
Noticing her change in attitude, he was more than ecstatic to follow her inside! He quickly opened the door and shut it, making sure the women's restroom was all theirs.
"Thank you for trying to save Spirits like me, you are truly a savior, Clayton-sama~" Nia held both her hands together and winked cutely. "There's only one way to show my gratitude~"
And with a wave of her hand, she summoned her Astral Dress.
The plain-looking girl was gone, replaced by a scared nun with a cross-shaped beret, except that her dress was almost transparent, leaving large portions of her fair skin in sight for erotic imaginations.
Seeing his dream girl like this, Clayton Jr. could barely steady his breathing. To make matters worse, she leaned against the cold tile wall, closing her pretty eyes, as if she was expecting him to approach her.
Clayton took the bait, and closed the distance between them immediately.
He put two hands on the wall, making sure that she was cornered and helpless. Then, he closed his eyes...
"WHAAAAAA!"
Nia's voice made him open his eyes, and when he did, he saw her foot moving toward his crotch—
—and kicked his genitals with no mercy!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He felt an excruciating pain and dropped to the floor, holding his shattered balls with tears overflowing from his formerly-confident eyes, his mouth watering as if he could not contain his saliva properly.
"Ratatoskr, a supposedly-altruistic organization that protects Spirits, is a perfect hiding place for bastards like you."
She stared at his pathetic form with a cold expression, before continuing:
"I know that your father has dirty business deals with underground facilities, that you even have purchased kidnapped girls for your own carnal pleasures. For everyone's safety, I took out your sinful tool."
She raised her right leg up on the sink, her thick thigh exposed in the air. However, Clayton was in no mood to enjoy the sight of them.
"With the [Future Entry] powers of my Angel," She turned on the tap water, letting it rinse the sole of her shoe nonchalantly. In the meantime, she summoned [Rasiel] in her hand, a pen in her right hand as she wrote: "I am declaring that 'you will have erectile dysfunction for the rest of your life'!"
Emotional Damage!
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs. He could not believe that she not only kicked his tenders without mercy, but also made sure that he would never be able to have sex again!
"In addition, I made sure to have your evidence exposed in public, so the police will be after you any minute now." She finished washing her shoe, and she left without sparing him any glance.
That was the last nail on his coffin.
...
A few days later.
"Fuuuuuck!"
Clayton Jr. howled in the medical room with a loud voice.
As it turned out, he was arrested for suspicion of involvement with human trafficking, which was technically true. Thankfully, his father was a powerful and influential figure, so he had his sentence suspended and walked free from the court!
Despite that, he was everything but happy. Why? Because he couldn't get "it" up!
He had tried all sorts of medical Realizers, hoping to cure his erectile dysfunction. However, like Nia wrote in her Angel, nothing would be able to cure his conditions.
"FUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
But his rage was nothing comparable to his father's, who was livid with burning hatred.
As it turned out, Roland Clayton lost the normal function of his genitals as well, which was just as fatal for someone like him. The father-and-son both lost their abilities to reproduce, not to mention losing all the fun they used to have.
In addition, his dirty secrets were gradually dug up by a mysterious source and exposed to the Internet, giving him more stress than he could handle. As a result, his hair turned whiter and white by the day.
"That's it, I'm taking drastic methods!"
After shooting his son one pitiful glance, Roland Clayton stormed off to his private room and dialed a coded line.
...
[On August 3rd]
"Just how many more bastards are out there?"
Nia Honjou, in her lounge clothes, was relaxing in her comfortable home and away from her editors. At the moment, she was lazing on her bed, stroking on the surface of her Angel with graceful handwriting.
Over the past few days, she had been exposing crimes of different powerful elites. However, many of them, depending on the countries, were still able to buy their ways out of jail due to their immense control over the two-tiered justice system. In other words, solid evidence alone wasn't enough to defeat corruption once and for all!
Frustrated, she decided to change the strategy: Make them all infertile instead!
As a result, many elites discovered their erectile dysfunction symptoms during the acts, which were quite embarrassing for them given that they had high dignities and egos. They screamed at the top of their lungs miserably, but no matter how they tried to treat it, they would never be able to experience the wondrous feeling of sexual intercourse again.
"[—Breaking NEWS: Fire Explosion has broke out in Tengu City]"
Suddenly, the sound of the radio snapped her out of her work in progress, but it did not trouble her in the slightest. With a tap of her angel, she searched for the newest information about the Tengu City Fire right away.
