Winds of Change (DxD)

United States of America

California

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

"Huh, I was expecting something completely different, but this is…" I said as soon as we arrived at the place.

I expected to be teleported somewhere in California, but not underground. However, the space we were in was covered with many powerful barriers and spells that prevent any kind of unauthorized teleportation. Lavinia is the one who teleported me, so she must have authorization to come here.

The area around us was quite large. Above us there were lights powered by magic, and the place had a medieval look, yet was futuristic in its design. It's like the medieval ages met pure white aesthetics. That's the kind of place this was. To our right was some kind of shop/reception. However, once they saw us—Lavinia and Lisa they didn't seem to care much about 'checking' us in.

In front of us was a large fountain, and then a bunch of other rooms. Some had windows while the rest did not. I could see many magicians in them. I'm pretty sure once I graduate Mil-tan and Aika Kiryuu will join the Grauzauberer to learn magic, and their mentor will be Nia who was beside me.

"Oh my god, it's Miss Lisa and Miss Lavinia!!" A magician screamed drawing attention to us.

However, I was also seen by another person, and—

"They also brought the Middleman!"

After that, we were immediately surrounded, but to my surprise, these two let out their auras, and the crowd of magicians stopped coming closer to us.

"Let's go, Aer—Jin, I called the chairman before we came here and he's expecting us. But I didn't explain why we're here," Nia said beside me.

"I see, thanks."

She just snuggled into me in response, and we started to walk forward. With the aura these two were producing no one could get close to us. I used [Observe] to check for any potential powerful magicians that I could recommend to my juniors and friends for the pact. But for the time being…

'Hmm?'

One of them caught my attention... the only one so far that I've seen with significant potential was Akane Himura, Roygun's [Bishop] who was formerly a human turned reincarnated devil. She's also a mutation piece which increases her value.

She has mid-back length silver hair that has black ribbons tied behind it. She also possesses light purple eyes. She is dressed in a witch-like robe and grey knee-high socks that reach near her skirt area.

When using [Observe] on her—her name was Fusae Hirawa. But strangely enough she looked like a certain person I knew from a novel… she was even reading a book and was all by herself. Finally, getting annoyed by the noise, she looked up and our eyes met. Her eyes briefly widened, but in the end, they moved back to the book she was reading.

'She looks like Hiyori Shiina… but damn, her potential is High-tier God-class. If I can mak—'

"Jin? Why are you staring at Fusae-chan?" Nia asked me.

I came back to my senses and noticed I had stopped walking. "Oh, it's nothing… you know that devils need a pact with magicians, right? I might ask her to be one of the girls' pact magician... Fusae, huh?"

"We came here to form an alliance with Grauzauberer and the chairman, Jin, not for you to get more women~" Lisa teased.

"…What part of—you know what, never mind. Let's just go," I sighed and started walking again. But I would keep an eye out for that girl. She had higher potential than Nia before I changed it…

We continued on our small journey. We passed through many hallways, rooms and areas that had many magicians or were just empty. However, there were quite a few rooms that had an abundance of books. My upcoming home renovation will add its own infinite library for anyone who wishes to read up on anything.

I got the idea after visiting the library in Nembesouk. The fact that many like reading, and especially books about the supernatural, the occult and magic. I wanted to add a library because of that. I'll also add normal books down there too, like manga and light novels for the ones that are interested… meaning…

I'll need a librarian in the future, and I'll have to make personal deals with both Yae and Kogitsunemaru in the Shinto realm to get some brand-new books in there for the girls and I. However, I have no idea who to choose for my librarian. I'll cross that path when I get to it, but for now—

"Hmm? Lisa? Lavinia? Middleman? I was just on my way to my office to wait for you three. This is certainly a coincidence. Come, come." He gestured for us to join him and so we did.

We came across a certain person. Mephisto Pheles is a middle-aged man with gelled hair, which is a mixture of red and blue. He has heterochromia; his left eye is blue, while his right eye is red.

I didn't think we would come across this man here of all places because according to these two we were still around four minutes away from his office. I put my hand up and greeted him.

"Hello, Mephisto."

"Hmm. Good day to you, Jin Skyward. I heard from Lavinia that you are looking to form an alliance with me personally? May I know why?" He asked while glancing at me.

"Well, I heard many positive things from Grigori and Azazel, so I thought it would be beneficial to make a personal alliance when one of my lovers is from the organization, also… it may make it easier to form pacts with magicians here for devils that I'm in close friendship with," I replied to him.

To this, Mephisto chuckled. "I see, so it's for your lover, Lavinia, is it? You are also close to the young Gremory heiress. I have spoken to Azazel many times… I see, I see…"

Both Lisa and Nia started to speak with Mephisto. On the other hand, I began to look around the area. From the bits and bobs of conversation I heard from them, it seemed like they were just catching up with each other. There was nothing particularly pertinent about what they were saying.

