13 Chapter 12 : New recruits.

- Damien –

Six months have passed since the time I first met Azazel.

His information about possible recruits was very helpful. Despite what the man said, he also handed over the information about a few Sacred Gear users. Not very strong ones but still ones worth training.

Thanks to this I have five great additions to my core group.

Tsubaki Shinra, daughter of a member of the Shinra Clan, one of the Five Principal Clans who worshiped the Divine Beast Byakko.

Yes, the same girl who would have been recruited by Sona Sitri in a year at most. She was ostracized for the same reason as Momiji Nakiri, for being born with an uncontrolled Sacred Gear.

These bastards call themselves the 'Five Principal Clans' and all but they can't help one of their own, a child, control a power that she had no choice of being born with.

Mirror Alice is not even as strong as Telos Karma was.

They could have easily controlled it and even would have increased her strength by a lot.

In fact the only reason she was not taught all of this was because they disliked the fact that she could use a power that was not 'their own'.

I mean just how much fucking pride do they have just on the basis of a Divine Beast who was not even a proper Satan Class?

Yes, among all five Divine Beast, only the Oryuu was a proper Satan Class entity. The others were at best Peak Ultimate Class.

This time however I was not the one who went to recruit her. It was Gretel.

I encouraged both her and Vienna to recruit people in the hopes that they can bond with people other than me. They are too emotionally dependent on me.

It was hard to do, but she did agree in the end.

I don't know if it was her simple nature or Tsubaki's own background of being shunned by her own family due to having a different power, Gretel and Tsubaki took to each other very readily.

The second member was Sean Collins or rather Sean ó Coileáin, better known as Chulainn, their names changed over time in history, finally becoming Collins, he is a descendant and inheritor of Cú Chulainn.

His family had had to change their names several times to hide themselves from people who were trying to hunt them and Sean was left alone with his grandmother.

I offered him a job and he accepted as long as his grandmother would be taken care of.

To be honest I was actually surprised that the guy was more amused at me being Lucifer. I thought he would have a prejudice against me or something for….you know, being the Devil and all but instead the guy actually laughed.

'The Child of Light' with the 'Lightbringer', why not? Seems pretty fun.

We are both descendants of Gods of Light.

I somehow couldn't find any word to reply for a moment.

Sean was 16, almost as old as Lavinia and was a very fun guy. This does get him in trouble with Gretel when he isn't formal with me sometimes.

Gretel is too particular about such things.

I however find it more comfortable.

I am surrounded by girls most of the time and I actually appreciated some good male company sometimes. I did call Magnus who had graduated from his university and was ready to work for me.

He had been trained regularly and was now pretty adept with both magic and Sacred Gear. Even his girlfriend, Sara, was offered a job in one of Alicia's new pharmaceutical companies and had moved to our base.

She was a bit hesitant at first, knowing our identities but later adapted very well. She even accompanied him to learn magic and was given a normal Sacred Gear that gave her enhanced intelligence. Nothing too shabby but nothing to write home about either. She was however very happy with it because it helped her do her job well.

Ophelia was also thinking about introducing me to her brother Ace but we put that on hold till we were a little older or it would be awkward to hang around someone who was a few hundred years old.

The third and fourth members were surprising but when I thought about the fifth one, it still didn't seem that much.

All three were hero descendants.

Third one was actually a lucky hit.

The Fallen Angels had known about the Church's Sigurd project for a long time. It was not surprising that Valper Galilei was recruited by Kokabiel so soon after his excommunication in canon.

The information I got about the project actually led me to something beyond my expectations.

I got the fucking source of everything.

They were trying to make artificial Siegfried soldiers but where did they get the DNA from?

How could they even do that?

The truth was that they had captured the descendant of Siegfried or rather the inheritor or Sigurd and were basically using him to mass produce soldiers.

And they said that the Holy Sword Project was the only bad one.

In actuality, it was the only bad one….exposed.

There is more than one reason why the children went insane.

First, trying to contain the DNA of someone like that was near impossible for a simple human.

Second might have something to do with the fact that the child was also a descendant of the crazy Valkyrie Brynhildr making them a very tiny part god. They might have inherited something from her too.

I also had to wonder what would happen if Brynhildr found out that this descendant was Sigurd's inheritor and the Church was experimenting on him.

The Sigurd descendant whose name was also Sigurd because the Church didn't give a shit about the descendants of Pagan Gods….didn't bother to name him anything else.

Oh yes. If this had been the Devils, I would have revealed the news to cause a shitstorm there if only to divert some of their attention from our businesses.

