5 5

I woke the next morning with a yawn, moving the sleeping Shirone off of my chest, as was quickly becoming habit. I stumbled over to my dresser, throwing on one of my favorite outfits while Shirone was still asleep. I exited the room, walking ten feet to the nearest bathroom. 'You would think that I couldn't possibly get lost going ten feet', I mused. 'but it's happened a disturbing amount of times.'

I made it to the bathroom without incident. After washing up and brushing out my hair, I re-braided it and checked my reflection. I had taken inspiration from my Marble form, and had used my magic to grow out my hair until it became a waist-length braid. I wore a grey undershirt and slacks, with a long-sleeved, hooded white cloak over the top. My latest creation, a waist bag I had given expanded space, was strapped around my hips.

I sighed, leaving the bathroom and walking towards my bedroom. I walked… and walked… and walked…

Fortunately, Shirone found me before I wandered too far, leading me back to my room. I sighed again, drawing out a small amount of magic and powering my room's transport circle. We walked over to the table, taking our seats.

It had been several weeks since the 'event', and my magic had finally returned a week before. I had spent my time since then figuring out how to use the abilities of my Marble.

From what I could see, I could gain the 'experience' of anything that had died at least once. I did not, however, gain any memories save for those necessary to know how to do something. It reminded me of RPG skill books in that regard. I 'installed' their experience into my head and 'levelled' the skill, but lacked any way of telling which skills I learned.

I had accidently absorbed enough experience in cooking, cleaning, and general housework to reach 'Level 100' just by absorbing a few people's worth of experience. Of course, the first thing I did when I discovered this was to 'install' as many skill-types as I could, allowing me to easily learn how to fight. I learned swordplay from Arturia and Sasaki Kojiro, spear-mastery from Sétanta and Diarmuid, assassination from the Al-Sabbah, and magical control from Adonai, Osiris, Baldur, and Medea.

The fatal flaw of this technique was that I only learned the general framework of the skills, rather than specific techniques. For instance, if I absorbed Naruto, rather than learning the Rasengan and Rasenshuriken, I would learn 'Level 100' Shape Manipulation. I would have to learn the Rasengan through trial and error.

Fortunately, my search for Rites of Ascension had yielded better results. It was shockingly easy to track down Fallen gods in my Marble, and even easier to get them to explain the Rites of Ascension. All I had to do was walk up and ask them, and they happily spoke for hours on the subject.

'I suppose it helped that they thought I couldn't use it, what with everyone there being dead and all.'

Pooling my information, I compiled a mental list of the top ten possible methods.

1. Object or Method Mastery

Comes from mastering a Divine Object or Method. The user becomes immortal, but if the object is lost or destroyed, they die. Nicholas Flemel used this.

2. Belief

If enough people believe you are a god, you become one. This method would need the entire population of earth to reach its' fullest potential.

3. Object Immortality

The user places their soul in an object, allowing them to cheat death. Liches used this.

4. Immune Response

Absorbing a dangerous substance to the point of immunity grants immunity to lesser forms of that substance, as well as giving you characteristics useful against species weak to that substance. I planned to use this while still a Devil to absorb Samael's blood, becoming immune to all Dragon-slaying methods and all kinds of Light. This had the helpful perk of making me more dangerous to Dragons and beings of Light.

5. Magic Shift

If you train your power until it changes you down to the molecular level, you will become a complete master of the element. All four of the current Satans used this method.

6. Death Toll

Killing enough of one race and bathing in their blood allows one to gradually become that race. Siegfried partially used this method in order to gain a Dragon's physique.

7. Equivalent Exchange

Requires one to burn an amount of power equal to the state of ascendance desired, often gathered over the course of an extremely long life. This is how Dragons become Dragon Gods.

8. Sacrifice

Requires sacrificing something to take its power, or sacrificing something to a higher power to become that species. Men who become gods in this way are called Campione or Usurpers. The current Ares is one of these.

9. Burning the Old to make way for the New.

Requires user to immolate everything they are, throwing their ashes to the winds. Very dangerous, but grants complete elemental immortality based on the means used. This is the method used by the Phoenixes to become Royal or Grand Phoenixes. This method is excruciatingly painful, and lasts from hours to days. If the user breaks, their very soul is destroyed.

