Damian Thaumiel was the Red Dragon Emperor.
That was what would've been in the newspaper all around the supernatural world this morning if it had been released. However, that had too many flaws for somebody as careful as Damian to expose willingly, something that Rias fully agreed with.
Damian was already at the level of the four satans power wise and it was a hardly concealed secret. Adding on the doubling ability of the Red Dragon Emperor was something that would instill fear into the entire world.
Not only that, the very first step of the process was something that would receive attention. How exactly had Damian gotten the Boosted Gear? If somebody was to ask Ajuka it would be obvious, with his absolute control he simply separated the soul and the sacred gear.
But that wasn't something most could even fathom being possible. The Fallen had a method to take sacred gears and the Angels were rumored to have a similar ability while the Devils were widely contested.
However, how did this method work? The Angels could utilize God's system to track down certain sacred gears under very specific circumstances and could then utilize the system to relocate the sacred gears but for obvious reasons that was a long and arduous process.
The Fallen on the other hand⦠they just took it. They didn't care about the lives of the human and they certainly didn't care for the state of their soul afterwards. In essence, they just ripped the sacred gear off the soul without a care for the soul fragments they took with it.
Of course, this was a ritual from centuries ago. Azazel had calmed down in his later years and banned the ritual he himself created in an act of altruism. Of course, the pressure the Angels were placing on the Fallen was certainly a motivating factor as well.
This raised a question, however. Why was taking a sacred gear so hard that even somebody like Azazel couldn't do it safely even after eons of research? The answer was their connection. The soul and the sacred gear were weaved together like a tapestry from the human's birth, it was impossible to remove it. Azazel once gave an example of how hard it was that stuck.
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It was doing something so delicate with a tool so unwieldy and dangerous that it was impossible to even think of doing it safely. The difficulty was so intense even Azazel threw in the white towel and decided to just give up on sparing the sacred gear holder.
The God of the Bible was strong, of that there was no doubt, however his strength was heavily overshadowed by his immense skill in creation. Even Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation, readily admitted doing such a thing was impossible.
Why? Because the mortal mind was flawed. No matter how skilled the mage or dedicated the researcher, there was no way for their energy control to reach the necessary levels. Despite the world's best efforts their energy would always remain a chainsaw where a scalpel was needed.
Of course, such a thing was hardly an issue for Damian.Β
Reclining deeply into his comfortable lounge chair Damian found himself forced out of his thoughts at the screams of his adoptive daughter. As per usual, their form of familial bonding was watching Ai perform.
It was something he had been forced into as of late despite his adamant denial. According to his Queen, he was "Too stuck up." and was forced to relax with his kids. He did admit he tended to ignore them in favor of the ever increasing stack of work a clan head of his status had.
But even he wouldn't do that for a normal child in desperate need of parental attention. It was only because of his children's abnormal status born from the blessing, or curse depending on how one looked at it, from the Shinto god of guidance Yatagarasu.
Like many gods born of Fatum, Yatagarasu had an inkling of the future. It was far less clear than something Shiva would have seen let alone Fatum themselves or even the fate Damian had seen so many years ago but it existed nonetheless.
And that fate included Aqua becoming his emotionless apostle for the deity to use as he pleased. Of course, that mattered little now. That fate had been crushed so thoroughly it could never possibly come true. And if it doesβ¦
'It doesn't matter. It won't happen.' Damian thought to himself blandly as he looked at the screen. He was⦠aware of his Bishop's infatuation with him. And she in return was aware of his lack of ability to return those feelings.
She didn't seem to care for that latter fact, however. It was ever so slightly troublesome but it was nothing he felt the need to punish her for. Even if it was foolish it was her choice to stick with her love.
Perhaps it was his own fault. In an attempt to protect the small family from the Shinto faction and devils, he made them into his own kin even if only in name. He dealt with the Shinto faction easily enough, a small threat and contract ensured their cooperation.
The Oriax clan, however, was a clan led by a blood purist Beor Oriax who did not care for Damian nor his rising status. He would not care if the Hoshino family was under his protection, he would scheme all the same.
Whether his choice led to bloodshed or annihilation did not matter. His hands were tied. And so, he chose to preemptively deal with the issue. By bringing them into the Thaumiel clan in the strongest of ways there was no leverage for Boer to utilize. He had lost before he could start.
Of course, a man as stubborn and foolish as him would never give up that easily. He nagged, he threatened, and he begged for them all incessantly. He desired what they carried but unfortunately, Damian did not intend to let go of what fell into his grasp.
'He's a boomer.' Damian abruptly realized. There was no better word for the century old devil who had never bothered to learn about manners. Rather, there was no better word to describe the supernatural world as a whole.
Some were different, Sirzechs and Ajuka were good examples, but those like Rizevim or Michael certainly fell within the category. They babbled endlessly and held onto the olden days of their respective glories. No word fit the supernatural world more.
Regardless, much of his peerage had been gathered that way. He found Marco in the underworld of Brazil, Yan Qing in the Jade Emperor's prison, Hakuji trapped in Yomi, Nero homeless in Egypt and so on.
He utilized them and they utilized him, it was a fair relationship. Some may argue that it was a relationship unfit for a King of a peerage like himself but he did not agree. In this world, wasn't everyone just using each other?
Rias used him to escape her marriage, he used Rias to increase his status. Sona used him to grow smarter, he used Sona to acquire Ingvild. Sairaorg used him as fuel for his own growth and he utilized him as a useful asset in return.
These business dealings may be concealed under the name of 'bonds' but they are transactions. Nothing more, nothing less. Relationships were inherently impure which is why there was no reason to bother with hierarchy.
As long as they did their job was there a reason to compare sins?
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