To SpartanKing J: Unless I can guarantee that the site will not remove them again, I'm afraid you have to go to AO3 site if you want to enjoy the more frisky bits.
Of all the things Issei did not expect to encounter was the most famous mob infesting the fantasy video game genre.
A creature not well-known for its durability, might, agility, or intelligence. But for being used as the most generic fodder enemy type spammed across all forms of media.
Basically, they were fighting goblins.
Goblins.
The ultimate beginner enemies. Little, child-like green gremlins with stone clubs, crooked gnarled teeth, famous for pillaging and defiling women in the more adult media.
And the little green bastards swarmed all over them out of nowhere, ambushing them. Honestly, the reason why Rover or Issei could not smell them was the overwhelming stench of spores still stuck in their nostrils. Combined with the cavern's complex interior structure - the goblins had the home field advantage as they literally jumped on them. Things soon became violent.
Normally, they would be able to defeat them easily. However, they could not use too much of their power and strength or else they would lose their element of surprise, fighting under very restrictive conditions.
Ironically, Oberon was standing in the back, ignored by the creatures to Issei's irritation.
Issei just kicked a goblin away, before he effortlessly caught another one by the throat, when he saw Oberon sitting on one of the rocks, watching while Issei was not bothered by the goblin who was struggling and clawing his way out of Issei's death grip around his neck."A little help please!? Seriously, how the hell do they not notice you?!"
In return, Oberon simply smiled impishly while wiggling his eyebrows knowingly, causing Issei to growl and slammed the goblin in his hold to the unforgiving ground.
As the one with superior experience, Souji cut down the little gremlins with practiced ease, his iai stance unfazed by the swarm as the bodies fell around them in dismembered bloody segments of what once was - arms, legs, head, spilled goblin organs.
Kuroka tried to poison them via youjutsu mist, but these little buggers were a little too resistant to her usual poisons for some reason, and she did not pack any poison that worked on fae creatures now that she thought about it.
Kiyome cut them all down with wild swings, relying on her reflexes and limited training to fend off the goblins, although she was not used to fighting under such restrictive conditions, marking her lack of experience when one managed to land on her face, chewing on her cheek.
"Get…. OFF!"
Kiyome roared as she pushed the creature off her face and slammed it to the ground, then she kicked it away like a soccer ball for good measure. But then she immediately had to intercept several more coming at her.
"Honestly, out of all the things I expected to give us trouble, Goblins are not one of those things!" Kuroka shouted slashed three down with her claws.
Then ten more replaced them, trampling the corpses of their brethren.
"Stick together! Don't let them isolate you!"
Ikala instructed before she spun and twisted, dodging a vertical strike from a sneaky goblin. She arrived at the cave with weapons, a special bow made from the string of silkworms that fed on the bark of the World Tree and branches of a portal tree, and a short sword made from unique metals of the highest mountain of Alfheim.
When the creature missed its target and over-reached, Ikala swung her bow until she bashed the creature's head, stunning it, then she pulled out another arrow and drove the arrow-head through its jugular. She then pulled the arrow, leaving the creature to bleed to death and fired the arrow towards another hostile with her bow.
"Rover, no! No barks! NO ATOMIC BARKS!" Issei shouted as he remembered their current battle field.
Rover himself was dealing with a crowd of those goblin-like monsters that were swarming and ganging up on him. The little critters were hugging and latching on his frame, attempting to subdue him through the weight of their sheer numbers. The dog simply bulked his body and jumped, shaking the goblins off. Some of the unlucky crawlers were torn apart by Rover's fangs as the dog began to rampage and brute-force his way through the goblin pack.
"Why the hell are there so many?! And so annoying?!" Issei shouted.
"Something must have agitated them!" Ikala shouted as she looked ahead.
The path ahead was split into four caverns, different rock formations surrounded, one covered in dark-green moss, one fanged with stalactites and stalagmites, one clear and ominous, and another was filled with the presences of more goblins.
"This path shouldn't be infested with so many of them! Something happened to their den!"
"Do these goblins rape women to make more of their own like the fables said?!" Kuroka could not help but ask out of curiosity.
"What?! No! They keep their families in their nests for safety! What's wrong with you?!" Ikala shouted as she summoned ice arrows, three pulled on the quiver before she shot them, impaling three goblins before the arrows carried them, impaling three more behind them.
"Sorry! Just want to confirm! What should we do!? If this keeps up, we'll have to use some of our big guns!" Kuroka asked.
"Can the Dark Elves even notice us this far?!" Issei shouted.
"We're not here to commit genocide!" Ikala snapped at their suggestions.
However, before they could comment, an eldritch roar echoed through the cavern.
Not a roar, but an unholy fusion of a beast's cry filtered in an alien song singing in its voice, a warbled tune sung with mud stuck in its throat, yet possessed an unnatural clarity, more clarity than when its throat was clear.
The goblins flinched at the cry before they garbled gibberish at each other before, shouting. They argued, little children-sized creatures bickering with concern, Issei somewhat understanding them before another group of goblins entered…
They were not like the club-wielding goblins.
They were smaller, they wore rags, they were delicate.
They carried smaller goblins with them, children… babies.
The sight stunned the Midgardians, Ikala and Oberon, the attacking goblins glaring at them before they rushed towards the females and children, running past them towards the source of the noise, roaring a warcry…
One that was filled with the resignation to face their deaths.
"...Something spooked them." Issei noted.
Ikala had to agree with the Red Dragon Emperor; her mind began to consider every factor and possibility.
The remaining goblins, the males that stayed with the women and children, raised their stone clubs at them while surrounding their vulnerable families, hostility and wariness emanating from them, gnashing their crooked teeth with their ugly faces shone under a different light.
They were scared senseless… They attacked them because they were being chased. And they did not know what to do in their desperation.
The group did not react as the male goblins lined themselves between them and their escorted families, guarding them, the female goblins casting scared glances at them, the eyes of the children swelling with tears as they ran past the group.
One by one, the group relaxed their guard, lowering their weapons and spells.
Once the last woman and child rushed past them, the armed goblins ran and joined them, leaving the group alone in the cavern… to face whatever that lay at the end of the one tunnel that they escaped from.
"...What has Sycorax done?" Oberon could not help but speak his thoughts.
His face was no longer playful. His childlike face was serious.
The cries of the goblins that charged into the darkness to face the threat echoed in the caves, facing whatever drove them out of their homes.
The group waited… the cries turned to silence.
"...We need a light." Issei said as he summoned a small light spear and threw it into the darkness of the second of the four caverns, where the goblins came from and died within.
