Chapter 255:
After I had spent the night in Lady Death's realm, I met up with Carol and Nebula in the morning. My legs were a bit wobbly and I'm sure they both noticed that fact, but neither made a comment. I'm pretty sure I did see them both blushing a few times when they thought I wasn't looking at them.
"Are you two ready to see my home?" I asked them both.
Carol smiled at me. "I can't wait to see your kids. I can't believe you have 3 of them."
"Technically I have four, but one of them is a teenager. She's 16 now." I said, mentioning Heather. "I'm also currently watching my adopted niece Asia."
Carol looked at me in shock. "Five!? That must take up a lot of free time! How do you get anything done?"
"It's not as bad as you think. Thankfully, I have a technique that allows me to create perfect clones of myself. I even get all of the clone's memories once I dismiss them." I explained the Shadow Clone Jutsu to the two of them.
"That ability sounds like every mother's dream." Carol said thoughtfully. "When my friend had children, she always seemed like she was exhausted and never had any free time."
"Can anyone learn these Jutsu?" Nebula asked, intrigued.
"Hmm…" I took a second to ponder that question. "Possibly?" I told her.
The Sage of the Six Paths was able to somehow grant people Chakra in the Naruto Universe. With the Rinnegan, I supposed I was also capable of doing that. It was something I never considered before. I'd only been turning people into Angel's or granting them blessings.
Before we temporarily departed from Asgard, I let a palace maid know where we were going so she could report to Hela and Azazel. Hela's deliberation was taking longer than expected. I think she was consulting some of the other Asgardian Generals as well.
I opened a portal back to my penthouse and stepped through. Two heads perked up from the nearby couch.
"Welcome back, Aunty Layla!" A blonde missile slammed into me immediately as I arrived.
"I'm back, Asia. Sorry for being gone so long." I said while hugging her back. "I was still here though. My Shadow Clone is still me…just a bit more fragile."
"I know." Asia replied, "I just like having the real you to talk to." I could sense my Shadow Clone nearby in the nursery, but I didn't want it to pop just yet.
"Welcome back, mom." Heather greeted me as well. She and Asia had been sitting in the living room playing video games. I gave her a hug after Asia let me go. "Who are our guests?"
"These are Carol Danvers and Nebula. I met both of them in space. Did Jean tell you all what happened out there?" I asked Heather.
Heather nodded. "She said something about you taking down an evil planet and then an actual Celestial right afterwards. It sounded completely crazy! Hestia, Artemis, and Frigga were all freaking out about it." Heather said with a small laugh.
She told me that none of the three Goddesses had left the children's sides for the past day after getting the news from Jean. They were afraid that other Celestials would come for revenge.
"I'll apologize to our three resident Goddesses when I see them. We won't have to worry about any Celestial retaliation against us." I said to Heather's relief. I didn't think that would be the case for a while at least. Lady Death told me that Arishem had gone against the Phoenix Force's by trying to attack me and her Avatar Jean. He was in for a severe punishment…whenever he was found.
I had apparently blasted him into the future, so he might not turn up for a while…
[What if he encounters you in the future, and then in the 'future Layla' blasts him into the future…again? And then he encounters 'future future Layla', and the same thing happens. Again and again after that. A never ending loop until you blast him to the end of time!]
'You have the weirdest thoughts sometimes, System…' I thought back to its inane question.
[It could happen… Maybe one of your daughters will end up blasting him instead! You don't know how powerful they will be in the future.]
'Now you're just sounding crazy, System…'
"I like your blue skin. It's really pretty!" Asia told Nebula, snapping me out of my weird internal conversation.
"Thanks…" Nebula said with a small blush. She wasn't used to getting compliments.
"It's nice to meet you, Heather and Asia. I'm Carol. I heard you're both in High School?" Carol introduced herself.
"What is High School?" Nebula asked.
It's a place where kids are sent to learn." Heather replied.