Very soon, she discovered that an 8-year-old little girl was crying in the center of the fire. Surprisingly, she wasn't burnt or hurt in the slightest, and more strangely, she was wrapped in a fiery kimono. It was something that Nia instantly recognized: An Astral Dress!
"This little girl is a Spirit like me?"
She exclaimed, clicking the book for more information, and to her surprise, she found that there was someone covered in mosaic standing in front of her. In addition, there was a blue-haired little boy lying on the ground, a few years older than the little girl, but his body and clothing were covered in burned marks, indicating that he was on the verge of death.
As she brought her face closer to the book, hoping to get a closer glimpse of the picture, she saw a nearby building collapse nearby.
"Oh no, someone might be dying!"
Nia understood what she had to do. So, she quickly started writing: "During this fire incident, nobody will die from the fire or any oth—
—Suddenly, her windows were shattered!
"!?"
Before she could react, a certain womanly figure enlarged in her vision, and in the next moment, she felt a sharp pain on her right wrist.
Splash!
Her right hand was cut off, blood erupting from the amputee part!
"AAAHHHHH!"
Nia screamed in excruciating pain, but the situation was not suitable for that, as the woman quickly inserted her blade into her belly, pinning her against the cold wall!
Crack!
The force was so great that it resulted in cracks on the wall, but that was the least of Nia's concern. Right now, her right hand was gone, and she was stabbed in the stomach by this hostile enemy.
"Cough...cough..."
After coughing up chunks of dark red blood, she could barely move her limbs due to fatigue and pain. Her stomach was bleeding profusely as well, resulting in her precious blood splashing across the room, the red puddles on the floor were further evidence of that.
"Nice to meet you, [Sister]." The woman had long blonde hair, her slender body wrapped in an advanced CR-unit combat suit, but her eyes were as cold as ice, as if splashing blood was nothing more than a child's play. "I am Ellen Mira Mathers, the strongest wizard alive in the world."
...
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Roland Clayton and his son pumped their fists in the air with great joy as they watched the footage of Ellen capturing the notorious Spirit named [Sister].
They never expected the fight to end so quickly. Indeed, there was the element of surprise, but considering the fact that she was a Spirit, surely she could do better than getting captured in a few seconds.
Over the past week, Roland Clayton communicated with his two colleagues, Gillian Almsted and Fraser Douglas, hoping to get rid of the Second Spirit named Nia Honjo. To their dismay, she targeted all three of them and deprived them of their abilities to reproduce, which was way crossing the line for these men. In order to reverse their conditions, they must make her write in her angel again and cancel the effects.
Sure, they thought about sending wizards to capture her by surprise, but there were two problems: One, they couldn't deploy wizards without notifying Elliot Woodman. Two, even if they succeeded, they wouldn't be able to defeat her anyway.
It seemed that their only hope was the DEM, their biggest rival in Realizer sales and services. Although their goals were the complete opposite of Ratatoskr, there was one thing they had in common:
To stop [Sister] from abusing her powers!
...
Later on, in the DEM office.
"What do you mean, you can't make her use her Angel?!"
Roland Clayton's voice dripped with frustration as he confronted the gray-haired man in the impeccably tailored suit.
"Mind your language, Mr. Clayton. Ike's attire doesn't come cheap," Ellen interjected sharply, her glance conveying a clear threat that made Roland falter. "I'd hate to wash it later."
"It's quite alright, Ellen. I don't mind at all," The man in tailored suit seated behind the desk, responded with a serene smile, to which Ellen responded with a subtle nod.
"We provided you with the location of [Sister]," Roland continued, his tone now more composed. "It's time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain."
Issac Westcott, the CEO of DEM, exuded an air of power that extended beyond borders, rendering him virtually untouchable by presidents of most countries. This made him one of the most formidable individuals on Earth.
On the opposing side stood Clayton, Almsted, and Douglas, the Elites of the Round Table of Ratatoskr.
"How is Elliot? I haven't seen him around for quite a while, I really miss him."
Westcott's smile remained unfazed as he casually inquired about Elliot's whereabouts, demonstrating a complete disregard for Clayton's urgency.
"Who cares? Now answer my question!"
Frustrated by Westcott's nonchalance, Clayton struggled to contain his anger, refraining from rash actions within their rival's domain.
Issac showed an amused smile, giving the man in front of him chills down the spine. To the elites, he seemed like something that might resemble a human being in appearance, but not in the mind.