Finally, we reached a room and Mephisto touched the doors and they vanished. 'Magic? Very powerful ones at that. This room has a lot of barriers as well, probably stronger than the ones surrounding this place. Also…'

When I used [Observe] on Mephisto Pheles… he certainly wasn't weak. Just like Asteri, he was Satan-class. He rivaled the deceased Satan's powers, eh? He could have certainly made a lot of ruckus in the Underworld if he was interested in it.

Once in the room, he walked over to sit in his chair. What surprised me was that both women left my side and stood beside him. Nia gave me a troubled smile… I see, so she was acting in her role as the right-hand of Mephisto Pheles of Grauzauberer.

"Welcome, Jin Skyward. Middleman of the factions and pantheons of the supernatural world." Lavinia started and then gestured to the devil beside her. "This is our chairman, Mephisto Pheles. What do you wish to discuss today?" She added a wink at the end making Mephisto quietly chuckle.

'Is this some kind of something they always do for people?' I asked myself.

[That's certainly interesting, Partner. It's not every day that Lavinia Reni treats you like a stranger.]

'Agreed. I'll play along though.'

I cleared my throat and greeted them then repeated what I said to Mephisto earlier to them. Once that was done, the strange atmosphere quickly arrived, and also left. Lavinia breathed a sigh of relief before trotting toward me and hugging my arm.

"Haha, young love…" Mephisto muttered and gestured at Lisa.

Lisa came back to my side and he sighed. "To be honest, I have a feeling that Lavinia may try to step down from her position sooner or later because of you, and my next most talented magician doesn't want the position either. My hands are tied right now, you know?" He said tiredly.

"I do have a young magician that I've had my eye on to succeed you, Lavinia. She's—"

But Nia cut Mephisto off. "It's that girl, Fusae Hirawa, right? Hehe, chairman~" Nia then looked at me, and Mephisto understood what she meant and he sighed again.

"…Middleman, you will really kill me if you start taking all the talented magicians from my organization!" He put his hands up in defeat.

"What? No, Nia, you need to clarify that with him." I told her with a tired look on my face.

"Hehe, it's not that chairman. Jin here can see people's potential and saw Fusae today... so he was just thinking of approaching her and asking her to be one of his lovers, who's a devil, to be their pact magician," Lavinia explained.

However, Mephisto just laughed and shook his head. "I have heard from Azazel about the types of powers you possess. As well as the many subordinates you have. Even though he told me that you do not wish to have your own organization or faction… it does feel that way to me personally."

"So… I wouldn't be surprised if many magicians—no, I would say anyone would like to go with you after being asked by the legendary Middleman of all people. Jin, I feel like you underestimate your current status and popularity," he said seriously.

"I don't think I do; I think I have a pretty good grasp of it," I replied.

But he shook his head. "You mysteriously showed up earlier this year, announcing that you would unite all the factions and pantheons. After that, you did multiple requests from the Three Great Powers, defeated the God of Thunder Thor, revived the [Welsh Dragon] and [Vanishing Dragon], killed and defeated both Kokabiel and Azrael, stopped multiple attacks from the Khaos Brigade…"

"Considering it took under a year, if anything, this is legendary. Many wielders—many beings in the past hadn't achieved such atrocious things in such a short amount of time. You also have your role as the Oppai Dragon who inspires the next generation to do good. If we really think about it… you've changed the (supernatural) world. Perhaps this is also just the start too…"

He laughed, and looked up at the ceiling. "If anything, you're like those heroes in this country's comics. Have you heard of 'Mansuper'?" he asked and I shook my head.

'Man…super? Is that their version of Superman…? Wow, very original, world.'

"There are many others, but sometimes I really do compare you to them. From a normal person's perspective, you're like that. I know you've killed many other 'evil' people, but let's be honest, the general supernatural public won't know about it, will they? Only your most noteworthy achievements will be broadcast to them."

"Forgive me, I rambled on there… the point I'm making is… is the (harem) dream all that you're really after? I—and many others find it hard to believe. For someone as powerful as you… there has to be something beyond that, no?" He asked and looked me straight in the eye.

"It started off with wanting a harem. Thus far, I believe I've achieved that goal... but the things I've seen, the people I've met and the things I've endured—suffering, unnecessary pain, and conflict. It's everywhere. I know it's almost impossible to attain, but I want a peaceful world."

"…A world like that would be a lot better than constant pain and conflict, right? You've definitely been through both World Wars of the humans, right? You've probably seen them destroy each other for such stupid reasons… the same for the wars in the supernatural."

I know not everyone will be in favor of peace—the original Khaos Brigade members and even the new ones... they want to inflict chaos on this world—even Vali told me once that the peace I want will also hurt others.

