47 A Spear Boy Offers An Accord

(Cao Cao POV)

I don't know whether or not to be angry or to be just sad at what I am witnessing. This stray devil was once a human, as I'm sensing a half-human and half-devil energy signature, yet the devil energy signature is chaotic and vile in every aspect. 

I have to physically hold back my Longinus from erasing this poor being from the planet. Surprisingly enough, it actually still has a soul, even though it was implied that Devils lack one.

Maybe it is because it is half-human that it still retains a soul with the evil piece acting as a means to transfer the soul into one that can create demonic energy to create reincarnated devils. Like a virus of body and soul that transforms as much as it can into a devil before the body simply can't remain functional.

But now the piece is simply going wild and turning this being into a monster, with the soul being flooded with demonic power but only the corrupting aspect of it. Now, all I see is a being in pain. My knowledge from Solomon's crest is simply seething in rage at the lackluster procedure.

If there was anything good that came from this, it is how my Archmage core has now adapted to create the same magic power that allows devils to make use of their imagination. 

Thankfully, it hasn't adapted to the corruptive energies, and now it lies in pure magic power to manipulate the world through imagination. If human magic manipulates the world through calculation, devil magic takes a brush to an empty canvas while runes write their will into reality.

Further experimentation is required, but for now, as I walk towards the writhing wall of flesh and blood, I place my hand upon it and begin to use tracing to understand the evil piece further while also trying to lessen the being's pain using holy magic. Thankfully, my holy magic is my own and not influenced by God's system, so it is not innately harmful to devils unless I allow it to be.

I watch as the being stops writhing, as I see tears in its eyes, and as it closes its eyes, accepting its fate as its memories come into view. I used my telepathy to look through his thoughts and see that he was a former peerage member under the Naberius Clan and was used to see how they could use stray devils as weapons.

But the project was soon abandoned, and he was sent here like trash being thrown away. No one would miss him as he was simply a vagrant they found in Kyoto and kidnapped, so I tried something drastic. 

I began to use Senjutsu to analyze the devil's soul, and within it, I saw the same thing I saw with Scylla and Charybdis: the soul's DNA was being rewritten to make the body believe that this person was a devil.

So, I simply did what any normal person would do.

I hacked into the evil piece and used my own touki and senjutsu energies to simply rewrite the data from being a devil to being a human. It was a bit more complicated than that as the soul itself had layers to it similar to an onion, with each one producing various types of energy, from magical energy to spiritual energy like ki and chakra. 

So, I had to rewrite every single layer, and as I got closer to the center, I saw everything from his first memories to his last lucid dreams. The entirety of this man's life was laid before me, yet I remained focused.

In fact, it was a very invasive process. Still, luckily, I could use Solomon's genetic manipulation abilities to make the pain, so as the procedure went on, the flash melted away. I returned to being a very naked man. So, as I took my hand off his chest, I created something for him and waited for him to wake up.

As I wired, I meditated on my core and saw it as a multicolored pillar within my soul, and as I looked into it, I saw the connected spiritual tissue that allowed for the usage of my various energies, which, thanks to blank, I could see without going insane. I knew this was little more than the first step towards creating my own magic system, but any progress is enough for now.

I had already surpassed my required power class months ago, and now I had to make my own group, but they would not fall into my hands so easily as when I had Scathach, Scylla, and now Medusa, thanks to the memories from my clone, I needed to have some other friends. 

And while I debated on my next move, the guy from before began to stir, and as he opened his eyes and looked at his normal body, he began to place his hands on various parts of his body, and he then started laughing.

The laughter that reeked with jubilation was then replaced with tears and sobs as he curled up into a ball, and I simply let him simply let go. It would take some time, but he would be back to normal soon enough.

(Do you have any idea what you just did?) I heard Cato ask as I nodded and sat on a box near the man.

"I gave him back his Humanity without any possible side effect other than his inability to use demonic power anymore, but that is to be expected after returning to normal." I heard Cato sigh as Celestine seemed shocked to the core.

(You do know a majority of the Devils will try to hunt you down for this, and even if they know they can't beat you, they will simply do it as you are a threat to their continued existence, right?) I again nodded as I understood the significance of this act, but it would change nothing as having this spear is enough to make them my enemy.