10. Facing the Raven.

Requires you to face your fate head-on, and defy it in the most spectacular of ways. This method has both the highest risks, and the highest rewards. It is rarely used, and only in times of great need. I plan on attempting this one. How exactly was still sketchy, but I had until I became a Dragon to plan it.

How exactly was I going to change my species to become a Dragon?

I had a plan. It wasn't a very bright plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. See, in the series, Issei sacrificed his arm to Ddraig in order to defeat Raiser. Issei's arm became that of a Dragon. When Azazel sacrificed his arm to the Dragon King Fafnir, his arm disappeared. This implied that Ddraig had some ability that other Dragons lacked, or was able to control the Contract better, at any rate.

Seeing as I was visiting Issei that day, and I was planning on giving him training, he probably wouldn't ask too many questions if I wanted to see his arm for a moment. Of course, I didn't expect Ddraig to help me for free, so I was going to offer him freedom in exchange.

How did I plan to do this, without killing Issei?

Simple. I was going to kill Ddraig.

If Ddraig truly was imprisoned against his will, then he probably Dreamed of freedom. That was something my Marble could grant. As such, his soul would be pulled into my Marble. From there, all I had to do was utilize Denial of Nothingness to create him a new form. Even if it burnt through my Circuits and core again, it would be fixed if Ddraig gave me a Dragon Core.

If things went south, I had learned how to replicate Samael's Curse from Adonai, even though he made me promise not to use the poison derived from it on any inhabitants of my Marble. While I hadn't created it in the real world, I didn't need to. I planned on taking a small vial in with me when I entered Issei's soul, so as to kill only Ddraig, not Issei.

This method had the bonus of leaving Issei the Boosted Gear, even if Ddraig was gone. I wasn't sure how well it would work, but in theory, the structure could allow him to Boost every time he fed mana into it.

'Oh, Thought Acceleration, how I have missed thee.' I thought, as I watched my father take a bite in slow motion. 'You're so useful, I don't know how I survived without you.'

I grinned, taking a bite of my eggs. Life was good.

After breakfast continued, I plotted my next moves.

My first order of business was to go to the sea I had created several weeks back, or the Sea of Red, as it has been named by the public. (I carefully ignored the fact that it had been named in honor of The Red Man.)

Once there, I would use my power over the Sea to allow us to walk under the water, keeping us safe from prying eyes. I would walk us under the water for a time, before bringing us up directly under the Tree of Knowledge, where the entrance to the Library of God was.

My Marble had commanded the sea to drive away all who approached the Library right before I had completed it. As such, no one actually knew what the Tree contained, only what it was. Anyone who got close was promptly dragged into the water by millions of tiny threads of water. Due to the water's magic-destroying effect, no spells could be used to escape to the air, or breathe underwater, so the victims were forced to swim back to shore.

I smirked. While it was slightly worrying that my Marble could command my spell without my input, I was amused enough by the results not to care. As to why I didn't use the Library myself…I can't read. Like speaking, I had burned the ability while I sought to understand the Void.

While I could ))SPEAK(( and ))COMPREHEND(( the language of the Cosmos, I am incapable of speaking or reading any other language naturally. Luckily, I figured out how to use the Devil's Silver Tongue shortly after I turned two, and thus spoke properly. But even now, I had an odd, unidentifiable accent whenever I spoke.

After we reached the Library, I would put a Magic Marker there and teach Shirone how to Gate to the Marker both in the Tree and my room. I would show her how to use Senjutsu there, where the Corruption was eaten by the Tree. Then, while she was busy meditationg and training her Touki, I would go out and hide a Link spell under the roots of the tree. The other end of the Link was attached to my sleeves, which would allow me to summon the waters of the Sea at will.

I finished the last of my bacon, and turned to my mother. "Hey, Mom, can Shirone and I go to the Sea of Red today? I want to teach Shirone how to swim."

I had actually taught her to swim in the weeks while my core and Circuits were healing. If I was ever going to use Leviathan again, I wanted to make sure that Shirone could swim, first. The fact that I hadn't mentioned this to Mom was just a bonus.