They flinched when they saw a black ooze-like substance covering the walls and floors retracting when the light banished the darkness. Something at the end of the cavern obstructed the small illuminating light spear and killed it, the darkness returning. They saw several large humanoids at the end of it, surrounded by goblin corpses covered in pitch-black ooze.
"...That is fucking terrifying." Kiyome could not help but comment as she switched to night vision.
"...I can't see past the darkness." Souji noticed that his night vision failed to pierce the dark veil.
"The darkness of Alfheim is unique." Oberon stated. "Only Alfheim natives can see through this darkness, for it is close to the nexus point leading to the realm of shadows."
"...Realm of Shadows?" Kiyome asked.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you saying that there's an actual shadow realm? Are you serious?" Issei gawped.
"If there's a realm of dreams, then of course there's a realm of shadows. It is a bit complicated, but let's just say that it is how the Darkies learn their shadow magic… It's coming." Oberon said.
Emerging into the light of the glowing mushrooms, the first humanoid figure stepped forth. One large foot entered the light, a stump covered in blackened goo as the rest of it entered the light.
"...That's an orc…" Ikala recognized it.
It fit the standard depiction of an orc, tusk-like fangs protruding from the lower lip, wide muscular bodies, primitive clothing made from the parts of creatures in their environment, mostly insects judging by the chitinous plates on them…
But they looked….. Wrong.
Several large patches of his hide were covered in rash, boils and blisters, signifying severe infection. There was a distinct odor permeating from his body, Issei and Kiyome noticed.
Not only that, its eyeballs were replaced by a type of fungus, stalks with folded pleated caps, black, thick ooze dripping from its pores and eyes like sweat and inky tears, wriggling… forming into another arm, the black substance alive. It held a dead goblin in its hand. It brought the goblin to its mouth and bit off its skull, crunching the bone and brain matter with hard gnashing bites.
"What the fuck…?" Issei pretty much voiced everyone's thoughts at the disturbing sight.
This mission was starting to become a walking horror show.
As if noticing their presence, the cannibalistic orc then dropped the dead goblin off his hand, he tilted his head before his head moved to scan them all while his nose and mouth giving out noise in clicking, gurgling manner.
"Err… Kiyome, have you ever dealt with orcs before?" Issei asked while keeping his eyes at the creature.
"Once or twice, orcs are within the line of my family trade." Kiyome replied, "...And I think you want to ask me whether orcs do that, which in this case I will say, no, they definitely don't sound like that… And I've never seen an orc as ugly as that."
"Princess-chin… Please tell me that this is something you're familiar with." Kuroka asked with a slightly hopeful tone.
"...No." Ikala shook her head. She even ignored the way Kuroka addressed her due to the situation at hand. "This… is new."
"This is wrong." Oberon corrected. "What has Sycorax done!?" He repeated his words with a mix of horror and anger.
The orc then roared - the same eldritch roar that they heard previously. Then more similar roars and noises coming from the dark tunnel behind it.
"Alright, what's the plan? Do we fight or run?" Issei called out.
"We run-"
"No!" Oberon shouted much to everyone's surprise. "We must deal with this before it reaches the surface! Who knows what kind of damage this thing will do?!"
"Not that I don't see your angle…" Issei took another look at the fungi-infested orc, "But seriously, what the hell are we looking at?"
"Father, you're more in tune with nature than I am. What are your initial thoughts?" Ikala asked Oberon.
"It's an abomination!" Oberon shouted much to Ikala's surprise. "I… I can't sense its emotions and feelings. It's better to destroy it all before it reaches Fridhelgi and Veroldin. We cannot let it go!"
"...You okay with fire or lightning?" Issei asked.
"Definitely! Damn it, the only moment I can justify the use of explosions is when some eldritch horrors are involved! I saw your human zombie movies, I know an end-of-the-world scenario when I see one!" Oberon cursed.
"But…" Ikala wanted to protest against such blatant spells that could give away their position.
However, the infected puppets twitched, moving erratically, less like living beings and move like puppets contorting and vulgarly mimicking the movements.
Like flesh puppets.
Then the orcs roared and gurgled as they sprinted towards them in an unnatural frenzy, their center of balance completely all over the place, dangling to the side with arms hanging lifelessly, head looking up with arms forward, or simply running on all fours despite being bipedal. They were much faster than their size and weight depicted, clawing the distance between them.
"Contact!" Souji shouted as the horde engaged them.
Celiphrana huffed as she opened her eyes. She prepared herself to engage with the Son of the Beast…
He was dangerous, and he already had blackmail the moment they met face to face. She needed to know the creature's intentions and discern any weakness she could find in return, to enforce complicit silence and cooperation.
She looked at the doors leading the to the Royal Library, a collection of history, lore, and arcane secrets privy only to the greatest of their alchemists, loremasters, and Spellweavers. She slowly pushed through the door. She could feel the creature's power fluctuating in that room, but seeing what his intentions with that power was another matter.
The creature defied her expectations.
Thumb on the first page of the book in his hand, he flipped through all of the pages from beginning to end, the paper fluttering in a blur before it reached the end of the book as Djall took another book from the pile and did the same.
…And as it turned out, the creature had just finished with the 13th shelf of the grand library.
Creatures of darkness prowled around the monster, dark-shadow wreathed creatures taking books from the other shelves, some bipedal and some quadruped. Summoning magic that involved pulling life forms born in the realm of shadow, high level magic only the most capable Sciamancers can conjure.
However, it usually involved a ritual to bind the creatures to the summoner as creatures of darkness were naturally hostile to the summoner for pulling it out of its home, in a realm unfamiliar and half-touchced by light, its natural weakness.
Minus some exceptionally powerful creatures…
And they were doing his bidding so easily, civilly picking books from the shelves and placing them around him to read.
"...Your magic is fascinating." Djall called out to Celiphrana, the princess flinching. "I have devoured all of the books and knowledge on magic from Rizevim's collection. Devil-themed magic of the arcane, elemental spells, summoning of golems, teleportation… The fundamental mechanics of your line of magic is different, has a unique flavor to it. Drawing power from an external source as well as internal whereas Devil and Human magic are mostly internal, this way, allows you to interact with the material world and the other realms far more than what their magic systems can provide…"
Spindly dark creatures, emaciated, eyeless, skull thing and bird-shaped, took the books he finished and placed the books back into the shelves.
"...I am glad that you are enjoying our library."
"I know you are lying. You are afraid of me, and want to know how to handle me." Djall answered. "Your fear of me is apparent, you have no control over your emotional pheromones. Your self-control is new, and your calculative tone speaks of your desire to understand me in order to somehow defeat me. Which is laughable since you have absolutely no idea how to use my power…. Not that I don't understand your plight."
