Chapter 41: Khaos Brigade (1)
[Underworld: The Astaroth Clan's Castle.]
"Hmm…"
Hiding her body behind a wall, Latia poked her head from the side, staring daggers at the metallic gate at a distance with narrowed eyes.
It was a place she never thought she'd visit of her own accord.
The Astaroth Clan's Library.
Latia would usually ask the servants to bring over the books she wanted to read, but now, the number of books she needed exceeded what one could take out of the library, and she also needed to check the new catalogue.
Since that was the case, she had no choice but to come here in person, much to her dismay.
'Why is no one coming today?'
Latia had been camping here for half an hour and waiting for someone to walk into the library. Then, she could follow behind them in the name of coincidence.
But when no one came after waiting for another half an hour, she decided to go in alone and slowly walked toward the metallic door, standing in front of it.
'Man-eating books don't exist in real life. Man-eating books don't exist in real life. Man-eating books don't exist in real life. Man-eating books don't exist in real life.'
After a few seconds of self-encouragement, Latia took a step forward, but the moment she did—
"Ah…!!"
Thud!*
She tripped and fell forward, her face hitting the biometric scanner next to the door before sliding down the wall.
Sure enough.
She hated libraries from the bottom of her heart.
The fall didn't hurt her, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. Now, she was glad no one was around to watch her.
[Latia Astaroth. Access granted.]
A mechanical voice came from the biometric scanner as the metallic door opened, and after collecting herself, Latia got up from the ground and walked inside.
"Whoa…"
It was Latia's first time visiting the library in person, and when she walked inside, she couldn't help but rub her eyes to check if something was wrong with them.
'The space here is most likely artificially stretched to increase the area of this place...'
Although the Astaroth Clan's Castle was one of the largest castles in the underworld, the library alone was at least dozens of times that size, with the walls being over a thousand meters tall.
The only way something like this would fit inside the castle was by artificially increasing the space with magic.
"It's mesmerising, right? Whenever someone visits this place for the first time, their reaction is always the same…"
Latia turned towards her right, only to notice a middle-aged man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a pair of rather intellectual-looking glasses.
The man held a few books in his hands, and upon noticing him, Latia bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Lord Krens."
Even though Krens was only the librarian and never left this place, not even participating in the clan's functioning, he had the highest authority within the Astaroth Clan, even surpassing the Clan Head.
After all, he was a second-generation devil and the eldest son of their clan's progenitor, the First Astaroth.
Most of the members alive today were his descendants.
When his mother died during the Great War, Krens took over her position as the Astaroth Clan's Head for a while, retiring as soon as the war ended and passing the position down to his descendants.
From what he said, politics and war were all meaningless. Instead of partaking in worldly affairs, he became the librarian to protect their clan's true legacy—the knowledge they had accumulated from the day Lucifer created their ancestor.
Krens only learned about the world's current affairs from the new records published and stored within the library, but he never intervened, no matter what happened.
Even during the Devil Civil War, he never stepped out of the library and left everything to the Clan Head.
A true observer.
"What brings you here, child?"
"I came to research some things about [Power of Time], [High IQ], and time-space in general…"
"[Power of Time]… Are you Latia Astaroth?"
As the librarian, Krens knew how Latia only ordered the books she needed through the servants, so her visiting the place in person came off as a surprise.
"Yes."
"I see. Follow me." Krens moved towards the librarian's desk and gestured towards the crystal ball. "Channel a bit of your demonic power into it."
Latia did as ordered, and moments later, an enormous holographic screen appeared above the crystal ball, containing the catalogue of books she was allowed to access.
Depending on the person's rank and contribution to the clan, the knowledge they could access from the library varied.
However, despite being a youngster with barely any accomplishments, the amount Latia could access was already phenomenal.
Magic, history, 72 Pillars, Clan Traits, Angels, Fallen Angels, different mythologies, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, demonic power, light power, holy power, architecture, dragons, gods, familiars, sacred gears, magic tools, craftsmanship, magic enchantment, and whatnot.
The list of categories kept going no matter how much she scrolled.
Krens leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes, letting Latia choose the books she wanted in silence.
After selecting over fifty books, Latia called out to him, and he glanced towards the hologram.
"Should I send the servants to collect them?"
"It's alright. I can do it myself."
"If you wish to take a book outside, let me know before leaving."
"I understand."
The holographic screen transformed into a small arrow before flying away, and Latia activated [Gravity Magic] to follow behind it.
In the last five years, Latia had solely focused on improving her [Power of Time], [Sound Magic], and [Gravity Magic]. She also changed the last one to suit her better, which made it quite different from the spell formation Azrail gave her, albeit it took some help from Alice to complete.
