《The Fallen Vampire》


 Chapter 1: Commission

    <h4>Chapter 1: Commission</h4>

    "But why can''t we go with you?!" A young girlined.

    She and her brother were sitting on thep of her burly father, nestling next to an open fire in theirfy longhouse.

    The little boy chose this moment to team up with his sister and advocate for their inclusion. "Yea! Why can''t we go too, Pa?"

    The man appeared to be stuck between a rock and a hard ce.

    Luckily, his wife chose this very moment toe from the kitchen with the rest of their belongings.

    "Come on now, you two know very well that you can''t go with us on jobs like this. We might run into some fallen along the way."

    The man breathed a sigh of relief.

    His kids knew he had trouble telling them no, but luckily his wife did not seem to have that problem.

    ''Cutting it a little close there, aren''t we Annalise?'' The man thought inwardly.

    As if she could hear his thoughts, the woman shed her husband a provocative smirk before she scooped their two little kids up from hisp.

    "Let''s go now kids, time to get into bed."

    "AWW!"

    "I HAVE RIGHTS!"

    "Not in this house you don''t, Noah."

    The kids struggled and squirmed in their mother''s arms, but it proved to be useless as they were forcefully tucked into bed.

    Their father followed closely behind with a small smile on his face.

    This was the same scene that happened to them every time they weremissioned for a job and it had be one of the major joys of his life.

    "Your big sister will be here in the morning so just go to sleep and wait for her, okay?" Annalise chuckled as she kissed her two kids on the forehead.

    "Garm,e kiss the kids." She beckoned.

    Therge father nodded before bending down to kiss his two young children.

    With that done, the parents both got up to leave, but not before the little boy offered them some extra encouragement.

    "You guys have to go and kill lots of fallen, okay?"

    The parents gave each other helpless looks before shutting the door to their children''s room.

    "Honestly, do they think we''re soldiers or something?" Annalise chuckled.

    Garm simply shook his head.

    "That boy''s just been spending too much time around Billy Mason."

    The pair chuckled before they picked up their packs and locked arms lovingly.

    "Let''s go meet them."

    With that, the two left their small cottage and took extra care to lock the two children inside.

    They expertly traveled through the cold wintery night until they arrived at arge clearing that was outside of arger forest.

    There they found two men waiting for them.

    One was a handsome looking blond man with a spear behind his back and the other had long dark hair and was holding a sword.

    "d you two could make it!" The blond man said joyfully.

    "It took you guys long enough." The dark-haired man added.

    "Ah, shut it. The kids wouldn''t get into bed." Garm exined.

    "Annalise had to tuck them in again, huh?" The dark haired man guessed.

    "...shut up."

    The group then burst into a fit ofughter.

    It was well known by the entire vige that Garm was the very definition of a gentle giant.

    So much so that even his kids were capable of running over him.

    The four of them frequently teamed up like this so they all had a pretty good rtionship.

    As they trekked through the forest together, they began to discuss the absurdity of the current job they were on.

    "Can you believe Mr. Monroe actually offered us fifty gold to search some ruined old castle? Surely he must know that the ce has already been picked clean by now." The spearmen said.

    The ck haired man, whose name was Michael, spoke. "Hey, he''s old and rich. If he wants to waste his money like that then who am I toin."

    "He''s just a historian looking for old artifacts." Annalise defended.

    "Whatever he is, I just hope he actually pays up."

    Rustle.

    The group came to a dead stop when they heard the sound of moving leaves.

    The men drew their weapons before Annalise''s hands began to glow with a vibrant green energy.

    "Whoever you are,e out with your hands up or this entire grove ising down!" Michael ordered.

    For a moment, there was silence.

    The group wondered if they''d have to make good on their threat when a figure emerged from a nearby bush.

    "Please.." The girl said shakily as she held her hands up in the air.

    "Shit! It''s a fallen!"

    "Don''t move you damn elf!"

    The girl who''d emerged from the bushes was a dark elf who appeared to be no older than fifteen.

    She had light grey skin that was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and a head of long silver hair.

    Her purple eyes were filled with fear as she silently regretted not letting that red bear eat her earlier.

    "How many more of you are there?!" Garm roared.

    The young girl tried to respond that she was all alone, however no words woulde out of her mouth.

    Annalise activated a search spell and confirmed that there was no one else around for several miles.

    "She''s alone. Maybe she''s a stray or something."

    The warriors rxed slightly meanwhile Michael was staring hard at the young elven girl.

    He realized that she was actually quite pretty for a fallen and felt a sinister urge rise up from his loins.

    No longer worried she might pose a threat, another idea came up in his head. "Hey guys, we have time for a small detour, right?"

    The spearmen named Alex immediately understood his friend''s way of thinking and agreed. "That''s right, we have an entire three day journey ahead of us after all. Be a shame not to rest while we have the opportunity."

    The married couple immediately understood where their heads were at and Annalise snorted in contempt while Garm just shrugged.

    "You two are disgusting. How can you even think about touching a disgusting fallen." Sheined.

    However, the two men did not pay her any mind and continued their advance towards the elven girl.

    The girl''s eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen and she turned to limp away.

    Unfortunately, the men quickly caught her and threw her to the ground before stuffing a cloth in her mouth.

    "You guys only have thirty minutes or Garm and I are going to leave you behind!" Annalise warned.

    As a response, the men wasted not time and undressed themselves before focusing on the young girl.

    When the sound of muffled screams filled the air, Garm and Annalise started a small fire to keep themselves warm.

    "I''ll never understand some men." Annalise muttered.

    "They''re just hot-blooded youngds." Garm reasoned. "Let them have their fun."

    The woman gave her husband a suspicious look.

    "You wouldn''t happen to have any intentions to join them would you?"

    Sensing danger, the muscr man quickly shook his head and proimed his innocence.

    "Nonsense! How could I crave the body of any other woman besides you?"

    A small blush began to spread on Annalise''s pale cheeks. "Y-you''re just saying that."

    Garm smiled and pulled his wife into his broad arms. "I would never. My wife is the most beautiful woman imaginable."

    The woman buried her face into the chest of her muscr husband.

    "Hmph... silver tongued devil."

    Like that, the two shared a rxing moment by the fire, as they waited for their party members to finish relieving themselves.

 Chapter 2: Timely Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 2: Timely Arrival</h4>

    Despite the many ''breaks'' that Michael and Alex took to use their new toy, the group actually managed to arrive at their destination in a timely manner.

    Though Annalise did give them the stink eye every time they pulled the broken dark elf behind some bushes or against a tree, they soon learned to ignore it.

    Currently, the group was staring at their destination : the ruined castle of an extinct race of fallen called vampires.

    "Alright, we''re here." Garm said as he turned toward Alex. "You know the deal."

    The spearman sighed and turned around.

    The young dark elf they''d been using for relief had a face that was stained with tears and dead, broken eyes.

    He took onest look at her naked body that was bound by ropes and felt a small sense of loss.

    "Come on Garm! Can''t I just use it one more time?" he pleaded.

    Michael nodded furiously in agreement. He also thought it would be a waste to let go of such a perfectly good doll like the one they''d found.

    Garm simply rolled his eyes and shoved past the two horndogs.

    He slipped on his steel gauntlets and proceeded to punch the dark elf girl right in the face, obliterating her head and sending chunks of meat and skull flying everywhere.

    Her body wobbled for a bit before finally falling over, her soul finally free from the gross torture she''d undergone for the past two days.

    "Boo!"

    "You suck!"

    Michael and Alex of course voiced their displeasure, however Garm was unaffected. "You two knew the deal. You got to have your fun until we made it here but now it''s time for business."

    The pair simply groaned and rolled their eyes as they stared at the body on the ground.

    They felt the same way one might feel if they were to have spilled their favorite food on the floor.

    It just felt like such a waste.

    Annalise could not take her eyes off her husband.

    She loved when he shed his usual aloof and carefree demeanor to be more dominant and imposing.

    Now she was the one with the urge to go into the bushes for a release.

    With the unnecessary baggage disposed of, the group moved towards the ruined entrance of the copsing castle.

    Moss and Ivy covered the walls of the great structure that had been left abandoned for over 500 years.

    "How should we get inside?" Michael asked as he stared at the crumbling castle. "If we try to force our way in, we''ll probably bring the whole thing down."

    His reasoning was justified, and it seemed that the group had run into their first problem already.

    Annalise was the first to offer a solution.

    "I can use my wind magic to get us onto the roof and see if there are any openings in the ceiling?"

    Everyone looked to be okay with this course of action except Garm.

    His fear of heights was something he desperately tried to avoid showcasing.

    Luckily, his wife seemed to understand his fear and she quickly whispered in his ear secretly, "I''ll send those two up first and then we can go up together, okay?"

    Garm nodded, relieved to have such a considerate wife.

    Soon the group executed their n, and they were up on the roof of the castle.

    Annalise''s n appeared to have been sessful when after a few minutes of searching, the group found a copsed ceiling that led to what appeared to be an old armory.

    Lowering themselves down inside using wind magic, Michael pulled out an item from his bag called a glowstone that helped illuminate their surroundings.

    "Man.. Seems like this ce has already been picked clean." He grumbled.

    "Well, what do you expect?" Annalise said as she pulled out her own glowing stone from her bag. "The nightstalkers were said to be drowning in riches. It''s no surprise that after 500 years all the good stuff''s been taken."

    "It''s a good thing the old man''s paying either way..."

    The group nodded silently in agreement.

    In truth, none of them were expecting to find anything.

    But the payday was much too good for them to ignore such a job.

    Despite their pessimism, the group continued to search.

    The castle was just enormous, and every room required almost a full twenty minutes to sort through.

    They found old silks, a few ancient golden trinkets and even some precious minerals.

    However, none of this was actually what their employer was looking for.

    Valuable as these items may have been, they were not anything a historian would be interested in.

    They needed to find items of cultural significance, something, anything that would''ve held important meaning to the vampires.

    "Geez, I can tell this ce has already been looted but how can there still be so much left?" Alex was walking gleefully with two arms filled with all of the trinkets he could find.

    Just because the old man wasn''t interested, that didn''t mean he wasn''t!

    Garm and Annalise had also grabbed quite a bit and were trying not to show their excitement.

    With these treasures plus the money from the job, they''d finally have enough money to move to a major city!

    Their attempts to hide their giddiness unfortunately went in vain as both Michael and Alex had known them far too long.

    "Holy shit..."

    Alex''s eyes suddenly saw something so dazzling and incredible that he dropped all of the treasures in his hand and mindlessly walked forward.

    The group followed his eyes to the opposite side of the room and they could admit, his reaction was entirely understandable.

    At the end of arge room was a throne made of solid gold.

    Embedded into the throne were blood diamonds the size of a baby''s head and a velvet cushioned seat.

    "Just one of these damn things would be enough to set up five generations!" Alex cried as he swiftly pulled out a dagger from his hip.

    He quickly got to work, attempting to chisel out one of the diamonds from the throne.

    Already his mind was filled with the hordes upon hordes of ves he could buy and the brothels he would put out of business.

    "Damn it! Why isn''t this budging!?" After almost a minute, he was still unable to make any progress in taking out the diamond.

    "Try another one." Annalise suggested.

    However, all of the diamonds proved to be immovable and not a single one could be moved even an inch.

    "Damn it! By the gods- Gah!"

    After trying for over twenty minutes to get out a gem, Alex finally lost hisposure and attempted to stab the chair in frustration.

    Unsurprisingly, the de promptly bounced off the chair, causing Alex to lose his grip and identally slice open his hand.

    "Son of a bitch!" He yelled as he clutched his injured hand.

    Annalise only sighed.

    "Maybe we shouldn''t be so greedy anyway. We already have more treasure than most people will ever see in their lifetime." She reasoned.

    The group all looked at the treasures they''d collected and nodded in eptance.

    "Shall we go then?" Not waiting for the group, Michael turned around and began to walk back towards the room they''d entered from.

    Garm and Annalise followed as well, leaving a grimacing Alex on the ground.

    He prepared to stand up, cing a bloodied hand on the golden throne that had given him so much trouble.

    Rumble.

    The departing group stopped in their tracks when a dull red light began to shine behind them.

    They watched in utter fascination as the throne that appeared to be bolted to the floor slid backwards to reveal a dark staircase.

    "What the hell did you do?" Michael asked in shock.

    "Who cares? There has to be some kind of artifact down there, let''s go!" Annalise beckoned.

    The group nodded and soon they all trailed down the small staircase with Garm taking the lead.

    They soon found themselves in anotherrge room with seven coffins against one wall, and arge double door on another.

 Chapter 3: Awakening

    <h4>Chapter 3: Awakening</h4>

    "By the gods..." Annalise muttered.

    The walls around them were made out of some kind of ck marble that was draining her magic power as the seconds ticked by.

    Garm noticed his wife''s face that was rapidly losing color and made a vow not to subject her to this difort any longer than necessary. "Let''s get that door open."

    The men all lined up in front of therge stone doors and began to circte energy through their bodies.

    Garm was the first to attack, throwing a solid punch with his gauntlet that was enough to pulverize a car.

    However, his effort appeared to have been in vain when his fist easily bounced off the surface of the door.

    "What the hell is this thing made of?!"

    Alex walked forward and rubbed his bloodied hand on the wall, hoping for a repeat of the events upstairs.

    Unfortunately, nothing of the sort urred and he was left with a sour expression.

    "Hey guys...?"

    The men turned around to see Annalise had opened up all of the coffins.

    All of them appeared to be empty, except for one.

    They quickly arrived beside her and peered inside to see what was making her so shocked.

    "Holy hell..."

    "That''s..."

    "Is this real?"

    Laying downfortably with its arms folded, was a desated corpse.

    The corpse was wearing what appeared to be a high grade bio armor in the form of a ck and burgundy kimono.

    In the center of its sunken chest, was a small bright red gem and it wore two ancient looking rings.

    "This is an actual vampire corpse, right?!" Michael asked in disbelief. "Or am I seeing things?"

    "If you''re seeing things then we''re all seeing things." Alex confirmed.

    "I don''t understand... these guys were all supposed to have turned to ash centuries ago!" Annalise said.

    "Forget fifty gold... we could sell something like this for thousands!" Garm could not take his eyes off the priceless treasure in front of him.

    "This bio armor is top of the line... but those rings!!" Alex was the most excited about the jewelry on the right hand of the deceased vampire.

    On the index finger there was what appeared to be a very high-grade storage ring.

    At first nce he could easily tell that the space inside must''ve been incredibly generous.

    But on his middle finger there was a type of ring he hadn''t ever seen before.

    It appeared to be made out of a brilliant white marble that was immune to dust and dirt. Finished with a ck obsidian stone, it was easy to tell that he was looking at a piece of art.

    "Forget the ring... this guy had a soul weapon!" Annalise said as she excitedly analyzed the red gem in the corpse''s chest.

    Soul weapons were something that only a select few were born with.

    It was essentially a lifelongpanion that was capable of growing with it''s user until death.

    However, there was a method to extract them from their original hosts and use them as your own.

    "Look guys..." Garm said solemnly.

    Everyone tore their eyes away from the colossal discovery and stared at the hulking man.

    "Look... there''s no reason for us to tell the old man we found all of these things..."

    They all nodded in unison; their greed having long gotten the best of them.

    "We''ll each take one item. After that we can-"

    "Deal!"

    Alex did not even let the burly man continue before he grabbed the corpse''s fragile hands and attempted to pull off the white ring.

    Annalise did not mind, nor did Michael.

    They both had their eyes on the vampire''s soul weapon and bio armor.

    However, a sudden sh of white light emanating from the ring stole away all of their attention.

    "Get back!" Michael ordered and all four of them took a giant leap backwards.

    The light grew and grew until it was almost blinding, before it suddenly disappeared and in its ce was an extremely attractive woman.

    She had skin that was a mesmerizing warm brown and raven ck hair that fell to her feet. Her thin yet tasteful pale purple dress exposed her slender arms andrge breasts.

    *Yawn~* "Good morning, my prince." The woman said as she rubbed the sleep out of her reddish pink eyes.

    "Where did youe from?!"

    The woman suddenly opened her eyes wide when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

    "Hm? Who are you?" She asked as she tilted her head cutely.

    "That''s not important! Who are you and where did youe from?!" Garm roared.

    The woman did not seem to notice or care about his outburst as she slowly took in her surroundings. "W-Why are we in the royal bunker?! By Absalom ... King Alucard is going to scold me again..." She muttered, already envisioning her punishment that she would not be able to weasel out of.

    "Absalom...?" Michael muttered.

    He knew he''d heard that name before, but he was having a hard time remembering where.

    "Ah! That''s the name of the god those vampires worshiped!" Alex realized.

    This caused the four humans to immediately raise their guard.

    "Y-you''re a vampire?!" Annalise questioned.

    The woman suddenly removed her head from her hands when she heard something absurd. "Hm? Not at all, I''m a poltergeist."

    "She''s a gho-" Annalise began.

    "Where is the third prince?" The woman suddenly asked.

    The humans drew their weapons instead of answering, causing the ghostly beauty''s gaze to harden.

    Now that she''d actually stopped to pay attention, she realized that these people in front of her were still living.

    And not only that, they were human as well.

    "Humans... there are actually humans in the hallowed Ascalon castle?! Inconceivable! Unforgivable!"

    As the woman spoke, her appearance and demeanor began to change drastically.

    Her voice took on an echo and became hoarse and dreary.

    Her once enchantingly beautiful face contorted, her eyes bing a deep ck and her jaw stretching and widening far past the limit of a human''s.

    Long nails burst forward from her fingertips and her skin became semi translucent.

    She slowly floated off the ground, her raven ck hair floating madly and bing ash white.

    "She''s in the overlord realm!!" Alex warned but it was toote.

    The woman sank into the darkness of the bunker and immediately disappeared.

    Only her echoing voice could be heard as she spat venomous taunts at the unfortunate intruders.

    "I swear on my honor as the personal maid of the third prince of vampires, I, Enyo, will not allow any of you to leave this ce alive!!"

 Chapter 4: Awakening pt. 2

    <h4>Chapter 4: Awakening pt. 2</h4>

    In the world of Tayar, those who can cultivate are seen as supreme existences.

    Cultivation is the practice of absorbing the energy of heaven and earth to strengthen one''s body and soul.

    Through cultivation, beings are able to gain the strength to lift a mountain, eternal youth, and powers that are nothing short of supernatural.

    There are eight realms in total, each of them more powerful and unreachable than the next.

    Mortal Realm.

    Beast Realm.

    Overlord Realm.

    Venerable Realm.

    Sovereign Realm.

    Quasi-god Realm

    True God Realm.

    Primordial Realm.

    Those who can cultivate are seen as supreme existences whose power and wisdom are nothing short of extraordinary.

    In the party of humans, the men are only at the peak of the mortal realm and Annalise is unable to cultivate at all, instead acting as a mage.

    ''Whispering Horror Art: Negative Aspect.''

    Enyo reappeared in the center of the group.

    They''d elected to take a simple back-to-back formation that left each of them facing a different direction.

    Because she was erasing her presence, none of the humans in front of her would find her even if she yelled directly in their ear.

    She quickly stuck out her hand with dagger like nails and pierced the back of Michael''s neck, her nails popping out the other side covered in red blood.

    Michael''s eyes widened in horror as he died without even seeing how.

    Enyo disappeared before his body hit the floor, leaving the remaining humanspletely horrified.

    "Michael? Michael!"

    "He''s not getting up!"

    "Is he dead already?!"

    As a poltergeist, cultivation manuals for Enyo are few and far between.

    Luckily, the Ascalon Royal family possessed immense resources and seeded in securing her an incredibly powerful and useful practice.

    The poltergeist swallowed the urge to release a satisfying moan of satisfaction when she felt the energy rushing into her.

    Her cultivation progresses by absorbing the emotions of fear and terror released by her prey.

    There are a few factors that determine the quality and quantity of energy she can absorb such as the number of enemies, their level of fear, and their innocence.

    People naturally fear being alone so she actually gained more energy from killing off a group one by one than she would if they were originally alone.

    Watching the humans begin to squirm as they lost all hope, Enyo smiled gleefully in the shadows.

    "Don''t go down without a fight!" Alex roared as he charged up his spear with his own internal energy.

    Slice!

    The sound of something sharp whistling through the air yed in all of their ears before Alex''s head was sent flying.

    Blood sprayed like a fountain from his dismembered corpse before it too wobbled and copsed, spraying Annalise in the red water as it tumbled down.

    Annalise did not even react when the hot and sticky blood of herpanion hit her across the face.

    Her eyes slowly drifted towards her husband, and she reached out to him.

    "Garm?"

    The man did not answer and instead, he also reached for his wife''s outstretched hand.

    He too had epted that he would die here, but he at least wanted to do it while holding on to the woman he loved.

    Unfortunately, Enyo would not give him that satisfaction.

    The bewitching poltergeist appeared in between the couple like she was always there and quickly severed both their hands.

    "AHH!!"

    "AAARRRGGGHHH!"

    As husband and wife fell to the ground screaming, Enyo became mildly annoyed when she realized the two were no longer afraid of death.

    They had already epted their end woulde here and no matter how much she tortured them, she would not be able to illicit any more fear from them.

    ''Oh well... At least I can feed on their anguish.''

    She grabbed the woman by her blond hair and made sure that the man was watching.

    "No... please, kill me first I beg you!" He pleaded.

    This only made Enyo smile manically as she slowly trailed her other hand up the woman''s back.

    "Do you want to y a game with me, human?"

    Believing he might have an opportunity to spare his wife, Garm did not hesitate to nod furiously.

    Enyo smiled so widely that her face began to tear, making her look even more horrifying. "Okay..."

    "How about...." Enyo positioned two fingers at the back of Annalise''s skull.

    "Peek-a-boo!!"

    She thrust her hand forward, her nails easily piercing past Annalise''s frail flesh and bone and bursting out of her eye sockets.

    Her eyeballs clung to the serrated yellow nails of her killer, making it look like one of those really old cartoons where an animal sees something truly surprising.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

    "ANNALISEEEE!!!"

    Heartbroken and enraged, Garm forgot his fear and rushed forward, intending to kill this evil fallen with whatever he had left.

    "Martial Art-"

    "Not happening."

    Slice!

    Enyo plunged her free hand into the chest of the rampaging human and crushed his heart.

    She finally dropped the couple on the ground as she changed back to her usual incredibly beautiful appearance.

    "Hoooo... I wonder how those idiot death knights could''ve let humans get so far into the castle." She wondered as she stretched her seductive body.

    ''Wait...!"

    As if a lightbulb went off in her beautiful head, Enyo smiled mischievously when she thought of a fool proof n.

    "I know! If I point out how badly the guards screwed up, I won''t get punished as much!" She eximed with a satisfied nod.

    She turned around to leave and that was when she saw him.

    He was desated and motionless, looking nothing like his former self but she would never forget him.

    The kimono she loved so much was still just as immacte as it was the day shest saw it.

    She took slow, shaky steps forward and it seemed that at any moment her body would copse and she would fall over.

    "My... prince...?"

    She called for him, yet he did not respond.

    ''Don''t panic, don''t panic!'' She told herself internally.

    She knew what to do in these sorts of situations and the key was not to let herself get worked up.

    Kneeling beside him, she gently opened his decayed mouth.

    Holding out her hand, she used her telekic powers to call some of the blood that had been spilled on the ground.

    "I''m sorry to feed you food from the ground, my prince. B-But hopefully you will forgive me just this once!"

    She slowlymanded the liquid into his mouth and down his dry throat.

    After almost a minute of this, there was finally a change.

    Crack.

    The hands of the decayed vampire suddenly twitched and cracked.

    His eye sockets that were sunken and hollow suddenly gained new life as his eyes opened, revealing bright red irises and ck sclera.

    "RRRRAAAAA!!"

    The frenzied vampire leapt up and growled menacingly in the face of Enyo.

    Instead of being horrified, a beautiful smile formed on her face instead. "Thank goodness..."

    She knew he couldn''t hurt her as she''d made herself intangible already.

    "You have to eat so you can feel like yourself again, okay?"

    Enyo pointed to the corpses sitting a few feet away that were still spewing hot blood.

    As if he were in a trance, he quickly forgot about the girl and teleported over to the bodies in a cloud of red smoke.

    "That''s good, at least your powers seem to be working properly." She said as she sat down cross legged on the floor, watching him feed.

    The powers of a vampire were effectively their identity.

    Their abilities are what made them one of the most feared races in Tayar.

    Highly enhanced speed, strength and unbelievable regeneration were just the tip of the iceberg. Because her prince was a pure-blooded royal vampire, he had even more abilities than others.

    The sounds of his ravenous feeding echoed throughout the dark space they were in.

    As he fed, Enyo did not take her eyes off of his back.

    The first two bodies were drained rather quickly. Only when he moved to the third, did he slow down a bit.

    As he drained the fourth corpse, his body finally began to heal.

    His skin regained it''s usual warm light caramel tone and it became unblemished and free of the slightest impurity or imperfection.

    The muscles on his body began to fill out until his body could be described as every woman''s dream.

    Long silver hair burst from his scalp and trailed all the way below his hips.

    He finally released the body in front of him with a satisfied sigh and stood up to his impressive height of 6''6.

    "Prince Indra?" Enyo asked hopefully.

    The man slowly turned around and Enyo felt her non-beating heart thump wildly.

    ''No matter how many times I see him, he''s always so captivating!''

    Enyo could not take her eyes off the man''s face that was somehow more beautiful than a woman''s yet was still distinctly masculine.

    Sharp eyebrows, a chiseled jawline, and those distinctive red eyes that seemed to pierce right through her existence.

    Unfortunately, her delusions were thoroughly stomped out when he parted his blood-soaked lips to ask her an unforeseeable question.

    "Who are you? "

 Chapter 5: Who? Where? Why?

    <h4>Chapter 5: Who? Where? Why?</h4>

    "Who are you?"

    Enyo froze before she put on a nervous smile. "M-my prince, now is not the time for jokes..."

    Unfortunately, this only caused Indra''s gaze to grow colder as he stared at the unknown woman in front of him.

    By this point Enyo realized that Indra was not at all joking.

    A single crystalline tear fell from her reddish pink eyes before she fell to her knees on the floor, unable to take her eyes off the man in front of her.

    The vampire''s gaze softened slightly when he saw the crestfallen look of the beautiful woman before him.

    No longer seeing her as a potential threat, he lowered his guard slightly.

    "Why are you-"

    "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

    Enyo began to cry so hard, Indra had to cover his ears to prevent his early deafness.

    After a full minute of nonstop crying, the vampire finally couldn''t take anymore and rushed forward, covering her mouth with his hand.

    "Stop. Crying."

    Enyo nodded and seemed to calm down a bit so Indra finally released her and once again attempted conversation.

    "Who are you. Where are we?"

    The ghost fought the urge to cry again when Indra once again asked who she was. *Sniffle* "I am Enyo, your personal maid and attendant. We are currently in the royal bunker."

    "Why do I have a maid?" he suddenly asked.

    A dark thought suddenly creeped into Enyo''s mind. "Do you... not remember anything?"

    "I had thought that was clear." the vampire replied sarcastically.

    "Oh...Thank the gods!" Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Enyo''s mood was finally improved dramatically. "I had thought you had only forgotten me, my prince. I feel a little better knowing that I wasn''t the only one."

    Indra didn''t know why that made her feel better but he was beginning to think this woman wasn''t very bright.

    Ignoring her antics, he instead focused on understanding his current situation. "I''m a prince?"

    Enyo nodded proudly. "You are the third prince of vampires, Indra Ascalon. Son of the vampire king, Alucard Ascalon and grandson to the great devourer Dracul."

    Indra nodded in mild understanding.

    He tried his best to recall either of the people she''d mentioned, but it was like his mind was enshrouded in a thick fog.

    It was unsettling to say the least.

    Enyo suddenly stood up and stretched her voluptuous body. "It''s okay even if you can''t remember. We can just go upstairs and meet everyone!"

    Even though Indra did not feel like being around others at the moment, the reality was that he had very little choice in the matter.

    The two soon started up the long dark staircase, with neither one of them saying a word.

    "Do you know how we ended up down here?" Indra suddenly asked.

    Enyo suddenly put on a slightly worried expression as she continued to float up the stairs. "No actually... thest thing I remember was being together with you in your room, I was consoling you about..." Her words suddenly began to trail off.

    She didn''t want to stir up bad memories when he couldn''t even remember any good ones to even the scales.

    "Consoling me about what?" He asked.

    "You... stubbed your toe."

    "..."

    Indra knew that she was lying to him however, he began to get the feeling that she was doing it to protect him instead of being secretive.

    As such, he did not press her further for answers even though he was sure there was more to her story.

    When they arrived at the top of the staircase, what greeted them was the sight of an empty and rundown throne room.

    The walls, ceilings and floors, they were all cracked and enshrouded in darkness.

    "How.. can this be?" Enyo muttered, her eyes trembling in horror.

    She quickly flew off, searching throughout the castle for even the smallest sign of life.

    In her haste, she left Indra behind, the only indicator he was still there were his red eyes that glowed in the darkness.

    Indra was not truly bothered by the knowledge that they were alone here.

    He didn''t know if it was a result of his memory loss or if he''d always been like this but he was much morefortable existing alone in the darkness.

    And so he sat alone on the empty throne, awaiting the return of the chatty little ghost he was supposedly linked to.

    The castle must''ve been quiterge because it was quite some time before Enyo returned, her panicked voice cutting through the silence he had begun to grow ustomed to.

    "M-My prince! They''re gone! Everyone is gone!"

    "Yes.. I gathered that." he said calmly.

    "I-I don''t understand! First there are humans in the castle, then we wake up in the royal bunker, and now everyone we knew is gone! It doesn''t look like anyone''s been here in centuries!"

    Enyo sounded as though she were on the verge of tears, her voice quivering with every word she spoke.

    "I''m... sorry." Indra said. "This must be hard for you."

    Enyo felt slightly touched that her prince was concerned about her but something was amiss. "Why are you not concerned?"

    Indra leaned back into his throne as he pondered that question.

    "I do not know. Not only do I have no memories, it also seems like I have no desire to retrieve them either."

    "B-But what about your family?!"

    "I do not remember any family so I cannot say that I care. Were we close?"

    "You were... not, my prince." Enyo muttered.

    Indra was a bit of a ck sheep when it came to the noble Ascalon family.

    After the king and his third wife discovered their son had no talent for cultivation, they immediately began to ignore him and instead focused on his siblings who hated him just as much.

    Indra often spent his time alone in his room reading or sleeping sometimes for twenty years at a time.

    For three hundred years, she had been his onlypanion.

    ''Well there was another but... I doubt my prince would remember her either.'' Enyo thought.

    "Then I truly see no reason as to why I should care if they''re missing or dead or whatever." Indra said tly.

    Enyo sighed in eptance and she sat down on the throne next to his feet. "Then... what do we do now?"

    Indra didn''t have to think too hard, his answer already in the back of his mind.

    "For now? We enjoy the silence."

 Chapter 6: Heroes

    <h4>Chapter 6: Heroes</h4>

    In a dimly lit cathedral, three priests were performing a sacred ritual.

    There were golden runes inscribed on the floor, and they could all be seen praying fervently in front of a statue of a god.

    For a long time, they continued their dedicated efforts, and it seemed as though they had finally bore fruit.

    A sudden sh of white light illuminated the dim room.

    The glow from the golden runes suddenly died down and revealed a young woman in clothes that were clearly not of this world.

    "We''ve done it!"

    "A month''s effort... but it was certainly worth it."

    "The final savior to our world has been called!"

    With all of the yelling, it was no surprise that the girl on the floor began to stir.

    "Mmh? Why am I on the floor...?" The girl rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and gradually revealed her appearance to the men around her.

    She had long white hair that came down to her butt, skin as pale as the moon and bright golden eyes that were nothing short of mesmerizing.

    Her body was neither ridiculously in shape, nor was it obese. She was sat perfectly in the middle with a thin frame and soft and squishy curves.

    She wore a ck crop top from a famous brand and grey leggings that clung to her bottom tightly, showing off it''s profound shape.

    "It''s a woman?"

    "Thest of the twelve is a woman?"

    "It matters not." One of the priests scolded before turning to their guest. "Greetings, heroine of light! We are-"

    "KYAA!! PERVERTS!!"

    Upon realizing the girl had been kidnapped, she immediately screamed and scrambled backwards until her body hit the wall. "G-Get away from me you crusty old bastards! I-If you even think abouting anywhere near me I-I''ll turn your dicks into mashed potatoes!!!"

    The three priests simultaneously put on horrified faces and covered their private areas.

    It was then that the girl noticed that her formerly ck hair had be as white as ivory and her worries instantly doubled. "Y-You think you bastards can just dress me up and use me however you want? I swear I''ll-"

    "Heroine of light, we are the church of twelve divines, and we are not here to harm you. We have summoned you from your world to ours so that you might help us defeat the scourge that is the fallen!" One of the priests said.

    "..."

    "...."

    "What the hell kind of crack are you smoking? Get away from me this instant!"

    The priest looked a bit dejected his attempt to exin seemed to have agitated the heroine even further and hung his head in defeat.

    "I told you, Ezekiel." Another priestforted by patting him on the shoulder. "To avoid frightening the heroes and making them believe us we usually have to show them proof of magic. Apparently, their world does not have such a thing."

    "I am aware, brother Wilfred. *Sigh* It''s just that this is to be thest summoning, so I wanted to recite the speech written in the holy texts just once." He said, seemingly in defeat.

    The man he''d called Brother Wilfredughed heartily. "Ha! I understand brother but we must not agitate the heroes, don''t you remember what happened when we summoned the hero chosen by the storm god?"

    Ezekiel shuddered. Forty-nine years ago, they''d summoned a different hero who was a young boy no older than twelve. Upon seeing them and realizing he wasn''t at home in his racecar bed, the child began to cry until he passed out at which point, he wet himself.

    Apparently, the world the heroese from have some very upsetting stories about priests and little boys.

    At this point Wilfred decided to take over and he simply held out his hand, muttered some words and a small me appeared in his palm.

    The white-haired girl felt her eyes go wide as she watched a person use real life magic.

    "Do you understand now, mdy?" The priest asked in a respectful tone. "We have no intentions to harm you, we simply need your help."

    The girl nodded slowly; a bit more rxed.

    "U-umm... Can you exin a bit more of this to me?"

    Wilfred smiled when he saw that she was being more cooperative and began to exin. "The fallen races are a scourge that threatens our world. They unfairly me us, the races of light for an incident that urred over 500 years ago. When we were on the verge of being wiped out entirely, one of the twelve great gods bestowed upon us the first hero."

    Ezikiel seemed to have been cured of his earlier mncholy and attempted to aid in the exnation. "The heroes are paragons of light and justice, each having overwhelming talent in either magic use or cultivation, the more powerful heroes can even utilize both!"

    The third priest who had remained silent all of this time finally decided to speak up. "Heroes are also said to be those that have no connection to their former world and have hearts that are virtuous and unyielding."

    The girl simply nodded as she listened to everything the priests said with a disbelieving expression. While it was true that she had no friends or family in her old world, it could also be said that she did not exactly wish to leave either.

    Wilfred recognized the look on her face and took a deep breath before he inched closer to her. He still hadn''t forgotten her earlier threat and prayed to all twelve divines that she would no longer do such a thing.

    "What is your name, Heroine of Astel?" He asked politely.

    The girl looked the man up and down and realized he was not looking at her lustfully, only in a careful and gentle manner.

    "Vermeil..." She said after a moment of deliberation. "Vermeil Dor��."

    "A wonderful name!"

    "Indeed, Indeed!"

    "Surely a name that will spread far and wide!"

    Vermeil fought the urge to chuckle. Now that she''d gotten to know them a little, she could see that these men weren''t that scary.

    Her guard was still up slightly since, as a woman you never know what someone''s intentions may be, but she had begun to feel a little morefortable at least.

    The priests nodded at each other before they all prostrated in front of the young girl.

    "Heroine Vermeil! We beg you, please cleanse our world of the fallen!" They said in unison.

    For a moment, Vermeil was unsure.

    Would she truly be able to help these people?

    They were pleading with her so sincerely and yet she felt as though she would only disappoint them.

    She didn''t know if she could kill monsters, hell she''d never even been in a fight before!

    And what the hell was cultivation?

    This was all so much to take in at once!

    The young girl was unsure of what would be the right decision to make.

    Should she save this world from ruin or let it fall?

    Could she truly help, or would she just be in the way?

    Vermeil had a great many things to consider.

 Chapter 7: Time in The Dark

    <h4>Chapter 7: Time in The Dark</h4>

    Enyo and Indra had spent about a week in the dark silence of their ruined castle.

    In that time, the two had hardly spoken to each other.

    Well... Indra had hardly spoken.

    Enyo was happily carrying on about tales from the olden days hoping it would jog his memory.

    He humored her for a while but once she started talking about the fascination he held with her bottom at fourteen years old, he forbade her from saying anything else.

    That was about a day ago and since then, he hadn''t heard a single peep.

    ''That''s odd, I thought she would''ve resumed talking by now.'' Even if he wouldn''t admit it, he had begun to miss the voice of the little chatterbox.

    Indra slowly opened his beady ck eyes and peered down below.

    For a change of scenery, he''d changed into the form of a small bat and hung upside down from the chandelier on the ceiling.

    When he opened his eyes, he saw Enyo sitting down cross legged and motionless near the golden throne.

    If she weren''t already dead, he would think she had died in that position.

    Indra let go of the chandelier he''d been holding on to and let his small, furry body drop from the ceiling.

    He fell silently through the air and shifted back into his original form before he touched the ground. Without making a sound, Indranded directly in front of his ghost maid and analyzed her from head to toe.

    It was hard to tell exactly what she was doing. Since Enyo was technically not alive, she had no pulse or heartbeat for him to listen to.

    "Is my prince curious about something?"

    Indra was mildly surprised that Enyo knew he was in front of her even without opening her eyes.

    She opened her reddish pink eyes and smirked at him humorously.

    "How did you know I was here?" Indra asked.

    He''d taken great care to approach Enyo without making a sound just in case she was sleeping but he appeared to have woken her anyway.

    "My cultivation makes things of this level rather simple, my prince." Enyo said pridefully.

    "Cultivation?" He asked.

    "Cultivation is... never mind." She muttered quickly. This wasn''t a can of worms she wanted to open.

    Indra gave Enyo a condescending look. "Is your duty as my maid not to assist me with whatever I require?"

    "I-It is..." Enyo said shyly.

    "I wish to know about cultivation then. Teach me."

    Indra took a seat opposite Enyo and waited for her to begin her lecture.

    The poltergeist sighed before she began to try and exin the best way she knew how.

    "Well firstly, there are two types of ways to gain power. There is cultivation and there''s arcane arts. The difference between the two is that cultivation focuses on strengthening the self to achieve impossible feats and increase your own power. The arcane arts are all about learning how to manipte the world around you through utilization of ones own element."

    Indra nodded, not understanding why she refused to tell him about this before.

    "Can you do these ''arcane arts'' as well?" he suddenly asked.

    "Hehehe! You jest, my prince. No one can cultivate and use the arcane."

    "Why not?"

    Enyo rubbed her chin as she thought of how best toe up with a satisfying analogy. "It''s like trying to feed two vampires with only one human. Your body only has the talent and energy for one, not both."

    "Can you teach me how to cultivate?" Indra suddenly asked.

    Enyo felt her heart drop all the way to her feet.

    The prince had asked her the one question she never wanted to hear from him.

    This was the cause of so much of his misfortune before and she did not want to stamp on his hopes yet again.

    Luckily, she had a perfectly good excuse at her disposal.

    "Unfortunately, my prince, I cannot." She said.

    "And why is that?" Indra asked, slightly annoyed.

    "The cultivation art I practice is suitable for spirits, not vampires. Not only would you not understand it, but you could also end up damaging your body instead of strengthening it."

    ''I''m so smart! If I use this as an excuse, I won''t actually be lying to prince Indra!'' The poltergeist was very pleased with herself.

    The vampire stared hard into the face of the ghost.

    While she seemed to be especially giddy for some reason, she didn''t appear to be lying about anything.

    "Then how about the arcane?"

    "My prince, if I am a cultivator how am I supposed to teach you about arcane arts?" Enyo asked with an obvious look.

    "Ah... it appears I have asked something useless." He said as he shook his head.

    "Of course not, my prince. I am always here to help!" Enyo said with a small bow.

    Indra simply rolled his eyes and stood up.

    He would never admit it, but she was actually starting to grow on him. She was amusing, polite, and genuinely seemed to care for him.

    Such a person was easily likeable.

    Enyo noticed that Indra was walking in an odd direction and called out to him. "My prince? Where are you going??"

    Indra did not even look back as he waived at her from over his shoulder.

    "Just to walk around a bit, seeing as how I don''t remember my former home and all that."

    Enyo would have followed him, but she needed to make further progress in her cultivation.

    Besides, they were linked through his ring anyway so she would always be able to find him if he got lost.

    "Alright...e back soon."

    Indra did not respond as he continued to walk away.

    Once he felt as though he was a far enough distance, he released a frustrated sigh.

    Now within the darkness, the gleam of two shiny white fangs could be seen.

    It had been a week since Indra had feasted and he was actually starting to feel a bit hungry.

    For some reason, he didn''t want Enyo to see him like that.

 Chapter 8: Hunger Pains

    <h4>Chapter 8: Hunger Pains</h4>

    Indra had somehow ended up in the western wing of the castle looking through all of the old rooms and closets.

    There wasn''t really any particr reason, in all honesty he was simply trying to distract himself from his dry throat and aching stomach.

    While he could go out and hunt, something in his mind was deliberately stopping him.

    Every few seconds he would hear it.

    ''Stay in the castle.''

    ''You cannot yet leave the castle.''

    ''You are still unprepared for what lies outside.''

    As a result, Indra was trying to tell himself that he wasn''t as hungry as he was.

    Vampire physiology is a rather interesting thing.

    They have certain starved states that they undergo depending on their level of hunger and mental state.

    The first and mostmonly known is referred to as ''Ravenous''.

    It urs when a vampire can think of nothing but their empty stomach and lose all sense of reason.

    Their skin bes paler, their eyes be ck with red sclera and their ws pop out reflexively.

    In this state, their predatory instinct is in overdrive, and they receive a massive boost in strength and speed to increase their chances of catching prey.

    If they are still unable to feed, they fall into a state known as desation. Theck of blood in their system causes their body to be mummified and they fall into a deep sleep.

    There are also some vampires who purposefully expel blood from their bodies so that they may rest for an extended period of time.

    However, there is a training method vampires are taught to undergo to avoid these inconvenient fates.

    Simply put, it consists of controlled feeding.

    When feeding from a human, a vampire can choose to circte some of the blood they feed on throughout their body, preventing them from desating for up to three months.

    Because Indra was not in the right state of mind upon waking up, he neglected the training he retained through muscle memory and instead sent all of the blood he consumed directly to his stomach.

    So as of now, he was in a rather delicate situation.

    If he could not keep his mind off blood for a while, he would be ravenous and lose all of his rationale.

    Creak!

    Indra suddenly found himself inside of an extremelyrge room.

    There were dust and cobwebs everywhere, but that did not take away from the regal impression the room gave off.

    The cracked walls appeared to be made of the finest marble and the room was utterly bare save for arge bed that had already been stripped and an old painting on the wall.

    The painting was covered in a thickyer of dust, but Indra was still able to see what was captured.

    There was a man surrounded by arge family.

    The man had long silver hair and skin as white and unblemished as a pearl. His bright red eyes contained an unwavering conviction that was tranted even through this ancient tapestry.

    It was really quite unnerving.

    The man wore an immacte red suit with a kimono like the one Indra wore draped over his shoulders.

    He was sitting on a throne with four women behind him and two sons.

    Indra''s eyes were drawn to the woman who stood on the left of the throne.

    She was a dark-skinned woman with long ck hair.

    She had a lithe and petite figure that somehow made her feel incredibly dangerous. Her body was veiled behind a starry ck dress that exposed her slim arms that were adorned with golden jewelry.

    Her bright violet eyes contained the same kind of light as the man she was standing behind.

    "So that''s what you look like..." Indra muttered.

    His parents were just as beautiful as Enyo described.

    All vampires are blessed with supernatural beauty as a means to approach potential prey without violence.

    Why would you bother knocking your prey unconscious if you were so beautiful that they wanted to give themselves to you willingly?

    But Enyo was adamant that the beauty of King Alucard and his third wife Dhalia was unmatched by any of the other members of their species.

    And as their son, Indra had of course inherited this charm, he was more than handsome enough to put his parents to shame.

    However, no one cared much about this.

    Indra was the ideal man physically but so what? He could not cultivate and so he was deemed a weak failure.

    A vain race like vampires prioritized the body above all. Since cultivation improves the body and the soul, it was the only respected method of gaining power among the nightstalkers.

    Because his father was a 9,000-year-old powerhouse in the Quasi-god realm and his mother was his best assassin, Indra was faced with enormous expectations from a very young age.

    He was trained in swordsmanship and the basic powers of a vampire as soon as he could walk and even learned his mother''s assassin skills.

    But when Indra reached maturity and it became time for him to start cultivating, it was revealed that he was ipatible with cultivation, but he had an aptitude for arcane arts.

    Overnight he went from being the favorite son of the vampire king to the bastard he could barely stand to look at.

    This was the sad story that Enyo was keeping from him.

    If he wasn''t going to recover his memories, she wanted him to live this new life unencumbered by the pain of the past.

    As a result, when he stared at this portrait of his parents, he felt... absolutely nothing.

    There was no anger, no sense of betrayal.

    He was merely looking at the two vampires responsible for bringing him into the world.

    Indra took onest look at his father in the portrait before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

    The vampire was now once again in the dark empty hallway.

    He looked in all directions down the long corridor as he decided where to head to next.

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Indra''s neck snapped around to the left when he heard the sound of something heavy dropping.

    ''That''sing from the armory, right?'' He had previously gone in there as well but because there was a giant hole in the ceiling in which sunlight was leaking through, he immediately left.

    He prepared to investigate when he suddenly heard the sound of voicesing from that direction.

    "Do you think they came in through the ceiling like we did?"

    "They had to I don''t really see any other way they could have gotten inside."

    "Are we sure they even made it in here in the first ce? There was a dead body outside so maybe there was an ambush?"

    "Let''s look around just to be sure."

    Indra didn''t know it but the knowledge that there was fresh prey within his grasp triggered the deeply buried instincts that''d been carved into him by his mother.

    As the world''s most dangerous assassin, Queen Dhalia Ascalon desired nothing more than a son she could pass all of her techniques and knowledge to.

    Unfortunately, Indra''s inability to cultivate made that dream impossible.

    However, hunting in the dark was an entirely different matter.

    It was the first thing she''d taught him and it was undoubtedly the thing she spent the most time drilling into him.

    Even if he''d lost all of his memories, he could do this as easily as breathing.

 Chapter 9: Acceptance & Responsibilities

    <h4>Chapter 9: eptance & Responsibilities</h4>

    "Are you ready to begin, heroine Vermeil?"

    Vermeil nodded confidently and stepped up to the podium.

    It had been about a week since she''d been summoned here but she had yet to do anything magical.

    Her time so far had mostly been spent studying and learning about this world she was suddenly brought into.

    Upon learning about cultivation and arcane, the realization that this truly was not a dream finally sunk in.

    During the span of a week, she also learned a bit more about the ongoing war between the races of light and the fallen.

    The races of light consist of races that worship one, if not all of, the twelve great gods.

    They are humans, elves, fairies and dwarves.

    The fallen are the races that worship either no gods or one of the five dark gods.

    They are dark elves, undead, demons and beastmen.

    Apparently, the war between the two started over 500 years ago when one of the undead races suddenly went extinct in the middle of the night.

    The fallen feared that the races of light were behind the attack using some strange and powerful weapon.

    Fearing that they would all share the same fate if those races were not eliminated, the fallen formed a council and began an all-out war.

    Because they were initially unprepared for any sort of attack, the races of light started the game with a losing hand.

    Because the fallen armies were more numerous, the races of light could not keep up and were losing more and more great warriors with every battle.

    Eventually, things appeared to be dire enough that the races of light were facing certain extinction.

    Desperate, human priests prayed at the statue of their gods for one month without pause.

    They pleaded with their gods to send them a solution of any kind and luckily, they obliged.

    The gods spoke to the head priest in a vision.

    They told him they would send them twelve heroes to be called at an appointed time using the same method that was just performed.

    When the vision ended, there was a sh of golden light and the first hero appeared.

    The hero proved to be aplete game changer in the war.

    His cultivation speed was so fast it was nothing short of unfair and he happened to possess immense talent for the arcane as well.

    He was able to single handedly change the oue of major battles within a year and within three he was already capable of wiping out a thousand fallen on his own.

    The races of light continued to summon more and more heroes and with each one called, the war shifted even more in their favor.

    Now it is the races of light who are on the verge of winning the war and wiping out their enemy, and with the summoning of the final hero it appears the end is soon toe.

    Currently, Vermeil was visiting the kingdom of Lucrute and in a ceremony with some very distinguished guests.

    The human king and his queen were in attendance, as well as all of the heroes that had been summoned before her.

    She had already been told she was the only girl to have been summoned, but seeing it in person like this was really rather disheartening.

    ''Looks like I won''t have any girl friends in this life either!'' She cried inwardly.

    She ignored her feelings of eternal loneliness and instead walked towards the podium where she was being beckoned.

    In front of her were two stone tablets.

    These would be used to tell whether she had the aptitude for arcane or cultivation.

    There was also another white b a few feet away that was going to reveal her element.

    Elements were something unique that a person had to have in order to use magic.

    While elements could y a role in cultivation as well, it wasn''t something that was truly necessary.

    Fire, water, lighting, wind, earth, darkness, light, and more. They were all elements that imbued one with a specific element of nature.

    Your element determines the kind of spells you will be able to use for life so if you don''t train tirelessly, you may find yourself cornered rather easily in the future.

    Hence the reason why arcane arts are significantly less popr than cultivation.

    Vermeil finally approached the pedestal and ced her hand on the stone tablet on the right.

    It immediately began to shine and the priests in the room became abuzz.

    "Such phenomenal potential!"

    "Heroine Vermeil is already proving to be exceptional!"

    "The rookie''s not half bad!"

    Vermeil didn''t really understand what all the fuss was about, however she was d to have not embarrassed herself.

    She removed her hand from the stone tablet on the right and ced it on the one on the left.

    Once agin, there was a bright sh of light but this one was noticeably brighter than the previous one.

    "L-Lady Vermeil also has the talent for the arcane!"

    "Remarkable! Truly Remarkable!"

    "The twelve have certainly blessed us!"

    Once again, there was a bunch of hubbub from all the priests and Vermeil was beginning to feel a bit shy from all the attention.

    But she had to admit, she was pretty excited herself.

    Who would want to be in a fantasy world if they couldn''t use magic?!

    The king was a kind looking old man with long white hair and tired eyes.

    He showed a gentle yet weary smile that was befitting of a ruler and a grandparent. "

    Gesturing to the final white b he beckoned her fourth so that they couldplete this ceremony.

    "Come forward child, let us see what else Astel has blessed you with, hm?"

    Vermeil suddenly felt much morefortable.

    For some reason the king reminded her of her grandfather when he was still alive. Such a thing was no more than a mere coincidence but it did wonders to ease her nerves.

    Vermeil moved forward with steps that were a little bit lighter and ced her hand on the white b.

    For a moment, there was nothing.

    And in the next second, two bright lights enveloped Vermeil as a fierce wind blew her hair wildly.

    "Those are..."

    "The elements of starlight and gravity!"

    "Not only can she cultivate and use arcane, she even possesses dual elements!"

    Thunderous apuse erupted throughout the hall.

    The talent of thest hero was certainly worthy of praise!

    Even the first and most powerful of the heroes only had a single element!

    Vermeil touched the two auras surrounding her with curious eyes. ''So I take it this is good?''

    The king held up a single hand and the room instantly became quiet, simultaneously showing off how much respect his people had for him.

    "Heroine Vermeil."

    In this moment Vermeil put her weeks worth of studying and etiquette lessons to use.

    She lowered her head slightly and did a small bow as she''d been painstakingly taught. "Yes, King Gaza?"

    "You obviously have the talent, but you must not neglect the technique as well."

    He then gestured to the eleven other heroes stationed motionlessly against a nearby wall.

    "Please, choose one of your fellow heroes to be your guide on this harsh and perilous journey!"

    Vermeil looked at the men to her left.

    They were all of varying ages and nationalities, but they were all extremely handsome and powerful looking individuals.

    The hero that she chose would be the one responsible for teaching her everything about cultivation, arcane, andbat.

    This moment would define her entire future so she could not afford to be rash.

    Which hero should she choose?

 Chapter 10: Hunt In The Dark

    <h4>Chapter 10: Hunt In The Dark</h4>

    Indra did not even notice what was happening but his clothes slowly started to change.

    Bio armor is a truly miraculous thing.

    It is essentially alive in the sense that it can sense it''s hosts emotions and responds ordingly.

    With Indra now in hunt mode as he had been so many times during his mother''s training, the bio armor shifted to the outfit he traditionally wore inbat.

    His kimono gradually lost shape and split apart and in a moment, he was wearing ck hakama pants with a piece of ck and gold cloth down the middle and sides that were tied with a long strap of burgundy cloth.

    The loose and baggy pants became much tighter below his knee and his feet remained bare, ensuring his ability to remain absolutely silent.

    His arms were covered in long ck sleeves while the rest of his upper body remained free and unencumbered.

    On his chest there was a ck metal chest te with a symbol in the center that roughly trantes to ''kaizen''.

    Unconcerned with his miraculous new outfit, Indra shape-shifted into a small ck bat with red eyes and flew up onto the ceiling just as the humans entered the hall.

    Unbeknown to Indra, Enyo had sensed his mental state through their connection and flew to his location in utter panic.

    She was enraged when she saw that more filthy humans had barged into their hallowed castle but she quickly forgot about that when she saw how he was behaving.

    And so Enyo decided to remain invisible and incorporeal, wanting to see if her prince had retained muscle memory from the queen''s harsh training.

    If things started to look dire, she would not hesitate to step in and save her prince before any harm coulde to him.

    ''Come on, Prince Indra! Your faithful Enyo is routing for you!''

    As the humans came closer and closer, Indra no longer needed to use his enhanced hearing to pick up what they were saying.

    "I''m sure we''ll find your parents in here somewhere, Sarah." One man said.

    "We''d better...I''ve been trying to keep the twins calm but I''m running out of things to tell them." the woman responded.

    "This ce is massive though... Do you think maybe we should''ve brought more than eight people?" Another asked.

    "It can''t be helped. We could only scrape together so many adventurers on such short notice."

    The group of eight humans began to search and scour various rooms in the castle.

    All the while they were never aware that they were being followed by a very small bat that was crawling along the ceiling.

    Among the humans gathered, there were five cultivators in the mortal realm and three one star arcane mages.

    Stars are the term used to refer to the level of ones talent, power, and expertise.

    Like cultivation it is something that can be improved upon overtime but where cultivation requires materials, resources and dedication, stars only require enlightenment and practice.

    However, those two things are not as easy to acquire as they sound as a great many mages never rise above four star.

    Indra watched all of the humans without blinking.

    In this state of mind, there was little that could cause him to lose focus.

    No longer fighting his hunger and no longer being controlled by it, he was guiding it instead.

    After twenty minutes of searching, the human woman called Sarah finally threw up her arms in frustration. "By the twelve! This''ll take forever at this rate."

    She turned around to face the rest of her party.

    "Let''s split up. We can cover way more ground if we search multiple areas at once."

    Two of the girls in the group looked like they were on the verge of tears having to search such a spooky ce alone, luckily two male cultivators each offered to escort one of them.

    Sarah looked annoyed by the downright obvious acts of the two men but she simply elected not toment.

    Right now the most important thing was that they began the search as quickly as possible.

    The group soon broke apart and walked in four separate directions.

    It didn''t take long for Indra to decide on one of the men who was alone.

    He wasn''t worried about losing the rest of the group, one of the abilities of the vampire race was their ability to track their prey in the dark using thermal vision.

    Indra followed the man into what appeared to be arge and extravagant kitchen.

    The man looked around the kitchen for a bit before he grumbled in annoyance.

    "This feels like such a waste... her parents probably looted as much as they could from this damn ce and ran off somewhere."

    The annoyed man eventually took out a metal sk and began drinking to alleviate his boredom.

    "Hoo! That''s the stuff!"

    The man was in such a good mood as he drank, he didn''t even notice when Indra dropped down from the ceiling in his true appearance and stood behind him.

    The vampire held up a single finger and watched as a sharp ck w burst from his nail.

    Indra plunged that single finger into the back of the man''s head.

    A shallow gasp escaped his mouth before he died without even seeing his attacker.

    Indra caught the body of the man before it could hit the ground and cause needless noise.

    ''Silence... only silence...''

    His mind repeated those words like a mantra.

    He wasn''t sure where he''d heard them but in this moment those were the rules that defined his existence.

    Indra looked at the dark blood that was spilling onto the floor in disgust.

    Right now, he could not drink any blood with even the slightest bit of alcohol. If his senses became dull and his body lost it''s equilibrium, he would lose his efficiency as a hunter.

    Such a thing could never be allowed to happen for it would put his life at potential risk and even stain his honor.

    Unfortunately, his first meal was inedible but that was fine.

    There were seven more morsels walking around his castle whom he could drink from.

 Chapter 11: Enyo is A Proud Maid!

    <h4>Chapter 11: Enyo is A Proud Maid!</h4>

    As Indra left the kitchen, Enyo suddenly appeared standing over the body of the man he had killed.

    She made the body float upwards so that she could get a good look at the wound.

    When she saw how he pierced through the head of this cultivator, she was finding it difficult to suppress her smile.

    Vampires are truly a blessed race.

    Even though her master was not even a cultivator, his body was still strong enough to pierce through one who was already firmly within the mortal realm.

    ''He''s doing great! I''m d to see his training wasn''t erased too!''

    Enyo giddily followed behind Indra with a massive smile on her face.

    Her prince was just the best!

    -

    Indra was now in a dusty and dark ballroom.

    Inside of therge bare space were two members of the group who were currently in their own little world.

    The pair had searched for Sarah''s parents for no longer than a minute before the man pulled the woman into his embrace.

    The woman''s cheeks immediately turned the same shade of red as her hair when she felt his hands settle firmly on her waist.

    "M-Morgan.. We''re supposed to be searching..." she reminded.

    "Believe me, I''ve been searching all my life. And now that I''ve found what I was looking for, I''ll never let you go." The man spoke melodically and poetically, as if the words he was saying were written by some sort of great ywright.

    ''Surely she''s not going to fall for that?'' Enyo thought as she rolled her eyes.

    "Morgan..." The woman''s eyes became hazy and dream like, the words spoken to her having the same effect as cupid''s arrow.

    "ra..."

    ''....''

    As Enyo watched from the corner, she fought the urge to kill them both herself.

    As the two of them shut their eyes and brought their lips together, Indra chose that moment to strike.

    When the vampire appeared right beside them, the pair did not even notice.

    His body cut so easily through the air that they felt no wind.

    Because he was technically an undead, they heard no heartbeat or oxygen escaping his lungs.

    He raised both his hands and swiftly chopped the couple on the back of the necks, knocking them out.

    He caught the both of them before their bodies could hit the ground and gently lowered them down.

    Once they wereid out next to each other, he swiftly reached down and broke both of their necks.

    ''That''s my prince! Always so decisive!'' Enyo cheered from the sidelines.

    Indra lifted up the man''s arm and revealed his wrist.

    Upon seeing the veins that were still pulsing, he did not wait any longer and had his first meal in a week.

    Unlike thest time where Indra was in his ravenous state, now he was more rational and clearheaded. His feeding was not nearly as voracious as before, it was controlled and steady as he consciously began to circte some of the blood throughout his body.

    Once he was done feeding on both of them, he then checked their bodies for valuable belongings.

    All he found were two low grade storage rings on their fingers and the cheap weapons they were carrying.

    Indra debated on taking the weapons and using them for the rest of the hunt before ultimately deciding against it.

    He wasn''t certain of why he shouldn''t use those weapons, but somehow he just felt it would be troublesome.

    Indra didn''t know why he didn''t pick up those weapons, but Enyo did.

    Indra was trained as both an assassin by his mother and a warrior by his father.

    Themon thread that links the two is that they never work with tools that are inferior if they have the choice.

    To purposefully put oneself at a disadvantage by using shitty weapons was the height of idiocy.

    Indra''s ws and brute strength were miles better than those cheap trinkets on the ground.

    Once he''d left the ballroom, he quickly set off to find his next prey.

    With cold and calcted movement, Indra dispatched four other humans and drained them of their blood.

    Each of them died without making so much as a single sound or seeing who had killed them.

    In under ten minutes, he had whittled their numbers down to just one.

    However, he had something special in mind for thisst human.

    Sarah had somehow wandered all the way to the throne room.

    "Mom? Dad!" She called.

    With every room she checked, she became more and more worried that she would not find her parents.

    There weren''t any traces of them anywhere she looked so where could they be?

    Did they even make it inside?

    Were they really killed by some filthy fallen?

    The thought that she would never see their sweet smiling faces again filled her with unimaginable grief.

    ''No... I will find them! I just have to search harder!'' She had to keep searching. How could she go home and tell her cute little siblings that their parents were gone and they weren''ting back because she gave up?

    With renewed determination, Sarah prepared to turn around and investigate another room when she ran face first into a wall.

    "Oof!"

    ''Hm?''

    Sarah was surprised when she opened her eyes again and what was in front of her was not a wall but a set of the most perfect abs she''d ever seen.

    "What.. the hell.."

    In the next second, Sarah was yanked up by her neck and hoisted into the air.

    She tried to kick her assant away, but she froze in the next second when she saw what her attacker actually looked like.

    Long silver hair that shimmered from the light of her glowstone. An incredibly handsome face that was more beautiful than a woman''s despite it''s obvious masculinity.

    And those piercing red eyes that glimmered like rubies under the sun and seemed to see right through her.

    If he wasn''t already choking her, he would''ve undoubtedly taken her breath away.

    At some point, Sarah remembered that her world was going dark and she began to struggle to free herself from his grasp.

    "Stop."

    With one order, he made her body freeze uppletely.

    Hispulsion had already begun to take effect from the moment she looked into his eyes.

    Seeing that she was being obedient, he finally dropped her to the ground.

    Once she was on her own too feet again, she immediately got down on one knee and kneeled in front of him.

    "Your servant hears and obeys, master."

    In the shadows a few feet away, Enyo''s beautiful form had begun to wither away when her anger reached a fever pitch.

    She was her master''s only servant!

    How dare this bitch who was no more than a thrall dare to steal her coveted position!

    She had to take several deep breaths to prevent herself from killing this woman before her master had made use of her.

    After today''s events, Indra knew that he would probably not be able to stay in this castle for much longer.

    The continuous disappearances of search parties would continue to draw greater and greater attention and he and Enyo were not nearly strong enough to deal with all of that.

    So before he left, he needed information.

    And who better to get it from than this human girl who had practically volunteered herself?

 Chapter 12: The Past 500 years...

    <h4>Chapter 12: The Past 500 years...</h4>

    "Do you know what this ce is?" Indra asked.

    Sarah did not waste any time in answering her master''s question to the best of her ability. "This is the castle where an ancient race of fallen used to live, master."

    "Do you know what happened to them?"

    "...Supposedly they died spontaneously somehow over 500 years ago."

    Enyo immediately forgot all of her anger as she finally made her presence known. "500 years?! We''ve been asleep for that long?!"

    Unfortunately, Sarah would not answer one who wasn''t her master and did not even offer the beautiful poltergeist a nce.

    Something Enyo clearly didn''t like as she felt her anger once again rising up.

    If this bitch didn''t want to talk, she would kick her jaw clean off her body!

    "Answer her." Indra ordered, inadvertently saving Sarah from going to the afterlife with half a face.

    "I do not know how long you''ve slept but it has been over 500 years since the vampires went extinct." She said, although Indra could not help but notice her tone was significantly less respectful when she spoke to his maid.

    Enyo however did not seem to notice this however as she felt her mind reeling from another fact.

    ''They''re really gone... Everyone is dead..'' Even though the castle had clearly been abandoned, she never actually thought that everyone, the king included would have actually died.

    He was a powerhouse that stood atop this world after all.

    "How did they die?"

    "There''s... no clear story, master." Sarah looked to be ashamed that she could not answer one of her master''s questions. "The fallen believe the races of light to be the ones responsible but none havee forward to im responsibility."

    Such a thing had stumped the world for years.

    Who could have possibly killed all of the vampires?

    The amount of magic required to kill off an entire race at the same time without exception was nothing short of inconceivable.

    Yet the group responsible had note forward?

    Indra began to wonder if they were lurking somewhere reveling in the chaos.

    He and Enyo sat down on the ground in front of Sarah and made themselvesfortable.

    "Tell us everything we''ve missed in thest 500 years."

    Sarah did not even bat an eye at such an outrageous order.

    "Of course, master."

    -

    Over the next hour or so, Sarah proceeded to tell the pair everything she knew about the past half a millennia.

    Luckily, the human girl was an avid historian so she was fairly well informed when it came to history.

    Her hobby that had earned her so much teasing from her friends was finally paying off as she helped her master to the best of her ability.

    Other than the asional question, Enyo and Indra did not say anything.

    The pair simply listened with all of their being as they tried not to miss a single detail.

    When Sarah finally finished, Indra was calmly processing the information while Enyo was once again in shock.

    The knowledge that her race was on the verge of being wiped out wasn''t nearly as surprising as when Sarah told her about special humans who can cultivate and use arcane.

    More than anything else, she was slightly afraid.

    Her prince was thest vampire left, so it was now her duty to protect him and see to it that he lived long enough to resurrect his species!

    But as a mere overlord realm cultivator, how was she supposed to protect him from these fearsome heroes she''d been told about?

    Poke!

    Enyo was distracted from her thoughts by a long finger in her cheek. "Uwah?"

    The source of the sudden attack was Indra who noticed his maid''s disturbed expression. "Why are you worried about useless things?"

    "H-How do you know I''m worried?" Enyo asked, not denying her concern.

    "Why else would you make such a pitiful expression?"

    "I-I''m not pitiful!"

    Sarah watched the two unblinkingly.

    ''Is she master''s woman?''

    Getting a disturbing feeling, Indra turned again to see Sarah moving her head back and forth between the two of them.

    "Do you have a map with you?" He suddenly asked.

    Sarah wasted no time in taking out arge paper map from her backpack and handing it to Indra.

    After taking the map from her, he handed it directly to Enyo.

    Slice!

    With razor sharp precision, Indra used his de like hand to lop off the young girl''s head.

    His movements were so swift and fast, Sarah did not even feel any pain before she died.

    As her head flew, Indra wiped the blood off his wed hands before something in him rxed.

    With thest of his prey killed, Indra came out of his hunting mode and his clothes returned to his normal ck and burgundy kimono.

    Indra looked down at his hands like they belonged to a stranger.

    While it wasn''t unpleasant, he had definitely not been acting of his own will before.

    The training had simply kicked in and he became no more than a passenger in his own body.

    ''Should I be worried? It did help me after all.'' Indra stopped staring at his hands and instead tuned to a shocked looking Enyo.

    "What nonsense are you thinking of now?" He asked in an exasperated manner.

    "I.. thought you were going to keep her."Enyo whispered.

    "Why would I do that?" Indra didn''t need any extra baggage at the moment.

    They were about to go out into a harsh andrgely unknown world, he didn''t need anything to slow he and Enyo down.

    "Well you''re already a man at over 800 years old and she was sort of pretty... I thought maybe you wanted to... use her body.."

    Indra had never seen his ghost maid so shy as she was right now.

    "I assure you I hadn''t thought of that." He said, mildly surprised they were even talking about this. "Besides, if I had an urge like that, why would I settle for her when you''re always floating around?"

    "Uwah?!"

    "Even a blind man can see you''re much more beautiful than she was."

    Indra stood up and walked over Sarah''s headless body.

    Enyo would''ve followed if her legs had not been turned into jelly and her mind gone cloudy.

    ''Beautiful? The prince thinks I''m beautiful? Me? Enyo?''

    It had been... a very long time since the poltergeist had beenplimented.

    While she was of course beautiful, she worked in a castle filled with vampires where beauty was asmon as ants on the ground.

    For her prince to give her such a sincerepliment, she was naturally very flustered.

    ''Is this because of his memory loss? He''s never said anything like this to me before! Am I reading too much into this? Why did he have to go and say such an embarrassing thing?!''

    Eventually, her mind could not take it and her brain simply shut down.

    Her beautiful reddish pink eyes rolled back into her head before she fainted dramatically.

    Indra noticed that his charming maid had fainted and immediately knew he was the culprit.

    ''Who knew she was so weak topliments?''

    After making sure she was okay, the vampire fished in his pocket and pulled out the seven low grade storage rings that he''d looted from the corpses of the intruders.

    The items he''d taken from the adventurers would hopefully assist him when he and Enyo were outside.

    "Shall I try my luck?"

 Chapter 13: Indra Learns to Cultivate

    <h4>Chapter 13: Indra Learns to Cultivate</h4>

    Indra held all seven of the rings in his hand before crushing them in his palm.

    Almost immediately, there was a sh of bright white light before the contents of all seven rings spilled out onto the floor.

    The vampire nodded in satisfaction when he took a brief nce at the items on the ground.

    A few pouches of gold, some cheap weapons, a couple of cultivation and martial techniques and even a few ingredients to progress one''s cultivation.

    Indra immediately picked up two of the books without even bothering to read them and went to wake his fainted maid.

    "Enyo! I need your help."

    The poltergeist stirred and muttered something unintelligible on the ground.

    "Come on, little ghost. You''re the only one around to help me with this."

    Her eyes immediately snapped open and she flew back several feet.

    "W-Wait, my prince! I-I haven''t done anything like that since I was still alive so I... need.. to.. prepare..."

    Enyo''s voice began to trail off when she saw two cultivation books in her master''s hands and realized she''dpletely misread the situation.

    Indra had a humorous smirk on his face and she wanted nothing more than to die all over again.

    "We spoke of helping me with my urges, but are you sure you don''t need help with yours?" Indra asked as he narrowed his eyes.

    As a poltergeist, Enyo was capable of having a working physical body for a short time, even if she was still dead.

    Therefore it waspletely possible for her to have intercourse as well as a desire to.

    "I-I.."

    Indra could literally see Enyo''s brain beginning to over heat so he decided to stop teasing her while she was still upright.

    He moved closer to her and patted her cutely on the head, "Sorry for teasing, Enyo. But I do actually need your help with this."

    Enyo was not too mesmerized by his touch to be unable to focus on the booklets in front of her.

    Cultivation techniques can be divided into two categories.

    Breathing techniques and body techniques.

    Breathing techniques are those that detail a method to gather qi into the body through breath, meditation and visualization.

    Body techniques are those that utilize the qi absorbed and channel it into certain parts of the body to achieve superhuman feats.

    Enyo looked at the two booklets in her master''s hands.

    One was a fist technique called ''Iron Tiger Fist'' and the other was a spear technique called ''Spear of the Sun God''.

    "My prince... why are you so determined to cultivate?" Enyo asked.

    Indra paused to ponder the answer.

    In truth, before it was just a need to alleviate his boredom but now, he felt as though such a thing would be vital when he left the castle.

    Instead of answering he asked a question of his own.

    "Why does it seem like you do not wish to teach me?"

    Enyo flinched at his words and she dropped her gaze to the ground, unable to look her prince in the eye.

    "My prince... you cannot cultivate..." Enyo muttered. "I did not wish to tell you before because I had hoped I might spare you from undergoing that pain a second time."

    "Pain? Do I seem so fragile to you?" Indra truly did not understand why she thought something as simple as that would have hurt him.

    Then suddenly, it dawned on him and he began to recall a piece of their conversation from before.

    "My inability to cultivate... Is it the reason why my parents and I weren''t close?"

    Enyo nodded shyly, her beautiful face covered by her raven ck hair.

    "Enyo..." Indra took her face into his hands and made it so that her eyes were looking directly into his.

    "I do not wish to cultivate so that I might please parents that I don''t remember. I want to cultivate so that I might better protect myself."

    Despite hisck of memories, Indra was not a fool.

    He knew that life outside of these walls would probably be treacherous and contain many hardships.

    The only way for him to survive and thrive was through the umtion of power.

    "My prince... are you telling me that you still wish to try? Despite already knowing the oue?" She asked in disbelief.

    Seeing his resolute nod, she found herself unable to deny his wish again.

    Gently, she freed herself from his grasp and walked over to the pile of looted goods.

    Taking a moment to sort through them, it didn''t take her long to find what she was looking for.

    A basic breathing technique called ''Breath of The Martial King.''

    "Here, my prince... you need to understand this first."

    Indra took the booklet from her and immediately sat down and began reading.

    After twenty minutes, he read the entire booklet and memorized it.

    "What now?" He asked eagerly.

    Enyo floated behind him and ced her hands on his broad, muscr back.

    "I''m going to inject a bit of pure qi into you. Do your best to concentrate and circte this energy throughout your body while breathing exactly as instructed."

    Indra nodded and closed his eyes , signaling Enyo to begin infusing her qi into his body.

    The vampire took deep, steady breaths at irregr intervals.

    Within his mind, he began to envision his body as a mountain that was as insurmountable as it was majestic.

    The mountain was one rife with arid peaks and rivers as well as an abundance of wildlife.

    ''Breath of The Martial King'' is a breathing technique that focuses on harmony, treating the entirety of the body as if it were one big ecosystem.

    Indra was so caught up in his rxing meditation, he didn''t even realize it when his body slipped into a trance.

    After an unknown period of time, he opened his eyes to see Enyo sitting on her knees in front of him with a sweet yet sad smile on her face.

    Only in that moment did he realize he didn''t feel goddamn thing when Enyo injected her qi into his body.

    "Shit... I guess I can''t cultivate." Indra joked.

    Enyo''s heart was over flowing with a sad warmth.

    Indra was truly trying his best to show her that he wasn''t bothered in the hopes that she would feel more at ease.

    ''My prince is truly the most gentle man I have ever known... It seems even without his memories, some things will never change.''

 Chapter 14: The Castle Vault

    <h4>Chapter 14: The Castle Vault</h4>

    After Indra''s failed attempt at cultivating, Enyo suggested that before they leave, they take whatever valuables that they could from the castle.

    Both of them were wearing high-grade storage rings that contained enough space to fit a few carriages inside if need be.

    But they weren''t nning on bringing along anything of that nature, all the two of them needed were some items they could sell once they got into a city of some kind.

    The two of them soon got up from their ces and went around the castle picking up anything of value.

    All in all, they were able to collect a fairly decent number of old trinkets and dusty silks.

    There were far too many rooms in the castle for them to go around searching every one so when the two felt they''d collected enough to avoid being homeless, they started working on concocting a n.

    The two were currently hunched over the map, nning out their travel route.

    "We''ll leave at nightfall. We can travel along this route here and we should arrive in fallennds within three days." Enyo said seriously.

    Indra nodded; a bit annoyed that he''d have to be outside during the day but there was no other option.

    While sunlight doesn''t kill vampires, it does take a good chunk out of their strength and causes them to be slightly weary if they haven''t fed in a while.

    Enyo on the other hand would not be able toe out of her ring at all.

    She was unable to maintain her corporeal form in sunlight, and a semi transparent ghost flying around would certainly draw some attention.

    Even if the map showed there was nothing but forest around, it was still better safe than sorry.

    "Is there anything else we should prepare then?" Indra asked.

    "No I don''t think... Maybe?"

    The vampire waited for his maid to start making sense at some point and was surprised when she boldly grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the throne.

    The hatch to the royal bunker was still open and Enyo did not even hesitate to descend downwards into the inky darkness.

    Indra was enjoying the warmth of Enyo''s small hand in his so much that he didn''t even bother to ask where she was leading him.

    Eventually, the two came to a stop in front of therge double doors in the bunker where they''d woken up.

    "This ce should be untouched. None are allowed to enter without the blood of the Ascalon family." Enyo said as she inspected the door.

    The bunker was built by the first vampire king Drac Ascalon. Legend has it that even a blow from a cultivator in the true god realm would only be able to dent it.

    "Stand aside, Enyo."

    Indra lifted his arm up to his mouth and bit into his wrist.

    The taste of his own blood filling his mouth was neither pleasant, nor unpleasant.

    Smearing his bloody wrist on the door, he then took a step back when it began to shine and hum with a red light.

    The ancient doors groaned open, and a row of torches sparked alive, bright blue mes seemed to be beckoning them into it''s depths.

    Indra prepared to take a step forward, but that was when he felt it.

    A pressure descended upon his body that froze him dead in his tracks.

    "What... is down there?"

    Enyo was a bit better, but she was also rather unnerved by the strange pressure. "It''s okay, my prince. What you are feeling is really no more than a remnant of the beast of the end."

    She took his hand and the two walked down together, seemingly unfazed by the umting eerie pressure.

    Suddenly, the dimly lit hall revealed a room that was something like a trophy hall.

    In the center of the room were threerge ss case containing different items.

    The one on the left contained various high grade weapons.

    Weapons, armor and cultivation manuals are divided into five grades of rarity and power.

    Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Heavenly, and Transcendent.

    At first nce, it was easy to tell that nothing inside was below heavenly grade.

    The case in the middle contained various cultivation techniques from advanced to transcendent grade. At a nce there appeared to be less than twenty inside.

    But thest case...

    "My prince?"

    Indra had suddenly started walking towards the third and final case which was really more of a ss pod.

    Inside was a swirling ck liquid that despite being there for a long time looked to have been added recently.

    "The pressure I''ve been feeling... why does ite from this?" Indra asked as he brought his hand to the ss.

    Enyo took a deep breath before she began to exin.

    "Well... Even though we''re at war now, the truth is we weren''t always that way. Thousands of years ago we fallen and the races of light fought together against amon enemy.

    It was crowned the Old One. The legends say that it was an unprecedented horror that threatened to destroy our entire way of life. Your grandfather led the faction of undead against it alongside the rest of the world and it unfortunately ended his life. That is how your father became king." She exined.

    "The battlested for two entire weeks before it was finally defeated. But because it had the power to regenerate, it''s remains were separated amongst four of the groups that fought the hardest. The humans took it''s brain, the elves imed it''s bones, demons harbor it''s flesh and the vampires hold the blood."

    "How do you know all of this?" Indra asked.

    Enyo showed him her signature warm smile. "Because you told me, My prince."

    When Indra and his father still had a close rtionship, he brought him down to this very same room and told him the story of how he became king.

    He also took that moment to exin to him the duty of the Ascalon royal family. They act for the betterment of none except their own, but no matter what they must guard the old one''s remains with everything they have.

    If the eldritch horror were to arise a second time, the world may not survive the fallout.

 Chapter 15: Don’t Eat That!

    <h4>Chapter 15: Don''t Eat That!</h4>

    Indra listened to Enyo''s story in great detail, eager to learn why thisrge tank of ck liquid was causing him to feel so strange.

    After recounting events from over ten thousand years ago, Enyo turned to the weapons case that she''d originallye down here for.

    "You''ll need a good weapon while we''re out there, my prince. Hopefully your body retains the memories from your years of swordsmanship lessons as well."

    Since her prince could not use his soul weapon and had no way to learn arcane for the time being, he needed better ways to defend himself.

    Enyo opened the ss case and was briefly in awe.

    The weapons of the former king and his three queens as well as the weapon of the first king were all present.

    The mary value on these weapons was more than anything else they had collected so far. It was easily more than enough to buy even an entire city.

    But Enyo did not wish to sell these things as they were a part of her prince''s history after all.

    Eventually, he would rebuild the vampire n from scratch, and he would need these tools.

    Enyo''s gaze settled on two katanas with des that werepletely ck with a dark red line running down the middle. They also appeared to be a bit on the longer side, measuring at around 65 inches. However, the oddest thing about these swords were undoubtedly the edges.

    Normally a katana''s edges should be sleek and smooth, yet these des possessed serrated edges, giving them a darker and wilder look.

    These were the weapons of thete third queen of vampires, Dhalia Ascalon.

    Despite her nature as an assassin, she had a rather cruel and ruthless nature that was evident by looking at her favored choice of weaponry.

    These were also the weapons Indra trained the most with when he was younger, and he undoubtedly showed the greatest promise with them.

    After three years of lessons his skill rivaled even his mother''s when she was not using her cultivation techniques.

    Enyo sheathed both of the des and removed them from the case.

    She turned around and prepared to hand them to Indra. "Here, my prince. I think you''ll..."

    The poltergeist''s words gradually trailed off.

    Indra''s formerly red eyes had rolled into the back of his head.

    Before Enyo could stop him, he flung out his fist and punched the ss tank in front of him.

    Normally, nothing should have happened.

    But in that moment, Indra''s strength seemed to be much greater than his body would suggest.

    The ss shattered instantly, and the blood inside was free.

    "My Prince, no!" Enyo cried.

    However, the blood seemed to take on a life of it''s own as it spilled out onto the floor.

    Indra opened his mouth impossibly wide, revealing his fangs that had already burst from his gums.

    The blood flew into his open mouth, leaving Enyo so stunned that she dropped the priceless swords she was holding.

    Indra swallowed every drop of ck blood within the tank.

    It was only a few seconds after he finished his impromptu meal that he fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming.

    "AAAAAARRRRRGGHHHHHH!!!!!"

    "PRINCE INDRA!"

    Enyo immediately flew to her master''s side and was horrified by what she saw.

    The veins within Indra''s body were turning ck and could be seen through his skin.

    ck blood had begun leaking from his ears and nose as he screamed his lungs out.

    Enyo could do nothing but hold him and cry as her heart felt like it was broken into millions of pieces.

    -

    ''Where am I? Why is it so dark?''

    Indra tried to move his body but found that he waspletely unable.

    The feeling that he was being slowly constricted by an unknown force began to overwhelm him.

    His consciousness began to get dimmer and dimmer and it seemed as though he would be swallowed entirely by whatever unknown entity was restraining him.

    Suddenly, a masculine voice cut through the darkness.

    "My chosen, do not be swallowed up. You have yet to take revenge on the one responsible for eradicating our family."

    Indra did not recognize the ancient voice but just hearing it filled him with power and burned his will anew.

    ''Let me out of here... Let me out!'' Indra screamed.

    The darkness retreated, and Indra was thrust back into the waking world.

    -

    When Indra opened his eyes, his body was stinging all over and he had a dull headache.

    He felt like he''d had some sort of odd dream, yet he couldn''t remember a single detail.

    However, those thoughts werepletely dispelled when he took in his surroundings and finally noticed what was going on.

    Enyo was crying so hard it was deafening while she held his face in her breasts and rocked back and forth.

    Amidst the constant blubbering, it was a miracle she could hear him. "Enyo... What have I told you about crying?"

    His lovely maid finally ceased her deluge of tears and stared down at him in shock.

    "M-My prince y-you... WAAAAAAAA!!!"

    She gave it her best effort but eventually Enyo lost out to her rampaging emotions. "W-Why did you do that?! You scared me, I-I thought you were going to die and leave me all alone!!"

    Indra wanted to answer that he didn''t know what exactly he''d done but the ghost girl had flung herself around his neck and was squeezing him so tight he couldn''t get a word out.

    Luckily, he did not require air, or he would''ve been at risk of suffocating.

    Eventually he gave up on getting a word out like this and changed his body into a dark red mist to slip out of her grasp.

    He reformed behind her and pulled her into his embrace instead.

    "Please calm down, Enyo."

    Finally, it seemed as though his words had gotten through to her and she slowed her deluge of tears to only a trickle.

    "Can you tell me what happened?"

    Enyo shakily recounted the short events, starting with how Indra had seemingly lost all control of himself and punched the tank and freeing the blood.

    She then exined how he drank all of it and then copsed screaming in agony for fifteen minutes.

    "W-When you stopped screaming I-I thought you were dead!!"

    "... I can see how you would get that impression." Indra was trying not to show how disturbed he was.

    He had absolutely no recollection of anything the lovely woman in his arms had just told him about.

    Hisst memory was staring into the tank wondering just how powerful that creature could have been.

    The next thing he knew he was waking up with a massive headache and with Enyo''s breasts in his face.

    He would not have minded thest part so much but everything else felt like way too much.

    Enyo suddenly leaped out of his arms in rm. "What am I doing? I-I have to check your body''s condition!"

    There was no way to tell how consuming that blood had affected Indra internally.

    He shouldn''t have even been able to drink it in the first ce! Several vampires had tried in the war against it, and they merely exploded from the drastic influx of unknown power and energy.

    Enyo made Indray down on his back and she climbed on top of him. "P-Please forgive me for the awkward positioning, Prince Indra."

    He wanted to tell her that she could stay there for as long as she liked but he didn''t want her to go fainting on him again.

    Making sure that nothing poked her would undoubtedly be his greatest struggle today.

    Enyo injected a bit of her energy into Indra''s body and concentrated on analyzing him from within.

    "What... is this...?"

 Chapter 16: Eldritch Vampire

    16 Eldritch Vampire

    Enyo didn''t know how to describe what she was feeling inside of her prince.

    It was... alien?

    Internally he was like nothing she had ever felt before. His inner workings all the way down to his very soul had been... mutated?

    "Prince Indra... How do you feel?" She hesitantly asked.

    Indra was currently not focused on her concerned tone.

    He was much more preupied with another fact.

    When Enyo injected her qi into him.. he could feel it. There was a chillingly cold and energetic sensation that spread throughout his entire body.

    He could feel every inch of his being that was pulsing with her energy.

    "Prince Indra?"

    "Enyo... I can feel it."

    "A-Am I too heavy? I''ll get off in a moment just please-"

    He grabbed the foolish woman by the face and pulled her in until their lips were mere inches apart. "Enyo... I can feel your qi!"

    The sudden close contact with her master did not prevent her from hearing the absurdity of his words. "You...What?"

    He shed her a charming smile that nearly made Enyo faint. "I can feel your qi, Enyo."

    ''The prince is so handsome! He has such a nice smile! Wait! Focus Enyo!''

    "Huh?" Indra suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at Enyo''s beautiful face.

    "... I think I just read your mind."

    No words could''ve horrified the poltergeist more in that moment.

    "I-I can exin! I was just-"

    "I''ll smile for you more if you promise not to cry so often." he offered.

    "D-Deal! Wait, no!"

    With great difficulty, Enyo separated herself from her prince and put on a somewhat serious expression.

    "My prince, I need you to tell me how you feel. This is an unprecedented situation and we need to know everything we can."

    Indra recognized that she was truly concerned and tried to pay attention to his body''s inner workings.

    "I feel... even better than I did before." he said in surprise. "I feel like I haveplete and total control over my body..."

    To illustrate his point, Indra moved his hair wildly about as if it were another one of his limbs.

    "Okay�� are there any other changes?" She asked.

    The vampire took a deep breath and tried to showcase his body''s new limitless potential.

    Indra held up his arm and it shifted into the dark ck tentacles of an octopus before changing it into the paw of a bear and then the head of a dragon.

    "By Absalom..." Enyo nearly fell over in utter disbelief.

    The powers her prince was disying did not belong to vampires or... anyone.

    Indra shifted his arm back to it''s regr appearance and used his free hand to slice open his wrist.

    When his blood spilled out, instead of hitting the ground it changed into a swarm of miniature butterflies that flew throughout the room.

    "O-Okay stop ying with yourself please!" Enyo felt like if she saw her master do any more fantastical things her head was going to explode.

    Indra did not like her phrasing, but he did listen to her request and remained motionless.

    ''What the hell is going on? Is it because of the blood he drank?'' Enyo wondered internally.

    Indra''s powers defiedmon sense.

    The power to animate and manipte his own blood, read minds through contact, and shapeshift beyond what should normally be possible were all abilities that seemed too fantastical to have.

    Even though vampires could shapeshift, they could only turn into a red mist or turn into a small bat. And even then, those abilities were exclusive to those of the Ascalon royal bloodline.

    Enyo wondered if her prince may have had any other powers he did not disy but her mind could only handle so much shock at the moment.

    ''I don''t understand anything anymore...'' The poltergeist thought in defeat.

    "My prince... how is this possible?"

    Indra thought hard about a usible exnation before simply admitting he had no idea.

    All he remembered was staring absentmindedly into the ck tank before suddenly waking up to Enyo''s breasts in his face.

    The harder he tried to think of a possible answer, the more it began to feel like there was a dense fog clouding his mind.

    "I do not know." He admitted. "All I know at this moment is these powers feel like they have always been a part of me."

    ''But they haven''t!'' Enyo wanted to scream.

    "Prince Indra... I''m concerned." She said honestly.

    "Even if we overlook the strange powers, you just suddenly lost consciousness a moment ago and you don''t even remember what you did in that time. Why did that happen? What will we do if this happens again?"

    The vampire fell into deep thought.

    All of Enyo''s concerns were valid and he couldn''t so easily dismiss them.

    ''Could this have something to do with my memory loss?''

    The idea was bing more and more likely, and it seemed as though he was just within reach of the answer, yet unable to grasp it all the same.

    "Enyo, I am going to give you an order." Indra stood up and stretched his body.

    He held out his hand and the two katanas that were sprawled out on the ground came flying towards his grasp.

    ''He''s telekic too?!''

    That was usually a power that was only acquired when a cultivator reached the overlord realm, yet her master seemed to possess it naturally.

    Yet another thing she could no doubt attribute to the ck blood he''d swallowed earlier.

    Swallowing her surprise, she bowed to receive hismand. "I hear and obey."

    Indra handed the des to her and gave her an order that broke her heart entirely.

    "If I should lose control again, I want you to kill me."

    Needless to say, Enyo''s eyes that had finally dried up began to water once more.

    "W-Why would you ask me to-"

    "Because if I am not in control of myself, I could pose a danger to us and I won''t allow something like that to happen."

    For the first time, Enyo forgot her status as Indra''s maid.

    The mature ghost woman forced herself into his arms and buried her head in his chest.

    "Please... do not ask such a thing of me..." Enyo pleaded.

    ''I could never harm you..''

    "W-We have to find another way!"

    ''I can''t lose you too...''

    "Whatever it takes we''ll find another solution!"

    ''I love you...''

    Indra was frozen in ce.

    Enyo seemed to have forgotten about his newest power of telepathy and that she was currently sharing all of her grief and anguish with him.

    The vampire didn''t know how to react.

    Those words had caught himpletely off guard. He figured Enyo may have held some sort of attraction for him and it was certainly mutual, but this was beyond that.

    When she said she loved him in her mind he could truly feel it.

    Her love was pure,plete, and heavy.

    He was truly all she had.

    But Indra did not know how to respond to these feelings. How could he when she technically had never voiced them? There was also the lingering worry that she may have loved the former Indra and not the man who she was currently clinging to.

    Indra was still not sure if he had be a different person entirely with the loss of his memories.

    If he did not act the same as before, would she eventually abandon him?

    Normally he would not care about such a thing but when it came to her, he could admit he would be sad to see her go.

    "Alright, Enyo. We''ll figure something else out together."

    He returned her hug and allowed her to cry on his chest for just a little while longer.

 Chapter 17: Deadline

    <h4>Chapter 17: Deadline</h4>

    Indra and Enyo finally separated after several minutes of hugging.

    They both looked to be slightly embarrassed, yet it was for entirely different reasons.

    Enyo''s mind was inplete disarray. Not only had she threw herself at her prince, but she''d also cried all over him as well.

    ''Bad Enyo! Bad!''

    Indra on the other hand was still reeling from that sudden confession that he wasn''t supposed to hear.

    In a bid to distract himself, he began to investigate the ss case containing cultivation techniques.

    The vampire picked up two different techniques and analyzed them carefully.

    "Those... were your mother''s." Enyo exined when she noticed what he had grabbed.

    One was a movement technique called Dark Moon Art. The second was a dual sword technique called 24 Wraiths.

    "Enyo, how long do you think we have before arger search party arrives?" Indra asked while staring at the books.

    "I would estimate around five days. Maybe four, why?"

    "I want to try cultivating here for a little while. I doubt very seriously I''ll be able to find a ce as quiet as this once we leave."

    Enyo slowly nodded in agreement.

    It certainly wasn''t a bad idea for her prince to take his first steps here, since there likely would not be another search party sent out so quickly.

    "Alright, my prince. Will you require my assistance, or would you prefer solitude?"

    "Wait in the ring for now. I''ll call you if I need help."

    "I hear and obey." Enyo bowed deeply before her body changed into a dull mist and she slowly disappeared into one of the rings on Indra''s finger.

    Since there was still a bit of lingering qi in Indra''s body, he didn''t need to do anything more than sit down and begin cultivating the energy.

    He once again closed his eyes and envisioned his body as a mountain.

    Only this time there was an abundance of rain falling down his once dryndscape.

    The rain flowed downwards, nurturing the wildlife and renewing it''s strength.

    Or at least it should have been.

    The energy was not being absorbed into his body and strengthening it as it was intended.

    If this continued, the energy within his body would dissipate before it could even be utilized.

    ''My body''sposition has changed, so maybe I am in need of a better breathing method?''

    Indra opened his eyes and nced at the ss case nearby.

    With a wave of his hand all of the manuals inside came flying out and circling around him.

    Evidently his new powers could be used as easily as if he''d always had them. He didn''t understand how such a thing was possible, but for right now he would focus on cultivating and then investigate his new body moreter.

    Five breathing techniques came rotating into view.

    Indra briefly nced over all of their names and was able to gain a small understanding over their uses.

    The breathing technique he selected was an art called ''Breath of Origin and Demise''.

    This was the breathing technique of the first vampire king said to have been passed to him from the blood god himself.

    It was a method of breathing that enabled one to cultivate while even in the midst ofbat. Breath of origin and demise was also designed for cultivators in higher realms who had a greater difficulty absorbing qi.

    Indra immediately opened the booklet and started reading.

    If anyone in the world was watching Indra''s current actions, they would have to pick their jaws up off the floor.

    Not only was he able toprehend such a profound breathing technique, but he was also able to do it as someone who had never cultivated before in his life.

    Less than 1% of the most heaven defying geniuses could learn advanced techniques their first time cultivating and yet Indra was learning a transcendent grade one.

    If Enyo had not gone to sleep in the ring, she would have found the current situation to be beyond absurd.

    She also would have assumed that no one other than her prince could have pulled off such a great feat.

    After about half an hour, Indra believed he had a firm understanding of the booklet as he ced it on the ground in front of him.

    Closing his eyes again, he concentrated on making his breathing very shallow.

    Indra once again tried to absorb the lingering qi within his body and he was immediately ovee with terrible pain.

    However, instead of being rmed he maintained his calmposure.

    When qi was absorbed into the body for the first time, it''s job was to cleanse the body of any impurities or foreign substances.

    While Indra remained motionless and breathing shallowly, small ck blots appeared in various ces on his skin.

    These were the impurities that had umted within his body during his lifetime.

    Because he was a vampire, his body did not have many impurities to purge anyway so he did not be terribly dirty.

    Once the qi had consolidated itself in the center of his body, Indra began trying to imprint himself into it, effectively making Enyo''s qi his own and forming a core.

    A core was the source of a cultivator''s power and the ce where all of their internal energy was stored.

    Enyo''s misty purple qi became muddled and changed into a blood red color with streaks of ck.

    In Indra''s stomach, just below his navel his core had finally been formed without any issues.

    However, he nearly lost all of his concentration when he noticed something strange within his body.

    The vampire wasn''t aware of this before but it seemed that he also possessed an element within him that had been unused all this time.

    Now that Indra finally had a core, his neglected lightning element was attempting to fuse with it, imbuing electricity into his qi and throughout his body.

    The vampire fell into a trance like state as he continued cultivating nonstop.

    He only had a few days before more search parties were expected to arrive so for right now, he had to do all he could to establish the foundation for his future survival.

 Chapter 18: Chosen Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 18: Chosen Teacher</h4>

    "You ready, new girl?" A masculine voice asked from outside Vermeil''s tent.

    The human girl grumbled in mild annoyance when she heard the way she was being referred to but she couldn''t do anything about it.

    This person was her master after all.

    Rising from her seat, she pushed past the ps of her tent to meet her mentor.

    Waiting outside for her was a tall yet muscr man who seemed to be the very personification of the phrase ''gentle giant''. He was wearing dark blue armor with a massive greatsword across his back, yet his friendly smile made him seem incredibly approachable.

    This was the mentor Vermeil had chosen. She really had no particr reasoning behind it other than he was the only one of the other 11 heroes that did not look at her with either jealousy or rampant lust.

    He was also one of the few heroes who could cultivate and use arcane.

    His name was Vance Michaels and he was the 9th hero brought to this world by the great god of cleansing rain. He was quite popr among the people due to his short dirty blond hair and calm blue eyes.

    When Vance saw Vermeil, he let out an impressed whistle.

    "My, my! Seems my little protege had herself a bit of a glow up!"

    Vermeil, not used topliments shuffled her feet awkwardly.

    After she began cultivating, Vermeil had finally stepped into the mortal realm and her body was cleansed of all impurities.

    The results were extremely drastic. If before Vermeil was just an attractive young girl that you could find anywhere, she had been transformed into a super model whose face you would remember for the rest of your life.

    Wearing the white and gold bio armor dress that the priests had prepared for her, she was earning her nickname among the people as the saintess of stars.

    "How do you feel? Stepping into the mortal realm is quite the experience, no?" Vance asked.

    Vermeil opened and closed her pale fists. "Honestly it''s... incredible. My body feels so clean and filled with power and energy!"

    She''d never experienced anything like this. Her body was coursing with so much power she felt like she could punch a hole through a stone wall.

    ''Even though it hurt like a bitch, it was still worth it!''

    "Ha! Just wait until you hit the venerable realm like me! You will feel like a god among men! Or I guess a goddess in your case."

    Vermeilughed awkwardly. It was a bit strange to be the only girl among all of the heroes but she was slowly getting used to it.

    "Alright, let''s start your training for today!" Vance turned around and began walking through camp and Vermeil shyly followed him.

    They were in a makeshift campsite with about 1,000 warriors all under hismand.

    All of the heroes had their own private armies that obeyed none other than them. Since Vance was both rtively new and picky about his soldiers, his army was still rtively small.

    The first hero, was already in control of an army whose numbers were over 100,000.

    As the two walked through the campsite, cultivators under Vance''smand bowed respectfully at the two of them before opening up a path.

    ''I don''t know how long it''ll take me to get used to this...'' Vermeil thought inwardly.

    Going from being a loner to some big important person within the span of a week was really jarring for her.

    Not only that, seeing the dedication and seriousness of everyone around her, she began to worry that she would not be able to measure up to the expectations that were being ced upon her.

    When the time came, she was not sure if she would have the strength to do what needed to be done.

    "Don''t think about that." Vance replied without looking back.

    "Pardon?" Vermeil was utterly floored. Could you read minds at higher realms? What would happen if she thought of something embarrassing??

    "We all had the same worry when we first came here. But ultimately, when the moment was thrust upon us, each of us were able to step up to the call of duty. Do not worry about these people at first, don''t even be afraid of the monsters we fight against, all you need right now is the desire to see another day. The rest will take care of itself."

    The saintess nodded slowly, letting the wisdom of her mentor''s words seep into her mind.

    Already she felt herself feeling lighter and less burdened by the future. "Thank you for the wisdom, Vance."

    "Hahaha! No problem kid!"

    Soon the two of them reached an open field a safe distance away from the camp grounds and turned around to face each other.

    "Alright, we''ve stabilized your cultivation with pills and a proper breathing technique for now. Do you want to try learning some arcane?"

    Vermeil nodded hard as she tried her best to suppress her excitement.

    This was the moment she''d been waiting for since she came to this world!

    Real life magic!

    Vance recognized the look of desperation in her golden eyes and chuckled.

    He unsheathed his sword from his back and jammed it into the ground.

    Vermeil was briefly impressed by his incredible strength before she followed his example and sat cross legged on the ground.

    "Using Arcane is a bit different from cultivating the body." Vance began.

    "Instead of trying to draw energy into yourself, you are using your inner element as a lighter capable of creating an even bigger me when exposed to the necessary counterpart."

    He held out his hand and a faint blue light began to glow before a small ball of water was formed.

    "Since your elements are pretty rare, there isn''t anyone who can teach you the best way to visualize the power to create spells. Just start small and we''ll work our way up from there."

    It took a while and a great deal of concentration.

    Vermeil had yet to understand the technical aspect behind tapping into her elements.

    However, after over an hour of meditation, she believed she might have found a possible answer.

    Vance looked down at Vermeil''s hands that were glowing with an intense golden light.

    ''What the hell... The kid''s a natural.'' He wanted to give the credit to his amazing teaching, but he knew he hadn''t actually done much.

    At this rate, Vermeil was going to be a one star mage by the end of the day.

    Or so it seemed.

    "Leader Vance!"

    A member of Vance''s private army ran forward, seemingly out of breath and nervous.

    "Easyd, Where''s the fire?" Vance asked in a concerned tone.

    "There is an army of fallen near our current position, it appears to be an army of beast men led by the werewolf princess herself!"

    Vance''s expression became serious as he faced his worried looking student.

    "I''m sorry kid but it seems as though you''re going to see realbat a bit sooner than we expected."

 Chapter 19: First Battle

    <h4>Chapter 19: First Battle</h4>

    The army assembled rather quickly and within a few moments, they were marching to meet the enemy forces.

    Vermeil found herself next to Vance who was leading the charge.

    He had already assured her that she would simply be an observer in this battle and that she should use this as an opportunity to get used to realbat.

    Despite her body''s excellent condition, she felt slightly sick.

    She had no idea how she would react to seeing real blood and death for the first time and it was taking everything within her to hold onto her breakfast.

    "Enemy ahead!" Vance alerted as he drew his massive sword from his back.

    It was then that Vermeil saw these fallen that she''d been hearing so much about.

    Leading the opposing army was a giant hairy werewolf covered in inky ck fur. It''s body was littered with staunch muscles and it stood at a menacing height of around 6''7.

    It appeared to be female as the armor it was wearing was rather pronounced around the chest area.

    On either side of it were what appeared to be two tiger beastkin, both with unblemished white fur with ck stripes.

    The army of fallen seemed to be expecting them as the werewolf in front did not show any signs of being unnerved.

    "FOR OUR KIN!!"

    She roared and ran forward on all fours to meet the human invaders.

    Her army was not far behind her, drawing their own weapons and unleashing a proud war cry.

    "Stay behind me, Vermeil!" Vance ordered as he held his mighty de out in front of him.

    The human girl immediately obeyed ad she watched in utter fascination as her mentor unleashed the first move of his signature sword art.

    "Tidal de Art : Whirlpool Tide!"

    With a massive downwards swing, Vance sent forth a monstrous swirling tidal wave aimed at the body of the enemy leader.

    While the werewolf was briefly surprised, as someone who was also in the venerable realm she would not let one insignificant attack stop her.

    With surprisingly nimble movements, she ducked underneath the massive iing wave and continued her approach forward.

    ''Pretty fast, huh?'' Vance thought.

    The werewolf unsheathed her massive ck ws and they shed against Vance''s mighty sword.

    BANG!

    The ground beneath them cracked from the sudden blow exchanged by the two behemoths and Vermeil stumbled backwards from the wind pressure alone.

    Vance''s men rushed past him and began trading techniques with the fallen warriors.

    Soon the once peaceful clearing was abuzz with the sounds of weapons shing and the air began to fill with a bloody mist.

    Everywhere that Vermeil looked bodies were dropping onto the ground and breathing theirst.

    Contrary to her expectations, she was actually still conscious and had yet to throw up. Her body that was now in the mortal realm was also helping to keep her calm and clearheaded as adrenaline coursed through her blood.

    She soon stopped her eyes from wandering all over the battlefield and instead focused them on Vance and the enemy werewolf.

    ng!

    ng!

    ng!

    The saintess of stars was utterly taken aback by what she saw.

    Her mentor and the fallen werewolf were exchanging blows at a speed she couldn''t evenprehend.

    All she could perceive was their insane movement speed and their attacks that were cutting even the wind and earth around them.

    But Vermeil noticed that something was off about Vance.

    It did not seem like he was trying to kill his opponent, more like he was hoping to tire her out?

    Unfortunately, it seemed like the werewolf had caught on to this as well and her bright yellow eyes burned with a powerful rage. "Insignificant human! Are you looking down on me?!"

    "What gave me away?" Vance asked as he feigned shock.

    "I WILL DINE ON THE MARROW OF YOUR BONES!!" She roared.

    She took a giant leap upwards and shot into the air like a cannonball.

    "Apostle of Fenris : Death Howl!"

    The werewolf opened her fuzzy muzzle wide and unleashed a horrifying howl that caused the ears of all nearby to bleed.

    "AWWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

    A howl imbued with pure malice took the form of a bright red wolf that was snarling at the human below it like it was its greatest enemy.

    "Scary.." Vance muttered, yet the smile never left his face as he held up his sword.

    Unfortunately it seemed as though this enemy wasn''t going to go down easily and he was going to have to be a bit rough.

    ''I hope I don''t kill her on ident, her identity is too high profile for me to simply kill her in the wild like this.''

    Vance began to concentrate mana at the tip of his massive sword until a palm sized ball of water formed at the tip.

    "Arcane Water : Monsoon."

    BOOOOOOMM!

    The ball of water exploded and became a geyser that shot clear into the sky and obliterated the werewolf''s oing attack with ease.

    The werewolf queen felt an instinctive sense of danger from the iing volley of water and she hastily put her furry arms up to defend.

    Unfortunately, her effort proved to be moot when the ferocious st of water mmed into her massive body with the momentum of a freight train.

    A yelp of pain escaped from the werewolf''s muzzle as her arms immediately felt like they had been broken.

    Her body plummeted from the sky and she hit the ground with an audible thud.

    When the dust cleared, vance could see that his enemy was not yet downpletely and was struggling to get to her feet.

    "Guess the rumors about you werewolves are true. You''re a lot more sturdy than the average beastmen, aren''t you?"

    The wolf ground her pointed canines in anger and frustration.

    "Princess Keran!"

    "Assist the princess!"

    "Princess Keran needs our help!"

    The fallen army immediately rallied to support their wounded leader but Vance''s warriors would capitalize on that momentary distraction.

    As Keran watched herrades and subordinates be cut down right in front of her very eyes, she became filled with an unrelenting regret.

    If only she had listened to her mother... then none of these good people would have had to die today.

    Vance decided he was ready to call it a day and twirled his de around before striking Keran on the head with the t side of the de.

    Her body crumpled up as she fell over unconscious.

    "Capture those of high rank! The kingdom will want to hold a public execution for these beasts!" Vance ordered as he ced his foot on top of his defeated enemy.

    As his warriors obeyed hismand, onemia mage in the midst of the battle became overwhelmed with fear and terror before she slithered away.

    "Don''t let her run!"

    "Kill that freak!"

    "No one gets away!"

    As a few of the men left to chase after the fleeingmia, Vermeil finally approached Vance who was standing triumphantly over his foe without even a drop of sweat on his brow.

    When he saw her approaching, he could not resist the urge to gloat just a bit."So what''d you think? I was pretty cool, huh?"

    Vermeil stared open mouthed at her mentor.

    Only now did she realize she could not even fathom his level of power.

    Vermeil smiled in defeat as she finally admitted how impressed she was. "Yea you were pretty... cool..."

    The saintess'' words gradually trailed off as she stared at the beast on the ground.

    What was formerly arge werewolf slowly reverted into a beautiful young girl with long ck hair and two furry ears on top of her head.

    Her fair and perfect skin could not be hidden even by the mud that was sshed all over her face.

    But what stunned Vermeil the most was how human this seemingly young girl looked.

    Not only that, everywhere around the battlefield the same thing was happening. The fallen were slowly reverting from their bestial forms and bing more and more human in appearance.

    ''What... is this?''

 Chapter 20: Unexpected Savior

    <h4>Chapter 20: Unexpected Savior</h4>

    After the battle, the men held a rowdy celebration.

    Vermeil was undergoing a bit of a culture shock to see the formerly polite and respectful soldiers suddenly sing loud drunken songs.

    However, she was not in such a jovial mood.

    The horrors of the war she''d just witnessed were still lingering in her mind. She didn''t understand how these people could be so carefree despite everything they had just gone through.

    "It''s strange, isn''t it?"

    Vermeil was spurred from her thoughts by the sudden arrival of her mentor, Vance.

    The two were sitting on a hastily prepared bench, overlooking the massive celebration in front of them.

    "When I first arrived here almost fifty years ago, I too thought these people were insane for celebrating so quickly after a battle.

    It was not until I''d been here for a while that I realized that this was almost like their way of grieving. They celebrate in remembrance of theirrades and families that they have lost to the fallen. And they drink tomemorate the fact that in surviving another battle, they have avenged them."

    Vermeil fell into a deep thought. "Do you ever think... maybe we don''t have to fight them? This did all stem from some sort of misunderstanding after all..."

    Instead of actually being upset with her question, Vance was actually d to see the newest of the twelve was sopassionate.

    It was a trait he wished was shared amongst more of the heroes brought to this world.

    "You aren''t the first to think like that, I too thought the same way long ago. It''s easy to think the fallen can be reasoned with, especially since some of them are so human like."

    Vermeil once again recalled the scene of the beast men shifting back into their human forms once they''d been defeated and her gaze unconsciously darted to the tent where three prisoners were being kept.

    "But you must remember we have tried to negotiate with them before and it has always failed. The fallen are vile, monstrous creatures that we, the races of light simply cannot coexist with." Vance warned.

    It was good that Vermeil had some empathy but she had to know that some things are simply unavoidable.

    If she did not learn soon that the fallen were not to be trusted, she could very well lose her life to one of them.

    Such a thing was not what the world needed, especially not when they were so close to winning the war for good.

    The white haired saintess nodded slowly and tried to take Vance''s words to heart. She could feel that they were trulying from a ce of consideration and concern.

    Vance patted the young woman lightly on the shoulder. "Try to have some fun with the men. We can resume your training in the morning."

    The hulking man stood up and walked away to join his soldiers in another round of drink and song.

    Vermeil almost went to join them but ultimately decided she was morefortable siting on the bench for now.

    As the day slowly turned into night, she still had yet to move from her seat. The one thing that did change however was that she now wore a small smile on her face and seemed to be getting morefortable with her surroundings.

    Just when she was finally about to join the merry band, she spotted one drunken soldier who stumbled his way inside of a very specific tent.

    At first, Vermeil thought maybe he might''ve made a simple drunken mistake.

    But after a few minutes had gone by, she began to get the feeling that something was wrong.

    Getting up from her seat for the first time in hours, Vermeil felt her bones pop as she walked hastily towards the tent set up on the outskirts of the camp.

    As she got closer and closer, she began to hear muffled screaming and the vague sounds of a struggle.

    Throwing open the ps, it was just as she feared.

    The drunken soldier was on top of the werewolf princess with his pants halfway down.

    Her cultivation had already been sealed and her hands were tied behind her back to prevent her from wing his eyes out.

    "What the fuck are you doing?! Get off her!!" Vermeil waisted no time rushing forward and burying her heel a few inches into his ass.

    "GYAAA!!"

    The man rolled around in anguish, inadvertently shing the saintess his baby carrot.

    Unfortunately that would only earn him another stomp only this one would be on a much more exposed area.

    The man let out another unsightly howl and by now he had sobered up enough to realize who his attacker was.

    "S-Saintess??"

    "Stop talking to me with your wiener out!" Vermeilunched another well ced kick and the sounds of two distinct popping noises could be heard followed by more horrid screaming.

    "Get the fuck out of here!" she ordered.

    This was the first time in her life that she had gotten so upset with anyone but her heart was too shaken by the scene she''d just witnessed.

    The drunken rapist crawled out of the tent leaving Vermeil and the prisoners alone.

    Vermeil turned around to see the werewolf princess had crawled on her knees towards her two bodyguards who had also been taken hostage.

    One was a brown skinned woman with hair as white as milk and the other was a much paler woman with hair of the same color. Like the princess, their mouths were gagged and their hands were tied.

    But both of them were shielding their disheveled princess and giving the intruder distrustful res.

    Normally, Vermeil would have left the girls alone but something within her was now telling her that doing such a thing was not the right way to go about things.

    No matter what, she had to let these girls know that they were going to be okay.

    Despite the res and growled she was receiving from the two bodyguards, she walked forward with a friendly smile on her face and squatted down in front of them.

    "Hello... My name is Vermeil. I''m not going to hurt you, okay?"

    From behind the two girls, the werewolf princess looked up with teary eyes at the strange human girl in front of her.

    "I''m going to take those gags out. They don''t really look all thatfortable." Vermeil attempted to smile and crack a light joke but the air was still very tense.

    Taking a deep breath, the human girl reached out slowly and carefully for the fallen women in front of her.

 Chapter 21: Extended Hand

    <h4>Chapter 21: Extended Hand</h4>

    Vance''s words began to y in Vermeil''s head as she reached for the gag of the pale woman opposite her.

    They are vile.

    ''Their fur... it looks so soft and perfect.''

    They are monstrous.

    ''They have such cute little cat ears!''

    We cannot coexist with them.

    ''But I still want to try!''

    Vermeil first undid the gag on the twin sisters.

    Once half their faces were uncovered, the saintess of stars had a profound realization.

    "I think... you two might be the most beautiful women I have ever seen." She said honestly.

    Perfectly proportioned noses and full lipsplimented their faces that were nothing short of immactely beautiful.

    For the first time, the scowls on the girls'' faces were reced by ones of disbelief.

    Vermeil did not say that they were attractive for fallen.

    She did not even say that they were beautiful despite their furry legs and animal ears.

    Vermeil said, honestly from the bottom of her heart that the two of them were the most beautiful women she had ever seen.

    Such apliment from a human woman was something that was simply unimaginable.

    Vermeil looked past the two stunned tigerkin to focus on the woman who was behind them.

    "I know you''re probably a little more scared than these two considering what just happened, but I can assure you I just want to get that nasty rag off your face. Will you let me do that?"

    The werewolf did not nod but she did not growl either.

    She simply sat on the ground motionless with tear droplets still in her eyes.

    Taking that as an invitation, Vermeil used the same careful movements as before so as not to startle the young woman.

    The twin bodyguards didn''t realize it but they parted slightly to allow Vermeil better ess to the woman they were protecting.

    Once Vermeil got a closer inspection, she could see some redness around the werewolf''s neck and some scratches around her partially exposed hips.

    As she removed the gag, Vermeil felt her own eyes beginning to water as she stared into the unveiled face of a girl who appeared to be only a little older than her.

    "I-I''m so sorry this happened... I know that we are supposed to be enemies or something but... No one deserves to go through something like that." A single tear fell from Vermeil''s bright golden eyes.

    When she realized what she had done, she hastily wiped her eyes and forced a smile back onto her face. "I-I''m sorry! I don''t have any right to cry over this yet here I am showing my age."

    Vermeil reached into her storage ring like she''d been taught and pulled out a healing pill given to her by Vance.

    "H-Here... this should take away your pain and clear up those nasty marks." Vermeil he''d out the pill to feed the woman in front of her.

    The two bodyguards scrutinized the item in the human woman''s hand and upon finding out it was truly just a healing pill; they did not make any moves to stop her.

    The werewolf looked at the pill in front of her for a long time before she parted her bright pink lips to take the pill into her mouth.

    ''She''s beautiful too... Why is everyone in this world so damn hot?!'' Vermeil felt like if the women on earth came here, they too would be able to understand her shock.

    Vermeil watched with wide eyes as the redness and cuts on the werewolf''s body healed immediately.

    "Whoa... maybe I should learn how to make those after all." she muttered.

    With everything done, Vermeil finally took a step back and sat cross legged on the ground in front of the fallen girls who had yet to utter a single word.

    "I told you my name... do any of you want to tell me yours?"

    Unfortunately, Vermeil received only silence and nk stares containing a veiled mistrust.

    "Yea... I guess I can see how you girls wouldn''t be very chatty after having a day like this."

    The four women continued to sit in silence for what felt like forever before Vermeil had a sudden idea.

    "Ah! I''ll be right back!"

    The heroine scrambled up from the ground and hastily made her way outside of the tent.

    "She is... strange." One of the twins finally said.

    The older twin with tanned skin and a stoic personality was named Kohaku.

    "She... said we were beautiful." The younger of the twins was named Kuro and she was often the more aggressive of the two, but Vermeil''s kindness had left her stunned and speechless.

    The two girls seemingly had the same thought at the same time as they turned to the woman behind them that they were supposed to be protecting.

    "Princess Keran... I-I''m sorry we were unable to protect you from that filthy human a-and he almost..." Kohaku did not finish her words but no one present needed her to.

    Keran did not respond however her mind was still jumbled from the horrors she''d just witnessed as well as the strange scene that had urred after.

    ''Why is she like that?'' The werewolf couldn''t understand anything that had just happened with that strange human girl.

    Not only had Vermeil gone as far as to berate and insult one of her own men, she did not allow him to assault Keran either.

    Could it have been some sort of trick to convince her to lower her guard?

    Keran wanted to believe that, yet the honest golden eyes of the saintess continually bubbled up into her mind.

    The group suddenly heard the sound of excited footsteps approaching and a momentter Vermeil burst inside carrying a te piled high with food.

    "I''m sorry if that took too long! I wasn''t sure exactly what you girls would like so I just grabbed a bit of everything!"

    The three beastgirls stared hungrily at the te of food before them and it was at that point they remembered they had not eaten for several hours.

    Vermeil prepared to ce the tes in front of them and let them serve themselves when she realized that all of the girl''s hands were tied behind their backs.

    "Ah... I-I''m sorry I don''t have the key to your shackles... that looks pretty ufortable." She had forgotten that these girls were still prisoners of war and only a few hours ago they were trying to kill everyone.

    ''But... they still deserve to eat.''

    Vermeil once again kneeled in front of the three beast girls and smiled awkwardly at them. "I-I know it''s a bit strange but it looks like I''ll have to feed you... is that okay?"

 Chapter 22: First Words

    <h4>Chapter 22: First Words</h4>

    "It looks like I''ll have to feed you, is that okay?"

    Kuro immediately red and showed the captor her menacing white fangs.

    Even if Vermeil had been kind to them so far it was probably all for this moment so that she could treat them like pets!

    She just wanted to feel like she was superior to them, right?

    Isn''t that what all the races of light desire?!

    Vermeil flinched when she saw the treatment she was getting and tried her best not to let it bother her.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Kohaku had yet to take her eyes off of the pile of meat that was on the te.

    "Hehehe! It doesn''t seem like you''re very hungry, but your sister certainly seems to be." Vermeil joked.

    Kuro immediately gave her gluttonous sister the stink eye, causing her to lower her head in shame.

    "It''s okay, don''t be embarrassed!" Vermeil picked up arge chicken leg that the young girl had been eyeing and held it out in front of her. "This was the piece you wanted, right? Just go ahead and eat and I can get you more if you like."

    Kohaku tried her hardest to resist.

    She wanted to maintain her dignity as the bodyguard to the princess of the Garou!

    ''But it smells so good..!''

    The scent of the me roasted chicken was so tantalizing that Kohaku''s pride was easily defeated by her hunger.

    She leaned forward and took two quick bites in rapid session and was ted to find out that the morsel in front of her was every bit as juicy and vorful as she imagined it to be. The smoky vor and the crispy skin made it so that it was more than worth the stink eye she was receiving from her younger sister.

    Keran also watched as Kohaku tore into the chicken without any reservations and she suppressed the urge to ask for some as well.

    The tiger twin continued to eat away at the chicken, barely even taking a moment to breathe.

    "Slow down." Vermeil warned jokingly. "You might- Ow!"

    In her haste to devour the chicken in front of her, Kohaku had identally bitten into the finger of the human girl that was feeding her.

    The taste of blood filled her mouth and she parted her lips and began to offer her sincerest apologies.

    But wait... they were supposed to be enemies, right?

    So should she even feel bad for biting this human? If anything that was the natural order of things.

    ''I can''t believe I almost felt bad for biting a human...'' She was sure that Vermeil was about to reveal her true colors andsh out in retaliation.

    Vermeil looked at the deep puncture marks on her thumb. "Ouch... I guess those teeth aren''t just for show, huh?"

    She took out another healing pill from her ring and popped it into her mouth.

    Immediately she felt a warm current travel throughout her body and her hand healed up instantly.

    "I don''t know if I''ll ever get used to all of this magic and cultivation stuff." Vermeil muttered as she looked at her hand that was now as good as new.

    She turned back to Kohaku and resumed her same kind disposition. "I was going to warn you about choking but I guess I should''ve also been a bit wary of your fangs, huh?"

    "You... are not upset?" Kohaku asked in shock.

    "You talked! And your voice is so soothing!" Vermeil''s eyes lit up like stars in the sky. "And no I''m not upset. It was just a small bite and you didn''t mean to do it."

    "How can you know that?" Keran suddenly asked suspiciously.

    "Ah! You''re talking too!!"

    The werewolf ignored the girl''s strange excitement and instead restated her previous question. "how can you know that she didn''t mean to do it?"

    Now even Kuro had stopped scowling and was only looking at the human with an expression of genuine curiosity.

    "Hm? Uhh I guess if I had to say it''s because even though she''s a voracious eater she seems rather gentle."

    Whether Kohaku blushed because she was called a voracious eater or gentle, Vermeil would never know.

    Keran was staring at the human opposite her in utter disbelief.

    Kohaku had killed over fifty men today!

    Did the girl just not witness that spectacle?

    Or did she still believe her to be gentle in spite of her incredible lethality?

    Vermeil held out the remainder of the piece of chicken in front of Kohaku. "Eat a bit slower this time. I don''t want you to choke or bite all of my digits off."

    Kohaku listened and she ate much slower this time and after she finished, she said the words she''d been holding onto.

    "I''m sorry for biting you..."

    Vermeil smiled warmly. "I already told you it''s fine. I know you must''ve been hungry."

    She turned from the shocked looking Kohaku and smiled at the remaining two girls. "Now that you''ve seen that I have no ulterior motives, will you allow me to feed the both of you as well?"

    The two girls looked at each other and then at the te of food that still had waves of steaming off of it.

    They both nodded slowly and Vermeil smiled as she fed them both.

    Throughout the entire exchange, no one spoke again.

    Vermeil was honestly a bit disappointed, but she found satisfaction in knowing that she had been able to convince them to eat.

    When all three girls were satisfied Vermeil finallyid back onto the ground.

    Sensing curious gazes on her, Vermeil exined the reasoning behind her actions.

    "I don''t want any more creeps to try to bother you guys again so I''m going to stay here and make sure nothing funny happens." She would never be able to forgive herself if one of these girls were vited by another drunken soldier.

    ''I''ll need to talk to Vance about this. There''s no way he''d be okay knowing there''s a damn rapist in his camp.''

    The three women watched in disbelief as their supposed captor curled right up onto the ground and drifted off to sleep mere momentster.

    ''Even if we''re chained, we can still kill you if you''re this defenseless you know?'' Keran thought as she stared at the sleeping human girl.

    Everything that had happened just seemed like some sort of unbelievable dream.

    She''d been saved and fed by this human and her motives seemed impossible to understand.

    And that gentle smile she showed was unsettling for some reason to the werewolf.

    It was at that moment that the girl remembered someone she normally tried her hardest not to think about.

    ''Indra... her smile is just as bright as yours used to be.''

 Chapter 23: Divide

    <h4>Chapter 23: Divide</h4>

    "Vermeil?" Vance called.

    "Mmh? Hello..." The heroine muttered, still half asleep on the ground.

    The hero of cleansing rain could not believe the sight in front of him.

    He''d gone to look for Vermeil earlier this morning to discuss something and was surprised to see she was not in her tent.

    He scoured the entire camp for her and was surprised to find her in the same tent as the one the prisoners were in, sleeping deeply on the ground.

    For a moment, he believed the captives might have killed her somehow but he soon heard Vermeil muttering something in her sleep about being on a farm with fluffy animals.

    Vance briefly noticed the captives were all huddled together in a corner sleeping silently as well. Near them, there was a te of chicken bones and other remnants of food.

    ''Did she feed them too?''

    "Come outside for a moment please." Vance asked.

    By this point Vermeil had already remembered the events ofst night and scrambled up to talk to her mentor.

    Once the two were a fair distance away from the camp, Vance whirled around to face his young mentee. "Vermeil... what were you doing in the tent with those fallen??"

    Vermeil''s expression became unfriendly as she reyed the scene fromst night. "I saved one of them from being molested by one of your drunken idiots!"

    The hero''s gaze immediately became serious. "Truly? Don''t joke about such a thing,"

    "Do I look like I''m joking to you, Vance? One of your men was trying to force himself on the werewolf girl and he would''ve if I didn''t bury my foot between his ass cheeks!"

    "Idiot..." Vance growled as his eyes glowed bright blue. "I''ve expressly told them they are forbidden from using high-level captives like that."

    Initially, Vermeil was d to see Vance was as upset as she was, but her joy was soon reced by disbelief. "Only high-level ones? They shouldn''t do that to anyone!"

    Vance had seemingly forgotten that Vermeil was new and sighed as he brought his hand to his head. "Look Vermeil... In our old world that is certainly a reprehensible act but here it''s only considered to be that way if it''smitted against another member of the races of light."

    Vermeil''s heart sank to the bottom of her shoes.

    As her world felt like it was spinning, Vance continued to exin.

    "But my men know they aren''t supposed to touch one of the noble fallen! The king finds the act of interspecies sex reprehensible even if it is just to relieve one''s lust. So when we bring captives to be executed at the capital, they are supposed to remain untouched."

    The hero finally noticed Vermeil''s face was growing paler by the second and she was struggling to remain upright.

    "I know it''s a big shock and it can take a lot of getting used to but once you''re around for ten or twenty years it won''t even bother you. Hell, by the time you reach the overlord realm you''ll have a 1,000 year lifespan! That''s plenty of time for you toe to terms with-"

    "Are you fucking insane?! You think I''ll just e to terms'' with women being vited and everyone being okay with it?!"

    "I-It''s not just women, Vermeil. If you find a fallen man you''re aroused by then you''re free to-"

    "What the fuck kind of person do you think I am?!" Vermeil screamed, teary eyed.

    She couldn''t believe this.

    The fallen were supposedly the evil ones, yet the humans were forcing themselves on them and acting like it was no big deal?

    This wasn''t the kind of thing she had signed up for!

    Vance sighed and decided that they weren''t going to get anywhere like this.

    "I''m going to go and find the one responsible. We can skip training this morning." The sound of his armor ttering as he walked away echoed in Vermeil''s red ears.

    ''This is insane!''

    Suddenly, a sinister thought wormed into Vermeil''s mind as she mored back to her feet.

    "Vance!!"

    The hero turned around to see his mentee giving him a hateful re with her fists balled up.

    "I''m only going to ask you one time... Have you ever done that to someone?"

    The silence was deafening, but it was all Vermeil needed to hear.

    For the first time, something inside of the human girl snapped and her eyes began to glow with a golden light.

    "Disgusting bastard..." Vermeil''s fists began to glow as bright as miniature stars and she instinctively held out her hands in front of her. "All of you are so fucking filthy... I can''t believe I was actually going to fight for any of you."

    Vance''s eyes widened as Vermeil''s angered words sank in. "You-"

    "Cleansing starlight."

    A ball of gaseous, golden fire left from Vermeil''s hands and shot directly towards Vance. She was too angry to realize that she''d just used her first bit of arcane since she''de to this world and as a result had officially be a one star mage.

    At this moment, that didn''t even matter.

    All that she cared about was inflicting pain unto the man in front of her whom she no longer considered to be human.

    Vance sighed before he moved at an inhuman speed and delivered a swift chop on the back of her neck.

    Vermeil''s world immediately went dark as she slumped over unconscious.

    He caught her before her body could fully fall to the ground, but he sighed when he realized the gravity of what had just happened.

    Never before had a hero rejected the races of light and dered their intention not to fight in the war.

    He didn''t know what he was supposed to do with her.

    His only option now was to take her to the king and have him decide what should be done.

    "This is unfortunate... you were really like a younger sister to me, Vermeil." He muttered as he carried her towards the tent where they were keeping the rest of the prisoners.

    The beast girls were slightly rmed to see that the girl who had been so kind to them the night before unconscious and being carried by the man who was responsible for capturing them.

    Vance lowered Vermeil onto the ground beside them and ignored the growls he was receiving from Kuro.

    After sealing Vermeil''s cultivation he grabbed a spare set of shackles and locked her slender wrists in.

    He made sure to leave her body on the opposite side of the tent so that she could not be touched by the fallen opposite her.

    Before leaving the tent, he gagged the girl''s mouths once again. "I don''t need you poisoning that girl''s mind with any of your nonsense."

    When he tried to gag Kuro however, she left forward and bit his hand as hard as she could muster. Unfortunately, the skin of a venerable realm cultivator is not so easily pierced, much less by someone whose cultivation is being forcibly suppressed.

    Even though it didn''t hurt, Vance still didn''t take too kindly to being bitten.

    Smack!

    A hard p filled Kuro''s mouth with blood and nearly knocked her unconscious as well.

    "MMH!"

    "HMPH!"

    Both Keran and Kohaku screamed in anger at seeing their friend and sister struck.

    Vance however cared nothing for their outbursts as he continued to tie up the tiger kin''s mouth. "That was her own doing. If she had sat quietly, I would never have hit her."

    The hero stood up and left the tent without another word. He needed to prepare his men to head back to the kingdom for Keran''s execution.

    And he had toe up with some sort of exnation for why the twelfth hero would be suddenly traveling with the captives.

 Chapter 24: Time Well Spent

    <h4>Chapter 24: Time Well Spent</h4>

    Enyo opened her eyes within the ring on Indra''s finger.

    Originally, she''d nned on supervising his cultivation but after a few hours, she eventually dozed off.

    It wasn''t that she wasn''t interested but watching people cultivate is really boring!

    ''I should check on prince Indra''s progress.''

    Upon exiting the ring, Enyo was surprised to see that her master was sitting cross-legged on the ground, not moving a single inch.

    ''He''s sessfully ascended to the mortal realm!''

    She knew that her master could cultivate now but seeing it with her own two eyes was so incredibly heartwarming.

    Not only that, he had somehow firmly stepped into the mortal realm without the use of pills or any outside assistance.

    It appeared as though his talent was just as high as that of his parents.

    Enyo looked at the ground in front of him and saw that the dark moon art had been opened and seemingly studied extensively.

    She would not be surprised if her master had already understood half of the first technique by now!

    After another moment of staring Indra finally opened his eyes and his lips curled into a slight smirk when he saw the look he was receiving from his lovely maid.

    "You look a bit surprised, En-"

    "PRINCE INDRAAA!!"

    Before Indra could even say a proper greeting, Enyo threw herself at him and suppressed the urge to begin bawling.

    She knew her prince did not like it when she cried, but she was just so emotional!

    Even if Indra did not remember, she knew very well just how much his inability to cultivate had frustrated him in the past.

    What caring maid wouldn''t be teary eyed after seeing their master''s long held wish finallye to fruition?

    "I-I always knew you could do it! *sniff* I never believed when they said that you were a waste!"

    ''But I was a waste?'' Indra found it amusing that his maid seemed to have forgotten how his sudden ability to cultivate came about.

    "You didn''t cry. I see my lovely maid remembers our deal."

    The words ''lovely'' and ''my'' seemed to put a deep blush on Enyo''s face. "Y-Yes..."

    Indra finally stood up from the ground and stretched his body and was immediately able to notice a few changes.

    After perfectly merging his inner element with his body, the vampire felt faster, sharper, and like he could perceive the world around him at a speed that was nothing short of horrifying.

    "How long have we been down here?"

    The poltergeist scratched her cheek in mild embarrassment. "I think it''s been about three or four days but I''m not exactly sure..."

    "Because you were sleeping?"

    "...I''m terribly sorry, prince." Enyo replied with an apologetic bow.

    Indra chuckled slightly before he started packing up all of the items that were left in the vault.

    "It''s time to go, Enyo."

    -

    Outside of the castle, it was already night time.

    However, a party of about fifty men were outside preparing to break down the front door to the castle.

    Around ten were in the mortal realm and the rest appeared to be in the beast realm or were mages.

    "Do you think they could have returned?"

    "It''s impossible, right? They''ve been dead for centuries."

    "Then how do you exin two whole parties going missing?"

    At the head of the group, there was one cultivator in the overlord realm who had been designated as the leader.

    "Alright men, do not separate from each other for even a moment! We don''t know what sort of foul evil is lurking inside of here so we must remain on our toes!"

    As the men prepared to storm the long ruined castle, a small bat flew over their heads.

    A few higher level cultivators noticed of course, but seeing that it was alone and harmless, they did not pay it much attention.

    As Indra finally felt the cool night air on his body, the worried voice of Enyo rang out in his mind.

    ''Prince Indra... are you sure you wish to leave so soon? This group should not pose much of a threat I could take them all out and give you more time to-''

    ''It''s fine, I had begun to feel a bit cramped in there anyway.''

    Truthfully, Enyo was the one who was the most worried about this sudden venture.

    The stories she''d been told about the heroes had frightened her to her very core and she became terrified that the two of them would run into one.

    If that happened, could she still protect her prince from one of those monsters from another world?

    She had to make sure he lived to resurrect the vampire race and be king!

    Suddenly, Indra changed from his disguise as a bat and resumed his usual appearance with the addition of two veryrge leathery wings.

    "Come out here, Enyo."

    ''Eeep!''

    The lovely poltergeist let out a startled shriek when her presence was requested so suddenly.

    A purple mist left the small ring on Indra''s finger and in a moment she appeared in the sky next to him.

    "You called, my pr- Uwah!?"

    As soon as Enyo was tangible, Indra reached out and began to pinch and pull her wless cheeks. "Why do you insist on thinking about nonsense?"

    "I-I''m not!"

    "Lying to me now, are we? Your boldness seems to know no bounds."

    "I-I would never!" Enyo was genuinely confused about where these sudden usations wereing from.

    Indra suddenly released one of her cheeks before tapping her forehead and then his own.

    That small gesture was all that was needed for Enyo to recall what she believed to be her master''s most frightening ability.

    "B-But I wasn''t even touching you!" She argued.

    Indra merely shrugged and gestured to his ring that was made of her bones. "Seems like this is enough."

    Enyo began to have a downwards spiral.

    Does this mean that her master can hear all of her thoughts when she''s inside the ring?

    Will her only moment of privacy be when she''s incorporeal?

    This is so unfair!

    "Focus, Enyo." Indra tilted up his maid''s chin so that the two of them were looking eye to eye.

    "I do not need you to protect me. I''m touched by the sentiment but I''m more than capable of protecting myself or at the very least, making sure that I am very hard to find."

    With Indra''s skills in assassination as well as transformation, he could make the task of finding him a living hell for anyone who tried.

    Enyo knew that, but still she had her concerns

    Tayar was a very big and dangerous world where talented geniuses were killed off every day.

    She merely hoped that her prince would not be one of them.

    "And there is something else..." Indra began.

    "Hm?"

    "I know this may disappoint you, but I have no interest in bing any kind of king." Indra had known this for a while, but he had never found a moment to voice it before this.

    It wasn''t that he did not have ambition, but bing king seemed... undesirable.

    He had no desire to rule, no patience to work with others.

    Leading an entire race was the absolutest thing he wanted to do with his time.

    For a moment, Enyo was so shocked she almost fell out of the sky.

    She began to ask him if he was joking but one look into his eyes that were devoid of humor confirmed that he was not.

    "So... you do not want to resurrect your race?" She asked shakily.

    "I don''t mind turning a few humans should the opportunity present itself." Indra replied with a shrug.

    Enyo fell into deep thought.

    If Indra did turn new vampires, they would not be pure blooded and their strength would be partially reduced.

    It would take quite a long while before the vampires could return to their former power and glory.

    "Are you disappointed?" Indra suddenly asked.

    "Well... I would have liked to see you as king but I have already resigned myself to staying by your side in whatever path you choose." Enyo replied honestly.

    "You know... you need not continue to act as my servant. Going forward you are not my maid and I am not your master."

    "T-Then...?"

    Indra suddenly sped Enyo''s face within his hands. "Just be mypanion. There is no need for you to continue to pay homage to a hierarchy that no longer exists."

    She wanted desperately to speak but the warmth of his hands on her face was preventing any words from forming.

    "From now on, just call me Indra, okay?"

 Chapter 25: A Rival?

    <h4>Chapter 25: A Rival?</h4>

    "From now on, just call me Indra, okay?"

    Even with her mind frazzled from his touch, Enyo was still able to recognize what she found to be an absurd situation.

    She did not believe herself to be on equal footing with him, even if he was proiming his intentions to discard his title.

    How could she who had spent so much time serving his every whim suddenly be his equal?

    She knew all of this and yet... why did it seem she was unable to refuse his simple request?

    The scenery, the closeness of their bodies or the sincerity of his words, any one of them could have been factors that attributed to her absentminded eptance.

    "Alright... if that is what you wish."

    The vampire showed off a charming smile as he leaned down to whisper in Enyo''s ear. "Say it."

    Immediately, Enyo''s cheeks became flushed and she wanted to disappear.

    Still, she feigned ignorance and tried to slip away.

    "W-What are you talking about? Come on we can cover more ground during the night." Enyo had nearly flown away, but Indra wrapped his long muscr arms around her body and held her firmly in ce.

    "I''m sorry Enyo but I can''t let you go until I hear you say it."

    If Enyo could see the small smile on the face of her captor, she would know immediately just how much he was enjoying watching her struggle.

    "I-I-Indra..." Enyo whispered with great difficulty.

    Just as Indra was about to ask her to repeat it a bit louder, she slipped out of his grasp and begn flying away at breakneck speed. "W-We''re wasting time we should get going!"

    A small chuckle escaped the lips of the ancient vampire as he pped his powerful wings to keep up.

    As an overlord realm cultivator, Enyo was quite a bit faster than Indra and possibly due to the events that urred before, she was now taking special care to make sure that he couldn''t touch her again.

    ''W-Why did he have to do that?! H-He doesn''t understand how hard he''s making things!'' Contrary to her inner thoughts, she did not hate what had just happened.

    If anything that was the problem, it opened the floodgates in her heart that was sealing off all of the emotions she''d been keeping locked inside.

    But the more she thought about it the more she began to grow the faintest sense of hope.

    The hierarchy separating the two had now crumbled with the passage of time and at present there was no obstacle that might get in her way.

    Wasn''t this everything she could have ever wanted?

    Maybe this was her opportunity!

    After flying for a few hours without a word, Enyo finally slowed down a bit so that Indra might catch up to her.

    A gust of wind blew across her back and he appeared beside her in an instant.

    "Indra...I..."

    "Enyo, look there." Indra suddenly said.

    The poltergeist followed his finger to the ground below where they could see a woman copsed haphazardly in some bushes.

    She had long flowing ck hair and a paleplexion. Her cute and somewhat childish face was aplete contrast to the massive mountains sitting on her chest.

    ''A rival!'' Enyo''s eyes suddenly became terribly unfriendly as she looked at the unconscious woman. Her bust was almost asrge as her own! What if Indra''s eyes began to wander?!

    ''Wait...'' Enyo''s eyes travelled below the woman''s waist, eager to see if her hips and butt were a match for her as well. She knew that was Indra''s most lethal weakness and if this woman posed a threat to her in any way she would kill her outright!

    Imagine her surprise when instead of supple hips and curves she found only light green scales.

    ''Amia? I''ll let her live then.'' With her feelings of rivalry dispelled, Enyo flew down to check on the woman with a concerned expression.

    Indra drifted closely behind her, curious about the unconscious woman.

    Once on the ground, Enyo confirmed her earlier suspicions. "She''s injured."

    On the woman''s abdomen were several small puncture wounds that were leaking blood.

    "Did one of those adventures have a healing pill?" Enyo suddenly asked?

    Indra searched inside his ring and pulled out a small pill that resembled a marble before handing it to hispanion. "Why are you helping her?"

    Enyo gently opened the woman''s mouth and ced the pill inside. "Well she''s a fallen as well right? Apparently we are on the verge of extinction so we should look after our own."

    She was now looking after the unconsciousmia with such motherly care, no one would believe that she was nning on killing her less than five minutes ago.

    Women are frightening creatures indeed.

    The holes on the unconscious woman''s abdomen began to close rapidly and her breathing became more and more stable.

    Herplexion returned to a healthy pale pink and a momentter she opened her brilliant amber eyes.

    "W-Wha...?" After blinking a few times, she slowly regained rity and was able to take in her surroundings.

    "It''s alright, we''re not going to hurt you."

    Hovering above her face was what appeared to be a human woman, yet Lucia could not feel the breath of life from her. "Are you a ghost?"

    "Poltergeist." Enyo corrected.

    Ghosts were low level undead who were unable to maintain a corporeal form and were often shells of their former selves.

    Poltergeist could not only remain corporeal, but they were vengeful spirits who recalled everything about their past lives, using it as a means to fuel their hatred and existence.

    To mix the two was usually considered to be a grave insult.

    "Ah! Please forgive my rudeness." Themia apologized sincerely.

    "It''s fine dear." Enyo said with a warm smile.

    The woman on the ground was briefly stunned.

    Not only was this woman extremely beautiful, she was surprisingly kind as well.

    ''Is she really a vengeful spirit?''

    Slowly, the woman on the ground sat up and offered her sincerest thanks.

    "Thank you for saving me. I thought I was going to die out here..."

    "Think nothing of it! What is your name?"

    "I am Lucia. And you?"

    "Enyo." The poltergeist smiled politely before she realized she had neglected to introduce someone. "And this is I-Indra! He is... someone very dear to me."

    Lucia was confused when Enyo suddenly introduced someone else.

    She followed her gaze and immediately jumped back in fear.

    He had no presence, and he did make the slightest sound.

    Wearing a regal ck kimono with a red and gold design, Lucia was utterly captivated by his silver hair that was shining in the moonlight.

    Themia was mildly embarrassed when she had to wipe the trickle of drool that spilled from her peachy lips.

    Without a doubt, this was the most perfect man she could imagine.

    In her mouth, two snake like fangs burst from her gums, a specialty of themia race is that they can use a weaker version of their venom to paralyze males for mating.

    ''W-What am I doing? We just met!'' Lucia hurriedly put her fangs away and bowed politely in greeting.

    "H-Hello..."

    Indra did not immediately respond, instead his ruby red eyes continued to analyze the snake woman for a little while longer.

    ''Lucia, huh?''

 Chapter 26: Painful Memory

    <h4>Chapter 26: Painful Memory</h4>

    Seeing that Indra wasn''t speaking to her, Lucia''s shyness quickly turned to embarrassment and shame.

    Most men foundmias to be disgusting and unsightly, so she immediately assumed Indra must have felt the same way.

    Lucia slowly lowered her head towards her tail in defeat, cursing herself for being born with the lower half of a serpent.

    "Quite easily disparaged aren''t you, little snake?"

    "EEEP!"

    When Luciast saw Indra, he had been several feet away from her leaning nonchntly against a tree.

    Upon hearing him so suddenly, she looked up to find his face directly in front of hers.

    ''Too close! Too close! Too close!'' Lucia was so preupied with making sure that she did not instinctively bite him, she had forgotten all about the fact that he had somehow appeared in front of her impossibly quickly and without making so much as a single sound.

    Indra found Lucia to be rather strange and fragile.

    He''d only wanted to observe Lucia a little more before speaking, but imagine his surprise when she suddenly put her head down and began releasing wave after wave of negative aura.

    Even if they were not in contact for him to read her mind, her self deprecating thoughts were easily identifiable.

    "W-Who is a little snake?" Lucia yelled with reddened cheeks.

    Indra ignored her outburst and stared at her long tail with bright teal scales.

    "Such a beautiful color..."

    "Indeed! Her scales are quite lovely." Enyo agreed.

    Lucia was stunned silly by the two strangers who were staring at her tail with an unseen intensity.

    ''So he does not find me repulsive?'' Lucia''s mood immediately improved.

    With a bit more confidence than before, Lucia once again attempted tomunicate with the strange man. "Umm I don''t mean to be rude but... what exactly are you?"

    The beautifulmia just couldn''t put her finger on it.

    She knew he was not human, yet she could not ce exactly what he was either. She might have mistaken him for a poltergeist as well, had he and Enyo''s aura''s not beenpletely different.

    "Vampire." Indra replied without much thought as he continued to stare at Lucia''s pretty scales.

    "Vam.. What?" Lucia hadn''t heard of anything like that before.

    Then again, she was only eighteen years old and there were still a great many kinds of fallen that she hadn''t heard of.

    "Don''t think about it too much. I am thest of my kind." The vampire finally couldn''t resist and reached out to touch Lucia''s smooth and cool scales.

    Lucia let out a small yelp but otherwise, she made no effort to stop him.

    Unsurprisingly, the sensation was every bit as pleasant as he''d imagined it to be. It took a great deal of effort for him not to begin petting her outright.

    ''He''s all alone... I cannot imagine how lonely he must feel.''

    With a small smirk, Indra finally stopped petting the young snake woman.

    He was not particrly bothered by the fact that he was thest of his kind, but Lucia''s heartfelt concern for someone she''d never met was touching.

    "Why are you out here all alone and how did you end up injured?" Enyo suddenly asked.

    It was at this moment Lucia realized she had not told her saviors anything about herself.

    "Ah... There was a battle against one of the heroes and we... lost. I tried to get away, but a few the humans chased after me and fired arrows."

    "I''m sorry... that must have been very scary." Enyoforted.

    Lucia smiled helplessly, ashamed to admit just how afraid she had actually been.

    She believed she was going to die out here all alone with no one to help her.

    Herst moments of consciousness before passing out had been spent cursing her own weakness and desperately clinging to life.

    "Can you tell us what this hero was like?" Enyo asked.

    Immediately, a shudder ran down Lucia''s spine.

    "He was overwhelming. His sword arts and his arcane were both incredibly powerful. Princess Keran did not stand a chance..."

    Enyo immediately twitched and she believed she may have misheard.

    "I''m sorry... did you say Keran?"

    Lucia met the shocked eyes of Enyo and immediately became confused. "Yes... Princess Keran Garou, the daughter of the werewolf king."

    Suddenly, Indra clutched his head as he was assaulted with a terrible and dull headache.

    ''Keran?''

    ''I know that name...''

    ''No I don''t.''

    ''Why is this happening?''

    A groan of pain escaped his lips as he fell backwards onto the ground.

    "Indra!"

    "H-Hey are you alright?!"

    The girls immediately flew to his side and sought tofort him, unfortunately he could not hear anything outside of the whispers in his own mind.

    After a few minutes, Indra finally released his head and stared up at the two women giving him concerned faces.

    "Did I scare-"

    "Yes!" Enyo did not even bother to let him finish.

    Indra chuckled lightly and patted her head. "I''m sorry. I have no idea why I suddenly copsed like that."

    Enyo fell into a deep silence.

    Her prince may have forgotten, but she knew very well what the name Keran meant to him in the past.

    Before Indra could fully remove his hand from her head, he heard a thought that froze him to his very core.

    "What do you mean she was my betrothed?"

    "Eh!?!?" Lucia had done a pretty good job keeping silent until now but that sentence was absolutely one that she did not expect to hear.

    With a sigh, Enyo began to exin the past between the princess of the werewolves and the third prince of vampires.

    500 years ago, the Ascalon and the Garou reached a sort of understanding after centuries of feuding between the two.

    To cement their new friendship, Indra and Keran were to be wed, linking the future king of vampires to the future queen of werewolves.

    Indra and Keran spent a great deal of time together as young children in order to foster good rtions.

    From the time they were five years old, the two would run around and y together while getting into all sorts of mischief that Enyo usually had to apologize for.

    When it was discovered that Indra did not have the aptitude for cultivation, his engagement to Keran was annulled.

    Despite that, Keran would visit him regrly as she had already fallen in love with Indra and did not care if he couldn''t cultivate.

    Throughout the years, they continued to meet in secret and their love would only deepen.

    For a while, Enyo was the only one who knew of their rtionship, but when Keran suddenly stopped aging, their affair was discovered.

    A speciality of the vampire race is that when they take a lover, they have the option to feed them their blood and cease their aging so the they may enjoy eternity together.

    Indra was against it, but Keran had hoped that their abrupt defiance would force their parents to reinstate their engagement.

    Unfortunately, her father was utterly furious.

    The werewolf king forbid Keran from leaving castle grounds again and Indra never saw her after that.

    His depression only worsened, and he began sleeping for decades at a time, unconcerned with the world around him.

    Throughout all of this, Enyo was there the entire time.

    She would spend a great many days consoling her broken hearted master.

 Chapter 27: Mortal Realm?!

    <h4>Chapter 27: Mortal Realm?!</h4>

    When Enyo finished telling her story, silence rang throughout the forest.

    Indra was deep in thought, meanwhile Lucia was having several major realizations.

    ''500 years ago?? Thest of his kind?? Royalty?? He''s the reason why the princess looks so young??''

    Lucia decided to shove all of her concerns to the back of her mind for now and do the one thing she knew needed to be done.

    Indra was surprised when the beautiful youngmia suddenly bowed until her head was touching the ground.

    "I won''t ask you any questions about anything I''ve just heard, a-and I know I still have yet to repay you for earlier but I beg you... please save the princess!"

    Before Indra could even say anything, Enyo was furious.

    "Are you insane?! Do you even know what you-"

    "Enyo."

    Indra''s calm voice easily cut through all of her irritation and anger, and she turned around with a huff.

    The vampire held out a hand to the still prostratedmia. "Get up."

    Lucia hastilyplied, and now she was looking deep into Indra''s scarlet red eyes.

    "What makes you think that I can save the little wolf?" From what he''d heard so far, the death of the werewolf princess was all but a certainty.

    "Y-You must be very powerful! I can''t sense any sort of aura from you at all, I couldn''t even follow your movements earlier!"

    The vampire resisted the urge tough out loud.

    The only reason themia could not sense anything from him is because he was actively concealing his aura.

    As for her inability to follow his movements... he just assumed that she was not very observant.

    Before he could tell her the truth about his level of power, Lucia began prostrating once again.

    "T-The princess is the kindest person imaginable and she does not deserve to die at the hands of those filthy humans! I-I know you may not remember but it sounds like the two of you were very happy together so maybe you might-"

    "Do you understand the risk!?" Enyo finally couldn''t take it any more and was back on the offensive. "You said that she was captured by one of those heroes! Indra is still in the mortal realm so he cannot possibly-"

    "The mortal realm!?" Lucia was so shocked she almost fell over. "I thought you said that he could not cultivate??"

    "Circumstances have changed." Indra replied with a shrug.

    "I-I thought you may have been an arcane user like me, only a much higher level."

    Indra''s ears twitched reflexively and he started looking at Lucia like she was a goose that couldy golden eggs. "You can use arcane?"

    "Y-Yes..." Lucia did not understand why Indra was suddenly staring at her so intensely, but she had yet to decide if she hated or loved the attention.

    A grin spread across his face that revealed his two gleaming white fangs.

    "Let''s make a deal, little snake."

    "O-Okay... What kind of deal?"

    Only Enyo was vaguely aware of what her prince might be thinking. "Indra you can''t be serious!"

    "I''ll be fine, Enyo. You know that something on this level is child''s y for me."

    "No I don''t!" The poltergeist was making it very clear that she would not go along with this foolish n.

    "Look at me, Enyo."

    She obliged but the look she was giving him wasn''t a friendly one.

    "You will not lose me. I''ve already promised not to leave you alone, haven''t I?"

    The poltergeist nodded her head weakly as her gaze drifted to the ground below.

    "Indra... this is incredibly dangerous."

    "I''m well aware of the potential consequences." Indra nodded without batting an eye. "But if I do this I can gain an arcane teacher and get a good look at one of those heroes."

    Lucia''s heart clenched slightly when she heard that. ''Doesn''t he care about the princess at all..?''

    After hearing about their intense and passionate love affair, Lucia couldn''t believe that Indra truly seemed not to care about his former lover.

    Seeing as how her former master was going so far to convince her, Enyo sighed in defeat and resigned herself not to get in the way of his ns any longer.

    "Alright... I will not stop you." She muttered.

    Sensing her depressed mood, Indra kissed Enyo on her cheek as a bit of a pick me up.

    The effect was instantaneous as her expression shifted from disbelief to awe, to obsessiveness all within a few seconds.

    "Hehehehehe...."

    "...Is she alright?" Lucia asked.

    "She''s fine... probably."

    While Enyo continued to giggle madly in the corner as she rubbed her cheek, Indra came back to kneel in front of Lucia.

    "Here''s the deal, little snake. If you want me to save your princess then you are going to teach me everything you know about arcane arts."

    Lucia''s big amber eyes became as wide as saucers. "You.. are like the heroes?? You can cultivate and use arcane?"

    "I can."

    Themia felt like her head would explode.

    This man in front of her... If he grew well he could change the course of this entire war and save all of their people!

    She almost did not feel as though she was qualified enough to teach him!

    But if she did not try, her princess would never be saved and the fallen would lose one of the few beacons of hope that they had left.

    "I''ll teach you... B-But you have to save princess Keran first!" Time was running out for the werewolf princess and her guards and they could not afford to waste even a single moment if they wanted to save her.

    Indra''s gaze became hard. Truthfully, he was going to ask her to teach him right now but he could see in her eyes that she wasn''t going to back down.

    ''Should Ipel her?''

    The vampire briefly considered using such a tactic before ultimately deciding against it as it would leave a bad taste in his mouth.

    He only wanted to use a power like that against enemies who were being less than cooperative.

    He also thought it might be beneficial to foster a good rtionship with Lucia so that she might earnestly teach him everything she knew.

    "Alright, little snake. Where is this captured princess of yours?"

 Chapter 28: Hated Captive

    <h4>Chapter 28: Hated Captive</h4>

    Needless to say, the treatment Vermeil was receiving was... less than hospitable.

    The rumor that the heroine had decided to abandon the races of light had spread throughout Vance''s camp and no one could believe it.

    "Did you hear about the saintess?"

    "Don''t even mention that sphemous whore!"

    "For her to turn against us who are the chosen ones of the gods, is she not afraid of their divine punishment?!"

    Vance knew that these rumors were spreading around his camp like wildfire but there was nothing he could do to stop them.

    Vermeil had indeed betrayed them, but he was tired of hearing about it.

    With that in mind, he elected to focus on getting his troupe back to the kingdom as soon as possible.

    When the group travelled, the four female prisoners walked all the way in the back with their hands tied up and no way to escape.

    Vermeil was in the lead, followed by Keran and Kohaku and Kuro.

    Even though the three fallen were supposedly the enemy, Vermeil was definitely getting the worst treatment.

    Every so often, a soldier would shuffle towards the back to hurl foul insults at the white haired saintess or even spit on her.

    Throughout all of it, Vermeil did not utter a single word of wrath other than a hate filled re.

    The three women behind her could only stare in awe as they wondered how this human woman could stomach all of this treatment without so much as aint or tear.

    Their mindless march forward continued on for several hours before Vance finally gave the order to set up camp for the night.

    The women stood around absentmindedly for almost thirty minutes before their tent was hastily set up and they were literally kicked inside.

    Vermeil hit the ground first and the other beast kin women piled on top of her shortly after.

    "Ugh... Fucking bastards... You girls aren''t hurt, are you?"

    Unfortunately, the mouths of all of the girls were still gagged so they could not voice their state of being.

    "Right... forgot about those. I can try to help you get them off if you want?"

    Without waiting for their answer, Vermeil scrambled up and brought her bound hands to the mouths of the three girls.

    After so much time spent observing her actions, the wariness the group felt had long disappeared, leaving behind something unknown in it''s ce.

    Even Kuro hade to believe this human girl would not harm them, though her motives were still unclear.

    "There! It''s a travesty to keep such beautiful faces covered up."

    Once again, Keran and Kohaku blushed while Kuro scrutinized her even harder.

    With the girls taken care of, Vermeil leaned back onto the ground and ced her bound hands on her stomach. "Geez, I don''t think I''ve ever walked so much in my life...I really miss cars and air conditioning."

    The three beastkin had no idea what Vermeil was talking about, but she just continued to talk without really expecting them to.

    "Would I have had an easier time in myst life if I worked out more? All I really did was, eat, work and write fanfiction..."

    Her golden eyes immediately went as wide as saucers when she realized she had identally let precious information slip without even meaning to.

    ''Well I guess it''s fine, it''s not like they know what it is...''

    "...What is fanfiction?" A voice suddenly asked.

    ''SHIT!''

    Vermeil turned in horror to see that it was the werewolf princess who had asked and she seemed to be genuinely waiting for an answer.

    "I-It''s like a short story written by fans like me based on an existing story that was written by someone else." Vermeil tried to make it sound as professional as possible so that the girls did not think she was some kind of weirdo.

    Well she was but she could not allow her new friends to know that!

    She would take the egregious amount of smut she wrote all the way to her grave!

    "You were a writer? What did you write about?"

    Now even Kohaku was curious and Vermeil felt like she was going to die at any moment.

    Why is it that when the girls finally start talking to her, it has to be about something as embarrassing as this?!

    She couldn''t just m up and refuse to answer now that the girls were finally talking to her!

    "W-Well there was this book series I really liked about this super hot vampire and this boring girl and-"

    "Did you say vampire?!" Keran practically leapt on top of the human girl and was now giving her a look of pure interest.

    "KYAA! Y-Yes?"

    "Tell me everything about it right now!"

    "O-Okay!"

    For the next twenty minutes, Vermeil proceeded to tell Keran the harrowing story of Edmonton and Becky, who formed an unlikely butpelling rtionship that burrowed itself into the hearts of teen girls everywhere.

    Kohaku and Kuro had no idea what was going on anymore.

    They had never seen theirdy so interested in a story before, least of all about one that was clearly as cheesy as this one.

    When Vermeil finished telling her story, Keran sat back with a satisfied yet disproving look on her face.

    "Vampires in your world... They are rather weak, no?"

    "Hm? Vampires aren''t real."

    "Ah... I suppose to you they wouldn''t be."

    In that moment, no words could have excited the human girl more.

    "Are there vampires here?! Real ones!? Hot ones?!"

    Could it be?

    Was her prepubescent dream of losing her virginity to some 1,000 year old hot guy finally going toe to fruition?

    If she had to break out of these chains to find him, she would dly do so 1,000 times over!

    Unfortunately, Vermeil''s fantasy was short lived when Keran''s face suddenly took on a faraway expression. "No... not anymore."

    Seeing the look on Keran''s face, Vermeil wondered if she''d somehow struck a nerve.

    "Hey... are you-"

    Before Vermeil could check on the depressed werewolf girl, the sound of footsteps made all of the women turn towards the entrance to the tent.

    Three men threw open the ps to the tent, each of them wearing sinister grins on their faces.

    "Alright you bitches. It''s dinnertime."

 Chapter 29: It’s Everywhere!

    <h4>Chapter 29: It''s Everywhere!</h4>

    After a full day of flying at his fastest speed, Indra had finally found the troop of warriors Lucia had told him about.

    It wasn''t easy for him to find them since they had such arge head start but with Lucia guiding him in their intended direction, he eventually happened upon their campsite that they''d set up for the night.

    Indra looked down at the hundreds ofrge tents on the ground below.

    "Which one is your captive princess in?"

    A small snake with turquoise scales slithered around his corbone.

    "How am I supposed to know? W-Would it be possible for you to check every one?"

    "That''s terribly inefficient. We need to get in and get out as soon as possible." Indra denied.

    Almost on cue, three men could be seen heading with tes of food to a shoddy tent on the outskirts of the camp.

    Normally that would not have been enough for Indra to suspect them, however their malicious auras could be felt even from high in the sky above.

    "Enyo, hold onto Lucia for a moment."

    On cue, the beautiful poltergeist emerged from Indra''s ring and removed their smallpanion from his shoulders.

    "Please be safe..."

    Indra shed the beautiful woman a broad smile as he tucked in his wings and plummeted through the sky.

    "Always."

    As Indra cut silently through the air, his body shrank until he was a fist sized bat.

    Landing directly on top of the shoddy tent, he found a small opening that allowed him to see the gross spectacle that was underway.

    -

    "What''s wrong? You whores aren''t hungry?" One man taunted.

    He walked over to Vermeil and held out a te of still warm food. "Come on. Eat you traitorous bitch!"

    Instead of flinching away in fear, the human girl only returned a hate filled re towards the man who had obviously had too much to drink.

    "Oh... I know what it is, our food must not be appealing to you." The man suddenly said. "My apologies, I know just how to fix that."

    The man ced the te of food on the ground and stood up.

    "What the fuck are you doing?!"

    Vermeil was horrified to see the man unbutton his trousers and began pissing all over the te of food.

    The disgusting ammonia like smell quickly filled the tent and was enough to make the captives with more sensitive noses gag.

    "Isn''t it obvious? I''m being a good host!" The manughed.

    "We should work on your diet man." One of the other captors noted.

    "Huh?"

    "He''s right, Feng. I don''t think piss is supposed to smell this bad." The third man confirmed. "Are you drinking enough water?"

    "BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" The man roared with an embarrassed face.

    Turning back to Vermeil, he grabbed her by her unblemished white hair and began pushing her face toward the disgusting te.

    "Kyaa! Get off of me! I''ll fucking kill you!"

    "Eat it you bitch! You want to side with the fallen we''ll treat you like one!"

    As Vermeil struggled against her powerful captor, a menacing growl made the blood of everyone present run cold.

    "Do not touch her."

    All eyes fell toward Keran who was looking at the brutish man like she was going to tear him limb from limb.

    The man called Feng didn''t realize it but he had subconsciously loosened his grip on Vermeil''s hair.

    When his eyes fell on the chains keeping the werewolf''s arms behind her back, his fear was immediately dispelled. "Wait your turn you furry bitch!"

    He immediately went back to trying to shove Vermeil''s beautiful face into the te of piss covered food.

    Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

    One of the two men guarding the entrance looked up to see a small furry bat that looked like it was stuck in an opening on the ceiling.

    "A! Look at this cute little guy!"

    Reaching up, the man took the small bat into his arms and cradled it gently.

    "Are you serious, Suho? That is a wild animal."

    "There''s nothing wild about this cute little guy!"

    "It''s literally nibbling on your hand as you say that."

    The man called Suho looked down to see that the bat was indeed gnawing on his finger. "Look at how small he is, he''s obviously malnourished and hungry. Besides, I can''t even feel it."

    "Here, hold him while I..." Suho''s voice suddenly trailed off as his body suddenly began to feel very strange.

    "Hmm? While you what?" His friend asked. Upon taking a closer look, he noticed that his friend looked to be a bit under the weather.

    "Are you sweating? It''s almost winter!"

    "I know I just-"

    Boom.

    Suho''s body literally exploded, sending chunks of flesh and blood in every direction.

    The people inside, the ground, the lining of the tint, they were all covered from head to toe in blood.

    Everyone hade to a dead standstill and could not take their eyes off the spot where the human man used to be.

    "...Suho?"

    "What the hell just happened..."

    Suddenly, a small ck bat wiggled out from the chunks of bloody debris.

    The men''s horror and disbelief only multiplied as the bat changed from a small furry creature to a very tall man with long silver hair.

    ''It can''t be...''

    He was wearing the same ckbat outfit that she loved to see him in while he was training. The mere sight of it caused her heart to speed up and tears to form in the corners of her eyes.

    The two men finally realized they were being attacked and tried to alert the rest of the camp, only to find that their mouths were seemingly being held shut by an invisible force.

    Indra only briefly nced down at the body of the man he had bitten.

    ''I was only trying to turn them...''

    When biting the man earlier, he had specifically done so with the intention of making him into a vampire before moving to the others.

    He felt a more than fitting punishment would be if these so called ''Races of Light'' became the thing that they hated most.

    However, he could''ve never anticipated that the man would turn into a popped water balloon.

    He silently began to wonder if this would happen to everyone he tried to turn and if so, did that mean he would always be thest of his kind?

    Pushing it to the back of his mind for now, Indra flicked his arm out and thin threads of his very own blood left his palm and ensnared the two men.

    "Mmh?"

    "Mmf!?"

    With a light tug, the thin strands of blood cut through the mortal realm cultivators like they were made of paper.

    As the wet sound of pieces of flesh hitting the ground rang out, a small voice on the verge of sobbing called out.

    "I-Indra...?"

 Chapter 30: Quick Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 30: Quick Reunion</h4>

    Indra slowly turned around to face the woman who''d called his name.

    When his red eyes met her bright yellow ones, he could feel a wave of memories banging on the back of his mind as if they were begging to be let in.

    However, he held firm and did not allow the memories to overtake him.

    Now more than ever, he could not afford to be incapacitated for even a moment.

    Doing so would risk his life and the life of the one he''d beenmissioned to retrieve.

    Indra leaned down in front of Keran and grasped her shackles.

    "I''m sure you must have a great deal of questions right now but this is neither the time nor the ce for them."

    Keran believed that she may have been hearing things.

    Her beloved was finally here after so long but the way he was speaking to her and behaving were both so cold that her heart hurt.

    ''He must be worried about the hero. Yes! That has to be it, there''s no way he could treat me like this otherwise!''

    Despite the urge she felt for a mushy reunion, Keran decided it was better to save such things for when they were somewhere much friendlier.

    With the werewolf princess now free of her chains, she quickly stood up and closed her eyes to unseal her cultivation before Indra stopped her.

    "Don''t. If he senses you, he wille running."

    Keran did not need to ask who her beloved was talking about, however she was mildly embarrassed that her eagerness had almost gotten them all killed.

    Indra cut open a hole in the back of the tent with his ws and gestured for Keran to leave.

    Immediately taken aback, the werewolf pointed at herpanions that were still bound and covered with blood.

    "You don''t expect me to leave them, do you?"

    The vampire looked at the three women who were staring back and forth between he and Keran.

    ''This is not part of the job...'' He grumbled inwardly.

    Indra''s body blurred before he disappeared and the sound of snapping chains could be heard.

    In an instant, he had freed both beast twins and even the human girl apanying them.

    "We have to move."

    Without waiting for another word, Indra slipped out of the tent.

    "Princess, how do you know him?" Kohaku asked.

    "I will exinter, for now we have to get moving."

    Keran quickly followed behind her former betrothed with Kuro hot on her trail.

    Kohaku prepared to follow when she heard a small sniffle behind her and found a shivering Vermeil.

    So far, the human girl had done exceptionally well maintaining herposure throughout this whole endeavor.

    She''d been dragged to some foreign world without any prior knowledge or time to prepare and told that she was destined to be a hero who would help save their world.

    She''d seen men die right before her very eyes and had learned that the people she originally sought to protect were a bunch of predators who thought it was okay to vite others so long as they were members of a certain species.

    And to top it all off, some asshole had tried to shove her face in a te of piss covered food before one of hisckeys literally EXPLODED all over her!

    The limits to her endurance had finally been reached as she hunched over, crying and shivering.

    Her mind was so unstable, she had barely registered the fact that a small bat no bigger than her fist had changed into an extremely handsome man and freed her faster than her eyes could follow.

    She could not see anything through the blur of her teary golden eyes.

    As Vermeil sat silently clutching her arms and sobbing, two firm hands suddenly helped her to her feet.

    "W-What are you doing?"

    "Repaying you for the chicken leg." Kohaku said without borating further.

    The two women hobbled out of the tent and quickly found theirpanions who were slipping into the forest.

    By this point, Kohaku recognized that Vermeil was in no way capable of moving efficiently so she had no choice but to practically carry her.

    As the group traversed through the dark forest, Indra sent a silent message to Enyo who was acting as their eye in the sky.

    ''Have they noticed yet?''

    ''No but in a moment you will run into a hunting party of around five. It looks like they are all in the mortal realm with one member close to the beast realm. Do you want me to deal with them?''

    ''No, keep a lookout and I''ll clear our path.''

    Indra immediately stopped dead in his tracks, causing Keran to bump into him.

    "My love? Is something wrong?"

    Kuro nearly fell onto her pretty face. ''Am I fucking hearing things?''

    Kohaku and Vermeil were staring at each other and having an entire conversation without saying a word.

    ''She had a boyfriend?''

    ''No... not that I recall. The queen is going to lose her shit.'' Kohaku shuddered at the thought of the queen of the werewolves going on a rampage when she found out her daughter was seeing some random man.

    Indra had no choice but to ignore the way that Keran had referred to him. "Get down into the bushes, do not make a sound."

    Leaving no room for refusal, Indra''s body vanished as he left into the trees to secure a good vantage point.

    Keran could not quite ce her finger on it, but there was something strange about her beloved.

    Nevertheless, she obeyed his orders and took cover behind a gathering of thick bushes.

    The rest of the girls did the same, while giving Keran curious looks that she had no intentions to acknowledge.

    In a moment, the girls could see men carrying torches and approaching the direction they had just escaped from.

    The men seemed to be in a merry mood as theyughed loudly, each of them proiming their spoils to be the best of the bunch.

    Just when it seemed like the men were getting too close to the hiding fugitives, their torches were blown out, leaving them immersed in total darkness.

    "What the fuck? Who cut out the light?!"

 Chapter 31: You’re Not Indra!

    <h4>Chapter 31: You''re Not Indra!</h4>

    "What the fuck? Who cut out the light?!"

    "Cyprian! How are you incapable of holding a torch properly?"

    "I-It was not me! The torch just blew out on it''s own!"

    "Excuses, excuses."

    "Enough, I have a spare glowstone here so it hardly matters." An elven man said as he reached into his satchel.

    A strong gust of wind blew his hair across his face just as he pulled out the small glowing stone.

    "That''s much better..."

    "Still scared of the dark, Boreas?"

    "Of course he is, he''s still shaking!"

    As the menughed merrily, the elven man noticed they were missing one of their members.

    "Where is Cyprian? Did he storm off?"

    The men all looked around and realized that their youngpanion was indeed missing.

    "Could it have been that we teased him too much?"

    "No he''s soft but he''s not... a wimp..."

    Suddenly, all of the men could smell something they had all be ustomed to.

    The thick metallic scent of blood.

    Normally they would have assumed it wasing from one of the animals they were caring, however the cleanliness of this scent meant that it undoubtedly belonged to a human.

    "Cyprian!"

    On the ground with his head dislocated from his body was the young human man who had been carrying the torch only a moment ago.

    "What the hell?!"

    "Who did this?!"

    "Stay calm! Back to back formation, now!" The elf ordered.

    As the men drew their weapons and got into position, their elven leader became deep in thought.

    ''I did not sense anything, could it have been an expert? No... this isn''t the way they would do things... the only ones who would have a need to hide in the dark like this are...''

    "Come out assassin! We know you''re here and we will not fall prey to your schemes!" He yelled.

    "An assassin?"

    "Of course!"

    "When I catch him, he''s fucking dead!"

    From within the shades of a tree, Indra watched all of his prey with a neutral gaze.

    He was not surprised they deduced that he was an assassin, it wasn''t as though he was exactly trying to hide it.

    Unfortunately, they had taken up a solid stance that left him unable to pick them off one by one as he usually would.

    A normal assassin would have to wait for them to either break their formation or cause a cheap distraction.

    Indra however was no normal vampire.

    ''Dark Moon Art : Illusory Demon Moon.''

    As the men shouted their threatening taunts into the dark night, a figure dropped down from a tree.

    "So it''s you! He''s in front of me, men!" The elf warned.

    However, instead of immediatelying to his aid, hispanions began to make simr reports.

    "There''s one over here too!"

    "I got one as well!"

    "We''re surrounded!!"

    "What?!" The elf did not understand.

    A brief nce at his surroundings told him that all of his men were seeing the exact same man approaching them slowly and calmly.

    Even with these men right in front of him, he could feel no breath, no presence.

    The man was not even bending the des of grass underneath his feet. He was simply walking on top of them as if he weighed nothing at all.

    "These are illusions! Do not fall for this level of trickery!" The elf warned.

    As if seeking to test his theory, the assassin opened his palms and two long katanas with ck des appeared in his hands.

    "H-he''s got weapons now!"

    "I see them too!"

    "Bryn is right, this must be a trick!"

    The men felt slightly more confident in their theory that what they were seeing was merely a fabrication, and even though they were still on guard, they were now scouring the trees for the source of this ambush.

    Indra however did not care whether they believed in him or not.

    He''d only had time to learn the first move of his mother''s sword art but it seemed like that was going to be more than enough to deal with this bunch.

    Lucky for him they''d lumped themselves together in one big group to make this even easier.

    ''24 Wraiths Sword Art : Northern Star.''

    Indra''s ck des began to glow red and crackled with electricity as he concentrated his qi into the weapons.

    Two quick shes in the airunched concentrated qi that took the form of a bright red star.

    The elf named Bryn knew in his bones that this was an illusion, but his mind could not deny the indescribable sense of danger he felt from that attack.

    "Dodge it!"

    But unfortunately, it was toote.

    Leaping up into the air, the elf watched as three of the attacks were revealed to be illusions as he''d anticipated.

    However, the attack that he avoided waspletely real and it cleaved through the rest of his hunting party like they were made of butter.

    The two men at his side were bisected cleanly, not even getting the luxury of a quick death. The man at his back however was split into four pieces before he even knew what happened.

    "Nooo!"

    "Stop yelling."

    Bryn was horrified to see in the corner of his eye that the assassin who''d just annihted his hunting party had somehow appeared right behind him in the air.

    ''By the twelve... What kind of monster is this?''

    Bryn continued to curse his unfortunate luck as his head was separated from his body without him feeling a thing.

    Thud!

    Thunk!

    As the man''s body and head hit the ground, Indranded silently beside it without pausing to admire his work.

    "Come out. We have to keep-"

    "Ha!"

    Indra caught Keran''s leg that was on a collision course for his brain.

    "...What are you doing, little wolf?"

    "You bastard! How dare you use my beloved''s name for me! Was it not enough for you to steal his appearance and taint my memory of him?!" Keran was so angry she was seeing red.

    She''d felt all along there was something wrong ever since Indra showed up and now she knew why.

    There was no way this could be her beloved since he did not even have the ability to cultivate!

    "What are you on about?" Indra asked exhaustedly.

    He was no longer certain if taking this job was worth only a single teacher.

    ''I swear that little snake better teach me every single thing she knows or I will fashion an essory for Enyo out of her scales....''

    "We don''t have time for this. I am not an imposter."

    "Liar! I''ll kill you!" Keran was trying to free her leg from Indra''s grasp but he was not budging even an inch.

    Keran and Kohaku did not understand what exactly was going on, all they knew was that their savior had suddenly be their princess''s enemy.

    And as her bodyguards, they naturally had to defend her without asking questions.

    "Wait." A feminine voice said.

    Descending from the sky like a goddess among men was a woman that Keran knew very well.

    "Enyo!"

 Chapter 32: Longstanding Promise

    <h4>Chapter 32: Longstanding Promise</h4>

    Enyo smiled when she saw that Keran was so happy to see her.

    "It''s been a long time princess, have you been well?"

    The werewolf opened and closed her mouth several times before she slowly turned her head toward the man who still held her leg.

    Unlike Indra who she could feel nothing from, Enyo''s faint but ghostly aura was as weing as always and helped to confirm their identity.

    "T-Then you really are..."

    "Yes."

    Indra released her leg and Keran slowly lowered it to the ground. "I-I''m sorry beloved but it''s just... you feel so different a-and you can suddenly cultivate so I thought-"

    "I understand, it''s fine. We need to continue to put distance between us and the camp so let''s move."

    Indra once again started leading the group through the dark forest, leaving the rest of the girls in a group trailing behind him.

    Finally, Keran couldn''t take it anymore and bombarded Enyo with questions.

    "Enyo, where have the two of you been all this time? How did you know to rescue me? Why the fuck can my love suddenly cultivate and why is he acting so strange?!"

    Even though Kohaku, Kuro and, Vermeil still did not understand a lick of what was going on, they too were listening eagerly and waiting for an answer.

    "Princess, if I tell you the truth can you promise to remain calm?" Enyo said gently.

    Indra might not have remembered, but she knew just how much Keran loved him.

    She was certain that the reality of what had happened would greatly upset her.

    Despite that, when Keran nodded in agreement, Enyo began to answer her questions one by one.

    She told them of how they''d spent all these years asleep beneath their ruined castle and had only woken up when some humans had somehow stumbled into the secret bunker.

    When Enyo stated that Indra had absolutely no memory of his past life, Keran had to be supported so that she did not fall over from shock.

    Suddenly all of his strange behaviors made sense and tears began to well up within her eyes.

    How could this be possible?

    The only man she had ever loved was not dead as she believed him to be, and for all of these years he was asleep underneath his own home.

    To make matters worse, he had absolutely no memory of her or any of the time they''d spent together.

    After hearing about all of that, Keran no longer cared to hear why her love could suddenly cultivate.

    Wrestling herself free of Kuro''s support, Keran ran towards Indra''s broad back and wrapped her arms around him.

    He felt her approach so he was not particrly surprised but he was unsure of her motives.

    "What are you doing, little wolf?"

    Even though tears were streaming down her face, Keran''s words did not waver and were filled with conviction.

    "I want to say that I''m sorry for noting to find you. I don''t care if your memories ever return or even if we have to start over from scratch but I will not lose you again!"

    Even though Indra''s emotions were a bit dull, even he was not immune to such a powerful deration.

    As such, his disposition softened a little and he ced a hand over Keran''s.

    "I..."

    Indra meant to tell her there was no need for her to feel guilty and that there was no guarantee that he was the same person, however as soon as he touched her hand, the tide of memories he''d been suppressing began to trickle out one by one.

    -

    A scene began to y out from his past, one that was rather explicit.

    He and Keran were naked and intertwined on his bed, engaging in what looked to be a rather long session of lovemaking.

    Even though their intimacy appeared to be a bit rough, there was an undeniable gentleness that could be seen as the two lovingly caressed each other''s sweaty bodies.

    Suddenly, Keran pushed Indra back onto the bed and climbed on top of him.

    As she lowered herself down onto his member, a light of madness and possession could be seen in her eyes.

    Even in the memory, Indra found her to be incredibly beautiful.

    "I will love you until the end of time, little wolf."

    -

    As quickly as the memories came, they departed. Leaving Indra with a mild headache and an erection that only he could see.

    When Keran noticed her love had been silent for a long time, she believed that maybe her deration was a bit too much for the amnesiac vampire.

    "I''m sorry... I know that must be strange to hear so suddenly." She said as she released him and began to back up slowly.

    "It wasn''t your fault." Indra finally said without turning back. "You could not have known we were sealed down there, nor could you have anticipated my memory loss. "

    With that, Indra resumed moving through the forest at his usual quick pace.

    His words were not that substantial and they were certainly nothing mushypared to the poetry he would recite to her before but within those words, she saw glimpses of his old self and realized that he was not gone.

    With recognition of that fact came rity that in turn became joy.

    As Keran followed behind her once betrothed, her steps were a bit lighter, and her tail swayed a bit more happily.

    Enyo on the other hand was greatly displeased.

    Seeing the way her prince was reacting to Keran''s touch, she was certain that history would repeat itself and the two would soon be back together.

    She wanted to be happy for them, but she knew that her master previously had eyes for Keran and only Keran.

    Any other woman that attempted to seduce ore near him was belittled or sometimes killed if their approach was too strong.

    Surely the reignition of their spark would snuff out any chance she had of being his woman as well.

    It seemed as though no matter what she hoped, she was simply not fated to be any more than apanion to him.

    As she tried to convince herself she was fine with that, a small tear fell from her eye before she could wipe it.

    ''Oh no... I can''t even keep a simple promise.''

 Chapter 33: What Do We Do With Her?

    <h4>Chapter 33: What Do We Do With Her?</h4>

    "L-Leader! There''s an emergency!"

    Even before Vance opened his eyes, the sound of desperationing from one of his soldiers told him everything he needed to know.

    ''Something went wrong, but how wrong?''

    As Vance rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he emerged from his tent to stand proudly under the glorious morning sun.

    Without even waiting for a report, he walked right past his subordinate and headed toward the captives'' tent.

    When he was merely a few feet away, the smell hit him.

    Throwing open the ps, Vance found a bloody hell that was different from any of the others he had seen so far.

    Blood was everywhere he looked, and there were two piles of meat in the corner that looked like they had been diced up neatly.

    On the ground, the chains that should have contained prisoners were all broken.

    Vance didn''t know what had happened here but as of right now that did not really matter.

    ''Vermeil... you''re really making things harder than they need to be.''

    -

    Vermeil was currently washing her face in a nearby river in the hopes of cleaning her dirty mind.

    With the rise of the sun came better eyesight and she had finally been able to get a good look at the man who had saved all of them.

    Vermeil''s mind that had spent countless hours delving into the darkest aspects of the inte was utterly swamped with kinky fantasies upon seeing the most beautiful man she could imagine.

    Her lust spiraled out of control when she heard Kuro ask Keran a question she''d previously overlooked.

    "Princess, what kind of fallen is that man?"

    "...He is thest of the vampires."

    So far, the human girl had been rtively quiet throughout this entire ordeal but that new information had broken her vow of silence.

    "V-Vampire? L-Like a real one?"

    Keran recalled Vermeil''s depraved fascinations and nodded her head slowly. "Yes, although he doesn''t sparkle."

    "Who fucking cares if he sparkles!?!"

    Vermeil ran full speed towards Indra and the two strangers came face to face.

    As she looked into his enchanting ruby eyes, Vermeil was mesmerized without even realizing it. Although, even if she had known, the likelihood of her caring still wasn''t all that high.

    "H-Hello, m-my name is-"

    "Sit down, be quiet."

    "Whatever you say, da- I mean, okay."

