Mushoku Impact

With Sayu still unconscious after Ganyu's treatment, Paul was passing the time by experimenting with his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
Unlike the Mystic Eyes from his memory, Paul quickly discovered that his own only applied to inanimate objects. Similar to how his X-Ray Eyes were incapable of seeing through a person's body, sufficiently dense Mana was able to interfere with his ability to perceive the Lines of Death.
Fortunately, while he couldn't see Lines of Death on living creatures, Paul could see them on items and constructs containing Mana. He tested this out by having Ganyu form an Intermediate-Ranked Barrier and stabbing a point where several Lines of Death intersected. He would ordinarily need to expend a significant amount of effort to cut through such a barrier, but the tip of his sword pierced through the junction as if it were awaiting his blade like a sheathe...
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Interrupting Paul's experimentation, Zhongli calmly informed everyone, "It appears our friend from before has returned. A group of powerful foes has begun to converge in the corridors joining the Great Hall."
As they had been expecting a counter-attack for nearly seven hours, Paul was more relieved than surprised by Zhongli's report, asking, "How many are there?" in a fairly calm and relaxed manner.
Without needing to double-check her findings, Zhongli adopted a faint smile as she confidently replied, "There are a total of seven with fairly powerful auras. There is also a battalion's worth of Anti-Magic Golems and Magic Armors."
Expecting a few dozen enemies, Paul's relaxed demeanor promptly faded away. He wasn't frightened, but the notion he would be forced to sit in the back immediately entered his mind...
Having heard Zhongli's report, Kishirika flew over in her prototype Golden Armor, asking, "You mentioned there are seven powerful auras? Can you see what they look like...?"
Nodding her head, Zhongli replied, "It's a bit difficult, but I can make out their general appearance. Is there someone, in particular, you're looking for?"
"Is this woman among them?"
Holding up her right hand, Kishirika demonstrated the versatility of her armor's amorphous properties by creating the figure of a catgirl in the palm of her hand. Unlike a typical Beast Person, however, this particular catgirl had a fairly 'modern' appearance that included short hair, a long-sleeved jacket, what appeared to be sunglasses, and a pleated skirt that extended to her ankles. She also had various weapons strapped to her lower back, one resembling a shortsword with a built-in revolver...
Recognizing the figure among their would-be assailants, Zhongli nodded her head and replied, "Indeed. She is presently seated atop a golem that resembles a large metal ball."
"I knew it..."
Exhaling a sigh, Kishirika pre-empted Paul's inquiries by explaining, "When we first entered the throne room, I initiated its lockdown feature, sealing it from the inside. Outsiders would need to complete a series of six trials to undo the lockdown, but the Master or Steward of the castle need only ask the Guardians to open the way..."
Holding up the figurine she had created, Kishirika continued, "This is Atena of Slaughter. Much like Fayde, she's one of the Spirits that sided with Demonkind after the collapse of the Demon World. If she's here, it's safe to assume the remaining auras belong to her fellow Guardians."
Since it was impossible for them to avoid a conflict, Paul decided to ask the most pressing question that came to mind, specifically, "Will you be able to reclaim your throne if we defeat them?"
Reabsorbing Atena's figurine into her palm, Kishirika turned to meet Paul's gaze, grinning as she replied, "Definitely. However, I would prefer it if your pet monsters didn't kill Atena. Summoning Ancient Spirits isn't particularly difficult, but negotiating their contracts is a pain in the ass."
Smiling wryly, Paul looked to Zhongli and Ei to hear what they had to say. He likely wouldn't be fighting on the frontlines, so it was ultimately up to them whether or not they would spare the stylish yet odd-looking catgirl.
Offering a smile of her own, Zhongli assured, "Based on my estimates, her power is around the standard for the King Rank. Unless she possesses a form of spatial movement or teleportation, capturing her should be a fairly simple matter."
