Third Person Point of View
…
"Big sis Yashina, you lost?" asked a young girl.
"My clone lost to Lavinia Reni, the Ice Princess. Fufu, to think that she was that powerful. However, my clone managed to unlock a power I didn't think was possible. I look forward to training with it," replied Yashina.
Even though the one to attack Yashina was Lavinia, she did a lot of damage, including to her soul. The body doubles she used had been wiped out and she suffered some damage. Yashina was even more excited to fight the strongest user of [Absolute Demise]. But unknown to her, she wasn't aware of the evolution of Lavinia's Sacred Gear.
"B-but you didn't use most of your abilities either?" she asked.
"I didn't, and I doubt she did the same either. I don't think the woman that Glenda told us about is the same Lavinia Reni. From our short battle, I did not feel any hesitance from her. I told her many things, about her parents, about Glenda, but… none of them worked. I will report this to them, so they can better prepare."
Yashina looked at the little girl and smirked. "You will be participating in the Halloween Operation, aren't you, Ashtulai?" asked Yashina.
Ashtulai smiled. She was a few years younger than Yashina, however, she was just as powerful as her. She did not have Sacred Gear, but she simply was… a hybrid. However, she wasn't conceived normally.
Thanks to the researchers of the Khaos Order, she was born from Yashina's own power and blood with one of the strongest Evil Dragon's, Aži Dahāka. Ashtulai has access to thousands of magic, touki, draconic abilities, a master swordswoman and many others.
Ashtulai has a petite body structure and a pale skin tone. She has ruby red eyes and white long, wavy hair. She is dressed in a sleeveless purple and black kimono, with the bow on the kimono having her dragon emblem on it. She also wore black socks and white high heels. She also wore a flower hairpin.
"Yes, I wish to clash with the Middleman, father said that the Silver-haired Valkyrie was an exceptional fighter too. I may send a clone to join Nagendra since he plans on attacking the Hindu pantheon," replied Ashtulai.
"Hindu gods… hmm, they boast to be the strongest gods of this universe. However, if we compare them to the three mechanical gods of the Evie faction, and the top 3 Eradicators, Yve and even Phumera, they stand no chance," said Yashina.
"Yes, they are strong—they can simply live through a different parallel version of themselves, making them essentially immortal. It's quite terrifying when you think about it. Even then, they are capable of some sort of reality manipulation where they can simply undo their death if they choose to do so," added Ashtulai. "I wonder if the Middleman has that?" asked the young girl.
"I do not know, but I won't be surprised if he did. Lapis once said the Ouroboros Dragon was not 'infinite', however, its strength was just so high in comparison to most beings in our universe. However, I believe my husband's strength is the definition of 'infinite'," explained Yashina.
"If he had infinite power, why doesn't he use it?" asked Ashtulai.
"He may have his reasons. He is an Outer God after all, we mortals cannot comprehend their way of thinking. We could make the argument of why doesn't Azathoth just not end us right now? Why does she let us do what we do? They are the ruler and creator of everything, so why let us rampage and disturb the peace?" asked Yashina.
"But didn't they say that the Outer Gods are the embodiment of chaos and evil? Phumera and the rest of the Eradicators are terrified of Magnum Tenebrosum. They don't want to get on his bad side, apparently," answered Ashtulai.
"I think most outer gods do fit that category, however, there may be some that are the odd balls, don't you think? Jin, my husband should be one of them. He advocates for peace and co-existence, which sounds absurd, don't you think?" asked Yashina.
"…Well, I may get to ask him some questions through my clone if I encounter him. I mean, where trouble is, the Middleman is bound to appear, so I'll take that chance to ask him some questions," said Ashtulai as she turned around. "I will go train more. See you later, big sis Yashina~!"
…
"It seems Avezza has been captured and changed sides. Satanael's other team was also wiped out by the Dual Dragon Emperor's subordinates. We lost a valuable member to our side, but I don't think Avezza has any memories anymore so we should be safe from information leaks, but…"
"It doesn't matter, she left us her own plans and memories on this," replied Satanael as he showed the leaders of the Seekers of Truth the item that Avezza left them. "Everything. Everything that she worked on and planned to work on is in this, as well as her future plans. Avezza always knew she would be killed or captured, so she planned ahead."
"She was always smart. It's unfortunate we lost her, but she's always one step ahead of them," said Promestein with a smile. "Let us proceed as normal. Even with her gone, nothing has changed. We have the Evie and Phantasma researchers. While they're not on the same level as Avezza yet, they in numbers can make up for it."
"Will we proceed with the operation with the Hindu pantheon and the Hindu gods?" asked another member.
"We will, Nagendra has been amassing an army large enough and powerful enough to wipe out at least their people and the non-combatant gods and goddesses of that pantheon. We will need to acquire the [Purna-Kalasha] to get the [Amrita], the elixir of life. We can't afford to fail this mission. It will help us with creating our item," explained Oz.
"We will send our mass-produced cryptids and divine beasts. The Evie will also send some of their soldiers and a powerful ally, the same with the Phantasma as they'll bring over one of the Ueboros," said Promestein.
She then made a magic circle appear and showed certain images of their allies that would be joining them in their attack on the Hindu pantheon.
"So we're expecting loses in this?" asked Nyx.
"Obviously, Mard Geer and Kyôka will send a new hybrid they created as a sub-group of the Monkai Association. His name is apparently Jackal and they boast he's at least Dragon God-class, so we'll have more firepower on our side," said Augusta.
"This is sounding more and more successful as I hear more of it, but what if we fail?" asked Nyx as she stroked her hair. "That Dual Dragon Emperor won't just sit still you know?"
"Both the Evie god and Ueboros along with Jackal will be the ones to fight him together. Even if they only buy us time, that is more than enough as we will obtain what we need. We have been unsuccessful with infiltrating since Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are quite perceptive," explained Promestein. "But it won't matter, we will push on with our infinite numbers and distract that naïve Middleman."
"What about the Artificial Super Devils? Will they participate soon? And how about the [Malebranche]?" asked a member.
"Not yet, they wish to try to improve that previous body of Lilith, however, the [Malebranche] have made it clear that they will only move once all Longinus wielders have been gathered. And knowing the Middleman he will do that for us, so patience is key," added Chernobog. "How about the two kings? Are they close to this universe yet?" he asked.
"No, the Death King is further than the False King. However, Lapis said she may be around halfway to the False King, so we shouldn't need to wait too long," replied Oz.
…
Japan, Kuoh
Skyward Household
…
Jin Skyward's Soliloquy
…
"Mmm-mmm~"
"Um, Nia, I can't really cook if you keep hugging me like this," I told her.
It had been a few hours since we returned, but Lavinia has been even more attached to me since we got engaged. According to her, she had to hold herself back when we woke up, and during the time we had to capture Avezza. To her, she would have just froze the entire dimension and gotten it over with so we could continue our time in Italy.
Knowing her, it was very possible. However, a small dilemma is occurring right now. A few girls weren't too happy about this. A sulking Suzaku, Rose and Kuroka were behind me. Grayfia who was helping me along with Raiko was fine with it. Though their eyes or mouths do twitch on occasion when Lavinia stops me from cooking and flirts with me.
School had ended for everyone, but the Gremory group weren't here yet since they were busy doing their devil contracts.
"It's fine…~~ hehe~~" she replied and hugged me tighter.
"Aaron," Suzaku called out my name. "I will proceed with what we discussed, you made it already, correct?"
"Yep, it's all ready, I can have my shadow soldiers help with it, if you want?"
"No, it's fine, everything is in my ring already," replied Suzaku.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Rose.
"Is this secret sex nya?" asked Kuroka. "Nyaaaaaaaaaaa! Grayfia nya! No need to try to freeze me nya!"
I shook my head and explained, "Suzaku is moving in starting today. If she has all her things ready, all that's left is to move into the room that's prepared for her. Like Kunou and Yasaka, her room has an extra door connected to her clan's building, so she can come and go as she pleases. Also, Suzaku and the rest of us can use it. No one in her clan can use it unless they have permission."
"Move… in…" muttered Lavinia. I felt her turn her head away from my back and then a strange tension appeared.
