Mushoku Impact

With everyone excusing themselves to search the keep or fetch the girls outside, Paul found himself alone with Atofe and Kishirika. Ei was nearby, just in case, but Paul doubted her intervention would be necessary after Kishirika's comments regarding the prosperity of Demonkind.
Fortunately for Paul, Atofe had enough patience to wait until they were relatively alone before gesturing toward the throne with her thumb and saying, "Want to give it a go? Or would you rather do it while standing?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Paul replied, "Since I doubt I'll be able to talk my way out of this, I'm okay with either."
Tilting her head to the side, Atofe asked, "What's that supposed to mean? I'll have you know I'm regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the Demon Continent."
With a characteristically wry smile on his face, Paul answered, "Perhaps in your more mature form. Unfortunately, while it's true I hail from the Asura Kingdom, I'm not particularly into brats..."
"Ah..."
Prompted by Paul's words, Atofe recalled that she was currently in a more diminutive form than usual. At the same time, Kishirika burst out laughing from the side, prompting Paul to look at her with a deadpan and ask, "And what are you still doing here? Don't tell me you intend to get involved..."
While wiping away a tear from her eye, Kishirika answered, "While that's not a bad idea, I'm primarily here to collect your seed and ensure Atofe doesn't inadvertently break you. She can only absorb Mana and vitality from her descendants, so, unless you intend to knock her up, your seed is pretty much wasted on her."
Before Paul could ask the impish Demoness if she was seriously planning to lap up his semen, Atofe perked up and said, "That's not a bad idea! It's been a while since I've had a kid!"
Raising his hand in a stopping gesture, Paul's expression became serious as he said, "Please, spare me...I have enough issues with the kids I currently possess. I wouldn't mind once things settled down, but there is too much at stake right now..."
Deciding to lend Paul a hand, Kishirika appended, "He's right. Besides, as I pointed out earlier, this one has the power to absorb the traits of others. We don't have to worry about him suddenly killing over or dying of old age in a few decades. So long as you let him do you a few hundred times, he'll eventually acquire your immortality."
"Oh? That's pretty convenient."
Looking toward Paul with a predatory smile on her face, Atofe's blood-red, black-sclera eyes narrowed in amusement as she said, "I recall you mentioning something about training beneath me for three years. I didn't think you meant 'literally' beneath me..."
"..."
Though he was usually pretty brazen, Paul felt strangely suppressed by the two legendary figures in front of him. It was difficult to describe, but even though he towered over the two Demonesses, he felt like the most coveted item in a toy store...for adults.
Interrupting Paul's daze, Atofe gave her faintly muscular abdomen a firm pat as she said, "If you're worried about me being able to accommodate you, you're wasting your time. Though we each have a preferred form, the bodies of pure-blooded Immortal Demons are formless. Even if you had a dick the size of a dragon's, I could take it without issue."
Exhaling through his nose, Paul promptly decided against commenting on Atofe's words. Instead, he shook his head and reached up to unfasten the clasp of his breastplate. As he did, Atofe surprised him by meandering her way over and lending a hand. Paul half-expected her to try and tear away his clothes, but she remained calm and even helped to fold up his clothes as if it was completely natural for her to do so.
Seeing through Paul's thoughts, Atofe's predatory smile gained a hint of nostalgia as she revealed, "My father initially raised me as a handmaiden, charged with looking after and protecting a certain violet-haired brat. It was only after his death that I became the ruler of Fort Necross and the de facto leader of the Demon Empress's army..."
With Paul peeling off his tunic, Atofe traced her still-gauntleted fingers across the lines of his body as she added, "I gave up acting like a lady to keep the men and women serving beneath me in line. However, as easy-going as he was, my husband was also very...traditional. After the two of us got married, he had me practice being a proper wife so that I wouldn't leave a bad impression on our kids..."
Resisting the urge to ask why Atofe was revealing such sensitive and personal information, Paul just smiled and muttered, "I see..." in a soft yet resonating tone.
Narrowing her eyes, Atofe stared up at Paul and asked, "Tell me, Paul Greyrat...what kind of women do you prefer? You referred to me as dainty during our first encounter. Do you want me to behave submissively and let you do as you please, or..."
Feeling the growing bulge in Paul's trousers, Atofe took a moment to lick her lips before asking, "Would you prefer I eat you up~?"