"Absolutely. She should definitely learn to swim, especially now that we live so close to water." My mother responded firmly. "Just be careful, and fly home quickly if someone suspicious shows up. And remember, your father and I are just a Communication spell away if you need anything."

I grinned. "Thanks, Mom!"

After my preparations were complete, I formed a Gate to Kuoh Town. I had previously worked out where it was, relative to my first life.

'Considering that the Church Trio was able to spend a day in Akihabara without too many problems, I would think that it's located somewhere in the Greater Tokyo Area. Somewhere around the outer areas, of course, due to the houses shown around the place.'

Fortunately, my estimate proved correct. 'Now I just need to find Issei.'

I turned on my Lifesight and connected to the Dream once more.

'Where is the human named Issei Hyoudou? Show me.'

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One light began to glow, outshining all others. I sighed. 'I'm probably going to end up using this method more than I'd like, so I might as well name it...Tracking Sight? No, too generic. Inquiry?' I mulled it over as I began walking through the streets of Kuoh Town towards Issei. 'I suppose Inquiry fits. I'll use it until I think of something better.'

I walked for a time, observing the people of Kuoh going about their day. Fortunately, I didn't get too lost on the way. As I approached the source of the Lifelight I was tracking, I began to hear crying. I walked up behind the seven-year-old boy, and spoke. "What's wrong?"

The little boy turned, sniffling. "My best friend had to leave for somewhere far away. I'm worried I'll never see him again."

I gave him my best innocent smile. "Is that it?" I laughed. "That's easy to fix, then!"

His eyes widened. "Really? How?"

"Just make sure to see him again, silly!"

He blinked. "Really? It's that easy?"

I nodded. "Why shouldn't it be?"

He broke into a grin. "You're right!" His grin began to falter. "But I miss him now."

I nodded solemnly. "That's harder to fix. I suggest getting a hobby."

He tilted his head confusedly. "A hobby? What's a hobby?"

I smiled again. "A hobby is something fun that you use to pass the time, or to distract yourself from something. Like knitting, or shogi."

"Do you have a hobby?"

"Yep! I like trolling people!"

"Trolling?"

I comically froze in place. "You don't know what trolling is?"

He shook his head. I shook my head with mock seriousness. "My friend, this is unacceptable. It is part of my duty as a troll to enlighten the ignorant, so that is what I shall do! Come, let us depart!"

I grabbed Issei by the hand, running through the streets of Kuoh. I stopped at a nearby store, pulling Issei inside. I walked over to the bananas, and held one bunch out to him. "First lesson: be oblivious. No one must suspect that you are trolling them."

He took the bunch with some confusion, before I grabbed him again and, after grabbing a small mayo jar and some pudding, walked up to an employee. "Remember," I whispered, "don't laugh." I took the bananas from him and handed him the mayo and pudding. "Now watch closely."

I walked up to the woman, who was stocking shelves, and tapped her on the leg. When she looked down, I said in my most innocent tone, "Employee-san, why are all of your carrots yellow?"

I heard muffled snickers behind me as the employee blanched. "No, honey, those are bananas. They're supposed to be yellow."

I frowned innocently. "Oh. Then why are some of your bananas orange?" I lowered my voice. "Are these bananas sick? My kaa-san told me that some sick people turn yellow." The muffled snickers increased in volume.

The poor employee spent the next five minutes explaining to me the differences between carrots and bananas. When she finished, I nodded and said, "Okay, then. Can you direct me to the bird seed?"

The employee looked confused. "Sure, it's over there. Why do you need it?"

I said solemnly, "I want to see how long it will take for the birds to grow after I plant them." I then turned and walked away while she was speechless.

After I turned the corner, I ran with Issei until we were out of earshot. Then we both broke down laughing. We laughed for a good five minutes, taking turns doing our best impression of the employee's flabbergasted expression.

After we finished laughing, I took some yen out of my waist pack and paid for my items. The clerk gave us odd looks, but didn't say anything. I shoved the receipt into my bag for later. "That was awesome!" Issei burst out.

I grinned. "Patience, my young protégé. You have much yet to learn."

I then made my way back to the park, looking for a good tree on the main path. We climbed it, and hid in the canopy. I took out the mayo jar and a spoon. "Second lesson: be subtle, yet obnoxious. It's best if no one suspects you're there."