The world I want seems idealistic to many, but... I have the power to make it a reality, very easily in fact. But if I force that peace on people rather than try to achieve it the natural way… is it really peace? Or is it just me being a tyrant and…

Suddenly, Mephisto gets up and puts both his hands on my shoulder. "You really are kind… just like a certain joker of heaven I met not too long ago. You're everything that Azazel said… very well. I will form an alliance with you, Jin Skyward. I want to see it first-hand… the world that you seek. Very much the opposite of those deceased Satans."

Mephisto went back to his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. "I already prepared a document. As I previously mentioned, I've been in talks with Azazel, and he said that you might approach me eventually. Therefore, I had it written up already," he said and placed it on his desk.

I walked over with the two women and read through it. It was basically the same one as the one I gave to the factions and pantheons… Mephisto had already signed it, all it needed was for me to do it. I read through it one more time, and signed it.

"Glad to be in an alliance, Jin… but please try not to steal all the women here," he said and sighed at me.

"…I was never planning on doing that," I replied.

However, Mephisto just gave me a strange look then gestured to Lavinia and Lisa. I… I didn't intentionally take Lavinia, also Lisa had her own problems, and Fusae is just a future pact magician.

After putting away the document, he turned back to us. "I know this may be quick, but I do have a sort of request for you, Jin. I don't know if it needs immediate attention, so I haven't brought it up to Azazel…"

Mephisto then summoned a magic circle and we saw what looked like a picture in it. It was of a couple of creatures and humans.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A new small group of magicians. Not too long ago, one of the magicians here, who I assumed perished on assignment, showed up and started this group. He named it 'Giichi Stars'. I believe it means 'Justice Stars'," he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"In a way, they're just vigilantes. They do 'good' deeds in both the supernatural world and the normal human world. Normally, I wouldn't care too much, but they're exposing the supernatural a bit too much when we're all on high alert because of the Khaos Brigade. Therefore, I want you to stop them."

He digs around in his desk's drawers before pulling out another document. From where I stood, I could see it was some kind of profile of whom the leader was. I took the document from him and read through it.

"Hirokazu Miller. A half Japanese half American young man. He had a lot of untapped talent, and when I thought he died, I very much thought I had lost another promising young man. However, as I said he showed up again recently… but this makes it a bit more… complicated since it relates to you in a way."

"Me?" I pointed at myself and he nodded.

"Yes, you. He claims to be your personal subordinate and is following your orders. Now… as you know, the USA doesn't have a defined pantheon… if we don't include the most prominent Native American gods of whatever tribe they came from since there are many of them."

"Do they… you know, exist?" I asked. I know it sounds dumb at this point but…

Mephisto laughed at me. "Yes, they do. Why even ask at this point?"

I smiled wearily. I mean… yeah, but I just wanted to confirm it.

"But we're mostly dealing with North America and not South America, so you'll be dealing with a certain tribe, the Abenaki. Tabaldak is their Creator God, and I have come across him many times and I am led to believe that 'Giichi Stars' is affiliated with them, or at the very least has a base in one of their territories."

He pulled out a picture and this time it was a close up of one of their outfits. It had a small symbol of a turtle.

"Tolba. It's a giant turtle that came from primordial waters. Their 'realm' is built upon it. Here, this will give you an even smoother entrance to the realm. However, I do believe it won't be a problem for you since you're quite famous."

He handed me a small ticket, which at first glance was blank but when viewed with magic, you could see certain symbols on it. I believe it was devil text and something uniquely written by Mephisto himself.

"That's also why I believe they're tied to the 'Abenaki mythology'. Anyway, I believe you can track his group down quite easily, and if not, you can consult that tribe and 'mythology'. In order to help you even more, their last sighting was in New York. As to why? I do not know, but there is a very healthy and large supernatural presence over there."

Hmm. This is all very interesting. I didn't know if the USA had their own defined mythology so I wasn't sure if I would come here or not. However, the Native American people did have their own thing... which made me wonder.

"So what can I expect over there?" I asked him again.

"Oh, normal supernatural races, you know? Monsters, youkai, spirits, the wendigos, bigfoots and things like that," he answered casually.

"Wait, wait, 'bigfoots'? As in more than one? And wendigos?" I asked a bit baffled. I always thought it was just a bigfoot (one) not multiple…

"Yes, like the famous Captain Flint and Anna Powers. They are part of the largest and active 'spirit organization' in the USA." Mephisto summoned another magic circle and showed him a man and woman posing. "That's them, Flint and Anna. Quite a lively bunch, huh? Well, they're dead but… you know what I mean, and before you ask, their organization is called 'Spirits Freedom Association'."

Freedom, huh? This country is also referred to as the land of the free. Even one of the supernatural organizations has 'free' in it. Well, whatever, I'm not judging this...

"Do you want this done now? I am free for a day or two," I said to him.

"Well, if you have time, please do. You are involved in this since as I mentioned, they're pretending to be your subordinates."

"Alright, I'll get—"

"You can take Fusae-kun for a 'test run' if you wish," he said with a grin.