While Azrail's [Gravity Magic] focused more on support and destruction, Latia's was more combat-oriented and solely manipulated her gravity rather than another person's.
Since it only targeted a single person now, it became easier to customise and develop accordingly, with much better casting speed and increased potency.
Although, she hadn't yet told this to Azrail.
She wanted to surprise him in the future, so she practised [Gravity Magic] and [Sound Magic] in Alice's territory to ensure no one noticed.
'This, this, and this…'
The holographic arrow guided Latia through the Astaroth Clan's library, pointing out the books she selected on the way, and she stored them inside her dimensional storage before moving forward.
It took her around an hour to collect everything, and after that, she settled on one of the many tables within the library for people to sit and read.
The reason she came to the Astaroth Clan's library was simple.
She wanted to make her [Power of Time] go beyond its inherent limit of only accelerating and slowing down time with the help of [High IQ].
'If I knew how to reverse time, I could've healed Azrail instantly…'
That thought had been on her mind since Azrail left the underworld over a week ago.
'And maybe, even the problem no one knows about…'
Although she had no idea what it was, she knew that Azrail hadn't told everyone the whole story, including the aftereffects the battle left on him, but she didn't say anything at the time.
After all, she understood that even if he told her, there was probably nothing she could do about it.
The only thing she could do right now was improve herself.
And that was why she came here.
Latia had no idea if [Power of Time] could ever reverse the flow of time, but since Azrail said it was possible, she wholeheartedly believed him.
So, after he left the underworld, rather than focusing on her usual training, Latia worked on improving her mastery over [High IQ].
The Astaroth Clan's trait worked based on the user's knowledge, so she first needed to learn how the [Power of Time] even interacted with the fourth dimension of time.
From what she knew, time wasn't something people could interact with, as they only perceived it through changes and events, such as ageing, the movements of the sun, or the ticking of a clock.
With that in mind, she started reading about [Power of Time], [High IQ], and then moved on to space-time's interpretation based on physics rather than magic.
She researched for hours, occasionally asking Krens for help whenever she felt a headache coming.
The librarian was known for helping out his descendants in their pursuit of knowledge, although he never gave definitive answers and only minor hints.
But even with those hints, it didn't make it less frustrating not to have any progress for days.
Latia tried reading at different places like the floor, sitting upside down on the roof, walking on the walls, resting inside bookshelves, and under the table. After spending more than a week in the Astaroth Clan's library, she finally found a clue on how the [Power of Time] worked.
The [Time Barrier] didn't manipulate 'time' within it, but instead, it interacted with something else entirely to accelerate or slow down the flow of time, and the mathematical representation of it was—
"Vectors…"
[Power of Time] exerted influence over temporal vectors within the barrier.
No, in particular, it affected the four-velocity vector to influence the rate at which time passes within the barrier, causing the effects of accelerating and decelerating time.
The four-velocity vector described the rate of change of the four-position vector (the position of an event in space-time) concerning proper time, combining temporal and spatial velocity components.
But there was one problem with that.
"What exactly are these vectors?"
Latia only knew that they were mathematical objects used to represent quantities that had both magnitude and direction, but beyond that, her knowledge was superficial at best.
"And wasn't time a scalar quantity? How does it even have vectors?"
After that, she made another trip around the Astaroth Clan's library and collected books about vectors, working so hard that she almost forgot about her trauma from books.
.
.
.
A few more days passed, and Latia reached a somewhat discouraging conclusion.
'It's impossible to reverse time on someone with the [Power of Time]. An ability that can only affect the four-velocity vector isn't enough…'
The ability's limit was time dilation. Even if Latia learned how to reverse the four-velocity vector with [High IQ] buffing the [Power of Time], it might reverse the direction of time, but this alone wouldn't account for the physical state changes needed to heal someone.
The hard truth was that it couldn't undo past events, regardless of how much one tried.
'Four-position vector to define the point in space-time something needs to revert to, four-velocity vector to change the direction of time for the target and also affect how slow or fast they move through time, and finally, four-momentum vector to reverse the energy state, which can potentially contribute to undoing the physical changes caused by injuries….'
Just thinking about it made her head hurt.
She couldn't do all that by herself, no matter how much the [Power of Time] improved.
"Haah…"
Latia leaned back on her chair, her head hanging backwards as her hands dropped.
All that hard work only to run into a wall.
"Giving up already?"
Latia was used to Krens appearing out of nowhere by now, so she wasn't surprised when his body manifested next to her.
"Realising that something is impossible and no longer wasting time on it doesn't equate to giving up."
"Not attempting every possible method for success does equate to giving up." Krens placed the book he held on the table and smiled at Latia. "Tell me, child. Aren't you the part of the Astaroth Clan?"
