Red Demon and Sister Spinner spoke for hours. She made things clear and gave him the three names. Topaz King, War King, and the Sword King were to be the next three kings he must face. "The two demons are located in the Tech and War Realm. The Tech Realm is ruled by the Topaz King. He is a key figure and ally to the Void King. He has the biggest army and has turned half the poor populace into mechanized warriors. They have no free will and obey every command. He has put souls into these machines. They are slaves that he uses to cultivate from as the souls inside suffer. They use chi gas powered weapons and have integrated machinations into their lifestyle and cultivation. The Topaz King wants to be worshiped as a living tech god. Which he technically is a god in rank alone. But it is the Mask that corrupts all who look upon it. If he so chooses to use it. Becoming enthralled by his "radiant presence" they become his obedient slaves. He has carried out assassinations through the tech interface without lifting a finger. There is a catch though the mask does not work if you share the same blood as the wearer. So his children are immune to his power. His son Corazon is anxious to take the crown and is impatient. He has two daughters Farrah and Samantha who would be more worthy of the crown" she walked over and produced a scroll with the Crowns of the kings drawn upon it. She pointed to a mask with a static face of a man with etching patterns carved into it. It was gold and didn't look like anything special. "The Gold Mask has the ability to mind control, cast illusions, and is paired with the Soul Weapon Madness Blade. A broad sword that with each cut slowly drives the opponent mad". Red Demon stared at the mask, "So who is against him? Not everyone can be on board with this mindset the King has?" Sister Spinner nodded, "Most of the populace fear him and his Engineer who create his machines that are essentially prisons" Red Demon nodded and remained silent she then pointed to a mask that resembles a boar.
It was bronze in color and had a Mohawk of hair that extended down its back. It has long tusks and a protruding snout. "This is the crown of the War King; the Boar Mask. Gives the wearer a tactician mind and paired with the Soul Weapon; Impenetrable Shield. The War King uses a colosseum pitting citizens, prisoners, and Mythical Beasts to fight. This is upon a magic circle that collects all the blood and he absorbs that tainted chi" she sat back placing hands upon her lap.
"The Topaz King may be a straightforward fight but the War King. He is the embodiment of battle; master of all weapons. And carries an arsenal upon him. Along with the mastery of magic. Even has enhanced magic circles tattooed to his skin. Same process you went through with Raijin. He possesses dual elements. Enhanced meridians like you and have the same battle instincts. In fact this king is more similar to you than you think" she explained. The Red Demon scowled, "What element does he possess?" He asked. "Bedlam and Flame" she said. His eyes widened. "I need to get this seal off sooner rather than later," he told her. She nodded, "Let me continue the strategy session first. He is the leader of the Dreaded Faction if he falls then the entire group falls like dominoes. But I suggest taking on the Tech Realm before you head to the War Realm" this made Red Demon frown. He crossed his arms, "Why's that?" He asked. "Tech Realm is weak right now. It's weakening as we speak here. But in the next two months it will fall. And you will be there to make it happen" she told him. "Really?" He was intrigued. If she wants to tell him the clues to the future then he would listen. "Yes. That's all I'll say on that matter. But you will need the Sun Demon to take on the War King" she picked up her tea.
Red Demon absorbed this information. 'So we have a king that is a battle god and another who wants to be worshiped as a god? Topaz King seems straightforward like she said. War King would be a tougher fight with him being a master tactician' he drifted deep in thought till he thought of question. 'But what would be the Sun Demon's role in taking him on?' He wondered. "So how do these two demons come in handy?" He asked.
"Well the vigilante running about the Tech Realm Sun Demon. They use Light Element and are ruthless. They have halted production of mechanized soldiers and other productions that are causing rifts against the public and the King's court. They have rallied allies with a small band of thieves and rebels that have fallen victim to the king. Crime is almost nonexistent depending on what side you're looking on. Both feel like they have grudges to settle. The King has become weakened by this and has even sustained losses from dimension incursions carried out by the Dreaded Faction. Even the War King is taking advantage of this vigilante. But this has left the War Realm also vulnerable with the Void Faction using these times to weaken the Dread Faction's leader" she sipped her tea.
"So what about the other one? Seems as if the War King can spare troops this vigilante he's dealing with isn't doing as much as the Sun Demon?" Red Demon rebutted. She smiled, "No. See Ghost Demon operates differently. They play the long game and strikes at vulnerable positions. They are allied with no one because there is no one truly left powerful enough to stand against the King, the last criminal organization that could even threaten the king's rule were all wiped out. They were called the Ghost Hand a thieves guild that were numerous in number. Even did assassinations. Trained from birth to be warriors, a thief, and assassin all rolled into one individual. But it seems this Ghost Demon could be the last member and took up the mantle in honor of their fallen brethren. They have made some progress; the War King himself even has fewer allies within his court thanks to them. The King may be brilliant but his way of cultivation is causing the populace to hate him while some revere him as long as they remain wealthy and powerful. But his cultivation is key. See he is close to the celestial step and that has made him drunk on power and paranoid. So Ghost Demon has taken advantage of that adding to the paranoia driving him mad" she let that all sink in pausing.
