《New Hero In DxD》


 Chapter 1 - 1

    "Finally, I finally can go back." I say with arge smile on my face even as tears run down my eyes. It has been simply far too long since I got stuck in this ce, I can''t handle this anymore. It was cool at the start, but this became torture soon enough and I really want to go back.


    In front of me a portal shimmered into existence and the I could not possibly be any happier for it, a sign I could finally return to a much safer environment than this. ??


    "*SNIFF* *SNIFF* To think little Soma is leaving already." Already? Tama-chan, I have been stuck in this ce for thest 6 thousand years, it has been a long time for sure.


    "Umu, they grow up so fast." Not really, I took a long time to grow in power Nero-chan. I am still weaker than most of you guys, after all.


    "Humph, that idiot should just stay here a while more. He is still too weak to go back anyway and he still has room to train more." Leonidas, you may be an amazing guy but if I can never again go through one of your training regimens I would be d for it.


    "Grrrr, Grrr grrr." Grr grr for you too, Herakles, grr grr for you too.


    "His time hase, time for him to go back." Thank fucking God it did, Old Man Hassan. Gods and Devils know I couldn''t take more of you and the other Hassans training me in their arts, you guys are insane to have mastered those things during only a normal human life span.


    "Just to think my disciple is leaving like this, I won''t have anyone to try experiments with." Experiments ON me, right Paracelsus? I can never forget the many hundreds of potions and alchemic things you made me consume to test their power and what they would do.


    "... Take care." Yeah, yeah, I will take care of myself, Kiritsugu-sensei. And don''t worry, I will get a shotgun and some explosives as an honor to you training me with those. And because sniping is definitely one of the best methods to deal with enemies, right beside exploding them to high heavens.


    "Do not forget to be chivalrous, you were trained by us to be able to do better than to use underhanded tactics." Yeah, yeah, I know all that Artoria. You and the other knights spent more time talking about ethics inbat than actually teaching me how to fight, I know how to be chivalrous.


    "And don''t forget to use whatever method needed if it helps with you surviving." Musashi said with a wide smile, earning a re from the knights and Kojiro-sensei, thankfully I won''t be here to witness the drama.


    With a smile, I see the other Heroic Spirits in this ce, the ce I spent thest 6000 years inside.


    The throne of heroes.


    You see, I was once a normal guy, nothing special about me until, one day, I got a visit from truck-san. It was a rather rude visit seeing as I was on the top of my college''s building and a truck literally flew down from the sky.


    My theory, either a ne was carrying the thing or some ROB decided to get creative when it decided it wanted to reincarnate me.


    Thankfully that death was quick and simple, I didn''t even feel pain or anything or how fast it was.


    One second I was a normal college student and the next I was a baby being fed on the tit by my mother.


    Using diapers was pure humiliation. But overall it was a nice enough life.


    Well, not that this means all that much to me now since, when I was 11, I got a problem with a mugging gone wrong, I got stabbed in the back literally by a junkie trying to get some money from my pocket to buy his drugs. Well, I don''t know all the details, I was losing a lot of blood. Next thing I knew I was here.


    The Throne of Heroes.


    A weird ce where all heroes who marked their names in legends across the multiverse end up at.


    Needless to say, the ce was a mess of egos too big to be dealt with normally and more crazy people than anyone could reasonably hope to understand. It was a joined ce with too many people with too much ego in most cases and several of them were enemies from the start so fighting was almost inevitable all the time. The only reason as to why the entire ce didn''t self-detonate or anyone actually died was because of how the ce was structured making it so any damage made was ultimately temporary and truly killing the people in it impossible. At most, you can kill things made there, nothing more.


    As apletely normal person who is most certainly not any hero or did anything to deserve being in this ce, at first the beings there did not like me at all. I was just a random kid with no backstory, heroic act, or anything that would warrant me being able or allowed to be amongst all the greatest heroes of history.


    Thankfully, after a while, some of them who had little to do decided they wanted to try their hands in teaching me. They figured that, even if I did not deserve yet to be amongst legendary heroes, I just have to be worthy of it.


    And let me tell you, epting was, by far, the absolute worst idea I ever had.


    Six thousand years, six thousand years was how long I have spent in this ce being ''taught'' (read tortured) by all these heroes. And let me tell you, a hero is someone who goes beyond the norm and can do something amazing.


    What does this mean? Well, that if all these amazing people are together with only themselves around it is natural their understanding of mon sense'' would get distorted, and their understandings of what reasonable training is gets even worse.


    But now, now I can go back to my own body. Back to life and to a peaceful ce with no mad teachers who would use me as test subjects for their experiments in magecraft, or help Hijikata and Leonidas figure out the ultimate soldier''s routine, or any nonsensical thing like that.


    I was even once given the ''honor'' of cleaning up the entirety of the treasury of Gilgamesh. Needless to say I spent 15 years just cleaning all those treasures, the guy hoarded way too many things.


    I look to the side, there I can see Merlin with a cute little squirrel-like thingy on the top of his head.


    "Well then, I will be watching so give me and us all here a show." Merlin said grandly and I chuckle.


    "Yeah, yeah, I will try my best you crazy bastard. I will miss you, Fou, if you ever want to visit pleasee, I will make some cookies or other sweats for you. Also, just as a final goodbye present that both of you deserve," I turn back to the reunited group of heroes that were standing there to send me off. "Girls, Merlin has taken several photos of you all naked during baths and is keeping them all in his tower! He even has a giant poster of Scatatch all in the nude in there too!"


    "WHAT?!" Several enraged superpowered women shouted and a half incubus mage started sweating bullets seeing this.


    "And THAT is my present to you Merlin-sensei, consider this my thanks for making me help you host that Pendragon dinner party which included the entire family, asshole. And Fou, I hope you enjoy seeing Merlin getting beaten up, chiao."


    And with that, I jumped into the portal to the sounds of shouts, enraged swings of all sorts of weapons, andughter of that crazy bitch Morgan Le Fay. She was probably d if only because Merlin was suffering from the anger of so many women at once and his precious tower was likely to get sted away or at least be ransacked.


    Goodbye, crazy fucking nonsensical ce of hell. Peace and quiet, here Ie!


    ///---///


    3¡ã Person''s P.O.V.


    BIP


    BIP


    Opening his eyes the teenager looks up at a white ceiling. It was unfamiliar to him and made him wonder for a moment what was going on until he remembered what was happening.


    ''Sess, now I can finally get started in my own life and... fuck this hurts.''


    Yep, this person, whose spirit trained for several thousand years by the most powerful heroes in the Throne of Heroes itself, has now gone back to his body. A body that was atrophied, weak, with several tubes going in and out, and at a nce, one could tell was a Coma patient.


    His entire body was in pain and breathing was regted by tubes that were extremely ufortable as well.


    He didn''t know if he shouldugh or cry, he was finally free from those crazy heroes that taught him so much even if he suffered extensively for every lesson, and his freedom from his teachers manifested in him being imprisoned in bed.


    It took about five hours until someone noticed he was awake and several more for him to get many, many examinations to check his body and state.


    After his exams proved he was healthy enough he was moved to a normal room instead of the one he was using. Just the fact he no longer was all tubed up was enough to put a smile on the teenager''s face.


    Looking out the window to the clear blue sky going on and on into the horizon, Soma smiled.


    "Now my days of peace are about to begin." He spoke with a content tone before he heard the sound of the door of his room being pushed open. Looking at it he could see a white-haired girl with a very feminine figure and blue-green eyes staring at him in shock and apprehension.


    "You, you really woke up? Soma-nii." She said, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes seeing him. It made sense, the two have grown up as close as siblings for so long before what happened and she was one of the few in the family who had never given up hope he would wake up.


    Seeing her it was a while before Soma realized who was the one in front of him, it was hard to match this beautiful woman with the scrawny kid of the past who would always run about with snot in her nose while ying and refusing to wear any dresses as she did not want to be a ''properdy'' like her mother.


    "Yes, it seems so, Mo-chan." Soma said to his cousin, Momo Hanakai, who jumped up and gave him a tight hug, to which he hugged her back even if he could not put any strength into it. His muscles had atrophiedpletely during this time and he could not move properly at all, even moving his arms to hug his cousin back was tough for him, but they both needed this sort of reassurance that this was real. That he was back.


    ///---///


    It took three weeks until he was fit enough to go back to his parent''s home. Well, more his own home for what is seems since his parents got divorced and while his custody was in his mother''s name she went to America while his father went to Europe. Soma still got plenty of cash from them sent over and he was living rather close to his cousin Momo and her family, something like a 10 minutes walk really.


    "Well, well, well, how should I start this?" Soma said after his aunt dropped him off in his house. The groceries were already prepared and he was now left alone in the house.


    Due to having spent so long in aa he would be getting supplementary sses in the local school to help him be able to integrate with the others his age as quickly as possible.


    Having already eaten a short while before, Soma was already full enough. His body has been filling up nicely for a while now, a thankful matter since how he looks like he had a small degree of something between his skin and bones.


    "Well, if I have to start somewhere then this would be as good a ce as any. It is the basics, after all."


    Nodding to himself Soma used the ingredients in his kitchen and some chalk he found in the house, preparing a simple but effective formalcraft magic circle around himself. Its purpose being simply to keep the outside mana from mixing with his own and allowing him toplete the ritual easier.


    Sitting down in the center of the circle Soma closed his eyes and concentrated. The ability to wield magic is one that was absolutely essential for someone like Soma if he wanted to put to use what he had learned for so long.


    It was the lifeline of a magus, the most essential part that served to define a person''s potential in many cases.


    "Well, even if it is like that I still am just a truly average human though." Soma said with a mirthless chuckle.


    Soma knew perfectly well that he only had a total of 34 magic circuits, an average amount all things considered as people from Magi families with innate potential would all have at least 45 magic circuits and those that are called genius would all have at least 70 circuits. Even the quality of his circuits were all average, the amount being about the same as if you tried topare him to other people.


    He wasn''t too weak or unlucky, but he was also not blessed in terms of potential and talent. He was average throughout, simple as that.


    Even still, even if he was naturally just average across the board, he would still try his best to be the strongest. He would do that no matter what because, because...


    "If I don''t be worthy of the Throne of Heroes and can go back there, who knows if those lunatics won''t find some way to find me after death and beat me up for wasting their time."


    Yep, the finest of motivations to be strong, sheer terror.


    Taking a deep breath he started the process of opening his magic circuits. It was a painful process, like if you were opening a vein in your body by shoving magma through it. The feeling of burn, of pain, was terrifying.


    And yet, for Soma something to this degree really wasn''t anything much. Compared to some of the trainings he went through, the experiments he had to endure under the researchers there who wanted to test hypothesis on a ''fresh'' subject, the many experiences he had to endure in that ce,pared to all that this was nothing.


    ///---///


    "Phew, finally over. It took longer than expected." Soma said as he cleaned his forehead from the sweat covering it.


    Opening the circuits was slightly tougher than he expected, but it took him only about one hour toplete it. Opening his hands, blue circuit-like patterns could be seen covering his hand and he smirked seeing this.


    "Instantaneous reinforcement magic to the precise limit of what my body can achieve, it seems like I can do that already." Soma said as he continued to test and see if he could still do it properly. Flooding every single cell of his body with mana and reinforcing all said cells together at once, this was one of the things he took the longest to be able to do instantaneously whenever he wanted, especially since he managed to do that for even the parts of the body that one normally wouldn''t dare try, like the eyes or organs.


    After testing for a while more Soma nodded his head, satisfied with this first act.


    "Now, before I go eat something, I guess I could take advantage of the momentum and try that."


    What he meant by ''that'' was the results of one of the many experiments he had undergone while in the Throne of Heroes.


    Namely, Soma concentrated his energy and began to use Alchemy in his own body, namely he used it first in his skin. Namely, this was an experiment made by a joined research of Irysviel Von Einzbern, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, and Paracelsus to see if it was possible to use alchemy in someone to improve on the human body itself.


    No big changes to sensations or things like that, just the ''materials'' it wasposed of.


    For instance, Soma was now turning his skin''s carbon into extremely stic and malleable carbon fiber while still keeping its general durability. It was a feat that would be seen as impossible for any technology of the present day, a skin like this was not something anyone normally would have, and yet Soma was turning his skin into that. It was one of the great experiments he was forced to help by those mad scientists back in the Throne of Heroes, a tentative to find a way to make humans be stronger than before without losing what makes them human in the first ce. Simple augmentations in their body, make their organism better than before.


    A beneficial operation that demanded extreme knowledge of Alchemy that made even a production of a Philosophical Stone look cheap inparison. Truly, a marvelous achievement.


    Or, well...


    "Fuck, shit, asshole, this hurts way too fucking much." Somained as he continued the process. What he was doing was essentially removing and renting his skin while letting all his pain censors work overtime as he could not risk simply not letting them work properly.


    By the time he finished, his mana reserves he had only managed to change the skin of the palm of his hands, that is it.


    Looking at the said palm of the hands he could only let out an unamused chuckle.


    "To think this is the most I could manage, and that is because I am still only doing the skin. Just to think how long until I get to the veins, muscles, organs, bones, and nerves, it will take a very long time indeed." He said trying to not sound defeated, and failing.


    The skin was, unfortunately, the part of the body that was the easiest to do and that demanded the least amount of energy to do.


    "Now, how about some pizza?" He spoke as he got up and went to the phone. He was not in the mood to make his own food today so he might as well ask for some food.


    Today was a good day, and now it was time to eat and recover. His body was not yet fit to go train, but he could produce some potions just like those Medea-sensei taught him that can make one''s body recover nutrients faster. That woman knew a scary number of potions and other unique magics, after all, especially ones suitable to get revenge on others, and she was more than d to teach Soma after he pulled a prank on Jason, namely giving him a potion that would make him go bald.


    Chuckling a bit at the memories of the idiot''s girly screams upon seeing all his golden hair falling off, Soma went to get to call for a pizza.


    ///---///


    "So, Momo-chan, did something good happen?" Tomoe Meguri, Sona''s only knight, asked her fellow Peerage member who stiffened upon hearing the sudden question.


    "Huh? What? Why do you ask?" Momo asked in surprise, she was just reading through another petition of the females of the school to remove the Perverted Trio from the school. Not that this would happen to see as one of them had just joined Rias Gremory''s Peerage two weeks ago and all that.


    "Because you had a skip on your step today and you have been smiling a lot more than usual. Did someone finally ask you out?" Tomoe asked, earning a re from Momo.


    "No, I was not asked in a date or anything like that." Momo said, her eyes twitching at seeing Ruruko giving some money to a smug Tsubasa. Clearly, they had been betting on her love life, again.


    "So? What is it?" Tsubasa asked, d to have won the bet she did earlier. She wanted a new phone, after all, and any money helps.


    "My cousin, Soma, was released from the hospital. I was thinking about visiting himter today to see how he is doing, and maybe eat some cake or something like that with him." Momo said simply, it really was not that big a deal in her eyes. She was simply d her cousin was back, the two grew up together and were as close as brother and sister, having him be in aa really broke her heart, and seeing him back was just a great thing in her eyes. He was someone she cared for a lot growing up, truly siblings in all but blood.


    She, however, noticed the weird nces and perverted giggling from the rest of the Peerage and only rolled her eyes at them. They were too childish sometimes, there was absolutely nothing going on between her and her cousin anyway so their actions were ridiculous anyway. She had no such feelings for him and she was quite sure it was the same the other way around. It was a pure friendship, simple as that.


    Thankfully Sona put a stop to the perverted giggling and gossips soon enough and made them all go right back to work.


    As they were all dispersed and allowed to go their way Momo put all her things in her bag and proceeded to go about her way, she still had to find a cake shop to get something for Soma. It was her own ''wee home'' gift, after all.


    "Momo, wait a moment." Sona said and Momo stopped in her tracks, turning back to her king.


    "Yes?"


    "Is this the cousin you had asked me to take a look a little while back?" Sona said simply enough.


    During the years Momo did not simply forget Soma, they were practically siblings after all and such a thing was not something one can simply forget. As such Momo had asked Sona if she could send someone to take a look at him, a natural act seeing as the Sitri family owned several hospitals in both the human world and the Underworld.


    Sona, without hesitation, made the request for her family, after all, it was a request within her powers from one of her Peerage members and, as such, something she would try to help with. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done at the time, but it still made Sona ufortable to have failed a request from one of her servants.


    "Yes, Soma-kun was the one I asked for before." Momo admitted it easily enough, it was not like this was a secret or anything.


    "I see. Well, if it is not too much to ask I would like to be able to go and see him as well. It is just to see if he is truly healthy and question him in regards to how his schooling will go by and if he can be one of the school''s students. He is of the right age, after all."


    Momo really, really wanted to say no. It was supposed to be a moment where Momo could just go back to how things were before everything gotplicated, a time before being a devil or any family drama. Just her and her cousin eating cake, drinking some soda, ying games, and talking.


    Having her boss would really not help with that, but Momo knew Sona did not mean anything bad by this and, again, she was her boss. One didn''t say ''no'' to their boss easily, especially when they have good intentions.


    As such, with a slightly strained smile, Momo answered.


    "Of course, you are wee."


    "Good, we can go there then. Oh, and we can just pit stop at my house instead of a cake shop, I have made some cakes yesterday and I am quite proud of their taste." Sona said making Momo''s skin pale considerably.


    ''Kaichou, do you want little Soma to die? Your cooking is toxic, we have already told you that much and if we try to give it to someone whose stomach is weak they will probably die.'' Momo thought before shaking her head.


    "N-No need, now that I think about it he has to follow a strict diet until he fully recovers and I don''t know if eating cake would be good for him." Momo said hastily. ''Sorry, Soma-nii but I can get you some cake for next time. Saving your life from dying takes precedence.''


    Sona, meanwhile, looks down.


    "Shame, I have tried my best in them but it seems like no one wants them. I even tried giving one of them to some homeless man I passed by on the way to school and he took just one bite before saying he prefers to starve and using me of trying to kill him."


    ''That sounds about right.'' Momo thought instantly, having experienced more than once Sona''s ''culinary talents'' and the reaction of the homeless man was quite tame all things considered. Soma needing to go right back to the hospital from food poisoning was an entirely realistic possibility if he was to eat anything made by Sona, after all.


    Seeing that she had managed to save her cousin from a most terrible death Momo went on with Sona with her, the two going to Soma''s house.


    Unfortunately, after they got there and rang the bell several times no one answered. The two girls looked confused for a moment before deciding he was probably sleeping or something so they went back home without meeting him.


    Well, not that he wasn''t home. He very much was, and he also very much was clutching tightly the several knives he had home and still in a fighting stance.


    As he had only now unlocked his Magic Circuits his ability to sense magic signals had started and, as such, he was able to smell the disgustingly sweet smell of demonic energy approaching his house. As soon as he sensed it he armed himself with what he could and stood ready in case of a fight which thankfully didn''t happen.


    When the smell went away he finally rxed slightly. It was a sign that whatever hade over had left, but it was still a fact that something hade to this ce that was clearly demonic in nature.


    "That was scary. Since when do demonic entities just walk around in the world like that? Scary, very scary. The world here is scary. No, calm down and think. I have to think rationally and see how to deal with this sort of situation so that I can defend myself if whatever monster that came appears again. Okay, first things first, I need a way to defend myself. The best way should be to sanctify and bless some weapons to make them effective against demonic beings. I should be able to buy some kitchen knives in the store and visit the local church to try and bless it, I did learn how to bless things with Amakusa anyway so it should work well enough. After that I will ward this house the absolute best I can, nothing gets in without me knowing. And... oh shit, Momo! I need to make sure she is alright and secure before I go and find some way to kill whatever beast is out there walking around town."


    Soma spoke in rapid session, his nerves still taught from the fact that demonic existences had just waltzed right to his front door despite the fact that he was still so very weak. However, he could only toughen it up, he was trained to be a hero, to save others and to y the beast. And y the beast is exactly what he intended to do.

 Chapter 2 - 2

    Before leaving his house Soma had to think carefully in regards to what he should do before getting out. He has no idea what sort of creature might be in town and it has probably sensed his magic, thus why it came to his house earlier.


    "Think, what did Ciel-sensei and Lorelei-sama had told me in regards to hunting monsters." Soma said, remembering one of his kinder instructors and the decidedly not kind teacher he had. Ciel was a female exorcist of the highest caliber and had managed to reach the Throne of Heroes exactly because of how she was able to face off the strongest beings in the world and her immortality. As for Lorelei Barthomeloi, she was a member of the strongest Magus family and one that became a legend amongst magus due to being able to make even Dead Apostles run away in fear of her and making sport out of hunting down legendary monsters who lived for thousands of years. ??


    The two were extremely knowledgeable individuals in regards to how to deal with monsters in a modern era, and were both extremely capable and demanding instructors.


    "First things first, I need to not be easily detected by the enemy. I must be the one hunting, not the other way around." Soma said, this lesson was one both women agreed with and was thus his first decision.


    For that Soma decided to construct a simple enough mystic code, ending up making one using a milk bottle cap. It was a ridiculous material, but it worked easily enough seeing as it was made out of metal and what he wanted was only to mask his magic signature further after he closed his magic circuits.


    With that done Soma nodded to himself, choosing a simple pair of jeans and a hoodie to make him as average and unnoticeable as possible. The Mystic Code bottle cap safely put in his pocket, it was able to hide what minuscule amount of magic energy which could be sensed by others after he closed his magic circuits so it was now safe to go about his way.


    The first ce he went to what a pawn shop, these sorts of ces would sell all sorts of things and it would be open at this time despite being somewhatter into the day, already dark out and all that. The shop was somewhat distant, being a one-hour walk from his house, so he just called a taxi to reach there faster. Of course, since he doesn''t know if whatever being that came to his house left a surveince system he could not yet detect, he made the taxi stop 15 minutes away from the shop in front of another store which he entered.


    Said store had a side path to leave so it would be easier to make anyone that could be following him lose him in the crowd.


    Quickening his steps without reaching the point of calling attention to himself Soma reached the pawnshop.


    "Wee to Bookers and Brokers, what would you like?" A tired old man''s voice came from the back of the store. Looking over said clerk it was an obese middle-age man with little hair and a clearly uninterested face.


    "I just want to take a look around, see if anything catches my fancy." Soma said and ignored the man who also stopped bothering paying attention to Soma, it waste already and the clerk was more interested in closing the shop than paying attention to a customer that would likely not buy anything in the end.


    As for Soma, he started looking around at all the items he could find. There were several knives and other such things for sale including two well-made and sharp trench knives that would work well enough as well. He also took a few good luck charms in the form of several deities and saints of different cultures, those things could be arranged in his house using feng chui that could help ward off demonic beings to a satisfactory degree.


    It was not perfect, but it would work for now at least.


    He also bought a bible and cross, those things were useful if a demonic being or even a dead apostle showed up since it would lower their power somewhat. And finally, there were several cheap silver rings and other such simple jewelry that he decided to buy, he could make them into more stable Mystic Codester on to be able to protect himself.


    Going to the counter the man looked at all the items for a while before speaking.


    "So, you are like those weird priest guys that were in the church a few years back? Well, not that I care either way as I never really understood what the hell they needed these sort of things for." The clerk said before doing the math and nodding to himself. "That will be twenty-one thousand yen, and if you want you can go ahead and buy this too. The others always bought these anyway."


    The man then showed him a gun of all things.


    "This is a toy gun, as far as I can tell. Don''t work for any bullet I can find so it can only really be a toy to y around with. I bought from one of you guys thinking it was interesting and could be sold for a good price, but no one wants to buy this shit anyway. The gunws and all that make people fearful of buying a gun, even if it a toy like this one. So, want to add this or not?" The clerk said, clearly wanting to get rid of the ''toy'' gun already.


    As for Soma, he took the gun and used a quick Structural Grasp on it to try and understand what it was.


    ''It seems to be a rather simple Mystic Code, turning magic energy into pure light for some reason, it doesn''t seem to have any actual anti-demon runes in it but I can arrange to add them easily enough. It would be a great weapon against whatever monster is prowling the streets and, with some luck, I can snipe it before it goes on a hunt. Can''t risk letting human-eating monstrosities prowl around town and potentially decide to have a feast in those who can''t defend themselves, especially if they are Momo and her family. No one touches them in my watch.''


    "I will buy it for another three thousand yens." Soma said and the clerk smirked inside while giving out a gruff nod as if reluctant. In all honesty, the clerk just wanted to get rid of the thing that was only upying space by now. He would have sold the thing for half that price.


    With the gunws out there even a toy gun was not something people would usually buy so getting someone to actually buy this fancy paperweight was great for the clerk.


    Getting the gun in his hands together with the knives and other things Soma left the store and began his track to the local church. Thest time he went there it was quite a nice ce overall so it should still be quite filled with people, but the news of people carrying guns like the one he just bought there meant the ce could be somewhat dangerous.


    While walking to the church he very silently started the process of modifying the gun into a better Mystic Code. Mostly he just erased some of the redundancies of the process of turning magic energy into pure light while also imputing anti-demonic aspects to the light generated by said gun, it was honestly quite simple using his knowledge over alchemy and how to make and program mystic codes.


    He did learn from the best when ites to these things so something to this degree was rather easy, even if the final product wasn''t spectacr or anything like that. It was just basic modifications to make the gun better, after all.


    Passing by a vending machine he bought two bottles of water, drinking one immediately as he was rather thirsty, and since he did not know whenbat could happen with demons in town it was better to be at the very least hydrated in casebat started.


    After around twenty minutes of walking Soma finally arrived at the church, even if it was not like the ce he remembers. The whole location looks quite decrepit with the church having several cracks with its paint falling off and the bushes and trees around growing all over the ce. An abandoned church through and through, but for Soma that was still fine either way.


    He only needed a ce that can be called sacred grounds to do his holy enchanting to his knives in preparation for the hunt of the demon(s) around town. Someone had to get rid of them before they killed the defenseless humans of town, after all, and Soma did not know if this world had anyone else capable of such a thing and there was no time to wait to investigate if there were such people. The longer he waited the more humans would be eaten, that was one of the main lessons he learned from Jaques de Moleis, a legendary temr knight.


    ''Being merciful to demons is the easiest way to hurting the innocent.''


    Well, not that Soma hated and was against ALL demons anyway. He has grown rather close to Ibaraki Douji and the other Onis that were in the Throne of Heroes, but he had no doubts they were still dangerous beings (like most other Heroic Spirits really) and he would not blindly trust an unknown demon unless he could be sure he could at the very least survive a confrontation if that happened.


    When he knocked at the doors of the church he did not expect anyone to actually open the doors, considering how rundown it was and the air of abandonment the whole ce was exuding, but unlike his thoughts someone actually opened the door.


    It was a young man in histe teens to early twenties, an albino with white hair and crimson red eyes. With one look Soma could tell this man had a few screws losses and was quite insane, but he didn''t really mind that all that much. Many heroes in the Throne werepletely deranged, and they were great friends as long as they weren''t trying to kill him at the moment. It was all in how you would deal with them, for instance just ask Gil de Rais about Jeanne''s good points and he would be as docile as theye.


    "Oh, now this is interesting. A lostmbing to a decrepit house of God, are you connected to one of those shitty devils walking around this town?" The man questioned and Soma looked at him as if he was strange.


    "Why would I be associated with such beings? I am not dumb enough to sell my soul to a devil or make deals with them, who knows what they might demand anyway. Just look at Faust, making deals with devils is bad business who just can''t end up well." Soma said easily enough, partially because the deranged man was using priest clothing so being even slightly pro-devil/demon was a bad idea, and part because he has been close to Mephisto before in the throne.


    Crazy fucker was worse to get along with the Giles de Rais, and if you are worst than the pedophilic mass murderer who made it a point to defile everything he could andmit every single sin possible, then you know he is bad news.


    "Hoho, so why have youe to this ce? It is quite a wreck and it is being used right now anyway." Freed questioned, slight curiosity in his tone. He has been here for three weeks now and this was the first time someone who wasn''t in his group or expected showed up.


    Shrugging his shoulders Soma answered.


    "I just need to be in some sort of sacred ground to bless some stuff, there are some dark presences on town and I''d rather be prepared in case theye after me or something. I would rather have something to stab them with in case one tries to chomp me or someone else around me, anyway. Better to be prepared if you need a weapon to eliminate them." Soma admited as much after he noticed the gun the man had under his jacket, it was a simr model to the one he had just bought so Soma deduces the man was most likely someone sent by this world''s church to exterminate the demons that infiltrated this town.


    He could have left it to this man, he looked like the type that would go out of his way to get rid of whatever dark beings were in this town, but Soma would still rather be at least able to act as well if there was an emergency. They had already found his house, after all, its better to be over-prepared than to not have any preparations set in ce.


    "I see, I see, I see, You want to execute the big G''s justice on some devil scum. Why didn''t you just say that earlier? Well, whatever, you can''t enter since we are kinda in the middle of something but tell you what, you can go to the hut on the side to do your shit. It should work for whatever you are doing and we won''t need to kill you for intervening. Just, if you try and make any moves against us, we will kill ya and paint the walls with your blood, hahahaha!" After saying as much Freed closed the door and Soma shrugged over the mention of his possibly being gruesomely murdered by this demented priest. He has heard worst for thousands of years now, that was nothing special.


    Leaving the front door of the church Soma moved about and looked for the said shed until he saw it.


    It was a small little ce that had some junk in it and was close to copsing, it was situated quite close to the back of the church. Entering it Soma started his work.


    First with the trench knives, with alchemy, he began carving almost microscopic runes throughout the entire knife. They were anti-demonic centered runes, they were taught to him by Scatatch when she exined how she made Gae Bolg. Of course, the knife was not anywhere near as dangerous to demonic existences as the legendary artifact, but that was mostly due to thecking materials. Finishing with the runes Soma proceeded to the process of blessing the weapons using the methods the Church was used to ording to his teachers.


    When the trench knife waspleted and working properly as it should Soma nodded to himself. It was no ck Key, but it would work well enough. After this he did the same for all knives he bought, making each of them as powerful as he could. Nodding at the final result Soma took off his hoodie, with the bible in hand he proceeded to rip off pages of the bible and stitching them into the hoodie inyers while putting runes for protection in between the pages.


    Taking off the remaining bottle of water he bought Soma together with the cross he put the two close together and proceeded to bless the water to turn it into Holy Water. The turning water into holy water demanded being in sacred grounds to be more effective but the process Soma was doing was foreign to the world he was at. Its power of purification was much more intense than the regr holy water others had, it didn''t work as if acid to devils or fallen angels, instead it was more a poison to hurt their very demonic energy, as such it didn''t have much of an effect in Fallen Angels but was extremely effective against devils, not that Soma knew that.


    He was just using this to bless this simple bottle of water before sshing said water into the hoodie and using it to finish the enchantings over the clothes. It would most likely notpletely stop a demon, but it would protect him more than if he did not have such precautions.


    Nodding to himself after having finished the process of making basic weapons and some degree of protection Soma then took out one of the rings he had bought. It was a simple silver ring with nothing special about it besides the material, but the simple fact it was made of silver made it of good enough quality to be of use for him.


    Thinking for a while Soma began the necessary process to turn it into as good a mystic code as he could manage. It would not be an overplicated thing, just a simple depository of mana for him to be able to use in case of emergency.


    He had a limited amount of magic energy he could use or produce, he would need to make several mystic codes to serve as batteries for him to when his energy depleted.


    The process ended after around half an hour of intensive work to put the several runes and modifications needed Soma released a sigh, he was quite tired after all this and could really use some rest. Thinking thus he reclined against the wall of the shed and closed his eyes, he was soon fast asleep but still ready to jump into acting at a moment''s notice. Something he was taught was to always be careful and he was trained to be able to react to any sound, vibration, magic signal, or killing intent even during sleep so he could react when needed.


    As such, Soma closed his eyes, not knowing what was to happen soon enough.


    ///---///


    It was growing dark outside as the time the streetlights usually came near. The three devils ¡ªKiba, Koneko, and Issei ¡ª were watching the church from a distance. There had been no sign of anyone entering or leaving for thest few minutes they have been there.


    Nheless, the closer they got to the ce, the greater their unease grew. It was especially so for the newest devil, Issei, who was practically drenched in his nervous sweat. ording to Kiba, this sensation was proof there was a fallen angel nearby.


    ''Right, so the enemy boss must be inside'' Issei thought, his hands clenching at the thought of what they could be doing to poor Asia at this moment.


    "Take a look," Kiba said as he spread out what appeared to be a set of blueprints outlining the church. It was very detailed, not something that was done in a hurry at all.


    "I thought knowing theyout woulde in handy whenever we needed to attack the enemy base," Kiba said with a charming grin even though some venom was hidden inside. The thought of attacking and burning a church feeling particrly great for the young knight after what the Church made him go through. Getting information of their potential base in his town was a must for this then, the chance of killing anyone associated with the church was simply too good to pass by.


    Koneko, meanwhile, looked very disinterested. She was here only because Issei was a member of the Peerage and he wanted t go inside this ce anyway. Besides, she thought that eliminating potential threats to her king was a good thing and if these people were against her king then they might as well be crushed under her hands. To her, these exorcists and fallen angels were just people that she had to crush under her hands, nothing more and nothing less. Just business as usual for a devil.


    "In addition to the main hall, there''s also a dormitory on the underground and a shed on the back. It''s this ce we should be worrying about." Kiba pointed to an area on the map. "This hall is more hidden and is spacious enough for the ritual to happen while not being open in many ces so their security can be concentrated in fewer locations."


    "So we can ignore the dormitory and shed?" Issei asked for rification.


    "Probably. They likely wouldn''t station any troops in somewhere like that considering they are in the middle of a ritual." Kiba said but Koneko shook her head.


    "No, I smell someone in the shed in the back. It doesn''t have much of a power I can sense, but there is some holiness around him." Koneko said and Kiba put a finger in his chin.


    "It can be an exorcist sent to safeguard an escape route they prepared. If we leave it be some of the exorcists can escape from there and would make a lot of trouble." Kiba muttered. If there was a clear escape path then the exorcists inside could run away when things get tough and who knows what they could do in the town if they are desperate.


    An animal is at its most dangerous when cornered, and Kiba had no intention of letting those rats who got kicked out of the church walk away.


    After thinking for a short while Kiba spoke up.


    "Koneko-chan, go with Issei to rescue Asia. I will deal with the escape path of the exorcists and go help you guys afterwards." Kiba said after a moment of thought. He was the fastest amongst the three by a very far margin, as such him being the one that goes deal with the exorcist in the shed sounded like the best option.


    What is the worst that can happen anyway? It was just a human, killing him will be simple enough.

 Chapter 3 - 3

    With his eyes closed, Soma was recovering his magic reserves quickly. He had spent a considerable amount of his reserves after all and he would need time to get it all back. But even then he was calm, this was holy ground that would inevitably weaken any demon to a degree. Adding to that, there was clearly a force of exorcists present.


    This was likely the safest ce to be in right now in this town until the demonic entity was dealt with. He found it rather hard to believe it would decide to attack anyway, this would be far too brazen after all and would only work if there was a huge difference in power. ??


    Thinking thus he rxed his shoulder, ready to just r-


    DODGE!


    Moving out of sheer instinct, opening his eyes while using reinforcement to the limit Soma managed to avoid a sword that was poised to pierce him right through the head.


    "Oh, you are good for an exorcist scum. Is it something you''ve learned back in the church?" Kiba spoke as if he was talking about the weather even as he moved his sword he just tried to pierce right through Soma''s forehead.


    Soma''s face twisted in a grimace, this demon reached him far too fast and Soma was too rxed which allowed for that situation to happen.


    Kiba was about to open his mouth again when Soma reacted first. His hand moved as if a blur, without even taking out his gun entirely from its ce on his side Soma moved in what felt like an instant, and five holy bullets were shot at Kiba who evaded them in a hurry, he could feel sweat running down his back since the bullets got extremely close to him. There were no signs of Soma shooting until it was toote and all shots were aimed at lethal spots with no hesitation.


    As for Soma, he furrowed his brows in annoyance. Kiba was far too fast for Soma to face head-on right now, his magic reserves were not fully back yet and his body was still rather weak with him only able to fight now because of the Reinforcement magic, but even that had a limit.


    But, just running away was not yet an option. Kiba was faster than him, running away from him would prove fruitless and Soma did not know what Kiba would do if there were civilians around. As far as Soma could tell Kiba could kill any human he passed by to gain power by consuming their souls, who knows really.


    No, he needed to incapacitate Kiba before leaving. Elimination was preferable but not a requirement since Soma did not know if Kiba had allies around, a possibility since there were exorcists close by and they must be under attack, so if he left kiba seriously injured then his friends would be too distracted treating him instead of pursuing Soma.


    Thinking thus Soma acted. Taking out the trench knife he had blessed before he faced Kiba who moved to attack him, knife and sword impacting one another in a ss that released sparks everywhere.


    Moving his knife Soma redirected the blow Kiba sent him to the side and taking advantage of the opening formed Soma used a palm strike in Kiba''s unprotected side.


    "GHA!" Kiba gasped at the sudden attack on his side, unprepared for the subsequent palm strike in a critical location and feeling one of his ribs crack a bit. "That was dir-" However Soma did not let out the pressure, moving his knife in rapid session to injure Kiba and not give him time to speak.


    And yet, the knight was not to be underestimated, his sword moving to intercept the knife most times and whenever the two were in a contest of strength Kiba woulde out victorious.


    Only, even if Kiba managed to do that to a degree, and even if his speed and power were bigger, he was losing miserably in thispetition. The sheer difference in technique made sure of that.


    No matter from which angle and what speed Kiba used, Soma would redirect him and punish him for every strike. Soma was far too used to face better swordsman with greater speed and power, Soma was able to deal with Kiba clinically without that big of an issue besides the energy he was having to spend to do so as he had to keep Reinforcement in use.


    ''This exorcist, why is he winning?'' Kiba asked himself, barely avoiding a knife swing that had just redirected his de and was centimeters away from cutting deep in Kiba''s shoulder. "He is just a human and I don''t sense him using any holy power to augment himself! What trickery is this? Humans are the weakest race, I know that since I was one in the past and could not do anything. It is just by bing a devil a human can fight, only by abandoning humanity could I face my enemies. And yet, why am I still losing to this church''s dog? Is he just that much more skilled than me with a sword? No, no it can''t be it. If it is just a difference in skill then it would mean I am too weak, too weak to kill a member of the church."


    As these thoughts of the church and all it entailed echoed in Kiba''s mind, and as Soma''s knife managed to sh at him multiple times, Kiba went all but berserk. Soma''s figure in front of him looking more and more like those of the scientists that killed all his friends, that methodical and emotionless face Soma was using to dismantle him in battle looking more and more like the emotionless looks of the scientists when they experimented on them.


    Kiba began to hyperventte, his pupils widening as his sword stikes became more and more erratic. Demonic swords appearing all around as if to answer to Kiba''s distress as he started having a PTSD-induced panic attack.


    As for Soma, he was pushed back as swords started appearing all around. All reeking of demonic energy as the human-looking demon in front of him started swinging his de around with wide abandon and demonic power being released all around.


    ''Shit, this thing is going berserk. I need to deal with it fast or he might go after the townspeople.'' Soma thought, his gaze bing more resolute.


    One of his hands was still grasping the knife he began reciting as his other hand took out the three other knives he had kept in his person inside his hoodie.


    ''I will not let you attack others. If you are going berserk I can''t let you just walk away from this that easily. I may not kill you, but I WILL stop you.'' Soma thought to himself beforeunching the tree knives in his hand, they moving in intricate patterns and all piercing Kiba in the chest.


    "GHAAAA!"


    "Demons like you are powerful creatures, stronger than humans naturally, but as such, they have their own weaknesses. For instance, you are weaker to weapons with purification attributes such as these." Soma said, now a bit calmer since the knifes were already inside Kiba''s torso. With those in ce, his threat level was disminished considerably since using any sort of dark energy with these knives inside the body would not be easy. Guarding his trench knife and taking out two simpler ones instead. "Now, let us pray together. A Prayer so that you cannot injure any human or corrupt any souls."


    In Kiba''s ming, in the ces that were not screaming in pain or paralyzed by his PTSD-induced panic attack, he wondered what this man was even talking about. Anyone who knew of how things worked in the current world knew that devils didn''t go around corrupting souls or killing humans like what Soma was using him of.


    "I Kill. I let live." The two knives Soma was holding almost flew out of his hands, both moving fast and piercing Kiba''s both shoulders. Pain shot through Kiba as Soma watched dispassionately, if the demon did not enter this berserk-like state it would not have been so simple to start this purification ritual but he lost his speed advantage when he went crazy with bloodlust.


    And thus Kiba lost.


    And thus the prayer continued.


    "I harm, and I heal. None shall escape my grasp. none shall escape my sight." Two more knives flew, these two piercing Kiba''s knees even as he was in the ground already. Bluish fire emerging from the injuries made by the des. "Be defeated. Those defeated, those grown old, I wee you. Devote yourself to me, learn from me, obey me and rest. I am light and I shall relieve all your burdens. Ask for forgiveness here. I, the reincarnation, shall swear it. Kirie Eleison." And, with these final words, the final knife flew.


    However, unlike in the proper ritual where the knife should aim for the center of the forehead, this one went to the center of Kiba''s guts.


    The bluish fire vanished as the ritual waspleted, but as Soma wanted it was not a perfect ritual as Kiba was not killed. But even with the best of treatments, it would be a long time before he could be a threat again and he would need immediate medical support.


    "Well, with luck your allies wille soon when they sense what happened here and be too distracted by you to actuallye after me." Soma said easily enough before moving to Kiba''s body, scorched marks covering his whole body as there was barely any movement in his chest.


    Without hesitation, he took out the knives that were stuck in Kiba, all aimed at non-lethal spots of course. Kiba was to serve as a decoy to make his escape from whatever was happening easier, a dead decoy would lose its meaning.


    Seeing that he had done what he had to Soma left the shed, taking a deep breath he sensed the location of the demons around and noted the presence of several of them around the front of the church just as he also sensed the presence of something different to the northeast close to another demonic energy that was speeding in the direction of in front of the church.


    This was useful information for Soma who proceeded to leave to the northwest of the area. He had to escape before anything more was to happen and what is left of his magic reserves dry up.


    ''At least I confirmed I can deal with the demonic beings in town. Not sure how strong that guy ispared to the others though, better get back to his house and set up the protection perimeter before I can go to sleep.''


    ///---///


    In front of the church, one could find Issei looking despondent at the scene in front of him. Due to Kiba''s absence in the invasion of the church, Issei and Koneko took considerably longer to reach the nun, her death having long since transpired by the time they arrived to rescue her and Raynare had in her hands Twilight Healer.


    Following that thebat got extremely fierce since the fallen angel could heal herself quickly from any injuries, and with Koneko and Issei having already gotten quite injured thanks to the scuffle with the mad exorcist Freed Selzen and the other Exorcists around it was no surprise that they were pushed back a whole lot.


    Thankfully Rias arrived in time before anything more happened, dispatching Raynare rather easily using her Power of Destruction. She arrived in a hurry as she saw the light spears or Raynare being thrown around so she realized that things were likely bad, leaving Akeno behind to deal with the three fallen angels.


    A pale-green light filled the church. It was Asia''s Sacred Gear. Raynare''s eradication under the overwhelming power of destruction seemed to have released it. Such a fact was only possible because of how fragile the link between Raynare and the gear was due to how recent the whole thing was.


    The gear was a pair of rings and it bathed the entire area in its warm,forting glow as Rias took it into her hand.


    "Twilight Healing, this is quite the useful gear for sure." Rias said with a light smile. The ability to heal others just like that, it would be invaluable for sure.


    "B-Buchou, can you heal her?" Issei asked, cradling Asia''s body in his arms, his face smeared with tears over the injustice of it all.


    "... Maybe if I turn her into my Bishop. I am just not sure if it can work seeing as she has died a little while back, but we can at least try it." Rias said and Issei showed an extremely hopeful expression hearing this. He truly wishes that Rias can bring the innocent nun who never did anything wrong back from the dead, even if it was as a devil servant.


    Rias smiled seeing Issei''s expression, she could never really say no to her cute peerage members so she could at least try and bring Asia back from the dead.


    Moving to the nun''s body she took out her Bishop piece and prepared herself.


    The nun looked so peaceful in death that it seemed as if she were only sleeping, no visible injuries o be seen in her and she looked as if she was an art piece. Rias ced the Twilight Healing on top of her chest, the geat vanishing inside Asia''s body first before Rias put the crimson Bishop piece on Asia''s chest.


    "I, Rias Gremory, call to thee, Asia Argento! Heed mymand! Return thy soul from the shadows of death and rise once more as my demon servant. Rejoice, for thou hast been given life anew as my Bishop!"


    The Bishop Piece glowed bright and... did not enter Asia''s body.


    Rias looked confused for a moment before sighing and shaking her head.


    "Sorry, Issei. It seems that it is toote, her soul alreadypletely left Earth and went to the afterlife fully. It normally takes longer for this to happen, she must not have had as many things holding her back and epted her death."


    "Shit." Issei said as he began to cry all over again, going from despair, to hope, just to fall right back into despair. It was simply too much for the man.


    As for Rias, she could only sigh. It was a shame she could not add the nun to her Peerage, but she can at least get the Sacred Gear and get its power anyway. She needed any help she could get if she was to win in the approaching rating game between her and Riser, the ability to heal would be very useful for it.


    Rias saw that Koneko was now resting her back against a nearly destroyed pir on the side of the church, she was quite wounded from this fight since she had to fight all the exorcists and Freed basically alone while protecting Issei since the Pawn was unable to do much of anything right now and any stray exorcist could have killed him easily enough if she did not protect him.


    Koneko getting several injuries because of the Pawn''s recklessness was expected, but for Rias, it still felt like someone was twisting a knife in her heart. She was far too gentle and carrying for her Peerage, not being able to see them hurt at all.


    Rias sighed, the sooner she got that gear out of the body of the nun the sooner she could heal Koneko.


    However, Rias was no good for this sort of thing. She didn''t know all that much about most magics that wasn''t sting things with her inherent power. As such, she created amunication circle and spoke up.


    "Akeno, pleasee here. I am in need of your help right now."


    "Very well, Buchou. I am on my way." Akeno said before looking at the three fallen angels around her. Only one of them was still alive but it was extremely injured and it was a mortal wound, there was no need to worry about it and the inner sadist of Akeno was d to let the fallen angel suffer an agonizingly slow death instead of a quick one, the sight making her wet and licking her lips. The other two died too quickly in Akeno''s mind so having one die slowly in pain sounded oh so delightful for the Queen of Gremory.


    ... Akeno has a lot of issues and a major hard-on for hurting and killing fallen angels thanks to her hatred for her father spreading to his entire race. To her no matter how much she made the fallen suffer it was still not enough aspensation for her mother''s passing and their me for it.


    While waiting for Akeno to arrive Rias looked around and found a rock suitable enough and sat in it. This whole thing was looking more and more like a huge fiasco and only obtaining the Twilight Healer would make this at least be worth it somewhat.


    After about a minute, however, Koneko''s nose twitched. She caught a scene she did not notice before. It was a smell she hasn''t felt for a long, long time, but she could never truly forget. It was the smell that the mansion she lived in had when her sister killed everyone there.


    The smell of cooked flesh.


    Eyes shooting open Koneko stood up. No one in the church behind her had used any fire spell or ability and those hurt by electricity (namely, Akeno''s victims) would not smell this way.


    This meant it was something else and the only other possibility would be Kiba''s fight. In truth, Koneko didn''t even think of Kiba''s fight until now since Kiba was quite strong and a single stray exorcist wouldn''t be able to do anything to him, but this smell made several bells inside her mind ring in a warning.


    "Buchou, there is problem." Koneko said, making Rias turn to her. "I sense the smell of burned fleshing from the back of the church. Kiba should be there."


    Without hesitation Rias began to move in that direction, she had to make sure her cute knight was fine. The other two soon followed her even if Issei was still distraught over Asia''s demise.


    Moving around therge church Rias and the others soon arrived in the ce where thebat between Soma and Kiba happened, and what they saw made Rias scream in sheer terror.


    Kibaid there on the ground, his body barely hanging up alive as his flesh was scorched in over a dozen ces and his skin cracked all over.


    This scene was worse than any nightmare Rias has ever had, she stood therepletely paralyzed seeing the state of her precious knight and how close to death he was. All because she did not take this whole situation seriously enough, she failed to protect her Peerage.


    Eyes wide she stood there, not moving a muscle, not hearing even as Koneko and Issei talked, screamed about what they should do. She was incapable of any of them as she just stood there, only after what felt like hours but was just a minute did she blink and her demonic energy red in a pure torrent of rage and fury.


    Power of destruction flying in all directions her energy warning every creature in town and making a light show out of this whole ordeal.


    Thankfully Akeno arrived just in time and pped Rias to make her think again.


    "Rias, calm down." Akeno said, making Rias turn her blue eyes at her queen, rage so intense that one would think her eyes would turn red at this point.


    "Calm down. CALM DOWN!? We need to find whoever did this to Kiba, no one gets away from hurting someone of my family!" Rias said and Akeno red at her.


    "What is more important, revenge or saving Kiba''s life?"


    At these words, Rias stopped and did not do anything else anymore. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves even if just a bit she spoke.


    "Koneko, Akeno, hold onto Kiba. We are going straight to the Underworld right now, he needs immediate medical care." Rias said and both nodded and, as gently as possible, raised Kiba from the ground while trying not to shake him. He was in a bad state and they did not know what could make his situation even worse.


    As for Issei, he only stood there dumbfounded and was about to speak when Rias interrupted him.


    "You areing with us, Issei. We need to take Kiba to a hospital and I won''t risk leaving you alone in town with whoever did THAT with Kiba present."


    Issei could only nod at Rias''manding tone. There was nothing else to say as she pulled him along, a sh of red light as a teleportation circle appeared and the Gremory Peerage disappeared from town.


    ///---///


    As Soma was running he felt his skin crawl as the burst of demonic energy washed over him, looking back he could see the towering red of energy in the ce he fought not long before, and instead of continuing to run away, he concealed instead, using all tricks the Hassans taught him to hide his presence as to not be caught if the demons tried to catch up to him.


    He was already at the edge of the church when this happened but there was still some forest around which thankfully let him hide easier.


    And, out of nowhere, the demonic presences in the area vanished entirely.


    "... Maybe they have some way to moving to their hide out quickly?" Soma muttered, his mind shing over the various possibilities even as he continued standing very, very still.


    He stood there for another 10 minutes before he moved, but instead of continuing to move away from the ce he went towards the church itself.


    The demonic energy just now was extremely strong for the current Soma. If he was forced to face someone with that level of energy and was as fast as the demon he faced before he would lose. As such Soma decided he might as well go into the church right now.


    He still had a dire need for all sorts of things and if a battle had just happened then there was every chance that there could be some stuff he could loot out of the battle that happened. His actions were not anything glorious since looting bodies hardly was an honorable thing and returning to the church could be a bit dangerous, but this town was already extremely dangerous from what he could tell and any advantage was something he had to look out for.


    Returning to the church while sneaking towards it he would be extremely hard to see, being trained for about 85 years exclusively by all the Hassans and getting the approval of the Gran Assassin himself meant his stealth was no joke. If he wanted to not be seen then, unless the person was extremely cautious and aware of him, he would not be seen.


    Getting inside the church it was clear a battle had happened. The floor was destroyed, several pirs were broken and strung over the floor, even the cross itself had lost its top and now looked like the letter T. Walking deeper inside Soma saw a passage to the underground.


    Reaching there he found about 27 human bodies, all destroyed and thrown around. Limbs everywhere and blood in all walls, the innards of several blown all over, and the disgusting smell of shit, piss, and blood mixed together into a stench that could make most people vomit.


    Soma didn''t feel much about it besides reassigning his danger levels of the demons to an even higher level if they could so easily and quickly go about and decimate so many people. Moving about he found several guns, weird lightsabers of sorts, crosses, and several other items. Nothing of too high a quality, but Soma figured he could use those well if he used his Alchemy with them.


    GRAB


    Suddenly, a hand grabbed Soma''s leg. Looking down he saw it belonged to someone who was still miraculously alive somehow.


    His side had a hole that looked quite bad, even if he was alive for now there was little chance of his surviving if things continued as they stood.


    "... Must... Fight. Have to wi-"


    Words were spoken very quietly and Soma approached to look closer and then he saw.


    His eyes, the eyes of this exorcist, they did not give up. He still wanted to fight, his drive for victory and to win shining through despite his state. He still was holding onto life and some obsession with fanatical fervor.


    Soma could only sigh to himself. This would be troublesome, hecked the necessary equipment for the most part but letting someone with such eyes die because of some demon did not sit well with him.


    "I will save you even if it kills you." Soma said to the young stray exorcist who looked at him intensely before closing his eyes, but his hand did not ck in the slightest.


    Thankfully Soma managed to pry his leg free before doing emergency treatment to the exorcist. It was nothing much to be honest, just some basic applications of alchemy for healing purposes and projecting some cloth to put in the hole to stop the bleeding.


    Saving lives and healing were two things that were hammered firmly in his head thanks to Nightingale and Asclepius, it was not easy but if Soma wanted you alive then dying would not be all that simple.


    Giving the emergency treatment for the exorcist Soma stood back up seeing as he took away all the items in here with the exception of a huge instrument he did not know the use for, and even if he knew the thing was too big and heavy to just carry away.


    Leaving the underground Soma was about to run away when he saw another corpse lying about on the floor. It was perfectly still and apparently very healthy despite not being possible to see any movement on its chest.


    ''Well, I am already trying to save lives. Maybe she is still alive but just had her heart stop.'' Soma figured, such cases were entirely possible after all.


    Reaching out to her, however, he felt that she was beyond a doubt dead. There was no soul in her, which was a slight shame but not anything he could do.


    "Huh? This is odd." Soma said as he felt that there was something weird inside the body he was holding.


    If he was topare it would be like when one imnts someone else''s body with a Noble Phantasm, something that was hard to do no doubt, and removing such an item of someone alive was near impossible without the person willing for it to happen.


    But with a corpse like this? A simple application of sh Air was all it took to remove the thing from inside this body.


    "A pair of rings? Weird, but not the weirdest Noble Phantasm out there I guess." Soma said before standing back up and thinking for a moment before running towards the other ce where a battle happened and he sensed a demonic presence earlier.


    Soma would not daree back to this ce in the near future, better to loot everything this ce has to offer before calling it quits for now.


    Reaching the other ce ofbat in the forest around the church there were clear signs of struggle. Many trees were torn and destroyed, on the floor, there were two charred corpses that were clearly dead, a man and a woman that were fried with electricity. By the expressions on the faces of both, they both were electrocuted just enough so they would stay alive for as long as possible without passing out from the pain, both suffered as can be seen by their faces locked in an eternal scream even as their flesh was seared and burned by thunder.


    A third one was also there, only this one was still barely alive even if death might have been mercy at that point. There is ying with your prey, and then there is this.


    She was spasming on the floor, her face was a messy chunk of meat after apparently being hit against the floor multiple times until whatever her looks once were was now impossible to discern, and burn marks covered her entire form. Only some tufts of blond hair were still present since the rest was burned away by the electricity or ripped out by hand. In her back one could also see two dark feather wings, only one of them had most of its feathers burned away and the other wing was cracked and twisted wrong in three different ces. Her legs and arms were all turned this way and that in different angles as well and it was quite clear that she was made to suffer for longer.


    Soma could only think that the demons in town had found this... thing as he did not know WHAT she was, after a confrontation the demons took their normal sadistic pleasure in torturing their enemies out of sick enjoyment of other''s pain.


    Whoever did this clearly had something against either this creature or the species as a whole, either that or it was just that special sort of twisted monster that got its kicks out of pain and suffering. Regardless, such a monster was far too dangerous to let roam free if THIS is what it would do so easily.


    Anyway, seeing as this one was also alive like the exorcist he saved Soma took her over his other shoulder and ran home while making sure to avoid leaving any traces of his path OR any possible tracker. He was so careful that a path that would otherwise take no more than half an hour took one hour and a half, but at least he could be sure no one was following him.


    Now, before going to sleep, it was time to start the treatment. It was a good thing these two were passed out since Somacked any anesthetic and, to be fair, he did not know anything about anesthetics.


    ording to Nightingale and Asclepius anesthetics were unnecessary, what is important is saving lives. Besides, even without anesthetics the patient would probably pass out anyway, pain does that to a patient.

 Chapter 4 - 4

    Having finished the process of stabilizing both of his new ''guests'' Soma had just enough energy to set up the bounded field to alert him in case any unwee guests were toe.


    Of course, considering his knowledge on the matter the bounded field was extremely effective, lethal, and almost entirely undetectable unless someone was to walk right into it. With the number of religious symbols used for the construction of the bounded field, it was safe to say that it was a field especially suited for dealing with devils. ??


    After finishing his work and making sure to set up several magic rms and traps in case his ''guests'' woke up soon, Soma went to sleep. He was far too tired and he needed rest before more crazy shit happened and he had to deal with it.


    Seriously, how is it that he got involved in this sort of mess out of the blue like that? Since when was this world this crazy?


    Well, at least it didn''t seem like things could be any worse.


    ///---///


    Things could not be any worse.


    This was the consensus running through Sona Sitri''s head as news of what happened reached her.


    As was expected, when Rias'' newest Peerage member got too close to the nun who arrived in town, a nun working for the fallen angels no less, Sona got worried. Not that the little pawn could cause anything big, but what Rias would do if her servant went out of the weels and did something stupid because of emotion.


    And he did precisely that, running headfirst in a church, which already is quite terrible in terms to politics, but he did so to attack fallen angels in a mission given by the governor-general or at least a higher-up of the Grigory.


    While Sona knew that this would not be enough to reignite the war it would make the peace talks going behind the scenes all the harder. As Serafall''s little sister Sona knew that the talks were ongoing and were very tense with all three sides wanting peace but none wanting toe out as the loser that would need to give extra concessions.


    What Issei did was exactly the type of thing that could make the devils be pushed to that ufortable role and to fix that Serafal would need to spend even MORE time in the Peace Talks, effectively making the treaty take longer and thus keep the devil race in a state of war for even longer. More money and resources spent in this cold war instead of in things like education, which Sona desperately wanted to see more investments into.


    But did Rias, who KNOWS of this situation seeing as she was a devil heiress as well and was taught those things, do anything to stop the stupid pawn who knows NOTHING about what was at stake from potentially ruining tens of thousands of devils'' lives? Fuck no, she sent the rest of her Peerage and went personally to kill everyone there without a single care and without informing anyone of what she and her group were doing.


    Sona sometimes wondered if all of Rias'' brains went to her boobs, it would exin her decision-making at the very least. Any devil worth their salt would at most send his Peerage but not go personally, if there were to be any problems from these actions the King could just say that his Peerage acted without his knowledge and he would properly punish them for it.


    It was politics 101 in devil school, something Sona knew Rias had attended beforeing to Kuoh. Did she not listen to ANYTHING of what she was being taught and instead only spent time reading manga and ying games?


    Sighing, Sona knew this was not what made her so stressed out. No, that particr ''honor'' belonged to whoever exorcist that was running around town at this very moment that managed to not only defeat Kiba but send him to the hospital as even Phenex Tears were useless in the injuries he inflicted.


    Sona only found out what happened thanks to her sending message after message to Rias after she felt the spike of energy the redhead released earlier tonight. And even then Sona had to keep sending messages for almost three hours before Rias bothered to answer.


    Looking around Sona could see that her entire Peerage was in her house now. Knowing a crazy killing machine was on town Sona could not risk her Peerage being killed off during the night and she already sent a request to her sister for a guard or someone who could help in case of emergency.


    Sona did not want to do that in all honesty, but she would rather lower her head to her sister than lower her head in shame if her servants died due to her pride.


    "kaichou, are things that bad?" Saji asked, her newest Pawn was worried since he had never really been in a fight until this point and did not know how to react to all that was happening.


    "It depends. Right now we don''t know if a dangerous enemy is around or not, but considering what he did he should be leaving town by the end of the night. As long as west until then there shouldn''t be any issues." Sona said while trying her best to make her peerage feel safe.


    Unfortunately, someone in there wasn''t exactly d about her words.


    CLAP CLAP


    Mocking and slow ps could be heard in the room and turning to the direction it came from one could see someone sitting there. It was a woman in her early twenties, she had short blond hair that was quite messy, giving it a somewhat spiky appearance. She had a voluptuous body that makes one think immoral thoughts even if she doesn''t actively try to do so and her golden eyes gave an illusion of someone who was mischievous as well.


    "To think the little sister would learn to talk big, how amusing." The woman said as Sona cursed that, from all of her sister''s Peerage, it was THIS woman that was sent. Of them, she was easily the most flimsy and prone to doing whatever she wanted as long as the mission was fulfilled with no consideration for consequences besides what would amuse her more.


    This was the sort of woman that Dimaria, the Rook of her sister was... unfortunately.


    "Was anything of what I said wrong?" Sona questioned to which the woman in question just shrugged.


    "Nothing much, just that you simply assume that someone capable would just turn tail and run so easily. Sera told me of the injuries of knight boy from that red-haired idiot, those injuries were not designed to kill but to incapacitate and make it shy while also making him unable to be a threat. Using that on someone to make his allies leave was a very smart move, a person this smart would know that trying to leave town right away would be hard and would be easily detected, painting a big target on his back. No, someone like that would stay low for a while yet, try to either blend in for a while more before leaving. Heck, I wouldn''t find it strange if we won''t know how the enemy even looks like until the weakling who got his ass kicked wakes up."


    Sona sighed and nodded, understanding the logic of the situation.


    "What you think we should do then, Lady Dimaria."


    "Use these." She said as she threw some cheap jewelry at them. "These things were designed to hide the demonic energy we devils exude. It should help you pass undetected if in a crowd and it has an SOS signal in it in case of a fight or if your life is in sudden danger. We normally only let our spies with something like that but we can''t abandon the town and it is your and Rias'' responsibility to watch over it. When the Gremory and her little servantse back she will be provided with simr equipment, even if I doubt she would use them. She and her servants feel like the emotional type and they might go and try to hunt the one who did that."


    Sona wanted to deny that Rias would be stupid enough to try to challenge whoever attacked Kiba by actively serving as bait, but Rias was not exactly logical when pushed and she already wasn''t in the best state of mind due to her approaching Rating Game to decide if she would marry or not.


    Heck, Sona even wondered if she would force whoever dealt with Kiba to join her Peerage as pensation'', a stupid and rather shortsighted idea but the redhead was anxious and not thinking straight.


    Meanwhile, as Sona and Dimaria talked about the protection protocol and other such matters, Momo worried over her cousin. She knew he was likely safe but he was still in a fragile state and waspletely human while being close to her, a devil. Momo was not as worried about her parents since they had a certain degree of protection in the house and knew of the supernatural due to their business, but Soma had no protection against this exorcist running around town.


    Not that Soma needed protection against himself, but Momo did not know that the two were one and the same.


    With decisiveness, she made it a point that she would go see him as soon as this whole thing blew over.


    ///---///


    It has been a day since Kiba was put in the ICU due to the injuries afflicted to him and Rias was not doing well.


    Not doing well at all.


    And it did not look like things would be improving any time soon as a woman stood before her. Her usually bubbly personality and cute magical girl dress not in ce, instead, formal clothes and a serious expression could be seen when one looked at Serafal Leviathan.


    "... You understand what you did wrong, correct?" Serafal said in a serious tone that was not usual for her and Rias flinched at it before her energy red and eyes of pure anger could be seen.


    "I let my peerage fight alone and one of them got injured for it." Rias said with pure venom and fire-spitting out with every word.


    However, no matter how much anger she had it all amounted to nothing in front of the coldness in Serafal''s eyes.


    "No, that is not what I am talking about. I honestly couldn''t care less right now about the state of your knight."


    "... Huh?" Rias said, her anger distracted by the sudden words of Satan Leviathan in front of her.


    For her the only true concern would be that her servant got injured, that was her main focus so saying that him getting injured wasn''t her mistake made Rias unable toprehend.


    Not minding it Serafal continued, she had to make sure to point out exactly WHAT her actual mistakes were.


    "You acted by yourself without talking with either me or Sirzechs when you attacked a group of fallen angels in your territory while invading a church. This alone is bad enough, the problems we will be facing from this act will be quite hard for me specifically to deal with since I am the one responsible for dealing with external affairs and we are already hated by almost every other race and faction in the world. You might not understand this but the devil race is in a truly precarious state since ALL Pantheons and factions hate us and if even one attacks the others will also follow soon after. And your actions tonight provoked the two most likely groups to start the hostilities."


    "I couldn''t let my pawn kill himself if he acted alone and he wouldn''t listen to me when I said to not act!" Rias justified in a loud voice, trying to exin herself.


    "THEN BE HIS KING AND MAKE HIM LISTEN!" Serafal yelled at her, her powers ring and Rias being moved back gasping due to the sheer pressure of it. "You are the KING, he has to listen to you and not the other way around. You can listen to his advice, but you must not be led by a dumb kid who was reincarnated less than a month ago and knows nothing of the supernatural world. But that is not the worst, of far from it."


    Rias did not know if she wanted to know what the ''worst'' was then.


    "You left in a hurry and did notmunicate with me, Sirzechs, or any other adult for HOURS regarding what happened and we only found out something happened because Sona told me about it. These hours without anyone of us knowing meant that the police found the battle area and they found over 30 humans dead in terrible manners all around the church with bodies destroyed. News reporters are already on the scene and making this event ''vanish'' is already impossible. It went viral, all over the world people are seeing the small massacre your peerage made, with several people dressed as priests butchered in a church with the symbols of the religion broken everywhere, panic has already started in an international level.


    "You may have forgotten, but we only managed to rent, not buy or took by force but RENT, the town from the Shinto Pantheon after a lot of concessions and the promise we wouldn''t create any unrest in theirnds. Guess what, unrest is made and the Shinto Pantheon, which already hates us after the Nekoshou Massacre, is trying to take back the town. And it is not only them, all other towns we rented from other Pantheons throughout the world are being put into question since said pantheons are fearful that this disaster happen in theirnds as well considering the religious innuendo it took and our race''s current state of cold war with Heaven and Grigory. Every other race is afraid of something that would disturb their territory and they fear we are about to reignite the war and bring them into it again.


    "Even IF we manage to keep Kuoh we will need to pay a hefty price and our entire race will bleed for YOUR mistake. We are under threat of war on ALL fronts thanks to YOURck of thinking!"


    "It wasn''t my fault, I had to make sure Kiba was healed." Rias said in a slight panic, understanding how bad things were getting but more worried about her knight who she did not know if or when he would be waking up. Her mind was a mess and she was not thinking straight at all at the moment.


    "It does not matter, as one of the two owners of the town, even under such circumstances, you should have entered in contact with others that would be able to handle this sort of situation instead of ignoring the problem. Regardless, your punishment has already been decided for your actions this time. You lost the rights to the town entirely, you cannot enter any contract in the city of Kuoh or Japan as a whole and you will only return to the town with your ''handler'', an older devil who will be responsible for ensuring that you and your Peerage will not cause any more damage for the town. Your rook, Koneko, has to remain in the Underworld since she is part Yokai and the Japanese Pantheon doesn''t want a ''traitor'' to step foot in theirnd again and you will be considered on probation, any other activity that could endanger the race will be judged as you being unfit to inherit the house of gremory and be a High-ss devil with you having your rights as King and having a Peerage stripped from you permanently."


    As Rias heard this she felt as if the world was crashing down at her, as if things could not get any worse.


    In truth things could have gotten much, much worse. Sirzechs had to push for leniency and exercise his power quite a bit to reach only this degree of punishment, Rias really fucked up with leaving so many dead bodies and carnage justying around in town and forgetting to do even the most basic actions she should have when in such a situation. Rias was one of the ones responsible for this one town, and she fucked up their entire race due to her stupidity.


    Normally about 10% of all funds obtained by the devil government were spent in the renting of towns for devils to obtain their contracts. It was an inevitable but necessary expenditure that they epted to avoid provoking anyone more than what they normally did by recruiting members of other Pantheons and races, but with what happened in Kuoh the other groups the devils negotiated rent with started to stir and the value the race had to pay to avoid being kicked out went up to 17% of their total revenue.


    This seven percent difference meant the loss of a LOT of money for the devils as a whole with many industries and public projects that would work to help their race having to be put on hold. If you consider how many humans with contracts with devils got frightened by the images and news and terminated their contracts things just made things worse, with now devils having to pay more and receive less money from the contracts.


    Serafal was pissed, to say the least. She would have to spend weeks, if not months, just to try and eliminate this damage and it wouldn''t be strange if the value would only decrease to 13 or 14% and the devils would be permanently affected by this huge fiasco.


    So yeah, Serafal was not happy.


    Rias, after rposing herself as best she could, spoke.


    "And who exactly is my ''handler'' as you said?" As this question hanging in the air Serafal gave a mirthful smile, loving what woulde next.


    "Well, who else but me of course, my beloved fiancee." Riser Phenex said, opening the doors while making sure to make as big an entrance as possible to impress. "As your future husband, it is only natural that I was the one chosen to make sure you do not trouble our glorious race and to ensure you are taking your preparations to be a properdy of the devil race seriously."


    Yeah, Rias decided that this day was officially the worst day of her life past, present, or future.


    ///---///


    In a separated space that no one can normally reach a group was reading several documents.


    "So, these are the new prospective Sacred Gear users we managed to detect. What are your orders regarding them?" Siegfried, a clone of the legendary hero Siegfried, questioned his leader who waszily reclining in his chair, an apple on his hand as he thought about it.


    "Send teams 1 and 3 to Germany, they should be strong enough to get to those six new potential recruits and they are quite persuasive to make theme. Team 2 will go to Australia, they are adrenaline junkies and the users there seems to be the type that would demand a more violent approach. As for the ones in Mexico, send team 5 and Herakles, they should be able to rescue the users that are in the hands of the cartel there and would make an impression on the recruit''s impressionable minds." Cao Cao said easily enough, an effective and useful n to deal with all of the targets.


    "Understood, I am sure Herakles will like this. Destroying a Cartel would certainly make him quite excited about this act of a hero." Siegfried chuckled, Herakles was the type that believed that to be a hero you should create as much damage as possible while looking good for those watching.


    Probably why he spends so long in the mirror practicing Jojo poses and taking care of his hair.


    "Are there any other potential recruits?" Cao Cao questions.


    "Well, we have had news that a human managed to defeat and nearly mortally wound the knight of the princess of Gremory." Siegfried said and Cao Cao rolled his eyes.


    "This hardly sounds like enough reason to recruit someone."


    "What is relevant, however, is that no one actually knows who this person is. There is spection it could be the missing stray exorcist that wasn''t amongst the list of casualties but he was not particrly skilled and would not be able to defeat a knight trained by the self-entitled best swordsman of the devil race. I also confirmed this information with our Grigory spies, the chance of an unknown third party being involved is high. There is even mention of Governor-General Azazel being interested in finding out what is going on, especially seeing as Kuoh is one of the ''hot spots'' where more Sacred Gear users appear. The chance of this being the work of a yet unknown user is not zero." Siegfried said and Cao Cao raised a single eyebrow.


    "Well, this is slightly more interesting. This person could be a Sacred Gear user we didn''t find before or someone that another faction sent to spy on the devils. Either way, we should try to look into it, send Jeanne and her personal guard there. She is the most careful of our lieutenants and her holy swords would be able to do short work of the weak devils in town if she works together with her squad. At the very least, escape wouldn''t be an issue with someone like her. Tell her that her mission is to find this person, to look for other potential recruits considering how that ce is a hot spot, and when it is time to go she is to make sure to create some chaos to make the devils in an even worse situation." Cao Cao said with Siegfried bowing his head and leaving the room afterward.


    The Hero Faction was still a new group, they had to recruit as much as possible if they intend to prove to the supernatural the power of mankind. Any seedling that could help with that shouldn''t be easily ignored, and if this person who managed to hunt a devil knight was truly human then he should be worth recruiting. As for making the devils in an even worse situation, that was just a cherry on top since the devils continuously took Sacred Gear users and turned them into other devils.


    They werepetition so to say, both aiming to take the same demographic, and if the Hero Faction could make things worse for the devils then all the better.


    ///---///


    DRIP


    DRIP


    The sound of rain could be heard in the house as Mittlelt woke up. She has never expected to wake up again after what she went through in the hands of that sadistic devil, so much pain was beyond what she expected to be able to wake up from.


    Looking around she could only see from one eye as the other was still close due to the swelling over it. Her entire body hurt quite a lot and moving was hard, but the fact she survived was enough to let her happy.


    "... It seems like you woke up. It was faster than I expected."


    Moving as fast as she could without making the pain spike even higher Mittlelt could see a human standing there. She tried opening her mouth to speak but her throat was far too dry for her to be able to do that.


    "Wait just a sec." Soma said as he moved to the kitchen, prepared a pitcher of water, and brought it to the fallen angel. Carefully as to not pull any stitch he raised her upper body to let her drink the water to quench her thirst.


    The loli fallen drank it all with gusto, needing the water more than even she expected.


    "COUGH COUGH."


    "Hey now, no need to hurry. The water ain''t going anywhere." Soma said after the fallen chocked on the water due to the hurry in trying to drink it. After a bit and with her thirst dealt with Soma sat on her bed and looked her over.


    Truly, it was quite unfair. Despite how injured this fallen angel was, she was recovering at an absurd speed whenpared to a normal human and her flesh was also tougher than that of a human, something he figured out during her training. She even had a natural mana core, even if it was really small it would still be able to produce enough energy to match 80 magic circuits with no problems.


    Shaking his head off such thoughts Soma spoke.


    "Now that your thirst is dealt with could you start exining to me exactly what happened in that church? And I want ALL details told in all honesty. Do not try lying to me, I can be a gracious host or the worst torturer depending on your answers." Soma said and released just a trace of his killing intend honed during the time he was forced to visit the Land of Shadows while training with the Celtic heroes. He had to impress on her the fact she was not to look down or ignore his words, that she had to listen and listen well to what he said.


    As for Mittlelt, as she felt the killing intent she froze and then... passed out.


    Soma looked at this and sighed, he was in too much of a hurry and tried to pressure someone when they were in the middle of treatment, passing out wouldn''t be strong.


    "SIGH, This questioning will take a while. Well, I guess I could just go and make ate lunch while I wait for her to wake up again." Soma said to himself before going to the kitchen to deal with hunger, one of the greatest enemies.

 Chapter 5 - 5

    "... I see, thisplicates things quite a bit." Soma spoke as Mittlelt finished her exnation regarding the supernatural and especially the three factions.


    The world he lives in is truly vastly different to others, especially if the stories of his teachers were to be believed regarding their worlds. ??


    Soma could already feel in his skin the political mess this world was, so many factions and groups were in a constant struggle for supremacy, and just imagining it was enough to make Soma feel a gigantic headache. But, currently, he only had to care for four groups.


    The first would be the Heavens/church. In this world they worked in a somewhat simr vein to that Soma was used to from the stories and what he was taught, even if they seemed to be trying to keep the appearance of ''good guy'' a bit too much and it cost them a lot in efficiency. Their threat level is quite low for Soma, just not step on their toes directly and if possible find a backer that they are not in any specific rtionship with and would thus not want to provoke into bing enemies. They were honestly kinda weak and could only truly defend, as long as Soma did not actively go against them (or be found doing so at any rate) he would be safe.


    The second is the fallen angels in the Grigory. They were angels whomitted a sin, which really didn''t mean much for Soma since he knew that sins were just a part of human nature so the fallen whomitted sins felt like they would be easier to approach or at least reach an understanding. Soma wouldn''t blindly trust them, but they did have that school designated to Sacred Gear users to learn about said items and they did not force said users to work for themter or be the fallen''s servants. Sure, indoctrination wouldn''t be strange in such a ce to foster a desire to work for the fallen''s interests is to be expected (even if Mittlelt did not say any such thing happened), but that ismon sense to be done and Soma wouldn''t reallyin about it.


    You are getting an education, what you take from it and what you do with it afterward is up to you. If you choose to be sheep that follows someone else then that is up to you, it isn''t Soma''s responsibility to save someone from their own stupidity.


    The third group that Soma worried more about was the Shinto Pantheon. They were the actual owners of thend but they did not put much pressure on humans and even created several human powers like the Four Great Families to look after humans. They were honestly the ones more to Soma''s tastes, Gods and other such beings that did not screw up humanity and just took care of their own business without messing with humans as much. It also helped that Soma was quite close to Tamamo when he was in the Throne of Heroes and she was an incarnation of Amaterasu. If the Goddess was like Tamamo then Soma was confident he could get along well enough with her, as long as she didn''t try to make him her ''hubby'' like Tamamo did in the past. She is hot, but he did not want to get into these talks of marriage since in the throne talking of such a thing looked like a surefire way of causing a disaster one way or another.


    And then there is the fourth group, and decidedly the most troublesome of the bunch, The devils. Just hearing about them was enough for Soma to ssify that faction as easily the most troublesome and the one he wanted the least to be close to.


    No, not because of their nature or anything like that. If what Mittlelt said is to be believed (which Soma will need to see with his own eyes while also searching for other sources of intel to counter check) then the Devils of this world are rather unlike the ones he heard about or interacted with in the Throne of Heroes.


    They were intelligent and not overly brutal or prone to bursts of fancy that would lead to the deaths of many for no other reason than for theughs and sadistic pleasure. They did not feast on human''s soul or created wanton destruction while demanding human sacrifice to satiate their most depraved desires.


    In general, they would be a group he could ignore quite easily since he did not care for a group that he could very easily just not interact with if he wanted to, if not for one of the most disturbing and disgusting things he ever heard.


    The Evil Piece System. A system created to make other people join the devil race, something Soma could understand being done if you consider that they were close toplete copse after their wars and they needed to reinforce their numbers but doing it naturally wouldn''t work with their low fertility. The system makes sense for that angle and Soma could understand it well enough.


    However, the fact that these pieces can be used in those unwilling to go through the transformation or those already dead meant that any devil king could find a way to kill someone and then that person would forever be that devil''s ve.


    very was nothing new to Soma, many of the heroes in the Throne had those in the past or interacted with people that had ves. very isn''t that big a deal, as long as it is during only the life span of a normal person. Being a ve for 50 or so years until you die, or be a ve for 5000 years with no options but listen to the one that killed you before or anything of the sort. Even with the extra benefits of being a devil, like their neigh-unlimited life span and increased magic powers, it still was not enough a trade-off to being the bitch of whoever turned you into this. Just the thought of it made Soma remember the stories of Spartacus and wonder if the devils, while behind closed doors, were like the ve masters of the hero''s time.


    Truthfully speaking, if you epted it while fully understanding what was being done, then that is your choice, but that the system can ignorepletely the consent is what made Soma''s skin crawl.


    That there were two such kings in this city ording to Mittlelt only makes Soma shiver. The thought of eliminating said kings before they tried to turn him through whatever means necessary or, worse still, try to do the same to Momo passed through his mind, but the fact that those two are the little sisters of two of the four satans made Soma give up on that idea.


    "Yeah, not gonna get close to those kings at all. I also need to prepare a dead man switch, if I die I won''t leave a corpse for them to make into a devil." Soma said to himself and Mittlelt looked at him strangely.


    "... You do understand that you are speaking of blowing yourself up and giving up on a second chance at life, right?" She honestly could not understand why he would do that, most humans would fear death so why he would choose to stay dead over a chance of life was not something she couldprehend.


    "I know, but I would rather be dead than be a servant to someone against my will. What I want to do I will do it, if I don''t want it then even if there are infinite benefits I won''t do it. That is just my way of doing things really." Soma exined to the fallen angel whose health was now much better than before.


    After recovering enough magic energy Soma had used his healing prowess to help quickly heal the fallen angel considerably. Most bruises and broken bones were dealt with and there was little more danger for her life as things stood.


    Heck, the bounded field that Soma put in his house was even helping the fallen angel, a side effect of it that wasn''t intentional. Since the field was made under the premise to suppress demonic energy then Mittlelt''s light energy got even purer while inside since its ''taint'' was suppressed just like the demonic energy. This light energy had natural healing capacity and thus her healing got even faster by working together with the healing magecraft used by Soma.


    "Whatever, I can''t understand humans anyway, you guys are all weird to me. Having so much pride in being the weakest race, doesn''t make any sense."


    "Well, even if my race is the weakest I am still stronger than you. So? How does it feel to know that you are weaker than a member of the weakest race?" Soma answered and Mittlelt red at him as intensely as she could, not liking the reminder of her current state.


    "I am not a freak like you, you are the one that is weird for your race!" Mittlelt said and Soma rolled his eyes.


    "Trust me, I am just an average one." Soma said with a chuckle inside.


    With these talks done and with all the information he could gather from Mittlelt taken Soma left her there to rest. She was still not fully restored anyway so she had to rest, even if her not being fully well was due to Soma not putting his all into helping her after he ensured she would survive. Better her be weakened and incapable of causing any big problem for him instead since it would mean she would be easier to deal with in case she tried anything.


    Leaving her there Soma went to the other person he had taken from that church.


    This person was, well, rather annoying.


    "Tch, again it is not any girl with good tits. Why only you appear in this ce? Go and find some nurse with D cup at least, you idiot. I will shoot you."


    "Yeah, yeah, I heard your say that since the first time you opened the shithole you call a mouth. Keep sprouting out your crap like that and I can, and will, stitch the shithole you call a mouth shut and let you choke on whatever the fuck you want to speak." Soma said annoyed at this exorcist.


    Seriously, Soma doubted he should have saved him at this point, the guy was aplete perverted jerk and Soma did NOT want to imagine someone like that walking the same streets as his cousin or any innocent girl for that matter.


    "Humph, as if. You are too much of a nice guy to do something like that." The exorcist snickered down at Soma who just raised an eyebrow.


    "You do know I am the one providing you with food and treatment, right? I am under no actual obligation to do any of that and I only saved you because I felt like it. If you provoke me enough I just might feel like putting you back in the state you were when I found you and let you dying in some alleyway or something. You having organs being optional since selling organs is quite lucrativest I''ve heard and I could use some extra cash." Soma said in slight irritation.


    This man was an annoying bastard ALL the time. He was always ''tits'' this and ''boobs'' that, his head only had violence and sex in it. It was annoying as hell.


    "Huh? You saved me so you naturally have to take responsibility and find me some sexy tits to y with! I will shoot you, idiot."


    "Yeah, yeah, I heard you say that enough times already. Keep talking and I will rip out your tongue to see if you can choke on it. Nowe on, I am here to question you about some stuff and then get you out of my house before you make this whole ce stink with the shit thates out of your mouth."


    "Fine, fine, I will tell you whatever the fuck I know. Then you can let me out of this damn room so I can go and find some hot big tits to y with." The exorcist said and, once again, Soma had to wonder if he should castrate this guy before letting him get out.


    In the end, this guy knew little about anything except for two interesting detail.


    The first was contacts with the ck market of the supernatural where one could exchange items and resources regardless of origins, it would be a path for Soma to obtain more intel and especially materials for his mystic code creation, golems, and cksmithing. He had to get plenty of materials for those, especially for cksmithing and golem development seeing as his teachers in both arts only agreed to teach him after he agreed to help fulfill their dreams and Soma was a person of his word, if he agreed to do those tasks then he would do them. Apparently, Mittlelt did not know of these sorts of connections since she always got whatever she needed from the Grigory''s own resources and didn''t have to depend on the ck market, but stray exorcists and the like depended on those sort of things.


    And the second information that caught Soma''s attention was in regards to a project of the Church, the Holy Sword Project. A project designed to make people able to wield holy swords including the Excalibur fragments and the like.


    Soma chooses to forget the fact that the ''excalibur'' of this world was broken, it was better for his sanity since he knew for a fact that the Excalibur was apletely indestructible item and either the one in this world was a fake or there was something out there that could destroy THE Excalibur and this thought alone terrified Soma.


    But that wasn''t what made Soma pay attention, no what made him pay attention was the project itself, the ability to extract a person''s natural talent and affinity in Holy energy and transfer it to someone else. This was a concept that makes Soma shudder almost as much as he did at the thought of being turned into a ve for the rest of eternity against his will. But his shudders this time were more because of how this and the Evil Piece System, by focusing so much on the soul and messing with it.


    The study of the soul was aplicated thing and that the supernatural had ways to tamper with it and modify it made him shiver since it was ufortably close to one of the things he partially learned in the Throne of Heroes.


    "I guess I will have to see if I can achieve that here. I got very close to achieving it while in the Throne after spending so long practicing it there that is so close to Akasha, so it shouldn''t be impossible, but mastering that in the Throne seems to be impossible. Well, I at least know more about the soul than most anyone else at this point so there is that." Soma chuckled at the thought of that.


    If he could achieve it here then forget about anything else he wouldn''t fear even facing the strongest of Gods or any enemy that came his way. He would not need to worry about anything and even the limited time span of humans would mean nothing to him.


    But, even if he was close to achieving it, taking thatst step would not be easy. After all, achieving the Third Magic, Heaven''s Feel, would not be so simple.


    "So, can I leave now or not?" The stray said and Soma thought for a while before smiling kindly.


    "Sure, I don''t mind. You can leave right away, but I am keeping all your weapons with me as payment for treating you. I am sure a stray exorcist without any weapons in a city filled with devils who must be searching for him or any other exorcists would do very well."


    "... Shit." The stray said and Soma chuckled at seeing the realization on his face. The guy could be annoying, but seeing him realizing how fucked he was certainly made Soma feel better inside.


    Not bothering with the stray anymore Soma left the room. He released the bounded fields he put around the ce so if he wanted to leave the stray could leave at will. Of course, while the stray was still asleep after the treatment Soma used hypnotism to make the stray unable to say who had healed him or direct in any way to others where Soma lived.


    He would instead say that he was the one who was responsible for whatever the devil searching the town was looking for.


    If the stray leaves, he will work as a bait to make others less wary of what was going on, if he stays Soma would make him his subordinate and put him to work. Either way, Soma would get something out of this situation.


    Feeling satisfied with this Soma left the room and went to his room. He had to get changed as he had to go to school today.


    This world might have magic in it, but ording to Mittlelt the two devil kings of the city were in the Kuoh High School and if Soma did not go there then he could attract some attention. He had to act and be apletely normal person that had no connections to the supernatural.


    The more unnoticed he was, the more average, the better. It honestly shouldn''t even be that hard for him to pass as an average person, his talents and potential werepletely average and even his elemental affinity and Origin were both just that, average.


    ///---///


    "Momo, are you sure you can''t pull some strings or something? I am already 16, going to middle school when I should be in highschool is just weird." Somained to his cousin on the phone.


    He was expecting to go to the Highschool, mix with the crowd and vanish from the view of Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory, the two kings in town. He didn''t even know what those two look like besides them having ck and red hair respectively thanks to Mittlelt being azy girl who didn''t even bother with the most basic information gathering so Soma was blindsided when in regards to those two. But, it was safe to assume that if they were in town to search for potential ves/servants then standing out was a terrible idea. As such being older than everyone else could bring attention to him, small as it might be.


    Soma didn''t know if the two kings had spies in middle school or not, he did not want to stand out for fucks sake! He was already having to try his best to not let out the charisma he fostered during the hundreds of years he learned about leadership with the likes of Gilgamesh, Iskanr, Arthuria, Napoleon, Ozymandias, and the other Kings from the Throne. Having to make sure to not disy something ingrained in his very bones was hard, and bringing attention to him due to this sort of shitty situation wouldn''t be helping any.


    "And I told you already, Soma, that this is beyond me and Kaichou. You will have to be in the Middle School section of Kuoh Academy for the next month or so as you take supplementary sses to make you catch up with the first years in Highschool, this was the best deal I got for you. Be thankful you won''t have to be in Middle School from the start and instead be in thest year of it, it could be worse than having sses with people three years younger than you." Momo said exasperated. She could kind of understand where Soma wasing from butining to her wasn''t gonna fix anything.


    "... Fine, whatever. I just have to y nice with them and do my time then." Soma said in annoyance.


    "Yeah, nothing anyone can do. So just stopining so much and do what you have to do." Momo said and ended the call.


    She had forgotten after years of not interacting with Soma, he was a truly annoying pest when he wanted to be. It almost made her want to smack her past self who wanted him back so much, but between having him and not she would rather him being back.


    ... Even if moments like this make her question her thoughts regarding him a bit.


    As for Soma, he sighed and continued in his way. It has been around five days since he left the hospital and could use reopened his magic circuits. During these days he concentrated on recuperating his physical capacity via eating, making several simple potions for physical recovery using ingredients from the market and other shops that sold stranger products, and continued in his physique''s transformation using alchemy.


    Adding that to having to take care of his ''guests'' make it where he didn''t have all that much time left, but now that the guests were awake and perfectly stable he had much more free time.


    As he was walking to school he noticed something weird. Just as he was passing an intersection he noticed a girl, and she was leaning her body as if to throw herself in the middle of the traffic.


    Moving before he could think about it Soma put a hand on the backpack she had in her back and pulled her back just as she was about to fall.


    "Hey there, be careful. If you are having low blood sugar or something you should recline against a wall instead of standing where you were, you could have died there."


    The girl didn''t answer, she just looked up and soma was surprised at how bad a state she was at.


    Without thinking about it he used a quick structural grasp in her and was shocked at the sheer number of physical troubles she had. Malnutrition, dehydration, several hematomas from beatings dating at least since she was 6 or 7 years old, bones that were broken and healed in the wrong way,ck of sleep, and several other problems throughout. Someone in this state shouldn''t be walking around like this, she should be in a hospital bed instead.


    "... I me that damn Emiya for this. He infected me with his stupid disease, that is the only exnation for that." Soma muttered to himself and the girl blinked as ifing out of a trance before speaking.


    "Ehm, sorry. I will be careful. Excuse me." She said as she tried to leave, only for Soma to hold her in ce.


    "No. I am taking you to eat something before you pass out from hunger or something like that. School or whatever can wait." Soma said and the girl looked shocked as she tried weakly to get away, but considering how weak her muscles were she may as well have been trying with all her strength and Soma wouldn''t be able to tell the difference.


    "Please let me go. I have sses and-"


    "And nothing, you are going toe and eat something as to not pass out and die for no good reason. If you go to ss as you are you won''t be eating anything until lunch, if you are already closing to pass out now then if you wait your body will suffer." Soma said seriously.


    The girl just closed her mouth tightly before nodding her head.


    "Good, there should be somewhere good to eat around here. Nowe on, I am paying." Soma said as he drags her along.


    He knew he shouldn''t bring any attention to him, but beingte on the first day would hardly make much of a difference anyway and he felt that this girl needed help. He did promise several of his teachers he would help others when he could as long as it didn''tplicate things for him, it was the condition especially from Karna when he asked to be taught about using fire to proper his movements further.


    It was worth it, and it makes Soma feel good to do a good thing once in a while. Especially seeing as he knew he would be doing some fucked up shit soon enough so doing some good now would relieve his conscience.


    ///---///


    "So? How confident are you that they are Sacred Gear users?" Jeanne questioned as she reclined in a chair in the apartment she rented in Kuoh.


    "Quite sure, we might not have been able to find the one that attacked the devils but I am quite confident that those girls have Sacred Gears. They are still dormant but with my own Gear, Divine Scouting, finding out other''s secrets is a piece of cake." One of the three members of Jeanne''s squad said.


    "I see, it means that even if we don''t find the person we were sent to find we will not get out empty-handed. It is good that your peeping tom gear is so useful, huh, Deux." Jeanne said while patting the head of the girl who rubbed her head against said hand. Her face bing sloven as she did so as the pleasure of beingplimented by her Hero was orgasmic for the girl.


    On the side, another girl pouted and Jeanne, seeing this, gave a chuckle before patting the other''s hair as well.


    "Now now, don''t go being jealous, Un. You are also an important member of my squad, after all." Jeanne said to the girl who smiled proudly, her golden blond hair shining as she looked up at her leader.


    "Yes, Praetor. I will do my best for you." She said and Jeanne smiled.


    "Good, keep up like that." Jeanne said before continuing. "Then? What of the girls you found? Do they seem suitable for joining?"


    Deux, wanting more affection, spoke up.


    "Yes, both seem like they would be rtively quite easy to convince. Only, they are not on the best of terms."


    "Hoh, and by that you mean?"


    "Yes, a bully and her victim." Un said and Jeanne stopped to think.


    A Sacred Gear needed strong emotions to achieve Bnce Breaker, if a bully victim was suffering it wouldn''t be weird for the said victim to at least unlock her gear. If she didn''t even achieve that then the chances of her achieving Bnce Breaker would be really low and the Hero Faction didn''t need useless weaklings who get pushed around and can''t fight.


    "Very well, keep searching for the target. And let me guess, Trois is looking into those girls, for now, right?"


    "Yes, Trois is looking into them as she is going to the same ss in middle school."


    "Good, keep me informed and tell Trois that she should be careful. She is somewhat messy when not looked after and I would rather not see a repeat ofst time when I let her out to y." Jeanne said to the other two as she stood up.


    Her squad was only the four of them, with only Un being a magician and the others being Sacred Gear users. Cao Cao has told her to find more people she could add to her squad if possible, but she was reticent about doing that.


    However, if the ones to be added would be girls, then maybe she could make an exception and add another one. She just had to find the right situation for making the invitation, and she would have a new addition to her little squad. She was a Hero, after all, saving people is what she should do, and if she had to find a way to manufacture such a situation that wouldn''t be any actual issue.


    There were plenty of captured Stray Devils she could use for that anyway, and, after a saving, it would be business as usual. Making the personfortable with an invitation for a get-together, to make her and the Hero Faction look cozy. Give her plenty of attention. Making her believe she could be strong as well to be able to do everything she would want. Make her join the faction with the promises. Then eliminate whatever connections she had with her previous life by giving them new names while simultaneously using other races, either strays or disposable members of the Old Satan Faction, to kill any family or attachments for their lives of before the Faction.


    It makes Jeanne smile, it was the best method for the creation of absolutely loyal followers ording to Cao Cao and, while the other Lieutenants aren''t patient enough for this and would rather just use violence or hypnosis to subjugate more members, she preferred this method. There was less chance of rebellion, after all, and created very loyal little workers willing to do anything for the cul... Hero Faction.


    It was all for the sake of humanity, after all.


    ///---///


    ///---///


    AN:


    I hope you guys are enjoying this. I hope the reaction of the MC makes sense and yes, I see the Hero Faction as a cult with Cao Cao being the charismatic leader of it. This Jeanne knows this to a degree, but she ignores the negative aspects of it for the most part due to blind loyalty to Cao Cao.


    For the stray exorcist and the girl the MC just ''saved'' from being hit by a car, I am using characters from a very special work. Not sure how many people will identify the work, all I am willing to say is that the twoe from two different works from the same mangaka with both works being interconnected and one of my personal favorite stories out there.


    To the first one who can guess I will let you decide one pairing for the fic and I will try my hardest to follow through it. Consider this a challenge if you wish, the challenge will be valid for both AllNovelFull and Fanfiction.


    The challenge will be valid until the next chapter posted.

 Chapter 6 - 6

    "Ask what you want, I am paying." Soma said as he and the girl sat in a simple bakery on the way to Kuoh Academy.


    "We really shouldn''t. We will be-" ??


    "Either you choose or I choose for you. I won''t be letting you go to school just to pass out in hunger." Soma said with a slight re and the small girl looked frightened before lowering her head and nodding her head.


    Taking the menu both went to choose what they wanted to eat, Soma asked for a filling meal since he still needed to get as many nutrients in his body as possible while the girl asked for just something small and light as well as some juice instead of the cup of coffee that Soma asked for.


    After that, the two had to wait until their requests arrived. While waiting Soma spoke.


    "... If you want to talk about whatever is happening to you, I will hear."


    "Huh?"


    "I may not look like it, but I know quite a bit about medicine. You have clear signs of hunger andck of sleep, but not to the point of you passing out just like that. You falling there was no passing out, it was something worst." Soma was blunt about it, not wanting to go around circles in regards to this.


    The girl mped up hearing his words and looked down, she was shaking and was shrinking on herself as if to try and make as small a target as possible. Scratching his head Soma saw the food arrived and the waiter, who saw the girl''s state, gave Soma a dirty look that clearly showed he thought he was making a kid cry.


    Deciding to ignore the waiter Soma pushed the food to the girl.


    "Here, it is getting cold." Soma said and she slowly pushed her hand forward, taking the food and slowly eating it.


    Soma started eating as well, letting her slowly calm down before he spoke.


    "How about this, we introduce ourselves first. No pressure, okay?"


    "Um." She spoke, her voice little more than a whisper as she nodded her head.


    "Good, I will go first. My name is Soma Hanakai, I am 17 years old and due to certain circumstances will be joining Kuoh''s middle school program today. It is my first day of sses and I am going to bete." Soma said and chuckled a bit at that. After so long in the Throne of Heroes where, if he waste for training ANY day he would be forced to do even more rigorous training, being able to bete for sses with no big repercussions felt like a huge relief.


    It almost made himugh, he was so d to no longer have those crazy instructors that made him work his ass off every day for 6000 years from early morning untilte in the night.


    Seeing Soma''s rxed expression the girl rxed a bit and after drinking some of her juice she spoke.


    "M-My name is Aya, Aya Asagiri. I am 14 years old and, and..."


    Seeing her look more and more torn Soma raised his hand.


    "Okay, okay, I won''t pressure you. We will be going to the same school so whenever you want to talk or need something I am here." Soma said, he knew he wasing off too strong but he felt he needed to put SOME pressure onto Aya if she was to talk.


    She nods her head and a very small smile on her face, it was an ugly thing like if her face didn''t know how to make such an expression that well anymore. Soma just continued eating as Aya continued taking small bites of her food, soon the two starting to have a simple small talk.


    It was a calm and rtively good time. When they finished eating Soma looked at the time and they were alreadyte. Not that he minded, but knowing they werete he just decided he might as well walk around town for a bit since they would only be able to join the sses after lunchtime.


    "So, seeing as we have until lunchtime to get to school, do you know an arcade or something around here?" Soma asked and Aya shook her head no.


    She rarely ever got out of the house beyond school time and had no friends so knowing ces like that was beyond her.


    "Well, if it is like that, how about we just walk then? It is still early but there should be some shops around and I also need a chance to just walk around and rx a bit."


    And as such Soma started pulling Aya along, the girl resisted a bit at first but soon she was having fun as they went to the park, to the mall, and even managed to find an arcade in the end and yed a bit there.


    By the time they were going to school, Soma looked like he had a dark rain cloud over his head.


    "How? How could you move like that? I call bullshit, how did you beat me in the dancing game?" Soma said, he had reflexes that were honed for so long and he was much more physically able than Aya.


    Aya, meanwhile, just gave a lightugh at his expression so over the top and spoke.


    "I don''t know, it just came naturally."


    "Well, fine. But next time I will win, I am the worst loser out there and I refuse to ept a defeat! I will beat you in Dance Dance 7 Revolutions even if it takes 100 or 1000 years!" Soma said and seeing him take a pose worthy of Jojo Aya could onlyugh.


    She did not even remember thest time sheughed like that, it has been too long but this day was already better than any she has had in years.


    ''Maybe I did do it this time. Maybe I did manage to kill myself and this is heaven?'' Aya thought, if she did die and this was what the afterlife was like then she rather liked it better than the hell she lived by to this day.


    As they were passing by a bridge she seemed to remember something and asked to stop a bit. Soma nodded without any issue as she was the one to lead him for once, this time right to under the bridge. Under it, there was a simple cardboard box and a small kitten there.


    "Oh, so this little one is your pet?" Soma asked to Aya who had taken out some cat food from her bag and proceeded to feed the little kitten it.


    "N-No. My mother is allergic so we can''t have any pets in the house. I just take care of it, it doesn''t have any actual home." She said sadly and Soma nodded, understanding the situation.


    The kitten moved and licked at Aya''s finger softly and she smiled at it, happy for the affection of the little guy. Soon, however, the cat stopped licking her finger after Soma got closer and extended his hand, picking up the kitten as he started examining him over. Aya stood frozen, as if expecting for the worst, until Soma nodded his head and spoke.


    "It is a bit small but it is quite healthy. It would be better to give it some vitamins as well, but besides that, it is a perfectly healthy and cute kitten." Soma said and Aya, without thinking, spoke.


    "Would you give it a home?" She asked, quickly closing her mouth afterward as if she spoke something bad.


    Soma, meanwhile, thought for a bit. In his house, he had one loud-mouthed asshole and a blond loli who is terrified of him but has a giant ego when he is not putting her in her ce. Something soft and cuddly to spoil would do wonders for his sanity and he does like animals quite a bit. He mes Cat Tamamo for his love of animals, but that is beside the point.


    "Sure, I have space in my room and I wouldn''t say no to a request from a friend." He said easily enough. It was a bit quick to call Aya a friend but Soma''s instincts told him she was trustworthy and they could be friends, and Soma trusted his instincts.


    "F-f-friends?" She said, her eyes wide and Soma shrugged.


    "Yeah, why not? If you don''t want to I will understand but I wouldn''t mind being your friend." Soma said and Aya nodded her head shily while looking to the floor.


    There was a weird silence until the kitten meowed loudly for its size and Soma smiled seeing this and put it back inside the box.


    "How about if, when going back home, we take this little guy back and we go in a pet store together to buy things for it?"


    "Yes, that would be good." Aya said and Soma smiled, when Aya turned around he quickly cast a simple sleeping spell on the kitten so it wouldn''t move around and also put a very simple bounded field to ward off humans from it. Just an insurance really.


    Aya was on cloud nine as they walked and she spoke animatedly about the kitten. She truly felt like this was heaven she was at.


    However, as they approached school grounds, Aya''s mood worsened more and more, something Soma noted quite clearly.


    Eyes sharpening Soma decided to look into this. He already bothered to help the girl until now and from the little interaction he had with her he was sure she was a nice girl, seeing her sad or fearful as she was right now did not feel good for him.


    As Soma was about to enter school he saw someone in front of it with a very annoyed face. She had long silver hair, a nice figure, and beautiful blue eyes that adorned a sophisticated and gorgeous face.


    "Hey, Momo-chan! What are you doing here?" Soma said and the girl looked at him slightly annoyed.


    "You, can you not be more irresponsible?" She said in irritation.


    "Sure I can, challenge epted." Soma said and turned to Aya. "How about we go check the movies? I heard there is a good one out and I could use somepany since Momo-chan seems to be in her perio-"


    "THAT. IS. ENOUGH!" Momo said as she pulled both his cheeks to the sides making him stop talking. "You were supposed to have joined the middle school today and we even talked about it this morning, so why did I get a call from my parents about you missing the morning sses?"


    Aya''s expression rxed seeing this interaction between the two. Well, she rxed until Momo stopped talking to Soma and turned her attention to Aya herself.


    "Hum, so this girl is the reason for you missing your first few sses. Kinda young, don''t you think?" Momo said and Aya shrank a bit on herself. Aya was small for her age and was not overly pretty or even cute, in truth she was more average to ugly (if thements from most girls in ss and her brother were to be believed).


    Seeing the girl''s frightened expression Momo''s face softened as she put a hand on her head.


    "Don''t worry, my stupid cousin may be annoying but he is a nice enough guy. Just don''t let him lead you around or you might get in some troubles since he isn''t the most attentive when ites to rules."


    "The only rules I follow are my own rules, and ording to them I am perfectly right with getting to sste today." Soma said proudly and Momo pointed at him.


    "He is like that, so please be patient with him. If he causes any trouble you can just kick him in the knees or something, that should stop him from going too far." Momo said and Aya nodded her head even if she did not know if she would be able to actually kick Soma.


    Without thinking much about it Momo patted Aya''s head, or tried to since she felt the girl flinch away at the contact just as she did when Soma first took her hand. And unlike Soma''s rather rude way of just ignoring this Momo did not press on demanding this physical contact.


    Seeing the girl agree Momo took Soma to the director''s to exin the situation and to have Soma starting sses after lunch.


    The director of Middle School, like most other high-ranking people in Kuoh Academy, knew exactly who the members of each peerage were and they were given explicit orders to obey all requests from them as long as it was viable. As such, when Momo exined the situation and requested for Soma to enter sste, it wasn''t even a request worth thinking about it.


    However, they had to wait for a good while until the teacher that would bring Soma to ss arrived. When the teacher did Soma took one look at him and was not impressed. The guy was old, bald, and with a nce, Soma could tell he was a coward and unreliable.


    "Mr Fujini, this here is your newest student. He will be attending ss with your other students. As said in the documents I passed you he was in aa until recently so he had to be held back but his scores and a test done showed he has the necessary knowledge to join your ss. If he has any requests or doubts make sure to exin them properly."


    "I see, I see. Nice to meet you, young Soma. My name is Hayato Fujini, your homeroom teacher. Nowe on, the sses are about to start and we wouldn''t like to bete." Hayato said and Soma thought he already waste and he wouldn''t mind beingte. He honestly doesn''t care for this all that much, he already knew enough about engineering, biology, medicine, writing, painting, music, and a load of other things. School was more a social obligation than anything else really.


    Following the teacher, Soma waited as the teacher made the usual introductions for ss that one could expect. After a bit of waiting he was called over and he stood in front of the ss.


    "Hello, my name is Soma Hanakai. I am 17 years old and I will be honest here before any weird rumor can appear. I was stuck in aa for a long time, years really, so despite my age, I have to enter this ss. I hope to get along with you all. My likes are whatever I want to do and what I dislike are those thst annoy me in a variety of ways, those that go against me or those I consider close, and octopuses. I am a firm believer in gender equality so I don''t care if you are a boy or a girl, try anything against me and I will personally introduce you to the ground, and trust me, your rtionship will be intimate. That is all, hope I can get along with you all that manage to not be annoying bitches."


    ... Needless to say, this was Soma''s idea of being a normal student that did not call attention to himself. After 6000 years stuck around the boisterous, powerful, explosive, and quirky personalities in the Throne of Heroes this introduction was downright innocent in his eyes.


    Unfortunately, for everyone else, they felt like he looked a bit like a gangster or yakuza and there was already some gossip about this and that the story of him being in aa was aple lie to hide some darker past.


    "Good, now for your ce to sit, how about-"


    Soma ignored the teacher, he had noticed that Aya was in this ss sitting on the back right beside the ''main character seat'', the seat in the corner of the back by the window so to say. Seeing a familiar face he moved to seat beside her, but when he got to her he saw something truly... unpleasant.


    DISGUSTING


    PIG


    IDIOT


    UGLY


    DROP OUT


    DUMBASS


    PIECE OF SHIT


    DIE ALREADY


    STOP WASTING AIR AND DIE


    DIE


    GO COMMIT SUICIDE IN A DITCH


    DIE ALREADY, BITCH


    The whole table of Aya was covered with such words, there was also some glue all over it making the table look like a giant mess.


    Aya looked at the table as if she was embarrassed by it, as if she did not want Soma to see it. A light glistening of tears could be seen at the corners of her eyes as she looked down and her small hands held onto the rims of her skirt.


    Soma''s vision darkened a bit seeing this.


    "Can anyone exin to me why her table looks like this? Who did this?" Soma asked and there was only silence. Looking at the faces of the students there was no one forting and there were even some snickers regarding it.


    Looking at the teacher Soma saw that said teacher was not paying any attention to this and pretending to not hear the question at all.


    Squinting his eyes Soma spoke to the teacher.