"…I'll think abo—"

"Let's run and get her then~" Lavinia cheered beside me and started to drag me out.

I see, I won't get a word in this then. I shrugged my shoulders and started walking out. I guess I have a side quest here then. If I can find anything in my short break here, then it'll work in my favor. Cúntóir did say that they have facilities here in the USA.

We quickly made our way back to where Fusae was, and she wasn't there. However, I already knew her aura so I took the lead and started following her signature. But apparently Lavinia knew where this hall was leading to, so she took the lead again. She grabbed my hand and started walking faster.

Lisa, who was with us was already hugging my arm to keep up, so I was essentially dragging her behind me. We arrived at a large door, I think…

"The library, huhu, it makes sense for Fusae-chan to be here~," said Lisa.

"Mmm-mmm~ that's why I took the lead again~ it's not as big as the one you're planning for our home, but from what Rossweisse-chan told me… it should be half of the one in the Egyptian realm?"

As Lavinia said that, she also pushed the doors open. Once it opened and when we stepped inside, it was as she said. It was quite large. The design was simpler than in Nembesouk, but it still possessed its own unique charm. When I looked around, there were floating books with wings.

"What are those?" I asked and pointed at the flying books.

"The chairman made them a long time ago, apparently. They're used by magicians here. They're like… I guess magical drones that find the specific book you're looking for? All you need to do is tell them the title, description or anything about the book and they will try to find it," explained Lisa.

"Hmmm~ that sounds interesting… I should try to add something like that to our own library then. But I do need a brand-new librarian for it," I said to myself.

I felt Lisa squeeze my arm a bit tighter and flutter her eyes, "Perhaps lil' ol' me can be it then~?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure if you qualify," I said to her bluntly.

To this Lisa looked a bit offended and huffed. She let go of me and crossed her arms and softly glared at me.

"Excuse you, Skyward! I am well versed in many magics. I am on par with your Ice Princess over there!" Lisa pointed at Nia as she was talking to what looked like a librarian receptionist.

"We're a bit more special, Lisa… but I don't mind giving you a trial period to see if you're up to it, you know?"

"Now you're speaking my language, cutie, huhu~" after she said that, she hugged my arm again.

"Let's go~" Nia came back over to us and started leading us around again.

I gave her instructions on where I felt Fusae's aura was. It was on the third floor. From what I can tell, there were three floors in total, so she was on the last one. But…

"You two seem to know a lot about Fusae. Care to share some of that information?" I asked them.

As we walked up the stairs, both of them started to think about my question. The first to speak was Lisa.

"I know Fusae a bit more than Lavinia since I did keep in contact with her while I was M.I.A. To put it simply, she's a reserved girl who likes to read, but is also a genius at magic. She's already perfected her own magic circle formulas. I don't know how far she has progressed since my absence since we didn't get a chance to speak last time we were here, but her last update to me was…"

Lisa took her phone out and showed it to us. It simply said 'I have unlimited mana, yay.' Which was pretty vague, and also… she boasted of having unlimited mana, huh? I'll be the judge of that once I see her again.

I was mostly—

[Captivated by her appearance.]

—Distracted by her potential and how she looked like another character… 'Ddraig, shut up…'

The dragon cackled at me, but didn't say anything else. I turned to Nia and she finally answered.

"Mmm… well Lisa mostly said everything I wanted to say, but if I were to add something else… I think she mentioned once that she liked cooking? So you two might actually get along in that regard. I mean you; the maids and Hestia cooked a lot during our stay 'there'."

After she said that, we arrived at the final floor and it was as plain as the other two. I took the lead this time and we quickly found Fusae reading in the corner of the top floor. Many books stacked on top of each other, her eyes darting quickly from page to page.

However, before we approached her, I checked her with [Observe] again, and… her mana isn't unlimited, however, her Mp regeneration is insanely high. I would say it's better than most gods and goddesses that I've seen before. I wonder what she did to achieve that? Maybe… I checked her clothing and accessories around her, but they were all normal.

Perhaps she was just born special since her potential was insanely high. Whatever the case may be…

"Fusae~~" Lavinia called out and ran over to her, followed by Lisa.

The girl in question looked up from her book and saw all three of us. She put her book down and closed it before smiling. "Lavinia-senpai, Lisa-senpai and Jin Skyward-san. Greetings."

When Nia reached her, she hugged the girl, making her squirm a bit.

"Fufu-chan~ how have you been? You weren't here the last time we came! Were you out doing an assignment? Research? Stuck here in the library? At home?" Lavinia asked the girl multiple questions while pushing her further into her chest.

"Nia, you're suffocating her…" I told her.

"Ah—s-sorry, Fufu-chan," she apologized and let the girl breathe.

"I-It's no problem… may I know why you are here?" She asked us.