I unscrewed the lid and took a dollop of mayo out. When someone walked beneath us, I dropped the mayo on them. They stumbled, checked their hair, and ran for somewhere to wash it out. Issei and I both burst into laughter. I handed him the jar. "Now wait a bit, and try again. If we do it to everyone, people will know it's us."

Over the course of the next hour, we emptied the contents of the small mayo jar onto the heads of dozens of passers-by. Once the jar was completely empty, we climbed down and washed out the container. I promptly filled the jar with the vanilla pudding.

I turned once more to Issei, who was waiting in anticipation. I handed him the pudding jar. "Lesson three: everything you do is completely normal. Even if you decide to 'forget' pants one day, you must act like nothing is out of the ordinary."

He nodded happily. "Hai, Sensei!"

We walked back into the city, and past to a crowded bus stop. I turned to Issei and asked loudly, "I'm hungry. Do you have anything?"

He handed me the 'mayo' jar. I casually took out a spoon and began to eat as I walked. People stared, but I ignored them. We gradually meandered around, until we got back to the park and sat in a shaded bench. Once I finished my pudding, I put the jar in my bag and turned to Issei. "And that's how you troll people."

He laughed happily. "That was great! We should do it again, sometime!"

I nodded. "And now, I bet you aren't even worried about your friend anymore."

His smile widened. "Yeah, you're right!"

I sighed, my smile fading. "Trolling can be the best defense in the world against pain. You can have fun, while still learning more than ever before about the people around you."

I glanced at Issei, who seemed to be hanging on my every word. I continued. "It's best to pick one method and stick to it, using it as a buffer between you and the rest of the world. I troll people to get to know people I don't trust, or I think are trying to trick me. If you do something enough, you can learn the typical reactions to your method, and decide what kind of person they are based on their reaction.

That way, you can slip on your mask whenever you want to learn about someone. If you think they want something from you, crank up your behavior to the max and see if they react. If they laugh or treat your behavior like it's normal, they are trying to hurt you in some way, and can't be trusted."

He nodded. "I think I want to do that."

I grinned. "Great! But you have to find your own method. Inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere, so keep a look out."

He nodded again. "Got it. Got any advice?"

"Start around your house. Look for anyone who inspires a strong reaction in others just by doing something simple, like I did with the pudding."

He nodded. "Okay. Anything else?"

I glanced down at his arm. "There is one thing…"

"What?"

I glanced around, before applying a small SEP field to the area around us. I then asked, "Can I see your right arm for a moment?"

He nodded and held it out to me, looking confused. I pretended to examine it for a moment, before turning to him with a serious expression. "There's something living in your arm."

He looked shocked. "Really?"

I nodded. "Would you like me to get rid of it?"

He nodded, looking terrified. I closed my eyes and placed my hand onto Issei's arm. Then, I threw my Marble's Avatar into his soul.

I opened my eyes to see an enormous, sleeping red Dragon. It was covered from head to talon in thick chains. I walked up to it, making sure the vial of poison was completely hidden. I tapped it with an Adrenaline spell, ran the other way for a bit, then activated the spell. The Dragon awoke, roaring to life, straining against its' chains. After it calmed down a bit, its' eyes focused on me.

"GREETINGS, LITTLE DEVIL." He laughed, "YOU WERE EITHER EXTREMELY BRAVE OR EXTREMELY STUPID TO COME HERE. EVEN BOUND, I CAN END YOUR EXISTANCE IN A HEARTBEAT. TELL ME, WHY SHOULD I SPARE YOU?"

That little vial was seeming extremely small, right about now. Still, I stepped forward. "Because I can set you free."

The dragon blinked in shock. "A BOLD CLAIM, TO BE SURE. AND NOT ONE TO BE MADE LIGHTLY. BUT I KNOW YOUR KIND, DEVIL. WHAT DO YOU WANT IN RETURN?"

I smiled. 'Hook.' "Can you turn me into a True Dragon?"