    "Are there no more avable tables in this ss?"


    "There is your table in the middle of the ss." The teacher pointed out to the said table. Soma looked at it for a moment before asking Aya to get up.


    The girl timidly got up, not understanding what Soma wanted.


    Nodding at it he moved he made her hold onto her things as he got her table and chair outside the door and went back inside, taking his own chair and table and giving them to Aya.


    The girl looked like a deer at the red lights as Soma petted her on the shoulder.


    "Now it is better." He said and then turning to the teacher who was looking at him intensely Soma spoke. "I will go to the principal now and make a request for a new table since it seems like this ss iscking in supplies. After all, that thing that you were letting one of your students use is a piece of shit and if you are blind enough not to see this then I don''t understand how someone like you is qualified to teach anyone, much less me."


    And with that Soma turned around and even as the teacher tried to tell him to stop Soma did not give a single damn as he pulled the table and chair straight to the principal. Hayato on his tail trying to stop him and the other sses they passed by all stopping to look at what was going on.


    ///---///


    After getting a new table and chair and informing the director of what he saw Soma left it for the teacher to see what would happen. Unfortunately, Soma could not simply leave a bug to listen in on the conversation since it would have to be a purely magical one and Soma had no doubts that the devils would have absolute control over the top of the school if they were in this ce.


    After getting an empty table and chair he went back to ss and sat there, ignoring the students that were staring at him while he tried to act as inconspicuous as possible.


    Hearing the murmuring of his ssmates and their pointing at him got old really fast. With an annoyed tone, he spoke up.


    "If anyone has anything to say to me or about me then speak up already. I don''t want any weird rumors about me so ask whatever the fuck you want so we can get this over with."


    Of course, no one asked him anything and the teacher returned to ss, restarting the lesson as if nothing happened. Not one word about what happened or what was discussed, not onement about anything, it was like what Soma did and what he saw, all that happened did not happen or simply didn''t matter.


    However, Soma took note of some of his new ssmates expressing some anger towards him and especially ring at Aya who was in the back of the ss. He made a note of that but did not do anything right away, just gave a ''slight'' re to anyone who looked at him funny.


    By the time sses ended Soma moved to Aya''s desk and spoke.


    "So? How about we go to that pet shop now?" he asked, showing his friendly smile and when the girl was about to speak up a girl appeared on her other side.


    "Sorry, but I and my little friend here have ns for after ss. Right?"


    Soma looked at the girl and he felt a bad vibe in her. She was pretty enough, he supposed, as she is a fair-skinned girl with shoulder-length red hair tied in two pigtails with bangs hanging on the left side and red eyes. Her face had sharp features that did not retract to her good looks, but one look at her made Soma feel like she was not up to any good. Her eyes reminded him of Gilgamesh at his worst, and that alone was enough for Soma to not trust her.


    "Well, I and Aya had made some ns as well. So, if you don''t mind, kindly fuck off."


    "Huh? You do have a big mouth, you think you are so great just because you are a bit older than me?" The girl said and red right back at him. Soon two other girls that were apparently her friends came from both sides and stood behind Soma as if to threaten him.


    He did not feel even slightly troubled by this, and he was about to say something when Aya spoke up.


    "S-Sarina-chan is r-r-right. Sorry, Soma-kun, but you can go ahead without me." She said and Sarina, the red-haired girl, shot Soma a triumphant smile.


    Soma just stared for a moment before speaking.


    "Are you sure about that, Aya?"


    "Yes, you can go on ahead. Until tomorrow, Soma-kun." Aya said as Sarina led her outside. Sarina''s friends soon following but one of them slowed down and turned to Soma.


    "Just a tip, don''t get involved with that girl Aya. Nothing good wille of it, you will just be dragged down with her."


    Without waiting for him to answer she followed and Soma stood there for a moment before moving to leave as well.


    However, instead of going to his house right away, he stopped at the school''s entrance. Momo was there and wanted to talk some more but he said he was not in the mood to talk and asked her to leave for now. She did not look overly pleased but let it slide for the most part since she noted his expression was quite serious.


    "... Fine, but tell me if anything happens." Momo said and Soma nodded to her.


    After about 40 minutes Soma saw those three girls leaving the school and as they passed him they snickered as if they found his ''white knight'' act hrious. After twenty more minutes Aya walked out of the school slowly, she was looking down and barely even noticed he was there until he put a hand on her shoulder. Looking at Soma she saw his expression being quite solemn as he looked right into her eyes and spoke.


    "If you ever want my help, juste to me." he said simply and then the two began walking away from school.


    Stopping at the bridge Soma and Aya took the small kitten and Aya took it in her arms, her body trembling slightly as she looked at the kitten and a slight sob sound could be heard for a moment before they moved away from the bridge. With the cat in her arms, Aya and Soma went to a vet shop and bought all the things the cat would need and they went their way until Soma''s house.


    Turns out his house was rather close to Aya''s own house being only a short walk between the two.


    "Until tomorrow, Aya-chan." Soma said and Aya gave a timid smile to him.


    "Until tomorrow, Soma-kun." She said and went her way.


    Soma entered his home, feeling slightly mncholic because of what he feels must be happening to that girl that looked so fragile one tight hug could break her.


    However, such mncholic feelings got destroyed when he saw what awaited him inside his house.


    "Huh? You are home earlier than I expected. Also, I kinda ate all your ice cream."


    "What is up with the cat? I do want some pussy, but not of that kind. I want big titted human-looking pussy!"


    Soma''s forehead had a vein popping as Mittlelt was dressed in one of his shirts with a pot of ice cream in hand and some potato chips on herp as she watched tv, on her side, was the stray exorcist who had no shirt on for some reason, had his hand under his pants, and was messing with Soma''s personal notebook to see porn sites as if the notebook belonged to him.


    "You two, I know I said to getfortable, but WHAT. THE. FUCK!?"


    The two just looked at one another and continued doing what they were doing.


    Soma realized then and there, he really needed something that was pure and nice in his house since he would need something to take away the headache these two would certainly cause to him.


    ///---///


    It was two in the morning. Soma''s body was covered in sweat as he finished another session of transformation to his body. He had just finished turning the skin around his torso and now he had his torso and arms'' skin fully transformed. With this, he could take normal bullets to those areas and not be pierced at all.


    "Well, that was productive." He said and smiled. His body was now just about ready to be able to undergo physical training thanks to the potions he managed to make thesest few days. And with his skin improving its quality he would be able to better hide any external signs of the damage made during the workouts.


    DING DONG


    Hearing the bell ringing Soma found it strange. Taking a deep breath he did not sense any demonic presence or anything like that, it didn''t smell like anything really.


    Moving to the door he cautiously opened it while holding one of the light swords he found in the church and modified thereafter to be much stronger.


    However, he shouldn''t have bothered since in front of him was not an enemy. No, instead it was Aya. The little girl was trembling slightly and looked up at Soma before speaking.


    "C-Can I sleep here? J-J-Just for tonight, please." She said and Soma, seeing her state, nodded and brought her in. As she walked inside she did not see Soma''s expression darkening considerably as he noted the very dark marks around her neck.


    Marks only left in someone normally in one condition, when you were choking someone.

 Chapter 7 - 7

    "So, Momo-chan, what is it that made you so angry this time?" Tsubasa asked her friend while they both were managing some documents of the student council. The day started as normal but after a call in the middle of sses, Momo turned from cheerful to angry quite quickly, if Tsubasa didn''t know any better she would think Momo is an Asura instead of a devil.


    Even the perverted trio was spooked by her... for a few seconds before they tried to take a panty shot at her and speak about what they would like to do to her in bed. Of course, right where Momo could hear. ??


    For these sorts of things that people wondered why exactly those idiots were not kicked out.


    Momo, turning to her friend, looked at her intensely before speaking.


    "Take a guess at what could make me this annoyed."


    This time it was not just Tsubasa but all members of the student council that answered at once.


    "Your cousin."


    Momo looked around and sighed, this really was getting predictable.


    "So? What did your cousin wonder did this time."


    "He missed ss and even when I tried to call him he did not answer at all. He is always like that, doing whatever he wants!" After that Momo started a rant that only someone that had this sisterly bond could execute.


    The others just listened without anyments while Sona put a finger on her own chin. This cousin was looking more and more like a problem child, and Sona''s desire to make a school means she would find plenty of them. However, in Highschool, everyone is far too cowed or good-natured to act this rebellious and it was like that since she entered highschool. Perhaps it was due to the school being mostly for women or something but this chance of making some boy see the error of his ways would be a good experience for Sona.


    Thinking thus she spoke.


    "Momo, tomorrow tell your cousin toe here. I would like to talk to him about his actions." Sona said and Momo nodded.


    "Yes, Kaichou. But, a fair warning, he is a bit... unconventional." Momo said and Sona just raised an eyebrow towards it.


    "I doubt this would be an issue."


    Momo could only nod while knowing that this would likely not end up well.


    ///---///


    "So? Care to exin why exactly I have to be all dressed up inside the house today?" The stray exorcist said and Soma red at him.


    "Two reasons, first because I have a guest that I actually care for in the house today and I don''t want you to sh her."


    "Hey, I don''t just sh people like that. Also, it hurts my heart to know you don''t actually care for me despite letting me stay here."


    "As for the second reason, you are already making me contemte using your body as a host for a demonic ritual that would call a cosmic god''s blessings that would cost your entire essence and soul as the price for the blessing to me. Don''t give me extra reasons." Soma said and the stray just raised his hands.


    "Fine, fine, this little Rintaro Akuta can hold on for a while. I will try my best to hold on and not do anything bad." Rintaro said and Soma was pretty sure that his ''best'' would not amount to much.


    This man was one driven by instinct more than anything, holding back was not something someone like that was good at.


    As for Mittlelt, she was still asleep in a truly embarrassing position. Apparently, she was a sloth when it came to how she slept.


    Soma just sighed and went about his day. He made sure to let Aya sleep as much as she wanted in the bed in one of the rooms in the house (he kicked Rintaro out of the room he was before and told him to find a ditch to sleep on the couch). Soma also made sure to prepare some breakfast and leave it on the table of the room without waking her up, he would give Aya the space she needed so clearly.


    He did not go to school today, he decided instead to stay at home until Aya woke up so they could talk or at least he be there for her. Well, considering the little gift he left in her room she might end up staying there for a while more. But he figures that it would help, it would be easier for her to speak with it than him in the end since they barely know each other.


    ///---///


    In a dark room, Aya slowly opened her eyes.


    ''Weird, there is no shouting for me to hurry up to breakfast.''


    At such thoughts, Aya looked around the room absentmindedly and noted things around her.


    "Strange, I had a desk beside my bed where I could do homework." She said as she didn''t see the aforementioned desk. Instead, there was a table that was much simpler and was nothing like the one back in her room.


    She only looked as if in a daze until she realized what has happened. What was going on exactly. Where she was.


    ... That her life was so fucked up that she felt that a person she has only known for a day would be the only one she could turn to, and that he actually took her in.


    Standing up from the bed she saw what was on the table. It was a simple breakfast with some bread, juice, and fruits. It was simple but she noted a small card on the side.


    ''Hope you like the breakfast. When you want to talk I am right here, Soma ;)''


    Aya looked at it as if not understanding what it meant and just slowly started eating the food.


    Meow~~


    Looking down she saw the kitten Soma took home with him was right by her side now.


    "I am d you found such a good home. Everyone needs a home. E... Everyone needs it, but, but where is my home?"


    Loud sobs could be heard through the door as Aya''s pent-up emotions bubbled over. Years of frustration and sadness exploding outwards inrge drops that she could not stop at all.


    Soma heard it despite the distance between himself and the room, and he clenched his fists. He didn''t know Aya all that much, having only met her the day before, but despite that, he could tell very easily that she was decidedly one of the kindest people he has ever met. There was just something about her that made him feel like he should protect her, that if he didn''t she would notst much longer, and such a thought was displeasing.


    Sighing Soma rxed his palms, he would leave Aya alone for now and instead focus on his survival. He had obtained a lot on his previous raid of the church, he now just had to make sure that he could use it all.


    Moving through the house Soma arrived at the basement of the house. It was nothing big, truth be told, but Soma didn''t mind. With circuits shing Soma put his hand on the walls of the basement and destroyed the walls before expanding the basement to berger and deeper.


    It made him slightly tired to do that, but he simply used the mana he had stored in one of his rings to recover his personal reserves. Feeling reinvigorated he continued his work. After expanding considerably the size of the basement he carved several primal runes in the walls, only when he felt that these walls could take at least a few strikes of Herakles without shattering did Soma feel satisfied.


    After this, Soma used magecraft to create a basic forge, putting several runes in it to be able to handle the heat and everything else. After half an hour of working on this, he felt satisfied and sat down in front of the forge.


    Taking out the several guns, swords, and crosses he obtained in his visit to the church Soma looked at them. Their material was rtively normal but there were traces of some more unique metal that was blessed considerably in each of them.


    "Perhaps this metal was made with the express purpose of being anti-demonic energy in nature? It does feel like a watered-down version of the material used in some of the holy swords I know, much diluted but it is still something." Soma thought to himself as he observed the said metal.


    It was not quite enough for what he wanted, but he decided to give it a shot. He had 27 sets of each of the weapons, after thinking for a moment he disassembled 10 such sets using alchemy to separate the parts and metal to ensure he could obtain the metal he needed. It was not much, even with 10 sets it was only about 180 grams of this metal, not nearly enough to produce a full weapon but with this metal concentrated in his hand after eliminating all impurities, Soma was quite surprised by how this metal worked.


    It was extremely malleable and it had clear holy energy inside it. It was quite surprising, to say the least, and made Soma quite excited about what it could potentially be used for.


    Thinking for a bit Soma decided to go out for a short while. Going to Mittlelt''s room first he saw that the fallen had woken up and was ying some game on her phone. Where she got the phone was anyone''s guess but Soma honestly didn''t care either way.


    "Hey, blond midget."


    "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET?!" She shouted as she heard him, turning to re at him in anger as soon as she heard Soma''s words.


    "You, of course." ignoring Mittlelt''s growling in anger Soma continued speaking. "Anyway, I have a guest in the house, her name is Aya. She is in one of the rooms of the house and if she gets out of the room for any reason make sure she isfortable and do NOT let that leach Rintaro insult or trouble her. Tell her I had to go out for a bit and if possible try to be nice to her, she is going through a lot and I don''t want either you or that stray to make things any worst. If I get home and see anything I shouldn''t I will make sure you both will feel 10 times worst than you did when I got you both here without any actual injury."


    Mittlelt nodded her head, a shiver running down her spine at his words. She didn''t understand all this human could do but she has lived for over two hundred years now and she has seen a lot, Soma gave her the same vibes as Azazel sometimes and she did not want to make anyone who gave off such vibes pissed at her.


    "Fine, leave it to me." Mittlelt said giving a salute that was actually slightly cute in a sense.


    Soma nodded his head, returning to his room. Putting on his hoodie and a pair of ck pants he got out of the house.


    Moving through town it took him a while until he reached the center of Kuoh, there were many stores all around and many people walking by. With swift movements Soma passed by the ce, his fingers moving as if they had a mind of their own and Soma used his pickpocket skills to steal the cash of the people he was passing by.


    He did that for a simple enough reason, he wanted to buy as many materials to test as he could in the production of the best weapon he could manage within his current abilities, and as such he needed cash. He could use the credit card his parents left for him, but they could verify what he was using his money on and he would rather not have to answer these sorts of questions if possible.


    After getting a good amount of cash Soma went to look for the ce Rintaro had indicated for him. It was on the outskirts of town on the west sector of Kuoh, strangely enough, the ce was what Soma could only call a typical Japanese house.


    "Well, in for a penny I guess." Soma said with a shrug. Knocking on the door he had to wait for a minute before someone opened the door, it was a burly tall man that waspletely bald with a dragon tattoo on his face and sunsses. He was wearing a suit that made him somehow look even more intimidating and Soma could only think of one thing.


    ''Well, it seems that the ck market for the supernatural is rted to the Yakuza. That checks out, I guess, but it would sure be nice if Rintaro had bothered to tell me that.''


    "What you want, punk?"


    "I came here to see if there is some business opportunity for me. I have some stuff I want to buy and heard you guys could help me get what I want." Soma said simply and directly.


    The yakuza red down at him and stayed fixated for a moment or two before nodding.


    "Fine, I will take you to meet the boss. He will decide if you are worthy of doing business with us." The Yakuza said and pointed for Soma to enter.


    As soon as Soma took one step inside the ce he felt himself pass through a bounded field and raised an eyebrow at this. He hadn''t felt it at all before passing through it, which was quite surprising. Clearly, this ce had extremely good security if they could set up a thing like this, even though Soma could say that he didn''t feel anything because this bounded field was not able to cause any harm and was quite weak and only set to detect people entering and if they had negative intentions towards those inside.


    Closing his eyes he nodded his head, this bounded field was connected to a separate bounded field that would only activate if the opposition had negative or hostile intentions towards those keyed to it and this second bounded field was extremely offensive in nature, set up to attack anyone that enters it and weaken or destroy those who tried to get in.


    It was honestly impressive, even Soma would have some slight issues to invade this ce,e if he wanted to do so while undetected, and being able to reach a point like this was no easy feat.


    As Soma walked through the house he saw many Yakuza moving from one side to another, they were all quite dangerous looking and Soma was impressed slightly by them. They all seemed to have some training in martial arts from the way they move and he could sense they all had some energy in their bodies, they weren''t overly powerful but just the fact that there were so many people able to use some magic here was enough to make this Yakuza group all the more impressive.


    The more he saw the more Soma realized that this Yakuza was not simple at all and that he should be careful of his actions while here. But, he also felt like this could be an opportunity for him moving forward since a ce like this should be able to do business with him, and having an in with the ck market sounded simply far too good.


    "Wait here for a bit, the boss wille to see you in a bit." The Yakuza that was leading Soma arrived at a simple Japanese room and indicated for him to wait inside. It was a simple enough ce that gave off a calm atmosphere and made Soma rx.


    After a few minutes, a maid came and offered him some green tea that Soma epted and while drinking the tea he rxed thoroughly. It was another half an hour until a man entered the room.


    It was a pale-skinned middle-aged man with ck hair, dark-colored eyes, and a scar along the right side of his face. Wearing a ck formal kimono he looked at Soma intensely before sitting down on a pillow of sorts, the maid that gave Soma the tea before quickly came over with a bottle of sake and a single cup, presenting it to the man who was clearly the boss around here.


    The man drank a cup of sake and said nothing as he looked at Soma. They continued like this for some time, neither talking anything and just standing there until one of them broke the impasse.


    "My name is Genyo Ringa, the boss of the Ringa family. Now, before we talk business, I want to ask you some things. First, what are your associations exactly? My boys did a check on you as soon as you got into the house and found your identity, Soma Hanakai, but we don''t know who you work with."


    Soma was slightly surprised, this Yakuza must have connections with the government or something for them to be able to do a background check so quickly. He did have his identity and documents with the government so it was the fastest way to exin it.


    "I am working by myself, for myself." Soma answered simply enough.


    "I see. Another question then. Are you rted to the church incident that happened recently?" The man questioned and Soma just nodded.


    After examining the man Soma could tell he was not stupid and lying to him could damage any chance of making good or at least neutral rtions with the ck market, something uneptable for the current Soma.


    "... I see, what exactly you want from us?" Genyo asked, taking out a pipe from his back and started smoking it as he looked at Soma standing before him.


    "I don''t have much right now, just fifty thousand yen and 5 sets of exorcist weapons I can sell, but I would like to buy some simple items. Do you have a pen and paper for me to write down my request?"


    Genyo waved to the maid on the side who produced said pen and paper, giving them to Soma who proceeded to write down what he would want in order of how much he needed them. He wrote well more than what he could feasibly buy with his current funds but it was only to test and see how much this group could provide him.


    Passing the paper to Genyo the Yakuza boss looked at it and after reading the list he stopped talking, thinking for a while as he looked at Soma intently. After a minute or so he opened his mouth again.


    "The first few items we can provide easily enough without any issue, but for the money you have, most of them are simply impossible. We can provide them all, but I know a thing or two about weapon making and I can tell that these things could be used to produce good anti-demonic weaponry. If I give it to someone who will start trouble in the territory we could be implicated and I would rather not have this problem."


    Soma clenched his fists slightly. The first few items are those essential for some potions that would finish his recovery and even help speed up his physical training considerably by many times over. Having them alone would be enough for Soma if nothing else, but he wanted more than that if possible.


    The items Genyo said he wouldn''t sell are those he needed if he wanted to produce weapons and mystic codes that Soma would definitely need in a world like this with so many dangerous creatures lurking about. Not getting them would be quite troublesome, to say the least, since there was only so much Soma could do with ordinary items and scraps.


    "Is there anything I can do to make you more willing to talk in these discussions? I would really like to be at least allowed to buy those items you said you won''t sell me."


    Genyo looked at him for a bit before speaking.


    "There is one, we have a spar right here and now. We both use energy suppressing items to ensure we have at most a baseline amount of energy and we sh des against one another." The boss said and


    Soma was quite surprised.


    "That is an unexpected request."


    Genyo just gave a light chuckle before answering.


    "Personally, I don''t mind if you kicked the snot out of one of those prancing bafoon devils, but I can''t risk someone going about creating chaos or someone powerful aiming to cause problems within thends entrusted to me and my family. As such, testing your character would be the best way to see what sort of person you are and, in my family, we believe that it is only when crossing swords do we know what the other person truly is like. If you are not a threat then forget selling those items, we can even talk about cooperation and more diverse business. But if you are up to no good then don''t me me for being impolite."


    Soma was slightly confused by what Genyo said but he saw no reason to say no.


    Soma knew that some old-fashioned people were like that, the chief example being Sasaki-sensei. Besides, Soma could really use being able to swing a true sword after over a month without even touching an actual sword (light swords don''t count since they feel different) after spending thousands of years with a sword in his hands. And, in the end, he wouldn''t mind making closer connections with the Yakuza if they could provide him with funds and the materials he needed. He would simply see this as a more aggressive than a normal job interview and roll with it.


    As for the boss, Genyo Ringo wanted to see just who this person that caused so much chaos was. He had never seen him before or heard anything about him before the church incident where he defeated a devil and this one action caused a domino effect of chaos in the region. Personally, Genyo was d to see the devils taken down a peg considering how full of themselves they were, acting as if they truly owned thisnd that should belong to humans and the Shinto Faction, but he had to be cautious.


    He would not do business with someone that would cause harm to Kuoh''s citizens and city. That was his bottom line which he followed, and this spar would let him see just what sort of person Soma was. For him it was only duringbat that one could truly sense what the other person was like, only then would one be able to truly sense what each other was like.

 Chapter 8 - 8

    Taking a firm hold of the blunted katana in his hands Soma smiled slightly, the weapon was very far from his ideal but just having that weight in his hands, the sensation of a sword in his arms, it was enough to make Soma smile slightly.


    Holding it tight Soma gave some experimental swings and nodded, adapting quickly to its center of gravity, size, weight, and everything else he should pay attention to in regards to the sword. ??


    Genyo observed this and nodded his head, being thankful that he would at least not have to face aplete amateur who only knew how to st magic every which way or someone who could not hold a sword properly and instead used other weapons. Whenever he faced someone like that it would always annoy him considerably.


    As the two moved to the sparing ring the other members of the gang stopped to watch as they wanted to see their boss'' dominance. It was always a spectacle for them since their boss was a considerably powerful swordsman in the ck Market and there were even rumors that if he used his full power and was given a good sword he would be able to y even an adult dragon.


    As for Soma, no one knew anything about him so they just thought of him as a joke since there was no way their boss would so easily lose.


    "Ready, boy?" Genyo asked, his sword stance being set as he prepared himself for this fight. Soma was slightly surprised by the stance seeing how there were no holes to take advantage of. This man was clearly experienced and Soma was slightly excited to test Genyo''s technique... and steal it.


    "Ready when you are." Soma said as he took his own stance, orck there off. His shoulders were rxed, his stance was more filled with openings than otherwise, and he did not look to have a single care about his position.


    Genyo looks at his stance and thinks it rather unique, but does notment upon it. This was arge world and Genyo could tell Soma had some understanding of the sword, this stance must have some trick in Genyo''s opinion.


    Taking a step forward Genyo approached Soma, his eyes traced at Soma''s form without missing a beat as he got closer and closer. Soma didn''t move even as Genyo got close enough and started attacking him, instead of attacking back Soma was entirely on the defensive and would most times dodge an attack instead of even pairing it.


    Genyo''s sword got progressively faster, his strikes harder as he started putting more energy into his body to increase his physical capabilities. He was going from normal human speed, to one that one could expect from an Olympics athlete, to one that one could only see on the supernatural races. However, no matter how much his sword was swung around and how fast or precise the strikes, Soma continued to favor evasion or paring instead of attacking back.


    Most of the spectators were rather divided. The newbies were mostly looking down at the fight with a minority even openly mocking Soma since he was only defending, they all were saying things like he was on the ropes and was barely hanging on, that he should just give up already if he couldn''t even try to fight back. Meanwhile, the more senior members of the Ringa family were looking at the fight with serious eyes while noting the attitude of the newbies and deciding they had to be more strict in the training, if their newbies were this useless to not even understand what was going on.


    After a point, both Soma and Genyo were little more than blurs as Genyo reached the limit of energy he could use for the spar, his sword swings generating air shes that had to be dodged by the goons that quickly started vacating the training area in a hurry. Soma was forced more and more in deflecting the strikes instead of attacking back, but he never once attacked and only stared intensely at Genyo''s movements.


    However, suddenly Genyo stopped the fight and jumped back and away from Soma despite having just managed to get a single light cut on him. The Yakuza boss'' eyes were sharp as he looked at Soma and spoke.


    "About your request, how much cash can you pay?"


    "I have 50 thousand yen in hand and can get a lot more if given a week or so. I also can trade away 10 sets of basic exorcist weapons, pistol and light swords." Soma said and Genyo nodded his head.


    "I understand, what you have is far too little for most of what you are requesting and in the amounts you want, but we can make a deal. I will sell you all you need, give us the money you have and what is left from the money needed for the purchase you can work in exchangeter. Would that be eptable?" Genyo asked and Soma nodded.


    "Sure, that works well enough for me, but I need to know what the jobs would be and you can''t force me to take a job that I refuse for good reasons. Besides, even after I finish paying the debt I generate I probably wouldn''t mind doing business with you guys and if I can pay for it with work it works well enough for me." Soma said and Genyo nodded.


    "I will send you the items and a magic contract to ensure things are crystal clear. I should have it prepared by the weekend at thetest. Keep the Katana as a gift." Genyo said and then turned to one of the goons to lead Soma away. The gang members grumbled a bit since the fight was too short and ended abruptly just like that, but they could only lower their heads and ept it before moving along.


    After Soma left Genyo also left the training ground. After he left the goons started talking of the boss''s kindness to give such good terms to this ''new guy'' just like that. Not that this exnation would mollify everyone since, as soon as Genyo turned a corner, he saw his wife and daughter standing there.


    "... So? Why the hell did you stop the match at that point?" Rio Ringa, the wife of Genyo, asked. She knew her husband well enough, he should have a reason for suddenly deciding to just stop the match like that.


    "Simple, with the years I''ve had of life and my many experiences I''ve learned one thing, and that is when to cut my losses. That young man was evading my strikes before I evenunched them, he could have ended that spar much sooner but instead he didn''t. Not because of some weird reason or because he wanted to give me face, he was examining every single one of my strikes and I have no doubt he can replicate them already. If we kept on fighting he would just learn even more of our family''s style and I would have little to show for it, better to end things now instead of prolonging the fight and make us weaker." Genyo said and his wife''s eyes widened while his daughter showed a slight smirk.


    "So, he is good with a de?" Sayuki Ringa, Genyo''s daughter asked. She was a 14 years old girl, much like Aya and also a student of thest year of middle school, but, unlike Aya, she was rather tall with a lean but athletic figure, straight long ck hair and sharp ck eyes. A sword on her side that she already had her hand on and Genyo noted this before answering.


    "Yes, even if I didn''t see him swing his bade once I can tell he is at the absolute least as skilled as me in my prime. The only other person who ever gave me a simr type of impression with a de before would be our Lord." Genyo said and he was not surprised when Rio had to stretch her arm to hold on to Sayuki who tried to run right in Soma''s direction to challenge him.


    Truly, Sayuki was far too much of a swordsmanship maniac at times.


    As Rio was holding onto her daughter she turned to her husband.


    "Dear, if you think that young man so dangerous why did you let him go like that? You know that, inside these walls with our bounded fields active, even most Ultimate ss Devils would be no match for us."


    "Why I let him go and want to start a rtionship with him? Of course, because it would be beneficial. Someone like that with such talent and skill with the sword, someone like that would surely be useful in many ways and our Lord loves people like that. People like that can either be the greatest ally or the most dangerous enemy. He could be of help to us and if our lord recruits him due to us indicating him then we will get even more recognition and benefits." Genyo said and smirked. Rio just sighed, her husband did love his little political games sometimes.


    Deciding not to question her husband further, Rio simply dragged her daughter away. With some talking to, her baby girl''s fighting lust would subside and everything should be fine-ish. Rio has no idea how things would be when in school, but that would depend on just how much she could make it so her daughter didn''t make a scene.


    ///---///


    Returning home after paying with what money he had Soma felt satisfied. Thankfully the ingredients for the potions he would be making were already in hand and he took them right away, the rest would probably take some more time but Soma could by then at least be happy his body would be perfectly healthy and he could start his physical training properly.


    Passing by Aya''s door he saw it was still locked and he sighed, he would only force some interaction with her if she didn''t get out of the room by the end of the day. She was in a fragile state of mind and needed time to vent and calm down, but that doesn''t mean Soma would let her simply hide away in the room for who knows how long.


    "... Maybe I should make something for her. I AM already making some potions to recover the body''s strength and physical fitness, she would probably find that useful." Soma thought as he went to his workshop in the basement. Using his alchemy Soma made a pot suitable for potion making by carving several runes inside to let him control the temperature inside the pot. With the equipment prepared Soma started the process.


    It was honestly quite simple as far as Soma was concerned, the whole thing taking about half an hour toplete and by the end, he had a green juice with some yellow mixed in. It didn''t look appetizing at all but Soma didn''t care.


    Using reinforcement he pulled up the pot from the ground and started drinking up the liquid inside inrge gulps as if a barbarian, some of the liquid running down the sides of his mouth even. The thing had a weird fruity scent to it but was overall not too bad. Well, considering he spent a long time eating all sorts of weird concoctions with questionable ingredients to help test the effects of potions and alchemic products for some of the Heroes in the Throne his capacity to know what was, and wasn''t, edible is questionable at best.


    But that wasn''t the most important thing. As the liquid entered his body he could almost feel the vitality entering his body. His sickly and thin look was changing at a visible rate, energy filling his every cell as he could feel his body''s improvements.


    It was an intoxicating feeling, he could feel the small imperfections created from having been in aa for so long were vanishing and he felt it. That feeling of finally getting rid of the shackles that were otherwise locking him down. It was purely magnificent.


    When he was finally done with that he smirked before looking at the rest of the potion. There was not a lot left, but he could do something with the rest to give it a good taste before giving it to Aya. Thinking for a bit he took out some of the metal he had collected from the disassembled exorcist guns and used alchemy and some runes to make a little something for the girl.


    Moving to the kitchen Soma noted that it was about 3 PM now and Aya had yet to leave the room. Thinking it weird he figured she would probably not have had any lunch. Thinking for but a moment he began to prepare a quick but satisfying meal and after around half an hour he was done with it and he had also made the modifications necessary to the potion so that Aya could drink it and actually like it.


    Feeling satisfied with what he got Soma prepared two servings of food and took them to the room Aya was at.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    "Aya, it is me Soma. Open the door please."


    There was some shuffling on the other side of the door and Soma could clearly hear Aya approaching the door due to her footsteps, but when she was right in front she stopped and didn''t open the door.


    "Come on, Aya. Just open the door, I made some lunch and I don''t want it to get cold."


    After a few seconds, the door was unlocked and Soma could see Aya inside the room.


    The sight of her honestly broke Soma a bit, she looked so small and so very pitiful with marks of crying on her face, her hair disheveled and the bags under her eyes even darker than before.


    Moving into the room Soma put the two tes of food down and pped his hands together.


    "Itadakimasu." He said and started eating. He didn''t say anything to Aya but he made sure she could see there was a second te ready right in front of his, clearly intended for her.


    Sitting down she too said ''Itadakimasu'' and started eating. After the first bite, her eyes widened and she began eating with greater voracity than before.


    "This ish sho goood." Aya said with her mouth full as if a chipmunk and Soma released a shortugh before answering.


    "Good to know, I did it myself. If you want I can make the lunch for you as well for school." Soma said and Aya''s eyes widened.


    "School?! Ipletely forgot, I missed sses today."


    "Don''t worry, one day shouldn''t really warrant much of a response anyway so there should be no issue. Besides, there are things more important than school and your health clearly should be one of those. Now eat up, this food is better when hot."


    Aya lowered her head and continued eating the food, by the time they ended the food Soma unceremoniouslyid down on the floor and burped which made Aya slightly shocked. Soma was way more ''bombastic'' of a person than she was used to, by a long shot at that.


    She was used to long silences, cold stares, fake smiles when appropriate, and people only expressing themselves more when it was a moment to do things she preferred not to think about, even if those thoughts never truly leave her head. But Soma was unlike anything she has seen before, almost apletely alien existence for her.


    Brash, direct, loud, a bad loser, kind, gentle at times, scary, not polite, abrasive, and all sorts of other things all at once. He was just too unlike those she has met before and Aya feared this. Most of today, after realizing she went to him after what happened during the previous night, she feared exactly this.


    That she would end up being swallowed up by Soma''s presence, that she would end up giving herself to someone as crazy as this who she felt she could trust and rely on, and feared exactly the thought of trusting and relying on.


    "Hey, Aya." Soma spoke, making the contemting girl jump slightly.


    "Y-Yes?"


    "No need to be afraid, I don''t bite you know?" Soma then saw the embarrassed face she was making and chuckled. "You are not too easy to read, but few people can hope to hide anything from me when I want to know what is going on."


    Aya''s eyes widened, her back covering in a cold sweat at the thought of Soma finding out what was happening, of seeing the shameful life she was living. Soma, meanwhile, just shook his head.


    "Look, I promise you I won''t intervene in whatever is happening with you unless you ask for my help or if I feel your life is in danger in any way. I may not look like it but I can be quite the reliable one, so if you ever need someone to speak with or need help with something just talk to me."


    Aya looked down and closed her hands firmly before speaking.


    "... Why?"


    "''Why'' what? Please be specific, if you want to ask why my hair looks so shiny then it is good gics." Soma joked to lighten the mood slightly and Aya shook her head.


    "Why do you want to do so much for me? We don''t even know one another, so why?"


    "Because I felt like it. I trust my guts and I felt in my guts that I can trust you and that we could be friends. One good friend is worth their weight in gold, that is what I believe."


    "I am not worth that much, not at all." Aya said sadly and Soma just shrugged.


    "Depends on who you are asking. You may not think so, the rest of the world may not think so, but I think that you are worth a lot, and I trust myself. If it isplicated then just think of this as me being noisy or something, I don''t really mind. Just remember, if you ever want to talk then just say the word." Soma said before taking out something from his pocket and giving it to Aya. It looked like a simple bracelet made of metal with the word ''Hope'' inside in a cursivenguage inside it and what looked like engraved flowers on the outside. The thing was rather well made but nothing too grand, it looked like a simple essory and as Aya held onto it she clutched it tight.


    She could not remember thest time she received a gift from anyone, even her exact date of her birthday was something she could barely remember anymore.


    "Consider this a gift, I bought it earlier today when I had to go out to get some shopping done." Which was not a lie at all in Soma''s opinion. "I think it would be good for you to have it. Do you like it?"


    "Uhm, I do. I like this, very, very much. Thank you, thank you." She said as she clutched the bracelet in her hand and smiled brightly.


    Soma smiled as well and got up.


    "Good to know. You can stay at my house for as long as you want, and you cane back here whenever you want as well. So, if you are not too busy what would you say of you going to take a bath and then follow me to the back for some basic exercises? You know what they say, a healthy mind starts with a healthy body."


    Aya nodded her head and only as she was about to go to the bath did she realize she didn''t go to the bathroom once today and she really needed to go.


    Quickly leaving the room to get to the bathroom Aya left Soma in the room who chuckled a bit at her rather cute reactions.


    Going to his own room Soma selected the training clothes he had prepared beforehand for when he could start his training. He had sewed several runes on them that would help increase the pressure as well as increase the recovery speed of his body, always putting his body at the absolute limit of what it could take and maintaining the body on the limit of what it could take.


    That, added to the training regimen he had nned out should help him get the physical condition that he felt necessary. Feeling some excitement over what he was about to do Soma put on his training clothes and looked himself in the mirror. Smirking a bit as he much rather this swimmer physique with defined muscle mass instead of the skeletal state his body was at just a short while back.


    He felt like these physical changes were a bit extreme, but few people knew the state he was in before so he didn''t think any devil would notice his physical changes seeing as he only went to school once since he woke up, and even then his physique was notpletely bad yesterday when he first went to ss so there was little chance they would connect the dots.


    Satisfied Soma clenched his fists and said to himself.


    "Okay, time to start training hard!"

 Chapter 9 - 9

    "Come on, with me. One, two!"


    "One *HUFF* *HUFF* Two *HUFF* HUFF*" ??


    "Three, four!"


    "Threee *HUFF* *HUFF* Four *HUFF* *HUFF*"


    "Five, Six!"


    "Five *HUFF* *HUFF* Si..."


    "Seven, Eight!"


    "..."


    "Nine, Ten!"


    "..."


    Stopping his movements from his jumping jacks Soma saw Aya on the floor, extremely exhausted and not moving at all anymore. Her body was hurting all over thanks to trying to keep up with the exercise routine Soma had made for her.


    Soma scratched his head seeing the state she was at, not really understanding why she was so exhausted so quickly. They had just been working out for thest two hours nonstop, after all, something like that shouldn''t even count as a warm-up in his eyes.


    Needless to say, after thousands of years working out his body while in the Throne of Heroes with progressively harder and stronger methods, Soma hadpletely forgotten what was the limit of a normal human and honestly thought that the normal start of the training for the body would be someone working out at least 5 to 6 hours a day with weights that weighted at least eight times their body weight. Of course, he was doing something a bit more advanced than that considering his mystic code clothes put a lot more pressure than that on his every movement while quickly elerating his body''s muscle recovery rate to be able to handle this.


    His idea of a workout was what most would see as physical and psychological torture due to the pain of the process, but he could only see it as normal and expected if you wanted results properly.


    Aya just looked at Soma who was sweating so much without a care and was looking worriedly at her copsed form who could no longer handle the ''workout'' he was going through and wondered.


    ''... Is Soma-kun really human?''


    She could only add this as another thing to the list of reasons to doubt if he truly was human.


    "You are tired, wait a bit." Soma said as he moved to Aya and with great care pulled her up from the ground in a princess carry that made her almost instantly blush, not that the blush was noticeable seeing as her face was already quite red from the workout.


    She felt like hiding her face with her hands but she could not do even that seeing as she could not move at all. Her body was far too exhausted since she tried her best to follow the training regime that Soma had made, not wanting to look or feel even more weak.


    Moving Aya to the balcony of the house Somaid her under the shade and got her some juice/potion he had left to the side prepared in case Aya exhausted herself. This potion''s recovery attributes would certainly help Aya''s body to recover faster and she would not feel any pains from her muscles or anything.


    After making sure she was alright and would recover Soma decided it was time to push himself further. Thanks to his mystic code his body was working overtime with every move but was recovering from the damage and growing stronger continuously. It was now time to start training his muscles more properly to not only be stronger but also to train the specific muscle memory to his fighting style.


    First hand to hand. Putting himself in position Soma began to move his body, he decided that if he was to practice one first he should try the one that he learned from those crazy Christian happy punchy guys. This city had several devils he did not know about and Mittlelt''s information was unreliable at best, Soma had to prepare himself in case these devils were hostile and this specific martial art would be the best one when ites to theplete eradication of potential threats from said demonic existences.


    Moving his arms his fists were filled with determination, even without meaning two his body soon was emitting holy light of the highest of purities. It was a while before Soma noticed this, as he did so he stopped and raised a brow at this fact. He began to sense from where this energy wasing from since it most definitely did not originate from himself and was slightly different from what he was expecting.


    It was like he was at the same time borrowing energy from somewhere and using his own rather normal amounts of holy energy when he moved. Thebination was quite potent as far as he could tell even if he could not say from where exactly this energy wasing from, but when he felt there was no true risk to him he just shrugged and continued on. He could only push this phenomenon as something rted to this world''s logic since he knows his body was still far from able to disy holy energy if considering what he knew of the Throne of Heroes.


    "I will have to think about what is going on more thoroughlyter on. This world seems truly very different." Soma said as he continued his moves.


    The martial arts he was practicing right now was called Jacob''s Limbs, a martial arts of the Abrahamic Religion that was lost to the church as time passed and that borrowed the power of God himself to fight. It was the martial arts that Jacob, Moses, and Martha used and it was said that those who master it are said to be able to beat an "angel of destruction" that leads 12,000 angels. Hell, Martha was thetest person who knew this martial arts and she could subdue a gigantic dragon such as Tarasque using this and just punch said dragon around as if he was a volleyball.


    In the Throne, it took him many dozens of times longer than any of said saints for Soma to master this art, but he managed in the end. Shame his current body was far from being able to match the full standards needed to properly execute this technique and there was only so much of God''s might he could borrow due to his own current limitations. But, if he kept training his body said limitations would eventually vanish and he would be able to fight at a much higher level.


    Soma was also slightly worried about God''s reaction towards someone borrowing his power without his authorization to do so but, from what Mittlelt told Soma, God hasn''t made an appearance anywhere since the Great War that happened a long, long time ago. God deciding to show up simply because a human can borrow a small sliver of his power is ridiculous even as a concept in Soma''s eyes. If it was so simple to make such a divine hikikomori toe out of his room/pce then he would havee out at least during the WW2 or something.


    As such, Soma continued to move his body, the holy energy emitting from him being nearly invisible for anybody else even as it''s density increased the more Soma proceeded to experience this with his body. Not that Soma overly minded the increase of holy energy, he just continued to practice this martial art that would normally be impossible for anyone who wasn''t a saint to use, immersing himself deeply into training.


    Aya, on the side, could swear she saw him shining from time to time, but she ignored it and told herself to stop seeing things and to be realistic. That she shouldn''t start daydreaming about Soma shining or something. Well, to be fair he did have times he was emitting more holy energy and it became visible, but Aya did not know that so she could only think she was imagining things and blushing at this fact.


    ///---///


    After finishing his physical training Soma felt quite satisfied, his body was quite tired but his mind was fresh after exercising in a way that would be seen as slow torture for most other non-training crazy people. Well, not that Soma really realized how abnormal his training was since he was used to such rigorous workouts after hisst two thousand years in the Throne being trainings of this degree to higher.


    Meanwhile, Aya had gone back to her room to rest properly and watch some TV. She was a bit embarrassed when Soma told her it was her room, but he already said it was hers from now on for as long as she wanted so she lowered her head and epted Soma''s kindness. As for the boy himself, he went to the kitchen, ate a lot of chicken chest and sweat potatoes, drank a lot of water, and then went down to his workshop. As he was going there he noted how the sun was starting to lower and sighed.


    "The day is never long enough, huh." Soma said as he entered his workshop. Looking at the materials he had at hand the one that most drew his attention was a rtively small amount of that blessed metal, it was not enough for making any decent weapon using it alone, but with it and what he had obtained in the Ringa house, he could do something special.


    It was using the Katana that Genyo gave him as a bonus as well as the metals that arrived while Soma was training with Aya (the Yakuza of this town worked fast and they sent all the not overly rare and precious materials quickly to Soma).


    The katana in question he would use as a basis was rather blunt and honestly wouldn''t be nearly enough for him to use as is, but there were still ways it could be used.


    Namely, Soma activated the forge he made and prepared himself for remaking the Katana to something superior whenpared to before. Even without the special metal Soma was confident he could reforge the Katana into something impressive considering the sheer amount of time he spent learning different possible processes of creation of weapons from that bastard EMIYA and proper cksmithing itself from Muramasa. In this world, he should probably be the best cksmith already as he is, and any de he makes would show.


    Even with ordinary steel, he could do it, but he wanted to make something more than that.


    For materials, he would be using the Katana, that blessed metal, some gold and silver, some small gems, all together with some blood and feathers he obtained from Mittlelt from when she was in treatment (he was a magus of sorts, she not having lost any bones or organs during said treatment or bing a head in a jar while he dissected her body already him holding back considerably).


    He would also be using all his knowledge of runesmanship and diverse blessings he learned from EMIYA that were used in the forging of some swords, mainly the one he would be trying to match with would be the sword of Paracelsus since it would enhance the power of his magecraft while using it. He would also use the enhancement methods of Shakespeare to make the sword be raised even further to the point some people might even consider absurd if he can manage it.


    He would make the very damn best sword he could to help deal with any demonic-based creature that could find him.


    Getting fired up Soma sat down to start making his very first true weapon in this world.


    "This is going to be fun." Soma said to himself as he began to forge.


    ///---///


    Walking to school one could find Soma with heavy bags under his eyes and a tired expression. Aya, by his side, was looking worried at such Soma she hasn''t seen before wondering just why he was like that.


    "Soma-kun, did you not sleep wellst night?"


    "Yes and no, I didn''t sleep wellst night at all since I didn''t really sleepst night at all." Soma said and Aya looked slightly surprised he didn''t sleepst night. He looked like such a healthy type, him not sleeping didn''t seem like something she would expect him to do.


    As for Soma, he was slightly dejected that his sword ended up strange. He aimed at the weapon being strong in a purification sense but the end result was weird with some aspects bing stronger than he wanted and the sword seemed to have some issues with him using it too since he could barely handle it, as if the sword was rejecting him slightly.


    ''Is this that thing Mittlelt mentioned about a person needing a certain amount of natural talent for holy swords to wield stronger ones? I guess I should search for data regarding the Holy Sword Project to see how it works exactly, it could help I suppose.'' Soma thought with a grumble, already knowing that finding out about this project would be troublesome.


    At least the head scientist of the project is working for the Grigory so perhaps Soma could exchange the Sacred Gear he obtained from the church for the intel about the project. Mittlelt should be able to return to the Grigory soon enough and she could work as a messenger regarding the possibility of the trade. If Azazel is as much a fanatic as Mittlelt says he is then it should be a possible trade that could be done.


    Of course, several measures would have to be made to ensure his safety but that was beside the point. His more researcher side couldn''t help but feel glee at what sort of things he could learn and extrapte based on the information he could get.


    Speaking of his guests, Soma had made that damn stray is put to good use already. He equipped him with some decent equipment he had prepared and send him out to scout the town in search for Stray Devils as well as ''disposable garbage'' that no one would notice if they were to suddenly disappear, which included rapists, murderers, drug dealers, thieves, loan sharks, and other such people that were cancer to society... with the exception with the politician-type cancer. Soma needed materials for various things and to test many things in this world, and for that, he would need the necessaryb rats for his experiments. Besides, he could always sell the organs that he didn''t dissect via the Ringa family to obtain some extra cash to buy useful items.


    Getting to the school Soma could see Aya feeling depressed quite quickly, but he did not say anything about it. He has already informed her, he would help her with what he could see, if she was in mortal peril, and if she ever wants to be free of all her problems she just needs to ask and he would do it, now it would be up to her if she would take the first step and ask for his help or not.


    Going to his locker Soma opened it to exchange his shoes. Inside was a single note on top of his shoes.


    ''Do not interfere if you know what is good for you.''


    Soma just raised a brow and looked around, searching for who sent him this message. He found those girls that had taken Aya away thest time.


    "Ouch." Soma turned his head and saw Aya''s finger bleeding slightly. Moving to see what was going on Aya quickly closed her locket and shook her head. "I-It was nothing, Soma-kun. Please don''t mind it."


    Soma looked at her state and sighed.


    "Fine, if you don''t want me to then I will pretend I didn''t see anything. Just remember, you just need to ask." Soma said and moved along, leaving behind Aya who looked down sadly. Shame washing over her, the shame of the situation she was in, and shame of her desire to ask for even more help from Soma.


    Meanwhile, the three girls watching from a distance looked slightly gleeful with Sarina smirking as well even if she was a bit displeased as well. That Aya was gathering the attention of the new boy of ss was quite annoying for her, especially since he was somewhat her type with how he introduced herself and all.


    ''I may need to try a little harder to make sure that idiot doesn''t bber her mouth to the new hottie. Well, if she does and he tries anything I can just ask older brother for help anyway.'' Sarina thought as she too moved to ss.


    All these interactions and all that happened were all seen clearly by the spy sent by Jeanne to this school, Trois. She was investigating the two known Sacred Gear users that were in her ss while waiting for Deux to investigate the other sses and High School so the Hero Faction could make arge harvest of users this time around. Trois also needed to see who exactly was this older male who had taken such an interest in little miss target, they couldn''t risk Aya having an actual emotional and physical pr of support after all if they wanted absolute loyalty so they had to figure out who this person is and, if needed, eliminate him.


    Not that Trois would mind even being the one to do it, if it was for Jeanne-onee-sama then she didn''t care how many people she kills.

 Chapter 10 - 10

    After the sses of the morning, Soma was already tired of being there and started to wonder if he should look into homunculus creation, if only to have a body double toe to sses for him. It should take about two or three weeks to set something up if he had enough materials, it would be a massive undertaking that would cost him some time, but it honestly was looking like a better option than staying in ss by now.


    He was not learning anything and from the ss his only friend was Aya. Earlier today some other kids tried to approach him but Soma noted the eyes they shot at Aya so he promptly shot them all down since he was not interested in having idiots like those around. ??


    In truth Soma wanted her to ask for help already, if only so he could start the rampage he was nning since the first day he met her, but if she didn''t say anything then he wouldn''t act. She had to take that first step, as infuriating as that might be.


    When the lunch bell rang Soma was about to go talk with Aya when the door to the ssroom opened.


    "Soma-nii, Kaichou wants to see you." Momo said making Soma sigh a bit. He hasn''t yet found any devil so he didn''t yet know WHO to avoid, as such being the center of attention to anyrger degree sounded like an awful idea to him, and having a meeting with the Student Council president who garnered so much attention sounded awful.


    However, Soma knew that just saying ''no'' would just make Momo keep yapping about it and that would be very much annoying and bring possibly even more attention. Sighing he decided to just get done with it and go for this stupid meeting once and just say whatever it was that was needed to make this president no longer mind his existence.


    "Aya, I will go to this meeting or whatever. Enjoy your lunch and if anyone annoys you or try anything then tell me afterward, I will make sure to let those who didn''t let you eat in peace can eat their own teeth." Soma said with a smile that made everyone in ss shiver a bit and Momo sighed, not knowing from where her cousin learned to talk and act like that.


    ''And he was such a good kid before hisa.'' Momo thought and shook her head.


    Aya just nodded her head and then started eating quietly at her table to which Soma nodded before leaving ss, sending a single re and a very small dose of killing intent at the girls he felt would be trying something as soon as he left.


    Strangely enough, the red-haired one of them actually smirked back at him and send him a kiss, Soma thinking it weird as the girl seemed to get excited at his re.


    Deciding to ignore the strange girl he moved along with Momo.


    ///---///


    Soma''s P.O.V.


    "So, Momo-chan, what exactly does the Student Council do?" I question. It is honestly weird to be called n day three of school to the Student Council and, even if that is so, I need to know if I actually have to worry about anything.


    "Well, we do a lot of things that go well beyond what normal student councils do. As the school focus on giving autonomy to the students and help them learn the most of whatever area of expertise they are we of the Student Council have quite some influence. We manage the budget for the clubs of both High School and Middle School divisions, mediate disputes between students whenever possible, manage the field trips for all school below the University, help regte the students'' morals with check-ups, are responsible for buying any resource that is spent during the school''s functions, and a few other things." Momo exined and I for the gist of it.


    Basically, the Student Council is not important for me in any meaningful way beyond Momo-chan being there. Got it.


    We move through the halls of the school and there is a clear difference between High School and Middle School in terms of equipment. There is also amotion in the distance as three male students are running away from a bunch of girls, maybe they are too popr or something? The girls over here do seem too horny if I am to be honest, there is even a twin braided one that dropped her books after looking at me and just a nce and I can tell she was about as horny as Kiyohime sometimes, which means it is entirely possible she would rip away mine or whoever she was fixating pant''s off and force themselves on them.


    True story.


    Reaching my destination I look on at the student council room. I have to admit that it was far more opulent and extravagant than I think it should be, even the doors are not like those of the rest of the school being of pure Sandalwood. Not only that, the ce was ssy but as, far as I can tell, this ce was clearly more than what one could rightfully expect from what should in fact amount to little more than a club of the school.


    The chairs are all brand new, clearly, all bought in thest two years at most, and are of the very expensive type that would normally be reserved to only the chairman, if that. The main table which the president works at is made out of mahogany and is intricately carved, which should cost a small fortune, and the chair which the president is sitting on clearly is of far too high a quality. There are also several other things throughout the room that would cost a lot of cash, even a cappino machine on the corner I am pretty sure is brand new and should cost more than a teacher''s three months sry.


    ... For all that, pretty sure she is redirecting the budget from the school for her own benefits, it would certainly exin theckluster clubs that can be found in the Middle School division if she is redirecting the money that should be spent in other areas to herself.


    It IS the responsibility of the Student Council to manage the budget destined for the students in general and a preferential treatment is to be expected from any organization led by people, but isn''t this too much? Is it possible that no one noticed this or does she use her influence to silence everyone that tries to speaks up. It is the only logical exnation, either that or she bought everything with her own money which means she is a rich idiot that needs to have too manyforts and unt her wealth at everyone.


    No good, no good, I am not good when ites to dealing with these sort of people. I want to crush people like that, but I should not do it with this girl. She works with Momo-chan, so I should at least try to be nice.


    "Tea?" the president asks me and I nod, the vice president quickly moving along and bringing forth some teacups and serves me a tea that at a nce I can tell is expensive.


    ... Is she showing off how much she had stolen from the school?


    I am no good with corrupt people, ya know? My teachers always told me that I should crush any corruption I see as it only causes chaos and damage, seeing someone unt the fact they are stealing doesn''t sit well with me. I wonder if I could hypnotize her and make her an upstanding member of society.


    ... No, I can''t. Well, I can do it very easily but I don''t want to risk the devils noticing when I turn someone like her into an upstanding citizen that doesn''t make me want to drop-kick her.


    Well, not that these considerations will stop me from drinking the tea anyway. The tea is innocent and I could use the drink, my throat is slightly dry after all for a while now since I have seen it.


    Walking to this ce I have passed by some of the demons that are in town, all acting as if they are humans and it made my skin crawl to see it. Especially that red-headed one, the energy she was letting off was as if it wanted to destroy everything around her, it was toxic to the point I almost gagged and felt as if my very instincts were telling me to stab her with the pointy and of my new sword and keep stabbing until this energy stopped polluting the world, but she was smiling about and trying to act as if she was a normal person instead of a demon. An energy like that is all-consuming and I do not believe someone with such a power should be allowed to roam the world freely at all. There were even many girls calling her ''one-sama'' or things like that, as if she was the school''s idol or something. I need to be careful around her, this person is far too dangerous.


    At least in this room of the Student Council there are no devils around me so I can be slightly more rxed, even if only slightly. I have identified the Gremory king (the red hair was a dead give away) of the town but not the Sitri one. If the Sitri king''s very existence is also equally toxic then I will have to see the devils in town as extermination targets and move ordingly.


    "So, why have you called me here Shitori-Kaichou." I questioned the president, Sona Shitori.


    She was a rtively attractive woman with short ck hair and a slender figure, her face having rather unique eyes of purple color and sses that made her have a unique aura about her. In truth, after hearing that her name is Sona I thought she might be Sona Sitri, but I can''t sense any energy from her and I rather doubt a devil would change only theirst name. If you intend to disguise yourself you either change your full name or just don''t bother, changing only yourst name is stupid.


    If I were to guess she might be working for the actual Sona Sitri and was put in a position of rtive power due to having the same name, make the enemies gather to attack this decoy and letting the devil move about in rtive incognito and find out any enemy this way.


    ... It is what I would have done in their ce, at any rate.


    "I have heard that you have awakened from a rather longa about a month and a half ago and has returned to your education recently. I would like to know if everything is alright considering you seem to have caused somemotion on your first day of sses after arrivingte and missed sses the day after."


    "Oh, that? To be honest, I am quite alright, I just don''t really care about sses all that much and I had more important things to do." I answered simply enough. Anyone who would put stupid sses as being more important than the health or safety of someone just because of societal rules is stupid anyway.


    "More important things? What could be more important to you than your education and future?" Sona asked and I smiled serenely at her.


    "N.Y.B." I answer easily enough.


    "... What?" Sona asks not understanding what I am talking about.


    Sheesh, that is why corrupted administrators are annoying, they are all stupid and can''t understand anything beyond unting their meager power and causing inconvenience to others.


    "Not. Your. Business. I have no obligation to answer you about what I do in my life nor do I have any need to answer your inquiry. My reasons for noting to ss sometimes are my own and I honestly would have rather not have had toe to this school at all, I could have easily enough just done some tests to get my high school diploma next year and then bought my way into a university. My only reason toe here was that my uncle and aunt sent me here and I want to make sure Momo-chan is doing well, beyond that I don''t give a single fuck about it."


    There, now they should stop carrying about me and just let me in peace.


    "... I see, interesting. But, as the student council president I can''t just let you do as you please." Sona said and I snorted.


    "Sure you can, I am not even in the Highschool division and you can just pretend I don''t exist, it is simple enough really." I say before taking out my bento.


    "Even if you say so as the student council president I... Are you seriously eating right now?"


    "Well, duh. It is lunchtime and I feel like eating." I answer. I don''t know if after getting out of this ssroom I will be followed by the devils walking around so I probably won''t have a chance to eat in peace after leaving this ce. Even if these people of the council look at me weird I don''t care, better to be known as a disrespectful person by them than being attacked while eating by the devils in town. Besides, I like my own food and I made some chicken pie that I really like.


    "SHOW SOME RESPECT." An annoying blond extra said as he tried to be intimidating bying up to me who was sitting up. He has a forgettable face and seems angry about the way I am acting, he was trying to seem big bying onto me that is sitting down and seems to want to beat me up for not groveling at Sona''s feel. ... He is annoying so I just punch him in the nuts.


    ... I don''t like when people shout at me or try to intimidate me. I can handle that when the person in question is stronger than me, I can hold in the grudge forter, but a weakling has no such considerations. Besides, he was right at the right angle so I can just think of him as a stupid idiot whoes up to me while showing off his weakness.


    Some of the other members of the council are getting agitated and are spouting nonsense, but I don''t care since the food is good and I would rather enjoy my food instead of carrying about them. They were the ones that pushed me intoing over and cut short my own lunch, and then their corrupt leader is trying to push me around as well to follow her orders.


    Why should I give a damn about what they are spouting? The only ones in this school I care about at all are Momo-chan and Aya-chan, beyond them I don''t give a single damn about the rest really. If the school literally exploded and all the students died inside except for Aya and Momo then I wouldn''t give more than a passing nce at it really.


    "Soma-nii, apologize to Saji." Momo said and I rolled my eyes.


    "Do I have to? He was the one who shouted at me and he tried to threaten me by moving onto my personal space as if he wanted to punish me for speaking the truth. Shouldn''t it be the contrary and him apologizing for overreacting over the fact I didn''t grovel at the feet and whims of the president? If he wants to be a pet dog who waves his tail around like a little bitch then it is up to him, but why should I try to emte him?" I ask honestly.


    There was considerable silence after my words and Saji''s face, which was contorted in pain, also contorted in anger before he tried to lunge at me.


    I let him pull me along as he pushed himself on top of me, but as he did so I kneed him in the balls again and he almost passed out from the pain. Getting off from underneath him I dusted my uniform before sitting back on my chair and continuing to eat.


    Sona was stunned as well before speaking.


    "You do know that you could get a suspension over what you just did, right?"


    "So, my punishment for noting to ss would be to note to ss? Yeah, that sounds terrible." I chuckle at her words.


    "I meant punishment over attacking another student." She says with slight traces of irritation in her tone and I shrug.


    "I doubt this will happen seeing as you would also have to punish mr blondie over there since he also attacked me and I only acted in self-defense. Considering he is one of your subordinates it won''t look good for you if he is suspended and if you only do it to me then I can easily enough spread the truth of things to other students and you will look like an authoritarian and corrupt person who hides away the me of your subordinates while punishing those who are not working under youmand." I say easily between bites. These eggs are quite nice, but maybe I could put some extra peppers on them next time.


    Oh, maybe make mapo toffu tomorrow, it should taste great.


    "You are quite a... unique student." Sona says and I shrug.


    "Not really, I am quite average in my own opinion. It is just that I am not some idiot sheep nor a bitch who obeys others blindly. I follow my own rules, simple as that." I say between bites. I then drink some tea and burp at the end there. Yep, this tea is high ss alright.


    "... How about a wager then?" Sona asks and I continue eating, savoring my bento. "We y a game of chess and if I win you apologize to Saji here and will take your schooling more seriously."


    I think for a moment before swallowing the food in my mouth.


    "Sure, and when I win I don''t want you to summon me anymore nor will there be any repercussion over what I just did." I say easily enough. The less I have toe here the better, there would be less of a chance of me being noted by Rias Gremory, the devils walking on the town, and Sona Sitri who is much more devious considering she is hiding amongst the staff or student body of the school.


    ///---///


    It took 13 minutes to finish the game, Sona may be a corrupt administrator that likes to act like a Queen with everyone having to obey her and show respect, but she is good at chess at the very least.


    She even managed to take out four of my pawns and one bishop, not bad at all. She did lose all her other pieces and ended the game with not a single piece left, but she was still quite good.


    Well, she still can''t begin to match Holmes and Moriarty when ites to chess and with those two as teachers, it is only natural that I am decent in the game. Hersting 20 minutes against me is a testament to her skills, I will give her that much.


    Going back to my ssroom I note that Aya isn''t around the ss anymore. Looking around I turn to one of the other students and ask nicely.


    "Hey, where is Aya?" I ask and the little boy in front of me tries to act tough.


    "I don''t know and I don''t care." He says and I put a hand on his shoulder and begin t pressure.


    "You sure you don''t know? If you know it and don''t tell me I would most be displeased." I said easily, he begins to squirm as my pressure increases and he tries to pull back, but fails.


    "I, I really don''t know. All I know is that her brother came over to talk to her and the two left together." The boy said and I left his shoulder.


    "See, was that so hard? Next time, be a dear and tell the truth when someone asks a question, who knows what the other party could do to you otherwise." I say happily while giving him a slight tap on his cheeks.


    These sort of people are the types that are cowards at heart, if you want info from them then just give them a slight threat and they will tell you all you need to know.


    Leaving the ssroom I begin to search for Aya. It took until near the end of the break until I found her, she was sitting on the back of the shed used by putting some sports equipment.


    Sitting beside her I can almost taste her fear and difort. With a nce, I can see her wincing and with the way she moves I can see she got injured again, her scalp is also slightly red which shows her hair was most likely pulled or something to that extent. My hands close tightly at this scene but I hold it is.


    "I have to go back home today. My parents were w-worried about me since I just vanished like that." she says and I frown, my anger rising, but I don''t let it consume me. If she intends to go back I will let it happen, but before she does so I will need to put some insurances in regards to her situation. Even if she returns home I can''t let her go back just to be abused and hurt like that.


    I won''t hurt anyone directly unless she talks to me, I won''t express my desires freely unless she asks me to protect her, but I can covertly do something about it to improve her situation at home. As for a little revenge over her ''brother'' who is clearly a piece of trash if what I am saying is any indication, that won''t be me doing the talking. I promised Aya to not do anything and only act after she asks me to, and i will keep my promise.


    "I see, I won''t stop you but please remember you have a room at my house for whenever you want or need a ce to stay the night." I say and she nods slowly before getting up. "I have to go the bathroom real quick, see you in ss." I tell her as I leave her go in her own way. As soon as she is no longer in sight I take out my phone and make a call.


    It takes a bit before someone answers me.


    "Yes?"


    "Rintaro, did you find anything of those I wanted you to find?" I ask.


    "Yeah, yeah, I found four gangs that mess with drug dealing, prostitution, and all sorts of shady business as well as two stray devils near the industry district. Oh, and I also found three loan sharkpanies, this town really is badly managed. If in one morning I could find so much shit, then I have to wonder how much more there is, truly a town managed by devils." Rintaro asks and I snort.


    It makes sense that scummy people like Rintaro can find other scum more easily than proper littledies of devil high society or their littleckeys, if Mittlelt''s information about them is to be believed. It is a bit weird that it was so simple to find two stray devils just like that, but even if they are little more than potential nuisances for my ns I might go and capture themter tonight. I need to learn more about devil physiology, their weaknesses, their strengths, and especially need to find out what I can make using them.


    "I want you to temporarily stop any further investigation of the town, I have more important things I want you to do. You are to go to those drug dealer gangs and steal a lot of drugs from them. At least 30 kilos of their stock, if possible more, but make sure no one knows it was you, if that proves impossible kill whoever gets in your way and leave no witnesses nor energy signature that it was you. Remember, stealth is the most important since we want as little attention to this robbery as possible and that no one connects it to us. Oh, and if they have videos of child molestation or any other twisted shit of the sort I want you to take it with you as well and bring it all to me." I say.


    "Okay, that works for me and all, I did that a lot before for quick cash. But what you want with all that junk though? You nning on selling this shit or something for cash?" He asks.


    "No, I don''t want to distribute or spread such trash around, but I have some ideas over how to make use of said trash to my own benefit." I say, an evil smile on my face no doubt.


    I promised Aya I would not do anything directly unless she asks me, but whoever almost choked her to death was a member of her family. I won''t kill any of them, nor rip out their souls, or serve their heads and make them survive as only a head before I bury it underground in the pathway of the sewer systems, or any other of the other hundred ''small'' punishments I was thinking of doing to whoever almost chocked a little girl to death for no good reason.


    But, even if I won''t do that (for now, who knows about the future), it doesn''t mean I can''t get some justice. Just the thought of what will happen makes me smirk, a n on my mind all the while.


    ///---///


    AN:


    Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and the fic so far. People have been requesting for Soma to start taking action in regards to Aya''s situation and, while he won''t show himself doing anything there is just so much he can handle before he goes for the kill. Instead Soma will be ''merciful'' and do things in a less overly violent manner.


    Well, kinda.


    Anyway, for those who are wondering who the characters I am using are from other series, they are as such:


    - Asagiri Aya (Mahou Shoujo Site)


    - Rintaro Akuta (Mahou Shoujo of the End)


    - Sarina Shizukuma (Mahou Shoujo Site)


    - Genyo Ringa (Mahou Shoujo Site)


    - Saiyuki Ringa (Mahou Shoujo Site)


    Any other suggestions or requests of things you want, please speak up and I will try my best to aodate.

 Chapter 11 - 11 (Ayas Backstory)

    Aya was not always a sad girl. She could still remember a time when she was happy. A time when she couldugh and y with her mother, had friends, and her brother was nice to her.


    However, as time passed little Aya started noting things changing. ??


    "SHIT! Everything, everything, it is ALL YOUR fault! If you had supported me better then I wouldn''t be so stressed and wouldn''t have lost my job!" Aya''s father, Jirou Asagiri, shouted at his wife, Momoko. The woman was shrinking into herself in fear but that was no solution as Jirou, in his anger, pped her so hard she went to the floor.


    As she hit the floor she turned back to him with a re but Jirou looked down at her.


    "What? Do you have any problem with my words? You just need to obey and support me with all you can, it is a simple task that even a drop out of college like you should be able to do." Jirou said and Momoko wanted to retort that it was only because HE got her pregnant that she had to drop out since someone had to raise their son, Kaname, and get the money to support the child.


    But she did not dare speak up about this again, not after thest time she did that.


    And, as Aya watched this all happen, she was passed over by Jirou who went towards Kaname with great fervor and dropped to his knees in front of his son so he could look at him, eye to eye.


    "Kaname, my son, you have to be the best. Remember this, only the one at the top can enjoy life so you have to enter the best university, be the best in every test, you are destined and must always be the absolute best. Otherwise, otherwise, otherwise!" Jirou then, in front of a frightened Kaname, pulled his son''s hair and yelled. "YOU WILL BECOME USELESS! You WILL be the best no matter what, do you hear me?! You have no other choice, you will be the best no matter what!"


    It was after this day that her father lost his job that Aya''s life started to turn to ruin.


    ///---///


    After that day life grew progressively worst. After her father lost his job he would spend most days sitting on the couch, a beer can in hand while Momoko had to go out and get a job herself since Jirou decided he could not let her be the one to raise Kaname. Kaname was the center of the family and Momoko had to spend more and more time out in search of jobs.


    Momoko would start working at 6 in the morning to only get homete at night every single day while also being responsible for cleaning the house, letting the food ready, and everything else by herself. Aya wanted to help and she did what she could, but she was still small and couldn''t do much. Kaname at the start also wanted to help but he couldn''t since he had to study.


    Of the food that was made by Momoko most of it went to the important people of the house, meaning Kaname got the biggest share and to eat the better parts, Jirou got the second best but he didn''t mind that since his meals were almost as big as Kaname''s own, and Aya got to keep the scraps that were left behind afterward. She once tried to take some more, to eat some meat that smelled so good instead of just a little rice with maybe some vegetables like most other meals, but she was reprimanded harshly and yelled at for trying to take the meat that should belong to those that matter most, with the most important being Kaname who had to be properly fed to continue being the best.


    Momoko wanted to help but there was just so much she could do seeing as how constantly exhausted she was from her work and needing to take care of the house. She highly appreciated Aya trying to help despite being so little, but she couldn''t do anything to help Aya since she feared the reaction of Jirou if she tried.


    Years passed like this, Kaname''s grades became better and better as time went by and he was hailed as a genius by Jirou who would proim loudly how everything was going right. When it was time for middle school Kaname got a schrship for a prestigious private school, all of which indicated for Jirou that he was right in his decisions and he focused even more on making sure Kaname would improve.


    The situation, however, got worst for Aya since her mother could handle less and less of the cleaning of the house so more and more it was her own responsibility to do so. As such, despite being 9 years old, she was the one that was responsible for most of the household work of the house except for food. It was very tough and her school grades suffered because of the fact that the time she should have spent learning and studying was instead spent cleaning the house and making sure everything is perfect and stress-free for Kaname.


    No matter how good or bad her grades got her father did not care, but he would not let her go y outside or visit friends since she had work to do cleaning the house. Everyone in the house have their responsibility, he would say, Momoko needs to put her fatzy useless dropout ass to work and bring money, Aya had to be worth the money they waste feeding and housing her by cleaning the house, Kaname had to study to always be the best and get into Tokyo University, and Jirou had to watch over Kaname to make sure he is studying properly.


    Anything beyond that was uneptable in Jirou''s eyes, something Aya learned the one time she went with a friend to buy some ice cream beforeing back home and was yelled at for beingte to do her work and went to sleep without any dinner and in the morning she also did not have any breakfast.


    It was an oppressive and restrictive household, there was noughter or happiness to be found there besides the one Jirou could feel whenever Kaname got first ce, confirming his believes. However, after entering Middle school in such a fancy and high-level school, something terrible happened.


    Aya was returning home from sses as normal, she had gone straight back on foot to her house so it took a little while but when she entered the home she saw it.


    "YOU FAILURE! SCUM! USELESS TRASH! WASTE OF SEMEN! HOW DARE YOU FAIL?!" Jirou said as he straddled a terrified Kaname who was cowering on the floor, his father on top of him as if he would hit him and spit flying everywhere. Aya felt like running away when she saw this, but as she tried to move back she made a terrible mistake.


    She made noise.


    Due to a loose floorboard, a sound was released and, with it, Jirou turned his crazed eyes at her.


    She wanted to escape but before she could Jirou came to her and his hand moved, grabbing her by the hair he dragged the girl to in front of Kaname who looked at everything in fear.


    "You see THIS useless waste of a human being? This failure who can''t do anything right? Well, if you continue to fail you will end up like her, and no child of mine should be this pathetic!" Jirou yelled while moving Aya''s head from one side to the other by the hair. She was crying out in pain from it and Kaname could only watch it all happening in fear but he couldn''t help butment.


    "... I am not a loser. I only got second ce in the whole school''s scores of the 400 students." He muttered and Jirou froze as he heard this and moved his face inches to Kaname''s own face, the eyes of the father bearing down on the son''s.


    "You still lost. A loser has no rights, has no future, and is unnecessary. Now you listen to me, and listen well. You are the finest human being, you are destined for greatness beyond all others, but you have to work hard for it. Failure like this one you had where you got second ce is not enough, you have to be the first ce. Be the winner you are DESTINED to be, or you can just go ahead and die in a ditch like a loser." Jirou said as he clenched his fists, memories of his own floating inside his mind and his own failures appearing in his eyes and anger bubbled over it all.


    But Jirou calmed down as he thought that he now had a second chance, he had Kaname who would be the winner Jirou knew THEY were.


    As he was thinking this he heard the sniffing from Aya who started to cry out of the pain from her hair being pulled like that. Turning to her he stared with dead cold eyes and spoke.


    "... A loser shouldn''t be wasting time crying. Go and make us some food, Aya." He said as he shoved the crying girl on the floor. Her hitting the floor loudly and Kaname looking at all this in fear of also bing a loser. He had ingrained in his mind that he had to be the winner, that he didn''t want to be like Aya or their mother, eternal losers.


    As for Aya, she could only stand up and go make dinner for her father and brother. That night Kaname was given less food than normal and, as logic would have it, Aya was given even less since she was an even bigger loser who could barely scrape by in regards to grades in general with all her time and energy being spent in keeping the house sparkling clean for her family.


    At night, when it was time to go to bed, Ayaid on her back tiredly. She just wanted to rest after a day like this, but there was a knock on the door. Opening it was her brother... and the hellish days worsening to a whole new level.


    ///---///


    Since the day when her brother got his first, and only, second ce in middle school Aya''s routine grew worse. Not only she had to work around the house, get little food, and not manage to have even one friend in ss thanks to how she was always tired and couldn''t go out or talk with any of her ssmates after ss, but she got a routinelypanion during the nights.


    PUNCH


    The sound of vomiting could be heard as the little food Aya had managed to eat during dinner was expelled. Her brother grinning down at her as he saw it and with a mocking tone spoke.


    "How dirty, couldn''t even handle just a single strike? Being so weak, it must be the difference between a loser like you and a winner like me!" Kaname said as he raised her head by the hair and punched her on the face.


    As she recoiled back he saw her cowering form and grinned in scorn down at her.


    "Eat it."


    "Huh?"


    "I said EAT. IT! Are you so dumb you can''t even understand simple orders, trash? The family had to spend money to actually buy the food, so you wasting it won''t do. Now EAT IT!" Kaname said as he pushed her head against the vomit on the floor, maniacal glee in his eyes as pleasure rolled through him.


    This was the ONLY thing he could truly do to vent the stress he got from all the pressure and studies he had to constantly be doing. If he tried to watch TV or y on theputer then Jirou would scream and possibly beat him for wasting his time, but doing this was fine. Jirou never said anything and the first time Momoko tried to intervene Jirou said to let the kids y for a bit and they were just a ''bit rough''.


    Aya had dreamed things could improve after they moved out of the city she grew up in. The whole family moved after Kaname managed to obtain a schrship in the famous Kuoh Academy and her father even made him go out a bit sometimes, try to socialize with thedies of high society that frequented the academy as they could be good connections in the future.


    Her father had even gotten a job so he spent less time at home, so Aya thought that things would calm down.


    ... They did not.


    The few acquaintances she had were now gone, her new schoolmates were vicious and abusive for her since practically day one and she couldn''t turn to her parents since the time she tried they didn''t lift a single finger. She tried to turn to the teacher and he seemed to want to help, but the next day he just started to pretend he didn''t see anything no matter what happened to her.


    Her brother''s abuse only grew worst and worst since he now exercised more and had more strength, and no care for how badly he hurt her. Even when she tried her best she couldn''t do anything right, she was never a winner at anything in her entire life.


    Either school or home, neither was a ce where she could actually call ''home'', a ce where she could belong without fear.


    The only times she was ''free'' from it all was in the ways to and from school. Aya knew her mother wanted to help, but she feared her husband far too much to actually do anything and her father did not care for her beyond seeing her to what barely counted as a maid to do the cleaning and food for the house. Momoko had gotten a job in Kuoh, and it consumed just as much time as the previous one, so she paid even less attention to Aya than she did before.


    No one cared for Aya, no one gave herfort or a ce to belong, she was living in hell.


    The closest thing she had to a friend was a stray kitten that she did not dare take home with her for fear of what her brother might do with it. It too was abandoned and had no real home, so Aya felt like they were quite simr in many ways. Interacting with it was the only thing that made her able to give the slightest of smiles, but even then it was barely more than a slight upturn of the corner of the lips.


    An unending hell was all Aya really knew of and, as time passed and things only grew worse, one thought echoed in her mind.


    ''Maybe I should just die.''


    Suicidal thoughts became more and more normal for her. She even tried to follow through with them a few times, but she was always too scared to actually make the jump in the end.


    Every day as she walked to school she would look at the traffic and think how easy it would be. Just one step and all her pain would be over. She would be free from it all, from all the unending pain and humiliation she was forced to live by.


    She even tried once to give that step, t throw herself forward, and let it all end.


    But then-


    "Hey there, be careful. If you are having low blood sugar or something you should recline against a wall instead of standing where you were, you could have died there."


    Aya looked up and saw someone she could only describe as ''different''. His white hair and blue eyes stood out for her, but it wasn''t just that, it was that he actually noticed what she was about to do.


    His eyes shined with something she couldn''t quite identify, it was a foreign emotion to her that she saw very few times in the past in her mother''s eye when looking at her.


    Later she would understand that these were the eyes of someone worried for her.


    However, for the current Aya who couldn''t evenprehend that, anything strange and new frightened her as if she was a spooked rabbit.


    "Ehm, sorry. I will be careful. Excuse me." Aya said, hoping he hadn''t seen through her original motivations and trying to run away from this stranger that looked at her with eyes that shined with something she has never seen before.


    However, he held her and did not let her go. He took her to a restaurant and made her request food to eat. He was pretty bossy to her, but, unlike her brother or father when ordering her, she never felt like she had to obey or be pped, kicked, punched, or any other form of physical punishment. It was strange for Aya but slightlyforting to not feel like she had to walk with as much care as she normally would.


    He questioned her for her name and told her his name, he actually told her she did not have to feel pressured to tell him anything and he also made it clear that he knew what she was about to do, but he would not pressure her for her reasons.


    Their talk was...forting. Being able to talk, to misbehave as she passed the morning with Soma ying, it was something that she hasn''t done for so long. To just y and be a girl instead of a loser, house cleaner, and sandbag.


    Just those few hours left Aya feeling so safe, so free, so unlike herself that she almost forgot about her own life. Soma even introduced her to his cousin, Momo, after they returned to school, and seeing the two interact made Aya feel even stranger since those two, despite being cousins, were much more siblings than Aya has ever been with Kaname. It was as if Aya was seeing an ideal she didn''t even know existed, all right before her eyes.


    But, when Aya entered the ssroom, reality pressured her again. The scorn, indifference, and jeers from the other students over the big loser in ss, her chair and table vandalized, the gazes of the trio of girls that always made her school life hell. It all was enough to make Aya feel reality return back to her, but this time it was even worse since she now had a point of reference, proof that life could be more than this suffering, but yet she was still there. She was still suffering.


    ''... God, did I made something bad to deserve to live like this? Why do I have to suffer like this?'' Aya thought to herself as she closed her eyes and ignored her surroundings, trying to keep the tears at bay since she knew that they would not solve anything. That they would just maker her tormentors want to push her even further.


    However, just as she was thinking this, Soma appeared again in ss. He made quite themotion and actually took away the damaged chair and table of Aya and gave her new and clean ones while taking said items away. The whole ss it was like if her normal life had a weird new addition that didn''t fit in.


    Someone that actually tried to protect her, that wanted to help, it was a foreign concept to her.


    At the end of ss Soma came to her, telling her toe with him so they could buy the stray kitten some things as he would be adopting it. It was a bit sad for Aya to know that she would no longer have that kitten, but she was more d about it since it would now have a house.


    She was about to excitedly go with Soma when-


    "Sorry, but I and my little friend here have ns for after ss. Right?"


    Sarina, the head bully put her hand on Aya''s shoulder. Sarina was everything Aya wasn''t, she was confident, smart, athletic, popr, and was very pretty with her red hair and golden eyes. She was unlike Aya who had no confidence in herself, wasn''t good in sports, didn''t know how to interact with others, and was rather in and a bit ugly with normal ck hair and eyes while her skin was sickly and rough.


    As Aya felt the hand of this Sarina, it was like if all good things disappeared in front of her. That hand was like if it was reassuring her of her real life, not the good dream that was being with someone like Soma, someone that Aya had difficulty seeing as real since he was so unlike the rest.


    Aya froze at this and she only realized what was going on when Sarina seemed to want to fight Soma. Aya feared this, feared the possibility of Sarina or her brother (Aya heard he was in a gang) doing anything to Soma. Aya could not see herself as worth the trouble, she would rather take it as usual instead of troubling Soma.


    It was not much, but it was what she could do.


    "S-Sarina-chan is r-r-right. Sorry, Soma-kun, but you can go ahead without me." She said and Sarina shot Soma a triumphant smile while also clenching the hand over Aya''s shoulder, making Aya flinch in pain from the nails of the red-haired girl.


    "Are you sure about that, Aya?" Soma asked, worry and concern in his face as he did that and Aya could only nod at this, in her mind she is only able to think that she had to protect him.


    Truly, she was far too kind of a girl.


    "Yes, you can go on ahead. Until tomorrow, Soma-kun." Aya said, trying to sound reassuring before leaving the ssroom with Sarina.


    She knew she might be doing a mistake, but she would rather suffer alone than pulling someone else with her.


    ///---///


    "Hey, isn''t this kinda boring?" Sarina asked as she sat in the toilet, a bored expression on her face as she looked on at Ayaying on the floor.


    "Huh? Why you saying that now?" one of Sarina''s friends asked as she had just finished writing on Aya''s skin under the shirt the words ''Ugly pig''.


    "Well, she barely even answers anymore. She just stays there, there is no excitement in it, you know." Sarina said as she looked at Aya''s vacant eyes. She had long since learned to ignore it all, far too used to be abused and humiliated at this point.


    "I dunno, for me this is still pretty fun but if you want more excitement then we could always do that thing."


    "Oh, yes that would be nice. I bet one of my brother''s friends would ept doing it even if it is only with some useless rag like Aya." Sarina said, a malicious smile on her face as she approached the downed Aya and looked down at her.


    It was at this point that her other friend arrived with a bucket of water.


    "Why did you bring that?" Sarina asked.


    "Well, I figured that since she smells bad then she should get a bath." Her friend said with the bucket of water in hand.


    "You really are stupid. Don''t you even know this sort of thing?" Sarina said as she pulled Aya by the hair towards one of the toilets, it''s water still yellow from someone''s piss that forgot to press the flush.


    Aya''s eyes widened seeing that and tried to pull back but Sarina was stronger than her and with a wide grim held Aya''s head and said.


    "THIS is how you wash losers like this girl!"


    Sarina then pushed Aya''s head down the toilet and pressed the flush. Aya feeling herself drown and dirty from it and she wanted to scream, but when she tried water entered her lungs and she felt her chest burning from it.


    After this Sarina pulled Aya''s head out of the toilet and said.


    "Now thank me. Thank me for giving you the bath you deserve."


    Aya froze in fear and Sarina''s irritation shed as she pushed Aya''s head back there.


    "I guess we can keep giving you a bath until you learn how to say thanks, huh?" Sarina said in anger and glee, this sensation of dominating someone else was intoxicating for her. This sensation of power over others was what felt the best for her, and for targets, none was better than Aya.


    No matter what she did no one ever said a thing, the other students didn''t say anything due to the fear of her older brother and the teachers and staff pretended not to see or just informed the parents about it without never taking any actual action.


    Nothing came of that, so Sarina just kept doing it since it felt right for her. As for Aya, she cursed herself for not having gone with Soma away from all this.


    After this Sarina left whileughing with her friends, leaving behind Aya who stood there on the floor, wanting to sob but no tearsing out.


    Slowly getting up Aya went to the sink to wash her face and hands, taking off her uniform to at least try to remove that water in it but as she did so she saw the several writings those girls put there earlier. As she looked at those she felt as if she really was dirty and she clutched her hands tighter on her uniform, before closing her eyes and keep doing what she could, removing the water from her clothes and hoping she did not smell.


    At least Soma should already have gone home by now so he wouldn''t see her in this dirty of a state.


    ///---///


    He had not gone home.


    Aya was shocked seeing this, he had stood there waiting for her for more than half an hour, all other students had already gone home by now but he had stood there waiting.


    As she approached he didn''t ask what happened nor anything like that. He simply looked at her and spoke.


    "If you ever want my help, juste to me."


    As he said this Aya felt like screaming YES she wants his help, but how can she do that? She is... she is not worthy of the help. She would only be an inconvenience for him, she is a loser that can''t do anything right and she is also all dirty. How could she possibly extend her hand to take the offered hand he was giving her?


    She couldn''t, and thus she didn''t.


    Instead, Soma went with her to rescue the kitty, taking it to the vet shop to buy a lot of things for it and she even managed to forget for a bit all her worries as she was busy shopping for cat beds and some toys for the kitten.


    After saying their goodbyes Aya went back home, her mood worsening with each step.


    ///---///


    Dinner that day was a quiet affair. Their father was on a bad moon since he was scolded by his boss due to failing to get a contract on the firm so everyone was fearful of speaking or calling attention in any way.


    After a while, Jirou spoke.


    "Kaname, how are your grades?"


    "Yes, I am the undisputed top of ss amongst the second years of Kuoh Academy." Kaname said and Jirou nodded.


    "Good, and did you manage to get closer to any of the richer family people from the academy." Jirou asked in interest. Just being the top of ss wouldn''t do if his son was to be the winner they are supposed to be in Jirou''s eyes. He needs connections, to show himself as the leader they are, and for that external help would be useful.


    "I am on a cordial tone with the Gremory, Shitori, and Hanakai heirs, but they are quite a bit guarded to me due to not being used to males. I believe that by the end of the year I will be at the very least close friends with them considering my efforts, but there is someone else that seems to have closer connections with one of those three families already." Kaname said and that drew Jirou''s attention.


    "Oho, and who would that be?" Jirou asked in slight interest and Aya felt fear creeping up her spine at this conversation.


    "Aya seems to have ensnared the cousin of the Hanakai heiress. He seems to have caused amotion today due to someone treating Aya somewhat badly, they even called for me to tell of the situation since they couldn''t enter in contact with you since you were in your job." Kaname said and Jirou put a finger on his chin.


    "Interesting. Aya, it seems you finally have some use. Go and ensnare that boy by whatever means necessary and make him a friend of Kaname."


    "D-Dear, please don''t say that. We don''t even know what sort of person this boy is, how can you tell your 14 years to do that? What if he is violent or does something bad to her?" Momoko said in fear, not wanting to make something like that at all. She might not be the best mother, but basically whoring out her daughter was something she didn''t want to do. She wanted Aya to find happiness in the future, to leave this house and find her own way, Momoko was even saving whatever money she could to give to Ayater when she was old enough to run away. It was all she could do due to fearing running away herself, but Jirou seems to have other ns that made Momoko nauseated.


    "She IS 14 years old, true, but even if the boy isn''t the nicest person around it would still be fine. Do you not understand the influence of those three families? The Hanakai family is a conglomerate worth several hundred million dors! Even if the boy beats or rapes Aya, if she can make him friends with Kaname it would all be worth it! We would have our futures guaranteed with that." Jirou said in excitement, missingpletely the horror in Monoko''s eyes and the revulsion in Aya''s expression, revulsion of the thought of using the first person to be nice to her in so long in such a way.


    As for Kaname, well... he was not pleased by this turn of events.


    ///---///


    "GAHH!" Aya gasped as she hit the wall of her room. Her bed was right beside the wall so sheid down there as Kaname looked down at her.


    "You little slut, you finally found a use for yourself huh, loser." Kaname said as he looked down at Aya. She looked up at him and his face darkened seeing her eyes. "What is up with those eyes? Are you thinking yourself a winner now because you have beaten me in getting in the good graces of a member of those rich families? Huh?"


    As he said this Kaname took out the ropes he had prepared beforehand and tied Aya''s hands behind her back tightly enough to nearlypletely stop blood cirction. She winced in pain from this, trying to squirm away but was held firmly by her older brother who, after tying her, looked in ire at her as he said.


    "You are still a loser, I am the winner here! You hear me, I am the winner and you are the one that is not worth anything! You are the useless one, the trash, the one that is not worth anything and whose only purpose is to be my punching bag." He said as he punched her in the stomach again and again. Every hit making her cry out in pain at this as she spoke.


    "Brother, stop. Please, it hurts." She pleaded, afraid she might suffer some form of permanent damage or something since she had learned more of the human body earlier today in ss and feared she might end up with some organ damage or something by being hit like that.


    "Huh? Are you really that stupid? Why the hell would I care if you are hurt or not?" Moving his face right to in front of her Kaname looked withpletely bloodshot and crazed eyes at Aya. It was eyes that he would never reveal outside when he had to act like the perfect being he believed himself to be. Only Aya could see those sort of eyes, his true emotions. "You have no idea what it is like for me, how much I have to work to stay the winner. Unlike you, I have to push myself every day to my limit just to meet that piece of trash we call father''s expectations. You just have to contribute by helping me relieve my stress, so don''t go getting cocky and think you are better than me just because some dumbass Hanakai paid you attention!"


    By the end there Kaname, as if not realizing what he was doing, moved his hands to Aya''s neck and started to squeeze.


    "You are the loser here who can''t do anything right! Loser. Loser. Loser. LOSER! LOOOOSSSEEERRRR!" More and more he pressed until Aya could not breath, her vision going dark and she could only hear the chants of ''loser'' ''loser'' as she passed out, not knowing if she would wake up again or not.


    It was hourster when she woke up startled, her body trembling since she could not say if she had actually died there or not from air deprivation. It was terrifying and the chants of ''loser'' still echoed in her mind. Her instincts of fight or flight screamed at her, but she could not fight. She was a weak teenage girl who was far from able to actually put up any sort of a fight, so she could only escape.


    She had to run away, but where could she run. Where could someone dirty and a loser like her find shelter?


    Her mind, scrambled and not knowing if this was reality or just a dream at this point, moved by herself. Step by step she got out of the house, it was sote that no one was on the streets but if someone was then they would think of her as a victim of **** or something, such was her disheveled and abused figure at this moment.


    Truly, a tragic sight, and yet she kept on moving until she reached the house of someone she met only today, and still she felt had shown her more kindness than anyone had for a long, long time.


    "C-Can I sleep here? J-J-Just for tonight, please." Aya asked as she looked up with blurry eyes at Soma who had just opened the door to her. He epted her inside instantly and her body was practically copsing as she moved step by step, but as she walked inside this house she has never been in before she felt something she hasn''t felt since the time she was a small child.


    She felt safe.

 Chapter 12 - 12

    It was night time as a meeting was happening between two of the three kings of Kuoh. Sona was looking at Rias with an impassive gaze as she spoke.


    "... You are not wearing your cloaking jewel." ??


    Rias huffed indignantly.


    "And why should I? I have no reason to hide from some little stray exorcist who provoked me like that. If he wants toe then he is wee to, I am ready to fight him." Rias said with a bravado Sona wish was fake, but knew it wasn''t.


    Since young Rias had a rather high opinion of herself and this time it was no exception. Sighing Sona shook her head.


    "I advise you against this n, Rias, but I won''t force you to do otherwise. Whatever happens, it is in your head, just make sure that if someone doese to send a signal for me or Riser so we can help at least cover up any damage made to the surroundings. I, and our race, don''t need another fiasco."


    Rias rolled her eyes at this knowing Sona has always been very controlling and far too careful about her every step, in Rias'' eyes she barely even acted like a devil as she refused to be even influenced by her emotions or sin. Devils are creatures of sin and emotion, refusing it like Sona did sometimes could not be a truly positive thing.


    "Fine, fine, not that calling for Riser would be really needed." Rias said with exasperation. "That actually ties up with why I came here."


    Sona raised a brow and asked.


    "Exin to me please."


    "As you know, thanks to what happened I now have a ''minder'' in the form of Riser. But, and I quote ''babysitting all the time is not my style'', so he exchanged with me one of his Peerage members until the engagement ceremony so she can watch over me and inform him in case anything happens while he would be in town together with the rest of his peerage ying around."


    Sona just stared at Rias in surprise that Rias actually epted such a deal since Riser couldn''t really force her to ept it.


    "Why did you ept this deal? This would mean you have one less piece than you should since that piece''s loyalty would still be with Riser. I thought you were nning to introduce that other boy in your peerage instead." Sona said and Rias looked at the teacup in her hands and wished it was something heavier, perhaps whiskey or something (she has never drunk it, but it felt appropriate).


    "Because it was either I take this deal or Riser would push his way to enters the school with him being a teacher and his whole peerage being either teachers or students." Rias said and Sona winced. Knowing Riser he would make sure to inform everyone they were engaged and then proceed to charm and fuck all avable girls of the school he could get his hands on. Better to sacrifice one potential peerage member than this sort of humiliation and troubles, especially if said recruit would be someone that gave off so many negative signs as that boy.


    Rias would lose all possible freedom with that and she would be known as a girl who could not keep her ''man'' and had him running around and doing nothing as she was cheated on. Whatever dreams she had of a ''normal'' school life would bepletely ruined then and there with that.


    "So, who did he make you get?" Sona asked and Rias sighed.


    "He made me take Ravel. I guess it was because she is also a high-ss devil of a noble family just like us so I can''t really order her around as much as I would if it was any other member of his peerage and, ording to him, ''without her I can get another hot ass to fuck in my peerage since incest is a bit too much for me ... beyond eye candy, of course''."


    Sona nodded, she didn''t really understand some other devils'' ways of thinking with their genitals, but maybe that was because she was still very young for her race.


    "So, you want me to put set things up so she can be in highschool, right?" Sona asked, already being used to using her influence to set these sorts of things up, even if the paperwork she had to do was still very much unappreciated.


    "Actually, could you put her in middle school? It could be thest year, her age would be appropriate enough anyway and I would rather not have her around during ss period. She will be around for club activity but, at least during ss, I would rather she not be around watching over my shoulder. If possible be done with that by the morning." Rias said and Sona sighed and nodded her head, with her absolute control over the school something like that was quite simple, but her face stiffened slightly since she heard ''middle school''.


    Rias, after a moment paying attention, noted this and looked quizically at her.


    "What is wrong, Sona? You don''t normally show a face like that, thest time I''ve seen you looking like this was in that chess tournament you participated and your sister shown up with an entire cheerleader squad dressed as slutty magical girl cosys to cheer for you."


    And, just like that, Sona''s expression looked even more troubled since those memories were one of those that she would rather forget ever happened, to say the absolute least.


    Sona, after much deliberation, decided to say something she would rather never admit to anyone, ever.


    "I lost a chess match."


    And with that Rias'' mind froze, her eyes widened since even the concept of Sona losing was hard toprehend since, for thest 5 years, she has never lost a single match in chess despite all the tournaments she went to and how experienced the other side might be.


    "... Does that mean you are also engaged now?" Rias asked, not knowing how to feel about it.


    On one side she would be sad if her friend was being forced to be with someone she did not like. On the other hand, well, Rias was always quite jealous of being the only one being forced to go through with this sort of thing so her friend being in this position as well almost made Rias gleeful, almost.


    "Not quite." Sona admitted and seeing Rias'' confused expression Sona continued. "My situation and yours are simr in that we both are being pressed to be married so as to help repopte our race, but besides that our two situations are fundamentally different. In your case, Rias, your engagement was set before you or Riser were even born seeing as a child of you both would be a decidedly powerful boon to the devils, especially the New Satan Faction, no matter what."


    "I still say it is unnecessary, I can be a ''boon'' to our race without needing to work as a breeding mare." Rias said in irritation at this argument she heard so many times before, but Sona shrugged at her friend''s outburst.


    "Be that as it may, even you have to admit that a child between you and a Phenex would easily be amongst the strongest in terms of potential. The strongest offensive power from the house of Bael, the greatest magic reserves from house Gremory, both of those matched together can produce absurdly powerful devils like your brother. Now if you also mix in the regenerative powers of house Phenex then that would make any child of this mix be a great terror in a battlefield and, seeing as we still are technically in a state of war, the creation of such a child would be seen as an undeniable positive thing going forward.


    "And that is all without even considering binding together the house of Gremory, which is one of the highest in terms of nobility ranks, with house Phenex which is the richest house in the Devil race by more than twice overpared to the next in line and able to produce the one thing that our race can leverage to virtually any negotiation with other Pantheons or factions and still have a good effect."


    Rias just grunted, having heard these sort of words for so long she just wanted to bang her head against a wall whenever someone spoke of it. She knew all of that, but why did SHE have to be the one to go through with this? She was to be the next head of House Gremory so shouldn''t she have at least a say in these sort of talks? Why not make Milicas marry Ravel then if such babies were so important, the two were close in age anyway and Milicas also has the Power of Destruction and everything.


    As Rias was disgruntled about her situation made all the more permanent than she wanted after what happened recently, Sona continued talking.


    "In my case, there were several candidates selected as options for me since the day I was born, but there was no single contract signed. Thanks to that I could set a condition that I can only consider marrying someone with sufficient standing and that can defeat me in chess."


    Rias, understanding what was said, felt irritation and spoke.


    "So you can just say no even IF someone beats you in chess? How is it fair that you are so free while I don''t even have a single option?" Rias said and Sona shook her head.


    "Not as free as you might think." Sona said. "There is no limit to how many times someone can challenge me, there are some that challenged me over 50 times already and I am not allowed to say no to any challenge in chess. And, if someone who can be considered in the barest of standards as a suitable partner beats me, then I have to at least truly try my best to make a rtionship work out, and only if it is judged to bepletely hopeless can the engagement not happen. If I actively try to sabotage the union then my parents can choose the partner for me freely and I lose any and all rights to opine about it all. I have been facing challenges to my hand since I was 12 almost every night and sometimes couldn''t even sleep properly since I have to ept any challenge and those matches can happen evente in the night. Some even try to go for that time hoping I would be too tired and make a mistake."


    Rias winced slightly, not knowing her friend was going through that. She always thought her friend had it very easy, but Rias could tell that Sona had problems of her own as well.


    "So, who is the lucky one that managed to defeat you? Is it Zepar? Berith? Maybe Dantalion, I''ve seen how he wanted to be with you." Rias said, her ''gossiping'' mode activated.


    Sona shook her head.


    "Hanakai."


    "Huh? But there are no devil families with the name Hanakai." Rias said and Sona sighed.


    "Not devil, human."


    This time Rias gaped. The mere thought of marrying a human of all things beingpletely ludicrous for her, and in fact for most devils. Devils and humans had rtionships, true, but normally devils treated such things as casual dalliances that were not important or, in more extreme cases, as convenient holes and dicks that one can use. This was due to the sheer natural difference in power and lifespan between the two races, no serious rtionship between equals could even potentiallye about between such a match.


    Sona then proceeded to exin.


    "This match is only possible due to the Hanakai industries being the closest and most influential contact between house Sitri and the human world. About 70% of our imports and exports to the human world happen through the Hanakai family, even my own Bishop being the current heiress is precisely due to how relevant the rtionship between house Sitri and the Hanakai family is. Seeing as Momo is now a devil, though, she can''t truly inherit the position as next head of the family so the most likely person to take over the position would be this person who beat me in chess."


    Rias nodded, she still thought that such a match was ludicrous, but she could understand it somewhat. Besides, it would mean Sona would only have to be married for a period of a few decades at most which, for a devil, didn''t truly mean that much seeing as they all could leave for ten thousand years or longer.


    What Sona didn''t say was that, in fact, she did not like Soma at all. If anything her first impression of hims was that he was the rudest, crudest, most brutish person she has ever met, he showed no respect for her whatsoever and, if anything, he was seemed to look down at her. Sona would only entertain the idea of actually truly trying to get closer to him for one reason.


    ... She wanted to make him bow to her.


    Sona may not be controlled by her desires and sins as much as other devils, but she was still a devil with one very pronounced sin. She was a devil of pride, and she would make Soma bow to her and apologize for acting like if she was anyone else! She was Sona Sitri and she deserved respect, not to be aimed eyes like those he shot at her.


    Looking outside the window of the mansion Sona wondered what should she do to make this man bow to her in reverence. She already made the entire school do that by just walking around and being herself, that was normal for devils who could naturally charm humans, but he was different. He was immune to it all and the worst part is that he had humiliated her in that chess match. She never ONCE suffered such a humiliating defeat, being treated as if she was an amateur as he barely seemed to pay attention to the game while he was still eating his lunch. No, after that her pride would ept no less than him bowing to her. ns forming on her mind to aplish just that as she wondered what he might be doing right now.


    ///---///


    "You know, you are quite lucky I think Aya would not be pleased if you died right now. Isn''t it good that you can only keep alive because someone you consider ''trash'' doesn''t want me to slowly dissect you while you are alive and make you eat every single piece thates off?" Soma spoke quietly as he stared down at the sleeping figure of Kaname Asagiri.


    Soma had just read all the memories of the sleeping boy using some ''basic'' mind-rted magecraft he learned. He had seen through all his memories as he wanted to confirm if the little ''punishment'' he has set up would be good enough.


    It so happens, it WOULDN''T be enough. Not at all.


    Seeing this Soma looked at Kaname with a degree of pity knowing just how much this teenager was going to suffer in the near future, but this pity was dulled immensely by the satisfaction of knowing how much he was going to suffer in the near and immediate future.


    "I guess I could just give you this extra push." Soma said as he put his hand over Kaname''s head. Soma''s understanding of the human body and brain was probably the highest in the current world and with a normal human having no defense against magic energy it was child''s y to make Kaname have what could only be seen as several small issues in his body that would start to take effect one after the other in the future.


    Inability to hold in urine, loss of all hair, feeling itchy at all times all over the body, eyesight worsening to the point that in one year he would go blind, every time he gets a hard-on he would feel unbearable pain, all bones bing as fragile as ss, Alzheimer within a two years at most with signs starting by the next day, allergy to sugar and gluten that will make him vomit everything if he ever eats anything that has them in it as well as needing immediate medical assistance due to the swelling, and several other big and small things.


    Kaname''s body would be a hell to live in soon enough, but that alone was not the most immediate thing Soma did. No, his first action that would take effect soonest was making his body show signs of chemical dependency to several drugs, including several spots underneath his shirt that would look like marks of drug usage, and he would from this day on suffering from night terrors as bad as possible to the point of having strong PTSD and need medication to just TRY to have a decent night sleep.


    "From now on your dreams will be hell, and so will your body be hell. But this alone is not enough a punishment for being such a piece of shit so I will make sure that you will be firmly nted on the seat you deserve, loser." Soma said with a dark smile worthy of Morgan LeFay and Moriarty. He wouldn''t kill him, if he did that then Aya would know he intervened without her saying so and she might lose faith in him or something. Better to make a believable lie instead, and what a y Soma would be nning out soon enough.


    Thinking for a bit Soma made a few other modifications to Kaname''s body, changing some cells to be more suitable to where he would be going soon enough.


    As he was doing so Soma felt something strange in Kaname. He felt something slightly simr in Aya that time he treated her but he was far too worried about her physical health and state to pay attention to details that were not relevant for her well-being at the time.


    Feeling it closer he found it was as if there was something ''connected'' to Kaname''s soul. A foreign entity that was connected to Kaname''s soul as if the two were artificially stitched together. For most this would be impossible to mess with, but for Soma...


    "What sort of shady work is this? Did the person who make this connection even understand the basics of soul maniption or did he just threw things around and when something barely worked he waved it off as a sess? This has ''shitty work'' written all over it." Soma said and shook his head.


    After his many years studying the Third Magic (Heaven''s Feel), the Materialization of the Soul, Soma could be said to be extremely knowledgeable about souls. For him what he saw in Kaname''s soul was a messy work that he could only scoff at since it was ridiculous in his eyes.


    Shaking his head Soma decided he might as well take a closer look at what exactly it was. With great ease he manipted his magic energy inside Kaname''s body and with practiced ease he removed the ''stitches'' connecting the item to Kaname''s soul. There was some sort of leakage that happened whenever one of the ''stitches'' was severed, but, for Soma, it was simple enough to close them and make it where Kaname''s soul was in perfect condition as if no problems had ever happened.


    After doing so Soma had the object removed from inside Kaname and looked at it. It was an orange bow that made Soma raise a brow but after a moment understand what it was.


    "I see, so you had a Sacred Gear. Would you look at that, you really were a chosen one, good for you. But, now you are just like everybody else who wasn''t blessed by birth and, within a few days, you will not even be that. Your body itself will be trash that would be hard to find a worse example of a human body and I have my doubts over how long your mind willst with you unable to sleep. Good luck being a pathetic loser for the rest of your life, whatever long youst. At least I will be nice and send you to a ce I believe you will fit in quite nicely."


    After finishing with this Soma got out of the room and went to the room of the parents of Aya, he could study more of this bowter on. Looking at the two he could see that the mother was curled up in a small ball as far away from her husband as possible while said husband was sprawled over the bed as if there was only he there. Seeing this scene and remembering the memories of Kaname in regards to them Soma nodded to himself.


    He first went to the father''s side, putting a hand over his head he wanted to hypnotize him into thinking that life was only worth living if Kaname was there and was the winner he envisioned, but Soma shook his head in disgust seeing as that was not necessary. Jirou Asagiri already saw himself AS Kaname and already thought that, if Kaname fails, then he would kill his son and then kill himself as well. Truly a pathetic excuse for a man.


    "Well, since I am already here." Soma said as he put a hand over the man''s chest and used some magecraft to give the man testicle cancer that would be in a salvageable state if he had them removed and went to a very intensive and lengthy chemotherapy that would make him suffer for months, if not years. A person like that didn''t deserve to be a ''man'' anymore and losing his ability to BE a man in the most basic sense should be a good first step.


    But, Soma couldn''t quite just let him have this cancer and hope he would notice. If treatment took too long to start then the cancer could advance further and be lethal which was uneptable. Soma wanted him to suffer for a long time and him just dying like that would be too easy.


    To ensure the man would have to go to the hospital Soma made sure he would be suffering from appendicitis within the next few hours (timed so Aya would already be in school, no point in losing ss time over someone like this) which would make him need to run to the hospital to get treatment at once (as a bonus he also changed the nerves around the area to be extra sensitive, just to make sure he would feel even greater pain from it).


    While he would have to go to the hospital he would be identified as having cancer. Even if he doesn''t kill himself after Kaname ''fails'' the man would be interned in the hospital for a long time and wouldn''t be able to make Aya, or his wife, suffer anymore.