I turned my head slightly and saw Suzaku and Lavinia staring at each other silently. Kuroka and Rose looked unsure of what to do and also looked at each other with confused expressions. I'm pretty sure these two get along, but…
[A rivalry appeared because they found out they bother were 'Fated Ones' to you,] said Elsha.
{We could say… they have a 'fated' rivalry…}
'...Oh no, you like puns, Amaris?' asked Rudra.
[Oh no…]
'Oh yes! I didn't know you liked puns, Amaris!' I exclaimed happily.
{Oh, only occasionally, hehe.}
"Well, it's not like anything will change," said Grayfia as she chopped more vegetables up. "Suzaku joined us during the time we spent in the [Pocket Dimension] after all."
"T-that's true, so sleeping arrangements won't really change, it's just that we'll have an extra person living here," added Rose.
"Speaking of an extra person nya, Kunou-chan is going to be in the Middle school division of Kuoh starting next year, so she'll be moving into our home permanently nya~" said Kuroka.
As I turned back around to continue working, I heard someone appear in the kitchen.
"Kunou is moving here?" asked Ophis' voice.
"Ah, Ophis-nya, yeah she's moving here starting next year, well… probably during the summer, but yeah she'll be living here starting then," said Kuroka.
"Hmm. Good, what about Yasaka?" she asked.
"Mmm… I don't know, Aaron nya?"
"As far as I know because of the increased activity of the Khaos Order she can't afford to visit too often, so we can't expect her to move in yet. However, once everything calms down, then yeah she'll have more time," I explained.
Yasaka does text me frequently about it. I also pop into their home when I get time. The last time was a few days after the attack on the Romanian vampires.
"…Unfortunate, we need to kill the Khaos Order soon," said Ophis.
"Haha, we definitely do," I replied. At first when she started speaking without pausing and with full sentences it was a bit strange, but she regularly speaks like that now and we're all used to it. She expresses a lot more emotion now too, though I can thank everyone for that, especially Yasaka, Kunou and Gabriel.
I was even more surprised when Church Trio became good friends with Ophis, and apparently Irene can't keep up with young girls and their energy. She's like an old hag about it…
"…Hmm?" I looked to my other side and saw a magic circle appear. "Can I leave this to you two for now?" I asked Raiko and Grayfia and they agreed. "Nia, I need to take this privately. I'll try to make it quick."
"…Okay," she said. I was surprised that she agreed. I kissed her on the forehead and left. I arrived at the top section of my home and answered it.
[Ignia, did you find Lapis yet?] I asked.
[No, but… I wanted to tell you something, or more like, ask you something. What did that Cúntóir person tell you about Reincarnators?]
Cúntóir: Answer: There are no other Reincarnators currently, as far as I know.
[Well, you're wrong. Mother told us about it and she did help reincarnate some humans and help hide them. Well, they're quite weak, the ones I came across, so I killed them. So I want to ask… do you want me to keep going?]
Other reincarnators, huh? I never really thought of the notion but…
[I'll leave it to your decision.]
[Heh, when you say that, it usually means kill them, father,] he said with a scoff.
[…I'll let you interpret that whatever way you want. Anyway, where have you been to so far?] I asked him.
[Some weird ocean world filled with pirates. I killed some fake dragon, a really powerful swordsman with a big ass sword. I also killed some magma weirdo and blew a giant hole in the world, though it won't destroy it. Oh! I fought some red-haired weirdo. He was really strong, so I gave him a pill to restore his other arm.]
[There was also some weirdo with a straw hat that kept shouting something about being the next Pirate King or whatever. He was funny so I didn't do anything, but some green-haired swordsman was really angry with me. I dunno why though.]
One Piece… Ignia, what the hell did you do to that world…? From the sounds of it, you killed Kaido, Mihawk and Akainu… well not like I care since I haven't been to the world yet. He also gave Shanks his arm back. I wonder how messed up that world is now?
[I also traveled to another world filled with magic. I found a guy that looked like me who started spouting about being a Dragon God and son of the Fire Dragon King, Igneel. Anyway, I killed him too, he was annoying as hell.]
[Also, some guy called Acnologia or whatever, I also killed him, he was about to fire a blast at an island or something. I also found a Selene look alike who also had the same name! Pretty neat, huh? Anyway, I kicked her ass and left that world after killing a bunch of people that called themselves demons, oh, and two of them looked like Mard Geer and Kyôka.]
"...…"
Does he plan on just going on a rampage on each universe/world he goes to…? Why am I even asking this? The answer is obvious… of course he would, he's a battle maniac after all.
[Ignia, in what world did you meet those Reincarnators in?] I asked.
[Hmm? Ah, they were—]
He told me about them and most of them, save for one, were mostly original worlds that I had no idea about. The other reincarnator he found was in the world of Arifureta, and he promptly killed everyone there… rest in peace, Hajime and his harem…
[I don't think I'm close to Lapis at all, out here, your perception of time and space is messed up. I left back a few weeks ago, what day or month is it?] he asked.
I told him what day it was and he laughed.
[Only that? I guess Azathoth is being quite generous then! Anyway, that's all I can report to you. I gotta go, see ya!]
The magic circle then disappeared and I was left on my own. This was a good opportunity. I opened up my new channel and ordered my double agents to report everything to me. It took them a while but they all eventually sent me messages through the channel.
[Most higher-ups from the Monkai Association are in other universes getting stronger. No plans of attack in the near future, but some members may help other factions in the meantime.]
[The fallen angel faction will still commence with the attack on Grigori, but it has been postponed for further planning.]
[No signs of the human called 'Tosca' yet, however, we have found other bases and have been slowly destroying them. It seems like they've moved her to a different place in this timeline.]
I got a few more messages but it seems most of them aren't on the move yet. However, it seems like something will happen to the Hindu pantheon like what Avezza told us. So I really do need to go there quickly. I'll ask Michael about it…
I created a new magic circle and connected it to Michael.
"Jin-kun? How can I help you?" he asked happily.
"Hello, Michael. I assume you're doing well? Anyway, remember before my summer vacation? You said you would speak to the Hindu gods about an alliance. How did that go?" I asked.
"Ah yes, that… well, it didn't go too well initially. But I've been in talks with them over time, the one who's very against it was Indra, and it became even more so after Cao Cao was killed, apparently, he took him in at some point. He's quite angry at you. But…"
Michael paused for a moment before he spoke again. "Shiva and the rest (gods and buddhas) aren't against you going there. You have quite a few fans among them after all, especially Prithvi Mata, fufu. She expressed that she wanted to join Team [DxD], however, she may instead join the [EXE] organization."
Indra hates me, huh? Or it just a bit of an annoyance? Well regardless, I still plan on going to the Hindu Pantheon.
"I'm planning on going to the Hindu Pantheon soon. Can you tell them that? It should be in a few days," I told him.
"Oh, okay! So you're finally heading there, huh? I think it's fine, it's better now than back then. While your name was starting to spread, it shouldn't have been enough yet, but now it's different. You'll definitely be welcome there. Very well, give me a few days and I'll set it up, Jin-kun," said Michael.
"Thank you. Also, can you help me with a guide? I feel like that place is going to be extensive," I said.
"Fufu, of course. I think I know the right candidate, and yes, it's quite large. But for this purpose, you probably won't need to go too far since that pantheon was informed by Azazel around two hours ago that there might be an attack happening, so they're on high alert," he explained.
He already got into contact with them? I wonder what other factions or pantheons he's called to inform them of potential attacks…?
"We're also on high alert since Avezza told us about a potential attack on Heaven too. Layla-san and Altaria-san have increased our defenses here too. The same with the devils, apparently Katerea Leviathan is conscious again and wants to break out, she heard news of her ancestor being alive and is desperate to leave. Ah, that reminds me, Sirzechs wants Ingvild to try to speak to her. Would you be okay with that?" he asked.
"…Whether I'm fine with it isn't really relevant. In the end it's up to Ingvild if she wants to, but I'll talk to her about it," I replied.
"Yes, that is indeed correct and thank you, Jin-kun. I'll go now and start speaking with them, and I'll contact you as soon as I make it official."
"Yeah, thanks again, Michael."
After that, the magic circle disappeared and I sighed. I'll inform Suzaku about the potential attacks with the Five Clans again. Vali during his stay in the [Training Facility] told me how the Sacred Beasts are connected to their chosen host, and where they're currently staying at.
