Beta read by Shigiya
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-Underworld-
Ah, the Underworld and its artificial morning sun. No matter how much it differs from the one above, it still manages to make me feel miserable so early in the morning. It barely gave me five hours of sleep—no, in fact, just four if I counted correctly.
"Who the hell wakes up this early just to start a fight or attend a tournament? This is ridiculous, more ridiculous than anything I've seen so far." I muttered with a terribly hoarse voice, exhaustion weighing on me both physically and mentally. At this moment I felt no different to an old man walking with an aching back, where had all that youthful energy I was promised gone?
And of course, a certain fallen angel hybrid decided that now was the perfect time for a second round early on in the morning, without even waiting for me to wake up! They took the liberty of starting while I was still asleep. Who would have thought I'd end up waking up like one of those unlucky hentai protagonists, ambushed under the bed sheets?
I even had a dream… or more accurately a nightmare of Zaimokuza, somehow learning about my life here and making a novel out of it. Been a while since I thought about that man, even in my dreams his face turned somewhat blurry just like with many others. The only prominent trait of his that remained unforgettable was that spiky mess of hair and his bombastic, over-the-top, chuunibyou personality.
Hah damn it, this was not the time to feel nostalgic again in the middle of my walk to see Akeno and the others. The event from last night nearly made me forget about their match and she also left early on in the morning, only leaving me a small memo to not miss the fight after I left the shower.
"I don't understand these Devils, not exactly known to be early birds yet they have such an important fight this early on."
"You said it yourself before, partner. The concept of the daily cycle here is very different from the one above. Pair that with the physiology of creatures like devils, who only need minimal rest in their home world to fully recover, and it makes sense. The Underworld is their home world after all."
"Yeah? Then why isn't it working for me?"
"Our case is as confusing as everything else. Perhaps take it as proof that you aren't a devil, not even in that regard," Vritra answered simply without even putting any effort into uncovering the truth. "Let's put that aside, it will bring us no answers we seek and focus on more important matters."
"And what could be more important than me finding out what I have become and possibly avoiding the path leading to turning into a jumbled mess of flesh?"
"Like the boy in that movie?"
I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "You were actually watching?"
"I was bored."
Fair enough, even a former immortal dragon who fought gods and armies could one day find himself rendered powerless at the existence of boredom and there's only so much one can do in my head. We were all slaves to it, humans, devils, or even Gods… especially the latter. "But yeah, I want to avoid that ending."
"You worry too much, I am within you and constantly monitoring for any abnormalities which there are none."
That sounded off but I found myself to be far too tired to care.
"Diodora," I mentioned that name, feeling the dragon's mood take a shift. Not that I could blame him, the feeling was mutual and it only grew the closer I got to the main building. Hearing the crowd already making some noise from here and cementing the realization of Rias' Peerage battle against Diodora.
"You don't trust him."
"Do you even need to say it?" I scoffed, that much did not need to be mentioned and the word trust and Diodora just did not go well together. Paranoia or simply just overeating, I did not feel comfortable in the group fighting with that guy in the least. "Not even Kiba had such an obviously fake mask on, worst of all it barely hid his real self during our first meeting. He makes both Kiba and Hayato look like absolute masters of deception."
"Then, what are you going to do?"
What could I do in the first place? Nothing, this matter was a complicated one that couldn't be addressed this late. As much as I wanted to walk into the Rias group's room and tell them to give up this match — it just was not possible.
I heard Vritra sigh, "There is not much he can even do, partner. The battle will be held in an enclosed domain fully controlled by the likes of a Maou or the silver-haired maid. Not to mention that the monster is also watching the match. I doubt he would allow anything to happen to his sister."
I hated how the more I listened to his words the more I agreed with it. At the end of the day, there were several powerful presences watching the Rating Game, from Sirzechs all the way to the Bael clan. Not to mention Diodra was particularly known to be a powerful individual in the first place. With Katerea captured I truly doubted that anyone would try to attack such an important event.
"Well, would you look at what the wind carried all the way up here!"
"—!"
I was pulled away from my train of thought by a familiar, arrogant voice. My eye twitched, and I slowly turned my head, already bracing for the headache that was sure to follow. Standing before me was none other than the son of the Phenex Clan, leading a group of people like some kind of self-important monarch.
