Mushoku Impact

In the weeks that followed his arrival at Fort Necross, Paul's life became a veritably living hell.&nbsp;
Under normal circumstances, those that had undergone a pilgrimage to Fort Necross would find themselves involuntarily drafted into the lowest rungs of Atofe's Elite Guard. Their training involved fighting against their fellow members for everything from food and water to accommodation. If they were powerful, they would quickly move up the ranks and be allowed to stay in the lodges closer to the keep. If they were weak, they would be forced to become servants, subject to the whims of their betters.
Only the most capable individuals were given a chance to train under and potentially receive Atofe's attention. Those that performed exceptionally would even be given an opportunity to warm her bed, though, more often than not, they would come to regret the encounter. Afterward, they would keep their heads down and focus solely on their training, refusing to stand out for fear of being chosen a second time.
Despite being much weaker than the men Atofe preferred, Paul had the 'fortune' of receiving the legendary Demoness's attention on a near-daily basis. His usual schedule involved waking up before dawn, sparring until breakfast, fucking until lunch, getting his ass kicked until dinner, and then falling asleep in the middle of fucking.&nbsp;
Though Atofe had given him weekends off, that didn't mean Paul was free from the tyrant's intrigue. Words such as boundaries and restraint didn't exist in her private dictionary, so she would periodically show up while spending time with the girls from the IOF or barge into his room when he was trying to sleep. The only way he could avoid her was by sneaking out of the fort while she was busy, but then she would be in a bad mood upon his return...
Fortunately, as oppressive as Atofe's behavior was, Paul couldn't deny he had was growing stronger. More importantly, Kishirika's theory regarding his ability to absorb the essence of others proved true. It didn't manifest in his physical appearance, but his strength and regenerative abilities had improved noticeably. By the end of his third month of training, he didn't even need to rely on Lesser Regeneration as he could recover from most minor injuries and bone fractures in a few hours.
On the topic of Kishirika, Paul was surprised to see how rapidly the impish Demoness was growing. He was partly responsible for this, but Kishirika had also revealed that one of the reasons for her stunted growth was her reliance and production of Demon Eyes. Every time she developed a new one, she basically had to invest all of her reserves into its production. This was a permanent investment, so as long as she continued producing and making use of her Demon Eyes, Kishirika simply didn't age.
Now that she could travel freely, eat whenever she wanted, and generally do as she pleased, Kishirika could stockpile her Mana and allow her body to develop. This had always been an option for her, but maturing rapidly without possessing the power to protect herself had ended badly on more than one occasion.&nbsp;
Like virtually every other race, Demons accumulated Mana more quickly when they were still in their growth period. After dying and resurrecting dozens of times, Kishirika had figured out that maintaining a physique on the cusp of maturation was the optimal condition for stockpiling Mana and producing Demon Eyes.
With Paul promising to provide her with a Vision and as much Mana as she needed once she had matured, Kishirika began spending her days eating until she resembled a pregnant woman, downing literal barrels of alcohol, and sleeping for upwards of fourteen hours a day. She would occasionally get into spats with Atofe, but Paul was able to prevent them from arguing about the fortress's food and alcohol stores by offering to foot the bill for everything Kishirika consumed. He also provided them with souvenirs obtained during Ganyu's periodic trips to the Central Continent, so they at least pretended to get along.
Unfortunately for Paul, his periodic 'offerings' to Atofe were the very thing that caused her to take his training seriously. Foreign luxury goods were nearly impossible to obtain in the Demon Continent as no one was foolish enough to attempt and import them. The few exceptions were preserved goods, so Atofe was like a kid in a candy store whenever Ganyu returned with bulk produce, a variety of alcohol, foreign spices, and even clothing.
Though he realized his gifts were one of the root causes of his suffering, Paul continued to provide them. His presence within Fort Necross hadn't been well-received by Atofe's men, not just because he was receiving 'special treatment' from the General they respected, but because he was 'monopolizing' the girls from the IOF.
