Knowing that Momonga's lackeys were using every opportunity to spy on them and then some, meeting in Siltrosso was an extreme gamble, or in any other human kingdom. Thus Yuuki, Granbell, and Mariabell set their meeting place in a small forest cottage in the Republic of Ulgresia. It was a small nation south of Sarion, overlooked by all major powers of the world, only known for having high numbers of spirit mages that then went to work in the elven country in exchange for protection from the Demon Lords.
Since Granbell could sense any tail put on them and cast portal spells when the need arose, he and Mariabell arrived at their destination without being tracked.
The young girl did her best to not show her immense displeasure at traveling through a muddy forest trail on foot and soldiered beside her great-grandfather. She stomped through the path, avoiding the puddles formed by a recent rain and lifted her skirt enough to avoid getting it muddied. She had been raised a princess, she despised this kind of filth only the commoners experienced on a daily basis.
Granbell's reaction was the complete opposite of hers. The old man closed his eyes and with a faint smile enjoyed the tranquility of nature. He had once been a legendary hero of the people, he wasn't afraid of mere mud and bug when he had slain far greater, more dangerous majins and demon lord seeds who had threatened the Western Nations.
Their destination was just a five-minute walk away, hidden in a quiet mountainside detached from the gaze of others. Yuuki had ensured that his hiding place was unnoticed by the spirits that permeated every part of this area, and the three had agreed to use it since the duo didn't have any other better suggestions.
Once they crossed the barely noticeable trigger line, a house came into view with Yuuki standing at the door.
No one uttered a word until they settled at the outdoor table in the backyard garden area and Granbell double-checked the region for possible spies.
"It's safe." He finally announced.
"I heard your other social club got dismantled by Tempest." Mariabell started the conversation. As one involved with Tempest through the United Trade Company, she had the luxury of hearing some of the information that wasn't meant to go public.
"Don't get jealous. I am allowed to have other friends besides you." Yuuki retorted, cheerful as ever as he poured himself a cup of tea.
"That's not the point. They might be on to you," Mariabell shook her head.
"Don't worry, I didn't suffer that big of a loss. I still have contacts in the Eastern Empire. But I'm sure you two didn't come all the way here just to tell me that," Yuuki gave a short clap of hands and a woman with an inhumanly wide mouth and dark wings dressed in a red dress appeared, carrying three cups of tea on a plate.
"New pets?" Granbell asked, eying the woman with suspicion as he accepted the cup.
"When old tricks fail, new ones are needed. She's a summon. I found a text about a long-forgotten religion where her kind were the servants of an ancient and powerful Goddess," Yuuki explained, taking a sip of his lavender tea.
"Boy, do you even understand what sort of powers you are playing with?" Granbell questioned, his contempt for the creature written clearly on his aged face.
"Yes. But back to business. What do you two have in mind?" He pushed the conversation back to the reason for their visit, sliding a platter of pastries their way.
'The old man will take a while to crack. I have always found racial prejudices impractical.' Ker spoke in his mind, interrupting his inner thoughts.
'Mariabell doesn't seem to care. We can start with her,' Yuuki replied.
'She is not worth the effort. Weak and opportunistic without your drive. I suspect she will try to sell you out for her gain in the future. We will make sure she knows nothing of importance and brings only false revelations to Momonga if her betrayal ever comes,' Yuuki could see Ker's transparent figure walk up to the girl and brush her cheek before floating away.
Somehow, it was only he who could feel her presence, and not even Granbell was aware. And Granbell was … Granbell. Never before had he been so disappointed in such a formerly lauded figure than now.
'Granbell might take her side.'
'Not if he thinks he has his prize.'
'And you won't tell me what it is as if I would use it against you,' Yuuki remarked bitterly.
'You still hold ambition in your heart. You still think I will abandon you. Trust goes both ways,' Ker responded, her transparent form returning to his side and gently whispering in his ear, a slight chuckle evident.
'All I have received by serving you is losing decades of my remaining lifespan.'
'Are you willing to give your all to me and in return be treated as a child of mine? Make your choice Yuuki, do you want to be a servant who mistrusts me or someone I treat like one of my own?' She issued an ultimatum.
Yuuki knew the Goddess could read his every thought and emotion no matter how hidden they were. And as he mistrusted and only saw her as an ally and a superior he couldn't shake off, she likely only saw him as a disposable toy for that exact reason. All his life he had been a non-believer looking out only for himself, but the fact that Gods and afterlives existed was undeniable to him, and he could reject it no longer.