Lisa then walked over to her, bent down to her level and said with a smirk, "Actually, Middleman-sama over is interested in you. He was probably captivated by your beauty and is not seeking you out to add you to his harem~"

"Lisa…" I looked at her unamused and she just winked at me.

Nevertheless, Lisa's lies worked and Fusae picked up her book again and hid behind it as she blushed. She was muttering and stuttering her words and couldn't get a complete sentence out anymore. Teasing her seems to stun her… Lisa is her natural enemy, and I think she's acting this way because those two know each other a bit more than Lavinia.

Lisa did say that they kept in contact when she went missing. So she must trust her words to a certain degree. Well, she trusts them enough—even if what Lisa said was outlandishly atrocious.

[I mean—]

'Shut it, I get it.'

[Heh.]

"I'm joking, Fusae~ fufu, you should know my personality by now. Actually, we do have a reason for coming here…" Lisa then proceeded to explain why we were here.

"I see… please wait a moment, I need to gather a few things," she said and disappeared using a teleportation magic circle.

"Hmm~ she really did improve," said Nia.

"Yes, it's even better than I last saw it. She certainly grew up while we were absent, fufu~"

Both of Fusae's senpai's were praising her without her knowledge. I wonder how she would react if she heard them? She certainly didn't seem the type to gloat over things, but I'll see more of it as she accompanies us on this short side quest.

A few minutes later, Fusae came back. We had been just sitting around the area she had been at. We also debated whether or not to put the books she had out back on the shelves... but we decided not to for the time being.

"Fusae, do you want to return these books?" Lisa asked and gestured to the books around us.

"Yes, it shouldn't take too long…" she muttered.

"Don't worry about it, I'll do it," I offered.

She nodded and stared at me. I stared at the books and snapped my fingers. All of them suddenly floated and started to fly around everywhere. Some of the books were placed back on the shelves and bookcases near us, but a large majority of them were taken to the lower floors. I was pretty surprised that Fusae managed to bring them all here in a short amount of time.

But this quickly ended and she clapped. She then asked, "So we're heading to New York?"

"Yeah, Hirokazu Miller and his group the 'Giichi Stars' were last spotted there. Let's get going then," I said and gestured for them to come over to me.

Both Lisa and Lavinia did so quite quickly, but Fusae was a bit hesitant. I don't blame her. I'm a stranger to her, and also someone famous. But she eventually did.

'Cúntóir, I leave it to you. Teleport us to a less populated area or an alleyway, and as close as you can to Hirokazu."

Cúntóir: Answer: Yes, of course, leave it to me.

…

New York

…

New York. The city that Never Sleeps, Gotham, and finally… the Big Apple. I've always wanted to come here at least once in my life. I probably didn't in my previous life, but now I have that opportunity here. I'm curious as to what it holds, but from where we were…

"Why the hell are we on top of the Empire State Building…?" I asked confusedly.

Cúntóir: Answer: Teehee~

Cúntóir also made us invisible so I guess there weren't too many spots here to teleport to, and also… they were near here, huh? I didn't sense too many people here, so I think that's also the other reason she chose this spot.

"We're invisible, keep your voices down, and let's jump down for now," I said and tightened my hold on both Lisa and Lavinia. I looked at Fusae who quickly but nervously held onto me.

Spreading my senses over the entire city, I detected many auras belonging to many supernatural races. However, I felt something strange. It didn't feel like something I'd experienced before, almost like both Kanzaki and Kirino.

Maybe another team member of theirs, or someone else entirely? Well, I should have come across them sooner or later. I hopped from the Empire State Building to the next, and then to the others, following this weird aura.

"Did you find something Aar—Jin?" Nia asked.

"Yeah… it's something weird," I replied.

As far as I could tell, we were moving slowly toward Central Park, and I sensed even more auras from the area. I looked at Lisa and asked, "Is something here?"

"Yes," she nodded, "there is an underground section that belongs to the supernatural—a bar of sorts you could say. Maybe that's the 'weird' feeling you're getting?" she asked.

"…Maybe. Let's go down there then, is there a special way of getting in?"

"It's under the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Just go to the middle of the lake and let me take over. Fusae, you know about it, right? Help me out will you, dear?"

"Yes I do and I don't mind…" she answered calmly.

I was expecting her to be a bit more… I guess, surprised or freaked out by all the jumping from building to building, but I guess not. I approve, she's doing better than others when I do this the first time.

Once the buildings were gone, I switched to flying towards the reservoir, and once I arrived in the middle of it, Lisa put her hand out and we were transported somewhere else.

…

????

…

"Hmm? Oh, Miss Lisa, you're back? I didn't think we'd see you ever again… and you brought the Demise girl, Miss Fusae and even the Middleman? Jeez, what's the occasion for?" A buff man asked us as soon as we arrived.

"Hello, Cole~ we're here for a quick visit. Sir Middleman here wanted to see this side of the American supernatural," she answered the man.