Though it felt weird hearing Zhongli refer to King-Ranked individuals as if they were little more than children, Paul just nodded his head and replied, "Great. I'll leave her capture to you. There isn't much I can contribute to this fight, so I'll stay here with Kishirika, Ganyu, Yae, and Sayu."
Fearing that Zhongli would make the same mistake as before, Kishirika interjected to add, "It would be ideal if you could capture each of them, especially the one in black armor. If they're the same person you crushed previously, they should know the location of Laplace's spare vessels."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Zhongli replied, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind..." before shifting her amber-eyed gaze to Ei.&nbsp;
Understanding the meaning behind Zhongli's look, Ei furrowed her brows and asserted, "Spare me your concerns. I am perfectly capable of holding back."
Instead of arguing or attempting to refute Ei's claim, Zhongli maintained her smile as she looked at Paul and said, "If there's nothing else, Lady Beelzebub and I will depart for the Great Hall. Please take Lady Sayu and relocate elsewhere. As unlikely as it is for the enemy to breakthrough, it's better to take precautions against any unforeseen circumstances."
As much as the notion of hiding away bothered him, Paul didn't hesitate to respond, "Yeah, yeah, I know." before half-turning with the intent to go pick up Sayu. However, before stepping away, he looked back at Zhongli and Ei, adding, "I believe in you both..." in a solemn tone.
Placing her hand over her heart, Zhongli offered a courteous bow as she replied, "And we shan't disappoint you." before raising her head to reveal a squinty-eyed smile...
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While looking bored atop her personalized golem, the Great Ballmaru-san, Atena lazily inquired, "Are you sure they're going to come out? They can't be that stupid, can they...?"
Scowling beneath her helmet, the Black Knight version of Kishirika turned to the bored-looking cat girl and replied, "They were able to react to and dodge the Longsword of Light. If you don't take them seriously, you'll lose more than just your head."
Rolling her eyes, Atena fearlessly retorted, "You're not even a swordsman. Someone being able to dodge your attacks isn't even remotely surprising."
"Atena..."
Interjecting before the argument could get out of hand, a tall, lean, and muscular man with bronzed skin, brown hair, and tribal garments adorned with large feathers stated, "Even if she ceded her power and authority to Master Laplace, you should not speak ill of our former Mistress."
Raising her right middle finger, Atena replied, "Bite me, Brahm. Nobody asked for your opinion."
Narrowing his eyes, Brahm, also known as Brahm the Primal, gripped the archaic-looking spear in his left hand. It resembled a simple bone spear, and while that's precisely what it was, the materials used to assemble it were harvested from the bodies of extinct, calamity-class monsters.
Though Brahm made no indication he was about to attack, Atena leaped away like a startled cat, her fangs and claws bared as she shouted, "Huh, huh!? You want to go!? Bring it on...!"
Instead of responding to Atena's challenge, Brahm directed his gaze to the double doors separating the Great Hall from the throne room. He was unable to sense their auras directly, but his instincts told him there were a number of powerful enemies on the other side. In other words, he didn't have time for Atena and her nonsense.
Realizing that Brahm was ignoring her, Atena's right eye twitched as she reached behind her to grip the hilt of her self-created weapon, the Killer Roscoe Mk 3. Brahm was a lot stronger than she was, but she also knew he wouldn't fight back seriously unless she genuinely tried to kill him.
Before Atena could make up her mind about whether or not she wanted to attack Brahm, a petite figure using her distinctly mechanical tail as a sort of perch chimed in to say, "Give it a rest, Atena. It's not like you have any pressing matters to return to."
Looking toward the person that had spoken, Atena's expression morphed into one of conflict as she retorted, "I was in the middle of drafting a new name. As someone who nags me about new releases, I figured you would be more understanding, Azura."
Dropping out of her suspended, cross-legged posture, Azura landed on the blade-like tips of her clearly mechanical feet as she looked toward the Black Knight and proposed, "I'll lure them out. They might run out of food and supplies if we wait, but we didn't gather here to just idle about in the Great Hall. Our duty is to supervise the six trials, not assist in sieging the throne room."