I sneaked there with Gretel and collected all the possible information and proof that would make it impossible for the Church to deny their involvement with the matter. The material I found was much….much more than I could have expected.

To discuss everything I had to call Azazel for a meeting.

And Azazel was serious for the first time since I met him.

Blackmail materials at its best.

Sigurd was also 16 and was quite unfamiliar with the outside world. He has been trying to learn about the world and its common sense.

He is a very polite guy though.

The fourth was someone who made me doubt if this world was a fucking crossover for a bare moment.

A pink haired swordswoman who was shunned from her family mostly because she has inherited the powers and skills of her ancestor, Musashi Miyamoto.

She was however a simple girl of 15 with a passion for swordsmanship and had no Noble Phantasms, much to my hidden disappointment.

That disappointment didn't last long enough when we tested her swordsmanship.

She took down Desmond who was bordering on Ultimate Class and was a pure Knight with her swordsmanship alone.

Sure Desmond had held back his strength and speed but in terms of swordsmanship alone, she was without any doubt…. a legend.

I could just imagine her with both Haki, maybe Touki and I could have my very own Saber.

I whisked her away from their dojo and surprisingly no one even cared or noticed it for a whole week….and they wonder why the Miyamoto family had declined so much.

Musashi on the other hand was extremely happy in her new home.

I neared the room and I could hear the ramblings of the fifth member.

"It's totally unfair you know? I mean a girl goes to a Church and confesses, 'Father I have been a bad person, I have sinned. Please punish me.' The priest listens to her and everything is hunky-dory…. but if the same girl comes to me and says the same thing albeit in slightly different words, it becomes a sin? How is that fair?"

"So what words did she use?" I heard Sean's voice.

"Daddy, I've been a bad girl. Punish me."

….

….

….

….

"Eh? How is that bad? Gre-chan, how is that bad?" Lavinia's clueless voice echoed and I didn't need my Observation Haki to sense Gretel's mood. Her rising Demonic Power was enough for that.

"Mr. Merlin, the toilets haven't been cleaned yet. Would you like to do the honours?" Gretel's cold voice sounded as I entered the room.

"G-Gretel-chan….I was just joking. Joke, a joke."

"All the toilets in the building."

"YES MA'AM!"

Yes. I got the inheritor of Merlin.

Somehow I didn't get the serious Merlin who had created the entire Modern Human Magic System, I was expecting but instead this goofball 18 year old who looked disturbingly similar to me.

Merlin Ambrosius, or rather Merlin Asmodeus, was a half-human son of Asmodeus. He was shunned obviously as is the case with the Half Devil descendants of the Satan Clans or any Devil clans to be honest so he went ahead and gave Humans the knowledge to use calculations to recreate Devil Magic and reduce their reliance on deals from the entire Devil Race. It was a solid move to be honest. It did more harm to the entire Devil Race than the entire Church Faction could do since its foundation.

He even went ahead and trained Arthur Pendragon who shafted the Devils quite well in his lifetime.

In a weird sort of way, this person is the inheritor as well as the descendant of my half-brother.

Our meeting was the weirdest of all too.

It was quite the opposite of how things went generally.

- Flashback –

I walked into the café with Magnus to check on my new recruit.

Merlin.

THAT was not a name I was expecting to get from Azazel.

Then again he sent me this name because of his relation to the Original Asmodeus.

It was surprising but then again understandable. Merlin, the creator of the Modern Human Magic System in this world, was the son of a Satan. It kinda matched with his background in some of the anime I had seen with him being a half Incubus as Asmodeus was a similar demon. Then again it made sense with Human Magic being so similar to the Devil Magic system, the existence of contract magicians who wanted to learn magic from the Devils.

This man was probably just as famous if not more, in the entire human world than even his own father, my father….kinda sorta, who was a Satan for fuck's sake.

We took a seat on one of the empty tables and I found that he was already looking at us.

I noticed the girls in the restaurant staring at both of us despite me being slightly lower than thirteen years old.

Looking closely I realized that he had inherited Asmodeus' magic. The charm was passive.

Magnus realized the strangeness and looked towards me with a questioning gaze but I waved it off.

We had some coffee in peace.

No words were said.

At the end of it, all three of us walked out together.

Magnus was the only one confused.

"So, the Devils couldn't stand coming for my head?" he said as he walked casually. Although the words were said casually, I had sensed his magic moving in preparation already.