Celiph grimaced. She was no different than the books in the library in front of this beast. To think her own mother wanted to gain a semblance of control over him…
She might as well be fighting a losing battle.
"I don't mind if you ask me questions, though not without you answering some of my own. Ask. Don't hold back. I find your brand of honesty more refreshing, if you want to know." Djall kept his eyes on his book, albeit the corner of his lips twitched upwards.
Celiphrana clicked her teeth, "What is your master up to?"
"I am technically Euclid's master."
Celiphrana could not contain her expression from showing her confusion.
"...Why are you here if you have more authority than that Devil?"
"Curiosity." He took another book as his imp-like summon took the book he finished and placed it on the shelf. "I came here on a whim to check on something. You are nothing more than entertainment, though your mother confounds me. What is her dilemma?"
"If you're that intelligent, you should already know." Celiph stated.
"And what about you? You are against me, yet the moment you ingested my power it is too late to turn back."
"...I am aware." Celiphrana closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, "But the toll of this curse is nowhere nearly enough to keep me from doing what I must do."
"Do you think you can kill me? My death will neither remove the power or solve your problems." Djall asked, amused as the corners of his mouth grew wider. "I still don't understand why you are going through such lengths to keep your bond with that one girl secret. Why not be forward?"
"That is none of your business." Celiph nervously replied while wetting her dried lips. "...But why do you care? And how could you come up with that conclusion in the first place?"
"...Swapping saliva is evidence of the infamous 'kissing' as I've read through Rizevim's entertainment novels. One of the key evidence of the sacred act confirming love. Unless she is a toy to sate your useless needs and nothing more like the unfortunate girls of that one Devil's peerage," Djall answered.
The princess blinked, unsure of how to respond.
"And like I said, I could smell the scent of a high elf all over you." Djall continued, "...What is she to you? And what are you to her?"
"That is…"
"Speak forward. We are alone." Djall said. "There's no one willing to go near me. The three Dark Elves at the bottom floor are afraid to even come up the stairs to spy on us."
Celiph then grimaced.
"...Is it about your mother?" Djall asked, looking up from his book, half finished. "I will know if her presence is within the shadows now. Why else am I speaking with you so casually? She is still trying to break through the barrier I set up."
Celiph was not sure whether to feel relieved or more anxious being completely alone with the creature.
"...Hmmm." Djall hummed as he closed his book. "Tell me. Can you understand this?"
Celiph heard Djall clicked a rhythmic tune, multiple tones and pitches in various voices, like two songbirds singing with the Kjottgallas in unison, an unnatural yet flawless fusion of clicking and singing.
For some reason, the power within her resonated with the tune as the meaning spoke into her mind…
"Wha…?"
"Oh, you do understand. So? What is your answer?"
"...You can't just send a small army of creatures born from darkness into my mother's throne room without warning as a prank. That's… ridiculous!"
Djall's smile grew wide at her response, "Let it happen. It will be funny. And my other question?"
Celiph glared before she replied, "...As I said, it's none of your business."
Djall stared at Celiph before he shrugged, "...Fine, I will ask your mother."
Celiph jumped, "Wait!"
Djall blinked, a tad confused at the sudden panicked tone coming from the princess.
"I…" Celiph closed her eyes briefly and drew breath, "Please wait, just give me a minute to come up with an answer…"
Djall wordlessly complied - still confused at the sudden mood-shift.
"Why do you reek of fear? Are you that scared of your mother? Is she a world-ending Beast in elf skin?"
"...In a way." Celiph sighed, "I… I love her."
"Love…" Djall tasted the word spoken from his own mouth.
"Do you want me to skin her?"
Celiph blinked this time. For a second she believed she misheard, "...I beg your pardon?"
"Do you want me to reveal her true form by skinning her?"
"What are you even talking about?" Celiph asked with a narrowed look.
"Did you not confirm that she is a world-ending beast in elf skin?"
Celiph stared at Djall for another second before she shook her head of the imagery of the monster really going to skin her mother alive, "N-no, no. What are we even talking about now?" She asked while massaging an incoming headache.
"Love. What is love? You refuse to answer and you refuse to let me ask your mother, make up your mind or I will cut open you skull to fix it myself."
Celiph's eyes were twitching as she could not comprehend what took place inside the mind of her conversation partner.
"...Why do you want to even know about love? As far as I recall, you did not show any interest in any subject related to love."
"Hmmmmmmm…" Djall's throat clicked and thrummed in a contemplative tune.
For some reason, she could only parse some of what Djall was trying to convey… Although it was mostly an externalized monologue spoken aloud. Probably based on habit considering almost no one could understand that primal language of his.
"...You know I can understand some of what you're saying with that strange chittering of yours?"
"Ah. Well, I apologize for calling you a useless, wrong-brained elf girl." Djall chuckled.
From that, Celiph knew that the monster had a rotten sense of humor.
"But to answer your question… I felt a strange reaction towards one of those from my world. I do not know why… an acquaintance calls it 'love', but I am not sure. I do not know what love is. I cannot understand the true meaning of the word. So I am trying to reverse engineer the concept through the experience of other weak flesh beings."
Celiph stared at Djall before replying, "...If that is how you always see others, then you will never understand."
Djall's head turned towards the princess, "I already know that I am not like you all. Yet I understand more about the world and others better all of you despite my young, young age."
"...How old are you, exactly?" Celiph asked.
"I'm not even one years old."
The princess scoffed, "That actually explains many things. You're a walking definition of a 'manchild' that thinks he is above everyone else because of his unique birth."
"I have yet to meet someone that can match me as an equal. It isn't a matter of pride, arrogance, or condescending, it is frustration that I have yet to meet anyone that can end my strings of disappointments. There are only a few that can meet my expectations, though there is one creature I consider above me. I am still learning about my place in this world… what about you?"
Celiphrana and the monster stared at each other in the eyes.
"...I believe we are moving away from the subject." Celiphrana decided not to pursue this topic any further. She was not equipped enough to travel down this road, yet.
"Hmmm. To repeat my intentions, I was not raised by parents that love me, for my real parents are corpses. Dead things… I did not experience nor do I want to embrace the parental love you and all other weak flesh have since birth. I do not share your universal concepts of emotions, for I am different. Yet despite my intelligence… there are some things that I just cannot grasp. I do not know whether the tingling feeling inside me is love whenever I see the two girls that arrived here. So I want a second opinion."