Gritting her teeth, the Black Knight quietly muttered, "Damned turncoat..." before looking to the other Guardians to see their reactions. Brahm only really cared about confronting powerful foes and hunting large game, so she looked toward the remaining three, a drunk-looking woman with red skin, red eyes, white hair, and pointed horns, a marginally more petite woman with matching skin, fluffy white hair, blue eyes, and elf-like ears, and a burly, 318cm tall man that resembled a Magic Armor but with a far more regal appearance.
Noticing the Black Knight's gaze, the towering figure stated, "I will fight." in a deep, bone-chilling tone. He was the Commander of the Magic Armor Division, so he would never forgive interlopers who exorcised his brethren and attempted to claim the castle for themselves. As for his name, people simply referred to him as Legion, as, rather than a single person, he was the amalgamation of countless tortured souls.
Following Legion's example, the scantily-clad drunkard, also known as Vahka, made a peace sign as she assured, "I already came all this way. No way am I going to return before I've had a bit of fun."
Exhaling a sigh, the similarly red-skinned woman gave her markedly more lascivious counterpart a narrow-eyed stare as she appended, "If my sister is going to fight, I'm obligated to at least collect her corpse..."
Amused by her younger sister's remark, Vahka promptly pounced on the annoyed-looking woman, shamelessly groping her from behind as she laughingly mused, "Oh, Vashti, I knew you cared~!"
Though it was difficult to see due to her complexion, a slightly darker shade of red colored Vashti's cheeks as she extricated herself from her sister's clutches and groaned, "You're embarrassing yourself in front of our allies..."
Before Vahka could respond, the Black Knight firmly stated, "It's fine. So long as she does her job, I don't care how she behaves."
Following her words, the Black Knight returned her attention to Azura and asked, "Are you sure you wish to act as bait? We no longer have the ability to fabricate replacement parts. Once your current reserves run out, you'll have no choice but to inhabit the body of an Anti-Magic Golem."
Exhibiting no fear or hesitation, Azura replied, "So long as I can continue to fulfill my duty, it doesn't matter what form I possess."
Grabbing a device from her hip, Azura held it out to her side and allowed it to transform into a futuristic three-pronged spear. At the same time, an audible whirring sound began to emanate from Azura's body as lights at the tips of her artificial horns, feet, and tail began to pulsate with vibrant, azure-green light.
"I'm go-"
As if to mock Azura's conviction, the doors to the throne room began to open of their own accord. Then, despite just a single person appearing, even the Magic Armors and Anti-Magic Golems felt a strange tension as Zhongli emerged from within, a 'friendly' smile on her face as she calmly remarked, "I will give you one opportunity to surrender."
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Seeing Zhongli appear by herself, Atena couldn't help feeling a little annoyed as she asked, "What the heck? It's just one woman?"
As Zhongli was the person who crushed her previous body, the Black Knight involuntarily tensed as she replied, "She is appearing alone for a reason. Don't underestimate her..."
Snorting through her nose, Atena unsheathed her Killer Roscoe Mk 3 and said, "I'll go first."
As Atena attempted to step forward, Azura promptly blocked her path with her spear, stating, "We already decided that I would be going first. Besides, look at her weapon. It's not often I get the opportunity to pit my spearmanship against another."
Interrupting before the duo could reach an accord, the Black Knight firmly stated, "We should go together. This one's earth magic is in a league of its own. If she isn't God-Ranked, no one is..."
Hearing the Black Knight mention their opponent was God-Ranked, Vashti took a step back as she nervously remarked, "I'm not so sure about this..."
Significantly less unnerved by the revelation, Vahka began stretching her right arm and shoulder as she teased, "Relax, Shti. What's the worst that can happen? We die~?"
Deciding to join in on the conversation, Zhongli replied, "Unless you take your own lives, you need not fear such an outcome. My Master has asked me to capture and, if necessary, seal you away. Inversely, you can choose to sit the fight out or engage in a dialogue. We are not here to lay waste to the castle and weaken its defenses."