Though he knew it was dangerous to let Atofe do as she pleased, Paul adopted a smile of his own as he said, "So long as you don't try to keep me prisoner or force me against my will, I don't mind letting you take the lead. My sit-"
Interrupting Paul's words, Kishirika abruptly pulled down his trousers from behind, shouting, "No one cares about the reason! Get on with it...!"
Taking advantage of the situation, Atofe burst out laughing as she gave Paul a powerful push that sent him colliding against the backrest of the black and gold throne. Then, like a predator pouncing on its quarry, she appeared right above Paul, her feet straddling the sides of his legs as she placed a hand on his shoulder and squatted down with the tip of his glans poking against her through the fabric of her undergarments.
"Don't worry. You're a special case, so I'll stop after seven or eight shots. I usually keep going even after my partner has passed out or begged for mercy, so consider yourself lucky...!"
Though he was still a little annoyed due to Kishirika's actions and Atofe's shove, Paul surprised the blue-skinned Demoness by rolling his eyes and flatly retorting, "Seven or eight shots? What a farce. I can easily go seven or eight hours without rest..."
Without waiting for Atofe's response, Paul linked his thumbs through the fabric of her black undergarments and snapped their band with surprising ease. He intended to do something similar with his boxer-like shorts, but the gears in his brain promptly ground to a halt when he saw what was beneath Atofe's panties...
With the intention of demonstrating her amorphous qualities and messing around with her would-be lover, Atofe had a doll-sized head protruding from her vagina, staring back at him with a devilish smile. When the two made eye contact, the miniature head winked at him before sinking back into Atofe's insides as she stated, "Trust me, kid. You aren't lasting eight hours..."
Retracting her horn into her head, Atofe leaned forward to plant a kiss on Paul's chest. She knew her actions had probably freaked him out, but if he was unnerved by such a 'tame' display, there was no way he possessed a strong enough will to help them achieve their dream...
Fortunately for Atofe, while Paul was undeniably weirded out, he wasn't lacking in imagination and intrigue. He quickly realized that if she could produce an extra head from her crotch, she could just as easily adjust the size, shape, and interior of her vagina. She could presumably do the same with her appearance, so, rather than feeling intimidated by the borderline eldritch beauty tracing her inordinately long tongue around his nipple, he &nbsp;grabbed her remarkably pliant ass and replied, "We'll see about that..."
Emboldened by Paul's response, an amused chuckle emanated from the depths of Atofe's throat as she dropped her hips in a single motion. There was little resistance on the way in, but the moment their hips were flush, Atofe's insides tightened like a vice. Then, without even needing to raise or lower her body, the interior of Atofe's vagina began to ripple and writhe about in an indescribably stimulating. It was unlike anything Paul had ever experienced, almost like he was having sex, receiving a deepthroat, and a handjob at the same time.
"Hoooooooly fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck...!"
Feeling Paul's body tense due to the intense pleasure she was giving him, another low chuckle emanated from Atofe's throat. She didn't really need a partner to get off, but she enjoyed having sex since the reactions of her partners stoked her sadomasochism. There were few things she enjoyed more than seeing proud and powerful men behaving like maidens, their fierce and confident facades breaking down as they whimpered, moaned, and begged her to stop.
Interrupting Atofe's licentious thoughts, Kishirika surprised her with a firm smack to her behind, warning, "Don't get carried away, Atofe. If you break him, even accidentally, a group of monsters on par with that purple-haired woman outside are bound to show up seeking revenge..."
Clicking her tongue, Atofe reduced the intensity of her stimulation enough to permit Paul's body to relax. The pleasure had been so intense that he could barely even breathe, so, despite only a minute or so passing, Paul was already gasping as a layer of sweat developed across his body.
Ignoring the Demoness standing behind her, Atofe extended her hand to caress the left side of Paul's face as she purred, "The decision is yours to make...tell me what you want to do..."
Having learned his lesson, an awkward chuckle emanated from Paul's throat as he reached up to grab Atofe's wrist. Then, while drawing his face a little closer to hers, he whispered, "I want to make love to you..."
Rolling her eyes, Atofe pretended to be disappointed, muttering, "How droll..." before guiding Paul's hand to her breast and proceeding to move her naturally. Ordinary sex wasn't enjoyable, but they had three years to move on to more advanced stuff. As someone who had lived for well over ten thousand, Atofe didn't mind taking things slow...at least for now...