    Indra immediately turned around to face his former fianc�� and her two bodyguards.

    "We''re far enough away now so we need to talk."

    Immediately the girls came to a screeching halt and awaited Indra''s next words.

    "What is it beloved?"

    Ignoring the way Keran addressed him, Indra decided to tackle the most obvious problem.

    "What are we going to do with the human?"

    The group was currently heading towards fallen territory and they would arrive there in little under two days at their current speed.

    Needless to say, Vermeil''s presence was going to stick out like a sore thumb.

    The best case scenario was that she would be killed immediately. Worst case was that she was tortured for their enjoyment before she died.

    Lucia was wrappedfortably around Indra''s cor and she too was curious about what they were going to do with the strange human girl.

    Kohaku and Kuro quickly realized that even though Indra asked his question openly, he was really only curious about what his former fianc�� would say.

    Keran felt a wave of conflicted emotions inside of her.

    All her life, she had been raised to hate all of the races of light without exception.

    They were bigoted, wrathful, and viewed those different from them as something less than sentient, intelligent beings.

    And yet, when Keran was at her lowest after losing the lives of almost all of her soldiers, Vermeil was the one who not only saved her from being vited, but she also took care of her and her guards afterwards.

    At first, she believed it may have all been some sort of act.

    She was certain that at any moment Vermeil would reveal her true face and attempt to humiliate them.

    To her shock, the exact opposite happened.

    Vermeil became a prisoner the same as them and endured treatment that even they were not subjected to.

    But throughout all of it, Vermeil never treated them any differently.

    She had consistently shown the girls kindness even when it was not reciprocated or even acknowledged.

    Keran would not go on like this any longer.

    She wanted to repay the human girl for her kindness and maybe... she wanted to see if the two could be friends as well.

    "She''sing with us. If I say that she belongs to me, no one will think to touch her." Keran said firmly.

    She would protect Vermeil the same way she had once protected her.

    However, when Kerman''s eyes found the human in question, she wanted to take her words back out of the air.

    Vermeil was seeming oblivious to what was going on, her only focus was on Indra''s perfectly toned ass that was right in front of her.

    Her perverted thoughts and fantasies were practically written across her beautiful face.

    ''Damned human... I''m regretting this already.''

    Indra''s eyes nced over at the two furry bodyguards who had yet toment.

    Kohaku looked to be slightly relieved that they were not going to simply abandon the girl who had been so kind to them, even if she was a human.

    Kuro on the other hand looked less than pleased but since her Princess had already stated her intentions, she did not feel that it was her ce to go against them.

    The vampire sighed before turning his attention towards the ring on his finger.

    He would''ve loved to have known Enyo''s thoughts, but she had been sleeping peacefully ever since sunrise and he did not wish to disturb her.

    "Fine." he muttered.

    If Keran wished to keep the human alongside her, he would not object although he was not particrly fond of her.

    He just hoped that this decision would note back to bite themter.

    - 2 Dayster.

    Currently, the group was surrounded by several cultivators with weapons aimed at their necks.

    Indra nced behind him at the human girl who was the cause of all of this mess.

    ''We should''ve left her in the fucking forest.''

 Chapter 34: Human!

    <h4>Chapter 34: Human!</h4>

    Oba was one of thest fallen territories that was stillrgely untouched by the races of light.

    Far from being able to be called a kingdom, it was a city nestled deep within a secluded forest that was all but impossible to find without a map.

    Finally, after multiple long days of travel, the group finally arrived at therge iron gates that closed off the city to the outside world.

    At the back of the group, Vermeil had her head covered with a spare cloak Lucia had in her ring.

    She wasn''t too enthusiastic about giving her possessions to a human but with both Indra and Keran ensuring that it was ok, she found little else toin about.

    Before they attempted to gain entry, Keran reminded Vermeil of the rules they had set prior.

    "Remember, keep your head down and do not say a word."

    "I got it, I got it. You can have a little more faith in me you know?" Vermeil said with a smile.

    Now that she knew that Keran did not dislike her, she found it easier to speak morefortably with her.

    The werewolf princess however was still growing ustomed to such familiarity. "Yes well... we will see if my faith in you is well ced."

    "It is!"

    "As I have said, we will see."

    "I can''t wait for you to-"

    "Shut up. It would seem we''ve already been noticed." Indra suddenly said.

    The gates to the city swung open with a loud ng and several demonic guards streamed out, each of them at the overlord realm.

    Drawing their weapons, they all pointed their des at the group.

    "They have a human!"

    "There''s a human among them!"

    "State your business!"

    "They''vee to infiltrate us!"

    Indra merely rolled his eyes as he nced at Vermeil who was trembling in the back.

    ''We should have left her in the fucking forest.''

    "Human male! Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head!" A guard suddenly shouted.

    Indra suddenly flinched as he realized that he was the one who had been mistaken as a human.

    A deep sense of irritation began to surge from within his chest.

    At his side, Lucia was finding all of this to be absolutely hysterical.

    "Pfft... Yeah, ''human male'' do as they say!" Her cuteughter was unfortunately being suppressed by her hand covering her mouth.

    "I will turn you into a pair of cheap boots." He countered.

    Vermeil would have found this situation to be hrious as well,

    "Cease your chatter and get on the ground right now!" A guard warned again.

    "I am no human, ipetent whelp."

    Indra finally stopped hiding his presence and aura, causing the guards to reflexively step back from it''s sheer strangeness.

    His aura was unlike anything they had ever felt before, their fear of the unknown caused them to step back even though they could feel he was only at the mortal realm.

    "What... are you?"

    "You would not believe me if I told you."

    At this moment, Keran decided to step forward and the guards immediately recognized her.

    There was only one family of ck werewolves left in all of Tayar, making guessing Keran''s identity as easy as checking the time of day.

    All of the guards bowed respectfully, their greetings containing an immense amount of respect and fear.

    "We greet the princess of the Garou."

    "There is no need for that." Keran assured them. "My party and I request entrance into your city."

    "T-That is no problem but... the lord will want to know that a guest as esteemed as yourself is within the city. I am afraid we must inform him."

    "I have no issue with that. In the meantime, please show us to your best inn."

    "Yes, princess!"

    The guards prepared to open the gate when they seemingly all had the same worry at once.

    The bravest among them turned around before asking the dreaded question.

    "Princess... I know it is not my ce to question you, a-and I certainly mean no disrespect but... who is that man beside you?"

    Keran put on a charming smirk and a bit of her fanaticism spilled out as she grabbed Indra by the arm possessively.

    "He is my beloved, and thest of vampire royalty. Be sure to pay him the proper respect."

    As the guards stood there with stunned faces, Indra looked down at Keran''s arm that was intertwined with his own.

    ''This girl... she just does whatever she wants, doesn''t she?''

    -

    When the group entered into the city, the downwards atmosphere of the citizens was incredibly noticeable.

    The fallen were clearly downtrodden, their threat of near extinction making it rather difficult to smile and be merry.

    However, their depressive atmosphere was immediately dispelled when their eyes fell on Indra and his group.

    Normally, a group filled with beautiful women walking the streets would have been the focus of everyone.

    However, no one was able to pay attention to any of the girls.

    None had even noticed Keran.

    Without exception, everyone''s eyes were on the tall vampire who stood out among them.

    Indra''s charm was so mesmerizing that he had captured the hearts of all of the citizen''s without even meaning to.

    "Who is that?"

    "By the gods.."

    "What is he?"

    "I''ve never seen someone so... perfect."

    Naturally, Indra could hear the chattering from the citizens as well as feel all of their gazes upon him.

    However, he did not understand why they were behaving in such a manner, nor why they were staring at him as if he were some sort of magical creature.

    When the group arrived at the inn, surprisingly it was mostly empty.

    Apparently Oba did not see very many travelers, as such they had no trouble acquiring a room for all five of them.

    As the group headed upstairs to their lodgings for the night, Keran''s ears and tail dropped sadly.

    "You didn''t have to get all of us separate rooms you know? It would have been nice to catch up a bit and maybe spend more time together..."

    The sad look she was giving him tugged at his heart strings and he almost considered inviting her inside.

    However, there were two women that he had to sort out important matters with first.

    "We''ll... catch upter, little wolf." He said apologetically.

    Without turning back, he slipped into his room and left the rest of the girls inside the hallway.

    Raising his hand, he rubbed the bone ring on his finger and called for his closestpanion.

    "Come on out, Enyo. I want to know why you''ve been avoiding me."

    It did not take a genius to notice that she had been acting strangely.

    Even when the sun had set and she was free toe out of her ring, she still chose not to do so and he had no clue as to why.

    Because he could not talk about something so sensitive in thepany of the others, he''d waited for this exact moment to finally receive some answers.

    Indra''s ring glowed a bright white and Enyo appeared right in front of him, a sad smile on her face.

    "H-Hello..."

 Chapter 35: Laid Bare

    <h4>Chapter 35: Laid Bare</h4>

    Enyo knew that this moment woulde, and yet she couldn''t help dreading it.

    When she appeared in front of Indra, the first thing she noticed was that the two were alone and in some sort of inn.

    Despite the serious look on her face and the turmoil of feelings she felt welling inside of her, she maintained herposure.

    "You called for me, prince Indra?" She asked politely.

    The vampire''s eyes immediately narrowed. "Did I not tell you that-"

    "I know what you wish for my prince, but I have decided things will be easier going forward if there is some sense of hierarchy between the two of us." She exined professionally.

    "Easier? For who?"

    Enyo did not respond and instead lowered her head respectfully.

    Indra might not have had much experience with women, but even he knew how to put clues together.

    "Is this because of the little wolf?"

    Seeing Enyo flinch, Indra knew he was right.

    "Do you believe that I will push you aside for her? Is this your attempt to run away from me before I walk away from you?"

    "D-Don''t be silly!"

    "I should be saying that to you."

    Indra gradually began to walk closer, prompting Enyo to float backwards shyly.

    Eventually, he simply reached out and grabbed her to stop her from running away.

    "I do not know what I feel for Keran. There are a lot of things I still need to solve and I have to prioritize my time a bit. But I can promise you, whatever happens between Keran and I in the future will not affect how I see you."

    The poltergeist was in disbelief.

    Indra was saying the words she always wanted to hear but never knew she would.

    She was worried that if she blinked, she would wake up from this dream that was too good to be true.

    And yet there was still something she absolutely had to know.

    "How...do you see me?" Enyo asked hopefully.

    Indra took both of her hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes. "You are someone that I cannot do without. Not as a maid, not as a subordinate, but as a woman."

    Indra did not think they would be having this conversation until muchter.

    There was still a part of him that was concerned that he was not the same person as he was before.

    He had already made a vow to himself that he would not make his feelings known to Enyo until the mystery behind his identity waspletely solved.

    But if holding onto his words was going to put a rift between he and the woman he cared about, it no longer seemed to be worth it.

    In a rare moment of boldness, Enyo grabbed Indra by the face and brought their lips together.

    His surprise vanished quickly and soon he was returning her kiss with fervor and was lifting her up by the waist.

    Enyo wrapped her legs around him so tightly that he couldn''t have escaped even if he wanted to and the two fell into their own little world as they ingrained the sensation of each other''s lips into their memory.

    They still had yet to make their rtionship more concrete and there were still a great many things the two had left to discover about each other but for now at least, none of that really mattered.

    They understood each other''s feelings for one another, and that was more than enough for them.

    -

    Lucia had just finished washing up using the basin in her room and had wrapped her voluptuous body in a towel as she stared absentmindedly out her window.

    "So pretty..."

    Even though this city was not the nicest she had ever seen, the view from her room was quite lovely.

    She had a perfect view of the moon and all of the stars in the sky, with the added bonus of the dimntern lights twinkling on the streets below.

    "Enjoying sightseeing?"

    "KYAAA!!"

    Lucia very nearly jumped out of her scales when a male voice suddenly reached her ear.

    Indra was sitting cross legged on the bed behind her, with one hand holding his chin while the other held an open book.

    "Don''t scream like that, you''ll wake the others." He replied as he calmly turned the page of his book.

    "H-How long have you been there and how did you even get in here?!"

    "Around fifteen minutes or so." Indra chose not to tell her how he got inside because Lucia really did not need to know.

    If he told her he shapeshifter into a rat and crawled underneath the door, he could only imagine the amount of questions he''d have to answer and the looks he would receive.

    ''Indra... it was a bit creepy of you to enter here in that manner.'' Enyo replied from within his ring.

    ''It wasn''t as if I came to leer at her though?''

    ''That''s hardly the point...'' Enyo said with a sigh.

    "W-What are you doing in here?" Lucia asked.

    Since a man had so boldly entered her room in the middle of the night, he surely must be here for ''that'' right?

    ''I-Is he actually interested in me? B-But what about the princess?!''

    As Lucia''s delusions continued to run rampant, Indra finally closed his book and revealed his reason foring here.

    "I''ve held up my end of the deal. Now it''s your turn."

    It took a moment for Lucia to remember that he had only agreed to rescue Keran in the first ce as long as she was willing to teach him arcane arts.

    Themia''s cheeks became bright red as she realized nothing like she was thinking was on his mind.

    "Y-You couldn''t have waited until the morning to do this?!"

    Indra merely gave her a nk look that told Lucia all she needed to know.

    After realizing she was still in nothing but a towel, she finally covered up her chest as her face finally reached an unhealthy shade of red.

    Indra said he had been in her room for around fifteen minutes and she had only finished washing ten minutes ago, meaning...

    ''D-Did he see? Does he think their weird because their inverted?!''

    As she nced at Indra''s noncaring expression, Lucia realized the vampire truly was not paying any real attention to her.

    While that should have made her feel better, for some reason she felt like she was going to die of embarrassment before she even got to teach him anything.

    "...Can I at least get dressed first?"

    "If you must."

 Chapter 36: Lucia The Teacher!

    <h4>Chapter 36: Lucia The Teacher!</h4>

    Once the shymia had gotten dressed, she and Indra moved to the floor of the inn and began their lesson.

    Lucia provided Indra with a simr exnation as the one Vance provided Vermeil. He was instructed to use his inner element as abustible element to produce a magical reaction.

    After everything else she''d seen Indra do, she did not expect him to have much difficulty with this and thought that he would be done learning by the end of the night.

    Imagine her surprise when only a mere hour after being instructed, Indra held up his hand and showed off a bright current of purple lightning.

    "You did it!" Enyo excitedly flew out of Indra''s ring and stared at his hand mesmerizingly. "It is so pretty..."

    In truth, what Indra had done was no more than a materialization of his own inner element. He would still require a sufficient amount of practice before he would be able to create his own spells.

    Despite that, it was nice to have this small victory. Now that he could cultivate and use arcane, the chances of his survival were now much higher.

    It would have been an enjoyable moment, had Lucia not slunk into the corner and began tracing shapes on the ground.

    "You''re such a cheat, Indra..."

    "Hm? What are you talking about?"

    Lucia whirled around and revealed an unbearably adorable pouting face.

    "I-It took me a week before I could materialize my wind element and yet you can do it after only an hour!"

    Indra didn''t think he was doing anything special or noteworthy, and he wasn''t the type of person to develop a big head over her words either.

    Unsure of what to say, he finally decided to just ask a very simple question.

    "How did a crybaby like you end up in Keran''s army?"

    Themia flinched at the mention of the woman who she idolized and hung her head in shame.

    "The princess is used to give speeches on the streets back home. She said that just because we were on the verge of defeat, didn''t mean we should give up and that even the weakest among us might be the reason for our future victory.

    Even though my talent with arcane was subpar at best, I still wanted to join and fight for her." Lucia said with a sad smile. "She was so inspiring that even I who had never seen a moment of war immediately joined her."

    The sound of droplets of tears hitting the ground could be heard echoing throughout the silent room. "But when we fought against the heroes, not only could I not do anything, but I had to watch everyone else die as well..."

    As Lucia continued to cry silently, she was surprised when she suddenly felt a small shock on her forehead.

    "Ow! Why?!"

    "I was trying to give you something else to focus on." Indra replied with a shrug.

    "W-Why can''t you be nice to me?!"

    "I thought I already was."

    Indra sat cross legged on the ground directly in front of the teary-eyed young woman.

    Surprisingly, he reached out and wiped the tears that had slid down her porcin cheeks.

    "You''re not wrong forcking talent, nor are you wrong for wanting to change the circumstances of an entire war."

    "Indra- OWW!!"

    The vampire suddenly began to pull and tug at the cheeks of themia like they were made out of taffy.

    "You''re wrong because your hope outweighed your willingness to improve. Thinking that you could turn the tides of an entire war as a mere one star mage was nothing short of silly."

    While Lucia had expected Indra''s words to be harsh, she could hear in his tone that he was actually going to great lengths to speak to her as gently as possible while not losing the overall point of his words.

    "If you want to bring about such a drastic change, you should work harder than even the heroes."

    "B-But the heroes are-"

    "I didn''t say you had to be more talented than them, just work harder." He reminded.

    "Is it difficult? Sure. But if you can hold such a high hope as ending a war on your own, surely you must be willing to do at least that much, no?"

    Lucia fell into deep silence as she contemted the truth of his words.

    It was as if Indra had suddenly revealed to her the error of the path she''d been following all of this time.

    Right from the beginning, the approach she''d taken had been wrong.

    Keran''s words were meant to inspire the masses and push them to be at their very best, meanwhile Lucia had taken them to mean she could stay the way she was and the future she sought would simply fall into herp.

    Themia''s eyes suddenly took on a look of understanding and determination, causing Indra to smile in front of her for the first time.

    "Oh? You look much prettier like this."

    Almost immediately, all of the confidence that was welling inside of Lucia disappeared into thin air as she became incredibly shy.

    "I-I get it so... can you let my face go now?"

    "I''ll think about it."

    -

    In the morning, Keran was the first to emerge from her room followed by her two bodyguards and the human Vermeil.

    "Good morning girls!" The human cried cheerfully.

    "Yes... good morning to you as well."

    "..."

    "Good morning, Vermeil."

    Seeing that the responses to the girls were about as she''d expected, Vermeil nodded in satisfaction before remembering that one member of their party whom she so desperately wanted to see was still not present.

    Immediately, she made her way over to his door and began knocking lightly.

    "Mister handsome vampireee~ Are you still sleeping? Should Ie in and wake you up? Fufufu~"

    In the past, Keran would have been bothered by Vermeil''s shamelessness but now, she was simply happy that her love was alive and well.

    Everything else was simply of no real concern to her at this moment.

    The door between them suddenly opened with an audible creak and Indra emerged, followed by a slightly blushing Lucia.

    Almost immediately, all of Keran''s passive ideals went out the window as she saw the man she loved emerge from another woman''s room.

    The werewolf girls face curled into a smile that was not a smile as her body began to release a dark and ominous pressure.

    "Beloved, why were you in Lucia''s room?"

 Chapter 37: Talk of The Town

    <h4>Chapter 37: Talk of The Town</h4>

    "Beloved, why were you in Lucia''s room?"

    Despite Keran''s calm and friendly tone, everyone knew that she was suppressing a great deal of murderous intent.

    Subconsciously, everyone other than Indra took a step back from the possible rampaging werewolf.

    Indra however was not afraid in the slightest and even found this situation to be rather amusing.

    "We slept together, isn''t that obvious?"

    Not only the hall, it felt like the entire inn had gone silent from Indra''s sudden remark.

    ''Indra... why are you teasing her?'' Enyo asked.

    ''Not sure... I suppose I want to see what she''ll do.''

    Behind Keran, Vermeil looked to be absolutely crestfallen.

    ''I-Is it because she''s got those massive tits?! O-Or does he only like monster girls?!''

    The human girl felt like the fantasy she''d been harboring since puberty about having a vampire boyfriend was all going up in smoke right in front of her very eyes.

    Lucia however had a face as red as a tomato and quickly tried to end this unnecessarily bad joke.

    "P-Princess, I can assure you t-that I would never betray you in that manner! E-even if I do find Indra extremely attractive, I have too much respect for-"

    "I didn''t know you found me attractive." Indra suddenly said.

    "S-shut up! That''s not important! I''m trying to clear up this stupid misunderstanding!"

    Themia''s face seemed to be getting redder by the minute and she looked to be on the verge of fainting.

    Against all expectations, Keran''s face suddenly softened and she lost her intense aura. "I know you didn''t sleep together, Lucia."

    "R-Really? How?"

    Keran briefly nced at Indra''s hands, pants, and lips.

    "If you had, the chances of you having the energy to have this conversation are almost null." She replied without borating but everyone in the hall naturally knew what she meant.

    And if they didn''t, the extremely fond and hazy look in her eyes was most certainly enough to give her away.

    A chill ran down Indra''s spine when he felt the women''s gazes around him suddenly increase in intensity.

    Even within his ring, Enyo had begun having some very lewd fantasies that were naturally very easy to read.

    ''Be patient, Enyo...''

    ''...I''m trying...'' She responded shyly.

    Afterst night, they naturally both wanted to take things further but ultimately decided that they wanted to enjoy such a moment somewhere more special and when they weren''t so pressed for time.

    Indra finally shook his head to dissuade himself from changing his mind. "Enough ying around, girls. I''m sure you''re all aware of what''s waiting for us outside."

    Unsurprisingly, all of the girls nodded with serious expressions.

    Well except for Vermeil who, unsurprisingly had not noticed anything out of the ordinary.

    "What''s outside?"

    -

    "There he is!"

    "It''s him!"

    "The vampires have returned!"

    After Keran''s bold deration at the gate, the guards immediately got to talking.

    The conversation spread like wildfire however when the citizens realized that the handsome man they''d seen earlier in the day was of a race that wasrgely believed to be extinct.

    All of that culminated in this scene that Indra and his group were witnessing, what appeared to be the entire city was standing outside their inn.

    For the first time since their arrival, the group could see something other than dread within the eyes of the people present.

    "Please, move aside!"

    "These are the esteemed guests of the city lord!"

    Almost on cue, a small squadron of soldiers wearing a ck insignia began to weave through the crowd.

    Once in front, they immediately bowed in front of Indra and Keran who were watching all of this with neutral gazes.

    "We''re sorry for the dy, our lord has sent us here personally to escort you to his mansion."

    The soldiers opened up a path for the group to walk through and they were soon making their way through the crowd.

    Vermeil wanted to get a better look at the horde of different races surrounding her but her fear of being found out suffocated any lingering curiosity.

    As she pulled her hood a little further down, both Kohaku and Kuro moved to shield her.

    Kohaku : "You needn''t worry, we won''t let you be found out."

    Kuro : "It would be troublesome if we did..."

    By now Vermeil had long be ustomed to Kuro''s prickliness and was no longer fazed by it.

    She was actually quite ted that the tigerkin had actually spoken to her for once.

    "Thank you..." Vermeil whispered. "You''re both so nice."

    Kohaku : "Think nothing of it."

    Kuro : "If you keep talking I will let you die."

    The group was lead to an extravagant ck and gold carriage that they promptly entered.

    Only when all six werefortably inside did Indra let out a frustrated sigh. "Did you have to announce my identity so casually?"

    "Yes, I did." Keran said without hesitation.

    "And why was that necessary?"

    Keran simply pointed outside the window where even now the crowd of fallen were following behind the carriage with eager eyes.

    "You don''t remember the past, so you do not understand what your kind meant to the fallen. The vampires were arge part of our strength and your absence has most certainly been felt throughout the centuries.

    On his deathbed, my father himself admitted that if your father or even your mother were still alive, the direction of the war might be on apletely different course."

    Within Indra''s ring, Enyo opened her eyes wide in surprise.

    She was rather shocked to find out that not only was the werewolf king dead, but he had actually admitted to being inferior to the Ascalons.

    The absurdity of such information made her head feel like it was going to explode.

    Keran smiled fondly as she continued to gaze out the window.

    "What the fallen races need now is a beacon, a ray of hope that they can rally behind and fight for."

    She suddenly turned to Indra and took one of his hands in hers.

    "Your identity, your presence will give our people something to believe in again and give us the momentum needed to emerge as the victors in this horrible war."

    Indra said nothing as Keran ced a tender hand upon his cheek.

    "Our people need you to give them hope, my love. So I want to ask of you one selfish request, will you carry this honor even if you feel it is undeserved?"

    The only sounds that could be heard were of the rattling of the carriage as it traveled down the dirt road.

    It seemed as though Indra was going to ignore her request, when he suddenly opened her mouth to speak.

    "I''ve thought this before but you really are unbearably charismatic."

    "Fufufu~ You used to love that about me though?" She giggled as shey her head on his shoulder.

    Enyo, Lucia, and Vermeil all became jealous enough to scream and felt like they had just been cuckolded.

    Why should she get to have his shoulder all to herself!?

    With Keran resting against him after her heartfelt request, Indra sighed before leaning his head back to stare at the roof of the carriage.

    Within his mind, he knew what he wanted to say but he was unsure as to the effect his words would have if he said them carelessly.

    As he thought about how best to articte his feelings, eventually he decided to just be honest and deal with whatever fallout maye.

    "Keran, there''s something that you should know."

 Chapter 38: Indra’s Ambition

    <h4>Chapter 38: Indra��s Ambition</h4>

    "I don''t know what you''re expecting of me, but I will not be leading anyone." Indra said.

    He''d already had this conversation with Enyo, but now it seemed like it was time to have it with Keran as well.

    "If you''re going to ask me to be some kind of king, or even resurrect my race, I will have to disappoint you."

    Keran did not look surprised by the first part of his statement, however the second part did make her flinch. "My love, do you not want to see the vampires return? I-I know how you were treated in the past but-"

    "It''s not that." Indra said as he shook his head. "Do you remember when I saved all of you by making that man explode?"

    All of the girls nodded, and Vermeil looked a little green when she remembered that hellish night.

    "I wasn''t trying to kill him, I was going to turn him."

    All of the girls suddenly looked at Indra like he''d just grown a second head.

    Because he could understand their surprise, he did not even bother to take offense due to the nces he was receiving.

    "Whatever I am now, whatever drinking that blood has made me, it has turned me into something that cannot be replicated."

    The gazes Indra was receiving suddenly became ones filled with pity.

    Not only did he have no memories, but the entirety of his race was now extinct and left with no hope of resurrection.

    The loneliness he must''ve been feeling would surely be enough to break the spirit of any mortal man.

    "Are you girls pitying me?"

    As the girls looked at Indra, they could see that not only was he not depressed, he was perfectlyposed and rational.

    Sitting calmly with his arms folded and scarlet eyes aglow, his royal aura was undeniable.

    How could a man like this ever be downtrodden over something as simple as being alone?

    "I suppose we were worried over something useless." Keran said as she shook her head.

    The rest of the trip took ce in silence, with each of the travelers having something unique on their minds.

    Indra however was the deepest in thought, as Keran had inadvertently caused him to question his future.

    He knew that he did not want to rule, and that he had no hope of resurrecting his race so where did that leave him?

    What would he do with himself when the group separated and he and Enyo were on their own?

    He wasn''t nning on staying with this group forever, Indra naturally was the kind of person who preferred to be alone and he wasn''t sure that anything could change.

    Although he had to admit, he was slowly growing fond of Lucia and Keran though he wasn''t sure why.

    ''Great, I''ve given myself a headache thinking about useless things...'' Indra thought with a sigh.

    For now, he would simply make it through today.

    Whatever happened after that would be dealt with when the time came.

    -

    The carriage stopped outside of a fairlyrge and beautiful manor.

    Even though this ce looked rather grand and immacte on the inside, one could see that even this ce had been affected by the overall atmosphere of the city.

    There were a few cobwebs on the ceilings, some creaky wooden boards in the floor and even some of the furniture was showing signs of age and use.

    The city lord was actually an orc with a piglike face and a thunderousugh.

    Despite his giant and dominating frame, he was actually quite well mannered and kind.

    "I can''t believe that the princess of the Garou and thest living vampire are sitting in my parlor! I''ll be able to brag about this until my dying day!"

    The orc did not seem to mind Indra''s unwillingness to speak, he expected a noble of such high esteem to be atleast a little reserved.

    Keran smiled politely, already long used to such ttery.

    "You''re much too kind, sir. The hospitality that you and your men have shown us will not be forgotten."

    "Please, please! Think nothing of it! I owe this much to the fallen''sst protectors after all!"

    A hint of sadness shed within Keran''s eyes as unpleasant memories surfaced, a behavior that Indra easily noticed.

    "So, may I ask how goes the war? I heard that you yourself assembled a sizable army to engage one of the heroes?"

    Keran''s mood sunk lower and lower as this man inadvertently hit the nail on the head.

    "We... suffered a brutal defeat." She said without borating but it was clear that their losses were unimaginable.

    "Ah..." For the first time, the joyous orc lost his wide smile.

    Life for the fallen seemed to be more bleak with every passing day.

    It was difficult to stay sane in times like these, so much so that a great manymitted suicide.

    How could you live knowing that at any time what little you had could be ripped away?

    "I.. umm.. I''m sorry for bringing up something so ufortable." The orc apologized.

    "As my condolences, please allow me to arrange for a caravan to take you back to Ferran."

    Ferran was the name of the werewolves domain and it was one of the only fallen cities that was still operating under some sense of normalcy.

    From here, it was about a two day journey.

    Keran opened her mouth to refuse but for the first time, no words came out.

    "Thank you." Indra finally said.

    Suddenly, the orc''s mood immediately perked up and he shed his tusks in a wide smile. "Think nothing of it!"

    The man suddenly leaned forward and lowered his head in front of the ancient vampire.

    "Maybe you haven''t realized it yet, but your resurrection marks the beginning of something grand beyond belief.

    I''m not usually a betting man, but I wager my own mother that you will turn the tide in this war and avenge all that have fallen."

    Indra said nothing as he stated at therge potbellied man with a lowered head.

    So many people were cing their hopes upon him, even though he himself was still unsure about his future.

    Did he have a responsibility to help them? Or should he only act selfishly as his nature demanded?

    He was hoping that the answer woulde sooner rather thanter.

 Chapter 39: Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 39: Homing</h4>

    Keran had to admit, she had never been so upset that a journey had gone by so quickly.

    The city lord had kept his word and had prepared for the group a caravan that swiftly escorted them to Ferran in under the expected two day timeline.

    Unlike Oba, Ferran was a rich and lively city, with variousrge buildings and a thriving shopping market.

    The streets were neatly paved with a unique white stone that gave the city a refreshing and picturesque scenery.

    The caravan released the group right outside of the city''s gates and all six of them were promptly granted entry.

    Luckily, Vermeil wasn''t searched very hard because Keran had stolen away all of the guards'' attention.

    "The princess has returned!"

    "Let her in, let her in!"

    Once they were granted entry and declined the offer of a small escort, the group were immersed in therge crowd of people that even Keran was not easily recognizable in.

    Keran and Kohaku kept their eyes firmly locked onto their princess.

    They knew full well about all of the drama that had taken ce before they''d left and they wondered just how she would take being back in this environment.

    Vermeil however did not seem to notice the tense atmosphere as she spun around in wonder to take in the sights of a bustling city filled with more types of beastkin than she could even count.

    "You have to tread extra carefully here." Lucia warned. "Someone like you being sighted in Ferran would immediately cause a riot."

    She wasn''t sure why this human was still traveling with them, but if her princess did not take issue with it then she would notment either.

    "Okay, okay... everyone has such cute animal ears though..." Vermeil felt a burning desire to run around giving everyone headpats but suppressed it to the best of her ability.

    Meanwhile, Indra had taken a look around for only a few moments and came to an inescapable realization.

    ''I do not want to be here...''

    The amount of people walking around here was iparable to the amount that were in Oba.

    Indra was naturally an antisocial individual and the massive sea of bodies in front of him had only served to spark his ire.

    The good thing about this was that in a crowd like this one, less people noticed him.

    The few that did immediately sniffed him out to see if he was human before they found themselvespletely mesmerized by his good looks.

    "We should figure out what we''re going to do." Keran suddenly said.

    Just as the group nodded in agreement, an elderly woman with the horns of a goat approached the werewolf from behind.

    "Princess, you''ve returned!" The woman began looking around eagerly for someone and became slightly disappointed when she did not find them.

    "Did my son return with you? His name is Jin and he''s a goatkin like myself, about this tall and..."

    Keran actually knew exactly who this woman was looking for.

    He was a charming young man who had a good personality and was a capable warrior.

    He got along well with all of the other soldiers, and even the ones with pricklier personalities like Kuro couldn''t find much bad to say about him.

    Jin was one of the first soldiers Kuro had recruited, and he was one of the first to die as well.

    "I''m sorry ma''am... Jin fought bravely but..."

    Keran did not even get to finish her sentence before the woman''s eyes filled with tears and she copsed onto the ground. "No... NOOOO!"

    The wailing of the elderly woman attracted a great deal of attention, and everyone simultaneously looked for the source.

    Once everyone saw an elderly woman sobbing at the feet of the princess, it did not take them long to put two and two together.

    One by one, the people surrounding them had alle up to Keran, each desperate to hear about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

    "M-My husband, where is my husband?!"

    "Please, tell me that my daughter returned with you!"

    "What happened to my father and brothers?!"

    The street had quickly filled up with panic, and the members of the group were all trying their best to keep these rowdy beast men away from Keran.

    The werewolf princess however, seemed content to let these people scream at her.

    She had even gone so far as to stop her bodyguards from taking any action to scare them away.

    She simply stood there motionless with a trembling lip as she held in her tears that were threatening to fall at any moment.

    ''Don''t cry... you don''t deserve to cry...''

    At the end of the day, she hadn''t actually lost anyone close to her.

    The ones who deserved to shed tears in this scenario were the men and women who were in front of her right now.

    They had lost sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, sisters and daughters.

    All of this was happening because she had asked them to ce their trust in her and allow her to lead them.

    They had done so, under the belief that they would be paving the way to a better future for their families and loved ones.

    But when the battle was over, not only had they not changed anything, they had all been utterly annihted as well.

    "I''m so sorry everyone... so very sorry..."

    None could hear Keran''s heart wrenching apology over the crowd''s constant screaming.

    None except for Indra who had unknowingly begun to protect his former betrothed of his own volition.

    The raw emotion conveyed within her voice tore at his heart for reasons that he did not understand and before he knew it, his body was moving on its own.

    He wrapped his arm around Keran and pulled her into his embrace, subsequently shielding her from the onught of insults being hurled her way.

    "B-Beloved?"

    Indra did not respond, for he did not understand why he had grabbed her either.

    He simply pressed her head against his chest and kept her as close as possible.

    "Break it up!"

    "Back away from the princess!"

    "All of you disperse, immediately!"

    Almost on cue, a small brigade of guards in gleaming ck armor began to clear a path through the crowd.

    The head of the guards was a tall and muscr man with the head of a lion who wielded a giant broadsword.

    This was the father of Kohaku and Kuro, Leopold.

    He was briefly rmed by the unknown man that was holding the princess in his embrace, but after seeing how deeply she was leaning into him, he decided this man was not an immediate threat.

    Turning to his daughters, he immediately gave them orders to follow.

    "We''re getting you all out of here, follow me!"

 Chapter 40: Caught!

    <h4>Chapter 40: Caught!</h4>

    Leopold and his squad of knights escorted the group all the way to the castle of the Garou.

    Once inside, the lion headed man began took the responsibility of leading the group of fallen towards the throne room where Keran''s mother was waiting.

    If the queen learned that her daughter had returned and she was not brought before her, Leopold and his men would be forced to deal with the consequences.

    As he led them along the borate stony castle, the lion could no longer suppress his burning curiosity and began to interrogate his daughters.

    "I am d that the two of you have returned but I must ask, who is that man holding the princess?"

    Both Kohaku and Kuro looked at each other like they had no idea what they should say.

    "He is.. someone very dear to her." Kohaku began.

    "You could say that they are old friends." Kuro confirmed.

    Leopold was unsatisfied with this answer, but he knew his daughters well enough to know that this was the best answer he was going to receive.

    He didn''t put much more thought into it, simply based on the assumption that Indra was not fated to live long.

    Queen Ayame was famous for her dislike of weak men around her daughter and it wasn''t umon for one to go missing if they stared at the princess too long.

    ''But this man... why does he seem so familiar?'' He wondered.

    The old lion could almost swear that he''d seen someone who looked like him before, yet he couldn''t ce it.

    Even the man''s aura was utterly foreign to him and it left him feeling incredibly perplexed.

    What kind of being was this?

    Eventually, the lion merely shook his head and decided to focus on more important issues.

    "Well no matter, the queen will sort that out herself. What I''m more curious about is..."

    Leopold''s body became a blur as he disappeared from his position at the head of the group towards the back where Vermeil was hiding.

    He immediately grabbed the human girl by the neck and ripped off her hood.

    "Kyaa!"

    "Why... is there a damned human traveling amongst you?!"

    Leopold was a cultivator sitting firmly within the sovereign realm.

    For him, sniffing out Vermeil was as easy as breathing.

    He had avoided blowing her cover earlier to avoid causing another riot, but now that the group were alone in this hallway, there was no better time to sort this out.

    Kohaku : "Father, put her down!"

    Kuro : "That isn''t necessary. That girl is stupid and harmless."

    Keran finally freed herself from Indra''s embrace and even she began trying to convince Leopold to let her go. "Captain of the guard, release mypanion this instant!"

    Leopold suppressed the urge to snort when Keran attempted to throw her rank around.

    While he was duty bound to obey the royal family, something like this was out of the question.

    "Princess, this is sphemy of the highest degree! What possible reason could you have foring home with this insect, yet none of your hastily assembled army?"

    The lion''s words had hit Keran directly in a sensitive ce and she put her head down as she clenched her fists.

    "That girl belongs to me. Put her down."

    Leopold was partially surprised when Indra who had remained silent all this time finally spoke.

    Unfortunately, the words he''d used only served to rile up the beastman even more. "You would y with a filthy human in addition to the princess? You''re a disgusting monstrosity!"

    He had taken Indra''s words to mean that Vermeil was his pleasure toy and he wanted her to be returned to him.

    Unlike humans who partake in such depraved acts recreationally, fallen typically have no interest in copting with the races of light, even for relief purposes.

    To do such a thing was considered reprehensible and it was also part of the reason why humans typically vited fallen after a battle.

    It was intended to symbolize aplete loss, on both a physical and emotional ne.

    "She is not my woman, beast. She is my thrall."

    Leopold''s ears twitched when he heard a word that hadn''t been said in a very long time.

    All of a sudden he recalled an image of a man with long silver hair and cold red eyes that greatly resembled that of the one standing in front of him.

    "You... how is that possible?"

    Indra did not immediately respond and kept his eyes focused on Vermeil who was beginning to turn purple.

    "I said release her."

    A vampire''s thrall was treated as an extension of the vampire themselves.

    Because of their dislike of going out in the daytime, they would often keep thralls around as a sort of gofer to handle matters that were more time sensitive.

    To harm a vampire''s thrall was considered as a sign of great disrespect and a justifiable cause for war.

    The lion released Vermeil and she crashed down to the ground a wheezing and asphyxiated mess.

    Kohaku assisted her in catching her breath and helping her back to her feet, and the young girl instinctively found Indra and hid behind his back.

    In all honesty, what he''d just done was a ratherrge gamble.

    The only reason he knew about the rtionship between vampires and thralls was because it was a part of the stories Enyo had told him while they were still in the castle.

    He wasn''t sure if Leopold would believe his lie, but he figured he was old enough to know about vampires and their pet servants due to his obvious strength.

    The shortest amount of time it has ever taken anyone to reach the sovereign realm was six hundred years, making it conceivable that Leopold not only knew about vampires, but had interacted with some as well.

    The lion head bowed his massive head slightly as a sign of respect and apology.

    "I ask for forgiveness for my transgression, and I pay my respects to the Ascalon royal family, the apostles of Absalom."

 Chapter 41: Mother & Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 41: Mother & Daughter</h4>

    Leopold was absolutely astounded.

    There was a vampire in front of him.

    And one from the royal family to boot!

    "P-Pleasee along, the queen must be notified of this."

    Leopold''s tone was much more polite than before.

    He wasn''t certain if Indra was the only one of his kind left or if either one of his monstrous parents were still kicking too but it was best to y it safe.

    Even if everyone knew that they did not particrly care about their third son, that did not change the fact that he was still an Ascalon.

    And absolutely no one was allowed to speak ill of an Ascalon.

    "Wait a moment."

    Enyo''s voice could suddenly be heard and she appeared in the midst of the group a momentter.

    cing a hand on Indra''s cheek, she seemingly forgot that they were not alone as she ced a hand on his cheek and looked at him tenderly.

    Almost immediately, the women surrounding him became jealous.

    Kohaku/ Kuro: ''The princess has been cuckolded...''

    Keran: ''Thieving ghost!''

    Lucia: ''I knew there was something in between them... I wonder if he has room in his heart for me too?''

    Vermeil : ''Indra! How can you cheat on me like this already!? You called me your thrall, so that means that we''re together, right?! RIGHT?!''

    Leopold could feel the naturally shifting aura''s of all of the women present and sighed in his heart.

    He really didn''t miss how vampires always seemed to be at the center of everyone''s sexual fantasies.

    "Are you sure that you wish to do this...?"

    Indra immediately understood what Enyo was conveying.

    If he met with the queen now, the likelihood of him bing involved in the war somehow was a certainty.

    With Indra''s powers and training he could turn around right now and not a single creature in this world would be able to find him, living or dead.

    If he met with the queen, he would be forgoing a quiet and peaceful life with her for the foreseeable future.

    "I am... Does that displease you?"

    "I will stay by your side no matter what, you know that. I''m just curious as to what could have brought this on." Enyo reasoned. "I thought you were still unsure of what you wanted to do?"

    Indra''s eyes soon drifted to Keran who was giving him a cute but unfriendly look.

    It was because of her that he was alright with this decision.

    He didn''t know why he alone was still alive when all of his kin were dead.

    Indra had been granted a clean te and a life filled with opportunity, but he had no idea what to do with it.

    Essentially, he was an empty shell with no real ce or purpose.

    And yet, Keran believed that he could be more and that he could be a paragon of hope for their kind.

    He wasn''t sure how much of her belief was childish idealism and how much was desperation, but he had to admit that he feltpelled to help her.

    At least in his own unique way.

    -

    "My queen, the princess has returned... and she''s brought a guest." A guard announced.

    In a stone lined room, there sat a woman on a throne that was made from the skull of some massive beast.

    The woman''s body was frighteningly impressive, it was lined with scars and old wounds as far as the eye could see, yet her body still seemed like a work of art.

    Her muscles were almost fully exposed in her skimpy leather outfit, making her look like some sort of feral amazon.

    She had long ck hair that came down to her wed feet and two furry wolf ears that would have been rather adorable had the woman not had such a fearsome aura.

    Her face was immactely beautiful, despite the long scar running down the left side of her face this woman possessed a charm that was simply unfair.

    Her one good eye remained closed, as she leisurely lounged upon her throne like a beast that was resting after a sessful hunt.

    "Let her in."

    The guard bowed respectfully before opening therge double doors to the throne room and allowing two individuals inside.

    Keran and Indra stopped a few feet shy of the throne and she tried her best not to shake as she said her greetings.

    "Mother, I have-"

    "Lost." Ayame said without opening her eye. "You have lost pitifully. Did I not warn you that your ambition outweighed your meager ability? And now you return here, sullying my name and your father''s memory by not having the decency to atleast die among your soldiers."

    Keran''s body trembled as she looked at the ground, trying her best not to let her mother''s words get to her.

    She had already known that she would be like this after all, there was no use in getting upset at the inevitable.

    No matter how much it hurt.

    Indra on the other hand was not going to take such a thing lightly.

    "You shouldn''t talk to her like that. Even if you are her mother."

    You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife.

    Both Keran, and Adam had been stunned into silence by the sudden words of the ancient vampire.

    ''That voice... why does it sound so familiar?'' Ayame wondered, before ultimately deciding that she didn''t care that much.

    Slice!

    With a flick of her fingers, Ayame shed the entire space in front of her without even opening her eye.

    Indra didn''t even have a moment to think before he was cut into ribbons and died on the spot.

    "INDRA!" Keran immediately flew into a teary panic as she kneeled beside the shredded corpse of her beloved.

    ''Indra?''

    Finally, Ayame''s single blue eye snapped open and she took a nce at the man she had just carved up like a ham.

    On the floor, all she could see was chunks of flesh and blood that was... ck?

    Just as she prepared to ask her daughter what was going on, a spectacle she thought she would never see in her lifetime happened right before her eye.

    The chunks of Indra''s body that had been cut to pieces vibrated furiously before reattaching themselves back together bit by bit.

    Keran immediately sighed in relief while Ayame rose up from her throne in shock.

    "What is this!?"

    In under twenty seconds, Indra''s body hadpletely regenerated and he was standing in the same spot as before, cracking his neck to ensure that everything was properly in ce.

    "You have quite the temper, don''t you?"

 Chapter 42: Mother & Daughter Pt. 2

    <h4>Chapter 42: Mother & Daughter Pt. 2</h4>

    "You have quite the temper, don''t you?" Indra said as he cracked his neck.

    "BELOVED!"

    Keran wasted no time as she threw herself at Indra and began squeezing him tightly.

    She thought for sure that he was going to die!

    Vampires have ster regenerative capabilities, but even they cannot survive being cut into shreds like Indra just did.

    "How... you... what?"

    Ayame had so many questions that her brain temporarily stopped working.

    The rude man that she''d cut down without a second thought was actually her daughter''s former betrothed and the third prince of vampires.

    Not only was he not dead, but he was... mutated?

    That strange ck blood flowing through his veins gave even the werewolf queen chills.

    "Would you stop crying? I am obviously fine, little wolf." Indra was trying to remove Keran''s body from his, but it proved to be to no avail.

    "I-I thought I was going to lose you again! I don''t know what i would have done if you''d-"

    "How.. can you do that? How are you even alive?"

    Indra briefly nced at a shocked looking Ayame before turning his attention back to the crying werewolf girl in his arms.

    "Dietary changes I suppose." He responded while stroking Keran''s ears.

    "What...?"

    Indra did not borate, and that served to both enrage and intrigue Ayame even more.

    "Answer me you pitiful whelp! Where have you been all this time?!"

    Indra did not bother answering, and instead concentrated on wiping away the tears and snot bubbles that had formed on Keran''s beautiful face. "Honestly... you''re too big for this."

    "I-I''m sorry..."

    "Don''t be sorry. Just stop crying, okay?"

    By now, Ayame''s anger was growing more and more, and she seemed like she was on the verge of cutting Indra into ribbons again.

    Luckily, Enyo decided on that very moment to materialize and provide some much needed rity.

    Bowing respectfully, her tone immediately calmed the seething werewolf. "This servant of the Ascalons pays her respects to the matriarch of the Garou."

    Finally getting the respect she felt was deserved, Ayame rxed a bit in her massive throne. "I remember you, little ghost. I hope you can provide me with a fitting exnation as to what is going on."

    "I will do my best, Queen Ayame."

    Enyo told Ayame virtually everything, but there wasn''t much to tell.

    She exined how she was woken up by a group of humans who were trying to loot the castle and that was when she discovered that they had been asleep for hundreds of years in the castle bunker.

    Ayame was slightly disappointed to learn that Indra was thest vampire left in existence, but all of that disappointment faded away when Enyo told her that Indra had suddenly gained the ability to cultivate.

    Of course she kept it a secret that he had gained this ability after drinking the blood of an eldritch horror.

    After that revtion, Ayame cared little for anything else.

    She didn''t ask how Indra had healed from her attack earlier.

    She didn''t even care how he had saved her daughter.

    The only important thing was that she now had a potential pawn!

    When she considered the potential Indra had based on who his father and mother were, she became positively ecstatic!

    She knew just how much training they had put into their child until he was twenty, training like that did not go away easily, even after 800 years.

    As her son inw, she was free to use him as her own personal beta!

    And he was a nk te with no memories? She couldn''t have asked for anything better!

    All she needed was to build his strength for the next couple of years and he would be ughtering heroes left and right!

    And she, his alpha and superior, would be the one to receive all of the praise for wiping out thest of the races of light and achieving prosperity for the fallen!

    Ayame''s body shook furiously as she tried to contain the furiousughter that eventually spilled out of her lips.

    "Pfft... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! THIS IS A GREAT DAY INDEED!!"

    Enyo, Keran, and Indra all were taken aback by the werewolf queen''s suddenughter.

    Keran: "Mother?"

    Enyo: ''What is the matter with her?''

    Indra: ''This bitch is crazy.''

    Eventually, Ayame regained herposure and ceased her reverberatingughter.

    "Brat, how would you like to serve as the right hand in my army?" she inquired.

    Indra''s gaze suddenly became much harder and Ayame merely chuckled.

    "I know what your father and your mother instilled in you. Talent like that should not be wasted, and should instead be cultivated for even greater purposes.

    My army ispletely different from my sniveling daughter''s." Ayame said in a scathing tone that made Keran flinch. "They are elite, well trained warriors that will not shame you, or your efforts. And you, my young friend, can be my second inmand."

    Keran and Enyo''s eyes widened.

    Ayame was offering Indra almostplete authority over all of her warriors that were surely all above the overlord realm.

    This was simply too good to be true!

    Only Ayame knew that this was another test.

    There was no way that the soldiers under hermand would take orders from someone who was only in the mortal realm.

    Indra would have to fight for his life to be heard, and in doing so, she would find out if he had the will and determination to go far in this war.

    "I''m not interested." Indra said without a moment''s consideration.

    Ayame flinched and stared at Indra like he''d grown a second head. ''Did he realize I was setting up a trap?''

    However, Indra made the reason for his refusal very clear.

    "I have no interest in leading anyone, not now nor in the future. I especially dislike the idea of being a dog to the likes of you."

    For the second time in hundreds of years, Ayame, Queen of the werewolves and one of the most ferocious women alive, had been stunned into silence.

 Chapter 43: Interloper

    <h4>Chapter 43: Interloper</h4>

    After Indra voiced his reasons for refusal, the room fell into another tense silence.

    At least it did for a moment, before the loudughter of a man suddenly echoed throughout the room.

    Keran, Indra, and Enyo all whirled around looking for the source while Ayame let out a frustrated growl as she cracked her throne''s armrest with her hands.

    "The little vampire has quite the backbone! Oh I''d forgotten just how resolute your kind can be!"

    No matter how much Indra searched, he could not discover where the voice of the man wasing from.

    "I didn''t think he would still be alive..." Enyo muttered.

    "You know him?" Indra asked.

    The bewitching poltergeist nodded, and Ayame finally took it upon herself to name the mysterious intruder.

    "Ja''Zaki! Will you finally cease your spying only after I have pulled your spine from your back?!"

    Suddenly, the shadows at Ayame''s feet rose up to reveal a very tall dark elf man.

    His skin was a light grey color, while his hair was a silvery white that was tied into a short ponytail.

    He wore a simple ck tactical outfit that consisted of a sleeveless ck shirt that was adorned with various small des on the sides.

    The dark elf''s golden eyes shined with a humorous light as he stared back into the seething eyes of Ayame.

    "You don''t enjoy my surprise visits? I had thought you would have longe to enjoy my presence."

    "I enjoy them like a whore enjoys pregnancy."She replied pointedly.

    Ja''Zaki merely rolled his eyes before turning around to stand in front of Indra.

    "By the dark gods... You really are alive, brat."

    Indra''s eyes became unfriendly and the man in front of him merelyughed.

    "You''re Dhalia''s child alright! You have that same unfriendly re on your face that she used to wear so proudly!"

    "Why does that not move me in the slightest...?"

    "Ha! And you have your father''s tongue as well!"

    Finally, Enyo took it upon herself to make introductions. "Indra, this is Lord Ja''Zaki Ssri, he is ruler of the dark elves and was your mother''s master."

    Unsurprisingly, that new information did nothing to lessen Indra''s annoyance, yet Ja''Zaki seemed to like this turn of events even more.

    "How many times have I told you not to spy on me!? Do you not have your ownnds to rule!?"

    The dark elf shrugged, clearly unbothered by Ayame''s fury. "It''s a good thing I did decide toe today, or you would have blundered something monumental."

    He began to circle Indra and a smile armed across his face to indicate that he liked what he was seeing.

    "He''s not like you, or even Alucard for that matter. He is not meant to serve an army or even lead one, he''s liable to leave all of his men for dead!"

    Indra didn''t want to admit it, but that was a fairly astute observation.

    If he was left in charge of others that he did not value, he would undoubtedly leave them all behind to save himself.

    ''Would you leave me behind, Indra?'' Enyo suddenly asked.

    ''If you continue to ask silly questions, I just might.''

    Enyo rolled her eyes as she tried to put on a displeased expression.

    Indra payed her no mind as he was certain that Enyo already knew that he would not leave her no matter what.

    She had already long be an existence that he simply could not do without.

    Ja''Zaki suddenly stopped circling Indra and looked him directly in his eyes.

    "You''re like me, and like your mother. You shine the brightest when you''re alone in the dark, and are free to act however you see fit."

    Ayame finally realized what was going on and she immediately stood up from her throne. "Wait a minute, bastard! He is betrothed to my daughter so don''t even think of-"

    "Or what?"

    Ja''Zaki''s tone suddenly became terribly unfriendly and he released a bit of his aura, making the air 100 times heavier and giving off the feeling of a promised death.

    ''Quasi god realm...!''

    Indra realized that the man who''d been rambling around madly was actually much more powerful than he''d initially thought.

    Ayame who was only at the sovereign realm could do nothing but gnash her teeth as she came face to face with the aura of a superior predator.

    "I like you pup, I really do. But make no mistake, this man is practically family. Should you attempt toe between us again, you will not have to worry about being hunted by the humans."

    Ja''Zaki did not finish his threat but he hardly needed to.

    Ayame was so insulted she was trembling and her face had long be an unhealthy shade of red.

    But despite her anger, she did not dare to say another word.

    Satisfied, Ja''Zaki turned back to Indra who had been silently observing this entire spectacle.

    "Come with me, vampire. Anyone with brains can see that you are a born assassin, and there is no better teacher than I to show you how to hone such talent."

    "But make no mistake..." Ja''Zaki suddenly said.

    "Just like you, I also have no problem cutting people loose when they be troublesome. I am offering guidance not a safe haven. The minute I feel as though your prowess iscking, or you one into one of the heroes before you''re ready, I will let you die without a second thought."

    Suddenly, the dark elf retracted all of his pressure and his bubbly and friendly demeanor returned.

    "So what do you think? Are you interested?"

    For once, Indra''s face showed a small calcting smile.

 Chapter 44: Surprise Answer

    <h4>Chapter 44: Surprise Answer</h4>

    "I''ll have to decline." Indra suddenly said.

    "d to hear it! From today on you should start calling me... wait what?"

    Ja''Zaki wondered if his elongate ears were deceiving him, but Indra was firm in his decision.

    "Your offer is appreciated but I''d like to see how much I can aplish on my own. I''m rather uninterested in having a teacher."

    At his side, Enyo and Keran were both suppressing smiles.

    Indra imed to be uninterested in having a teacher and yet he had epted Lucia''s deal to teach him arcane.

    Evidently, Indra merely distrusted the strange dark elf who''d shown up out of nowhere and he wouldn''t be going anywhere with him.

    Ja''Zaki stood frozen in ce,pletely stunned and unable to think.

    Had he really just been rejected?

    Him?

    He was one of thest leaders of the fallen race!

    And yet Indra seemingly couldn''t care less as he declined his offer without a second thought.

    "Ha! Serves you right you damn elf!" Ayame yelled as she cackled madly.

    He was acting all high and mighty a second ago, yet he wasn''t able to gain Indra as a subordinate either!

    Was there anything that could have been sweeter than this?

    Suddenly, Indra grabbed Keran and Enyo by the hand and began leading them out of the throne room.

    "Wait! Where are you taking my daughter?!" Ayame asked.

    Indra only paused briefly to nce over his shoulder before he continued walking.

    "It''s very clear to me that you don''t want her around. So I''m taking her off your hands."

    Keran''s face became hot as she was pulled along by Indra without another word, and the three of them left the throne room without stopping to look back.

    Leaving both Ja''Zaki and Ayame locked into a stunned silence that was practicallyical.

    -

    Once outside, the trio found Lucia and Vermeil waiting with the twins and their father.

    "What happened?" Leopold asked. "We heard the sound of an explosion."

    "Irrelevant." Indra said dismissively. "Girls, we''re leaving."

    "Already?" Lucia questioned. "Where exactly are we going?"

    "Anywhere but here."

    Indra wasn''t particrly concerned about having somewhere to stay, as he was fairly confident in his ability to find decent lodging just about anywhere.

    Besides, with all of the trinkets and things they''d taken from his castle, they were more than capable of selling them and walking away with an extremely hefty sum.

    Lucia and Vermeil shrugged before following behind Indra, Keran, and Enyo, but Kohaku and Kuro came to a stop at their father''s behest.

    "If you''re running away with the princess, my daughters will have to stay behind."

    "What?"

    "Father, why?!"

    The lion shook his head as he pointed to the crest on his armor.

    "We''ve sworn an oath to the queen, not the princess. If she does not give the order, you are not cleared to follow her."

    Kohaku and Kuro looked ufortably at each other, and then the princess.

    They were technically her servants, but the three of them spent so much time together that they were closer to best friends.

    It would be unbelievably hard to watch her leave their lives without saying anything.

    "Please... be well, princess."

    "You have to take care of yourself until we can meet again, okay?"

    Keran seemed like she was having just as hard of a time as the girls were, but the truth is that she was taking it much harder than them.

    These two were her rocks, and before she knew what she was doing, she''d thrown her arms around them in a desperate hug.

    "This won''t be forever..I''lle back for you both, I promise...!"

    Because Keran was crying, it made it that much more difficult for the girls she was hugging to keep theirposure.

    Indra suddenly heard a sniffing sound and felt a familiar body take his arm of her own volition.

    Looking down, he found Vermeil with red puffy eyes and a trembling bottom lip.

    "D-Don''t you just hate sad goodbyes, Mr. Hot Vampire?"

    "..."

    Indra ignored Vermeil''s attempt to win his attention by being vulnerable.

    His eyes were firmly locked on her exposed vicle within her dress.

    After being shredded to pieces and healing himself without any trouble, he once again felt a very familiar itch in the back of his throat.

    He had never been interested in Vermeil before but now he had to admit that she smelled really good..

    Unfortunately, she noticed this new look of hunger he was giving her and mistook it for something else entirely.

    Her expression changed to one of slight difort as she hesitantly looked him up and down.

    "Just wondering, but.... Are you one of those weird guys who gets turned on by watching women cry..? Cause I think I''d like having my hair pulled but anything else would be..."

    Pure unfiltered exhaustion could be seen in Indra''s eyes.

    Almost as quickly as his interest in her formed, it was dashed away like a simple illusion.

    Ignoring his hunger, he gently pushed her away towards the stone-like Leopold.

    "We''ll be leaving this one with you too."

    "Don''t joke like that!"

    "Joke?"

    "You are so mean! Can''t you be all charming and dashing and stuff?"

    "Do I look like a character in one of your novels?"

    Vermeil looked Indra up and down without missing a single detail.

    Soft chocte skin, long and beautiful hair that was even more impressive than her own and a sculpted body that looked like it was chiseled out of marble.

    "Yes. That is exactly what you look like." He was literally every wet dream she''d ever hade to life.

    "The two of you seem to have a most unique rtionship for a master and a servant." Leopold suddenly said.

    Vermeil looked up at the hulking lion-kin and her eyes became focused on his proud fluffy mane and adorable ears.

    She twiddled with her thumbs for a moment before she posed a rather bold request.

    "Don''t take this the wrong way but... can I pet you?" She asked cutely.

    Coincidentally, the lion''s eyes also showed the same traces of exhaustion as Indra''s now had.

    He gently pushed the white haired human girl back over to Indra and made her his problem once again.

    "We cannot keep this one. Please take it and leave." His tone was respectful but internally he was practically on the verge of begging.

    "Hey! Why am I an it?!"

    ''Damn it.''

    Indra started walking away with Enyo''s hand in his and Lucia wrapped around his neck.

    Keran finally finished saying her goodbyes and she also ran to catch him, taking his free hand.

    He silently hoped that Vermeil would not follow them but she did much to his dismay.

    But when he recalled the pleasant smell emanating from her mere moments ago, he thought that maybe bringing her along wouldn''t be all that bad.

    That is, if he could ever get used to her crude mouth.

 Chapter 45: Temporary Lodging

    <h4>Chapter 45: Temporary Lodging</h4>

    In the woods outside of Ferran, there was a decent sized home lying beside a crystal clearke.

    This was where the unlikely group of five had ended up, and this was where they would be staying for the foreseeable future.

    ''It''s quiet... it''s so calm and peaceful out here that I believe I might progress smoothly in my cultivation.'' Indra thought fondly.

    He honestly couldn''t believe that she was living somewhere like this all by herself.

    "Wee to my home everyone!" Lucia said proudly.

    She slithered up to the front door and held it open, gesturing for all of her friends and Vermeil toe inside.

    Lucia''s ce was quite nice and spacious on ount of herrgemia body, and all furniture and decorations seemed to be fairly nice as well.

    "This ce is so nice! It makes my old dorm look like a shithole!" Vermeil said excitedly.

    Evidently, Lucia seemed to take great pride in her decorating as the human girl''splement put a smile on her face.

    "She''s right, it is a beautiful ce, Lucia." Enyo added.

    "I can''t believe that you were living here all alone." Said Keran.

    "Ah well my family wanted to stay in the city but I really loved it out here, so I kept the ce and made it my own."

    "Are you sure we aren''t imposing on you?" Indra suddenly asked.

    Even though she had vehemently proposed this idea, he still felt a little bit bad about it.

    Perhaps it was because he was the kind of person who didn''t like having his own space intruded on that he was also wary of entering the spaces of others.

    A habit one picks up from living their life as an introverted creature.

    "I told you it''s fine, I''m actually really grateful to have you all here!" She said honestly. "The ce gets really lonely sometimes and I really missed having a full house.."

    Noticing the sincerity in her words, Indra decided not to question her any further and tried his best to rx.

    He may not have felt the pain that came with loneliness, but that didn''t mean that he was unsympathetic to those who did.

    He had to find a way to behave normally, just so that he did not make her feel as though he had no wish to be around her.

    "Oh, If you like I can show you guys the bathrooms and you can go freshen up! In the meantime I will get dinner started!"

    The mention of food made Indra remember his own empty stomach, and he nced at the human Vermeil once again.

    This time she caught his gaze that was glued to her porcin neck and she knew that her moment had finally arrived.

    All of the vampire fan fiction that she''d written was only preparing her for this very moment!

    Calmly and confidently, she walked over to Indra while moving her hair to one side.

    Using A-ss acting skills, she spoke in the most sincere and honest tone she could as a way to appeal to his nature.

    "Umm... I haven''t taken the time to thank you properly for all the help you''ve given me so... if you ever want to drink from me or anything... you only have to ask."

    ''Fuck yea! I nailed that shit!''

    And indeed, Vermeil had seemed to nail it.

    Her offer contained only sincerity and none of her usual fetishization of him, making it hard to refuse her.

    And he wasn''t sure if it was just his stomach talking, but she smelled really nice and only served to further whet his appetite.

    "Are you sure about this? I will have to bite you, you know?"

    Vermeil suppressed a small shudder as she tried to keep her excitement in check.

    "I know and it''s fine. I want to repay you and I don''t want you to go hungry..."

    Nodding in eptance, Indra ced his hand on Vermeil''s waist. "...don''t get any weird thoughts from this either."

    ''If you say that you''ll make it harder for me not to have weird thoughts!''

    "I heard that."

    ''Fuck!''

    Since the human girl was quite a bit shorter than him, he had to lift her up so that he could reach her neck.

    He gave her pale flesh a hesitant lick to numb the area, earning a not so discreet shiver.

    Opening his mouth, his two fangs punctured her neck and drained her blood, and he began to hear a slew of thoughts running through her mind.

    ''... I could die tomorrow, and I would bepletely fine with that oue.''

    ''Why does this feel so good...?''

    ''Don''t moan, whatever you do don''t moan!!''

    Normally Indra would have stopped right there after she started being weird, but he was actually starting to feel a tiny bit strange as well.

    Vermeil''s blood was sweet and delicious sure, but he could also feel a strange trade forming between the two.

    He felt like he was taking something from her, in addition to sifting through her deepest buried memories.

    She really did spend a lot of time watching those vampire movies, and it was easy to see why she was so obsessed with him.

    It also seemed she lived a very lonely life on earth... with her onlypanions being the readers she posted her fan fiction for.

    He could also feel how scared and anxious she secretly was... about being alone in a new world and surrounded by monsters.

    In his mind, he decided to treat her a little better, atleast until she started saying perverse things again.

    After drinking for around three minutes, Indra noticed something leaving his body and being given to Vermeil.

    He couldn''t exactly pinpoint what it was, as in the next second he was grabbed forcefully by his ear and pulled away from her neck.

    "D-Don''t you think you two are getting too into this?!" Enyo yelled.

    Indra was admittedly a bit foggy headed so it took him a moment to gather his focus.

    But once he did, he could see why she was so upset.

    Vermeil''s cheeks were so red it looked like she''d just gone for a twenty mile run, and her eyes were rolling aroundzily in her head.

    A clear line of drool could be seen running from her lips, and at some point she had wrapped her legs around his waist and slowly started to grind her pelvis against his midsection.

    But really, this was all aplete and total misunderstanding.

    "Ah... whoops."

 Chapter 46: Enyo Demands Retribution!

    <h4>Chapter 46: Enyo Demands Retribution!</h4>

    Indra hesitantly put Vermeil back onto the ground, but she immediately lost all strength in her legs and fell onto her bum.

    "S-So good... this is better than anything I''ve ever written..!"

    Keran rolled her eyes as she lifted Vermeil up into a princess carry, transporting her onto the couch.

    "You''re being such a dramatic little human. It doesn''t feel that great..." she muttered.

    To the best of her memory, she recalled being bitten by Indra as a slightly painful and sometimes sleep inducing scenario.

    She was certain that Vermeil was only behaving this way because she was a massive pervert.

    ''Still, the nerve of him to just bite her right in front of me! I''m so jealous I could... what''s that smell?''

    Following the scent of her nose, Keran parted Vermeil''s pale legs and looked up her dress, where she found her panties that were soaking wet and clinging to her body.

    By now, she had started to feel like the human might not be faking this pleasure.

    Which only begged the question of what exactly did Indra do for her to react like this??

    It was then that she recalled her ex lover''s recent dietary change and she felt like that may have been the reason.

    "Darling, what did you-"

    When Keran turned around to look for Indra, she realized that he was nowhere to be found.

    Lucia was the only one left downstairs and she was staring up the staircase like she was in some kind of internal debate with herself.

    "Lucia? Where did Indra and Enyo go?"

    "Ah... princess didn''t see her grab him by his cor and take him upstairs?"

    "No..." Keran was only now realizing she''d been in a deeper trance than she thought.

    "I think Enyo was feeling jealous so maybe they''re going to... talk a bit?" Lucia guessed.

    Keran felt her stomach tie itself into knots as she stared up the staircase like she was locked inside of a frozen screen.

    Somehow without even checking, she knew that those two were going to have a special kind of conversation.

    "...Want to go listen?" Lucia asked.

    "...Yea."

    -

    As an overlord realm cultivator, Enyo was quite a bit stronger than Indra.

    Therefore it was easy for her to literally drag him upstairs into the furthest bedroom down the hall.

    Once the two were inside, she mmed the door closed and tossed him onto the bed like a toy; earning a small chuckle from him.

    "My Enyo seems upset."

    "D-Don''t ''my Enyo'' me! Do you have any idea how hard it was to watch you drink from that human girl like that?!"

    Now, Indra was no longerughing and he sat up onto the bed.

    "I can see I''ve upset you, and I apologize. I don''t know what happened, I was just drinking from her normally and then all of a sudden-"

    Indra''s words were cut short as Enyo flew on top of him and pinned him back down onto the bed.

    He was really trying his best to apologize sincerely, but Enyo''s jealous anger wasn''t allowing him to do so.

    But if she was honest, she wasn''t even certain what she was doing anymore.

    She simply lost herself when she saw Indra feeding from another woman right in front of her.

    Why couldn''t that be her?!

    If only she had blood, she could have been her loved one''s only food source.

    But because she was a poltergeist, that was something that could never be.

    And it hurt her to think like that.

    As a result, her inferiorityplex was showing itself in the form of extreme aggression and possessiveness.

    "Y-You''re mine and I won''t share you with anyone else, especially not that human girl! You belong to me!!"

    "..!"

    Indra didn''t offer any kind of rebuttal, and instead he was trying to figure out why her words had turned him on so much.

    All he knew was that Enyo''s desperate im of ownership over him had flipped some kind of switch in his brain.

    When Enyo felt something big and hard poking her bottom, her brain temporarily short circuited before she had a realization.

    Reaching down, she ced her hands on Indra''s kimono and ripped it open, exposing his bare chest.

    In the next moment, she swallowed her own fear and pulled off her own purple dress before she hurled it across the room.

    Although as soon as she did it, she almost wished she hadn''t.

    She could feel Indra''s burning gaze traveling over every corner of her body and she covered herself out of instinct.

    Since her body was still stuck in the same condition as it was when she died all those years ago, she wasn''t exactly the thinnest and she hadrge breasts and a butt that she didn''t believe were very alluring.

    And to make matters even more embarrassing she hadn''t exactly shaved in quite a while, resulting in a tuft of ck hair sitting atop her garden.

    Panic and fear set into her mind and she started to crawl off of him so that she could go somewhere find somewhere quiet and die again.

    But before she could, Indra turned the tables on her and swapped their positions, allowing him to enjoy the privilege of being on top of her.

    "W-What are you- Mmf!"

    No sooner had Enyo started to speak had Indra decided to seal her lips with his own.

    Since the two of them had confirmed their feelings for each other, they had done this kind of thing quite a lot.

    And yet, Indra had never kissed her with such passionate fervor that slowly crossed into the realm of obsessive need.

    The way he hungrily went after her lips and tongue with his own was so intoxicating that it made her head start to spin.

    Despite the loving assault she was currently under attack from, she recalled Indra''s ability to read her mind through direct contact.

    ''Don''t you... find me unattractive..? I-I don''t really think that I am-''

    ''You''re the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen, and I have never wanted anything more in my life..!''

    Enyo had never heard the prince whom she once served sound so desperately ravenous in all of the time that she''d known him.

    And when she realized that all of this desire was being directed solely towards her, she felt her anxiety melting away into the sheets beneath them.

    As of right now, she felt for the first time that she belonged to him every bit as much as he belonged to her.

 Chapter 47: To Belong *

    <h4>Chapter 47: To Belong *</h4>

    As Indra and Enyo continued their passionate kiss on the bed, he finally could not help himself any longer and let his hands start to wander.

    Starting at her hips, Indra trailed his fingertips along her soft and delectable skin while slowly traveling upwards.

    Slipping past her hips and stomach, Indra arrived at herrge breasts that felt like overgrown pillows in his hands.

    As his fingers sank into them, small currents of electricity began to crackle through his palms.

    The sudden shocking stimtion made her let out small squeals of delight as she gripped the bedsheets underneath her.

    Feeling a desire to send her spiraling further into depravity, Indra''s mouth found one of her nipples and her cries increased in frequency.

    Enyo''s nipples were inverted, so Indra had to meticulously suck on them until a small bud hardened within his mouth.

    With firm licks and gentle nibbles, he brought her to such an unexpected point of ecstasy that she unconsciously grabbed the back of his head and pulled him deeper into her body, wanting to feel more stimtion.

    And as a man who loved his woman, Indra naturally obliged her.

    His hand traveled down her soft stomach to her sacred garden that was already leaking.

    Despite the tightness, she was so wet that he was easily able to insert his finger inside, and he marveled at the sticky sensation.

    Like him, her body was technically undead and therefore she wasn''t exactly warm.

    However, the slightly cold and incredibly sticky sensation wrapping around his finger was more than a little addicting.

    Even though he had no real memory of having experience with women, he yed with her body expertly.

    Alternating between her tworge and perfect breasts as he meticulously attacked her G-spot, he brought her ever closer to her first orgasm.

    "S-Something''sing...!"

    Indra felt her body shiver and buck wildly within his grasp and he silently goaded her into cumming as hard as she wanted.

    When her climax reached it''s peak, she let out a scream that could have defeated the ears of any normal human who heard it.

    A clear jet of water pushed past Indra''s hand and soaked the bed underneath Enyo, as well as a small bit of the wooden floor.

    The poltergeist lie on the bed, shaking like a leaf and breathing raggedly.

    ''What.. did I just do...?''

    When she was alive, Enyo''s sexual experiences were not what one would call expansive.

    And after her sad and untimely death at thirty eight years of age, she became a vengeful spirit who was taken in by the Ascalon royal family.

    Afterwards, she had no time for intercourse and things of that nature, so she simply told herself that she didn''t need them.

    Therefore mostly everything that would happen tonight was almost as new to her as it would be for him.

    Including her disy of watersports a few seconds ago.

    As she recovered and tried to figure out what had just happened to her, Indra looked down at the wet spots she had just left on the bed and floor.

    ''What a waste...''

    Just as Enyo''s vision finally became unblurred, she let out another yelp of surprise when Indra''s head went on a steady trail downwards.

    Soon she felt a long tongue lick her from her opening all the way to her pink clitoris that was peeking out from underneath it''s hood.

    She wanted to tell Indra that she didn''t believe he should be putting his mouth down there, but the sensations that were shooting directly towards her brain made her lose any resistance she should have held.

    Indra was meticulous and relentless, with a firm grip on her thighs he held her in ce as hepped up her juices almost as fast as she could produce them.

    As he thought, it was a waste to let something like this touch the floor.

    Enyo had a very sweet and enticing taste that only made him feel desperate for more.

    He pushed past the folds of her vagina and slipped his tongue inside of her, earning a significantly more guttural moan of delirium that only served to spur him on even further.

    Once he felt her body beginning to shudder even more intensely than it did before, he knew that the moment he had been so anxiously awaiting was not far away.

    Evidence of this came when Enyo ced her hand on the back of his head and started to gyrate her hips roughly on his face.

    To push her over the edge, Indra sucked on her clit hard as he delivered a pleasurable shock to her hips.

    As a result of his surprise assault, Enyo''s eyes nearly left her skull as she practically crushed Indra''s between her soft thighs.

    Her desperate and bestial moaning was only a precursor to the jet of water she squirted directly into Indra''s waiting mouth.

    Had she been capable of focusing, she would have undoubtedly been embarrassed by her shameful actions, but her mind was so addled by pleasure that she couldn''t bring it upon herself to focus.

    However, a sight that would quickly make her regain focus began to ur right in front of her eyes.

    Indra sat up on the bed and revealed his rich caramel skin and tanned muscles to Enyo, and she felt her face beginning to heat up.

    The farther down her eyes traveled, the more she felt like she was going to faint before they even got to progress any further.

    Enyo had been taking care of Indra ever since he was a baby, so she did not believe the sight of his naked body would cause her so much turmoil.

    After all, she did bathe him in the past.

    Surely things couldn''t have been that different, right?

    Right???

    Unfortunately for her, Indra left his baby carrot stage at the age of fourteen, and he had long transformed into a fully fledged adult.

    ''I-It used to be so cute...'' she thought.

    What she was staring at now was no longer adorable, instead it seemed like an angry metal rod that was literally pulsing with fervent desire.

    Enyo wondered if there could have possibly been some centaur blood in the Ascalon royal line that exined this current dilemma she was facing.

    However, she lost the ability to think about such silly things as Indra suddenly slipped his hands underneath her body and lifted her up.

    Resting her body on his thighs, their aching loins were pressed against each other, burning with fervent need.

    However, there was still something that Indra wanted to rify first.

    "Enyo... I know that we''ve already got far, but if we take thisst step there will be no turning back. You will belong to me just as I will belong to you, and not even death will be able toe between us. Is that what you want?"

    The poltergeist smiled as a single tear fell from her eyes and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

    "It is all I''ve ever wanted... For now until forever."

 Chapter 48: Their First Night*

    <h4>Chapter 48: Their First Night*</h4>

    Indra was a person who only rarely showed his emotions on his face, but Enyo''s sincere eptance had caused him to do just that.

    The smile he used was one of true relief, and eternal gratitude.

    Despite everything that he and Enyo had already experienced, there was always a part of him that was afraid she would back out of being with him at thest moment.

    After all, he saw himself as a rather boring person.

    He was only good for silence and sarcasticments, and his only hobbies were cultivating, reading, and drawing.

    Why would anyone be interested in being with someone as boring as that?

    He did not even take his looks into consideration, as he knew Enyo wasn''t a shallow enough person to stay with him solely because of something like that.

    In the back of his mind, there was always a small and lingering worry that she would eventually realize that he wasn''t interesting and leave him.

    His purpose for asking her for assurance was every bit as much for her as it was for him.

    In his eyes, Enyo had epted him fully now, whether he was boring or not.

    And if the day came where she ever wanted to leave him, he would not let her.

    Even if it meant he had to chase her to the ends of this world and the next.

    Indra forcefully pressed his lips against Enyo''s and savored the sensation of her moaning lightly into his mouth.

    Slipping his hands downward, he sank his hands into her bubbly round ass and lifted her upwards.

    Positioning himself at her entrance, he slowly lowered her body down onto his shaft and savored the mind numbing feeling of her insides.

    The tightness was indescribable, and she felt him clinging onto his member so desperately that it would have broken off if his body were any weaker.

    But even then, the wetness leaking from her after two back to back orgasms was more than enough for him to slip inside.

    The deeper he went, the more desperate and erratic he felt her breathing bing in his mouth.

    Enyo couldn''t remember thest time she felt this good, and with every inch that Indra pushed inside of her, he found a new spot that she''d never had stimted before.

    When all of Indra was inside, he was pressing lightly against her cervix, and she threw her head back as she moaned louder than ever before.

    Indratched onto her neck and began sucking like he was trying to leave marks instead of feed as he rhythmically thrusted into Enyo from below.

    The repeated pounding against such a sensitive part of her body caused her to temporarily lose control of her demeanor.

    Her inhibitions worn down, she started screaming out obscenities and depraved words from the top of her lungs.

    More than simply swears, these were professed obsessions and derations.

    She told him just how desperately she loved him, as she begged for him to mark her on the deepest ces inside her body.

    But what flipped a switch in Indra was her begging to bear his child.

    "I-Indra, please get me pregnant! I want to have your baby..!"

    As soon as the words left Enyo''s lips, Indra felt his instinctspletely take over.

    He threw Enyo back onto the bed and hovered over her like a wolf above a babymb.

    Thrusting his hips forward, he knocked against her cervix much more fiercely than before, and Enyo let out a howl mixed with pain and pleasure as she came immediately.

    She had already been at her wits end from the moment that he thrusted himself inside of her, and the sudden increase in his ferocious assault made it impossible for her to hang on.

    Loud cracking sounds could be heard as Enyo literally crushed Indra''s bones into powder with her strength, but he actually felt as though he couldn''t care less.

    This feeling of touching the deepest and most sacred parts of the woman he loved was like nothing that he''d ever known in his life.

    No matter what, he didn''t think he could ever bring himself to stop.

    By now, Enyo had almostpletely soaked his lower body and the bed underneath them.

    Her orgasms were timed so frequently that she was having a new one every ten strokes, leaving her locked in a pleasurable hell that she had no desire to escape from.

    After several minutes of their depraved passion, Indra felt his own orgasm approaching.

    He remembered Enyo''s desperate plea for him to get her pregnant and his lust spiraled to an out of control height.

    He tightly wrapped his arms around Enyo''s waist as he drilled himself into her for a final time, and bit down on her shoulder out of instinct.

    Even though she had no blood for him to drink, he still savored the taste of her flesh and the euphoric wave of pleasure that came with finishing inside of her.

    Enyo also enjoyed the sensation of having her already full insides being further filled by Indra''s children.

    And with his desperate attempt to ''feed'' from her, she felt fulfilled both physically and emotionally.

    So it was no surprise when she had her hardest orgasm of the night and her body started to spasm uncontrobly.

    Indra held his love possessively as he continued to try to feed from her while still filling her with his seed.

    But even though he wasn''t drinking anything... he felt another strange urrence taking ce within his body.

    Simr to when he drank from Vermeil, he began to see shes of her memories.

    Some were from when the vampires were still thriving, but the longer he kept his fangs buried within her, the further back he went.

    Eventually, he started to see visions that came from when she was still alive, but he quickly decided he didn''t wish to see any more.

    That part of Enyo''s life was still private.. if she had not yet told him about it, then he would not pry.

    However, there were other things that came from their total union.

    Before he knew what was happening, Indra began to feel a burning sensation traveling through his entire body.

    He quickly released Enyo andy her softly on the bed as he looked down at his hands.

    Just like her, he was bing incorporeal; a spirit.

    "H-Honey..?"

    He quickly forgot all about what was happening to him as he looked down at the woman on the bed.

    Even though she shouldn''t have been capable, Enyo was clearly sweating.

    "I-I feel really hot..."

    Enyo held up one of her slender hands and it started to melt into a puddle of ck sludge.

    Once she saw herself entering into a strange liquid state, she began to panic and her body started to break down even further.

    Indra watched in horror as the woman he loved literally broke down in front of his eyes, and became a mass of horrifying ck goo.

    "Enyo!"

 Chapter 49: The New Mrs. Ascalon

    <h4>Chapter 49: The New Mrs. Ascalon</h4>

    Indra hesitantly reached out and touched the puddle of ck goo that had be his beloved partner.

    As soon as his finger made contact with it, a series of bright purple eyes sprang up all throughout the goo.

    He would recognize those eyes anywhere, even if there were now multiple of them and they were significantly more unnerving.

    "Enyo, can you hear me...?"

    "Y-Yes, b-but what''s happened to me!? I look like I''m made out of tar!"

    Indra didn''t exactly have an answer for that either and he wracked his brain trying toe up with one.

    Suddenly, he remembered the fact that his body was now in a spiritual state, and a small hypothesis began to form within his mind.

    Concentrating, he forced his body to retake physical form.

    It took a few seconds to get used to, but eventually he let out a sigh of relief when his skin was no longer translucent, and he reformed his flesh and blood.

    Finally, the gears started to turn within his brain.

    Like when he drank from Vermeil earlier, he seemed to have exchanged something with Enyo upon biting her with the intent to feed.

    However, he was still rather unsure of what exactly that was.

    But he was quickly beginning to formte a theory.

    Vermeil was fine when he left her, other than the fact that she was horny enough to fuck a cucumber.

    And through the use of the shared connection he now shared with her, he could see that she was fine and napping on the couch, dreaming of doing the same things with him that he''d just done with Enyo.

    She showed no signs of mutating, nor of having her body''sposition changing anytime soon.

    So then what happened to Enyo?

    His only guess was that he had done something like nted a seed in Vermeil, but since things never progressed any further it was never properly ''watered'' so to speak.

    He had never been so grateful for the fact that he wasn''t the kind of person to carelessly act on his libido, or else he might have put her in an irreversible predicament.

    For right now however, he could worry about things like thatter and instead focus on helping Enyo.

    "Listen to me, my love. It''s just like switching between your corporeal and incorporeal states. If you only remain calm, you should be able to revert back to normal."

    The irony of Indra telling her to remain calm when he himself was actually quite worked up was not lost on Enyo.

    She couldn''t exin it, but even though she was used to her beloved Indra not showing any discernible traces of emotion she could feel the anxiety that was literally wafting off his being.

    ''He... is this worried about me..?''

    Touched by Indra''s level of concern, Enyo finally began to calm down.

    And sure enough, once she did so, her body started toe back together once again.

    Bit by bit, her medley of eyes disappeared and her motherly and dangerously sinful figure came back into full view.

    Enyo shed Indra a sheepish smile that seemed to confirm just how embarrassed she was from showing him such a disy.

    "Whoops... seems I may have ruined the mood just a bit."

    Indra wanted tough at her joke, but he was having a hard time finding anything funny about this situation.

    This was the first time he ever felt worried about ingesting the blood of the old one, as well as raised questions over what exactly he had be.

    The moment that Enyo''s body literally dissolved in front of him... it was the most frightening moment that he''d ever been through.

    The fear that he would never see that beautiful face again, or hear her warm and seductive voice was enough to calcify him.

    What if something like that happened again?

    What if he wasn''t able to rectify the problem as easily as he was today?

    That fear was now lingering inside of his heart, and he didn''t know if he was ever going to be able to expel it from itself.

    "Enyo...I..."

    Perhaps due to their new connection, Enyo was easily able to sense the way that Indra was feeling inside.

    As such, she didn''t allow him to feel sad for even a moment, as she firmly wrapped her nude body around him in a loving embrace.

    He admittedly felt very caught off guard, as he was still too deep in his own mind to notice her sifting through it.

    "What are you..?"

    "I think I like being able to read your mind, it helps me know whenever you''re thinking something silly."

    Enyo suddenly cupped her beloved''s face in her hands and showed him a smile that was absolutely blinding.

    "You don''t need to worry about anything happening to us. No matter what you be, no matter what that blood has made you, I will always love you.

    From now until the end of time, you are mine and I am yours, yes? That means that every part of you is in my possession, even the parts that you hold fear of. And I will ept them all."

    Once again Enyo was disying a remarkable ability to hold Indra''s emotions in the palm of her hand.

    The string of words that she had woven together served to not only make him feel epted, but it made him see her as an unspeakably precious existence.

    The obsession that he already had with her was building and building beyond any identifiable metric.

    "Are you sure about that? There still exists a chance that I will be an unholy abomination that is hunted by every soul in this world." Indra reminded gently.

    "Then we will be monsters together, and we will raze everything in front of us until we are free to live as we choose." Enyo said.

    Indra was surprised by herck of hesitation in her answer, but more than that he was relieved to hear her say it all the same.

    Enyo lightly pressed her lips against his and kissed him tenderly, which healed thest of Indra''s worried psyche and gave him new and much needed rity.

    Now, he knew exactly what he had to do.

    Without breaking their kiss, Indra asked a single question directly to her mind.

    ''Enyo... Will you be my wife?''

    He felt her shudder a bit in his grasp and felt a small tear spill from one of her eyes onto his cheek.

    ''You cannot possibly understand how long I have waited for you to ask that ...yes!''

    When the two of them finally separated, both of them were wearing the most gorgeously happy smiles that they could muster.

    Enyo suddenly slipped from his grasp andid back on the bed with her arms out in a waiting embrace.

    "That means that this is our first night together. Let''s not end things so soon, okay honey?"

    Indra smiled predatorily as he felt his ancient heart beating loud enough to be heard through his chest.

    He predatorily crawled atop Enyo, and savored in the sight of her shivering beneath his gaze.

    "I may not be able to take things easy on you anymore after hearing all that, but you will have none but yourself to me. "

    "I am not afraid, dear. As far as I''m concerned you can stay inside of me all night!"

    *They went for three more hours before Enyo passed out and showed no signs of recovering.

 Chapter 50: New Element?

    <h4>Chapter 50: New Element?</h4>

    Unlike Enyo, Indra did not go to sleep.

    His spirit felt all light and giddy, and as a result he spent the rest of the night watching her sleep and memorizing every nook, line, and cranny of her body.

    By now, he knew her figure even better than she did.

    He sat next to her on the bed silently, a small sketchbook in his hand and a writing utensil in the other.

    While she was slumbering, he had been drawing her figure meticulously, and by now his drawing was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

    She had been sketched resting on her side, with half of her body covered by a nket and the rest exposed to himself and the dark room.

    The way she had been drawn was more tasteful instead of lustful, as none of her figures had been exaggerated or emphasized for any reason.

    To him, she was beauty personified and needed no alteration.

    Once he was finished, he let out a small sigh of relief before admiring his handiwork.

    ''A wife, huh...?''

    It honestly still didn''t feel real to Indra.

    He did not at all regret his choice, but it was amitment made in the heat of the moment.

    There were still a great many things that he did not know about being a husband, or about being in a rtionship in general.

    He hoped that he would perform adequately, and the woman that he had chosen to be with would never want for anything.

    ''Speaking of women...''

    Indra silently slipped out of bed and pulled on his ck and red kimono.

    Afterwards, he shrank his body down into a small ck rat with beady red eyes.

    Scampering towards his bedroom door, he squeezed his body underneath it and appeared out of the other side.

    There, he found two girls within the hallway, sleeping with their heads resting against the door.

    He actually noticed them quite a long time ago, but had decided never to act on his discovery until this very moment.

    Lucia''s nipples were still hard and could be seen through her dress, meanwhile Keran had a thin line of drool spilling from her lips.

    ''Little perverts.. I hope that you enjoyed the show at least.''

    He wasn''t exactly sure how much they had heard from their ce outside, but he knew based on Lucia''s body condition that they had at least heard Enyo moaning.

    Without waking the girls, he carried them both to their rooms and closed the door without lingering to ogle them any further.

    Once they were back inside and resting properly, he silently treaded downstairs and found Vermeil sleeping on the couch.

    But... she wasn''t sleeping in a normal position.

    Her dress had been pulled up so that her panties were exposed, and her hand was nestledfortably within them.

    A quick sniff of the air told him that she wasn''t doing anything dirty, just sleeping in an awkward position like some kind of drunk old man.

    No matter what, he vowed that he would never let her live this down once she woke up.

    Turning his attention away from the sleeping Vermeil, he peered out the window to the world outside.

    Things were still quiet and dark, but a faint light was beginning toe over the horizon to signify the approach of morning.

    Before he knew what he was doing, he''d opened the door and stepped outside into the cold, crisp air.

    As he walked along the dewey grass, his clothes changed into his tactical outfit, and his hair became tied above his head.

    There was a small dock on theke in front of Lucia''s cabin, and he silently treaded onto the wooden nks before sitting crosslegged on the ground.

    With everyone else asleep and the world around him quiet, Indra could think of no better time or scenario to progress in his cultivation.

    It was too bad that he was not back inside his old castle and immersed within total darkness, but as they say, beggars cannot be choosers.

    Closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing to the point that there was hardly any airing into his lungs at all, and he began to extract qi from the environment around him.

    Upon trying to pull it into his core, he noticed an rming change within his body.

    Right next to his electrical element, there was an entirely new one nestled within his core.

    ''Gravity...''

    Indra easily recognized the cold touch of space that came with this new element, although where it came from was still a mystery.

    Or maybe it wasn''t?

    Once again Indra recalled the time where he drank from Vermeil, and the pieces of the puzzle started to connect.

    This was clearly what he had taken from her when they arrived yesterday.

    He wondered if she still had the element herself or if he had robbed her of itpletely.

    If he did, the most respectful thing to do would be to give it back, right?

    ''.... But I want to y with it first.''

    In a rare disy of childishness that he would apologize forter, Indra concentrated on the new element inside himself.

    As he''d been taught by Enyo, he used the element of gravity as a catalyst in the hopes of creating some kind of grand spectacle.

    His body became covered in a starry purple energy, and a strange urrence happened in the world around him.

    Creak!

    ''Oh?''

    Without opening his eyes or breaking his concentration, Indra knew exactly what had just happened.

    identally, it seemed like he had multiplied the gravity around him.

    The water was showing signs of disturbance, the boardwalk he was sitting on was struggling under the added burden, and even his own body was feeling an increased strain from this action.

    ''Sorry, Vermeil... I may not be able to give this back..!'' he thought excitedly.

    He had only done one simple thing with the element of gravity, but already he was attached to it.

    Combat uses aside, if he progressed this talent further he could use it to forge his body!

    Through repeated strain and burden ced on oneself, they can make their flesh and bones tougher, enhancing their physical strength and durability by miles.

    If used properly, even a first level mortal realm cultivator can have a bodyparable to someone on the second level of the beast realm.

    Indra already had criminally unfair healing, but what if he had insane durability to go with it?

    Even in a trance, Indra could not suppress the small fanged smile that spread across his lips as he thought of what he could be.

 Chapter 51: A Morning Swim

    <h4>Chapter 51: A Morning Swim</h4>

    Vermeil groggily woke up from her impromptu slumber on the couch and sat up.

    Wiping her face of drool, she looked up at the rising sun that was just beginning to peek through the curtains.

    However, her eyes went wide when she saw something that didn''t quite make sense.

    Pulling down her clothes and straightening up her hair, she opened up the door quietly and stepped outside barefoot.

    Quietly, she slowly approached the dock where she could see a man that she was very familiar with sitting on the ground, with his hair floating above his head.

    But that wasn''t all.

    Droplets of water were drifting up from theke in absurd amounts, almost as if there was no gravity to keep them held down.

    With the dim sunlight passing through them and bouncing off of each other, an absolutely beautiful picture was created.

    ''Times like this.. it really hits me that I''m not on earth anymore.''

    Vermeil silently crept forward amongst this wonderful scenery, and her steps got lighter and lighter with every step she took.

    By the time she was within ten feet of Indra, her hair had also begun to float above her head, and her steps took her significantly farther than she wanted them to.

    Somehow, she was able to regain control of herself and came in front of the cultivating vampire.

    ''Isn''t this something?'' She thought amusedly.

    When cultivating, it wasn''t umon for people to enter into a trace that left thempletely oblivious to the outside world.

    She just never expected for Indra to be one of those people.

    The handsome vampire had ingrained himself in her mind as someone who always remained constantly vignt and never let his guard down, and yet she had been able to get this close to him without setting him off in the slightest.

    ''Maybe I have the talent to be an assassin in this world?'' She thought happily.

    Jokes aside, Vermeil squatted directly in front of Indra and stared at his face meticulously.

    No matter how many times she saw him, she didn''t believe she would ever get used to staring at this man''s unnecessarily handsome face.

    She thought that as someone from the 21st century, the interest that she had in pretty people would be severely diluted.

    After all, if she just got on any social media site she could have scrolled past 60 in a minute.

    But for some reason, no matter how many time she stared at Indra she would always find him utterly intoxicating and dreamlike.

    And upon remembering the little love bite that he''d given her yesterday, she felt her body beginning to heat up from her long held fantasy that had finallye to fruition.

    "What are you doing, Vermeil?"

    "UWAH!!"

    SPLASH!

    Vermeilically fell back into the water behind her, and Indra finally returned the world''s gravity to normal as he opened his eyes.

    With a look of pity, he stared down into the water beneath him at the young girl who was smiling sheepishly despite being soaking wet.

    "Hahaha... I was just, umm... making sure you were still alive!"

    "Oh really?"

    "Y-Yea!"

    "Well I''m touched by your concern, but I would advise that you don''t lie to beings who can read your mind in the future."

    Vermeil''s eyes became asrge as the fish in the water alongside her as she realized that she could indeed feel some sort of new connection between herself and Indra.

    All of her pervy tendencies!

    Her otaku thoughts and fantasies!

    And the hours upon hours of smut she wrote back on earth!

    It was allid bare in front of him!

    "No it''s not. I''m not going to gobing through your mind for stuff like that, but if you think about it so close to me then I will have no choice but to overhear." Indra rified.

    "Eep!"

    Vermeil let out a small yelp as she shook her head free of dirty thoughts and crawled out of theke water.

    Looking down at her dress, she realized that she didn''t have any other clothes to wear and let out a groan of indignation.

    "Fuck... I really miss my leggings and oversized hoodies..."

    "Clothes?"

    "Yes, clothes!"

    Indra shrugged his soldiers as he finally stood up from his ce on the dock.

    "I need to go into the city today to find something for Enyo. I''ll see if I can obtain something for you as well in that time."

    Vermeil felt her eyes start to sparkle like she was using her element of starlight and she immediately rushed to give Indra a wet hug.

    "Thank you, Indr-"

    At thest second, the vampire held up his hand to catch Vermeil by the face before she could vite his personal space.

    "Don''t do something unnecessary. It''s the least that I could do for taking your element without permission."

    "Hm?"

    Vermeil suddenly separated from Indra and looked at him strangely. "What''re you talking about? I still have both of my elements."

    "Are you certain??" He asked suspiciously.

    Vermeil closed her eyes to concentrate for a moment before she reopened them a few secondster.

    "Yea, I still have it. Why would you think you took it from me?"

    Indra did not answer and instead merely stared at Vermeil like he was waiting for some kind of understanding to lunge out at him.

    Was his element of gravity some kind of copy?

    It certainly felt enough like the real thing.

    Current questions aside, the most important thing was...

    "Right then... I no longer owe you anything."

    "Wait, no! Pleaseeee get me clothes!!" Vermeil was on the urge of falling onto her knees and crying all over the wooden dock.

    Indra wondered just how long he should prolong his joke, as he was honestly starting to enjoy himself.

    But only a few secondster, Vermeil would sap away all of his pleasant mood with her cruel words.

    "You might as well do it for me since you also need to get clothes for yourself! You''re not going to keep alternating between that ninja wear and your kimono forever, are you?!"

    "...What''s wrong with it..?"

    "Are you kidding me? Even for this world it''s retro! You''re really showing your 800 years of age by walking around like that!"

    Normally, Indra would have dismissed her words as if they were mere air but he couldn''t for one simple reason.

    He''d just gotten married.

    And women like it when their men dress nice.

    Would Enyo eventually lose interest in him because he dressed like an old man? ( She wouldn''t.)

    He had to resolve this potential problem before it even arose! (He didn''t because it wouldn''t.)

    "Fine... but you aren''ting with me." He finally muttered.

    "The fuck I''m not! I don''t really trust you to know what girls need or like!" She said firmly.

    ''That''s a good point...''

    Indra looked up at theke house they were staying in and reached an immediate solution to their current predicament.

    -

    When Lucia awoke, she stretched her voluptuous body sensually as she slowly sat up, shaking off the strange stiffness that arose within her shoulder and neck areas.

    Opening her eyes, she nearly leapt out of her skin as se found Indra sitting crosslegged at the foot of her bed, staring at her with his hypnotizing red eyes.

    "KYAAA!!!"

    "I''m d you''re finally awake. Come with me, we''re going shopping today."

 Chapter 52: Indra & Lucia’s Outing

    <h4>Chapter 52: Indra & Lucia''s Outing</h4>

    "In the middle of the day, at the end of the night, believe me I''m right by your side~! So if you need me, you can call me, I''ll be running for you darling~ Whatever it is, whatever you need I''lle full speed, guaranteed to-"

    "Lucia... what are you singing, my friend?"

    "I do not know, it''s one of those songs from Vermeil''s world that she always sings." She admitted. "Do I sound bad?"

    Indra would normally have opted for a fair bit of teasing when he heard a question like that, but since Lucia was the most sensitive out of all of hispanions he decided against it.

    "Not particrly. You actually sound even better than she does."

    "Hehe, don''t I?"

    The two of them were walking side by side on the streets of Ferran, attracting no small amount of attention.

    To outsiders, the two of them looked like they were on some kind of date and enjoying each other''spany.

    However, this also resulted in Indra receiving no small amount of strange looks.

    No matter how pretty Lucia''s upper body may have been, she was still a snake woman.

    To voluntarily get into bed with her was not only gross but also socially frowned upon.

    To fallen, it was only a step above co-mingling with a human of your own volition.

    However, Indra didn''t care about these looks.

    For one he would kill anyone who actually tried to harass them and for two he and Lucia weren''t in that sort of rtionship.

    Besides, his mind was much more focused on other matters.

    "Alright then, what do you want to buy, Indra?" Lucia suddenly asked.

    "Clothes for myself and Vermeil... and a wedding ring for Enyo."

    Lucia felt her ears twitch and she looked at Indra with sparkles in her eyes.

    "T-Then you two really...?"

    "Last night." He confirmed.

    "Eeep! Congrattions!!"

    Lucia immediately threw herself at Indra and gave him a fully unrestrained hug.

    Though she was a tiny bit jealous of Enyo, Lucia was a romantic at heart who loved love.

    So to have two of her closest friends suddenly tie the knot, she was more than a little excited.

    And because Indra could sense the pure emotions flowing from her, he did not push her away and allowed her to embrace him for a few moments.

    "O-Oh but wait!" She suddenly realized. "I think I might be able to get clothes for you and Vermeil but a ring is kind of..."

    "You''re silly."

    "Uwah! Indra, let go of my face!"

    "No."

    Once again, Indra had grabbed onto Lucia''s perfect cheeks and started to pull them like taffy.

    "I''m slightly insulted, Lucia. You''ve already done a lot for me and you think that I will ask you for more? I''m hurt to know that this is what you think of me."

    To really sell the act, Indra put on a pitiful look like he''d just been kicked while he was down.

    "I-I''m sorry, I''m sorry! I didn''t know you had money!"

    "I don''t. I''m going to go make some first."

    "Eh?"

    Lucia thought of possible ways that someone like Indra could make money quickly.

    The longer she looked at his face, only one idea came to mind.

    "Indra... judging by how Enyo seems to have a real jealous streak, I don''t think she''d approve of you selling yourself..."

    Disbelief and utter confusion were shown on the vampire''s face as his grip on Lucia''s cheeks finally loosened.

    "Why on earth would you think-"

    "Excuse me, pretty boy!"

    The pair were suddenly approached by a woman with demonic horns curling from her head and mischievous ck eyes.

    "Did I hear that you''re for sale? Because I would love to take a turn on you~!"

    She opened her purse and shed Indra an amount of money that would have immediately made a lesser man drop his draws.

    Not just her, there were a few more women and a man on the street who looked like they were going to break the bank just to have Indra break them.

    "Lucia.."

    "Yesh?"

    "Just... take me to the nearest auction house before I kill everyone on this street."

    "Oh, okay!"

    -

    Lucia led Indra to a red building on the other side of the city that was already attracting a fair bit of attention.

    A steady stream of fallen were flowing into the building, some of whom looked to have very deep pockets and others who looked like they were just hoping to get lucky.

    Lucia and Indra clearly looked like they belonged in two separate sses, leading to a pot bellied boarkin running up to Indra whilepletely ignoring hispanion.

    Wearing a simple dark suit and monocle with a medley of gold rings across his fingers, he was clearly very well off.

    Even without doing or saying anything, the man revealed himself to be greed personified.

    "Good day to you, sir! I don''t believe that I''ve seen you around these parts, is this your first time visiting our fine establishment?"

    "...."

    "...?"

    With Indra only staring at him and not bothering to speak, the auction manager believed that he may have been incapable or even had some sort of disability.

    Left with no alternative, he turned his attention to Lucia for the first time since approaching.

    "Pardon me, but is your master possibly mute?"

    Lucia was not particrly unused to being treated like some sort of secondary character in her life, so she did not take offense to his rude behavior or assumptions.

    "He is my friend, not my master. And try not to take it personally, he only rarely speaks to people upon first meeting them. He was the same way with me when we first met."

    "I... see then? Were the two of you hoping to attend the auction?"

    "Not in the normal sense, I believe he has an item that he''d like to have put up today."

    The auction manager stoked his fat chin as he thought about today''s current line up.

    "Today is already full of items and I don''t know how much extra space we have to..."

    The words of the auctioneer gradually trailed off as Indra reached inside of his storage ring and pulled out a booklet.

    When the owner of the auction house saw the red binding, he knew that it was an advanced grade cultivation technique.

    And it was very, very, old.

    "M-May... may I see it?" He asked weakly.

    Indra looked at his plump hands coldly and waited for him to put on a pair of ck gloves.

    The auctioneer treated the book tenderly as he flipped through it, almost like it was the virgin body of a woman whom he was madly in love with.

    With every page he flipped through, his eyes became wider and wider until they were on the verge of falling onto the floor.

    "Oink..."

 Chapter 53: Hypotheticals

    <h4>Chapter 53: Hypotheticals</h4>

    After the auctioneer finished picking his jaw up from the ground, he immediately made arrangements for Lucia and Indra to be taken to the best viewing room in the building.

    In the blink of an eye, they had gone from standing in the front of the grand hall to being waited on hand and foot within avish room.

    The pair sat on afy leather couch with a tray of food and wine lying in front of them.

    In all of her life, Lucia had never been in such high ss surroundings before, and she was more than a little thrilled by this turn of events.

    "Indra, what exactly did you give that guy to make him react like this?!"

    "I merely gave him one of the old cultivation manuals from the vault back home. It was one of the lowest grade I had, but he reacted quite strongly to it. Who knew?"

    "And... exactly what grade is it and what kind of technique is inside?" Lucia asked.

    "Advanced grade... a fist art I think."

    Now even Lucia was looking at Indra like he was a goose that could shit golden eggs.

    Advanced grade or higher techniques were usually only passed down to high ranking members of the fallen army, and only rarely fall into the hands of the public.

    And yet her friend did not even seem the least bit bothered by the fact that he had given one up, as well as alluding to the fact that there were greater items in his possession.

    ''Does that mean he has heavenly and transcendent manuals too..?'' she wondered curiously.

    She opened her mouth to ask him, when Indra suddenly nced at the door and paused like he was waiting for something.

    Almost twenty secondster, the double doors to their viewing suite opened and five women strode in.

    All of them were scantily d, with various assets spread across different areas but equally beautiful.

    "Mr. Varken has requested that wee in and make your stay as weing as possible."

    "We hope that we are to your liking~"

    "I was not expecting him to be so handsome..."

    "May I ask exactly what kind of fallen you are? You seem to be very exotic."

    "..."

    Indra gave the women his usual icey stare as he turned back around in his seat, clearly uninterested.

    However, these women were both too prideful to calmly ept rejection and too enthralled by his good looks to slip away.

    Ignoring Lucia once again, one of the women unhooked her dress from her shoulders and allowed it to fall to the ground without a sound.

    Swaying her hips as she walked, she approached Indra from behind and ced one of her hands on his exposed chest.

    "Don''t be shy, you''ll hurt our feelings. Why don''t we-"

    "INDRA!"

    Whoosh!

    Lucia had only barely managed to catch the moment were dark yellow ws burst from his fingertips.

    When hispanion called him, Indra halted his ws mere inches away from the handsy courtesan''s eyes, and she fell to the ground in horror.

    "You know how I feel about being touched by women who aren''t her, Lucia." He reminded calmly.

    "Yes I know, but they are only doing what they were sent to do and what they thought you would like. You cannot kill them for that." She said gently.

    "I think Enyo would want me to."

    "That doesn''t make it right on her part either. " Lucia said with a helpless smile.

    Indra took a moment to respond, and his ws remained out and searching for blood.

    Lucia thought that she may have won him over and prepared to offer the girls an apology when he asked her a question that she wasn''t expecting.

    "If I belonged to you, what would you want? Could you stand to see me touched by leeches so casually?"

    Caught off guard by the unexpected hypothetical, Lucia blinked her eyes several times as she allowed those words to sink in.

    She pictured herself happy with Indra, as his second or even third wife.

    Lying in bed with him, Enyo, and Keran, going on dates with him, and even possibly having a child together.

    For some reason, it did not bother her when she thought of living as his wife alongside the two of them.

    But when she thought of another random woman trying to jump at him from off the street, she had an ugly feeling start to bubble in her chest.

    She was not sure why she felt like this all of a sudden, but she knew that she at least had her answer.

    "I... would not." She admitted with great difficulty.

    Indra stred at her slightly embarrassed face and pink cheeks before retracting his ws back into his fingertips.

    Turning his eyes back to the woman who had tried to assault him, he stared at her coldly without uttering a single word more.

    With tears in the eyes that she''d almost lost, it seemed like she had taken the hint that she wasn''t wee and she crawled across the floor to retrieve her dress.

    She and the other four courtesans quickly left the room not long after, profusely apologizing for the interruption.

    Indra finally sat back down and folded his arms, seemingly drained from the ordeal he''d just went through.

    "Can I ask you something?"

    Indra opened one eye and nced at themia who was staring at him a bit ufortably.

    "You.. really love Enyo, don''t you?"

    "I do."

    "Do you think you will ever love Keran in that same way or... me?"

    Truthfully, this wasn''t a question Indra really wanted to answer.

    Dealing with Keran always gave him a headache, as he knew that the two of them had loved each other greatly in the past.

    And though he was often nice to her, it was a far cry from the devout and passionate lust he once held for her.

    He honestly did not know if he could ever proim loudly that he loved her as he could with Enyo.

    As for Lucia... he had many more questions.

    She was pretty and sweet, and he was unbothered by her snake-like lower half.

    However, some of her personality traits made him think they may not be good together.

    She was bright and sparkly with an outgoing personality and a slightly mischievous side.

    She and Enyo were a lot alike in that regard, but Enyo was azy soul like Indra, and if he spent a week reading in silence, she would spend it asleep beside him.

    However, he knew that Lucia was more adventurous.

    He thought that a day might arise when they were together and she would try to force him out of hisfort zone, and he was unsure of how he felt about the prospect.

    It could be wonderful, but it could also lead to him fostering resentment against her if he did not truly love her enough to enjoy every day alongside her, no matter what they were doing.

    And if such a thing as that were to happen, they would likely both end up hurt.

    That wasn''t good for either of them.

    Besides, Enyo seemed not to want to share him.

    And if it was against her wishes, he would never take another wife after her.

    The feelings of others be damned.

    "Lucia..." He began. "I don''t know if-"

    "FALLEN, YOUNG AND OLD!! TODAY, YOU ARE IN FOR A VERY SPECIAL AUCTION!"

    Indra and Lucia were both jolted from their conversation by the loud voice of the boarkin from below.

    Through the window separating them from the audience, they could see him standing on the stage and looking very pleased.

    Today, he could just feel that he was going to make a lot of money.

    And conversely, so would Indra.

 Chapter 54: VIP Status

    <h4>Chapter 54: VIP Status</h4>

    "And for the next item on our list, we have a rare heirloom ne created by the hands of an actual sect master!!"

    "By the five, is this true??"

    "I can''t believe it..."

    "A real sect... I should like to know which one created this before I buy it!"

    The auctioneer smiled as he tried to hide his overwhelming glee.

    The sound of money flowing into his pockets was always a wee one.

    "Please, please settle down everyone! All of your questions will be answered soon enough!"

    While the auctioneer was focused on filling his pockets, Indra and Lucia were still seated within their viewing room, watching the unfolding spectacle with neutral gazes.

    "What is a sect?" Indra asked.

    Lucia looked at her friend strangely, as if she could not believe that he didn''t know such basic information.

    But upon remembering his 500 year absence from the world, she realized that it wasn''t strange for him to be missing certain bits of information.

    "Sects are secret schools in Tayar that teach cultivation. They are seen as ces of great wisdom, and they do not interfere in the war in any way."

    "Oh? And here I thought this world was utterlycking in neutrality."

    "No, there are still those like you who feel that they cannot be bothered or are above conflict."

    Lucia''s joke may have seemed usatory, but Indra could sense that she was merely poking fun at his quiet nature and did not mean anything by it.

    Therefore he did not take offense, and even smiled wryly at her jest.

    "How nice then. I suppose I might like to find one of these groups of likeminded people."

    "Good luck! There are only seven in the world, and no one knows where they are located. Typically when recruiting they are not found, they are the ones who do the finding."

    Indra took her words as some kind of slight challenge and made up his mind to do so.

    He noticed Lucia staring at the ne rather intently, and he wondered if she secretly desired it.

    "Do you like that? I can get it for you."

    The auctioneer had already told him that if he saw anything he wanted in the auction he need only say something and it would be his with no fuss.

    The value of his ancient advanced cultivation art was just that high.

    Lucia looked a bit flustered by his offer and gave him a wry smile.

    "Should you not be thinking about getting something for Enyo instead of me? I had never taken you for a disloyal man, Indra."

    "You know better than that." Indra yfully pushed Lucia on the arm as he sat up on the couch.

    "I already have my eye out for something for my wife, but since you are staring at this ne so fiercely I figure that you must truly want it."

    "...I...would not mind having it, I suppose." She said shyly.

    Indra cracked his lips in a small smile as he made a small gesture with his hand.

    The auctioneer noticed this immediately, and stopped taking offers without batting an eye.

    "Apologies,dies and gentlemen. A VIP has expressed interest in this item and as such we must unfortunately cease the bids on this item."

    There were more than a few disappointed sighs and cries of upset from the crowd, but the auctioneer remained unconcerned as he had the ne wheeled off the stage.

    Soon the next item was brought up, and for the first time Indra showed some degree of self interest.

    "Now now, for you cultivators I have something that will desperately improve your moods!"

    He gestured to the case beside him which contained sparkling ck dust that glittered like jewels of no realparison.

    "This is Moon Touched Diamond Dust! It is incredibly rare and one of the most exciting items of the day!

    With this, a cultivator can... I''m sorry, we cannot ept any bids on this item."

    "Ohe on!"

    "Why even bring it out then?!"

    "I usually prefer dinner and a bit of forey before I get fucked!"

    Once again the crowd became more than a little bit irate, but the auctioneer remained unbothered as he had the dust transported off the stage and delivered to Indra.

    The case of dust along with the ne were delivered to their room a few momentster, and Lucia smiled as she watched Indra ept both.

    "I never thought I would see a man so excited over sand."

    "This is no simple sand, Lucia." He said with a small smirk.

    "I can use it to forge my body. Make myself stronger, more durable, and harder to kill."

    "I see... no wonder everyone was so upset."

    "Indeed, though I fail to understand why they thought they would survive the process." He muttered.

    Indra suddenly removed the second item from a wooden box, it was a golden ne with arge red gem as the centerpiece.

    Walking towards the couch where Lucia sat, he draped it over her neck from behind and started to sp it closed.

    Themia felt her face heat up and she moved her long ck hair to the side so that he had easier ess.

    When he was done, she hesitantly touched the precious amulet around her neck as if she couldn''t believe that it was real.

    In this moment, she felt as though shecked the proper words to proim her gratitude.

    "It suits you." Indra said inly. "You look very lovely."

    Lucia felt her face bing warmer by the second as she dropped her eyes, unable to meet Indra''s gaze.

    "Really... thank you, Indra."

    "Try not to be misty eyed, little snake. This is a simple gesture, not worth a drop of water from your eyes."

    Indra knew that Lucia was often unconfident and used to being mistreated, and he wanted to slowly break her out of that.

    This was only a small gift, and he hadn''t even paid for it.

    He gradually wanted her to be ustomed to grander and better things, without being grateful for scraps.

    After all, he saw it as something she deserved.

    Though why he was worried about such a thing... he was notpletely sure.

    The two of them sat in silence not long after that, and watched the rest of the auction amidst the weird atmosphere.

    They sat for silence in so long, the time for thest item to be bidded upon came before they knew it.

    "Nowdies and gentlemen, that should be the end but we had a very generous donor ce an item up for auction today, and it is grand enough to make everything else put up for bidding today seem like garbage!"

    The boarkin held his hand up to a viewing room directly in the center of the auditorium, and several pairs of eyes peered through the window to stare directly at Indra for the first time.

    Needless to say, they were not expecting for him to look so young, or so enticing.

    The cultivation manual was brought onto the stage in a ss case and sitting atop a satin pillow, like a baby resting atop the chest of it''s mother.

    Once again, Indra sat up in his seat for the first time in a while.

    It was time to see just how much this little throwaway was worth.

 Chapter 55: Everyone is Rich as F*ck

    <h4>Chapter 55: Everyone is Rich as F*ck</h4>

    "Now I know this may seem like a tall tale, but I have personally verified the authenticity of this item and I can assure you that it is the real deal!"

    The auctioneer held out both hands and proudly presented thest item up for auction today.

    "This is an advanced grade martial art that is upwards of 500 years old, and in ster condition to boot! I present to you the Hollow Shadow Fist Art!"

    "Uwohhh!!"

    "Incredible.."

    "Fuck, I should have brought more money!"

    "You want that fist art, baby?"

    "Y-Yes, big momma..."

    "You know you''re gonna have to do some work for it, right~?"

    "Y-Yes ma''am..."

    The crowd became understandably abuzz with excitement, and it was clear that they had already forgiven Indra for the items he''d snatched up earlier.

    There were also more than a few people who were continuously looking back at him, curious as to how a young man like him could have possibly gotten his hands on such a treasure.

    Lucia noticed all of the eyes the two of them were receiving and she posed another question that she hadn''t thought about.

    "Hey Indra, aren''t you bothered by all of this?"

    "Hm?"

    "The attention and stuff? You''re kind of a reserved and quiet person after all."

    "Oh, that..."

    Truthfully, Indra hadn''t thought much about that.

    It was true that he preferred being alone in quiet and dark ces and hated being in ces with unfamiliar people.

    But conversely.. he was not the kind of person who thought to hide in his day to day life.

    As an assassin of the highest caliber, the only time he thought to make himself imperceptible was when someone was about to die.

    When he and Enyo first left the castle, he had already somewhat prepared himself for these ufortable instances and knew to ignore it the best he could.

    "This is what it means to be among the living, no? Let''s just make sure that we leave before these annoying stares turn into unnecessary meetings." He said.

    "Alright then." She said with a smile.

    Lucia once again felt herself getting lost in Indra''s charming face and demeanor, but she was quickly snapped out of it by a string of the most absurd words she''d ever heard.

    "We''ll open the bidding for this item at ten gold. Increased offers must be in increments of no less than five, so who would like to ce an opening bid?"

    "F-Fifteen!"

    "Twenty five!"

    "Fuck off, it''s mine! Forty!"

    Indra noticed that Lucia''s eyes had gone woozy like she was about to faint at any second.

    "Lucia?"

    "S-So much money..." she muttered dreamily.

    For reference, this world''s currency was divided into copper coins, silver, gold, and tinum.

    Copper are the mostmon and are worth the least, requiring just two of them to purchase an apple off the street.

    A single silver coin is the equivalent of 200 copper, and could be used to purchase a three night stay at an okay inn.

    Conversely, a gold coin is also the equivalent of 350 silver and ten of them could be used to purchase a three week residence at the best whorehouse in the city.

    If appraised, Lucia''s home and everything inside of it would be worth only five gold and a few silvers.

    So to hear these offers for what she considered arge amount of money flying around so casually, she having a difficult time keeping her cool.

    "Is it really that much?" Indra asked.

    "Y-Yes! We''re already at fifty gold, I don''t even think you would have made this much if you sold yourself!"

    Lucia looked down at the small bit of Indra''s chest that was exposed by his kimono and his strong hands with seemingly dexterous fingers.

    "O-Okay never mind, but it''s still a lot!" She yelled.

    Indra looked somewhat satisfied with this result as he continued to watch the bidding get more and more intense.

    "So I''ll be able to buy a good ring for Enyo then?"

    "You..! ...Yes, yes you will." Lucia said in exhaustion.

    "Wonderful then."

    The two of them continued to watch the auction for only a few minutes longer, before a suprising bidder would cut the entire auction short.

    "Two tinum!"

    A woman stood up from the crowd and immediately gave off a powerful impression as she yelled out her bid.

    She was beautiful, with the charming appearance of an older woman and a titaness embroiled into one.

    At six foot four, she was undoubtedly taller than almost all of the men in the room.

    She had creamy and unblemished skin, along with long purple hair that went down to her thighs.

    Her body was incredibly muscr and chiseled, along with a bountiful chest and behind that would make most men drool.

    Underneath her dark purple yukata was a set of the most tantalizing abs that one couldy eyes upon.

    The two horns sprouting from her forehead confirmed her heritage as an oni, giving her an air of unapproachability.

    After her bold decree, groans and fits of disappointment echoed in the auditorium, so the auctioneer knew that he wouldn''t be getting any higher bids today and immediately closed the auction.

    "SOLD! Congrattions to Miss Aveena for purchasing this one of a kind fist art for two tinum coins!!"

    "Seems like we did good." Indra nodded in satisfaction.

    "Dizzy.."

    Indra couldn''t even get a response to his words before Lucia''s amber eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted from shock.

    Her head floppedzily into hisp, and he looked at her with a small amount of concern and amusement.

    Anyone else around her economic status would undoubtedly understand exactly why she was behaving in such a manner.

    A tinum coin is the rarest most valuable out of the mary system, and one is the equivalent to 500 gold coins.

    She didn''t believe she''d ever see one in her life, let alone two of them.

    It was no wonder that she needed an impromptu nap after this.

    Like she was a cat, Indra calmly reached down and lightly stroked her face as she slept, and he stared into the back of the woman who''d just bought his technique.

    She noticed a gaze piercing into her from behind, and she turned around and the two of them met eye to eye for the first time.

    ''Beast realm...'' he thought.

 Chapter 56: Laying Claim

    <h4>Chapter 56: Laying im</h4>

    There was a polite knock on the door outside of Indra and Lucia''s viewing room that alerted him to the presence of visitors.

    He made a small waving motion with his hand and the door creaked open of its volition.

    Without even looking back, he knew that two people had just entered his room from the smell alone.

    One was the boarkin from earlier who he recognized easily due to his instinctive wild odor that was locked in a sparring match with the cheap cologne that also adorned his body.

    But the other was a much softer scent; like that of rose water and a small amount salt.

    He did not recognize this one.

    "Ahem, umm Mr. Indra? I''ve heard that there was a bit of a problem with the courtesans who were in here earlier?

    I assure you that I meant no disrespect and I was only trying to make your visit a hospitable one."

    Despite the fact that Indra was not looking at him, the auctioneer lowered his head in the hopes that he would seem more sincere.

    He had already heard the testimony of the women from earlier, so now he was extra careful when dealing with this client.

    The courtesans sent in earlier were all low talent cultivators at the fifth level of the mortal realm.

    This was preferable as it would both enhance their beauty and make their bodies tougher so that they might better handle the abuse of more unsavory clientele.

    Therefore, when the five of them said that they were almost attacked by Indra without even being able to see his movements, he knew this strange man was the real deal.

    Now, he had to tread even more carefully than before.

    Indra did not say anything after the hasty apology and instead continued to stroke Lucia''s smooth cheek as she slumbered.

    He heard the sound of footstepsing around in front of him and he found the same woman from before staring at him strangely.

    "A-Ah, I don''t know if you were watching during the auction but this is the madam who is responsible for the purchase of your item!" The auctioneer exined."

    "She wanted toe here personally to meet you and-"

    "It is as I thought... you really are quite handsome~" she purred.

    Before Indra could say anything, the woman squatted in front of him to analyze his face more carefully.

    "Your features are slightly feminine... yet your face has an obvious masculine charm..." She muttered.

    Aveena looked down at the sleeping Lamia on hisp who he hadn''t taken his eyes off of and she raised a brow in surprise.

    "Is she your woman?"

    "...No."

    ''Holy shit, his voice is deeper than I thought.'' The auctioneer was almost expecting for Indra to sound like a prepubescent boy since he never spoke.

    When Aveena''s violet eyes finally met Indra''s ruby ones, she released a predatory growl that made him feel like he was standing in front of a rabid lioness.

    "No woman then? So it seems that I am free toy im to you?"

    "You are not. I have a wife."

    "Mmh..? W-Who is your wife...?"

    Lucia finally started to stir awake and her eyes groggily creaked open.

    Once she realized her head was sitting in Indra''sp, her pink cheeks became several shades redder before she sat up and catapulted herself halfway across the room.

    "I-I-I''m sorry!" She stammered.

    "Lucia... do you even know what happened?" Indra asked with a sigh.

    "N-No, but I-"

    "Then why are you apologizing? If I allowed you to rest on me then obviously I must not have been upset."

    Ignoring the woman standing in front of him, Indra stood up from his seat and dusted off his kimono.

    Breezing past the lecherous oni, he moved through the room to tower above the auctioneer.

    Without saying anything, he merely held out his hand like he was waiting for his money to be ced in his palm.

    "A-Ah, miss Aveena said that she wanted toe and pay you directly, she has already payed ourmission fee, so-"

    "Eep!"

    Indra whirled around when he heard a small yelp escape from Lucia''s throat.

    He found the bewitching Lamia with her back against the wall, being loomed over by the 6''4 Aveena.

    "What is your rtionship with this man?"

    "W-We live together..?"

    "He says he has already been imed, is that true?"

    "Well yes, pretty much everyone in the house has shown some interest in him but he has only reciprocated the feelings of one."

    "I see then. Take me to her, I should like to challenge her for him!"

    Indra couldn''t exactly exin it, but something inside of him just snapped.

    When he heard this woman make a im to harm his precious Enyo, his body moved before he could even tell it not to.

    Throwing out a free hand, thin wire-like strings of ck blood left his fingertips.

    They wrapped around Aveena''s neck, arms, torso, and legs.

    They dug into her flesh deep enough to cause a small amount of blood to be drawn, which somehow only seemed to excite the oni more.

    "You are dangerous... you will make a very good mate indeed." She said happily.

    "And you will make a very cold corpse." He retorted.

    Just before Indra could tug on the strings and dice this woman up into bloody chunks, the auctioneer ran in between them with his arms stretched wide.

    "P-Please good sir, quell your anger! I can assure you that she means no disrespect, the women of her tribe are simply more on the forceful side as they live by matriarchalws.

    Once they find a male they are interested in they take it upon themselves to tame him forcefully if they are not spoken for, s-so it really is more of apliment you see..!"

    The auctioneerughed nervously in the hopes that he would calm Indra down and chalk this situation up as one amusing misunderstanding, but he was having no such luck.

    Indra didn''t care in the slightest whether this woman found him attractive or not.

    All that he was focused on was the fact that this woman had just levied a threat against his wife.

    And that was more than enough reason for her head to roll.

    "It seems I''ve upset you."

    Suddenly, parts of Aveena''s skin and horns started to umte red markings.

    She flexed her tight and powerful muscles and Indra''s threads immediately snapped.

    She casually tossed her hair over her shoulder as she smiled at Indra provocatively.

    Her hand went to her bleeding neck and pulled away with blood on her fingers.

    The crazed smile on her face became wider as she licked her own blood without breaking eye contact with him.

    "You are certainly not as weak of a male as I initially suspected. Conquering you will have more meaning than any other!"

 Chapter 57: Finally! Shopping!

    <h4>Chapter 57: Finally! Shopping!</h4>

    Indra and Aveena were locked within a bitter stalemate as the two cultivators stared each other down like they were prepared for an inevitable conflict.

    "H-Hey, let''s just go, alright?" Lucia said worriedly.

    "Y-Yes, yes please! This is a ce for goods to be bartered for, not wars to be waged!" The auctioneer agreed.

    The boarkin turned to the towering oni who was still licking her wounds and nearly fell on his knees to beg.

    "M-Miss Aveena, could you please just pay the young man without further causing a fuss..!"

    Aveenavisciously dragged her gaze up and down Indra''s body for a final time before she reached in her back pocket.

    She pulled out a hefty pouch containing the funds from his purchase, and she tossed it to Indra with a smile.

    "Don''t spend it all in one ce, handsome."

    Catching it, Indra was surprised that it wasn''t lighter than this, only to realize that Aveena must have made it easier to break down for spending.

    Afterall, there were surely a great many shops that couldn''t even hope to ept such an exhorbitant sum of money.

    "W-Well, we''ll be leaving now then!" Lucia said as she grabbed Indra by the arm.

    "Y-Yes, doe again!"

    The auctioneer waved them both out the door and didn''t stop smiling until they left.

    -

    Lucia and Indra finally exited the auction house and entered back into the street at around midday.

    Once the two of them were finally out, she gave him a small punch in the ribs that he found rather endearing.

    "What is with you?? Have the centuries you spent asleep rendered you so cranky? Why must you always pick fights, Indra?" She asked angrily.

    The vampire didn''t know why, but he ended up repeating words that he didn''t believe he''d ever heard before.

    "Life is a fight, Lucia...".

    The snake girl recognized theplicated light within his eyes and she slithered closer to him.

    Oblivious to the looks that they were receiving on the street, she ced one of her hands on his cheek and looked at him sadly.

    "It doesn''t have to be... You are not a monster driven solely by the thought of the next battle that awaits you, so why must you behave as one? Who has made you think that this is how you have to be?"

    For some reason, that question filled Indra with both heartache and a headache, as he realized exactly what the answer to such a question was.

    "I... don''t know."

    Lucia slipped her arms around his midsection and she embraced him in a firm hug right in the middle of the street, earning more than a few jealous nces.

    But she didn''t care.

    Even if Indra didn''t know why he was behaving like this, she had some guesses.

    Normally she would never talk to him about his family as she was sure that it was an ufortable subject, but she felt as if now was the right time for it.

    "You''re all alone now and I''m sorry for that, but it also means that you get to choose the way you want to be for the rest of your life and nobody else has any say over it.

    So be the gentle man that I and everyone else already know you to be. That is who you truly are, not some tyrannical monster who kills at the drop of a hat. You have a good heart that I..."

    Lucia had to bite her tongue to keep herself from identally talking her speech too far and saying something she shouldn''t.

    Her body stiffened up as she tried to release Indra to put some space between them, but he held onto her firmly to prevent her escape.

    "I understand... I will try to cause less incidents in the future and... I am grateful for your feelings, Lucia."

    A small squeal would have escaped the lips of themia if she had not bit them at thest second.

    The two of them finally separated and she felt her insides beginning to melt as she found him giving her a sweet yet sad smile.

    He suddenly grabbed her by the hand and started pulling her down the city streets into the shopping district. "As an apology, I will buy you whatever you want."

    "What? I couldn''t possibly allow you to-"

    "Then you do not have to allow me to do anything, and I will just do it."

    Lucia smiled bitterly in defeat as she let herself be pulled without a care in the world.

    "Okay, okay! Then what I want first is..."

    -

    It was a few hours before Indra and Lucia finally returned home.

    Upon opening the front door, they found Keran and Vermeil sitting on a couch side by side.

    It looked like the human girl was pestering the werewolf to allow her to fondle her fluffy ears and Keran was steadily losing ground in this argument.

    "Indra! Tell your betrothed to let me pet... woof..!"

    Vermeil''s eyes became slightly glossy as she took in the sight of the brand new Indra and Lucia.

    For starters, the bewitching Lamia was now sporting a much shorter haircut.

    Her long ck hair had been cut into a bob that framed her cute face perfectly.

    It also helped to better show off the ne that Indra had gotten for her, and it would be hard to make a judgment on which of the two was more eye catching.

    The vampire beside her could illicit a simr dilemma.

    After having his adaptable armor ''eat'' the things he bought, Indra could now take on a few new outfits andbinations, all offering the same level of protection.

    Currently, he had on a ck robe with gold trim that hung open to reveal his muscr abdomen and the bright red gem in his chest.

    He wore a pair of simple white pants that currently had his hands stuffed into the pockets and a pair ck sandals that went up to his ankles.

    His long silver hair was tied up behind his back, but a few strands of his hair also seemed to have been neatened up by a stylist.

    "Indra, I have a question?" Vermeil said.

    "...what?"

    "Would you like my virginity gift wrapped, or as it is?"

    "Neither." Indra replied with a small smile.

    Walking up to the couch, he ced the two bags he was carrying onto Vermeil''sp, before taking out a small ck box from his pocket and handing it to Keran.

    His former fianc�� had been staring at him like he was a porterhouse steak ever since he entered the room, so she was more than a little surprised when her beloved suddenly handed her something.

    "W-What is this?" She asked.

    "A small gift. I''m not exactly sure if it''s to your liking but it didn''t seem right not to get you anything."

    Keran felt her heart beginning to race as she cracked open the ck box in her hand.

    Inside, she found a pair of gleaming diamond earrings which had been cut to form sculptures.

    One was a beautiful glimmering moon, and the other was a brightly shining sun.

    The werewolf felt her eyes staring to be wet as she looked at these treasures that were already the most precious thing she owned.

    "Beloved... thank-"

    But before Keran could finish expressing her gratitude, she looked up to find Indra already gone.

    She nced at the staircase on the other side of the room and a bitter smile spread across her face.

    ''He''s gone to see her already, huh...?''

    Keran had told herself that she was okay taking her time for Indra toe back around to her.

    But upon receiving his gift a few moments ago, she decided that maybe she should switch her tactics around.

    She couldn''t take much more of this painful waiting.

    She had to get the man she loved back, by any means necessary.

    -

    Indra stepped into what had be he and Enyo''s room and he found her still in bed.

    His wife was clearly just waking up fromst night''s activities, as she was stillpletely nude and her hair was slightly messy.

    The setting orange sun streamed through the curtains and cascaded off her delectable chocte skin.

    Bits of her figure were exposed as she sat up, like the love bites that had been left along her upper body and her bountiful breasts that seemed ripe for suckling.

    When her eyesnded on her husband, her eyes became crescent shaped as her lips bent into a sweet smile.

    She held her arms out toward him like she desperately needed his embrace, and the melodic way that she called for him sapped all of his resistance to be apart from her.

    "Honey..!"

 Chapter 58: Indra and Enyo

    <h4>Chapter 58: Indra and Enyo</h4>

    Robotically, Indra started to move towards Enyo as soon as she called for him.

    Even though he had only left her side this morning, he felt as if it had been significantly longer.

    Uncaring of his new outfit, he let his clothes fall to the ground as he walked towards her, and he watched as her expression became one of shyness.

    "I-I just woke up...! I can''t have you taking away all my energy when I just got it back!"

    Laughing, he climbed into bed and pressed his body against hers.

    "My interests are not so carnal at this moment, love. I just don''t want there to be anything between us."

    Oddly enough, those words seemed to make the beautiful and mature Enyo even shyer.

    Falling back onto the bed, she allowed the full weight of her husband''s chest to press against her own, and their lips were soon locked in a desperate yet gentle kiss.

    Even though Enyo had been the one to im that she was still too tired to participate in lewd activities, she was the first one to show her excitement from this scenario.

    She unconsciously locked her legs around Indra''s waste to prevent him from going anywhere, and the scent of her arousal began to fill his nostrils.

    Indra took his wife''s hands and pinned them to the bed above her head.

    She bit his lip and let out a small yelp when she felt something cold and metallic being slid onto the ring finger of her left hand.

    With great difficulty, she pulled her lips away and stared up at him with disbelieving eyes.

    "Honey... what did you just put on my hand?"

    Indra showed a rare smile as he pressed his forehead against their own.

    "Are you asking because you do not know? You have already given yourself to me so something like this should have been expected right?"

    Indra grabbed one of Enyo''s arms and brought it in front of her face so that she could see the new addition on her hand.

    Unsurprisingly, she immediately became teary eyed.

    It was an intricately designed silver ring with arge ck gem in ce of the diamond.

    Interestingly enough, the gem was a coagted bead of Indra''s own blood.

    If anything should ever happen to her while they weren''t together, he would know right away and even be able to see whatever events hadst transpired.

    But Enyo didn''t care about any of the bells and whistles.

    She was just overwhelmed with the fact that she now had something that represented physical proof of their rtionship.

    "I-I have to get you one too!" She realized.

    Indra held up his hand to remind his wife of the bony ring that he always wore that was literally made from her remains.

    "I think that this already counts, my dear. Besides, I think you might be hard pressed to find something better than this."

    Enyo showed her husband a giddy smile as she grabbed him by the face and resumed their kiss.

    The two of their hands unconsciously began to wander, and it seemed like the mood was going to heat up once again.

    That is, until the newlyweds heard a rapid series of knocks on the door.

    "Hey, don''t start fucking yet! Lucia and I are cooking dinner for you guys to celebrate so wipe yourselves off ande downstairs!" Vermeil yelled.

    Indra was currently pressed against his wife''s entrance at full mast, and he debated whether or not he should ignore her to satiate the burning desire within him.

    Coincidentally, Enyo also looked like she was still having a hard time and she desperately wanted to pick up where they left off.

    "We... have time to go once, right?"

    Like the blind leading the blind, Indra nodded stupidly as he flipped Enyo over so that her round butt was in the air and her face was in the pillow.

    "This is the only time I''ll ever say this, but don''t scream."

    "I-I''ll try...!"

    Indra had only just pushed the tip inside when Vermeil started banging on the door again, much more aggressively than before.

    "Are you guys getting up!? I swear if I hear macaroni soundsing from inside I''m going to kick this door down!"

    Finally, both Indra and Enyo sighed in defeat.

    "We can.. continue this tonight, right?" She said hopefully.

    Indra lightly kissed her on the back between her shoulder des. "Every night for the rest of our lives."

    -

    """CONGRATULATIONSSSS!!!"""

    Sitting at the head of Lucia''s dining room table, the newlyweds gave their friends sheepish smiles as they were showered with attention from their friends.

    Vermeil and Lucia had prepared quite a spread for the group, with a typical meal of steak and potatoes along with a nice garden sd and bread paired with some strange concoction of butter and honey that the human girl insisted on making.

    A bottle of wine that Lucia had purchased from the market was floating around, and both she and Vermeil were enjoying it more than anyone.

    Keran also seemed to be enjoying the festivities and showed no visible signs of bitterness or sadness, but Indra had noticed that she was taking more than a few discreet nces at him, although her eyes were not quite like any way that he had ever seen them.

    ''It''s probably fine... right?'' he thought.

    "Come on, pretty boy, drink up!" With a red face, Vermeil passed a ss of wine to Indra and waited for him to take it from her grasp.

    ""He doesn''t drink, Vermeil.""

    Keran and Enyo both looked surprised that they had responded at the same time, but they soon realized that it was only natural.

    "Doesn''t drink? Why?!" the human girl cried.

    "Alcohol dulls the senses and makes one make rash decisions that they normally would not. I quite like always being aware of my surroundings and in control of myself." Indra answered.

    "They say pussy does those things too but you didn''t have a problem partaking in thatst night, did you?"

    "...I cannot refute that logic."

    Indra tried to fight it but Vermeil''s words did indeed put a small smile on his face.

    "G-Geez, don''t discuss those things here, honey!" Enyo took the outstretched ss of wine from Vermeil and started to drink it herself.

    Indra''s smirk broke into a full on smile as he watched his wife make a cute and embarrassed expression.

    She seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit tonight, and she''d even been eating and drinking quite well.

    Normally she has a lower tolerance for things of that nature since she was still a poltergeist and incorporeal most of the time.

    ''Wait...''

    Indra finally realized that there was something wrong with today''s events.

    Enyo can only hold her corporeal form for two hours at most before she has to return to normal.

    A bit like how a crocodile needs toe up for air every so often.

    But sincest night, she hadn''t left physical form.

    She had slept in bed all day without falling through the mattress, bedtime, or even the floor.

    What changed?

    Immediately, Indra remembered the events that terrified him where his wife became a puddle of ck ooze with glowing violet eyes.

    It left him with more than a few questions about her physical condition.

    "My love... are you alright?" He asked in her ear.

    Eno gave her husband a loving peck on the cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes, I am very happy, honey. Why do you ask?"

    It appeared as though Enyo had yet to notice her body''s new changes and Indra wondered if he should wait to tell her now orter.

    However, at that moment Keran suddenly stood up from the table; her eyes locked on the front door and a serious expression on her face.

    "Keran?"

    "What''s wrong?"

    Lucia and Vermeil''s senses were not as advanced as Keran''s so they did not know what was going on.

    But Indra''s were.

    And he could also smell the scent of blood on the wind that wasing from outside.

 Chapter 59: Funny Seeing You Again

    <h4>Chapter 59: Funny Seeing You Again</h4>

    Keran wiped her mouth before rushing towards the front door and stepping outside, leaving the three girls at the table in utter confusion.

    "Where is she going?? Is everything okay?" Lucia asked aloud.

    Indra took it upon himself to stand up at that very moment and he started to follow in the footsteps of his former betrothed.

    "Girls, stay here for now. We''ll return shortly."

    "You''re going too?" Lucia asked.

    "Mhm."

    Right before the girls'' eyes, Indra''s clothes started to change.

    In a much simpler and morefortable outfit, Indra wore a pair of deep ck pants that were tied around his waist with a dark red cloth.

    On his upper body he wore a simple ck half shirt with long sleeves and red lines across his neck, biceps, and wrists.

    "Oooh..!"

    "Enyo! He''s leaving, focus!"

    "Ah, I''m sorry. It''s just that my husband''s butt looks so good that I can hardly stand it!"

    "O-Oh...I guess I understand then."

    "Hey! Keep your eyes to yourself!"

    "Eep!! I''m sorry!!"

    A small smile could be seen on Indra''s lips as he stepped out into the night; his body soon disappearing as leapt into the trees and left the girls behind.

    With Enyo left behind to protect them, he was fairly confident that the girls would be safe while he and Keran were out.

    At a speed that was nothing short of frightening and without making a single sound, Indra''s feet carried him from branch to branch as he followed the scent of blood.

    Strangely enough, the closer he got, the more he began to feel like he''d smelled this scent before.

    He couldn''t exactly ce it, but upon reaching the source he realized exactly why it felt familiar.

    Dropping out of the trees, he found Keran in a clearing within the forest, holding a woman who looked like she was on the verge of death.

    Her long purple hair was matted with dark blood, and the vibrant yukata she''d been wearing had been cut to shreds, exposing her well defined yet sinful body underneath.

    There appeared to be no signs of a struggle, only four separate sword wounds jammed into her back from behind.

    Her stomach in particr was heavily scarred, and if it looked like all of her organs woulde out of her gut if she so much as coughed.

    "Who... would do something like this?"

    Keran''s voice was like a hushed whisper as she held the strange woman in her arms.

    Even though she did not know her, that hardly mattered in the slightest.

    Keran was an empathetic person by nature, and that especially applied to members of the fallen races.

    To see one of her own like this was utterly heartbreaking for her.

    She rummaged inside of her pockets as if she were hoping to find some sort of way to prolong this woman''s life.

    However, she had no healing pills and nothing to help aid in alleviating her body''s condition.

    "B-Beloved, you still have a few pills on you, right?? Please give me as many as you can spare!"

    Indra stared at the fallen woman who he was going to kill only a few hours ago.

    If it was up to him, he may have let this woman die out here without even bating an eye.

    But because Keran was looking at him with eyes asrge as the moon above, he pulled out four pills and tossed them to her before he knew what he was doing.

    Keran caught the two pills and opened Aveena''s mouth, sticking two of them on each side of her jaw before closing her lips and allowing them to dissolve.

    While Keran administered first aid, Indra surveyed the area to learn more about the assants.

    Taking a look at the ground, he found multiple footprints that seemed to belong to a group of men due to theirrger size.

    The footprints seemed toe from the opposite direction in the forest, back towards the streets of Ferran.

    ''An escort of some kind?''

    Judging by the close proximity Aveena seemed to share with her attackers, there is no way she didn''t know they were following her.

    And judging by the fact that she hadn''t managed to put up a fight, she''d definitely been caught off guard by these forces and left to die.

    But there was another problem that Indra had noticed.

    At a certain point the tracks just stopped.

    He checked the trees for any signs of mud from the ground to see if they had leapt away as he had done, but there was no such thing.

    It was as if they''d just flown away after trying to kill her.

    ''Overlord realm cultivators...'' he realized.

    "Beloved!"

    The vampire turned around to find Keran still holding Aveena, but still looking rather worried.

    "S-She''s stopped loosing blood but her wounds aren''t healing, we need to take her home and treat her properly!"

    "...Alright." Indra said with a nod.

    He came beside Keran and lifted Aveena into his arms gently.

    Sprouting a pair of dark leathery wings, he carried them both back to Lucia''skehouse a mile and a half away.

    - 1 Hour Later

    Luckily, Lucia had some medical supplies at home as well and Enyo had a fair bit of knowledge in this particr area.

    She applied some medicine to the wounds to keep them from worsening and even did her best to stitch her up.

    In the end, Aveena lie on the couch with her face towards the ceiling, her torso heavily bandaged and the blood washed out of her hair.

    "I don''t know if I''ll ever get used to seeing so much blood in this world." Vermeil muttered.

    "You might want to try, else you''ll only be in for a harder time in the future." Keran said gently.

    "Yea... I''ll do that." She agreed.

    She didn''t know how the hell such a thing was going to be possible, but she knew that she had to put her best foot forward somehow.

    Indra walked in between Lucia and Enyo and kneeled down before he took Aleena''s hand and started to pat her down.

    "Honey... What are you doing?" Enyo asked with a smile that was not a smile.

    Indra smirked and said nothing in the hopes that he would send his loving wife into a jealous rage that would cause her to be more ''assertive'' when they went to bed tonight.

    But when he didn''t find what he was looking for, a frown formed on his handsome face, and Lucia immediately knew what was wrong.

    "She... doesn''t have it, does she?"

    "No." Indra replied.

 Chapter 60: Moon Touched Diamond Dust

    <h4>Chapter 60: Moon Touched Diamond Dust</h4>

    It had been almost a week since Aveena had ended up staying at the group''s home.

    In that time, the buxom oni had yet to wake up and instead had been lying on the couch motionless.

    Her color was improving bit by bit everyday, but it still was not certain when she would wake up.

    The group simply continued to care for her in rotations, taking turns to clean her wounds and change the bandages.

    Whenever she woke up, Vermeil just hoped that she would show some gratitude and give them more money.

    ''It''s about time... I have to go soon.''

    Indra looked down at hisp and found his beloved wife with his member in her mouth.

    Her head was continuously bobbing up and down, and her husband marveled at just how good she had be at this act in such a short time.

    A few days ago she rtively clumsy and would identally scrape it with her teeth, making it a somewhat ufortable experience.

    But as a woman who could be known to be rather persistent, she kept trying in the hopes that she could make him feel as good as he made her.

    And now, she was more thanpetent in the act and could swallow him all the way to the base without risk of hurting herself.

    She had learned her husband''s preferences and sensitive spots so well that she could make him cum in around fifteen minutes.

    Although she was still adamantly trying to match the three minutes it took him whenever he went down on her.

    Indra looked at the window out of the corner of his eye and knew that it would be time for him to go soon.

    "My love... let me up for a moment, I promise to return to you shortly."

    ''No~''

    Enyo''s sweet and melodic voice in his head was like that of a prankster spirit, as she kept sucking without ever intending to let her husband go.

    For an added dramatic effect, she ran her hands along his exposed chest as she stared directly into his eyes, silently goading him to give her what she wanted.

    Indra would never lie and say that he did not love this feeling and this sight, but as of right now he was in a rush and could not fully appreciate it.

    "My dear, I will return to you as quickly as I can if you would just..!"

    ''No, honey~ You have to give me what I need and then I will release you.''

    Though he was undoubtedly in a rush, a fanged smile spread across Indra''s lips.

    "Fine, love... savor it well."

    Grabbing Enyo by the back of her head, Indra used her throat roughly without giving her any autonomy.

    Twin purple hearts could be seen in her eyes as she felt a familiar throbbing in her throat.

    The wetness that was already spilling from her panties nearly overflowed as Indra groaned before he came down her throat.

    Happily, Enyo gulped everything down while savoring the taste to the best of her ability, while Indra temporarily saw white.

    When he finally recovered, Enyo pulled him out of her throat slowly and relinquished him from her grasp.

    She sat back onto their bed and slipped her own dress off, making Indra tempted to stay behind.

    However, when he remembered that he would likely have to wait another thirty days for this chance, he decided against it.

    "Alright, I guess you can go now... just hurry back so that you cane and take care of me." Enyo said with a sad tone and seductive smile.

    Indra briefly marveled at the proactiveness that his wife had developed before pulling on his own pants.

    ''I wonder if breaking through has such an effect...?''

    As implied, Enyo had broken through to the venerable realm a few days ago.

    After spending over five hundred years at the peak of the ninth level of the overlord realm, it felt good for her to finally step into new territory.

    Although, she was not as adamant about progressing in her cultivation as Indra was.

    Her breakthrough had actually happened as they were having sex one night, surprising the cum out of them both.

    The two of them could only guess that Indra''s new body was somehow also helping her to progress in her cultivation when theyy together, further enhancing her willingness to do so.

    But she had already noticed that the benefits she was receiving were bing smaller and smaller, so she wondered if a breakthrough for him would do them both some good.

    After all, at present he was only on the sixth level of the mortal realm.

    Indra finally finished pulling on his kimono and opened the window, letting the full force of the cool night air hit him in the chest.

    Before he stepped out, he looked back at his wife on the bed and offered her a mischievous yet loving smile.

    "No touching yourself while I''m out here."

    "Uwah!? So unfair!" She pouted.

    Indraughed as he jumped out of the window before crawling on top of the roof like some kind of demon.

    Reaching the highest point of the house, he immediately sat cross legged on the shingles before reaching inside of his storage ring and taking something out.

    The ck tank of moon touched diamond dust that he''d gotten from the auction house immediately started to glimmer when touched by the rays of moonlight.

    Truly, Indra could not have been more ted when he saw this item up for sale.

    When utilized properly, it provides a whole slew of effects.

    Enhanced durability, strength, and reflexes were all surface level.

    When fully integrated, this mesmerizing ck sand could also nullify the damage from arcane attacks at the same level as the user by thirty percent.

    However, the downside was that the process for acquisition of all of these great things had extremely high risks.

    Loss of cultivation, death, permanent paralysis, etc.

    Hence why it wasn''t rmended for anyone beneath the overlord realm to use this.

    But Indra truly did not care about such a thing and as a result was only thinking about the positives.

    Lucia did not know the dangers that came with using this, and he had not told Enyo or Keran that he had it in the first ce.

    He knew that if he did they would be so worried about the side effects that they would never let him use it.

    He would apologize for the secrets and excuses he made afterwards, but for right now he just wanted to get stronger to protect everyone.

    ''Everyone, huh...?''

    Using his telekinesis, he opened therge tank in front of him and pulled out the deluge of sand.

    Lying down on top of the roof, Indra took in a deep breath before performing a rather unsettling trick.

    Using his power of total body control, he opened up enormous holes all across his figure.

    Exposing his flesh, bones, organs, and ck blood that had been tainted by the old one.

    He looked like a frog that''d been opened up in a high school scienceb.

    Taking a deep breath, he lowered the sand into the various exposed spots in his body.

    As soon as he did so, he felt a terrible burning spreading throughout every corner of his being.

    Under the light of the full moon above, the dust immediately caught fire and started to melt.

    It burned itself into his tender organs, his bloodstream, and the most painful of all his bones.

    His spine was the worst, as he could literally feel the molten dust using his spinal cord as a conveyor belt to reach his ribs, arms, legs, and even his skull.

    The pain was so horrible that he cked out several times, but by sheer force of will he refused to cry out.

    He had to be mindful of the girls inside, and not scare them by screaming like some kind of banshee.

    But when the molten dust finally made contact with his actual brain, his mind did a hard reset before he fainted once again, not showing any signs of waking up.

 Chapter 61: Blood As Sweet As Honey

    <h4>Chapter 61: Blood As Sweet As Honey</h4>

    When Indra finally awoke, sunlight was prating the curtains he and his wife normally kept closed.

    Even without opening his eyes, he knew that she was nowhere around.

    But someone else who he lived with was.

    "I''vein beside you thousands of times. I know when you''re sleeping and when you''re awake."

    Opening his eyes, Indra sat up on the bed and found Keran sitting in the room with him.

    For the first time ever, her slender pale arms were folded across her buxom chest as she frowned at him.

    "Hello, Keran. I suppose I don''t need to ask why you''re looking at me like that."

    "You''re damn right you don''t! Do you think if anyone knew what you were going to do they would have let you??!"

    "No." Indra admitted.

    When he left Enyo initially, he''d told her that he needed to step outside when the moon arose to collect a bit of it''s energy for his cultivation.

    The Dark Moon art he practiced was one that sometimes called for such a thing, so she did not think anything of it.

    Imagine her surprise when Indra still had not returned after thirty minutes, and she found him on top of the roof unconscious.

    The remnants of sand in the tank immediately told her what he''d done, and she was just grateful that he was still alive.

    Things truly could have gone so very horribly wrong.

    "But.. I have done it." Indra muttered as he held up his hands.

    His bones, organs, and flesh were now made of incredibly durable ck diamond, giving him a toughness that was well beyond his cultivation base.

    But Keran didn''t care.

    "Indra!! You could have died! You could have left us behind again... left me behind..!"

    The sight of tears running down the face of the woman he once loved was enough to give Indra that familiar pain in his chest.

    She wiped her face out of embarrassment and switched the focus around to someone other than herself.

    "E-Even if you don''t care about me, what about Enyo? Do you know how much it terrified her to find you unconscious like that?

    She hasn''t left your side for four days, Lucia had to literally drag her to the market to take her mind off things!"

    Feeling even worse about the decisions he''d made, Indra lowered his head and croaked out a small apology.

    "Forgive me... I was only doing what I thought was best."

    Choked up, Keran threw herself into Indra''s arms as she held him tightly and cried.

    "I-I know that you want to be strong and none of us want to stand in the way of that, but I beg you to think about us more!

    You are all that we have and if you aren''t careful we will fall to pieces without you!"

    Indra brought his arms around Keran''s waist and hugged her silently, the familiar yet unfamiliar smell ofvender flooding his nose.

    "I understand... and for what it''s worth, I do care about you, wolf."

    "...little wolf." Keran corrected.

    "I''m the one who gave you the name. I should be free to alter it."

    "You''re not off the fucking hook, bat boy."

    "Yes ma''am."

    This was the first normal-ish conversation that the two of them had ever had, and Indra had actually begun to find this time rather pleasant.

    While Keran held him tightly and tried to stop crying, he was silently trying to figure out a way that he could apologize to Enyo.

    In his mind, he figured that using the dust to refine his body would take him no more than a few minutes.

    He would go back inside, reveal the truth of what he''d done, and Enyo would lightly chastise him before marveling at the toughness of his new physique.

    But that''s not what happened.

    Instead, he scared her.

    He never ever meant to scare her.

    He had put himself through that terrible pain for her.

    So that he could always protect her.

    Just thinking about the look on her face when he finally saw her was enough to tear his heart to pieces.

    *growl*

    Indra and Keran jolted as she slowly released him and stared at him with an awkward smile on his face.

    "I guess you would be hungry after all of your circted blood was burned out of your body, huh?"

    "...It seems like it." Indra said hollowly.

    Keran brushed her hair to one side and exposed her slender neck to him.

    "Here... Vermeil is out with the girls so, you''ll have to make do with me."

    For some reason, Indra didn''t particrly like like the words that came out of his ex''s mouth just now.

    Therefore, as he grabbed her waist and brought her neck to his lips, he let her know that.

    "Don''t say ''make do''... you are more than enough."

    A small smile formed on her lips as his teeth grazed her skin, and punctured into her soft and sulent neck.

    A loud moan escaped Keran''s mouth; not expecting the wave of pleasure that rushed through her as Indra drank without spilling a drop.

    She briefly recalled the day where she saw Vermeil behaving very erratically after being bitten, and realized that it was no mere act.

    ''This... feels so much different than before..!''

    As Keran moaned and let herself be drank from, Indra was dining on her blood and sifting through the contents of her mind.

    It was like a movie being yed with the fast forward button on, as he could see brief meaningful images of he and Keran spending time together in the past.

    But for some reason, there felt like there was a greater force at work.

    Like something was intentionally pulling him through the isles of a grocery store without even allowing him to stop and look at anything.

    Just as he started to get the inclination that something might be wrong, his vision began to darken, and he could see no more.

    All he could hear was a deep and menacing voice that seemed to being from all around him, speaking as if it already knew him.

    "Finally! You truly have no idea just how long I''ve waited for you to drink from my apostle, nightstalker. We are overdue for a chat."

 Chapter 62: Fenris: The Fallen Beast God

    <h4>Chapter 62: Fenris: The Fallen Beast God</h4>

    There are five gods that the fallen races worship that cause them to be hated by the races of light.

    Absalom.

    The fallen god of blood and the undead whom the vampires worshipped fervently and see as the father of their race.

    Gintanai.

    Patron god of the dragons who is no longer worshipped due to his believers dying out thousands of years before even the vampires.

    Like them, he as seen as a sort of boogeyman or fable character.

    Ihun.

    God to the dark elves and all those who embrace and flourish in the art of stealth.

    Astaroth.

    The demons pray to him with the utmost fervor, and in turn he blesses his chosen with bodies built for war, bloodshed, and conquest.

    And then, there is the most popr fallen god of today, and some say the most powerful.

    Fenris.

    The fallen god of beasts and all things wild, who chooses an apostle every 1,000 years to learn his personally crafted arts and spread bads of his great and terrible power.

    This time around, his apostle is the princess of the werewolves.

    Although there are a great many who question why, as the prowess and abilities of the princess are thought to be somewhatckluster by members of the werewolf queen''s own court.

    But why this god was talking to Indra, he absolutely was not sure.

    "Hear me, one of cursed blood. Ie here today to offer you a proposal and to grant you knowledge beyond your means to grasp.

    There is much that you need to know, but time is short. Cast aside the blood god''s name and ept my own so that I might raise you up like a great de!!"

    Indra wasn''t even sure if this was a domain that he was capable of speaking in but he still tried nheless.

    "W... Why..?" He finally managed to say.

    "Why?! Because our interests are aligned, cursed one! You and i have amon enemy, and through our unification we will cleave their heads from their bodies and gnaw their rotting bones!!"

    "Enemy...? I have no enemies." Indra said.

    "Fool! Of course you do! The races of light, their gods, their heroes, they would all see your flesh torn from your corpse! And let us not forget to mention the culprits behind the sacrifice of your race!!"

    Finally, Indra''s nonexistent ears heard something that interested him and he showed a greater degree of curiosity.

    "You know the culprits behind my slumber and their extinction? Tell me."

    "Not so fast, tainted one! If you desire my answers then you must make a vow to ept my name and heritage! Only then will I tell you whom ourst enemies are!"

    "Do I seem like the kind of man who is inclined to let you use him as a weapon? I quite value my independent thought, Fenris." Indra said coldly.

    "A sensitive whelp is still a whelp in the end! Fret not, he of tainted blood, I seek to take no control of you!

    But the power of the elder thing that flows through you will aid us greatly in the destruction of our enemies! Once that is done, our paths need not ever intersect again!"

    Indra finally realized why exactly this god seemed so adamant about speaking to him.

    It was because the blood of the old one that he drank had made him something more useful than any could''ve ever anticipated.

    "Do not dally on your decision, tainted one! You cannot afford to reject my generous offer." Fenris said impatiently.

    "And why is that?"

    "Because this is the only path you can take where your life will truly belong to you, and you alone."

    Indra did not know exactly what the god meant, but it didn''t sound good at all.

    At the rate his current fate was progressing, he was heading towards an inevitably terrible fate that would end with his life being out of his hands.

    Perhaps because of everything he''d just gone through with Keran, he was much more reluctant to chalk the warning of the god up to a simple falsehood.

    His Enyo... his Keran... his Lucia and even Vermeil.

    They couldn''t be allowed to weep from his loss again... not if there was anything that he could do to help it.

    "Fine then god, your bargain has been epted. I cast aside my name in favor of yours in exchange that you tell me what you know, now!"

    After Indra''s loud deration, he could swear he heard the lips of an enormous beast curling up into a smile.

    "Well said, tainted one. Our enemies are one you know well, and another you do not know at all. They are the blood god Absalom, and your father Alucard Ascalon."

    Indra could have guessed and guessed until he turned blue in the face, but he never would have guessed that the ones responsible for the destruction of the vampire race were it''s two immortal figureheads.

    He wasn''t even sure where he should begin when it came to asking questions.

    "There, do you see? Is knowledge not better than bing a vessel for those two leeches?" Fenris said.

    "A what!?" Indra roared.

    Unfortunately for him, the beast god paid him little mind and instead clicked his teeth in frustration.

    "Tsk... we''ve wasted too much time and I cannot hold you here any longer. I extended to you this final boone before you are named; take no more remenants of the old one into your body lest you risk bing a puppet subject to it''s whims!"

    Indra tried to yell and yell so that he could ask more questions, but no matter how hard he tried his voice was gone.

    All that was left behind was the voice of the beast god Fenris, and even it was beginning to sound very far away.

    "I wipe the te clean of the im held by the blood sovereign!" He decreed. "From henceforth, your name is...."

    Indra only barely heard his new name before he was thrust from the space and left the beast god behind.

    "Just you wait, leeches... what did that human from that world say...?

    Raging for revenge, with ate by his sidee hot from hell, shall in these confines with a monarch''s voice cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!!"

    -

    Addled with drunken pleasure, Keran noticed her body was starting to be significantly warmer.

    At first it was nice and only added to everything that she was already feeling, but eventually it became too much to bear and she opened her eyes again.

    There, she could see her beloved literally starting to glow, and the heating off of him was making her sweat uncontrobly.

    Dark blue mes of the prettiest variety started to flicker across his figure, and Keran only barely managed to fling herself across the room before her beloved''s body was engulfed in a smoldering blue fire.

 Chapter 63: [Bonus chapter]A God’s Name

    <h4>Chapter 63: [Bonus chapter]A God��s Name</h4>

    "B-Beloved!"

    Keran tried to call out to the ball of blue fire that was smoldering within the room but it proved to be to no avail.

    For upwards of five minutes, the mes continued to dance around the body of her former fianc�� without showing any signs of dying down.

    As she waited for her beloved to return to normal, a chorus of footsteps suddenly reached her ears and she immediately looked towards the door.

    When it was thrown open, the other three upants of their home were all revealed to be standing outside, looking for the source of this terrible heat that they could feel from all the way downstairs.

    When they saw a ball of fire floating above Indra''s bed like that of a bright blue sun, their jaws collectively fell open.

    "W-What is happening to my husband?!" Enyo cried.

    "I-I don''t know, he just drank from me and then... this!" Keran replied with slurred speech.

    The effect of having Indra drink from her still had yet to subside, making her a slightly drunken and very horny mess who was only in temporary control of her sanity due to the rming situation.

    Suddenly, the mes that were smoldering hot a few moments ago started to produce no heat at all.

    In fact they actually started to feel rather... cold.

    Eventually, the dark blue mes began to die down and bits and pieces of the man they all loved were finally revealed.

    But even before they could see him fully, they already knew him to be different.

    Very very different.

    When the mes gave way to his new appearance, he was even more captivating to the eye than normal.

    His skin was formerly a bit more on the lighter side, but now he was a slightly darker and captivating caramel color.

    His features like his eyes and jaw were significantly sharper, making it both hard to meet his gaze and hard to turn away.

    His red eyes now had noticeable slits instead of normal pupils, and short red markings in the corners of his eyes that made them look much more intimidating and dramatic.

    The kimono he always wore hung open loosely to reveal that he appeared to have gained around twenty pounds of pure muscle.

    The ws that hung from his fingertips were now permanently ck and dangerously sharp, no doubt as a result of the moon touched diamond dust he''d taken into his system a few nights before.

    His long silver hair was drastically more majestic than before, and the richest noble would have paid an exhorbitant sum just to rub it against their cheeks for a few moments.

    However, these changes were superficial at best.

    They were nothingpared to the biggest new additions on his body.

    Atop his head sat two dark grey canine ears that were simr yet different to Keran''s.

    They were a bitrger and slightly more mischievous looking, and to touch them would no doubt fill one with the greatest bliss.

    Behind Indra''s back, eight very long and fluffy silver tails the same color as his hair and ears swung from side to side, looking even more hypnotizing than the feathers of a peacock.

    His eyes sifted through all of the women in the room before theynded on his beloved wife.

    A pained and saddened expression could be seen on his disgustingly beautiful face, causing the hearts of the girls to throb with mncholy.

    Oblivious to his current state, he floated down from the bed and allowed his wed feet to touch the ground, before he began to walk towards his beloved Enyo.

    "My wife... I know that I must have hurt you terribly."

    As he spoke, his two fangs could be seen shing in his mouth, now seemingly to be permanently on disy just like his ws.

    Walking right up to her, he cupped her delicate face in his hands and stared into her eyes with endless sorrow and passion.

    "I ask your forgiveness, and make a promise that I will never conceal things from you or behave recklessly again."

    He drew his face closer and closer to hers and Enyo could feel her knees beginning to lose strength.

    "Should you desire it, I will spend as many days and nights carving my apology into your body as you require. You need only say the word."

    "I-I..."

    Just as she''d done the first time he flirted with her, Enyo suffered an overloaded mind from her husband''s new appearance and sultry words, and she fainted within his grasp.

    Her husband caught her easily, and showed a small smile that contained notes of mischief and confusion.

    "So cute... I guess this means I am forgiven?"

    Holding Enyo in a princess carry, he finally addressed the stares he was receiving from the other girls.

    "Are all of you alright? I know that I''ve been sleeping for a few days but do I really-"

    "D-Don''t talk to me, I''ll cum!" Vermeil yelled with a red face.

    "...Excuse me?"

    "Y-You... are beautiful." Lucia stammered.

    That might have seemed like a strange thing to say to a man, but at present there existed no better way to describe the man in front of her.

    He was the epitome of grace, seduction, and most importantly, beauty.

    Like a sunset over a field of wild flowers, he was a sight that would unanimously illicit reactions of awe, wonder, and of course, envy.

    He finally seemed to realize that his appearance may have really been different from how he remembered and searched around the room for a mirror.

    When he found one... even he had to stop and raise a brow.

    ''epting the name of a god... it truly has such an effect?''

    Fenris had somehow added a new race to his gic makeup.

    As if being an Eldritch Vampire wasn''t enough, now he was also some sort of beast man within the mix.

    But he wasn''t sure exactly what type he was, as he had never seen or heard of another creature like this before.

    "I-Indra..!"

    When Keran hesitantly called his name, a wince of pain crossed his face and his hand immediately went to his chest.

    Using that name had hurt him to his very core, and filled him with a sort of icky feeling that he wasn''t at all interested in feeling again.

    "Keran... you can''t call me that... apparently it''s not my name anymore."

    Strangely subservient, Keran sat on both of her knees and dropped her ears as she stared at the floor.

    "Y-Yes... then if I may ask, what may I call you?"

    Unused to seeing her like this, he ced his wife onto the bed before kneeling in front of Keran and tilting her chin upwards with his finger.

    "Promise not tough?" He asked.

    "I-I would never..!"

    Showing a small smile, he fought the urge tough at the god''s given name for him that he was still growing ustomed to.

    "It''s Taira Kukan Amarok. A bit silly, no?"

 Chapter 64: Eldritch Nogitsune Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 64: Eldritch Nogitsune Vampire</h4>

    Taira sat cross legged on the bed with his sleeping wife in hisp as he stared at the three girls in front of him.

    Keran was still kneeling, Vermeil was staring at him with wobbly knees and a clear wet trail running down her legs, and Lucia was covering her mouth and hyperventting.

    ''I have weird friends..'' he thought, without much judgment.

    "T-Taira...? what...how..? Y-You''re..."

    Keran tried to put together a string of words in the hopes that she could acquire some answers but it seemed to do no good.

    "Strange to see you like this, little wolf. You weren''t even this taken aback when I came to free you after five hundred years." Taira said with an uncharacteristic smirk.

    Vermeil fainted at the sight of his fanged smile and fell right into Lucia''s breasts, who coincidentally also looked like she was going to go down at any second.

    Keran remained the only one to remain some sense of professionalism despite the dirty thoughts flooding her mind.

    It was almost as if she saw him as something holy that she was absolutely not allowed to leer at.

    "T-That is only natural when you have be... I''m sorry, I don''t mean to offend, but what kind of kitsune are you exactly?"

    "...A what?"

    "A-A kitsune, Taira... you do not know what you are..? T-Then how did you be this..?"

    Taira recalled the conversation he''d held with Fenris after drinking her blood.

    He told her and the still awake Lucia everything that the god had revealed to him which admittedly wasn''t much.

    He spoke of his father and Absalom being the culprits behind the extinction of the vampires.

    He told them about the naming ceremony, and his promise to ept Fenris'' heritage and be his temporary weapon.

    He even told them that he was supposed to avoid consuming any more of the old one''s remains, lest he lose himself entirely.

    When it was all said and done, Lucia was looking at him with worry, pity, and lust while Keran was just looking at him with shock and lust.

    "That... must be so much for you to process. Are you faring well..?" Lucia asked, hoping that the answer would be no so that she could console him with her body.

    "I am doing alright, my friend. Just have a great many questions is all." He said.

    "I... cannot believe it... you actually bear the name of our beginning..! He has passed on to you the heritage of one of the supreme fallen..!" Keran said shakily.

    "What are you talking about?" He asked.

    "Names have power, beloved! In the legends of old, our god Fenris'' name was different from what it is now, and when he ascended no one else was able to use it as their own or risk being smited immediately. But he has given you that name; Amarok!"

    "I had thought he was just trying to be funny..." Taira muttered.

    How was he supposed to know that receiving this unorthodox new name was such a high honor?

    "Never mind that, what has he made me? You call me a supreme fallen and ask me what kind of Kitsune I am, but I do not understand those terms."

    Keran looked like she was slightly excited to get the chance to give such a major history lecture, and she cleared her throat as she supressed a giddy smile.

    "Well, eons ago when even your grandfather was just a boy, there were only two races that stood atop fallen hierarchy instead of the five that we have now.

    They were the massive and imposing dragons, and the bewitching and mystical kitsune. The two had different areas of speciality, but they were thought to be equally powerful.

    The two ns ruled over all of fallen kind and brought us prosperity and great knowledge. In those days it is said that the number of cultivators who reached the upper realm was not small."

    A theory that is long held by many is that the ''gods'' that this world worships so fervently are no more than cultivators who have transcended past the primordial realm and gone to a higher ne of existence.

    There these god level cultivators engage in ways that only they are privy to know, and those in the lower realm spend thousands of years desperately trying to climb up to them.

    "We should have remained at the top above even the races of light." Keran continued. "But strife broke out between the two ruling sses.

    There was a terrible war, and both sides ended up wiping each other out, leaving the fallen without their divine protectors and schrs.

    A new system was created from the races that were left behind, and as the closest blood rtives of the kitsune, the werewolves were of course allowed a seat at the table.

    Even now, every member of the Garou royal family learns this passage of history from a young age, so that if our divine ancestors are to return then we will know to offer them our aid and servitude.

    But it has been so long... the public has long forgotten the legends of your kind, and they believe dragons to be no more than fables."

    Keran went on to exin that there were two types of kitsune; Zenko and Yako.

    Zenko are good kitsune who do good deeds and sometimes act as servants to the ''gods''.

    They generally have a higher social standing and as a result their exist a few subspecies within this bracket.

    However, the second type are referred to as Yako or Nogitsune, and they have no such sses.

    All Nogitsune are evil beings who aremonly seen as mischievous tricksters who delight in torturing humans more than anything else.

    Their social standing was the lowest, as the Nogitsune did not particrly care about raising it and the other subspecies felt like they gave their bloodline a bad name.

    When Keran finished exining, she asked Taira once again the same question she had asked him earlier.

    "So? Which kind are you, beloved??"

    Normally Taira''s answer should''ve been ''I don''t know'' but when he recalled a part of his new name he was able toe to a conclusion easily.

    The answer was almost instinctual.

    But there was one thing he wanted to know first.

    "Depending on what my answer is, will you forsake me?"

    Keran showed him a normal, sweet smile that he had grown used to seeing in their time together.

    "Of course not... whatever you be you will always be the man who holds my heart and the one who I want to give myself to. Whether you are a trickster or not will not change that."

    "U-Umm, it won''t for me either!" Lucia reassured.

    Taira smiled at the two girls happily and nearly made them ruin their underwear.

    "I''m a Nogitsune... Are you still not frightened?" He asked with a smile.

    "N-No."

    "J-Just aroused!"

    Once again, Taira showed the girls what was bing a more and more normal smile.

    He wasn''t sure why he felt so mischievous and giddy at the moment but for some reason he really felt the urge to tease the two of them just a bit.

    ''But i should deal with this first...''

    Turning to Keran he looked at her with an expression of ufortability.

    "Little wolf... are we still who we were?"

    "W-What?"

    "My new race and name aside, is our rtionship still the same? I believe i would dislike it if you were suddenly behaving like a servant who has to obey my beck and call."

    Keran admittedly flinched and stared at Indra with a wry smile.

    "I''m sorry, I guess that would be strange... I guess the training of my n was a bit more ingrained in me than I realized."

    Keran suddenly stood up and started walking towards Taira; no longer hiding the lust in her eyes.

    Before he knew what she was doing, she brushed her smooth porcin hands across his cheek and stared at him tenderly.

    "Honestly... from the time we were children you have always found a way to make me crave you but this... this definitely takes the cake."

    Caught off guard by her boldness and feeling more than a little shy, Taira hesitantly pulled away.

    "Cheeky girl... that is not quite what I meant when I said I wanted you to remain normal."

    "It isn''t? Well that might be too bad, beloved."

    Like a wolf, Keran crawled onto the bed on all fours while never breaking eye contact with Taira.

    "You cannot just look like this and expect me not to behave irrationally. In the end you will only have yourself to me for provoking my desire!"

    Chuckling lightly, Taira ignored her and looked down at his wife in his arms who was still sleeping.

    ''My love... I think I broke our friends.''

 Chapter 65: Finally Awake

    <h4>Chapter 65: Finally Awake</h4>

    Enyo was always a woman who enjoyed the pastime of sleeping.

    But for some reason, today she felt particrlyfortable.

    It was like she was wrapped in the warmest and softest disy of love that she could possibly imagine, and she never wanted to leave it.

    When her violet eyes fluttered open, she realized she was still in her bedroom, although she was wrapped in a warm silver nket that she didn''t remember possessing.

    "You''re awake."

    Suddenly, the silver nket she thought was wrapped around her body began to move, and was revealed to be eight long and fluffy tails.

    Looking up, she realized she was seated in a reclining position in her husband''sp, and the two of them were resting against the headboard of their bed.

    Once she saw the new look her husband had acquired, she remembered the moment before she''d passed out and her face became hotter by the second.

    Though she was undoubtedly aroused by him and had a multitude of questions, she had something to get off her chest first.

    Grabbing his hand that was resting lightly on her stomach, she squeezed it firmly as she looked at him with pained eyes.

    "You scared me... please, don''t ever keep anything like that from me again... I don''t like feeling afraid that something might happen to you..!"

    Taira''s eyes softened even more than normal as he nodded his head slowly.

    "I make you a solemn oath, my dear wife. I will never misuse your trust like that again."

    Enyo still looked a bit hurt, but she was more than satisfied with her husband''s overflowing sincerity.

    Crawling out of the sitting position she was in, Enyo suddenly straddled Taira as she touched his familiar yet unfamiliar face.

    "What has be of you, honey...? Why does your new appearance tempt me so horribly?"

    "Does it displease you? I think I can use my shapeshifting to return to before if-"

    "Don''t you fucking dare! I want you to look like this forever, you hear me?!"

    "As you wish." He said with a drunken smile.

    Before the mood became too hot and heavy, Taira lightly ced his hands on Enyo''s face.

    "My wife... there is something we need to talk about."

    For the next seven minutes, Taira told his wife everything about what had caused him to change, and even how they had ended up locked beneath their home for 500 years.

    Unsurprisingly, Enyo was horrified and enraged to know that the king and god who everyone had worshipped so fervently had been the reason for an entire race''s destruction.

    This war that was caused by their disappearance... it was all meaningless from the beginning!

    But... atleast they had a chance to take revenge, now that they were working with a fallen god.

    However, that too came with it''s own set of problems.

    "My wife... do you think I should trust Fenris?" Taira asked.

    Enyo sighed a bit as she pressed a bit more of her body into her husband''s.

    "I... am not sure. The legends describe the beast god as wild and unpredictable, just as you might expect.

    Some of the legends detail him sheltering and feeding starving children, while others speak of him razing viges out of boredom."

    "So... we should be prepared for the worst then?"

    "Yes, my love."

    Nodding, Taira let his mind wander as he rubbed his wife''s round butt without even knowing what he was doing.

    Since bing a Nogitsune, he felt like his mental capacity for thought had been quadrupled.

    He could think about things for a significantly short amount of time and reach the same conclusion as someone who spent hours doing intense research.

    If he focused, he could even think about multiple different things at once while doing another menial task.

    It would be drastically easier for him to progress in arcane studies, and take significantly less time for him to progress in his cultivation.

    ''I should break through to the beast realm soon... I''ve been in the mortal realm for far too long and-''

    "H-Honey..."

    Taira looked down at his wife who''s breathing had be slightly heavy.

    Her purple eyes containedrge hearts as she looked at him, and his nostrils were filled with the familiar scent of her arousal.

    It was only now that he was realizing that he had been groping her out of instinct, and she had appeared to have gotten quite excited.

    "Honey... you said you would carve your apology into my body until I asked you to stop, right...?"

    Enyo pulled her dress over her head and pulled her panties to the side; exposing her garden that was already dripping with dew.

    "It''s only been a few days but I really feel pent up... you have to take responsibility for turning me into such a depraved woman."

    Without even giving Taira a chance to refuse, she slipped her hand into his pants and wrapped her fingers around his stiffening member.

    As it got harder and harder, Enyo''s eyes became wider and wider.

    "Honey... you''ve gotten bigger." She croaked.

    "Are you afraid?"

    Tired of being passive, Taira pushed his wife onto her back and loomed over her menacingly.

    He pulled off his kimono slowly, allowing Enyo to savor the sight of his rich dark skin being hit by the morning sunlight.

    When he pulled off his pants, Enyo found that her estimate was correct and Indra had indeed gotten bigger.

    But far from feeling afraid, she was excited.

    She held out her arms like she was desperate to be embraced.

    "Why would I be afraid... I want you to fill mepletely."

    Spurred by her words, Taira no longer felt like he could wait.

    Skipping past the forey, he positioned his frightening member at her already slick entrance.

    "Sorry my love, but I can''t wait any longer..!"

    "I-It''s okay, I want it too!!"

    As soon as he started to force open her tight walls, the both of them paused and nced at the door.

    If looks could kill, that poor piece of wood would have been utterly eviscerated.

    A few secondster, there was a small knock at the door before it opened, and Keran cutely poked her head inside.

    When she saw what was going on, she took her time to drag her gaze across the bodies of the married couple inside.

    Unconsciously, a predatory growl escaped her throat as she felt her arousal soaring.

    "I''m d I caught the two of you before you started... the woman we brought has woken up and we were going to try to talk to her... but if you let me join you then we can wait~"

    Both of them seemed to have been caught off guard by Keran''s sudden shamelessness, and their brows collectively raised.

    When she received no immediate rejection, Keran thought her deal had been epted, and she started to pull off her shirt.

    "N-No!"

    "No."

    Keran''s shirt was halfway off her body before they rejected her, and her face showed a very cute pout.

    "So unfair... showing me something like this then refusing to let me have a taste."

    ""We didn''t show you, you just barged into our room.""

    "Same thing." Keran rolled her eyes and after taking onest look at their naked bodies she bit her lip longingly and headed back downstairs.

    "Don''t keep us waiting!" She called.

    After she left, the two of them remained in ce for a while, their bodies still rubbing against each other.

    It was like they were both trying to decide if they felt like ignoring Keran''s summons and continuing anyway.

    "...We will go for ten minutes." Enyo decided.

    "Seven and not a second longer."

    "Yes, honey."

    To seal their decision, the two of them kissed each other lovingly before getting up and pulling clothes on.

    Well... somewhat.

    Taira only bothered to put on a pair of ck pants with a burgundy cloth, and Enyo put on his kimono, with nothing else underneath.

    ''It smells like him... I want to fuck him so bad!'' Enyo thought possessively.

    The two of them left the bedroom and treaded downstairs half dressed, illiciting stares from all of their housemates.

    On the couch, Aveena was sitting up; looking heavily bandaged and weak but in no way looking like the corpse they found several days ago.

    When she felt two peoplee down the stairs, she looked up and came eye to eye with a man she immediately recognized.

    Despite the new changes that came with his recently acquired heritage.

    "You... is this your true appearance?"

 Chapter 66: Seven Minutes

    <h4>Chapter 66: Seven Minutes</h4>

    Taira''s red eyes stared at Aveena with an expression of unfathomable coldness.

    As he stepped down from the stairs with his wife hand in hand, his eight swaying tails captivated her attention and left her speechless.

    He did not even bother to answer her question, as he was still sore over her threat against Enyo.

    He sat on the opposite end of Lucia''s sectional sofa, and Enyo found her rightful ce in hisp as her gaze flickered between the two of them.

    Everyone already knew that this was the young woman whom he had gotten into an altercation with at the auction house.

    She was curious to know if this woman would continue to behave shamelessly around her husband now that she was right in front of her.

    ''My love, have you started counting?'' Taira asked telepathically.

    ''I did as soon as we sat down.''

    ''Good girl.''

    Their timeline established, the two nuzzled up against each other as they waited for an opportunity to make a graceful exit.

    In the meantime, Keran lightly touched Aveena''s hand and looked at her tenderly.

    "We found you in the woods around a mile from here and we''ve been looking after you for over a week. Are you alright? Can you tell me what happened to you?"

    Aveena was only momentarily stunned by Keran''s softness before she remembered thest moments that had urred before she entered aa.

    "That bastard auctioneer.. I-I''ll kill him...!" Unconsciously, tears began to flow from her red eyes as she clenched her fists.

    Hearing a name he didn''t expect, Taira put a pause on fondling his wife for a few moments and sat up in his seat.

    "The pig? What did he do?"

    In a shocking turn of events, Aveena revealed that the auctioneer had informed her of a special service for VIP members who purchase high value items.

    Essentially, one would receive an escort free of charge until they reached their destination and were safe from those who would seek to rob them.

    Since Aveena was a lone visitor in thesends, she epted the offer without thinking much about it, and allowed the escort of men to escort her to the foot of Amusi mountain.

    They had only been on their journey for around an hour before Aveena suddenly felt four swords pierce her back.

    She immediately fell to the ground; at which point she learned an rming fact about the men who she had been traveling with.

    They were human.

    Right before her very eyes, they started to pull off fake horns, ears, tails or whatever else they had been using as a disguise.

    But her nightmare was only just beginning, as the men started to torture her for information.

    They wanted to know where she had gotten such an exhorbitant amount of money, as well as why she had them traveling to an uninhabited mountain.

    The men destroyed her core; stripping her of her cultivation and any chance to fight back.

    When she wouldn''t talk, they took her storage ring that she had been adamantly protecting, and she fell into a hopeless pit of despair.