Since she hadn't been able to gather any significant information from Sayu, the Black Knight seized upon Zhongli's words, asking, "Who is your Master? What do they hope to achieve by claiming my former throne...?"
Exhibiting the faintest hint of surprise, Zhongli's eyes widened ever so slightly as she echoed, "Your former throne...?"
Though she didn't remove her helmet, the Black Knight allowed her visor to retract, revealing the near-identical face of Kishirika beneath. Her aura was strikingly dissimilar, but she could pass as the 'authentic' Kishirika's twin.
"Oh, my...you're a dead ringer for the former Demon Empress, Kishirika Kishirisu. The only problem is...we've met the real deal. In fact, the entire reason we've come here is to help the 'true' Kishirika reclaim her throne..."
"What the hell did you just say, you big-tittied bimbo...!?"
Unable to contain her fury, the Black Knight unholstered her oversized, ancient-looking flintlock and aimed it in Zhongli's direction. She didn't pull the trigger, but her finger squeezed around it as she exclaimed, "What do you mean the 'true' Kishirika!? There's only one true me, and I'm standing right here...!"
Without considering whether or not the woman in front of her was a genuine article, Zhongli shook her head and argued, "The 'real' Kishirika isn't someone who transfers bodies upon death. You undoubtedly have a connection to the original, but we need only look at the objective facts to determine you're one of Laplace's experiments. He failed to replicate the reincarnation ability of the original, yet the Kishirika I'm acquainted with has died and reincarnated at least once since the end of the Laplace War. Can you make the same claim?"
Unable to argue with Zhongli's logic, the Black Knight shouted, "You're lying!" before squeezing the trigger of her flintlock. However, instead of firing a metal ball, the peculiar pistol unleashed a swift, highly compact ball of Fire Magic that gradually expanded as it traveled.
Though she had been willing to settle things with a discussion, Zhongli couldn't help smiling as the Black Knight's attack neared her. She hated conflicts that imperiled the lives of the masses, but battles of ideologies always got her blood pumping.
After slicing through the Black Knight's ball of flame with considerable ease, Zhongli's amber eyes shifted to the 'phantom' attempting to attack from her side. Legion wasn't particularly swift in his physical form, but he could dematerialize into an immaterial, shadowy form when he needed to close distances quickly.
Despite Legion's claymore being near twice her size, Zhongli managed to deflect it with a casual smile, remarking, "You're quite fast for someone so large..."
Not one for discussion, Legion responded with a ghastly, "Die." as just his blade became immaterial.&nbsp;
Though her eyes briefly widened, Zhongli avoided Legion's attack without moving from her initial position. The moment his blade connected with her spear, a hexagonal pattern appeared beneath Legion's left foot, erupting into a pillar of Geo Energy that knocked him off balance and changed the trajectory of his attack.
Reacting much faster than her titanic opponent, Zhongli stabbed through the abdominal section of Legion's armor. When she felt there was nothing inside, she surprised nearly everyone present by spinning her waist like a bow and kicking him in the chest with enough force to send him crashing into the far wall, covering nearly 300m in an instant.
Thanks to the durability of Goseki Stone, the castle walls were largely unaffected by Legion's two tons of mass impacting them. Legion himself, however, could barely stand as ghostly blue flames bled out of his body and pooled on the ground in front of him.
Raising his visored face, Legion intended to 'glare' at Zhongli with the ghostly blue orbs that made up his eyes. Instead, he was greeted by the pointy end of his very own claymore, separating his helmeted head from his shoulders.
"And then there were six..."
Turning her attention to the Black Knight and her remaining Guardians, Zhongli's smile became fairly mischievous as she asked, "What's wrong? Weren't you competing to determine who got to fight me first? No need to be shy."
Though she had no intention of killing anyone, Zhongli didn't mind playing the part of a 'villain' to intimidate her opponents. Legion would regenerate so long as the Mana comprising him wasn't purified, so, as ruthless as her actions appeared, they were ultimately harmless.