I raised an eyebrow, "'The' Devils? As far as I know there is only one Devil who can be called 'The' Devil, and that's me and I am not here for your head." I don't know if it's in the blood or something but I feel slightly annoyed whenever someone claims to be 'The Devil'. Is this Lucifer's Sin of Pride?

I mean if I could inherit their powers so who says I couldn't inherit other things. I think I didn't realize it fully in the Old Satan faction because of how occupied or suppressed I was. That said even then I have had bouts of this sometimes.

Azazel did say that every Lucifer Descendant has this without fail. It is annoying but I can mostly manage it with Occlumency. It is still a massive pain in the ass.

The man looked towards with a slightly wide eyed expression which turned into an amused smile.

"Oh My, so why does 'The' Devil want to meet Lil ol' me?"

"I want to invite you to join me?"

His steps faltered for a moment before he burst out in a laugh. "Those old bastards want me back? Ah yes, I did hear that they were beaten black and blue in the Civil War and were forced to hide in some rat hole somewhere in the world. So now they need my help and want me back?" His voice started in a joking tone but there was an undeniable line of ruthlessness in it and by the end of it, it had turned into a mocking tone.

"Those old guys could die in a ditch for all I care. I am here to ask you to join my team. Not those old guys, not the new guys….mine."

"Hoho now that does sound interesting but before I join you, could you tell me something about yourself? It is only natural to know the name of my future boss." He laughed.

I didn't pay any attention to his behavior while also thanking that I hadn't brought Gretel with me or she could have been pissed off at his frivolous behavior. "My name is Damien Lucifer and I guess you can add Asmodeus to it as well." If he doesn't join me, I could always have his memories about me erased through the Broker Essence.

"Heh, a Lucifer and an Asmodeus had a child? I didn't think it was possible. Their bloods wouldn't have agreed to be subservient to each other. I had in my previous incarnation calculated the probability of such a childbirth and it was a one in a million….by Devil standards. You can really call yourself one in a million hahahahaha."

"I was created by the blood of the Original Lucifer and Original Asmodeus artificially."

His laughter stopped, "That's impossible. The bloods would react heavily against each other and would simply destroy each other."

"And yet I am here."

"Then you have been lied to. Such a thing is impossible."

I looked at Magnus and nodded my head. Merlin looked warily at us. Magnus brought out his Sacred Gear while I cast a barrier around the area. Magnus manipulated the mechanical parts on one of the electronic billboards to make birds of metal and sent them my way. I lifted my hand and the birds were rendered into a heap of iron falling down.

Merlin had his mouth opened slightly, "That's Sacred Gear Canceller….no….no….that's ….but that is not possible. Only 'He' could use the 'Denial of the Divine'….you."

"I guess this proves my claim of being a Lucifer."

The startled man gained his bearings soon and collected himself remarkably quickly, "That while surprising was not the problem in the first place. You look like a mini Lucifer. I'd have believed you even without it with that face and that Demonic Power reserve. The problem is you being both a Lucifer and Asmodeus."

Before he could say anything, I snapped my fingers and the pile of iron burst into Blue Flames completely erasing it from existence.

This time I didn't say anything to get the open mouthed man's attention. I just dispelled the barrier and walked along with Magnus who was putting money near the place where the electronic board stood.

We walked a few steps ahead and were soon followed by a rushing Merlin who directly grabbed me by my shoulder, "Tell me more about yourself."

And that led us to a pizza store where we sat over for several hours while I explained my identity to him.

"Hahahaha wonderful. That was really wonderful. Those cranky bastards really deserved it." he held his stomach by the time I finished the story. "So, what do I have to do to join you?"

I raised an eyebrow, "You trust me? Aren't you doubting that I might lie?"

He waved his hand, "Nah, you are still inexperienced."

My fingers twitched while I wanted to use 'The Prince of Lies' and show him just how big the world is, I would rather keep my trump cards to myself.

"You just need to swear your loyalty to me. I will provide you with protection and support and in return you will always be loyal to me. Do we have a deal?"

"A deal eh? Just like The Devil. Something tells me that it is not so simple but I am willing to trust my instincts this time." He smiled. "Deal."

And thus the deal was finalized. It was the weirdest recruitment I had ever made. Even while making the recruitment I didn't feel that it was me who was in control the entire time.

I later came to know why.

That bastard had an uncontrolled precognition ability.

He could see snippets of the future.

He already knew that I was going to come and he had planned to agree from the very start.

It kinda reminded me of the Fate Merlin, although nowhere near his level.

- Flashback End –

The only thing that I hadn't known at that time was the annoying playboy habits.

He started with Gretel which led the man to be admitted into the hospital soon after.

