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The Deal: Chapter 13 : Meetings and Undercurrents
🕑 Added 2024-04-26 20:55:51 +0000 UTCDisclaimer : I own nothing.
Chapter 13 : Meetings and Undercurrents.
- Damien –
I was ready for Azazel to pick me up for the meeting with Odin.
Merlin decided to accompany me and somehow Sean was not leaving his best friend, Sigurd in that broken state for such an important meeting.
Sean was a bro.
Gretel followed us in case things went awry and we needed to escape.
So, finally the five of us were to go for the meeting with Odin.
A golden magic circle appeared in front of us as Azazel walked out of the light.
“So many? Well, your beloved maid can be your second, Sean can follow Sigurd and Merlin can be my second. In such meetings, it is impolite to bring more than one person with you.” He looked at me and explained at my apparent confusion. “First, it will be taken as a sign that you are weak and will automatically put you in a backward position in any further negotiation. Second, it might be interpreted as a sign of you trying to show your power and make the other party cower and we do not want that. Although this meeting is fundamentally different, it will do you better to keep these things in mind.” He looked at Merlin. “You didn’t explain this to him?”
Oh, he did.
It was extremely annoying to hear the explanations. I was never told about these in the Old Satan faction because they never expected me to make alliances so what was the need to know how to have such meetings.
Then again the explanations were understandable because bringing more people to such meetings could also be a plot to assassinate the leader and such things can put a strain on any possible peace talks. You don’t put a gun on the table before starting peace talks, right.
Merlin smiled. “Why do you think there are just enough people for us to make pairs? It might also be due to Sean not leaving Sigurd in case he did something stupid, a decision that I am actually supportive of.”
Sigurd had not taken his story well and was prepared to offer his head to Brynhildr as a compensation for what his past incarnation did to her.
It had taken a lot of convincing and support from our side to help him recover. Sean just didn’t want to risk him relapsing when he met Odin and possibly Brynhildr today.
“Ah, so that’s the case. Well, let’s go then. No need to keep this meeting on hold.”
- Scene Change –
The meeting place was chosen on a neutral ground.
We had decided that I should meet Odin first and then Odin will meet Michael and the Church representatives so that my presence does not make a mess of things. My face alone could have given Michael a heart attack.
Azazel had told me that Michael might look like a pretty boy with his girly looks but there was a reason, he was the current leader of the Angels.
Michael was far stronger than he let on.
Azazel had once said that Lucifer was almost twice as strong as him and Michael….he was at the same level.
While not a Super Class, he was still a Pseudo Super Class and with the trump cards of Heaven, he would without a doubt rival a Super Devil.
The God of the Bible was not a fool. If he could make Longinuses and throw them around as freebies to humans, he must have kept something in Heaven as a trump card too. Something at least rivaling a Longinus.
This was one of the major reasons why I had decided to keep my presence hidden right now.
The meeting place was a restaurant and we followed Azazel.
The people in the restaurant paid no attention to any of us which was extremely suspicious because anywhere I had gone before this had attracted a lot of eyes. Especially Merlin and me with our passive charms.
“They are under spells. The real workers of the place are on the second floor. These people are spelled to not notice supernatural beings. Follow me. Our meeting room is on the top floor.”
And follow we did.
I spread my Observation Haki and noticed that the staff consisted of Fallen Angels and magicians for the most part.
The higher floors were no different.
“What? You look surprised.” Azazel asked when he saw me observing the surroundings.
“I am. I fully expected this to be one of your Oppai Clubs to be honest.” I felt Gretel’s finger twitch lightly at this.
“Hahahaha I didn’t know you missed those. You are always welcome there, you know.”
“I’ll pass.”
We arrived to our destination and Azazel nodded to the man outside the door who opened and let us in.
Inside was a man with a long beard and a monocle and a serious look on his face and beside him sat a young woman with silver white hair down to her ankles and beautiful blue eyes.
I saw her eyes staring to me for a moment before I realized that she was not staring at me but rather behind me at Sigurd.
The man on the other hand was looking at me without blinking and I am sure of that.
I felt Sigurd still as he looked inside the room.
The woman stood up, her sight never leaving Sigurd and stepped forward.
Sean tensed slightly ready to put himself in between the two before Merlin placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
“Sig….” there were tears in the eyes of the woman who I am almost sure by now must be Brynhildr herself.
She stepped forward taking the man in her arms, hugging him tight.
I kept my Observation Haki on full alert but nothing happened.
I guess whatever the prophesy was, was fulfilled the last time she killed him so itw as not acting again.
“Give the two some time alone. Let’s talk about what needs to be done by then.” Odin spoke for the first time.
I nodded towards my followers as well and they went out leaving Odin with Azazel, Merlin and me.
A period of silence settled over the place.
It was however broken very soon by Odin himself.
“When you said that you were bringing someone with a complicated identity, I didn’t think you would bring the Devil himself. You sure know how to surprise people even in their old age, Azazel.”