Meaning I'll need to at least go to the Chinese pantheon to check on them or speak to them… maybe set up an alliance with them too. I'll ask Azazel about it since Vali's been there.
"Aaron?"
I turned around and saw Suzaku there. Perfect timing…
"Suzaku, sorry, I spoke with Michael and Ignia. I guess it took a bit longer than I expected. Perfect timing though, I need to speak to you."
She nodded and we moved to one of the benches and sat down on it. I then told her about the potential attack on the clans, and the exiled members trying to hunt down the Sacred Beasts, so I wanted to go to the Chinese pantheon because of it—I also told her about what Vali found out.
"That's concerning. I don't know if it's true, but if a Sacred Beast is killed there is a possibility that its host may suffer some injuries, and possibly, death. But I only read this through some old books that my great uncl—Aaron, please calm down…"
"Huh?" I was confused by her reaction.
She reached up and cupped my cheek. "Even though you try to hide it, to me, I can see it clearly. We see a wide range of emotions in you, but sadness and anger are less noticeable. But I know, so please don't be too upset. You said it yourself, didn't you? You'll go to the Chinese pantheon to stop it or protect them, right?"
"…Yeah, but I don't want anything happening to you, so come with me," I said to her. "It'll make it easier if you come, right? You're the Vermillion bird's host after all."
"I don't mind, Aaron. I will try to clear up my schedule," replied Suzaku.
"Me too!" said Lavinia's voice.
We both turned to see that she had arrived and was puffing her cheeks like a squirrel.
"What if you have a mission?" asked Suzaku.
"Fusae-chan will replace me. Azazel texted me about his and Aaron's chat! I think she'll make a fine addition to the team," replied Lavinia.
"I'm okay with that, and yeah, we spoke about Fusae potentially joining the team if you leave Team Slash/Dog. I thought about Lisa, but I don't know if she would want to… well, I haven't really said anything to Fusae yet so I'll bring it up to her too," I explained.
We spoke about more things for the next few minutes before we returned to the kitchen-dining room and I helped finish making dinner. However, Kuroka looked like she wanted to speak to me about something, but I more or less knew—she was acting like Lavinia after all.
…
Time passed on and it was currently night. Wanting some peace and quiet I was currently in my office reading a book. A few of the girls offered to come help me but I didn't have any documents that need reviewing or signing. The door to the room suddenly opened and in came Kuroka, Shirone, Rose and Raiko.
"Good evening, how can I help you guys?" I asked and put my book down.
Kuroka and Shirone walked over to the couch and started eating from the snacks that were there, while Rose and Raiko came over to my desk.
"You informed us during dinner that you're headed to the Hindu pantheon, and I planned on accompanying you, but I can't travel with you since Odin-sama and Brynhildr-senpai contacted me not too long ago. I'll be returning to Asgard for a few days, and I've spoken to Azazel and Rias about this earlier," said Rossweisse.
"Is it something serious?" I asked, becoming concerned.
"No, it's just to train some new Valkyries again, just like that one request you had a few months back. I'll also take this time to go home since apparently my parents want to talk to me as well," she added.
"Ah, I see. That's fine then, good luck, Rose and if you need help just contact me."
She nodded, kissed me and left. Next it was Raiko who fidgeted a bit but eventually spoke up.
"I was also contacted by Amaterasu-sama. She wishes for me to attend something. I believe she wants to make a small group that consists of former Japanese legends and heroes, and also add that to Team [DxD]," explained Raiko. "She asked me to be the leader of that group and our first meeting is tomorrow. I don't know how long it will last though. I also believe Raijin-sama will also tell me when your match with her will be."
"A team of old Japanese heroes? So… Yoshitsune, Benkei, Yoichi and Kojiro will in it, won't they? Sounds interesting, ah, I wish I could go to it." I complained a little and Raiko giggled at me.
"Perhaps Amaterasu-sama will also ask others who aren't part of our pantheon to join. There are some that live within Japan after all. They just change their appearance just like how devils use their demonic power," she added.
But…
"So you won't be able to go with me to the Hindu pantheon too, huh?" I asked and she nodded.
"Yes, it will happen during your visit," she said sadly, almost like an upset puppy.
"It's fine, we'll have other chances to go back to it in the future if the alliance goes well."
"Ah, Inaie won't be going too. She said something about going with me back to our pantheon since her father's asked her to train the youth and adults in Shifengu. She's apparently become very well-liked and respected there after saving them all."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Inaie wanted this, though I'm still a bit annoyed that an attack was needed to make them accept her. But in the end, I was still happy with it.
"Really? That sounds good. I hope it goes well then. I'll add some shadow soldiers to all of you then," I said and she agreed. We spoke a bit more and eventually Raiko also left.
I looked back to the couch and saw Kuroka trying to shove some snacks into Shirone's mouth. She was resisting quite hard—a strange power struggle was currently happening between the two sisters.
"Nee-sama, stop!"
"Nya~! Nya~! Nya~!"
Kuroka did not, but I walked over to them and lightly hit her head with my book making her stop her actions. "So? Did you two need something from me?" I asked as I stood behind them and the couch.
"We want to go with you to the Hindu pantheon nya!" said Kuroka.
I looked at Shirone and she nodded in agreement. "I don't mind, the more, the merrier. So, you, Shirone, Suzaku and Lavinia, an interesting group, I won't lie."
"Also, we want to meet that snake youkai. I've contacted Yasaka but she hasn't heard of him before, the same with Magari, the leader of the Nekomata from the East Faction of youkai in Kyoto. But she also said she hadn't heard of him before," explained Kuroka.
"Nee-sama also said that Nurarihyon-sama also said that he hadn't heard of that snake youkai before. Maybe he's from another universe?" added Shirone.
"Could be, but we won't be able to find out for sure unless he tells us himself. But yeah, just expect something to happen when we go there, alright?" I said to them and they happily agreed.
…
Around a day later, I was given something by Griselda. It was apparently from Michael, and it basically said that they wanted an angel to go with me too, so I could choose who to bring. Griselda was quite fidgety about it, but also said I should bring Gabriel since she's also a Seraph.
The letter basically said that they'd be expecting me soon and that the one guiding me around would be the Mother Goddess Prithvi Mata. I kind of expected that, but I'll be meeting a future member of the [EXE], huh? I wonder if I'll meet Nuwa during my visit to the Chinese Pantheon?
"I… I can't come. Please take Gabriel-sama. But I wish to go with you to the Chinese pantheon, if possible," said Griselda.
"Sure thing, I'm trying to go there before Halloween happens."
"Because of the supposed attacks?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm worried about that, but also don't know when the 'Connected Harmony' faction will act on hunting down the Sacred Beasts," I replied with concern.
"It will be fine, Aaron. You worry too much sometimes, believe in your own abilities and ours," said Griselda as she held my hands.
I smirked and snorted confusing her. "You're acting just like Suzaku and me right now. I started holding people's hands when telling them things."
Griselda blushed and said, "I simply wish to have more contact with you… is that bad?"
"That was adorable, you know?" I said and kissed her. She was a bit surprised but kissed me back. "But yeah, I look forward to spending time with you and Suzaku there."
"Mmm."
…
"Aaron."
"Hmm? Oh Lianne, is something wrong?" I asked. It was a day before I go to the Hindu pantheon and Lianne had approached me, behind her was the rest of the Stahlritter.
She opened her palm and showed me a magic circle. On it was an image of masked people.
"They have been lurking around the outskirts of Kuoh. I do not know if it's anything serious or just troubled youth. What shall we do?" she asked. "We have been keeping a close eye on them for the time being."
"Do that more, if they make any suspicious movements, capture them and bring them to me," I told her and she agreed.
"I think they're just stupid kids playing around, but that's just me," added Duvalie.
"Fufu, of course you do, Cute-leader-chan~" said Ennea. Ines nodded along with the teasing.
"Kh! You both never get tired of teasing me?!" snapped back Duvalie.
"No," they said in unison. Duvalie just shook her head and walked away.
"They sure do get along," I said to Lianne.
"Yes they do," she replied as we watched them.
…
Finally, it was the day of my trip to the Hindu pantheon. Apparently Prithvi Mata will be meeting us at Mt. Meru in the human world first before we are transported to their realm. Apparently, it's quite a vast place.