Whether she saw through Zhongli's intentions or simply didn't care, Vahka stepped forward and playfully replied, "Guess I'm up~." before vanishing into thin air. In reality, her initial burst of acceleration was so sudden that she appeared to teleport, reappearing next to Zhongli in an instant.
Catching Vahka's bare foot by the ankle, Zhongli noted, "Excellent speed." before moving her head to evade Vahka's follow-up kick. Then, as Vahka giggled like a child enjoying a carnival ride, Zhongli spun the red-skinned Demoness around before flinging her toward the nearest wall.
Despite Zhongli's tremendous strength and the speed at which she was thrown, Vahka managed to right herself mid-air, landing against the wall in a crouched posture as she remarked, "You're pretty strong."
Turning to meet Vahka's gaze, Zhongli replied, "I have my moments." while simultaneously erecting a wall to defend against the Black Knight's tendrils.&nbsp;
Bounding off the wall, Vahka's smile stretched at the muscles of her face as she shouted, "I'm pretty strong myself...!"
Twisting her body mid-air, Vahka slipped past the tip of Zhongli's spear and landed a meteoric punch on the latter's face. A visible shockwave emanated from the point of contact, but, despite packing all of her power into the blow, Vahka was unable to send Zhongli flying. Instead, she felt a combination of pain and heat radiating from her diaphragm, the result of Zhongli's fist sinking into it.
Though others might have been debilitated by such a precise counter, Vahka afforded Zhongli a bloodstained smile as she gripped the Archon's shoulders and said, "You shouldn't have done that~" in a sing-song tone.
Adopt a smile of her own, Zhongli replied, "Perhaps." as she attempted to send Vahka flying away from her with a zero-distance punch. The force behind the blow was enough to make the back of Vahka's outfit explode, exposing the skin beneath, but the Demoness herself just smirked as the muscles in her back, arms, and shoulders spontaneously swelled.
Realizing that her opponent grew stronger as she sustained injuries, Zhongli promptly lowered her center of gravity, forcing Vahka off balance as a pillar of Geo Energy rose to impact her abdomen. She did her best to cling to Zhongli's shoulders, but the stone-faced Archon readily discarded her overcoat, revealing a white, qipao-like undertunic.
As Vahka was promptly pinned against the ceiling, Zhongli performed a backhand sweep to slice through another expanding fireball. At the same time, she discharged Geo Energy into her surroundings, producing several large pillars that periodically pulsed with golden energy. However, instead of providing barriers to everyone nearby, each pulse caused the ground to quake with debilitating force.
Unaffected by the vibrations, Zhongli rapidly vaulted between the pillars, evading the Black Knight's Magic as she began to pepper the formation of Magic Armors and Anti-Magic Golems with a seemingly endless volley of spears. The Black Knight and Vashti did their best to erect a magic barrier, but the vast majority of Zhongli's spears tore through it like paper.
"Hmmm...?"
Emerging from behind one of the pillars she had created, Zhongli dodged to the side and caught a thrown spear out of mid-air. Before she could get a good look at it, however, the figure of a man appeared next to her, hand gripping the spear as he said, "You're powerful." with a confident smile on his face.
Interrupting before Zhongli could respond with a compliment of her own, Brahm attempted to slit the cordial Archon's throat with a bone knife. She was able to move back her head in time to evade it, but the fact the knife cut through her barrier didn't escape her.
Using Brahm's grip on his spear as leverage, Zhongli slammed the Ancient Spirit into the adjacent pillar, musing, "That's a neat little toy." before side-stepping and spinning around a sneak attack from her blindspot, courtesy of Azura.
"Wha-!?"
Interrupting the petite spearwoman's exclamation, Zhongli chopped the back of Azura's neck only to realize the ineffectiveness of such attacks. The force behind the blow was enough to send Azura face-planting into the ground, but it failed to disrupt the connection between her brain and body. Instead, the moment Azura crashed into the ground, the tip of her mechanized tail attempted to skewer Zhongli like a scorpion.