“Hahahaha he looks like him, doesn’t he? Even I was a bit taken aback when I had first seen him. You can guess why I didn’t want to reveal his identity. It would have caused too much chaos at such a delicate time.”
Odin’s stare had still not left me. “Good to see that you have made up with your brother, even if it is his reincarnation.”
….
….
….
….
My soul almost popped out of my mouth due to his claim.
He could see souls.
Dammit.
Can he see that I am a reincarnator?
“Huh?”
Before I could ask anything else, he continued.
“Do you think this eye of mine is for a show, child? Your soul is hauntingly similar to his brother’s. Not completely, which is a bit off in itself, but still too much for it to be a coincidence?”
The fuck was this man talking about?
I looked genuinely confused this time.
Azazel was now looking at me, thinking about something.
“It might have something to do with the fact that he was created from Lucifer’s blood. A clone of sorts.” Merlin put out a thought. I could see the intrigue in his eyes dancing.
Odin shook his head, “That might have something to do with it but body and soul are two different things. His soul is older than his body. A reincarnation if I have ever known any. He might not remember it but he is a reincarnation. Infact everyone except the girl that came with him were all reincarnated.”
….
Azazel quieted down for a while and thousands of thoughts ran through my mind before he spoke. “So you are telling me that Damien here, is the reincarnation of Lucifer?” his voice was extremely neutral.
“Hmm….no.”
Azazel looked up and he continued, “I am saying that he is a reincarnation of your brother.”
I saw Azazel’s eyes widen for a moment before he hurriedly asked, “Are you sure?”
“I have met your brother before and I know a soul when I see it. After he changed, his soul changed too. It looked tainted….chaotic.” He paused for a moment thinking of better words maybe. “While this child also has that taint, he is much more controlled. Much more….balanced. Yes balanced. That’s the word I am looking for.”
Azazel’s gaze towards me became a bit complicated.
I decided to break the subject before something else came out. I was having hard time controlling myself as it is.
“Will my being the probable reincarnation of the Devil be a problem for this meeting?” I asked in a neutral tone. In my mind, I had already thought of several things.
He waved a hand, “Nah, that’s a problem for the three factions. I was just surprised as is. For me, you are the savior of my blood and probably also my daughter’s life. That alone puts you above most people in the three factions.”
I nodded.
His words were true.
I had to find a way to hide my soul now.
I don’t know what that bastard had done to my soul but I couldn’t use my essences to heal it so easily. I had tried trading my soul’s damage to others but that didn’t work.
“Now, could you tell us about the situation once more? How did you find Sigurd? What is this….Project Siegfried?”
“Hmm….I had gotten some information from some of my sources among the Church that they were creating enhanced exorcists. These exorcists had the DNA of Siegfried implanted into them and many of them went crazy or died before they could even reach their teenage years. I had lent this information to Damien here, to repay him for a favour. He infiltrated the research facility and found some documents and on searching further, he found out just who they were extracting this DNA from. He took Sigurd out along with all the documents when he realized what he had stumbled upon and contacted me and that’s….well that’s why we are here now.”
Odin looked at me and bowed slightly in gratitude and I bowed back
“So, you understand this as much as I do that people have been very displeased with how the Devils have been recruiting from several factions. Surtur, the second being in the peerage of the current Lucifer.” He paused at the Lucifer word and looked at me for a moment looking unsure. I shook my head and asked him to continue. “had already raised many voices but I had calmed them down due to the fact that Surtur had left on his own. That case although a major one was by no means an isolated one though. There have been many such cases, big or small where people were recruited in the peerages of the Devils, sometimes even through less than fair means and this has caused a lot of strain on our relationship with the Three Factions. The warmongers among my people were furious when they had heard that the Church had captured the swords of our faction but I used my authority to suppress those. The swords they had collected were all bad memories for many of us….BUT….this….this is not something I can control.”
“Perhaps we could ask Heaven to pay some form of compensation. Sigurd himself doesn’t want a war. His words would hold some value too.”
“Sigurd has been raised by the people of the Church. His words will be considered based and thus might not hold such value. Compensation will need to be paid. It has been decided that they will have to hand over all the children with Sigurd’s blood over to us for they carry the power of the Norse. They will return all the weapons belonging to the Norse back to us as well as a legendary Holy and a legendary Demonic sword as compensation. This is already the least I could ask about. Some of my people wanted Heaven to hand over a Longinus wielder as compensation or start a war.”
“….that might have been a bit too much and would have given the Church people a reason to push more. Those people are more fanatical than they are useful.” Merlin said awkwardly. “I remember having scuffles with them. Just because I invented magic and I had a Satan’s blood, a Satan who had disowned me mind you, they had declared all the forms of magic taught by me as heretical. Like seriously, there has got to be a limit of pettiness.”
“Do you think they will agree?” I asked Azazel.
“I….I have talked to Michael personally. He was quite agreeable towards the idea. The Church had acted by itself and while I will not say that Heavens were completely unaware of such things, they were still in the unknown about the true extent of things. They are probably the side who are restricted the most in increasing their strength. They have to rely on the Church to a great extent to ensure their survival and the Church takes advantage of such. They are will to agree to any reasonable demands to prevent this war because no matter what happens, Heaven will be the ones losing the most.”
