Since he had gotten himself involved, he might as well go all the way and have Sirzechs praise him for taming these old coots. He would oppress them just as much as they oppressed their peerages. He would humiliate them just as much as they humiliated others.
These elders, high and mighty to others…
"All of you…"
…were no different from dogs in his eyes.
"Bow!"
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|DxD|
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One word. One command. It was as if a rough hand grabbed them by the hair and smashed them onto the table…hard!
Bang!
The sound of tables cracking rang out through the room. Without exception, all of them had their foreheads pressed against the table. Such humiliation was never something they had to face in their long lives, but none dared to utter a peep.
There were elders who were already bleeding from their foreheads, but they dared not cry out in pain. They shivered underneath the invisible force pressing down on them, their current state arousing pity.
No one here bore pity for them because their atrocities were simply that atrocious. The only one who worried in this hall was Aurelia. However, her worry was for Igor. She was worried that he was possibly getting too invested, that he was letting things get too personal.
But she didn't stop him.
[Don't coddle him, Aurelia.]
Regardless of recent complications, her goals had not changed. She wished for him to become the new leader of their people in the centuries to come. If she restricted him at every point due to every concern she had, it would be unbecoming and she would possibly rob him of experience.
[I hope this will not affect his light.]
Perhaps it was a naive thought to have, but she wished this new event would not rob Igor of his natural kindness. But she couldn't deny one thing. What he was doing was indeed domineering. Some might find it distasteful and hard to swallow, but leaders must be willing to be capable of extreme benevolence and cruelty alike.
.
|DxD|
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Igor felt no satisfaction in his actions. He was constantly on the verge of outright rage-fueled disgust, but he schooled his expression. These elders were weak in mind, weak in body, and weak in heart. People like them wouldn't even qualify to be cannon fodder in any of the numerous wars he's been in.
Yet somehow, they actually thought themselves to be high and mighty. How they could have such conclusions with their current power was something that reviled him to no end.
"Elders of the Underworld. I want to make myself very clear. I am no devil. I share no kinship with any of you. Your connections, faction, clan, money, and artifacts mean nothing to me. Three of you have moved my hand. Four if we count Elder Eunice."
"""?!?!"""
Cold sweat covered their brows once more. If Sirzechs was ruthless to even his own family, then what were they? If some didn't realise it then, now they did. This was truly the end of the rope. The Four Satans had enough and they found a willing party to end them.
This was no joke. It truly mattered not which clan they came from. If it was Sirzechs doing this, they still had a chance. But this was another party. Even worse, they were Aryans. This was the end of the line. They had to accept that this was the end of the line.
"You can hide at your clans. I will personally travel to find you and kill you right in front of your sons."
"?!"
Aurelia was shocked. He was treading on dangerous territory. She could tell he wasn't bluffing and that worried her. But she kept quiet…for now.
"Understand that the Four Satans are your masters and you are their dogs. As far as everyone is concerned, your input is no longer required. Ajuka bothering to present his proposal is already too high a luxury for you. If ballot papers are passed to you, you only need to vote in agreement. Your voices and input are no longer needed from now on."
Like a cruel tyrant before his prostrated subjects, Igor was overbearing to the point of concern.
"I hope I am understood."
But even if he was overbearing, these elders had no choice but to accept it.
.
|DxD|
.
Just a little over ten-minutes had passed since Luzan's sudden outburst. The man was completely lifeless. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
Ajuka paid no attention to this. He happily continued his presentation like nothing ever happened. He especially enjoyed their veiled reactions to his proposals. Their reluctant smiles brought a smile to his own face.
Now, he was looking to their reactions even more when he announced this next issue.
"The second feature that we have is to relinquish dependency on the king."
Full stop. Ajuka took his time surveying their reactions. He did not rush forward or show any inclination in continuing. Their negative emotions came out in waves, but none dared to overtly disagree. If they did, their family tombs would have one more individual. Either that or be crippled like Luzan Phenex.
No one could be sure which was worse, but Ajuka enjoyed seeing their conundrum nonetheless. Maybe he was sadistic. Who knew? But the major source of his jubilation came from finally being able to allow his creations fulfil the purpose they were designed for- to repopulate their race, not fulfil harem dreams.
"Allow me to go into explanation on how this will work, esteemed elders. We are all aware that peerage pieces rely on the king's demonic power to remain stable. This is a fatal flaw I was unable to combat in my first design of the pieces. It wasn't until a while ago that I was able to solve the issue. Now, each individual piece has the capability to generate and stabilise a person's demonic power without the need for the king."
Truth be told, Ajuka had made his successful breakthrough over two centuries ago but he knew his proposal would never be accepted. Now, he could make it with peace of mind and he particularly enjoyed their strained smiles when he said 'without the need for the king'.
"The benefits of such a feature speak for themselves, dear esteemed elders. It is no secret that many people, particularly humans with sacred gears yearn for the lifespan provided by becoming a devil. The limiting factor that prevented them from taking the plunge was the issue of complete servitude. If this is removed, we might stand to gain a Longinus wielder in the near future."
Ajuka's work for devilkind was honourable. It is not impossible to say that with his innovations, the devils might've become a race comparable to the Aryans or even the Shinto or Hindu if given enough time.
But because these elders were only concerned with their stomachs, their greed-motivated votes prevented the passage of laws and regulations that stunted their growth by centuries. But it wasn't too late.
"There are other minor benefits I would like to implement, but they are still a work in progress. If I am given the elder's support, I promise I can complete a new conceptual feature within ten years. By twenty-ten, I should be ready to implement an idea that will revolutionize the rating game scene and real-life combat itself. However, this will all rely on the generous support of you, esteemed elders."
"""..."""
He was asking them for money. Correction. He was demanding money from them. Not just money, but resources and more. They couldn't refuse even if they wanted to. They might maintain a somewhat haughty appearance to the satans and refuse with some bureaucratic nonsense, but the demon behind them would kill them before they said otherwis-
"Your donations would be greatly appreciated."
"""..."""
This son of a #%&$ wasn't even trying to hide it anymore! Donations? This was outright extortion.
"Elders?"
Ajuka looked at them innocently, but he couldn't hide the small smile on his face. He felt like a prodigal son about to receive compensation from his enemies. Igor was quiet, but he had firmly cemented his presence in the minds of each elder.
Because of how smoothly things were going, Ajuka felt he wouldn't mind referring to Igor as his father. In one day, problems that had plagued them for hundreds of years were already showing signs of being solved.
In one hour, he thoroughly tamed these elders and made them as meek as sheep. Their painful expressions as Ajuka waited for their reply made him feel as if he finally took a breath of fresh air.
Greed or life? It wasn't even a hard choice for these elders to make. They didn't dare say no and directly agreed to donating.
"We hope you succeed in your endeavour, Lord Beelzebub."
"I am willing to offer support in your wishes to better our kind, my lord."
Similar responses rang out. Their voices were rankly and old, but Ajuka could swear it sounded like the greatest symphony since the dawn of time. Centuries of meetings, and this was the first one he was completely satisfied with.
Igor fulfilled his role exceptionally well. He never showed it, Ajuka always wanted his people to reach for higher heights. Igor has shown himself to be the key to that and no matter what, he would always remember that.
"Thank you, esteemed elders."
.
AN
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This meeting is coming to an end. For further content, you are welcome to read ahead on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n. Just look for HolyGambler.