To ensure the secrecy and safety of their conversation, Roy and Yog-Sothoth chose an obscure corner of the planet, the Wandering Sea.
For better concealment, Roy employed his newly learned manipulation of phases and dimensions.
This was the utmost extent of concealment possible on Earth.
Their dialogue was a communion between man and god, capable of shaking the world to its core. If it leaked, every existing magical institution would plunge into unimaginable panic and self-doubt.
Consider this: numerous alien visitors, Outer Gods, capable of crushing the planet had descended, now impatiently awaiting some outcome. With their temperament, a slight irritation could prompt them to swat the planet like a candy, shattering it effortlessly.
Initially, Roy could only grasp the situation vaguely. But as one unexpected figure after another appeared, coupled with Yog-Sothoth's recent explanations, he began to comprehend the events and his pivotal role in them, understanding what both sides sought.
The truth was hard to swallow. Roy never imagined that upon crossing into this universe, he'd been under the Outer Gods' watchful eyes, his soul's memories already plundered.
His status and uniqueness were a blazing beacon in the darkness to them, impossibly radiant. He had drawn these terrifying entities to Earth.
His ignorance was their deliberate design. To them, he was initially too unrefined, his soul, though bearing the status, lacked the strength and required special catalysts. Thus, they steered fate to entangle him in the Holy Grail War.
Even his ascension to the Third Magician was their manipulation, merely to amplify his soul's power to sustain an ark crossing the cosmos.
Evidently, the issue of his lost body, mentioned by Zelretch, had long been divided among these beings!!
Though the reality shocked and enraged him, it didn't truly unravel Roy. On the contrary, after the initial shock, he forced himself to accept it, analyzing what he could do and swiftly pivoting to the next critical topic.
Being toyed with from the start, his fate arbitrarily assigned by these beings, how could he not be furious?
If he cared only for himself, not for the planet's significant figures, he'd have clashed with these Outer Gods, consequences be damned. Though victory was impossible, he'd ensure their efforts and hopes crumbled, teaching them the cost of manipulating others.
But no such opportunity existed. As long as the planet and its cherished people endured, he couldn't confront the Outer Gods outright.
He could disregard his own life, delivering a lesson more painful than annihilation: watching their hope extinguished before their eyes.
But he couldn't sacrifice the planet and its people as collateral.
This was the Outer Gods' calculated leverage, exploiting Roy's weakness to prevent him from choosing mutual destruction, snuffing out the only hope in eons.
All Outer Gods cared only for Roy. If he irrationally chose self-destruction, they'd suffer immeasurable pain witnessing their hope vanish. But the planet and all on it would perish in their wrath.
At that point, even death would be a luxury for Earth.
Thus, Roy couldn't act recklessly or indulge in whims.
He pressed Yog-Sothoth about the ark, asking what he'd pay and lose if he truly helped build it.
Her answer, however, exceeded his expectations.
Though her words carried cosmic weight, they paled compared to what followed.
As Roy was about to probe deeper into the truth, Yog-Sothoth spoke, and two women of contrasting figures appeared beside him.
One was petite, clad in a white Asian-style dress, with long silver hair, an oversized ahoge, and green eyes, a striking girl. The other, with long black hair, exuded a mature charm, her eyes twinkling with amusement, every inch radiating maternal warmth and beauty.
They stood beside him, gazing with warm smiles.
Sudden appearance? Teleportation?
Impossible. Even teleportation couldn't infiltrate his crafted dimension and phase unnoticed.
Movement left ripples; special powers left traces, a basic rule. Yet their arrival was so natural, Roy felt they'd been there all along. No trace, no shift in phase could reveal them. Without Yog-Sothoth pointing them out, he wouldn't have noticed.
These beings defied laws, scoffed at magical systems, and were omnipotent. They were otherworldly, bending reality itself, no need to adhere to common sense. They were the law, the truth, unopposable even by the planet.
Roy's heart raced with dread.
Though he sensed no malice, the sheer gap in their existence paralyzed him with awe.
When Yog-Sothoth appeared, he was unaware of the truth, and her guise as Abigail, with restrained presence, gave him vague inklings. But these two, their abrupt arrival offered no time for mental preparation. They appeared when least expected, leaving no room for reaction. The moment he sensed them, their aura enveloped him, warm arms pulling him into an embrace.
Their terrifying presence immobilized him, fingers unable to twitch. The sudden, lethal threat screamed at him to stay still, his instincts warning against resistance or risky moves. Even drawing the invisible sword to strike would be futile.
"Mmm, so fragrant~ Worthy of my most anticipated, beloved child. We've finally met~"
A warm nose brushed his cheek, startling Roy, followed by two arms enveloping him.
"Come, let Mommy hug you properly."
The slender arms held an irresistible strength. In the hands of this self-proclaimed mother, Shub-Niggurath, he was a fragile doll, helplessly manipulated by a little girl.
Her hands roamed over him, her excited face appraising him freely.
He couldn't draw his sword or even move a finger.
"Oh, lil bro, don't be so tense. You're making us seem like villains. You got along fine with Yog-Sothoth, didn't you?"
"Why clam up with me? Relax. My affection for you surpasses even Yog-Sothoth's, never less."
The silver-haired girl with the long ahoge waved her folding fan, half-hiding her delicate face, smiling.
"And look, to win you over, I mimicked Yog-Sothoth, picking a form you'd like and know. Touched yet?"
"Nyarlathotep?"
Roy glanced at the white-haired girl playfully lifting his chin, inadvertently saying her name.
"Yep~ How's it look? Pretty nice, right? I tweaked the body's parameters a bit, but it's enough for you, lil bro."
"Among all Outer Gods, I'm the most devoted, the most attentive to you. Even Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath can't compare~ Come, call me Onee-san. Make me happy, and I've got plenty of gifts for you~"
Bang!!