Though she managed to catch Azura's tail with her bare hand, a rare frown marred Zhongli's face as she felt a numbness encroaching up her forearm. The barrier coating her body was thinner around the extremities, so Azura's Mana-infused tail was able to slice into her palm, invading her system with some kind of toxin.
In reality, what Azura infected Zhongli with were nanoparticles powered by microscopic fragments of enriched Mana Crystals. Most people were incapable of using Touki and casting Spells when their body was infested with foreign magical energy, so they were effective against both Mages and warriors.
Unfortunately for Azura, Zhongli wasn't 'most people.' The moment she sensed 'something' invading her system, a dark brown, nearly black hue began to spread down the length of her arm. When it reached the tips of her fingers, a golden hue began to spread from her palm, climbing up her forearm as a similarly golden pattern developed across the contours of her muscles. At the same time, a peculiar red blush appeared around her eyes, followed by her pupils contracting into slits.
Discarding the smile she had worn throughout much of the fight, Zhongli's expression and tone were cold as she remarked, "It appears I need to get a little serious..."
Without giving Azura the chance to respond, Zhongli gripped her tail even tighter before utilizing the petite spearwoman as a flail, smashing her into Brahm. The latter attempted to grab and hold onto her, but that just gave Zhongli the chance to utilize both of them, smacking away the large, ball-shaped golem that came barreling toward her.
Instead of allowing the ball to crash to safety, Zhongli made a series of cutting gestures with her left hand, each causing a pillar of Geo Energy to erupt from the ground, impacting the spherical golem. She wasn't familiar with the game of pinball, but that didn't stop her from bouncing Atena and her golem around like a helpless ball bearing...
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Seeing Paul looking around himself with a slack-jawed expression on his face, Kishirika surprised him with a light punch to the gut as she shouted, "Tell me what they do already...!"
Coming back to his senses, Paul returned his attention to Kishirika before pausing as he realized that something was amiss. There were perpetually shifting red lines all over the emptied vault, even in the air itself, but there wasn't a single mark anywhere on Kishirika's body.
With Paul gawking at her, Kishirika took it upon herself to strike a pose as she asked, "What? Don't tell me they're just an upgraded version of your X-Ray Vision. Does my musculature fascinate you so~?"
Shaking his head, Paul reached up to massage his temples as he replied, "They're called Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. As the name suggests, they allow the user to visualize the death of a person or object in the form of red lines. So long as the user cuts along one of the lines, the target will be destroyed in an instant...well, that's assuming they work..."
Though her initial reaction was to blink several times in confusion, Kishirika eventually narrowed her eyes and remarked, "That's an oddly specific name and ability..."
Without going into the specifics, Paul explained, "I've seen them before, on a woman named Shiki Ryougi. I don't remember the exact sequence of events that led to her obtaining him, but I believe her family is descended from the original God of Death..."
Interpreting Paul's words to indicate that Ryougi hailed from the future, Kishirika adopted an uncharacteristically severe look as she muttered, "A descendent of the original God of Death...how troublesome..."
Reinforcing the idea that Ryougi was an actual person, Paul nodded his head and replied, "You can say that again. At her most powerful, Ryougi could even kill things like diseases and erase a person's existence with a single swing of her sword..."
Picking up his clothes, Paul fished around for his Vision before using it to summon his Black Blade. He needed to confirm whether or not his Mystic Eyes functioned similarly to Ryougi's, so he targetted one of the red lines floating through the air and swung his sword the moment it straightened out a bit.
Surprising both Paul and Kishirika, a sizeable chunk of the air appeared to fracture like glass the moment its Line of Death was severed. As it did, a powerful suction was generated as the air from the surroundings rushed in to fill the vacuum produced by the air's 'death.'
Though he managed to evade the resulting implosion, Paul was still left stupefied by the phenomenon he had caused. With just a casual, albeit very precise swing, he was able to generate a vacuum more than 5m in diameter...