As he contemplated how to respond, knowledge of how to make himself young again flooded into his mind, nearly staggering him out of his seat. He now knew how to drain energy from young people to restore what he had lost by helping make the sword in this material realm. The Goddess was throwing him a bone while also issuing a warning. She had already crept into his very soul through unknown means and was capable of messing with his mind like nobody else had. He didn't even know if what he was doing now was him doing it because he wanted to or if it was all just an illusion she had spun up in his mind.
'I can't escape. There isn't anything I could ever do to be free of her grasp.'
'You think of me as cruel and careless, but that is far from the whole truth, boy. Your assumptions are born of fear towards manipulation. In truth, you are just as cruel as me. It was for that reason I could reach you and use you as my opening in this world. What you should be asking is whether you want to fight against your nature or embrace it, for I am the embodiment of who you are,' The sweet aroma of her breath swept his nose as she spoke softly. Her presence had grown stronger each day. Soon she would be able to manifest herself in the physical world temporarily, and from then on it would only be for longer and longer periods with stronger and stronger capabilities.
'Become mine, and I will nurture you like a loving mother would love her one and only son. Become mine, and you will have a place among the ranks of my devoted when your physical life ends.'
'You know what, I've got no choice either way. So fine, I'll just trust you.' He decided that since there was no point in trying to escape, he might as well be fully devoted to her.
The change was immediate. Instead of just the raw power of his Goddess he usually felt swirling around him, he now also felt a caring warmth. Ker gave his cheek a gentle stroke with a smile, reminding him of his parents who died way before he had been brought into this world.
'As you are mine to command, you are mine to guard and nurture as well. Now let's proceed. The old man wants his wife back, but her soul was reborn a long time ago and now neither recognizes the other,' Ker explained with sadistic amusement while pointing at Mariabell.
'Seriously? Mariabell was his wife in the past life? Wouldn't that work in our favor?'
'Unfortunately, making her remember wouldn't help us but make them slip through our grasp. Now return your attention to the conversation.'
As fast as his interaction with his Goddess was, he still needed to pay attention to the two guests.
"Luminous is at the Walpurgis. Her hideout is not well-defended. Two of us will go there and retrieve Chronoa, the sleeping true hero. She will be our trump card against Tempest," Granbell revealed his intentions.
'Now that is interesting. You have a plan, right?'
'You know me well, my dear.' Ker purred. 'Yes, I will use Chronoa to express myself in this world and she will be a willing recipient of my power, but first things first. Play as the loyal servant to the old man, for now.'
'What are we going to do about his prize?' Yuuki asked, leaning forward with interest.
'A greater spirit of deceit owes me. She can play the role of Granbell's wife without him suspecting anything. He will be under our control before you know it.'
"How much time do we have?" Yuuki inquired.
"Not sure, but we must act fast. I will send Mariabell home after our meeting is done and then you and I will strike," Granbell explained.
"Shouldn't we also use this opportunity and unleash Chronoa upon Tempest while most of their leaders are busy?" Yuuki continued.
"No. We need to plan carefully and aim to assassinate Momonga. He is the one who is holding everyone together and without him, Tempest will likely break apart and enter a civil war." Granbell laid out his grand plan.
"Sounds good. I assume we are dealing with Kagali at that same moment?" Yuuki played along, refilling his cup.
"We might. For now, let's continue concentrating on the main target."
Of course, the real plan would be made by Ker and the old man would follow it, but he needed to believe he was in charge for a little bit longer. And if Mariabell was really a potential traitor, he would start feeding her lies at the first opportune time. Their cooperation would continue for at least a little longer.
There was but a single, foreboding fortress on the small stony island. Yuuki stood beside Granbell as both had just arrived at Luminous' hiding place through the latter's teleportation.
While Granbell would secure the ground level and ensure that no distress signal got out, he would retrieve the sleeping hero and break out to an arranged retreat location.
"Leave no one alive. Covering our trail won't be easy," Granbell barked an order and broke into a run, half-flying with magical leaps and bounds.
Despite his age, the man could move at a frightening speed that Yuuki could barely keep up with, even boosted by Ker's immense power.
As Granbell started the indiscriminate slaughter of all the vampires located on the ground floor, Yuuki descended into the underground complex.
To make things easier and straightforward, he unleashed twenty Kerai to capture every living creature within these ancient catacombs as he unleashed technique after technique to shatter barriers and avoid traps.