The Dragon snorted. "EASILY. BUT DO NOT PATRONIZE ME, THAT IS TOO LITTLE OF A TASK, AND TOO GREAT A SACRIFICE, TO SEEK OUT ONE SUCH AS I. I ASK ONCE MORE, WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

I grimaced at the volume. Then I blinked. 'Huh. I guess Fafnir really could turn me into a Dragon. But still,' I though, eyeing the chains nervously, 'I think I prefer negotiating with a bound Dragon. Less sharp and pointy death. Now, what else could I possibly ask for?' I mentally recalled the 'to-do' list I had made yesterday, what now seemed like a lifetime ago. 'Numbers six and seven are already done. Numbers one, four, and eight through eleven aren't something Ddraig can help with. It'd kill me on the spot for suggesting three.' I blinked in surprise as I eyed the chains again. 'Or not. It's worth a shot, at least.'

And so, my decision made, I spoke. "I need a )Queen( in order to help me save the world."

If the Dragon was surprised before, he was now completely flabbergasted. "WHAT? YOU—HOW—WHAT? EXPLAIN, MORTAL, ELSE YOUR AUDACITY BE THE END OF YOU.

I grimaced. 'At least I'm not dead. Yet.' I spoke quickly, giving only the barest details. "The Great Red has invaded the Ouroboros Dragon's home. In order to reclaim her 'silence', she formed a group of humans called the Khaos Brigade. They plan to kill the Great Red by releasing Trihexa. I need all the help I can get to save the universe from annihilation."

The Dragon blinked. "IF I DIDN'T KNOW FOR A FACT YOU WEREN'T LYING, I'D KILL YOU RIGHT NOW. HAS THE WORLD OUTSIDE TRULY BECOME SO BLEAK?"

I nodded solemnly. "I plan to stop them, as well as kill Trihexa. I am willing to do nearly anything to achieve this. There's still ten years before the world goes to hell, so there's still time to prepare a counter-attack."

The Dragon sighed, a great whoosh of air. "SAY I AGREE TO BECOME YOUR QUEEN. HOW WILL THAT AID YOUR CAUSE?"

I grinned. 'Line.' "I need someone who can rise in power to stand beside me, no matter what. I need someone who can take over if I fall, leading my cause to victory. I need someone I can trust with my back, to cover for me whenever I have to do something stupid. And, most importantly," 'Pause for dramatic effect,' "I need someone who can look past my Distortion, and respect me all the same."

I ended my speech with a bow, allowing Ddraig time to mull over my words. I could feel the Dragon's eyes on me, scanning me over, seemingly looking for something. Then, he spoke at last. "DISTORTION, EH? YOU ARE THE BEARER OF A REALITY MARBLE?" He paused, chuckling. "THAT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY YOU FEEL SO MUCH LIKE A WELCOMING HOME. I TAKE IT, BY YOUR CALMING AURA, YOUR MARBLE IS PASSIVE IN NATURE?"

'What does he mean, 'you feel like a welcoming home'? Aura? What aura?' I filed the questions away for later, instead electing to answer the great Dragon. "Yes, actually. It's called Dreams of the Fallen. It collects the souls of those who died unfulfilled, and allows to live their lives pursuing their Dreams. It's actually how I plan on getting you out of here."

The Dragon smirked. "AND HOW, PRAY TELL, WILL YOU CREATE ME A NEW FORM? I DOUBT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE ONE OUT OF THIN AIR, SO HOW?"

I started laughing. I must've had a screw loose or something. "Actually, yes. I can. Do you know what the First Sorcery is?"

The Dragon shook its head slightly, its' head still bound. "It allows both the invocation of Something from Nothing, and Nothing from Something. I plan to show you all of my memories of possible forms, and let you pick one. I will then create it as a body for you, allowing you to edit it yourself, as necessary." 'And now to roll for bullshit.' "I will then bind your soul to it using my Piece, placing your soul into the soulless doll."

I then stood back, waiting for the verdict. "VERY WELL. I AGREE TO YOUR TERMS. I SHALL MAKE YOU INTO A TRUE DRAGON, AND I SHALL BE YOUR QUEEN FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS, STANDING BY YOUR SIDE FAITHFULLY AND UPHOLDING YOUR LEGACY.

IN RETURN, YOU MUST BE MY KING, AIDING ME WHEN I AM WEAK, LISTENING TO MY THOUGHTS, AND SUPPORTING ME IN ALL MY ENDEAVORS. DO YOU FIND THIS ACCEPTABLE?"