The ones traveling with me are Lavinia, Suzaku, Kuroka, Shirone and Gabriel. Everyone was dressed up appropriately… well, we were wearing our usual clothes, I wore my usual clothes too, so… but we did get Kuroka to wear her obi (not loosely) so that's a plus, I think?
"Right, to Tanzania then!"
"Yes nya! Food nya!"
Not what I was expecting, but I'll take it.
…
Africa
Tanzania
…
Once we arrived near the base of the mountain, I had made sure to teleport to a spot where we wouldn't be seen by normal humans. While this place is called 'Anti-Everest', since it's not as known as the famous Mt. Everest, there are still climbers here as well as tourists coming to just check the mountain out.
I felt a short burst of divine energy directed at me. When my group and I turned to our right, we saw a woman there waving her at us. She had gray hair tiny in a short ponytail, tanned/brown skin and red eyes. She wore a black business suit and black heels.
When I used [Observe] on her, it was Prithvi Mata. I put my hand up to her and started walking towards her, both Kuroka and Lavinia hugged my arm as we arrived by her.
"Hello, Prithvi Mata," I greeted her and put my hand out for a handshake.
"Hello, Oppai Dragon… no, I should call you, Jin, right?" she asked and shook my hand. "I'm Prithvi Mata and a fan of Oppai Dragon by the way! Zoom, zoom iyaan, hehe~ anyway, I'm here to guide you into our realm," she explained.
"I expected goddesses to be stricter or adhere to rules and speak in a more formal manner, but you're so… modern nya!" said Kuroka.
"I'm not one for traditions, and when I heard Michael tell us that old gods and beings will be left behind if we don't modernize ourselves, it resonated with me. That's why I started dressing like this, and becoming more familiar with the modern human world. Ah, I also heard that it was you who told him that," she said.
She then turned around and glanced at us. "Anyway, let's go. The 'entrance' to our realm isn't too far from here. There's a secret passage way into this mountain and that's where we put a magic circle into our realm. Oh, we also have a bunch of strong barriers and protections on it so no one unauthorized can just walk in."
We agreed with her and we started to follow after her. She seemingly just walked into a wall, but without hesitation and a bit of screaming from Kuroka, I also walked into it. As expected, we passed through it and Kuroka blushed.
"It's normal to panic, nya~"
"Don't try to play it off, you were literally screaming," I told her.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, details, Aaron, details~"
"I'm excited to see this realm. I haven't been there before! I asked Michael to take me but he refused," said Gabriel and she crossed her arms looking a bit angry.
"He was just worried about you, Gabriel-sama," said Suzaku, as she tried to reassure the Seraph.
Gabriel hugged Suzaku's arm and said, "I know, but I still wish he let me go! I had Aaron's' protection back then too, so it was fine!"
[She certainly gets along with everyone. I dread the day I come back to life and she hugs me like that,] said Elsha.
{She seems fluffy, so I wouldn't mind,} added Amaris.
"It seems your harem gets on well with each other," said Prithvi.
"Generally. They're usually on good terms around 99% of the time. They do sometimes disagree on things, but they'll talk it out—the only thing that may sometimes get heated is—"
"Bed time and our time with Aa—Jin nya!" finished Kuroka.
"Bed time… how does that work?" asked Prithvi.
As we walked through what seemed to be a cave system with a few magically illuminated lights and candles, the narrow pathway started to change into a more open system. We eventually arrived at a large opening and beneath us was a large hole with a spiral staircase made out of rocks.
"Typically, seven of us sleep with him every night. There is a set schedule for it and we follow it. However, if there is a 'special' occasion or reason, then we can squeeze in an eighth or let that person sleep with Jin by himself," explained Shirone.
"It seems like you have your harem life in order, Jin. This may be stepping over my boundaries, but who will you have your first child with? Or is there someone who is already pregnant?"
"Me!" all of them said in unison.
We were currently walking down the spiral stone staircase and Prithvi stopped to stare back at us. I gave her a strained smile while the girls looked at each other silently.
"Me nya!"
"No, Kuro-chan, I'm one of 'them' so I have to get pregnant first," said Lavinia.
"I am also one of 'them' so I have every right to get pregnant first too, Lavinia," added Suzaku.
"…" Shirone didn't say anything but simply grabbed the back of my shirt.
"Well, I don't really care when I do, but I do want to have Jin's children. I'm sure they'll be adorable~," said Gabriel.
"Fufu, they really do love you, huh? We've heard from Indra that you have a concubine, but I guess he was wrong. Though not many really believed what he said," said Prithvi and she continued walking down the spiral stone staircase.
He tried to spread that about me? Now I'm really interested in how he'll react to me being in their realm. After a few minutes of walking down the giant hole and talking to Prithvi Mata, we eventually arrived at the bottom. In the middle was a large magic circle and it was covered by an invisible barrier that was different from the one that covered this area.
"This part will teleport us to the forest sub-realm, ah, Mount Meru won't look like what you think it is. It's also in a different realm from the city we're stopping by, so don't expect to see it right away. Only gods, goddesses, and anyone that has approval may enter it," explained Prithvi.
"…" I wasn't sure where Nagendra was, so I ordered my shadows to search multiple places on earth, especially near this place. I believed that he wouldn't be too far from here, so he could use this place to teleport into the Hindu realm.
I looked back at Prithvi Mata as she winked at us and stepped onto the magic circle; we quickly joined her. She asked if we were ready and we were, so we finally left.
…
We were teleported into some kind of small wooden hut. We looked around and saw that it was a normal place of residence.
"Where are we?" asked Shirone.
"It's an outpost. We're in an area of forest where the youth sometimes train in, though most of the time they use this area to play, so don't be startled when—"
Boooooooooooom!
She couldn't finish her sentence as a large explosion occurred outside, so we walked towards the window and looked out of it. In the distance we saw that there were multiple people fighting. However, the expression on their faces told us that they weren't out to kill each other.
"Haa, those guys… they do this daily, and actually—they're quite big fans of yours. See?" she said and pointed to one of the males as he had fake cannon blasters on his shoulders…
"X Blaster!!" He shouted and laughed. A small beam of energy left it and missed another male and they also fired their own attack that looked like a [Dragon Shot].
"I don't know how to feel about that," I replied and smiled wearily.
"Well, apart from that, this place is a safe zone, and one of the most protective areas, not including Mount Meru itself as well as the city below it where most of our citizens live in. There are a few other 'sub-realms' that other gods and goddesses govern, but for the most part, the next area we're going to is the 'main realm' you can call it," explained Prithvi. "Follow me."
She started walking away and towards a door. Once we passed through it there was a small and narrow wooden staircase leading down. One wrong move and you fall, but most of us are part of the supernatural so it wouldn't matter too much.
Below us was what seemed to be a medium-sized lake with a fall trunk of a tree in the water. To our right I saw some kind of pathway, I'm guessing that's where we're heading next, to our left were the kids that were fighting each other earlier.
It didn't seem like they saw us, and we didn't bother calling out to them. Above us were some sort of lanterns hanging from the trees and leaves, and as Prithvi said I felt several powerful barriers all around this area. I used a bit of my power to see how big it was, and I theorized that it was around half the size of Ireland.
So there was a lot of ground here…
"Is this place mostly uninhabited?" I asked Prithvi.
"Well, there are a few houses here for the recluse who wants to live here, and a few supernatural animals, but the area should be mostly barren," Prithvi said. "Anyway, follow me. We'll pass on the right and get to the main city."
We finally arrived at the ground and we walked towards our right. When we arrived there, it seemed like there was a small street there, and at the 'end' was a portal of sorts. We walked towards it. Prithvi Mata was the first to pass through with me, Lavinia, and Kuroka, followed by Shirone, Suzaku and Gabriel.
…
Bhuloka
…
"Forget what you know through human text. There are three main realms in our pantheon. Earth (Bhuloka), Heaven (Svarga), and Hell (Naraka). We're currently in Bhuloka, or as we call it the middle of our realm. The Gods reside mostly in Svarga, and sinners are sent to Naraka, our own of 'hell' in our pantheon. Lord Yama is the overseer of it, ah, don't mistake him for Lord Enma, a lot of people do that," explained Prithvi Mata. "The city in front of us, the main city is called Sewkusta."
