25 The Leviathan Devil Princess (3)

Chapter 25: The Leviathan Devil Princess (3)

"Wait."

"Don't you want to recruit me as your Devil? Tell me again what are my benefits for forming a contract with you, since you're aware of my worth."

"Heh, sure. Just so you know, for the way you've behaved, I'm done."

"Done? What do you mean? … I thought… you wanted me."

"Well, this is a sad world, honey. I'm leaving, but don't worry, I shall be back here soon enough. Maybe a couple of years' time, and my terms would be way too different. I'll say it again, you better consider my earlier proposals for being my exclusive devil gal."

"The ultimate question is whether you value your pride and stubbornness over your freedom. If you choose to remain here, then I cannot help you. But if you decide to accept my offer, we can work together."

"... Freedom."

"Sweet freedom, out of this accursed world. You're smart. You'd figure out that working with me would be beneficial. We could achieve great things together."

Carl paused dramatically, allowing his words to sink in. Tsufaame eyed him cautiously, clearly intrigued by his proposition.

"Let me give you a preview of what our partnership could bring to the table," Carl added confidently. "Firstly, your skills and expertise would undoubtedly enhance my abilities and make a formidable team. Secondly, we shall pool our resources to find a way to restore your physical form, thus reuniting your soul with your body.

This is a task that requires the collaboration of both parties involved. Moreover, your knowledge would provide valuable insights into understanding Hell if I would ever descend down deep. Together, we can create new opportunities which may lead to unprecedented advancements in our abilities.

Finally, I promise to grant you complete autonomy over your decision-making process. You won't be confined to my whims or desires. Instead, we will enter into a partnership of equals, sharing mutual respect and admiration for each other's strengths.

I will strive to understand and appreciate your values, while you will learn to recognize and embrace my potential." (as your Master) beneath his breath, brimming with narcissism. 

"This union will create a strong bond that will serve as the foundation for our future endeavors."

'Press them where they are at their weakest, both mentally and physically. I can't let her think too much, just give her the impression that if she denies, I'll come back with a different approach. I doubt I can enslave her per se, since even Nosferatu couldn't make her his own, but forming a contract with a Devil is an option.'

Carl's persuasive speech finally seemed to resonate with Tsufaame, as she visibly softened her stance. "I have a few questions," she conceded, her voice regaining some of its former confidence. "Do you really mean what you say when mentioning returning my body back? I want to believe you, but that's a far-stretched promise. My body got destroyed by that monstrous bastard." Tsufaame asked, her voice laced with curiosity despite her reluctance. 

"I've heard rumors about a Sacred Gear called 'Holy Grail' capable of resurrecting the dead, but I consider it already an impossible mission for you since it would be in the hands of the Vatican."

"Vatican doesn't possess the Holy Grail." Carl corrected her. "Far from it, it belongs to a person closer to me, you might even call it my Kin. This is why I'm confident that we can find a solution."

"How can you be so sure?" Tsufaame challenged him, her purple eyes sparkling with interest, she questioned, her skepticism evident in her tone.

"Are you certain about that?" she prodded further, her purple eyes narrowing. "It seems implausible that the Vatican wouldn't possess a tool as powerful as the Holy Grail."

Carl's eyes met hers, and he spoke calmly, explaining to her the current situation of this era wielder of the Holy Grail. "You might be aware of the Sacred Gear System set up by poor old God. Any human can be a subject to this wretched gacha game, even those half-breeds of the supernatural creatures."

"Such as me." he assured her, his voice steady, but when he pointed in his direction Tsufaame could see the hatred in his eyes. "For your curiosity, the current owner of the Holy Grail is a Dhampir." 

Tsufaame's resolve wavered as Carl's persuasive words began to chip away at her defenses. Despite her initial reluctance, she found herself drawn in by his promises of autonomy and mutual respect. 

As he mentioned the possibility of resurrecting her body, her curiosity was piqued, and she couldn't help but entertain the notion. Though skeptical at first, Carl's confident demeanor and assurance about the Holy Grail's whereabouts gradually won her over. 