I nodded. "VERY WELL. SHOW ME THE FORMS THAT I MIGHT TAKE."

I walked up and placed my hand between the chains, using a modified link-type spell to send him my past life's memories of all the fictional characters I had ever seen. I chose to use fictional characters as a base, because then there was no chance of a duplicate existing.

After a while of browsing, the Dragon spoke again. "THESE. I WILL TAKE THESE. THE FORM OF THE FIRST, AND THE GARB OF THE OTHER."

I glanced at the memories that she sent back through the link. Lilith Asami from Trinity Seven, and Ruby Rose from RWBY. I blinked. "Any particular reason you chose these?"

The Dragon snorted. "THEY BEFIT A FEMALE OF MY STATURE, DO THEY NOT?"

I blinked again. '…I was not expecting that. Why is this different? He—no, she was male in Canon, what changed?' And then it hit me. 'She was partnered with a breast-loving pervert who used his right hand for 'recreational activities'. Her voice is also booming enough to be mistaken for male. And considering she probably didn't care too much what gender people saw her as, she never bothered correcting them. Albion only ever called her 'Red One', so no one heard it from him, either.'

I sighed, keeping my face carefully blank. "Of course. Would you like anything added to the form?"

She mulled this over for a bit before replying. "I WISH TO KEEP MY EYES GREEN. AND, UM…" the Dragon coughed. "COULD YOU GIVE ME INFORMATION ON THE MODERN WORLD? I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE SAVE FOR WHAT MY PAST WIELDERS HAVE TOLD ME."

I shrugged. "Okay. But, um… I'm also going to keep the age at about six. My physical body hasn't grown this far yet."

She smiled a rather sharp smile. "VERY WELL. NOW, HOW DO YOU INTEND TO FREE ME?"

I took a fortifying breath. Now came the tricky bit. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but those chains are made from your life force, no?"

The Dragon frowned. "YES. IT IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN BE BOUND. I WANT FREEDOM, BUT TO ACHIEVE IT IS TO DIE."

"Do you remember what my Reality Marble does?"

She nodded, chains jingling. "YES. YOU SAID IT COLLECTS THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO… DIED… UNFULFILLED…" She blinked in surprise. "I SEE. THAT'S RATHER INGENIOUS, ACTUALLY. YOU INTEND TO USE MY 'DEATH' TO PULL MY SOUL INTO YOUR MARBLE?"

"Yep. All you have to do is agree, and I'll shred the chains."

She snorted. "VERY WELL. BUT IT WOULD TAKE QUITE THE WEAPON TO SHRED THE LIFE-FORCE OF A DRAGON."

I smirked. 'Sinker.' I concentrated, summoning the magic from within me.

The bird draws back its' head to sharpen its' beak on the mountain…

'Soul, Shine.'

The spark that ensued shone through the entire mountain of diamond, setting it aglow in the night.

I cranked Thought Acceleration up to the max, Partitioning my mind into six as I did. I gathered the volatile Power of Destruction, spinning it into delicate threads less than a molecule thick.

'))Nightmare(('

With thousands of thin threads dancing about me in a series of tiny flickers, I smiled "I think I've got it covered. Now don't move."

I sent the threads into the links of the chains—and pulled. They put up less resistance than warm butter as my threads parted the 'metal'. As the Dragon stretched her wings for the first time in millennia, she began to fade. "I SHALL SEE YOU SHORTLY… MY KING."

I sighed. I would check on her later, but for now, I had work to do. Because Ddraig's soul was no longer covering the power to ))Boost((, I would have to jury-rig a hyper-efficient mana input drive that would allow the users of the Boosted Gear use mana to utilize its' functions. The souls of previous users of the Gear were still within it, so theoretically he could still achieve Over Boost if one of them accepted his arm as a sacrifice, but I hoped to avoid that eventuality.

I sighed again. 'Well, might as well get started.'

I opened my eyes in the real world, stretching. While within Issei's soul it had been a little over ten hours, I had managed to rig a ))Time Differential(( when I had entered, meaning that less than ten seconds had passed. 'God-ow- I love magic.'

Looking up at Issei's concerned face, I gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, I killed it."