"Hugh… not you."
Of all the people I could have encountered here, why did it have to be this lunatic? Dealing with his antics at Kuoh Academy was exhausting enough, and I had foolishly hoped that my journey to the Underworld would serve as a much-needed break. A temporary vacation. A chance to be free of all the nonsense. But no—here he was, gracing me with his presence and surrounded by his harem.
And was he seriously dragging his entire Peerage around with him like this? It was like some bizarre parade, showcasing his little harem to the world. Do these girls really have nothing better to do with their time? Get a hobby! Though Issei would definitely be very jealous, not that I envied him or could even empathize with Issei's envy.
The amount of headache one needed to deal with having a harem, I already was at my limit with Rias and Akeno. To have another dozen would just kill me faster than having a spear pierce my heart. Guess that was an actual superpower only possessed by the protagonist-like people.
"Hahaha! Yes, be stunned by my presence! Gaze upon my splendor as much as you wish and these beauties with envy!"
Riser threw out his arms dramatically before looping one around Yubelluna's waist, pulling her close with an exaggerated flourish. The woman let out a soft, almost resigned sigh, but what made it even worse was when he shamelessly buried his face into her hair and took a deep inhale as if savoring the moment.
She clearly enjoyed that intimate action.
I resisted the urge to visibly cringe.
Bunch of weirdos.
'Can't really judge them given what I had to block out my senses whenever you are with your mates using MY powers. Honestly, my powers are meant to be tools of destruction and to vanquish our enemies, not to satisfy the needs of your women.' Vritra commented, still salty about that part, and gave me several flashbacks of prior events when I did use those tentacles for such things… I really was no better in the end.
'... Fair enough.'
Forgive me, Komachi-chan. Your big brother has become an unapologetic degenerate.
Going back to reality, I had to say something before he started doing any tongue action with any of the girls in public. "Yes, I am very much taken aback by your brilliance… or whatever," I said flatly. "Now, please, just go away."
Where was Asia and her holy artifacts whenever you needed her around? I should have kept her around as the ultimate holy shield from these deviants! She wouldn't even mind being used like that.
"How can I do that? Ignoring an important guest in the Underworld would bring shame to the Phenex Clan!"
I raised an eyebrow. "You were more than willing to act like a complete douchebag when we first met, so I don't think that last part holds up. So go ahead, I don't mind… I even encourage it."
"Hahaha! What a joker he is. Only the Black Dragon King can speak with Riser like this. Isn't he funny, girls? Did I tell you about the story about that one time when he helped me back in the human wor…"
Tuning out his senseless rambling, I gave a small wave to the other girls in his Peerage. Unlike their king, they actually had a sense of decorum. The twins returned the gesture, Xuelan gave me a small nod, and Mihae offered a polite smile to name a few. Compared to how things were in the past, they all seemed noticeably calmer and more mature. A lot could change in such a short time, I supposed.
"Look," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose as if that could somehow ward off the headache this conversation was causing. "As thrilling as it is to stand here and watch you inflate your ego like a cheap balloon, I've got better things to do. Like, say, literally anything else. Rias' Rating Game is about to start, and I'd rather not miss it because I'm stuck listening to you talk about yourself—again."
Just as I turned on my heel to walk away, Riser said something that made me stop dead in my tracks.
"You should tell the Gremory brat to be very careful around Diodora."
"..."
This statement came out of nowhere. While I wasn't naive enough to believe there weren't others in the Underworld—or beyond—who were aware of that man's true nature, the last person I expected to hear this from was Riser.
Or perhaps it made more sense with him knowing such things.
"Are you trying to tell me something, Riser?" I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly.
"Heh, now look who's finally willing to talk to me. Sometimes I surprise myself with my own intelligence." Riser chuckled, flipping his hair back as his girls showered him with praise. I was on the verge of just walking away again, ignoring his existence entirely, but I needed to be sure about what he meant by that last part. "Now that I think about it, didn't I ever mention to you the time Diodora Astaroth made a little visit to the human world while you were out in Ireland?"
That far in the past? What the hell!