Sure he was strong but his devil blood had been diluted several times over the generations and he was only an exceptional mage, a young one at that.

He was without a doubt an Ultimate Class even with that but Gretel was someone who could fight a Satan Class with her Sacred Gear.

She didn't go serious but the guy still ended up in the hospital because even during the fight, he kept teasing Gretel.

He recovered very quickly and started his work with Helena. He had asked for copies of the books we had copied from the Dantalion's Library and had spent all of his free time reading.

He was extremely fascinated with the research that we were doing, especially the Shadow Clone Jutsu which he has named 'The Researcher's Wet Dream.'

"Boss! Help me." He jumped towards me as soon as I entered the room.

I dodged and took a seat on the side.

"Has there been any news from Azazel yet?"

"Yes. He will be waiting for us at the same place. We were asked to go to the room whenever we are ready." Gretel answered with a slight bow.

"Well then let's get this over with already. Gretel."

She nodded and a grayish mist surrounded us soon and we left the base.

Merlin threw me a look of thanks.

- Scene Change –

"No matter how many times I see this, I always envy it. Can you imagine the uses of this Sacred Gear? You can peak wherever you want and run off without ever being caught? This is the dream Sacred Gear of all….gentlemen."

I deadpanned at the guy while walking between a seething Gretel. Merlin somehow knows the exact things to say to irritate her.

"Sometimes I wonder if you have a hidden masochistic trait somewhere." I said looking at the man.

"Hmm, pain in pleasure. Hasn't it always been the case though? People work so hard, bear so much pain ultimately it is all for the sake of gaining a more pleasurable life. How am I any different?"

….

"You know boss. There is a point in what he said." Sean whispered slowly.

"Eh? Really? In that case I'll send you both to volunteer for the next batch of drugs that we make. Those experiments will really be pleasurable for you guys."

"Ahh, well….I was just saying that he has a point, not that I am interested in it." the guy backed down in a hurry.

"What is this place? Why are there so many women dressed like this?" Sigurd asked, looking outside the one way glass window and into the bar.

"This, my friend, is a place of culture. I mean if even a dignified leader of the Fallen Angels thinks so, then there has to be a certain truth to it. This is called the 'Oppai Club'."

I held Gretel's hand lightly and smiled slightly.

The only reason why I am not stopping Merlin's antics is because Gretel and all the other younger members really need it.

Merlin really knows how to push everyone's buttons and anger them while I want them to know of their weak points and learn to control them. Despite his goofball attitude, Merlin has a very high IQ and EQ.

This incarnation of Merlin has inherited a lot of his knowledge and is without a doubt one of the best teachers one can get in this whole world.

It is for this reason we have a tacit understanding. As long as he doesn't cross a line, I allow him to mess with the other members.

It wouldn't do for my members to lose their temper in a moment of heat in a battle and then suffer for it.

As I was thinking of these things, the door to our room opened and in came Azazel.

"Oh, that's quite a gathering you got there. So enjoying the show?" He asked, looking at the others.

Merlin gave the man thumbs up with both hands while Sean looked at me or rather Gretel behind me and then chose not to answer.

Sigurd was the politest one as he slightly bowed his head.

The man looked at Sigurd and barely held a hint of grimace.

"That bad huh?"

He slumped into the seat and I signaled Gretel to pour him out a glass of alcohol.

He downed the glass in a single gulp before replying, "Worse."

"I used the information you gave me to verify how exactly the Church had gotten their hands on Sig here. It was a huge mess."

Sig probably wanting to know more about himself listened attentively.

I noticed that while Sean didn't show it and looked uninterested, he was paying very close attention to the subject as well.

Those two were recruited at the same time and have been very close to each other.

Merlin was also showing a rare moment of seriousness.

"So before I start this, tell me, do you know of the story of Sigurd or more importantly how he died?"

"Yes. I would appreciate your point of view all the same though. After all, I find it hard to believe telltales."

"Sigurd had climbed to the top of Mt. Hindarsfjall met Brynhildr, one of the strongest Valkyries and the daughter of Odin and saved her from a long sleep. There was however a prophecy that if they met each other, their lives would be hurled into ruin and he would die. He still did that to save her and had decided not to fall in love with her but….love is a strange thing. They lived together while Sigurd steeled himself to fight the Prophecy. He took her as his wife and she taught him of the Runes that she had learned from her father."

