7 Chapter - 7

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Chapter - 7: Longinus

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The man straightened his yukata and adjusted his posture, his eyes sparkling with curiosity as he surveyed his surroundings. "Ah, looks like you've been busy since the last time we met, Judai," he remarked, his voice tinged with amusement.

Judai had to admit that when he first met the man before him, he hadn't thought that he was that important in the grand scheme of things. Especially since their first meeting hadn't been that impressive.

The only thing he understood right away was that he was strong, but that didn't shake him up too much because in his previous life, he had faced many beings that could be classified as true gods.

He had fought one of the toughest battles against Nightshroud, the progenitor of the World of Darkness, and was only able to win because of the strong bonds he had forged over time. Then there was the final duel with Yugi/the Nameless Pharaoh and his Egyptian gods, whose power still thrills him at the thought of facing them again.

Later, he embarked on a journey across the world, fulfilling his role as the balance between light and darkness. Along the way, he faced new challenges and forged bonds with new friends.

Not to be forgotten is his epic battle against Paradox, a being capable of traversing time and space to change his ruined future, who attempted to kill Maximillion Pegasus to prevent the creation of Duel Monsters.

Upon his return to the Dark World, Judai was haunted by memories of his past as Supreme King and the actions he had taken against his friends. However, he had long since overcome those inner tormentors, giving him a real chance to win the final battle against the Light of Destruction.

To achieve his goal, Judai had to reclaim his throne in the Dark World. Along the way, he also had to face the various minions of the new ruler and prove his strength and determination toward his goal.

The battle was not easy at all, but in the end he managed to defeat and subdue the new king of Dark world...

Judai had to admit that he hadn't expected that the new king of the Dark World would be a woman, especially a real vampire queen. And unexpectedly, it seemed that his luck had taken a strange turn, for after a while, she would develop a crush on him.

This situation added another level of embarrassment to his attempts to run his new kingdom. But that was another story...

Anyway, now Judai knew exactly who he was dealing with: once an archangel with twelve wings who could fight gods and win. The foremost expert in the Sacred Gear System. The governor of an entire supernatural faction and general of the Grigori, Azazel.

"I see, as usual, that you are indifferent to what surrounds you. Nothing else concerns you but your quest for the Sacred Gears, huh?" Judai couldn't help it, the annoyance of the supernatural constantly around him had finally gotten to him. And he snapped.

"Oooh, I see you're extra irritable today, huh?" Azazel just laughed, "Well, I can't blame you, seeing the mess at your feet. Looks like my subordinates have upset you."

"You don't even know the half of it," Judai huffed, glaring at him, "If you want, you can take the blame instead of them, since they tried to kill me and my brother, and they did it on your orders."

"Ouch, that's new," Azazel grimaced, but did not stop laughing, "Would you believe me if I told you I had nothing to do with all that?"

Judai just gave him a look that said it all: "Not even if I saw it with my own eyes.

"All right, I apologize," Azazel rolled his eyes, "What is it with you dragon guys and your incessant bullying of me?" he complained, giving Judai's arm a clear look of interest.

"For your information, I consider myself human, and I certainly have no intention of changing what I am," Judai clarified as he approached him, ignoring the traces of blood that stained his school uniform. "Besides, you obviously don't feel the slightest remorse for what happened..."

Azazel raised his hands in surrender and took a few seconds before explaining himself. "All right, I think it's only fair that I give you an explanation. I assigned Raynare and her group to watch Kuoh for Sacred Gear wielders. Their job was to report them to me so that we could recruit them or, if they posed a threat to the supernatural world, eliminate them"

Judai wasn't completely satisfied, but at least it was a step forward. Still, questions kept piling up in his mind. Fortunately, the man in front of him seemed to be able to answer most of them.

"When you talk about a threat, do you mean the danger of their Sacred Gears getting out of control or even the users not being able to handle the corruption of their power and becoming a threat to everyone?" Judai asked, wanting a full explanation to avoid misunderstanding the situation.

"Exactly," Azazel replied in an unusually serious tone. "The threat posed by the Longinus wielders has always been a problem to keep an eye on, but in recent years it has become much more difficult to manage. Not long ago, I received disturbing news that some Sacred Gear wielders have joined a suspicious organization. This makes them a threat not only to our faction, but to all the other factions in the world."