The man named Cole nodded and let us in. The area we were at before entering this place was just a barely lit hallway that was quite wide. On the ground were purple lights that barely illuminated the hallway, and a lone guard (Cole) stood there.

The room we entered was quite spacious. Hell... it was like a normal bar, but there were various types of supernatural creatures there, and a few humans. Deer youkai, ghosts, spirits, a few devils, fallen angels, and others that were happily chatting away here.

'Is this due to the alliance or has it always been like this…?' I couldn't help but ask myself.

"It is," said Lisa beside me. "Before, it was mostly humans who were involved in the supernatural. Be it magicians, or if your family was just associated with the supernatural in some way. Due to your actions and the formation of the DxD Alliance… this scene is possible."

I felt a smile creep up my face and I nodded at her words. However, I focused on the weird feeling I had earlier and found a group of humans who were happily chatting away except for one. When I used [Observe] on them… we found them. The one who was the loudest was Hirokazu Miller.

Hirokazu has tousled black hair with bangs that cover his auburn-colored eyes. He wears a beige, buttoned dress shirt that has a breast pocket on the right with fitted dark denim jeans. He also wears a black/dark brown belt with it.

The funny thing is… he had a [Twice Critical] so he could double his power which was interesting to see. Scanning the rest… they were mostly normal magicians who probably looked up to me and so that's why they joined him.

But one of them was a woman in very lavish clothing. She wore a long black dress and jacket. She possessed long white hair with a feathered front. She had blue eyes and some lipstick on… but what caught my eye was her rank. She was at Dragon God – SSS with her potential being Universal – Ex, and her name was Caeda.

But what had me on alert was her title— [8th of the Eradicators of Crepuscule Phantasma]. I'm 99% sure that Ignia told me that none of the heavy hitters were here in our universe yet. However, whoever these 'Eradicators' are, they're clearly one of the strongest ones in their world.

She noticed me staring at her and she smiled and waved at us. This caught the attention of the rest of the members and their eyes widened. But to our surprise, they didn't make a run for it. I walked over along with everyone else, but—

'All three of you, let's talk to Hirokazu's group first. Don't antagonize the woman with white hair, let me handle her,' I told them telepathically.

Lisa and Fusae were a bit surprised but silently nodded at me. I then spoke to Lavinia privately. 'Nia, she's from the Crepuscule Phantasma that I mentioned back when we were in the [Pocket Dimension]. If things go south, protect those two, okay? You're stronger than her, but just in case get ready to leave.'

'B-but…'

'Please.'

She didn't answer me right away but just grabbed my arm. I can understand why she was reluctant, but…

'I'll take that as a yes, so thank you.'

We finally reached them and I greeted them. "Hello, Hirokazu… I've been sent by Mephisto."

"…Haha, I knew this day would come, but please, let me explain!" He said rather atheistically.

"I try to make my own judgements about the situation and the person before I act. So I sensed you weren't planning to fight or run away, so… let's talk," I said to him and he just got even more excited.

"I… I was inspired by you! But first, would you and these magicians like a drink?" He stopped and offered.

"I'll let Lisa order for us, I'll pay for it all," I said and nodded at her.

Since I didn't have any clue about the drinks here and I was here for entirely different reasons, I let Lisa do the ordering. I mean, I can basically pay indefinitely since I'm absurdly rich… especially after the 100 years in the [Pocket Dimension].

"I see. As I was saying, after keeping up with all your achievements, I wanted to do the same thing as you! So, when I saw your match with the Bael devil… it made my blood pump and I've never felt that much excitement in a long time! But… some things happened and it delayed it, but I finally made my 'Giichi Stars!' or 'Justice Stars!'," he explained.

"Jin Skyward-dono! Please let me work under you!" He begged and put his head down. This was followed by the others in his group, and then Caeda 'smiled' at me and did the same thing.

Hirokazu wasn't lying, I didn't feel a hint of malice or anything like that coming from him, and strangely enough… from Caeda too which I found suspicious. I want to speak to her later, or soon…

"Hmm. How about I test you and your group later to see what kind of missions I can give you, and to determine if I'll let you be my subordinates. If I see that you're not up to par right now, please stop what you're doing for now and get stronger. After that, you can come speak to me again and we can test you again. How does that sound?"

"A test… a test, yes, yes, that makes sense! Only the most qualified can work under you, don't you think? I see, then shall we proceed to our training facility later in the day? For now, we will celebrate since we got to meet you!" shouted Hirokazu, followed by his teammates.

…

After a few minutes of drinking and mingling, I finally decided to ask Hirokazu about the Abenaki.

"Hey, Hirokazu, Mephisto thinks you're involved with the Abenaki tribe/mythology is that true?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes and no. Our base is located in the same giant turtle called the Tolba. The Chief God, Tabaldak let us stay there. He's quite nice. Even though that realm is quite small since it's just a semi-large ocean for the large turtle Tolba to stay in."