With a hint of uncertainty lingering in her eyes, Tsufaame finally relented.

With a heavy sigh, Tsufaame finally relented, her resolve crumbling in the face of Carl's unwavering conviction and the tantalizing promise of freedom. "Very well," she conceded, her voice tinged with cautious optimism. "I will agree to form a Devil Contract with you, Carl, under one condition: that you uphold your end of the bargain and do everything in your power to secure the Holy Grail for me."

Tsufaame spoke carefully, measuring every word. The air between them crackled with tension, thick with unsaid promises and uncertainties. Her decision to trust Carl was a gamble, but the prospect of freedom and the hope of restoring her body outweighed her doubts.

Carl's eyes gleamed with triumph, his lips curling into a sly grin. "Of course, that would be easy, Lady Leviathan. Do we have a deal?"

"I accept your terms, Carl." Tsufaame declared, her voice firm and resolute. She eyed Carl warily, hoping that her decision to trust him would not lead to another betrayal. 

The vampire maintained a stoic façade, though she could see the excitement burning behind his crimson eyes. Carl's offer of a Devil Contract presented the perfect opportunity for escape, an irresistible bait for a woman like Tsufaame, who had been incarcerated for centuries in the bloody shadows of the Bloodbound Domain.

"Now," Carl announced, his voice booming with authority. "I'll perform the ritual for our Contract. Now, let me get the incantation from Ars Goetia." 

Its weathered pages crackled slightly as he flipped through them. The dim light of the study room cast eerie shadows across the room. When he found the spell, he swiftly memorized with his photographic memory and proceeded with the Incantation.

Closing his eyes, Carl began channeling his Blood Mana, focusing on the intricate network of swirling within his crimson amulet. As he did so, the amulet began to pulse with a vibrant energy, casting a faint red hue across the dimly lit chamber.

Tsufaame was quiet, and instead focused deeply on sensing Carl's Blood Mana, and when she had a taste of it, she couldn't help but be surprised. The amount of Mana in his body was greater than most young Pureblooded Devils and there was a certain ominous aura in his mana. 

Nonetheless, this explained to her why Carl was so calm and nonchalant the entire time he was in her presence. Staring at him, reminded her of the promising generation of Devils that had monstrous potential, such as the Heir of the Gremory House.

'This is all for my benefit. Once I get my body, I'll force my way out of the Contract. I'll make you my little bat pet once I've fully recovered my powers.'

She was scheming, creating all sorts of scenarios in her mind, but there was a sense of anticipation as she watched Carl release his mana. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of her decisions bearing down upon her.

The Devilish aura surrounding her radiated a palpable intensity, like a living entity, pulsating with her inner conflict. She was a proud Ultimate Devil, unwilling to submit to the whims of any man, yet here she was, poised on the precipice of a life-altering choice.

"Okay, Carl," Tsufaame muttered under her breath, trying to gather her thoughts. "I'm ready. Let's do this."

Carl opened his eyes, meeting Tsufaame's gaze with a fiery intensity.

With a flick of his wrist, he sliced open his palm, the wound bleeding profusely. He offered his hand to Tsufaame, the crimson liquid pooling in his palm a testament to his willingness to commit to the binding agreement.

'This will transfer the control of her Soul to me.'

"Take my blood," Carl whispered, his voice husky with anticipation. "Let's proceed with our Dark Covenant."

Tsufaame hesitated for a moment, her eyes locked on Carl's exposed flesh. Slowly, she reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as they came into contact with his cool skin. As she brought his palm to her lips, she could feel the warmth of his blood pulsing beneath her touch, its rich, metallic scent filling her senses.

Closing her eyes, Tsufaame parted her lips and took a tentative sip of Carl's blood, the taste both familiar and foreign. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced, a potent mixture of power and temptation that sent a shiver down her spine.

With each swallow, she could sense a profound connection forming between herself and Carl, their essences intertwining. It was a sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced.

'Huhuhu, good girl. You willingly took my blood.'

As the last drops of blood trickled down her throat, Tsufaame felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere around her. The oppressive aura of the Bloodbound Domain, which had weighed heavily upon her for centuries, seemed to diminish ever so slightly, as if bowing to the power of their burgeoning bond.