The princess stared at Djall, re-evaluating her opinion about the supposedly arrogant being. Eventually, she sighed.
"...Have you ever felt lonely?" Celiph asked.
Djall opened his mouth….. Yet not a single word left him for a good few seconds.
"...I cannot tell. What does it mean to feel lonely?"
Celiph thought for a second before replying, "Tell me, what did you truly feel when you saw these girls you mentioned?"
Djall's throat clicked again, a song of contemplation and self mumbling. It was him talking to himself…
"You're talking to yourself again." She smiled.
"...Usually, no one bothers to understand me." Djall answered.
"...You're not the only one with with that problem."
"Hmm." Djall hummed. "A sense of indescribable longing… a resonance I cannot describe. I even lost control when a dark elf held one of them hostage…"
"So that bloodlust was from you, after all." Celiph remarked, which Djall ignored in his musing.
"...One of them had my scent on her." Djall continued. "I don't know why. I would know, but for some reason, I cannot remember no matter how hard I try. I hope this doesn't count as an obsession, or I would have to reevaluate myself."
"...Would you like to see her again?" Celiph decided to ask the question.
Djall met Celiph's eyes with his own for a few seconds, before he turned away with a small frown on his face, "I… I don't know. I can go find her if I wanted to. But I have plans for one of her companions, so I am biding my time for now."
"That is hardly a good reason not to visit her." Celiph gave him a small smile.
"Hmmm. Maybe. But I don't like to spoil surprises. It ruins the fun."
Celiph sighed again, seeing that she would not find any common ground with Djall anytime soon.
"...Speaking of fun… it makes me wonder. How much of my power have you unlocked?" Djall asked the princess.
"...I don't know. I don't know if there is even a limit to this power."
"Oh, there's no limit. The only limit you have is your weak flesh mind constraining you of your potential," Djall corrected. "I am curious now. How much someone with a seed of my power can achieve? Can you do all that I can do? Will you become like me in the end?"
Celiph was stunned; this creature was offering her a path. Where the path would lead her, however, was a mystery she hesitated to learn.
"...Are you offering to teach me?" Celiph asked.
"I like your magic. It is fun." Djall said with sincere honesty. "I want to ask. What about my powers? Is it fun for you?"
"It's…" Celiph stared at her clenched and unclenched hand "Terrifying, but it will have to do."
"A dip of the toe in the waters, and you're scared to jump in already? Hah." Djall dropped his book and hopped to his feet. He reached out and grabbed Celiph's hand to her surprise. "Oh, my poor ignorant princess. Let me show you the world I live in."
Without a word, a black sphere consumed them, taking them away from the Royal Library, the creatures of darkness Djall summoned gone as well, returning to whence they came.
Unbeknownst to them, hidden in the shadows of the library, was a single tiny spider - a little harmless thing that was not worth looking at. However, its eyes and ears had been paying attention to the entire exchange between the two people who just left. The unnoticeable creature crawled out of the library unnoticed by the ever-vigilant beast, used to using his tricks on others but not used to having the same tricks used on him.
XoX
Sycorax hummed as she listened to her subjects, digesting information on the report of a farmer's experiment to expand food supplies running amok, a type of fungus used as a constant staple of the community mutating into an infectious organism ravaging the livestock and their mushroom farms.
It was thanks to the power of the Beast in their blood that they could escape, not a single casualty.
"We humbly request your majesty that a team of exterminators be sent out to deal with this menace plaguing our nation. If this gets out, the damage to the underground ecosystem will be too immense for it to recover!" The representative of the farmers pleaded to Sycorax on his knees.
"Send out our best spellweavers at once to deal with the problem, make sure that they are adept in fire magic. And have our alchemists study the samples of this botched experiment to exploit for weaknesses." Sycorax pondered on creating a special unit just to deal with the spontaneous genetic accidents that were starting to occur more prominently with each day.
If the mistakes reached the surface and the other underground communities, everyone in Alfheim would wage war against her and her people.
"Thank you for your wisdom, my Queen!" The representative humbly bowed.
Sycorax gestured for the guards to escort him out of her throne room just as the spider crawled up to her ear and literally made its way inside her ear hole. She closed her eyes, ignoring the brief tingling sensation as the spider shared its information to her brain, before she widened her eyes at the information.
Half-aghast and half-impressed by her daughter's secret hobbies, she smiled when she learned of the monster's one vulnerability she could exploit.
As for her daughter… maybe she could use that to her advantage. No need to destroy her daughter's life just because. She should give her credit, sneaking out under her notice just to meet a secret lover, oh she wondered how her sister would react if she found out.
Either way, she looked to her left and gestured to her finest matriarch, her best elite warrior, Nireya who nodded and approached her Queen as she whispered into her ear, her current orders.
Countless eldritch roars, voices of natives filtered through abominable mud comprised of the foreign infections organisms infesting the caverns, echoed through the underground as the infiltration squad battled.
At first, it was the orcs and fallen goblins, corpses reanimated as puppets of the black ooze spreading through the underground like an infection.
Oberon even joined in, launching his fae magics at the black ooze as the corruption spread from all over the caverns, tentacles erupting through the ground, giant carnivorous insects further mutated into something out of horror story.
One was barreling towards the group, a horrific fusion of two giant scorpion creatures half-melded together, back to back, shrieking and snapping its pincers at them before Issei punched it into splatters of guts and gore.
Then the black ooze whorled around the scattered pieces and pieced the creatures together into a more freakish frankenstein variant in seconds, legs where its pincers should be, one pincer grown from its head and one from its chin, eyes all over the place, horribly misshapen.
"Oh, come on! This is the fourth time already! Why won't you just die!?" Issei half-wailed and half-yelled as he delivered another barrage of punches to obliterate the creature to pieces.
Fire and lightning only provoked the infectious ooze to slither away, and it was too combustible. The fumes would choke everyone in the cavern, so to speak. Honestly, Issei could erase everything at full power, but again, Ikala screamed STEALTH at him.
"Nya, Ikala-chan, can we let Issei or the dog burn everything please? Don't think we can beat this thing, nya!" Kuroka pleaded, jumping to and fro, avoiding and fending off black tentacles attacking her.
"And risk the entire cave system to collapse and bury us alive?!" Ikala shouted in return as she fired another flame-infused arrow at an infected goblin, lighting it on fire.
"Pretty sure Issei can punch us out if he puts his mind to it!" Kiyome shouted as Rover, lion-sized, spewing a torrent of flames at one direction, clearing a way for the group to move forward while fending off the hostile biomass from behind.