Preempting Paul's response, Atofe's spine and torso elongated ever so slightly to make it easier for her to kiss him. Paul was unaware of this, but Kishirika was able to notice it due to her position between Paul's feet, less than ten centimeters away from Atofe's butt. The Mana contained within a person's semen dissipated rapidly when exposed to air, so she had to be as close as possible if she didn't want to let it go to waste...
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With Atofe no longer emulating a machine designed to torture people with excess pleasure, Paul was able to make good on his promise to endure for eight hours. This actually surprised the two Demonesses, not because he could continue for eight hours, but because the quantity and quality of his semen never diminished.
Voicing her thoughts on the matter, Kishirika stated, "You might be under the effects of the Curse of Lust..." while poking and prodding Paul's still-erect member.&nbsp;
Observing the loli Demoness's actions with a blank, ostensibly defeated expression on his face, Paul asked, "Does it matter...?" in a dull and tired voice.
Staring up at Paul, Kishirika furrowed her brows as she asked, "How long do you plan to continue brooding? I might look like this, but I'm older than both you and Atofe combined. Stop stressing out over nothing."
Rolling his eyes, Paul muttered, "Whatever..." as he stared off toward one of the many stained glass murals lining the hall. He knew it was pointless to try and argue, as, even if he didn't want to admit it, Kishirika was right. He also hailed from a society where it was completely normal for children as young as ten to get married and have kids, so he didn't really have a lot of ground to stand on. Especially after the things he had done with Reida at a similar age...
Feeling annoyed by Paul's behavior, Kishirika was momentarily tempted to ask Atofe to hold him down so they could nip his inhibitions in the bud. If she hadn't given him the prerequisite of defeating Badi before they could consummate their relationship and marriage, she might have...
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After letting his thoughts wander for the better part of twenty minutes, Paul decided to ask a question that had been on his mind since Kishirika's unexpected appearance, questioning, "What's with the bodysuit? Didn't like the clothes I purchased for you...?"
Instead of immediately responding to Paul's question, Kishirika climbed atop his lap. Paul exhaled through his nose as she did so, but he made no attempts to stop her. There was a good chance they would be spending the next three years together, so, as per usual, he had decided to just go with the flow.
After making herself comfortable, Kishirika adopted a shark-toothed smile as she remarked, "Humans are always so quick to adapt. A few hours ago, you could barely even look at me. Now I'm straddling you, and you're just accepting it without batting an eye..."
"..."
Deciding not to press Paul too much, Kishirika punctuated her statement with a snicker before answering, "Thanks to our engagement, I was able to enter my castle for the first time in five centuries. For that, you have my gratitude."
Adopting a marginally more severe expression, Kishirika interrupted Paul's response by saying, "Unfortunately, I could only gain access to the main hall and my private quarters. The throne room and armory are guarded by Magic Armor and Anti-Magic Golems, so we'll need a substantial amount of firepower if we want to break through. As for this outfit...tell me, what do you know about the Fighting God Armor...?"
Since he had already revealed far more meaningful secrets, Paul saw no reason to foot around the issue, answering, "If I'm not mistaken, it was created by the 'original' Laplace as a weapon. I've yet to see it in action, but I know it can alter its form to suit its user and that it draws upon their Mana and vitality to sustain itself..."
Narrowing her eyes, Kishirika mused, "Good grief...the more I hear you reveal secrets you have no right knowing, the more I want to crack open your head and peer at your thoughts..."
Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Kishirika went on to say, "You're half-right. The Fighting God Armor, also known as the Golden Armor, was developed by the 'original' Laplace. However, it wasn't initially intended to be used as a weapon. After the death and subsequent sealing of Necross Lacross, we no longer had the means to mass-produce Goseki Stone, the material used to construct Fort Necross and my castle..."
Reaching her hand into her mouth, Paul was reminded that Kishirika was anything but ordinary as she seemingly reached into her stomach to pull out a tiny lump of golden metal. She snickered in response to the look on his face but didn't linger on it as she held up the globule of golden metal, kneading it between her thumb and index finger as she explained, "This is actually a Slime, albeit one that was produced artificially. I'm sure you've heard of Metal Slimes, right? The ones that occasionally appear in mines with rich mineral veins...?"
With Paul nodding his head, Kishirika inserted a thread of Mana into the lump of shimmering gold, shaping it into various key-like shapes as she explained, "This was initially intended to be a self-repairing material that was resistant to both physical and magical attacks. It can freely change shape depending on the will of its user, so, to prevent people from using it as a weapon, Laplace gave it the property of absorbing Mana and draining the life force of the user..."