    With the right persuasion the two should also leave him then, since he is a piece of trash and can no longer hurt or force them to obey, and, after they leave him behind to suffer alone, Soma could easily enough kill the man or go to the hospital to make him suffer much worse with even worst diseases that would make him waste away while suffering every step of the way until his slow and agonizing death alone in a hospital bed where no one would mourn him. A fitting end, but that was, of course, if Jirou didn''t just kill himself.


    Fingers crossed he did not do that, someone like that deserved to die more slowly and in a much more humiliating way than just by hanging himself or inconveniencing others by jumping out a window.


    Feeling satisfied with this Soma went to Monoko''s side of the bed and used structural grasp on her, and he sighed at what he saw. This woman had gone through almost as much physical abuse as Aya and at a closer examination, he could see she was quite baren. Furrowing his brows Soma examined this further and found signs inside her that indicated she did have kids but, during a previous pregnancy, she was hit in her stomach extremely hard and the baby died inside her in a brutal way.


    The removal of the said fetus was clearly done in a very sloppy way and when it was over shepletely lost the ability to have more children. Seeing this Soma decided that he might as well fix that.


    Using a considerable amount of magic energy he began to heal her injuries and, after a while, he healed her in that aspect as well. While examining Kaname''s memories he never saw her doing anything to hurt Aya and even tried to protect her at times, but she was too afraid to take more serious actions. Soma could understand that and did not dismiss it, she didn''t manage to do much, but she was the closest thing to a proper parent this family had, and helping her this much felt right.


    Nodding to himself he left the room as if he was a shadow and moved without making any noise until Aya''s room, seeing her sleeping there he checked to see if there were any new injuries and noted with some surprise that there were no new ones. He expected her to be in a worse state but this was the first day since she came back to her house so maybe nothing happened because of that.


    Still, Soma checked her more thoroughly and noted she too had an item stitched to her soul, but this object was not quite as ''stable'' as the one he extracted from Kaname. It was as if it was once a weapon of considerable power, but it turned into a mud structure of it and was trying to fix itself. He also felt its connection with Aya''s soul was even less well done than the one Kaname''s gear had with his, and that was already a terrible half-assed job at best.


    "... It is good I found out about this before anything bad could have happened." Soma said as he proceeded to use his energy to better and more stably connect the gear to Aya''s soul. As he did so he noted how it was now draining what Soma could only imagine as Aya''s magic circuits of energy in an efficient manner as if it was trying to supply itself with energy to fix its issues.


    He was worried for a moment there but the energy being pulled was not really damaging her circuits nor her body, if anything it would force the energy from her surroundings into her and this energy would have a positive aspect on her health as it was pulled in. It wouldn''t really make her be a superhuman or anything, but it would certainly help her be much healthier inparison to normal.


    "Don''t worry, soon enough things will change for you. Very, very soon." Soma said as he put a hand on her head and used some hypnosis on her, not do anything bad but just a trick Merlin taught him to make people have nice dreams. It wasn''t much, but, with this, she would at least sleep better from now on.


    Having done his part Soma left the house and looked at the time on his phone. It was three in the morning so he could go to sleep now to have at least a few hours of sleep... Or-


    "It should be better to sleep in ss and eliminate those stray devils in town. Besides, who knows when they might move or attack innocent civilians?" Soma said as he began to move.


    Considering everything and that he had two avable targets Soma thought for a bit before deciding he might as well go and kill those two and study their corpses. There was far too much Soma did not know about supernatural creatures and learning about them, and how to better kill them, was more important than some hours of sleep. He could always just sleep in ss anyway.


    ///---///


    Next day Soma was sleeping soundly during the ss time making the teacher very irritated and Aya feel flustered since her friend was being scolded in ss and did not seem to care at all about it.


    This could not be avoided, however, since Soma even being in ss today was something he was pushing himself for. The stray devils he had found were not particrly hard to deal with, neither taking more than 5 minutes to kill and most of that time was him studying their movements and ways of attack. What really ate up his time was something else, the dissecting of the corpses he had to do on the site since their bodies were far toorge.


    He only was satisfied with what he got of information, and finished collecting his samples, when it was around 5 in the morning. Returning home he had begun another experiment, he had obtained two items from those stray devils that were quite interesting and he was still trying to counter engineer them to understand them better.


    A Rook and Queen pieces.


    They were even more fascinating than the honestly iplete bow he ''obtained'' from Kaname. Soma didn''t spend much time studying it, only around twenty or so minutes so it could only be called as a quick inspection, but that was enough to make it damn obvious that the bow was more like a piece of an item that was reforged to work independently, not the full thing.


    On the evil pieces he obtained, after careful examination, he could tell some aspects of the method by which the evil pieces had the ability to change the race of a person and give them several boosts too. To be able to make such an item, and make it be mass-produced no less, was most interesting, to say the least.


    But most of these aspects did not interest Soma in the slightest. Being mass-produced and changing races were just annoyances for him, the first because just mass-producing something, if you had enough materials for it, was rtively simple in his eyes, and the second because changing his race had no appeal to him.


    If he wanted to live for centuries, even millennia, he could do so without much issue and had several ways to do just that. No, what interested him was actually the boost the pieces would give BEYOND the race change.


    As a human Soma was of a mindset that he should always look for ways to improve himself. Those pieces could increase a person''s natural potential and capabilities in certain areas, if he could take those boosts alone for all the five types of pieces he could increase his own and any other potential ally of his'' potential exponentially.


    Soma only had a theory for now and would need more time and samples to study the possibilities, but it was definitely interesting.


    As for the bow, Soma used a technique like that used to input a conceptual item inside one''s body to carry it around. He had decided to keep it with him because he wanted a viable weapon for long-range in case there was a need and it would be far less conspicuous to have it inside him than walking around with a light gun. As he did not bind it with his soul as it did with Kaname then he could remove it from inside himself simply enough and its usage was ridiculously simple.


    It was a great bow, very easy to pull and its drain of energy was much less than the output of power so it would be a great weapon, even if the bow was decidedly iplete.


    As the teacher stopped trying to bother to wake up Soma he turned to the rest of ss to speak and Aya pushed Soma for a bit to make him wake up in time for the announcement.


    Much to the teacher''s irritation, Soma opened his eyes quite easily when she did so. Taking a deep calming breath the teacher spoke up.


    "Uhum, ss today we are having two additions to ss. The first one is young Kiyoharu Suirenji who has returned from the hospital after recovering from the tragic ident that happened to him a while back. Please do not act insensitively towards him and his condition." The teacher said as he pointed for the new student to enter.


    The ''boy'' who entered did not look like a boy in the slightest. If anything ''he'' looked like a beautiful young girl with short soft blond hair topped by a red ribbon, a very cute face with pretty and expressive green eyes. She was using a girl''s uniform and was trying to give a cute smile but the reaction of most of the rest of the ss was very negative.


    The girls were ring at her due to, well, be prettier than most of them despite being a guy. And the guys were looking in disgust at her due to dressing and trying to act like a girl despite being male.


    In other words, Kiyoharu Suirenji was a transgender girl.


    Soma looked in slight interest since he was used to people like this whose gender was somewhatplicated to decide (*COUGH* Astolfo and D''eon *COUGH*). That she actually had the guts to dress like that in ss in middle school, Soma had to admit that Kiyoharu was already braver than anyone else of this ss in his eyes.


    It was not simple to actually do something like that and being courageous enough to do it, at the very least, earned some of Soma''s respect.


    The teacher looked around in search of somewhere that Kiyoharu could sit and noted that the back of the ss had some empty seats. The reason? Soma was there and most of the people in the ss were terrified of him after he acted out on the very first day and the fact that his introduction to the ss included several threats to anyone who annoyed him.


    "You can sit over there." The teacher spoke, pointing to the back of the ss.


    "Thanks, teacher." Kiyoharu spoke as she moved in that direction, murmurs from the other students as she passed being quite negative and very insulting. With practiced ease she ignored them all and sat at the back, looking to her side she saw Soma sitting there and offered her hand for a handshake. "You must be new in ss, my name is Kiyoharu. Nice to meet you."


    Soma extended his own hand as well and shook hers, which made her slightly surprised at hisck of, well, disgust at doing that. Many people acted as if she was somehow toxic to be around or touch even when she was just being friendly, especially if it was the first impression. That he showed no such issues was a positive in her eyes.


    "Nice to meet you, my name is Soma Hanakai. First things first, Kioharu-san. Which gender you prefer being addressed as?" Soma said and she raised an eyebrow before he continued. "Well, I have met other people in your situation before so I know that you have a gender you prefer to be addressed at. I would rather use that over just making assumptions." D''Eon was always very mad when people called him a girl so asking this made sense for Soma.


    Kiyoharu smiled widely as she answered.


    "I am a girl. I mean, biologically I am a male but I AM a girl and intend to do the operation to be a full girl when I am old enough to do that." Kiyoharu admitted and Soma nodded.


    In all honesty, the act of changing gender, for Soma, was nothing that big in terms of modifying the body. He certainly was modifying his body much further considering the changes he was doing to it daily to the point where calling him a ''normal human'' will be impossible soo enough. If she wanted to change herself like that and already identified herself as a ''she'' then that is her issue.


    "Freak lover." A girl in the front mentioned loud enough for Kiyoharu to hear while sending a peek at Soma who had actually been friendly with the ''freak'' of the ss. Kiyoharu''s mood worsened quickly and Soma just looked at the girl who spoke before opening his mouth.


    "Two bucks bitch."


    At this, the girl and everyone else froze and the teacher yelled.


    "Soma Hanakai, to the director''s office NOW! Suchnguage is not something admissible in a ssroom."


    Soma just looked at the teacher before answering.


    "So what I said is wrong but the homophobic and offensivenguage that was said by half this ss in thest five minutes ispletely alright? Is it a school policy to allow for such a thing or is it just you choosing to be deaf when it is convenient?"


    The teacher red at Soma who red right back.


    In this tense situation, Aya looked on as Soma did that, facing the teacher like that for someone he had just met over an injustice that should have been noted before but was never addressed. Aya was not stupid, despite what her grades might show. She knows that, in ss, the only other person as bullied, if not more, than her was Kiyoharu. They even tried to be friends for a time but due to Aya always needing to go straight home after ss and the fact that they couldn''t really spend much time talking during time period due to various reasons, their friendship was only that of a close acquaintance.


    That Soma so promptly stood up in the defense of another target for abuse made Aya feel like maybe she could really ask him for help. That he would really stand up for her as well if she asked.


    As for the other student that was going to be introduced to the ss, she could only stay in the door looking at the scene happening inside with wide eyes. Not really at what was happening, especially since she actually agreed with Soma since, as a devil, she knew how things like gender and stuff like that could beplicated in some cases, but because this ss was insane.


    ''Three, no, there are 4Sacred Gear users in this single ssroom. I know Kuoh is one of the ''hot spots'' for Sacred Gear users to show up, but isn''t this a bit absurd for a single ss? How did so many users pass by Sona and Rias without either noting or doing anything about it?'' Ravel thought to herself in shock as she observed the four people in ss that had a sacred gear inside them.


    Trois, Aya, Sarina... and Kiyoharu.


    Ravel made a decision as she looked at those four. She had to investigate this and approach them, four users so close to each other in this ce, they could be targets for fallen angels or any number of things. As one of the devils responsible for the town (she damn well knew her brother wouldn''t do a thing about it and just delegate to her anyway), she had the responsibility to look after the citizens of Kuoh.


    It was a matter of pride, after all.


    ///---///


    AN:


    Well, I am trying to avoid speaking here via PMs but I can already see problems appearing from some of the viewers so let me say this here.


    Kiyoharu is a character from Mahou Shoujo Site, she has the mind, personality, and honestly the looks of a girl but she was born in a male body. She fully intends to do the operation to change genders and it is her right to decide this sort of thing. I met someone who went through this sort of thing and the treatment she got was terrible from those around, there is a lot of negativity around this sort of thing which I find absurd.


    So, if anyone reading this fic finds this mere concept as ''disgusting'' ''wrong'' or decides to call me homosexual or makements in any way rted to this sort of thing, then don''t. I will make sure to erase any suchment and if you refuse to read the fic after this chapter it ispletely up to you. I am trying to show more realism in this fic, make this world something that could actually happen in real life (to a degree, this still is a world of magic boobies and gods), so hard matters to deal with can and do happen.


    On a happier note, I hope you all enjoyed the little ''punishment'' Soma set up for both Jirou and Kaname. Kaname prided himself on being a winner, now his body and mind will ensure he can''t ever call himself normal, and as for Jirou, he used his body to do whatever he wanted all the time to his family, and now his body will ensure he can''t be called a man NOR will he be able to use said strength anymore (chemotherapy really fucks with the body, my grandma went through it a few months back and it is devastating, PS: she is alive and well now).


    But don''t worry, they will still suffer more soon enough, I am vindictive, and even if I was the one who decided what they did I still feel like they can still suffer some more.


    One more thing, I am discussing who I can base Trois. There are a few options and I want you guys'' opinions on who would be best, if you have a better option please say so. I am still deciding and will only really have a final decision by the end of the week. Regardless, the powers and appearances will be adapted to suit the world of DxD. The options I figured out are these:


    1 - Meredy (Fairy Tail)


    2 - Juvia (Fairy Tail)


    3 - re (Fairy Tail)


    4 - Mary Hughes (Fairy Tail)


    5 - Mami Tomor (Madoka Magika)


    6 - Tattletale (Worm)


    7 - Mariam (Toaru Majutsu Index)


    Anyway, thanks for reading and until next time.

 Chapter 13 - 13

    Needless to say, despite the very much awkward mood that Soma''s words brought forward, he indeed went to the director''s office. Getting there Soma had to hear a lengthy exnation from the professor of how he was wrong about what he was speaking about and that hecked the basic decency of respecting his elders and his teachers.


    Soma almostughed when he heard this. His mind has over 6000 years of age, even if his body was young he himself most certainly isn''t. And about respecting his teachers, Soma did not and would not learn anything from this ''teacher'' of his, after so long being spoiled with the absolute greatest teachers of the Multiverse a normal middle school teacher with questionable morals did not even pass in his radar. ??


    "I have to say, Mr. Hanakai, you truly are bing a bit of a trouble maker. What can you say in your defense?" The director spoke and Soma shrugged.


    "I did those things the instructor said, but he seems to have forgotten to mention how the other students in his ss seem to be eitherpliant to, or actively join in group bullying towards both Miss Asagiri and Miss Suirenji."


    "It is Mr. Suirenji, he is a male and should be spoken as such." The teacher said and Some sighed. People like this existed everywhere and were one of the reasons why Soma had to agree that some humans are trash.


    "I won''t enter into discussion with you regarding that. Miss Sairenji is already most likely going through a tough enough situation and if you as a teacher can''t or refuses to help in any meaningful way, then that is up to you. I just refuse to stay quiet when half the ss speaks shit about her in such a demeaning way and you pretend to be deaf to thosements, but at the moment I speak up against someone who just called a ssmate a ''freak'' your ears seems to work again and make mee here to be admonished." Soma said and the teacher seems to be sweating a bit as he heard this.


    Not because he actually minded the words, but because his boss seems to have minded them.


    "I will look into your usations, Mr. Hanakai, but disciplinary measures against you will still have to happen. I will inform your parents about this and, by the end of the day, a decision will be made in regards to your punishment, until then return to ss and if possible avoid causing any more troubles until we can talk again." The principal said and Soma shrugged.


    "I can try, but no promises." as he said this Soma left the room, leaving the director behind. The said director sighed and looked at the teacher to have a discussion about this situation that was happening.


    ///---///


    Back in ss, the students were making a fuss since the teacher was not around and many werementing about what happened and the girl who was called ''two bucks bitch'' was making a fuss with her friends trying to help her out.


    It was at this moment that Soma came back from the principal''s office and, as he entered, everyone quietened down.


    The first to walk forward in this situation being Sarina who spoke up.


    "Look, I don''t know who you think you are but you better stop trying to act self-righteous like that." Sarina spoke.


    Soma looked down at the girl who didn''t even reach his shoulder. She was trying to act intimidating but it just came off as cute in his eyes, like a chihuahua barking at a lion.


    "Go sit down girl, you are already on my shitty list so don''t push it. Otherwise, who knows what I might do to you." Soma said in a dark tone and she actually shivered a bit at that one.


    What the reason for that? Who knows.


    Ignoring her he went to his seat, looked around for a moment, and decided what the best use of his time would be.


    Reclining his head on the table he closed his eyes and started to literally snore rather loudly instantly, already sleeping then and there.


    The rest of the ss looked at this in shock. Ravel, on her part, observed this and had a single thought.


    ''This human, he is acting more willful than most devils I know off. What the hell is wrong with him?''


    ///---///


    The day passed mostly like normal. During lunchtime, like the other times Soma came to school, he ate with Aya, only this time Kiyoharu was also eating with them. Soma noted how Kiyoharu and Aya awkwardly started talking at first both not being overly good at socializing.


    Around half time into lunch, Ravel Phenex came to them, a friendly smile on her face as she approached directly and spoke.


    "Hey, would you mind if I ate here with you guys?"


    Soma was not paying much in the way of attention to this, being mostly quiet during this time as he was internally examining the bow Sacred Gear he stole from Kaname. It was up to Kiyoharu and Aya, the first was slightly dubious but Aya easily and shily epted the request.


    Soon after Ravel struck a conversation with the two and the three girls soon were talking between themselves as if normal. Aya was very socially troubled due to ack of positive experience with it and Kiyoharu was very dubious and secretive, liking to keep her thoughts to herself normally. Having Ravel, who one could only call a ''social butterfly'', with them helped in them all talking with each other.


    Soma noted that Ravel was good at making friends and her approaching them after what just happened earlier in the day was quite strange. Soma already knew that Aya had a Sacred Gear so he thought that Ravel might have noticed it, but as long as she didn''t try anything then Soma wouldn''t do anything as well.


    He wouldn''t act as if Aya belonged to him or control who she could and could not talk with, he would only stop anyone trying to force Aya into anything or trying to harm her. She was a young girl, but she was her own person as well, being over-controlling and dictating everything to her would make him no better than her father in his eyes.


    He didn''t talk much with Ravel, only paying attention and answering when talked to but otherwise he was a mostly quietpanion that put more focus on his own stuff.


    During the sses after lunch, Soma continued studying the bow using Structural Grasp, being more and more impressed by it and understanding more and more how it worked. It was about asplex to understand as a C+ Rank Noble Phantasm, so there was a lot toprehend but Soma was used to doing this sort of thing.


    When he was put inside Gilgamesh''s treasury to clean all his items and spent so long doing so he gained a knack for understanding theposition and works of weapons and items of all levels, regardless of powers of ways their enchanting worked together. That didn''t mean he was the same as EMIYA in being able to trace Noble Phantasms just like that or understand them with a mere nce, since he could not copy their histories and was not as over specialized as the infuriating asshole, but just being capable in terms of understanding weapons'' functions and how they are made is simple enough for him.


    Not only that, unlike EMIYA who could only make weapons he has seen or extrapte them a bit further while making them directly with his magic, Soma could use his understandings of Mystic Codes, Enchantings, and runecraft to let him forge his own works and understand intrinsically the workings of most any enchanted items if given enough time.


    ''This bow, while it is only a part of a bigger whole it is like even it by itself is rather iplete and is full of gaps in its structure. Did the guy that made this let such an iplete weapon out on purpose or he was just toozy to finish the job properly? Is this what is used for ''Bnce Break'' that Mittlelt told me about, a means for a weapon to be enchanted naturally while adapting to the user''s wishes? If so, then I may as well fill these gaps my own way instead of depending on hoping for the best of someone who made that sort of shabby work when in regards to souls.'' Soma thought to himself as he decided to go about doing so after ss.


    He would leave the ''junction'' parts needed for the fusion with the other pieces of the original weapon, but obtaining those wouldn''t be instantaneous and Soma would much rather his own weapons be as strong as possible. Humans are weaker beings by nature, even in the wild humans are weaker than most animals, but they survived because they were the more prepared. Making weapons, groups, learning from previous mistakes of themselves and it''s ancestors, all are what made humans survive. And Soma would not ignore that at all.


    Any means to increase his power, anything to be even just a bit stronger, all were things he would do.


    ///---///


    In the evening, upon returning home, Aya and Kaname noted the absence of both their parents.


    "Weird, that shitty father should be home by now and mom should have been here as well." Kanamemented as he scratched his chin. Aya just moved to start her work, even if her parents weren''t around she had her own work to do in the house anyway.


    Kaname just went to the sofa and spoke up.


    "Aya, get me a soda or something."


    Aya quickly went to the kitchen to do just that and then went to give Kaname the said soda.


    "Slow, can''t you even bring a drink faster? Even in such a simple thing you are a loser." Kaname spoke with disdain, enjoying the way Aya''s expression became downtrodden as if a kicked puppy.


    Feeling this satisfaction after the whole day feeling strange was enough to make Kaname think that this world was still going the way it should.


    As he was sitting down on the sofa he took out his phone and checked to see if there were any new messages.


    ''Kaname, your father had some health issues and has had toe to the hospital. I am here with him as we wait for the results to know what is going on, he told me to inform you that ''you better not be wasting your time, go to study and do not worry about me.'' I wille back home as soon as possible, but you can ask for food through the phone to you and your sister.''


    Kaname, after finishing reading, smirked.


    "As if I would be worried about you, you piece of shit. Go die in a pit for all I care, it would certainly be more helpful than you being alive." Kaname spoke up as he almostughed at the mere idea of him worrying for the health of his father.


    Kaname hated the man with every fiber of his being, for Kaname, if Jirou was in mes he wouldn''t even spit at him.


    That is how much Kaname ''cared'' for the man who has made his life hell.


    Looking at the apps on his phone Kaname asked for a delivery of some nice food, enough for one person to feast or two if they ate more sparingly.


    ... Kaname felt like feasting. And anyway, there was enough food to be made if Aya wanted to eat something, she would just have to make it from scratch.


    Besides, Kaname had to hold himself back the day before since Aya was grilled by their parents about what happened to her since she just vanished for a full day just like that. Well, it was more their mother worried at the start until Aya admitted to having spent the day in Hanakai''s house.


    Needless to say, Jirou asked if she had already fucked Soma or not during that day and, when she said no (as Kaname expected since she is just an ugly pig in his eyes and even looking at her as anything more should be a sign of the person being mentally retarded) then her father spent about two hours yelling at her about how useless she was to not even manage to do what even a street whore can manage.


    Thanks to howte it was and the bad mood his parent was the day before Kaname hasn''t had a ''stress relief'' session with Aya. Now that his parents were not around and would be gone for who knows how long. he could truly do whatever the fuck he wanted for the night and have a long rxing evening eating like a king and then enjoying all the expressions he could pull out of little Aya.


    Kaname despised Aya, she was weak, a loser, unable to do even one thing right, but because of that, no one had any expectations of her. She could do what she wanted and was much freer than he ever was about her own decisions, or at least that was how things were in Kaname''s own eyes. Kaname had to spend countless nights without sleep, always studying, always trying to stay the best, always pressured to BE the nest.


    So... she could at least help him somewhat, right?


    ///---///


    It was at night time when Soma had finished the first few modifications he was intending to prepare on the bow Sacred Gear. If Mittletl''s information was correct this one should be the Starling Orange, a normal grade Sacred Gear.


    There were a total of 9 ''gaps'' Soma found in this gear. Being curious he checked Twilight Healing as well and it also had several gaps, but instead of 9, there were 17 gaps. ording to Mittlelt, Twilight Healing was a high-grade gear so Soma theorized that the number of gaps is higher the stronger and more inherent potential a gear has.


    It was fascinating stuff to be sure, but for now, Soma did what he intended. He has managed to fill in three of the nine gaps in the Starling Orange. He used Primal runes for each of those gaps, the runes were for Distance, Speed, and Impact, all selected with specific desires.


    The first was to ensure his arrows would have a range that could be determined by himself and should at top-level be around 12 or so kilometers. The second would ensure that the speed of the arrow''s creation and its flying speed would be increased from its original level (an arrow taking two seconds to form and flying at around forty meters per hour) to a much better level (an arrow taking half a second to form and flying at five times the speed of sound). And the final enchanting would ensure that the arrow''s ''punch'' would be enhanced from barely D-Rank spell power to around C+ rank power for each arrow.


    Afterst night when he faced those Stray Devils Soma realized that there could be many such strays in town and they eluded to have killed many people before. Considering this, and that he now had a bow, Soma decided that he should make this weapon be one able to send its attacks from as far away and as fast a speed as possible. Soma was also considering if he should remove the enchantments for honing since they were quite unnecessary for Soma, he could better use the freed space for his own enchanting to increase the lethality of the bow and how stealthy the arrows were.


    Soma was probably producing quite an outrageous weapon right now, one weapon that would be extremely inconvenient on other people considering it''s aspects and how it demanded the user to adapt to it instead of the other way around, a fact that was especially significant since Sacred Gears were made to be pathetically easy to use since God wanted even untrained and normal humans to be able to use them easily, but for Soma himself, such a weapon would be just right.


    However, he had to stop at three gaps now because of how, with each new ''gap'' he fills, the harder the process bes and the more it demands in terms of energy and time to engrave. To think that God made the gears able to fill those gaps by themselves while being dictated by a person''s desires, he was definitely brilliant even if he failed quite heavily in many ways.


    But, even if it was decidedly a brilliant item and extremely interesting in it''s usage, Soma prefers to depend on his own knowledge instead of hoping that the gear will just be stronger by itself. He knows Primaveral Runes and how to use them in enchanting, he rather doubts that auto enchantings could match the sheerplexity and power of these runes.


    Feeling satisfied Soma got out of his workshop, went to the kitchen, made a bucket of popcorn, took a soda can from the fridge, and went to the rooftop.


    Using the hiding technique from the Hassans he moved from one rooftop to the next being almost invisible for anyone that was not looking straight for him. After around a minute he arrived at his destination, sitting on a rooftop he opened the can, took a swing at it, and took out his phone. Modifying his voice using a trick he learned from Hassan of Serenity Soma thought about his next words before making a call.


    After a few rings, the call was answered.


    "One-One-Zero, what is your emergency?"


    "I, I believe I heard a strange sound. It, it was like a girl yelling in pain. Please, I think there is a young girl about to be killed! It can be a home invasion or something, please send help!" Soma spoke in a modified female elderly voice. Soma has learned how to do such a thing in the Throne, it wouldn''t pass if there was a serious forensic investigation for his voice but on a phone call like that, it was simple enough.


    "Miss, I understand. Please tell us the address and your name and we will be sending someone to the house." The police attendant spoke soothingly, believing to be talking with an elderly woman.


    "I, It is house, hum, 714, street Shinjitsu. And my name is not important. I am leaving, I don''t want to be killed. Just send someone to help, please." Soma said and ended the call.


    No way was he going the extra step just to fabricate a whole other persona for that, an anonymous call would be more than enough.


    It took around twenty minutes for the police to arrive. In a few minutes, Soma could see them entering the house of the Asagiri family even as Kaname tried to stop the police. Soma closed his eyes and reinforced his ears, he wanted to listen to the sweet melody of a self-centered asshole''s life beingpletely ruined just like that.


    Few things could be called a ''greatest'' melody, if Salieri was to be believed. And as Soma heard what was happening he ate his popcorn he admitted, it was a damn good song.


    ///---///


    KNOCK KNOCK


    Kaname growled in irritation, he had just started showing Aya her proper ce after having run away for a full day before and make HIM go and bring her back. Stopping now kinda killed the mood, but he might as well see what was going on.


    Going to the door there was more knocking and Kaname scowled. Looking through the peephole he saw that it was the police.


    "Fuck, what they want?" Kaname cursed in a low tone and the cops outside spoke.


    "Sir, please open the door. There was a call saying they heard strange noises from the house, we are here to investigate these ims. If there is nothing it shouldn''t take more than five minutes." The cops said and Kaname began to sweet, he knew exactly what was upstairs and how it would look.


    Having a 14 years old girl tied up in her bed with clear signs of physical abuse and his belt around her neck that he was using to strangle her would NOT be ideal.


    Without opening the door Kaname turned back and hurriedly started running upstairs towards Aya''s room. Hearing the hurried footsteps back into the house the two cops outside looked at one another and realized something must be going on.


    "We areing in." One of the cops said before he kicked the front door open. Normally such a thing wouldn''t be allowed, but after the anonymous call and such suspicious actions inside the cops judged such an action necessary.


    Going in they had their weapons in hand and moved slowly until they heard the sounds of a scuffle in one of the rooms. Moving quickly they arrived at the door and nodding to one another opened the door just in time to hear and see what was going on.


    "Do you hear me, you say nothing! NOTHING! I will not be ruined by-"


    That was as far as Kaname got when the cops entered the room, his hands still pulling Aya up by her shirt and the girl with a frightened expression, Kaname''s belt still around her neck.


    "Get out! You have no right to just barge into my house like this!" Kaname said, in his adrenaline actually advancing while yelling at the cops.


    Not two secondster he was restrained on the ground as one of the cops easily took him down. Kaname might be stronger than Aya, but he was ultimately a boy who never once put more than the bare minimum training on his body, spending all his time studying instead. Despite all his bravado of being strong and a winner, he was just a weakling in the end when the situation mattered.


    "You areing with us, boy. Shin, while I take him to the car you do a search around the house. I will call support to us, we need an ambnce for the girl and to see if there is anything else going on here."


    The cop restraining Kaname said as he stood up, Kaname trying to fight back and move but he only got as a reply his arm being pulled even more.


    "You better stop, I am only restraining you here but if you struggle more you may end up breaking an arm."


    At the thought of being the one to suffer pain, Kaname stopped struggling and instead proceeded to focus on yelling how this was all wrong, to take their hands off him, that they would pay for this.


    As the cop has finished taking Kaname to the car and non too gently threw him inside Shin arrived, a package in hand.


    "You won''t believe it, but take a look." Shin said and showed his partner what he had in his hands.


    It was pure cocaine.


    "There are several kilos of this inside one of the rooms I assume is of this fucker. I have never seen so much, it was well enough hidden but there is just too much." Shin said and Kaname, who heard this, yelled.


    "That is not mine! I don''t know anything about that!"


    "Yeah, yeah, tell that to the judge. This just became an even bigger investigation, not only minor abuse now this also is a case of drug traffic. I hope you didn''t have any ns for the rest of your life, boy, because you are going to jail for sure."


    Kaname froze hearing this and only stared emptily as those words rang. In the window of the house, Aya watched this happening and could only stare not knowing what to do. A few minutester one of the cops came for her and she was soon taken to the hospital for medical treatment, ironically the exact same hospital where her parents were.


    When Kaname started moving again more and more police cars started showing up and the neighbors got out of their houses to see what was going on. Kaname started to yell as if a locked animal, his mind not catching up to the sudden change and his reaction as bad as it could go. The neighbors started to point and some olddies started talking about how they knew there should be something wrong with Kaname.


    By the time the car with him inside left the front of the house Kaname''s voice was hoarse and he couldn''t even try to speak up loudly. His throat dried up as he cried in frustration and anger, his life crumbling in front of his eyes and him wishing ardently for it all to have been just a nightmare. That he would open his eyes and be back in his house a few hours earlier, that this was all just a dream brought forward due to having eaten too much and too much television.


    (Un)fortunately, it was reality, a reality that would continue in a downright spiral and be worst than any nightmare he has ever had.


    ///---///


    AN:


    Hope you guys liked this chapter. I had this prepared for a few days now and already have the next chapter prepared.


    Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and a decision was reached in regards to who Trois will be based upon. I will reveal it in the next chapter so stay tuned.


    A final question before leaving, what should be Soma''s familiar? I have a few options but am not yet sure. I could even have it be something that Merlin sends him (the guy is in a state of being in the Throne and not at the same time and he could send something for Soma if needed). Any suggestions?

 Chapter 14 - 14

    As time passed news of what happened to Aya began to spread. Soma had managed to talk to her via phone and she said things were being solved, she tried to exin to him what was going on exactly, even if she was leaving a lot of things without saying, but it was fine considering she never really told Soma of her family situation before. At least Soma knew that things would be solved for Aya soon enough and he wouldn''t need to give her extra help in the form ofwyers. Well, considering his family he could have quite easily gotten her half a dozen Harward-levelwyers if he wanted, but he would rather not since he wanted Kaname and Jirou to be sent to jail.


    During this time which Aya was absent all sorts of rumors started about her, people saying that she was from a family of drug traffickers, ''confirmed'' rumors that she would sell drugs behind the school, that her father was a pimp, and all sorts of other crazy and baseless rumors that made her look overall quite bad. The gossip was running rampant and it got to the point where Soma decided he would deal with this gossip to it stop. And he knew the best way to stop such a thing. ??


    Creating another, even bigger scandal, for people to talk about.


    He made the belt of the teacher who had been annoying him for some time snap during ss showing the entire ss what he had underneath, which just so happened to be him without underwear and the very small package he was carrying there.


    Needless to say, people forgot all about the rumors surrounding Aya''s family, as news of the teacher "dropping" his pants during ss was a MUCH more juicy topic, and the new nickname for the teacher spread like wildfire. Professor little finger.


    It ruined the teacher''s image and he might lose his job moving forward, but Soma could not care less about it if he tried. The man was a useless sack of shit that was ipetent and did not even try to stop the tant bullying that happened in ss and just let it go as if he didn''t see a thing. Someone like that was unworthy of being a teacher in Soma''s eyes.


    A week passed since then. It was quite a peaceful and productive time period for Soma, he managed to create a mystic code that wouldpletely hide away any energy signature of his as long as he didn''t use it outside his body, which granted him quite a relief when walking around the city as he now didn''t need to fear being identified by any possible enemy. Besides, with that Mystic Code in his hands, he was now free to continue his body transformation using alchemy during ss right in Kuoh where he knew Devils were.


    Now that doing so in school was no longer risky such a thing became a necessity so as to make his growth all the faster. Besides, improving his body via alchemy to turn his original body into a more suitable form forbat and survival in this dangerous world was a much better use of his time than just studying about math, that is for sure.


    Right now his skin was the equivalent of carbon fiber in terms of durability, making it be extremely stic while also having the resistance of diamond. With that changeplete it was time he looked to inside his body as he was still currently weak to blunt strikes. Considering that his next step was his bones.


    With his bones, Soma truly went ''all out'' his modifications much more expressive than in his skin since the bones were not readily apparent to anyone observing it making it so he could do a lot more there. Not only that, since the bones were more solid and had less tendency to be broken than the skin of being cut or damaged, Soma could do more on his bones.


    He was modifying his entire skeleton into the equivalent to a special alloy with titanium as the basis while obtaining an even greater sticity than bones normally had and with the alloy also being extremely suited for magic energy conductivity. It was a special alloy used by DaVinci in the creation of his own artificial body, meaning bones that were suitable for fights against Heroes of the Throne. All over the bones, there would be thousands of tiny primal runes as well. The runes would be incredibly small and the entire array would be absurdlyplex, but the objective of it all wasn''t soplicated. Those runes focused on four main objectives:


    - Recovery


    - Storage


    - Reinforcement


    - Absorption


    Of those four, each had a specific advantage. Recovery was installed with the objective of increasing the body''s recovery speed, both of injury as well as tiredness. With this, he would be able to fight longer and heal faster even if he didn''t need to stop to heal himself.


    Reinforcement was also quite simple, it made his body better and made his body''s limits for reinforcement even greater than before. There were several runes for that and they made his bones stronger, the ligaments around the bones more reinforced, thus allowing him to reinforce himself even further than the ''normal'' limit of what his cells and body could take. The difference is great, if his bones were like this during his fight with Kiba, Kiba would be the one slower instead of the other way around.


    But the best part was the other two aspects of the runes, Storage and Absorption. Basically, their function would make his very bones umte magic energy from his magic circuits whenever there was surplus, like Jewel Magecraft . That meant that every moment he wasn''t using his magic actively or had magic energy to spare that magic would be absorbed by his bones until they reached a point of saturation. That would be the equivalent of increasing his reservoirs of magic energy from just some mystic codes he carried in the form of rings and other jewelry to 300+ mystic code level bones that all were supersaturated with magic inside his body, when hepleted the process and given enough time this would be taking care of his problems with magic reserves that were one of his bigger roadblocks in bing truly strong.


    This whole process on his bones took a considerable amount of time, but had far too many advantages not to use it. Whenpleted he would take a considerable leap forward in power.


    During the times he was in his house he also began another type of physical modification on himself, this time involving his sweat nds. He had started modifying his nds to release an extremely potent poison in demand. It''s so potent that even a passing touch would cause an elephant to die. The chemical makeup of the poison was an amalgamation of several poison recipes he developed with the help of queen Semiramis and the process being used on his body was made by Hassan of Serenity to be a Hassan.


    As the student of the Hassans and someone who got their approval Soma could be said to be an honorary Hassan, having mastered all the techniques of the Hassans (except Hundred Faces since his own technique is innate and impossible to copy) and had even developed his own technique. However, he would need to wait until he proved his own technique''s power in a proper way before he could call himself a Hassam, he couldn''t do so until then unless he wanted to provoke the Old Man, and no one with more than two brain cells did that. The Old Man was scary enough that even being in apletely different world did not make Soma think he should try his luck, unless he wanted to hear the bells.


    Of course, knowing all those assassination techniques of the Hassans, he would not forget to implement them in his body properly even if most of them demanded body modifications to small orrge extents. The easiest to copy while not being mental being the one from Serenity as he could copy that very easily. It would be a long process to copy them all, but the process and final result would be interesting regardless.


    During this time Soma had kind of formed his own little group at school. He was always around Kiyoharu, and Ravel with the three of them getting quite close as friends. It was an odd trio but the three enjoyed each other''spany.


    Kiyoharu loved it since her two new friends actually treated her like she wanted to be treated and most of the rest of the ss was too afraid to speak against her thanks to Soma''s intimidation. As for Ravel, it was incredible to finally have a female friend she could speak with who did not act like she was a monster of some sort. They would spend a long time after ss talking and messaging each other on the phone about makeup and other such matters.


    Ravel, in particr, enjoyed the time with Soma and Kiyoharu as it was an opportunity to unwind from her other obligations. Having Riser as her king was extremely annoying since he would dump most of his work on her head just so he could go fuck around, quite literally in most cases. But working for Rias was somehow even worse since Rias seemed to actively dislike Ravel.


    It wasn''t anything direct, but there was a very clear divide between her and the rest of the Peerage who treated her like she was an invader and would ignore her as much as they could while keeping the barest facade of friendliness. And her home wasn''t the better either seeing as she was living with her brother and he seemed to have a policy inside the house that would make it where he would be balls deep inside one of his Peerage members at most times of the day and that infuriated Ravel to no end, mostly due to her getting pent up since she too had entered puberty not long ago and that was the time when devils were the horniest, and that was saying something. Being surrounded by sex at all times but being basically forced to remain a pure and properdy with NO chance of relieving herself (Burent had taken away all her toys under her brother''s orders, the cunt) was not making her state any better.


    Being able to unwind with friends was enough to make this whole situation so much more bearable.


    As the three were sitting close to the back of the ss the teacher spoke up.


    "ss, it is Friday which means tomorrow is the start of the weekend with Monday being a holyday, a time when you all can rx."


    """YEAH! REST!"" Some of the students in the ss spoke, some even thanking the teacher "Thanks professor little finger."


    The teacher gnashed his teeth at thement before smirking and continuing.


    "However, as I know you all have so much free time and you all like to learn so much, I have a bit of homework for you all." The teacher said before writing on the ckboard. "You will be divided into 5 groups of four. I have this-" The teacher showed a box he had prepared. "Inside it there are papers with regions of the world. Each group will take one paper and you must make a presentation of a famous mythos and legends that originate from that ce."


    The entire ss groaned at this since it sounded like a lot of work and, as mostly 14-year-old teenagers, they were not overly keen on the idea of it.


    They soon began to divide into groups. Soma, Kiyoharu, and Ravel formed a group, but they needed a fourth member for it.


    As the teacher was passing by and noting names he noticed this and spoke.


    "All groups need a fourth member, you three alone can''t make a group."


    "Is there anyone else that still needs a group?" Ravel asked and the teacher looked around before someone approached.


    "I am free, if you would have me."


    The person who said that was a girl that Ravel had been paying attention to for a while now but seemed to always try to avoid her. Mami Tomoe, she had blond hair in a simr haircut to Ravel (twin tail drills) with golden eyes and a more curvaceous body than one would expect from a human of 14 or 15. She was quite the youngdy that made one think she was simr to Ravel when she was in her ''ojou-sama mode'', but she was a bit less perfect in the way of acting like a properdy and always kept a distance from the other students.


    Tomo approached and smiled at the others and spoke.


    "Do you guys mind if I join?" She asked the three.


    "I would like that." Ravel spoke.


    "I mean, if you don''t mind joining I wouldn''t mind either." Kiyoharu said.


    "... Have I ever seen you before?" Soma asked.


    And with those words, Mami''s feet missed a beat and she stumbled a bit.


    "You, you do know I am one of your ssmates, right?"


    "Not a clue." Soma said honestly.


    Ravel and Kiyoharu looked at him for several seconds before Kiyoharu spoke.


    "Soma-kun, how many of our ssmates'' names can you remember?"


    "Well, there is Aya, you, Ravel, and annoying red twintails." Soma spoke simply and the other two looked at him some more.


    "Please, Soma-kun, tell us the name of at least one more ssmate." Ravel spoke and Soma looked at her annoyedly before answering.


    "Tanaka?" Soma said to the deadpan stares of the other two.


    "... No, there are no ''Tanakas'' in this ss. How did you even get that name?" Ravel said and Soma shrugged.


    "I heard that Tanaka is amon name. It sounded like a safe bet, kinda like saying Bob or Joe in America really."


    Sighing both Kiyoharu and Ravel decided to ignore Soma for the time being. Turning to Mami, Kiyoharu extended her hand to her.


    "Nice to have you join us. Don''t worry over big and moody over there, he is really sweet when you get to know him."


    Mami just gave a shaky smile and nodded her head.


    "That is fine, I suppose. He looks... interesting." Mami said.


    "That is one way to look at it." Ravel said under her breath. As for Kiyoharu, after shaking the hand of Mami she froze for a millisecond but continued smiling and moved along. The pause was extremely minute to the point one would not really take notice, the only one to note something was Soma due to how he learned to observe any such sign.


    As the groups were formed the teacher continued.


    "Now, each team should send someone to take one paper from the box."


    Kiyoharu moved forward to take the paper and read the result out loud.


    "We have Europe."


    The teacher wrote it down and Kiyoharu went back to the rest of the group. As all groups had their work decided, the teacher spoke again.


    "You all have five more minutes until the bell for the ss to end, discuss what you all will do in the meantime and if you have any questions you are wee toe to me with them."


    The students nodded and the groups started animated discussions.


    "So, who do you guys think we should talk about?" Ravel asked the other three. "I personally vote that we talk about the legend of the knight Tristan, it is just so romantic."


    Soma shuddered, remembering the time he spent having to learn the harp with the Mr. Mncholy embodiment. Tristan was a nice teacher, but GOD was he a sad person, he exuded this aura of constant destion if he was ying the harp, and he was the freaking instructor of the harp for Soma (he had to learn a whole lot of things in the Throne since he was basically the ''toy'' of the heroes there). Seriously, the guy was not a bad person overall, but he could make anyone wonder if live was worth living.


    "I think that instead, we could go with someone else, maybe we could go with someone like Nero. He sounds interesting." Kiyohary said and Soma could almost hear the Umuing, at least the front window view was nice, even if he fighting with Artoria wasn''t and the cleaning up after was even worse. And the less si about the Nerofests the better, that was a shitshow that made him shudder just at the thought of it.


    "I personally would like to write about Joan D''Arc if possible. There aren''t many female heroes out there and I rather like her legend."


    ''Not enough female heroes? You clearly haven''t been to the Throne if you can say such nonsense.'' Soma thought to himself.


    As the three started to discuss a decision was made.


    "Why don''t you choose between the ones we rmended, Soma-kun? You can be the tiebreaker."


    Soma looked at them and after a moment answered.


    "Fine, we can go with Joan D''Arc." Soma said, making Tomo smile at this.


    "Fine, but why did you choose Joan?" Kiyoharu asked and Soma smirked.


    "Because her legend will let me bash and mock more people due to their sheer stupidity." Soma said.


    He was friends with Jalter and Joan back in the Throne, he knew the legend extremely well and he did promise Jalter to screw with the church at least once for her. It may not be quite what the tsundere pyromaniac had in mind when she was teaching him how to use mes to burn his enemies as if on a stake, but this was at least a start.


    Hearing his words all three girls had weird expressions with Ravel having the most unique one.


    ''... I should really double-check to make sure he isn''t a devil. He derives too much pleasure from mocking the church and the way he acts reminds me of some devils I know.''


    Shaking her head, Ravel continued.


    "Very well, we should meet on Sunday then. We should all try to do some research beforehand and we can put it all together Sunday leaving Monday free for us to rx." Ravel said and the others all nodded. "If we all agree we should decide on whose house to meet at.


    "Not mine." Kiyoharu said quickly.


    "Not mine." Mami said almost at the exact same time.


    "Not mine." Soma said together.


    "Not mi... shit." Ravel cursed as she was the slowest to bail out of everyoneing to her house. "... Fine, we can meet at my house. Just, *SIGH* please don''t pay any attention to my brother or his girlfriends if possible."


    "Girlfriends? As in, more than one?" Kiyoharu asked in surprise.


    "They have a VERY open-minded rtionship. I will talk with them to keep it down if possible." Ravel said and the rest nodded, deciding not to judge.


    After sharing her address the ss bell rang and they all went their own way. Each with their own thoughts regarding what had just happened.


    ///---///


    AN:


    Hope you guys enjoyed it, I am trying to show some calmer, more slice of life of sorts, chapters. There also has been too much focus on Aya before and I thought focusing a bit more on the others now would be nice.


    Anyway, the situation with Aya is now mostly resolved, she just needs to be released and cleared to return to normal schooling, no worries this will happen soon enough.


    As for other news, the one most people voted to and won, in the end, was Tomoe Mami from Madoka Magika. She has a SG and is quite strong, now the question that I want you guys'' opinion. What should we do with her (I will try to follow you guys'' opinion on this as much as possible):


    - Killed when facing Soma;


    - Enved by Soma after defeat as she offers herself in exchange for living;


    - Gear removed and memories of what happened before and everything about the supernatural erased before being sent to an orphanage or something;


    - Lover;


    Up to you guys, you decide. Don''t forget to follow and review this fic if possible ;)

 Chapter 15 - 15

    Sunday arrived and Ravel was a pile of nerves. This was the first time she had invited friends to her house, and it was nerve-wracking for her.


    Back in the Underworld, in devil society everything was politics and posturing, there were those she was expected to be friends with and those she was not to be friendly with regardless of her own opinion. Even those who she could consider friends would not necessarilye to her house, too many things to think about before such a thing could realistically happen. A fact that wasn''t helped by her family that was a bit too ostentatious, more than enough to make most other kids not liking toe over and feel inferior or inadequate in some way. ??


    It is not like it was Ravel''s fault that her family''s mansion included 184 giant golden statues with about 30 being of herself in several poses, one of which is a 35 meters tall and made of pure gold with huge sapphires for eyes and plenty of rubies all over it as if a dress.


    The Phenex Family was the richest family of the Underworld, possibly amongst the richest of the entire world even if you counted entire Pantheons, and they made sure to show that fact to anyone and everyone around them.


    So, for Ravel to have peoplee over was actually a bit exciting, she was a full-fledged sheltered little princess who was just d to have her first few normal friends.


    ... Well, normal is a strong word considering two of them have Sacred Gears and the other one was Soma... which alone says more than enough. Even still, she wanted this to go perfectly and to not scare her friends away, and for that-


    "Brother, you do remember what you should do, right?" Ravel questioned for what must have been the tenth time on this day alone.


    "Yeah, yeah, I should do nothing." Riser said tiredly, having heard this many times by now.


    "And?"


    "And make sure to not be caught balls deep with any member of my peerage or let them fuck one another around the guests."


    "And?"


    "And make sure to wear clothes when around our guests, even if they are just humans and we can use hypnosis on them to make them forget it if they see my third arm hanging around."


    "Third arm? Really?" Ravel questioned, sarcasm and derision dripping from her tongue as she said so


    Riser just shrugged at his sister''s words.


    "I was born blessed, simple as that."


    Releasing a sigh Ravel said.


    "Brother, not sure how to say this but yours isn''t really all that huge. It is big, sure, but not ''huge'' enough to be called ''third arm'' ifpared to other people."


    "And how would YOU know that?" Riser asked.


    "Inte."


    Riser wanted to retort, but just grumbled about her being too young to be looking at these sorts of things and that she should only look into it when she is of an appropriate age, like when she reaches triple digits in age or possibly older.


    Ravel ignored her brother''s grumbling.


    "And? What else did we agree on?"


    "I am not to reveal to your guests our noble heritage."


    Ravel nodded her head, she did not yet want to reveal herself as a devil due to only knowing Kiyoharu and Soma for about a week and she would rather be closer to them before revealing her true nature since she didn''t know how they would react and could only hope to create close enough bonds with them so they wouldn''t run away from her when they are to find out about her race and her identity more properly.


    As for Mami, Ravel would want to know her better due to also being a Sacred Gear user, but she wasn''t as relevant since they were not friends yet.


    DING DONG


    "They, they are here! How do I look?" Ravel said and stood before her brother, he opened his mouth but she waved it off. "Forget it, you don''t know anything anyway."


    "HEY!"


    Ravel ignored him, taking off a hand mirror, looking over herself in it to make sure everything was in order. Taking a deep breath she went to the door, opening it.


    "Hello, pleasee in."


    "Thanks?" Xun said with a raised brow from the other side of the door.


    "Xu? Damn, I was hoping it was my friends." Ravel said in slight irritation. "What were you even doing?"


    "... Buying some snacks? I heard you were having guests so I thought it would be nice."


    "Oh, thanks." Ravel said sheepishly, feeling slightly embarrassed over yelling out at her brother''s Rook.


    "Anyway, good luck with your meeting. The girls and I will be in the master bedroom eating the snacks." Xun said, making Ravel freeze as she realized that the ''snacks'' were not for her and her guests, but for her brother''s Peerage.


    Feeling irritation she turned to her brother.


    "Brother, did you tell them to buy some snacks to pass the day?"


    "Not at all, I didn''t tell them to do anything. But hey, if you want to have snacks when your friendse you can always just ask for delivery." At Riser''s suggestion, Ravel looked a bit torn.


    "I guess, but I would rather have it here for when they arrive." Ravel said, wanting to be the best host possible.


    "Look, if you really want some I can just send someone to go fetch some for you. Anyway, when did you say they wereing?"


    "Oh, that would be at 11 AM."


    Riser just looked at his sister with a deadpan expression.


    "... Little sis, it is 9:30 AM."


    "I know."


    "... I am too young for this shit." Riser shook his head and walked away from this madness. His time would be better spent sleeping, eating, or fucking, any of them would do really.


    ///---///


    It was about two hourster that everyone arrived and they began their work together. Everything went smoothly with the assignment apart from one slight problem.


    "Soma, you do know that Joan D''Arc was not killed by ''a cunt of a priest'', right?" Ravel said tentatively.


    "Pretty sure it was some self-righteous priest cunt who ordered her death despite her being a saint." Soma shrugged. Joan may not have talked much to him about her death, but Gilles and Jalter most certainly did. His use of the word ''cunt'' was him being nice, conservative really.


    Mami just nodded her head agreeing with him, but Kiyoraku was sighing, noting once more how ''unique'' her friend was.


    "No, we can''t use that on the final papers." Ravel said, refusing to write such crass words in their report.


    "Fine, instead of ''a cunt priest'' we can use ''a useless bag of trash in priestly clothing masquerading as being more than a pest.''?"


    "You, you shut up." Ravel said,pletely giving up on taking advice from Soma about the wording of the homework. "I will do it, can''t trust you with that or you might actually write your foulnguage in the report."


    "I have to agree with you, Ravel-chan." Kiyoharu nodded her head as she said so, the two agreeing that Soma wasn''t the best when it came to this sort of thing.


    Soma just shrugged, knowing he probably wasn''t the best for this anyway. If it waspletely up to him the homework would be several pages long including a precise suggestion of viable torture mechanisms that should have been implemented on the priest who executed Joan and a detailed exnation over theplete stupidity of the entire situation.


    When Ravel finished writing everything she smiled to herself, satisfied with the work they did. It was well researched and very detailed work and she was proud of what she managed to do in the end. Looking at the others she saw how Mami was ying with an app on her phone, Kiyoharu was taking selfies to post on social media (she was a big hit there), and Soma...


    "Soma, why are you sleeping right now?" Ravel asked as she saw the older maleying on his side and soundly sleeping. To be fair he hasn''t slept the previous night since he immersed himself with carving the bones of his hands while reconstructing them as well as taking notes on the process in case it was needed. His hands required the most extensive work considering he had to add several special magic forms into them for some of the techniques he learned from the Hassans.


    He hasn''t had a decent night of sleep sincest... when was it again? Hell, even he couldn''t remember when was thest time he had a proper night''s sleep. He kept pushing forward to make sure he was as prepared as possible for when a problem arises, never satisfied with what he got.


    Opening his eyes at Ravel''s shout Soma looked at her for a moment before answering.


    "I slept because I felt like it. Besides, waking up to see such a pretty scene is a nice change of pace, much better than I am used to."


    ... He used to wake up in the Throne due to Leonidas screaming that soldiers need to wake up early to train, and now he usually wakes up in ss to an angry teacher making a scene to wake him up. So, yeah waking up to these three was a much better scene.


    Kiyoharu just smiled at hearing hispliment, Mami just pretended to not hear anything too focused on her game, and Ravel''s cheeks flushed a bit.


    Stretching a bit, Soma got up from where he was sleeping spoke up.


    "So, with everything done I guess I am leaving now."


    "W-Wait, how about if we, hum, oh I know. We have a pool out in the back. The weather is nice today so how about going for a swim?" Ravel said, trying her best to not appear desperate or anything. She wanted to enjoy the Sunday with her friends, not have them just leave as soon as work was finished.


    "That sounds nice, Ravel-chan, but we don''t exactly have the clothes for that." Kiyoharu said hesitantly. In truth she was notfortable with the idea of going into the pool regardless, being very self-conscious of her body.


    Mami nodded her head, and to be honest even if she had the necessary clothing she wasn''t sure she would want to go for a swim anyway, not with a male around.


    "Come on, it will be fine. You can use my clothes if it fits, alternatively, my brother and his female friends have, like, 40 or so swimsuits for all sorts of body types so I am sure we can find something that fits. Please, it will be fun." Ravel said, really hoping the others would agree.


    Kiyoharu and Mami did not seem overly enthused with the idea but relented in the end. But Mami made ament.


    "Well, with that many options at least we should be able to find something we arefortable in."


    At this Ravel thought back to her brother and peerage''s general taste in clothing. Blood drained from her face as she began to pray to Satan that there were at least some options that were not too skimpy, transparent when they contact with water, or just had holes for ''easy ess''.


    ''Satans, my brother and his peerage are huge perverts.'' Ravel thought in exasperation.


    Looking at the girls she said.


    "I will take you girls to the closet where they keep their swimsuits after I go talk with my brother so he can show Soma-kun the options for male swimwear."


    Everyone nodded as Ravel went to her brother''s room.


    Entering she saw her brotherying on the ground with Yubelluna saddling him and giving him a back massage. The other members of his peerage werezing about all over the ce with some ying video games, surfing youtube, or watching movies. Basically, they were just chilling like usual.


    "Brother, I have a favor to ask." Ravel said and Riser turned his head to her, his expression was a mix of extreme pleasure from the massage and annoyance from having his day off interrupted like that.


    "What do you want? Didn''t you tell me to basically hide in a corner far away to not embarrass you in front of your friends?" he asked, to which Ravel just rolled her eyes at him.


    "Yeah, but now I need your help with something. It''s really quick, I promise." Ravel said in a bratty way that only little sisters can ever truly manage.


    "Well, too bad. I''m kinda busy so you can just ask your ''friends'' to take care of it, better than having me show up and embarrass you." Riser replied with a wave gesture for her to leave. Ravel huffed before turning and leaving the room, she could always just ask Soma to keep his shorts and use them as swimwear, if her brother was going to be making an ass out of himself.


    After she left, Yubelluna turned to Riser.


    "Darling, are you sure about that? She might have had something important she needed help with."


    "Nah, don''t worry about it. Considering it is just a bunch of young girls she probably just wanted me to take care of some inconsequential stuff or something anyway." Riser said dismissively, he had not heard about who exactly wasing and just assumed it was just other girls from her ss. Why would he bother watching over a bunch of little girls if he couldn''t even try to seduce them? It was better to stay here getting a massage and enjoying a slow day.


    Back in the living room, Ravel looked embarrassed as she exined to Soma that her brother didn''t want to even let her ask him anything.


    "Can''t you just use your shorts or something?" Ravel asked. Soma thought for a while. He didn''t want to use his current clothing for swimming, but there was a viable option.


    "How about this, can you get me some cloth and sewing material? I can make something temporary as a substitute, if it fails, then I can swim in my shorts." Soma proposed, to which Ravel just raised a brow.


    "You know how to sew?"


    "Yeah, it is no big deal really." Soma admitted with a shrug, sewing was one of the things he learned while studying how to make mystic codes. It was essential in the production of some enchanted items.


    Ravel just looked at Soma and imagined him doing embroidery and she snorted at the image, the other girls doing much the same at the ridiculousness of the very idea. He, who acted more like a brute most of the time, doing something like that was funny even as a concept.


    "Fine, I''ll see what I can manage. We have some of those thingsying around so you can just use them." Ravel said as she went up to gather the materials.


    It wasn''t long until Ravel brought Soma some white cloth and sewing materials for him to work with. After that, she went with Kiyoharu and Mami to find suitable swimsuits for them. Due to the difference in size, they had to search and hope that Riser''s peerage had something that fit Kiyoharu and Mami.


    They found a good selection of options after search, even if about 30% of all swimsuits had holes on them or were so small that they wouldn''t actually hide anything. Under the rmendation of Ravel, of the options they got they also poured some water on the swimsuits to make sure they wouldn''t turn transparent on contact with water or were able to actually stay in ce instead of ''slip'' far too easily, nor juste off under the slightest sign of pull.


    ... That actually cut off a lot of possible swimsuits, about 40% of those which they had thought were viable, but they managed to find something suitable for Mami and Kiyoharu in the end.


    Ravel chose a cute pink two-piece swimsuit that hugged her body closely but gave off an innocent feel, being very tasteful while also showing off her curves. Mami chose a white one-piece that had her back open but was still somewhat modest that she foundfortable to wear with some flower designs on it. Kiyoharu chose a two-piece blue swimsuit that made her look very feminine, a tube top and frilly panties.


    The three hopped in the water and started ying around, happily enjoying the afternoon sun, and rxing after finishing their work.


    It was about fifteen minutes after they got into the pool that Soma joined them.


    The three stopped in their tracks in shock at what Soma was wearing. And the results of his physical training.


    Extreme intensity training expertly designed by the greatest warriors of humanity, all while being supplemented with healing magecraft and potions to elerate the process and effectiveness, ann that together ensured that Soma''s body was, for theck of better words, ripped as all hell. His muscles were extremely defined and tightly wound in a way that made them look as solid as a rock while at the same time being lean, unlike most bodybuilders.


    And to make sure he was showing it all very, VERY well he was wearing a fundoshi that left very little to the imagination.


    Most guys his age would be embarrassed to wear a fundoshi, but after thousands of years surrounded by heroes who considered what some would call sexy lingerie as normal wear, and the idea of shame regarding his body being beaten out of him by many teachers who taught him how irrelevant such a thing was, his perspective on what was socially eptable in terms of clothing and his sense of shame were extensively unlike those of ''normal'' people. Even when he was trying to pretend to be normal he instinctively couldn''t give a crap about such small issues as modesty.


    Ravel closed her eyes, taking a deep calming breath, while a single thought crossed her mind.


    ''... I am so d my brother isn''t here to be a buzzkill.''


    As Soma approached the water and was about to enter Kiyoharu spoke up.


    "Soma-kun, shouldn''t you do some stretches before entering the water?" She said and Soma seemed to think of something, to be more precise of the times Leonidas made him do just that when it was time to train underwaterbat, so he nodded.


    "Yeah, I kinda forgot about that." Soma admitted before he began to stretch. Ravel followed every moving muscle with her face so red one would think her face was trying topete with Rias'' hair.


    Soma noticed this and internally smirked, he was not dense or anything and while he wouldn''t actively approach anyone right now, some light teasing was fine just as well. As he moved about to do the stretching in just the right way to show off, Ravel shook her head after a bit and turned her face away, trying to act nonchnt, only to turn to Kiyoharu who was giving her a teasing smirk that made the blond realize that her friend had noticed Ravel looking at Soma and was using this chance to tease her.


    "... That should be enough stretching,e on and enter the water. It is very nice." Mami said, slightly irritated about the situation.


    Soma stopped just as he was about to pretend to stretch while doing a side chest pose. Realizing what he was doing he chuckled a bit, feeling a bit ridiculous before entering the water.


    "So, what you guys propose we do?" Soma asked, moving close to the others in the pool with Mami raising her hand.


    "How about if we y some volley? It could be fun to do so and we have a ball we can use." Mami said as she pointed to one such ball that was in the pool. This pool really had a bit of everything and was extremely well equipped which made it feel like something one would see in a water club.


    "Oh, that sounds fun. I will team up with Mami-chan." Kiyoharu said as she sent Ravel a meaningful gaze that made the young devil look down and answer.


    "Well, if there is NO other option, then I guess I could go with Soma-kun."


    "Oh, you sure you can handle me, Ravel-chan? I would like to see that." Soma said, a smirk on his face as the girl spluttered and grew red explosively making Kiyoharuugh and Mami give a cid smile while trying not to show her emotions outwards.


    With the teams divided it was time to y, and Ravel was d for it.


    ///---///


    Back in the room where Riser and his peerage were, Riser was feeling progressively more annoyed.


    "What is wrong, darling?" Yubelluna asked.


    "... It is nothing. Just, I am slightly bothered that Ravel never really told me what she wanted help with." Riser replied. Yubelluna just smiled softly at his antics.


    "How about if one of us goes to check on them and see if Ravel-sama needs help with anything?"


    "No need, it shouldn''t be anything important." Riser replied. After a short pause, he said. "But, I AM feeling a bit thirsty. So if one of you went to the kitchen to get me some water that would be nice."


    Most of the peerage felt likeughing at the hidden request of their king, he was such a tsundere sometimes, and most of them thought it was downright cute.


    "I will go, master. And if I happen to pass by Ravel-sama I will ask what she wanted to ask you." Siris said, getting up from in front of her PC. She had just finished a game of LoL, so it would be nice to stretch her legs a bit before going back to decimate some noobs and make pubescent boys cry.


    Riser just nodded, pretending not to notice the mention regarding Ravel. Siris left the room while the others waited.


    And waited.


    And waited.


    And after a few minutes of waiting Siris returned with an odd expression on her face and no cup of water in hand.


    "Where''s the water you said you were going to get, Siris?" Riser questioned with a raised brow.


    Siris just shook her head before turning to her king and asking.


    "Master, do you know who your sister invited over?" She asked cautiously, to which Riser just shrugged.


    "Just some friends from school. Why?"


    Siris looked a bit tongue-tied before answering.


    "I believe it would be best if you went yourself to take a look, it would be easier than exining." Siris said, and Riser started to get worried. Getting out of bed to go take a look, he was apanied by Yubelluna and Kamine (who took her knight cosy way too seriously).


    Getting to the pool Riser stood frozen at the scene he walked into. His little sister wearing a skimpy (in his ''older brother''s perspective'' eyes) bikini while being far too close to some old pervert (again, in his ''older brother''s perspective'' eyes) that was wearing far too little while (... that one was fair) by her side while ying what he assumes was volleyball.


    Not that Riser''s mind couldprehend it properly when Ravel tried to catch the ball being sent her way and ended up tripping onto the chest of the male by her side, she looked up when she did so and Riser could see her sending eyes like those some of his girls used to send him when they had just met.


    Riser could only just stay there as he stared at this for a moment before his temper rose exponentially and he yelled.


    "What the hell is going on here!?"

 Chapter 16 - 16

    Ravel and the girls were now sitting at a table beside the pool. Each of them had a milkshake in front of them and they were drinking it happily.


    "I know I shouldn''t drink this, but it is so good." Mami said in ecstasy. ??


    "True that, this will go straight to my waist, but I just can''t help myself." Kiyoharu said as she drank some of her milkshake, a happy expression on her face.


    As for Ravel, she just mumbled.


    "Uhum, yeah sure." She said as she kept staring to the side. More precisely, she was staring at Soma who was in a beach chair sunbathing.


    Kiyoharu just rolled her eyes, there were some napkins on the table so she took some and gave them to Ravel.


    "Here, to help with all you drooling over Soma there."


    "I, I was not doing something so indecent like that!" Ravel said, turning to her friend who was just giving her a knowing smile.


    "Ssuuurreeee, I totally believe you, or I would if I was stupid or blind." Kiyoharu said and Ravel spluttered.


    "It is quite obvious, Ravel-chan." Mami said as she took another sip of her drink, a light smile on her face at the other girl''s reactions. Ravel really was quite the cute tsundere.


    Ravel just sighed hearing this and calmed down, drinking her milkshake.


    Mami shook her head at this and spoke.


    "But it surprised me, who would have thought that your brother is like that, Ravel-chan."


    "Please don''t mention him, I am already embarrassed enough without a reminder." Ravel said in irritation at the thought of her brother.


    "To think your brother would be such a chuunbyo despite being an adult." Kiyoharu said in mirth. "I mean, screaming he would ''burn Soma''s face-off with my great immortal me'', I didn''t know how to react to that." Kiyoharu said with a chuckle and Ravel just yed it off.


    "My brother was always quite a unique individual." Ravel said, hoping the others wouldn''t realize what exactly her brother was wanting. He really wanted to burn Soma right then and there, even if him still going through his Chuunbyo phase and saying such things like ''great immortal me'' was very much embarrassing.


    "Unique is one way of saying it, even if I must say that he is quite, um, protective of you." Mami said as she pointed to a window up in the mansion where Riser was staring down at them, and specifically at Soma sunbathing, in utter hate.


    "Leave it be, brother will calm down eventually." Ravel said, hoping it was true.


    It was at this point that Soma turned on the chair, his backside now up as to make sure to get properly tanned on the back as well. Ravel''s eyes turned almost instantly at it and stared with what anyone could call hunger at what she was seeing, something that Riser noticed.


    Kiyohary turned to Mami and asked.


    "Want to bet how long until Ravel''s older brotheres here to make a ruckus again?"


    "I bet he will do so in the next three minutes." Mami said.


    "Okay, I bet hees within the next minute." Kiyoharu said and it was true, Riser came literally running with Yubelluna and Kamine behind him trying to catch up. In his hands was a towel as he did not want to keep seeing his innocent and pure little sister basically eye raping Soma''s body.


    Nope, she was apletely innocent, pure, and kind little girl that knew nothing of lust or carnal desires, had never had a single indecent thought, and would stay like that until her wedding night if it was up to Riser, possibly until after that as well.


    When Riser reached Soma he was about to speak when Soma spoke first.


    "Dude, can you go a few steps to the right? I am trying to get a tan here, if you don''t mind."


    A vein popped in Riser''s head as he heard this se answer and red down at Soma.


    "Do you know who I am?"


    "Someone stopping me from getting a uniform tan, so what?"


    And would you look at that, that vein had two more friends show up.


    "Out! Get out, I won''t have someone like you acting like this in my house!" Riser said and Soma turned his face to look at him.


    "Dude, chill the fuck out. I am just enjoying the sun a bit, why don''t you just do the same? The temperature is great and you seem like you could use a tan, skin this white looks good on girls but you should try and get some color."


    Riser looked like he wanted to explode until Yubelluna spoke up.


    "Darling, why not? Today is a good day anyway and I would like if you had a light tan, maybe you would have a different taste in those parts and I would like to learn that first hand." As she said this the morous purple licked her lips and Riser''s explosive mood changed almost instantly, his lower head leading him around as he coughed in his hand.


    "Well, if you say so dear. But still, we should kick him out." Riser said and his Queen shook her head as she approached him and whispered in his ears.


    "Darling, you could use this as a chance. If you show off in front of your sister now you could make her realize how other boys are not good enough and dampen her thoughts on those sorts of things. It would be better if you do this than if she finds someone where you can''t see, maybe that little knight of little red would have such thoughts one of these days after all."


    As Riser heard this his gaze turned very cold before he nodded reluctantly.


    "Very well, I will do what you said, dear. Let''s go, I need to get a proper swimsuit to let me show my magnificence properly."


    "Yes, yes, you go ahead to do that. I will just go have a quick word with Ravel-chan before going to change as well." Yubeluna said before making a sign while Riser wasn''t looking, Kamine seeing the sign gave a thumbs up secretly as well.


    These signs that Riser''s Peerage created was an internal affair between the girls with the objective of letting themmunicate without their king''s notice, and the message this time was quite simple.


    ''Stall our doofus.''


    With orders received Kamine apanied Riser, already knowing the best way to ensure that she could stall for enough time. That it would mean she would get the D back in the changing room was merely a good bonus.


    Seeing her king go Yubelluna moved to speak with Ravel, the girl had observed the whole situation and as her brother''s Queen came closer a big smile blossomed on the young Phenex''s face.


    "Big sis, thanks." Ravel said, earning a smile from Yubelluna. The older female was really like an older sister to Ravel and she honestly wanted only the best for the younger girl.


    After looking to make sure her King was far enough away from this ce Yubelluna talked to Ravel.


    "I will do my best to distract your brother so go on the offensive, your target seems the type that needs you to be aggressive to go anywhere."


    "I, I, I have n-no idea what you are talking about, big sis."


    Yubelluna just sent a condescending smile at her.


    "Greek good body getting tanned right over there with white hair and blue eyes, you have quite the eye I will give you that. Just a tip, someone like that will find someone very soon and if you are too slow and don''t try hard enough you will be a +1 instead of the number 1."


    As she said this Yubelluna turned to Mami and Kiyoharu, noting that the two were human but she could sense both had Sacred Gears. After a moment Yubelluna thought that, if anything, this friendship she was developing might be a chance considering Ravel could decide to be a King of her own in the future and, if that happens, having potential recruits that she is already friends with beforehand would certainly help her. Besides, she thought with amusement, if Ravel likes the hunk guy over there and, if the two did get together, Ravel could just add him to her peerage where one could support the other. Basically, like what happened between Yubelluna herself and her dear darling/king.


    "You all are more than wee, I hope you two can be good friends to this girl right here. She is a bit of a tsundere but please be patient, it is a disease really." Yubelluna said jokingly, much to Ravel''s annoyance and anger.


    "I am not a tsundere!" Ravel said in irritation.


    Kiyoharu put her hand on Ravel''s left shoulder, Mami putting one on her right.


    "Don''t worry, we ept you as you are, being tsun tsun and all that." Kiyoharu said.


    "We understand, don''t worry." Mami said.


    The two had teasing smiles on their faces as they said this, making Ravel look from one side to the other in consternation.


    "Being a tsundere has its own charms, Ravel. Don''t worry, you are fine as you are." Soma said, stillying on the pool chair turned his face to Ravel''s direction and sent her a thumbs-up as he said this.


    Ravel''s eyes began to swirl as she decided to take a tactical retreat, jumping right into the pool and sshing everyone as she did so. The other girls allughing at this and soon Ravel wasughing as well, they were all enjoying themselves.


    ///---///


    After about twenty minutes a much more calm and refreshed Riser had returned to the pool.


    "Now, let us show Riser''s superiority!" Riser said, some more of the girls of his peerage beside him as he called those who wanted toe as well.


    "Yes, Riser-sama." Kamine said, her toned body in disy under the sports one piece swimsuit that showed off her back.


    "The sun looks too nice to be in the room anyway." Siris said, a small smirk on her face as she looked up. She had a simple two piece blue bikini that showed off her body quite nicely.


    Yubelluna just smiled, she was wearing what could generously be called a string bikini considering how little it actually covered.


    Riser smiled widely and took a step forward... and almost missed a step there when he saw his little sister putting tan oil on Soma''s back, the two talking and Ravel flushed immensely while Soma just talked as if normal while feeling the younger girl''s hands massaging his back more thoroughly than she really needed to.


    "You, you, keep your hands away from my sister!" Riser shouted and Soma just nced at him from the chair and answered.


    "Sure, but pretty sure the one using the hands here is her and not me. If you want me to reverse that I can, butter. There is still a bit for her to finish." Soma said and Riser felt like throwing a casket at this.


    Ravel, meanwhile, had a blush that was going atomic and pped Soma on his back.


    "Stop ying around like this. And besides, I am only doing this on a dare." She said and red back and Kiyoharu and Mami, the first waved back and the second just smiled sweetly and full of innocence.


    Ravel was really wondering if making friends like this was any good, because right now it really didn''t feel so.


    "I will have you know I am 100% serious, even if maybe we should leave this sort of talk forter. Irrate pipsqueaking." Soma said as Riser wasing right at them.


    Ravel turned to it and saw Yubelluna giving her an apologetic smile while Riser tried to look intimidating in front of Soma.


    ... He failed.


    "You, what makes you think you even deserve to act like that in front of my sweat and innocent sister?" Riser said, earning a face nt from Ravel who felt like he was actively trying to embarrass her with the way he was acting.


    "Dude, chill. We were just talking, and I have not forced her to do anything anyway." Soma said, waving off Riser, much to the rich prick''s irritation. "Besides, what makes YOU think I don''t deserve to act like this with Ravel? She is a friend and we are not doing anything actually bad, and, even if we were, I still would be more than good enough to anyone."


    "Who you think you are to speak like that, as if you deserve to act like this to my sister when you are just, just-"


    "Just the second in line for head of the Hanakai family, a multi-million dor multinationalpany. I know, how could someone like me EVER be worthy of someone else. Oh, how poor a peasant am I." Soma said very much mockingly, but no less true. He IS the second in line for the Hanakai family which is a multi-million dor pharmaceuticpany with deals all over the world and ties with several governments worldwide. From the perspective of humans, you would be hard-pressed to find someone he was ''not worthy of''.


    Riser shut up but his face grew hot in pure anger and he wanted to burn Soma right then and there, but he had better self-control than to actually do that to a normal human who, as far as he could tell, had no direct contact with the supernatural.


    "Even so, I refuse to ept you close to my sister."


    "Well, tough shit. She is my friend and I give just about zero fucks to your approval." Soma said dismissively.


    "L-Let''s fight! I will show to everyone here you are not good enough!" Riser said to which Soma just raised a brow.


    "You know that even if I were to lose I wouldn''t give a single shit about it and just keep being friends with Ravel, right?"


    "What? Afraid to lose to those better than you?" Riser said in mockery.


    "Where is it?"


    "Huh?"


    "Where is the person you said is better than me in whatever it is that you are speaking about?"


    Riser just stared in wonder at this human who was even more prideful and boisterous than him, not knowing how to deal with someone that was like that.


    On the side, Kamine wanted to find a sword to cleave this prideful human in half for acting like that towards her king, while Siris just wanted to go and enjoy the pool already and Yubelluna was containing herughter at her darling''s expression.


    Meanwhile, on the table, Mami turned to Kiyoharu and questioned.


    "I didn''t know Soma-kun was this, how to put it?"


    "Brash, blunt, prideful, annoying, infuriating, arrogant, entitled, kinda dumb sometimes, wilful to the extreme, you can choose any of them and you would be quite right." Kiyoharu said with a shrug. She has been with Soma for over a week now and she had a decent grasp of his personality by now.


    "It is sort of amazing that you are actually friends with him if he is like that." Mami said.


    "Well, he is not perfect or even all that decent and normal most of the time. But, he is a friend I feel I can rely on." Kiyoharu said, a smile on her face as she turned her eyes for a moment to Mami when the girl wasn''t looking. Kiyoharu''s gaze turning sharp and cold for a fleeting moment before bing friendly again before anyone could notice, the only traces of it being the tightening in her hands as she pressed the cup she held firmer.


    Meanwhile, Riser was trying to decide what he could do to make this insufferable human back off from his sister, even if it wasn''t really Somaing onto Ravel but that was all beside the point.


    "Regardless of anything else, let''s bet! If I win you will back off for good from my sister."


    "Fine, I will humor you, but I have no intentions of actually doing what we agree on forever. Maybe, say, a day or two when I personally won''t start interactions with her." Soma said and Riser nodded, sure that if given even one or two days away from Soma Ravel would stop acting in such a way towards him. "So, what you want topete against me in? Not in looks I hope, I honestly doubt you would win without paying the judges."


    Ravel was honestly amazed, she has NEVER met someone that was even more full of himself than her brother and she wondered if he could actually back up his bravado. Thinking for a moment Ravel couldn''t help but point out.


    "And what if you win, Soma-kun? What you will want?"


    Soma put a finger on his chin in thought before smiling.


    "How about that, the next time Ie over, he won''t make a nuisance of himself? It is simple enough to do I believe and I would like toe over some other time, the pool is great."


    Ravel smiled widely at his words and turned to her brother who had an expression like if someone made him eat a lemon from how displeased he was at the thought of this curing to his home again, but nodded nheless.


    "So, what you want topete against me?" Soma questioned.


    This was how a series ofpetitions started.


    Poker.


    "Royal flush." Soma said, showing off his cards to Riser''s two pairs.


    "Better of three!"


    Piano.


    "And this is how you y Wee to the Jungle with only a piano."


    "Grr, better of five!"


    Ping Pong.


    "Three sets of 10-0 games, I believe this makes it my win."


    "I won''t ept it! Better of seven!"


    Painting.


    "This painting of Ravel shows off her impressions, details, cuteness and what I could out of her. I think that if put in the market it would cost about-"


    Riser looked down at his own painting and rip it in half before yelling in frustration.


    "Better of nine!"


    Yubelluna, wanting this to stop already, spoke.


    "Darling, shouldn''t this be enough?"


    "No, I refuse to ept my loss! I know, let''s do one more game to decide it all."


    "Sure, what you have in mind?" Soma said, smirking all the while. After thousands of years being surrounded by his teachers and always having trouble to measure up to them in their respective fields, it was DAMN great to actually be able to flex in someone like he was flexed on for so many, many, many, many years.


    "Drinking! We will go out in the town and we will drink! The first one to pass out drunk loses, that is what we will be doing!" Riser said, confident in his chances of winning.


    Soma smirked and said.


    "I am a minor, if you know somewhere where I can drink like that in town then I wouldn''t mind apanying you."


    Riser stopped for all of two seconds before nodding.


    "I know of at least 12 clubs that can fit it. Let''s do this!" Riser said and went to search for his keys, it was already night by now anyway so there were no issues regarding this.


    Soma turned to his friends.


    "Shame I won''t be able to find out who will win this, but tell me all about itter okay?" Kiyoharu said and Soma gave her a thumbs up.


    "It was... interesting to meet you like this, Soma-kun. Hope we can talk moreter if possible." Mami said.


    "Sure, that will work for me, even if I don''t think the situation would be quite like this next time." Soma said with a chuckle to which Mami nodded her head and smiled sweetly.


    As for Ravel, she didn''t know what to say so Soma moved forward first and spoke.


    "I had a great day, even if it didn''t go quite as I expected. Hope there will be a next time, if you would have me."


    "Y-Yes! Definitely, we will have a next time!" Ravel said excitedly and Soma nodded at her in time to hear Riser shouting abouting already as he wanted to show how better he was at partying than Soma.


    Having finished his goodbyes Soma went to the car where Riser was, it was time to see who between them could party best.

 Chapter 17 - 17

    Momo was furious during lunch break at school, which was a rtively normal thing these days. The reason? The same it was every other time, her cousin Soma.


    Momo was asked by Sona to invite her cousin for lunch since he apparently was now her boss'' potential fiance (and ain''t this an interesting piece of news, Momo''s parents were shocked when they found out). As such, Momo decided the best way to invite him was face to face, seeing as he would probably ignore her if she just called, but would fold if it was face to face. ??


    She went to his ss hoping he would be eating lunch there. Once she arrived at his ss she couldn''t find him, but she did find someone she knew. So she asked one of the students to call Ravel out for her to ask about Soma.


    "Hey Ravel, sorry to interrupt your lunchtime like this, but have you seen my cousin? I wanted to talk to him." She asked Ravel once she came outside to the corridor.


    "Your cousin?" Ravel replied, confused why Sona''s Bishop would ask her about her cousin.


    "His name is Soma, he is also in this ss. He has white hair and a shitty attitude. You can''t miss him"


    Ravel was surprised that Soma was rted to a devil, but she replied all the same.


    "No, he didn''te to ss today."


    ''That damn cousin of mine, can''t he juste to ss normally at least once in a while?'' Momo thought in irritation before apologizing to Ravel for taking up her time and leaving to call him.


    On her fourth attempt calling, he finally picked up.


    "... What is it, calling me so early?" Soma said, a sleepy tone in his voice.


    "Early? It is lunch time and you didn''te to sses AGAIN! Where even ARE you?" Momo asked in furry.


    "... What do you mean I am missing sses? Today is Monday, a holiday, thus no sses." Soma said in doubt and Momo could only stare at her phone in shock before asking.


    "... Soma, today is Tuesday, not Monday. How can you even confuse that? What was you even doing to lose an entire day just like that?"


    "Well, I got into apetition with Ravel''s brother over who can drink more."


    Momo, hearing this, felt like she wanted to bang her head, or possibly Soma''s head, against the wall. What was he even doing getting intopetition with one of the two Kings of the city?


    "Okay, so you got too drunk during thepetition and-"


    "Nah, nothing that big really. We got drinking and after around the first dozen bottles we began talking and before we knew it we were cool with one another. Riser is surprisingly a very cool guy, he even invited me to go with him to a private party that''s being arranged sometime in the next few weeks, very exclusive stuff as it seems like it might be something to do with his family. Well, he did say it was his engagement party with some bitch he is being forced to marry, but it would be an open bar with plenty of booze and a lot of hot girls so there is that and ording to him the after-party will be quite crazy so I have my hopes up for that. Anyway, after we had reached an agreement to our differences and dered each other as friends he went to the dance floor to see if he could find some chick to fuck. I was feeling kinda bored just by myself so I went around and met this hot woman and decided to try my luck. And I was lucky."


    Okay, Momo definitely wanted to bang HIS head against the wall now, beat it until perhaps the screw loose in his head goes back into its proper position. Apparently, her cousin now was friends with a member of devil nobility without really understanding it and was invited to Riser and Rias'' engagement party. Considering he was also currently the ONLY fiance candidate for Sona, the Sitri heiress, and that party would likely have Serafal going as well, that would be all amount to a giant disaster. Fuck.


    Taking a deep breath and trying to push all the negative thoughts about the future away from her mind Momo decided to focus on all the negative thoughts regarding the past instead.


    "I get that, but how did you go from there to you not realizing so much time passed?"


    "Well, long story short, she got ditched at the bar by her asshole of a boss who she is the secretary of. She was pretty down so we talked, and flirted a bit, and a whileter we were doing other things with our tongues. And after we started it she was really enthusiastic in bed. I even tried to say that we should stop after what must have been at least four to five hours, but she looked as if I was throwing her out or something. So, obviously, I decided to show her the best time possible and stepped up my game. We just kept going at it until, well, I don''t know how long really. No clue when we actually went to sleep." Soma admitted in a very s¨¦ fashion. For him, having sex for an entire day was nothing to write home about, having done that several times over the years back in the Throne (his personal record was 4 days nonstop).


    Momo sighed, her cousin really got strange after thea, he was weird all around and sometimes she even had trouble connecting the current him with the sweet kid she remembered from the past. But, he was here now so she would just have to adapt to it.


    "... Please tell me you used protection at least."


    "Uhm, pretty sure at some point she put on some armor for some kinky y, saying crazy stuff like she is a valkyrie that wants to please her chosen hero. It was quite fun actually, doing it in armor is always an experience, so I guess there was some protection then." Soma admitted and Momo growled.


    "That is NOT what I meant. What I want to know is, did you use a condom?"


    "... The fuck is a condom?"


    At this Momo dropped her phone, shock all over her face at the absurdity of what she just heard and now fearing her cousin might have just expanded the family line by ident.


    As for Soma, he should be excused for not knowing what a condom is. After all, he spent thousands of years in the Throne where the mere idea of protected sex means sex using armor, he couldn''t remember details of the normal world if he didn''t even hear of it for thousands of years and never had any reason to think about it during that period of time.


    "Hey, we can catch up more about thister and you tell me what the fuck you mean by a ''condom'' or whatever. She is getting out of the bathroom now so, bye." Soma said, hanging up on Momo who felt like she should perhaps hit Soma on the head really hard. He was easier to deal with while he was in aa.


    ///---///


    Meanwhile, on Soma''s side, he looked on as the woman he spent thest day having sex with nonstop came out of the bathroom and he had to admit, she was beautiful.


    She is a beautiful young woman with long, straight silver hair and aqua-colored eyes who appears to be in herte teens or early twenties. She had a glorious body with curves in all the right ces and all just the right amount as well with a degree of muscles beneath the skin that was just enough to make her body be very fit while also being soft to the touch.


    As she looked at Soma she showed a bright and gorgeous smile on her face.


    "So, did you like it?" She asked, a bit of doubt and apprehension in her tone as she did so.


    Soma picked up on that but chose not toment, instead simply just smiling back.


    "Of course,st night, and day, and the night before that again was just perfect." Soma said and she opened her eyes wide.


    "... Did we spend so long together?"


    "Yep, it seems so. We kinda lost track of time there at some point, huh. Probably after you decided to ride me with the armor to see who would win in endurance, we got really into it that we must have lost track of time."


    She just looked surprised and a bit embarrassed at her actions. To be fair this was her first time with a man and she couldn''t believe she had gone at it with so much vigor like that. By the Gods, what would her dear grandmother say if she knew?


    ... Probably tell her to do it again until she had been able to produce at least a few kids for her to pamper.


    She wanted to talk some more but she suddenly remembered what she was supposed to be doing and her eyes widened.


    "Dammit, I gotta go. I need to go find my boss before he does something stupid again." She says as she moves to put on her clothes in a hurry. As she does so Soma just watches on as she dresses and thinks that, while her taking off her clothes is great, seeing her get dressed again also has its own charm.


    As she finished putting on her clothes she asked.


    "How do I look?"


    "You look gorgeous." Soma said, knowing how most women did not want to be criticized when ites to their appearance no matter what and that doing so wouldn''t go well for any man who does it. Besides, she does look nice in this tight-fitting suit that shows off her legs, ass, and sizable breasts.


    She smiles and is just about to leave when she realizes something.


    "Can, can you tell me your number? So we can talk moreter, you know." She says hesitantly.


    "This is my phone number," Soma shows her his number without hesitation. This was just casual sex anyway and if she wants another ride, especially another as animated as this one, then who is he to say no?


    "Great. I will send you my contact informationter as well." She says as she opens the door of the hotel room. "Thanks for this, Soma. You just made my day."


    "No problem, it was just as great for me, Rossweisse." He says as he waves her off as she goes to meet with her boss. After she left Soma got out of bed as well, he had a lot to do today topensate for not working out the day before.


    He would also need to talk with Mittelt today, no more pushing this off. He had already investigated Twilight Healing enough to understand that it had a fairy of all things inside, which was quite shocking since the fairies he had met before were all quite strong and wouldn''t just be a prized trinket for God. They were prideful beings that were very hard to please and wereplicated to the extreme, and held a lot of knowledge. Soma had even spent a few centuries amongst them learning from them forging as to help understand the production of Divine Constructs (though even with Soma''s capabilities he would need damn good materials to attempt such a thing).


    An item like Twilight Healing, which houses such an innately powerful being like a fairy, but can only heal is not anything Soma is interested in. He could produce much better Mystic Codes anyway that were immensely less wasteful in terms of capacity and capabilities. Really, besides the capacity to ''grow'' using the gaps the whole thing was little more than a glorified failed product.


    As such, he had no need for it and he would need Mittelt to enter in contact with Azazel about an exchange to get something actually usable. Preferentially as soon as possible before he draws too much attention to himself.


    Soma had everything nned out for this meeting for a while now (basically since he heard about the supernatural from Mittelt), but only now was Soma truly confident enough in actually being able to live through this meeting without dying. Well, not that he could actually survive if he were to fight someone who was that powerful, but he now had the means needed to ensure his own personal survival.


    He had a good enough n now and with the materials prepared by the Ringa family he now had the confidence to execute his ns properly.


    ///---///


    After the call ended Momo returned to the Student Council room. Considering that she always got teased by the other members when she called her cousin in the clubroom, she took to going somewhere else to talk taking advantage of some empty ssrooms that were left open.


    Entering the clubroom Momo was still cursing her stupid cousin who was far too irresponsible, actually sleeping with some woman he didn''t even know and doing it raw, was he not afraid of STDs or pregnancy?


    "Look at them go!"


    "I never expected that."


    "Wow, wish I was there."


    Momo looked surprised as she saw all the members of the peerage grouped behind Sona, all watching something on theputer. Momo didn''t know what they were watching and the chatter of the members was such that she couldn''t hear whatever it was the others were listening to.


    "What are you watching?" Momo asked and Sona moved to pause the video they were all watching.


    "Nothing, just something my sister sent me." Sona said and Momo nodded, not seeing any need to go and take a look. She still had a lot of paperwork to do and she wanted to deal with it as soon as possible so she could go to Soma''s house and show him all her displeasure caused by his stupidity.


    As she sat down Momo decided she might as well tell her king about why Soma would not being and make it clear that she will bring her cousin tomorrow.


    "Kaichou, about Soma, it seems like he got into some sort of party Sunday and got too drunk during it, waking up from all of it just a short while ago."


    "I imagined as much." Sona said, surprising Momo. Seeing her Bishop''s surprised expression Sona shook her head and gestured for her toe watch what they were looking at.


    Standing behind Sona, Momo could see that they were watching a video on Devitube, the youtube of the devil race''s inte.


    Returning the video to the start Momo could only watch on at what was being presented to her.


    It was clearly a club, a piano in the center of it with none other than Soma sitting on the piano with Riser beside him on the drums, the two with bottles of clearly expensive brandy already half empty. Taking a sip from their drinks they both started to y.


    Nodding to each other they started to y Billie Jean from the king of pop, Michael Jackson. And damn, they were good.


    Momo looked at the list ofments below with a whole lot of devilsmenting on the video. By the time the song ended the two actually got up and bowed to the audience around with a lot of people cheering and the twoughing loudly, one arm around the other''s shoulder as they did so.


    But that wasn''t the most shocking part. The most shocking thing was the white-haired beauty that came to Soma''s side after that and she began telling him something, she seemed very drunk, much like Soma clearly was, before Soma literally took her in his arms and kissed her deeply before throwing her on his shoulders like if he was a caveman and moved away with her giggling, While Riser and many others were allughing.


    That is when Momo remembered some of the words of the song, the fact her cousin spent a full day with this woman in bed without using protection, and she then saw the title of the video.


    ''Billie Jean ¨C cover by Phenex and friend that has his own Billie Jean''


    Momo grunted at this, she could already see her friends wanting to know the details about what had happened. She did not want to deal with any of this crap. When she gets to Soma''s house she SO will strangle him, she will definitely do it.


    ///---///


    Getting home Soma went in search of Mittelt. Getting to her room he looked at her watching something on herputer. Soma raised a brow and appreciated the sight, she might not be anywhere as mature looking as Rossweisse but with her using booty shorts and an oversized shirt she had quite the appearance that had its own unique charm.


    Not that Soma would do anything about it, he already released his pent-up sexual stress the day before and was not horny right now.


    "Knock, knock, can Ie in?" Soma said, the door already open with him reclining on the door frame.


    "Oh sure, just a sec." Mittelt said, quickly pressing the pause button on the movie she was seeing.


    "What you watching?" Soma asked, wanting to make some small talk.


    "Oh, it''s just Twilight."


    "Twilight? Never heard of it." Soma said honestly.


    "Really, never? It is quite famous."


    "Really, I never heard about it. Is it good?"


    Mittelt actually waved her hand on a sign for ''so so''.


    "It could be better, but it is not awful."


    "What is it about?" Soma questioned, wondering if he should watch it if only to know what other teens were into.


    "It is about a teenage girl, that is very boring, to be honest. She falls in love with this vampire and-"


    "She is suicidal and wants to die from bing a tasty snack, got it." Somapleted the sentence, earning an eye roll from Mittelt.


    "No, she isn¡­ Okay, she kinda is suicidal but not because of wanting to be with Edward. And anyway, the two end up falling in love with one another but his nature as a vampire makes him want to drink her blood but he as a person doesn''t want to do that."


    Soma nodded his head, it wasn''t really an impossible story as far as he could tell in this world that the supernatural beings acted quite ''human''.


    He then looked at the image on theputer and pointed.


    "Fine, but who is this guy covered in glitter over there?"


    "Oh, that is the vampire. In this movie, vampires shine like that under the sun."


    "And just like that, you lost me." Soma said and shook his head. He had to wonder if the producers of this movie would stay alive once some real vampires learned about it.


    "Whatever, I only watch these movies for Jacob anyway." Mittelt said.


    She was quite a fan of the werewolf. Well, he might be a pedophile, creepy stalker with an allergy to shirts, but, then again, six-pack.


    "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. I need to know if you decided to stay and work for me, or if you will leave and return to Grigory." Soma said and Mittelt actually showed a slightly embarrassed face as she answered.


    "¡­ I would rather stay." She admitted. "I can imagine my fate if I were to return to Grigory after myst operation ended so badly."


    "Yeah, you and your friends were sent to kill a human who had a powerful Sacred Gear while being in a city controlled by the devils and being effectively close to them due to being in the same school as the two Kings in town. Oh, and taking the healing gear from a nun."


    Hearing him say it like that, Mittelt winced. She knew by now how Soma was somewhat protective of the innocent and she most certainly did not want to get onto his shit list. He may not be the most powerful person she ever met, but he was certainly amongst the scariest. Seeing her expression, Soma waved his hands dismissively.


    "Honestly speaking, I can understand both orders from your superiors if you are in a state of war as you mentioned. A powerful Sacred Gear user that lives so close to the devils could easily be convinced to join them if they are as capable of seducing humans as you mentioned, which would not be anything good for you guys. Taking him away would be the best option but that is up to the decision-making of those at the top. As for the nun, from what you told me about her, she was still extremely devout to Heaven and the Church even though she was emunicated. Even if the fallen took her she would most likely betray them at the first prodding of Heaven and who knows if prayers are actually listened to by the Big G anyway so she could likely work as an informant and could never be truly trusted by the Grigory. If the only thing about her that the Fallen cared for was her gear then taking it away without the potential spy that is attached to it would make sense."


    Mittelt actually opened her eyes wide at Soma''s exnation since, despite it being a cold and detached way of seeing things, it made a lot of sense. Frighteningly so, she has never really seen it this way but this way of thinking and acting is one expected in a war, especially a cold war like the one that the three factions of Christianity were in.


    ¡­ And she was just a disposable pawn in the grand scheme of things, if she even qualified to be that, she realized. If the operation seeded, great, if not then it would be an eptable loss. This was a world of ''might makes right'', where the strong are the ones calling the shots and they yed with the lives of the weak like toys, experiments, and pawns.


    And Mittelt knows she is weak. Extremely weak. She was a low-rank Fallen Angel, she was made by God long ago as just a foot soldier and even during the Great War she was only able to survive due to working as support instead of the frontlines where she would have likely lost and been killed, if not raped before being killed by a devil.


    Gulping she looked at Soma, her mind racing. She had decided before to follow him, but with what little she knew of him she could still tell that he was no less dangerous than her bosses at the Grigory. The main difference between working for him and for Grigory would be that, in the Grigory, she was one low rank fallen amongst the masses of fallen and thuspletely disposable, to Soma she would be his only low rank fallen and he only had one more subordinate right now in the form of the Stray Exorcist Rintaro, who also wasn''t exactly a powerhouse. Even if she is weak, her importance for Soma would be much higher than for Grigory, as such the choice was obvious.


    Soma coughed in his hand, attracting her attention back to him to make her stop ruminating.


    "Anyway, if you prefer to work for me then that is fine. But, before I ept you properly I will have you sign a Geas. In it, you will swear that you will listen to me when I have some form of mission or action I need you to take, of course, there will be a use stipting that you can deny or run away from any assignment if it is deemed a significant risk for your life and I cannot demand sexual services from you as part of the job, unless you would like that so that would be negotiable. I will also provide you with ways to make you stronger via training or many other ways including weapons and equipment."


    Hearing his exnation Mittelt actually froze after a certain point. A certain hope, one deep within her that she normally would never let bloom, actually surfacing right now.


    "You, you can make me stronger? C-Can you actually do that?" She questions, hoping beyond hope that he could.


    "Why wouldn''t I be able to? There are surely ways to make you stronger." Soma said and Mittelt shook her head.


    "You don''t understand. God, when he made us angels, he made us the perfect beings. We were made with powers perfectly developed with no chance for growth, perfect in our own little ways as he would say." Mittelt said with venom in her tone. Oh how she wanted to be strong, to not be afraid to offend others with every step she took and have to pray that no stronger being would notice her.


    She survived the great war, but a half-breed fallen who hasn''t even reached her twenties was already so much stronger than her that Mittelt wasn''t even able to kill herself to stop the pain during the torture. A half-breed who was lucky enough to be the daughter of someone strong like Barakiel, but still unted the fact she did not use her full power while humiliating and stepping upon Mittelt and killing the other two fallen that worked with her for so long.


    "Perfect being? Well, I hate to tell you the honest truth as I see it, there is absolutely nothing that is perfect. It may sound like a clich¨¦, but it is the truth. If something was truly perfect, then that was it. What would be the point of having feelings, being able to learn from your surroundings, or being able to die or reproduce if angels were truly perfect? Perfection means there is no need to change, to grow, to improve, and nothing would change. You are far from perfect, so don''t go around saying that you are a perfect being." Soma said with disgust at the concept of perfection.


    It may not look like it at times but Soma was far from being perfect, he had to struggle for thousands of years to learn things that others could learn much easier. What some of the heroes had learned in their time in mere months he took decades to learn and even then it wouldn''t necessarily be as good as what the heroes had learned. And yet her continued training, steadily growing and continuing to march on, never satisfied with his strength and what he learned, never satisfied with what others might call ''perfection''.


    Noticing the doubtful expression on Mittlelt''s face at his expressing he did not think angels perfect beings he continued.


    "You fuck up, you make mistakes all the time, you are a giant tease, a flirt, an annoying person, weak, like weird movies with terrible premises, iszy, and just another person with more ws than I would ever bother counting. If you were never able to grow and change from birth, then were you born this messed up? No! You learned and evolved into your own wed person and thus was never perfect. If you are weak now that just means you weren''t trying to do it in the correct way. If you sign this contract I will make sure you be strong, that you will be powerful. So, do you want to sign or not?"


    This time Mittelt lowered her head, she did not want to show her eyes right now due to knowing they must be red.


    She was a fallen angel, she was made to look the way she did so no matter how old she got she would always be treated as a child. She was made weak, only able to obey the strong and survive by doing whatever was necessary to do so. She never got a choice, not a single thing in her life was fully her decision. Even bing a fallen, it was just her following orders and feeling guilty over being part of operations to exterminate those who made deals with devils, even if they only made those deals to survive a gue sent by God via Moses.


    So, having a chance, any chance, of bing stronger was simply amazing. It was the best, no, the only, way to make sure that she would not be stepped on by anyone even remotely powerful. That she wouldn''t have to cower and pray before any enemy that mighte her way.


    "Then I will work for you. Whatever you need, no matter what, if you make me stronger then I will do it all." Mittelt said, deep emotion in her tone as Soma nodded, walking close to her and extending his hand.


    "Wee to the team, Mittelt." Soma said and Mittelt smiled widely as she took his hand and shook firmly. She was d that she now had a ce where she would feel safe while Soma was happy that he now had one more loyal worker that also would help him with plenty of experiments he had in mind.


    Sure, he would make her stronger, but for that, he would need to understand her body better than just how to put it together and he couldn''t help but smile at the thought of what he could uncover from her. While Soma was a firm believer that ''perfection'' was idiotic even as a concept he would admit that Angels seemed like fascinating beings and he wondered how different they werepared to homunculus and if he could make some angels of his own as well.


    Deciding to ignore the fascinating prospects of study and research for now Soma thought back to his n. His original n was to send Mittelt back to Grigory with a request for a meeting in a ce of Soma''s choosing to make the exchange he desired. Of course, he would only send her after she had signed a contract that would forbid her from being able to divulge in any way who he was and where he lived with her memories of him modified using hypnosis to ensure that they would be blurry at best and no one would be able to find out who he is through her, but her working for him had plenty of benefits as well and he wouldn''t say no to someone willing to help him just because of a minor inconvenience.


    Thinking for a bit he asked.


    "Are you able to send things to the Grigory without going yourself?"


    "I think so, I still have a few friends there who could be a messenger for me." Mittelt said.


    "Good, then by the end of the day I want you to contact one of your friends to send through them a package to Azazel himself." Soma said and Mittelt nodded.


    "Sure thing, boss."


    Nodding to her he moved to leave.


    "You can go back to watching this glittery trash, I have something to do now."


    "Oh, and what will you do now boss? Something I can help with?" Mittelt questioned.


    "Nah, what I am gonna do is quite simple. I will just be making a copy of sorts, of Twilight Healing, nothing great." Soma said and shrugged,pletely losing the dumbfounded expression of Mittelt as he walked away.


    ///---///


    On a suite at the topmost floor of the fanciest hotel in Kuoh, one could find Odin reclined on afortable sofa.


    Thest few weeks had been quite troublesome for him. Loki, that trickster god, has started to try and make a push to make war against Christianity once again, indicating ''signs of the Great War restarting'' as an excuse. Of course, Odin was not dumb enough to think that the simple killing of a few exorcists in such a gruesome manner was enough to reignite the war, but Loki was being his usual nonsensical self and kept trying to push for preparations for war.


    Odin wanted nothing to do with that, he would not jump into war for no reason like what Loki would have him and the rest of the Pantheon do. Not that Loki himself would go to the frontlines, he would do as he always did and look for the best way to entertain himself as possible or just show up when victory was certain as to im more of the spoils.


    The leader of the Norse Pantheon was actually secretly having talks with the leaders of the Three Christian factions for a time now, talking about entering into a peace treaty with them after they themselves made one amongst themselves. The talks were going well, and Odin wanted to talk with representatives of the three sides to see if the Peace Treaty was still underway.


    For this secret talk, the Christians decided to have the talk right here in Kuoh since no one would think that they would do such talks in this ce where a possible spark for the fighting happened just a short while ago.


    Odin had arrived a few days earlier than the day for the meeting, mostly due to being tired of hearing Loki bber on and on and acting like he was big shit. The town had a lot of exotic beauties and Odin quite liked that, but Rossweisse was the same nuisance as ever and always stopping his fun.


    So,st Sunday, Odin ditched her in a club and was just about to leave when he saw someone actually approach her. One of Odin''s skills was the ability to see through and understand anything he looks at, and when he looked at the one who approached the forever single Valkyrie Odin saw that this young male was quite interesting. His body was quite unique and Odin had trouble believing him as a normal human, but what caught his attention the most were the runes etched in some of his bones.


    They were quite profound and Odin felt like they were simr to his own runes used in magic, but also somewhat different and the Norse God couldn''t help but secretly continue to spy on those runes. Even his fabled ability toprehend anything he sees was having some trouble understanding everything and what he managed to understand he began to extrapte into his own magic circles to see the differences and Odin was shocked at the results. All his magic attacks were at least 30% stronger and his defenses were 50% stronger.


    For a God such as Odin, this was no small matter, with what little he had managed to see from these unique runes he always felt like his knowledge and understanding of magic grew and the power he could exert now was much greater. His curiosity made Odin follow the couple around while invisible with his absolute best stealth magic, and by the time Odin had finished understanding the runes already etched into the male''s bones, said male was rutting into Rossweisse as if the two were wild animals.


    Shrugging Odin actually decided to stay and watch for a while, he was an old pervert who loved all kinds of sexual acts, and voyeurism was quite normal all things considered (just ask Heimdal who was always looking at everyone, the perverted old God).


    After feeling pent up himself Odin left the room and went to a brothel in town, taking five girls with him to bed, and enjoyed all of them thoroughly. And right now Odin was in bliss, happy with life and rxed.


    He looked on as Rossweisse entered the suit, he looked amusedly as she had a slight limp despite her best efforts and Odin knew he now had a whole new way to tease the girl. He made a note to himself to meet the young male before leaving town, if only to congratte the kid from taking the stick up Rossweisse''s ass and recing it with something else.

 Chapter 18 - 18

    Soma had gone slightly overboard with the creation of the item to draw the attention of Azazel, which was hard not to do as he had a source of fairy energy and the materials from the Ringa family had sent him to use.


    The end result of the previous day''s work was a much more elegant gear for healing whenpared to Twilight Healing. It needed more directmands instead of just wanting to heal and see it happen, needing the user to have in-depth knowledge of the body to properly use, but this gear had a much greater healing capability to the point that it could recover even amputated limbs as if brand new and heal the body from diseases and poisons. It would also cost considerably less energy to use while being safer to use as it would not need physical contact like Twilight Healing to have any effect. ??


    Hell, if the user knew enough of the body he could even change the body of the one it was affecting to give it cancer or mess with it, being useful even as an offensive weapon if the user so desires.


    Something like that should be able to draw the attention of Azazel, or at least Soma hoped it would be.


    In all honesty, Soma did not think that the Twilight Healing was a great tool, but it would work as a bargaining chip for what he wanted so there was that. It took him about 4 hours to make this gear that was better gear than Twilight Healing in almost every way if the user waspetent, the rest of the time was spent extracting the energy of the fairy that was stuck inside Twilight Healing as he could find several uses for such energyter on.


    He knew a bit of fairy techniques for cksmithing, having visited Avalon once or twice with Merlin when the asshole wizard wanted a wingman to try and woo some fairies to his bed, and if he had fairy energy to use he could perhaps produce an item that was close to Divine Construct or something, nothing to sneeze at for sure.


    By the time night arrived. Soma was finally satisfied with the amount of energy he extracted, having obtained enough energy to produce at least three or four more mystic codes that are by all rights superior to Twilight Healing or just one truly powerful item.


    ///---///


    Meanwhile, in another part of town, Jeanne was on the phone with Cao Cao.


    "Jeanne, how long until you bring in all the new recruits? We are nning a strike and we need as much firepower as possible for that."


    "I know, but it is taking longer than expected to find all users in town. I have had Deux scour the entire town for users and we have found a total of 11 users until now, I am still trying to formte a n to get them all to voluntarilye and-" Jeanne was saying when she was interrupted by Cao Cao.