In front of us was a vast and expansive city, all of the buildings, except for a few had the traditional building style but also modern look. However, everything here looked very lavish and expensive. It felt like if I accidentally broke something, I would be paying a lot of money. There was also a large river that circled around the entire city.
"In that large river, many powerful creatures reside, but they also are very helpful to our people. They tend to help anyone that is unfortunate enough to fall into their waters. The people here also have a deal with them that they can fish there and catch a certain amount of fish per year. It's a lot so they don't need to worry about food running out. Also, that forest also has many fruits and vegetables."
If I remember correctly, in my old world, the few notable creatures that came out of the Hindu mythology was a dragon called Vritra… Saji's partner and Sacred Gear, the [Vritra Sacred Gears]. And in this universe, Indra was the one to kill Vritra and split his soul apart and into those Sacred Gears.
"I smell fish nya~"
"Nee-sama, please…" Shirone put a hand over her face and blushed. This made Prithvi laugh.
"The place we are headed to will pass by a few food stalls and vendors, as well as some marketplaces, so if you wish to buy some food, we can make time for that. But if you can control yourself, I believe the gods there have a banquet ready for your arrival, well at night I mean," said Prithvi.
"What?! Food?! Banquet?! Onwards, my fellow nyat nyeople!" shouted Kuroka as she pointed into the distance.
What's a nyat? I wanted to ask her, but held myself back since Kuroka would usually go into elaborate yet useless details.
"Forward!" repeated Gabriel as she pointed in the same direction as Kuroka.
Again, Prithvi laughed and started to walk away quickly followed by Gabriel and Kuroka who started chatting about the types of food they expect. Even though the Seraph wasn't a big eater, she likes supporting everyone with what they do.
[I'm surprised that she isn't part of the 'Fated Ones'. She's basically you, but female and a lot more innocent,] said Elsha.
'Stop, stop, stop. I don't want to think of that, you're kind of implying I would just fuck myself when I do the deed with Gabriel.' I cringed at the thought and shook my head.
"Is something wrong, Aaron?" asked Suzaku as she took the spot of Kuroka. Shirone also transformed into her white cat form and went to sleep on my head.
We walked through the city of Sewkusta. Many of the people there greeted Prithvi Mata, some even offered her food and she happily accepted. Of course, she didn't eat them, but she passed them back to Kuroka who ate them happily, she also shared with Gabriel and—
"Here, Aaron, say aaah nyaaa~!" she held out a kebab towards me and I ate some.
"Not bad…" I mumbled and swallowed my food. Kuroka then gave me another pole stick and I stared at it. I looked to my sides and both Lavinia and Suzaku looked expectant. I put the kebab towards Suzaku first and she took a bite, and then towards Lavinia who was a bit jealous but still ate some.
Since moving in, Suzaku has become even more competitive for my affection and attention… no, that's not right, since the 100 years she had started to become competitive, especially towards Lavinia and recently Rossweisse.
Lavinia for obvious reasons, but… a day before I left—and at night, Rossweisse announced to the two of them that she would try to force herself to be the 'fifth'. She inquired about it at Cúntóir who gave a very silent yet nervous 'I don't know' as an answer to Rose. Akeno, Rias and a few others who had eavesdropped during that time, also started to try to be the 'fifth' or more.
I tried asking Cúntóir about it and she was just huffing like the rest, so I didn't get an answer out of her. I looked back at my kebab and it had disappeared. Both women had eaten all of it, and were squinting at each other.
"Be kind to each other..." I scolded the two, but they tightened their embraces on me.
"Fufu, troubles of the harem king, huh?" asked Prithvi Mata.
"Tell me about it," I replied and laughed.
…
We passed by several stores, food stands and vendors earlier and Kuroka bought as much as she could, and even store some in her ring. Even Prithvi was shocked by the amount she ate, but was also happy to see that we enjoyed the cuisine of her pantheon and country.
But we quickly arrived at a large building that seemed to be the center of this town. It took us around thirty minutes of walking at a moderate pace, with a few stops because Kuroka bought food or Prithvi herself got stopped by the people here. I was also recognized a few times by teens and children who asked me to sign their merchandise. The same goes for Lavinia as the [Witch Princess].
There were two guards at the front and even more inside of the building. However, we weren't stopped since Prithvi was with us, and they recognized me. One guard looked wary and skeptical, while the other looked excited. Inside the building was just one medium-sized magic circle. However, the rest of the building was also quite extravagant with all sorts of unique and expensive-looking décor everywhere.
"We take this to go to Svarga, come," said Prithvi as she stepped into the magic circle. We joined her and we left Sewkusta.
…
Svarga
…
Once we arrived at another building, the walls were as lavish as the ones back in Sewkusta. There were, however, a number of miniature statues and paintings depicting gods and goddesses. From what I read, Mount Meru was Indra's abode—his home.
I wonder if this is true in this version of the Draconic Deus, or if it's any different… however, once we stepped out of the building, I was a bit confused, but also surprised at the view we got. It seemed like we were on a floating island in a different dimension.
In front of us was a small village that had a few people walking around in maid or butler attire. When they saw us, they quickly came over to us and started offering a bunch of different services.
"No, no, we're fine. This is the Middleman, he's here for business," explained Prithvi.
They stopped to look at me and finally understood. They excused themselves and scurried away, confusing us even more.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Indra lives here, however, for the sake of making things easier—we will hold the meeting here. Usually, you can pick and choose what island you wish to go to using that magic circle back in Sewkusta. Indra wants to go to war with Shiva, however, Shiva can still remain calm while Indra tries to goad him on. I do worry for the meeting right now since they're both already there."
"It's almost like in Asgard. Asgard had their own islands for different uses and some of Odin's sons lived on them," I mumbled to myself.
"Really? Sounds interesting. I haven't been there yet," she said.
"I'm heading to Asgard soon to do a few things. If you want you can come with me, because we're part of 'that'," I said and smirked.
"Fufu, hmm, that does make sense. I'll take you up on that offer, Jin~!" she replied happily.
All the girls there were looking at me—silently asking with their stares 'What did she mean by 'that'?!', or something along those lines.
"I'll explain another time, for now let's go," I said and they agreed, although reluctantly.
We started walking away towards the large tree. To the right of that tree was a large lake and one of its branches connected to another tree-like structure with a building on it. To our left were two other floating buildings. The one on the left was much smaller than the one on the right, as it resembled a stadium or colosseum of sorts.
Those two floating islands were also connected by a bridge from the largest tree here. However, near the top there were also two short branches that had their own small buildings attached to them, but…
"At the very top, do you see it? That's where we're meeting. Can you feel the divine energy emitting from it?" asked Prithvi.
"Yes nya, it's a lot, though we're used to it, nyahahaha~"
"Used to it?" Prithvi asked and looked at Kuroka who in turn looked at me and smirked. The other girls joined in and giggled. "…I see, so he's—"
"You know the truth, Prithvi Mata. These girls do too. I mean, I love them—so I told them the truth."
"Fufu, I see, Outer God-sama," replied Prithvi.
We quickly arrived inside the large tree and it seemed to have a spiral staircase…
"What's with gods and supernatural beings and spiral staircases?!" I snapped.
"Now that you mention it…" muttered Lavinia.
"They do have a lot of those, don't they?" added Suzaku.
"Isn't there an elevator or something nya?" asked Kuroka.
"Can't we just fly up?" asked Gabriel.
I looked at my head and Shirone was still asleep. I should wake her up soon, or before we step into the meeting room.
Prithvi Mata laughed at us and said, there is a floating platform that brings us up, look, it's over there." She pointed in the middle and it seemed to be behind what seemed to be the same magic circle from Sewkusta. "We take that," she said.
"Oh, it looks like the same one from Tír na nÓg," I said and walked over to it with everyone else behind me. "It's larger though."
"That's what she said nya~"
Pinch~
"Enough with the dirty jokes for now, Kuroka," said Suzaku who had pinched her cheek. With teary eyes Kuroka agreed and then rubbed her cheek defeatedly and clung onto me from behind.
"Nyahaha~" she quietly cackled to herself. She had played Suzaku like a fiddle and Suzaku's mouth twitched.
"Up we go!" said Prithvi. The platform suddenly shot up at frighteningly fast speeds.