"No. No, you did not." Frustration crept into my voice, though my face remained neutral. A part of me felt extremely pissed that he had kept this information from me for so long.
Could it have helped me in some way? Maybe or maybe not. But it was better to know that instead of being in the dark, my impression of Diodora was completely different.
Unfortunately, jumping to conclusions never helped anyone. So I had to take a step back and get a full picture first. "Before I ask how you even came to know about this, tell me why he came to the human world in the first place. Devils going to the human world is not so uncommon, the timing is a bit odd but coincidences are a thing."
He shrugged. "Why would I know the exact reason? You are correct, we devils are allowed to roam wherever we want without needing a particular reason. But as a favor, I'll tell you something more. When he regularly visits the human world, and from what I understand, he always returns with a new addition to his peerage. So it's not like he goes up there to enjoy his time and enjoy the different forms of entertainment like I do."
That made sense.
When looking at it that way, the same applied to every devil in the Underworld. To them, the human world was nothing more than a cheap bargain bin—a place to scavenge for the best pieces to add to their little game board.
"That's not what I'm asking. Where and why?" I pressed.
"Near the Gremory residence, in the forest."
My eyebrows shot up as I stared at him in clear shock. Had that man simply been visiting places like Kuoh, I wouldn't have questioned it—after all, the territory as a whole belonged to the devils. But for him to be present in Rias' private domain, inside the forest? That raised a lot of concerning questions, feeding into my paranoia and suspicions.
My mind started racing and I brought together everything I knew about that man.
"Since that man recently came to Kuoh searching for Asia, then there is a high possibility that he tried to approach her in his last attempt. Safe to say he failed and came back empty-handed, having not even been able to approach her."
I would have known if he tried, that girl barely spent any time alone away from Gabrielle, Akeno, Kalawarna, or myself.
"Though there is a possibility he just went there just to collect information about her… no, that doesn't make sense. He would have known that Asia is not in Rias' Peerage from the get-go — it's not something hard to find out, especially for the Astaroth heir and Ajuka's little brother. Still, he failed to approach Asia in Rias' domain, it couldn't have been because the latter stopped him… I would have been told about that."
That only left me with a handful of speculation with the most likely truth being related to the person in front. "As much as I find myself at an impasse to admit it. You must have had something to do with that since you know about this information in the first place. I doubt Diodora wouldn't keep his intrusion in the Gremory territory known by anyone or… you helped him get there in the first place but failed for another reason. Your demeanor does not suggest it to be the latter option."
Riser's smirk grew as his girls looked at me with gaping mouths. It wasn't like I had uncovered some elaborate scheme—just simple logic, based on the most plausible outcomes. "On top of your demeanor, I doubt you would have helped him, given your current relationship with the Gremory clan. Instigating any kind of discord would only backfire on you."
"Hehehe, so what do you think I did?" he asked, amusement dancing in his tone. Looking like he was practically enjoying all of this.
"Unless you're truly that stupid—which is a very real possibility—then you were the one who stopped him from meeting Asia before he openly approached her."
Riser clapped his hands slowly, keeping his smug expression. I kept my gaze locked on his, waiting for his response. Depending on his answer, I wasn't going to punch him, but I would make sure he learned his lesson, one way or another.
"You're wrong on both accounts, unfortunately. I neither helped him nor stopped him."
"What?"
That caught me by surprise. It wasn't an impossible outcome, but given how openly he had approached me and the face he made, I had truly believed he had done one of the two and then he would have started boasting about me owing him a favor or something.
"I learned about this through my own sources. As for the one who stopped him... well, why don't you be one of your allies? I gave him a warning after he returned." Not even going to tell me who exactly it was, great. "But in any case, I just wanted to share this little piece of information before you go in there. Even Riser doesn't fully trust that cowardly snake."
An expression of disgust briefly flashed across his face. I remembered that, despite being an absolute douchebag, Riser was not cowardly. He had pride, and his arrogance stemmed from confidence in his abilities and lineage. It would be out of character for him to lie about something like this just to mess with me.
That meant the information was solid.
Even if I was wrong, it would not change my opinions of the guy.