    "No, if you found 11 users then that is more than enough. We don''t have the time to go about your slow method, it is more thorough but it would take too long and we need your back as soon as possible. We have obtained intel that Azazel will being to Kuoh two nights to have a ''secret'' meeting about the Peace Talks, and will be taking with him Vali and the sh Dog team as guards. With the help of the spies of the Chaos Brigade inside the Grigory, this is the perfect chance for us to strike them to capture multiple Sacred Gear users of their school as well as obtain the information collected by the Grigory about all the different races and their respective weaknesses. With this information, Leonardo will be able to produce much better monsters to exterminate all that filth."


    What Cao Cao didn''t mention was that a part of the Sacred Gear users would have to be transferred over to Satanael for his experiments in creating Longinuses from ordinary gears, but that was of little concern. That fallen angel might be a crazy fucker but he only cared about his research and any failed product of his experiments would simply be transferred back to the Hero Faction anyway, even if they are failures in turning into Longinus, they would still be powerful and useful users who achieved Bnce Breaker and had their minds damaged enough that, with just a bit of mind control, could be turned to perfect disposable attack dogs.


    Everyone wins... well, not the ones captured since they would simply be drones to help push humanity to glory, but their sacrifices were for the greater good so they must feel honored for the chance of being part of something greater than they are by only paying the small price of bing little more than attack zombies.


    Meh, who cares? It is all for the Greater Good anyway.


    "Fine then, but if you want me to do that then I will need more help. Just me and my team can''t take all 11 in a single day right under the noses of three devil peerages." Jeanne said in irritation.


    She could see how this attack could be useful for the Faction, but she was enjoying her little game dammit!


    Jeanne had already approached 4 of the 11 users in town and was already on the cusp of fully turning them to her side thanks to patience, good thinking, clever maniption, and plentiful use of one of her personal creations, the Holy Sword of Loyalty. That little beauty was a small dagger-like sword that could turn the loyalty and devotion of others around it towards the user of the de, Jeanne made sure to always have it on her person secretly whenever she talked with those four and just a small push and they would be like the rest of her team, loyal servants who would do anything she tells them to without hesitation.


    The feeling of power over others, the intoxication of knowing that others would follow her to the ends of the earth with pure devotions, it was the best. She also enjoyed the process, not just mind-controlling others directly like was the preference of the rest of the higher-ups of the faction who couldn''t see the artistry of seducing others into willing v... recruits for the faction that protects mankind from evil.


    "... I believe we could send some stray devils as well as Con, me shaker, and the two Starling users. His shadow constructs should be able to create some chaos while the Starling users should possibly be able to snipe at least a few of the devils in town." Cao Cao said, those three were not overly useful anyway and there were other users of Night Reflector while the Starling gears and me shaker were nothing special but could be useful against devils.


    As for the Strays, who gave a fuck about them? They were mindless weapons in Cao Cao''s eyes.


    Trash whose only use was as a disposable weapon, that is what Strays are for Cao Cao.


    "Fine, but send in Georg as well to help in transport." Jeanne said to which Cao Cao promptly agreed. Of all the members of the Faction Georg was the most important for it functioning properly, but also the safest thanks to his gear making killing him near impossible. Unless he waspletely and utterly overpowered there were few who could kill or even capture Georg.


    After this Jeanne ended the call and began to n what their attack should be like and look into information about the targets they must capture. She talked with her team and they arrived at a decision regarding where to strike and who to allocate to each target. Early next morning, mist flooded the ce she was at, and from it Georg, Con, the two Starling users, and the me shaker user.


    Besides Con and Georg the other three were what the Hero Faction called ''drones'', those whose minds broke while the Hero Faction tried to stimte their gears to achieve Bnce Break. They were only good at following orders and were unable to think much beyond the artificial intelligence imnted in them forbat, but that would be enough for something like this mission. If the Hero Faction could obtain 11 new users for the price of three broken low-end products then that was a bargain.


    "So, what''s the n?" Con asked, trying to act important despite not being seen as anything relevant by the actual leaders of the faction, his only worth was that his mind didn''t break under the training to release Bnce Breaker and especially that he was a descendant of a hero.


    "Here are the targets." Jeanne said, a list of documents including names, family, pictures, addresses, locations they usually go to, and more. "We will have to do a blitz tonight as we need to capture them all simultaneously to avoid the devils being able to react. We also need to cause some chaos away from where the targets will be, I will leave that to you guys for the most part while my team will move to capture the targets.


    "The me Shaker will move with the Stray Devils to cause problems, the two Starling users will also move in secret to prepare in case sniping is needed and Con should help as well in support to make sure the strays stay alive for longer by redirecting the devils'' magic at them when they try using it. When I give the signal everyone must move to me as fast as possible with thest one toe being Georg only after a second signal as we will only need your help at the moment of escape and the more we can ensure the devils are busy the better and you have very diverse magic and would be able to stall the devils for as long as needed without an issue."


    They all nodded with Georg showing a small smile. While Cao Cao was undoubtedly their best strategist Jeanne wasn''t any slouch and was amongst the top 5 best in the entire Faction, with her having time to set everything there was a little chance things would go wrong and even if they did the damage would be mitigated as much as possible. One of the reasons for him being sent was precisely to ensure that no greater damage would happen as Jeanne was an important asset to the faction that they could ill afford to lose.


    Her name as Saint attracted Stray Exorcists very easily to the faction and her ability to produce Holy Swords, even if of low quality, was far too useful for any strike against the devils. No, Georg was here to ensure everything ran smoothly and to serve as a lifeline if things went to shit since this was a hastier n than the one expected originally. As a magician and the user of the Longinus Dimension Lost, someone who could wipe out this entire town instantly if he so pleased, would make sure that everything went well no matter what.


    ///---///


    That day Soma went to school like normal. Momo tried to invite him to the Student Council room to have lunch but he said no, he gave somezy excuse to her but in truth he only did so for a simple reason.


    He had to prepare equipment for Mittelt.


    Since the little fallen had decided to follow him it was only natural that he would provide her items for protection. He used the hour of lunch today to enchant two rings and a ne, it was basic by his standards but would have to suffice for the time being.


    All three items had a simr effect, creating a force field of sorts to lower the damage she would take from attacks. For increasing offensive power he wouldter have to make her a weapon, and for proper armor, he would have to make her a proper uniform instead of that basic stuff she likes to wear, but until then these force fields would help in both lowering the damage and even increasing her physical capacity as the fields would be able to let her move things heavier than she normally would.


    As the bell for the end of ss rang Soma stood up to leave when he was intercepted.


    "Hey, Soma-kun, I was going with Kiyoharu to search for a gift for Aya since she ising back tomorrow. Want toe with us?" Ravel asked, hoping he woulde as well. She wanted to try and flirt with him some more, having started to develop a crush on him for a little while now, that she realized after the other day when they used her pool (mostly due to his body).


    "Sorry, I will be a bit busy tonight." Soma said, he had lost an entire day having sex Monday, and Thursday he spent the whole day making items, so now he had a lot to make up for with his body reconstruction. He nned to see if he could at least finish the modifications to his hair to be able to use Zabaniya: Raving Shadow sh. It would allow him to control the size of his hair as well as control each strand of it perfectly, with the strand being extremely sharp.


    In the Throne, Soma could never reach the level of the Hassan who made that technique, a Hassan who could use each strand in a distance of up to 8 kilometers away, but being able to spread each individual strand of hair independently in a distance of two kilometers around him would certainly be nice. But hey, at least Soma had managed to reach the same level of modifications to his hair to make each strand of his hair like those of the original Hassan who made this technique, each strand being as fine as a spider''s thread.


    Sure, his hair would hardly count as human since it would be modified to the point that each strand could cut through tempered steel as if it were paper even BEFORE he used reinforcement, but that was not really all that relevant for Soma. Compared to the changes he would be doing to his hands this was honestly tame.


    "Oh, okay. Well, that is fine, I guess." Ravel said feeling slightly dejected. "But, tomorrow we will be going to invite Aya to go out and y a bit. You wille, right?"


    Soma thought for a moment before smiling.


    "Sure, I would be honored." He said, making Ravel smile brightly before bouncing off to Kiyoharu, who was waiting at the door of the ssroom. Soma waved at them as they left, his thoughts shing to Aya and instinctively he checked one of the items he had on hand.


    It was the one connected to the gift Soma gave Aya previously, with that he could be sure she was safe and that was enough for now. If there was time tonight he would see if he could do something for Aya as well, perhaps bake something for her tomorrow? That should cheer her up.


    ///---///


    On the streets of Kuoh''s shopping district both Ravel, and Kiyoharu were looking for a perfect gift for their friend Aya.


    "What do you think of this one?" Ravel said, showing a pretty pair of sandals to Kiyoharu who shook her head.


    "I don''t think this would look good on her. It wouldn''t match her well and we are not sure of her foot size anyway." Kiyoharu said with Ravel nodding after a moment.


    "Fine, if not shoes then how about some perfume or make-up?"


    "That would be much better." Kiyoharu said as they went back to check out different items, only for Kiyoharu to stop in front of some other sandal that caught her attention. It was a pretty little find being white and pink with flower designs all over. "Oh, this one is so cute. What if I buy this one for me?"


    "That would look nice." Ravel said. "I''ll buy it for you as a gift."


    "No need, I have the cash for it." Kiyoharu replied, the sandals weren''t expensive and she could afford them.


    "I insist." Ravel said. "Trust me, I have more money than I know what to do with, so it should be alright."


    Kiyoharu looked a bit torn before saying.


    "Fine, but when we stop for food I am paying for it."


    "Sure." Ravel said, enjoying this a lot. It was quite different to have friends who she can just be herself around, especially someone like Kiyoharu that did not try to take advantage of her money like most devils usually did.


    Well, Soma also didn''t but he is quite rich anyway so money for him is no big deal. As for Aya, she and Ravel haven''t gone out like this before but Ravel was quite confident that she wouldn''t make use of her for her money, Ravel sure of that.


    The young Phenex was having the time of her life! Sure, she was serving in Rias'' Peerage but that was barely a concern seeing as the redhead king that she was supposed to serve didn''t make any question about including her in anything, as such Ravel was almost free from any care regarding her position. This let her just be Ravel instead of the little perfectdy she was forced to be in the Underworld.


    She smiled brightly at that thought, of the freedom she had. It was ironic really, what her king wanted to obtain bying to the human world was what Ravel got instead.


    That is, until Kiyoharu noticed something.


    "Hey, is it just me or does everyone else seem to be leaving all of a sudden?" Kiyoharu asked, cold sweat on her face as she noted the entire area clearing as all pedestrians started to disappear from sight.


    Ravel''s face hardened, she was not used to actualbat whatsoever but she knew that this was a lot like the effects of a magic field to make any human with no active magic in them leave an area. It was one of the basic things everyone in the supernatural learned to ensure there was no exposure, and what was happening was a clear sign of that.


    "Stay behind me, I will prote-"


    BANG


    Ravel couldn''t even finish her sentence before her head was blown off. Kiyoharu looked on in horror at this scene as her friend''s headless body.


    "It seems like the immortality of the Phenex house is as troublesome as Onee-sama said it would be. Really, devils are such pests."


    Turning to the direction of the person who just spoke, Kiyoharu''s eyes widened at what she saw.


    The person standing in front of her was a girl wearing a beige skirt with ck tips, and a short-sleeved white shirt with puffs and arm warmers. In between her skirt and her top, she had a brown corset-like garment, a small brown hat with white furing out of it, gray and white striped leggings, and ck and yellow knee-high boots.


    Her hair was curly blond much like Ravel''s and her face was one that both Kiyoharu and Ravel knew well.


    Ravel''s head quickly returned to ce, her face a bit torn over the fact that her identity as a devil was exposed just like that, but she had more to worry about than her race being revealed.


    Ravel turned surprised eyes at her attacker.


    "Wait, you already knew that I was a devil? What is going on, Mami-san?"


    "Shut up, filth. I did not give you permission to speak to me." Mami, no, Trois said, with an expression as if she was looking at a disgusting piece of trash that marred her otherwise beautiful face. "Now, Kiyoharu, quickly get away from this dangerous monster. I will protect you, and help take you somewhere where you will be safe from evil creatures like her, there is a whole new life waiting for you."


    Ravel was looking nervous, she was not used to fighting and did not want to enter in any conflict if at all possible. Gulping, she tried one more time.


    "Mami-san, this is not funny. How about we just sit down and ta-"


    "MY NAME IS NOT MAMI! I left that name behind me for a long time now, I am no longer that person! I became, and AM, Trois, a proud member of the Hero Faction, and I am sick and tired of having to deal with your bullshit, you evil monster!''


    BANG


    Mami fired one of her guns, with the bullet traveling fast and exuding a powerful magic energy. Sensing this, Ravel desperately made a magic shield big enough to hold the strike that was aimed at her. But as the strike hit, Ravel felt like her shield was cracking, Ravel realized if she hadn''t made the magic shield the shot would most likely hit Kiyoharu as well considering the angle.


    If not for Ravel''s shield, it was entirely possible that Kiyoharu would be dead by now.


    "What are you doing?! You could have killed Kiyoharu as well with that shot!" Ravel was extremely angry at this, Kiyoharu was one of the first true friends of hers that only cared for her as Ravel, not as the princess of Phenex. Ravel by no means would let that happen.


    "Well, I told him toe to me already and I wouldn''t kill him. But some damage in the crossfire isn''t all that weird so he can choose. Come to my side and be protected by a hero, or die with this filthy, disgusting, creature of sin that tries to look like a human who should have never existed and would do the world a favor by dying."


    "Sorry, but that is not happening." Ravel said, fire in her eyes as she released her fire wings. She might not be good with fighting but she could see how unhinged Trois was acting and she would not let someone like that take Kiyoharu, as she is her real friend.


    "Oh, you want to stop me?" Trois said in a challenging tone before snapping her fingers. With that simple gesture, 20 new guns appeared behind her, floating in mid-air and ready to fire in a manner reminiscent of a certain golden king in the Throne of Heroes. "Then, by all means, try and do so. The Faction have amazing healers so as long as Kiyoharu-kun is alive and mostly in one piece he can be healed. Besides, my orders were to take him with me alive and me wanting him whole was just because I like little Kio, but I have no orders of keeping you alive. Now, let''s get this over with."


    And with that over 20 magic guns fired at once, the streets of Kuoh turning into a battleground.

 Chapter 19 - 19

    BANG


    BANG ??


    BANG


    Sounds like that of the worst of modern battlefields could be heard in the streets of Kuoh.


    Ravel was doing her best to dodge as bullets flew at her, her eyes darting from one ce to another as she tried her best to not be shot.


    "You are quite an agile little pest, HUH!?" Trois aimed the gun in her hand behind her and shot, the force sending her up right in Ravel''s path.


    Before Ravel could react properly Trois had moved her gun, but instead of shooting she swung it at Ravel''s side and sent the Phenex girl flying at a window.


    Looking up, Ravel saw the gun in Trois'' hands changing. From a simple old-style rifle to a pair of double tri-barrel gatlings that she holds in each arm.


    A shower of bullets rained down on the building, each bullet not even half as strong as those from the old rifle, but the number of bullets were overwhelming as if raindrops in a downpoar and the whole building quickly became swiss cheese and copsed on top of Ravel.


    Not that this satisfied Trois who changed her weapon again, going from the double tri-barrel gatlings to a missileuncher carrying around 12 missiles that all flew at once towards the copsed building and exploded, leveling the building and making the two sides of the ce copse as well.


    Let it never be said that the Hero Faction cared about coteral damage, they normally aimed for that at any rate.


    Trois just watched dispassionately as she was pushed back due to the st, creating several simple rifles mid-air to serve as stepping stones until she stepped on the roof of the building across from the rubbles of where she just shot.


    She didn''t seem surprised in the slightest at what happened next, as if waiting for it to happen.


    A spark of mes could be seen, it was barely there for an instant before it rose out of the rubble, and from it Ravel formed. She was now on top of the rubble all around her, looking quite healthy with her blond curls swinging in the wind and a hotty expression despite what just happened, but her clothes have some signs of holes in them making them look a bit tattered.


    Waving her hands forward Ravel sent a wave of mes right at Trois, not that it reached her since she created several shields in front of her that were big enough to block the fireballs. Even as several shields melted, more were made in their ce.


    Ravel released a ''tsk'' before having to move, from behind the shields several grenades wereunched at where she was standing and Ravel was not a fan of being hurt. Sure, she could heal from almost anything, but the pain was still there even if dulled.


    As explosions rang behind her Ravel turned her body mid-air and released a torrent of fire much bigger than before at Trois who quickly jumped down the building to avoid the attack. Ravel had to think fast, she could already see Trois turning the muzzle of her gun towards her and she did not want to be hit anymore.


    Ravel closed her eyes to calm her nerves, her mind moving much faster than normal as she remembered her eldest brother. Ruval Phenex, the heir of House Phenex, was one of the top 10 rating game champions who used not his near invulnerability to attacks to win, but his smarts. In the whole family, he knew Fire better than anyone, studied and learned from it more than anyone else, and used what he knew to his advantage bing one of the strongest devils in the entire Underworld.


    ''Brother, how would he deal with this?'' Ravel thought as she remembered the times she saw her brother fighting. He would never release fire in the way Ravel was releasing in such big and shy ways, but he was the coolest to Ravel.


    Taking a deep breath Ravel put her hands close together and concentrated the heat of her fire before releasing it as if aser at Trois who barely managed to avoid it even as she put several riot shields in front of herself.


    "Well, now this looks more like a challenge." Trois said, a vicious smile on her face as she touched the ground and darted at Ravel who had to move to gain distance.


    This attack she just released took time to activate since this was the first time she attempted it and it was nowhere as refined as what her brother could do. She cursed herself for not practicing nearly as much as she should, spending way too much time taking care of Riser''s messes or having lessons over how to be a proper nobledy.


    "Not gonna get away, little filthy monster." Trois said in a sing-song voice as several guns appeared behind her and shot at Ravel. However, Ravel had tried another of her brother''s tricks by making several weak shields of pure heat around herself, enough to disce the air around her and make any projectile not hit properly.


    Unfortunately, they didn''t work as intended and only a few bullets were disced or melted, Ravel was still engulfed in arge explosion as the bullets she didn''t manage to defend still hit her.


    Seeing this Trois nodded to herself before moving to where Kiyoharu stood as if paralyzed in her ce, the area destroyed with holes and explosion marks all around.


    "So, will you ept being saved by the hero that is me, or would you rather a more, let''s say, forceful method." Trois said. "I am, after all, a proper hero and thus won''t just let you suffer in the hands of those vile monsters."


    "Mami, please stop. We could just sit down and ta-"


    "MY NAME IS NOT MAMI! IT IS TROIS! I haven''t been Mami for a long, long time now. I am Trois, a member of the Hero Faction. A HERO!" Trois shouted, her voice rising well past screaming and her eyes looking almost bloodshot as she said this.


    Kiyoharu took a step back in fright.


    "But, but you are Mami-"


    "No! I am not Mami, I am Trois! T. R. O. I. S!" Trois said in fury but also as if she was talking to a child, an incredibly annoying child she wanted to strangle or fill with bullets.


    "Y-You are scaring me." Kiyoharu said in a timid fashion and Trois sent an irritated look at her.


    "I guess you will need some time to understand everything. But, no issues, I can just take you back to the others right now and I am sure Georg-sama will help you see the righteous path you are destined to follow." Trois said, extending her hand to Kiyoharu.


    Just as she was about to take Kiyoharu away Trois felt great heat and jumped back just in time as a ball of fire hit where she was standing. Scowling, she looked up at Ravel who stood there perfectly healthy yet again.


    "You know, your regeneration is BS."


    "So I have been told," Ravel said as she pulled both hands above her head and created a big fireball. Concentrating she made the fireball split into several pieces that she then sent at Trois.


    The hero began to move her arms, old rifles appearing as she used them one after another, shooting at every small ball of fire flying her way and blowing them up. Her arms moved nimbly as she continued to shoot one after another, her reflexes honed while practicing to obtain her Bnce Breaker shining through as she moved from one side to the other in quick session and hit every single st of fire.


    As she finished she was about to smirk at Ravel who sent another fireball. Rolling her eyes Trois prepared herself to simply shoot down this attack as well, as she was getting tired of this exchange.


    And just like that, she fell into Ravel''s trap.


    As the ball was getting closer and before Troiszily shot it down, Ravel sent a st of air right at the fireball turning the concentrated fire into a big inferno that flew right at the shocked Trois engulfing her in fire.


    "KYAAAHHH!" Trois screamed in pain as the fire blistered her skin and burned her body in various ces.


    Ravel looked a bit torn, she was d to havended such a good hit, but she didn''t really want to hurt Mami (Trois). Ravel could tell that there was something wrong with the other girl''s mind and she still remembers the expression Mami spoke.


    ''... I am sure Georg-sama will help you see the righteous path you are destined to follow.''


    Ravel might not know who Georg is, but that sure sounds like mind magic were involved and that was enough to send goosebumps down Ravel''s spine.


    Walking beside Kiyoharu she turned to her.


    "Come on, let''s get out of here." Ravel said as she pulled Kiyoharu into a rather ufortable and ridiculous princess carry before beginning to fly away. Ravel did not want to risk Kiyoharu any more than what she already did and she didn''t have any reason to push this fight.


    The faster she left the faster she could get to her brother (not even thinking of going to Rias who might try and take her chances to force Kiyoharu into her peerage), and if she was with her brother there was less of a chance of another attack and they could think on how to deal with this mess without more coteral damage to the town.


    As they began to take off, Kiyoharu turned to look down at the inferno that spread across the street.


    "Do you think Mami-san is still *GULP* alive there?"


    Ravel was just about to answer when what sounded like a big ass cannon shot was heard, the windows of the buildings around shattered as the biggest bullet till now flew at them and barely missed, but just the windst was enough to send the two girls flying towards a rooftop.


    Thankfully, Ravel used some wind maniption together with her wings just in time to avoid impact.


    Looking at the inferno one could see Mami walking out of it, her skin red and charred in ces as she began to mutter.


    "It is Trois. Mami is dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, deAd, DEad, DEAD. I AM TROIS! Hahahahahahahaha!"


    Around her hundreds upon hundreds of guns started appearing, covering the entire area beside her as if a wall made out of guns of all types. A veritable army''s artillery all present and all ready to fire as Trois began tough maniacally.


    Ravel''s eyes wentpletely wide and, as if by instinct, she stood in front of her friend and created as many magic barriers as she could while using her own body to prepare for this attack.


    "Hahahahah-"


    "Well, I guess that is enough."


    As these words fell Mami froze, her eyes wentpletely vacant as she dropped to the floor. The guns surrounding her crumbled away into motes of silver and gold as the entire ce went quiet and there, on the ground, standing calmly as if she had never moved a single muscle, was none other than Kiyoharu looking slightly annoyed at all this.


    Ravel''s eyes went wide as she turned to the ''Kiyoharu'' that she was protecting with all her might, just to see that Kiyoharu vanishing like dust in the wind.


    Ravel turned back to the ground and saw Kiyoharu looking back at her and waving to her with a smile to her face. However, unlike before when Ravel did not think anything of it, now she could see that this was not the smile of someone who was innocent and knew nothing about the supernatural but the smile of someone who PRETENDED to know nothing of the supernatural.


    "... Why is my life soplicated?" Ravel sighed and spoke such, and at this moment she could see the ruins of one of the buildings affected by this brief but explosive conflictpletely crumble she groaned.


    With just a nce she could tell one thing, this night was shaping up to be one filled with coteral damage and there would be so much paperwork to deal with it all. Oh, the cruelty.


    ///---///


    Going back a few minutes, in the residence where Riser and his Peerage were chilling.


    "So, Darling, when will little Rav arrive?" Yubelluna questions her king while sitting on hisp. The two were tenderly embracing one another while watching someflix and had just finished a somewhat decent movie.


    "I guess she will take some time. She did say that she was going to buy a gift for a friend of hers from school, that ising back from some problems." Riser said.


    "I think I heard about it, isn''t it one of the girls she approached who has a Sacred Gear but is going through a rough patch?" Mihae, Riser''s Bishop who likes to wear miko outfits, said with a finger to her chin.


    "Oh, I heard of her!" Ile said.


    "I did too, I did too!" Nel spoke. "Ra-chan said it was that girl, yep."


    "Oh, so it was that one." Riser said dismissively even if there was just the slightest hint of recognition in his tone. "My sister was quite distraught with the situation, if the girl is now returning she should receive a proper gift wouldn''t you say, my Queen?"


    "Yes, of course." Yubelluna spoke softly in that husky tone that always got her King all excited.


    "Marion, be a dear and buy something nice for the poor girl. Something a young girl would like, maybe a diamond and ruby ne." Riser said offhandedly. The Phenex family truly was so obscenely rich that giving out jewelry worth millions of dors was normal for them. It was almost courtesy for them really, such was their absurd fortune born from being the only suppliers of a "cure-all" medicine in a world that always had a war somewhere.


    "Leave it to me, Riser-sama." Marion said, a shine in her eyes as she would be able to use this opportunity to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies, buying expensive things and taking pictures of them to show on the devil''s Instagram.


    Riser was just about to ask for a massage when he felt it. As one of the two kings who had to manage the town he was connected to the magic fields throughout town that helped identify when there was a sudden influx of energy in town that wasn''t supposed to be there.


    Normally this detection aspect was rtively small as no one expected much from the young kings managing the town and instead there were agents watching over the town to report in case anything enters the city unannounced, it was not perfect but at least most stray devils were found with this technique and it was not hard to implement or maintain.


    However, aftering to this ce Riser refused to work with such a crude detection system and used his own money to improve the whole town''s detection capabilities. The total cost was no more than one afternoon of Riser working in making Phenex tears so it barely cost him anything, but the effects were great.


    Now it detected the exact location of the energy used and determined the number of different energy signatures.


    This was exactly what happened when a total of more than 50 stray devils of all levels of power all showed up almost at once in the industrial area of Kuoh.


    Sharpening his gaze Riser stood up, his yful tone changing to one exuding authority and power worthy of a son of a noble house.


    "Yubelluna, contact Serafal and the other Satans that an attack is happening in Kuoh. Ask her to shut downmunications with the other cities and make the preparations to ensure that things don''t escte. Krmine, go to my fiance''s house and inform her of the situation and lead her to the ce ofbat with all due haste. Do make sure to let her know that if she wants to continue in this town then she has to fight to HAVE a town standing, also tell her to keep my sister safe as Ravel is her Bishop and should be treated well. Let her know that if she lets even one strand of my sister''s hair get damaged I will make it a point to make our marital life HELL for her out of spite. Mihae, talk with Sona and tell her we are moving and keepmunications open, Sona is a better strategist than I am so any advice from her would be worth listening to. Everyone else, suit up as fast as possible, we will be going into battle."


    As he finished speaking they all started to move to get things done, even Riser moved as he went to a safe he made in case of emergencies and took out 25 vials of Phenex Tears he had prepared in case of any fight as he did not want to see any of his lovelies hurt if he could help it.


    Soon after they all headed out, going to the fight against the stray devils with all due haste. He might not like this town or Earth in general, but this ce was still his responsibility now and he would fulfill his responsibilities by any means.


    ///---///


    In the Student Council Room, at the same time, Sona and Rias were drinking tea and talking about thest few days. It was quite interesting, especially with Rias mentioning the video of Soma and Riser ying in the club together and iming that Riser had some sort of plot against her.


    "And I am telling you, Rias. You have been watching too much anime and your head has gone bad. What plot would even be there anyway?" Sona said.


    "I don''t know, but that human and Riser seemed awfully close in the video. Maybe he is rted to it." Rias answered, even though she didn''t really believe this but was looking for ANY way to get rid of this unwanted marriage and she was grasping at straws in order to find any way out of it.


    Finding Riser in a conspiracy against her or something should do it.


    "Soma? He isn''t in a conspiracy against you, he doesn''t even know of the supernatural and is just a human, even if an umon one."


    "Oh, umon? Is he strong?" Rias asked, her mind changing gears rapidly.


    "Not that I know of, but he is intelligent. He is the one that defeated me in chess." Sona admitted, even if the admittance stung her pride. That he always seemed to avoid her was also not helping, She was not used to any form of rejection and didn''t know how to react to him at all.


    "Wow, if he is so smart maybe I should approach him. Depending on how he is I could maybe add him as a Knight or a Rook of my Peerage." Rias said, liking the idea of having someone smarter than Sona in her Peerage.


    Sona''s eyes narrowed, knowing her friend''s greed andziness far too well and already knowing that Rias likely wanted Soma for his intelligence and because it would mean she would have someone else to do all the strategies while in battle. Sona did not like that, Soma was HER prey, she was the one that was going to make him bow in reverence, not the big tittie monster that was Rias.


    Sona was about to retort when she felt the same thing Riser did, the feeling of multiple strays appearing in town. Rias was the only king who didn''t feel anything since she refused to be connected to the new security system paid for by Riser. Thankfully she was with Sona who quickly told her of what happened.


    Rias bit her lips in frustration, right now she only had Issei and Akeno with her since Kiba was still in recovery needing to go through physiotherapy to be able to move again and Koneko not being allowed on Japan''s soil due to being seen as a traitor to the Yokais for eagerly epting to be a devil right after the massacre and even changing her original name to the name Rias chose for her. Leaving the name Shirone to Koneko, which literally means in Japanese ''small cat'', didn''t endear the white-haired rook to the Yokais whatsoever, it was seen as her forsaking her noble race as a Nekoshou to be a pet of the race that exterminated the other Nekoshou.


    So, yeah, Koneko was not around.


    "Rias, we should go. Call Akeno but leave Issei to guard the Old School building, he is still weak but he should be able to at least protect your first Bishop that is sealed there. I will also be leaving Momo here as she is proficient inmunication magic and will be able to send a message in case a stray tries to enter the school." Sona said with Rias nodding, not having much of a choice.


    She wanted to trust her dear servants, but Issei was untested inbat and she did not want his first fight being against lots of strong stray devils all at once.


    No, she and Akeno would be enough, or at least what was avable.


    With ns decided both started summoning and exining the n for their respective peerages. It was time for action.


    ///---///


    Aya had just arrived back home.


    Walking inside with only her mother by her side she did not know what to do, the ce felt weird now. There was still an air of oppression, as if her father or brother would appear at any moment to make sure she was miserable, but she still could feel that the only people here were her and her mother.


    Aya wanted to go see her friends, especially to see Soma who always had a calming effect on her and always made her feel safe even if he was kind of a brute to everyone else, but she couldn''t. Momoko did not take her husband and son away well and Aya was the one to take care of her now that no one else was around that could support her.


    Aya, too, needed help but she was deceptively strong and far too kind, she buried her own desires to be with friends if it meant she could help her mother.


    She first went to the bathroom to shower, everywhere she looked she saw ghosts of what happened to her and trembled especially when she passed by her brother''s room. Taking a deep breath she kept repeating to herself that she had to be brave, brave for herself and her mother as well. This was a chance for a new life, an actual future without her father or brother punishing her for the sin of existing, and she would take this chance with both hands.


    Still, she had to stop more than a few times just to breathe deeply, calm her nerves and not think of the past, and to concentrate on the future.


    After a long shower where Aya finally calmed down, she went to make dinner. Now that it was just her and her mother she could make the food that they liked instead of only things Jirou enjoyed.


    As her mother sat at the kitchen table Aya thought about what to do. She wanted to do something simple but filling with a lot of vegetables and meat but would be easy to digest. After thinking for a bit she decided to make a soup. As she was cooking she froze more than once, as if ready to apologize to Jirou for making a soup but she still marched on as she tried to not focus on that. She was finishing the soup when-


    CRACK


    A sound of something cracking could be heard from the front door. Momoko went to look at what it was, just to be sent flying with a piece of ice through the shoulder.


    "MOM!" Aya yelled as she saw this. Running to her fallen mother she looked at the door and saw a girl was standing there in a rxed posture. With curled brown hair and yellow eyes, the girl looked at Aya and her mother who was now bleeding out on the floor as if she was bored of being there.


    "You are Aya, right? I came to pick you up for you to fulfill your destiny of being a hero of humanity. You can eithere with me nicely or I can force you, it is your choice." The girl said as she yfully twirled with some of her hair.


    Aya started to hyperventte, this woman was releasing an aura of menace that was even worse than the one she was used to from her brother or father. Being in this house was also not helping her mental state as her heart started to beat hectically on the verge of a panic attack. Hyperventting as terror filled her body at this scene in front of her.


    She missed the bracelet that Soma gave her a while back, giving off a light for a moment, instead Aya looked as the woman started approaching her one step at a time.


    "Don''t worry, soon everything will make sense and you will find your true purpose as a member of the Hero Faction." The girl said and stretched her hand towards Aya. As the hand approached it was no just the hand of this girl she saw, but the hands of her father and brother, of the hands of those who would beat, hurt, humiliate, and make Aya''s life a true hell.


    "No, no more, get away, GET AWAY!" Aya shouted and two things happened almost simultaneously. First was that a gun with a heart shaped muzzle appeared in her hands, and then she shot it without thinking and as if by instinct.


    In a pouf of pink smoke, the girl who was threatening Aya was nowhere to be seen. Aya released a sigh of relief, until she looked at her mother.


    The ice that pierced her shoulder was releasing a lot of blood, Momoko''s face going paler by the second.


    She did not know what to do. She tried pressuring it to stop the flow of blood, she wanted to call for emergency service but she did not have a cell phone and she did not know where her mother kept hers. As the pool of blood grewrger, she felt despair growing more and more, and for the first time in who knows how long she did it.


    She asked for help.


    "Please, someone save my mother." She said in a clear, if small, voice.


    "Sure, no problem."


    Turning to the direction of the voice Aya to see who was there.


    In a simple jacket and jeans and no shirt, he was there.


    "So, you finally asked for help, huh. But for you to do so for someone else instead of for yourself, you really are too kind Aya." Soma said as he patted her in the head. "Well done, now leave this to me."


    Aya gulped as she realized something, this was the first time she actually asked for his help. He always offered it, making sure she knew she could ask for help at any time, but this was the first time she actually asked for his help. Aya just stood there as she saw him move to her mother and start doing someplicated things with his hands on her wound, Aya could visibly see the hole left from him removing the stake of ice closing at a visible rate.


    After the wound closed and the bleeding stopped he released a sigh.


    "Well, she will live but will need more medical care. Better take her to my ce, it is safe and I can get her some medicine there. It seems like tonight will be a rough one and the faster I can settle this the better." Soma said as if speaking to himself. After thinking for a moment he nodded to himself, thoughts and ns on what to do settled in his mind as he stood up with Momoko in his arms. Looking at Aya he spoke. "So, are youing or not?"


    Aya quickly followed and as she walked away from the house she smiled, feeling safer than ever before. What little distrust she held for Soma disappeared as she chose to believe in someone else for what feels like the first time. And even if this whole situation felt more like a dream than reality she was still d that she now was sure she had someone that would stand by her side, and that was the most important thing for her.


    ///---///


    Sacred Gears:


    - War Hope (Mami''s Sacred Gear):


    Tier - High Tier Gear


    Appearance - Internal;


    Description - Allows the user to create weapons used in war that the user can think off. All the weapons would obtain magic attribute but are not considered Holy or Demonic while also not having any unique aspects. Any weapon or armor used in war can be generated through this gear and the more the user can think of weapons usable in war the more varied the options. It is spected that as wars progress and technology increases the field considered as ''weapons of war'' would continuously increase and in time this gear would warrant being called Longinus.


    - Solomon''s Wisdom (Kiyoharu''s Sacred Gear):


    Tier - High Tier Gear;


    Appearance - Ring;


    Description - One of the 10 rings given to Solomon in the past it allows its user to connect their mind to others. This ring has the power to link the user directly to the target''s sensory system to control their body, experience their senses remotely,municate telepathically regardless of distance, create illusions, manipte memories, and nulify any and all forms of mind control. This gear just isn''t considered a Longinus due to it taking a heavy toll on the user''s mind and needing it''s user to have a powerful enough will, it also doesn''t change the user''s physical ability and stronger targets have a stronger resistance to it, demanding more energy to connect.


    - Vanishing Drive (Aya''s Sacred Gear):


    Tier - Middle Tier Gear? (mutating);


    Appearance - Gun with a heart shapped muzzle;


    Description - This gear has the ability to teleport whatever it shoots instantly to ces that have a strong impact on the user or where the user is thinking of by shooting them. Distance and dimension ispletely irrelevant for it, whatever is shoot is teleported to whatever ce the user is thinking off or ces of importance for her. It''s main weakness is that the area of effect of shots is quite short, needing what she is aiming at to be close to her if the teleportation is to work. No matter what sort of being, if shot it WILL teleport the target away and no defenses can modify that.

 Chapter 20 - 20

    It was a shock for Soma. He was inside his workshop and had just finished around 30% of the process needed to turn his hair into weapons of efficient genocide, when he felt an alert from one of his mystic codes. It had been weeks since he had given that bracelet mystic code to Aya in case of emergency or she asked for help and was never once called, but out of nowhere, there was a distress signal.


    That mystic code could warn him in case she asked for help, which means he would likely still have some time, but the distress signal means her body is undergoing a lot of stress and is possibly close to death or in a deadly scenario. ??


    Stopping the body-altering process with haste he rushed out of his workshop, not even getting the time to put on a shirt or taking all the mystic codes he had prepared for a fight, he only took his sword and the rings he already had on hand. It took him around 45 seconds to reach Aya''s home where the signal wasing from and he found the front door frozen and broken with Aya right in front of it with her mother bleeding out on the floor with a big ass ice spear in her shoulder and clearly having opened some arterie it shouldn''t.


    Overall, not the worst oue by far. He was even amused that he got the signal that she was asking for help just as he arrived and heard her asking for help, but not because she herself was hurt or in a life or death situation, but to help her mother.


    She was too kind, and he reinforced the thought that he would protect her. Kindness like that ought to be protected, he knew that much.


    He quickly moved and ensured that Momoko, Aya''s mother, would survive. Taking a deep breath of relief that he managed to make sure Aya and her mother would be alright, he froze for a fraction of a second as a scent hit him like a truck.


    Devils. There must be more than 30 devils all across the town throwing their weight around and this was far too vtile a situation. The town was in serious danger and Soma would have to act.


    How could he possibly be worthy of one day being a hero if he hides in this sort of situation?


    Fuck that thought. A hero is born when capacity and situation coincides, and he has the capacity to help right now.


    "Aya, I need you to do me a favour and climb on." Soma said as he crouched in front of her and showed her his back.


    "W-Why?" She questioned, her face slightly flushed since piggy back riding someone was kind of an old childhood dream of hers and doing it now seemed weird and she was all confused.


    "We need to get to my house quickly, it will be safer there." He promised and Aya decided to trust him.


    No, she already almost blindly trusted him at this point, she was like someone dying of thirst who suddenly found an oasis. She now had someone she could rely on and trust after not being able to do neither for almost as long as she could remember.


    Climbing on Soma''s back he directed her to hold on tight, she looked like a ko as she held onto him. Reinforcing his entire body to the limit as blue lines of his magic circuits could be seen as he dashed forward, his speed now that his bones and body were stronger was such that it couldpletely overshadow Kiba''s own speed and in a matter of seconds he was already inside his house.


    As he stepped inside he yelled.


    "Mittelt, Rintaro, get the fuck down here right now. We have stuff to do!"


    Aya''s ears started ringing after he yelled as he had no time to waste on putting her down before yelling. Moving fast he went to his own workshop and put both of the girls there.


    As Aya got off his back he turned to her and spoke.


    "Aya, I will try and exin everything I know about what is going on to you when this situation is resolved, but for now I want you to stay here. You have to stay here until Ie back, do not touch anything and just rest for a bit." He spoke and then thought for a moment before just nodding to himself, he could not wait around and had things to do so he ced his finger on her mother''s forehead and put her into a deep sleep to make sure she doesn''t wake up and cause any issues before hees back before leaving. He left Aya awake though since it would be better she stay awake in case anything were to happen since she could easilymunicate with him if that happens.


    Moving with all his speed he put on all his equipment to prepare for the fight. A jacket modified with primaveral runes on the outside to deflect damage, heat, poison, and resistant tearing as much as possible while on the inside there wereyers of the bible pages all blessed with strong holy water and prayers. He had gone through the process of turning it into a pseudo Holy Shroud using a simr way to the one he learned from Saint Martha and David so the anti-demonic and evil properties of this jacket should protect him well enough. He also put on the rings that had the collected magic energy he had managed to store, shoes with runes that allow him to move faster with the help of wind runes, an Azoth Sword to increase the efficiency of his magecraft, a set of daggers with holy energy he forged using silver and gold while also blessing its process with holy water, and finally, he also took the weapons and themunication mystic codes he prepared for his two subordinates.


    Moving to the front door he found both Mittelt and Rintaro there.


    "What is it, boss man?" Rintaro questioned, he was just watching some nice big titties girl on youtube jumping and doing squats and did not like being interrupted.


    "The town is under attack by an unknown number of devils, possibly strays. Their actions suggest a hierarchy and some sort of bigger n, and we will stop whatever the fuck is going on. I want you both to take these, I will be directing you two to where you must fight by using thesemunication nes that will let us talk without any issues. I have also prepared some weapons for you both. Rintaro, this gun and sword are based on the ones you used before but improved considerably, they were reinforced by me and they should work much better than before. Mittelt, as you like using light spears I made this holy spear, it can concentrate and release light so I believe it should increase yourbat efficiency by a decent margin. Also, here, use the Twilight Healing for now just in case you need to heal yourself or Rintaro out there."


    The two looked slightly stunned but Soma had no time to waste going into more details.


    "Move, move, move! The city''s gonna burn and you two are just standing there? MOVE!" Pulling the two along they got to the streets and his subordinates looked around before Mittelt questioned.


    "Soma, are youing with us?" she was actually hoping he was. She hasn''t seen him fight but she was quite sure having him around would make things safer.


    "No, I will be more helpful from a vantage point to allow cover fire and coordination." He spoke as he took out his modified Starling Bow from inside himself. After the runes he put on the bow it now looked different, more aerodynamic and sharp, forck of better description.


    Not waiting to hear what the two had to say he elerated, with the rings he now had he could be a bit more wasteful with his energy and used Mana Burst to move faster to reach the tallest building in the city. With his speed he got there within five minutes, not wanting to waste his time he used one of the rings he had on hand, it was a Mystic Code which slightly mimics the effect of presence concealment, and will make it hard to notice him while not attacking anyone. With that in effect he did not have to bother with stairs and directly scaled the building by running up the side while using wind magecraft to force an upward stream of air to appear to help push him higher till he got to the top of the building and was able to overlook the town.


    Reinforcing his eyes and with his trained eyesight he could see in detail what was happening all over town from his vantage point, including thebat between Ravel and Mami. He cursed himself for not giving them emergency contact items, and decided to intervene when he saw that Mami apparently had a Sacred Gear that was creating way too many guns and would likely destroy a big portion of the town if not stopped.


    Pulling the bowstring taut he aimed and was ready to shoot, it would pierce straight through the girl''s head and likely st her upper torso into a few thousand pieces, but Mami suddenly froze and fell down. Kiyoharu was standing there, he noted, another thing he would have to look into, but he quickly looked at the rest of the town. If Ravel and Kiyoharu started trying to blow up and damage something he would intervene, but for now he would give the two the benefit of the doubt by not giving the two a one-way ticket to the afterlife. As long as they didn''t do anything evidently dangerous he could wait until after all this fiasco to find out exactly what they were hiding from him.


    Besides, Soma still had plenty of targets to take care of, and he would do so without hesitation. Saving people, hunting monsters, the hero''s business.


    ///---///


    In the industrial district, something weird was going on.


    The Sitri, Gremory, and Phenex Peerages were spread out in groups of twos and threes tobat the multiple stray devils that were spread across the town, there were far too many and all of them were in a berserk-like state. If they were not dealt fast it would be a huge disaster but arrows of light kept appearing out of seemingly nowhere.


    Whenever one Peerage member looked like they would be in a pinch an arrow woulde way too fast for them to react and the attacking Stray would have its head or parts of its body blown to smithereens.


    This would be a good thing, but the issue was that the Peerage members did not know the person that was providing them support. It was especially unnerving since the arrows flew way too fast and had clear light and holy properties in them, being naturally deadly to all devils.


    Sona cursed as she ducked under the shing strike of a stray that looked like a mix of human and mantis, firing a st of water at the enemy with enough force to send it flying upwards. Sending it close to Ruruko released a magic st of lighting that hit the water-soaked mantis stray, frying it in mid-air.


    Not waiting for a moment Sona opened amunication line and spoke.


    "Reya, did you find the source of the arrows?"


    "Yes, Kaichou." The Bishop of Sona, Reya, said without hesitation. She was a descendant of a long line of magic users and knew a lot about different types of magic, detection magic being one of them. "The source is around three kilometers away at the top of that new skyscraper. I can''t see the attacker due to the distance but there is no doubt it ising from there."


    Sona cursed, this was probably even WORSE than the strays in her opinion. A sniper that can attack from such a distance with a yet unknown affiliation, for all Sona knew they could simply be waiting for them to deal with the strays before striking at them and she did not like the chances of how many of them would die before even getting to this person, and that is if they didn''t teleport or just run away.


    With profound irritation, she told Reya to continue looking into the location of the other strays and expose their precise locations to everyone as amand tower. With that settled, Sona used hermunication magic to get in contact with someone else.


    "Hey, bratty sister, what ya want? You need me to babysit you taking care of the riff-raff?" Dimaria, Serafal''s Rook that was posted in town by her sister in case of emergency, questioned.


    Dimaria waspletely uninterested in joining thebat going on, thinking that this was a good chance of making Sona experience a glimpse of what a battlefield is like and how chaotic it can get so she would grow more experienced. Dimaria was a soldier from the time of the Great War, rising in ranks from battle after battle and she lived and breathed war at the time. The peace of nowadays was the epitome of boredom for her, but she would not ''rock the boat'' so to say, instead, she would rather see their race prosper, but never forgetting about war and to be prepared for the inevitable.


    "Dimaria, we are having an issue. A person of unknown motives is on top of the skyscraper in the middle of town. They are sniping the strays one after another but we do not yet know if they wille after us next seeing as we know nothing about this person and they are using light arrows." Sona exined quickly.


    Dimaria raised a brow before questioning.


    "And you want me to go take care of it then?"


    "Yes, capture this person if possible, do not kill unless necessary since we still have to find out what this third party wants and what is going on." Sona said and Dimaria showed a sharp smile like a predator.


    "My pleasure." She said and dismissed themunication with Sona who bristled slightly at the dismissal. She was not used to people without proper decorum or who acted as thugs when interacting with her. It was part of the reason Soma got under her skin.


    With that dealt with she continued moving to the next target. There were still many strays she had no intention of letting anything happen to this town, it was her responsibility after all.


    ///---///


    Con was nervous, things were not going ording to n at all.


    The n was simple, he was to cause chaos before running away using his shadows, he should only worry about that, letting the hypnotized stray devils take the brunt of the attack of the devil peerages. They had an advantage in numbers of at two to one, so why are things like this now?


    Con was loving the first ten to twenty minutes of the fighting, he used his shadows to intercept the explosions sent by the Bomb Queen, Yubelluna, and redirect them at the other devils of town. The ability to make these devils hurt one another, to not know how to react and fight as their attacks are redirected and causing friendly fire, this ability was far too fun.


    It made Con feel powerful, feel like he really was a chosen one that deserves to be a descendant of a hero much like the supreme leader and existence that is Cao Cao.


    Things were going great... until they weren''t.


    Light arrows starteding down on the strays all around and Con had to run away using his gear to avoid bing a smudge on the wall.


    He had already jumped nine times to different locations and not even ten seconds after teleporting and his shadow constructs were being shot at again. It was infuriating, and the looming presence of death looming over him was terrifying.


    It made Con''s heart beat erratically, it felt like his heart would explode at any moment now, it was terrifying to be confronted with his own mortality and more terrifying than even the first time he met his idol and leader Cao Cao.


    Hyperventting Con crouched behind a building and looked to the side as he saw a stray that looked like a pink ogre appearing on the street. Demolishing a building as it passed it, standing at four meters tall and being clearly extremely tough, Con could only stare dispassionately as this giant that could give even him some trouble have its brains explode as another damn arrow of light flew at it with such a speed that it was barely more than a blur.


    "The hell is going on? No one said anything about this! No, I want to go home. I don''t wanna die, I don''t wanna die, I don''t wanna die." Con said as he hugged himself in the fetal position, thinking every second could be hisst, as amunication circle appeared near his ears.


    "Con, what is going on? The strays are dropping way too fast and we only managed to capture 6 of the users, if this goes on we won''t be able toplete the mission." Georg questioned. He was currently inside his own dimension while observing the situation using his gear, but he was focusing more on the devils in order to gather more information about them as they are high profile targets, so he had missed most of the light arrows situation going on now.


    "T-There is another party we didn''t know about. They keep shooting these light arrows and it kills everyone it hits." Con said and Georg snorted.


    "Then just go and kill the one shooting! We can''t keep losing our pawns this quickly."


    "I would go there if I could, but they are three kilometers away ording to the Starlings and I can''t jump to that distance and if I try to approach thoughtlessly I will be killed!" Con said.


    "Tch, that is why I told Cao Cao to mind control all the pawns." Georg grumbled under his breath in a way that Con heard but refused toprehend, refusing the mere notion that he was just a pawn like all the strays being butchered around him. "Anyway, I will teleport you to that building where this sniper is so you go ahead and eliminate whoever it is before they ruin everything!"


    Con heard this and his eyes that were terrified now shined with malice, his mind turned from fear of death to a desire to kill the one who made him feel so pathetic. If this person was an archer that focused so much on fighting from a distance then they should not be as strong in closebat which Con excels at thanks to his Sacred Gear.


    With that, he would certainly be able to deal with this person.


    "That works, send me there." Con said, in his mind already thinking of how he would eviscerate the person who made him feel weak even if for just a moment.


    Georg didn''t bother with Con anymore, sending him inside the building in a matter of seconds before returning his attention to his other tasks. He had more to worry about as he just got the message from Jeanne just now that one of the targets managed to run away and was in some sort of secured location ording to one of Jeanne''s squad members. The whole ce was extremely warded, from what Deux said, not something that can be dealt with quickly.


    He could have just let that one go, it would take time to capture the little girl anyway and they didn''t have forever, but ording to Deux who faced her, the target had a gear able to teleport others shot by it.


    That could be EXTREMELY useful for the whole faction! With that, they could deal so much easier with enemies in some of their operations by isting targets or downright capturing them instantly, and that is without counting the escape method it could allow. Georg is the one that usually took care of this sort of thing, but he was just one person and the factioncked other members able to do this sort of work. He was overworked as it was and was needed for far too many things, someone who could be made to see the light of their righteous cause and incidentally help lessen his workload would be a Godsend.


    He already talked with Jeanne to let this girl best and focus on capturing the others and when the others were captured he would go personally to take the girl and crack the wards protecting her. He wouldn''t let such a useful tool get away from their righteous grasp.


    Georg quickly used his Longinus, Dimension Lost, to transport Con to where he wanted him to go. It only took a few seconds to do so and soon Con was inside the building three floors below where Soma was still shooting. There were some people around the building but Con didn''t care about their inconsequential existence and simply moved forward, jumping from shadow to shadow until he was in front of the door leading to the roof.


    Con looked through the small opening of the door and could see Soma calmly shooting arrow after arrow almost mechanically at the distant enemy. Taking a deep breath Con activated his Sacred Gear.


    Shadows surged upwards from his feet and took the form of des and beasts all advancing at once towards Soma who was still shooting his arrows.


    When the attack was close to hitting him Soma dropped the bow and took out his sword instead.


    FLASH


    It was an instant. One moment shadows all wereing at once towards Soma, and the next all of them were cut into tiny pieces as Soma looked dispassionately in the direction where the shadows came from. A sword in hand gleaming in the moonlight.


    "Shit!" Con cursed, already starting to sink into the shadows. Unfortunately for the hero descendant, Soma had learned how to deal with stupid assassins who failed in their attempts.


    With a mana burst, he rushed at Con. Seeing as the boy already had his shins inside the shadow Soma did not hesitate, his holy de shed forward cutting off the parts already inside the shadow and pulling Con away from the shadow.


    Con screamed in pain, but Soma had no time to deal with this little failure''s screams of pain, instead, he ran back to the edge of the building and dropped Con there.


    "Listen, maggot. You came after my life and clearly wanted to kill me, you were also helping those stray devils cause damage to town so your fate is already sealed. What you can do is tell me everything you know about what is going on, or I can carve you open piece by piece in between shooting all your little friends down there and afterward remove just your head, leave it in a tank of water, and put your soul inside said head before I use the tank as my toilet for the foreseeable future. What is gonna be, asshole?" As Soma spoke he shed a hint of his bloodlust at Con, enough to only make him terrified, but this useless sack of shit passed out.


    Not wanting to wait until this shit wakes up Soma looks at the prone form on the floor and kicks it right in the balls. The pain forces Con to wake up with a silent scream of agony, eyes watering as he feels like his balls were crushed.


    Soma did not give a fuck. With a flick of his fingers, he projected a simple carving knife and put it right above Con''s eye.


    "We will now y a fun game. There are many questions I want an answer to, and you will tell me all of them. Whenever I ask you something you will tell me, if you hesitate, lie, or ramble I will make you suffer. Every time you fail, you will pay for it." Soma said.


    "A-And if I tell you everything, will you let me go?" Con said, terror in his voice as the knife was so close to his eye that he could feel it pressing on it.


    "No, you will die regardless." Soma said.


    "Then I will tell you nothing. I will not betray mypanions." Con said his fear of death was great but with it being inevitable, he decided to not betray his idol/messiah.


    "You say that, but making you speak won''t even be hard." Soma said as he stood back up and pressed a foot at Con''s head. Con wanted to scream insults back at him but it was then that Soma started the torture.


    In the Throne, there were few people that Soma would admit to fear extensively. One such person was Prti, one of the ones he spent the most time with, learning from him about illusions and the Outer Gods, and while Soma was not yet confident in making any pact with those beings in exchange for power, illusion magecraft was another matter.


    He was not as proficient as Prti who could create illusions so powerful as to affect several heroic spirits at once from a distance and even ensnare them into it to the point that injuries from the illusions be real. But, Soma excelled in one specific type of illusion he used with the teachings of the crazy psycho loli queen, We Zentian.


    What Soma was using on Con right now, is torture illusion.


    This would make anyone go insane quite easily, he could extend the perception of time of anyone affected by it by a hundred times making every second feel like it takes a hundred seconds, and, inside the illusion, all types of tortures would be enforced one after another. It was unending torture that would only grow worse as Soma would take it to just the limit of what Con could survive and keep it there, never allowing him to grow used to the pain and always changing it just enough to feel ''fresh''.


    It was a twisted thing that was only to be used against the worst enemies and especially during interrogation, but it was effective for sure.


    Soma held Con inside the illusion for around ten seconds before releasing it, for Con this was over 15 minutes of concentrated and brutal torture that was enough to make him prefer death over it after the first minute in that torture.


    "So, ready to start answering?"


    "F-Fuck yo-"


    And right back to the torture illusion he went. Soma just decided to keep Con there for another 30 seconds while he started to pick targets in the distance and shoot them using his arrows. He had some time still and even if he couldn''t stop whatever n was going on properly, if he could make sure his family and friends were safe then he wouldn''t cry over those who die in the conflict.


    He was doing what he could, but even if he wanted to be a hero he knew he wasn''t a miracle worker and there was only so much he could realistically do.


    Now, will Con break first or will the rest of the enemies be annihted first? That was the question really.


    Well, meanwhile he could at least take advantage of something, namely that he could see two bow users in the industrial area that were releasing arrows simr to the ones that his Starling bow used to produce, only in different colors. Using hismunication mystic code he contacted both of his subordinates, they had new targets to deal with as Soma really wanted those bows and he would like some decent spoils of war from this shit show.

 Chapter 21 - Pool For Harem

    Hello everyone, King here.


    I am nning for what Soma''s harem would be and several idease to my mind, and I would like help in deciding which ones I should aim for. Soma''s harem to be more precise. I want to hear you guy''s opinions for this, to those in AllNovelFull you canent on the characters posted in this list directly and for those in Fanfiction . you can vote in a Pool I am opening now. Some people are already decided, of course, so no worries there. ??


    As for the characters I am thinking, here is the list of those I can work with (if you have more ideas send them to me via PM or review):


    - Sona Sitri (DxD)


    - Serafal Leviathan (DxD)


    - Momo Hanakai (DxD)


    - LeFay Pedragon (DxD)


    - Kuroka (DxD)


    - Ingvild Leviathan (DxD)


    - Valerie Tepes (DxD)


    - Irina Shidou (DxD)


    - Xenovia Quarta (DxD)


    - Lint Sellzen (DxD)


    - Ais Wallenstein (Danmachi)


    - Ryuu Lion (Danmachi)


    - Sanjouno Harihime (Danmachi)


    - Liliruca Arde (Danmachi)


    - Aisha Belka (Danmachi)


    - Chloe Rollo (Danmachi)


    - Riveria Ljos Alf (Danmachi)


    - Tione Hiryute (Danmachi)


    -Tiona Hiryute (Danmachi)


    - Yamato Mikoto (Danmachi)


    - Mirajane Strauss (Fairy Tail)


    - Wendy Marvell [daughter of Tiamat] (Fairy Tail)


    - Levy McGardener (Fairy Tail)


    - Brandish (Fairy Tail)


    - re Corona (Fairy Tail)


    - Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)


    - Sherria Blendy (Fairy Tail)


    - Seh (Fairy Tail)


    - Juvia Lockstar (Fairy Tail)


    - Kagura Mikazuchi (Fairy Tail)


    - Imitatia (Fairy Tail)


    - Meredy (Fairy Tail)


    - Lisana Strauss (Fairy Tail)


    - Tohka Yatogami (Date a Live)


    - Miku Izayoi (Date a Live)


    - Kotori Itsuka (Date a Live)


    - Kurumi Tokisada (Date a Live)


    - Natsumi Kyouno (Date a Live)


    - Origami Tobiichi (Date a Live)


    - Kaguya Yamai (Date a Live)


    - Yuzuru Yamai (Date a Live)


    - Setsuna (Redo of the Healer Hero)


    - Eve Reese (Redo of the Healer Hero)


    - Kureha Clyret (Redo of the Healer Hero)


    - Lapiz (Redo of the Healer Hero)


    - de (Redo of the Healer Hero)


    - re [Feia] (Redo of the Healer Hero)


    - Norn [Ellen] (Redo of the Healer Hero)


    - Mami Tomoe (Madoka Magika)


    - Sayaka Miki (Madoka Magika)


    - Homura Akemi (Madoka Magika)


    - Kiyoko Sakura (Madoka Magika)


    - Madoka Kaname (Madoka Magika)

 Chapter 22 - 21

    Con was having the worst day of his life. Well, not that he could tell if this was just a day or if it already turned into a week or even months by now. Time stopped making sense for Con as he was forced to endure twisted and terrifying torture over and over again whenever he wasn''t prompt enough about his answers or tried to lie.


    Keyword being ''tried'' since absolutely no lies worked. Even telling half-truths would send him straight back to the torture inside his mind where the ''kindest'' one was feeling his entire body being yed before having the raw flesh smeared with honey so paraponera ants could feast on it. And that was one of the less violent ones he went through until now! ??


    This whole experience made Cone to an understanding, if Cao Cao is the great hero and savior of mankind that represented all that there was of good and just in the world (or so Con thought, the damn fanboy), then Soma is the ultimate evil of humanity that was able to chill the bones just in a look and was cruel to the extreme. Even if Con survives this ordeal he is sure to get extremely debilitating PTSD, such was the terror that he was currently going through.


    As he screamed in pain and asked for forgiveness that would note, Soma thought about it.


    ///---///


    Soma''s P.O.V.


    This guy is kinda annoying, if he just spoke promptly instead of lying and telling half-truths he would be able to have a clean and easy death, but NOOOO the indoctrinated idiot seems unable to even think like a normal coward like he is should, he truly was useless.


    Well, not that this matters. I am still getting the information I need even if it takes slightly longer to do so even if it means giving more attention to this idiot would be unnecessary.


    At least the information was a bit interesting, even if it really is quite absurd and pathetic.


    Hero Faction, what a nonsensical organization. Not the fact it was a human organization that focused on the desire to make humanity important in the supernatural, what infuriated Soma was how, well, WRONG they were going about it.


    They had no interest in protecting normal people. They kidnapped and mind-controlled people, thought that Sacred Gears are the Be All and End All of humanity (which is pathetic), and toplete the cycle they acted as if being a descendant of a hero was supposed to be something great.


    It isn''t.


    Being a descendant of a hero means only that one of your ancestors deserved to be called a hero, nothing more and nothing less. These descendants also have parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and many others and most are likely normal people. That they even arrogantly acted as if they were those heroes of humanity reborn was just, well, pathetic really.


    Do they reallyck so much confidence in themselves that they have to depend on the name of someone who died hundreds of years ago? And people like that call themselves heroes?


    It was offensive really, here I was trying my best to improve myself to one day deserve to carve my name in history, and they call themselves heroes while borrowing the names of their ancestors.


    Yeah, I could tell without a shadow of a doubt that people like that would NEVER deserve to enter the Throne of Heroes and, thus, could never be an actual hero of humanity. They were kids born with unique items given to them simply by sheer stupid luck and decided to y pretend that they are some great person from the past, no different than 5 years old putting on a cape made out of his mother''s sheets and calling themselves batman or superman.


    If it was only that, then maybe I could just ignore them, I would not go out of my way to teach people with brain damage about how stupid they are, but they were trying something they shouldn''t. They involved the normal civilians of this town and, in particr, they were targeting Aya and Kiyoharu.


    That would not do at all, I could never just allow a friend to die like that and both girls are most certainly my friends. Trying to kidnap them and mind control them into being a disposable weapon, yeah those fake hero bitches are gonna get the good old Soma special. Meaning, something between Jigsaw and Jason with perhaps some Freddy Krueger mixed in.


    I also got some other intel, like the weapons and abilities of several members of the faction, who are in town, the details of the n including the meeting ce, and also locations of some of their warehouses and such.


    "Well, I can at least mount a few raids on those ces, I guess." I mutter while continuing to shoot. By now I must have killed more than 30 stray devils and the number is low like that mostly because some have some freaking vitality. I swear, some of them got, like, five heads and I had to shoot each of them to kill it and those heads regenerated so I couldn''t take long.


    And one of them was shootingsers from her tits... yeah this world is a bit insane.


    At least there is not yet any sign of a ghoul outbreak like in a Dead Apostle attack, that would be significantly more annoying to deal with.


    Anyway, as this guy finishes telling me all the information he knows I decide to end his misery. Since there are now just around 7 or so strays running around and there are the devils of town that are dealing with them. I already killed most of the strays and even gave the finishing blow to some of them. I am not being paid to do all the clean-up anyway and now it is time to hunt for the best game in town.


    Namely, gears in the hands of people who don''t deserve it, starting with this guy right here.


    "So, this is goodbye. For your sake, I hope you have better luck in your next life and that you stop being a fucking braindead fanboy idiot. If I see you again in your next life and you are still pathetic I will cut you, kay?" I said with fake cheerfulness before putting my hand in his chest, repeating the process I used with Kaname before to take away Con''s gear.


    It took me a much shorter amount of time since I had no real need to do it carefully or pay attention as to not damage his soul during the removal. With his soul leaking energy like that he will perish soon enough, but it will be entirely painless and that is all the mercy I am giving him.


    Looking at the gear in my hands I frown, this is so weird.


    This gear looks like one of those totems one can find amongst the aboriginal heritage, only made entirely of a ck substance I can''t quite ce just yet. It was almost like a physical shadow, but I am not quite sure it is that.


    Maybe I should break this one down to see what the materials are like? Well, thoughts forter I guess.


    Standing up from the dying male in front of me I look ahead and activate themunication mystic code.


    "Rintaro, go five streets ahead, turn left, walk two more streets and then turn right, on the four-story building is an archer. Capture him alive if at all possible, limbs are not necessary."


    "Okay, I can do that." Rintaro replied, he seems to be having fun with the sword and gun I modified for him since they are way better than the ones he had originally.


    "Mittelt, there is another archer I want you to get, he is six streets in ahead and four to the right of where you are. Capture alive if possible, but if it is a risk to your life then you can retreat." I said.


    "Leave it to me." She says and I smirk. If the two manage to capture the bow users as I want then that would mean that I would have three of the seven Starling bows. I might be able to get more from Azazelter, but the more I have now the less I will have to bargain with the fallen angelster.


    With that taken care of, I turn to the door of the roof and speak.


    "So, will you just keep on watching or are you gonna try and fight me now?" I ask out loud.


    "Hehe, so you felt me. That is quite surprising." A woman''s voice rang out and from what seemed like nowhere a woman appeared. A buxom young-looking woman with a slender figure and breasts that are big but not so much that they should cause back pain. With wavy, golden hair that is cropped short, reaching only the base of her nape as well as golden eyes and a rxed expression with quite a beautiful face.


    But that wasn''t the most relevant, instead what mattered more was that she was releasing a considerable amount of magic energy right now and she had a sword in her belt. She clearly was a fighter and looked almost hungrily at me, eyes that I knew well.


    The eyes of a battle junkie.


    "Hey, how did you find me? I was using special equipment to hide my magic signature and should be invisible while it was working." She spoke in a tone as if she was curious.


    "The smell." I answer easily enough.


    "You know, telling a girl she smells isn''t normally a good thing." she says yfully while eyeing me. Ignoring her words I continued.


    "I could smell a scent that wasn''t mine or of this piss poor imitation of a hero nearby." I exin, while she managed to hide her demonic powers under whatever effect she used, the smell of her own body was not disguised and even if it was faint I could still smell it perfectly well. "Besides that, there was also some noise from your breathinging from close by so you were hardly hiding in my opinion. A piece of advice, if you want to y as an assassin, you should try a bit harder. Honestly, I would say you were quite tant about your presence, if you wanted to hide it you should have tried harder."


    "Haha, true enough. You look like fun, shame I will have to take you in for questioning." she says as she puts a hand on her sword. I feel like she doesn''t want to talk so trying to question her is out of the question. She smells of magical energy but I doubt she is rted to the Hero Faction, she is most likely rted to the devils in town and I can guess the reasons for wanting to capture me, but I don''t have the time to deal with this bullshit right now.


    I rather doubt I can remain hidden after this whole event, the devils of the town would have to be a special type of useless to do that and I am quite sure I''ve seen both Riser and that bitchy student council president (what was her name again?) amongst those fighting sopletely hiding would not be truly feasible in the long run. But even if I will have to expose myself I refuse to do so in a position of weakness, so being captured here is a big no no.


    "I would rather not, there are still plenty of things to take care of in town tonight and while I never like to turn down a woman wanting to spend the night all up in my business, I do have more important things to take care of right now." I answer casually, putting a hand in my own sword.


    We stare at one another for a moment before we both strike. Our swords meeting in the middle as we trade blows at speeds that would be darn near invisible for normal humans.


    We trade strikes one after another, shes and sparks flying everywhere as we keep trying to kill one another. It was a simple and easy to understand a simple and direct battle of pure swordsmanship and physical capacity, nothing more.


    In terms of pure strength, she had a clear advantage, overpowering me easily in every sh. In terms of speed, we were mostly equal since my body now was much better than before and I was able to use more reinforcement. On technique though, I had a clear and near-absolute advantage, our techniques not even being a truepetition.


    It was actually a bit fun, if I had the time I would like to battle like this for a while further, but I still have things to do and people to steal from then kill for daring to try and hurt those I care about. So, yeah I am too busy for this.


    While locking des with her I push the two swords up using one hand while my other punches out, my movements using the same martial arts used by the saints to augment my physical capacity further.


    "Guh!" She gasps as she is sent skidding back. The ce I hit was now smoking and it was quite clear that she, as a devil, was weak against the power I borrowed from the hikikomori in the skies.


    She looks at me in shock before narrowing her eyes.


    "I see, so you are a member of the church. Why did you decide toe into this town unannounced like that?" She questions.


    "Sorry, not a member of the church, I am not into little boys, you see. Anyway, there are more things to take care of right now so would you kindly step aside? I would rather not let the assholes that are putting the city in danger get away from here without paying a high price for their transgressions, so you either get out of the way so I can proceed or we can keep going and you try to stop me, and I kill you." I spoke calmly before releasing my killing intent without restraint at her.


    I have spent a long, long time just fighting in the Shadow Lands due to them being rtively close to the Throne of Heroes and it was the ideal ce for me to gain experience while I trained under Scatatch and Chiron. I killed, and killed, and killed more while there. I lost count of how many I''ve killed while practicing there, as I was not as talented as the others who either Scatatch and Chiron trained I had to fight and kill more if I was to improve, I took longer to grow and my killing intent has been forged from all those experiences.


    Even Big Bro Cu hasn''t gotten quite as potent or refined a killing intent as the one I have, and I directed it all straight at the woman blocking my path.


    She froze as she felt my energy before she smirked and sheathed her sword.


    "Very well, when this is over I still want that fight and you best not try and run away from this, I know your face now, and if you run I will make sure to hunt you down like a dog." She says.


    "Good, now get out of the way before I make you my bitch. I have more important things to do." I speak inly and when she steps away from the staircase I just smirk and jump from the roof.


    Using simple wind magecraft it is very easy to slow my fall to manageable levels and I control my way down enough to fall somewhere without people nearby. I should go to the meeting ce where they are putting all the Sacred Gear users to secure that location before finding out the location of the other members of the Hero Faction still in town to capture them.


    I will kill most of them for sure, but one or two might have at least some other uses. It all depends on how much they piss me off, if they irritate me enough, well...


    They will be amongst those who won''t have an easy ending. I do need some lively human magic users for my more special... experiments.


    ///---///


    Moving through town it did not take me long to reach my destination, namely the ce where the gear users in town are being taken to. Sneaking my way inside I see a few people in there already, some passed out and some wide awake and talking seemingly happily.


    Three of those awake fit the description of the members of the Hero Faction, they must be Un, Deux, and Jeanne.


    Un is a brte with brown eyes, she looks rather mousy if I were to describe her, looks at her surroundings nervously. ording to Con, she has a gear that lets her see other people''s secrets including magic energy, Sacred Gears, and even to some degree their specialization inbat. She is not strong inbat, but a gear like that sounds quite interesting and maybe I should take it to investigate more of the details about it as to implement it into other projects.


    Deux looks somewhat simr to Nero-sensei but somehow feels just less in every single aspect, her hair was not of the right color, being brown instead of golden, face not nearly as beautiful. A cheap knock-off at best, her ims of being Nero''s descendant might as well be baseless. She is a magic-user if Con''s info is to be believed so I should be somewhat careful of her.


    Jeanne, meanwhile, doesn''t even resemble the Jeanne I know from the throne. It is not a matter of being a cheap knock-off like Un, this girl just isn''t anything like her. Her expression, mannerisms, appearance, every single thing I can think of don''t rte to the happy and kind saint that helped teach me the worth of humanity and about devotion to a cause, and also the other version of her that taught me that God and the Church are general fucking assholes and to not have blind faith in either.


    Besides those two are a few others awake that I don''t recognize, most likely people who were approached earlier by the Faction and are willing recruits. There are only three there, two males and a female. The first male seems to be a high schooler with a big muscr build, sses, short dark hair, and a serious expression who is looking after the people knocked out on the floor. The second male is an older man who seems to be in his early thirties who is very fit and has a refined appearance having a slicked-back hairdo with a curl at the front and sports a handlebar mustache along with a well-kept, medium-sized beard. As for the girl, well she is a very short young woman who has raspberry pink hair and a simr color of eyes, around said eyes are very dark circles and she also doesn''t seem to take exceptional care of herself.


    Looking at their interactions I observe for a few moments, they seem to be talking about how one of theirs is taking too long to get back here. If I were to hazard a guess it must be Mami seeing as she was fighting Ravel and Kiyoharu, and if that is so then they will most likely send someone to go take a look and rescue her.


    If that is what they will do then I may as well wait until one of theirs moves out, leaving me to strike the weaker link instead of fighting everyone here at once.


    After a long discussion, Jeanne spoke up.


    "Fine, you guys stay here and I will go and get Trois back to base. Tell Georg to start preparing for evacuation." She said as she started to move out.


    I watched all her actions and thought about them before thinking about my options. Pursuing Jeanne now would be more dangerous since her gear able to produce any sword she can think off sounds quite strong in the right hands and potentially less rewarding considering at most I would get my hands on one Sacred Gear. Meanwhile, if I attack this group here now I would get my hands on at least one gear and likely more of them to y withter while perhaps having the time to go and take care of Jeanne afterward.


    ... Though I have to go after Jeanne, if for no other reason than because I do not want to let her get to Ravel and Kiyoharu. The two girls have a LOT of exining to do and the future is uncertain, but they are friends and I won''t ignore that, I can just return here after taking care of the situation regarding the knock-off Jeanne.


    Moving swiftly after her I let her move some distance from the base. Fighting her close to where her allies are would be stupid and I can''t just assassinate her seeing as I want to take away her gear to produce resources for me so just killing her in an instant wouldn''t be quite as productive.


    After about four minutes of moving around we were approaching where Ravel and Kiyoharu should be located, this should be far away enough for the others to not reach us instantly and I just need less than a minute after downing her to take away her gear.


    Just as I was about to act, I saw something that made my brows twitch in profound irritation.


    Why did Ravel and Kiyoharu decide to show up NOW right as I was about to strike at the enemy? I don''t want distractions in my hunt for materials... I mean, saving the people of this town. Yep, definitely focusing on saving people instead of my desire to take several powerful items to study and get a lot of useful materials from themter.


    "I see, some devil scum has taken captive my cute little toy. Well, can''t have that now, huh." Jeanne spoke as she looked at Ravel in disdain before creating a sword in her hand and stabbing it in the ground. "Bnce Breaker: Stake Victim Dragon, my cute little weapon. Now, die please."


    The Bnce Breaker manifested and it took the form of a dragon made out of holy swords. It was not that tall, being only about 6 meters tall but it looks quite intimidating.


    The dragon jumps right at Ravel and Kiyoharu, Ravelunches a st of fire at it but it is useless and the dragon just keeps pushing forward.


    Not being able to just stand back, and not knowing if just killing or disabling Jeanne would stop this thing, I have no other choice. Using the mana from my rings I direct it to my feet and directly use Mana Burst to elerate, dashing from my hiding ce to right in front of the dragon just in time as it was about to hit both Ravel and Kiyoharu.


    Using reinforcement to the limit I also concentrate and use Jacob''s Limbs, trusting my skin to not be cut by the dragon I hold it in ce using pure physical strength.


    "S-SOMA?"


    "Yeah, Soma here. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue,dies love it." I say, shing a smile and a wink at a clearly distraught Ravel before pushing up the dragon and moving underneath it, punching it hard with all my strength.


    Metal clearly bends at impact as I feel the te upon te of holy swords being smashed.


    ... Is it just me or are the holy swords used in this really weak? I just hope they can still be smelted to produce good materials, God really sucked in making useful items, huh.


    Cracking my knuckles I smirk at the fake Jeanne and her pet dragon.


    "So, ready to be put in your ce yet, mongrel?"

 Chapter 23 - 22

    Ravel was in shock at what was happening. This night has going crazier and crazier for a while now, first, there was Mami using her Sacred Gear to try and kill her, after that, it was Kiyoharu not only knew about her being a devil but that she also knew of her own Sacred Gear and was more than able to use it actually taking down Mami rather easily.


    She thought that would be enough, thinking things could not go crazier. ??


    Then, Kiyoharu said that she knew exactly who could help them with their problems with the incapacitated Mami. Ravel was dubious, but decided to y along as she wanted to know exactly what Kiyoharu knew about and find out what was going on.


    That is why the two were pulling along Mami towards a certain destination, having to change directions from time to time, only for Jeanne to show up.


    Ravel was absolutely terrified of this turn of events. When Jeanne released her Bnce Breaker and the dragon made of holy swords appeared Ravel was certain she would die then and there.


    One must understand, while a Phenex like her is able to heal from wounds that carry the holy attribute, their recovery speed is much slower, and if they are hit with a strong enough force by something carrying the Holy Attribute they are sure to die. So, being hit by a dragon made of HOLY swords would mean certain death.


    Ravel froze, this was the first real time she felt like she would die and that shocked her to the core. She tried to move, but her legs felt like lead and her attacks would bepletely useless against the metal dragon.


    That is when Soma showed up. Protecting her at the nick of time he actually threw that huge thing away and punched it flying.


    But the most shocking thing for Ravel was not that. Well, she was shocked by the absurd strength that Soma had just disyed of course, but what shocked her was something else. The energy emanating from Soma, it was the purest light she has ever even heard off, but it did not hurt.


    This light, it was kindness itself, all epting and all-epassing. It made Ravel''s devil instincts crave for it in a way she could not exin.


    Then, Soma spoke.


    "So, ready to be put in your ce, mongrel?"


    As he spoke, Ravel felt like the illusionary state she was in breaking her from the trance and smiled to herself.


    Yeah, this was still Soma. Whatever power he might have (which she would wring the information out of himter) he still is the same prideful person she knows, and she doesn''t mind.


    Meanwhile, Jeanne looked surprised at this before speaking.


    "Weird, we studied you and have not found any sign that you have a Sacred Gear nor seen you do any magic. Were you hiding from us?" Jeanne questions as she looks at Soma with slight interest. She knew of him since he was someone they looked into a while back but upon not finding any magic or any Sacred Gear in him they ignored him moving forward.


    Soma looked at Jeanne in disdain before unsheathing a sword he kept at his hips, putting himself in the right stance as he observed Jeanne attentively. His senses sharpened to the limit as he observed every detail of Jeanne''s body before dashing forward, sword ready to strike as he moved with swiftness to cut her.


    Moving out of instinct Jeanne produced dozens of Holy Swords forming arge shield in front of her, but that was useless since Soma''s steps did not waver as he moved to the side, avoiding the swords and bypassing them instantly. Jeanne only had time to create one of her more powerful Holy Swords to defend against the strike, but after the two swords shed she felt her arms numbing slightly.


    Jeanne, like most others in the Hero Faction, learned or knew how to use holy energy to empower their bodies, the same technique exorcists of the church used. She was especially proficient in this thanks to having the soul of Joan D''Arc, being a natural genius towards the usage of holy energy, but she could not match Soma''s sheer strength while he was going all out.


    As her arms stopped for a moment Soma did not hesitate, sending out a kick that sent her flying towards a building. As she hit the wall she coughed a bit due to the impact and found to her shock that her holy energy that normally dulled all impact against her seemed to lose effectiveness when hit by Soma''s strike.


    That was only natural, in the end, both Soma and Jeanne were using what one could call holy energy right now, but while Jeanne was using energy from herself, Soma was ''borrowing'' the power of God, the purest form of holy energy. Those two energies were simr, but they were ultimately notparable.


    Would a campfire''s mes be able to match the sun? Of course now, and that was the difference between the two sources of energy. A suppressing effect was only natural and the power which Jeanne trusted to protect her own life just became all the weaker for it.


    As she looked at Soma shocked she tried to speak, only to have to hastily dodge to the side as Soma approached with a flying kick right at where her head would have been. In fear she created plenty of holy swords from the ground all around her, forcing Soma to step back for but a moment before he shed with his own sword against all those she created.


    His sword was not overly special in terms of materials, ifpared to most of those created by Jeanne his sword''s materials would lose out. But the de was made with masterful skills and without needing to put too much strength all those hasty created des were being broken and swept aside.


    In fear of the scene in front of her Jeanne jumped up and away as shemanded her holy sword dragon to strike at Soma while transferring a lot of her own energy into the said dragon, the beast bing even bulkier and several holy swords poking out of what should be it''s ''scales''.


    "Let''s see how you handle a dragon!" She shouted in glee, confident that her weapon would smash Soma right then and there.


    Soma just snorted, putting himself in a sword stance.


    Soma just nced at the beast made of metaling towards him, his focus on his de increasing before he moved. His muscles taught and screamed in pain from the exertion but it was all worth it.


    There is a sword of infinity that leads to multiplicity. A way to acknowledge "multiple possibilities" that go beyond the norm. Normally this should be a single act that is originally finite; a single sh that can only be performed at one time, in one space, a simple action leading to a reaction, but this strike goes beyond that. Bending space and reality around it, what should be one bes three and with a single swing of the de, three strikes are born changing reality around it.


    A strike that borders the Second True Magic, the ability to interact with dimensions itself as the swing is done, nothing able to possibly block a strike that bends away what should be real, defying reality itself.


    "A dragon?" Soma says as the dragon passes him by, the giant of metal breaking into several pieces as this happens and Jeanne can only stare in shock at this. "This you sent at me is but a bigger swallow."


    Jeanne could only gap in shock at what she saw, believing that he must have some sort of sacred gear that allowed him to cut her dragon via some sort of trick, not believing that something like that could be achieved through simple and sheer effort and technique, that pure human skill could ever do something as absurd as that.


    Not worrying about Jeanne''s shock, Soma moved in and his sword flowed like water, two shes sent out as his sword cut right through both of her arms and when she screamed in pain Soma moved his hand to her mouth and chanted a simple incantation, a st of electricity from his palm sent out as he finished it by pushing her head against the concrete of the street.


    Losing blood fast and having her mouth almost sted to pieces, while her skull was fractured, it was a small miracle she was not dead. In truth this fight could and should have gone very differently, even if Soma is stronger than her she was no weakling and without question could have put up much more of a fight. However, she was careless and cocky, not paying attention to her surroundings nearly as much as she should and not taking Soma seriously since he did not have a Sacred Gear nor was a descendant of a famous hero of the past.


    Just like that Jeanne had lost the fight, but Soma was not done. Putting a hand over her chest he sent his magical energy inside her body, towards her soul, and found her Sacred Gear there. He focused as he proceeded with his operation, breaking the link between her and the gear without killing her before pulling out the gear from inside her body.


    As he held what looked like a simple featureless sword, it was rather small with a cross on a the hilt, it could easily draw the eyes of those looking but Soma just shrugged at the trinket, used to swords that exuded a much holier presence than this thing could ever match.


    Looking at the dress which Jeanne was wearing, he ripped off a part of it, eliciting a gasp from Ravel and Kiyoharu that were watching what he was doing.


    Soma did not care for their opinions right now. With that cloth in hand, he also pulled some of the loose rubble around and used Alchemy to turn those things into a small ck plushie, with it in a hand between and the other on Jeanne''s chest Soma concentrated as he activated another magic.


    sh Air, a Discement type magecraft that substitutes something for something else. In this particr case, Soma would use it to allow him to disce the soul and consciousness of Jeanne into the stuffed animal, making it so that as long as her body was technically alive she would live inside that small plushie. He had questions for her so he did not desire for her to perish just yet, his illusion torture would be effective even if she was in a plushie now.


    As for the body, Soma used magecraft to lower her body necessities to the absolute minimum before cauterizing the wounds and using just enough healing magecraft that she would survive. That would be more than enough as far as Soma is concerned.


    Putting the plushie in the back pocket of his pants Soma looked at Ravel and Kiyoharu before speaking.


    "You two, go somewhere safe and away from this ce. When I finish dealing with this mess I will call you both so you cane to my home for us to talk. Also, take this girl with you, she won''t be able to cause any trouble so it should be a simple task." Soma said and without waiting he was already dashing.


    He had to go to the base of the enemies where the gear users were captured. He would not just let those who were kidnapped be taken away, OR the enemies that invaded the town manage to run away from this ce. Not just because they created damage to town, but simply because they are valuable resources for him and some of his more special experiments.


    He would not do living experimentation in those who did nothing against him, but to those who tried to act against him or his friends? They will be lucky if they manage to die properly.


    ///---///


    Ravel just stared at what just happened and blinked once, twice, before turning to Kiyoharu.


    "Did you see what I think I''ve seen?"


    "Most likely." Kiyoharu nodded her head, also quite surprised even if nowhere as intensely as Ravel.


    Ravel looked shrewdly at Kiyoharu before questioning.


    "Were you heading towards Soma-kun just before we were attacked?" She asks and Kiyoharu nods.


    "Yeah, I was. I figured that he would be the safest person to be close to right now and he should be able to help us with Mami here." Kiyoharu said, pointing to the currently sleeping Mami on her back.


    Ravel just raised a brow.


    "Your Sacred Gear really is cheating." She said and Kiyoharuughed lightly while nodding her head, knowing her friend is not really wrong there.


    Truly, the ability to read the minds of others and connect her own mind with them was an extremely useful skill. Thanks to that Kiyoharu knew that Soma should be able to protect them and help with the removal of the Mind Control that was on Mami.


    In truth, Kiyoharu had known that Mami was under mind control since the first moment they touched and a link was created. Kiyoharu always makes a quick link with anyone she meets to find out about the person and if she could trust the other to try and get close. After a single touch, Kiyoharu felt something was wrong with Mami and she had no good intentions towards her, Aya, Ravel, or Soma. As such, Kiyoharu paid extra attention to Mami and soon she came to understand exactly what was going on with Mami and Trois.


    Mami was originally just like any other girl, but she was kidnapped by the Hero Faction a few months ago and had her original personality overwritten by one crafted by the Hero Faction, Trois. Trois waspletely loyal to her masters and had done plenty of evil and malign deeds during this time period, and Kiyoharu knew that Trois was nning on kidnapping her and her friends soon.


    Kiyoharu has since been using her gear to subtly try and dispel the ''Trois'' personality that was more like a parasite than anything else, but it was not easy. Shecks any offensive or defensive powers herself, if she rushed anything it could make Trois notice something is wrong and it would not end well.


    The fight between Trois and Ravel was the best moment for Kiyoharu to act, doing her best to break and vanquish ''Trois'', since she would be distracted from the fight, creating an opening to allow her to do that. But the pressure of damaging ''Trois'' was so much that it made ''Trois'' clearly start activating its Bnce Breaker if the hundreds of guns appearing all at once was any indication, thus forcing Kiyoharu to stop the destruction of Trois and focus on making ''it'' go to sleep.


    Kiyoharu was a bit worried about what to do since she could onlyplete the destruction of Trois if it was awake, but if she awakened it now then Trois would instantly activate its Bnce Breaker. Thankfully Kiyoharu knew that Soma could remove someone''s gear safely (he thought too much about too many things and catching this sort of info was far too easy), so Kiyoharu wanted Soma to remove the gear from Mami so that she could destroy Trois once and for all.


    Ravel had this all exined to her, all while she kept on trying to use amunication spell to contact her brother, not really hoping it would work since it has been failing for a while now. Only, this time it DID work.


    "Ravel, Ravel is that you? Thank Satan, I was afraid something had happened." Riser spoke frically, he too had been trying to reach out to her for a while now since she wasn''t in the battle against the Strays and no one had seen her.


    In truth Riser wanted to blow in anger when he realized that Rias hasn''t even TRIED to reach out to Ravel who IS her Bishop, he just didn''t because his worry for her was greater than his anger over Rias'' inactions.


    "Yes, I am well brother. I think we will need to talk about what happened, can we meet somewhere safe?"


    "Sure, we will be going to Kuoh Academy now." Riser said, while Ravel wanted to agree she decided to speak up.


    "Actually, there is somewhere else I think we could meet that would be better."


    "Where?"


    "Soma''s house," Ravel told him and Riser did not move for a while before speaking.


    "Bro''s ce? Why would going to his house now be good? I mean, it would be nice to know he is safe and all but-"


    "Trust me, big brother, we need to go there to have a talk." Ravel said, not nning to go to Kuoh Academy for now. She wanted to find out about what was going on with Soma and wanted toe clean to him about her origins, and in truth, she was already exhausted from the fight earlier, and having to deal with her King would be far too much for her patience right now.


    Riser grunted but decided to heed his little sister''s wishes. He too had little interest in going to Kuoh Academy and dealing with Rias right now since he was still pretty mad at her.


    ///---///


    Reaching the base where the Hero Faction was located Soma felt something click as he froze for half a second before continuing to dash forward. A small smirk ying on his face as he reached his destination only to inhale a smell he was not expecting.


    The smell of blood.


    Frowning Soma did not hesitate to get closer, just in time as he saw Un and Deux already dead on the floor and Dimaria, who had followed after him after he called her bitch, above the two Hero Faction members. Dimaria had the face of a hunter who just found prey and was enjoying the hunt too much to stop and her eyes turned to the other humans in this ce.


    She had heard how the three awake ones all had voluntarily wanted to join the faction, and that was enough for Dimaria to kill the three. Walking towards the three the teenage boy tried to stand in front of her.


    "Get the girl and leave, I will dy her." The boy said, his legs gaining armor that looked almost like turbines as he activated his Sacred Gear.


    He was about to dash at Dimaria when the man who looked to be in his thirties put a hand on his shoulder.


    "No, leave this to me. It looks like you can run faster and it should be an adult''s job to protect the young." The man said as he pulled the boy back towards the short girl. The boy looked torn for a moment before moving to take the girl further away from this but not yet running away since he decided he would jump in to protect the older man if he needed the help.


    A hero shouldn''t leave someone to just die, after all.


    "Oh, so you will face me? You don''t seem like much of a warrior though." Dimaria said, a smirk on her face.


    The male who was in his early thirties only chuckled as he dusted his pants and answered.


    "Well, but of course. I was never a warrior during all my years until this point."


    Dimaria''s smirk actually vanished as he said this.


    "If you are not a warrior then what are you exactly?"


    "A simple criminal, my dear. You may have heard of me, I am quite well known in the region as the Gentle Criminal."


    Dimaria snorted.


    "Sorry, not interested anymore. You can go die now."


    She advanced at the criminal who moved his hands in front of himself. Dimaria did not pay heed to this and was bounced back by the air in front of the criminal who smirked, loving when this sort of thing happened.


    He was about to throw a wisecrack, but faster than he thought possible the woman he just bounced away was back on her feet and fuming as she moved again against him but even faster now. Her sword aimed right at him and he shivered, realizing he would not be fast enough to react and use his gear to escape.


    SLASH


    Sound of flesh being cut could be heard as Dimaria cut off one of Gentle''s arms right away, the criminal screaming in pain as he clutched the stump where his arm should be.


    "I hoped you could be better, guess not huh." Dimaria said dismissively as she looked at the man in pain on the ground. Raising her arm she swung it down to bisect the man in two halves.


    CLANG


    Thankfully, Soma managed to get there in time as he deflected Dimaria''s sword away.


    "Step back, little criminal. Let me take care of this." Soma said without turning his eyes away from Dimaria. On the corner further away from the devil and hero who had their swords locked with one another, the boy with turbines on his legs and the short girl with the red hair in twintails looked in surprise at this neer.


    The criminal moved back, his face still in pain as he held onto the stump and tried to put pressure to stop the blood flow.


    "Oh, now this is interesting. It seems like you are willing to fight me now." Dimaria said as she smirked at Soma who just continued to stare at her.


    This was a serious fight with someone he had to go all out with, and unlike Jeanne, this one would not y around or look down on him.


    With one hand keeping the swords locked together, Soma put the other on his hip, the holster containing his gun in it as he took it out and sent several bullets at Dimaria who grunted and jumped back. Not stopping his strikes Soma kept shooting, she used the sword she had as a shield to block and deflect the bullets as she did so.


    After getting some distance Dimaria made a magic circle and activated her magic.


    Dimaria was a bastard daughter of the Agares house who fought under Serafall during the Civil War, she was also an expert in regards to time maniption and had developed one aspect more than anyone else in her family.


    Time Stop.


    As she activated her magic she only had a single second to act, but it was enough for her as she avoided the bullets already flying in her direction and moved in close to deliver a strong strike against him. Time returned just in time as her sword was about to reach him, and with widened eyes, Soma acted as well.


    ''Time alter - triple el.'' He thought as he used this magecraft to elerate himself to four times his normal reaction and action speed. Moving back under this he just barely managed to avoid the strike as Dimaria''s sword only grazed against his skin, failing to pierce him.


    She widened her eyes as she felt him use time magic, even if it was not anything like the one she was used to. Pointing her hand at Soma she sted him away with a torrent of water, sending him up to the ceiling.


    Crashing on the ceiling, Soma looked down, his skin and bones not having allowed his body to be more than a bit rattled by the jet of water. Putting his sword back into its sheath Soma kicked off the ceiling to elerate towards Dimaria who saw this and swung her sword again, the de taking a blue hue as she used the water in the air to extend the reach of her de as she swung it.


    ''Time alter - Square Stagnate'' Soma''s body slowed down to three times slower than normal speed, his sudden change of speed making the sword of Dimaria pass by without hitting him and he was free to stop the time modification, avoiding the sword that just passed him by, to redirect himself to right in front of Dimaria while also pushing the sword down and thus away from him.


    Dimaria widened her eyes as she saw this and she instinctively moved her head back while making a magic barrier at the same time, which was the only reason she survived as Soma delivered a kick right at where she was previously while using Jacob Limbs to infuse it with holy energy. The impact with the shield slowed his foot just enough to let her move and save her from having her brains painting the floors of this ce.


    Neither truly wanted the other dead, but both were far too into the battle and refused to take a step back or risk dying since lethal force became a factor to consider. This has already turned into a fight to the death, and it was not slowing down.


    ///---///


    AN


    Sorry for the dy, this chapter took a bit longer to make than normal and the editor was busy as well.


    The pool will be going until this Sunday. For those that ask, Ravel and Rossweisse will be in the harem for sure so I didn''t put them in the pool. In other news, several reviews and PMs asked me for a character to be added so I am putting the option here.


    If I get 60 votes/reviews asking for Chisato Hasegawa from Shinmai Maou no Testament to be added, I will add her in the harem. Now it is up to you guys, you decide here.

 Chapter 24 - 23

    In front of Soma''s house, one could find Ravel and her brother in a discussion. Most of Riser''s Peerage went back home to rest after this ordeal and Riser was all too d to have left Sona to take care of reporting what happened, he had already done his duty by informing the authorities when shit started happening and made sure that they were aware so as to be able to stop the spread of evidence and send in the people to be able to keep everything ''hush hush''.


    He was now drilling Ravel for all the information regarding what exactly happened to her during the night, while also telling her all that had happened on his end. ??


    As for the reason why neither tried to enter the house and had to talk outside, that was simply because when they tried to approach the ce they felt like they would die if they tried to force their way in.


    ... They were not wrong.


    "So, when will bro show up?" Riser questioned his sister for what felt like the tenth time in thest five minutes.


    "I already said I don''t kno-"


    That was as far as she got since she saw something truly unexpected approach them. Down the streets walking towards the house was Soma, behind him were two males and a female, all doing their best to carry some others that were passed out. With them, there was also Mittelt and Rintaro who were carrying even more people with them.


    But the most shocking thing wasn''t that all these people wereing over, but that Soma had one of his arms cut off and he was carrying said cut limb under his armpit and acted as if nothing had happened. Like this was just a stroll in the park.


    "S-SOMA!" Ravel shouted as she ran towards him, her eyes wide as she saw him without an arm.


    "Hey, Ravel-chan. Are you doing well?" He asked without missing a beat while waving towards her.


    "Your arm, your arm!" Riser also got close as he saw this and his aura actually red as he spoke.


    "Oh, this? Tis but a scratch, a flesh wound really." He said with a shrug.


    "What do mean a SCRATCH, you''ve got no arm!" Ravel yelled, while Raiser just smiled at the reply, knowing exactly what Soma would reply. As his sister set it up perfectly for him.


    With a wide smile on his face that mirrored Raiser''s he replied "It''s just a flesh wound", at which point the two of them startedughing at the reference, but that just got Ravel more upset as she didn''t understand why they wereughing.


    Seeing her upset soma calmed down and said" Don''t worry, I can fix something like that easily."


    Having also calmed down, Raiser asked him "Who did this?"


    "Don''t worry, the other person got it worse." Soma said with a smirk, behind him Gentle actually shuddered at the memories.


    He honestly wondered if following Soma here was really the best of ideas, but it was toote now and Soma said he could fix his arm at the very least and exin things to them regarding what really was going on.


    Riser shook his head and took out a bottle of Phenex Tears then and there.


    "Here, use this. It will help you, it is Phenex Tears."


    Soma saw this and shook his head.


    "There is no need for that, but thanks regardless. Now, how about we get inside so we can talk about all that happened, so we can start healing."


    As Soma finished exining he moved to his house, the only ones who coulde as close being Mittelt and Rintaro who were keyed into the house as the others were unable to get close or felt a sense of trepidation and doom from approaching the ce.


    Soma didn''t mind, as he entered the house first and moved some things inside. A quick change on the Fengshui of the house to disable the anti-demonic fields temporarily as well as the fields that would stop someone from entering the house, having done that he went back outside and signed for the others toe in.


    As they were entering his house, Soma went to check on Aya and her mother. At the door of his workshop, he saw something very amusing.


    "You know, for a so-called magic prodigy that mastered all sorts of magic schools from several races and is supposed to be some sort of legendary talent, you are truly arecking in even the most basic good sense that even the stupidest magus should have. Really, trying to enter on a magus'' workshop without any preparations, how dumb one must be to try that sort of stunt? How did you manage to survive for so long being this stupid?" Soma''s question fell on deaf ears as the lump of barely alive flesh and bones on the floor, that some could recognize as Georg if they squint their eyes hard enough, could not hear him in his current state.


    What once was a healthy and strong magic user that was famous for mastering so many schools of magic was now reduced to burned, frozen, electrocuted, cursed, with his limbs ripped off violently to cause the greatest pain imaginable from the act, all senses either destroyed or in overdrive to the point of incapacitation, had at least 84 different types of poison running through his veins working on a physical, conceptual, AND spiritual level to destroy him, and had all the mana inside him going crazy and damaging any and all ways he could once have used to use magic.


    ... To be fair, Georg had fully believed that his Longinus'' perfect defense would have protected him, but as soon as Soma heard from Mittelt about teleportation being somewhatmon in this world, he had set out several Age of Gods level Bounded Fields to lock space to the point that any space maniption inside the house was decidedly impossible. With the space being locked, Dimension Lost turned from the strongest defensive gear into a fancy smoke machine that could not protect Georg. Add to that the fact that Georg looked down on Soma''s defenses since he waspletely unknown, thus a nobody in his eyes, well, the results speak for themselves.


    Truly, the Hero Faction was filled with narcissistic, dangerous idiots, with emphasis on idiots.


    Knowing that in this state Georg would bepletely unable to think, much less use a gear to escape, soma moved that lump of flesh into his quarters before going to see Aya. He had set up the defenses on his workshop to be as strong as possible while also making sure to keep anyone caught in them alive for at least a day or two, if only for questioning and possible resources.


    As he was in his room he used alchemy to remove all the blood from his clothes and fix his appearance, he was already missing a limb so there was no need to look any worse for wear in front of Aya and worry her further.


    While fixing his appearance he thought back on what he managed to achieve during this night. He managed to find out the identities of most of the devils in town with the rest he likely being able to find out soon enough, he also obtained de cksmith, Staring Blue, Staring Green, Night Reflection, likely a few more gears from those in town that would not want to have a gear any further after this night''s events, and he also managed to test himself against the enemies in this world, he even had a rather satisfying battle in the end there.


    The face of Dimaria when he let her cut off one of his arms just so he could cut her from navel to corbone and proceed to cut off both her legs in one swift motion, that was worth the pain of losing a limb. Besides, he could easily reattach a limb or two and he could even take advantage of this arm not being attached to his body right now to modify it more thoroughly in a faster manner instead of needing to pay attention to pesky things like safety or bodily integrity.


    Those concerns were quite annoying and made the whole process take longer than Soma would prefer.


    Putting on new clothes, Soma went to the area where Ravel, Riser, and everyone else were. It was time for a serious talk about what was going on and honesty.


    Getting there he saw several people gathered, so he started speaking.


    "So, we all have things we need to exin and things we want to ask, so to make things simpler how about if we go about it this way: We start exining the basics of the supernatural world so that everyone can show what they know and make sure that all sides are heard properly; after that, we talk about what happened tonight and the events leading to it; and finally we ask questions to each other."


    Everyone nodded and they started exining everything, it took a good hour for the exnations to finish and everyone was shocked or surprised to one degree or another. While they were talking Mittelt went to work, using the Twilight Healing that Soma had lent her, she managed to reattach the torn limb from Danjurou Tobita, A.K.A. Gentle Criminal. When she finished, Soma examined the results before deciding to wait for a few days before doing the same for himself, the healing was quite smooth and had no side effects so it would be good enough. He would use the time until the reattachment to make the necessary modifications to the arm, he wanted to make it even stronger.


    By the time everything was exined Soma asked the humans an important question.


    "So, before we proceed, are any of you guys unwilling to get involved with the supernatural world? If you are, I can remove your Sacred Gears without doing any damage and remove all of your memories of tonight, it would all be just a rather lucid dream."


    "Wait, didn''t those guys say that removing a gear means the death of its user?" A guy with a green mohawk asked as he pointed to Riser and Ravel.


    "Yes they did, but I don''t care about what others say is impossible. I can do it, simple as that." Soma said simply.


    Those that were captured by the Hero Faction the night before looked at one another and started discussing until they came to a decision. Of the six who were captured, four did not want their gear or to get involved whatsoever with the supernatural, they wanted to be normal humans and go back to their normal lives.


    Soma respected their wishes, he nodded and spoke.


    "Everyone, how about we take five and we get back to this discussion after I deal with the situation of those who don''t want anything to do with the supernatural?"


    The others epted and went to their separate areas of the house, Soma had a considerable amount of gears to extract and the hypnosis needed to remove the memories of all those who were captured earlier would take some time. There was, in total, four that were captured and did not want anything to do with the supernatural, the Sterling bow users, the me Shaker user, Georg''s Longinus, and Mami that he had to remove the gear (even if he would return the gear to Mami if he still wanted it after Kiyoharu finished eliminating Trois for good).


    Thankfully Kiyoharu had exined everything to him mentally in a very fast manner during the exnation of the supernatural world from the side of the devils, she was extremely helpful in getting him up to speed in understanding the Mami''s situation and even made a link between Soma''s mind and Ravel''s to allow him to be able to ept her words better. She also had to excuse herself for looking into his mind, even if she only managed to do so for the superficial thoughts, he let that slide but told her to not try this sort of stunt again or she won''t like the results.


    She was a bit fearful but epted that this was just him being protective of his secrets and did not push it any further.


    In a corner, almost as if forgotten, was a certain bully who was observing everything going on with cold eyes as she saw what was happening. She honestly couldn''t give two shits about the supernatural or whatever, but after this night she had an objective that she would do no matter what.


    She would fucking destroy the organization which destroyed her whole world, her life mission now was to kill the Hero Faction, thus decided Sarina.


    ///---///


    Soma''s P.O.V.


    As I finished extracting all the gears I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. Of those civilians in town that want nothing with the supernatural, I have obtained one more Staring bow, namely the Purple bow. Not only that I got a Wind Shaker, which let the user control the wind, a pair of gloves called Perfector, which I will totally use since it increases the speed and precision of the user''s fingers by several hundredfolds and I can''t wait to see what I can do with more precise and faster movements while experimenting.


    But the bigger prize would likely be the final one, Gravity Jail, a pair of eyes that can manipte gravity. Honestly, this thing is BS. If I manage to improve on these eyes I can safely say that I would take these eyes even over the cheating that was the Eyes of Death Perception, just the sheer versatility of controlling gravity at will would make it much more suitable for me.


    With it, I can modify the weight of whatever I see, not only that I should also be able to change the way gravity work to serve as a defensive or offensive measure. Just the ability to do that at the distance I can ''see'' would make this BS since I learned from the best archers in the Throne, my field of vision is perfect within several kilometers when I want so the thought of what I can do with this pair of eyes is even scarier and more exciting. Just think some prat thinking they escaped from me just to be crushed under their own weight and bing a pancake on the ground.


    How can someone make something able to manipte one of the four fundamental forces of the universe and then give it away just like that? God is dumb, that is what he is.


    Thankfully, since the gear has never been activated it had not fused with its user''s physical body, and thus removing it didn''t involve plucking out his eyes.


    Gotta admit, while these gears all need a LOT of fine-tuning, enchantments, and several modifications to remove their redundancies and increase their potential and that will take quite some time, but when I am done with them they will be for sure useful to me and whoever else works for, or with, me moving forward.


    I at least now have some more gears I can trade away with Azazel for the research of the Holy Sword Project and maybe even a few other Starling bows.


    After that, there were a lot of questions and answers, nothing overlyplicated but I have to admit, I am tired. The loss of blood is doing me no favors, but one question, in particr, caught my interest.


    "So, besides you, are there other devil peerages in town?" Tennya Ida, one of the sacred gear users of town questioned. He had been deceived in regards to the objectives of the Hero Faction and thought they were an organization fighting for justice and that it was his duty, as someone born with power, to use it to help others.


    He is kinda dumb and far too stiff.


    "Well, there is me first and foremost." Riser said, sending a wink at one of the Sacred Gear users that were captured. From what I gather she works in a special sex club and works with those who like more BDSM type stuff, I have had to deal with Medb before and after doing it for the 87th time it lost all its luster to me and became dull. I am more an S than an M as it seems, but if Riser wants to get with Miss Nemuri that is up to him. "Besides me, there is my fianc¨¦, Rias Gremory who is in Kuoh Academy. She is the president of the ult Research Club and all its members are servants there. And the final peerage is of Sona Sitri who is the president of the student council with all members of it being her peerage members."


    .


    ..


    ...


    ...


    ... Huh?


    Did Riser just say that all members of Kuoh''s student council are devils?


    No, I must have heard it wrong. I mean, if that is true then Momo-chan is a devil''s ve for eternity.


    That must be wrong, right?


    My energy begins to react and I have to forcefully calm down before I start chanting the summoning ritual for Yog-Sothoth, its ability to understand past present and future would let me instantly know if what Riser said is true. Of all Outer Gods, this one is amongst the safest to make a pact with, as long as one has live sacrifices to offer and I have a few avable right now.


    Taking a deep breath I notice that the others kept talking but I concentrate instead on NOT standing up right now to find Sona before strangling the information about if she forced my Momo into a servant or not. And when I say strangle I do mean hold my hands around her dainty neck and squeezing until something breaks there.


    It seems like Aya noticed my state. It is not like I am all that upset, I am just a bit ABSOLUTELY LIVID.


    "Soma-kun, what is wrong?"


    "Don''t worry, Aya-chan. I am just thinking about my cousin, that is all." I exined and she widened her eyes.


    "Oh, Momo-san. I remember her, she is in the stu-" Her words stopped as she apparently realized what I just did and closed her mouth. "Sorry."


    I shook my head.


    "There is nothing to apologize for, Aya-chan. This is all a lot to take in, but know that you and your mother are wee to stay here for as long as you wish, there is nowhere safer in this town as far as I can tell." I said and she smiled.


    "Thanks, Soma-kun."


    I smiled back, she is not the prettiest girl I''ve ever seen but Aya has a weird but strong calming effect on me that is for sure.


    I went from ''genocidal maniac'' to ''genocidal''. That''s progress.


    After that there was some useless chattering, it was around 5 AM already and everyone was tired. Riser proposed to take those who had their gears removed to their respective houses and I agreed while the others who still had gears would stay here for a day or two before they decided what they wanted to do.


    Riser was about to leave when he stopped and turned to me.


    "Bro, tell me this. Why did you put so many defenses in your house against devils specifically?"