He confirmed it… I see, so the Chief God, Tabaldak let them stay there, huh? "So, are there more members, or is this it?"

"It's just us. We have been trying to recruit more people, but it is not doing so well. But if we pass your test and become your official subordinates, we'll surely gain more members!" He said enthusiastically.

"Basically we're not members or anything; just the Chief God there lets us stay because he's nice like that," he explained.

"I see… well, we'll meet him later, won't we? Do you have a base, or is there an area where we can do the test without disturbing people?" I asked him.

"Yes, there are some small mountain ranges and a couple of forests. We can definitely go there and do these tests without disturbing anyone," he said confidently. "Hehe, I do have—"

"A [Twice Critical], right?" I finished his sentence for him.

He looked a bit stunned and sheepishly chuckled. "Yes, yes, I do. As expected of Jin-dono, you could tell?" he asked and I nodded.

Hirokazu then extended his left arm and summoned a frost blue gauntlet. "I wished hard and desired for it to look like your [Boosted Gear], although it's a different color… it can still double my power! And I have a small Trump card with it, hehe~"

Seems like he has his own Balance Breaker. I guess I'll see what it is soon. As I spoke with Hirokazu, and the girls sat there also occasionally answering questions from the guys in his group—Caeda had been silently staring at me the entire time. She had a small smile as well. I'll wait until we get to the realm to confront her.

She isn't making unnecessary actions and I don't want anyone here to be hurt or have unnecessary trouble. It'll be easier to speak over there. I looked back at her and she winks—when this happened, Nia hugged my arm again and pulled me back surprising them.

"Heh, is the Dual Dragon Emperor's Ice Princess the jealous type?" Caeda finally spoke and asked.

"I—"

"Yes, yes, I am," Nia replied.

"Ara? Well, he has a harem, so I see no problem with me flirting with him~" she said back to her.

There was a strange tension surrounding us. Both Nia and Caeda glare at each other. Everyone else was waiting for something to happen, but I decided to move it along by lightly chopping Lavinia on the head.

"Don't fight with people."

"…Hmmph!"

She pouted, turned away and started talking to Lisa. 'Ah… this again…' I smiled wearily at Lavinia and held her hand. She didn't swat it away, so she wasn't actually mad. I turned back to Caeda and addressed her.

"Caeda, right? This may sound weird, but where are you from?" I asked her.

"Hmm~ Canada~! A really magnificent country, you know? I lived and grew up there. I was just visiting this country when Hirokazu here approached me and invited me to join his rag tag team. I didn't mind and here I am~"

She was clearly lying but Hirokazu was nodding his head along like he was proud of her or something. I asked her a few more questions, and she answered them normally. But something just felt off about her. I know that she's not from our world, I mean that title is a dead give-away.

"I'll be fighting you too, right~?" she asked.

"Yes, you will," I replied plainly.

In the end, we had no more words to say, so Hirokazu took over again and started telling random stories, but I stopped him and asked.

"Actually, Mephisto thought you had died. What's up with that?"

"…I thought I was going to. I believe that assignment was a bit too challenging for me at the time. Heck, I didn't even awaken my [Twice Critical] at that point in time yet, so I was mostly stuck using my magic. But… Chief God Tabaldak showed up and saved me."

"After that, I was treated in their realm and when I got better, I asked him if I could use a free part of their land to set up a team and be partially affiliated with them and to my surprise, he agreed! So that's how 'Giichi Stars' was born! Not too long after that I awakened my [Twice Critical] and also changed it!" He happily exclaimed.

He suddenly stood up and asked, "Can we leave now? Talking about all of this is getting me pumped up!"

"I don't mind, the original request from Mephisto was to see if you were doing inappropriate things and stop you… but seeing how it really is, I'll explain it to him after this." I also stood up and told him that.

His team of six headed out ahead of mine. Nia was still pouting a bit but was already hugging my arm. When we joined them outside, I gave Cole a tip and he gave me a toothy thumbs up. We stood beside Hirokazu's group and we left.

…

Vermont

…

"It's just here. Please watch your steps as we'll be on a floating platform," said Hirokazu.

The place we arrived at was near some kind of cemetery. I was expecting it to be near a body of water like a lake or ocean, but… near a cemetery? An interesting place to make your realm, but I'm making a base in the Dimensional Gap, so who am I to judge?

As we walked away from the cemetery towards the sea of trees, I felt like we were coming up to a barrier and we finally stepped through it.

…

Abenaki Realm

…

"Woah… it's so pretty!" Lavinia muttered beside me.

"This is certainly something, and what a big turtle, it's kind of cute~" Lisa said and started taking pictures of it.

"…A supernatural coral snake. It's quite large too. I have not seen it before," said Fusae.