"I'll keep an eye on him." With that, I turned my back on him and went inside without another word. Now, I felt even more uncertain about this upcoming match.
[Break]
Except…
I continued to hear footsteps behind me. Multiple sets of footsteps. And Riser's voice, as he chatted with his girls, carried in the same direction.
A bit awkward.
We had just finished a tension-filled conversation, and it would've been ideal if we had parted ways. But it just so happened we were both heading in the same direction regardless.
Couldn't he have just talked to me inside instead of outside?
Trying my best to ignore him, I picked up my pace slightly—just enough that it wouldn't be obvious. Eventually, I reached the spectator seating, where a certain someone was waiting to greet me.
Still groggy, I walked toward the same spot I sat in yesterday and met the silver-haired Valkyrie once again all on her own without anyone around. I supposed she once again lost sight of Odin, and I started to pity this woman even more with every interaction.
"Um… hello. Hope you got a good night's sleep. Is something wrong, perhaps? You look tired." She greeted me enthusiastically at first, but then her expression shifted when she noticed my appearance.
"It's nothing." I couldn't exactly tell her the reason and not die of embarrassment myself.
That didn't seem to be enough, as she got even more concerned. "Are you perhaps sick? When I visited you last night, you didn't seem to be in your best state. Were you hurt too badly?"
Hurt? It took me a second to remember what she meant until I recalled the excuse I had given. I felt a slight blush creep up my face—more out of embarrassment than anything. She could never be allowed to know the truth. No one could. I would take that secret to my grave, not even telling Rias.
"What is this? So the rumors are true! You have already taken her as one of your concubines! A Valkyrie, no less. As expected of my rival! HAHAHAHA!"
Was that guy still following me!?
I snapped my head toward the voice, only to find Riser sitting right next to me, his cheerleading squad having taken their seats randomly around the area. Talking to other people from different peerages, huh… they were more social than I imagined.
"Concubine!?" Rossweisse practically exploded into a blushing mess, panic taking over. "I-I can't do that! I'm very sorry, Black Dragon King, but I cannot accept such a proposal! I am loyal to my duty, and we only just met!"
"Are you seriously believing what he's saying? It's just Riser messing with you. Don't listen to him or any of these ridiculous rumors. It'll just cause more trouble—like it did last time with Odin!"
"Oh! Sorry! Please forgive me for the misunderstanding! I promise I won't make the same mistake again!"
"You can stop apologizing now… The last thing I need is you crying or getting drunk and passing out in the corridor or in someone else's room."
"It was only one time!" she protested, clearly mortified.
I sighed. "Let's just put that matter behind us. Like I said yesterday, I already forgave you. Rather than stressing yourself over it and getting more white hair than you already have from stress, let's focus on the match."
"This is my natural hair color!"
Could have fooled me.
I paid her no attention as she started whining again, while Riser next to me laughed like a buffoon. The match was about to begin, and I was at the edge of my seat, staring at Diodora like a hawk. Even though Asia wasn't part of Rias' peerage and wasn't present in the Rating Game, I refused to take any risks. I had given Akeno one of my teleportation spell anchors—just in case something happened, I could be there quickly. The fact that the arena was in a separate, locked dimension would make the spell's activation take longer, but it was still faster than rushing over to ask Sirzechs or Grayfia to send me there.
[Diodora Astaroth and his peerage have arrived. The rules are the same as yesterday—whoever defeats the most opponents and gains the most points wins. If either side's King and Queen are eliminated, they lose. The Rating Game will begin in five minutes, so both groups, take your positions and wait for the countdown.]
As Grayfia's voice faded, several screens appeared before us, showing both teams. Rias' group looked confident. Neither she, Akeno, nor even Kiba seemed particularly concerned about their opponents. Koneko was napping, and Gasper was playing a game. From the looks of it, they had everything under control.
Then I turned my attention to Diodora. Strangely, every member of his peerage was hidden behind a thick veil that obscured both their faces and bodies. But without a doubt, they were all women.
"And here I thought my impression of him couldn't get any worse. He's worse than you, Riser."
For whatever reason, their faces were concealed, and they stood behind him like silent puppets. It gave me the creeps. Something was terribly wrong with them, and it didn't take an expert to realize it.