"I can feel it," she murmured, her voice filled with wonder. "The suppression of the Bloodbound Domain, its lifting."

Carl's lips curved into a satisfied smile, a glimmer of triumph shining in his eyes, that vanished when she followed his gaze.

"Ready for the crescendo?" Carl murmured softly, his voice barely audible against the backdrop of their synchronized breathing.

"Yes," Tsufaame responded, her voice quivering with trepidation. "I'm ready."

Carl nodded, his grip tightening around Tsufaame's hand. With a deep breath, he chanted an ancient incantation, a guttural language that resembled neither Greek nor Latin. The room filled with echoes of his voice, reverberating with the resonance of the sacred pact they were about to forge.

"Hear my oath," Carl intoned, his voice ringing with purpose. "By my blood and my spirit, bound by darkness. I bind thee… Your full name?"

Tsufaame couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at the interruption, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. The sudden break in the ritual's flow caught her off guard, momentarily disrupting the solemnity of the moment.

"Really?" she replied incredulously, her tone tinged with sarcasm as she arched an eyebrow at Carl's unusual request.

With a resigned sigh, Tsufaame relented, realizing that Carl wasn't a foolish 'brat' that wouldn't know how Devil Pacts worked, as long he didn't have the Devil's whole name, the Spell wouldn't work. This would lead to her being stuck endlessly into the Bloodbound Domain.

Swallowing her frustration, sick of reading those boring books for centuries, she straightened her posture and spoke her full name, her voice carrying the weight of centuries of pride and lineage.

"Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan," she declared, her words echoing in the stillness of the chamber.

As the last syllable left her lips, Carl nodded in acknowledgment, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Weird name."

"I bind thee, Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan, to this Devil's covenant, a pact forged in darkness and sealed in blood."

"By the power vested in me as a descendant of the night, I offer thee freedom from the shackles that bind thee, in exchange for thy loyalty and servitude. May the heavens and hells bear witness to my vow."

A bright light enveloped Carl and Tsufaame, illuminating the shadows that engulfed them. Their bodies glowed with an ethereal luminescence, their essence intertwined as one. The air vibrated with an invisible force connecting them, a tangible link forged by the power of their pact.

Carl released Tsufaame's hand, his touch lingering for a heartbeat before parting ways. He stared deeply into her eyes, a strange feeling stirring within him, a combination of intrigue and unease.

'Isn't this point where a System Window pops out, congratulating me for capturing a Rare Spawn? No?'

'Well, whatever. I can feel the link being established with her, and I don't even have to use a lot of MP to keep it open.'

"So, it's official," Tsufaame mused, the melodic cadence of her voice echoing through the silence. "We're partner now."

Carl shrugged nonchalantly, masking his true feelings behind a veneer of indifference. "You made your choice," he replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

While Carl was pulling the heights of the century by tricking this Ultimate Devil to form a servant Devil Contract with her, deep inside the Blood Castle, in the Throne Chambers, Nosferatu stroked his beard, smiling a little bit as if feeling the changes to the Bloodbound Domain.

Nosferatu found Carl's stunt amusing, and felt a little bit impressed that he could subdue that arrogant and unruly bitch so quickly. He wondered what sort of manipulation scheme he pulled, how grand was his scheme to make the Princess of the Leviathan House crumble and accept becoming his servant Devil. 

"Trully. Boldness suits you, child. Now, I finally got rid of that noisy bitch, complaining about how I only give her access to lowly facilities. It was her foolishness that chose the Library as her Prison."

"Still, I'm wondering what his true intentions are for picking that annoying woman. He seems to know more than he is willing to share with me, but I'll not get into his way. Isn't it my role to guide the current owner of the Sacred Gear?"

"Regardless. I'll rather have this strange guy than that pathetic brat seeking the attention of everyone in his surroundings. Maybe, the one who was meant to awaken the Sacred Gear was the doppelganger, not the true owner of the body."

"This is a good change of narrative for your story, Krassius Bloodriver."