Headed by a Snake



Tycondrius knew Sol Invictus member Lulu to be a Caster of respectable skill and knowledge. 

She was well-versed in Formations,[1] though not as well as himself. 

On the Material Plane, she had expressed offensive magic and summoning capability, with the ken and expertise of a Gold-Rank Battle Mage. 

--though not to the Law-bending extravagance as Bella Sapphira. 

Tycon had also witnessed Lulu's physical abilities, having torn apart an Iron-Rank Magical Beast[2] with naught but her bare hands. 

Granted, her skill with personal enchantment was still second to Dragan. 

And besides all those things, Lulu's bloodline granted her access to a unique magic Spell... one that Tycon coveted greatly.

However... 

"...Lust magic, you say?" Tycon furrowed his brows. 

"Not what I said," Lulu corrected.

"R-right. I'm hoping to request something different, if at all possible."

The demoness puckered her lips, "Hmm... "Y'know, Boss-- that's the only kinda magic I c'n cast."

The statement took Tycon by surprise... soon replaced by disgust-- and quickly replaced by horror. 

But... the magic he'd seen prior?

Unless that, too... 

Hm.

Tycon shook his head. 

He didn't want to think about it.

Deliberation was useless. He'd never receive an answer he could accept as satisfactory-- not from that woman. 

Anyroad--

"I need to get to the Material Plane... preferably within six or so bells."

The Clock Devil looked annoyed that Tycon had foregone accuracy in respect to his time remaining, but he didn't particularly care. 

"Oh, wow! That's crazy-specific, Boss," Lulu replied, sipping on her colorful drink. "How're ya gonna do that?"

"I was hoping to rely on your Teleport ability," Tycon said quietly. 

It was... an unorthodox application of ⌈Teleport⌋, using it to cross from one plane to another. However, if anyone had the knowledge, technical skill, and mana reserves to do so successfully, it was the woman he was speaking to. 

Tycon was loath to advocate for something in clear violation of the Gatekeeper's Laws, but he was running low on options. 

--and obviously, he valued his contract with Cass far more than the rules of some ghost organization. 

It was a difficult proposition... 

But... he hoped she would accept it. 

Lulu was always somewhat of a rebellious brat. Most members of Sol Invictus joined in order to avoid the pressures and duties of their noble lineages. 

Besides that, he was fairly certain that he and Lulu had an excellent working relationship. 

Thus, the question was... which was more important to her?

Her relationship with him? 

Or her relationship with the Gatekeepers? 

Lulu twirled a lock of her curly blonde hair. She wore a soft, yet knowing smile as she quietly watched Tycon squirm in nervousness. 

"Is there a problem?" he prompted. 

"MmM-hmMm~!" Lulu hummed, "There is a very, *very* big problem."

"...Please," Tycon waved, "elucidate me."

A problem. 

What kind of issue did a woman of Lulu's status and strength consider... a 'problem'?

The young lady sipped on her tiny straw, slurping away the rest of Franz's mixed drink. 

It was an unpleasant sound that served to annoy him.

But... he refrained from commenting. He feared that Lulu would only withhold her answer for longer. 

Also, she was most definitely delaying her answer for dramatic effect. 

"Mmm... the Gatekeepers have come to see you."

Tycon tapped his fingers on the table. 

Wait, what? 

"Sorry... Lulu... I... think I may have misheard you."

"Nope. Ya didn't. Gatekeepers. They'z cum for yo asssss~"

Tycon took a deep breath.

That was... troublesome news, indeed. 

--and, on a lesser note, the way Lulu spoke about anything, in general, was rather bothersome. 

Tycon had become a person of interest to the Gatekeepers. 

That meant all of his actions were being monitored. 

He had magical defenses against Divine Scrying. 

He had no issues hiding amongst rocks or foliage from aerial reconnaissance. 

Also, he was a rather private person. He never accepted interviews, despite his reputation, wealth, and stunningly good looks. 

Unfortunately, the Gatekeepers had the authority of both the heavens and hells. 

Tycon could not avoid the eyes of that kind of organization. 

And thus, it became practically impossible for him to quietly move between the planes. 

The Gatekeepers... 

For the younger bloodlines, the Gatekeepers were something of a cautionary fairytale. 

They were a storied and all-powerful organization watching from afar, ensuring the Laws that governed the Realm were followed without fail. 

It was a terror to some... and a comfort to others...

--that the gods (or something similar) actually gave a shite about justice and fairness of the Realm's inhabitants.

Granted, the notion was absurd. 

Only recently, Tycon discovered that a majority of the gods had sought to side with the Tyrant God at first opportunity. 

The gods did not care about the people of the Realm. They only cared about themselves. 

The reason the Gatekeepers existed as an organization was... quite simply, directly related to their namesake. 

They were responsible for watching over Planar ⌈Gates⌋. 

Any disruptive rifts were to be sealed immediately. 

Any abuse of the system would be punished by incarceration or death. 

And, of course... the reason they did so-- the reason they had so much support from gods and god-organizations across the many Realms... 