    With nothing left, two of the men cut her kimono open and prepared to vite her, only to be disgusted when they saw her physique underneath.

    Her body was too hard and muscr for their liking and was reminiscent of a man''s, so they cut her stomach up terribly to alleviate their frustration.

    In the end, they left her in the forest to die.

    Taking with them her new technique, her personal effects, and her secrets.

    "T-This... can''t be.." Keran muttered from shock.

    "YOU THINK ME A LIAR?!" Aveena yelled with tears in her eyes and clenched fists.

    The sudden jerking motion inadvertently caused some of her wounds to open up, and dark red blood started to appear underneath her bandages.

    Keran remained unafraid of the irate oni and looked at her tenderly with her own tears beginning to fall.

    "Of course I don''t, I''m just sorry that you had to go through that... may I hug you?"

    Aveena looked like her brain had suffered a hard reset as she stared at Keran like she''d just grown a second head.

    Taking that as a sign of eptance, Keran closed the distance between herself and the wounded woman and wrapped her arms around her.

    She spoke to her gently, like a mother who was trying to lie her babe to rest.

    "Those men who did this to you will be punished, you have my word. But for right now, just be as angry and cry as loud as you want to. This is a safe ce, and no one here will allow any harm toe to you again."

    Aveena couldn''t remember thest time she cried.

    For most in Tayar, living with the privilege of feeling all your emotions is something that they will never get to experience.

    And Aveena was one of those people.

    For as long as she could remember, she had always been one of the most dominant people in the room, and she would never let anyone see her as otherwise.

    And yet... as this seemingly young girl whom she didn''t even know told her to cry, she found herself unable to remain steadfast as she had done thousands of times before.

    It started with a few small sniffles, but it turned into full blown bawling that was nothing short of heartbreaking to listen to.

    Keran held her silently through it all, once again showcasing the remarkable amount ofpassion that she held for her people.

    Eventually, Aveena cried so hard that she exhausted herself once again and fainted within the arms of her would be savior.

    Keran gently lie their guest back down onto the couch before turning to face her friends and betrothed with vengeful tears in her eyes.

    "No matter what it takes... we are going to kill everyone involved in this..! Doing something so heinous to one''s own people... it is unforgivable, and he cannot be allowed to breathe any longer..!"

    Lucia looked just as upset as Keran, and looked like she was ready for inevitable bloodshed.

    Vermeil looked slightly green after everything she had just heard, however she quickly swallowed her bundled nerves in a simr show of solidarity.

    On the other hand, Enyo did not look like she was having strong feelings one way the other, and instead her focus was on her husband whosep she was sitting on.

    Taira couldn''t exin it, but for some reason Aveena''s story had made him mad.

    Very very mad.

    He really wanted to see the humans dead along with the rest of the races of light.

    And of course, the pig who had orchestrated it.

    But this anger threatened to gue his mind, and sap away his rationality.

    That wasn''t like him.

    This waspletely new.

    Clutching his head, he realized that he was standing too close to the elephant at this time.

    He needed to take a step back... he had to really see the full picture.

    He lifted Enyo off hisp and gave her a small kiss on the cheek before heading towards the door.

    "I need to step out for a moment... take care of each other in the meantime." He said softly.

    "H-Huh?"

    "W-Where are you..?"

    Before the girls got an answer to their question, Taira opened the front door and vanished from the porch.

 Chapter 67: Breaking Through!

    <h4>Chapter 67: Breaking Through!</h4>

    In a dense and luscious forest, a beast could be seen running through the woods.

    It was enormous, easily three times the size of a stallion and significantly more frightening.

    It was like a cross between a ghost and a nightmarish fox, with whispy greyish white fur that had dark ck jagged tes scattered throughout like living armor.

    Enormous ck ws gouged through the ground and tore up soil as the creature ran like the wind.

    It''s eyes, ears, and various parts of it''s fur were permanently dyed red.

    Behind the back of the creature were eight very long furry tails.

    Within the forest, none of the other animals seemed to want toe near this creature.

    There are a special subspecies of animals in this world called magical beasts, and they use stars to identify their threat level just as one does with arcane.

    From appearances alone, this creature had to be atleast a seven star beast; the highest caliber there is.

    Finally, the creature came to a stop within a flower grove filled with violet petals.

    Sniffing around the air, the beast moved throughout the wildflowers as if he was searching for the perfect spot.

    Upon settling into the center of the field, the creature began to change.

    It became a man of untold grace and beauty, with long flowing silver hair and eight tails that were all around five feet in length.

    He sat cross legged on the ground and closed his eyes, not taking long to fall into a state of meditation.

    Taira paid close attention to his body''s new state with the addition of his Nogitsune heritage.

    That anger he felt earlier was definitely not his entirely, and he knew it had something to do with his new namesake.

    He recalled Keran''s words about how Nogitsune were ''evil'' kitsune and had an antagonistic rtionship with humans.

    Such a thing certainly exined why he was so angry when he heard about everything that happened to Aveena.

    Though he didn''t particrly give a damn about her, he couldn''t abide by lowly humansmitting such atrocities against fallen as if they were superior.

    Not to mention the fact that they were apparently masquerading as fallen and working with a real beast-man.

    The entire situation was so revolting and infuriating that if he didn''te out here to calm himself he was likely going to lose his head.

    Before any movements forward were made, he had to temper this newfound vtility of his.

    ''Anger is fine.''

    ''If this is to be a part of me, I will ept it.''

    ''But it must be molded.''

    ''I am to move my anger, it is not to move me.''

    ''I will channel it into my every step, my every swing of my sword.''

    ''I will direct it at those I choose, and only at the opportune moment will I be allowed to roam free.''

    Unconsciously, Indra began to cultivate with this new mantra in mind.

    Even though he did not know what he was doing, he was actually starting on the path to the next realm.

    His determination forplete and total spiritual control was affecting the qi inside of his core; purifying it and altering it''s properties into a necessary stage for ascension.

    To enter the beast realm, one must be in possession of qi powerful enough to not only energize and cleanse the body while being circted, but it must also be able to temper it.

    This is what separates mortal men from beasts.

    Taira''s fiery will was now being transferred over to his qi, and as a result his body was now burning up as he started to cross the threshold.

    Today, he would firmly step into the beast realm no matter what.

    -

    Back at home, Lucia was fiddling with her fingers outside of a bedroom.

    She had been continuously slithering back and forth for the longest time, unaware of just how she was going to enact her n without having it fail miserably in the end.

    Eventually, the door opened up on it''s own and Lucia could see inside.

    Enyo was floating in the center of the room; still wearing Taira''s kimono over her nude body and staring out the window.

    "You''ve been pacing outside for quite a while now... You''re noting to kick us out, are you?" Enyo asked with a smile.

    "N-No, of course not!" Lucia hurriedly slithered inside and held up her hands in a gesture of non aggression. "I love having you guys here, I-I was justing here to talk!"

    "Oh? Alright then." Enyo sat on the bed and closed the door before she sat down on the bed and gestured for Lucia to sit beside her.

    But in a surprising turn of events... Lucia fell at her feet instead and prostrated in front of her.

    "L-Lucia??"

    "Please... I-I have to do this to atone for the disrespect I have shown you..!"

    "Uwah??"

    "I... have fallen in love with your husband..! A-And I''m here today because I wanted to ask your permission to confess to him!"

    Enyo was looking at the friendlymia like she''d just grown a second head, and fought to pick her jaw up off the floor.

    She knew that the young woman felt like this, as Enyo wasn''t an idiot, but she never expected her to be so bold as to grovel and ask for her permission.

    All of this was honestly making her feel really strange.

    She abhorred the idea of her husband being with other women, but for some reason, it did not feel as unpleasant when she thought about sharing him with Lucia.

    But still, there were things that she had to know first.

    "Lucia... why do you love Taira?" Enyo asked.

    Themia looked like she wasn''t prepared for an interview and she bit her lip ufortably as she started to twirl her fingers.

    "W-Well, he''s... he''s never looked at me like I was somehow lesser. He''s very gentle and he says and does sweet things without even realizing it...

    He makes me want to be better... it''s thanks to him that I was able to be a two star mage and I am going to keep studying until I reach even higher...!

    But more than all of that... I love the way that he treats you... I love the way that I''ve seen him devote himself to you. Sometimes, it makes me so jealous I can hardly stand it."

    Lucia smiled helplessly at Enyo as she tried to control her tumultuous emotions.

    "I think I would love him even if he weren''t the most beautiful person I have ever seen... I''ve certainly got it bad, don''t I?"

    Enyo couldn''t help but feel a sensation in her mind that was like a lock fitting into ce.

    Bending down, she took Lucia''s hands in hers and gave them a light squeeze.

    "I do... but there''s one thing that I still need to know."

    "Yes?"

    For the first time, Lucia saw a look of utter madness in Enyo''s eyes that reminded her that this woman was a poltergeist at the venerable realm.

    And she was not to be trifled with.

    "Would you kill for him? If it meant that we got to keep him for ourselves, would you dye the world red with the blood of not only those that try to harm him, but also those who dare to covet what belongs to us?"

 Chapter 68: Criteria For Acceptance

    <h4>Chapter 68: Criteria For eptance</h4>

    Lucia blinked several times as she allowed Enyo''s question to take root in her mind.

    Even though she had been living her life on a more passive end, for some reason she no longer felt like remaining idle would be in her best interest.

    She loved Taira.

    And she knew just how special it was for him to love another person.

    She wanted to be one of the only two women who got to experience something like that.

    She couldn''t stand the thought of him being taken away from her.

    She couldn''t stand to see random women looking at him with lustful eyes or daring to put their filthy hands on his immacte body.

    What right did they have for such a thing?

    They didn''t know him like she did.

    They were not devoted to him like she was.

    In her eyes they were entirely unworthy of not only his transcendent touch, but the breath in their lungs.

    And she would be the one to correct their line of thinking on both.

    "I would... I would never let anyone harm him, and I would never let anyone try to take him from me.. from us."

    Enyo smiled at Lucia like a mother who was watching her baby take their first steps.

    She got down on her knees in front of Lucia, and pressed their foreheads against each other.

    "Then you have my blessing. I hope that your confession goes smoothly, and I can have a new sister."

    "Enyo... thank you!"

    The two buxom women hugged as Enyo patted the crying Lucia on the back.

    Though the idea of sharing Taira had started to sting her just a little bit, there was also the feeling of an expanding family.

    And though it was a new feeling, she did not dislike it.

    Creak!

    The door to Enyo''s room was suddenly thrown open and Keran and Vermeil were revealed to be standing outside.

    Though it was not as if she did not already know that.

    "What about myself, Enyo?" Keran asked. "If I desired to confess to him, would you object?"

    Enyo smiled wryly at the princess and shook her head.

    "I do not believe I would as it wouldn''t feel right since you technically came before me. But I will remind you that the man we love does not feel as he did in the past. If his love for you is never reignited... will you be okay with that?"

    Keran bit her lip ufortably as an expression of pain crossed her face.

    Because Enyo''s question was not without merit, it hurt her to her core to imagine the scenario where she could not win back the affection of her beloved no matter how much she tried.

    It was a very scary and heartbreaking thing to think about.

    "I''m still new to this whole polygamy thing, but... what about me?" Vermeil asked shyly. "If I wanted to confess to him... would you be-"

    ""No."" Lucia and Enyo responded immediately.

    "Ohe on! Why am I the only one you won''t share him with?? Is it because I''m human??"

    Enyo and Lucia giggled like they found her tirade funny.

    The two of them looked at each other like they were trying to see which of them would exin the reasoning behind their rejection.

    "I actually like you quite a lot, Vermeil. You''re very sweet and fun to be around, and it''s easy for me to forget that you are human." Lucia began.

    "And I feel the same." Enyo added. "But the reason why I would not allow you to be with my husband is because you do not love him, you fetishize him."

    "W-What??"

    "You are enthralled by his looks and the fact that he is a vampire, but that is all. You see him as a dashing character from those bad movies that you are always telling us about.

    And I won''t lie and say that he is not that at times, but he is also a person. A real thinking and feeling person. What will you do when your image of him contradicts with who he actually is?

    At his core, my husband is a simple and rather habitual man who is a homebody above all. Those are things that I, Lucia, and Keran all love about him and will never grow bored of even when we have been together for 100,000 years.

    But you just see him as something exciting and sexy who is like your greatest fantasye to life. And within a few years, you might grow bored with him and start looking some other source of excitement.

    I will never allow my husband to be with someone like that. If you cannot devote yourself to him just as much as he would for you, or protect his life it is your own, I would rather kill you than let youy a single finger on him."

    Enyo''s words hit like hammers and caused Vermeil to take a reflexive step back.

    She was not expecting to be hit with such a structured and firm refusal.

    Even going so far as to im that she would rather kill the young girl than allow her near her husband.

    It was more than a little heartbreaking.

    "I-I thought we were friends..." she said as she started to cry.

    In a turn she wasn''t expecting, Enyo suddenly embraced the human girl and held her head between her breasts.

    "We are the best of friends, Vermeil. You have be the most wonderfulpanion of mine that I can not imagine doing without."

    "T-Then why would you say all of those things?!" She cried.

    "Because he is my husband. And the vows that we have exchanged with each other demand that I spare him any unnecessary burdens, just as he would do the same for me.

    And a rtionship that is doomed to fail falls under the category of one of those burdens. You do not love him, and it is better that I make you aware of that now before it is toote."

    Vermeil''s deluge of tears slowed to only a trickle as she realized just what Enyo was trying to get her to understand.

    And in doing so, she had to admit a truth to herself that she hadn''t realized.

    "I... do not know what it means to love someone, Enyo."

    "I know, dear. It takes time, but you can discover it on your own. Go at your own ce, ask yourself if eternity with him is something that you really want.

    And when you have made your decision,e back and ask Lucia and I again. If we feel your conviction, then the three of us will go before Taira together. We''ll see if he reciprocates your feelings, okay?"

    "Okay..." she sniffled. "...I''m sorry for crying on your titties."

    "Fufufu, it''s alright, dear."

    Enyo took a few more moments to console the blubbering human girl like some kind of maternal figure.

    It seemed like the mood in the room was finally beginning to pick up when Enyo suddenly felt a jolt run through her body and she stared out the window into the distance.

    "What''s wrong, Enyo?" Keran asked.

    "Nothing... husband has just broken through to the beast realm." She said with a smile.

 Chapter 69: Beast Realm

    <h4>Chapter 69: Beast Realm</h4>

    The feeling of breaking through to a new realm of cultivation is entirely different from going up a level.

    It is a bit like punching through the window of a wrecked motor vehicle to crawl out.

    It hurts a bit to break yourself free of your old surroundings that were once adequate.

    But once you have punched through thest of the ss and emerge out on the other side, the cool and refreshing feeling that runs awash through your body is only followed by the calming sense of safety and security.

    A small explosion of power rippled off Taira''s body as he took his first steps into the beast realm.

    Since he had no pills to aid in the stabilization of his cultivation, he had to keep meditating for a few moments afterwards to ensure that he did not fall backwards.

    Thirty minutester, he now sat firmly on the second level of the beast realm.

    ''Not bad at all...my first impressions are quite good.''

    Standing up, Taira began to execute a few simple movements to help him get a better grasp of his body''s new capabilities.

    His bnce was phenomenal, his muscles were more powerful, movements were smoother and his agility and grace were at a never before seen level.

    Even with the addition of eight fluffy tails that were each over five feet long, he had no trouble maneuvering his body exactly the way he wanted it without facing any issues.

    ''I think I may be ready for the next level of my cultivation arts now.'' He realized.

    He hadn''t attempted these things previously as his body wasn''t yet meant for the strain that they would pose.

    However, now that he had suffered through a breakthrough and moon touched diamond dust, he had no doubt that his difficulties would be nonexistent.

    Recalling the proper breathing for the second move of his movement art, he closed his eyes as he started to concentrate.

    "Dark Moon Art : ck Light."

    At a speed that was beyond what a beginner stage beast realm cultivator should have possessed, Taira vanished from his ce among the flower fields and reappeared in a tree a literal mile away.

    It had only taken him around fifty seconds to close such a distance, and the only evidence of what he''d done were the neon violet footprints left in the grass and bark of the tree he was standing on.

    Obviously this was a movement art that focused more on enhanced speed than stealth, but it still had a great many uses.

    And if he used this power in conjunction with his lightning element, then he was sure that he could double- no, triple his movement speed.

    He could already imagine that little else within the beast realm would be allowed to touch him.

    It was a very exciting premise.

    Flipping down from the tree, Tairanded gracefully on the ground without making so much as a sound.

    The next thing he wanted to test was his sword art.

    Removing the two ck des from his storage, he frowned immediately as soon as they made their way into his grip.

    ''No... I must be imagining this.''

    Telling himself that he was just sleepy or maybe a little horny, he shook off that odd feeling he felt and executed the second move of his mother''s sword art.

    Spreading his legs into a wide stance, he rested both des on his shoulders as he circted qi into his arms, hips, and feet.

    "24 Wraiths Sword Art : Tirade Dance."

    With whirlwind movements, Taira performed a rousing sword art amongst the grove of giant trees.

    His feet seemed to carry him with the grace of a swan as he moved, showcasing why the art''s secondary movement was referred to as a dance.

    ''No...''

    Taira swung his swords in wide arcs, cutting through all of the wild trees in the surrounding area with not only the sharpness of the des, but the terrible wind pressure that was created everytime he swung.

    ''I don''t believe this... it''s gone.''

    BOOOM!

    For the final move of this thirteen step art, Taira executed an overhead downwards sh towards the ground that blew away any surrounding debris.

    Now that he was finally done, the Nogitsune hybrid looked around to examine all the damage that he had caused with his art.

    Trees had been chopped down cleanly, there wererge gashes in the ground, and the des responsible for it all hadn''t suffered a lick of damage.

    To any outside eyes, this would have looked like a perfect execution of abat art.

    But cultivators at higher realms would know exactly what was wrong with this picture.

    For cultivators, therees a moment when they are choosing a weapon for the first time that is known as the kindling.

    When choosing, one gives it a few whirls and waits to feel a spark between man and weapon take ce.

    This spark is the moment that let''s one know ''this weapon was made for me''.

    Sure, one could use weapons without feeling a spark, but they would only be able to use it at around 50-60% of the potential output.

    Using a weapon that is truly meant for you provides no greater satisfaction, and something like that is integral to living a long life and seeing many battles.

    Taira previously held that spark with his mother''s swords, but in this moment it seemed like that time had passed.

    The swings were no longer satisfying, and even though he was capable of executing attacks perfectly, there was still this inner feeling of revulsion within him that made him feel like he had done something terribly wrong.

    The affinity that he felt with these weapons was gone.

    Although, it really shouldn''t have been all that surprising.

    Swords have been the preferred weapons of vampires for generations, and the ability to use one at a master level was a requirement that every Ascalon had to meet before they turned fifteen.

    ''For some reason I feel as though my work has been wasted.. though I don''t remember any of it to begin with.''

    Sighing, Taira put both weapons away before taking a seat on a recently created tree stump.

    It was more than a little disheartening to suddenly lose your synchronicity with a weapon you knew as well as your own body.

    Taira could still choose to fight with a sword in the future if he so chose, but in a fight where he was outmatched against a superior enemy; such a thing would likely be a liability.

    He needed a new weapon, and it had to be one that he had total and perfect synchronization with.

    ''...Wait a minute...''

    Taira looked down at his chest and the familiar red gem that always sat within it.

    Smiling, he crossed his legs and entered a meditative state.

    Materializing a soul weapon for the first time typically required an immense amount of qi in order to give them their physical form.

    It was such an exhorbitant amount, Taira did not even possess the necessary requirements to materialize it a few hours ago.

    But now that he had entered the beast realm, he just barely met the requirements.

    Barely.

    A dull red glow started to epass his body, and Indra focused all of his qi into the center of his chest.

    After pouring all but 1% of his qi inside, his gem; a tendril of energy left his chest.

    His weapon finally began to take physical form, and when Taira''s eyesnded on it''splete state, a feeling ofpleteness began to ooze out from his very pores, and a predatory smile formed on his lips.

    ''Beautiful...''

 Chapter 70: Yasuke : Blood Red Kusarigama

    <h4>Chapter 70: Yasuke : Blood Red Kusarigama</h4>

    There was a strong sh of red light, and a weapon floated into view in front of Taira.

    It was a one handed scythe with a two feet long crystallized handle of a dark red color.

    The de was a bright golden color, with a length matching exactly three feet and a wickedly sharp edge that looked like it could cut metal and bone with ease.

    A golden chain billowed in the air around the weapon, connecting the scythe to a short but lethal looking dagger of the same design.

    Suddenly the weapon let out a low hum, and Taira immediately raised a brow in surprise.

    "Are you.. greeting me?"

    As a response, the weapon hummed again before it changed right before Taira''s eyes.

    The golden chain at the bottom of the scythe hilt suddenly straightened out and became encased in a cryristalline red material just like the rest of the handle.

    The golden de widened and becamerger and more wicked looking like the demonic wing of a bat.

    It now came to a length of four feet instead of the previous three.

    When the weapon was done transforming, the scythe of around seven foot in height nted itself in the ground in front of Taira, seemingly waiting for the chance to be picked up.

    "Well now... quite the showy little thing, aren''t you?"

    Taira finally stood up front his ce atop the tree stump and pulled the weapon into his hand.

    As soon as he did so, he raised a brow in surprise.

    This weapon was not only heavy, but it felt oddly unbnced as well.

    It was easily one of thergest weapons he''d ever seen, and he didn''t know if he was going to be able to use it much in enclosed spaces.

    But it was perfect.

    Just from a single touch of the smooth ruby hilt, Taira got a greater sense of synchronicity than any that he''d ever had with a weapon.

    He was out of qi, so his energy was a bit too low to practice with it seriously, but he could do a few simple swings.

    And once he did, he realized his previous assessment was correct.

    Both as a chain weapon and a scythe, this weaponplemented his fighting style like it was made for him.

    He did not have any scythe arts or even kusarigama arts, so he was unable to bring out his weapon''s full potential, but his hope was that he would be able to find some in the near future.

    Holding the massive scythe in one hand, he stared at it carefully as if he was trying to find out what he could be missing.

    Briefly, he recalled Keran''s fervent words from earlier when she was exining his new transformation to him.

    ''Names have power, beloved!''

    Taira stared at the beautiful red and gold weapon for a long time before he made a decision.

    "Yasuke."

    A dull red glow epassed the scythe before it let out a happy hum and floated around him in a circle.

    "You... are definitely a special weapon, aren''t you?"

    *continued humming.*

    Taira chuckled a bit before he returned the weapon to the gem on his chest.

    ....Only for it toe right back out a few secondster.

    *insistent humming*

    "...You want to give me a ride home...?"

    *happy humming*

    "...Alright then. I suppose it''s not like I feel like walking anyway."

    Taira leapt atop the floating scythe and stoodfortably on the red handle.

    The weapon soon carried him into the sky above and flew at a fairly impressive speed.

    As Taira flew back home, his mind once again drifted towards the reason he''d left in the first ce.

    Truth be told, it wasn''t really his responsibility to do anything about what was going on at the auction house.

    And yet.. he wanted to.

    For some reason that he truly couldn''t quite understand, he felt a need to terrorize not only the humans slinking around in the city, but the pig bastard who was working with them as well.

    Keran always wanted him to be a champion for their people.

    And she hadn''t said anything yet, but he knew that now that he was one of the supreme fallen, her expectations of him had likely tripled.

    He did not know if he could meet her faith exactly as she foresaw it.

    But, if he could find a way to do things his way, without the pressures of leadership from others, then he would do so.

    And he believed that he finally may have gotten some inkling of which path to take.

    Taira finally arrived above theke house and jumped off of Yasuke gracefully.

    Before his body had touched the ground, his weapon had re entered his body and showed no signs of exiting on its own again.

    Stepping right up to the front door, Taira prepared to open it when someone else apparently beat him to it.

    Vermeil appeared to have waiting for him for a while, and now that he had finally arrived she was feeling shy.

    She thought that she would feel slightly nervous when he arrived, but this was more than what she expected.

    "Vermeil?"

    "H-Hello..! I just, umm... I wanted to say that I''m going to figure myself out... and when I do... I hope you like the person I''ve be."

    "...?"

    As Taira looked down at the young human with great confusion, she suddenly threw her arms around him in a hug.

    He tried to listen to her mind to learn just why she might have been acting like this, but since she was trying so hard to keep a lid on her inner thoughts he eventually left it alone.

    Just as he was about to hug her back, she suddenly released him and started to run upstairs.

    "S-Sorry for being weird, talk to youter! Bye-bye!"

    "...right...okay?" He said as he stepped inside the house."

    "Someone''s popr."

    Taira found Aveena sitting on the couch with Keran.

    Her bandages had been freshly changed and now it looked like the werewolf princess was in the process of feeding her some warm porridge.

    "It seems I have morepetition than I initially thought. The battle to win your body will be that much more- mmf?!"

    Keran somewhat aggressively shoved another spoonful of porridge into the oni''s mouth as she showed her a smile that was not a smile.

    "Now now, let''s not talk and just focus on eating okay?"

    "I am not a baby!"

    "Open wide~"

    "What did I just- mmf!"

    Keran then turned back to Taira and smiled at him rather knowingly.

    "You look a lot better now, and congrattions on your breakthrough. I assume you''vee to a decision about what you want to do?"

    Nodding, he sat on the couch beside her and stared up into the ceiling. "You could say that."

    "When will you be ready to move?"

    "...Give me seven days."

    Keran wasn''t all that thrilled about the timeline, but she knew based off all of the time she spent watching him as a child that this was the way that he worked best.

    "Alright, seven days. But make sure that no one else gets hurt, beloved."

    "Of course."

 Chapter 71 Night Hunt

    71 Night Hunt

    "Thank you kindly for visiting, folks! Hope to see you again at our next auction!"

    Theodore Varken excitedly waived away the attending members of thetest auction event.

    Once most were gone, he quickly waddled back stage and marveled at today''s earnings.

    Waiting for him neatly piled atop a wooden table were several dozen pouches of coins; all of which had been earned within a few hours.

    No matter how much money the auctioneer made; the sight of more of it never failed to make him as happy as a pig in shit.

    He yelled at a few of the guards he had stationed nearby and had them take all of his acquired funds and load it into a carriage around back.

    Once everything was packed away, he also pulled his bulbous body into the carriage and the coachman started on the journey towards his mansion on the northern side of town.

    A short rideter, Theodore stepped down from the carriage and let out a relieved sigh.

    He walked past his expertlyndscaped garden in the front of his yard and the rows of hired guards stationed outside his home.

    Throwing open his front door, he was greeted with the much more likeable sight of twelve maids all bowing their heads and waiting for him.

    A lecherous smile formed on his face, and he went about his usual nightly routine.

    He watched all of his money get brought inside as he groped the chests of two of his maids.

    Then, he ate a full course dinner as he consistently ran his hands up their already short dresses.

    Next, he demanded to be bathed by a few of the girls before he pulled the first two that he could handle into his room.

    Fifteen minutester, he was pushing the girls out of his bed forcefully as he prepared to go to sleep for the night.

    As he drifted off to sleep, he thought that he smelled the fragrant scent of tea wafting into his nostrils.

    ''Is that chamomile��? It''s nice��''

    Just as Theodore was about to fall asleep, he felt a gust of wind blow through his room that woke him uppletely.

    ''Those wenches, I thought I told them to close my window��!''

    Sitting up on the bed, Theodore found that the stained ss windows within his room were indeed hanging open.

    But more importantly, there was a stranger sitting right on his open windowsill; drinking a cup of tea with his eyes closed as if he were totally rxed.

    Theodore had never seen a fallen like this man.

    He was too attractive for it to be considered fair, and even though he thought himself to be an attractive person himself, he had to admit his inferiority.

    This man had rich and inviting brown skin, paired with waist length silver hair that framed his face''s sharp features perfectly.

    He wore an open ck kimono that exposed his lean and muscr chest and dark baggy pants tied with a burgundy cloth.

    His wed feet were consistently tapping on the wooden floor beneath them, and yet he made no sound at all.

    It was as if he were an illusion that wasn''t actually real.

    The only way that Theodore knew that not to be the case, was due to the smell of the tea he was drinking; as it was the only thing in the room that felt out of ce.

    He had begun to get the impression that he had seen this man somewhere before, and yet the eight fluffy tails and fluffy ears atop his head were surely a new sighting for him.

    "Who are you?! What in the zes are you doing in my chambers?!"

    "��"

    Infuriated when he received no answer, Theodore wrapped himself in a nket as he stepped out of bed.

    "GUARDS!! THERE IS AN INTRUDER, GET IN HERE!!"

    The boar-kin waited and waited, but there was no sign of the guards he paid a fortune to.

    "Ingrates! Why aren''t they-"

    "They''re busy I''m afraid."

    "Busy?!"

    Every night when Theodore goes to bed, the guards outside take the maids down to the wine cer, and they all pass each other around until they''re satisfied.

    It was one of the only privileges that came with working for such a lecherous man.

    They stuck to their routine so fervently that the intruder was able to breeze through the kitchen and make himself tea as if he were right at home.

    "Just know that right now, your screaming is no louder than theirs."

    Finally, Theodore Varken froze as he recognized that strangely deep yet harmonious voices that seemed not to fit his figure.

    He turned around and pointed a trembling sausage-like finger directly at the intruder sitting on the windowsill.

    "Y-You��! Mr. Indra?!"

    The man sitting on the windowsill crinkled his brow into a frown; showing the first traces of emotion ever since he''d arrived.

    "No�� not quite, pig."

    "What is the meaning of-"

    "Yasuke."

    Before the auctioneer knew what was happening, his body was ensnared by a golden chain and hoisted into the air like a hog over an open me.

    The bright red de of an unusuallyrge sickle hung right below his fat neck;ing dangerously close to lopping off his head.

    "A-A soul weapon?! I-I can assure you, there is no need for this barbarism-"

    *agitated humming* (Do not speak unless master asks.)

    "Y-You have a weapon spirit?! How can you possibly-"

    *increasingly upset humming.* (Last warning.)

    "W-What�� what is it trying to- GYYYAAAAA!!!!"

    Tired of repeating itself, Yasuke used the dagger at the other end of it''s body to stab Theodore directly in his left butt cheek.

    Just so that he couldn''t wail in pain; the weapon then tightened his chains around his neck, cutting off any more unsavory noises.

    Taira finally finished thest of his tea and stood up from the windowsill.

    The moonlight from above rained down on the back of the intruder as he came to stand in front of the restrained pig man.

    He finally opened his red eyes and stared coldly into the face of his captive.

    "Lessen your grip. He''s starting to turn purple."

    *dissatisfied humming* (is purple not your favorite color, master? I was only doing this for you��)

    "It is, and your devotion is appreciated, but we need him to be able to breathe if we''re to get any answers."

    Yasuke seemed to understand and loosened his grip upon the boarkin''s neck.

    He coughed as he took in as many deep mouthfuls of air as his body could hold.

    "P-Please�� I-I can give you as much money and jewels as you require, just please do not kill-"

    "I''ve been following you carefully for a week now. I know what time you sleep, wake up, eat, shit, screw, and work.

    I''ve paid close attention to your habits, known associates, and even gone to visit your parents on a few brief asions��"

    "Y-You couldn''t have..!" Theodore eximed in horror.

    He had men stationed around him at every hour of the day, specifically to look out for things such as spies, and they are all in the overlord and beast realm.

    Even if this intruder were able to slip past them on one asion, someone surely should have caught him at some point!

    That he had gone undetected for a week had to be aplete fabrication!

    "I watched you and everyone around you very closely, and yet I was still never able to catch wind of those humans that Aveena spoke of��"

    At that moment, Theodore''s heart nearly leapt out of his throat as he had a horrifying realization.

    ''T-That woman�� she lived?!''

    "I don''t particrly care for her, but I understand the despair and hatred that she showed me that day. I know better than to think she was lying after putting on a show like that��"

    Taira grabbed the boarkin by one of his overgrown tusks, and pulled him so that the two were eye to eye.

    "I promised the little wolf seven days, so time is up and I have to bring her some results. So tell me, traitor��"

    A snarl escaped Taira''s lips as his gleaming white fangs shed within the dark room.

    "Where are you hiding the humans you''ve brought into thesends? Answer quickly now, I''m already out of patience..!"

    I��m back! sorry bout the sudden days away. at first I was just really tired but then I woke up the next morning and I was really sick

 Chapter 72 The Hideaway Humans

    72 The Hideaway Humans

    Theodore Varken was a man who was quite adept at the art of lying.

    He had spent his whole life doing so, and as a result he had umted a lengthy assortment of excuses and misdirections to get him out of any given situation.

    And yet�� everything within his being was telling him not to use any of those right now.

    Every bone in his bulbous body was screaming out to him loudly that telling even a single lie here would result in a terrible consequence.

    He had to tell the truth today.

    "T-They do not belong to me! I do not know where theye from, all I know is that they appear before me after a high value item goes up and they demand that I get them close to whoever buys it!"

    Taira felt his vision narrow as he continued to hold Theodore by the tusk.

    He could tell that his captive was indeed not lying, which meant that he would have to switch his tactics around just a bit.

    ''Drop him.''

    Bang!

    Yasuke released the boar-kin and dropped him directly onto his nose; spilling a fair bit of his blood in the process.

    The mischievous weapon let out a hum that sounded likeughter as it encircled it''s master like a giant serpent.

    Taira began fishing inside of his storage ring for something and he dropped it onto the floor uncaringly.

    When the boar-kin''s eyesnded upon the ancient advanced martial art that had been thrown in front of him, he almost forgot about his broken snout instantly.

    "T-This��"

    "You''ll be putting that up on the next auction. When the humanse to you looking for an opportunity to meet with the buyer, you will not object to this as you have before.

    Should you tell them anything about me, I will know and I will not be happy. Do you understand me, traitor?"

    "Y-Yes��"

    Taira turned around and walked back towards the window when the hollow voice of Theodore called out.

    "I.. am not a traitor, you know? I despise humans just as the rest of my kin, but they have taken my son and will not return him to me unless I do this for a year�� I had no choice��!"

    It was unclear whether or not this sob story had moved Taira in the slightest, as he continued to move without confirming that he''d heard anything.

    Yasuke re-entered his body of it''s own volition and he leapt out of the window without waiting for another second.

    Huge leathery wings that were evenrger than his tails emerged out of his back.

    He flew high above the clouds with his destination focused solely on the woods outside the city.

    Taira hadn''t been home in a week, as he literally spent seven days stalking Varken without taking a break.

    It was a painstaking and sometimes boring process; and as a result his mental battery was just about as low as it could get.

    He was missing all of theforts of home!

    He wanted to take a nice long bath!

    He wanted to see his wife and friends!

    He wanted to read a book and not step out of his room for a whole day!

    He wanted to have sex!

    The next auction would not be held for another three days, so he had that much time to de-escte and rx.

    In addition, he was also hoping to get some of Lucia''s cooking.

    The addition of a Nogitsune to his gic makeup had altered his dietary needs in that he could now eat normal food again without puking it up.

    He felt so bad everytime that Lucia or Vermeil cooked and he had to pass on it in favor of a simple cup of tea or blood.

    ''I want to ask them to prepare a feast but I don''t want to overwork them�� I''ll help them if they don''t mind it.''

    As Taira flew ever closer to his home, he raised a brow when he found two people waiting for him on the porch.

    Lucia and Enyo were both seated outside, their heads resting against each other like they were half asleep and antern resting beside them.

    As always, Tairanded on the porch without making a single sound, but this time he was easily noticed.

    Enyo''s eyes immediately shed open as soon as she sensed the arrival of her husband.

    "Honey!"

    "Uwah!"

    Enyo immediately leapt up from her seat on the porch and lunged at her husband with open arms.

    But because she was acting as support for Lucia, the unfortunatemia fell over onto the ground; giving her a rather rude awakening.

    Enyo would normally have apologized, but as of right now she was so overjoyed to see her beloved after a week that she had forgotten all proper etiquette.

    Her lips quickly found Taira''s and the two of them wrapped their arms around each other longingly.

    It was clear to all that he had missed her just as much as she missed him; if not more so.

    And it was very clear that he was not going to let her go for the rest of the night.

    Or atleast he wouldn''t have, had Enyo not wormed out of his embrace at thest second.

    "Mmh! Ah, I forgot! I have to go and�� get a bath ready for us, yea!"

    "Right now? Can it not wait for-"

    "N-Nope, sorry! Come upstairs in a few minutes and I''ll make it all up to you then!"

    Taira noticed something strange about the way that Enyo was behaving, but he ultimately lost the chance to ask her about it when she turned incorporeal and flew into the house.

    Taira watched her leave with something of a crestfallen expression, and his ears had begun to droop just a bit.

    ''I wanted to grope her a bit more��''

    "Wee back, Taira."

    Jolted from his dirty thoughts, the seemingly young man found his friend Lucia staring at him warmly.

    Just like Enyo had done, she also held out her arms indicating that she''d like a hug, although she was less forceful about it.

    Taira smiled and he also embraced her; long growing ustomed to her touch if no one else''s.

    "It''s good to be back. I hope I haven''t made you girls miss me too much."

    "You have, but it''s okay�� I''ll have you make up for it right now."

    Whether he wanted to or not, Taira could hear the thought of others through physical contact.

    And this time was no different, but because the thoughts he was hearing from Lucia were so out of character, he thought he may have been mistaken.

    However, he would very quickly learn that he was not.

    Lucia parted her full pink lips as wide as they could go and exposed the snake-like fangs within her gums.

    With a loud hiss, she bit Taira directly on the shoulder and pumped him full of as much poison as she could possibly produce.

    "Ugh.. Lucia, why would you��?"

    "I-I''m sorry! I just didn''t want you to run from me!"

    Taira''s body began to feel heavy as Lucia gently lowered him to the ground.

    She sat directly on top of him and stared down into his eyes with a manic and obsessive gaze.

    Taira recognized this kind of look well, as it was one that Enyo gave him quite often.

    Right now, Lucia had never looked more beautiful to him.

    "I-I''m sorry for biting you but I kinda just let my instincts take over and panicked! But I''m only doing this because I love you and I don''t want to be your friend any longer!"

    With Taira paralyzed, Lucia had free reign to grab him by the face and kiss him boldly for the first time.

    A flurry of emotions assailed his mind all at once, but none of them were more prevalent than the profound realization he had while being smothered.

    ''I shouldn''t leave home for so long again�� As soon as I step out, everything gets turned upside down.''

    reaper of the drifting moon is finally back and my life has literally never known greater peace

 Chapter 73 Lucia Amarok? Lucia Amarok!

    Chapter 73 Lucia Amarok? Lucia Amarok!

    When Lucia finally stopped kissing Taira, an expression like that of a drunk woman could be seen on her face.

    "T-That felt a lot better than I thought it would�� Ah, right!"

    Not letting herself be swept away in the moment, Lucia shook her head firmly before she recited the speech she had been practicing for a week.

    "Right then�� I love you, Taira. I know that you probably already knew that since I may not have been the most subtle, but�� I don''t want to do that anymore."

    Lucia brought her face closer and closer to Taira''s, and he believed that she was going to kiss him again.

    He was trying to expel her poison out of his system as fast as he could, but he was still going to need a few minutes at most.

    However, Lucia did not kiss him as he had expected her to.

    Instead she spoke to him softly and in a voice filled with desire, while stroking his face like a maiden who was madly in love.

    Taira had begun to feel conflicted.

    Though Lucia''s actions were incredibly stimting and stirring his emotions quite a bit, he had begun to feel like he was betraying Enyo.

    But Lucia''s next words served to dash away all of those negative feelings.

    "Enyo��has already given me her blessing to do this��"

    ''She gave me away?!''

    "I want to walk firmly alongside the both of you�� even if my position is to be below hers, I still want-Ack!"

    The poison circting through Taira''s system had finally been expunged giving him free reign over his body again.

    And the first thing he did was reverse the positions of he and Lucia, allowing him to loom over her.

    "Do you know what I don''t like about you, Lucia..?"

    Not even allowing her to answer, Taira ced a wed finger over the lips of themia.

    "You''re one of the most wonderful women that I have ever known, and yet you are woefully unconfident. This is a paradox that is every bit as mystifying as it is frustrating."

    Lucia said nothing, and instead smiled sheepishly underneath Taira like she had no defense.

    Seeing her like this once again put a wry smile on his own face.

    Sometimes, this girl seemed truly helpless.

    It made him worry about what kind of trouble she could get into if she were left to her own devices with no one to protect her.

    Perhaps that singr thought was what helped him to make his decision easier.

    Pushing his hair out of his eyes, heughed wryly as he stared up at the crescent moon above.

    "I was not excepting this to be the way I realized my own feelings. And since Enyo has apparently given you her blessing��"

    Taira lowered his gaze and stared down at Lucia with the same amount of obsessiveness and attraction that she had shown him.

    "Then there exists no other reason why I should not make you mine. I would have normally elected to make sure that you knew what you were getting into, but given the drastic measures that you took toe this far, I''d wager that my warnings would change nothing."

    "They wouldn''t." Lucia said adamantly.

    "Just as well. I don''t believe that I could let you get away from me even if you changed your mind."

    This time, Taira brought his lips to Lucia''s of his own volition, and the gesture was much sweeter and more meaningful the second time around. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    While Lucia''s mind was still addled, Taira broke their kiss and pressed his forehead against hers in a disy of affection.

    "Lucia�� say that you will be my wife. If you do, both you and Enyo will have my unconditional love and devotion. There is no need for one of you to be above or below the other."

    "I see�� of course I will��!"

    Before the two newlyweds could kiss again to cement their status, the sound of pping could be heard from the window.

    "Hooray!"

    "Congrattions!"

    "��yay."

    Looking up, the two of them found Keran, Vermeil, and even Aveena staring at them through the window.

    While their oni houseguest did not look quite as happy as the other two, the girls were apuding so fiercely that it was hardly noticeable.

    A momentter, the two of them also came outside to offer their congrattions.

    It was decided that another feast would be prepared tonight, as a way to truly celebrate their unification.

    Keran also wanted to know what her beloved had learned after spending a week out doing reconnaissance.

    After the joyful moment had ended, the new couple were shooed upstairs to the waiting Enyo.

    They found her in the bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a bath towel and checking the temperature of the water.

    When she felt the two of theme in, a wide smile formed on her lips.

    "I''m d to see everything went well. The bath is ready for all of us if you''re both ready."

    Taira hardly needed to be told twice as he was already rather pent up and the sight of his wife in a towel was doing wonders to sap away his rationality.

    His kimono and pants practically flew off his body, and he turned to Lucia and started to help her undress as well.

    While she was a little shy, she did not object to this act and let him do whatever he wanted without a fuss.

    Taira had already seen Lucia''s body once before, but there was something different about it tonight.

    Her delicate pink skin now seemed to have a natural glow to it that made her irresistible to her husband.

    And judging by the look in her eyes, she seemed to appreciate his just as much.

    Taira lifted both girls over his shoulders and carried them into bath.

    The three of them sank into the hot water and got acquainted with what would be their new normal.

    As their husband, Taira got to enjoy the privilege of the girl''s ultimate affection.

    As they talked, Enyo would continuously grope and frisk him; which in turn fueled Lucia''s jealousy and boldness.

    Soon, both girls were running their hands along ces they shouldn''t have been, and Taira was left as the one to deal with the consequences of their actions.

    However, he had already chosen to y the long game.

    Since he was tired of being interrupted in the middle of his endeavors; he decided that he would wait until after dinner to engage in depravity.

    But it was a decision he would sorelye to regret.

    The girls seemed to have decided beforehand that they were going to do everything that they could to push their husband over the edge.

    Therefore, Taira could barely get through dinner without having either of the girls grope him under the table.

    The amount of times he stuttered as he tried to exin what he had observed over the course of the week was not small.

    Despite the excitement he felt over getting to eat a real dinner for the first time, he couldn''t hold his focus long enough to taste anything.

    Eventually, dinner came to a rather swift and decisive end when both Enyo and Lucia became drunk and were significantly less secretive about their groping.

    Leaving Taira to once again hoist the two very drunk women over his shoulder and carry them to their bedroom.

    Since they wanted to seduce him so badly, he would give them more of him than they could possibly handle.

 Chapter 74 Instructor Fenris

    74 Instructor Fenris

    Taira tossed the two giggling women onto the bed and immediately started to peel his clothes offyer byyer.

    Once the girls saw that he was already staring to get undressed; they both stared at him shamelessly without concealing their lust.

    If Taira was honest with himself, he was more than a little thrilled to be receiving looks like this.

    The gazes he received from other women on a day to day basis meant nothing to him, but these women always served to make him feel rather bashful.

    Just as Taira was about to descend atop the bodies of the two ravenous women, they both held up their hands to stop him.

    "W-Wait, wait!" Lucia giggled.

    "Yea, don''t jump on us yet!"

    "Oh? Are my wives afraid now?"

    "KYAAA! He called me his wife!!"

    "Pfft! Sister, focus!" Enyo chastised.

    "Right!"

    The girls finally sat up on the bed and gave Taira the most heartbreaking news he could have possibly received in this moment.

    "We can''t have sex tonight, honey. We have to wait." Enyo said.

    "��wut?"

    "Well�� I told Enyo howmias typically mate for a whole week and she got really excited about it." Lucia exined shyly.

    "So since you have to head back to the auction house soon, we figured that it would be better to wait so that we didn''t have to stop in the middle again!" Enyo said excitedly.

    Taira fully understood the logic behind the girls'' thinking, but that didn''t mean that he was fully alright with it either.

    "You girls groped me endlessly�� and you had this n in mind the whole time��?"

    ""Yes!""

    "��I want a divorce."

    ""Too fucking bad!""

    The wives slipped out of their own clothes before pulling Taira into bed with them.

    As hey in between the two of them; the sweet scent of their bodies and fruit wine filled his extremely sensitive nostrils.

    It was all so alluring and intoxicating that he felt like he wasn''t going to be able to abstain for three full days.

    However, Taira was quickly reminded that the glory of being married does not always lie within depravity, but inradery.

    As he lie in bed naked with his two wives under his arms; it would have been easy to mistake them for best friends.

    The girls told silly jokes that made Tairaugh in a way that he didn''t think he ever had before and chatted about all manner of things.

    Everyone''s dreams, hobbies, hopes for the future and even ns for a day long date in the city.

    With the three of them having so much fun together, it was hours before any of them fell asleep.

    Taira was thest one to feel drowsiness as his eyes stared lovingly at the two women who were already asleep in his arms.

    ''As I had thought�� there truly is no ce like home.''

    -

    "Fuck��"

    "Is that any way to respond when you meet your benefactor?!"

    In a ck space located deep within Taira''s subconscious, the vampire hybrid stared up at a new face that he recognized instantly.

    Despite having never seen this man before, he could feel his identity emanating from his very bones.

    He was a tall man, with healthy jade skin and a powerful body littered with defined muscles.

    His white hair had a bit of a wild look to it, and fell all the way down to his feet.

    He wore borate white and gold robes the likes of which Taira had never seen before, and he was immediately impressed by their quality.

    His golden eyes were unflinching and caused his gaze to carry an undeniable weight within them.

    Where Taira was only in possession of only eight tails, he had thepleted nine; along with a pair of fluffy fox ears to match.

    How many years had it been since one in the lower realm had seen such a sight as this?

    The face of one of the so called gods who ruled this realm.

    "How is my sword doing on this day? I see you''ve brought another woman under your belt, you seem to have more of my-"

    "Do not say useless things, Fenris. Intruding upon my dreams is bad enough, but speaking about my wives casually is inexcusable."

    It was unclear whether the beast god was amused or enraged by the way that Taira spoke, as evidenced by the predatory smile and horrible pressure that started to leak off his body in droves.

    Taira was suddenly ovee with an inexplicable sense of mortal danger the likes of which were nothing short of mythical.

    He felt like he was going to go insane from the overwhelming amount of fear that his mortal mind could barely process.

    Even in his dreamscape, he fell onto his knees as he choked and coughed violently.

    "Tell me now, sword�� can you still behave so arrogantly in front of me? You really shouldn''t let mere sows make you so sensitive." Fenris asked as he loomed over Taira.

    The mere sound of Fenris'' voice merely added to the overwhelming symphony of rm bells that were already ringing like mad within Taira''s own brain.

    A sane man would have simply lowered his body as close to the ground as it could get and simply waited for this horrible show of force to end.

    But while Taira did not particrly consider himself to be insane, he did think that there were certain lines that you had to draw as a man and let no one cross.

    For him, those lines were his personal space and his wives.

    And even if the one responsible for crossing that line was a god from the upper realm, he had to bite back or else he would not be worthy enough to call himself their husband. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    And so he did.

    Fenris saw what Taira was about to do before he even did it.

    He recognized the tensing of his muscles and the way that his red eyes darted around like they were searching for an opening.

    As the man who crowned himself the beast god, how could he not recognize that look?

    They say that cornered animals are the most dangerous for a reason.

    Taira lunged at Fenris'' exposed ankle like a rabbid animal.

    Every single one of his teeth had be pointed and sharp; and he set his mind on tearing this old man''s flesh from his bone.

    He didn''t care if the way that he was going about it was cowardly or pathetic.

    There was no level he would not stoop to in order to avenge disrespect slung at Enyo or Lucia; it didn''t matter how small it was.

    Any charge against them had to be repaid in blood.

    Taira lunged at Fenris'' ankle and was surprised when he passed through it as if it were made of smoke.

    Fenris had not moved an inch ever since a few moments ago, and still remained standing with his hands sped behind his back.

    "Your mental power is not strong enough to affect me here, sword. You are far too young."

    Before Taira could ask what exactly he was talking about, Fenris kicked him hard in the stomach with minimal effort; sending Taira flying through the air like a kite with it''s strings cut.

    The pain he felt here was every bit as horrible as it would have been if this were in the real world, making him wonder just how many tricks this god had up his sleeves.

    When Taira''s body hit the ground, he only had a moment to feel disoriented before the sense of danger he felt within the air multiplied.

    Looking up, he could see Fenris shrugging off his robes as his ws lengthened and his body started to grow fur along the arms and chest.

    "Listen up, whelp. If you''re going to be of any use in a sh against those damn leeches then you require further instruction."

    Taira had only just climbed onto his feet when the fallen beast god appeared in front of him and grabbed him forcefully by the neck, holding him in the air.

    "Your father taught you to fight like a warrior, your mother taught you how to fight like an assassin, and I am going to teach you how to fight like a beast. Aren''t you lucky?"

    I wanna try to build my chapters up so I can do a mass release so if there is no chapter tomorrow then that��s why AnathaShesha

 Chapter 75 To Make A Beast

    75 To Make A Beast

    Taira pulled his mangled body off the ground with great difficulty.

    If any of his wives or friends could see him now, they would undoubtedly be horrified.

    His body that they were so fond of was now littered with bruises, w marks, and bite wounds.

    He wasn''t sure how long he had been undergoing this surprise ''training'' with the beast god.

    Time seemed to be meaningless here, and he could have been within this space from anywhere to one hour to one year.

    "Come on, sword! The time of a god is precious!" Fenris chided.

    Taira growled as he pushed his silver hair out of his eyes just in time to see the beast god running at him on all fours.

    He barely had time to throw his arms up and block the blow before arge wed foot came barreling into them; shattering his forearms like ss.

    "No! Are you damned stupid?!" Fenris roared.

    As Taira was sent skidding backwards, the beast god finally unfurled a lethalbination on his face.

    It started with a hard and swift uppercut that was immediately followed by a right hook; both of which cracked teeth in Taira''s mouth.

    "You are a beast now, sword! Do you think two predators worry about protecting themselves in the midst ofbat?!"

    When Taira started to fall back from Fenris'' one-two punch, the beast god caught him by the wrist and pulled him back to his feet; allowing the momentum to carry him swiftly into his awaiting elbow.

    "Of course not! Forget about tactics and forget about your defense, all you need is the desire to hurt me!!"

    Just as Taira''s knees started to give out from underneath him, a spinning heel kick to the jaw sent him flying face first into the ground.

    He had never felt so thoroughly toyed with in his life.

    The worst part about this ordeal was that Fenris was not even doing anything exaggerated.

    There was no movement that Taira couldn''t hope to follow, no power that was beyond his means to imitate.

    The problem lie solely in the way that the beast god fought.

    He was savage and unrelenting, and at the same time methodical in his attacks that were designed to establish superiority and make weaker prey feel even weaker.

    It was grossly effective and left poor Taira in a pitiful state such as the one he was in now.

    "You''re embarrassing yourself, sword! To make matters worse, you''re embarrassing those women you''re so proud of as well!"

    Taira''s eyes immediately shed open as he lie on top of the boundless ground.

    He red at the god with an expression of pure hatred as he started to w his way back to his feet.

    Because he liked the look in Taira''s eyes, Fenris elected to push him just a step further in the hopes of achieving his desired result.

    "Maybe they need a real man to keep them satisfied at night, since you clearly aren''t-"

    "I''LL KILL YOU!"

    Dropping onto all fours, dark blue mes sparked to life on Taira''s ws and feet, and he ran at Fenris while snarling hatefully.

    ''So, you''ve properly awakened your fox fire. It took you long enough.''

    Fenris remained motionless as Taira rushed at him with a new and terrible speed.

    His face was contorted into a horrible snarl as he attacked him with wild and ferocious swings of his ws.

    However, Taira seemed to be incapable of damaging this god''s vessel no matter how much he tried, just the same as he had been before.

    Fenris was calmly sidestepping attacks at thest second to avoid thempletely, all while studying and critiquing Taira''s performance.

    "The energy is good and the hate is certainly there�� but there is just one problem."

    Crack!

    A swift chop to the back of the neck quieted Taira out of his frenzy and made his body tip over.

    "You''re too rabid, and rabid beasts get put down, sword."

    Just before he could hit the ground, Fenris caught him with one hand and held him like a bag of groceries.

    "But�� it is nothing that cannot be improved upon. You aren''t bad�� I can certainly see why you are the one they picked."

    -

    When Taira''s eyes fluttered back open, he was still in the same dark and dreary space as before, lying t on his back.

    He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly and he saw the beast god Fenris sitting on the ground a few feet away.

    16:31

    Although instead of being in his normal form, he instead looked like a giant white fox with ninerge majestic tails. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Taira immediately remembered hisst conversation with the beast god and he gnashed his teeth as he started trying to get back up.

    "Oh please. You think I actually care about those women? I have no interest in the leftovers of another. I only indulge in unspoiled fruits." Fenris said with a snort.

    ''So you''re a purity nut? Wonderful.'' Taira didn''t feel like he needed any more reasons to dislike Fenris, and yet he was steadily umting them.

    "I slung those taunts your way in the hopes of awakening your hidden potential, and it worked! You should be thanking me!"

    It was only for a moment, but Taira had finally showed the beast god what he was hoping to see.

    Warriors and assassins, however powerful or talented they may be, still must follow an established pattern of attack that can make them seem rigid and predictable.

    However, the same cannot be said for beasts.

    Their moves are drastically less predictable due to their wild and savage attacks.

    This can make them significantly more difficult to defend against, but the trade-off is that beasts tend to leave a great deal more openings because they are focused solely on attacking.

    All of these reasons are why Fenris is so widely feared within the upper realm.

    He alone had devised a method ofbat that delicately tetered on the line between martial arts and animalistic savagery.

    And now, he was trying to pass on that very same method onto Taira without explicitly saying what it was for.

    However, such a thing appeared to be unnecessary.

    Fenris'' sword had yet to ask any questions so far about what the purpose for all of this was, or why he had to do it.

    And with that said one look inside of his eyes, Fenris knew instantly that his sword had understood his intentions.

    ''Quite wonderful�� there may be a ce among us for you yet.''

    As he smiled proudly, Fenris'' vestige began to flicker and he realized the time on his technique was almost up.

    "Hmm�� I suppose we''ve gotten enough done for today. I will visit you again in fourteen days time to resume our lessons."

    "I don''t suppose that I have any say in-"

    "No."

    Taira rolled his eyes as he watched all of his ''wounds'' and bodily fatigue finally begin to heal.

    "Oh right. I need you to deliver a message for me, sword." Fenris suddenly said.

    "You think me an errand boy?"

    "It is not as though delivering this message will not benefit you as well.

    Haven''t you noticed that your body has different needs now that I''ve changed you?

    Deliver this message for me and resources you desperately need to survive will be in your rightful possession."

    "��Let me hear this message then."

    Taira listened carefully to everything that the beast god had to say, and when he heard who the message was for, he nearly let out a cry of indignation.

    ''There''s no way she''s going to want to hear this shit.''

    got a haircut yesterday and my girl been treating me like bill Cosby just giving it to me whether I want it or not AnathaShesha

 Chapter 76 Lucia Has Feet!

    76 Lucia Has Feet!

    Lucia was someone who didn''t really dream all that often.

    Even when she did, they were so brief and uninteresting that she hardly remembered them afterwards.

    However, as she found herself lying on her back in a cold and ck space, she knew that this would be one of the select few that she remembered for a while.

    ''Scary��'' she thought. ''I want to wake up already!''

    As she started to feel a small twinge of fear, a very deep and monstrous voice spoke to her from the shadows.

    "Since you are the wife of that man, your future is bound to be prosperous�� I can use this well."

    Lucia felt significantly more afraid after she heard a voice she didn''t recognize mention Taira and her rtionship to him.

    "I-Is this a dream..? Who are you?! Why did you bring up my husband?!"

    However, Lucia received no answers from the darkness no matter how much she asked, and she began to panic internally.

    Suddenly, the being started to speak in a tongue that she didn''t recognize.

    Thenguage was old and more terrible than anything she had ever heard before, and just listening made her feel slightly woozy.

    When she could no longer maintain consciousness, she fell back onto the ground and let her eyes drift to a close.

    "I hope that you will not dissapoint me�� our n''s prosperity is riding on your sess."

    -

    Taira awoke with his whole body wrapped in a cold sweat and with a towel ced over his forehead.

    As soon as he opened his eyes and sat up on the bed, he was immediately knocked back down.

    "You''re awake!"

    "Oof!"

    With the expertise of a professional linebacker; Enyo barreled into Taira''s chest and knocked out any umted air in his lungs.

    While her embrace would always be a wee one to him, he would be lying if he said that this time it didn''t feel like a little much.

    "Have I missed something, love?" He asked with a chuckle.

    "You were tossing and turning in your sleep all night and I couldn''t wake you! A-And then Lucia just��"

    "Lucia?"

    Taira finally looked over to the right side of his bed and found a woman who he admittedly did not recognize at first.

    Tanned skin that was a shade lighter than Enyo''s, a cute ck bob that framed her delicate and somewhat childish face perfectly, and a body that any sane man would drool over.

    Iridescent ck scales could be seen on her hands and feet, and there was a miraculous tattoo of a serpent that epassed her entire left leg.

    "This is�� Lucia��?" Taira muttered in shock. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    As if responding to his call, the young woman finally stirred within her sleep and opened her yellow-gold eyes.

    "I-I''m awake, darling�� good morning��!"

    Lucia opened her eyes and stared lovingly at the furry earred kitsune in her bed.

    "What? Why are you looking at me like that, you''re making me feel shy��"

    Enyo slipped out of bed and grabbed a mirror from her dresser before she brought it to Lucia''s face.

    "Just like our husband, you suddenly started burning up in the middle of the night and then�� this." She exined.

    Making an expression of pure shock, Lucia held her hands out in front of her.

    She inspected the rest of her body with morbid fascination, and when she got to her lower half, her mind seemed to malfunction.

    "I-I��"

    Taira took the young girl by the hand and tried to offer her any kind of calming words.

    "Lucia, I know this must be strange but-"

    "Darling, I have legs!! I-I have feet and even toes!!"

    Lucia wiggled her legs up into the air and dangled her feet from side to side like a giant child.

    "T-This is so great, I have to go tell the others!!"

    Throwing off the covers, she ran across the room excitedly before throwing open the door and rushing outside.

    Taira only got a moment to appreciate the sight of his wife''s new and impressive bottom before he heard her running into the rooms of the other residents of this house.

    Lucia: "Keran, look! I have legs and toes!"

    Keran: "T-That''s great, Luc but why do you look so different and why are you naked��?"

    Lucia: "I-I don''t know, I was just so excited to have feet when I woke up that I had to show you guys! I gotta go tell Vermeil!"

    Taira heard the pitter patter of his wife''s newly acquired feet as she ran to the room across the hall and threw open the door.

    Lucia: "Vermeil, look! I have feet now!"

    Vermeil: "Christ above, why are your tits so much bigger than mine..?!"

    Lucia: "I-I don''t know anything about that, but look at my cute little toes!!"

    Taira finally felt like he''d been listening long enough and he chuckled as he finally climbed out of bed.

    His home was certainly lively, but he still wanted to get to the bottom of everything that happenedst night and why his wife had changed so dramatically.

    -

    It took a full twenty minutes to calm Lucia down and convince her to stop wagging her toes in others faces so early in the morning.

    Once they got her to calm down, together they were able to learn that Lucia didn''t actually know anything.

    She only vaguely recalled a strange dream where she was lying alone in a dark space and talking to some strange entity.

    Unlike Taira who had been granted a new name that forced his change, Luca didn''t have anything like that.

    No one could tell exactly what the cause of her change could have been, least of all Lucia herself.

    Currently, Taira had pulled up Lucia''s dress just a bit so that he could further examine the new tattoo on her leg.

    As stated, it was in the form of a rising ck serpent that traveled all the way up to her upper thigh.

    When she focused on it, her body would change back into that of amia with arge ck tail that swayed from side to side.

    Taira ced a hand over the ink and passed a bit of his qi through her leg, hoping to feel any familiar traces of the beast god''s influence.

    He only knew him to be someone capable of meddling in the lives of those in the lower realm like this, so he figured that it was worth confirming.

    However, Taira''s search did not yield the results that he was expecting.

    ''I can''t feel him, so it seems he didn''t do this�� I wonder if he''ll know who-''

    "Darling, what did you just do? My leg feels cold all of a sudden." Lucia said.

    "Ah sorry, my love. I was just using a bit of my qi to��"

    Taira''s words gradually trailed off, and he stared up at Lucia like she''d grown a second head.

    "My wife�� You can feel my qi?"

    Lucia also made a bit of a surprised expression as she realized exactly what the cold feeling she felt in her leg was.

    "It.. would seem that I can. Does this mean..?"

    Taira ced a hand directly on the center of Lucia''s chest and injected a bit of his energy into her.

    When she closed her eyes and started to pass it throughout her body, their guess was fully confirmed.

    Lucia could now cultivate.

    it was like 60 degrees today I was so tempted to cut on my Christmas specials early and go buy eggnog AnathaShesha

    Creator''s Thought

 Chapter 77 Auction Day

    77 Auction Day

    Three days had gone by in the blink of an eye, and now it was time for another auction to be held at the famous Red Room Auction House.

    The crowd that had shown up today was a fair bitrger than normal; as everyone had heard of the new ancient advanced grade martial art that was supposed to be put up for bid.

    Since everyone had already heard tale of thest one going up for two tinum coins, they were more than willing to travel from all over to see just whose hands this one would fall into.

    Excited men and women of all ages packed into the auction house and waited patiently for the show to begin.

    When Theodore finally waddled onstage, he maintained his usual energetic and inviting persona as he got the bidding proceedings underway for the first item.

    But while he was embroiled in making money, his mind was still focused on the one of a kind visitor he had received a few nights ago.

    ''Where�� is he..?''

    No matter how hard he searched, he hadn''t been able to find the young man at all.

    Though when one considered the fact that he had apparently been stalked for an entire week and he never noticed, something like this could hardly be considered surprising.

    He resigned himself to simply continuing the auction as he was instructed and waiting to see the oueter.

    As the event continued, items continued to fly off the stage at a rapid pace, and Theodore made a killing in the process.

    Before long, the event had started to wind down to a close and thest item was being wheeled out; causing the crowd to enter into a frenzy. Theodore had almost forgotten just how much was actually riding on today as he listened to offers fly at him from every direction. The starting bid was only fifteen gold, and yet it rose to a hundred in mere moments. As one would have expected, the cultivation manual ended up going for three tinum coins. When the auction came to an end, Theodore excitedly rubbed his hands together as he stepped backstage and prepared to deliver the item. As he delicately ced the manual into the case, he felt a gust of wind breeze past his ear and a chill run down his spine. "Good news, piggy!"

    Theodore said a curse under his breath as he slowly turned around, and found six men all dressed like fallen and wearing bright silver armor. The one who always did all of the speaking was a man who asked to be addressed as Shin. He was a wiry looking man, with greasy ck hair and sunken eyes like that of a skeleton. His olive skin was oily and he hada crooked nose like that of a rat-kin, which was further cemented by hisicallyrge front teeth. Coincidentally, a pair of counterfeit rodent ears were nestled in his sea of hair as a disguise. "What? You don''t look happy to see us!" Always overly friendly, Shin threw his arm around Theodore like they were the best of friends. The boar-kin removed the human''s arm from around his shoulders and gave him a small shove. "Should I be? You''re only here so that you can rob and harm more of my brethren!"

    "Sure, sure, but look on the bright side! This''ll be thest time that we do this dance, so all of you other filthy sacks of shit can keep whatever toys you might find to yourselves. Aren''t you d?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Thisment cased Theodore to raise a brow in disbelief. "You''re done? I thought you said that you would be guing me for a year?"

    "Is that disappointment I hear? I am touched that you have grown so attached to us."

    "There is nothing of the sort! I simply wished to know what has changed!"

    Shinughed like an untrustworthy cockroach as he slipped past Theodore to examine the booklet inside of the ss case. "Thanks to you, we caught a really big fish a while ago, so now the boss needs us back before we move. An all hands on deck kind of thing, I''m sure you understand."

    The faintest glimmer of hope began to flicker within the boarkin''s heart as he clenched his fists. "Then my son... he is to be returned to me soon, yes? Unharmed??"

    Shin had an imperceptible smirk beneath his curtain of oily ck hair as he ced his arm around Theodore once again. "Of course you can have the tubby little bastard back! All you need to do is exactly what you''ve been doing for all of this time, and he will be returned to your doorstep within two mornings."

    Theodore nodded his head slowly as he dispelled any lingering worries. "Alright�� let''s go meet the client then."

    "Wonderful!"

    Shin resumed as much of a professional demeanor as possible and gestured for his ''boss'' to take the lead.

    Resigning himself to his fate, Theodore finally exited the back stage with the humans in tow and headed directly for avish waiting room in the building.

    Inside sitting on a couch, they found an older man with nicely gelled ck hair and a thin mustache.

    He wore dark robes simr to that of what a priest would wear and he had a pair of angelic brown wings behind his back.

    Instead of a normal nose he had a dark yellow beak, and his fingers were tipped with powerful talons.

    When Theodore saw this man''s friendly smile once again, the guilt he felt from this situation returned in full force.

    "Theodore, my good man! Why the entourage?"

    "Ah�� Father Guerra, this is a special service we''ve started to offer here. For those of you like yourself who purchase high value items, an escort will see you back to your home personally and ensure your�� safety."

    "Hahaha! My, aren''t we being a bit paranoid, my friend? I like to believe that our people would not turn on each other needlessly in dire times."

    "It is precisely because times are dire that I emphasize the importance of this service, father. Desperation can always make one do things that they normally would not."

    Father Guerra stared at Theodore carefully as if he''d noticed something strange about his behavior.

    Eventually when he found nothing, he shook his head and let out a defeated sigh.

    "Alright then, Theo. I''ll honor your suggestion just this once."

    Father Guerra pulled out a pouch with the three tinum coins inside and handed it to the boarkin standing nearby.

    He exchanged brief pleasantries with the guards and showed them the same friendly smile he always wore.

    As they started to leave, Theodore wanted to say something.

    He and Father Guerra were close friends, and even went out together from time to time.

    Like an older brother, he was always trying to correct him on his lecherous ways and persuading him to find glory in the worship of Fenris, but Theodore never listened.

    And now, he was about to send the very same man who had tried to save his soul off to his death, all for the sake of his own flesh and blood.

    Clenching his fists, he prayed and prayed to whoever would listen for an oue where he got everything he wanted, and these humans guing his life miraculously fell over dead.

 Chapter 78 Broken Windows

    78 Broken Windows

    Father Guerra led the small squad of men through the streets of Ferran.

    Everywhere they went, the eagle-kin was constantly receiving greetings and well wishes from everyone on the street.

    His work in town as a priest of Fenris and proprietor of an orphanage made it so that he was widely recognized and respected.

    ''I can see why he doubted the need for an escort service��'' Shin thought annoyedly. ''Everyone loves this guy so damn much I doubt they''d even take his virginity without his permission!''

    As the group of men came to the end of their journey, they reached arge, church-like building on the outskirts of town.

    When they stopped outside the doorway, Father Guerra paused before he turned around and bowed courteously to the men traveling with him.

    "I thank you gentlemen for escorting me this far, I really am sorry for the trouble."

    "Ahem, no problem, sir!" Shin said in his most soldierly voice. "We were just doing our job is all."

    "Yes well, I am quite grateful for your efforts this far."

    Suddenly, the eaglekin looked like he''d had a bright idea and sped his hands together excitedly.

    "I know! Would you like to see the children? Though you may not have any ns to adopt I can assure you that the smile of a child can always brighten one''s day!"

    Shin smiled imperceptibly as he pretended to look over his shoulders at his men for confirmation.

    Once the five of them nodded, he knew that they were all on the same page.

    "We''d be delighted to meet the little rugrats."

    "Wonderful!"

    Father Guerra gestured for the men toe inside and he led them through the orphanage.

    Surprisingly, the ce seemed to bepletely deserted.

    From the yroom, to the dining hall and even to the garden where they were currently standing, they saw no signs of the children.

    "This is strange�� I wonder if the sisters have taken the children out for a field trip today." Father Guerra I said as he scratched his chin. "Well, I''m sorry to dissapoint you-"

    Pierce!

    Before the fallen man knew what was happening, a de pierced through the back of his neck and emerged clear through his adam''s apple.

    "Damn it this old man talks a lot. I thought my real and fake ears were going to fall off." Shin gave his sword a simple flick and split his head down the middle like a simple watermelon.

    The light no longer within his brown eyes, the eaglekin fell over into the dirt as the rest of the soldiers dropped their facade.

    "I was hoping to carve up a couple of fallen brats or even a nun but this may have been for the best."

    "Speak for yourself! I haven''t gotten to use any women in over two weeks now and I feel like my balls are going to shrivel up from under use!"

    "You''re focusing on the wrong things. With this we can ensure that there are no more variables and we have no extra work."

    "Variables shmariables, I want a blowjob!"

    "By the twelve��"

    Shin ignored the incessant gripping of his men and instead wiped away the blood from his de when he noticed something that wasn''t quite right.

    He moved to inspect Father Guerra''s dead body and found that he wasn''t just seeing things.

    The blood spilling from the head of the eagle-kin was entirely ck.

    "I was getting tired of keeping up the charade too. Talking to all of those people truly was exhausting��"

    ''Father Guerra'' started to pick himself up from the ground, even with his head split down the middle.

    Right before the eyes of the disguised humans, the man they''d escorted started to change.

    His skin became darker, his frame became taller, and therge wings in his back disappeared before they were reced by eight fluffy tails that swayed hypnotically.

    His hair became a brighter silver color and fell out of his head until it reached his waist.

    Afterwards, two dreamlike and fluffy ears emerged with the same vibrant silver color as his hair.

    The clothes that he was wearing wearing were thest to change, and instead became a simple ck half shirt that clung to his powerful muscles and a pair of dark pants tied with a burgundy cloth.

    His red eyes were unfathomably cold and lifeless, as if this man had never known a moment of love or tenderness in his entire life.

    "What the fuck..?"

    "Who are you?!"

    "H-How the shit did he do that?!"

    Taira cracked his neck leisurely as he ensured that everything was firmly back in ce.

    "I''ve hit my limit on talking for the next decade I feel like�� so I''m only going to say this once."

    Taira held out his hand and his weapon appeared before he casually rested it over his shoulder.

    "You are going to tell me everything about who you''re working for, and about your business here. Then, we''re going to go on a small walk to visit someone."

    As Taira spoke, he twirled his weapon with the greatest of ease and grace as if this seven foot monstrosity held no weight.

    "I give you the choice that you did not give Aveena. You can eithere with, or without your legs. Which will it be, dogs?"

    Needless to say, the humans did not take kindly to Taira''s taunts and they drew their weapons in response.

    Though he did not speak any longer, Taira was inwardly ted that they had chosen this path.

    ''As I thought, you did not dissapoint me.''

    On cue, the six vagabonds released their inner energy as a disy of intimidation.

    As Taira suspected, three were sitting in the overlord realm while the other three were sitting in mid tote stages of the beast realm. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ''Oh how I would relish the opportunity to break all of you with my own hands�� but my day wille.''

    Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound like that of a window breaking.

    Looking up, one could see a woman with ck hair and wolf ears leaping through the window with her ws outstretched and teeth bared.

    Before she hit the ground, one of the rings on Taira''s finger started to glow, and a second woman in a bright purple dress emerged wearing an unfriendly smile.

    "V-Venerable realm! They''re both in the venerable realm!"

    "Shit, we''re screwed!"

    "That fucking boar set us up!"

    The three weakest cultivators tried to run and disappear, leaving Taira to intercept them.

    "Arcane Gravity: Suppression."

    As the humans rushed for the exit to the garden; they all became significantly slower as the gravity in the air became almost ten times heavier.

    The sound of popping joints filled the air as the humans fought to remain upright; putting them off bnce and making them feel helpless.

    Uninhibited by the gravity, Taira took calm, slow steps toward the three humans and watched them fall further into a panic.

    Left with no other option, the disguised humans lunged at their unknown opponent with reckless abandon.

    I want a phantom troupe tattoo

 Chapter 79 With Or Without Legs (Or Lives)

    79 With Or Without Legs (Or Lives)

    To Taira, it felt like the humans rushing at him were moving in slow motion. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    He had so much time on his hands that Yasuke was able to transform back into a kusarigama before they even came within striking distance.

    Twirling the red chain in his grasp, he threw the sickle into the air above his head before making a shing motion with his weapon.

    The sickle cut through the air without making a sound as it headed toward the rampaging humans.

    One man disguised as a dark elf raised his sword up thinking that he would block the de; only to be surprised when the scythe shattered his weapon like ss.

    Yasuke was not only a much heavier weapon than expected, but Taira had also put quite a bit of his own strength into his attack and used his element of gravity to make it even heavier.

    With such strength and weight put into the attack, there was no way for someone below the overlord realm to block it without the usage of internal energy.

    Least of all someone using only an intermediate level sword.

    So really, it could have hardly been considered surprising that Yasuke easily broke the weapon of the human, and sailed uninhibited into his chest. The golden de was so sharp, the human did not even recognize that he had been cut, only that he had a sudden difficulty drawing ample breath from the air. Only when he looked down and saw the massive three feet de piecing him from front to back did he realize exactly what''d happened. "W-W..When...?"

    Taira smiled evilly, and pulled on the red chain as hard as he could to rip his weapon free and send it flying back into his waiting hand. The human didn''t even make a sound as he died standing up; watching a fountain of his blood spurt out into the air in front of him. "Jason!"

    "Wake up you bastard, don''t die on us!"

    As Taira wiped the blood spatter off his face andmented over the fact that it got in his hair, he realized that he''d made a small blunder. ''Shit... I was only supposed to take their legs.''

    As soon as he cursed himself for his overzealous actions, his loving wife gave him a well needed reminder. ''You know honey,... we don''t have to bring them all alive. We really only need to keep one at the most.'' Taira''s ears pricked up in an instant and all eight of his tails started to wag discreetly. While his expression remained stone faced, Enyo nced at him briefly and knew full well that he was feeling relieved and excited. ''So cute.''

    ''I am not.'' He denied.

    ''Whatever you say, dear."

    "You fucking animal!"

    Taira''s eyes returned to that same permanently lifeless state as he watched the humans re at him with murderous light in their eyes. Their weapons started to thrum and produce a blue glow like that of a summer sky. Recognizing a change in them, Taira changed his weapon back into a seven foot scythe as he waited for an inevitable sh. As he expected, they were moving a lot faster now even with the effect of his arcane spell still active. Their bodies tensed up as they raised their swords high above their heads and executed abat art he had never seen before.

    ""cial Sword Art : True Hail!""

    The two started attacking Taira in quick session; both of them using the same sword art in tandem. As one of them attacked from the right, the other came from the left, swinging their weapons in quick session one after the other. If Taira''s weapon were not so long, he would have never been able to fend them both of at once as well as he was now. But, there was another problem. At every attack, a bit of cold energy was being transmitted from their des to his, chilling him to the bone and making his muscles rigid, therefore making him slower. His opponents were capitalizing on that growing dy, andnding shallow cuts on his face and exposed torso. While he healed quickly, he could not keep this up forever. The blood he consumed acted as a sort of battery to fuel his healing and if he were to exhaust himself, he would eventually fall into a ravenous state before he either desated or died. But he would not allow for any of those oues to happen. A small flicker of blue me sparked to life on his hands before it traveled through his body and to his weapon. He immediately felt a lot warmer, and the rigidity that was guing his movement evaporated along with any ice in his muscles. "H-Hot!"

    "What is that!?"

    Both of his opponents suddenly stepped back as if they were afraid to be burnt alive by the heat of the mes. However, Taira was not nearly kind enough to let them back away so easily; especially after they had cut him. ''Dark Moon Art: ck Light.''

    His bare feet crackled with ck lightning and he soon disappeared from their eyes in an instant. sh!

    Swinging his scythe in a straight line, he cut the heads off the humans with such precision and speed that it took a minute before blood could flow, and even longer before their bodies actually hit the ground. Taira reappeared over the bodies of the dead humans and ced his foot on top of one of thei heads; crushing it t. If he was honest, he was more than a little pissed. Though he was someone who valued victory even by disgraceful methods; in head on collisions he wanted his battles to be perfect and domineering. The few cuts that he had suffered against the enemies were a reminder that he still had very far to go. ''I will have to change the way that I train from now o-''

    "So pretty!!"

    Looking behind him, Taira found his lovely wife Enyo staring at the neon violet footprints that he had left in the wake of his movement. "I heard that your mother''s movement art had a second move that she never used. This must be it, right?" "It is." Taira admitted. "Kyaaa! So pretty!"

    Taira smiled softly, finding his wife extremely cute in spite of the blood on her hands, face, and dress.

    "Did you let yours live by the way?" He asked. "Yea, I figured that I was going to be the only one of us who had the mental fortitude to remember what we needed them for." Taira nced over his shoulder at Keran, and found her fully transformed and gnawing on the skull of her opponent. While it was already detached from his body. Coincidentally, Shin was lying in a flowerbed not far from them, but all of his limbs were bent at odd angles and he was wailing miserably like a stuck pig. Enyo finally stopped staring at her husband''s footprints and instead came to inspect his weapon, and her eyes lit up like Christmas trees. "Now where oh where did you get this?? Why haven''t you said anything about it??"

    "Ah... I forgot?" he admitted. Enyo rolled her eyes and inspected the red and gold weapon like it was the most beautiful murder tool she''d ever seen. "So elegant... What do you call it?"

    "Yasuke."

    "How quaint." Enyoughed. Yasuke released a low hum that Taira was immediately able to interpret.

    (Master, do I bow in greeting to the madam?)

    ''You are by no means obligated, but you are free to do so if you would like t-''

    "I-It talked! You had a weapon spirit with you this whole time?!" Enyo yelled.

    Keran let the skull of the human that she was fighting against fall out of her mouth as her eyes went wide from shock.

    "Beloved has a weapon spirit?? Since when?!"

    Today, Taira realized that he should work on sharing more details of his life with his wives and friends. He would make a note of this for the future and hope to never cause this much of a stir with his actions again. this might be a hot take but I feel like regr iron man is such an uninteresting superhero AnathaShesha

 Chapter 80: A Message From The Beast God

    Queen Ayame sat upon her throne with her one good eye closed and a bored look on her beautiful face.

    The life of a monarch of a declining race is not an exciting one.

    There was little to do around here after all with a war still waiting outside of these walls.

    She had no friends or even loose nightpanions, all of her paper work was taken care of by others and she didn''t even leave the castle.

    It was days like this that she wished her husband were still around.

    Though he was not what one would call a soulmate, he was a respectable man and business partner who would have atleast kept her life interesting.

    "Queen Ayame, pardon my intrusion��"

    Opening her one left eye, Ayame found the hulking lion Leopold entering her throne room with his twin daughters trailing behind him.

    It wasn''t like she hadn''t sensed theming, but she was in such a peaceful mood that she didn''t feel like opening her eyes until she absolutely had to.

    "What is it you three? It is hardly like you to show up unannounced."

    The father daughter trio looked at each other ufortably.

    "The�� princess has returned with guests, and she has requested an audience with you."

    Ayame smelled the scent of her daughter in the air, but she thought that she may have been mistaken.

    Because the scent was muddled with human blood.

    ''So she ran off with that vampire brat and found trouble and now she''s back here to beg for aid, is that it��? Laughable.''

    "Let her crawl in here then." Ayame said uncaringly.

    The father and daughter group gave each other a weird look that she didn''t understand before they moved to pull open the double doors.

    The first thing Ayame noticed was the sound of heavy wed footsteps; causing her to raise a brow.

    Her daughter entered into the throne room, but she was not barely clinging to her life as Ayame had expected.

    Instead she was fully transformed, and gnawing on what appeared to be a femur.

    Her ck tail wagged from side to side happily, just like when she was a child and was going to go and visit her betrothed.

    "Hello mother!" It was strange to hear such a cheerful and girly voice from a hulking creature, but everyone in the castle was already used to such a thing.

    "Ah��What have I told you about chewing bones in public..? Try to remember that you are a princess if only in name."

    "Oh, right."

    A momentter, another woman strode in who Ayame knew well.

    Enyo was equally as bloody as Keran, but she was drastically more graceful and almost motherly like.

    "It is a pleasure to see you again, Queen Ayame."

    "��Likewise, Enyo."

    At first, when Ayame saw the mature woman enter the throne room, she had no idea what she was seeing.

    Somehow, she was alive.

    She wasn''t simply holding a physical form as a normal poltergeist would have.

    Instead she was truly within a physical body, but her being was fullyprised of something that even Ayame had no idea how to process.

    "What�� have you be, servant of the Ascalon?"

    Enyo showed a small smile that Ayame did not understand. "A wife."

    "��?"

    Before Ayame could request any sort of boration, she heard the sound of dull groaninging from the hallway.

    Three men suddenly entered into the throne room, but only two were actually upright.

    One was a trembling boar-kin man who looked like he was going to fall over dead at any second.

    He was sweating profusely and keeping his eyes locked firmly on the ground in front of him; either so that he did not trip over a crack or perhaps because he felt he was not worthy to look up.

    However, the second man was far more interesting to the eyes of the Queen.

    Disbelief, confusion, attraction, and more than a small amount of reverence trickled into her being.

    Ayame prided herself on her unppability, but but today it seemed like that that aspect of her being had gone out the window.

    She held up a trembling finger as her brain tried and failed to process just what she was seeing in front of her.

    "Y-Y-You�� y-you''re��b-but I have known you all your life a-and��WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE THAT?!"

    Taira was already in a rather unenergetic mood due to more than a few factors, so he really didn''t have the energy to hear a lot of yelling if it wasn''ting from one of his wives underneath him.

    "Quiet down a bit if you don''t mind�� these things are a bit more sensitive than I''m used to." Taira pointed to hisrge fluffy ears that were able to extend his already unfair hearing to even more insane levels.

    "I..!" Ayame started to yell again, but she seemingly remembered some kind of unshakablew and calmed down just a bit.

    "Answer me, brat�� why do you look like that..?" She asked through gritted teeth.

    It was at this moment that Taira realized that his appearance had a bigger impact on the queen than he thought.

    Afterall, she had not at all stopped to ask why he was dragging a half-dead human along the stone floor.

    "Mother, you''ll never believe it! Taira has received the name of the best god and has been bestowed with his heritage!"! Keran exined; finally putting her bone away forter.

    "T-Truly?"

    ''Obviously��''  Taira thought.

    "B-But why him!? E-Even I have not received such an honor so why is-"

    "Funny that you ask that."

    At that moment, Taira hurled the broken human across the throne room, and he rolled until he came to a stop in front of the werewolf queen''s throne.

    He also forced Theodore onto his knees, and stepped past them both as he walked towards Ayame.

    "This god you are so fond of has a message that he asked me to deliver to you, as he is less than pleased with your inactivity. Would you like to hear it all or do you want me to summarize it to save us both some time?"

 Chapter 81: What Will You Do?

    The closer Taira got to Ayame, the more she felt a strange sense of unease that she had no idea how to process.

    His eyes were partially unnerving; as the bright red color was egregiously hypnotic even without his ability being active.

    "D-Don''t fuck with me, boy!! There is no way that you could have possibly heard the voice of our god! And this trickery of yours will not-"

    "Why must you be so noisy��? Just listen quietly and don''t cause unnecessary headaches for me."

    "Y-You bastard..!"

    A terrible pressure began to drift off of Ayame in waves, and filled the room in an instant.

    Everyone behind him stepped back out of instinct, but Taira seemed to bepletely unbothered.

    Compared to Fenris'' pressure that he felt a few nights ago, this wasn''t really anything he thought he should be afraid of.

    In fact he found it rather cute.

    Like a corgi puppy who was adamantly trying to protect it''s food bowl.

    Albeit this kind of puppy could have killed him in a few moments if she felt like it.

    He would have pet her on the head if he was in a more pleasant mood.

    But since he was short on time and patience, he was a bit more crude in getting her to calm down.

    "Stop that. You''re annoying me."

    Bringing a wed finger to Ayame''s nose, he gave her a small ''boop'' with a current of purple lightning that was no stronger than a static shock.

    Zap!

    It took a minute for Ayame to process what happened, but eventually her expression became even more hateful than before and she opened her mouthful of gleaming fangs to bite Taira''s finger clean off.

    Keran: "Mother!"

    Enyo: "Get my husband out of your mouth right fucking now!"

    Kohaku / Kuro: ''What have we missed while they''ve been gone��?''

    Ayame felt something strange as she chewed Taira''s finger.

    The blood tasted different.

    Almost like it had been aged in a bottle and mixed with some sort of posh alcohol that those humans would have adored so much.

    It was only then that she remembered it''s ck color that she had seenst time they met, and she went to spit it out prematurely, only to feel the consistency change in her mouth.

    Suddenly it was like she had tried to eat a bottle of glue and her teeth were bing stuck together.

    "Mm!?"

    "You seemed to be in a talkative mood, and I need you to listen for right now, so just bear with it." Taira said sleepily.

    "Mm!"

    Immediately, Ayame punched through Taira''s muscr chest and wrapped her fingers around his heart.

    ""Taira!""

    The kitsune used a small gesture with his hand to tell Enyo and Keran that he was fine so that they did not approach at all.

    Instead, he stared down into the cold and hateful eye of Ayame without showing any sign of being disturbed.

    "Do you see how silly this is? You can sit here and fight with me all day, but when ites to our true enemies you lie here in your castle, hiding to avoid a confrontation. And you would im to be the ruler of the beast fallen?"

    Ayame felt her eyes go as wide as saucers as her grip around Taira''s heart tightened.

    Immediately, she crushed it to stop him from talking, but he was fine other than the ck blood that was now running down the corner of his lips.

    "He told me that you reached a bottleneck in your cultivation about a hundred years ago. Although that feels like a bit of a cop out description, since you haven''t exactly been trying to grow past it either."

    Ayame buried her second hand into the chest of Taira, and wrapped her digits around his spine before she snapped it like a twig.

    Though his head did go limp for a few seconds, that didn''t stop him from talking either.

    "The Hero of All Consuming me. He''s the reason why you don''t go on campaigns anymore, isn''t it? Why you shut yourself away in this pce of stone."

    Ayame removed her hands from Taira''s chest and ced them on the roof of his mouth and his jaw.

    With minimal effort, she ripped him into two pieces and watched all of his guts spill out onto the floor.

    Because Shin was still lying nearby, he unfortunately received a bit of a money shot, and had Taira''s livernd directly on his face.

    Ayame hurled the two halves of his body all the way to the other side of the throne room, where he immediately went st against the stone wall.

    However, she had gone from hearing his voice out loud to in her head.

    ''He took your husband, scarred you terribly, stripped you of your eye, and almost soiled your body.''

    ''Stop it..! Stop it..!''

    Ayame fell onto her knees clutching her head, as she tried to expunge the voice from her mind that was dredging up all these horrible memories that she had buried.

    ''You have my sympathies, whether you want them or not, but this state is unbing of someone who is supposed to be our ruler.

    In protecting yourself from further trauma, you have closed your eyes to the suffering of your people, and allowed things to worsen.

    You send Leopold and your armies out only when they can win sure victories that have no real meaning, and convince yourself that you have done enough.''

    Frustrated, Ayame dug her ws into her ears as she begged for all of the noise to go away.

    As she writhed about, she suddenly felt a pair of smaller, softer hands encircle her wrists before they pulled her hands away from her ears.

    Looking up, she found her daughter staring at her with eyes filled with pity.

    It was a look that made her feel small and insignificant.

    She thought she may have been about to be mocked, but instead Keran pulled her in for a firm embrace, and held the back of her head like she was a baby to be cradled.

    Taira''s voice yed again, but it was significantly softer this time.

    ''And your daughter�� you criticized and belittled her endlessly for her constant pursuit of victory for the fallen, but only because you have long lost the courage to do the same.

    It eats you up endlessly to see her bepassionate and zealous because you see her ambition as one that is never fated to bear fruit. Because to you she is fighting against an unmovable force that will never be ovee.''

    Ayame flinched within her daughter''s grasp and pulled away out of instinct, only for Keran to grab her again and pull her back.

    ''Fenris is tired of being patient with you, and he demands to see either a change in attitude, or a change in ruler. So what will you do, Ayame?

    Will you continue to live behind these walls in fear, or will you step outside and deal with the problem that has already made it''s way right into your backyard?''

    Ayame''s eye drifted down to the human who was still worming about on the ground; all of his limbs broken beyond repair.

    As she did so, she contemted the ultimatum that Taira had given her, as if she were waiting for literal scales to tip her motivation in one direction or another.

 Chapter 82: The Truth About The War

    The two halves of Taira''s body started to congeal before they finally came back together in a horrifyingly grotesque manner.

    As he sat up on the cold stone floor, he contemted just how he should get back at Fenris for making him do this uselessly annoying favor.

    ''I wonder if pissing on his alters will work�� can he tell when they''ve been desecrated��?''

    Taira picked himself up from the floor and found Enyo already waiting above him.

    She immediately dusted off his clothes for him while sending him all kinds of possessive messages telepathically.

    ''If she touches you again, I am going to impale her to her throne and leave her there to die.''

    ''How dare she touch your heart?! That belongs to Lucia and I!''

    ''��cute.''

    Feeling significantly better and with more energy, Taira gave Enyo a small kiss on the forehead before inevitably moving past her.

    Coming to a stop in front of Ayame and Keran, he loomed over them expectantly like he was waiting for an answer.

    Ayame met his gaze and seemed to be thinking about something very carefully.

    Taira softened his blood in her mouth to free her teeth and allow her to talk.

    "This problem�� what do you mean that it has already made it''s way into our backyard?" She asked.

    Liking where this was going, Taira casually stepped on the broken arm of the human lying at their feet.

    Immediately, a scream filled the throne room yet no one really seemed to be bothered by it.

    "Time to spill." Taira said.

    Shin looked up at him with hate filled eyes."F-Fuck you-"

    "Nevermind."

    Taira stomped onto the human''s head hard enough to send him spiraling into unconsciousness before he looked over his shoulder at Theodore.

    The boar-kin let out a small squeal before stepping forward as he fiddled with the rings on his fingers.

    "M-My Queen�� it is my utmost honor to-"

    "Get to the fucking point."

    "Yes, right away."

    Theodore gave Ayame a brief but concise summary of the past few months, and it was hard to tell if she was more horrified or enraged.

    How had something like this gone on unnoticed for so long?

    Why hadn''t anyone told her about this?

    How could someone feel bold enough to do this in her own city?!

    Moving past Taira, Ayame grabbed the sleeping human by the neck and pped him awake.

    "W-Wha..?"

    "Are there more of you slinking about my home? Tell me now and I will kill you so quickly that you will not feel a thing!"

    Shin smiled somewhat drunkenly as if he found this situation somewhat amusing.

    "You don''t have the luxury of taking my life. I strongly suggest that you let me go, because if you don''t then my sworn brother, The Hero of Unbreakable Ice, will storm this ce after his next battle and skull fuck all of your- AAAGGHHHH!!!"

    When Ayame pierced the midsection of Shin, she relished in the the sound of his screaming.

    Perhaps because of Taira''s non-reaction when she tried to torture him earlier, she was feeling quite a bit insecure about her own lethality.

    This was a wee pick-me-up.

    "The Hero of Unbreakable Ice is your brother...? I find it interesting that you say he will be unable to kill me now and has to wait forter? Why might that be?" She asked.

    "Ha! I''ll never tell you any-AAAAGGGGHHHH!"

    "By the gods... You all infuriate me terribly." Taira growled.

    Taira snatched the human away from Ayame by the neck and made him stare into his hypnotizing red eyes.

    "Tell us everything we ask without saying unnecessary nonsense...Quietly." He emphasized.

    "Yes sir..."

    Taira dropped the human at Ayame''s feet and sat down on her throne before pulling Enyo into hisp.

    Whether his actions were considered disrespectful or not, no one really seemed to care at this moment.

    ''I''m hungry...'' he thought.

    With Taira''spulsion taking full effect, Shin spilled everything he knew without batting an eye.

    "What was your purpose foring here?" Ayame asked pointedly.

    Unsurprisingly, Shin answered honestly and immediately.

    "One of our men had the idea to keep you fallen from getting rare items by raiding your auction house, but I thought that to be inefficient.

    Instead of stealing from you a single time and ending up with items that we didn''t need, I thought it would be better to have constant ess and take whatever we needed most as it appeared.

    We grabbed Theo''s son on a night when he was outside of the gates and used him to establish a clear line of infiltration within the auction house.

    Our n was to only take from you for a year, but we have reaped more benefits than expected, so we no longer need your little trinkets and manuals."

    "I don''t understand." Ayame said with a furrowed brow. "You infiltrated our city yet you were only focused on stealing? Why would you not attack us?"

    Shin''s robotic voice only made his next words all the more disturbing.

    "The heroes have decided that they don''t want to end the war. You fallen are too convenient of an outlet.

    We can beat you, dismember you, even use you like public toilets until our junk falls off, and no one in society bats an eye.

    They understandably don''t want to give something like that up."

    In the heroes'' official reports to the king, the heroes tell him that the ongoing war is a much more difficultst stand then it actually is.

    Truth be told, if the heroes were lesszy they could drive the fallen into extinction within two to four months.

    But as of now, all of their focus lies on keeping the fallen suppressed, despondent, and without adequate resources to rise up against them as they yed with them however they liked.

    It was the reason why Shin''s n was so easily epted.

    Getting to take rare items that could be used against them and keep them for themselves while cutting up a few more miserable fallen and worsening their odds of gaining power?

    That was killing three birds with one stone!

    Understandably, Shin''s robotic answer enraged every fallen within the room.

    Kohaku and Kuro, Leopold, Ayame, Enyo, Keran, and even Taira.

    All seven of them were vibrating with so much murderous intent that the walls of the room had begun to crack.

    Theodore was also infuriated, but his focus was on another''s matter entirely.

    "My son, Trevor�� Is he truly still alive or is that another falsehood?"

    For the first time, Shin faltered as if he wasn''t sure how to answer a question.

    "Probably not�� We gave him to Valus at the camp. He isn''t exactly gentle with his sodomy."

    It was like someone hade up to Theodore and punched him in the chest with all of their might.

    Tears fell from his eyes instantly, and his knees hit the ground as he lost all the strength needed to stand up.

    "No�� NOOOOO!!!!"

    He hit the ground until his knuckles were broken and bloody, but even then he did not stop.

    Eventually, Kuro chopped him on the back of the neck and knocked him out before carrying him outside.

    Even after he was gone, the entire scene had left a bad taste in everyone''s mouth and drastically worsened their mood.

    Only Taira seemed to be able to move on in spite of everything, but if one looked closely they could see a mix of blue mes and purple lightning running across his body.

    He was almost done learning everything that he needed to know, but there was still one thing missing.

    "What is the benefit that you have reaped that was so grand that even your hero is preupied with it?"

    As always, Shin''s voice was quick and robotic.

    "One of the women we robbed and killed outside of the city�� we discovered that she belongs to a sect, and she had a map leading back to their location on her person.

    Duncan is going to either break them of their neutrality, or strip them of all of their recourses after he encases the entire mountain peak in ice."

 Chapter 83: I Want My Reward

    As mentioned before, Sects are famous organizations within Tayar that are widely renowned for their depth of knowledge in the field of cultivation.

    They are a bit like monasteries that are filled with monks of what most consider to be unparalleled power and talent.

    No one knows the exact names of the sects, nor their locations, but there are confirmed to be no more than seven in the entire world, and their recruits are only brought in after a lengthy observation process.

    There are an ocean''s worth of stories in this world that speak of not only their depth of wisdom, but the wellspring of knowledge that epasses all of cultivation.

    In addition, it is rumored that some sects are actually integrated, with both human and fallen being counted among their numbers.

    That fact alone makes them seem like a widely regarded fable to more than a few; a bit like the underwater city of Antis on earth.

    After all, something like that could absolutely never be possible, right?

    Therefore, it was no surprise that the hero of unbreakabke ice had dropped everything to go running after this nearly life changing discovery.

    Taira, Enyo, and Keran alll nced at each other discreetly.

    Even without asking for confirmation, they knew full well that the young woman who''d led them to the sect had to be Aveena.

    Now they understood why she was so upset over losing her personal belongings to the humans, and why she refused to tell anyone exactly what was in them.

    Keran had also observed her showing signs of being in a depressive state on more than a few asions.

    No doubt, her mind was constantly focused on her true home, and the fact that she likely no longer had a ce to go to.

    "So... the humans have discovered the location of a sect..." Ayame said thoughtfully. "Where is it?"

    "Amusi Mountain... There is supposedly a cave with a hidden trail that leads to the Sect. Instructions for navigating it are in possession of the hero..." Shin replied.

    Ayame rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and didn''t say anything for a long time.

    Eventually, Leopold stepped forward and ced a powerful knee on the ground before he lowered his head.

    "My Queen... forgive me for speaking out of turn but we cannot let these actions of the humans go unpunished! If you would only say the word, I will take the army to intercept them before they reach the sectnds!"

    "No... you won''t."

    "My queen!"

    Ayame smiled imperceptibly as she grabbed Shin by the face and squeezed his head until it exploded. "You won''t be leading the army, Leopold. I will."

    The lion-kin felt his ears twitch in disbelief as he stared at the werewolf queen in adoration.

    "T-Then you mean...?"

    "Go and get the men ready. We set out at dawn."

    "Y-Yes, My Queen!"

    Excited to fight beside his monarch after such a long time, Leopold ran out of the throne room like an excited child, clearly more childish than his overgrown appearance would suggest.

    Once he''d left, Ayame turned back to the seemingly young man sitting on her throne like it was his own.

    Taira wasn''t even looking at her, and his eyes were closed as if he''d fallen asleep at some point during this meeting.

    Coincidentally, his wife also looked like she was going to slip into dreand at some point, as she was slowly blinking like she was trying to keep her eyes open.

    A million thoughts passed through Ayame''s mind all at once, but when she saw the eight swaying tails moving in front of her eye, she knew what she had to do.

    Falling onto her knees, she lowered her head even lower than Leopold had just done a moment ago, and spoke with the utmost formality.

    "This one... is ted to see the return of one of the supreme fallen. I am grateful that you have helped me return to my senses, and I hope my action in the future will appease you and our god Fenris."

    "What are you doing?" Taira asked without opening his eyes.

    Ayame seemed not to understand the question, and she looked up with confusion in her expression. " I don''t...?"

    "Am I someone that a queen should be bowing to?"

    "Normally no, but you-"

    "I am just a messenger, nothing more. No one that someone like yourself should lower yourself before."

    Taira was trying to nip problems in the bud before they could even form.

    He knew full well that Fenris wanted Ayame to have an indomitable and roguish attitude, and she couldn''t do that if she was still treating someone like Taira as if he was above her.

    He did not even have any noteworthy status at the moment or any mystifying feats to boast about.

    All he had was a fancy name and a few hundred gold in his back pocket, meaning that there was no reason for Ayame to be acting like this.

    And it was most definitely not something that Fenris would want to see, least of all from the woman who leads his beast fallen.

    "So... I am free to act as I normally would around you then?" She asked for rification.

    "Obviously you-"

    "Get the fuck out of my chair."

    "Mother!" Keranined.

    "What? He said it was fine and he''s been pissing me off since he first sat on it!"

    Taira''s usually stern face cracked into a small smile that made Keran and Ayame temporarily forget what they were arguing about.

    He lifted his wife into his arms and carried her down from the throne gingerly. "No problem, since we have somewhere that you need to take me."

    "And where might that be, brat?"

    Taira looked over his shoulder and his red eyes met Ayame''s yellow one in midair.

    "To wherever my n''s artifacts are stored. I didn''t interfere in this nonsense because I had nothing better to do after all."

    "Oh... right then. My daughter will show you in a moment."

    "Don''t keep us waiting, little wolf." Taira called.

    As soon as he left the throne room, Ayame and Keran stood around in a stunned silence as if they were allowing the earlier scenes to integrate with their brains.

    "He has be quite the attractive man... Any progress on rekindling your rtionship?"

    "A-A little! Why?!"

    "As I said, he is attractive. If you had made no progress I would have seduced him myself."

    "What do you know about seduction you old brute?!" Keran roared.

    "More than you, foolish brat!" Ayame fired back.

    "Don''t you feel any sense of guilt about nning to steal your daughter''s first man?!"

    "No?"

    "Shameless! You''re not Taira''s type anyway!"

    "Is that his name now..? Charming..."

    Ayame suddenly looked down at her chiseled body that was riddled with old scars and muscles like iron.

    It was far from the much softer and more pleasant looking body she had in her youth.

    "...And you don''t know what you are talking about... I am every man''s type." She said firmly.

    For some reason, Keran was getting the impression that her mother was trying to convince herself instead of her, and she elected not toment further.

    Just before she decided to run out into the hallway and meet Taira & Enyo, she suddenly felt her mother grab her wrist from behind.

    "Keran... I''m sorry."

 Chapter 84: Apologies & Trophies

    Briefly, Keran wondered if she had identally stumbled into some sort of illusory technique ced by a random cultivator.

    I mean, of course that was the only way that the current scenario could make any sense, right?

    Her mother? Apologizing? Sincerely??

    This had to be some sort of fever dream, or even a marijuana induced hallucination.

    "Wipe that incredulous look off your face, it irks me terribly." Ayame grumbled.

    "S-Sorry, mother, I just..wasn''t expecting you to say something like that so suddenly."

    ''Or at all��''

    "I feel like you are thinking something insulting."

    "It''s your imagination!"

    Ayame ran her hands through her hair as she let out a deep sigh.

    "Well�� something like this was long overdue. I thought I may have been just a bit too hard on you for too long and�� I realized that maybe you stoked a bit of an inferiorityplex within me.

    Ever since you were a child, you have never been dissuaded by failure or embarrassment, and you''ve always continued to give things your best effort even with all of the odds against you.

    That''s�� a quality that I think I may have had myself a long time ago�� but I lost it."

    "M-Mother��"

    "But I think that this new encounter with your betrothed has sparked something familiar within me after quite a while. Maybe now we can both be hopeful, hm?"

    Keran smiled at her mother as if she were a little girl again, and temporarily blinded her with the shining light of her radiance.

    "I would like that. I think you would be a lot prettier if you smiled a bit more, mother!"

    "Oh? Do you think Taira would think so as well?"

    "You''re pushing it, you old hag."

    "You brat!"

    -

    When Keran came out of her mother''s throne room, it was hard to tell exactly what kind of mood she was in.

    Though her face was scrounged up into a frown, her footsteps were light and bouncy as if she had just heard some great news.

    Taira would have asked exactly what had happened to elevate her mood so, but before he could do so, Keran grabbed he and Enyo by the handing started to pull them through the castle.

    Eventually, the trio ended up inside of a library that was lined with rows and rows of dusty old books.

    She moved them to a very specific bookshelf deep inside of the room, and ran her hands along the wood of a very specific shelf.

    When they heard a clicking sound, the bookcase trembled a bit before it sank into the floor at their feet.

    Just like at the ruined Ascalon castle; there was a long stone corridor that led to a small room with many different items stored inside.

    A desk sat directly in the center of the room; situated between a wall of cultivation manuals and another one with weapons so old that they were no more than decorations by this point.

    Since kitsune specialized mostly in Arcane arts, there were also a few texts that provided insight on that specific field in the hopes of furthering one''s depth of knowledge.

    On the furthest wall at the back of the room, there were several thick books lined with detailed historical ounts of the divine foxes way of life and various deeds.

    Coincidentally, these were also the ones that Keran''s mother, father, and grandparents all had to study as part of their upbringing as Garou royalty.

    "Haaa, it''s been a while since I''ve been down here!" Keran sat on top of the wooden table within the room and crossed her legs.

    She looked around fondly as if she were remembering all of the long and painful hours she spent reading every history book within these four walls.

    "I used to hate it down here. I''d have to spend hours at a time memorizing these texts over and over."

    "But you did it?" Taira released Enyo and immediately went to the wall with cultivation techniques first.

    "Of course I did... if my progress was ever unsatisfactory then my father would not allow me to visit you."

    Taira paused midway flipping through a manual and Keran could swear that she saw his tails twitch just a bit.

    "I see then... I''m d to know that I was a sufficient motivator."

    "You were the only motivator... then and now."

    Taira looked at his wife out of the corner of his eye to see if she was going to say anything about this, but he found her floating in the air on her back, with her nose in a history book.

    ''These girls... trying to understand them will be the death of me.''

    Taira chose not to respond in the moment and instead focused on therge bookcase in front of him.

    His eyes scanned the rows and rows of knowledge and he was slightly mesmerized by what he found.

    Judging by the titles alone, every technique seemed to be very profound and contained an incredible depth of wisdom.

    Several manuals were immediately able to catch Taira''s attention.

    The first was a breathing art dubbed ''Breath of Thoughtful Night''.

    The second was a nine step scythe art named ''Immortal Harvesting''.

    The third was a kusarigama art called ''Unseen Asura.''

    However, thest four arts were unlike anything he had ever heard of before.

    "Little wolf...What are ''Bloodline Arts''? " he asked.

    Keran immediately sat up on the table, looking ted that she would actually get to show off a bit of her knowledge.

    "It sounds crazy, right? These are body arts that can not be understood or even attempted by one who is not of a specific race.

    Apparently, there aretent powers within certain races that can go entirely unnoticed unless they are subjected to proper stimuli through breathing techniques.

    As far as we know, only the kitsune and dragons have been in possession of anything like this, as most races can use their additional abilities without issue or real training.

    We can only assume that their powers were that much more devastating and profound than anything we could have seen before."

    As Taira read over the titles, he was having a hard time disagreeing.

    ''Myriad Curse Art.''

    ''Dream Devouring Art.''

    ''Malefic Illusion Art.''

    As Taira looked over thest booklet, he realized that it was a bit special from the rest.

    "This... looks like a dual cultivation method."

    Keran''s cheeks became slightly pink and her eyes took on the usual hungry nature they got whenever Taira and sex were concerned.

    "Right... though it isn''t widely known, there are some who say that both male and female kitsune behaved simrly but different to sex demons; as they fed on the energy of those they tricked or seduced into sexual contact."

    Taira and Enyo''s eyes met in midair, and they both caught each other smiling possessively.

    It was easy to tell that they were both developing extensive ns for how it would be used.

    ''I was miserable at first, but these rewards are definitely worth the headaches I had to suffer through.''

    "How long can we be in here?" He asked.

    "These things technically belong to you now, beloved. So you can spend as long as you want reading them and even take them with with us if you like."

    Taira looked around and scanned the bookshelves and weapons.

    While he didn''t want to take everything here, there were definitely a few items that he felt could be better utilized outside of this bunker.

    And if he was honest, he also wanted to spend a bit of time cultivating and trying to understand the new arts he''d collected.

    As he thought about what to do, a slightly embarrassing sound escaped his stomach.

    *growl*

    His usual icy expression broke into one of embarrassment, and he finally remembered the gnawing sense of hunger that he had been pushing out of his mind ever sense earlier.

    "I��"

    "Beloved."

    Looking up, Taira watched as Keran pushed her hair to the side while exposing her corbone.

    "Are you�� hungry?"

 Chapter 85: A Promise Kept

    Taira stared at Keran''s milky white skin and pulsing veins for longer than he would have liked to admit.

    The longer he stared, the worse his hunger seemed to be.

    Perhaps allowing Ayame to mutte him in order to get his point across wasn''t really the best idea, and he would have been better served to find another method.

    He wanted to say no to her offer, but as he remembered the sweet and familiar taste of her blood he felt like doing so would have been a crime against nature.

    "I suppose... it is best that I do not try to study on an empty stomach."

    Keran smiled inwardly as if she was about to get everything that she wanted and started walking closer to Taira.

    As her feet carried her towards him, she made brief eye contact with Enyo who was floating in the corner.

    She was giving her a wide smile and a rather passionate thumbs up as she mouthed ''good luck!''

    Coming to a stop in front of Taira, Keran tried to stop her heartbeat from beating so loudly within her chest but it proved to be to no real avail.

    Her mind was constantly shing back to thest time where she allowed Taira to drink from her, and the overwhelming pleasure that came with his bite.

    ''Is something like that... going to happen again..?''

    Taira dropped his hands onto Keran''s waist and pulled her body in closer to his own.

    His lips hovered above her skin for just a moment, almost as if he was hesitating.

    He briefly recalled thest time he had tried to drink from her, and his brow crinkled in annoyance.

    ''I hope that old bastard doesn''t try to show up again...''

    However, he eventually lost all of his sense of resistance and plunged his fangs into her neck, causing a sensual moan to escape her lips.

    Unlike before, Fenris did not interfere in Taira''s drinking of Keran''s blood, likely because he no longer had a reason to.

    But because the beast god did not interfere, he could see all of her memories without restriction.

    And as a result, a wellspring of deeply buried emotions surfaced within his heart.

    The memory that held the most significance for him, was ironically the one that he should have hated the most.

    -

    BANG!

    Indra''s back hit a stone wall with a loud thud, and he slid down the pathetically as his body copsed onto the floor.

    Looking up through red eyes, he stared at his attacker with an expression of disbelief and betrayal.

    She was a woman with a lithe figure who wore a ck dress and heels of the finest craftsmanship.

    Her skin was like dark chocte, with eyes that were a chilling and empty violet.

    She tossed her long raven hair over her shoulders and stared down at Indra coldly as if she were looking at an insect.

    "I cannot believe this... All twenty years that I have put into training you all gone to waste. How can the grandchild of the great Dracul possess no talent for cultivation?!"

    Indra lowered his head until it touched the floor and tried to speak without trembling.

    "Mother, give me another chance�� I am sure that earlier was no more than a small-"

    Crack!

    With lightning quick speed and efficiency, Dhalia kicked Indra hard across the jaw and sent him ttering across the bedroom.

    "The nerve of you... That you had already embarrassed me once at your ceremony wasn''t enough, but now you actually want me to allow you to do it again? Preposterous."

    Dhalia folded her arms and started heading towards the door.

    "Neither your father nor I have anything left to say to you. If you want to appease us in the future, just stay out of our sight and don''t address us casually."

    The door closed with a m, and Indra remained on the floor; unwilling to move.

    How had this happened?

    His whole life, he had always shown the most talent of all of his brothers, and was even suspected too be the next crowned king.

    But he had lost it all in an instant?

    How?

    Why?

    What had he done to deserve a fate like this?

    Though he was a prince, he was never an arrogant person and had never mistreated anyone.

    His entire life''s focus had only been on earning the approval of his father and mother and being the kind of man that his beloved could depend on.

    Now that his future had gone out the window... how was he supposed to face them? Face  her?

    *Click*

    Finally stirring from the floor, Indra looked up and found his window opening on it''s own, and a familiar young woman leapt into his bedroom.

    Keran''s eyes scanned the room and she immediately found Indra picking himself up from the ground.

    "B-Beloved, are you-"mmm

    "I''m fine."

    Indra showed no evidence of his inner turmoil, and turned his back to Keran as he spoke to her in a cold and unfeeling tone.

    "Y-You don''t seem fine! Why won''t you look at me, I just-"

    "Keran. I don''t think that we should see each other any more."

    Indra was clenching his fists so hard that he could have ground a rod of iron into metallic dust.

    This decision was not at all an easy one, but he undoubtedly believed it was for the best.

    He just had to get through his reasoning without faltering.

    "W-Why... why would you say that..?"

    "...You saw the ceremony today. I don''t no have a future that will make me worthy enough to be beside someone like you, nor will I have the power required to protect you. It''s better now if we stop this."

    "I-Indra, you don''t mean-"

    "Yes I do, Keran! Just go!"

    Indra had never yelled at his lover for any sort of reason as long as they had known each other.

    Not even when they were five and she developed a fascination with dying his hair with tomato juice. (It was as ineffective as it sounded, but that did not stop her from tryin fr .)

    And now that he had actually yelled at her in this setting.. his own heart broke from the weight of his actions.

    But this was all a means to an end.

    He could hate himselfter, but for now he just had to put on a convincing enough act to make her leave.

    However, he was surprised when  he felt her hand wrap around his wrist softly and started to pull him around so that he could face her.

    He knew he shouldn''t have, but he couldn''t help but turn around and he was broken hearted by the scene waiting for him.

    He and Keran were both crying silently, each of them knowing the full truth of everything that was going on without uttering a single word.

    "Don''t... speak to me like that.. I don''t like it, and I know that it''s not who you are.."

    "..forgive me."

    Sobing, Keran threw herself into Indra''s arms and held onto him for dear life as if she were afraid he was going to run away from her.

    "You''re so stupid... I don''t care if you can''t be king, and I have never asked you to be strong for me! All that I have ever wanted is for you to continue to be with me and treat me kindly!That is what I deserve, and nothing else will ever matter!"

    Looking up, the river of tears running from Keran''s eyes only further fueled Indra''s feelings of remorse.

    "So you don''t have to push me away just because you are hurting! I will never leave you, and I will never allow you to feel lesser about yourself just because you can''t do a stupid thing like cultivate! You will always be the man I love, and nothing will ever be able to change that!"

 Chapter 86: I Remember It All

    Trekking through the sparsely popted forest grounds of Tayar was a a small band of around 2,000 soldiers in shining armor of silver and pantone blue.

    At the head, they were led by a very handsome man who looked like he was pulled directly from the pages of a magazine from earth.

    Duncan Stone was a former Ivy League drop out who had sincee to Tayar over 100 years ago to be the hero of the great god of ice, Velreth.

    He was a man of average height but above average looks, with long white hair that resembled freshly fallen snow.

    He had a square jaw with unnatural icy blue eyes and a permanently weary expression.

    Unlike most of the other eleven heroes, Duncan was one of only two who had no aptitude for cultivation, just arcane.

    However, he was so talented in the field that neither he nor anyone else around him truly cared about his ineptitude due to his sheer genius.

    In the time that he had been in Tayar, he had done excellent work in the field of Arcane study, and practically revolutionized the masses understanding of it.

    He was the first person to reach five stars of understanding in under two hundred years of age; making a great many people see him as some sort of wiseman or guru.

    The permenantly tired look on his face came from the long nights he spent replying to letters that asked questions about arcane theory or methods to revolutionize society throughbinations of magic and stone.

    Though he was not the most powerful of the heroes, he was certainly among the most influential.

    Currently, it was he and his band who were heading to an isted sect within Amusi mountain, hoping to see great gains as a result.

    "Pick it up, guys! Since we''re taking the long route around we have to be efficient about our speed!"

    "YES, HERO!"

    No matter how long he spent here, Duncan could never stop himself from chuckling wryly whenever he was addressed so formally by those around him.

    As he silently wished for a little more sense of normalcy in his life, he suddenly heard a small cracking sound that he never would have mistaken.

    Reaching inside of his robe, he gingerly pulled out the ne dangling around his neck and inspected the jade that represented his sworn brother''s life.

    "Shin��no.."

    There was a deep crack running through the center of the jade; signaling the end of his brother''s life.

    But more than that, there was a fleeting image from within the jade like that of a movie screen.

    Inside, he saw the image of a woman with ck hair and disgusting furry ears like that of a wolf.

    A sinister light shone within her single eye, and her face was twisted up into a horrible smile.

    Duncan came to a halt along the mountain trail and clutched the jade in his hand hard enough to break it.

    Now that he hadmitted the face of the woman who killed his brother to memory, he would absolutely never let her go.

    ''Don''t worry, Shin. I''ll settle up all old ounts when we return from this raid�� Just keep watching over me in the meantime.''

    -

    Taira slowly pulled his lips away from Keran''s neck and looked at the state of her body.

    Just like before, she was breathing heavily and her cheeks were flushed as her eyes gradually fought to regain rity.

    When she finally forced herself to focus, she found Taira staring at her with a strange despondent light in his red eyes.

    "D-Did I�� taste bad��?"

    "��" As a response, Taira only shook his head.

    "T-Then why are you looking at me like that? It''s a bit worrisome, you know��?"

    " I�� remember you. I remember us."

    It was as if all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the room at that moment as both Enyo and Keran stared at Taira as if he had just said something absurd like he enjoyed pineapple on pizza.

    "You...You aren''t joking, right?"

    As a response, Taira moved his hands from Keran''s hips to cup her face and pulled her in for their first kiss in over six hundred years.

    It took her a moment to really remember this feeling and allow herself to lean into it.

    The softness of his lips on hers, the one of a kind pleasant scent that was always flowing off his body like a damn about to burst.

    The firm yet gentle way that he held her face; like she was the most treasured creation in all of existence and he was terrified to let her slip through his hands.

    These were things that she had spent the better part of her entire life missing and longing to experience again.

    And now that she was experiencing it once again, she almost didn''t know how to fully ept it.

    But just like riding a bike, one always gets the hang of these things sooner orter.

    Her body eventually rxed, and she let a single tear fall from her eyes as she returned his kiss with fervor.

    Just like old times, it was a while before the two of them eventually let each other go.

    Even though she was crying, Keran had the widest smile on her face that Taira had ever seen.

    "I knew you wouldn''t just forget me...! I will admit to losing a bit of hope from time to time though..."

    "You have my sincerest apologies, my love. I promise not to make you worry like that ever again. No one else will ever make me forget you."

    "...I''ll hold you to that."

    Just before Taira could kiss her once again to seal their new vow, he paused and let his eye wander towards the corner.

    There, he found Enyo staring at them both with somewhat of a sheepish smile on her face.

    She did not actually say anything, but Taira knew exactly what she was thinking without having to hear her say a word.

    Holding out his hand, he surprised her by pulling her towards him with his telekic powers and she came sailing into his arms.

    "Eep!"

    "Don''t tell me that you feared I would leave you behind now. Do I truly see like such an unworthy husband in your eyes?"

    "N-No, of course not..."

    While Enyo had always been supportive of Taira and Keran reconnecting, in the moment that it actually happened she was overwhelmed with a sense of worry.

    Previously, Taira had cared nothing for other women and had eyes only for Keran, leaving the lovely poltergeist more than a bit worried that she might hoard all of his affection, especially after she had grown so ustomed to it.

    But now, it appeared as though such a thought was unfounded.

    Taira smiled before he finally made a decision.

    He stuffed as many cultivation novels into his storage ring as he needed and grabbed two kinds of weapons off the wall before he lifted both girls into his arms.

    "... H-Hey!"

    "What are you doing?!"

    Taira nonchntly carried both girls out of the hidden bunker like they were as light as feathers.

    "We''re going home. I think I''ve hit my limit on waiting I think, so I''m going to shower all three of my wives with so much love that you will never question my feelings for you again."

    While they were being carried, Enyo and Keran felt their eyes go wide as they nced at each other.

    Even without speaking, they knew exactly what each other were trying to say by their expressions.

    Keran: ''His words just now scared and aroused me. What did you just get us into?''

    Enyo: ''I-I don''t know! I wasn''t nning for this, I swear!''

    Keran: ''If I die during sex, tell my mother that I loved her.''

    Enyo: ''Deal.''

 Chapter 87: Breaking The News

    Aveena stepped outside and yawned as she checked on the progress of the two girls

    Just as they had been a few hours ago, they were still sitting on the dock with their legs crossed and their eyes closed; focused solely on their cultivation

    If she had to be honest, she was fairly impressed with them.

    Vermeil and Lucia were both so young and hyper active that she thought it would have been hard for them to sit still for such an extended period of time

    Their ability to focus and concentrate solely on their cultivation was certainlymendable.

    ''I was certainly a lot different at their age��''

    Aveena caught herself remembering something that made her heart hurt, and her eyes drifted towards the mountain peak she could see in the distance.

    In her entire twenty eight years of life... she had never felt so far from her home, both spiritually and mentally.

    BOOM!

    Aveena suddenly felt a surge of power and the air within the nearby area and pinpointed Vermeil as the source.

    Her hair blew wildly as the wind surged all around her and an abundance of energy flooded her being.

    "She managed to hit the beast realm already..? Quite the talent indeed." Aveena muttered.

    Normally, it would take one a full year to reach the beast realm from the mortal realm.

    She thought it strange that she was lying in the home of not only one talented monster, but two.

    It was also rather surprising to suddenly see humans and fallen living together with a war going on.

    Everyone said it was because Vermeil was Taira''s ''thrall'' or something like that but if she was honest she thought everyone treated her more like a truepanion than a food source.

    She had even watched them all y together either willingly or unwillingly when the human girl got drunk and begged Keran to say ''Delta is really good at hunting.''

    Why exactly she wanted her to say this, no one was exactly certain of the reason.

    Aveena watched as Vermeil opened her eyes slowly and inhaled a breath of fresh air.

    Almost immediately, a look of surprise formed on her beautiful porcin face.

    "It feels good, no?

    "O-Oh, hey Aveena! How long have you been there?"

    "Not long. I just came to observe your progress just a bit."

    Vermeil looked down at her hands and ced a palm across her beating chest.

    "I thought that being in the mortal realm was already crazy but... this is something that feels utterly iparable."

    "Yes, it is always like that." Aveena exined. "Every new realm you reach will feel better and better, taking you to higher peaks."

    "Woah... No wonder Taira is such a training junkie." Vermeil muttered.

    "Hmm... That may be a bit disingenuous on his part. He certainly seems to be driven, but his talent for the art need not be overlooked either. He is the perfect mate."

    "Yea... Hey, get in line bitch!"

    "What line? For what purpose?"

    "Christ, never mind..."

    BOOOM!!

    As the girls sat around having a nonsensical discussion, there was suddenly another flux of qi in the air centered around Lucia.

    While it was less dramatic than Veremeil''s was, it was still quite a noticeable change in presence.

    A ck tar-like substance began to drip out of Lucia''s pores from all over her body.

    She became noticeably prettier, and her body seemed to take on a much healthier glowing luster.

    When she opened her eyes, she found Aveena and Vermeil standing above her, wearing smiles of approval and tion.

    ....But they were also holding their noses.

    "Congrattions, Lucia! You''re a cultivator now!"

    "Indeed, you have done exceedingly well, young friend. Your talent seems not to fall below your mate andpanion."

    "T-Thank you guys! But I feel like your kind words would mean a lot more if you unclenched your noses..."

    ""Sorry, but no.""

    "So cruel!"

    Lucia looked down at the excess waste that was dripping out of her body and she made a disgusted face herself.

    "Ugh... I feel great but this is really gross. I should go snd take a shower before husband returns home and I lose any potential sex appeal I could''ve had."

    As Lucia lifted herself up by her tail, a horrified expression crossed her face and she started looking at a very specific direction.

    "I-I''m toote! He''sing back already, w-what do I do?!"

    "You''ll thank me for thister."

    "I wha- KYAAAA!!!"

    Aveena suddenly pushed Lucia backwards into theke and watched as she fell in with a loud ssh.

    Mere momentster, the girls heard the loud sound of footsteps and cracking branches and looked through the trees on their left.

    There, they saw arge four legged monster with steel grey fur and eight swaying tails.

    Vermeil almost mistook it for a wild beast, but the two familiar women sitting atop it''s back dissuaded her from thinking so.

    Besides, she had always been a dog lover so it wasn''t hard for her to ept this new creature.

    ''I wanna pet that dawg!''

    Therge fox bounded right up to the two girls standing atop the dock and stopped just before it bored into them.

    "I see you''ve broken through, Vermeil. You have my congra-"

    "L-Let me give you belly scratchies!"

    "Why are you always so fucking weird...?"

    "If you won''t let me scratch your belly I will settle for your chiny chin chin!"

    "If you are touch me I am going to- H-Hey!"

    Vermeil ignored Taira''s usual curmudgeonly attitude and immediately started scratching his furry chin with her nails.

    Taira wanted to give her a strong shock to dissuade her from doing this but... it didn''t feel... terrible.

    "I... am only allowing you to do this because you seeded in breaking through today... N-No other reason."

    "Thank you, Taira!"

    Lucia suddenly poked her head out of the water and found her husband receiving chin scratches from Vermeil.

    "Umm... Darling?"

    Ssh!

    Taira quickly pushed Vermeil into theke and tried to regain some of his dignity by using one of his tails to lift Lucia out of the water.

    "My wife has also broken through... I am quite proud. But why were you in the water?"

    "T-That''s... Why were you letting Vermeil scratch your chin?!"

    Vermeil: "And why did you push me in when I wasn''t done yet?!"

    "...I brought you girls some presents. Do you want them?"

    ""...Yes!""

    Taira shank back down to his normal appearance and Enyo and Keran dropped down on either side of him.

    With a wave of his hand, he brought out two different kinds of weapons and had them float towards the girls.

    For Vermeil, he gave her twin sai with des that seemed to be made from some translucent metal material.

    They were incredibly lightweight, and significantly sharper and more durable than most swords.

    Lucia received a jiu huan dao with nine golden rings embedded in the weapon.

    The de was a bit on therger side, almost matching Lucia''s full height and clocking in at around half her weight.

    As Taira had expected, Lucia''s body was more than strong enough to hold up the weapon''s extra weight, an she could swing it around with ease.

    "Are you girls satisfied?"

    Lucia: "Yes, of course!"

    Vermeil: "I''m so happy I could kiss you!"

    Lucia / Enyo / Keran : "And you''ll lose your fucking life in the process."

    "You''re so mean! And why does it feel like all of you are more unified now?"

    Keran smiled and grabbed Taira''s arm possessively. "My darling remembers me again! Our love has been rekindled stronger than before!"

    "Great, so now I have to listen to all four of you fuck at night? My fingers were pruning up enough as it is!"

    "You don''t have to listen to us, you know that, right?" Enyo reminded.

    "Have you heard yourself moaning before? I don''t have a choice one way or the other."

    Enyo blushed and looked down at her feet like she couldn''t muster up any defenses against this type of assault.

    "Well, you should get used to it. I have such enchanting wives that I don''t want to be separated from them for even a single moment. In fact..."

    Taira suddenly pulled all three girls into his arms and started to carry them back to the house.

    Looking over his shoulder, he gave Aveena and Vermeil what was bing a reurring mischievous smile.

    "You girls are always free to listen, if you like. Just don''t peek, okay?

    Vermeil: *Nose bleeds and panties flood.*

    Aveena: "I-I will do whatever I want, mind you..."

    As Keran relished in the feeling of being in Taira''s arms once again, she finally realized something that she''d been forgetting.

    "B-Beloved, can you put me down for a moment..?"

    Taira obliged her regretfully, and he watched as she walked right up to Aveena and took her hands.

    "There''s... something that I need to tell you."

    "Yes..?"

    "Those men who hurt you... they have all been killed and you have been fully avenged. You may live your life in peace now knowing that."

    Aveena smiled wryly and lowered her head in an expression of gratitude. "Thank you, princess... Ifeel continuously undeserving of the kindness you have shown me..."

    "...That all of you have shown me." she corrected.

    The oni dragged her gaze across the bodies of everyone present, and there was only true sincerity that could be seen in her eyes.

    Perhaps because she looked so genuine about her gratitude, Keran felt she had no choice but to tell her the rest of the news.

    "And... there''s something else... it''s about your home."

 Chapter 88: Snatched

    Aveena listened to all of Keran''s words carefully and without rushing her.

    The more she heard, the more her beautiful face contorted into an expression of disbelief and terror.

    The fact that the people who had taken her in discovered her secret could be overlooked for now.

    Her home was about to be attacked, and all of her junior and senior sisters would likely pay the price for her mistake.

    None of this would have happened if she had not so desperately pleaded with her sect leader to visit the outside world.

    "Aveena...? Are you alright?" Keran asked gently.

    Aveena finally realized that she had been spacing out for thest few minutes she lowered her head in apology.

    "You all will have to forgive me... I have inconvenienced you a great deal but I believe that it is finally time for me to return home."

    "What? Aveena, I know you want to go and save your home but you can''t! Your entire cultivation base has been abolished and you can''t possibly get there fast enough to save everyone!"

    "Vermeil is right. You would only be needlessly putting yourself in danger." Enyo agreed.

    "You should let my mother handle it. She''s already making preparations to leave with her army and intercept the humans before they can do any damage." Keran reasoned.

    Aveena knew that everyone was making great points with no real ws behind them but there was still something that was holding her back.

    "Princess...What would you do if it were your family in imminent danger? Would you leave them to be saved by others..? Or would you run to save them yourself no matter the danger?"

    Keran didn''t bother to answer, and in doing so confirmed what Aveena already knew to be the answer.

    "I thank you for showing me concern, but just as you would do everything you can for your kin, I will for mine."

    Aveena finally released Keran and showed the group something like a sad smile.

    "If fate be kind, I do hope that we can meet again."

    Before anyone could respond, Aveena took off running into the woods at full speed and left her previous caretakers behind without another word.

    As he watched her disappear into the woods, Taira suddenly felt four strong gazes piercing into his back from behind.

    ncing over his shoulder, he found his three wives and Vermeil staring at him with the biggest doe eyes they could muster.

    "...What..?"

    Enyo: "Honey..."

    Lucia: "W-We know you don''t really like Aveena, but..."

    Keran: "Surely you don''t feel good about letting her go off like this either, do you...?"

    Vermeil: "We should go after her. She''ll never make it to her home in time by traveling like that..."

    Taira''s expression showed no visible change and it was unclear if he was even moved in the slightest.

    But because he was rtively weak to the pleading looks he was receiving, his expression softened just a tad.

    "All of you... you are all certain this is what you wish to do?"

    """"Yes!""""

    "...What bleeding hearts you all have."

    Taira let out a deep sigh as he closed his eyes.

    The four girls took several steps back as his chiseled body grew until he dwarfed the girls in his shadow.

    -

    The sound of snapping tree branches and heavy footsteps filled the air as Aveena ran through the woods with reckless abandon.

    She gritted her teeth as she cursed her own miserable weakness.

    She hadn''t even been running long, but she was already starting to feel the loss of her cultivation base very clearly.

    However, she couldn''t let it get her down at the moment, because she had to make it up the mountain with or without her heightened physique.

    ''Everyone at home needs me to get to them, so I cannot bother to feel sorry for myself and I must-'' "KYAAA! W-WHAT THE FUCK!?"

    Aveena felt no gust of wind, nor did she feel any approaching presences, but as she ran throughout the woods a creature suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her up into the air.

    Looking up, she could see that she had been grabbed by some sort of enormous furry bat creature with huge leathery wings.

    It held her in the air by it''s feet, and Aveena realized for the first time that she may have had a small fear of heights.

    But it wasn''t her fault!

    She wasn''t the type of demon who was known to be able to fly anyway, so really who could me her for being ufortable??

    "W-What is this?! Put me down you damned-"

    "Hello!"

    "Greetings!"

    "What''s good?"

    "Did you miss us?"

    Suddenly, four familiar women peered down at her from atop the back of the giant bat whose clutches she was in.

    "W-Wha...?"

    "Taira, since you scared her already can you bring her up here now? You''re holding her ike you''re going to take her back to your nest and nibble on her." Vermeil said.

    "....Hmph."

    A tail grew from the body of the bat creature that quickly wrapped around Aleena''s waist.

    Lifting her up, Taira ced her on his back where she satfortably without risk of falling off.

    Since he was currently the size of a bus, the girls had more than enough room even when the four of them were sitting haphazardly.

    "Why are all of you here??" Aveena asked shakily.

    "You look kinda green, Aveena." Vermeil pointed out. "You''re not going to throw up, are you?"

    "If she throws up on my back I am going to drop her from this height." Taira growled.

    "C-Can you all just answer my question!??"

    Lucia gave her friend a small pat on the shoulder and her usual warm smile. "We don''t want to see the races of light destroy yet another sacred space in the name of their supposed superiority.

    Besides, we couldn''t just let you run off on your own like that. You never would have made it back home in time if our husband could not be persuaded to take you."

    Aveena stared at the bat creature whom she was riding on and she felt a strange emotion flutter in her heart.

    She knew full well how Taira felt about her, so  that only made it that much more surprising that he had actually bothered to help.

    "Thank you, Taira��"

    "��" The bat in question did not respond, but Aveena could have sworn she saw hisrge ears twitch just a bit.

    For some reason, Aveena threw her head back andughed loudly above the clouds as if she had suddenly lost all restraint.

    ''You''ll have to forgive me for bringing in outsiders, sect leader. But these people�� they are the strangest and most wonderful group ofpanions I have ever had in my life.''

 Chapter 89: The Drifting Snowfall Sect

    On top of Taira''s back, Vermeil was deep in thought as she wrestled with the possibility that she might see another of the heroes today.

    While she always knew that it was extremely likely that her path would lead to a confrontation against them at some point, she honestly did not know if she was ready for it toe so soon.

    After all, her own power was still sorelycking, and she had no doubt in her mind that if Duncan got it into his mind to kill her, there would be little that he she could have done to stop him.

    ''Vermeil.''

    ''Y-Yes..!'' The human girl was slowly growing used to hearing the voice of her crush in her head, but it was still a rather jarring experience.

    If she were not sitting firmly within Keran''sp at the moment, she likely would have jumped high enough to fly off Taira''s back entirely.

    ''You don''t need to worry about unnecessary things. As long as you are with us, no one is going to hurt you.''

    Vermeil felt her cheeks turn pink as she developed a shit eating grin.

    ''Oh really? Does that mean that you are going to protect me~?''

    ''...Why are you asking me like that?''

    ''Well, you seem so chivalrous right now and it''s really alluring~!''

    ''...You were literally fearing for your life mere moments ago. How have you swapped your moods so fast?''

    ''Well since you''ve reassured me so well, I naturally can''t help but let my mind wander to other areas, and you are always my favorite thing to think about!''

    ''...I should have just remained quiet.'' Taira thought.

    When Vermeil noticed his unwillingness toment further, she felt a feeling of giddiness well up in her heart.

    Bit by bit, she was growing on Taira and he was no longer intolerant of her!

    Now, she just needed to work on fully understanding him and being epted by his wives, and then she could marry him, and they could have six kids, and live together lovingly for all of eternity!

    "Heheheheh-"

    SMACK!

    "OW! Why!?" Vermeil rubbed the Lucia sized hand print on her cheek and wiped away the tears out of her eyes.

    "S-Sorry Vermeil! For some reason I felt like I needed to smack you out of instinct." Lucia said.

    "How weird... I was experiencing the same thing." Enyo revealed.

    "Me too! I just thought I was feeling a bit cranky though." agreed Keran.

    "All of you guys suck and I need better friends!"

    As Taira listened to the girls bickering on top of his back, he realized that they wereing awfully close to their destination.

    "Aveena."

    Once she heard Taira call her, the oni took shaky steps to climb to the nape of Taira''s furry neck and look over the mountain scenery.

    Though she had a fear of heights, she had to admit that viewing her home from above like this did have some advantages.

    As she looked at the snow caped mountain peaks that she was so eerily familiar with, a truly happy smile formed on her face.

    Her eyes darted to a particr part of the mountain where she was most familiar with, and she gave Taira a small pat on the head as she pointed to the area.

    "There."

    Once he saw it, Taira began to descend from the sky like the nightmarish creature he was.

    His feet touched the ground and set off a dull rumble as the girls climbed down from his back.

    Once all of the girls were off of him, Taira changed back into his own normal appearance as a small smile formed on his lips.

    ''It''s quite cold up here... It feels wonderfu-''

    "It''s cold as fuck!" Vermeilined.

    "I-I agree..." Lucia said with a shiver.

    Aveenaughed and ced a friendly arm around her young friends.

    "You two remind me of our young initiates! The first test for those whoe here is to see just how long it takes them to get limated to the mountain''s environment. It is often the first time they learn to use their internal energy."

    "What happens to those who can''t stand the cold like us?" Vermeil asked.

    "They die from frostbite and we use their meat to hunt for game."

    ""Holy shit...""

    Taira chuckled as he ced his hands on top of Lucia and Vermeil''s heads.

    Small blue mes sparked to life on his palms and became transferred over to their bodies, and they began to warm up at a noticeable degree.

    "Ahhh~ Thanks, Taira."

    "Thank you darling!"

    Lucia stood up on her newly acquired toes to give Taira a small kiss on the cheek as thanks.

    "I could give you one of those too if you want?" Vermeil offered.

    SMACK!

    "OW!"

    While Vermeil felt with another handprint across her cheek, Aveena started walking along the uneven terrain of stone and ice towards a cave that was located thirty feet away.

    The group followed closely behind her and treaded silently into the dark cave where no light seemed to enter.

    There was a dead end only five feet after entering, and Aveena stared at the wall of ck stone like it was her most hated enemy.

    "Something wrong?" Keran asked.

    "....I can never remember the password." She admitted.

    Taira: "..."

    Enyo: "..."

    Lucia: "..."

    Keran: "..."

    Vermeil: "You know what? I totally get it."

    "I-I''m not stupid, it is just difficult for me to remember things like that! I had it written down on my person before, but..."

    No one asked her to continue, but they finally understood the reason why the human forces knew how to ess this ce and were on their way here.

    "Do you have a general idea of what it could be at least?" Taira asked calmly.

    "Y-Yes, it''s some sort of haiku or poem...? I. just can''t really remember specific-"

    "Good enough."

    Taira suddenly grabbed Aveena by one of her horns and pulled her close to him.

    Lamenting over his fate, he silently pressed his forehead against Aveena''s and concentrated on sifting through her mind.

    The entire process took no longer than five seconds, and when it was over Taira pulled away from Aveena so quickly that he nearly left behind an afterimage.

    He returned his focus to the ck stone wall and used his finger to trace the character phrase onto the surface.

    Once he was done, the air within the cave became noticeably colder, and the ck stone wall released a soft cracking noise.

    Bit by bit, rock turned into a wall of crystal clear ice, and Taira could see a path forward that led to a downwards staircase.

    Tapping the ice ever so slightly, the vampire watched carefully as it all came ttering down ontothe ground.

    "Let''s go, girls-"

    Enyo: "Honey, were you trying to make us jealous earlier?"

    Lucia: "It was working."

    Keran: "We know you needed the phrase but couldn''t you think of a less annoying way to get it?"

    Taira''s white fangs could be seen gleaming in the dark as he smiled possessively.

    "Girls, we have business to attend to, so don''t arouse me right now yea?"

    Completely disarmed, Taira''s wives felt their own possessive grins form as they chased his disappearing back.

    Leaving Vermeil and Aveena behind to have their own inner delusions.

    ''I should forget things more often... that was such an exquisite experience.''

    ''I have absolutely never... felt so jealous... in my life...''

    Both girls followed in moods that were the literal pr opposite of each other and did not say a word more toment.

    The dark staircase they found seemed to go on for what felt like an eternity, as even when the group had been walking for thirty minutes they still had not reached the bottom.

    "Fuck, you must have been really determined to leave this mountain if you walked all these stairs, holy shit." Vermeilined.

    "Is it that bad? In the mornings we normally have to run up and down this structure fifty times, so I suppose I''ve gotten a bit used to it." Aveena shrugged.

    "...Based on the few stories I''ve heard about this ce, I have a feeling like we''re walking into hell of our own volition."

    "Be that as it may, it seems we''ve arrived." Taira suddenly said.

    Finally, the group caught sight of a ray of light that became brighter and brighter the farther down they traveled.

    Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, the group arrived at arge arch the acted as a gateway to the absolute most breathtakingnds that any of them had ever seen.

    "By the gods..."

    "This is.."

    "Am I.. in heaven..?"

    "How beautiful..."

    Despite he fact that this ce was clearly underground and freezing, no one could ever think of any reason why they would want to leave.

    In an egregiouslyrge cavern, there was a two mile long stone bridge connected to the door that the group had just emerged from, and it was covered in a thin nket of freshly fallen snow.

    Surrounding the structure was an undergroundke that was filled with the most chilling and serene blue waters imaginable, almost enticing one to take a dip that would likely have terrible consequences.

    Across the bridge, there was a structure that was nothing short of mesmerizing.

    A beautiful Japanese stylepound with multiplerge structures that seemed to have been immactely crafted and maintained just as well.

    A single structure three stories high towered above the rest gave off the most regal impression, like a pce that was overlooking thend of mortals.

    Aveena stepped forward and let out a deep yet proud sigh.

    "Wee to my home, my friends. This is The Drifting Snowfall Sect."

    As soon as she finished introducing the ce, there was a strong gust of wind before a figure appeared out of the fallen snow like a ghost.

    She was an old woman, with a wrinkled face that had clearly once been very beautiful.

    Her skin was deathly pale and her eyes were like bright red rubies filled with wisdom.

    Like Aveena, she wore dark purple robes; albeit hers were clearly of a much higher quality and status.

    As soon as the oni saw her, she dropped to her knees and prostrated as low as she could.

    "Disciple Aveena pays her respects to the Abbess of Ice Flowers, and apologizes for bringing guests into our sacred grounds."

 Chapter 90: Abess Setsuka Takashi

    The woman who had suddenly appeared in front of the group was strange to say the least.

    For starters, none of them could actually tell what her actual cultivation base was, nor if she was even alive in the traditional sense.

    Enyo could not exactly pinpoint her to be a spirit either.

    She was a true enigma.

    "My, what rude visitors you have brought with you, Aveena. Here for only a moment and they are already trying to probe me for secrets."

    The woman had a joyful and soft tone of voice that contrasted with her usatory words like night and day.

    "T-They mean no disrespect, Abess! I''m certain they were only mesmerized by such a beautiful and vibrant figure that is your own!"

    "Hohohoho! I''m sure that must have been the case."

    The old woman walked forward on her cane and inspect Taira with an unseeable light in her eyes.

    "My, my. I did not believe that I would ever see one of you in my lifetime. My disciple has brought a special guest indeed."

    "A-Abess, you mean you know what he is?" Aveena asked in a hushed and impressed voice.

    "Naturally. He''s a male escort."

    "A-Are you really, Taira!?"

    "You''ve been living with him for close to a month, you know that he''s not!" Keran yelled.

    "Oh? But if Abess says he is then..."

    It was hard to tell by looking at him, but Taira was beginning to regret voluntarilying down to this ce at all.

    The pale old woman in front of him poked his stomach with her cane as if she was inspecting him carefully.

    Once she tapped his midsection a couple of times, she raised her brow and made a thoughtful noise.

    ''Quite a cocktail indeed... How does something like this evene into being?''

    "Ah! Pardon my manors, I just realized I''ve neglected to introduce myself. I am Setsuka Takashi, Abbess of The Drifting Snowfall Sect. And you all are?"

    "Taira."

    "My name is Enyo."

    "I am Keran."

    "Lucia."

    "I''m everyone''s favorite; Vermeil."

    The old woman nodded in satisfaction after she heard everyone''s names and turned her back towards them.

    "Right, right. It''s the first time we''ve entertained guests in a while, so I should invite you in and showcase my best possible hospitality."

    Suddenly, the group blinked and they were on the other side of the stone bridge, staring directly at thepound grounds from up close.

    "Did we just... cross a two mile bridge in an instant...?" Vermeil asked shakily.

    "Yes. Do you want to do it again?" Setsuka asked.

    "Of course I-"

    "No, she isn''t nearly that childish." Enyo interjected. "But she was curious about how something like that was even possible."

    "How indeed." Setsuka said humorously.

    The group walked up a flight of stairs made from stone and ice to pass through an open gate into thepound.

    Immediately, they entered into a courtyard with arge garden with white flowers and bamboo trees buried directly in the center of it.

    It was strange to see nts growing so well so far underground, but Taira was immediately able to discern why that was the case.

    The spiritual energy within the air was so dense that someone could have choked on it.

    He could only imagine the leaps and bounds that he could make within his cultivation if he were allowed to stay here long term.

    "Oh?"

    "Junior sister is back.."

    "And she brought... a man?"

    "A very pretty man..."

    Out of nowhere, women started spilling out from two buildings on the left and right of thepound.

    No doubt these new faces had been lured here when they send so many unfamiliar auras show up, and their eyes were thoroughly glued to the only man among the group.

    "You''ll have to forgive them." Setsuka said with a chuckle. "As you can see, we are an all women''s sect, so it has been quite a long time since they have seen such an alluring member of the opposite sex."

    "...It is no trouble." Taira said as he closed his eyes.

    "Oh? I''m d to know you aren''t bothered by their staring, but I was actually talking to the three angry women who have your scent all over every corner of their bodies."

    ncing over his shoulder, Taira found Keran, Lucia, and Enyo ring at every woman who poked their head out to leer at him.

    It was all so alluring that he was bing dangerously aware of the sheer length of time it had been since he''dst had sex.

    He was really... really looking forward to the next moment he got alone with one of his wives.

    After shaking his mind free of dirty thoughts, he realized that there was something very special about this ce.

    Some of the women were clearly fallen, but others were surprisingly human.

    And not just human, there were other members of the supposed ''races of light'' here like dwarves, elves, and fae.

    It made Taira wonder about just how this sect went about selecting it''s members in the first ce.

    Abbess Setsuka led the group to a thergest building in the center of thepound.

    Only when the group went inside did they realize that the entire pce was her residence.

    As soon as they entered through the front door, the group reappeared on the rooftop where a garden filled with bright white cherry blossom trees was waiting.

    A wooden table with room for all of the guests sat between two of thergest trees and provided a one of a kind view of the crystal blueke nestled below.

    At the table, there was already tea prepared and exactly seven cups with steam billowing from them.

    "Shall we sit down?" The Abbess said with a smile.

    The group became nestled around the table, and enjoyed the warm beverages that had been prepared for them.

    "So... might I know why one of my initiates has broken her vow of secrecy and returned here with outsiders and a man?"

    "Ack!"

    Aveena''s saviors had never seen her quite so awkward and jittery as she was when it came to interacting with her master.

    She was strangely cute in an air headed kind of way.

    "Disciple knows that she was wrong for bringing in outsiders, but... these people saved my life and I owe them every part of my being."

    Aveena looked at Taira with a seductive glint in her eye as she sipped her tea. "I''m... more grateful to some than others."

    Lucia / Enyo / Keran: """Bitch, we will cut you."""

    "They are just being cranky, they actually adore me." Aveena said with a wave of her hand. "They were very attentive to me when I was injured."

    Setsuka ced her hand on Aleena''s and smiled at her like a loving grandmother.

    "I know your words to be the truth... Since I can sense the loss of your cultivation, I know that you must have been through quite the trial... I regret even allowing you to step outside at all."

    "If I may speak freely, Abbess... There were certainly trials, but... I do not regret my time in the outside world. I got to experience many things,ugh in ways that I never knew possible, and study normal interactions among people. If I had to do it again, I believe there are few things I would change."

    "Well...Since you seem so resolute."

    Abbess turned back towards Taira and his group and lowered her head politely.

    "You have my thanks for taking care of this girl, as troublesome as I''m sure she may have been."

    "Please, there is no reason to extend your gratitude to us. We were only doing what anyone would have." Keran said brightly.

    ''Such a kind child... Her sprit is so pure that it is almost like she''s a newborn.'' Setsuka thought with a twinkle in her eye.

    "Well then, unpleasant matters aside I hope that you will tell me why she''s brought you all here with such a tense aura surrounding you."

    The group looked at each other ufortably as they shuffled in their seats.

    "Well... I think before we tell you that, you should know exactly how we all met and what has led us here." Enyo said apologetically.

    It took a total of ten full minutes before Enyo could exin exactly what had happened when Aveena came down to Ferran.

    The entire time, Setsuka did not say a word and listened to the entire story with a seemingly stone-like demeanor.

    However, Taira and his wives did not miss the moment where the old woman flinched when she learned of the horrible condition they had found Aveena in.

    When they got to the part about the Hero of Unbreakable Iceing to strip this ce of it''s resources and secrets, the old woman shattered the cup in her hand from force.

    A bright blue light shone within her eyes as the temperature within the entire cavern dropped to such a drastic degree that the boiling hot tea that was within their cups froze solid.

    As the wind blew fiercely, the hair of the old woman flew around in a frenzy, and allowed Taira to see her ears that looked like they''d been cut or clipped to appear normal.

    ''Imagine that... she''s an elf.''

    "W-We know that this must be upsetting, but please understand! You all have to evacuate before-"

    Setsuka finally held up her hand to stop Vermeil from speaking and stood up from the table dramatically.

    When she spoke again, her voice was icy cold and not at all mischievous and sweet as it had been before.

    "Youngdy... If you are about to tell me to flee from my home because a human with a superiorityplex ising to steal from us, you are sorely mistaken."

    Setsuka stood up and started walking towards the balcony, generating icy footprints with every step.

    "Besides... these mongrels have dared to harm a member of my sect whom are like m own daughters. I wouldn''t let them go even in 10,000 years."

    With a menacing and authoritative presence, Setsuka stood over the balcony and peered down at her sect from below.

    "ALL DAUGHTERS OF THE DRIFTING SNOWFALL SECT, HEAR ME! SHARPEN YOUR WEAPONS AND PREPARE FOR BATTLE IMMEDIATELY!"

 Chapter 91: What Makes A Warrior?

    The Abbess only needed to give her sect members a singlemand before they sprung into action.

    Though half of them had never seen actual battle before, that mattered very little in the grand scheme of things.

    This was what they had trained for here for several decades, and by now they were quite literally built for this conflict.

    Instead of shying away from the strife, they sharpened their weapons with blood thirsty zeal, got dressed with only the utmost sense of purpose.

    They didn''t even bother to ask who the enemy was.

    Because at the end of the day, it didn''t matter.

    Their abbess asked them to prepare, and so they prepared.

    Thirty minutester, this peaceful and beautiful sect had been transformed into a bewitching military base.

    There were 149 members of the Drifting Snowfall Sect that had assembled on the two mile long stone bridge after exactly thirty minutes.

    Aftering together, the sect members took sitting lotus positions as they closed their eyes and waited without saying a word.

    Tap.

    Tap.

    Tap.

    Setsuka walked along the stony bridge with her cane tapping off the ground as she came to stand in front of her assembled forces with a regal and cold demeanor.

    She too closed her eyes as she stood like a statue silently, anticipating the inevitable conflict that was toe.

    On the roof, Taira and the girls were still standing in the same area as before as they looked down at the entire scene that had unfolded before them.

    By now... they were unsure of what they should do.

    Setsuka had absolved them of all need to participate, dubbing this a ''family matter'' that she believed should have been left up to them.

    Meanwhile, they were entrusted to keep Aveenapany, as she was rather despondent to see her entire sect going into battle without her among them.

    "Do you know...That day was my first introduction into realbat and bloodshed..?"

    Since Taira was the only one close to her at the moment, he assumed her to be talking to him.

    "That day was...? I find that rather surprising, since you seemed like a warrior with ice in her veins when we first met."

    "Hm? Perhaps that was because you aroused me more than frightened me."

    *Annoyed grumbling.*

    "Yes, yes, I mean no disrespect. It is just the way it is."

    Aveena''s eyes drifted towards a section of the sect where the training grounds could be seen.

    "I was okay at sparring andbat training, even though I wasn''t one of the best. The entire time I have been here, I have always felt as if there was something...cking with my proficiency.

    I searched for the answer time and time again but I always seemed to fall just short of finding it, until I read a book based around the outside world."

    "I had not taken you for someone with an interest in literature."

    "Yes, and I''m aware that you do as well. Does this simrity between us make me seem like a morepatible wife in your eyes?"

    "I don''t care that we''re in your home, the next time you say something like that to me you''re going to lose your eyes."

    "You''re such a cold man... But I do not dislike that trait of yours... I actually admire it a bit."

    Taira normally would have offered a meanment to the charming oni woman, but this time he sensed that herment about his personality seemed to be born more of genuine admiration than lust.

    As such, he felt no need to admonish her.

    Although he did feel a little strange about hearing her suddenly admit to admiring him.

    "This book of yours... What was it about?" he asked.

    "A great soldier... one who was at firstcking in power worth notoriety and desire to improve. But one day... he went against an overwhelmingly insurmountable force.

    Instead of dying needlessly and without aplishment, he struggles endlessly out of a sense of desperation to cling to his life. And in doing so... he found that his proficiency excelled in a way that he never had before."

    "Don''t tell me... you came down into the outside world so that you could get the experience of fighting seriously and improving yourself through a near death experience?"

    "..." Aveena turned her head and whistled nonchntly.

    "You''re an idiot." Taira realized.

    "I-I am not!"

    Aveena leaned over the railing and unintentionally gave Taira a decent view of her round behind.

    "I wanted to improve myself, even if it meant dangling my life in the bnce just a bit. So I came down the mountain in search of an experience like that, but I found nothing.

    ...That is, until I did.

    But in that moment when those men attacked me, robbed me, and stripped me bare... I received no surplus of willpower, and no enlightenment that helped me ovee my immovable force."

    In the entire time that Taira had known Aveena, he had literally never heard her sound quite as fragile and vulnerable as he did now.

    It almost made him wonder if she had swapped ces with someone else while he was keeping his eyes away from her ass.

    "And now... I wonder something. Since I could not be like that great warrior that I read about, am I unqualified for a life of battle? Was I never fated to be a strong person?

    Does everything that I amcking truly run so deeply, that I cannot fix myself even if I put my own life at risk..?"

    Aveena suddenly turned around and showed Taira a smile that was as beautiful as it was heartbreaking.

    "Perhaps... it is for the best that I can no longer participate in this fight. In a sh like this where there is so much meaning on the line, I believe that I would only have held my sisters back and failed to provide any noteworthy aid."

    Taira didn''t always think himself to be the best when it came to consoling others, but for the first time in his life he felt like he had to try.

    Although... he did not have the slightest fucking idea of what he was possibly about to say to her.

    "Aveena..."

    As soon as Taira began to fumble for the words, a sharp chilling feeling erupted throughout the cavern.

    Abess Setsuka opened her eyes after what felt like an eternity of patience, and a cold blue light shone purposefully.

    ''They''re here...''

    Time slowly ticked by with seconds turning into minutes as the snowy cavern became ever colder.

    Eventually, Abbess Setsuka and her members all heard the sound of heavy footstepsing closer.

    A man appeared from the stairwell on the opposite side of the bridge.

    With above average looks, pale skin, and bluish white hair, he could have been the grandson of Setsuka if one ced them next together.

    "Ah... This is a real cozy ce..! Evenes with a whole weing party."

    More of Duncan''s soldiers began to spill out onto the bridge, and they too seemed to be equally impressed by the chillingly beautiful scenery.

    "All of you... I assume that you have alle here today to forfeit your lives and visit thends of life after death." Setsuka said coldly.

    Duncan suddenly scowled as he clenched his fists.

    "Don''t believe that''s any way to greet visitors, ma''am. Everyone thinks sects are some paragons of wisdom and understanding in this world. Never expected them to be so rude as well."

    "Hospitality is reserved only for those who approach this ce with good intentions. You and your ilk fail to fall under that umbre."

    Because he was currently in a less than charitable mood today, Duncan''s demeanor only became worse and worse.

    "Look here... We came to discuss a...."

    At that moment, Duncan''s eyes darted over to the women who were still sitting silently behind Abbess Setsuka.

    The sight of members of the races of light and the fallen ones sitting around as if they weren''t natural enemies was so frustratingly nauseating that he didn''t know what to do.

    "I see... this isn''t the kind of ce we can reason with after all. All of you bloody damned heretics should just be frozen offerings for The Great God of Ice!"

    "What a stupid human you are. There are no gods here."

    Setsuka smiled as she tapped her cane on the ground twice.

    In a stunning disy of unity and discipline, all one hundred and forty nine members of the Drifting Snowfall Sect opened their eyes and leapt to their feet at the same moment.

    Their auras red, and revealed that even the weakest among them was sitting firmly in the beast realm.

    Grateful that he no longer had to be polite, Duncan smiled aggressively as he started to channel an icy energy through his hands.

    "Wonderful. This was just the kind of exercise I needed to take my mind off this shitty day! Let the bodies fall where they may, men!"

    "YES!"

    With Duncan at the head, the army of invaders ran forward with their weapons raised and their hearts filled only with sinister ambition.

    However, Setsuka Takashi did not look worried in the slightest, and even had a smile on her wrinkly old face.

    ''Let the bodies fall indeed, human.''

 Chapter 92: Ballad of Blood & Snow

    The army of invaders ran at the members of the Drifting Snowfall Sect with their weapons and magic already glowing with icy blue energy.

    They weren''t running for very long however before Duncan realized that there was a huge problem.

    No matter how far he and his army ran, the distance between them and the opposing forces never closed.

    And by now, his men were also beginning to realize it.

    "H-Hey, what''s going on!?"

    "I-I''m running as hard as I can, but why does it feel like it''s not enough?!"

    "It''s a damn trick!"

    Duncan ground his teeth together as his eyes razed Abbess Setsuka hatefully. "You old witch! What is this!?"

    The old elf cackled madly as she tapped her cane on the ground. "Wouldn''t you like to know? Are you so utterly foolish of you to think we would allow you toe into our home and attack us? Rubbish!"

    Suddenly, all of the warriors standing behind the Abbess disappeared without a trace.

    "We have better manners than that here. We''lle to you."

    Duncan suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and scoured the entire area for any sign of the 100 plus women who had just gone missing.

    "Above!"

    Almost as soon as one of the soldiers realized their position, the women descended upon the invaders like bewitching birds of prey.

    In an instant, the group were under siege from the highly trained members of the sect who easily drew first blood as they cut into the soldiers nearest to them with zeal.

    Though they were outnumbered by a wide margin of 2,000 to 149, they seemed to be undaunted by the drastic difference in forces and dly took on multiple enemies at a time.

    Duncan was rmed to actually see his men being subjugated by these women in a dramatic fashion.

    Because he valued the life of every subordinate who was entrusted to him, Duncan felt a need to even the odds however he was able.

    "Arcane Ice : Snow Marite!"

    A fierce wind wrapped up around Duncan that started to produce chillingly cold air.

    Small, white bundles of ice swirled around the body of the human before they were scattered among the battlefield.

    The Sect members who failed to anticipate the threat could not react in time to avoid it, and were touched by a small ke of snow.

    A single second was all it took for the lone snowke to spread across the bodies of the women and encase them in a thin yet sturdyyer of ice from the waist down.

    With their movement limited and having no way for them to free themselves, they were just likembs who had no choice but to be ughtered.

    "Don''t let these bitches catch you off guard!"

    "The Hero is generously providing us aid, do not disgrace him!"

    With morale rising, the fight started to be more of an even effort with neither side seeming to gain a discernible advantage.

    And with there still being such arge gap in numbers between them, that was a feat that was nothing short of incredible.

    As soon as he had a moment to himself, Duncan spun around to search for the Abbess but found her gone instead.

    ''That damn bitch... I need her!''

    It was already very clear to Duncan that this entire cavern was subject to the whims of the Abbess to a certain extent.

    If it was up to her, he and his men would never be able to reach the actual Sect building lying up ahead, nor could they extract any of the secrets and treasures that were just waiting to be collected.

    He had to somehow strip that woman of her ownership of this space and transfer it over to himself instead.

    Suddenly, the cavern rumbled loudly as the water within theke started to churn aggressively.

    There was a loud booming sound and several pirs of icy blue water sprang up from theke like they hade alive.

    Suddenly, the pirs started to produce skeletons made of water and qi that roared like vengeful damned souls.

    They leapt onto the bridge and started to swarm the iing invaders like bees defending their home.

    A few of them could also be seen dragging the deceased bodies of their members into the water, and pulling them down into the depths below.

    ''What is this..? Why do so many annoying things keep happening today?!''

    Duncan was currently surrounded by arge brigade of watery skeletons who were rushing at him from every angle.

    "Arcane Ice : Garden of Ice and Thorns."

    A hard stamp on the ground produced a surge of sharp icy pirs that impaled all of the skeletons without letting a single one escape.

    But because they were made of water and qi, they continued their movement as they tried to remove the pirs impaling them from their mass.

    ''How annoying... all that life energy is making it harder to freeze them at my current output... What the hell are these things anyway?''

    His intuition had never once failed him, and Duncan Stone firmly believed that these things were not as simple as they seemed, nor were they a trick of the area like before.

    The Hero made a clenching gesture with his fist, and switched his piercing attack into a simple encasement, trapping the bodies in icy ss cases.

    "I can study themter, but for now let''s-"

    BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!

    Before he knew what was happening, Duncan received a hard swipe across his jaw that made him feel like his brain had been rung like a bell.

    His bottom teeth were cracked, he was struggling to hang on to his consciousness, and he was pretty sure his jaw would never be straight again.

    Just before the momentum from the blow carried his body into the air, his eyes saw the culprit of this unprovoked attack; an old woman who was holding a cane and wearing a smug smile.

    Previously, she had beenrgely unreadable to him, but for right now at least she was not making any real strides to hide her aura.

    ''Sovereign Realm...!''

    No doubt, this woman could be considered a top powerhouse in today''s word, especially when no one had managed to reach thest three realms of cultivation in thousands of years.

    And the smug smile on her face just proved that she knew it.

    It pissed him off terribly.

    Over the silhouette of Setsuka, he saw a man in ming red armor with matching red hair and that same smile of unrelenting arrogance.

    ''You damn cultivators... You all think you''re so superior... that you can do whatever you want because your bodies are stronger... I''ll show you..! I''LL ENSURE YOU DON''T THAW FOR AN ETERNITY!!''

    In his mind, Duncan finally snapped and released the restrictions he''d ced on his powers.

    While airborne, he brought both of his arms together in a praying gesture as he channeled the power given to him by the Great God of Ice.

    "True Arcane Ice : Frozen God''s Domain!!"

    An absurd amount of chillingly cold energy started to drift off of Duncan''s body in horrifying amounts.

    Immediately, there was an rming change on the battle field.

    "H-Hey...!"

    "H-Hero! W-We can''t-"

    "I-It''s too cold!"

    Like lone leaves hanging from a tree, the soldiers that were engaged in a struggle that was consuming them a mere moment ago were suddenly stopping dead in their tracks.

    Their skin was so cold that it burned like the hottest fire, and every breath inhaled felt like it was drawing needles into their lungs.

    Even the watery soldiers that had been summoned were turning into giant ice sculptures as the temperature continued to drop lower and lower.

    Abbess Setsuka was also struggling, as she had slowed the pace of her breathing so as not to ingest so much of this freezing cold energy.

    But the problem was her sect members.

    They were faring just about as well as Duncan''s own soldiers; some of whom had already begun to freeze from the inside out.

    Setsuka knew that she had to figure ut some way to help them just before it was toote.

    However, she felt like her problems were only about to further umte as she heard Duncan call out another spell.

    "True Arcane Ice : Aspect of Winter''s Wrath!"

    -

    On the roof of the sect residence, the entire group had been watching the battle with anticipation as the seemingly one sided conflict became much more like a tug of war.

    It actually seemed like things were going to continue to be even, when Duncan activated his first True Ice spell and the entire battlefield was thrown into a frenzied standstill.

    As the temperature dropped lower and lower, Aveena, Lucia and Vermeil showed the most signs of being affected by the dastardly cold weather.

    In seconds, the skin of the girls had practically turned blue as they fell to their knees defenselessly.

    Not even needing to be told what to do, Taira changed into an enormous nightmarish fox and pulled the bodies of all of the girls as close to his as he could get.

    In the next moment, he set himself aze with blue mes and staved off the cold like a furry space heater.

    Lucia and Vermeil were still shivering, but they were slowly showing signs of improvement.

    On the other hand, Aveena had taken the attack a lot harder than them because she was currently no different from a normal person, and her mental state had already begun to wane as her eyes lost their rity; the first telltale sign of hypothermia.

    But still, she maintained the strength to make onest request. "Tai...ra.."

    "You shouldn''t be talking right now. Conserve your energy, Aveena."

    The oni woman ignored him as she pointed to the battlefield that contained all of her freezing sisters. "Sa..ve ...them.. t-too..please..?"

    Herst objectivepleted, Aveena fainted right on the rooftop and let her body sink into the unfairly warm fur of therge fox she had entrusted herself to.

 Chapter 93: An Immovable Force

    Taira let his eyes drift toward the bridge where the members of the Drifting Snowfall Sect were possibly mere moments away from dying.

    ''Time to see how good my control is...''

    Taira closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could on the foxfire within his body.

    He hadn''t gotten a whole lot of chances to study this new power of his yet, but from what he had observed so far he knew that his fox fire was more like another extension of his body than his other elements.

    Therefore, it was a fair bit easier for him to use than his other powers and made what he was about to attempt seem like a much less daunting task.

    But still, this would be a pretty crazy thing to attempt for the first time with no prior practice.

    Expanding his mind to it''s absolute most functionality, he put together the schematics for the spell he had in mind piece by piece.

    When it was done, he was extremely proud of himself.

    "Arcane Foxfire : Avenger''s Guided Arrow."

    The blue mes surrounding Taira and the girls started to flicker chaotically like a light show.

    Bits of them began to peel off of his body, and formed one hundred arrows made from bright blue me.

    Taira let out a thoughtful breath as a sort of ''barrier'' within his mind was broken through, and his aura increased in refinement.

    ''Second Star...''

    "How... did you just do that?" Enyo asked with an open mouth.

    "It took me years to reach second star... but you''ve done it after only a couple months of study...!" Lucia gasped.

    In his monstrous form, Taira smiled as he waived away the surprise of the girls.

    "You girls are jumping the gun a bit. Can''t you wait till I actually show you what my spell does before you be impressed?"

    After giving a simple mentalmand, the arrows floating above Taira shot towards the bridge with small sonic booms.

    The projectiles rained down onto the bridge like homing missiles, seeking out only the members of the snowfall sect and sailing directly into their bodies.

    Upon being struck, the girls felt themselves bing warmer instantly, and the mortal danger they were facing appeared to have been staved off.

    Coincidentally, there were a few members of Duncan''s army who saw the way that their enemy forces were warming up and regaining color in their faces, and they became greedy.

    They lunged to either tackle the women who were engulfed in mes or snatch one of the arrows out of the sky.

    But uponing into contact with the blue mes, they learned that instead of receiving warmth they were gued with abysmal heat instead.

    It was so drastic that they were beginning to melt within seconds, and they they found no reprieve or any sort of relief anywhere.

    Abbess Setsuka looked around at the wondrous blue mes that had sprung up around her and she smiled in appreciation.

    "Now isn''t this something.... Such a seemingly dark man with an overwhelmingly beautiful power."

    "YOU!!"

    A loud roar shook the entire cavern, and Setsuka covered her ears while making an annoyed expression.

    Just like how Setsuka was taking in the scene of the battlefield, so too was Duncan.

    But he looked a little different at present.

    His spell, Avatar of Winter''s Wrath had caused a suit of pure and icey armor that resembled that of a ssic samurai from fourth century Japan,plete with a demonic helmet and crystallized wings like that of a western dragon.

    Duncan was not only interested in the technicalities of this new spell, but he was also interested in it''s source.

    His eyes traveled towards the Sectpound, where he found arge nightmarish fox with eight swaying tails wrapped in a storm of cobalt blue mes.

    But more surprising than that, there was a woman standing right next to the beast while looking very chilly.

    He had only seen her once before, but she was every bit as infuriatingly pretty as she was on the day of her selection ceremony.

    That day, he had been a bit upset that she hadn''t chosen him, and instead opted for baby face Vance instead.

    He hated that guy almost as much as he hated the first hero.

    And back then, he hated the fact that a girl as pretty as Vermeil was choosing Vance over him!

    He was way more aplished than that guy!

    And yet he was the one she was ogling?!

    Because he was a bloody cultivator?!

    Why the fuck did that matter?!

    To make matters worse, it woulde out a few weekster that the young girl was a monster lover, and had betrayed every one of the races of light to run off and join the damn animals in the zoo!

    No wonder she was here!

    "We should have guessed that you''d be in some ce like this! Slinking around with the fallen like a maggot crawling through shit!"

    Vermeil felt her hands start to tremble s she backed away into Taira''s fur.

    Reflexively, he wrapped one of his tails around her and pulled her as close to him as he could for protection, and growled at the rambling human menacingly.

    Not only him, even Keran and Enyo stood in front of Vermeil protectively; the sight of which only added to what Duncan already found to be an absurd situation.

    Addled with rage, Duncan waved his hand and a sword as long as his body appeared in his hand.

    "You have no idea just how bad they want your head... They''ll respect me more when I bring it to them..!"

    This would show them all!

    He didn''t need that cultivator nonsense, in this world Arcane Arts were the true school that stood above all!

    As he materialized sharp, thorny des of ice tounch at Vermeil from his position in the air, the familiar voice of an old woman yed in his ear.

    "How rude. You already have a dance partner."

    BOOOMMM!

    Setsuka appeared overhead in a gust of wind, and swung her cane like a battering ram towards the head of the icy samurai.

    Surprisingly, Duncans reaction time was not near as terrible as before, and he raised his katana to block the blunt attack with ease.

    "I haven''t forgotten you at all, you old bat... You are going to help me prove once and for all that cultivation is inferior to Arcane Arts..!"

    "What a silly debate to have. Children these days truly have nothing better to do."

    "You bitch!"

    Duncan and Abess Setsuka started to exchange blow after blow that shook the walls of the cavern around them.

    Truthfully, the Abbess was rather surprised to see that her adversary had seemed to receive a notable degree of training that made him quite adept at swordsmanship.

    But that wasn''t the real problem with her opponent.

    Whatever the spell he used from earlier was, it did  a lot more than just give him this fancy new suit of armor.

    It strengthened his physical body beyond what could be considered a normal degree, and it was as if his entire body were now like a cier.

    A sturdy, powerful mass of ice that could only be melted by the hottest of temperatures.

    In addition, every exchanged attack with him was transmitting cold qi over from his weapon to hers; chilling her right to the bone.

    To affect even a sovereign realm cultivator as only a four star mage... these heroes were frighteningly talented indeed.

    ''So much hate fuels this kind of spell... Who have you devised this for, boy? Who could have possibly slighted you so terribly?''

    Abess Setsuka had actually begun to pity her opponent just a bit, but it did nothing to change the fact that she was going to win this battle.

    ''I guess I''ve warmed up these old bones of mine enough.These martial arts take so much more out of me than they used to...''

    Setsuka broke the deadlock she had been locked in with Duncan and kicked him hard in the chest, forcing a separation.

    Suddenly, the simple wooden cane that Setsuka had been twirling around changed into a wooden staff with no ws or blemishes.

    "Elusive Wind Staff : Gentle Surge."

    Duncan gritted his teeth as he watched his hated adversary pull another disappearing act in this annoying confrontation.

    He figured she would try to attack him from above once again since that clearly seemed to be her favorite method, but nothing like that ever urred.

    Instead, she reappeared in front of him as in as day and as defenseless as a regr olddy.

    He almost wanted to walk up to her defenselessly as if she were his very own grandma and ask her for cookies and a long story about the time in high school where a boy from ''the bad side of town'' asked her to the school dance.

    You know, harmless grandma things.

    He didn''t even think to question this sudden tranquil feeling of familiarity and easiness, andpletely dropped his guard without realizing it.

    Smiling harmlessly, Setsuka Brough her staff to his head and tapped him a single time like she was knocking on a door.

    Thunk.

    BOOOMM!!!

 Chapter 94: Fall

    That single tap atop the head of Duncan may not have looked all that impressive at first, but it was followed up with a concussive st that made him feel like he''d been hit by a freight car.

    Time seemed to go in slow motion for the hero of unbreakable ice, as he plummeted down from the sky like an angel knocked from heaven.

    During his fall, Setskua would appear in front of him and continuously tap various parts of his body with her cane while seemingly expending no more effort than one would to turn a doorknob.

    But with every knock against his body, Duncan felt as if an entire region of his being was being obliterated from existence.

    A tap against his leg was followed by one in his arm, shin, and even stomach.

    Each time her wooden staff connected there was a sound like a sonic boom before excruciating pain followed behind it.

    Finally, Duncan crashed back onto the ground but he wasn''t even remotely whole anymore.

    Parts of his body were broken beyond repair and his entire being was in so much pain that he could hardly string together a coherent thought.

    ''What is this..?''

    ''How long have I been here...?''

    ''What was I even doing here..?''

    ''I can''t feel anything... weird.''

    Suddenly, an old woman floated in front of his face like an angel and some thread of memory began trying to connect itself within his mind.

    He remembered just how much he hated this woman.

    But he wasn''t sure why.

    There was just something about her that just infuriated him to his very core and he wanted to see her lying dead instead of him.

    But his body wasn''t listening to him.

    If he were able to see himself, he would know that the reason was because his body was currently bent at a number of odd angles.

    Even his skull had arge dent in it from where he was initially struck and it was a miracle he was still cognizant.

    But no matter how much he tried to keep his mind alert and awake, a creeping darkness was filling his vision more and more by the second.

    ''Is this how I die...?''

    ''It doesn''t have to be.''

    ''Who..?''

    ''Don''t forget who made you special, Duncan. Don''t forget who has always been the secret to your greatness. ''

    ''Va... I can''t remember your name.''

    ''Your disrespect can be forgiven just this once. For right now, allow me to impart this spell within what little mind you have left.''

    ''This spell... this will-''

    ''Restore what little honor you have left and ensure that your legacy trumps that of Isaac. Isn''t that what you want?''

    ''I...''

    ''You''re almost out of time. Use the spell before it is toote. ''

    In the end, Duncan used the little bit of functionality within his mind to cast the spell that was imparted to him by the inner voice.

    And it was thest thing he would ever recall.

    "For...bidden Arc...ane Ice.. Art : Life... and Death... Transposition..."

    Setsuka suddenly sensed a dangerously cold power welling up from within the crumpled body of the enemy before her and she immediately went on high alert.

    Throwing out her hand, she tried to stop her sect members who were approaching thinking the battle had been won.

    "Stay back, girls! Something is-"

    BOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!

    A column of purely white energy struck the body of the fallen human and turned the area closest around him into pure crystalline ice.

    The leader of the Drifting Snowfall Sect felt like her mind was ying trick on her.

    ''This aura... it clearly belongs to a six star mage..!''

    When the column of ice dispersed, the human was back on his feet and recovered but.. there was something different about him.

    Parts of his body were made up of pure ice, like his left arm and leg along with half of his skull.

    There was a cold and empty look within his icy blue eyes, and his entire demeanor had undergone a massive change from earlier.

    He lifted up his arm and opened and closed it a few times to test proper control over his body.

    "That vampire never should have let his ns get out... Now I get to reap the benefits of his thinking with only half the time and work..." he said under his breath.

    "Who are you? What have you done with the man who was there before?"

    The human looked up at the old elven woman with empty eyes before a glimmer of recognition shown within them.

    "Oh right... I had almost forgotten about you even after you were the one responsible for mying. That was rude of me."

    "And the rudeness continues. Do you not know that it''s rude to not introduce yourself in conversation?"

    ''Duncan'' smiled as he sped both hands behind his back.

    "My name... Are you worthy of hearing it?"

    BANG!!

    A wave of icy shards sprang up from the ground at the feet of the imposter; sharp and unrelenting.

    Setsuka twirled the staff in her hand before she raised it above her head and smacked the iing attack with all of the force she could muster.

    But even then, the force behind the attack was significantly greater than she could have ever anticipated, and she was sent skidding back as the ice continued to push her at a slow speed.

    ''What a monster..! So much power within his magic and he didn''t even use a chant...!''

    Setsuka knew immediately that her enemy was now in an entirely different weight ss, and if she wasn''t careful then she would immediately sumb to his new might.

    "Oh...You''re still up..?" The human said in surprise. "That''s pretty impressive... I wonder if those that you have trained are just as capable."

    Setsuka felt her eyes widen as she looked back at the one hundred or so warriors who were still standing around motionless with no idea of what was going on.

    Everything afterwards seemed to happen in slow motion.

    Setsuka threw out her hand to send all of her members back into the sect before it was toote, just as pirs of ice like jagged columns spiraled up from the ground and pierced between their legs to the top of their heads.

    The Abbess felt her heart shatter into two as every member of her sect lost the light within their eyes all at once, and they died without even understanding what had happened to them.

    "Girls... Noo!"

    As Setsuka fell into an inescapable pit of despair, a male voice suddenly yed directly within her ear.

    "This sort of falls on you, you know? At the end of the day your failure to properly instruct them is the reason why they failed to hang onto their lives."

    Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her chest and she looked down to find a pir impaling her just like the ones that had harmed her precious daughters.

    "Atone for wasting their lives with your own. It is the least you can do for failing to teach them properly, no?"

    "Bastard...!"

    "No, hag..."

    ''Duncan'' Suddenly grabbed Setsuka by her face and held her above his head while chilling her all the way to the bone and staring into her eyes.

    "God." he corrected.

    As he prepared to watch the light leave her eyes as well, he felt multiple iing presences andcasually looked over his shoulder for the culprit.

    Running at him quickly along the bridge were arge demonic looking fox, a werewolf with dark ck fur, and a dark skinned woman with a purple dress and long raven hair.

    "You bastard!"

    "We''ll kill you!!"

    "Put her down!!"

    The one who referred to himself as a god tilted his head in confusion as if he didn''t understand where exactly these new onlookers hade from.

    They clearly weren''t affiliated with the sect.

    However, he quickly realized that he didn''t really care all that much and shook his head free of all concern.

    "You all seem upset... that''s funny since I don''t believe I''ve done anything to you. But if all of you are so intent on forfeiting your lives, I have no problem taking them."

 Chapter 95: Outmatched

    Taira and the girls had watched the devastation of the Drifting Snowfall Sect with horrified gazes.

    The sight of all of those women being massacred was atrocious to witness, and seeing the Abbess being impaled mere seconds after was even more terrifying.

    Of course, Keran was the first to react when she saw the carnage that had unfolded.

    "No!

    Before Taira could stop her, his wife leapt from thefort of his fur and leapt off the roof of the building they stood on.

    Even before she hit the ground running, she was already half transformed and seeing red.

    Taira immediately followed behind her, knowing that his wife would likely be sloppy and leave herself open to even greater danger.

    The only possible chance they had to alle out of this with their lives was if she had some very good help.

    "Enyo, with me!" Taira yelled.

    "Yes!"

    Lucia also stood up, determined to help her husband and sisters. "I-I can-"

    "No, Lucia! I need you to stay behind and support Vermeil and Aveena!"

    Lucia looked down at the two girls who were trembling from cold and fear and she nodded solely as she pulled them into her grasp.

    "I-It''s okay girls, I''ve got you. No one is going to hurt you."

    "L-Luc, I.." Vermeil began.

    "Shhh, it''s okay. Just close your eyes and stay close to me, alright? This will all be over once you open them again."

    While Lucia consoled Vermeil; Taira, Enyo, and Keran ran onto the bridge to approach the eerily cold human responsible for the massacre.

    "You all seem upset... that''s funny since I don''t believe I''ve done anything to you. But if all of you are so intent on forfeiting your lives, I have no problem taking them."

    Shifting his hold on the bleeding Abbess, ''Duncan'' held out one of his hands and a wave of pure ice passed rippled outward like an expanding mountain.

    Keran strategically leapt over the ice in her monstrous form, while Enyo and Taira suddenly changed into incorporeal spirits and passed through harmlessly.

    "So you have some tricks... I''m certainlycking in impression though."

    "MURDERER!"

    Keran brought her hands together overhead and brought them down to smash the human underneath her.

    However, her enemy disyed an inhuman speed as he stepped back to avoid her onught.

    "I''ll kill you!"

    "Insignificant taunts and fits of violence do not hold any sway over me."

    Out of the corner of his eye, the man in Duncan''s body saw something that he didn''t quite know how to process.

    He hadn''t noticed at first, but the woman who was wearing a purple dress was sort of... melting into a shapeless mass of ck sludge with multiple eyes.

    And the fox beside her... it wasn''t just any fox.

    "A shoggoth and a member of the prestigious Divine No Mei n... What exactly is going on down he-"

    BOOOOOMMMMMM!!

    While the god was distracted, Keran reappeared in front of him and struck him hard across the jaw; sending him flying like a kite with it''s strings cut.

    Now no longer within his grasp, Setsuka dropped into the arms of the overgrown werewolf who was desperately trying to find a way to heal her.

    "Abbess, can you hear me? Just hang on, do you have some healing pills back at home?? I''ll get you to them and-"

    Setsuka showed a soft smile as blood dribbled down her chin and she ced her hand over Keran''s overgrown muzzle.