Before Kishirika could continue any further, Paul furrowed his brows and asked, "Okay, so why did you have a piece of it inside you...?"
"Uh..."
Realizing how her actions could be misconstrued, a few beads of sweat appeared on Kishirika's brow as she said, "Don't misunderstand. I wasn't trying to scheme against you or anything. Badi gave it to me shortly after my revival. I use it to escape prison cells and break into places protected by physical locks."
Exhaling through his nose, Paul closed his eyes and asked, "Let me guess. You forgot it was still in your stomach...?"
Scratching the back of her head, Kishirika laughed nervously instead of answering Paul outright. She couldn't bring herself to admit that it had, in fact, slipped her mind...
Deciding to deflect back to the previous topic, Kishirika said, "Anyways, where were we? I believe we were talking about the Golden Armor and the reason I'm wearing this outfit?"
Seeing no reason to press the matter further, Paul nodded his head and replied, "Something like that."
Regaining her toothy grin, Kishirika elected to continue where she left off, stating, "It was Badi who first proposed using the metal to outfit members of the Immortal Demon Tribe. Laplace reluctantly agreed, so he began to develop prototypes based on ancient Dwarven technology. When I found out what he was working on, I nagged him to create a suit of armor for my personal use. That's where this outfit comes in."
While pulling at the remarkably elastic fabric of her plugsuit, Kishirika's smile widened as she explained, "Though I possess a form of immortality, it's nowhere near as perverse as that of the Immortal Demon Tribe. This garment is designed to restrict the amount of skin exposed to the metal at any given moment. Unfortunately, while I was able to recover my armor, I passed out the moment I attempted to start it up. Bwahahahahaha~!"
"..."
Undaunted by the deadpan expression on Paul's face, Kishirika shrugged her shoulders and said, "Every time I develop a new pair of Demon Eyes, my reserves take a hit. Since I didn't have anyone actively helping me out, I had no choice but to develop my current sets of eyes just to survive. Cut me some slack, okay?"
Recalling that Kishirika had spent at least three hundred years wandering around on her own, and that was just her current life, Paul exhaled a sigh and adopted an apologetic expression. Before he could even think to say he was sorry, however, Kishirika rolled her eyes and said, "I don't need your pity. If you really want to help me out, close your eyes, pretend I'm your favorite woman and shoot a few out in my butt. We might not be able to use my front until you defeat Badi, but my back door is always open."
Though he did close his eyes, Paul only did so to exhale through his nose. Afterward, he opened them to stare into Kishirika's as he replied, "I need time...even having you sit on my lap is already stressing me out more than you can imagine..."
Furrowing her brows, Kishirika resisted the urge to ask why. Instead, she reminded him, "I need your seed to accelerate my growth, and you need to have sex with me if you want to absorb my essence. With your unique ability, you should be doing everything you can to absorb the essence of as many notable individuals as possible. Trust me when I say everything would be for naught if you died before reaching your full potential..."
As someone that had died dozens of times, Kishirika was something of an expert on the subject of wasted potential. She was also afraid that Badi or Hitogami would conspire to kill Paul before she could enjoy her newfound freedom, so even if she had to reduce herself to behaving like a common harlot, she was determined to help her newly acquired fiance increase his strength before their inevitable encounter.
Unbeknownst to Kishirika, her words reminded Paul of the substantial burden he carried on his shoulders. He really didn't want to admit it, but there was a considerable amount of truth contained in Kishirika's words. If he ended up dying just because he was unwilling to accept power that was practically being handed to him, he was far from the only person that would pay the price...
Just as Paul was seriously considering doing Kishirika in the butt, Atofe kicked open the double doors at the end of the hall, shouting, "I'm back! Did you miss me!?" at the top of her lungs.
Since she could tell that Paul was teetering on the edge, Kishirika couldn't help clicking her tongue as she half-turned to shout, "You damned muscle head! Couldn't you have come back just a few minutes later!?"
Ignoring Kishirika's remark, Atofe made her way over to the throne in broad, confident strides as she said, "I informed my men that your lady friends were off-limits. Anyone that attempts to lay a hand on them will have to answer to me, so you shouldn't have to worry too much."