As Atofe had pointed out during their first encounter, there were very few women living within Fort Necross. In fact, with the exception of Atofe and Bhathia, there were only seven other women present before the arrival of Paul's group. Since members of the Elite Guard were only allowed to leave the fort every ten years, it was impossible to describe just how frustrated the men were to have a bevy of beauties within their reach but be unable to touch them.
In the first few weeks of their stay, twenty-seven people had ignored Atofe's warning, either attempting to make a pass at one of the girls in Paul's Party or worse. Fortunately, Lilia had been smart enough to stay within the keep. As for everyone else, they always traveled in groups of three or more and were more than capable of fending off even the most powerful members of Atofe's Elite Guard.
Though he felt nothing but disdain toward the men that had targetted the girls, Paul allowed Atofe to deal with them. He also had Ganyu bring back more than enough food and alcohol to distribute among the troops, so, by the time a few weeks had passed, most of Atofe's men had quit resenting him. A few had even started to respect him, not because he was powerful but because they couldn't imagine enduring Atofe's training for more than a few days...
...
..
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"How long do you intend to keep pretending? If you want, I can knock you out for real."
Raising his head from the small crater formed when Atofe smashed his face into the ground, Paul stared back at her with a broken nose and a deadpan expression as he replied, "Don't tempt me..."
Amused by Paul's response, Atofe's smile widened as she mused, "Good. If you're able to banter, you should be able to keep fighting. Pick up your sword and come at me."
Though he closed his hand around the handle of his sword, Paul didn't abide by Atofe's request. Instead, he placed his right palm against the ground, his Dendro Vision releasing an intense light that caused the blue-skinned Demoness to leap backward, barely evading the spear-like vines that had attempted to skewer her body.
Unlike when he trained with Gal and Reida, Paul had been using his Vision liberally against Atofe. He had initially attempted to fight her using just his sword skills, but she had called him an idiot and criticized him for holding back against an immortal opponent. She also tossed aside her sword and gauntlets to beat him with her bare fists as a punishment, so he had been using everything available to him ever since.
"I've seen that attack dozens of times by now. How long are you going to keep repeat-"
Interrupting Atofe's reproach, Paul executed his Longsword of Light, the edge of his blade impacting the flat of the black, club-like pole she was wielding. Unfortunately, as he had failed to cut through her, the force of the impact fed back into his hands and arms, the muscles of his forearms practically erupting into a fountain of blood and gore.
Though she was blinded by the shower of blood and gore, Atofe could still sense Paul's movements, dodging his attempt to unleash a Fireball directly in her face. However, instead of counterattacking, she shook her head to clear her vision before staring down at Paul's collapsed figure and remarking, "This self-destructive style you've been developing might work against an opponent of similar skill level, but, in case you've forgotten, I'm God-Ranked in the North God Style. All you're-"
With his body in hypovolemic shock, Paul lost consciousness before Atofe could finish her speech. He had attempted to jumpstart his regeneration using Lesser Regeneration, but the pain of having his arms explode made it difficult to cast even the most elementary spells. If he hadn't developed the habit of emptying his bowels and bladder before his training, he might have shit and pissed himself from the pain.
Nudging Paul's head with the tip of her tapered sabaton, a disproving frown marred Atofe's face. While it was true that Paul was improving at a discernible rate, he was nowhere near the level she expected of a Hero. If she didn't hold back and focus on defense, she risked killing him with just a single, serious swing of her sword.
Shifting her attention to the trio of women observing the sparring session from the sidelines, Atofe stated, "Take this idiot and get him patched up. I want him fully healed before our lessons this afternoon."
Though she narrowed her eyes, Ganyu rose to her feet and hurried to her Master's side. She hated seeing him injured, but as Paul had asked them not to intervene, she could only observe from the sidelines with clenched fists.
While Ganyu carried Paul to a &nbsp;healing bath she had prepared in advance, Atofe focused on the remaining two girls, Ei and Ghislaine, smiling as she asked, "So, which of you is next?"
Rising to her feet, Ghislaine calmly replied, "I'll be in your care..." before immediately charging toward Atofe. Paul wasn't the only one focused on growing stronger these past three months. Virtually everyone, sans Venti and Kishirika, had been focused on improving their respective strengths and skills. They couldn't just remain idle while Paul pushed himself to the point of collapsing, so they had been training just as hard.