    "Ah... I knew that you were a kind child. This old one''s senses never lie to her, you know..?"

    "Ma''am, please don''t talk right now unless you''re going to tell me how to keep you alive!"

    "Ah... I appreciate the effort but there is little that can be done for a wound like this I''m afraid..."

    As Keran peered down at therge hole within the old woman''s chest, she knew that her words weren''t a mere falsehood.

    Even now, Setsuka was operating on borrowed time.

    "I... won''t be able to oversee her growth anymore so I ask you and your friends to look after Aveena in my ce... she''s a sweet girl but she''s a bit slow and needs careful guidance sometimes... I imagine that will be even more true now that she''s lost her cultivation.

    And... I''ll be entrusting something to you now. Don''t let it fall into the hands of that man now, alright..? There are secrets about this that are best not shared..."

    "I-I''m sorry, I don''t-"

    "Don''t worry, it''ll all make sense soon, dear."

    Reaching up, Setsuka ced a hand on Keran''s furry forehead using thest bit of her strength and imparted something within her soul.

    Unprepared for the sudden influx, Keran''s eyes rolled into the back of her head as her eyes zed over; processing the sudden influx of information.

    As Keran grappled with her surprise ''gift'' from Setsuka, Enyo and Taira were engaging the recovered imposter in an unsure contest.

    Taira was fully aware that in this conflict he was woefully underpowered, and as a result he was currently being relegated only to quick movement and long range support.

    Changing back into his normal form, he hurled bolts of foxfire and purple lightning at the human before dashing away using his movement art.

    As ''Duncan'' took another lightning bolt to the back of his head, he began to growl in annoyance.

    "Your antics are getting really bothersome, dog of No Mei.."

    "I think he''s rather helpful!"

    BOOOOOM!

    Out of nowhere, the shoggoth from before reappeared and punched the human wizard with an overgrown fist made entirely of the same ck sludge that made up her body.

    Half of Enyo''s face twisted up as she realized that there was a problem.

    Though the human had been pushed back by the cmitous force of her blow, he had still caught it somehow with a single icy palm.

    To make matters worse, the gtinous substance making up her visage was slowly being frozen, and ice was creeping all the way up her arm to the rest of his body.

    Enyo gritted her teeth as she chopped off the freezing parts of her arm and hesitantly took a step back.

    "You know... I have never taken the time to properly study something like you. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me as a researcher." ''Duncan'' said thoughtfully.

    No sooner had the words left his mouth did an angry roar erupt from the surrounding area.

    The descended god looked above his head casually and saw a man with dark skin carrying an egregiouslyrge scythe who looked to be frighteningly angry.

    "You look the maddest yet... Was it something I said, perhaps?"

    Once Taira came within striking distance, ''Duncan'' carefully weaved out of the way of the enormous red de before he grabbed the supposed divine fox by the neck and held him in the air.

    "It''s been a while since I''ve done any field work, but... Fenris'' n descendants sure have gotten weak, haven''t they?"

 Chapter 96: Defeat

    As Taira struggled within ''Duncan''s'' grasp, his wife immediately flew into a rage.

    "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!"

    Enyo''s yell was more like a horrendous gurgle as more of her body broke down into that horrendous ck sludge with a wide assortment of violet eyes.

    Goopy, fleshy wings spurted from her shoulder des, and she lunged at the human with a frenzied demeanor.

    "Since you asked so nicely..." Left with no choice, Duncan snapped Taira''s neck before he flung his body at the wailing monster girl.

    Of course, Enyo forgot all about attacking him and focused only on catching her lover out of the air.

    ''Duncan'' thought that she would be more distraught to see a man she was clearly attached to suddenly die in front of her, but she didn''t really seem to be nearly as concerned one would have thought.

    And a few secondster, he understood why.

    The kitsune immediately got back to his feet, and seemed to truly be no worse for wear after popping his neck back into ce.

    Taira transformed his weapon into a one handed scythe with a long golden chain, and to twirled it around aggressively like he was immediately about to go back on the assault.

    ''What... Is he..?'' The human wondered.

    No matter how powerful one was or how pure their bloodline, divine foxes didn''t heal like that.

    Almost nothing did.

    Almost..

    "What the fuck is going on down here...? Shoggoths running around like chickens and vampiric foxes suddenly springing up out of the blue... Those two shouldn''t even bepatible in the first ce."

    A glimmer of intrigue shone within the human''s eyes as he stared at Taira like he''d found something exciting to work on.

    "You there... You''ll be my next test subject."

    "Over my dead body..!"

    "That defeats the purpose but sure."

    Growling, Taira activated the second move of his Dark Moon Art and his body became no more than a blur as he ran in circles around the perimeter.

    Even the strange human was having a hard time keeping up with him, and was mildly impressed in turn.

    "Not bad, but I need my research subjects to stay still for the most part."

    Duncan raised his hand and parted his lips as if he were about to activate a spell, prompting Enyo to spring into action.

    "Whispering Horror Art : All That Is Unseen!"

    Suddenly, the shoggoth vanished right in front of the human''s eyes.

    Actually�� everything vanished in front of him.

    The entire world seemed like it was suddenly submerged in a pitch ck darkness that even the sun could not escape.

    "Not bad�� using your qi to invade my body and strip away my senses is not something just anyone can do.

    You''re impressive, but the problem with techniques like these is that they never hold up when subjected to the might of a superior force."

    Duncan held up a single finger, and a horrendously chilling energy left his body.

    "Forbidden Arcane Ice : Frozen World."

    There was a small cracking sound before light returned to the hero''s retina and he saw what would have been in store for him if he waited even another second to cast his spell.

    Enyo was frozen solid in front of him, and Taira was in the same state directly behind him.

    Her fingers were outstretched like she was about to dig into his temple, and his sickle was mere millimeters away from his neck.

    *whistles* "That could have been bad."

    He grabbed the icy sculptures and lifted them both over his shoulder like simple cases of water.

    "Now, where is�� damn it all."

    His eyes scanned the stone bridge that was currently frozen over in a thickyer of ice from his spell.

    He found the particr body he was looking for, but the werewolf from earlier was kneeling over her.

    Judging by heratose state, he knew exactly what must have happened while he was busy with the other two.

    And a few secondster his hypothesis was immediately confirmed.

    There was a loud gust of wind that blew throughout the entire cavern before a golden light shone on the body of Keran.

    The space trembled a few times before finally settling, and the hero let out a depressed sigh.

    "So she gave this ce to you then? That''s sweet and all, but it doesn''t really change anything."

    Keran finally regained rity within her eyes and immediately clutched her head in pain.

    ''Right�� I have to get us out..!''

    Keran started looking around for her family so that she could get them into hiding, but her heart was nearly torn in two when she found them both frozen solid and resting on the shoulders of the bastard human responsible.

    "Put�� them�� DOWN...!"

    "Woof."

    Enraged, Keran forgot all about everything that had just happened to her and stood up.

    "Apostle of Fenris : Beast God''s Ferocity!!"

    "Wait�� You''re-"

    "DIE!!"

    With both of her hands boasting razor sharp ws iparable to the best knife, Keran lunged at the man holding her family with the visage of a nine tailed fox swaying behind her.

    BOOOOMMMMM!!!

    Keran''s fist blew apart the icey stone at Duncan''s feet into small shards of rock.

    Sidestepping her ws while holding Enyo and Taira, he continued to shake his head at the absurdity of this situation.

    "This certainlyplicates things. You''re the only one I can''t kill."

    "SHUT UP!!"

    Continuing her movements, Keran shed at Duncan''s waist with enough power to bisect him cleanly, but he ducked under her reach to avoid it.

    "He''s probably watching me right now�� Aren''t you, you furry maniac?"

    "STOP TALKING TO ME AND PUT MY FAMILY DOWN!!"

    The shes Keran made with her ws caused shearing winds that cut up the ground like it was made of y dough.

    All the while, Duncan continued to avoid her movements by a hairs breadth as if she were moving in slow motion.

    "Lucky for you, your life is guaranteed atleast but�� I''ll still be taking what I need. I''ll worry about the consequences when I get back to the upper realm."

    Duncan tapped his foot on the ground a single time and spears of ice riddled Keran''s body all over; stopping her dead in her tracks.

    While no vital areas were harmed, she was thoroughly incapacitated.

    With thest adversary strung up in front of him, Duncan let out a tired sigh as he freed one of his arms by dropping Taira to the ground.

    "Sorry to go about this in such an unpleasant way�� but you''re still better off than most everyone else here today."

    With his free hand, Duncan reached for Keran''s sternum while wearing a small grimace.

    "This will be significantly less unpleasant for you if you only cooperate."

    "D-Don''t touch me!!"

    "You make me sound like a creep. The truth is that you just so happen to have something that I need is all. No more, no less."

    As soon as Duncan''s fingertips made contact with Keran''s breastte, a sharp current passed through the air.

    ncing over his shoulder, the human watched two figures appear from the staircase that led outside.

    One was a lion headed man wearing silver armor and carrying a sword that was almost asrge as him.

    The other was a beautiful woman with wolf ears and a number of scars and burns running across the length of her body.

    Unlike herpanion, she wore no armor and instead boasted a pair ck leather pants and a bra that barely contained her impressive bust.

    A pair of dark wed gauntlets adorned her feminine hands, and the usual ck eyepatch she wore had been swapped out for a grey one with a strange symbol in the center.

    Behind the two of them, more and more soldiers started to spill out into the chamber, mystified by their surroundings and the carnage that they had apparently already missed.

    Ayame took in the sight of her daughter impaled like a pin cushion with a human''s hand near her chest andpletely misread the situation.

    "Leopold�� give me your sword." She asked calmly.

    "Y-Yes, my queen��" The lion looked like he was a bit heartbroken to suddenly give up his prized possession like this, but he literally had no choice.

    By the sound of the queen''s voice, he knew for sure that if he did not give her his weapon she would kill him and take it from him.

    She was just that enraged.

    Ayame lifted up the the greatsword that weighed an outstanding two tons and waived it around like it was as light as a feather.

    With a mad light in her eyes, she pointed the de at the man standing in front of her daughter and spoke to him in an eerily cold voice.

    "I want you to understand something before we begin�� There will be nothing�� nothing that you can do to escape with your life today.

    Now back away from my daughter and you can die with what little amount of honor that you have left..!"

 Chapter 97: The Monster vs. The God

    With the massive greatsword in her hand, Ayame hurled it like a boomerang at the human lingering dangerously close to her daughter.

    But of course, someone of this enemy''s level wasn''t frightened by a simple sword being thrown, and he easily caught the weapon with only two fingers and stopped it.

    However, he grimaced internally when he realized that his arm was ringing like a church bell.

    ''No wonder that worm had such an inferiorityplex. Even with arcane to strengthen the body he was way too weak!''

    Annoyed, he let the sword drop to the ground as he looked for the woman responsible for throwing it.

    Much to his dismay, he found that she was already long gone.

    That is, until she appeared directly in front of him with movement that was too fast for him to properly anticipate.

    BANG!

    A gauntlet covered fist sailed directly into his nose and sent him sailing through the air as he bled profusely from the nose.

    Ayame wasted no time in destroying the ice that was keeping her daughter frozen in ce and securing Enyo and Taira''s bodies in the meantime.

    "Mother�� I-"

    "Hush for now, Keran. Your mother has a bit of business to attend to first."

    Ayame pushed a small dark brown pill into the lips of her daughter and ced two entirely different ones into her palms.

    "These are boiling blood pills. They''re usually used for refinement of blood and tissue but they should do well in reheating the bodies of your friends."

    "��They are my family." Keran corrected.

    Ayame smiled wryly before dashing it away before her daughter could see it. "Yes, well�� all the same."

    BOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!

    A pir of cold white energy pierced the cavern ceiling above and prompted a hail of debris to rain down on the bridge below.

    Velreth was now fully alert and back on his feet and wiping away blood from his ruined nose.

    How long had it been since he''d been hurt?

    Who in the upper realm had actually dared to strike him in his exhalted face?

    It was as morbidly funny as it was inexcusable.

    But this woman�� she was different from the old hag from earlier.

    Though they were both in the same realm, their demeanor and attitudes towards the field of cultivation were entirely opposite.

    Abbess Setsuka Takashi was a schr, and a woman who cultivated for its profundity.

    But Queen Ayame Garou was a warrior, and one who viewed cultivation as a means to forcibly suppress those beneath you and establish hierarchy.

    While neither were particrly wrong; it was ringly obvious which one would be the worst matchup for him.

    He could already tell that things were going to be tighter than before since he didn''t have all of his power, but there were methods to ensure his victory all the same.

    "True Arcane Ice : Wings of Winter!"

    A fierce blizzard suddenly whipped up and engulfed the entire domain in a white snowstorm.

    The storm was so thick and powerful one would be lucky to even be able to see fifteen feet in front of them.

    Ayame smirked from the foreboding sense of danger as she treaded deeper into the ensuing storm.

    ''Don''t let me down now�� My charming son-inw has gotten me rather motivated..!''

    Ayame''s wish appeared to have been granted, as she soon sensed a multitude of iing prescences approaching her from up ahead.

    Only when they finally came close enough could she see them.

    Winged women made from ice covered in dense armor and wielding spears sharp enough to cut through bone even in simple passing.

    Four of them lunged at the queen first, and caused a predatory smile to form on her face.

    Instead of waiting to be ughtered, she also ran to meet them.

    Reaching for the first Valkyrie, she grabbed the spear aimed at her chest and snapped it into two; keeping the spearhead and broken shaft in her grasp.

    With her free hand, she grabbed the charming icy construct by the face and mmed it''s head into the ground; splintering it''s skull instantly.

    Keeping low to the ground, Ayame used her thick and muscr legs to sweep another''s legs out from underneath it.

    Once it''s back hit the ground, Ayame rolled on the ground to get beside it and stabbed the warrior directly in the chest with the spearhead she''d collected; and both shattered like ss.

    ng!

    A Valkyrie appeared above and thrusted it''s spear downward; aiming directly between her eyes.

    Ayame avoided the attack with ease, but out of the corner of her eye she saw that her precious long hair had been cut.

    "Fucking bitch�� Have you any idea just how much werewolves value their hair?!" Ayame yelled menacingly.

    "��?" The construct was in no way capable of speaking, but if it could have, it would have undoubtedly cursed it''s creator for making it.

    Growling, Ayame used her bare feet and kicked the winged snow woman directly into the chest, sending it crashing back into another of it''s ilk.

    Leaping to her feet without using her hands, Ayame ran towards the Valkyries who were currently still flying from her kick.

    Jumping into the air, she caught them before they could even hit the ground of their own volition.

    Grabbing each of them by one of their legs, she pulled them apart before mming them against each other with enough force to crush a car.

    The Valkyries exploded on impact, and created a beautiful menagerie of icy dust that sparkled underneath the light streaming from the ceiling.

    Ayame performed a somersault as her body carried her back onto the ground;nding with the epitome of grace and bnce.

    Though this woman was feared all across Tayar, there were absolutely none who could deny her one of a kind beauty and power.

    It was worth mentioning that the constructs she had just defeated weren''t mere small fries.

    In terms of physical strength, they wereparable to cultivators at the peak of the overlord realm.

    And yet she was able to dispatch them as easily as breathing.

    However, she didn''t seem to be happy in the slightest.

    Ayame clicked her teeth as she patted her stomach in dissapoint ment.

    "I was more rusty than I thought�� in the past I would have been able to eliminate those bitches in only a couple seconds�� I guess that''s what happened when I sit around doing nothing but eating and napping for over two hundred years��"

    She continued to pat her rippled stomach and her mood seemed to get even worse by the second as she looked at herself.

    "This is embarrassing�� I''ve gotten so fat."

    *This is not by any means a true statement.*

    As Ayamemented over her depression induced sedentary lifestyle, the sound of flesh ripping could be heard as a icy hand pierced her back from behind.

    She felt the hand intrude deeper until it methodically wrapped around her spine.

    "Quite a showing, hound. You are almost as talented as a human."

    Looking over her shoulder, Ayame found her opponent wearing a small smirk as if he had won.

    "You may die knowing that you have been granted a meaningful death by myself; Velreth."

    Ayame could feel a very oppressive cold energy trying to seep into her body and literally freeze her from the inside out.

    But it was truly too bad�� things like that were the wrong way to deal with someone as unfortunate as her.

    Velreth''s brows suddenly furrowed as he realized that Ayame''s insides didn''t feel quite right.

    They were hot�� significantly hotter than they should have been.

    "What a shame. A self proimed great god of ice amounts to only this much..?" She muttered.

    "W-What did you say?!"

    "When Ipare you to that other ape who took my eye, I find you significantlycking. I guess that''s because I''m used to dealing with monsters."

    Velreth felt a small headache in his brain, and he once again saw the silhouette of a tall burly man in great red armor and carrying a katana that seemed long enough to cut the whole world in half.

    "So�� you''ve crossed paths with him."

    "I have indeed. He took my husband, my eye, and almost my virtue. He was considerate enough to leave me something behind though."

    A line of red blood spilled from between Ayame''s lips and she wiped it away casually before examining it.

    As always, it was boiling hot and causing a parade of steam to billow up into the cold air.

    "That sword art of his�� Just being cut by it imbued by body with it''s terrible heat. I haven''t known a day without pain in over two hundred years. So much so that I barely feel anything else at all."

    There was a sharp sound like a de cutting through wind, and Velreth lost all feeling in his left hand.

    Looking down, he realized that it had been cut off so fine and precise that his body hadn''t even processed the need to start bleeding yet.

    "T-This..! You fucking dog!"

    Velreth hurriedly leapt away to recover as Ayame reached behind her and plucked his hand out of her back.

    Parting her full lips and tossing a pill inside, she sighed as she felt her back healing with ease.

    ''A pity indeed�� another scar.''

    Ayame turned around and looked towards the trembling god who was currently clutching his stump of an arm.

    "Though I guess there was some merit in running into a being like that. After surviving against him, I fear little else. I suppose monsters rub off on you like that. But do you know something..?"

    Holding out her hands, she smiled crazily as she made some odd symbols with her fingers.

    "You hurt my daughter, myst precious thing in this entire world. So that means I get to show you how monstrous I can be..!"

    Recognizing the gestures Ayame was making with her fingers, Velreth nearly felt his jaw fall open from shock.

    "It''s not possible�� WE TOOK ALL OF THOSE BACK TO THE UPPER REALM!!"

    "Oh? The fact that you know what this is means you may very well be who you say you are. But in an isted ce like this�� what good is an identity?"

    "You sow! How dare you use-"

    "Primeval Technique : Malevolent Dharma."

 Chapter 98: Laughter

    Taira awoke to the feeling of a familiar tongue in his mouth and a warm feeling spreading throughout his throat and chest.

    Opening his eyes, he saw Keran kissing him from above and wearing a small stream of tears on her face.

    Only when she pulled away did he see a smile form and she finally wiped away her lingering tears. "I''m d you''re both awake now. You had me really worried."

    Out of the corner of his eye, Taira noticed movement and Enyo crawled beside him to take his hand in hers.

    At that moment, thest few moments of consciousness he experienced started to y back within his mind, and an annoying feeling started to gnaw within his heart.

    "Heh..."

    He''d been defeated.

    Spectacrly.

    Embarrassingly.

    There hadn''t been a single thing that he was able to do that could catch his opponent off guard or even inflict a modicum of harm to him.

    It was so embarrassingly funny that he could almostugh.

    And then... he did.

    It started as a small chuckle that was barely audible.

    But as a loud explosion ripped out from further along the bridge, it became a loud and unsettling so of hrity that only Enyo and Keran were close enough to hear.

    They were so rmed by their husband''s sudden and uncharacteristicughter that they almost did not bother to turn around and look at the explosion that had ensued behind them.

    They probably never would have checked had Taira not stoppedughing and started staring past them with an interested look in his eye.

    "Oh...? That''s something new..."

    Following his gaze, the girls saw a scene that would be burned into their eyes forever.

    The werewolf queen Ayame was engulfed in such a refined and ndestine storm of power that no one would have even noticed it had they not been looking directly at it.

    But with a single gaze, one could immediately understand it''s profundity.

    A funnel of dark energy raged above Ayame''s head, and dispersed the raging snow storm entirely.

    The funnel started to solidify and shape itself before their very eyes; bing an ethereal wolf that stood up on it''s hind legs and roared powerfully.

    Velreth gritted his teeth in front of the beast and started pouring all of his focus into defense.

    With his hand missing, he could not counter with any of his own primeval techniques to overwhelm her.

    Lucky for him, his opponent''s dharma was iplete and operating at only 10 to 15% of it''s true potential, likely because his opponent''s understanding only went that deep.

    The situation was still salvageable.

    He just had to oust her long enough for her energy to run out.

    "True Arcane Ice : Hands of The Frost God!"

    Out of thin air, two muscr arms made entirely from frozen water appeared and held open their palms in a defensive manner.

    Smiling, Ayame relished in the challenge and sniffed the air with bloodhound like precision and sadistic glee.

    "How long has it been since I got to experience these things..? The smell of worry that eventually leads to fear, and thest desperate effort of a prey that has already had his fate sealed. Oh how I will relish in the return of these glories like none other..!"

    The dharma above Ayame''s head let out a roar of agreement as it becamerger than before, and developed more anthropoid features like fists and broad shoulders.

    Now, Velreth began to show some noticeable signs of worry.

    "S-Shit..!"

    "Tear him apart!"

    The blood red dharma let out another roar before it made a shing gesture with his ws in the shape of an X.

    shes of pure malevolent qi left the ws of the overgrown werewolf and flew towards the upheld hands of Velreth.

    As ast ditch effort, the great god of ice erected several more barriers in a row as a means to stop the attack, but the result was as he feared nheless.

    BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

    Like a hot knife through butter, the attack cut through every erected obstacle with practically no resistance.

    Even Velreth was having a hard time processing what happened; all that he knew was that one second he could feel his legs and the next he couldn''t.

    The wet and distinctive sound of meat falling to the floor echoed, and Ayame dispelled her blood red dharma before going to investigate.

    Her bare feet carried her along the ruined cobblestone path until she stood over the bisected body of her opponent.

    But as soon as she looked into his eyes, she knew that there was a problem.

    His eyes were already glossy and devoid of life, as if he''d been long dead for around an hour.

    ''He vacated the body...'' Ayame realized.

    Normally, a thing like this would have cheapened the victory of the werewolf queen and left her feeling a little sour.

    But there were a few reasons why it didn''t.

    For one, her opponent was a god from the upper realm. Even without all of his powers, just the fact that she was able to push him to this point was already a monumental achievement.

    And two, this was her first time seeingbat of any kind in over 200 years, and she was more than a little rusty.

    Though it wasn''t a wless victory, it was one that she was more than happy to take.

    Grabbing the dead body head first, she held it up high in the air for all to see and let out a victorious howl that traveled to the ears of everyone present.

    "AWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!"

    Unsurprisingly, her soldiers were the first to react.

    Helmets were thrown into the air without a single care as cheers like thunder shook the cavern walls.

    "The Queen is back!"

    "She''s killed one of those damned heroes!!"

    "Huzzah!!"

    "Her battle gave me a glorious erection!"

    Ayame smiled and ced her hand on the top of Duncan''s lifeless head and pulled hard until a satisfying ripping sound was heard.

    The head came free into her grasp and she tossed the rest of his body over her shoulder before moving towards her daughter and her family.

    Dropping onto one knee, she held out the head to her daughter like it was a prized trophy and gave her a motherly smile that Keran hadn''t seen in a very long time.

    "My daughter has been avenged. No one will trouble you any longer."

    "Ah... Thank you mother... You were very cool." Keran added.

    "Hmph! Naturally!" Ayame regained a stone faced expression as she turned her nose up in an effort to remain dignified.

    ...However, the soft wagging of her tail had already given her away.

    Keran shook her head as she smiled and took the head from her mother before cing it on the ground next to her.

    In herp, she supported the heads of Taira and Enyo as they slept side by side.

    "They also found you impressive... their eyes were glued to that special technique you used for a while before they passed out."

    "Ah..." Silently, Ayame kicked herself.

    Of course a primeval technique would be too much for people who were practically on death''s door to witness.

    It was a miracle they were only sleeping quietly and not being tormented by terrible nightmares.

    "You have strong family members. It is very impressive that they were able to remain alive at all after being frozen solid for multiple minutes."

    "Yes, but... I do wonder about what effect this will have on them psychologically." Keran said worriedly.

    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t get that unnaturalughter of her husband''s out of her head.

    "I understand that..." Ayame said quietly. "Defeat has a way of changing people. Some more drastically than others..."

    Even without asking, Keran knew full well that her mother was talking about herself.

    She wanted to say something to her about the past, but at that moment she saw three familiar faces running towards her onto the bridge.

    Lucia and Vermeil were both crying as they called out to her in relief.

    Aveena was unconscious just like Taira and Enyo; and herrge muscr body was resting across the back of Lucia.

    "I take it that those are your family too?" Ayame asked.

    "Yes...they are."

    "I see... what will you all do now? Room can be made for you at the castle... even the human."

    Keran chuckled a bit as she came to an answer without even having to think about it.

    "I''m sure we''ll be there to visit sometime but... I think that we will stay here."

    "Here??"

    "Yes." Keran said gently.

    With herst breath, Abbess Setsuka had transferred ownership of this ce to Keran; along with knowledge of the cave''s secrets and treasures hidden inside.

    This ce waspletely at her beck and call, and would respond to her wishes to a certain extent.

    And since this ce was hers, that also meant that it was her family''s.

    And she could think of no better ce for all of them to live together as they thought about next steps for the future.

 Chapter 99: Loss Pt. 1

    Domino Effect (Noun).

    A domino effect is the cumtive effect produced when one event sets off a chain of simr or other events.

    In life, there are certain times where we face a series of unfortunate events that follow each other sometimes one after the other.

    Upon taking a moment to reflect, one can usually trace the beginning of these events back to one particr decision or moment where everything started to go wrong.

    The confrontation of this truth can cause a great sense of despair and internal ridicule.

    ''I could have done this, and avoided that.''

    ''If I had only changed this a little, I could have prevailed.''

    ''If I hadn''t left, my loved ones would still be here.''

    Whether in the world of Tayar or the Earth, it is always difficult toe to grips with the fact that you can asionally bear some responsibility for a hardship that has unfolded within your life.

    And because life too often prioritizes the trampling of the weak, we often have a difficult time finding a moment to be vulnerable and process our grief normally.

    In a world that praises and deifies the strong and the capable, everyone loves to talk about their wins and celebrate them, but they never talk about their losses, and subsequently don''t know how to deal with them.

    And if you live long enough, there will always be some losses.

    -

    Aveena''s bright red eyes fluttered open after a long period of inactivity.

    She let out a soft groan as she felt a headache like none she''d ever known before throbbing within her skull, and she pulled her covers over her head in a resolute stance to stay within the darkness.

    As she resigned herself to lying in bed all day, she finally recalled all of the events that happened prior to her waking up in bed.

    "A-Abbess!"

    Throwing off the covers, Aveena quickly dressed herself before she realized this wasn''t her quarters.

    The dorms for the sect members certainly weren''t this nice, and didn''t contain nearly as many fancy things.

    Throwing open the door to her room, Aveena rushed outside in hopes of learning what had happened.

    Upon exiting her room, she realized that she had set foot into a hallway lined with simple wood flooring and various haikus hung along the walls.

    She wandered about aimlessly until she smelled the scent of teaing from further down the hallway, and increased the pace of her running.

    She pushed open a pair of double doors and felt her breath get caught in her throat.

    Inside of this space, she found a grand library lined with so many different kinds of books that she couldn''t count them all.

    Sitting at a round table reading a book was a young looking woman with long ck hair and furry wolf ears that twitched every time that she turned a page.

    She was beautiful, but she looked tired and had a number of deep bags underneath her golden eyes.

    Sitting beside her was another older but equally beautiful woman who was more muscr and had arge number of scars running all over her body.

    "K-Keran?"

    Looking up, the werewolf smiled sadly at her muscrpanion and gestured for her to sit down. "Hey, I''m d you''re awake. Are you feeling okay?"

    At that moment, Ayame decided to excuse herself and stepped out of the room silently to give the girls some much needed space to talk.

    "My body is a little sore but other than that I have noints... Who was that woman?"

    "My mother.. She''s been helping to keep mepany for the past couple of days... everyone else is still asleep or... just not in the mood to talk."

    Seeing Keran so despondent, Aveena knew that something had to have gone wrong.

    "Can you tell me... What happened while I was asleep..?"

    Keran''s heart sped up as she slowly took Aveena''s hand in her own. "I can... but I need you to promise to listen to me until the end, okay...?"

    "A-Alright..."

    Over the next ten minutes or so, Keran told her friend everything that had happened while giving as little gory detail as possible.

    The knowledge that every single member of her sect was now resting peacefully in the afterlife was mortifying.

    Even the Abbess who was seen by all of them as a sort of universal constant had been killed by the hands of the human army thatshe lured in.

    Losing the strength in her body, Aveena fell out of her chair and tumbled to the floor; horrified by the truth of the reality around her.

    Sobbing like a banshee, she shivered as the tears fell down her eyes with more force than she had in her entire body.

    Though this woman was a fair bit bigger than her, Keran did not hesitate to rush from her own seat and pull her into her arms as if she were a small child.

    "I-It''s all my fault..! If I hadn''t left in the first ce then-"

    "Don''t do that to yourself, Aveena. This situation is already a horrible one. You don''t need to make it worse for yourself by harboring guilt that you haven''t earned."

    Enraged, guilty, and heartbroken, Aveena tried to push Keran away roughly as she cried her heart out on the cold floor.

    "D-Do not try to redeem me!! If I hadn''t left in the first ce then those humans never would have discovered the location of the sect! Because of me, the only family I have ever known is all dead!!"

    "Aveena!"

    Keran forcefully grabbed her friend by the face and made her sit still with only minimal difficulty.

    "Listen to yourself! Have you forgotten what those men did to you to get that information?! Why on earth would you bear any sort of responsibility for an action like that?!"

    "BECAUSE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN STRONGER!! I SHOULDN''T HAVE BEEN CARRYING AROUND THE PHRASE TO GET INTO THIS PLACE AND I NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET MY FAMILY FIGHT AGAINST THEM!"

    Out of the corner of her teary eyes, Aveena saw a silver letter opener lying on the table, and her body seemed to move on autopilot after that.

    Before she knew what she was doing, she had wrung herself out of Keran''s grip and grabbed the pointed object before bringing it against her neck.

    She tried to move her arms and will herself toplete the final act, but no matter how hard she tried it felt like her arms were being held by an invisible force.

    "Why are you doing this to me, Keran!? I need to pay for my mistakes, I cannot live with myself any longer!!"

    Keran did not respond to her friend''s outburst, and instead she continued to keep a firm hold on her arms to prevent her from doing anything unfortunate.

    "Do you think... you are the first one to feel like this...? To want to do something like this..? Because you aren''t... I know better than anyone just how you feel right now, which also means I know just how selfish of a decision you''re making.

    I know you''re hurting, but that''s no reason to throw your life away like this... You wouldn''t be atoning, you would only be breaking the hearts of your master and sisters who wanted you to live on, as well as my own and everyone else''s.

    With her dying breath, Abbess Setsuka asked me to take care of you. Why would she do that if she ever thought to me you for anything that had happened?"

    "I me me!!! E-Even if she didn''t, I know that I am the sole reason why-"

    "You did not kill her, you loved her. And it is because she shared that same love for you that she knows that you never had any sort of negative intentions toward your home, so she wished only the best for you."

    Keran kneeled in front of Aveena and delicately sped her fingers around hers before taking the letter opener from her hand.

    "You can be sad, upset, angry, you can feel whatever you want to feel. But since I have epted responsibility for you that means that I will never allow you to hurt yourself. Not when Setsuka wanted so desperately for you to keep living happily."

    Keran broke the weapon right in front of Aveena''s eyes, and she felt something within her breaking down as well.

    Left with no way to avoid her grief and nowhere that she could run, Aveena fell into Keran''s arms and she cried and cried as if there were no obstruction within her eyes to retain water.

    The entire time, Keran did not move from her spot, and sh held the mature woman for what felt like an eternity withoutint.

    "I-I miss them..! I miss them so much..!"

    "I know... but they are still here with you, you just can''t see them. Luckily the Abbess has showed me something special that should help you feel even closer to them."

    -

    Outside of the library, Ayame wiped her eye as she clenched her feelings and wrestled with her own heartache.

    She had been listening quietly without interrupting for the entire duration of their chat, and now she felt like she also needed to be held.

    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t forget the words of her daughter as she talked her friend down from the preverbal ledge.

    ''Keran... Did you need your father and I to tell you things like that too...?''

 Chapter 100: Loss Pt.2

    When Aveena finally regained some semnce of strength within her legs, Keran supported her with her body and helped her get outside.

    There, the two women met up with Ayame again and came across the bodies of all of the departed sect members who were covered with thin nkets.

    Their bodies had been arranged neatly along the stone bridge in two rows, allowing Aveena to walk down the middle and say her goodbyes as needed.

    But she didn''t make it that far.

    As soon as she came to the foot of the bridge; her muscr legs gave out from underneath her and she copsed sobbing in front of their bodies.

    Keran did not rush her to stop crying, nor did she ask her to continue walking or continue on the path forward.

    Instead, she rubbed her back gently as she tried to get her to look up from the stone ground where she was pressing her head.

    "Aveena... I need you to watch this, okay?"

    *sniff* "W-What...?"

    Keran smiled and waved her hand over the length of the bridge.

    At hermand, walls of crystal blue water leapt up from the surroundingke.

    Watching carefully, Aveena witnessed the waves fall on top of the resting bodies of her former sect members.

    Initially she was rmed, but a firm hand squeeze from Keran called her down and allowed her to watch the full sequence of events.

    The water delicately lifted the bodies of all of the women before pulling them over the bridge into theke.

    A bright and purifying light shone from the surrounding waters and a clean, calming feeling passed through the air.

    While Aveena did feel a little more rxed, she still didn''t understand exactly what was so significant about what had just been done.

    "Keran... What did you-"

    "Shhh. Just be patient." She said gently.

    A few secondster, a watery hand sped over the railing of the bridge.

    One by one,several figures began to climb up from the bridge.

    They had no features or any sort of identifying characteristics, but Aveena knew them all just by their various shapes and sizes.

    "T-This... what..?"

    "Go to them, Aveena. They have something they''d like to do for you."

    With shaky feet, Aveena heeded Keran''s words and pulled herself up from the ground to stand in the midst of the watery remnants of her family.

    "I-I''m sorry everyone! It was my fault that-"

    One of the spirits gently ced her finger over Aveena''s lips, and she recognized her identity instantly.

    Her senior sister Jinhe, who she was constantly trying to catch up to but never seeded in doing so.

    The remanent wiped her flowing tears and led her closer to the ledge, at which point the other spirits began to undress her.

    Once she wasid bare, they pushed her into the water without warning.

    ''T-They''re trying to kill me!! I knew they were mad!''

    Aveena sank like a rock towards the bottom of theke, where she learned that her initial assumption was woefully inurate.

    Waiting for her at the bottom with her arms out was an old woman whose face she actually could see.

    ted beyond belief, Aveena swam towards the remnant of her former master and dove into her arms desperately.

    The freezing cold of the water around her no longer seemed to bother her; being reced by a warmth that promised salvation.

    Suddenly, the spirit tapped Aveena on the shoulder to get her attention before directing her gaze upwards.

    Swimming in choreographed formations above her were all of her junior and senior sisters from above.

    But the thing was, it seemed like there were more than just her junior sisters present.

    There were millions of different women; some who she''d seen before and others whom she hadn''t.

    But regardless of whether or not she recognized them, they were all smiling at her so warmly andpassionately that it made her heart hurt.

    As the remnants of the sect swam around her, a cold and calming feeling began to form within her navel, and spread throughout every corner of her body.

    -

    Taira opened his eyes sleepily and immediately recognized that he was being smushed to death by various curvy bodies.

    Enyo was directly to his right; sleeping while using his arm as a pillow and snoring rtivelyfortably.

    Lucia was lying directly across his chest with his lower body wrapped up in the entire length of her tail.

    At the foot of the bed, Vermeil was sitting on a small stool with her body slumped over and her face showing clear signs of crying and exhaustion.

    Using one of his tails, Taira gently tickled the tip of her nose to wake her up as discreetly as possible.

    "Mhm.. Taira..?"

    "I''m sorry to wake you, Vermeil."

    The human girl rubbed her eyes and showed her friend a small smile.

    "No, don''t worry about it. I''m just d that you''re finally up and alert for the most part. I was... pretty worried when you didn''t wake up for four days."

    "So... That''s how long it''s been, huh..?" Taira muttered. "Where are we now?"

    "O-Oh, well apparently when the Abbess died she transferred ownership of the sect to Keran... I think she intends for this entire ce to be our new home. Kinda crazy, huh?"

    Taira couldn''t help but notice that her voice was trembling as she spoke and her emotions were incredibly turbulent.

    Though she was trying her best to pretend like everything was normal, he could see that she was teetering on the verge of a breakdown.

    "Vermeil...What is the matter?"

    Apparently, the human girl thought that she''d been hiding her emotions fairly well, as she showed a noticeable degree of surprise that Taira suddenly asked about her wellbeing.

    "Ah...You and your pesky mind reading." She realized.

    "I didn''t have to read your mind to know that something is wrong with you. I can read all forms of bodynguage."

    "Of course you can." Vermeil chuckled.

    She finally dropped her aloof and non feeling demeanor as she looked up at Taira with a face full of tears.

    "Do you know... I thought I wasing closer to understanding how to love you..? I thought that if I kept working day by day, I would finally get to the point where I could really say that I was in love with you, and by extension be someone who was worthy enough to be with you.

    But I think that I learned.. I am not and won''t ever be that person. When your life was in danger and you needed someone to save you.. I couldn''t move... I.. couldn''t make myself move to save you no matter how badly I wanted to..!

    B-Because I was too scared to do anything you almost-..!"

    Taira slipped out of bed in a gentle way so as not to wake his wives who were sleeping beside him.

    He moved to sit at the foot of the bed and positioned himself directly in front of the crying Vermeil.

    Gently, he wiped away the tears on her face with his fingers and cradled her face in his hands.

    "Honestly... Are all humans this stupid or are you the exception?"

    "W-What did you just say to me!?"

    "Why would I expect you to save me when you''ve yet to experience any real bloodshed yet? Even if you had tried, I think I would have scolded you after you saved me for being reckless."

    "I forget that you''re annoying like that..."

    "What?"

    "Nothing!"

    Taira grabbed both of Vermeil''s cheeks and started to pull them, but she didn''t cry out orin this time.

    "And...for arguments sake... I would say that you are already significantly more worthy than most to love me. You don''t need to push yourself to do dangerous things to prove that to me or anyone else. But... I am more than touched by your sentiment." he admitted.

    "Are you... Flirting with me?" Vermeil asked suspiciously.

    "I am not." he said firmly.

    "...You could if you wanted to."

    "Yes, I know."

    "Do you..? I think that you should give it a try just for arguments sake."

    "Weren''t you supposed to be depressed a moment ago?"

    "You sat in front of mepletely undressed, it makes it kind of hard for a girl to be sad for long."

    Taira looked down and realized that he was indeed sitting around in only a pair of ck boxers.

    He held out his hand to call for his clothes on the other side of the room when Vermeil suddenly ced a hand on his bare chest.

    "If this goes wrong... I''ll just me it on the sleep deprivation and rawness from emotional vulnerability."

    "Huh-"

    Closing her eyes as tight as she could, Vermeil tackled Taira and kissed him on the lips clumsily like she had no experience.

    Taira almost pushed her away on instinct but he realized.. he didn''t want to.

    For a moment he just wanted to forget about the humiliation of his most recent defeat.

    Wrapping his arms around her slender waist, he kissed her softly and thoughtfully as he finally acknowledged the feelings for her that were no longer quite so one sided.

 Chapter 101: Restoration

    Vermeil couldn''t believe what was actually happening.

    She had actually done it!

    She was kissing Taira!

    And he didn''t pull away!

    To make matters even better the feeling of his lips was every bit as intoxicating as she could have imagined.

    It was way better than anything she ever wrote about in her fan fiction!

    She couldn''t imagine this moment bing any better than this!

    Almost cue, Taira''s hands found their way from her waist down to herrge round ass.

    ''It just got better!''

    At that moment, Taira became unfocused and broke their kiss as heughed loudly at her thoughts with all of his heart.

    Forck of a better description, Vermeil was briefly stunned by this side of him that she had never seen before.

    On his best days, the most he had ever shown her were small smiles or dry chuckles.

    But this was trueughter that held no defenses or false appearances.

    It was a very mischievous and musical sound that filled her chest with a warm feeling and a fervent desire to hear more.

    "I''ve never heard youugh like that before�� I promise I''ll keep finding new ways to embarrass myself so can you just keep making that sound for me..?"

    Smiling, Taira suddenly reversed their positions in an instant and loomed over Vermeil like a predator.

    "I don''t think I mind that, but what sort of noises are you going to make for me?"

    "I-If you keep talking to me like that you''re going to find out real fucking soon!"

    "Hahahaha!!"

    Vermeil and Taira''s conversation ended up waking Lucia and Enyo who were still resting in bed.

    "��"

    "��"

    When they saw their husband almostpletely undressed and with his body pressed against hers, they briefly wondered if they were still asleep.

    They unanimously rubbed their eyes a few times to ensure that they were indeed seeing the right picture.

    "Oh�� So I guess you finally won him over, Vermeil?" Lucia asked.

    "S-Seems like it��"

    "That''s good then�� congrattions." Enyo yawned sleepily before dropping her head back against the pillow and going back to sleep a momentter.

    Lucia shook her head before she crawled along the bed to get towards Taira.

    "You seem to be feeling alright ... You sure you aren''t hurting anywhere?"

    Taira pulled Lucia in closer and brushed her hair out of her face.

    "I''m fine�� There''s no reason for you to be concerned."

    Lucia and Vermeil tilted their heads to the side as they stared at Taira with a noticeable degree of suspicion.

    Usually after a near death experience people show some degree of being traumatized, but Taira didn''t seem to be one of those people.

    He was somehow a bit more pleasant and soft spoken than before; making both girls wonder exactly what had happened to their favorite furry earned grouch.

    "Taira�� Are you sure you''re alright?"

    Vermeil took one of his hands and held it close to her chest; as if she was trying to read his mind with the same uracy that he read hers.

    cing his hand over her heart, he smiled at her gently while inwardly fumbling around for an answer.

    "I am. Don''t let me worry you too much."

    With his assurances that he was fine, the girls showed a small degree of rxation before pulling him into bed, and the four of them lie down motionlessly as they stared up at the ceiling.

    "Guys..?" Vermeil began.

    ""Hm?""

    "I know that we still have our lives and all�� but I can''t help but feel like something has been taken from us.."

    "Yea��"

    "��"

    "Everyone always said I was supposed to be strong and talented since I''m supposedly a hero, but�� in that moment I didn''t feel strong. I felt like a fraud." She admitted.

    Taira looked like he knew exactly what Vermeil was talking about.

    Whether it was the talent he had been in possession of since birth or the unique makeup of his body that was supposed to make him peerless across this realm; none of it mattered.

    He was utterly helpless against an enemy that went so far beyond hisprehension and could muster no noteworthy defense or attack.

    "Power cannot be faked. You either possess it or you don''t. However for those who do, the line between mediocre and immense power is drawn with the blood of those who disregarded the absolute gap."

    Taira and Lucia both sat up and looked at Vermeil strangely; as if they were not expecting for her to say something so well thought out.

    "Where... did you hear something like that?"

    "No offense, but there is no way you pulled that out of your stupid vampire books."

    A vein bulged in Vermeil''s head and she punched the two of them in the stomach. "I-Ites from my favorite webtoon, you bastards! B-But that doesn''t mean I couldn''t have came up with it!"

    ""Yes it does.""

    "What''s a webtoon...?" Enyo asked sleepily.

    "I hate all of you so much!"

    *Rumble*

    As Vermeil threw a small fit, the entire cavern started to rumble furiously as if it were all about toe crashing down.

    "W-What''s going on?!"

    "It doesn''t matter, everyone outside now!"

    At Taira''s direction, all four of them scrambled to get out of bed before getting dressed and rushing downstairs.

    But once they were outside... they realized the cavern wasn''ting down at all.

    Instead, some sort of light show was taking ce with a very naked Aveena at the center.

    The oni was engulfed within a column of water that crested far above their home; and even from here they could all sense the abnormal amount of power flowing through her.

    She finally started to float down towards Ayame and Keran who were outside watching the entire process, and they hurriedly wrapped her up in a nket.

    "What was that?"

    Keran looked over her shoulder and offered everyone a warm smile when she saw that they were up and about.

    "Ah... This ce has a special ritual that is usually privy only to the owner. Sect members areid to rest in the waters and their life energy bes apart of what fuels a great number of the functions of our home.

    But bathing in the waters can also heal grievous injuries by imbuing one''s body with the remnant powers of our fallen. It''s a very intimate and meaningful process that I wouldn''t normally subjected any of you too, but I think it suits our Aveena perfectly."

    At that moment, the oni with everyone''s focus on her finally stood up and looked at her hands in disbelief.

    "I can feel them... They are in my blood... my flesh... my hair... I-I can feel them all around me..!"

    "That shouldn''t be all." Keran suddenly ced a hand on her shoulder and passed her qi through her.

    Immediately, Aveena shivered as the cold but familiar feeling washed through her body.

    "I-I can cultivate again! I-I am no longer inept!"

    "Yes, you ca- Gah!"

    Aveena immediately lifted Keran up and squeezed her tightly as she spun her around. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

    "..an''t... breathe...!"

    "Thank you so much, Keran! I promise that I''ll be in your debt for the rest of my life and I won''t try to steal your husband for the rest of the week!"

    While the werewolf princess was gradually bing bluer and bluer, Ayame suddenly received a small tap on her shoulder.

    Turning around, she found Taira and the girls staring at her with a small amount of reverence.

    "You saved all of our lives. I am in your debt." he said sincerely.

    "Yes, well... Don''t think anything of it. You have already given me back something as well so as far as I''m concerned, we''re even."

    Perhaps because she was unused to dealing with mushy sentiments, Ayame quickly tried to run away from this conversation while waiving the group goodbye.

    "You''re all up and moving now so Keran shouldn''t need me to keep herpany any more. I''ll visit in a few weeks if I feel like it."

    Turning purple in Aveena''s grasp, Keran held out her hand to stop her mother before she could walk by.

    "...other... a..ve me..!"

    "Hm? Right, right, I''ll see you soon sweetheart." Ayame ruffled Keran''s hair like she was a little boy before continuing her exit.

    While Enyo and Lucia worked to free their sister from an untimely death by snuggle, Taira and Vermeil seemingly had the same idea at once and rushed to stop Ayame before she could leave.

    "Wait."

    The werewolf queen looked over her shoulder a the two followers and it was easy to tell that she was already exhausted.

    "What do you want? If you''re going to propose then do it without the entourage and somewhere more-"

    "You are very lucky I am not capable of harming you yet." Taira said exhaustedly.

    Vermeil gave him a small nudge to keep him silent before she bowed in front of Ayame respectfully.

    "That technique that you used to kill Dunan... Can you please teach it to us?"

 Chapter 102: Life Underground

    Ayame fixed her mouth to tell the two of them no immediately without even considering it.

    Primeval techniques are way too potent to try to teach them to every Tom, Dick, or Harry who asked.

    They are profound, delicate, and unshakable methods of utilizing qi through different methods than simple body or breathing arts.

    In terms of sheer difficulty, they areparable to highest level pill making or array formation in terms of precision required to make them work properly.

    Even after she''d had hers for years, upon years, she still was nowhere close to even 50% understanding.

    She figured that she should spare them the unnecessary headache and false hope that woulde with giving up her most prized technique, since it would clearly go far beyond their understanding.

    But as she looked at the fluffy ears on top of Taira''s head and stared at the happy go lucky human girl beside him, she realized that maybe they would not be quite so inept as her.

    After all, she was a human chosen by the gods and he was the union of two of the most powerful fallen races to ever exist.

    So maybe if it was these two�� they could ascend to more unseen heights than even her.

    "Well if it''s what you two want�� Just don''t rush to understand it, alright..? Take as much time as you need, and break it down piece by piece."

    Ayame touched Taira and Vermeil in the middle of their foreheads and a small golden light passed from her to them.

    ''Jesus..''

    ''What the fuck is this..?''

    While the two of them were trying to wrap their minds around this new technique, a small spark of blue fire came to life on Taira''s forehead and passed over to the body of the werewolf queen before she knew what was happening.

    A deeply sensual and loud moan escaped her lips as she felt cool and holy relief run through her like a river.

    She had been living with boiling pain in her body for over two hundred years.

    It had be her new normal after day in and day out, and by now she hardly noticed it anymore.

    But as she felt the sensation of true bliss spreading to every corner of her being, she couldn''t even begin to understand just how she had ever managed to survive in such a miserable state for all of these years.

    ''T-That fire... if course it''s... Wait..''

    When Ayame finally realized exactly what kind of sound she had just made, she quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment as her cheeks turned bright red.

    Without exception, every one of her daughter''s family were now staring at her strangely.

    "I�� B-Bye.!"

    Ayame disappeared from the bridge so quickly that no one even saw her running away.

    Taira felt several small gazes boring into his back and immediately knew just what he''d gotten himself into.

    "��I swear I didn''t do anything to her."

    "Manwhore..."

    "I''ll kill you and her��"

    "Cheating on me right after we had our first kiss�� Men are the same in every world."

    "You''ve never had rtionship before, so how would you know?"

    "Hey! We''re supposed to be focusing on him, not me!"

    - 3 Days Later

    Within the grounds of the Drifting Snowfall Sect, there were quite a lot of amenities and special features that made this ce a cultivator''s literal wet dream.

    There was an indoor garden that grew all kinds of special medicinal herbs and flowers that could be used in the adjacent alchemyb to make pills for any number of different purposes.

    There were also two separate libraries in different parts of thepound, and Aveena informed them that one was sort of like a public library for sect members and the other was Setsuka''s private collection.

    Sect members who showed ster achievements were gifted a special book from her shelves that would supposedly enhance their prowess by leaps and bounds.

    In addition, there were two separate kinds of facilities for those who had more practical learning needs.

    One was a building with several imprable rooms inside where sect members could enter seclusion for as long as they may have needed.

    Basic amenities were included like a bathroom and a ce to rest, while a massive jar of grain balls sat in the corner.

    While dry and unvorful, these balls could keep a body sustained for a four days for every one consumed.

    Although understandably, a great many of the members did not enjoy eating these grain balls for any possible reason, even if it was to help advance their own strength.

    The second set of grounds were an enclosed training ground where one was free to either spar with another sect member or with the dummies stationed along the walls.

    However, these dummies were different from normal ones in that they did not simply stand still and let themselves be struck.

    They were fully functionalbat automations that were designed to use a surplus of different styles and constantly adapt to external movement and stimuli.

    They were divided into five different sses- white, green, yellow, red, and ck.

    White were typically used by initiates when they first joined the sect so that they could get ustomed to hand to handbat at young ages.

    Green were reserved for cultivators in the mortal realm, yellow for the beast and overlord realm, red for the venerable and sovereign realm, and as for the ck... no one really knew.

    No one had ever used them before, and because of that there was a bit of a fable going around that they could even beat down cultivators in the primordial realm.

    While no one had ever been able to confirm that, it was a bit of a fable that helped to motivate the younger recruits to one day be stronger.

    Currently, Taira was sitting cross legged on the ground, surrounded by eight yellow dummies.

    His body and hair were already thoroughly soaked with sweat, and a faint steam was wafting off his body that made him look like he was cooking from the inside out.

    Three days of constant strenuous movement had made the muscles along his body heat up like a furnace, and the short ten second break he was taking for the dummies to regenerate wasn''t really working to cool him down fast enough.

    But then again, he wasn''t exactly in the state of mind to pay attention to things like that at the moment.

    Yasuke : *Metallic humming* "They''re ready."

    Taira felt the smallest gust of wind brush past the skin on his cheeks and his body moved as if it were on autopilot.

    Leaping up from his seated position, he rotated his body in the air until his feet where pressed against the ceiling.

    Focusing power into his thighs and legs, he springboard off of the ceiling and lunged at the group of puppets assembled on the ground.

    Yasuke flew into his hand in the form of a massive seven foot scythe and let out a chorus of excited sounds.

    The dummies all held ded weapons in their hands that had already done a lot more than tickle Taira and he was hoping topletely avoid their reach this time around.

    Using Yasuke''s massive de, he cut cleanly through the head of one of the dummies before his body had fully touched the ground, and it''s body slumped over lifelessly.

    The rest of the puppets came rushing in to avenge their fallenrades and thrusted their weapons into the air hoping to impale Taira in the sky.

    Moving his body like a serpent, he easily exploited a gap between the dolls and glided into it harmlessly.

    Using the egregiously long handle of his weapon, he knocked the legs out from underneath two of them and sent their bodies tumbling unto the floor.

    With the ones closest to him down temporarily, he put a short but necessary distance between himself and the rest of them by rolling away at thest moment.

    With his back against the wall, Yasuke switched into a shorter sickle and golden chain.

    Now came the hard part.

    Taira had to unanimously use the two separate halves of his brain and lungs to keep cultivating while inbat, and to properly use his new art.

    It would be difficult, but hey, 228th times the charm, right?

    "Unseen Asura Art : Chains of Misfortune."

    Suddenly the length of Yasuke''s chains seemed to double, and the dagger at the other end of it''s body became a scythe of the same size as the main de.

    Taking both weapons into his hands, he hurled them at the approaching dummies and watched as they started to fly.

    The sickles flew in two different directions, each moving with the singr purpose of tying up all of the dummies and leaving them immobile.

    As the chains wrapped around the bodies of the dummies, the des were drawn closer and closer in with every rotation.

    When they got close enough, the sickles shredded all eight dummies with such ease and precision that it was like watching a surgeon cut butter on an operating table.

    At that moment, Taira felt a smaller feeling than a usual breakthrough and he knew that he had sessfully ascended to the seventh level of the beast realm.

    With the achievement of everything that he was hoping foring to fruition, Taira let out an exhausted sigh as he dropped to the ground and let his body rest against it.

    Even now he could feel his chest cavity filling up with blood from his popped lungs, and he was slowly waiting for them to heal so that he could start things up again.

    Even with this monumental sess, he still couldn''t help but be dissatisfied.

    An annoying feeling ofcking had begun to take root within his spirit, and weighing heavy on his mind.

    The battle with Velreth was only the start of it.

    The second part had kicked in when he received that technique from Ayame, and he realized just how high the world could truly get.

    He couldn''t understand any of it.

    He felt like he was an infant staring the worldsrgest rubix cube while being expected to unlock it.

    While colorblind.

    And blindfolded.

    With his hands tied behind his back.

    And his feet bound.

    The only bit he could understand, was something that he needed to acquire in order to start on the path to unraveling this puzzle, but he had no idea how to gain it.

    ''Just what is a primordial spirit anyway...?'' He wondered exhaustedly.

    "Alright, Yasuke... Set them back up again and have them ready to go in thirty seconds."

    "Actually, I think you can hold off on that for now."

    Taira opened his eyes and rolled over to nce at the door.

    There, he found Lucia waiting with her arms folded and the first scowl on her face that he had ever seen.

    Yasuke : *Metallic humming* "Ooooh... Master is in trouble..."

 Chapter 103: The Sun and Moons*

    Taira could clearly see that his wife was upset with him, and he smiled sheepishly in the hopes of disarming her.

    "I know that I said that I would be along quickly, my dear�� I suppose I must have just gotten carried away."

    For the first time ever, Lucia did not look moved by her husband''s smile in the least.

    "Husband�� Do you know just how long it has been since I came in here to get you for bed the first time?"

    "Ah�� I would wager around two hours or so?"

    "Three days."

    Were it not for Taira''s ability to read individuals precisely, he would have sworn that Lucia was joking.

    But a single look at her stern yet beautiful face made him feel even worse about himself.

    "The girls all wanted to give you time to rx and burn off whatever stress you were feeling but.. I''m not doing that anymore..!"

    Lucia closed the distance between herself and Taira and ced her hand on his cheek tenderly.

    "Tell me honestly�� What is wrong with you? Why are you locking yourself away in here like this?"

    Taira closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of her cool hand on his cheek.

    His wife was a woman who was capable of getting just about whatever she wanted from him when she spoke to him softly like this, and now was no different.

    "I�� must be more. Stronger, more calcting, better in every way. In that moment where I could neither save myself or Enyo, I felt unworthy to call myself her husband.

    I would rather be yed alive than ever let myself go through something like that ever again. Life may not be a fight, my love, but if it has to be then I want to be prepared."

    Lucia took a deep breath as she carefully organized all of her thoughts into a row.

    "I want to preface all of this by saying that your worthiness to love us is not determined by how well you do in a fight. It is based solely upon the way that you treat us, and there is no other factor that could ever matter more than that.

    But having said that��. I would be lying if I said none of us feel the same as you. What has happened has left us all feeling a little inadequate�� and right now I think the answer to oveing these feelings is for us to all be stronger together, for each other."

    At the end of Lucia''s plea, she faintly brought her lips toward''s Taira''s and brushed them together ever so slightly.

    "We are all we have, so that means that we have to stick together... okay?"

    "...Okay."

    Taking the initiative, themia finally pressed her lips into her husband''s and wrapped her arms around his neck.

    As she leaned her body farther into his, he finally remembered that he was currently covered in so much sweat that it looked like he''d jumped into a pool.

    "Hang on, my love... Let''s continue this in the bath."

    "I think we''ve waited long enough already, don''t you..?"

    A forked tongue escaped Lucia''s mouth and she carefully licked Taira all the way from the center of his chest to the side of his neck.

    "If this is what you''re worried about.. I don''t mind at all. It actually has a rather alluring taste."

    "You..."

    "You learned dual cultivation art recently, right..? Since I rmended that we get stronger together, let''s start with that~."

    A few things must be noted in that moment.

    Taira hadn''t had any sex in just about two weeks now.

    He was already ready to kill himself after day three.

    Now that he was here and being tempted so strongly by Lucia, there was no way that he was ever going to be able to refuse her more than once.

    Taira ced his hands on the back zipper of his wife''s dress and unzipped it so quickly that his hand nearly caught on fire.

    The fabric dropped softly to the ground, fully revealing Lucia''s soft caramel tinted skin andrge breasts that overflowed in his hands like pillows.

    He ced one hand on her waist to hold her close and another on her breast as he needed it meticulously, and she was already significantly aroused.

    Her tail found it''s way around his legs and tightened considerably, sending them both tumbling to the ground, yet their lips never left each other.

    Once they were on the floor, Lucia took her free hand and slid it down his chiseled body meticulously.

    Slipping her hand into the waist band of his pants, she quickly tried to wrap her hand around his member but let out a small yelp when she realized that she was unable to grasp itpletely.

    Since they had already bathed together and slept in the same bed before this, this was not her first time seeing his member and she thought she knew what to expect.

    However, she very quickly learned that everything she had seen before now was only a fraction of his true potential.

    The heating off the throbbing metal rod in her grasp was almost enough to burn her palm, and yet it only excited her further.

    Now that Lucia was actually touching him where he was most sensitive, Taira had no more sanity left to hang onto.

    Ripping his own pants off, he reversed he and Lucia''s positions in an instant.

    He found her entrance easily due to the powerful smell of arousal emanating from it, and forced himself inside with little difficulty.

    Immediately, loud groans escaped both of their mouths from the pleasure that came with relief.

    Though this was Lucia''s first time and she should have been in a great deal of pain, Taira had already bitten her before and ''marked'' her so to speak.

    Because her body recognized him as her sole partner, she weed him easily with little to no difort.

    He filled up every crevice inside of her body, and she was so ted by the feeling that she uncontrobly dug her ws into his back as she screamed loud enough for the entire cavern to hear.

    But when Taira passed a thread of qi between himself and Lucia, things stepped up another level.

    The Sun and Moon cultivation art is not like regr dual cultivation arts.

    Using it actuallyes with a fair bit of danger and risk involved, hence the reason why this particr art isrgely unknown and unpopr, especially for men.

    Through the use of the art, both partners have their minds gradually eroded away during the intercourse and can think of only the act itself.

    Everything else in the world fades away, and there is only the sun, and the moon.

    The pleasure that the pair are capable of reaching together is drastically higher than anything else that could be experienced elsewhere.

    While this would be nice on it''s own, the dangeres with partner choice.

    If the two partners are notpatible all the way down to the spiritual level, they can wind up crippled, impotent, infertile, insane, or dead.

    In a world where having many partners is a symbol of status, this art isrgely hated by men due to it''s limitation on partner choice.

    However, it is without a doubt the art that fosters the strongest rtionships between men and women who are actually meant to be together, and in turn it makes them stronger.

    As Taira animalisticlly thrusted into Lucia and made her scream out in ecstasy, he instinctively opened his mouth wide and revealed his permeant fangs.

    But instead of biting her, he made a sound like that of a low powered vacuum.

    A dark green, whispy-like smoke escaped Lucia''s moaning lips and passed into his, and he felt like he had just scratched euphoria.

    The taste of his wife''s sexual energy was downright heavenly, and further cemented this experience as an unforgettable one.

    Lucia changed her tail back into legs and she wrapped them tightly around Taira''s waist, screaming out a number of obscenities and drunken moans as she had yet another delirium inducing orgasm.

    When he felt her suddenly mp down on him, again, he lost the battle against his already rising orgasm, and bit her shoulder hard as he came inside of her as deeply as he could.

    Lucia''s eyes went wide and her back arched up from the floor as she felt her insides expanding even further to amodate therge volume of sperm that was being pumped inside of her.

    As the two of them reveled in their orgasm together, a change urred on both of their bodies.

    A small ck tattoo that resembled the face of a demonic looking fox appeared on Taira''s stomach, just underneath his belly button.

    A momentter, a single spade-like tail appeared with his wife''s initial in the center.

    The marking also appeared on Lucia, on her left breast close to her sternum.

    Neither of them cared enough to pay attention to the marking though, and they likely wouldn''t until they were both satisfied.

    But Taira had literal limitless stamina and two weeks of pent up libido to unleash and even more love to give.

    There was nothing that could have pried him away from her insides for the foreseeable future.

    Bang!

    Vermeil: "What the hell, Lucia!?"

    Keran: "You were supposed to make hime eat dinner, not have him eat you!"

    Enyo: "I-I feel very left out!"

    Aveena: "Wow... It''srger than I thought it would be."

    All: "STOP LOOKING! WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!"

    When Taira''s hazy eyes drifted towards the door, he found four women that he didn''t exactly recognize standing around with cute blushes and folded arms.

    As already mentioned, the Sun and Moon cultivation art reduces the men and women to their most primal instincts and deprives them of arge amount of their rationale.

    And right now, Taira was no different.

    He slowly pulled out of Lucia despite her disappointed whimpers and started walking towards the group of women who''d suddenly shown up, who were only now beginning to realize something wasn''t quite right.

 Chapter 104: Markings*

    With steps like a lithe predator, Taira approached the girls with all of himselfid bare.

    In that brief moment, a few of the girls had considered the fact that something may have been wrong and that they should have tried to snap him out of his trance.

    However, Keran decided that she was more enticed by the sight of her beloved''s body after so long apart and did not particrly care.

    She was out of her clothes before he had even reached her fully, and she ran to press her lips against his with fervent need.

    Keran''s body was a bit slimmer than Enyo''s or Lucia''s, and her breasts were around half the size of theirs with bright pink nipples that resembled small gumdrops.

    Her waist was slender and her skin was soft and smelled lightly of melon- all of which served to further spur on Taira''s animalistic lust.

    Dropping his hands onto her waist, he tossed her up into the air and caught her so that her thighs were resting across his shoulders.

    He came face to face with Keran''s slightly furry womanhood and he gave her an initial long, deep lick.

    A strong yet delicious sweet and sour taste filled his mouth that he felt was oddly familiar.

    Slightly drunk, Taira licked her desperately as if he were arge dog.

    Keran had been subsisting on touching herself to their memories for five hundred years.

    She wondered if she was just being overly sensitive or if this actually felt drastically better than before.

    Every time that his tongue brushed against her lips and clit she felt like she was on the verge of finishing within a second.

    And as she gripped his hair tight enough to pull it out, she finally let herself rx and had the hardest orgasm of her life.

    As the sound of Keran''s moans became louder and louder, Enyo, Vermeil, and Aveena were still standing by the door, frozen in ce.

    The sight of Taira''s lower body dripping with Lucia''s juices and throbbing with need was almost too stimting, especially for the rtively innocent Vermeil.

    "Alright then... Aveena, get out." Enyo started to pull off her purple dress and underwear and let them fall to the floor beside Keran''s clothes.

    "E-Eh?! Why?!"

    "Because he''s clearly not in control of himself and I don''t want him to attack you while his mind is messed up."

    "I don''t mind if-"

    "Get out!"

    Enyo lifted the oversized Aveena up before tossing her out the door and mming it closed.

    Although, she could still tell by her aura that she was still standing outside listening very carefully.

    Rolling her eyes, Enyo turned to Vermeil and looked like she was waiting for her to undress.

    "So? Are youing?"

    "I...I honestly wasn''t expecting my first time to be an orgy! A-And have you seen the size of his thing?! I don''t think it will fit me!"

    "If you can push out a baby then you can fit his dick inside of you, Vermeil... Although he is a bit bigger than normal... Maybe we shouldn''t have waited so long to-"

    "N-Not helping!"

    Enyo shrugged and gave the human girl a small hug to calm her down.

    "If you aren''t ready then I won''t try to persuade you, juste when you''re ready. And just for the record... In my personal experience, every time with him feels just as special as the first."

    Vermeil watched Enyo leave her side and drop to her knees in front of Taira.

    As if she''d done this a million times before, she started to take his length into her mouth with more skill than the dirty actresses Vermeil had previously only seente at night on twitter.

    And judging by how Taira was beginning to react, she knew exactly what she was doing.

    Both of his hands were currently supporting Keran''srge ass as she grinded her hips against his face, so he used one of his tails to wrap around her waist and keep her in ce.

    His body had begun to shiver, and his chest was rising and falling more rapidly than before.

    "Ah... Screw it..!"

    Vermeil pulled off her white pants and shirt before tossing them to the side.

    With shaky steps and a red face, she started walking towards Taira and Enyo''s position;pletely missing the moment where the door cracked open just a bit and Aveena poked her head inside- her red eyes full of curiosity.

    ''T-This is way better than the dirty books within the library..! I''ve never felt so stimted in my life...!''

    While Aveena''s hand was snaking it''s way into her pants, Enyo was teaching Vermeil how to use her mouth on Taira.

    Since she was a shoggoth who didn''t have quite the same anatomy as Vermeil, she rmended that they held off on teaching her to fit him into her throat and instead focused on licking him wherever they would see the best reaction

    Initially, the human girl was a bit awkward and clumsy, but the longer things went on she started to show some real signs of improvement as her body heated up considerably.

    The more they licked, the more they felt like their minds were bing somewhat drunken and fuzzy.

    Suddenly, they felt his member start to throb in their mouths and only Enyo was experienced enough to know what that meant.

    Gently nudging Vermeil, she took the entire length into her mouth once again as Keran''s cries once again increased in volume.

    Vermeil heard the sound of swallowinging from Enyo and she started to feel more than just a little jealous.

    Unfortunately, she quickly lost the ability to think about that.

    Taira suddenly lifted Keran from his shoulders and brought her back to the ground.

    Her body was already limp, and she was shivering terribly as if she''d been left out in the cold for days.

    Taira spread her legs apart with no real desire to let her rest and buried himself all the way inside with a single thrust.

    The young werewolf jolted awake as if she''d been dreaming peacefully with her eyes open and she let out a delirious scream of pleasure.

    Vermeil watched Keran somewhat awkwardly before one of Taira''s tails wrapped around her waist and pulled her in close.

    His lips readily found hers and she melted into his embrace as she sensually ran her hands across his broad chest.

    Enyo discreetly slipped behind his back and brushed his hair aside and started to bite and suck on his neck greedily.

    The entire time he kept Keran pressed underneath him into the ground, and repeatedly struck against her cervix while rubbing against all of her sweet spots.

    Her mind was in a jumble as she felt a thin thread of qi run from her lover into her navel area, and she felt as if her experience had just been multiplied ten fold.

    After several minutes of a relentless assault, Taira''s whole body suddenly tensed up as he thrusted into Keran deeper than he had before.

    As he filled her insides with a staggering amount of seed, a tattoo simr to his and Lucia''s appeared between her breasts.

    Behind the head of the fox, another spade-like tail appeared with her initial on it.

    The tattoos on his and Lucia''s bodies also changed to reflect the eptance of their new member.

    Suddenly, the lights began to glow with an eerie red color as the eyes of the fox lit up.

    Lucia who had been too weak to move this entire time suddenly started moaning loudly as she suddenly felt the familiar feeling of her husband''s member back inside of her.

    Since Keran was currently in the midst of an orgasm, Lucia underwent another one as well.

    Both girls sprayed clear jets of water from theirher regions as Taira slowly pulled out of Keran, and immediately pulled Vermeil on top of him.

    In that moment, Enyo was the one one who noticed what happened next.

    Keran''s soft and youthful looking body suddenly underwent a rather drastic change.

    She became taller, more mature looking, and gleaming pointed fangs burst from her gums.

    Like her mother, she became much more muscr with abs that you could grate cheese on and muscr and powerful legs.

    She weakly rolled over and groaned as she waved herrge butt in the air, and eight ck tails with steel-grey tips sprang forth from her lower back.

    ck markings appeared in the corners of her eye that very closely resembled her husband''s, and her irises became an even brighter golden yellow as she fainted a momentter.

    Out of everyone in the room, Enyo seemed to be the only one who had noticed this absurd moment.

    "What... the... F-"

    "F-FUCK! T-Taira, slow do- Aah!!"

    Enyo quickly put her eyes back into her head as she nced at her husband and sister.

    With both knees buried in the ground, Taira bounced the young human girl up and down on his member while biting into her shoulder.

    Vermeil, who had never experienced a moment of sexual pleasure other than with a shower head, was struggling to keep her mind in tact as Taira forced himself into areas she didnt even know she had.

    While it was aggressive, it was undoubtedly the most euphoric experience of her entire life and she felt herself forming a real addiction.

    It was so mind numbingly incredible that her orgasms seemed toe one after another, until her a small puddle formed underneath them in no time.

    With one final thrust, Taira sucked out Vermeil''s sexual energy through her mouth as he came inside her as well, subsequently establishing their lifelong connection and causing another tattoo with her added initial to appear on the small of her back- just above her butt.

    When Vermeil went limp, Taira greedily moved to Enyo.

    Even after ejacting several times in a row, he showed no real sign of calming down or regaining his sanity.

    And even after he tried to breed Enyo and nted a permeant tattoo on her left hand, he still had so much more lust to unleash.

    And as he smelled a new but equally familiar scent within the air, he realize that their was different prey nearby.

    His red eyes shot towards the door, and he saw the head of the charming Aveena staring back at him.

    The oni was a lot of things, butt she wasn''t naive.

    Now that Taira was out of it, he knew that he was looking at her as a new and potential mate.

    Smirking proudly, she stepped inside of the room before spreading her leg and raising her arms in a sumo stance.

    "You may want me, but oni women do not submit easily! If you want me to submit to you then you must-"

    BANG!

    Faster than Aveena could react, Taira had closed the distance between the two of them and had her bodypletely within his control.

    With one arm he pressed her face against the wall and with another he ripped off her white dougi and exposed her flesh underneath.

    "W-Wait, give me a rematch! It wasn''t fair, you moved too fast!"

    Taira couldn''t hear anything that she was sayings he was too mesmerized by the sight of her ass that was easily thergest out of all of the women present.

    Opening his mouth wide, he bit down on her exposed shoulder as he pushed his hips forward and thrusted himself inside of her, and the scream that sheet out was almost as intoxicating as the feeling of her insides.

    -

    Eleven days and nights went by before the fog started to lift from Taira''s mind.

    Think of it as the moment where you have been performing a task mindlessly while thinking about other things and then out of nowhere you snap back to reality and realize you''re done.

    That is exactly what happened to him.

    And when he finally came to, he realized that he was still lying in the training room with floors that were slick with body fluids.

    All five girls were around him and moaning softly as they twitched, each of them bearing a tattoo of a demonic fox with five tails.

    Looking down, he found Aveena''s muscr back lying face first on the ground while he was still inside of her, and her body was covered with various bite marks and signs of sucking.

    "By the gods... I''m a sexual deviant."

    The only ones around who could agree were the training dummies who had watched everything without moving a single stitch.

    Their innocence tainted; they would never be the same again.

 Chapter 105: Unwitting, Not Unwanted

    Aveena groaned slightly as she felt the slight soreness within her body before she even opened her eyes.

    As she sat up, she realized that there were more bodies in the bed than just hers.

    All of the girls that had be herpanions and care takers were sleeping just as hard as she had been or even harder.

    They were allpletely naked, and because of that Aveena could see the concerning amount of bites and bruises across their skin.

    Briefly, her mind shed back to her memories of thest time she was conscious.

    In a moment she had never anticipated, Taira ended up defeating her with no difficulty and iming her body as his own, and gave her the most pleasureable experience of her adult life.

    It was slightly humiliating, but then when she thought once again about all of the things she had done with Taira and the rest of the girls it didn''t seem as bad.

    ''I feel clean�� did he bathe us..?''

    Quietly crawling out of bed, Aveena went towards the nearest mirror and looked at her body more closely.

    At thirty eight years old, she had often been told by her senior sisters that she had a bit of a baby face, but now she was having a bit of a hard time seeing any traces of it.

    She was a mature beauty with long purple hair with a slight silver sheen and a chiseled body that would put even male bodybuilders to shame.

    The horns on her head wererger and more demonic looking, making her resemble more of an ogre than a oni.

    But the most surprising change about her wasn''t anything physical.

    It was the fact after eleven days of sex she was sitting at the ninth level of the mortal realm, no doubt thanks to her partner''s dual cultivation method.

    Turning around, she pulled her hair to the side as she stared at the ck fox tattoo at the top of her back.

    Deciding it was time to go find Taira, Aveena prepared to pull on her clothes when she remembered that she didn''t exactly have any in here due to the fact that the ravenous fox had ripped them.

    Her eyes drifted towards the closet and her eyes found an outfit that looked like it belonged to Enyo.

    Since the friendly shoggoth was the only one even close to her in terms of proportions, she said a silent apology as she pulled them on and stepped outside.

    With this new marking on her back, finding Taira was even easier than breathing.

    She climbed up the stairs through their home and pushed open the trap door to arrive on the rooftop garden.

    The cold hadn''t bothered her since she was a child, but now she found it especially tolerable.

    She could even walk around barefoot if she liked.

    On the roof, she found a mystifying and enchanting creature surrounded by the snowy white cherry blossoms.

    It was arge fox with eight tails and a body that seemed to be equal parts physical as spiritual.

    Aveena felt her breath get caught in her throat as the red eyes of the beast turned around to meet her own.

    She didn''te up here to be swept away like this without even hearing a worde from his mouth, but with a single gaze her body started to burn up as she remembered the days of immense pleasure that she had been forcibly subjected to.

    Feeling a bit awkward, she dropped her gaze as she searched for something to say.

    "You look beautiful."

    Aveena felt her pulse quicken so dramatically that she was sure that he could hear it.

    In all fairness, it was only natural for Taira to say something like that after seeing her since she truly did look incredible.

    For the first time ever she put a bit of thought into how she was dressed since she was wearing clothes that were out of the ordinary for her.

    A long ck skirt paired with a white long sleeve blouse that exposed her muscr stomach and back.

    There was a long slit on the side of her skirt that trailed up her legs like a stairway to heaven.

    Her purple hair was tied in a ponytail that rested on her shoulder, exposing her abnormally beautiful face in full.

    "O-Oh, thank you�� if you don''t mind, I wanted to talk to you about what happened."

    Taira suddenly moved onto all fours and walked towards Aveena before sitting directly in front of her.

    Now that he was even closer to her than before, she felt like she was having that much more difficulty retaining a sense of normalcy.

    "L-Look�� what happened was.. really really nice but it doesn''t have to mean anything. You weren''t in control of yourself and I was just being a bit too yful is all."

    Taira didn''t say anything but his eyes became visibly sharper.

    "I''m aware that you aren''t a fan of me and I am not a woman who doesn''t know how to take a hint so you need not feel as though you have to take responsibility for me.

    From my understanding people in the outside world often have casual rtions with each other, right? Then you are free to treat me as that."

    Taira suddenly changed back to normal and lifted Aveena into his arms.

    "Are you trying to upset me..?"

    "N-No! I was only trying to make sure you didn''t feel pressured to-"

    Taira spun Aveena around and pulled her body against his until her ass was pressed against him.

    He swept her hair to one side and revealed the fox marking sitting between her shoulder des.

    He gently traced over the markings with his finger and caused her legs to temporarily give out.

    "The fact that you have this mark means that not only are youpatible with me, but the girls as well. That isn''t something that just happens randomly. There is something about you that I haven''t noticed before that will fit perfectly within our family.

    And besides�� I do not do casual. Lying with mees with true devotion, and now you couldn''t escape from me even if you tried. The feeling of your body is etched into my mind just as mine is in yours."

    "I-It isn''t on my mind at all��!"

    "Lying to the husband who can read your mind? You wound me terribly."

    Aveena concentrated for a moment and realized that she could indeed feel Taira within her mind.

    And if she thought about him enough, she could read his too.

    "Alright�� then I must admit that it was the most unforgettable experience of my life�� I cannot stop craving it."

    "What a coincidence�� neither can I."

    Taira''s hands found their way onto  Aveena''s skirt and he started to pull the strings that kept it closed.

    "Oh, wait!"

    Aveena suddenly put a short distance between herself and started trying to get her tall body into some sort of courtesy.

    Taira wanted to stop and ask what she was doing but he honestly found her more than a little cute.

    "As a member of the mountain oni tribe, I recognize my failure inbat and devote myself to you, body and soul. I vow to be obedie-"

    Chop!

    "Ow! Why did you hit me!"

    "What the hell kind of wedding vow was that? You sound like you''re being forced into very." Taira said with folded arms.

    "It is just the customary vow that my people take whenever they are about to enter a new cohabitation!"

    "Your people have unsettling customs��"

    "How so?"

    Shaking his head wryly, Taira held up his hand and started to reach inside of his storage ring.

    "I don''t need any special vows or anything like that, nor do I need for you to behave differently. But since we''re trading customs, I have something I''d like you to ept."

    From Taira''s ring, he pulled out a body manual that made Aveena''s eyes pop out before she even read the title.

    One look at the spine of the book told her that it was a manual of the supreme grade.

    "You came down the mountain and got one of these at the auction house, so I figured you might like another one."

    The technique that Taira handed her was one from the vault, a fist art called Demonic Agony.

    If one were topare this technique with the one that Aveena had bought before, the difference would be like that of a backyard pond and an ocean.

    This technique was actually the favored one of a demon king from 1,000 years ago, and his descendants had been searching for it ever since.

    "You��would really give this to me?" Aveena asked.

    "Of course. You''re my wife, and you''ll need it whenever the rest of the girls wake up and realize what''s happened."

    "What?!"

    "Nothing." Tairaughed away Aveena''s fear and concern, but she wasn''t certain if she found it very funny.

    ''They won''t be too mad�� right..?''

 Chapter 106: Study Slump

    Contrary to what Taira and Aveena expected, the girls weren''t as upset about her sudden addition as they thought they would be.

    Perhaps the awkwardness of thest eleven days of depravity had yet to fully wear off, or maybe they had grown to like her a lot more than she initially realized, but no one really bothered to voice any objections.

    As such, Aveena ovee the biggest obstacle of her marriage with no difficulty, and was now on to the next- understanding her husband inside and out!

    Though he had already told her that he didn''t require any special treatment from her, that didn''t mean she didn''t want to put her best foot forward!

    So right now, she was taking a page out of her husband''s book and trying to be as stealthy as possible so that she could observe him uninterrupted.

    She had hidden her prescence to the best of her ability and even started to walk around with only socks on her feet to help erase the sound.

    With a notepad in hand, she had documented his entire day and any observable habits.

    While it could be said by most that nothing he did was particrly ster or interesting, it did leave the bewitching Aveena slightly mesmerized.

    Even now when he was doing nothing but reading through a stack of books in the library, she couldn''t help but be captivated by him everytime that he turned over a simple page or crinkled his nose slightly when he read something troubling.

    Every so often, Lucia woulde and bring him hot tea with a little bit of her blood mixed in.

    They would sit together for a while and she would be her usual kind and affectionate self before she would eventually run off and let him continue his reading.

    This had been going on for a few hours now, and Taira was still moving through books at a rather rming pace as if he was searching for something but never found it.

    ''My new husband is surprisingly cute.'' Aveena quietly scribbled more notes into her notepad and ducked down behind the book case just a bit more.

    Creak!

    ''Shit!''

    Aveena felt her heartbeat speed up as she dropped her body to the floor in an instant and quietly prayed that he hadn''t caught her.

    Luckily, her prayers seemed to work just this once as no matter how long she waited, her husband never busted her.

    She slowly and quietly climbed back to her feet and resumed staring through the peephole she''d created between the book case.

    Just as she let out a sigh of relief, a piece of paper floated down beside her andnded on the floor.

    ''You would make a terrible assassin, my love.''

    The note exploded and disappeared a momentter, and Aveena let out a cry of indignation.

    "Argh!!"

    Aveena finally stood uppletely and ruffled her hands through her hair as she stormed toward the table where Taira sat.

    "How did you know I was here? I concealed my presence perfectly!"

    "You did not, but would you like me to list other reasons besides the fact that we share a marking that links our hearts, souls, bodies and minds?" He asked without looking up.

    "��Yes."

    "Your breathing is quite noticeable, your steps arecking in grace and thoughtfulness, I could hear both your pencil and notepad moving, you''re six foot three and your horns were sticking out from your position, I have thermal vision, and the soap you use is too fragrant for any sort of stealth or espionage. It does smell quite nice though."

    "I-I can ept all but thest one! You smell nice all the time yet no one can ever track you!"

    "I unconsciously siphon my scent through my pores when I''m working. I assume it was part of my training."

    Eventually, Aveena gave up on a future of going with Taira whenever he had to do assassination work in the future and she pulled up a chair directly beside him.

    For a while, the two of them sat in silence with Aveena only resting her head on his shoulder and watching him read.

    "That thing with the paper�� how did you do that?"

    "Apparently the ability to create illusions runs in my bloodline. I''ve been practicing some mornings while you girls have been asleep. I wouldn''t say that I am a master but I am somewhat proficient."

    "Incredible�� you be more dangerous by the day, husband."

    "It is all for our family, love."

    Aveena felt a warm feeling spread through her chest once again.

    Nestling closer to her husband, she let her eyes wander through the stack of books he''d been studying and found that they were all different manuscripts on cultivation theory.

    Their field of study was vast and varied�� everything from the study of rare innate physiques to the high level utilization of spokenw.

    "Is there�� something in particr you are looking for?"

    "��I''ve been having some problemstely." He admitted.

    "Plural?"

    "Yes�� for one, I am utterly uncertain of what a primeval spirit might be or how to cultivate one. Thete Abbess'' library is very extensive but�� there is nothing here pertaining to that particr subject."

    Aveena grimaced as she looked around the library.

    She wanted to help her husband but she had never expanded her literary search beyond the narrative works and even if she had, it was unlikely she would find anything like that in the public library.

    "And�� the second problem?"

    "Well it''s.. not really a problem per se but I''m looking for a way to enhance my efficiency."

    "How so?"

    Taira pulled out two cultivation novels from his storage ring and ced them on the table.

    Aveena recognized them both as his prized breathing techniques, one of which focused on cultivation and the other that expanded his mind for the understanding and application of arcane.

    "I want tobine these two somehow and create my own breathing art. I''m looking for the safest way to do that but it seems like if I am going to aplish it I''ll have to put my life in danger just a bit."

    "Are�� are you serious?" Aveena''s shock was entirely understandable, and anyone else who heard what he was thinking would have immediately pped him.

    Cultivation is like a very extreme version of working out.

    There are certain exercises that are time tested and provide the safest and most stable path to ascension so as not to hurt the body unnecessarily.

    However, veering from those time testeddders can have disastrous consequences for the one foolish enough to do so.

    Death, mental retardation, the loss of mobility, and the least rming destruction of a cultivation base are allmon oues, yet they aren''t even close to the worst.

    And free styling with breathing arts is possibly thergest no-no that one could think of.

    The absorption of qi into the body is a very delicate process if undergone haphazardly can make the entire body implode.

    The only ones who have sessfully created breathing arts were masters of the primordial realm who passed their techniques down eons ago before ascending.

    What Taira was talking about doing now was no different from a ny five pound middle schooler going into the gym for two days then deciding '' You know what? I think I am going to squat 900 pounds while wearing ice skates and with my entire bodythered in baby oil.''

    He was just asking to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair or six feet under.

    "Tell me�� do you have any more stupid ideas that I should knock out of your head or is it just that one?" Aveena asked with a smile that was not a smile.

    "Actually��"

    "Ohe on!!"

    Taira smiled wryly and ced his hand on his exposed stomach.

    "I was thinking�� what if my body had multiple cores? I could infuse each one with the elements I''ve received from you girls and connect them with some kind of circuitry to make them work seamlessly and even speed up the absorption of qi into different parts of my body and�� what are you doing, wife?"

    Aveena suddenly grabbed Taira by one of his fluffy ears and peered into it like she was looking for gold.

    "I''m searching for a brain in this pretty head of yours�� it is quite an interesting search."

    "What''ve you found?"

    "You know a lot of big words but yourmon sense is utter shit."

    "Coming from you? That hurts."

    "You jerk!"

    Tairaughed and pulled Aveena into hisp despite the unfriendly re she was currently giving him.

    "Do you not think me up to the task, dear?"

    "I don''t think anyone is, husband..! The things you are talking about�� they go beyond just being dangerous, hence the reason why no one has ever even attempted something like this before!"

    Taira fell silent momentarily as he ran one hand across Aveena''s muscled stomach.

    "I get that�� but I do not want to limit myself to only the things that others have done. I want to learn my true limits, not the limits of others.. and see what it takes to step over them."

    "��May I ask why?"

    "�� I am unsure. If I''m honest, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I have you girls in my life now. So that no one will every a single finger on any of you again, there are very few paths that I would not walk down."

    Aveena let her husband''s words linger in her mind for a long time without saying anything.

    Eventually, she took his face into her hands and kissed him softly as if he were a sacred existence.

    ''Then�� you have my faith and my support. But take heed to what walking down darker roads will make you. None of us will be joyful of the power you acquire if it means that we lose who you are right now in the process.''

    ''I promise�� whether it is tomorrow or in ten million years, everything that I feel for you girls will never fade. And I will make sure that you know that.''

    Smiling, Aveena broke their kiss before things became too intense.

    "Well�� you convinced me, but now you have to convince them too."

    BANG!

    The doors to the library were suddenly kicked open and Keran, Lucia, Enyo, and Vermeil all came striding in.

    While the fallen girls seemed to know what was going on and were visibly upset, Vermeil still seemed a bit clueless.

    She was absentmindedly eating a sandwich she made while looking around at everyone else.

    "Don''t really know what''s going on but it seems like I''m supposed to be upset so�� I''m just gonna sit this one out." *munch*

 Chapter 107: Pill Makin & Tattoo Gettin!

    Vermeil was inside of a very special room that she had previously been avoiding until she was ready.

    But now, today was the day.

    She was finally going to try her hand at alchemy!

    She''d been studying for a few weeks now, and she was sure that she was more than prepared.

    She knew all of the medicinal nts growing in the garden and their effects!

    She had studied dozens upon dozens of pill forms and memorized them all like they were the lyrics to a song!

    Like cultivators and Arcane users, alchemists are also divided into ranks.

    There is the beginner stage referred to as Pill Apprentice.

    From there, there is Pill Adept.

    Pill Master.

    Pill King.

    Pill Emperor.

    Pill Ancestor.

    Pill Venerable.

    Pill Saint.

    Conversely, pills are also divided into eight different ranks and to advance a level, one must be able to sessfully refine a pill of a higher level three times in a row.

    Knowledge-wise, Vermeil was already at the level of a pill emperor after all of the studying she had done to prepare, but she still had yet to actually forge her first batch of pills.

    But now that she was actually about to, she smiled knowing that she had a slight edge.

    To forge a pill, one must use qi to create a small me and control the heating and cooling process through every step of the way.

    This process is easier for one''s who are born with an inbound element of fire or havee to possess one through an extraordinary set of means.

    And it just so happened that her husband was a trickster fox who could give her part of his own power that she could use just as freely as if it were her own.

    ''Kyaaa!!! I can''t believe I really have a husband already!''

    Vermeil gave herself two quick smacks on the cheeks so that she could focus.

    Focusing back on the present, she turned her attention to the golden cauldron in front of her and marveled once again at the sheer profundity of this equipment.

    Even from here, she could feel the overwhelming holy auraing from the device.

    Just by being near it, she felt like her mind was being expanded and she felt like she was now capable of thinking about multiple different things at once.

    The time hade, and she was more than ready.

    Opening the cauldron door, Vermeil shoveled four ingredients inside.

    Revitalizing Bone Grass.

    Dried Blood Flower.

    Clipped Butterfly Wings.

    Blue Ocean Leaves.

    All of the ingredients necessary for a basic batch of marrow cleansing pills, the one all alchemists attempt to make for the first time.

    Once the ingredients were floating in suspension within the cauldron, Vermeil injected a bit of her energy inside to take control.

    ''Alright... Let''s do this.''

    Closing her eyes, Vermeil held out a single finger in front of her face and concentrated on the ingredients inside and pressed them all together.

    Pointing towards the cauldron, a ball of pure blue me shot out and entered the golden chamber.

    Once it was inside, Vermeil controlled the temperature of the mes so that they were not too hot or too cold.

    Even without opening her eyes, she could sense the various oils being cooked out of the ingredients and bing congealed into arge ball of brown-ish white sludge.

    The oils were absorbing a part of the inner profundity of the cauldron, bing more and more magical as they cooked slowly.

    Now, here came the hard part.

    While she continued to keep the mes hot enough to bring out the various oils, she also had to drop their temperature simultaneously so as to allow the oils to cool and congeal into a batch of pills.

    Out of everything she read, this part was honestly the most vague when it came to pill theory.

    The only tips she got were basically saying, ''You either have that dawg in you or you don''t.''

    Meaning Vermeil''s talent would be the only thing that could get her through this and form a sessful batch of pills.

    However, she had to get the hang of things quickly.

    If she allowed the ingredients to burn, a vtile reaction would ur in the form of an explosion that would knock her onto the butt that she was very proud of and cover her in so much soot that she''d look like a piece of coal.

    She could only imagine how much of a nightmare it would be to get that stuff out of her permanently white hair.

    ''I have to figure out a way to... Huh..?''

    -

    Taira, Enyo, Lucia, Keran, and Aveena were all standing in the hallway just outside one of the seclusion rooms.

    After a lot of smooth talk, a lot of charming smiles, and a generous amount of massages of the sexual and nonsexual variety, Taira''s wives had finally agreed to let him attempt one of the dangerous ideas he had first disclosedst week.

    Since trying to pick apart breathing arts of the supreme grade is PROFOUNDLY dangerous even for a being like Taira, they had only agreed to let him try his idea for the creation of multiple cores.

    Now, they were currently waiting for thest member of their family to arrive and then they would finally get this insanity underway.

    "Sorry I''mte!"

    Vermeil suddenly appeared in a whoosh of air, wearing her usual charismatic and slightly mischievous smile.

    However, her hands were behind her back as if she were hiding something.

    "No worries." Taira said with a smile. "How did it go?"

    Vermeil suddenly smiled before revealing what items were hidden behind her back.

    It was a small jar around the size of a flower pot, and it was filled with marrow cleansing pills.

    However, these were far from an ordinary batch.

    "T-These are all Rank 3 pills!" Keran eximed.

    "Y-You made these on your first attempt?!" Aveena questioned.

    "I did indeed! Your girl is now a certified Pill Master! You''re free to praise me!" She said smugly.

    Normally everyone would have admonished her or rolled their eyes, but today Vermeil had indeed done something truly praise worthy.

    Forming a rank three pill three times in a row on one''s first attempt was beyond amazing, it was extraordinary.

    Though Vermeil was young, her talent put her in the top echelons of all alchemists in Tayar, whether they came from above or below.

    "I figured that my wife would do something amazing, yet I must admit I am still more proud than I can express." Taira said sincerely.

    Vermeil blushed just a bit as she stared into her jar of pills with a sheepish smile.

    "I don''t really think I deserve all of the credit... Truth is your spiritual me makes pill making so easy that there is almost no difficulty.

    It''s hot and cold properties are really helpful and do wonders to simplify the whole process... I doubt that I could have had this much sess."

    "Oh? Where has my arrogant wife gone? Lost your celebratory mood already?"

    "Not quite... I just don''t want you to think that I am ungrateful for your help or incapable of recognizing the role you yed in my-"

    Flick!

    "Ow!"

    "Don''t be silly. Whether you had my fire or not, it would never have aided you if you did not have the know-how to apply it. This is your achievement, love. Not mine."

    "...Thank you." Vermeil said sincerely.

    "She''s so cute."

    "Smother her!"

    At Enyo''s behest, all five of them wrapped Vermeil in the most fearsome bear hug that she could muster.

    The human girl felt a few of her bones pop, her butt get grabbed and a few discreet kisses were ced on her cheeks as she gradually lost oxygen in her lungs, but she had never felt so loved.

    When they finally let her go, it was time for Taira to attempt his own miraculous feat.

    Stepping into one of the istion rooms, he shrugged off his open kimono and sat cross legged on the ground.

    The girls nced at Aveena and she nodded before stepping inside with him.

    She dropped to both her knees behind him and concentrated arge amount of qi into her fingertip.

    "Ready?"

    "Of course, my love."

    Smiling, Aveena started to burn a pattern into the skin of her husband that was eerily simr to her own tattoos.

    The markings on Aveena''s body only make an appearance when she is in the midst ofbat and about to initiate more dangerous techniques that had an enhanced strain on her bones, tendons, and muscles.

    The markings helped to evenly disperse and lessen her burden while also expelling excess energy output.

    Taira had only remembered them as he was gropi- I mean, massaging her one night, and he immediately had the idea to use a modified version of these markings to help stabilize multiple cores within his body.

    Only when Aveena was done tattooing his chest, arms, back, and legs did she finally give him a small kiss and leave the chamber.

    Once she closed the door behind her, all five wives sat crosslegged on the ground before closing their eyes to meditate.

    This process would no doubt take a very long time, and they all wanted to stay outside of Taira''s chamber while he attempted the most dangerous task of his life.

    Once he was inside of the dark space alone, Taira immediately got to work on his n.

    First, he absorbed a massive amount of qi into his body and tried to stop it from rushing into his already existing core.

    And because such arge amount of energy was going to ces where it wasn''t supposed to, through channels that it wasn''t supposed to, he ruptured every nerve and blood vessel in his body.

    Blood flowed from his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and just about every open pore he had.

    However, his supernatural regeneration had already begun to heal him, and he tried again.

    This cycle of absorption and destruction continued for a very long time, and Taira forgot about everything else in the world as he focused on strengthening himself.

    With every time that his tendons and nerves grew back from their obliterated state, they became stronger and more durable than before.

    After a week and a half of this, something finally changed.

    Taira absorbed the surrounding qi directly into his chest and for the first time ever he didn''t almost kill himself.

    He kept consolidating and solidifying until he had formed a pure white core within the area between his lungs.

    Concentrating on his element of wind that he''d gotten from his darling Lucia, he dyed it a verdant green.

    But because his chest cavity felt like it was about to pop, he knew he didn''t have too long to celebrate.

    ''Next...''

    Connecting it to the closest tattoos on his chest, a feeling like a phone being plugged into an outlet urred, and that temporarily lit up.

    He did the same thing with the violet core that represented his lightning, and his body started to light up like the bat signal.

    A small, visible smile showed up on his face before it disappeared instantly.

    ''Two more left.''

    -

    It was three weeks before the door to Taira''s chamber finally creaked open.

    The girls who had remained in trances cultivating before now immediately jumped to their feet with expectant looks in their eyes.

    When Taira stepped out, he immediately smiled at the girls before all five flew into his arms and knocked him over; uncaring of the dried blood all over his body.

    Heughed and returned the affections of each one of them as he let his body rest on the floor for the first time in weeks.

    It was nice that his n had gone off well, but at least for now he wasn''t satisfied.

    There was more that needed to be done, and more ways that he needed to push himself.

    And lucky for him, he had an isted part of the world where he could focus, train, and be with the women he loved most.

    When he was finally ready toe out... maybe it would be time to revisit Keran''s desire to be paragons for their people.

    And hopefully, get a little revenge along the way.

 Chapter 108: The Years Gone By

    50 Years Later -

    Ayame Garou treaded down the infamously long steps to her daughter''s home and silently wished that they would put in a slide.

    She hadn''t been here in decades due to the embarrassing sound she''d madest time.

    She would never be able to live that day down for as long as she lived.

    But�� she also tried to visit on Keran''s birthday randomly about 40 years ago, but she heard moaninging all the way from the stone bridge and stopped in her tracks and turned around, leaving the present she had for her behind.

    Single people don''t exactly delight in having their lonesomeness shoved into their face by other couples.

    It is only worse when it is your daughter and her family who are making you feel left out.

    She normally would have kept avoiding this ce, but things in the outside world were beginning to heat up again.

    Stepping onto the bridge, she nearly let out a surprise when she crossed it in an instant and was standing on the other side dumbstruck.

    She heard the small sound of bare feet tapping against cold stone, and her eye shot towards the top of the steps that led to the abandoned sect.

    A woman gradually stepped into full view and Ayame temporarily had her breath taken away.

    Just like when she was a child, she had a soft and yful expression that somehow fit perfectly on her mature face.

    In the time she hadn''t seen her, she had endured a drastic growth spurt in both muscle definition and height.

    She now boasted even more powerful looking muscles than even her own, and she stood at a captivating 6''2.

    Her skin was a bit paler, likely due to the years spent in this cavern that received only diluted sunlight.

    Yet in contrast, her knee length ck hair was iparably darker than before, as if it had been dyed in the very nothingness that made up the night itself.

    She wore a sleek ck bodysuit that emphasized her butt, breasts, and abs loudly; in addition to a ck and yellow kimono that she allowed to hang loosely off her shoulders.

    But the most impactful thing about not seeing her daughter after such a long time was that Ayame missed the moment where nine ck and silver tails grew out from her lower back.

    "Mother!"

    Keran immediately flew at her stunned mother while abandoning all sense of maturity.

    Apparently, Keran hadn''t put much thought into the fact that she was now her mother''s size or perhaps even a bit bigger, and nearly knocked her over with her new body.

    Of course, Ayame nearly fainted anyway when she realized what realm her daughter was at.

    ''Reaching the sovereign realm in only 900 years of life�� my daughter is a prodigy.''

    "I''m d that you actually came to visit this time instead of just leaving me a birthday present on the doorstep and bolting away! I have missed you very much!"

    "I.. have missed you as well, my daughter. It seems I have missed a great many things.." again, Ayame couldn''t help but keep her eyes focused on the nine swaying tails behind her daughter''s back.

    Perhaps if she stared at them long enough they would disappear and her brain could stop overworking itself to put together any possible reason why her daughter was now a supreme fallen.

    "Oh�� it''s a bit strange, right?" Keran said with a wry smile. "I think it has something to do with my ingesting of his blood all of those years ago and the first time we slept together after our reunion I must have-"

    "A-Alright, I will draw my own conclusions!" Ayame held up a hand to stop her daughter from volunteering anymore�� intimate information.

    SPLASH!

    The sound of theke water being disturbed came from underneath the bridge, and another woman leapt into the air.

    Shended atop the stone structure alongside Ayame and her daughter.

    Keran was tall but.. this woman was evenrger than her.

    She resembled a powerful ogre variant of around 6''4 with a body full of explosively powerful muscles that had all been condensed to their absolute limit to give her a much leaner look.

    Her silvery purple hair was soaked along with the rest of her nude body and it gave off a stunningly provocative image that Keran seemed to be surprisingly used to.

    "Oh? We have a guest? We never have guests."

    "Well we do today, sister. So can you get dressed so that you aren''t exposing yourself to my mother?"

    "Eh?! But it''s my house and I want to befortable in it!"

    "You don''t need to be naked to befortable! Just go steal one of our husband''s robes and then you''ll feel even more rxed than you do now."

    "That''s..! Actually not an unsatisfying idea." She agreed.

    Little did both women know that Ayame had no interest in staring at Aveena''s bush or any other uncovered parts of her body, as she was more distracted by another more important matter.

    "You both are quite amazing�� reaching the peak of the venerable realm and the first step of the sovereign realm in such a short time as fifty years is unthinkab�� Why are you both looking at me like that when I am trying topliment you!?"

    Aveena and Keran unconsciously puffed their cheeks out and pouted as their moods took a noticeable downturn.

    "Thanks I guess��"

    "Yea, thanks��"

    "��Living down here has made you all strange."

    -

    Ayame was led up the steps into the home of her daughter and her family and was shown into a very pretty tatami room with a short table and cushions seated in the middle.

    While Aveena ran off to go steal something from their husband''s closet, Keran and her mother yed a brief game of catch up and for a moment Ayame even got to smile as if she was a normal mother.

    The minutes ticked by quickly and before they knew it, Aveena was back and being trailed by Enyo and Lucia.

    Like Keran and Aveena, they were both in the sovereign realm and the venerable realm, respectively.

    Both women had be more mature and beautiful in their time down here, and even Ayame was starting to feel like she paled inparison to all of them just a bit.

    There was a short and sweet exchange of pleasantries and the girls joined Keran and her mother at the table for an impromptu discussion.

    "Don''t take this personally, Queen Ayame, but�� I doubt you''ve simplye here for some idle chitchat." Enyo pointed out. "Is something the matter?"

    Ayame let her chest rise and fall as she tapped her finger along the ck table in front of her.

    "The war is about to reach a critical boiling point. A lot has transpired but I''ll suffice it to say that things are so dire that the four heads are holding a summit."

    There are four continents in Tayar.

    Though fallen and the various races of light can be found on all of them, the percentage of exact species differs.

    On this continent of Noa, beastmen make up 67% of the fallen poption, with Ayame of the werewolves as ruler.

    The continent closest to this is known as Kiru, and is a whopping 89% Dark Elf, with Ja'' Zaki The Unseen ruling from the shadows.

    Then there is Zhadd, which is home to a solid 73% of the demon race, and it is ruled with an iron fist by the Heavenly Demon Kyoen Tsuchigumo.

    And finally, there is Tethys. This is the new stronghold of 94% undead fallen, led by the bewitching Lich Queen, Aja Druj.

    The four rulers haven''t been seen in the same room together since the vampires died out and it was decided that Aja was going to take their ce.

    Now for them to be miraculously getting together again, something had to be horribly wrong in the outside world.

    "They are expected to be here within two days. I came here to get you all beforehand since, well�� as a supreme fallen your husband is entitled to participate in this meeting of ours."

    A thoughtful look passed between all of the girls in an instant before they resumed their neutral looks and did not bother to say anything else.

    Ayame suddenly frowned and folded her arms across her generous chest.

    "What''s with that look?"

    "Nothing, we''re just leaving the decision up to him." Aveena exined.

    "Well might one of you go get him then so I can tell him? Time is ticking and I do have preparations I need to oversee."

    "He already heard you."

    "He''s been sitting in here the whole time."

    Ayame spun around like a mad woman looking around for her son inw but she never found him.

    Gently, Keran ced her hands on both sides of her mother''s face and tilted it all the way upward.

    There, she found a man sitting cross legged on the ceiling with a human woman in hisp.

    The woman was a vision, with hypnotic white hair that reminded one of a shining moon and a beauty that was just as radiant.

    Like the rest of the girls, she wore a bodysuit that was white in color and a deep blue kimono that she let hang off her slender arms.

    Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be in a rather deep sleep as if she were deaf to all outside noise.

    But the man holding her was very wide awake.

    Ayame didn''t know if it was just because she hadn''t seen her son-inw in a while or if he had gotten objectively more attractive in the time since she''dst seen him, but she temporarily felt a flurry of sparks go off in her brain.

    He and the woman in hisp were both difficult to see through, but through effort she was able to notice their true strength.

    And even when she did, she almost felt like she was going to faint and have to be carried back home.

    ''5th level Sovereign Realm�� Both of them..!''

    "Sounds interesting�� We''ll go."

 Chapter 109: Late Guest

    For cultivators, cultivation is a lifelong practice that promises to im an exorbitantlyrge amount of time from one''s life.

    The mortal and beast realms are usually advanced through quickly without much issue, but from the overlord realm onward things be more�� difficult.

    Within the overlord realm, the qi umted in the body from various breakthroughs is condensed, refined, and cleansed of impurities to give the cultivator a surface level talent to draw power from the heavens and earth.

    They gain the ability to fly on their own, use telekinesis, and can manipte and generate any of the five pure elements; albeit to a lesser degree than those who are born with them.

    Generally, the time required to gain total understanding of the overlord realm and break through it takes around 250-450 years.

    The venerable realm focuses on the utilization of qi; the life energy that courses through all things.

    In this realm, cultivators learn how to solidify and shape their qi to form various tools, items, and even weapons.

    Breaking through the venerable realm requires anywhere from 800 - 1,000 years of cultivation, and there are a great many who reach an inescapable bottleneck and their journey is cut short.

    But for those who are so talented and lucky, they are able to take the first true steps towardprehension of Mahayana- the formation of a dao heart.

    The amount of time it takes one to do that�� we no longer know the answer.

    Evidently, it has been so long since anyone in Tayar has risen past the sovereign realm that no one is quite sure of the requirements to climb farther up thedder anymore.

    Save for Ja''Zaki Ssri, who still sits on the first level of the quasi-god realm even after 1,900 years- but even he is unable to move up even a single level more.

    However, The Heavenly Demon Kyoen Jiraigumo was more than confident that he would be the first to reach the hallowed realm in centuries and continue the climb.

    For all intents and purposes, he was an unseen prodigy in the fallen race on the same level as the heroes.

    After only 780 years of cultivation, the leader of the demon race had achieved the feat of moving to the second level of the sovereign realm.

    This has only sparked widespread praise and acim from his followers, as demons are famously a race who follow and value only the strong.

    Why would they not be ted to have a leader who now holds power that only a few in this world still posses?

    He was already capable of fighting one level above his realm before, but now surely his feats would be even grander!

    As such, you could say that the demon ruler had grown a bit of a big head.

    And currently, Ayame and the other three heads were at the receiving end of it.

    "I tell you, I find this meeting to be unnecessary! Now that I am sitting firmly within the sovereign realm, I could crush all of the heroes on my own!"

    Ayame opened her one good eye and stared at the prideful and arrogant demon.

    He was a very handsome and young looking man with dark skin and long dreadlocks that travelled all the way to his feet.

    His eyes were entirely ck, and there were six dotted markings stationed around them that seemed to be both functional and ritualistic.

    He wore dark brown robes interwoven with golden fabric with the insignia of arge spider across the back.

    At his waist hung multiple scimitars with pitch ck des and unrivaled sharpness.

    Silently, Ja''Zaki and Ayame passed a look between them as they sipped their tea.

    ''Do you want to deal with this...?''

    ''....No.''

    Their agreement forged, the two of them put their heads down and continued to sip without acknowledging his boasting.

    Kyoen frowned deeply, and took their silence as non belief.

    "You think me a needless boaster? We could venture out right now and I would-"

    "You would do what, exactly?" A female voice spoke up.

    Kyoen dragged his eyes across the body of a woman with dark blue skin covered in mesmerizing ck tattoos.

    She unnaturally beautiful, with sleek ck hair and profoundly deep red eyes that seemed to becking in any sort of warmth or empathy.

    Silver piercings lined her pointed ears as a sign of rejection and nonconformity- as it is a cardinal sin for elves light and dark alike to alter their ears in any way.

    Her ck lips were full, seductive, and unsmiling, and they looked to be even softer than a cloud made from dreams.

    She was such a remarkable vision that one would be hard pressed to find her equal in any stretch of these greatnds.

    This was Aja Druj, the Lich Queen and an Arcane user of five stars.

    "You are so proud of your power, yet you had one of your strongholds overrun by the Hero of Enraged Land, and now he has a fortified base sitting firmly within the middle of your territory."

    "You dare-"

    "Face it. You are just as out manned as we against the races of light and their heroes. If you weren''t, you would not even be at this meeting. So shut up, drink your tea, and wait for thest guest to arrive like the rest of us."

    Kyoen ground his teeth together like an enraged beast as he started to get up from his chair.

    "I would ask that you not do anything stupid." Ayame finally said.

    "The heroes are having an easy enough time killing us all of as it is. You want us to make it even easier for them?" Ja'' Zaki asked.

    The spider demon showed some traces of animosity in his ck eyes before inevitably sitting back in his chair, his wed fingers tapping on the wood impatiently.

    He stared at the six empty seats on the other end of the table and he sneered inwardly.

    "And who is this..guest who is so impudent as to make us wait for them? If it isn''t Astaroth himself I can scarcely see why we have yet to begin without them!"

    At that, Ja''Zaki couldn''t help but agree.

    He ced his cup down and turned to Ayame at his side, seeming equally curious yet less impatient.

    "I''d like to know the answer to that myself. I cannot think of anyone else whom you would make these sort of arrangements for."

    "..." Ayame continued to sip quietly and said nothing.

    "...You''re joking. It''s him? I didn''t think he was still alive."

    "He was in seclusion I guess you could say... Although it seemed more like a honeymoon whenever I visited." Ayame muttered.

    "...A honeymoon... For fifty years...? While the world burned? ...He is his father''s son indeed."

    "Might you clue the rest of us in on who you''re even speaking about?" Aja asked robotically.

    "One of Alucard''s boys. His youngest." Ja''Zaki answered.

    Both Aja and Kyoen showed a noticeable degree of surprise at that before resuming their stone-faced demeanors.

    "I had heard rumors but... I thought them to be false when there were no sightings after several years."

    "As did I."

    Ayame shook her head as she refilled her cup mindlessly.

    "No, he''s very much still around. Though his absence from this world has had less to do with frivolity and more to do with preparation. He''s grown quite strong in this time. So much so that I hardly recognize him anymore."

    Intrigued beyond description, Ja''Zaki sat up in his chair and leaned in close to the unfriendly werewolf queen.

    "Tell me... How strong has the young vampire grown in only fifty years, hm? Someone confident enough to refuse my tutge must surely have done something impressive."

    Ayame smirked and nced at Ja''Zaki out of the corner of her eye.

    "If I told you that he now sits at the fifth level of the sovereign realm, and is a five star Arcane user, would you believe me?"

    "...No."

    "Oh well, I tried."

    Ayame continued drinking and seemed determined not to say even a single thing more.

    However, not everyone would let her be so quiet.

    "Your fables have gone a step too far into fabrication! 50 years to reach the sovereign realm for someone who can''t even cultivate?! Are you trying to piss me off?" Kyoen argued.

    "Why O'' why would I ever care enough about you to piss you off?" Ayame said sleepily. "And it''s not just him either... all of his wives are talented but that one is..."

    Creak!

    The sound of the heavy wooden doors to the meeting room opening drew the attention of everyone inside.

    The first to step inside was a tall man of around 6''5 with ashen brown skin that looked like it hadn''t seen proper sunlight in decades.

    His hair was long and wild, stopping just below his waist and giving him an air of majesty and charisma.

    He wore a simple outfit of a ck shirt and pants with a golden robe tied around his waist.

    A small amount of jewelry adorned his wrists, neck, and ankles; but his feet were bare, almost like he couldn''t find any shoes or he wouldn''t bother to put any on.

    Bold ck tattoos covered his arms and the visible parts of his chest- written in some kind of demonguage.

    In the center of his forehead, there was a glowing red mark that seemed like some kind of branding or maybe even a symbol.

    Behind his back were nine steel grey tails that were equallyrge and fluffy, and seemed dense enough to put the softest bed in the world to shame.

    His red eyes were closed as if he were sleepwalking, and yet he never missed a single step or faltered in his movements.

    Behind him, there were five women of varying shapes and appearances in ck bodysuits and kimonos who had figures that were to die for.

    But there was one among them who did not belong here.

    "You brats arete." Ayame said. "What was the purpose of giving you notice about this event two days in advance if you weren''t gong to be on time?"

    Out from behind one divine fox, another ran out who bore a striking resemnce to the werewolf queen.

    "It wasn''t our fault, mother! Enyo wouldn''t get out of bed again and she turned herself into an elephant seal to keep us all down with her!"

    "H-Hey! That was supposed to be our secret!"

    Ignoring all of that, Kyoen flung his chair back as he stood up angrily and approached the intruding group.

    "You dare bring a human here!? Supreme Fallen or not, you.."

    The Heavenly Demon attempted to point a wed finger at the beautiful human woman who was walking with her arm intertwined with a man.

    However, once he got to a certain distance he realized that his hand was missing.

    And at some point, he had been surrounded in an instant.

    The women who were so light hearted and chattering a moment ago were all around him with various weapons drawn.

    ''What...?''

    Taira opened his unnatural red eyes and they seemed to glow with palpable irritation.

    "I''m not a man who enjoys talking... especially to thoughtless people like you. But one second here and I already have to step out of myfort zone... I hate the outside world so much..."

    Taira approached the handless demon lord with silent steps and inadvertently made him shrink back.

    "I do not care who you are, and I am not going to warn you a second time. If you raise your voice at my wife again, your head will hit the floor before your unkind words reach her ears. Do you understand?"

    From that point, Taira''s eyes started to process everything in slow motion.

    The gnashed teeth of the spider demon, the twitching of the vein in his forehead and the flexing of his hands all told the fox hybrid what he was about to do.

    ''Wonderful. I was so hoping that you would give me an excuse to exercise.''

 Chapter 110: Mystery Weapon

    Before Taira could call for Yasuke to separate Kyoen''s head from his body, Vermeil suddenly stepped between them to put any bloodshed to a halt.

    "Guys, can you not do this right now! It''s our first time being in the outside world in decades and you''re already about to start a bloodbath!"

    Lucia: "W-We were just looking out for you!"

    Aveena: "You cannot possibly think we will allow him to talk to you like that without seeing the inside of a wooden box, do you?"

    Keran: "He started it, I don''t feel like we should be penalized."

    Enyo: "Seconded."

    Vermeil temporarily ignored the rest of the girls as she kept her attention focused on Kyoen.

    "I''m sorry about all of this. We''ve spent a lot of time together with nothing but each other so I think it''s made us all a bit�� sensitive, over one another."

    The spider demon continued to sneer at her much to the group''s irritation, but Vermeil held up her hand to stop the rest of her family from doing anything.

    "I know what it looks like. My kind have done a lot of shitty things to yours, and I''m aware that the sight of me might bring up some negative feelings.

    But as you can see, I have no connection or allegiance to the Races of Light and I have severed all ties with them long ago.

    My family are fallen, and they care about their people greatly. That means I care about them too, even if they do not see past my humanity.

    There is nothing that I would not do to protect them, just the same as you. So I believe that means I have the right to be here at this meeting too, don''t you?"

    Kyoen gritted his teeth and picked his arm up from the ground and ced it back on his stump.

    Tying it with silk-like string, he made it almost as good as new before turning back to his seat.

    "All humans are good for are pretty words and false sentiments. When your brutality starts to show, I will be waiting."

    "Dully noted. I guess I''ve won you over for now?"

    "Not on your life��"

    "Drat.."

    The heavenly demon let out some grunting noises as he returned to his seat, finally seeming like he was going to stay quiet.

    Vermeil smiled softly as she turned back to her husband- clearly proud of her diplomacy showcase.

    However, she found him with a less than pleased look in his eye.

    "What? Not going to praise me?"

    "��"

    "You cannot solve everything with violence, you know? These are your people and you shouldn''t be fighting with them."

    "��"

    "I know, I know. I love you for being protective of me nheless. But we came here to stop bloodshed, not cause more avoidable death."

    Vermeil nted a small kiss on her husband''s cheek and his stone-faced demeanor cracked by just a smidge.

    All of the time the two of them had spent together told her that he was going to let it go for now, but he would likely bring it upter when they were undressed.

    She couldn''t wait!

    "A nine-tailed fox as I live and breathe�� two of you to boot."

    Soundlessly, Ja'' Zaki appeared in front of Taira and encircled him several times within a second.

    "What the hell could have happened to you in such a short time that you became an unholy hybrid such as this..? ��And do you mind if I pull one of your tails?"

    Bright blue mes as cold as ice sparked to life across Taira''s entire body, and Ja'' Zaki smartly decided to back away.

    "I can see you aren''t in the mood for something like that right now, so we''ll just touch base againter. Matters to attend to and all that."

    "Smart."

    The lot of them finally sat back down at the table waiting for them and attempted to get some sort of meeting underway.

    Taira felt an empty gaze on him, and knew instinctively that it wasing from Aja''s direction.

    Lich famously do not have emotion, as upon their death they sacrifice all chance of bliss or agony in exchange for a chance to be resurrected with near unrivaled magical knowledge and an altered body.

    As such, he knew her gaze was not hostile or even lustful, so he drew the conclusion that this woman must have known him at some point in the past.

    ''Enyo?'' He asked.

    ''She was one of your second mother''s vassals before we went to sleep. Her inability to cultivate was tolerated only because she was a true genius who learned how topensate for her ineptitude.''

    ''And yet they could not tolerate me? Laughable indeed.''

    Enyo took one of Taira''s hands underneath the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

    ''She was only a lich brought in to serve from the outside, and you were the son of the king himself. The expectations ced upon you were totally different, but they were indeed not fair.''

    Taira felt as though there was no use in continuing to think about matters that didn''t really hold all that much weight in his heart, and quickly shook off any lingering thoughts.

    Ayame suddenly stood up, and rolled out a map onto the table.

    "A brief recap for those of you who don''t know, but around the time you all went into seclusion, the other heroes learned about the death of one of their own, their movements became significantly more organized and unified."

    Vermeil hesitantly raised her hand a bit as she spoke. "Are... all of them currently active?"

    No one else really seemed to understand just what she was asking about, but for some reason Ayame did.

    "...As far as we know, the first hero and his army are still in seclusion somewhere... Whether that isgood or bad for us still remains to be seen."

    Nodding, Vermeil let out a sigh of relief in knowing that the worst case scenario had not happened yet.. at least for now.

    Shrugging off her own relief, Ayame continued with the meeting.

    "Anyway... after shrugging off my own irresponsible nature and returning to the front lines, we have managed to fend each other off and put up much more of a fair fight than before.. At least on my end."

    Kyoen: "I never hid behind my soldiers to lick my wounds! Do not make it sound as if I am behind you in feats!"

    Ja''Zaki: "I hide, but I have still been doing my best to squash the little buggers... difficult though they have proven to be."

    Aja: "I have also not been inactive and have almost felled them on numerous asion."

    "This isn''t a contest!" Ayame started to argue.

    "Just so we''re clear here, have any of you killed a hero in 50 years?" Aveena asked.

    At her question, everyone fell silent as if they were remembering something unpleasant.

    "I don''t mean to touch on a sore spot, but... aren''t you the most powerful fallen in the world? How is that possible?" Lucia asked, already growing a headache.

    "The trickery that the humans employ is boundless!" Kyoen said with a clenched fist.

    "Their might aside, even if you can temporarily gain the upper hand in a collision against them, they have a number of items to aid them in escaping death.

    Talismans, special armor, rare trinkets and the like. Even if you think you have seen all of them once, they somehow always return with something new." Aja exined.

    ''Are they receiving these things from their gods..? I haven''t gotten anything like that though..'' Vermeil thought quietly.

    "Just escaping with one''s life intact bes a rather significant cause for celebration... The power that they boast is quite troublesome indeed." added Ja'' Zaki.

    Taira and his wives thought about this, and realized that it made all too much sense.

    Even against Duncan, they had seen him aplish something truly grand at thest moment andpletely decimated forces that seemed to bergely un-kible.

    Though to hear that even the quasi-god dark elf was having difficulty with them was not surprising, but it was rming.

    "Did you grab us because you were tired of the stalemate?" Keran asked.

    "No..." Ayame grimaced. "Recently, the heroes are boasting a new and very terrible power... we don''t know what it is but they all seem to share it or at least be capable of transferring it."

    "What sort of power?"

    "It is... like rot. Entire cities of fallen have just shriveled up, and died, with only the women and the young showing signs of being taken.

    They build strongholds near the areas destroyed, create monuments to themselves and they even engage in.. hunts of our people. Letting those caught run amok in the woods only to be captured again through much more... forceful means."

    Taira could be seen tapping a wed finger on the table repeatedly, showing clear signs of displeasure over what he had heard.

    "What do you need from us?" Enyo asked seriously.

    Ja''Zaki grumbled some unkind words under his breath and caused the curiosity of everyone else to surge.

    "A little bit of espionage. We need your husband to sneak into one of the erectedpounds nearby and see what information he is able to steal." Ayame informed.

    "And you did not ask the elf to do this because..?" Taira finally spoke.

    "... ..ep... ting... ..ught." he grumbled.

    "...I''m sorry, what?"

    "I said I keep getting caught, you smarmy pillock!" Ja''Zaki yelled in anger.

    For an assassin, getting caught doing simple espionage is the height of disgrace.

    Especially one of Ja'' Zaki''s level.

    It was a miracle he had not already killed himself from the embarrassment.

    Taira could see that the dark elf was clearly distraught over his previous failure so he left things at a smirk for now, but he was going tough about this loudly when he was aler.

    "What makes you think I can get in if he can''t?"

    "There''s a sort of formation around the base, it detects unfamiliar life energy above a certain level and sets an rm off. You are the only undead with the skillset necessary to get past the barrier. If I''m right you should have a number of ways, correct?" Ayame asked.

    Ja''Zaki muttered some words in elven that roughly tranted to ''fanged show-off.''

    Ignoring him, Taira nced at his wives out of the corner of his eye beforeing to an immediate decision.

    "Where are these strongholds you spoke of?"

 Chapter 111: To See My Foe Outstretched

    "I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.

    And I watered it in fears, Night & morning with my tears: And I stunned it with smiles, and with soft deceitful wiles.

    And it grew both day and night. Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, and he knew that it was mine.

    And into my garden stole, When the night had veiled the pole; In the morning d I see; My foe outstretched beneath the tree.."

    "I must have recited that for you like twenty years ago... I''m amazed that you still remember it."

    "I must confess that I did not at first, however I find it most fitting given our present circumstances."

    "Yes... I suppose that you would. Might you remember exactly what the name of the poet was too?"

    "... Kahlil Gibran? "

    "William ke, but you were close, darling."

    Vermeil gave Taira a small kiss for second ce, and the two of them returned their attention towards the fortress a mile away.

    With their enhanced eyesight, they were more than capable of seeing their target as if they were right in front of it.

    With it currently being dark at night, Taira could see even better.

    There was a small patrol of soldiers at the overlord realm who would pose absolutely no trouble to either of them, but tonight was not the night for showing off just how powerful they had be in fifty years.

    This was simply an espionage mission, and nothing further.

    Enyo and Lucia were also standing on the tree with them, not bending the branch a single centimeter despite their collective weight- a trick they had picked up from their husband overtime.

    Although, Aveena and Keran did not have the aptitude for this particr trick, and theymented over it quite a bit.

    "I''ll be heading in now."

    "We know there shouldn''t be any, but if there are any stragglers who attempt to flee then we will cut them down." Enyo said in a helpful tone.

    "This way, you have a bit more room for forgiveness if things should go wrong." Lucia said warmly.

    Smiling, Taira grabbed themia by her waist and kissed her dangerously underneath the moon''s watchful eye.

    ''Doubting your husband when he has never given you any reason to do so...? I will remind you of a very necessary lesson now andter...''

    Taira released the young woman and fell back from the ny meter tree.

    While falling, Taira''s body started to shift and change into something unrecognizable.

    As soon as he touched the ground, he made a dull whooshing sound as he disappeared into thin air.

    A momentter, the girls looked at each other before nodding and taking a moment to get to their respective positions.

    Although secretly knowing... they could have left it all to their husband if they really wanted to.

    -

    Guard 1: "Okay okay, well what about this! How many bodies is too many bodies for a woman?"

    *audible groaning ensues*

    Guard 2: "Why do you ask this stupid shit every day?"

    Guard 3: "You know damn well nobody else who is happy with their lives asks this nonsense, right?"

    Guard 4: "I hate going on patrols with this motherfucker..."

    Guard 5: "If it works for you, it works for you. If it doesn''t, it doesn''t. The fuck do you want to argue about this for?"

    Guard 6: "You know I only like sluts and fat bitches."

    Guard 1 : "I''m just trying to pass the time! Why are you all acting like you''re too good for a simple hypothetic-"

    All: "WE''RE SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THIS SHIT!"

    Guard 1: "Fine then, we can just patrol in silence! Bunch of boring bastards..."

    The group of guards finally resumed their patrols quietly, with one of them showing more signs of irritation than all the rest.

    As they circled the perimeter for what felt like the thousandth time this night, one of the men finally spotted something in the forest.

    "Hang on guys, look over there!"

    The six guards all found a ck Shepard dog that looked to be at the end of it''s life or at least close to it.

    The men all hesitantly approached the creature to inspect it for trickery, but upon passing qi through it and realizing that it really was just a dog, they rxed to a noticeable degree.

    "He''s bone thin..."

    "And marked up to hell too."

    "No doubt he''s been scraping by trying to fight off magic beasts and surviving on what little food he was able to get."

    The dog finally looked up at the assembled men, and it showed some signs of aggressive behavior as it backed away shakily.

    "Easy now." One warned the rest. "He''s wounded so he''s extra defensive. Don''t make any sudden movements or seem threatening."

    The cultivator dropped onto his feet and took off his glove before holding out his hand ever slowly.

    While allowing the dog to sniff him, he spoke to him in as gentle words as possible, like he were trying to convince him that he could be trusted.

    Eventually, the dog stopped growling and hesitantly sniffed the man''s hand before bing docile once again.

    "I''m gonna take him with us."

    "Are we allowed to have pets at the base?"

    "Don''t see why not. I''ll ask the Hero for permission but he shouldn''t mind. Especially not since this old bastard only seems to have a few more weeks of life to live at the most."

    "Why would you want a dog that''s going to die any day now? You should just leave it out here."

    "Nah, I''m not gonna do something like that!" The man took the dog into his arms and lifted him up gently, making sure to carry him without putting unnecessary pressure on his old bones.

    "I''ll patch him up, give him a bath, a good meal, and maybe even let him screw one of these fallen women while he''s at it! I hope someone would have the decency to do the same for me when I''m about to die!"

    At this, the men all turned up their noses as if they found his n to be distasteful.

    "With the fallen? You''re sick."

    "Don''t worry, don''t worry, I''ll get one of the old broken ones from the stable that nobody uses anymore."

    "Oh, that''s fine then."

    Their n made up, the men continued their patrol until was time for a change, and then they carried their newfound friend past the gate and into the fortress.

    As soon as they got inside, the man holding the dog made a beeline for the upstairs corridor, towards the living quarters.

    It just so happened that as soon as he went upstairs, he ran smack into the person he was looking for.

    He was arge bulky human in dark blue armor with a giant greatsword strapped across his back.

    He had a handsome facecerated with fine w marks, and short dirty blonde hair in the style of a buzzcut.

    His crystal blue eyes were peaceful and serene-like, but they hid a rather ferocious and talented nature in battle.

    "Hero Vance! It is good to see you!"

    "Leroy, right? Off duty already?"

    "Yes sir, I have just finished!"

    "And I see you brought a friend in too." Vance patted the dog on the head gently, while paying close attention to avoid the old wounds caked with dried blood.

    "Yes sir, I did! If it is alright with you, I''d like permission to keep him!"

    Vance stared at the dog momentarily before letting out a half-hearted sigh.

    "Alright then. Just clean up after him, yea? It''ll aggravate the others if they step into any of his little presents in the corridor."

    "Yes sir, I''ll take excellent care of him!"

    Vance bid the young soldier farewell, and he turned around before heading back into his own room at the end of the hall.

    Afterwards, Leroy stuck to his n and cleaned up the dog''s wounds as best he could.

    He then got the dog into a bath, which admittedly caused him a fair bit of pain due to the hot water in his wounds, and then he took him back to his room where heid out a better feast than what most peasants would have been subjected to.

    Various cuts of cooked meat, from the simple roasted bird to the intrinsically marbled steak.

    "Alright, Yaju! You eat up and I''ll be back in just a moment."

    Leroy left the room a momentter, with the dog he had named ''Yaju'' sitting on an impromptu doggie bed.

    The dog sniffed at the food momentarily before nibbling on a small piece of chicken before inevitably deciding that he didn''t have much of an appetite.

    A few momentster, the door to Leroy''s bedroom was opened once again, and he tossed a lifeless woman into the room.

    "Got you a gift, boy! She ain''t exactly top of the line, but she''s better than another dog... I think... But not by much."

    Leroy kicked the woman over towards the dog and ripped off the bup sack she wore as coverings.

    He waited and waited for the dog or the girl to move, but neither did so.

    "Were you a girl all this time...? Should I have got you one of the men instead?" he muttered. "There certainly were a lot more of them to choose from..."

    Suddenly, the candle illuminating the room was blown out, and Leroy frowned as he held out his hand to produce more me.

    But as he prepared to do so, something suddenly happened.

    His neck felt strangely sore, and he was suddenly incapable of drawing breath.

    Or standing up for that matter.

    ''What the..?''

    His body fell back onto his mattress a momentter,pletely unaware that his neck had been turned around 360 degrees in an instant, by a powerful telekic force that he could never have hoped to defend against.

    Yaju picked up the woman''s torn rags with his mouth, and covered her body as best he could.

    Confused but not afraid, the woman''s eyes finally regained some degree of life as she believed she may have been seeing things.

    A man suddenly appeared next to her, one who once bore the visage of a dog.

    He nearly gave her a constory pat on the head before he stopped himself, deciding that touching this woman in any capacity may have done her more harm than good.

    ''Girls...Change of ns.''

    Vermeil: ''Has something gone wrong?''

    Lucia: ''If you need us, we will rush to your aid right now and-''

    ''This is no longer a reconnaissance effort, this is an execution. Be ready at a moment''s notice.''

 Chapter 112: Slaughter Through Slumber

    Taira gave the girls an entire run down of his n, but it would be a lot longer before he could actually act.

    The woman he''d been given was sitting up now, her face hidden behind the curtains of her dirty and oily dreadlocks.

    Red eyes peered ominously behind them as if they were curious and slightly apprehensive.

    Taira took a deep breath beforeing to an immediate decision.

    It should be well known by now that he does not do well with others, especially strangers.

    But, no one goes through 50 years of marriage with the mostpassionate women in this world without having it rubbed off on them just a bit.

    Taira quickly forgot about his ownfort as he ran his hands though his hair and tried to be as kind as possible.

    "...Speak."

    "..!"

    The woman immediately flinched and stepped back; Taira''s toneing off much too authoritative and demanding.

    ''..Shit!''

    "I mean... Can you speak?"

    Calming down just a bit, the woman shook her head then gestured to her neck and made a splicing gesture.

    ''They cut her vocal cords...'' Taira felt another icy surge of anger overtake him and he quickly stuffed it all down.

    There would be a time and a ce for all of thister.

    His eyes swiveled across the room and he looked towards the water basin where he had been given a bath.

    He poured the dirty water out of the window, before he refilled it with clean, hot water from his palm.

    He tapped on it with his finger a single time as he gestured for the woman to get in.

    She looked slightly insulted as if he''d hurt her feelings, and he realized that this may have been a bit misleading.

    "..I am not saying that you smell, nor am I attempting to call you dirty. I simply thought it might be nice for you, and would give us a sufficient way to pass the time. Unless you prefer to sit in an awkward silence?"

    "..." The woman seemed to think about it for a moment before pulling off her bup sack and sitting inside of the wooden basin.

    Taira respectfully avoided looking in any areas that might have insulted her, as did he avoid touching her in any way.

    He handed her a bar of soap without looking at her, and when she did not take it he had no choice but to look back.

    "It''s soap. Go on, take it."

    "..."

    "...You should have more sense of self preservation. Even if I am another fallen, I am still a stranger. How can you expect me to bathe you?"

    "..."

    "...Fine, close your eyes.... And don''t tell my wives."

    Gently, Taira scooped up handfuls of water into his hands before letting it run across her face and down her body.

    Perhaps because he was avoiding the most troublesome areas, he washed her hair first.

    What was revealed was a head of dark gray dreadlocks that were remarkably well maintained despite the missing years required for upkeep.

    As more of the dirt caked on her skin started to fall away, Taira could finally tell what she was.

    She had lots of tattoos along her shoulders, chest, arms, and legs; all in the shape of spiderwebs and other various demonic markings.

    She had beautiful ashen brown skin that was still remarkably soft despite the numerous patchworks of scars across it.

    Her nails were ck, long, and jagged, as if they had been repeatedly broken over and over, yet had only grown back.

    On the opposing sides of her back, there were small protrusions that were barely cresting an inch from her body, but he knew full well that they could be exaggeratedly sharp weapons.

    "An arachne... You''re... very rare, aren''t you?"

    "..." The girl said nothing as she stared up at her caretaker as if she didn''t know what to say to that.

    The number of spider demons has been declining in the world since around the time before Taira went into his slumber.

    They were hunted for the profound beauty that the women possessed, as well as the men''s overwhelming lethality.

    In addition, the silk that the women make can be sold for hundreds if not thousands of gold for a single pound.

    Even now, there was only one spider demon bloodline left, and they just so happened to be very influential in fallen society.

    "Tell me... Do you by any chance have a rtion to Kyoen Jiraigumo?"

    "!"

    "Right... Well, at least you seem to be more pleasant than he."

    "?"

    -

    An hourter, Taira finally felt thepound be noticeably more still, and decided it was time to act.

    It took a while for him to convince the spider woman in the room, as she clearly did not want to be left alone for any reason.

    Left with no choice, he sent a small wisp of blue me into her forehead and put her to sleep in the bedroom after knocking away the dead body.

    Slipping out into the hallway, he smiled in the darkness when he realized that the entire ce was asleep.

    He could feel it.

    After cultivating his dream art, sleep in itself was no different from fire to him now.

    He could control it.

    Manipte it.

    Abuse it.

    The only reason he had not done it sooner was because putting to sleep such a drastic amount of enemies at once wold have drawn the attention of the one person in the base who it wouldn''t work on.

    But now that they were asleep naturally, he could use significantly less energy expenditure.

    His tails started to glow with a hazy violet light as they swayed from side to side hypnotically, and he held out his arms like a priest weing a congregation.

    When his eyes shifted to the same dull violet as his tails, he could literally see the hundreds of dreams of everyone in this base as if they were ying in front of him.

    And frankly... they were far too happy for his liking.

    "Dream Devouring Art : Feast of the ck Beasts."

    -

    Lieutenant Joseph Ripley was having another of his beloved dreams that the wouldn''t tell anyone in his brigade about.

    He was in a blissful field of flowers in a faraway meadow, about to woo the woman of his dreams and have her be his for all of eternity.

    His grandmother!

    No one respect''s a man''s love for older women these days, but Joseph wasn''t like that!

    In here, he was free to dream about whatever he wanted to and indulge in his darkest fetishes shamelessly.

    As he dropped to one knee in his gleaming silver armor, it was something like a picture out of a storybook.

    Ring in hand, he looked up at the old woman in a tavern dress and he prepared to utter the long held words from his lips.

    "Gam-Gam... Will you ma-"

    "Grrrr..."

    The longer he looked at the face of his sweet grandmother, the more he realized that it didn''t quite seem like her anymore.

    No... it couldn''t be her.

    Her face was a hideous monstrosity, like that of a rabid demonic looking dog with an entirely ck body.

    Dark violet eyes permitted every visible corner of it''s figure, along with various mouths full of gleaming yellow teeth.

    "Gam-"

    "RAAAHHH!!!"

    "AGGGHHH!!!"

    The beast leapt on top of Joseph and started to maul him terribly.

    However, this was different from a normal attack.

    The beast specifically avoided harming vital spots along the body of it''s prey and instead focused only on attacking the parts of him that would cause the most pain and anguish.

    He screamed until his throat went numb, and then the beast bit down on his neck and cut his life short.

    -

    Joseph woke up with a start, unable to scream, and unable to control his internal energy.

    The wounds he suffered within the dream started to appear across his body in the real world, with second after passing second filling him with more grief and agony.

    With hisst breath, he choked miserably and spit out a horrible mouthful of ck goo and it spilled out onto the floor.

    Soon, the goo became the same beast that had attacked him within his dream, only possessing a physical form.

    The beast started to eat the fresh corpse lying in front of it, when suddenly a very familiar and authoritative voice appeared within his mind.

    ''Don''t be greedy. You''ve already eaten, now get to work first then you can finishter.''

    *Depressed whimpering*

    ''It doesn''t work when my loves do it, it won''t work when you do it either.''

    *Disbelieving grunt*

    ''...Shut up and get to work.''

    -

    Taira opened his eyes as the doors to the rooms opened quietly and several beasts started to walk out of the bedrooms into the hallway.

    Some had abused fallen nightpanions on their backs, being both male and female.

    They carried them downstairs and outside while a few stood around Taira in a circle like they were waiting for further orders.

    ''There are stables downstairs in the northern corridor, the rest of our people are there. Get them to the girls in the forest and help them transport them safely... And fix your appearances.''

    The hounds tilted their heads and made confused faces.

    ''Make yourselves... cuter. Do not terrify the people we are trying to save.''

    The hounds made sad noises as they drooped their heads, almost as if to say; ''Are we not cute?''

    And as always, Taira was as blunt as ever.

    ''No. You are not.''

    Temporarily, the kitsune changed into a ck Tibetan mastiff, and allowed all of the hounds to get a good look.

    ''Something like this. Fluffy, but sturdy. Go.''

    The hounds nodded in understanding and changed their bodies before running off into the night towards the stables.

    Once the ce was cleared out, Taira nced over his shoulder at thest door on the hallway, the one he had specifically left untouched.

 Chapter 113: Does This Count As A Failure?

    Using the spiritual form he inherited from Enyo, Taira became incorporeal and he passed through the door waiting at the other end of the hall.

    Inside, he found a moderatelyrge room with expensive looking furniture and curtains covering the windows.

    In the corner, there was arge cage covered with a sheet and a desk lined with papers.

    Taira wanted to free whoever was lying in the cage at the moment, but there was something that still had to be done first.

    Vance was sleeping in a bed on the other side of the room, and he couldn''t yet risk waking him before he gained what he hade here for.

    ''Dark Moon Art : Eclipse of Nothingness.''

    Suddenly, the area around Taira started to get just a bit darker than normal, almost as if the shadows were being concentrated.

    Taira let both feetnd on the ground and made his body physical once more.

    Testing it, he smacked the door casually with the back of his hand and when it made no noise, he knew his technique was in full effect.

    Eclipse of nothing is one of the most difficult arts of the dark moon movement techniques, and it was one of the most useful.

    By taking brief control over nearby shadows in a space, he could use them as a sort of barrier to erase all sound from things he interacted with.

    Right now, Taira could have thrown a chair halfway across the room if he liked, and it still wouldn''t have made a single sound.

    Moving through the room like he was true nothingness, Taira made a beeline for the desk and all of the papers strewn across it.

    With no time to go and search everything thoroughly, he began to touch things one by one, and sent them into nothingness.

    ''Girls, tell me if you are getting these.''

    -

    At the group''s home in the underground sect, Aveena and Keran were sitting at the table of their dining room, plucking the papers out of the air that were starting to float downward.

    Since Keran was connected to this ce and held ownership over it, she coulde and go at any time from anywhere in the world, and conversely anything that she touched could be sent here too.

    And with her soul being delicately interlocked with all of the others, that meant that they could all do something like this too.

    Keran: ''Yes, we''re getting them.''

    Aveena: ''What is all of this, husband?''

    ''Documents from the hero''s desk. I''ll be sending you more soon, so go through them properly and tell me if you find anything that sounds like it might pertain to what we''re looking for.''

    Keran: ''Okay!''

    Aveena: ''I hate paperwork though...''

    ''I will express my gratitude to you properly upon my return, my love.''

    Aveena: ''I love paperwork!''

    -

    Smiling, Taira continued to send any documents that he felt looked important to the girls at home, when he finally came upon a locked drawer that immediately made him pause in his tracks.

    ''There''s an array set up inside of this drawer...''

    Realizing he''d hit the jackpot, he stepped back as he took a moment to think.

    Arrays wereplex lines and formations fueled by qi that were set up inside a space to aplish a number of tasks or purposes.

    The fact that there was one set up on the inside of this drawer meant that it likely contained what he was looking for, and if he dared to break the lock through forceful means or even try to pick it, he would likely blow this whole room apart.

    Even if he manipted his finger to specifically fit the mold of the lock, it would still do him no good at all since that was not the intended key.

    His red eyes began to peer through the darkness, and he started to look for anywhere that it could be lying around.

    Finally, a silver gleam caught his notice and he found what he may have been looking for.

    A silver ring sittingfortably on the sleeping figure of Vance, on the opposite side of the room.

    If the key to this safe was going to be anywhere, it had to be in there.

    ''This will be amusing... I don''t think I''ve ever used my talents to perform any amount of pickpocketing.''

    Taira leapt pinto the air, and started to walk across the ceiling like it was normal.

    As he approached Vance''s bed quietly, he suddenly heard a rustling sounding from the cage, followed by whimpering.

    Unsurprisingly, the hero immediately woke up, his eyes going directly towards that side of his room.

    Taira watched as the man sleepily crawled out of his bed and picked up a poker from the cold firece.

    "Shut up... I can''t get any damned sleep with you whimpering all the time."

    Pulling back the sheet, he started to poke the inhabitants inside like they were hot coals; not enough force to break the skin but enough to cause difort.

    Inside of the cage, there was a skinny young man and woman who couldn''t have been any older than sixteen.

    Their bodies were naked in a number of bruises, but that wasn''t the most upsetting think about them.

    The boy was androgynous looking, and it was rather difficult to tell that he wasn''t a girl unless one checked.

    His horns were shaved down until the point that they were barely noticeable and hardy poked out from his hair, almost making him look human.

    The other girl looked like she was some kind of beastkin who''d had her extra ears chopped clean off to erase any fallen-like qualities.

    Both of them had their hair died cheaply to a dull-ish silver color that was already fading out, and yellow contacts in their eyes.

    They were being made to y dress up and be substitutes, and once Taira realized that his anger reached a new level for the day, and his mind started to get hazy.

    As Vance tried to get his own personal toys to be quiet, he noticed that his desk was surprisingly barren.

    ''Did I... Clean that before I went to be-''

    BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!

    Vance flew through the stone wall of his quarters and sprawled out into the hallway before he''d even realized what had happened.

    He felt a searing pain running across his back in droves and he felt like he had be slightly delirious.

    As his vision corrected itself, he saw he figure of a man stepping out from the hole in the wall with an enormous weapon slung over his shoulder.

    "I don''t remember thest time I was this upset about something... It feels like a sickness is spreading throughout my chest and I have no way to cough it up.."

    "Who are you?! What are you doing in my quarters?!" Vance roared as he stood up.

    "I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe, I told it not, my wrath did grow..." In an icy cold voice, Taira stepped out from the cloud of smoky rubble, and the mark on his forehead started to glow brighter and brighter.

    "Men, we''re under attack! Get out here no-" Vance''s eyes widened in horror as he saw the open doors throughout the hallway.

    The smell of blood lingered in the air, and he could no longer feel a single life signing from anyone within his base.

    All of the men he''d brought here... they were all dead.

    "No..."

    "And I watered it in fears, night and morning with my tears: And I stunned it with smiles, and with soft deceitful wiles..."

    "I''ll kill you!!" Vance let out a proud roar, an his standard blue armor appeared upon him in an instant, with his greatsword in hand.

    "And it grew both day and night, till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, and he knew that it was mine...."

    "AAAHHH!!" Vance lunged at the hazy-minded Taira with his greatsword overhead and swung it downward as if he were going to split the intruder down the middle.

    However, Taira easily caught his bade with his own and the force created from the shing of their weapons obliterated the ground from underneath them.

    "And into my garden stole, when the night had veiled the pole; In the morning d I see..."

    The two men exchanged blow after blow, and after only the first couple of exchanges Vance had a very frightening revtion.

    This being had seen through every move he made in an instant, and started moving to counter him before he had even made an attack.

    Suddenly, the gravity in the area started to feel so oppressive that Vance temporarily lost his footing, and Taira easily made him pay for it.

    The moment he started to go down, a foot sailed into his chest and sent him tumbling back across the already ruined ground.

    Just as he started to recover, Taira reappeared above his head and liberated Vance''s right arm from his body with a single sh of his weapon.

    Smiling, the nogitsune''s fangs became evenrger than normal as he admired the ring hand that was now lying on the ground for the taking.

    "My foe outstretched beneath the tree..!!"

    -

    "Sister..." Keran suddenly said.

    "Hm? Found something?"

    "This letter between two of the heroes... It details difficulties managing the side effects associated with some shared art they''re using. Mental deterioration, perversions of personality... What causes something like this?"

    Neither of the girls seemed to know the answer, and as they thought about it they got a strange chilling feelinging from the respective corners of their brain.

    Immediately, they knew exactly what it was.

    ""He''s pissed.""

 Chapter 114: Funny Seeing You Here

    Vance screamed bloody murder as he watched his arm hit the floor without having any ability to stop it.

    Tears filled his eyes as his hated enemy flickered in and out of his vision like some kind of ghost.

    Smiling, Taira looked down at the enraged human who was trying to stop the concerning amount of bleeding through sheer force of will.

    "They said you would have more tricks than this... I am rtively unimpressed thus far."

    Vance''s agony quickly turned into anger as he picked up his sword with a single hand and gritted his teeth hard enough to make his gums bleed.

    "I can assure you, you fucking beast...! You haven''t seen anything yet!"

    "More needless bravado from your kind."

    "Tidal de Art : Massacring Waves!"

    Vance''s sword started to glow with a blue light and a thin veil of concentrated water formed along the edges- increasing the sharpness to a drastic degree.

    With a loud battle cry, the hero rushed at his would-be executioner with oppressive strikes like that of a raging sea.

    At first, things were going great.

    Deep gashes that spilled ck blood appeared on Taira''s face, chest, stomach, and legs.

    Vance''s ninth move was a vicious one that attacked the whole body of his opponent in an attempt to break them down, and macerate their body into paste.

    Once began, it was designed to be more and more overbearing the longer the art was in use.

    So why was the opposite happening instead?!

    The longer Vance attacked, the more difficult he found it to injure his nine-tailed assant at all.

    It was almost as if...

    ''No... that''s not possible..!''

    With Vance''s suspicion taking root, he performed a cardinal sin among cultivators.

    He stopped his attack in the middle.

    And when he did so, his eyes caught the moment where Taira moved to block the move that would havee next, almost as if he already knew.

    Vance immediately took several steps back from Taira and stared at him like he was some kind of demon.

    "Y-You.. you''re a freak..! HOW CAN YOU LEARN MY ART JUST BY WATCHING ME USE IT?!"

    Taira did not say anything, and instead smiled at the irate human as if he found this all terribly amusing.

    At the moment that Vance saw his tworge fangs that seemed to be too big for his mouth, he felt the smallest twinge of fear creep into his heart.

    Desperate, he pointed the tip of his de at his intruder warily as he backed away warily.

    "Arcane Water : Sea''s Grace!"

    -

    "There there now, easy. Sit here and eat this, alright? I promise that it won''t hurt you at all." Vermeil said kindly.

    The abused fallen woman leaning against the tree couldn''t help but look behind the human woman warily.

    She made eye contact with two more of the fallen women who were administering first aid to everyone else who''d been broken out of thepound tonight, and saw that they seemed to trust her.

    For reasons that she did not understand, the same kind of human who had just persecuted her so openly was now trying to save her despite having no reason to.

    And despite knowing that she shouldn''t have... she wanted to trust her.

    Parting her cracked lips, she allowed Vermeil''s pretty porcin fingers to insert a healing pill in her mouth.

    It began to dissolve immediately, and a small heat began to pass over her body as any wounds or bruises she had started to heal miraculously.

    To top it all off, she could even feel herself starting to look fifteen years younger.

    "H-How..?"

    "I''m pretty good at what I do." Vermeil said with a smile. "Are you feeling better? Can you stand-"

    BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!

    A loud explosion suddenly rang out from thepound and an enormous volume of water blew out almost the entire wall on the north side.

    A brief glimmer of recognition crossed the eyes of Vermeil and she began to worry slightly.

    ncing at the other girls for permission, they nodded and she took off to the field underneath the grounds.

    There, she nced around the recently created swampnds as she searched for the body of her beloved.

    Only for him to appear in front of her a secondter from thin air; surprisingly not wet and undamaged.

    "...!" Vermeil''s shock quickly turned into a knowing smile as she pushed her hair out of her face. "You.. you''re having fun with this, aren''t you?"

    "Not yet, but I''m about to." He said with an honest smile.

    "Vermeil..!"

    Looking up at the hole in thepound, Vermeil saw a man she''d long forgotten about.

    Where he used to look more charismatic and like something of a baby-faced older brother, he now looked like a grizzled war veteran.

    Even the sword in his hand seemed to be bordering on wavering as if he were mentally exhausted.

    His eyes did not want to believe that it was her standing here, but a momentter a scene was burned into his memory that he would never forget.

    The enemy he had been fighting with so fiercely a few moments ago suddenly grabbed the object of his affections by the waist and kissed her passionately.

    She seemed surprised for only a moment, but she did not pull away, and instead returned it just as fervently.

    It was no surprise then that his mind snapped in two.

    Again.

    See, Vance had never been in love with Vermeil, or even sexually attracted to her.

    But after the fragmentation of his mind caused by the cursed art he''d been using, his feelings turned into a sickened sense of entitlement.

    ''H-How could she so that with him..!?''

    ''Doesn''t she know how much I suffered for her?!''

    ''All of the punishment that I had to endure for failing to instruct her properly, and she just dashesaway into the arms of someone else?!''

    ''She owes me..!''

    ''How dare she..! With that beast..!''

    ''She likes beasts so much...''

    "I''LL SHOW YOU A BEASTTTT!!!!"

    As Vance roared madly into the night, a column of power left his body and soared up into the ck sky.

    Dark storm clouds began to form overhead, followed by the crackling of lightning and the booming of thunder.

    The wind howled fiercely as heavy rainfall fell from the sky like angry meters descending upon the world.

    Taira finally pulled away from Vermeil, and he appeared to have gotten what he wanted.

    ''I''m sorry to use you like that, my love... I just needed to rile him up enough to get him to use the art.''

    ''You don''t have to apologize for kissing me when we''re married, love. But why did you know that specifically would be the act to send him over the edge?''

    ''...He-''

    "AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!"

    Vance became more and more crazed as his skin became grey and his eyes turned into miniature red lightbulbs.

    And then... something neither of them understood happened.

    A wave of corruption suddenly pulsed outward with Vance at the source and washed over everything nearby.

    Everything it touched turned ck and rotted to any noticeable degree possible.

    Even the stone seemed to be soft and weak as it was tainted all the way down to it''s molecr structure.

    Vermeil attempted to back away from the wave out of caution, but her husband stopped her at thest moment.

    ''Wait... I think we''ll be fine.''

    ''How sure are you?!''

    ''...80%.''

    ''TAIRA!''

    ''90.''

    At the next moment, the wave passed over the two of them, and Vermeil got to learn firsthand what this new power of Vance''s was attempting to do.

    ''By the gods... How can such a terrible thing exist..?''

    As soon as the wave passed over Vermeil, it returned inward on itself, back towards Vance.

    When the energy returned to him, it seemed to have brought all of the energy that it had taken from the surroundings along with it.

    The amount of qi within Vance''s body practically quadrupled, and his body seemed to be miles more tough than before.

    Although his mind seemed to be gone topensate for his increase in muscture.

    "VERMEILLLLLL!!!!!"

    Vance cried out like an anguished beast as he took personal control of the rain around him.

    Suddenly, its fall was no longer quite natural as it sped up to an abysmal degree.

    Sensing danger, Vermeil conjured a wall of qi to protect herself and narrowly avoided being hacked to pieces by the trillions upon trillions of drops of rain that were now trying to cut her.

    But Taira was not so lucky.

    His body was riddled with holes in an instant, and he fell onto the ground face first.

    However, his body exploded into a shimmering dust a momentter.

    "WHAT?!"

    *Whistling* "Having illusion magic in my bloodline is so much fun. It is one of the few things that makes me smile openly around others."

    Vance''s eyes shot towards a watchtower nearby, where a very annoying figure was standing as good as new.

    It was like he''d never been touched at all.

    He held a sleeping woman across his back, and in both hands he held two items.

    One was the hand that was cut off when they first began their collision.

    The other was the manual that he kept locked within his desk drawer.

    The one that absolutely none but the other heroes were allowed to see.

    "Abusing the Quintessence of this ne... Oh how low you humans have fallen." Taira said with faux pity.

    "Give it back... STOP TAKING MY THINGS FROM ME!!"

    As Vance lunged at Taira with impossible speed, he kept his mind calm, and utilized the efforts of years of hard work and ingenuity.

    "Arcane Union : ...."

 Chapter 115: Nogitsune Are Trickster Fallen

    Taira had spent a lot of years practicing and cultivating not only his body, but his talent for magic as well.

    And as always, he was a bit of a rebel in his practices.

    His imagination and thoughtfulness could not be contained by what others had considered to bemon sense''.

    To grow in ways no one ever had before, he had to do things that they might have considered suicidal or impossible.

    He did not shackle himself with reliance solely upon the three cocktails of beasts that made up his gics.

    He did not just want to be something unseen, he wanted to be a genuinely crafty and knowledgeable force that sought to not only better all others, but to outpace and outthink them.

    And there was no greater fruit of his study and practices than the unification of his magical elements.

    "Arcane Union : Judgment of Wind and me."

    As quickly as it formed, the storm raging in the sky above split apart and made way for something new.

    Arge weapon was created in the sky from nothingness.

    A sword, made from surrounding blistering green winds and burning with a great and nigh uncontroble blue fire.

    Almost as quickly as it formed, the sword fell out of the air on the path towards a dangerously roided out Vance.

    However, he was not the slightest bit intimidated by this clearly magical anomaly in the atmosphere, and he lunged at the sword with his own held tightly in his grasp.

    Vermeil appeared beside Taira in an instant, staring hard at the sleeping woman on her husband''s back.

    "..."

    "...She''s just a girl I saved."

    "Are you fond of her by chance? It is very unlike you to let strangers touch you, even if they are beautiful. "

    "...Please stop trying to analyze me and just cover us."

    Vermeil smirked and put up a temporary barrier just as Vance made contact with Taira''s attack.

    And as a result, the very world around them trembled as if it were about to be broken.

    The loud explosion caused by their sh caused the already ruined building toe crumbling down, and the dead grass to bepletely eviscerated.

    The watchtower that Vermeil and Taira stood upon was the only structure that remained upright afterwards, undoubtedly due to her own interference.

    When the dust and ash cleared, Vermeil and Taira both sucked in their teeth at what they saw.

    Vance''s prized sword was broken, his pristine blue armor was melting like a candy bar left in the sun for too long, and his remaining arm was now missing, along with a scarilyrge chunk of his shoulder.

    But even with all of that, he still wasn''t dead.

    "..."

    "Hurt your pride a bit, my love?" Vermeil gloated just a bit.

    "...Indeed." As evidence of his annoyance, Yasuke appeared in the air right next to him as if he was just waiting to be called upon.

    "Easy now, husband." Vermeil ced a slender hand on her husband''s chest to stop him before he could shrug the woman from his back.

    "You had your turn, let me handle him."

    "Actually, I did not. He was preupied with my illusion the whole time."

    "You can still see through them and they share your thoughts and capabilities so I''m counting it!" Vermeil shrugged off her kimono and revealed her sleeveless dark blue bodysuit underneath.

    Fastened behind her back were two pair of silver sai, a gift that she had received from her husband very long ago.

    Perhaps because he was enamored with the sight of herrge butt, Taira temporarily forgot about the battle she was robbing him of.

    Once he was finished ogling her like this was the first day they were married, his brain started to spin into overdrive once again.

    "Alright... But don''t kill him."

    "Come again?" Vermeil questioned.

    As she looked behind her back, she found her husband with the same mischievous light she hade to know so well over the course of their 50 year marriage.

    It usually meant he had some kind of prank nned or he was going to sneak around their home while erasing his presence until they could find him.

    But for some reason... she doubted his intention for Vance would be so cute and yful.

    "Alright then. Wish me luck in battle."Vermeil smiled as she flipped off the watchtower and onto the waiting battlefield.

    Matching her smile, Taira wished her luck silently as she had asked; despite knowing she would not at all need it.

    Out of everyone else in their family, who else was his equal in destruction?

    -

    As Vance''s ruined body remained upright on his knees, he sent out another corrosive wave with himself being the return point.

    When the energy of the world was brought back to him, it gave him just what he needed to stay alive.

    Focusing briefly, he used the influx of energy to rejuvenate himself instead of invigorating.

    His arms began to grow back along with the ruined parts of his torso.

    This proved to be happening just in time, as a momentter a familiar figurended in front of him with the grace of a juvenile faun.

    With his mind fractured, he could not appreciate her beauty, but it was enough for him that he knew her identity.

    "VERMEILLLL!!!"

    "I wish I could make my husband scream out my name like that.... though with a little bit less murderous intent and more-"

    *Taira from afar* " Stop trying to embarrass me and put him down!"

    "But you''re so cute when you''re embarrassed!"

    "VERMEIL!!!"

    Vance piked up the broken hilt of his sword and gathered the nearby rainfall to form aplete de.

    With his weapon reformed, he lunged at Vermeil like a berserk madman.

    Shaking her head pitifully, Vermeil unsheathed the silver sai she kept held in ce behind her waist and gave them a time practiced twirl between her fingers.

    "You were scummy before but I must admit to myself... you have somehow fallen to a level even lower than a rapist. You have earned every bit of the retribution that is toe to you."

    BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!

    Vance struck the ground where Vermeil once stood and was rmed to find that her body was no longer in the ce where it should have been.

    A shadow passed over his head and he looked up to find her floating in the air with her back towards the sky.

    The Sai in her hand began to glow with an intense golden light as they floated from her palms hypnotically.

    Taking a page out of her husband''s book, she used the special ability of her weapons to create multiple copies that circled all around her.

    "Arcane Starlight : Myriad Rayet."

    In a sh of light, Vermeil reappeared beside vance with all of her fabricated weapons alongside her.

    Faster than what he could have hoped to react to, Vermeil plucked two of her weapons out of the air and got to work.

    She stabbed Vance between the joints in his knees, leaving the weapons buried as he swung at her and missed wildly.

    Plucking away two more from the air around her, Vermeil stabbed Vance in the torso, piercing both of his lungs andpromising his airflow.

    This process would continue until all thirty of Vermeil''s created Sai were buried deeply into Vance''s body; unable to be removed through his own power.

    As quickly as she came she retreated, and left her former instructor reeling from all of the weapons buried in his body.

    The heat the daggers was indeed unbearable, and supercharged or not Vance would die if his opponent asked the daggers to detonate.

    But because her husband had grander plots in mind, she had to alter her course just a bit.

    From a safe enough distance, Vermeil started to perform the necessary handsigns needed to do what she had nned.

    ''Astel, give me strength.''

    As she expected, the energy cost was tremendous even with everything that she had be, and she nearly passed out just as she was beginning to execute it.

    "Advanced Sealing Technique : 10,000 Stars in the Night."

    Above their heads, a spotlight shone down over Vance''s head.

    Using the buried sai as a beacons, an unknown force locked onto his location and kept him within it''s sight.

    Then, shooting stars began to race across the sky from every direction, all converging on the white spotlight designating Vance as the target.

    Sensing something wrong, his dementia temporarily lifted as he looked at Vermeil with eyes filled with horror.

    "Fall."

    "NOO-"

    At Vermeil''s behest, the congealed mass of starlight plummeted onto their world like an enraged god descending from the heavens.

    It collided with Vance''s body at the speed of light, and temporarily blinded every being within eyesight who did not look away fast enough.

    When Vermeil opened her eyes once again, she was lying on her back in a crater a mile wide, staring up into the face of her husband.

    "So... how''d I do, coach?"

    Taira smiled as he ran his hands through her perfect white hair, and called their prize into his palm.

    An item that resembled a glowing piece of ss no different than a Christmas ornament, and as delicate as a faberg�� egg.

    "Do you even have to ask? You did wonderfully, my love." he said proudly.

    "Darling...?"

    "Yes?"

    "I love you... but if you don''t put that woman down I''m going to seal you away next."

    "...Noted."

 Chapter 116: Life after Death

    ''Where do you think we go when we die?''

    Depending on where you are and who you ask, there can be as many answers as their are stars in the sky.

    But, that is the way things are on Earth.

    On Tayar, everyone knows where weary and innocent souls go upon their dying day.

    Nowhere.

    The souls of the innocent dead inhabit the very world around them where they once roamed.

    The belief is that they be part of this world''s stability, and help to hold it together.

    They enrich this ne; making the grass greener and healthier, the water fresh and ever clear, and the air as soothing as a mother''s gentle call.

    Some would say that this is the true magic of this world; a pure and untouched rest that can be appreciated by others toe for as long as there are others toe.

    "But somehow, the heroes have gotten their hands on this nasty little art that allows them to not only disturb the rest of those who passed, but use their energy for their own gain as well."

    Taira ced the letters he''d found on the table, along with the manual he''d gotten from the lockedpartment of Vance''s own desk.

    Ja'' Zaki, Ayame, and Aja all looked down at the assembled papers with disbelieving expressions.

    What they were hearing was almost unthinkable to them.

    There were a great many ways that cultivators had sought to gain power over the years, but none had ever attempted to touch the quintessence of this world before.

    It was such a depraved, dark, and dastardly thing to do that most people couldn''t even fathom it.

    There could be considered no worse crime in this world; not murder, not sexual assault, theft, or even rampant adultery.

    And as the heads of the fallen races opened the manual for the first time, they felt their hearts twist at the sheer evil of it all.

    How could someone do this?

    Why would someone even think to do this?

    For acim? For power?

    Even they who were the most powerful beings in this world, had never dreamed to stoop so low.

    "This... This cannot go unanswered." Ja''Zaki said through gritted teeth.

    "They are all... practicing this filth?" Aja questioned in disbelief.

    "And they say we are the ones who are unclean. Filthy." Ayame spat.

    The pressure that was simmering off of all three of them was more suffocating than any other beings could suffer through.

    Taira and his wives did not bother to say anything, as they had also gone through this period of being enraged beyond belief.

    Now, the fallen leaders were entitled to feeling that same grief.

    *CREAK*

    The double doors to the meeting room swung open rather noticeably, and Kyoen strode inte at thest moment.

    "Is there a reason this couldn''t have waited until the morning? I assure you that I-"

    Suddenly, Kyoen froze like a deer in headlights when he saw a woman in the room who shouldn''t have been there.

    Standing next to Taira and holding the sleeve of his kimono was a pretty woman with dark skin, an abundance of ceremonial tattoos, and a head full of long grey dreadlocks.

    Her red eyes were intensely curious and yet mortifyingly empty, as if they''d wandered a bit too far outside of somewhere safe and seen too much that she shouldn''t have.

    "Elder sister..?"

    "..." Unable to speak, the mature woman simply held up two fingers in a greeting that she''d copied from Vermeil, her expression as robotic as ever.

    "Good, you''re here. Take back your sister now, she hasn''t left my side ever since I found her and it''s getting me into trouble." Taira said in relief.

    The young woman nced at Taira''s wives who were surrounding her and giving her somewhat unfriendly looks.

    "..." With nothing else to do, she shed them another peace sign in the hopes that it would disarm them.

    Their unkind gazes cracked, but they still looked like they wanted her to let go of their husband''s sleeve.

    Kyoen quickly shook off the stupor he felt and his gaze hardened once more.

    "I don''t know where you found that thing, but keep it. My family''s honor will not be sullied by one who stinks so voraciously of humans. Inadu Tsuchigumo is already dead, leave it at that."

    The ears on top of Taira''s head twitched as if he couldn''t believe what he had just heard.

    At his side, the spider demon seemed to have no problem with her brother''s words; and in a shocking turn she bowed respectfully as if she had no problem receiving them.

    "What are you doing, silly girl." Taira palmed the top of Inadu''s head like a basketball and made her stand back up, much to her obvious surprise.

    Turing back to Kyoen, his pointed fangs shed as if he were beginning to lose his patience.

    "Don''t be daft. This woman is your blood. Apologize and take her back."

    "Loss is not tolerated in my lineage, dog. Next time leave the trash where you find it, and we need not be haunted by the unfortunate ghosts of the fallen."

    "...Your lineage, huh...?"

    Once Taira''s wives heard Taira''s icy cold tone, they knew immediately things were about to get out of hand.

    They all took a much needed step back as he disappeared from his ce beside Inadu in the blink of an eye.

    He reappeared in the space beside Kyoen at an inhuman speed, and swung his scythe with the intention to cut off his head.

    But the heavenly demon had not gotten to where he was in life by being slow to react to assaults, and he quickly sprouted a set of spider like legs from his back; and blocked Taira''s de with a loud ng.

    "You would start a war with me?! For a sow you don''t even know!!?"

    "I was also left to die by my family because they deemed me unclean and weak, so I guess the existence of others that are simr to mine puts me in... a bit of a bad mood."

    "You''re insane!"

    "If your lineage is so unfeeling as to discard it''s members so casually... I think it is better that they not exist. I''ll be starting with you."

    "ENOUGH!"

    Moving at a speed that neither of them could follow, Ja'' Zaki appeared between the two men and tossed them onto opposite sides of the room.

    Their backs mmed against the concrete with enough force to shatter it, and both of them became restrained by tendrils of dark shadows that fastened them to the walls.

    "We do not have time to be fighting against each other! Have you young masters any idea of what we are up against!?

    The races of light are a collection of evil, megalomaniac, warmongers who would stop at nothing to eradicate us and everything we hold dear!

    I implore you for one moment, to fucking think about the bigger picture!! You can have your squabbles when we are living in peace, and not lying underneath the boots of their tyranny!"

    It was an odd thing to see the usually mischievous and yful dark elf suddenly be so serious in nature.

    And yet, it also did a lot to reaffirm how he became a leader in the first ce.

    He made it easy to see how the dark elves had be the most unified of all of the fallen races.

    Taira and Kyoen had their eyes meet in midair in an instant.

    Their conflict had been put on pause for now, but it was bound to resume sooner orter.

    And even though they had more matters that they should have been attending to at the moment... it was unlikely that they were going to wait toplete all of them before trying to kill each other once again.

    But for now at least, civility had to be maintained in the face of a rather militant dark elf leader.

    Ja'' Zaki sneered at the both of them in disappointment as he freed them from their shackles.

    "We''re done for today. This unpleasantness will be reconvened in the morning." Ja'' Zakileft quickly afterwards, followed by a still irate Kyoen.

    Aja left a moment after; though she did take a second to nce at Taira for some unknown reason before exiting.

    Taira''s wives quickly surrounded him as he picked himself up, all equally worried and looking like they were going to go wring the dark elf by his neck.

    Enyo: "Are you alright, honey?"

    Keran: "We can still go back and kill them both if you like."

    Lucia: "His words are not without merit though.. So maybe we should wait."

    Vermeil: "But we can still make a n!"

    Aveena: "Yes! A great n!"

    When Taira finally spoke, his words were different from what they expected, but not uncharacteristic of him.

    "So that''s a Quasi God... interesting.. powerful but not unkible. With preparations I feel I could-"

    "Great to know you''re fine, dear." Lucia said with a smile.

    Shrugging, Taira turned towards the sound of footsteps and found Ayame approaching him with somewhat of a distrusting look in her eye.

    She held up the star that currently had Vance sitting inside of it, sealed away for an eternity if they so wished.

    But Ayame was not satisfied with this oue at all.

    "I don''t care if you are family or not. If you don''t give me a good exnation for why you kept this human alive after what he''s done, you and I are going to have a disagreement next..!"

    Unbothered by his mother-inw''s threat, Taira gestured back to the roundtable where they once sat.

    ''I''m doing so much talking today... I need a nap.''

 Chapter 117: A New Houseguest

    "Here, open your mouth and eat this."

    Inadu stared at the pill being offered to her between Aveena''s fingers.

    The luster was incredible, and judging by the striations running across it there weren''t many imperfections within it either, making this a very high quality pill.

    ''It shouldn''t be wasted on me.''

    Regrettably, Inadu shook her head no as she curled up Aveena''s palm and pushed her hand back.

    "Eh? Why are you being like that? Don''t you want to talk again?"

    "..." A simple shrug was all that the Arachne gave in response.

    Aveena felt a vein bulge in her forehead as she began to feel frustrated.

    "Don''t be like that now! Just eat it so you can feel better!"

    "..." Again, Inadu shook her head in refusal; feeling that the pill should not be wasted on her.

    "Eat it on your own or I''ll treat you like Bill Cosby!"

    "..?"

    "I don''t know either, it''s just something that Vermeil says whenever she''s trying to get us to eat the new pills she makes."

    Frustrated, Aveena finally grabbed the young woman by the nose and pulled it.

    When Inadu''s lips opened in surprise, Aveena hurriedly threw the pill inside and covered her mouth with both hands so that she couldn''t spit it back out.

    A momentter, Inadu began to feel a dull heat traveling through her body, and concentrating in her throat.

    She could feel her severed vocal cords starting to stitch themselves back together, and even her old wounds that never healed properly began to repair themselves.

    When Aveena finally pulled her hands away, Inadu''s slender hands went directly to her throat and she let out a soft wheeze.

    Not bothering to string together any actual words, she already knew that she had been healed.

    "..." To show her gratitude, she got down onto all fours and bowed to Aveena as sincerely as possible.

    "Umm.. why are you doing something weird like that? You could just say thank you, you know?"

    With monstrous strength, Aveena lifted Inadu up by her underarms as if she were a baby.

    The Arachne seemed surprise, but she did not make that much of a fuss to get out of her grasp.

    Therge demoness ced the tarant woman on the bed and gave her a small pat on the head.

    "I know you can talk now, since Vermeil''s rank-5 pills are no joke. Are you just like my husband and prefer not to use your voice?"

    "...Yes."

    When Aveena finally heard Inadu speak, she was surprised by the gentleness of her voice as well as it''s quiet and rxed tone.

    It was easily one of the most beautiful she''d ever heard.

    "Well... that''s a pity because you have a lovely voice you know? We''d all like to hear it more."

    Aveena let out a sigh once she felt like she''d done everything she could, and stood up to leave the room.

    "Well alright then! This is our home and as of today, it''s yours too! There''s a lot of space and amenities and things like that so you can just do whatever you want without worry! If you need anything at all, you just have to tell us, okay?"

    "...I will try not to be a bother."

    "Then you better start asking for stuff soon. This is the first time we''ve ever had someone else stay with us, and Lucia''s really worried we''re going to be bad hosts."

    As she opened the door, the demoness remembered onest thing and paused just shy of exiting it.

    "Right, one of us will give you a tour tomorrow before we leave and will show you how to call the spirits to help with upkeep. I know it''s shitty of us to leave right after you got here but it doesn''t seem like it can be helped..."

    "...It is no trouble."

    "You say that but still... We''ll make it up to you when we get back, alright? Sleep tight, Inadu."

    Aveena waived goodbye to the young Arachne a momentter, and Inadu was left in the room alone to think about everything that had just been said.

    She curled her knees up to her chest and entered a deep state of contemtion.

    Inadu Tsuchigumo was the eldest daughter to the eight-legged spider demon n; a prominent family in fallen society and the ones who''d held the reigns of the demon race for a little over 1,000 years.

    In that regard, her background was not dissimr to Taira''s and Keran''s.

    However, the way that she had lived her life was a world apart.

    Like the Garou and the Ascalons, the Tsuchigumo are a n that prioritizes strength above all.

    However, it was to a grander degree than the other two ns.

    So much so that women who were born into the family line were seen as inferior and were not nurtured in the slightest.

    From the moment she was born, Inadu had lived a life of servitude that was no different than a girl from off the streets.

    Instead of being taught to use her families eight saber technique, she was taught how to wash dishes and foldundry.

    However, when she was off-duty, Inadu would practice cultivation on her own, and teach herself how to fight using the arts in her home that nobody else thought were worthwhile.

    And then one day, her prowess was discovered by her father.

    She thought that she may have been about to receive another set ofshes again, but surprisingly her father was rather impressed.

    A new world of privileges opened up for Inadu.

    She was then allowed to eat at the family table, to personally know her three younger brothers, and even observe just a bit of their training.

    She was awarded a temporary knightship and joined the demon army, and she quickly became something of a rising star.

    And then five years ago, she was defeated in battle against a hero''s forces.

    She had thought that her family would havee to save her, but she watched as her younger brother ordered a retreat without even bothering to save her life.

    In that moment, she realized that no matter what she had previously thought, she had always been nothing more than a servant to her own family.

    Perhaps that was why she did not mind very much when she was captured and her vocal cords were slit; since her body had never been hers to do with as she pleased for as long as she was alive.

    Disassociation kept her alive, but not necessarily sane.

    Retreating into a shell of herself whenever she was grabbed from the stable ensured that she barely remembered anything that happened to her in a night- if she even remembered being grabbed at all.

    And then one night, she came out of her shell to find a man sitting next to her, yet not daring to touch her.

    The man was like her, a fallen, and he had killed the human who she could only assume was about to harm her.

    Finally someone had saved her, but she didn''t know how to feel.

    She didn''t have anything left in her mind or heart and was almost robotic- not dissimr to a lich in that regard.

    Even when she saw her younger brother who''d abandoned her right in front of her face again, she had no visible reaction.

    She couldn''t understand why the man who''d saved her was more upset about how she was treated than she was, and had even attacked her brother on her behalf.

    She still found it strange whenever she thought about it.

    Inadu got up from the bed and headed towards the window in her new bedroom.

    Pushing the curtains aside, she stared out into the beautiful but empty cavern and had a slight sense of wonder sh within her eyes.

    This ce was nice but she didn''t know if she wanted to be here alone.

    But because she did not want to be a bother, she would stay here withoutint.

    -

    Aveena closed the door to a cleared out cer just underneath their home, where Taira and the rest of the girls were already waiting.

    No sooner had she stepped in the room did Lucia and Enyo swarm her and press herrge body against the door.

    Lucia: "Is she settled? Does she need anything? She''s probably hungry, right? Does she seem like a poultry or beef kind of woman? What sort of sides would she like? O-Or do you think she would like pastries??"

    Enyo : "You gave her the good nkets, right? And ensured that her bathwater was at a perfect temperature? She might need some candles too, it''s possible she hasn''t fully adjusted to the cold down here yet."

    "Yes, yes, I did all of that already. But you guys are being so worrisome that now I feel like I should have sang her a bedtime story too."

    Enyo / Lucia: ""Don''t be stupid!""

    "See? That''s how the two of you soun-"

    Enyo: "Keran has the best voice, she should do it!"

    "..."

    All eyes in the room drifted towards the charming kitsune, who admittedly was wearing a small blush from all of the attention.

    While the rest of the girls tried to establish a baseline for proper care, Taira and Vermeil were having their own conversation; and staring at the star she held in the center of her palm.

    "Are you ready?"

    "As I''ll ever be."

    Together, the two of them snapped the star in half and the room became drowned in a blinding gold light.

    When the light disappeared, a human man appeared on the floor; covered in odd puncture wounds.

    The moment that Vance looked up in confusion, Taira kicked him hard and sent him flying onto the back wall.

    As soon as he hit it, the nogitsune struck him in the stomach right beneath the navel; obliterating his cultivation in an instant.

    "W-What have you monsters done to me?!" he roared.

    "Rx, Vance."

    Vermeil stepped out in front of her husband and stared down at him coldly as if she hated him more than anything else in the world.

    "It''s not like you''ll be needing your power in the days toe anyway. You can help us throw the races of light into disarray without nudging a single finger."

 Chapter 118: Last Minute Travel Plans

    Blinking away the disbelief that came from both having his cultivation destroyed and seeing Vermeil again, Vance couldn''t help but only focus on his former prot��g��''sst words.

    Now that his mind was a bit clearer without the tainted qi in his system, he was having less difficulty functioning as normal.

    Although, it still could not be said that he was exactly pleasant.

    "Vermeil�� I-Is this where you''ve been all this time..? Slinking around in the dark w-with these monsters?! I thought you were dea-"

    In the blink of an eye, Vermeil grabbed Vance by the neck forcefully and held his adult body above her head.

    With her fingers aglow, she positioned two of them just shy of his cornea.

    "I want to hear you say that about my family a second time�� I will burn your eyes out of your skull."

    Beside the wall, Taira ced a hand over the heart in his chest.

    He didn''t get emotional very easily, but his wife''s disy had done just that.

    ''She''s taken after me so well�� going for the eyes without even needing to be told.''

    It was worth noting that Taira had put in no small amount of effort to gradually break her aversion to bloodshed that she held all of those years before.

    ��But his method was admittedly too effective.

    By having her close her eyes and stab him repeatedly in the stomach as they kissed, she learned to associate the spilling of blood with the warm feeling of her husband''s lips on her own.

    Because of that, it could be said that she could be just a bit�� overzealous.

    "A-Agh!"

    Vermeil dug her nails into the side of Vance''s neck and a faint amount of blood dribbled all the way down her wrists.

    It didn''t seem like she was going to stop anytime soon, so one among her family had to give her a well needed reminder.

    "Alive. Remember?" Lucia chided.

    "He''s still breathing so it''s fine! Besides, we''re going to put him back together anyway."

    Vermeil grabbed Vance by the jaw and reached inside one of her pockets to retrieve something.

    Forcing Vance''s mouth open, she jammed another pill inside without batting an eye and watched as every wound on his body closed up in an instant.

    "See? All good!" Vermeil said proudly.

    "Why�� Are you doing this? What has happened to you, Vermeil��?" Vance croaked.

    Immediately, the woman''s temper surged as she tightened her grip on his jaw.

    "ME?! You have been using the quintessence of this world to supercharge your own qi and you have the gall to act like I am somehow the greater evil of the two of us!?"

    "The gods said that it was fine��! That we alone had a right to use it because we are-"

    "Oh, spare me!!"

    Frustrated, Vermeil mmed Vance''s head against the stone wall of the cer and immediately cracked them both against each other.

    "This was always your fucking problem! Youe to a new world and you act like you''ve forgotten right from fucking wrong! You just let the meat riding of everyone in this world stroke your egos and turn your brains into decorations!"

    "We aren''t on earth, Vermeil! Our old ways of thinking don''t apply here-!"

    "Oh, bullshit! This isn''t about differential customs, Vance! You know full well that everything you lot have done is morally and ethically wrong, it doesn''t matter where you lie your head!

    It would be one thing if you abstained from this nonsense around you, but you all just partook in the madness as if you had no issue indulging in the suffering of others to illicit your own momentary satisfaction!"

    "��"

    "Say something, coward!"

    Vance did not say anything further, and because she was frustrated she had to bang this head against the stone wall just a few more times.

    Eventually, she felt Keran''s gentle grip on her shoulder, looking to pull her away before she did something irreversible.

    She let Vance drop to the ground and retreated to the back wall with Keran''s hand still on her shoulder; seemingly bordering on a very vtile breakdown.

    Meanwhile, Taira stepped up to take charge of this interrogation and deal with the bleeding human in the room.

    He quickly sped metallic restraints around his wrists and ankles that restricted his movement even further, although there was little likelihood of him causing any trouble to begin with.

    Soon he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and held it out in front of Vance''s nose.

    He didn''t say anything, but somehow the hero knew exactly what was being asked of him without needing further rification.

    "I.. I won''t tell you where he is..!"

    Saying nothing, Taira sharpened his ws and drug them across Vance''s bare chest so deeply that he nearly scraped his heart.

    Just as he started to scream out, Taira force fed another pill into his mouth and stitched him back together until he was as good as new.

    Again, Taira held out the piece of paper in the air and waited for Vance to be more forting with an answer.

    By now, he was beginning to feel like there was no way he was going to get out of this experience whole.

    -

    The next morning, Taira and the girls were standing on the bridge outside of their home as they prepared to leave.

    However, the way that they were traveling was a bit unusual.

    The captive Vance was currently hog tied and unconscious, and he had been slung over the shoulder of Taira like a duffel bag.

    Coincidentally, Aveena was also holding Enyo on her back with next to no difficulty due to her muscr frame.

    Though this was not because anything was wrong with the lovely Shoggoth and had more to do with the fact that Enyo was just toozy to be awake and alert at such an early hour.

    As the group went over thest of their preparations, the sound of footsteps suddenly drew everyone''s attention.

    There, they found the meek and slender-framed Inadu approaching from thepound.

    When she reached the group, she bowed deeply out of respect almost like she''d been trained to beforehand.

    She didn''t speak, but everyone still found it easy enough to understand the meaning behind this disy.

    ''I wish for your safe return.''