"I really wanna have Elliot back, he's my best friend."
Westcott continued speaking with the same tone, as if he was alone in this office. Of course, he didn't mean to be rude, that was just who he was.
Clayton clenched his fists, holding back the urge to punch this bastard in the face. As much as he wanted to release his anger, he knew better than to try anything this reckless in the heartland of their rival's territory.
"Thank you for your time, but we will take our leaves now."
Instead, he stood up, signaling at his two colleagues and storming off without hesitation.
Very soon, the office was left with only Issac Westcott and Ellen Mathers.
"Why did you let them go, Ike?" Ellen smacked her lips in disdain.
"They pose no threat to us, so it's better to let them leave," Westcott replied confidently before rising from his seat. "And more importantly," his face finally showed some interest, the corner of his elegant lips rising up slightly.
"Take me to our guest, Ellen. I'm eager to see the Second Spirit."
"..."
Shido was in a trance as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
His mind had processed quite some information from Kurumi's 10th bullet, but he snapped out of it due to information overloading, which was understandable.
"Shido?"
"Shido-san?"
"Nushi-sama?"
"..."
The concerned voices of his girls entered his ears, but he ignored them all.
"Oni-chan?"
Suddenly, he reacted and farted toward the owner of the childish voice. It startled everyone watching, but none of them moved.
"Kotori!"
He hugged his adoptive little sister tightly, burying his head in her chest.
"Wh—what?"
Kotori blushed deeply, her eyes turning comically white in anime styles. But before she could react, she felt the fabric around her chest area getting wet!
"My Kotori! I'm so sorry!"
His voice was filled with sadness, making everyone dumbfounded.
"If I were more useful, you wouldn't have caused the fire!"
"Oni-chan..."
Hearing his sobs, Kotori's embarrassed expression turned into a tender one. She caressed her lover's back in a soothing way, closing her eyes and resting her delicate chin on his head.
After a while, the two finally separated from each other. Shido was no longer crying, and Kotori was no longer embarrassed.
Next, he turned his gaze toward Origami, and he took a step forward before hugging her tightly as well.
"Origami..." he said sadly, "I'm sorry about your parents."
"...it's not your fault, Shido."
Origami was confused by her lover's bizarre actions, but she embraced him nonetheless. Just the smell of his body was making her satisfied.
He let go of her soon after, and since he had calmed down, Shido looked around in search of a certain girl, but to his dismay, she wasn't present.
"Where is Nia?"
He asked with a hint of urgency in his voice.
"She returned to her room for manga, or booze."
A different girl answered instead. Shido turned his head, and smiled a bit when he saw Marina crossing her arms.
It was already late in the evening, so many Spirits returned to their respective rooms that Rinne assigned in the upgraded mansion. The only ones remaining here were only Kurumi, Kotoric, Origami, and Marina.
"Kurumi," Shido turns his gaze toward the gothic girl.
"Y-yes?"
Kurumi was startled by the chill she felt, stuttering a bit as a result.
"Keep Roland Clayton alive." Shido turned around, leaving his backside to Kurumi, his tone cold as absolute zero, "but get rid of the other two."
!
Everyone, including Kotori and Kurumi, was horrified by Shido's vicious words. As they all knew, he was never the type to wish for the death of other people, not even his worst enemy.
But now, he was asking Kurumi to dispose of actual human beings!
"These two are lucky," he walked away from them, "because the other guy will regret being born!"
Stricken by Shido's words, the group of girls watched in silence as he departed, his departure marked by an eerie quietude that lingered in the hallway.
Finally, he stopped in front of a room.
"Nia,"
Pausing before a closed door, Shido gently knocked.
"May I come in?"
...
A/N:
Greetings, everyone. How have you been?
It's been quite a while since I last updated, sorry my writings' gone so slow. My limited time in real life was one reason, but it was mainly the other reason that caused this:
What happened to Nia during her 5 years in the DEM?
Yes, the canon explained that she had been tortured, but how exactly? In the first episode of season 4, she was shown to be completely naked during an experiment. Just from this scene alone, we could tell that she had no rights to privacy during her imprisonment as a test subject, and that was the very least that could happen. She was at their complete mercy!
But fortunately, I found a Tachibana interview and learned that Nia wasn't raped, so that was a relief.
Despite that, the next chapter might not be to your liking considering the gore parts. I will try my best to make it as un-disturbing as possible!