Evading Ghislaine's wild yet forceful strikes, the frown on Atofe's face gradually morphed into a smile. Ghislaine's swordsmanship was a lot more honest and straightforward than Paul's, making her attacks relatively easy to predict, but her adaptability and instincts made her a more interesting opponent.
Parrying Ghislaine's Sword of Silence, Atofe mused, "Not half-bad for a kitten! But you'll need to be a lot stronger if you want to keep following after that fool...!"
Punctuating her words with a backhand, Atofe was unsurprised when Ghislaine rolled with the punch, flipping backward several times before immediately lunging back at her despite a bloodied nose. She lacked the regenerative capabilities of Paul, but that didn't stop her from charging in without a moment of hesitation.
Feeling a shift in the surrounding air currents, Atofe swung her club to produce a gale-like shockwave, disrupting the Anemo Energy building around Ghislaine's sword and body. A tiny cut appeared on her face, but it immediately healed as she shifted her weight forward to meet Ghislaine's charge with a shoulder to the diaphragm. The latter did her best to keep her center of gravity low, but with a nearly fifty-centimeter difference in their heights, Atofe was able to keep hers much lower.
With Ghislaine sent skidding backward, cradling her stomach and doing her best to avoid vomiting, Atofe's laughter briefly reverberated through the parade grounds before she bellowed, "Serves you right for being so tall...!"
Clenching her teeth, Ghislaine dropped into a three-point stance with her left hand on the ground and sword held to the side. Anemo Energy began to swirl around her, but before she could execute a charging attack, Atofe swiped her club at the ground, producing a cloud of dust and peppering Ghislaine with stone shrapnel. Some might call such an attack dirty, but, as a God-Ranked practitioner of the North God Style, Atofe rarely, if ever, played fair...
...
..
.

Feeling a sudden and intense surge of pain, Paul awoke to find himself being lowered into a pool of hazy, glowing green liquid. His arms felt like they were burning from the inside out, but he did his best to force a smile as Ganyu stared down at him with teary eyes and a concerned look on her face.
Understanding that Paul couldn't speak due to the clenching of his jaw, Ganyu took the initiative to say, "Please, don't force yourself...just let me care for you..."
Nodding his head, Paul closed his eyes and did his best to relax as Ganyu channeled Healing Magic into his body. The rapid regeneration of his flesh and nerves caused his body to seize against his will, followed by an itchy feeling emanating from his very bones, but Paul was well-acquainted with such sensations. After all, hardly a day went by where he wasn't severely injured during his training with Atofe...
With the pain gradually giving way to a pleasant numbness, Paul was able to mutter, "Sorry...I know you hate seeing me like this, but I can't afford to quit...I need to get stronger..."
"..."
Though she wanted to argue there were significantly less destructive methods he could employ, Ganyu elected to remain silent and comb her fingers through Paul's hair. She knew he felt an 'obligation' to pay some kind of price for the power and authority granted to him as Champion of the Intersection of Fate. He hadn't asked to bear their burden, but as he enjoyed having sex and spending time with them, he constantly pushed himself to feel 'worthy' of their sacrifice and companionship...
Unable to contain the feelings bubbling within her, Ganyu lowered her head to press her lips to Paul's. He was a little surprised by her actions due to having his eyes closed, but he readily reciprocated until a voice suddenly interrupted them, asking, "Oh~? Should I step back outside?"
Separating from Paul's lips, a pouty expression marred Ganyu's face as she looked towards the bath's entrance to find Kishirika standing in her birthday suit. Instead of saying anything, however, she waited for Paul to sit up and ask, "What's up?" with a conflicted look on his face.
Crossing her arms under her well-developing breasts, Kishirika retorted, "Your beloved fiancee went out of her way to come and check on you. At least pretend to be pleased."
Though she had a ways to go before reaching full maturity, Kishirika had sprung up to 150cm, roughly the same height as Sucrose. More notably, her waist had narrowed into a toned hourglass shape while her breasts, butt, and thighs had developed to the point she could directly compete with Venti in terms of raw sex appeal.