    "A!!"

    "..?!"

    In the blink of an eye, Lucia appeared right beside Inadu to pull her into a crushing embrace.

    "We promise, we''ll try toe back as quickly as we can! I''m sorry we''re leaving you alone like this but we really-"

    "Lucia! You''re turning her purple!" Keran chimed.

    Themia opened her eyes and found that the Arachne woman indeed looked a bit darker than normal, and she immediately released her grip. "S-Sorry! I forget that I don''t know my... own...?"

    Gradually, Lucia started to have difficulty stringing together a sentence and she began to feel somewhat lightheaded.

    She had barely started to fall over when Taira caught her in his arms.

    All she could hear were the faint voices of her family calling out to her in concerned tones, but even the sound of their voices was growing fainter by the second.

    ''Enyo was right... we should have stayed in bed a little longer.''

    -

    When Lucia opened her eyes once again, she was sitting in an empty ck space with nothing and no one around her.

    And yet, she could explicitly tell that she was not alone here.

    This space was also eerily familiar to her; and she remembered that this was not the first time something of this nature had happened to her.

    It was exactly like fifty years ago, when she gained her feet and the mysterious ck marking on her leg.

    "It is time... Go where I instruct, and let me guide you. Travel alone, or you might never find what you need, and all of this trouble will be for naught."

    Once again, Lucia spun around wildly as she searched for the source of the demonic voice, yet never found it.

    A throbbing pain became etched into her mind, and she realized that she had been given something like a map; though she was unsure of what it was for.

    Just before she could ask about it''s origins, she was thrust back into the waking world once more.

    Gradually, her vision started to regain focus once more, and the first thing that she saw was the concerned yet handsome face of her husband looming above her.

    "Lucia..? What happened?"

    "I... don''t believe I can go with you, my love. I am being called elsewhere."

 Chapter 119: Drowning The Light in Dark

    Taira''s mind was in a state of constant wonder as he flew through the air in the form of a giant nightmarish fox.

    As always, the girls were sitting atop his back and resting before the mission would get underway.

    Inhaling the somewhat stale and bleak air of the permanently dark Tethys, he allowed his mind to think about Lucia just a bit.

    For the most part, Taira doesn''t tell any of his wives no.

    It just hasn''t been something he''s had to do very much, since they almost never ask for things that would make him ufortable, or for something he would not be willing to do for them.

    But, when Lucia told him to drop her off in Tethys and let her travel to a different destination from theirs on her own, he immediately denied her request.

    Not because he didn''t want her to discover whatever this secret inheritance was that was left for her.

    But because he didn''t want her to travel through an unknown continent alone without one of them beside her.

    Tethys was a barren region full of mountains and huge open fields of nothing but gravel.

    The sky was permanently grey and dreary-like, and it was popted by not only undead, but dwarves as well.

    And despite their size, the little buggers are just like the rest of the races of light and hold a veryrge hatred for everything that they consider to be unclean or dirty.

    He didn''t doubt his wife''s ability in the slightest, but Taira almost never stopped living with an assassin''s mentality for every moment of his life.

    And besides the task at hand, an assassin is almost always thinking about any variables that could prop up in the midst of a job.

    The fact that he was unable to pinpoint and n for all of the variables Lucia might be about to run into made him very, very nervous.

    "You''re insulting her, you know?"

    Taira felt a familiar bottom suddenly sit on top of his forehead, and he closed his newly grown third eye so that she could stretch her legs.

    "I didn''t say anything."

    "You hardly had to. Everyone on board knows what''s on your mind right now." Enyo said sleepily. "Even the unconscious human."

    Taira looked at hisrge furry back and found that Vance was still gagged and chained.

    However, Vermeil was being decidedly mischievous as she drew dicks all over his face with a piece of charcoal.

    Coincidentally, Aveena was behind her watching and seemed like she wanted to join in, but everyone already knew from all of her previous attempts that she couldn''t draw to save her life.

    Keran was a few feet away- meditating to conserve her strength for what was about toe when they arrived at their destination.

    "They seem to have their minds focused on other things, my love."

    "Be that as it may, we still know our husband and how he reacts to certain things. We have all trained just as hard as you over thest half a century. You have to trust the fact that we can all take care of ourselves individually, and not just be dependent on your support."

    "...I see." he said quietly.

    "Try not to be so worried, okay? You''ll feel silly when shees back without a scratch on her." Enyoforted.

    "I would wee that. There is little that would bring me greater joy."

    Taira suddenly stopped flying in midair when he realized he had happened upon this destination without even realizing it.

    "We''re here."

    In an instant, Vermeil, Keran, and Aveena all stood up and gave their husband their attention.

    Taira changed back into his normal appearance and the five of them began to float upwards in the air- with Aveena holding their prisoner by the back of the neck.

    "So? How do you want to do this, husband?" Keran asked.

    Taira felt the gears within his mind starting to turn as he scoped out the surroundingspound bellow.

    It was no surprise to anyone assembled that it took him no more than a few seconds to establish a solid n.

    -

    Beforeing to another world, Vincent Abernathy was a simple 32 year old science teacher for an elementary school who had no prior knowledge of eastern fantasy tropes and only vaguely grasped the concept of reincarnation.

    All of his time beforeing to Tayar had been spentworking in a thankless dead end job that was slowly driving him towards suicide.

    I mean, have you ever tried to teach a ss full of fourth graders who all have unrestricted ess to ''TikTok''?

    It was a miracle he never hung himself during their lunch break.

    Because of everything that Vincent went through on earth, it could not be said that he actually liked kids.

    And every day that he had to spend around them felt like it took decades off his life.

    One night, he fell asleep on his couch watching a simple si and when he awoke, he was staring up into the face of a room full of old men in robes.

    When they told him some words about being a hero chosen by the great god of surging lightning, he thought they were pulling his leg.

    Then he sneezed and electricity came out of his nostrils and some other ces and.. yea. It was kind of hard to deny the reality of everything around him after that.

    This life brought him face to face with numerous challenges, overbearing obstacles, and untold peril at every corner, but it was worth it.

    He had more money than he could ever dream of!

    He had respect!

    Power!

    And a body that people on Earth would kill for!

    But there was very little that he got to experience that couldpare to moments like this.

    Standing in the middle of a dusty training ground was a man in resplendent purple armor.

    He had a neat and short haircut, apanied by a goatee and vibrant yellow eyes.

    His olive colored skin was much healthier looking than back when he was a teacher, although spending most of his days in the sun instead of at home probably had a lot to do with that.

    In his hands, he held a set of five gleaming silver daggers.

    The smile on his face was that of a true showman, mixed with a slight amount of madness that came from the cursed art gifted by immortals.

    "Alright, everyone! Which one''s next?!"

    Sitting in the surrounding stands like an entertained audience were the devoted members of his own personal army.

    Their attention was drawn to three children tied up in the corner opposite Hero Vincent.

    Or more specifically, three fallen children.

    "The zombie brat first!"

    "No, the banshee girl!"

    "I''m not hearing any votes for the wight boy! You know how good their healing is?! That will make things a lot more entertaining!"

    Vincent listened to the cries of all of his men and nodded slowly as if he were thinking about something.

    "Alright, alright. I''ve heard all of your pleas! But since I''m terrible at making choices how about we pick... All at once?!"

    Apuse erupted from the crowd that was greater than any that they had shown before, and Vincent knew immediately that he had his answer.

    Smiling, his body stared to course with electricity as he manipted the daggers to float around in his maic field.

    Just as he picked out the right trajectory to bring down all of the children at once, the doors to the stage were kicked open loudly.

    Stopping dead in his tracks, Vincent showed no small amount of surprise to see one of his fellow heroes standing here, looking surprisingly irate and like he was bordering on an outburst.

    "Vance? Is there a reason your baby face ass is running in here like-"

    Unfortunately, Vincent''s words were cut short when the fist of hisrade sailed directly into his teeth; knocking him on his butt.

 Chapter 120: Who Is The Real Enemy?

    After being knocked onto his butt by Vance, Vincent''s hand immediately went to his nose that was already beginning to leak twin bloody rivers.

    "T-The hell?! What was that for you big bastard?!"

    For some reason, those words only seemed to anger Vance even more and caused the veins in his forehead to bulge.

    "Shut up, scumbag! I can''t believe I ever had a friend like you!"

    This time, it was an armor ted foot that sailed into the lightning hero''s face, taking a number of teeth out with it and sending him skidding along the sand.

    Frustrated from the pain but healing from the assault already, Vincent stood up and pulled out his weapon from his storage space.

    It was simr to a katana, but it had a wavy de simr to that of a kris sword.

    Down the middle of the de, there seemed to be a living lightning bolt that caused the weapon to charge with power far beyond what a normal weapon of this calibre should posses.

    "Is this about that ''thing'' Vance?? If it is, let''s get out of here so that we can talk, buddy!" The lightning hero said warily.

    Instead of de-escting the situation, Vance drew his own weapon in response to the appearance of Vincent''s.

    Although the de was broken, the Hero of Cleansing Rain was a high enough level cultivator to pull water out of thin air and used it to not only repair his weapon, but make it sharper than ever.

    "Vance... Don''t do this, buddy-"

    "DIE!!"

    With Vance charging at him so desperately, Vincent had no choice but to defend himself.

    But because his fellow hero was the closest thing he had to a friend in this world, he had to find some way to subdue him without taking his life.

    The two men brought their swords together in a sh of blows that disced all of the sand scattered around them.

    However, neither man was at such an insignificant level as to let something like that slow them down, and they continued to rain blow after blow on each other.

    ''Vance''s body is certainly stronger, but his sword technique doesn''t feel as dangerous as before... He''s been using the art too much..!'' Vincent noted grimly.

    The gods had specifically warned them that using the Art of Swallowing Life would enhance their physical bodies overtime, but too much usage would make the side effects worse, and make them progress quicker.

    He hadn''t heard the reports that Vance had been engaging in battletely, but it looked like he''d been pushing himself against one of the fallen leaders more than he was supposed to.

    That... or he''d gotten addicted to the power that came from using a cursed art.

    ''No.. Van''s not that kind of guy..!'' Vincent thought disparagingly. ''Sorry buddy... this ain''t gonna tickle!''

    As the des of the two men shed once again, Vincent''s eyes glowed yellow as his sword produced a low humming noise.

    Before Vance knew what was happening, a current of dangerously strong lightning was passed between the two and gave the Hero of Cleansing Rain a devastating shock.

    "Aaaaghhh!!!!"

    Vance let out a pained roar as the element that was his natural antithesis washed over him.

    However, contrary to what Vincent was hoping for, Vance did not go down, and even seemed to have grown more irritated from the sudden surge of pain.

    No, he had definitely grown more irritated.

    Vincent could see his friend''s eyes starting to glow red like little nuclear lightbulbs, and his skin was bing a more mottled grey color.

    ''..What..?''

    Shocked, Vincent waspletely unprepared for the moment where Vance suddenly gave him a headbutt with practically all the force he could muster.

    Unsurprisingly, the lightning hero felt like he''d just gotten an enormous boulder bashed into the front of his skull.

    The whole world temporarily went white, and Vincent forgot about any form of technique as he went stumbling backwards.  stories

    At that moment, he received a hard kick to the midsection that sent him flying back into the wall behind him.

    The force was so great that the lightning hero actually ended up embedded in the wall, and he had to pry himself out of it with sheer will.

    "DIE!!"

    Vincent moved his head out of the way at precisely the right moment to avoid Vance''s great sword piercing his temple.

    By now, the situation was only bing more and more apparent to Vincent, and he didn''t like where this was going.

    Vance wasn''t responsive at all, he showed no signs of listening or even calming down.

    It was far from desirable, but at this rate... he was going to have to kill his best friend here.

    "Buddy... this is yourst chance..! If you don''t show me something that''s worth saving, then I won''t have any choice here!!"

    Against all of Vincent''s most sincere pleas, Vance still did not regain his sanity, and Vincent briefly closed his eyes to pay respects to the friend he once knew.

    "You have no idea... just how sorry about this I am, babyface."

    Suddenly, the method the lightning hero used to take in air changed dramatically, along with his usual aura.

    Slipping out of the corner he''d gotten himself into, he tightened his grip on his weapon as he turned his gaze towards the ceiling.

    "Wrath of Raijin Sword Art : Ten Thousand Thunderous Cuts."

    Suddenly, Vincent''s body seemed to be true living lightning as he leapt for the nearest wall.

    Concentrating most of his power into his thighs and the soles of his feet, hended on top of the sideways surface like a spider before leaping off of it with even greater speed than what was first disyed.

    Before Vance even knew what had happened, he had a huge gash across his back.

    And another across his arm.

    Followed by four across his chest.

    Vance found it impossible to defend himself in the slightest, much less follow the movement of Vincent himself.

    By now, he was appearing as no more than strobes of light that bounced off the walls, ceiling, and floors like a kid on a sugar rush.

    He was moving at such a dangerously fast speed that he had begun to super heat the air around him, and was even creating small sonic booms every time he took another leap.

    Finally, Vincent reappeared back on the ground, with his body smoking and his back facing Vance.

    A single, solitary tear fell from his eye as he brought out the scabbard to his sword and sheathed it slowly as if he were trying to prolong this as long as possible.

    "My dearest friend here... rest quietly now."

    As soon as his sword clicked into ce, he heard a familiar sputtering noise that he knew to be the sound of blood flowing.

    This sound was followed by chunks of body parts hitting the ground, and he knew that things were all over.

    He sat in silence for a moment, wrestling with the weight of this loss that hade by his own hand.

    But as his tears started to flow faster than before, he realized that something was not quite right.

    None of his men had said anything as his great battle with his friend ensued.

    In fact, now that he was looking at them, their eyes were all zed over, as if they were locked in some kind of trance that was keeping them upied.

    "What-"

    Unfortunately, Vincent lost all ability to concentrate when a curved, golden de suddenly pierced his chest from behind, and cut his heart into two.

 Chapter 121: The Thing About Nogitsune...

    Vincent felt his life force leaving his body at an absurdly fast rate.

    Such a thing made it difficult for him to remain on his feet, and before he knew it his knees were buried in the sand.

    He heard the sound of movement behind him, but he could make no moves to turn his head.

    Everything hurt too badly for him to even consider doing such a thing.

    All he could do was look up at the doorway that had been kicked open by Vance and begotten this whole mess.

    "It''s alright now, love. Lessen your burden just a bit." he heard a male voice say.

    A momentter, the space in front of the doorway shimmered, and Vincent saw a sight he couldn''t believe.

    Slowly being revealed were a group of four different women and a bound man.

    The one who drew his attention the most was the one with ck hair and nine tails swaying behind her back.

    Her eyes were closed as if she were concentrating on something with all of her being, and there was a faint trail of sweat running down her brow.

    Standing next to her was a human woman he knew very well.

    Even on the verge of death, his anger soared as he thought of all of the scrutiny Vance had suffered through because of her weak heart.

    "Y-You..!"

    "..." Vermeil maintained a bank stare as she held up one of her fingers to flip him off.

    Standing beside her, Aveena decided to repeat the gesture.

    The building rage Vincent felt was bubbling up more and more when he saw the man staring back at him on his knees.

    He knew it immediately to be some kind of trick, because it was the same man that he had just killed.

    However, he was in for quite the surprise. Your next read is on NovelFire|le|mp|yr

    "Vin... I''m sorry for this." Vance said honestly.

    As soon as he heard his voice, Vincent knew this to be the real one.

    But if he was real then... whoever or whatever he had just fought against was nothing more than a fabrication.

    "What...this...?" he struggled to say through an esophagus that was filling with blood.

    "Don''t think about it too much."

    Suddenly, a man squatted down in front of the hero and allowed Vincent to see his face.

    Too handsome to be real, with a glowing red mark on his forehead and long silver hair like that of woven steel.

    Like another of the women in the group, he had a set of ninerge and fluffy tails that were equally majestic as they were captivating.

    His red eyes were somehow the coldest thing he had ever witnessed and also the brightest.

    "All you need to know is that you will buying my people some much needed time. While you races of light fight against yourselves, we will do what we must to wipe the rest of you out."

    Suddenly, Taira removed his scythe from Vincent''s back and used his mental power to hold him in the air.

    He opened his palm and Vance''s broken greatsword came flying into his hand like it already had acknowledged a new master.

    Thest thing that Vincent saw before his eyes closed for good was the fallen man getting into a stance that was eerily familiar, and utter words that he knew just as well.

    "Tidal de Art : Massacring Waves...!"

    -

    Vance watched Taira execute his very own de art with such precision and finesse that it seemed like he''d been practicing it for years.

    Even now, he still couldn''t believe that this monster was able to replicate it perfectly after only seeing it performed a single time.

    It was such an inconceivable thing to be able to do that it was literally unheard off, and even they who were supposed to outss everyone else couldn''t dream of doing such a thing.

    ''Wait... that''s it...!''

    Suddenly, it was as if all of the synapses in Vance''s brain connected and he knew exactly what was about to happen.

    This entire time, he couldn''t figure out why on earth this group was keeping him alive.

    They hadn''t asked him anything, aside from where to find Vincent that is.

    And now that he was watching his friend die right before his very eyes, he knew that he would be soon to follow.

    "This was your n, wasn''t it..? That husband of yours can copy anybat art he sees at a nce. He''s going to kill me with Vin''s wrath of raijin art next, isn''t he?"

    ""Uh-huh."" Aveena and Vermeil said without batting an eye.

    "Why..? Why are you doing this...? Just kill us normally and be done with it." Vance said pitifully.

    "Fat chance, dipshit." Vermeil said as she rolled her eyes. "We won''t have you all turning into martyrs for the races of light. Not after everything that you''ve done."

    She pointed to the people in the stands who were locked in some kind of hypnotic trance, unmoving and unblinking.

    "Right now, my sister is using all of her concentration to show these men a scripted scenario of you fighting against Vincent.

    They will wonder why you are so out of control and irate, but ultimately they will be powerless to stop you because, let''s be honest, they couldn''t do jack shit anyway."

    But after you are both dead, they''ll search your body and find these letters on your person." Vermeil pulled out the stack of letters between the two friends in addition to Vance''s storage ring.

    "From there, I''m betting the people will start to put their own clues together. Like how exactly your entire army was killed yet there were no signs of arge battle, only needless ughter.

    You will be the one they me for all of it. They will have absolutely no reason to doubt it because you have already said in your letters that abusing the quintessence alters your mind and you don''t know how long you can put it off.

    And since you have also said that all of you have the art, our expectation is that the kingdom will copse in on itself almost over night as you all go from heroes to devils who are even worse than the fallen you so callously hunt."

    Once the letters were back inside the ring, she grabbed one of Vance''s fingers and stuck it back on without difficulty.

    "Haa... I guess we picked the wrong side of the war, huh?" Vance said with a pitiful smile on his face.

    "No shit. The men, women, and children being brutally subjugated around you should have been a pretty big indicator." Vermeil said coldly.

    At that moment, Vance lost the chance to respond because Taira had finally finished.

    Vance''s sword was left buried in the chest of Vincent, and the rest of his body was cut to hell from the use of his art.

    Lifelessly his body started to fall over, but not before Taira caught him and lowered his body at the angle he wanted.

    Once he was done, he stood up and called for Vincent''s sword that had been dropped earlier.

    Unsheathing the de, he gestured for Aveena to bring Vance before him, and she happilyplied.

    On his knees, Vance lowered his head to the ground without an ounce of fight left in his body.

    "Just... make it quick and painless." he said in a dejected voice.

    "...No."

    -

    Taira looked down in satisfaction at the scene he had created in front of him.

    The Hero of Cleansing Rain and The Hero of Surging Lightning were both lying dead, each of their bodies cut to hell by their individual sword arts and holding onto their weapons as they pierced each other''s chest.

    It was clear that they had both died at the same time after a very heated struggle.

    ''An abhorrent tragedy indeed.'' He thought with a malevolent smile.

    "Hey... It''s okay now. No one is going to hurt you."

    Taira was spurred from the thoughts of his malicious deeds and turned around to follow the voice he''d heard.

    Enyo was kneeling in the corner of the room, still trying to get the children who had seen everything to not be afraid of her.

    But naturally, she was failing miserably.

    Taira approached the three of them and waved his hand over each child; putting them to sleep instantly.

    Enyo caught them all in her arms easily enough as they were ridiculously small and underfed.

    She looked up at her husband with slight pain in her eyes and asked the only logical question.

    "What should we do with them?"

    Taira thought about it momentarily beforeing up with an immediate answer.

    "She shouldn''t be far from here, so we''ll take them to her and get them properly taken care of. For now, we have to go before the bodies get cold."

    Nodding, Enyo and Taira quickly joined the rest of the group and exited thepound just as easily as they had gotten in.

    However, it was no surprise that after they left, the entire base spiraled intoplete and utter pandemonium.

 Chapter 122: The Return of The Prince!

    Outside of an ancient and ominous looking gothic castle, there were two stone statues easily around eight feet tall.

    They seemed to be gargoyles that had withstood the test of time for over a thousand years; focused on their singr goal of keeping intruders out of these most sacred grounds.

    Other than the grey moat surrounding the castle that was filled with man eating fish, this was one of the castle''s best outdoor defense.

    However, it would be put to the test when a group of individuals suddenlynded atop the wooden drawbridge and caused the sentinels to stir.

    Their ruby eyes suddenly burned brighter than the sun and they lumbered from their pedestals while making ominous growling noises.

    "Goliath! Xanatos! Is that you my babies?!"

    Enyo pushed her way to the front of the group and her eyes beamed like the brightest of stars.

    The stone beasts paused dead in their tracks and tilted their heads to the side as they stared at the familiar woman in front of them.

    "!"

    "!"

    Once their ancient brains dredged up the memories, their frightening and protective demeanor disappeared entirely.

    They almost became somewhat doglike as they knocked Enyo over and began licking her face.

    "Hehehe! That tickles! I missed you guys too, you know? I''m sure it''s been a couple hundred years since-"

    "Alright, that''s enough."

    Taira suddenly grabbed both creatures by the horns and pulled them away from his beloved wife.

    "Aww, are you jealous, my love?" Enyo said teasingly.

    "Yes. I''m the only one allowed to lick you."

    "This and that are two different things!"

    "Don''t care."

    "Jeez!"

    The two gargoyles looked at the man holding them up by the horns and their ancient brains had to put in much more work than before to deduce his identity.

    But eventually, they recalled a vision of a man from the past who looked a lot younger and was missing these furry ears and tails from his body.

    However, it was unmistakably him.

    "Shit!"

    In an instant, Taira ended up being the one tackled to the ground next as the gargoyles gave his face a good licking.

    He tried like hell to pull them off of him, but failed miserably all the same.

    Eventually, he turned into a small ck rat to escape their clutches and he climbed all the way onto Vermeil''s shoulder.

    Vermeil: "Aww, what''s wrong? They were just being affectionate, darling."

    Enyo: "They must have missed you after so long. You should have let your reunion continue."

    Keran: "We promise we won''t make fun of you. And we won''t let Aveena do it either."

    Aveena: "Don''t make promises for me-" Join us at m v|le mpyr

    SMACK!

    -

    The double doors to the castle swung open with a loud bang that reverberated throughout the hall.

    This sudden action caused all of the undead to pause, as there were no reports of any expected visitors today and certainly none who would make such a ruckus as this.

    However, when they saw these guests being led in personally by the gargoyles stationed outside, their pulses quickened.

    Only the heads of the fallen got treatment as special as this, so they naturally expected it to be one of them.

    Almost on cue, the numerous undead maids, servants, and death knights dropped to one knee respectfully, even though they had no knowledge of exactly who or what they were bowing to.

    And upon seeing the group that had entered, most still did not understand.

    However, there were a few who had the necessary age and experience to know.

    "It can''t be..."

    "S-She..."

    "Is that...?"

    Immediately, a few of the long dead fallen forgot about their positions and stood up to approach the group.

    Their eyes were on a woman who was holding hands with a woman who looked eerily familiar.

    "E-Excuse me... are you really Enyo?" One of the maids said in a hushed and disbelieving tone.

    As a response, the shoggoth smiled as if she were remembering some very fond memories.

    "It''s good to see you again, Marianne. Are you still griping about the fact that your breasts haven''t grown after death?"

    The wight maid normally would have punched her friend for such ament if this were several hundred years ago, but for right now she was just happy that she was alive to make it.

    ...That shit was going to get old real fast though.

    Crying, the charming maid threw herself at Enyo, and seemed to release the floodgates from others around them who knew her as well.

    Everyone began moring to hug or smother their favorite drowsy poltergeist, and some were bing so emotional that it was hard to even follow their words.

    It became more like a sea of gibberish that only the youngest of toddlers couldprehend.

    "Ah... Can it be...?"

    Finally, one of the eight foot tall death knights seemed to recognize the man who was holding Enyo''s hand when she first arrived.

    He removed his helmet and dropped to one knee as tears started to leak from his dposed face.

    "Are you possibly... Prince Indra...?"

    "Yes... and no."

    "I... do not understand." the death night admitted.

    "Fufufu..."

    Enyo wore somewhat proud smirk on her face as she folded her arms across her chest and gained an air of authority out of nowhere.

    "Shall I tell you all then? Would you like for me to regale you with tales of our glorious adventure?"

    "YES!!" Everyone said immediately.

    Enyo moved to a podium that she felt was fitting of her speech and smiled gratefully.

    This wasn''t the first time she had sat on Taira''s shoulders, but he did wish that this time didn''t feel quite so embarrassing.

    "Where should I begin?" Enyo said with a smile. "It all started when I woke up in the Ascalon bunker 51 years ago..."

    - 20 Minutes Later

    "And then, we killed too many humans in a short timeframe so we had to leave ande into the outside world before they came looking."

    "Ooooh..."

    - 26 Minutes Later

    "It ended up being a good thing we saved Lucia, since she led us right to Keran and the twins! That''s also how we met Vermeil!"

    "Amazing..."

    "What an incredible coincidence..."

    "I had heard rumors that one of the heroes defected, but to think that it was true...!"

    - 33 Minutes Later

    "Then, after my beloved refused Ja''Zaki''s request, we ended up moving into Lucia''ske house! That''s also where he and I had our first time and we had so much sex it was just incredible..!"

    "I-I believe it..."

    "I''m so jealous.."

    "Of which one?"

    "Both of them. And the bed that got to soak up all their juices..."

    "...You might need to get out more, girl. This isn''t healthy."

    - 41 Minutes Later.

    "And then, my darling husband received a vision from the beast god himself! He blessed him with a new name, and a new heritage! He is now a nogitsune vampire!"

    "A nogitsune... vampire..?"

    "Miraculous..."

    "To receive a vision from the beast god himself... I knew the third prince was never a waste!"

    - 57 Minutes Later

    "And after we all lost so miserably to the ice hero, we knew that there was a need for us to build up our strength! So we spent fifty years in seclusion cultivating and studying and having orgies for months at a time and-"

    "Alright, that''s enough."

    "Kyaa!"

    Taira finally removed Enyo from his shoulders and held her underneath his arm like she was old luggage.

    He shook his head at an entire room of undead fallen who were sitting on the ground cross legged like little children- hanging onto Enyo''s every word.

    It would have been endearing, had she not been about to confide in them the finer points of their sex life.

    Although, he seemed to be the only one who had a problem with this as neither Vermeil, Keran, or Aveena thought to try to stop her.

    ''How far were they going to let this go..?'' he wondered.

    It was almost like they saw this as some kind of wild opportunity to im their territory.

    "I-I don''t believe it! This is truly a remarkable day!"

    "The vampire bloodline has not died out! We still have hope in this war!"

    "But, how strong could the prince have gotten in fifty years?"

    "My darling husband is at the sovereign realm! His potential is unmatched by even that bastard father of his!" Enyo said proudly from her confines.

    "OOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    By now, the entire grand hall had erupted into a chorus of cheers and apuse.

    This was the first time that Taira had so much positive attention focused on him that didn''t have to do with his looks.

    It made him feel slightly shy if he was being honest.

    Suddenly, he noticed the sound of footsteps approaching him and he finallyid eyes on the person he had actuallye here for.

    As always, Aja Druj had an aloof seeming demeanor that paired well with her supernatural beauty and mystifying physique.

    As she walked, the crowd respectfully parted way for her like a famous scene from the Bible, and everyone waited quietly to see what she was going to say.

    Were they about to see a battle for the throne right before their very eyes?

    And if they were given the choice to pick a side... who should they follow?

    Those of old blood, or new?

    The undead race''s past or present?

 Chapter 123: Staycation

    Aja Druj used to be a simple elven schr living in the continent of Kiru.

    Her name was different back then, but it was so long ago that she barely even remembers it.

    No, it is better to say that she purposefully tried to forget it.

    Once upon a time she loved the world and everything inside of it, but then shemitted the greatest taboo known amongst the races of light.

    She fell in love with a fallen man.

    She did not lust for him and keep him like a captured sex toy to satiate her libido.

    But she genuinely, truly, loved him with everything that she had to offer.

    However, one of her so called friends caught her in the act one day, treating her supposed object like a husband.

    In an instant, the entire vige knew about her ''disgusting habit''and she paid the ultimate price not once but twice over.

    The man she loved was castrated and yed alive before he was spit roasted over an open me with the entire vige cheering his downfall.

    Aja not only had to watch it all with a broken heart, but she had to endure being stoned to death afterwards.

    As she lie in the grass dying, her heart suffered irreparable damage.

    She prayed to the fallen god of blood and the undead to take her emotions and everything she had ever known about herself as payment, and in exchange she would be granted the power required to avenge her lost love.

    The god epted her bargain without much fuss, and in that moment she was reborn as a lich.

    Unsurprisingly, she ughtered her entire vige without so much as batting an eye, and she carved a path of destruction all throughout the elvennds.

    But eventually, she stumbled upon one of Taira''s mothers who saw great promise in her, and she was brought back to the Ascalon castle.

    Aja credits that moment as the day she got to truly exist and find meaning in her new life.

    She hung on the edge of the second queen''s every word, and served her loyally at every moment of the day in the hopes of gaining more praise and recognition.

    But when the vampires fell, she was lost again.

    Rudderless in an endless ocean with noprehension of where to go.

    And for some reason that she did not understand, the other heads of he fallen decided that it would be best if she grabbed on to the iling reins and led the undead faction.

    And then, she found new purpose that was different from any she had ever expected; living in service to the people going through the same plight as her.

    But in her heart of hearts, she knew that if the vampires were to ever return, she would dly step down so that the undead fallen could be led by their rightful leaders.

    Under the stupefied gazes of everyone present, Aja Druj dropped onto one knee and bowed respectfully in front of Taira.

    "Though you no longer use their name, I will always be d to see a member of the Ascalon family of vampires alive and well.

    I did not get a chance to speak to you before, but I want you to know that your rightful throne is still yours. I have already begun to make the arrangements for the transfer of powe-"

    "Why would you do something useless like that...?" He asked sleepily.

    "...Pardon?"

    "I didn''te here to take back a throne I don''t even want in the first ce. I have no interest in being any sort of king."

    ''Too much paperwork for you, huh darling?'' Aveena joked.

    ''...I am going to spank you again.''

    ''Oh nooo! I am terrified~!''

    A vein bulged in Taira''s forehead as he tried to retain a stone-like expression.

    ''My love... Have you ever contemted losing your anal virginity?''

    ''M-My what now?''

    "But I don''t understand." Aja said as she finally stood up.

    "If you have note for your throne... then why did youe?" she asked curiously.

    Taira grabbed one of the sleeping children from Keran''s arms and held her out like she was a garbage bag.

    "We found them nearby. Take care of them and give them a good ce to stay."

    Aja stared at the sleeping undead girl who appeared to be no more than six.

    She was skinny, covered in bruises, and her mouth was hanging open as she snored lightly in her sleep.

    "...And where exactly did you find these children?"

    "The lightning hero''s base."

    "What were you doing there!?"

    "Killing him."

    "...You''re joking."

    "Do we have the kind of rtionship where I would be yful with you for no reason?"

    Aja, and everyone else within the hall who was not a member of Taira''s party felt their jaws go ck.

    However, the lich queen was undoubtedly the most surprised.

    She had crossed paths with the lightning hero multiple times, and hearing that he had suddenly been killed by this person was so absurd that she barely wanted to believe it.

    But seeing as how Taira and his entire group were so stone-faced, she knew that he wasn''t making up falsehoods.

    "The n you discussed with Ayame... it actually worked?" she said with unhidden disbelief.

    "Obviously. Will you take the children now? They will wake up soon and I can assure you they''ll be hungry. They''re all dreaming about food."

    "O-Oh... alright then."

    Aja hesitantly took the child from Taira, and disyed even more awkwardness than he did.

    Two of the maids took the remaining children from Aveena and Keran; leaving Taira satisfied.

    As soon as the children were in the right hands, he and the rest of his wives turned around.

    "Bye."

    "It was nice seeing you all!" Keran said happily.

    "I-I wish we could stay..!" Comined Enyo.

    "W-Wait!" Aja said "Are you really just going to leave like this?"

    "Yes?" Taira said in confusion.

    "You should at least stay for a night. I am sure that your journey would be a long one even at your realm. And... I am sure that your people would be sad to see you go so soon after your return."

    Taira dragged his inhuman red eyes over every undead in the room who seemed to be praying to whatever higher power would listen that he would not leave.

    And in doing so, they made his decision so much easier to make.

    If he stayed here he was going to have to speak to people, and he didn''t really want to speak!

    Engaging in needless conversation takes years off his immortal life!

    "Pleaseee, darling?"

    Taira looked down at Enyo in his arm and he felt his resolve beginning to waver.

    "It is... really nice to see everyone again. I''m a little sad to be leaving them so soon."

    "We can wait here for Lucia too and then go back home together." Keran added.

    "I don''t mind either." Vermeil said.

    "..."

    Aja could sense that Taira still seemed to have some reservations about something, and she tried to sweeten the deal as best she could.

    "There is an empty wing in the castle that can serve as your lodgings. I will ensure that no one bothers you unnecessarily while you are there."

    "Fine." Taira said immediately.

    While Enyo was out ying and chatting with her old friends, he could be a shut-in and live his life as he usually did until Lucia came to meet them.

    "Though, there is something I must know first." Taira said.

    "And that is?"

    "How thick are the walls?"

    Aja made a bit of a confused expression on her face, while the rest of the wives put on knowing smirks as they nced at the only member of their group who was not amused.

    Aveena let out a bit of a soft whimper as she protectively sped her hands behind her butt and backed away.

    -

    In a dark bedroom, Taira sat nude on a windowsill staring at the full moon overhead.

    Concentrating on his connection with Lucia, he reached out to her and smiled when he felt her mind more clearly.

    ''My love.'' Discover hidden tales at m vl-em-py-r

    ''Hello, darling! Are you worried about me already?''

    ''No, not at all... Well, maybe just a bit but that is not why I contacted you.''

    ''Oh? Go on then.''

    ''We''ll be staying at Aja''s castle until you have finished your quest. When you are ready, juste and meet us here.''

    ''Really? Alright then... Do I want to know how you all possibly ended up staying in such a popted ce?''

    ''I was out voted.''

    ''Right, that makes sense.''

    Taira let out a defeated sigh that even his wife could hear from the other side of the the continent.

    ''Will you do something for me, love?'' Lucia asked sweetly.

    ''Whatever you need.''

    ''Try to be more sociable, and don''t just stay in your room sleeping the whole time you''re there. We''ve been in seclusion for 50 years and we could all use a bit more interaction with others... not with other women though.''

    ''...I wouldn''t do-''

    ''You can''t spend it reading or cultivating either.''

    ''...I was going to-''

    ''And you can only paint if they arendscapes outside, not one of the girls naked in bed!''

    Taira smiled wryly as he ran his hands through his hair.

    ''I will... Try my best.''

    ''That is all I ask for, my love.'' Lucia said sweetly. ''I wish you the best of luck.''

    When Taira felt her connection fade, he finally stood up from the windowsill and stretched the weariness out of his body.

    "Good news, my love. Lucia has asked that I don''t spend the whole time cooped up in here. Do you know what that means?"

    On the bed, Aveena''s ams were tied behind her back and her head was resting on a pillow.

    Herrge ass was propped up in the air, exposed and vulnerable by Taira''s design.

    "W-What..?"

    "Since I can''t spend all of my time stretching out my revenge, I have to make it quick and worthwhile. Aren''t you d?"

    "I-I... don''t think so?"

    "Aw, that hurts my feelings. I hope you''ll be able to properly soothe me."

    "W-W-Wait, I''m sorry for making jokes earlier! Let''s just talk about this and I''ll-"

    "Toote, my love..!"

    "NOOOOOOO!"

 Chapter 124: Lucia and Her Traveling Companion

    Underneath the light of a pale moon, there was a lone woman who could be seen sitting on a rocky cliff overlooking her surroundings.

    The woman smiled thoughtfully as she brought her hand to her chest to feel her throbbing heartbeat.

    ''I miss him so much..''

    It shoulde as no surprise that the group of love birds had be somewhat codependent on each other over the years they had spent together.

    This was particrly true for Lucia, as she was always the one who floated about though different sections of the house and lingered around the members of her family one at a time before she began to miss the rest and went to find them.

    Being away from them like this was so very difficult for her.

    Just the simple sound of her husband''s voice in her mind was enough to make her heart ache with longing, and she wanted nothing more than to fly off into the distance and rejoin him at his side.

    She could even feel that her husband and Aveena were doing something new and kinky that also happened to feel really good.

    She wanted to partake in that kind of thing!

    But instead she was stuck out here and couldn''t even take a moment to touch herself because of-

    ''You''ve been resting too long�� and get your mind off of coitus!''

    Lucia gnashed her teeth together until venom started to secrete on it''s own.

    ''Do not eavesdrop on me, you nosy bastard! And stay out of my mind so that you don''t see anything I would have to kill you for!''

    ''You��kill me��? ��..hehehe��.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!''

    ''I didn''t realize that anything I said was fucking funny!''

    As a response, the voice within her mind only continued tough louder as if it found all of this monumentally amusing.

    And it agitated Lucia beyond description.

    All she could picture in her mind was a withered old man with a long grey beard who was rolling around on the ground as heughed hisst few years away.

    Fuck this guy!

    ''Listen here you old bastard! I don''t care if you are helping me or not! My marriage is private and isn''t something for you to snoop on!''

    ''Who is snooping on you, cretin? I cannot see any of your memories or thoughts, but I can hear them loud and clear! A word of advice, it isn''t healthy for a young woman''s mind to drift towards sex every thirty seconds!''

    ''Well you have sex with a fox demon and see if you can think of anything else for eternity!!''

    ''That shouldn''t-! ��You''re being closed in on.'' The voice suddenly said.

    ''Don''t you think I know that? I could smell them before I sensed them.'' Lucia grumbled.

    In the next moment, she heard the sound of footsteps and falling rocksing from behind her and she did not even bother to turn around.

    "Well now, isn''t she a vision!"

    "That she is..!"

    "How are you doing, darling? Bit odd of you to be out here all alone!"

    Lucia coldly looked over her shoulder and blinked her inhuman golden eyes casually.

    Interrupting her peace and quiet was a group of around eight short and bearded men.

    They all wore well made steel armor and carried weapons with intricate designs inscribed into the leather of the hilts.

    The stench of alcohol, blood and gooch grease oozed from every corner of their bodies, nearly making the sensitive Lucia want to gag.

    It was clear that they had been out here for quite a long time, and were likely pursuing magical beasts.

    Upon finding Lucia, their demeanor went from friendly and slightly flirtatious to downright hostile.

    With their foul tempers and bad drinking habits, dwarves famously have the worst disposition towards fallen that their is; even worse than human ones.

    When they saw Lucia''s serpentine golden eyes, their hand''s immediately went to their weapons without a second thought.

    "Damn it, that''s no woman!"

    "Grab it!"

    "Whatever she is has to be rare, we can sell her off for a hefty profit!"

    Making up their mind in an instant, the dwarves let out a hardened battle cry as they rushed forward.

    Unbothered, Lucia remained right where she sat with her legs crossed as her eyes started to glow green.

    "Arcane Wind : Detonation."

    A momentter, several small, internal popping sounds could be heard.

    The dwarves who showed such lust for battle a mere second ago went down like littlewn ornaments.

    Tears streamed from their eyes as they grasped their chests and tried to take in air that their bodies could no longer store.

    Detonation is one of eight new wind spells created by Lucia and Taira together for specific situations and purposes.

    By causing the air pressure inside an object to expand beyond it''s normal limits, they were capable of exploding things even if they were not in their direct line of sight.

    Like just now, where Lucia had blown apart these men''s lungs without so much as twitching.

    She finally stood up from the rock where she once sat and stretched her body sensually before walking towards the dying dwarves.

    Holding out her hand, she summoned an enormous nine ringed sword that seemed to be too big for a warrior of her somewhat diminutive size.

    Coldly, she lopped off the head of the first dwarf she came across before moving on to another.

    ''This is an unnecessary task. They were going to die anyway, you could have saved yourself the time and trouble.''

    ''I am ending their suffering.'' Lucia responded nkly.

    ''Why? They are your enemies.''

    Lucia''s great de separated the head of another dwarf from his neck before she paused.

    ''..I''m assuming you know that one of my family members is a human?''

    ''A nauseating fact indeed.''

    Themia rolled her eyes as she continued to put the dwarves out of their misery.

    ''I used to think so too, you know? But�� she makes me hopeful. She makes us all hopeful.

    She is living proof that the only thing that stands in the way of us living peacefully with the races of light is perspective.

    I still want us to win this war, but I hope that when our enemies are finally ready to listen to us, we can reach some kind ofmon ground.

    And I believe that extending kindness when it costs me nothing to do so may be the first step to that.

    Continuing a cycle of hatred just because I can would make me no better than them, no?''

    The entity within Lucia''s mind fell silent for a moment, and she thought for a second she may have broken it.

    ''Ah, what do I know though? I''m in myte seventies already, so maybe old age is just beginning to mellow me out.''

    The voice in her head scoffed as if he found the notion of her being old at only 76 abysmally unfunny.

    ''��Do not waste time with them. Focus on following the mapid before you.''

    ''Yea, yea.''

    Lucia flicked off any lingering blood on her weapon before she let it go entirely.

    Instead of falling onto the ground, the weapon started to float on it''s own in midair like some kind of surf board.

    With a small leap, Lucia hopped atop her de and directed her gaze towards the east.

    ''Even at my fastest the trip will take a few days. Want to tell me a story to pass the time?''

    ''No.''

    ''Well if you don''t want to, I''ll tell you all about sex with my husband, and how he focuses on-''

    ''I was born eons ago. I do not even remember my own age correctly anymore. My earliest memory is of a young woman, no less annoying than you��''

 Chapter 125: A Smidge Too Far

    ''...And then, I married my fortieth when I returned from a great battle that was fought for two hundred days and nights. I decided that I had made her wait long enough and she was now ready to behold my-''

    "No offense, but... you seem like kind of a manwhore, Mr. Voice."

    ''...What?''

    Lucia sat up from her resting position on her flying sword and looked at the sun that was rising in the distance.

    "I mean, think about it. Why do you need forty wives?"

    ''Because I can have them! I am a god!''

    "Sure, sure, but if you just so casually marry anyone just because you can, doesn''t the value of your love, as well as any meaning in your rtionships, decrease with every new conquest?"

    ''...WHAT!?''

    "I mean do you not care about their happiness at all? Surely you cannot efficiently make time for all of those women. Not in the way that a marriage demands."

    ''They understand my responsibilities and everything thates with my position! Besides, just a few of them could never fully handle my needs!''

    "...I guess." Lucia shrugged without borating further.

    ''What?''

    "Nothing."

    ''Speak your mind, brat!''

    "I don''t know... I guess I just figured that understanding something doesn''t mean that you don''t wish it could be changed."

    ''W-Well what about your husband?! He has multiple wives, does that mean that he is uncaring ofyour feelings??''

    "Five is a lot different from forty..."

    ''Just answer the question!''

    Lucia rolled her eyes as shey back on her de.

    Her hand naturally went to the fox marking on her body, where her initial was inscribed on one of the tails.

    "I think because of this marking we all share, the happiness of my sisters is also tied to my own. When he cares for them, I feel warm inside too. When he makes them jittery, I also start to feel a bit nervous..."

    ''Sappy bastards..''

    "ANYWAY!" Lucia said in irritation. "But even with all of that said, I think we would try to kill Taira if he ever became someone who so casually lusts after and flirts with other women. The respect he has for me and his other wives is why we all love him so-"

    ''SAPS!''

    "You asked, you grumpy old bitch!"

    ''I had no idea you were going to bore the shit out of me!''

    Lucia ground her teeth together as she thought of another unkind remark.

    Thement had very nearly left her lips when suddenly the old man in her mind said the words that she had been waiting for.

    ''We''re here. It''s in a cavern below.''

    Lucia stopped dead in the air and looked down at the mountain range she hovered over.

    There was no path of any sort, but the map in her mind could help her to trace the route she was supposed to take.

    Immediately she rolled overzily and let her body fall out of the sky.

    Her feetnded on the stone mountain with the utmost grace, and she casually held out her hand to catch her sword that was dropped out of the air behind her.

    She started on the dusty, downtrodden path withoutining, and walked for what felt like miles.

    Eventually, she reached a dead end that was littered with dusty, broken skeletons of animals, humans, and fallen alike.

    ''There. Smear your blood against the wall.''

    Lucia did as she was asked without question and cut her palm before cing it on the stone surface.

    Immediately, the entire wall started to heat up.

    Within seconds, it was a flowing waterfall of molten rock.

    ''Walk through it.''

    "I beg your fucking pardon?"

    ''If you believe that it can hurt you then it can, but if you believe that you are invulnerable then you are!''

    "...Alright."

    Lucia took a deep breath and tried to free her mind of all unnecessary thoughts as she walked through the burningva with her eyes closed.

    Once she realized that he had been walking for too long, she reopened her eyes and realized that she had passed through several steps ago.

    ''I would like you to know... I have been waiting for this moment for a long time.''

    "...Sounds kind of sketchy when you say it like that."

    ''It is not sketchy!''

    Lucia gave the voice in her mind a bit of a side eye before continuing on her walk.

    She found herself inside of a dark cave with a number of glowing blue rocks protruding from the walls.

    "What are these? They are quite beautiful, and the qi I feel inside of them is very pure.."

    ''Spirit stones. A practically unheard of resource within the lower realm. Naturally, you are free to take them for your family if you wish. Their purpose is to aid in cultivation and are even a form ofmerce.''

    "Ohhh! Thank you, old man!"

    ''...You could have just expressed your gratitude normally, but never mind.''

    Lucia continued into the tunnel, noticing that every step she took seemed to be more and more difficult.

    The air was bing denser, and she could vaguely sense argely malevolent presence awaiting her at a cavern below.

    ''We were a proud people once. Perhaps that was our downfall. Because our physical prowess was unmatched from birth, and our magical knowledge reachable by only a select few, we thought ourselves the pinnacle of all.

    We thought that we could not be bested. We were wrong. As of now, we are shells of our former selves. Even in the upper realm, our numbers are only within a few hundred. We need new hope. New blood to make us stronger.''

    Lucia continued listening as she walked, not understanding where this was going.

    ''Initially, I chose you because of your marriage to the tainted one. With a future as bright as his, you who are at his side will surely not fall far behind.

    And with your union, a non aggression pact with the Divine No Mei n will be established...

    That is, if he is able to impress that old warmonger enough to be an epted descendent of the n, which I suspect he will be.''

    "So you''re using us then? Wonderful." Lucia said as she rolled her eyes.

    ''I am. I will never apologize for doing what needs to be done in order to ensure my own n''s prosperity. But since that now includes you as well, it means that you have nothing you need to fear from me, and I will never betray you.''

    Finally, Lucia found a bright light at the end of the tunnel where the pressure was the densest.

    Stepping into the cavern, her eyes went wide as her heart felt like it was caught in her throat.

    ''You have been remarkably patient with me, and have not asked more than you should have. I thank you for that, but now is time for the truths to beid bare...''

    Sitting in an ocean of spirit stones of different sizes and colors was the overwhelmingly pristine skeleton of arge creature.

    It was almost like a snake, but a few of the smaller bones looked like they used to be legs and arms.

    It had an enormous muzzled face with teethrger than the stgmites on the ceiling, and two horns that protruded from the top of it''s head.

    ''My name is one you may not be old enough to recall. I am Gintanai, Patriarch to the Heavenly Dragon n. And you, Lucia Amarok, are the one I have chosen to seed me.''

    Suddenly, the bones that had been lying here still for eons lurched uncontrobly as if they were being manipted by an outside force.

    A dense, cloud-like smoke started to billow off of it''s ancient bones and entrapped Lucia in a swirling vortex.

    She breathed in the smoke, and her entire body started to break own into a mass of particles and light.

    It wasn''t until an hourter that she was reformed.

    Taira would say that she was more beautiful than ever, with softer looking skin and more delicate yet fierce features.

    The tattoos on her leg spread across her body and adorned her figure in their meaningful art.

    Her hair had been dyed a dark and inhuman green color, and thick, bone-like horns now protruded from her head.

    When she opened her eyes, her glowing red irises were revealed for only a few seconds before they rolled back into her head.

    Briefly, she began to see images of people just like her who were living their own lives with no knowledge they were being watched.

    Her lips parted and she spoke in anguage she didn''t remember learning at any point in her life. "What is this..?"

    ''These are the minds of your predecessors from the upper and lower realm. Their techniques, arts, talents, we share them all with each other. This is so that each generation will be stronger than the next.''

    Lucia fell to her knees as the wave of memories just kepting anding.

    There was so much to learn, so much to adapt to.

    However, she lost the ability to focus on those things when her mind started to go farther back than it should have.

    It was as if she were traveling through space at light speed, unable to fully catch the details of what she was seeing.

    Eventually, she ended up floating in an endless ck world, experiencing nothing and seeing nothing.

    Until she did.

    Out of nowhere, an enormous dragon appeared in front of her.

    However, it felt more like a monster.

    The very sight of it made her fall to her knees and cry uncontrobly in utter horror.

    Such was the ferocity of this creature.

    Such was the majesty.

    Though she was terrified of it, she would have done absolutely anything it asked without understanding why.

    "What is this..?"

    Once she heard the monstrous voice that belonged to the creature, her crying became noticeably worse.

    Snot bubbles, rivers of tears, unintelligible whimpering, the whole nine yards.

    "Stop crying."

    Lucia couldn''t help but notice the voice sounded different this time around.

    And even though she thought it impossible, she did stop crying on a dime.

    "Look up."

    Lucia slowly lifted up her chin with a soul filled with dread.

    She did not want to look at that horrible creature again for even a second longer, and would rather die instead.

    But much to her surprise, there was no more horrible creature.

    Standing only a few feet in front of her was the only man she had ever seen who was as attractive as her husband.

    In fact, he was quite a bit above.

    Standing at a height of around 6''7, he had a powerful body filled with well crafted muscles that were more staunch than any metal, mythical or otherwise.

    From the throat down, his soft chocte skin was covered in moving dark tattoos that made her feel slightly dizzy and sleepy the longer she looked at them.

    He wore a simple sleeveless ck dougi with a red belt and a symbol of a monster or demon inscribed on the back.

    Nine golden rings adorned his wed fingers; each one of them more valuable than anything Lucia had ever seen in her entire life.

    Two red ruby earrings hung from his pointed earlobes, both of which also made Lucia feel like she had no concept of wealth all over again.

    His hair was so long that it came all the way down to his ankles, and it had an inviting fragrance that nearly made her overlook it''s unsettling blood red color.

    Two dark obsidian horns curled out of his head like a crown on that of a king.

    She was only barely able to notice that his unholy reptilian eyes change from red, to purple, to gold before she could no longer bear the weight of his gaze and kept her eyes on his chin.

    This was easily the most afraid of someone he had ever felt in her entire life.

    "I''m quite sensitive to attempts to invade my mind, you see? Fortunately you do not seem hostile... If you were I would have had no choice but to kill you and everyone you love on the spot."

 Chapter 126: Source of All Dragons, Father of All Monsters

    By now, Lucia was having a really hard time keeping up with the events going on around her.

    Somehow, she had wandered too far back into the minds of dragons from the past, and ended up in the mind of a very, very powerful one.

    He seemed to be able to control her mind and actions to aplete degree, as the moment that he told her to stop crying and calm down she had done so.

    It was incredibly rming, but there was nothing that she could do to fight it.

    Luckily, he did not seem to have any ill intentions for her, or else she would have been a lot more frightened.

    "Hmm...?"

    The man suddenly made a slightly irritated face as he tilted his head towards a specific region of his inner world.

    "Do you know this person?" he asked her.

    Suddenly, the echoing sound of her name being called out had filled Lucia''s mind.

    "Old man Gintanai!" she realized.

    Taking that to mean that she knew this person, the unknown dragon suddenly clenched his fist and made a yanking gesture.

    "Shitttt!!!!"

    Out of nowhere, a man came flying through the portal andnded face first beside Lucia.

    He seemed to be pretty wealthy, though not as rich as the dragon who''s mind they were currently in.

    His arms, ears, and fingers were all adorned with golden bands that paired well with the white and gold robes he wore across his body.

    He was a handsome older gentleman in great shape with a short grey beard and dark skin.

    Though... calling him handsome did feel a bit redundant with this other scary dragon sitting right in front of them.

    He was truly just that far beyondpare.

    Gintanai immediately picked himself up from the ground and spun around to stare at his surroundings as well as the strange being who had brought them here.

    "Who are you? Where are you holding us?!"

    "Do you oftene into someone else''s mind and start to annoy them with loud, incessant questioning and bravado?"

    Gintanai frowned as he analyzed the strange man who seemed infuriatingly handsome and familiar.

    His presence, aura, and breath was nowpletely hidden, but he could not fool the old dragon.

    To be able to pull his entire,plete soul into this domain... this man was incredibly powerful.

    And dangerous.

    There were two ways that Gintanai believed he could go about this.

    One was respectful, the other was boisterous.

    As he had already seen before, the second did not appear to be working.

    So for the time being, he was going to have to lower his head.

    No matter how much it pained him to do so.

    "I... apologize for my rudeness, elder. I only wish to ascertain the circumstances behind my arrival here."

    "I have never heard you sound so humble!" Lucia joked.

    "Brat... read the room..!" he hissed under his breath.

    The man sitting at the table leaned forward and ced his chin in his palm.

    He thought about what he should do for a long time, before deciding that divulging only a little information would not hurt.

    "Give your name first." the man said.

    "Certainly. I am the Heavenly Dragon, Gintanai Ir, Patriarch of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Might you grace me with-"

    "Laughable."

    Suddenly, the table vanished and the dragon with red hair held out his hand.

    Ginanai came flying into it with no resistance at all, and struggled pitifully as he tried to escape this man''s iron-like grip.

    "There is something I feel as though you are failing to understand, but I will let you go after educating you just this once..."

    Gradually, he pulled the old dragon close enough to his face that his red eyes were practically about to burn Gintanai''s gold ones.

    "I am Abaddon Tathamet. The source of all dragons that soar proudly in the skies and the father of all things that go bump in the dark. I am Destruction, Order, and Chaos at their pure and most harmonious.

    So you can understand... why hearing you refer to yourself as a ''heavenly dragon'' would irk me just a bit, yes? If something is as insignificant as you is a beast of heaven, then I must be the heaven itself."

    "I-I, understand!" Gintanai stammered. "I apologize for my-"

    "Spare me."

    Abaddon rolled his eyes and proceeded to chuck Gintanai over his shoulder like he was a dirty garbage bag.

    The dragon immediately fell through a hole in the floor and was booted from this space without a fuss, never fated to return again.

    -

    "GAAH!"

    Gintanai woke up from his bed with a start and clutched his rapidly beating heart.

    He sensed movement at his side and the wife that he''d spent the night with finally woke up, and was immediately rmed by what she saw.

    "Patriarch... Your neck..?"

    The dragon brought a wed hand to his throat and all but suppressed a gasp.

    There were actual w marks from where Abaddon had dug his fingers into the side of Gintanai''s neck.

    Hoever, this in no way should have been possible since it was only his soul that traveled, not his physical body.

    And yet... he had been wounded all the same.

    "What is the matter with you? What has happened?" his wife asked with great concern.

    He thought about what to say for a few moments before realizing that there was only one way to describe what he had been through.

    "I have seen... all of the heavens and hells rolled into one. In the form of a man who ims to be the forbearer of all that is feared."

    -

    Abaddon yawned as he sat cross legged on the ground in front of the young and shaky Lucia.

    "You seem like a nice little girl, but I don''t like your grandfather very much."

    "O-Oh, my apologies... And he''s not really my.. actually, I don''t know what he is anymore." she admitted.

    "Pay it no mind. Why don''t we start over, and you can tell me everything about your life without missing a step."

    "E-Everything?"

    "Yes, well I''m trying to discover how something like you slipped into my mind without my knowledge. I could sift through your mind for the information myself but doing so would likely do too much damage to your psyche, since I would literally be ripping information out."

    "Y-Yes, talking is fine!" Lucia nodded furiously.

    Abaddon smirked as he chuckled melodically. "How adorable. You remind me of my daughters."

    Lucia wondered if she should mention the fact that she was over seventy years old and should not be seen as ''adorable'' anymore, but she decided that it was best she just let him say whatever he wanted.

    Just as she prepared to start talking about her entire life up to this point, Abaddon''s body stiffened and the voice of several different women rang out.

    "Darling... Why is there a bitch in your inner world?"

    "Showing her the most vulnerable parts of you... Do you think we won''t kill you both for such horrendous disloyalty?"

    "What am I going to tell our little Typhon when he asks why his father has his entire body encased in stone...?"

    Lucia shrank back as she heard the fearsome yet sexy voices of numerous unknown women; all of them brimming with murderous intent.

    She looked at Abaddon for some kind offort, but he was simply there smiling like an idiot with a mouth full of sharp teeth on disy.

    "Don''t worry, they aren''t going to hurt you." he said absentmindedly.

    "A-A-Are you sure?"

    "No."

    In the next moment, nine of the most beautiful and frightening women Lucia had ever seen suddenly appeared from out of thin air.

 Chapter 127: To Keep A Promise

    "Now this.. this is a sight to see. Where is the dominating man who ravaged me so thoroughly for all of this time?"

    Taira did not say anything to Aveena to chastise her because he figured she was right.

    At their side, Keran onlyughed and continued not to say anything either, already knowing what woulde next for him would be difficult enough.

    The three of them were sitting in a bathtub washing each other carefully and with palpable care and affection.

    They had identally spent two whole days in the bedroom due to Taira''sck of focus.

    He ended up enjoying tormenting Aveena a lot more than he thought he would have.

    Vermeil and Enyo briefly popped their heads inside on a few asions to observe how things were going and nearly stayed to join like Keran did, but decided against it at thest moment.

    However, judging by the intrigued look in the eyes of the girls, they would likely have something new to try once they got back home.

    Taira''s nerves stemmed from the fact that he could no longer put off his second wife''s sincere request to him.

    He was supposed to be socializing, not spending the whole time having sex or asleep. (Her exact words.)

    But now that he actually had to go and make good on his promise to her, he was feeling more than a bit apprehensive.

    Taira had difficulty socializing before he went into seclusion for over fifty years, so one could only imagine how much worse he had gotten since then.

    For undead, those living in this castle sure were chatty.

    He was sure that they were going to ask him all manner of questions, and request stories, and make useless apologies, and call him a fucking miracle baby, and-

    ''I just... don''t have the energy for something like that.''

    Regardless of whether or not he had the energy or not, Taira stepped out of the bath all the same and let the water run off of his body.

    Resigning himself not to be bested by simple conversation, he used his foxfire to dry his body off in an instant and set his attention towards the clothes resting on a footstool a few feet away.

    "Can I... really not just wear my kimono?"

    "No!"

    "That this like a vacation, darling! Try different things, especially since the maids were kind enough to bring them for you."

    *Sigh*

    -

    Taira stepped out into the hallway with the hands of both wives within his own.

    As already alluded, he had left his normal ck kimono behind in their room and changed into apair of simple dark pants and a shawl that covered his upper body.

    A short slit down the center of the fabric allowed the gem in his chest to breathe and beam brightly underneath the light of day.

    Ceremonial earrings with symbol for the vampires inscribed on them now dangled from his ears, only shes of which were avable beneath his gleaming silver hair.

    ck sandals covered his feet and allowed his wed toes room to breathe without being scraped to death.

    At his side, Keran and Aveena were wearing two different color outfits in the same style.

    Consisting of a long skirt, a crop top, and a scarf over their shoulders, they looked more beautiful than Taira had ever seen them.

    Aveena wore a blue outfit with silver jewelry across her wrists, arms, neck, and forehead.

    Keran wore a yellow colored outfit with golden jewelry adorned in the same ces.

    They looked so inviting that Taira believed he may have found a method to get out of this after all.

    "You girls look incredible.... I''m having a hard time keeping to my self."

    The girl''s noticed Taira''s voice be significantly more seductive and his eyes started to glow a dark red color.

    Coincidentally, the marks that the girls shared with the group started to light up; causing them just to feel the faintest bit funny inside.

    Immediately, both girls ripped their hands away from his and backed away like he was a poisonous snake.

    "No!"

    "You''ve already gotten your fill, s-stop trying to use us as a distraction!"

    "I-I wouldn''t actually be too upset if we resumed thister, o-or even met up in a broom closet and-"

    "Sister, no! Stay focused on the goal!"

    "Right!"

    In the next moment, Keran grabbed Aveena by the hand and ran off down the hallway, leaving Taira there on his own.

    Now, he was beginning to regret having yed with them too much.

    How was he supposed to get around in this ce by himself?!

    ''Wait...!''

    Taira focused on his connection with the girls and started heading in a very specific direction.

    He was certain that there had to be at least one member of his family who was feeling as awkward as he was, and when he found her they could be awkward together!

    -

    ns so rarely turn out like we hope.

    "And... Ta-da!"

    "Incredible..!"

    "Thirty two rank five pills in a row... somebody pinch me."

    "I think I need to take my brain out and clean it before I put it back in again..."

    Vermeil blushed as she smiled at the rows and rows of undead fallen circling her and the cauldron she was using.

    The pills she created were being passed around among the group so that they could all ascertain that their quality and luster.

    It was like they were created in a copy machine, because they were all exactly alike without a single striation or blemish out of ce.

    "Aww, you guys are sweet! But this won''t be that special, because I am going to teach every one of you to do the same, no matter how long it takes!"

    "Oooooohh!"

    "She is really.."

    "T-Thank you, Lady Vermeil!"

    "E-Even though you are a human, I do not want to eat your face any longer!"

    "Yes! Today, she bes honorary fallen!"

    "Indeed!"

    Taira remained standing in the doorway, both amazed and shocked by what he was seeing.

    He had always known that Vermeil was special, but to see her overe several millennia of hatred with her own personality really was astounding.

    They were even calling her ''Lady Vermeil'' as if they saw her as some sort of monarch.

    He thought he would have to deal with a few rude individuals by separating their heads from their necks, but it appeared that Vermeil was doing just fine on her own.

    No wonder she hadn''t beening back to the bedroom!

    What about his n for them to be introverted together?!

    How was he supposed to keep up with his promise to socialize now?!?

    ''BABE!''

    ''A-Ah, yes?'' Taira didn''t scare easily, but hearing Lucia''s voice suddenly pop into his mind had admittedly given him a small shock.

    ''I''ming back to you all now, I have so much to tell you that I know you won''t believe it!''

    Taira raised his brow as he leaned against the wall.

    His Lucia felt.. stronger.

    To a very scary degree.

    Since she was clearly abuzz with excitement, he figured that her mission to retrieve her inheritance must have gone smoothly.

    ''Alright then, my love. We''re all excited to here what you''ve experienced on your journey.''

    ''Oh! On another note, how is your socializing going? Are you making friends, or at least not sitting in brooding silence or trying to sleep with the girls to avoid it?''

    ''O-Of course not... I believe I am starting toe out of my shell just a bit.''

    ''That''s great! I know it can''t have been easy, so I''ll be sure to reward you properly when I get back~!''

    When Lucia''s voice left his mind, Taira sucked in a deep breath as his mind raced at a million miles a minute.

    She was flying pretty fast, and he had to make at least one friend before she arrived by the end of the day tomorrow.

    ''Think...think..''

    -

    Aja had just stepped out of the limestone bath in her private bathroom and immediately wrapped her mesmerizing body in a clean white towel.

    Once she tied her hair up, she stepped into her dimly lit bedroom which was filled with the mellow scent of rosewood candles.

    She looked at the stack of papers on her desk and tried toe to a quick decision on whether or not she felt like doing the work.

    "..." Ultimately, her ownziness won the battle and she threw her body onto her bed casually.

    Something told her to open her eyes, and when she did so she was moderately surprised by what she saw.

    One of her houseguests was sitting quietly upside down on her ceiling; staring right back at her with an equally robotic look.

    "...Are your own quarters not sufficient?"

    "They are."

    "Is this because you wish to partake of my body?"

    "No."

    "Am I just to take this as an invasion of privacy then?"

    "No."

    "Then what are you doing?"

    "...I am... socializing."

    "..."

    "..."

    "...Where you ever going to say anything if I did not catch you on my ceiling just now?"

    "..."

    "...You are not very good at socializing."

    "...I''m aware."

 Chapter 128: Friend?

    In Aja''s bedroom, she and Taira were sitting crosslegged on her bed and staring at each other without saying a word.

    Well, Aja was staring.

    Taira''s focus was on his sketchbook in hisp- where he was drawing a scene of his home explicitly from memory.

    "Are we actually going to converse today?" she finally asked.

    Taira briefly looked up from his sketchbook and a bit of a surprised light showed in his eyes.

    Aja finally realized that Taira hadn''t actually recognized he hadn''t said anything.

    He had done something simr to this yesterday too.

    He simply sat on her ceiling and stared at her for hours before he suddenly left at one point; likely because he sensed his wives were looking for him.

    Were she still capable ofughter, she would have found this all to be terribly amusing.

    "How does someone with five wives have such difficulty maintaining or initiating conversation?"

    For the first time, Aja saw traces of a smile show up on Taira''s face.

    "My loves... they are better with this sort of thing than I. They all have loud, outgoing personalities that make conversation so fun and easy...I would likely still have difficulty talking to anyone if they were not so adamant in befriending me beforehand."

    His smile suddenly faded, and he looked back at Aja with a somewhat nk look.

    "But you are just like me to an extent. That is why I thought that I would have no need to talk and we could simply pass the time together silently."

    "But if we are to foster friendship, would it not be better to converse somewhat? Learn each other''s basic interests?"

    "I... suppose that would not be unfruitful." Taira admitted.

    Finally, he put his drawings away and sat with a look of mild interest in his eyes as he ced his chin in his hand.

    "What are your hobbies?" she asked.

    "Reading... drawing... cultivating...sleeping."

    "What a terribly interesting life you lead."

    Taira''s eyes narrowed and Aja held up her dark blue hands in surrender.

    "That was my attempt at humor."

    "...I see... Your disposition makes it difficult to understand."

    Aja showed the closest thing that she could to a wry smile as she ced her hand over her chest.

    "Forgive me.. It has been a very long time since I have tried to converse normally and establish friendships. I still have not gotten very good at acting as I once did."

    "...This is to be expected. You have lost much more than what most would consider bearable. It is no surprise that you have difficulty returning to how you were once before."

    "You know of my history?" Aja responded with a raised brow.

    "I do indeed. My love is one for storytelling and she mentioned you two were quite close before."

    Aja thought back to the days where the Ascalon castle still stood tall.

    It was true that she and Enyo used to spend a fair amount of time together, but that was more because the somewhat ditzy poltergeist had a way of inserting herself wherever she felt like whenever she felt like it.

    Since Aja was the kind of person who barely ever slept, Enyo would sneak into her room and sleep in her bed while she was supposed to be working or the prince was spending time with his fianc��.

    Their rtionship was an odd one, but it was not unpleasant.

    Aja even recalled that she wanted to be sad when she thought that Enyo passed away, but with herck of emotions she found it impossible.

    "Speaking of the past... I also wanted to apologize to you."

    "Hm?"

    "The way that you were treated when your inability was discovered... it was unfair. You were deserving of much more than you were given."

    Aja could still remember it.

    Back then, Taira hardly ever came out of his room and even when he did, he specifically was not allowed to go into rooms or halls that his parents were already in.

    He had to live quietly, in secret, and with his head down.

    For him to go from being the favored son to the one they didn''t even like to talk about was more than a little difficult to bear.

    Aja often wanted to say something, but because she had no wish to anger the second queen, and so she continued to ignore him like most everyone else.

    When she saw him again after 550 years with new tails and all, the first thing that she wanted to do was apologize to him.

    And once she did, she was surprised to find Taira still sitting down motionlessly opposite her, as if her apology had no effect on him.

    Eventually, she realized that was because he did not have any lingering memory of the past at all.

    "My apologies... I seem to have said something useless."

    Taira shook his head and a small forced smile made it''s way onto his face.

    "No... thank you for the kind intentions."

    Though she could not force a reassuring smile onto her face like he had done, she did nod respectfully with a bit more warmth in her eyes than before.

    Like that, the two spent several more hours getting to know each other, until an event would take ce that would take the fallen continent by storm.

    -

    "Do you like sweet or savory foods?"

    "Both, I suppose. Too much of either makes me feel sick."

    "I am the same."

    "Do you prefer to read fables or nonfiction literary works?"

    "...I like romance novels."

    "...Are you joking?"

    "No. I have five wives to keep happy. They help me think of new ideas and keep our rtionship fresh and new."

    "You have aplished a great feat today. In over 900 years, I believe this is the closest that I havee toughing. Be proud."

    Taira''s eyes narrowed once again as he folded his arms across his muscr chest.

    "You know, I''m starting to doubt that you were all that likable even when you had your emotions."

    "Thising from the prince of brooding silences and nude portraits?"

    "...I should have picked a better first friend."

    It seemed like Aja was going to offer a retort when the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up and a chill ran down her spine.

    Looking towards the window, she suppressed another shudder when she saw an ominous ck storm approaching from the horizon.

    "T-That''s..."

    "It took her long enough."

    With a level of excitement that she hadn''t seen from him in two days, Taira ran towards her window and pushed it open before leaping outside with remarkable agility.

    Hended on the bridge right outside the front gates of the castle, and Vermeil, Enyo, Aveena, and Keran came flying out of it a few moments after he did.

    They did not appear to arrive alone, as quite a few fallen servants streamed out behind them, no doubt lured by the overwhelmingly mighty presence they could feel emanating from the sky.

    When the ck clouds finally stopped overhead, a colossal figure broke through the obscuring winds.

    Briefly, everyone thought they were dreaming, and some fell into an immediate panic.

    The creature that had arrived was a snake-like monster over thirty five meters long with bright green scales.

    It had a short but lethal looking pair of arms and legs that bore monstrously impressive ck ws.

    Even with it''s mouth closed, it''s enormous but pristine white fangs could not be fully hidden, and a mere look was enough to downright terrify any who gazed at them.

    Enormous dark horns curled out from it''s head like pirs of jagged rock, and it''s burning red eyes burned with... delight?

    Aja: "I-It''s... it''s-"

    Vermeil: "SHENRON!"

    Aveena / Keran / Enyo : "No!"

    Vermeil: "I''m kidding, I''m kidding!"

    Smiling wide enough for his two fangs to be revealed on full disy, Taira held out his arms as he stared up at the majestic creature in the sky.

    "You said you had a surprise for me and I am certainly not disappointed. But you know we must culminate our reunion the proper way, right?"

    The dragon let out some kind of hissing noise before it shimmered with a golden light, and disappeared entirely.

    Falling from the sky in its ce was the most beautiful woman Taira had ever seen, and one he already happened to be married to.

    "Did you miss me?" Lucia said with a wide smile.

 Chapter 129: Taira Has a Jealous Nature

    Taira''s room was sticky pandemonium.

    Everywhere that one could have stepped was littered with some form of secretions, either clear or slightly cloudy.

    The bodies of three different women were lying across the bed or floor in various positions; unconscious, leaking, and spasming like adult toys.

    Bite marks of various sizes and small bruising could be seen all over their bodies, with no visible signs of healing urring anytime soon.

    On the ever soaked bed were the sweaty and intertwined bodies of three individuals.

    Lucia was lying on her back, letting out delightful cries as she goaded her husband above her.

    Taira was nearly delirious as he thrusted inside of Lucia while Keran tormented him from behind.

    She ran her hands along his chest as she pressed her exposed, sweaty breasts against his back as she bit his neck sensually; determined to leave a mark that wouldst for longer than a few minutes.

    She noticed their collective panting and moaning get louder in sync with one another and she had a very strong sense that they were on the verge of another strong orgasm together.

    She opened her mouth wide in anticipation and made a discreet inhaling motion.

    A highly concentrated purple energy left both of them at the same time and Keran gobbled it up greedily.

    A wave of pure dopamine went directly to her brain and she felt her eyes roll back into her brain as she fainted.

    The energy from another fox spirit like her was already strong enough, but throwing a dragon into that mix was like pouring napalm onto an open me.

    The strength and density of this meal would leave her full for a long time.

    Taira and Lucia breathed in deeply as they held each other ever so tightly.

    The two of them were not expecting to have missed each other so much in a short amount of time.

    No matter what his best effort was, Taira had beenpletely and utterly bewitched by his wife''s new transformation as well as her zeal for bedroom antics.

    She used to be one of the first to pass out whenever they were intimate, but now the other girls have be unable to keep up with them.

    Even now, it was very clear that the two of them were going to keep going until they hadpletely made up for lost time.

    While they breathed heavily on top of each other, his lips traced their way to hers as he enjoyed the feeling of her clinging onto him tightly on his upper and lower halves.

    "Why does it feel as though�� you are more excitable after your journey?" He asked in a husky voice.

    Lucia blushed shyly at his astute observation.

    "There is�� much I have to tell you. But along my journey to transform myself, I met another couple; a dragon man and nine wives whose power I could not even fathom."

    "Oh?" A dangerous light shone within Taira''s eyes when he heard Lucia bring up another man out of the blue.

    However, she simplyughed at his jealous nature and cupped his face lovingly.

    "It was nothing like that, I assure you! But seeing the way that they loved each other�� it made me ache for all of you terribly."

    "��why?"

    "Because their love is just like our own. They are all crazed and possessive and equally devoted to the preservation of all that they have together. Tell me, would seeing such a thing not have the same effect on you?"

    Taira froze up a bit at her question before turning his head away at thest moment.

    "This has always been your problem�� You say loving things and make it difficult to stay angry with you."

    "I will take that as apliment..!"

    Lucia finally decided that she was done needing a moment to rest and she began to bite his bottom lip expectantly.

    "Although if you want to stay mad, you are more than wee to take out your frustrations on my body. I think I am strong enough to handle all of your abuse now."

    Briefly, Taira''s eyes flickered between red and violet as he stared at Lucia incredulously.

    "��Are you certain of what you say?"

    "There exists only one way to find out, my love~"

    - (She was wrong)

    A dayter, Taira finally opened the door to his room with a limp legged Lucia on his back, and Vermeil and Keran''s hands in his.

    Enyo and Aveena were still asleep next to each other and neither showed any signs of being able to get up anytime soon, so they elected to leave them inside to rest.

    However, it didn''t look like the awake group would be going very far either.

    As soon as they stepped into the hallway, they almost tripped over the cacophony of baskets taking up any open space.

    Gifts of all kinds and sizes were sittingfortably inside.

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    There were several muffin baskets, some with wine, others with scented candles and soaps, and more than a few contained some kind of jewelry or money.

    Lucia: "What�� is all of this..?"

    Keran: "Vermeil! Pass me a muffin!"

    Vermeil: *With a mouthful* "No! Get your own!"

    While the girls had begun to sift through the baskets, Taira was having a bit of a connect the dots moment.

    ''So�� that''s what all of the prescences I felt were doing over thest four days.''

    He would have put more focus into the matter at the time but all of his women were very well endowed.

    He quite literally had his hands full.

    "These are offering prepared by almost everyone in the castle."

    Out of nowhere, Aja appeared in front of the two groups with her own basket in hand.

    Hers wasrger than all of the rest and seemed to be filled with multiple types of high quality goodies.

    "I wanted to present mine to you personally." She said as she held out the basket to Taira and his wives.

    "��why are people giving us offerings?" He asked- already exhausted by whatever answer he would get.

    "It has been many years since three of the supreme fallen have breathed air at the same time. Our people seem to liken your arrival to the descending of gods and as such, wish to give you offerings."

    "��it''s nice, but we cannot possibly ept all of this. We are far from immortals from the upper realm."

    "Just do a good thing and ept them anyway. They believe that they will be blessed with good luck if you are pleased at their offering."

    "Aja, I  can not even begin to imagine where we would even put all of this."

    "If you let your mind think of something other than sex for a few minutes I''m sure that an answer wille to you."

    "You blue rodent! I have more on my mind than just that..!"

    "I can scarcely imagine that to be possible. Evidence of your depravity has even left cracks on my castle walls."

    "I''ll be sure to blow the whole thing down if it gives you less toin about..!"

    "With sex or your martial arts? I never know with you, Fido."

    Taira ground his teeth together until they nearly cracked.

    Just as it seemed like he was going to offer a retort, Lucia chirped up from his back.

    "You two seem�� oddly close."

    Both Taira and Aja stared at her with simr robotic looks.

    "I did as you told me. I socialized and made a friend."

    "I thought I was your best friend?" Aja asked as she narrowed her eyes.

    "Your referral of me as a sex crazed maniac has caused you to be demoted from your position."

    "sphemy. Who would you ever get to rece me?"

    "��"

    "As I thought."

    "Shut up. I''m sure I can find another more pleasant."

    "Yes, you are such a sparkling conversationalist that I''m sure you will have genuine friends lining up for several kilometers."

    "��"

    Taira turned back to Lucia with a much more resolute look than before.

    "We''re best friends."

    However cute she found this to be, Lucia still showed a smile that was not a smile.

    "My love�� I thought that I asked you not to get close to other women?"

    Vermeil and Keran also stared at Taira with intense gazes, but the muffin crumbs on their lips made it harder to see them as threatening.

    Like a bomb had gone off in his mind, Taira turned around to stare at Aja in a new light.

    Full, dark lips that were so perfect that she needed no lipstick.

    A generous bust that would make most men salivate.

    And a veryrge bottom that was impressive even when staring at her from the front.

    But Taira was such a loyal man that he never paid attention to any of these things before today.

    "��I forgot you were a woman."

    "You son of a bit-"

 Chapter 130: Immortals They Are Not

    After previousments were made, Aja punched Taira in the chest hard enough to kill a normal person instantly.

    And since he figured that he deserved it after being so thick headed, he did not make any moves to avoid her assault and paid the price for it dearly.

    While her husband was being abused, Lucia kept her eyes firmly on the baskets they had been given that contained all of their people''s hopes.

    "Aja?"

    "Hm?" The Lich suddenly stopped trying to pull off Taira''s ear and stared at Lucia with her usual robotic red eyes.

    "Can you gather everyone who left us an offering..? I have something I would like to say tothem."

    -

    As Lucia requested, Aja gathered everyone in the castle who had left an offering.

    Over one hundred assembled undead were now standing in the grand hall, anxiously awaiting to hear the words of the Supreme Fallen.

    The term ''power couple'' had yet to reach this world yet, but if it had, there would be no end to those who would throw it around to describe Taira and his wives.

    And as the group took center stage, all prior murmurs and whispers were ceased in an instant.

    Since she was the one who had called for this whole thing, it was no surprise that Lucia stepped forward to speak on behalf of her family.

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    "Ah.. Hello everyone." Lucia said with a somewhat nervous smile.

    Everyone immediately sucked in their breaths as they let the sound of her musical voice y like a violin in their ears.

    So majestic!

    "I wanted to start out by saying that my family and I are truly grateful for all of the gifts you have left us. We are so touched by all of the time and care that you have put into them."

    ''I-I knew it was a good idea to weave that basket by hand!''

    ''T-They loved my muffins! Two of them still have the crumbs on their cheeks!''

    ''I could die right at this very moment... Happily this time.''

    "But I feel as though you must know..." Lucia began with great difficulty. "We are not gods. Or anything close to it at the moment.

    Even though we are appreciative of all of your hopes... we don''t want you to feel as though you have been misled."

    For the first time, the undead fallen started to speak out on their own.

    "We would never!"

    An elderly looking wight stepped forward, with long spidery limbs and hollow sunken eyes and cheekbones.

    "Pardon my outburst, mydy, but... That is the furthest thing from our thinking. We aren''t oblivious to your current capabilities, but we know talent!

    You are the best chance to defeat the taces of light that we have seen in centuries! You are a dragon! Two of you are fox spirits! An unholy shoggoth! An heir to a sect! And..."

    Instinctively, everyone''s eyes drew onto Vermeil, the only human around for miles.

    It was clear that the old wight was getting a bit emotional as he searched for the right words to say.

    He continually clenched and unclenched his bony fists passionately.

    "And... a human, who betrayed her own kind and people.. to be a hero to those who she has no allegiance to... Can there be anything more divine than that..? I don''t believe so."

    Vermeil felt tears welling up within her own eyes as she bit her lip to stop from full on sobbing.

    Her grip on Taira''s hand tightened so much that he thought she was going to turn his bones into powder.

    But then again, it wasn''t as if he wouldn''t have let her.

    The old wight dropped to one knee in front of Lucia and her family and lowered his head until it was touching his bony sternum.

    "Whether you are immortals yet or not, our faith is firmly ced with you all the same. We recognize that your ascension to the heavens, as well as the waves of change you will leave in your wake, are only a matter of time.

    And though our own skill may be far below your own, if you should ever ask, we would not hesitate to put our lives on the line for you."

    ''Am I being overthrown right now..?'' Aja wondered. ''Finally. I''m a little tired of paperwork.''

    At the wight''s direction, all of the undead behind him also began to drop to one knee and lower their heads.

    Even the children that the group had saved prior toing here were bowing in the back; already looking so much healthier than they were when they were brought here a week ago.

    They ended up being thest drop of water that burst the dam, and silent tears began to flow from the girls like rivers.

    Even though he always hated public speaking, Taira was able to recognize that now was the time and ce for it.

    He stepped forward with the same noble air that had been ingrained in him from blood, and captivated every undead in the room.

    Though... his ''speech'' was a bit less elegant, sincere, and thoughtful than Lucia''s.

    "We understand. For your faith, we will bring you the futures you desire to your very feet if we must. Nex Sacramentum."

    "NEX SACRAMENTUM!"

    Among the undead fallen, there is a sacred pact for those who wish to show the utmost sincerity and willpower.

    To dere the death oath is to say ''I will aplish this no matter what, or I will die a violent death a second time.''

    And by the undead repeating it back to him, it meant that they were epting his vow, and locking in a pact that could not be broken; lest he forever lose all honor he has ever held as a member of the undead.

    He wasn''t sure exactly what had moved him to make such a bold and powerful statement, but he didn''t regret it.

    Not for a single second.

    ''Look at me, out of seclusion for the first time in fifty years and I''m making death oaths and dering best friends. What has be of the man I once was?''

    Despite his inner chastising dialogue, Taira wasn''t at all unhappy and there was even a ratherrge smirk on his face.

    The number of people that he had to protect and avenge had just gone up, which meant that his ability had to grow to match it.

    But he did not mind that in the slightest.

    Gaining strength in pursuit of a grander goal.. he found there to be little more entertaining in life than that.

 Chapter 131: The Hated Heroes

    *m!*

    The door to a wooden barn was thrown open forcefully by a man in a bup cloak with a hood covering his face.

    He shut it with so much force that he nearly brought down the whole hiding ce in a single instant, causing him to receive unkind looks from his friends already inside.

    "You idiot! Do you want to blow away the only cover we have?!"

    "It was an ident, Jean! Piss off about it, yea?"

    "Both of you shut up. Your yelling will be the reason why we all get found out." Another hissed.

    Inside of the barn were eight human men in oldmon clothes and wearing bup hoods to cover their faces.

    These were the heroes from another world who had been called to put an end to the fallen threat.

    The Hero of Enraged Land; Orion Kane.

    The Hero of Shredding Winds; Alexander McCall.

    The Hero of Devouring Shadow; Elijah Bellion.

    The Hero of Falling Swords; Seth Erondale.

    The Hero of Tranquil Fauna; Lysander Gates.

    The Hero of Thundering Sound; Jean Jordan.

    And The Hero of Unbending Metal; Keh Samuels.

    Once the races of light''s greatest heroes and defenders, now reduced to the outcasts and criminals who are being adamantly hunted by those who once worshipped them.

    The world hade undone so fast.

    At one moment they were living their usual lives, protecting the peace, plowing whores, receiving love from the masses, but in an instant it all seemed to turn around.

    The soldiers who idolized them and wouldn''t have dared to breathe without their permission before were now hunting them as if they were the most vile of beasts.

    It was nauseating.

    "This is all those fucking idiots'' fault! What were they thinking using that art with so many people around and killing each other nheless!" Orion ranted as he pulverized a nearby wooden box.

    The 6''4 giant of a man had dark skin, a bald head and a thick beard that made him popr with dwarves.

    His stone grey eyes were cloudy with rage as hemented over the fact that his perfect life in a fantasy world had all gone to shit and the ones responsible had already fucked up and died.

    "Obviously they weren''t thinking but there''s nothing we can do about that now! We need to find Cyrus and figure out what he wants us to do about all of this first!" Keh said.

    The hero of unbending metal was a bit shorter than Orion in frame, and it could be said that he was more handsome as well.

    He was younger looking, with steel grey hair and unblemished olive skin that seemed to glow with a metallic luster.

    His eyes were a dull red like a smoldering fire, and his features were as sharp as a delicately honed de.

    But his looks aside, no one seemed to be thrilled about his idea.

    "A-Are you nuts!? Do you know what that fucking monster will do to us if he finds out how badly we screwed up? Have you forgotten what he did to Vance when that soft girl ran off??"

    "Not to mention we don''t even know where to find him nor his army. We could search for years and probably still wouldn''t find him!"

    The Hero of All Consuming me famously did not tell anyone his whereabouts whenever he entered seclusion.

    Not even the human king had the necessary methods to contact him.

    And to make matters even worse, there was no telling when he woulde out since the hero had famously been trying to ovee a bottleneck in his cultivation for the better part of 200 years now.

    When he entered seclusion 50 years ago, he seemed pretty determined to ovee it no matter how long it took him to do so.

    "What are we doing...? We''re better than this!"

    Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the corner and into the center of the barn.

    The Hero of Shredding Winds was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties.

    He had long cyan green hair that traveled all the way down his back and a stern face with matching yellow eyes.

    His body was lean yet muscr, and boasted some of the best definition within the group.

    "Why are we hiding from these bastards outside? Have we truly forgotten who we are?? They are the ones who called us, not the there way around!"

    Morale within the barn slowly started to shift as Alexander tore off his dingy bup cloak and revealed the splendid green armor hidden underneath.

    "They want to crucify us..? Let them do that! But we have to be the ones to whip them back into ce when they step out of line! THEY need US! And it''s up to us to remind them of that!

    Now are we going to stop being pussy and hiding out in this fucking barn, or are we going to go running to Cyrus so that he can show us exactly how pissed he is?!"

    The men inside the barn shuddered, and it seemed like they hade to a rather simple decision just in the nick of time.

    Not seconds after they all ripped off their cloaks in solidarity, their eyes rolled into the backs of their heads as the gods who had chosen them came to impart more wisdom.

    ''The secret realm�� is soon to open.''

    -

    After a lengthy stay with Aja, Taira and his wives returned home to their underground pce with a boatload of gifts in hand.

    With the girls feeling so bad about leaving Inadu alone for so long, they were trying to give most of it to her as an apology.

    Even now, the lot of them were surrounding her in the tatami room and trying to offer her all sorts of goodies.

    Taira himself was a few feet away, lying on the floor as a nine tailed fox and watching their newest houseguest be flustered underneath the deluge of affection she was receiving.

    Laughing only to himself, Taira closed his eyes and dozed off before he knew it, but his dream was anything but peaceful.

    "Did you miss me, whelp?!"

    *Sigh*

 Chapter 132: Fenris Wasn’t Missed

    Taira stared through one eye at the man in white and gold robes floating within this simple ck space.

    It had been a while since he had seen the fallen beast god, over fifty years actually.

    He had taken for granted just how wonderful that time of peace was.

    "I can tell that you''re thinking about something incredibly insulting right now and you''ll stop it if you know what''s good for you!"

    "...Hmph.." Read further on m_vl em,pyr

    Fenris showed a smile that was not a smile as he cracked his knuckles menacingly.

    "I see that in the time that I have taken my eyes off of you you''ve be rather arrogant! It seems as though it falls to me to pound some respect into that stupid muzzle of your-"

    "Last we spoke you told me you were going to visit me again in fourteen days before disappearing. What changed?"

    Fenris'' rage seemed to be temporarily halted and he made a face as if he were remembering something unpleasant.

    "Hmph... Something came up on my end, whelp. Do not tell me that you were disappointed that I did not attend our meeting as promised?"

    "..."

    "You''re such an unlikeable prick! It is a marvel you were able to trick two women into marrying you."

    "Five."

    "Excuse me?"

    "I have five wives now. As for how I was able to trick them into being with me... I have no more answers than you."

    Fenris saw traces of a smile form on therge fox''s face while a dreamy and faraway look formed in his eyes.

    He''d forgotten just how sentimental this chosen of his could be.

    "Sappy bastard... You still make me sick after all this time. Women are to be conquered, not worship-"

    Lucia: "Taira~"

    Keran: "Are you sleeping?"

    Vermeil: "His mind feels... strangely active."

    Aveena: "Do you think he''s having another puppy dream?"

    Enyo: "I hope so! He was so embarrassed thest time!"

    Fenris felt his blood run cold as he heard numerous feminine voices suddenly echo from all around him.

    "What is this madness..?"

    Almost on cue, five women appeared in the dark space around Taira''s resting form.

    Every single one was just as beautiful as the next, and it would be tough to find their equal even among the jade queens of the upper realm.

    They all seemed surprised to find their husband inside of such a dreary dream, and they immediately assumed him to be hiding something.

    "Is my husband lucid dreaming again?" Aveena asked as she sat atop his back.

    "He has to be, why else would he have changed thendscape to something this uninteresting? He''s trying to avoid another puppy dream incident." Vermeil assumed.

    Even without his physical body in tact Taira still enjoyed all of the pets he was receiving more than he would have cared to admit.

    "Actually my loves, this is-"

    "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!"

    The girls nearly jumped out of their skin as the roar of an unfamiliar voice nearly deafened them.

    Turning around, they found an older looking man in white and gold robes with nine white tails flowing behind his back.

    The vein bulging within his forehead looked like it was only a few seconds away from bursting due to stress.

    Vermeil: "It''s that Fenris guy!"

    Enyo : "I thought you said you hadn''t spoken to him in years?"

    Lucia : "He''s so red... that can''t be healthy."

    "How are you all here?!" Fenris roared again.

    "Spying on my dreams is a past time of theirs." Taira admitted without an ounce of displeasure.

    "What!? The lower realm shouldn''t.." All of a sudden, Fenris noticed the very distinctive tattoos adorned on the bodies of the girls in a variety of different spaces.

    All of a sudden he raised a w to his head as if he were forming a massive ulcer.

    "Don''t tell me... you started to practice the ''Sun and Moon Dual Cultivation Art''...?"

    "Mhm."

    "Ugh..." Fenris made a look of pure disgust as he fought the urge to pluck out his eyes.

    There were few cultivation arts he abhorred as much as the sun and moon cultivation art.

    Every couple he''d ever met whom used it were a bunch ofplete and total saps!

    He couldn''t fathom why any man would ever willingly use it of their own volition.

    Not only did it limit the number of partners one was capable of acquiring, with every new wife gained, the danger of taking another would quadruple.

    After all, the art was all about patibility''.

    In return for this, they all received those markings, a boost to their cultivation speed proportional to theirbined talent, and pleasure during carnal activities that only a few in creation could hope to mimic.

    As well as ess to their partners'' mind, body, and soul whenever and wherever they wanted until the end of time itself.

    Even if Fenris tried to push the girls out of this space shared between he and Taira, he couldn''t.

    Their souls were fused together now, so they coulde and go as often as they pleased.

    It was all so infuriating that he wanted to tear his godly hair out of his scalp.

    But as he agonized over this unfairness, his eyesnded on something peculiar.

    One of Taira''s wives was a woman with a notably fierce demeanor to go with her green hair and bold horns.

    "This can''t be right... where in the zes did you find a dragon..?"

    "I didn''t find anything."

    Lucia gave a short but polite bow as she floated in front of Fenris.

    "It is an honor to meet you, god of fallen beasts. I am Lucia, the inheritor of the Heavenly-... I mean the Dragon n of the upper realm.... or at least that''s what old man Gintanai says."

    Taira fought the urge to roll around on the groundughing as Fenris'' jaw nearly fell off his body entirely.

    The beast god ripped off his ears and plucked out his eyes before letting them regrow dramatically.

    "I''m sorry... would you mind repeating that for me?"

    "Sure! Umm... which part though?"

    "The bit about you being the inheritor to..."

    "Oh yea, supposedly Old Man Gintanai wishes for me to inherit the n upon my eventual ascendance to the upper realm."

    "...You''re shitting me."

    "No sir, I am not."

    "Don''t be so polite with him, my love." Taira said as he rolled his eyes. "He has all of the nobility of a bar room drunkard."

    Fenris was so stunned by the massive revtion he had just heard that he didn''t even bother to address any of Taira''s snidements.

    It was true that the dragon n of the upper realm was not what they used to be, but they were still a top five power.

    Selecting an existence from the lower realm to be the inheritor of all of that might was equal parts unfathomable and bewildering.

    ''It has been ages since I felt like this... I need toy down.'' Fenris turned his eyes away from Taira for a measly fifty years and everything just spunpletely out of control.

    "I... barely even remember what I called you here for anymore."

    "Then does that mean we are done here?"

    "No, it does not!"

    "Tch." Taira clicked his teeth annoyedly beforeying back down with a clear attitude.

    "Oh, right." the beast god finally remembered. "I''vee to inform you about an uing urrence that you need to take full advantage of. That is, if you want to increase your likelihood of living a long life."

    At this, Taira admittedly perked his ears up and lost some of the disdain in his eyes.

    "...What is it?"

    "The secret realm will soon open in the lower realm for the first time in 2,000 years. You need to get inside before anyone else does."

    Finally, Taira sat up and stared at Fenris withser like focus.

    The secret realm is a mystical, one of a kind domain that is said to be connected to the heavens themselves.

    It supposedly contains no small supply of bountiful natural resources, hidden treasures, and inheritances centered around enlightenment.

    He honestly couldn''t believe that Fenris was freely telling him about it ahead of time.

    It''s arrival in the world was supposed to be random, but now it seemed as though the heavens had quite a hand in bringing it about.

    Fenris saw the look on Taira''''s face and nearly snorted.

    "Are you excited, whelp? That''s good. Because this year the stakes are so high that if you let one of those bastard heroes get inside first you will regret it for the rest of your very short life."

 Chapter 133: Primeval Spirit

    Taira knew that Fenris was not the kind of man to engage in needless threats like this, so for himto ce such importance on entering the secret realm meant there was indeed a great treasure inside.

    And that the heroes absolutely should not be allowed to have it.

    Fully intrigued, Taira sat up and changed back into his usual appearance before he walked towards Fenris.

    "Just what could be stored away inside of this secret realm that it''s made you give me such a sincere warning?"

    "Hmph! You make it seem as though I have not been a charitable benefactor thus far?" Fenris said gruffly as he folded his arms.

    "��You gave me your name, asked me to work with you, beat me up with the goal of training, and then disappeared for fifty years. You''re closer to a deadbeat than a benefactor."

    "I had no idea that you so desperately needed me to hold your hand." Fenris said disdainfully.

    "Do not be silly. Just tell me what the item is and do not waste my time along with yours."

    Fenris looked like he had a number of unkind words for Taira at thest moment, but decided to swallow them in favor of getting out of here quicker.

    "Primeval Spirit Pill."

    The fluffy ears atop Taira''s head twitched furiously as he heard the name of a term he had never forgotten about.

    When Ayame gave him her most precious technique all of those years ago, he spent the better part of thirty years trying to unravel it and learn it''s secrets.

    It drove him into such an unhealthy obsession that he eventually had to stop out of mounting concern from his wives, and he was in no closer ce to either understanding what a primeval spirit was, or how to cultivate one.

    It was a pursuit he had thought he''d have to move on from, at least until he was able to ask Ayame herself for instruction.

    But now, he had someone else that he could ask about it.

    "What... is a primeval spirit?"

    Fenris could not help but notice that Taira''s way of speaking had be drastically more respectful in an instant, and he finally felt like he''d gotten this arrogant former prince to submit to him.

    "Ha! Should I tell you? Are you worthy to hear it?? I think if you get down and grovel then I just might-"

    "Nevermind, I''ll just go ask Ayame. Get out of my mind now."

    "Wait, wait, Ayame!?! That little runt?!"

    "Don''t speak about her like that. She''s a good woman and a part of my family."

    "Fuck that noise, why would you go and ask her when I am right in front of you!? Anything she could tell you would pale inparison to what I could!"

    "True, but she could give me a general idea and she would piss me off less. I value those things more."

    "Argh, fine! You don''t have to grovel!"

    "I was never going to."

    "All you have to do is call me ''Divine Patriarch'' one time and then I will tell-"

    "No."

    Fenris growled and ran his hands through his hair so roughly that he nearly pulled it out.

    "You are... egregiously unlikeable."

    A smirk formed on Taira''s face as he looked over his shoulder at the beautiful girls within the room.

    "My loves, is what he said true?"

    """""No~!"""""

    ''Gods I hate the sun and moon art!'' Fenris thought inwardly.

    "Fine, listen closely brat because I will only say this once..."

    Taira said nothing and simply folded his arms with a patient look.

    Sighing, Fenris began his exnation in a much less jovial mood than before.

    "Acquiring a primordial spirit is one of the most important must-do''s in order to survive the ascendance to the nine heavens.

    Down here you will only be able to see but a fraction of it''s true potential, but once you elevate your soul into a primeval one, you will be able to see qi flow through your own eyes.

    Not only that, your body and soul will be one, making you drastically more difficult to kill, since as long as your soul is intact, your body will regrow around it."

    Though Taira was usually a robotic sort of man who did not show his emotions easily, it was not difficult to tell that he was interested in the premise behind acquiring a primeval spirit.

    "You said that there are other things that I will be able to do once I reach the upper realm�� I wish to know what those are."

    Fenris finally seemed to have seen something in his protege that he really liked, as a faint animalistic smile formed on his face.

    "Patience, Taira. Let''s see if you actually live to make it there first, alright?"

    The hybrid only growled in response, making the old kitsune chuckle.

    "So this Primeval Spirit pill will give whoever takes it a Primeval Spirit right away?" Aveena suddenly asked.

    "Ha! It is hardly that simple, oni girl. The pill will only put you into a state that makes the formation of a Primeval Soul much more simple. However, the process will still be time consuming and require intense levels of concentration with incredible danger of failing."

    Fenris proceeded to tell the group all about the uing portal to the secret realm.

    He gave them time, date, location, and even a bit of information on how to avoid the hidden arrays and traps that would be waiting inside.

    As well as thoroughly admonishing them against letting the disgraced heroes get to it first.

    The areas one spawned in would be random, but the first one to get inside of the realm would be the closest to the pill.

    "Now, if you have no further questions then-"

    "Ah, I-I do..!"

    Fenris narrowed his eyes as Taira''s only human wife floated towards him with clear nervousness on her face.

    "This�� doesn''t have anything to do with the secret realm, but I was wondering�� is there anything that you can tell me about Astel..?

    Since I''ve been in this world, I have not heard from him even once and I have no idea why he brought me here or even if I''m living as he would have intended��"

    Fenris snorted and folded his arms. "You were summoned by that talking testicle? Ironic. I can assure you of one thing little girl, the fact that you have anchored yourself and gotten married means that you are certainly not living as he would have wanted."

    It was clear that not only Vermeil''s, but everyone else''s brains had just done a hard reset.

    "I''m sorry�� could you repeat that?"

    - Original content from M-VL-em|p,yr

    Several hourster, night had already fallen and Taira and the rest of his wives were in their bedroom and fast asleep.

    The hybrid in question was just on the verge of dozing off when his eyes slowly opened back up fully and he stared at the door patiently.

    A momentter the door creaked open, and their houseguest Inadu stepped inside.

    She waspletely naked, and her slender frame yet sizable bust made her look even more attractive than normal.

    She clenched her fists several times as she walked towards their bed and crawled on top of the covers.

 Chapter 134 : Inadu Spends The Night

    Taira was surprised that none of the girls had woken up when they sensed Inadu suddenly enter their chambers.

    Though they were generally hard sleepers, he almost figured that the arrival of another woman around their precious husband would have set them off.

    Inadu was getting dangerously close to him and when her hand touched a particr part of his body that wasn''t his leg, he sat up in a hurry and ced his hands on her shoulders.

    "What are you doing?"

    "��I am expressing my thanks to you for your kindness so far. I have no money or anything of value, but I can�� do this for you, if it will bring you pleasure."

    Taira showed Inadu a rare smile as he wrapped her in spare nkets from the bed.

    "A kind offer, but one that I will have to decline."

    "��Am I unappealing to you?"

    Taira didn''t really know how to answer that.

    When it came to other women, it was like he was effectively moving through life with a pair of sunsses on.

    He was only capable of seeing the beauty of the women that he was already in love with, making him rtively insensitive and indifferent to the feelings of other women.

    Something his friend Aja had already pointed out in kind numerous times.

    As such, he was trying to be as thoughtful as possible in how he responded to her inquiry.

    "You�� are not. But I havemitments I will not betray."

    Inadu seemed to be thinking about something rather seriously for a moment before she had some sort of realization.

    "I see�� you are a good husband to them�� I had also wished to be married to someone like you when I was younger."

    "You speak as though it is an impossibility. You are still young and beautiful. I am sure you will have many men who will be vying for your hand once you step into the world again."

    Inadu smiled wryly as she reached to touch Taira once again.

    Though instead of reaching for anything inappropriate, she took both of his hands and ced them on her forehead and the area right below her belly button.

    "Kuvunjawa�� chafu." (Broken, dirty.)

    Though Inadu had her body healed in the waters of the former sect, there were certain things that it could not make better.

    The trauma from her experience had still rendered her mind unstable.

    She had lots of nightmares, more than a few fugue state episodes, and even just trouble looking at herself in the mirror.

    Uncover more tales at m,vl em pyr

    She couldn''t see herself as the strong and capable woman that she once was.

    All she could see was what they made her.

    And Taira felt terrible that this was the first time that he realized that she felt like this.

    He was only just now seeing that Inadu still had so much more that she actually needed to ovee.

    Without fully understanding the reason why, Taira delicately cupped Inadu''s face in one hand and ced his open palm over her heart.

    "What was broken can be made whole. And what was once dirty can always be wiped away�� but you are neither, Inadu. You are a survivor."

    "��What does that mean?"

    "Survivors are the best kind of people. They who are able to travel the lowest pitfalls of life possible, and yet still climb their way forward are nothing short of inspiring."

    "I am hardly climbing�� If anything I have allowed you and your wives to carry me."

    "The girls and I were gone for a week and you took care of yourself then. If you were truly only getting by with our presence, then you would have gone down a much darker road without us.

    Though I can admit�� it was wrong of us to leave you behind so soon after bringing you here. For that, you have my deepest apologies. It will never happen again, I assure you."

    Inadu wasn''t really sure how to react to everything Taira was saying to her.

    It was very true that staying here on her own had been�� difficult for her.

    But whenever her mind drifted towards too dark of a ce, she was able to pull herself back by thinking that maybe her life in the future could be better than before.

    It was a particrly hopeful thought, but also one that didn''t feel like too much of a fantasy.

    And since Taira and the girls hade back, she was already beginning to see her hopeful perseverance paying off.

    "And�� I understand that I may not know you very well." Taira admitted. "But based on what little I have seen so far, I think you would be a wonderful wife."

    Evidently, Inadu was not expecting to hear such a thing from Taira and it had left her sufficiently surprised.

    That surprise cracked the already mounting threshold of her emotions and thick rivers of tears ran from her ruby red eyes.

    "I.. don''t mean to be a burden, but�� may I hug you..?"

    Naturally, Taira wouldn''t have dared to make her ask twice for something like this when she was already so emotional, so he gently pulled her into his arms without waiting for another moment.

    Now that he was actually touching her for the first time, he could feel how slender she really was.

    Beneath the nket, her soft and frail body was trembling furiously within his grasp as she sobbed silently to avoid waking the rest of the girls.

    This would continue for over twenty minutes with Taira neitherining, nor attempting to pull her away from him.

    If anything, he just sat there mystified by the fact that such a frail looking woman had so much water in her body to dispel.

    When she finally stopped shaking quite as badly, she passed out directly within his grasp and allowed her entire body to go limp.

    As soon as she was unconscious, Taira could feel it.

    Her inner subconscious which was already chaotic was starting to fight violently against itself and formte nightmares out of what should have been peaceful dreams.

    Aveena sometimes had these about her family in the past, as did Keran about the men she had gotten killed under her.

    Even the carefree Enyo sometimes had them about the life she had before she died and was reborn.

    During those nights, there was one thing that Taira could do for them that always helped them to go back to sleep right away.

    But�� it wasn''t exactly appropriate for him to do now.

    However, once Inadu started whimpering in her sleep, he made his decision up in an instant.

    There was so much negativity running rampant through her mind that it almost made him of all people sick.

    ''You''ll have to forgive me for this�� all of you.''

    "Dream Devouring Art : The Edge of Harmony."

    Lifting Inadu''s head ever so slightly, Taira just barely grazed his lips against her own.

    A dense, dark smoke passed out of Inadu''s lips and into Taira''s.

    She let out a soft yet sweet exhale of relief as a single tear fell from her eye and her body immediately rxed.

    Taira let out a sigh as his eyes temporarily shed ck, then back to red.

    He felt movement stir from behind him, and his heart sped up when he found Aveena fully awake, and appearing to have seen and heard most everything.

    "You look frightened, darling. Did I scare you?"

    "I��"

    "It''s okay, my love. I am not upset with you."

    Aveena sat up on the bed with her beautiful and powerful body fully exposed from underneath the covers.

    She nestled close to her husband and Inadu and ran her fingers through his luxurious silver hair as they stared at the new woman sleeping in their bed.

    "We�� truly did her a disservice by leaving her here by herself. It was a careless thing to do." Taira said.

    "That is an understatement I fear.. but we will make it right in the future however we are able. Whether that is as her friends or�� more."

    "You know that the likelihood of that is��"

    "Yes, I''m aware of the risks. But whatever happens, I don''t want you to have any regrets about the road not traveled."

    Taira felt himself suppress a dry chuckle as his eyes slowly met Aveena''s.

    "As always, you have given me much to think about."

    "Is that not what being married is for? Having someone keep you on your toes when you least expect it?"

    "Among other things, I''d have to say yes."

    Aveena leaned in gently and ced a soft kiss on the cheek of her husband before resting her head on his shoulder.

    Together in the dark room, the two of them watched Inadu sleep for a little longer without saying anything, as if they found her to be the most interesting thing in their world.

    "Tell me�� what does she dream about?" Aveena finally asked.

    "I decided not to pry." Taira admitted with a shrug. "But whatever it is�� I takefort in knowing that this is the first time she has rested peacefully for several years."

    Aveena felt proud to see her husband expanding the circle of people who he was capable of providingpassion to.

    In fact she was so proud of him that she unconsciously let words slip that she had only ever thought to herself until now.

    "I think�� you would make a wonderful father."

 Chapter 135 : Taira Plans A Group Activity

    When Inadu opened her eyes once again, it was already morning and the light from the icy carvern ceiling was peeking through the window curtains.

    Even though she was still a bit groggy, her fingers went straight to her lips.

    She brushed against them without even understanding the reason why, and a faint smile showed up on her face.

    It had been so very long since she had woken up feeling quite so�� warm.

    The feeling of happiness was so foreign to her now that this may as well have been her first time experiencing it.

    It was so euphoric that she could have cried from the bliss.

    "Umm��Ina?"

    Inadu finally remembered the bulk of everything that had happenedst night and realized that she was not in her own bed.

    Of course, the familiar voice just above her head also helped to give it away.

    Inadu slowly turned to face a stunned and nude Kieran, who had also seemed to have just recently woken up.

    No doubt that seeing a new naked woman lying in the ce of your husband was more than a little jarring.

    "Ah�� H-Hello, princess.."

    "I''ve told you that you don''t have to call me that, Ina.. but what are you doing in our bed?"

    Inadu fell silent for a moment before belting out an answer knowing full well that it might have meant her death.

    "I snuck in here to offer Taira my body as a thank you for letting me stay here. He did not ept me."

    Inadu watched Kieran''s face twitch faintly as she tried toe to terms with everything she had just heard.

    It was easy to tell that she was wrestling with two different sides of her brain.

    ''Someone tried to touch my husband.''

    ''But it was my cute little Ina!''

    ''She came in here with the intent to fuck him! And slept in our bed?!''

    ''I-I think I can forgive her��''

    ''But how could she?! After all of the kindness I showed, her she does this?!''

    ''B-But I can''t be mad at her with everything she''s gone through!''

    ''Fuck!!''

    "Girls, wake up!! I need you to help me process my feelings!"

    Slowly, all of the girls started to stir awake and wiped away the lingering crust out of their eyes.

    All except for Enyo who rolled over and groaned audibly before pulling the nket further over her face.

    Vermeil: "What��?"

    Lucia: "Why''re you yelling..?"

    Aveena: "So early��"

    "I-Inadu tried to fuck our husband!"

    Lucia / Vermeil :""WHAT?!""

    Aveena: "I know�� what''s for breakfast?"

    Vermeil, Lucia, and Kieran stared at Aveena with ck jaws and disbelieving eyes.

    "What do you mean you knew?! Why didn''t you wake us or say anything?!" Vermeil questioned.

    Gradually, Aveena finally shrugged off her exhaustion realized that they were going to have to have a necessary conversation very early in the morning.

    She gently ced her hand over Inadu''s and smiled at her warmly.

    "Ina, why don''t you go find Taira and see what he''s up to, okay? My sisters and I need to talk for a moment."

    "Are you crazy?! Don''t send her to him, she might try to fu-"

    Aveena sped her hand over Lucia''s mouth to keep her from finishing her usation.

    "It''s alright, Ina. Just go find him and keep himpany for a bit, yea?"

    "O-Okay��

    Inadu nodded slowly before crawling out the bed and wrapping herself in nkets.

    She stopped just shy of exiting the door and looked over her shoulder with a somewhat ufortable expression.

    "I am sorry I betrayed your trust�� I made a very careless mistake and I beg your forgiveness."

    Almost as if she were afraid to hear their refusal, Inadu ran out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving  everyone else inside stunned.

    -

    Inadu made a small pit stop in the bath and then her actual room to put on clothes before actually going to find Taira.

    As she was still getting somewhat used to the ce, it was rather hard for her to find him.

    She briefly considered that he may have been hiding from her after the events ofst night, but as soon as she had the thought she found him on top of the roof of their home.

    He was sitting underneath one of the snow white cherry blossom trees with a small journal in hisp.

    Inadu had learned that Taira had three of these notebooks ording to Vermeil.

    The one with ck binding was used to record random drawings he thought of.

    The second was specifically for nude portraits of his wives.

    And the third was the most normal because it was the one he treated almost like an actual journal, though they weren''t sure what exactly he wrote in it.

    "Hello."

    Looking up, Taira raised his brow in surprise as he realized just how much he had let his guard down.

    Inadu had gotten quite close to him without his notice, so he was clearly very deep in thought.

    "Hello Inadu. Did you sleep well?"

    A brief smile formed on Inadu''s face before it was chased away by a more guilty look.

    "I�� yes. I am sorry for any inconvenience that I may have causedst night."

    "You did the furthest thing from it, do not worry."

    Taira finally stood up and walked towards Inadu with before taking her hand in his and leading her downstairs.

    "W-.. What are you doing?"

    "Taking you to the kitchen. I''ve only recently realized how thin you are and it is concerning."

    "There is no need for that. I have always been this weight."

    "Truly? Well, let me watch you eat for a bit so that I can at least say that I tried take care of you."

    "��As you wish."

    Inadu followed Taira quietly, but she could not shake the feeling that something about him was different today.

    Memories of things that were said and donest night came flooding back into her mind, and she felt even more embarrassed when she remembered how she shamelessly asked him to hug her.

    After that, Inadu didn''t remember much else but given how she woke up in his ce in bed, she figured that she must have forced him out of it due to difort.

    "That''s a little bit of a silly thought, don''t you think?"

    "!?"

    Taira suddenly paused in the hallway as he held up his and Inadu''s connected hands.

    "I wasn''t listening in on purpose, but it''s not a power that I can turn off. But I assure you that you did not force me out of my bed�� I actually enjoyed your addedpany."

    "I see�� then why were you not in bed this morning?"

    Physically Taira''s face did not change when Inadu asked him that question, but she could swear that she could feel his very spirit tighten up.

    "��Just a bit of difficulty sleeping is all." He answered.

    "��Was it because of-"

    "It was not because of you, no."

    The pair finally reached their cabin style kitchen where Taira immediately had Inadu sit down at the mahogany table while he stepped behind the counter.

    "Alright.. what do you like?"

    "I will not be picky. You may give me anything you see fit."

    "You aren''t a prisoner here, Inadu. You are free to ask things of me."

    "��"

    "What was your favorite food to eat when you were a child?" Taira asked.

    "��You willugh."

    "I most certainly will not. Just tell me what it was, and I will make it for you."

    "��Apple porridge."

    Taira froze dead in his tracks as he desperately tried to avoid looking Inadu''s way.

    "Y-You areughing!"

    "I am not."

    "I do not believe you! Turn around!"

    "G-Give me a moment, I have an upset stomach."

    With flushed cheeks, Inadu stormed around to stand in front of Taira to get a better look at his face.

    As she already expected, he had a faint smile on his lips that she found had a profound effect on her.

    No matter how hard she tried, she found it hard to actually be upset with him when he was so unfairly captivating to her.

    The idea of physical attraction was one that Inadu had never actually paid all that much attention to.

    She did not fully understand her infatuation with Taira, but she did know that she found him to be maic in nature.

    "I''m sorry forughing, Inadu. It''s just the idea of a child willingly eating something like oat porridge is�� a bit on the amusing side."

    Inadu folded her arms as she finally tore her eyes away from the fox spirit.

    "I am aware that it is unusual�� but it is the only thing I was ever able to eat on a consistent basis before I was allowed to join my family at meals. It also made me full."

    Now, Taira felt even worse forughing now that he knew that her tastes had such a sad story behind them.

    He reached out to touch her face again before stopping just shy of her cheek.

    "I get it�� I promise I''ll make you the best oat porridge you have ever had."

    "��If you say so."

    Inadu sat back down looking a bit dejected for some unknown reason, and a vaguely depressed air now surrounded her.

    "Oh, that reminds me."

    "Hm?"

    "I''m going into the city today to make some preparations for our uing trip and see a friend of ours. I would like you toe with me."

 Chapter 136: Sweetening The Pot

    "Oooooh..."

    As Inadu lie on Taira''srge and furry back, she could not help but let out a very satisfied noise as she rubbed her stomach.

    This morning... she had the most delicious bowl of oatmeal that she had ever tasted in her entire life.

    She was expecting Taira to just boil her some oats and then serve it to her in a bowl, but hewn above and beyond.

    He added a generous amount of diced apple, brown sugar, and cinnamon to make a sweet yet robust dish that not only filled her stomach, but gave her a sense of warmth and care as well.

    The mealbined with the sensation of flying through the sky on Taira''s soft and fluffy fur was practically like having aggressive narcolepsy, and Inadu ended up falling asleep on the ride more than a few times.

    "Inadu. We''re here."

    "Hwa..?"

    Groggily, the charming spider demon opened her ruby red eyes and sat up on Taira''s back.

    She seemed to be more than a little surprised by the fact that she was outside the walls of a city, staring at a market and shopping district that was teeming with people.

    "I.. thought we were going to see your friend..?"

    Taira changed back into his normal form so that he could look Inadu directly in the eye.

    "That''s true that we are, but I also wanted to take you to buy some clothes and personal items that you may need. You should have more things of your own, Inadu."

    "I... am fine, Taira. Your generosity is appreciated but I can not ept it." she said as firmly as possible.

    Taira did not seem bothered by her refusal, and it was almost as if he''d expected it in the first ce.

    "Can you tell me why?"

    "...You have already done a great many things for me that I cannot hope to repay you for. You saved my life, gave me a safe ce to lie my head, you feed me more than what is required to get by, and you have never at any point asked anything of me, even though most would say you are well within your right..."

    "I still haven''t heard a reason why." Taira persisted.

    "The reason why, Taira, is that I must be able to draw the line at some point. It would be gluttonous and unfair of me to continue to take from you knowing that I can give you nothing in return."

    "Have I ever asked you for anything in return?"

    "No, but-"

    "There are no buts. I don''t do things for you because I want things in return. I just do them because I want to."

    "That is�� very kind, but�� are you harboring no worries that I might try to use you?"

    Taira came dangerously close to Inadu and for a moment she did not recognize him.

    He looked so�� vulnerable.

    "If you wanted to use me�� I believe I would let you."

    Inadu dropped her gaze and clenched her small fists hard enough to break them.

    In one night, Taira had continuously showed her more kindness and care than he ever had before.

    There was a time where she thought that he was rtively indifferent to her.

    So why did things change?

    Was it because she offered him her body?

    Or was there more��?

    "Are you being nice to me.. because you pity me��? Because you think I am pathetic��?"

    Taira showed no visible surprise or offense over her words and instead drew ever closer towards her.

    "��Can I touch you Inadu?"

    "I..What?"

    As delicately as possible, Taira brushed his hand against Inadu''s cheek and she felt her face be a few degrees warmer.

    "I am being nice to you because I like you. And to me you are the farthest thing from pathetic... You are someone who I-"

    *sniffle*

    Taira paused on a dime and looked over his shoulder to find someone who he absolutely was not happy to see.

    "This is what it means to be in the spring of one''s youth..! Go on, boy! Confess your feelings to her loud enough for the world to hear for years toe��!"

    "Ja''Zaki��!"

    "Don''t talk to me,you imbecile! Talk to the girl!"

    Taira ground his teeth together with enough force to crack them.

    For a ruler of his ownnds, the dark elf certainly did spend a lot of his time in the domain of another.

    "Your childish leering is unwee. My friend and I are trying to have a personal discussion."

    Inadu''s eyes twitched momentarily before returning back to normal a momentter.

    She couldn''t exin why hearing the words ''my friend '' had bothered her.

    But it was obvious that they were just friends already, wasn''t it?

    What else could she have been expecting to be disappointed like this?

    ''Weird..''

    Ja''Zaki let out a disappointed sigh as he started to walk past the two should-be lovebirds.

    "Ah�� ''friend'' huh? That''s a real bummer. You two would have been very cute together and I wager that she agrees with me as well."

    Taira looked back at Inadu and found her looking at the part of the ground where the dirt path turned into paved road.

    He could sense a small but tense air surrounding her body, but he wasn''t entirely sure where it wasing from.

    But no matter what, his goal for today would be to get her to drop it.

    "I''d stay and chat, but I don''t want to be a bother to you both so.."

    "Are you not going to go and bother Ayame right now?"

    "��See youter, kids!"

    Ja''Zaki vanished from the path without even creating a whistle of wind, leaving Taira and Inadu behind.

    Feeling better now that they were alone, he offered his hand toward Inadu and waited for her to take it.

    Stay updated with m-v le-mpyr

    "Shall we go?"

    Inadu stared at Taira''srge hand for a long time and he did not rush her to take it.

    "What were you about to say earlier�� before King Ja''Zaki showed up?"

    "You can just call him Ja''Zaki. His head is big enough already."

    A very small smile cracked on Inadu''s face that Taira very nearly missed.

    "That does not answer my question." She said firmly.

    "��I will make you a deal." He decided.

    Taira pointed to the shopping district once again and pointed out how it was a little less crowded than it was before.

    "If you allow me to buy you a new wardrobe at the very least, I will tell you."

    "T-That''s not fair�� You were going to tell me with no strings attached a few moments ago."

    "That is true, but now I don''t want to waste a precious opportunity to travel past your stubbornness."

    For several moments, Inadu nced back and forth between Taira''s hand and the destination he was trying to take her.

    Finally, she ced her delicate hand in his and allowed their fingers to interlock.

    "Alright�� as long as you keep your word."

    "I would never dream of breaking it."

    - 2 Hours Later

    "Ayame�� why do you think that eggs don''t taste like chicken?"

    "For the love of the gods, GO HOME!"

    "��For that matter I also wonder why cow milk doesn''t taste like beef."

    "AAAAGGGGHH!!"

    Ayame ruffled her hair aggressively as she stood up from her throne and started walking back towards her quarters.

    Ja''Zaki got up from his ce on the floor and followed behind her like a little duckling.

    "Where are you going? Are you not enjoying mypany?"

    "NO!"

    "For some reason i have a hard time believing that. How could anyone not enjoy me?"

    "Guards! To me!"

    In an instant, knights in gleaming silver armor funneled into the corridor and formed a wall between Ja''Zaki and Ayame.

    "Please escort this pointy eared interloper out of my castle please!"

    A look passed between all of the knights in an instant as they wondered if this job really paid them enough to die.

    While they were figuring out how much their lives were really worth, Ayame stormed off and made a beeline directly for her bedroom before mming the door.

    "Really, Weregar�� You had no idea what kind of curse you bestowed on me." She said with an exhausted sigh.

    The former werewolf king and Ja''Zaki were a very close pair and he counted him among one of his only friends.

    So much so that the dark elf took it upon himself to take care of Ayame by checking on her from time to time.

    As if she was not a grown woman who wouldn''t need it.

    Ayame began to peel off her own clothes before she crawled into therge bed in the center of her room

    ''He is as exhausting as always�� I think I might call it an early day and-''

    *Click!*

    Her one eye shed open in an instant and she immediately sat up in her bed.

    The window on the other side of her room slid open and a familiar man climbed inside with a woman on his back.

    "Taira, why did we not just use the front door?"

    "Too many people. I''ve already hit my limit for social interaction today I fear."

    "Ah.. that makes sense. I also share that exhaustion."

    As Ayame watched Taira''s feet hit the floor and hispanion came down from his back, she had one, unbearably simple thought pop up in her mind.

    "I swear�� I hate assassins so much."

 Chapter 137: A Group Trip

    "Taira, have you ever wondered what your grandfather was like?"

    "On a few short asions I suppose." Taira slowly helped Inadu down from the windowsill without giving much thought to Adam''s question.

    "Wonderful... BECAUSE YOU''RE GOING TO FUCKING MEET HIM!!"

    Ayame made a shing motion in the air with her ws and a wave of power shot out with the goal of turning her handsome intruder into chicken fingers.

    But of course, Taira was able to flip out of harms way with Inadu in his clutches andpletely avoid such a dangerous fate.

    "Why are you so angry? I thought you liked me."

    "W-W-Who likes you?! I am twice your damn age, you punk!"

    "What does that have to do with me being your son-inw?"

    "..Oh, you meant... I... FUCK YOU!"

    "...?"

    Inadu seemed to be the only one who had an inkling of what was going on as she flipped across the room in Taira''s grasp.

    The vampire hybrid finallynded on a couch on the other side of the room and finally released hispanion from the princess carry he had her in.

    "I''m sorry about that... I thought that she would be in a better mood when we arrived."

    "Taira... have you noticed any reason why the queen might be feeling upset?"

    Taira''s red eyes nced over at Ayame, and he fully took in the sight of her gnashed teeth and fully exposed upper body uncovered by an ounce fabric.

    "Ah... Seems we''ve woken you. You have our apologies."

    "....Is that all that you have taken from seeing me here like this?" Ayame asked with a nk stare.

    "Is there more? You can''t be sick."

    Ayame''s face twitched several times before she let out a depressed noise and sank back into bed.

    ''I knew it... I have gotten fat. I need to get out and train more.''

    Inadu stared at Taira with a bit of an incredulous expression.

    Over the course of their day together she had seen him be kind, attentive, vignt, unknowingly charming and even somewhat funny.

    Only now was she realizing that he could also be somewhat dense and had very little concept of others'' privacy.

    ''Now that I think about it, I believe Lucia told me a simr story that took ce before they were even married. This kind of thing really does seem to be par for the course with him... what an odd man he is.''

    But despite the inner dialogue in her head, Inadu was forced to admit to herself that she did not dislike these qualities about Taira in the slightest.

    She even found them to be rather endearing.

    "Why the hell are you here and why did you suddenly bring the spider demon girl along with you��?" Ayame asked from underneath her covers.

    "I came here to get your help organizing a small field trip. And she is mypanion for the day."

    "You group of shut ins want to go on a field trip..? We''re still waiting to see the full fallout from that stunt that you pulled with the heroes, so what could possibly make you want to go running around in the meantime?"

    "The opening of the secret realm�� and we are not shut ins."

    For some reason, spending 50 years underground in a cavernpound did not strike Taira as something that would make he and his wives be considered shut-ins.

    After hearing what this field trip would be about, Ayame immediately sat up on the bed and stared daggers into Taira.

    "What are you talking about..? How could you possibly know when and where the secret realm is going to open up?"

    "Our mutual burden informed me."

    It took a moment''s thought before Ayame realized that they were talking about Fenris.

    She had a flurry of questions that she wanted to ask, but there was one that stood out more than others.

    "Why are you sharing such valuable information with me?"

    "Are you not one of the heads of the fallen? The more opportunities you get to empower yourself, the greater our strength as a whole. It would help if you could contact Aja as well."

    "Not Ja''Zaki and Kyoen?"

    Taira held out his hand and Yasuke appeared within his palm in it''s seven foot form.

    He casually stabbed the butt end of the spear into the shadows at his feet, and they let out a yell .

    "Oww! You bastard!"

    Ja''Zaki crawled out of the shadows like a demon from hell, wearing a fresh wound in his shoulder and a horribly pitiful expression.

    "You brute! You could have just said that you knew I was here!"

    "You could have not used me to hide. That was impolite."

    Inadu : ''Why do you only notice something is amiss when others do it..?''

    Ayame finally covered herself with her bedsheets as she gnashed her menacing teeth together.

    Dark ws sprouted from her fingertips and she crawled out of her bed with a staggeringly oppressive aura surrounding her.

    "You assassins and your damnck of boundaries... I''LL KILL YOU BOTH!!!"

    -

    Ayame failed to kill them both.

    Twenty minutester, her room was aplete and total mess because Ja''Zaki and Taira leapt across the four walls inside like a pair of jack rabbits to avoid any of her attacks.

    When she finally grew exhausted from trying to assault them, she huffed and puffed as she red hatefully at the two men sitting side by side on her shredded bed.

    "You damn rodents...!"

    "I resent that term."

    "As do I."

    "I don''t care what you resent! Starting through front doors like normal people!"

    ""...Fine.""

    The two assassins relented, but it didn''t seem like apromise that they were rtively happy to make.

    Taira looked towards the corner of the room where Inadu was still standing around untouched, looking as if she were concerned about his overall well-being.

    "Come here, Ina." he asked gently.

    When she sat next to him, both Ayame and Ja''Zaki stared at the pair with slightly suspicious gazes.

    ""Are the two of you together?""

    ""As in proximity?""

    "..."

    "..."

    "Nevermind."

    "Dense bastards..."

    Ayame moved over to her destroyed wardrobe and pulled out two paper scrolls with glowing blue runes.

    "I understand you aren''t a fan of him, but Kyoen should also know about this. He also has people to protect."

    Taira nced at Inadu out of the corner of his eye.

    He wasrgely unsure of how she felt about her brother, so he decided not to say anything too upsetting in her presence at risk of insulting her.

    "...Alright."

    Ayame let out a low chuckle as she unfurled the papers and started writing.

    Taira gave her all of the details about date, time, and exact location along with a rmendation to bring around thirty of their absolute best forces.

    The secret realm was too dangerous to just bring any wanton individual inside, so only those who could both capitalize on the experience and keep themselves safe needed to go inside.

    "Is there anything else you want to mention to us?" Ayame asked as she finished writing the letters.

    Taira thought about it for a couple of moments before realizing that he had indeed neglected to mention something important.

    "Oh, right. The heroes already have this information and we will very likely have to sh against them to get inside."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    "WHAT!?"

 Chapter 138: Taira is Afraid?

    High in the sky, arge nine tailed fox soared through the clouds with help from therge demonic wings jutting out from his back.

    Nestled within his sea of white fur was a woman with a gorgeous and slender physique paired with a rather tranquil expression.

    Flying through the air like this without a care in the world was truly one of the most freeing and rxing things that she had ever done.

    It was made so much more meaningful by the fact that nothing was required of her to be this happy.

    Just by simply being, she was allowed to experience this.

    It made her feel as though the more time she spent with him, the less she felt capable of understanding him.

    "Taira, may I ask you something?"

    "Of course."

    "Are you not fearful of the heroes at all..? Not worried about what it may mean to face them all together in battle?"

    Despite being asked such a tense question, Taira gave a rtively unassuming and easygoing answer.

    "It certainly should worry me at least a bit, shouldn''t it? I certainly have so much to lose and a few additional individuals that I want to keep safe, but things like going into battle do not make me afraid.

    It would be the same if I asked you whether or not you feared taking a bath or brushing your teeth in the morning. They are simply things that must be done, and the concept of fear is not one that is applicable here."

    Finding something interesting among the bit of information she had heard and decided to just push a little deeper.

    "Then��. What does scare you?"

    Taira suddenly stopped flying in mid air and fell ufortably silent.

    Feeling like she''d made a mistake, Inadu opened her mouth to apologize when Taira suddenly gave her an unexpected answer.

    "Last night�� Aveena said something to me that I haven''t been able to shake from my mind all day long. I''ve only just realized that this is because the idea terrified me so."

    "And�� what might that be?"

    "��She said�� that she believed I would be a wonderful father."

    Completely taken aback, Inadu turned her head to the side as she stared at herpanion like she had misheard him.

    "I do not understand..? What is wrong with what she said?"

    In an instant, Taira had transformed back to normal and held Inadu in the air by her waist.

    Normally she would have been afraid since they were so high up, but for some reason she felt even more secure than when she was on the ground.

    "Don''t tell me.. you think her words to be correct too?" He asked.

    "I would not dare to say that I know you as well as she does, but based on what I have seen so far�� I would agree with her assessment of you, yes."

    "Then I have tricked you somehow too."

    Taira shifted Inadu onto his back and resumed their rxing flight home.

    With her arms wrapped around his neck, Inadu smiled softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

    "What are you so afraid of?"

    "�� My parents were not good people, and they raised me in their image. From the second I could walk, my skin was peeled and my bones were broken so that I could get used to pain without so much as flinching.

    I was given swords instead of toys, studied strategy for war instead of learning to read children''s stories. But I never cared, since I had my mother''s affection and my father''s respect.

    And when it was discovered that I was inept.. that all changed. I became nothing, I lived through the centuries as a shell who tried to kill himself more times than I can count."

    "Taira��"

    "I did not know how to be�� normal. Since I was discarded after twenty years of hard work, I was effectively only a broken doll who had a wasted childhood.

    I never learned what it meant to be a child, or what it felt like to be innocent. From the moment that I was cognizant, I was only filled with venom. That poison�� it is all that I would ever pass onto my child if I were to ever have one."

    Inadu bit her lip so hard that it nearly bled.

    She obviously understood how Taira felt, as she didn''t exactly get a peachy childhood either.

    But in her heart of hearts, she felt like she was being far too hard on himself for things that may not have been rted.

    However, how was she supposed to articte that?

    She was no good with words, and more often than not she felt as if she were better off not saying anything at all.

    But she had be too fond of Taira to not try to offer him any words offort at the very least.

    "I.. don''t believe that. Your parents did not teach you how to love unconditionally, but I have personally seen you do so with all of your wives on numerous asions.

    It is true that the way that we grow up ys an enormous role in our outlook on life as we move forward, but it doesn''t mean that we are bound by those things.

    You of all people should know that we can grow however we want, be whoever we need to be. Our only limit to this is our desire to take that first scary step on the path to change."

    Though she didn''t understand why she did it, Inadu decided to ce a hand on Taira''s head and ruffled his ears ever so slightly.

    Because he wasn''t expecting it, he nearly dropped her out of the air and his own cheeks warmed beyond a healthy limit.

    "W-What are you doing..?"

    "I have always wanted to do this, yet I was never quite bold enough to take the plunge before�� does it feel unpleasant?"

    "Not necessarily, no.."

    "Good."

    Inadu continued to fondle Taira''s ears and hair, making it somewhat difficult for him to take in her earlier words of wisdom.

    "There is�� another problem you know?"

    "Hm?"

    "Fifty years ago I did something to my body�� I am not even sure if I can have children anymore, since in all of the time that the girls and I have been together we have never had so much as a single scare."

    "I could see why that would be a cause for concern�� but you all could always adopt if you saw fit. Sometimes, blood is not what makes a family. It is the love and care shared between."

    As their home slowly began to show up in the distance, Taira felt his pulse quicken just a bit as he realized that he would need to have a conversation that he had been running from for a long time.

    "Thank you, Inadu. You have given me a lot to think about today."

    "Really? I am d�� since I have helped you, do you think that you might finally tell me what you were going to say about me earlier? You have kept me waiting for too long already."

    "Have I��? Alright then."

    Tairanded right atop the icy mountain slope and brought his lips dangerously close to Inadu''s left ear.

    Whatever words were spoken between them as the sun set were there''s alone to be beholden to, and even the gods were not worthy enough to listen.

    But even though no one else around knew exactly what Taira was saying, the beautiful smile his words put on Inadu''s face was enough to convey the general idea loud and clear.

 Chapter 139: An Announcement

    When Taira and Inadu finally arrived at home, they crossed the stone bridge with a bit more of an awkward atmosphere between them than before.

    And the first one to notice such a thing was the ever curious Keran, who had been tending to the cavern garden at the moment of their arrival.

    Arge, ck fox with golden eyes and nine ck and silver tails strode up the two of them.

    "You both were certainly gone for a long time�� how was your visit with my mother?"

    "She scolded Ja''Zaki and I for our mutual dislike of using front doors." Taira answered.

    "Oh? Tell me then, did you see something that you shouldn''t have?"

    "Like what?" He asked sincerely as he tilted his head.

    "...Nevermind, beloved."

    Taira felt a bit like his wife was treating him with kid gloves but since he had something somewhat important to talk about, he elected to put the matter on hold untilter.

    "Where are the rest of the girls? There''s something that I''d like to talk to all of you about."

    "Training hall, settling on a wager... Would you go ahead and tell them first and leave me alone for a moment with Ina?"

    Inadu nced at Keran''srge white fangs hanging out of her mouth and she felt a chill running down her spine.

    In that instant, she prayed to the fallen god Astaroth that Taira would not leave her alone with thisveryrge creature whom she could not hope to fight against.

    "Oh? Alright then."

    ''T-Taira!''

    Oblivious to Ina''s inner thoughts,the vampire made his way up the steps of thepound and headed to go and find the rest of his wives.

    Though not before giving Inadu onest look over his shoulder as he walked away.

    Once he was out of sight and Keran was certain that he wasn''t listening in, she turned back to normal and encircled Inadu somewhat yfully.

    However, the spider demon was absolutely certain she was about to be hazed.

    "I-I just want to say that I have not betrayed your trust, Keran.."

    "You don''t need to shake so terribly�� I''m not going to harm you and I am certainly not angry with you."

    Inadu looked down at her hands in surprise and it was clear that she didn''t even realize that she was shaking.

    She just couldn''t stop herself.

    Her friendship with Taira''s wives meant everything to her and she desperately didn''t want to lose those special bonds because she was being greedy.

    Her breathing became ragged, and her vision began to darken as if she was falling into a tunnel.

    "..na��Ina!"

    When Inadu snapped back to normal, Keran was embracing her tightly around her neck and her own eyes were wet.

    "H-How long��?"

    "Around four minutes this time��"

    After hearing that, Inadu nearly fell to her knees as she felt all of her strength leave her body.

    Today had given her the false hope that she was past all of this.

    She thought that she was farther on the road to putting herself back together than she actually was, but it was easy to believe in that lie this was the first time she had felt so normal.

    Only now was she realizing just how much help she still needed, and just how much farther she needed to go.

    -

    Taira followed the sounds of crashing and banging all the way to the training hall where he smiled as soon as he poked his head inside.

    However, the only one who payed attention his sudden arrival was Enyo.

    "Honey~!"

    His first wife ran up to him from her ce against the wall and she rubbed her face against his chest happily.

    Immediately Taira felt his mood soar even higher as he wrapped his arms around her lovingly.

    "Seems you''re the only one who missed me, love."

    "Ah, that''s not true. The girls are just a little�� focused right now."

    "Yes, I see that."

    No more than a few feet away from Taira was the ruckus that was echoing throughout the entire cavern.

    Lucia was locked in a heated struggle against Vermeil where both of them seemed to be pushing themselves as much as they could without going all out and destroying the cavern.

    Due to the length of Lucia''s weaponpared to her own, Vermeil was having difficulty closing in the distance between the two of them tond any sort of meaningful attack.

    And even when she could get close, there was another weapon that the human woman had to contend with.

    Lucia''s new tail.

    The long and powerful appendage would easily knock her off her bnce and threaten to undo her entire chain of attack and leave her open to a near devastating counterattack.

    But Vermeil was very flexible to due many years of��. Gymnastics, and she was constantly bending her body at a number of odd angles to limate to Lucia''s extra appendage.

    Both girls were putting on an exceedingly impressive performance.

    "What brought this on?" Taira suddenly asked.

    "The girls were having a little�� disagreement about which of them was more qualified to be your equal."

    "What a foolish thing to argue about�� you are all my equals, I hate the thought of there being some sort of hierarchy between all of you."

    "Yes, I know�� are you going to tell them that?"

    Taira nced at his wives once again and felt his earlier resolve waver just a bit.

    Their assets were jiggling inside of their tight ck outfits and drawing in his attention like a moth to a neon white me.

    And then there was the sight of their cheeks slightly flushed, and sweat dripping down into the crevices on their chests.

    ��He couldn''t bring himself to cut this short.

    "I�� don''t believe it would be right to interrupt them at this moment. They certainly are giving it their all afterall."

    Enyo followed Taira''s openly lustful gaze and smiled helplessly.

    "Are we in for a long night by chance?"

    "Most likely."

    Out of the corner of his eye, Taira spied Aveena leaning against the wall of the training room and watching the battling girls with somewhat of a dark gaze.

    Unused to seeing her like this, he immediately slipped beside her and intertwined her hand in his.

    "Ah, husband? When did you get back?" Aveena asked in surprise.

    "Just now�� are you alright? You seem a little tense."

    "Really..?" Aveena asked in clear surprise. "I''m alright, just a little tired is all."

    Taira knew that his wife was not being entirely honest about the reason for her mood at the moment, but he was a firm believer in not making people talk before they were ready.

    For right now, all he could do was make it known that he was ready when she was.

    "Alright�� but I have something to help you that I think might cheer you up."

    "Tonkatsu for dinner..??" She asked hopefully.

    "If you like, but that''s not what I was getting at, no."

    Taira leaned in so that his lips barely grazed her ears.

    "I want to have a child with you, Aveena." He whispered.

    """"WHAT?!?"""""

    Everyone in the room came to a dead stop at the same time as they heard Taira utter words that they had never heard from him before.

    The culprit of their shock looked at all of them with a mischievous smile, not wanting to borate any further.

    "Oh, and I also forgot to tell you all that Ayame sends her best wishes."

    """"NOT IMPORTANT!!""""

 Chapter 140 : Room to Grow

    It is amazing the effect that certain words can have on individuals.

    The words ''I cheated on you'' can send a man or woman into homicidal rage or suicidal despair.

    ''You''re fired'' Can reduce someone to a life ofmitting crime in order to feed themselves and their family.

    Today, Taira also learned that the words ''I want to have a baby with you'' can fill some women with a legendary lust that is practically unforeseen.

    Few times in his life had he been attacked with such ferocity as he was a few hours ago, and there were several reasons why.

    Just because Taira had never mentioned having kids before, didn''t mean that the girls hadn''t had their own discussions amongst themselves.

    Quite frankly, none of them were oblivious to his somewhat reluctance to address the topic at one point or another, and were able to pinpoint that he must have had his own reservations about the prospect.

    It was decided by the girls that they would wait until their husband was ready before they brought up such a thing; since the one thing that cultivators do not at allck is time.

    Without having to worry about their bodies turning against them of their own volition, they had a muchrger window for these things than normal people would have.

    And they told themselves that they were content with waiting, but that was before Taira actually told them that he wanted children.

    The moment that he told them, they attacked him in a way that they had never done before in fifty years of marriage.

    He felt as if he were an object that the girls were trying to use so that they could fulfill their deepest buried wish and make their family a little more whole.

    They went at him with such reckless abandon that they exhausted themselves well beyond their limits, and ended up fainting after a measly six hours.

    This left Taira alone in the bed, awake, amused, and still aroused.

    Knowing that he likely wouldn''t be enjoying any more depravity tonight, he got up from the covers and started on the task of cleaning up the girls and their bed.

    Upwards of fifteen minutester, all five women were clean  yet still filled with his ''essence'' so to speak and sleeping on dry sheets.

    Just as Taira was about to climb back into bed with them, he had a sudden thought.

    Within the dark room, he pulled on a simple set of clothes before stepping out into the hallway and heading downstairs to a very specific room.

    As he passed through the dark corridors, he could hear faint, muffled soundsing from the room at the end of the hall.

    When he got closer, he was able to make them out as the sound of humming.

    Gently knocking on the door of Inadu''s bedroom, he waited for her to answer with a strange amount of nervousness in his heart.

    When the door opened, he came face to face with a slightly shy looking Inadu in only a ck nightie.

    Obviously, she wasn''t expecting to see him thiste, and he could have justifiably said the same.

    "Hello�� is there something wrong?"

    "No, I just�� thought you may have been having trouble sleeping again."

    Briefly, wires started to connect within Inadu''s own brain.

    She had wondered why she was able to sleep so marvelously when she was in bed with Taira andhis wives, and now she was realizing that it may have been less of a coincidence than she had initially thought.

    Taira ran his hands through his hair nervously, already dreading how his next words were going toe out.

    "If you were alright with it... I was going to invite you to sleep with us again tonight."

    "!"

    "J-Just sleeping, I assure you. If you start to have nightmares again in the middle of the night, I wanted to be there to-"

    In a surprising moment of boldness, Inadu suddenly threw herself around Taira''s torso and wrapped him in the fiercest hug that she could muster.

    Though he was undoubtedly surprised by this sudden show of affection, Taira did not shy away from returning her hug in kind.

    "I wonder... what is this for?"

    "Tell me something, Taira... do you truly believe that you can always be there for me when I need you, at any moment?"

    "Yes." he answered without hesitation.

    "Actually... I suppose that it is just like you to say something like that." Inaduughed. "Let me ask you, what were you nning to do when you set out forthe secret realm tomorrow? Would you take me with you?"

    "Yes."

    "Despite the danger?"

    "I would protect you. No one will ever get the chance to harm you ever again."

    "You fool�� I am no use to anyone in a battlefield like that, I would only get in your way and get you or someone else hurt."

    "I could-"

    "Taira, please." Inadu pleaded.

    Her soft slender hands gingerly touched his cheek, and he felt his heartbeat start to beat out of control.

    Inadu smiled at him softly, but it still seemed like her eyes were immeasurably sad.

    "I am.. so grateful for everything that you keep trying to do for me. It makes me feel cherished and cared for in a way that I have never been allowed to know before.

    But despite that�� I cannot allow you to keep supporting me endlessly.

    Today I realized that there are things that I have to do for myself, alone, so that I must not be relegated to a happiness that only survives on your generosity. So�� go."

    With great difficulty, Inadu ced her hand on Taira''s chest and pushed him away.

    "Please do not let this version of me consume all of your worry. When youe back from the secret realm, I want to show you a better side of me that you don''t have to treat like broken ss. And then�� I would like to go out with you again, just the two of us."

    Taira watched as Inadu slowly closed the door to her room and he only barely managed to stop himself from holding it open.

    He knew that he was particrly attentive to Inadu after getting to know her and everything that she had been through.

    But he never thought that there was anything wrong with his behavior, or that he could have been hampering her personal growth by doing so.

    So, he begrudgingly epted her decision, even though he would remember it for a long time as one of the hardest things that he had ever had to do.

    As he returned to his room, his heart continued to twist itself into knots over the thought of her facing such horrible nightmares all over again.

    ''I really wish you knew just how much it hurts to do what you have asked of me�� Were you anyone else, I could have ignored your wishes easily.''

    It wasn''t until he climbed back into bed with his own wives that he was able to put these thoughts behind him somewhat.

    Tomorrow, they would be setting out to go to the opening of the secret realm on an entirely different continent.

    If Inadu wanted to show him her growth in their time apart, then he would do the same.

    ''I wonder if she would like the head of a hero as a trophy�� or maybe even her brother''s.''

 Chapter 141 : Shit Is Starting Already

    "Who is that?"

    "A human��"

    "Not her, the one next to him."

    "Oh, right�� He''s more unsettling than the rumors made him out to be."

    "��He''s not as handsome either."

    "Be fucking for real."

    "Okay, okay��"

    Standing at attention on a very impressive sailboat were exactly 150 fallen men and women.

    Each of them were high level cultivators and ranked among the very best from the armies of Ja''Zaki, Ayame, and Aja.

    And all of them without exception were staring discreetly at thetest group that had only just arrived.

    For they who had spent their whole lives training to assess and deal with potential threats, Taira and his wives were quite the eye openers for them.

    They were all so regal, and to make matters even more unfair they seemed to be just as beautiful as they were powerful.

    Taira was attracting a not so small amount of attention himself.

    Tales had already spread throughout fallen society that thest son of the vampire king had miraculously appeared from the dead with a new identity, a new body, and the ability to cultivate.

    What was just as shocking was the fact that he had married the defector of the heroes.

    Even now, he could be seen walking hand in hand with her, and it was still a difficult pill to swallow for more than a few.

    For everyone but the undead faction that is.

    As soon as Taira and his wives stepped on board the boat, they were immediately swarmed by the fifty members of Aja''s group.

    Each of them were able to meet with them previously during their stay at Aja''s castle, and they were more than a little thrilled to see them again, even though it hadn''t been all that long.

    "G-Greetings, Lord Taira."

    "Lady Vermeil, I am ted you are still in good health!"

    "Lady Lucia is still a dragon�� marvelous..!"

    As the undead were the only ones intimately familiar with Taira and his family, the undead of course had the warmest response toward their arrival.

    But the beastkin and dark elf factions were not like them.

    When they saw Taira arrive with a human on his arm, their reactions were a little less than weing.

    Several pairs of eyes narrowed in an instant once theynded on Vermeil.

    "Bringing a human here is really��"

    "Even if he is thest vampire, there should be limits to what he can pull��"

    "How could one of the so called ''Supreme Fallen'' have drifted so low��"

    In that moment, a uniquely terrible and suffocating pressure descended onto nearly every passenger onboard the vessel.

    The source of this phenomena was of course Taira who had heard every unkind word or phrase that was slung at either he or Vermeil.

    In an instant, Ja''Zaki appeared right in front of the irate vampire and ced a hand on his shoulder.

    "There, there, friend. Just try to rx, alright? They were wrong, but I need you to remember who our real enemy is at this mo-"

    "Ja''Zaki."

    Taira''s voice and demeanor were so cold, more frigid than the dark elf had ever seen before.

    It made him seem so unnaturally dangerous and unrecognizable that the dark elf had almost drawn his weapons without thinking.

    "I think you''ll find that I am in a�� less than pleasant mood these days. So for the duration of this journey, I suggest you instruct your men carefully. Lest they start waking up in the morning with their heads in theirps."

    Ja''Zaki''s jaw clenched tightly as his normally mboyant and unserious personality cracked for just a moment.

    "While I''m curious as to what could have gotten under your skin and infected your brooding and depressive personality, I would remind you that I do not like having my people threatened."

    "I will remind you that I do not make threats. Have we reached an understanding?"

    The tense air between the two great forces had only be more tumultuous as the seconds ticked by.

    It would have normally been a much more serious moment provided that a long, slender finger did not poke Taira in the cheek randomly.

    "Aja.."

    "Why is my besto friendo in a bad mood?"

    "Get your finger out of my face please�� and why do you know that silly phrase?"

    Vermeil turned her head to the side and started whistling inconspicuously.

    "Nevermind��"

    Aja didn''t seem to have any interest in removing her finger as Taira requested, or at least not until she had gotten an answer about what was wrong with him.

    "Let''s go somewhere we can talk, hm?"

    "��Fine."

    Aja led Taira and the girls to her own private cabin onboard so that she could force a separation between the dark elf leader and her only friend.

    The pressure on the dock was finally alleviated once the fox-kin was out of sight of the affected upants, and they immediately let out a unanimous relieved sigh.

    Ja''Zaki looked over his shoulder and found Ayame standing behind him drinking from a coconut and judging him.

    "I don''t suppose you had something that you wanted to say?"

    "��Nope. Nothing at all."

    -

    Taira sat opposite a highly curious and inquisitive Aja, who seemed like she had practice ying the expert role of a therapist.

    The rest of the girls were a bit too tired to stay and observe, so they left the two friends to their own devices.

    However, they should have juste with just to make things easier.

    "So, will you tell me what is bothering you?"

    "Nothing."

    "I know that is not true."

    "I am just in a bad mood. There exists no particr reason or cause."

    "Be honest with me. There is no need to hide your irritability from your besto fr-"

    "Please stop saying that."

    "Don''t tell me what to do."

    *sigh*

    Taira surveyed the cabin they were sitting in and he felt his irritability worsening.

    They really were simple lodgings, with only the rooms for the four heads being slightly bigger, but still a far cry from luxurious.

    Basic ck carpets, dark grey walls, and a single window the size of a tire looking out into the blue sea.

    "I''m just upset that I have to stay in such shoddy lodgings." He lied.

    "That''s not true. You aren''t that spoiled of an individual. You don''t have the luxury."

    "Excuse me?"

    "It takes a unique kind of person to be an assassin. Your mind cannot be bogged down by things likefort or ideals whenever you are in the field. You''re all trained to sleep lightly anywhere, everywhere, and withoutint."

    "��"

    "��"

    "��I''m not changing my answer."

    "Fine." Aja shrugged. "If you don''t want to talk about it, then maybe we''ll talk about��puppies."

    Taira''s ear immediately twitched and he stared at Aja in a calcting light.

    "Or maybe even�� puppy dreams if-"

    ''GIRLS!!!''

    -

    In Taira''s cabin, all of the girls flinched before diving under the covers of their bed like pack rats hiding from predators.

    "J-Just pretend to be asleep..!"

    "He won''t spank us if he thinks we''re already unconscious..!"

    "��"

    Discreetly, Aveena poked her butt out just a bit so that it was exposed beneath theforter.

 Chapter 142: Smooth Sailing

    In the dead of night on arge sailing vessel, a lone figure was seated on the roof of the observation deck.

    After an unknown amount of time was spentin meditation, Taira finally opened his eyes and let out a disappointed exhale.

    He knew that cultivating once he reached the sovereign realm would be more difficult, but he had underestimated just how painstakingly slow it would be.

    As of now, trying to advance through normal means was like trying to fill an Olympic swimming pool with only one drop of water at a time.

    Unbeknownst to him, he was finally understanding what it felt like to be a regr cultivator for the first time in his life.

    "Seeing someone like you upset about your progress is a bit of a p in the face to the rest of us."

    Looking back over his shoulder from an impossible angle, Taira stared at his mother inw with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

    "What? Surprised that I could sneak up on you?"

    "No. I am just surprised you bothered to speak to me after you spent so long just watching."

    "��You''re as annoying as your father was. Nothing ever phases you, does it?"

    Taira''s eyes narrowed, and Ayame held up her palms in surrender.

    "Apologies�� I know you weren''t close."

    "The understatement of a millennium." He spat coldly.

    Alucard despised Taira for everything after it was discovered he was inept.

    He couldn''t breathe right, eat right, walk right, or anything close.

    It got so bad that the mere sight of his third son filled the vampire king with disgust.

    His irritation only became worse when his son tried to find other interests like reading, painting, and poetry.

    Things his father felt were utterly useless.

    Ayame deigned to intrude closer and sat down beside the nine tailed prince.

    "I''m used to you being less than talkative, but this new air of hostility about you is more than a little bit jarring."

    "��Apologies."

    "Well since you''ve spent three days like this, maybe you are tired of it now? Want to share the story of your aggression with me?"

    "And me!"

    Out of nowhere, Aja climbed on top of the roof of the observation deck and startled the werewolf Ayame.

    "How did you do that, elf?"

    "I have be the night itself."

    "I taught her a basic stealth technique so that she would stop pestering me." Taira answered. "She has be more annoying than before as a result."

    Ayame ran her hands through her hair and decided to look past the antics of these two for the sake of her sanity.

    "Whatever�� just start talking, fox boy."

    "��Don''t call me-"

    "Hurry up, I want to get into bed before wend tomorrow and all hell breaks loose."

    A vein bulged in Taira''s head as he tried not to act erratically due to irritation.

    "Does the reason you are upset have something to do with the fact that the spider demon girl is not around?" Ayame finally asked.

    When Taira''s scowl melted, the girls knew they had hit the nail on the head.

    "I think�� I''ve fallen in love with her."

    This was the first time he had said it out loud, and if he was honest it left him feeling a bit like a weight was lifted off of his chest.

    "I don''t understand? Are you just annoyed because you miss her?"

    "Partially�� but I suppose you could also say�� I believe that she will reject my feelings."

    At the same time, Ayame and Aja stared at Taira''s handsome face and extensively honed body.

    ""You''re stupid.""

    "Excuse me?"

    Aja : "All of that hair on your head, and yet no brain to go with it. Sad."

    Ayame : "My mother used to tell me that you can only get two out of four things that you want from a man. Easy on the eyes, loyal, good in bed, or smart. Seems the old bitch was right."

    "Both of you are about to go the fuck overboard."

    Like a crass elder sister, Ayame ruffled the hair on top of Taira''s head as she stared up into the sky.

    "Don''t be so defensive, we''re just joking."

    Aja : "I''m not."

    "Anyways. Tell us why you feel as though this girl would reject you of all people?"

    Already too deep to turn back, Tairay on his back so that he could stare up at the stars.

    For the next ten minutes or so, he told the girls everything that had transpired between the two of them.

    From the first night she crawled into his marital bed, and up until the moment where she pushed him away and closed the door in his face.

    When he finally finished, he nced at the girls out of the corner of his eyes.

    Aja was incapable of expressing emotion like normal, but she knew just how to make a face like she''d just heard something that she didn''t think made sense.

    "You''re so dense�� that girl clearly feels just as strongly about you as you do her. If not more so."

    "But she.."

    "Taira, Inadu is a woman with real trauma. She has wounds that even you cannot fully heal just by coddling her. You have to give her the space to learn how to help herself again."

    "But just because she needs that space does not mean that she will not also grow to need you one day." Ayame added. "There is no amount of self love a person can develop that can substitute a romantic connection."

    Closing his eyes, Taira allowed the words of the girls to marinate in the back of his brain.

    He hated to admit it, but he was starting to feel just a bit better after hearing their exnation more clearly.

    The fog resting atop his mind began to clear, and he felt his mood beginning to improve little by little.

    "Friendships do seem to have their value�� I owe you both quite a bit."

    "I-I''m not your friend you bastard��" Ayame had a small blush on her face as she looked away into the distant sea.

    "I am."

    Aja knew how much Taira hated being hugged by anyone that wasn''t his wife, so she did it anyway out of spite.

    But much to her surprise, he hugged her back with both arms and he didn''t evenin as he did so.

    She would have thought that she were hugging an imposter were she not intimately familiar with all of her best friend''s finer points.

    "Well�� I''m d that you are feeling a little less mncholic now." Ayame stood up and stretched her lean body a few times before leaping down from the roof.

    "Try not to let these little moods of yours persist for too long again. I find that you''re much more charming when you''re only halfway broody."

    Aja and Taira watched the werewolf queen retreat towards the cabin hall of the ship.

    Even five minutes after she left, they still had yet to say anything.

    "Do you think�� she was flirting with me by chance?"

    "How are you only just now noticing?"

    "I''m used to women being more direct when they are attracted to me. My girls usually just undress and bend over provocatively."

    "��Even after hearing that, it is still odd to think that you six have the best marriage of everyone I know."

    Finally, the sun started to rise upon the dark ocean and the two of them watched their destination finallye into view.

    "Tell me�� how many of us do you think will survive this?" Aja asked.

    Taira gave her hand a firm squeeze that was meant to act as a form of reassurance.

    "I''m not sure." He confessed. " But no matter what it takes�� We will give all that we have to ensure that they suffer more losses on their side than we do."

    "Quite a boast, my friend." Aja added with a forced smile.

    "I look forward to seeing how you keep your word."

 Chapter 143: Destination Camping

    The ship that had housed over one hundred and fifty people over the course of four days finallynded on what would be a Sunday morning on the continent of Zhad.

    It was a cold, crisp morning where the sun had only just started to rise and the animals were only barely beginning to stir.

    The ship had docked on an inlet to the west of arge castle around twenty kilometers away.

    Waiting for the vessel at the dock was the head of the demonic cult, along with fifty of his soldiers.

    Kyoen Jiraigumo seemed to have a permanent scowl affixed to his face as he watched the passengers on board the vessel disembark one by one.

    With calcting eyes, he analyzed every hand-picked soldier chosen by his fellow heads and nearly let out an audible scoff of disapproval.

    ''Barely passable at best... At the first sign of trouble I am going to cut them lose by any means.''

    In the middle of his brooding, Kyoen suddenly felt a gust of wind and a weight wrapped around his shoulder before a familiar annoying voice disrupted his thoughts.

    "Kyo-Kyo!"

    "Do not call me that, elf!"

    "You''re so tense and negative this morning. What''s the problem? Indigestion?"

    "Ja''Zaki..."

    The dark elf held up his hands in surrender and smiled harmlessly. "Don''t growl at me like that, can''t I just be happy to see you and express concern over your dietary habits?"

    An unhealthily thick vein bulged in the spider demon''s forehead as he ground his teeth together with enough force to crack them.

    However, in the next moment he saw something that made his entire mood shift slightly.

    Aja was finally emerging from the ramp and was discussing something rather intently with one of her attendants.

    As always, she was a curvaceous vision of a woman, and even though she may have been just a little bit too old for his tastes, her assets more than made up for it.

    "Careful." Ja''Zaki warned.

    "What?"

    "She doesn''t like lustful looks."

    "You would chastise me for admiring her figure?"

    "You can admire all you want, but when you''re picking up your nuts with broken fingers I don''t want to hear anyints."

    "Tch!" Kyoen gave the dark elf a hard shove before returning his focus back to the approaching elder lich.

    "It is good to see you, Aja. You''re looking very well."

    Aja looked up from her conversation with her usual robotic, and disconnected look.

    "Kyoen." she replied with a nod.

    "..."A smaller vein than earlier bulged in Kyoen''s head as he tried to maintain an air conducive to conversation.

    He knew that Aja was unexpressive but he was hoping that she would have given him just a little more to work with!

    "Smooth as a gravel road..." Ja''Zaki muttered.

    Aja heard him, but because she wasn''t exactly sure about what was going on she merely tilted her head to the side and made a confused expression.

    "Why''re you all standing around like such an awkward bunch?"

    Finally, Ayame slowly stepped down from the ship, but she was overshadowed by therge silver-haired fox with nine demonic tails and five women on his back.

    Once Taira and Kyoen made eye contact, a brief but sharp bolt of hostility shot through the air.

    Ja''Zaki / Ayame : "Don''t start!"

    Aja : ''I have all of my bets on besto friendo.''

    Taira did not bother to say anything as a rebuttal, and Kyoen scoffed proudly and took that as his victory.

    "Remember what we''vee here for." Ayame reminded with a small nudge.

    Keran: "Don''t worry, mother. We will ensure that he behaves."

    Vermeil: "That''s right, Ma! You don''t need to stress about a thing!"

    Lucia: "Indeed!"

    "I only recall birthing one of you..."

    "So you do not want the rest of us?" Aveena asked with unusually despondent eyes.

    "...Fine."

    """"Thank you!""""

    Ayame somehow felt that she had just gotten further and further away from her ultimate goal of seducing Taira.

    "So? Where is this secret realm supposed to be? Or have youe all this way for nothing?" Kyoen asked.

    Everyone let their eyes drift towards therge four legged fox who looked relieved to feel the soil underneath his paws once again.

    "What? Are you telling me that only he knows the location? How wonderful. Has this information not been verified by anyone else??" Kyoenn remarked.

    "If you are disinclined to trust it, you are also more than free to leave."

    Kyoen followed the voice to one of the women sitting on Taira''s back.

    And in doing so, he nearly shit his boots.

    Vibrant green hair, infuriatingly beautiful, and dark red eyes with reptilian sclera.

    The two red horns sticking out of her head were indicative of her identity and heritage, but he didn''t want to believe it.

    ''I had heard rumors but... he really tamed a dragon..!''

    Everyone figured that Kyoen was shut down by Lucia''s icy gaze and oppressive presence and could not manage to say anything else.

    Even the men standing behind him on the dock were stunned silly, as they could not ever recall seeing the head of the demonic cult behave this way.

    Meanwhile, Aja climbed on top of Taira''s back and the Enyo happily made room for her.

    "What do you think you are doing?" Taira asked for the first time.

    "It lookedfortable up here. Your fur is very fluffy."

    "Thank you. Now get down."

    "So where is the secret realm opening?"

    "Aja..."

    "Be a good fluffy boi and lead the way."

    Taira''s wives snickered as they nced at Vermeil like she was the culprit behind the lich queen''s choice of vocabry.

    The fox-kin himself let out a low growl before abandoning his need for revenge until ater date at least.

    Lifting his head, Taira turned to address the assembled 150 fallen for the first time.

    "Follow me. If you fall behind I am noting back for you."

    Ja''Zaki : "You are such a terse and unfriendly bastard."

    "And yet you still try to talk to me at every chance you get. I must not be too bad."

    With arge gust of wind, Taira vanished from his ce along the docks and left the fallen standing around mesmerized.

    With the exception of Ayame, Ja''Zaki, and Kyoen, no one was able to follow his movement in the slightest.

    The dark elf was the only one present who could follow Taira''s movement clearly as if he were running around in the dark with a glow stick, but the other two rulers only had a general sense of the direction he traveled in.

    "Fast.."

    "A-As expected of that bastard... His only talent is running away and seducing women."

    The dark elf rubbed his chin somewhat thoughtfully as he stared up into the sky.

    "He''s such a little Tsun-tsun. Saying all that mean stuff, but he still bothered to slow down for us. Ain''t he just the sweetest?"

    In the next second, Ja''Zaki disappeared from his position as well, but he made sure to fly at a more reasonable speed so that his travelingpanions would not lose sight of him.

    -

    Four hours of flyingter, Taira finallynded in a dense, dark forest that seemed like it was right out of a child''s fever dream.

    The trees, grass, the sky, it all was dyed permanently ck, and the only thing providing any color were the fungi, insects, and certain nts that glowed with neon colors.

    In the center of this fantastical grove, there was argeke with a reflective surface and a dull glow simmering off the water.

    Taira suddenlynded directly on top of the surface without disturbing it in the slightest and allowed the girls on his back to disembark.

    Keran: "Beloved..."

    Aveeena: "This is..."

    A momentter, Ja''Zaki, Ayame, and Kyoen appeaared with the rest of the fallen closing in behind them- every one of them showing clear concern.

    "You beast!"

    Taira''s wives immediately took a defensive formation around him as Kyoen approached him with palpable irritation on his face.

    "Have you any idea where you''ve brought us? This is the fairy king''s forest!!"

 Chapter 144: Fight! Fight! Fight!

    Unlike the other races of light, fairies or fae are extremely secluded and don''t really openly engage in the war as humans, elves, and dwarves do.

    Instead, they guard only their own domains with a rather fierce demeanor.

    The only reason in particr that they are even counted among the races of light is due to their beauty which humans and elves find so captivating that it is worthy of reverence.

    It also helps that they have more of an aversion to fallen than other beings.

    Fae are said to be so powerful that if they put their mind to it they could overturn the bnce of the world with their numbers alone.

    Discover hidden content at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    And whether or not that is rumor or fact, the fallen don''t particrly want to find out so they avoid the domains of the fairies like a gue.

    So needless to say, the fact that the fallen here had been led right smack into the waiting room of the fairy king himself was about as appealing as a sandpaper fleshlight.

    If the demon and elven fallen didn''t believe that Taira was a traitor to their race before, they certainly were starting to now.

    "Are you anxious? I assure you that you''re wee to leave."

    As soon as Aja got down from his back, Taira''s body went up into a surge of blue me.

    A momentter, he floated down from the ball of fire and allowed his feet to stand on the surface of the mistyke beneath him.

    Different from his usual ck kimono, he wore more simple dark ck pants and a sleeveless shirt made of a nice, breathable material.

    Around his waist hung a blue and gold kimono the same color as his mes.

    His wild silver hair was tied up in a long ponytail and gave him a much more refined, non caveman-like look.

    Briefly, Ayame, Aja, and Ja''Zaki felt their breath''s get caught in their throats.

    Taira was unfairly charming, yes but that wasn''t the main concern for them.

    Though they would never tell him on ount of his feelings for them,... he really did look so much like his father and mother that it was damn near scary.

    Especially with this cold yet calcting look of murder in his eyes.

    "I don''t need you to be here... I didn''t even want you here. If you''re feeling the urge to tuck your tail and run, I hope you aren''t counting on me to stop you. But let me be absolutely clear about something..."

    Taira closed the distance between he and Kyoen step-by step, with his presence bing all the more sharp and dangerous at every second.

    When he finally stood directly in front of the spider demon, the air pressure surrounding them had begun to whistle like the wind along the surroundingke.

    "If I were nning to kill you... you would just be dead. I would require no grand scheme or even the help of one of the heroes. You and everyone you brought with you would just stop breathing before you could make me break a sweat."

    Ja''Zaki : ''Oh damn..''

    Ayame : ''You have your mother''s mouth too it seems...''

    Aja : ''This took less time than I thought it would.''

    Kyoen and every demon that he''d brought with him twitched at the sheer audacity of Taira''s statement.

    He already didn''t like the fact that this man obviously had some sort of odd familiarity with Aja.

    But now he had the nerve to levy threats against him and his men??

    Even if he hadn''t insulted him just now, what happened next was bound to ur at some point sooner orter.

    "DIE!"

    Eight jagged spider legs sprang free from the back of the heavenly demon with the goal of turning Taira into a handsome pincushion.

    However, instead of allowing himself to be pierced, Taira performed a graceful back flip into the air to avoid them and give himself some much needed space.

    Righting himself in the air, Taira gathered a current of purple lightning in one hand, and a mass of blue fire in the other.

    With a throwing motion, Taira hurled the two at the irate demon monarch.

    In the midst of heading to their destination, the lightning current separated and changed into numerous bolts that were each no bigger than the ones used in a crossbow.

    With the blue fire concentrating itself around the ''tips'', Taira had created a volley of around thirty ming arrows and sent them rushing directly towards Kyoen.

    Moving like a ghost, the heavenly demon avoided them step by step and unsheathed each of his precious scimitars.

    Ja''Zaki gritted his teeth and took a single step forward like he was going to put an end to this conflict, but Ayame ced a hand on his shoulder to stop him before he could do so.

    "Just sit still for a moment, yea? Let them work this out." she asked calmly.

    Immediately, Ja''Zaki stared back at her like she was a lunatic.

    "Are you off your rocker? What possible reason could you have to ask me to allow them to kill each other? Do you realize whose domain we are in?!"

    "Uh-huh."

    "Fighting will only weaken us and draw his attention!"

    "Naturally."

    "Then why in the name of the gods would you ask me to stand aside and watch this foolishness?!" The dark elf monarch was on the verge of tearing his silver hair out from stress.

    Ayame based briefly to look at Taira.

    He held out his hand and allowed his spirit weapon to appear within his palm; a very sinister looking kusarigama with a blood red chain.

    Hended back on the water without causing so much as a single ripple, and rushed at his opponent with a seemingly unenviable bloodthirst.

    "Because... he''s smarter than this." Ayame finally muttered.

    "Not right now he isn''t!"

    "Just shut up and listen damn it!" Ayame grabbed Ja''Zaki forcefully by his long ponytail in the hopes that she could make him see with her line of thinking.

    "I haven''t exactly gotten to know Taira the best since he keeps himself so closed off, but... I have never seen him discuss so much as a single step without calcting the risks at least three times over.

    "..Tch." this admittedly did cause Ja''Zaki to pause.

    Any good assassin no matter how they were trained will always think calctedly at every single moment.

    They have no choice, since this entire line of thinking is beaten into them from the moment that they begin their careers.

    Wasteful movement, effort, and thinking all leads to death.

    And since Taira is no mere street alley hitman, he should also know this intently.

    "I don''t know what the man is thinking but, I am content to wait and see. What about you?"

    Ja''Zaki folded his arms and resign himself to waiting to see how this all ys out.

    "I''ll step in the moment it looks like Kyoen is about to die."

    "Don''t you mean the moment it looks like either of them are going to?"

    Ja''Zaki smirked momentarily before it quickly disappeared.

    A glimmer of recognition shone in Ayame''s good eye before she nodded profusely.

    "Right? I was thinking the same thing."

 Chapter 145: Demonic Agony

    Most people in Tayar will tell you that they have never seen two sovereign level cultivators fight.

    After all, it just doesn''t happen.

    Surviving in Tayar requires that you be cautious and smart with your battles.

    Most who have strength do not choose to fight someone so evenly close to them in power, and instead choose to suppress the weak to satisfy their lust for notoriety and superiority.

    Therefore, each of the fallen here were mystified by the fact that they were watching two high level cultivators engage in true, openbat.

    And they were going to take special care to burn this scene into their minds.

    Taira ran across the surface of the water while twirling the heavy sickle in the air like a propellor.

    Once it reached a sufficient speed and power, he hurled the weapon at Kyoen with enough power to capsize a sailboat.

    Sneering inwardly, Kyoen refocused the spiny appendages jutting out of his back and tried to knock the iing weapon aside.

    However, one small miscalction on his part cost him almost dearly.

    Taira''s weapon was much sharper than he had anticipated, and it cleanly cut through the metallicexoskeleton of the two limbs he''d raised to block it.

    This should have been far from possible since he wasn''t exactly made of stic.

    His body wasparable to a heavenly grade weapon, and things of that nature don''t just break or get cut.

    Unfortunately, because he stood around for so long in a state of bewilderment, he gave Taira the exact 0.7 seconds needed to close the distance between them.

    Once Taira finally entered his personal bubble, a hard right knee sailed into Kyoen''s nose and shattered itpletely.

    However, a little broken nose was nearly nothing to the heavenly demon by this point in his life.

    Waving his fingers, nearly imperceptible lines of steel thread came fluttering from the tips of his ws.

    Even at such a short range, Taira was able to react to the devastating attack with plenty of time to spare due to his elerated processing speed.

    His body suddenly exploded into a mass of red mist that was practically indistinguishable from normal smoke.

    With a bloody nose, Kyoen whirled around looking for his opponent only for the search to be in vein.

    "Hiding like the rat bastard you are... You should have staid dead and buried!"

    With a mighty roar of frustration, Kyoen''s aura came bursting out of his vessel like a dam.

    The wind pressure alone disperse all of the red mist instantaneously, as well as caused the wind to blow more fiercely than a tornado.

    Any fallen standing nearby to watch the conflict were effectively forced to use their own qi or arcane energy to protect themselves.

    Twin scimitars with bright silver des came flying into Kyoen''s opened hands.

    "The Cult Leader is getting serious!"

    "He''s using his family''s sacred des!"

    "The traitor had a momentary spurt, but it''s over now!"

    "Right, those are transcendent weapons!"

    The demons underneath Kyoen''smand began to treat this like it was some sort of outdoor sporting event, and they became rather rowdy as they started to ce their own bets and make unfavorable remarks.

    Keran heard the familiar sound of knuckles cracking and she nced over to her side.

    Aveena was burning up with a dark, murderous energy that was encased most of the entirety of her body.

    Bold red tattoos were starting to appear her body the angrier she got, and the veins within her powerful body were bulging to the point of explosion.

    "...I guess...the n will work a lot better if they are quiet. Shut them up, but don''t kill them." Keranpromised.

    "I make you no promises."

    "Aveena-"

    Lucia ced a constory hand on Keran''s shoulder and shook her head silently.

    ''She''s been a bit wound uptely, but she knows what the right thing to do is. Just let her have this.''

    Aplicated sigh shone in Keran''s eyes and she reluctantly pulled her hand away from Aveena.

    ''But wound up why? She won''t tell any of us what''s been bothering her.''

    ''I don''t know... but maybe if we let her do this, then she''ll finally rx enough to open up.''

    ''And if she doesn''t?''

    ''We''ll lock her and our husband together in a seclusion room with rope and lots of lube.''

    ''Oh, okay.''

    "I''LL BEAT ALL OF YOU BASTARDS TO DEATH!!"

    With a deathly loud scream of her own, Aveena leapt high into the sky.

    Like a meteor, she came catapulting into the ground near the rowdy demons and caused a not so small seismic event.

    "W-What the hell?!"

    "She''s crazy!"

    "Why is she attacking us!?"

    Aveena dropped into a very distinctive stance with her feet spread a shoulder''s width apart and her knees slightly bent.

    "Demonic Agony Fist Art : Ruination''s Apostle!"

    The tattoos on Aveena''s body expanded across her body more and more until practically all of her skin was red.

    With her first step forward, she threw a solid, one inch punch at the demon closest to her.

    However, this short, unimpressive attack nearly catapulted the demon struck by it out of his skin.

    His body went flying like a kite with it''s strings cut and he sailed hopelessly into tens of his fellow demons.

    There was a dent in his chest, he was unconscious, and bleeding from the mouth, but he would survive.

    And Aveena went on the warpath to ensure that the rest of the demons ended up in simr states.

    Meanwhile, Kyoen''s dark pupils trembled at the sight and name of an art he''d only seen recorded in his family''s library.

    "There''s no way... How the hell could she find that?!"

    "It was her wedding present."

    Kyoen narrowly managed to duck in time to avoid having his head chopped off by a dangerouslyrge scythe.

    But because he only had a few short seconds to spare, he was not quite fast enough and ended up getting an impromptu haircut.

    Gritting his teeth in annoyance, heshed out with the schimitars in his grasp andshed out at Taira''s neck.

    "Eight-Legged Demon de : Marite Dance!"

    A dull glow epassed Kyoen''s body before six additional phantom limbs formed from his back.

    Each hand readily took one of the spare des he''d had sheathed, creating a frightening picture of a warrior.

    Using ''Marite Dance'', Kyoen had a much easier time keeping up with Taira''s unorthodox movement speed.

    The two of them exchanged blow after blow, with Taira showing very little exhaustion despite the fact that he had yet to use even a single art yet.

    And it was beginning to frustrate Kyoen.

    "Stop running bastard! Fight evenly or I''ll kill you where you stand!"

    Taira did not say anything and continued to defend himself while he kept his eyes focused on all of the shifting swords in Kyoen''s grasp.

    "Good treasures�� I will take them once we are done here."

    "You''re deluded!"

    "I''ll present them to your sister when I ask her to marry me. I hope she likes them, even with your blood on them."

    Your next read awaits at m v|l-e-NovelBin

    "RRRAAAA!!!"

    Cracks started to form on Kyoen''s skin that produced a blinding glow underneath.

    In the next moment his body sort of�� exploded.

    In the ce where the former heavenly demon once stood, there was now a giant ck spider over twenty meters tall.

    "SKREEEEE!!!"

    "Perhaps you''re right�� I should melt them down and make a ring for her."

 Chapter 146: Is This Your Plan…?

    Taira Kukan Amarok is a man who thinks in simple terms even when he is under the most dire of pressures.

    It''s just one of his odd little idiosyncratic tendencies that doesn''t really go away no matter how many times he endeavors to fix it.

    That simple line of thinking of his was taking ce right now, even as he stared up at the massively monstrous spider above his head.

    ''I wonder�� can Inadu do this too?''

    *BOOOOOMMMM!!!*

    Kyoen lunged forward and jammed his front legs into the part of theke where Taira stood.

    Avoiding being crushed, Taira leapt from leg to leg using Kyoen as a springboard to leap high into the sky.

    There was a brief period where he let his body float freely in the air before it started to be pulled back down to the ground.

    ''I bet she would be such a cute spider�� I have to go home and see her again..''

    Once he started to plummet through the air, he tightened his grip on Yasuke and began charging it with enough purple lightning to power a small city.

    "I want you DEAD!!"

    A massive Kyoen let out an unholy hiss that traveled for miles and nearly caused the ears of bystanders to bleed.

    The ground around theke trembled as eight, enormous hands of dirt rose up from the ground to crush the airborne Taira.

    ''I want my confession to go perfectly�� I must think of a way to convince her that I am a good husband who she can leave all of her worries to..!''

    With the electrified Yasuke in one hand, Taira used the weapon as a bit of a lightning rod and utilized a technique that he spent the better part of twenty years working on.

    "Unification Art : Cmitous Thunderp."

    Suddenly, the sky above darkened even further and rumbled like it was all about toe crashing down.

    The sky opened up and four enormous currents of lightning descended like testaments of the gods'' wrath.

    The lightning not only shed with the hands of earth and destroyed them into tiny chunks of rock, but it also gave an added boost of power toward the sickle in his grasp.

    Right before the eyes of everyone present, Yasuke grewrger andrger until it was a lightning sickle fit for a giant.

    Or fit to y one.

    Allowing his body to fall from the sky, Taira raised his weapon over his head before bringing it down with tremendous force.

    ''Inadu.. I want you to bear my child as well.''

    Sensing imminent danger, Kyoen activated a protective technique that would guarantee him a longer chance at life.

    A talisman flew out from nowhere and encased the overgrown spider in a dome of golden power.

    Like aet, Taira struck the dome with Yasuke at full force, nearly destabilizing the region and knocking everyone present onto their butt.

    For a moment the two forces were locked in a brutal back and forth struggle that produced waves of energy with their collision.

    Kyoen funneled practically all of his qi into the barrier to reinforce it, but he was quickly about to reach the limit of his own resources.

    And to make matters worse, his turbulent emotions were only making it more difficult to keep the barrier up.

    But he couldn''t help it!

    Just the sight of Taira''s smug and unbothered face filled him with terrible rage!

    Look at this bastard!

    All he has is that nk and empty look on his face like he''s thinking of something stupid!

    "I HATE YOU!!!"

    *crack.*

    With a single, small sound that signaled the beginning of the end, Taira finally smiled.

    Applying just the faintest bit of pressure, a crack in the form of a spiderweb spread out across the dome.

    Finally, the entire structure gave way and Taira was through the barrier.

    Time seemed to pass by in slow motion after that.

    All of the nearby cultivators watched in silence as Taira''s body fell from the sky like an angel of vengeance.

    The moment that he lowered his scythe and struck Kyoen between all eight of his beady eyes, an evenrger bolt of lightning than the first four fell from out of the sky, andnded directly on top of his head.

    The explosion that followed was nearly deafening, and the wind pressure alone practically knocked down all nearby trees and fauna.

    When the dust cleared, all that could be seen was the leader of the demonic cult lying face down in the riverbed, his body cut to hell and a lingering metallic scent wafting off of his body.

    The cause for his miserable state was actually seated atop his back with his weapon resting across his shoulder.

    Letting out a sigh, Taira pushed a few loose hairs out of his vision before standing up with seemingly no sweat on his brow.

    Looking over his shoulder, he found Aveena covered in blood and huffing in exhaustion.

    Her mental state was a turbulent one, and lt tore his heart out to see her like that.

    ''Seems we need to talk, don''t we?''

    Aveena flinched when she heard her husband''s voice in her head and it was difficult to tell due to the blood on her face but he could''ve sworn her cheeks reddened.

    Looking down at Kyoen, Taira found the eight des of the Tsuchigumo family werergely undamaged.

    Like a looter in a video game, he took all eight of them and sent them into his storage space with a smile on his face.

    ''I hope she''ll like them.''

    *Rumble!*

    ''Oh? It''s about time. I was wondering how much more noise I would have to make.''

    Suddenly, a dominating pressure descended on the shoulders of everyone present and forced them onto their knees.

    "Filthy decrepit beings�� How dare you make a mess of my forest!!"

    Flutters of light started to float in the air above thekebed, and seven figures started to appear from their visage.

    They appeared to be one older man, and six younger women.

    All of them were beautiful beings withrge colorful butterfly wings jutting from their backs and long ears.

    The man at the lead was a true regal specimen, with long gold and white robes lined over a lean muscr body and a crown made from an assortment of wood and silver.

    He had long champagne hair that seemed to naturally produce glitter and mesmerizing eyes of nine different colors.

    ''Are you ready, my love?''

    ''Yeah�� and I''m sorry in advance.''

    ''Think nothing of it. This is all for our goal after all.''

