Chapter 433: Annoying, Scheming Little Devils
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Only one from each faction was allowed to come down to meet him. From the devils, they were wise to send Serafall, it would be easier to talk with her.
The Angels finally decided to make their move now. Of everyone, Gabriel stepped up to meet Neji.
'That's odd,' Neji thought as the angel flew towards him. 'I expected Michael.' Looking at the famed angel, he saw the unaccepted eyes he wore.
Khaos Brigade's overall leader, Ophis, was currently sleeping in the Gate of Babylon. There were too many mini factions within it to allow each individual leader to come, so Neji looked over them once and nodded at Cao Cao. He was the strongest there, other than Rizevim, but Neji didn't like the devil so the human was chosen. He'd have chosen Azazel but, two archangels at once, fallen or not, might be a bit hard to convince.
Together, the three strode through the air and reached the area. They landed on their feet in front of Neji and the girls.
A heavy silence of unending complexity settled on the area. Everyone looked at each other, and Neji's gaze lingered a bit more on Serafall before she bit her lip and looked away.
"Great," Neji said and tapped his foot just as a golden portal opened below and a table popped out of it. Then chairs came out too.
The three faction representatives looked at each other and then took their seats. Neji took a seat opposite them, on an extravagant throne before their chairs.
"Is that Merlin?" Cao Cao was the first to speak; the human descendant of the more famous Cao Cao the Warlord pointed his chin at Merlin behind Neji's throne.
Neji erupted a Silence Domain around the area, so nobody waiting in the sky could hear the meeting.
"Mhm?" Merlin met Neji's gaze and when she saw he wasn't going to answer for her, she spoke for herself. "Oh my, yes. Seems like I have a bit of a reputation in this world too."
"But of course," Cao Cao gave a respectful nod.
Taking that little exchange as the start of the meeting, the other two began to talk as well. Serafall took a look at the girls beside and behind his throne.
"Three Goddesses, one Demigod, and one legendary mage." She muttered as she took a look at the new girls. An archangel was also among them, Raynare.
Quetzalcoatl and Ryukyu were obviously Goddesses, but Rumi was one too. She had been a Goddess in name until now, but the girls in Naruto world seemed to have finally settled with the mission he bestowed upon them. There were enough believers in that world to transform Rumi into a true deity.
[Rumi Usagiyama – Chakra God – Mid Tier 57]
She hadn't bothered to move from her spot while Quetzalcoatl and Ryukyu partook in the battle, because she didn't need to. More than him, the name "Kaguya" was famous in the world of Naruto. She was a legend in that world, and so when the people were told to pray to her, it went more smoothly than in Neji's own case. Her Divinity was based on her first title, the Mother of Chakra, and that particular power gave her full control over life-force and nature energy. So she naturally grew stronger even with little divinity.
Rumi hadn't partaken in the battle, because the only ones who could match her were the leading Gods from other factions. If she attacked them, then it would have been an all-out war.
"...She is one of the strongest Gods I have laid my eyes upon," said Serafall.
"Aww, thank you. Just recently turned into one." Rumi replied, trying to read whatever chemistry was between Neji and her.
Serafall shook her head and locked eyes with the cat sitting on Neji's neck that was licking its paw. She shivered a little at the cold gaze and then looked back at Neji. "Just what was that portal that they came out from? It didn't feel like the other end was located in our world."
"Ah. Well," Neji shrugged. That in itself was the answer to her question. "In any case, how have you been?"
"Take a guess?" She said with a scowl and glared at him with hate-filled eyes. Neji just smiled.
"Uhm," the other woman at the table, the Archangel Gabriel, cleared her throat. "Can I ask something?"
Neji turned to her, smiling kindly. God's memories were highlighted in his head and he remembered everything about her. "It has been a while, Gabriel. Did you manage to solve that puzzle in the end?"
It was a puzzle box that the old God had given her to play with. Back when he died, she was yet to solve it. Neji watched her eyes tremble as she closed her mouth.
"Never mind, that answers my question." She sighed. "I have solved it… my lord. I'm glad you remember." Her eyes went a little teary as she stared at him. "It has been a long time; I have missed you."
"Hey, it's not that long, just a few hundred years," Neji replied, and it was true. For beings like them who lived so long, it was like five months for humans. "Say, why did you come instead of Michael?"
Gabriel looked ahead, looking down at the table. "Michael, he… doesn't trust that you are our lord. After all, your behavior is very different."
"Do you?"
"Yes, I trust it's you," Gabriel looked up and met his eyes. "Even though I admit that you have changed, I have no doubts that it's you. There may be some other secrets with it, but you are my lord."
"Hm," Neji nodded, letting out a sigh. "I'll say this once. I am not exactly the same being, but I am him. Imagine two cups of liquid, Cup A is Apple Juice and Cup B is Water. Cup A breaks, and before the Apple Juice can spill, you pour the contents into Cup B. So now Cup B holds all the Apple Juice, sure, but the cup is different, and it's also mixed with a bit of water." He tilted his head. "That is the current God. Is that a good enough analogy?"