It was another ability that the dog had acquired from his latest mutation, a normal, albeit still powerful fire-breath instead of his usual pure energy attack.
"Not that I can't do that, but I don't even know where and how deep we are!" Issei retorted as he just launched another infected to collide with another incoming horde.
"I have a query. If you can hide from the creature known as Djall, can you hide us from this eldritch being?" Souji asked Oberon as he slashed down two mushroom-infested orcs with his flame-wreathed sword, burning them alive as they turned into charred meat and bone.
"Not that I can't, but a few requirements need to be met, and I can't meet all of them in the middle of this shitshow!" The King replied as he used his smaller build to run and slide under between an infected orc's legs.
"How can you pull it off anyways!?" Issei shouted as he obliterated the reformed mass of insect and orc meat, a horrible combination, the organism now just piecing the biomass together one-dimensionally in the hopes of creating a superbeing that can destroy him.
"Simple, I play with the senses of others while using stealth magic simultaneously! I have no idea how this thing sees us! I tried everything while you're having at it, and it's still biting at us!"
"Then that means we won't escape them any time soon…" Issei pondered and finally had enough, "Alright, fuck this shit. Hey, princess! Can you find us an escape point stat!? Which tunnel should we go to?!"
Ikala replied while pointing at one tunnel at the corner of the cavern, "...That way!"
"Okay, on my signal, all of you book it to that tunnel!"
Issei once tried it against Serafall, but lost his self-control. Honestly, it would have been glorious if he did burn down that wretched studio of hers if his stupid dad did not get in the way. He inhaled as he tapped into his demonic power. This time, he would be in full control, in full balance.
He could almost feel his dark half grinning at him from within as his aura turned demonic, pure Demonic power, true demonic power surging from within as while dragonic power flowed from Ddraig.
"Balance Brea-!" Issei shouted as he aimed at Ikala's direction.
However, he stopped when he noticed that every hostile biomass around them ceased movements. All of them were gazing at something above them, as if they were paying attention to something invisible.
Issei looked around. All of the hostile biomass, the infected puppets, orcs, goblins, frankenstein abominations pieced together from the mutilated flesh, even tentacles.
They suddenly stopped moving as if frozen in time.
"That's…. Not your signal, I take it?" Kiyome asked while curiously watching the infected in daze.
"...What happened to them?" Issei asked, confused as to why they were acting like that.
Everyone relaxed their arms in confusion as they slowly approached their respective targets.
Ikala, bow lowered, inspected an infected orc that had goblin arms melded with its armpits. The thing was looking up with its fungal-sprout eyes. She looked up at the ceiling, trying to see what the organism was looking at, but saw nothing except the ooze-like biomatter sticking to the ceiling.
Oberon looked at the tentacle of the same black ooze. Every single one of these tentacles was bent backwards in the same curved angle, mirroring each other. He reached out, his hand placed on the tentacle.
"Nya, are you sure it's safe to touch that?" Kuroka asked the child king about his choice of action.
"I am trying to connect to the organism." Oberon said as he closed his eyes and inhaled, holding his breath. Kiyome walked up to Oberon with curiosity as her vision shifted, seeing with her arcane vision, the child king's aura trying to connect and wrap around the alien biosignature of the fungal matter.
"...Fuah." Oberon released the air held in his chest as he retreated, flicking the black ooze off his palm.
"It's no use. I can't do it." Oberon frowned. "This thing is separated from the Naturia. It is no longer a part of Alfheim, meaning I cannot connect to it… It is now a completely independent organism."
"...Let me try." Kiyome said, remembering her experience connecting to Sirzechs and approached the tentacle.
Stretching out her transformed limb, Kiyome carefully took another small amount of black ooze into her palm. She then closed her eyes, trying to focus her mind and powers.
The others then watched the ooze on Kiyome's palm appeared to 'latch' on her skin.
Her eyes opened.
There was only darkness and vague white outlines, a world of complete pitch-darkness and white lines outlining the shapes of the underground world.
Caverns, rough underground stone of the mantle and tunnels, mushrooms and vague figures of humanoids with long ears walking around in the background, plucking said mushrooms from the stone and placing it into baskets.
"Whoa..." Kiyome could not believe it.
So this was how the organism view the world inside its mindscape. Whatever it was, she could feel the mental age of the creature. It was definitely young as Kiyome looked around, then looked at her hands.
Kiyome was colored light blue, completely light blue, her shape retained with only a singular color contrasting her with the world.
"Touch it. Feel its mind connecting with yours. You seem to lack the affinity for this for you to be this disturbed inside its mindscape."
Kiyome widened her eyes when she heard his voice.
"Stjarna…" She immediately bolted towards the voice, running as fast as a bullet towards the sound.
The world of lined contours rushed past her until she ended up at the massive clearing, Kiyome stopping when she saw two figures. One with long ears was colored in light purple, bipedal, standing on high heels.
Another was…
He was enormous.
No, there was a small outline of a bipedal humanoid creature, but it was glowing bright, so bright that he was blindingly huge, covering the entire cavern like a living sun in this underground world.
There was another…
It was a small mushroom-shaped thing, orange. It was as small as a puppy looking up to them.
"I… am just surprised to see how the creature views itself." The other voice sounded feminine.
"You are not immersed enough to understand it. Feel its emotions and intent, then translate what you feel and see into words." The sun spoke, Stjarna.
Kiyome blinked as she watched the light purple figure kneel down. Her hand gingerly reached out to the mushroom… She looked a bit scared despite her head showing no face. As her finger touched it, she flinched and retracted her hand.
"Why are you retreating?"
"I-I… I just…"
"It shouldn't be something for you to be frightened. It will not harm you."
"I apologize. Allow me to try again." She inhaled as she placed her hand onto the creature's mushroom cap.
Back in the real world - Kiyome had no idea who the female was, as everyone watched the beast tamer's twitching eyelids.
"Well, princess?"
"...Princess?"
Back in the real world again - Kiyome could not help but utter.
"Princess Celiphrana?"
Ikala heard the words speaking out of her mouth.
"Celiph…?" Ikala was confused
The light purple figure's hand remained, she did not flinch.
"...All it remembered…" Celiphrana processed the thing.
"...It wanted to multiply…" Celiphrana parsed the mushroom's memories. "Because… because it was told to do so…"
"Yes." Djall nodded.
"It grew and spread, covering everything it could, even the animals… but it doesn't understand why the… farmers were scared of it. It thought maybe if it multiplied fast enough, it would be accepted by the farmers? What?" Celiphrana sounded confused.