"Nyaaaaaaaaaaaa?! Why is it so fast?!" Kuroka screamed as she tightened her hold on me.
"Hehe, this is pretty fun, like when I grabbed Aaron during the sports festival~"
"Didn't you pass out, Gabriel-chan?" asked Lavinia and Gabriel blushed but still nodded her head.
However, at the speed we were traveling, we arrived at the top a few seconds later. We stepped off the platform and immediately we were in front of a golden wooden door. Two guards were there too, but they saw us and opened the door for us.
We stepped inside and found ourselves in a larger room than what it looked from the outside. It seemed like they had used spatial magic to make the room more spacious. All around the room were statues and paintings of Indra, a few replicas of weapons and armor, and a few flowers and vases, and the rest were normal yet lavish furniture.
Around a circle table sat were a bunch of gods, goddesses, and other significant figures. From using [Observe] I could tell who was who.
Indra, Shiva, Mahabali, Brahma, Vishnu, Varuna, Hanuman, Ganesha, Prahlada, Arjuna, Durga, Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Not including Prithvi who was with us.
Indra has the appearance of a man with a buzz-cut hairstyle with greenish brown hair color and lavender eyes. He wears circular sunglasses, an aloha shirt, and has a jewel around his neck.
Shiva had short brown hair tied in a ponytail, golden earrings on his ears, orange-colored eyes, tanned skin, a golden black watch on his wrist, and worse a slick black and white suit. He also wore some glasses.
Mahabali has the appearance of a handsome man with long black hair and white hair, pale white skin, and a muscular body wearing a native sari dress who had sharp eyes.
Brahma unlike most of the other gods here had blue skin, he had long blue hair, red eyes and his third eye was closed. He wore little clothing, but what he wore were parts of a sari dress as well as golden ornaments around his body.
Vishnu looked like an old man. He had long gray hair tied in a long ponytail, blue eyes, and a beard. Strangely enough, he wore what looked like a yukata of all things. It had a long black top-half, while the rest were white and had gold accents. He also wore glasses like Shiva.
Varuna looked quite unique as he had long red hair, crimson red eyes, elf-like ears and wore leather black armor, with black sharp gloves with golden accents everywhere. He had a black ball near his right shoulder and a single armor guard on his right shoulder.
Hanuman looked like a youkai. He had long flowing black hair, horns on the top of his head. He wore cross-shaped earrings, a long white coat, a blue hakama, and black shoes. He had some kind of Oni mask hanging on his hip, as well as weapons. He also had black arm guards that were made of leather.
Ganesha unlike most of the other gods was a humanoid elephant. He had four arms and wore golden pants and various golden ornaments around his body.
Prahlada is a tall man with purple eyes and long, straight vermilion hair. His hair is neatly combed to the back while leaving his long fringe combed to the left in a wavy hairstyle.
Prahlada's attire consists of a white tunic which is covered by a dark blue shirt with long sleeves and a high collar. Moreover, he wears white trousers and black high boots with a similar design to his shirt. On top of his attire, he wears a long red cape.
Arjuna had short black hair and brown eyes. He wore a unique set of clothing that looked like it came out of a laboratory. If I was being honest he looked like the one from Nasuverse.
Durga, she had long white hair, sharp yellow eyes that looked like a serpent's, she had strange looking ears, had deer-like antlers on her head, wore a set of Japanese clothing and had a long tail that looked like a snake that was also white.
Parvati is a young woman with purple hair and purple eyes, her clothing is a blue silk sari wrapped upon her waist area and a blue blouse with short sleeves, both the blouse and sari have a unique golden silk style in them. She also wears a golden circlet and is the wife of Shiva.
Lakshmi had long straight black hair, her eyes were purple and she wore a skin-tight sari that was also a bit unique looking and it was mostly white. It had a cape attached to it and the inside of it was blue. Most of her hips and legs were exposed and she wore long white boots. She also had various ornaments around her body, and had some kind of weapon on her hip.
Saraswati was a woman who had long brown hair, that had her hair tied in a ponytail. She had gentle looking hazel eyes, and wore a long white and purple dress. She also held a sitar in her hands. She was the only one who waved at us.
"Oh! Dual Dragon Emperor of Boobs, Butts, and Thighs! I'm glad you could come today… I'm VERY glad," said Indra.
I felt both excitement and a bit of irritation from Indra. Surprisingly there was no hostility coming from the man. I'm also surprised that Sun Wukong (First-Gen) wasn't here along with a few others who became Buddhas'.
"You seem confused, Oppai Dragon-kun! Care to share?" asked Indra again.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Jin Skyward, Dual Dragon Emperor and Middleman… as to your question, Indra, I was just wondering where the first-generation Sun Wukong was. He wasn't training Team [DxD] today," I told him.
[Ddraig would have an aneurysm if he heard that moniker,] said Elsha.
"He speaks! Well, welcome, welcome! I've been convinced! Where are the documents? Let's get this alliance settled already!" said Indra with fake enthusiasm. He stared at me the entire time. "Who's that cat?" he asked and pointed at Shirone who was still asleep on my head.
"Ah, sorry, one of my lovers who fell asleep, I can wake her up if you want," I replied.
"Nah, it's fine," he said and waved me off.
I nodded and summoned the documents which made a loud thud on the table, all of the gods and goddesses there stared at me and the documents in shock. Indra's mouth twitched at the absurd number of documents he had to look through.
"All the current gods present need to look through it, and before you ask, yes I've sorted through all of them and found that this is all relevant. Others have been condensed by me, so all in all this is around 1000 pages to read. If you want a specific number then it's 1087," I told them.
I clicked my fingers and summoned some Android fairies. There were 15 gods, so 15 Android fairies. I explained how these little guys worked and it would make their lives easier to handle.
"One final thing, you may be aware of it, but Nagendra, one of the members of the Khaos Order, and a member of a group called 'The Seekers of Truth' may attack your pantheon in the coming days, so my lovers and I will be staying here to help defend against it, if it does happen."
"Ah, Azazel did say something about it. Maybe even some gods from another universe may come too? I look forward to it, actually, if they fight us then great! I've been itching to fight! …With that said, Dual Dragon Emperor, won't you have a sparring match with me?" asked Indra with a grin.
'How should I answer this? I could accept, and then reschedule it for a different time, or I could accept it after we get into an alliance.' I thought about it for a few seconds before coming to an answer. "After the alliance, I will accept any request, not including assassinations and the like towards another pantheon. So yes, if you, the King of Gods of your pantheon requests for it, I don't mind fulfilling it."
Indra looked a bit annoyed at the start, but an even wider grin spread across his face after my explanation. "So you'll accept a duel once we sign these things?" he asked.
"Yes, though you have to make sure to follow through with the agreement, and also—any traitor in the alliance will be dealt with accordingly."
"Yeah, yeah. I get it, great! I do want a duel with you since you killed one of my subordinates~" he said happily, and a few gods in the room looked at him.
"Oh, he's alive—by that you mean Cao Cao, right? He's my subordinate now," I told him and he looked up and gave me a confused look.
I clicked my fingers and showed him my small interaction with Cao Cao recently while in Grigori. At the end of it, he laughed.
"So you took him for yourself, huh? Even gave him a brand-new spear! Then again, you really keep surprising our world, Dual Dragon Emperor! Very well, I don't really care now, but I still want to fight you! Hmm, how about this? If I win, I take Cao Cao back, and if you win, you keep him and I'll personally do one favor for you!" he replied with great confidence.
"Indra…" said Shiva looking annoyed at his fellow god.
"If I can't have a fucking war with you, Shiva then I can at least fight the strongest Red Dragon Emperor in history! He also killed one of my subordinates. Normally I would just outright kill him, but I'm being fair, you know?" he snapped back.
"If that attack happens, then we deal with it, but after that, I'm asking you to fight me, Middleman!" announced Indra. The rest of the gods and goddesses there looked at me.
"I don't mind, but please sort through that, and also focus on the upcoming attack first before you entertain the idea of us having a sparring match/duel," I replied.
"Fair enough! Let's get this done then!" he shouted and immediately started reading, but then stopped and added, "Ah, right, what will you do?"
"I will tour your realm and see if they have found a way in yet, and if they do, I will repair or seal it up. But that means I may need to leave and go back to the human world if they choose to attack there instead," I explained.
