"Even so, what of it? Even as a Half-God, you're still just a remarkably stunning woman. I like beautiful women, sure, but that doesn't mean I've lost my mind. Making an enemy of every nation on the planet isn't a sane man's ambition. It's a death sentence—plain and simple. At that point, whether I'd even be alive to enjoy the 'rewards' is a major question.
Besides, you're just treating me as an option. If I die, you'll just find the next so-called 'Chosen One.' You might be sealed in weapons, but that's essentially granted you eternal life. But me? Who gives a fuck about me?" Alistair remained unmoved, his smile laced with a hint of mockery.
"Clever. That will help you live longer. But sometimes, being too clever isn't a blessing," Sonaya replied. The sultry air she had projected vanished instantly, replaced by her original icy indifference.
"What, you want to kill me now?"
Alistair didn't flinch. He knew Sonaya could sense the aura of his "Uncle." Before leaving, Uncle Takai had crafted a charm for him—the same kind Chihiro had—capable of blocking two full-power strikes from a being of his level. As long as it wasn't shattered, it could be recharged with mana. While Sonaya was a Half-God at her peak, in her current weakened state, Uncle Takai could likely wipe the floor with her. Alistair sensed that his uncle was reluctant to use his power for some reason, otherwise, the Dragon Talisman wouldn't have been left in a random place; it would have been locked in a basement.
"There is no need. Fate will chart the course. We only need to wait for the future to unfold. For now, I am your ally. You have nothing to fear," Sonaya said flatly.
"You really are a strange one," Alistair muttered, leaning against a nearby desk, feeling mentally drained.
"Everything I am was given by the Empire. I will be forever loyal. I am the Empire's wolf, and I will tear apart anyone who stands in the way of its restoration," Sonaya's voice turned chillingly cold.
"Then why didn't you go down with the ship?" Alistair scoffed. "A Half-God is nearly impossible to kill, but suicide is always an option. If you're so loyal, why didn't you follow your country to the grave?"
Sonaya looked at him as if he were an idiot. "I needed to survive to find the one who could rebuild the Empire. Dying with the state is an illogical waste of potential."
Alistair felt a wave of frustration at her bluntness. "Fine. So if I become the Emperor, and you promised I can have my way with you... what happens when I die? Do you just become the 'flesh sleeve' for the next Emperor? That makes you a public bus, doesn't it?" He wasn't interested in "public" goods; he wanted something he could truly call his own.
"If you become the Emperor and eventually pass away, I will follow you into the void," Sonaya answered without a flicker of emotion.
"But you just said you're loyal to the Empire. Isn't that a contradiction?"
"Every collapse of an Empire is tied to its destruction. Otherwise, with the blessing of the Imperial Disc, an Emperor does not experience 'aging.' If you die, it means that generation of the Empire has 'died' as well. As vassals, our lives are bound to the Empire. Has Georgia or the others mentioned the Ascension Ritual?"
She continued, "We were forced to our peak potential through that ritual. It consumed the very 'life' of the Empire—a desperate, last-ditch effort. The 'Ascended' are what you call Half-Gods, though we are slightly weaker than those who reach that level through natural cultivation. Still, as reconstructors of the next generation, we are more than enough. In our time, there were only three other Half-Gods in the world, though there were over twenty Legends. Most of them are likely dead now; at that level, once you are wounded, you usually stay wounded. Unless, like us, you become part of the Dark Races—those who can use 'Lust' and desire to recover and grow."
Sonaya explained in detail. She truly believed Alistair was the future Emperor. The "King's Destiny" he possessed was undeniable. She didn't think the High Priest's prophecy could be wrong—it was a grand spell that cost the Empire's last life-reserves and half of the Priest's own life. In fact, the Priest had originally wanted to summon a "Savior" from another world, but had eventually changed the spell to a Prophecy for unknown reasons.
"Oh, I see," Alistair nodded, processing the massive info-dump. "Wait... I guess I count as a 'Dark Race' too then." His cultivation relied on absorbing desires, specifically sexual ones.
"It doesn't matter," Sonaya said indifferently. "The previous Emperor cultivated through 'Slaughter.' That's how he was able to create fifteen Ascended during the Great War. Usually, an Empire only produces six. Eventually, your power connects to the world through the Imperial Disc. The Empire's actions become your actions. You'll grow by absorbing the power of the world itself; your initial cultivation method becomes irrelevant."
"Absorbing the world's power... sounds fancy," Alistair muttered, looking a bit dazed. This was all way above his current pay grade.
"I don't know the mechanics. I was just a student back then. Perhaps Horyaz knows; she loves magic and always understood the theory best."
"Wait," Alistair pivoted. "You said every Emperor's death represents a collapse. Is this some kind of bound 'Identity' system?" He needed to understand the mechanics, even if Transcendence was still a ways off. He was a transmigrator, after all; if he didn't leave a legend behind, he was wasting his status.
"Every citizen has a blessing—a sort of 'ID card.' Each generation of the Empire has a different one. Commoners' blessings are minor. But we are 'Vassals,' not just 'Citizens.' Vassals die with the Empire. As long as the Empire stands, we do not age and are immune to disease. Once you rebuild the Empire, we are defaulted to you. You can do whatever you want with me. I will be your private property. Any kink, any position—I will be yours."