Red Demon 'Seems these allies will be worth my time after all. Sun Demon seems like a good team player, but also has a moral code. If they could sway criminals to their side then they must be something special. This Ghost Demon however will be a different story. They seem to have the personality of a lone wolf. They are probably driven by revenge from the story he heard' But he could work with that. They were a product of revenge as well.
They could find common ground in revenge. Sun Demon and Ghost Demon would be great additions to their cause. "I do have a request. Give them two charms. You and Smiling will be given the same. I have an abundance of chi ready for all four of you once you evolve in the ranks. You cannot have a connection to the World to elevate yourselves. Here on our" she requested. This piqued Red Demon's interest. "I have already sworn an oath though" he removed his left glove and produced his palm. There was a moment of silence. "Seems your mark is fading?" She said plainly, staring at his hand. This shocked the Red Demon. "What?" He looked at his palm and saw the symbol of the World fading away. His sworn oath also fading from the World's control, the one making his life forfeit. He then looked up from his hand, "How?" He asked. "Simple. Your Thread of Necessity. Yes you took an oath, but your soul belongs to me. You gave away something that wasn't yours to give Walking Ruin" she was blunt and her words cut like a sword through his chest. "Freedom is truly an illusion…" he mumbled resigned now to his fate. He didn't own his own fate anymore like he thought he had. He was a pawn in the game like he was told and he knew that even if he wasn't serving the World he was serving her. He was never serving himself or his own interests. He was nothing but a weapon and he then felt anger rise inside.
"So…you got the weapon my father always coveted huh? That's all I am to you and your master. A fucking sword you think you can swing around. Smiling Demon took an oath, does that mean his oath doesn't hold either?" He asked with a bitter tone. She merely nodded. "He took a different oath than you? He swore to kill you if you betray the World. That sword he carries is called Devil Horn and it's made of a cosmic metal called Tokl'metal. Metal used by Cosmics in many aspects. It's a lot like your Black Brand sword. Made of the same metal can kill anything, even Cosmics. That is his executioner blade if you should stray. Now you can choose to storm out of here tell him the truth of this betrayal leading to you killing him. Or you can bury that anger spewing all over my room through your aura. Tell him the truth but never think he has betrayed your trust. Even if he wanted to tell you the truth, but was sworn to secrecy by death" Red Demon calmed his aura and relaxed on the couch.
He merely chuckled, "I'll never truly trust anyone. Everyone I have ever met has treated me as something they wanted to use or kill. I plan to cut ties with you if I survive this. Make that deal with me. Give me my freedom to travel the cosmos left alone from the World and you?" He locked eyes with her. "I can make that deal," she said, holding out a hand. He took it and shook it, sealing this deal. A gold thread of chi wrapped around their hands. "It's sealed," she told him. He nodded at this. "So since you have covered my service contract with the World. What about transportation? The Gate works for the World as well?" He asked. "The charms are also used as Travel Items enchanted to take you anywhere you want if you see the name in your mind. This will also make your task quicker. Think of it as a mental map with quadrants built into it" she held out four bracelets with gold weaved together with runes etched onto a single solid band of gold holding the threaded side together. They resembled arm rings and seem to be individually decorated. One with a simple Oni on it. Another with a smiling devil, the third was that of a ghostly mask of an Oni with mist coming out of its mouth, and the last was a grinning Oni with a single horn with a third eye.
He placed the simple Oni on his arm. He felt immediately connected to it. "Seems you really have thought of everything?" He said sarcastically. "I'm limited, but better to be prepared" she simply said with a grin. He tucked the remaining rings into his belt. "Well let's discuss one last thing. What is the path of the Walking Ruin?" He asked.
"A catastrophe that will bring change to the Dream Universe. He will walk the path of a true warrior and all those that follow will create a sea of blood of those that are found unworthy" she said with a poetic tone. "All legends need a prophecy. It's the only way to craft a Thread of Necessity. Those who walk with one are destined for great things and are impacts upon history" she stood up. "Giving you a true name is a gift. It makes you incorruptible like your oath to the World. You are chained only to me and I give you nothing but freedom. And yet without knowing all that you took an oath to a cosmic being that was hollow. But you took it all the same and yes you felt duty to that oath, but you never truly bought into it. You remained your own man. Take that mentality and spread it to the masses interrupting status quo" she spread her arms out like wings. "You're a mad woman aren't you?" Red Demon asked with confusion. Her arms hung from her side, "I'm a storyteller and all storytellers have some madness inside them. How do they tap into creativity without it? You're an artist you can understand?" She said glaring at him. "Yes. I can understand. It's been a minute since I last drew…perhaps I should carve out time to do so" he stood up from the couch. "Well I appreciate your time and wisdom. Now when do we unlock this element?" He asked bluntly. "I'll do it tomorrow. I am merely waiting for an acquaintance to assist. I have something else planned so be ready for a surprise. I feel like you and Smiling should have a talk before I do anything. Best to open up to someone as an investment for support in the future. Like I said one must always be prepared" she turned her back on him and walked to her desk. She resumed reading the scroll from earlier.
Red Demon lingered for a few seconds and left without saying anything even though he had a million questions. 'She has me by the balls withholding this element from me. And I seem to be at a stand still. She isn't wrong though. Me and Smiling could be better acquainted' he thought.