"Why?" Nebula asked curiously. "If I wanted to learn something I'd just look it up. Why do Earth children need to go to a specific place to do so?"
"That's an interesting question. I can give you a basic rundown on Earth culture." Heather offered Nebula. "I had to do a lot of catching up with the modern world myself."
Carol stated that she was also interested in catching up on everything she had missed out on in the past few decades. Heather was more than happy to give both of our guests the rundown while I went and checked up on my other daughters in person.
…
Thanks for watching over the girls, you three. You have no idea how much I appreciate all of your help. You don't have to worry about the Celestials attacking us anytime soon however." I said to Hestia, Artemis and Frigga.
"That is a relief." Frigga let out a sigh. "Ever since recovering my memories that Odin had sealed away, I have been afraid of the Celestials returning to finish us off…"
"Why don't you take a break for now? Asia and Heather are currently entertaining two guests." I told the older Asgardian Goddess. Frigga nodded and left the room.
"I was happy to help. We are all family now." Hestia said sincerely. "Families are supposed to help each other. My old family never understood that…"
"Hmph! I don't need your thanks. If young maidens are in danger, then I will always protect them. Even if those maidens are the daughters of the one who collared me!" Artemis, the tsundere silver haired-huntress-maid-goddess, declared.
"Thank you, Artemis. You've been a great help the past year. Is there any kind of reward you want?" I asked her.
She froze for a moment. She looked a bit indecisive before she mumbled something quietly. "I want a date…"
"What was that? I couldn't hear you." I asked her.
Artemis put her hands on her hips and glared at me! She took a deep breath. "I SAID I WANT A D–DATE! I've been living here for a year now! I've thrown so many hints and flags at you! I know you noticed them! I want a date with you!" Artemis demanded. Her silver eyes narrowed at me as she waited for a response.
I can't say this completely caught me off guard, because I had been somewhat expecting it for a while now. Physically, Artemis was a work of art. She definitely hit all of my strike zones. Emotionally, she was a bit of a hot mess, but I also found that to be cute. "Ok, I'll go on a date with you, Artemis. You can pick the time and place." I smiled at her.
Artemis's glare softened. "Hmph! V–Very good! This huntress shall let you know the details after she has planned them out!" With that said, she quickly stormed out of the room.
"Since we have guests tonight, I'd like to prepare a special dinner. I better get on that. I'm happy for you and Artemis. Just so you know, my niece has never had a boyfriend or girlfriend in over 3000 years so–"
I cut Hestia off. "I know, she doesn't exactly know how to properly interact with other people yet. She spent thousands of years hunting in random forests with her own cult listening to every word she'd say. I know she doesn't mean half of what she says." I told her.
Hestia nodded at me and smiled. "Very good. I think you will be good for her, Layla. Dinner should be ready in about an hour. Your daughters need to be fed first." Hestia said as she walked out of the room.
Once she was gone, I walked over to the three cribs in the corner.
A minute later, I was sitting in the nursery holding the three of my youngest daughter's in my arms. The memories I'd received from my Shadow Clone told me that nothing out of the ordinary has happened on Earth while I was gone.
Emma Frost did want to talk to me when I returned with my real body though.
She and Penemue apparently had discovered something strange and wanted me to take a look with my real body. That implied that the strange thing they discovered might be dangerous.
According to the message I got from them, something weird popped up in the middle of the top floor of Fallcorp. It had startled Penemue and Emma when they were…distracted.
[They were having sex.]
Yes, Emma was now in a relationship with Penemue and Azazel. I wasn't jealous, she spent a lot more time with them than she did with me. Emma and Penemue were also both very business minded individuals. They were a lot more compatible with each other.
I was curious about what they discovered, but I decided to spend time with my family for the next few days at least. Carol and Nebula were also my guests and it would be rude, and awkward, to suddenly leave them behind.
"How are my three little Angels doing?" I asked Hilga, Lia and Sia. They all babbled at me in baby speak. "You three are so cute!" Their adorableness brought a huge smile to my face!