Judai was well aware of the term 'Longinus', which referred to a special category of Sacred Gears. These artifacts were considered to be the most powerful and rare, each endowed with unique and extraordinary abilities capable of significantly influencing the history of the world.

Some Longinus allowed their owners to manipulate time, gravity, or even destroy entire armies. And often at the center of political conspiracies and battles, many factions fought to gain the power these objects bestowed.

"But as far as I know, this is not the territory of the Shinto faction, is it? Can you really act without asking their permission?" Judai asked, not knowing so well the intricate political relations of this world.

Azazel was slightly surprised by the words. "Interesting observation," he said before laughing slightly. "You've obviously done your research on how things work around here," he said playfully.

Azazel's eyes sparkled with interest like a proud father to his son, or rather a lab rat, which honestly disgusted Judai, but he considered himself mature enough not to be provoked into losing the initiative of the conversation.

"I took the initiative without asking for permission. But as you may have understood, an out-of-control Longinus is a threat to everyone. They probably wouldn't have objected too much, considering that Kuoh has recently become the Devil's territory. I'm pretty much doing the two princesses a favor," Azazel explained, clearly showing his goodwill.

'Surely he're referring to Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, considering their control over the school and the dark energy we sensed in them,' Judai nodded at his guardian's words.

Azazel sighed in annoyance and disappointment before continuing. "But it seems my overzealous idiots decided that observing wasn't that important and acted without informing me, simply eliminating the Sacred Gear wielders they found."

"So my brother and I risked our lives just because they're idiots who can't follow clear orders?" Judai was not at all pleased with this information.

Azazel simply nodded in understanding. "And it's my fault for not taking into account the racist tendencies of Raynare and her companions," he glanced at Mitelt, whose face was so pale that Judai expected her to faint at any moment.

"Mr. Azazel!"

"Hey, Mitelt, looks like you picked the wrong person to annoy. Shemhazai will not be pleased with your actions," Azazel said with a lazy gesture of his hand and a mischievous smile. "But it seems that my intuition was correct in thinking that you were the smartest of the group, considering your current state," he added with a slightly amused tone.

"Why..."

"Ah, I'm here because I tried to recruit him for Grigori," Azazel replied with a shrug as his attention returned to Judai. "But let's put that goal aside for now. Shall we talk about what's going on here?"

Mitelt seemed to want to say something, but in the end she remained silent. Obviously, she didn't want to aggravate the situation with an untimely intervention.

Meanwhile, Judai's eyes narrowed at his words, while Azazel let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Indeed, and since I feel responsible for the actions of my subordinates, and as a token of gratitude for sparing my foolish subordinates..."

"Pass," Judai said, rolling his eyes and putting aside his doubts for the moment. "There is absolutely no reason for me to waste my time here. I've already told you that I won't join your faction, and I handed over those idiots without killing them," he concluded firmly.

"Eh, no wonder you have a Dragon Sacred Gear; you have such a dragon-like attitude, anti-social," Azazel teased. "I could make it worth your while I suppose?"

Judai narrowed his eyes, sensing that there was more to Azazel's words than met the eye. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone tinged with suspicion. "Like, give me something in return?"

"Of course, it seems only fair to offer you an apology and compensation of your choice," Azazel said, making a gesture. "Besides, I promise there's nothing malicious about it," he added in a serious tone befitting a faction leader.

"And why would you do such a thing? I doubt it's just because I spared your subordinates," Judai asked with a direct look. He was no longer the young teenager he once was.

"It's quite simple, actually," Azazel replied, taking a moment to choose his words. "I'm interested in you."

'...'

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in men," Judai replied with an impassive expression, while in his mind he could hear his guardian chuckling, finding the whole situation amusing.

"Ah ah ah! No, that's not what I meant. I meant that I'm interested in your powers. I already knew that you were something special when I saw you facing evil spirits, which usually aren't easy to deal with for someone who doesn't use Ki. But a human teenager capable of defeating four Fallen Angels is already quite unusual. But one who could match their strength and even crush them without so much as a scratch on his face? That's truly remarkable," Azazel said, emphasizing his admiration for Judai's abilities.

"I'm sure there are many people in this world who can boast feats far greater than mine with far less effort on their part," Judai humbly observed.