    "To be able to defend myself," I said. "After realizing there were devils in town and not understanding the politics involved I had to naturally take steps to ensure my safety. The holy grounds of a church, even an abandoned one, are the ideal location to create blessed and holy artifacts that I wished exclusively for my protection and in case I were to see a dark being attacking innocent bystanders, a fact that was proven effective many times over considering that in thesest few weeks I''ve killed no less than 12 of those you call stray devils even before what happened tonight.


    "After getting into the church I talked with the stray exorcists that let me use a small shed in the back of the church to do my blessings. Afterpleting the process I decided to rest for a few moments before heading home, and a devil came out of nowhere trying to attack me. His first move was trying to stab me through the head with his demonic sword, no talk or anything like that. I could not simply walk away considering his speed so I defended myself and decided to incapacitate him in a suitable fashion that would ensure he can''t follow me. After that, I simply left the church and ran away before other devils came since I sensed the presence of other devils in that ce and I didn''t want to get involved.


    "After I felt them leave I went back to investigate the ce, it was a terrible massacre with several bodies strewn about in a macabre disy. And I found little Mittelt there, who is working for me now mind you, she was one step away from death and was clearly tortured. Her allies were also clearly tortured as well, their wings torn off, bones broken, and fried with electricity in a rather slow manner. How could I sleep in peace after seeing such a thing and knowing a being who gets off on torturing their enemies like that is running around town?"


    As I finished exining it all Riser''s eyes hardened as he spoke.


    "I see, so you were merely defending yourself and this is what happened there. I suppose I will have to have some words with my bride to be before she decides to do something foolish and to fasten the leash on her rabid dogs." Riser then shook his head and put a hand on my shoulder. "Soma, in the name of House Phenex and from myself, thanks for saving Ravel''s life. I do not believe we can ever repay you for it, but whatever you need, just say the word." It was a fine moment ofradery and friendship, until he started squeezing my shoulder and his hands growing hotter. "But my baby sister is still too young and if you try to put your hands on her I will..."


    That was as far as he got since Ravel pulled him by the ear as she dragged him away from the house.


    "Sorry for that, Soma-kun. I will educate my brother about not speaking so much nonsense like that."


    "I was just trying to-"


    "Shush now, don''t embarrass me further." Ravel said as she pulled Riser along.


    Yubelluna, seeing this, onlyughed and gave her goodbyes as well before leaving.


    They are a nice pair of siblings, kinda reminds me of how I am with Momo-chan sometimes.


    Which is why...


    "Boss, is the room getting colder, or is it just me?" Rintaro asked as he shivered.


    "It is just you, don''t worry about it." I said. Ops, I left some of my killing intent slip there. I have to be more careful with it or I might identally scare away the maggot princess that dared to sink her ws into my precious family.


    ///---///


    3¡ã Person P.O.V.


    By the next morning, Soma was walking to school with a tired expression on his face, by his sides were both Kiyoharu and Aya. After everyone had said their piece they left Soma''s house but Soma himself stayed behind together with just a few people which included Kiyoharu and Aya.


    It was a lot of work but he managed to get everything done by the time for sses, he could just skip them but Soma decided against it since there was something he had to verify as soon as possible.


    After the talk with Ravel and Riser, Soma had understood that devils are really not all bad and those that were stationed in this town had some responsibilities and work they do in it. Soma understood that it was for the best not to overly antagonize the devils in town, if only because it would be very annoying to have an entire race against him.


    Too much work, too little benefits.


    But, despite all the assurances Soma received there was one thing that he had to see and understand. They mention that all members of the Student Council of Kuoh Academy are devils, which would include Momo.


    ... Soma was currently carrying with him enough holy objects to make a toon of exorcists shy. He had questions and demands to make, and potentially give the opening salvo on an extermination war campaign against an entire race of a few million individuals.


    It would all depend on the answers he would be getting today.

 Chapter 25 - 24

    Sona was having aplicated day.


    Last night was an exhausting affair in its entirety, after the fighting waspleted it was searching for Dimaria who she could not contact. It was only around three in the morning that her sister sent a message saying that Dimaria has had to return to the Underworld due to some reasons that Serafal refused to exin. ??


    After that, Sona thought she could at least get a few hours of sleep before sses started, but it was not to be as Riser sent a message saying he made contact with the sniper who helped them. Sona was extremely curious and tried to get some details about this sniper, but Riser just called him ''bro'' over and over again as if he didn''t even know what the NAME of his bro was and just said that his bro was a chill guy and would definitely not be an enemy as long as they did not antagonize him.


    Unfortunately, Riser had not realized at that point that Sona had already turned his bro''s cousin into a devil and that Soma was extremely protective of family and had a really screwed up concept of what an ''appropriate measure'' was.


    The reason for Riser not realizing this connection being mostly because, in Riser''s eyes, Momo was not ''Momo Hanakai'' but ''white-haired big titted hottie I would like to bend over''. After all, he never had a reason to interact with Sona''s peerage on a personal level after all and could not make the association between his bro and her. Ravel knew about the connection, but she was still a bit shaken from the events of the night and the fact she almost died (something she never thought possible) so she did not think about the fact that Soma''s cousin was a devil and how this would affect him.


    Thus Sona was not yet aware of the danger that was in the school as of this moment and how much her life was in peril at this moment. What made Sona worried was that Riser said that he would set up a meeting tonight to introduce ''bro'' to Sona and Rias, he also said that Sona should put a strong enough sh'' on Rias or there would be bloodshed and he would at most protect Rias'' life, if that.


    At least the school day was over now and the students were either leaving sses or going to their clubs so Sona was free to be in the Student Council Room where she felt the mostfortable. This was her own little kingdom where her word was thew, and she loved this sort of power and the responsibility thates from her position.


    "Here, Kaichou. You seem to be in need of some tea." Momo said while offering a cup of tea to Sona who gratefully took it.


    "Thanks, I really needed that." Sona said, sipping from the cup and enjoying the taste. She was more a ''coffee'' girl to be honest, but she was so tense about the meetingter that any opportunity to rx was wee.


    After a while, Sona decided to change gears so as to not overthink the meetingter.


    "Momo, did you check if your cousin is safe? The attack fromst night should not have affected him, but it was quite widespread so I have to wonder."


    Momo was about to answer when Tsubasa spoke up from the back.


    "Kaichou, if Soma-san was not well I don''t think little Momo would be soposed. She is a bit of a brocon, after all."


    "I, I am not!" Momo said defensively. "I will have you know that we have apletely normal rtionship and it is not anything beyond that, besides, he is not my brother or anything anyway."


    "Suuuuree~~" Tsubasa said, a grin on her face. "I totally believe you don''t have a single inappropriate thought about your hot cousin that you are overprotective about, has a dangerous but carrying air around him and cares about you so much and that you spend so much time thinking about as well."


    Momo was about to retort when an attack came from the side.


    "And didn''t Momo-chan say that her type was a more rebel and thuggish type but with a carrying side he shows just for a few people and that she doesn''t really like stupid or naive types at all?" Tomoe, Sona''s Knight, said while passing some papers to Reya, Sona''s second Bishop, who nodded.


    "Yes, I believe she said something like that on a girl''s night out a while back."


    "Oh, oh, and her favorite colors are blue and white!" Ruruko, one of Sona''s two pawns, mentioned while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she remembers that Soma''s eyes are a deep blue and his hair is white.


    Momo turned from one side to the other while trying to deny these usations. Sona deciding to join in on the fun and spoke up.


    "Momo, don''t worry. Incest amongst devils is quite normal and so are harems, if I do end up marrying him I would be willing to share." She said with a suggestive grin.


    "Eh, but, what, ah, S-Stop that! We don''t feel that way about one another! S-Shut up, I need some air." Momo said, her face beet red as she quickly moved to flee the room. Snickers andughter all over (except Saji who was cursing Soma for his luck with girls) as Momo moved to leave the room.


    Opening the door Momo was too distracted to see where she was going as some cat calls were being sent her way from her friends.


    THUMP


    Looking up Momo''s blush grew even redder seeing as she just hit her cousin and this was honestly the first time she realized something.


    ''He is taller than I thought.''


    "Soma-kun, why did youe here and-" That was as far as Momo went as she realized something out of ce.


    Soma only had one arm.


    Momo screamed as she saw this and almost fainted when she realized the state Soma was in. Feeling faint she almost fell down but Soma held her up with as much care as he could


    "Soma, w-w-what happened? What happened to your arm!?"


    Soma just shook his head.


    "Don''t worry about it, just tell me one thing. Are you a devil?"


    "Huh?"


    Momo could notprehend what Soma was talking about, her being a devil not being anywhere as relevant in her mind as the fact he had lost an arm.


    Soma frowned slightly and used structural grasp, studying Momo''s body and soul in just under five seconds and his eyes hardened to cold diamonds as he realized his worst fears.


    His cousin was a devil ve. He knew that this interpretation wasn''t exactly urate, but at this moment he couldn''t care less about the nuances of this situation, what he cared about was that Momo was a devil''s servant.


    Turning his eyes to the one who did that, Soma''s control over his emotions broke free as his eyes lost all feeling as he released Momo''s hand and looked at the one responsible for putting chains on his family, sealing the fate of an innocent and kind young girl.


    With thest few traces of rationality left in his mind Soma managed to peak through the sea of rage as he gritted out.


    "Did you force my Momo into being your ve, bitch?"


    As his words rang out absolute silence fell over the whole room as no one even dared breath loudly.


    The one most shocked by all this was undoubtedly Sona though. In her mind the usation of her making anyone a ve was ridiculous, she has always been perfectly clear when recruiting someone and was always extremely honest about it. She would alwayse to know the person properly and only if a friendship could be formed, if both sides could clearly work well together would Sona make the offer to join her peerage.


    Heck, she would even admit that she only wanted a Peerage due to social convention and after she manages to make her dreame true she would use all of her avable time to make sure anyone that had helped her reach that point get their best life. Whatever dreams her Peerage members desired, she would do what she could to help fulfill them, be it obtaining a peerage of their own, living in luxury, or whatever else they might desire.


    So, the usation stung something fierce at Sona''s pride. But what stung her pride, even more, was those cold eyes staring her down and the insult.


    ''Bitch''.


    Sona was, for all intents and purposes, a spoiled princess. She was doted upon and allowed to do almost anything she could want, everyone was always going out of their way to serve or appease her while growing up and any problem she ever had was easily solvable by her elder sister. As such, being called a ''bitch'' never happened before, she was never tarnished in such a way and by the one person who had defeated her in her most prized skill no less.


    She was about to speak, to try and calm things down and put Soma in his ce, when someone did it first.


    "Don''t you dare speak like that with Kaic-"


    BANG


    Saji had just gotten up and was advancing towards Soma, just to have a holy bullet make a hole in his leg that made him fall down on the floor.


    "I was not talking to you or anyone else besides the whore who made my cousin a ve. The next person who tries to intervene will have their brains sttered all over the floor, now shut up." Soma said, killing intent washing over them. The killing intent was sensed by all the students in school as a wave of chilling cold.


    Sona gulped as she felt that killing intent, it was even harsher and more malignant than the one her sister released that one time where Sona was almost kidnapped by the Old Satan Faction.


    "To answer your question, Mr. Hanakai, I did not by any means force your cousin into joining my Peerage. I invited her to join after thoroughly exining what it would entail and she epted of her own volition."


    While Sona tried to de-escte, the killing intent in the room did not recede in the slightest, as Soma turned to Momo.


    "Momo-chan, is what this bitch said true?"


    Momo was still more focused on the fact that Soma had one arm less than he should, barely even paying attention to the questioning as she felt guilt over her not having protected him from whatever had harmed him. She could be excused to a degree, however, since Soma had directed his killing intent at everything around him EXCEPT Momo who did not feel a single thing.


    It was not something Soma thought about but, even in pure instinct, he refused to let her feel anything bad. Just like Momo was overprotective about him, he too was like that about her.


    Not hearing an answer, Soma furrowed his brows and red at Soma. He was already seeing red at this point and Momo''s silence might as well have been a silent agreement to Soma''s worst thoughts.


    Sona, seeing this, put her hand on her table and a bounded field came into effect. It was an emergency one that Serafal made sure was installed, being able to grant impressive defensive capabilities to anyone that has the Sitri magic circle as well as sending an emergency signal to all devils in town and her sister that an attack was happening.


    Reacting to her movements and the activation of a bounded field Soma did not hesitate either. He ''threw'' a cross on a specific part of the floor and his own bounded field was activated. Having been to this school before AND knowing perfectly well itsyout it was child''s y to prepare a Fengshui bounded field for any part of the school that would disrupt any umtion of demonic energy in the area, effectively making demonic magic near useless.


    This one Momo felt as she snapped out of her trance in time to see Soma dashing at the Sona, his hand on his sword as he did so.


    Tsubaki moved just barely fast enough, a naginata gripped in her hand after she took it out of a spatial pocket.


    CLANG


    The two weapons hit each other and Tsubaki was shocked as she was thrown to the wall with a heavy thud. Her weapon that was made with the best materials the Sitri house could buy was bent and almost snapped in half, and seeing this, Tsubaki was sure that, if not for the bounded field increasing her defense her weapon, and herself, would likely have been bisected in this one encounter.


    Her eyes widened as she saw the rest of the peerage trying to stop Soma and being less than sessful.


    Tomoe tried to cut him from behind - she got hit by a kick into the ceiling.


    Tsubasa tried to punch him - he took the punch to the chest, took hold of her hair, and gave her a strong headbutt.


    Reya tried to send a wave of fire at him - it was so weak, due to the Fengshui bounded field, that Soma just cut it in two with his sword before she was sent into the wall with hundreds of small cuts from Soma''s hair.


    Ruruko tried to charge him - Soma used the pommel of his sword on her torso to make her throw up and go down.


    Saji, even on the floor, tried to use his gear totch onto Soma to make him stop - the line was used by Soma to pull Saji to him and when he was forced towards him by the pull Soma sent out a strong punch straight at his face causing him to fall down.


    This all happened in less than 5 seconds, some happening at the same time. This was easily the most terrifying thing Sona has ever seen, her whole peerage, her pride and joy, was squashed under a single person''s boots as if they amounted to nothing.


    With furry fueling her, Sona used all her strength tounch the strongest magic st she could at Soma, sending him back to the door of the office. Thankfully this office was made to resist damage from the inside extremely well and to not let any potential confrontation (as the one happening right now) spill over and kill the regr students.


    However, despite using so much strength it was ultimately for naught. Soma hade far too prepared, his clothes were exchanged before he came to this confrontation and they were hisbat attire. That meant it was heavily reinforced and blessed, any demonic based attack would lose much of its power on contact, if you then add the weakening thanks to the bounded field and Soma''s own physical prowess it was no surprise that he got back up as if nothing had happened in a matter of two seconds.


    "Nice shot, bitch. But, I will cut you down now for daring to touch my precious family." Soma said as he put his hand on the ground and several runes were created by him, electricity springing from them and using the water on the ground they arced towards Sona who could not evade in time and was electrocuted.


    A scream of pain was released by her as this was the first time she ever felt serious pain in her life... today she was experiencing many ''firsts'' and she was not quite happy about that.


    Taking advantage of the fact that his target was temporarily paralyzed Soma moved again, his fury fueling his movement as he shed at Sona from top to bottom aiming to bisect her.


    However, before that could bepleted a mirror had appeared before him and took the hit. This was the sacred gear of Tsubaki Shinra, Mirror Alice, a defensive gear that could take any hit and turn it back with twice its power.


    And the return of his strike was exactly what happened as the mirror shattered into pieces, its effect activating and Soma got hit with a strong shing effect that sent him flying back.


    A nasty injury could be seen across his chest as skin and muscle were split open, but it was not yet enough to cut through Soma''s modified bones that only got slight markings on them.


    "Mirror Alice, my gear is able to send back any strike that hits it with twice its power. At any moment nowdy Leviathan will arrive so stop this now and let us talk properly." Tsubaki said, trying to project a strong front and trying to stall for time.


    Soma just looked at her for a moment before chuckling.


    "I was a bit surprised by the strength of thatst hit, but I see. No wonder I actually felt pain just now with this attack, as expected of my own strikes."


    "You are quite full of yourself, aren''t you?" Tsubaki questioned as she positioned herself in front of her king.


    "Not at all, I am fairly ordinary. It is just that-" Soma used Mana Burst to reach Tsubaki in an instant. "You all are weak."


    Tsubaki tried to do anything but Soma would not let her, his movements not stopping as he used the momentum tounch a roundhouse kick at Tsubaki that sent her to the ground as a few bones cracked under this strength.


    Sona had yet to fully recover from the shock when she was caught by the neck and pulled up on the air by Soma, she was entirely at his mercy as he looked at her with hatred and disgust.


    "Go to hell." Soma said and was about to twist his arm and break her neck when he was hugged from behind.


    "Soma-kun, please stop. They are my friends, please don''t hurt them." Momo said as she held onto Soma to stop him. Even in this situation and even as she had a clean shot to his unprotected back, she didn''t even think of attacking him and instead only thought of stopping this fight.


    Soma looked at her intensely and was about to speak when he felt extremely cold. Before he could react he was covered in ice and most of his body was frozen over as someone entered the Student Council room.


    Normally a girl in a pink magical girl outfit should not be threatening, but Serafal right now most certainly was. Her face was frozen in an expression of rage as she saw this and Sona, who saw this, recognized this expression.


    ''Oh, that face is the face of a sibling protecting their loved one.'' As Sona realized this her rage from the attack of Soma melted away and she wanted to ask her sister to stop, but it was toote.


    Serafal''s anger overtook her when she noticed the bruises on Sona''s neck from when she was being strangled, in a roar of rage Serafall activated a magic circle and sent out a torrent of ice at Soma to destroy the one who hurt her precious sister.


    BOOM


    The st of ice was ferocious, risking devouring everything in its path if not for a magic circle that was made right in front of Soma.


    The magic circle managed to stop the attack and Serafal''s eyes turned in the direction of the one who blocked her attack.


    "Why are you stopping me?" She questioned in anger.


    "Calm your tits woman, nothing big happened yet anyway." The man said as he joined her in the room. His long white beard being the first thing one noticed about him as he entered the room, his eyes surveying the situation and lingering longer on the girls with their short skirts that fell in the right position to sh him. A lecherous smile on his face as he saw this and a note of approval at what he could see.


    Turning his eyes back to Serafal he could see the Satan Leviathan had calmed down somewhat as she spoke.


    "Do you want to protect this person, Odin-sama?"


    "Yes, after all losing him would be a bit of a loss after all he is the first person that was able to brave the grounds where no man dared to try." Odin said with a smirk as he could see from the corner of his eyes Rossweiss running towards them.


    He and Serafal were in the promised meeting together with the diplomats for the Fallen Angel and Heaven factions, Azazel and Gabriel, all discussing the potential Peace Treaty and what benefits and trade deals they were willing to make if they did follow through. In truth, the only reason why Serafal didn''t go straight to Sona after what happened the previous night and the state in which Dimaria was found was due to this meeting that was far too important.


    As soon as Serafal felt the S.O.S. signal from the bounded field in the Student Council Room she moved to leave, not even saying goodbyes or anything. As for Odin, he could see where Serafal was heading thanks to his eye being sharper than most, and he also saw that Kuoh Academy''s uniform included very short skirts with the school full of hot, young, and impressionable girls.


    A most splendid buffet of his favorite things, if he ever saw one.


    Considering such Odin did not hesitate, teleporting to Kuoh Academy directly and following behind Serafal, curious about what was going on and taking advantage of the situation to see the Leviathan''s sexy booty as she ran forward.


    Yeah, he was an old pervert and proud of that.


    Regardless, he was not about to let such an interesting person like Soma die just like that.


    Serafal was not yet convinced and was about to try again when she felt it. A pure and holy energy having a striking resemnce to the one person she hates with all her being.


    CRACK


    CRACK


    The ice covering Soma was finally broken as he used Jacob Limbs to break it, his body radiating the power of God as he did so and he shivered from the cold. His eyes turned to gaze at Serafall and he was about to grab Momo and run away from here, if not for him seeing the expression on Momo''s face that was asking him to stop and listen.


    Furrowing his brows he took a deep breath and spoke.


    "It seems like I overreacted the slightest bit just now."


    Momo looked around at all her friends who would be either dead or hospitalized right now if not for the bounded field that increased their physical defense and had to sigh, Soma''s ''slight'' reaction was really not ''slight'' at all! But this was such a ''Soma'' action that she could only sigh in exasperation at her cousin''s actions.


    Odin, seeing how everyone was tense and the state of this ce made a decision.


    "How about we go talk while eating something? That should be the best way I believe." He spoke while pping his hands, to calm things down.


    Odin was the chief God of a Pantheon that was an umtion of boisterous idiots withrge egos and with most being battle maniacs, as such he had long learned that the best way to solve a dispute was with either eating, drinking, or whoring, but considering most of the girls present were still virgins he rather doubted he could get lucky with them anyway so eating and drinking was the best way to do this.


    Serafall was still ring at Soma for injuring her precious sister, but acquiesced to the Norse God''s request. Personally, Soma didn''t like the thought of interacting with any God or higher being, but he was not yet strong enough to ignore them and, as such, he decided to listen for now.


    Soma sighed, wondering if things could get any worse than having to deal with the chief God of a religion that was known for piging, raping, murder, battle, sacrifices, and blood.


    Of course, such thoughts would not be allowed in the presence of the omnipresent Murphy, a fact proven by what happened momentster when Rossweisse finally arrived and happily held one of his arms.


    "Hello, darling~~."


    Soma gaped as he recognized that face and was about to answer when the window of the office broke as a blond cannonball broke right through it and tackled soma excitedly.


    "FATHER! YOU ARE ALIVE!" Gabriel, the archangel and the second strongest in all of Heaven, shouted happily as she dived into Soma''s back when he was distracted and sending him flying into a wall, her momentum carrying him there as she moved without a thought when she felt Soma''s energy as he was still borrowing the power of God thanks to Jacob Limbs.


    And so Soma stood there with his back hurting like hell, on his arm a valkyrie that apparently confused what their rtionship was (they only slept together for a full day and he got her virginity while saying he will be her hero, why would she confuse it?), on his back an excited archangel that was having some dangerous misunderstanding while pressing huge tits on his back, blocking the door an angry older sister that wanted to rip his head off, andpleting things was a God from a religion he wanted little to nothing to do with as of right now.


    Truly, Murphy is a massive asshole.

 Chapter 26 - 25

    In arge restaurant in the center of Kuoh, one could see several people sitting together at arge circr table. Some were standing up and some were sitting down, they were all the parties involved in the previous night''s events with the ones in the chairs were the leaders of the several groups not only of the town, but of therger supernaturalmunity.


    The groups were as such: ??


    - Serafall with her guard, a beautiful red-haired buxom woman with sexy clothes that looked like a slutty witch costume, the draconic witch Irene Belserion;


    - Gabriel with her guard, a gentle-looking woman with arge chest, Griselda Qarta;


    - Azazel with two guards, a young Japanese male with ck hair and a caucasian white-haired male, Tobio and Vali Lucifer;


    - Rias Gremory with her Queen, Akeno, and her pawn who insisted oning along and Rias allowed due to being the Red Dragon Emperor, Hyodou Issei;


    - Sona Sitri with her Queen, Tsubaki, and her Bishop that refused to stay behind, Momo Hanakai;


    - Riser Phenex with his Queen, Yubelluna, and Rias'' second Bishop that she tried to forget most of the time, Ravel;


    - The Head God of the Norse Pantheon, Odin, with his guard, the youngest Valkyrie ever, Rossweisse;


    - And finally, the human Soma Hanakai and, behind him, stood the stray exorcist Rintaro and the Sacred Gear user Kiyoharu;


    It was a most unique gathering with strong and weak people mixed in, all directed by Odin as the strongest being in this ce. Not that most of them wanted toin much since this was a chance to clear the air.


    After the basic introductions a tense silence spread as all these different beings looked at one another while in deep thought, Soma decided to break the silence.


    "Before we talk about anything I have something I have to ask." He spoke, attracting the attention of everyone. Not that Soma gave that any mind as his focus waspletely on observing Momo with all the skills he ever learned from both Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty about the art of lying and seeing through lies. "Momo, tell me if you were forced or cheated in any possible form or way to be a reincarnated devil."


    Momo looked at Soma, her gaze lingering in his missing arm for a moment before speaking.


    "No, I became one after thinking about it and knowing everything it entailed. Sona-kaichou waspletely honest and direct with me in regards to what she wanted, what I would have to do, as well as what my payment for her help would be. After thinking about it for a time I epted the deal and do not regret it."


    What Momo did not mention was that thergest reason for her epting the deal was Soma himself, namely the fact that the Sitri house had some of the greatest doctors in existence and Sona had agreed to help Momo''s cousin with all her family''s abilities. Truly, this pair of cousins were far too extreme in their care for one another.


    Momo did not hesitate to throw away their humanity for the chance of saving Soma from his Coma, and Soma did not hesitate in potentially starting a war for Momo''s sake. If a certain noisy and annoying writer back in the Throne had seen this he might even have decided to write a new y right away from this rtionship. Well, if he wasn''t beaten by Soma for spouting nonsense about their rtionship being more than that of normal family members.


    Soma observed her intensely, searching for absolutely any sign of lying or misdirection, and found none. After grumbling a bit about her stupidity from doing something like that, he sighed and let this go.


    Soma was the type that, if Momo chose this, he would ept it as her choice. Everyone has the right to choose, even when they do stupid decisions. For Soma, this just means that he would have to work even harder to make sure she was safe, since Momo was Momo to him and, as such, he would protect her. What most troubled him now was that, as a devil, she would be running into danger considerably more than if she was just a normal human heiress of apany.


    ''Maybe I should try and make a Kaleidostick? It wouldn''t be easy, but it would at least be a start in terms of protection I guess.'' Soma considered. He had a good understanding of the Kaleidoscope, after all, he had investigated the Kaleidosticks of both Miyu and Illya back in the Throne with the help of Medea, Merlin, and DaVinci. As such, he was confident he could make something of simr capabilities for Momo moving forward, even if he did not like to think about the fact that, even having spent a long time studying it, he could not alter some of its aspects, like the mini-skirts that could sh people depending on the angle.


    Heck, Zelretch had even visited the Throne once after he sensed someone studying the Kaleidosticks and even helped him understand some of it because ''The power of Magical Girls should be spread through all dimensions!''. ... The old vampire was a pervert. A capable and smart pervert, but a pervert nheless. It is a shame that Soma did not have the aptitude to learn the Kaleidoscope properly, but he was still able to make items that used its principles if he had enough materials and time for it. Of the True Magics, he only had some hope with the Heaven''s Feel and a distant hope with Blue, the others he at most could produce items that replicate some aspects of them.


    After hearing the answer from Momo Soma looked around at the others at the table and spoke.


    "If no one else has anything to say I am leaving. I don''t have the time to waste around here doing nothing but looking at several ugly mugs and nice tits."


    As his words fell some of the girls looked offended, Momo facepalmed, Rintaro sent his boss a thumbs up, and several amused looks were sent his way.


    "Haha, boy you truly are something else." Odin spoke whileughing. "You remind me of my second most idiot son, Thor. Tell me, are you a long-time descendant of his or something? He did like to fuck and forget, after all, and who knows how many little bastards he has running around the world."


    "No, I am not one of his bastards or rted to one as far as I can tell. I am 100% human, thank you very much." Soma said while rolling his eyes.


    He knew that being disrespectful to a God was a bad idea, but he could see from Odin''s tiny reactions that he didn''t like to stand on ceremony, or overly polite talks. Even Scatatch-Skadi told him that Odin was a God that liked boisterous warriors that took what they wanted and were unapologetic about it, but of course, they should not be stupid since then he would look down on them.


    If that was the image that Odin liked, then that was the image Soma would present himself as.


    "Pure human? Kid, don''t mock us. Your very bones and skin are nothing like a human, and you have tens of thousands of rather unique runes etched onto your very bones. No human is like that." Odin said and Soma shrugged.


    "I am myself, I was born a human, and not a single drop of any other creature''s blood was mixed into me. If my body is not quite like others, that is simply because I ought to start changing myself from the ground up as to stand a chance of survival in this world without being a weak cheep that follows orders or needing to scurry around in fear of stronger people. I want to be the strong while remaining myself."


    As Soma said that Azazel got an interesting look in his eyes.


    "You modified yourself, you say. Tell me, did you use some Sacred Gear to do that?"


    Soma scoffed at the very notion, his reaction waspletely instantaneous as the thought of him depending on a Sacred Gear to modify his entire body. Maybe his eyes, but not ALL his body.


    "As if I would depend on those defective trinkets. I trust myself, not some shabby work of the world''s greatest hikikomori, if he is even alive that is."


    A few people looked scandalized at Soma''s words, but Azazel and Odin justughed at Soma calling God a hikikomori.


    Getting hisughter in order Azazel looked at Soma amusedly before continuing.


    "You yourself have some people that have Sacred Gears around you so why do you call them ''defective trinkets'' when they are such fascinating pieces of work?"


    "Because they are wasteful to the extreme." Soma shrugged as he replied. "Of the few gears I managed to get my hands on and study to an extent, all had clear signs they could be much better, but the one who made them intentionally let them be inferior so as to let them ''develop'' along with their user. That sort of thing is good to produce several somewhat decent fighters but it ultimately limits what the gear can do and lessens the burden from its user while also lowering its specs to the lowest of degrees. It is not a weapon that should adapt to its user, but the user that should adapt to the weapon to be able to use its full potential. Laziness shouldn''t be rewarded."


    Azazel heard this and his eyes shined as he touched his chin in thought.


    "Fascinating, I have never really thought this way." He mentioned before gazing at Soma. "Was it you that sent me that interesting tool a few days ago? The weird copy of Twilight Healing."


    "Yes. I have gotten my hands on the Twilight Healing and decided to use it as proof that I could make better gear. Its effects are much greater as long as one understands how the human body works in detail, being able to even restore lost limbs or long time scars without an issue, and it should be useful even as an offensive weapon if you ''heal'' incorrectly as well as being able to work at a greater distance." Soma said, making Rias perk up on the side. When the devils managed to get their hands on the corpses of the people in the church Rias had wanted to extract the Twilight Healing, but it was missing. She had assumed it had returned to the system, but she wondered if Soma had somehow taken it.


    Issei also realized this and clenched his fists, ring at Soma with hatred for stealing from Asia.


    Soma noticed the gaze and spoke.


    "Dude, I know I am hot but I don''t swing that way so stop ring at me with such intense eyes. But hey, if it helps I am sure that, after this, you can go to a gay bar and find someone to bend you over." Soma rolled his eyes, he was not in the mood to be red over by someone he saw running away from a group of girls while screaming about how perverted he is. Spying on girls'' changing rooms? Please, if he is a man he should not be such a wimp, go ask a girl out, seduce someone, or pay for a whore if you want to get your stress relieved, not just try to perv on girls changing.


    That sort of thing is what gives men, in general, a bad rep.


    Issei spluttered as he heard this and Azazel and Odinughed again with even most of the rest of those around looking amused or gleeful over Issei''s expression.


    "Y-Y-You!"


    Soma just raised a brow.


    "You know, for someone who smells like a dragon just as much as the white-haired guy there, you don''t feel even remotely like a threat. But hey, I am in a bit of a collector mood this week, having obtained quite a few Sacred Gears, so if you want toe at me you are wee to do so, I wouldn''t mind getting another gear on a silver tter."


    Issei took a step forward, his mind clouded in anger as he thought that Soma was rted to Asia''s death, but Rias put a hand to stop him.


    "That is enough, Issei. We don''t yet know what rtion he had with those events and we cannot just react as we please right now."


    "But buchou-"


    "No buts, stand down or I will have Akeno take you to wait outside." Rias said with steel in her tone that made Issei stop.


    Seeing this Riser whistled.


    "Wow, I didn''t know you had it in you to be able tomand your peerage instead of just codling them."


    Rias, with practiced ease, ignored Riser as she turned to Soma.


    "Tell me, was it you that injured my precious knight, Kiba?"


    "Who?"


    Rias feeling a bit irritated described.


    "Kiba Yuuto, blond hair and green eyes, a swordsman."


    "No idea what you are talking about, I don''t remember hurting any male swordsman."


    Rias just red as Riser spoke.


    "Let this matter be, Rias. My bro here was indeed the one that hurt your knight, but it was self-defense and only because you couldn''t keep your mad dogs on a tight enough leash. It is not my bro''s fault that there was some dog that didn''t know any better and got kicked for it."


    Needless to say, Riser really hated Kiba, always acting as if he was a perfect knight and looking down on Riser despite being of lower social status and being a previousb rat of the church of all things. Kiba even dared once to make threats against Riser for ''making Buchou sad'', fuck that little shit, Riser just followed their family''s orders and never hurt or humiliated Rias in any way. At most he just refused to kiss the ground she walked on or act like a little bitch to her.


    Rias looked about to burst when Soma looked as if he realized something.


    "Oh, so it was YOUR group that attacked that church. I get it now... so? Which one of you is the psycho sadist who gets off on torturing people in a twisted fashion?"


    "... What?" Rias asked, shocked at the usation.


    "I mean, I want to know who it is just in case. Such a deranged person is a danger to others and I would like to know who the beast is. Don''t get me wrong, I also know how to torture my enemies to obtain information, it is a valuable and necessary skill, and being able to do it is very needed, but, ording to the victim I saved, there was never any form of questioning or anything like that. It was just the desire to inflict pain on others whileughing about it, a barbaric act that I would rather know the perpetrator."


    This time Akeno was the one ring.


    "As if you know my pain?"


    "Oh, so it was you. Good to know who the psycho bitch that Mittelt spoke of is. And, just a warning, do take care to stop ring at me like I am a ''terrible person'' or the type to kick puppies for shits and giggles. It wasn''t me who got off on ripping the wings from fallen angels and slowly torturing them whileughing and saying how wet she got from hearing them screaming in pain." Soma said.


    "I only did that because they were fallen angels and I hate all of them." Akeno justified, she truly despised all of them and if she could she would kill every single one of them for what they were responsible for.


    "Damn, what the fuck? Did your fallen parent **** you or killed the other parent in front of your eyes? Hate like that is not a good look on you, ya know?"


    "No, neither of those things happened. But my mother died because my father was a Fallen, and he wasn''t there to protect her!" She spoke, wordsing out without her own control mostly due to Azazel being in the room.


    It was a mission requested by Azazel that made Baraquiel leave, and it was after he left that Akeno''s mother was killed in front of her.


    "Oh, abandonment AND daddy issues, and with a body like yours to boot? kinky. It is just a shame your personality is aplete turn-off and I like people with enough intelligence to not make me fear any offspring would have mental issues, just a pretty face wouldn''t do for me. I mean, hating a whole race just because daddy wasn''t around a day? Hell, that is rather pathetic."


    "Humph, as if you could get anyone nearly as good as me." Akeno said challengingly, her usual strategy of averting issues using sex appeal in full swing as she moved to emphasize her huge chest.


    "Sure I can." Soma said while pointing to Rossweisse who stiffened. "She is better than you in every possible way as far as I am concerned." Rossweisse felt a bit d and straightened even further, her movement making her chest stand out further and causing Odin to chuckle.


    Akeno just humphed and wanted to speak more when a loud bang was heard and Serafall''s fist hit the table.


    "This all doesn''t matter. What matters is what I will do to you for hurting my Sona-tan."


    "Try to touch him and I will stop you, Se-chan." Gabriel said with as much strength as she could put in her eyes, which amounted to make her look like an angry puppy.


    Serafall turned her re to Gabriel who didn''t flinch in the slightest at the re.


    "Catfight! Catfight!" Azazel cheered on the side seeing this, causing Tobio to sigh and Vali to pretend he wasn''t rted to the idiot in any way.


    Odin just coughed in his hand to catch everyone''s attention before speaking up.


    "I see that little miss devil wants to kill the kid, but let''s leave that matter forter, shall we? What I want to ask is, what are you all willing to pay me to not spread the news that your asshole God is dead?"


    As these words fell none of the representatives of the Three Factions of Christianity wanted, or could, speak anything.


    After an ufortable silence, Serafall spoke.


    "It... depends. What would you want exactly? And do remember, even without God by our side we still are not weak and have several powerhouses so don''t try to bully us."


    What she said was fair, each of the Three Factions had some form of advantage that made fighting them hard. Heaven had Heaven''s System that gave them powerful healing powers and increased their light affinity and powers considerably. The devils had Ajuka and Sirzechs who could face most Gods without any fear. And the Grigory had the most advanced magic tech and had in their employ two Longinus and over two hundred Sacred Gears they collected over the centuries and several dozen users.


    Not that Odin seemed to care.


    "Humph, don''t act coy like that missy. The Christians are despised by most other Pantheons and if the information I got thanks to miss angel there gets out, well, you all are screwed."


    Gritting her teeth Serafall turned her gaze to Gabriel who didn''t seem to be paying attention, caring a lot more about looking inquisitively at Soma. It was to be expected though, since God''s death over a thousand years ago all the angels in Heaven were lost and Gabriel, in particr, was even more lost as she was the purest of them all. As such, the fact that Soma was able to use God''s power, even if temporarily, was a shock like none other, and several wild ideas flickered in her mind.


    Heck, she even wondered if her father could have reincarnated as this human in some way, as ridiculous an idea as that would be.


    Azazel sighed and grumbled.


    "Damn northern-countryside piece of shit, ruining a perfectly good catfight."


    "Ha! As if I would let you enjoy such a nice sight, you cheeky fallen angel. If you weren''t around then I would make some popcorn and watch the show though." Odin said with a smirk.


    Azazel only rolled his eyes.


    "That is fair, I suppose. The feeling is mutual anyway." He said and then turned serious. "So? What do you want exactly? You came to this meeting because you wanted a peace treaty, just like us, and if you are still here even after knowing about this little secret, you must want a little extra for the treaty now."


    Serafall and Gabriel also turned their attention to Odin who just moved his hand through his beard a few times.


    "Well, I once thought of having a little fun time with several people from your factions, a good old orgy with perhaps 12 hot girls with huge tits and nice asses, maybe a virgin or two mixed in, but I thought better of it. After all, what if I make some of the girlies from your factions fall for me? It would be too much of a hassle to deal with that." Odin said, a power y to signify he could literally fuck with them if he wanted to, and all three leaders knew it was quite true.


    The most affected was Gabriel though since the sin of lust was forbidden to angels and having sex in any way would ensure an angel to fall except in the most extreme and specific circumstances. And, despite how pure she was, Gabriel understood how most males lusted for her and, if Odin made such a request, she might have even ended up on his bed.


    Thankfully, Odin was not being led by the head between his legs... right now at least. Thor and Loki had to have learned from someone, even if Loki''s bestiality kink being a bit much for the tastes of Odin.


    "What I want is rather simple, the information about runes that the interesting human over there has."


    As Odin''s words rang all eyes turned to Soma who frowned a bit.


    "Odin-sama, how do you know if my meager understanding of runes could help you in any way?"


    "Meagre? Bah, you either think me stupid or is just like to downy your abilities far too much, maybe both." Odin said while waving his hand. "When you first met my little valkyrie here I managed to see your bones and observe the runes carved there. They are a bit different from the ones I am used to and I want to learn more about them."


    Soma kept a rxed posture as he observed Odin.


    "I see, so you followed us while learning from me then?


    "Yes, and I even enjoyed a good show afterwards. Reminds me of my youth really." A lecherous smile on Odin''s face and Soma just chuckled while being rmed he missed Odin following him. A detection mystical code bing more and more essential for him by the second.


    Rossweisse''s face burning red at the revtion that she had a voyeur during her first time, and it was her boss to boot.


    ... She was telling her grandma about it.


    "Anyway," Soma spoke, ignoring the nces turned his way. "why should I go out of my way to help you learn what I know?"


    "Because if you don''t I will torture the information out of you... is what some of mypatriots would have said. No, I am not forcing you to do anything and, even if I am curious, I can see that forcing you to reveal any information would be quite troublesome and I would need to be careful you don''t give me poisoned information mixed amongst the truths. Dealing with fake information when trying new magic would be quite a hassle and cause more problems than I want, I would much rather make a proper exchange with you... but as I don''t feel like paying anything I will let the Christians pay the toll for my benefit and silence on their little secret."


    Soma smirked as he heard this and all three leaders of the factions felt like cursing. Now they were being forced to pay up to make another pantheon stronger, this was so messed up.


    "So, what exactly do you want? My forgiveness forying your hands on my So-tan?" Serafall said in irritation, having to y nice with someone who hurt her sister going against every ''big sister'' instinct she had.


    "Sure, that can be a start." Soma said with a shrug. If Momo didn''t be a servant against her will then he didn''t feel the need to escte things with the devils, he would do it if she was forced but since she wasn''t he would much rather not start a war he is likely to lose. "But, if I am to help you guys out I want a few other little things. Nothing too major."


    Soma then began listing a ratherrge list of materials and items he wanted, those the three factions could decide amongst themselves who would give what. Soma could guess that the three factions were desperate to keep this secret under wraps and this was a way Odin found to ingratiate himself with him or at least get the knowledge about Primaveral Runes for free.


    Soma didn''t mind Odin''s desires, if he was being paid well enough it was all good and he could extract a heavy toll for this anyway. With a smirk, Soma thought of getting all those materials, especially what they would represent.


    While he was on the Throne some of the heroes only agreed to teach him if he promised to fulfil their dreams when they got back to earth. One such example was the reason why Soma was requesting so many materials now, and if hepleted it then he would most likely not need to fear anything below the Gods themselves.


    As Soma kept talking the faces of the three leaders grew a bit darker, this list of materials would cost a considerable fortune but it would still be a small price to pay for keeping their secret.


    But, it was only at the end that the true dagger came.


    "Now, considering I would be doing such arge favor for all three of you, I believe you each should give something of high value so as to make sure no one manages to skimp away with paying too little. How about this, the devils can give me all the parts you would have of dragon corpses, like any remains you might have from the two Heavenly Dragons considering you all did kill them together with the big G during your war. From the fallen angels, well, I want all your research regarding the Holy Sword Project. And from Heaven, I guess one of the Excalibur Fragments would be a nice gift, possibly Excalibur Blessing since it seems like the one that would suit me best."


    As these words rang all three faction leaders looked at him as if Soma was really ck hearted and far too greedy. Even Odin was sweating a bit since this price really was rather high, those were relevant for their entire factions so simply giving them away would be a hard pill to swallow.


    Soma didn''t care, he knew these people were desperate and needed his help, but he didn''t need their help nearly as much. And, as expected, they all agreed reluctantly, even if the Fallen Angels were not reluctant at all to give away that research, they weren''t the ones to pay for the experiment and just the ones to get their researchers after the Church decided to kill them off.


    After everyone agreed they all were made to sign a Geas to make sure no one would be cheated in regards to these values or have those things take too long to be sent out.


    With that settled the meeting ended with Odin saying he woulde to meet him during the weekend to learn about the primaveral runes. All the while Odin wasughing inside, he learned interesting information for future negotiations, got a whole new field of study to learn from, and will get closer to Soma who interested him quite a bit.


    It was a particrly productive day for Odin, that is for sure.


    As for the others, the three young kings had a lot to think about. Sona was thinking about how her apparent fianc¨¦ candidate was much more dangerous and powerful than she ever thought, which was terrifying and exciting in equal measures for the devil girl. Riser was thinking about how big Gabriel''s and Serafall''s Queen, Irene, breasts were as well as wondering how he couldpensate Soma for the help he gave when saving Ravel''s life. And Rias was thinking about how she would need to find some way to punish Soma for hurting her Peerage, not only Kiba but also making Issei sad and insulting Akeno like that.


    Azazel was whistling a happy tune in his head, he would have to pay a bit of a price but nothing that he couldn''t deal with and he was d to have found someone who seemed to have a whole new understanding of Sacred Gears. In his mind, he had to wonder about ways to entice Soma to work with him in creating new Sacred Gears, he had hit a road block of sorts and some fresh blood might be just what he needs to make his pet project that much more sesful


    Gabriel was barely even thinking about the meeting, instead she could only think about... about that power, that light. For so long she hasn''t felt her father''s presence in any way and she has longed for it every day since he perished, that a person now could use that power was not just a shock to her. It was a spark of hope as she wondered what else he could do and what he could mean moving forward, she even had the thought that this human might be rted somehow to her father. A reincarnation maybe, she could not say anything conclusive and would need her brother''s input to decide anything.


    Tobio had nothing to say as he didn''t overly care about this meeting, while Vali was annoyed since Albion keptining him about someone desecrating his body since the Devils got the body of Albion. After the deaths of both Heavenly Dragons, the fallen got the body of Draig, and Heaven got their souls that God used in the two Longinus, a tentative split of the spoils of the fight against the two beasts. Personally, Vali was a bit interested in Soma but decided to not challenge the human yet as he didn''t yet show himself strong enough to be worth a challenge.


    But seriously, one would expect a dragon stronger than most Gods wouldn''t bitch so much about his former body being put to some use. It was almost as irritating as the times when Albion asked Vali to go and piss all over the body of Draig just so the white dragon could mock his rivalter on.


    As for Serafall, she was incredibly irritated that she couldn''t kill Soma for hurting her precious little sister, it was beyond infuriating that she could not do so. As she could not kill him she decided to change mindset and approached her little sister first.


    "So-tan, I am so d you are safe!" Serafall said, hugging Sona affectionately while rubbing their cheeks together. Sona wanted to pull away, but she was not strong enough to force her sister''s arms away from her when she got this clingy.


    "Sister, let me go." Sona said as she continued to struggle. After a bit Serafall finally let go of Sona.


    Carefully she put a hand on Sona''s neck where a bruise was still visible. If one knew how many tens of thousand of devils, young and old, died by these blood-soaked hands they would be hard-pressed to believe in the gentleness with which Serafall was touching these bruises on her precious little sister.


    "Sorry." Serafall said.


    "Huh?"


    "You got injured like this and I wasn''t fast enough to stop it, and now I can''t even get revenge for this since that old jerk still must get the knowledge from that infuriating person." Serafall said and Sona shook her head.


    "Sister, don''t worry. It is not all that bad really, and besides, all things considered, this was for the best."


    "The best? How could you getting hurt be for the best?!" Serafall shouted in disbelief at these words.


    "Because he was the one who beat me in chess and is currently the only viable candidate I have for marriage. Even if I got injured like this, it is nothing permanent and now all secrets are in the open, and getting closer to him to see if things can work out would be much simpler." Sona said, notmenting about the added fact that she quite liked she was not being made to marry a weakling.


    She might prioritize intelligence, thinking of marrying a stupid brute being worst than death itself for Sona, but the thought of having to marry someone utterly weak went against her every instinct as a devil. Devils loved and put the most importance on strength, and Sona was no different.


    As for Serafall, she froze as she heard this and the temperature around her started to drop rapidly as murder shed across her eyes. Damn those contracts, Serafall would NEVER allow her little baby sister to be taken by that brute.


    She was just about to go kill the boy when her Queen used her staff to hit Serafall''s head.


    "Ouch. What gives, Irene-chan?"


    "Simple, you were about to do something stupid due to emotion. As your Queen, of course I would stop you." Irene said while crossing her arms below her impressive chest. "If you stop to think about it for even a minute you would find several reasons as to why killing that boy is a terrible idea. Think, Serafall, think."


    Serafall grumbled as she didn''t need a minute to see the several issues killing Soma would have. Not only in breaking the Geas that was just signed, but the fact that Soma was clearly close to the Phenex which are the richest family and produces an indispensable and beyond valuable resource, and not to forget that killing him would be seen as the Maou Leviathan interfering in the internal matters of House Sitri and killing a potential son-inw of the house.


    "I still won''t ept him! You hear me, there is no way I can ept such a person!" Serafall said while looking up.


    ///---///


    Getting back home Soma began to wonder. With the materials, he was getting he should be able toplete a few of his projects, but the best part was that Azazel would be sending some of the materials the next day.


    Soma smiled at it since those would be enough for him to produce at least four Kaleidosticks. One for Momo, obviously, and the others he could probably give to Aya, Mittelt, and Kiyoharu as those three would also need the help in the protection department.


    Besides, Soma would want those three''s help moving forward if at all possible and, as that old fucker Zelretch liked to say, the strongest force out there is Magical Girls!


    ... That Soma only knew how to make Kaleidosticks that would turn someone into a magical girl was merely a detail, of course. Not at all being the main reason why he had to convince himself that making his cousin dress into a short and quite sexy costume that had a tendencies to sh the panties was the right choice.


    Nope, the two arepletely unrted.


    ///---///


    AN


    Long ass chapter, over 6k words for fucks sake.


    Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it.

 Chapter 27 - 26 - Interlude

    Aya''s P.O.V.


    This, this is all too much. ??


    Since the day that woman showed up and almost killed my mother everything has been upside down. It was so terrifying, I felt like I would die then and there, and even after I somehow survived and Soma-Kun helped my mother, things were still bad.


    When Soma-Kun and Mittelt-san exined to me about the supernatural I was shocked. All the myths and legends, all the Gods and religions, they all existed.


    But, the worst part was when they exined to me about Sacred Gears, about how they were items made by the Christian God and given to humans as blessings to be able to survive and thrive in this world.


    "Blessed? How am I blessed?" I muttered to myself while walking down the streets back home. Well, it was Soma''s home but I am living there now, and just thinking about it made me wonder if perhaps I was blessed in the end.


    Soma told mom all about the supernatural as well and gave her a proposition. If she wanted to go back to living in her old house with me she could, he would set up defensive measures around our house and everything, but if we wanted to we could live in his house instead and Mom would work as a cook in the house.


    She wanted to say no, but Soma made a promise of payment that was three timesrger than mom and Jirou''s usual sry put together, and she only had to make the meals and take care of the kitchen. It was a lot less work and thankfully mom epted the deal.


    We can go anywhere in the house, except for the basement or, as Soma-Kun likes to call it, his workshop/man cave.


    I can''t help but smile though, Soma-Kun is so nice and gentle, he even said he would help me with training how to use this Sacred Gear of mine starting today since he wanted a break from some work he was doing in his workshop.


    I am sure it will be fine.


    ///---///


    It is NOT fine!


    "Come on, you either shoot or dodge." Soma said as he kept throwing small balls at me. These balls were made to be very painful on impact even if they did not actually hurt.


    BANG


    BANG


    BANG


    I kept shooting all the balls I could, but there were too many and they came too fast.


    Running and trying to dodge was the best I could do, I felt like an FPS game character from that game Mittelt-san lent me to y for a bit.


    "Pay attention to your surroundings." Soma said and suddenly I fell into a trap that suspended me in mid-air, it was a very simple trap but I could not get out of it now.


    Aiming the gun at myself I imagined myself a few feet away and shot. Instantly I was where I thought about it, but I fell face first since I forgot to imagine myself in the right position.


    "Ouch." I said while rubbing my nose, it was bleeding now. Why did my gear had to be this specific about its uses?


    The balls stopped and Mittelt came quickly.


    "Here, let me see." She said as the rings on her hand did their magic, my nose injury and the scraps on my body healed rapidly.


    "Thanks." I said while standing back up.


    "You should take it easy." Mittelt-san said. "You are already very tired and have been practicing with your gear for over an hour now. It should be enough."


    I shook my head at her words.


    "Thanks for worrying, but I can''t do that. I am too weak right now, but I want to be of use to Soma-kun, to be able to help him when he needs it. And if I want to do that I must at least not be an inconvenience for him." I said seriously.


    Mittelt-san just shook her head and sighed.


    "Well, I won''t be stopping you even if I think this is a bit stupid. But, I don''t hate it either." She said with a light smile as she stood up and looked at me with a bright smile. "Hey, after this how about we go y some games?"


    "Oh, how about if we y Mario Kart again?"


    "S-Sure, just make sure to not use that blue shell of death so much." Mittelt said and I chuckled.


    "No promises." I said with a smile to my friend.


    Smiles, friends, ying, all these things that I thought were not for me now are, I belong here and I won''t be letting this go no matter what!


    ///---///


    Kiyoharu''s P.O.V.


    "You creep! Boy''s can''te into the girl''s bathroom!" An annoying girl shouted after she saw me just cleaning my hands in the sink. her friend beside her nodded her head.


    Look, I honestly have no interest in either of you two so can''t you just leave me already?


    "Get the hell out!" Yeah, yeah, I heard that before.


    "Can''t believe this is happening." Atst, they left it at that, this time. I sighed in relief.


    Not of their insults, I have had to deal with those for so long that it isn''t even funny.


    It was to calm her down.


    CLICK


    One of the stalls doors opened and a red-faced and ring Ravel came out.


    "I can''t believe those two. I SOOOO want to beat them up for offending you, Ki-chan."


    I smile a bit as I hear what she said, it is nice to have friends.


    Regardless, I shake my head at Ra-chan''sment and wave it off.


    "Forget it, I am used to this sort of thing." I said honestly.


    "Humph, why didn''t you just go ahead and use your gear on them?" She inquired.


    I simply smile as I exin.


    "Ra-chan, I do have a nid out already and in effect, you know?"


    "Huh?"


    "Yes, once they grow up, have stable jobs, find someone they love, and reach their happiness... that is when I will take all the happiness from them."


    I already set it all up, leaving orders in their brains for when they reach what they consider the apex of their lives. They will ruin it all themselves, they will do everything to ruin all happiness and satisfaction they achieved after years, and years, and years of effort to reach that point, and they are not allowed to kill themselves or anything like that either, they have to be punished properly and not skip on it.


    Ravel shivered a bit at my smile.


    "K-Kyo-chan, you can be quite scary sometimes."


    I just shrugged.


    "I imagine. Anyway, do you want to go hang outter? We could invite Aya-chan and have a girl''s night out."


    Ravel just shook her head.


    "Sorry, I can''t. My King wants to do group training and she seems to have remembered I am a part of her peerage."


    "Well, that is too bad. Maybe next time? Oh, we could invite Soma as well and go to an arcade or karaoke." I said happily, and Ravel nodded before we began moving along.


    I am just happy these days. After everything became clear and we could all talk openly the mood became different in our group but I enjoyed this honesty more.


    And for this sort of peace, for friends that like me for me, I can and will do anything.


    Anything.


    ///---///


    Rossweisse''s P.O.V.


    It was quite a weird chain of events that led to this situation.


    Originally I was just supposed to be guarding Odin-sama, as was my duty, while Soma taught him about those runes he knows. I stood guard while Soma exined about the runes, and it was fascinating.


    I was always quite a bit of a, well, a nerd about magic. It is not for nothing that I managed to be the youngest Valkyrie ever, I have a great passion for magic.


    Regardless, when the lessons were over and we were about to leave, Odin-sama gestured for me to stop.


    "Rossweisse, do you have nothing better to do than watching me go to a strip club next, do you really intend to waste the chance of going out with the only man that seems to have wanted you?"


    I was irritated and saddened at his words. Back in the Valkyrie Academy, I had no friends, and the heroes of Asgard didn''t like me much either saying I was too young... or just not being interested in a ''know it all'' like me.


    I wanted to protest as tears gathered in my eyes at having myck of luck with men pointed out to me.


    "Well, we could just go out tonight then." Soma said as he stepped close to my side. Looking at his handsome face I blushed and wanted to protest when he continued. "Working non-stop wouldn''t be healthy either way and my body modifications now are simple enough that being on a date wouldn''t interfere with the process. Besides, I would like some fancy food once in a while and Riser gave me a credit card that I would like to test out. How about it, we could just go as we are and buy some clothes and whatnot on the way?"


    I just blushed and nodded, is this what being pampered feels like? Is this why the older Valkyries kept bragging about back in the academy? If so, I can understand since the feeling of appreciation is great.


    We went around town for a while, visiting several boutiques. He let me decide what to buy and I ended up buying more than my normal.


    After selecting a lot of things without paying much attention to the value I went to the cashier and the prices started umting.


    GULP


    This... this is quite a lot, huh?


    "The total value is 1.2 million yen, would you like anything else, miss?" The cashier said and I felt like passing out, this is far too much.


    "Well, that is not quite what I expected." Soma said,ing beside me with just a simple suit on his armspared to my multiple outfits.


    "I, I can exin. I, I, I did not see the prices well and-"


    "Rossweisse, it is fine. This sort of thing happens and I said it, didn''t I? You can go and buy as much as you want, money is not an issue here." Soma said and I gave a weak smile before epting it, while he told the clerk to mail all of them apart from the one she will be using to my address. I changed into one of the said outfits, a simple white dress with some rose designs on the side.


    It felt quite nice to use and it was also very beautiful, as I got out of the changing room and saw him all dressed up as well. We both went to a fancy restaurant downtown, there were a lot of things avable that I never heard about but I wanted to taste them all.


    We drank and ate freely while we talked andughed at some of each other''s stories. It was all so interesting and we just kept drinking and making merry.


    As the night progressed and it was close to the time to end this date, my first true date, I felt himing closer.


    No, bad Rossweisse, you must resist the temptation. You can''t just let him take advantage of you again, what would dear grandma say?


    ''Babies! Babies! Babies!''


    Huh? Why did I have the distinct impression grandmother would not help me in this situation?


    No, I must be strong. I must-


    ... I did it again?


    What is wrong with me? It was supposed to be just a simple date, so how did we end up sleeping together again? Bashing my head against the wall while taking a bath after this short marathon, onlysting for five hours straight, I have to wonder.


    What is wrong with me?


    "Room for one more?" Soma enters the bath behind me, pressing against me. I try to say no to his advances. To be strong!


    ... I failed.


    ///---///


    Issei''s P.O.V.


    This is terrible.


    Since that meeting a few days ago the mood in the club has gone from bad to worse. Buchou has been angry every day, Akeno-senpai has been distant as if thinking about something, and that bastard Kiba has returned and spends most of his time brandishing his sword against some rocks in anger. Only Ravel-chan seems to be well, but that isn''t reallyforting since she is only like that because of being friends with that bastard.


    I want to punch him for making everyone sad, but Buchou won''t allow it. Something about politics or something, I don''t really understand it, but she made it clear I can''t go after him.


    Listlessly walking through the halls during lunchtime I see my two friends, a smile appears on my face as I approach them. I was so lucky to have found true friends like Motohama and Matsuda, they were the first friends I''ve met since Irina-kun that I could talk normally with.


    "Hey, Issei, help us decide something." Motohama said as I approached.


    "Sure, what is it you need my help with?"


    "Listen, the question is simple. Which is better, widows or lolis with knee-socks?" Matsuda said, the girls passing by sending us dirty looks.


    Fools, don''t they understand we are discussing some of the great truths of the universe here?


    "I already said, lolis are the best. That small chest promising bountiful harvest, that innocence, the face, being called ''onii-chan'', it beats any old hag who is used goods. Besides, the knee-socks emphasize their toned little legs and give a hint of lewdness to them, which makes them even better!" Matsuda said confidently.


    "Used goods? You gigantic idiot, they are the better option for sure! They are experienced and are so lonely, they have mature bodies that carry reality instead of a shaky future! They are plumper in all the right ces and would be more willing to put in the effort!" Motohama said, him and Matsuda ring at one another.


    I listen to both of them, they both make perfect sense to me and neither is wrong in how great either opinion is, but...


    "You both are missing the bigger picture." I say confidently, making both my friends turn to me. Smirking at my imminent triumph, I speak. "Of course the best one is that they are girls and thus have OPAI."


    The two look at me and soon the two sp hands, masculine tears streaming down their faces.


    "He is right, my friend. We were missing the point." Motohama said.


    "Yes, I agree. Either one of those is good, because in either case, they are erotic." Matsuda said and I too felt some tears of pride glistering in my eyes. These friends of mine are truly perfect.


    After our little moment, and ignoring a girl passing us by and calling us ''perverts'' for whatever reason, Matsuda turned to me.


    "Friend Issei, what is the reason for you to look down like that?" Motohama said and I sighed.


    "It is nothing, just, well, some bastard has made the guys in the ult research club sad." I said, I can''t really exin much but that would be enough.


    "What? Who ] made our two great Onee-samas sad?" Motohama eximed.


    "I will punch whoever did that? And is he the one responsible for Koneko-chan noting to school these days?" Matsuda questioned.


    I scratch my chin in thought. In a way he was rted, if you squint your eyes enough, then yes... I guess.


    "Somewhat." I say and the two seemed filled with righteous fury.


    "Who is it? We must teach him a good lesson!" Matsuda said, flexing his muscles.


    "He is in middle school and is the cousin of Hanakai-sempai." I say and two''s eyes turned fiery.


    "Yosha! We will go teach this little punk a lesson for doing so many terrible things!" Motohama said and Matsuda joined in, with me doing the same and going with the flow.


    We were about to strategize when a smallmotion caught our attention.


    "What''s going on?" I question as I approach to see what is happening.


    And, right over thereing over, was the bastard. He wasing to this ce as if he owned it and I could see how the girls swooned over him, but I couldn''t see what the big deal was.


    I mean, he is very muscr, has white hair that is quite different from the rest of us, has quite a wild air around him, acts like a punk, and is wearing a few rings, two nes, and a few earrings.


    Why are the girls acting like he is some hot shit, with some of them even calling him the ''white mysterious prince of Kuoh''?


    I turn to my friends and notice that Matsuda is not quite as confident anymore.


    "... We might need to think more on what our n to take him down should be." He says and all three of us nod. This guy is taller than us, richer than us, more influential than us, and he looks a lot more intimidating than us as well.


    We look on as we see Sona approaching him and he soon follows her. I then notice someone around Sona that was ring at him and a small smirk appears on my face. We may have more allies than we thought in taking down this bastard.


    ///---///


    Riser''s P.O.V.


    "So, we agree on the colors of the napkins?" A demon of the ninthyer of hell spoke as I groaned a yes.


    Fucking dammit, why do I have to take care of all this shit? Wasn''t it supposed to be a bride''s responsibility to take care of preparing for the engagement party and the wedding?


    But, when I talked to the queen bitch about it, she just said she wouldn''t marry me for what must be the 800 times and dumped all this work on myp. Now here I am, doing my duty in this engagement I don''t like either, and having to spend a perfectly good day deciding on seating arrangements for the guests and the colors of every single little thing.


    And why did I have to let Yubellunae along again? I just wanted to let everyone sit whatever way they wanted and to let everything be red and golden, the colors of House Phenex. If the queen bitch doesn''t want to help make the preparations then she will have to be surrounded by the colors of my house including a big picture of myself half-naked covering the wall... or that was the n.


    But Yubelluna wouldn''t let me ''ruin my image'' or whatever, so she came along and is making me do the actual work.


    "Now, for the tabletops. Should we go with simple white or mountain peak white?" The organizer said and I groaned.


    I must be diplomatic or something, because they look exactly the fucking same.


    "Let''s go with mountain peak white then." I say.


    "Are you sure? Simple white is the one trending right now." The woman says and I feel a desire to burn this bitch to a crisp.


    "Then go with that one." I say while gritting my teeth. This is getting absurd, why can''t I just choose the appetizers and drinks served (by tasting them all, of course)? If it was just that then this would at least be somewhat entertaining, instead of this hell.


    At least I know that Yubelluna promised to do that thing with her tongueter if I do this, it is the only thing giving me the strength and will to stay in this ce.


    Closing my eyes I concentrate on the other thing that gives me strength, namely the fact that I am having my bachelor party in a few days. I wonder if bro would want toe along? He seems like he would be down to party, but I need to ask him first, and if he would ept being my best man for this thing.


    I have other male friends I knew for longer, but none of them saved my sister''s life and managed to put queen bitch in her ce quite so well, and the fact that the fallen bitch had when her bullshit was called was great as well. Just for those, I can''t think of a better person to be there with me on that day, just need to ask him. Plus it would piss off the queen bitch, which she deserves after making me go through this.


    Organizing a wedding party is not something a man like me can enjoy whatsoever, and I will have my revenge!

 Chapter 28 - 27

    "Put that crate over there. No, not there, you stupid piece of rock, THERE!" I said, pointing to the stupid golem who at times seemed unable to answer to even simplemands.


    How did master Avicebron manage to make it seem so effortless? ??


    ... Because he was a genius, I wager.


    My skills in making golems don''t lose out by much against him, but I can''t seem to control them as effortlessly no matter how many years I spent on it.


    Regardless, I am pleased enough with my current skills in making golems, and with the materials that arrived. I can do a lot of them. And I made a considerable number of golems by using a production line.


    Yep, I fucking industrialized magic, and it is glorious.


    Truly, while God fucked up with most of his trinkets, Dimension Lost is a good catch. It works wonders as a storage facility and a ce to make bigger constructs and more ''questionable'' experiments.


    Well, how questionable the experiments actually are, depends on the perspective of the one seeing them.


    Now my workshop is divided into two areas. The one located in the basement of the house where I do the nning and more meticulous and detailed work, in it I can do my enchanting and forging the best due to the excess mana in the air. Not only that, but it also is where I can train my body as well as continue my studies on Heaven''s Feel.


    Meanwhile, inside Dimension Lost is where I produce my golems, where I am preparing my masterpiece, and is also where I put myb for homunculus creation as well as the living experiments. Well, not really living since in most cases I am studying the corpses of the stray devils and the sacred gear users killed a few days back.


    Regardless, none of that is what is keeping my focus at this current moment. Instead, I am wondering about the body of Albion I''ve got and all its uses.


    When I got the body of the heavenly dragon I had a good n. I intended to bury it underneath my house deep underground where the leylines would pass through it as to redirect them into my house and make this whole ce brimming with mana to as high a degree as possible. With this mana in the air, any bounded field would be possible for me to construct, and their capabilities would be that much higher.


    Basically, I intended to make my house be a power spot simr to the Clock Tower that teacher Bartomelloi talked about, a ce of magic that survived even the human age. The bounded fields there were strong enough that even Servants would need to use their Noble Phantasm several times if they hoped to breach it, but that was its defense in the age of man and under the strong influence of Aya and Gaia, where all magecraft is weakened considerably.


    This world is in the Age of the Gods and the influence of Aya and Gaia is minimal at best, if it even exists in most ces. The effect of the corpse of Albion is even more absurd than the one used for the clock tower, as for the power of the bounded fields I set up thesest few days? The bounded fields that used fresh mythical materials like feathers of angels and fallen angels, the blood of a heavenly dragon, and things like pieces of several mythical beasts and several rare gems, well...


    I think only someone like that stuck-up golden prick using his precious sword could break what I''ve built here or something equally as absurd.


    That n worked splendidly, my house is now as good as a ''holynd'' for magic users as far as I can tell, but the thing is, in the end, I didn''t need to use ALL the body for this ce to reach this degree. I still have some pieces that are ''avable'' since they wouldn''t improve the conditions of this ce.


    I am under no delusions that Leviathan forgave me for hurting her sister, nor that crazy blond woman that, ording to Riser works for Leviathan, will let her defeat go. I need to have suitable countermeasures for when they try something as well as the retaliation of the Hero Faction.


    Since my masterpiece will take a while to properly form (which is a shame) I must make my own personal preparations until then. First, I need to reattach my severed arm properly, now that the modifications are done. For that, I go to Mittelt that has the Twilight Healing (that ended up with me not needing to trade away, thankfully) and ask for her help.


    "Go back and wait with the rest," I order the golem who walks back to the gateway I''ve made to Dimension Lost.


    That gear was much more interesting than I expected and makes me wonder if God was mentally retarded to give it to others just like that.


    ... He most likely was either stupid or stupidly nice, it is one or the other if he gave that away.


    After I stabilized it to a single location, I felt very satisfied with its results. Doing so meant I couldn''t pop it up anywhere I wanted or have its ''absolute'' defense (sure didn''t help Georg there, the dumbass), but the space stability after I did that increased and now it has an internal ''continent'' about the size of Tokyo, and it is still growing as the mana in the air is fed to it and the space stabilizes further. And with my house having so much energy constantly flowing in it, the ''continent'' is still growing without signs to stop.


    Losing an ''invincibility'' shield for what might one day be a world of my own? A good enough trade, I would say. Especially since there is that whole ''rule'' for invincibility.


    Invincible, invincible, invincible, dead.


    After the golem leaves, I move to where Mittelt is and only to find her and Aya are ying some dancing game.


    "Hah, hah, hah, why did I lose again? What is your secret?" Mitteltins as sweat runs down her face. She couldn''t understand how she lost 17 times in a row to Aya despite the human girl looking like skin and bones.


    "Hehe, I don''t know. It justes naturally." Aya said with a small smile.


    Mittelt was about to retort when I spoke up.


    "Let it go, Mittelt. Aya is what one would call a genius, people like that are unfair in their areas of specialty." I spoke from experience, things that the Heroic Spirits in the Throne took just ten years at most to learn what would easily take him ten times that, if I was that fast. And the most infuriating was that, in the end, my results many times were not quite as perfect as the original.


    Ayaughed at Mittelt''s pouting. The two have be closer friends as days passed despite not having much inmon.


    "Anyway, Mittelt, I need your help with something." I said and the fallen girl approached.


    "Sure, what is it, boss?" Mittelt asks, she has perspiration on her face and seems tired, but a happy smile on her face. It is quite cute really.


    "I finished the modifications for my arm a few days back but forgot to imnt it back, help me out would you?"


    As I said so I presented my arm to Mittelt who took it in her hands... and almost fell to the floor due to the weight of it.


    "What the? Why is it this heavy?" Sheined as she readjusted herself.


    "I did some small tweaks to it." I said easily enough, thinking about all the modifications I did. I am quite proud of the changes I''ve done to it. Mittelt chose not toment, she most likely just put it under the ''not human'' file she has made for me in her mind. It is a bit offensive she would do that, but whatever.


    It would make some sense, I guess. After all, that arm weighs about 42 times what a normal arm should for that size. It is still human DNA there though, even if a bit modifiedpared to originally, so it is still 100% human.


    After putting it back in position Mittelt used her Twilight Healing to fix the ''injury'' that separated the two parts. It took about four times as much as a normal procedure should, but that is fine as well. When the two connected Mittelt was shocked when the shoulder that connected with my arm inted for a few moments and it seemed like it was about to explode, only for after a few seconds things went back to normal.


    "What happened?" Aya questioned worriedly and I just smiled.


    "Not much, just some changes I''ve done to my arm that tried to spread to my body before it was time. I just had to educate it a bit. I will probably need to put an enchanted tank top beneath my clothes to help keep it stable, but I believe it was well worth it." Clenching the fist of my modified arm I thought back to the man who inspired me for that change.


    That man was an ass most of the time, but his love for his martial art was unquestionable and the ''disease'' the man had would be very useful moving forward.


    Truly, the greatest Rikishi of all times is a man worthy of respect... despite his drinking and whoring problems.


    Mittelt only shook her head, most likely thinking all over again that my ''purely human'' schtick was pure nonsense. She thinks I never hear herining about it, but I have a very well-trained hearing so her grumbling has long since been noted. Well, her grumbling like that makes it very cute, almost like a bratty little sister, so I let it slide.


    And speaking of people I see almost like a little sister, Aya just asked if I wanted to y a round with her. I thought of saying no since I really am quite busy, but she has that puppy dog eyes now and I think back on that humiliating loss to her in our first meeting.


    Knowing my body and reflexes improved since then, my eyes burned with the challenge as I agreed to y with her. I would recuperate my honor and win this time for sure!


    ... I lost again.


    ///---///


    Comining in my heart about geniuses and how unfair they were, I came back to the workshop. With my arm now reattached I would no longer need to spend energy making an illusion of an arm when going to sses, which was nice.


    That I now had an arm that reached my ultimate ideal made me very happy as well, confidence surging in myself as I looked at a said body part.


    Moving along, I went to look at the materials I had on hand and the results of my research over these days.


    Picking up some sheets of paper I read them over and nodded my head at the readings.


    "It seems like it was as I expected, the Evil Pieces are items to manipte the soul and, by extension, the body of the ones under their influence." I muttered to myself as I saw theparisons of the results of the investigation.


    In summarization, the Evil Pieces have a total of three effects. Modification of the soul to that of a devil by ''tainting'' it with devil energy of its king, empowerment of the soul and by extension the body in a specific manner, and a failsafe in case the servant went against the king and ran away or killed the king, the failsafe being what makes those under its effects obtain monstrous forms.


    Sighing, I shook my head. I understood clearly enough what exactly each type of Evil Piece could make and the process behind it, it was to the point that I could outright make my own Evil Pieces if I ever wanted to (and had demonic energy, of course), but it was a dead end.


    His wish of empowering himself by abusing these pieces was a bust, they worked via tainting the soul and the soul would modify the body, but I knew that if I were to taint my soul with demonic energy I would not be able toplete Heaven''s Feel. Plus the tainting of the soul binds it to the boy, the opposite effect of Heaven''s Feel.


    Shaking my head I looked at the several pieces I managed to obtain after plenty of effort, and sighed. One route for more power was lost, just like that.


    Well, even if a door closes I still have plenty to explore.


    Nevertheless, I move along to my forge. Laid beside it was the materials that the golem had positioned for me.


    Specifically,rge amounts of rare metals and materials I obtained from the three factions of Christianity. With a smile, I start to put several metals into the forge. With some of the scales and the leather of Albion, I produced strong garments that protect me from the extreme heat required to melt the metals like I need them to, me Shaker and Wind Shaker are two sacred gears that I attached to the forge to let me manipte and increase the temperature inside to truly great degrees.


    I wonder if I might be wasteful in using sacred gears as merely utensils to make my own work more convenient... but God gave them away like candy to humanity so I might as well use those I get my hands whatever way I feel like.


    After the metals finished melting and mixing together I quench it in mercury to lower its temperature and to let some of the mercury mixes into the metal.


    Using a mix of magic, alchemy, and a rune array around the forge I was able to produce arge ingot of metal that is super heavy. Now I just need to hammer it down using more magic and alchemy to purify it and reduce its size without losing much of its weight.


    Using a magical forging technique I learned from the fairies as to make the metal fold in on itself to increase the density I start to chant in aplex manner while raining down strikes to the metal.


    The first several strikes are easy enough. After the fortieth strike, I could only use mypletely modified arm to obtain any results, the lump of metal now being around 70% of its original size. As I reached strike 70 I had to use reinforcement on my arm as I kept on hitting the metal, perspiration running down my forehead as I have had to change forging hammers several times now as the previous ones couldn''t handle the impact anymore even as I had them enchanted and under reinforcement.


    As the numbers increased the pressure from hitting the metal increased and I barely could move my arms as the numbers raised.


    Finally, after I reached 100 strikes I finished and copsed on the ground, satisfied. After a few minutes to recover my energy I looked at the results and raised it in my hand.


    I made myself a hammer. It was rtivelyrge, being one and a half meters tall with its head being at least 40 centimeters in diameter, but the most important thing wasn''t its size, but its weight.


    It weighed a total of two tons. This thing is absurdly dense, made of several rare metalspressed to the limit after being made into the heaviest alloy I knew about and during the forging used the smithing techniques of the fairies to make this all the more absurd for it. As I give it a few practice swings I can practically see wind pressure from its movements and that caused me to smile, but it is not yet enough.


    Putting a hand on its side I concentrate and use alchemy into it. I use it to carve runes into its exterior, changing its form costs me a lot of mana and I am d I have reserves of mana inside my bones by now.


    With these runes, the hammer''s durability, impact, and weight will increase yet again when the runes are activated. This weapon alone would be enough for me to crush the heads of many who coulde my way, but my focus in building this was not to make it into a weapon, but to use it to forge a weapon.


    Well in the end I still ended up building a powerful weapon of destruction, all to build more powerful weaponster on.


    Well, even if I say this hammer was made to help in the forging of other weapons, it is not like I can''t use this hammer forbat anyway. Back while I was in the Throne I visited the Shadow Lands a few times with teacher Scatatch and experimented with fighting with multiple weapons.


    I must say, the feeling of crushing a beast''s head with a swing of the weapon or sending it sttering on the ground is quite satisfying indeed.


    Anyway, with the hammer ready I look over the materials I have prepared and gave a nod to myself. I have several kilos of extremely pure holy metal, demonic metal, a few fangs of Albion, scales of Tiamat and Tanin, a horn of a unicorn, plenty of holy water blessed by the Archangels, demonic beasts blood, a part of the poison sac of Albion, orichalcum, adamantine, several rare gems I already embued with runic arrays, the dismantled Night Reflector for its materials (which includes the fragment of a soul of some vampire), andst, but not least, feathers of both Azazel and Gabriel.


    Any one of these items is hard to use and would have many applications, but I intend to see what I can aplish when I try my best with all of them. Putting on the Sacred Gear Perfector I obtained a few days back to increase my precision and hand movement I smirk. Oh, the possibilities!


    ///---///


    Riser decided to go see Rias today. Not because he liked her, but because he knew that his presence always made her miserable no matter what he did, and after she dumped all the preparations for the engagement ceremony in his arms he just wanted to make sure she was as miserable as he was.


    Petty, but he was a petty devil at times anyway.


    After arriving at Kuoh Academy it wasn''t long before Riser entered the ult Research Club. As he opened the doors without a care, he frowned at the scene inside, wondering why exactly such a scene was being presented to him and why no one informed him of it.


    After all, it was not every day that three church members came to town, especially when one of them was clearly holding a fragment of Excalibur.


    "So, my adorable Rias, what exactly is going on?" Riser questioned as he walked into the room, observing the people from the church. Arriving at Rias''s side he bent down and nted an obnoxious kiss on her cheek, making sure to make it extra noisy, before sitting on her table and turning his body to look over the neers.


    With a smug smirk on his face as he observed the mortified and infuriated look on Rias''s, whose ''prestige'' was ruined by his actions. It was the little things in life that gave the most pleasure, and irritating the redhead who made him suffer through five hours of choosing between white and slightly more white is one such pleasure.


    As Rias''s energy started to re, Ravel covered her own mouth and trembled inughter over the reactions of both her brother and her king; they truly were hrious.


    Taking a deep breath Rias spoke.


    "After thest meeting, it seems that Heaven decided to send some representatives to town again."


    Riser raised a brow and spoke.


    "I see... but isn''t the town counted as devil territory?"


    "Actually," One of the three church representatives spoke. "This town was rented to the Christian Pantheon originally, not specifically the devils. It only became more devil-oriented after thest incident involving a devil and an exorcist in town. But, after recent events and the dangers to humans in town shown over the past few weeks to have escted, the higher-ups decided to reestablish a force in town. The Shinto Pantheon epted us moving back in quite easily since, for them, we had just as much right to be here as you guys do."


    What the representative didn''t mention was that the REAL reason for them to have been sent over is not just that. If it was only the protection of civilians in a devil-rentednd in Shinto territory, then Heaven and the Church wouldn''t have bothered sending permanent representatives. The costs would be too high, the benefits too small, and they had a lot of territories already to watch over if you consider how muchnd they cover in America and Europe.


    However, after Gabriel sensed the power of her Father in Soma, she decided she needed to speak with her brothers about it and, in the meantime, she ordered for a suitable team to be sent to Kuoh. Their official mission was to watch over the town and protect the people there, but their real mission was to establish a good rtionship with Soma and protect him if needed.


    He was the first ''clue'' to God after his death, Gabriel did not want to risk it.


    Sirzechs was informed of this visit and the new arrangements by Serafall since she didn''t have the time to take care of this since some idiot devil decided to try and infiltrate the Heavenly Court to steal one of the Jade Emperor''s concubines to make her his Queen. Devils are reckless idiots and Serafall was the one that had to clean up their messes.


    Sirzechs was supposed to inform the kings responsible for the town about the meeting and make the arrangements for their talks, but he yed a little trick and made the representatives of heaven meet only with Rias instead of Sona and Riser. He intended to show how responsible she was and give her some achievements, even small ones, just so she still had a chance to challenge Riser for her freedom. He told this to Rias and exined everything, even that she should only inform Ravel at thest possible second to make sure she is unable to inform her brother.


    Devil politics, always overlyplicated and is more about posturing than anything else.


    Looking at the three representatives of the Church, Riser cursed that he had already gotten a candidate for a Bishop. Well, not like he regretted it, he got a striper with a powerful gear for Bishop, but still-


    ''Damn, those are huge.'' Riser thought as he looked at the representative.


    The representative is a beautiful young woman with an enormous chest that could put Akeno''s to shame, she wears a ck sister outfit that could not hide away her great figure whatsoever. With ash blonde hair and mesmerizing gray eyes with a tint of blue that could draw anyone in.


    It was almost a sin for a woman like that to be in the Church, it was just such a sinful body.


    The other two were also quite nice in their own ways, one having long chestnut hair in twin-tails and the other with a mix of white and ck hair, the former being older than thetter but both having an athletic feeling to them.


    Shaking his head to focus back on what is important, Riser put a hand on Rias'' shoulder that made her flinch and re at the intimate gesture, annoying Rias being more relevant than ogling girls he couldn''t fuck even if he wanted to.


    "I see." He spoke. "Well, if the higher-ups gave their consent I won''t say anything, just follow the basic rules. Don''t intervene in our contracts, don''t attack us, and the size of the skirts for nuns in town should be about the same as that of the Kuoh academy uniform." Riser said, making the nun tilt her head to the side.


    "Was there such a rule here?" She questioned.


    "Yes, it is a very important rule." Riser said with all seriousness and Rias was about to stop him when the nun nodded her head.


    "I- I see, if that is a trial that God has put in front of me then I shall ovee it." She said with a serious face and full of conviction. The one with twin tails put a hand in front of her mouth and said in surprise.


    "D-Did the rules change since I left the town? It is good that I don''t use a nun''s outfit, I would be too embarrassed."


    "Not like our clothes are much better, Irina-san." the ck and white girl said while rolling her eyes. "Besides, I am quite sure that there is no such rule about nuns using mini skirts, Mirana-san."


    "Even if that is so, Lint-chan, I still must ask the higher-ups about it." Mirana Shatarova said with a serious face, making Lint roll her eyes.


    "Yeah, and asking the guys who made the outfits for all female exorcists look like this and made sure to take several pictures to ''analyze'' will work out great." Lint said with her tone dripping sarcasm. The sarcasm just passed right through Mirana and Irina without either realizing it.


    "Well, yes." Mirana said.


    "I agree, I am sure they will set things straight about the facts for us." Irina said confidently.


    "... I am surrounded by idiots." Lint sighed. "Just a warning though, when they ask for a picture to ''update'' their documents, try to make it where your panties aren''t shown."


    Seeing that interaction Riser snorted in amusement.


    "If that is all, you can go to the abandoned church now. I and my peerage have other matters to attend to." Rias said, standing up as the nun and two exorcists nodded and left the room.


    After they left (and Riser admired their behinds, like a gentleman) Rias turned to Riser.


    "And why have youe here?"


    "Well, to see my adorable little bride, of course." Riser said in the sweetest tone he could, just because he knew it would annoy her.


    ... One cannot put into words the suffering of spending hours deciding between colors that look exactly the same and having their opinion doubted every single step of the way. As far as Riser is concerned, any annoyance Rias can suffer now can''tpare to the hell he went through.


    "... You have seen me, now leave. I have important matters to take care of." She said as she waved Riser away.


    "You wound my heart Rias, you really do. What, with how you act I almost think you might not like me." He said, making her grit her teeth.


    "We are leaving. Now!" Rias said to her Peerage as she pulled them along to a teleportation circle in the room, teleporting to a training ce in the mountains.


    Riser just chuckled seeing this and shook his head.


    "Poor idiot, actually thinks she can beat me with just a week of training." He said in mirth. "Maybe I should do some training as well, not because of her but because of how my new Bishop needs to learn more about her powers and a retreat for training would be a good excuse to forget about all this unpleasantness of the party preparations. I still don''t know why we couldn''t just go with a luau on a nudist beach, now THAT would be an engagement party worthy of me."


    He took a few steps, stopped, andughed. He remembered that, even if Rias won somehow, the engagement would still proceed regardless, as the repercussions of the church fiasco and her punishment are still in effect. Her winning would aplish nothing besides making her feel better, which was reason enough for Riser to not want her to get it.


    Seriously, how can there be so many types of flowers that look exactly the fucking same? She deserves to suffer extra humiliation for that stunt alone in Riser''s books.


    ///---///


    Meanwhile, Cao Cao was leading an exploration deep within Cocytus.


    With the loss of Georg and his Longinus, the Hero Faction no longer had a safe haven, a quick escape route, or a way for easy movement while ignoring the detection methods of others. This loss was huge for them and Cao Cao needed to find some way to recuperate from it, and soon, since the other factions inside the Chaos Brigade were starting to look at them as if they were a piece of meat to split between each other.


    The loss was especially huge since it happened right when they were nning their strike on the Grigory. Without that attack, the Hero Faction wouldn''t get the information they needed to make several anti-monster creatures using Annihtion Maker. That would directly impact the war potential Cao Cao envisioned for the future of his ambitions.


    As such, a new n was formted, and the reason why he was going down Cocytus.


    Cocytus, the prison of the supernatural world where the worst of the worst are sent, where those whomitted grave sins or caused mayhem are shipped off to never be seen again. And this was exactly where Cao Cao knew he could find those who could help him with his ambitions.


    Thankfully, Indra helped him get into the prison and the power of the True Longinus''s Bnce Breaker''s light was able to ward off the cold, but as he went deeper and deeper the cold was starting to prate Cao Cao''s light. It was truly a terrifying cold, but Cao Cao forged ahead as he pushed on, his resolve firm as diamond as he kept moving forward.


    Truly, he had the right mindset and potential to be a true hero, if only his personality and ideas were not trash.


    Reaching deep enough he saw his target, chains holding his arms to the wall as he kept his head down.


    "Hello, my name is Cao Cao, and I wonder how would you like to get out of here?" Cao Cao said confidently.


    The person at the wall chuckled before answering.


    "Don''t bother, brat. If I get out, then that fucker Shiva will just imprison me again." The man said with a dry chuckle.


    "Don''t worry about Shiva, I am allied with Indra who is at war with Shiva. He assured me that he would stop Shiva if he tried anything, and besides, Indra has already done what you failed to do, in killing the Asura Race." Cao Cao said, making the man he was talking to show a wide grin.


    "Oh, now that is some great news. Now no one can deny me as the true Asura of this world, this world just needs one such demon, after all." The man said as he turned to look at Cao Cao for the first time, their eyes meeting as they observed one another.


    After a bit, the man smirked.


    "Very well, and am I to follow you until your death?"


    "That is the n. And I do believe you wouldn''t be troubled to follow someone for a measly few decades over needing to stay locked up for the next few thousands of years." Cao Cao said.


    The man thought for a while before nodding.


    "Very well, I shall follow you until the moment you die. But, I will tell you now, if you even think about trying to betray or kill me, I will hang you by your entrails." The man said and Cao Cao nodded. Using his spear he broke the chains that were holding the man up, who then got up from the ground and began to stretch right then and there.


    Cao Cao was surprised that someone who got stuck in this ce for thest five thousand years freezing could stand up and stretch so easily, truly a monster just like Indra informed him about when asking for suitable helpers in his crusade.


    The man then looked at Cao Cao for a bit before speaking.


    "We should move along, if you are offering a way out for those who hate Gods besides Indra and his followers and would be willing to work for a few decades in exchange for freedom, then there are a few others around here that would be willing."


    Cao Cao just observed him for a bit before nodding.


    He wasn''t exactly happy about it, but hecked options. Obtaining new recruits when the Hero Faction couldn''t use mind control on their members was hard. And besides, if there are more like Silkwat Jenaza, humans who stepped on the way to divinity by their own powers and are already half immortals, well...


    It would be worth it, right?

 Chapter 29 - 28

    Having finished putting away all their equipment and setting up in the abandoned church the trio of representatives were at a loss.


    "This ce is... How to say it?" Mna said with a troubled expression, not knowing how to describe the abandoned church well. ??


    "A trash bin." Lint said what all of them were thinking but none wanted to admit.


    The abandoned church really was a trash bin, with no redeeming aspect to it besides the soil counting as holy ground. The walls were dpidated, there was a thick iron scent of blood in the underground chambers, the trees and vegetation around were wild and had no beauty to it, and every symbol of the church inside was broken or twisted in some way.


    It was a truly terrible sight for the three girls, and none knew what to do about it precisely or even knew how to interact well with one another.


    That is because they each came from a different branch of the church, with Linting from the Vatican Holy Church, Irinaing from the Anglican church, and Mnaing from the Orthodox Russian Church. The church might be an organization working under Heaven, but it was not a singr monolith of strength, it had many internal groups and littlemunication between said groups.


    How could these three interact well with one another? All they could do was try to be civil and learn about each other.


    "So, we should decide the chores. If we want to see this ce back in order we need to fix the church back up." Miriana said and pped her hands. As she did so they heard and saw a group of rats passing by right behind them and they all shivered in disgust.


    They might all be experienced fighters who had seen plenty of blood and death before, but rats are disgusting and no one can deny that.


    "Sounds great, but I was thinking about the delivery for Mr. Hanakai. Gabriel-sama did tell us to deliver Excalibur Blessing to him and I know the town better so... cya." Irina said and tried to dart away, hoping to avoid for as long as possible having to deal with disgusting rats and cockroaches.


    Unfortunately, she wasn''t the only one with such a thought and the other two were quick to follow, none of them willing to take care of any of it by themselves. In their minds, they wereining about having to fix such a ce and wondering if they couldn''t outsource the cleaning of the ce.


    They would prefer to fight a giant stray devil spewing acid over having to deal with this ce, that was how much they didn''t want to deal with the infestation of rats and other vermin in the church.


    And, just like that, all three went together ''harmoniously'' to Soma''s house.


    ///---///


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    Knocking on the gates of Soma''s house the three waited for a moment until someone opened the gate.


    "Hello, who is it?" questioned Mami as she opened the door wearing a frilly dress simr to that of a maid.


    After having had ''Trois'' removed from her mind Mami still had the memories of what happened. After calming down, with the help of Kiyoharu, she thought about what she could do moving forward. On one hand, she did not want to remove her gear since she was afraid someone mighte after her for what she, as Trois, had done. On the other hand, she did not want to be turned into anything else, as she had seen during her time as Trois how devil servants can be treated, or risk being captured by the Hero Faction again, which was likely to happen if she left just like that.


    Due to theck of better options, she asked Soma for help after Kiyoharu suggested it. After hearing her plea he gave her a simr deal to the one he gave Mittelt and Rintaro.


    She would work for him in what she was suitable for only, never sent on suicidal missions, or those which go against her moral code or that counted as sexual in any manner, she would also always be given the best of equipment avable and suitable for the mission. In exchange for working for Soma and following orders, she would have his protection, he would help her with what she would want, and he would make her stronger.


    For her that was a great idea so she epted the deal, now being a permanent member of this house.


    And as for why she was wearing a maid outfit, well, in her own words ''I look cute like this''. She was not an actual maid of the house, she simply enjoyed cosying as one due to liking the look and taking some pictures before posting online on social media, she even had several thousand followers by now and took great pride in it.


    "Hello, we are from the church and-"


    "Sorry, not interested." Mittelt came from behind Mami, and closed the door in their face.


    Mami turned to Mittelt and raised a brow.


    "Mittelt-san, that was rather rude."


    "Don''t care, I don''t like them." Mittelt said petntly. She really didn''t like people from the church.


    She was hunted down by them many times and was kicked out of heaven simply because she followed all orders and questioned the why of the Great War. For an organization like it, she only has contempt and anger so having them inside this house that she was starting to consider more like a home than anywhere else for a long while.


    "Even so, do you really want to risk irritating Soma-san? We should ask him what he thinks about these visitors, right?" Mami said and Mittelt looked irritated at her answer.


    "Fine, do as you please. But they stay in the living room and you watch over them, if they try anything you kick them out." Mittelt said before turning and leaving the gates.


    Mami shook her head at Mittelt''s overreaction before putting on a gentle smile and opening the door.


    On the street, all three church members were ying rock paper scissors to decide who would stand here in the shade for a chance to talk with Soma when he leaves the house, and who are the two unlucky ones that will have to go back to start the cleaning. One cannot understate how none of this trained fighters did not want to spend their afternoon cleaning rubble while breathing the stink of piss and blood of that church right now.


    As the door opened the three tried to look dignified, but Mami just gave a ''kind'' smile that felt mocking for some reason and invited them inside.


    When they stepped inside they froze for a moment, none of them were magic users but they could still feel the magic energy in the air, it was so dense that it was almost visible, and with a breath they could feel their reserves of energy spent during the travel and tiredness of the day being refreshed.


    "I didn''t know a ce like this existed here." Irina said in shock, her family was one of the ones responsible for the town in the past so she has lived here during her early childhood, but she had never heard of a ce like this before.


    Even the Vatican, when she visited, did not have this dense a magical energy in the air. It was somewhat close, but still not this dense and that was a ce made by Heaven who did not shrink away from any expenses in making it.


    "Ara, ara, it seems like it surprised you guys. Don''t worry, this ce was modified by Soma-san and it is perfectly safe." Mami exined and all three looked at one another, all three quite worried.


    Anyone who could set up a ce like this was not to be trifled with.


    As the guests all sat down on the couch in the living room Mami excused herself as she went to inform Soma of the guests.


    Unfortunately, that did not work as the workshop was closed for now with an actual ''do not disturb'' sign on the door. Soma had made sure to tell everyone to NOT interrupt or try to enter his workshop when he put such a sign out unless it was a life or death situation, putting a special ''bell'' to touch in such a situation to warn Soma about it.


    The visit of these three was not a life or death situation, as such Mami simply left a simple message right in front of the door for when Soma got out, after doing so she informed the trio of the church about having to wait for now.


    "Here, you can all watch some TV for now while you wait. He shouldn''t take too long toe and see you." Mami said, giving them a remote controller. "If you need anything, press this and someone wille to see you." Mami said as she left the living room.


    She then pressed the head of an idol on a shelf outside the living room and aplex bounded field surged to seal the living room. A precaution Soma made just in case there were guests in the house and there was no one avable at the time to watch over them... he went overboard in his creation this time and waspletely paranoid at that moment in time.


    To be fair, he did consider he might be being aimed at by a leader of an entire race and whose power was greater than his own. As far as he was concerned, being cautious and paranoid would let him live longer. In hindsight, he could have not been quite as impulsive then, but this was about family and that was well below his bottom line.


    The trio of the church could only stare at the tv for a time before Lint moved fast, catching the control and speaking.


    "I call dibs in deciding what to watch." She said and Irina pouted while Mirana just looked slightly confused. She grew up in the church and was raised as a purebat nun due to her abnormal light power being of higher purity than even that of most angels, one of the greatest geniuses in regards to light energy the church has ever seen, and to keep her purity anything ''dirty'' was not let around her out of fear of weakening her light.


    A stupid thing since one has nothing to do with the other, but even if it was stupid superstition the church higher-ups still didn''t want to risk it. So having her vaporize two dozen vampires was fine, but watching someone swear on TV was not right and she only saw what could be called politically correct TV tuned for children.


    So, she was quite shocked when she saw what Lint decided to watch.


    "Oh, they have Netflix. Let''s watch the original Nightmare on Elm Street!"


    "I am not sure, I''ve heard it is quite scary." Irina said. "What you think, Mirana-chan?"


    Mirana looked a bit torn, but wanting to fit in she just smiled and said.


    "Sure, why not?"


    ///---///


    Soma was covered in sweat, his body trembling in exhaustion even as he drank potions he produced that could bolster his recovery speed and being in a ce like this where the air was so thick with mana.


    But, if one looked at his face, they would see an almost maniacal smile on his face as he continued hammering away with his great hammer. Sparks flying and some even grazing his face leaving marks, with him not even noticing as he kept working.


    It was a thing of beauty, a terrifying type of beauty. His hand holding the hammer was bleeding despite how incredibly tough his skin and hand had be, the heat from the forge was blinding, as if he had a sun in there, but Soma did not care about any of that as he kept on hammering it.


    Compressing it.


    Making something that even the Dwarves could only stare at it in awe if they saw it.


    He was shining in golden light as he used Jacob Limbs to increase his power as he kept on pounding the metal, it was the power of a God but the technique and hands of man.


    When he gave the final hammering, the iron was still hot. He hadpleted the third step of the forging, now it was time for the next one, annealing.


    That stage was to cool down the sword to a more manageable stage for the grinding. To do so one must cool the sword to a more ambient temperature, normally one could simply bury it into sand for a while.


    Soma buried it into the flesh of Albion to bathe the sword into the blood of the dragon.


    When the sword reached its ideal point he began to grind it, using the fangs of Albion to help as it was resistant enough for the process.


    After grinding the metal for an hour while chanting in the way of the Fairies, Soma put the sword back in the forge to heat it up again. It was a faster process this time, but all the hotter for it as Soma tapped into his reserves of energy to fuel the fires.


    It was a veritable inferno, but Soma didn''t mind. As the sword became white from the heat he removed it from the forge and put it straight into what he had prepared, a big tank filled with holy water, the blood of Albion, and powdered unicorn horns.


    Light energy shed as the sword entered the solution, and only after it stabilized did I take it out and begin to sharpen it properly and inscribe runes into it. On the pommel he wanted to use his alchemy to help fixate several rubies and diamonds, all having already been engraved beforehand, but his instincts told him otherwise at thest moment and instead of putting many of those he put a singr pearl underneath it. If someone asked him why he did it, he wouldn''t be able to give a good answer, but his teacher Muramasa told him to listen to his hunches while forging if he wanted to do what was truly the best.


    As he finished the whole process Soma was extremely exhausted, his mental energy and his energy reserves were exhausted and he could barely move. Resting against a wall for a few minutes the mana in the air helped him recover enough to at least move again, if barley and he stared at the sword in his hand.


    "Hehe, now this is a sword I am confident with." Soma said as he stared at the sword.


    Refined, it was a meter and a half long, the handle measured half a meter with the de upying the remaining meter. Its length was about four fingers wide.


    The handle and the body blended into one another, as if forming the shape of an extraordinary metallic sculpture. Some meticulous patterns could be faintly seen on it, and its tip wasn''t so sharp, being surprisingly covered by a simple and seemingly pointless pearl.


    Looking at it Soma frowned for a moment before he almost burst intoughter as he realized what was going on.


    "Well, I truly did amazing work this time. For a weapon like this to be formed, this must be one of the best works I''ve ever done even counting back in the Throne. To think that this is one of those weapons, the types that demand a name to activate."


    In the forging with faery techniques, there are several stages for weapons. Not all faery forged weapons are the same in quality, there are the normal ones that can be named freely and the name doesn''t help in anything, then there are the stronger ones that demand a name before the weapon can be consideredplete and whose power is incredible, even most Noble Phantasms can''tpare to this type.


    The only type above it are those unique ones, the ones forged by the Faeries and given a name and power by the world itself. Weapons like Excalibur and Rhongomyniad.


    So, for Soma to have produced a sword like this, how could he not be excited and satisfied?


    Holding the sword in his hand he thought for a bit before deciding.


    "You shall be named Aria, Goddess of Light, a ''goddess'' made by the hands of man." He said and, as he did so, the faery enchantments activated and a blinding light shed from his sword.


    It was a powerful light shed from the sword, as the light surged the sword seemed as if it wasing to life.


    The originally dark sword shined and turned into a transparent golden, the previous dark patterns had the look of clouds now with several runes shing with holy and light energy giving the sword a majestic feeling to it, like if it would be suitable to be worshiped in a cathedral.


    The sharp pearl on the tip trembled vividly, and then the sword was held high above Soma''s head. It was extremely sharp, as if it could cut even the toughest of metals like there was nothing impeding its advance. This sword was giving off the feeling of being unstoppable, the dragon-ying properties adding to the feeling of supremacy caused by the sword and its weight. This was a sword that looked very light, but it weighed 800 kilos and even if it had no other power besides its weight and sharpness it would still be overwhelming to anyone trying to use it or that goes against it.


    As Soma held it he could feel this sword''s power and couldn''t hold back a smile. He actually managed to make a Divine Construct! True, he was borrowing the power of the Christian God and had a lot of mythical materials, but it was still his hands that made this sort of item in the end.


    This Goddess of Light Aria could be said to be one of the strongest des of this entire world, one could even say that it was the absolute bane of dark entities, as well as the worst matchup for those who use light energy, and dragons in general!


    It had an extremely powerful purifying power, in terms of danger to devils and other such beings; its purification was no lesser than the one from True Longinus. Even if a god appeared who had dark or evil attributes, like Angra Mainyuu or Nix, they would have to be extremely cautious of this de.


    But that is not all this sword was good for. When facing anyone using light attacks or any form of light energy, they all would be absorbed by the sword, bing its nourishment. Even the strongest light attack would only be this sword''s ''food'' to make it more and more powerful.


    And as for its Dragon ying aspect, it was at least as powerful as Ascalon and it can still grow by killing actual dragons.


    If one was to say what weakness this sword had, it was that it was unable tounch sts of energy like Durandal or Gram. It was a sword that needed close range to show its worth, but in close range it would be hard to find any sword in this entire world that was more terrifying.


    Smiling as he held this de Soma wanted to swing it around a bit, but felt a strong rejection from the de as it heated in his hands as if trying to burn him away.


    Putting the sword down Soma frowned and used Jacob Limbs.


    As he did so the sword that seemed to be rejecting him instantly calmed down and seemed to be almost as if eager to be wielded by him.


    "It seems like I will need to use that research after all. At least Azazel already sent it over so it won''t be too hard to increase my affinity with holy des." Soma muttered as he opened and closed his hand a few times after putting down the sword and sighed.


    He wanted to make the other weapon he nned already, but decided against it for now. He should not be too hasty and instead focus on using the Holy Sword Project results to obtain a greater affinity to holy energy. He could still use this sword, but only when using Jacob Limbs and that is a limitation that he would rather not have. Besides, he was extremely exhausted physically and especially mentally.


    Producing a Divine Construct, after he has already made a beast of a weapon like that hammer, his mind was already extremely tired and if he tried to make his other weapon it would most definitely not be as good as it could be.


    He had to be at his peak if he wanted to make a weapon that would notpare badly to Aria.


    Getting out of his workshop Soma carried his Aria with him, not yet willing to put it down as he was still very giddy from making it and wanted to swing it a bit under the sun just to see its shine. He was like a man who just bought a brand new sports car, no matter what he would want to show off a bit.


    "KYAAA!" A shrill female scream sounded and Soma''s eyes widened, his house should be a perfectly safe ce, so what was going on that would cause a girl''s scream as soon as he left the workshop?


    Quickly going to where the sound came from Soma already had the sword in hand, only toe to the living room and see two girls huddled together with Aya, as Kiyoharu, Mami, and a ck and white girl looked at them with amusement while the TV yed the credits of a movie.


    "... You know what, I am too tired to deal with anyone trying anything right now. Make some space on the sofa girls, I want to watch a movie too." Soma said and Lint stood up, realizing from the description that this must be Soma.


    "Hello, we are from the church and-"


    "Nope. Not now, I am too mentally exhausted to deal with any serious business right now. Movie first, talk politicster." Soma said. He was at his house and as long as he was there he was confident enough to act however he felt like.


    While inside his house, anyone trying to attack him or anyone designated as a protection target (like Kiyoharu, Aya, and the others who lived here) would suffer severe and cruel punishment, that they will wish they were dead.


    ... Soma went way too overboard with the protections, but he did not care about that. Better to sin due to excess than to be harmed for carelessness.


    Soon, they were all watching a marathon of Nightmare on Elm Street.


    This was a good day.

 Chapter 30 - 29

    "So, you want to establish a good rtionship with me and mine?" Soma questioned between bites as Irina nodded, beside her Lint was stuffing her face with pizza and Mirana was still a bit terrified regarding Fred Krueger.


    She was no good with terror movies it seems, but she still wanted to keep watching so there was nothing to do about it. ??


    "Yes, as we are new in town we would want your cooperation in case anything was to happen. Of course, if you ept and need anything you would only need to ask. We will do what we can to help." Irina said before taking the slice of pizza in her hand and biting into it, a slight moan of pleasure escaping her lips due to how good this pizza was.


    Soma put his fingers on his chin in thought before replying.


    "I suppose there wouldn''t be any issue with that, but I will not help if you enter in conflict with the devils in town and if you try to put your hands on any of those under my protection or my friends I will not stay quiet. Also, do not touch Ravel, Momo, Riser, or anyone of Riser''s Peerage... Well, if Riser or his peerage do anything against you then you can act as you wish as long as you do not kill them."


    Soma was Riser''s friend, but he understood that Riser was a bit on the horny side and if he were to extend his hands towards these girls then they had every right to punish him for it, but killing is a big no no. Besides, Riser could heal quickly anyway so even if he gets his ass beaten there won''t besting damage to anything besides his pride.


    "That works for us." Irina said with a smile and extended her hand to shake which Soma did easily enough.


    While shaking his hand Irina her body came close to the sword at Soma''s side and she froze for a bit.


    She was someone who grew up around holy swords, as soon as she felt the energy around it she could identify the sword as a holy de with ease. She failed to realize it before due to how this sword''s light energy was extremely dense and close to its body, unless one gets close to the sword it would be hard to say it has any light or holy energy.


    In a manner of speaking this sword was the reverse of Durandal, the use of Aria centered on the power of the de itself while Durandal centered onrge-scale destruction.


    "This sword, where did you get it?" Irina asked in wonder.


    Hearing Irina''s question Soma put the sword in hisp to show it off, seeing the expressions of Irina and the other members of the church and their admiration for his work.


    After having spent hundreds of years forging swords and other equipment only to have his master mention all the ws in it, it felt nice to have other people admire his work.


    "I justpleted this baby downstairs, I named it Aria Goddess of Light."


    The three looked in wonder at the beauty of the de before snapping out of it as Mirana blinked twice and took out a sword from behind her.


    "It is a very beautiful de, but we have this here that Gabriel-sama told us to deliver to you." She then presented him with the sword and Soma took it out of its sheath.


    The sword resembles a European sword with a golden guard that curves forward. The base of the de curves inward. It also has a green nt stem with leaf petals design engraved along the de to make the sword feel as if it is a part of nature.


    This was Excalibur Blessing, a sword made from one of the shards of Excalibur and has the ability to augment any christian holy rituals considerably, both for healing, exorcism, weakening of devils and vampires, and empowerment of Exorcists. It was not as offensively capable as some of the other Excalibur Fragments, but its utility in the hands of the right user could and would enhance the person''s ability considerably.


    But, when put side by side with Aria, it looked shabby and weak. That was not simply because of their power difference, but because of crafting quality itself.


    The Excalibur Fragments were all made into swords bybining the fragments of Excalibur with other metals and making thebination into the form of a sword using pure alchemy. Even if the materials are good, how could a sword made by such a methodpare with one that was properly forged using the best forging skills and enchantments possible?


    Feeling the difference in the two swords side by side the three from the church looked a bit sheepish. They had heard many times people mentioning the importance of these Fragments, but having one such fragment be considered second ss by an outsider was a bit of a troubling feeling for them.


    Soma ignored them though and just kept eating his pizza. He had bought a stuffed pizza and wanted to enjoy it as a reward for a job well done.


    After everyone was done for the day the church girls were led to the gates and the closer they got to it the more disheartened they felt. Soma, wanting to make a good impression on this cash co... new allies, spoke ''kindly''.


    "What makes you all feel so down?" Ha asked them. The three looked from one side to the other before answering.


    "Well, the truth is-" Mirana said before exining the whole situation.


    After hearing them out Soma thought for a bit before an idea struck him.