Which is quite understandable as in the event that there is a war and the other two Biblical Factions join them and support the Heavens, they will have to make severe concessions to them? These concessions will surely surpass whatever Odin was demanding.
“So, what is it that you need from Heaven?” Odin asked, looking at me.
“Me? If possible I would need a particular person. A nun by the name of Asia Argento who has a Sacred Gear called Twilight Healing which is capable of healing even Devils. She is currently a Holy Maiden in Italy. I wish to recruit her.”
“A healer who can heal devils. Healing Type artifacts and medicines are very rare, especially ones that can heal even Devils. I can understand your choice but….is that it?” Odin asked a little surprised.
“From Heaven and the Church, yes. From you….”
“Oh.” He narrowed his eyes.
“I wish for an alliance with the Norse Faction.”
He raised an eyebrow at the unexpected request so I explained further.
“My identity is as you had already guessed….quite complicated.”
“Heh….that’s putting it very mildly.”
“Exactly and I have no intention to join the Old Satan Faction or their delusions of conquering the world.”
“They are still after that?” He asked incredulously.
“Perhaps stubbornness is the only thing they have inherited from their ancestors. I have no intention of becoming a part of that foolishness. Nor do I have any intention of becoming a political boy toy of the Current Government. Even with my level of patience, I am not sure I could resist doing something….unpleasant to those old devils if they plotted against me, which let’s be fair here is a forgone case by now.”
Both Odin and Azazel smiled slightly at that.
“This only leaves me with the option of making a place of my own and I want your help with this.”
He looked at me incredulously. “So let me get this straight, you, the possible reincarnation of The Devil, the second most famous figure of the Abrahamic Factions is asking me to help you with creating a faction that might as well become a fourth power. Do I look that much of a fool to you?”
“An honourable man was what I preferred but incase,” and here I smiled, “The Great All-Father Odin, the King of the Norse Gods will stoop so low as to deny the savior of his child’s life….then sure.”
“Is that it? Trying to provoke my pride?” he asked blandly.
“Not really. I can promise you that the Norse will have my eternal friendship as long as they do not betray me and mine first. I will also provide you with some products that only I can make which will include an alternate to Phenex Tears.” I saw Azazel snap his head in my direction but I continued. I had expected this to be a negotiation that I will have to fight on a back-foot but that was the reason Ophelia, Merlin and I had spent the last week sleeplessly thinking of anything that I could offer to have this alliance. The Norse name is big enough to make the coming journey extremely smooth. “For a price of course. There will be other products too which will be added later on that said you will get a priority for these products as well.”
Odin looked a little thoughtful.
Phenex Tears is a rare good after all.
A single member of Phenex family with their Clan Trait needs around five hours of perfect concentration to make a single phoenix tear. Even a slight interruption or loss of concentration can cause the process to fail.
This is the reason why Phenex Tears are so rare and cost a hundred millions per dozen and that’s for the Devils. Other factions have to buy them through other channels which cost them several times more.
I and Helena have been working our asses off to make a substitute for one since we started our work. It is always an immensely persuasive negotiation tool.
“So you want a trade agreement between your people and mine. That’s fine. But for me to recognize your people as a legitimate faction, you will need numbers. Some factions can have a leader class at best but they are still recognized as a legitimate faction because they have numbers. A handful of people, no matter how strong can only make a group of terrorists. Do you have any plans for that?”
“I do. I will get the numbers by the time I reveal myself.”
Azazel joined here and supported me, “It’s not as if there haven’t been such cases before. Merlin here did so. Mephisto Pheles has also created a Magician’s Organization known as Grauzaubeurer, although he has maintained a connection with the Current Government, making an independent faction is not without a precedent.”
“It will take some time but I am sure I can make one. I just want a place for my loved ones to stay away from politics and live peacefully.”
“We all wish and hope for peace but something as luxurious as peace needs to be earned and believe me….it is very hard.” Odin spoke with a solemn voice. “Anyways, you did save the life of my child. Prepare your people, when you are ready, we will have an alliance. You have my word as Odin, All-Father and the King of the Norse. We can begin our trade then.”
We discussed the deal in detail. My subordinates and I had spent several sleepless nights thinking about these deals.
It was finally decided that we will commence our trade in two years when I have a proper production line for my products.
I only needed one but I hope to push my subordinates and I to a respectable level of strength by the end of two years.
Odin will be having a meeting with Michael and the Church representatives with Azazel as a mediator soon.
My presence will be kept a secret from the entire Norse until I am ready.
Brynhildr thanked me several times and promised to repay me in the future if I ever needed her help.
I think I have an idea on what I needed from the Norse.
A certain Valkyrie who is still in training now.
- Scene Change –
“So, I take it that you succeeded.” Ophelia asked as I slumped into the couch.
The talk with Odin had been incredibly risky.