Having reached the foot of the throne, Atofe frustrated Kishirika further by grabbing the violet-haired Demoness's horn and abruptly tossing her to the side. She still hadn't forgiven Kishirika for her prolonged absence, so until the former Empress had proven her worth, Atofe had no intention of deferring to her.&nbsp;
Though she was uninjured by Atofe tossing her to the side, Kishirika flared up and shouted, "You blue-skinned ingrate! Just who do you think you're tossing-"
Seeing Atofe pull aside her panties to sit on Paul's cock, Kishirika's words trailed off, her brow twitching violently as her former friend gazed back at her with a teasing smile and narrowed eyes.
Averting her eyes from Kishirika, Atofe looked up at Paul, her arms linked around his neck as she said, "I also told them you'd be training under me these next three years. However, my lessons don't come free. You'll need to 'earn' them by doing me favors, providing me gifts, or letting me get off with your body. Do we have an agreement?"
Without waiting for Paul's response, Atofe began rocking her hips with a confident grin on her face. Her inner walls began to twist and contract as she did, compelling Paul to clench his teeth and hold her waist in a futile attempt to prevent her from moving.
Interrupting Atofe's crack at an accord, Kishirika yanked the blue-skinned Demoness's silvery-white hair with enough force to jerk her head back as she growled, "You had your turn. Piss off...!"&nbsp;
Leaving Paul with a stupefied expression on his face, Kishirika punctuated her words by flinging Atofe by her hair. He knew Kishirika was significantly more powerful than a human, capable of lifting hundreds of kilograms, but he never expected to see her ragdoll someone like Atofe...
Adding to Paul's incredulity, Atofe climbed to her feet and departed the hall without so much as a word of retaliation. Her zombie-like movements made it apparent that Kishirika had done 'something,' so his body tensed when the impish Demoness turned toward him with hazy purple eyes and yellow, heart-shaped pupils.
Noticing Paul's reaction, Kishirika closed her eyes and exhaled a sigh as she said, "Relax. Demon Eyes of Affection can only affect one person at a time. I need two just to confuse Atofe, so I couldn't use them against you even if I wanted to..."
Opening her eyes, Kishirika stared directly at Paul as she added, "Besides, &nbsp;you're the one that granted me freedom. I'm not going to compromise our developing relationship by trying to control you against your will. I may be a Demon, but I'm not a monster..."
Exhaling through his nose, Paul sat a little straighter and said, "Atofe isn't going to be happy when she regains her senses..."
Shrugging her shoulders, Kishirika adopted a confident smile as she said, "Let me worry about that. For now, let's continue where we left off. Don't pretend you weren't about to give in. You're ten thousand years too young to try and pull one over on me."
Instead of immediately refuting Kishirika's words, Paul gave her immature figure a once over, his expression diminishing as he did so. It didn't help that Kishirika reacted by half-turning and giving her butt, accentuated by her formfitting outfit, a few playful smacks...
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After racing back to Fort Necross like a blue meteor streaking across the sky, Atofe spontaneously arrested her momentum above the courtyard, a shockwave emanating from her petite frame as she scrutinized the scene below.
Though it looked as though a massive explosion had been set off, leaving bodies strewn all over the place, Atofe could sense that most, if not all of her men, were still alive.
Clicking her tongue, Atofe grumbled, "What a pain..." before plummeting to the ground and impacting next to Regas.&nbsp;
"How long do you intend to keep sleeping!?"
Without waiting for a response, Atofe kicked Regas with enough force to send him barreling across the courtyard and into the keep's outer wall. He immediately woke up but was unable to rise as Atofe made her way over to him and asked, "Which one of them did this to you? Was it that monster with the purple hair...?"
Though he nodded his head, Regas adopted a solemn expression as he admitted, "I was initially fighting against two women, one with gold and another with blue hair. I was unable to contend against their combined might, so I attempted to stall by questioning their leader, Paul Greyrat..."
Raising one of her brows, a curious smile developed across Atofe's face as she asked, "Oh? And what did he have to say...?"
Gritting his teeth, Regas didn't immediately respond to Atofe's words. He could still visibly recall the judgemental expression on Paul's face as the latter lectured him. It was slightly different, but it reminded him of the other human Heroes he had encountered in the past, self-righteous fools who believed their view of the world was the only one that mattered...
Instead of providing a detailed explanation, Regas ultimately answered, "He has the temperament of a Hero..." with a visibly disgusted expression marring his beaten and bloodied face.