"Is that so? Alright, go ahead. Ah, Prithvi you can go with him since you're already doing that job," said Indra and he turned back to reading.
I expected Indra to throw all this work at the other gods and goddesses. However, I guess me accepting his future fight might have given him more incentive to get all of that read. Well, it's better for me since I won't have anyone harassing me incessantly while I stay here with the girls.
We looked at Prithvi who shook her head and walked away. I wanted to speak to some of the other gods. However, it seemed like they were already reading but it did seem like a few of them also wanted to speak to me. I'll just wait then, it shouldn't be too long before they're done. With the help of my Android fairies, it should only take a day or two. I mean there are more documents to read now after all.
I looked at the gods one last time before we turned around and left the meeting room. At least the other gods were on board with the alliance and I didn't need to speak with the too much, I'll ask Michael more about it.
Once we got back to the first floor, Lavinia turned to me and asked, "Where to?"
In turn, I looked at Prithvi and asked, "Which parts of your realm do you think has a high chance of being infiltrated?"
"Is that why you asked about the forest earlier?" she asked me instead of answering my question.
"Yeah, basically," I replied. She nodded and thought about it. In the meantime we walked out of the large tree and waited out there instead.
"Well, the first one should be Naraka, our own version of hell, and Yama is the one overseeing it. If you want to explore it and try to find anything then go ahead. The forest we teleported into and finally, I guess… the field that we the gods fought on once before. But that's more or less destroyed—I mean, the space—the dimension was destroyed, so there's no way of entering it," explained Prithvi.
No way of entering, huh? 'Cúntóir, can you locate where that is and double-check?' I asked.
Cúntóir: Answer: Right away...… it seems like the space has definitely been destroyed, but with the way the current Khaos Order, there are items or individuals that can definitely reverse the destruction making it a possible entry point.
'I'll check it out later then, the same with Naraka too. But first…'
"Well, we have time don't we nya~? Let's go get more food nya," said a very hungry cat beside me.
"You're still hungry?" I asked.
"All that serious talk made me hungry; I also wanted to save the ones I bought for everyone else at home. Shigu-shigu-nya probably wants them too, we're both gluttons after all, nyahaha~" she explained.
I didn't plan on saying anything to her, but I guess she just explained it to me. But yeah, I guess Shigune would enjoy the food that they have here, but she did eat during the short meeting we had. A few of the gods did look at her with confused expressions. Hell, Indra looked a bit amused by it. I guess a naughty cat won't change, huh?
"Well, I don't see a problem with that. You can probably explore a small portion of that forest today, but I can bring you to a hotel you can stay in. It's quite expensive though, but if I put a word in, you'll get a discount," said Prithvi Mata.
"Don't worry… I'm rich, I can afford it, also, I gave Grigori around nearly a trillion in money not too long ago, I'll be fine," I explained.
"Is that so? Then let's go there then," she said and started to walk away. The girls let go of me and trailed behind us as they looked around this realm in curiosity.
I walked beside Prithvi and started a conversation. "Do you know anything about the other members of [EXE]?" I asked.
"What do you know?"
"All I know is Team Slash/Dog, a devil of Mammon and a goddess from the Chinese mythology will be part of it, other than that, I'm in the dark."
She glanced at me and a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Fufu, I've met the Mammon devil already through Satan Beelzebub, and she's quite interesting. After seeing your large taste in women, I think she'll be right up your alley~"
"You've already added her to my harem? I haven't met her…" I said and frowned at her. Also, what large taste...?
"Well, there isn't a single name in the supernatural world that doesn't know you and your goals, and she certainly was amused by it too, you know? Either way, she'll be a key member of [EXE]. Hmm, certain servants of Satan Beelzebub will also be part of it, multiple people from the alliance as well, some not even in the alliance yet, but if you do go to that pantheon, then~"
"So anyone in the DxD Alliance has a chance of being part of it, including ones that aren't part of it either, but are in favor of it… so it's safe to assume there will be gods and goddesses then?" I asked.
"Exactly. But I also heard from Beelzebub that you have your own plans for the omniverse. This means our presence and jobs will be reduced by a significant amount, so I look forward to that too, Super-god-sama," she said and chuckled to herself.
We passed by the town and the servants tried to have us order them but—
"Food nya?" Kuroka asked and she immediately was given a bunch of backs that were filled with various concoctions of regular canned foods, snacks and street food. "Ooooh! So convenient!" she said and started eating them.
"I heard that you had a gluttonous Nekoshou, but to think she was this gluttonous is kind of shocking. This may sound strange, but does she have a job?" asked Prithvi.
I glanced back at Kuroka who happily ate her food and started sharing it with everyone, each girl took a piece and started eating them too, Shirone also woke up and joined them.
Kuroka… she's always wanted peace, before her life was upended and she was forced to live that life—she wanted nothing more than to protect her sister, Shirone. I think she wants peace as much as I do, since to her—the current life she lives is 'peaceful' in its own right.
Even if some look at her as being lazy and a freeloading, she's just taking advantage of it—the peace she so desired. Even if her history here is a bit different from her canon counterpart, it's still quite tragic-stricken.
"…She'll have a job once I open my business up, so for now she's just enjoying her free time, and I don't mind," I replied. Maybe I'm spoiling her too much, but I think she deserves it.
"Oh, that restaurant of yours, huh? I can work for you too, if you want," replied Prithvi.
"Can you cook?"
"Nope~ but I can do other things like finances or keeping inventory, or maybe be your secretary?"
Shing!
Suddenly a magic circle appeared beside me and—
[Did someone offer to be your secretary?! There are way too many already, Aa—Jin! Decline, no I'll temporarily leave Asgard and come there, do you hear me?!] shouted Rose through it.
Prithvi Mata seemed stunned at this and stared at the magic circle in confusion.
"Rose, calm down… no one is joining it, jeez. Please go back to what you were doing. Everything is fine," I replied. I then had to convince her for a few more seconds before she finally accepted and the magic circle disappeared.
"Don't offer to do that," I said and told her about the 'secretary system' which made her laugh.
"It seems your harem is competing in other ways to stay near you, aren't they? It certainly is a lively household—the Skyward household, isn't it?"
"You're not wrong…"
We finally reached the building from before and we headed back to Sewkusta.
…
Bhuloka, Sewkusta
…
As we stepped out of the building…
"Oh? Karna, you're back?" asked Prithvi
In front of us was a young man with long and white unkempt hair that almost appeared transparent. He has aqua-blue eyes and has a sharp gaze. He wore what looked like black skin-tight bodysuit armor that exposed a large portion of his chest. He also had golden-plated armor covering his legs, arms and knees, as well as his shoes.
When I used [Observe] on him, it was Karna. He is the son of the Sun God Surya and princess Kunti, and thus a demigod of royal birth.
"Prithvi Mata, good day to you. Hmm? I see, the Middleman has come to our realm. Greetings, I am called Karna, you may have heard of me through human text. A pleasure to meet you," he said and put his hand out, so I shook it.
"Jin Skyward, Middleman. Nice to meet you, Karna," I replied.
"To answer your question, yes. I just returned with dealing a certain problem father sent me on," he said to Prithvi.
"Father, so you're a demi-god, huh? Sun God Surya and Princess Kunti are your parents?" I asked and he nodded in confirmation.
"I am. It's quite rare for a god and a human to join hands, but I am alive because of it. Excuse me, I shall report back to him… ah, you're here for an alliance, correct? I look forward to it," he added and stepped inside the building and teleported away.
It was a brief meeting, but it wasn't unpleasant. He was a bit stiff but… he was friendly enough.
"He may act like he has a stick up his ass, but he's quite knowledgeable and down to earth. You can practically talk to him about anything since he reads a lot. He also helps around a lot in Sewkusta, so you might see him a lot, starting tomorrow," said Prithvi. "Anyway, let's go get you guys to that hotel."
We started walking away from the building and through the streets of Sewkusta. Like earlier, we were greeted by many of their residents, but I also noticed that the sun was slowly setting for the day. We hadn't been here for that long so I was a little bit confused.
"Ah, around three in the afternoon, the sun starts to go down, so don't get too alarmed. Around eight in the evening is when it's usually pitch-black. So you have a good few hours left if you wish to explore the forest," explained Prithvi.