As Azazel had said, I wanted to wait till I was strong enough but even at the Peak of Satan Class with a Longinus on top of that, I still felt a bit lacking when facing Odin.
Not to mention that Thor is said to be stronger and one of the top ten strongest beings in the world.
“I still don’t understand why you went for it to be honest. The current government could easily offer them the same deal with the Phenex Tears and could provide them with a much more profitable deal than we could. They might even turn against us and help those people to kill us.” Vienna complained.
“That won’t be so easy.” Ophelia explained. “First, there is no civil war right now. If it is found out that they targeted the descendants of the Original Satan, without provocation, especially one who is descended from two Satans like Damien here, there would be riots everywhere. The Old Satan faction will take advantage of this. Our moles in the faction have made sure of it. Second, it is precisely because we are the weaker party that Odin will be more agreeable to sign the contract with us. With the current government, they would have faced a party who would have been more or less at the same level as them, so they wouldn’t have had the upper hand in the negotiation. They would have never agreed to attack Damien because Odin is not a fool. What’s to guarantee that they would keep their end of the deal after Damien is killed? They might as well claim that the Norse hurt the descendant of an Original Satan and turn on them asking for compensation. Damien on the other hand, in their minds doesn’t have enough power to go against them and won’t do so unless pushed into a corner so is a more agreeable partner. Obviously this would have been extremely different if they had any idea just how many Longinuses we have on our side or the means of our people. If that was known, not only the Norse, every faction out there would try to kill us as quickly as possible. We currently own almost half of the Longinuses and similarly strong Sacred Gears. This is enough to make any faction cautious about us. We just have to make sure that we can keep our side of the deal till we are strong enough to defend ourselves.”
“Will the Norse really back us up?” Vienna asked again. She had been coached by Gretel and Ophelia about politics no matter how much she disliked it.
“They will. They backed the Fallen during the Great War. That was one of the main reasons Azazel could quit the war so easily without any of the other two sides chasing the Fallen to kill. There are no eternal alliances, Vienna, only eternal profits. As long as the Norse profit from us they will back us up. We need a decade at most to surpass them all so by the time they realize it, it will already be too late. My deals are not so easy to break.”
I did make a ‘Deal’ with Odin. Something he doesn’t even realize at this time.
“So we just have to become strong, right?” Vienna asked, pouting.
I smiled as I picked her up before bringing her in my lap. The little gremlin now acted as if she was a grown up, all tsundere towards me.
“Yes, so train hard, alright so that you can save me from bad people.” I caressed her head despite her protests until she gave up her resistance and melted into my arms. “Ophelia, please look into the matter of the Damphirs in the Tepes faction faster. I will need their assistance sooner than I had expected.”
“Did something happen, my Lord?”
I thought for a moment as I recalled the talks from earlier.
My soul looked like Lucifer’s….well almost like Lucifer’s.
Was it because of the Essences?
I remember that my Essences had reacted violently when I had first taken them and that bastard had done something to my soul to fix it.
Did he make it so that he could watch me suffer and have fun?
Was it because I was being injected with the blood of the Original Satans?
Or was it because I was created from the blood of two of the Four Satans.
There are a few types of magic that change souls too.
“I….Odin looked at me with his enchanted eye and he said….”
Everyone looked at me while I tried to find the correct words to explain it. “He said I might be the reincarnation of Lucifer.”
I could literally hear the heartbeats of the people in the room as everyone’s breath got stuck momentarily.
“What?” Ophelia asked wide-eyed.
His reason was that my soul was older than it looked, which was obvious. I was a reincarnation after all. But what the hell did it mean by me being a reincarnation of Lucifer?
“He said my soul looked almost like Lucifer’s. Not completely but hauntingly similar to his.”
“But….but that’s impossible. We devils, we cease to exist after we die. There is no afterlife for us. There is nothing for us after we die. How does one even reincarnate from oblivion?”
“I don’t know the reasons but it might have been because I was created from Lucifer’s blood. He did say that it was not completely alike. His actual words were that my soul was more similar to Lucifer’s before his rebellion. It was tainted, sure, but unlike Lucifer’s, my soul was more balanced. Helena, please help me devise a spell to hide my soul.”
“That….I don’t think there are many things that could hide from the enchanted eye of Odin. We can try though.”
What can I use to hide my soul?
I mean I don’t even know what a soul looks like. What was my soul supposed to look like? What does a normal Devil’s soul look like?
I didn’t even think that there was a reason to hide my soul.
Razevan’s example had made it clear that the best disguise is the one that’s just out in the open.
What should I do?
If I started hiding my soul by simply making it disappear, it might bring more suspicion from those who can observe souls.
I mean it’s not like anyone can attack me or anything just by looking at my soul.
It is quite similar to what my Observation Haki does to others in a way.
So what should I do?
I thought about it and the answer led me back to my very first project which was almost on the verge of completion now.
….
Illusions.
I am almost there.
I can feel it already.
The last part which was related to the conversion of energy had come from a very unexpected source.
Albion’s Divide.
Divide is separated into two parts, first, halving the power of the one they touch and second, absorbing the halved power.