"Perhaps," Azazel admitted with an enigmatic smile. "But I'm convinced you're more special than you let on. Besides, let's just say it's a hobby of mine: I like to collect things that interest me. I would offer you to join the Grigori, but since you've already refused..."

"Judai, I don't think we should refuse his offer. This could be a great opportunity. Even if you ask for something important, it will define your relationship. It would show that you're only interested in his power as a faction leader, and even if it turns out to be true later, it could turn into a long-term partnership that benefits both of us," Yubel suggested, expressing her thoughts with an obvious sense of satisfaction.

Well, whatever, you're usually right. "Alright," Judai said with a shrug. However, the way he said it clearly implied that he had full confidence in her, "The real question is: What will you give me as compensation for what your subordinates have done?"

Azazel sighed and rolled his eyes, "What do you want for it?" he asked.

"Well, I don't want too much," Judai said with a smile. "But I mean, you said you were loaded with resources, and as the leader of a whole supernatural faction, you have tons of interesting things at your disposal, like Sacred Gears."

"Keh, at least you seem smarter than the average Sacred Gear user," Azazel rolled his eyes before giving him an interested look, "Do you want to opt for a second Sacred Gear? I won't lie, it would be interesting to see how it interacts with your original one.

Maybe. But he didn't really need another Sacred Gear. It was interesting that everyone thought that Yubel's power was similar to that of a Sacred Gear. In a way, it was true, considering that it was now part of his soul.

But what would happen if he got it for someone else?

Hmm... maybe he could...? 

"All right, you can pay me twice. I want all the information you currently have on the Thirteen Longinus, and considering your role as a faction leader, that should be no problem. I also want an artificial Sacred Gear, or I'll leave," Judai decided, clarifying his demands.

Azazel whined, 'What greed!'

But he didn't say no.

"So, now that your interesting information has been taken into account, what kind of Sacred Gear do you want?" Azazel pondered. "Even if you think about it, I don't have a Longinus in my possession, I mean, if I even have one, right? And even if I did, I wouldn't exactly give one to someone who wasn't exactly connected to me, you know?"

Judai wasn't surprised about this news. 'Anyway, I should be satisfied with what I already have, my Annihilation Maker. Besides, I still need to build up some confidence before I tell that I can use it perfectly'

Actually, now that he thought about it, it made him super excited and he wanted to get to work right away, "You can transfer the information to me through my contact, assuming you know how to use a cell phone," Judai smiled now, "As for the Sacred Gear, what do you have?"

"Hey, jokes about me being really old is a really low blow, even for you. Really, you dragon guys are going to be the death of me," Azazel said, pouting again before shrugging. As for the Sacred Gears, I have a lot of stuff I've collected over the years to study. Would you like another Twice Critical? I have some."

"I'm fine, I really don't need any for myself. I'm quite content with what I have," Judai denied. But if he had to be completely honest, he didn't want another object in his soul that could jeopardize his bond with Yubel. He had already made one mistake in the past and suffered the consequences, and he had no intention of making another.

"I'm thinking more of helping a friend."

It was better to have a hidden card, right? After all, from what he understood from observing the Sacred Gears, they didn't just provide a combat advantage. They also enhanced the potential of their users, pushing them beyond human limits with their physical abilities, almost as if they formed a bond with a powerful duel monster, just like in his old world.

"I guess it's a girl," Judai decided to exercise his right to remain silent, while Mitelt watched him with a frown, showing clear jealousy in her gaze.

"Hey, don't ruin the harem life before you've tried it, boy. It's fun; I've had plenty over the years," Azazel laughed, not even bothering to find an excuse for his perverted tendencies.

It seemed like the night was still young. Judai could only shake his head, unable to understand why he had been reborn into this strange world populated only by perverts.

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A/N: I hope you enjoy the chapter!

On the other hand, if you want to see something specific in the next chapters, or even just have some good advice for the story as a whole, I am always willing to read a comment if it is constructive criticism.

If you see any mistakes, I would be grateful if you would point them out to me, so that I can correct them when I have some spare time, and make the story as complete as possible for myself and especially for you.

To facilitate a clearer understanding, I've retained pictures of the respective characters. Your feedback is always valued, and if you have any suggestions for the upcoming chapter, please feel free to comment—I'll be sure to respond as usual.

Please leave a review if you like the story.

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