...was the noble charge of preventing interplanar war. 

And for their qualifications... 

The Gatekeepers were responsible for ending the Blood War, a millennia-long war across dozens of Planes, claiming demon and devil casualties in the tens of millions (perhaps even billions.) 

Infernus Invictus had ten thousand at the most. It was a meager number of soldiers... but gathering them under his banner could have potentially been viewed as an act of interplanar terrorism. 

But did that really count? A measly ten thousand troops couldn't *reasonably* be called an invasion. 

And despite having to march through the Plane of Fire, his real goal was the subdimension belonging to the Flamebriar Monarch! 

(And it wasn't as if the flora and fauna his armies marched through were irreparably harmed! Those things grow back, according to the Laws of Nature! Only the strongest and most resilient of creatures were fit to survive and thrive!)

Hm... but besides that... 

Tycon had also installed a Battle Formation to attract so many legions of hellborne, summoned a Demon Monarch, and elevated another into a Sky-Rank power. 

Even if he could get away with the creation of Infernus Invictus, the other things he did were likely frowned upon by Gatekeeper standards. 

...After a moment, Tycon realized that Lulu had stood up from her seat. 

While he was brooding, the troublesome strumpet had taken a package of meat jerky from his spatial ring. Also, she was carrying a small cask of whiskey under one arm. 

First, he snatched his ring back. How dare she? 

And second, he asked: 

"Lulu, my dear... where are you going?"

She looked like she was trying to leave. 

"I'm goin' diving for hidden treasure," Lulu sang. 

Tycon shook his head, "Are you referring to Dragan or are you referencing something crass and overtly sexual?"

"Yes."

Tycon took a deep breath... and lowered his voice. 

"Lulu... what is the likelihood that Dragan is alive?"

"A hunnit percent, Boss," came the overly casual answer. 

"You're certain?" Tycon frowned, "I apologize, but considering your propensity for being facetious, the diction of your response has me rather concerned."

"Nah. You can trust in my ability to shine a d*ck, Boss," Lulu shrugged. 

"That is *not* what I said, young lady," Tycon sighed. "And that is not my concern."

"Then what you *should* be concerned about... is how f*cked in the head the big lug'll be when I find him," Lulu warned with sincerity, "Mind, body, spirit, dictions-- mortals are all so fra~gile~"

Tycon returned to his brooding.

What horrors lied beneath the-- hm... The... 

What did she call it?

"Spicy water accidents can get super serious," Lulu added. 

Tycon wanted to ask for clarification, but he recalled that hoping for answers from Lulu was an exercise in futility. 

"It might not be quick," she hummed, "though I don't mind the occasional two-pump chump, getting Dragan back might take a few years."

"I see," Tycon nodded. "Link up with Hades if need be."

"Oh, that should cut it down to a few moons, then."

Tycon pursed his lips, "Is that so? It only took me a few suns to extract Wroe from the depths of Letherna."

That might have been unfair. In hindsight, it seemed likely that Wroe's deity had a hand in smoothing the transitioning process. 

"Tarquin Wroe~" Lulu snickered, "Where is Prince of Infidelity, anyroad?"

"Reincarnated into a stick," Tycon admitted, somewhat whimsically. 

"Ah," Lulu nodded sagely. "It happens."

...Does it? 

Tycon stood up, rolling his shoulders and stretching his body. 

Once again, he was headed toward a situation in which he faced death or worse. He had no way off-plane with the Gatekeepers tracking his movements. 

Despite Lulu's ⌈Teleport⌋ ability being locked, Tycon hoped to take advantage of her peculiarly high status when he met with the Gatekeeper delegation.

...but it seemed she was keen to escape before then. 

Tycon was sure she had her reasons, so he decided not to press her. 

Still, it felt like he was going into the coming battle unarmed and unarmored. 

"Let's get this over with," he said. "You'll be leaving and I'll be left to deal with the Gatekeepers. Is that right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Lulu said with an airy laugh. "I almost forgot you lost your memories. Don't worry about it, Boss! You and General Raelion-- you guys go way back!"

"...We do?" 

Tycon's doubts increased in magnitude. That seemed extraordinarily unlikely. 

"Yeah, you do!" Lulu said, nuzzling her posterior on the seated Tycon's arm. "You guys are best buds! He's practically Sol Invictus!"

"Is he, now? Hm..."

That was... an interesting development. 

It did, however, give him some hope of not being killed or imprisoned in a Realm outside his own. 

"Very well," Tycon said. "I'll see you off, then I'll go seek out the Gatekeepers at first opportunity."

"Nah, it's fine," Lulu said, shooing Tycon off with a wave. "You go out the front. I'll be making use of the back exit."

"Lulu..."

"--Just the way I like it!"

Tycon sighed and shook his head, "Innuendos aside... be careful, dear sister-- and thank you."

[1] #Six-Sealed-Point Array. See Chapter 191.

[2] The cockatrice had it coming. See Chapter 181.

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