Understanding what Regas meant, Atofe began laughing as she left the grim-faced Drow slumped against the keep's wall and made her way into the interior. She didn't need to ask to know that Paul and his Party were waiting for her, so, instead of charging in like she originally intended, she made her way to the larder to grab something to eat before taking her sweet time to reach the throne room...
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"Oh? You're just standing around? I half-expected you to make yourself comfortable by sitting on the throne. You're pretty cautious, huh...?"
Entering the throne room with a peculiar black apple in hand, Atofe took a loud, crunching bite as she looked around to see if anything was damaged or missing.&nbsp;
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Paul shook his head and said, "It's not my throne to sit upon. Besides, I have no desire to rule. I would rather be free to travel around and do as I please."
Shrugging her shoulders, Atofe took another bite out of her apple as she replied, "Fair enough." before chomping down the apple core and asking, "Now then, what do you want from me? You mentioned something about us welcoming you as guests within the fortress. So, what, you want to live here or something...?"
Expecting Atofe to attack the moment she arrived, Paul found himself at a momentary loss for words. However, as she was God-ranked in the North God Style, he made sure to keep his guard up as he answered, "You seem like a straightforward person, so I'll be honest with you. I desire strength, and I wish to make you my ally. I-"
Interrupting Paul's response, a high-pitched voice loudly appended, "He wants to have sex with you~!"
Following the outburst, a black sphere resembling a black hole appeared nearby before Kishirika, wearing a strange form-fitting bodysuit, emerged from within. It had a dark-purple base with sections of violet that nearly matched Kishirika's hair. It resembled an anime-style plugsuit, but it was missing the fabric for the legs, left Kishirika's back exposed, and proudly showed off her nearly non-existent cleavage.
Suppressing his other questions, Paul incredulously inquired, "Kishirika?Since when can you teleport?"
Crossing her arms, Kishirika puffed out her non-existent chest even further as she shamelessly replied, "I can't! At least, not under normal circumstances!"
Before Paul could ask his follow-up questions, Atofe tilted her head to the side and asked, "Kishirika? You're telling me this brat is the former Demon Empress...?"
Snorting through her nose, Kishirika asked, "Who the hell are you calling a brat!? We're older than you are...!"
In response to Kishirika's outburst, Atofe muttered, "It certainly sounds like her..." before redirecting her attention to Paul and asking, "What's this about wanting to have sex? Did you really come here for such a reason...?"
Instead of refuting Kishirika's claim, Paul made a so-so gesture with his right hand as he replied, "Yes and no. I have certainly considered it, but it isn't the main reason I came here. Like I-"
Interrupting Paul a second time, Kishirika stated, "Don't listen to him. This brat is still trying to form his resolve and figure things out. The only thing that matters, at least right this instant, is that he has the power to restore the Demon Continent to its former glory."
As she had yet to reconcile that Kishrika was who she purported to be, Atofe furrowed her brows, crossed her arms, and retorted, "Since when did you care about such things? You've barely done anything these past four thousand years, and now you're telling me some human brat has the power to solve our problems and restore our glory? It's a little late to start playing Empress again, don't you think...?"
Though she once respected Kishirika more than any other, Atofe had lost faith in the former's ability to lead their people. Besides, while the Demon Continent wasn't exactly prosperous, their society had become a lot more 'honest.' There were still a few corrupt individuals roaming about, but their limited resources and functional isolation had led to most Demons simply living their lives to the fullest.
Instead of refuting Atofe's words, Kishirika exaggeratedly shrugged her shoulders and said, "Time marches on, and circumstances change. With this brat's unreasonable ability, we once again have a chance to make our shared dream a reality. Don't tell me you've forgotten even that...?"
Missing the implication in Kishirika's words, Atofe hung her head and exhaled a tired sigh as she muttered, "You have no right to question my convictions...even when you and Badi abandoned our people and started doing whatever you wanted, I never stopped fulfilling the duty entrusted to me by my father. No one desires prosperity for Demonkind more than I do..."
Raising her head, Atofe opened her eyes before narrowing them as she added, "It's for that reason I've allowed our society to crumble as far as it has. When Demons prosper too much, some among us grow increasingly ambitious. At the same time, humanity begins to feel threatened..."