"I am…"
"Then, why are you solely focusing on improving the Agares Clan's [Power of Time] and limiting yourself?"
"Because that's the only plausible method to achieve my goals…?"
"Only plausible method? Why not take it as a reference and create something greater?"
"Create something?"
"It is something that only you can hope to accomplish, as you will have a far better understanding of the [Power of Time] than anyone within our clan… Let me ask you a question. What does the Astaroth Clan's [High IQ] offer us?"
Latia's mood was already down after making no significant progress, so she only replied to that question absentmindedly.
"Nigh-perfect control over our demonic power, the ability to copy custom spells at a glance, and the ability to…" Latia paused mid-sentence, her back straightening at the sudden realisation. "Develop the nature of our Demonic Power to suit any particular field…"
Although her demonic power already had the nature of 'time,' she could add a second nature to it with the help of [High IQ].
That was the best advantage she had because of her mixed heritage.
However, she had held out on deciding her second nature until she found something suitable to work with, similar to Azrail.
But unlike him, who only needed to develop a single nature, she had to train her [Power of Time], too, which made her neglect her second nature over the last few years since she planned on developing her original nature to the limits.
"Our clan's ancestor once said, 'We from the Astaroth Clan don't have a defined method to get stronger, like training our sole inherent ability, but instead, we have the freedom to choose what suits us best, so it is alright to experiment and fail until you find what suits you best. Be creative, be curious, and you'll realise that the possibilities are endless.' You might have the blood of the Agares Clan within you, but you are and will always be a part of the Astaroth Clan."
A book manifested in Krens' hands, and he handed it to Latia.
Unlike the uncountable number of books within the library, this one looked worn out, and everything within it, from the writings to the numerous magic circles, was handwritten.
"This is…"
"A book written by our clan's ancestor. She used to lend it to the descendants she found interesting, and I do the same. It contains her insights on [High IQ] and how to develop our demonic power nature to suit 'weird but creative' things."
Most devils from the Astaroth Clan would develop their demonic power nature that already has a lot of instructions from the previous generations, like fire, water, barriers, electricity, concealment, temperature, and other less innovative fields.
It was something that saddened Krens, especially after all the accomplishments his mother did in creating thousands of spells for the Devil's Magic System that all clans these days use.
The clan had started to lose its spirit to create something new and followed the paths their previous generations walked on.
"Do others know about this book?"
"No. Only those who've read it know about its existence."
"Then, how many people have read it?"
"A handful, but among the people you know, the only ones who have read it are Ajuka and Azrail…"
"Oh…"
The fact that Azrail read this book surprised Latia, but considering his talent and how much time he spent inside the library, it made sense.
He was the only person in the clan who got away with referring to Krens as 'Old Man.'
"Lord Krens…" Latia skimmed through the book, occasionally reading a line or two. "What was the Ancestor's demonic power nature?"
Despite Ajuka's strength and accomplishments, their progenitor was considered the greatest magician within their clan.
"That's a secret no one knows about, not even me…" Krens smiled at her, his body slowly merging with the surrounding space. "All I know is that it allowed Mother to imitate some of the clan traits of other 72 Pillars, like [Power of Destruction], [Worthless], [Crack], and other such combat-based abilities despite not being a fighter herself…"
With those words, he disappeared before Latia could ask anything more.
.
.
.
Latia was so engrossed in reading the book in her hands that she didn't even notice someone walking behind her chair and leaning forward.
"Pee-ka-boo!"
"Eeeek…!!!"
Latia jolted in surprise, causing her body to fall off the chair, and with a loud thud, the side of her head hit the floor.
"Pfft…!"
Watching such an intense reaction, Alice couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Why are you sneaking up behind people, Alice?!"
"I didn't sneak up behind anyone; you were so focused on reading that you didn't hear my footsteps… Can you even remember the last time you had a real conversation with someone?"
Latia pursed her lips at Alice's words and avoided eye contact, randomly glancing around the library.
True, she hadn't left this place in over fifteen days, even asking for her meals to be delivered here instead.
"And you haven't even changed your clothes in a while…"
"That's not it! I use [Clean] on myself regularly to maintain hygiene!"
Alice looked at Latia with concern.
'She's becoming like Azrail…'
That wasn't good.
One abomination of a person was enough for Alice to handle; she couldn't even imagine having two such people around.
"Anyways, why are you here?"
"I came to check on you because I was worried. What else can it be?"
Alice extended her arm towards Latia, helping her stand up before picking up the fallen books with wind magic.
"Hey, Alice… I've decided the second nature I want my demonic power to have…"
"And what's that?"