Rias and Sona walked into the room as I was cooing at our daughters.
"They've been perfect the past few days. Pretty soon they'll be talking and walking." Rias said while kissing my cheek.
"And then they'll start accidentally casting magic…" Sona added with a small sigh. "We'll have to be extra vigilant so they don't accidentally hurt themselves."
"I'll make sure to always have a Shadow Clone watching them when I'm not here in person. You two are turning out to be great moms." I smiled at Rias and Sona. Both of them blushed and then smiled back.
"I didn't expect to be a mom this early, but I can't say I hate it." Sona told me. "I'm pretty sure that my sister definitely wants to stab you with a million icicles though…"
"Haha…" I laughed nervously. "I'm sure she'll get over her jealousy eventually." Rias and Sona looked very doubtful about that.
"Yeah, and I'm sure my brother will stop trying to destroy you everytime he sees you as well…" Rias added sarcastically.
Needless to say, the Serafall and Sirzechs of their home Universes were not happy with me at all. When they found out their little sisters were both pregnant by me–they tried everything in their power to kill me. They didn't succeed, obviously, but they definitely tried their best to unalive me.
Ironically, a Fallen Angel Goddess consensually knocking up the two Devil Princess actually made Earth DxD-C a lot more peaceful than it would have ever been in Canon. The peace treaty between the three factions was signed much sooner. Other factions hopped on board quicker as well. The Supernatural's of that Universe realized that if Devils and Fallen Angel–sworn enemies–could fall in love, then peace was truly possible between all factions. They decided to join hand in hand and give it a shot!
[You're so full of crap… You know damn well the real reason everyone in that Universe signed the peace treaty! Aliens attacked the Underworld and everyone decided to band together out of fear of a future alien invasion!]
That too… Nothing brings the squabbling factions of Earth together faster than an Alien invasion. It was also for that reason that we never mentioned to the people of Earth DxD-C that Thanos had already been defeated. The treaty could fall apart if they lost their common enemy.
"I was thinking, Layla. I wanted to possibly have my Sister come and visit soon. Serafall hasn't gotten to see Sia yet." Sona said while taking her daughter out of my arms. Rias took hold of Lia as well. I was left with a babbling Hilga.
"Is that a good idea?" I asked. While bouncing Hilga on my knee. She giggled happily.
Sona nodded while hugging Sia close to herself. "Serafall might hate your guts, but she would never put me or my daughter in danger–once she meets her."
Rias and Sona wanted both of their older siblings to meet their children. Of course, I couldn't keep them away from their families and tell them no. We decided to set the date for a week from today. I would open a portal to their Universe and leave a message with the Sitri and Gremory Clans.
"Do you think your siblings would be amenable to what we discussed a few months ago?" I asked them.
A couple months ago, a brilliant but crazy plan had crossed my mind. What if after we got rid of all the evil Devils on Earth DxD we replaced them with some of the Devil's from Earth DxD-C?
The Fallen Angels had fully moved out of the Underworld already. Once the Devils were gone, it would be completely empty. That was a lot of free real estate up for the taking. Plenty of room for them to move in.
When Earth Marvel and Earth DxD merged back together, Rias and Sona's family would no longer be an entire universe away. Despite running away with me, I could tell that they both did miss their families. I also didn't want Sia and Lia to grow up without their extended families either.
"Hmm… I'm not sure." Rias said honestly. "Devil's aren't exactly known for liking change. Most of them still think fashion from the 1600's is in style. Moving to an entirely new Universe is a pretty big step up from that…"
Sona thought differently. "I actually think a lot of Devil's will be very interested. The underworld has always been overcrowded with the Fallen Angels claiming almost half of it. I think a lot of Devils would be happy to finally be able to claim territory for themselves." Sona explained. Of course, she also pointed out that Serafall and Sirzechs might just reject my idea out of spite for knocking up their little sisters…
I shrugged. "I guess we'll find out in a week then. For now, why don't we feed the girls and then have dinner ourselves. Heather should be finished explaining the basics of Earth to Nebula and Carol by now." I pulled down my top and exposed my breasts. The three little girls usually drank a formula created by Hestia, but I didn't mind occasionally feeding the babies the old fashioned way.