"You may feel angered, but there is nothing that can be done," Riser shrugged. "There are no laws stating that a King must reveal their servants' faces. Just sit back and enjoy the match."
I wanted to follow his advice, but unfortunately, I had a gut feeling that this wouldn't be so simple. I was prepared in case Diodora tried anything underhanded.
And so, I waited.
…
"...Huh?"
Not even five minutes passed before the match ended—and in a way I hadn't anticipated.
Right before my eyes, the team I had been most wary of was suddenly obliterated by a single blonde-haired, smiling prince charming of a knight. Kiba had gone in alone while Rias and Akeno stayed behind, ready to strike if necessary.
A single use of Sword Birth and all of Diodora's veiled subordinates were instantly taken out.
As for Diodora, he put up a decent fight, well, for about five seconds. He managed to land a hit on Kiba, but the moment Akeno stepped into view, her fingers crackled with enough lightning to make her father proud. The Astaroth heir's bravado evaporated faster than snow in hell.
[Diodora Astaroth has given up and his peerage has been eliminated from the Rating Game. The winner of this round is Rias Gremory.]
My jaw nearly hit the floor in disbelief.
Rossweisse clapped cheerfully, while Riser, who hadn't been paying attention the entire time, simply continued combing his hair in front of a pocket mirror he got from somewhere.
"Wasn't he someone you fought before?"
"It was one of my more boring fights, we had a deal and I willingly threw in the towel as per our agreement. Had it been a real fight then Riser would have come out on top with ease."
I remember Rias saying something similar about that match a long time ago when she kept studying prior Rating Games before her battle against this yakitori.
"See? I told you that you were worrying too much." Riser chuckled, amused by my reaction. "I'll admit, I expected Diodora to at least have some kind of trump card, but he failed even in that. Tch, this only dirties my reputation since I let him earn a victory. I regret that it will keep eating me from now on."
I barely registered his words.
Was that it?
Had I really just been paranoid over nothing?
The arrogant noble responsible for Asia's excommunication had been defeated in an instant by a single opponent, no less. Similar to what had happened in the other matches.
I honestly didn't know how to feel; confused, troubled, or worried. Maybe I just got too used to dealing with dangerous scenarios from such individuals.
"Why are you even surprised?" Riser scoffed. "A weakling who couldn't even last a minute against a single knight. What a joke." He smirked mockingly. "Had I been there instead of the Gremory team, Riser would have shown him mercy by not humiliating him in front of so many people. Oh, wait! He's already doing that to himself, so it wouldn't have mattered! Hahaha!"
I could feel Rossweisse staring at me, silently judging the man beside me. I gave her a pleading look.
"I am in no way associated with this guy, nor do I know him. He just came over here for no reason and wasted our time."
"Nonsense!" Riser exclaimed, boldly pulling me into a one-arm hug, and invading my personal space. "We are rivals, and Hachiman here is just too shy to admit it! But I understand. Feeling inadequate when compared to someone as brilliant as me would burden anyone. If you have any questions, dear Valkyrie. Let me show you the wonders of the Un—" With a snap of my fingers, a black dome enveloped the man and his voice turned completely silent. First of all, he continued to speak without realizing that I cast a spell.
"He suffered a few brain damage in his last Rating Game, so just ignore him."
She gave me a look that made me feel like I was somehow on the same level as Riser. I took that personally. Sure, I had my quirks, who didn't? But I liked to think I was at least a few steps above that guy. At least, I hoped so. Otherwise, my life was way more depressing than I thought.
"I'll be honest, I didn't expect the fight to end so easily," Rossweisse admitted, bringing the conversation back to something normal. "As the younger brother of Beelzebub, shouldn't someone of his background have a stronger chance and a better Peerage?"
A valid question, one I had also pondered before the match started and even more so now that it was over.
"Most likely, he recruited his peerage based on looks rather than combat ability," I answered. "None of them lasted more than a few seconds against Kiba. It's clear to me that he's even worse than Riser over here."
As if hearing what I said, fire rose from every part of his body and burned through the Absolute Silence spell which I was not aware was even possible. Then again, I rarely used it during combat against a fire user.