He took another glass of his alcohol before continuing, "He then went on to continue his journey as a hero. That's when this situation started becoming bad. Somewhere during this time, he was tricked into drinking wine that made him forget about Brynhildr. This was done by Gunther, his own brother-in-law who also wanted to marry Brynhildr. He however knew that he couldn't fulfill the condition of defeating her in a fight to get her hand so he played a trick." He looked at Sigurd and continued as the man was trying to recover from the shock of the situation and it was here I realized that Sigurd had died without even knowing about the truth. "He asked help from Sigurd, the one she loved the most in the world. They disguised Sigurd using runes he had learned from her, used the fighting skills he had learned from her to defeat her in the battle and present her to his brother-in-law as a wife….all the while she knew the truth."

I instantly put a barrier around us as the man in question looked devastated and the furniture in the room were crushed into dust from the power his body was radiating. The power had a major aura of a dragon with a slight hint of divinity. Sean hurried over and grabbed his shoulders trying to calm him down.

I too used my Bewitching Voice as well as the Bune's Dragon tamer ability to help him calm down.

"Calm down Sigurd. Losing your temper like this won't give you anything. Save this anger for those who really deserve it….and if they are dead, then to make yourself stronger so that such a thing never happens again. A blade is of no use if it loses its temper."

It took a few moments but he took a deep breath and regained himself.

Looking at him calm down, Azazel continued again. "Brynhildr accepted her fate at the start but later she was overcome by the indignation and attacked Sigurd, cutting him in half."

There were varied reactions from everyone. Sean bristled but controlled himself. Merlin merely closed his eyes while the guy in question breathed out softly. "I deserved it."

"You didn't. You had no idea." Sean argued.

"It still doesn't change the fact that I wronged her."

"The ones who wronged her were the ones who conspired against you two. It was not your fault." I assured the guy as well.

"It wasn't your fault kid. Odin believed that too. Infact when Brynhildr found out about the truth, she tried to commit suicide to reunite with you but instead went into a coma for several hundred years. Later she forcibly put herself in an enchanted sleep to wait for you if you returned and forgave her someday. Odin on the other hand had rampaged ruthlessly and crushed all those who were involved in the conspiracy and that….that's how we reached here. One of the survivors of that incident, the descendant of Gunther had made his own family and swore revenge on Odin and Brynhildr. His descendants had found out that you had been incarnated and sold you to the church people. The church had been trying to collect weapons from all the factions to boost their power. This included Gram and the other swords associated with your legend. Odin hadn't paid much attention to this back then but now….I am afraid he might start a war against Heaven and the Church and if that happens, we will have to be involved too."

….

"The Devils haven't endeared themselves to any faction with their Evil Pieces either and now even the Church is being involved in such things. I can somehow understand Odin's feelings regarding this situation."

"I don't want there to be any war. Many people are uninvolved in this. I don't want to be the cause of their deaths." Sigurd shook his head.

"Trust me kid, none of us want a war. We will convince Odin too but I believe your words would be more reliable in this case. Damien, I think it would be better if you go there too. I am sure that Odin won't deny your request as you are Sigurd's savior."

I can also use it to establish a good relationship with the Norse.

Looking at the tense atmosphere in the room I ordered.

"Gretel, take Sigurd and Sean back to the base. He might need some rest after all this emotional news. I will call you back when we are ready to leave."

"Yes Master."

Grayish mist spread over the room as she left with Sigurd and Sean leaving Azazel, Merlin and I in the room.

"I had given the information about you to Damien but I never expected you to actually join him. How have you been, old friend?" Azazel asked, looking at Merlin.

"Fate works in mysterious ways. I quite like this half-brother of mine. So much better than those stuck-up pricks. Moreover he's so….interesting. A true miracle if you will. I wouldn't have been able to sleep with the curiosity if I had let him go."

"It seems you remember most of your past life."

"Most."

Looking at my confused look, Azazel clarified, "I was the one who had helped Merlin back when he had escaped. We bonded over the beauty of the female body and research of magic."

"Those were the times."

No lies.

"What is your opinion on this matter?" Azazel asked Merlin who simply shrugged and slumped back into his couch.

"I will follow whatever my new King says. Last time I had helped Arthur grow just to piss off the Devils. I never skived my duty mind you but my motivation was pretty personal. This time I want to see this King of mine grow, while teaching some of the people with the most potential in the whole world."

Azazel raised an eyebrow and picked up another glass. "You sound very relaxed this time."

"I am. The ones I had a grudge with are already several feet under the ground or hiding like rats. The new ones while still containing some of those annoying oldies are still much more bearable and I am with people similar to me. Vienna is so adorable. I would have thought that after what I did to them, they would have known better than to harm the mothers of half-devils like my previous self but….some people never change. Well this time I would like to see just what kind of punishment Damien delivers unto them. It is a rare chance to see The Devil in action."