Albion’s Divide can change any type of energy to the one he uses when he divides other’s.
I just reversed the process and by the end of it, I could change my energy to any other type of energy.
Now lay the part of hiding it with a lie using the ‘Prince of Lies’ and I was able to create an illusion that could help me contend with Super Class beings easily.
“Try to find the Damphirs quickly, Ophelia. In the meantime, please bring me any information you can get about souls and soul magic.”
“I think I might know where you can find such information, my Lord.” Helena said. “Ajuka Beelzebub’s research. The Evil Pieces work on the souls as well. It is the reason why Gods and Buddhas cannot be changed by the Evil Pieces because their Divine Souls protect them. I had tried to do some research on them but was forbidden as I was not a part of his research team. Evil Pieces are very closely related with the current devil society and no one is allowed to do independent research on them. It was both understandable and frustrating.” She pouted.
It was quite hilarious to adorable watch the usually calm and composed lady like her pout like a child when she was denied research in a particular field. It was almost like taking a toy from a child. I was getting to see various sides of my bound subordinates.
“That’s quite easy, you know. You could just hunt a Stray Devil and isolate their Evil Piece inside your Innovate Clear’s world and research it as much as you want. Moreover I will need your help for training. I want you to try to use your Innovate Clear to try and create a small world where time flows faster than outside.”
I saw the look of realization on her face. “Of course. A time chamber. If we don’t have time, we can just make some for ourselves. Why didn’t I think of it? This will solve so many of our problems. Obviously there is the fact that we will still age normally but that’s a matter we can handle easily with our long lifespans. I wonder….”
And she went on with her thoughts.
I don’t think many of the people in the underworld would have seen this side of the most famous female scholar among the devil race.
The time chamber idea that I had come up with recently after I was watching the shit show that was Drag-so-Ball.
Even if she was able to increase the flow of time inside the Innovate Clear by twice and maybe increase gravity or such, it could become the most advanced training room possible.
It was a Hyperbolic Time Chamber + Gravity Training Room + Danger Room all combined into one artifact.
“Try to arrange for the books on Soul Magic of any pantheon or faction.” With that said I returned back to our original topic of the deal with the Norse.
- Scene Change –
I looked at my Shadow Clone who was currently under the illusion.
I had them use every detection method I could use to try and break from the illusion.
Observation Haki could easily be fooled if the signals received by the brain itself were changed. That said, the instinct of the clones was still intact.
I had reached the level of Future Sight although it was only a fraction of a second.
If the clones realized they were going to be destroyed by staying in a place, they moved. They could also retrace the attack and retaliate in the said direction.
This also meant that anyone with clairvoyance could retaliate even when trapped in this illusion.
That said from the feedback I got from the destroyed clones, they didn’t sense anything amiss before that. They couldn’t break the illusion either.
It is complete.
Finally,
And it will only become stronger the more I become proficient in ‘The Prince of Lies’ trait.
Years of work and I finally have created my first original skill.
There was happiness but fatigue overcame that at the moment.
I slumped on the ground of the training ground.
It had been two weeks since I had the meeting with Odin.
I had devoted the entire time, all of the clones and every bit of energy I had to improve my illusion spell
“Dummy, Kuroka is here.” I heard Vienna’s voice calling out to me.
And sure enough, a pair of cat girls was walking my way with Vienna by their side. In the last few years I noticed that Shirone was growing up just like Kuroka and was not having her growth stunted by her trauma.
The mark and proper Senjutsu training helped too.
“Damien-sama, I’m back. Did you miss me?” The older of the two cat girls jumped at me. Kuroka has always been more into physical shows of emotions.
She was almost my age and at thirteen, she was starting to develop into quite a beautiful girl.
“I did.” I caressed her ears as she purred.
Vienna pouted and Shirone fidgeted when looking at her sister.
“Come here you two.” I grabbed Vienna’s head as she resisted in name before crumbling into my embrace.
“So how are you, Kuroka, Shirone? Did you have fun in Japan?”
“Yes nyaa~~ We visited the headquarters of the Nura Clan with Magari-sensei. It was so cool.” Kuroka explained her trip animatedly.
“H-hmm, Kejoro-san was very nice. She cooks tasty food.” She hummed.
“Oh, Nurarihyon’s home. Did you make friends there?”
“Y-yes. Everyone was very nice to us. They even invited Onee-chan and me to join the Nura Clan directly under Rikuo-sama. Ah….Rikuo-sama is the….”
“Grandson of Nurarihyon, a quarter youkai and possibly the third head of the Nura Clan. I know. He invited you two?”
“He….he said that we were welcome to join them. The others invited us nyaa but we rejected. They didn’t mind though and even taught us their style of Youjutsu involving Fear. I still haven’t learned it properly.”
“They didn’t force you, did they?” I asked sensing that Kuroka held something back.
“No nyaa. They didn’t.”
“What are you hiding, Kuroka?” I asked a bit sterner this time.
“T-there was a fight. The Shikoku Youkai had attacked. We fought.”