Nyarlathotep's smug words barely left her lips when a tremendous force struck her neck.
With no time to react or resist, Nyarlathotep, boasting of her power and affection, was blasted away like a cannonball, skimming across half the artificial lake, skipping like a stone.
"What are you saying, Nya-chan? The Outer God with the most affection is obviously Mommy, right? My maternal love embraces all, and I genuinely adore this child, more than all those useless kids combined~"
"Oh, Shub-Niggurath, you violent brute! I've only got this one body, if it breaks, it won't regenerate! Be careful! Don't take out your anger over Yog-Sothoth stealing the first meeting on me!!"
"Huh? What nonsense, Nya-chan? Would I be petty over Yog-Sothoth's head start? Do I seem that small in your eyes? Don't spout rubbish in front of the child, or I'll toss you into my Black Goat horde to be torn apart."
"If you think you can, try it, Shub-Niggurath."
Unwilling to lose face before Roy, Nyarlathotep instantly retaliated.
Seizing the moment, Yog-Sothoth gently raised her hand, rescuing Roy from Shub-Niggurath's doll-like manhandling.
A hint of exasperation stirred within her.
Compared to these two, who forgot themselves in their squabbles, she cared more about Roy's state.
But…
Shub-Niggurath: "Oh? Trying to sneak off again, Yog-Sothoth? So sly~"
Nya: "Unbelievable. The most trustworthy, rule-abiding one tricked us all. I doubted myself, but never thought you'd pull this!"
While the sisters bickered over who loved Roy more, Yog-Sothoth's attempt to hide him again was a bit much.
Though Shub-Niggurath and Nyarlathotep often clashed, their current harmony stemmed from Roy's emotional influence, turning them from incomprehensible foes into sisters akin to Ishtar and Ereshkigal, bickering but not shattering the world.
But if someone tried to steal their most cherished thing again, they wouldn't allow it!!
Formless chaos effortlessly blocked Yog-Sothoth's power. The two women reappeared beside Roy, each grabbing an arm, nestling against his shoulders.
Their positioning pinned Roy between irresistible forces. He couldn't resist, yet their control was precise, he felt no pain, only comfort.
Due to their builds, the black-haired older sister's touch was particularly… pleasant.
Glancing at Shub-Niggurath's smiling face, Roy felt speechless, uneasy memories surfacing.
He grumbled inwardly: How thoroughly did these Outer Gods read my memories? They even dug up those and used them to appear like this.
What's their game? Seducing me? Or aiming for social death?
But more pressing than social death was their loosening grip. They'd realized they needed to restrain their aura and strength to avoid causing him pain.
As their terrifying presence subsided, Roy exhaled, the sensation of being stalked by two cosmic beasts fading.
After teasing him, the self-proclaimed sister and mother cast unfriendly glances at the blonde girl before them, awaiting her explanation.
"I admit I tricked you to gain the advantage. Sneaking ahead was my fault, but the timing I gave was calculated and deduced. I merely added a variable to see this change, so I moved early. No need for such displays."
"I'm not wrong, I chose the most rational solution."
Yog-Sothoth glanced at the sisters glaring at her, speaking calmly.
But Daoloth's interference had muddied the waters, advancing the Outer Gods' timeline by days, rendering her prepared answers and choices for Roy useless, a pity.
With these two troublesome figures here, she knew her prior plans were no longer viable.
Though their words were nonsense and actions reckless, they weren't wrong about one thing: they were the Outer Gods most emotionally invested in Roy.
Otherwise, they wouldn't risk his dislike to make such a dramatic entrance to startle him, or warn her.
Their arm-holding and hostile glares were a show of dominance, proclaiming, "This child is ours, Yog-Sothoth. Stay out."
As an Outer God of their caliber, Yog-Sothoth wasn't intimidated, calmly stating her reasons.
"A rational choice, huh? Figures, Yog-Sothoth, always chasing reason."
Nyarlathotep, in her white slit dress, raised her fan, half-covering her face, her eyes glinting with a mocking smile as she spoke sharply, "But don't play dumb, Yog-Sothoth."
"Your choice may be rational, but sneaking ahead was wrong. You know what we're angry about."
"Having claimed most of his body, we three are steeped in the deepest emotions. You know we don't align with those just wanting to escape the universe. We genuinely love him, don't we?"
Unlike the near-brawling Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath remained strikingly calm.
"Our goal is simple: the ark must be forged, but this child mustn't be harmed or endangered. Daoloth's meddling, your allowance of Nug and Yeb's recklessness, it ends now. We'll take over this plan. Any objections?"
"…"
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Hi guys, Elenea here! I just want to announce that starting now I'll be trying to focus on my own original fanfic, which I've been thinking about for the past few days (lol I really mulled this over briefly for a few days and decided I'm going to make it a full novel).
[Worse Than the Devil (DxD)]
Synopsis:
Devil.
An evil and chaotic creature, born from hell, which are often a scapegoat for humans. Blamed for the atrocities they themselves commit.
"The devil made me do it."
A phrase always uttered by humans after committing crimes, casting blame and responsibility for their wrongdoings onto the devil.
But not all humans are like that, for there is one man who would gleefully commit atrocities that would be condemned by all of human history and accept the blame and responsibility for those wrongs with open arms.
His name is Michael, but in stark contrast to the meaning of his name 'Who is like God' he is not a devout man who draws near to God's embrace. Instead… he is the one who sends lost sheep to meet God's embrace much faster.
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Btw, a quick note before you decide to read, if you have a heart as pure as glass, I suggest you don't read this because it REALLY gets dark to early. The first chapter will give you a little idea of what I might explore later on in this fanservice harem-themed world like DxD.
Adios!