    Discreetly sighing, Vermeil swallowed down her guilty feelings and walked out in full view of the fairy king.

    She put on a different air than normal, and folded her arms across her chest like an arrogant young master.

    "The fairy king I presume? I apologize for the disturbance, I simply had my ves entertain me for a bit while I waited for you to arrive."

 Chapter 147: It’s Like Food Wars!

    The fairy king analyzed Vermeil up and down like he was trying to see into the depths of her very soul.

    She was one of those special ones�� the energy down to her core was not from this domain.

    In addition, he could feel that she had been touched by a great god.

    But still��

    "You expect me to believe that all of these ves are yours? I don''t believe I''ve ever seen a such arge number of high level fallen cultivators be enved."

    Vermeil put on her best manhwa viiness demeanor as she smirked proudly.

    Her golden eyes twinkled like crystallized stars and her hair began to float above her head.

    "Do you�� doubt my ability?"

    A column of power was blew out of Vermeil''s body and pierced the sky above like a golden arc.

    The pressure within the air seemed toe down on the shoulders of everyone present.

    Immediately, the fairy king''s eyes narrowed even further.

    This girl was extraordinarily powerful for her age, with a potential that he hadn''t seen in a very long time.

    He surveiled the assembled fallen and realized that she was certainly capable of subjugating everyone here if she felt like it.

    However��

    "That dragon and those kitsune over there�� Are they yours too?"

    Vermeil''s smirk grew wider. "You three! Present yourselves properly!"

    There was a strong gust of air and Taira, Lucia, and Keran appeared in front of the fairy king with their heads lowered.

    As a species, Lucia was the most impressive, but he couldn''t help but find greater interest in Taira.

    Likely because he could sense nothing from him at all, almost as if he wasn''t there.

    But he still seemed dangerous.

    The fairy king''s instincts were screaming to him that the enormous bolts of lightning from earlier were this man''s doing.

    "These fallen of yours�� why do I smell them all over you?"

    "Isn''t it obvious? They are my personal pleasure ves!"

    To really sell the illusion, Vermeil pped Taira and Lucia on the butt loud enough for their to be an audible p.

    Taira : ''My love�� I will not forget this.''

    Lucia : ''W-Why did you have to hit it so hard! I almost made a weird sound!''

    Keran : ''Fucking hrious.''

    Aja : ''I will never let him live this down.''

    Ayame : ''I''m so jealous...''

    Evidently, the fairy king did not hear the thoughts that gued the minds of everyone in the clearing.

    "Feeding Kitsune and Nogitsune with sex�� this is a dangerous gamble, human."

    "You needn''t worry, sir!" Taking the lie one step further, Vermeil grabbed Taira by the head and pulled him down to her height.

    Like a vixen, she yfully swirled her tongue around his ear as she inserted her hands into the crotch of his pants.

    "Taira here does whatever I tell him to because he''s addicted to the pleasure I give him�� isn''t that right, sweet boy?"

    Act or no act, the foxkin was not a man made of stone.

    He had weaknesses, and Vermeil was exploiting them methodically!

    His red eyes glowed with a special, drunken glow and he lowered his ears in a somewhat subservient gesture.

    "That is correct�� mistress."

    ''We''re going to have a very long and intimate conversationter��''

    *At this moment, Vermeil discovered her fetish for role y after fifty years of marriage.*

    Degeneracy aside, the fairy king cleared his throat as he tried to get the two secret lovebirds to stop making him ufortable.

    "Your pleasure machinations are your own business and have nothing to do with me. However, I demand an exnation for why you are making a mess out of my sacred home!"

    "Ah, right, right! Sorry, I am here to invoke�� umm�� Sha-So-Vert? Did I say that right? Sorry, my fae is kinda terrible." Experience new stories on m v|l e-NovelBin

    The pupils of the fairy king and the young women behind him trembled.

    "How do you know of our customs, human? They are supposed to remain privy to only us!"

    "I''m a big historian and I like to study people�� their cultures, their ways of life, significant events�� it interests me.

    I apologize for ruining yourke and I''ll have my ves refill it, but your domain is quiterge and ever-changing, so I thought this would be a faster way to get your attention.

    I have brought you a wonderful offering, King Daraxerxes. I am sure you will find it most worthy of a single favor."

    The fairy king''s eyes glowed intensely as he brought his face dangerously close to Vermeil''s.

    Taira''s heart began to beat uncontrobly in his chest as he resisted every urge to kill the fae outright.

    "You perhaps overestimate yourself, little human.

    I have been offered mountains of gold, jewels, cultivation arts, and no small amount of concubines to service me fervently, and none of it was worth more than the privilege to lick the soles of my feet.

    What could you possibly have that would interest me in the slightest?"

    Finally, they had arrived at the pivotal moment of this whole charade.

    Reaching inside of her storage ring, Vermeil pulled out an item wrapped in stic wrap.

    Immediately, Daraxerxes raised a brow as he stared at the strange item pulled out from nowhere.

    "It''s no gold or jewels, but I like to think it has its own value that is just as meaningful." Vermeil said proudly.

    Gradually unwrapping the strange item, Daraxerxes no longer scrutinized it as aggressively as before and instead stared in wonder.

    "What.. is this amalgamation?"

    "Little something from my home down south. It''s called Red Velvet Pound Cake."

    Vermeil created a small butter knife out of solid ice and held it out for the fae to take.

    "��How is it you know of fae disposition for sweets?"

    "Didn''t I tell you? I''m a historian."

    "Yes, yes�� I dont see what the value could possibly be in this ugly thing, but I will try it if only to get you out of my forest quicker."

    "Cool! Have at it."

    "Ugh.."

    Daraxerxes cut a rtively small sliver of cake, almost as if he wasn''t keen on ingesting it at all.

    Surely, this concoction that looked like it was dyed by blood and would taste just as unappetizing.

    However, the white icing on top was at least�� somewhat appealing.

    ''I will eat this end first.''

    Using his slightly feminine fingers, the fae raised the cake to his perfect lips and took a cautionary bite.

    His eyes went as wide as twin moons, and he took another.

    And another.

    In three bites, he had finished the piece of cake without ever leaving a single crumb behind.

    The forest fell silent for a few short seconds, until a radiant golden light oozed out of the fairy king''s pores and his face made a particrly degenerative expression.

    "Ooh, ahh! Ugh! I-It''s.. WONDERFUL!!"

    His wings practically doubled in size, and a noticeable hard on could be seen through his baggy pants as he floated off of his feet like it was a scene from the rapture.

    Out of nowhere, a red bandanna appeared on Vermeil''s forehead and and her air of superiority returned.

    "Heh. You''re wee!"

    Taira : ''What are you doing?''

    ''N-Nothing, it''s stupid, just forget it��''

    Taira: ''Your headband looks very cute, my darling.''

    ''Aww, thank you sweetie.''

    Taira: ''I will use it to tie your hands behind your backter.''

    ''O-Oh, okay~��''

 Chapter 148: A Favor Granted

    "Uaaahhhhhnnn!!!!"

    For almost a minute, Daraxerxes had been making odd sounds and twitching as if he were basking in the afterglow of a concerningly strong orgasm.

    The fairy king finally refocused his eyes after what felt like an ufortable amount of time for all involved and stared at Vermeil like she was some kind of living deity.

    "T-This amalgamation of vor��! Such richness! Such density! Such moisture! This must be the treat of the gods!!"

    He immediately reached for more, but Vermeil yanked it just out of reach before he could do so.

    "E-Eh!? What is the meaning of this!?"

    "You didn''t think it would be worth anything, right? I''m curious to hear if your feelings have changed since then." Vermeil taunted.

    "Y-Yes, yes of course! There exists nothing else like this in this world, I must have more!"

    "Oh? Then what will you give me in return?"

    "W-Whatever you desire, just stop talking and hand that morsel over!!"

    Smiling in satisfaction, Vermeil held out the fairy king''s prize once more and did not make any moves to inhibit him any further.

    No longer seeing the need for regality, Daraxerxes tore off two hunks of cake in each hand and started shoveling them into his mouth.

    The younger looking fairies behind him all inspected what was left of the cake curiously, and it was clear that they also wanted to try it.

    "B-Back away, women! The human girl has gifted me this treasure, not you!"

    "Aww, don''t be like that, Mr. Fairy King! Share with your daughters!"

    "Daughters? These are my wives! We''ve been married for 4,000 years!"

    Vermeil looked back and forth between the adult looking Daraxerxes and the six, childish looking women.

    "...I need to start a registry for this world." she muttered with a shiver.

    "Registry? What kind of registry?" The fairy king asked between mouthfuls.

    "J-Just so that I know which ces are the most... Kid friendly."

    "Ah, well make sure to make a note that I do not particrly like children."

    "...You sure?"

    "?"

    -

    Once thest crumb of cake was resting deep inside of Daraxerxes'' gullet, he let out an unreal belch as he patted his stomach like an old drunk man.

    "Otherworldly human... yours is the most precious offering I have ever been gifted in all of my years... it is exemry beyond description!"

    "Thank you, dear sir! I made it myself!"

    Immediately, Vermeil felt two very intense gazes bore into her back.

    "W-With help from two of my ves of course!" *This is a lie. Enyo and Taira made it. Vermeil and Aveena stuck their fingers in the batter afterwards.*

    Daraxerxes nodded in understanding before lowering his head slightly in front of Vermeil.

    "Please, tell me what I can do to repay such overwhelming generosity..? I willply with anything that you ask."

    ''Fuck yea!''

    Vermeil tried her best not to blow her cover this close to the finish line, but she was just so excited on the inside that she could barely help it.

    "I won''t ask for much, I just hope that you will allow my party and I to set up camp here for around three days or so. In addition, it would also be really helpful if you could stall any of my other... associates, who try to enter your forest for the duration of our stay."

    Daraxerxes tilted his head in mild confusion.

    "Is... is that all that you want?"

    "Uh-huh! I''m pretty low maintenance."

    Unfortunately for Vermeil, Daraxerxes shook his head disappointedly.

    "I do not know if I can honor that request, Heroine of Stars."

    "W-What? Why not??"

    "What you ask of me is too simple. For what I have received, you would dishonor the ritual if I were to give you anything less than what you have given me."

    ''Dude, it was just a pound cake!'' Vermeil wanted to cry out loud.

    She was close to pulling out her hair from the sheer frustration when she suddenly thought up a way to put this all on hold for now.

    "Okay... well what if one day you allow me and a handful of my ves toe and visit your kingdom for a time. At least a month or so?" she questioned hopefully.

    Daraxerxes looked like he still couldn''t ept such terms. "My friend, I-"

    "We''ll bring more cake too!"

    "D-Deal!"

    Daraxerxes forgot all about his precious honor and dignity and shook hands with Vermeil heartily.

    Damn honor!

    To hell with tradition!

    All that mattered in this world was the glorious pursuit of poundcake!

    "I''ll make you a lemon and strawberry one next time too!"

    Immediately, aet seemed to descend upon Daraxerxes'' psyche, threatening to unravel any and everything that he had ever known.

    "F-Fruit.. and.. confections..? Can these two truly bebined?"

    "Sure thing!"

    Excited, Daraxerxes threw his arm around Vermeil andughed heartily.

    "My, my! What a glorious lifelong friend I have made on this day!!"

    Taira bit down on his teeth so hard that they cracked.

    -

    A couple of hours was all that was needed for theke inside of the fairy king''s domain to be a fully booming campsite.

    Numerous previously prepared tents were dotted around the body of water, and were either furnished with either sparse orvish decorations depending on the tastes of the individual.

    Taira and his wives had a ratherrge tent, but there wasn''t very much inside of it.

    A bed, a round table, and a wooden tub were all that they had in the way of furnishings, and that currently didn''t really seem like enough space.

    Probably because they were currently hosting three of the four fallen monarchs.

    "I am sooo sorry!" Vermeil bowed her head in sincere apology.

    "I should have briefed you guys on the n before we got here, but time just really seemed to get away from us! I hope you all know that I meant no offense and I was only trying to-"

    "It''s alright, Vermeil. We understand your intentions." Ayame gave the human girl a pat on the head like a dog.

    "Even if we wanted to be mad, the scene of you pping Taira on the butt has more than made up for it!" Ja''Zakiughed.

    "No truer words have ever been spoken." Aja nodded.

    "Fuck you both."

    Taira ran his ws across the wooden table and tried to forget the ungodly amount of irritation he felt from earlier.

    The nerve of that fae�� toy his filthy hands on his wife while he was standing right in front of them!

    He would have killed him if he wasn''t a long hidden quasi-god.

    "I must ask you though�� how did you know that this silly little n of yours would work in our favor?" Ja''Zaki asked.

    "Do we have to tell you something like that��? The n worked, and that is all that matters right now." Taira said in exhaustion.

    "Aww, but don''t good friends usually share things like that with each other?"

    "Then I''ll tell Aja and Ayame after you''ve left."

    "So cruel!"

    The other two women in question had very different reactions.

    Aja: ''He didn''t call me his best friend��''

    Ayame: ''Damn it, he called me his friend again.''

    Taira''s ears suddenly perked up and he realized that he had much more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

    "Actually�� all of you get out. We can y twenty questions in the morning." Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l''e|m,p| y- r

    The monarchs looked understandably surprised by the fact that Taira had changed his tune so fast, but they ultimately did not try very hard to question him.

    Once they were all outside the tent, Taira suddenly stood up and tossed Aveena over his shoulder like a bup sack.

    "Uwah?! Why?!"

    "Did you think that I would forget about you?"

    Taira tossed his wife onto the bed before he crawled on top of her and held her in ce with his body weight.

    "We have some things to talk about, don''t we darling? You are going to tell me every single thing that is wrong with you if it means I have to hold you underneath me all night."

    Aveena released an audible gulp born of equal parts shyness and arousal.

    "A-Any chance we could just have sex like normal?"

    "Sure. Tomorrow night that is."

    "Nooooooo!! I don''t want to express my vulnerabilitiesss!!!"

 Chapter 149: Reassurance Through Bondage

    "I-I just�� I feel like I have begun tog behind the rest of you��! M-My cultivation progresses the slowest and I''m not... special. I am not a supreme fallen. I am not a descendent of royalty. N-Nor a hero from another world, or a creature never seen in this world.

    I had not noticed it because we were on our own for so long, but the world does not see me as worthy to stand beside you all. A-And I worry that in time the rest of you maye to look at me as someone who doesn''t quite-"

    "Alright, that''s enough."

    "Mmph!?"

    Taira suddenly ced a hand over his wife''s mouth as he absolutely couldn''t stand to hear any more.

    Currently, Aveena was bound to their bed with her legs and arms tied to the wooden posts.

    Normally, there was a strong concern that she might break through, but she was entangled with chains made from his own ck blood.

    It would have been a slightly erotic scene if Taira were in the presence of mind to enjoy it.

    But how could he after hearing everything that his wife had just expressed to him?

    "Aveena�� after all of the time we have spent together, why would you ever let yourself fall into believing in such silly fantasies?"

    "B-Because they don''t feel like fantasies, they feel like inevitabilities!"

    "But they aren''t!"

    Aveena flinched and looked away, unable to bear the weight of her husband''s outburst.

    In fifty years of marriage, Taira could count the number of times he''d argued with his wives on one hand.

    And even then, they weren''t really what you would call ''fights'' to begin with.

    Through those instances of disagreement, Taira had never once raised his voice a single barometer at any of them.

    Until today.

    He immediately felt guilty, and Aveena had no idea how to take it.

    As gently as he could, Taira caressed her cheek and snaked his hand from her face to the ck tattoo at the top of her spine.

    A warmth spread quickly throughout Aveena, along with a feeling of reassurance that she was previously unaware of just how desperately she needed.

    "There isn''t.. and there never will be.. a reason for you topare yourself to me or anyone else in this tent. We are not yourpetition, we are your family.

    And even if we weren''t, you are no less talented than the rest of us. How many times did you watch me struggle for months on end when I was able to progress my own cultivation?

    Who supported me then so that I could break through?"

    At this, Vermeil stood up and also came over to the bed.

    "Yea, and you also helped me when I hit a wall in pill formation."

    "You kept me motivated for fifty years, even before I was a dragon! And I still consider you to be my closest rival even now!" Lucia added.

    "I would also like to say that being a princess is overrated!" Vermeil yelled with zeal.

    "Very much so." Enyo replied with a nod. "Do you know that our husband didn''t know how to wash his own clothes until he was 174?"

    "Must you make her feel better by stepping on my pride?" Taira asked exhaustedly.

    "I don''t know. Is it helping, sister?"

    "A-A little..." Aveena replied.

    "There you have it, darling. Sorry!"

    Taira looked down at the oni who was still pinned underneath him.

    There was a small red blush on her tan cheeks, and her eyes were unusually doe-like and gentle.

    It really was working.

    ''Ah... it is worth it I guess.'' he realized.

    Lowering his head, he gently pressed his forehead against Aveena''s.

    He didn''t know why he had used this gesture, but Lucia had started doing it recently, perhapsout of instinct or maybe some greater factor.

    While he couldn''t say that he fully understood it, he knew it was meaningful.

    "No more unnecessary thoughts, alright? Everything that we are building here... you don''t need to let any outside voices ruin it. The strength of one of us is the strength of all of us."

    Aveena showed a wry smile as she looked away from Taira like some kind of shy maiden.

    She wasn''t good with all of this extra emotional stuff, at least not when it was focused on her.

    She needed some kind of way to throw the focus off of her and on to something else.

    "H-Hey, why am I the only one naked here.. I''m starting to feel somewhat self conscious."

    Everyone looked at each other before shrugging and peeling off their clothes one by one.

    Enyo: "We know what you''re trying to do."

    Lucia: "We''re still going to keep the focus on you until you say you''re all better."

    Keran: "Now what will you use as a distraction?"

    Aveena bit her lip ufortably and nearly broke her neck to bury her face in a pillow.

    "I get it.. I''m sorry for being silly."

    All: "We can''t hear you!"

    "I said I''m sorry!!" Aveena yelled with a red face.

    Smiling in satisfaction Taira descended back onto the bed while hovering over Aveena with an unusuallyrge smile on his face.

    "Wonderful. Now, lets make sure that no more silly thoughts end up forming in that head of yours for the foreseeable future."

    "O-Okay.. but can you unbind me first?"

    "Nope."

    "T-Taira!"

    Since it seemed like it was going to be a long night, Vermeil took the liberty of spreading her qi over the entire tent to prevent any noise from leaking outside.

    How unfortunate that there would be many more ''leaks'' that night that Vermeil''s qi would not ount for.

    -

    Outside of the tent, Aja, Ayame, and Ja''Zaki were staring at therge structure with a vague idea of what was transpiring inside.

    "��How long do you think they are going to wait before they start having sex?" Ayame asked.

    Continue reading stories on m|v-l''-NovelBin

    The two rulers shrugged and fumbled for an answer when suddenly they realized that they could no longer hear anything from outside.

    ""Now.""

    "Son of a bitch." The werewolf threw up her hands in defeat before walking away.

    If she couldn''t hear anything, she didn''t care!

    Aja and Ja''Zaki however watched the tent for a couple of moments longer and it was unclear if they were actually thinking about the dirty things going on inside.

    "Tell me�� what do you think tomorrow is going to be like?" Aja asked quietly.

    Ja''Zaki looked over his shoulder at a certain section of the camp. "�� Are you asking because of that?"

    "Mhm."

    "Well�� he''ll probably be pissed."

    "That''s what I was thinking too."

 Chapter 150: Camp Life!

    Sun had only barely started to rise over the camp grounds when Taira finally relented.

    Admiring the beautiful scene beneath him, he felt immense pride as a husband yet again.

    Each of his wives were unconscious, wearing happy yet delirious smiles and twitching involuntarily.

    Aveena however was breathing the hardest since she received most of the focusst night, and there were bite marks of all different shapes, sizes, and depths.

    They would heal slowly overtime (Much to Taira''s dismay) but for now they were testaments of the affection shared between them.

    Finally, he pulled himself out of Aveena, and the subsequent action ended up being the cause of yet another orgasm to end the night, and Taira was once again soaked from the waist down.

    Though it wasn''t as if he had much of a problem with it.

    ''She missed my face...''

    Sighing in mild disappointment, he carried himself off the bed without making a sound and moved toward the wooden tub in the tent.

    He had specifically brought one that was big enough for all of them to fit in at once on purpose, so he had no problem loading them all inside.

    Holding out his hand, he began to fill the tub with hot water from his palm and filled it up to the brim.

    Once he was done, he turned his attention back to the bed and felt his growing pride dete.

    Since bing a dragon, Lucia required much more ''attention'' to be put down for good.

    He thought he''d had her beat, but her eyes had just fluttered back open, and she had finally stopped trembling.

    However, she still looked like she had been run over by a bus.

    But Taira the perfectionist was unsatisfied.

    "Don''t get up,y back down."

    "T-Taira! We can''t just stay here and have sex for days on end."

    "Don''t need days. Just another hour."

    "You''re so weird about this! I already can''t feel my legs, what more do you want from me!?"

    "Everything?"

    "Nooo!"

    True to her word, Lucia rolled off the bed and crawled on her belly to escape Taira''s grasp.

    The fox hybrid was torn between two feelings.

    One was pity.

    Seeing his wife crawl to escape the bending pleasure he promised was, in a way, sort of cute.

    Instead of ravishing her, he just wanted to scoop her up into his arms and protect her from all evil and harm.

    However...

    Lucia had quite the impressive behind and it was even further enhanced by her thick thighs.

    ''Decisions, decisions...''

    -

    Forty-five minutester, Taira emerged from his family''s tent with an exhausted but not unconscious Lucia riding on his back.

    Instead of ravishing her, he settled for only ''eating'' her until he got his fill.

    Upon exiting their tent, they found that the camp was not fully dosing like they expected.

    Sure the majority was still unconscious, but there were a few stragglers who were not sleeping like they should have been.

    And coincidentally, their eyes made a direct beeline right for Taira and his family tent.

    "...I''ll kill them."

    "No you won''t!" Lucia tightened her grip around her husband''s neck and choked him with herculean dragon strength.

    Other than a mild cracking sound from his windpipe, he showed no visible signs of difort.

    "I never believed the sight of happiness would sicken me to such a degree. And yet hear I am, disgusted."

    Taira and Lucia looked over their shoulders and found Aja among the awakened in the campsite.

    As always, the lich queen was staggeringly beautiful and charming as she revealed the full extent of her tattooed body in a pair of leather pants and a corset.

    With her glossy raven hair tied up into two buns, she was a vision of which few could rival.

    This was honestly the first time that Taira had ever considered his friend to be pretty, even taking into ount the fact that her eyes were a bit more dead and lifeless than usual.

    ""What did we do?"" the couple asked in genuine confusion.

    "...Tell me this, who set up the barrier blocking sound from your tentst night?"

    ""Vermeil.""

    "And I''m assuming she... went to sleep at some point?"

    By now, Taira and Lucia were beginning to get some vague idea of what had happened, and they showed some traces of mild difort and embarrassment.

    "...The barrier came down, didn''t it?" Lucia said shyly.

    "For three whole minutes before I put it back up to allow the rest of our men to sleep. I have never heard such exaggerated noises in my entire life."

    "It''s not like we were faking it." Lucia shrugged.

    "I''ve certainly never made noises like that and I don''t know anyone who has."

    "I think that says more about your choice of partners than us." Lucia defended.

    Aja furrowed her brows at this and folded her arms across her chest.

    "I need to understand this for myself. I''ll be joining you in your tent tonight."

    ""No.""

    "I wasn''t asking."

    ""Don''t make us kill you.""

    "I''ve already died once before."

    ""We said no.""

    Aja looked down at her body.

    "Am I unappealing?"

    ""That''s not the point.""

    "So you are admitting to finding me attractive?"

    Taira and Lucia looked at each other before turning back to Aja.

    ""We didn''t say that.""

    "Do you two often speak as one unit like this?"

    ""No, first time.""

    "Can you stop it?"

    ""It''s happening organically.""

    Aja rolled her eyes as the group was besieged by another set of early morning visitors.

    "There''s the happy little couple. I haven''t heard screaming like that since I took myst job."

    Ja''Zaki emerged from out of nowhere, wearing an evenrger smile than he normally would have.

    "Do you know which part I found so intriguing?" The elf asked gleefully.

    *Mimicking Aveena and the other wives* "Oh! Harder~! I''m going to cum again~! No, don''t lick me together! I''m going to dieee~My ass feels like it''s being stretched apa-"

    ""Shut it you damn elf!!""

    Aveena exhaled a small mass of bright green mes from her mouth while Taira released a current of purple lightning from his.

    However, the dark elf sidestepped both attacks and reappeared on the ground several feet away, kicking his feet in the air andughing hysterically.

    If you asked the Amarok family if they were ashamed of their lustful antics, they would tell you a resounding no and even talk about them openly.

    However, being teased about it seemed to strike a special nerve within them that otherwise wasn''t easily hit.

    They had to re-circumcise him at the very least!

    With their minds set on vengeance, they summoned both of their weapons into their hands on instinct and prepared to carve up Ja''Zaki into jerky.

    However, at that moment a few members of the campsite started toe out of their tents.

    Demons to be specific.

    More than a few had ugly looks on their faces, and were even holding weapons.

    As soon as their eyesnded on him, they made a beeline right for Taira and Lucia.

    After noticing their approach, the couple shifted their focus to the approaching demons.

    "Think they want those weapons back?"

    "It doesn''t matter if they do. They already belong to Inadu."

    "You''re very cute when you''re like this... Let''s spill a little blood his morning then, hm?"

    Both Taira and Lucia smiled before a dull glow epassed both of their bodies.

    When the light faded, arge nightmarish fox with nine tails was being hovered over by a bright green dragon with infernal red eyes.

    Like they had been doing since they woke up, the pair let out twin roars in unison and practically deafened everyone in the camp with what could be considered as no less than a sonic attack.

    The demons in attendance who did not faint and fall onto their faces outright clutched their bleeding ears and dropped to their knees.

    Like maggots, the demons crawled along the ground to arrive directly at Taira''s overgrown paws.

    "W-WE... WE GREET THE TENTH HEAD OF THE DEMONIC CULT! OUR LIVING MARTIAL GOD!"

    Aja and Ja''Zaki snickered like preschoolers as they watched realization spread across Taira''s face.

    The massive hound sat on his hind legs and tilted his head to the side in confusion, allowing his furry ears to flop aroundzily.

    "...What?"

 Chapter 151: The Road Ahead

    Back at home, Inadu was writhing around in bed in utter agony.

    Her body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, causing her nightgown to cling to her body.

    She thrashed so violently that she ended up rolling out of bed, and subsequently woke herself up from the agonizing nightmare that had been tormenting her for thest couple of nights.

    She finally sat up and sobbed so violently that her entire body was wracked with convulsions.

    A retching sound escaped her throat and she vomited up what little food that she had been able to keep down.

    Their hands.

    Even though her mind was fractured during her two years in captivity, sometimes her body recalled bits and pieces of it when she was unconscious.

    And because the mind can often y the cruelest tricks, it always reminded her off the most painful asions.

    "Taira��! Taira��!"

    Regret had begun to flood her mind as she called out for someone out of instinct.

    Inadu wasn''t wrong for wanting to be strong all on her own.

    But she had underestimated the difficulty of just how much work she had ahead of her.

    She hadn''t been fair to herself by trying to handle it all alone.

    Of course she could not depend on him for everything, but having him as a reassuring support system was so integral that she felt like she could barely survive without it.

    She just wanted to be strong for him.

    Like his wives and even the best friend that he always talks about.

    She didn''t want to be seen as a victim who earned his feelings out of pity.

    She wanted to him to have feelings for her because she��

    At some point, Inadu finally stopped crying and realized she was on the floor, her body a mess.

    Feeling embarrassed and more than a little pitiful, she picked herself up from the ground and cleaned up the best she could before making her way to the bathroom.

    The bath in the Amarok home was actually quite nice and spacious.

    White tile floors and arge, deep tub provided a nice andfortable experience.

    Water was drawn in from the moat surrounding thepound and brought in here, where it was heated until the bath could double as a steam room.

    Inadu got undressed and lowered her body into the water carefully.

    If Taira could see her now, he would be monumentally heartbroken.

    The baby fat that Enyo, Lucia, and Vermeil had been trying to build up on her had already started to fall away again, and she was only a couple of pounds away from her ribs being visible.

    She hadn''t done this on purpose, and knew that her state was a poor one.

    However, she just couldn''t bring herself to eat since they left.

    Nothing seemed to taste quite the same�� and her world was noticeablycking in color and vibrancy.

    Ignoring the searing burning feeling from the hot water, she submerged her head underneath the surface and let her entire body sink towards the bottom.

    ''I have to get better��I can''t let him see me like this.''

    Inadu emerged from underneath the surface of the water and inhaled so deeply that her lungs almost burst.

    ''No, that''s wrong�� This is not just for him, this is for me. I want this too.''

    Inadu grabbed soap and a loofa from nearby and started to scrub her skin to cleanse herself of the sweat and sick.

    But just like always, she ended up going just a bit too overboard.

    Her mind started to get hazy again, and she rubbed her skin until it was raw.

    She barely noticed the stinging.

    It wasn''t until she scrubbed hard enough to draw blood that she realized what she had done, and a grimace formed on her beautiful face.

    ''My skin�� he said he loved my skin, and look what I''ve done...''

    If before Inadu was manic and fractured, now she was just feeling depressed.

    She finished bathing not long after that and she crawled out of the tub while wrapping a towel around her body.

    She exited the bath and made her way down the hallway back to her room, with a towel wrapped around her slender frame.

    She ced her hand on the knob of her bedroom door and prepared to enter it, but a feeling of dread practically overwhelmed her senses and she couldn''t bring herself to step inside.

    ncing down the hallway, she gave a silent apology before heading down a different path.

    Entering Taira and the girls'' room, she was almost knocked onto her butt by the immediate feeling offort.

    They weren''t here, but�� being surrounded by their things still made her smile.

    Several paintings of the girls were hung up on the southernmost wall, and Inadu was captivated by their resemnce to their real life counterparts.

    It was easy to see�� Taira had put quite a bit of love and time into these works of art.

    Inadu felt a shiver, and she strangely started to feel like the cold from outside was beginning to affect her again.

    Though this was likely because she was still wet and dressed only in a bath towel.

    "��I will apologize profusely when you get back."

    Inadu walked over towards the closet and slid open the doors.

    Her eyes settled on a royal blue kimono that belonged to Taira.

    It was very pretty and obviously quite well made, but she couldn''t for the life of her recall him wearing it.

    Which was a shame, because she was sure that he would have looked rather dashing in it��

    With a small blush on her cheeks, Inadu reached into the closet and pulled out the robe.

    She draped it over herself as best she could and snickered a bit when she realized that it was too big for her.

    However, she was unbelievablyfortable.

    This kimono smelled faintly of him, indicating that he had actually worn it at some point.

    She brought the fabric to her face and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the sea breeze like scent and giving herself a mild high.

    Like a fog was lifting, she gradually started to feel calmer and more serene.

    And drowsy.

    She hobbled over to the bed within the room and fell into it.

    Like an insect, she wiggled underneath the covers and made herself nice andfortable.

    And surprisingly, the fog seemed to lift further and further.

    She could smell all of them in the sheets.

    Taira, Enyo, Lucia, Keran, Vermeil, Aveena.

    The people who took care of her and weed her into their home without asking for a single thing in return.

    Her anchors.

    ''��My��fami-''

    Inadu shook her head hard to dispel the thought before it could take full root.

    She always pulled back like this, whenever she felt herself bing greedy.

    If there was one thing she had learned, it was that she should brace herself for things to go wrong so that she wouldn''t end up hurting herself too badly.

    She grabbed one of the pillows and held it close to her figure before burying her face in it.

    Since she was morefortable here, she was sure that she could sleep without nightmares now.

    However�� as her eyelids became heavy, she began to feel like the theme of her dreams would shift from anguish to utter longing.

    With one person in particr at the forefront of her vision.

    ''Pleasee home soon Taira�� I miss you in a way that I cannot exin.''

 Chapter 152: The Head of the Demonic Cult

    "Alright guys,e and get it!"

    A small crowd formed around Vermeil as they curiously inspected the amalgamation brewing in arge iron pot.

    Even though everyone here was at a cultivation stage where they could go without food for a very long time, the human girl was of the opinion that food could be used as more than sustenance, but also a means offort.

    And after Taira and Lucia''s incredibly rude awakening of the entire camp this morning, she figured they could all do with someforting.

    Over half the people in this camp had to swallow healing pills to regrow their eardrums and stop the blood froming out of their ears.

    Read exclusive chapters at m_v-l''-NovelBin

    Kinda hard to go back to sleep after something like that.

    Vermeil couldn''t bake to save her damn life, but she was a wonderful cook.

    She had made a dish that was sure to turn all frowns upside down and make everyone forget about the fact that her husband and sister had almost deafened everyone.

    However, no one really seemed to be paying attention to the egg dish she''d made with cubed ham, spinach, and tomatoes.

    No, they were much too focused on another, much more unorthodox scene.

    "C-Can I fix you a te, Cult Leader��?"

    "��"

    "Is the weather here too chilly for you? P-Perhaps I could build you a fire?"

    "��"

    "I see�� The attack you used earlier must have damaged your vocal cords. Please, conserve your voice."

    A vein bulged in Taira''s head as he heard snickeringe from his wives who were sitting on both sides of him.

    Currently, he was sitting just on the edge of theke, drawing an extremely lifelike depiction in his spare sketchbook.

    Behind him were the same crowd of demons from before, all of whom were kneeling in the fluorescent grass without even daring to look at him.

    He had never cursed his luck so much in his life.

    Apparently, the demon race has a very stringent and unshakablew that he wasn''t made aware of.

    If the demon lord is defeated, everything from his throne to his fucking underwear all transfer ownership over to the victor.

    Kicking someone''s ass had never been so troublesome.

    Now, Taira had to deal with an entire race of fanatical warmongers who hung on his every word and buzzed around him like flies.

    ''!''

    A sudden thought made Taira pause mid sketch, and he thought up a way to take back his peaceful life.

    "You all will do whatever I say, correct?"

    After hearing his voice for the first time in over an hour, the demons visibly perked up.

    "Y-Yes, lord! You are our heavens itself! Anything that you ask for, we willply with to the best of our ability!"

    "Great. Kill yourse-"

    "Okay!" Keran suddenly interrupted.

    Bringing her hands together, she turned back to address the new followers of her husband.

    "You all are dismissed. Feel free to go and get some food for yourselves."

    The demons looked back and forth between Keran and Taira''s back.

    They didn''t exactly say anything, nor did they move to make themselves scarce as she had requested.

    Unfortunately, this caused Taira''s patience to finally bottom out.

    "I will give you one very simple warning��"

    Multiple blue mes appeared in the air, hovering over the heads of the kneeling demons.

    The mes produced a heat that was practically unprecedented and absolutely promised certain death upon contact.

    "To see my wives is to see me�� If any of you ignore a direct order from them again, you and everyone you have ever breathed around will wake up dead."

    The mes were dispersed and the demons seemingly took the hint and made themselves as scarce as possible.

    Taira tried to go back to sketching, but he made it a point not to draw when he was angry, as those emotions tended to muddle his work and reduce it to an uneptable standard.

    "Damn it�� this morning is going to shit."

    Aveena brought her head closer to Taira''s and gave him a constory kiss on the forehead.

    "��It''s a little better now."

    The girlsughed and all took their turns kissing him, trying to make his mood improve even further.

    It worked a lot more than he cared to admit.

    "I think I''ll be able to finish this now." He said with a smile as he picked up his sketchbook.

    "Need a new perspective?" Another voice suddenly asked.

    Out of nowhere, Ja''Zaki appeared on the water in front of them, striking an overtly feminine pose as hey on the surface without causing a single ripple.

    "Go on. I am ready to be immortalized~"

    Keran and the rest of the girls snickered like they found him funny, but Taira remained rtively stone-faced and unmoving.

    Something to which the dark elf seemed to take offense too.

    "Ah,e on! Not even a snicker? Why must you always treat me like something you stepped in?!"

    "I''m not a huge fan of you."

    "How can you say that? I''m lovely!"

    Because he had nothing but time, Taira put away his sketchbook and leaned forward while resting his chin in his palm.

    "I didn''t understand it the first time we met�� but the longer you buzz around me, the more I understand this feeling of unease.

    Your overt overfriendliness, your habit of spying on others, and your�� talent in our field of work. They scream loudly of a pretender."

    Ja''Zaki listened to everything that Taira had said carefully, and all the while he never lost his vague smile.

    Intrigued, the dark elf sat up and mimicked a simr position as Taira; perhaps out of instinct or maybe further yfulness.

    "I get it�� you don''t like me because I''m not like you."

    "I wouldn''t say that-"

    "It''s fine, I''m not taking offense to it, nor am I likening you to some brat who''s never seen another person of a different background before. But let''s just call it the way it is."

    The dark elf snapped his fingers, and the shadows surrounding the six of them reached up to encase the five of them in a ck dome.

    Once inside, the dark elf let out a rxed sigh that seemed to contain years of piled up tension.

    Ja''Zaki''s eyes were lifeless, he had lost his visible cheerfulness, and the air around him was suffocatingly bloodthirsty and oppressive.

    His natural presence was indicative of someone who had spent a very long time locked away in the darkness, and who had spilled an immeasurable amount of blood throughout his life.

    "If this is what I really am�� why would I not choose to be something different? Loneliness exhausted me after so many years, but no one would dare draw near me for fear of what I was.

    With that in mind, I used my training and observations. I crafted up a persona designed to put others at ease rather than terrify them. So yes, I am a pretender in a sense. And I am quite content to remain so-"

    "You don''t seem all that scary." Keran said, in apletely normal manner.

    "I-�� what?"

    "We''ve seen worse. You''re as dramatic as always." Taira said dismissively.

    For some reason, Ja''Zaki looked offended by this, almost like he was used to being the scariest thing walking wherever he went.

    "��Your bluff does not amuse." He said in an unfriendly manner.

    "��" Like clockwork, everyone with the Amarokst name turned to stare at Lucia, who was fiddling with the tights on her thighs, not really paying attention one way or the other.

    Aveena: "Lu-Lu."

    "Hm?"

    Enyo: "Show him the thing!"

    "What thing?"

    Keran: "The crazy thing."

    "The burping my ABCs as a dragon thing? I told you it''s embarrassing!"

    Taira: "No, not that. The thing you showed us."

    "Oh!"

    Lucia crawled to her knees and shuffled over towards the stunned Ja''Zaki, almost like she didn''t notice any change in him at all.

    "I''ll hold you together best I can, but do me a favor and try not to go insane. It''s quite a potent memory."

    "A memory? Of what exactly?"

    Lucia suddenly paused as she realized she didn''t know how exactly to refer to this particr subject.

    "I dunno�� ancestor feels too formal�� he doesn''t feel like my dad either�� let''s call him my Uncle!"

    "Your wha-"

    Lucia gave him a somewhat hard poke between the eyes and watched his irises loose rity.

    Aveena and Enyo were beside themselves, each of them staring in anticipation.

    "I wonder how long it''ll take him to-"

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

 Chapter 153: Scared Sh*tless

    Ja''Zaki Ssri was not unustomed to things of horrifying natures.

    From the time he was a small boy, he''d had every weakness, fear, or or sense of inferiority cut or beaten out of him.

    For all intents and purposes, he was an empty shell incapable of feeling any of those horrible feelings that make an assassin ineffective.

    All that remained afterwards was his unending pride andpetency as the best assassin in the world.

    But today...

    He couldn''t say what happened.

    All that he could say was he had a memory forcefully shared within his brain and it caused him to lose all control of himself.

    It was horrifying.

    To call it a nightmare would not even be able to convey it''s abhorrence and the feeling of oppression that came off even it''s memory.

    And then, perhaps equally as impactful was the creature shrinking, and turning into the most unfairly handsome man that he had ever seen.

    Red hair that traveled all the way below the knees, imposing curved horns that seemed to be made of pure obsidian, and the bold shifting tattoos running across his body made the dark elf feel terribly... subservient.

    Even with his immense mental fortitude and thousands of years of cultivation.

    He had never witnessed such a terrifying and downright monstrous abomination in all of his long and bloody life.

    Not Taira, his father, the former werewolf king, or even the Hero of Cleansing me could make him feel this horrified and frightened.

    -

    Taira and his wives were staring at a scene that they never thought they would see.

    The dark elf Ja''Zaki Siri was actually sitting in a corner of their tent, curled up into a ball and shaking like a cold stripper.

    Vermeil had brought him a ss of water that he was barely even attempting to drink.

    The dark elf had a somewhat panicked look in his eyes and was rocking back and forth.

    "W-What�� was that��?"

    "My Uncle!" Lucia said cutely.

    "The hell it was! You two look nothing alike!"

    "Are you trying to say I inherited none of his charm��? Jerk."

    "W-What?! That is not the point here!"

    "It feels like it��"

    One of Lucia''s insecurities was that she didn''t look like her uncle even though she was also a dragon now.

    Was she a dud?!

    Why wasn''t she pretty like that guy and his wives!

    She wanted to make her husband lose all of his coolposure and drool in front of her lovingly!

    ''I need to be sure to ask him when I''m gonna fully bloom the next time I see him��''

    Lucia had been trying and failing to get back in contact with the seven-headed dragon for months now, but she had never been able to cross the threshold like she had on their first meeting.

    Something was preventing her from crossing that gap, and she felt that if she could just had a bit more help she could get back over there.

    At a certain point, Aja and Ayame poked their heads back into the tent to spy on the still insane dark elf sitting inside.

    Ayame: "He still crazy?"

    Aja: "Did he change the pants he urinated in yet?"

    "Both of you get your asses out!"

    ""That means yes.""

    "I can''t stand any of you today!"

    The women shrugged as they stepped farther into the tent.

    "I''m really curious about just what you saw, Ja''Zaki. It''s difficult to imagine a man more charming than my besto friendo." Aja poked Taira in the cheek like he was a kid''s science experiment.

    "Well believe it..." Ja''Zaki said groggily. "That guy makes our little fur ball here look like sheep shit in shallow water."

    Taira: "I hate you so much."

    "Come to think of it, what''s it like to no longer be the most handsome bastard ever to draw breath?"

    Taira: "What made you think that I care about something like that? As far as I''m concerned, I''m content to let him take all of the focus off of me. I may even make him a gift basket for it."

    Ayame: "Wow�� are you really your father''s son?"

    "I should hope not." The foxkin shrugged.

    In the middle of what Taira considered to be a slightly pointless argument, an even more pointless person finally woke up.

    "WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS THAT DISGRACEFUL, HUMAN-LOVING SON OF A BITCH!?"

    Poking his head out of his tent, Taira found the former demon lord Kyoen had woken up and was now terrorizing the camp.

    Taira''s purple lightning had left burns all over his body, ruining his once movie-star level good lucks.

    One of his arms was still heavily bandaged and in a sling, and he walked with a bit of a limp in his stride.

    Clearly, his body was stillrgely unhealed.

    In an instant, the demons who were eager to ingratiate themselves in front of Taira surrounded Kyoen with their weapons pointed at him.

    "You insult the new Lord of the Demonic Cult. This is a grave offense."

    "Given your prior position, we will give you a warning just this once."

    "However, you will not receive another."

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    If before Kyoen was slightly ticked off, now he was furious.

    "You lot dare point your des at me!? After everything I have given you?! For that pretender?!"

    The demons surrounding him had only taken a single step forward when a very irritated voice reached all of their ears.

    "You think I need a disloyal flock of yes-men to handle my affairs...? I should send all of you to the afterlife for embarrassing me so."

    Taira hadn''t made any overt moves, but with every step he multiplied the gravity in the surroundings to force everyone to their knees.

    Although, Kyoen remained upright and did not buckle like everyone else around him.

    "Y-You! What have you done with my family des!?"

    "..." Taira held out his hand and the bundle of scimitars appeared within his grasp.

    They were polished, sharpened, and tied together with a red bow and a small card.

    Written on it in very neat handwriting were the words, ''To Ina, lov- from Taira.''

    "I could not figure out if she would have liked a red bow or a blue one better..." Taira let out a disappointed sigh as he stared at his gift, unsure if it was perfect or not.

    "Those are mine! Give them to me!"

    "No."

    Kyoen forgot all about his injuries and lunged forward like a wild animal to take back his prized possessions.

    Taira watched his approach with a neutral gaze, and his mind raced with numerous oues and possible ways to handle this scenario.

    ''...How lucky you are that I could not live with myself if I were ever to make her sad.''

    With his mind made up, Taira pushed his hair out of his face, and the red mark on his forehead started to glow with a staggering intensity.

 Chapter 154: Divine Bloodline Technique : Immortal Red Lotus

    Since discovering bloodline arts fifty years ago, Taira had be quite proficient in them.

    His mastery with curses is now so adept that he can curse an entire lineage with blood cancer for as long as they may live.

    Using his dream maniption, he could lull a soul into sleep permanently and leave them unable to wake up without his say so and bring their dreams and nightmares to life.

    And using his power over illusions, he can make scenes and fabrications that are indistinguishable from reality; going as far as the ability to mimic painful stimuli.

    Ten years ago when Taira finally achieved mastery in all three areas of study, a red tattoo appeared on his forehead.

    Different from the circuit tattoos that adorned the rest of his body, this one was unique in every way whenpared to the rest.

    Something that Kyoen would learn all toote.

    The moment that he nced into Taira''s glowing tattoo, he lost consciousness for split second.

    When he came to, he was lying on his back in an open field with a deep ck sky overhead.

    "What..?" Rationally, Kyoen knew that this was an illusion.

    Well... at least on some level he did.

    This was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

    Everything from the grass, all the way to the smell of death in the air was so real that he could swear that he was right back in the real world.

    Suddenly, the ground beside him was disturbed and he nced at the area right where his hand was resting.

    Sprouting out of the ground was a single, beautiful, red lotus flower.

    It was perfect in every sense of the word, and so mesmerizing that he was drawn to it inexplicably.

    He reached out to touch it, and his whole world was set on fire.

    His body was suddenly wracked with the most gruesome, awful, pain that he had ever experienced in his life.

    More agonizing than death by fire, more excruciating than having everyyer of his skin peeled back one-by-one with a rusty knife covered in salt.

    As Kyoen endured a pain so terrible that he nearly lost his mind, he thought that his problem couldn''t possibly get any worse.

    He was wrong.

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    One by one, more of those beautiful red lotus flowers started to spring up in the field,ing into contact with his skin and multiplying the agony he felt 100-fold.

    He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound ever came out.

    There were only choked gasps and small spasms as his eyes bulged out of his socket from the excruciating pain.

    Unfortunately for him, his mind never broke.

    He was aware of every second that ticked by, and of his inability to break himself free.

    ''Help...me...''

    -

    Though Kyoen''s body had been lunging in the air a couple of seconds ago his body suddenly dropped out of the air and fell in the dirt, just shy of Taira''s feet.

    Hey facedown in the soil, his eyes wide open from shock, and drooling like a newborn baby.

    His body would convulse continuously as dark red curse marks in the shape of vines epassed nearly every area of his skin.

    "Somebody pick him up and put him somewhere quiet... make himfortable." Taira ordered.

    A couple of wide-eyed demons sauntered forward and picked up the former demon lord and carried him off to an empty tent.

    As soon as he was gone, Taira tried around and started heading towards his tent.

    Aja was behind him, equally curious and terrified by wha she had just seen.

    "My friend... what did you just-"

    "Aja... very discreetly.. help me walk." he said quietly.

    The blue skinned woman asked no questions and immediately interlocked her fingers with Taira''s.

    Discreetly, she supported his body using her weight and helped him make the distance towards the tent.

    As soon as they were past the ps, Taira dropped like a sack of potatoes.

    "Besto friendo!"

    "Taira!"

    "Honey!"

    The moment that the vampire''s knees touched the ground, Taira was surrounded by his wives, best friend, and mother-inw nearly instantaneously.

    Ja''Zaki watched from the corner; curious, but he was still jelly-legged from the sight of that seven-headed horror he''d just witnessed.

    "You''re all being quite the dramatic bunch..." Taira said dryly.

    Aveena: "No we aren''t!"

    Lucia: "Look at you!"

    Taira couldn''t exactly put together decent lies when ck blood wasing out of both sets of his ears and from his mouth.

    But he still forced a smile on his face to try.

    And Vermeil nearly pped it off his face out of instinct.

    "You used that damn art again, didn''t you!? You know we had to steep you in the waters at home for a monthst time!"

    "In all fairness, I thought that it wouldn''t be that taxing since he was still in bad condition..."

    "That''s your problem, stop thinking! Just be pretty and stop trying to do extra shit!"

    "Noted." Tairaughed, but only made his insides start to hurt even more.

    "W-What''s happening to him?" Aja asked worriedly.

    Ayame seemed to be the only one who recognized what was wrong with him without even needing to be told.

    The bacsh he was suffering came from trying to use a primeval level technique without an actual primeval spirit.

    Even at his realm of cultivation, his soul would inevitably crack if he put it through any more stress.

    "H-He has this technique he learned a few years ago... itbines curse magic, illusion magic, and dream maniption to create something of a mental prison." Keran exined.

    "It is inescapable, unbreakable, andpletely subject to his whims and desires. It works on targets who are at his realm or lower in strength." added Lucia.

    "Even if his target were to die and reincarnate, or even vacate their body, the curse would still follow them, and ruin their body as long as they are over the physical age of eighteen." finished Aveena.

    Ayame''s eyes practically catapulted out of her skull.

    No wonder he was in shit shape!

    A technique that interferes with the cycle of reincarnation is something reserved specifically for the upper realm.

    It was a miracle that Taira was even still alive and breathing, much less maintaining the ability to think on his own.

    "We need to get him back home..." Enyo said firmly.

    "My love, I just need to rest on the bed for a bit and then-"

    All: "SHUT UP!!"

    "Fine..."

    While Taira closed his eyes to rest, the rest of the girls were talking about methods of treatment.

    The general consensus was that he needed to go home and bathe in the rejuvenating waters around thepound.

    But with the secret realm due to open in forty-eight hours, they just didn''t have the time.

    Something absolutely had to be done, and they had to figure it out fast..

 Chapter 155: Special Care

    Surprisingly, Aja was the one who volunteered an idea to assist Taira in getting better.

    "Can''t you all just teleport back home whenever you like?? Why doesn''t he just go back now?"

    "We can go home instantly if we like, but we can''t teleport back to where we came from using that same method.

    Taira would have to set sail on another four day voyage to get here again, and we don''t have that kind of time!" Enyo exined; trying not to be so frantic.

    Ja''Zaki scratched his head thoughtfully.

    "But I''ve also seen you all bring things from your home at your leisure�� if all of you stayed behind here, then couldn''t you bring Taira back when he was done recuperating?"

    "��"

    "��"

    "��"

    "��"

    The girls all looked at each other silently while having their own internal deliberation.

    Tairay on the floor, trying to understand if he should be concerned that he could see eight different copies of his wives, or overjoyed.

    "I�� guess we never tried to transport a live person before?" Aveena realized.

    She held out her hands and closed her eyes to concentrate, while everyone else in the tent fell silent.

    Mere secondster, a glowing light showed up in her outstretched arms and Inadu came into full view.

    She was wearing a very familiar royal blue kimono that was much too big for her, and only barely awake.

    When her eyes refocused and she realized exactly where she was, she was understandably confused.

    "A-Aveen-"

    "By the nine heavens!!"

    Enyo circled over every inch of Inadu within a single second.

    Once she saw that she had lost weight again, she became visibly panicked.

    "Y-You haven''t been eating properly, have you?! Do you not like the leftovers I left you?!"

    "N-No, they are wonderful�� I-I have just been�� tired since you all left."

    Enyo couldn''t read Inadu''s mind, but she didn''t have to in order to know that her friend was absolutely not okay.

    "Ina��" she began.

    "T-Taira..?"

    Once Inadu saw a familiar face lying on the ground, she climbed down from Aveena''s arms and breezed past Enyo like she was made of air.

    She kneeled beside Taira and gave him a worried once over simr to the one she was just subjected to, as if she wasn''t in a concerning state herself.

    "W-What happened to you..? Why are you like this..?"

    Taira couldn''t hear her over the sound of his own heart beating like a monkey''s favorite drum.

    Inadu was beautiful, but she also looked so very fragile, and so exhausted that she could fade away with the slightest touch.

    And yet, he still wanted to embrace her more than anything.

    It made him feel slightly bad about himself and these newly acquired instincts of his.

    "I''m fine, Ina��" he lied. "My kimono looks nice on you by the way."

    Inadu looked down at her body and her cheeks darkened.

    "I-I-I''m sorry for snooping, I just felt restless and-"

    "It''s fine. Like I said, it looks nice. Besides, I''m sort of used to everyone else wearing my clothes as much as me."

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    His wives felt like they''d been indirectly targeted and they turned their faces away out of instinct.

    Ina smiled softly at this and pulled the blue robe over her body more tightly. "I see.. thank you then."

    Keran finally stepped forward and touched Inadu on her shoulder.

    Before voicing her request, she took a very deep breath. "Ina.. we need you to take Taira home and help him recover. He needs to steep in the waters for as long as he can-"

    "I will do it. Whatever it takes."She said without hesitation.

    Taira sat up with great difficulty as he held his ribcage. "I''m far from helpless... I don''t need all of you to fret over me like this, all I need is a little rest and-"

    "Get a good rest, babe!" Keran gave her husband arge kiss on the cheek and sent him back to their home without another rebuttal.

    She gave Inadu a friendly tap on the shoulder along with a wink, and sent her back to their home as well.

    Finally, the girls seemed to be able to let out a sigh of relief.

    One thing that they could count on for certain was that their husband was in good hands.

    -

    Taira appeared on the stone bridge connecting thepound to the icy steps that lead into the cavern.

    A couple of secondster, Inadu appeared right beside him.

    The two of them stared at each other for a couple of moments without saying much of anything at all.

    Taira wasrgely oblivious to the throbbing pain in his head and chest, because he was solely focused on the fat loss in Ina''s cheeks.

    "...You''ve lost weight."He said sadly.

    "...Just a little."

    "We should go to the kitchen. I''ll make you something to eat and-"

    "N-No, you need to heal first. Your breathing is very unstable."

    "I will be fine for now, but you still need some kindof nourishment so that you can remain on your feet." Taira said adamantly.

    "My feet? You are barely standing on yours as it is��" Inadu reminded.

    Taira allowed his body to float off the ground and waited for Inadu''s next rebuttal.

    However, he never got one, and instead she just smiled at him softly.

    And then, tears started to fall right from her ruby red eyes.

    In an instant, Taira stopped floating and started to wipe away the tears running down her face.

    As soon as he touched her, he could feel it.

    This young woman was absolutely exhausted.

    Even more than he had initially realized.

    He was the one who was in shit shape, but it was every bit as miraculous that she was up and walking around.

    "Inadu? What''s the matter?"

    Since it was toote to save face, the spider demon just decided to be honest.

    "I haven''t been doing very well since you left that night��" Ina finally said. "I didn''t want to be the charity case woman who you stuck next to because she was vulnerable.

    I didn''t want to�� earn my ce at your side like that. But I''vee to realize in your absence that�� I�� need help. Even if I don''t want to admit it."

    "Then you shall have all that you could ever need and more." He replied without hesitation.

    He brought his face dangerously close to hers and only stopped himself from crossing the line that was already blurry.

    But by some miracle, he held fast.

    Taira was left stunned as Inadu reached for his corbone.

    Without a modicum of lewd intent, she began to help him disrobe so that he could finally stop putting off his treatment.

    ''Don''t look down, don''t look down, don''t look down��''

    Ignoring certain obvious areas, she could see that the bruising from internal bleeding was getting worse.

    "Let''s continue this�� after you''ve had a moment to rest."

    Ever so delicately, she pushed him off the bridge and watched his body fall into the water.

    She didn''t know why, but she could see him smiling at her as he fell into the crystal blueke.

    Like a maiden in love, she leaned against the railing and stared at the spot where he was submerged.

    "I never dreamed I could see a man like you make a face like that one�� You continue to surprise me."

    In a good mood for the first time in four days, Inadu remained unmoving in that same spot, simply watching the water where Taira had gone under like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

    But while she was in a loving-feel good mood, the so called heroes of light had just arrived at the fairy king''s forest��

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 Chapter 156: Death Comes…

    On the outskirts of the fairy king''s forest, a small military force can be seen riding on horseback.

    The races of light numbered around 2,500 with cultivators and arcane mages alike among their ranks.

    At the head of the group were the eight remaining heroes who were all adorned in their individual resplendent armor; somehow inspiring just as much awe from their soldiers like before.

    Fate is a cruel thing.

    In the span of a single week, the humans went from hunting the heroes, to being hunted by them.

    Then, it was surprisingly easy for the heroes to turn the tide of public opinion with their strength and remenants of reputation.

    All that they had to do was use a few ''Hollywood'' learned acting skills.

    After cutting down the soldiers who tried to chase them, they shed a few fake tears and put on constipated faces.

    ''Why are you making me do this?!'' They cried.

    ''Have we not given our lives in service to you?! How could you turn on us at the first rumor to ur?!''

    The result of their plea for innocence was an almostplete upheaval of beliefs and customs.

    ''Did they really do it..?''

    ''This story isn''t sitting right with me all of a sudden.''

    ''The heroes have been risking their lives for us... surely theydeserve some sort of benefit of the doubt."

    In an instant, the tables were turned.

    The army went to hunt them lowered their weapons and listened to the heroes'' heartfelt pleas.

    After convincing the majority of the races of light that the two deceased heroes were the main conspirators in the n to procure devil arts.

    They should have turned them in immediately and tried to dissuade them, but really what choice did they have?!

    They were foreigners in an entirely different world with nothing around them to remind them of home but each other.

    It was obvious that they would be attached to each other and face difficulties in turning each other in.

    But now they just seemed so sorry!

    After putting on a performance the likes of which Tayar had absolutely never seen, the entire panic surrounding the Heroes was thrown out like Grandpa''s yboy.

    Except for the elves, who were more suspicious of those who weren''t like them to begin with, the races of light saw the other worlders as heroes once again.

    Which was how they ended up here, at the very own domain of the fairy king; leading the very army that had once tried to lop off their heads.

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    After reaching the outskirts of the forest and being moments away from entering, the heroes halted their approach when they felt a very strong presence fill every open space in the air.

    "Something''sing..!"

    "Keep your guards up!"

    As the trees on the outskirts of the great fairy king''s forest, numerous colorful, sparkling fairies took to the skies above the army.

    Most people here had never seen fairies before, and those who had have certainly never seen so many of them at once.

    Daraxerxes appeared at the head of the army, and despite his mboyant look, he seemed to be quite the fearsome leader.

    He didn''t appear to be at all happy with their being there.

    Perhaps because of that, the heroes didn''t think it was fortuitous to waste any time exchanging niceties.

    "The fairy king I presume? My friends and I bring gifts in the hopes that you will wee us into your domain with open arms!"

    Each of the heroes pulled out a bup sack tied to the back of their horses and opened it.

    Inside was arge amount of children''s candy that looked to have been purchased from several different children''s shops.

    "We hope that these gifts are to your lik-"

    "Kill them."

    "W-What..?"

    Daraxerxes'' slightly androgynous face was twisted up into a hated scowl at the sight of the trinkets in the bag.

    "KILL THEM!!!"

    -

    Taira felt like his body was floating in an endless ck pool.

    His limbs were stuck in what felt like tar, and it made it difficult for him to sit up properly.

    He could see a figure emerging from out of the darkness.

    A familiar ck dress paired with skin just a few shades darker than his own forced him to sit up.

    The sound of her heels clicking off a hard surface was like hearing an old song that you hated for the first time in eons.

    He knew who this person was before he even saw them.

    Finally, the face of his mother stepped into full view and the couldn''t help but feel that something was wrong.

    Her head was shaved just like when he was younger, and she walked differently from how he remembered.

    His mother Dhalia always walked with an unwavering arrogance and lethality that made everyone around her feel small and insignificant, but now she seemed more focused and ominous.

    But the strangest thing were her eyes.

    They were still purple, but now the irises were encircled by ck sclera.

    The closer she got, the more certain he became.

    This wasn''t his mother at all.

    ''Dhalia'' continued to walk towards him, ignoring all of his questions about exactly who and what this was.

    When she finally reached him, she plunged her hand inside of his chest and ripped something out.

    -

    Taira gasped as his head finally emerged from underneath the crystal blue water of his home.

    Coughing, he swam towards the riverbank and didn''t stop until he was safely on top of it, and allowed his body to be wracked with shivers.

    His head was pounding, and he felt like he was only seconds away from losing consciousness.

    "T-Taira!"

    Inadu came running up to the fox spirit with clear worry on her face and a thick fluffy towel in her arms.

    She kneeled at his side and started trying to dry him off to the best of her ability; while simultaneously trying to keep herself from hyperventting.

    "A-Are you okay?! You were down here too long, weren''t you?! I knew I should have gotten you outst night!"

    Against Inadu''s expectations, Taira smiled without revealing his sharp teeth.

    "If I couldn''t sense you, I believe I might doubt your identity. I''ve never heard you sound quite so loud before."

    Inadu blushed out of embarrassment and lowered her head before speaking in a lower voice. "S-Sorry��"

    Taira ced his hand on her cheek stared at her with aplicated light in his eyes.

    "You should know by now, Ina, I''m only teasing you. It''s good to see you being a bit more expressive."

    Inadu nodded absentmindedly as she continued to wipe down only Taira''s chest like she was trying to avoid touching certain inmmatory areas.

    She wouldn''t even let her gaze drop below his corbone.

    "So�� can you tell me what happened? Are you better?"

    Taira finally removed his hand from Inadu''s face and ced it over his head that was still throbbing.

    "I think�� I had a vision."

 Chapter 157: The Sixth.

    Taira got around to exining about half of his ominous vision to Inadu before he realized that she was hardly focusing on the wordsing out of his mouth.

    Instead, her eyes were somewhat glossed over as she stared at his bare chest, and she was simply moving her arm around in circles.

    If she rubbed his body with the towel one more time, he was almost certain that his skin was going to starting off.

    Finally, Taira remembered that his lower half was uncovered as well.

    "Ah, sorry. I need to borrow this."

    "E-Eh?"

    He took the towel from Inadu and wrapped it around his midsection so that he was atleast halfway decent and stood up.

    He held out his hand for Inadu to take, and she looked at it somewhat confused.

    "D-Don''t you need to bathe for longer..? I''m sure that you aren''t fully back to your peak yet��"

    Truthfully, Taira wasn''t.

    The pool had helped, sure, but he was still a long way off from being whole again.

    To get all of his strength back, he would have to stay for well past the time he was set to leave.

    "I''ll survive. For now, we should get you inside."

    "Me? Why?"

    "I heard you say that you have been out here with me all night. You haven''t slept, and I''m certain you haven''t eaten either. We need to go inside and fix that."

    Inadu shook her head in refusal.

    "I will be fine. For now the most important thing is that you have your strength back. Please, get back in the water."

    "No, I''m going to make you something to eat first and tuck you into bed."

    "Taira�� get in theke."

    "No, now tell me what you want to eat."

    This back and forth subsisted for several minutes, and by the end it had devolved into a simple shouting match.

    "Lake!"

    "Bed!"

    "Recovery!"

    "Eat!"

    ""Stop being stubborn!!""

    Inadu and Taira all but red at each other as they realized that neither of them was going to budge from their position.

    Silence persisted between the two for an unnecessarily long time.

    Taira thought that maybe he''d finally gotten the better of her, but Inadu finally changed the rules of the gamepletely.

    She reached behind her head and pulled off the kimono that she''d looted from Taira''s closet.

    The world seemed to devolve into slow motion as the fabric that was covering her fell onto the riverbank.

    And Taira was hit full force by her charm that he often forgot about.

    She was beautiful, even though she had lost an unhealthy amount of weight recently.

    Her slender figure had no real curves except for her chest that was around the same size as Vermeil''s�� which was really quite impressive.

    Inadu started walking towards the crystal blue waters and immersed herself more and more with every step.

    When she was finally neck deep, she turned around to face Taira with something of an embarrassed look in her eyes.

    "If you want me to go inside�� you will have to pull me out of here first."

    Taira blinked several times in disbelief before ultimately epting his defeat.

    "Well�� I guess I don''t really have much of a choice now, do I?"

    "You never did. Victory was mine from the beginning."

    "How cute��"

    The fox spirit discarded his towel and Inadu turned her head at thest moment.

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    As he intruded closer and closer to her, he could inly hear the sound of both of their hearts beating loudly in tandem.

    When he finally reached her, his arms slipped around her waist naturally without him even realizing it.

    When she flinched, he started to pull away out of instinct but she held onto his hands firmly to keep him from running.

    "I-I''m fine�� just surprised." She said shyly.

    Taira wasn''t really sure what came over him in that moment.

    Maybe it was the shy and innocent way that Inadu looked, or maybe it was the fact that blood flow was being diverted from his brain into other areas.

    But for reasons that he didn''t understand, he brought his head down towards Inadu''s lips and kissed her softly.

    He started off gentle at first so as not to spook her or step on her wellbeing, and waited for her to be the aggressor.

    He was surprised by how little time it took.

    Not two seconds after Taira initiated the kiss, Inadu ran her hands through Taira''s hair as she bit his lower lip.

    And since she lost all of her inhibitions, he ended up losing his right after her.

    He dropped his hands down to her small, perky butt and gave it a firm squeeze.

    Inadu trembled in his grasp and pulled him further into her lips; both delighting and arousing him.

    In the middle of their embrace, Taira felt droplets of water run onto his face and he opened his eyes in concern.

    Once he pulled away, Inadu finally realized that she had started crying at some point.

    She hurriedly wiped her face while trying to hide her own embarrassment.

    "I-I''m sorry�� I don''t really know what came over me."

    Taira held Ina''s hands away from her face so that he could stare at her un-impeded.

    "Ina�� I want you to marry me." He blurted out.

    If Inadu was a cartoon character, her eyes would have popped out of her skull at that exact moment.

    She nervously twirled her braids between her fingers as she tried to respond to such a bold deration.

    "��You will not regret your decision..?" She asked quietly. "I-I am not whole, Taira! I couldn''t possibly love you the way the others do and-"

    "I know that you''ve been through something terrible, and you are still in the process of recovering, but don''t use that as an excuse to disqualify yourself from being happy.

    I don''t ask you to marry me lightly, and neither I nor the girls are unaware of the things that trouble you. But we all want you to be in our lives just the same."

    Taira pressed his forehead against her own and just barely grazed her lips.

    "If you deny me, I will only ask you again. And again, and again. I will have you, Inadu. Simply because I have grown far too ustomed to having you in my arms like this."

    Even though the temperature in the water and in the air was chilling, Inadu had never felt warmer as she smiled sheepishly in his embrace.

    "It seems�� my new husband is quite the spoiled man."

    Delighted, the two of them shared another passionate kiss thatsted for several minutes.

    Eventually, Inadu broke the kiss and turned her head back towards thepound where their home sat atop a hill.

    Now, it was Taira''s turn to be surprised, because he could hear exactly what she was thinking.

    "��Are you sure?"

    After taking a moment to calm her throbbing heartbeat, Inadu finally nodded in eptance.

    "I am�� Can we go to the bedroom��?"

 Chapter 158: Say The Words…*

    Taira carried Inadu into their shared bedroom without bothering to light a single candle.

    Their bodies were only illuminated by the dull blue glowing from outside, giving them a very rxed andfortable ambiance to indulge in.

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    Taira gentlyid Inadu down on the bed like she was the most precious treasure of all.

    Underneath the light of his glowing eyes, she seemed to be rather bashful and even made a few moves to cover herself.

    Inadu felt as if this was all very new to her.

    Though she suggested this first, she felt awkward and nervous as if she were afraid that he would see something unpleasant.

    Every wound or scar that she used to have on her body had long been healed since she bathed in the waters outside, but now she was fearful that they hade back without her notice.

    "You are�� so unrealistically beautiful."

    Taira''s heavy breathing was the only sound in the room that was louder than Ina''s own heartbeat.

    In this moment, he seemed to be having real difficulty keeping his wits about him.

    Inadu would be the first new woman Taira slept with in fifty years.

    He was trying not to devour her aggressively right away, and instead do things slowly and properly, the way that a couple should for their first time.

    With their lingering eye contact and the aftermath of a sincerepliment, Inadu finally uncovered her breasts and uncrossed her legs, allowing him to glimpse her full charms.

    Her slender body paired with the shy smile she showed him was too much for the brain to handle.

    Taira lowered his head until his lips were touching Inadu''s in a soft and delicate gesture.

    The kisssted no longer than a moment before he moved to her cheek, and then gave her neck a long and provocative lick.

    Already, Inadu was showing some signs of extreme arousal and sensitivity judging by the way that her whole body shivered.

    Taira found her reactions to be cute, and as such couldn''t help himself from bringing out more of them however he was able.

    He continued to trail down Inadu''s body until he reached her bountiful breasts.

    He took them into both hands and gave them a firm squeeze before filling his mouth with her chest.

    Inadu''s skin was soft, sweet, and fragrant.

    Her entire body gave off a rich scent of coco butter that made her indescribably tantalizing.

    As Taira sucked on her breast, he felt her nipples harden against his tongue and her squirming increased.

    She reached out and held Taira''s head close to her chest like she was desperate to never release him.

    "This�� already feels so nice��" Inadu whispered those words, but Taira still heard them.

    His motivation to give her an even better experience saw another huge leap.

    Begrudgingly, Taira tore himself away from Inadu''s breasts.

    Grabbing her by the legs, he spread them open even wider than before.

    The sudden movement seemed to catch Ina by surprise, and she covered her sacred ce with her hand out of instinct.

    Smiling, Taira continued to lower his head until his head was between her legs.

    And shyly, Inadu removed her hands and allowed him unrestricted ess to her.

    Parting his lips, he gave her garden a long, firm lick.

    Despite her earlier boldness, Inadu disyed a rather surprising innocence.

    She wasn''t sure of exactly what to do or what to say, what noises to make, or even if she should have been being more proactive.

    She justy on her back, as tense as a sinner in church.

    In her mind, the best thing she could do was literally give herself to Taira like this.

    Briefly, Taira pulled his mouth away from her. "You don''t need to be so tense, my love. Just rx and let yourself do what feels natural."

    The two of them briefly made eye contact, and Inadu nodded as she let her body rx.

    Satisfied, Taira began to indulge in Inadu more fervently than before.

    Starting with her outer folds, he gradually warmed her body up to the pleasure awaiting her.

    She became wetter and wetter by the second, and Taira greedily drank all of her nectar as fast as she could produce it.

    His words seemed to hold true in her heart, because at a certain point Inadu ceased to hold back her moans and let them escape her lips freely.

    The noises she made became louder and more frequent when Taira suddenly switched his point of attack.

    He took the small pink bud into his mouth and began to twirl his tongue underneath the hood.

    Inadu showed an immediate and strong reaction to the new sensations as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

    Taira opened his eyes when he felt a jet of water shoot into his mouth unprepared.

    He lifted his head from between Ina''s legs and found her covering her face with both hands.

    "Are you.. done already?"

    "...I''m so embarrassed." Inadu rolled over onto her stomach; unable to cope with her disy of waterworks.

    Tairaughed softly as he crawled on top of her, while being careful not to crush her small figure.

    Gently grabbing her by the chin, he tilted her head towards him so that he could kiss her without reservation.

    As he yfully nibbled on her lips and intertwined her tongue with his own, he felt her body loosening up again as she forgot about her embarrassment.

    Finally, Taira decided he couldn''t hold it anymore.

    Without breaking their kiss, Taira grabbed his member and pressed it against Inadu''s slick enterance.

    She moaned in surprise as Taira pushed himself into her slowly, allowing her to feel every groove and throbbing vein along his member.

    Inadu had seen shes of Taira''s naked before, and even grabbed it once when she was being misguided.

    But she had never once experienced or witnessed it at full mast, so she had no knowledge of what she was in for.

    Everytime that she thought it would end, he would intrude deeper inside of her, to areas that had previously remained untouched.

    Though the length was nice, the girth was what truly seemed to send her tumbling into ecstasy.

    The feeling of being pried open and filledpletely was not at all unpleasant, and it even threatened to make her lose what little control over herself she had.

    This was the first time that Inadu realized that sex could be reassuring instead of scary.

    She also understood why she could hear Enyo and the rest of the girls screaming all the way from her old room.

    When Taira finally pressed against her womb, she felt him begin to move his hips in a gyrating motion.

    The two of them finally broke their kiss and Taira stared into Inadu''s eyes intently as she moaned loudly; her face inches away from his own.

    He was ever so careful to keep himself from losing it on her and treating her like an object to vent his lust.

    With his every thrust, he rubbed against her womb and g-spot simultaneously and nearly overwhelmed her constantly.

    And since Taira''s weight wasfortably pressing down on her, she couldn''t have run even if she wanted to.

    Eventually, she noticed that Taira''s ears began to twitch as his eyes became hazy.

    She felt his breathing be heavier and heavier as his fangs poked out of his mouth.

    Inadu didn''t know much about seduction, but she knew Taira and how to be honest.

    Speaking coherently was hard right now, so instead she grabbed Taira by the hand and let him listen to her inner thoughts.

    ''I��love��you..!''

    Finally,Taira''s pupils narrowed as he reached the end of his rope.

    His final thrust was significantly harder than all of the rest as he breached past Inadu''s womb and filled up her insides.

    As Inadu screamed and wet herself, a simr dark fox tattoo appeared on the small of her back, just above her butt.

    As she rode out the feeling of her orgasmic high, Inadu realized that she felt closer to Taira than ever before.

    Without even hearing him speak, she could hear the words she most desperately wanted to hear rattling around inside her brain.

    ''I love you, Ina.''

    In that moment, Inadu felt like she was the absolute happiest woman in the world.

    -

    Inadu''s happiness did notst long.

    Currently, she was sitting at the kitchen table with Taira while he tried to get her to eat.

    "��I feel as though you are babying me."

    "Just a little bit."

    Out of the corner of her eye, she stared at her new husband.

    At her request, Taira had ditched his old ck kimono for the much nicer blue one that she had been running around the house in.

    She could almost swear that he was like apletely different man.

    "��I want to have sex again before you go."

    Inadu suddenly stood up and pulled off the nket she''d draped over herself.

    But even though Taira was tempted, he simply smirked at her without making a move to touch her.

    "We don''t have the time, my love. Besides, you are running dangerously low on energy because you haven''t been eating properly. Even one round was almost too much for you."

    Inadu pouted and sat back down.

    Laughing, Taira grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

    "Don''t fret. If you''ve gained a bit of weight when I get back then I promise to hold you for days on end."

    "!" Those words seemed to be all Inadu needed because she picked up the bowl of food in front of her and began scarfing it down like mad.

    In the middle of hisughter, Taira suddenly felt a familiar voice wander into his mind.

    Keran : ''Beloved, are you ready? The secret realm is about to open.''

 Chapter 159: The Secret Realm!

    Miraculously, Taira appeared in the middle of his tent at the campsite.

    His remaining wives were already surrounding him, wearing expectant looks on their faces.

    He smiled wryly, as he figured he knew what they wanted to ask already.

    "Don''t worry, my condition is-"

    Keran: "H-How is Ina??"

    Enyo: "Is she eating properly?? Are the leftovers I made okay?!"

    Lucia: "Did she look like she was finally gaining weight back..?"

    Vermeil: "I hope you didn''t exhaust her, honey�� You know she''s frail.

    Aveena: "How''s she been sleeping..? She''s not too lonely, right?"

    Taira took a moment to blink away all of his surprise before he finallyughed and embraced all five of them as a group.

    "I assure you, our lovely Inadu is quite fine. But we should still wrap this up quickly so that we can head back home to her. She sends her love to you all by the way."

    The girls smiled fondly as a resolute spirit welled up within their chests.

    At that moment, Aja opened up the p in their tent and poked her head inside.

    "Oh good, you''re back. Everyone is ready now, and the portal is beginning to open."

    "Perfect."

    *Sniff, sniff.* "You smell like sex."

    "��"

    "Was it good?"

    "Yes, Ina is very incredible and womanly."

    "I would like detailster."

    "You will not get them."

    "Boo."

    With two of the wives at his side and the rest at his back, Taira stepped out of his tent and caught sight of the rows of fallen standing like statues, all staring at him.

    "Stand at attention for the demon lord!"

    "Pay him your respects!"

    "Ugh.." Taira resisted voicing his disgust as a miniature earthquake took ce.

    asionally, the forest would tremble as a great battle raged on several kilometers away, but Taira''s sole focus rested on the strange urrence that was nowing into view.

    At first, it resembled a small individual piece of glitter. Stay tuned for updates on m-v l|-NovelBin

    But as the seconds ticked by, the shining point grew and grew until it resembled a giant portal in the shape of a star.

    Once it was fully formed and stable, Taira and his wives walked on theke to stand in front of the portal.

    "Hold on to each other, girls. I don''t want to be separated from even one of you for a single moment."

    Once Taira felt five respective hands touch his back or his tails, he looked over his shoulders at the rest of the fallen in attendance.

    "None of you should go in without touching someone, since locations we appear at will be randomized. Stay cautious, and value your lives."

    "YES, DEMON LORD."

    ''Gross��''

    Exhausted from talking and pretending to be some sort of leader, Taira jumped into the portal with all of his wives in tow.

    - Earth, The United States of America: New York City.

    In a beautiful luxury penthouse apartment, a brown haired, honey-eyed Vermeil walked in carrying a brown bag filled with groceries while simultaneously talking on the phone.

    "No, we''re noting home for Christmas, ma. Taira has an art gallery in Japan the week before, and we decided to spend the holiday over there."

    Vermeil sighed as a string of obscenities left her mother''s mouth on the other line.

    "No, we don''t think we''re too good for you, but what do you care? You don''t even like my husband anyway; you always fight with him and then demand money in the next breath."

    Vermeil stepped into the kitchen and put her phone on speaker while she started putting groceries away.

    "Well of course I don''t like him, he''s a serial cheater!

    He''s got you ying house with all of his other women and making you look like a damned fool!

    The least he could do is make sure your father and I have a roof to sleep under!"

    Inadvertently, Vermeil nearly crushed a carton of milk in her hands.

    "How many times do I have to tell you, he''s not like that...!

    My rtionship isn''t traditional, but it makes me happy!

    And neither Taira nor the girls are manipting me to stay in it!

    Besides, I have already given you plenty of money, but you let dad piss it all away on beer and lottery tickets!"

    Even before her mother said anything, Vermeil knew that she had struck a nerve and her mother was going to retaliate.

    "�� You are so pathetic. His kind are always looking for the fresh new young thing to sink their teeth into!

    When you eventually realize that you can''t hold his attention like you do now, don''te crawling back to your father and I!"

    Infuriated for more reasons than one, Vermeil finally hung up the phone and blocked the number so that no more calls woulde through.

    Briefly, she ced her hands on the granite countertop and rested her weight on it to get her bearings.

    Already, she felt a major migraine forming and wanted to go and curl up in bed.

    ''I shouldn''t have answered her phone in the first ce...''

    "You shouldn''t have answered the phone, you know?"

    Looking through her curtain of hair, Vermeil nced at a familiar woman leaning against the doorway to their bedroom.

    As she often does was whenever she was at home, she wore her favorite oversized t-shirt with an image of the deceased Notorious B.I.G, and no underwear underneath.

    She was of Spanish ethnicity, with long ck hair dyed with bright purple ends.

    Standing at six feet tall and with a body like an amazon, it was no surprise how she had ended up as the number rated 1 personal trainer in all of NYC. (Though the people who lived with her and knew her habits still couldn''t believe it...)

    Her warm brown eyes stared at Vermeil with a soft sadness and she crossed the length of their penthouse to wrap her arm around her shoulder.

    "Are you alright...?"

    Vermeil forced a smile onto her face as she shrugged off her tan trench coat. "Yea, today was just a little bit hard, you know? We had to remove a child from their home, and the crowds at the store were a mess, and I just-"

    "It''s alright, I get it. You want to goy down for a bit?"

    Vermeil shook her head in denial. "I can''t, I promised Taira I''d make ramen today since he''s been missing the taste of home and he''s really looking forward to it."

    "You act as if he wouldn''t understand what you''re going through. Take the night and rest before you get those fainting spells again."

    Vermeil smiled wryly as she stared at all of the groceries she''d brought. "Then what about dinner?"

    "We''ll order pizza!" Aveena answered without hesitation.

    "No." Vermeil immediately denied.

    "Eh! Why?!"

    "You made fun of me for my choicesst time so I told you we''re never having it again!"

    "Thin crust pizza is an abomination! It''s anarchy!"

    "It''s lower in calories! Shouldn''t you of all people be in favor of that?"

    "No! I am here for a good time, not a long time! Deep dish pizza or nothing!"

    "That is basically pie!"

    "Exactly!"

    Eventually, their arguing drew another of their housemates out of bed.

    "What''s with all the ruckus...?"

    Looking up, the two of them found a raven-haired beauty rubbing her eyes sleepily.

    Wearing only a bright purple bra and panties, her caramel skin seemed to shine with even more of a natural luster than normal.

    Resting in her arms was a medium sized gray cat with folded ears and a chubby face.

    "Oh, we''re having pizza for dinner and I''m trying to exin to our lovely Vermeil why her tastes are inferior."

    "Hey!"

    "Vermeil, thin crust pizza is an abomination." Enyo said sleepily.

    "No it isn''t, why are you guys so close minded?!"

    At that moment, the electronic lock clicked open and the three girls finally stopped arguing and ran towards the door.

    There, a man and two women came in carrying a surplus of shopping bags.

    One of them was a beautiful Korean woman with long ck hair that fell below her butt and a paleplexion, yet pink, rosy cheeks.

    Though her build was slender, she was quite toned and in possession of an abundance of curves that could not be fully hidden underneath her jeans and designer blouse.

    The other woman, like the man, appeared to be of mixed heritage, being Japanese and ck.

    Her figure was much more curvaceous than herpanion, but she was in no way beneath her in terms of it''s ability to enchant men and women alike.

    Like Aveena, her short hair was dyed in an oundish bright green color that she had actually be quite famous for.

    Though between the two of them, the man was somehow the real catch.

    Standing at over 6 feet tall, he had a slender, yet muscr build that the girls knew was deceptively powerful.

    His hair was long, thick, and curly, and was tied behind his head.

    Since birth, his hair had been an unnatural grey-ish white color that had defied all gics and reasoning.

    His eyes were a bright amber color, but sometimes if one stared at them closely enough in the sun they would appear red.

    He was unnaturally handsome, so much so that he had been offered more than a few male modeling contracts by the same agency that had scouted Lucia and Keran, but he turned them all down in favor of his art.

    Once he saw everyone waiting at the door, he smiled helplessly as he held up the bags in his hands.

    "Now I know that I wasn''t supposed to, but... I may have ended up getting you girls a few things."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 160: Something’s Not Right…

    Sitting on their leather sofa worth several thousand dors, the girls excitedly unwrapped theirtest gifts.

    Taira himself sat on the end with their cat Yasuke sitting in hisp.

    For some reason, the little guy seemed to be fidgeting quite a lot today��

    "Honey�� you know that you didn''t have to do this." Enyo held up a beautiful cream colored dress that she''d seen onst month''s cover of ''Vogue''.

    "So are you telling me that you don''t like it?"

    "Of course I''m not saying that, but what have we told you about trying to buy our affections?"

    "It only works when you''re mad at me?"

    "N-No! Don''t make jokes like that!"

    Enyo tackled Taira to his back while Yasuke took that moment to run to freedom.

    The mature beauty brought her face dangerously close to his before she rested her head in the crook of his neck.

    "You didn''t have to do this... but I am always appreciative of the fact that you do."

    One by one, the rest of the girls began leaping on top of Taira to express their fervent appreciation.

    All the while, he merelyughed as he insisted that it was no big deal and that he was merely happy to be in a position where he could do things like this.

    In the midst of their cuddling, he felt someone unbuckle his pants and start to reach into his underwear.

    He couldn''t exactly look up since Vermeil and Enyo were still on top of him, but he knew whose hands were trying to get him erect just by the feeling alone.

    "Girls... I don''t mind doing it right now but didn''t we promise not to start this early so that we don''t miss dinner again..?"

    With Taira''s erect member in hand, Aveena and Lucia looked at each other to decide if they really cared that much about food.

    "...I kind of wanted some pizza."

    "I can''t eat that, I have another photo shoot in four days."

    "Sucks to suck."

    "Aveena!"

    Both girls were suddenly pulled by their ears by Keran and were forced to relinquish their positions in Taira''sp.

    "We can ALL wait until we''ve eaten dinner and showered together. I for one feel like if I don''t eat something I''ll pass out halfway through."

    "And that would be different from normal how exactly..?"Enyo asked as she looked away discreetly.

    Keran suddenly showed a smile that was not a smile. "Are you trying to be funny?"

    "No, no, of course not! Premature orgasms are nothing to be ashamed o-"

    "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

    Keran suddenly leapt onto Enyo and pushed her to the floor; somehow managing to weasel the oldest one here onto the ground.

    Laughing to himself, Taira finally pulled his pants back on and stood up before moving towards the kitchen.

    Feeling slightly nervous, Vermeil stood up and followed closely behind him. "Ah, babe.. I know you were looking forward to my cooking tonight, but today was.."

    "Hell?" He asked in understanding.

    Vermeil smiled exhaustedly and nodded.

    Taira wrapped his arms around Vermeil''s waist and pulled her in closely.

    Being a social worker was hard.

    Sometimes, Vermeil woulde home and cry in the arms of her loved ones for hours on end about the things she''d seen.

    As someone with a big heart, it never really seemed to get any easier for her.

    The cruelty that humans were capable of often left her disillusioned and uninterested in the world around her.

    Save for the people in this room, she had no otherforts, and nothing to bring her pleasure, joy, or sce.

    And they felt the exact same way about her.

    Which was why it was often hard for them to see her in such a bad way like this.

    Taira gently brushed Vermeil''s hair out of her face and spoke to her as tenderly as possible.

    "I know that we''ve talked about it before, but�� I want you to reconsider quitting and staying at home with Enyo. You know I can take care of you both."

    Vermeil smiled, but she shook her head in denial all the same.

    "Babe.. you know that I''m not going to do that.

    There are families out there that need help, innocent children that need to be protected.

    The system is already overloaded as it is, and I can''t add to it. I won''t."

    Normally Taira would have let this go without further argument, but his worry finally culminated into a fit of stubbornness.

    "Vermeil�� I know that you''re trying to make the world liveable again in your own way, but there has to be a way for you to do it without destroying yourself in the process. You cannot keep living like this."

    Finally, Vermeil let her head drop to the ground as she felt unable to refute just how exhausted she was.

    "��What if we open up a battered women''s shelter in your name?" Taira suddenly said.

    Disbelief shone in Vermeil''s eyes as she looked up at her husband.

    "I�� Are you serious��?"

    "Aww, I''m hurt. I like to y a few tricks on my girls sometimes, but you know I don''t joke about things like this."

    "B-But a shelter is so expensi-"

    "When was thest time you checked our joint bank ounts?"

    Vermeil turned her head to the side and whistled inconspicuously.

    It had been years since she looked at any of those statements.

    Once Taira''s paintings really started taking off and he began getting bigger and biggermissions left and right, the numbers in their ounts grew so astronomically that it gave her a headache just to look at it.

    Thisbined with Keran and Lucia''s modeling money, and Aveena''s gym ie, she couldn''t even begin to count high enough to calcte it.

    But for Taira to be so serious about opening up a shelter, she knew that they must have had enough money in their ounts that this wouldn''t even put a dent in it.

    Vermeil wrapped her arms around Taira''s neck and stared up at him with eyes filled with tears.

    "I think�� maybe I''m not so hungry anymore after all."

    Taira was not made of stone, and keeping up with five different women''s sex drives had given him something of a hair trigger.

    "What a coincidence�� neither was I."

    The two of them stared at each other with smoldering looks as they began to undress without breaking eye contact.

    Once their underwear hit the ground, the two of them immediately pressed their bodies together as they kissed.

    Taira slipped his hands behind Vermeil and gave herrge, round butt a firm squeeze that made her tremble and whimper in his grasp.

    Aveena: "Oh, we''re starting?! We''re starting! W-Wait for us to join too!"

    -

    True to form for the Amarok family, they spent four entire hours having passionate, loving intercourse.

    With only two ten minute breaks needed for Taira to recover, he ensured that they made the most of their time and that he got to embrace everyone atleast three times.

    Even when his body was covered in sweat and his muscles were on fire, he was still rhythmicly thrusting his hips as he tried to get all of his loved ones pregnant.

    As she somehow always tended to be, Lucia was thest one standing.

    The green haired beauty had her back arched on their leather couch while allowing him to drill into her repeatedly from behind.

    Her screams became progressively louder and more erotic as she cried out in ecstasy.

    Taira buried himself as deep as he could inside of Lucia and came inside her for the fourth time tonight.

    Her whole body spasmed uncontrobly as she fell headfirst into Enyo''sp, who coincidentally was the first to fall asleep tonight.

    Taira slowly pulled his still twitching member out of her slowly before reaching out on instinct.

    When his hands hit nothing but air, he paused to look around the room.

    There was no one else here.

    But why did he think that there would be?

    And why did the reality that there wasn''t hurt him so much..?

    His chest and his head began to hurt at the same time and he doubled over.

    He brought a hand to his face so that he could touch his cheek; and drew it back to inspect something.

    He was crying.

    But why..?

    ''What.. is wrong with me��?''

 Chapter 161: Wake Up, Taira!

    The next morning, the sun had only barely just started peaking over the horizon when Taira opened his eyes in the confines of his bedroom.

    He sat up and rubbed his head wearily as if he were nursing the world''s worst hangover.

    ''What time did I even get into bedst night...?'' he nced at his bedmates and realized that they were all bathed and sleeping offst night''s proclivities.

    Hickeys of multiple different shapes were strewn tastefully across everyone''s body, including his own.

    ''They look more anymore beautiful everyday...'' he thought.

    Taira admired his wives for a little bit longer before he eventually slipped out of bed without waking them.

    Stretching for a bit, he stepped over to his dresser before pulling on some boxers, a pair of sweatpants, and his headphones.

    Finding his phone, he started ying music almost immediately before heading into the bathroom to freshen up.

    Once he was done, he stepped out of the bedroom quietly and went to find the only other member of his family remaining.

    Unexpectedly, he found Yasuke by the front door, wing like he was trying to get out and meowing as if it were depressed.

    Once it heard Tairaing, it ran right up to him and started meowing up a storm.

    "I got it, I got it." Since Taira couldn''t really hear the cat over the music, he just assumed him to be hungry and excited about eating.

    Which in fairness wouldn''t be all that umon for him.

    ''We should really get an automatic feeder... but I don''t know if I trust him not to break into it.''

    Once Yasuke''s bowl was filled, Taira walked through his apartment to reach a door on the opposite side and arrived in his personal studio.

    Though a little messy, this was where he worked the best and had been able to create art works that had won him countless awards and acim.

    Past pieces of his hung on the wall; some of which included canvases of his beautiful wives in their natural environments.

    In the center of the room, there was a wooden stool with a cushion on top and three different easels circling it, each with an iplete work already in the midst of being done.

    Silently, he pondered which of them he should finish first.

    The piece that was going to be the birthday present for some son of a trade analyst at Goldman Sachs, the portraitmissioned by a famous music artist, or the one he was nning on submitting to an exhibit as part of a collection?

    "..."

    Eventually, Taira grabbed a whole new easel and canvas to start an entirely new project.

    It was a good thing that the deadlines for all of these projects were weeks away, or he may have been in more of a rush toplete it and jeopardized the quality in the process.

    ''Just a quick sketch to get the juices flowing should be fine..'' he thought.

    Taking a pencil, he roughly started to sketch out an image on the tapestry with no specific vision in mind.

    This was what he had be famous for.

    When he was painting, there were no interruptions or distractions capable of breaking his total immersion.

    With the low sound of Teyana Taylor ying in his headphones, he was practically a machine that needed no human input to function.

    Before he''d known it, he had finished the actual sketch and started painting.

    Every action that he took was meticulous and done with the utmost care, and one could almost tell that he had real love for the subject material.

    Unbeknownst to him, hours went by with song after song ying in his ears and he never noticed a thing.

    The only thing that finally drew his attention was a soft hand on his back, and a pair of lips on his neck.

    Taira smiled as he paused his music, already knowing the woman by her touch alone.

    "I''m surprised... it''s rare for you to be up before noon."

    "...It''s two o''clock, honey." Enyo confessed.

    Embarrassment showed up on Taira''s face. "Shit... I did it again, huh?"

    "Seems like it."

    Enyo came from behind Taira and his breath was temporarily caught in his throat.

    Currently, her only coverings was that of a thince bathrobe that she hadn''t even bothered to tie closed; allowing Taira to see everything underneath.

    "I�� who is that..?"

    Taira followed Enyo''s gaze to the easel in front of him, where a tapestry of a beautiful, but unfamiliar woman was painted on the canvas.

    Enyo knew Taira had a talent for art.

    In fact she was the one who first discovered it, since she used to be his babysitter when he was in elementary school.

    And out of everything that she ever saw him create, this was the second picture to bring literal tears to her eyes.

    "She�� is beautiful��"

    Sitting all alone by a crystal blueke was a woman with rich dark skin and long grey dreadlocks.

    She had a slender, yet healthy figure and an abundance of ck tattoos that all seemed to be spider themed.

    Taira was every bit as floored as Enyo was, because he had never seen this woman before.

    ''No, that''s not true.''

    ''What am I talking about..?''

    ''You can''t forget her. Not after everything that she''s been through.''

    ''I-I don''t��''

    ''Act like a fucking husband and go back to her..!''

    ''What..?!''

    Eventually, Taira groaned and bent over to clutch his head that was suddenly splitting.

    "H-Honey..? Are you alright?!" Enyo asked worriedly as she wiped her face.

    Taira could only barely hear her as he was currently enduring a headache of absolutely nightmarish proportions.

    "I��"

    Aveena: "Hey! You guys have to get a move on or we''ll bete!"

    "O-Oh, that''s right!" Enyo realized.

    "Late..? Do we have something today?" Taira asked with difficulty.

    "Your parents called about an hour ago and said they flew in to surprise us. They want us to meet them at Nobu in forty-five minutes��"

    Discover stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin

    For some reason, those words hit Taira like a freight car.

    But he couldn''t exin why.

    "I-I should probably call and tell them that we''ll need to cancel since you aren''t feeling well.." Enyo started to leave, but stairs gently grabbed her wrist and held her in ce.

    "No�� I''ll be fine, I just need to take a couple of aspirin."

    "A-Are you sure??" Enyo asked.

    "I''m positive." Taira said as he stood up.

    "Let''s go eat a hole in my old man''s wallet."

 Chapter 162: No More Dreaming

    "I remember the day I brought her home vividly. Needless to say, as the son of immigrants, my parents were not too happy. They thought I had be too ''westernized''.

    I was furious, but Dhalia here was as cool as a cucumber. She walked right up to the kitchen table and introduced herself in such perfect Japanese that you would have thought that she was born there herself."

    "Y-You''re exaggerating again, Hideo..."

    "Look at her trying to be modest, isn''t she the most precious thing?"

    """""A..."""""

    Sitting within a world-famous restaurant in the heart of New York were an older couple who were absolutely gushing over each other.

    The man was handsome, and looked like what would ur if one put a yakuza member and a male model in a blender.

    He had long, oil ck hair that was mostly held in a bun above his head.

    Though Taira often remarked that he was getting more gray in there as the years went on.

    His almond shaped eyes were soft, but crystal blue like a lump of sapphire underneath a summer sky, and his body was in remarkable shape for a man in theter stages of his forties.

    Still clinging to his arm after all this time was a woman whose beauty was unrivaled for her age. Stay connected through m-v l|e''-NovelBin

    She had a slender, but lithe figure, with curves that hadn''t yet started to droop or show any signs of aging.

    Her ck hair had been cut short since her mid twenties, and on more than one asion her taper had been crisper than her son''s.

    Her lips were full, and always seemed to be curved in a half smile, and her brown yes were warm and inviting.

    Across the table, the girls hung off their every word and detail with bated breath.

    Taira was sitting in the middle of them, but for some reason he didn''t seem to be as engaged in their talks as he usually would have been.

    Ever sinceing to the restaurant, he had just been feeling... sick.

    There was this foggy unnatural feeling clouding over his mind that made him feel like he wasn''t quite supposed to be here.

    But he couldn''t exactly exin why he felt like that.

    Eventually, he just told himself that maybe it was because he was too busy painting earlier and neglected to eat anything.

    ''Wait... What did I paint again...?''

    As Taira crinkled his brow in confusion, his mother suddenly picked up the fact that her son didn''t seem to be feeling all that well.

    "My baby? Are you alright?"

    Briefly, Taira felt like the wordsing out of his mothers mouth didn''t fit her.

    But that couldn''t have been the case.

    She had always been the sweet and nurturing type, so hearing her ask about his wellbeing shouldn''t have been out of character in the slightest.

    "I''m fine, ma. Just a little sleep deprived is all."

    A look of understanding passed between Hideo and Dhalia.

    "N-Now everyone�� we want you to know that we are more than epting of your rtionship, but you shouldn''t neglect your health��"

    "I-I''m sure it must be time consuming for each of you to have a chance to get your needs fulfilled, however as a physician, I must insist on eight hours of rest for each of you��"

    The girls all blushed, save for Aveena, who was rtively shameless.

    "Don''t worry, Taira has really good stamina, and the aftercare is always-"

    "A-Aveena!" Enyo stuffed a slice of bread into her sister''s mouth.

    "..."

    "..."

    "...I''m just going to ask.." Dhalia decided.

    "No you are not!" Hideo panicked.

    "I NEED to know the answer!"

    "This isn''t something we should be taking about over appetizers!"

    "Well you wouldn''t let me askst 4th of July, so I have to ask now!"

    *In Japanese* "You quite literally do not!"

    *Also in Japanese* "Leave me alone, you know that my curiosity is bottomless!"

    *Still in Japanese* "That''s not always a good thing!"

    Dhalia made a clicking sound with her teeth as she ignored her husband and leaned across the table.

    "Your father and I want to know..."

    "I don''t wanna know nothin''." Hideo said rather adamantly.

    "Boy, hush! Anyway!" Dhalia said. "We were curious about how exactly sex works between you six. Is it kind of like a lottery to see who goes first, or is it kind of everyone all at once, or...?"

    "Jesus..."

    Enyo stuffed more bread into Aveena''s mouth before she could answer.

    Dhalia continued to try to coax the answer out of them, even going so far as to give up sanctified information.

    "Y''see, honey, sometimes your father and I asionally invite a friend of ours over for the night and we-"

    "JESUS, Dhalia!" Hideo lowered his head in shame.

    "What friend?" Lucia asked.

    "Our neighbor, miss Loretta and sometimes my friend Cyanne when she''s in town."

    Hideo felt if he screamed out ''Jesus'' anymore, the man may actuallye out of the back room.

    Surprisingly, Taira felt himself starting to loosen up, and he was actually bing morefortable as time went by.

    Although he couldn''t exin the rtive unease he felt earlier today, he knew that it was fading more and more every time that his mother made him crack a smile.

    And then the entr��es came.

    Everyone was quite excited, as this steak house was arguably the best in the city and they couldn''t seem to wait to dig in to put that im to the test.

    "I have been waiting all week for this...!" Hideo excitedly picked up a ratherrge steak knife and hovered over his te excitedly.

    At that moment, Taira couldn''t say what happened.

    He simply stood up instinctively and backed away from the table warily.

    "Taira?!"

    "Honey, are you alright?!"

    "Why are you sweating?!"

    Taira tried to catch his breath and regain some sense of normalcy, but eventually he simply excused himself and ran to the bathroom.

    Once inside, he promptly locked the door before leaning on the sink and trying to catch his breath.

    "What is wrong with me... Why am I acting so weirdtely...?"

    Taira ran some water from under the sink and let it pool into his palms before submerging his face.

    Upon re-opening his eyes, he noticed something unfamiliar on his body.

    From underneath his shirt, a strange glow could be seening from around his navel.

    Lifting up his shirt, he found an unfamiliar tattoo on his body.

    The head of a fox, with six spade-like tails behind it and an initial on each.

    He easily recognized the ones that seemed to be for his lovers at the table, but there was an extra one that he didn''t recognize.

    ''Inadu...''

    When a splitting headache took root in Taira''s mind, it nearly sent him copsing over.

    However, he felt like he was midway through a breakthrough of some sort, so instead of running from the pain, he embraced it.

    Gritting his teeth, he did the only logivcal thing he could think of, and smashed his head into the bathroom mirror.

    Pain flooded his mind as his vision temporarily lost focus and lines of blood ran from his forehead.

    But even still, he saw no reason in stopping.

    He bashed his head into the mirror, once, twice, then three more times in quick session.

    The final time, he struck his head on a particrly sharp piece of ss, and not only speared his brain, but died almost instantly.

    -

    *Gasp!*

    Taira awoke with a panic, and the first thing that he did was try to get a general sense of his surroundings.

    He was in some kind of cave, lying in a shallowke and with dark green vines burrowed into his body.

    He tried to rip them out, but as soon as he touched a vine he heard an icy cold and feminine voice.

    "Pleasee, rest more, my morsel. I fear you and your brides are the best treats I have had in centuriesss��"

 Chapter 163: Die Easy

    Within the darkness, Taira''s eyes searched for the voice that he didn''t recognize.

    Looking deeper into the cavern, there was an eerie head cresting just above the water.

    A frightening woman with dark mottled green skin and hair resembling seaweed was staring back at him.

    ''A naiad...?''

    Even if this woman was a water spirit, she was utterly unlike any normal one he''d seen.

    She seemed to be a mix of multiple creatures rolled into one, and boasted a considerably eerie aura to boot.

    Taira looked past her, toward a deeper part of the water where multiple women were sleeping on top ofrge lilipads; each of them still connected to each other and inside the illusion.

    "Girls...!"

    His reaction seemed to infuriate the naiad.

    The water spirits are famously known for their jealousy, and this one seemed to be no different from others of it''s kind.

    "Don''t look at them, only look at me.. SLEEP FOR ME!!!"

    The naiad suddenly sank underneath the water and Taira developed an instinctive feeling of danger.

    Moving quickly, he leapt above the surface just as the naiad reached to pull him under.

    With more of her uncovered, Taira could get a better look at her full body now.

    Her upper half was womanly and almost normal, but her lower body resembled some kind of sea serpent, with multiple sets of lizard-like legs and some bits of what appeared to be... fish scales?

    "COME TO MEEE!!!"

    With the creature lunging at Taira with it''s arms outstretched, he just barely slipped between the gap in it''s grasp and buried his ws directly into her head.

    The naiad made a shocked choking sound as her body temporarily twitched in midair.

    She inevitably fell back into the water, and Taira watched as the bubbles went from many to none at all.

    Sighing in relief, he let his feetnd on the surface of the undergroundke and slowly made his way towards his sleeping wives.

    A blue me burst to life on five of his furry silver tails and floated over to their sleeping bodies.

    While they were set aze, nothing on them was burned up, save for the parasitic vines epassing their bodies.

    Not a full three seconds went by before they sat up with a start.

    Lucia: *Gasp!*

    Keran: "W-Where..?!"

    Enyo: "M-My head..."

    Vermeil: "W-What''s happening?!"

    Aveena: "What happened to my entree!?"

    Taira smiled dryly. "Take a moment topose yourselves, my wives. Remember who we are and what we are."

    Like a fog was slowly lifting, the five of them blinked their eyes and tried to regain rity.

    "That... was all a fabrication..." Enyo slowly realized. "How exactly is that possible?"

    Taira sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. "If I am honest... I am not certain.

    There are many illusion techniques in Tayar, and I''m sure that there are ones of even greater profundity here.

    There''s no telling what the naiad could have done to us, but if I were to devise a hypothesis, I would say that she scraped throughyers of our mind and constructed an ideal ''life'' for all of us.

    The fact that we are all connected probably made it even easier for her to aplish. And since we were unwilling to leave our dream, she slowly fed on us in the real world."

    "A little naiad did all of this...?" Aveena grimaced.

    "She wasn''t exactly quite like the ones we know at home, but... yes." Taira nodded.

    While everyone else wrestled with the fact that the past 10 or so years of their life were a lie, Vermeil was more embarrassed than others.

    Because she knew that certain parts of the illusion were all too real.

    In 50 full years of marriage, Vermeil had never once mentioned her mother, or her father.

    When the subject of parents was brought up, she and Taira tended to stay quiet since they didn''t exactly have happy stories to add to the conversation.

    And now, she was worried that her family was going to look at her oddly, or start asking more questions she really wasn''t ready to answer.

    As a result, she prayed to whatever great power would listen that something, anything, would get her out of having to talk about it.

    "We should find a way out of here." Taira suddenly stood up and helped pull each of the girls to their feet. "It''ll be best if we can figure out where we are, and just how long we''ve been in her-"

    *Ssh!*

    "FEED MEEEE!!!"

    In apletely unexpected twist, the naiad leapt out of the water with holes still in her brain from where Taira had attempted to give her a back-alley lobotomy.

    Reacting surprisingly quickly, Lucia parted her full lips and spewed an arc of green me that lit up the cavern.

    The naiad let out a horrible, pitiful scream before she dove back into the safety of the water, but dragon mes don''t just go out just because you try to put them out with water, or roll around in the dirt.

    They aren''t extinguished until whatever they seek to burn is a pile of ash.

    But even underwater, the group could see that the naiad wasn''t burning up like she should have been.

    She was simply iling about unconsciously, dealing with the immense pain of being burned alive without the sweet release of death to apany it.

    ...Lucia''s pride was a little hurt if she was honest!

    With a vein bulging out of her temple, she summoned her oversized nine-ringed sword and leapt off the lily pad.

    While airborne, she performed arge sh in midair that cut the water all the way to thekebed; cleanly severing the naiad in half.

    The water inevitably rushed back into ce as shended beside her husband, and she sighed in relief; already feeling much better.

    That was, until she saw the two halves start to move ande back together once again.

    "No. Fucking. Way!" she roared.

    Lucia''s yell inadvertently caused the entire cavern to shake like a cold stripper, and Taira was worried that she was going to be the reason this entire thing came down on top of them.

    Dragon lungs aren''t just for breathing fire and having pretty moans after all, as a single roar can tten an entire town.

    Enyo patted Lucia on her back so that she wouldn''t be the reason this ce buried them alive. "There there, dear. It''s alright, you did your best."

    "I-I hate that fishy harlot so much!"

    "Yes, she''s the absolute worst." Enyo agreed calmly.

    The naiad appeared to have heard the words being slung at her behind her back as she leapt out of the water once again; still alight in green me and still hungry.

    "IT HURTS, IT HURTS!!!!"

    "Yea, yea..." Vermeil unslung her sai from her waist and gave them a twirl.

    Several replicas made purely from starlight appeared around her in a sh, and with a waive of her hand she sent them shooting towards the naiad.

    The sai lodged themselves in various parts of her body and stapled her to the wall opposite them.

    Though keeping in line with tradition, she still wasn''t dead, but was least immobile.

    "Should we... just leave her there?" Keran suggested.

    The group shrugged as if they had no real problem with this.

    As they turned around to leave, the red gem in Taira''s chest began to glow of it''s own volition.

    "Hm?"

    The fox demon watched in surprise as his trusty soul weapon Yasuke appeared of his own volition.

    Miraculously, the gold and red scythe flew towards the impaled naiad on the wall and buried it''s egregiously long de in her sternum.

    The strange water spirit twitched in a way that was different before and her entire body slumped over.

    But this time, no matter how long the group waited, she never woke back up and started raging.

    Even the mes on her body were finally beginning to consume her as intended.

    Yasuke returned to his master''s side happily, seemingly demanding praise.

    "Ah... So that''s how you kill creatures in the spirit realm."

 Chapter 164: Scoping Out The Scenery

    The underground cavern that the family had found themselves under was incredibly long- going on for literal miles.

    Taira had all five women resting atop his back, each of them on the lookout for a new avenue to explore or a sudden enemy to attack.

    All except for Lucia, who couldn''t seem to focus beyond her own depressed mood. "I can''t believe... we forgot her."

    No one needed to ask about whom she was referring, and their moods took a noticeable downturn.

    Especially Taira''s.

    To him, it didn''t matter if he was in some sort of dream world or not.

    Inadu was his wife, and they were newlyweds at that.

    He considered forgetting her, for even a moment, to be monumentally uneptable.

    Enyo suddenly patted him on the back as if she could tell what he was thinking.

    "Nothing good wille of being hard on yourself about it.

    You know that she more than anyone else won''t bear any resentment towards us over this.

    If you feel bad, then let''s just smother her a bit when we finally make it home. We''ll give her so many snuggles that she''ll actually be sick."

    "��"Taira said nothing, but the idea seemed ideal to him.

    After this, he would indeed never let Inadu go no matter how much she begged.

    -

    Inadu was in the kitchen, trying to learn how to cook the way she had seen some of the others do a few times before.

    She wasn''t sure if it was quite going to turn out right, but she would eat it regardless because she remembered how much her husband was worried about the fact that she was underweight.

    With the remembrance of him bubbling up, a somewhat dopey smile formed on her face as she overcooked her rice.

    ''A husband.... hehehehehe...!

    As she absentmindedly stirred the pot on the stove and giggled to herself, a chill suddenly ran down her spine and she began looking around the kitchen.

    "Why do I feel... like I''m in danger?"

    -

    Eventually, the group found a tiny spec of light in the far distance, and Taira ran towards it with frantic excitement.

    Emerging from the waterlogged cave, he and his wives were immediately blindsided by the majesty of thends where they had ended up.

    Underneath their feet was glowing purple grass like something out of a science fiction movie.

    Wilderness went on for miles in the form of arge forest about a mile away from their location.

    Several little inds were floating in ce within the swirling ck and blue sky; each of them teaming with exotic greenery and wildlife.

    In the far distance, Taira could see a literal waterfall floating upwards with seemingly no destination in its path.

    ording to the fallen beast god, that was where the group needed to go.

    "Wow��"

    "This ce is��"

    "C-Can we move here?!"

    While the girls were taking in the sights, Vermeil ran her hands along Taira''s fur to get his attention.

    "Did you notice��?"

    "Yes��" he answered immediately.

    The spiritual energy here was incredibly dense.

    It''s no secret that the Amarok family had an egregiously quick cultivation speed.

    However, around two years ago Taira and Vermeil finally hit a wall and were having serious difficulties progressing their cultivation further.

    Not just because they werecking primeval souls, but because the amount of qi they required to push past existing thresholds was simply far too much.

    But now that they were here, they felt as if they could jump five major realms again.

    That is, if they were given a few decades to do so.

    But since the gate to the real world would be opening again in approximately 21 days, their dreams of cultivating here for any meaningful amount of time would be impossible.

    It was nice to be somewhere that made them feel like they could breathe in deeply though.

    "This ce is amazing!"

    Lucia leapt off of Taira''s back and started pulling off her kimono. "Get ready to climb aboard everyone, I feel like I''ll really be able to stretch out here and-"

    "No." Taira nudged Lucia hard on the butt with his snout.

    "What? Why?!"

    "I can''t allow you to expose yourself so casually like that. We don''t know anything about this ce so we need as much cover as possible in case there are any dangers."

    "B-But I wanna fly!"

    "Maybe at ater time, dear. But we''re sticking to the ground for now."

    Lucia poked out her bottom lip so much that it was almost touching Taira.

    "��Don''t look at me like that, I''ve already said no." He reaffirmed.

    Lucia''s eyes began to water.

    "T-There is no reason to cry over this! My only concern is for our safety!" He added.

    "I get it��" With her head as low as a stray dog, Lucia re-tied her kimono and crawled atop Taira''s back once again.

    When she was in ce, shey face down in his fur with an aura of depression oozing off her sensual figure.

    Taira couldn''t believe it.

    Even after 50 years of marriage, she was still pulling this same old stunt when he told her no!

    But Taira wouldn''t fall for it this time, he was not a man who was incapable of operating just because his emotions were being tugged on.

    He was absolutely immune to any and all outside maniptions!

    Besides, if Lucia was mad at him now then he would just use his body to make it up to herter.

    ''Though that makes me sound like some kind of whore��'' he thought.

    Nevertheless, his mind was made up.

    He took one single step forward with his paw- determined to overlook his wife''sints for the first time in fifty years of marriage.

    However, he forgot about the main reason why these attempts of his never worked out in the first ce.

    He had not only foolishly married more than one woman, but turned them into impossibly close friends at that.

    Enyo : ''Honey��''

    Keran: ''She just wants to fly a bit.''

    Aveena: ''Our destination is only a few kilometers away, so what''s the harm in it?''

    Vermeil: ''Besides, if anything goes wrong we always have our big strong husband to protect us, don''t we?''

    "��"

    Taira was under assault.

    But even still, he had to remain firm in the face of this challenge to ensure their safety!

    It just wasn''t smart to fly when Lucia was such a big dragon!

    Surely they should have been able to see that!

    Right?!

    "��Fuck.."

    -

    "YAHOOOOO!!!"

    Lucia used her snakelike body to perform several loop-de-loops in the air and gave the inhabitants on her back a feeling like they were riding on a roller coaster.

    Even Taira had a small smile on his face as he let the wind blow through his hair and listened to the excited screeching of the girls.

    Vermeil: "Aww, he''s smiling!"

    Enyo: "I told you he would like it!"

    Taira wiped away his smile and turned his head to the side.

    "Darling, don''t be like that!"

    Aveena and Keran crawled into hisp and inadvertently stuck theirrge chests into his face.

    "Lucia''s having fun, so why can''t you admit that you are too? Don''t be a spoilsport, honey."

    "Exactly, just enjoy the ride."

    "��"

    Say what you will about Taira, but he was still a man.

    It was hard for a man to pretend to be upset with breasts in his face.

    His small smile slowly returned and the girls beamed with pride.

    "See? That wasn''t so hard, was it?"

    Keran ran her fingers along his sharp jawline and kissed him happily.

    Aveena barely waited for her to move before she did the same.

    Taira lifted his hand and the girls shivered in anticipation of what they believed woulde next.

    However, they missed the moment where the sky rumbled overhead and arge bolt of purple lightning was pulled from the clouds.

    Narrowly missing Lucia''s actual body, it sessfully knocked down a strange projectile that everyone seemed to miss. Stay connected via m-v l|e''-NovelBin

    When Aveena finally removed her tongue from her husband''s mouth, she found his lips curled in such arge smile that his eyes looked closed.

    "While this was nice, next time I try to dissuade you girls from doing something for our safety, I believe it would behoove you all to listen."

    "Oh? But why do we need to do that when we have a husband who will always protect us regardless?"

    "Mhm, mhm." Keran nodded.

    Taira opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried to spit out some kind of defense against that but he never could find one.

    And the girls'' smile only widened in satisfaction as they realized they had won this battle.

    These were the struggles of marriage that no one talks about, and no amount of self help books could help Taira escape the predicament that he had ced himself in six times over.

    But they were good predicaments that he wouldn''t trade anything for.

    Keran: "Why do you look like you''re thinking something mildly insulting?"

    "I have no idea what you are talking about."

 Chapter 165: A Distant Relative...

    It took Taira all of three seconds to pinpoint exactly where the projectile originated from.

    He felt this was a bit slow if he was being honest, but just told himself that he was adjusting to new surroundings and would do better next time.

    Snapping his fingers, he gathered the winds around him and created arge funnel in the shape of a tornado.

    A small ball of me sparked to life above one of his tails, and he gingerly passed it towards the wind.

    Somehow, the small bundle of me wasn''t blown out, and instead used the winds as fuel to growrger andrger with significantly less energy expenditure on Taira''s part.

    With a single wave of his hand, the tornado touched down on the ground right where Taira had pinpointed the attack.

    As soon as it fell on top of the camp, several screams filled the forest. Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    Smirking, Taira gave Keran and Aveena individual kisses on the cheek before he casually fell backwards off Lucia''s back and disappeared from their eyes.

    The girls watched the spot where he''d disappeared for a bit, and their thoughts and intentions were written clearly across their faces.

    Aveena: "...I swear, I''m going to give that man a baby."

    Keran: "Here, here."

    -

    Taira plummeted through the air andnded perfectly on his feet without ruffling his robe; despite the fact that he had dropped from several hundred thousand feet in the sky.

    He hadnded directly in the center of what looked to be a small vige, that, thanks to him, was already on fire.

    The inhabitants of the vige were running around panicked, trying to put out the bright blue fires by any means necessary, but it proved to be difficult due to their magical nature.

    Observing the tribesmen, Taira realized that they mostly all looked alike.

    And he sensed an odd familiarity with them that he couldn''t ce at first.

    He heard some yelling in anguage that he didn''t quite understand, and one of the vigers suddenly pointed at him to gather the attention of the others.

    The tribesman were all dark skinned humanoids creatures with lean, chiseled bodies covered in ritualistic tribal paint.

    They predominantly had dark hair, but there were a few sprinkled in with a recessive silver hair trait- mostly styled in dreadlocks or cornrows.

    All of their eyes were a shining red, like brightly colored lightbulbs.

    Taira watched them snarl at him, and he raised a brow at the sight of their two rows ofrge, pointed teeth.

    Finally, he realized exactly why he felt familiar with them.

    ''Well... Imagine that.''

    *Chomp!*

    Taira looked down at his leg that suddenly felt slightly ticklish.

    Looking down, he found a small child biting into the back of his thigh.

    Naturally, he sensed the childing about a mile away, but elected not to do anything out of a sense of boredom.

    "What an aggressive thing..." Taira grabbed the small girl by the nape of her neck and lifted her up so that he could get a better look at his assant.

    She was a little bit underweight for her age, appearing to be about 4-5 years old.

    In what seemed like a rare mix of gic traits, she had both ck and silver hair in her dreadlocks.

    Small bones of what appeared to be a rat were braided into her hair, and her stomach was painted over with the image of a skull.

    Three white lines were drawn over her face and intersected on her small chin, which was currentlypping up the ck blood strewn across her face with great interest.

    It was then that Taira noticed the most absurd thing yet.

    Despite nearly being a baby, this girl was already in the seventh level of the beast realm.

    "%&##! *$%#!"

    The yelling of the tribesman picked up again once they saw Taira had picked up a child, and they all rushed him at once.

    Briefly, the gem within his chest glowed red and Yasuke came flying out of his soul in the form of arge golden scythe.

    But instead of immediately rushing to lop off heads, the scythe buried itself in the ground forcefully.

    The shockwave emitted by it''snding broke up the ground for a mile in every direction, and caused all of the tribesman to either leap away or simply fly upward.

    Considering that even this child was nearly in the overlord realm, Taira wasn''t all that surprised to find that most everyone here was in the sovereign or venerable realm.

    Beforethey could try to attack him again, Taira held up one of his hands and brought it towards his face.

    Right under the eyes of the tribesmen, Taira retracted his tails and ears before pulling back his lips to reveal his pristine white teeth.

    Like magic, all of the tribesman paused in their tracks and leaned in like they were getting a closer look.

    Taira felt the wind flutter behind him and his wives suddenly dropped down one after the other, all ready to fight and anxious.

    "Friends of yours, honey?" Vermeil asked.

    "Something like that."

    "Eh?! I was just trying to say something cool, do you actually know these guys!? How is that possible when you don''t go any damn where!?"

    "...I feel like you are trying to call me a shut-in."

    "We have lived in a literal cave for fifty years and you''ve not onceined about missing the outside world or civilization."

    "..." Taira had no defense, as he quite enjoyed his quiet life of sex, painting, cultivating, and tea drinking.

    Did a man need any more than that??

    Keran''s eyes narrowed as she leaned in to get a closer look at the tribesmen, and the little girl her husband was holding in his hand.

    "No way... Are these Asanbosam!?"

    "Mhm. Seems like it." He nodded.

    "I can''t believe this! Everyone said they all left at the same time you guys did!"

    Vermeil gave her husband a confused look as she lightly tugged on the sleeve of his kimono.

    "Umm... Babe? What''s an asanbosam for those of us who weren'' born in Tayar 900 years ago? And should I put my weapons away..?"

    Lucia and Aveena nodded furiously like they were also in desperate need of answers.

    Taira rubbed his chin as he tried to think of a way tobel the rtionship.

    "They''re something like... cousins."

    "Close or distant?"

    "Very close. They''re nearly vampires."

    Finally, one of the men floating above their heads started drifting towards the ground and approached Taira warily.

    "%$&*@?"

    "I do not understand you." Taira said.

    The tribesman seemed to realize that he couldn''t understand his visitor either, and thought of a way to truly test if this being was what he believed him to be.

    Raising his wrist to his lips, the tribesman ripped apart his flesh with his razor-sharp teeth.

    Blood flowed like a river from the wound, but upon pooling on the ground, it started moving towards Taira in a straight line.

    Taira simply asked his body to open up his wrist and allowed his own ck blood to flow freely from the opening; watching as it mimicked the blood of the tribesman.

    When the blood of the two touched, they formed arge bloody ring in between the two men.

    Once the blood was no longer moving, the tribesman looked at Taira with a reassured look.

    "It seems the fates be kind today. For they have reunited us with one of the lost ones in the hour where we least expected it."

 Chapter 166: The F*ck Are You Doing Here?

    "Fox man!"

    "Fluffy, fluffy!"

    "So soft..."

    Though he did not understand how he had ended up in this predicament, Taira said nothing as a cacophony of small children treated his body like a jungle gym and crawled all over him.

    At least seven of them were pulling on his tails or rubbing their faces in them, some were trying to peer inside of his ears and get a better look at it''s contents.

    Oddly enough, the first child who had bit him was still sitting beside him- chewing on his wrist like it was about to go out of style.

    ''I don''t have to allow this, I don''t have to allow this, I don''t have to allow-''

    One of the children ran up to Taira and lifted up his arm before sitting next to him. The child pulled up the back p of his kimono and draped it over himself so that all that could be seen were his red eyes glowing within a dark pocket.

    ''...I will allow this.'' Taira relented.

    Laughing at the sight, the tribesman from before came and sat by the fire with Taira and his silently amused wives.

    "Pardon the new bloods, night-kin. You are the first visitor that we have had to the tribe in centuries. Their excitement is borne of curiosity."

    Taira tried to look as serious as one possibly could when a bunch of five-year-olds were using your body as a jungle gym.

    "Am I truly so interesting...? I do not understand children."

    The assumed tribe leader, a cultivator named Vaal, shook his head fondly as he smiled.

    "You truly are one of the grim brethren. No love lost for the act of fellowship I see? I might never understand such a thing."

    "Mmmh..."

    Asanbosam and Vampires are like two sides of the same blood drinking coin.

    While there are multiple offshoots of the original vampire bloodline, Asanbosam can be said to be their closest rtives in terms of purity.

    However, their two cultures are drastically different, like night and day.

    Vampires are quiet, reserved, snobbish, and somewhat treacherous.

    Asanbosam are incredibly savage, extremely passionate, and have a strong sense ofmunity.

    Despite their drastic social differences and personalities, the two families have never held bad rtionships- as they always end up needing each other at one point or another.

    To put it in modern terms, Vampires are the quiet and reclusive cousin, and Asanbosam are the loud, brash, older cousins who you pretend to hate, but are secretly are quite fond of.

    Vaal suddenly dragged his gaze over each of the girls and he paused when he got to Lucia.

    "We bid you apology, kin-bride. It has been millennia since we have seen a dragon in ournds and our zeal caused hasty action. Me hopes that you will not take it personally."

    Once they saw their elder apologize, the children crawling all over Taira began apologizing too.

    "Soory!"

    "Sorry, dragondy!"

    "I told Uncle Vaal I wanted to eat your legs..."

    Lucia, who was usually cold and somewhat aloof in the presence of those outside of her family, melted like butter at the sight of all of these children trying to hug her.

    "I-It''s okay guys, really! I didn''t get hurt so it''s all good."

    At this, the children switched their point of focus from Taira to Lucia, silently making him exhale in relief.

    Finally, Vaal noticed that Vermeil was hiding somewhat towards the back of the group and he believed his eyes may have been deceiving him.

    "Eh? You keep a human with you?"

    "Mhm."

    "Her eyes�� she is not your thrall?"

    "She is my wife."

    "Eh!? A human is your life mate!?"

    "In three months we will have been married for fifty one years."

    Vaal stared at Taira like he had just grown a second head.

    Vampires were known to keep humans around, but that was only to eat them, fuck them to death, or use them as servants.

    The very notion that a vampire would marry one was not just unthinkable, it was downright strange.

    Taira could have said that he fucked dogs and he would have gotten less judgement.

    "Unbelievable... What do you even talk about?" Vaal asked in wonder.

    "Lots of things. She is a very charming conversationalist."

    Vermeil blushed slightly, as she had a tendency to be a bit of an airhead and ramble on for quite a long time.

    It was nice to know that one of the traits she least liked about herself was still loved by her husband.

    Vaal stared at Taira a few times before eventually shrugging away his judgement.

    "To each his own, brother. Your life is yours to live."

    ''Why are you acting as if I''ve juste out of the closet...?'' Taira wanted to ask.

    At that moment, Enyo finally worked up the nerve to ask a question she''d been wondering this entire time.

    "Um, excuse me, Vaal, but have you and your n been here all this time?"

    "Mmh, for as long as I can remember." he nodded. "Life in the Bright Lands is harsh but this is all that we know."

    "Then... You have never been to Tayar?"

    "Are those thends that you people havee from? No, we have never ventured there... But sometimes we find certain blessings from what we assume to be yournds."

    "Blessings?" Taira tilted his head.

    Vaal smiled as he suddenly stood up. "You''ve all arrived in good timing. There is to be a feast tonight to celebrate! Would you care to see our offerings?"

    Most of the girls looked like they were a bit iffy about the prospect, but Taira seemed rtively unbothered.

    Because he already had a pretty good idea of what he might be about to find.

    Excited, Vaal got up and beckoned for Taira to follow him, and after a moment the fox stood up along with him.

    One by one, the wives began to follow in his steps along with a brigade of small children.

    "Ah, I''m curious but, is one of your parentage a beast-blood by chance?" Vaal had been meaning to ask this ever since he saw Taira''s nine tails and fluffy ears.

    "My parents are both very pure, and very dead." Taira peeled a young girl off of his leg and let her climb onto his back instead.

    "Ah, mine as well. It is a sad thing, is it not?"

    "No."

    "Ha! The sense of humor of you grim ones never ceases to elicit greatughter!"

    Taira had no idea what to say, as he was pretty sure this was the first time that someone he didn''t sleep with at night had called him funny.

    Vaal led the group to arge wooden shack at the edge of the camp.

    Upon approaching it, Taira noticed quite a few of the children be giggly and begin drooling as if they were starving.

    When Vaal opened up the doors to the shack, a mild rancid smell spilled out, along with a chorus of muffled screams.

    Buried inside of a dirt pit, there were around twenty humans bound with rope and with dirty gags tied in their mouths.

    "Well, what do you think?" Vaal asked proudly. "The day has blessed us indeed, no?"

    Taira and all of his wives had their mouths fall open.

    The humans inside of the pit weren''t really all that special, they weren''t even cultivators.

    But the clothes that they were wearing were another story.

    One girl had on an ''Armani'' tracksuit, and another man wore a nnel shirt and a t-shirt that read; ''Big Girls Need Love Too''.

    All of the humans looked like they were in around their early twenties and were absolutely terrified out of their minds.

    Taira had a plethora of questions, but before he could ask any of them Vermeil walked forward with more shock in her eyes than he had ever seen.

    "My love..?" He asked.

    "I... I know these people."

    "You do? How?"

    Vermeil grimaced and made a face like she was recalling unpleasant memories.

    "W-Well... This is my homeroom ss from when I was in high school."

 Chapter 167: The Human Spirit

    Vermeil''s pupils trembled as she dragged her eyes over each of the people present.

    Of course, some of them were a couple pounds heavier after graduating high school, and a few even had their hair grown out, but it was certainly them.

    "I don''t�� understand��" she muttered unconsciously.

    When the captives finally heard someone speaking in English, they looked up with renewed hope in their eyes and strained against their bondages.

    "Do you mind if I ask them some questions, Vaal��?" Vermeil suddenly asked.

    The asanbosam was slightly weirded out.

    Food��?

    Taking to each other..?

    It didn''t really make sense.

    How would you feel if you were having breakfast one morning and your eggs and bacon just started having an in depth conversation about the weather?

    Exactly, you would worry that you had identally eaten an edible at some point.

    Vaal looked at Taira to see if he would say something about it but found him trying to stop one little girl from chewing on his kimono.

    He wasn''t going to be helpful in this situation��

    It should be worth noting that asanbosam are a very aggressive race, andpletely disregard the wishes and feelings of any who would cross their path.

    However, their aggression isn''t usually something directed towards their tribesman or rtives, and by extension the people they mark as their own.

    But none of their lineage had ever wed a damned human before.

    Vaal had absolutely no idea how to treat her.

    "W.. I... Y-You can''t... You just.. they are....you..." Vaal, who had lived 1,341 years of his life without ever having to hold his tongue, was struggling for the first time in his life not to say something offensive.

    Vermeil smiled softly and lowered her head in a bow. "I promise, there will be no tricks and I will not attempt to keep anything from you. I only wish to know how they got to this world."

    She suddenly grabbed Aveena by the hand and pulled her by her side so that she could stand in front of him.

    "My sister here will trante everything that I say so that you won''t be out of the loop for even a second."

    Aveena nodded furiously like a happy seal, just pleased to be included.

    "...No tricks then, human." He finally agreed.

    "Thank you!"

    As Vaal watched Vermeil turn away, he noticed an odd feeling arise in his chest as he watched her leap into the hole with the rest of the humans.

    It was at this particr moment that he realized... no one had ever bowed to him before.

    Much less a human.

    "Perhaps I do understand why you would keep that one around... her behaviors are so odd that they pass for a form of entertainment." he muttered.

    Aveena: "She also tells good bedtime stories."

    Enyo: "She is a wonderful friend and even better family."

    Lucia: "She makes incredible quality pills too."

    Taira: "She is a bit goofy... but the poetry she writes is quite beautiful... She is also good in bed."

    Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as if they were going through fond memories.

    "...You are all a close-knit bunch, aren''t you?"

    All: "Yes, we''re meant to be together."

    "...Do you often speak in unison like this?"

    All: "Sometimes."

    "Is it on purpose?"

    All: "Right now it is."

    Vaal shook his head as he turned his head back towards the pit. "I change my words... You are all odd little bats."

    As Vermeil stepped down into the pit with the rest of the humans, more than a few of them became excitable and began straining against their ropes.

    Vermeil squatted down so that she could be at eye level with the girl at the forefront of the group.

    She casually pulled away the gag from the girl''s mouth, and an outpour of screams and waterworks began.

    "H-Help us!!Y-You were speaking English, right!? Y-You can understand what we are-"

    "Funny seeing you like this, Loette. You always said I was the one who looked like I had a fetish for rope-y."

    The brte who was desperately pleading with Vermeil for help only a few short moments ago began looking at her in confused horror. "W-What''re you-"

    "Ah, don''t remember me, huh..? A little surprising."

    Truth be told, it wasn''t surprising at all.

    Vermeil had been away from her old life for so long, she wasn''t really aware of how far she hade.

    She''d gained weight in all of the right ces, her hair was now a powdery white in color, there was no more e on her face, and she was no longer wearing sses.

    Oh, and she looked like a woman in her early-mid thirties instead of a young twenty-year-old like the rest of the ss.

    Things like that sort of tend to make a person unrecognizable.

    Vermeil pointed to her face while making an annoyed and obvious look.

    "It''s me. Vermeil Dor��."

    "...?"

    "Jesus, you stole one of my notebooks and posted pictures of my fanfiction all over your snapchat and you and your friends called me a fucking-"

    "V-Vermeil! O-Oh my god, of course I remember you! I-I''m sorry you''ve just be so beautiful that I-"

    "Shut the fuck up..." Vermeil was rubbing her head in exhaustion, already feeling like perhaps this wasn''t the smartest idea.

    "What''d they call her...?" Vaal asked quietly on the sideline.

    Aveena whispered the words in his ear, finding them too crude to say aloud.

    When she said the words, even Vaal seemed to take offense.

    "Truly�� the barbarity of humans knows no rest, not even for their own."

    "Indeed�� make sure you eat that one first." Taira demanded.

    "It will be done, brother."

    While bound, Loette couldn''t take her eyes off of the woman iming to be Vermeil and her newly transformed body.

    Previously, Vermeil was a skinny young girl who wore old faded clothes that were always one size too big for her and who''s body waspletely devoid of any and all curvature.

    But now, she was at least ten years older than them, had the ideal milf body that one only could witness in dirty manga, and was without a doubt the most gorgeous person Loette had ever seen.

    Back in high school, Loette, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed cheerleader, was the one who had the whole school''s attention, but if the roles were to be reversed now, she wouldn''t even be an afterthought.

    Even now, all of the captives behind her were staring at the former dorky girl with equal parts attraction and wonder.

    "What... happened to you?" Was all that Loette could ask.

    "I aged I guess?" Vermeil shrugged. "Fifty years''ll do that to a girl, but my husband says that I''m still in my prime, so I guess I''ll learn to live with it."

    Loette count figure out which part of what she heard was the most surprising. "F-Fifty years!? Husband!? W-Wait, no!"

    The young blonde shook her head hard as she tried to remember to focus on the most important part of this conversation.

    "D-Did you bring us here!? Can you send us home!?"

    "No and no." Vermeil answered in a bored tone.

    "W-What!? Why not!?"

    "I don''t know how to get back to earth, I never wanted to go back to begin with. Do you have any idea how nice it is to not have to file taxes or pay for car insurance? Flying is the tits too..."

    "F-Flying!? Y-You can fly!?"

    "We''re getting off track..." Vermeil rubbed her temples. "Can you just tell me how you got here? I think it might be important and rted to one of the ones who brought me over."

    Loette immediately looked horrified as she had a sneaking realization. "H-Hey, you''re gonna save us, right...?"

    Vermeil naturally fell silent. Experience more content on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    "I-I know that we pulled some messed up stuff in high-school, but you can''t leave us with these guys! I-I''m pretty sure they are going to eat us!" Loette hissed.

    "Course they are. They honestly seem pretty excited about it too."

    For the first time, everyone looked at Vermeil like she was a horrific monster instead of a beautiful goddess.

    "H-How can you just let us die so casually!? I-I know what I did was wrong, but I was just a kid, please don''t do this!"

    Fifty years in this world hadn''t just radicalized Vermeil, it had hardened her.

    She could let these ssmates of hers be eaten by the tribesmen without a second thought and still sleep peacefully hugging Taira tonight.

    While it was cruel to them, hard worlds have ways of making even harder people.

    They couldn''t have possibly understood the horrors Vermeil was trying to stop them frommitting out of fear.

    "You are wasting your breath. I''ve already got my hands full trying to fix this world because people like you got their fingers into it, so I think it''s best if I save myself the headache and burden of having to kill you allter."

    Tears had resumed falling from the face of not only Loette, but everyone else tied up in the shed.

    "N-No, please you can''t-"

    Vermeil finally used her qi to hold Lotto''s mouth closed and stop her from ruining her eardrums.

    Turning around, she held her hand out for Taira and even pouted a bit.

    "Honey, this isn''t working. Wanna give yourdy a little helping hand here?"

    Everyone within the pit followed Vermeil''s gaze toward a tall man looming over the pit with the rest of their captors.

    Their breath became caught in their throat as they met his glowing red eyes and witnessed the majesty of his nine flowing tails.

    They were so enthralled by his appearance that was so different from anything they had seen before that theypletely overlooked the small girl that was still holding onto his back like a ko.

    Taira took one step forward into the pit, but instead of immediately descending, his body remained suspended almost as if he was standing on an invisible staircase.

    As he lowered himself down to their level, Loette became equal parts petrified and enticed by him; creating a very confusing mix of feelings within.

    When Taira reached the girl, his eyes temporarily glowed a shade brighter and the human girl felt herself beginning to lose consciousness.

    As her eyes rolled back into her head and her body went ck, she heard a more perfect voice than any she had ever heard before y within her mind.

    ''Tell me, how did you get here?''

    Though she had just sworn to herself that she wouldn''t tell, Loette''s mouth fell open and she began divulging thest twenty-four hours in full.

    "I was sleeping over at my boyfriend''s house and after we went to bed I had this strange dream...

    There was this guy, but his body looked like stars and stuff and I couldn''t see his face... he said; Show me a triumph of the human spirit..."

 Chapter 168 : Family Spat

    In the fifty years since she''d been whisked away to Tayar, Vermeil had heard nothing from the one responsible for summoning her; The Great God of Stars, Astel.

    She had spent numerous days and nights wondering just what was so special about her, and what her possible purpose could be.

    And now, she believed she might''ve gotten some kind of answer.

    ''Show me a triumph of the human spirit.''

    Vermeil didn''t know if she was the best person to ask to fulfill such a task.

    To her, the human spirit meant predation, exploitation, bigotry, and prejudice.

    She had felt like that long before she came to Tayar and learned of the atrocities ravaging this world, but fighting the heroes had only emboldened those feelings.

    She was the absolutest person who someone should expect to see engaging in acts of good will with humans.

    Life had already ensured that she had none left to spare.

    But a moment''s reflection made her stop and look deeply into herself.

    If she walked away from these people and let them all die, would she not be acting prejudiced herself?

    She had immediately judged them and presumed that because she knew these people from the past that they were the same kind of monsters that she was fighting against in this world; when in reality there was a massive difference.

    Because of her preconceived notions, she had nearly condemned twenty people to death.

    "Babe... Have I told you how much I hate introspective thought?" Vermeil slumped her shoulders and rested her head on Taira in defeat.

    "Not recently... I suppose it means you have changed your mind about something?"

    "Unfortunately..."

    "It will be alright. Whatever you decide to do, we will do together."

    "Thanks, hon." Vermeil kissed Taira on the cheek and the two of them turned their heads backwards to stare at Vaal.

    "...No."

    ""We didn''t even say anything yet.""

    "It matters not, because I already know the contents of what you wish to say, and I will not hear it." Vaal folded his arms stubbornly and turned his head away from the pair.

    Vermeil: "Mr. Vaal-"

    "Don''t want to hear it."

    Taira: "You''re remarkably stubborn for an asanbosam ... No, never mind, you are all like this."

    "Was that supposed to help plead your case?"

    Taira shrugged his shoulders and didn''t add anything else.

    "Come on, Mr. Vaal, just let us take some off your hands." Enyo suddenly chimed in. "After all, you were going to offer some to us anyway, right?"

    "He was!?" Vermeil cried incredulously.

    Keran / Enyo / Taira: "He was."

    "Well, not him specifically, but the Youn Wouj." Enyo rified.

    "Eh? What''s that?"

    "It means ''Red One''. It''s the title of their leader." Taira exined.

    "I thought Vaal was the leader?!" Vermeil spun in confusion.

    """No.""" the three answered in unison.

    "Tsk." Vaal rolled his eyes in mild annoyance. "And what makes you think that I can''t be the greatest among us?"

    The group pointed towards his long ck dreadlocks that hung freely around his waist.

    "...You are more familiar with our customs than I thought." He grumbled.

    Traditionally, the Youn Wouj shaves all of their hair after ascending to the status of tribe leader.

    For Asanbosam, their long hair is a symbol of the amount of enemies they have felled in battle.

    Youn Wouj cut their hair as a symbol of reaching a higher realm ofbatant.

    They no longer have any enemies in the past, or present; there is only food.

    And their savagery is nothing short of appalling.

    "Okay... but why would this person give us these guys?" Vermeil asked in confusion.

    "It''s like an offering of friendship. When two families dine together for the first time, the hosting party offers their guests something simr to�� a cheese te." Enyo exined.

    "You all seem to know us very well indeed." A new voice said quietly.

    Everyone the shed jolted in rm from hearing a new person in their surroundings.

    Taira in particr was the most panicked out of everyone here.

    ''So close... but I didn''t sense a thing!?''

    In the rafters above the human pit, a single figure lie on one of the wood beams.

    From down here, all that the group could see was a pair of crossed legs with wed feet.

    "Ah, there you are, Big Sister. Where were you when a tornado of me struck our home?" Vaal asked usingly.

    "You had it handled, ubhuti." (Brother)

    From up on the rafters, the group could see a hand waiving away dismissively.

    It was wed like her feet, but covered in fresh blood.

    "One of the night-kin has returned. Though he ims to be thest of his kind." Vaal continued.

    "So I''ve heard. He also has be life mates with a human, and carries around beast blood in his veins. Now I believe I have heard just about everything..."

    Finally, the hidden woman slipped down from the rafters andnded among the panicked humans; who screamed within their gags at the sight of the decapitated creature in her hand.

    "Snacking before dinner again? Has staring at the food in the pantry made you hungry?" Vaal cackled.

    "Can you me me? These ones have just the right amount of fat on them... And once the fear has properly marinated within their bodies, I am certain that the vor will be transcendent."

    The woman who dropped down from the rafters was inexplicably animalistic.

    But this wasn''t because of her appearance.

    In fact, her appearance posed quite the contrast to what the others were sensing.

    She had dark Nubian skin that was simr to Inadu''s due to it''s wless glossiness.

    Her body, while slender, was in great shape, though her muscles were not overly defined and her thighs and breasts still boasted an unexpected plump-ness.

    She wore a furry ck skirt that looked like it was apart of the pelt of some noteworthy creature, but nothing but waist beads and a bone ne along her torso.

    Her chest was exposed not because she was attempting to seduce or out of an attempt to solicit gazes, but because she, like many women in the tribe, do not see the need to hide themselves.

    Beginning at her belly button on the left side of her body, a pattern of scarification designed simrly to tattoos ran all the way up to her corbone.

    Her face was so beautiful that it was about as far from savage or animalistic as one could get.

    Sharp features, full and luscious ck lips, and long eyshes that fluttered like the wings of a butterfly every time that she blinked.

    In her ears hung two earrings that looked likerge ceremonial disks bearing some sort of unknown significance.

    Her eyes were as bright as the morning sun, and as red as an ocean of blood.

    True to tradition, her head was shaved entirely, but the loss of hair seemed not to hamper her attractiveness in any way.

    And yet, it was the way that she moved that betrayed the identity of the monster hiding underneath the surface.

    Her every step was confident, her every movement contained purpose and strength, and just watching her up close felt equally cathartic and dangerous.

    She looked at Taira with unveiled disinterest before inevitably turning her eyes to Vermeil.

    "You want to take these morsels with you, food? You dream of acting as their shepard?"

    "I-I, of course not-" Vermeil stuttered.

    The Youn Wouj dismissed her immediately with a wave of her hand and a click of her teeth; finding the mere sound of her words too exasperating to even listen to.

    Instead, she looked up at Taira and stared directly into his eyes as she licked the blood running down her wrist.

    "You see, I worry about this little... dynamic of yours. Who in fact holds the reins? Does a proud night-kin stand before me, or a sniveling little bat being drug around by the whims of his food?

    Do you have the slightest sense of pride in your identity?

    If you do, I fail to understand how you can so casually heed the whims of mere food. It is appalling and unsettling to say the very least."

    "..." Taira said nothing, but his entire body was subtly on guard in the event that this mysterious woman decided to act.

    He didn''t know how strong she was exactly, but he knew she was stronger than him.

    That fact alone was enough to put him on edge.

    However, he did eventually gather his wits enough to cough out a response.

    "There are no reigns, no one ofus above the other. All of the women you see are my wives, my family. Their wants are my wants, just as mine are theirs.

    If my wife wants to obtain these humans, then I want them. Nothing else should be of any consequence to you."

    The Youn Wouj smiled imperceptibly as if she found something that she heard funny.

    "What a good life mate you are... But I''m afraid today you will only be disappointed... Do you know the full extent of our customs surrounding a feast?"

    Like a cat, she carried herself through the bodies and encircled Taira and Vermeil.

    "The portion of food we give our guest is directly proportional to their strength, not their wishes or appetite."

    Taira admittedly didnt know that, but it made sense.

    The more food that the asanbosam give a rtive, the more impressed they are with their power and status.

    "So... It is a fight you want then?" Taira began shrugging off his kimono and left only his hakama pants.

    Inadvertently, this gesture caused a few of the human girls to faint and blush.

    ''Vermeil should totally let these bitches die...'' Aveena thought to herself.

    The Youn Wouj clicked her teeth in disapproval. "How crude. This is an assessment...Though you are not the focus."

    "What...?"

    Underneath the moonlight, the Youn Wouj''s sharp teeth glittered like fallen stars as she smiled widely.

    "I can smell... all of you all over each other. You are all linked; flowing in perfect harmony like an ecosystem, and keeping each other in bnce like a chain... but chains are only as strong as their weakest lengths."

    Taira finally understood where this mysterious woman was going with this, and he was immediately horrified.

    "Don''t you dar-"

    Turning around, he found her standing in front of his wives curiously.

    "I. Choose. You."

 Chapter 169 : The Red One

    Within the bustling vige of the asanbosam, energy was high and excitement was prevalent as the entire vige traveled towards a very special destination.

    Just south of the vige, a rockykeside area situated underneath arge waterfall, torches were lit by the dozens to illuminate the surroundings that night had already covered.

    The number of vigers wasrge enough that they were all able to circle the bank and have a great view of the fighting grounds.

    The Youn Wouj appeared standing in the middle of the shallowke- taking a moment to enjoy the feel of the cold water sshing in between her toes.

    Her eyes wandered over to the western corner, where the humans that had already been captured were dangling off of a rocky wall that looked like it was going to give at any second.

    The Red One became noticeably more excited once she imagined a few falling to their death early and bing cause for an impromptu meal.

    Finally, she could no longer bear the suffocating weight of her own patience and beckoned her dance partner for the night toe closer.

    "My blood-kin cry for entertainment, little link. As a gracious guest it is rude of you to keep them waiting for the spectacle to begin."

    Eyes from almost every tribesman were directed towards Taira and his group.

    The faces of all except one of them were somewhat pleasant.

    "...You do not have to do this." Taira said for what felt like the thousandth time.

    "I don''t care about these guys or Astel''s stupid test, they can all die for all I care! I won''t see you get hurt for them!" Vermeil said for what felt like a thousand and one times.

    "I''ve heard you both already. Will you take this for me?"

    Vermeil took Keran''s kimono worriedly as she watched her undress bitterly.

    After a few years of sedentary life she might not have been as muscr as she once was, but her body was still nicely toned and beautiful.

    Lying beneath her usual robe was a sleek leather bodysuit with no sleeves for added mobility.

    Her stomach was cut out to give her more breathing room, and to allow her intricately developed abs to be on full disy.

    "Will you do me a favor, my loves?" she asked as she fastened her belt.

    The family nodded immediately as if she didnt even have to ask.

    "Please... Don''t interfere under any circumstances. I''d like it very much if you would let me do this on my own."

    "But she is-"

    "I know that my victory is unlikely, but I also know that she will not kill me. This is a good opportunity or me to see exactly how much farther I have to grow. As well as where I currently stand."

    Taira looked like he was about to have an aneurism.

    As did Enyo.

    Because they knew, even if the others did not, that there is nothing pretty or graceful about fighting with asanbosam.

    But they lost their chance to refuse her request when Keran finally peeled off her shoes and stepped into the water with her bare feet.

    "Are we really going to let her do this...?" Vermeil asked tearfully.

    Taira couldn''t answer her, because he was too busy trying to answer that very question for himself.

    As Keran let the cold water from theke soak in between her toes, she circled her opponent and tried to observe her to the fullest extent.

    The results of her investigations proved to be mostly fruitless.

    Her opponent was full of openings, and yet she wasn''t at the same time.

    She was seemingly standing around defenselessly like she had no interest in this fight to begin with.

    "Prey waits, little link. If you have any interest in changing your fate then you had better act now." the Youn Wouj beckoned.

    "...Will you tell me your name?" Keran suddenly asked.

    The tribe head looked vexed as if she did not understand the need for such a pleasantry before a fight.

    Manners never really were her thing.

    "...I am Tiche of the Red Wanderers. And I am the greatest enemy you shall ever know."

    Keran suddenly felt something run down her cheek and her hand went to her face to investigate.

    Her eyes nearly left the confines of her skull when she realized that she had a brand new cut on her face and she had absolutely no clue how it got there.

    "I will not stay my hand again, little link. Show me the worth of the n who deigns to take food from my table." Tiche beckoned.

    Keran''s cheek closed up in seconds as if it were never even injured.

    Gradually, her feet began to float above the river.

    "You say that I am the weakest, and perhaps that may be true. But I have never before known the cold grip of fear. It will not grab hold of me tonight..."

    Gradually, a hot pink light began toe to life from within Keran''s plethora of tails.

    The fluffy members wrapped around her body like a little cocoon until all that could be seen were her brightly glowing eyes and the furry ears atop her head.

    "On my honor as the third wife of the Heavenly Demon and the daughter of the Great Head of the Beasts, your fate will be... excruciating."

    ''Eternal Moon Arts: The Tree of Life''

    At that moment, Keran plummeted from his sky like a man made rocket and crashed into the ground.

    An explosion of pink me shot out in every direction and bathed the battlefield in light.

    A small earthquake ensued as a giant glowing pink tree sprang up from the ground.

    With the blowing of the wind, showers of petals came billowing down to the ground where they produced even more columns of me; thereby protecting Keran by ensuring she had room to breathe.

    However, she made the mistake of underestimating the mental instability of her opponent.

    Keran blinked one single time and the next thing she knew there was a horribly burned and disfigured hand right in front of her face.

    ''She didn''t even try to avoid it?!''

    Tiche proceeded to grab Keran by the face and held her jaw shut so that she couldn''t scream.

    Faster than the eye could see, the chieftain proceeded to slice open Keran''s belly with a pair of gleaming silver ws.

    As her entrails came spilling out onto the ground, Tiche finally stepped through the mes and revealed her horribly burnt appearance.

    Ever so slowly, her healing began to kick in and she smiled sinisterly.

    "That was indeed excruciating, little link. But I am not one who is so inept that I would buckle underneath the weight of some minor difort. Let us see if you share that proclivity."

    -

    After watching for only a short time, Taira had already seen more than enough.

    He started to summon Yasuke and run to her aid when Aveena suddenly hugged him tightly from behind.

    "Don''t go, Taira. You have to let her do this even if it''s hard��"

    "What?? But she-"

    "In all of the time that we''ve been a family, when has Keran ever asked us for anything��? I know it''s hard, but please just let her do this. We owe it to her to have faith in her ability."

    Aveena didn''t let Taira go afterwards- it was almost like she was afraid he would casually disregard her words and rush to Keran''s aid.

    For the first time in a long time, he waspletely stumped about what the right thing to do was.

    Every bone in his body was screaming for him to run to Keran''s defense before the situation worsened.

    But as Aveena had said, Keran hadn''t asked anything of him or any of them in fifty years of being together.

    So was he not obligated to heed her one, simple request?

    All he knew for sure was that he had toe to a decision quickly��

 Chapter 170: The 3rd Wife of Heavenly Demon

    Keran knew exactly what kind of ride she would be in for as soon as Tiche picked her to be her opponent.

    And yet, she wasn''t wildly intimidated.

    She felt that she needed this sort of challenge to bring her back to reality.

    Keran had spent fifty years in seclusion; enjoying the married life and devoid of any and all responsibility or outside pressure from the world around her.

    She got to engage in romance in its highest form day-after-day; sharing in the bliss with her husband and the women she hade to love just the same as him.

    They were their own ecosystem.

    They helped each other grow, learn,ugh, and reach ecstasy on a near nightly basis.

    But the problem with being in your own isted paradise is that even though time has stopped for you; the world around you continues to burn.

    When the family emerged from seclusion, Keran was the most nervous about their return to society and the things they would find.

    Her earlier exploits of trying to save her people from the tyrannical practices of the Races of Light had gone horridly.

    It took herself years to shake off the guilt of the lives she had needlessly lost, and even longer to stop thinking of different methods she could''ve used that wouldn''t have result in such sheer casualties.

    Now that she was out in the world again; she pledged to herself to be more thoughtful with her decisions and execution and not simply be blinded by youthful ambition and a desire to prove herself.

    But because she had grown to second guess everything, one could say she was rtively gun shy now.

    The idea of fighting inrge scale battles terrified her.

    What if she failed at the critical moment again?

    This time those she lost wouldn''t be faceless everyday men, they would be her loved ones.

    That singleminded fear had been the reason she had kind of stayed in the background all this time��

    Her fear was that her husband and those she cherished would fare better without her.

    She knew this was a problem, as she couldn''t stand being behind her family while they fought for their lives and the betterment of the fallen people as a whole.

    While none of them would ever demand anything of each other; each of them contributed all that they had to strengthening their unit.

    She felt the urge to contribute more all on her own.

    She needed to move past any existing limitations.

    And she felt that Tiche of all people was the perfect vehicle to get her past the threshold.

    No matter how bumpy the ride may end up being��

    -

    With Keran''s belly sliced open; the organs that were usually nestled safely inside of her stomach all came falling out grotesquely.

    It almost resembled ropes of sausage spilling from a bup sack��

    While muffling the Kitsune''s scream, Tiche stuck her hand inside the emptying confines of her abdomen.

    Her fingers that had turned to des became normal again, and she covered them in the blood of her injured opponent.

    She brought her fingers up to her mouth and licked them in a gesture that felt slightly obscene.

    Her eyes shed open when she tasted the differingponents within Keran''s bloodstream.

    ''So�� he seems to love you a great deal. Enough that he has shared his very life force with you�� but what else is this that I am tasting...?''

    A foreign substance that Tiche neither recognized, nor knew how to describe was painted across the back of her tongue.

    It wasn''t natural, or cultivated as far as she could tell.

    ''Intriguing...''

    She nced at the riverbank several yards away and locked eyes with Taira for just a moment, and the curiosity she felt surrounding him received a small upturn.

    Even if the look he was giving herright now was less than friendly.

    "Mmh!" Keran tried to swipe her ws across Tiche''s face in the hopes of getting free.

    But the assanbosam caught the motion in plenty of time and she didn''t even have to tear her gaze from Taira to do it.

    "Right�� I was being impolite. Forgive me." She smirked. "Let''s continue."

    She released Keran for a split second.

    Her body moved as a blur as performed a spinning back kick that struck Keran hard in the side.

    The force from her attack, as well as the fact that there was already a gaping hole in her abdomen, resulted in the two halves of Keran''s body being torn apart by the force.

    While her lower body went falling over into the shallow water lifelessly, Keran'' upper half sailed across theke with incredible force and was lost behind the waterfall over fifty feet away.

    But as she disappeared, Tiche suddenly dropped to the ground clutching her throat.

    Inadvertently, this small action ended up saving her life, because at the moment she fell to her knees; she narrowly avoided having her head removed by a very upset Taira.

    He was so enraged that he could barely think, and acted on Keran''s behalf before he even knew what he was doing.

    Keran had both taken his blood and had her bodilyposition altered through intercourse.

    Her healing was only worse than his own by about 30%.

    If he stopped to think for even a moment, he would have known that they could have reattached her legs and put her organs back after the match was over.

    And if they used Vermeil''s pills in conjunction with the healing process; her scars wouldn''tst the hour and she could even go back to eating in the morning with no issue.

    But Taira was first and foremost a concerned husband.

    There was no one who imed to love their wife who could have knowingly continued to sit by after what he had just witnessed.

    He started to raise his scythe to attack her opponent again when he suddenly saw the reason why Tiche dropped in the first ce.

    Sticking out of her neck were a series of jagged, dark red crystals that looked like they were just a little bit tough to swallow.

    It was a technique that he recognized intently, because he was the one who created it.

    He looked towards the waterfall where Keran had first disappeared and found her crawling back; a fierce look in her eye.

    Her eyes were glowing bright pink, and she raised one of her hands with thest of her strength.

    ''Cursed Blood Arts: Thorns of Regret and me.''

    The crystals poking out from Tiche''s neck suddenly became alight in wondrous pink fire, and for the first time tonight she seemed to be in genuine pain as she doubled over.

    Keran smiled at her husband from afar and gave him a single exhausted wink before her body finally copsed into the water.

    Taira forgot all about Tiche and ran to the side of his wife; with the rest of the girls following him closely behind...

 Chapter 171: Pick of The Litter

    Keran awoke after an unknown amount of time.

    Once she got her bearings, she realized that she was lying in her family''s tent with bandages over her abdomen.

    When she tried to sit up too fast, she winced from the pain in her stomach and the memories of the fight from before started to bubble back up.

    And she immediately panicked.

    ''Oh no��''

    Her family was going to kill her for participating.

    She delicately craned her neck so that she could look at her surroundings without straining her abdomen.

    She looked down a little further at the foot of the bed and realized that her family was already here.

    They were sitting in chairs all around her, and they all looked to be asleep.

    Each one of them had their hand resting on her legs just so that they could touch herfortably without putting an additional burden on her body, while their heads rested on the mattress.

    ''Ah, my legs are back.'' Keran realized.

    She wiggled her toes discreetly just to enjoy the feeling of having a lower body once again.

    This small, innocent motion was all that it took to draw the attention of her husband.

    Taira was resting his eyes at the foot of the bed with the rest of the girls, and he was just waiting for the slightest movement to give him reason to stir.

    However, there was one more person who was seemingly waiting for Keran to wake up.

    Though her bedside manner was... less than nurturing.

    "ROCKET HEADBUTT OF LOVEEE!!"

    Vermeil hurled her body headfirst at Keran''s forehead and bashed their skulls together.

    Unsurprisingly, Keran''s head went down like a sack of potatoes and she screamed in pain.

    "AAAGH!! Vermeil, why!?"

    "Don''t ''why'' me! Do you any idea how worried we were!?"

    "I''m sorry, but it''s not as if I- OWW!!"

    Two more living rockets collided with Keran''s head; courtesy of Enyo and Lucia, who were equally upset.

    Keran was now afraid to pick her head up again after all of the abuse that she''d suffered through in such a short time.

    "You guys are supposed to love me, right?? So why are you trying to beat my head in?!" Keran wailed.

    She only tried to sit up once again when she heard the low sound of snifflinging from the foot of her bed.

    A teary eyed Vermeil clenched her fists so hard that her bones could be heard cracking beneath the flesh.

    "I don''t get it�� You know exactly what they did to me back home�� how empty they made me feel. Why would you voluntarily get hurt to save people like that��? They don''t deserve it!"

    Vermeil was unpopr for a myriad of things, but chief among them was the way she looked, her niche, obsessive interests, and her bad familial situation at home.

    As humans were prone to, they singled her out for their differences and made her life a living hell; going as far as to go in her backpack and take her things, beat her up, mock her openly on social media, and call her father a shitty gambler.

    Her interest in saving them at all was purely a situational coincidence.

    She never would have gone out of her way to do it if their being here wasn''t connected to Astel.

    And if she knew Keran had to get hurt to save a few of them, she never would have gone through with it at all.

    In terms of value, the two weren''tparable in the slightest.

    "..." Keran slowly sat up while ignoring the dull pain toiling about in her stomach and patted the bed at her side.

    Begrudgingly, Vermeil got up from her seat and crawled into the bed like she was five years old.

    She gently rested her head on Keran''s shoulder so as not to ce too much burden on her body. But Keran seemingly wasn''t having it and made her rest with the full full weight of her head on her shoulder.

    She gently ran her fingers through Vermeil''s hair as she gestured for the rest of their family to join them in bed.

    Once the lot of them were scattered about on top of the covers, Keran wrapped each of them in her tails.

    "Listen, guys... I know that you might not understand my motives, but I need you to know that my decision wasn''t one I made lightly, or went into without understanding the dangers. I did itbecause I felt a need to force myself to grow.

    Today wasn''t the first time I was made aware of the fact that I''m dragging behind most of you in terms of capability. And I just needed this kind of test to prove to myself that I have grown from who I used to be... even if it''s not as fast as I would like."

    "I wouldn''t say you are dragging too far behind."

    Everyone sat up immediately when Tiche stepped into the tent with her brother following closely behind.

    A bandage was wrapped around her neck tightly, and it seemed like it would take it''s sweet time healing.

    Vaal folded his arms across his chest and nodded proudly. "Do you know how long it''s been since I''ve seen my sister get a wound she couldn''t shrug off in a few short seconds? The shiny little dung-ball can''t even tal- Ugack!"

    Tiche punched her brother in the stomach so hard that it literally knocked the moisture off of his back and sent him doubling over.

    The bold and proud asanbosam dropped to the ground like a lead balloon while holding his stomach.

    Tiche merely stood on top of her brother''s head while addressing the close-knit Amarok family.

    "..." She held up her hands and began makingplicated signs with her fingers.

    "Signnguage...?" Vermeil tilted her head in confusion. "Does anyone know how to tell what she''s saying?"

    Everyone looked towards Enyo on instinct.

    "What? Why would you all assume that I know??" The mature beauty honestly seemed partially offended.

    "You''re the oldest!" Aveena identally said the quiet part out loud.

    "S-She meant wisest, love." Lucia corrected.

    "Well can''t she be both-"

    "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

    Enyo looked rather crestfallen as she hung her head low. "I see... I''m just old garbage unfit for lifeand better off left in the past like an old relic with no value.."

    "Don''t be silly, Enyo." Taira smiled. "You are charming no matter your age and your best days are still in front of you."

    Enyo was so depressed she barely registered her husband''s kind words. "I don''t want to hear it, jailbait... You''re just an innocent young yboy that I seduced with my old wrinkly body..."

    "Ah... You''re half right?" Taira scratched the back of his head.

    "I believe it is also up for debate who seduced who..." Keran added quietly.

    "What is that supposed to mean, fluff ball?!"

    Keran grabbed Enyo gently by the jaw and made her stare at their husband.

    At the angle at which Taira was sitting, his kimono had fallen open and put his entire chest on disy.

    The effect that such a sight had on Enyo was painfully apparent.

    "Good googly moogly��"

    "That''s what I thought." Keran rolled her eyes.

    Enyo finally gave up trying to defend her image and began groping Taira''s chest openly while giggling pervertedly.

    "She said that she was very impressed with your spirit, Keran. They are about to start eating now, so she said we can pick whichever six we want."

 Chapter 172: Treasure or Trash?

    Taira and Vermeil emerged from the tent with Tiche and her brother Vaal.

    Ignoring the somewhat distasteful gaze of the Youn Wouj, they remained hand-in-hand.

    This small act of defiance was perhaps their way of making it clear that they cared very little for any opinion she might have about their rtionship.

    As she was currently unable to talk, she had to suffice with ring in vehement disgust.

    Vaal was staring too, but with significantly less judgment and more pity.

    ''Poor guy�� he clearly has a condition.''

    Again, it wasn''t necessarily oundish for him to think that since in his culture what Taira was doing was no different from fucking a buttered up bagel every night.

    They didn''t have doctors for this sort of thing, but they did have a shaman to assist with ailments.

    Vaal thought it may be a good idea to have Taira see her at some point in the morning.

    Upon emerging from the tent, the four of them stepped out into a thriving celebration.

    Torches illuminated the camp as song andughter rose up into the air for all to hear.

    The feast for tonight had all been pulled down from the rocky ledge and were all waiting around a massive erected bonfire.

    At the sight of the chieftain and the visitors, everyone outside became even more frantic in their cheering.

    They recognized that with their arrival, the feast was soon to begin.

    Vaal led the pair of lovers towards the bound humans and held out his hand like he was showing off a new car.

    "Alright, take your pick then, kin-bride. And try to hurry if you don''t mind, we''re starving over here."

    "Right, right�� No pressure or anything." Vermeil muttered to herself.

    She looked at Taira for help and found him staring back at her already.

    "Any chance you want to pick for me?" She asked with a halfhearted smile.

    "If you would ask me to." He shrugged.

    Vermeil started to tell him to go ahead, but then realized that perhaps this was one of the more crucial steps that must be done with her own hand.

    "No... I think I''ve got it after all." she smiled. "Grab the ones I pick?"

    "Sure."

    After preparing herself mentally, Vermeil unslung one of her sai from her waist.

    Tossing it up into the air, she made it float in a circle over the heads of all twenty humans like a game of roulette.

    She closed her eyes and her de cut exactly six individuals out of their restraints.

    Taira pulled them into the air with telekinesis and brought them to safety behind them.

    With the hard part done, Vermeil turned back to Vaal and bowed slightly.

    "That''s everyone, Vaal. Thank you for being such a gracious host." She smiled sincerely.

    For the second time, Vaal witnessed the strange human girl behave in a way that he did not at all understand.

    "....You have no issue with what will happen to the rest of them?" Her answer would not change anything, but he was still curious as to how she would respond.

    Vermeil smiled ironically as if she found the very premise of his question amusing. "Ironically... there are worse things that could be done to them. And I''m well aware you guys are just trying to survive."

    Vaal looked at Vermeil suspiciously before ncing at Taira. "Your bride sure says some funny things."

    "You can''t have her." Taira wrapped Vermeil in his embrace and held her possessively.

    "As if I want to lie with food you nonsensical weirdo!"

    While the two were arguing, one of the bound girls struggled out of her gag and cried out for help.

    "V-Vermeil, right!? Don''t let me die, please!! I-Im sorry for everything that-"

    Any pleas that were going to be said were inevitably cut short, as Tiche jammed her fingers into the girl''s throat and ripped out her trachea.

    With one hand, she made signnguage for all to see.

    The tribesmen knew that it meant; ''Dinner''s served everyone. Make sure the children eat first.''

    What followed in the aftermath was a truly indescribable bloodbath.

    With the meal set up in front of them, the young children wasted no time literally digging in to their food.

    Their baby-ish fingers turned into razor sharp silver ws that were no different from sheets of metal.

    They were easily able to cut into the humans'' frail skin and make their own bloody version of chicken strips.

    Most picked apart their legs and shins, as these were the only things that they could reach and the organs were traditionally saved for adults due to their quality.

    When the screaming became too loud to bear, Tiche made a sharp, twisting motion with her wrist and snapped all of their necks instantly.

    As they fell over lifelessly onto the ground, their bodies were passed around to the tribesman likemunion tes. Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -NovelBin

    Tiche and Vaal made sure to observe Vermeil''s reaction to all of this.

    They expected her to be a little green in the face or perhaps even a little fainty, but there was nothing on her face.

    Taira was even more of a nk canvas.

    ''How odd they both are...'' they thought.

    "Oh god..."

    "T-This is so fucked up..."

    "T-They''re eating them... They''re really eating them!!"

    Vermeil turned around that she could face the ssmates se had chosen to save.

    Exactly three boys and three girls.

    Sawyer Jackson, the former left midfielder for their high school ser team. He had pale skin and messy ck hair that many girls found attractive.

    Raymond Henry. A quiet kid who, like Vermeil, was often picked on. He was dark skinned with a short, stocky build and a gap in his teeth. Due to the fact that he was fat and spoke in a deep, southern ent, everyone just called him ''Big Country''.

    Corey Samuels. Like Raymond and Vermeil, was another kid who was bullied, but for the sole crime of openly liking anime before it was mainstream. He looked simr to Raymond, but was skinny and wore sses. His hair was unironically stud in a t-top.

    Saanvi Patel. A girl who used to be a bit of an ugly duckling like Vermeil. But after going away to college, her curves developed, her ck hair grew past her waist, she picked up some contacts, and she started wearing better clothes.

    Himari Yoshida. She was the only other Japanese girl in Vermeil''s ss, so the two of them were often lumped together.She was rtively in looking, with long ck hair and cool grey eyes.

    Last but not least was Jordan Cole, a young girl with pale skin riddled with freckles and short, but bright orange hair that she oftenmented meant that she had no soul.

    "Turn around, all of you." Vermeil said.

    Unsurprisingly, the sixplied with trembling bodies.

    "It''s probably best that you don''t see this, so just keep staring at the waterfall over..." Suddenly, Vermeil''s voice trailed off as she realized that there was a particr piece of jewelry on each of their fingers.

    If her eyes could have popped out of her head, they would have.

    "Everyone... Where the hell did you get storage rings from..?"

 Chapter 173: It’s Been Nice, But…

    The Asanbosam partied untilte into the night, long after they had actually finished devouring the humans that were so graciously served up by Astel.

    It was now just barely dawn, and the world outside was already bing a little brighter.

    Vermeil emerged from her family''s tent after a spending some time inside resting with the others and ensuring that Keran was alright.

    "All right�� let''s get started." She said after a brief stretch.

    She waived her hand over the small clearing in front of their tent and brought out arge metal pot- distinctly different from the one she used to concoct pills.

    Closing her eyes and peeking inside of her own storage ring, she sifted through the flurry of supplies inside.

    ''No, no, no... Ah.''

    She began pulling out items one by one and eitherying them on a small table or simply having them float in the air around her.

    With a snap of her fingers, a very familiar blue me appeared underneath the pot to heat it.

    "What is the kin-bride doing?"

    Vaal and Tiche emerged from somewhere within the still active vige and both of them were eyeing the human woman''s actions carefully.

    "Everyone''ll be up soon, so I thought I should make something for them to put in their stomachs. I would offer you all some, but I believe you already ate." she chuckled.

    Tiche, with her throat healed, narrowed her eyes at what she perceived to be a slight.

    "And so your true colors manifest in the absence of your ''mate''. At the end of the day, a human will not even dare to offer the courtesy of sustenance to those she considers beneath her."

    "...I just thought you would be full because you ate Vanessast night and she was kind of heavy, so..." Vermeil shrugged.

    "We are not like humans, girl. Our appetites are nearly bottomless as we grow."

    An adult assanbosam, aged roughly 100 - 1,000 years old, needs to consume around 85% of their own body weight to feel satisfied.

    The percentage doubles for every 1,000 years of life that are tacked on.

    Children are by far the easiest to feed, requiring only 35%.

    "Oh... So are you guys hungry too? You can sit there, it''ll be ready in like ten minutes."

    Tiche scoffed. "As if we would ever-"

    Vermeil pulled out arge cut of boar meat that Taira himself hunted prior to leaving home.

    The Youn Wouj looked to her side and realized that her brother was already sitting down, and staring at the meat with clear interest.

    "...I''m sure it will barely pass for edible." Tiche also ended up sitting despite her words.

    "Oh? We will wait to see then." Vermeil smiled.

    One by one she began tossing ingredients into therge pot amidst the doubting faces of her audience.

    "I just wanted to say again... Thank you for providing us with the ''food'' off of your very own tablest night. It was very kind of you."

    Vaal and Tiche looked at each other.

    "...We need to make it clear that nothing was done for you specifically. We honor tradition, and that is all." he rified.

    "Yes, that may be true, but your tradition is rooted in an offering of kindness and fellowship nheless. So for that, I wish to express my thanks again." she smiled.

    ''...She''s so unexinably weird.'' the two thought at once.

    Nearby, the door on a small barn was unlocked and a stream of familiar faces poked their heads past the threshold.

    "Oh? You''re upright, huh? Come on over." Vermeil beckoned.

    The six humans inside nced awkwardly at the two man-eating asanbosam sitting in front of theirpanion.

    "They''re not going to eat you, you know this already." Vermeil rolled her eyes. "Don''t be so timid ande on."

    The humans finally started to wander out of the barn and walked towards the group.

    They got no closer than forty feet before all three of the high-level cultivators reeled backwards from an invisible assault.

    "Ugh.."

    "Vile creatures!"

    "If youe any closer to us, you die!"

    All six of the humans froze immediately, even though they couldn''t tell what had just been said.

    "W-Why are they acting like that?! What did we do!?" Saanvi looked like she was on the verge of crying again.

    "You guys just... You smell really harsh." Vermeil grimaced.

    The first big culture shock one experiences whening to Tayar is learning that most of the poption doesn''t really smell bad.

    Cultivation thoroughly erases the bacteria in the body that emit unpleasant bodily odor. A certain pill also helps eliminate those bacteria in those who can''t cultivate, and are typically sold en masse wherever any goods are sold.

    Though people still bathe and maintain themselves, it is to clean outside dirt that may have been acquired; rarely to deal with inborn ones.

    Even the asanbosam naturally smell fine when not covered in dried blood and the guts of their enemies.

    Due to the convenient methods avable, smelling poorly, in most any circumstance in Tayar, is almost always grounds for a fist fight.

    It''s seen as ack of respect for others and yourself.

    In earth terms, it''s as bad as calling someone''s mother a whore, being a child predator, or a New Orleans Saints fan.

    "Where is your respect for my nose, you fucking mongrel!?" Vaal roared.

    "V-Vermeil, please tell him we don''t know what he''s saying!" Jordan was also on the verge if crying.

    Vaal only seemed to get madder. "Close your mouth, you godless sack of-"

    "Why am I hearing so much screaminging from outside my tent...?"

    Taira emerged into the clearing with the hand of a drowsy Enyo still in his own.

    "I don''t care who you are, but if any of you wake my wives up, I am going to kill you��" Taira spoke in perfect English so that there would be no opportunity to mince words.

    Needless to say, the six earthlings shut their mouths immediately.

    Vermeil reached inside of her pocket and pulled out an assortment of storage rings.

    These belonged to the six humans, but they weren''t sure where or when they got them, nor could they use them.

    They were unable to look inside or even take anything out because they couldn''t use or sense qi.

    So Vermeil elected to hold onto them for the group, since they were effectively just paperweights in their possession.

    Vermeil reached inside and pulled out an assortment of toiletries.

    Immediately, the humans looked like they were struck by lightening.

    "I-Is that my body wash..?"

    "Where''d you get my wave brush from?!"

    "My sweatshirt!"

    Vermeil tossed the change of clothes and toiletries over to them and pointed towards theke. "I''ll try to teach you how to do itter if I can, but for now... Go clean yourselves up, please... You can take turns or go all at once just... for the love of Astel get it done."

    The group didn''t seem to need much more provocation than that, and finally they ran off behind the trees.

    Taira and Enyo walked over to Vermeil and embraced her despite the eyes of the asanbossam staring at them relentlessly.

    Vaal was still no closer to understanding how someone was capable of locking lips with Vermeil when she was essentially a piece of cheese.

    And as she and Taira spent more and more time with their lips and bodies pressed together, Vaal was beginning to feel like he would never figure it out.

    "I-I wasn''t expecting you both to be getting up so early��" Ignoring her red cheeks and flushed starry eyes, Vermeil finally pulled away.

    She nced at Enyo and after observing her for only a second she touched her cheek affectionately like she was a small child.

    "How''d you get this one out of bed so early?" She asked Taira.

    "She insisted that she was awake and wanted to aid you in cooking. A clear lie."

    "Mmh..?" Enyo''s eyes were practically fully closed and her movements were unsteady as she swayed awkwardly like she was on a boat.

    "Stop being stubborn and lie back down. You should finish getting all of your rest before we depart." Taira spoke gently, but he wasn''t exactly leaving her room for refusal either.

    "Kayyy��" Enyo muttered sleepily.

    Instead of going back into the tent, Enyo lightly tugged on Taira''s sleeve.

    Instantly knowing what she wanted, he shifted into arger, four legged form and used one of his tails to lift her onto his back.

    Enyo flopped face down into Taira''s fur like she had just worked a twelve hour overnight shift and began snoring within seconds.

    Taira promptlyy in the ground beside the campfire to allow her to rest without disturbance.

    "You are leaving already, brother??" Vaal looked like a wounded bat.

    Taira nodded as he rested his own head on a patch of grass.

    "We must. There is a temple to the north of here that holds an item that I require desperately if I am to progress my cultivation.

    We also havepanions and a dark elf whom we entered with and we need to find them before they can fall into harms way."

    Vaal looked like he would have rather been told he was about to receive a prison colonoscopy.

    "Don''t worry, you guys will see us again." Vermeil smiled. "I''m afraid we have to leave our little human friends here since we can''t take them right now and we certainly will not be sending them to our home alone."

    Inadu didn''t know anything about Vermeil''s ssmates yet, and no one was expecting her to react well to them.

    It took her forever just to get used to Vermeil, and they could only imagine what that process would be like with men instead of women.

    Taira needed time to figure out how well she could handle this, as well as if she was in a stable enough condition to tolerate their presence.

    If she wasn''t... separate amodations would have to be made, no questions or exceptions.

    "Wait..." Tiche suddenly said. "Do I have it right to assume that you are nning on entering the Sanctum of the Mind?"

    "So you canprehend my words. Wonderful." Taira rolled his eyes.

    Normally, Tiche would have responded with something unkind right back to him, but this time she just smiled his words off.

    "A pity. I''m sure that all of your deaths will be quick."

 Chapter 174: Damn, One Down Already?

    If Taira were bothered in the slightest by Tiche''s unprovoked taunting of him, he certainly did not show any signs of it.

    His muzzle barely twitched as he stared at her nonchntly with eerie red eyes.

    "Have I perhaps poked a nerve?" She sneered back with unveiled satisfaction.

    "Was that your goal?"

    "My goal was truth. Getting underneath your skin is only an added benefit."

    "A pity then that neither was aplished." Tairay his head back on the ground and rested atop his own paws- showing apleteck of concern or interest.

    In a surprising twist, he proved to be the one who seeded in getting under her skin instead of the other way around.

    Tiche''s dislike of her distant rtive was quickly turning into a game of morbid pettiness.

    "Why do you insist that we are going to meet some horrible end?" Vermeil suddenly asked.

    "Besides your unfamiliarity with the Sanctum and the traps inside? You all are too weak. The beast who guards would devour you all before you even had a moment to draw your weapon. He is a special kind of creature."

    "A chia pet?"

    "A chi.. What?"

    "Sorry it was a joke but I forgot about my audience��"

    Tiche rolled her eyes and Vaal just made a confused look.

    "Your attempt to y the jester in this moment of severity is all the more reason why you are bound to fail in your crusade.

    The qilin will crush you all underfoot to keep you away from the treasures and secrets that lie in wait inside."

    This admittedly made Taira flex his ws in annoyance.

    Fenris, that furry hunk of garbage, didn''t say a damn word about there being a beast guarding the pill.

    Though in hindsight�� perhaps some of the me also lie with himself for expecting the god of beasts to send him on something simple like a grocery run.

    Meanwhile, Vermeil was thinking about the actual power dynamics between those who lived in the secret realm.

    The asanbosam wereposed of some of the most high-level cultivators she had ever seen, but even they seemed not to be the dominant power in this world.

    It was interesting to her, and left her with quite a few questions that she wanted to ask.

    But since Tiche was barely tolerant of her, she decided that it may have been best to wait.

    Or better yet�� maybe Vermeil could think of a way to get the unfriendly Youn Wouj to warm up to her.

    "Will you help us?" she suddenly asked.

    ""Eh?"" Both Vaal and Tiche stared at her like she''d just asked them for the moon.

    "Well, we''re apparently not going to be able to get this done on our own if your warning holds any weight, so why don''t you all help us?"

    She suddenly looked at Taira for confirmation and found him with his eyes barely open.

    "Are you alright with this, babe? It couldn''t hurt to have some extra hands around afterall."

    "��I take issue with bringing her." He flicked his nose towards Tiche.

    The Youn Wouj felt her eyes narrow unconsciously. "Imbecile, I have not in any way sanctioned this-"

    "Oh, please brother, please!! You have to let use! I promise that I will ensure that my sister remains on her best behavior!!" Vaal suddenly threw all sense of pride aside and began begging like his life depended on it.

    "D-Do not act as if you are capable of restraining m-"

    "You be silent, witch!" Vaal snapped.

    It''s been ages since the tribe got to participate in a great, meaningful hunt!

    And with extended family at their back too?! This would be an endeavor to tell stories about for centuries!

    He would not lose this opportunity because of his sister''s bad attitude!

    "��If you can ensure that your sister remains pleasant, then I will not object to your cooperation." Taira dered.

    "Glory be to blood!" Vaal cheered.

    "I will not be managed as if I am some petnt-"

    "Here, Tiche, try this!" Vermeil tossed a small chunk of saut��ed pork into the air.

    Though she was fuming just a second ago, Tiche still reacted and caught the pork between her teeth like a dolphin at a water park.

    Once she actually tasted it, her ears twitched visibly before she resumed a stone-faced expression.

    "T-That was�� not horrible."

    "That means she likes it, so break me off a piece too!" Vaal knew his big sister''s tells all too well by now.

    Vermeil smiled as she obliged him and waited to see if his reaction would be any better than his sister''s.

    While Vaal was raving over the cut of pork, the human boys finally returned from cleaning themselves up within theke.

    They elected to go by gender to preserve modesty, so since the girls insisted they would require a longer time to bathe, the boys went first.

    This was also done to eliminate any lingering likelihood of peeping on their part.

    "Oh, you guys are back!" Vermeil waived. "Come on over and sit down, I''ll have breakfast ready for you in a second!"

    None of the three moved an inch because they were all too distracted by the nine-tailed spectral dog that was atleast three times bigger than even thergest horse.

    You couldn''t have gotten them to move if you paid them.

    Raymond ''Big Country'': "I believe I''m good right where I''m at, ma''am. Much obliged though."

    Sawyer: "C-Can you maybe put a muzzle on that thing..? Where the hell did it evene from..?"

    Corey: "Sweet mother of maybelline, it''s a white Kurama! Has it been imed yet?! C-Can I maybe have him?!?"

    Silence fell over the clearing as Vaal, and even Tiche suppressed their snickers.

    Vermeil wasn''t much better, and it took all that she could muster to turn her head away so that Taira wouldn''t see her giggle.

    Among all of them, he was the only one who did not seem to be amused in the slightest.