He relaxed, sighing in relief. "Good. I was getting worried, there. But, what if it comes back?"

My smile stretched into a large grin. "Would you like me to teach you how to fight, just in case?"

Issei gasped. "Really? You'd do that?"

I nodded. "Cool!" He exclaimed. "I'm gonna be a hero, Iri! Just you wait!"

I sighed, mentally collapsing the SEP field. "I have to go, now. But remember, look for inspiration in the people around you! And don't tell anyone."

He nodded seriously. "Hai, Sensei. I won't let you down."

I got up and walked away, waving as I did. As I made my way to somewhere I could Gate to the Tree, a thought occurred. 'What if he runs into some creep and decides to use them as a basis for his method?'

Issei sighed. His new Sensei was so cool! He'd helped him get past Iri leaving, and even taught him a new skill! He grinned, standing up with a purpose. 'I won't let you down, Sensei!'

He glanced around the park, looking for anything out of the ordinary. One thing caught his eye. An old man sat on a bench several yards away, reading something and giggling every now and then. Anyone who walked by avoided him like the plague, staring at the man with a disgusted expression. Issei recalled his Sensei's words. 'Look for anyone who inspires a strong reaction in others just by doing something simple, like I did with the pudding.'

Issei grinned. Then, schooling his expression to one of complete innocence, as he had seen his Sensei do to that one employee, he walked up to the old man. "Oji-san, what are you doing?"

'Nah, I'm sure he'll be fine.' I decided, stepping through the Gate. Shirone immediately noticed me and ran over, buzzing with excitement. "Shishou, look!" She held up a Touki-infused fist. "I can almost move the Sea, now!"

I chuckled, reaching out and rubbing her head. "Good girl. Oh, and before I forget, you'll be getting a few new training partners, soon."

She tilted her head in confusion. "Training partners?"

I nodded. "A boy named Issei, and my new )Queen(. So be sure to treat them well, as their Sempai."

Her eyes widened. "You're getting a )Queen(?"

I quickly replied, "Yes, but don't worry, you're not getting replaced. If all goes well, then I'll have a full Peerage by the end of the month."

She frowned, but nodded anyway. "Can I still sleep with you?"

I sighed. "Sure."

She cheered.

Later that night, I entered my room, my Workshop, alone, and fell into my Marble once more.

I opened my eyes on the bridge, as the suns began to set. I glanced around, looking for Adonai and Sétanta. If they kept to schedule, they should be packing up their fish right about now. 'There!'

I spotted light glinting off Sétanta's spear, and carefully made my way over to their spot, so as to not get wet. "Hey, Adonai! I need to speak with you!"

The old God stood up from his spot, stretching. "Again? What do you want this time, my firstborn son?"

I winced. "No, I want you to help me make someone a human form."

Sétanta spoke up, grinning. "This wouldn't have anythin' te' do with that fine Dragon lass who just arrived, sayin' summat about a new fiancé, would it?"

I frowned. 'Fiancé? What…?' I cranked up Thought Acceleration, considering the problem. And then it hit me. '…I never actually said the word 'Peerage', did I? And ')Queen(' sounds just like 'Queen'.'

I tried to remember what I had said to her, before I had known it was a her I was speaking to.

"…I need a )Queen( in order to help me save the world…"

"…I need someone who can rise in power to stand beside me, no matter what. I need someone who can take over if I fall, leading my cause to victory. I need someone I can trust with my back, to cover for me whenever I have to do something stupid…."

'Yep. I'm pretty sure I just proposed to her. Great.'

I sighed, cranking Thought Acceleration back down to normal levels. "She told you?" I said, pretending I knew what I was talking about.

"Aye, that she did. She kept going on about how her fiancé approached her at the risk of 'is own life and freed her from her chains, just to woo her to 'is side." His grin stretched. "Chuck, ye' sly dog. Getting' hitched withou' tellin' us, are ye'?"

'…Yeah, that makes sense. That's exactly what I did, now that I think about it. But how does he know any Peanuts references?'

Seemingly reading my thoughts, Adonai held up an old comic that I remembered reading as a kid in my first life. "Fortunately, we don't just get porn. We also get many jewels such as these, which is why I haven't demanded the destruction of anything we discover here."