"Calculations."
"Like My Lord?"
"Not that…" Latia vigorously shook her head to deny Alice's assumption. "Lord Beelzebub's Demonic Power Nature focuses on maximising the efficiency of his [Kankara Formula] to control all phenomena with equations and formulas. That's too diverse of a subject for me; I want something more specific, like something based on the [Power of Time] but more advanced…"
"More advanced?"
"Vector calculations…"
From what Latia theorised, if she fueled the Agares Clan's [Power of Time] with Vector Calculative Demonic Power developed by the Astaroth Clan's [High IQ], she could potentially manipulate four-velocity vector at will rather than letting her clan trait do it for her.
After analysing how her [Power of Time] affected the four-velocity vector, she could also further develop her second demonic power nature to affect the four-acceleration vector, four-position vector, four-momentum vector, four-force vector, and even four-gradient vector.
That way, her Astaroth Clan's [High IQ] could go beyond the Agares Clan's [Power of Time] that only worked on the four-velocity vector.
It might take decades or even centuries, but if she succeeded, it'd grant her much more control over 'time' compared to any other members of the Agares Clan.
However, it was still a rough idea and needed a lot of refinement, and she didn't even know if it'd work, but Latia had already decided.
Even if it didn't work as she expected, [Vector Magic] sounded like a rather powerful combat-oriented magic in her head, even more so than [Gravity Magic], with both potent offence and defence.
"Since you've already made up your mind, I'll take you to a place where you can experiment with magic as much as you want without restraints… How about it?"
"Really?"
Latia looked at Alice with stars in her eyes.
"Yes, but go and have some rest first. You already have dark circles under your eyes…"
"Mmh. I was about to go and sleep either way."
Without even waiting for a second, Latia surged her demonic power and created a [Transportation Magic Circle] under her, soon disappearing.
"I should get going, too…"
Alice was about to use [Transportation Magic] and leave, but before she could, the space around her distorted before Krens walked out of thin air.
"Don't pretend like you didn't sense me, Alice."
"It has been a while, Lord Krens. I'm glad to see that those old bones still have the strength to eavesdrop on someone's conversation…"
Alice smiled at Krens, and despite her rude words, the latter didn't mind them much, simply glancing at the numerous books Latia left on the table.
"That girl has incredible talent. Alas, if I hadn't taken on the librarian's role, I would've asked her to be my disciple."
Those words surprised Alice a bit. "You didn't even evaluate Azrail this highly…"
"You're wrong." Krens shook his head lightly, waving his hand as all the books on the table disappeared and returned to their designated positions within the library. "Azrail's not a genius, but someone who can't be graded by our standards, much like his brother. Even if I taught him personally, I'd only restrict his natural growth and hold him back…"
Alice lacked the talent of conversing with wise ancient people without feeling sleepy, so she talked with Krens for a few minutes and escaped at her first chance.
.
.
.
The next day, Alice brought Latia to the special place she talked about, and the latter liked it so much that she hugged her in happiness.
"A-Alice… I think we arrived at the wrong place. Let's go home…"
Or at least, that was what Alice wanted to believe.
"Don't be scared. Lady Tiamat's looks aside, she isn't a bad dragon…"
Alice patted Latia's head as she hid behind her in front of Tiamat, who was resting inside her cave in her original form and releasing a dense Dragon Aura from her enormous body.
"This brings back memories."
"Ahaha…"
Alice gave out a dry laugh at Tiamat's words, knowing that she was talking about the time she hid behind Ajuka after being scared by the dragon.
A few seconds later, Tiamat retreated her dragon aura and transformed into her human form, and Latia poked her head from the side and glanced at her.
"This is the child you want me to teach?"
"Yes."
"Heh…" Tiamat crouched in front of Latia, looking into the latter's eyes. "I'll accept her because it's your request, but if she doesn't match my expectations, I'll send her back to the underworld..."
Those words weren't entirely true.
Tiamat had already decided to teach Latia before she transformed into her human form.
The Dragon Aura she previously released was enough to scare an average devil senseless, but Latia managed to resist it and only hid behind her guardian for security.
Even if the little girl didn't meet her expectations, the fact that she could resist her Dragon Aura meant investing a few years into this girl wouldn't be an absolute waste.
After all, the brat Tiamat was interested in said he would return in five years, so she had some free time to mess around.
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Words: 3763
A/N:
Latia boutta become the strongest esper in Academy City.
By the way, this is only half of the chapter I had in mind (like the first part, the second was where the scene shifts back to Azrail and Lyra). Finished this part about three days ago but couldn't finish the second part in time because of some work, so I only uploaded this part today.
Right. Lyra's picture.