    "Then, would you like some help?" He said as he sent out a pulse of energy from the ground to inside Dimension Lost. While setting it up Soma made sure that, as long as he was inside his house, he couldmunicate with the inside of Dimension Lost as easily as if he was right beside it, so it was that easy to send amand to one of his golems.


    After a few moments, a golem came out of the gate of the house, it was about two meters tall and looked very sturdy.


    "You can use this guy here to help fix the church if you want. It can fuse with the ground to a degree so it could help fix the walls and you can also have it bury the trash far away and kill any pests around. You just need to give it directions really." Soma said as he patted the golem that slowly started merging with the soil until one could no longer see it.


    On one hand, he was giving away a small advantage he had, but, on the other hand, he wanted to advertise his golems anyway as the more people knew about them the more people would want to buy them for their utility.


    That they all could report back to him anything done around them and would work as spies that could and would stab their ''owners'' in the back with a singlemand was just a small bonus. Getting people to give him money for something to spy on them, now that is the type of deal Soma liked very much.


    The girls looked impressed and epted the help, going back to the church with a golem that would clean and fix the ce for them, all three of them thought about the mission report they would be sending to the higher-ups and what they would write on it.


    Overall, they were quite happy as they felt much more at home in town now and would not need to spend a long time cleaning the church themselves, and Soma was happy as he now had an Excalibur Fragment in his hands and had established positive rtions with the Church which should restrain the devils somewhat.


    ///---///


    Days passed like that, sses went on like normal and a sense of normality spread through the supernaturalmunity in Kuoh.


    Soma visited the Yakuza of town two times during these days to buy some rare herbs for medicine creation, he wanted to elerate his body training further so this was a necessity. During these visits, Soma would exchange with them a few Holy and Demonic swords he produced using the metals he got from the devils and angels. These were just alchemy-made weapons and far from his best, but their ultimate quality was well above the ones found in most other ces and Soma got a lot of cash from this exchange and he used said cash to buy the herbs.


    During these days he also studied the Holy Sword Project research results and figured out the method that was used to extract a person''s ''talent'' for wielding a holy sword. It was honestly quite a brilliant thing and Soma came to admire Valper Galilei for his results.


    Sure, he did not appreciate the killing of children, but the research itself was brilliant and the man identally managed to do something highly interesting. He managed to target and extract a small fragment of a soul, the one responsible to allow a person to use Holy Swords, and use said fragments to stimte the target''s soul into increasing naturally their own affinity.


    An analogy would be that he made a ''vine'', he extracted from a person their affinity, processed said aspect, and injected it in someone to stimte the target''s own soul into having more affinity.


    As Soma understood it he truly could only sing praises to the man who managed to make something like that, a genius for sure.


    After understanding it, Soma proceeded to, every night, stealthy enter the houses of the citizens of Kuoh one after the other and steal the civilian''s affinity for holy swords. Most have a very little affinity, individually not much, but Soma didn''t mind as he managed to steal them of so many of the regr civilians one after the other. The process to steal someone''s affinity only took about ny seconds, and he spent several hours every night to stealing so he obtained an astounding amount of the affinity for Holy Swords.


    He had no shame in doing so since this was an aspect of a person that mostly no one would ever use, taking it away would not damage these civilians whatsoever, so he went crazy with it.


    During this time he also met up with Gentle Criminal and his side-kick/girlfriend Manami Aiba, he did so to see how they were doing after the whole incident regarding Sacred Gears and to speak about Gentle''s lost limb. Having lost his arm during the fighting Soma offered to heal Gentle as a way to help establish a good rtionship with the older male.


    He did so mostly because he wanted to establish good rtionships with the people in town and, to be honest, making a new arm for someone cost next to nothing for Soma. At most, it would be a twenty minutes project he could make, and, in exchange, he got the gratitude of a couple that had powerful and useful gears, one able to turn anything stic, and the other able to empower those she cares about. This connection might nevere in handy, but it could be usefulter on and it was a low-risk investment.


    At this moment in time, Soma was training his body. Under a bounded field that increased the gravity by 15 times, he was using his training equipment that would force his body to the absolute limit while training as he kept practicing his katas for his martial arts. Having properly remastered Jacob Limbs to the point he could activate it as easily as breathing there would be no benefit from practicing it like before, he would only need to keep activating it until he could keep it active and no longer feel the difference. As such, he now had the time and, most importantly, the physical conditioning to start practicing his own martial arts.


    With the help of a brainstorm of Chiron, Yan Qin, Li Shuen, and several other martial artists who managed to reach the Throne, Soma had learned a rather unique martial art. It had extremely high requirements for the body, but its power was undeniable. Merlin, after observing it in action, suggested that, if it was in a Servant in a Holy Grail war, it just might reach A++++ Rank or even Ex Rank as a Noble Phantasm since it was the epitome of martial arts that masters of all sorts of fields worked together to make.


    This was a martial art that was not done forpetition though, it was made for pure life or deathbat. There were several ''unfair'' strikes mixed in, from pulling hair, to finger aimed at the eye, to kneeing the nuts, stomping the opposition, biting, using the knees or elbows, truly anybination imaginable of moves that could kill or cripple an enemy. Truly, this was a martial art that aimed at, at least, disabling an opponent in a semi-permanent fashion with most moves aiming to kill.


    He was only practicing it now because he was counting that someone would being after him sooner orter and he had to be ready... and because training it was a great workout routine, especially under high gravity and he used the training equipment that made his body need to strain to the limit to move anything. That he could keep moving under these conditions and executing the katas, it was nothing short of a miracle.


    As he was feeling his muscles stretching and pulling to the limit Soma was not thinking about anything, all his focus on his movements as he continued his movements.


    After around two hours of this, as he copsed on the ground, Soma was taking deep breaths of air. He was extremely tired by this workout, but a frown could be seen on his face. He has been training like crazy for several weeks now, taking several medicines and modifying his body while doing so. His growth was going as well as he expected, but he was feeling like he had reached a barrier of some sort just now. A bottleneck that would need him some time to break through, and he did not like that at all.


    "Whatever barrier stands in my way, I will just smash it." Soma muttered as his resolve solidified once again.


    He used his fingers to pull his body towards a small pool on the side, his limbs too tired to let him move by himself but he just pushed himself until said pool. Dropping inside he sighed in relief, this pool was filled with a precious medicinal herb bath following the recipes developed by several cultures to achieve the highest resolve.


    After twenty minutes inside Soma stood back up, ready to push himself again to see if he could break through this recently found bottleneck.


    Just as he was about to start training again there was a signal that someone came to talk to him. As he was not in an intensive research moment he did not put the sign to not disturb him, so he was rtively fast to hear about it and go see what is going on.


    Since he was going out of his workshop Soma took out the training equipment and felt his body be light like a feather right away. He was now only wearing a tank top and cargo pants as he walked out of his workshop to see what was happening for the others to call him out.


    As he got out he could instantly see what was going on and why he was called. Riser was there, all dressed up, with a tuxedo in hand as he looked Soma up and down with a frown.


    "... Did you lose track of time?"


    "Weren''t we meant to meet in the afternoon?" Soma questioned as he was quite sure what time it was.


    "Yes, that is now. You really need to stop spending so much time in yourb?" Riser said to his friend.


    Soma Had lost track of time training since he fell into a rhythm while training. He had nned to take it easy today as it was his friend''s engagement party. He even prepared a gift after hearing from Riser about the engagement after it was brought up during their double date with Soma taking Rossweisse. Thinking back to the date it brought back some nice memories to Soma, he and Rossweisse were ying a bit too much with their hands beneath the table, and as such he wasn''t really paying attention to what Riser was saying, and he was sure that Riser was doing the same with his Queen. Though he did remember mentioning that he would provide formal dress wear for him.


    Seeing Soma''s sheepish expression due to losing track of time Riser shook his head and gave him the tuxedo.


    "Here, wear this and get ready, the party is in about an hour or so." Riser said. "As it will be in the Underworld I will be taking us there, and don''t worry I promise that I will take you back to your house.''


    Soma just looked at this and squinted his eyes.


    "Is it safe for humans in the Underworld? Isn''t the air poisonous, rivers ofva, and other such irritating annoyances are all around."


    "No, nothing of the sort. It is quite simr to Earth, even if the air is much less polluted and the atmosphere is nicer, I think you will enjoy it." Riser said.


    "... This is the weirdest way of telling someone to ''go to hell, you will fit right in'' I have ever heard." Soma deadpanned and Riserughed at it.


    "Fine, fine, now go get dressed." Riser said and Soma nodded, but before leaving he questioned.


    "Can I take a guest?"


    "Of course, and I assure you that any guest you take will be looked after by my house without failure." Riser said and Soma nodded.


    He was thinking of taking Aya with him, mostly because he felt that the girl needed to open up a bit more as she was starting to find refuge in the house and was avoiding going out more and more. Going out to a party to socialize would shock her system a bit and should be good for her. He would not take Mami, as she was still rather unstable and going to the Underworld wouldn''t be the best of ideas, Mittelt, because she was a fallen and was theoricaly in ''war'' with the devils, or Rintaro, he was a pervert and Soma did not want to deal with him trying to get in the pants of a big titted married woman or, even worse, a virgin noble.


    Going to look for Aya he knocked on the door of her room.


    After some shuffle she opened the door, a shy expression when she saw that it was Soma who came knocking and her room was a mess, or at least it was what she thought (it was normal, but she was quite conscious about it).


    "Aya-chan, would you like to go to a party with me tonight?" He asked her and she widened her eyes before smiling.


    "Yes, I would love to." She said and Soma noted how her smiles were bing more and more natural on her face. As she got used to smiling more and was gaining confidence (as well as a decent meal and proper care) she was able to leave behind the worst of her past and was bing better. Soma liked this and patted her head gently.


    "Good, it is a bit of a formal party, but don''t worry too much about it. Just remember, if someone says anything bad to you then you just need to tell me." ''And I will slice that person in half'' was a second part he did not mention since she might not appreciate it much.


    Aya just pouted slightly.


    "Soma-kun, I have been training and can take care of myself now." She said as she summoned her Sacred Gear, Soma just put his hands as if in a sign of surrender.


    "Sorry, sorry, I am not underestimating you. Just, if something happens please tell me even if you deal with it yourself. Please?"


    Aya just nodded her head, her face held high as her confidence grew a bit from Soma''s reaction even if she could tell it was just some theatrics.


    She was just wondering how this party was going to be exactly and hoped everything would be alright.

 Chapter 31 - 30

    As Soma finished dressing up in front of the mirror he looked himself over and nodded, he would be visiting hell for the first time (if one doesn''t count how his usual training is and was like) and, as such, he had already equipped himself well.


    Underneath this formal wear Soma had on hisbat attire (deactivated as to not identally burn someone to smoldering ashes), it was also fitting since it was veryfortable so it was more than fine to use in this party. He also had his gun, the multiple essories filled with magic energy, his sword was hidden inside his body just in case as well and several ck Keys he forged using the energy from Excalibur Blessing. ??


    Soma''s desire for that sword was precisely for this, to enhance the power of ck Keys he was forging using the best of materials and techniques. If he was topare them, each of these ck Keys of Soma would be equal to a D Rank Noble Phantasm. Quite weak individually, but they can have many uses if the user knew how to manipte them right. Truly, this Excalibur being able to amplify the powers of catholic rituals helped him in the production of his actual weapons, that the sword was also useful in strengthening his house''s bounded field against devils was a nice caviat.


    It might be a bit excessive and wasteful, but Soma did not mind that his house now probably could kill Satan ss devils that stepped inside if Soma so much as thought about it.


    Concentrating on his hair, Soma decided to go with a different look to match more this get up, making his hair be a bit longer and putting it in a ponytail. He felt it looked a bit too much, but it looked elegant enough. He also put away several needles filled with the poison of Albion in said hair. It was something he learned as a small trick just in case it was needed, a hidden weapon that no one would seeing in most cases since no one would look amidst his hair and considering that the needles were no thicker than his hair, it was all too easy for no one to notice them until it was toote.


    Looking himself in the mirror Soma and frowned.


    "Fuuuhhh, it is time for being overly formal and shit. Dam I hate to do it, but needs must I guess." Soma muttered as he straightened his posture, the whole air around him changing subtly but perceptibly.


    He was trained in proper etiquette by several people, from nobles and royalty, to tyrants and spies. He honestly hated all this stiff stuff, but this party was not about him but about his friend Riser. Tonight it was about him and he would not make a fool of himself and his friend just because he would need to act like that.


    He could act like a perfect gentleman or a knight if he wanted, he just preferred to act like a barbarian and a punk most times since it felt extremely more natural to him than trying to act like some snooty noble or a white knight of justice.


    Having everything set he went to Aya''s room, knocking on the door.


    "J-Just a moment!" She shouted from inside and there was the sound of her hurrying inside there. He even heard a thump and her releasing a yelp of pain he could tell came from her tripping on her feet, something she did sometimes.


    How could someone this clumsy be that great a dancer, he could never know.


    After a few moments, the door opened and from inside Aya appeared before him. She had a short ck dress with white highlights and a cute but elegant jacket over it. It looked pretty nice on her and it was clear she put on some make-up, but it was quite obvious that she had no experience doing it.


    "H-How do I look?" She questioned and Soma gave a gentle smile.


    "Your dress and shoes look great, but your make-up could use some work."


    "I, I see." She said, a bit depressed. She was not used to dressing up or using make-up and this was all veryst minute for her, she did what she could but it was not quite as nice as she wanted.


    Soma, seeing this, put a hand on his shoulder.


    "Do you want me to fix it up?" he said and she looked with wide eyes at him.


    "You know how to do make-up?" She questioned and he chuckled.


    "A bit, nowe on. There is not much time and we have to hurry up." Soma said.


    Of course, he knew how to use make-up. How could he not when using it was one of the skills he was taught while learning to disguise himself with the Hassans? Being able to blend in and change his looks was an essential skill if he wanted to be a good killer, and Soma was good enough to be a Hassan as long as he managed one kill great enough to warrant the name as, skill wise, he was no lesser than any of them (except the Old man, but he was BS anyway and shouldn''t count).


    After around fifteen minutes Soma was done. He could have done it faster, but he wanted this night to be special for Aya and to make her feel great about herself so he went all out with it. Not only her make-up, but he also prepared her hair and nails.


    If anyone were to look at her now, they wouldn''t see an abused little girl that was the target of the scorn of her ssmates, but a beautiful young teenager that could make heads turn as she passed. She looked at the mirror with wide eyes when she saw the results.


    "This, this is me?"


    "Yep." Soma said.


    "But, I am not this pretty." she said, touching her face as if not believing the person in the mirror is her.


    Soma put a hand carefully on her head, not disturbing her hair, and spoke.


    "Aya-chan, not all people are born with the same natural beauty. There are some that are born with a better natural look, but that doesn''t mean others can''t be even more attractive. It is all about effort and knowing how to do it, and I assure you that you will be one of the prettiest girls at the party. I might just need to take a stick to beat up the guys thate sniffing, haha!" he said at the end with his usual boisterous tone, and she smiled at this. It was as if Soma was a big brother, friend, and somehow father figure for her sometimes, and she loved it all.


    With the brightest smile to date, she turned to him and said.


    "Let''s take a picture before we go. I want to remember this night forever."


    Soma nodded and pulled his phone. Using his hair he pulled the phone an appropriate distance away and was about to take a picture when a loud ''meow'' was heard and Aya giggled.


    "It seems like Mya wants to be in the picture too." Aya said and Soma shrugged, he had been taking care of this cat before but Aya had all but adopted the cat as soon as she started living here.


    With gentle hands, the cat was picked by Aya, but it proceeded to scale to Aya''s shoulder and settle there as if it was proud of being there.


    She just smiled and Soma coughed to hide a smile at Aya''s actions and that of Mya the cat.


    After they got in proper position again Soma used his hair and took the picture, the two youngsters smiling softly while holding hands.


    It was a beautiful picture that Aya would treasure for the rest of her life.


    As they were leaving Soma took out what looked like a brooch with a star on the center and spoke seriously to Aya.


    "Aya-chan, this is something I made a while back that can help keep you safe. I already set it up for it to work for you, you just need to say a few words to activate it, I am sure that with this you will be safe." Soma said and Aya blushed at the care he was showing her.


    He then proceeded to tell her the ''magic words'' to activate the item and, after she memorized them, it was time to leave.


    ///---///


    Going to the Underworld was a rather unique experience. Riser exined that there were usually certain procedures one had to go through, but the ultimate power of existence (money) took care of it to make the ones that could make a fuzz calm down and look the other way.


    Getting in the Underworld Soma could feel how the air around him was ''wrong''. It felt wrong, like if the whole ce didn''t feel like Earth whatsoever. The air felt much richer with mana, but it was of a corrupted and dark type no matter how bright the ce might look.


    "So, what do you think? Incredible, wouldn''t you say?" Riser said proudly, feeling more at home here than in the human world.


    "It is... unique." Soma said and Riserughed brightly.


    "I knew you would love it as well, bro." Riser said and Soma decided not to correct Riser on that one.


    He wouldn''t mind visiting, but he wouldn''t make it a point to be in this dimension for long periods of time. He felt like being here would interfere with the modifications of his body and training Heaven''s Feel here waspletely out of option. One must have their souls extremely pure to be able to learn, much less master, the Third Magic here. And training in such an environment would onlyplicate things as he had a n for his body development and if he mixed the negative energy in the air while modifying his body he couldn''t know what effects it would cause. It would most likely be very negative and affect his whole body modification ns, not worth it in the end.


    Going along with Riser''s direction Soma was soon standing at a great ball feast, there were many people all around, devils of all kinds. From human-looking, to those who look like they are balls of fur, pointy ears, no ears or nose, normal skin, pink skin, scales, it was a festival of uniqueness and it was only due to years in the Throne and the uniqueness of the ce that made Soma able to handle such a showing.


    Aya was overwhelmed soon enough, but Ravel quickly came to her and took her to show Aya to her ''friends''. Well, not really friends, more those she knows in high society that is closer to her age, but at least Aya had someone close by that she could be d about.


    Soma was the very picture of nobility, with a different hairstyle, clothes, temperament, and manners befitting of true nobility. Currently, he was talking with an older devil that had heard of how Soma had defeated Dimaria and was trying to ask what would be the conditions he would want to join his peerage.


    ''No fucking way, you asshole.''


    "It is a very tempting offer, Lord Andromalius. However, I have to politely decline at the moment." Soma said with a slight and adequate smile.


    "Is there really nothing I could offer to make you consider my offer? I can even offer to help you to quickly rise to a High Ranking devil so you could obtain your own Peerage. You would have greater powers, maintain a youthful appearance for centuries toe, and live in luxury!" The old lord said with a slightly pleading tone. He REALLY wanted a powerhouse in his peerage since his current one was quite weak having been selected more for their appearances.


    Who would know that women chosen only by their looks and thick ass could not be strong if they never trained once in their lives?


    "I sincerely apologize, but despite what many may think I do appreciate the race I was born at and wouldn''t like to change it as of the moment. But, perhaps we could discuss some trade forter my lord, I am quite proficient in the production of several types of mystic items that could be of some interest to you, for a fair price of course." Soma said with a pleasant smile that seemed extremely genuine no matter how one looked at it.


    Inside however...


    ''Go and fuck off, stupid asshole! I won''t be turning into some devil ve just because you want to offer me a chance to make more ves, if I wanted a ve I wouldn''t need your shitty system anyway. Besides, I can live for centuries if I damn want without needing to be anyone''s ve or change my race. So here, I am offering you some simple trinkets, so shut up and give me money.''


    "That is rather disappointing, my young friend. But, I believe we can discuss more about trade at ater date, my family do have arge herd of bicorns and several hellhounds, I am sure some agreements might be able to be formed." The Lord said, trying to impress some of the things he can offer if the items Soma can make are good.


    "Of course, I would highly desire to form friendly rtionships with you." ''Bicorns? Interesting, it would be worth studying it and some other breeds of magical horses to see to making myself a good mount, I suppose.'' Soma thought internally.


    He would have talked some more when someone came to him.


    "Hello, are you Mr. Hanakai that lord Riser is speaking about?"


    Turning Soma saw a gentle-looking, handsome young man with dark green hair and quite squinted eyes, he was also wearing expensive-looking clothes including a cape of all things.


    "That is correct, my name is Soma Hanakai. I fear we haven''t been introduced yet, who might you be, my lord?" Soma questioned.


    "I am Diodora Astaroph, heir to the house Astaroph and younger brother of Satan Beelzebub." Diodora said, hoping Soma would show more deterrence for him due to his position.


    He didn''t.


    A devil heir ultimately didn''t mean much in Soma''s eyes, devils lived for thousands of years so a devil could potentially stay as ''heir'' for hundreds, thousands of years even, and in that period they could meet all sorts of unfortunate ends.


    No, Soma cared more about the actual lords, not the heirs who held no true power.


    Of course, this didn''t mean he wouldn''t be polite, he just wouldn''t care overly much about them.


    "It is a pleasure to meet you, heir Astaroph. Unfortunately, I was still talking with lord Andromalius so if you wouldn''t mind I would like to continue my current talks before engaging in conversation with you. I do believe someone from your station would deserve the proper attention that I wouldn''t be able to provide if my focus was in my current conversation." Soma exined with a slightly apologetic face.


    Trantion:


    ''Fuck off, idiot. I am talking with this cash cow, I don''t have time to y nice with some useless idiot when I can be making money instead!''


    Diodora looked slightly troubled until Lord Andromaliusughed.


    "That is quite alright, young Mr. Hanakai. I still have some other matters to attend to and I have seen a friend just arrived, we can continue this conversationter. Now go on, I will let the youngsters have their talks without us old fossils getting on the way." he said and left, Soma almost showing a frown of irritation.


    He was just about to get several fantasmal species specimens for what amounted to perhaps two or three hours of work, and this moss head idiot ruined it.


    But, this was a noble party and Soma''s manners have been hammered down on his head several times over until he could act as if he was the perfect nobleman that could appear in any royal court and fit right in. Cursing someone for their actions in a party was not something a ''proper noble'' would do at a party like this, no matter how tempting.


    "What would you say of us having a talk by the balcony? I have some matters I would like to discuss with you." Diodora said and Soma nodded his head.


    As they went there Soma made sure to stay vignt as he and Diodora went to that location.


    The air outside felt as distasteful for Soma as the air inside the banquet hall, the Underworld not agreeing with him in the end. Not that Diodora noticed, taking a deep breath as if this felt great for him.


    "You know, I have heard quite a lot about you thesest few days." Diodora said, making Soma raise a brow.


    "Is that so?" Soma said nomittally.


    "But of course, it is not every day we hear of someone who managed to fight in equal terms withdy Dimaria. She is quite famous here in the Underworld, after all. It makes one wonder, what you think of the world as it is. If you are satisfied with this peaceful world we live in." Diodora said and Soma just looked at him for a bit before answering.


    "Honestly? I would rather this world not be too peaceful. It is in the chaos that the greater opportunities appear and heroes can truly rise, peace is necessary of course but an eternal peace... that would be rather boring." Soma said.


    This was his honest opinion, surprisingly enough. Soma did not want giant and constant wars that would spill to the normal civilians, but if the world was to be an eternal utopia of peace then what would be the point of all his efforts in improving himself? How would he be able to prove himself as worthy of being a hero?


    Sure, he wouldn''t go out of his way to create wars, nor would he let them be formed if there was a chance of them escting too much, but he was no pacifist who dreamed of eternal peace.


    Diodora looked at him for a moment longer and then chuckled.


    "You are a rather interesting human."


    "I will take that as apliment." Soma said with a smile.


    Diodora just shook his head in amusement.


    "And you well should, it was apliment after all." Diodora said before changing gears. "I heard you showed some interest in research, if you wish I could introduce you to my brother on ater date."


    "That would be most gracious of you, heir Astaroph." Soma said in fake honesty. He had no true desire to get closer to a man that made the monstrosity that was the Evil Piece system.


    A man that so callously made an envement system and gifted it to every self-entitled noble of his race that wanted it, this sort of person would hardly be much better in Soma''s eyes than Valper. The only difference is that Valper is directly responsible for the deaths of around 40 kids, Ajuka is indirectly responsible for the envement and deaths of at least a few tens of thousands considering the lowest estimates, and if you count all stray devils born from his fail-safe in case a ve runs away. Sure, Beelzebub had a better objective, but so did all the scientists that made the atomic bomb to end all wars.


    Diodora, not knowing Soma''s true thoughts behind his mask of cordiality and nobility, nodded and wanted to speak some more when Riser opened the doors to the balcony.


    "This is where you are, bro. Come,e, I want you to help me with something." Riser said, dragging away Soma without giving Diodora a second nce.


    As the Astaroth heir was left behind he turned a ring of his, a bubble of magic surging around him creating an illusion for anyone looking from the outside of him drinking some wine. Inside this bubble, no sound could escape, and with his bases well guarded Diodora took out a small phone, dialing a number in it.


    "Report." The voice from the phone spoke.


    "I got in contact with the human of interest, I would say that his desires for war could align with ours under the right circumstances. From what I see he would fit as either forming his own group or joining the Lucifer brat''s team." Diodora said.


    "Interesting. We appreciate your information and will report tody Ophis in time of the possible recruit, your contribution has been noted." The person on the other side then turned off the phone and Diodora put his phone in his pocket again before moving along.


    For him to even associate with a human, he could really go the extra mile for his current allies in the Chaos Brigade, though he had to admit that Soma at least was no stupid human and knew his manners. Diodora wondered if he knew some cute nun, he was always looking for new additions to his collection after little Asia passed away.


    It is a shame what happened, Diodora had been waiting back at his home for the signal that Raynaere would send him to when he could go get his prize, he did pay them a hefty sum for it. Unfortunately she passed away and when Diodora went to take a look the cops were already there and Asia had died for a long time already.


    ''Oh well, I lost one nun, I still have several I can get to.'' Diodora thought, deactivating his ring as he drank thest of the wine in his cup and got moving in search of anything interesting in this party.


    ///---///


    "So, you want me to y a bit?" Soma asked to rify.


    "Yes, I have told some of my drinkingpanions about your ying and they don''t believe it. They imed our video was a fake! I couldn''t ept the insult so I decided to ask you to show that you can do it since it wouldn''t look good if I were to perform here. So, can you do it?" Riser asked, he was called a liar when he said how his new bro was a great musician and Riser didn''t like that.


    He was speaking the truth and he hated to be called a liar.


    Soma looked at Riser and sighed.


    "Fine, but I am only doing this because today is supposed to be your day, and only one music. I want to go check on Aya and I want to see if Momo is around as well." Soma said and Riser waved his worries off.


    "Don''t worry, Aya is with Ravel right now and Momo should being with Sona who should arrive together with me ''beloved'' Rias." Riser said with clear distaste and Soma just sighed.


    "It seems like my gift will be even more useful than I thought." He muttered and Riser got a bit curious about what sort of gift that Soma had prepared for him. "Anyway, when can I start?"


    "Wait just a bit, I will set things for you to begin." He said and ran off, leaving Soma to prepare the guitar for the song.


    After a minute or so the music was cut short as Riser appeared on stage.


    "Friends, family, my fellow lords, today my bestman decided to grace us with a song. I would like if you all could stop for a moment and listen for this song he is dedicating for this great gathering." Riser said pompously, making Soma grumble inside at how grand he made something simple look like.


    He was just ying a song, not anything huge!


    mping down on such emotions, Soma started to y the guitar.


    Soon, music started, and this one deeply resonated with the devils all around.


    [OST: Nanatsu no Taizai Season 4 opening 1 ''Hikari Are'']


    As if our intertwining paths are a mischief of the gods


    The time spent with you will now be my sin


    Wandering through this rebirth, all I kept count of


    Were your smiles and pain, in this endless night


    I''ll scream it all out so I''ll never forget that there is a tomorrow for you


    Let there be a faint light, light that will shine brightly in the darkness


    Don''t let go of my hand ever again


    I''ll cry it out just this once and embrace the sin


    Even with my view blurred, I''m still looking for someone


    For you, who saw the day beyond this darkness


    It''s as if we are a pendulum meeting and separating forever and ever


    I suffered and loved you as the moon rose once again


    When you start singing, don''t lose your heart


    Let me feel the pain as I swim in the ocean of my sin with sorrow


    If you are living this moment, don''t forget


    Cry it out and open the gate to the dawn beyond the skies


    We''re still yearning, We''re still yearning


    Yearning for the light that shines at dawn


    I''m waiting for the light, I''m waiting for the light


    Waiting for the day that it reaches your eyes


    I''ll scream it all out so I''ll never forget your tomorrow self


    Let there be a faint light, light that will shine brightly upon the darkness


    Don''t let go of my hand ever again


    I''ll cry it out just this once and embrace the sin


    We''re still yearning, we''re still yearning


    Yearning for the light that shines at dawn


    I''m waiting for the light, I''m waiting for the light


    Waiting for the day that it may reach your eyes


    We''re waiting for the light, We''re waiting for the light


    We''re still yearning for the light


    We''re yearning for the light that shines at dawn, we''re yearning


    Yearning for the day that it reaches your eyes


    [Ost end]


    As Soma finished his song he could see many people with tears glittering in their eyes. For devils are beings of sin, many had gone through intense romances but their very natures sometimes got in the way, their lives almost as if controlled by sin despite what they might want.


    But this song seemed custom-made for them as, despite the exciting melody, it touched deeply the souls of many couples that had long since forgotten their love for one another. They embraced once more their almost forgotten light of love they forgot due to their very nature, and many pairs embraced as the song yed.


    This was the power of music, touching people''s souls and connecting the audience. Soma was actually asked for an encore, but it was at this moment that the guests of honor arrived, namely-


    The bride and her entourage entered the room.

 Chapter 32 - 31

    As Rias stepped into the hall with her peerage she noticed a strange mood of the ce. Several couples were embracing and the whole area had a surreal atmosphere that made her unable to associate it with what she had expected.


    She thought the area would be filled with nobles mingling and talking business while trying to find some way to get an advantage over one another, not this romantic mood. ??


    Shaking her head Rias put her ''game face'' back on as she strode inside the room as if she owned it. Even if her nerves were killing her and she was terrified of what would happen if her n failed, she still had to try.


    After talking with her brother they had arrived at a n to avoid this marriage. And no, it wasn''t the option Rias preferred (killing Riser for being a disgusting pig), but it was the only one that could work.


    She had to EARN the right of challenging Riser to a rating game. Normally she could do it without any issue, but with the problems she was facing she was not judged as even worthy of challenging the decision of their families.


    And to earn it, she had to prove to all those present that she deserved this chance.


    Behind her were those who she managed to convince to help or, at least, stand by her. It was not that many, but it was enough.


    There was her peerage, of course. She had trained them all extensively this past week and she was confident that, should the Rating Game happen, she would be able to win. Then there was her best friend Sona, who agreed to stand by her but would not directly intervene, Sona''s whole peerage that was following their king, and then there was her greatest help.


    Her cousin and the strongest young devil, Sairaorg Bael. In truth, he was quite reluctant to stick up for this sort of matter, and he did think that Rias was overreacting since being married to Riser wouldn''t truly change her life much (devils of both genders can get harems and the concept of ''cheating'' was more a kink than anything serious in pureblood devils rtionships), but Rias was ultimately his cousin and was asking for help.


    Family matters a lot for Sairaorg, and, as such, he decided to help out this cousin, even if reluctantly.


    As Rias walked in she headed towards Riser, he was dressed elegantly and when their eyes met he showed a face of pleasure as he walked towards her as if he was happy to see her and, surprisingly enough, he was. With her here he can have someone else to throw at the nobles to question about so much stupid shit.


    "My dear Rias, I am so d to see you so well and beautiful like always. Come,e, I have many people to introduce to you, they are important trading partners of the Phenex family that would be interested in discussing with you about future venues regarding the Gremory house." Riser said happily.


    It was as he said, many of the nobles and merchants here were those close to either the Phenex or the Gremory house and Riser wanted to make both sides closer, or to be more specific he wanted to bind the economy of the Gremory house closer to that of the Phenex house. Riser might not have been trained as future head of a house, he is a third son after all, but he was still taught what was expected of a Devil noble.


    House Phenex had much to gain economically if they tied their economy with the Gremories, they would gain great force over the Gremory since the Phenex could always produce more Phenex tears so they had what was close to an infinite source of money, but the Gremoriescked that.


    Basically, he wanted to economically tie House Gremory to House Phenex without risking House Phenex all that much. And it honestly wasn''t a bad deal for House Gremory considering how much money they would stand to gain from this, and seeing as Riser would be marrying into House Gremory they did not fear House Phenex intentionally damaging the house one of their sons was in.


    However, Rias just humphed and spoke.


    "That does not matter, I didn''te here to talk with any merchants of house Phenex." Rias said, making Riser look at her as if she was stupid. Ignoring the merchants who dealt with the money passing through the Underworld, was she even trained to be an heir?


    Riser decided then and there that, when he had kids with her, he would take care of teaching them. Better the kid grow as a spoiled, but capable noble, than raised as a spoiled, and just spoiled noble.


    "Regardless, there are many guests around and the drinks and food were all carefully selected, please everyone enjoy the party." Riser said as he put his arm around Rias'' arm, as was custom, to go talk with several nobles regardless of Rias'' wishes.


    It was the norm, simple as that. It was what was expected of two pureblood devils of great houses in a party like this.


    However, the moment he did so, Issei''s face darkened and he actually moved forward in a blind rage, bypassing everyone in his way and without hesitation threw a punch at Riser''s face.


    "Get away from buchou, you creep!" Issei shouted as he did so, his fist connecting but not even managing to damage Riser enough to warrant Riser''s healing power to re up.


    After the fight against the strays when his sister was almost killed, Riser, as an older brother, decided he had to get stronger in case his little sister was ever in danger again. As such he had been training for several weeks now and used his family''s near-limitless money to buy several unique treasures to elerate his growth, right now Issei''s punch didn''t even register as more than a child angry iling for Riser.


    Well, Issei didn''t use a single BOOST on his punch, it was just his base strength, but the facts remain that Issei as himself wasn''t strong enough to even have his attacks be counted as such.


    Riser just red at Issei and spoke.


    "... For the sake of my bride, and due to the fact that you clearly have not been taught the most basic of etiquette required from a servant of a noble of such a status, I can forgive you for that one. But you must learn to behave in a way that fits your station in life while in the presence of distinguishedpany as to not bring shame to the people you represent." Riser said and Issei snorted.


    "Fuck off and get your hands off her! The only one that can touch Buchou is me, the one that will have her virginity!" Issei said loudly, causing Riser to wonder if Rias would truly mind if he killed this stupid piece of shit.


    Riser was confident he could convince his bro to remove the Boosted Gear right before death so Rias would still have a Red Dragon Emperor in her peerage, but perhaps make sure that the next one was mute or less brain-damaged.


    "Issei-kun, that is enough." Akeno said as she pulled Issei back. Looking around several lords anddies of high society were all looking at this disy and wrinkling their noses in disdain.


    As Issei was pulled back, Riser closed his eyes for a few moments to not act on the thought of burning the irritating worm.


    "Rias, I understand that your family likes to treat the servants as family members, each family deal with their servants as they wish, but you should educate your peerage better. It reflects badly in you and in the Gremory name as a whole if they behave like beasts in a public setting." Riser said elegantly, he was trained to always mind his position in life and especially in how to act in fancy parties. And this training was also done to all servants of house Phenex.


    However, Rias ignored what Riser was speaking as she red at the ''insult'' that Riser was pulling into her house, she pulled her arm away from his.


    "That is enough Riser, I will not have you, who parades around with a bunch of sluts for a peerage, talk about how to educate my precious people." Rias said, irritated that Riser would speak badly about her peerage in any sort of way. Besides, in truth she was WANTED to cause a scene to justify her next actions.


    "Well, someone SHOULD tell you how to do it if you can''t educate them on how to act in politepany." Riser said, garnering a lot of popr support. All nobles knew this as a fact, even the merchants and others present in the party all could agree to this.


    Devils are an aristocratic society, knowing how to behave was the basics of the basics unless you was strong enough to crush anyone who disagrees like if they were a mere bug.


    Rias just res at Riser, ignoring all gazes around, before replying.


    "I can''t let this stand, I challenge you to an honour duel ." Rias said, feeling triumphant about their n seeding.


    The n is to force a challenge against Riser, and when she wins, she can then dere Riser too weak to deserve her hand in marriage and, to prove that, challenge him to a proper rating game.


    Riser just looked at her as if she was stupid, causing a scene like that would only make her look near unhinged to the rest of the nobles and merchants around, damaging her house and her own standing in society even further since no one wants to be close or depend on a crazy person.


    Riser wanted to say something to stop this nonsense when-


    "Now this seems interesting." Sairaorg spoke up, having reluctantly agreed to help Rias he had to do his part. And since he agreed, he had to help move things along. "Why don''t you take this challenge Riser?"


    "Because I don''t have to and challenging me over a simple piece of advice taken the wrong way is quite a bit stupid." Riser said easily enough. "Now, how about we proceed with the festivities as nned? Or does heir Bael want to intervene in an internal matter between houses Gremory and Phenex?"


    As he said that several people sucked in a deep breath. One must understand, house Bael was undoubtedly the strongest house in the Underworld, but Sairaorg''s position in it was very far from decent.


    Sure, he was the ''heir'' of the house due to being the strongest of his generation, but hecked the Bael house trait, and his potential of having any offspring with the Power of Destruction was yet unknown and highly doubted.


    In truth, Sairaorg would never be the head of his house unless he was to have a son who showed potential with the Power of Destruction, the most important duty of a head of house was exactly the furthering of the bloodline by creating heirs. Sairaorg might have won the title of heir by depending on his strength, but there was real chance that any future children of his would not have the trait and would not even deserve to have the name Bael.


    No noble house wanted to marry their daughter to Sairaorg considering this, even if he was strong that didn''t mean anything for his bloodline and aplishments of future generations.


    In the end, Sairaorg''s position as heir was tenuous at best and only kept due to his personal strength, and if he tried to directly interfere with the internal matters of two houses, then he could easily be kicked out of his position as heir, a position that he fought hard to obtain.


    Sairaorg frowned, not wanting to take that deep a plunge for Rias (it was just a favor for family, not a life or death matter after all).


    Thankfully for Rias, Sirzechs moved forward at this moment.


    "Now now, we don''t need to overreact." Sirzechs said. "My cousin was just speaking his mind, worried about the honor of the youngdy Gremory."


    "... Fair enough." Riser said, honestly just wanting to get this all over with, end this party, and go on the bachelor party he had prepared.


    It would be so much more fun than this stuffy party. He even had the 66 stripers ready to go at a moment''s notice, and there was even a noble blood Subus amongst them! Now THAT was a party Riser wanted to get to already.


    "But still, a challenge sounds interesting. Why not go for it? It doesn''t really have to have any big stakes, after all." Sirzechs said and Riser wanted to roll his eyes at this, he did not want to do this shite but he can''t just say ''no'' to motherfucker Lucifer.


    Riser may not be the smartest person around, but he wasn''t dumb enough to do that.


    "What would you suggest then, dear Rias?" Riser questioned and Rias showed a triumphant smile as if she obtained some sort of victory.


    "We can have a three versus three ''tournament'' of sorts. We each select three people to represent us, of these three we each select one and they will fight, when someone loses, another person is sent to rece them and thest team with someone standing wins." Rias said and Riser rolled his eyes.


    "Fair enough, so we select people from our peerages to fight for us then?" Riser said to make sure.


    "We can select from our Peerages or volunteers." She said and Riser''s eyes widened for a moment before speaking.


    "That seems awfully unfair, you could just select your brother to represent you or someone from his Peerage." Riser mentioned and the nobles that were interested in this little show nodded their heads and several eyes turned to Sirzechs who was starting to sweat bullets.


    He couldn''t intervene in matters between the houses of the Underworld unless it was in his official position as Lucifer, what he was doing now was already pushing the boundary and could already cause internal problems for the entire devil race considering how economically influential the house Phenex was, and if he were to fight for Rias or send someone from his peerage to fight for her...


    Yeah, he would be fucked. There would be discontent and fear that the Satans are trying to control the noble houses directly like their predecessors and the fragile peace they were experiencing might be shaken further.


    "Do not worry, neither I nor my Peerage will get involved in this whatsoever." Sirzechs said.


    Riser looked at him for a moment before returning his gaze to Rias.


    "Very well, let us proceed with haste and not keep our distinguished guests waiting. Three fights or so shouldn''t take too long anyway and would make this night all the more memorable as the day our two houses join together as the friends and the allies that we are." Riser said, and in the distance, Soma felt likeughing at him.


    As someone who learned manners and reading people to a terrifying level, Soma could tell that Riser hated all of this and just wanted to get this entire night over so he could leave. He is also able to see, like all other nobles in the room, the obvious fallout of this entire event could cause to the Gremory family''s reputation just by looking at Rias'' father in the distance getting clearly irritated.


    Soma wondered how much damage this would do to the Gremory family, unless Rias somehow finds someone who would be able to provide a powerful enough offspring Soma would not be able to believe she can get out of this unscathed.


    Soma then approached Riser, put a hand on his shoulder, and spoke.


    "If it is like that, how about I give you a hand, since your honor has been put into question." Soma said and Riser looked a bit torn. He didn''t want to pull his bro into this sort of mess, calling him to this party was just because he wanted a close friend around not because he wanted to use Soma for these sort of dumb power ys.


    "Bro, you don''t need to." Riser said, not wanting to cause problems for Soma. Riser and the entire Phenex family owed Soma far too much after he saved Ravel.


    "Come now, that''s what friends are for. As your friend, I should be willing to stand up for you when someone tries to nder you." Soma said honestly and Riser perked up from knowing his friend had his back and nodded his head.


    This scene of camaraderie was broken though, when someone interrupted them.


    "I imagined as much, honourless trash gravitating towards each other." Dered the blond standing behind Rias. From the moment he entered the hall he was ring at Soma.


    Not just because of the pain he was inflected with during their fight, but for taking an interest in the Holy Sword Project AND being in the possession of an Excalibur fragment. For Kiba, Soma was already no better than those scientists who killed all his friends and he wanted him dead, and the Excalibur piece destroyed for good measure as well.


    It was not logical by any means, but when someone was angry they wouldn''t really think or act in a logical manner.


    "... Who are you again?" Soma said, turning to Kiba.


    "I am Rias Gremory''s Knight, Ki-"


    "Oh, sorry, I almost forgot that I don''t care. I don''t need to know the name or listen to the opinions of someone who offended me and my friend, so you can keep your name, opinions, history, and everything else for yourself now. YOU are a servant, learn to act in a way that does not reflect badly on those you serve. I might not know much about the Underworld, but it seems like the house Gremory thinks themselves superior to all the distinguished guests here tonight if they allow two of their servants to belittle the host of the party without even reprimanding them." Soma said, looking to Rias for a moment before turning back to Kiba. "Learn to respect your betters, boy. And learn when you pick fights or you will cause a disaster to your lord due to your hubris."


    Kiba red and was one step away from taking out his sword as he responded.


    "As if someone who is interested in the Holy Sword Project matters. You are just the same sort of scum like those scientists. Die!" Kiba said in fury, taking out his sword and pointing it at Soma.


    Only for him to be shot by Aya and sent literally back to Kuoh town above the Kuoh Academy pool.


    Everyone turned to Aya as she did that, and as if realizing what she just did, she lowered her sacred gear and addressed the people who were paying attention to her.


    "He started it."


    At these childish, but not untrue words several guests chuckled as the tension in the air deescted a lot.


    "Well, it seems like Riser already has two ''champions'' chosen." Sirzechs said between chuckles as Aya looked like a deer caught in the headlights.


    She did NOT volunteer, she just reacted when she saw someone speaking ill of Soma in front of her and actually pointing a sword at him. She sent him to the biggest pool she knew back in Kuoh to see if he could cool off, not that she knew the pool was empty and she failed to consider the position she was sending Kiba in.


    ... He would be nursing a headache for sure after his pretty face had such a close encounter to the floor of the pool.


    Regardless, Aya had stepped forward and was now involved.


    She wanted to say no, but Soma put a hand on her shoulder.


    "You should participate, Aya-chan. This can be a good experience for you to be stronger moving forward and you can always use the gift I gave you." Seeing her stressed eyes he just squeezed her shoulder firmly, but gently, as to reassure her. "If you ever feel like you are in any danger you can and should just forfeit. Let me deal with the rest, okay? "


    She still looked a bit torn before nodding his head.


    Riser himself looked worried and asked.


    "Bro, are you sure she can fight? We can still get someone from my peerage instead as it would be safer, devils like us are hardierpared to normal humans like your date."


    As the word ''date'' was spoken Aya''s ears became as red as Rias'' hair as she lowered her head in embarrassment. A soft smile on her face as she took Soma''s hand from her shoulder and held it with her little hand, squeezing back.


    "Okay, I will try my best." She says to which Soma nods reassuringly.


    Riser then indicates for Yubelluna toe over, being his final representative.


    Rias then smirks at how her n seeded as her representatives all stepped forward as well.


    "Fufufu, it seems like our kings think alike, wouldn''t you agree, Explosion Queen?" Akeno asks as the first representative of Rias.


    "Perhaps, even if I don''t think our kings have much more inmon after that, miss Lightning Miko. And don''t worry, I won''t hurt you so badly that some Phenex Tears can''t heal you up, we still have a party to enjoy." Yubelluna said.


    Issei, meanwhile, was drooling at the big breasts of both Queens. Not acting with the seriousness that the second representative for Rias should be showing.


    "What do I do? I want Akeno-senpai to win, but fighting this onee-san would also be great with my new special move." Issei then turned his eyes to Aya and looked her up and down before muttering. "Small ones are nice too, even if they can''tpare with buchou or Akeno-senpai."


    Soma just pretended not to listen, but a single strand of his hair moved to Issei''s pants. As Issei took a step forward the seams of his pants'' back were torn open by ''ident'', making Issei''s pants fall apart and showing his tight little undies to everyone, including the fact that he was wearing his lucky underwear.


    Namely, the one with the words ''Opai Lover'' on the back, where everyone could see.


    Well, not that Issei noted considering he was too busy looking at the jiggling mountains in front of him.


    Rias sighed, wondering if it really was a good idea to let Isseie to a fancy party like this wearing his school uniform. She thought of making him wear something else, but he was so adamant about it that she just let it slide.


    Sairaorg, not wanting to see this scene any further, took off his zer and put it around Issei''s exposed underwear.


    "Young pervert, go and find another pair of pants, you clearly need it."


    "... Did my erection show?" Issei questioned looking at his most important partner.


    Sairaorg would have facepalmed at that, but he needed to carry himself with dignity, especially as he was the final representative in this little challenge and all eyes would be on him.


    And he was already regretting it, but who told him to be weak when ites to refusing to help family anyway?


    He was just that type of nice guy in the end.

 Chapter 33 - 32

    Akeno and Yubelluna stood in a replica of Kuoh academy facing one another.


    "You know, if you all wanted to do something in a sly manner you shouldn''t be so tant." Yubelluna said mockingly towards Akeno who just smirked at the remark. ??


    "Ara, ara, what might you be talking about? This honor duel waspletely spontaneous." Akeno said in a sarcastic tone.


    Truly, not only Rias had a rating game setting prepared, which is not something that can be done in mere minutes, but it was not a simple one like a grasnd or desert, but an entire replica of Kuoh High School Academy which was a clear advantage for Rias group that actually went there and knew the ce well.


    After a few moments, the announcer spoke up.


    "The first match of the honor duel between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex is about to start. Get set, GO!" The announcer said and both Yubelluna and Akeno took flight, both attacking almost at the same time. Akenounched a thunderbolt at her enemy while Yubelluna sent an explosion.


    As magic cast collided, a greater explosion happened and smoke covered the area as Akeno began gathering energy from her surroundings tounch her thunder at Yubelluna before she could attack, only to be shocked when, by the time smoke settled, Yubelluna was nowhere to be found.


    "Are we ying hide and seek now? Let this Onee-san humor you a bit then!" Akeno said, releasing the thunder umted to damage the area around her through carpet bombing.


    ///---///


    In the observation lounge, Soma was drinking some wine with Riser as he spoke.


    "Your queen is quite smart."


    "True, if she wasn''t smart I wouldn''t have her as my Queen." Riser said with a soft smile at the thought of Yubelluna.


    To their side, Aya asked.


    "Why did she run away?"


    "That is simple, to make the enemy spend their energy uselessly." Soma said. "You see, the Gremory Queen has more natural reserves than Yubelluna and if it became a fight of attrition she would lose. By running away like that when the enemy was umting their power, Yubeluna made sure to preserve her own reserves while also making the enemy Queen spend her energy."


    "That is correct." Riser said. "After our fight against all those strays, Yubelluna realizes how much she wasted her energy as she got tired too fast. As such, she started to n on how to spend the least amount of energy possible while maximizing what she could truly do in a fight or in a rating game. She is good at nning." Riser said.


    After that night Riser and his peerage had been training daily, separately and in groups, as to prepare in case another such attack happened. As they didn''t waste their time going to school they could spend time training every day while not changing their lifestyle much.


    Truly, while Rias and her peerage trained a week non-stop to close the gap, Riser and his entire Peerage trained for longer and with some members of Ruval peerage (Riser''s eldest brother and in 7th ce of rating game ranking).


    The gap widened, not lessened.


    Yubelluna woulde out of hiding from time to time to shoot at Akeno who was flying up in the air to get a better view of the terrain. After each shot, Yubelluna would quickly move away, but as time passed more and more of the buildings got destroyed by Akeno''s thunder there were fewer ces to hide.


    This game of hide and seek continued for around half an hour, until Akeno flew down due to exhaustion, and Yubelluna, seeing this, approached to deliver the finishing strike.


    Riser smirked and said.


    "It is over."


    Soma, however, facepalmed and groaned.


    "Yeah, Yubelluna lost." He said, shocking Riser who looked at the scene just in time to see Akeno suddenly springing up and releasing holy lightning at Yubelluna, causing her to scream in pain and losing the match.


    "Wha-, How?" Riser sputtered and Soma sighed.


    "The Gremory queen faked being weak, well she faked somewhat. Her acting was atrocious, well from my point of view it was, but it probably misled Yubelluna and she got defeated in one shot. A shame really, she should be the one to win, but holy-type energy is quite dangerous for devils and the Gremory Queen is half fallen angel. Her being able to use holy energy in some way should be possible, but how it mixes with her devil energy is interesting."


    As Soma exined as much he suddenly had a thought.


    "Maybe she could ept helping me further my research for a while, I could promise to reattach her without any scars after the biopsy isplete."


    Riser looks weirded out by Soma''s desire and speaks.


    "Bro, I have to say, sometimes you scare me a bit."


    Soma just shrugged.


    "If I am scaring a ''terrifying'' demon from hell, then I must be doing something right." Soma said with a smirk that actually made Riserugh despite Yubelluna having just been defeated.


    The reason why Riser was not overly worried about his girlfriend was very simple. His house was the one that PRODUCED the Phenex Tears, healing some burns would literally be done in seconds and Akeno''s attack was not nearly strong enough to cause any irreparable damage for Yubelluna. She would likely not take even five minutes toe over and sit on hisp, asking to be spoiled after having been ''bullied'' by the opposing Queen that used holy energy.


    Riser then looked at the rules set in a document that was quickly signed between himself and Rias and sighed at how ridiculous this whole affair really is.


    "You know, with how she acts I almost want to call off the marriage myself." Riser said, looking at the agreement in disgust.


    Soma sighed and nodded, this thing was clearly made by someone without a single notion of politics or subterfuge as far as Soma can tell. Riser honestly only signed due to Sirzechs being the one to push this agreement and Riser not wanting to provoke The Lucifer.


    The rules of thisbat were so obviously rigged that it wasn''t even slightly funny.


    Rule 1 - No holy-type items or powers are allowed;


    Rule 2 - No borrowing the power of other entities is allowed;


    Rule 3 - No banishing the enemy away from the fighting arena is allowed;


    Rule 4 - Any damage with the intent to kill means disqualification and instant loss for the entire team;


    Rule 5 - The winning side can decide the time before the start of the next round with a limit of one hour;


    Rule 6 - No healing item can be taken into the arena;


    Rule 7 - This tournament-style honor duel will end after one side has all participants eliminated;


    Rule 8 - Enhancement drugs are not allowed to be taken before the start of a match.


    These rules were clearly designed with the express purpose of binding and weakening those on Riser''s side. The document was made after the participants were decided, all by Rias'' hands and approved by Sirzechs.


    Soma was honestly irritated at this sort of idiocy. It was so beyond obvious that this whole thing was rigged, but it was honestly done as if the one doing the rigging had no real clue on how to do it and were just writing down anything they can to gain an advantage. For Soma, it was clear that Rias truly was desperate to get away from this marriage.


    Feeling sympathy, Soma put a hand on Riser''s shoulder and said.


    "Bro, I feel so bad for you. It must be sad tock charisma to this extent. If you want, I can give you tips on how to get closer to girls." He said and Riser snorted at that while Aya, on the side, blushed and lowered her head at this sort of discussion.


    "Don''t worry about it, I am more than capable on my own. It is just, ''sigh'', she is an annoying spoiled princess who has her head in the clouds and thinks she is a human, no offense." Riser said and Soma waved him off.


    "None taken, my culture and yours are different and I can understand that." Soma said dismissively . He was educated regarding devil society by Ravel and Sona during this time period and came to understand a lot about how the devil society works.


    Was it weird that Soma fit better amongst devils in terms of culture and conduct, whenpared to Rias?


    Nah, it can''t be. He is just arrogant, battle and power hungry, horny, barbaric at times,cks much in terms of normal morals, is right at home when ites to politics and nobility, likes to do whatever he feels like, and takes way too much pride on his own race, while looking for ways to gain benefits from others or exploit them in deals that are heavily beneficial for him.


    See? Nothing like a devil at all.


    Soma thought for a while before smiling.


    "Don''t worry, I have a way to help you out." He said and Riser raised a brow.


    "How?"


    "Nope, I won''t be telling you now. I will exin it to youter on." Soma said before turning to Aya.


    He could see her hands were balled together and trembling slightly as she was staring at the destruction of the school in that rating game dimension, clearly of the fight toe.


    "Aya-chan, don''t worry." He said, startling Aya who turned towards him in surprise.


    "Huh?"


    "Don''t worry." Soma repeated. "When the battle starts, you just need to say the magic words and everything will be alright."


    Aya looked confused for a moment before remembering what he meant. She put a hand on her brooch and felt some confidence in herself.


    "I will go now." She said with as much confidence as he could muster.


    "I will be watching, show everyone how great you really are." Soma said and Aya beamed as she left the room.


    Riser looked at her departing figure and after a moment said.


    "Bro, if it gets dangerous I will forfeit her match." Riser honestly did not give a single fuck about this match, he had nothing real to lose here except perhaps a little bit of face, but Rias already lost a lot more due to acting like a crazy girl who can''t control her peerage.


    Truthfully, unless Sirzechs forces it, Riser is confident he can say no to any rating game or anything of the sort that Rias can try and push. Besides, Riser was confident his bro could defeat Rias'' Queen and Rias'' perverted boy toy. Regarding Sairaorg, Riser can''t say for certain, but it would still not mean much even if Soma were to lose to the heir of the Bael family since Soma would not be allowed to use part of his equipment that would be particrly useful against a devil.


    Soma, however, just waved him off.


    "Riser, don''t worry. With what I gave Aya-chan I doubt that this Queen can even hope to damage her. Hell, I am not fully confident in fighting Aya if she uses what I gave her right now unless I have counters prepared." Soma said, making Riser look surprised.


    He heard from Ravel how Soma manhandled a dragon made of holy swords, and he also got the information that Soma could go toe to toe against Dimaria. For him to not be confident facing Aya, what exactly did Soma give her?


    ///---///


    In a V.I.P. room, Sirzechs was drinking some wine as he was watching the show. As a Satan he was allowed to have his own private room, he offered to let Rias and her friends to stay with him in this room but they refused, instead they were in arger room downstairs.


    Grayfia, watching the match, couldn''t help but speak up.


    "Are you sure your actions this time were correct, my king?"


    "Of course, it is just some entertainment for a happy event, after all." Sirzechs said in a light tone, causing Grayfia to sigh.


    "Is this your opinion as Satan Lucifer, or is it your opinion as Sirzechs Lucifer?" Grayfia questioned, making Sirzechs frown slightly.


    In truth he could see how things could go bad, but he was much too weak against his sister and, truth be told, he did not think much of the Phenex House. They were rich, sure, but their strongest powerhouse could note even close to match Sirzechs himself and everyone knew it.


    Devil society was a ''might makes right'' world, and Sirzechs was the mightiest of them all.


    "It is my opinion. Besides, I am not forcing anything, just giving my adorable Ria-tan a chance." Sirzechs said and Grayfia sighed, wondering if she should root for Riser as to make her husband less of... this, or if she should root for Rias instead.


    Not for the girl''s sake, Grayfia quite agreed with the marriage and thought that Rias wasrgely overreacting to all this, but because Grayfia feared that Sirzechs might actually kill Riser at the altar out of sheer spite.


    Gremories and their love for family, Grayfia was only d that Sirzechs didn''t make her wear that brte wig after that first time he called her mommy during sex.


    Seriously, it was disturbing.


    Grayfia wanted to ask more, but someone came knocking, or, to be more precise, knocked down the door with a kick.


    Serafal was in the entryway, her foot still raised from the motion of kicking the door open and Sirzechs looked at her with a raised brow.


    "Sera, I thought you were too busy to attend. Come,e, I have enough seats for you to enjoy this show with me." Sirzechs said with a charming face as Serafal lowered her foot to the ground.


    "I wasn''t busy. I was just tired after performing on my Magical Girl Levi-Tan show and stopping ANOTHER political disaster when the seventh son of house Andromalius decided he wanted to try and take one of Ra''s descendants into his peerage as a pawn. We are lucky the Egyptians were not overly mad, but it still was a pain to stop the Egyptian god of the sun from burning down some small settlements in Israel." Serafal said, sitting down on the chair.


    "You work hard." Sirzechs said, filling her ss of wine.


    "Someone has to since the others clearly are not doing a good job. After all, our Satan Beelzebusb that controls the research department refuses to listen to requests and just research whatever catches his fancy, our Satan Asmodeus that controls the military is not willing to do more than the barest minimum to keep us HAVING an army to some degree, and you let our internal political situation keep split in several factions that you seem unable to unite and are now trying to make what houses listen to us lose the unity that keeps us from open civil war." Serafal said, making Sirzechs wince.


    Yeah, the internal politics of devils was a gigantic mess that was barely kept together, not due to Sirzechs'' personal efforts even if HE was the satan responsible for this, but because of the political machinations of Zekran Bael. Truly, devil society was a ''might makes right'' world, and Sirzechs was the mightiest of them all, not the most capable to rule or lead.


    Serafal just looked Sirzechs in the eye and spoke clearly and inly.


    "This marriage is going through unless BOTH sides say otherwise, both the kids and the parents. Don''t try to y games with the future of our race for the sake of your sister, Satan Lucifer, or I will take a one month vacation and when the wars I keep stopping happen you will be able to see if you really ARE amongst the strongest in the world."


    "Now, now, we should just watch the show for now. We can discuss detailster, okay? Okay." Sirzechs said as the second fight was about to start.


    Serafal red at him before turning her gaze to this pointless endeavor of Sirzechs, trying to not cause a new civil war even as he seemed to WANT to cause issues.


    ///---///


    "Ara, ara, a cute little girl after thest one. Maybe lord Phenex is running out of options." Akeno said and Aya gulped.


    This was Aya''s first true fight and she saw how strong her enemy was, if she was hit even once Aya would lose.


    As Aya began to prepare she was interrupted when Akeno spoke up.


    "Hey, I heard you have a fallen angel in your house. Is that true?"


    "Yes, Mittelt-chan. She is my friend." Aya said cheerfully. She and Mittelt were friends, after all.


    Akeno heard this and looked at Aya with some pity.


    "A piece of advice, from a senpai to her junior, don''t get close to her or that boy, Soma. The research he is looking at is an evil thing that no one decent would want anything to do with, and you should never trust a fallen angel." Akeno said, mostly because of what little intel she got about Aya''s backstory from the dossier that Sirzechs prepared.


    As Aya was working with Soma, an unknown in devil territory, it was quite natural for Sirzechs and the devils to investigate any persons of interest like Aya. Normally such research was kept under lock and not to be shared, but Sirzechs shared what intel he could with Rias and the others about Aya after it was decided she would be one of the participants in this fight.


    Akeno, truth be told, felt sorry for the girl and would want to help her if possible. She too felt abandoned in the past and suffered a lot to just survive, being an outcast and hated for no good reason, but Akeno also disliked Soma who was friends with Riser and was studying the Holy Sword Project that caused so much grief to Kiba. And Akeno also despised the very existence of Mittelt due to the little blond being a fallen angel.


    As such, Akeno decided to give this advice to Aya and try not to hurt the girl much. Akeno was a cruel sadist, yes, but only for those who deserve it in her opinion or were fallen angels.


    However, as these words were spoken an ambiguous and dangerous air appeared as Aya''s previously nervous gaze became determined.


    "You don''t know them, they are my friends and I won''t let you speak badly of them. They are wonderful people, so take it back." Aya said and Akeno just shook her head.


    "I guess it will take you more time to see what sort of monsters they are." Akeno said with slight dissatisfaction. She heard of what sort of thing the Holy Sword Project was from Kiba, and she had also heard of how Soma nearly killed the Sitri heiress as well as his brutality during the fight.


    How could she not call someone like that a monster?


    And yet, in the eyes of those he saved, he was a hero.


    He was Aya''s hero, and she would not let someone calling Soma-kun names go.


    As Aya held the item Soma gave her, she squeezed it and a voice came out of it.


    "Master presence detected, please say the magic words for aplete activation."


    Akeno looked surprised by this as the little item in Aya''s hand spoke. From it, a handle came out and butterfly-like wings appeared on the handle, Aya changing to grip the handle as she spoke.


    "Give me power, Diamond!" Aya said and a pir of light came out of the now named Diamond, illuminating the whole arena.


    As the lights receded, Aya was wearing a magical girl outfit. Her dress resembled a wedding dress with plenty of white and diamond-like highlights. In this form, she wore a golden crown with a white veil attached to it, floating by itself around her head. She also had a white bow with a gem attached to her neck. Additionally, there are gold extensions attached to both her hips and forearms. The edges of her skirt fold together like flower petals, with the tips of her skirt also colored golden.


    The magical stick in her hand was waved with her hand as she stared at Akeno who was dumbfounded at the sudden transformation even as Aya pointed her wand at her.


    "I will make you say sorry for saying bad things about my friends." Aya said as she waved her wand, and even without wanting to, a st of concentrated mana flew at Akeno, sting the devil away.


    A great area of destruction from her wandunched towards where Akeno was.


    Truly, tapping into the magical energy of all her alternative selves from across the entirety of the multiverse was nothing to scoff at.


    In the viewing booths, Soma was quite d that his original design worked well enough, even if he would have preferred if he could have made the skirt cover more of Aya''s legs instead of being above the knees.


    On the side of Soma, Riser looked at the scene in front of him for a moment, closed his eyes, and spoke.


    "Yep, if you weren''t a person of interest before, you are one now bro."


    "Well, it IS an amazing mystic code with absurdly high magical capabilities, but it ha-"


    "No, it is not because of actual danger." Riser said before sighing. "It is because-"


    ///---///


    "I WANA! I WANA, I WANA, I WANA, I WANA!" Serafal said as shepletely forgot her prestige as a Satan or anything like that, glued to the viewing mirror as she saw her dreamse true.


    A true to Satan, Mahou Shoujo.


    ///---///


    AN:


    In case anyone is wondering, Aya''s magical girl dress is based on Tobiichi Origami astral dress in Date a Live. And no, Soma only knows how to make Kaeidosticks that look like Mahou Shoujo costumes, he can change their designs a bit but they would still be like that in general.

 Chapter 34 - 33

    Aya was shocked at the power she released just now. She had studied a bit about magic with Mittelt to at least understand what each type was, but what she has just done was nothing like it.


    She wondered if this was like Soma''s magic, but he said his magic needed a lot of things including self-hypnosis and other things to be done, and she did none of that. She just... willed a st to happen, and it did. ??


    It was weird, but it was kinda simr to how she did not know how her Sacred Gear worked and just that it did work. The power of imagination, so to say.


    Aya would have mused more about it, but her wand spoke up.


    "Lady Aya, please create a shield now."


    Aya, not thinking about the address as ''Lady'' imagined a powerful shield in front of her, creating a magical shield that held up to the thunder sting towards her.


    She could feel her hair standing on ends at the electricity in the air and she gulped at it.


    Aya tried to wave her stick tounch another st, but it failed miserably.


    "Why did it fail?" She questioned before she saw Akeno showing up in the sky and preparing to st her with a powerful thunder from the skies.


    "Lady Aya, you must properly visualize your attack, not just the results you desire. If you just think about the end result without thinking about the process at all, then I can''t do much." Diamond said and Aya nodded her head, somewhat understanding it before taking out her Vanishing Shift, aiming at herself, and shooting.


    Akeno grumbled as she saw the girl vanish just like Yubelluna did previously, but this time Akeno had truly no idea where the small girl could be and she couldn''t go about in the same way she went against Yubelluna. The halfbreed fallen did not want to kill Aya or anything like that, even her previous attack was not to the degree she would kill the girl, so Akeno naturally couldn''t just st everything around until she hit her target.


    Akeno''s sadism was reserved for strays who betrayed their kings due to their betrayal, fallen angels for being that, and some of her clients who took pleasure in being tormented by a hot high school girl with boobs bigger than their heads. Aya did not fit on any of those categories, so Akeno would not go out of her way to cause pain, and killing was, obviously, not an option even if Rias would likely cover for her.


    However, it was truly not needed as proven by the moment when Aya came from behind the gymnasium and aimed her wand at Akeno.


    "Diamond, go!"


    "Roger, Lady Aya." Diamond said, several spheres of mana not unlike those Issei learned to use during the training appeared around Aya, all shooting at Akeno at once.


    Akeno, when sensing the magic energy, felt scarred as the amount of magic energy being released was far too high, much higher than what she herself couldunch at any given time.


    Without any other option, she created all defensive magic circles she knew off to fend this attack, even including a bracelet enchanted by Sirzechs'' Bishop, as to be able to create a powerful magic barrier to defend her.


    ///---//


    On a booth, Rias felt her confidence waver slightly after seeing this st. Her nails digging into the palms of her hands as she worried about if Akeno was fine after thatst st hit her shields.


    "W-Will Akeno-senpai be safe?" Issei asked, that st was equal to several dragon sts shot all at once, and Dragon st was Issei''s strongest attack right now.


    "She is, trust her." Rias said with a confidence she did not honestly feel.


    For this day she had done everything she could. She had set up this challenge, had asked her brother for help in equipment and teachers for her peerage, had managed to convince Akeno to use Holy Lightning even if as ast resort, had even talked with her brother about arranging the ''correct'' type of judges just in case, those that would see things in the best way. Rias'' way.


    She was a devil, after all. She might have refused to learn much about her society''s older traditions, but she knew to try and gain advantages where she can, especially in an honor duel.


    Rias had even helped Issei with his... training, as ufortable as it might have been.


    It was ALL for this day, for preparations as to let her be free from the restraints her parents put on her head.


    Was it so wrong for her to desire to simply be a girl, to be able to at least choose who she was to marry instead of being forced into it? It was not, she decided, and she would do whatever was needed to get rid of this engagement.


    But, as the dust started to settle, Rias saw how Akeno''s shields and even the magic artifact were unable to hold up to the fierce attack and how Akeno was now covered in scratches and burns. Some blood dripping down her face as she stared at Aya fiercely, resolve flooding her entire being as she again decided to use her strongest attack.


    Rias felt bad for that. Not only because of how much Akeno was now injured for Rias'' own sake, but for pushing her best friend into using a part of herself she loathed so. She knew how much it pained Akeno to use anything she inherited from her father, but Rias managed to convince her to use it regardless.


    As Akenounched her strongest st, a bolt of holy lightning descended on Aya, it was the size of a barrel in width, and descended on the girl without any mercy. All of Akeno''s power was used in this strike, even some Ultimate ss devils raising a brow at this.


    Rias felt her heart palpitating faster and faster as she saw this, thinking this was it. That Akeno had won.


    ... It was not to be, as Akeno''s strongest strike hit a hastily made magic shield made by Aya, and was unable to pierce through it whatsoever.


    Akeno gave a self-deprecating smile as she saw this. Perhaps if she had actually trained her inherent powers from the start instead of depending purely on her inherent talent for it, she could have at least breached the barrier.


    However, as it was now, Akeno''s power usage was a mess, she wasted far too much power and she could not fight any further as she had never truly trained much physically where perhaps she could have had an advantage with the power and speed granted by the Queen Piece. Right now Akeno was a glorified Bishop, using magic to beat her opponents, but in terms of pure magic output, few could hope to defeat Aya using the Kaleidostick that granted her infinite mana.


    Akeno, however, could not just resign even if it was pointless to keep on fighting. Even if she could not win, if she could tire Aya out just a bit more then all the better. Rias'' Queen was willing to use a power she utterly despised for the sake of her King, she would do anything for Rias and that was exactly what she set out to do.


    Flying at Aya with all her remaining strength, Akeno flew around the shield Aya had made and punched Aya out, only for Aya to use her Sacred Gear and send Akeno further away. Aya tried tounch another magic st at Akeno, but the halfbreed fallen angel managed to avoid rather well as she tried to get closer, only to be teleported away again and again.


    Diamond, noticing this, spoke up.


    "Lady Aya, would you mind hearing my n?"


    Aya, who was trying her best to hit Akeno who was doing all she could to evade, nodded her head.


    "Wouldn''t it be best to just st everything?"


    "Huh? We can do that?" Aya asked in surprise.


    "Yes, just concentrate on the image of a magic bombardment and leave the rest to me. Also, don''t worry about this flying annoyance, I am just that great a kaleidostick and can assure you that, with your defenses, she can''t do anything to you." Diamond said and Aya noted the slightly excessive pride Diamond seemed to have, but Aya didn''t mind.


    It was kind of like Soma sometimes, and he was reliable so Diamond should also be very reliable... right?


    She closed her eyes and imagined what a magic bombardment would be like, imagining several sts all over her being sent out at once.


    As Aya was focusing on this, Akeno was now much more bruised and hurt, two of her wings croaked and severalrge patches of burnt skin showing. Even her long hair having severe damages making her need to go buy a hair growth potion if she were to keep her hair just like her mothers once was, imitating her mother''s hair just as she did the clothes, ways of talking, dressing in public, and even her housing.


    However, it was not to any of that she was focusing now, instead, it was at the fact that Aya had stopped her barrage of sts and had closed her eyes. Akeno''s purple irises shining at this, thinking this a chance and believing Aya must have finally tired out. Without hesitation she moved to attack Aya, punching the girl in the abdomen.


    "OUCH!" Akeno said as her hand hurt from the impact. If Diamond could speak right now it would be gloating over her superior magical and physical defenses, an attack from a Queen who never once trained physically waspletely unable to cause Aya to even register it.


    Just as the Queen wanted to attack again, several magic circles appeared behind Aya.


    No, ''several'' was not the right description. It was a veritable wall of magic circles one after another showing up and all creating spheres of concentrated mana all at once.


    "... Well, that is not fair at all." Akeno said.


    It was almost possible to feel the smugness of the answer that came to her remark.


    "I''m sorry, but I don''t give a fuck." Diamond said as Aya released her attack, the entire arena shing in several colors as the attack went out all at once.


    Not even five seconds after the strike went out Rias was already out of the doors of her booth, running desperately to the hospital set up as to see if Akeno was fine. Behind her were Issei and Koneko, both equally nervous about this.


    As they got to the hospital they saw the state Akeno was at. It was most certainly not pretty, her body was injured all over and despite being taken out before any mortal damage could be done, it was still a terrifying sight.


    Upon seeing her best friend in this state for her sake, Rias copsed on the floor with sad eyes. Akeno had done absolutely everything she could, and it all was still not nearly enough to defeat the power of ''Mahou Shoujo''.


    If it was not this sort of situation Rias would likely have found it funny, but right now she couldn''t feel anything but dread at the peat of her stomach as her imagination ran wild, thinking about how, if any problem had happened, she would have let her longest and greatest confidant die for her own benefit.


    As Rias was wondering if this was all even worth it, Akeno who was on the bed managed to open one of her eyes and put a hand on Rias'' own hand, and spoke.


    "Sorry I couldn''t do more, Rias."


    As Rias heard this she cleaned off the traces of tears on the corners of her eyes and spoke.


    "You did plenty, Akeno. Thank you, now leave the rest to us." as Rias said that she turned to Issei and spoke. "Issei, use everything you can. You must avenge Akeno."


    "Hai, Buchou!" Issei said in a salute even as, in his mind, he was thinking about what she could even do against someone who basically toyed with Akeno during the fight.


    Koneko, seeing this, pulled on Issei''s shirt making the young pervert turn his eyes to her.


    "... Don''t forget what Buchou got you." Koneko said, making Issei''s eyes light up as he put a hand on his pocket.


    Yes, how could he forgot. Rias'' brother talked with the leader of the fallen about Issei''s gear and, in exchange for some scales and small things from it, Azazel shipped off that bracelet that let Issei use Bnce Breaker. He had even talked with Draig the day previous, making a deal for more power as to deal with the fight they were now in, sacrificing his arm in exchange for more power.


    He had done absolutely everything he could, and his enemy was the perfect one for him to face. Someone who he could use all his magic against without a problem and that deserved whatever came her way after what she did to Akeno.


    ///---//


    Meanwhile, in a resting room, Aya was talking with Diamond.


    "Do you think that girl is fine?" Aya asked, making Diamond sigh.


    "Yes, yes, she should be fine. I controlled the output to not be lethal, do not worry Lady Aya." Diamond said and Aya released a sigh of relief.


    "That is good." She said, making the kaleidostick to tilt its ''head'' to the side.


    "My Lady, you are as kind as the creator said you are. I thought he was exaggerating." Diamond said, making Aya blush. "And it seems like your blush being adorable was another thing he said that is correct."


    And, just like that, Aya''s blush grew several tones redder.


    However, she shook her head and decided to change gears since she didn''t want to hear about embarrassing things right now.


    "Diamond-chan, can you tell me how you work?"


    "Oh, it seems like my Lady wants to be better prepared for the next fight to impress a certain someone. Good for you." Diamond said, taking a liking to embarrass Aya as she really was rather cute.


    After a while Diamond started to exin to Aya about her uses and Aya kept nodding her head and asking questions whenever needed.


    It would take time for Aya to fully understand how to fight with Diamond, but it was a start nheless.


    ///---//


    After around half an hour Aya and Issei stood facing one another.


    Aya, already dressed in her Mahou Shoujo costume, felt somewhat bad inside as she saw Issei looking her up and down. She could tell it was not really malicious, having been the target of far too many malicious gazes during the years, but Issei''s eyes right now were still unsettling and made her nervous.


    As for Issei, yeah he was checking Aya out. This was his first time seeing a true Mahou Shoujo and he wanted to memorize every little detail for...ter uses. Sure, she didn''t have big opai, but opai is opai and that is what mattered for Issei.


    He was forcing himself to not think about the state Akeno was at since he needed the right mindset if he was to be able to win this match.


    As the sign for the battle to start rang Issei showed his Boosted Gear and spoke.


    "You took down Akeno-senpai, I will not go easy on you." as Issei said that the bracelet on his arm shone and his gear sounded out.


    [Bnce Breaker: Scale Mail]


    A full armor covered Issei''s body, it was an intricate armor made of red scales packed closely together and green gems in several parts of the body with the eyes also being in green.


    As Aya stood facing him, it was like a scene straight out of a Mahou Shoujo anime as the brave young girl faced a monster trying to cause mayhem.


    Aya attacked first, several magic shots flying at Issei who used his Boosted Gear''s trusts to escape and run after Aya who used her stick again, this time creating an de of mana andunching it at Issei who punched it.


    CRACK


    Issei''s armor on his hand got a noticeable crack despite how tough it was, proving Aya''s power right now even if Aya was still far from truly mastering her gear capabilities.


    Seeing few other options since he couldn''t overwhelm her from a distance, nor could he circle her to catch her unawares, Issei decided to take drastic measures.


    ''All of nothing, for BUCHOU!'' Issei shouted on his head, putting his arms over his head and dashing at Aya while his gear kept saying BOOST over and over again.


    Aya kept on sting at Issei before he spoke up.


    "Promotion, Rook!"


    Issei''s body grew several times tougher as he did so. In truth it really should have been seen as an illegal measure considering the rule they cannot borrow power, but the judges were all selected by Sirzechs and knew the ''correct'' interpretation of the rules.


    Shocked by Issei''s sudden advance Aya froze for a moment before she jumped to get out of the way.


    "Toote!" Issei said, managing to tap Aya''s feet as she jumped. Aya turned around in time to see Issei turn to her and, even though the armor, Aya could feel the smug smile on Issei''s face. "Now, marvel at my personal and unique magic, Dress Break!"


    As Issei snapped his fingers Aya''s magic dress was ripped out from her body, making her fall to the ground naked for all to see.


    Issei did not think much as he did this, only watching with a lecherous grin beneath his armor as he looked at Aya''s body.


    Turning to the cameras he spoke proudly as if he could see Rias.


    "Buchou, the training was not in vain! It is all thanks to you." He said and, in her booth, Rias sighed at this disy but had a fond smile at the lovable doof that was trying his best for her.


    However, in another booth, Riser was not having the best of times.


    No, if anything this was a day of firsts for Riser. The first time he was challenged in such a ridiculous duel, his first engagement party, and, most importantly, the first time Riser felt true, unadulterated, absolute dread and the feeling of death.


    As Soma watched all that was happening and as he saw Aya curl up to try and not show her body to who knows how many lecherous devils while Isseiughed at a work ''well done'', Riser felt like if he said the wrong thing then regardless of immortality or anything else, he would die.


    When Issei seemed to prepare himself to strike at Aya with a dragon st, likely forgetting she isn''t a devil and thus did NOT have such a good physique and was just a normal 13 to 14 years old human girl, Riser quickly used his rights as ''king'' in this match to forfeit this match and teleport Aya away just as Issei was about to identally brutally murder the girl.


    It was a tense few minutes before Soma spoke.


    "Riser."


    "Yes?"


    "... It is to my understanding that the Satan Lucifer is the older brother of Rias Gremory, is that correct?" Soma said in an incredible tone and smooth tone that contrasted well with the sheer presence of death he was emanating since he rarely, if ever, was as angry over all his thousands of years of life as he was right now.


    "He is, yes."


    "And, if I were to kill every single member of house Gremory, including the staff and servants, besides Rias who I would leave as just a torso, a head, and the ability to procreate, he would not be most agreeable, correct?"


    "Well, that is quite true. I don''t think he would let this sort of thing happen." Riser said, hoping that his friend wasn''t thinking of actually doing what he just said.


    Soma did not speak for a few moments, until he did.


    "Would the devils mind if I kill him as well?"


    And, try as he might, Riser couldn''t shake that feeling.


    The feeling that Soma could and would do it.

 Chapter 35 - 34

    Riser was sweating bullets as the fight was about to start. It had taken a lot of convincing, to make Soma not decide on the extermination of an entire noble house of the devil race after what just happened, theplete annihtion and extermination of anyone carrying the Gremory blood so to say.


    And it took even MORE effort for Riser to make Soma promise not to seal Issei''s soul inside his body and turn said body into a puppet ghoul that would spend the rest of its days being little more than the relief toy of who knows how many demons in a cheap brothel while Issei''s trapped in his own mind and would only be able to watch.


    In truth, Riser wouldn''t mind such a fate befalling the little leecher, Riser was not blind and could see how much his bro cared for that little human girl, and seeing her being stripped of all her clothing for who knows how many devils to see... yeah, Riser personally wouldn''t mind seeing the servant suffer for it.


    However, if Riser''s friend did that to a servant of his wife, it wouldn''t set the best of images for alliance between their two houses. Not that Rias in general helped, but Riser didn''t want to give her actual ammunition regarding how ''terrible'' he is.


    Thankfully, Soma was rational enough to ept to ''tone down'' the punishment for what happened. But, even still, Riser was quite confident that whatever was about to happen wouldn''t be pretty.


    Meanwhile, Rias was biting her nail as she saw this fight about to start. Just one more fight and she would be able to challenge Riser for her own future.


    ''Just one more, just one more, Issei I believe in you.''


    Rias was showing clear signs of stress, but thankfully someone was there beside her and put a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner.


    Turning, Rias saw Koneko who she couldn''t be around as much as before thanks to politics. Damn, she hated politics, why couldn''t they just let her live a normal life with her friends? Was it so hard to just let her be a girl with her friends for a few more years?


    "Buchou, don''t worry. Pervert-sempai trained hard. He can win." Koneko said, to which Rias smiled while patting the little girl''s head.


    "You are right, thank you for that Koneko-chan." Rias said and Koneko gave a slight smile before both turned back to the viewing screen where they could observe the fight.


    ///---///


    "You, why are you helping that yakitori bastard?" Issei asked in anger as he saw thest person he was to face if he was to get Rias'' freedom back for her.


    Soma''s face at this moment might as well be carved from a cier due to how hard and cold it was, just staring at Issei with unreadable eyes. His finger moved in front of him in a unique pattern that Issei could not understand so he just ignored it.


    Issei just red more towards Soma. The little pervert might not have had any animosity towards Aya, especially after the feast for the eyes she provided, but Soma was another story entirely.


    He had seen how sad the rest of the peerage were after every time they met. He had to deal with Akeno''s tears after the big meeting a while back, how she copsed afterward due to what Soma said to her, and how he made her question her own anger, bringing back several painful memories. Issei heard of the Holy Sword Project from Kiba and how Soma apparently was interested in that abomination, how he even had one of the Excaliburs in his home now. Issei also knew Soma was somewhat rted to Asia''s death and had even taken in one of her killers, even giving said fallen angel the gear that belongs to Asia!


    And now here he stood in the way of Rias'' happiness, of the girl''s chance of happiness and the freedom to choose her path.


    So yeah, Issei was filled with anger, and as the sign to start was about to be signaled he spoke.


    "I will take you down, you bastard." Issei said as he entered the Bnce Breaker form of his Sacred Gear just as the sign to start the fight was sound.


    Issei was angry and wanted to dish it out on Soma, however, he was not the only one.


    CRUNCH


    Before Issei had a chance of dashing forward, Soma was already upon him having used Mana Burst to charge at Issei, and with a punch to the face, crushed the armor te protecting Issei''s guts.


    "GAH!" Issei gasped, only to have Soma execute a roundhouse kick to the back of Issei''s skull while using Mana Burst, kicking Issei''s face directly into the ground.


    Issei wanted to react, trying to punch back at Soma, only for Soma to catch his arm, put his foot squarely on the middle of Issei''s back, and twist Issei''s arm until a sickening crack was heard. Despite the armor, Issei''s arm was broken in such a way that bone could be seen.


    Rias'' face lost all color as she saw this and she wanted to end the match right then and there, but when she tried, it was useless. Soma had used one of the simplest forms of bounded field, Ath nGa. It was a bounded field that would only work if both parties inside it agreed to fight to the end and would only realise if one of them won or until the one that cast the spell dispelled it.


    Its effects are very simple, once inside the involved parties cannot leave the fight no matter what the method used to try and escape or intervene is. From the moment Issei tried to get close and throw a punch this was no longer a honor duel, it was a no barrels fight where no outsider can interfere no matter how strong the person is or the method used.


    It was a, true to form, bug in the system, that once used, could not be avoided, and from then until this fight ended, no one would be able to save Issei from the consequences of his actions.


    The pervert screamed in pain as his arm was almost ripped out of its socket, only for Soma to use his right arm that was modified to punch at Issei''s corbone.


    Protected by armor or not, Soma''s arm was much tougher than Issei''s in his current state, so Soma cracked the scales protecting that area and blood sshed Soma''s face as he all but pulverized the flesh and bone beneath his hand.


    Using the broken arm as leverage, Soma got off of Issei''s back and proceeded to tten the ground around himself by smacking Issei repeatedly against it from one side to the other. He smacked and crushed the rocks and everything by using Issei''s bleeding form until the armor over Issei''s body was all but smashed to pieces.


    Issei was about to pass out from the pain, hoping this would get him out of there, when Soma put a hand on Issei''s head and concentrated, using ''healing'' magecraft to change Issei''s brain to be unable to pass out from simple pain, removing that safety mechanism that all living organisms have.


    BOOST


    Being still awake, Issei tried to get some BOOSTs up to win, but as soon as Soma heard those words he proceeded to throw Issei on the ground and put his two hands over one another, and then stomp on them.


    Cracking noise was heard as both of Issei''s hands were broken then and there, the gems over them cracking as well. However, Soma was not satisfied with just that, proceeding to stomp again and again with all his strength until both of Issei''s hands were little more than a bloody mess.


    Tears of pain were streaming down Issei''s face beneath the helmet, but they were ignored by Soma who proceeded to put a hand on Issei''s good-ish legs, using his own version of the distortion magecraft that Fujino Asagami Mystic Eyes of Distortion could do.


    Issei thought that he was already feeling too much pain, but it was far from enough as both his legs were slowly twisted left and right, the sound of bones cracking over and over could be heard as his legs were turned into twisted imitations of badly done pretzels.


    Not feeling that this was enough, Soma put his right hand on Issei''s head, reinforcing it, the strength of said hand skyrocketed and he clutched tight, breaking the armor protecting Issei''s head.


    Using this chance he waved his true punishment on Issei, making sure he would suffer for what he had done.


    Silence permeated the air as Issei''s grunts and screams of pain were abruptly cut as Soma moved ahead, modifying and reprogramming certain aspects of Issei''s brain to a more appropriate form. And, as a final touch, he reached into Issei''s soul and cut off all but one of the connections between Issei and his Sacred Gear.


    With this, even if Issei could still use his gear, he would never again be able to achieve Bnce Breaker and his gear would return to its most basic setting and stay like that, being no different from a Twice Critical but still being hunted down by others wanting to take a Longinus.


    Honestly speaking Soma wanted to take the gear away, but Riser convinced him that doing so would be seen as stealing a Longinus from the devil race and could cause problems going forward.


    Punishing the little pervert in an official match like this was fine, but stealing his gear or killing him was not good at all. Deciding to give his friend some face, Soma pulled his punches so to speak. As Soma released his hold, Issei dropped to the ground as if a puppet without strings. Soma then proceeded to use one of his nails to carve a few messages on Issei''s face.


    ''Sexual predator in training'' On the forehead.


    ''Worthless'' on his right cheek.


    ''Scum of the earth'' on his left cheek.


    Sure, removing the scars might be possible, but not if one didn''t know how to enchant a curse to make any scars impossible to remove, like what Soma had prepared in the said nail he just used, enchanting it before this match started. From this day until the end of his days Issei would be marked to show the world exactly what he was as far as Soma was concerned.


    As Issei stood there paralyzed Soma used both hands, smashing them to the sides of Issei''s ears and using magecraft to enhance the sound of impact, deafening Issei as he blew his eardrums. He wouldn''t be able to hear anyone nor be able to walk on his own two feet, needing to crawl like a worm or be carried around like an overgrown babe until he got the treatment needed to counter what he had done.


    Feeling satisfied Soma deactivated the bounded field and turned to where the audience must be and asked.


    "Judge, does this count as my win or can I keep going?"


    As the words ''keep going'' echoed, the devils watching inhaled sharply.


    Was this not enough? Did he need to go any further? What can he even do byond what was already done?


    Unfortunately, the judges watching the match snapped out of it and quickly dered Soma the winner and sent Issei back to get emergency treatment. Not that it would be effective. While smacking Issei around, Soma used his hair to etch several tiny runes into Issei, they would slow down any magic treatment and Riser promised that Issei would not get a single drop of Phenex Tears for treatment till the wedding is over.


    Sure, it would not look good to do that as denying treatment would make Rias more pissed at Riser, but between making Rias slightly more angry, and making his friend less likely to go on a bloody rampage with who knows how many dead by the end of it, Riser chooses the lesser of two evils.


    Hopefully, any kids between Riser and Rias would inherit his brains as he was not the stupid one of this match made in hell.


    ///---///


    As the match ended in Soma''s clear victory, he sent a message that he would wait for as long as possible before the next match. Many questioned why not fight right away since he clearly was not injured or tired, but Soma just red at those who tried to get in his way and the devils'' elite got the fuck out of the way.


    Seeing a human dismantle and cripple a devil Longinus user like that was scary, seeing how easily he did it made the whole thing worse.


    Soma went straight to the infirmary, in a corner he could see the distraught appearance of Rias as she looked over Issei''s twisted and broken form, his eyespletely vacant.


    When Soma entered the room and Rias saw him, her fury over the state of her pawn took over and she let anger control her actions, her hair ring up as her energy exploded out of her body.


    "You!"


    Soma ignored her, moving forward as if he did not even register her presence whatsoever.


    Seeing that she was being ignored she held onto his arm to stop him and asked.


    "Why is my Issei like this?"


    "Because he is a lecherous dog that had to be taught about the dangers of being guided by his dick, he went through lesson #1 before and now he is enjoying lesson #2, the final lesson willeter." Soma said with fake calmness as he tried to control his anger over this whole situation.


    "You, you, you!" She said as her powers rose again, in her hand arge concentration of power of destruction could be seen, but as she was about tounch it-


    "You know," Soma said, Aria in his free arm as its de came inches from Rias'' unprotected neck since she was dumb enough to get so close to someone who was worlds apart from her in strength and skill. "I am getting real tired of your righteous bitchy princess bullshit."


    As Soma''s sword touched her neck she could feel the pain from it clearly, as the sword''s holy energy was far too strong for her to resist.


    However, despite what Soma might have wished, he pulled back and continued to walk. Not turning back he gave her one final warning.


    "You are lucky to have been born as the younger sister of Lucifer, and even more lucky to be the future wife of my friend, otherwise I would have ended you already, I''ve killed for less. But, just a reminder, try to touch me or anyone that I care about, and regardless of anything else, you will not live to see the next sunrise, little princess."


    As Soma said his piece Rias felt a single strand of Soma''s hair pressing against her neck and squeezing just enough to be obvious he could have killed her at any time.


    She could only look on as Soma moved away and sat back at Issei''s bedside. They had to send someone to get a few tears from the Gremory estate, since apparently, if the heir Gremory continued to act in such a manner then the house Phenex could not be sure if the engagement would really go through so the discounts on trade and the Phenex Tears they would have otherwise provided free of charge for family would not be moving along until the wedding.


    It was all going bad, but Rias was still confident she could win as the next to fight was the strongest young devil, Sairaorg.


    ///---///


    Towards the very back of the infirmary, Aya was sitting in the bed prepared for her while hugging herself and trembling slightly. Everything was going so well, but she tried to do something herself and it failed as expected. Not only that, she felt more exposed than ever before, and when all the power she was feeling was taken away just like that, it was just terrible.


    By Aya''s side Ravel sat to support her friend.


    In truth, as soon as Ravel saw what happen and saw the lecherous gazes of many of the devils around, she did not hesitate in using her mes to hide the viewing screen, and when someone tried to tell her to let them see she red at the noble who said that and spoke, clearly and without any hesitation.


    "One more word and I will ruin your life, do not forget who I am and what my family can do."


    Normally she wouldn''t say that, but she was beyond angry at the state her friend was left in and she had no patience to deal with a lecherous old man who wanted to ogle a 14 years old girl. That said, the noble was only the 18th in the line of session of a weak family that could not match the Phenex in status or money certainly helped.


    After the fight ended Ravel went straight to the infirmary, only stopping to order that no footage of what happened in this fight was to be leaked out of Phenex house. Even if a noble were to ask for the footage, it was not to be given or revealed to public viewing.


    Ravel tried to talk with Aya, but the girlpletely closed herself off. Ravel only left Aya''s side when she heard someone else had arrived in the infirmary and went to take a look, seeing the state the bloody mess once called Issei was right now.


    Feeling vindictive Ravel asked the doctors that would start treatment to not bother with giving anesthetics for the boy, even if he was to be healed he would have to feel absolutely everything. Of course, as was to be expected, Ravel made sure that it was to be kept a secret, and speaking about these orders would acquire a quite extensive punishment.


    After taking care of things Ravel stayed there with Aya, holding the girl''s hand as a friend should.


    The curtains opened to reveal Soma standing there, which startled Aya out of her trance as he approached.


    "D-Don''t look at me." Aya said, taking her hand away from Ravel and curling up even more.


    Soma just shook his head and sat beside her on the opposite side of Ravel.


    "Aya-chan, look at me." Soma said, making the girl peek at him.


    Her eyes were red, clearly, she was one step away from crying and she was barely holding on.


    Soma gave her a kind smile before speaking.


    "You remember what I told you before? On the day we met, I said that if you ever need anything, then just tell me. So, do you want anything?" Soma said and Aya looked down before closing her eyes tight and suddenly throwing herself at Soma''s chest.


    Her thin arms snaked around his waist as she put her head in his chest and mumbled.


    "Can I stay like this for a bit?"


    "Yes, of course." Soma said as he began to pat her back as Aya began to sob on Soma''s shirt. Soon she began to vent out her frustrations and her fears, she just talked and talked as she kept hugging Soma.


    Her mood improved bit by bit as she let it all out.


    When it was time for the next match Soma had to disentangle himself from Aya and turned his eyes to Ravel.


    "Can I count on you to watch over her while I am gone?"


    "Don''t worry, I got this. Just, be careful please. Sairaorg is not your normal devil, he is very strong." Ravel warned and Soma just chuckled.


    "It would be better if he is, I need a good fight after the previous fight... no, that is not quite the right word. Scuffle? Not quite. Beat down? Close but still not the right word." Soma joked trying to lighten the mood.


    "Crushing punishment?" Ravel suggested and Soma chuckled.


    "Good enough." Soma replied as he left.


    Ravel''s eyes trailed after Soma''s figure as he left the room, lingering a bit longer at where he wasst before turning back toforting her friend.


    ///---///


    Meanwhile, in Issei''s mind...


    "Why can''t I get out of here?" Issei asked as he was once again going through the recent events, starting with fighting Aya, making her get naked, defeat her, and then ''fighting'' Soma only to be crushed by him.


    And when he passed out, he was back at the start promising Rias to do all he could to win.


    He just kept on doing the same thing over and over again, and he would always get crushed ruthlessly by Soma at the end and experience all over again the pain that Soma put him through.


    Soma had nted in his brain a rtively simple suggestion, making Issei dream about recent events as if they were really repeating in real life. If Issei was to just NOT destroy Aya''s clothes then the illusion would soon shatter and he would awaken, but that would mean Issei stopped being led around by his cock.


    ... Rias and the others would have to wait a while before Issei woke up and be able to open his eyes again. Well, not that it would make much of a difference seeing Soma had severed the nerves connecting Issei''s eyes to his brain in a way that no normal operation could fix. And with Issei having his eardrumspletely destroyed he would also not be able to hear anything.


    Perhaps Issei could be healed if he was given a Phenex Tear, but even that was doubtful since Phenex Tears would be hard pressed to heal the brain damage inflicted on Issei by Soma. Truly, with the damage inflicted to Issei the only person who could heal him within a short time frame was Soma himself who knew precisely what happened and had a way to fix it.


    But for Soma to help he would want something in exchange, and the price would not be light. And he would be sure that the bitch king would pay the right price.

 Chapter 36 - 35

    Soma grumbled as he continued this fight, hating this shit way too much.


    Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with this guy?


    Having heard about Sairaorg''s general ''style'' of fighting being a direct hand-to-hand style, Soma for a moment, thought about doing the exact same thing. He was, after all, confident in his own physical prowess and had more experience in direct fighting than most could dream off.


    However, he decided to y it ''smart'' and instead not face his enemy where their strength is. Soma was a ''jack of all trades'', his advantage was exactly in being able to adapt to all sorts of situations, not in being a one-trick pony like most fighters.


    As such, from the start of the match, Soma did exactly that, using distance and spells instead of hand to hand. However-


    ''But seriously, what the hell is wrong with this fucker?''


    From the get-go, Soma could tell that things were not going well. Every spell that hit Sairaorg, which most did considering the guy was not fast enough to avoid Soma''s speed and prediction, were weakened and bated away with great ease.


    All Soma couldpare it to was if Sairaorg had some form of Magic Resistance. However, Riser had given no indications of that when exining to Soma about Sairaorg previously. If anything, Riser himself said that overflowing Sairaorg with magic might be the best way to deal with him in a fight.


    But, all of Soma''s attacks weakened on contact. It was infuriating for Soma who practiced so hard to master those spells just to have them batted away with such ease... and also extremely interested.


    This was a form of energy that Soma did not recognize, and he wanted to learn more about it, to assimte it into his own arsenal.


    Putting reasons for the match in the back of his mind, since Soma honestly didn''t care about it, as neither did Raiser, he advanced towards Sairaorg. He wanted to experience what sort of power this was and try to figure it out.


    Truly, a madman in many aspects even if well hidden.


    Meanwhile, Sairaorg was not having the best of times either.


    After seeing the fight/execution of Issei in the previous match Sairaorg was not mad or angry about it like his cousin, he was d. d to have found someone who was clearly a physical hand-to-hand fighter like himself and he wanted to experience fighting him.


    Instead, he was facing the exact same shit that he had with every other devil. Fighting from a distance and using spell after spell, he couldn''t get his blood pumping nearly as much on this sort of fighting. Not only that, Soma''s spells were much weaker than he expected, not being as threatening as they appeared and seemingly more show than substance.


    Sairaorg was very disappointed even if he couldn''t get close enough to Soma as the human moved just as fast as himself to escape. That was, until Soma advanced towards him.


    ''Yes, this is what I wanted!'' Sairaorg gave a great and predatorial smile as he advanced even faster, as the two met their fists collided.


    BOOM


    The impact sent a shockwave throughout the area as the two were sent flying back with Soma being sent further away than Sairaorg, but he was not displeased by it as his mind was busy analyzing what exactly was going on during the sh.


    "This energy, it is really weird." Soma muttered before moving again towards Sairaorg, his mind focused on understanding the energy that Sairaorg just used instead of actually winning the match by dismantling Sairaorg. Soma was mostly relying on instinct and prediction instead of pure logic.


    If it was put in Servant terms, it was Soma''s own mix of Eyes of the Mind True and False versions, a very powerfulbination born out of the sheer number of times he battled to improve himself and just one or the other not being good enough.


    Soma and Sairaorg entered a brawl and just threw attack after attack at each other. Sairaorg had a clear advantage even with Soma''s body modifications since Sairaorg''s Touki worked like an armor that shielded him from most impact and amplified his own strikes. However, even if Sairaorg had a clear advantage there was no true end in sight since Soma was not to be underestimated, amongst the various rings he had prepared for any eventuality, he had a new mystic code based on Twilight Healing, but this one being even stronger than the previous one.


    In the viewing stands, shock colored all those watching as they could see the terrifyingbat strength of both sides, the slug fest of fists and kicks growing more and more powerful and savage. Kuisha Abadon, the Queen of Sairaorg, saw something that brought pure joy to her.


    Sairaorg was improving.


    In the devil race, there were far too few people who knew anything about hand-to-handbat, and even fewer people who could match or surpass Sairaorg. There was hardly anyone that he could fight with that could help him improve his skills or push his body further, making him stagnate much to his displeasure.


    Soma was a damn perfect whetstone to sharpen and improve Sairaorg. As Soma was not focusing as much on offense and instead was more defensive right now Sairaorg could practice much better, his mind focusing on attack, attack, attack, and his movements improving and correcting themselves as he tried, again and again, to find holes in Soma''s defense.


    Not that Sairaorg wasn''t also pushing Soma forward, the young human magus/hero in training had already understood what ''touki'' was by this point, as absurd as it truly was for Soma.


    Touki, the representation, and control of life force of the user and their immediate surroundings, was damn close to what a Marble Phantasm was.


    Soma wanted to curse Riser for getting him into a fight with someone who had anything even resembling a Marble Phantasm! That damn thing is cheating of the highest level!


    Marble Phantasm is the ability to connect the will of the user to nature, as a means of interfering with probabilities, and transfiguring the surrounding world at will, in ordance with their vision of the world. As the user is a part of nature, he or she can change the world as desired.


    Basically, it was turning reality into what the user desired of it. Touki was the utilization of one''s life energy in tandem with nature to actualize the will of the user in their surroundings, the will being that of survival that all living organisms carry instinctively.


    Thankfully it was not a full Marble Phantasm as the control of what it is doing seems to be mostly defensive like an armor and could not go much further than a few centimeters from the user. But still, if thews of nature don''t work the same when entering Touki range of course magecraft would be weakened by a lot.


    Wanting some breathing room to rpose himself Soma used his hair to draw several runes all over the floor before activating the runes that created arge gust of wind below upwards, making both Sairaorg and Soma disengage.


    Soma put his hand to his side, and brought out the hammer he had produced a while back to help in forging. Thankfully he had put most of his equipment on his person using a ring he managed to craft that had a small pocket space to hold some items including this hammer.


    Sairaorg just smirked as he saw the hammer.


    "And here I was thinking you would fight me at hand to hand after not managing with magic." Sairaorg said.


    "Well, sadly for you I never agreed to such a restriction. Even if the rules restrain me quite a bit, I have no intentions of losing as I am a rather bad loser, and do not try to hold your punches, I can''t improve my fighting against weak shit." Soma said in response, causing Sairaorg to give a single chuckle.


    "After what happened just now? I wouldn''t dare to go easy on you." Sairaorg said as his Touki was released to cover all his body making him take a golden hue. Sairaorg then used his touki to boost himself much more than before. His speed was now hard to follow as he approached Soma and delivered a punch at Soma''s face.


    Soma moved back in time and moved the hammer, aiming it at the hand that Sairaorg attacked with. The two items collided and the hammer was pushed back but instead of Soma being thrown away by the impact he used the impact to elerate his body in a circle to try and hit Sairaorg on the other side.


    Sairaorg was slightly surprised by the move, but hit it away again only for Soma to do the same thing, but this time it was even faster.


    This was a technique taught to Soma by Sc¨¢thach. She had learned it when she was part of an organization called Chaldea, having a lot of time to spare, she spent her time reading many things for inspiration. She was easily one of the greatest monsters in the entire Throne of Heroes, being able to actually develop a functional technique out of what amounted to a fantasy novel idea.


    With every hit the hammer got faster and stronger, after 22 strikes Sairaorg finally wanted to back down, but would it be so easy to do so when the strikes kepting faster and faster.


    ''You want to try it like this? Well, I won''t back down then.'' Sairaorg thought as he did something that would seem almost stupid for most people.


    He stopped fighting back.


    When no more additional force was used to face the 23rd strike, the power declined for the next one as the eleration was no longer aided by Sairaorg''s own strike. Due to this slight slowing down, Sairaorg managed to use his strength to hit the floor strongly with a stomp, breaking the ground and disrupting the ce where Soma was standing.


    As the ground broke, Soma''s bnce was disrupted and he could only use this final 24th strike before he had to restart or just not use this technique anymore.


    But, would a technique made by Sc¨¢thach truly have such a ring weakness?


    Of course not!


    When the 24th strike was about to hit, Soma activated the runes in the hammer, increasing its durability, weight, and impact.


    As the strike came down on Sairaorg the devil was sent flying and his touki broke for a second there due to the sheer strength of the impact. Soma took notice of it and added to his mental notes that Touki was not unbeatable, even if it was damn hard to break it.


    After a moment with broken Touki Sairarog quickly activated it again, it was not as vigorous as before but it was still a powerful threat and Soma could not take it lightly. Sairaorg was unrelenting as he moved back to the fight and shouted.


    "Is this the best you got?!"


    Soma, hearing this, barked augh, pulled his hammer back, and darted forward while saying.


    "Not even close!"


    ///---///


    In the booths watching the match, Sona didn''t know exactly what to think of this whole ordeal. She had known that Mr. Hanakai was powerful, but she didn''t know that it was to this degree.


    He was fighting on equal footing against Sairaorg, the undisputed strongest devil of their generation. And that was while not using any of his holy items or other unique powers she knew he had.


    Licking the corner of her lips she felt a certain thrill over trying to ''conquer'' him.


    "That man is really quite interesting, Kaichou." Tsubaki said to Sona who nodded her head while not taking her eyes away from the screen.


    Seeing her chance, Tsubaki spoke.


    "At least your babies would not just be pretty but also quite strong."


    Sona spluttered as she heard her queen and blushed at the insinuation. She might be a devil and all that, but she was also very much a virgin who had absolutely no actual experience with males or sex. She might like to think about ''dominating'' others, but she honestly had no idea where to even start.


    "... At least I am not nearly as bad as her." Sona said as she eyed Momo, who was staring at the fight with so much intensity that Sona actually feared the screen would catch on fire.


    That had been the norm since the previous match where Soma faced Issei. To say that Momo was worried then would be a giant understatement, but not for fear of her cousin facing the Boosted Gear, but of what Soma would do.


    And she was proven right, many times over. Soma has always been overprotective of those he cared for and Momo still remembers how he once broke the nose of one of their cousins when he mistreated a maid he liked back in the mansion of the old family patriarch.


    Soma was only 8 and the cousin was 13, and Soma still broke his nose and beat him up for what he did to what the family patriarch called a ''tool'', ending up in a brawl that saw him more injured than the other side but still rearing to go and punch the older kid even if he got the worse of it byparison. And Momo was quite confident that Soma would do as much, if not more, for her if the need arrives. Hells, he almost killed the younger sister of one of the Satans by just the possibility of her being cheated into bing a devil.


    As Momo stared at the scene with the rest of the devils and admired a fight that many were thinking should well be televised from how intense it was, in one of the special booths destined for the VIP one could find Sirzechs, Grayfia, and Serafal there.


    Sirzechs was seeing this fight with a hint of displeasure, even if not too much. On one side Soma was in the way of Ria-tan''s freedom and he had decimated the Sekiry¨±tei which gave his family prestige just by being in the Gremory family. On the other hand, he was helping Sirzechs'' cousin improve and had helped previously during the attack on Kuoh and provided vial support in making that disaster have no casualties even with the numbers involved.


    ... Oh, who was he kidding, he disliked the kid due to him troubling Rias, and that was that.


    Besides, he did not think much of the match he was watching. Sure, the two were powerful but it was just physical strength and most martial arts, Sirzechs is more of a mage type and naturally didn''t much care about hand-to-handbat. Sure, he knew that it was strong, but he still was confident that his own way of fighting was the superior one and this brawl was not to his tastes.


    Not that his feelings were reciprocated by his wife who quite admired the fight happening in various ways (especially since she actually liked men who were not just skin and bones... unfortunately that including those like her husband who was very muchcking in the muscle department beneath all those robes, thankfully he was strong enough to be a turn on regardless of hiscking physical aspects for Grayfia).


    Truthfully speaking Grayfia thought that Rias should just ept her role and be done with it. Grayfia had done that to help with the peace of the devil society after the civil war and she knew much about the internal politics of devil society, having toplete and fix plenty of Sirzechs'' paperwork (thinking someone strong would necessarily be a good administrator isughable and stupid, after all), which led Grayfia to have a keen understanding of their society internal structure and conditions.