"Are you really going to fight them?" Azazel asked, looking at me.

"Do you truly think they would let me go if I did nothing? Moreover, I have made a promise, a deal and my deal is my bond. Rizevim and Euclid will die. I couldn't care less about the others." I said in a monotone. There was just too much to just turn back now.

"*Sigh* Let's put that aside for now. What do you plan to do with the current situation?"

"What do you advise Merlin?" I asked, looking at him.

"War is out of the question. War would drag us into this mess despite you wanting otherwise, just because of our identities. Moreover the Old Satan faction would definitely use this as an opportunity to take advantage of. It is even more so for Heaven and the Church than for us so the only thing they can do is negotiate. I think getting back the swords of the Norse along with something that belonged to the Church as compensation. Punish the people who were involved and get some of the children who were a part of the Project. They after all contain the blood of Odin, no matter how dilute. The Church will obviously be resistant to the advice of a 'Mere Fallen' or a 'Pagan God' so pressure and blackmail them."

Azazel nodded back, "I had similar thoughts. Michael would agree. He already has more than enough trouble managing the System as it is. He wouldn't want to be stuck with it in the middle of a war." he turned towards me, "So, what do YOU want out of this?"

Me.

What do I want?

"A nun in training named Asia Argento. She is currently in one of the Churches of Italy and possesses the Twilight Healing. I want her."

There was a very important reason for choosing her. It was not because she was a so-called canon character. I had already gotten over that.

The main reason was her Dragon Tamer ability. The strongest creatures in this world are Dragons and Gods. My Denial of the Divine can somewhat restrain a Divine but the Dragon is still an uncontrollable factor.

I have been using all my power to prepare for it.

My own Bune's Dragon tamer ability from Gregory, Ingvild's Nereid Kyrie and even some other Sacred Gears with anti-dragon abilities, are all my preparations.

Asia Argento is someone whose Dragon tamer ability allowed her to tame hundreds of Evil Dragons. She is a must get for me.

This is the only reason why I have put her value above even the piece of Holy Grail which can help and enhance the power of the Sephiroth Graal or anything else.

Azazel and Merlin both looked at me weirdly. "A girl?"

"Twilight Healing, while rare, is not a unique one. Why do you want her specifically?"

"I have my reasons."

He raised both his hands, "Hey, who among us has never had a nun fetish? In Fact Merlin has had his fair share."

"Ehh, boss, could it be that you were inspired by my joke today? You want a confession from a naughty nun too?"

I deadpanned at the man, "And you wonder why Gretel is so annoyed with you all the time?"

"Ah Gretel-chan is very strict with anyone who is not you. By the way…." He got closer to me and whispered, "What's the deal between you two? I mean, everyone already thinks there is something going on but no one dares to confirm that. I bet the only ones with the courage to do that would be Lavinia and Vienna but they are too innocent to be set on such a risky venture."

"Yeah yeah what is the deal between you two?" Azazel poked too.

"I am thirteen. What do you expect me to say?"

"Ehh, I lost my virginity at 11. Don't disappoint me lil bro." Merlin cried.

"Exactly. Don't tell me you are waiting for adulthood or some crap like that? Above 18 is something humans have decided. We grow differently."

"Hah….it's not like that. Gretel and I….we have been through too many things together. She probably knows more about me than anyone else in this world and has pulled me out from a situation which could have left me as an emotionless murder-machine. We have been together since our childhoods and I wouldn't be surprised if our relationship went further and developed into something more but….she is also too emotionally reliant on me. If I ask her, she would agree without a doubt but I would never know if she is doing that because she wants to or just because she felt she owed me. That's why I am waiting for her to grow a bit more emotionally independent. I don't want her regretting her decision later."

….

"Heh, so you have thought about it."

"Good to see that my dear brother is so thoughtful. But….that doesn't mean you can't what's the current term….well get to know someone else?" Merlin elbowed me slightly.

"Yes yes there's a saying from a very wise man, 'Practice makes a man perfect'."

"Isn't that the line you invented to seduce married women back in the middle ages?" Merlin suddenly said something utterly unbelievable out of nowhere.

"YOU INVENTED THAT!?"

"Hey, it was meant for good. Not my fault that it also worked as a wonderful pickup line."

I somehow feel violated having used that line so many times in my life.

The talks went on from one topic to another and I returned back to my base late at night.