"It is a developing intelligence trying to understand its place in this world. In a way, it is like me when I came to, eating the magicians that tried to calm me down. Do not think yourself as a weak flesh lesser creature, you are no longer that pitiful thing. Isolated, quick to judge by shape and form, those habits are for lesser lifeforms, prey. You are not prey, Princess. Remember that."
Kiyome watched fascinated. Was Djall… being a teacher? Wait, if that was true, then that definitely means…
"...There is someone else here." Celiphrana noticed. She looked at Kiyome's direction.
Kiyome forgot that she did not bother to hide herself.
"...Ah." She meekly smiled when the living sun in the cavern room looked at her.
An awkward, long silence interposed between them. They just looked at each other, Kiyome weakly waving at the duo.
"...Hi?"
Kiyome saw something pulsing from Djall. The sun in the room held his chest, as if clutching something.
"Again, with that feeling…"
She could feel him grimacing with irritation.
"This resonance… why is it stronger now? No, is it because of the proximity in the mindscape?" Djall looked at Kiyome, his aura tinted red with anger.
"But more importantly. Why are you here? I should've sensed you the moment you entered."
Kiyome awkwardly smiled at Djall.
"Do you know her?" Celiph asked, her face darting between the beast and the beast tamer.
"This is the girl I told you about." Djall answered.
"...Oh."
"I, err…" Kiyome felt like she was being trapped between a rock and a hard place, "My friends and I are… being attacked by these things? Actually, why are you here?! Aren't you supposed to be at the enemy base or something?!"
This was too sudden and raised too many questions. Out of all places, this was the not where Kiyome expected to encounter Stjarna a second time.
"You are not alone?" Djall asked.
Kiyome placed her hands on her mouth. She forgot that she was under a stealth mission. Djall approached the glowing mushroom avatar and placed his hand on its mushroom cap.
"...You are here with an expedition group." Djall concluded.
Kiyome blinked. Did he see them through the organism? It was two-ways?
"...Why are you here?" Djall asked again as he looked at Kiyome.
"I…" Kiyome was in a stutter.
She could not just say that she was on a mission to save the princess from her marriage… well, that was her sidemission, their main mission was to infiltrate the Dark Elf nation and scout the place, locate Grayfia if they could, and learn anything that could help them stop the Dark Elves from waging war against the Light Elves.
She paused as she gathered herself and looked back at the sun.
"...Stjarna!"
Djall's form twitched.
"I-I… Alright, I don't know how to say this without sounding stupid, but here goes! Don't you remember me, Stjarna?! It's me, Kiyome Abe! Don't you remember our times together on the beach!? You remember Asia, right?!"
Djall quirked a brow at her.
"Why is she calling you by another name?" Celiph asked.
"...I don't know." Djall answered honestly. "I am afraid your questions triggered something. The only feeling I recall was annoyance, the sudden warm feeling is now a burning irritation towards you now. It's conflicting and very confusing."
"I…" Kiyome was not sure how to answer that. "...Do you really not remember?"
"Is asking about my memories the only thing on your mind?" Djall's eyebrows began to furrow.
Kiyome was saddened by his response.
"If you're here to pester me with questions I cannot answer, let me throw some of my own. What is your purpose here? I see the elf princess with you, someone that shouldn't be out here in danger if what I understand about politics is correct."
"I… we're here to save you and Celiphrana from the engagement!"
"...Hah?" Djall spoke with even more confusion.
"Engagement? Wait, how did you hear about the engagement? It is impossible, you Midgardians just arrived here a few days ago!" Celiph accused, then she blinked at one detail spoken by Djall, "...And did you just mean that Ikala is with you!?"
"That's… ehhh…" Kiyome could only look around nervously.
"...Was it Grayfia?" Djall asked.
Kiyome flinched.
He knew?
"Heh. Who else other than her? Either way, you aroused my curiosity even further." Djall hummed and clicked his throat, "Hmmmmmm… I want answers… this gnawing feeling inside me is worse now. Since you're here with the princess, I suppose… no, that wouldn't be fun. Let's do it this way."
Djall looked back at the mushroom, "I need your help, little mushroom."
Djall placed his other hand on the mushroom's head.
"There's a problem I need you to help me resolve. I'll give you the strength and knowledge to succeed."
Suddenly, Kiyome found herself back in the real world, staring at the eldritch tentacle.
She stumbled back, reeling from the backlash of sudden ejection of the mindscape.
"Kiyome!" Issei caught her before she tripped and fell.
"I…" The beast tamer blinked around, seemingly in a slight daze.
"We heard your conversation, well, just you speaking. Is Stjarna really there?" Issei asked.
"I… I don't… Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Stjarna is at the moon now." Kiyome could not help but comment.
"Is Celiph really there with that thing?!" Ikala shouted.
"Uhhh, it's complicated…"
Rover yelped as he retreated, barking at the cave full of moldy biomass. Everyone turned towards Rover's direction.
They saw it arriving like a current. A wave of energy, power coursed through the biomass, like electricity conducting through the water that was the black ooze. The biomass gained a more vibrant obsidian color, a glass-like texture as it wriggled and undulated.
Everyone retreated, but a tentacle of mold lashed out and grabbed Ikala and Kiyome.
"...Eh!?"
The tentacles were moving faster than before as it threw both of them towards two giant hands emerging from the biomass. The ooze hardened into skin of a mushroom stem, thick scales growing over the skin as the biomass started to reform into something more solid and condensed.
Issei, Souji, Rover, Oberon, and Kuroka stared at the new construct of biomass.
It looked like a very buff bodybuilder version of the walking mushrooms they saw earlier. Its head was a giant mushroom while the rest was more humanoid with thick, bark-like skin and two giant stump legs carrying it, each giant hand holding Ikala and Kiyome in their confusion.
They were confused.
Why was the organism doing that now?
It turned around and ran with both girls in their hands to their surprise instead of fighting them, the ooze retreating with them, leaving the cavern surfaces pristine of its taint.
"...Eh?" Issei needed a moment to process what took place.
"...The mushroom is kidnapping the princess… And the beast tamer girl." Kuroka could not help but comment.
Honestly, it was like Super Mario in Issei's head, only Bowser was replaced by a Giant Mushroom thing.
It happened so sudden and fast that they could only stare at that direction.
"A-after them, you numbskulls! It's kidnapping my baby girl!" Oberon quickly ran after the monster.
Issei, Kuroka, and Souji looked at each other for a moment. This day continued to be full of unorthodox surprises.
They followed Oberon and ran after the giant mushroom.
"...L-Let go of me!" Ikala shouted as she aimed her bow at the giant hulking mushroom. Black ooze jumped from the walls and latched onto her hands, sealing them before she could unleash her magic against the thing.