….
“When?”
“It was a month ago. Shirone was in the headquarters but I fought with others. They were quite strong but not my opponents. I defeated six of them alone and the Youkai of the Nura Clan were very impressed. I was even invited by Nurarihyon-sama himself.”
“Oh!”
“Yes nyaa. I was invited too. But we didn’t agree. Onee-chan told them that we owed our lives to someone else and would like to serve him. They still thanked us for our help and said we could ask them for anything if we wanted. We were also given some tips about Fear Style of Yojutsu by Nurari-sama and since one of the higher ups of the Nura Clan was killed during the attack, he gave me a territory to rule.”
“Heh….did they ask anything about me?”
“They did. We….said that you wanted to keep your identity a secret for now and we won’t reveal it. They didn’t insist much after Magari-sensei had vouched for us. I even got a second tail this time nyaa~”
And she did. I had noticed it when she had arrived here today but Kuroka now had two tails instead of her normal one. Her aura was also much more controlled.
“I guess that some congratulations are in order then. Tell me, what do you want for getting a new tail, Kuroka?”
“Anything, really?” she asked as her ears perked up and her tails swung from side to side.
“Well as long as it’s within a limit.”
“Huh? Why does she get a prize while I get nothing, Dummy? I have become stronger too.” Vienna pinched my side.
“Hmm, I will give you one when you get your next pair of wings. You only have four wings right now.”
Unlike the Pillar Devils and the Extra Demons, the Satan Descendants had multiple wings which showed their lineages. Others only had a single pair of devil wings no matter how strong they became while the wings of the Satan Descendants increased with their strength. It might have something to do with the fact that all the other devils except the Original Satans were created by Lucifer and Lilith. I am not sure of it. These idiots consider these wings as a sign of their right to rule which according to me is a bunch of crap.
It looked cool though. Added a lot to the presence.
I had twelve wings after reaching the Satan Class, the maximum a Devil can get.
Rizevim has twelve.
Razevan had twelve but he hid his last pair of wings.
The idiot trio had ten wings each.
Vienna on the other hand had four wings, although her strength was stronger than normal four winged devils. Her wings didn’t grow as easily as mine, maybe because of her half human race or the dragon genes. That said, the Divine Dividing more than made up for it.
“Really! Promise.”
“Hmm.”
“Okay, you got it, dummy. Albion was saying that I am almost on the verge of getting my third pair of wings.” She cheered as quickly as she had become angry.
“In that case, I will prepare a reward for you too and the same goes for Shirone.”
Shirone’s tails swung from side to side too as she tried to hide her happiness.
This girl is too adorable.
“I know what I want nyaa~~”
“Oh?”
“I want you to take me on a date nyaa~ Just the two of us.”
….
….
….
….
The impending doom came faster than my Observation could have warned me of.
Vienna’s demonic power surged as she got a scary smile on her face.
“Heh….Kuroka, I heard that you became stronger with that new tail. Wanna test it out?” she said as she cracked her fingers.
“Hah! Sure if you don’t mind getting your butt kicked again.”
And thus before I could say anything both of them ran ahead to spar.
Shirone took this opportunity to cuddle into my side as I caressed her head.
“Cleria.” I spoke inside my mind through our connection.
“Yes my Lord.”
“How much progress have you made with Annihilation Maker?” I asked.
I had given Cleria, Annihilation Maker because….I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better who wanted it.
Cleria was trained in discovering the weakness of the enemy for the use of her Worthless trait. She could easily identify the best route to defeat her enemy and Annihilation Maker would help her do just that.
Making monsters that can counter her enemies and take advantage of their weaknesses, the Annihilation Maker best suited her style of fighting.
“I have attained the Balance Breaker recently, although I cannot make more than two creatures at once.”
“That will be more than enough for now. Can you make the monster I asked you to?”
“It was a bit harder to imbue a monster with all those characteristics but I did make a miniature version of it. It has the range of a continent and I can control it to make it anything smaller than that.”
“That will do for now. Has a desolate Dimension been found for the test?”
“There are many desolate dimensions in the Dimensional Gap. We know of a few that can be used for the tests. Although I don’t think the results will be that good since none of them are as big as a continent nor do they have lives in them. It will not have enough energy for the beast to absorb.”
“It will still serve as a good point to test our theory. As for the lives, test and see if the monsters created by Annihilation Maker satisfies the criteria.”
“Yes, my Lord. I will set up the first trial in a week.”
“If the trial is successful, then find a place inside the ocean where no pantheons have any influence over and set up the Ten Tails to absorb from the sea creatures. I will place an illusion on it to hide it and Gretel will put it behind her Dimension Lost’s barrier. It will be a good place to gather energy from.”
“Yes, my Lord.” She answered before we cut off the call.
That was one of my pet projects. I had the idea when I started the Naruto manga in this world. It was a pretty solid hit too, especially in Japan where the people literally drank in the ninja awesomeness. There were even fans for the Nine Tailed Fox, Kurama among the Youkai children from what I have found out.