It was decided that we will meet Odin a week later.

- Scene Change –

I came here with Vienna to possibly make a Deal for a Sacred Gear.

The special thing about this visit is that this is the one Albion was waiting for a long time.

"Are you sure that he will agree?" Albion called out from Vienna's wings?

"Absolutely. I just want you to remember your promise afterwards."

"I don't go back on my words."

"And neither do I."

I found my target trying in front of us.

"Is that the person?"

"Yup."

Vienna however was a little pissed off. "How is that possible? My rival? THAT? Are you sure you didn't hit your head in some training, Dummy?" she asked, pointing at the brown haired kid staring at the girls walking by and guessing their breast sizes.

I am honestly amazed why no one is carrying him off to his parents and giving him a strict lecture.

"Okay, I'll go and make the deal."

"Be sure to record it."

"I am."

I walked to the kid who looked at me and….had the fucking gall to click his tongue. "Damn pretty boy. What do you want?"

….Yeah, no regrets.

Oh who am I kidding, I am the fucking Devil. I do not regret.

"Oh! You have a problem with me? And here I was thinking of trading these Oppai pictures with you." I brought out a few pictures from Merlin's collections.

He had been too enthusiastic to lend them to me, giving me a knowing look. Oh, if only he knew.

"OPPAI!"

He looked at the pictures almost drooling and I seriously tried to check if he had some kind of spell on him.

I pulled the pictures back. "Now now, I said trade not donate."

"What do you want?"

"Hmm, I want….lets say a certain artifact you have."

"Artifact? Like in Dungeon Hunter?"

"Kinda similar. Anyways, you just need to agree to give me an artifact of my choice from you and I can give you five boob pictures. How about it? Fair deal?"

He nodded as a pendulum and I for a moment felt sorry for Ddraig. "Yup Deal."

And I brought out five pictures from my pocket and gave them to him.

"Here, deal complete."

He took the photos and opened them, "HEY THESE ARE ANIMAL BOOBS. I DON'T WANT THAT?"

"What do you mean? I never said I would give human boob pictures. Giving such things to children is illegal."

His cries didn't matter.

I had completed the deal according to my words.

And I already had the Boosted Gear.

I signed a premade contract to store the Boosted Gear in it before Ddraig could say anything and teleported.

- Scene Change –

"My Eternal Rival was a pervert." Vienna sighed for I don't know how many times now.

"You don't have to get so down about it Vi. He is no longer your eternal rival." I sighed.

"You don't understand Dummy. How am I supposed to show everyone how awesome I am if I can't even fight a good opponent and win my fated duel?"

"You get defeated by almost everyone here, shorty. I think you should concentrate on that." Sean commented earning a glare which was more adorable than intimidating in return.

"Hmph. You people don't understand it. Tell them something, Albion."

"I am going to hold this over Ddraig's head till either of us dies." Albion didn't sound unhappy. In Fact the deal we had was that he won't start unnecessary fights with Ddraig if I give him something extraordinarily embarrassing to hold over Ddraig's head. I bet being traded for five pictures of animal breasts did the trick.

"So now you have both the Dragon Emperors on your side? Any idea who gets the Boosted Gear?" Merlin asked. He was a bit disappointed when he found out the reasons for me borrowing the pictures.

"No idea. I will see who gets it? Do any of you want it?" I asked, looking towards them.

"My sword is enough for me." Musashi denied.

"I just need a good spear." Sean looked uninterested too.

Sigurd looked very lost so I didn't ask him.

"Miss Helena has offered me the Innovate Clear after she is done researching it. I think that one would suit me better." Merlin denied it as well.

Helena has been keeping Innovate Clear under enchantments while researching it but such a thing could be disastrous if it was found by anyone.

It would raise too many unnecessary questions and suspicions on her and I don't want that.

She has basically been using Innovate Clear to temporarily make plants for ingredients and suitable conditions for making certain drugs or conducting experiments.

Innovate Clear is extremely suited to such things.

It's like having a place where you can do any experiment or practice. Basically a Room of Requirement without any caps.

What Merlin does however is different. His idea of using it is like a Reality Marble which assists him in his spell casting which is truly terrifying.

He could fight an Ultimate Class but that was only because of his current level of magic reserves. His knowledge and skill level are a solid Satan Class. The way he runs circles around Vienna and the new recruits even if they are all working together is a sight.

If Innovate Clear is added to it….

Yeah, that would be a sight to behold.

"You know, you could always try to learn Albion's abilities. With the powers I have given you, learning them should not be impossible. I am pretty sure you would become stronger if you could use it in tandem with Albion." I suggested.