[You've just been away for days and wanted an excuse to see their boobs…]
Rias and Sona sat down with their daughters and did the same as me. I could definitely admit that both of their breasts had become very nice to look at now that they were mothers. Sona had even grown an entire cup size!
"So, Layla... We heard most everything from Jean Grey. Did anything else interesting happen on your trip?" Rias asked while Lia latched onto her boob.
"Hmm... We have a dog now?" I told them. I didn't know how Cosmo would act around the girls so I left him on the ship for now though.
Rias grinned and Sona sighed.
"I love dogs!"
"I hate dogs..."
…
–Fallcorp, Same Time–
"It still hasn't gone away after hours..." Emma Frost observed, gazing at the strange anomaly that had sprung up in the top floor of Fallcorp. It had scared the hell out of her and Penemue when it had appeared. Fallcorp was heavily warded. It would take some incredibly powerful magic to breach its defenses. That's why they both thought they were under attack by something incredibly powerful when the anomaly sprang up.
It was some kind of portal. A portal that looked very different from Layla's or the Sorcerers of Kamar Taj. This portal was always changing shape and it had so far taken on every color of the rainbow. It reminded Emma of an ever shifting kaleidoscope in a way.
"The anomaly hasn't grown or shrunk in size so far. Its shape has shifted a few times, but its overall size has remained the same." Penemue observed while measuring it with a few instruments Emma didn't recognize. "Whatever is powering it is clearly coming from the other side."
"How come nothing has come through?" Emma asked in annoyance. All of this inactivity had been making her twitchy. Emma was considering using her new Fallen Angel abilities and simply destroying the portal. Not only did it interrupt her and Penemue when they were "busy," but soon it was going to interrupt their actual business as well. They had an important meeting scheduled with a few investors in the morning!
Penemue stopped Emma and warned her against it. "We don't know what's powering it. It could explode and take out half the city for all we know." Penemue said calmly.
Emma blanched. "It could turn into a bomb!?" She did not want to be working out of a building with something that dangerous nearby! "Your sister is back home now, let's get her to deal with it!" Emma always thought that Layla should take a more active role in the company anyway! Since the portal appeared in Penemue's office, Emma was considering this as official Fallcorp business.
Penemue noticed Emma's discomfort. "Relax, Emma. I know that I don't look it, but I am still a Twelve Winged Fallen Angel. You're perfectly safe next to me. I'm also not going to bother Layla after she just got home from battling a Celestial. You have no idea the magnitude of that accomplishment."
Emma sighed. "Sorry... What should we do now?"
"We go home. I'll leave some cameras around the office to monitor the portal. For all we know, its creation was a complete accident and It might disappear on its own later. If it doesn't then we can further examine it after our meetings tomorrow." Penemue explained.
Emma was surprised by how nonchalant her lover was about the situation.
"Trust me Emma, this isn't even in the top 100 weirdest things I've seen in my lifetime. Now that you are unaging, you'll know where I'm coming from in the future. 100 years from now, you probably won't even remember this incident." Penemue finished with a shrug before gently grasping Emma's hand.
To not cause a panic, Fallcorp had been quietly evacuated after the portal appeared. Emma and Penemue were the last ones in the building. Penemue did as she suggested and left a few cameras in the office to monitor the rainbow phenomenon. Emma gripped Penemue's hand tightly as the Cadre teleported the two of them to their nearby apartment.
Hours later, after the two of them had gone to bed, the rainbow portal started to rapidly shift between colors. The room surged with energy as something started to come through.
An armored green arm was the first thing to appear out of the rainbow portal…
XXX