Since Annihilation Maker can create monsters according to the user’s wishes, why can’t it do the same here?
Since then I made as many notes as I could about the Ten Tails and the process by which it gathers the energy of a planet or a dimension and how it converts it into a Chakra fruit. I even added some modifications about how it can separate the negativity from nature’s energy.
Even if I absorb a small bit of energy at a time, I can still get mini chakra fruits that can significantly increase the powers of any Youkai that eats them.
There are also advanced steps of the plan if it succeeds. Innovate Clear used in tandem with the Annihilation Maker can make an idealized world with an increased speed of time where the Ten Tails can suck life without restraint as all the living beings in that world will be under our control. It was basically a chakra fruit orchard if this plan succeeded. All of that if the test succeeds though.
My plans to see Ten Tailed Nekoshou Goddesses seems to be quite near.
I looked ahead as Vienna and Kuroka fought, Vienna without using her Sacred Gear. It was an even match.
Both the girls pushed each other through tricks of their own.
Vienna under our tutelage is more than just a simple brawler as Vali would have been. She is a sly little minx who would use every chance she could get to dominate a fight completely.
Observation and Armament Haki played an important part in her fighting styles too. Kuroka used Senjutsu and Touki in return.
Ice Magic and Yojutsu based flames scattered around the training field as they clashed repeatedly against one another.
A white haired, black Haki user and a Black haired, white Touki user fought and the scene looked amazing.
Apparently I was not the only one who thought so as Shirone was also watching the scene with rapt attention.
They fought for about forty minutes, completely destroying the area around them and then fell on their knees panting for breaths.
“Let’s make a concession here. How about before the wish Kuroka asked me for, we all go to an amusement park? All of us for a holiday. How do that sound? Good. Then it’s decided. We will go to the amusement park and even have a picnic. I will have Gretel make the arrangements.”
That should calm the two down.
It did.
If Shirone’s tail was an indication of how she felt, then she was absolutely delighted by the idea.
Vienna’s eyes lit up too.
This might just be our first holiday together.
- Scene Change –
“Are you worried about what Odin said?” Merlin asked sitting beside me as I sat on the roof of the tallest building in our base.
“Hmm.”
That thought had haunted my mind since the words it out.
What would people say if they found out I was a reincarnator?
Razevan hadn’t told anyone about it but he had watched me around a decade to assure my character and still was a bit reluctant to trust me. Aria’s trust in me could be attributed to her raising me.
That’s one extreme suspicion and one trust.
A 50% is not something that eased my mind.
Would they think differently of me if they found out about my previous life?
It has kept me up for nights in the last two weeks. I had spent every waking hour training to hide my soul. The problem however was, I had no idea what to do.
I was broken from my thoughts by Merlin’s voice.
“It doesn’t matter.”
….
I looked at the man and he continued.
“It doesn’t matter if you are the reincarnation of Lucifer or someone else. Reincarnations are not all like their previous selves. Experiences makes a man. You have experienced different things than Lucifer or Helel for that matter and thus you are a different person. Suddenly finding out that you might have been someone in your previous life doesn’t matter at all. So don’t worry your head about it.”
“Is it really so easy? Did you not feel anything different when you found out about this?”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t say I felt nothing. I felt quite surprised. But….yeah that was it. Surprised and then it was back to normal.”
I looked at the man in disbelief.
“Let me tell you a story. Arthur….was my student, a friend, like my own son to my first incarnation. When he had died, I was devastated and had half a mind to erase the entire Camelot in my rage. He was the only one I had considered family to me. A true family to me. In my last incarnation, I found his incarnation as well. His name was Felix.” He paused for a moment as if collecting his words or trying to find suitable words to convey what he was about to say. “I killed him.”
….
“Huh?”
“I killed him. No pretty words. He was a bandit. A murderer. He had killed several villages and pillaged the places. I saw him and I knew at once who he was. It might have been my duty to protect the place or my anger at the piece of shit for defiling the image of my student, I killed him….and I never regretted it once. Arthur was Arthur and Felix was Felix and I knew that. If people didn’t change, then what was the point of reincarnating again? One might be a saint in one life but become a bandit in another. Souls sure have power but they do not set our future in stone. Always remember this fact, Damien. You have lived a life, you died. That was the end. This is not a new chapter. No. This is an entirely new book for you. Write it as you want. Don’t let your previous life cloud your judgement. If you want to continue living as your previous life, sure, do it. I’ll support you. If you want to create a new Devil race, I will support you again. Hell, if you want to open a bar and chill out the entirety of your life this time, I will sit by you and make a drink for myself too. I did swear my loyalty to my King, Damien Lucifer. Him being the reincarnation of Lucifer or anyone else matters not to me or any of your loved ones.”
....
….
….
….
“Thank you.”
“Always my King. Now you should go and spend some time with others as well. They had been worried sick about you when you didn’t say a word and started training nonstop. Vienna even called those Nekoshou sisters to get you out of training and take some time to relax again. When you have children worried about you, understand that you are doing something wrong. Now, I have heard that you have planned a picnic in an amusement park. Good job. I want a ticket too for all this good advice.”