"Eh?! What's happening?!" Ikala was confused as the ooze hardened into some kind of resinous material.
The retreating biomass stuck to the ceiling elongated tentacles and flung something at the rescue party.
"Whoa!" Issei and Souji moved up and struck down the projectiles.
Rocks from the cavern walls mingled with some kind of organic clump which exploded upon collision. When Souji and Issei inhaled the unknown gas, they choked and tripped, falling and rolling over while gagging for air.
"D-draig? What the hell is this?!" Issei asked in his mindscape as he struggled to regulate his breathing.
[Some vile concoction, but nothing we cannot handle. Just do your best to circulate your Ki around, and follow my lead.]
Issei did per instructed, using his Awakening Breath as much as he could to enhance his vitals, along with synchronizing his power with the Welsh Dragon.
[Alright, now take a deep breath and cough out!]
Issei then did as he was told and rather than coughing, he literally sneezed fire and embers out of his mouth and nostrils. Soon his gagging and coughing ceased.
"Fuu… that hit the spot. Thanks, Ddraig." Issei smiled to his Boosted Gear.
[No problem, partner. But we might need to check on the others.]
Issei then checked on the others. Rover was hacking and sneezing the poison gas out, then he shook himself before he became a picture of health.
Kuroka and Oberon were the only ones unscathed. Funnily, Kuroka immediately tended to Souji while Oberon fluttered after the giant mushroom.
"Get back here with my baby girl!" The boy king's voice echoed in the cave as he left them behind, his form disappearing into the darkness of the cavern.
The Black Cat had used her Senjutsu to purify the poison in her system, and she was kneeling next to the Knight.
"L-lady Kuroka… Are you alright?" Souji asked before he went into another coughing fit.
"Nya, I am a poison expert, don't you worry!" Kuroka answered with a wink. "But seriously, what is this? This is a nasty poison, nya. Fungus-based, spore-type… It won't kill you, but it is stubborn and strong."
"It feels a little nostalgic, like when I was bedridden from Tuberculosis… Do not mind me, lady Kuroka, just go with the others!"
"Yeah, yeah, people like you, Arthur and your chivalry." Kuroka rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "Alright, just bear with this for a second, nya~"
Souji did not get to retort to ask, as Kuroka held his face - to be precise, around his jaw so his mouth was open, before she immediately pressed her lips against his and shoved her tongue down his throat.
Souji was perplexed for a second as Kuroka's tongue explored his palate, when suddenly a warmth coursed through his veins. Soon Kuroka released him as she smiled and licked her lips at him.
The Knight was dazed for a few moments, blinking at the Nekoshou, "I… assume that was some kind of Senjutsu medical treatment?"
"Huh, your reaction was nowhere nearly as funny as Bikou, Arthur and Vali when they got poisoned before." Kuroka remarked before an easy smile adorned her face, "But you are correct, nya. I simply had you ingesting my purification chakra from that kiss earlier. Sorry that it wasn't anything intimate. You are handsome, but I'm not really into straight-laced men anymore, nya." Kuroka said with a half-apologetic, half-teasing smile.
Souji simply smiled and shook his head in a mild exasperation.
"...Kinky." Issei commented.
"Jealous, nya?" She teased Issei in return.
"Not the time. Not sure if boy king Oberon can handle this thing on his own. Question is, what the hell happened? Before, it was just randomly throwing its meat puppets at us, now… it is using tactics. Transformation. Poison." Issei looked back.
The mushroom biomass even left behind the bodies it was using before, the corpses of the giant insects, goblins, and orcs, discarded in messy, mutilated piles.
"Did you sense the surge of strange, alien Ki that coursed through them like lightning?" Souji asked.
"Honestly, there's only one suspect I can think of… though I am afraid to think that Djall is capable of something like this now. I have absolutely no idea how he did it, so we'll ask him if we follow the giant mushroom." Issei looked at the direction where Oberon flew to.
"Rover, you ready? We need to pick up the pace."
Rover barked before his legs 'buffed' up, becoming longer and stronger.
"Kuroka, Souji, you two good to go?" Issei asked.
"Nya, ready!"
"I am optimal." Souji nodded.
"Alright, hop on." Issei pointed his thumb at Rover, who has lowered his frame to the ground.
"...What?" Kuroka asked, her confused expression was mirrored by Souji.
"Like I said, we gotta go. Fast. Souji's a bit out of it from the poison, and I'm sure that you're not a fast runner. In short, you're all riding the dog," Issei explained.
Rover panted expectantly while Kuroka's neko instincts screamed 'no no no no no no no no' repeatedly in her head.
"I… Do I really have to, nya?" Kuroka whined, not wanting to ride the dog that chased her before.
"You'll warm up to him. Even Koneko has made some progress herself." Issei snickered as Souji walked up to the dog and climbed onto his back.
"Hmmm. This is nothing like riding Enku or Bahamut. Your friend is more comfortable, could it be the fur?"
"Didn't think those guys would let anyone ride them."
Kuroka sighed, reluctantly joining Souji and climbing onto Rover's back.
"They do, actually. They would allow young master Millicas to ride them from time to time." Souji chuckled.
"Are you not riding along, Ise?" Souji asked when he saw Issei warming himself up next to the dog.
"I'm a fast runner. Been taking Rover for a run since I was thirteen, now I'm kind of curious if I can keep up with him taking Rover for a run since I was thirteen, now I'm kind of curious if I can keep up with him now.."
Issei replied with a grin, as he warmed and limbered up.
The Hyoudou mansion remained peaceful, isolated from the worries of the world, protected by a fence walled around the illustrious garden and the estate within, magical wards of angel and Devil origins protecting the inhabitants from any magical attacks and invasions.
Diehauser Belial stood outside the gate, inhaling deeply.
In each hand held a bag of various trinkets he purchased with the wealth he earned from the Rating Games. All manners of fortune charms from every religion that promotes a good, healthy childbirth. Honestly, even Diehauser was not sure if they were genuine despite him being a part of the supernatural, but his sources worked like slaves in determining their authenticity.
Once he recollected himself, Diehauser then pressed the intercom button.
[...Yes, can I help you?]
Diehauser blinked and recognized the voice immediately, "Is that you, Masaomi? It's me, Diehauser. I've finally made time in my schedule for the 'big day' as the humans call it."
[Oh, Diehauser! It is good to have you here. Coming to check on Cleria?]
"What kind of big brother would I be if I miss another of his sister's greatest moments in her life?" Diehauser smiled.