    "Muzzle me..? Are you qualified to do something like that?"

    """It talks!!"""

    Vermeil finally wiped away her smirk before someone ended up getting hurt due to their own ignorance.

    "Guys, this is my husband Taira. You literally saw him like ten minutes ago, remember?"

    A thought bubble appeared over the heads of the three humans and they finally recalled the man they had seen earlier with furry ears and tails.

    The limits of their imagination seemed to have been fully stretched.

    They didn''t previously assume that just because he had animal parts that he could turn full doggo.

    But in hindsight, maybe they should''ve��

    This just raised even more questions over which appearance was his real one.

    "You''reing to sit down now, right? Everything''s almost done." Vermeil beckoned.

    Now that they were freshly out of things to be scared of, the humans had no choice but to go and sit around the boiling pot.

    Though they carefully avoided sitting near the two feral asanbosam.

    As Vermeil removed a trinity of wooden bowls and spoons from her inventory, she began scooping her rice dish into the bowls in sufficient amounts.

    ��She gave Big Country an additional scoop out of pity.

    "T-Thank you kindly, ma''am."

    "T-Thanks, Vermeil.. f-for all of this."

    "What they said��"

    "Don''t worry about it, guys! Just eat up and try to feel a little better, yea?" Vermeil''s demeanor was so radiant that it could have lit up every corner of the dark web. Explore more adventures at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    As she turned away to begin feeding Tiche and her brother, Taira finally decided to nudge Enyo awake so that she could eat too.

    While he was doing so, he noticed a rather unsettling sight out of the corner of his eye.

    Sawyer, in the midst of eating, was continually stealing nces at Vermeil''s very noticeable behind.

    And Taira simply�� snapped.

    At one second Sawyer had both of his eyes sitting firmly within his skull, and in the next they were rolling around in the palm of Taira''s hand.

 Chapter 175: Claim & A Rise to Fame?

    The screaming started mere seconds after Taira plucked out Sawyer''s eyes.

    The young man fell back onto the ground; bucking and wailing in horror as he held his empty eye sockets.

    "MY EYESS!!! MY FUCKING EYES!!! GOD, WHY?!"

    Raymond and Corey, both in the process of eating at the time, both panicked and screamed aloud at the horrific sight.

    It shoulde as no surprise that they both ended up fainting and copsed on top of each other like 90s si characters.

    "T-Taira??"

    Vermeil quickly ran over to look at her husband and found him still staring into his hand where the eyes of Sawyer rolled around.

    Enyo, who had been promptly awoken from her rest was now floating just a few feet off the ground and taking in the scene quietly.

    She could bezy, and somewhat ditzy, but no one could ever im that she wasn''t smart.

    She knew exactly what''d happened with only a single look, even if Vermeil didn''t.

    Sawyer''s body eventually went into shock from the pain.

    Vermeil quickly realized that she had to act fast if she was going to save him at all.

    "Honey�� Will you give me his eyes?" She asked, her voice so soft it was barely a whisper.

    Taira blinked a few times and he seemed to snap out of his trance-like state.

    He watched Vermeil take the eyes from his hand, and made no moves to stop her.

    "��Can I have one of those?" Vaal said with unveiled hunger.

    He couldn''t help it if eyes were his favorite!

    They were delicious!

    Vermeil ordinarily would have said no, but before he could respond Enyo floated above her head and removed one eye from her palm.

    "S-Sister, what-"

    "Just trust me, my darling. This is fair." Enyo replied warmly.

    She floated over to Vaal and dropped the eye into his bowl like it was a little dumpling.

    "Here you go, Vaal. Consider it a little token of gratitude for your warm wee."

    "Glory be to blood!" Vaal''s eyes lit up like stars and he quickly popped the still-warm eye into his mouth as if it were the best delicacy ever.

    "��Where is my offering?" Tiche''s eyes narrowed.

    "You did hear me say that it was for a warm wee, right?"

    "Tch��"

    Vermeil knelt down beside Sawyer and inserted his remaining eye back into his head.

    She then removed a healing pill from her pouch and ced it in the back of his mouth to dissolve.

    Once everything started stitching itself back together and he was no longer heading for death, Vermeil stood back up and went to her husband''s side.

    She took his hand and gently wiped away the blood with her handkerchief.

    "Will youe with me for a moment��?"

    Taira didn''t answer, but he did not pull away when she started to lead him into the woods with her.

    As they left, Enyo suddenly kneeled down and gently pped Raymond and Corey awake.

    "H-Huh..?"

    "What in tarnation..!"

    Enyo smiled eerily, making the two men''s skin crawl.

    "Hello there. Now that you''re awake again, let''s ensure that we understand boundaries if you want to keep your sight going forward, okay?"

    -

    Vermeil and Taira had ended up several yards away in the woods.

    They were surrounded by nothing but a grove of glowing trees and silence.

    Eventually, Vermeil took Taira''s hand and ced it upon her own cheek.

    "��Why did you do that?"

    ''He was staring at you'' was the short answer.

    The truth of the matter was that things were moreplicated than that.

    Taira had never not been possessive.

    It was just how most fallen were, men and women.

    Despite that, he wasn''t a hothead either.

    Ripping out the eyes of a human barely out of his diapers whenpared to him was somewhat overkill.

    Normally he would have just scared him shitless or maybe just broken an arm or leg.

    But problems arose because the one being stared at was Vermeil.

    The entire time she''d been here, they''d been living in fallen territory.

    No man had ever even considered sparing her a lustful nce before; they were just bewildered by the fact that she was there at all.

    Adding to the intensity of this scenario was the fact that Taira now had animal DNA.

    The sudden and violent urge to defend his precious wife from the leering eyes of leeches was so strong that it was a miracle Sawyer hadn''t lost his whole head.

    But excuses didn''t really make Taira feel better.

    He prided himself on his extreme mental fortitude and discipline, and this littlesh out of his was unbing.

    Even though he knew that, his ck blood boiled as he thought of Sawyer''s eyes grazing over her.

    If the same situation were to happen again, he wouldn''t change anything.

    A low growl escaped his throat as he pushed Vermeil against a tree.

    He buried his head in the side of her neck and inhaled her rousing sweet and salty smell.

    "I did it because I am your husband�� And the thought of anyone dreaming of taking you away from me drives me mad."

    Vermeil suddenly wrapped her arms around Taira and held him against her with all of her strength.

    "I see�� So he was-"

    "Yes."

    Vermeil was not only grossed out, but was also silently kicking herself for herck of awareness.

    She wasn''t mad at Taira at all.

    Perhaps over the years, she had also be more fallen-like.

    His actions made total sense to her because she would have done the exact same if their roles were reversed.

    No, the truth of the matter was, Vermeil was perhaps even more possessive than Taira.

    Her husband, the life she had with him and her sisters, it was all her greatest fantasye to life.

    Only it was real, and eye opening, and�� irreceable.

    The thought of anyone, man or woman, believing that they could just stride in from nowhere and mess it all up was sickening.

    And it made her want to stomp out any more delusions before they formed.

    Taira felt Vermeil stir in his grasp and he temporarily released her.

    When he stepped back, he could see her reaching for the belt that held her robe closed.

    She gracefully let her clothes fall to the floor without caring whether or not they were out in the open.

    Vermeil didn''t show her age unless she wanted  to since she started cultivating. But the older she got, the weirder it felt to stay in her twenty year old body.

    Instead of showing her full 70 years of age, she looked like a woman in her mid tote 30s, and possessed an unbelievable allure.

    As if Taira weren''t already stunned enough, she also closed the distance between them and started undressing him.

    When they were both standing around in the nude, Vermeil held out her arms for an embrace.

    "I want you to hold me here, because�� I don''t care if someone disapproves of us being together. I don''t care if someone thinks they have a chance to touch me, or you for that matter.

    I want everyone to hear that you belong to me, and I belong to you. And if they still don''t get it afterwards�� we can always pluck out more eyes, my love."

    Even if Taira wasn''t already barely in control of himself, Vermeil''s words had made him harder than a cement brick.

    He pressed her body back into the tree and stole her lips fervently.

    Their passionate kiss led to their hands roaming across each other''s bodies as if they weren''t already extremely familiar with each other.

    It took some time before the moaning started.

    The adults in the vige had been gathering around the cooked pot of food Vermeil made and most froze in their tracks when they heard it.

    But asanbosam don''t exactly share the same prudish nature around sex that most human cultures have.

    They immediately turned their attention back to the food after listening for a couple of seconds.

    Until they realized that something was amiss��

    "Wait�� Is he copting with the human?"

    "By the blood, our new cousin is going to catch something��"

    "They sound like they''re really into it though�� I''ve never made that sound with my husband before."

    "S-So what aboutst night when we were drunk and-"

    "Sorry, darling."

    "She''s right, I was watching you guys while I rubbed one out and she was not this loud."

    "��I hate this vige.

    Corey and Raymond had no idea what the people around them were saying, nor were they aware of Vermeil''s moaning just yet.

    Their minds were just a hair too broken from Enyo''s little warning to care.

    ''S-So many eyes�� So many eyes..!''

    Even though the boys weren''t paying attention to the moaninging from the woods, the girls certainly were.

    They had coincidentally chosen that moment to emerge from theke after cleaning themselves, and as a result they actually got to see what everyone else was hearing.

    Three red-faced girls were crouched behind a rather thick set of bushes as they stared at the scene urring just a few feet away from them.

    They could see Vermeil clinging tightly to Taira with her legs wrapped around his waist.

    With her back currently pressed against a tree, she was unable to run as her husband impaled her repeatedly at a fearsome rhythm.

    It didn''t seem like he was being very gentle with her, as every time he mmed his hips home, the tree holding her up made a groaning sound as if it were about to give way.

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    Vermeil finally locked eyes with the girls hiding beneath the bushes.

    Though her vision was blurry and her mind was all over the ce, she could tell that they were watching her.

    She recalled the way that they looked at Taira when he appeared in front of them for the first time.

    And unknowingly, her own jealousy and possessiveness caused her to act.

    Without breaking eye contact with the girls, Vermeil parted her lips and licked Taira all the way from the crook of his neck to his ear- eliciting an audible groan.

    A final thrust from his hips caused her eyes to roll back into her head as she let out the loudest scream yet.

    Though the forecast did not call for rain, the nts underneath the couple''s feet did receive an impromptu shower.

    And because the two lovers were nowhere near done, it would only be the first of the day.

    -

    As one might''ve guessed, Amarok family did not end up leaving that day as nned.

    While Vermeil and Taira spent a few hours in the woods reaffirming their passion for one another, Aveena, Lucia, and Keran eventually woke up.

    But instead of joining the pair, they left them alone for just this once and went with Vaal and his sister.

    Since the n was to make for the Sanctum together, Tiche assembled a small forceprised of her twenty best hunters.

    For the past couple of hours, they had been running over strategies and devising group tactics to use against the qilin who guards the entrance.

    As of right now, Aveena stood alone while she watched Lucia and Keran draw up a new scheme with the group behind them watching closely.

    Unbeknownst to her, a familiar feeling began to spread within her heart as she watched the proceedings take ce.

    And a deeply buried wish bubbled up to the forefront of her mind.

    "You seem quite happy."

    Aveena felt her husband''s arms wrap around her waist from behind and her pleasant mood was amplified 100-fold.

    "Hey, you. Have you finally pried yourself from between Vermeil''s legs?" She smiled.

    "With great difficulty, yes. You should havee to join us, my love."

    "I thought about it�� b-but I had only just woken up and it wouldn''t have been proper of me to do something to put me back to sleep again."

    Though sensing Vermeil''s satisfaction as she slept, Aveena was already regretting her decision.

    "Ah, I see. So there should be little stopping me from embracing you tonight then?"

    "O-Of course not, but�� I wanted to ask you about something." Aveena said, already trying to force her mind to focus and not turn against her.

    Because he could tell she seemed serious, Taira temporarily put his flirting on pause.

    "Feel free, wife. You may ask me whatever you like."

    Aveena turned around and hugged Taira as she searched for the words that seemed to escape her.

    "I-It''s�� I don''t know how to say it properly. I know that this is a turbulent time for us what with the heroes, and Inadu joining our family, and your new influence over the demonic cult, but... I wanted to know if�� maybe��"

    "Maybe?" Taira goaded.

    "If maybe�� we could restore the Drifting Snowfall Sect..?"

 Chapter 176: The Family That Hunts Together…

    Taira is a very strategic nner.

    He cane up with any number of meticulous schemes ranging from simple assassination all the way to the destabilization of an entire kingdom.

    But despite his propensity for forward thinking, Taira doesn''t think about his own future much.

    He knows that he will be married to the girls and with the hope of a miracle, even have a child one day, and perhaps they might have ascended to the upper realm too.

    But beyond that�� he has no real ns or wishes.

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    Just to see his family happy.

    Which was why when Aveena asked him if he would be interested in revitalizing her sect, he didn''t really think twice about it.

    There was no change in his expression, no new surprise in his eyes or anything like that.

    He seemed perfectlyposed.

    "Is that what you want?" Was all he wanted to know.

    Aveena nodded slowly, almost as if she was embarrassed just from bringing it up.

    "I-I know it''s a considerablyrge ask, but-"

    "Okay."

    Taira''s answer was so simple that it was almost as if Aveena had just asked him to make a simple grocery run.

    "I... pardon? J-Just like that?"

    "Will it make you happy?"

    "W-Well yes, but-"

    "Then there is nothing else to consider. I will raise you up to be the most infamous sect leader our world has ever seen. You will have this entire realm at your fingertips if it is what you desire."

    Emotion flooded Aveena''s face.

    It was all that she could do to keep herselfposed, but despite her efforts a few tears fell from her eyes.

    "I... don''t want to do it without you at my side. Walk with me, hand-in-hand, just as we have been doing for so many years until now." she pleaded.

    Between being leader of the demonic cult and starting up a sect with his darling Aveena, it was an easy decision for Taira as to which one he would rather do.

    He and Aveena rested their foreheads against each other with their lips only grazing against each other.

    A rare mischievous smile formed on Taira''s face at this turn of events.

    "The girls will be quite jealous if they learn that we''ve found a little project to work on that we aren''t including them in..."

    Aveena''s smile mirrored his own. For the first time ever she felt a real desire to be keep atleast a part of her husband all to herself.

    "Enyo will be quite fine, since she''ll have much more time toy around all day... but we can always make it up to the otherster."

    "Make what up? What are you two nning over here?"

    At some point, Keran and Lucia had wandered over towards the pair of them once she saw Aveena crying.

    Their ears just managed to pick up the end of the conversation between the pair, but none of the finer details.

    Aveena wrapped her arms around their husband possessively and smiled brighter than the sun on a summer day.

    "Darling and I are going to rebuild the Drifting Snowfall Sect together. As husband and wife." She gloated.

    Aveena was purposely trying to stoke the girls'' jealousy for shits n'' giggles, but she had conveniently forgotten just the kind of women they were.

    "Oh! That''s a great idea." Keran cheered.

    "Abess Setsuka would be proud. You two will be the greatest sessors that she ever could have asked for." Lucia smiled warmly.

    Aveena blinked away her surprise in a slightlyical nature.

    "Wait... You don''t care?"

    ""Not really."" they shrugged.

    The girls didn''t particrly care about Taira and Aveena''s arrangement because they, like Enyo, didn''t really have much interest in running a sect.

    They would likely find other projects to work on with him that would be unique to their rtionship.

    "But since you''ve already said that you''re going to make it up to us, don''t think you can back out of it~" Keran waived them goodbye as she headed back to the tent to check on Vermeil, and Lucia followed behind her shortly after.

    Now that the pair were alone again, Aveena lightly tugged Taira''s sleeve nervously.

    "I was thinking... I know we have room to amodate a little more than a hundred people back at home, but I think I''d really like to keep our numbers smaller."

    Taira wasn''t really surprised that Aveena was already thinking about things of this nature, as she famously had a rather dogmatic personality.

    He found her ability to say whatever she was thinking to be one of her most endearing qualities.

    "I was thinking the same... smaller numbers would make us more efficient and easier to manage... How many did you have in mind exactly?"

    "Thirty to forty, but no more than sixty."

    "Sounds perfect... member criteria?"

    "From a physical aspect we will take anyone, regardless of their age, race, or orientation. From a mental standpoint... They must be loyal, hard working, and diligent. We can work with anything as long as they are unwilling to give up."

    Taira thought his wife was unspeakably attractive right now.

    "And as for our first members... I was thinking maybe..." Aveena let her eyes wander towards a few of the tribesman who were in the midst of their prep.

    Taira gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Patience on that front... Let''s see what today and tomorrow has in store for us before we make any further decisions."

    Aveena shook her head furiously with a child-like twinkle in her eye.

    Taira wasn''t very sure if she was going to listen, but at least she looked cute.

    -

    A few hourster, the energy around the vige was much different than before.

    The asanbosam''s former sense of festivity was chiseled away and reced with dedicated focus.

    Exactly twenty-five of the vige''s best were waiting just outside the city gates.

    Each of them sat atop the back ofrge ck dire wolves that were easily the size of horses.

    At the front of the pack, Tiche and Vaal sat atop their own identical wolves; both of them red in color.

    Suddenly, the direwolves lowered their heads unconsciously as they tucked their tails between their legs.

    Two nine-tailed creatures finally arrived near the front gates with the rest of the pack.

    One was ghostlike and wrapped in silver fur, and the other was more regal and d in ck.

    The two of them were shrunken down just enough that they could run through the woods while drawing the smallest amount of attention possible on their journey.

    Keran carried Aveena and Enyo on her back while Taira held Lucia and Vermeil.

    Once the six of them were present, Vaal, who was already teeming with excitement, finally could not holster himself any longer and finally flicked the reigns of his mount.

    "ALL RIGHTTT!!! Let our familial hunt begin!!"

    Vaal took off into the woods on his dire wolf- leaving Taira and Keran to quickly race behind him.

    Despite their leaving, none of the other tribesmen moved until Tiche gave them clearance.

    She paused briefly to calm her own raging excitement and steeled herself for the encounter ahead.

    Though she was less animated than her brother, she was also quite excitable in this moment.

    She just had a proper image to uphold after all.

    And besides�� overzealous behavior leads to mistakes and dangerous repercussions.

    Once she had finally eliminated all traces of her irresponsible personality, Tiche re-opened her eyes and grabbed the reigns of her own creature more firmly.

    "Go."

 Chapter 177: Too Late to Turn Back

    Getting married for the first time wasn''t anything like Inadu thought it would be.

    Likely because she had a lot of alone time in what was supposed to be her honeymoon period.

    But she was not upset with her husband for leaving her.

    In fact, quite the opposite.

    She was d to have this time to mediate, put herself back together, and even gain some weight back.

    Though it took some effort at first, she was eating three full meals a day now.

    She was still a skinny young thing, but now at least she no longer looked like she was going to be blown away by a wayward gust of wind.

    ''I''m eating as much as I can, but��''

    Inadu looked down at the two noticeablyrger mounds of flesh on her chest.

    This seemed to be where the bulk of the weight she gained went.

    She honestly was not quite sure if she would begin to experience back issues at some point or another and require the aid of a masseuse.

    ''I wonder if my husband would be willing toply�� ehehehehe..!''

    Inadu soon began kicking her feet as shepsed into a small giggling fit.

    As herughter died down, she smiled faintly at her own drawing of Taira that she had been working on ever since he had left.

    ''I miss you more and more each day, my husband. I hope that you will hurry and return quickly to see the new woman who will be waiting for you.''

    -

    Taira sailed through the clearing until his head struck a tree and copsed in on itself.

    It took a few seconds before his head healed and he was able to stand back up.

    This creature was easily the most daunting thing he had evere across.

    Laying waste to his forces was a forty meter hooved beast with the head of an eastern dragon, the body of a tiger, and silver armor-like scales.

    With a single stomp of it''s hooves on the ground, it''s antlers generated thick sheets of ice that formed either jagged des of ice or sculpture-like warriors.

    Taira was incredibly annoyed.

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    His memories of enemies who used ice were shit, so that had served to put him in a very foul mood.

    Not only was this creature big, nimble, and overflowing with magic power, but it had repeatedly disyed intelligence as well.

    Goring through the little creatures who were trying to attack it wasn''t it''s n.

    It was crippling them.

    The qilin took one step and vanished in a gust of wind.

    It reappeared behind two of the tribesmen and ran straight into them with it''s antlers tucked downward.

    Instead of it''s appendages being dangerously sharp and pointed, they were t like they''d been filed down.

    Because the goal was not to pierce, but to strike.

    More specifically, it targeted the small of their backs where their core was most vulnerable.

    After connecting with a direct hit, it dispersed an energy through their bodies that imploded their cores immediately.

    Once their bodies were no longer powerful and they were not so full of vitality, the qilin ate them in quick session.

    It was akin to heating up food to soften it before consumption.

    And the feast had barely even begun.

    "WOOOO-HOOOO!! GLORY BE TO BLOOD!!"

    Flipping through the air were the ever inegmatic siblings Vaal and Tiche.

    The older sister was as cool as the ice around them.

    Her younger brother was noticeably more�� energetic.

    In this secret realm, beasts and monsters can only be killed by spirit weapons.

    However, they are no less rare here than they are in thends above.

    It is the reason why the beasts here grow so well and develop a myriad of unnatural abilities that are not derivative of their species.

    So for those who are born with those unique and highly prized gems- they are fated to be important existences in the secret realm.

    And the asanbosam siblings just happened to each be born with a gem imnt at nape of their neck.

    In a sh, the pair summmoned their prized weapons together.

    For Vaal it was a inhumanlyrge war axe that no man should ever attempt to carry.

    And Tiche wielded a razor-thin de that was as long as a broomstick.

    Just before the two could engage the creature, it sensed their overwhelming bloodlust and reacted ordingly.

    The creature did a massive leap in the air until it was far above their heads.

    It unhinged it''s jaw impossibly wide and spewed a literal blizzard from it''s maw.

    What should have been inconsequential flecks of ice were instead jagged darts sharper than either of the twins'' weapons.

    Because of the timing of the attack, the pair of siblings were left with little opportunity to adjust their movements.

    It seemed like the two of them were in for quite the rude collision when suddenly a shooting star tackled them to safety.

    "Are you guys alright?!" Vermeil asked.

    "This is glorious!! Woo!!" Vaal pumped both arms in the air in excitement.

    "I-I didn''t need you to save me, human! Do not touch me!" Tiche pped Vermeil''s hands away as she picked herself back up.

    "Are you serious! I''m only trying to help you here!"

    "Your kind''s ''help'' always ends up doing more harm than good!"

    "I''m not even-"

    "Stop."

    Taira appeared like a ghost and separated the two women in an instant.

    His re was particrly unkind towards Tiche.

    "Let''s get this done. The girls are already in position."

    "Brother, do we have to end this already..?" Vaal whimpered.

    "��" Taira''s words were non-existent, but his gaze unkind.

    "�� Fine. But I am reversing positions with my sister!"

    "I don''t care, let''s just get this done."

    "Glory to blood!" He cheered.

    Taira sent Aveena, Lucia, and Keran a mental message.

    ''We''re ready to begin. Start the show, my loves.''

    Across the frozen battlefield, Aveena tightened the bandages on her fists and steeled herself for the start.

    Like Taira, she was also having lousy memories of today.

    The loss of Abbess Setsuka, as well as all of her junior and senior sisters was something that haunted her every year.

    She spent every anniversary of their deaths contemting things she could have done differently to save their lives.

    But no matter what she fantasized about, that opportunity was nevering.

    So all that she could do was keep living with their memory and bettering herself on a daily basis.

    And perhaps now she was closer to that goal than ever.

    She was a Sect Leader!

    Her sect didn''t have any members and they had absolutely no prominence to speak of, but still!

    In every action that she took from this day forward, she would do it with the honor and memory of all of her lost loved ones on the line!

    Aveena''s dark red aura red to life and stole the attention of the icy qilin wreaking havoc on the entire field.

    Aveena''s excitement soared as a fearsome smile broke out across face.

    "Demonic Agony Fist Art: Anger of the Departed!"

    Aveena threw out a single red punch.

    The destructive aura of her punch not only destroyed the icy ground, but it also created ghastly images of wailing souls.

    They grabbed hold of the qilin quite easily and held onto it like their afterlives depended on it.

    Naturally, the majestic creature started to break free, but out of nowhere a giant green dragon fell from the sky.

    It wrapped it''s serpentine body around the creature to restrain it''s movement and prevent it from making any more of those unnaturally big jumps.

    With it''s movements limited, Aveena''s fist constructs were better able to grab hold of the qilin and stop even more of it''s movement.

    The beast roared loudly as it started creating more constructs out of ice to free itself.

    Lucia exhaled her own bright green mes to melt down the murderous ice sculptures before they could do any further damage to the rest of the hunting party.

    As Aveena''s constructs continued to strike the legs of the qilin, Keran fired arrows of pink me at it''s knees until they finally buckled.

    When the creature finally crashed to the ground, it was finally Tiche''s turn.

    She pointed her weapon towards the sky and the de became a sickly red color.

    ''Arcane Blood : Worldbinding Chain.''

    Aprised entirely of metallic red blood fell from the sky on the head of the qilin.

    The hunting party grabbed hold of the ends of the in a star formation.

    Using theirbined strength, they pulled downward and brought the qilin even lower to the ground.

    Now that they were nearing the end, Vermeil unslung her sai from her waist.

    She hurled the weapons into the sky and they split apart into a series of glowing yellow duplicates.

    They fell from the heavens like a hail of giant shooting stars.

    Their goal was to act as screws to help bolt down the chains held by the rest of the party and locked the creature firmly in ce.

    Or�� halfway firmly.

    "You need to go now, babe! I''m not sure how long this setup is going to hold!" Vermeil was already beginning to break out into a sweat as she tried to keep the beast down.

    Taira summoned Yasuke into his hand in the form of arge gold and red scythe.

    Vaal was already shuffling back and forth on his feet like a child who had to pee.

    "This will be wonderful, exemry, grand, exciting, beautiful, magnani-"

    "Vaal. Calm down and let''s go."

    "Right! Ok!"

    Taira and Vaal leapt into the air together.

    Each of them raised their weapons and began gathering qi around the des.

    This drew the attention of the restrained qilin; causing it to raise it''s head to the sky and roar.

    Vaal smiled madly as his own excitement started to take over his body.

    ''This will be glorious!''

    Even though he was excited, Taira wasn''t.

    Because he could already feel in his bones that he was about to make a massive mistake with serious repercussions.

    But it was toote to stop now.

    ''Immortal Harvesting Scythe Art : Dead Moon.''

 Chapter 178: A Secret Inheritance?!

    The soul is the essence of a cultivator''s entire existence.

    In this life, they can lose their arms, head, and even their lives and none of it will matter.

    Provided that they have a suitable reincarnation technique at hand, they cane back to life in as many as 1000 years or as little as a day-with all of their memories intact to boot.

    Previously, Taira had put an undeniable strain on his soul after using a technique far above his current wheelhouse.

    By bathing in the waters of his home, he was able to lessen the strain on his body and mitigate the pain he felt, but it was far from a true repair.

    Useage of immortal harvesting, abat art that tampers with the soul, even though it should have aided him, ended up causing him a severe bacsh.

    After cutting off the head of the qilin with Vaal, Taira quickly lost consciousness.

    Later on in life, he wouldn''t be able to say how long this happened for, he would only recall that it felt like significantly longer than what actually urred.

    Nevertheless, in the midst of Taira''s limp and somewhat lifeless body falling from the sky, his mind suddenly snapped back to reality.

    There was a brief period where he felt wildly disoriented, but his body''s instincts took over and he flipped to safety before he could fall into any real danger.

    Once hended on the ground, his hand immediately went to his chest as he leaned on his weapon for support.

    Circting his qi throughout his body, he searched himself from top to bottom for any abnormalities.

    ''What just happened to me...? My mind is...''

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    Taira knew that he shouldn''t be up and walking right now.

    He felt his soul shatter.

    Or perhaps just something within it.

    And yet his mind felt so unbelievably clear and unburdened that it was like he''d just woken up from a wonderful rest.

    "WOOO!! GLORY BE TO BLOOD!!"

    Well, itwas unburdened.

    Vaal threw his arm around Taira''s shoulder while raising his bloodied axe to the heavens.

    "Oh, how I have longed for a rigorous day such as this! These schemes of yours made felling the beast as easy as milking my own-"

    "I will pay you not to finish that sentence, cousin." Taira said tly.

    "What need does a man like me have for money??"

    "You can by udon and blood sausage with it."

    "...Seriously?"

    Vaal and Taira''s involuntary celebration was quickly interrupted by Taira''s wives and the rest of the hunting party.

    The girls were quite concerned over the fact that their husband seemed to be in his own head quite a bit, but they eventually ceased their interrogation of him when they saw him smile.

    Their husband wasn''t a robotic man by any stretch of the imagination, but smiling in front of others was usually a big no-no for him.

    So he had to be in some kind of good mood.

    "Well... Should we see what the beast is guarding so fiercely?"

    Tiche was the first to direct their gazes towards the great structure standing in front of them.

    The Sanctum of The Mind was arge, spiraling structure that seemed entirelyprised of ice.

    It sat in the middle of a frozenke and gave off an ominous feeling that promised a boundless amount of secrets and knowledge within.

    "There will undoubtedly be great treasures inside..."

    "And traps too..."

    "Then who is to take the lead? I confess that I don''t really have the best mind for things of that nature."

    Unanimously, everyone turned and nced at Taira, who was still supporting himself on his weapon. He was just making sure to do it in a way that made it hard to tell that he was still a little weak.

    To everyone except Tiche that is.

    "You''re hurting. Were you hit?"

    "I''m fine."

    "That isn''t what I asked you."

    Taira ignored her and started walking towards the doors of the sanctum. "You''re free to wait around asking useless things if you want, but I''ll be leaving you outside while you do so."

    "Smart mouthed fox.."

    Despite her annoyance, Tiche still followed behind Taira and the girls as they entered the sanctum by pushing open the giant icy doors.

    True to the group''s expectations, the sanctum was filled with traps from the moment that they walked in.

    There were no physical enemies, (much to Vaal''s disappointment) but there were dozens upon dozens of trap doors, hidden trip wires, and chambers containing a poisonous gas.

    Even though Tiche was not fully sold on Taira, she had to admit that without him here, traversing this ce would have been a far more dangerous endeavor.

    His eyes seemed to pick out every single faulty floor panel or shady looking door with ease.

    Even she, with her eight star arcane knowledge, couldn''t say that she would have been able to notice these small details with the same ease as him.

    Her in depth observations of him were interrupted a few momentster when her brother''s voice suddenly popped into her mind.

    ''Sister seems to be watching our new kin quite closely.''

    ''I am simply observing his behavioral characteristics and trying to gain a grasp on the man who is supposedly thest of our cousins.''

    ''Supposedly? The blood doesn''t lie, and I have literally seen him drink from the neck of his wives on several asions.''

    ''Yes, but he doesn''t share our values. He doesn''t behave like us.'' She reaffirmed.

    ''Do you truly believe those things, or are you just harboring hate for him because he lies with a human?''

    Tiche nearly spat on the floor from revulsion. ''It is a disgusting act.''

    ''They''re his nuts, he can do with them what he wants. And besides�� Vermeil is not so bad.''

    Tiche almost screamed. ''You''re calling it by its name now?!''

    ''She has earned this much I believe. She saved your life, and she makes wonderful udon with perfectly seasoned cuts of meat. Aside from her being ugly, I see why brother Taira made her kin-bride.''

    ''��You''re insane.'' The Youn Wouj shook her head.

    ''Yes.'' Vaal admitted. ''But she is so clearly not like others of her same brood. I believe that at the very least she deserves the smallest amount of your hostility possible.''

    Tiche stared into Vermeil''s back so hard that she could''ve drilled holes into her.

    She didn''t like how everyone seemed to cozy up to this human girl so damned fast.

    Now, even her own brother seemed to be turning against her in favor of this strange outsider.

    Had they forgotten their history already?

    Did no one remember how nefarious humans were??

    ''Well I won''t be blindsided, I''ll never ept a damn-''

    *Ker-Chunk!*

    The group finally reached a final vault door at the end of a long hallway.

    A pair of thick doors made of ice creaked open slowly at Taira''s behest and weed them into a grand hall.

    Once everyone was fully inside, torches lit up every dark corner of the room and revealed that the rows of treasure waiting to be imed.

    The only problem was, they were trapped behind an invisible barrier made of solidified qi.

    The only clue to obtaining these treasures was the throne all the way in the back of the room.

    A decayed skeleton sat upright on the seat; forever impaled by a myriad of rusted weapons.

    Suddenly, the entire temple trembled and the corpse began to shine.

    A booming voice filled with power suddenly spoke.

    "Come forward, wise man of valor and wit��"

    Taira nced behind him and found everyone giving him a look that seemed to say; ''Well he''s for sure not talking about us.''

    Begrudgingly, the fox-kin walked forward just as the aura of the skeleton took shape.

    Now, Taira and the group could see what the skeleton looked like when he was alive.

    It was an older gentleman with a snowy white beard and a set of long pale blue robes.

    He exhaled and a brutal chill swept through the entire room that only Taira and his wives could withstandfortably.

    When the figure opened his eyes, his gaze slowly settled on Taira.

    "Now, let me see who will be the one to inherit my�� Ah, shit. It''s a sted fox��"

    A throbbing vein bulged in Taira''s forehead as he tried to convince himself he hadn''t heard those words just now.

    Meanwhile, the specter seemed to be having a very serious conversation with himself.

    "Curses�� I really don''t want to give my resources to a member of that n, but there may be no choice in the matter�� this stings my pride." He grumbled.

    ''I wonder if I kill him then will everything inside here still be up for the taking..?'' Taira really wasn''t willing to lose out on such high quality items even if his life depended upon it.

    These things could very well serve as the foundation for his and Aveena''s new sect!

    Eventually, the specter decided it hade to a decision as it sped it''s hands behind his back authoritatively.

    "Procede closer, descendent of Bao Si. Allow this honorable immortal Velreth to test your worthiness once more!"

 Chapter 179: It’s All a Scheme?

    Velreth.

    The so called great god of ice who descend into his chosen hero''s body over fifty years ago and killed the entirety of the Drifting Snowfall Sect while the Amarok family watched.

    It was a name that Aveena would never forget for as long as she lived, because it marked the worst day of her entire life.

    Now that she could finally put a true face to the name, her anger immediately ran out of control.

    "Y-You�� YOU BASTARDDD!!!!"

    Aveena''s eyes glossed over as she lunged through the air as the immortal spectre.

    Red tattoos appeared all across her body; causing her already proud muscture to swell considerably.

    "I''LL KILL YOUU!!!!" Aveena''s roar was more destructive than a full force strike from most venerable realm cultivators.

    Her actual fist attacks were so destructive that she could put a hole in a mountain at full power.

    A fact that Velreth would soon learn well.

    Aveena raised her arm andshed out with anpunch so powerful and fast that it easily broke the sound barrier.

    "Impudent!" Velreth summoned an array of defensive magic without even waiving his hands.

    Once Aveena crashed against the barrier, there was a severe discharge of electrical energy, but none of that seemed to deter the frenzied Aveena in the slightest.

    "I WILL KILL YOU!! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!!"

    "Foolish girl. I do not even know you. A shame our first meeting will result in your demise."

    "AS LONG AS YOU ACCOMPANY ME!!"

    "How rabid."

    Velreth increased the energy output on the barrier and Aveena was finally sent hurdling back.

    Taira leapt into the air and caught her body before she could hit the ground.

    "Aveena, stop." He hissed.

    "Release me, Taira! I will kill him for what he''s taken from me!!"

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    "I know you grieve, but pay attention! And trust me when I ask you to stay your hand!"

    Aveena was very hardheaded like most oni were, which typically meant Taira had to tamper her fire with his own if he was going to get her to listen him.

    She''d gotten considerably better over the years, but this situation had reverted her back to a walking minefield.

    Aveena bit her bottom lip until blood ran down her jaw.

    With her muscles trembling, Vermeil and Lucia came over to pat her on the back while Taira turned to address Velreth.

    It wasn''t as if he wasn''t upset himself.

    He understood just how important Aveena''s family was to her, but he couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more here that they were in danger of overlooking.

    There were certain things about this whole ordeal that made his senses go out of wack.

    "...You don''t remember me?"He asked.

    Velreth sneered. "I am quite certain I have never seen you before in my life. And yours is certainly a face I would remember."

    Velreth had never seen a nogitusne like Taira before.

    His physical appearance aside, there was something quite different about him that he couldn''t really ce his finger on��

    "Fifty years ago you descended to Tayar through your hero and wiped out my wife''s entire n. And tried to kill us."

    Velreth visibly gagged at Taira''s perceived stupidity.

    "Boy... let us get two things correct before we proceed any further.

    I wouldnever voluntarily step foot in the cesspool that is the lower realm for any reason.

    Besides, this immortal has been entombed here for over 20,000 years... And what in the cosmos'' great name is a ''hero''?"

    If Taira weren''t so good at controlling his own facial expressions, he would have already let his jaw hang open from disbelief.

    "... I believe it may be best if we engage in a small information exchange before we speak of more tests."

    "...So be it." Velreth agreed.

    -

    The lower realm is practically a joke to the men and women who dwell within the nine heavens of the upper realm.

    It is enormously inferior to those heavenlynds in every way possible, from beauty, to qi thickness, to living conditions.

    Those in the upper realm see those who live below as barbarians.

    They bicker with each other needlessly over things like race and worship practices, while the only discrimination in the upper realm is between the weak and the strong.

    Though that may make it better or worse depending on who you ask...

    The beings known as the great gods whom lower existences worship so fervently are no more than twelve high level cultivators who fell down into the lower realm ONCE due to a particrly nasty heavenly tribtion.

    They spent around six months there before inevitably going back like nothing had ever happened.

    Apparently after they left, the people started worshipping them as ''gods''.

    But the great gods never once turned their gazes to the lower realm; as they had no interest in the murmuring of insects.

    However, after they returned and shared the embarrassing story of their fall, five nonhuman deities came together to discuss the potential usefulness of cultivating lower existences to bolster their forces.

    Soon, they too descended and amassed followers that mostly consisted of those from their distinct racial lines.

    Because these were all the sons of influential powers within the higher realm, they had a sort of tentative friendship with one another.

    But when they each faced difficulties in cultivating lower existences into worthy aides, pressures began to rise and a sense of rivalry was brought about.

    They ended up leaving after four months and engaging in a 10,000 year war before inevitably calling a truce; forgetting about the lower realm almost entirely.

    Velreth wasn''t quite sure how the mes of racial discrimination ended up getting stoked up among the lower existences, but he just attributed it to the folly of mortality and looked over it.

    Around the same time that the fabled beast of ruin descended onto Tayar, Velreth, and the original twelve other great gods ended up getting into a war of their own.

    Because their powers were practically equal, they all ended up killing each other.

    Save for Astel... the most enigmatic and willy of them all.

    Some of the great gods had heirs and ns remaining, so together with the ''fallen'' gods who had finally inherited their positions, they established the ruling powers of the upper realm.

    The True Celestial Spirit Pce.

    The Supreme Dao Temple.

    The Origin of Humanity Empire.

    The me of Beginning.

    Ancient Stargazer''s Mountain.

    Immortal Taoist Association.

    The Nine Tailed Divine Demon n.

    The Heavenly Dragon Sect. ( Later renamed The Crown Jade Dragon Dynasty due to a certain red-haired stranger...)

    The Blood of Rebirth Cult.

    And Velreth''s own Eternal Ice Pce.

    This was the end of the deceased immortal''s knowledge, as his soul soon lost the power needed to linger about and observe the world after his flesh was destroyed.

    So he sealed himself within this very tomb hidden in a pocket dimension within the upper realm- intending for one of his descendants toe and find him so that he could officially pass down his position.

    -

    After a real mind fuck of a conversation, the immortal Velreth looked as if he needed to lie backdown for another thousand year nap.

    "So I''ve fallen back down to the lower realm once again... My dream of choosing a proper sessor has been torn asunder and burned... Oh, how I rue the day of my demise."

    While Velreth was agonizing over his fate, Vermeil stepped forward with a question on her lips.

    "Pardon me, Heavenly Immortal... but I want to know�� if the twelve Great Gods are not the ones responsible for summoning humans, then who is...?"

    Velreth temporarily tore himself away from his fit of disdain and instead turned to observe Vermeil.

    He stared at her for quite a long time before finally deciding to speak. "You are one who needn''t worry... I can actually sense the touch of Astel on you. Figures, since he always did whatever he wanted without caring about how it made him look... loser."

    "L-Loser??"

    "Well what else would you call adults who y around with children''s toys in their free time? That''s all that the lower realm is, a discarded children''s toy that should have been thrown out long ago.

    And to answer your question, little girl... whoever is bringing over otherworldly humans and bestowing them with power under the guise of ''saving'' your so called Races of Light... they most certainly are not myself or my old friends.

    Meaning you lower existences are likely being yed with by an individual you can''t even lift a finger against."

 Chapter 180: Upper Realm Politics

    In the aftermath of shocking revtion after revtion, the entire room needed a moment to sit down and take a breather.

    The racial war in Tayar had been raging for tens of thousands of years longer than anyone in here had been alive.

    But now, they were learning that it had all started because of monumental boredom and an ident?

    All of the blood that had been spilled, the children who had lost their parents and the victims whose bodies had been taken from them�� It was all done in the name of twelve gods who couldn''t care less about those who lived below.

    It was maddening.

    To those in the upper realm, they were insignificant. But in Tayar these belief systems were everything.

    And now, for those in this room, they were nothing.

    An entire cultural pir had crumbled to dust in an instant.

    While Taira wrestled with his own annoying headache, he heard movement from behind him.

    Aveena slowly approached the specter of Velreth.

    She raised her hands in a wushu gesture and lowered her head until her chin was touching her chest.

    "My shortsightedness has caused me to act discourteous towards you. I would ask the venerable immortal for his forgiveness."

    Velreth stared at Aveena for a long time before he inevitably waived his hand dismissively.

    "Forget it�� I''m not going to harbor this grudge against you since you couldn''t have known of my untimely demise�� but take heed, girl.

    If you want to survive in the world of cultivation, then you must be hot hearted but cool headed.

    The stones of the upper realm are soaked with the blood of the talented and the rash. It is only considered a crime to be thetter."

    "��I will ingrain your words into my soul, great immortal."

    "Hmph."

    Though Velreth seemed crass, in truth he had a very good impression of Aveena.

    She had a very noteworthy strength for a lower realm existence, and if she could learn to get a hold on that temper, she might go quite far.

    He might''ve liked to take her as a disciple, but he could sense she possessed a more instinctive aptitude towards me martial arts and demonic cultivation practices.

    ''Though perhaps I may be able to teach her a few things�� provided I have an opportunity that is.''

    Aveena turned back to her husband with a more sorrowful look on her face than she had before.

    "Husband�� I''m-"

    Taira simply took the horned woman into his arms and hugged her tightly.

    "Descendent of Bao Si. Step forward." Velreth beckoned.

    Taira wiped away the single tear running down Aveena''s cheek and gave her a small kiss before he went to stand in front of the icy immortal''s corpse.

    Velreth''s spirit floated down in front of the foxkin and ced his finger on his forehead.

    A dull blue glow passed between them and Velreth''s brow crinkled into a frown.

    "You''re the descendent of that woman so your affinity for ice arts is quite high, but.."

    "But?" Taira raised a brow.

    "Your talent is shit. Nine hundred years old and you''ve only now reached the fifth stage of the awakening realms..? Embarrassing." Velreth shook his head.

    "��What?"

    Vermeil: "Hey! My husband is a genius who reached this realm after cultivating for only fifty years! Not to mention he can use arcane too, so put some respect on his name before I turn this bitch into a scene from ''Ghostbusters''!"

    Velreth looked back and forth between Vermeil, Taira, and Aveena beforeing to a simple realization.

    "��You like fiery women it seems."

    Taira shrugged.

    He really did not have a particr type if he were being honest.

    It was more urate to say that fiery women liked him.

    "What are the awakening realms?" Taira asked.

    In that moment, Velreth got another reminder that he was stuck in the lower realm.

    "Pardon this immortal for his forgetfulness�� I neglected to take into ount the thinness of the qi in the lower realm and yourck of knowledge about true cultivation��"

    He suddenly turned to Vermeil with a dry look on his face.

    "And for your information little girl, everyone is supposed to be able to utilize arcane and body cultivation. The two go hand in hand."

    Vermeil, Keran, and Lucia suddenly felt as if the traits that made them special were dashed away.

    Meanwhile, Velreth looked down at Taira with a new light in his eyes.

    "The awakening realms are what we call the beginning stages that facilitate the possibility of immortal cultivation.

    Typically, one is expected to have reached the 8th stage by the time they reach twenty.

    But to aplish something simr in fifty years within the lower realm�� you''ve quite the talent indeed."

    Taira didn''t know how he was supposed to feel about that after being told that he should have been past his current stage 880 years ago.

    "Your father seems to have raised quite a talent. Though I wonder why he sent you to the lower realm like this��"

    Taira''s voice became cold. "I have no father."

    Velreth only seemed to find his attitude amusing. "Ha! I see the beast lord''s reputation among his children is still the same!"

    Now, Taira was having a hard time following the flow of conversation.

    "Are you talking about Fenris..?"

    "If that is what you wish to call him then I suppose. I remember that child long before he assumed that phony name."

    "Fenris is not my father. He simply bestowed me a name." Taira rified.

    Now, Velreth was the one who''s jaw had fallen open. "Truly? What an unprecedented situation�� to insert an outsider into the line of session like this is hardly a-"

    "I''m sorry�� line of session??"

    Velreth had truly forgotten just how little mortals really knew about�� everything.

    Having to exin every little thing to him was exhausting.

    "An immortal''s ancestral name is no mere ceremonial trifle. Because you epted it willingly, you are something like a bastard child.

    You have a slim im to one of the nine most powerful ns in the upper realm, but.. I highly doubt Fenris'' other children will tolerate your existence."

    Velreth circled Taira several times as he stroked his beard.

    He didn''t understand why Fenris would make such a desperate move.

    If he hypothesized, he could only guess that the six ns serving underneath Fenris were tired of his piss poor leadership and were urging him to pick a sessor.

    But all seven of Fenris'' children notoriously hate their father- and the feeling is suspected to be mutual.

    After all, under Fenris'' leadership the prestige of the Nine Tailed Divine Demon n had nosedived.

    Likely because of his fued with the Blood of Rebirth Cult��

    Naturally Velreth''s knowledge was a bit out of date, but he was atleast 70% certain he had an urate picture.

    ''But why would he choose this man as his heir..? The talent is there, sure, but I don''t think��''

    In that moment, Velreth noted two of the women standing behind Taira protectively.

    He''d already noted the feisty human girl who was favored by Astel.

    But now, he was also noticing the green-haired dragoness who had an aura simr to an old adversary of his.

    ''Oh�� Maybe that''s why?''

    The Crown Jade Dragon Dynasty.

    Ancient Stargazers Mountain.

    Nine Tailed Divine Demons.

    Three of the 9 great powers in the upper realm would share a connection through marriage. Making them allies for the first time since their founding and bringing about an unprecedented situation.

    And if Velreth allowed Taira to ept his inheritance, the Eternal Ice Cult would be thrown into the mix too.

    ''Interesting indeed�� perhaps I do understand why you wanted to raise this one, Genrei.''

    "I have decided that you are indeed worthy to carry my inheritance!

    Taira Kukan Amarok, I will now prepare you to be the sessor to the Eternal Ice Cult, and I will personally be your master!"

    "��"

    Taira couldn''t hear a damned thing that Velreth was saying right now.

    He was far too distracted by the fact that Fenris had been keeping secrets from him since the start and was now using him for some sort of family n game.

    He''d even gone as far as humiliating him with this faux adoption, and the revtion of those things easily sent Taira into a rage.

    ''I.. will.. kill him.''

    Murderous thoughts were dismissed however when Velreth poked Taira on the forehead again.

    His entire body was suddenly encased in blue me, and the temperature within the room dipped well into the negatives.

 Chapter 181: Ice Ice Baby!

    It was thirty minutes after Taira received Velreth''s inheritance.

    Vermeil recalled in great detail the first time that she had seen Taira with his new name and appearance.

    It was the most eye-opening moment of her entire life, and it solidified her innate desire- no, her need to have this man as her husband.

    As she re-watched him y around with his new powers, she began to have that feeling well up all over again.

    And she didn''t appear to be alone.

    All five of Taira''s wives were staring at him openly with palpable attraction.

    In fairness, Taira was not that much different from before.

    Like a normal breakthrough, his body simply seemed to be made out of a higher quality of ingredients than normal.

    While that sounded like a small change, the transformation was enough to put Taira and his wives in the honeymoon phase all over again.

    Enyo: "��I love him."

    Aveena: "I think if he talked to me again i just might faint."

    Vermeil: "The longer I look at him the more I can physically feel myself ovting."

    Lucia: *Uncontroble drooling.*

    Keran: "I definitely cannot let my mother see him now.."

    All of the girls nodded in unison with each other as if they were all having the same thoughts at the same time.

    Taira however was so immersed in this new ability of his that he hadn''t yet noticed their infatuation yet.

    With a wave of his hand, he sent forth a wall of his usual deep blue mes.

    However, when they passed along the ground, instead of scorching it, the mes produced thick walls of ck ice.

    A single touch would reveal that the ice itself was so cold that it burned worse than any mortal me.

    {As expected of the one I chose�� ice arts use an abundance of yin energy that is not so easily controlled and merged with the body- especially not among men. But you seem to have no difficulty with it.}

    Taira looked down at the new medallion that had been transferred to his person by the Immortal Velreth.

    It was golden colored and around the size of a pocket watch. The front was etched with some kind of writing that Taira hadn''t the foggiest idea of how to decipher.

    "Your talking in my brain is quite unnerving." He murmured.

    {Unfilial disciple! Is this how you address your master on your first day under my tutge?!} Velreth roared.

    "Would you prefer I be mannerly or adept..?"

    {Both}

    "A pity since I''ve been stripped of my ability to multitask in my youth."

    The amulet in Taira''s pocket vibrated with annoyance.

    This was the problem with Kitsune and Nogitsune alike, they were all so haughty and upromising!

    {��I can promise you this, disciple. If your work ethic falls in relevancy beneath your unlikeable personality, then your immoral master will not be happy.}

    Whether his master was happy or not, Taira just hoped that he wasn''t quite so chatty all of the time.

    {As I was saying��}

    ''Fuck.''

    {The yin and yang qi within your body seem to not only be working in harmony, but they have been merged together to act on one ord.

    Fox spirits famously have a talent for the ice element so I''m not surprised that you werepatible with it, butplete synchronization achieved near instantaneously is unprecedented.}

    Taira started to half heartedly thank the old spirit for the praise, but he felt as if the old immortal had more to say.

    Though he would have liked to be wrong..

    {Now that I have a grasp of your ability when you aren''t even trying, I expect to see even greater feats from you when you are actually putting forth effort!}

    Ignoring his talkative new master, Taira waived his hand and dismissed the walls of ck ice he''d created with a thought.

    "I came here because I''ve been told I would find a primeval spirit pill. Is it here?"

    {Naturally, but how did you�� Genrei, of course��} Velreth snorted. {He always did covet my pagoda of limitless frost a bit too much for my liking.}

    "This building is an artifact?" Taira questioned.

    {Indeed it is, my disciple. Your eyes will be opened to many things in due time but for now, what you seek is in the furthest case on the left.}

    Taira started walking towards the directed path and got a good look at the treasures lining the walls of Velreth''s throne room.

    As vampiric royalty, Taira wasn''t exactly unustomed to rare weapons, cultivation manuals, and elixirs.

    But everything that he was seeing here was so unbelievably profound that he couldn''t begin to imagine the things they could do.

    {A pity that I died with only these things left on my person�� such a pitiful vault this is.}

    Taira felt like Velreth was indirectly calling him a country bumpkin.

    The foxkin picked out a ck wooden box etched with the design of golden dragons.

    Upon opening it, he found twenty identical pills sitting neatly in a box.

    ''What a great find�� I was only expecting there to be one.'' Taira smiled.

    "Is that what you came for, cousin?"

    Taira looked over his shoulder and found Vaal staring into the box with intrigued eyes.

    "It is."

    Vaal looked around at all of the other nice things in the hall and he whistled a bit in appreciation.

    "About our deal�� I''m afraid we cannot take any of these items from you." Vaal shrugged.

    "Why..? Surely each of you could find something here that you can utilize."

    "Your gesture is appreciated, cousin, but not in this lifetime I''m afraid.

    These practices are too advanced for our eyes, and these weapons so mighty that they would stunt our growth.

    That is if we were even able to wield them at all��"

    Vaal shook his head dismissively and smiled.

    "You need not worry, as none of us consider ourselves wronged. You have given us a glorious fight and a chance to open our eyes about the world around us. We don''t require more than that."

    Taira still felt guilty, no matter how much his rtive insisted that he had no need to be.

    He wanted to make things right and not make it seem like his rtives were being stiffed.

    All around him, he could see the rest of the hunting party giving him reassuring smiles as if they were also trying to tell him they were alright.

    Well, Tiche wasn''t smiling.

    Taira didn''t even think she was capable of it if he were being quite honest�� but who was he to talk?

    The moment seemed quite right to him, so he looked towards Aveena and held out his hand.

    Shyly, Aveena came to take his hand and together, the two of them came stand in front of the hall.

    "If you all are willing�� We''d like to make you an offer." He began.

    "Fifty years ago my sect was destroyed and I lost my master and my entire family. After taking some time to grow our own strength�� my husband and I have decided that we want to revive it together." Aveena said firmly.

    "Are you asking us to join this revived sect of yours..?" Tiche asked.

    The couple nodded together.

    "You say you will not ept these weapons and resources because you feel they are too advanced for you toprehend or utilize properly.

    But if youe with us, then we are offering to bring you to newnds where you may experience these things without reservation or doubt.

    We will establish a power that holds a grip in not only this world, but each of the nine heavens of the upper realm as well.

    You need only trust us to lead you to these heights, and to teach you with everything that we have."

    Taira kept silent while Aveena made the pitch because he didn''t know if he had the right disposition to convince any of them.

    But Taira knew that he needed his rtives to join him.

    Aside from his wives and his sole friend, he had no one he could trust.

    Not Fenris, and most certainly not even this new master of his.

    Now more than ever, he needed to be certain of who his friends were, and who were adversaries.

    But the route to rity would hardly be so smooth.

    "��You should know full well our customs." Tiche muttered as she sauntered forward. "Only the most powerful are fit to stand in positions of leadership."

    Again, Tiche summoned her dangerously long de and jammed it into the icy floor in front of her.

    "I have witnessed a great many things today, and learned even more. Perhaps certain foundations of my belief have been shaken, but��"

    Out of the corner of her eye, Tiche nced at Vermeil for a fraction of a second before returning her gaze back to Taira.

    "I remain firm in the belief that you cannot hope to take individuals under your banner if you cannot corral them. If you cannot defend them."

    She pointed her sword at the beautiful couple and made her intentions clear.

    "I will acknowledge no faction that I have deemed lesser then myself. Soe and express your valor firsthand, lest an honorable future evade us all."

 Chapter 182: The Birth of The Dai-Shi

    Taira and Aveena weren''t very much surprised by Tiche''s desire to challenge them, which is why they hardly reacted to her prodding.

    "Alright, well we don''t mind or anything. But which of us are you challenging?" Aveena asked with her hands behind her back.

    "Which of you is to be Sect leader?"

    ""Both of us.""

    "Then I must test both of you."

    "...At the same time?" Aveena rified.

    "Naturally."

    Taira''s eyes narrowed. "Be warned. You get but one opportunity to invoke this test of yours. Afterwards, I expect you toply totally."

    Tiche smirked pridefully.

    "You have my word. Are you still man enough to ept my challenge?"

    "...How eager you are to learn." Taira shook his head. "Our first lesson has begun already."

    Taira snapped his fingers and a deep blue circle of me surrounded the three of them.

    The other inhabitants backed away to avoid any sudden cases of frostbite- save for the wives who barely felt anything at all.

    Except pity.

    Aveena shrugged off her outer covering while Taira summoned his weapon to his hand in the form of a very long sickle.

    However, Taira was surprised to find that his soul weapon looked a bit different from normal.

    The de was just a few inches longer than before; possessing a more serrated edge with jagged points like the wing of a demon.

    In addition, it''s formerly golden de had been reced by a homogeneous mix of ck and blue ice.

    The previous ruby colored shaft was now made out of a much darker ck metal, with etchings of silver symbols inscribed along the top and near the butt of the weapon.

    Though graceful before, it now seemed much more menacing to the eye.

    "Oh? How eye-catching." Aveena smiled as she re-wrapped her fists. "You ready, hon?"

    "Mhm. Let''s begin."

    Tiche saw Aveena lunge at her first.

    As always, her sized ballooned as vibrant red tattoos showed up along the course of her body.

    Tiche had already seen Aveena''s prized fist art before, so she prepared herself to get in closer and avoid any of it''s signature long range surprises.

    All the while, she kept her eye on Taira who had yet to make any dramatic moves.

    Her own sword seemed to be super heated before the de itself melted down.

    Bright ruby colored gauntlets formed along Tiche''s arms.

    She met Aveena in striking range first; allowing her the privilege of dealing first blow.

    Her fist sailed out and struck the oni full force in her muscr abdomen.

    Tiche was no easy opponent, and was quite strong physically.

    She could blow away most cultivators with one punch.

    However, Aveena was an oni, and one who had specifically trained her body over the years to takerge amounts of abuse.

    So even though Tiche did strike first, her dream of ending this in one hit would remain unfulfilled.

    Aveena''s flesh was like a leather punching bag filled with diamond sand.

    Her opponent couldn''t even tell if she had seeded in injuring her at all.

    Aveena only smiled like a beautiful buxom berserker; earning her opponent''s attention as well as her ire.

    Finally, it was Aveena''s time to strike back, but Tiche was left a little confused by her beginning motions.

    ''She supposedly uses fist arts, so then why does this look like��''

    "Nine Yin Palm Art : Winter''s Flow."

    The cold air in the room was suddenly siphoned and traveled towards Aveena''s palms.

    With movements as graceful as a dancer''s, Aveenashed out with her palms in seemingly simple movements.

    Tiche was dismissive of this movement at first, but as time went on it became harder and harder for her to block.

    It almost seemed as if she was progressively getting faster��

    ''No, I''m slowing down..!''

    Every time that Tiche blocked with her arms; ice was generated along the surface.

    ''��Annoyingly troublesome.''

    Tiche superheated her gauntlets once again and melted away the frost along her body.

    With her full reflexes restored, Tiche quickly picked out a small opening near her opponent''s midsection.

    With the speed of a jet ne, she threw out her fist in the small gap between Aveena''s movements and struck her directly in the sternum.

    This time, she directly felt bone crack underneath the power of her knuckles and she smiled in satisfaction.

    But her smug smile was wiped away nearly two secondster when Aveena''s open palm struck her hard in the nose.

    "Y-You��!"

    "If you avert your gaze for even a second this''ll be over." Aveena said with a bloodied smile.

    "I want to see what you can- Kugh!"

    Tiche looked down at her midsection and therge icy de that was jutting out of it from behind.

    Cold qi was freezing her organs from the inside out even faster than she could use her internal energy to thaw them.

    ''Damn it..!''

    She looked up at where Taira once stood and found the area empty.

    "Cheating bastard��"

    "She warned you." Taira replied from behind.

    Tiche''s mind went back to Aveena''sst words and she grimaced.

    She had gotten so immersed within the battle in front of her that she took her focus off of Taira for just a single moment.

    In that brief timeframe, he not only closed the distance between them, but impaled her from behind without tipping off her senses.

    All without emitting even the faintest trace of bloodlust or even danger.

    ''He is a man who seemingly moves while carrying nothing�� Unbelievable.''

    "This game is done. I expect you to live up to your word." Taira yawned.

    Fifty years is a long time.

    In that period of cultivating, fornicating, and learning, Taira and his wives not only learned how to build themselves up, but how to uplift each other too.

    Though Aveena falls below her husband in terms of destructive power, there is no greater partner for him in a fight than her.

    The way she fights is specifically tailored to exhaust, overwhelm, and captivate.

    Taira is a man who exploits openings no matter how small.

    No matter the opponent, she can almost always forcibly cause an opening for her husband to take advantage of.

    They are like true yin and yang.

    Had Tiche not stubbornly tried to challenge them both at the same time, they might have found themselves in the middle of an entirely different oue.

    "I demand��another-"

    "You are in a position to demand nothing. I gave you a moment to reconsider, and you did not take it." Taira reminded.

    Humiliated wasn''t the right word to describe how Tiche was feeling.

    Embarrassed? Annoyed?

    More than anything, she just wanted a proper re-match to prove her ability wasn''t this shallow.

    But, she had already given her word that she wouldply.

    And for the asanbosam, one who openly breaks their word bes an outcast.

    "D-Damn it��"

    "We need to hear you say it." Aveena goaded.

    Tiche spat out a heap of blood onto the floor.

    "��I�� concede."

    Taira removed his de from Tiche''s backside and watched her body fall to the ground.

    Aveena''s fierce demeanor disappeared almost instantly.

    Instead, she smiled kindly and dropped to her knees in front of her.

    Reaching inside of her ring, she pulled out one of Vermeil''s own pills and fed her quickly.

    "Circte your internal energy if you don''t want to freeze from the inside out. It seems my husband''s new weapones with nasty new effects."

    Tiche could physically feel her organs freezing up, so she didn''t have time toin about such baby-like treatment.

    While she healed, Taira dismissed the wall of blue mes cordoning off the area.

    Now, he was clearly able to see the stunned faces brought about by a crowd that was unable to even perceive his movements.

    "Does anyone else have an objection?" Taira asked.

    Unsurprisingly, no one else even considered stepping forward.

    Atleast, not to challenge them anyway.

    "I have a question."

    Surprisingly, Vaal stepped forward with the first serious look on his face that was rtively unlike him.

    "I must know for sure, cousin and kin-bride. Would you have us form a n with the races of light?"

    Taira and Aveena looked at each other for a fraction of a moment before inevitably turning their gaze back to Vaal.

    "It isn''t our specific goal, but it certainly will not be an impossibility." Aveena shrugged.

    "After everything you''ve heard here today, don''t tell us that you still are wary of interaction. I had thought you more courageous than that." Taira chuckled.

    All five of his wives stared at their husband like he had just grown nine new tails.

    ''Did he just�� joke with someone other than us..?''

    ''I can''t believe it��''

    ''No fucking way��''

    ''Little Ina is never going to believe this shit.''

    ''Perhaps hell has also frozen over��''

    Vaal himself chuckled in a mature tone.

    "Quite the opposite�� I had just wanted to be sure we were on a better path."

    Vaal suddenly shuffled his feet awkwardly as if he were trying to remember exactly how to do something.

    Eventually, he got down on one knee and raised his hands in a wushu gesture simr to the one Aveena exhibited earlier.

    "First Discipline Vaal Naa''leth greets his new Youn Wou- No, how do you say it�� Dai-Shi."

    All around them, the rest of the hunting party were following Vaal''s example and performing their own greetings.

    Even Tiche did not seem to take an issue with it.

    Nearby, Vermeil pinched Enyo on the butt to get her attention.

    "Hey, cougar-pedia..?" She whispered.

    "I told you that I don''t know how I feel about that name�� but what is the matter?" She rolled her eyes.

    "What''s Dai-Shi mean?" Vermeil ignored the first part of Enyo''s sentence entirely.

    "It was a very old, very cultural term for the great god of undead. It means ''The Great Death''. It''s quite thepliment, no?"

 Chapter 183: Thriving In The Secret Realm

    - 8 Days Later��

    Nature, in essence, is unkind.

    That universal idea is no more prevalent than it is within the secret realm.

    The flora and fauna here are every bit as eyecatching as they are dangerous, and the monsters here grow quite well in such fertile environments.

    But oddly enough, the most dangerous aspect around the secret realm is the strangers whoe from outside to visit.

    Near an old abandoned temple, two women held onto each other for dear life as they fell down a steep cliff.

    Before they could hit the jagged ground at the bottom, one of them created arge slide made from icy magic.

    Together, the two were able to slide down for a much less jarringnding.

    Once the two of them rolled to the ground, one of the women groaned audibly andined for what felt like the 1,600th time.

    "I told you to leave me�� I''m only slowing you down and you won''t get far like this��"

    Herpanion seemed to be hearing none of it, and she went back to trying to lift her up against her will.

    "I don''t know what I could have done to make you feel as if I am in the habit of leaving allies behind, but I confess that your misunderstanding of my character is quite annoying."

    With a heave, the woman lifted her up over her shoulder like a big duffel bag.

    "Stupid elf��"

    "Say whatever you want�� but I''m not an elf anymore."

    A wizzing sound came from overhead and the woman ducked down just in time to avoid taking a flying spear to the head.

    ''So persistent��!''

    Looking up, the woman red at her group of persuers who were still doggedly chasing after her.

    They were a group entirelyprised of human men.

    The four of them wore sickly green robes that covered most of their bodies and dark blindfolds to cover their eyes.

    They too slid down her fabricated slide and began trying to close the distance between themselves and their prey.

    The woman clenched her fist aggressively.

    A deluge of spikes formed up along the surface of the slide- killing one but only nicking the rest.

    Once they started charging up their own techniques, the woman realized that she could not aptly defend herself and herpanion while carrying her like this.

    So as much as it stung her pride, she had no choice but to keep running south and hope that her persuers eventually gave up.

    She turned tail and started to run when her exit was suddenly cut off by the appearance of yet another green robed human. Your next chapter is on mvl

    "It seems my junior brothers are having trouble... I''ll give you all a hand just this once."

    The woman being carried could sense the arrival of the newest addition with thest of her energy.

    As her eyelids became heavier and her body hotter, she pleaded with the one carrying her for the final time.

    "Listen to me, Aja�� I need you to cut your losses and get out of here while you still can�� I''m already out of time here."

    The lich queen shook her head stubbornly as she readjusted her grip on her passenger.

    "Don''t tell me what to do, dog. You just focus on conserving your energy and let me think of a way out of this."

    Ayame wanted to argue further and insist that the elf was being foolish and wasteful.

    But she was out of energy to waste her breath anyway.

    Herst bit of energy was used trying to raise her ws to her neck so that she could kill herself.

    But as she lost strength in her arm, her consciousness soon faded and her head dropped lifelessly.

    Thest thing she heard was the sound of a fight breaking out, and somewhere off in the distance, a wolf''s howling.

    -

    In her dreams, she heard a song.

    It was one so old and beautiful wit would have instantly brought tears to her eyes were she awake.

    She struggled to ce the voice that felt so undeniably familiar to her.

    A soft warmth seemed to fill up her entire body as she rested.

    It was an inviting, reassuring feeling that could only bepared to the hug of a long-lost loved one.

    Miraculously, it was as if the lightbulb in her brain finally had power.

    She opened her eyes slowly to observe her surroundings.

    A beautiful face was above her that closely resembled her own.

    The only difference was that this one wasn''t quite so hard and still possessed both of her eyes.

    But just by looking at them, it would really be quite easy to mistake them for sisters.

    At the sight of her, Ayame felt her good eye well with tears.

    "M-My..."

    "Easy now, Ma." Keran soothed. "Don''t try to talk just yet. I haven''t gotten rid of all of the poison."

    Ayame looked at her own body and realized that she was on fire.

    Her body was wrapped in bright pink mes that seemed to be healing her instead of turning her into a sexy b of grilled meat.

    ''My daughter with the beast god''s bloodline�� How incredible she has be.''

    Though Keran instructed her mother not to move, Ayame still reached out to take her hand.

    She gave her hand a firm squeeze and stared at her tenderly.

    "I�� searched for you." Her voice was hoarse and dry;ing out as barely a whisper.

    "Were you worried about me?" Keran joked.

    Ayame nodded without a moment''s hesitation.

    This admittedly caught Keran by surprise.

    She was expecting her mother to say something like; ''You are my daughter, so of course you survived''.

    They had developed a kinder rtionship over the years, but this was dramatically more sentimental than she was used to.

    Keran leaned down and gave her mother a kiss on the forehead as she wiped away her teary cheek.

    "Don''t worry, Mother. I will not leave you alone in this world or any other."

    Ayame med the poison for making her so damned sensitive.

    And since it totally absolutely wasn''t her fault�� she let herself weep silently with joy just this once.

    Keran held her mother silently; equally grateful that the two of them were able to reunite like this.

    It wasn''t until almost twenty minutester that Ayame remembered the situation that she was in before.

    "T-The lich..?"

    "Aja is fine, don''t worry. I''m sure she''s out there bugging my husband and making up for lost time."

    With help from her daughter, Ayame was finally able to sit up on her own and the mes on her body were dispelled.

    Keran gave her mother a quick nce over, checking her pulse and the internal condition of her body.

    "Can you draw in you qi again?"

    Ayame closed her eyes for a moment before nodding. "It is slow as of right now, but I can feel it again. The poison is no longer inhibiting me."

    "That''s good. I''ve already purged most of that nastiness from your system, but we should still go and see Vermeil and see if she has any detoxifying pills on hand. Can you walk?"

    "Hmph, of course I can walk��"

    Keran shook her head wryly; pleased to see that her mother''s sense of pride didn''t seem to have been damaged at the very least.

    Despite her request for independence, Keran was a filial daughter and helped her mother stand up anyway.

    "Just consider it the wants of a needy daughter and allow me this, yea? Like when I was little."

    "��I suppose that will be fine. Just do not coddle me too much." Ayame grumbled.

    "Yes, yes, I understand."

    Supporting her mother discreetly, Keran helped her outside of the tent for the first time.

    She was surprised when she found four men and women in tribal paint kneeling just outside of the tent.

    "This..?"

    "These are the members of the hunting party who saved you and Aja." Keran exined.

    A woman lifted her head and Ayame received one of the biggest shocks of her lifetime.

    "We are pleased to see the mother inw of the Dai-Shi is in good health. My group may rest a bit easier now that we know you are well."

    "A-Asanbosam..? Dai-Shi??" Ayame sputtered.

    She turned around to her daughter in wonder and a tiny bit of horror.

    Keran chuckled cutely at her mother''s reaction.

    "Well? Don''t be rude, Ma. They specifically requested to wait here for you. They were afraid they''d gotten to you toote."

    "I-Is that so��"

    Ayame turned back to the men still kneeling in front of her and she lowered her head curtly.

    "You all have my thanks. I owe you my life."

    "Please, think nothing of it, mydy. Those of the ck Myth live to protect each other from all that would seek to tear us asunder."

    After bowing once again, the four of them vanished into thin air and left Ayame even more confused than before.

    "The ck Myth..? What is that?"

    Keran scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Well, Taira and Aveena may have decided to start a sect of their own in the time since we''ve been here�� Is that surprising?"

    Ayame''s jaw fell open.

    "I guess so��" Keran muttered.

    She led her gobsmacked mother through the vige while trying to give her a quick little run down of their time in the secret realm.

    At several points in the story, Ayame felt as if she were going to faint from the shock of the news.

    And then, they reached Taira and Vermeil''s location.

    The two of them were just south of the vige, sitting in an area that appeared to have once been argeke and waterfall.

    But now, the entire thing was frozen solid and turned to ck ice.

    A feat that should have been utterly impossible, since the weather was firmly in the mid seventies.

    Sitting crossleged in the middle of theke was Taira, and he was somehow much more eyecatching than he was before they''d entered.

    He wore a much finer deep blue kimono that was woven with lustrous gold along the sleeves and hemming.

    A white fur cor simr in appearance to his very own tails hung around his shoulders and enhanced his mystical nobility.

    His silver hair had developed a shinier white and powdery hue to it, almost perfectly resembling freshly fallen snow.

    The usual red mark on his forehead had turned ck in color and now had a more intricate pattern.

    His ruby red eyes shed open and a pir of energy burst forth from his body.

    Half a secondter, Vermeil, who was at his side, had a simr reaction.

    After several years, they were breaking through to the next major realm.

 Chapter 184: Poison Ambush?

    Ayame couldn''t believe it.

    The Quasi-God realm.

    After all of these years, she was seeing not one, but two individuals reach this highlymendable stage together.

    "It is quite the sight, is it not?" Keran smiled proudly.

    "I-Indeed it is�� and such a gorgeous man to boot�� let me marry him too."

    "Mother!"

    "Ohe on, Keran, look at him. You probably don''t even know what to do with a man like that."

    "I assure you that I''ve had more than enough time to figure it out! You couldn''t even do anything with him anyway, he''d split you in half in the first minute!"

    "Sounds right up my alley if I''m honest��"

    Annoyed, Keran finally stopped supporting her mother and let her fall to the ground.

    Ayame''s face became bright red and her embarrassment was evident. "Y-You pushed me!"

    "I did no such thing. Seems like you needed my help more than you led on, huh?" Keran smirked eevily.

    "Why you��!"

    "Are you alright, mydy?"

    The women momentarily stopped their bickering when an unknown voice snuck up on them from behind.

    ''Who is this..?'' Ayame wondered.

    The woman who''d arrived was different from any she''d ever seen before.

    For starters, she was around 6''3 with a lean, yet noticeably muscr build.

    Her skin was a rich chocte color that paired well with her dark coverings and intricate ck war paint.

    It was difficult to determine whether she was pretty or not; as half of her face was covered by arge ck Afro.

    The only visible features of her face were her thick, full lips and pierced nose to match her elongated ears.

    Unlike Ayame, Keran did not seem surprised by her sudden appearance.

    She even smiled fondly as she reached up to pat her cheek affectionately.

    "I''m alright, Shakti. Just dealing with an old woman who doesn''t know right from wrong."

    The sound of Ayame''s teeth grinding together was even louder than the sound of Taira and Vermeil breaking through.

    The woman Keran had called Shakti didn''t seem to be the expressive type, but her ears did twitch happily a bit.

    "Who exactly is this..?" Ayame grumbled as she stood up.

    "This is Shakti." Keran introduced. "Taira and Aveena selected her as our family hand."

    "An honor I am most grateful for." She bowed.

    The ''hand'' of a sect is simr to a hall monitor or a head disciple.

    Their purpose is to ensure that all policies and procedures set in ce by the Grandmaster; as well as ying the role of body guard if need be.

    Shakti was chosen by Taira and Aveena unanimously.

    He liked her because she didn''t talk a lot.

    She liked Shakti because she didn''t seem to stare at Taira lustfully.

    Vaal and Tiche would have been chosen, but one of them was a bit too much of an overzealous chatterbox, and the other frequently abandoned her duties as Youn Wouj.

    Shakti was truly the obvious choice to make.

    *Whoosh!*

    Finally, the winds returned to normal and the pirs of light surrounding Taira and Vermeil dissipated.

    Together, the two of them rose to their feet and approached the group of onlookers standing on the riverbank.

    Shakti immediately sped her hand and fist together while lowering her head as they approached.

    "My Lady. My Dai-Shi. Allow me to congratte you both on a sessful breakthrough."

    Vermeil still wasn''t used to all this formality, so she smiled bashfully as her cheeks turned pink.

    "Thank you, Shakti. I have to admit that I forgot how good it felt to breakthrough a major realm. I feel like a new woman!"

    Though Taira didn''t say anything, he too was having simr feelings.

    The difference between his current strengthpared to his previous power was like night and day.

    He felt like he could plunder a whole kingdom by himself in only a week''s time.

    "Oof!"

    Ayame let out a small yelp when Vermeil suddenly wrapped her into a tight hug.

    "Thank goodness you''re okay! You have no idea how worried we have been since we got separated. Keran was especially freaked."

    "D-Don''t tell her that��!" Keran hissed.

    "Hehehe, I''m sorry!"

    Ayame wasn''t really the touchy-feely sort, so she had a hard time adjusting to this human girl''s sudden burst of affection.

    "Y-Yes, well�� everything seems to have worked out for the best�� Get off me now, half pint."

    "Aww��"

    Vermeil went back to hugging Taira''s arm mere secondster; making Ayame feel just a little bit jealous.

    "My mother was attacked and poisoned when one of the parties brought her here with Aja." Keran finally revealed. "I was hoping that you had a detoxifying pill on hand to help her get over thest of the poison?"

    "Oh my god, of course I do! Here!" Vermeil pulled out a small dark green pill and held it out for the curmudgeonly werewolf to take.

    Upon ingesting it, dark liquid started to trickle out of her pores in front of everyone.

    ''Wonderful�� As if I didn''t already need a bath before all this.''

    "What exactly attacked you?" Vermeil asked.

    "Not what�� who. They were humans from the outside world and they seemed to belong to a Sect of some sort."

    Aja and Ayame were traveling together when the two finally stumbled upon an abandoned temple.

    Together, the two investigated and Aja ended up getting her hands on some sort of special medallion.

    But not long afterwards, the two of them were swarmed by a squad of sovereign level cultivators.

    But the odd thing about them was that they were all poison martial artists.

    Poison arts are considered cowardly and loathsome by the races of light and fallen alike.

    But this also makes them rare, and because of that Ayame wasn''t prepared to deal with them.

    Leading to one of the most humiliating moments of her life where she sumbed to the old ''powder blown in the face'' scheme.

    Retelling it out of her own mouth, she only felt even more embarrassed.

    "Is Aja injured as well?" Taira finally asked.

    Ayame couldn''t help notice the difference in care was quite substantial.

    "She has a few scratches, but nothing major." Keran revealed. "If our disciples hadn''t gotten there in time, things could''ve been much worse. I thought she''d be here bothering you honestly."

    It was barely noticeable, but Taira did seem to rx a bit.

    But he was still Taira.

    "Were they all eliminated?"

    "I''m afraid not, honey. Two managed to get away clean. I''d imagine our people''s baseline resistance to poisons was a bit too much for them."

    Taira seemed unsurprised by this as he nced at Ayame.

    "Can you give me a description of the cultists?"

    "Green robes, bandaged eyes, annoying as all hell, why??" Ayame asked.

    Taira ignored her and turned his head towards the towering Shakti.

    "Make sure all of our riders know that description by heart. If they should find any of these men on their hunts, they are to be brought to me alive."

    Shakti bowed deeply. "Is there anything else, Dai-Shi?"

    "��Bring me the ones who are responsible for saving finding my mother-inw. I wish too reward them personally."

    The normally robotic Shakti cracked her lips into a small smile.

    "I am sure that they will be ted to hear it."

    She vanished right before everyone''s eyes and left them by their lonesome.

    Ayame could not help but stare at the young man she had practically watched grow up.

    Now a full fledged adult; she still couldn''t believe that this was somehow their ''useless'' child.

    If only they could have seen him now�� Stay tuned with mvl

    "It seems the secret realm has been kind to you all. Mind filling me in on everything that hase to pass?"

    The beginnings of a smile formed on Taira''s lips.

    "��I do not mind. But first I should find Aja and ensure that she isn''t bothering the humans first."

    Ayame''s ears twitched uncontrobly.

    "Forgive me�� do you mean humans as in plural??"

    Keran chuckled as she led her mother back towards the camp.

    "Come along, Ma. Let''s get you into a bath and then we''ll introduce you to Big Country."

    "I''m not some feeble old woman, Keran, you don''t need to treat me like�� What the fuck is a Big Country?"

    As the mother daughter pair walked away, Taira and Vermeil took their own path back to the vige.

    It had been quite a while since he had seen his so-called best friend, so he wanted toy eyes on her for a moment and ascertain her wellbeing for himself.

 Chapter 185: The Second Guardian!

    "Hmm�� You''re all of quite an ugly sort. I know that most humans are but this is just a cruel joke of the gods."

    Exasperated panting was the only response that the Lich Queen received from the six surviving humans from Vermeil''s ss.

    The lot of them were all nearlypletely passed out in the dirt from extreme exercise.

    Save for Big Country, who was alreadypletely passed out in a mound of his own throw up.

    "Try not to poke too much fun at them, outsider. They''ve shown admirable spirit by choosing to learn the art of cultivation."

    Aja looked up at the unknown muscr man with dark red dreadlocks and a mouthful of sharp teeth.

    She was d to see a member of the asanbosm race thriving after so long, but for some reason she didn''t like this one very much.

    "...You should address me as an honored guest instead of an outsider."

    Vaal snorted. "Our cult has no horned ones aside from our Dai-Shi and the Ladies of the Cult. You are merely a guest brought in by their grace, but no more."

    Aja hadn''t felt this tantly disrespected even when a group of men tried to poison her a few hours ago.

    "How dare you insinuate that I am somehow an unimportant guest by any means. I happen to be the only best friend of one of your grandmasters, so pay me the proper respect."

    The stick of bamboo that Vaal had been using to ''motivate'' the recruits suddenly snapped in his grip.

    No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn''t abide this!

    First, he was passed over as Taira and Aveena''s hand due to patibility differences''.

    Now this random outsider was iming that she held the position of his cousin''s closest friend in the entire world?!

    Preposterous! He would not ept this!!

    "E-Even if there may be some validity in what you im, Brother Taira and I are linked by blood! That alone trumps any superficial bond!" He reaffirmed.

    One thing about Aja was that she didn''t lose arguments even if she had to lie.

    "Superficial? I''ll have you know that I was invited to join his bed once."

    Vaal gasped. "Truly?!"

    "Indeed. I just so happened to decline his invite because I didn''t want to-"

    *Chop!*

    "OWW!"

    Aja doubled over while clutching the brand new knot on her head.

    Looking behind her shoulder, she found Vermeil was the culprit- wearing a smile that clearly wasn''t a smile.

    "Go ahead and tell me the rest of that little story of yours. The back of my hand is anxious to hear the rest of it."

    Though she was currently being threatened within an inch of her life, Aja couldn''t help but observe the human woman more closely.

    ''Such impressive strength�� So that breakthrough I sensed a moment ago was hers. But then who else could have..?''

    Just behind Vermeil, Taira was standing by quietly with a small smirk on his face.

    Just by looking at him, Aja was sure he''d broken through, and perhaps even received some good inheritances too.

    "So, now you are fond of causing trouble for others as well as myself it seems. What a nefarious habit you have picked up, my friend."

    Aja couldn''t exin why, but in the moment her body simply moved on it''s own.

    She rushed to hug Taira to mark the end of their separation.

    And to great surprise, he actually hugged her back.

    "1��2��3!" Vermeil counted on her fingers. "Break it up!"

    She hurried to yank away Aja by her pierced ears.

    Tairaughed significantly louder this time; enticing Vermeil and astouding Aja.

    "My brother and Dai-Shi." Vaal suddenly bowed. "I am pleased to see your breakthrough has gone smoothly."

    A knowing twinkle shone in Taira''s eye. "Thank you, Vaal�� But you seem to have something that you wish to say to me."

    Vaal twitched imperceptibly.

    It took him a moment to gather his courage, but eventually he looked up like a sad puppy.

    "I-Is this woman a more significant friend to you than I am?? Have I not proven myself to be more than capable enough?!"

    "Apparently not." Aja muttered.

    "Quiet, rodent!"

    "Please, you two, this isn''t necessary..." Taira shook his head.

    Honestly, he didn''t really see the use in an argument like this.

    Friendships, just like his rtionships, didn''t have a particr hierarchy to him.

    If he valued you, he valued you. He could not ce any one person above the other.

    {Disciple.}

    Taira''s pleasant mood lifted like a fog when he heard the voice of his ancient master echo in his mind once again.

    ''Do you need something?''

    {I have a suggestion. You would be wise to lose your hostility and heed it.}

    It was true that Taira didn''t trust the man, but he did pay rather close attention to any advice that he received from him.

    Not anyone could just receive tutge from an upper realm immortal after all��

    ''What might this suggestion of yours be?''

    {I am aware of your reluctance to anoint the talkative one as your hand, but I believe it might serve you well.}

    ''��Your reasoning had better be irrefutable.''

    {He seems to have a deep seated need for acknowledgment from you. And he is fairlypetent as well. If you want my advice, then christen him now.}

    Taira shook his head internally.

    ''I will not have Shakti relinquish her position just days after giving it to her. She''s done nothing to spark my ire so far, and she''s very hardworking.''

    {You do not need to rece her. Just make him subservient to her.

    Hispetitive nature will bring out the best in him, strengthening the cult as a whole.

    And if the Shakti girl is not wholly useless, she will rise to meet his growing aplishments.} Enjoy more content from mvl

    ''...''

    Taira really hated it when he couldn''t argue with the logic of people he disliked.

    Pushing his master out of his mind, Taira suddenly ced a hand on Vaal''s shoulder to prevent him from bickering with Aja any further.

    "��I have reconsidered my decision not to name you as our family hand."

    Vaal would have ripped his ears off from disbelief if his whole body wasn''t paralyzed with excitement.

    "T-Truly!? So you are going to choose me instead of Shakti?!"

    "Absolutely not. She''s been wonderful so far."

    "Oh..."

    "But I can no longer deny your effort and abilities. So I would like to implement a new system instead, where you two will share the same rank."

    Vaal looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. "S-So I am also to be the wall that defends the cult''s family??!"

    "Provided you learn the very necessary art of speaking only when required."

    "I will!" Vaal saluted.

    "Then it is settled."

    "Yes, Dai-Shi!" He cheered.

    Discreetly, Vaal flipped off Aja and made sure she witnessed the entire from start to end.

    Sensing the beginnings of a strange new obsession on his cousin, Taira could do nothing but shake his head.

    ''What an odd man... Shakti will certainly have her work cut out for her in corralling him.''

    -

    A whole slew of new avenues and opportunities were transferred to Taira when he became Velreth''s sessor.

    But among them, possibly none were as important as the sanctum of the mind.

    The icy structure that stood in the middle of the secret realm for an uncountable number of years was in truth a spiritual artifact. Now bound to Taira''s very soul.

    Simr to how the group can teleport home at any time they want, he can now visit this ce too.

    The only difference is, he can reappear in the exact same spot where he first entered from whenever he chooses to leave.

    But what if he could somehow fuse the two spaces?

    Currently, Taira was standing just outside of a very particr series of rooms.

    Through a small window, he could see his beloved Aveena sitting in a lotus position while she was hard at work cultivating.

    Many of the functions of the sanctum of the mind were inessible due to theck of sufficient qi density in the atmosphere.

    But among the few that were operational were the closed door cultivation chambers.

    These rooms were very special, in that they provided astounding rity of the mind by beingpletely sound proof and sound absorbent.

    Even if you threw a metal pot against the wall, you wouldn''t be able to hear so much as a single peep from the collision.

    The rooms were set up in a hall with twelve doorways sitting in a row; meaning up to twelve could use them at once.

    In addition to their aid in quieting the mind, they also ce an astounding outside pressure on the body.

    This can be used to temper one''s physique even further, and improve their overall bloodflow, qi cirction, and durability.

    The pressure on Aveena''s body was at the lowest point possible.

    This was done on purpose, since Velreth had assured Taira that she would pop like a balloon if she tried to press her luck.

    Despite that, Aveena had sworn that she wouldn''t being out of here until she was a Quasi-God like Taira and Vermeil.

    Now that they both held the title of Dai-Shi, it was that much more important to her that they be equal in power.

    She didn''t want her husband to be their cult''sst line of defense ever again.

    And Taira respected her for hermitment immensely.

    Which was why he popped by just to leer at her and cheer her on silently from outside.

    But when she finally returned to him, hopefully he would have a whole lot of surprises waiting for her.

    ''Are you sure that this is possible, specter? Do not get my hopes up.'' He asked again.

    Velreth clicked his teeth in annoyance.

    {Your over cautiousness may serve you well in the world, but I don''t particrly like being second guessed�� Yes I''m sure. Now remember what you have promised me in return.}

    Taira nearly rolled his eyes.

    ''Yes, I remember. If you show me how to do this, then I will begin practicing those ice arts of yours.''

    {About time! Now, do exactly as I tell you to��}

 Chapter 186: I Missed You

    It was another day at home, and Inadu preemptively sighed in exhaustion at the thought of everything that she had nned.

    Today was going to be a special hair-care day for her that would very likely eat up most of her time.

    The dreadlocks in her head had just about had it and she was in dire need of a re-twist.

    She considered it a miracle that she had been able tond a husband with her looks being as shabby as they currently were.

    But today, she would change all of that!

    When her husband and everyone returned home, she would show them a side of her that would captivate and astound!

    With determination in her heart, she finally got up and began heading towards the washroom.

    It took Inadu four hours to take down all of her hair.

    Normally it would have taken someone with this much hair significantly longer, but as an Arachne her fingers were more nimble than normal.

    When it was done, all that was left was a young woman in an ocean of thick gray hair.

    ''Okay... Now for the difficult part.''

    Holding in her breath, Inadu dove into the family bath like it was a swimming pool.

    A few momentster when her hair was fully wet, she popped her head back out of the refreshingly hot water and caught her breath.

    "Seems it''s wash day. Do you need a hand?"

    Ina''s blood ran cold in her veins.

    She slowly pulled back the curtain of her hair to see her husband standing over the bath; more handsome and captivating than he had ever appeared before.

    A great many emotions and feelings ran through Ina''s mind at this moment.

    But one emotion overpowered them all.

    *Ssh!*

    Inadu buried her head ack underneath the water and hid herself from Taira''s sight.

    ''...'' He simply stood there gobsmacked; believing he may have kept his new wife waiting too long and earned a small amount of her ire.

    He heard her voice in his mind from underneath the water, and his suspicions were only worsened.

    ''Y-You aren''t supposed to be back already!''

    ''...Not the reunion I was expecting. It seems you were having more fun here without me. ''

    ''N-No!''

    Inadu finally popped her head back out of the water with her eyes as big as saucers.

    "I.... Just wanted to look a bit more put together for when you returned. I wanted you to see how much work I was able to do on my own."

    Now that he knew the reason, Taira couldn''t help but smile in earnest.

    "You need not worry, my love. I can see it well."

    Inadu now was almost night and daypared to before.

    Not only was her hair much longer and healthier, but so was the color and texture of her skin. Even her eyes were brighter than before.

    While she had gained weight in her face and body, most of it appeared to have gone towards two very particr areas...

    It was as if she was glowing both inside and out.

    "...I have missed you." she finally said.

    Judging by the way her cheeks darkened, it was clear that she felt embarrassed just by admitting it.

    "And I you." Taira smiled. "Will you join me out here, or must I join you in there?"

    Inadu smiled as she lifted up her bundles of thick hair.

    "You were the one who offered to give me a hand, remember? So which one will be easier for you, my husband?"

    -

    "...You know, Ina, I quite believe I like your hair the way it is now."

    "Are you just saying that because you are incapable of helping me with it?"

    "..." Taira said nothing, for he was unwilling to admit such a thing out loud.

    "Fufufu. My husband, the hardened assassin and the son of the most famous ruler in thest 1,000 years is left stumped by simple box braids. Who would ever believe it?" Inadu giggled.

    Taira felt just a tiny bit embarrassed.

    He could expertly pinpoint the pressure points of his enemies and bring them down with but a single touch, but apparently braiding hair was far too much for him.

    And Inadu seemed to find that hrious.

    Together, the two of them were seated along the top roof of their home; right underneath the delicate white cherry blossom tree.

    Inadu satfortably in Taira''sp with her back pressed fully against his chest. It almost seemed as if she was trying to embed herself in his skin so that they might never be separated again.

    While they were entwined, Ina''s fingers swiftly spun her own web of hair as if it were silk.

    "I actually believe I might like this better." she finally said as she closed her eyes. "Even my great husband has things that he cannot do."

    "And why exactly do you prefer this..?"

    "It makes me feel as if I have a ce beside you... And helps me to not feel like a butterfly clinging to the sleeve of a god.

    There is something that I can do that you cannot... even if it may not be substantial, it is still something nheless.

    It means that there is hope that I might still find something all my own that I can add to our family. That alone would bring me unbridled joy."

    Inadu may very likely never pick up a weapon again.

    Even if one day she re-embarks along the path of cultivation, it would be only to enlighten herself. Never to harm another soul.

    She simply no longer has the will to do such a thing inside of her.

    Which is why she was rtively ted to witness Taira''s persistent ineptitudes.

    It provided an epiphany that she sorely needed.

    Even if she should never be able to fight with them, she will always be able to provide for them in her own way.

    "So, tell me about your travels." Inadu began. "I am dying to know why you have returned from-"

    "Honestly... Why must you be so alluring?"

    Taira ended up stealing Ina''s lips before they could form another word.

    Let the record show that the pair had already spent quite a lot of time sharing kisses in the bathroom.

    But Taira was so infatuated with Ina that he was still hungrily after her for more.

    She might never get done with her hair at this point...

    In the midst of there kiss, Ina felt something vibrate against her butt and she released a small yelp.

    She knew that Taira tended to exercise quite a bit of restraint when when it came to physical intimacy with her, but she never would have expected that such restraint would actually be capable of making his member vibrate.

    "S-Should we return to our bedroom..?" She asked quietly.

    Taira so desperately wanted to say yes.

    More than a fat kid wants cheeseburgers and fries to be a healthy food.

    More than an old man wants his hair back.

    More than Americans want free college.

    Even more than a hospital patient with a DNR wishes to see the pearly gates.

    But he knew that a certain someone would never let him indulge in his loving wife so openly the way he desired to.

    "Forgive me, my wife�� I fear there is someone I must introduce you to."

    Taira fished out an amulet from within his pocket and held it out for Ina to see.

    Before she could ask what it was, the amulet shone with a bright blue light that temporarily blinded her vision.

    In a moment''s time, Inadu could see a remanent spirit of an old man wearing the finest clothes she had everid eyes on.

    "Business before pleasure, disciple. We had an agreement." Even the way this man spoke was full of elegance and the utmost grace.

    "I''m aware of our bargain, but the least you could do is give me a moment. I haven''t seen my new wife in so long and I am in need of some time alone with her." Taira dismissed.

    Inadu was still looking back and forth between the two men as if she couldn''t follow exactly what was going on.

    "This...?"

    "Ah." Taira realized. "I suppose... I have to catch you up on quite a few things."

    - 16 Minutes Later...

    After a long and colorful exnation, Ina''s eyes had regained some sense of rity.

    The knowledge that the gods were just high level cultivators with no interest in lower realm existences didn''t shock her in the slightest.

    She had felt abandoned by the heavens long ago.

    No, she was much more surprised by the knowledge that Vermeil''s entire ss had followed her to Tayar, her husband had be Heavenly Demon, and their family were starting a sect.

    That already had numerous members no less...

    "Is anything I''ve told you upsetting?" Taira asked with thinly veiled concern.

    Inadu smiled at him sweetly and kissed his cheek.

    "You are very kind to worry about me, but I am not so fragile that you need to concern yourself with my wellbeing at every decision you make. I will be fine, and I will help with the cult in any way that I can."

    Taira didn''t know what exactly Ina had been doing in her time apart from him and the rest of the family, but she was almost like a new woman.

    It was equallyforting and mystifying to see such growth.

    "So? Shall we begin?" Velreth asked again.

    Taira looked like he had a few unkind words for the old soul, but held his tongue out of respect for Ina''s presence.

    Finally, the trio moved to the center of the courtyard just in front of their home.

    Ina sat within the doorway to their home, watching everything that was about to unfold with great interest.

    "Alright, disciple. Just as we spoke about." Velreth reminded.

    Taira nodded to his master and closed his eyes.

    He focused his mind on the connection Keran shared with him that was the source of their home''s ownership.

    Once he had a firm grasp of it, he began tapping into his soul where the Pagoda of Limitless Frost was transferred.

    Extracting it, he then began to slowly fuse the Pagoda into the makeup of the underground cavern.

    The reaction was almost immediate.

    All of the cavern rumbled as the air became noticeably colder.

    Which for this ce was already saying something...

    Sheets of ice grew to cover every structure; almost like a glimmering protective covering. It created a series of structures and scenery that were more beautiful than gold. Stay tuned to mvl

    And the kicker? He still had so much more left to do.

 Chapter 187: An Impossible Test

    A few hourster, Taira had begrudgingly offered Inadu a tentative fairwell with a promise to reuniteter.

    No matter what he did, he couldn''t shake off the persistent pestering of the spirit who had already died once before.

    And as much as he would have liked to have kept ignoring this man, he couldn''t do it.

    Taira wasn''t an ungrateful person.

    So far, Velreth had given him many treasures and resources that were literally out of this world.

    In addition to his own decent advice too.

    Taira couldn''t keep taking things from him while giving back nothing in return.

    He was a more principled individual than that.

    So now, Taira stood alone in an isted training room.

    His luxurious robes were stripped bare in favor of a simple pair of throwaway pants that he didn''t mind damaging.

    The room he was in was around 200 square feet; giving him enough room to move around a little bit to practice techniques should the need arise.

    "Are you ready for your first test?"

    Velreth appeared from within the confines of his amulet and stared at Taira expectantly.

    "I could ask you the same thing." Taira muttered with closed eyes.

    "And what, pre-tell would I be getting tested for, disciple?"

    "Whether or not you are capable of teaching me anything that would make you worthy enough to call master."

    "..."

    Velreth really did wish that his disciple wasn''t so unlikeable.

    "An unfilial brat to the core... Alright then. Let us see if you can remain that way for long..."

    Velreth''s ghostly finger poked Taira in the center of his forehead; passing a small glow between the two.

    A technique was passed from master to disciple.

    Taira was surprised by not only it''s profundity, but also by the fact that what he had been given was a breathing technique, not a series ofbat arts.

    Like the breath of origin and demise, this was an art that would allow him to cultivate both arcane and martial arts at the same time at a rate that was much better than he was using now.

    It relied on circting both qi and yin energy through specific unconventional acupoints in the body and brain.

    The technique was very impressive indeed.

    But there was one thing on his mind that Taira just couldn''t look past.

    "How could you possibly learn something like this..?"

    In order to harness a technique with an explicit calling for yin energy, one would have to either be a woman, be a eunuch, or possess a special physique.

    Taira gave his bearded master a side-eye as if he was trying to figure out which of the three fit his description.

    Something Velreth immediately noticed.

    "...I have never regretted my untimely death more than I have in right this moment. For it is the only thing that prevents me from being able to p you to death."

    Taira continued to stare at his master like he was waiting for an answer.

    "I have a special constitution, you durd!!" Velreth roared. "I was born with the ice element!"

    "Oh." Taira went back to being uninterested.

    "..." Velreth could in no way fathom just how one person could be so deplorably unlikeable.

    He was so surprised that Taira had managed to survive this long without having someone forcibly string him up by his intestines.

    Or that he had somehow tricked six decent women into marrying his curmudgeonly ass...

    "As you''ve already seen, the Ice Lotus Breathing Art uses a profound depth of yin energy, just as all ice arts do.

    The reason you can use them with impunity is because of your unique racial characteristics... but I''m sure you''re aware of that."

    Taira nodded in understanding.

    Fox spirits possess both yin energy and yang energy within their bodies from the moment of their birth, giving them great proficiency with whatever ice or me arts they decide to learn.

    It''s one of the many reasons why dual cultivating with them yields suchrge benefits for their partners; in addition to providing an experience only subi and incubi can hope to match.

    "Practicing this art should double the amount of qi you can store in your body, as well as infuse bits of your ice qi into your other cores for an added benefit." Velreth continued.

    Taira didn''t say anything, but he was already quite impressed.

    Doubling the amount of qi his cores could hold meant that he could fight for significantly longer without rest.

    He could go from spamming the same arts and techniques for six months straight to a whole year.

    In all honesty he was quite surprised that Velreth would just give him such a thing and im it was a test.

    "But..." Velreth began.

    ''I knew it.'' Taira shook his head internally.

    "What I''ve just transferred over to you is an impure version." Velreth smiled eerily. "You will have to discover it''s weaknesses and supplement them. You have four hours."

    Velreth was being grossly unfair.

    Altering any technique of any grade requires at least a day. And for breathing arts, whiche with significantly more dangers than just ruined muscles, that length of time is unbelievably lengthened.

    The old cultivator was trying to test Taira''s overall knowledge surrounding qi and qi techniques, as well as see how he reacted when faced with failure and impossibility.

    Because there was nothing wrong with the technique he''d been given in the first ce.

    "Better get started, disciple. The time you can spend with your lovely wives is dwindling."

    Velreth''s evilughter echoed through the training room as his misty body disappeared into nothingness.

    Leaving Taira with an unkind re on his face and a deep feeling of agitation.

    But at the end of the day,ining about circumstances wasn''t likely to get him anywhere.

    So as much as he felt this task was unfair, he still got to work onpleting it.

    The first thing he did was take out an empty notebook from his storage ring.

    He kept a great many of these on him at all times just incase he wanted to sketch a particrly eye-catching scenery, or another illicit photo of his wives.

    With the notebook and pencil, he began writing out the specifics of the breathing art he had just been transferred.

    He wrote down everything as if he were making a standard manual, including body diagrams, how it should feel when refining qi, and every other little detail he could think of.

    Once he was done, he read over it twice just for good measure before he attempted to actually cultivate the Ice Lotus Breathing Art.

    As he already expected, it felt great.

    He was pulling qi in from the very center of his forehead and the area just beneath his navel.

    The two energies would travel along their individual paths until they reached his heart and melded together before filling his various elemental cores.

    It was an invigorating experience that lulled him into a natural rhythm.

    He meant to only do this for a little bit, but unbeknownst to him he ended up cultivating for around 45 minutes.

    The speed of his thoughts had increased around 15%, and the rejuvenating feeling that lingered within his muscles wasparable to when he had sex.

    A quick check of his body''s condition revealed that he had made decent headway into reaching the second level of the Quasi-God Realm.

    He hadn''t the foggiest idea of what could have possibly been wrong with this technique.

    Eventually, he stood up and began pacing about the room.

    He walked from the floor, to the walls, and then the ceiling all in one big circle as he tried to piece together exactly what could have been wrong with this art.

    30 Minutes went by, and he had nothing.

    For Taira, who was a simple lower realm being, working on an upper realm technique was practically impossible.

    It wasn''t much different than asking a man from the 1920''s to fix a car produced in 2024.

    He could barely even fathom what he was looking at.

    Eventually, Taira decided that if he wasn''t going to be able to fix this unconventional art, he needed a method that was equally unconventional.

    Reaching inside of his storage ring again, he pulled out his own breathing technique that he''d been using prior to today.

    He held up the two notebooks in both of his hands and an idea began to form in his mind. Continue reading stories on mvl

    Not a good idea, but an idea nheless.

    ...This probably wasn''t very smart.

    And he probably should have spent more time thinking of a less risky decision.

    But he had wasted enough time already.

    So, as many a college student have said before:

    "Fuck it..."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 188: Something Wicked…

    The task of altering breathing techniques isn''t just difficult for the sake of it.

    Breathing arts are both the vessels and the guideways through which the river of qi flows to nourish the mind, body, and spirit in perfect harmony.

    The techniques that are the mostmercialized are those that are easy toprehend and require little to no prior training.

    The more advanced the manual, the more martial knowledge and talented is needed to understand it.

    Taira spent some time skimming through both techniques in his possession.

    He was rather thorough with his preparations.

    He mapped out every corner of his brain, the circuitry patterns through which qi flows through his body, the paths through which his blood flowed, how exactly it responded to qi, and even the shape of his soul.

    Once he had thosemitted to perfect memory, he pulled out a new notebook from within his storage ring.

    cing the two breathing arts on the floor, he flipped to the front pages of both of them.

    Finally, he began writing bits and pieces from both manuals into the new one he was creating.

    It wasn''t a random ''A little of this, and a little of that'' sort of thing.

    Taira analyzed whichponents were necessary for the breathing arts to flow smoothly and stimte parts of the body instead of crippling it.

    He took the best parts of the arts and wrote them together; keeping in mind the parts that weren''t interchangeable.

    After fifteen minutes, he had his tentative sample breathing art.

    Now, all that remained was testing it.

    But this was precisely the hard part.

    Taira put the two notebooks away and studied his created method approximately 6 more times; ensuring that he understood each and every detail.

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    Finally, he began to put his new art to the test.

    He closed his eye and absorbed qi from his surroundings towards very specific upoints within his body.

    ...And his lungs burst apart not ten seconds into the attempt.

    Abandoning the effort, Taira doubled over and retched out a concerning amount of ck blood.

    His head and chest felt like they were on fire, and not in a way that he could survive in.

    Though he was in horrible pain, he refused to cry out and instead gritted his teeth until his lungs healed.

    Possibly due to Taira''s extraordinary healing factor, his difort faded along quicker than it normally would have.

    And fortunately, his body nor cultivation seemed not to have suffered any damage.

    The only thing that seemed to be bruised was his ego, but perhaps this was what he needed to gain a grasp of exactly the kind of challenge he had in front of him.

    ''...Damn it.''

    Taira had a sudden and painful realization.

    He had to use that improper art again.

    The time, he couldn''t let himself be jarred by the feeling of pain and instead had to focus on exactly what went wrong on the first attempt.

    So he destroyed his lungs a second time.

    But at least this time he knew exactly where he''d gone wrong and wouldn''t have to do it again.

    He went back to the drawing board; making new adjustments to the breathing art and retrying his endeavor.

    This attempt still ended with him vomiting blood, but instead of his lungs popping, one of his elemental cores cracked.

    He had to spend extra time repairing it before he made the adjustments and tried again.

    This time, his efforts resulted in a rupture of the muscles along his back and abdomen, along with a nosebleed topliment it.

    His head was beginning to spin, and he was having a hard time getting his bearings. If he persisted anymore in this state, he was at risk of falling back into the sovereign realm.

    Instead of just diving right back into work, he took a moment to stabilize his foundation and get his body back under control.

    But it was only getting worse.

    ''Get it together..'' Taira chastised himself.

    The stakes for him were a lot higher than ever before.

    He and Aveena were sect leaders now. They had an entire tribe following them with pure devotion, believing that they could lead them to a better, more glorious future.

    And above all, they needed to wrap up their business here and take their true ce within the upper realm.

    The ck Myth Cult would always trudge forward, whether by stealth and subterfuge, or brute force and fire.

    Going backward would not be in their nature.

    ''I...Wait...''

    Taira''s vision was getting worse and worse, and his vision was bing even more unstable.

    But he had an idea that he couldn''t simply look past at the moment.

    Despite his blurred vision and serious difficulty keeping his head upright,Taira was determined to finish his writings before his stroke of genius left him.

    At a certain point, he could no longer even see.

    As his vision failed him, he continued to write at a speed that practically tore the pages.

    He had reached thest line of his notebook when his body suddenly gave out.

    His pencil rolled to the floor just as his amulet trembled and Velreth emerged from his nap.

    *Yawn!* "Alright, disciple. Let''s see what you�� By the nine."

    Thest thing Velreyh expected to find when he checked on his disciple was a whole floor covered in blood.

    ck blood at that.

    "In the great name of dao, boy�� What have you done??"

    Velreth thought that at worst, Taira would just frustrate himself and end up with a really bad headache.

    Or maybe he''d cultivate wrong and make himself pass out or drop a level.

    But he NEVER expected to see a scene like this.

    He quickly checked the unconscious Taira''s condition and found that he was just experiencing a side effect of introducing qi into your brain at too fast a rate.

    His entire nervous system was enduring something like a hard reboot.

    Whether or not there would be permanent damage or not was something that would have to wait to be seen when he woke up.

    "Just what were you.. Oh?" Velreth''s eyes finally settled on the open notebook that had fallen in Taira''sp.

    The writings were a tad bit messy and seemed to have been written in a hurry, but he could follow along at least.

    Though thest line was neverpleted, he was still able to get the general gist of what he was seeing.

    Complete and utter madness.

    "Quite a special apprentice you have there, isn''t he?"

    Velreth felt every tangible drop of his nonexistent blood freeze in his veins.

    He looked around the training hall for the one who had spoken but found nothing and no one there.

    "��Announce yourself! This heavenly immortal is in no mood for games!"

    Laughter echoed all throughout the walls of the hall.

    Velreth could not tell if the one he was speaking to was a man or a woman.

    "A lesson to you, who is long departed. You should know that none above the dark are in a ce to make demands of me."

    Velreth saw a ''figure'' suddenly walk through a wall.

    It seemed to beprised entirely of darkness and death. It had no defining features save for a pair of glowing purple eyes.

    Velreth floated in front of Taira protectively; still not realizing the gravity of the being on his hands.

    "Who are you? How dare youe into-"

    "Step aside." The dark being waived its hand and Velreth was stered against the wall like a smashed fly.

    This humiliation was only Velreth''stest reminder of the fact that he had lost his former powers.

    The dark shadow kneeled in front of stairs and held out his hand.

    He waited and waited for a long time but nothing like he expected seemed to ur.

    "��Curious. Very curious indeed��"

 Chapter 189: A Mystery Gift

    Velreth couldn''t remember thest time he had suffered such a level of humiliation as this.

    Not only was this ghostly apparitionpletely ignoring him, but he even had the gall toxin his back against the wall as if he were some first rate miscreant!

    The sheer inconceivability of it all was astounding!

    But as Velreth red at the apparition with hate, he realized that there was something rather unnatural about him.

    The very air around him rippled with a strange energy; almost the same as a heatwave.

    It was as if the space holding him was unstable.

    He had only heard of this phenomena once before.

    "...You''vee from beyond the boundary. Haven''t you?"

    The apparition didn''t even spare him a nce.

    "Unbelievable... What could someone of your standing havee here for? Why do you bother with my disciple?"

    Finally, the apparition decided to speak.

    "... Your ''disciple'' has eaten something he shouldn''t have. It is my master''s wish that I retrieve it, but... miraculously it seems as though that will be more difficult than the acquisition of the other pieces."

    Velreth looked at Taira strangely before turning back to the specter.

    "I don''t understand. What has he eaten exactly? What do you mean by other pieces?"

    "...I''ve said too much already. I will not be here when you awaken."

    "Wait, what are you-"

    The entity made a twisting gesture with it''s fingers and Velreth immediately lost consciousness.

    With nothing but silence and fur bloodstained walls to observe it, the strange entity finally stopped hovering over Taira.

    Instead, he turned to an empty space within the room and made a shing motion with his hands.

    Space and time itself was ripped apart, and an image of a ''man'' was reflected through the gap.

    But the man in question was beyond extraordinary.

    His skin was pitch ck in color; without a single speck of warmth or light.

    Unless one counted the brilliant golden tattoos that ran across his body constantly. Shifting and churning as if to illustrate the ever changing strings of fate.

    The visible parts of his body were immacte sculpted and powerful, being without equal or rival.

    His hair was twin colored, being around 60% lightless ck and 40% holy white. Curling out of his head were four ck horns that were nigh impossible to even chip.

    In addition to his normal golden eyes, he had a third sitting in the middle of his forehead that was somehow even more eerie than the original pair.

    The specter immediately bowed at the sight of this man.

    "...Overlord. There has been a development that I thought you should be made aware of."

    For some reason, this seemed to upset the being on the other side of the projection.

    "I can assure you, Maliketh... My moodtely has been an unbearably foul thing. I urge you not to tell me anything that could make it worse, or the fate that awaits you will not be kind."

    The being referred to as Maliketh trembled and lowered it''s head even deeper.

    "I-I understand... I''ve contacted you to speak about the collection..."

    "Go ahead."

    "The brain, bones, and flesh of the creature were collected without issue, and came as soon as they were invoked. But the blood seems to be unresponsive."

    The man within the gap leaned forward with a rather thoughtful look on his face.

    "...You''re saying the blood no longer has an ego?"

    "That is exactly what I am saying, my overlord."

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    The ck skinned man seemed to fell silent as he thought about the possibilities of such a thing, while Maliketh continued.

    "Proceeding further would mean that extraction without harming the carrier is no longer feasible, thus going against your orders..." Maliketh said.

    "You seem to have already disobeyed them." The dragon growled; looking at the state of the room.

    "Of course not, My Lord. He was in this state when I found him."

    This actually seemed to shock the dragon.

    "...Seriously?"

    "Quite."

    "...Shit." he whistled.

    "Indeed." Maliketh agreed with a nod. "I wish to know how you would have me proceed."

    The dark being ran his hands through his hair thoughtfully as if his job had just be too stressful forfort.

    "...Test it again. All three this time."

    "As you wish."

    Maliketh stood up and three dark portals opened up in the ceiling.

    Threerge containers each slowly descended; each holding something different.

    One held a green, alien looking organ that pulsed with a strange light. It would be difficult to recognize as a brain.

    The next was filled to the brim with chopped up meat that looked like burned, dried out carne asada.

    Thest one contained dark, bone-like structures, but if you would''ve asked what animal they belonged to, no one in this world or the next could''ve given you an answer.

    As soon as the three items were brought together in the same space and the same proximity, there was an immediate reaction.

    Dark lightning crackled between the three canisters.

    They started to inch together; almost as if they were being pulled by an incredibly powerful maic force.

    Even Maliketh strained as he tried to keep the three separate to prevent a catastrophe from unfolding.

    His master watched this entire scene with all three eyes alert and calctive.

    Surprisingly, there was no reaction from Taira, or even the blood around him.

    He simply continued to sleep peacefully with his notebook in hisp.

    "That''s enough, Maliketh."

    "Y-Yes, overlord.." The dark being quickly stuffed all three storage containers back into separate dimensional spaces.

    Even when it was done, he dropped to the floor heaving in exhaustion.

    "Well... Isn''t that something." The man muttered.

    "What... are your orders, Lord Abaddon..?" Maliket wheezed.

    Lucia''s proimed ''uncle'' seemed to take his time making decision before he eventually waived his hand dismissively.

    "Let him keep it then... Leave my gift with the family and return."

    Maliketh seemed to question that decision, if only slightly.

    Something that did not escape Abaddon''s notice.

    "You have a problem with my decision?"

    "N-No, my lord.."

    "Wise."

    -

    Taira''s entire body felt fuzzy; as if he were enduring st of static electricity after dragging his fur along a carpet.

    But even more than that, he felt heavy. Like his muscles and organs had turned into cinderblocks.

    The most he could do was open his eyes, and even then he could only crack them.

    But what he saw standing above him was almost enough to make him ck out all over again.

    Right in front of him, in her flesh was his mother. Just as hest remembered.

    Glossy dark brown skin, bright white teeth, and a ck hair traveling down her back.

    She seemed to notice that he was awake, and for a moment their eyes met.

    Her irises were bright purple, but her sclera were dyed ck.

    Taira knew instantly that this wasn''t really her.

    "��Why�� do you wear�� her face..?" He wheezed.

    ''Dhalia'' chuckled as she continued to ce an item on the ground.

    It was arge jar filled with some strange five-colored liquid.

    "Your insight is promising�� it means you will go far in life. Perhaps word of your deeds will reach even me, who sits in the abyss below."

    Taira didn''t get a chance to ask the imposter anything else. It retreated soon after leaving the jar behind at his feet, along with a small note.

    But unfortunately, Taira would have to wait to read it until he woke up from his second nap.

 Chapter 190: He’s Like Cultivation Santa!

    The sound of nging metal could be heard from arge clearing in the middle of the forest.

    Within it, a newly quasi-god Lucia was ying with her equally new strength against the hands of her family.

    After her breakthrough, these were practically the only people in the cult outside of their family whom she could hope to engage in a contest like this without fear of hurting them.

    If Lucia had no difficulty wielding her enormous nine ringed sword before, now it was as if she was swinging around half a feather.

    She could really pick up another sword if she wanted...

    However, she was able to recognize that doing so may very wellpromise the integrity of the art she had already begun to master.

    Lucia, like Taira, was a graceful fighter.

    Her body swirled like a gentle breeze, but carried twice the destructive force of a hurricane.

    The wind pressure alone from her swings continued to keep Shakti and Vaal at bay as if they were toddlers scared of roaring me.

    Though this was supposed to be a friendly and inconsequential little exercise, it felt more and more like they were fighting for their lives.

    Honestly, was there anything that could get them out of this unfair and dangerous situation?!

    "Whew! Thanks for helping me shake off some of my rust, guys!" Lucia suddenly stopped out of nowhere and buried her sword in the ground.

    She looked perfectly healthy and unbothered. Her hair hadn''t evene out of ce from how she styled it this morning.

    Meanwhile, Shakti was sweating like a pig and Vaal was covered head to toe in dust.

    Not to mention the fact that both of the were panting like they''d just run a full marathon.

    Despite their exhaustion, the two of them still somehow managed to raise their arms to cup their fists.

    ""T-Thank you for the spar, mydy...""

    Nearby, Ayame and Keran were watching this entirescene while in thepany of Enyo.

    "Wow�� Strong, capable, attractive�� you''ve somehow ended up with some very desireable bedfellows, my daughter." Ayame whistled before ncing at her side. "..And that one too I suppose."

    Enyo as always was reclining backwardsfortably and half asleep. Her usual messy ck hair thick thighs were on full disy.

    She half-heartedly raised a brow at the werewolf fallen''s unprovoked and rudement.

    "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, mother-inw?"

    "�� I''m just going to say it, I don''t see Taira''s attraction." Ayame shrugged.

    "Mom!" Keran pinched her mother hard on the side.

    "I''m just being honest! I''ve almost never seen her with her hairbed, and she could perhaps stand to lose a bit of weight as well."

    "MOM!"

    "I''m just making an observation!"

    "Observation my tails! You''re being rude!"

    "Not intentionally!"

    "Bull. Shit!"

    While the two were arguing, Enyo yawned uncaringly as she looked down at herself.

    It was true that she was once quite insecure about her body, but her husband seemed to be fond of her more plump figure.

    Have you any idea how hard it is to be insecure about your body when a being who is literally made for sexys you bare and ravages you for whole days at a time?

    �� No? Well, it''s a very difficult thing to aplish.

    Enyo rested her head on Keran''s shoulder and shut her eyes.

    "It sounds to me like you''re just upset my husband finds my figure more appealing than yours. Envy doesn''t look very good on you, Ayame."

    Keran snickered while her mother seemed to be fuming.

    "Y-You take that back, you oaf!"

    "Will doing that make my words any less true?"

    Finally, Lucia trotted over to the group while looking just as adorable as a newborn faun.

    "I hope you guys weren''t too busy chatting over here to pay attention to me. Did I look impressive?"

    Keran smiled innocently as if she hadn''t just called her mother a ''bitter old sow'' right before this conversation began.

    "You were indeed very impressive, dear. Our husband will be quite ted to see your improvement yet again."

    "Ehehehehe��"  Lucia giggled cutely- her mind already addled with dreamy fantasies both G-rated and X-rated.

    Ayame grumbled to herself about regretting not having more children and suddenly stood up.

    "Are you done with them?" She pointed to Shakti and Vaal. "I''m suddenly in dire need of something to hit."

    "Erm�� Sure, but let them rest first. I think I might''ve been too hard on them." Lucia only started to feel guilty once she watched Vaal have to be supported by Shakti.

    "They''ll be fine��and if they aren''t, it isn''t as if you don''t have more n members to pick from." Ayame grumbled.

    She lumbered forward and went to the two high ranking cult members before anyone could stop her.

    "��I should probably break that up before it gets too bad, right?"

    "You could��" Enyo shrugged as she patted her chest. "Or you could juste andy down with me."

    "��"

    "��"

    "�� I''m sure they''ll be fine." Read exclusive content at ��??

    Just like that, Lucia abandoned her two loyal servants and crawled onto therge rock between the girls.

    Dragons can sleep just about anywhere at any time, and for long periods of time at that, so Lucia and Enyo had be a lot closer recently.

    Using Enyo''s breasts as a pillow, Lucia rxed immediately as she felt a wave offort take her that wasparable to a mother''s embrace.

    Evidently, she was more tired than she thought she was.

    It took very little time before her eyes eventually became heavy, and she felt herself dozing off.

    In her dreams, Lucia envisioned herself floating within a space that felt eerily familiar to her.

    Just as she was trying to ce where she''d seen it before, a familiar voice cleared up most any lingering confusion.

    "Little Lucia. It''s been quite a while, hasn''t it?"

    Lucia nced above her head and found an entity floating above her whom she didn''t recognize.

    However, that extremely distinctive voice of his was one she couldn''t mistake even if she wanted to.

    "Uncle Abaddon!"

    ''Uncle..?'' The ck dragon chuckled.

    Once he floated down in front of her, Lucia began poking him all over as if he were a pincushion.

    "What happened to you? You left so abruptlyst time that I didn''t get a chance to ask you anything else. And what happened to your hair and skin? Is this gonna happen to me too when I mature??"

    Even though Lucia was an adult by human standards, in dragon society she would be considered something like a baby since she is less than a few hundred years old.

    So it was understandable that now that she was meeting an elder of her species, she had lots of questions to ask.

    And to his credit, Abaddon did answer every one patiently and with great amusement.

    But since she did have quite a few, it was a while before he actually got to announce his reasoning foring here.

    "I met your husband."

    "Eh? Really??"

    Abaddon nodded. "Truth be told, I was going to collect something from him. The blood of the creature he drank doesn''t belong in this world and my responsibility is to put them back where they belong. But��"

    "But?" Lucia raised a brow curiously.

    "At present, he doesn''t appear to pose a danger to the stability of the realm. Nor does the blood seem to retain it''s former personality."

    Lucia smiled gratefully which in turn seemed to make Abaddon mirror it.

    "Your family is quite special, Lucia. I''m anxious to see what you all will aplish in your lifetime. And because of that, I''ve given you all a little something as proof of my interest."

    Lucia immediately looked intrigued. "Really? What is it?"

    -

    Taira slowly opened his eyes after having the worst headache / fever dream of his life.

    As his vision became unfoggy, he looked down at the two liter ss bottle sitting between his feet.

    It was filled with a strange multicolored liquid, and just with one look stairs could tell it was miraculous.

    A small white card was ced just on top of the wooden lid.

    There was no name or long exnation on the card. Just a simple statement and a well wish.

    I''m a really big fan of cultivators, you know? Consider this blood your ''golden finger''.

 Chapter 191: Formless Winter Breathing Art

    Velreth woke up not long after Taira did.

    He found his disciple looming over a strange jar while reading a small notecard.

    His memories soon came rushing back to him like a broken waterfall and soon he recalled the unbelievable events that unfolded before his impromptu nap.

    "By the nine heavens��"

    Taira nced at his master halfheartedly. "It seems we had visitors."

    "How can you be so cavalier about this, boy? Have you any idea what has just happened??"

    "Not really��"

    "We''ve met an observer! One from beyond the boundary!"

    Taira stared at his master nkly.

    *Sigh* "This is the problem with lower realm existences�� you never understand anything of significance."

    "Then perhaps enlighten me with your infinite wisdom instead of making me sympathize with the men who killed you."

    Once again, Velreth found himself seriously questioning how it was that a person could be so immensely unlikeable.

    "Consider yourself lucky that you are a heavenly talent. Or else your mouth would seriously disqualify you from receiving my teachings."

    Taira snorted as if his master had only aplished voicing the obvious.

    "Listen here, disciple. And I will give you some information that is highly privileged for one such as yourself��"

    Taira listened closely as his master told him a bit about the history of the upper realm.

    Even after trillions of years, the nine heavens are yet to be fully explored or conquered.

    But the highest ranking know that there is an end, or at least and outside of theirs.

    Those thate from outside are called observers, and are tremendously rare.

    So rare that only three instances of them appearing have been recorded in over thirteen trillion years of history.

    They do not attack, conquer, or take from the nine heavens.

    Perhaps because they are unable�� but it could also be true that they are only good natured.

    They simply watch the world around them for an extremely brief period and impart knowledge. But they never speak of where theye from.

    Those who witness them and heed their tutge are fated to be Undying Beings. The peak of enlightenment and evolution.

    "So�� Have any of them ever left a gift before?" Taira asked as he lifted up the strange jar.

    "No�� I confess that this is the first instance of such a thing happening. I wasn''t even aware that they could. It is believed that they hadws against it."

    Taira uncorked the ss in front of him in a harmless gesture.

    He waspletely unprepared when a wave of power hit him square in the jaw.

    Every bit of air within the room vibrated with a power that Taira had only felt once before.

    It was as if he were standing in front of Fenris for the first time all over again.

    But the power didn''t stand out to him the most.

    It was the smell.

    It was heavenly. Taira had never smelled anything like it.

    It stoked a hunger within him that he had never experienced before.

    His fangs burst from his gums immediately and he began to drool like a starving dog.

    "TAIRA!"

    A loud voice right next to his ear was only barely enough to break Taira out of his trance.

    His fangs were still out and he was still so hungry. So very, very hungry.

    "Do not even dream of eating that, disciple. I know well of your kind''s dietary needs, but if you so much as taste that five-colored dragon blood, then you will burst like a pimple on a fat woman''s back."

    Taira had never been a man who was ruled by his vices, but in front of this blood he could barely force himself to care.

    Velreth could see his disciple struggling, and he decided to try a different approach than the one he''d been using so far.

    He would be his version of ''nice''.

    "This is aughable sight. My mouthy and unruly disciple is ruled by his stomach and women withrge behinds. How pathetic."

    "��"

    It required every ounce of willpower his body could muster, but Taira eventually ced the lid back onto the container and screwed it on tightly.

    He even froze it for good measure.

    "��If I find your eyes nce at my wives'' behinds, I promise I will kill you."

    "I don''t have to nce at them, most of the girls are so well endowed you can tell just by looking at them from the front!"

    "I will not repeat myself, Velreth."

    ''Territorial little fox��'' The great god of ice rolled his eyes and suppressed a smile.

    However upset Taira was, atleast he wasn''t thinking about suicidally gorging himself anymore.

    "��I''m hungry."

    Nevermind, I spoke too soon.

    Velreth could no longer suppress his chuckle as he sat down beside his disciple.

    "A craving for blood and sexual energy I would imagine?"

    Surprisingly, Taira shook his head.

    "Mapo tofu made by Lucia�� and Vermeil''s brown sugar mochi."

    Velreth felt as if his disciple could not get any weirder.

    He''d never seen nor heard of a vampire eating regr food before. Not even a halfling.

    "I see�� Well, I''ll make you a deal show me the specifics of the art you were working on, and I will show you where I''ve hidden the most exquisite lotus wine in all of the nine heavens."

    Find adventures on ��??

    "I don''t drink."

    "By the stars, what are you even living for..?"

    Somehow, Taira did end up cracking a small smile at this.

    And against all odds, Velreth found himself getting annoyed.

    ''This bastard really is too pretty.''

    However, Velreth''s imagination quickly turned into awe.

    Taira cracked open the manual in hisp and began exining the process that led to him developing his new breathing art step by step.

    As he listened, Velreth''s eyes became wider and wider.

    Ordinarily, there would have been no way tobine the two arts. There was just no way to make the energy flow into the body in a stable manner. It put far too much pressure on his lungs and veins.

    However�� Taira''s body was special. Very special in fact.

    If he altered the directions that a few of his veins and nerves ran by only a little, he could take the pressure off of the areas that were most affected and use his art with impunity.

    He hadn''tpletely fixed it''s design ws so that it could be used by others yet, but he had developed a way to use it in spite of that by altering his very own body.

    It would do for now, atleast until he had more time to learn and study.

    "Have you tested this yet..?" Velreth questioned in a low voice.

    Taira closed his eyes and began to quiet his mind.

    After a moment''s wait, a dense chill filled the room and all of the qi in their surroundings rushed towards him like a runaway train.

    Velreth waited five, ten, and even fifteen minutes, but there was no sign of rejection.

    He waspletely gobsmacked.

    ''Unbelievable�� I guess I have to keep letting him be disrespectful to me after all.''

 Chapter 192: Goodbye, Secret Realm!

    Ja''Zaki Ssri had been having a miserable time within the secret realm.

    The weather and scenery was nice and everything, and sure, his cultivation speed was faster here too.

    But was that really worth everyone trying to murder you everywhere you went??

    Honestly, it was like no one knew how to have decent, kind natured conversation in this ce!

    But it was alright, because not only was he able to keep his men alive, he was able to get his hands on some good items that would strengthen the might of his dark elves as a whole.

    And most importantly��

    "There''s the exit."

    Ja''Zaki lit up at the sight of arge pir of light in the sky to the east.

    This phenomena could only mean that the long month spent in this shitty ce was now over!

    Standing next to the dark elf was a young woman who seemed to bear quite the resemnce to him.

    They had the same long silver hair, slender frame, and amber eyes that shone like pools of honey.

    "Father. I believe that we can reach our destination in under an hour if we abandon our stealth procedures."

    "��Perhaps that may be best, Demona. I''m quite anxious to leave this ce quickly."

    The exit to the outside world would only be open for nine hours before it closed.

    And once that happened, any who were still locked inside would be stuck here until the doorway opened once more in another several thousand years.

    Ja''Zaki didn''t have that kind of time to waste.

    "Let''s move."

    The dark elves at his back nodded in confirmation and together they bolted toward the treetops.

    On average, each of them ran at a ''light'' speed of over 220 miles per hour.

    Ja''Zaki and his daughter couldn''ve done double that just walking backwards.

    They made their way towards the towering pir of light and just as his daughter predicted, they reached their destination in an hour on the dot.

    The exit pir was located inside a small clearing deep within the ck Forest; in the midst of a field of corpses.

    As this was the only exit, cultivators from all over the secret realm were showing up to leave.

    But this also meant that they were running into other groups and factions; who also no doubt had rare treasures on hand that they''d taken from this ce.

    This was like a strong cultivator''s wet dream.

    Hordes of enemies for the taking; and with their defeat one could amass even greater fortune and maximize their gains during this trip.

    This was also seen as a way to even up sides in the war.

    Fallen were attacking humans, human were fighting back against fallen, but there was no clear way to tell which side was losing more men.

    Ja''Zaki noticed that there were some groups who were ignoring the pandemonium going on.

    They stayed together in tight knit formations and made their way into the exit without allowing their greed to get the better of them.

    After observing them for a while, Ja''Zaki began to debate whether or not his men should join in the fray, or just take what they already had and leave.

    ''Decisions, decisions�� Alright then.''

    Ja''Zaki unslung a pair of dark daggers from his belt.

    His daughter watched him take one step off the tree they were perched on and plummet to the ground below.

    Instead of his feetnding on soil, the dark elf sank all the way into the shadow of the tree and disappeared from view.

    Demona was about to start counting, but the screaming had already begun.

    All across the battlefield, humans were screaming out and dropping like flies one after the other.

    At first nce, nothing seemed to be wrong with them.

    The humans would just fall over dead and a momentter arge gash would open up along their necks.

    It was nearly impossible to tell what was going on. That is, unless you were evolved enough.

    Higher level cultivators would have been able to see a single shadow moving across the battlefield from one human to another.

    It was as if it had a mind of it''s own.

    A few seconds after the entire ordeal began, it was already over.

    Ja''Zaki crawled out of the ground like a demon from hell and wiped his brow of imaginary sweat.

    "Whew! What a work out�� kidding!"

    Demona was unbelievably embarrassed everytime that her secretly businesslike and professional father resumed his outwardly mboyant public persona.

    This instance was no different.

    "I-It''s the Dark One!"

    "Lord Ja''Zaki is here to save us!"

    "Glory to the Head of the Elven Fallen!"

    Ja''Zaki seemed not to find too much interest in the praise of his fellow man, and instead focused on calming the group down.

    "All of you, don''t dawdle here. Take what you can from these bodies and leave. We''ve all been away from the outside world too long."

    More cheers filled the air as the fallen began looting the fresh corpses with impunity.

    Once they had a decent amount of treasures, they ran headfirst into the pir of light and returned to Tayar with a brighter future ahead than before.

    "Alright, now should I.. hm?"

    Ja''Zaki was about to go grave robbing himself when he noticed a couple of familiar faces heading towards the exit.

    He took another step to reappeared in front of two veryrge, furry beasts- one silver, one ck.

    Unsurprisingly, the silver fox  seemed to be the least happy to see him.

    "TAIRA!!"

    "Move."

    "Aww, don''t be cold now, good buddy good pal! I haven''t seen you in so long! How be you been? Find any good stickstely?"

    The air became so cold that Ja''Zaki could see his breath.

    He warily took a step back and held up both hands in surrender.

    "Alright, I see you''ve picked up some new tricks and you''re still just as curmudgeonly as ever�� So I assume your time spent here was fruitful then?"

    Taira did not answer, which was about what the dark elf expected.

    Since the man wasn''t one for conversation, he instead turned to the women.

    "Hello,dies. It is wonderful to see you as well. Even you, Ayame."

    The werewolf queen flipped off the elf from atop her daughter''s back.

    "Hi, Mr. Ja''Zaki!" Vermeil waved cheerfully.

    "Ah, so the sweet human girl has survived the dreadfulness of this secret realm. I''m delighted to see that we haven''t lost the only good human in the world."

    Vermeil beamed with pride like a kid who''d gotten an A on their entire report card.

    "But aren''t you all missing one from your group? Where''s Mrs. Muscles???"

    "We sent Aveena home already." Enyo snickered. "She was feeling a little bit under the weather."

    "Ah, right. I forgot you all can do that�� So then, why would youe here at all?" Ja''Zaki scratched his head.

    "We were looking for something��"

    Taira''s eyes scanned every dead body in the clearing with his piercing red eyes.

    When he didn''t find it, he turned his attention toward Ayame and Aja.

    "It seems they aren''t here. We could wait for them if you like."

    Ayame yawned and scratched her abs. "No, that won''t be necessary, handsome. Our debts can be settled another day."

    "I do not mind it either." Aja shrugged. "I am mostly just anxious to return home as quickly as possible and bathe properly."

    Ja''Zaki shook his head pitifully.

    "I''m sorry, but that''ll have to wait for now. The four of us need to sit down and have a serious conversation about what wille next. Especially concerning the demons��"

    Taira could feel the dark elf''s eyes on him, but he didn''t particrly care in the moment.

    For now, he had something a bit more important to do than sit in a meeting.

    Besides, he still hadn''t decided whether or not he was even going to ept the Heavenly Demon position yet.

    If he was honest, he didn''t really want to. But he needed to discuss things with his family in order to see if there were any potential merits to be leveraged before he made a decision.

    Meaning this would all have to wait until Aveena was out of seclusion.

    "Later." He dismissed. "Ayame will contact you when we are ready to hold a meeting."

    Ja''Zaki''s eyes narrowed.

    "Don''t be unreasonable, Taira. This isn''t a time for you to go hiding in the middle of nowhere again. We have a very crucial, but delicate position now, and we need to do something with it."

    "And we will�� Later."

    Ja''Zaki didn''t get to voice anymoreints because Taira vanished shortly afterwards; taking his wives with him.

    Aja and Ayame were left behind so that they could search for their own men and travel home separately.

    They listened to the long list of very colorful words that Ja''Zaki used to describe Taira for the next ten minutes or so.

    -

    The Amarok home had seen a rather sizeable transformation since Taira had fused it with the Pagoda of Limitless Frost.

    Everything about the ce just seemed to be bigger, and significantly nicer.

    Looming in the very back was the Amarok family pce; which now seemed to more closely resemble a huge temple.

    The facilities for sect members were now much more impressive in size, but also functionality as well.

    Two buildings face each other on opposite sides of the sect.

    The building on the right is living quarters. On the first floor, ''Outer'' disciples and children live in respective shared sleeping halls. Each can hold 75 people.

    There are individual quarters for men and women, in addition to the bathhouses.

    On the second floor, there are private quarters for ''Inner'' disciples. Those who are at the sovereign realm or above.

    Though instead of them being ''rooms'' they are more like this world''s version of luxury apartments��

    Theye with living rooms, bedrooms, a kitchen, a private seclusion chamber, balconies, and possibly the most important; private bathrooms.

    There are only thirty-five of these rooms avable, so it is effectively firste, first served.

    However, any outer disciple is allowed to challenge any inner disciple for their room and position at any time. Though the challenges are limited to one a day for the sake of fairness��

    This was designed to help keep those at the top sharp and those below hungry.

    The left building is a hub with many purposes.

    There is a training hall where lessons for the disciples are to be held from early morning to midday five days a week.

    At first, Taira and Aveena would teach both inner and outer disciples equally, but the goal was for one of the hands to eventually take on the role of teaching the outer disciples.

    In addition to the training hall, there is a public library containing numerous cultivation manuals, and even in literature. There is no established pecking order as to who may obtain what.

    However, Inner sect disciples may submit official requests to the Dai-Shi so that they may be invited into the pce to browse Abbess Setsuka''s and Taira''s personal collection of manuals and books.

    There is also an improved indoor garden, a shiny alchemyb, a brand new forge, and a quest hall.

    Keran thought it may be a good idea to allow cult members the option to sell their skills for odd jobs in the city. (Though their identities would be kept a strict secret)

    This way, the sect members could obtain their own pocket money to spend however they liked.

    Even with all of Tayar at war, there was still dreadful amount of internal conflict happening among both sides. Hired swords were extremely valuable in the world.

    There were a few more amenities and such, but as of now the asanbosam had yet to learn about any of those things.

    Because for right now, they were still at the beginning of the stone bridge that leads into the cult walls; trying not to freeze to death.

 Chapter 193: The First Test

    The secret realm was a very big and dangerous ce to be, but at least the weather wasn''t horrible.

    In the winter time, the coldest it ever got there was around 60 degrees or so. That was a very stark difference from the cavern average of ten degrees.

    As such, the new cult members were already shivering. And the humans along with them wereon the verge of developing a rather nasty case of frostbite.

    "Are you cold?"

    Taira and the girls appeared in front of the crowd of shivering cultists.

    At the sight of him, the cultists kneeled in unison and cupped their fists.

    The humans were a bit farther behind, but with some instruction from the young children, they were able to quickly correct their posture and manners.

    They did look a little bit clumsy though�� but perhaps they would learn better manners in time.

    "This ce is to be your new home. I know that it may not seem like it now, but you will soon get used to the weather."

    It was clear that would be a bigger challenge for some than others.

    For the next several minutes, Taira would go on to exin the buildings they were looking at, a bit of history behind the cult itself, and their shared vision for the future.

    He didn''t know when thest time he had done so much talking was�� It was exhausting.

    To wrap things up, Taira expressed his and Aveena''s shared vision for the cult.

    Did they want to fix a world the gods broke eons ago? Yes. But more than that, they wanted to sessfully help everyone here reach the Upper Realm.

    Needless to say, this alone was enough to get most of the cultists quite excited.

    They live not only for the fight, but to see their fellow kin grow as well.

    "There will be more toeter, but for now I believe that is all. I''ll give you all a week to get settled before we begin your instruction, but for now�� simply cross the bridge."

    Taira and his wives vanished from the sight of the cultists and left them on the opposite side.

    Even though this was still the Drifting Snowfall Sect�� it was still nice to partake in their oldest tradition.

    He highly doubted sovereign and venerable level cultivators would freeze out here, but it would still be interesting to see how they dealt with the bridge''s little trick.

    Sure enough, the cultists soon realized that no matter how long they walked, they did not appear to be getting any closer to the opposite side.

    In fact, one of the men finally looked back and found they were still at the very edge.

    "What is this..?"

    "Are we being tested??"

    "Probably�� the Dai-Shi is a fox spirit after all."

    A few of the men began to levitate off the ground as they tried to cross the stone bridge through flight.

    However, that didn''t seem to work either.

    Next, two more members tried to jump over the bridge and into the water.

    Vaal nearly fell overughing when the water literally rose up as if it had a life of it''s own and spit them right back out.

    For just a moment, it seemed as if there were faces hidden within the waves, but Vaal could not be sure his eyes hadn''t deceived him.

    Attempts continued for hours; each bing more and more oundish than it''s predecessor.

    Vaal was sure if he closed his eyes and cultivated while he walked backwards, then he would seed in reaching the other side.

    Imagine his embarrassment when he just looked like a sleepwalking idiot in front of the whole cult.

    Several more hours went by until the group were well into the night; with the cultists being no closer to crossing the other side of the bridge.

    The asanbosam were still trying their best, but the humans who were still new to this world were a bit closer to giving up than the rest of them were.

    Corey Samuels: "T-This sucks��"

    Big Country: "Boy I tell you what, I''d certainly be willing to do something strange for a order of McNuggets and a ice cream right about now��"

    Jordan: "I can''t believe Vermeil left us out here to freeze to death�� It''s all your fault, Sawyer."

    Sawyer: "M-Me?? What''d I do?!"

    Saanvi: "You couldn''t keep your eyes to yourself�� Sorry, make that eye."

    "I''ve heard enough."

    Suddenly, the group were approached by a tall, hulking figure.

    Shakti was immensely attractive, but her build was frightening enough to put most male body builders to shame.

    "I do not care if you knew the Third Lady from before or not, but you will not use her name without honorifics again unless bestowed with express permission. Am I clear?"

    Thenguage barrier was still quite present between the humans and asanbosam; making it near impossible for them to tell what Shakti had just said.

    "S-Sorry�� I don''t understand..?" Saanvi replied timidly.

    From beginning the curtains of Shakti''s dark hair, Saanvi could''ve sworn that she saw a pair of bright red eyes staring into the depths of her very soul.

    "She said you guys should cool it on using Vermeil''s name so casually. It''s disrespectful."

    Everyone turned to stare at young, ck haired Himari, who had been quiet this entire time.

    Shakti surprised everyone by speaking in a somewhat clumsy version of English.

    "You understand myself?"

    Himari shrugged.

    "Yournguage has a lot of simrities to Swahili from Earth. The consonants, nouns, and verb conjugations are kind of different though, but figuring it out wasn''t too hard. I see you''re learning some English too."

    Shakti actually looked a tad bit embarrassed now.

    "��Dai-Shi Taira advises, but Shakti am a poor student." It was brief and barely noticeable, but immense admiration was present in Shakti''s tone when Taira was mentioned.

    "Not at all. It''s one of the hardestnguages to learn back home. Grasping just this much in two weeks is really quite impressive."

    It was easy to miss, but Shakti''s ears did temporarily twitch happily from the unprovokedpliment.

    As such, she decided to extend a little helping hand to the baby cultivators.

    "��You all are in the mortal realm now. I know you have not had the time to learn very much, but you should atleast know how to circte your energy properly. It will help you brave the cold."

    Shakti gave some simple instructions in her native tongue, to which Himari ryed to the others.

    Sure enough, once they were able to properly circte their energy, they went from feeling as if they were on the verge of frostbite to just feeling like they were standing in front of an open freezer.

    "Hm. It seems you all are not poor students." Shakti praised.

    Himari cupped her fist and perform a perfect salute just as she had seen the others do countless times before.

    "Thank you for your help, First Bane."

    Shakti raised her brow at Himari''s mistake.

    "The proper trantion is ''Hand'', new blood."

    "O-Oh, my bad.."

    "No�� Perhaps I like ''Bane'' better. It will strike fear into the hearts of the cult''s enemies."

    "I really don''t think you need any help with that.."

    "What do you mean?" Shakti tilted her head.

    "N-Nothing��"

    Suddenly, a strange phenomena unfolded on the bridge.

    Despite not taking a single step, the cultist all appeared on the other side right underneath the sect gates.

    "Sorry for our family''s little prank, everyone..."

    Keran appeared from out of a dense fog wearing a helpless smile on her face and carrying a wooden box.

    "It''s a bit of a custom here for neers to have an ufortable first night. Shall I fix that now?"

    Keran waived her ck tails and nine balls of pink me appeared over each tip.

    Miniature arrows of pink me shot out and struck the cultists in the chest before they knew how to react.

    But instead of feeling pain or difort, their bodies instead began to warm up considerably.

    Now, even though it was freezing outside, the cold didn''t bother them at all. What''s more, there was no more energy cirction required.

    "Now that you all are no longer on the verge of freezing to death, I believe it''s time we get you settled in and fed, don''t you?"

 Chapter 194: First Morning at Home!

    "Before I go over everything with you this morning, there''s someone I need to introduce you all to."

    Keran gently moved her tails aside so that she could show the crowd the quiet woman who was hiding behind her.

    "This is Inadu." She introduced. "She''s our family''s youngest, and your sixthdy. Treat her well, or die." Keran smiled innocently.

    "Y-You don''t need to threaten them like that!" Inadu twirled her fingers worriedly.

    "Aww, it''s not a threat, sweet Ina. Just a polite way of letting them know how important you are to us." (It was a threat)

    As everyone watched Keran nuzzle up to Ina, they got the extremely subtle feeling that perhaps this woman was more important in the cult than even the Dai-Shi themselves.

    Getting on her good side was a dire necessity at this point.

    The cultists seemed to all have the same thought at once and dropped to one knee while cupping their fist.

    "Head Disciple Shakti greets Lady Inadu."

    "Second Disciple Vaal greets Lady Inadu."

    "THE DIVINE BLACK MYTH CULT GREETS LADY INADU!"

    Inadu blushed timidly as she waived at the small group and tried not to let her nerves show on her face.

    "H-Hello there. It is a pleasure to meet you all." She waived.

    "Isn''t she adorable?" Keran said proudly.

    The human men were scarred to even think of an answer to that after Sawyer had already lost his eye for coveting one of thedies of the cult.

    But deep in their hearts, the answer was a resounding yes.

    "Ina here is a rather gifted tsuchigumo." Keran continued. "She has offered to make clothing for you all. You''ll each be given three sets; one for training, one for rest and leisure, and one will be your official garb."

    Corey felt a nudge in his side and found Jordan trying to whisper to him discreetly.

    "Hey. Mega-nerd. What''s a tsuchi-gummy?"

    "��Tsuchigumo. She''s a spider demon." Corey whispered back. "But she doesn''t seem like the same kind as the one from that monster girl anime I watched.."

    Jordan didn''t hear a single thing after the word ''spider'' and practically fainted while still upright.

    Meanwhile, Keran continued her exnation of cult dynamics.

    Outer disciple garbs were to be in ck.

    Inner disciples would wear ck and white.

    The Banes would wear ck, white, and gold.

    Keran also passed out tokens to the group.

    Each tablet was around 6.9 inches and no wider than a smartphone.

    Each tablet was made of a strange ck ice that neither melted, nor was ufortable to the touch.

    It was also pretty much impossible to break too.

    But the interesting part was once the ''anti-theft'' feature.

    After the cultists infused their aura into the tablets, they were bonded with them for life. Anyone else who tried to take it would find their hand had developed immediate frostbite.

    These tokens would serve as proof of their ranks in the cult and provide identification.

    For outer disciples, there was only a symbol, but inner disciples had a number of 1-35.

    As Keran handed out tokens, one group seemed surprised by their rankings.

    "Oh? Something you all want to say?" She smirked.

    "U-Umm, ma''am-" Big Country began.

    Vaal: "AHEM!"

    "I-I mean, My Lady." He quickly corrected. "Why are we being made inner disciples when we are still in the mortal realm?"

    "Take a look behind you for a moment." Keran answered.

    The humans did as they were asked and found a whole vampire subspecies n staring back at them.

    The n was rtively small- at 40 members exactly.

    25 of these members were either in the sovereign realm or the venerable realm. They were all adults and the first to be given tokens.

    But the rest were all children who were still a ways away from puberty.

    But the oldest was a boy named Tsa. He was already at the overlord realm at the age of 12.

    "It''s true you all are new to this world, but you''re adapting well.

    You''re talented, even though some of your mannerisms may need molding.

    In just a week, you''ve reached the fifth level of the mortal realm."

    Now that the humans noticed it, they had changed a lot recently. They were much more attractive, filled with energy, and their thoughts were significantly sharper.

    Even Big Country was starting to lose fat and build muscle.

    "Consider these tokens, and the rank they symbolize, as a bit of a show of faith. Show my family that we were not misguided in giving you this opportunity prematurely."

    Keran then turned to the children to make sure they didn''t feel too scorned.

    "But we won''t neglect you either little ones. In three months time, we''ll hold a littlepetition to see if the humans get to keep their ces, or if you are more deserving of them instead. How does that sound?"

    The babies of the cult were ecstatic.

    "Hooray!!"

    "I''m gonna be an inner disciple and get my own room!"

    "I will obliterate that fat human and eat his back!"

    "I''m d to see everyone is feeling so motivated." Keran smiled angelicly.

    Now, the humans were unsure if the thirddy had just given them a gift or put a target on their backs.

    "Does anyone have any more questions?" Keran asked.

    Surprisingly, Tiche was the one to timidly raise her hand.

    "Mydy�� M-Might I bring Shen into my room from time to time? I worry about him in this weather��"

    Shen was the name of her dire wolf whom she loved like her own son.

    She, along with the other cultists had brought them from the secret realm when they crossed over and set them lose on the mountain that made up their home.

    But almost every adult had a dire wolfpanion in the n, and once Tiche brought up the subject they all looked just as concerned about their pets as she did.

    Keran honestly found Tiche''s rare soft side to be quite cute. So she rubbed her chin as she thought up an answer.

    "Well so long as you can ensure he''s well trained and won''t disturb the day-to-day life of the cult, then I don''t see an issue with it. Perhaps we''ll even build some stables for them as well."

    Needless to say, Tiche and everyone else''s faces lit up.

    "T-Thank you, mydy!"

    "It''s no problem." Keran chuckled. "Now, you all should follow me to the mess hall before we get you settled in and take your measurements. I bet you''re all hungry after spending all night out here."

    Big Country ran to the front of the group to follow Keran. None of his ssmates were surprised.

    Reactions to the mention of food were understandably split.

    The humans simply looked forward to it without much extra thought, but the asanbosam were worried about their diet.

    Aveena and Taira had already expressly forbid killing and eating others outside of specific instances.

    It left these people wondering what exactly they were supposed to survive on.

    They could eat regr food, sure. But just like with vampires, it didn''t provide any nutritional benefit.

    They didn''t know what their Dai-Shi expected them to survive on.

    However, they would learn very soon that their needs would be very well taken care of as long as they were here.

    But they would never know quite how that came to be��

 Chapter 195: Spicy!

    "��Mydy, are you sure we''ll be able to eat this?" Shakti questioned.

    In front of her, there was a ck bowl filled with a vibrantly red broth.

    The soup contained chunks of white cubes that looked a bit firm, yet spongy. There was also a generous amount of minced beef and scallions.

    In another bowl, there was arge pile of pristine white rice. It was more than enough to feed the whole cult or host Big Country''s family reunion.

    "I''m pretty sure." Vermeil smiled innocently. "You''re not afraid of a little spice are you?"

    "I�� don''t think so?" Shakti tilted her head.

    "Oh, right.." Vermeil finally remembered that the asanbosam had only been on a rare meat diet for a long time now.

    She looked down at her delicious bowl of edible magma and suddenly began to feel just a bit bad.

    "Ah�� Maybe I should''ve made you all something a bit less intense for your first meal. But my husband looked so cute when he begged me for this..."

    Shakti didn''t need to hear anything else.

    "You needn''t worry, My Lady. Since you have been courteous enough to prepare this for us, I will devour it all and not leave a single crumb behind."

    It was taking Vermeil a lot of time to get used to everyone around her behaving so formally, and sometimes she wished she could just get them all to act normally with her.

    But unless she made it a direct order, they would probably go back to using formality anyways. Which would sort of defeat the purpose in her mind.

    Shakti left the serving station and found a table by herself.

    There were several in therge dining room provided by the cult. Each one was long enough so that the cult could sit together and dine as they were used to.

    But Shakti was always the outsider of the group, which is why she went to an isted end of the table where she wouldn''t be disturbed.

    *Clink!*

    *ng!*

    *tter!*

    Shakti slowly looked up.

    Jordan: "Hi!"

    Himari: "Mind if we sit here?"

    Saanvi: "W-We don''t really know anyone else yet. And you''re the only one who speaks English."

    Shakti was staring nkly at three innocent looking human girls who had already sat down and made themselvesfortable at her table.

    As expected, her usual distant and aloof personality took over before she could stop it.

    "��I do not recall giving you permission to dine beside me."

    The girls immediately looked crestfallen.

    "��You may stay, but know that I am not one for conversation." She conceded.

    "That''s okay! I talk enough for myself and you!" Jordan had ''easily distracted'' written on every report card she''d gotten since the second grade.

    Shakti said something in her nativenguage that none of the girls except Himari were able to grasp.

    But the young girl just snickered and decided to keep thement a mystery to her fellow humans.

    Shakti looked over the contents of her food bowl onest time before her curiosity led her to tuck in.

    She said her thanks onest time to herself before daring to put the contents in her mouth.

    ''I�� can eat it?''

    If her eyes were visible, one would have been able to see immense surprise disyed within.

    Not only was the food prepared delicious, but she could actually feel it nourishing her inside her body. This was vastly different from what usually happened when she ate human food.

    "Hey, you alright???"

    Shakti looked up and noticed that Jordan''s face had gone red enough to make firetruckparisons. Saanvi was trying to keep her from fainting.

    "Heh. It''s so spicy she can''t talk." Himari chuckled.

    Shakti stared down at her bowl like it was a divine miracle from the nine heavens.

    ''This is the gift that just keeps on giving..!''

    -

    Taira awoke from his slumber when he sensed a few familiar individuals enter the room.

    Vermeil, Ina, and Keran had all just returned from getting the cult members settled in and fed.

    "How did it go?" He yawned.

    Inadu: "I introduced myself without stuttering!" (She did not.)

    Keran: "She was very cute." (She really was.)

    "Everyone is settled in and resting now. They seemed to have no issues with their food either." Vermeil finished.

    Taira smiled at the girls with his eyes still half closed.

    "That''s good.. It''s still early, but it is nice to know that everyone is capable of beingfortable atleast. Now..."

    Taira slipped out of bed and the girls felt their cheeks grow warm.

    He made a beeline directly for Inadu who was in the middle and wrapped himself around all three of the girls.

    "Should we return to our honeymoon now then? We technically are still due for one."

    Inadu blushed and tried to back away.

    "I-I wanted to get started on making clothes for the n members�� Using those fabrics that Mr. Velreth has among his storage, I think I can make something really extraordinary."

    "So, my wife has no interest in me?" Taira feigned disappointment. "That hurts my feelings just a bit, my darling."

    Taira wouldn''t ever admit it to himself, but in fifty years he had be very fox-like.

    He found it easier to seduce, prank, and instill people with exactly the emotions he wanted to make them feel.

    Even the women he''d been married to for fifty years had yet to develop a proper way to resist him when he got like this.

    Inadu never stood a chance.

    "I-I suppose getting started in a few hours couldn''t hurt.." Inadu dered.

    "How about tomorrow?"

    "O-Okay~"

    True to his word, Taira didn''t let his wife go for a full twenty-four hours.

    This was perhaps the first time since they''d gotten married where he was able to fully immerse himself within her. And conversely, this was also the first time she had felt so immensely cared for.

    The menagerie of their six bodies was intricately choreographed, and yet wild and unpredictable.

    But Taira still longed for his absent love.

    Aveena had been in seclusion for almost two weeks now, and he thought about her at nearly every second of every day.

    How much grander would this experience be when they were all a part of it? Together as one.

    "Honey�� I think she''s had enough now."

    Lucia''s reminder was an understatement.

    Inadu had been breathing heavily for the better part of a day now.

    Tears of ecstasy were running from her eyes and between her legs like a river of nectar.

    Her body was twitching, she was covered in sweat, and soft moans were escaping from her lips even though her bedmates were no longer touching her.

    "��She definitely won''t be able to start on those clothes today." Enyo panted.

    "So does that mean we can continue then?" Taira licked his lips.

    "Another hour or so certainly shouldn''t hurt~"

    Before Taira could descend upon Ina with Enyo, Keran and Lucia caught him by the ears.

    Lucia: "Aren''t you forgetting something?"

    Keran: "We had ns for today too you know?"

    At the mention of their errands, Taira practically wanted to crawl in a hole and hide.

    "��I don''t remember that at all."

    "We''re supposed to be going to visit my mother today." Keran nudged.

    "And my parents." Lucia reminded.

    Taira had no idea that such simple words were capable of utterly annihting his sex drive, and yet here it was.

 Chapter 196: Poaching

    "You need to go and find him!"

    "Trust me, Ja''Zaki. My daughter and her husband have a fair bit on their hands as of now. They''lle when they are ready."

    "That''s not going to cut it now, Ayame! Just tell me their location, I''ll go and get them myself!"

    "I can think of very few things that are more stupid for you to try than that." The werewolf queen sighed. "Just be a little patient. Give me seven days and I''m sure he''ll be ready to sit down by then."

    "��Fine. Seven days exactly."

    Ayame finally closed the scroll she''d been using tomunicate with the ornery dark elf from long distance.

    Honestly, she knew better than anyone that her son-inw was a difficult pill to swallow, but she did wish that he didn''t make things so difficult for her at this time.

    ''Anyway, at least this will give me an excuse to visit and possibly get those hermits out of their she-''

    *Bang!*

    "Hi, mom!"

    Ayame''s surprise showed clearly on her face when her daughter burst through the doors of her throne room with her husband and the bewitching Lucia in tow.

    At the sight of her handsome son inw, Ayame practically forgot all about her conversation with Ja''Zaki that urred just seconds ago.

    But who could me her?!

    Taira had ditched his usual cult leader robes and donned a simple deep blue gi with the jacket hanging open.

    She could see everything, and yet not enough at the same time.

    ''Every day I regret not formting a better rtionship with this man when he was still young and innocent�� perhaps I''d have an easier time now if I had.'' She sighed internally.

    Shaking off her thoughts of grooming, she tried to regain some kind of normalcy.

    "Well, well�� What lovely sights have you brought me today, my daughter?"

    She waited for Taira to greet her with a coldment or a look of unbridled disinterest.

    However, she was pleasantly surprised to see that she received neither of those things.

    "Greetings." Was all he had to say.

    "��"

    Ayame turned to her daughter and pointed at Taira.

    "Why''s handsome in such a good mood?"

    Keran rolled her eyes. "He''s not."

    "He''s just making an effort tomunicate with you in the hopes that we''ll stay longer and run out of time to go see my parents." Lucia answered.

    "Ah�� Well, it''s not how I''d imagined being used by you, but-"

    "I regret participating in this already.." Taira sighed.

    Ayame decided to hold back her flirting for a bit before Taira really decided tomit seppuku right in the middle of her throne room.

    "So, what brings you three here? Is this some sort of ''visit to the inws'' day? I''m seriously amazed you have the time for that given your newupation."

    Ayame had already been told that the family wanted to keep the existence of their sect a secret for now.

    And surprisingly, she was being very tight-lipped about the whole thing.

    Hopefully Aja was too, or Taira would have to find himself a new best friend.

    Because his would be dead.

    "Actually, mother dearest, that''s why we''re here." Keran replied. We''vee to poach workers from you!"

    "Eh?"

    -

    The kitchen is an area where Keran spent a lot of her years in her childhood.

    She had quite the impish little tendency to sneak in here and poke her fingers in the cakes or run off with a spare rib.

    And her fond memories here made it the first ce that Keran thought of to find a cook for the cult.

    Among everyone she hade to know over the years, she had a for-sure favorite within this kitchen.

    "Brenda!"

    "Eh? If it isn''t the castle''s darling little princess!"

    Keran hugged an old harpy woman with a head full of rusty red feathers.

    Keran was more than a foot taller than the old woman and much more filled out, so she had to squeeze her lightly to avoid crushing her.

    "Oh? Where are my manners..?"

    The harpy released Keran and bowed to the three individuals trailing behind her.

    "It is always a pleasure to be graced with your presence, my queen." She bowed.

    Ayame had followed the trio of young lovers to the kitchen to see what they meant by ''poaching''.

    This was probably her first time ever setting foot in here since the castle had been built�� she had neverid eye on the very ce where all of her meals came from and ate blindly.

    "Ah, Brenda, I wanted to make you an offer!" Keran said as she took her hands.

    "Oh? I''m not in the catering business though, princess."

    "N-Not that! I was wondering if you would be interested in leaving this ce anding to work for my family in the mountains."

    Brenda smiled at Keran pitifully.

    "It''s very kind to think of me for this, princess, but I''m afraid that me and those cold temperatures just don''t mix.

    Besides, I have been in your mother the queen''s service for hundreds of years now. I cannot simply turn my back on her after all she has given me."

    Keran deted while Ayame seemed to stick out her chest with pride.

    It was nice to know you had good, loyal help.

    "But don''t look so down, princess. I''ve never left you hanging before and I wouldn''t start now. I''ve somebody perfect for the job if you''re interested?"

    "Sure! Our family could really use the help."

    Brenda turned around and yelled into the back of the kitchen.

    "Hey! New girl! Front and center!"

    A woman came running from the back of the kitchen.

    When Taira firstid eyes on the mystery woman, he knew something about her was odd.

    He''d never seen a siren living onnd before. They usually stay close to big bodies of water that see frequent visitors.

    Their diet makes that sort of thing essential.

    "You called for me, Ms. Brenda?" The woman asked. Her voice was as cool as ocean water.

    "The princess here is looking for someone to work in her new family estate. I thought you might be interested."

    The woman''s face lit up and it seemed that the harpy''s intuition was correct.

    "Brenda says you''re new?" Keran raised a brow. "Would you mind telling me your name?"

    The siren''s cerulean blue eyes sparkled as she bowed.

    "It is an honor to meet you, Princess. You may call me Yem."

    - 1 Hour Later��

    *Bang! Crash!*

    Two pitiful wails escaped the throats of not one, but two men as they came flying through an upstairs window and out onto the street.

    They rolled to a stop at Taira''s feet, and he saw their stupidity as an opportunity.

    "��These men are injured. We should take them to get treatment and-"

    Lucia: "Don''t even try it, babe. We''re still going in."

    "Tch.."

    "Don''t ''tch'' me! Things won''t be likest time, I promise!"

    "Don''t you mean thest four times..?" Keran chuckled.

    "Not helping!"

    "Kyaa!"

    Lucia smacked Keran on the butt hard enough to leave a handprint and draw a fair amount of attention from the streets as well.

    Luckily, in this part of town it was always quite easy for funny noises like that to get drowned out by ruckus.

    "Hey! Somebody check on those idiots and tell me who won in the pool!"

    "My money is on the ox!"

    "Settle down boys, settle down��"

    Suddenly, a woman pushed open the front doors to the building and slithered out into the street.

    Once she saw the group of lovers waiting in front of her workce, her face instantly lit up.

    She was amia who bore a striking resemnce to the old Lucia.

    Creamy white skin with faint twinges of pink, oceanic green scales like those on a particr kind of serpent.

    Her eyes were bright and amber colored behind her simple silver-rimmed sses.

    She had long ck hair that was done in a much more professional bun instead of the freely long style Lucia used to wear.

    Cultivation made Lucia look like she was in herte twenties or early thirties despite being seventy years old.

    But this woman who was over 150 looked like her older sister.

    "Hey, Ma! We came to visit!" Lucia beamed. "Is dad aroun-"

    "DIEEEE!!!!!"

    *BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!*

    A loud collision rang out in the street, as arge man leapt out of the fourth floor of the building with his axe overhead.

    He aimed right for the top of Taira''s head between his ears.

    The foxkin caught the attack with only two fingers and a hand resting behind his back.

    "So you''re still alive�� disappointing." He sighed.

    Lucia: "Babe!"

    "I mean�� Hi."

 Chapter 197: Lucia’s Mom & Dad

    The guild building is one of the most frequently visited ces in all of Ferran.

    Other than joining the army, it is perhaps the one and only outlet for brawny cultivators and arcane users who are hoping to earn great money and establish a name for themselves as well.

    They don''t care if they are assigned missions to engage humans, hunt hordes of magical beasts, or even do battle against one of their own. All that really matters is glory.

    Khazan Laguerre is guild master and a bull-demon. Though that may sound a bit more impressive than it actually is.

    Really, his job is to act as something like a den mother; corralling the numerous men and women of the guild so that they can direct their energy into something more useful.

    His wife, Zenith Laguerre, is amia. She also works at the guild, though she takes a morex role as a bartender.

    The two of them have quite a well-known rtionship, as it is unusual for the serpent women to actually wed a man.

    They usually find one they like and just keep them around for the periods where they go into heat. Like living vibrators with an impregnating function.

    But for some reason, Zenith epted his proposal, and the two of them have many children together whom they love dearly.

    Their oldest daughter is already deceased, living to around 202 years of age, while their youngest has only recently turned eighteen.

    Though they love their children, they understand that at times they must all leave the nest�� but they still want them toe back and visit.

    Perhaps this was why their middle daughter was a bit of a sore spot for them.

    Not only did she go through a period where she didn''te to see them for six years, but she had run off and gotten married as well!

    "I''ve told you to let it go already, we said we were sorry!" Lucia sighed.

    "And I have already forgiven you, darling. But this furry bastard on the other hand��"

    "Dad!"

    Taira remainedrgely unphased by this barrage of hostility.

    He was already more than used to it after all these years after all.

    He still vividly recalled the day where he and Lucia were casuallyying in bed and she suddenly sat up and said; ''I just realized that I''ve never introduced you to my parents!''

    ��Needless to say they had a very awkward ''Oh Shit'' kind of moment.

    Their first meeting was�� an eventful one.

    Khazan thought his daughter might have died somewhere without his knowledge.

    But no, she was hidden away at some underground cave in the mountains; having orgies everyday and living a blissful newlywed life.

    ��.So you can understand why he tried to kill Taira after first meeting him.

    "y nice, husband." Zenith purred. "You''ll scare them intoing even less than they already do."

    "Hmph�� Don''t see how that''s possible, we only see them once every two years anyway.."

    ''And that''s still too much..'' Taira sipped his tea quietly and kept all of his private thoughts to himself.

    "But dear, might I ask what is going on with your new addition up here?" Zenith gestured to the horns on top of Lucia''s head.

    The formermia poked her chest out proudly and gained a superior air.

    "Fufufu, should I tell you? Don''t be too shocked but your daughter has be a bonafide dragon!"

    To further cement her greatness, Lucia blew a small stream of bright green mes from her mouth towards the ceiling.

    "A dragon��? Wow, that''s great, sweetie." Zenith pped. "Your brothers and sisters will be so jealous"

    "Indeed�� So, any grandchildren yet?" Khazan yawned.

    Lucia couldn''t help but feel as though her parents'' expressions were terriblyckluster.

    "What''s with the two of you?? Your daughter just told you that she has be a supreme magical creature!"

    Zenith shrugged. "Yes, and we''re very proud, but to be honest we kind of expected something like this would happen one day when you showed up with that new tan and big tattoo all those years ago."

    Lucia''s jaw just kind of fell open; making Keran chuckle as she pecked her cheek.

    As always, the group spent a short amount of time catching up on past and some current events; just as a way to make up for the past two years apart.

    The conversation was polite and lighthearted, with Khazan only directly a minimal amount of ring towards Taira.

    But eventually, the group was able to get to the heart of their surprise visit today.

    "We''ve actuallye to you with a business proposal, Mom and Dad." Lucia finally said.

    "Oh?" Zenith raised a brow.

    Taira had been sitting silently with his eyes closed the whole time; just casually drinking tea.

    When the time came, he calmly ced down his cup, and opened his eyes.

    "Mother-inw, Father-inw�� You are family, but I must stress to you something of dire importance. Everything that I am about to tell you cannot leave this room."

    Taira was always kind of stoic and quiet in nature, but this was the first time that he had ever openly showcased it to the two of them.

    So naturally, they were more than a little curious as to what could have promoted this level of secrecy.

    "Alright, Mr. Fox�� You have our word." Lucia''s father pledged.

    "��Aveena and I have decided to rebuild her sect. Make it better than it was before."

    Now, the pair of parents understood the reason for all of the secrecy.

    "Don''t tell me you''vee to poach guild members from us?" Zenith tilted her head.

    "Not at all. What I need are your contracts." Taira said inly.

    Now, both of them were looking at the foxkin strangely.

    Contracts were the lifeblood of a guild. It was how they made all of their money.

    Asking for them wasn''t much different from asking for the food out of their mouths.

    "��I assume that you have something damn good to offer if you''re making such an audacious request." Khazan leaned forward. "Let''s hear it."

    Taira remained calm and collected. "You''ll receive a twenty percent cut from any missions we take instead of your usual ten. Provided that you submit them to us first."

    "Thirty!" Khazan retorted.

    Taira''s eyes briefly glowed. "Don''t mistake my willingness to bargain with you for an opportunity to take advantage of me. I assure you those do not exist."

    "Why you..!"

    Zenith held up her hand and her husband shrank back into his cage.

    "��Exactly which contracts do you want?" She asked.

    "Those from cloud rank, to mountain rank." (Lowest to highest)

    "Mountain, hm? Our average mountain contract usually involves escorting some powerful noble somewhere quite dangerous, or killing a high ss target, or wild beast horde."

    "I''m aware." Taira nodded.

    "And yet you still think the men you will recruit can handle that?"

    "I''m already quite sure of it. Because neither Aveena or I will allow them to leave our sight if they can''t."

    Zenith nodded, feeling as though Taira''s words were not just simple big talk.

    "I don''t see much of an issue with this, but we can receive up to thirty requests a day at times, and over half are time sensitive. If you take too long to respond, we could lose face with the public."

    Taira reached inside of his ring and took out a paper scroll.

    "In two weeks time, begin contacting us with this in the mornings and we will let you know the quests that we are interested in, and the ones that we are not.

    For those we take, I can give you my word that my men will arrive within an hour upon epting. Your reputation will see no issue. It may even improve."

    Zenith was growing more impressed with every exchange.

    Taira had formted their n perfectly, so she and her husband had no reason not to ept.

    "��Alright then. You have yourself a deal, my son-inw."

    Zenith held out her hand, and Taira wasted no time in shaking it.

 Chapter 198: Family

    "Ina, you can take a little break, sweetie."

    "T-Thank you, but I can''t just yet�� I''ve already spent too much time yesterday on.." Inadu''s words trailed off as she vividly remembered the events that had gone on all the way into this morning.

    "A-Anyway..!" She shook her head hard. "I promised everyone that I would do my best to get these out to them quickly, and that''s what I am going to do!"

    Ina''s resolve was strengthened once again and she resumed her task with even greater speed and efficiency than before.

    Vermeil simply lounged in bed and watched her with great interest.

    Ina sat on the floor in the middle of the room.

    There was a pile of loose, broken down thread on one side, and on the other there was an assortment of neatly folded clothes; each with a small note on them so that she wouldn''t forget who they belonged to.

    Ina was exceptional.

    The entire process for her took exactly ten minutes stimuli start to finish.

    She would pick up a piece of paper that she had written measurements on,mit them to memory, and then begin weaving the clothing with her own hands, exactly to the specifications of their future owner.

    The threads she was using came from Velreth''s seemingly bottomless treasure trove downstairs.

    The ice god had many trinkets, fabrics, pills, and weapons, but Inadu was only making clothes out of the worst quality ones.

    Taira and Aveena''s greatest fear was making a bunch of inept cultists carried by fanciful essories.

    For the first few years or so, they would be given only what was sufficient. No more, and no less.

    Vermeil felt something move in the bed and Enyo sat up while rubbing her eyes.

    "Mmm�� Is she still at it?"

    ""Yes."" Vermeil and Inadu responded in unison.

    "Does she need help..?"

    "I think you would just slow her down, En." Vermeil said apologetically.

    Inadu didn''t say anything because she didn''t want to be rude, but she was actually thinking the same thing.

    Enyo rubbed her eyes until they were finally halfway opened and stared down at the floor.

    When she saw the way that Ina was weaving the fabrics, she raised a brow.

    "Howe you''re only using two hands, sweetheart? I thought spider demons traditionally used all of them when they weave."

    Inadu flinched and she temporarily faltered.

    She slowly put down the fabric she was working on and reached for the strings that held her robe closed.

    She let the fabric fall just enough for them to see her slender back.

    Eight pores in her back opened up and a set of appendages were pushed through her flesh.

    Or�� atleast they should have been.

    Seven were stumps, and one was a spider limb that had been cut down to half it''s length to lose it''s sharp edge.

    "��In captivity I had to be�� manageable. Harmless." She said quietly. "��They were taken from me on my first day."

    Enyo covered her mouth in horror.

    Vermeil was gripping her sheets so hard that her knuckles turned white.

    "I think�� Maybe this was the act that took the most away from me. Everything else was just�� like beating a dead horse."

    Inadu re-dressed herself in a hurry after she put her limbs away and discreetly wiped her face.

    Enyo was horrified because she knew just how unbelievably painful the experience must''ve been.

    The limbs on any spider demon are unbelievably hard and durable, so they make great weapons in battle.

    But the meat underneath contains even more nerve endings than a woman''s clitoris.

    To endure having all eight limbs cut up like that�� Ina had no doubt been through a worse hell than any of them had even imagined.

    "Ina�� I-I''m sorry, I didn''t-"

    "It''s okay, I had to tell you all at some point��And�� don''t tell him please. I don''t know if I''m ready for him to know just yet."

    "Ina, he''s our husband��" Vermeil reminded.

    "I-I know��" Ina smiled softly as if she still couldn''t believe it.

    "I love him so much that it hurts�� but I love him for all that he is. We''ve not even been wed a year yet, so I want him to adore me and the woman I am trying to be. Not the victim I was made to be."

    Ina tried to get back to work to keep her mind distracted.

    However, when she tried to get back to weaving, she couldn''t seem to stop her hands from shaking.

    ''Oh no�� I''m going to end up behind again..''

    As Ina tried to get herself under control, she didn''t notice the sound of footsteps getting closer to her.

    Vermeil and Enyo tightly wrapped their arms around the young woman from behind.

    "W-What are you..?"

    "No matter what, Ina, you will always be safe with us. With our family."

    "Even if it costs us ourst breath, we will make sure that no one ever hurts you ever again."

    Normally, Inadu would have said that she didn''t need such a vow from them, and they didn''t need to worry about her this much.

    But perhaps the road to healing would be a lot easier to walk on if she had a little help.

    "I�� Thank you both for your kindness. I''m not even sure what I''ve done to deserve such a thing."

    "That''s the good thing about family, Ina." Vermeil wiped her face. "You don''t have to do anything to deserve it, just be willing to ept it."

    "��I understand, Vermeil.. Thank you." She smiled.

    Enyo seemed quite proud as she pushed her hair to the side.

    "Come on now, let us help you with all of this work."

    "E-Erm.."

    "Come on!" Enyo shook her. "How hard can it be?"

    *Enyo poked herself with a needle 9 times. She cried at her helplessness before crawling back into bed and going to sleep for another five hours.*

    -

    Inside of a barren, icy room underneath the pce, a single woman was seated in the middle of the space.

    She was locked in some kind of strange trance as she meditated; her mind so faraway that there was no telling whether she would even be aware of anything going on around her at this moment.

    Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, and hours slowly became days.

    At the appropriate time, her body seemed to move on it''s own and reached for a small pouch at her side.

    She pulled out a small pill and pushed it past her lips with robotic movements.

    Energy surged around her, and her brightly glowing eyes shed open with an unreal brilliance.

    Cracks formed over her nude body and gave her an appearance like that of molten magma.

    She yelled out defiantly, and the shell stunting her growth was broken through once more.

 Chapter 199: A Family Reunited

    Taira, Lucia, and Keran returned to the sect at around nightfall, and were met at the great stone bridge.

    Taira had barely stepped foot over the threshold before a woman fell out of the sky and nted herself in his chest.

    Vermeil wrapped her legs around her husband''s waist while her hands caressed his hair and ears.

    "You were gone for foreverrr!!! I thought I was going to die without you!"

    Taira smiled as he felt Vermeil leave her own little bite marks along his neck.

    "We''re sorry to keep you waiting for so long, my love."

    "Sorry, that''s not going to cut it, handsome. You know how I like my apologies."

    A heat passed into Taira''s stomach and he was reminded that a certain hunger of his had remained unfulfilled for a while now.

    Vermeil smiled provocatively as she brought her full lips beside his ears.

    "I have a surprise for you, darling~ Tonight will be very special for us."

    "Is that so..? And why is that?"

    Vermeil''s lips were so close that Taira could feel her warm breath against his skin, and the excitement that dripped from her words as she told him:

    "She''s out~"

    Taira didn''t need to hear anything else to know what she meant.

    He disappeared in a gust of cold air and left Vermeil giggling as she floated to the floor.

    "You know, sometimes I wonder if he would be that excited to see me too if I just suddenly left, but then I remember I would actually have to leave him to test it... And why should I have to make myself suffer over one little test?"

    Keran and Lucia giggled cutely as Vermeil embraced them both too.

    But just as the starlight saintess was about to ask about how her inws were doing, sheid eyes on the neer who was being dwarfed by Keran''s height.

    "Oh, hello! Who is this?"

    Keran put her arm around the woman who stood out like a fish out of water.

    Which, she kind of was.

    Standing in the shadows was a woman with rich, dark skin and liquid aqua-colored hair that literally flowed with a life of it''s own.

    A pair of blue fins were located on either side of her head and glittered in tune with her vibrant golden eyes.

    She had a mature, motherly body that was undeniably attractive. The shining fish scales along her legs and feet only added to her allure.

    "This is Yem. She''s been gracious enough to take up the posting as our chef." Lucia smiled.

    "All by herself??" Vermeil questioned.

    "Yes, mydy." Yem bowed. "I am quite confident in my ability to manage the demand by myself."

    The eloquence of this woman did wonders to actually ease the human woman''s mind.

    "Well... alright then. But if you need some additional help, just say the word and we will try to find more people to assist you."

    "That is very kind, mydy." Yem bowed slightly.

    Vermeil felt the faintest bit of jealousy bubble up and she nced at Keran and Lucia usatorially.

    ''You couldn''t find a cook that doesn''t look like a fuck doll..? My god those things are huge... No wonder mine never got any bigger, she''s stolen this world''s supply of booby meat!''

    Keran and Lucia tried not tough out loud in front of the innocent Yem.

    ''Don''t worry, dear. ording to the family who is intimately familiar with you, your physique definitely makes for a better viewing pleasure.'' Keran winked.

    Vermeil nced behind her at the rather profound asset she was carrying below her back.

    ''...And don''t you girls forget it.'' she thought smugly.

    -

    Just because the Amarok family lives underground, does not mean that they arecking in beautiful sights.

    This was true before, but it was even more true now.

    Behind their pce, there is an area that resembles a field of frost.

    Exiting from the back of their home, one finds themselves in front of a short staircase of grey stone that leads into a decently sized field.

    Within it sits a miniature ocean of snowy white flowers; so beautiful and picture perfect that they seem to be made of ss, and yet they are soft as silk to the touch.

    Taira left his shoes on the stone staircase as he slowly stepped down into the flowerbed.

    His breath was caught in his throat as his eyes remained firmly locked on the lone figure standing in the middle of the field.

    A gust of wind blew through her hair to announce his presence. Prompting her to slowly turn around.

    She carried herself with confidence, pride, and a newly acquired sense of elegance. To Taira, her sex appeal was bottomless.

    Her muscles had be morepacted along her body; given her the initial impression that she had shrunk or grown weaker. But in reality, that was far from the truth.

    In terms of actual looks and attractiveness, she actually did not look that much different from before.

    And yet, Taira was staring at her with such intensity that you would think she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

    It made her feel incredibly bashful.

    "...You know, I think about that day sometimes." Aveena said shyly.

    "I wonder, if I had never been hard headed and barged into the room while you were with the others, would you havee to look at me the way you do now on your own?"

    Taira was approaching Aveena slowly; almost as if she was a wild doe he was scared to frighten.

    "It''s funny, since I have also wondered that. And no matter the time I spend pondering it, the conclusion I reach remains the same.

    If you hadn''te to me, I like to think that I would have eventually been wise enough toe to you on my own."

    "...That may be giving yourself too much credit. For a calcting man, you can be terribly slow." She teased.

    "And that''s why I would have needed you. To keep me sharp and on my toes."

    Taira stopped so close to Aveena that he could smell her; and yet he didn''t touch her skin. No matter how badly he wanted to...

    "...You''ve been busy with our home." Aveena finally said.

    "I have indeed. Does it please you?"

    "It''s wonderful... It feels as if we have made something ours while still honoring the foundation that wasid before us. Thank you."

    Aveena was utterly unable to resist andid her head on Taira''s chest. Even with her domineering physique, now she just seemed like a harmless maiden in love.

    "...Have you missed me, my other half?"

    "Unbearably so." Taira answered instantly.

    Aveena could tell by the way her husband''s heart was beating that he wasn''t lying to her.

    "Enyo said that there was a lot you needed to catch me up on."

    "There is." he admitted.

    "Then should we go inside and-"

    "No... It can wait. It has to."

    Taira lifted one w and slowly cut the bandages that were binding Aveena''s chest.

    When her breasts spilled free, thebined sounds of their heartbeat became so loud that you could hear them even without evolved ears.

    "...Can''t hold back until tonight?" Aveenaughed dryly.

    "I can''t." Taira denied in a husky vice as he pulled off his own clothes.

    He freed his throbbing member from hispants and Aveena let out a small gasp.

    Taira feeds on both blood and sexual energy as a Nogitsune vampire.

    However, the sun and moon cultivation art has a unique effect on his body to where he needs regr intercourse with each of his wives to ensure he''s getting a ''proper'' diet.

    Missing Aveena for all of these days was taxing on him, and now that he wasying eyes on her after so long, his need had exploded.

    "You never asked me if I missed you, you know..?" Aveena smiled as she let thest of her clothing fall to the floor.

    With her underwear removed, the scent of her need flooded the air and turned Taira''s eyes hazy.

    "I guess you could already tell my answer though�� couldn''t you, husband?"

 Chapter 200: Making Family Decisions

    As Vermeil promised, Taira was indeed treated to a very pleasurable night.

    There truly is no experience that quitepares to having sex after a long time apart.

    Taira and Aveena never even left the field of flowers behind their home.

    One by one, the rest of the girls trickled out into the garden to shed their clothes and join them.

    Even Inadu was unable to resist when her mind was filled with the hoarse, moaning voices of everyone calling for her.

    So she ended up putting sewing on hold�� again.