Looking down at her left hand, Atofe balled it into a fist as she went on to explain, "After marrying a human myself, I've come to realize that the only way humans and demons can coexist indefinitely is by not interfering with one another. Not even the unification of a Demon Lord and a human Hero was able to make a lasting difference. Instead, the nations we helped to rebuild have become the central breeding grounds for resentment against our kind. We conceded nearly everything we had obtained during the war in the hopes of laying the foundation for a lasting peace, but humanity has already forgotten that..."
After exhaling a sigh of her own, Kishirika asked, "What did you expect? Even if they possess incredible magic power, humans can only live for a hundred years or so at the maximum. Even amongst Demons, children have a habit of rebelling against their parents, so why would subsequent generations care about the promises of their forebears...?"
Shaking her head, Kishirika didn't wait for Atofe to respond, stating, "As leaders of Demonkind, we have an obligation to at least try and improve the conditions of our homeland and its people. You said it yourself; there isn't a single person who desires prosperity for Demonkind more than you do. This boy shares our dream, the same dream your father dedicated his life to achieving. To that it, it doesn't matter if we fail. The important thing is that we never stop trying."
Not expecting such a serious response from Kishirika, Paul, his Party, and even Atofe were left completely dumbfounded. Kishirika usually gave off an aura as if she didn't care about anything, not even the preservation of her own life. Hearing her speak such idealistic words was like hearing a gruff, middle-aged man opening his mouth to sing in a perfect soprano...
Recovering from her stupor, Atofe reached up to massage her forehead and the base of her horn as she remarked, "For someone who has spent the last four thousand years playing around, you sure know how to talk..."
Dropping her hand from her forehead, Atofe shifted her gaze back to Paul, asking, "How did you get this lazy imp to stop pissing about? What makes you so special...?"
Answering in Paul's stead, Kishirika glossed over the detailed explanation by plainly stating, "He grows more powerful by having sex. Not only that, the girls you see around him are like those annoying spirits summoned by your favorite Armored Dragon. He might appear weak at a glance, but his Mana capacity is nearly a third the size of Laplace's."
Though her brow twitched at the mention of Perugius, Atofe's expression morphed into one of disbelief when Kishirika mentioned Paul's aggregate Mana. After all, the only other beings with a Mana capacity even close to Laplace were True Dragons and Primordial Spirits.
Directing a slightly mortified gaze at Paul, Atofe asked, "Just who the hell are you...?"
As Paula adopted a wry smile, Kishirika once again interjected to answer, "He is our benefactor, the man that will allow Demonkind to thrive without attempting to rule over us. What else matters?"
Instead of pressing the matter further, Atofe shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Fair point." before reaching up to release the clasp of her gorget, the piece of armor that protected her neck.
Realizing where things were headed, Paul's smile became even wrier as he said, "There's no need to rush things. We should see to your men and discuss-"
While continuing to remove her armor, Atofe stared directly at Paul as she interjected, declaring, "We're either doing this now or not at all. I'm still a little annoyed due to the 'baptism' that purple-haired monster gave me, so if you're serious about receiving my support, you're gonna help me relieve some stress."
Pulling off her breastplate, Atofe revealed two modest yet perky mounds. Her nipples were a darker shade of blue than the rest of her body, but the thing Paul was immediately drawn to was the massive scar running across her abdomen.
Unperturbed by Paul's gaze, Atofe traced her finger over her scar as she said, "Powerful enough Holy Magic functions a lot like a curse, especially against members of the Immortal Demon Race. This wound was given to me by that stuck-up brat that went on to establish the Milis Religion. She 'really' didn't know how to take a joke."
Unsurprised to hear that Atofe had clashed against such a legendary figure, Paul responded with a curt, "Sounds about right..." before shifting his attention to Ei, Jean, Eula, Xinyan, and Venti to ask, "What do you girls want to do?"
Interpreting Paul's words as an invitation, Venti raised her hand high and replied, "I'm joining in~!" without hesitation. Before the other could reply, however, Atofe inserted herself back into the conversation, saying, "As if. By the time I'm done with him, he won't even be able to walk, much less go at it with others. Instead of getting in the way, you all should look for a place to stay. There are rooms on the fourth and fifth floors."
Punctuating her words, Atofe allowed her tassets to clatter to the ground with a loud metallic sound. The only thing she was wearing underneath was a pair of simple black panties, so, even without removing the rest of her armor, she was ready and raring to go...
...
..
.

Chapter 163: MI163: Demonic