I smiled a little and then it turned into a chuckle and finally let out a good laugh.
Yeah.
I am having children worried about me.
Damn, Lucifer wouldn’t have sucked this bad.
“You know what Merlin? You are right. Who cares what my soul looks like? I have already proclaimed myself as The Devil. If my soul looks like Lucifer’s then he should be proud to have a soul like mine. I will make the name Damien Lucifer surpass the name of Lucifer himself. So much so that if he were to be revived, he would be proud to share the same name as me. I will surpass him and make a place of my own….but first….I have a picnic to plan.”
“Well said.”
With those words I got up, feeling a heavy burden lift from my shoulders.
“Good night.” I said as I walked towards my room. I had already sensed Gretel waiting outside the room for me and Vienna inside the room.
- Ukiyoe Town, Nura Clan’s Headquarters –
“I miss Kuroka-chan.” Tsurara said as she slumped into her seat.
“She said that she will be back in a week.”
“She did say she was going to visit her friends. Do you think it is that secret Master of hers? I still think it is some bad guy who is tricking her and Shirone and we need to help her.”
“We need to do nothing. Kuroka is very fond of her other friends and her Master, who has saved her life. He even taught her those fancy tricks. I didn’t know we could use chakra like that. Kuroka is very proficient in Senjutsu and it is very hard to fool her. She will not put Shirone in danger either so if she thought that those people were of any danger to the two of them, she would have ran away. She didn't, which means she cares a lot about them. We need to understand and respect that.”
“B-b-but Kejoro, she rejected Rokuo-sama’s offer to join the night parade for that Master of hers. How can someone be more cool than Rikuo-sama?”
The killer monk decided to join the talks at this moment.
“She also rejected Nurari-sama’s offer to join the Nura Clan as well. Not only she, even little Shirone rejected. They were happy to be friends but they only had their master in their hearts. I think Kuroka likes this master of hers.”
“What? The Supreme Commander’s invitation?”
“Hmm. He offered her a town to rule over as a token of appreciation and offered his help in case she needed anything. He seemed to have been trying to get the goodwill of those sisters.”
“Well they are very talented. Magari-sama said that she might be a once in a generation prodigy. Moreover Shirone shows the same talent. According to Magari-sama, both of those sisters have a high chance to surpass her.”
“But Magari-sama is a seven tailed Nekomata. That’s….there has never been anyone among the cat Youkai with more than seven tails.”
“Apparently the training her Master puts her through and the things he has provided her has increased her growth rate without harming her in the slightest. That strange type of chakra has boosted her growth immensely.”
“So this person, this Master is a man?” Aotabo asked, drinking a cup of his sake.
“He is. From what I know, he is around the same age as Rikuo-sama and Kuroka.”
“If so then I hope they can be friends. Kuroka is a very strong and talented Youkai and Shirone is the same. I would like them as allies even if they cannot be a part of our Nura Clan. What do you think, Rikuo-sama?” Kurotabo said as he placed his sake cup on the table.
The young boy sitting on the cherry blossom tree looked towards the moon. “A friend of our friends is a friend. Kuroka has helped us with the Shikoku Youkai and has won our friendship. Her master will get the same honour from us.”
“In that case, would you like to invite him over?”
“….tell them that she is welcome to bring her Master over whenever she wants for tea with us. The Nura Clan always welcomes its guests.” Rikuo spoke.
The crowd cheered and went on to do their normal routines and party through the night.
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Beta Reader: LuluViBritania(FF.N, SB and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)
Author’s Note :
Wow this chapter came a bit late.
This one takes a lot more time to write than my other fic. I was about to write a chapter around 15 days ago but I made a vote on the discord channel and that one won by a landslide.
(Shiro’s Gaming Omniverse, *Server Invite:* https://discor d.gg/wd3tUYWVCd) (in server channel #cross’-crossroads) Check it out, there are a lot of authors, both new and old ones.
So, a lot of things happened in this chapter.
Things are picking up pace.
Damien is on a deadline now to increase his strength and we will be metagaming some aspects of the multiversal knowledge he has.
Using Innovate Clear to make a Dragon Ball Z type of room to train and the Ten Tails was just one part of the plan.
I mean it will be such a waste to not use all his resources to the fullest
Over the next few chapters, I will concentrate on the Youkai arc and maybe a surprise meeting.
I have also encountered another question.
Why hasn’t Damien just grabbed the Damphir’s, Valerie and Gasper.
The thing is that those two are hidden away inside the Tepes territory and the vampires are a bunch of shut-ins who never get out of their castle.
Damien could infiltrate their castle but without solid knowledge of their whereabouts, he cannot get them out.
The risk factors increases. Even more than that, the chance to reveal him increases because the Vampires were shown to have a connection with the Old Satan Faction. No one knows when this connection was formed and Damien is not the type to risk such a situation.
He will wait till he is a Super Devil(without a Sacred Gear) and then we will start the game in the earnest.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.