Shaking his head, Paul adopted a helpless smile as he replied, "Given your propensity to burst out laughing every time I get smacked around or sent flying, I seriously doubt you came here to check on me..."
Instead of refuting Paul's words, Kishirika adopted a playful smile before making her way over to join him in the bath. Ganyu narrowed her eyes, but Kishirika willfully ignored her as she raised Paul's left hand from the water and began peppering his fingers and knuckles with kisses.
"..."
Not sure what to make of Kishirika's behavior, Paul just shook his head and allowed the violet-haired Demoness to do as she pleased. More than three months had passed since their initial encounter, but there were still occasions when he had no idea what the odd-eyed woman was thinking. She was kind of like a cat in the way she came and went as she pleased, sometimes avoiding him for the entire day while others, she wouldn't let him out of her sight...
Matching Paul's expectations, nearly an hour passed with Kishirika doing nothing by kissing, licking, and sucking the fingers of his right hand. Most people might assume she was trying to seduce him, but Paul knew better. There were times when Kishirika just felt like performing a specific action, and until she was satisfied, she would basically be oblivious to everything in her surroundings.
With her eyes abruptly regaining their focus, Kishirika pulled Paul's finger from her mouth, an alluringly seductive smile developing across her face as she sensuously purred, "You have delicious fingers..."
Returning a smile of his own, Paul replied, "Thanks?" as if he were asking a question rather than responding to a compliment.
Blinking her narrowed eyes, Kishiriked mused, "My pleasure..." before lowering Paul's hand and resting her head against his shoulder. Her goat-like horns got in the way, but Kishirika either didn't notice or didn't care as she nestled closer to Paul, making herself comfortable before revealing, "I think that shitty God has started to take action...I'm not sure if he has contacted Badi, but someone fairly troublesome should be arriving in the next couple of days..."
Furrowing his brows, Paul asked, "Who is it?" before following it up by adding, "Don't tell me it's that wannabe Hero, Kalman the Third..."
Unsurprised by Paul's accurate guess, Kishirika adopted a broad smile as she replied, "That's right. I'm not sure what that piece of shit told him, but he's on his way here with five others. I doubt they pose a threat to your summons, but you, that cat woman, and that weakling Maid should be on your guard."
"..."
Though he didn't doubt Kishirika's words, Paul couldn't understand why Hitogami would employ someone like the North God from the very start. As far as he was aware, Kalman III was immune to Hitogami's influence since his Grandfather was a Hero from another world. In other words, he could only be influenced second-hand, making him significantly easier to manipulate than the average Apostle...
Seeing through Paul's thoughts, Kishirika's expression became serious as she warned, "You should never attempt to comprehend that piece of shit's way of thinking. For all we know, he could be sending that idiot here to be defeated, setting him up to become your ally. Then, when the time is ripe, he will say or do something to convince even your closest allies to betray you..."
"Right..."
Staring up at the ceiling, Paul recalled how Hitogami had manipulated Rudeus over several years, often giving advice and helping him out in precarious situations. Were it not for his future self sacrificing himself to travel back in time to warn him, Rudeus would have lost everything, his family, friends, and even his children. In the end, he even became the most wanted criminal in the world, destroying entire kingdoms and killing countless people in his efforts to try and 'fix' things.
Fortunately for Paul, his way of doing things was significantly different from Rudeus. He had a much better understanding of what Hitogami was capable of and countless allies who were immune to his influence. Rudeus only started forming an organization and support group after the warning of his future self. Paul had been building his from the moment he obtained Ningguang. The only things he was still lacking were individual power and the support of Orsted...
Since it was too dangerous to confront Orsted directly, Paul had decided to wait until Nanahoshi was summoned during the Metastasis Event. She was the reason Rudeus had been spared during his initial encounter with the overly-cautious Dragon God, so Paul was hoping her presence would make Orsted more open to discussion. The issue was that the Metastasis Event was at least fifteen years in the future...