"I can?" she asked confused,

I had kept the true extent of the abilities of Archmage from her because knowing her, she would try something 'awesome' and get hurt in the process.

I touched her forehead and softly incanted, "Divide."

I felt a tiny amount of power enter my body. Well tiny for me but half her power for Vienna.

"Hah?"

"You really did succeed. I had my doubts when you had asked my permission but this…." Albion was stunned.

"Hey, if young welsh dragons sealed in the Boosted Gear could do that then why not me?"

"True I suppose. But even then, even a single count of Divide can help you immensely in battle. My abilities show their true power if my wielders are stronger. The more energy they can bear, the more useful my abilities will be for them."

"Hmm. It is still incredibly hard to do."

"It is obviously hard. It is a part of the Principle of Supremacy. It is one of the handful of magics that I can use despite my full power. That's the price I paid to learn it. You learning it is already nothing short of a miracle. Moreover my abilities are much harder than the Red One's. The Red One only needs the strength of his soul to Boost the power of a spell while I and my Divide need to overcome the will and magic of others to divide their powers and then change it into my own. Moreover there is always a chance that the other party might be too strong and just let their power go, in which case, the user will overload and die. The Red One doesn't have to worry about these things." Albion explained patiently.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I would say you respect the Red One, as you call him, a lot." Sean asked, intrigued by our conversation.

"I might despise him but that is because of our very beliefs. I divide while he boosts. We are the antithesis of each other so we fight to prove whose way is better. In a normal fight my user can just keep siphoning power from him while his boost would at most keep him at his normal level while I become stronger. In such cases it should result as my complete win. But there is also the case that the Red One doesn't need anyone else to increase his power while I do. He could make his attacks stronger even without anyone or anything to siphon from. So, I might despise him but I also respect him. Just no common weakling can be called the Eternal Rival of the Vanishing Dragon."

"It does put a lot of strain on the soul."

"Dragon's Magic is especially reliant on the soul. Boost and Divide are the strongest among such magic below the Dragon God Levels. Obviously they will put a lot of strain on the soul. You should work on improving your soul's power."

I have been trying to do so but there haven't been any results yet.

I am quite wary of letting anyone near my soul because of what that 'Devil' might have done or from the fear of them figuring out that I am not from this world.

Maybe if I can bind Valerie but the Vampire faction has been closed off. They have been trading with Ophelia but the knowledge of the happenings of the Tepes Castle has been closed off.

I have tried to discover what has been happening there but with no results. Even the nobles who trade with Ophelia either kept their mouths shut or just had no idea.

Infiltrating the Vampires is hard because those bastards never leave their homes. All trades are carried out by the thralls or lower class vampires.

For a self-proclaimed noble race, they are just a bunch of pussies.

As I was thinking about these, I got a message from Ophelia, "Master. We have got information about the Naberius House. The people from the branch house are conducting experiments on the Youkai as you had predicted. I made some of them sign our loyalty contracts and made them a part of the project. One of the twins is reaching his limits while the sister is not involved in the experiments. There are talks about her being included. What are your orders?"

"Have you found enough information to make sure that they cannot hide it or shirk responsibility."

"Yes Master. That said we have caught a hint of something else."

"Oh!"

"The Head of the Naberius has had something imported from the flying city Agreas."

"The one where the crystals of the Evil Pieces are produced?"

"Yes Master. We have no idea what it is but apparently it was something that was done with the help of Abnus Beelzebub. It might be prudent to find out about it."

Abnus Beelzebub, the elder brother of Shalba, while not as strong as him, was still relatively strong. He had attacked the underworld after he had mutated somehow and gained enough power to liquefy the surroundings with his poison.

He was killed by Sirzechs who had to use his True Form to do so. I am pretty sure that it means he was above Satan Class.

No one could find out how those mutations occurred though.

The Naberius have always been close to the Beelzebub. Do they have something to do with it?

Agreas was the city where the research and experiments of the Original Satans were carried out.

Enhancement Drug or some kind?

Somehow the topic made me uneasy. Maybe I'll look into it.

"Keep watch. If any of the twins snap and there are accidents, help them escape and hide them. Make sure your identity is not revealed. Also try to get someone inside the Naberius House. I have an uneasy feeling about this."

"Yes Master."

"We will meet the Youkai when we disclose the Naberius incident. Make sure that the involvement of the Old Satan Faction is hidden. Not completely but not enough to pin the blame of the experiments on them."

_x_x_