"That's right! How dare you blame me when the real culprit was right in front of you!" Diodora latched onto the first excuse he could find, not even considering the repercussions of his actions. It was a foreign concept to somebody so coddled.
"Is that so." Sona replied disinterestedly, clearly aware that once more they were dancing on Damian's palm. Diodora didn't even seem to realize that the doubts of their 'comradery' had already completely vanished from people's minds.
"Yes! I demand an apolo-" Deodorant began, obviously enraged to the point of delusion, however, he was interrupted by a clear ringing sound echoing throughout the ballroom yet it was not unpleasantly loud. It was a sound enhanced by an incredible control of demonic energy.
Instantly all eyes were attracted to the source of the noise, a large man wearing a simple but expensive black suit with long green hair and a soft smile standing at the end of their gaze. It was a man famed throughout not only the underworld but the entire supernatural world.
'Ajuka Beelzebub, number seven on the top 10 strongest in the world.' Damian thought to himself, a glint of awe in his eyes. He couldn't even begin to tell how strong the man was however he knew, from both his legend and the 'cannon', that the man was incredibly powerful.
Ajuka Beelzebub was famed for his ability to control the very laws of reality, an ability known as the Kankara Formula, and for his unadulterated strength that allowed him to end the devil civil war with the help of only one man.
He, along with Sirzechs Lucifer, ended the civil war by slaughtering their enemies by themselves. This among other events, solidified their position among the top ten strongest in the world, both standing proud at number seven.
However, Ajuka was widely considered to be the more fearsome of the two. While Sirzechs had raw power surpassing his comrade in arms the inventions that Ajuka could create with ease, such as the Evil Piece system, were extraordinarily dangerous to all factions.
He had created a method for a nearly dead race to rise in prominence once more and had even surpassed the past due to the added force known as sacred gears. Because of him, a race that should have been nearing extinction was one of the strongest forces in the world.
"It is my pleasure to attend the coming of age ceremony of Diodora, my prized nephew, and I look forward to seeing his future. As congratulations for this once in a lifetime event I have prepared a surprise." Ajuka explained, a soft and polite smile that was clearly practiced to the extreme on his handsome face.
After a moment of silence, the surroundings changed as though the previous 'truth' was nothing more than a 'lie'. It was not as simple as using alchemy to change to shape and form of the surroundings, it was forcing reality to accept a new truth.
What was once a standard ballroom filled with food and tables was now a miniature library filled with six books each on a small podium creating a half circle, each book containing a different color.
From right to left the books were pale gold, regal brown, bright crimson, dark green, navy blue, and finally sakura pink. It was obvious who the books were directed to even if the name's clearly labeled on the front in beautiful writing were not present.
'How amazing.' Damian thought to himself, awed at the sight before him. Ajuka Beelzebub was a respectable man, even more than Sirzechs Lucifer in his mind, purely because his strength was born from himself rather than his birth.
While Ajuka Beelzebub did in fact have the Astaroth clan ability of transfiguration, he rarely used it. Rather than honing it to its limits like Sirzechs had done he had used it as the foundation for an even more ridiculous ability, one that even rivaled the Power of Destruction.
"As I am feeling generous, I will extend this offer to the six youths in attendance. However, for a bit of fun, I will keep their effects a secret. Think of it as an enjoyable game and enjoy yourself." Ajuka explained vaguely, an amused and playful smile on his face.
Slowly the books floated over to their rightful owners and the affected area of the room was returned to its normal state. Grasping the book in front of him Damian immediately began looking it over, even going as far as to scan it with his demonic energy.
It was a risky move since he didn't know the book's effects or triggers but he believed it to be perfectly safe purely because of the trust he had in Ajuka Beelzebub's mind. Even if the test had been dumbed down slightly their 'opponent' was the smartest devil, the answer would not be as simple as injecting his demonic energy into it.
Yet, unsurprisingly, Damian was unable to glean anything from the book. It seemed as though it was any other expensive book you could find in the market. However, considering it was a trial from the Devil of Innovation it was certainly not.
'I'll have to take my time with it.' Damian determined, noticing Sona make a similar decision from the corner of his eye. When it came to trials given by such a brilliant mind, the obvious choice is to take your time.
"Thank you for being patient with my little interruption. Please, enjoy yourselves once again." Ajuka offered kindly though it wasn't all that necessary. Ultimately, he'd taken up barely any time and nobody minded when he was giving out gifts to the children.
The nobility couldn't be too angry, they were too busy scheming how to steal Damian's own book. They couldn't take it from the others since their clans were too dangerous but the Thaumiel clan was one they could easily afford to offend even with their connection to the Astaroth.
"Ah, one more thing. Those books are limited only to their current wielders using a blood pact." Ajuka mentioned belatedly, a deep frown marring the face of the nobility nigh instantly. A blood pact was not something that could be defied, it made any plans they had created useless.
The older demons merely assumed it was a preplanned event even if the children were slightly surprised but those involved understood the situation differently, much differently. It wasn't something that could be overlooked after all.
'How did he get my blood?' Damian asked himself, a deep frown on his face.