    Unless Rias could find someone strong enough to shut up all the others who could protest and whose bloodline and potential would certainly create a superior offspring, then she would be married off by her parents even IF she could escape marrying Riser, and the other candidates were much more chauvinistic and worst by most any standards, there was even one that looked like a fat fish amongst them for satan''s sake!


    Grayfia even mused that, should the Red Dragon Emperor fully transform his body into a dragon and actually win against Riser while iming Rias for himself, then maybe it would be enough. It WOULD be the bloodline of a Heavenly Dragon and the gear user would have shown himself the superior fighter, but instead little Mr pervert lost in such a humiliating way that Rias even kissing him in public now would be a scandal.


    For Grayfia she would just have Rias marry Riser and find herself a select few lovers to apany her when she felt the need if that is what she wanted, Satans (not her husband) know that many devildies do that and even Grayfia had done the same at times. And the less said about Venna and her harem of males that was bigger than her husband''s harem, the better. That woman was quite ''passionate'' indeed.


    As for Serafall, she was the one most torn amongst all of them. But not because of the fight or because of the image of a human being equal to their strongest young devil, but because she was torn over something much more important.


    ''Should I go look for that Mahou Shoujo and ask her to join my Peerage, ask her where she got that stick, or ask to study under her in the ways of the unlimited power of Mahou Shoujo of love and justice? Oh Satans, why can''t this be as simple a question as those political discussions that could lead to the potential war of extermination of the race? That would make it so much simpler.''


    ... You gotta know your priorities.


    ///---///


    Back in the field Soma and Sairaorg were on the ground breathing hard, their fight has been quite exhausting and their faces and bodies were full of bruises from the fight until now.


    The first to get up was Soma who couldn''t help but speak.


    "Damn, you are one tough bastard."


    "Hehe, thanks. And you are not bad yourself." Sairaorg said, slowly getting up too.


    The two were quite battered but neither wanted to admit defeat, this was just a breather before the restart of the match.


    Soma, not being able to resist it, asked.


    "Hey, your weird power. How the fuck did you got it and, more importantly, can I get it too?"


    Sairaorg, hearing this, actuallyughed boisterously even as he felt his ribs hurting from one too many strikes he tanked there from that several tons heavy hammer.


    "I just trained my body until I broke through the limit. Simple as that, I trained until I did it. Anyone can do it as far as I know even if Youkai and elemental spirits seem to be able to do it easier."


    As Soma heard this he gave a small smile as he remembered how he reached a teau in his training and couldn''t advance past it, while back in the Throne, there was no such bottleneck.


    Thinking he might not be too far away from breaking through and obtaining a simr power, Soma became much more rxed. Not only would it make him much harder to defeat, but because this would mean he would then have his own initial stage of a Marble Phantasm.


    It might take a while to break through this bottleneck, but Soma didn''t mind considering the rewards on the other side.


    Feeling grateful towards Sairaorg for what he had shown this day, Soma spoke.


    "How about this, we each give our all on this final strike and whoever wins in the sh is the winner?"


    Sairaorg just smirked and nodded, being already tired he epted this deal easily enough.


    Sairaorg started focusing all the touki he had on his hand, the energy glowing as he cut off the energy from the rest of his body to focus it all into his hand. Meanwhile, Soma started to spin with the hammer, doing the same movements he had done previously, even without a target to hit, it was still possible to increase the speed with each swing.


    As the number of spins increased the energy that Sairaorg was putting on his hand also increased. Thepetitive spirit of both sides ignited as neither wanted to lose, both pushing themselves further and further to dangerous points. Sairaorg''s hand began to actually be damaged from the excess of energy in it while Soma''s body screamed at him with every extra swing as he reached what should be his limit, and pushed beyond that.


    Finally, as if by an invisible signal only they could see, both unleashed their attacks with all their strength at one another.


    A great explosion erupted, dust covering everywhere from the huge impact.


    All devils watching were shocked that physical strength could actually create damage like that, not really having a seem much in the way of extreme physical attacks before.


    As the dust settled two figures could be seen in the midst of it. One arm was raised and a yell was heard that sent shivers down the spines of the devils present.


    "VICTORY!"

 Chapter 37 - 36

    Both teenagers sat in the hospital bed, exhausted.


    "... Do you really have to be so sullen? It is just one loss, not such a big deal." One of them said.


    "Yeah right, if I was not restrained so much I would have beaten you ck and blue. I demand a rematch!" Soma said with a slight pout of annoyance on his face.


    Sairaorg justughed it off.


    "Fine by me, but I have no intention of losing either. Besides, I learned a lot from this fight and want to try fighting you again, and if you want to go all out maybe I should bring out a little extra from my side as well." Sairaorg said, wondering if he should try facing Soma while using his Longinus.


    Sure, he normally wouldn''t even consider it, but the gains from fighting Soma were far too great and maybe he could get inspiration and grow better while using Regulus if he fought with it against Soma.


    "... Come with everything you have and I will do the same. Besides, don''t worry about injuries or whatever, in this world, there is nothing I cannot heal." Soma said smugly, making Sairaorgugh.


    "Hahahaha, you really are one prideful person. It is almost like you actually are better at healing than at fighting with how you say it."


    "Humph, I am not giving out empty boasts here. If there is a better healer in the world, I want to see it and learn from said healer. Besides, even death doesn''t mean much to me if I have all needed resources, much less small stuff like lost limbs or stuff like that. It is super easy, barely an inconvenience." Soma just humphed at this and didn''t say anything more.


    "Oh really?" Sairaorg said, not believing him.


    "Yeah."


    As Sairaorg heard the matter of fact tone that Soma spoke, as if his words were the most natural facts, his mind nketed for a moment as he thought about Soma''s words.


    He wanted to speak some more, but was interrupted as the doors were opened and Riser entered the infirmary, beside him both Aya and Ravel.


    "Bro, how are-"


    "Soma-kun, are you okay? Want me to bring us home?" Aya cut off Riser who felt his eyebrow twitch slightly. He was not used to being ignored, but he let it go since this was Soma''s friendpanion that came with him.


    "I am fine, trust me. It was a nice sparing match and I am alright right now." Soma said while patting Aya''s head.


    Ravel looked down for a bit before giving a courtesy and speaking.


    "On behalf of House Phenex, I apologize for letting one of our guests receive such injuries due to internal matters of the family."


    Soma, seeing her try to be all formal, smiled and spoke.


    "That is fine, it is not that big of a deal and I even got to experience a bit more tonight. But, if you want topensate me further, how about that date we talked about before you decide where we go and we share the bill?"


    Ravel blushed as she heard this and stuttered a bit.


    "W-W-Well, if t-that is what you want, I can make the sacrifice and reluctantly agree to it." She said while trying to act coy even if no one was buying it.


    The only one who had a slightly sour expression was Aya who turned to Soma with pleading eyes, startling him for a moment before he spoke.


    "Aya-chan, we can go eat outter as well, how about it?"


    Smiling shyly she just nodded her head.


    Riser, seeing this, gave a wry smile as he knew his sister clearly hadpetition. Well, now that she would mind it anyway, Phenexes are known for having too great a sex drive and liking multiple partners and Ravel is still exploring her sexuality and Riser has seen her giving nces to some of his Peerage members.


    Of course, he did not want to know any details or information about it and wanted her to stay a pure virgin until she was at least 150 years old or married, but he was not blind to reality either, just wilful ignorant.


    Yep, she has never had a single perverted thought in her life and Riser refuses to acknowledge otherwise.


    Soma then turned to Riser and asked.


    "So, what happened? Did you have to apologize in the end?"


    Riser slumped his shoulders.


    "Yeah, I apologized for my ''mistakes''. But at least I did not get the worse of it."


    "Oh."


    "Rias tried to say that I was too weak to warrant marrying her and some such nonsense because I ''lost'' this honor duel. So I just asked, if she was so confident I was the weaker one between the two of us and unworthy of her, she just had to prove it right then and there on a fight between the two of us. She tried to push for a rating game, but I exined how I was merciful enough not to do it considering she only has five Peerage members and of them one is basically crippled by you, thanks by the way."


    Soma just smirked.


    "My pleasure."


    "And of the four avable one cannot be used as the little vampire cannot control his sac... why am I feeling a chill?" Riser said as killing intent oozed all over the infirmary.


    The origin? Soma, of course.


    "A vampire, you say? And where is such a dangerous being at exactly? I hope it is in the Underworld for security, possibly within dense and secure bounded fields that would stop any spread of its influence." Soma said calmly. Well, even if he said it calmly his killing intent now was no worse than the one he exuded when he was facing Issei, only calmer and more all-epassing.


    Vampires, or dead apostles as Soma knew them by, are dangerous abominations of the world that should be exterminated on sight. The only one he knew from the Throne that was not like that was Carm, and she was a sadistic monster most of the time and liked bathing in the blood of humans.


    On a good note though, she made great cookies sometimes and was a great teacher in the art of torture and blood control techniques, even if Soma was not that good at those. She said a few times he could just be a Dead Apostle like Zelretch if that was so since it wouldn''t interfere in his research in regards to Heavens Feel, but Soma refused the notion entirely. Unless he was absolutely desperate he would not take that sort of step considering how dangerous it would be for himself and those around him.


    Notwithstanding, as far as Soma knows vampires are beings that should be killed 99% of the time unless it was a proven beneficial one that did not hunt humans to serve as snacks and delighted in the production of Ghouls. One single dead apostle could mean the destruction of an entire town or potentially country, such a danger should not be left unchecked, or allowed to exist as far as Soma was concerned.


    Feeling the coldness and power Soma was emanating, Riser did not speak further for a while due to the sheer killing intent Soma was emanating. Ravel trembled the slightest bit as she was slightly touched by the killing intent while Aya did not feel it at all.


    Sairarog was the one to speak next.


    "Soma, do not worry. As far as I understand it was not quite a vampire but a damhpir that is a servant of Rias and she has it sealed due to not being able to control its power, but it is gentle and kind in nature."


    "Well, at least it is sealed." Soma said, wondering if she had at least put the thing in a coffin of silver and how manyyers of seals she let it be surrounded by. Personally, he hoped at least 47 barriers of various effects to make it unable to exert any strength and influence in its surroundings.


    "And she has it under watch with her in Kuoh academy." Sairaorg said and, just like that, Soma''s killing intent returned together with anger over such ipetence as his mind was running through zombie apocalypse scenario after zombie apocalypse scenario and thinking if the dumb red head was actually stupid enough to let a damn dead apostle in a human city, and in a damn school of all things!


    How manyyers of security would she even have considering he could walk around setting up his own security in the ce (when he attacked the Student Council) without anyone noticing? Ipetence and stupidity, that is what this is.


    Sairaorg, seeing Soma''s reaction spoke up.


    "Calm down, I can take you to meet that little fe and you can see it is no danger."


    Soma, hearing this, looked coldly at Sairaorg before speaking.


    "You can take me there, but the judge if it is a danger or not will be myself."


    Sairaorg sighed, this new friend of his had far too much pride. Really, he was like a devil at heart that happens to be human in body.


    Riser, seeing that things calmed down, continued to speak.


    "Anyway, since she only really has three Peerage members she can use for now and can''t win against me in a rating game but still was iming I am too weak, I just asked if she wanted to face me one on one. Bro, you had to see how fast she shut up and her turning to her brother for help. Thankfullydy Leviathan was there and she did not let him try and force some other ridiculous thing to justify it. Besides, I just said that, even if I was not worth it, who says SHE is worthy of choosing who the next Lord Gremory is? It would be her parents choosing again and the next one might not be as nice as me."


    Seeing Riser''s smug smile Soma chuckled, calmed down about the impending zombie apocalypse that might erupt at any time in Kuoh due to the stupid devil''s decision.


    "So, when is the wedding exactly?" Soma asked to make sure.


    "Well, after this engagement ceremony is done with, unless the Gremory family wants to dere war on my family, which is stupid as it would mean a potential civil war reigniting since my n is the richest and hers in the top three greatest influence in our society, or one of us die, the marriage will go down in a few months." Riser said and Soma nodded before speaking.


    "Fine, but do not count on my fighting again on your wedding night, at most I prefer to fight on the sheets with some bridesmaid or something." Soma said as a joke and Riserughed while believing this as a fact 100%.


    Aya, as the only human, was a bit embarrassed but she ignored this. Soma was a good person in her eyes and heart so he isn''t doing anything bad, right?


    "So, how about if we give you some Phenex Tears and have you healed up for the party." Riser said and Soma shook his head.


    "No need, I can heal myself at any time by now with what I have on hand." Soma said.


    Riser raised a brow as he heard this and spoke up.


    "If that is so, then why are you still here?"


    "Because the beds arefortable and I don''t want to deal with nobles ogling me like if I was a piece of meat." Soma said, already imagining how the devil nobles would swarm him wanting him to join their peerage.


    Nope, too annoying. He would much rather just stay in thisfortable bed with Aya and Ravel by his sides, that would be much morefortable.


    As Riser heard this he sighed before speaking.


    "Fine, you can stay here for now but I need you out in the hall during the ending dance and for the bachelor party. I have to reward you for the help you gave me this time around and before as well." Riser said and Soma perked up slightly as he heard of a bachelor party.


    He normally would be worried about a devil''s bachelor party, but considering it is Riser he rather doubted anything bad was gonna happen besides the kind of ''bad'' that Soma enjoyed.


    As for Sairaorg, he tuned out the rest of the conversation as a certain thought kept repeating itself on his head.


    ''Can he heal my mother?''


    ///---///


    "Thank you all foring to this special day for houses Gremory and Phenex." Riser Phenex said while, by his side, a very sullen and displeased Rias tried to pretend she wasn''t even there anymore.


    All the guests were smiling at the scene, equaling Rias to just a spoiled little princess who many of them wanted to please from how cute she looked now. On the distance Lords Gremory and Phenex were a bit ufortable at this scene as they did not originally want to show up at this party as to let the focus of the party be their kids, but after the challenge was made both came with their respective wives to watch over it and stop anything in case everything got out of hand.


    Really, Rias'' chances of canceling this were nil to none from the start, depending a lot on getting public opinion on her side and her brother pulling the string. But, with Serafal stopping Sirzechs from interfering further due to the risk of war and letting Rias be the one to try and convince others of how right she was, she could only achieve something if she could defeat Riser directly since both her Peerage members lost in terrible and humiliating ways due to being overpowered by the opposition.


    Sure, Riser''s Queen lost to her own, but the victory was by basically cheating in the fight by using holy lightning AND cheap shotting her. They were clearly equal in power, so calling Riser''s Peerage member weak is an over exaggeration by all means, and Riser had all 15 pieces while Rias only had three able-bodied ones.


    It was as Serafal said, regardless of the result of thepetition the marriage would happen, and even if Rias won the victory was with the smallest of margins anyway.


    "Now, let me and my beautiful bride open the dancefloor." Riser said, giving his hand for Rias to take as the two went to the dance floor.


    The dance was very stiff and ufortable, but they were two beautiful people and were trained in such things in their youth so it was not all that terrible.


    After a while of the two dancing more people went to the dance floor as well, bing rather lively overall.


    Soma, who had left thefy bed by now, went to search for someone to dance. Normally he would take either Aya or Ravel, but Soma thought it wise to let Aya rest a bit more and stay far away from the devils who might have bad thoughts, and Ravel stayed with her as she did not trust anyoneing to Aya to find an issue. Besides, Diamond had presented itself to the two and was having an animated talk with Ravel about how to make Aya look better, what make-up to use, and fashion.


    Gods, Soma hated fashion. He knew about it enough as to know about disguises, but he still hated it in general.


    As Soma was searching for a dance partner, someone actually got to him first and touched his shoulder.


    Turning, Soma was surprised to see that it was Serafal there who was actually using a Mahou shoujo costume of all things. She wanted to speak, but Soma decided to take the initiative considering the situation in general.


    "Care for a dance?" Soma said with his most charming smile, one he had spent at least 80 hours practicing with that crazy bitch Kiyara and that lovable spy Mata Hari, both would not shut up until he found the most perfect charming smile and could use it at a moment''s notice.


    Serafal, who wanted to ask something else, was slightly dazed by that smile and nodded her head without thinking. Needless to say, Kiyara and Mata Hari knew what they were doing in regards to seduction in general.


    Taking Serafal''s hand in his Soma put his arm around her waist and began to guide her on the dance floor.


    They danced for a good while, attracting many gazes as both were quite noticeable by now. One was a Satan, the other was a human that, even while limited by several rules, was at least equal to the strongest devil of this generation.


    After a bit of dancing Soma couldn''t help but speak.


    "It seems like you like Mahou Shoujos, isn''t it?"


    Serafal, looking at her own clothes actually chuckled and said.


    "What gave you a clue?" She said with a yful smile that Soma answered by rolling his eyes.


    "The fact I am not blind, perhaps?"


    Serafal giggled a bit before speaking.


    "Hey, I heard from So-tan about why you attacked her."


    "Oh."


    "Yeah, she wouldn''t stop until she told me everything. She is far too dedicated sometimes, I tell you." Serafal said while shaking her head at the stubbornness of her sister, which was rather like her own even if she didn''t like admitting to it. "Anyway, you do realize that, if you had killed Sona, you would have died too, right?"


    Soma did not say anything, he knew he was far too hasty but he was still somewhat confident he could have escaped anyway.


    Serafal, interpreting his silence as admitting he would die for doing that, looked down as she spoke.


    "... You really care for your family, huh."


    "Of course I do, if it is for my family I''d even fight the Gods... and ughter them all." Soma said instantaneously and without preamble or hesitation.


    He knew it was saying too much, but he would find some way to do it or die trying in a ze of glory, like a hero.


    Serafal gave a sad smile.


    "Yeah, and I would do the same for my sister."


    The two were silent for a while before Serafal spoke up again as if to return to her normal way of acting.


    "Anyway, do you know where that magical girl is? I was searching for her." Serafal said with some excitement in her voice.


    "... What would you want to talk to her about?" Soma said defensively and Serafal realized that it would not like good to ask him this now.


    Truly, she got so giddy with finding a true magical girl that she lost notion in regards to who she was talking with. She had seen what Soma did to that little pervert, and she was not stupid enough to not realize how protective he clearly was with the girl.


    "I just wanted to ask her how she became a Mahou Shoujo and talk with her a bit."


    Soma looked at her for a bit before speaking.


    "... She lives with me, you cane to visit if you want." He said knowing that, if it was in his home, he wouldn''t fear even if this Satan had bad intentions.


    Anything below the level of that dragon he buried would not be able to do anything much in his house, and even those stronger would be hard-pressed to be any true threat.


    Serafal, not knowing the state of how his house is, only smile and nodded happily, until she heard his next few words.


    "And about how she became a Mahou Shoujo, I made the stick she is using." Soma said easily enough, making Serafal freeze.


    "... What?" She said and Soma shrugged.


    "I wanted to make sure she was safe and protected, and while her gear is good for run away, it is not good enough in my eyes." Soma said.


    "... Tell me this, if you wanted to make her a strong gear for defense and power, then why was it a Mahou Shoujo." She asked and Soma sighed.


    He had the meaning of ''why'' the kaleidosticks had to be Mahou Shoujo transformation devises hammered in his mind enough to make it all but instantaneous as to why it was so.


    "Because Mahou Shoujo is the ultimate and strongest power in the multiverse." Or so says Zelretch, that crazy vampire fucker.


    As for Serafal, her mind was blown as she realized something.


    She found her Soul Mate, her destined one, because what if not destiny that brought two of the greatest minds of this world together that together reached such an ultimate truth? And someone so like her, it was uncanny.


    Holding tight she did not let Soma end this dance as of now, she still wanted to talk more with him, dancing happily to the tune.

 Chapter 38 - 37

    As the dance dwindle to the end it was time to end this party. Now it was merely the time for the final gifts to be given.


    One by one the lords and merchants gave out luxurious gifts. Carpets, statues, jewels, potions, unique treasures of all sorts, all and more were being given to the ''happy'' couple above.


    Koneko looked very upset together with Akeno as they could see the expression on Rias'' face due to how herst gamble failed. It was truly miserable, only grown worse as the next person came to give out their gift.


    "This has been a most interesting evening, I thank both lord Phenex anddy Gremory for the invitation for this most wonderful afair." Soma spoke with all the pompous and over-the-top nature expected of a noble in such a party.


    Riser smiled broadly at his friend while Rias gave a smile that was more a grimace than anything else. She honestly hated Soma by now,paring him to Riser already, if not worse.


    Her heart hurt when she saw poor Issei being so cruelly beaten by him. She tried desperately to forfeit that match after it became clear that it was more a deliberate torture than anything else, but it was not to be as Soma''s bounded field made her ''interference'' unable to have any effect. She was forced to stay and watch as that brave pawn was hurt so much by this man smiling at her now.


    Not only that, he raised a sword at her and, if not for fear of her brother (not really, mostly due to Riser) he let her go after just touching her skin. And even just that touch was still hurting as the light energy in that de was far too potent.


    Soma then took out a small package and presented it to them.


    "I made these after hearing about the conditions of the engagement of you both and how vital it was to produce heirs to the family. I hope it is appreciated."


    As he said it Riser took the simple package, by far the simplest so far, and opened it to reveal two vials containing some liquid inside.


    "... What is this?" Rias questioned, curious slightly.


    "This is a fertility potion I brewed. I made it so that it would enhance a normal human''s fertility by around 40 times and I believe it should have simr effects on devils, if not more so considering it helps in making sure any fetus survive if fertilized. Of course, the effectsts for about six months before it bes impossible to be fertilized for the next six months period, but it can be taken again after that period and doesn''t damage the body in any meaningful manner." Soma exined, shocking the crowd immensely.


    One must understand, such a medicine, if it worked as mentioned, would be near invaluable. How many couples between pureblood devils that tried for decades, centuries, without producing a single heir?


    Instantly the value of Soma, who could produce such a medicine, skyrocketed amongst the devils all around. Many already had thoughts about him entering their peerages, especially since he was still young and already able to fight at Ultimate ss while being a human, so if he turned into a devil he could definitely be at the peak of Ultimate ss, if not Satan ss right away.


    That was a huge temptation, and now that he could also produce a potion that could be sold out for prices even higher than the Phenex Tears? Well, that just makes things worse by many times over.


    Riser held the potion with a smirk on his face while Rias'' face paled at the thought of how this would confirm she would be ''raped'' by Riser after their marriage for at least six months straight or until she got... wait a sec.


    ''I just need to be around him until I got pregnant and produce an heir, right? After that the marriage wouldn''t matter much anyway, so wouldn''t this also be a way to get me free of Riserter on? Better one year or so suffering him than centuries, that is for sure.'' Rias thought before looking at the potion in her hands in appreciation.


    Sure, they would be married, but she could just have her first time and all the things she wanted with someone she liked andter produce an heir with Riser before returning to live her life as she wanted. It was far from ideal, but it was definitely a much better chance for her own happiness than she would have in most other situations.


    Looking at Soma she even found him somewhat decent considering he went through the trouble of creating such a potion to help her... or so she liked to think. She was just that desperate for any sort of hope to grab onto by this point.


    In fact, Soma just made that potion to make sure Riser wouldn''t bitch about his wife''s bitchiness about every little thing, as that would be very annoying.


    Riser was a good friend, but he speaks way too much when drunk and Soma was a good friend, but he has just about a thousand things better to do than hear Riser bitch about this sort of useless shit.


    After that gift, a few other gifts were exchanged before the party ended. Riser began to prepare with the other young devils to depart for the bachelor party he had set up, before leaving he approached Soma.


    "Bro, thanks for, well, everything. You really helped me out this time, so here." Riser said as he gave a summoning circle to Soma. "This is a teleportation matrix to send you to where the party will be happening. Go back home, change your clothes to more suitable ones, and then just put some magic energy into the circle. You will be sent directly to the party."


    Soma took the thing, taking note of the circle and wondering how it works exactly, before speaking.


    "Ok, what sort of clothes would be appropriate?" Soma asked and Riser gave a wolfish smile.


    "The type that can take off easily."


    Soma smirked as he wondered what exactly did Riser n before said devil approached the other young devils and teleported away.


    Soma was moving to the infirmary to talk with Aya and take her home when Serafal came in a hurry beside him.


    "You, tell me, does that potion really works as you said?" Serafal questioned.


    "I believe it does. All tests I''ve made using stray devils did not show any negative effects to the body and the effect on humans is guaranteed. I also adjusted the potion to make itpliment and not fight against the chaotic and negative energy that devils carry so its effects would not be diminished or eliminated by devil''s innate energy or physique." Soma said, he said it easily despite how testing to make sure it worked as expected was a slightlyborious task.


    At least it helped him collect data on how chemicals affected devilspared with humans, giving him an understanding of how poisons should work in case they were needed.


    As for Serafal, one could almost see her mind running miles a minute before she spoke.


    "Mr. Hanakai, on behalf of the devil race I would like to enquire about what would be an appropriate price for you to sell us the recipe of such a potion." Serafal questioned without hesitation. She knew it would not be easy to simply buy the recipe and he could just sell theplete potion instead to gain big, but she had to try and see how much he would want for such a potion as to make an estimation of the value he would want for theplete potionter on.


    But, would Soma really want to spend who knows how long making the same potion? Of course not, he wanted to enhance his own strength first and foremost and the devils were sure to be of help for such a thing.


    "I do believe I have a few things I would desire, I am just not sure you would be able to obtain them." Soma said and Serafal''s eyes shed for a moment before speaking.


    "As long as it is within our means, we will do all possible to obtain such a potion."


    Are you kidding me? A potion like this would make the devil race''s greatest problem disappear. Their poption would rise and they wouldn''t need to keep reincarnating more and more devils to keep their numbers stable.


    "I would like the holy shroud used by a saint, samples of eyes that carry unique effects including Sacred Gears of eye type, of course, don''t need to go and kill the users, just send to me any stray devils or criminals who have those types of eyes. Besides that, I would also appreciate a few phantasmal species like unicorns, bicorns, maybe a few lesser dragons, and any other phantasmal species. Oh, and as many books as possible regarding the history of the supernatural and description of the races, including their biology, internal structure, and anything else. I would also appreciate the bodies of different species, as long as they are well preserved then they are suitable, and as many bodies of magic users of the human race itself, but do not go out of your way to kill them. Just send me whatever many you can obtain, but do not try to swindle me by sending just a small percentage of what you can obtain, if I don''t feel enough sincerity I can abstain from further business with the devils and seek greener pasturester on. Oh, and the body of a sinner that was hanged, that would help as well."


    As Serafal heard this she was quite shocked. Not because he was asking for much, but because he was asking for too little. All those things were easy for them to provide, sure they would be expensive but far from being impossible to obtain.


    Finding that it was far too light a price she couldn''t help but ask.


    "Anything else?"


    Soma, thinking for a bit, decided to just shot.


    "The location of any living Evil Dragon or other disastrous monster guing thend as well as all information avable about said beasts."


    In the end, Soma desired to be a hero, a great hero, and for that, he needed enough merits. Merits were the most important to be able to be a hero since just morals don''t make one worthy of that position.


    He desired the position of a hero more than most other things in this world, and, in the end, few things spoke ''hero'' more than ying some giant monster or evil dragon.


    Besides, those creatures would certainly provide rare and unique materials and he could potentially use that ritual that Sigurd and Siegfried taught him.


    If he could obtain a mana core then things would be so much easier for him moving forward.


    Besides that, the rest were things to make up for hisck of knowledge of this world, help him in improving the Sacred Gear he obtained previously for his eyes, and improve his defensive measures moving forward.


    With the bodies of different species he could find out a lot about said species and even produce all sorts of undead using those bodies, and the bodies of magic users would make for wonderful necromancy weapons if he tried to copy what Mordred told him about a master she once served in a Grail War.


    And as for the phantasmal beasts, those are naturally to improve his pocket realm to give it more life and to make it easy for him to harvest materialster on. It would be far morefortable to do it this way since it would stop him from depending on others for such stuff.


    As for Serafal, she agreed instantly. The price was still a bit small and would be somewhat hard to obtain those things, but the reward of solving their race''s internal crisis was far too tempting.


    But, Serafal was Serafal and she couldn''t resist making a final request.


    "We ept, but you must make a mahou shoujo stick like that you made for Aya to me as well."


    "Absolutely not." Soma said instantly, making Serafal freeze.


    "... Why? I swear I will be a good mahou shoujo and fight for love, justice, and peace. If the world ever needs a savior I will do it, so... can you make me a Mahou Shoujo?"


    Soma sighed hearing this and spoke.


    "Look, that thing I gave Aya is extremely dangerous. It allows the user to tap into the magical energy of all their counterparts in the multiverse, granting the user near-infinite magic power while strengthening them in various ways. As far as I can see it should not lose out whenpared with a weaker Longinus in many aspects, and that is when it is a human using it. As a human I cannot just give something like that to someone like you who is already so strong, besides, I can only produce a limited number of said sticks and I already know who I am giving them so I can''t just make you one." Soma exined to a now shocked Serafal.


    As a Satan, and the one that deals with external affairs, she knew well the way the supernatural works and how delicate the situation was. If she actually got such an item that would skyrocket her powers then the other races and Pantheons might react negatively and that would be a piece of terrible news for the devil race.


    Maybe after a peace treaty and an alliance between the factions of Christianity was signed she could do that, skyrocketing her powers not having as much negative effect as it would simply give a boost to their alliance''s power and make it a bad target for others.


    She knew it, she did, but...


    "... Pretty please? I swear not to show it to anyone out there, I just want to be a true Mahou Shoujo. Pleaaaassseeee!" Serafal wined no different from a little kid.


    Thankfully, she had activated a mystic code able to hide their conversation and actions to make it look like they were just having an innocuous talk, otherwise, the devil nobility would have the ''pleasure'' of seeing one of their leaders throwing a tantrum that would make a five years old child proud.


    After a while, Soma managed to disentangle himself from Serafal after he promised to ''think about it''.


    And he did think about it, for all of two seconds before deciding NOT to make an overpowered devil even more of a monster. Seriously, if he actually made a Kaleidostick for her then who knows how strong she would get. Maybe evenparable to the level of a Grand Servant and THAT was a terrifying thought.


    Coming to the infirmary Soma was about to ask Aya to take her home when she turned to him first.


    "Soma-kun, Ravel-chan asked me if I would like to sleep in her house tonight. Would you mind that? We dide together to the party after all." Aya said a bit embarrassed.


    She knew it was a tad childish, but this was her first time being invited to sleep at a female friend''s house. She wanted to try it very much.


    Soma thought for a moment before turning to Ravel.


    "Ravel-chan, do I have your word that your house will ensure the safety of Aya during this period?"


    "Of course, you can count on me and my house to ensure her safety." Ravel said easily, and it was absolutely true. Aya fought for her brother''s honor and she was a close friend to Soma who was ''bros'' with her brother and saved Ravel''s life.


    How could their Phenex house let anything happen?


    The protection of a pr house, if in the human world, is slightly limited due to most of their forces being in the Underworld, but in their own domains, even Gods don''t dare take the pr houses too lightly. That being especially so for a few houses that have the more outstanding defensive measures, like the Phenex who had the money to buy some of the best securities in the entire supernatural world.


    It might not be as safe as in Soma''s house, since it would be hard to find anywhere else that was safer, but it was still impressive enough.


    Seeing no reason to refuse it, and wanting to give Aya more freedom, Soma agreed to let her stay and enjoy her sleepover. Anyway, there was still Diamond around and, with that in hand, unless Serafal or some other Satan moves to capture or kill her, Aya would be safe.


    Using basic alchemy Soma changed his clothes to morefortable ones that would be quite easy to remove, just as Riser said, before pouring magic energy into the teleportation circle Riser gave him.


    In a sh of fire Soma was gone from this ce, reappearing in what looked like a penthouse with a dancing stage on top. Riser and several of his friends were with some strippers around then and they were quite handsy, but Riser paid them well and the devils knew that they could touch to a degree but fucking was forbidden unless the woman wanted it as well.


    **** was a big no-no for Riser, he cared for women in his own way and he did not want his party to leave a sour taste on his mouth afterward.


    "Bro,e on you are too slow. There are many girls around and, if you are not interested in that right now, this whole hotel was rented by me. There is a casino downstairs, several pools, and all sorts of stuff for you to enjoy! So let''s drink and make merry, this is a night to remember!" In the end, Riser shouted and everyone else shouted as well, including Soma who quite enjoyed these prospects.


    Smiling broadly Soma stepped forward.


    This was going to be a good night.


    ///---///


    Next Morning


    "Uh, my head hurts. Note to self, elerate the body modifications and start working on brain changes sooner. Being cautious is good, but it is not worth the extra hangover." Soma muttered when he woke up in a bed of the hotel.


    He remembers enjoying the party, he was drinking and dancing with some of the girls around. He also remembers going to the casino, winning a lot, and losing just as much, but not giving a fuck since he was using the credit card of Riser anyway.


    Then it all became a blur as he kept drinking more and more after... what was it again?


    ///---///


    shback


    "Come on, that is BS." A cousin of house Agares said between hups. "There is no way anyone that isn''t a dragon can actually drink a whole barrel of Spiritus Vodka. It is impossible."


    "Challenge epted." Soma said as he walked with an already slightly drunk step.


    ///---///


    "... Oh, right. Good times." Soma said with a chuckle as he started looking around.


    He was in what must be the lobby, sleeping on the ground despite most things being broken and in tatters by now.


    It was almost like a war zone and Soma felt that something could be wrong so he tried to get up only to feel arms holding him down.


    "No, stay a bit more. I want to snuggle some more." A cute voice said beside him.


    Turning to look over Soma saw a cute red-haired girl with rather short hair and small horns on her head. At her back were two wings and she looked up at him with rather enchanting golden eyes with a cute beauty mark beneath one of her eyes in the form of Yin and Yang. She also had breasts at least in the G or H cup range, which was nice.


    "..." Soma looked at this subus hugging him and thought, what would the teachers that taught him how to deal with parties and celebrations do in this sort of situation?


    After thinking for a bit heid down again and let his hands explore the bountiful subus (because what else would she be) as he let his carnal desires guide him. He did remember his teachers, like Cu Chin and Fergus, instructions on how to deal with this sort of situation, and he wanted to make them proud.


    ... They were not the best of examples.


    Besides, he was a magus. Being able to do mana transfers via sex was nothing so unique and it would certainly be interesting to see if it was possible with such a race like a subus.


    Also, she was hot.


    ///---///


    AN:


    I am thinking of doing a second fic. I have a few options and want to hear you guys'' opinion regarding which one would be better:


    - A Soul Land fic, bash Tang San and some others, fight against Abyssal ne that is invading earlier and must unify the maind to face them;


    - A Soul Land fic, MC is the twin brother of Tang San but is not a total bitch like Tang San and doesn''t take crap from his father and makes his own path, not have either parents spirits but some other powerful spirit (up to suggestions);


    - A rewrite of Barbatus King;


    - A One Piece fic where the MC is the youngest son of Kuzuki Oden, have either the Space Space fruit or the Tori Tori no Mi fruit model Golden Peng (a beast known for eating dragons);


    - A My Hero Academia fic, the MC is gonna be the youngest Pro Hero to ever enter the Top 10 heroes in the world (each country has it''s own Top 10), but due to going to Japan because of his parents, he is forced to enter UA as he can''t be a hero in Japan due to his age. Power being Fire creation and maniption and he can do a lot of the tricks of Fire Force.


    Up to you guys to decide really.


    Oh, and I wonder if anyone can guess who exactly Soma just slept with.

 Chapter 39

    Sorry, no chapter this week. I got COVID Monday, I am improving and out of any true danger, but writing is not rolling well at all. Next week, the fic will continue as normal.


    Again, sorry for the dys and yes, I am getting better.


    In other news, I decided on which of the fics I will be starting next. It will be option 2, the twin of Tang San with plenty of bashing. Right now I intend to bash Tang Hao, Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, Qian Daoliu, and the entire Dai family. Anyone else you think could be bashed and why, please tell me in thements. Also, nning on the MC''s team, there are 6 spots and 3 are upied already, any ideas for characters that could be good please tell (they must be OCs since the MC is joining Spirit Hall and thus we cannot really use CANON characters for the team unless there is enough popr demand).


    Characters can be from anime, books, games, or even some hentais that have actual story like Funbag Fantasy, Kuroinu, or other stuff like that, anyone as long as you can at least make a believable spirit for the person (body, beast, or tool type). Send suggestions and I will see what can work. Thanks for theprehension and please take care.

 Chapter 40 - 38

    It has been a month since the engagement party between Rias and Riser happened and things most certainly did not calm down much for Soma since then.


    At the bachelor party, Soma ended up sleeping with a royal subus by the name Shamshiel Shahar. She was a beauty without a doubt and they enjoyed the night thoroughly, but when it was time to go she did not want to let Soma leave and he had to run away from the bedroom where they were locked in a heated ''discussion'' about the pros and cons of leaving. That was an arduous discussion thatsted around 35 hours, but by the end of it Soma just barely managed to escape after exhausting the subus in question.


    ... Soon after that Soma showed signs of unlocking his Touki, but if anyone was to ask how he unlocked it, he would deny any allegations about it being rted to his activities in bed with the beautiful subus. Nope, most certainly not because of overworking himself. He unlocked his touki while working hard the normal and righteous way, not due to overextending himself beyond all normal limits in bed just to not be the ''loser'' in that type of battle.


    Besides that, he spent this month working on his projects, especially working on finalizing the changes in his body. It was by no means easy, but only upon concluding it did he feel confident enough to walk outside without much fear, having sent a familiar he made to the school in his ce during this time to keep up appearances and allow him topletely focus on his body modifications. Even the books and information about the supernatural were left on a corner for now so as to not let Soma have distracting thoughts while he finished preparing himself for any possible emergency, the fight with Sairaorg made Soma realize how he still needed a lot of strength if he wanted to feel safe in this world while acting however he wanted.


    The only other serious matter Soma took care of this month was the vampire situation in town Sairaorg told him about, unfortunately, he was unable to get in contact with the vampire due to some regtions and whatnot, so he did what he could, during the night when no one was around, setting up an extra bounded field around the Old School Building where the Vampire was, making it so that if any dead apostle ever were to take even a single step outside the perimeter, Soma would be warned


    By the end of the month, as Soma finished exchanging his second lung for a more efficient one able to take in more oxygen while increasing the amount of air he could breathe, he was finally satisfied with his body changes and now only needed one final step.


    "So, what exactly do you want me to do?" Mittelt asked as she stood in Soma''s workshop with him sitting on a chair examining some documents.


    "Simple, I am about to unlock the seals keeping the changes in my right arm from the rest of my body. The changes include an exponential growth in the quantity and quality of the muscle fiber of my body. I modified my bones to handle the rise in pressure and my organs were also all modified to be more stic andpact while also being resistant enough to handle the increase in pressure." Soma said as he moved his eyes from the documents to a machine he had in front of him, examining it thoroughly onest time to make sure everything was functioning correctly. "I changed my skin as well to be as resistant as diamonds while also being extremely stic so it should be able to handle my increase of mass efficiently. Your job is to observe and, if my skin breaks at any time, use the gear I gave you to heal me up."


    Soma exined offhandedly causing Mittelt to stare at him, then looked around at the workshop that included all sorts of organs of different species, several unique items, and several reagents and equipment she has never seen before, and the portal to a whole new world that was about 40% of the size of Japan by now. Mittelt takes everything in before speaking.


    "... No offense, but are you the bastard child of Azazel?" Mittelt asks and Soma just turns his face to her for a moment before speaking.


    "... Didn''t I tell you before? I am 100% human."


    "Uhum, yeah I totally believe you." Mittelt said in the absolute fakest voice she ever produced. She honestly still was quite sure about him being a child of Azazel, that Fallen was promiscuous enough for this not to be a surprise and she sensed Soma using the light of God several times this month to help in forging things or power up the defensive measures around the house.


    It didn''t help Soma''s case of not being rted to Azazel that Soma had made the Kaleidosticks that Mittelt had the displeasure of facing once during training with Aya. Those things were bloody Longinus as far as Mittelt was concerned, and that Aya now had it and that cheat-like gear she used was just BS. Not only that, Soma distributed other Kaleidosticks to some others and they ALL should be Longinus ss artifacts. Mittelt''s contacts in Grigory had told her that Azazel had spent a whole week sulking after he received records of the fight when Aya showed the power of that gear.


    Shaking her head at the thoughts of her working for the illegitimate child of her former boss, Mittelt noticed how the machine in front of Soma was taking so much of his attention and couldn''t help but ask.


    "And? What is up with that machine?"


    "Oh, this?" Soma said distractedly as he finished the inspection of his machine. "It is a mana conversion machine that would allow me to absorb any form of magic attack without a physicalponent, like energy attacks, air, light, or fire magic, and convert them into pure magic energy that would be then stored in my bones through the runes I etched onto them. With this it is theoretically possible to make mepletely immune to any form of direct magic thatcks physical form, which should improve my chances of survival inbat considering what I''ve seen so far."


    As Soma exined the function of the mystic code, Mittelt gaped at the absurdity of it.


    "Wait, wait, wait. You want to put a machine inside yourself while ALSO modifying your body structure as a whole to a point where no part of you would be the original." She said and Soma nodded instantly as a matter of fact. "What is left of you that hasn''t changed at this point?"


    "... My brain." He said and she looked deadpan, as if that should be the most obvious thing and he might as well have said he didn''t leave anything. What sort of madman would decide to mess with his own brain anyway? "But I will modify it soon enough, when I imnt my mystic eyes I am still preparing. I had some initial changes done with my current eyes but I should rece them when I finish preparing the final product."


    "... You are abnormal." She said and Soma smiled brightly at that.


    "Thanks for thepliment."


    "How was that possibly apliment?"


    "Because normal is boring, but abnormal is unique and interesting." He said andughed slightly.


    ... Needless to say, Soma has spent thest 96 hours working and he barely stopped to eat, much less sleep, during this whole process. In all honesty, it was most likely not the ideal time for him to be doing this sort of procedure, but even if he went to sleep to rest before it he would just repeat the same checks as he would fret over the procedure and if it would work properly.


    Having done all preparations and pre-checks, Soma took his own sword and slit his stomach open to put the magic converter in his body, cing it deep inside and letting it touch his own spine. As soon as it was inside him Soma deactivated most of his pain perceptors sensibility, leaving him only able to feel a fraction of the pain he was inflicting on his body as he undid the seal he put on his right arm, letting the ''infection'' he inflicted on his arm previously spread.


    As his muscles began to grow and condense inside his frame, the magic converter was fixated in ce, when it reached that stage in the process Soma had to carefully use his alchemy to change the part touching his spine and connecting the artificial magic circuits he made inside the machine to his own nerves which he modified in a process much like the changes done in the creation of a vessel of the Holy Grail.


    The only reason why it was not a danger to his life was due to Soma''s care in making the machine and his own understanding of the Third Magic, Heaven''s Feel.


    While Soma was unable to live as a spiritual entity yet, with unlimited energy reserves and beingpletely impossible to be killed, sealed, or destroyed, he was still the second most proficient person when it came down to it. The problem of those who were made to be the vessel of the Holy Grail was the natural deterioration of the soul and most importantly, that the soul couldn''t handle the excess energy brought by the excessive number of magic circuits.


    But, with Soma''s understanding, how could he change his body in a defective fashion like that? No, Soma had changed his nerves to be close to Pseudo-magic circuits and they would not send the energy taken from the outside to Soma''s soul, but to the magic converter which would then take that mana and store it into Soma''s bones. This pseudo-state was to let his nerves adapt into slowly turning into magic circuits instead of doing so forcefully and stunting or damaging his body or soul. In time Soma was confident his nerves would all be magic circuits, even if their quality would be terrible.


    This process would take several hours, possibly a whole day as Soma''s body mass continued to increase and his nerves and body were changing and adapting.


    As such heid in the ''pod'' he had prepared, filled with nutrient liquid to help his body during the transformation. It would also help monitor his body to warn the nurse/Mittelt in case anything went wrong while Soma focused only on his body modifications.


    As for said Mittelt? She only looked on and shook her head at Soma''s words.


    "At this point, is a chimeric human an apt description? Or should it be an Android chimeric human? It is so hard to decide."


    ///---///


    While Soma was modifying his body into an amalgamation of parts that just barely could be ssified as human, other things were happening as well.


    In the formerly abandoned church, the three church representatives were having an important meeting.


    "So, it hase to this." Irina said seriously as she looked at the orders in her hands.


    "I am afraid so. This is one of the worst-case scenarios we were expecting, but these are our orders." Mirana said with a sigh.


    "But, how are we even supposed to do this?" Irina questioned before looking at the more experienced and older exorcist in front of her and questioned. "You are older than me and I heard you have a lot of experience, what should we do?"


    "How am I supposed to know? I am not that much more experienced than you. If anything, don''t YOU have more experience than me in regards to that?"


    "Me? I don''t have much experience either! Come on, you must have some ideas."


    While the two church exorcists were discussing this with flushed cheeks the third one sighed in exasperation.


    "How is it that I, who am the youngest, feel like the only one that is not a little kid right now?" Lint said with great irritation. She then took the orders and read it over before looking at the two other exorcists and raising a brow. "Is this what is troubling you two?"


    "Of course. I mean, these orders are so weird." Irina said. "The superiors asked us to get closer to Soma ''no matter what way''. There was even mention to try and seduce him to the Church side or, at the very least, away from making a full alliance with the devils."


    Lint shrugged at those words.


    "Unfortunately we did get the information about how he was able to produce high-end items and was able to create a potion form that would solve the devils'' fertility problem. Right now we know he is close to the devils due to his cousin and the Phenexes, the fallen also have some connection thanks to the fallen angel working for him, and even the Norse are close to him considering he is dating a Valkyrie. Of the forces in the area, it is only us and the Shinto that have no actual connection with him, but he is still close to the Yakuza in town which are rted to Nurarihyon so the Shinto already have an in with him as well." Mirana said in exasperation.


    "Yeah, whatever you say. I just think the higher-ups want something from him, maybe his body modification techniques or something." Lint said with a shrug.


    One could not ignore the Church and Heaven''s ability to get information when they wanted to, especially from the devils and fallen angels. The three sides have been in a cold war for hundreds of years and it showed. None of the leaders expected any secret to staying secret in their factions unless they used strict information security protocols, which the party filled with noble devils and servants most certainly wasn''t.


    The abnormalities from Soma''s body, how he was able to physically fight head on with the strongest devil youth, one who had unlocked Touki no less, while Soma himself did not have Touki or was using holy energy was most certainly noticed.


    The analysts that got a copy of the fight could only say he modified his body, and that obviously attracted the attention of the higher-ups. If they could produce several exorcists able to have that degree of physical abilities constantly, the power of the church as a whole would be elevated to a whole new level. Considering this, using honey traps was expected.


    Besides, of the three women already in town, all of them were beautiful. Mirana had a plump and sexy body while having an innocent aura that made men want her. Irina was a ''sporty'' girl with good proportions and an outgoing personality that blended well with others while also having good proportions and a nice smile. Even Lint was very attractive with her unique ck and white hair and eyes like rubies. Besides, it was an established fact that Soma was known for being promiscuous with his rtionships.


    "So, we have to seduce Soma or find some way to get him closer to the church." Lint said as she thought for a while before shrugging. "We can try being direct."


    ""Huh?"" Both Mirana and Irina look at the youngest of them in shock, thinking the girl meant they should just take off their clothes and, and-


    "Oh,e on. Why do the both of you blush so much all the time?" Lintined at the atomic blushes in the faces of the two hidden perverts in front of her. "I didn''t mean to just try and have sex with him right away just because the higher-ups said so. I will just directly ask what would it take to share some of his knowledge and for better connections between him and Heaven."


    "Oh." The two said, a bit ashamed at their very imaginative minds right now.


    "Look, how about if tomorrow I go and talk with Aya-chan about a meeting with Soma? We are in the same ss anyway and she is a rather nice girl, miles better than Kiyoharu at any rate. She gives me the creeps sometimes," Lint said, shivering slightly at the memories of her first meeting with Kiyoharu.


    ///---///


    "Hello, I am Lint." Lint said, trying to act nice to Kiyoharu to help in approaching Somater on. She wanted to be close just in case her superiors wanted intel on him or anything, he did have one of the Ecaliburs now and she expected the higher-ups would want it back eventually.


    Kiyoharu just smiled and shook her hand back.


    "Hello to you too, and don''t worry, Soma-kun is a nice person, a great friend despite his issues, and I am sure that if you approach him honestly, you can get along with him. But, just a heads up, if you still intend to use me to get to him next time," Kiyoharu''s smiling eyes then turned deadly cold. "It won''t end well for you."


    After hearing the warning Lint waspletely immobilized, allmands she tried to send her body failed as she saw her own hand go to her neck and hold it tight for a few moments. After that, she was able to move freely again, but she could only gasp and look up at the smiling Kiyoharu.


    "So, nice to meet you, Lint-chan! I hope we can be the best of friends." Kiyoharu said before walking away from the now terrified exorcist.


    ///---///


    Yeah, after that one meeting Lint made damn sure to not get on the bad side of Kiyoharu, she enjoyed living thank you very much. Thankfully, Kiyoharu did not intervene when she tried approaching Aya, even if Ravel watched over the interaction like a hawk most of the time.


    Regardless, now it was just a matter of trying her luck and, failing that, going directly to Soma''s house to talk.


    ///---///


    Meanwhile, it was a full month since Issei had gone into aa, and it had only been two days since he woke up from it. It took him twenty-eight days of being brutally beaten inside his mind for him to decide not to perve on a girl. If anything, this result was honestly faster than one would expect, but then again the beatings were always extremely painful.


    Rias, Akeno, and Kiba were all too happy to go see their friend. It took two days for the doctors to make sure he was healthy and mentally stable enough to ept visitors considering the mental trauma he went through during that period of time.


    As Rias and the rest of the peerage arrived at the hospital they saw Koneko sitting right outside the door of Issei''s room. She had a slightly sour expression on her face. Seeing this, Rias quickly approached to find out what happened.


    "Koneko-chan, did something happen?" Rias asked, patting Konenko''s head affectionately and quickly soothing Koneko.


    It had to be said, even if Rias was far from the ideal king, she knew well enough how to treat her servants, even if shecked the will or strength to be tough on them when they needed it, or bring up past traumas that would upset them even when it would help on the long run. There was a reason why her servants, as damaged as they all are, were unquestionably and absolutely loyal to the redhead.


    Koneko looked slightly torn before she spoke.


    "It will be easier to see for yourself." As Koneko replied she opened the door so everyone could get inside.


    Sitting on the bed with his hand on his forehead was Issei. His expression was slightly pained as he saw everyone getting inside, beside Issei was an old male doctor who was checking something and frowning at the results.


    "Buchou!" Issei says excitedly upon seeing Rias, and as his eyes roam her body as if by instinct his mind moves to ces he shouldn''t, and almost instantly. "GGGHHAAAAA! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Issei shouts in pain as he clutches at his head.


    Rias, Akeno, and Kiba were shocked and tried to get closer only for the doctor to stop them and instead force Issei to look at the pages of a magazine filled with oily old man in speedos, causing his headache to lessen. It was a weird solution they''ve found, but it was the only workable one right now.


    As Issei was recovering the doctor quickly motions everyone to move outside as follows them.


    "What, what was that? Is this some sort of curse? Can it be cured?" Rias asks in fear for the health of her Pawn.


    "If it is some sort of curse or evil spirit I can help." Akeno offers as well, not wanting to see Rias distressed over Issei''s situation, and perhaps worrying slightly about his condition. Well, even if there was some worry for Issei''s wellbeing, it was not even a tenth of the worry she felt in regards to Rias'' distress.


    All things considered, Akeno wasn''t particrly caring or interested in the young pervert who lost so humiliatingly to a mere human. If he was strong then she could overlook his other character ws, but as it is, that is just not happening.


    "It is no curse nor anything we are able to cure." the doctor said.


    "Then what is it?" Rias questioned and the doctor was unsure how to exin it.


    Thankfully, someone else decided to speak up.


    "Pervert-senpai is now allergic to his own erections."


    That shocked the rest of Rias'' peerage. The doctor coughed at the blunt exnation given and decided to borate.


    "To be more precise, during the act of getting an erection a certain chemical is released, namely guante cyse, which is an enzyme that helps activate an erection, now has an adverse effect on him, causing the meninge. The effect is simr to an allergic reaction, by causing an inmmation in the area around his brain. Issei''s meninges are ultra-sensitive towards this enzyme. As such, if he even gets slightly sexually aroused, regardless if it is from an external source or his own imagination, he will feel pain. In other words, your Rook''s words are regretfully correct Miss Gremory, Issei Hyoudou is now ''allergic'' to getting an erection."


    And THAT was the real punishment Soma prepared for Issei for daring to strip Aya like that, just suffering was not enough, he would lose the one thing that defined him as a person.


    The young pervert would now no longer be physically or mentally able to be a pervert. And with this not being a curse or magic cast on him, but instead being a biological change, there was hardly any solution for it unless someone convinced Soma to change it back to how it was, but was Soma willing to do that?


    Fuck. No.


    Alternatively, they could get someone specialized in biology maniption magic to help, but it would take a lot of dedicated effort to find anyone with that specific skill set. People with that kind of skill set would be incredibly hard to find, mostly be entric (as that type of magic is very rare to be found considering its requirements in control of magic, understanding of biology, alchemy, and more), and most likely will not want to waste their time on Issei and, even if they were willing to help, it was still an operation in the brain area. The risk of death was very high.


    So, unless Rias knew someone who was capable in this specific area, knew how to do the operation, and was easy to find, there would be no saving Issei.


    As she reached that thought a certain male that infuriated her more than even Riser crossed her mind.


    "Fuck."


    ///---///


    AN:


    So, I am back, I beat COVID even if I still feel like shit. I hope you guys liked the true punishment for Issei. The beat down and the mental trauma weren''t enough, THIS is the real deal. As for if Soma will heal Issei, I am not sure when or IF he will do that.


    Second, sorry for not posting earlier today. I was in my workce and that normally means more time to write, but I had no ess to the inte due to a storm so I could only post it now.


    And final, should I write lemons in a separate story? Kinda like Extra story just for lemons, not sure how well I will do it but I can try.


    Oh, and should Soma bang any of the church girls? If so, who?


    Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you all get well. Bye.

 Chapter 41 - 39

    It was a whole day until the process wasplete. Mittelt, who had to watch over Soma during that time period, was very much bored by the end since there was nothing to do. The skin was able to hold the growing muscle mass and, by the time it wasplete and Soma opened his eyes, Mittelt wanted to vent her grievances.


    Soma said for her to not leave for even a second, so she could not go up to the kitchen to grab some food or even go to the toilet. She felt sticky, sweaty, hungry, needing to use the bathroom, and was thirsty as well.


    She opened her eyes to speak, only to not be able to say anything as Soma flexed his muscles a bit to feel the changes, and his shorts, which were already straining to be in ce due to his increase in volume everywhere, was ripped apart then and there.


    Yep, seeing Soma''s now very ripped and sculpted body that followed the ideals of a perfectionist like DaVinci (who helped him in designing what he should change and how, she had experience in making perfectly new bodies so designing the changes and how they would interact was a piece of cake for that genius and Soma would rather not look like a random monster if his changes were done haphazardly), it could only have a single end result possible.


    Yep, now Mittelt was REALLY thirsty. She WAS a fallen angel, after all. A creature inclined to sin and lust as naturally as a devil was.


    As for Soma, he ignored the hungry gazes of the fallen and instead was flexing his muscles to sense if everything was as expected.


    "It is about as good as I expected. And I somehow feel stronger than I anticipated, maybe it is due to this being the age of the Gods and Touki. I should do some extra tests, but first." Soma then took out Aria and swung it around a few times before smiling. "Good, with my new strength I no longer need to use Jacob Limbs to wield you."


    Of course, inbat, he would most likely still use that technique, but if even his base strength now was enough to wield this heavy sword, the power of his strikes now would be all the higher when using it and he should be able to withstand his stronger moves'' bacshes without much issue.


    Soma was about to put Aria away when Mittelt spoke up.


    "What the hell is that sword?" She said in shock. This shock was to be understandable considering she hasn''t seen Aria before and the sword''s light and holy aura, even if extremely contained, was very powerful and, if even with casual swings it was possible to create powerful wind sounds and almost even shes, then that de was decidedly formidable. It was so much so that she could focus her mind in that holy sword, not in the other one shown to her.


    "This? I made it a while back, my own sword. It is still on the weak side, but in time it should be much stronger." Soma said and Mittelt looked at him as if he was a lunatic.


    She had seen plenty of holy swords over the years and she was confident that this sword Soma made was, at the very least, equal to some of the more powerful ones like Durandal and Gntine.


    Shacking her head and, once again, putting that under the same list she put most of Soma''s weirdness into, Mittelt instead spoke up.


    "Whatever, anyway I am leaving. I have better things to do than staying here looking you flex for no reason." Even if a part of her protested against this argument being a lie.


    Regardless, she soon left and Soma thought for a bit, he had just finished a big step forward on his way to bing a hero as he wished, now he wanted to take at least a small break and ask Serafal if she find out the location of an evil dragon or something.


    He estimated he was at least about as strong as Sairaorg now even if he didn''t use his equipment, reinforcement, Touki, magic, assassination techniques, or Jacob Limbs. If he went all out, well, he was not that scared or fearful of someone on the level of Serafal anymore.


    Cautious? Yes. Scared to the point of running away at the thought of a direct conflict and not even trying to fight? Not really, no.


    It was a considerable jump in power, now he only had to focus on finishing preparing his new eyes when in regards to body changes and the extra arm he had to prepare for one of his Zabanya skills, but that is more a bonus instead of a direct power level upgrade considering how strong Soma is now. No, his focus now was slightly different.


    That being, his secret project, which was a gigantic headache by now.


    Soma grumbled in irritation at the thought of said project since it still infuriated him. He was still trying to figure out how his giant golem could change overnight to be the size of a human and start generating skin of all things. It made no freaking sense as he still remembers every single step of the process, including the use of that lump of meat formerly known as Georg and the several materials that were ''donated'' to him by the three factions.


    And yet, it was changing and that was that. He could only wonder what the fuck was the final result and hope it would be good.


    Thinking about it again, Soma decided to go check what was going on with his golem one final time before going to find a ce to rx, otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to rx. He had checked it before the procedure, but 30 hours had passed since and Soma was curious.


    What he found when he got inside the pocket dimension utterly shocked Soma.


    ///---///


    DING DONG


    In the living room of Soma''s house Aya''s mother, Momoko, was just finishing cleaning the floor when she heard someone touching the doorbell. Stretching slightly she inspected herself in the mirror before going to open the door up.


    She smiled slightly at the image she saw, she was always quite pretty but during her abusive marriage and too much work, she had lost any sort of drive regarding her looks and got very ragged. Now that she was living a much more rxed and was experiencing a healthier lifestyle, her beauty had returned and she smiled.


    She had soft brown hair, grayish-blue eyes, a small mouth, and soft and feminine features that made her be the ''Madona'' of her college when she went to school.


    Momoko then thought of her daughter who had a different color of hair and eyes as she got them from her father, but the rest of her features were just like her own even if she couldn''t see them before. Now that Aya was getting healthier and stronger she was growing all the more like Momoko herself and, as a mother, Momoko thought fondly if she would grow to be like her in the future in terms of looks.


    ''No, she will be even better. And she won''t make the same mistakes I did in terms of partners, I won''t let her suffer if I can avoid it no matter what.'' Momoko thought before moving a strand of unruly hair to behind her ear and going to the door.


    Momoko was not quite the ''maid'' of the house, but with everyone else having their respective work and Aya not being around to help her, Momoko had to take care of all the matters of the house alone. It was hard work, that is for sure.


    Opening the door Momoko saw a woman with long wavy white hair and very pretty blue eyes simr to Soma, even if not anywhere as sharp byparison. Momoko recognized her instantly as she had seen her a few times before, even if it was not a normal urrence.


    "Hello, I am Momo Hanakai, Soma''s cousin. Is he around? I would like to talk to him about some important family matters." The Hanakai heiress said, projecting more confidence than what she truly felt considering what she came to talk about.


    "I will ask if he is avable now, would you like to wait inside instead of out here in the sun?" Momoko asked, feeling the heat on the outside of the house.


    Soma had made sure to add the temperature control feature in the house so it was always rather fresh and cool, but outside of the house, it was easily 39¡ã celsius so Momoko decided to offer for Momo to wait inside.


    The young heiress felt relief at the offer, not wanting to intrude in the house without an invite, but she felt herself melting under this sun.


    Screw whoever says otherwise, global warning existed and it was a gigantic bitch.


    Entering the house Momo felt the usual pressure she felt whenever she came visit, her devilish instincts screaming at her run to run away since the whole ce felt like a gigantic death trap to her thanks to the holy aura around.


    She ignored this, of course, knowing that this was just the bounded field Soma had prepared. It was still shocking, no matter how many times she experienced this ce.


    Entering the house Momo sat in the living room as Momoko went to call Soma and see if he could answer.


    It took around twenty minutes for Soma to show up... not having remembered putting on clothes since he was still too concerned about what he saw in his personal continent. Besides, this was his own house so if he wanted to walk ''hanging it around'', then he would do just that.


    Momo, who heard Soma entering the room, turned to him with a smile only to freeze upon seeing Soma. Her eyes wandering more than she wanted, analyzing and engraving what she was seeing more than she would have liked or ever admitted. A few momentster words were spilled out of her mouth, in part automatically and in part forced despite what some treacherous parts of her brain tried to say.


    "... Big." She said, looking at the ''third leg'' of Soma before covering her eyes with her hands, averting her gaze, and speaking. "G-Go put on some clothes, you perv."


    Soma, however, was still lost in thoughts about what he had seen as he ignored Momo''s words, just going to the couch, sitting down, putting a hand under his chin in thought as he continued thinking seriously.


    In the end, Momo had to send a st of water at Soma for him to ''wake up'' and realize the problem with the whole situation. It was good that Soma had put on the Bounded Field''s ''code'' that Momo was not to be seen as a threat unless killing intent was detected or if any magical influence to the mind was detected, otherwise her ''attack'' would result in something rather tragic.


    After Soma went to get some new clothes on he realized he might need to remake his wardrobe since his build now increased thanks to the change in his muscle mass, his previous clothes being very tight and ufortable.


    "Oh well, I guess I can put that on the list of stuff for me to doter today." Soma thought to himself, putting on the only suitable clothing he had that wasfortable enough for him to rx in.


    Going back to the living room Soma was still bare-chested and was only using simple ck shorts that were very light and were only until above the knees. This was his house anyway and the only ''visitor'' here was his Momo, so there were no problems as far as he was concerned. He had to always be fully geared when outside these gates, so at least in his own house he would rather wear less.


    When he got back and Momo saw him dressed like that she felt that this at least was better than naked.


    They both sat as Aya''s mom approached. Seeing her approaching Soma couldn''t help but ask.


    "Where is Aya-chan? I could swear she would be around and I wanted to talk to her about if she is having any difficulty in regards to Diamond?"


    "Last time we talked, Aya told me she was doing well with Diamond. I was happy to hear it since she told me how this helps protect her if any conflict happens. As for where she is, she went out with Kiyoharu to see a movie."


    Soma nodded, knowing that Aya and her mother''s rtionship has been improving for a while now, being even more so after the party as Momoko helped console Aya over what happened. Soma knew they talked a lot that day, but even if he had the full ability to listen in on their conversation while he was home he used the bounded fields to close off the area they were to sound as to let them talk in true privacy.


    Soma then turned to Momo.


    "So, Momo-chan, what brings you here today? Was it just to see me? Not that I would mind, of course. We do spend far too little time together and I would like to just talk with you sometimes."


    Momo, hearing this, spoke up while showing a soft smile.


    "I actually came here to talk to you about some things, but I also came personaly mostly so I could see how you are doing. You have been in your house without leaving for so long that I was getting worried even if you kept telling me you were fine when I called or when I asked Aya-chan how you are doing."


    "Hehe, sorry about not showing up for a while. After the party and, most importantly, the fight with Sairaorg I''ve seen how weak I was and decided to dedicate myself to self-improvements. Now that I''ve finished most of my short-term projects I am at least more confident in myself."


    "Uhu, so was that why you decided to walk around like the day you were born around the house?" Momo teased, wanting to see Soma''s embarrassed expression.


    "Well, not like this was the first time I walk around naked in the house. And, correct me if I am wrong, but didn''t we once ran away from our parents when they were trying to dress us up for some party and kept evading all the servants in the house while butt naked?" Soma said and Momo actually looked like she didn''t know if she shouldugh or cry at the memory.


    "I remember that day, you convinced me we had to escape while we were taking a bath together as our mothers had several sets of clothes prepared to test on us for the pictures. We were, what? 4, maybe 5 years old then?" Momo said and Soma thought for a bit before speaking.


    "I guess we were four, not fully sure on the age then. But I do remember that it wasn''t ''me'' that did the convincing. You were the bad influence telling me to escape before they forced us to wear dresses or something."


    "Oh please, we both know it was you that was terrified of the looks our mothers gave us while having all those clothes to test in hand, their eyes almost shining at the time. And, let''s be honest here, when we were that young we were almost identical twins when ites to looks. Besides, you looked adorable in a dress." Momo said with a teasing smile.


    "... I most certainly did not look good in those demonic breezy apparatus that our mothers made me wear to take pictures with you. There is no evidence of us even looking alike anyway." Soma said, remembering those darker times that were worst for his sense of masculinity than when he had first met Astolfo, D''Eon, and some other ''trap'' heroic spirits and ended up having some slight doubts about his preferences.


    Thankfully, there were plenty enough sexy females around that Soma never doubted he liked women more and was very much a hot-blooded man.


    "I have some pics on my phone if you want to see it, or maybe I should send it to everyone in school so everyone can see how adorable you were when you were young." Momo said and Soma felt pain at this sort of ckmail material in anyone else''s hands.


    For fucks sake, Soma wanted to establish a reputation that would see him worthy of the Throne of Heroes, not to have it ruined because his mom clearly wanted a daughter when he was born.


    "What you want?" Soma gritted out.


    "Huh?"


    "What, do you want, to delete those pictures?" Soma said and Momo put a finger on her chin to think about it for a bit before speaking.


    "I won''t delete those, so forget about it." She said and Soma really hated that he sucked at hacking, otherwise he would delete those pics for sure. "But I can agree to not show them to anyone... for a price."


    "Name it." Soma said.


    "A date, this Sunday." Momo said, blushing quite a bit after she said it and regretting not just asking for a foot massage or for him to go fetch them a pot of ice cream to eat while they see a movie.


    She was embarrassed for deciding to go through with this foolish idea she has been having a while now, but, in the end, she wanted to see if whatever it was she felt regarding Soma was romantic or just familial. She has had to deal with far too much teasing about it with her friends pointing out things that, had it not been herself, she would agree are signs of more than familial care and love. She was utterly confused with herself and wanted to have certainty of what her emotions were, if she just liked him as a cousin or as a man.


    In the end, despite being a devil she was also still just a normal teenager going through the worst of puberty. Not only that, she was a sheltered heiress who had little contact with others, her closeness to Soma being born exactly due to they being the closest of friends growing up.


    As such, she could not really understand her own emotions and she wanted to know what exactly it was that she was feeling.


    Soma just sighed at her request.


    "You know, you could have just asked and I would have said yes anyway. I have finally finished the basic improvements to my body so I can take a break anyway."


    Momo, seeming to rx a lot, reclined on the sofa.


    "Good, that is good."


    Soma, seeing her reaction, asked.


    "Did youe here just to ckmail me into a date, or was there any other reason?"


    Momo looked slightly sheepish at how he worded what had just happened, but nodded her head.


    "Yeah, I have another reason. I just, hum..."


    "Got carried away?" Soma said and Momo nodded.


    "Yeah, kinda. Anyway, I came for two reasons besides my own personal reasons. First, Kaichou wants to talk to you about something and asked me to tell you to call her at your earliest convenience. I would advise you to call her earlier thought, she is kinda annoyed after you showed the Kaleidosticks as now Serafal-sama want to have you make matching sticks for herself and Kaichou," Momo said, wincing slightly at thatment.


    As someone who had also gotten a Kaleidostick, Jade, Momo was almost forcefully taken by Serafal to her peerage and has seen many, many, many arguments between the Sitri sisters that involved a lot of begging. It was very annoying.


    "Fine, I will give her a callter. I will just need to ask my secretary to find me her number." Soma said and Momo raised a brow at this.


    "Secretary?"


    "Yeah, as I can''t bother with spending time taking care of all scheduling and contacts with the supernatural and the like since, well, I have a lot of more important things to do than spend my time doing that, I put someone to take care of that for me." Soma said, thinking on his secretary.


    ... Mami was not exactly thrilled with going ''up thedder'' so to say, even if she was slightly d at the start at the show of confidence when Soma let her be the one responsible for this job. But, in retrospect, the work as a maid, even if she did not do everything a normal maid would and just yed as one, was still much, much easier than the work in needing to deal with all the connections and other responsibilities of a secretary. She has been shooting Momoko, who had only to care for the house, many envy-filled gazes after the first time she had to spend four hours straight trying to make a devil noble understand that they are NOT selling Kaleidosticks nor do they want to sell some of Albion''s body.


    "... Anyway, I also came to give you this." Momo said, giving Soma an envelope.


    Opening it Soma saw the paper inside, the ''crest'' of the Hanakai family on one side and, in the other, a message.


    ''Family meeting at 19 June in Rokenjima, be there. If any family member fails to show up they will be kicked out of the family and have to leave family propriety. Signed: Kinzo Hanakai.''


    Soma, reading this, felt very, very irritated.


    There was still some time until the said meeting, but he had absolutely no desire to go there and see the rest of the family. Most of them were snobby and irritating, he can only say he liked Momo''s parents, his mother, and that girl.


    ... He couldn''t quite remember her well, but he still remembers feeling that she was a pitiful person back then.


    In all honesty, Soma wanted to just not show up as those family meetings always had far too much drama, but the mention of being kicked out was bad.


    The house he lived at was, technically, of the Hanakai family and if he was evicted from it and had to move he would need to set up all the defensive measures again. It was much more work than it was worth it so he might as well go there once and see what was going on. He could ask Riser and other devils to take care of this for him, either by making the house he lived now fully his or something, but he did not want to be in debt with the devils, especially when Serafal still had not given him a full list of locations of evil dragons and other monster''s locations.


    Oh well, it was not like a family meeting with only normal humans could be that hard and he doubted he would be in any form of danger.


    ... On the morning of June 20, Soma would curse his big mouth to hell and back because Murphy is a vengeful bitch.


    ///---///


    AN:


    Sorry for a slightlyter chapter. Work is a bitch and I cannot assure you that there will be a chapter this Sunday since there is work for college. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed and I wonder if anyone can predict what I intend to happen soon during this family meeting and what is this Golem project Soma is working on.


    Anyway, now Soma''s base form without any reinforcement, equipment, or using magecraft is around the lower end of Ultimate ss and, when he goes all out, he is around Serafal''s level as of right now. He went far, from someone who almost died in the hands of Kiba to a versatile Satan ss powerhouse, but no one can deny he worked hard for it.


    And finally, a final question. I was thinking of Soma using the soul of Jeanne he has in storage to summon Jalter or Jeane Ruler, should I do it? It would only be her since there is a need of the soul of the reincarnated person to be used as a foil for the summon, beside her the only others I can think would be possible to show up are Scatatch (since she is still technically alive) and Musashi (since she is literally jumping around dimensions anyway). Up to you guys really.


    Oh, and I started writing the first lemon scene, this one between Rossweisse and Soma.. When I publish the next chapter I will post that one as well.

 Chapter 42 - 40

    Soma''s P.O.V.


    "You know, we could have just solved this through the phone. It is a nifty little invention, I am sure devils should have it as well." I said in irritation as the Sitri heiress sat in front of me, a cup of tea in her hand. We were in a restaurant in downtown, she had rented a table away from prying eyes and was sitting in front of me in a simple white dress that was a bit on the short end. It would have been erotic if she had more to show, but with her slight frame, that dress ends up just making her look childish instead of sexy. I guess money doesn''t buy good fashion sense.


    ... I guess I am still in a simr mindset of earlier when Kiyoharu convinced me to go cloth shopping for her. I wasn''t into it, but I gotta give credit where it is due, Kiyoharu is very convincing when she wants to be.


    Readgeless, just like Momo requested, I called Sona soon after as to hear her about whatever is going on. However, despite sending my cute cousin to inform me that she wanted to talk, she was free enough to say we should meet face to face.


    I would have just said ''fuck you'' 80% of the time if she tried to make me leave my project when it is ''mutating'' like that, it was far too interesting... and dangerous since I had no clue what the final result would be. However, she would just order Momo toe to me and I can never truly say no to Momo about anything.


    I was never able to, just as I know she can''t ever truly say no to me. It is just how we work really.


    "I understand why you would think that, but what I want to discuss with you is important and I wouldn''t like people spying on me through the phone." Sona said and I snorted.


    Considering she is the sister of Serafal, if someone has the balls and ability to be spying on her, they would have known about any meeting she has and what she knows either way regardless of her little decision of meeting face to face or talk through the phone... or the person spying is Serafal and she would know regardless.


    Well, Sona seems like a mostly decent devil, even if I despise her having turned my Momo into a devil and would not shed any tears if the Sitri heiress was to die. But, for Momo, I can at least indulge the little devil princess, even if she seems kinda simplistic to me.


    "So, you wanted to talk."


    "Yes, but before we talk I must ask, how much do you know about the Sitri house and me specifically?" Sona questioned and I can already see what she wants me to ''know'', but I don''t feel like ying into her hand and saying what she wants me to say.


    "I know just a few things. First that your house is one of the current top of devil society due to being on the winning side during the Civil War and having one of the Satans, the one responsible for diplomacy no less, being a member. Your sister is a highly capable woman considering she is able to keep the devils from entering any war with the other supernatural races and Pantheons despite your race constantly taking members of said groups by all sorts of means, honorable or otherwise. Of the Satans, as far as I could see and understand, she is decidedly the best."


    Sona heard what I said and actually raised a brow.


    "... You really think that? Even if she acts like... that?"


    I just shrugged.


    "How she dresses shouldn''t truly matter in my eyes, she is a grown woman and if she wants to cosy then that is up to her really. To me, if it doesn''t interfere with her work as Satan, then her hobbies don''t matter and are, as far as I can tell, harmless. Hells, she even does a show for kids that is apparently quite popr, you should be proud to have a sister like her." I said.


    What can I say, despite her being the one that most likely wants me dead I can still respect those who deserve it. I sure as hell respect her more than the uncaring genocider Ajuka, a siscon that would risk a civil war for no good reason like Sirzechs, or Falbium who is apparently sozy that the military forces of the Underworld are in shambles and with a big part of their staff being spies with who knows how many informants in their military.


    Truthfully speaking, Falbium is the one that annoys me the most. Sure, Ajuka is the worst and most destructive piece of shit I have heard of since I got into this world and caused more pain and suffering than most anyone in the Throne and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future without a single care thanks to his system, and yet the militarymander in me wants to strangle Falbium due to the sheer ipetence of the man. From the moment I thought a conflict with the devils was possible I talked with Riser about it and got intel from Mittelt and the Yakuza as well about what they knew, and Falbium is the most unfit person to lead anything that I have ever seen.


    I observe Sona who adjusts her sses before speaking.


    "That was... informative. Regardless, besides my sister, what else you know of my family?"


    ///---///


    3¡ã Person P.O.V.


    Serafal, in her private quarters in her apartment in the center of Lilith, the capital city of the devil race, was looking intensely at a screen in front of her. From it, she could clearly see Soma and her sister talking.


    She was a Satan who was responsible for all diplomatic affairs and someone who had been on a cold war with two other races for over three hundred years, of course, she knew how to and had bugged her sister. Namely, she had bugs in Sona''s dress, underwear, socks, and especially in her sses so seeing what Sona could see was child''s y for Serafal. Heck, the Satan even had three different tracking chips inside her sister to always know where Sona was in case of an emergency.


    As a high-risk and noble heiress of the devil race that was currently residing in the human world, her ''freedom'' and ''privacy'' were at most a flimsy illusion. Just like you wouldn''t see the only daughter of the president of the USA travel around through the world without security, you couldn''t expect anything less for someone like Sona.


    "... Wow, just, wow." Serafal said, having heard all that Soma said about her and was honestly ttered.


    She was used to people appreciating her, but not for her work and instead just looking and talking about her body or preference in clothing. It was extremely ttering for her to hear someone speak up about her for what she did, not details of her own life.


    In truth, Serafal could be said to be a very lonely woman. She was very young by the time the great war started, being only 8 years old then and she was forcefully enlisted to it by the four original Satans then.


    She was raised on the battlefield so to say, a child soldier who has had to live by the sword for decades as the war progressed. Any friends she made would most likely die on her as the war progressed and she drenched herself in the blood of both enemies... and allies as well.


    One must understand, the original Satans were war fanatics who cared not for their people, they would push again and again for more battles regardless of the sacrifices as long as none of their descendants were anywhere near the battlefields. Logically, after years of war with no victory in sight and the body count growing to the point where their race''s extermination became a possibility, many would want to dissert.


    To those who wanted to leave the battlefield and escape from hell, Serafal was the one sent to kill them. At first, she refused to do this job, but after seeing those who escaped and, especially, what those who were sent to hunt those who just wanted to leave did to the deserters, Serafal volunteered to be the one to hunt those who ran.


    Better her give them a quick death, than the dogs of Lucifer that would torture those who left and made a parade and celebration of their deaths. She was quick and merciful, she would execute her orders in a fast manner and let those who had to be killed at least die quick and painless deaths. This is why she even started practicing and changed her focus from water magic to ice magic, to be able to more efficiently kill others without them having to suffer.


    After the Great War ended Serafal joined the Civil War, but this time it wasn''t because she was conscripted as she joined willingly. She did so to stop any chance of restarting the Great War, she also had no love for the original Satans and their disregard for devil lives while their descendants were never sent to the thick of things and only fought easy battles.


    Her whole life Serafal lived FOR the devil race. Even now her love for mahou shoujo is just her trying to spread something other than bloodlust and battle for the new generation... and because Mahou Shoujo were all about love, family, and good things that she appreciated a lot. She might have gone a bit overboard, but it was her one and only true valve of escape from all the memories of the past and the pressures of the present.


    As such, she was not a woman who cared overly much about her looks, so being appreciated for her help to the devil race and being considered the best of the Satans even when most thought she only had that spot because of female representation... that was something new for her, and she loved it.


    A fond smile blossomed on Serafal''s face as she continued to watch her sister and Soma''s meeting through her cameras while reading through the documents regarding a new proposal ofmerce with the Yokais and hoping that this time things would go well.


    Someone showed up that valued her work AND liked Mahou Shoujos, maybe a second miracle could happen.


    ///---///


    Sona''s P.O.V.


    ... He is irritating.


    How much he knows about my family, assets, and more is impressive, that he said so much about my sister was surprising, but, but...


    HOW COME HE DOESN''T KNOW WE ARE ALL BUT ENGAGED?


    Not only that, he clearly hasn''t taken note of the perfume I bought or the make-up I used. I never do that, but I had decided to go and talk with my best about this meeting and ask for some useful tips. I did my best, and yet, the entire time he seems to have barely paid attention to me, it is infuriating... and a bit hot.


    No, no it is not. I am not into neglect y or anything like that. In my family, everyone is either a dominant or a submissive beneath our day-to-day lives, and I''ve seen how a submissive Sitri was like before in my mother and how she would do anything father wanted in bed. Hells, I''ve seen her lick the feet of one of my father''s harem members when he ordered her right in the family dinner table when we were all together.


    I won''t be like that, I AM a dominant! I have to be one, or I would rather just die already.


    Focus, focus Sona. Your dreams mean you are fighting against the entire world, you will dominate your future and change the path of your entire race just like your sister did. Taking a breath I rpose myself, even if no one could tell the difference since I always look the same when I want to, and speak.


    "It seems like you don''t know about the position both of us share at the moment."


    "Well, I have heard from Riser that you and I are engaged due to me beating you in chess once." he said nonchntly and I almost snarl at him.


    He KNOWS of the situation, so how can he so easily dismiss it out of hand? Does he look down on me or this engagement?


    "Don''t misunderstand, it is not that I look down on the decisions of you or your family, but I have no need to follow them. It wouldn''t make sense for me to be forced to marry you just because you suck at chess." Soma said and I froze, my eyes turning cold as I re at him.


    "I don''t suck at chess." I said, this being what offends me the most.


    He just raises a brow as he hears this.


    "Sure, sure, keep telling yourself that, miss rookie." He spoke and as he looked at me with that condescending gaze I felt myself get excited... at defeating and dominating him, obviously.


    Yeah, I will do it!


    "... Put your money where your mouth is." I said as I summon from my pocket space a set of chess.


    What? I am a girl that likes to be prepared and no one knows when they must have a set of chess prepared for any case of emergency.


    ///---///


    "Again!" I said in fury as I stare at the game. Soma just sighed.


    "... Look, if you are into humiliation y and, if you want to be beaten publicly again, that is your thing. Regardless, I have more to do than spend my time here just ying chess with you." Soma said, making me blush in shame.


    ... I am not into that sort of y, I am just verypetitive and I want to y one more round since I know I can win.


    "I will have you know that I am not into that sort of thing." I said strongly and he just looks at me with the most condescending gaze I''ve ever seen.


    "Yeah, I totally believe you. You are the type that likes to dominate others and be on top in all moments, or likes to portray that at any rate." He said before waving his hand. "Trust me, what gets someone going is hardly ever anything they are proud of and no one should judge it... as long as it is not scat y. That is the one thing I would not like to get involved with whatsoever." He said with a shiver of distaste.


    I just look at him, take a deep breath, and tell myself he ISN''T a devil despite how he talks being exactly like some devils I''ve known before.


    "Anyway, I would have you know that this engagement is of relevance for you as well." I said and he just looks at me with a raised brow. Seeing this as a chance to continue I do so. "I am not sure if you know or not, but my family and yours have been business partners for many years now. We were the ones that helped your family after the World War 2 where your grandfather got a fortune and he used it, and our family connections, to make the Hanakai conglomerate. It can be said that arge part of my family''s assets in the human world is rted to your family and we hold many shares of your family as well, our engagement would serve to help that bond and make both sides closer which would be beneficial on both sides, but if you break it then our two sides might separate and we both would suffer for it."


    As I finish exining it all he just looks at me before reclining in his chair, his eyes slightly vacant as he stares at nothing in particr while his lips are closed. I have no idea what he is thinking of but I choose not to stop him as I drink my coffee.


    After a good two minutes of silence, he opens his mouth.


    "It really doesn''t surprise me that the old bastard made a deal with the devil to get where he is, no offense to you or yours." He says as if in an afterthought. "He was always very much in the ult and with how he acts, yeah he seems like the type that wouldn''t mind even if the deal he struck involved selling all his kids into very or whatever. Regardless, since I am not really running for the position of heir for the family or anything I don''t really care much about it, but since Momo is the heiress I guess I shouldn''t make things worse for her moving forward."


    ... He does care a lot about Momo, huh. It is a bit offensive that he seems to be only thinking of our engagement due to it improving the position for Momo. Does he really not see me as anything worthwhile whatsoever? He already praised my sister so much, he gives plenty of attention and cares for Momo, and at Rias'' party I saw how he danced with Ravel, Momo, that little girl he came with, and many other girls, but he never once seemed to even look at me.


    This, this is so weird. Everyone always looks at me and pays attention, either as the heiress of the Sitri House, the sister of Satan Leviathan, or because I am the Student Council President. Having someone look at me and just dismiss me, it is vexing.


    I think about it for a moment and speak.


    "Since I lost in chess to you, you became one of the candidates for my husband since that was the condition for engagement with me. Normally, it would mean you and other candidates would bepared and the one more suitable ording to my parents would be chosen, but since you are the only candidate..."


    "Wow, either you chose your opponents well or the devils are all amateurs in chess." Soma says and I re at him.


    "I am good at chess, amongst the best."


    "Yeah, keep telling yourself that sweetheart. If you wish it hard enough, maybe one day it bes reality." He says in an infuriating tone.


    I want to shut him up, no, I will shut him up right here and now!


    As I was leaning on the table as I was dering that I do NOT suck at chess, I decided to shut him up for good. Boys his age should be easy to make dumb, just need to know how to do that ording to the magazines I''ve studied for this meeting.


    Taking advantage of my position, I push myself forward and kiss him. That would shut his mouth and would make him not able to think, I can dominate him then and...


    Huh? Why does it feel like I am losing control here and why does it feel so good?


    ///---///


    Soma''s P.O.V.


    Too easy.


    Seriously, for a devil she is far too easy to rile up with some harsh truths, even if my family''s association with her house was a bit of a shock as it didn''te up in my talks with Riser and the others before.


    Regardless, this engagement is not all that bad for me since, if I can''t get Momo out of Sona''s grasp, I can just make the Sitri heiress obedient to me and thus make it where she doesn''t even think about hurting or using Momo in any way. It is a roundabout way of doing things that goes against my preferences (namely, blowingshit up until the problem goes away), but would still work regardless.


    Normally I wouldn''t go down this route as I don''t really like manipting women using sex, but this girl was so obviously a submissive deep down that using it to my advantage was the obvious choice. Especially since, if I tried mind-controlling her my actions would possibly be exposed and cause a bacsh towards Momo or myself.


    Besides, why use magic when I can just ensnare her through more natural and biological means, which also happens to mean we both can enjoy no less?


    It is not like I would hate having another partner in bed, and this one seems like would like it even if I go a bit rougher, and I am confident would be good when I am mad with something.


    Deepening the kiss and using my hands to stop her when she tries to move back I force myself on her just enough to be pleasurable while not truly hurting her. I let the kiss continue for a good thirty seconds and when she manages to pull back I look down at her body and speak.


    "About the engagement, we cane to an understanding in time. As long as we agree to not be exclusive with us being able to marry again if we want to as long as we inform each other. We also must have a proper contract detailing what we should do in case we decide to divorce and kids, and we also agree that any secret shared between us is to remain exactly that, a secret. If we are to marry we must be able to trust one another at the very least, love or affection cer." I said and she stares at me with a lost puppy face.


    ... She is far too innocent, it almost makes me feel bad about manipting her like this, but I at least won''t ruin her like others could considering how she is right now. Well, maybe I will ruin her for other men, but that is just how things would progress I suppose.


    I DID learn a lot from Kiara about how to sense other''s sexual preferences as well as use them, and I also learned seduction and how to make others do things for me from Mata Hari whose Noble Phantasm is literally seducing others into little more than ves. Someone as clearly innocent about sex and so naturally submissive deep down like this devil heiress in front of me, yeah she won''t even be a challenge in a battle of sedution or in bed.


    "I, I suppose that is eptable." She says and I smirk as I lean into her hear and whisper.


    "Besides, even if you can be a bit annoying and needs to learn your proper ce in this rtionship, I can''t deny you have a tasty little mouth there. I wonder what else about you is this delicious, and I want to find out." I say as I put my hand on her cheek, sending the smallest shocks possible to give her to make it feel stimting but not hurtful.


    She flushes as I smirk at her expression, she looks away from me with her face all red and, seeing this, I have to wonder.


    Does anyone actually fear her? Seriously? I heard plenty of times in school how ''fearsome'' and intimidating she is, but, how to say it... she is about as threatening to me as a kitten in my eyes. She can be grumpy and liking to act aloof, but it is painfully obvious that one just needs to know what buttons to push to get her to do whatever one wishes.


    "What would you say about us finding out?"


    "Really? Now? We barely even know one another!" She hisses in embarassment at my suggestion and I just shrug.


    "We know enough to not make usplete strangers and we are to be wed anyway, wouldn''t it be better to know if we are actuallypatible?" she looks slightly torn so I say. "Or is it that you are not ''devil'' enough to delve into just this little amount of sin? What? You want to be a little pure Christian girl guarding herself to her marriage bed? How cute." I said, in the end there putting a finger beneath my chin and giving a condesending smile


    That, obviously, put a fire on her as she obviously did not like the insinuation of her being a lesser devil. After what I''ve seen so far after my interactions with devils, I truly realized that devils are quite full of pride and love to sin, even if some of them don''t like to show their love for sin in some cases due to liking to act like if they are humans or because of some ridiculous sense of morals that just seems quite silly to me. If normal human girls can fuck around, why should actual devils adhere to celibacy for some idea of purity for the marriage bed?


    That sort of idea sounds far too Christian and ''angelic'', not like a devil normally is at all. I''ve heard plenty from Riser and seen devils during the engagement party, and none act all pure and innocent at all.


    To someone like Sona, using this point to insinuate she isn''t much of a ''proper devil''... yeah the result was expected. But, credit where it is due, the results seem to not be quite as clean and cut as I would have expected.


    "I suppose we could try it and test it out," She says with a slightly flirtatious tone, despite her serious and nonchnt tone. "BUT, we would still need toter have a long discussion about the terms of the contract we would be in as to rify al detailster, even if we agree to go through with this. I have no intentions of being taken advantage of by just letting you have full control over the terms of agreement, after all." Sona says, making me raise a brow. "You shouldn''t expect me to be so easy to deal with, what fun would it be if I just did whatever it is you want like if I was just some fool? I am Sona Sitri, not just anyone."


    In a situation like the one we are in now where I challenge her to prove she is a ''proper'' devil elite, especially when I would be an eptable ''challenger'' to proving her worth as a devil due to being her fiance, she is still able to keep a cool enough head to start discussing ideas and proposals for the contract we would sign. Yeah, she is not stupid, I will give her that much. Horny, obviously if what I see is any indication, but not stupid.


    Well, she still sucks at chess and iscking in some aspects, but with some proper guidance I suppose she would make a suitable enough business and pleasure partner for the future.


    This IS a mutually beneficial agreement, after all. We both get what we want with little drawbacks, but trying to squeeze a little extra on the side was the smart choice and not seeing we both aim to gain more from this deal would be dumb.


    After agreeing that we would give this marriage a honest try and would discuss in details about the terms of it at ater time, we paid the bill of the coffee shop and got out. Not even ten minutester we were walking out on the streets in search of a more appropriate location for the more relevant aspect of this rtionship as to know if we would only have some papers connecting us or if we would be a bit closer.


    ... Sometimes being me is just far too good, even if I have to wonder if anyone will spy on us while we ''test'' ourpatibility.


    Well, I guess I could just give any spy a show then, wouldn''t be the first time I have an audience spying from a distance.


    Fuck you Merlin, you perverted half-subus, I can only hope my romp with a pure blood subus doesn''t produce another like him. One Merlin in my life was MORE than enough, that is for sure.


    ///---///


    AN:


    So, yeah that was the conclusion I got when I thought of a rtionship between these two. They are both very busy people who have their own lives, an overly romantic and biding rtionship wouldn''t fit them and they barely truly know one another so trying to force romance wouldn''t make any real sense. The more realistic approach would be that of they truly following through but it being a purely contractual and physical rtionship.


    If feelings develop in time, even if only fondness, would be left to time and nature, but political marriage and love don''t need to walk hand in hand. Sexualpatibility is, however, desirable.


    It is benefical for both sides, after all. Sona would no longer be pressed to marry or have challengerse for her hand all the time while Soma would be able to influence her to make sure she never tries anything that could hurt or damage Momo.


    Is anyone surprised that Serafal would bug Sona to always know what is going on with her while in the human world? That honestly looked like the most natural thing for her in my eyes. And about Serafal''s past, I tried to picture how she could be like she is now and came to this decision, and her liking Soma with how things are now sounded quite natural for me as well.


    Also, I took inspiration from one of Shiro''s fics about how different devil houses have certain fetishes, if that wasn''t clear enough by now. Here are those I thought of for now:


    Gremory - Incest (either true incest or someone seen as family, like how Rias sees Issei as a little brother of sorts);


    Bael - Cheating (they like seeing their loved ones screwing with someone else as if they are being taken away, or cheating their partners with someone else);


    Sitri - Domination and Submission (not SM but domination and submission, they don''t enjoy pain but they like to dominate others in bed or be dominated and forced into obscene or humiliating positions);


    Phenex - Harems (they like to have multiple partners, so they either make a harem or join in one but are with others in the harem instead of only one person in it);


    Astaroph - ve y (they like to either making others sex ves, or be turned into one);


    There are other houses I haven''t yet decided and if you guys have any ideas I am all ears, and my thought about the Baels is more if I ever decide to try having Soma bang Rias'' mother and maybe Grayfia (Sirzechs and Rias ARE half Bael, after all). But honestly, besides Gremory, Sitri, and Phenex the others are open to change if requests are made.


    Anyway, thanks for reading and until next time, I will do a Lemon from this chapterter, of course.. Review and follow, bye.

 Chapter 43 - 41

    After the agreement was reached between Soma and his new ''bride'', including lengthy discussions about the terms of the agreement and some ''tests ofpatibility, the two had reached a suitable agreement. Both were free to date if they so desired, would not force their own thoughts or ideas on each other, would provide assistant when required as long as it did not endanger each other''s lives or safety of either part or associated family or friends. They also agreed to have aplete division of propriety in case of a future divorce as to not let their personal be given to either in case of such an asion.


    There was also an agreement regarding offspring where one would be provided after Sona finishes the construction of her school and stabilize it, as well as how said kid would be educated and what rights said kid would have in terms of inheritance.


    Honestly, even awyer would be impressed by how detailed the contract wasid out. It was truly a purely political and carnal rtionship that was created, and both parties were more than satisfied with that since neither had the time or willingness to try and force the creation of an emotional connection between each other.


    After that was dealt with, five uneventful days passed. It was a calm routine that spread throughout the city''s supernaturalmunity and, in said peace, one could find Soma going to school as normal.


    He kinda missed school, if for no other reason than because it let him sleep more whenpared to when he is at his workshop. Besides sleeping Soma spent his time in ss talking with the few friends he had as he had finished the body modifications he needed.


    It was a very peaceful three days even if that bully girl who had tormented Aya for a while had seemingly vanished during that time. Soma worried slightly, seeing as she had a Sacred Gear and might have been abducted by the Hero Faction, but he rather doubted it was like that since there was no movement in acquiring other Sacred Gear users that were not directly rted to the other powers in town.


    People like Danjuro Tobita and Manami Aiba, also known as Gentle Criminal and La Brava as they dered they would want to be named, were still out and about without anyone trying to capture, so Sarina was most likely not taken by anyone and had just left of her own free will.


    Truthfully speaking, Soma didn''t give a single shit about the girl. As long as she wasn''t together with the Hero Faction or became his enemy he wouldn''t care what happens to her. She was on his shit list anyway and he just didn''t act on her because Aya said he shouldn''t.


    If he had to think about ''free'' users, he would much rather think about the antics of Gentle and La Brava who,st he met, were practicing how to use their Sacred Gears and thinking on ways to show the world their skills when the ''right stage presented itself''. Soma could honestly say he liked them as they reminded him a bit of himself, even if a lot more clumsy and less professional.


    Soma would like if, after he dies, he can meet them in the Throne, as dubious as such a thing would be to happen.


    Regardless, everything was going rather well today as well.


    Soma was eating his lunch with relish, in one hand the chopsticks and in the other, the Bento as both feet were in the table that already had five servings of bento empty in it. Beside him was only Kiyoharu this time around since Aya, now much healthier than before, was meeting some other girls from ss together with Ravel. Kiyoharu, who was not exactly popr with either males or females in ss since she was seen as a ''freak'', decided to eat with Soma this time around.


    She was used to eating alone, but she quite appreciated having someone to banter with as friends. Kiyoharu was eating in a rather normal way with even some elegance after she had Ravel teach her how to do it (since it looked cool), but she was also observing Soma with some feelings of surprise.


    "Where does all that food goes to?" Kiyoharu asks in wonder as she saw how much Soma ate and yet he still was hungry.


    Taking a sip of a two liters bottle of c Soma says.


    "With my body as it is, I need to eat a lot more than most others if I want to maintain my condition." He exins.


    Soma''s body by now was hardly ''human'', only ssified as human due to theck of any DNA from another race in him. With this body Soma''s power was great, but it still had some drawbacks like the food intake needs.


    Thanks to his body producing a muchrger amount of muscle fibers and his organs'' efficiency Soma needed a corresponding energy source topensate, thus how Soma needed to consume around thirteen times the normal calory intake of a single male. That was a lot, but Soma could manage by eating food with higher calorie values that were still nutritious.


    Kiyoharu, seeing how much Soma could eat and looking at her own small bento, sighed.


    "It is kind of unfair, if I overate even a little bit I get fat, but you can eat so much and still look great."


    Soma just shrugs.


    "It is just how my body is now. Besides, if you want to change your body you can always just ask, you know as well as I do that I can help you."


    Kiyoharu smiles slightly at that.


    "Yeah, I know and appreciate it. I want to change it, it is just that..."


    "You are not sure when to do this change, right?" Soma says and Kiyoharu slightly nods her head. "That is fine as well. It is not like I am going anywhere and, when you are ready, you just need to ask. It IS a big step, after all. You should just do it when you are ready."


    Hearing this Kiyoharu smiles.


    "Soma-kun, I sometimes wonder who is it between us that can read minds."


    Soma just smirks at that.


    "I am just good at reading people, no magecraft there. You are quite easy to read."


    "Oh, really."


    "Yeah, it is super easy, barely an inconvenience." Soma said, liking to say that after having seen some videos on the inte. Speak what you will, humans knew how to make the best ofedy.


    He wanted to talk some more, but as expected, reality wouldn''t let him keep enjoying the moment.


    Entering the ssroom with an elegant walk, one of the two ''onee-samas'' of the school went directly to Soma''s table.


    "Hello, I am sorry to interrupt but Buchou would like to have words with you. If possible, could you follow me to her?" Akeno said with a fake smile, not liking to talk politely with the man who had tried to shred doubt in her hatred.


    However...


    "Yeah, no." Soma said dismissively after hearing a message from Kiyoharu.


    "... What?"


    "I don''t work for her nor do I have any business with her that would make me need to meet her. This is just her trying to approach me for some reason and, if so, then I don''t see why I should be the one to move when she wants to meet. If she wants to talk to me she cane herself, she has legs not just for show I believe." Soma said, irritating Akeno.


    With a frosty tone, she spoke.


    "I will tell her this. Have a good day." She said and turned around to leave.


    Soma, wanting to get the final word in, spoke.


    "Careful at the door, you might get stuck with how big your ego is right now, even if I didn''t see anything to be prideful aboutst time."


    That, more than anything, irritated Akeno who did not like the reminder of how badly she lost during the fight at the engagement party.


    Leaving while mming the door, the people in the ss could only stare at her leaving before turning their gazes to Soma.


    "What are you all looking at?" Soma said with some slight irritation, but that was plenty enough to make them stop staring and go find something to do somewhere far away.


    Kiyoharu, who was beside Soma, spoke at that time.


    "... You sure that is for the better? You don''t know what they will do to get what they want." Kiyoharu said and Soma shrugged before starting to eat again. Between bites he spoke.


    "I know their skills after the previous fights, the only one I haven''t seen take action is Rias herself, but ording to Riser and Momo, she only ever uses Power of Destruction when inbat and doesn''t seem to really know or try to use anything else. That power is dangerous for most, I will give it that, but it is by nowpletely useless against me. Maybe if she asked her brother for help she could trouble me, but I rather doubt the man is dumb enough to think that forcing me is actually gonna help considering what they want." Soma said, very confident in his mana generator''s ability to turn any non-physical magic into nourishment for him.


    Kiyoharu, feeling confident of Soma''s skills, still spoke up.


    "I know and agree with you. It is just... be careful okay. They are getting desperate and desperate people can do unpredictable things." Kiyoharu says before lowering her voice. "Do you want my help dealing with them? Give them some other reason to worry and concentrate on or just make them have an impulse to not get close to you no matter what."


    Soma stared at Kiyoharu for a moment and spoke.


    "You really are a scaryss, that is for sure."


    "Thank you." Kiyoharu said with a sweet smile that could have fooled most anyone, making Soma chuckle at her antics.


    "Anyway, that is not necessary. I want a little something from them anyway, if they are willing to trade favors I can work with it." Soma said before finally finishing gorging himself on the food.


    ///---///


    It was after school, Soma was back at his home and wondering what sort of experiment he would be doing next. He was rather satisfied currently with his equipment and body, he was still a few steps away frompleting his mystic eyes but that would take time regardless.


    He had received the shroud used by two of the twelve apostles, Saint James ''the greater'' and his brother, Saint James ''the lesser''. The shroud had a strong holy element to it and Soma managed to use its history and what knowledge he had of mystic code creation and more to turn the shroud into a powerful mystic code. It''s function was centered in helping in bolstering Soma''s fire capabilities as the said apostles were known for having a particrly ''fiery'' temper.


    Soma was satisfied with it and used said shrouds to make a full body suit not unlike the one used by Cu Chin, only in the color red as it was a shroud bathed in the blood of said Saints. He did a body suit to go underneath other equipment for a simple reason, it would let him use fire to do something like the fire type mana burst that Karma was capable of.


    If the church knew of this, or how Soma used the shroud they had no idea were of any true use, they would be gnashing their teeth in anger at having such a item taken away. That, or begging Soma for the intel about how to actually make use of this, and perhaps other items, they had stashed away as little more than pretty heirloons to collect dust.


    Thinking for a bit Soma decided in what to do. Inside his workshop Soma sat crosslegged and started concentrating within, begining the process of materialization of his own soul.


    The Third Magic, Heaven''s Feel, is the ultimate culmination of soul magic as it allowed for one to fully materialize one''s very soul into its own being. If someone were able to truly do it then they would be able to leave their physical body behind, bing absolutely impossible to be killed, destroyed, or even injured in any meaningful way.


    Not only that, by bing a fully soul-based entity, the production of magic energy would be infinite, being impossible to measure how much energy one can have since they are always producing more.


    In a way, it was turning from human into an existence of simr nature to that of Ophis, the Infinity Dragon, not that Soma knew it of course. If he knew that, in this world there are two beings who were born with something simr to True Magic, he would be furious. Sure, Ophis had no real clue about her own natural aplishments or how her powers were a form of the Third Magic, but it was still extremely simr in nature.


    It was much the same with Great Red who had natural ess to the First Magic, the creation from nothing as he could create anything just by thinking about it.


    Regardless, since he had already finished his preparations in case ofbat Soma decided he should start it again, his research on Heaven''s Feel.


    As he sat there, trying to give his soul some degree of mass, he thought to himself.


    ''Damn it, this thing is still bloody tough.''


    Soma already had an extremely deep andprehensive understanding of the soul, but giving soul mass required not only that but also plenty of hard work as well as lots and lots of energy. He needed to saturate his very soul with energy until it slowly obtained mass, it was a tedious and lengthy process.


    Taking a deep breath Soma continued his work, making his soul stronger by the minute as he continued to try and grant it proper mass. He also wondered when he would produce his Pure Eyes, a natural manifestation of the body that happens when one''s soul passes a certain threshold. It was a natural phenomenon much like Touki, but unlike that form of energy, the Pure Eyes was something that Soma knew about even if he wasn''t originally able to develop them during the Throne due to the limitations of that dimension.


    Pure Eyes are a natural urring psychic ability that allows one to see that which normally cannot be seen. They are simr to Mystic Eyes in that both are inheritable, even if they are not able to create actual phenomena and only observe things that normally cannot be seen, like emotions, spirits, the magic circuits inside someone''s body, or even spatial pathways when one uses teleportation. Pure Eyes would also be able to unite easily enough with Mystic Eyes, even if it would need some work to do so, much like how hard it was for Shiki to turn the normal Pure Eyes into the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.


    What Soma had not realized at this moment was how, as his soul progressed in strength, his unlocked Touki was slowly increasing in potency as well.


    Body and Soul are naturally connected, as during his original training in the Throne Soma had no ess or understanding of Touki he did not understand the connection yet between Life Force and soul capacity. His understandings would need to be adapted, but it was not a bad thing as Soma began to step in a rather unique path which the destination was as of yet unclear.


    KNOCK KNOCK


    Knocking on the door to his workshop woke up Soma who looked a bit annoyed. Honestly speaking this work he was doing was one that would take a long time and there was no need to overly care about interruptions, but those were still annoying.


    Getting to the door he opened it to see Mami standing there, an equally irritated expression on her face.


    "Did something happen? I know I didn''t put the ''not disturb'' sign outside, but I hope you didn''te here just to stop me from my practice." Soma said and Mami nodded.


    "I understand, it is just that miss Gremory and her Peerage are at the door and they are insistent intoing and talking with you." Mami said before adding. "Maybe you should find a guard dog?"


    Soma scratched his chin at the thought.


    "A dog would be nice, they are quite nicepanions and their fur is quite nice to the touch, much like bears really. However, unlike bears, dogs are more suited for guard duty." Soma said while wondering if he should buy a dog and modify it, or produce one using the homunculus tech he had to make it ''special''. Oh well, it was a thought forter.


    "If you get a dog, could it be a big one?" Mami said with some excitement.


    "You want a dog?" Soma asked and she nodded.


    "Yeah, before I was taken my family always had dogs but they were all small in size, but I always wanted a big dog as I think it would be cute." Mami said, already picturing herself giving a big hug on the fuzzy ball.


    "I will see what I can do." Soma said with a shrug. He wouldn''t mind some pets around the house at any rate even if he doubted he would be getting a guard dog exactly.


    Considering the security measures, any ''guard dog'' would need to be absurdly powerful or have some sort of unique ability to have any sort of sense in having, so he wouldn''t really need to care much about it.


    Walking through the house Soma took his time, knowing to let his guests sweating a bit to make them more ufortable and this more easy to manipte.


    Turning to Mami he asks.


    "I forgot to ask, but how is your working along? Can you do it?"


    "I am doing well enough as secretary, all things considered. I am not yet fully used to it but I got some tips from miss Ravelst time she came and am adapting to the job. It is certainly better than working for the Hero Faction, at any rate." Mami exined, d to have gotten those tips which saved her many times by now.


    This is the sort of job that one must understand things very well, and getting knowledge from a prodigy like Ravel was a true godsend.


    "That is good, I am finishing some works and I will likely find you some assistantster on so bear with it for now." Soma said, already thinking on his homunculus projects and wondering how many would be good to help Mami in dealing with secretary duty.


    He was already making some to help in farming unique herbster on with the help of golems and was imnting knowledge regarding mystic code creation and other misceneous matters on other homunculi he was making as to assist him in the future.


    Truly, if the three factions of Catholicism knew how much they had truly given him they would most certainly regret it, especially since his homunculus and cloning technology was well and truly beyond anything they had ess to. He was creating dozens of high-ss level magic users with the knowledge he so desired, that and on demand with theming out of their pods fully functional and with long life spans and very resistant bodies.


    Hells, he even have some homunculus with Albion''s blood mixed in, it was just as an experiment really, to see how much stronger they would be in their final result and if they would have magic reserves of simr capabilities to someone like Arturia Pendragon or LeFay Pendragon.


    Regardless, they finally arrived at the doorway and there Soma met his rather unwee guests. The Gremory Peerage, for what little it actually is, was all present.


    Rias, with a fake smile on her face, was lead and center with Kiba with a scowl of anger in her left and Akeno with a emotionless facade on her right.