However, the closer we got to the hotel—
"What's that?" asked Gabriel.
"Ah, a small event that's happening in a few days. We managed to snag an exclusive deal from the producers of the Oppai Dragon show, and we'll have a premier of one of the newest movies called 'Oppai Dragon and the Vermillion Princess'," said Prithvi as she winked at Suzaku.
"You managed to get into that production too, Suzaku nya?"
"Yes, I was contacted because Akeno was going to be in it, so I'll be playing a role in the Oppai Dragon show in the future as the 'Vermillion Princess'," she explained. "M-my clothes were a bit too revealing, so I had them changed…"
"Akeno-senpai? What's she going to be?" asked Shirone.
"Fallen Dragon's Goddess, it seems she'll be an antagonist for the future season. I'll be on Oppai Dragon's side in the movie and—"
"Spoilers nya!"
"I'm sorry, Kuroka. It's a bad habit of mine," replied Suzaku.
"I did see my avatar's memories from a couple of shoots they did, but I didn't think it was a movie. I just thought it was a regular episode or season," I said and looked at the large screen they were setting up.
"As you saw earlier, the children of our realm also love the Oppai Dragon show. It's a miracle they didn't pester you more today. Ah, there—that's the hotel you're staying at," she said and pointed to another large building.
To our surprise, there was a mini-statue of Shiva to the left of the entrance and to the right was…
"Is that my [Boosted Gear] [Queen] form…?" I asked.
"Yes, you're correct," replied Prithvi as she laughed at my reaction. "It's called the Oppai of Destruction's Hotel! Built and dedicated to the all-mighty Oppai Dragon! It's dragon and god themed," explained Prithvi.
I felt my mouth twitch at the absurd hotel that was built in my honor. I shook these thoughts out of my mind and we entered the hotel, but—
"Oh my god!! The Oppai Dragon, Witch Princess and Vermillion Princess!!" one of the guests screamed.
After that, we were surrounded by a large crowd of people. Many children, teenagers, and even adults came over to talk to us, get an autograph or shake our hands. In addition, they took pictures with us. In the end, it turned into a small meet and greet as they were very enthusiastic about the new movie coming out.
…
"We're done nya!" said Kuroka tiredly. She along with Shirone and Gabriel were forced to help with the impromptu fan meeting. However, Shirone was also recognized part-way through as 'Hellcat-chan' and also had to deal with her fans.
"Auuuu, I don't think I would like being that famous," said Gabriel as she clung onto me tiredly.
"Good job, Gabriel," I said and patted her head.
We finally got to walk up to the receptionist and she gave us a smile. "Welcome Oppai Dragon and his companions, and Prithvi-sama! How long will your stay be here for?" she asked.
"Let's stay for two days. You never know," I said and she nodded.
"Two days, plus the discount for being the Oppai Dragon… the total is ¥279,000! This includes many benefits as—"
They're doing it in yen…? That's quite a lot too considering it's only two days. Who the hell can afford this place? ¥279,000 is around $2,108 or €1,943. I summoned my black credit card and paid that way. Once the transaction was done, we were given a singular key card.
"We took the liberty of putting all of you in one room, is that alright?" she asked.
"It's fine, thank you," I replied and we left to go to it. The key card showed the number 76Z, it was the first time I saw a 'Z' on a room number, so I was quite curious.
"Oh, it's one of the most expensive and fancy rooms in the entire hotel. I guess they want Oppai Dragon-sama to be staying comfortably here," said Prithvi.
"How big is it?" Shirone asked.
"Mmm… 7600 square feet? There are two levels of it too, you can technically treat it as an apartment if you want, but there's only one bed—gods that visit here typically get assigned it since they bring their harems or concubines to it… for some intimate sessions," she explained and winked making the girl blush.
"A lot of cuddles and kisses?" asked Gabriel.
However, Prithvi smiled at Gabriel and winked at her. It took the Seraph a little bit to understand and she also blushed. We arrived at the door and there were a few others like it, and we entered using the key card.
When we entered the room, what we saw immediately in front of us was a large fish tank with aquatic fish, corals, and sand in it. The ground below us was made of polished birch wood and once we walked around the fish tank, we were in a combined living-kitchen-dining room combo. The room was as large as my home's living room.
There were several windows around it that showed the outside using magic. The area we were in made it impossible to see the outside, so this was an interesting touch by the hotel. In the living room was a large 92-inch flat screen TV with a few exotic plants near it.
We walked past it, but behind us was a short spiral staircase that went up to the second level, and when I walked up it was a very, very large bedroom with an even larger bed, it had a bunch of expensive-looking bedding sheets and pillows, there was also another fish tank there that was attached to the wall, above the bed was magma, and it was used to light the place along with a few lamps and lights around the room.
I walked back down and saw Kuroka rummaging through the fridge and it was quite large too, larger than the one we have at home since I could see hundreds, no, probably tens of thousands of pre-cooked foods in there, as well as an overabundance of snacks and beverages.
"This place is amazing nya!" said Kuroka as she ate a few snacks.
"…These seats are magic controlled and come out of the ground. There's also a function where you can use a remote if you can't use magic," said Lavinia as she made the dining room table and chairs come up and down using her magic.
"…Pillows… comfy… nyan…" muttered Shirone as she had laid down on the sofa and hugged the pillows.
"Soft… unyaaaa… zzzzz~~" muttered Gabriel as she slowly fell asleep.
"It seems that your harem has made themselves comfortable here, even Suzaku and Lavinia are messing with anything magic related," said Prithvi beside me. I glanced behind me and saw the two adjusting the table and chair using the remote and magic.
"I feel like they'll ask me to upgrade my home again to be more like this," I said and sighed.
Before we could continue, the doorbell to our room rang and I looked at Prithvi looking a bit confused. We went to it and let the girls relax in the room. Once we opened it, it was a member of the staff.
"Oh hello. How can I help you?"
"Oppai Dragon-sama, Shiva-sama wishes to speak to you," he said.
"Shiva?" I repeated and they nodded.
"Yes, and he said to come alone as he wanted to speak to you privately," he said again and left.
I looked at Prithvi and she said, "I will inform your lovers, please go ahead. Shiva did look like he wanted to speak to you."
"Thanks, I'll try to get it done as quickly as possible," I said and left. I quickly found Shiva's aura and he was in the lobby, so when I got there he waved at him and pointed outside.
I quickly joined him and we left.
"Did you need me for something?" I asked.
"Let's have a short chat, Jin. I have to make it quick since I still need to read those documents. I would have done this later at night, but couldn't help it. Anyway, let's go to a local restaurant I frequent," he said and I agreed.
We walked through a few streets and arrived at a small family-owned restaurant. Once we stepped inside—
"Hmm? Ah, Shiva-sama, are you here for the usual…? …Hmm? Oh! The Oppai Dragon and Middleman is here too! What a lucky day!" said a man.
"Yes, it is, Daksh. We're here for a short meal," said Shiva and we went over to a small table. The man named Daksh came over and asked us what we would like. Shiva ordered his food and I just said I'd have whatever he had.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked again.
Shiva looked at me, then at Daksh and at a woman and a child. "You're a powerful individual, Jin Skyward. You've done quite a lot of things in nearly a year since you appeared… for peace, right?" he asked and smiled.
I didn't say anything and I let him continue.
"You look like a cautious and smart young man, so you probably did a lot of homework on me right? So I won't beat around the bush. When the Great Seraph Michael came here to do negotiations of an alliance Indra didn't take him seriously. However, he came back with an angel called Layla and Altaria."
"We were shocked, those two women—who were apparently created by you, are beyond the two dragon gods I have seen of our world. It makes me wonder what you are… it made me want to meet you. And today, I finally did, but… as you know I have [Future Predication] as one of my powers, when I try to look into your future…"
I didn't know what kind of expression he showed me, but it was a mix of curiosity, dread, and excitement. Not befitting a god—though he is Shiva, so maybe... no, he is the God of Destruction after all.
"I see nothing but a large void. The sky is jet-black and the ground is pure white. Near the end of this long, long everlasting void—a young man stood there, who looked just like you, and behind him… a singular large eye glaring right back at me."
He took a deep breath and sighed. He then looked back at me with a very serious look on his face.
"…What in the world are you?"
…
Check the chapter comments to see images of certain characters.