I sighed. 'Good to know.' I ignored Sétanta for the moment, instead turning to Adonai and asking, "So? Can you help me?"

He grinned. "I'd be happy to."

I approached the sleeping Dragon, scaling the mountain as I did so. Once I got close enough, I called out "Ddraig! I'm here to fulfill our pact!"

She awoke, turning to me. I held out my )Queen( piece, allowing her to inspect it. "I plan to use this to place your soul in, before putting it into your new form."

She eyed it, an odd expression on her face. "IT IS AN ODD WAY CLAIM ME AS YOURS. BUT IT IS HOW DEVILS CLAIM OTHERS, IS IT NOT?"

I sighed wearily. 'Fuck you, Murphy. Fuck. You.' "Yes, in fact, it's the highest possible means of claiming another's soul. It grants your form increased strength, speed, mana, and durability, beyond what all other Pieces can grant. A High-Class Devil only ever gets one."

She nodded, satisfied. "GOOD. I ACCEPT YOUR CLAIM."

A bright flash appeared, apparently signifying my Marble's acknowledgement of her words. Her form broke down, flowing into the outstretched Piece. I sighed again, before severing the connection.

I opened my eyes in the real world, before taking out my bag of Pieces. Sure enough, the )Queen( was glowing red. I set the Piece down on the desk, before bringing to mind the form that Adonai and I had spent hours designing. He had shown me how to create the bones, organs, veins, hair, and skin, just as he had done for Adam and Eve, all those eons ago.

Of course, even if I had absorbed his Experience, I lacked the power necessary to 'breathe life' into the form I created, but that was fine. All I needed was a form, Ddraig's soul would take care of the rest.

I invoked the Dream, looking into the concept of Creation. I visualized every facet of her form, from the fingernails to the hair follicles. I made sure to gather the Experience of several teenaged girls of her future build, so that she would know what to expect when she got older. This had the bonus of teaching her about the modern world, as she had requested. Then, once I had done everything I needed to, I pushed.

DENIAL OF NOTHINGNESS

The magic burnt through my Circuits and core, burning clear through them in a heartbeat as I channeled far too much mana for my form to safely contain. But still, the form I aimed to create formed flawlessly on the bed in front of me.

She was a fair-skinned young girl with long red hair that reaches down her waist, styled with a single strand of her bangs braided, as well as the sides of her hair pulled back and held together with a small clip shaped like a Queen Piece. She wore a long sleeved thick black blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a black skirt with red trim. She also wore a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trim around the top and red soles.

Her outfit was topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by rose-shaped pins. The Queen Piece emblem also appeared as a large silver brooch and was pinned to a wide black belt slung around her hips on an angle, which also carried bullets and a pouch. I had also used the Experience I gained from the Smith of Ages in creating Phantasmal Weapons to create a genuine Crescent Rose, out of a combination of Harpé and Kusanagi.

With the last of my strength, I took both the piece and my 'Emergency Mana Pool' gem, and placed the piece onto her chest. I intoned in a clear voice, "In the name of Millicas Gremory, rise and serve me. I name you Ruby Rose Gremory, for you are now part of my family."

As she opened her green eyes for the first time, I closed mine, falling into a deep sleep.

A/N:

I will likely be creating an Interlude soon, because Millicas has a bad case of Unreliable Narrator. I will also be using it so fill in some background information Millicas has no desire to learn.

Until next time,

Here's the stats for Crescent Rose (Alter), as well as the two weapons that went into creating it.

Name: Crescent Rose (Alter)

Title: The Bloodied Scythe of the Crimson Reaper

Rank: C-A++

Range: 1-98, 1-3

Maximum number of targets: 1000

1. Harpé

Name: Harpé

Title: The Felling of the Immortal Witch

Rank: C

Range: 1-3

Maximum number of targets: 3

Harpé is the scythe used by Perseus to kill Medusa in his legend. Harpe does not allow for healing outside the natural laws of healing wounds, but does not have any other attributes save for killing immortals.

2. Kusanagi

Japanese name: 草薙

Title: Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven

Japanese title: 天叢雲剣

Transliteration: Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi

Rank: A++

Range: 1-98, 1-3

Maximum number of targets: 1000