Realizing that Hitogami wasn't going to ignore them for the next fifteen years, Paul closed his eyes, countless thoughts racing across his mind as he asked, "How soon until Kal and his companions arrive?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Kishirika replied, "They're currently waiting for transport between Zant and Wind Port. Since the rainy season is about to begin, it could be anywhere between three days or three months. There is even a chance they could turn around or travel somewhere else to recruit additional allies. Unlike that hateful piece of shit, I can't see days, weeks, or even decades into the future..."
Believing he could see where Kishirika was going with her grumbling, Paul opened his eyes and asked, "Let me guess...you want us to hurry with the reclamation of your castle?"
Exhaling a throaty and sensual chuckle, Kishirika brought her lips to Paul's ear and whispered, "You're cute when you're quick on the uptake..."
As Kishirika extended her inordinately long and pointed tongue to lick in and around his ear, Paul recalled their initial conversation about retaking her castle. They had agreed to wait until he was approaching the end of his stay in the Demon Continent, kind of like a 'final challenge' before his return home. If they attempted to reclaim it now, he would, once again, be forced to stand in the background as Ei did most of the work...
Sensing Paul's apprehensions, Kishirika retracted her tongue, licked her lips, and revealed, "My castle is protected by a powerful Guardian Spirit, Fayde of Twilight. You'd like her. More importantly, it's the perfect place to begin spreading the influence of your Elemental Energy without having to worry about people getting up and arms..."
"..."
Resisting the urge to ask why he would like Fayde, Paul allowed his body to sink into the hazy, glowing green water. Kishirika initially interpreted this as a refusal to continue the conversation, but before she could begin to pout, Paul replied, "Fine...but if we're going to do this, we going to do it right..."
Before explaining his plan, Paul allowed his head to sink beneath the surface of the water, remaining there for several seconds before rising to a seated position, turning to Ganyu, and asking, "I know you just returned the other day, but can you go pick up Zhongli, Kusanali, and whoever else Ningguang recommends?"
Chiming in before Ganyu could follow her affirmative nod with a verbal response, Kishirika said, "Don't forget, it's my castle. I don't mind letting your people explore, but it's not a playground. Anyone who intends to stay there for an extended period will need to become my servant. My people may have forgotten me, but I'm still the Great Demon Empress, Kishirika Kishirisu...!"
Since Ganyu didn't take orders from Kishirika, Paul supplied a nod of his own and asked, "Can you relay those words to Ningguang? I'm sure she has people prepared for this kind of thing."
Adopting a faint smile, Ganyu replied, "Leave it to me." before rising to her feet as if she was prepared to depart immediately. That was certainly her intention, but Paul grabbed the wrist of her left hand and said, "You don't have to leave this instant. I'd have to be a pretty massive asshole to send you off without thanking you for carrying my body and nursing me back to health..."
Understanding how Paul intended to 'thank' her, a broad smile developed across Ganyu's face as she narrowed her eyes and whispered, "Master..." in an audibly impassioned tone. The presence of Kishirika bothered her a bit, but she wasn't going to pass up on an opportunity to spend time with the man she had dedicated her everything.
Fortunately for Ganyu, Kishirika was aware that most of the girls in Paul's entourage weren't particularly fond of her. She got along decently with Venti and, to a lesser extent, Xinyan, but the rest hadn't reacted favorably to the revelation she had 'forced' Paul into an engagement. Thus, to avoid generating too much animosity between her and the more over-protective members of Paul's entourage, she tried giving them space whenever they wanted some alone time with their beloved 'Master.'
Rising to her feet, Kishirika teased, "Try not to lose track of time. I doubt Atofe will be too enthused if you're delinquent to your afternoon training. She might enjoy keeping others waiting, but she hates it when others do the same."
Without waiting for Paul's or Ganyu's responses, Kishirika exited the bath and departed with slow and graceful steps, her waist and bottom snaking in a naturally seductive manner. It was a mesmerizing sight to behold, at least for Paul, but he was eventually able to tear his eyes away and meet Ganyu's watery and impassioned gaze...
"Master..."
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..
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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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Chapter 165: MI165: Hardships