A few seconds later, the gates were opened, prompting Diehauser to step into the Hyoudou Residence.
Diehauser strode across the path cutting the front garden into the front door of the mansion.
As he opened the front door, he stopped.
Carp
The first thing greeting his face was the squatting man-fish thing, staring at him with his blank fish face. No matter how many times he saw it, he would never get used to this creature's ridiculous existence.
"Hello, uncle!"
Then he looked down, seeing his nephew, Sai, smiling at him.
"Did you bring me something from the Underworld?!" He asked, almost hopping on his toes.
Diehauser blinked. He actually forgot about Cleria's other kids.
"Now, now, Sai. Let your uncle settle in, we adults have much to talk about."
Coming to his rescue was his brother-in-law, Masaomi, chuckling while patting Sai's head.
"But papa… I want to see what mama's home is like." Sai pouted.
"I know. Soon, we will show you the wonder's of your mother's home. Now, go play with Mejiho. Papa has something to discuss with uncle."
"Awwww… Okay, papa. Mr. Carp, carry me please."
Carp
Mr. Carp picked up Sai and placed the boy on his head and left, his feet softly stomping towards the living room.
"...Thank you for your intervention."
"You can thank me by remembering to buy some gifts for the little ones next time." Masaoki chuckled.
Diehauser could only give an embarrassed smile.
"How is my sister doing?"
"Cleria is currently resting with Sarah and Haruka looking after her. No need to worry, brother. She will be most delighted to see you, gifts or not." Masaomi replied while lightly patting Diehauser's back.
"And… her condition with her pregnancy?" Diehauser asked.
"Haruka suggested that I pray to Binbougami per her son's recommendation. I heard that Binbougami is now a God of Fortune and Misfortune these days. As for her current status, we don't know when the baby will arrive. A day, hours… Cleria is reaching the final stage now… Would you like to name our daughter?"
Diehauser blinked and turned wide-eyed at Masaomi, "A-are you sure? I believe the honor should fall to either the father or mother."
"Well, we already named our three children on that island, and… she wants you to do the honors. To celebrate our return to civilization. Honestly, you have no idea how dull being on that island can be from time to time. The only exciting things there were the odd commodities Cleria's familiars somehow smuggled from the Underworld and the occasional giant sea creature we hunt for our children's birthdays. And seeing a meteor fall into the ocean that one time. Besides, we have more than a chance to name our children there. You're as much a family as Cleria is to me."
Diehauser's eyes gleamed with unshed tears, before he smiled and nodded, "...Then I am honored. Please permit me time to think of a befitting name."
"Oh, it shouldn't be that hard. But enough standing around. Come, I'll prepare some snacks befitting a Rating Game champion for you. Then we'll see how our beloved Cleria is faring."
Little did they know that the mansion was being prowled by malicious intent. From an undisclosed location, Bedeze Abaddon had been watching from a safe distance. Once he had confirmed that his target had been isolated, he smirked as he activated a telepathic link to his Peerage.
"Prepare the special bounded field and let loose the monsters we procured. It is time I settle matters with Belial once and for all."
And claim the title as the strongest. A fool from a dying bloodline had no right to represent the Devils.
And then, the Demons and Dracula would know their true power.
To be Continued…
Omake: A Housewife's Collection
When Masaomi met the estranged couple all those years ago, he thought of them as a peculiar duo, the man being the luckiest alive to have such a loving wife.
Then the same man rescued him and his beloved, sent them on an island in the middle of nowhere.
On foot.
By running across the ocean water like the superheroes from the Hollywood movies.
It would have been funny and he would have laughed if the same man did not save their lives.
What Masaomi did not expect to see was the woman of the same lucky man showing him and his family the most varied and lethal arsenal no housewife should possess.
"Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
The youngest boys, Mejiho and Sai, were staring at the arrow of weapons with starry awe.
Cleria was trying to maintain her composed smile at the sight.
Sarah was curious.
Western assault rifles, MANY shotguns, an array of pistols, magnums and revolvers, two composite bows and a composite crossbow.
All lined up within a secret wall in the living room.
There were even a couple of katanas.
His years as an exorcist alerted him that every single one of these dangerous weapons that no child of his should touch was enchanted with magic.
Every single one.
"Well? Take your pick."
Masaomi and Cleria turned to the smiling brown-haired housewife.
"Excuse me?" Masaomi asked.
"In case someone tries to break into the house, you need something to deal with them just in case. So? Anything to your fancy? Genos was so kind as to tinker with them. Infinite ammo, specialized ammunition, and all that."
"I…" Masaomi was not sure how to react to that. "...You wouldn't happen to have a light sword in there?"
"Oh yeah."
She went to the number pad hidden at the wall adjacent to the weapon display.
She typed in a series of numbers as the wall of weapons sunk into the floor, revealing another set of weapons, more magical in nature judging by the wands, staves, sacred-gear like armor of custom made… several lightswords and even glowing silver-made light pistols.
"...Honestly, I am kind of in shock. Out of all things, we do not expect this to be in the house of a loving family."
Sarah approached one the wall of dangerous items and reached towards a staff.
"Sarah, you're not old enough to play with dangerous things." Cleria chided.
"But mom… I can use magic like you," Sarah pouted.
"This is different. The same goes for you boys."
""Awwww…."" Mejiho and Sai hung their heads.
Masaomi could only smile as he took a silver-handled light sword and light pistol.
He pressed the button on the light sword… the light beam seemed a bit… purple.
"Why is the coloration different?" Masaomi asked.
"Oh, I am a fan of Star Wars. And I love to see things turned to the dark side."
"Right…" Masaomi merely replied as he put the sword and gun away.
"I don't suppose you use these in your spare time or something?" Cleria asked.
"Oh, when I'm bored. Speaking of which… want to have a small contest?"
Haruka pulled up a pistol from nowhere with a cheeky smile at Masaomi.
"...Contest?"
"I never had a 'training partner' like my son has these days. Figure a family friend can help… especially since he's a former exorcist." Her smile turned a little demonic for a moment there.
Masaomi blinked, "...I'm afraid you still lost me."
She cocked the gun. "I have a cyborg as my brother-in-law, you know? I was put under many different self-defense classes after the incident with St. Adonai. There's only so much video games can offer compared to the real stuff."
Masaomi looked at her wife who was just as confused.
Actually, Masaomi had a good idea of what Haruka intended but was afraid to admit it.
It turned out the baldy's wife was just as quirky as him… if not much quirkier.
Posting this when I'm having diarrhea. I swear, my a-hole feels like it's on fire. Wish me luck!
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