"Who are you calling worse?" Riser scoffed, patting his shoulders and dusting off invisible dust. "Riser will not tolerate such slander against his beauties! My girls are not only among the most gorgeous, but they also possess great power and powerful Sacred Gears! You'll see! In a matter of years, they will stand among the strongest peerages in the entire Underworld!"
What a nice dream.
But in the end, that's all it would remain—a dream.
Not that I doubted they had potential, but among them, only his Queen was remotely close to reaching that goal. The others… were very far from even being a tenth of the way there but they were still leagues above what Diodora's peerage showed.
Meanwhile, Rias and Sona were already far ahead. Sona, in particular, had the Red Dragon Emperor on her side, practically guaranteeing her position at the top.
Rias, on the other hand, didn't have someone with that kind of absurd power, but she still had plenty of extraordinary individuals.
A Nekomata who could use Senjutsu. A knight with Sword Birth. Gasper and even Akeno, to name a few. All of them held tremendous potential. As in the next few minutes, I continued my conversation with the Valkyrie, I heard the maid announce the next match which would soon begin, and for the contestants to start preparing. If I recall correctly, this was my turn now.
"It should be my turn next," I muttered. "I wonder who I'll be fighting."
"Please wait!" She stopped me before I could leave, a bit confused at being called out by her, I hauled it in my steps and looked back.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
She seemed hesitant at first, stuttering with her words and not meeting my gaze directly. "U-Um… Even though I know you have forgiven my past mistakes and I feel tremendously grateful for that. But it is still necessary for me to repay that favor in some way. So, as instructed by Odin-sama… I am willing to help you out during the next Rating Game."
I stood there for a few seconds in silence, not exactly shocked or even surprised by what she said, for a part of me suspected that something like this could happen. Rather I was observing her face, making sure if she was being forced to do so or if the woman genuinely wanted to help. Surprisingly, it felt like the latter and I was not sure how to respond to that. "It's not like I need your help in the first place. Even if in this battle there are plenty of monsters, I'm not exactly planning on defeating them with everything I got. So I don't mind losing."
"B-But you're the Black Dragon King!"
"Yeah, so?" I shot back, the weight of that damn title pressing harder on me every single day and it's starting to get annoying. "I'm not some invincible god. There's plenty of young devils that can beat me and some that can crush me. You tagging along wouldn't change much, I'd just tell you to sit tight or bail anyway. And it's not like I can just add you to my Peerage on a whim. Especially if it's someone like you."
"... Am I that bad?"
Oh damn, I could see the tears coming from a mile away and immediately tried to salvage this situation.
"No, you are just too good. A powerful Valkyrie like you would be unfair against other devils in the game. So while I appreciate your willingness to help me, I will handle this on my own as usual."
With that said, I walked away and took the same path as usual towards my room. Part of me wanted to meet Rias' group and congratulate them for the easy win, but I could always do that later. "Would be ironic if my next opponent is Sona, sheesh, she's not going to go easy on me."
I wouldn't be surprised if, in the first five seconds of facing a balance breaker, Issei's flight came full speed after being promised to touch some boobs by one of the girls. Her best strategy was to take me out as soon as possible rather than aiming for the other girls in my group. The longer she stalled the more unlikely their chances would become.
"Facing the Red Dragon Emperor seriously this time, how I longed for this moment. I hope the kid has improved since the last time." Vritra said, clearly excited about this match.
"Very likely, it's always people like him who can get sudden bursts of power out of nowhere or because they were promised some kind of lewd reward. Given how devil powers tend to work, he should be far above his past self. But I wouldn't be so sure to put him close to Vali's level." That man was a full-on monster, a force of nature that could not be reasoned with just like Sairaorg.
Speaking of which, "We might even be facing Sairaorg, if that's the case then I am giving up on the spot."
"Wise choice, I do not believe whoever is responsible will match you two up so early on. These people will be keeping the best for last."
Perhaps, I wouldn't put it past them to do something like that. "In any case, let's just hope Raynare does not get too bloodthirsty against Sona and well…. Issei. She might genuinely try to kill him again and Kala won't even bother to stop her."
"At this rate, It's best if you buy a leash for her."