    Almost 10 hourster, the garden had gone quiet save for the asional light snoring of Enyo.

    The lot of themy in the grass staring up at the ceiling of the cavern.

    Lucia, Taira, and Aveena were the only ones still awake after several hours of very high intensity exercise.

    The three of them were all bundled up rather tightly together; each of them acting as the bed to hold up another member of their family.

    Aveena noticed the way Taira was affectionately stroking Ina''s hair as she slept in his arms.

    Before she knew what she was doing, she was reaching out to touch her too.

    "How is our newest adjusting..? Is shefortable?"

    Taira nodded softly. "As far as I can tell. Though sometimes it seems as though she puts on a brave face to avoid tipping off my worry."

    "Does it work?"

    "Not at all."

    Aveena didn''t find that revtion surprising in the slightest.

    "Buttt, we are trying to make her feel as loved as possible before we go pestering her for anything deeper." Lucia interjected. "She''s getting more and morefortable everyday."

    Aveena smiled softly at the two of them.

    "How nice�� I look forward to deepening my bonds with herter as well. But for now��"

    Aveena slowly sat up while shifting a sleeping Vermeil off her chest.

    "I think I''ve been away for too long and spent too much time out of the loop. Would my husband mind catching me up on all I''ve missed now?"

    "Business already?"

    "I think we''ve already had more than our fair share of pleasure�� Unless you wanted to go again?"

    Taira almost said yes without thinking.

    But when he remembered that there really was quite a bit to catch her up on, he decided to keep it in his metaphorical pants for now.

    He sat up quietly and shifted Inadu over to Lucia, who was already being dog piled by Enyo and Keran.

    Aveena started to get up on her own, but Taira lifted her into his arms in a princess carry.

    "I-I can walk on my own two feet, you know..?"

    "I''m sure you can, but then I wouldn''t get to see all of the cute expressions you''re making right now."

    It didn''t matter if Aveena was a 6''4 muscle-bound oni. For her husband, she had always been as soft and delicate as a gentle young flower.

    It was one of her most charming aspects if you asked him.

    "Wow, our love is so timid. To think you were underneath us screaming so lewdly just a few moments ago." Lucia teased. Chapter Discover:

    "Y-You be quiet! I''m not responsible for anything I say while undressed! Or hungry! Or horny! Got it?!"

    "Sure, sure. But how are you ever going to get pregnant if all you ever do is ask for-"

    "T-Taira, let''s get going now! Let''s leave this debaucherous reptile out here to freeze!"

    Taira chuckled to himself as he walked past their discarded clothes towards the house.

    "Umm�� My clothes?"

    "You don''t need them."

    "But we-"

    "You don''t need them."

    "��Horndog." Aveena rested her head on Taira''s shoulder as the two of them stepped back inside of the pce for a debriefing that would hopefully end with her legs in the air�� again.

    -

    The first thing that Taira did was tour the pce with Aveena.

    As he showed her the new amenities and caught her up on the happenings of their sect.

    Though they were lovers who adored each other tremendously, they spoke as if they were strictly business partners.

    "The ranking for the cultists that we discussed has already been implemented smoothly." Taira continued.

    "I thought they might take to it well�� How is Shakti as our hand?"

    Taira actually snickered which was incredibly rare for him.

    "My love?" Aveena tilted her head.

    "Sorry�� as our hand, she is exceptional. The respect everyone has for her cannot be understated. She exells at keeping the children in line as well."

    "Then why theughter, darling?"

    "The task she seems to have the most difficulty with is keeping her new second in check. Vaal is quite the handful."

    "Oh? So you decided to anoint Vaal after all?" This was the first thing that Taira revealed that his wife seemed to actually be surprised by.

    "At the behest of Velreth, yes�� He seems to hold the position in quite the esteem. I''m eager to see if he will apply this passion to his training."

    "I see." Aveena giggled. "But speaking of training��"

    The oni ced her hand over her husband''s chest and closed her eyes.

    "You feel�� different. Did you change your breathing art perhaps?"

    "I��I did." Taira admitted in shock.

    Aveena smirked. "Why so surprised, my darling? After fifty years together, I know your body better than even you."

    "That''s not-"

    "Do you know about those cute dimples you have on each butt cheek?"

    Taira fell silent; but one couldn''t tell if it was from embarrassment or shock.

    "��So that''s why I can always feel you girls staring at me when I get out of bed."

    "Now you know." Aveena sighed. "A fifty year marital secret is now brought into the light. How sad."

    "Oh, I still have some secrets of my own."

    "Really? Let me hear em."

    "Can you handle it?" He asked in a low voice.

    "If it''s your fetish for pubic hair, we already know that. Why do you think none of us ever go bald?"

    "No, it''s not that�� I''ve never told anyone this, but I have a secret child that I''ve never even met before."

    "Don''t y with me, Taira Amarok!!"

    Aveena strangled her husband with her newly monstrous strength.

    Nogitsune are trickster spirits, and Taira is certainly no exception. Even if his wife didn''t find his joke funny, he found it hysterical.

    After fifteen minutes of some mild abuse and possessive derations, Taira and Aveena finally got back on track with their ''meeting''.

    Though he did have some new bruises around his neck that kind of turned him on a bit.

    "I think we''ve discovered a way to solve our sect''s most pressing problem." Taira finally said.

    This immediately piqued Aveena''s interest, because she didn''t even need to ask what he was talking about.

    One of the great things about having an upper realm power house floating around your home is that you get the chance to ask lots of questions.

    One of the first things Taira and Aveena asked Velreth was very simple. ''Howe lower realm existences cannot cultivate and use arcane?''

    The answer was even simpler. It''s the qi shortage.

    Qi in the lower realm is so dramatically thinpared to what it''s like in the upper realm.

    The excess amount of energy in the atmosphere enhances the bodies of those who live there; magnifying their potential and enhancing their inborn abilities.

    In Tayar, most anyone who tried to cultivate and use arcane would, at best case, feel as if they had sprinted headfirst into a brick wall.

    They are born with the aptitude for one or the other, not both.

    So how does one fix that problem in the lower realm?

    One method is by giving a mortal a body that has had its potential raised to the utmost.

    The other is by raising said mortal in an environment where qi is plentiful, vibrant, and undeniably pure.

    The cavern was okay. The secret realm was a little better. But neither of those ces could really aid the sect in the way that they wanted.

    "So how could you have done it?? Are we moving again??"

    Taira only shook his head and began walking down a particr hallway.

    He carried his wife down a flight of steps, ced his hand over some spelled double-doors and led her into the family''s treasure trove.

    Every rare item, material, weapon, armor, and manual that Velreth kept in his pagoda was all stored right here.

    But even he admitted that even this ce was practically rubbishpared to it''s most recent addition.

    At the very back of the hall, a final pair of doors waited quietly.

    Even before they had fully reached them, Aveena felt as if she were about to break out in a sweat from whatever was contained inside.

    Taira pushed open the doors and a mass of water rushed out over his feet.

    The entire room was covered in his signature ck ice that was miraculously already melting.

    A lone pedestal stood in the center of the room.

    On it, there was a two liter ss bottle filled with a strange five-colored liquid that seemed to give off it''s own unique heat.

    "Lucia''s uncle refers to it as our ''golden finger''." Taira exined. "And Velreth estimates that the benefits it will give our sect members over time�� are nearly incalcble."

    Aveena was stuck. Completely gobsmacked.

    But she wasn''t at a loss for words.

    A small smile formed along her full lips and a single tear slid down her cheek.

    "My Abbess, I hope you are still watching. The future of The Divine ck Myth is sure to be bright."

    ��������������

    Oh shit chapter 200!

    I really didn''t even realize we hit this until a couple of minutes ago so I''m writing all of this on the fly but I just wanted to express my thanks to any and all supporters of this story.

    In terms of potential and longevity, I''ve always believed that this story could go farther than both of my other novelsbined.

    It took me longer than I thought to reallly find my footing and hit my stride with this project but I like to think I''ve finally arrived..

    But to everyone who was here supporting the story while I was still figuring stuff out, I owe you more than I can say. Thank you for the support.

 Chapter 201: A Transformative Effort

    "Are you ready, disciple?"

    "I believe so�� Though I confess that this state is embarrassing."

    "It can''t be helped, disciple. This is the only way to ensure you can keep your appetite in check."

    Taira sighed underneath his face mask.

    When dealing with the mysterious vial of blood that had been given to the family, Taira more than anyone else had been instructed to take extreme precautions.

    He was even using gloves in order to handle this magical concoction.

    "Alright, we''ve wasted enough time here. Let''s begin." Velreth responded.

    Taira and the girls nced at each other one final time before deciding to take the plunge.

    Taira reached out and uncorked the bottle that was keeping the essence sealed.

    As soon as the bottle was opened, the fox-demon was egregiously grateful for the extra precautions Velreth rmended.

    Even without smelling it, just the way that the air vibrated when exposed to the blood inside was enough to make him ravenous beyond belief.

    But he refused to embarrass himself by drooling in front of his wives, so he was able to keep himself in check.

    Inadu handed him a small needle no bigger than an inch and he brought it towards the ssware.

    Ever so carefully, he dipped the very tip of the needle into the multicolored dragon blood.

    The metal heated up instantly, but luckily it did not melt.

    "Alright, disciple. Just like we talked about.." Velreth said shakily. "Be careful not to spill any."

    Taira was too nervous to fire back anyments at the old spector.

    Ever so carefully, he carried the needle over towards the edge of the shore.

    He kneeled down and dipped the needle into the waters that surrounded their home.

    The effect was almost immediate.

    Taira was hit full force by a metaphysical wave of power and was thrown back several feet.

    Aveena and Keran both caught him and helped him recover from the blow. Once he was on his feet, he quickly re-sealed the bottle with its cork and ayer of ice.

    From there, the group got to watch a true spectacle unfold.

    The water surrounding the entirety of their sect became restless; thrashing and shifting with torrential force.

    It''s restlessness was apanied by a sort of ''purification''.

    The water which was always a deep and beautiful blue, now resembled a shining body of liquid crystal.

    It was iparably, indescribably, extraordinary.

    But the result that mattered the most aside from aesthetics was it''s new functional utility.

    How to describe the current feeling in the atmosphere..?

    It was as if the group realized that they had been breathing in smoggy, polluted, fart-riddled air for their entire lives. Using only 20% of their lung capacity at that.

    And they were now experiencing clean, enriching air that they could breathe in as deeply as their lungs would allow.

    It was transformative. Jarring. Stunning. Mind-altering. And the entire cave was filling itself with that energy.

    It was no wonder that the family had be frozen in their tracks; unable to take their eyes off the scene.

    All except for Vermeil, who''s mind was turning with a new possibility.

    An impish smile formed on her face and she slipped over towards their family''s youngest.

    "Ina~"

    "Y-Yes?"

    "Can I have a hug?" Vermeil held out her arms.

    Inadu was a sweetheart by nature. She wouldn''t have turned down a hug if it was offered by a cactus.

    She had barely wrapped her arms around Vermeil and immediately paid the price for her naivety.

    "Upsy-daisy!"

    "KYAAA!!"

    Ina''s small frame was tossed backwards into the water by Vermeil, who was immediately besieged by her family.

    Keran: "V-Vemeil!"

    Aveena: "How could you?!"

    Enyo: "She might catch a cold in there!"

    Lucia: "Don''t be mean to our little Ina!"

    Vermeil held up her hands in self defense. "H-Hey, take it easy guys! I just wanted to test my��"

    Vermeil''s words trailed off as her eyes became locked on something behind the group.

    Her lovers followed her gaze towards the shallow end of the water.

    Ina stood up slowly with her eyes hidden by her wet hair.

    Just as Taira was about to check on her, he heard a cracking sounde from her body.

    Almost on cue, eight de-like appendages burst from her back.

    Each one was glossy, sturdy, and as sharp as the finest de.

    Ina finally lifted her head and her family could see that she was crying.

    As she weapt,ughter escaped her lips in a soft, melodic harmony.

    Herughter fully engulfed her, and she let herself fall backwards into the water again; fully engulfed by her happiness.

    Only Vermeil and Enyo were aware of the reason why.

    Velreth folded his arms across his chest in front of Taira while making a smug face.

    "So, disciple. Are you ready topliment my genius yet?"

    For the first time, The Great God of Ice saw his disciple show him the slightest traces of a smile.

    "No."

    "Bastard."

    - Four Days Later��

    Raymond Harris was snoring happily in his quarters as if he was dead to the world.

    He likely would have kept sleeping untilte in the afternoon if it weren''t for certain excitable individuals��

    "Wake up, Big Poppa!!"

    Chapter Stay:

    "Today is the day we get SUPER POWERSS!!"

    Corey and Jordan both punched the sleeping young man in either side of hisrge stomach and woke him up in a panic.

    "Oh, you dirty sons of bitches�� You couldn''t just wake me up normally??" He groaned.

    Jordan: "We''ve been trying for 45 minutes. You missed roll-call and breakfast."

    Corey: "Vaal said if you do this shit again he''s going to pull your lungs out through your asshole."

    Ironically, one of those pieces of information was more upsetting to Raymond than the others.

    And it wasn''t the one that threatened bodily harm.

    "Damn�� I was uptest night trying to get this thing memorized." Raymond lifted up a manual that Shakti and Vaal had passed out to all disciples the day before.

    Taira and Aveena had decreed that they were all expected to have it memorized before training began today.

    It was a simple, yet effective practice that would provide a good foundation for the cultists.

    The technique would pair well with any martial arts that the members decided to learn during their studies. Atleast until they discovered something more fitting.

    "Well I hope you''ve got it all figured out, because we have to be in the hall in seven minutes." Jordan shrugged.

    For a big guy, Raymond moved remarkably fast when he was motivated.

    He washed up and got dressed in his training clothes very quickly; and was out the door with both of his friends in three minutes t.

    Along the way, the group ran smack into another cult member; Tiche.

    "So you''ve gotten him awake after all. A pity, since I wasing to break one of his toes."

    Raymond smiled bashfully, believing that the sexy asanbosam was joking. She wasn''t.

    "Sorry to dissapoint you, baby. I''ve risen like Christ on the seventh day." He smiled innocently.

    Shaktished out and wrapped her hand around Raymond''s throat.

    "Are you daring to flirt with me, boy? Your boldness is astounding."

    Corey panicked as he tried to save his friend. "H-He''s not flirting!"

    Jordan nodded her head furiously. "Y-Yea! He''s just southern as hell! They call everyone baby! They speak in sweet tea and cornbread!"

    Tiche seemed to lose her murderous demeanor as she released her grip on his neck. "I see�� My mistake then. Just get to the training hall before my brother and Shakti lose their heads."

    Tiche walked away quickly so that she wouldn''t bete herself, leaving the three humans behind.

    "You alright, buddy..?" Jordan asked worriedly.

    Raymond was absentmindedly rubbing his neck; his eyes steadily stealing nces at Tiche''s disappearing behind.

    "�� She''s so goddamn fine it don''t make no sense." He shook his head.

    Jordan looked shocked, and Corey just snickered.

    "I need her like Huey Lewis needs a new drug."

    "Okay buddy, we get it." Corey snickered.

    "The lord is my Shepard, he knows what I want��"

    Jordan smacked him so hard over the head that he nearly knocked his waves off.

    "Shut up ande on, lover boy, before I tell her toe back and break your toe."

    But Raymond''s problem was too big to be fixed with just one smack.

    "Honey, you just don''t understand. That ain''t the half of things I would let that woman do to me."

    "Stop being gross and let''s go!"

    The three of them had to run in order to make it to the training hall in time.

    They pulled open the sliding door to the training hall and were greeted by the sight of all of their other fellow cultists already kneeling.

    Shakti and Vaal shot the trio a death re as they fell into ce- signifying that some kind of scolding or punishment would definitely followter.

    But their heads whipped back around when the shoji doors at the front of the room opened and Taira and Aveena stepped inside.

 Chapter 202: Cold feet?

    Taira and Aveena passed through the doorway and stepped into the training hall, one after the other.

    Taira wore his standard blue gi with a simple belt around his waist. Aveena wore a thick set of bandages around her chest, forearms, knuckles, and feet, with a pair of baggy ck pants.

    Before he could even close the door behind them, the cultists inside were greeting the pair loudly.

    "WE GREET OUR DAI-SHI!"

    Aveena was known by her family for having a very yful personality and a general unseriousness surrounding life.

    So can you imagine Taira''s surprise when she suddenly put on a very stoic, no-nonsense personality?

    He had but one single thought on his mind at the moment.

    ''That''s��hot.''

    Even though he wasn''t currently using telepathy, Aveena still could hear Taira''s thoughts loud and clear judging by the subtle redness of her ears.

    Truthfully, she was quite nervous this morning when she woke up. It had truly set in that she was going to be a leader to a group of people.

    Aveena had a senior sister that she practically idolized before her sect fell to ruin.

    She was strong, diligent, virtuous, and incredibly upstanding.

    Aveena thought that was the kind of person who should be leader of a sect.

    She could not emte the wisdom of the abbess who was like a mother to her, but she could atleast put on the act of a hard-nosed motivator.

    But who knew her little stint in acting would rouse her husband''s sexual interest as well?

    It was like the gift that just kept on giving!

    ""Xu��sh��ng."" Aveena and Taira greeted the disciples in unison.

    Robotically, the disciples all resumed their normal posture.

    Aveena spoke first, with Taira stealing discreet nces at her hips and chiseled back.

    "As it''s the first day, I''ll be going over the method of your instruction aside from your independent study.

    On the first and third days of the week, I will instruct you in body tempering and soul nourishment.

    On the second and fourth, Taira will instruct you in hand-to-hand and qi growth.

    You will spar as part of your training everyday, but on the fifth day it will be from sun up to sun down. If you aren''t paying close attention, you will fall behind quickly.

    That said��"

    Aveena nced at Raymond out of the corner of her eye. "I highly rmend that you do not skip breakfast. Or neglect proper rest for that matter."

    The big guy lowered his head in mild embarrassment.

    Aveena continued her briefing without losing her rhythm.

    "Now, I''m sure you may wonder why we''re having those of you who use arcane participate in body tempering, and those of you who cultivate must participate in soul nourishment."

    Even if they hadn''t said anything just yet, the cultists were indeed wondering about that, since it was an extremely umon practice.

    Except the humans who didn''t know what was going on either way�� they were kind of just along for the ride right now.

    Taira held out his hand and ''something'' swirled around in his hand.

    It wasn''t tangible or visible, but the room full of cultists knew that it was there.

    "I''m sure you all felt the change in our home that we made a few nights ago. Qi is now extraordinarily plentiful here. I''m sure you can already feel it''s benefits." He finally said.

    The group nodded slightly. A lot of sheets had to be washed a few days ago because the room full of cultivators woke up with traces of waste leaving their bodies through their pores.

    But on a less gross note, their cells felt like they were being lovingly caressed by an outside energy.

    Their minds were greatly expanded, their potential more than doubled, and their sex drives through the roof!

    ��Well, not every new benefit was as important as the others. But they were still worthy of note.

    "So long as you grow in this environment, you will learn to cultivate and use arcane freely. Your potential will no longer be limited to having the aptitude for one or the other." Taira continued.

    Again, the humans only understood around half of what was being said.

    But the asanbosam were not so unaware in the matters of normalcy that they didn''t understand the massive blessing that had beenid at their bare feet.

    Already, choosing to follow Taira and Aveena was showing tremendous benefits.

    "Prepare yourselves for instruction."

    "NDIO!" (Yes)

    As the room full of new cultists rose to their feet, a few among them were picked out of the crowd.

    "You six. Come with me." Taira suddenly said.

    Needless to say, everyone knew that he was speaking to the humans.

    "Damn it, are we in trouble already..?" Jordan whispered.

    "I told you guys to be on time..!" Saanvi hissed.

    "It''s fat ass'' fault!" Sawyer spat.

    Out of nowhere, the six humans suddenly began floating upside down against their own power.

    Taira began walking towards them with his hands sped behind his back. All cultists respectfully bowed and stepped aside as he passed them.

    "You aren''t in trouble, but you need special instruction. You all are soft. Undisciplined.

    Cultivation shows true distinction when built upon a foundation that is already rock solid.

    Neither my wife or I are interested in wasting time and resources to end up with a sub-par follower.

    So before we can build you up, we feel it is necessary to break you down a bit."

    Jordan and Corey tentatively raised their hands while still upside down.

    "��Yes, you are still going to get ''super powers''." Taira rolled his eyes.

    The duo put their hands back down.

    Taira started to exit the dojo while pulling the humans along under his own power.

    His foot had barely crossed the threshold when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

    "��You seem to have something to say."

    He casually nced over his shoulder at Sawyer; who''s fists were balled up as he was drug along by the rest of the group.

    "��I''m not like the rest of these chumps, alright? I''m built different. I''ve been in sports since I was five, got my brown belt in taekwondo at sixteen. I can keep up with anything you throw at me."

    "Taekwondo..?" Taira tilted his head.

    "It''s a school of martial arts on earth."

    "��Oh?"

    Taira suddenly dropped Sawyer onto his head in the middle of the hall.

    "Get back."

    Without needing to be told twice, every cultist inside of the hall put their backs against the walls.

    Vaal and Shakti were seething.

    As Banes, they were responsible for making sure that those underneath them were on their best behavior. Especially in front of their Dai-Shi.

    The continuous disregard for honorifics, the sheerck of humility, the gall to question methods of instruction, the list went on.

    It reflected poorly on their positions, and that could absolutely not be tolerated.

    Perhaps they had not given the humans proper motivation.

    It was an error that they wouldn''t repeat.

    Sawyer scrambled to his feet and found only Taira standing above him.

    He had removed his belt so that his gi was hanging open, and draped it over his neck.

    "This is so unlike me�� but maybe I''m just in a good mood this morning."

    He bound his hands and feet in thick blocks of ck ice that restricted all movement he could''ve made.

    "You want to distinguish yourself? You think yourself adept enough to stand among the race of people who''ve lived in the wild since birth? That''s fine..."

    Taira gestured to the belt hanging around his neck like an Olympic medal.

    "I won''t move from this spot. Nor will I use my techniques. If you can take this from me, I''ll grant your request."

    Sawyer still vividly remembered losing his eye without even being able to perceive what happened.

    But if Taira couldn''t move, couldn''t use his hands, and Sawyer only had to grab a single belt from his neck, he thought it may be doable.

    And yet, he still had cold feet as to whether he should actually try his luck.

    "It seems that I haven''t made myself clear."

    A bitter chill engulfed the room; causing icicles and frost to form along the ceiling.

    "You have interrupted your Dai-Shi''s lesson. Spat on the honor of your brothers and sisters to distinguish yourself as ''head of the pack''.

    Since you were bold enough to make the statements, you will prove their validity yourself."

    "L-Look, I was just-"

    "If you do not, I will break every bone in the left side of your body. Twice."

    Sawyer''s face paled; causing Taira to show an uncharacteristic smile.

    "Why the cold feet? Show me those impressive earth martial arts of yours."

    Aveena had been leaning against the wall and watching this entire disy with a narrow gaze.

    She had a great many thoughts on her mind at the moment, but one of them was undoubtedly more prevalent than the rest.

    ''He''s so fucking hot��''

 Chapter 203: Taira’s Past…

    The entire hall could hear Sawyer''s heart practically beating out of his chest.

    Even if he wasn''t already having serious doubts about this, Taira''s little disy a few seconds ago had firmly imnted a reminder in his brain.

    His opponent was not human. He was practically a god that waspletely different from anything that he had ever seen.

    This was dangerous.

    But really, what choice did he even have?

    His only saving grace was the fact that he didn''t actually have to beat Taira in a fight.

    He just had to steal that stupid belt from around his neck.

    If it was just that, he could do this easily! As long as he yed it smart.

    ''Alright�� if you think a little hazing is going to scare me then you''ve got another thinging..!''

    Sawyer nted his feet and lowered his center of gravity by bending his knees.

    ''I can do this..!''

    With fire in his eyes, he lunged forward and closed the distance between himself and his master.

    Taira broke both of his legs before he even knew it.

    Sawyer went down screaming before he ever saw either of Taira''s tails move.

    The atmosphere within the hall remained unchanged as this was more or less what everyone already expected to happen.

    Though the humans were beginning to turn a little green��

    "All of that bluster, and for what?" Taira asked in annoyance as he snapped his restraints.

    "If you learn nothing else in what is undoubtedly fated to be a short life in Tayar, know this:

    Grandstanding will not save you.

    Your prior experience will not protect you.

    Preparation. Dedication. Knowledge. Tactics.

    Only these things can guarantee you a life worth living in our world�� and even then, you may still run into a greater power who can rend all of your efforts useless.

    This is why we retain our humility.

    Until Aveena and I can make you into adequate sailors of cultivation''s grand ocean; do not forget that you are just frogs at the bottom of a well."

    Taira stood on Sawyer''s airway until he passed out.

    He slowly turned his gaze toward the frozen humans and scoffed internally.

    Thawing out the room; he grabbed Sawyer by his jacket cor and began dragging him like trash.

    "Come. We are behind already."

    After everything that they had seen, the humans were too afraid to dally behind him.

    So despite their lead feet, they followed behind him one after the other like a row of terrified ducklings.

    -

    Taira led the humans toward the stone bridge in front of their sect.

    With the greatest of ease, he hurled Sawyer''s broken body over the bridge and into the water.

    {Disciple.}

    ''Not now, old man.'' Taira dismissed.

    {This is no time for one of your standard piss poor moods! You need to say something to those new underlings of yours.}

    ''What the fuck are you talking about..?'' Taira sighed in exhaustion.

    {Obviously I know better than you that everything you said is 100% correct. But you must show some give here.}

    ''You''re insane. Why should I baby them? They are already in for a harsh enough awakening when we step back into the real world.''

    {Theye from a peaceful domain! They aren''t like you or I, so you cannot behave like they do!}

    ''I will not water down my methods of instruction for any-''

    {You don''t have to water anything down, you thick-headed fox! But if these people believe they are following in the cult of a tyrant, how do you think they will react to that? You risk sowing seeds of resentment.}

    Taira hated it when Velreth was making sense.

    Because once he was presented with new ideas, especially good ones, his mind couldn''t help but overrun itself with new calctions and scenarios.

    He didn''t particrly like it when Velreth the cultivation ghost was the cause of making him rethink himself.

    But Taira wasn''t going to let a fool thing like his pride make him overlook his master''s suggestions either.

    ''So much talking��'' He wanted toy down.

    {You need to get over that. You''ll have a bright political future ahead of you if you live long enough. No doubt you will have to do much more talking than this on a consistent basis.} Velreth reminded.

    ''��''

    {��Disciple?}

    ''��Sorry, I was considering ending my own life for a bit.''

    {Of course you were.}

    Taira sighed as he watched the waters below the bridge bubble and glow.

    Without taking his eyes off the water, he tried his hand at Velreth''s suggestion.

    "�� I am nine-hundred and two years old."

    The humans nearly got whish from the change in demeanor that was like night and day.

    "My father was the ingenious and powerful king of the vampires. My mother was his third wife and best assassin.

    I was the their hopes and dreams given physical form."

    "S-So you were a nepo baby, Dai-Shi?" Jordan asked shakily.

    Taira actually found himself wanting tough at the human girl.

    "Hardly. My parents wanted me to be my father''s sessor, but they made me work for every privilege I had. Even their affection.

    When I was only four years old, I began training with the sword.

    If ever I seemed to be taking the process too lightly or bordering too much on ying, my father would break every bone in my fingers and hands.

    If I cried or passed out, he would wait for me to heal, wake me, and then do it again."

    The girls covered their mouths in horror while the boys looked like they were going to be sick.

    "It sounds worse than it actually was in all honesty. I was a prodigy, so I picked up most instruction quite easily; requiring only a couple of months to gain an advanced proficiency in several kinds of weaponry.

    It was my mother''s training that made me see death.

    She broke my bones and cut my tendons so that I would know personally which one caused the most difort to the body.

    I was fed various strands andbinations of poison in my meals; until I learned to identify them by taste, odor, consistency.

    Then I was made to research methods of detoxification�� sometimes while I was still poisoned.

    When I turned fourteen, I spent a year in an underground bunker with my two older brothers who despised me.

    Put simply, their job was to hunt me.

    If I made a sound, of my breathing was detected, if my heart beat too rapidly, they would find me every time.

    Sometimes when they caught me, they burned the skin they found distasteful, or just stripped my muscle entirely off the bone. Once, I was nearly castrated."

    Jordan, Himari, and Saanvi felt their eyes water uncontrobly.

    Taira couldn''t really say he med them.

    It was�� definitely unsettling to remember this part of his life when his memories returned.

    Keran and Enyo were aware of the year he spent away, but they didn''t know what happened.

    They just knew that when he returned home, he was different. Nearly the spitting image of his father in demeanor.

    They hated it.

    "I had to learn to hide perfectly without leaving any traces or tells of my existence. Only when they could no longer find me for a week did my father let me leave.

    Shortly after I turned twenty, it was discovered that I was inept. And just like that, all familial interest in me ceased.

    I spent the next three hundred years as a shell of myself. No motivations or interest in any part of the world that had cast me aside.

    And then�� I went into a 500 yeara with Enyo at my side.

    When we awoke, my skills had not atrophied, nor had my knowledge deteriorated. I was at the same peak I was the day I stopped my training."

    Taira made a gesture with his hand and Sawyer came shooting out of the water like a cannonball.

    Hended on the bridge coughing and sputtering; but his legspletely healed.

    Taira went towards the girls and wiped away the tears running down Jordan, Saanvi, and Himari''s faces.

    "I''m not telling you any of this because I want your pity or sympathy.

    I''m telling you this because I want each of you to understand the kind of training I want for each of you. The kind that doesn''t leave you even after an 800 year sabbatical.

    Now make no mistake, I am not my parents. I will never give you cruelty disguised as aid.

    I understand that you all are in a difficult position that you didn''t ask for.

    As such, I will not push you more than necessary, but any instructions Aveena or I give you are to be followed to the letter.

    You cannot get through cultivation without enduring pain in some capacity.

    So I will ask you once again for the veryst time.

    Are you willing to endure this so that you cane out better for it in the end. Yes, or no?

 Chapter 204: Whoop That Trick!

    {Disciple.}

    "��"

    {Disciple.}

    "��"

    {��Taira.}

    Surprised, the fallen prince opened one eye underneath the shade of a forest tree.

    ''You are surprisingly insistent on speaking to me. Am I the only one who understands the beauty of a little silence?''

    {I''d hardly say this ce is silent��}

    Taira nced down at the ground floor from his perch within the tree.

    The forest floor was lined with human bodies.

    Not ughtered ones, the bodies belonging to the new initiates.

    Although they did appear to be on death''s door��

    Each little human was huffing loudly and rolling around on the ground as they nursed their bruised bodies and aching muscles.

    "You''ve a minute to rest before we continue." Was all the motivation Taira gave them.

    "Y-Yes, Dai-Shi."

    "U-Understood, sir��"

    "Got it, Boss Man.."

    "Yes, Master��"

    *Unintelligible whimper.*

    Taira went back to leaning against the tree from up high and lowered his straw hat over his face.

    {The story you told them earlier�� Was it true?}

    ''You believe I would make something like that up just to get a reaction out of them?''

    {��No. No I don''t actually.}

    ''Then it seems you have your answer.''

    Taira waited for the screaming retaliation that he had rightfully earned after his curt remarks.

    But what he got instead, was something that he never expected.

    {I''m sorry that happened to you.}

    The fox-kin was so floored that he nearly fell out of his tree.

    ''��What?''

    Velreth scoffed.

    {Whatever you may think of me, Descendant of Bao Si, I am not an unsympathetic man. And your upbringing reminds me far too much of my own.}

    ''��''

    {��We didn''t deserve what happened to us.}

    ''It made us stronger.''

    {We were children with no idea of the ways of the world. We didn''t need to be strong yet.}

    Taira couldn''t talk about this any further, since the conversation was beginning to reach a rather difficult ce.

    Everyone had a backstory. He didn''t see the use in fretting over his.

    He was strong now, that''s what mattered.

    And he could make sure that nobody ever did anything like that to him or anyone he loved ever again.

    Velreth recognized the look on Taira''s face and the cold air he developed around this particr subject.

    It was a look he had seen many men wear. Including himself.

    Sometimes, it was the only way to survive in the world of cultivation.

    He didn''t know if it was his ce to try to change Taira''s mind. Nor did he even expect him to listen.

    So for now, he just sat in silence, and allowed his young disciple to go about life as he saw fit.

    Atleast, until he was prompted otherwise.

    "Time''s up."

    Taira didn''t yell or raise his voice any higher than a low level, but the humans still got up instantly.

    Probably because they knew from experience that if they didn''t, something much worse would follow them.

    There was a rustle of the trees and six figures dropped out of the branches.

    These were training dummies from the ck Myth sect.

    They looked like normal bodies wearing a light, yet sturdy cream-colored armor. Instead of heads, they had billowing steam that resembled hair.

    The training dummies circled the humans like a pack of wolves; prompting them to get into a fighting stance.

    They all had the dog shit beat out of them.

    These training dummies are specially designed to help cultivators work on integrating their strength into fighting techniques.

    The dolls analyze the opponent''s body and fight at a level that mirrors their own. To beat them, you must expand your own repertoire and push past any existing limitations.

    Because the dolls are constantly adapting and never use the same moves twice.

    However, any cultivator with even a modicum of proficiency in hand to handbat can best them just by sticking to a few fundamental principles.

    Vermeil once told Taira that people on earth can seriously overestimate their proficiency when ites to a physical fight.

    And because these humans were now inside of Tayar, where martial arts were significantly more advanced and required their own unique flow and pace, they were having a small�� learning curve.

    They were being humiliated.

    Saanvi threw out a slow, improper punch that was easily caught by her dummy.

    As a result, it kneed her in the joint between her arm and snapped it in two; breaking her arm cleanly.

    Jordan tried to do a flying jump kick that she had seen from some movie, or video game, or maybe both��

    With all that excess time she spent in the air, the doll had more than enough time to sidestep her kick and then give her a clothesline so brutal that she nearly had her head taken off.

    Big Country recieved a big ass whooping when the doll punched him in the stomach four whole times before he could even put his arms up. He went down swiftly after.

    Those martial arts skills that Sawyer needlessly boasted about before appeared to be no good to him.

    He was able to exchange no more than two moves with the dolls before it broke him down like a fraction and sent him hurtling headfirst into a tree.

    The ones whosted the longest were Himari and Corey, but even they weren''t on their feet for longer than a minute.

    {��They are-}

    ''Awful, I know.''

    {Atrociously so. I could''ve killed them all 100,000 times by now.}

    ''Yes, but��''

    Taira watched the humans struggle to get up even when they were bleeding, had broken bones, and were on the verge of fainting.

    ''��They have tenacity at least. And with that I can make them something.''

    Taira couldn''t see Velreth now, but he could almost feel him smiling.

    {��Indeed, you''re right. This immortal has certainly seen greater powers with less heart than them. Perhaps they can go far, but�� that depends on their master.}

    Now, Taira was the one showing the beginnings of a small smirk.

    ""Dai-Shi.""

    Taira lifted the rim of his hat using his tail.

    Shakti and Vaal had arrived silently on the tree branches just above where Taira was resting.

    Though he noticed theming about three minutes ago.

    "You two look weathered. How was your first ss?"

    Though not as bad as the humans, they were also sporting quite a few new bruises and bandages.

    "Dai-Shi Aveena''s body tempering lessons are really intense!" Vaal gushed. "It was a hard work out, but my body feels like molten metal!"

    Taira smirked. "Follow her rmended recovery procedure to the letter and you''ll feel even better in the morning. But of course she will break you again after that��"

    "I don''t mind at all! Soon I will have a body as powerful and indestructible as hers!" Vaal flexed his arms.

    ''Though it will not be nearly as charming...'' Even surrounded by the pained screams of humans, Taira physically could not stop himself from fantasizing about his wives.

    Tonight would be exquisite��

    "I assume that you two didn''te out here because you thought I neededpany."

    Taira looked at Vaal again.

    "��Well I know at least one of you is smart enough to know better."

    "Which one is that, brother??" Vaal asked with sparkling eyes.

    "��"

    Shakti shook her head as she lowered herself in front of Taira.

    "That aside, my Dai-Shi�� As your vassals, Vaal and I feel as though we have something we must express to you. I wonder if you are in the mood to hear us out?"

 Chapter 205: Hello, Little Guy!

    Taira liked Shakti.

    She was very polite, dutiful, and most importantly, she was quiet.

    Once he observed all of the asanbosam, she was the obvious choice to be his vassal. And Aveena felt the same.

    As such, he had much more patience with her than he did for other people.

    So when she actually did speak or ask him something, he was much more inclined to say yes than normal.

    This time was no different.

    "Go ahead, Shakti. You may speak freely." Taira smiled.

    Shakti lowered her head in unison with Vaal.

    "I merely wanted to express my sincerest apologies for failing to discipline our new initiates properly. I''ve done a poor job as your first bane."

    Taira wasn''t expecting this to be the focus of this conversation to be about the humans, but it did slightly peak his interest.

    "I''m curious�� Why do you feel the need to apologize on their behalf?" He leaned forward.

    "��You''ve entrusted us with maintaining and implementing the discipline and general standards for all younger members of the sect.

    But I will admit that I and disciple Vaal were a bit toockadaisical in our instruction of the new humans�� it seems to have resulted in unfortunate behaviors urring."

    Taira just continued to listen to her speak without rushing her.

    Though he believed that he might''ve already had the gist of what she was saying.

    Shakti and Vaal were trying to make the humans feel wee in the cult by noting down on them as hard as they would the others.

    They were trying to blend different cultures here and make everyone morefortable with the humans.

    Their efforts would have likely begun to go down the drain if they began antagonizing them during their resting periods.

    Thest thing they needed any of the humans to think is that the asanbosam still had it out for them and saw them as a possible meal.

    But now, it seemed as though they could no longer afford to spare feelings.

    "I assure you, this will absolutely not happen again under our watch." Shakti said seriously.

    Taira noticed her voice became a bit more frightful than normal.

    For the moment, he almost felt a little bad for the neers.

    "You two always amuse me��" Taira smiled slightly. "I look forward to seeing how you straighten them out without breaking them."

    Taira nced at the sky overhead and saw that they had been out here longer than anticipated.

    By his calction they had about two more hours until sundown�� they started training before the sun had evene up.

    "Stop."

    The dolls that were busy beating down on the humans came to a dead halt.

    Despite being on deaths door, the group of six hadn''t quite passed through it yet. They had survived their first day.

    "Take them and let them wash themselves in the moat�� And then they are yours for the night."

    Shakti jerked her head and Vaal nodded.

    He leapt down onto the forest floor amid the sea of broken bodies.

    "Up you go, little brothers!"

    Jordan: "Uwaghuaaahuh��"

    "And sisters." He corrected.

    Saanvi tried to get to her feet but her legs swiftly gave out from under her.

    "I-I don''t think I can stand up�� Can you give me a couple of minutes?"

    Vaal looked at Saanvi''s broken arm that she miraculously wasn''tining about.

    However, he could see that she was in a great deal of pain.

    Taking pity on her, Vaal leaned over and lifted the young woman into his arms.

    Judging by the intense spread of red along her cheeks, she clearly didn''t hate the turn of events.

    Or maybe she''d just taken too many hits to the face��

    "C-Can I get some of that too..?" Jordan held up her hand weakly.

    Vaal rolled his eyes and tossed her over his shoulder like dirtyundry.

    "Thank you��" Within one second of being carried, Jordan passed out like a newborn.

    Vaal also lifted Himari and Corey using telekinesis but left two of the humans on the ground.

    Raymond looked down at his heaving stomach.

    "��Is it because I''m heavy?"

    Vaalughed maliciously. "Not this time, fluff ball. Since you slept in for so long ,you should have a surplus of extra energy, right?"

    "N-No."

    "Aww, well that''s too bad. I sincerely hope you find the energy you need, since you''ll be running back to the cult on your own two feet."

    "R-Running?!"

    "Yes, like the snot from your nose. Get up." Vaal insisted.

    Corey looked immensely deted, but Vaal still had some good news for him.

    "Don''t worry, hefty brother. You''ll havepany on your run."

    He nced at Sawyer with unveiled disdain that promised this would not be the sum total of their punishment.

    "I won''t ask you twice. If you don''t make it back to the cult by dark, I swear to you that we will be out here all night."

    -

    While Vaal got the recruits back to base in his own special way, Taira was still lingering behind with Shakti at the top of his tree.

    "You aren''t returning back with them?" He asked.

    Shakti shook her head as she crossed her legs and sat in a meditative position.

    "I woukd like to stay and guard you until you return to base�� provided that you will allow it." She rified.

    Taira raised his brow as he tilted up his hat.

    "��One could easily assume you''re inferring that I need to be babysat. I hope that isn''t the case."

    "F-Far from it, Dai-Shi."

    "��" Taira stared at her for a moment longer before he went back to resting against the tree.

    Again, Taira liked Shakti because she was quiet. Like him.

    She understood that when he didn''t explicitly tell her to leave, he was giving her permission to stay.

    The two of them sat inplete, dead silence for the duration of their stay.

    Taira was a shut-in vampire who spent fifty years of his life asleep, but even he asionally enjoyed the warm feeling of the sun on his face. Especially since it no longer negatively affected him.

    As such, he only woke up from his afternoon nap when the warmth turned into the familiar cold.

    He opened his eyes to find that the sun was already in the process of setting.

    But something more interesting was staring back at him with two, beady little brown eyes.

    "She''s been staring at you for the past few minutes. I contemted chasing her away, but I didn''t want to identally disturb your rest."

    "I see��"

    Taira made a slightly interested face as he leaned forward to inspect the neer more closely.

    -

    Back at home, Vermeil felt like she was crawling out of her skin.

    After fifty years of marriage spent underground, maybe she was a little co-dependent.

    Thest time she went a full day without seeing her husband was four years ago when he entered a closed-door seclusion for eight months.

    No kisses, no hugs, no SEX, for eight whole MONTHS.

    She felt like she was dying everyday.

    Nogitsune intimacy was her bread and butter and she preferred her vor tall, dark, and with fangs!

    Now that she hadn''t seen her husband for over nine hours, she was beginning to go a little stir crazy from her body''s marital needs.

    "Ugh��!"

    Vermeil rolled around on the sofa like a fish out of water.

    Eventually she could no longer stand it and simply hiked up her nightgown yet again.

    A small spider lowered itself down from the ceiling by a line of silk that was almost too thin to see.

    "Are you going to touch yourself again?" Inadu asked innocently.

    "I can''t help it! It''s only their first day working with the sect and I feel like I''m going crazy! It''s either this or making pills and my panties are already off!"

    "No they''re no-"

    Vermeil removed her underwear and tossed them into the firece.

    Inadu wondered if she shoulde down and ''help'' her new sister or try to find her some sort of program for her obvious sex addiction.

    Just as Vermeil started making noises, that she knew all too well, the two women felt a familiar presence appear in their home.

    Vermeil pulled down her short dress and literally took off like a shooting star.

    Ina reverted to her normal body and ran down the hall behind her.

    Just because she wasn''t goingpletely crazy didn''t mean that she didn''t miss Taira just as badly after all.

    Along the way, the girls met up with Keran, Enyo, and Lucia, who were coincidentally also trying to cope with their husband''s continued absence.

    They found him at the front door, but their sprinting came to a full stop when they noticed he had something now that he certainly didn''t leave home with.

    "Honey�� What is that?" Enyo asked for the group.

    Taira held out a furry, four-legged little critter with an adorable face and fluffy ringed tail.

    "A red panda." He answered.

    "R-Right, but why do you have it with you?" Lucia tilted her head.

    "It''s our pet."

    Enyo: "��"

    Keran: "��"

    Vermeil: "��"

    Lucia / Inadu: "��.IT''S SO CUTEEEE!!!"

 Chapter 206: You Survived! Congratulations!

    In the blink of an eye, three more days came and went.

    For the asanbosam, the experience was not only enriching, but it was exciting as well.

    These vampire offshoots were thrilled by the opportunity they''d been given to learn martial arts in a more formal, proper sense.

    Taira may not have been any good at talking, but he was a very capable teacher.

    He was able to get the asanbosam to stop hampering so much on outright savagery and instead develop a more skillful eye.

    The great thing was, they were pretty much naturals.

    They took what Taira taught them, learned it properly, and then started considering the best ways to integrate his teachings into their own martial arts; resulting in their individual development of new techniques.

    Though most were still a work in progress as of now��

    On the arcane side, they were also progressing smoothly in the exploration of their magical prowess, with many of them getting their first feel for the use of magic.

    They spent many hours of their own free time in the library. Some staying all day.

    The humans experienced a slight learning curve, but they are quickly getting their footing as the days go by.

    Although, Big Country shows little to no signs of growing used to the early morning hours, and has been ced on a strict diet under Vaal''s authority. It is a special kind of hell for him.

    Though the humans struggled at first, they show signs of finding their niche.

    Jordan, Himari, and Corey all have grown extremely attached to the arcane side of cultivating.

    Raymond, Saanvi, and Sawyer show greater interest in body cultivation.

    Though it''s taking them a little longer to get to the fighting side of cultivation, they are on their way to developing a proper understanding of the basics to build upon.

    But the path to the top is an arduously painful one, and while the cult members develop themselves physically and spiritually for the first four days of the week, the fifth day is where they put it all to the test.

    From four in the morning to eight at night, the sect gathers in the courtyard for a sort of organized free-for-all. Everyone''s cultivation is sealed to make it as ''fair'' as possible.

    Thest man standing would be rewarded with the privilege of exploring Aveena and Taira''s personal library.

    They were free to select any three manuals they liked. The only stiption was that they were not allowed to take them outside or make copies as a security risk.

    But if they needed, they could stay inside all weekend learning it.

    It was an immense reward.

    But the cultist with the poorest showing would be skipping dinner tonight.

    ...So the children and Raymond made sure that they didn''t go down first.

    After fighting for over twelve straight hours, the cultists began cultivating together en masse an additional four hours.

    Velreth, Taira, and Aveena both were inplete agreement that this was the best way to maximize the benefits from straining the body and soul as strenuously as they had.

    There were a couple of low level break throughs, but none jumped a major realm yet. Though a few were close and would likely reach their next stage in a day or so.

    When the hellish day (and night) of training reached it''s end, a gong rang out.

    It''s reverberating metallic sound roused the attention of the cultists.

    They slowly opened their eyes and saw the same sight as when they first began waiting for them.

    Arge steely gray fox with nine tails liefortably on it''s side.

    It wasrge enough for not just one, but six different women to lounge on his backfortably. There was even enough room for each of them toy back and kick their feet up.

    But the newest addition to the cult leaders'' family was a small and delicate red panda no more than a year old.

    It was a female affectionately named Yukiko, but Lucia liked to call her Nibbles.

    ''Adorable...'' The entire cult thought at once.

    "I mustmemorate you."

    Aveena had developed a true, regal presence indicative of a leader over the course of this week.

    Now, as she satfortably atop her husband''s back with her hair tied back and ruby eyes shining, she was cementing herself as a figurehead that one would want to rally behind.

    It was evident that she believed in her people more than they did. Which was inspiring.

    "My husband and I really put our heads together for a way to make your training as difficult as possible. We even tried to kill you a couple of times."

    ''I knew it...'' All of the humans thought at once.

    "But you all rose to the challenge at every turn. I couldn''t be more proud."

    The cultists smiled.

    "Since we know you all can handle it now, we''re going to make your training three times as difficult starting next week. Rest and hydrate ordingly."

    The cultists were no longer smiling.

    Except for Vaal, who''s screws had long since been knocked loose.

    Taira was watching Yukiko climb over his paws like he was onerge jungle gym.

    He casually lifted the furry critter with one of his tails and passed her back to Inadu, who seemed to be the most fond of the new addition.

    "Now, this is when I would ordinarily dismiss you all to rest, but I''ve been told one of your head disciples has something else in mind." Taira finally said.

    As if he were waiting for his moment to shine,Vaal stood up wearing a smile that was almost too big to fit his face.

    After bowing respectfully to his Dai-Shi and thedies of the cult, he turned around to greet his little brothers and sisters.

    *Inhales..* "...PARTAYYYYY!!!!!"

    -

    Ordinarily after one has undergone five days of the most strenuous exercise known to man, it is expected that the afflicted person would retire to rest for at least thirty six hours straight.

    But the asanbosam do things quite a bit differently!

    They had survived their first week of instruction at the cult, so now it was time to celebrate the fact that they weren''t dead, they were stronger, and they were wiser!

    A bonfire had been lit, the cultists were sitting around singing, dancing,ughing, and of course, drinking.

    Taira and his family had retreated to their pce once the festivities began. You can''t exactly have fun with authority figures watching your every move, can you?

    And so, the night progressed steadily with the near dead cultists celebrating in a rowdy rager.

    However, they were about to experience a visit from some very unexpected guests�� but of course they were going to get drunk first.

 Chapter 207: The Uninvited

    In the dead of night, a small group could be seen treading up a snowy mountain slope.

    Two of the women were extremely recognizable underneath their billowing cloaks.

    One was the grizzled, yet beautiful Queen of beast fallen, while the other was the icy and charming ruler of the undead.

    At their back, the small group of Leopold and his daughters, Kohaku and Kuro were acting as bodyguards for the highly esteemed duo.

    "I am growing more and more tired of this trek as the time passes by. Why would my Besto Friendo choose to live in such a faraway location?" Ajained.

    "Perhaps his goal was to hide away from you. I don''t know that there would be a better ce for it than this mountain." Ayame snipped.

    Aja remainedrgely unfazed by the werewolf''s cruelments.

    She knew her friend was a bit on the cold side, but he enjoyed herpany. No one could tell her differently.

    "Pardon me, my queen." Kohaku suddenly bowed. "May I ask why we have ceased all flight? It would have made the journey much faster."

    "Naturally I''m aware of that, but look around." Ayame gestured to the budding snowstorm that was slowly picking up all around them before they even knew it.

    It was building quickly. Unnaturally so.

    "An array formation.." Leopold realized.

    Arrays areplex magical spells that are cast on specific ces and have a continuous time of effect.

    They can be broken, but depending on theplexity and meticulousness of how they were drawn, they can take hours, weeks, or days to bring down sessfully.

    Ayame nodded as she pulled her hood over her head.

    "That''s right. Installed by our very own handsome kitsune around fifteen years ago. If we try to rush through here, we''ll get turned right back around."

    "I see�� how grand." Leopold muttered in amazement.

    Ayame paused momentarily and gave her three bodyguards a fair warning.

    "I''m just telling you now, but you''ll have to wait outside while Aja and I meet with him. I can''t imagine that the habitual shut-in would enjoy uninvited guestsing into his family home."

    "We understand, My Queen." Leopold bowed. "My daughters and I take no offense."

    Ayame nodded and returned her gaze to the path forward.

    "Alright�� Let''s go see if that handsome man is in the mood forpany�� Well, even if he''s not, he''s out of time."

    The group resumed their journey towards a hidden cave just under the peak of the mountain.

    Approximately forty-five minutes into their journey, they noticed a disturbance on the mountain.

    A lone man was surrounded by a pack of deep red direwolves.

    Each of them looked ferocious and starving, and yet the man remained as cool as a frozen cucumber.

    He was an elderly human man with a shiny bald head and wearing a set of borate dark robes.

    He wielded a shining staff with a set of golden rings fastened at the top.

    Though he stood still, he was projecting a rather fierce and intense aura that could not be easily replicated.

    But miraculously, all of that energy he was producing suddenly dissipated.

    The kicker was when a set of wolves ran up to Ayame and Aja; recognizing their scents and losing their hostility, which in turn was tranted to the rest of the pack.

    Aja''s eye briefly glowed yellow. The wolf who ran up to her had it''s eyes glow red.

    It sat in front of her and Ayame gave the good boy a good petting. Eliminating all hostility in seconds.

    "Wow�� I''ve never seen you be so tender with�� anything now that I think about it." Aja rubbed her chin.

    "Shut it, lich."

    Ayame reassumed her cold and authoritarian look as she nced at the only other stranger on the mountain.

    "Who are you? Why have youe to this ce?"

    The old man held his hand up to his chest and smiled warmly in greeting.

    "Namaste, new friends. Are you too seeking a littledy who makes her abode on this mountain?"

    -

    Inside the sect, the festivities showed little to no signs of slowing down.

    Except for the humans that is.

    The lot of them had found a bench and ended up sitting on it together.

    Within a minute''s time, the six of them were slouched over each other like dominoes.

    Jordan and Corey were the only ones still fighting their sleep using all of their newly acquired focus and concentration.

    "You seem like you''re about to fall asleep." Corey poked.

    "Whatttt��? No, I''m just�� resting my eyes for a bit."

    Corey watched Jordan struggle to keep her head up for a few seconds before her head inevitably fell on his shoulder.

    Now, the young man was wide awake.

    His heart was beating so loudly that he was worried Jordan was going to hear it and wake up- thus ending this tender moment.

    This was the greatest day of his life!

    So what if he had almost died more times than he could count??

    Who cared if every muscle and bone in his body was screaming at him with unimaginable resentment?!

    This was what it was all for!

    His spring of youth had finallye!!

    While Corey was busy smiling like an idiot, he missed the sight of a small rat moving above his head.

    The adorable creature soon vanished from his perch teleported to another part of the sect entirely.

    Taira reappeared in the kitchen inside of his very own home.

    He quickly grabbed a small tray of mochi from the ice box and prepared to return upstairs when he realized he''d been caught.

    Aveena and Keran lit the candles around the room; instantly illuminating the space.

    There, he could see the two women leaning side-by-side against the doorway; both wearing all-knowing looks and very thin robes.

    "We said that we would let them have their fun and not spy on them." Keran reminded.

    "�� I wasn''t trying to be overbearing. I merely wanted to see how those six were mixing with the others."

    "How is it going?" Aveena asked, equally curious.

    "They still have a tendency to stay to each other��. But perhaps they are just too tired from their training to properly socialize."

    "I can imagine that."

    Keran sauntered up to her husband and removed the tray of sweets from his hands.

    "I understand that you have your concerns about our members, but they can find their footing on their own. Their Dai-Shi cannot help them with everything."

    Keran slowly reached for her waist and untied her robe.

    She let the fabric fall to the floor seductively as she started to reach for his clothes as well.

    "For the next two days, I would like it if you didn''t concern yourself with any cult business. It''s been a while since we all got to spend time together, as one, thinking of nothing but our love and pleasure. I miss that."

    Keran used one of her tails and reached across the room for Aveena.

    She pulled her towards the two of them and began undressing them both with her hands and tails.

    Though she was considered the ''good'' variant of fox spirit, Keran''s touch was every bit as dangerously enticing as Taira''s was.

    The subtle gliding of her hands over their skin.

    The natural sweet scent her body produced to rouse their lust.

    It was all so intoxicating that Taira and Aveena were practically brought to their knees.

    That is, until their bodies suddenly stiffened, and they began to look at Keran with an apologetic look that she recognized all too well.

    "��Don''t say it."

    ""��Your mother is he-""

    "FUCK!"

 Chapter 208: A Lost Love

    "What�� is this..?"

    "My chest feels�� strange."

    "Oh my��"

    Even before Ayame had finished inscribing the secret phrase into the cavern ice wall, she and the group of outsiders were already feeling a little bit out of the ordinary.

    A warmth spread through their chests that waspletely out of the ordinary for this cold winter environment.

    They hardly even needed their protective cloaks anymore.

    Ayame etched thest line of writing onto the wall and the writing glowed bright blue.

    With one breath, all enemies tremble with fear. With one step, all opposition sings in terror. And they all trade hoarse whispers of the Divine ck Myth.

    At the back of the group, the old monk raised a brow.

    Soon the entire group was bathed in a strange light and taken to another destination entirely.

    Miles beneath Tatar''s surface, the group had appeared on a great some bridge leading to arge, splendrous pce.

    Situated atop a stone ind, the building was surrounded by a clear, icy blue moat that safeguarded and surrounded the entire sect.

    But there was another more jarring aspect about this ce.

    The qi.

    It was so plentiful here. It was almost like one could have choked on it.

    Hell, they could even nearly see it.

    Flecks of brilliant blue energy danced around their vision like confetti.

    The sight was beautiful and beyond anything that this world could replicate.

    Across the bridge, one could see what looked like a small festivity being conducted in a courtyard.

    That is, until it all came to a dead stop.

    Everything happened in the span of time that it took the average person to blink three times.

    One.

    Aveena shot out of nowhere like a speeding bullet. She threw out a punch and Ayame raised her fists just in time to block it.

    She felt it as soon as her bones developed a hairline fracture.

    Two.

    Even though he didn''t see or feel anything, the monk froze dead in his tracks when the de of arge scythe was suddenly pressed against his neck.

    Three.

    "My Queen!"

    Two sovereign level cultivators appeared beside Leopold and his daughters.

    Before his hand could even fully wrap around his greatsword, Vaal and Shakti had him cornered.

    "I can''t say I rmend that."

    "If you touch your weapon you die. I urge you to stay still."

    Ayame clenched her teeth as she smiled wryly.

    "��This isn''t exactly the kind of warm reception I was expecting. Here I thought we were closer than this. We''re still family, right?"

    Aveena showed a smile that was not a smile.

    "Of course we are, mother-inw. Which is why I thought you would know better than to bring uninvited guests into our home all things considered."

    Aja started to raise her hand.

    "No, Aja. You do not count as an uninvited guest."

    Aja put her hand back down.

    "Well, I did try to leave my guards outside! You told me you changed the password, but you didn''t mention that you got rid of the stairs too!" Ayame retorted.

    "So we have to tell you every single thing for you to abide by basic courtesy?"

    Ayame narrowed her eye.

    She sniffed the air twice before she put on a knowing look.

    "I was wondering why you were in such a bad mood. You were about to get lucky, huh?"

    Aveena smiled shamelessly. "If you think I''m upset, you should see your daughter. She''s in a worse mood than I am right now."

    ''Why doesn''t that surprise me..?'' Ayame sighed internally.

    "Look, Leopold and the twins are-"

    "We''re not upset about the old lion and his litter, Ayame."

    ''Rude��'' the father-daughter trio thought at once.

    "This human. Why did you bring him here..?" Taira finally spoke up.

    Ayame finally broke her stalemate with Aveena and turned around.

    "For your information, handsome, we didn''t bring him anywhere. He was already on his way up here and we just walked together."

    "And you didn''t attempt to stop him, question him, or ce him through any other vetting process?"

    "I''m not your security, little prince. He said he was here for a littledy who lives on the mountain so I figured that he was here for Vermeil."

    Ayame wasn''t really in the mood to talk with the human monk, so she didn''t say anything to him at all on the way here.

    That was about as tolerant of others as she was willing to be.

    "Eh? I dunno this guy."

    The group suddenly looked up where they found Vermeil and the other wives seated on top of arge spider hanging from the ceiling.

    Ayame could tell exactly what Aveena was talking about. Her daughter really did look pissed.

    "Speak." Taira urged the old man. "Who are you looking for and how do you know of this ce?"

    The monk lifted his hand in polite greeting.

    "Amituofo, friends. Please pardon my unexpected arrival, but I am looking for a youngdy by the name of Setsuka... Is she here?"

    Aveena forgot all about her anger instantly.

    "��Why are you asking about my master..?"

    Taira retracted his weapon for the time being at Aveena''s behest.

    The old monk rubbed away the line of blood on his neck and cleared his throat.

    "She is my oldest friend�� and the first love of my life. Is she here?"

    Taira felt Aveena''s heart break in a way that only the mention of her adoptive mother could cause.

    -

    "So... My friend is dead." The monk said.

    "...I''m afraid so." Aveena said painfully.

    After moving the conversation inside forfort, the human monk spilled his story to Taira and Aveena.

    In turn, they told him the story of Abbess Satsuma''s death. And their decision to rebuild the sect fifty years after she passed.

    They led the group to the grand hall inside of the pce.

    A short flight of steps led up to two identical thrones seated side by side each other.

    On the wall directly behind them, there was a painted mural of an older woman bearing a uniquely charming smile.

    At the sight of her, the monk fell to his knees and lowered his head until it touched the ground.

    It wasn''t until the group saw his body unconsciously tremble that they realized he was whipping over what had been lost.

    "Oh, my precious one... You leave me alone with too heavy a burden to bear...How could you ever be so cruel...?"

 Chapter 209: Two Invitations Pt. 1

    Aveena was touched, and a bit wounded to see someone else revere her master so highly.

    She tried to press the old monk a bit for more back story behind the two elders; just to hear an old story about the woman who she had only ever known as a master.

    But the old man seemed to need more than a moment before he could open up about his rtionship with the former Abbess.

    Though he did admit that the two were very much in love at one point. But neither of them could get past certain obvious cultural barriers. The world just wasn''t changing fast enough.

    And so, he became an Abbot. She followed in his footsteps and became an Abbess.

    It seemed as if both of them were loudly dering that if they couldn''t have each other, they would have no one.

    He would still visit her rather frequently over the years, but around eighty years ago, he had to stop for reasons that were entirely out of his control.

    This was why Aveena did not know him. He had to have stoppeding around either before she was brought to the sect, or before she was even born.

    The Abbot wiped his eyes until they were dry and showed the couple a smile that neither of them believed.

    "Where are this old man''s manners? I am Abbot Tang Gyeoksan of the Thundering Cloud Sect. It is quite the honor to meet you." The old monk cupped his fist and bowed.

    Aveena and Taira performed a simr gesture.

    "I am Taira Kukan Amarok. This is my wife; Aveena Amarok. We are the Dai-Shi of the Divine ck Myth Cult."

    "Hello." Aveena smiled.

    Looking at the married couple, Abbot Tang felt as if he was seeing a vision of what could have been, right in front of him.

    Why had he and Sestsuka decided not to go this route?

    Standing together against the world as a unified front with an unchanging vision.

    Would it not have been easier than the decisions they both made in the end..?

    And just like that, a memory resurfaced in his mind that solidified his decision to break things off. It was the day she came to him with the pointy ends of her ears cut, and her skin bleached.

    ''Oh, right. That''s why��''

    "Abbot Tang..?"

    "Abbot Tang??"

    The old human was pulled from memoryne rather abruptly by Aveena''s gentle shake.

    Only now did he realize that he had zoned out.

    "My apologies, youngdy. That was rude of me."

    "I-It''s no trouble at all�� May I ask what you were thinking about?"

    Abbot Tang smiled at the pair of seemingly young lovers.

    "I was merely thinking�� Setsuka would be proud to know that her Sect''s vision has been maintained by a pair of upstanding young lovers."

    Aveena scratched her cheek. "I am approaching 88 years old soon, and my husband, well�� let''s just say that he may even be older than you."

    "Oh-hoh?" Abbot Tang sized Taira up like they were about to have some sort of old manpetition.

    "I am 897 years old."

    "902." Taira responded.

    "��"

    "��"

    "��Seriously?"

    "I''m afraid so."

    The Abbot scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

    "My, I do certainly envy you cultivators. Over 900 years old and you don''t look a day over twenty-two!"

    Technically, Taira had looked like this long before he started cultivating since vampires stopped aging at around 18-20 years of age.

    "Well, let me be the first of the Seven Pirs of the Aspiring Heaven Society to wee the Divine ck Myth Sect into our fold. You already seem to have quite the high starting point." The old man praised.

    "The Aspiring Heaven Society are..?" Aveena questioned.

    "The other sects of this world. We liken ourselves to schrs, great warriors, and master craftsmen who seek to carve a path through the great desert that is the dao."

    "While the world around us burns..?" Taira said pointedly.

    Aveena pinched her husband for his sharpness, but Abott Tang nodded in understanding.

    "I understand your skepticism of our motives, but you must understand that one cannot truly help a broken world if they cannot help themselves first.

    If we went down there with no establishment or sense of authority, then the Races Of Light and the Fallen would both only see us as a couple of nosy mountain dwellers sticking their noses where they didn''t belong.

    They wouldn''t want to follow us with that kind of image.

    They would only be more desperate to hold onto the hate in their hearts that makes them feel superior.

    And any cause we would try to draw them to would be moot."

    Taira, as always, was not so hotheaded that he was unable to discern the difference between avoidance and an honest truth.

    "��I apologize. The subject is a precarious one for my family." Taira admitted.

    "Think nothing of it, Dai-Shi Taira. It is that way for us all." The old Abott smiled.

    "Besides, you aren''t wrong for your skepticism. There are certainly parties among us who are not so motivated to aid in the plight of those below us�� but those of us who are will continue working hard to change minds."

    A sudden thought dawned on the mind of the Abbott and his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

    "Why this must be fate! I wasing here to extend and invitation to Setsuka I was sure that she''d decline, but now I may pass it to you instead!"

    "What sort of invitation?" Aveena tilted her head.

    "Every one hundred years, the entire Aspiring Heaven Society gathers for our annual five-day retreat.

    We host seminars on various topics of cultivation, pill making, and discuss applications of breathing techniques, and even trade them if we like.

    But our greatest attraction is undoubtedly our martial arts tournament. Each sect selects exactly sixteen of their best and brightest topete for a very noteworthy reward."

    "And that reward is..?" Taira raised a brow.

    "Resources from each sect for the next twenty-five years. Medicinal ingredients, forging materials, whatever is requested. As you can imagine, it sparks quite thepetitive spirit among our younger.."

    The Abbott''s words trailed off as he noticed Aveena literally brimming withpetitive spirit.

    A dull heat was rolling off her body and her red eyes were glowing with a special burning light.

    "I take it that the two of you are interested?" The Abbotughed.

    Aveena looked at her husband with pleading puppy dog eyes.

    "C-Can we please..?"

    "��So cute."

    Taira ran his fingers through Aveena''s hair and she let out a precious maiden-like giggle that did not at all fit with her monstrous frame.

    As of right now, the monk was feeling just a little bit jealous and questioning his decision to take a vow of celebacy.

    "So am I correct in assuming that the two of you will be in attendance?"

    Taira and Aveena looked at each other a final time before nodding in unison.

    "We will. When and where will this event be held?"

 Chapter 210: Two Invitations Pt. 2

    Taira and Aveena must have sat with Abbot Tang for another hour before the monk finally decided to take his leave.

    Truthfully, he was a bit embarrassed after spending so long chatting with the up anding cultivators that he lost track of time.

    Aveena offered to put the old man up for the night, but he insisted that he didn''t want to be such a burden to them on their first meeting.

    Secretly, Taira had a good impression of the monk already.

    He could clearly tell that the monk wasn''t a person who really knew how to lie or hide things.

    Abbot Tang clearly wanted to ask a myriad of questions pertaining to their sect and how it functioned, but held them in out of fear of seeming rude.

    But his eyes had a special sort of sparkle whenever he looked at something new. It made his interest impossible to hide.

    And in all fairness, one could scarcely me him for being curious.

    This ce was not only grander than any he had ever seen, but it was brimming with such rich, overflowing qi that his body felt cleaner now than it had in... ever, as a matter of fact.

    Nheless, he left the Cult all the same.

    Once Tairapelled him not to tell anyone else their location that is.

    While it may not have been polite, but Taira had men, women, and children to keep safe.

    And a room full of treasures that absolutely no one outside of the Cult should every eyes on.

    He wouldn''t apologize for operating with the best interests of his people in mind.

    With one matter ended, Taira and Aveena made their way upstairs to deal with another, more annoying one.

    Even before they entered the room where all of the rucus wasing from, Yukiko ran up to Taira with something white and red dotting her fur.

    "Aww. What''s mommy''s baby got all over her?" Aveena pouted as she kneeled down to pick up the young red panda.

    Taira took a cautionary sniff and his suspicions were confirmed with a single.

    "Red bean mochi..."

    Taira and Aveena opened the door to the kitchen and figured out the reason why Taira''s precious dessert was being decimated by an over-sized Leopold.

    Capable warrior though he might''ve been, table manners were apparently not his forte.

    "Ah." he paused once he saw the pairing enter. "Please, pardon my boorishness. These deserts were too exquisite to pass on."

    "..." Taira suddenly felt that his family was desperately in need of a new rug by their firece.

    Enyo suddenly floated upside down from the ceiling and gave her husband a small kiss on the cheek. "Don''t pout, honey. I can always make more."

    "...I''m not pouting."

    "You were thinking that we needed a new rug, right?" Enyo smirked.

    Taira said nothing, which made Leopold swallow and back away from the te with literally one single mochi left on it.

    "This is why when you wee guests, you don''t host them in your kitchen." Ayame said pointedly.

    "You''re hardly a guest. And even if you were, that would not excuse youing by uninvited." Taira rolled his eyes.

    "I said I was sorry for letting the monk in!"

    "And what about him?"

    "Leopold?"

    Taira summoned Yasuke in the middle of the kitchen.

    He stabbed the scythe into the shadow at Adam''s feet.

    "Son of a bitch!!"

    Ja''Zaki crawled out of the shadow with a deep gash in his shoulder and a pissed off look on his face.

    He didn''t know what he was madder about. The fact that Taira could see him or the fact that he had cut him.

    ...It was probably the former if he were honest.

    "What the fuck?! Are you too good for regr greetings now?"

    "Do not sneak into my home again." Taira warned. "The next time you try, it will be your neck."

    "You know, yourck of manners is starting to be- AAAGGHHH!!"

    Ja''Zaki screamed out in vain when Ayame suddenly dug her thumb into his nearly-separated shoulder.

    "What the fuck, elf!? I told you I woulde to get him on my own without you breathing down my neck!" Ayame hissed.

    "Yes, well you haven''t exactly shown the best measure of judgment when ites to him, so I refused to take any chances!" Ja''Zaki spat back.

    "That''s..!"

    Ayame''s speech trailed off as she caught another nce at Taira and the furry red panda who was draping herself over his shoulders.

    "...Fuck you, I can think for myself just fine!"

    "The stench of a dog in heat is downright nauseating."

    "What''d you sayto me, tree fucker!?"

    "That''s a gross stereotype, you miserable bag of fur, and I''ll have you tongue for it!"

    "Umm..."

    Both rulers suddenly looked at the timid Inadu as she twirled her fingers in the corner.

    "W-Would you two mind not fighting so loudly in our family''s home please..?"

    ""...Sorry, Ina.""

    -

    Vermeil patched Ja''Zaki''s shoulder up as best she could and even gave him a few pills for the pain.

    Afterwards, Taira, his wives, and Yukiko sat down with Ja''Zaki, Ayame, and Aja in a private room.

    Leopold and his daughters were waiting outside. ''Standing guard'' as if there was an actual need.

    Since Taira had a feeling as to what this might''ve been about, he decided to cut through the fat ahead of time.

    "I''m not epting the position of Heavenly Demon. If you''vee to bother me about it, you should spare yourself the time."

    Vermeil fished out a small star out of her dress pocket.

    Once she broke it in two, the former demon lord, Kyoen Tsuchigumo, appeared on the floor.

    The red mark on his forehead disappeared and it suddenly looked like he had gained his first peaceful rest in weeks.

    Inadu looked at her brother once with an expression that wasn''t easily readable. But eventually, she turned her head back to the meeting at hand.

    "I''ll get him cleaned up, adjusted and send him back within a day." Taira continued. "I don''t feel like doing any sort of paperwork, but I don''t mind pulling a few strings from here.

    Keeping his movements and actions coordinated, sharp, concise... the demons won''t see any decline, I assure you. That should satisfy your tireless persistence, no?"

    Ja''Zaki looked back and forth between Kyoen, Taira, each of his wives, Yukiko, Kyoen again, and then the other rulers.

    "...I have amyriad of concerns, questions, and words that I would like to spew out right now, but I am going to holster it all, because it is not currently important, but make no mistake.

    We will talk about exactly what kind of ce you''re building here, what you have done to it, and why a supposedly extinct race has popped up out of the blue under your banner, but for now I could honestly care less."

    "I hope you hold onto that disposition. Because I can''t imagine I will ever be so inclined as to voluntarily discuss my business with you."

    Ja''Zaki looked like he was trying to stop himself from being angry, or risk the unfortunate re-opening of his wound.

    "Enough." Ayame waived her hand dissuasively. "None of that matters as much as this."

    Ayame ced down two scrolls on top of the wooden table.

    Unsurprisingly, the one who noticed the symbol on the parchment first was in fact, Vermeil.

    And really, it was no surprise why.

    "These.. are from the human kingdom?"

    Ayame nodded grimly.

    "Invitations, wouldn''t you believe it? For myself, Kyoen, and your husband. They''d like to see us exactly ten days from now."

 Chapter 211: Accusations

    The word ''No'' had never fallen out of Tariq''s mouth so inhumanely fast before.

    Literally nothing sounded more asinine, and not to mention dangerous- than willingly stepping into human territory for a supposed ''meeting''.

    He was annoyed with Ja''Zaki and Ayame for even bringing up the information as if it were a usible course of action for them to take.

    "Now I understand what you''re thinking, but I need you to hear me out.." Ayame tried to coax him, almost as if she could read the look on his face and knew what she was thinking.

    "..."

    "Does that mean you''re listening?"

    "Barely."

    "I''ll do with that what I can then." She shrugged. "But I am inclined to ept this invitation, and I think you need toe with me."

    "Awr?" Yukiko tilted her head.

    "I don''t know what the fuck she''s thinking either, little fluff ball..." Taira muttered as he scratched her chin.

    A vein was bulging in Ayame''s head that wasn''t there a couple of seconds ago.

    "Yes, well, you should. Considering that I''m pretty sure you atewhat the subject of this meeting is about."

    Taira froze just as Yukikoy on her back for belly rubs.

    The air within the roompletely shifted with all of the girls showing some form of difort. Except Keran and Aveena, who werepletely stone faced.

    "...I don''t know what you''re talking abou-"

    "Please, spare me." Ayame waived her hand. "I wish that I had''ve gotten it together sooner, but that''s such an obscure part of history that everyone kind of forgets about it.

    The first time I cut you apart after you came back... that ck blood just stitched you right back together like you weren''t a cultivator in the mortal realm. That should have been the biggest sign."

    Taira looked up, and met Ayame''s single eye with his own red ones.

    For reasons only known to herself, she decided to push him a bit further.

    "I seem to have struck a nerve... And now I''m wondering how much I really know about you. There are a lot of strange happenings around you.

    The fact that you and another supposedly undead vampire race are popping up now, out of the blue after being gone for over 500 years�� Maybe you somehow used a weird power to get rid of them.

    Ande on... Do I even need to point out the very atmosphere of the dwelling we are standingin right now..?

    How is something like this even achievable without a power far beyond our world??

    I just need to know one thing. Are you also the reason the flesh within the demon kingdom is now missing too?

    Did you maybe visit the elves and then the humans as well, and that''s why they are sending us these invitations?"

    The silence in the room was absolutely deafening.

    And though it wasn''t noticeable at first, the temperature was slowly dropping.

    But out of nowhere, everything came to a halt when Taira suddenly startedughing.

    And not a simple, off-handed chuckle kind of thing.

    It was a full, head-thrown back and heartyugh that was the single loudest noise Taira had ever made. Even as an infant he didn''t cry this loudly.

    Heughed so hard that he fell onto his back and used his tails as a bit of cushion.

    Yukiko, who was sprawled across his chest, inquisitively tapped him with her paw.

    It was almost as if she were trying to figure out why her old man had suddenly lost his marbles for no apparent reason.

    ...And why it meant that she wasn''t getting those belly rubs she so persistently asked for a second ago.

    Taira lifted the small mammal above his head as he continued to voice his amusement.

    "Can you believe it, Nibbles? I''ve been called a conspirator, a mass murderer, a thief, and all in one fell swoop no less. Could you ever even imagine such a thing?"

    Yukiko, while smart, is still just an animal. She didn''t understand any part of what Taira was saying.

    But his facial expressions and bodynguage said that he was amused, so she wagged her tail happily along with him.

    "It''s been a while since Iughed like that. Maybe too long in fact. It''s a shame that it had toe at such a cost, but really, is anything ever really free?"

    Ayame''s expression showed signs of cracking. "Taira, I just-"

    Taira merely held a finger over his lips as he sat up.

    "Keran holds you in high regard. Which means that I do as well.

    If you wanted to know something, I would have told you without all of the theatrics.

    Though I think you may be a bit disappointed by the truth''sck of dramatic ir..."

    Taira spilled everything that he had previously kept as a family secret.

    What exactly he and Enyo did on the nine days before he tried to leave his old castle ruins, how he stumbled on the blog in the old vault, and he even told them how he was able to drink- and assimte it without bing a stain on the wall.

    The fallen rulers couldn''t stay what they were more surprised by.

    The fact that the patron deity of the undead had killed off his most powerful race? Or the fact that the very same deity had made a deal with the former vampire king to fuse their souls together, and use Taira''s body as the host?

    Either one was enough to constitute a veryrge therapy bill.

    When Taira got done traumatizing his guests, the room was frigid, and Yukiko had already crawled into his gi for warmth.

    As the main cause of this event, Ayame felt the worst and her expression clearly showed it.

    "...Taira, I didn''t mean anything by it, I just-"

    "Don''t misunderstand, I understand your line of thinking perfectly. I might''ve reached a simr line of conclusion if I were in your shoes. It''s just a shame at the way you went about it." Taira responded without looking at her.

    Ayame held up her hands. Her voice was lined with a subtle softness that wasn''t at all indicative of her personality.

    "Look at me, Taira. We came here with no weapons. No traps nned of any kind. We already believed that you weren''t the nefarious sort, but we still just needed to hear the full truth from the horse''s mouth."

    "Ironic how that does nothing to improve my shit mood."

    Taira stood up with Yukiko still riding in his shirt like a baby kangaroo.

    He began walking to the door with his hands sped behind his back and ck ice forming underneath his feet.

    His voice was no longer amused, or light. Just as endlessly cold as the vastness of outer space.

    "You all have a minute to leave my home as swiftly as you barged in."

    Now, Ja''Zaki was the one trying his hand at piecing this situation back together."Don''t be like that, Taira, it wasn''t a personal attack-"

    "If you insist on staying after I''ve already told you all to leave, ten million years won''t be enough to thaw your bodies. Get. Out."

 Chapter 212: The Gift of Friendship

    Taira sat alone in the garden of snowy flowers for a long time.

    His only onlypanion was Yukiko, and even she was already asleep as he lightly stroked her fur.

    He didn''t even know how long he had been in the garden for.

    Might''ve been minutes, might have been hours.

    No one came to bother him. The girls seemed to recognize that he might''ve needed time to himself at the moment.

    Taira was very annoyed.

    But he didn''t know why.

    usations aside, he had certainly been called worse.

    There was no reason for him to be so upset over simple rudeness.

    This was something different entirely.

    "��I had never thought this choice of form would be so convenient for learning about you. I just thought that it was the easiest way to conserve my energy without fear of dispersal."

    Taira didn''t move when Velreth left his amulet and appeared behind him.

    He didn''t even turn his head to look back. Nor did he speak.

    But neither of those things really surprised Velreth all that much.

    "��Do you mind if an old immortal gives you over three hundred thousand years worth of his two cents..?"

    Taira didn''t say anything, and Velreth took that as his initiative to go ahead and talk.

    "You wear your sarcasm and cold bravado as your armor. Though I am unsure if this is because of your own choice or if you are just ying the role life has dealt you.

    But I know the truth.

    You are a decent man in a world where such a quality is rare. I believe this to be the reason you were bothered so terribly earlier.

    Though you pretend not to like them, you had favorable impressions of them. Enough to consider taking off your armor with them.

    I believe that you feel aggrieved because this reminds you of your upbringing. Mud is being cast upon your name by those you hold close to you yet again. It must hurt a great deal.

    You probably try to tell yourself that it wasn''t a personal attack. Just a calcted assessment based upon the information they had at the time.

    But just because you can rationalize something doesn''t make it sting any less, does it?"

    A cold wind blew from somewhere into the quiet field of flowers.

    Taira still didn''t say anything to Velreth. He didn''t even turn around.

    Whether or not the old man''s words carried any actual weight was something that he would never know.

    "Taira..?"

    The fox''s ears twitched when he heard a very familiar voicee from behind him.

    "��Old age does seem to fracture the mind. Because I am almost certain that I told you all to leave."

    Aja grimaced at her friend''s cold tone.

    "You did�� and you can freeze me, curse me, or cut me to pieces if you are so inclined. Just let me get everything off my chest first." Aja said.

    "I''ve no reason to wait that long."

    "No you don''t, but I''m hoping that you will honor my request anyways... As my best friend."

    Taira turned his hid just the faintest bit possible- but his face was still obscured by his hair.

    "...I asked them not to test you like that. I knew better than anyone that you would never have killed your people. No matter how much they deserved it.

    But Ja''Zaki and Ayame... the realization about what you drank has rattled them. They needed o hear you say that you didn''t do it from your own lips." Aja insisted.

    "Then they should have simply asked."

    "Yes they should have, and I''m not disputing that. But this war, this responsibility, it can exact a toll upon us all. You forget how to treat friends. Or family."

    "If you''vee to offer an apology on their behalf, you can keep it. I neither need, nor want such a useless gesture."

    "Whether you need or want it doesn''t matter. You''re entitled to it."

    Aja gently kneeled in the grass just at Taira''s back.

    She lowered her body in a deep bow until her head was touching the bulb of a growing flower.

    "I beg your forgiveness, Taira. For the others... and for myself."

    Taira stood up slowly turned around to face Aja.

    She looked up at him, almost as if she were waiting for him to storm away coldly, or berate her.

    Instead, he took an action that was probably even more drastic.

    He drew hisrge scythe that was too big and cold to be wielded by mortal hands.

    Drawing his arm back, he swung it toward''s Aja''s neck with the sameck of hesitation that he showed Ja''Zaki earlier.

    A gust of wind blew Aja''s hair as the pointed tip of Tara''s de barely touched her cheek.

    No more than a single dot of blood ran down Aja''s face, but she seemed perfectly unbothered.

    "Do you see? I knew that you would not hurt me."

    Taira''s pupils trembled imperceptibly and he withdrew his weapon away from Aja.

    "��There''s a spare bedroom downstairs if you''re going to insist on being annoying. Stay there but be out of my sight by the morning."

    "You will find me waiting at the kitchen table for breakfast."

    "This isn''t a fucking inn."

    "So Enyo won''t make me little pancakes in the shape of mice with little berry eyes..?" Aja seemed to dete like a balloon.

    "You think she will wake up before 11 to do something like that? Hysterical."

    Taira walked back into the pce, but Aja was hot on his tails with no interest in the observation of personal space.

    "��Why are you following me."

    "I am going to look for your women. I wish to know who will prepare me breakfast in the morning."

    "None of them. Go away."

    "I can''t, I also want to see what you all do at night."

    Taira stopped in his tracks and grabbed Aja by her heavily pierced ears.

    He led her down the hallway into her own room with the intention of sealing her in for the night.

    "By the way��" he said quietly.

    "Hm?"

    "Ignore the human''s request for now�� I don''t want to do anything until I know how desperate they are."

    Aja was mildly surprised, but then again she already knew this to be her best friend''s nature.

    Even when he was annoyed and lost in thought, his mind still worked tirelessly in the background to determine the best course of action for everyone going forward.

    He really was never not thinking about others.

    "As you wish."

 Chapter 213: Stepping Into The Light

    - 2 Months Later...

    "Their movements have stagnated considerably over the course of thest four to five weeks.

    Ourst incident was against the forces of the Hero of Quaking Earth and it was just a small detachment. Around seventy-five men I believe. Likely an unsanctioned effort."

    "Don''t give me reports lined solely with what you believe, Kyoen. I need urate information, or none at all."

    "Yes, master. I apologize."

    "Continue."

    "We captured half, killed the rest. We''re holding them for now just incase we need..."

    Taira listened to Kyoen''s report in full with a simple uninterested look on his face. But one would have to be a fool to think that he wasn''t listening to every word said with perfect focus.

    After five more minutes of deliberation, Taira suddenly stirred from his nk state and held up his hand.

    "That''s enough. We''ll finish thister."

    "Yes, master. I await your summons."

    The scroll floating in front of Taira''s face began to wrap itself back up before it fell into his palm.

    At the very moment that he cut the connection, Enyo passed through the wall and positioned herself above his head.

    "You know, between you and Ina crawling around on the ceiling, I''m beginning to wonder if you''ve had some gripe about walking normally that you haven''t told us."

    Enyo smiled mischievously as she descended down into Taira''sp.

    "If it''s the best way to get your attention, then I''ll do handstands up there if I have to. You''ve been a bit distanttely, you know?"

    "Have I...? I hadn''t realized." Taira admitted- his guilt evident.

    Enyo smiled sadly at her husband- deciding to let him off the hook just this once.

    Taira wasn''t intentionally neglectful, his mind had just been a fair bit preupied with sect business over thest two weeks.

    But today, they would hopefully be significantly less busy and have a chance to return to normalcy.

    "I''ll forgive you just this once.. Just stay still for a moment."

    Enyo draped her body over Taira''s and hugged him rather warmly with no ulterior motives.

    She rested her head directly on his shoulder like a doll. Her only focus was lightly sniffing the hair that was dangling just out of reach.

    Taira could tell that Enyo was only a couple of more moments from going to sleep.

    Where she was concerned, it really didn''t take much to begin with. A slightly chilly room and any amount of half-decent fabric would certainly do it, and Taira''s robe and body certainly counted as both.

    With nothing to do but sit and y the role of pillow, Taira had no choice but to let his eyes wander.

    Enyo had always been a very... voluptuous woman.

    Marital life had only added to her assets and made it that much more difficult for Taira to watch her walk away without interruption.

    "..."

    Taira moved his hands from Enyo''s waist.

    As a response, her eyes that had already drooped closed jolted open once again.

    "...What are you doing?"

    "Nothing." Taira lifted up Enyo''s skirt and exposed her bare bottom to the rest of the empty library.

    "For some reason I just don''t believe you."

    "That''s disappointing, I would''ve thought I''d earned your trust after all of this time."

    Enyo didn''t really wear underwear around the house, or at all for that matter. Making herpletely prone to random unprovoked attacks like this.

    Taira''s fingers delicately glided across her already slick folds.

    She moaned softly as his finger brushed over her hooded clit. "T-This isn''t really what I wanted when I asked for a little attention..."

    "Does that mean you want me to stop?"

    "I-I didn''t say that... keep going."

    Five minutester when Vermeil walked into the library, she found her husband holding Enyo in hisp while he yed with her body with impunity.

    The two were kissing in a rather racy seen that almost made Vermeil forget why she came in here.

    Her breath was hitched in her throat as she walked forward, making sure to soak in the sight of Taira''s fingers rubbing away at Enyo''s g-spot.

    Fifty years of marriage hadn''t dulled the spark of anyone here, but it had given the group an immense awareness of one another.

    So much so that Vermeil knew Enyo was about to cum just by looking at her.

    But did that mean she couldn''t help?

    Just before Enyo reached her climax, Vermeil took one of her nipples into her mouth and bit down.

    Her reaction was immediate as the surprise and pleasure washed over her like a tidal wave.

    Any scream she could''ve let out was swallowed as Taira refused to separate his lips from hers.

    Enyo rode out her orgasm in full while holding Taira''s hand for dear life to make sure that he didn''t move it again.

    When their lips finally separated, he turned to Vermeil with a satisfied look on his face that was immensely seductive.

    "Have youe to join us..?"

    Vermeil smirked as she removed Taira''s hand from Enyo''s insides; forcing her to moan softly.

    "I think Aveena is ready for the two of you to make the announcement now... But let me clean this up first."

    Aira watched Vermeil seductively lick all of the liquid off his fingers without breaking eye-contact.

    "...I amreally going to enjoy going on vacation with you."

    -

    Aveena was currently staring at the bodies of her entire sect. They were bruised, battered, broken, and derived of every drop of sweat they could produce.

    Training in the Divine ck Myth Cult is usually rather arduous death-defying experience to say the very least.

    But for the past three weeks, Aveena and Taira had been training the cult like they were actually trying to kill them, or get them to kill themselves.

    It was as if they had at some point decided that they didn''t actually like their cult members that much and wanted to start over.

    "I''ve a surprise for you all��" Aveena suddenly said.

    The cultists used thest bit of strength in their bodies and looked up at Aveena.

    "I''m sure you''re aware that training has been more difficult for you as ofte, and with shorter breaks. I assure you that there is a reason for that."

    The cultists listened with baited breath as Aveena said words that they absolutely never would have expected.

    "Starting today, you all get to enjoy an extended break from training."

    The sound of jaws falling open in unison was a reminder for Aveena of the kind of image she had in the mind of her followers.

    "For the next week, our sect will be going on a little vacation. There is a summit being held by all of the other sects in this world, and we have been invited to participate."

    Reactions to this news were outright tears of joy, adamant disbelief, and others looked like they were about to startposing bads and musicals in Aveena''s name.

    "My Dai-Shi, may I ask what the purpose is of us going on this vacation..?" Shakti asked weakly.

    Aveena smiled. She was still having too much fun keeping the secret.

    "Patience, my bane. All will be revealed in time. But for now, you all need to change, pack, and meet me back here in an hour. We''re leaving today."

    The excitement in the room was already about to reach a fever pitch, but now it seemed like they were all about to explode.

 Chapter 214: Vacation! Vacation! Vacation!

    "Do you think we''re walking into a trap?"

    Corey paused in the midst of his packing with an incredulous expression on his face.

    "I�� no. Why would you think that?"

    Jordan tied her newly long hair back and pulled on a clean shirt. "I dunno, it just seems like the kind of thing that those two might try to pull. Teaching us to prepare for the unexpected or something like that."

    Now that Corey had taken a moment to think about it, he realized that it sounded exactly like something his masters would do.

    "S-So�� We''re probably going to die with this level of secrecy then."

    "Probably."

    "Well, I''m d I was at least  able to work up the courage to confess to you before it was time for us to kick the bucket, babe."

    "What are you talking about I was the one to confess to you firs-"

    "Shhh, that''s not what I want everyone who reads my tombstone to know."

    "Shut up!" Jordanughed.

    A sudden knock at the door drew the attention of the young couple- bringing their banter to a halt.

    They didn''t even have time to open the door on their own before Raymond came rushing in- followed by the young Himawari.

    Two straight months of cultivating and living under Taira and Aveena''s strict regimens had totally transformed everyone''s bodies, but none more-so than theirs.

    Himari previously looked a bit childish even though she was neen years old like everyone else.

    She was taller, possessed a more adult-like demeanor and physique, and she had developed a rather serious case of resting bitch face.

    But she was a beauty nheless.

    Big Country on the other hand had been transformed into a real unit.

    All of his excess fat had been transformed into muscle, he had grown to the tallest height of his life at 6''0, and his beard had grown thicker and more vibrant.

    But the only change that he considered to be of any importance was that his request for a cowboy hat had been epted by Inadu, and he now wore it with pride everyday.

    "This the moment right here, folks. I''m gonna do it."

    Himari: "He''s gonna do it."

    Jordan: "He''s gonna do it?"

    Corey: "Don''t do it in my room��"

    Raymond swatted the young man away as he sat on his bed.

    "I''ve waited long enough. I''m going to ask Tiche out today."

    "A." Jordan smiled.

    Corey shook his head in denial. "She''s gonna tell your ass no."

    "Definitely." Himari nodded in agreement.

    Jordan pouted a bit. "Come on, guys. We need to have his back here. He''s going to need all of the help he can get."

    ''Why the hell did I evene in here��?''

    There was a knock on the open door and Shakti stuck her head inside. "Why is it always you lot dragging along? Let''s get a move on, our hour is almost up."

    "Hey, Sister Shakti, I have a question." Himari raised her hand.

    "Yes..?"

    "How good do you think the chances are that Raymond here could sessfully ask Tiche out on a date?"

    "Date..?"

    "Oh, um it''s a thing you do when you''re trying to get someone to fall in love with you."

    Shakti paused.

    The information seemed to take some additional time to get through her afro to her brain.

    "....Pffft."

    "What''s funny?!"

    Shakti waived her hand dismissively. "Stop joking around and juste outside with the others."

    Once she left, the three of them had to stop Raymond from jumping out of the window head first into the end of his life.

    -

    After getting themselves changed and packed, the cultists made their way back to the meeting ce where Aveena was waiting with the rest of her family.

    Together, she and Taira led the entire cult outside on the peak of the mountain.

    Once they were all gathered, Taira reached inside of his robe and pulled out a wooden toy.

    Or at least it seemed like a toy.

    Taira tossed the figurine up into the air high above his head.

    "Sh��ngzh��ng."

    A pulse of energy left the figurine and it suddenly ballooned in size.

    Out of nowhere, arge warship appeared in the sky.

    But instead of hitting the ground, it continued to float in the air like it was meant to sail on the clouds.

    "Babe��?" Corey whispered in wonder without taking his eyes off the boat.

    "Yea..?"

    "I think I''m in love��"

    "I''ll kill you..."

    Taira turned toward the group of stunned cultists and pointed straight up.

    "Stop dawdling. Step aboard."

    Those who could fly already helped those who couldn''t reach the deck of the of the ship in under twenty seconds.

    Taira pulled Inadu into his arms and prepared to go up and join them when his master suddenly spoke in his head again.

    {Disciple. Who is that woman?}

    Thest individual on the mountaintop aside from Taira and his wives was the cult cook; Yem.

    ''She''s a mermaid who prepares the cults meals. Haven''t you seen her before?''

    {��That woman�� She is not of the sea folk.} Velreth insisted.

    ''What..?''

    {She''s another one. An Observer. She''s hiding it very, very well, but I can see it. Her frequency and this world''s don''t match.}

    Taira''s blood nearly stopped flowing at that moment.

    Velreth sensed Taira about to blow their cover, and he quickly put an end to it before it was toote. {Do not react, do not alert her, do not do anything, you damned fox!}

    ''You would have me sit here and allow a spy within my cult?''

    {Calm down. You''ve had two observers visit you one after the other. That is absolutely not a coincidence.

    Let her watch for now. And watch her just as closely. You need to figure out what they want with you.}

    Yem walked up to Taira wearing a sheepish smile.

    "Pardon me for burdening you�� I''m not actually able to fly yet. Would you mind giving me a hand..?"

    Before she could take even another step towards Taira, Lucia swept in and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

    "I don''t mind giving you a hand, Yem-Yem. Let''s have a nice, long chat on our way up too, shall we?"

    Yem didn''t even get the chance to refuse when Lucia suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her into the sky.

    Inadu watched this entire back and forth with a sort of nk, unassuming look on her face that was actually rather cute.

    "What was that all about..?" She asked.

    Taira sprouted his wings and carried himself and his wife into the sky.

    "��I have absolutely no idea, my love."

 Chapitre 215: Sailing to a Hidden Land

    Of course, the ship the group was sailing on was another of Velreth''s artifacts from the vault.

    It was one of the hundreds of thousands of fleet ships that he used to have under hismand back in the upper realm.

    Their destination was a remote ind on theplete other side of the world. If they sailed or flew, they would have had to have left at least a week and a half ago to make it to their destination on time.

    But with this handy little contraption, the cult would reach their destination in two nights.

    Taira didn''t even have to steer.

    Because this was a warship, it had quite a few amenities and features that were as dangerous as they were fun.

    ��But unfortunately most of those needed a precious material to charge that was not native to the lower realm.

    So for now, the most fanciful thing that this hunk of wood could do was turn invisible to those below, and was virtually indestructible to any power in the lower realm.

    On board the ship were over 100 different rooms, a cafe, and a few other special ces that were being curiously explored by the cult.

    However, the Dai-Shi had gone straight to their room not long after arriving.

    This was a vacation for them too, mind you.

    And what vacation isplete without that sweet, sweet, S word��

    Sleep!

    Running a cult could be tiresome work!

    Taira and Aveena didn''t yet feel that they had raised up Vaal and Shakti enough to carry on instruction in their ce, so they were still getting up five days a week and helping the cult train, in addition to giving their two direct subordinates their own very special lessons.

    So really, it wasn''t much of a surprise that the pair of cult leaders stripped off their clothes and crawled into bed as quickly as they could.

    Enyo didn''t miss her chance to sleep either and peeled off her dress right behind them.

    She was followed by Lucia, then Vermeil, and even Keran.

    Inadu was thest to get into bed and the one who had the hardest time falling asleep.

    Her mind was currently a jumble with other thoughts that were a bit less appropriate for general audiences than sleeping.

    It had been several hours now, and Ina alone remained awake and flustered.

    She felt her face get hotter hotter as the seconds slipped by and she dragged her gaze over everyone''s faces.

    They were all so

    attractive.

    Just looking at their uncovered bodies and seductive, alluring faces was like breathing in an aphrodisiac.

    The space between her legs became damp, and she resisted the urge to slip her own hand underneath the covers.

    She had to get out of here now, or risk the loss of her sanity.

    Inadu shrank into her spider form so that she could get out of bed without waking anyone.

    Keran, who she slept next to, seemed to stir when she no longer felt her warmth.

    However, Yukiko used that moment to slip into the fox-girl''s embrace and Keran fell back into a state of slumber.

    Now that she was free, Inadu quietly tip-toed around the room looking for clothing.

    She eventually settled on stealing her husband''s robe out of the closet and using it as a simple covering for her body.

    Finally, as thest part of her daring escape n, she opened the door to their cabin and stepped outside for a little fresh air.

    -

    Taira and Aveena''s room was the only one that had a sort of balcony to it that was inessible to others.

    It provided a nice view of the main deck below, in addition to the cloudy night sky they were still sailing through.

    Ina leaned over the railing and let out a sigh.

    {Who is this?}

    "Eep!"

    Ina almost flung herself overboard when she suddenly heard something talk from within one of Taira''s pockets.

    She fished out the golden medallion sitting within his clothes and gave it a series of small inquisitive pokes.

    "M-Master Velreth..?"

    {Oh, it''s you, little one. How many times must this immortal one tell you that knocking is unnecessary?}

    "I-It just seems kind of rude not to though��"

    *Sigh.*

    A wisp of smoke left the old piece of metal.

    Velreth emerged in all of his ancient and wise glory; giving Inadu a small sense of awe.

    Out of the entire Amarok family, Inadu was the old Immortal''s favorite.

    She was the only one who referred to him as ''Master'' other than Aveena, and she also spent a lot of time listening to the stories of the olden days while he was in the upper realm.

    He also referred to her as ''Little One'' because she was the youngest member of the group- being only 38 years old.

    "Is there a reason why you''re out here sulking instead of inside?" Velreth asked openly.

    Inadu smiled sheepishly and twirled her thumbs. "W-What? I''m not even-"

    "Little One, I have raised three children over the course of my long life. None of you are very good liars at all."

    Ina kind of deted at the revtion that she was a bad liar.

    Her gaze became locked onto the floor and she absentmindedly twirled her fingers through her braids.

    "It''s�� about my family, I suppose. I''m having improper thoughts about them." She quietly admitted.

    "Improper��?" Velreth didn''t understand.

    "S-S-S-Sexual." Inadu''s cheeks darkened.

    Velreth blinked several times.

    "��You married two fox spirits and a dragon. I''m pretty sure that sexual thoughts are par for the course with them."

    Inadu shook her head as she leaned over the balcony railing.

    "Mine are not�� pure. Sometimes when I think of lying with them, I be so desperate for them to overwrite every hand that has ever touched me with their own��

    I want to use them like a drug to help me forget�� that''s not love. I don''t want to use our intimacy for something like that."

    Velreth wasn''t expecting the focus of the discussion to be so��

    heavy

    .

    Living in the upper realm, he had seen more situations like Ina''s than he cared to admit.

    She had actually ended up with a rather good oue.

    Not only was she no longer a captive, but she had married a good man and found a loving family instead of dying in obscurity underneath the body of a cruel noble.

    �� So Velreth honestly didn''t know what he was supposed to tell her.

    On paper, she already had everything that she could ever want, and a life that many would die for.

    But how was she ever supposed to work past thesest few kinks that she hadn''t quite ironed out yet?

    "��Have you tried picking up a hobby?" Velreth sputtered.

    "Eh? A hobby?"

    "Y-Yes. Something uniquely immersive that you can put all of your darker emotions into and let them out. Something to really liberate your mind."

    Inadu wracked her brain for a bit, but she really didn''t have anything like that.

    She liked sewing, but that was closer to being a kind of work than it was a hobby.

    Velreth was pushing her to find something that was closer to Taira''s love of painting.

    "Do you like music..?" The ice god suddenly asked.

    Inadu tilted her head. "Music?"

    Velreth held out his hands and strained his power to their limits.

    Ina covered her eyes when a sh of light was emitted from his body.

    When she looked back up, a floating instrument was dancing above his outstretched fingertips.

    It resembled a smooth wooden nk approximately 5 feet tall that was painted over with a ck glossy finish, and faint gold etchings.

    Seven long strings made from a material thousands of times finer than her silk were tied down the front.

    "A guqin..?" Inadu asked.

    "Indeed. I think this might be the perfect thing to help you with your troubles. Music is a cathartic experience for most any who try their hand at it."

    He passed the floating piece of wood towards Ina and she ran her fingers along the material.

    Even before she touched it she knew it was the most priceless thing that she had ever seen in her life.

    And that wasn''t all��

    "This is a soul-weapon..!" Inadu realized.

    Velreth nodded sadly.

    "This is Ti��n Hu��. It belonged to the only woman I ever loved�� and that brat''s ancestor; Bao Si."

    If Inadu didn''t feel like she was holding a priceless treasure before, she certainly did now.

    Ever so gently, she lifted the instrument up as if she were trying to get Velreth to take it back.

    "I''m sorry�� but I can''t except such a gift from you. It would be wasted on me since I have resigned myself not to-"

    "I know about your wish not to take any more lives, Inadu. But you should still have a method to protect yourself at all times. This will help you keep yourself safe and ensure that you do not have to harm others."

    Velreth pushed the instrument back into Inadu''s arms.

    "Besides�� music is meant to be yed and shared. Such a fine instrument as this one shouldn''t be collecting dust in the soul of this old immortal."

    Ti��n Hu�� shed with a violet light before entering Inadu''s body.

    A small little gem showed up just on the small of her back right above her butt.

    Finally, Velreth touched the young girl on the forehead and transferred to her mind the full manual for the Illusory Eclipse Sound Art.

    "It seems I have a new disciple now�� I like you better than the other one."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapitre 216: A Confession??

    Taira was gently stirred awake by the sound of a soft and subtle music.

    He slowly sat up in his bed and found the reason for the beautiful one of a kind tune.

    Inadu was nestled beside candlelight, kneeling on the ground as she yed from an unfamiliar instrument.

    She didn''t even notice him wake up as she continued to y.

    Taira felt water running down his face and touched his cheek.

    Much to his surprise, this time it was a tear, not Enyo''s drool.

    And suddenly, it was as if all of the lights in his brain were cut on and he was hit full force by a tidal wave of emotion.

    This music was so

    sad.

    It was thrilling and descriptive, rousing one to aspirations of personal highs only to inevitably drag them back down into their darkest lows.

    And yet it was so soft and subtle that it almost gave off a creeping feeling. Like a wave of seasonal depression suddenlye to life.

    This wasn''t Taira''s sadness he was feeling. It was all hers.

    And she had turned something so horrible into true art

    .

    Taira slipped out of bed without making a sound or taking his eyes off the Arachne.

    He didn''t even bother to get dressed. He simply sat in front of Inadu and waited for her to finish.

    She yed as if she were in a trance. Every thrum of the strings at her fingertips was clear, and purposeful.

    At no point did she even register that her husband hade to sit in front of her.

    Taira was an innate lover of all things artful, be they music, painting, or poetry, he took immense joy in immersing himself within an artist''s creation and trying to understand the headspace they wereing from when they created it.

    Maybe it was because he was trained as an assassin, but getting into people''s minds to predict them was kind of second nature for him.

    Him being intimately familiar with Ina''s entire life only made this particr experience that much more impactful for him.

    When Ina''s ying slowly drew to an end, her eyes finally re-opened.

    As rity set into her mind, she realized that her husband was not even five inches away from her, staring at her with a unique sparkle in his eyes that she didn''t believe she''d ever seen before.

    Only now did she realize what she''d done, and the embarrassment that followed was crippling.

    "E-Eeep! I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to wake you..!" she said in a hushed whisper. "I-I swear I was just rubbing my fingers along the strings and..."

    Taira used one of his tails to wipe away the lingering tears running down her face.

    "Of all the things you''ve shared with me... Why did you never tell me that you knew how to y music?" He asked; utterly unbothered by being awakened.

    "I-I don''t..!"

    "You can''t fool me. No one ys like you do on ident, my love."

    "I do!" Ina insisted.

    Taira could see that she wasn''t lying. She had genuinely yed that beautiful song on ident.

    Ina was a prodigy.

    She was beautiful.

    He waspletely in love.

    "Will you marry me..?"

    "We''re already married, darling.."

    "R-Right, that just slipped out.." Taira scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he tried to hide a rare blush.

    He quickly had to change the subject before Ina tried to stare at him too much. "N-Nevermind that... Where did you get this?"

    Ina fished inside of the pocket of his robe and pulled out Velreth''s medallion that she held with both hands.

    {I have a new student now, brat. And this one actually refers to me as... WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU NAKED!?}

    "You''re hallucinating."

    {No I''m not, you just changed into your animal body!}

    "I''ve no idea what you are talking about."

    Taira licked his paw absentmindedly and then went back to sniffing Inadu''s new guqin.

    ''It smells like me almost... Is that just because she''s wearing my clothing? ...And it''s a soul weapon as well.'' Taira realized.

    "Where did you get this, old man?"

    {Nunya!}

    "...Stop listening to Vermeil and I when we have conversations."

    {There''s very little to do when you''re dead, unfilial disciple. I willtch on to whatever method of entertainment soothes my boredom the best.}

    "I wonder if you''ll able to listen in to us as well if I encase your medallion in wax..?"

    {Alright, alright, fine!}

    Taira nuzzled next to Inadu as he continued inspecting her new instrument.

    While his mind was turning, Inadu reached out and lightly scratched his ear.

    "I really am sorry for waking you... I was going to y outside at first, but I had toe in suddenly."

    "Well I told you it''s not a problem, but why did you feel the need toe in abruptly?" Taira tilted his head.

    "Raymond and Tiche were on the deck below talking about something. I didn''t want to eavesdrop so I left."

    Taira paused and stared at the door to the balcony.

    Inadu began to get a sneaking suspicion and pulled his ear. "No. You don''t need to know everything at all times. Their business is their business."

    "...I''ll just listen in for a little bit." Taira promised.

    {We just need to make sure that the youngd doesn''t blunder his confession is all.} Velreth chimed in.

    "You both know what this is about??"

    ""Don''t you??""

    Now, Inadu felt like she was the one who needed to go andy down.

    -

    "So... You have a romantic interest in me?" Tiche asked.

    "I-I-I mean... Yea." Raymond was sweating so much that it was easy to think he might''ve had some sort of condition.

    Above their vision, Taira, Inadu, and Velreth were watching this entire debacle go down with great interest.

    "Look at thed. He''s blowing it. All that time he spent reciting his confession in the mirror and he can''t even remember the first two lines." Velreth shook his head.

    "It''s sad." Taira nodded.

    "Very." Velreth agreed.

    Inadu narrowed her eyes as she stared at the two of them usatorially. "How much time do you two spend snooping around the rtionships in the cult?"

    "..."

    "..."

    "I know you both hear me!" she hissed.

    Velreth and Taira scooted away quietly- causing Ina to give them a small re.

    "...By the way, when do you believe that Saanvi will confess to Vaal?" Velreth asked.

    "Last I checked she was barely holding it in. My guess is that when she breaks into the overlord realm she''ll get a surge of confidence and stop holding back."

    "Well I know better than to question you again after your guess with Jordan and Corey turned out to be true. Who would have thought that she would have been the one to kiss him? In my day, women were not quite so bold..."

    "..." Inadu was beginning to wonder just how much Taira and Velreth really spent together.

    Down on the main deck, Raymond took a massive leap of faith.

    He calmly took Tiche''s hand and dropped to one knee in a well-meaning, but overdramatic gesture.

    "I understand that this might seem crazy, but I have to say it... You are the first thing that''s made sense to me ever since I came to this world. E-Even when I was about to be eaten, I would have dly let you do it!"

    Tiche''s face showed a mixture of a blush and slight amusement.

    "Which is why... I''ve wanted to ask you this for the longest time..." Raymond confessed. "I am In love with you. And I want you to be my girlfriend."

    As dawn crept up over the horizon, Tiche''s voice quietly doled out her answer, and it was one that Taira could not say he hadn''t expected.

 Chapitre 217: Shakti : Relationship Guru

    "Just put me out of my misery, big sis. Nothing even matters anymore."

    Shakti was staring at a ratherrge, depressed ball of Raymond. His will to live havingpletely left him.

    They were supposed to be using the early morning hours to go over a bit of their techniques and maybe spar a little bit, but that was proving to be difficult with current emotional states withstanding.

    Shakti only hit the big guy once and he didn''t even bother to dodge.

    Now he just lie on the ground holding his face- a mere two minutes away from breaking downpletely.

    Shakti was already the silent giant type, so she really didn''t know what she was supposed to do in this sort of situation.

    "..." After much internal deliberation, she just raised her fist to punch Raymond in the back of the head again.

    Luckily, he spoke first.

    "Be honest with me, Sister Shakti. Do I still not seem like a man to anybody here?"

    Shakti didn''t know how she was supposed to answer that. "Unless you have grown a vagina in the middle of the night then..."

    "N-Not like that! I mean like a man! Do I seem like I''ve jumped off the porch already?"

    "Huh..?"

    Raymond sighed and sat up on the floor.

    "I mean... I guess what I''m trying to ask is do I seem like the kind of man who could actually marry into your tribe..?"

    All of the sudden, realization dawned on Shakti.

    She remembered the brief conversation that she''d had with the humans before they''d boarded this vessel.

    Back then she''d dismissed it as a joke, but... now she wasn''t so sure.

    "Don''t tell me... You have feelings for Junior Sister Tiche..?"

    Raymond nodded. "For a momentst night it seemed like she might''ve had feelings for me too, but she said no when I asked her to be my girlfriend... Apparently she didnt think we were a good fit."

    "What is a girlfriend?" Shakti tilted her head.

    Raymond suddenly paused and stared at the beautiful giantess like she''d just grow a second head.

    "It''s like the step below husband and wife... You guys don''t have that?"

    "No." Shakti shook her head.

    Fallen rtionships are not all thatplicated.

    If you like someone you''re either sleeping with them, or already married.

    There is a brief courtship period, but usually if the two parties like each other it''s very, very, brief.As in a week or less.

    It''s the whole reason Taira and Enyo saw nothing wrong with getting married so fast.

    Most of this behavior can be attributed to the fact that divorce isn''t as big of a presence in the mind of fallen as it is in humans.

    There are two possible oues: Either you marry happily, you live unhappily, or you kill your partner and get a new one.

    And the more primitive races of fallen don''t even necessarily think about being happy. Can your mate feed you? Is the sex decent at least?Those are the only things that really matter to them.

    Is it barbaric? asionally.

    But it keeps things pretty simple for the most part.

    As Shakti exined all of this to Raymond, realization continued to crash over him like a tidal wave.

    "Holy shit... I fucked up!" Raymond jumped to his feet suddenly.

    "That''s gotta be why the mood changed and she said we were too different... To her it must''ve seemed like I wasn''t taking her seriously, or I was trying to y around!"

    Now, Shakti was the one sitting on the ground. She didn''t say anything sense Raymond seemed to be on a real roll here.

    Eventually, he ended up pacing himself into "But marriage.. fuck, that''s... I''ve never even had a girlfriend before. How the fuck am I supposed to know if I''m going to make a good husband??"

    Shakti pulled a piece of lint off her shirt and casually blew it into the air.

    Raymond shook his head hard and even gave himself a couple of ps on the face.

    "...You know what, I can learn. She''s worth that. I''m not gonna worry about what if this goes wrong or what if that does, I''m just going do the right thing and go after her. Because.... I don''t think I could bear to see her with anybody else."

    Shakti was looking down at her stomach and wondering if maybe she''d gotten fat. (She hadn''t. Not even close.)

    Big Country suddenly turned back to the sitting giantess and smiled brightly; his entire demeanor full of rainbows and gratitude.

    "Thank you, Big Sis. You''re really helpful to me in this trying time."

    "You''re wee." Shakti gave Raymond a thumbs up, a gesture she had learned from Himari.

    "You must have a lot of experience with this kinda thing, huh? Maybe you have somebody you like just as much as I do?"

    Shakti suddenly froze dead in her tracks.

    A certain silver haired individual crossed her mind for the briefest of seconds before she forcefully dashed the thought out of her consciousness.

    "...Fuck you."

    "Wha-"

    Shakti suddenly swept Raymond''s legs out from underneath him and he hit the floor hard.

    Thest thing he saw was the back other heeling down to smash him right between the eyes; knocking him out cold.

    It wasn''t until a couple of seconds went by that she truly realized what she had done.

    ''...Perhaps that was a bit of an overreaction.''

    -

    Shakti emerged from the private room to give Raymond just a little bit of time to rest.

    ...Well she wasn''t too cruel, since she did drape a nket over him before she left.

    However, she never expected that the moment she opened the door, she would bump into the man who was just on her mind a moment ago.

    "Ah, Shakti."

    Normally whenever she heard Taira say her name she was able to remainposed and act in a formal, business-like manner.

    But today, it seemed as though that was just a little bit more difficult than before.

    "I-I��"

    Taira tilted his head and looked past Shakti into the room she was trying to leave.

    There, he saw Raymond lying on the ground with a thin nket over him.

    Now most people would have gotten rather upset over such a sight but for Taira�� this was normal.

    "Good training then?" He asked in amusement.

    Shakti could only nod her head- unbelievably grateful that half her face was still being hidden by her hair.

    "If you''re free,e with me. There''s something I want to show you." Taira said.

    There were very few words that could have made Shakti''s heart skip a beat like those.

    She followed Taira to the main deck of the ship, where all of his wives were already waiting.

    Once they reached the bow, Taira pointed off into the far distance from their position.

    Shakti could make out the beginnings of an ind sitting behind a rather thick fog.

    "I thought we were not due to arrive until tomorrow?"

    "As did I, but it seems this old thing is a bit faster than we thought." Taira tapped the wood of the ship.

    "I see. I''ll go and get everyone ready then."

    "Thank you."

 Chapitre 218: The First to Arrive!

    A richly green valley sat perfectly in between two steep grey mountains that seemed to pierce the heavens overhead.

    A young deer lightly grazed along the vibrantly colored field of flowers that adorned this path.

    And he wasn''t alone.

    Many kinds of animals came to y here.

    It was like a small haven for woond critters and their parents.

    But suddenly, a few of the animals stopped to sniff the air.

    They all stared at the young deer, who was the neer of the animals.

    When he noticed that the others were staring in his general vicinity, he too turned around to see what all of the fuss was about.

    The animal found a man looming above him.

    But then again, maybe it wasn''t a ''man'' at all.

    It certainly didn''t seem like it.

    The deer hadn''t been alive for very long, but he had already acquired an instinctive nose for danger.

    But this guy wasn''t dangerous at all. In fact the deer hadn''t even noticed that he''d been receiving pets on his back for the longest time.

    Despite the unfamiliarity of the situation, the deer decided to give the man''s hand a small lick. Making him smile a bit without even realizing it.

    Taira looked up and extended his tails.

    With his appendages acting like beds, he caught six women as they fell from the sky.

    He lowered all of them to the ground as if they were precious treasures and lowered them to the ground gently.

    But the baby deer was skittish of so many new people showing up all at once, so he ended up running off not long after they arrived.

    As soon as she stepped on the ground, Aveena began nervously fixing her clothes.

    This was her first time putting on her official garb ever since Ina had put it together for her, and she was actually feeling quite a bit self conscious.

    She would be meeting other sect leaders today. She wanted to be seen as an equally upstanding and authoritative figure.

    "

    Rx."

    Lucia emphasized. "You look beautiful."

    The dragoness forcefully made Aveena rx her shoulders and posture.

    Now, she looked tall, powerful, and confident instead of resembling a cutesy awkward mess.

    Several light thuds resounded all around them as the rest of the cult''s members dropped into the valley alongside them.

    The youngest children were the most excited to explore a new ce.

    Living in the sect was fun, but it wasn''t necessarily the most visually stimting ce for young minds to be everyday.

    So while this ce may not have been as nice as home was, it was still received as quite the wee change.

    It was clear that they wanted to run about a bit, but one look from their parents, and more importantly Vaal, was more than enough to dissuade any thoughts they might''ve had of doing so.

    "It''s fine. Let them y." Aveena waived her hand.

    "Actually��We may need to hold off on that a bit, my wife." Taira said nonchntly.

    Suddenly, people dressed in white started crawling out of the very ground. They numbered at least fifty- with their cultivation being at around the venerable realm.

    Even though they didn''t draw any weapons, they did ce their hands on them.

    Which was more than enough to escte the collective agitation of the cult.

    ""Do. Not. Move.""

    It was rare for Aveena and Taira to give the same order at once. If one was speaking, the other was usually listening and nodding along.

    Hearing them both give such a stern, clear order was almost akin to hearing your parent say ''Go get my belt''.

    They froze sopletely that some didn''t even try to breathe.

    One of the white-clothed men stepped forward with his hands behind his back.

    This one was clearly different from all the rest because he was the only one who''s cultivation was not obvious.

    Like the others, he hid his facial features behind a white mask with only a single line representing his mouth.

    He appeared to be elven judging by his lightly golden colored skin, but any further identifying traits were hidden by his clothes and hair.

    "This ind is closed to all outsiders. I''m sorry, but I must insist that you all leave immediately."

    "We were graciously invited." Aveena informed. "I would insist that you step aside."

    The man in the mask remained unchanged as he swept his gaze over every person present.

    While his gaze lingered on Taira and Keran for a bit longer than others, he eventually took note of the others.

    "��I�� see. The Abbott of the Thundering Cloud spoke of you. Though he neglected to mention that you were so small in number."

    Taira and Aveena said nothing.

    The masked man waived his hand and his acolytes removed their hands from their weapons.

    Once they saw this, the asanbosam also rxed�� not really though.

    The masked man cupped his fist in a formal greeting.

    "Please, allow us to be the first to wee you to the Twin Leaf Valley of The Golden Heaven Society.

    We are the caretakers of this ce, known as the Gentle Brotherhood. We have no names, but you may refer to me as First Brother."

    The white cloaked men formed two straight lines without being told.

    First Brother held out his hand as if he were weing Taira and Aveena down the path.

    "Please, follow us, Dai-Shi of The Divine ck Myth. We will show you where you will be staying."

    Taira and Aveena locked arms together and the two of them made their way down the path with the rest of their loved ones following closely behind.

    In addition to little Yukiko, who was sandwichedfortably between Enyo''s breasts.

    The cult was led along the grassy path deeper into the valley.

    They passed underneath a huge rocky arc and emerged in front of a rather breathtaking sight.

    First things first, the bottom of the valley was big. Very big in fact.

    So big that there were not one, but seven pces all spaced out in a circle; with arge empty area the size of two football fields sitting between them.

    "You all are the first to arrive, so please, feel free to roam the ind until the others make their appearance. Your cult''s amodations will be in that home over there."

    First Brother pointed to the pce with twin kitsune guarding each of the gates. They were in possession of oni masks that looked delightfully simr to a certain musclebound cult leader.

    "We do hope you enjoy your stay. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you need anything at all."

 Chapitre 219: Guess Who’s Back

    Among the many beasts lounging about in the midday sun, there was one that clearly stood out from the rest.

    Arge nine-tailed fox, appearing more spirit-like than mortal, lounged about along the bountiful flowers and green grass.

    It��s silver fur shone magnificently with it��s slight red undertones and iparable luster.

    The fox remained asleep, eyes closed and listening to the sound of the wind blow past his ears.

    When standing up, the creature was an easy seventeen feet tall. And yet, the creature��s around it seemed to sense him to be a gentle giant, as they had no probleming near him.

    Although, the small red panda sitting atop his paws seemed to have issue with the amount of new faces crowding around, as she would often swat at any critters who came too close for her liking.

    "Dai-Shi Taira!"

    Taira slowly opened his eyes to find a small parade of outer disciples cupping their fists in cute little salutes.

    "Can we y with Yukiko please??" The youngest, a girl named Genesis asked.

    The fox-kin knew immediately that they had only put her forth to ask because she was the cutest and were hoping that her doe eyes would wear down any chances of refusal.

    ...They just so happened to be right this

    one

    time.

    "Be gentle with her, kids. She��s been extra resistant to exercisetely." Taira handed Yukiko over on his paw.

    The furry critter looked at him with a look of true betrayal as she was carried away by a parade of excited children.

    A small amused smirk crossed Taira��s face as he watched her depart.

    ��I wonder if that��s how I look when the girls force me to socialize...�� he thought.

    With the little one in good, but small hands, Taira closed his eyes once again and drifted off into an interrupted sleep. Not even the animals beginning to crowd around him could wake him.

    -

    "...Shit."

    Taira opened his eyes, but he couldn��t see anything other than darkness.

    This phenomena was one that he knew all too well already, and dreaded with every ounce of his being.

    "Disappointed to be back here with me?"

    "Unbearably so." Taira confessed.

    He slowly sat up and stared at the only other being in the space with him- being careful to hide his rampant disgust and agitation.

    Fenris smiled boastfully as he lounged about on a throne made from the finest of ck and gold materials.

    The familiar visage of a roaring wolf��s head hung just above the back of his throne. It stared down at Taira as if he were but a pup in front of a fully grown monster.

    "So you survived your journey to the hidden realm. I can��t say I didn��t expect it even though I��ve had a hard time watching you ofte...

    Though I was hoping that maybe you would return with at least some scratches to temper that consistently foul attitude of yours."

    Taira hurled Yasuke at Fenris�� neck, but he caught it with only one hand.

    Contrary to being upset, the beast god seemed immensely pleased.

    "That��s it! One of my brood should be this outwardly ferocious at the very least. You��re much better than those other spineless children of mine. Your father��s done right by you."

    Even though this space wasn��t real, Taira get as if he could physically feel his blood boiling.

    Fenris hurled the weapon back towards it��s rightful owner and it vanished as soon as it passed through his hands.

    "You��ve made it to the Quasi-God realm as well. I see that the old man��s treasure trove was at least partially untouched then."

    Taira had thought long and hard about what he was going to say the next time that he actuallyid eyes on Fenris.

    After much internal deliberation, he parted his lips to ask a very unlikely question.

    "What kind of ce did you send me to raid?"

    Taira had decided that being angry andshing out wouldn��t get him anything. And it certainly wouldn��t serve in the best interest of his family.

    But what would help him was ying the fool.

    Fenris seemed to be intent on raising him for something that was at present unknown.

    So in the meantime, Taira would soak up every bit of knowledge, every valuable resource that Fenris felt like sharing with him.

    He would milk him of all of his secrets of martial arts and use it to better his cult before inevitably cutting off the beast god��s head when he ceased to be of use.

    He was no one��s pawn, not now or ever. Some would have to learn that lesson in a harsher manner than others.

    Fenris stared at Taira strangely for a moment, with his thoughts seemingly known only to him.

    Eventually, he waived his hand dismissively as he looked away. "Never mind that... Just thest vestiges of an old fool who thought he could remain king forever... You didn��t find anything strange inside?"

    "I found my pills and my kin. Nothing else was of any consequence to me."

    Fenris knew about the asanbosam hiding in the secret realm already, so the mention of Taira��s kin didn��t inspire much reaction from him.

    But he found the bit about Taira not being interested in anything else inside to be worthy of note.

    ��Does that mean that there were no artifacts or weapons inside..? Or is he lying...?��

    Fenris was inclined to believe it might��e been thetter.

    He had been having a hard time observing Taira ever since he��d entered the secret realm.

    And even when he��d left it, the problem had still persisted.

    Without the ability to urately see any of Taira��s movements, he was stuck making guesses about what exactly he could have been doing in that time.

    But one thing he knew for certain was that if Velreth still had as many rumored treasures in his vault as the entire upper realm theorized he did, then there was no way that Taira just overlooked them.

    He would have to be stupid. Or remarkably altruistic.

    And Fenris didn��t know if he believed Taira to be either of those things.

    ��Hmph. Keep your secrets if you need to, boy. It will serve me better in the end all the same.��

    "Nevermind that for now." Fenris stood up. "It��s time for a new lesson from your patriarch. I hope you are prepared for my instruction."

    Taira stood motionlessly as he tried hard to swallow the smile on his face.

    "Whatever will help me stop seeing your face quicker."

    "Ha! That��s the spirit! Let us see how long you can hold onto that tongue today!"

 Chapitre 220: Beast Cores

    An unknown amount of timeter, Taira was almost unrecognizable.

    None could ever use Fenris of being a gentle teacher, and his pupil��s state reflected that.

    Taira��s whole body was a mess. The beautiful face that his wives were so infatuated with was no more.

    Whole identifying chunks had been ripped from bone, his hair was, in some ces torn out, and in others matted with his own blood.

    One of his arms was broken. The other was missing entirely.

    His beating heart could be seen through an open wound in his chest. And a few of his snapped ribs were poking through his chest.

    It was a total miracle he was still on his feet and conscious.

    As bad as Taira looked right now, it wasn��t all for nothing.

    Because Fenris was also wearing three brand new scratches on his face, chest, and arms.

    "Well what do you know. You are harder to kill than I thought. I don��t remember thest time that a pup like you has nicked me."

    The beast god snapped his fingers and his wounds were instantly healed. Taira��s too.

    All of his umted fatigue disappeared like a mirage, but Taira still felt as if he had been mentally taxed.

    Fenris was a monster in every capacity of the word.

    Big. Fast. Strong. Unpredictable.

    But Fenris�� battle experience was far and above the most dangerous thing about him.

    It was apparent with every action he took.

    Taira was an extremely proficient master at making his next moves hard to read by his opponents.

    But Fenris just behaved as if he had not only seen everything Taira was going to do, but he knew how tounch the most crippling counterattack possible as well.

    This was perhaps the only person who Taira had ever met who had greater fighting experience than he did.

    "There, now that I��ve moved around a bit I feel much less stiff. Now I suppose we can go back over the boring bits now..."

    Fenris sat back down on his throne casually. His eyes were now bored and uninterestedpared to earlier when they were full of zeal and murder.

    "There��s a n technique I need to impart to you while you��re here. It should help you reach the upper realm quicker than you normally would down there."

    Taira cracked a small smile. ��Finally�� He thought.

    "Don��t smile at me you creepy bastard."

    Taira stopped smiling.

    "I��m assuming you��re aware of the fact that certain animals in the lower realm have an ability to develop beast cores. Turning them into mana beasts of a grade 1-7."

    Taira nodded. It was one of the world��s few big mysteries, as no one quite knew how animals were able to achieve this. It��s not like they can cultivate, or at least not the same way that evolved races do.

    Animals of grade 6-7 are significantly rarer, and are not only incredibly destructive and dangerous, but they can develop a surprising amount of intelligence too.

    The cores inside of the beasts can be used as cultivation materials for early stage cultivators, but it��s not a very reliable method of growing stronger since it��s only possible to absorb around 40% of the core, and only the most talented are even able to achieve that.

    "So you��re going to teach me how to form a beast core of my own?"

    "I am. Though yours will be a bit better than theirs since we are divine beasts. Therein lies a world of difference, boy."

    "And the merits of this are..?"

    "You��ll be able to cultivate passively. Just like animals, your body will naturally absorb qi from the surrounding area and you��ll be able to progress your cultivation without any thought. It should help speed up your growth process quite a bit."

    Taira was outwardly calm, but downright giddy internally.

    Cultivation without doing anything! It was the dream of many in the lower realm to possess and he was about to grasp it!

    "I don��t need to tell you that this isn��t something you are permitted to share." Velreth said seriously. "This technique is one that must be kept secret from the outside world lest wepletely fall to ruin."

    "Fine." Taira agreed.

    He was going to teach Lucia how to make one as soon as he woke up.

    -

    A burst of icy energy spread out from Taira��s body onto the grassy valley.

    Flowers and grass turned into an almost crystalline ice; confusing the animals who were around him sleeping peacefully.

    He stood up in a trance and a second burst of energy came out of his body.

    His eyes slowly opened and he found the white-d Gentle Brotherhood standing all around him.

    First Brother stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

    "Dai-Shi. Please allow me to be the first to congratte you on your sessful breakthrough. We took the liberty of standing guard while you cultivated so that none would disturb you."

    Taira took but a moment to inspect his body and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

    His multiple elemental cores had made way for an additional one to form in his body. A sleek, golden colored, divine-beast core.

    Fenris said that only low tier beasts function through the star grading system, but beast cores have their own unique ranking from 1-8.

    And sense they go hand in hand with cultivation tiers, Taira was already on the sixth major realm, his beast core was that much more advanced- bing an Immortal Divine Beast core.

    The new addition to his body, plus the prolonged sparring with Fenris, had pushed him up to the fourth level of the Quasi-God realm.

    Not to mention that he could already feel the effectiveness of the core working as Fenris said it would.

    Even though he was just staring here, his body was actively absorbing and refining qi through the proper channels to cultivate. Giving him a rxed, breezy state of mind that was almostparable to a high.

    He would have to get used to this feeling very quickly.

    "I see... Thank you for..." Taira felt movemente from atop his head and he already knew the culprit.

    Yukiko appeared upside down in Taira��s vision, making him smile.

    "Papa!"

    Taira��s smile was, once again,pletely wiped away.

 Chapitre 221: Long Awaited, Well Deserved

    The quarters Taira and Aveena had been given were by the Gentle Brotherhood were actually fairly nice.

    They weren''t quite up to the usual standard that they surrounded themselves with at home, but they were still quitefortable.

    The bed may not have been tremendouslyrge, but that just meant that the group would get to sleep that much closer together at night.

    ...Or more likely, not sleep at all.

    Either scenario was quite preferable.

    There was a sudden rustling at the door and the girls'' husband came walking in; carrying a familiar furry animal.

    "There you are, babe. Youid outside all day so we thought we were going to have to join you..." Lucia''s words trailed off as she realized that Taira didn''t look right.

    "Why is your jaw hanging open like that..? And why are you holding Nibbles out like she''s contagious with something?"

    "Mamas!"

    The girls mouths subsequently dropped open all at once.

    For a full minute, it seemed like no one had any idea of what to do.

    And then, Keran was the first to react.

    Welll.. maybe not react.

    She just fainted. Her headnded right on top of Enyo''s thigh like she''d just been peacefullyid to rest.

    The other girls were a fair bit less traumatized.

    Chorus'' of screeching and excited yelling melded into one as they practically jumped all over each other to get to Yukiko.

    Taira was still so out of it that he didn''t even break posture as the girls liberated the small bundle of fluff from his arms.

    Vermeil happilyughed and spun around as she held the young critter up in her arms.

    "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!! How is this even possible!??"

    Taira couldn''t answer, so Yukiko did it for him.

    "Papa did it!"

    "KYAAA!!! You''re so precious and fluffy I could die!!!"

    Taira went to the bed andy down face first in theforter. He wasn''t resting for even a whole minute before Lucia flipped him onto his back and straddled him.

    "You did this!?? How!?"

    "I was... I have no idea." Taira admitted.

    "Well, thank you nheless!!"

    Lucia grabbed her husband by the face and gave him one of thergest smooches ever received in their fifty year marriage.

    He felt a little bit less disoriented now. Just a little bit though.

    "What happened while you were outside?? You have to tell us everything!"

    "A-Alright... but like I said, I don''t know much.." Taira said.

    - 6 And a Half Minutes Later...

    Aveena: "So you formed this beast core thing that Fenris taught you to make..."

    Enyo: "And now little Nibbles can talk to us like normal..?"

    "It''s not just her..."

    Taira stood up and opened the doors to their private balcony.

    He pointed out into the valley and the girls got a front row seat to a scene from an animated movie.

    Deer: "Mate! Somebody mate with me!"

    Bird: "Poop! Pooping now! Here!"

    Squirrel: "These are my nuts and nobody can have them!"

    It was pandemonium.

    Every animal in the vige was running around and talking with surprising rity.

    Everyone''s jaws fell open and they stared at Taira, who stared nkly back.

    Eventually, all of their gazes traveled to the dresser where a familiar medallion rested peacefully.

    - 1 Minute Later...

    "This is amon urrence for when beast type cultivators begin forming divine beast cores. Animals that are hit by the energy produced during breakthrough will experience dramatically raised intelligence." Velreth exined.

    The group was sitting around in a circle while Velreth imparted knowledge into their young minds.

    Vermeil raised her hand with wide eyes like she was right back in high school. "Just how dramatically increased..?"

    "Well, some can doplex arithmetic. Others can begin to form their own beast cores with the potential to be Demi-Humans."

    "Demi-humans..?" Enyo asked hopefully.

    "Oh right, what''s the term you all use down here... fallen." Velreth nodded.

    Everyone slowly turned to stare at Yukiko.

    The red ball of fur was busy crawling around on the floor; eager to sniff around this new ce for the first time.

    Everyone seemed to be having the same thought all at once, but Aveena was the first one to actually say it out loud.

    "So... Eventually Yukiko might be a real child? Like a daughter...?"

    Velreth didn''t think he had ever seen the Amarok family disy such a wide spread of emotions as they were now.

    He knew that this particr subject was a tender one for them, as Taira''s inability to have children had left a gap in their lives for a long time.

    As such, he recognized that he was in a delicate position.

    He wanted to give them some hope, while also not causing their expectations to soar too high.

    "...If she has the aptitude, yes. It truly all depends on her."

    At that moment, Yukiko ran over to Taira and crawled into hisp with immovable persistence.

    She stared up at him with big, brown eyes and ced her paws on his chest.

    "Papa! Hungry!"

    Taira''s pupils visibly trembled in a way that the girls hadn''t ever seen before.

    As he wrapped his arms around Yukiko, a rare smile formed along his face that was as blinding and new as the moon above.

    - 3 Days Later...

    Threerge fleet ships arrived on the ind coast at exactly the same moment of the day.

    Abbott Tang narrowed his eyes distastefully as he noticed the upants of one of the other ships.

    It never did do well to wish negative things on others, but he could not pretend in the slightest that he was happy to see them.

    *Thunk, thank!*

    The Abbott tapped his staff on the ground twice and his entire sect responded in kind.

    Exactly one hundred and twelve men in yellow monk-wear rose up into the sky on floating swords made from gleaming metal.

    The Abott simply used his own power to rise up into the sky alongside them.

    But he never expected that when he reached a sufficient altitude that a flying bird woulde rushing towards him.

    "Outta the way, baldie!!"

    "What in the heavens...?"

    Aical collision ensued where the two creatures identally butted heads.

    The Abbott immediately went plummeting down back towards the ship; horrifying every one of his Sect Members.

 Chapitre 222: The Sect Leaders

    Abbott Tang slowly opened his eyes and let out a groan that came from deep within his old bones.

    Before he could even sit up on his own, he had a flurry of concerned sect members all hovering over his head and trying to help him up.

    "T-Take it easy, Abbott!"

    "You may have a knot on your head, sir��"

    "Where''s our medic??!"

    "��"

    Abbott Tangshed out with his cane and struck the three disciples closest to him on their heads.

    "Hmph! I''m not some bumbling old man who needs the coddling of whippersnappers like you lot! Make room!"

    The disciples begrudgingly cleared the way for their grandmaster as he shakily got to his feet. Everyone merely pretended that they did not see him wobbling.

    Except for one man that is.

    "HA! I see thest hundred years haven''t been kind to you, Tang-Boy!"

    If the Abbot thought his day couldn''t get any worse, he was about to learn he was sorely mistaken.

    A shadow passed over the deck and the thunder n cultists looked up to find a familiar face.

    An old fallen man was held up in the air by a pair of great oily ck wings. His nose was an orange beak that was somehow sharp enough to put any knife or sword to shame.

    He appeared to be in around histe fifties, with long ck hair the same color as his feathers.

    His eyes were unendingly amused, as if he were the kind of person who could find joy in just about everything. Even when the situations absolutely did not call for it.

    To the trained senses, one wouldn''t notice anything particrly ominous about him.

    But those with more heightened talents of awareness would notice it immediately. The fact that his body had no odor.

    "Do I strike you as someone who is in the mood for your childish games, Gu Mu-Sung?! If you do not give me an exnation for your childishness then don''t me me for not sparing you!" Abbot Tang roared.

    The flying man, whom Abbot Tang referred to as Gu Mu-Song, nearly stopped beating his wings when he was suddenly osted out of the blue.

    "...What are you on about, you dodgy old coot? Has qi deviation finally grabbed hold of your mind and treated it like a back alley whore?"

    "Do not try to y the fool, even with your extensive experience in the subject! It will not save you from me today!"

    Gu Mu-Song scratched his head in confusion.

    Did he do fucked up things? Yes. Habitually in fact.

    But he hadn''t done anything ofte, and certainly nothing to earn this kind of reaction from the Abbot of all people.

    As he wracked his brain for answers, they came to him in a manner in which he least expected.

    *Tweet!* "Mate!" *Tweet!*

    An adorable red breasted bird suddenly circled the flying man who she seemed to be trying to coax into being her mate.

    Gu Mu-Song felt his jaw drop all the way to his knees.

    He slowly pointed at the bird while checking with the Abbott for confirmation. "Tang-Boy... Did you hear this bird just talk...?"

    Abbot Tang''s intense aura dissipated.

    "...You were not the one responsible for this?"

    "What are you implying, you deluded old fool? Do you think just because I have these wings I can make birds talk?!"

    Abbott Tang shrugged.

    "Well I can''t!!"

    "You''re both idiots." A new voice said.

    The men looked over at the other ship docked on the beach and the 100 cultists who were disembarking in an orderly fashion.

    At their head there was a man in sophisticated looking white and grey robes.

    Despite his regal aura, he had a roguish looking faceplete with a bright auburn beard and hair. He wore a pair of silver lined sses that didn''t quite match his aesthetic. Perhaps in a bid to make himself stand out more.

    ...And when you''re a dwarf who stands at 5''0 tall, you kind of need all of the help that you can get.

    "This is obviously some sort of new phenomena... The qi within the air feels saturated even more than usual somehow... by my estimate, I would say it is around 1.5 times more potent than normal. I am hoping the Gentle Brotherhood will provide an exnation for this urrence."

    Abbot Tang and Gu Mu-Song looked at each other, and then the neer.

    Gu Mu-Song: "Obviously we knew that."

    Abbot Tang: "We don''t need you to sit in our faces and attempt to make us feel stupid, Grandmaster Hideyoshi."

    Gu Mu-Song: "That''s right. Mind your manners, you fucking dwarf."

    Abbot Tang: "Okay, too far."

    Grandmaster Hideyoshi merely shook his head and continued leading his sect off their boat. "Barbarians..."

    Together, the three sect leaders led their sects each consisting of at least 100 men onto the ind.

    As they traveled further and further ind, they encounter more talking animals.

    And not just birds either.

    They crossed paths with many curious deer, some irate species of primate, around a dozen hungry squirrels and too many animals in heat to count.

    The sects tried a number of times tomunicate with the animals and ask them why they could talk, but none of them gave a clear answer. Over 65% of them didn''t know words beyond their basic instincts and desires.

    The valley was located so deep ind they it took the sects around an hour to reach it even at their fastest speeds.

    They expected to find the valley just as immactely beautiful as it had been for the past thousand years or so.

    But they were in for arge shock when they found that every flower, de of grass, and stone for 600 yards had been turned into an ice sculpture.

    Was it beautiful? Undoubtedly.

    But that didn''t make it any less jarring for them.

    "Esteemed guests..."

    As always, the Gentle Brotherhood appeared silently without so much as a gust of wind to announce them.

    First Brother lead the group with a respectful cupped fist salute.

    "Abbott Tang Gyeoksan of the Thundering Cloud Sect. Grandmaster Gu Mu-Song of the Purple Haze Sect. And Dan Master Hideyoshi of the Profound Pill Union. It is an honor to be in your prese-"

    "Spare us all that useless ttery, eunuch! Why is the whole valley covered in ice?? It''s 72 degrees outside!" Grandmaster Mu-Songined.

    "Ah... This was an event outside of our control." First Brother shrugged. "Three days ago, one of the Dai-Shi had a breakthrough and released a unique energy with it. The nts here froze and the animals nearest to him at the time developed the ability to talk."

    The three sect leaders, as well as the aides closest to them, all hadically different reactions.

    But among them, Abbot Tang was the one who seemed the least confused and most excited.

    "So they really came then?? I was worried that they were both just being polite!"

    "Indeed not, Abbot. Both of the Dai-Shi have been inside with their family for the past few days. They have yet toin or ask for anything, so we can only assume that they arefortable."

    "Wonderful! Get my men settled in, will you? I''m going to exchange my greetings!"

    Despite being an old man with a frail look to him, Abbot Tang showed some surprising pep in his step as he made a beeline straight for one of the surrounding manors.

    "I assume you gave them Setsuka''s old dwellings, yes?" He called without looking back.

    "We did indeed, Abbot."

    "Ha! Wonderful! Just wonderful!"

    The two remaining sect leaders slowly blinked their eyes in confusion.

    "Curious... It seems there has been a development we''ve not been made aware of." Master Hideyoshi raised a brow.

    First Brother faltered for a moment before he eventually decided that there was no reason to keep the secret any longer than necessary.

    "Abbess Satsuma and most of her disciples perished around fifty years ago. The sole survivor and her husband have decided to rebuild the sect together in her memory."

    Murmurs dried throughout the individual sects of 300 men and women.

    All of the grandmasters were thought to be invincible by their pupils. The revtion that an entire sect had fallen five decades ago without any of their knowledge was like receiving a sudden left hook from a bear.

    "Impossible." Grandmaster Mu-Song shook his head. "Who could have even been overzealous enough to wipe out an entire sect like that?"

    First Brother did have the answers that he was looking for, no matter how badly he wanted them.

    All that he could do was offer one small piece of advice that would hopefully alleviate their curiosity.

    "Perhaps you can ask the Dai-Shi themselves when you meet them. But I must encourage you to exercise a bit of-"

    "Show my men to their quarters." Grandmaster Mu-Song stormed off before First Brother could finish his warning and headed straight for the ck Myth pce.

    And after only a moment''s deliberation, Dan Master Hideyoshi decided to follow behind him too- his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

 Chapitre 223: Frigid Meeting

    Outside of each pce located in the valley, there were a set of heavy gates that obscured the view of the inner courtyard and the entrance.

    Abbot Tang was moving so fast that he had already reached the gates and his two associates had to use movement techniques to catch up with him.

    "Hm? Why are you fellows here?" He frowned.

    Gu Mu-Song: "We��vee toy eyes on this supposed new blood you��ve invited."

    Hideyoshi: "Indeed. I have questions."

    Abbot Tang paused immediately.

    Ordinarily, he wouldn��t have any problem with exchanging greetings among sect leaders. It was what they were all here for after all.

    But the parties involved in this posed potential issues.

    Taira and Aveena had a lot of secrets. Big ones in fact.

    And they were certainly entitled to them, but the Abbot was fully aware that he might��ve been the only one who was actually willing to respect them.

    The dwarven leader was small in stature, but he had an immense curiosity that sometimes bordered on obsession and often came off as tant impoliteness.

    But Gu Mu-Song was the real problem here.

    Espionage and greed were his tools of trade and he was practically untouched within the field.

    If he saw something valuable in the presence of Aveena and Taira, which he was more than likely to, Abbot Tang didn��t know that he would sit quietly without concocting some sort of scheme to take it.

    He clutched his staff with enough force to crack it and stared at the two men with a re that was absolutely un-monk-like.

    "Hear me well, you dpidated old fools. Should you even think of causing trouble while we are in the presence of these two then I will not let you go..! Do not-"

    *Creak!*

    Suddenly, the doors to therge onyx gate creaked open.

    An outpouring of small children ran out; each of whom were chasing after a small red panda with a unique-looking cor.

    "y! Go y!"

    By now, none of the three sect leaders were surprised to hear any more talking animals.

    But they were surprised to see the children running after the talking animals.

    "I-I... It��s impossible."

    "Those glowing eyes.. They��re supposed to be dead..."

    Abbot Tang sighed; knowing they had reached the point of no return.

    These two weren��t even thinking about the fact that most of these children were in the overlord realm already. They were only wondering how an extinct undead race was suddenly up and walking around.

    "Wait kids, wait! You all need supervisors or.. Oh?"

    The trio of old men looked up when two beautiful women tried to chase after the children.

    One was human; with mid length orange hair not at all dissimr to Dan Master Hideyoshi��s.

    The other was fallen- a mermaid more specifically. Her aqua colored hair seemed to literally ebb and flow like the ocean itself.

    Judging by their faces, both women seemed surprised to find the three sect leaders standing just outside of their gate.

    "Hello.. Can we help you?"

    *E-Ehem* "Yes please, if you don��t mind." The Abbot cleared his throat. "I��vee to visit the Dai-Shi."

    "Oh, alright then." The woman with blue hair bowed politely. "My name is Yem and I am something of the caretaker of the cult. May I ask for your names as well?"

    "I am

    Lord

    Gu Mu-Song. Grandmaster of-"

    "Tang Gyeoksan." The Abbot introduced.

    For some reason, Yem��s eyes lit up when she heard the second name. "Oh! Please,e with me. Dai-Shi Aveena has been anxiously awaiting your arrival."

    The Abbot roughly pushed past the winged grandmaster as if he was hoping to leave him outside.

    Unfortunately for him though, Gu Mu-Song followed closely behind. As did the dwarven Dan Master.

    This wasn��t any of their first time walking through this particr courtyard, so they were already aware of what they expected it to look like.

    However, they were just a little in awe of the amount of individuals that they could feel inside the cult.

    Their numbers were so... small.

    It was actually quite sad if one were being honest.

    "Pardon me, Miss Yem..."

    Suddenly, another human appeared in front of the group. He wore a funny looking ck hat and a sleeveless tunic with simple pants and even stranger looking boots.

    "Sorry for botherin�� ya while you��re working, but have you seen Tiche anywhere..?"

    Yem giggled adorably. "I��m afraid not, Raymond. You��ll have to keep looking."

    "Ah... Thanks anyway, miss." The young man smiled helplessly before running off to go and look for this mystery woman who he seemed to be intent on finding.

    "Sorry about that. Let us continue."

    Yem led the trio of men towards the pce��s second floor.

    Even before they had arrived at their destination, things stood out to them.

    For one, the entire ce was warm.

    It wasn��t even 75 degrees outside, but somehow the second floor of the pce must��ve been around eighty degrees.

    And then there was the noise.

    The forge was on the first floor, and yet this was where they heard the sound of metal clogging against metal.

    Yem led the three men down a long corridor lined with rooms.

    She came to a stop at a set of double doors at the very end of the hall, and pushed them open without reservation.

    Warm air flooded out from the room like an oven door; and finally the group could see the source of the heat, and the nging.

    In the middle of the room, arge, muscr woman was sitting in a lotus pose with her back facing them.

    Her aura was the source of the heat they were feeling. She was heating up her qi and rapidly pushing it through her body to act as a sort of tempering method.

    Why did she need this? Well, that��s where the nging came in.

    Standing above her, there was another woman with an outwardly curvaceous figure and short green hair.

    She wielded a nine-ringed greatsword taller and wider than most adult men.

    Without reservations, she continued to bring the edge of the sword down on top of the sitting woman��s body again and again.

    The edge was sharp enough to cut and draw blood, but it didn��t appear to go very deep at all.

    And once the sitting woman healed the wound, it became harder to injure her the next time.

    This was perhaps one of the most extreme methods of body tempering that any of them had ever seen.

    And the results were apparently more than worth the trouble.

    "Pardon the interruption... I��ve brought guests who were hoping to see you." Yem informed.

    *ng!*

    Aveena caught the giant de overhead without even looking back.

    Herpanion helped her stand up and she pulled a robe over her shoulders to cover her sweaty body.

    She turned around and once her eyesnded on the old Abbot, her domineering gaze immediately lit up.

    "Abbot Tang! You made it!"

    "Of course I did,ss. You were the one whom I should have been worried about since it was your first time traveling here after all."

    "Well, my husband had a hand in helping us get here ahead of time and without issue. He��s resourceful like that." Aveena gushed as if she wasn��t a 6��3 demon woman with more muscles than hair follicles.

    The woman standing next to her gave her a small nudge and she realized her mistake.

    "I��m sorry, I should introduce you. This is my Sister-Wife Lucia."

    "It is a pleasure to meet you!" Abbot Tang smiled.

    He never even considered introducing the two men standing behind him. Not even once.

    He was honestly still hoping that they would implode in a puff of smoke and disappear before they had a chance to open their mouths.

    "My word... Remarkable."

    Dan Master Hideyoshi lumbered forward with the exact luster in his eyes that Abbot Tang was afraid of.

    "I had heard reports, but... I honestly thought them exaggerated. A living, breathing, dragon right before my very eyes... I honestly wondered if I would ever get to see the day."

    Aveena and Lucia looked back and forth between the little man and the Abbot.

    Once he realized it would be awkward not to make any further introductions, he had no choice but to start exining.

    "R-Right... This is Dan Master Hideyoshi of the Profound Pill Union... Forgive him for his idiosyncrasies."

    "I-I do not have any idiosyncrasies! I am a pursuer of knowledge and adept study, nothing more!" The dwarf snapped.

    Despite his antics, neither Lucia nor Aveena seemed to find him wholly un-amusing. Not yet at least.

    Aveenaa finally settled her eyes on the silent bird man standing at the very back of the group.

    "And you are?"

    Abbot Tang almost jumped into their conversation to scream ��nobody�� at the top of his lungs.

    But unfortunately, it was toote.

    "I am Grandmaster Gu Mu-Song of the glorious Purple Cloud Sect. And your senior, if I might add. How do you do?" The grandmaster smiled harmlessly.

    He held out his hand for a simple handshake, and Aveena started to shake it despite a less than ster first impression.

    "Do not touch him."

    Aveena froze on a dime and pulled her hand away quickly.

    The three men followed the sound of the sudden voice to the rafters above their heads.

    There, they could see a small bat hanging upside down and staring back at them coldly.

    "It doesn��t do well to touch anyone who��s reached such a level of poison mastery. You are all of an untrustworthy sort."

 Chapitre 224: Old Habits Die Hard

    For some reason, this talking bat didn��t have quite the same vibe as the other animals outside.

    It was far more intelligent than they had shown themselves to be.

    The way that it spoke contained a rity and elegance that was far beyond even most humans. Never mind the fallen.

    And it appeared to have quite a breadth of knowledge in that little head as well.

    Grandmaster Mu-Song smiled harmlessly.

    "What a fascinating little creature you are. I wonder how a thing like you can tell I am a user of poison arts?"

    "Because I cannot smell you."

    The ��bat�� fell from the ceiling.

    Before it hit the ground, the furry mammal transformed into an unexpected vision.

    A man over six feet in height; d in ck and god robes. Nine silver tails swayed back and forth behind his back; fully catching the attention of all three men present.

    "Grandmasters. This is our husband; Taira." Lucia introduced.

    Taira was unkindly staring into the eyes of the bird-man.

    "You��ve some very poor etiquette. It��smon courtesy for an eighth level poison master to wear gloves before touching someone."

    "...You��re quite right, that��s my mistake. I assure you that I had no nefarious intentions." Grandmaster Mu-Song pulled out a pair of ck leather gloves from his inner pocket.

    Abbot Tang and the wives were the only ones who still seemed to be lost in confusion.

    "Senior Taira? Might you enlighten me as to what exactly has inspired your ire?"

    "..."

    Poison cultivation isn��t just taboo. It��s a very dangerous and obscure study.

    In addition to the use of pills and resources to improve their foundation, cultivators also ingest toxic substances and materials and hold them within their cores.

    It��s risky, since, when stored improperly, the materials can just poison run rampant through one��s body and kill the host instead.

    But for those who are lucky, and more importantly, know what they are doing, they can sessfully store up to thirty types of poison in their body.

    And with every new level of poison mastery that one aplishes, the amount they can store increases by around fifteen.

    An eighth level poison master can store around one hundred and thirty-five different kinds of poison in their bodies.

    In addition, they have achieved a near perfect symbiosis with what they��ve acquired.

    Their saliva, blood, sperm, or any other excretions can be toxic. Especially the oils secreted from their skin and hair.

    But ��toxin�� doesn��t also mean death by poison. It also means the creation of mind altering chemicals that can induce hypnosis, simte catatonia, and other nefarious things that put poison cultivators in high demand in the criminal underworld.

    The reason their bodies produce no smell is because they��ve developed an ability to hold any scents within their pores. If they released it, the stench of death would rm random passerby��s even if they were two miles away.

    That aside, they can make espionage or assassinations really easy, but their work is literally never cheap and they��re very, very, hard to find.

    As Taira exined all of this to the group, the res that the two Sect Masters began giving Mu-Song were far from pleasant.

    Even Hideyoshi, who knew a little about poison arts due to his extensive study, didn��t know

    everything

    that they could be used for. That��s just how tight lipped poison cultivators are about their practices.

    Meanwhile, Mu-Song continued to smile nonchntly as if this were all a simple misunderstanding.

    "Wow, I��m very impressed. This new blood seems to have quite a breadth of knowledge surrounding our poison arts. I��m wondering if perhaps you have also ventured down this sublime field of study...?"

    Taira��s voice was chilling. "You seem to wonder a lot of things. But I��m wondering if you are ever going to apologize for almost touching my wife."

    For a moment, it seemed as if Mu-Song��s mask almost cracked.

    "New blood... Don��t go too far. I��ve already expressed that this was an ident of no consequence. Let��s not spoil our first meeting with unpleasantries."

    Taira��s eyes narrowed. The room that was still warm all of a sudden became mildly chilly.

    "...M��iy��u sh�� me b�� c��ng n�� zu�� l�� li��ch�� de d��y�� g��ng d�� d�� le."

    Gu Mu-Song finally stopped smiling.

    "...It seems I��vee at a bad time today. I will be taking my leave."

    He turned around abruptly and headed back out the same way he came.

    Taira didn��t bother watching him go, instead he went to Aveena��s side and took her hand in his.

    "I-I��m fine. He didn��t touch me." Aveena blushed.

    "..." Taira still wanted to be perfectly sure. He gave Aveena��s palm a long lick.

    Even though his actions were not supposed to be sensual, Aveena still shivered.

    "..." Lucia watched all of this with a slightly envious look.

    Unprompted, she held out her own hand.

    "I-I think he might have grazed my pinkie a bit..."

    "��" Taira smiled in amusement.

    He delicately took Lucia��s hand and licked her as well. Now, both women looked like they had the urge to practice the time honored art of procreation.

    "...S-Should we leave?" The Abbot asked in embarrassment.

    Aveena / Lucia : "N-No! / M-Maybe."

    Aveena chopped her sister-wife on the head and pulled her hand away from Taira before he could do any more damage.

    "S-Sorry about that... As you can see, we haven��t really left the honeymoon stage just yet.."

    "How long have all of you been married again..?" Hideyoshi asked.

    "Fifty years. Fifty-one in five months!" Lucia kissed both of her lovers on the cheek affectionately.

    Hideyoshi couldn��t believe it. He was ready to get a divorce from his wife after six years.

    "Yem, would you mind preparing us a light tea and snacks?" Aveena suddenly asked.

    "Certainly, Dai-Shi. I will have it brought to you all shortly." The siren bowed her head.

    Once she left, Aveena smiled politely like the benevolent host she was.

    "Shall we find somewhere morefortable to sit?"

    -

    The group ended up migrating to the garden pavilion just outside of their home to sit underneath the shade.

    Naturally, the rest of the wives flocked to join after receiving a quick mental message from the others to join them.

    Once outside, the guests were brought small pastries and tea that took little to notice to prepare on Yem��s behalf.

    Taira liked being with his wives in social scenarios like this. He never had to open his mouth to say a word and could just sit to himself quietly.

    "Dai-Shi Taira. I am afraid I must ask you a question or two..."

    ��Shit.��

    The girls all snickered to themselves as they could literally feel their husband��s characteristic irritation.

    "Such as..?"

    "That phrase you uttered earlier that caused the old bird to storm off. I must inquire about it��s meaning." Hideyoshi leaned forward.

    Taira��s eyes took on a faraway look. "The poisoner��s creed. Recited by poison cultivators everyday from the moment they begin their training.

    There is no poison greater than that whiches from one��s own mouth.

    Poison users are all of an untrustworthy sort. None are more aware of this than themselves."

    "Fascinating..!" The old dwarf beamed. "How did you learn this? I��ve never even heard rumblings of such a credo. You must be a user of poison arts as well, yes?"

    Taira fell silent and the girls seemed to recognize that he had reached his limit on conversation for the next hour or so.

    "My husband is not a poisoner, but his mother was... extremely adept in the trade. I��m afraid they had a bit of an ill fated rtionship." Keran informed.

    Hideyoshi seemed to immediately recognize his mistake. "I apologize. My curiosity sometimes causes me to overstep."

    "Don��t worry, you haven��t offended anyone. He��s just not a very good talker, so he has a tendency to shut down sometimes."

    Taira nodded with his eyes closed as he brought a cup of tea to his lips.

    In truth, his mind had already started thinking of something else.

    It stood to reason that Grandmaster Gu Mu-Song would be teaching an entire cult of disciples the ways of poison.

    That thought alone brought him back to a few months ago.

    Specifically, when his men brought Aja and Ayame to him on death��s doorstep with poison in their bodies.

    They didn��t find the culprits back in the secret realm. But what if they didn��t have to look as hard now?

    Aja was his only friend in the world. Ayame, despite their currentck of speaking, was still his family.

    And Taira was an incredibly petty and vindictive individual.

    There was no way that he would ever voluntarily sit quietly when he could find the people who attempted to kill them.

    He wasn��t now, nor had he ever been, that kind of person.

    Taira casually looked above his head at the midday sun. Night would be here soon, and then maybe he would get to do a bit of snooping all on his own.

    ��I truly wonder just how long it has been... since I went on a quiet walk by myself.��

 Chapitre 225: Infiltration

    Gu Mu-Song mmed his drinking ss on the table; his face already turning red from overindulgence.

    "That bastard�� Who does he think he is..?!"

    "The Grandmaster seems to be drinking a bit more heavily tonight. I''m curious why that is."

    Gu Mu-Song stared across the table at the pretty young disciple who was already pouring him another drink.

    "It is of no concern to you, Seol Yeon. That new grandmaster is even more annoying than that old monk and his dead ex-wife. The nerve of him to humiliate me over that unnecessarilyrge sow. I wasn''t even going to do anything to her!"

    "The new grandmasters..? Arge sow..?" She asked.

    Gu Mu-Song stared drunkenly at the face of the young disciple.

    She was one of only thirty-five women in the poison cloud sect. And he had alreadyin with almost all of them.

    They were his personal garden of flowers that he was allowed to pick from and inhale at any moment he so chose.

    And there was no one who was going to interfere in his practices.

    The few women who were unwilling to abide by his practices were swiftly dealt with and a new seed was sown to rece them. It was as simple as that.

    Their world didn''tck women and fine things. Someone so grand as him was fated to have as much of it as he wanted.

    If the Races of Light did it, why not himself?

    But as he remembered Taira''s uniquely beautiful face that could sway anything with a working set of genitals, he began to feel like his perfect flower garden might develop wandering gazes.

    This was something he could not stand for.

    "Never mind the new grandmaster! He is an ant beneath my heels who I may crush whenever the mood strikes me! You just let your only concern be on servicing me..!"

    Gu Mu-Song disrobed in front of his beautiful disciple.

    ""..."" They both stared down at his little bird that had yet to rise and leave the nest.

    While some types of alcohol do have positive affects on sexual potency with certain kinds of individuals, avian type fallen are not one of them.

    "...W-What are you looking at!? Make it stand up!!"

    "Yes, grandmaster.."

    The young woman crawled towards him with a nk and empty look in her eyes.

    "Bed checks!"

    The door to the room was suddenly pulled open and another, more authoritative-looking disciple walked in.

    "Kyaa!"

    "What the hell are you doing, Feng Xian!? Announce yourself before entering!"

    The young disciple immediately cupped his fist and lowered his head in embarrassment.

    "One thousand apologies, Grandmaster. I was simply doing routine bed checks and was unaware that you were entertaining a disciple."

    Entertaining was a really strong word to use. The young woman did not look thrilled or amused in the slightest.

    "Damn your thickheadedness... You''ve spoiled my mood..!" The Grandmaster quickly got dressed again and left the room in a huff; shoving past his disciple in a rude manner.

    The disciple also got re-dressed and she too red at her Junior Brother.

    While it is true that the Grandmaster has a nefarious sexual rtionship with the female disciples of the court, it is also true that they use the opportunity to get what they desire from him.

    Grandmaster Mu-Song is prone to falling asleep after finishing.

    The women of the cult usually use that opportunity to search his body, or his room, for treasures. At least nine have even began reading his personal manuals, though they haven''t gotten to study them topletion yet.

    When ites to users of poison arts, there truly are no innocents with clean hands.

    They are simultaneously all trying to bite and poison one another, in hopes of emerging as the one with the most incurable venom.

    They''re simr to assassins in their way of thinking, in that there is no method that is too underhanded or beneath them to utilize.

    Which is why as soon as the young disciple was dressed, she stood up and pped the interrupting disciple hard across the face.

    "Know your ce next time.. Nevere into my room without permission again."

    Even though he was doing the task he was literally assigned to do, the disciple was still being punished for it.

    He couldn''t do anything but lower his head down and apologize.

    "My mistake, Senior Sister."

    -

    It took an hour for disciple Feng Xian to finish bed checks.

    Even though this summit was like a vacation for cultivators, the event hadn''t started yet since the remaining sects had yet to arrive.

    So until then, those of the poison cloud would be operating under their usual parameters.

    Finally, the young disciple got to his own room and sighed.

    He pulled off his silver lined sses and ced them on the table before turning to find a surprising upant in the room.

    Himself.

    He was bound, gagged, his cultivation was sealed and he had a faraway catatonic look in his eyes.

    ''Feng Xian'' walked over to his doppelg?nger and kneeled in front of him. His bright green eyes changed from a poisonous green to a burning red.

    He untied himself, helped himself get over to the bed, and made him sit on it.

    Suddenly, a voice that was certainly not his own spilled through his lips.

    "You finished bed-checks at around ten p.m. You walked in on the grandmaster and your Senior Sister Seol Yeon as they were about to lie together. He was upset by your intrusion and stormed off. Seol Yeon pped you as a result. You should repay that in your own ''special'' way."

    Feng Xian nodded slowly, his eyes showing a faint dull red glow that was easily missable.

    The disoriented disciple was struck hard on the side of his neck and immediately lost consciousness; copsingically on the bed.

    Meanwhile, his doppelg?nger stood up and walked right through the Northeast facing wall like a ghost; disappearing from sight and taking the only true knowledge of this night with him.

    -

    Taira was lying in bed with his back against the headboard.

    A soft blue candlelight billowed on the nightstand on the others of the room; giving the ce a very rxing atmosphere that had put the girls right to sleep.

    Amidst the sea of bodies, Taira was sitting up with a scroll floating in front of him. A familiar blue face was watching through the mirror-like surface.

    "Did you contact me thiste at night just so that I could watch you draw?" Ajained.

    Taira smirked without looking up from his sketching. "Would it be so unfortunate if I did?"

    "My dear friend, you must know that I care for you greatly, but I do find this to be an improper use of my time."

    "Your social life is no more invigorating than mine. Do you want me to believe that you had some sort of event nned that is more invigorating than watching me draw?"

    "..."

    "Perhaps you had a date nned?" Taira chuckled.

    Aja showed as much annoyance as she possibly could.

    "...I''ve changed my mind. I no longer like you."

    "But how do you expect me to live without your affection?" Taira asked sarcastically.

    The best thing about close friends is that they be like family. Talking to Taira sometimes made Aja d that all of her family was dead.

    Another thirty minutes went by with the two of them making small, polite small talk until Taira finally put down his pencil.

    "I''m going to show you some images. I need you to tell me if you recognize any of them, alright?"

 Chapitre 226: A Very Thorough Fox

    "So let me make sure I''ve got this straight. To avenge Ayame and myself, you snuck into the pce of a rival sect. You knocked out the disciple with the highest influence and used his status to go around freely under the guise of making sure that all disciples were asleep within their bunks. But in actuality you were just using that opportunity to memorize over 100 different faces so that I could hopefully point out the ones responsible to you in some sort of twisted line-up. Am I missing anything?"

    Taira continued to draw without looking up. "I didn''t do it for Ayame. Only you."

    Aja''s gaze softened considerably.

    "My dear friend... You must forgive her. She was only frightened by the possibility of-"

    "I''ve never given either of you any reason to be frightened of me. If she''s so interested in holding onto her suspicions then she is free to keep them until she is old and grey. But she will not do so around me." Taira said firmly.

    Aja felt like she was hitting a brick wall with her stubborn friend.

    Taira was seemingly unwilling topromise in his rejection of Ayame. But she knew he still cared about her- because Keran did.

    And as long as he was married to her, that meant that they would still be family. And he could not so easily cut her out of his life.

    At least, not without greater justification.

    But it was too difficult to get Taira to see that as of this current moment in time.

    Aja worried that if she pushed this discussion any further then she may also run the risk of ending up on his bad side.

    So for now at least, she had to be a bit more patient before trying to move through his erected boundaries once again.

    "I will not push you for now... but we will need to return to this conversation again someday soon."

    "There is nothing to talk about. I''m beyond such an unnecessary conversation."

    Taira finally put down his pencil and turned his sketchbook towards Aja.

    "Let''s begin now. Tell me if any of these individuals look familiar."

    "...Understood."

    - 1 Day Later...

    "Grandmaster... Grandmaster, there has been an issue."

    The avian Gu Mu-Song opened his eyes in clear annoyance.

    He woke up with no woman in his bed. And nursing an unnecessarily bad hangover.

    It was a piss poor morning for him indeed.

    "Go away. Unless someone is dead, I don''t want to hear it."

    "..." Gu Mu-Song could see his disciple''s silhouette still standing outside the door.

    "...You''re joking."

    "I am afraid not, grandmaster.."

    "Ugh.."

    Gu Mu-Song stood up and reached for the robes that he had casually strewn across his chair.

    He''d barely finished tying his belt together before he threw open the sliding door and stared at his disciple coldly.

    "Where?"

    His disciple led him toward the first floor of the pce where a great many disciples were already waiting in the front courtyard.

    Four bodies were lying out in the open; covered by white sheets.

    Gu Mu-Song waived his hand and the coverings went flying.

    His eyes narrowed harshly when he saw their wounds.

    "What.. is the meaning of this."

    A senior disciple gulped as he tried to put forth an exnation. "W-Well.. It seems that disciple Cha and Disciple Doyle were caught in possession of some items that went missing from Disciple Uro and Qin''s rooms... A-As a result, they-"

    The Grandmaster swiftly held up his hand to cut the words of his disciple short.

    "One week... I asked you fools to stay your hands for one week, and not one of you could even do that..? How remarkably insolent."

    Gu Mu -Song snapped his fingers and a purple dome covered the entire courtyard.

    "Since you all are so eager to prove to each other that your venom stands at the precipice, let me remind you all of who firmly holds thy leashes...!"

    A gust of wind blew through the grandmaster''s wings and something blew off of them.

    Faint, tangible particles of a poisonous substance quickly filled the air, and the disciples went down by the fistfuls.

    With the dome still erected firmly in the sky, the sound of their collective agony never traveled beyond the inner walls of the courtyard.

    -

    "Seems like it went well."

    Taira was seated on the roof of his own pce- just out of sight of the Purple Haze Sect.

    He was one of the first individuals to see the dome go up and surround their courtyard. Though it waspletely on ident.

    He was actually up here for a different reasonpletely unrted to their business.

    "What exactly did you do to elicit such a strong reaction from the grandmaster?"

    Taira looked down at hisp where Ina''s big red eyes met his own.

    "I did not have to do much. Poison users are prone to in-fighting and fits of jealousy. It''s why seeing groups of them is rare in the first ce."

    "Is there any likelihood of them suspecting your involvement?" Ina asked worriedly.

    "Not this time. There is no trace of me to track."

    Inadu stared at Taira for a long time, and it was clear that the greats in her brain were turning in circles.

    "...You''re so mischievous." She finally said.

    "Oh? I thought that you liked that about me?"

    Ina smiled yfully; showing her own little bit of mischief. "I do... I was merely making an observation."

    "Are you now? I''m curious as to what else might be on your mind?"

    "...I would be more than happy to s-show you, but I''m a bit shy..."

    "And why is that..?"

    "Because those three are still standing right behind us..."

    Taira nced over his shoulder at Shakti, Vaal, and Tiche who were still here acting as bodyguards for the married couple.

    "Do none of you have anything better to do?"

    Tiche: "Not at all."

    Vaal: "Guarding you in this unfamiliar ce is my duty, Dai-Shi."

    Shakti: "We would have liked to shadow Dai-Shi Aveena as well, but she sprayed us with water and asked us to leave��"

    Taira was beginning to consider doing the same thing if he were honest��

    But instead, he realized that there was a much better way to handle this that might yield positive results for all.

    "Tiche. Go find Raymond and help him with his body tempering.

    Vaal. Saanvi needs help with her weapons skills. I believe as her senior you should aid her however you can."

    Both siblings immediately looked like they wanted to protest, but one look at Taira told them that wouldn''t be possible without the loss of a tongue.

    They bowed begrudgingly before turning and leaping off the roof, leaving Shakti as the sole straggler.

    This made Taira realize that he didn''t know much about Shakti. His ideal n was to send her off with someone whom she had romantic interest in so that she wouldn''t think about him or Ina any further.

    But as far as he knew, Shakti didn''t like anyone.

    In his defense, she was admittedly quite hard to read since her eyes were always covered and she behaved fairly robotically.

    "Tell me something, Shakti��"

    "Yes..?"

    "Is there someone who''spany you enjoy within the cult? A romantic interest of some sort?"

    Ina liked harmless gossip. So she leaned forward with her eyes as big as saucers.

    Taira got his first look at a nervous Shakti as he noticed her cheeks immediately turn darker.

    So there actually was someone she had interest in�� Who knew?

    "I-I�� t-that��"

    Ina and Taira leaned forward with clear interest in their eyes.

    Shakti eventually hung her head as low as a dog and bowed deeply.

    "I''m sorry�� but the only one I have considered such feelings for�� would be yourself, Dai-Shi."

    Taira wasn''t a dramatic person, so his jaw didn''t fall open at this revtion or anything like that, but he was stunned into a moment of speechlessness.

    Inadu, however, was not.

    "Woah��"

    As Shakti trembled with embarrassment, a ring horn sounded, and another Sect arrived for the fated event.

 Chapitre 227: Festival Start..!

    "And then she said that she liked him! I didn''t know what to do!" Ina eximed.

    Taira pretended that he couldn''t feel the girls staring holes into his back even though he definitely could.

    He continued to get dressed in silence until Vermeil became impatient and poked her head into his peripheral vision.

    "Something on your mind, my love?" He asked inly.

    "Yea. Shakti." She nodded.

    Taira rolled his eyes as he pulled a new dark colored robe over his shoulders.

    "I can''t say that''s a wise use of your time. She is a subordinate. It''s inappropriate."

    "So you have no interest in her at all?"

    "I have never thought about her that way. I don''t n to start either, since, as I''ve just reminded you, she is our subordinate." Taira gave Vermeil a yful flick between the eyes.

    Vermeil didn''t really say anything in response at first, just stared at him with a look that said she wouldn''t let this go so easily.

    "��You know I''ll never try to dissuade you from having your focus on us. But if you do start to look at Shakti differently, I want you to know that I would support it."

    Taira actually seemed a bit surprised by this.

    "I believe I would too, actually." A voice said.

    Taira was surprised to find Aveena wearing a rather thoughtful look as she bandaged her breasts.

    He wasn''t the only one to begin looking at her strangely. Enyo, Keran, Lucia, Inadu, and even Yukiko were doing the same thing.

    Enyo: "...

    You

    are fine with this??"

    Lucia: "You''re the most jealous out of everyone here."

    Keran: "Raymondplimented me on one of my dresses and you clotheslined him."

    Inadu: "You saw Saanvi staring at our husband for too long and you told Yem not to feed her for a day..."

    Aveena shrugged shamelessly as if to say: ''Yea, I did all of that and I will do it again''.

    "Have any of you ever actually talked to Shakti? She shares quite a lot inmon with us, and is actually really amusing in a cutesy-awkward sort of way."

    It was at this moment that the group remembered that Aveena and Vermeil spent the most time with Shakti, since those two are often the busybodies of the Cult and The First Bane likes to lend a helping hand wherever she can.

    Taira also spends time with her, but as everyone already knows, he doesn''t like to talk very much, and as such the two haven''t enjoyed much tantalizing conversation as a result.

    As she pulled on her skirt, she met Taira''s surprised gaze with a slightly mischievous look.

    "I''m only saying that I''m not bothered by the possibility, not telling you to go running to do something you feel is unnecessary. But I do want to know, have you never found her attractive even once?"

    As always, Taira was incredibly observant. Except for when it came to matters such as this one it seemed.

    Technically speaking, everyone in the cult was attractive, since body cultivation was known to have that effect on people.

    But he had never thought about Shakti''s attractiveness until now.

    It could be said that Taira didn''t necessarily have a ''type'' of women he liked. He payed more attention to personality than appearance.

    But from a purely physical standpoint... Shakti was... enticing, to say the very least.

    Taira felt something brush past his feet and looked down to see Yukiko staring up at him with big inquisitive eyes.

    "New mommy?"

    "..." For only the second time this morning, Taira was renderedpletely speechless.

    -

    The valley had been decorated for the first time over the cult''s multi-day stay.

    Normally, the middle ground separating all of the pces ispletely empty; serving as a mere ssy path.

    But today, things were a bit different.

    Long, white rows of tables had been set up in front of each pce''s gates in a circr pattern, with as many as three rows behind each other.

    Closest to the very center, there were a set of much smaller tables reserved for the Sect leaders and whatever immediate family that they might have brought with them.

    The ringing of a gong signified the beginning of the event for all in attendance.

    At the first ringing of the gong, Abbot Tang Gyoeksan emerged from his dwellings with the rest of the Thundering Cloud Sect following uniformly at his heels.

    Two or three minutester, the gong sounded a second time and Dan Master Hideyoshi arrived with the entire Profound Pill Union.

    As the center tables were the closest to each other, the two old men could turn and talk to each other without much issue.

    With the ringing of the third gong, Gu Mu-Song and his Purple Haze Sect stepped into the sunlight.

    There was a depressed, somber mood emanating from each of the cultists that was so thick it was almost tangible.

    Neither the Abbott, nor the Dan Master said anything, but they both noticed it.

    Immediately after he sat down, the gong rang again, and one of the day''s new arrivals strode out.

    At the head of the herd, there was a true giant of a man.

    Like Abott Tang, he appeared to be a monk, though one of apletely different variety than his predecessor.

    He wore simple, but dusty in white gi that looked like it had seen a great many battles, but not a single washing machine.

    His earlobes were stretched to the point that they hung beside his neck and could be mistaken for fleshy earrings.

    His head was shaved bald, and he had a searing, intense look in his bald eyes as he stared at Grandmaster Gu Mu-Song and his disciples.

    Uponing close enough, he did not miss the opportunity to spit on the ground where the old bird sat. Earning his ire, but inspiring no rebellion.

    He then proceeded to turn toward the other two men at the table, where he offered them a much more polite look.

    "Amitabha. May the Light of The Upromising Palm clear all obstacles in your way, brothers."

    The pair of old men exchanged their own salutes with the hulking monk.

    "And to you as well, Brother Rom. Your training seems to have gone well these past 100 years." Abbott Tang noted.

    "Azy foundation spoils the mind and spirit, brothers. You need not feel jealous that I am the first among us three to reach the Quasi-God realm."

    Dan Master Hideyoshi and Abbot Tang stared at each other with a look that the new Grandmaster didnt understand.

    "...What?"

    ""Nothing."" The two responded quickly in unison.

    Therge man raised a brow, but did not get the chance to question the men further before the next gong sounded...

 Chapitre 228: Festival! Pt. 1

    With the fifth ringing of the gong, the sects turned their heads towards their newest arrival.

    These individuals were... highly irregr to say the very least.

    They seemed to have no discipline. Nor did they arrive in uniform.

    The sect members were all an overtly cheerful bunch, as theyughed and jostled each other all the way to their seats.

    They wore orange tunics, some having them open, others tied closed. It didn''t really seem to matter.

    At the head of the group, there was an oni with a surprisingly underdeveloped body.

    He was perhaps the only one in the world without a perfect six-pack chiseled into his abdomen. There seemed to be the beginnings of some, but perhaps he was just toozy to actually do the work to get them out.

    Still though, he was far from fat, or unattractive.

    His bronze colored skin seemed to really glitter underneath the light of the early morning sun.

    His orange colored hair was thick and curly; being barely restrained in the confines of the bun he had forcefully restrained it in.

    A pair of strange apparatus covered his ears and sat atop his head. They seemed old, but extremely well-taken care of.

    His green eyes glittered with a never-ending sense of amusement, matching the permanent smirk he seemed to wear.

    At the moment his eyesnded on the men already sitting in attendance, the young man broke out into a huge smile.

    "What''s up, old dudes!! It''s great to see you three again!"

    All four men had carrying reactions to this disy, but chief among them was probably surprise.

    Only five-hundred years old and already a Seven-Star Arcane user... If the outside world knew about this they may all vomit blood from irritation.

    In a gust of wind, the young oni appeared in front of the group of men and shook their hands heartily whether they wanted to or not.

    "How''re you doing, bird-dude? You look good, big-bald dude! You''ve lost weight, short-smart dude! Your beard is longer, real-old dude!"

    Gu Mu-Song looked the least pleased out of the group of ''dudes''. "Yes... What was your name again..?"

    "Aww, don''t be like that, guy! It''s Josh!"

    "Yes... How could I ever forget such an oundishly awkward name...?" The Grandmaster rolled his eyes.

    "I don''t know either! But you know they say that the mind is the first thing to go in one''s old age! Hahahaha!!"

    Grandmaster Josh obnoxiously pped the tengu on the back whileughing his heart out. Gu Mu-Song growled in irritation because this young bastard was significantly stronger than he looked.

    "I am ted to see you again, Grandmaster of the Roaring Sound." Rom said politely.

    "Aww, thanks big guy! That''s really-"

    "But I see that you have not been properly sticking to the exercises I gave you 100 years ago. This will not do.

    Even if you are an arcane user, you must never underestimate the power that the body can produce if it is given the proper foundation for sess."

    "Ah... S-See the thing is, I totally would have stuck with the regimen you made, but the thing is�� I just got dissuaded when I realized I''d never look as awesome as you, big guy.." Josh responded pitifully.

    Rom fell silent.

    "...I see. These circumstances are understandable ones." (They weren''t.)

    "Nevertheless, you must not let the fact that your physique will never be as grand as mine inhibit you from putting forth the effort to carve out one of your own.

    Just think of all of the evil you could help purge from the world with a powerful physique of your own. Would it not be glorious??"

    "...You''re right, master. In the name of all justice and peace I swear I''ll get the sickest gains imaginable!!"

    "Well met, young man!"

    """..."""

    The sect masters around them continued to watch their antics with dry gazes. They had this exact same discussion a hundred years ago.

    And two hundred years before that...

    The sixth gong sounded and the group had their attention captured yet again.

    This time, the mood went from jovial to eerie.

    A parade of white robed individuals walked out to join the gathering.

    Not a single sect member had any identifiable features visible. They were all covered from head to toe in white robes with loose fabric.

    They were led by a man with glossy, feminine looking features, and jade white skin- almost like a doll. It was easy to mistake him for a woman because of the faintest traces of lipstick on his lips.

    He had long, ck hair that was tied behind his head in a thick ponytail that was nearly the entire length and width of his body.

    A dark mark was nted dead in the center of his forehead like a bulls-eye.

    Though undoubtedly profound, the meaning behind such a symbol remained a mystery known only to the wearer.

    He sat down among the grandmasters and smiled at them earnestly; though he didn''t speak.

    But none of them took it personally. No one ever heard this man talk.

    "Yo..! Silent-dude..!" Josh whispered. "What''s up..?"

    Though the makeup wearing man did not respond, he did hold up a ''hang-loose'' sign with his fingers as he''d been taught.

    The man turned his head towards the final set of empty tables- noticing that there were significantly fewer of them now than there were a hundred years ago.

    And now that he ''pointed'' it out, the other two neers of today finally noticed the smaller table-size as well.

    "What''s up? Thosedies get into a cat fight or something and split up?" Josh scratched his head.

    Abbot Tang lowered his head as he clenched the tablecloth.

    "...My love has passed on. Her sweet voice no longer brightens this world, and almost all of the children she tried so hard to raise were killed alongside her.

    Rom actually looked shaken. Josh looked like he had been punched in the jaw.

    Everyone liked Setsuka. She was a kind, gentle old woman who couldn''t say a bad word about someone even if she were reciting it off a paper.

    It was hard to imagine someone like that being here at one moment, and then gone the next. She was too good a person for such an unfair fate to befall her.

    "...I am truly sorry, my friend. I am aware that she was the reason you took your vows in the first ce. It must be difficult." Rom apologized.

    "...More than you can imagine." He nodded.

    "But wait. If all of the babes have already passed on, then... Why are there still chairs here?"

    "You did hear me say almost, didn''t you..?"

    At that moment, the final gong rang and the gates to thest pce were pushed open.

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