"It's sufficient," Gabriel nodded, her hands clasping together. "You're saying that even if you're mixed with another person, this… 'Neji', you're still my lord. I accept you."
Neji's progress bar leaped up a couple of percentages. He smiled. "I'm glad you do. Is there anything else you want to say or ask?"
"My lord," she bowed. "I do not have any questions left. I was curious why you hadn't contacted us from the get-go, but I realize some of us might not have understood the situation before. I shall return and talk to the others about this. Then we will return to your side, to serve you."
"Good," Neji nodded, allowing Gabriel to fly off to her faction with a flutter of her pristine white wings.
"Now, Cao Cao," Neji said to the strongest human on Earth. "Convert to my religion."
"That sounds like a threat, my lord," the arrogant human smirked at God. "I am not very religious, unfortunately. You can ask me something else."
"Oh, no no," Neji smiled. He snapped his fingers and a contract appeared in front of the human. "You don't have to be religious. Sign the contract and you will feel faith toward me on your own."
"Sounds like a slave contract," the young man's smile dropped. He looked at Neji. "What if I don't sign? Just to be clear, I am not afraid of you."
"You don't need to be," Neji snapped his finger. Images appeared in the air that only he and Cao Cao could see. "Your parents. Also your teammates. I'm sure they will be scared of God's wrath. Don't be a rebel and bow to your creator, sign the contract."
"...." Cao Cao stared at him before shaking his head and reaching out for the contract. "You are a goddamn evil God if I've ever seen one. The Omnipotent powers are really not funny, I have hidden my parents from the other factions for decades." He touched the paper, and it vanished.
He blinked. "Huh?" The man looked around, confused. "Wait, what's going on?"
Memory Erasure. Neji smiled. "Nothing, you just agreed to a contract. Don't worry, it's not harmful. You should return and tell the others about joining me. If they don't, they should leave right away."
"...Alright," Cao Cao looked confused, but for some reason he couldn't feel suspicious of the individual. He got up and flew off.
That left only Serafall on the table. She gave him a dirty look, staring at him with a frown. "What was that? Did you brainwash him?"
"I guess." He agreed. "Forget that, you said you have something on one of the girls. Tell me about it."
"I won't, why should I?" The shorty argued back, but Neji couldn't feel annoyed. He just let out a laugh.
"She's cute," Rumi said in his stead. "Like a little squirrel. Where did you catch her?"
"..." Serafall turned to look at the muscular woman with a frown, before looking away once she noted the muscles.
"She's a wild little squirrel, perverted as hell," Neji replied. He laughed and looked at her. "What are you devils planning? Why are you here to meet?"
"...We want to make a deal," she replied. "I can't give you that thing we have about your girls for free. You use that Contract power of yours and promise you would leave us alone in exchange for the information you want."
"Sounds like a hassle," he shrugged. "Hey, Sera, stop playing around and spill. You're cute, but that's exactly why I might reach my patience and drag you to my room where you will spill more than just words."
"...." Serafall looked surprised but quickly composed her expression to glare at him. "You are insane. You lied to me. Y-you betrayed my feelings, don't think I'll give in just because you're flirting."
"I lied, sorry, but I didn't betray you." He shook his head. "Well, you didn't betray me, so I couldn't bring myself to betray you. I killed your fellow Satan, your old friend, for my personal benefit. I apologize for that. But I didn't touch a single strand of your hair during that fight. I didn't want to harm you, and you shouldn't take that lightly. Stop fooling around, come to my side."
Serafall's glare intensified. "What if I say no? Are you going to threaten my family too? Are you going to threaten Sona?"
"Will that make you mine? Then sure." He smiled and she paused. "I'm joking, I am not that desperate. I want you but not in the way that'd make you hate me; this isn't a weird kidnapper male lead romance novel."
"..."
"But," He tapped the table with a finger. "I do want that information you have. And I am desperate for it. But stop trying to make deals with me using it, I'll kill all the devils who are here, regardless of whether they are your friends or family. I'm sorry, but it's just how it is."
Serafall's lips quivered and she let out a harrowing sigh.
"Um, I think you're being too harsh, Neji," Ryukyu said from the side, but he didn't reply.
"Okay, fine," Serafall sniffled and nodded. "I'll tell you. I found one of your girls. I think her name is Momo Yao- something? Anyways, she's the sleeping Phenex Ancestor, the original Phenex Devil. It's not up to me to give her to you, so you have to talk with the other Satans."
"Where is she right now?" Neji asked. He wasn't surprised, the description of the item that Riser used said that it belonged to the Original Phenex. "Give me the location."
"She used to be in the Phenex Household before," she said. "Unfortunately, she has been moved. I… I am sorry, I was with the Satans when the report from the information guild came. And they read it. They realized that this might be a bargaining chip and so they hid her."
"Haah," Neji stood up.
"W-wait, there is more!" Serafall stood up with him, trying to calm him down before he went on a rampage against the Devils. "That girl. Blonde hair, cat girl. We have news on her too. Please calm down, don't hurt anyone, hear me out."
Neji's eyes widened. Slowly, he sat back down. "Kimi…? Tell me everything."
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