Realizing what he had just done, Paul smacked his forehead and groaned, "Fuck my life..."
Hearing Paul's lamenting remark, Kishirika blinked back to awareness and asked, "What's wrong? I'm not sure what you were expecting, but this is a great success as far as I'm concerned. For eyes that only cost you around half your reserves, their effect is monstrous."
While he was relieved to hear he still had around half of his largely wasted Mana reserves, Paul could only manage an awkward smile as he revealed, "I'm not dissatisfied with my eyes...I'm feeling like a fucking idiot because my clothes and equipment were near the epicenter of that implosion..."
With her eyes opening to their full width, Kishirika immediately returned her attention to the devastation wrought by Paul's attack. Items such as his breastplate were largely unaffected, but most of the leather and fabric forming his equipment had been torn to ribbons.
Unable to contain herself, Kishirika burst out laughing with such intensity that she eventually fell over and rolled around on the floor. As for Paul, he did his best to recover what he could but ultimately accepted he would be returning to the throne room in his birthday suit.
At least Ganyu carried spare equipment for him in her pouch...
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Though she often commented on how annoying it was to train Paul, Atofe found herself lying atop her throne, her head and hair dangling where her legs were meant to be.
"I knew I should have gone with them..."
As there hadn't been any major conflicts since the end of the Laplace War, Atofe hadn't experienced a real challenge since the death of her husband and the ensuing departure of their son. She frequently left the fortress to settle disputes, but, more often than not, her presence alone was enough to cause both parties to capitulate.&nbsp;
*thonk* *thonk* *thonk*
Hearing someone hammering at the entrance to her throne room, Atofe briefly considered ignoring them before rolling off her throne, bouncing upright, and sitting back down.
"Enter!"
Forcing open one of the heavy, Goseki Stone doors, Moore entered the throne room and approached within five meters of Atofe before taking a knee and reporting, "Our men have reported sightings of the North God entering Wind Port alongside five others."
"Hoooo~? It seems that brat has grown braver these past eighty years..."
Though Kishirika had informed Atofe of her grandson's impending arrival, the blue-skinned Demoness hadn't taken her seriously. Kalman III, also known as Aleksander Raibaku, had actively avoided the Demon Continent ever since Atofe kidnapped him during his first visit. She trained him even harder than Paul, so, once his ten-year 'confinement' was up, Aleksander, affectionately referred to as Alek by Atofe, never returned.
Pulling up her left leg, Atofe adopted a very unladylike posture as she leaned against the knuckles of her right hand and asked, "What did they tell the port officials their intentions were? He couldn't be coming here to try and defeat me, right?"
Raising his head, Moore's expression was his usual mask of grim stoicism as he replied, "According to the official report, they are here in pursuit of a bounty...10,000 Asura Gold Coins for the head of Paul Greyrat, also known as the King's Greatsword..."
"Huh? King's Greatsword? That brat...?"
Though Paul was becoming increasingly competent, Atofe felt he still had a ways to go before he could refer to himself as a King. He might be able to qualify as a North King with his Vision and regeneration, but a title such as 'King's Greatsword' was way too much for a middling Saint.
Sitting a little straighter, Atofe shook her head and muttered, "Humans and their politics..." before meeting Moore's gaze and stating, "Alek isn't the type to trouble himself with treasure and accumulating wealth. What crimes has Paul been accused of...?"
Shaking his head, Moore clarified, "It's an unlisted bounty. However, there are rumors circulating among the dockworkers that depict Paul Greyrat as a traitor conspiring to seize the throne of Asura for himself..."
Furrowing her brows, Atofe asked, "And when, exactly, did these rumors start?"
Lowering his head in affirmation of Atofe's suspicions, Moore replied, "As soon as the North God's Party entered port..."
"That idiot..."