    "Miss Gremory, I believe it ismon courtesy to give someone a forewarning beforeing to someone''s house. Is what you want to discuss of an emergency timely matter?" Soma asked.


    It was a rather eloquent way of saying ''Why the fuck did youe to my house out of nowhere?''


    Rias, hearing his words, felt slightly disconcerted as she honestly had not seen the need to call and see if she could visit, but she powered through regardless.


    "I have to admit it is not a time emergency matter, but it is still an important thing that the two of us need to discuss."


    Soma looked at her for a bit before sighing.


    "This time I will ept it, but next time youe without any warning I will not bother letting you inside. You cane in, but your knight there most certainly cannot and I wouldn''t advise your Queen to enter either."


    "... Are you trying to lure buchou into a trap, fiend?" Kiba said, fingers twitching as he had an demonic sword ready to be created and storm into this ce to destroy the Excalibur Fragment inside and he just needed the opportunity or chance to be presented.


    Soma looked at him as if he was an idiot and said.


    "If I wanted her dead she would have been so well before now. Don''t forget that, when there was that incident with the stray devils and attack from the Hero Faction I assisted with sniping the enemy. If I was able to do that I obviously could have killed her at any time there as well, I have no interest in iming her life. My warning was simply due to the bounded field in this house being set to act depending on the actions and intent of those who enter.


    "With just a nce I can see you have murderous, it is cute really, that you think you can do anything to me, but if you step inside the fields would activate and would most certainly annihte your, body and soul, to beyond any form of saving. Really, me not letting you inside is a kindness. If you want to die, please be my guest, I won''t even need to clean up the ashes."


    At that Rias took a step back from the doorway, fearing it quite a bit now that she knew exactly how dangerous this ce was.


    Seeing this Soma smirked and said.


    "Don''t worry, as long as you are not nning on killing me, or try to injure me, there won''t be any lethal attacking your way. At most a weakening depending on your thoughts, that is why I said your Queen can think if she should enter or not, and your Knight should NOT enter. Now,e inside, I have cookies." Soma said and moved inside, soon followed by Rias and Akeno who felt extremely weak from the moment she got inside the doorway.


    She may not be nning Soma''s murder, but she did not have any kind thoughts about him and her enmity was noted and dealt with to ensure she could not possibly be any threat.


    Sitting down and facing one another Rias saw that Soma had a te of cookies right beside is chair, eating them slowly and sounding quite pleased by it. Looking at the center table and beside her there were no such niceties.


    Looking at him he merely shrugged.


    "I said there are cookies, not that they are for you." He said and she could feel how sarcastic and condescending he was.


    It was a purely petty act that was made to make sure she could feel how they were most certainly not all that wee. Honestly speaking Rias only got through the front door due to being engaged with Riser who was an actual friend of Soma, otherwise, she would have had to mark an appointment like anybody else if she wanted toe to have a chat.


    "So, I am sure some of us have a busy schedule and have things to do, so let us cut to the chase. What exactly do you want to ask of me, Lady Gremory, and, how much can you actually give me for it?"


    Seeing Soma''s expression change for a serious one Rias breathed in and out beforeposing herself in the most regal way possible as to try and impress her importance and power.


    Obviously, she failed to do so since Soma was much too used to stronger women who could actually intimidate him and had a much more regal and noble bearing. But, it was a valiant effort that Soma noted instead of merely dismissing as him getting the impression she tried to imitate someone.


    Progress.


    "I want you to heal Issei from the damage you gave him during the fight."


    "Fuck no."


    ///---///


    AN:


    Sorry for the chapters not being released as fast or consistently as normal. Tests from college plus work are not that great abination after a sickness, who would have guessed it.


    If the quality of the chapters is wavering, I apologize as well, but the main points are still happening more or less as nned. I have this next arc all nned out and it will be quite out of CANON, I hope you guys enjoy it and wille to understand why I am even bothering with Rias and her peerage this time around as they are needed to kick things off.


    I n things to pay outter, even if some don''t really work quite as nned in some cases (the Yakuza for one, as I am not 100% sure if I should do anything about it).


    Anyway, sorry for the rambling and, as a finalment, yes Soma and Sona are getting married even if only because of a contract of convenience for both sides. If you want to consider Sona in the ''harem'' just because they are fucking and are to be married, that is with you, but there is no emotional connection between both sides. For me an ''harem'' is emotionally connection as well as physical between multiple people, and between Soma and Sona there is no emotion there beyond lust so I wouldn''t count her in the ''harem'' personally.


    But, what do I know? I am just the writer, after all, and cannot control the thoughts of the readers.


    Anyway, thanks for reading and until next time.. Peace.

 Chapter 44 - 42

    Akeno''s P.O.V.


    ... I want to kill him. I know I can''t, I am not strong enough to even try (unfortunately) and the bounded fields here are such that I would most certainly be unable to do it now, but I still wish I could or would do it, even if only to show defiance.


    Seeing Buchou, my precious king who saved me when I needed it the most, having such an expression of defeat, it is truly not something I wanted to ever experience. She has already cried in front of me after the engagement party, me having to promise her that everything will be alright.


    I have already decided that, if Riser ever wants to simply fuck buchou I would take her ce. I know I can''t stop her from one day having to have a child with him, but until that time I will take her ce if that is what it takes to protect Buchou..


    That is just how dedicated I am to Rias, but seeing her expression as her requests, her arguments, her begging, is all being ignored or shut down by this little human is simply infuriating. Can''t he see that she is just someone asking him for help, not for herself but for someone who works under her?


    For Satan''s sake, she is even saying she is willing to offer all sorts of things if he can just heal Issei from what this very beast did. Land, gold, women (not her peerage or herself, of course), titles, treasures, anything, and everything, and to that his answer is always.


    "How many times do I need to say ''fuck no'' for you to understand?" Soma said in that infuriating tone.


    Rias bites her lips and lowers her head and, after a bit, spoke.


    "What if I offer myself?"


    "RIAS?" I said in shock at her words.


    Buchou just shakes her head and looks back at me, her gaze determined as she tries to give me a reassuring smile as she speaks.


    "Akeno, if that is what it would take then so be it. Better my body be used like this for now than saving myself for Riser of all people. At least, this way, me saving my purity for these years would have had meaning."


    ... Buchou, you are far too nice for us all, but please don''t do it. I can still remember the nights we would sleep in the same bed after I had a nightmare and you would talk to me until I fell asleep, telling me your dreams.


    Iknow. In your dreams, you wished to have your first time with someone you truly loved, to be like one of those princesses in fairy tales that you so enjoyed.


    I wanted to speak, to say I will rece her if this bastard just wants a hole to put his micro dick in, but that irritating voice came again.


    "Not interested." Soma said making both me and Rias gape at his words.


    "What?"


    I can''t tell who said this, if it was me or Rias. Rias Gremory was a well-known beauty of the devil race, even in this school who knows how many people have lusted after her, including Lucifer herself. This answer, the disinterest, it makes no sense.


    Regardless, this ingrate bastard keeps on talking as if to taunt Rias.


    "Look, you are hot. I won''t deny you look like you would be a good fuck all things considered, but honestly? I am not into **** or banging a deadfish, and considering how clearly unwilling you are you either would justy there and not do shit or pretend to like it but not be a willing participant in the slightest, which constitutes **** in my eyes." He says with disinterest as if WE were the stupid ones to even question his decision.


    The gall of his!


    Regardless of my ire, he keeps talking.


    "Besides, it is not like I am desperate for girls to have sex with that are either just as good, or better, than you in my eyes. I have a few possible ones I could go to at most any day, including the other ''king'' in town which, as it so happens, I am engaged to. Hells, if I am to have sex just to trade something I would go to some hot professional whore instead, it would be simpler, cheaper, and she would at least be a more willing and enthusiastic participant than you. As such, I have no need or true desire for you or your body." Soma said, stunning me a bit.


    I guess offering myself as I was about to wouldn''t work then either. It is at the same time a great relief, especially since I wouldn''t want to have sex with him at any rate, but this is also a worry since Rias clearly is desperate and I don''t know what else she would be willing to do for this.


    Soma then looked right at Rias''s eyes with a stern expression before continuing.


    "If you think you can make me do whatever you want as if I was your dog just by just opening your legs and say e'', then stop. I am not some stupid hormonal teenager who is unable to think with the head above my shoulders, and helping the pervert is not something just having you to fuck would be worth it."


    "Then HOW MUCH it actually costs?" Rias shouted.


    Soma turned to the secretary he had beside him and spoke.


    "Mami, be a dear and go fetch me aputer please."


    "Very well."


    Right afterward the girl left and while we waited I saw how the cup of tea in his hand was still warm with some vapor emanating from it while the one in Buchou''s hands was cold.


    That he didn''t even provide the bare minimum of hospitality annoys me by a lot.


    ... I am getting annoyed quite easily these days, huh. I guess it might be the stress of us losing to Riser and the fact that Rias is thinking of trading us away as to not let Riser have any power over us. We have heard the rumors, how Riser sometimes ''lend'' some of his girls to others.


    I have noticed that it was just a few girls who seem to actually enjoy being with other men and this is Riser''s way of letting them enjoy it since he does sleep around a lot with other girls and no one ever used him of forcing his peerage members into sleeping with anyone and the girls, when found in this situation, were known for being very enthusiastic. I guess the idea that simrs attract makes sense, Phenexes are famously promiscuous and love having multiple partners so Riser finding Peerage members with simr kinks would make some sense.


    However, Rias worries he might not have such a care about me or Koneko and try to sell us out.


    I honestly quite doubt it, but Rias is stubborn, as she fears for us getting such a fate, and has been seriously thinking of trading me and Koneko-chan away when the marriage happens.


    After a while, the secretary girl returned with aputer.


    "Thank you." Soma says before starting to search for something. He ignores us as he continues his research for a while before turning to us. "A brain operation costs around one hundred fifty thousand dors, considering what I would be doing is quite a few steps above that it would cost triple that to a total of four hundred fifty thousand dors, but let us round the value up since I like round numbers and topensate me for the time I will have to spend actually doing the operation. So, I would be willing to do it for a measly half a million dors."


    Rias looks relieved as she hears this.


    "Just that? That is easy for the Gremo-"


    "Nope." Soma interrupts. "I am not interested in the money of the ''Gremory n''. If you want me to heal him YOU will have to obtain half a million by your own means without any help of the Gremory or any other devil ns or using your magical or supernatural abilities." Soma says and stops for a bit as if t let his words sink in.


    They do for me but Rias seems to not really understand what he means yet, which is worrisome. Regardless, he continues.


    "I heard from Riser how you wanted to act like a normal human, thus why you came to this world. It is amendable, if ridiculous, goal in my eyes. You are a devil, epting oneself is the first step towards being a better person. But, if you want to act like a human so much you will have to work with your own two hands to get me some money. It will be in the terms of the Geass, you cannot use your influence as a devil, and neither can you ept or receive any sort of assistance, directly or otherwise, of your family or other devils or supernatural beings. You can have your Peerage members help, but the conditions are the same for them as they cannot use any sort of magic or supernatural power or assistance to obtain the money. You must obtain it using only mundane ways without any sort of magic assistance or anything of the sort."


    GULP


    That, that one is very hard. Getting money the human way is hard. Very, very hard, especially for just a high school girl. I can''t see how Rias can possibly do thi-


    "Easy enough, is that all?" Rias said confidently.


    ... She really is a princess, huh. No real notion of the value of money or work, I will have to work hard to help her in getting the money she wants.


    "No, in fact, I want to rify some things." Soma said before raising a finger. "First, I won''t fully heal the perverted excuse for a living being. What I am offering is just lessening the symptoms to a manageable degree, but orgasms would bepletely impossible, and sustaining an erection for more than a few minutes would still hurt to a debilitating extent."


    "And I have to pay you for not fully healing him?" Rias shouts.


    "Wee to the normal medicine field where you pay a lot more than you thought you would and don''t usually get your wishes fully fulfilled." Soma said with a wave of his hand. "I also have two more requests if I am to heal him."


    "Not much of a healing, but fine at least he would be able to leave his room in the hospital. What else do you want?"


    "That you apologize." Soma said, making my king raise a brow.


    "What? Apologize for who?"


    "I want you to apologize to every single female your servant spied on or perved upon from the moment he became your responsibility up until now. You must exin that it was your ownck of ability that made him act as beastly as that and you take full responsibility for his actions. If they make ain and tell you what happened you must listen to them and guard those words to memory as to not forget what sort of person you allowed to run rampant." Soma said.


    "It was just some harmless acts, no one got hurt." Rias said in discontent. She never likes hearing bad things about any of us and she likes to see the best in everyone.


    Besides, truth be told he IS harmless in our eyes since he is certainly not the worst of perverts we have seen and he just looks. Just taking a peek doesn''t hurt, so that is okay, right?


    "Would you look at that? With just some words the price for my generous assistance got up to six hundred thousand and you will need to bow your head to every single girl he perved upon regardless of their status in life. Please, try and defend him and his actions once again, I would love to hear about you giving a ny degrees bow to all females in school and getting a full million dors for a work that would cost me all of six seconds to make, Riser would love to hear about this tale and some footage of you begging forgiveness to dozens of humans."


    Rias bites her tongue before she spats in anger.


    "What else?"


    "You wille with me. I will have Kiyoharu help you understand more about Aya-chan and then you will go on seiza in front of her and beg for her forgiveness with your head pressed hard on the floor, not getting up until she forgives you and you fully understand what you let this girl go through and all its implications. You seem like you would need to actually feel you are in someone else''s flesh if you are to truly understand why I am doing this, so that is exactly what I am going to do."


    ... At least this will be in private. As long as no one knows Buchou lowered her head in seiza to apologize to a human everything should be fine enough. Sigh, why do so much for the pervert if she can just wait a while more as her family find suitable healers and take care of everything for her? We can just seal little Issei until the time we find the healer, it might take a few years but it is not that long in devil terms.


    But, orders are orders and if Buchou wants to go through with it I shall apany her.


    "I understand, is that all or are there any more conditions?" Rias asked.


    "Just one more. I want to meet the damphir you have locked in the old school building and, if I find him a danger to the other students of Kuoh Academy, I want to be allowed to set up a bounded field that should be capable of-"


    That was as far as he got as Buchou stood up with the power of destruction around her, her powers ring as she stared daggers at Soma.


    "I will not let someone dangerous like you be around Gasper, much less set up who knows what bounded fields around where he, me, and the rest of my peerage is."


    Soma, hearing this, shrugged his shoulders.


    "You decide really, I don''t care either way. You have my conditions, you can think about it and decide if you want to take it or not. If not, it is not like I will be losing my sleep over your servant writhing in pain and agony due to his own overexcited imagination. Your brother won''t touch me for now since I am close to the Phenex and Sitri houses and am also close to the Norse, if I give you conditions like those I gave you can''t even say I am actively torturing your servant as you can easily enough save the little... what was his name again? Oh, wait, I don''t care about who that perverted failure is, just that he paid for hurting Aya. I just gave you these conditions since I can''t make myself care enough about the perverted failure of existence to risk my or my friend''s future wellbeing just for the sake of making that pervert suffer.


    "So, you can go back and think about it carefully. Think about what is more important to you, your pride or your servant. Also, just so you know, the gates are always open in case you someday change your mind, but every day that passes until you ept my conditions will cost an extra hundred thousand dors to be paid, and all exclusively from your own work without any help from your house or the supernatural, directly or otherwise."


    Rias nodded her head and stood up to walk away, I followed but as we were leaving he couldn''t help but speak up onest time.


    "I would hurry if I were you to decide, if you take too long you might really have to whore yourself out to get that sort of money, not that it seems like you would find it so hard since you were already offering that just now for me. Oh, and don''t worry about your purity or whatever. Last I heard, Riser told me he prefers women with experience over virgins so you can go wild to get that sort of cash."


    I turned, my anger well beyond the boiling point as I raised my hand to st him for the insult.


    CRASH


    "And would you look at that, I guess your Queen isn''t that smart either. She seems to have forgotten about the bounded fields. Be a dear and carry her out before she dies in my living room, I wouldn''t want her to die here since her blood would stain the carpet and it is brand new."


    That was thest I heard as I felt someone pulling me along even as I struggled to breathe, my body injured all over, and if not for my Queen piece giving me an increase in physique to sustain damage I would have died.


    As I passed out from the pain all I could do was stare at Rias whose eyes were red with tears as she took me out of the doorway.


    ///---///


    3¡ã Person P.O.V.


    "Well, that was more boring than I expected." Soma said as he saw the two female devils leaving his house.


    Mami, who was beside him, spoke up.


    "Are you sure that is okay? You did leave the Gremory Queen quite hurt there and the negotiations seem to have failed."


    "Humph, I didn''t hurt the Gremory Queen, she hurt herself in my Bounded Fields when she ignored my warnings and tried to attack me. And as for the negotiations, I am not in much of a worry about it, all I did there was try to help out my friend and that would be about it." Soma said with a wave of his hand.


    "Huh?"


    "Think, Mami, think. Miss Gremory will be marrying Riser in a few months at most, by making her apologize to everyone she let her servant offend she would be able to see the results of her actions orck thereof, thus making her think more before she acts. And by making her need to work for once in her life she would get out of being a spoiled princess and would most likely be much more amenable to this marriage as her illusions about how ''human society'' is would shatter. With that, she would at least be more tolerable to Riser to marry since right now I can''t see their marriage having any happy ending."


    Mami thought for a bit and nodded her head.


    "I see, I guess that makes sense. And for the vampire?"


    "I heard from Riser how the vampire has a powerful sacred gear in his eyes but he is sealed away, if I can get Rias to let me meet him I can find some form of trade with the vampire to obtain that gear and finallyplete my mystic eyes that I was trying to finish. I care much more about my personal power than hurting some insignificant asshole." Soma said with a shrug.


    If he was nning on making the most powerful set of Mystic Eyes possible of course he would study those around and the Forbidden Valor View was one that attracted his attention. Right now the mystic eyes he was preparing was able to petrify, control gravity,plete perception of the surroundings, and a few other usefull skills. If he canbine all this with the ability to influence time in any way, which Soma is confident he can go further than just stopping thanks to his understanding of Time el, he would be even stronger.


    When he got that he would no longer need to have any worries about getting more powerful and can just focus all his attention on his study of the Heaven''s Feel.


    If the price was letting Issei get a hard-on for a few minutes without rolling in the ground in pain, but still never able to spread his genes for the future generations, then it was a price well worth it.


    "... Very well sir. Would you need my help with anything right now?" Mami asked and Soma thought for a bit before answering.


    "I guess. I have never really trained with you and, if you will be helping me in the future, I believe we should rectify that. I also know a thing or two about weapons of war and I believe I can help you be all the stronger." Soma said before looking at her and smirking a bit. "Tell me, how would you like to learn some illusion magic and we expand a bit on the concept of what a ''weapon of war'' is?"


    Mami''s gear was honestly absurd. The ability to make any weapon of war, that is simply absurdly powerful if used right and Soma is sure he can help her achieve a much higher peak. And as to illusion magic, if she can make any weapon and stay hidden then the final effects can only be imagined right now, she would truly be exceptional and would certainly be a strong asset to Soma moving forward


    At any rate, helping those working for him to get stronger was a good use of his time, and studying the Third Magic right now wouldn''t work since he needed intervals between each session of training.


    ///---///


    AN:


    Pretty sure many people willin about this chapter as ''bashing'' or something, but I honestly don''t think it actually is. I am just trying to keep the characters properly, Rias does look like someone who would be willing to use her body that way considering she let Issei take off her clothes duringbat to mess with her boobs and she trying to fuck him to escape marriage. She wouldn''t want to give Riser the ''taste'' of being her first man and she would be willing to do anything to save Issei, that is just how she is.


    Rias in this fic is not a bad person, she is just self-centered and has never had any true difficulties with Soma making her face those difficulties one after another. Soma calls her out in her BS and is trying to force her to grow up since she is marrying his friend soon and wouldn''t like to have to hear Riser bitching about his bitch of a wife.


    As for Soma''s wish for Gasper''s SG, is it any surprise he wants that? He wants to get stronger and bing more powerful is more important than some nobody (in his eyes) being punished forever. It is simple as that, Soma doesn''t care enough about Issei to jeopardy his own growth moving forward. Hope you guys enjoyed it and next chapter wille out... eventually (no clue really, but at most in a bit over a week ;)


    Reviews are wee, bye bye.

 Chapter 45 - 43

    Mami''s P.O.V.


    "HUFF, HUFF, HUFF,"


    "Here, it is good to be hydrated after working your body like that." Soma-san said as he gives me a bottle of water.


    That is good, my throat is dry and I feel aches and pains all over. He really doesn''t know restraint, can''t he tell this is the first time that I can remember?


    Gulping the water in hungry gulps some water goes on the wrong pipe and I start to cough.


    "Hey there, don''t need to be in such a hurry. The water isn''t going anywhere." Soma said as he patted my back..


    Getting my breathing in proper order I cough a bit more before speaking.


    "Sorry, I was just a bit thirsty. It has been a while since Ist sweat like that." I said before looking up and saying. "So, what do you think? Am I good at this or not?"


    Soma looked at the destruction around us just as I did. We really did a number all over this ce, thankfully this is inside Soma''s personal world so the destruction was contained to somewhere we could go as wild as we wanted.


    "Yeah, you still need some polishing but your instincts are absolutely top-notch. Honestly speaking, you only seem to need more experience in how to use your weapons and how to better use your abilities. I don''t seem to need to help you in improving most things like aim or how to be efficient." he says and I nod.


    I don''t really remember much of my time as ''Trois'', I only have the vaguest of recollections of that time, but even without that I just seem to know how to use my skills well. Even in my memories as ''Trois'', as few as they are, I don''t remember ever having to train, I just ever remember a few fights where I always won easily.


    "I am kinda envious, actually." Soma said, making me turn my eyes to him and stop looking at the devastation around us. "I was not born with all that much talent, everything I knowes from experience and hard work, so seeing someone like you who is a genius is a bit irritating."


    "A genius? I don''t think I am that special though" I ask, not really feeling like I am truly that special. It must bebat techniques ingrained in my body from ''Trois'' or something, I was pretty normal before all this happened.


    "Trust me, you are. You are still inexperienced, that much is painfully obvious, but your instincts, adaptability, power, and speed of growth are abnormal. Honestly, have you been born in a different ce and era, you might have be a famous hero due to how talented you are."


    "... Then I am d I wasn''t born in this other ce and era." I said with some venom in my tone. "I hate all heroes." I said with anger.


    Wasn''t it the ''hero faction'' that made me... that? Screw them, I hate everything they represent and I hate heroes.


    Soma just looks up at the sky and speaks.


    "What if it is my wish to be able to call myself a hero? Would you hate me as well?"


    "Huh?"


    "Well, even if you hate me I won''t really say anything or judge you. As long as you don''t attack me or try to stop me I wouldn''t mind even if you hate my guts for being a hero, everyone has their own opinion and should follow it. I don''t really like forcing my will over the opinion of others that are not my enemy." Soma says and I look down at his words, the determination in them.


    I envy that. I have never truly desired something that much, or had a strong dream.


    My only wish was to have people to share my life with, that I could be around and be close to.


    "But, why do you want to be a hero? What is so good about being a hero anyway?" I question as I try to better understand him.


    I expected many answers, all sorts of titudes and grand ambitions, empty promises or mentions of ancestors. I might not have all the memories of Trois, but I originally joined the Hero Faction willingly after Jeanne convinced me, only to betray me and...


    No, I don''t want to think about it.


    "Well, to be honest, I don''t really think there is anything fundamentally great in being a ''hero''." Soma said, making me widen my eyes at his words.


    As if he did not notice my stare he continues nonchntly.


    "A hero is simply someone who had enough aplishments, so much so that he managed to engrave his or her name in history. For me, a person who created vines able to save others is just as much a hero as a legendary warrior since both caused change to the world. Basically, I want to be remembered when I eventually die, even if I have no ns to let myself die so easily." Soma said and I look at him, look seriously, before.


    "Heh, hehe, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I burst intoughter.


    I can''t help it. I really can''t, this is so absurd that I can''t help but let outughter.


    After some time passes, I manage to collect myself. Seeing his confused expression I smile.


    "Sorry about that. It is just, your way of thinking is refreshing. I am better now, a relief really to know that this ce is really different." I said as I put my back on the ground, staring up at the sky.


    It was foggy, as expected, but the ce was still very illuminated regardless.


    Whileing over I''ve seen the many nts around. The fields are filled with flowers and the animals that Soma has been obtaining and putting here, all grazing and enjoying themselves in this ce. This is a ce done using the Dimension Lost, a weapon of that terrible person, but, in the hands of Soma, it became such a wonderful ce.


    It is weird. Soma-san is outwardly much cruder, direct, thuggish, and honestly a jerk to many people, but he is way nicer and ''hero-like'' than those I''ve met in the Hero Faction.


    Much nicer than Jeanne or Cao Cao.


    "You know, once I too wanted to be a hero." I said, just letting my emotions out. It is probably due to the rush of battle, but I still just wanted to talk in the end and Soma felt like someone who would listen to me and not judge me regardless of what I told him.


    "Really? That is interesting. What kind of hero... please don''t tell me you wanted to be someone using bright spandex clothing with a huge billowing cape, you do know that capes are stupid, right? They get in the way more than help."


    "Yeah, yeah,ugh it up. I was a bit of a dork back then." I pout at his words, seeing him actuallyugh a bit at it.


    See? He is totally a jerk sometimes.


    "Oh,e on. No need to pout. I was just joking a bit." He said and I sigh before continuing.


    "I wanted to be a hero, or, to be more precise, I wanted to be a SUPER hero. The type that is powerful and is admired everywhere, that has many friends and goes on adventures to save the day." I said sadly. "Back then I was very lonely, my parents were quite rich and raised me to act like a littledy, so making friends was hard, especially with me being clumsy and all."


    "Clumsy? Are you telling me the girl who could jump backward and aim two guns at the same time while avoiding an arrow is clumsy?" Soma said and I smiled.


    "That was pretty cool, right?"


    "For a begginer, yeah." Soma said while releasing a ''tch''. It is almost cute how he tries to not ept that I did good back there. The surprise on his face when I did that showed it all, but he is a bit of a tsundere now when ites toplimenting me. Cute.


    I just shake my head at his antics and continued.


    "Anyway, I just wanted to be able to be special, to be useful, to be ''super''. I was stupid, before all that I had a good life but I threw it all away because of the words of Jeanne who promised me all I wanted to hear. I can even remember that the first time she said she was a hero I asked her if she was being honest, and she said she had the soul of a saint so how could she be lying."


    "Yeah, it is almost as if no one from the church ever did bad shit before." Soma said with a roll of his eyes. "Titles like ''saint'' or ''knight'' are only worth something if you actually follow them, just iming to be one means shit. Justifying your ''honesty'' with mentions of some ancestor or something is the dumbest thing out there. It is almost as if they being descendants of heroes validate their actions, which is total bullshit."


    I can only give a sad chuckle at that.


    "Shame I didn''t know that then." I said, ying with the bottle in my hand. "... I was mesmerized, the way she spoke about the world of magic, fantasy, of how I could be great with her help and save many from the ''evil clutches'' of dangerous creatures, it was tempting. I followed her willingly to their base where I met Cao Cao, he had a presence to him simr but the contrary or yours now that I think about it."


    "Huh? Really?" Soma said in confusion. "Weird, from what I''ve heard he is an absolute self-centered jerk who believes himself above everyone else and has no real regard for the methods he uses to aplish them."


    "See, you two have your simrities." I teased, seeing him groan as he walked right into that one.


    "... Fair enough, but unlike him I actually back up what I say and don''t depend on ancestors to make myself as someone important. I will make my own legend with my own hands, not tell everyone that I deserve to be a hero because my ancestor didn''t pull out."


    I only smile at his crude remarks, my face had a sad smile as I think back to that time.


    "He seemed, I don''t know, like if he really WAS a chosen person. How he spoke, how he looked, what he said, all seemed to emanate that feeling of someone made to lead. It was a strong charisma, I guess. But, it was all a facade." I said and gritted my teeth at the end there.


    I could feel my energy ring up and my gear responding to my emotions, I had to calm myself as weapons were about to be formed just due to my anger over all this situation.


    Soma looked at my expression and spoke softly.


    "If you want to talk about it, I can listen. I may speak too much at times, but I am a good listener as well." He said simply.


    "... You say as if you don''t already know. Haven''t Kiyoharu-chan tell you enough already about me?" I said, my anger making me speak my mind regardless of anything else.


    he just nods his head.


    "I have the general gist of it, yes. But, I don''t know how you saw things and, even if I know it, I can still hear you out if you want to."


    "You are quite an honest one, huh. I could swear you wouldn''t want to tell me how you investigated me." I said and he shrugged.


    "No need to lie when the truth works just as well. Besides, if I didn''t know you and how you are I wouldn''t trust you to work so close to me or depend on your help as I do. If not for your help I wouldn''t be able to advance as well as I do since I would need to focus way more on dealings and other such matters that you help me with. But, having information about you and KNOWING you are not the same. So, would you like to tell me more about yourself?" He said and I sigh even as I blush a bit.


    "Well, if you insist. But, can you tell me more about you as well? I don''t really know much about your past and I would like to know more about you. And maybe could we not talk about my time with the Hero Faction after they, you know, hypnotized me? I can barely remember anything of what happened then and I would rather not think about all they made me do."


    "Sure, it is not like I am that interested in ''Trois'' anyway and I don''t really have much to hide from those under my protection, I never told anyone about my story mostly because no one ever asked. As for me not minding the whole ''hero faction'' time of your life, that was ultimately just your body being abused by some dumb dicks who are ipetent to the extreme. The one I want to know more about is the actual Mami Tomoe, my current secretary who clearly is an unfair genius at fighting. Not that being a genius means we are not gonna go right back to training after this talk."


    As I feel my pain return at the mention of training I couldn''t help but ask.


    "... Do we really need to go back to sparing so soon? My body is hurting all over from you attacking me so mercilessly, you brute. Don''t even know how to deal with ady."


    "Hey, I know how to deal with ady well. I know how to deal with all sorts ofdies, and to ady that tries to hit me with over thirty rifles at once with them aiming all over my body while having a grenadeuncher aimed at my head, I would say what I did was justified."


    "Uhu, keep telling yourself that. I just might believe it one day." I said and seeing him roll his eyes Iugh at his exaggerated reactions.


    I know he is acting a bit, but it is appreciated as his antics are almost enough to make me forget, even if for just a moment, the worst thing the Hero Faction made me do in all my time as ''Trois''. The very first thing that they made me do after ''blessing'' me as a hero of humanity, the one thing that despite every seal they put in my mind I can still remember, and the sin that was branded in my soul even if I wasn''t the one in control when my body did it.


    The sin of killing my parents with my own two hands when I was just 11 years old, all to prove my loyalty and dedication to the cause of saving humanity from evil.


    Fuck, I hate those fake heroes. I can only hope that this training will help me fulfill my wish, my wish of being the one that ends Cao Cao''s life once and for all.


    ///---///


    3¡ã Person P.O.V.


    Rias was visiting the Sitri hospital in the Underworld again. Thanks to Sona''s assistance Rias managed to put Issei in the best of v.i.p. conditions for treatment, something he probably wouldn''t receive in the hospital otherwise seeing as the boy was merely a pawn of the heiress of the Gremory house, not a pure-blood devil or an actual noble but just a servant.


    That distinction actually annoyed Rias as she saw all her servants as family, but she held it in and was just thankful for the quiet assistance of Sona. In the red-haired girl''s hands were several flowers in a beautiful bouquet, normally a beauty like her with a bouquet in hand would attract plenty of attention in the Underworld, but as she walked no one turned to look.


    That was a weird experience for the girl so used to turning heads, either due to her status or due to her beauty, but she couldn''t me everyone for not stopping to stare as they normally would.


    For this visit, like any other, after the conditions were truly understood, she was using a long ck unadorned coat that covered all her curves while her face was covered in an expressionless mask. It looked absurd, as if a badly make costume for a horror movie, but it was the only way she found that could let here over to meet her pawn.


    Knocking at the door she heard an ''enter''e from inside and opened the door.


    On the bed Rias could see Isseiying there, looking out the window while he was being pumped full of drugs to lower his cognitive capacity. With how he was now, how backed up his body was as he has had no release for several days, even if leftpletely alone in a white room he would still agonize in pain as he couldn''t stop himself from thinking perverted thoughts and get sexually excited even if only by himself.


    The doctors could only drug him up enough so that he wouldn''t be able to think perverted thoughts by himself. Even then, if any female got close to him he would feel pain again as his body would react automatically at the stimulus.


    Rias'' clothes and the mask were the necessary ''uniform'' everyone needed to use whening to meet the boy who waspletely unable to leave his room now due to his condition. Even males now could not appear in front of him unless they were particrly ugly, that was just how tough his situation was.


    Putting the flowers beside her pawn, Rias sat at his side and looked at him, guilt eating at her like nothing ever did in all her life until this point. If it wasn''t for her wish of ending this marriage at all costs she wouldn''t have forced that meaningless fight and Issei wouldn''t be like this.


    "It is my fault." Rias said with a trembling voice as Issei kept starring out the window as he shook his head.


    "No, I wanted to do this." He said. "I wanted to fight for you, but, how can I be the Harem King when I am like this?"


    As he said this Rias'' emotions red as she spoke in anger.


    "Who cares about ''Harem King''? You can''t even leave this room now, and it is my fault dammit. It is all my fault." She said between furious sobs.


    Issei wanted to tell her everything was okay, but his mind was too foggy and, when he tried to reach out to her she sidestepped as to avoid him touching her. That was not because of herself, as she could really use the mental support, but it was because she knew that she couldn''t risk him feeling pain again due to a simple moment of weakness of hers. With how backed up Issei was, if her touched her, felt her, he would likely feel pain.


    As she avoided his touch for Issei''s own good, Rias could see his expression get downcast and she lowered her head at her own helplessness.


    What princess of destruction? What sister of Lucifer? What Gremory n heiress?


    Can any of those titles help her heal her precious servant?


    No, none of those can. But Rias Gremory, the girl, can as long as she is willing to.


    Taking a breath she spoke.


    "Issei, I might have a way to heal you."


    "R-Really? Can you really do it?" He asked in wonder and she nodded her head.


    "It will not be simple and things won''te back to how they were, but there is a way to make it better... and I can make it happen. Do you trust me?" She questioned.


    "Yes, with my life." Issei said without hesitation and Rias smiled. He really was like a trusting little brother to her with how he acted.


    "Very well. Don''t worry, by the end of the week you will be able to walk around again." She said and Issei almost jumped from the bed in excitement, but ended up tripping due to how high he was on the drugs and fell on the ground face first.


    This would normally make Rias give a wry smile, but right now she couldn''t as she had too much in her mind. After talking with Issei just a bit more she went out to call her brother about releasing the seals in Gasper for a bit so that Soma could meet him while also asking Sirzechs to send someone from his Peerage or someone reliable as well to make sure that Soma wouldn''t be able to do anything to the damphir.


    She wouldn''t care what happens to her, no matter what she is forced to do she would do it with a smile if needed, but she will NEVER allow anyone to hurt her servants in front of her. No one.

 Chapter 46 - 44

    "So, you agreed with my terms." Soma said as he drank some coffee in the ult Research Club. In front of him was Rias who was trying hard to project strength even when she didn''t truly feel it.


    "Yes, I already talked with my brother and he gave me permission to lift the seal temporarily so you could meet Gasper. But for, this meeting, my brother''s knight would be present as security to ensure you won''t do anything to him." Rias said and Soma shrugged.


    "eptable, but if he tries to be violent against me I will not passively let him attack me. And about me creating extra Bounded Fields in case I judge him as a danger to the rest of the school and city''s poption." Soma asked and Rias bristled at his words.


    "He is not a danger to anyone. He is a kind and innocent boy!"


    "I will be the judge of that, quite literally I might say." Soma said before crossing his legs and with a slight sneer that would make Gilgamesh proud, due to the sheer arrogance he was emanating, spoke. "So, when and how exactly do you intend to pay me the money for treatment? Do you want to pay it upfront or would you rather divide it into affordable installments with a 6% added interest monthly for each extra installment you need? Of course, with a penalty in case you can''t pay up in time together with extra interests, say half percent of the total remaining value per day? I can work with that."


    If anyone slightly knowledgeable about finances was here to advise the Gremory heiress they would be able to tell that this was an outrageous deal that even most loan sharks would feel is a bit much. However, Rias was used to having dozens of millions at her fingertips whenever she needed and being able to get whatever she wanted without worrying about the price tag so she had no real knowledge about finances and what was truly being requested. That, added to her desire for showing her independence, made her not take anyone to help her deal with the negotiations.


    In truth, even normal n heirs would never have epted a deal like that since the understanding of how deals and transactions works is one of the first things they are taught in devil school for nobility, Babilus, but Rias simply never went to it and instead came to the human world to... let''s be frank, she came over to y around and ck off while reading manga and pretending to be what she isn''t.


    "... I think I can pay in full within the month. It is just a few thousand dors, after all. Just two or three of my jewels can pay for it, how hard is it to get that much?" Rias said confidently, and it was quite true that she had several essories that could fetch such a price, not that she could actually sell them since they came from the hands of people rted to the supernatural and, as such, were invalid.


    "... You would be surprised." Soma said with a deadpan at the thought that obtaining so much money was easy. He then decided to just shrug off thement anyway. "It is up to you really. If you want to pay in full in one month''s time I won''t say no as it is not my ass on the line. However, when, not if, WHEN you fail to get me my money we will have another meeting about your debt to renegotiate and there will be some necessary renegotiations and a small punishment for that."


    "Humph, you are looking down on me. Who you think I am?" Rias said with false bravado.


    "An ipetent girl who is about to hit her head in the floor in dogeza to apologize because she is unable to control a perverted beast that is a living breathing endorsement to abortion." Soma said, he might have agreed to help the pervert due to pragmatism, but he still hated Issei for making Aya sad and damaging the self-confidence she was starting to build.


    His answer made Rias freeze at the reminder that she would have to basically grovel at Aya''s feet and ask forgiveness to the girl, ask forgiveness for the half a dozen (in her mind) girls who overreacted to Issei''s innocent actions (again, it was what she thought), and the worst was that Rias had to calm down and not react to the insult thrown at the poor boy in the hospital bed.


    "Honestly, if you weren''t Riser''s future wife I wouldn''t have been anywhere near this lenient with you or your pawn. If you were some other devil I would have either kicked you out for even proposing such a meeting or done worst than you can imagine to you AND that result of breeding between a trash bin and pure concentrated ignorance. You should thank Riser for the help next time you meet him as he is the only reason I even entertained the idea to be civil with you instead of spitting at your face when you came to me for help." Soma said in disgust at the pervert who hurt Aya and at Rias for endorsing his actions and permitting that sex maniac to act in whatever way he wanted.


    Even an animal trainer knows better how to train the stupidest of beings.


    "Oh, I will let him know exactly how thankful I am towards him next time we met." Rias said in an ominous tone that promised pain and retribution as she was convinced that Riser wanted to make her miserable through Soma. Seeing her expression the disgust in Soma''s mind melted away slightly as he just shrugged at her antics.


    Let the girl bolster and blister all she wanted, she was still but a child and would be learning the cold harsh reality soon enough anyway. And it was not like Soma HAD to fix her. Fixing her would be her family and husband''s duty, Soma was just giving his friend a helping hand to start to p some sense into her and that was that.


    "Anyway, you want to pay in full then?"


    "Yes, I will obtain this measly amount within this week." Rias said and Soma shook his head.


    "... I will pretend I didn''t hear this as I only have so many brain cells and I don''t want them dying because of sheer stupidity." Soma said, feeling a migraine.


    "Heh, I didn''t know you were that stupid Soma." Rias quipped, trying to act smart.


    Soma felt like shouting due to this, but he held it in and continued speaking as if he didn''t hear her


    "I will give you until the end of the month, meaning three weeks. I know it will be useless regardless, but even I think it would be too much bullying to actually believe you can get that money in just a week. If it is three weeks and you spend most of it bend over for the right people, I guess it would be possible so you at least have a fighting chance. Not much of a chance, but who knows. I heard that a highschool girl''s virginity can be sold by quite a lot, and you might even like it." Soma said with a smirk that made Rias want to p him for hisments, but she took it in and nodded her head.


    "Very well. When do we sign this contract?" Rias asked and Soma shrugged.


    "If you want I can write the Geass up right now and you just need to sign it." Soma said and Rias nodded.


    "Very well, I do desire to be done with it already." She says and Soma nods, taking out the papirus he had prepared beforehand and the devil blood he had arranged for this.


    It was one less stray devil hunting in town , how nice it was that so many strayse to Kuohpared to other ces. Well, theye mostly because everywhere else is much more well guarded and the two ''princesses'' of town spend more time in school than in hunting them so it was safer than most other ces to these escapees... or it was until Soma took action and let Rintaro hunt down any and all strays found.


    Rintaro spent a lot less time in the house now due to this too, which was a nice bonus.


    It was soon after that Rias signed the Geass and Soma nodded his head.


    "Very well, you have until the end of the week to apologize to all those who your servant preyed upon before you dogeza to Aya in apology. Meanwhile, I want to see the Vampire now if possible." Soma said and Rias quickly agreed.


    ///---///


    Soma''s P.O.V.


    What. The. FUCK?


    Seriously, what the hell is going on here?


    I came over to this ce thinking there was a Dead Apostle here, a vampire that was pretending to be nice and gentle while just waiting for his chance to start his own zombie apocalypse for shits and giggles. A monstrous enemy that would force me to fight with all my might to suppress and kill it when it inevitably tried to attack me because of their instincts for destruction and consuming the life of others. Especially since it was sealed without any decent food source typical for a vampire and my blood, filled with magic energy, should be especially tempting.


    Instead, instead, INSTEAD!


    "Why are you dressed like a little girl?" I shout as the damphir squeals in fright and runs to a corner as Rias stands frozen in ce while Lucifer''s Bishop, Macgregor Mathers, just puts a hand to cover his obvious smirk.


    "H-How are you moving?" He(?) squeals before ducking inside a... yep, it is a card box for some reason.


    ... Give it back. Give me back my image of a dangerous Dead Apostle and the epic fight I would be forced to have with it and would serve as another tale for my future legend.


    I want to add to my resume ''vampire yer'', not ''bully to a trap''.


    Sighing at my misfortune I shake my head and answer.


    "Your time stop is honestly not nearly as strong as it was hyped up to be." I said honestly, and by the startled expression on his face it was likely an unexpected answer. But, truth be told, I wasn''t lying or anything. He honestly was not anything all that great, just the simplest application of my own personal time maniption magecraft was enough to make it where his skill was useless.


    Well, considering how rare any form of time maniption skill is the gear still was useful, but seeing as just being strong enough negates it and anyone with skill in the art could negate it, yeah it is best not to rely on it.


    "R-Really?" He asks and I simply nod.


    "Yeah, now how about we have a little talk? There were a lot of sacrifices for this meeting to happen, you know, we shouldn''t waste this chance." I said with a smile as the little guy seems to tremble even while inside the box.


    "S-Sacrifices? Did anyone got hurt because of me again?"


    Noting the ''again'' spoken I decide to lighten the mood a bit.


    "Well, no one got hurt, except for Rias'' pride soon enough and her spirit after experiencing real life, so there is that." I said jokingly.


    "COUGH." The bishop behind me gave a fake cough which I promptly ignored.


    Deciding to make something clear I ask.


    "Gasper, would you rather I call you with male or female pronouns? I mean no offense, but you look a bit feminine and are dressed like a girl. I won''t judge, either way, it is more for me to not offend or anything, a personal rule of mine so to say." I exin and his head barely leaves the card box (which, again, is a huge letdown for my first actual meeting with a vampire outside the Throne).


    "I am a man, I just like dressing like this because I think it is cute."


    "You know, there were two reasons I came here to see you." I say and he tilts his head in confusion. I then exin. "My first reason was to see if you are a danger to those around you. I cannot blindly trust a being whose race is known for sucking human''s blood for sustenance and enving others to serve as either servants, ghouls, or blood banks."


    As I exin I see he looked frightened at me saying I came to see him because I thought he was dangerous, but there was no sign he felt offended of my image of what a vampire is like. Interesting.


    "Thankfully, I don''t believe you are any real threat to the students around at the moment. However, I would still like to put an extra bounded field around this building to make sure no vampire cane inside or leave from it. I would release said bounded field if, in the future, you desire to leave and I don''t catch any sign of an attack following your release." I exin, expecting him to object or shriek in terror at the thought of the seal I wanted to put.


    Nothing of the sort happened as, instead, he looked at me hopefully.


    "Please, put on that seal. I am always afraid someone from there might appear, if this seal can stop them from capturing me all the better." Gasper said in a slightly squeaky voice.


    "Interesting, I don''t mind though. I will leave the key to open the Bounded Field with Rias for the time you desire to leave, but remember that I will be able to sense when the seal is undone and if there is any attack..." I leave it at that and the little damphir nods fearfully.


    It would likely take me a good chunk of time to do this, but it is for security sake so it is worth it.


    Letting my words set in I wait for a bit before continuing.


    "Gasper, I have another reason why I came to talk to you. I heard from my friend Riser how you have trouble with your sacred gear and as it so happens I am able to remove or trade sacred gears without any big risk."


    "Eh? Y-You can do that?!" The little guy shouts as he finally gets out of the box due to sheer surprise and shock... only to crouch down inside it again.


    Seriously, give me back my image of a Dead Apostle. I will need to bleach my mind to forget this disappointing sight, much like what I had to do when I was forced to watch Twilight by Aya in the movie night (glitter vegan vampires, what is wrong with this world?).


    "Yes, I can." I said with a ''gentle'' smile, profit being the main thing shing in my mind. "I can take it, but you can choose what gear you desire in exchange. I currently have a few options and-"


    "Can, can you do me a favor instead then?" Gasper said, making me stop my marketing and look at him. "I don''t care about my Sacred Gear or having one, so can you do me a favor in exchange for taking it away?"


    "... It depends on what you want." I said inly and directly. I have no intentions of giving a ''nk check'' to someone I don''t know. "What I can do for now is simply hear you out and if your request is not outrageous, then I will think about it."


    "I want you to save someone." Gasper said with a lot of sadness in his tone. "I want you to save my first friend, Vallerie."


    ///---///


    I listened to his request. He exined to me about it all. I epted his request. I almost mechanically left the office and went back home. I entered my workshop without speaking with anyone.


    I look at the ceiling of my workshop. I take a deep breath.


    "FFFFFUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKK!" I yell in utter fury at my predicament.


    Seriously, even Zelretch would be hard-pressed to get me in any worse a situation than this.


    The vampires have the Sephiroth Graal.


    I honestly think that, amongst all my worst-case scenarios, this one was up there with a Beast ss being managing to be unleashed into this world and a global war amongst all Pantheons.


    Sure, it might not look like it, but it is an absurd concept to even think about.


    The Sephiroth Graal is a purely supportive Sacred Gear and one I admit is better than anything I can do as of right now. It has no offensive skill, but it is still beyond dangerous and a bit of an insult to me due to how it can do what I can, but in a much faster and easier fashion without needing the person to have spent so long to learn about it.


    It can remove the vampire race''s weaknesses. It would mean that we have army generators, able to turn into mist to avoid attacks, with incredible physical prowess, and without any specific weakness and potentially unlimited life force and regenerative ability. Taking down one of the fuckers would be hard, their entire species? That would be damn near impossible unless one goespletely ballistics.


    The Graal can heal any injure and modify one''s body to be better. It is basically what I did to myself, but while what I did took me a long time for the Graal it might only take less than an hour. Even if my results are better the simple scale of how much the Graal would be able to do cannot bepared. And that is without considering monsters they could have researched or possibly research on creating chimeras or whatever.


    Second, the Graal can resurrect the dead and manipte them to an extent. That is terrifying, but what ig the Vampires were to, I dunno, resurrect the Christian God and make him create all manner of Sacred Gears? Or use the resurrected God to take over Heaven? Or resurrect evil beasts they would use to harm everyone around? Just think something like the Evil Dragons or the original Satans, if they could be brought back...


    No this is a horrifying concept.


    The Vampires have the keys to start an envement campaign against humanity, an apocalypse in the making as far as I can tell. Even if they are stopped by the supernatural factions eventually, who knows how many would die before that. It is an apocalypse just waiting to explode, it is apletely absurd idea to allow for that to continue.


    Fuck any news about beasts or evil creatures, I must go and deal with this and make sure to exterminate every single vampire I find with extreme prejudice. They had the Graal in their hands for at least 8 years now, who knows what they could have created by now.


    I have taken Gasper''s gear after agreeing to his request. I normally would take my time researching it to make sure I fullyprehend it before slowly fusing it into the eyes I am making, but Ick the time to do something like that. Instead, I will simply have to ignore this sacred gear for now and imnt what I have right now. It won''t be as potent as it might have been, but I don''t have the luxury of time to waste in small matters and I need the power boost the mystic eyes I developed bring me.


    I have more to do than focus on a small power boost brought by an ability that might be useless if the enemy is strong enough, and with the vampires having the keys to armageddon I won''t bank on them being weak.


    No, what I need is to make anti-immortality weaponry and perhaps stock up in anti-army weapons as well as prepare ways to bring me my army of golems. It is a shame that the homunculus army is still not fully operational, but that will just have to wait. At least I think one of my pet projects will be done by the time I can leave as I just need a few days before it is done, which should be the time I will need to adapt to my mystic eyes as well as prepare everything else.


    What else do I need before going?


    ... I also need information, lots of it. I can''t go in blind with guns zing, I need as much intel about the enemies as possible.


    I pace in my workshop for a bit before I stop, realizing who would know the information I want and likely have an interest in helping me.


    Jalter will likely kick me for it, but I have to visit the church to confess to some nuns about the sins I intend to inflict. Pretty sure mass genocide is a sin, after all.


    ///---///


    AN:


    So, yeah sorry for the dy. I got stuck a bit and have started a second project I think will be quite nice and kinda lost notion of time there.


    But, to be fair, this chapter would have been released Sunday regardless, but the doc got corrupted and I had to remake it fully from scratch based on memories. Any writer can tell, this is utter hell when it happens.


    This opens for the next arc, the vampire war. Soma and his team VS the Tepes Faction of vampires, this will be the first great test of Soma''s powers and his true entrance to the world stage. Hope you guys enjoy it.


    Anyway, if anyone is interested in this new project it would be a Rising of the Shield Hero fic, but instead of the MC being one of the heroes or something like that we start 10 years before CANON with the MC being the new Duke who controls the west coast of Melromark. Reincarnation and transmigration is a CANON thing in Shield Hero, but no matter how I searched for it there was not ONE fic that worked with this concept.


    The MC knows CANON, he knows that shit will hit the fan very, very hard, and he doesn''t want to trust in the ''reliable'' hands of one decent hero and the three dead weights around. The MC also will have three Essences but will not be a Vassal Hero or anything of the sort, this is also not some brave warrior leading from the front and shouldering the hardships of fighting.


    This is a kingdom and world building centered fic with the MC trying to create the strongest army to face the waves. I will expand on known concepts, think of new ones, and it will hopefully be interesting and original. Well, more original than most other Shield Hero fics that are so simr it is annoyinge.


    Thanks for reading, pleasement and follow.

 Chapter 47 - 45

    The next few days after Soma found out about the possible armageddon level threat in the making one could find the said hero-in-training working hard.


    In what, one may ask? Of course, preparing himself to an appropriate degree by his own standards.


    Due to redirecting all the energy that normally was sent to his bounded fields in his workshop to his forge anyone could walk inside right now, not that Soma cared for such measly details as he was far too busy in preparing his armaments for the fighting toe.


    One unexpected thing Soma found out upon returning to this world from the Throne was that several things were improved whenpared to how they worked in the memories and teachings of his teachers. One such example was the sheer potency of holy energy when he used the enchantments used by Giovani dei Dolci when he made the Sistine Chapel, the residence of the pope and highest chapel of the church. To prepare for the Vampires Soma needed as sacred grounds as possible so he modified his workshop to include simr enchantments. Not only that, using the Excalibur Blessing''s ability to empower holy rituals and rites the resulting holiness and power in this ce grew exponentially higher to the point one could almost see golden light flickering about.


    The result of using the same enchantments and arrangements? In simple terms, it made this ce, which was having the energy of one of the Heavenly Dragon''s bodies to fuel it, be even holier and with more magic energy than those chapels of the center of the Vatican in this world.


    Unintentionally Soma created the holiest ce on Earth. And what he did with such sacred grounds that even the purest of angels would feel awe over?


    Create weapons of war, of course.


    He had justpleted his newest mystic code, a water gun based on one used by a version of Artoria who, for some inexplicable reason, used bikinis only and refused to wear a dress no matter what her other versions told her about. The water gun had enchantments to let it concentrate and contract the water put inside it without much care of how much it might be, being able to hold the equivalent of severalkes of water inside it. Normally such a water gun would already be powerful enough after hepleted it, seeing as it would release tons of water with a flicker of the finger in such a pressure that most structures would crumble as if they were being hit by a tsunami, but Soma wanted to be extra sure he could kill the vampires hit by it so made it where, instead of normal water inside, the gun would have pure holy water.


    Soma heard that Holy Water was effective against vampires in this world as well, being not much different from acid for them, so he figured it might be useful.


    He wasn''t sure if they had all already eliminated such weakness, so it was a gamble, but he figured that, even if not they wouldn''t be effective as it could have been, at least it would still be about fifteen times as much water pressure as the one used by water jets to cut diamonds.


    It would make the vampires little more than ribbons if hit, and flood the entire area that he would then electrocute with some primeval runes aimed at electric discharges.


    Yeah, Soma was just preparing just in case really. No over-the-top weapon here whatsoever.


    Mittelt, needing to speak with Soma, fearfully entered his workshop. She could feel her skin crawl due to the sheer amount and purity of holy energy in the air.


    The sound of hard work could be heard as Soma continued to toil at his forge after havingpleted his water gun. Besides him, a woman with silver hair and red eyes waited patiently as she had in hand a container filled with several ck Keys prepared.


    "Take these and put them with the rest. Also, tell the ones preparing the necessary poisons to not forget about mixing in the diluted essence of hydra poison. Riser worked hard to obtain it for me so we won''t be wasting it now." Soma said and the woman bowed.


    "Yes, sir." She said with a bow before she walked inside the portal to Soma''s dimension.


    Mittelt stared at this in shock before asking.


    "Did you make a homunculus?"


    "Nope." Soma answered while stretching for a moment as he finally finished making most of the weaponry he would be needing for now.


    "But that woman is most certainly one!" Mittelt said and Soma shrugged.


    "She is, but I did not make A homunculus. I made about four hundred homunculi."


    "F-FOUR HUNDRED?!" Mittelt shouted and Soma just frowned at that.


    "Yeah, unfortunately, I didn''t have enough time to finish the full production, and the ones out are not fit for high-levelbat right now, even if they are still capable of fighting if needed and with good equipment. They can serve to deal with mid-ss level enemies even if theyck the right weapons, but dealing with high-ss level is a bit hard for a one on one unless they are properly armed. Future batches should be out at around peak high-ss power and skill though, even without the best of weapons. These ones, at least, can all use limited forms of Dimension Lost so they are still somewhat useful, even if mostly for defense, surprise attacks, and movement." Soma said thinking on his experiment of breaking away a piece of Dimension lost and imnting it into the forming homunculus.


    It was quite surprising for Soma when the original gear quickly recovered from the removal of that part and the piece in the homunculus was soon established into a lesser form of the original. They would never be able to achieve Bnce Breaker as theycked some aspects of it, but Soma had basically an army of 400 thought capable Longinus users who were absolutely loyal to him.


    Mittelt stared at Soma before shaking her head.


    "You really are a terrifying monster, making a literal army of Longinus users in your basement." She said and Soma smiled.


    "Thanks, I do try." Soma said and Mittelt deadpanned at him.


    "Didn''t you say you want to be a hero? Why is it that me calling you a monster almost seem like apliment to you?"


    "Simple. Monsters can many times be seen as ''heroes'' in certain ways as they are remembered for future generations, even if as cautionary tales. As such, thank you for thepliment." Soma said remembering some ''monsters'' that were on the throne of Heroes like Medusa, Edmon Dantes, Salieri, Gilles de Reis, and more.


    "... I won''t evenment on your weird ideas." Mittelt said before staring at him seriously. "Soma, please tell me. What exactly do you want to do? There is no way you would arm yourself like this and make so many weapons and whatever else you are making if you don''t have any greater n or objective. Since you came back from your talks with red bitch you have been doing nothing but preparing for something, even to talk with us and the others outside you send familiars for it."


    "My n is rather simple really. I will destroy the vampires." Soma said easily before going right back to looking over the blueprints of some golems he was producing even as they speak. "I found out they have in their hands the Sephiroth Graal, and that thing is far too dangerous. I am not sure if the other supernatural forces don''t know, if they simply ignore it, or whatever, but the longer such dangerous parasites like the vampires have ess to such an apocalyptic artifact, the worst the results could be. I will eliminate the threat to humanity before it blooms, simple as that."


    Hearing Soma speaks inly Mittelt shook her head. Sure, the vampires were not that strong and any of the three factions could stomp them quite easily, but they were still a troublesome bunch to face, and iming to annihte them would be tough for most any force. That being especially so thanks to the barrier surrounding their territory that makes invading them near impossible as it could block even most Gods from entering uninvited.


    However, seeing Soma''s decisiveness in his objective, and knowing what her position was as Soma''s servant and friend (even if she really didn''t want to admit it), Mittelt nodded her head for a bit before answering.


    "Very well, I will go with you." She said inly and directly. "If you die I can''t have afortable life anymore and Aya would be sad, I will use this Twilight Healing you gave me to heal you if needed." She said, trying to make it seem like only Aya would be sad if Soma were to die, which was far from the truth and she knew it. But, a tsundere would never admit her feelings unless provoked and Soma wasn''t in the mood of poking holes in her logic. As such, Soma just shook his head.


    "... I will have to think about it." Soma said before admitting. "I can''t promise anything right away, as my information about the vampires is still rathercking and I am waiting for the church to bring over the information I required in exchange for some of the research I have at hand, but I think it might be safer for you and the others toe with me instead of stay here by yourselves."


    As Soma said this Mittelt raised a brow, clearly not sure if the idea of taking them to a battlefield would be safer than staying in this city. Sure, she wanted to go and help him, but it was still a weird thing for him to say.


    Seeing her expression, Soma rified to her what he meant while polishing a ck Key he had prepared.


    "You see, I don''t trust Lucifer and other high-ranking devils to not do anything when I am not around. Any idiot can see I have many things that would be valuable, and if they can''t take me or invade my house they might target you guys and use you all as hostages. Sure, they act nice for now, but I don''t trust them blindly and won''t be betting mine or the lives of those I care about on others being ''nice'' and ''fair''. However, I cannot decide yet what would be safer, so I intend to wait until I can formte a proper n before making a final decision." Soma said after thinking for a bit about how to exin his thoughts.


    Sure, Soma wasn''t really antagonistic with most any faction or group, but greed can change things easily and it wouldn''t be that hard for others to know he had at least 1 Longinus in his house. Soma already knew of the Chaos Brigade and the Hero Faction, how they were connected to many other factions and groups, and they would know he captured Dimension Lost. It might not be public knowledge, but it was still well known for many groups that would likely covet such a weapon.


    Besides that, with what little he let others know, many would question what other treasures would be inside his house. Soma only trusted others as far as he was sure of their character, and from the meetings he had, Soma could tell that most devils certainly didn''t impress. With this city being devil territory with the ones managing it being too weak to stop an invasion of any determined strong noble... yeah, no. Soma did not trust his friends staying behind without him around all that much.


    Soma had enough defenses in his house to protect them, but he couldn''t just lock them in house arrest for who knows how long it would take for him toe back. Especially when the inside of his house wouldn''t be peaceful or safe due to... reasons.


    Hearing his words and exnation, Mittelt wasn''t exactly thrilled about his answer. She appreciated the fact he didn''t simply shoot down her determination toe with him to that war with him, as dangerous as it would likely be. It took a lot out of her to decide she wanted toe with him to what might be certain death, but somehow she doubted she would die there even if she went with Soma. If anything she was quite sure the vampires would pay a bloody price during this short visit, Soma just gave her this impression. She just, well, she wanted to be able to help even if just a tiny bit.


    As for Soma, right now he would need to wait until the Church send him the information he needed before making any final decisions on the ns. He needed as much information as possible about the vampires and the church, as an enemy for centuries of them, would be the ones best suited to have that intelligence.


    Sure, he had agreed to a fair trade of information and would give them research of equal value to what they would give him, but that was a price he epted. Besides, he would just give them information on how to make ck Keys as those were absurdly useful weapons for the exorcists when facing devils, fallen angels, vampires, and any other creature that could be ssified as demonic, and all while it would be near useless against him or any of his own forces.


    What better thing to give to the church than a weapon that would be useless against Soma but that could help them be more efficient against vampires and stray devils? Sure, Soma knew that the weapon could be used against normal devils just as well and he was friends with some of those said devils, but being friends with some doesn''t mean he thinks the race as a whole was good, decent, or anything like that.


    In Soma''s eyes, if the church got more efficient in killing stray devils, vampires, werewolves, and other monsters who prey on humanity, then all the better. It was a small price to pay for information that could mean life or death, after all.


    But, while he waited for the information to arrive, he was merely stocking up on war supplies as they would be needed regardless of the ns he fomented. That, and watching over his final deterrents that would watch over the town while he, and most all other forces he created, were out. If his spections were right then he could be sure of the safety of his house and workshop even if he was out... as long as his creations were fully ''born''.


    ... Let''s just hope said creations wouldn''t st his house to pieces in one of their usual tantrums. Oh well, it was a risk he would have to take in exchange for their capabilities, he imagined.


    Thinking for a bit Soma asked.


    "Mittelt, did you send the proposal to Azazel?"


    "Yeah, he agreed to it quite enthusiastically. It seems like he got the video of Aya-chan''s kaleidostick and wants to talk to you about it as well, so it is two birds with one stone. He is in town and wille overter tonight." Mittelt said.


    Sure, she has left the Grigory, but she still served as a connection between Soma and them whenever Soma needed to speak with them.


    Soma nodded, he needed Azazel for one of the most essential parts of his operation, after all.


    ///---///


    In his extravagant mansion in Kuoh town, Riser was enjoying himself, as usual.


    Well, not in a quite so usual way this time around to be fair as none of his girls were around right now. That was quite an abnormal event as he usually had at least one of them around at all times, except when he was on a fancy whorehouse, but even then one or more might havee with him to enjoy the services there (he was a hedonist and so was basically all his peerage members). Today the reason why his peerage wasn''t around was quite simple, Soma had asked for a favor.


    Riser knows that House Phenex, and him personally, owed some more than could be put in numbers, not only for fighting for Riser but helping him in defending the town when under attack and saving Ravel''s life. As such, when Soma asked for his help in obtaining all sorts of materials he was all too happy to oblige.


    Of course, the list was quite absurd, and while most ingredients were simple enough to obtain, some were hard to find anywhere and needed people to go searching for the correct sellers. Riser had his peerage go search for them while he hold the fort so to speak. Normally he would have gone as well since such a thing as a ''treasure hunt'' sounded interesting, but the *ugh* responsibilities forbid him from doing as he wishes. As one of the two kings of Kuoh, he was not authorized to leave town without good enough reasons, and go around to buy all sorts of things for a friend wasn''t a good enough excuse.


    He didn''t have a Satan for a brother or sister, after all. He had to follow the rules much more seriously, as ufortable they might be.


    As such, while his peerage was busy robbing graves, exchanging and trading things, and preparing various things for what Riser could only assume was some sort of whole-scale war, Riser himself was-


    "Yes, take that Jeremya224k. That is how you get your heads blown o... fuck someone headshot me again, who is marking me now? I didn''t even say abusivenguage or describe in detail how all of you are a bunch of virgin losers!" Riserined as his character in Fortnite was headshot for the twelfth time this day.


    In another room of the said mansion was Ravel smiling as she had killed her brother''s avatar again, she wanted to break her personal record of headshots his stupid ass. She wanted to punish him even slightly for putting her in Rias'' Peerage and ruining Riser''s enjoyment of the game was just one way to do that, especially since he didn''t have his peerage around to soothe his ego and make him forget about being a loser by riding his dick.


    You know, the usual.


    ///---///


    Meanwhile, on the abandoned church, the three women sent to Kuoh hadplicated expressions on their faces.


    "Are we sure this information is correct?" Lint questioned, not sure about the documents in her hands.


    "Unfortunately, yes. We have concrete evidence that Excalibur Rapidly has been stolen from the Anglican Church." Irina said with aplex expression since she came from the Anglican sect of the church. "Evidence shows it was a fallen angel who did it, even if we couldn''t find any evidence of who exactly."


    Miriana nodded her head with a serious expression.


    "If there is a fallen collecting Excalibur Fragments they will eventually target this town. Irina-san has Excalibur Mimic on her hand and Soma-kun has Excalibur Blessing, two of the six Excalliburs are here and if the fallen are seeking to collect the Excalibur fragments they might do something about it." Miriana said before shaking her head. "We must inform him about this. Did the higher-ups send us the information we wanted?"


    "Yeah." Lint said while taking out arge folder paste and presenting it to Miriana. "All the information we have about the current Tepes Faction of vampires. From their internal structure, to their numbers, resources, powers, nobility names, allies, and even the internal structure of about 70% of their main castle and the adjacent residences. We even have the locations of secret passages inside their territory and our spies in their feeding towns to update us with information."


    As Lint spoke she said it impassively, but at the mention of ''feeding towns'' her face scrunched up in distaste. An expression mirrored by Irina and Mirana due to how those ces worked.


    Vampires, as a race, loved drinking blood. It was necessary nourishment for their race, true, but not only did they prey on humans, but they were also very specific on whose blood they kept. Many nuns, priests, and all sorts of beautiful or capable humans were taken captive by the vampires to serve as their snacks and toys.


    In all honesty, if the vampires killed their prey quickly it would be bad but not that terrible a thing (even if the church would still hunt the bastards), but the vampires transferred the barest minimum amount of their own blood into these humans, not enough to damage the taste of their blood but enough to make them have extremely long life spans and be unable to walk in the sun or live a normal life.


    They, who once could walk freely through the world and were examples of humanity, would then be forced to live in the shadows and serve as snacks for this ''noble'' race of superior beings, as they liked to call themselves. That was one of the main reasons why vampires were seen with equal disdain as devils by the church, and the devils have been at war with the church since who knows when! They were as hated as those with who the church had been at war with since the church was created!


    In truth, in this entire world, there was no race as dangerous and malignant to humanity as the vampires... well, except humans being even worse for each other, but that is beside the point.


    "Do you think Soma-san wants to make some form of deal with the vampires?" Mirana asked to which Irina vehemently shook her head.


    "That can''t be. Mister Hanakai is clearly a man who is closer to holiness than anyone I''ve met. He might have some deals with the devils, but one step into his house and anyone can tell his preference. There is no way he would truly join sides with those monsters. There are even talks of him being the first saint born for thest few centuries, how could he side with those disgusting creatures?" Irina said to which Lint looks distrustful.


    "You sure? I have heard of how he likes to ''experiment'' with all sorts of creatures, he also holds no particr care for the church and he feels more like someone out for himself instead of carrying about religion. And nothing points to him being a saint besides the mention of him being able to use God''s Light and the Heavens had not confirmed anything for now about it. He feels more like a mercenary or a magician than someone from the church, and those types wouldn''t mind joining the vampires. They are, after all, absurdly rich to the point they can rival eighty percent of all the money from the devil race." Lint said, causing the mood to plummet.


    Mirana, with a serious expression, said.


    "Even so, one of our main missions is to create a positive rtionship with him and make sure he is safe. If he intends to make a connection with the vampires he doesn''t need our help for information and he can obtain it even without us. Better if we work together and try and lead him away from temptation than go against him and he goes to temptation regardless." She said, making the two younger exorcists nod their heads. "I will go deliver this to him then."


    With that said she got up and left the ce heading to Soma''s house.


    The others stayed behind mostly because they still had a lot to do, including waiting for the higher-ups to give them directions about the stolen Excaliburs.


    Reaching Soma''s house she knocked at the door and was soon after invited in by Mami who went to call Soma.


    "You cane down here, I am a bit busy and can''t leave right now." Soma yelled from the basement/workshop where he was currently focused on what would be his main weapon for this conflict toe.


    The further she walked inside the more shocked she was. Thest time she entered the magic pressure of the house was enormous to the point even hotspots like Salem or the Vatican could at most barely equal it in terms of pressure, but now she felt that energy obtain such a pure holy element to it that she could only equal it to Heaven which she visited once.


    Reaching the basement he saw Soma for the first time in several days. He was citing rimes of some ritual, around him were several people with white hair and red eyes chanting with him, all while Soma emited an extremely powerful light.


    ''This, is this God''s Light?'' Mirana questioned herself due to the sheer presence of it, especially as Soma waspleting this ritual.


    And it really was, Soma was currently giving another round of rites to this ultimate weapon of his against Dead apostles. Normally this weapon would have needed over a century of rituals such as this to show its true effect, but this was the Age of Gods and with how Soma was borrowing the power of God while also having his house bing such a holy ce the rituals would work infinitely faster only needing a few days of effort to reach their conclusion.


    What he was preparing now was the most important thing, the one insurance he had that even if there were vampires without any clear weaknesses they could still be killed by him.


    One of the strongest weapons of the Holy Church that only a select few could ever use, said to be "one of the Apocrypha that must never be removed from its resting ce" even by those in a universe where there were vampires able to destroy the world. A Conceptual Weapon created by the Church to act as an iron hammer to renounce the heretical doctrine of transmigration. Created by felling a Unicorn, a beast said to consume souls, they used its horn as a key, inscribing it with "tightly-packedints" with every possible impeachment of reincarnation criticism.


    This was the Seventh Scripture of the Holy Church, an anti-immortality weapon that was able to turn any flesh hitting it into that of a mortal and normal human, removing all natural regeneration aspects of it and making it as fragile as that of a normal person. A weapon that could even kill a True Ancestor, much less some punny ''immortal'' being like a normal vampire or devil.


    That is what Soma was making in his workshop right now, a weapon that in this world would enter a certain category.


    A god yer weapon, what one might call... an actual true Longinus made not by the hands of a God, but by the skills and hands of men who proimed with it the power of humanity to truly ovee even the highest of Gods using human hands.


    ... Suck it, Cao Cao.


    ///---///


    AN:


    Hope you guys enjoyed it. So, Soma is going a bit overboard right now in preparations, huh.


    For those who are thinking he is acting as if he is from Nasuverse in how he treats the vampires, he spent THOUSANDS of years hearing about them and experiencing what they are like with those like Carm. It would be much weirder if he could go past all that way of thinking just like that because someone told him so.


    He hasn''t seen any actual vampire from DxD besides Gasper, and the little guy isn''t exactly the perfect representation of the species. His wanting to eliminate a race that literally survives by making humans their juice boxes and has just obtained a weapon that could, if used right, mean the end of humanity''s freedom and future makes perfect sense.


    Soma is certainly no pacifist, he has no qualms about facing a perceived threat to humanity, and if anyone tells me that THIS is not a threat, then I tell you that you are obviously insane. Sure, DxD vampires aren''t even fartpared to those of Nasuverse, but even then they are a threat to humans, especially if they no longer have any particr weakness and can make a literal army of the dead with that gear in hand. Soma''s decision to attack them and be as cautious as possible is justified in my eyes.


    Anyway, good news. I posted the first chapter of the Shield Hero fic. In the start, it is heavily based on ''I''m the Evil Lord of an Intergctic Empire!'', but it won''t be that long before it goes away from it. I just used it for the start as it is a great starting point for the fic that I and a friend were imagining, kinda like how this one started heavily based on ''The Max Level Hero has Returned'', but as anyone can see it is just the start.


    The name of the fic, if anyone is interested, is ''A Hero? Fuck no, I prefer to be a Lord'', check it out, and please be patient with me there. I am still trying to improve my kingdom building writing ;)


    Hope you guys take a look at it if at all possible.. Thanks and until next time.

 Chapter 48 - 46

    "I see, this is valuable information. Thank you for sharing it with me on such short notice, this will be highly useful." Soma said formally while sitting in his workshop, in front of him Mirana was looking at him with wonder in her eyes as she started to understand what exactly Gabriel-sama was so interested in this particr human. The power to borrow the energy of God was something that normally could only be done by those chosen or approved by God or his Holy Spirit, it was the sign of those who had the qualifications to be true Saints of the church.


    It was shocking for someone to appear that is able to do just that and making a possible new Saint join the ranks or ally himself with the church was a matter of course then.


    "It is no problem. However, I must ask what exactly you intend to do with this information at hand." Mirana questioned to which Soma freely answered.


    "I want to go and exterminate some vampires, nothing much just the Tepes Faction whole if it is at all viable." Soma said with a shrug, causing Mirana to freeze.


    "What?"


    "Yeah, I will be going there real quick to kill me some vampire scum, cull their numbers to as close to zero as I can manage and all that. Nothing too personal, it is just that I''ve heard that they have in their hands one of the Longinus and I have no intentions of letting them use that thing to help enve and kill humans." Soma said nonchntly as if he wasn''t talking about facing over ten thousand vampires with one thousand of them being high-ss and at least four being Satan ss fighters.


    He was acting as if what he was intending to do was only the simplest of things and no different from ordinary.


    "Wannae with?" Soma then said after a moment of thought.


    Mirana looks bbergasted at his words.


    "You honestly wants to fight the vampire race, just like that? And by yourself and without any faction or organization helping you."


    "Yeah, it is kinda needed really. With what I know these vampires are a threat to humanity and I can''t just ignore them." Soma said simply. The longer he waited to try and find reliable and willing allies the more the vampires could grow in power and such cancers should be removed as soon as possible in Soma''s eyes. It was riskier this way, but at least Soma was confident of the need to do it and that he could manage it if he yed his cards right.


    Mirana looked at him before speaking.


    "If you want to face the vampires, why not work with the church as a whole? We could-"


    "Get in the way, I am sure." Soma said, interrupting her with a dismissive tone. "Look, I don''t doubt the church has strong warriors, they wouldn''t have survived otherwise, especially in this world so full of danger and that they are constantly patrolling all around instead of holding up in a stronghold if they trulycked strength. However, many exorcists are too weak and likely would not be that capable to listen to my orders and would easily get in the way instead of helping. I also have no trust that there wouldn''t be some spy in your ranks somewhere that could leak the information of the attack before I strike, which would justplicate things. I am only really offering if you want to join because I feel that, amongst your friends, you are the most capable and should be of some help. Of course, if you choose to help me I would want you to sign a Geass about you not betraying me or the mission during its execution, part of the spoils would go to you as well depending on how much help you provide, and you would have to promise secrecy until the operation ended. A small price to pay, I am sure."


    "And, what if I refuse toe along?" Mirana questioned to which Soma just smiled and answered.


    "I would let you move along, of course. But if you leak what I told you to your superiors and the vampires catch wind of my ns and my operation fails I would be most displeased, and would be sure to have you pay for potentially endangering the whole of humanity. Of course, if you don''t join me but don''t tell your superiors information they really don''t need to know, then I would have no reason toe after you. I would respect your opinion regarding your decision to stay safe in this town, even if it meant you would be on the other side of the world while leaving others to face monsters that are a threat to humanity as a whole and not just a small percentage of it."


    Mirana bit her lip in frustration, she knows that she shouldn''t just go along with Soma without informing her superiors and she didn''t think it would be a good idea to leave town now of all times.


    After some consideration, she spoke.


    "We have had someplications. The fallen have attacked the church and Excalibur Fragments have been stolen, considering they already attacked twice they might be aiming to capture all of the pieces. Kuoh has two of these pieces, one in our hands and one in yours. Wouldn''t it be better to stay put for now to defend this town if the fallen do attack." She tried, wanting to make Soma stay to gain more time to decide what to do and defend this town in a moment of danger like a possible attack of a high-ranking fallen angel.


    "No." Soma said instantly and without hesitation, making Mirana freeze. She thought that Soma might be a good person, but with how he quickly and decisively ignored the possible plight of this town just like that, it was hard to say anymore.


    Seeing her expression Soma, with a bored expression said.


    "While I do appreciate the information you gave me about the fallen attacking, I don''t intend to change my ns. Any attack in my residence is doomed to fail unless the person is strong to a truly obscene degree so I don''t fear for my residence or those I care for since they can always take shelter here in case of danger. As for the rest, the lives of a single town cannot begin topare with the lives of entire countries that might be in danger if I do nothing like many of the supernatural side would suggest due to their petty politics."


    Soma exined, making Mirana bit her lip. What he said was true and she was quite sure many of the church itself wouldn''t want to fully engage with the vampires even if the danger Soma said was a reality. They were locked in this cold war for hundreds of years and they would care more about their internal struggles and politics than a potential disaster that hasn''t even been fully formed yet.


    "Besides," Soma continued easily. "the devils like to im this is their territory, calling themselves kings of this town, and the Shinto Pantheon have a say here as well, if my deals with the Yakuza are any indication, so why not just let those who like to say they have the ownership of this town take care of the problem and prove they have the strength to back their ims of being the owners of this ce? Because, if they can''t do that and need the help of a human to take care of their nd'' in the human world, why should they still call themselves the leaders here?"


    And it was the truth. If someone was the leader or responsible for something then they should protect it. If they can''t do that and depend on one of those they ''rule'' to protect their things, then they are just weaklings who have no right to im thisnd to begin with.


    Of course, even if Soma sounded dismissive about the town, he knew that his special projects were almostpleted or were alreadyplete and perfectly functional. Considering what Soma is leaving in town, there would hardly be any true danger of the town being destroyed or of a genocide happening.


    Still, even if that was not so and Soma had nothing left behind to protect this town, the lives of a single town with about 50 thousand citizens could not match the destruction the vampires might be able to generate with that gear and its possibilities at hand in the long run.


    It was an unpleasant and logical judgment, but Soma made it anyway and he did not regret it. This was the sort of thought taught by him by many a king and the Emiyas, even if they all agreed that he should always try to find a way to save everyone if possible.


    Meanwhile, as she heard him, Mirana was torn about it all as she spoke.


    "Very well, can you give me some time to decide? I, I can''t just decide something like that out of nowhere."


    "Works for me. Just remember, I know where you live. Just keep that in mind." Soma said with a ''kind'' smile that give Mirana shivers. "Now, if you are done I have to prepare some more. Here is the information in how to build ck keys as well as a few samples for you guys to have aparison with the final product."


    With that Soma gives her a few documents and three ck keys to Mirana who absentmindedly nodded her head and got up to leave.


    As she walked away she spoke up.


    "How much time do I have to make my decision?"


    "Three days at most." Soma said simply. With the information at hand and with the homunculi and golems working together Soma now had quite a bit of thing prepared.


    The time of three days being mostly because he would still have his talks with Azazel and time to n the final details before leaving, as well as making sure that his deterrents for the future werepleted.


    Mirana nodded her head and left. After she left the ce Soma went inside his dimension and asked.


    "It seems like you will have to stay behind in the end. Can you take care of town while I am gone?"


    "I don''t mind. It is just something I should do anyway... Do I need to help the devils and other supernatural beings as well?"


    "No need for most of them. Just help if it is Ravel, Riser and his peerage, and especially if it is Momo. The others have their own backers and I would rather if you did not have to intervene in the possible conflict, to begin with. This is a problem of the Christian pantheon and should be dealt with by them, we should only intervene if there is no other chance.." Soma said.


    He would want to protect the innocent bystanders in town, but both Sona and Rias were siblings of the Satans. Let said Satans protect them, they should have ess to enough forces to do that at any rate. Besides, Soma would rather not do charity work for the devils by doing all their work for them while also revealing the cards he had on hand.


    "Okay... Do you want another spar?"


    "Hell no,st time you copied way too much of what I know. Find someone else to steal techniques from, you cheat." Soma said and turned quickly to leave as he was still slightly irritated at this creation of his.


    Sure, it was a freak ident that let this one be created this way, but it was still irritating for Soma as the said creation''s eyes are the purest form of ''cheat'' Soma has ever seen before.


    Having done that, and now confident the town, in general, would be safe, Soma went back to strategize for this strike against the vampires. With the information he had on hand he was much more confident about what he had to do and how to attack the vampires.


    Sure, he wouldn''t blindly believe all this information was 100% urate as he doubted a historical enemy would let all his secrets fall on the enemy''s hands, but even as a rough estimation this would be extremely valuable for nning.


    ///----///


    With everything set, Soma had gone to reunite every one of those that lived in his house, were close friends, worked for him, or just owed him a favor really.


    The group ended uping together byte afternoon as Soma wanted to deal with these talks all at once instead of repeating himself several times.


    When they all sat downfortably in the dining table of the house Soma looked at each and every person present before speaking.


    "Hello, everyone. I am sorry if I troubled you all with me calling everyone just like that for a meeting, but I have important matters to discuss with you all. But first, before I speak I would like all of you to sign this." Soma said as he put on the table a very simple Geass. "This is a geass, a magic contract so to say. It makes it so that, upon signing it, you cannot speak of what I tell you all to others beyond those present for a period of a week unless there is a risk of death for yourself or someone you care about and this information is vital for your or theirs survival thereafter."


    "Quite extreme there, Soma-kun." Kiyoharu mentioned as she looked over the Geass before signing.


    "I have to be considering what I am trying to do. There are only two people who already know what I intend to do, one I trust enough to make signing this contract a formality, and the other is a test to see if she is worthy of me trusting her in the future." Soma said as he gazed at Mittelt who blushed as she thought which of the two she was.


    Honestly, either would be fine for her, but she would rather it be the former as it sounded better.


    "Well, it sounds like something interesting. Tell me, if we help, would our names resound across the supernatural world?" Gentle questioned Soma. The two might not interact much, but Gentle knows he owed Soma a huge debt after being saved by him and even having his arm reattached a while back after Dimaria had cut it off.


    If he could help then Gentle would do so, but he would rather do it if there was something for him, like the fame he so desired.


    "Yes, if we y it right then our names would resound all over the supernatural world and we would be saving countless lives." Soma said easily as the truth suited him the best.


    "Very well, sign me in." Gentle said, signing his name in the Geass.


    "If Gentle is going, then I will do it too." La Brava, as she liked being called, said as she signed her name right beside Gentle''s.


    Soma was quite satisfied if these two joined as their powers could prove useful. A gear that is able to turn anything into stic and another gear that can increase others'' powers depending on the wishes and feelings of the user. These two could help in some ways if Soma was honest and, at the very least, they could help with retrieval of the injured or in stealing the whole ce up.


    Everyone else signed it as well and, after that, Soma spoke up.


    "In the next few days, I intend to go to Romania to deal with the vampires. And by ''deal'', I mean exterminate as many as possible. So, yeah, I am going to war." Soma said and silence echoed in the ce before someone actually threw herself at Soma.


    THUD


    Hitting the floor, since Soma refused to put even the slightest resistance in fear of hurting her, Soma was pressed to the ground by Momo who straddled him while holding his cor tight. Her face turned red in anger and frustration as thoughts shed through her mind at high speed and instincts screamed at her about it.


    "Why are you doing this? Do you want to die? Fighting a whole race, you have any idea how dangerous that is?"


    "I have a n and-"


    "NO! You are not going to throw your life away. Just stay here, we still have to go to the family meeting this weekend and I won''t let you go and do something like going into a war." Momo said as she held him down.


    Soma just let her vent before he spoke.


    "You can''t stop me. This is important, the lives of countless people are on the line here." Soma said easily.


    "Then, then why don''t we talk with Serafal-sama? She should be able to help and-"


    "She won''t be able to help. She would most likely try and stop me instead of helping. Her first priority is the safety of the devil race, just as my first priority is the safety of the human race." Soma said as he slowly and carefully pried Momo''s hands away from his cor as to not hurt her.


    He then looked across the room to see many worried faces. They all understood to some degree how dangerous fighting a war against an entire race would be so they naturally were worried to various extents about it. Noting this, Soma started to exin what he found out about the vampires current situation, his worries for the future in case no one acted, and why he would have to go, and why he could not just ask for help from the three Christian Factions or even parties like the Norse Pantheon.


    By the time he finished exining everything, there was silence. No one spoke anything for a while until.


    "So you are going to go out there to fight just like that. Sorry bro, but I can''t help you with that one... well, unless you would like some mercenaries. I might be able to find some of those for you, if it helps." Riser offered. He was only a third son who would not be a n head or an actual representative of the devil race, but him participating in a fight like the one Soma is speaking about was just not possible.


    He was confident in his skills to survive, knowing that despite not being that strong his survival skills thanks to regeneration are top-notch, but if he went it would be hard to survive and, even if he did, there was all chance of him ending up being called a stray devil as the New Satan Faction couldn''t keep someone who participated in such a war.


    Riser couldn''t risk that, and Soma knew it.


    "I understand and don''t consider this against you. This is a matter for humanity, I can''t reallyin about you not risking your life for us just like that. And about mercenaries, I would have to decline since I doubt they would be a truly reliable fighting force and, even if they are, I wouldn''t be sure of theirpetence in following orders in an operation like this." Soma exins, making Riser calm down.


    Soma understands the situation of Riser and he never expected him to help directly in the fight. His help in the logistics of materials all over the world was more than Soma or anyone could request normally and Soma appreciated this help that made a hopeless battle possible. Not that Riser quite agreed as he sighed.


    "Sorry bro, but here. I hope this helps." Riser said as he opened his personal space and took out half a dozen Phenex Tears he had prepared for his own peerage a while back. "These should help in an emergency. Also, all the things you requested I will deliver at most tomorrow morning, I hope they can help even if just a bit."


    "They will, no worries on that." Soma said with a smile of thanks.


    Riser looked at him for a while longer before nodding his head.


    "Hey, send me a selfie of you on top of their burned castle. I would be able to brag that you are my friend with that photo." Riser said and Soma actuallyughed slightly at thement about taking a selfie like that.


    Leave it to Riser to request such a thing of someone going to fight in a war.


    However, Soma was satisfied regardless and the help was certainly appreciated. These Phenex Tears would certainly be a big help moving forward in this operation.


    Looking at everybody else Soma spoke.


    "I understand you all have a lot to think about. Both regarding the danger I mentioned for this fight and the danger that it represents in case I fail and the vampires have a free hand to act as they wish. If anyone wishes toe with me despite knowing the dangers I would thank you profusely and do my best to equip you the best I possibly can, but I won''t force anyone toe along as it is a dangerous thing we would be doing. I won''t ept anyone saying they wille with me now, you all have until tomorrow afternoon to think about if you want toe with me or not. I won''t put it against you if you decline, and if you want toe along I will do all I can to ensure your safety." Soma said directly while making eye contact with everyone at the table, his gaze going from one person to another before he settled it on Momo who soon after averted her gaze and dashed away from the room.


    Soma sighed at this reaction but did not follow her. She needed her space to think about this and decide what she would be doing now. No matter what her decision was though, Soma would ept it and support her in it. If she decided to stay in town with her King, go to the family meeting, ore along to this mission, Soma would respect what her choice would be.


    Looking at everyone and their expressions of doubt about what they should do next, Soma sighed as he spoke up.


    "Look, I am not trying to pressure you guys into helping me or anything. All I am doing is informing you about what I will be doing in the next while so that, if anything happens, you know I am not around right now. I will, however, leave some insurance around the house and you are all wee toe over. If danger shows up then do not hesitate toe and seek refuge in the house as it will undoubtedly be safe inside. Nothing short of something on the level of Albion can hope to breach through and invade this ce, and I have some other surprises inside in case a disaster is going on out there and you need help." Soma exined calmly as to not make the others feel pressured to help him.


    Seeing their expressions he continued.


    "I will take anyone that wants toe with me, considering what I will be doing all the genuine help is appreciated, but by no means feel obligated to help me in this. This will be a dangerous action we would be taking, so please think carefully before deciding if you want toe or not." Soma said it again to make sure everyone understood his words.


    He then got up, dusted himself off, and left the ce as he had two final things to take care of.


    The first was going into his workshop to enter his personal dimension. Getting in he walked for a bit until he arrived at his biologyb, walking through the several hundred tubes where more of his homunculi army was being created he nodded his head at the results as, after a while, he would have a much greater force, especially since they would have a diluted form of body modifications that Soma himself had as to make them as powerful as he could while keeping the production numbers in order.


    Deeper inside theb were tworger test tubes with two almostpleted homunculi inside. The tubes were in the center of several ritualistic fields and soon the final result would be out, it was just a shame Soma was not confident he would be around for what it happens, but hey, at least they should bepleted by the end of the week.


    And a small distance away from these tubes, were a pair of blue eyes simr to those Soma had. They were emitting quite a unique wavelength of energy, being the pair of Mystic Eyes Soma had prepared for himself.


    "Well, no pain no gain." Soma said as he prepared himself to start to remove his own eyes to rece them with these new ones. It was a painful process, but Soma had to do it and he didn''t even emit a single grunt even as he removed his original eyes to rece them with these new ones.


    It took him about ten minutes to finish the process and, as he did so, he tied his eyes up with bandages as to not stimte them right away, letting them slowly adjust to his nervous system and magic circuits. Having done that he left the ce and, even if blinded, he walked without hitting anything and seemed to be as capable of walking around now just as well as before, despite the blindfold.


    Training under the Hassans he learned perfectly well how to move around and identify his surroundings even if he had all five of his senses sealed away, so just being temporarily blinded meant nothing to him, and he has one more thing to do today even while his body is adapting to the new additions.


    He had a meeting with Azazel about something that could prove a necessity moving forward with his ns. With some hope, Azazel would be interested in magecraft like Thought Partition and Thought eleration which should be able to speed up his research by several times over and let him be more efficient regarding it.


    ... Oh, who was Soma kidding. That would be something Azazel would likely sell his soul to have, or give up on sex for a whole month to have... maybe, Azazel did love sex way too much after all. It was why he fell.


    Mittelt told him, he fell because of huge titties. Go figures. But, to be fair, he was still a mostly innocent angel back then and didn''t know the truth that size doesn''t matter. Perhaps, after these thousands of years amongst mortals, he grew into a proper gentleman.


    One can only hope.

 Chapter 49

    In a certain hotel room in Kuoh four people were in a meeting.


    "So, you wanted something for me in exchange for a way for me to research easier, is that right?" Azazel questions, opening a can of beer as he looks at Soma in front of him.


    Soma had a pleasant smile on his face and didn''t seem harmful in any way at this moment, but he was fully decked out in case of a fight and Azazel could see it almost instantly. The energy emanating from the seemingly normal wear was such that he might as well havee wearing a full te armor and canons on his shoulder, and Azazel wondered how this kid managed to prepare such a thing as well as how it was done.


    "Precisely." Soma said with more confidence than he was feeling since he was still in front of someone that he was not confident he could run away from in casebat started. "What I want won''t cost you or your faction anything and what I am offering are two techniques. The first allows you to think several times faster and the other allows forpartmentalization of the thought process, allowing you to think of the same problem at various angles at the same time which is also helpful in research. I use it myself and, if you master it well enough and have good enough senses, it improves your fighting capacity by more than one stage." Soma exined.


    It was quite true, even if you can see the enemies clearly there is a limit to how much you can truly do with the information you obtain and you end up depending on instinct considerably. That was simply the reality ofbat and why instincts were such an important part ofbat in general. However, if your thoughts can be fast enough as to keep up perfectly with the intake of information, then your dependency on instinct lessens and you can better calcte your actions properly and thus improve your fighting ability considerably.


    It was not easy to reach that level with those skills, however, it was feasible in the end and a good support skill regardless.


    Azazel looks interested at the prospect of such skills, not forbat but instead for research which is his passion. Just thinking about what he could aplish if he could think and process information faster was enough to make Azazel excited. Meanwhile, the one behind him looks bored since he was not interested in skills like those.


    "I doubt some spell used for research can have an effect forbat." Vali said with a dismissive gesture.


    As a descendant of Lucifer, who was a war and fighting maniac, and having a Longinus with a dragon inside that gave him a dragon''s aura and instincts, Vali was an absolute fighting maniac that fought mostly using his well-honed instincts and techniques. Fighting was his one true passion in life and that fact was enough to give Azazel a headache as Vali only thought about fighting and how to fight more. It was to the point where, even when girls tried to seduce him by literally entering his room naked and going on all fours asking to be taken, he would ignore them regardless of how sexy they might be and instead go train.


    Azazel even remembers a time when Vali was thirteen that a fallen girl said to him if he wanted to ''fight under the sheets''. Azazel felt so proud when Vali actually took her invitation and went with her to the room, a proud manly tear of pride could almost be seen on the fallen thinking his surrogate son was finally growing up into a properdies'' man, only to hear explosions shortly after and having the girl literally sted out of the room because Vali understood that ''fighting under the sheets'' meant literally fighting under the sheats and as soon as they got under the said sheats he used his Bnce Breaker and shot a st of energy at her.


    Azazel felt like he failed as a proper teacher that day since he failed to impart on his surrogate son the values of pervertedness.


    Regardless of Vali''s failures as a man, Soma just looked at Vali as if he was stupid from hisment about the usefulness of the skills he was offering.


    "... If you think that being able to think faster is useless inbat, then you are either a natural genius or aplete idiot. I am banking on thetter option right now."


    At these words, Vali sneered. He did not care about what the other side thought of him, he knew he was a genius in terms ofbat and that was enough for him.


    "Heh, why don''t we fight for you to find out how good I am inbat? You seem stronger nowpared to thest time we''ve met in that impromptu peace talk, it might be fun fighting you now." Vali said, his aura exploding as the thought of facing a strong opponent made his blood boil and his desire to test his fists against Soma clear to see.


    That prospect was the only real reason he even bothereding along for these negotiations anyway.


    "Hard pass." Soma said dismissively, not showing any interest in fighting for the sake of fighting. "I am not like you, I have other things to do besides hoping for a fight. Me being here is for that reason and if I were to get injured or damage my equipment for a meaningless fight, it would be quite the loss in my books."


    Azazel looks interested in what exactly Soma wanted to do. He knew that Soma was rtively close to the phenex n and also had in his possession the Twilight Healing (don''t underestimate Azazel''s intelligence-gathering ability), so Azazel figured that Soma wouldn''t worry about injuries. That he actually worried about them made Azazel wonder what exactly Soma was nning to do. Meanwhile, Vali just looks miffed at not having the challenge to face him, again.


    "Interesting, so you have something you want to do soon that is rted tobat. I suppose it makes sense, considering you are searching for me out of seemingly nowhere."Azazelments with a dismissive tone before putting a hand under his chin and fixing his gaze at Soma. "So, what is it that you n to do?"


    "Nothing that you need to know. It won''t rte to you or your faction, at any rate, so what I do in my free time and who I intend to kill has nothing to do with you. All we are here to discuss is about a trade deal." Soma says and Azazel rolls his eyes at those words, not liking not knowing anything about what caught his interest.


    "Che, stingy. How about this, you tell me what it is and I will give you this." Azazel says before throwing a pair of boots.


    "And these are?" Soma asked with a raised brow.


    "A test product, my very own artificial sacred gear. Whatever fighting you are going to, if you use this it should help. All I want in exchange is to know where you are going and that you tell me afterward your experience with its usage and how you think it could be better." Azazel says with confidence. His desire to know information denied to him burning strong, and his curiosity about the usefulness of his gear in actualbat being strong just as well.


    This gear was one of histest creations, Procerum Phantom. It had the function of increasing the user''s speed and kicking power as well as able to reflect energy when hit by it.


    Soma looked it over and found it simply toocking. He could use it, sure, but the effects would be minimal considering his own current level and he would need time to master this gear''s uses in practicalbat, and time is the one thing he did not want to waste considering, well, end of the world by vampire invasion and possible zombie apocalypse and all that (Soma had investigated the vampires of this world and they did have the skill of creating ghouls much like zombies if they so wish).


    "Sorry, I am not interested in this. But, how about some of the fangs of dragons? I heard that Draig''s body is in your hands after all."


    Azazel put a finger on his chin in thought before speaking.


    "I can give you four fangs of Draig and, say, thirty of the dragon king Fafnir. How about it?"


    "Deal." Soma said instantly.


    No kidding, a single dragon fang could be used to build at least 30 dragon tooth warriors, and the stronger the dragon the more such warriors are produced. With the fangs, he already had in hand from Riser''s help, Albion''s body, and now these from Azazel''s hands, he could make at least 1000 dragon tooth warriors.


    Don''t look down on this number, with the de cksmith Soma had obtained from Jeanne he could equip each of these dragon tooth warriors with a holy de. Even if the des would be simple, they could have something like a self-destruct effect.


    Sure, it would mean Soma would need a bit more time to set it all up, but it would be worth it considering he''d have an army of disposable holy suicidal soldiers that wouldn''t care about their death.


    "However, I only ept this deal if you and your bodyguard there signs a geass" Soma says as he motions for Mami who was behind him. She moved and gave him two such Geass that Soma had prepared in advance, he never knew when someone woulde along that he should share his ns with right now, and having some geasses ready at hand would save some time.


    Azazel and Vali took the contracts and read them over, finding them eptable, and signing up on them.


    After that Soma gave them a simple exnation as to what he was intending, causing Azazel and Vali to smile for different reasons.


    Azazel was interested in the Longinus, obviously, while Vali...


    "Interesting. Can Ie with you?" Vali said, itching for a fight.


    Sure, there was the whole Excalibur thing and the chance of beating up that forever irritating Kokabiel to a pulp, which would be a pleasure considering how Kokabiel acted most of the time, but a desperate battle against an entire race that has existed for over a thousand years? A battle that he has no surety he could survive and that would entailbat against who knows how many enemies in their own territory.


    Sign him in, that sounded like such a wonderful time in Vali''s ears.


    "I don''t know you, but you seem strong. If you join you will have to sign a separate geass about it and, just so you know, I fully intend on using you as bait. Use you to attract the strongest and most dangerous vampires around and have you take care of them while I take care of rescuing the target as well as other matters. I would only help you if you are about to lose or if there is nothing more urgent for me to take care off." Soma said, exining in no uncertain terms how this battle would be troublesome and likely to get Vali killed if he wasn''t careful. ''Do you still want toe along?"


    "Where do I sign?" Vali said instantly, a battle-hungry smile across his lips at the thought of how close to death he would get during such a desperate situation.


    Azazel put a hand on his forehead seeing his surrogate son''s expression and sighed.


    "Vali, calm down. Going to this sort of war and willingly being used as bait, it is too dangerous right?"


    "I can deal with it." Vali said with a shrug of his shoulders, confidence oozing from every particle of his being. He honestly didn''t mind fighting this sort of battle, if anything it got him all excited since it would definitely be quite a bit more exciting than just training anyway.


    Azazel shocked his head in exasperation at his ''son''s acting so wilful. A battle maniac was a battle maniac, he supposed, and trying to control and limit him further was likely not the best of ideas.


    Looking at Soma, Azazel looks pensive for a moment before speaking.


    "I won''t intervene in what Vale decides to do. He has his own life and I am no helicopter dad anyway." Azazel said, making Vali almost roll his eyes since Azazel was still denying him a chance to go and challenge the entirety of Asgard by his lonesome. Ignoring Vali''s reaction, Azazel continued. "As long as hees back home and his actions don''t damage the Grigory too much he can do whatever he wants."


    Vali, on the side, just snorted as if to say ''damn right'', but was ignored by Azazel who continued speaking.


    "But, we got out of the main topic. You proposed a deal, you will give me those two spells, but you never said what you want me to do topensate. So, what is it?" Azazel said, wanting to get things back on track.


    Soma just smiled and spoke.


    "You see, I am not an ordinary human."


    "Obviously." Vali said and Azazel nodded. "There is even a bet between me and Azazel going about what you are. He votes a new sacred gear mutated inside you, I vote a son of some minor god of the Norse with some human, probably descendant of a hero."


    Shaking his head at this Soma spoke.


    "Sorry, I am full fledge human... ish. A modified human would be the most appropriate term I suppose. Quite a nice job in building this body, did it myself."


    Vali looks incredulous while Azazel looks interested.


    "That sounds interesting. I was thinking of doing something like that myself, changing some parts for some interesting new ones."


    Soma chuckled and said.


    "It is quite alright as long as you know what you are doing. Besides, you original angels were supposed to be perfect creations of God, so wouldn''t you changing a part of his ''perfection'' to something better be a good p to the big guy''s face?"


    Azazel put a hand on his chin and a smile started appearing on his face.


    "Interesting, very interesting. Now I will defly have to look into that."


    Soma just shrugged and continued.


    "Amongst the modifications I did to my body, there is a magic engine. It let me be immune to a chosen element of magic and instead of taking damage I can transform that magic power entirely into my own source of energy."


    That was not entirely true, Soma could transform any and all non-physical magic attacks into pure energy, but if he could trick others into believing he had a ring weakness then all the better. Besides, considering he was going to war with the vampires soon, he wasn''t sure if the magic engine inside him would be able to stay hidden anyway.


    Better to preemptively release fake information as to mislead otherster.


    Azazel looks extremely interested at that one as he mutters.


    "It is almost like you made yourself be a sacred gear."


    Soma just shrugs.


    "I am better, in my humble opinion. But anyway, I want your help. Namely, I want you to attack me with pure light attacks until my ''batteries'' are charged enough for this fight. You wouldn''t lose anything besides one or two hours of attacking me with light spears and, in exchange, you get two spells that will elerate your research considerably. A good deal, right?"


    Azazel, however, was barely listening as he stared at Soma up and down before speaking.


    "I ept, but you gotta answer some questions I have about body modifications."


    "No thanks. That is out of the question, I am not such a nice guy that I would share my research with an old guy who asked nicely. I am here for business." Soma said easily and sternly. He was willing to share somethings, but the information of how precisely his body works as well as how to make others waspletely out of the question.


    Sighing, Azazel could only ept since he too could understand being reluctant to share truly important information just like that.


    "Very well, I will help with attacking until you are charged and, in exchange, you give me those spells." Azazel said in defeat.


    Soma nodded and the began the process right away. Azazel sent light bullets one after another into Soma.


    He started small, sending just one at a time as he wasn''t really sure if the absorption worked as Soma said, but soon his face started to change as the frequency of shooting and the power of each of those shots kept increasing more and more.


    Azazel and Vali stared in wonder as every hit against Soma was as if hitting a pool of water, you could see that there was contact but it couldn''t cause any damage to Soma as all the magic energy was absorbed by the moment it hit him.


    By the time Soma judged he absorbed enough magic power and couldn''t take any further even Azazel felt shocked as about 70% of his total reserves were all used up just like that.


    This was Soma''s current limit in magic energy, around 70% of ALL the energy inside a top Satan ss powerhouse. This may not seem that impressive, but upon remembering his techniques and how much he could aplish with so little magic energy previously, well...


    He was terrifying.


    "With this, it should be barely enough." Soma said with a nod. Standing up as he felt the energy held within his very bones. With this, it would be far too simple to use some of the more unique spells he knew.


    Saying his goodbyes to Azazel and Vali after telling Vali when and where to be if he was to trulye along, Soma returned home to deal with the final preparations. It was a troublesome process to make sure all his preparations were in order and to count his stock of disposable soldiers like Golems as well as see to the creation of the dragon tooth warriors, but it was the final preparations that were necessary and by the time he finished it he was confident he obtained enough for what was toe.


    By the time Soma was ready to go and, in the airport, he looked around to see who decided toe along with him. There were Gentle, La Brava, Vali, Mittelt, Mami, and Mirana. Soma raised a brow but did not mention how Aya and Kiyoharu decided not toe, or better said he informed Aya the wrong time for the flight and asked Ravel to distract her so she wouldn''te along.


    Aya was strong, no questions there thanks to her sacred gear and Kaleidostick, but Soma wouldn''t take her to a warzone when he knew she would do so mostly for the wrong reasons. He could see that if Aya came along it would be because she thought that she had to help him, not for fighting the enemy but to be useful to Soma. She was not mentally ready to face a battle like that, it was far too dangerous for the girl just yet. And as for Kiyoharu noting along, Soma had actually asked her to watch over Aya instead ofing even if her gear could prove invaluable for what is toe.


    It was a tough call for Soma, Kiyoharu''s gear could extract information from the enemy very easily and help in several ways, meanwhile, Aya''s gear could let them bypass the barrier of the Tepes n without any issue or risk of detection, but Soma could still deal with that part of the job even without their help and that was exactly what he intended to do.


    Looking at everyone, Soma''s eyes focused on Mirana and he couldn''t help speaking up.


    "It seems like you decided toe along."


    "Yes. And I told one of my friends about what we are doing and to inform my superiors in three days if there is nomunication with her." Mirana said and Soma smiled slightly.


    "A good decision. As long as we are already there the Church can''t really hurt us by informing the vampires of our presence and maybe some assistance is sent our way from them." Soma said and Mirana smiled at that.


    Vali, on the side, scowled a bit.


    "Great, now the church might send someone to interrupt my fun."


    Soma shrugged.


    "Don''t worry, you will be able to fight freely there. You ARE the bait, after all. Sending you to fight from the front with minimal support with the intent of having you face as many enemies as possible as to make the operation for everyone else easier sounds like fun, doesn''t it." Soma said, equalling Vali to Cu Chin and knowing how effective such words would be for battle maniacs like them.


    Vali''s scowl turned into a predatorial grim as he spoke.


    "That sounds like a great idea. I knew there was some reason I liked you. Maybe after this we could fight it out."


    "Maybe. I wonder how I would do against a dragonic devil, after all, and how effective my sword would be against you." Soma mentioned and Vali raised a brow, wondering what sword he was talking about since he hasn''t heard of Soma using any special de until now, nor did he hear about any special de being stolen or in Soma''s possession besides Excalibur Blessing, which was far from able to be a true danger to Vali himself.


    Of course, Soma had no intention of fighting Vali right now, but after the vampire situation was dealt with maybe he would actually let Vali enjoy this battle he so clearly wanted. It was not like Soma would have to deal with another world-ending disaster soon after, after all.


    With everyone ready it was time to go, the vampires wouldn''t exterminate themselves.


    ///---///


    As Soma and the others entered the ne to leave Kuoh, a certain former bishop, a fallen angel that looks like Voldemort that got caught in grease fire, and some other associates were arriving in Kuoh at almost the same time. It was a coincidence that both sides haven''t met in the airport as their meeting might have changed how things would have yed out.


    But, then again, the path might change but the results would be about the same. What is destined to happen would happen, and if in one reality the vampire looking fallen angel might have been thrown into prison to suffer in frozen hell for all of eternity, this reality was not as kind to him and one way or another, he is not gonna live long enough to regret stepping into this town. Of that, one can be certain.


    ///---///


    AN:


    So, sorry for the wait. I am back from the Dengue Fever and I am mostly all better, who had that fever can tell how much it sucks.


    In other news, I have to say, this chapter was far from my best. I had to force it toe out as I just don''t know what I am doing with this particr arc anymore and I regret doing this vampire arc. I am almost deleting this arc entirely, it would make writing further much easier at any rate, but I feel the readers wouldin so I don''t know.


    Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this and please check out my other fics. Ideas are appreciated and if anyone is interested in working with me on this or another story please send me a PM in Fanfiction, I am all ears.


    Until next time, peace.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!