The creatures given to him by his Goddess were perfect killing machines. Bloodthirsty, ruthless, and above all else executed all orders without hesitation, they were perfect soldiers through and through.
As he descended at a fast pace, his trusty servants gifted by Ker cleaned his path, only occasionally bringing a young, captured vampire to him whose life essence gave Yuuki back some of his lost youth. The elderly and remaining warriors were slaughtered in dedication to their Goddess. His Antiskill was a perfect counter to anyone attempting to contact Luminous as it nullified any ability weaker than his.
At the deepest level, he found Luminous' private chamber armed to the teeth with protective enchantments that, luckily, were easy to break.
Upon entering, they found that the living space was a mess with signs of neglect all over it. Luminous seemed to not care about herself as of late.
'Poor Luminous. What a high price she has paid for her hubris,' Ker commented, sounding amused.
'And then you wonder why I refused to trust you,' Yuuki chuckled in response.
'You, my dear boy, are willing to be mine as is. I don't have to deceive you. We complete each other. She, despite her very nature, is a soft creature unwilling to take what she desires for even thousands of years. She would never embrace me like you do. But let's not waste time. Our weapon awaits,' She urged Yuuki to move, prodding him further.
In the next room, he found a casket made out of shining light with a naked figure inside. Yuuki used most of his willpower to observe her with nothing else but passive curiosity.
'Enticing, isn't she? No man could look away with ease. Feel free to admire her form while I work,' Ker teased him, floating over to the individual within.
'This again. You know, my Goddess, that I am not so easily distracted.' Yuuki retorted, approaching the figure while observing the casket.
'Don't deny your desires. If local women are not to your fancy, use the Kerai. The more you bottle up your desires, the more of a distraction they will become when the time is crucial. Now, cut your hand and press it against the casket. We have little time for me to make an opening in her for me.' Ker ordered.
'Mind explaining your plan?' Yuuki inquired while doing as told. His blood mixed with Ker's divine energies, slowly seeped through the holy barrier making a small pool on the girl's forehead.
'I will rebuild her to be strong enough to do the job. This one is angry and driven to desire something she will never have,' Ker commented, almost chuckling.
'Does it matter what she wants? Can't you just take over her mind like you did with Hinata?' Yuuki asked.
'Influenced. Even I cannot force one to do what one's very soul would reject. And this one's mind is different. She would deny me should I try to enforce my will. All she needs to know is the truth. The one she loves is not in this world because Momonga took his place. She will destroy Momonga for no other reason than depriving her of what she desires.' Ker broke into delighted laughter as he felt her power coursing through him.
'Not to jinx it, but are you sure Momonga can't do something to stop her?' Yuuki asked cautiously.
'Unlikely. But you are right to be cautious. At this point, Momonga has grown to a level that I cannot see in Nazarick and most of Tempest at all. But there is little chance he will be able to find the one who could soothe the soul of this one. Breaking the borders of timelines is difficult, even though I am aware of my other selves, I'm not fully connected to them. Should Momonga find a way to bring the one Chronoa desires to this timeline we'll have bigger problems to worry about than her disobedience.'
'You think it's possible?'
'If the ones guarding the time ways do not object then yes, such possibility exists.'
Satisfied with answers, Yuuki watched Ker work. First, she made a direct connection to Chronoa's artificial soul and then cut off part of it before expunging it from the body while simultaneously cutting off the soul's connection to something, something far away.
'She held Hinata's soul within. We don't need it. It would only try to slow Chronoa down. I also cut her connection with Chloe, so Momonga would not know she would be more powerful when awakened. He will expect what Chloe tells him to expect,' Ker explained every detail as she worked.
Her attitude towards him had changed a lot. If before she barely
explained anything, then now since he was truly devoted to her she freely shared everything with him.
'We should prepare more surprises just in case,' Yuuki suggested, hefting the body over his shoulder.
'And we will. Now be a good boy and carry the casket back to Granbell,' Ker replied.
The next strike needed to be precise and lethal, to end it all in a single stroke. As Momonga was overpreparing for everything, this time so would they. No matter how long preparations would take, Momonga wouldn't survive their next attack, even with his void pet guarding him.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by aidan_lo, Cay, Sluethen, clagan, KieraKieraARTS, Onii-Chan, CakeEight, NuggetLover, Malguis, Working_Stiff and Stac.
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