Realizing that her grandson was likely being manipulated, Atofe reached up to massage her forehead. Alek's obsession with becoming a True Hero made him trusting to a fault. He helped everyone he came across, and so long as you could convince him someone was evil, he would ignore almost all evidence to the contrary.
Under normal circumstances, Atofe wouldn't interfere in her grandson's affairs. As a quarter Immortal, he had thousands of years to figure things out. However, if he were going to become some tool for corrupt humans to oppress Demonkind, Atofe would rather imprison him in the dungeons until his brain developed a few additional wrinkles...
Having made up her mind, Atofe rose to her feet, adopted a broad smile, and shouted, "I'm heading to Wind Port! You're in charge while I'm away, understood!?"
Bowing his head respectfully, Moore replied, "As you will." before bracing himself as Atofe flew over him like a meteor. They had an agreement with Wind Port that stated Atofe wasn't allowed to enter, but, much like Alek, it was impossible to reason with the blue-skinned Demoness once she had made up her mind. All Moore could do was make preparations to appease the Port's Governor. Fortunately, the abundance of gifts provided by Paul put them in a pretty good position to do so...
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Unaware that his fraternal grandmother was on her way to visit him, Alek was all smiles as a petite woman with dark brown hair and bronzed skin skillfully swayed her hips atop his own. Her face and body were covered in white runes, and there were tiny, branch-like horns protruding from her scalp, but Alek was utterly enchanted by the woman's supple thighs and lithe, athletic figure...
Sensing that Alek was nearing his limit, the dark-skinned shamaness bent forward and placed her hands around his neck. Then, while staring at him with her heterochromatic gold and pale green eyes, she began to squeeze as hard as she could.
Though he reached up to grab his youthful-looking lover's forearms, Alek didn't attempt to break free from her grip. He even went as far as holding his breath, a pleasant tingling pervading his body and mind as he skirted the borders between consciousness and oblivion.
As Alek's body arched and spasmed against his will, the shamaness did her best to stay atop him by squeezing her muscular thighs together. It was only after she felt an intense surge of warmth invade her body that she released her hold on Alek's neck, his body immediately going limp as she did so.
Despite experiencing something similar every time she and Alek engaged in carnality, the petite shamaness couldn't help asking, "Are you okay...?" with a sincerely concerned look on her face. She didn't like choking Alek, but it was sadly one of the only ways he could reach 'completion.'
Instead of responding with words, Alek just pat the shamaness's hand as he continued staring at the ceiling with a euphoric expression on his face. A lifetime of battle had left him numb to conventional pains and pleasure, so while he felt bad about pushing his young lover to choke him, Alek had no intention of asking her to stop.
Exhaling a faint sigh, the shamaness dismounted Alek's body and started cleaning herself. Alek was the type of man who was done the moment he 'finished,' asserting that it would dull his senses if he indulged himself too much. Unfortunately for the shamaness, also known as Savva, this meant she rarely came away from their entanglement satisfied...
Recovering from his fleeting pleasure, Alek rose to a seated position and said, "That was amazing..." with an affectionate smile on his face. Savva returned a smile of her own, but any perceptible individual would be able to tell her thoughts differed on the matter.
Oblivious to his young lover's growing exasperation, Alek maintained his naturally charming smile as he rose from the bed and stretched his lean and muscular body. His appearance was the kind that would cause even married women to fantasize, but after traveling with him for the past three months, Savva only spared a glance at Alek's impressive physique before exhaling another faint sigh...
Looking back at Savva over his shoulder, Alex's expression revealed a hint of concern as he asked, "What's wrong? Feeling tired...?"
Forcing a smile, Savva nodded her head and replied, "A little. However, Sir Alek need not feel concerned. I should recover within a few minutes."
Not questioning Savva's statement, Alek returned a nod before regaining his smile and continuing his stretching routine. He had learned from past experiences that he was vulnerable after having sex, so he always made sure to relieve the tension in his joints and get his blood pumping once he was finished. The last he wanted was to be complacent now that he was in 'enemy' territory...
...
..
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Chapter 181: MI181: Palpable