At this moment, I considered just waiting to gain a dimensional travel skill and just leaving, as in a world like this, I could never really feel safe. Maybe if I ended up in a world like To Love Ru or Harry Potter, it may have been better. In this moment, I stood at a crossroads of choices, but it ultimately came down to what I wanted. Did I want to simply eliminate all factors and dip or stay and see what happens next?

The question wracked my mind as the man stopped crying. He then looked around and saw me, and as I gave him a wave, he slowly raised his hand and waved back as I approached him; he stood up, but I could see him shaking incessantly. 

His physical form, while healed, was thin and gangly, yet his eyes showed immense intellect, and as I approached, I asked him, "Are you alright? Returning from devil to human is not exactly normal after all?"

'Was..was it you who helped me?" His tone was weak and shaky, but I nodded, and as he started to fall over, I picked him up and laid him on a cot I had in my storage, and he simply stared at me with a myriad of emotions.

"So what now? You must have helped me for a purpose?" His questions were both right and wrong, so I shook my head.

"You are right. I did help you for a purpose, not to get something from you but to learn something from you, and that is how to return a reincarnated Devil back to humans. Since you seem mostly all right, my experiment was a success, but now the choice is up to you. I could give you enough money to live your life in another country, and you could simply disappear." He seemed to think about my words but then asked.

"I am sensing a "but" in this offer coming." I chuckled at his stale tone, but I nodded.

"You see, I'm building a team, and I was wondering if you wanted to join, but I didn't want to ask you so soon because you just well survived all of that." I gestured with my arms towards the shattered evil piece in my hand, and he simply stared towards the ceiling. We sat in silence, and for a few minutes, silence was all I received.

"If I join you, what can you offer? The world is changing, stranger, and I do not know if I may be enough to help you." A good point, but I have a counteroffer.

"Then, if you don't think you're good enough, I can help you become more, to become something better than a normal human, yet not transfer into a different race, but to simply be better. I offer you a place on a team that will show the world the strength of those willing to stand up for themselves." I can see the interest growing, but that hesitation was still there.

"You speak generally as if it's not just for humans?" I then shook my head as I summoned a small holographic globe in front of us both.

"Do you see what I see? I see an entire world of various races and peoples, all of which have the potential to be better, from demigods and devils to fallen angels. To disregard races simply because of Pride or divides is the height of hypocrisy. To speak of one racist superiority is to deny all of which had been done to their own. Dragons may be the strongest, but was it not devils and humans that drove them to the edge of the underworld? Was it not the angels and fallen angels that forced the Devils to have such low numbers and to have their little Civil War of theirs? But is it not humans that most of the time agree to join the peerages of devils and the organizations of the Fallen? I cannot deny the faults of even our own race, and it doesn't help that we have people like the church representing us. I assume you know about this quite well, Sigurd." hearing his name, I see him tense up but seem lost in thought.

"What makes you different from the devils? What makes us different from anyone then?" I then dissipate the holographic Earth and pace in circles around him.

"All honesty, not much other than some biological and Magic differences. We all feel emotions. We all bleed the same blood, but many would disregard this as idealistic, and it is as if there are thousands of years of history between all of our races that have led to such divides, with each culture enforcing various rules and policies. The vampires believe in the superiority of their own race because of the deeds of the past. The devils believe themselves superior due to their long age and their own brands of magic. The Fallen and even the normal angels do and are superior to normal humans, even if they may not admit it. But the same fact remains, and that is imperfection. So I ask again, will you join me?" I then offer my arm to him, and after a few minutes of debating, he grips my arm, and I lift him up off the ground.

"Well then, if you are making the team, I must know the leader, so what is your name, stranger?" A valid question, so as I summon my spear, he recognizes it, and his eyes go wide.

"I am the new god slayer Cao Cao, the descendant of the great general Cao Cao, but for now, you can simply call me either Da Boss or Cao Cao. Nicknames come later, and hey, we have cookies, too." I then summon some cookies I made earlier, and I offer them to him. As I see his eyes grow a bit dim as if accepting this as his life now, he takes one and eats it.

And I laughed as the clothes I made for him then exploded off as my laughter resounded from the warehouse.

(Well, since our main man has decided to form his own group, give me some suggestions for the names of the new organization and some possible members. Oh, and Sigurd looks like his FGO counterpart.)