"You're making it sound weird, Vritra. But if I'm honest, that guy would've probably enjoyed that and called her mistress, if it wasn't for their break-up." As we continued to speak, I reached the room and opened the door, only to be surprised when I found the place to be completely empty without anyone's trace. "Eh, are they late? Strange for Kala to be late for anything." Kuroka and Raynare I knew would sleep without a care in the world for an entire day if given the opportunity.
Xenovia on the other hand was very punctual, so for her to be absent as well was very odd.
"Did I go to the wrong room?" I checked the place and confirmed once again that I was not in the wrong place. Wasn't until I looked around a bit that I noticed a figure standing in the corner, perfectly blending with the surrounding shadows.
"—!"
The figure moved, heading straight towards me in a rush. A bright light glowed in the middle of their palm as it drew closer to my face.
Woosh!
However, I managed to keep my calm and immediately summoned dozens of tendrils that burst from the ground and wrapped around the figure which I soon discovered to be a woman. But not just any woman, the robe hiding her figure and the veil in front of her face. "Diodora's peerage member?"
My eyes narrowed and I immediately surveyed my surroundings for any type of ambush but found there to be no one else. "What are you doing here… and what is your King planning?"
"..."
I asked but received no response from the person. Something was going on here, something terribly wrong and my guts were practically screaming at me to leave this place as soon as possible. But as I pondered whether to stay and interrogate the woman or go find one of the Maous, the ground beneath me suddenly lit up with brilliant purple light. Taking the shape of a magic circle with the woman's body glowing brighter.
"Shit!"
August of air rose from beneath, pushing away the veil and there I saw soulless eyes staring back at me with little to no emotion. Truly like a robot within human flesh. "For Diodora-sama…"
[Delete Field!]
I summoned a dark violet dome around me, hoping it would counter whatever spell this was. But, of course, nothing happened, because why would anything ever go as planned? The world around me blinked out of existence, and suddenly I was… somewhere else. The woman in my grip went limp, her body lifeless in an instant. Just like that, she was gone, without so much as a gasp or a dramatic last word.
"Vritra!"
Both the dragons and my senses expanded to our surroundings. Seeing this wasteland surrounded by old ruins and dead trees didn't really give me anything to go on. Part of me was bracing for another ambush by dozens of monsters or other people working for that guy.
Yet nothing of that sort happened.
"Ouch!"
Another voice came from nearby, summoning Vritra's gear and preparing to use my Balance Breaker. I planned to go fully all out without wasting a moment due to hesitation but found myself frozen the next second upon seeing the source.
"Rossweisse?"
That silver-haired Valkyrie again, what the hell was she doing here!?
"A-Ah, it's a misunderstanding!" She exclaimed when noticing my suspicious glare. "I was just following you in secret hoping to see if you needed my help or if anyone else in your group would accept me to help out in any way I can! I tried to save you by counter-acting the magic circle that appeared but I wasn't fast enough!"
She was doing what!? Feeling a headache approaching, and more questions piling up with no answers whatsoever, I truly started to curse my luck. Looking at the sky above, with the fake moon illuminating my surroundings, I really was not sure what happened.
"Where the hell did you send me, Diodora."
"What, you don't like my little playground? How sad, it took a lot of effort to alter the land."
I could not explain it, one moment what appeared to be an empty wasteland suddenly transformed into a lush garden. All of it happened in the blink of an eye startling both me and Roseweisse who summoned her sword.
"An illusion," I muttered to myself, staring at the person in front of me. Sitting at the table with a cup of tea in hand. Wearing regal robes similar to that of Sirzechs but silver in having the appearance of a middle-aged man in his forties with dark silver hair and hazel eyes.
Somewhat similar to Vali now that I looked closer. But the aura around him, his overall presence gave me a very creepy sensation, one that mirrored both Sirzechs and Ajuka.
Noticing my gaze, he smirked and raised his cup.
"Welcome to my humble lair, Black Dragon King. I really was looking forward to meeting you one day for so many years. It's not fair that you hang out so frequently with my son without paying any respect to his father. Join me for some tea, I made it myself. Ah, it's not poisoned… or is it? Who knows! Hahaha!"
"..."
I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
This guy did not seem sane in the least.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.