Sonaya was surprisingly transparent. This was information Georgia had never shared, usually waving it away as "forgotten."
"You seem to know a lot more than the others. Didn't you lose your memory too?" Alistair asked, scratching his head.
"This is just common knowledge for anyone of high status," Sonaya smiled weakly. "The memories lost were mostly specific spells and techniques. The fragments that remain are these 'common' details."
"Does the Empire have a name? You guys always just call it 'The Empire.'"
"Every generation has a different name chosen by the Emperor. The last one was the Noren Empire. Before that, there were names like the Land of Light, the Hiling Empire, Sumeru, and Elden. I don't know why they chose them. I heard the 'Elden' Emperor even used magic doll technology to create two servants—a four-armed girl with blue skin and a blonde girl. No one knows what it meant, but it's a legend that survived."
Alistair stared at her. Elden? Sumeru? Hiling? He had a strong feeling that every single one of these Emperors had been a transmigrator from Earth.
Chapter 303: Arisa's Impatience and Seira's Crumbling Defenses
"What's that look for? The Empire is vast; it's normal for it to have a complex history," Sonaya frowned at Alistair's expression.
"No, it makes sense. So, as the next Emperor, I can choose the name?"
"You can."
"Ascension rituals, Ascended, and a sun disc... it's all so familiar. How about we call it the Shurima Empire?" Alistair smiled. He always liked the voice lines of a certain desert emperor from a game back home.
"Shurima? Does it have a meaning?" Sonaya asked curiously.
"No, it just sounds cool when you shout it."
"Fair enough. Is there anything else?"
"Nope. You're good."
"I used their mana to manifest this body. I'm running low. If you're done, I'm going back. My dagger has sound-dampening properties. If you need me, have the girls call me mentally," Sonaya said before her body dissolved into motes of light, flowing back into Arisa and Seira.
Phew, my head is spinning. Alistair looked at Seira and Arisa, who had been silent for a long time. They were still processing the fact that their "prey" was actually their future sovereign.
Gulp... slurp...
Arisa Kurusu swallowed the thick white fluid in her mouth, exhaling a heavy, musky breath.
"Much better. Seira, sure you don't want to try?" Alistair patted Arisa's head as she knelt before him.
"No," Seira Kannonzaka refused. Her heart was in turmoil. Alistair went from a "talented boy" to her "future Emperor" in minutes. As Sonaya's vassals, their status was now lower than Alistair's in the eyes of their Half-God mistress.
But there was a more pressing issue. Because Sonaya had awakened, she and Arisa had absorbed all the stored raw negative emotions from the "Evil Holy Grail." While they looked normal, the 'Lust' they used as a vent was reaching a boiling point. Even Seira, with all her church-trained discipline, was struggling. Seeing Arisa indulge only made her more envious.
"I'm not done yet! Since Lord Sonaya needed to recover, we absorbed too much raw mana. I'm burning up inside!" Arisa pulled Alistair's face toward her, hiking up her skirt to reveal pale blue panties. She shoved them aside and sat directly onto him.
"Ah~ that's the spot~" Arisa moaned, her breasts crushed against Alistair's chest.
Alistair could feel her greed. His powers were sensitive to such intense desire. Seira's desire was even stronger—it was so thick it felt almost solid. Alistair estimated that if he took Seira now, his progress would jump by ten percent. But he wasn't in a rush. Desire grew with suppression. He'd wait for the perfect moment.
"Your chest feels bigger. Did the 'Vassal' contract strengthen your body?" Alistair squeezed her mounds.
"You noticed?" Arisa panted while moving in deep squats. "Lord Sonaya did strengthen us, mostly our mana, but I guess there were physical side effects too."
"I bet your bras are getting tight," Alistair flipped her over, pinning her to the sofa.
"Ah! Be gentle~" Arisa's face flushed deep crimson as his "cannon" slammed deep into her soft flesh, nearly reaching the "Cradle of Life" in one go.
Knock, knock, knock!
"President? I have some urgent documents. May I come in?" A female student's voice came from the door.
Alistair felt the suction inside Arisa tighten instantly. He almost lost it right then and there.
"Hehe~" Alistair looked at Arisa's panicked expression and gave her a wicked grin.
"Stop laughing! Seira prioritizes urgent work. There's a shelf over there with a hidden space behind it. Move!" Arisa hissed.
But the more she panicked, the slower Alistair moved, enjoying the way her internal muscles clamped down under the pressure of being caught.
"One moment. Okay, come in," Seira said calmly.
Click.
A girl entered and placed a stack of papers on the desk. "President, the Chairperson needs these handled immediately."
"Understood. I'll look at them now," Seira replied, her face a mask of professional indifference.
Sniff, sniff...
"Is something else?" Seira frowned as the girl started sniffing the air.
"No... sorry. I just thought I smelled something... strange." The girl bowed and scurried out. She knew the President was kind but firm. She wondered where Secretary Kurusu was... Wait, that smell... was the Secretary actually doing 'that' in here with the President's permission? How scandalous!
"That was close!" Arisa hugged Alistair. The excitement of almost being caught pushed her over the edge. She climaxed again, and Alistair followed suit, dumping his warm "Seeds of Life" deep into her cradle without wasting a drop.
"Mmm~~" Arisa shivered, hooking her legs around his waist to make sure she kept every bit of him inside.