We had arrived on a semi-large floating platform. In front of us was a giant turtle. It's probably Tolba. And there definitely was a large black and red snake near its face on its left side, but it was tiny in comparison to the turtle. It also didn't seem bothered by it at all.

The turtle definitely had an island on its back. I could see a few tall mountains around it, a tall tower-like building, a few castles, rivers and many homes here. What surprised me was that they all looked quite modern and nothing… I guess 'tribe-like', or is this me being a stereotype?

"The Chief God Tabaldak created this infinite ocean for Tolba so it could roam it endlessly. There are also other creatures in it as you can see with the coral snake attached to it," said Hirokazu and gestured at the snake. "Like the extinct Megalodon, there are a few that reside here. They're quite friendly, actually. So if you see one don't be afraid to greet it. They can converse in human language."

He then pointed to the bridge and waterfall. "The only way to get to the moving turtle is for us to fly onto it. This platform also moves along with it, but the place of entry is always the same, near that cemetery."

"The castle on the right is where the more wealthy and human lords/leaders live in. Although they have those titles, they are quite friendly. To the top left is one of three towns here, and it's also the second biggest. It's where the largest market is located, and where some of my teammates live in."

He then pointed at the tower-like structure behind the mountain. "That is where the gods reside. They also have a medium-sized town that it's built around. To the further right, in those mountains is where the last town is, and the biggest one. It's like a regular town, but many different types of supernatural creatures live there."

"Ah, by the way, Chief God Tabaldak has always been about peace and co-existence. So he fully supports what you do, Jin-dono. So if you meet him today… there is a chance of creating an alliance with them as well. Anyway, we should get going," he said and flew up with magic.

He and the rest of us followed him and we flew towards the bridge. It was obvious that dirt roads had already been paved there. One road leads to the left, towards the town, another to the right, towards the castle for the Lords, and the third towards the mountains and the god's home.

"Since we're heading to our base, we'll be taking the road towards the mountains, passing by the god's small town and then passing through the largest town here. We could also fly there, but… I think you would want to meet the gods here, right?" he asked me.

"Yeah… if he's all about peace, then I might as well have them join the alliance," I replied.

We quickly reached land, and it felt strange being on the back of an enormous turtle as it moved. However, to my surprise, it didn't vibrate that much and was barely noticeable. Perhaps the gods here put some kind of magic to suppress or cancel it.

As we started to walk towards the mountain, there were also wild animals here. We saw some boars, sheep, cows and even some wolves running around the place. There were also quite a number of bird species in this realm too, though most of what we saw earlier were just seagulls.

"There are two ways to get to the town of the gods. One, walking around the mountain, there is a designated path created for it, or two, going through the mountain. The gods made a small… you could say 'parkour' route if you do go inside the mountain. It's more challenging, but quicker if you're athletic. The route around the mountain takes longer but is generally safer. Which would you like to go through, Jin-dono?"

After asking that, we stopped. I looked at the women with me and told them they could pick. I didn't mind whichever one we took, either way we would be here for the rest of the day at the very least.

"Can't we just fly over or teleport to the spot?" asked Lisa.

"W-well, we can but—"

"Then let's just fly over, I'm too lazy to do parkour," she said to him.

Hirokazu's lips twitched but, in the end, he relented to Lisa's demands. In her words, she didn't want to expend unnecessary amounts of energy if she could help it. A genius and also lazy, that's what I would call Lisa. So, we all flew up and over the mountain.

He did try to argue about it being healthy for you to move your body around. However, Lisa wasn't interested. Hell, he even said he wanted to show me the course inside, but I just said maybe another time.

"That's it," Hirokazu said and pointed at the town below us.

The town below us looked like a typical modern town you would find in any city in the USA. Though from what I saw earlier, I kind of guessed it was. I was expecting something a little unique because of the Lords living in castles. But maybe that's just the old Lord's unique preferences?

Regular homes, shops, and other buildings were present. There were also many people walking around down there. But what stood out the most was the large tower-like structure in front of us. But strangely enough, I could only sense a single aura in there.

"The Chief God is the only one here today. Typically, he's the only one here since most of the other 'gods' spend their time-out in the human world or other realms. Pamola-dono, the legendary bird spirit typically roams Katahdin the tallest mountain in Maine. As you may or may not know, Pamola-dono is said to be the Thunder God and protector of the mountain."

"Azeban-dono, is our Trickers God. However, he isn't malevolent and typically just tricks people, a lot of normal humans into giving him food. He's quite a glutton. But… as I said they're all out today, and only Chief God Tabaldak is here today. Do you want to see him first?" He asked.

I shook my head. "We'll do it after testing you. Let's get that done first since I want to contact Mephisto straight after."

He agreed and we quickly flew past the tower and further into the island. It seemed like we were slowly approaching the tail end and I could see another town there. Near the town was a large forested area, which I will assume is where their base is at.

Like the other town, it has circular walls, and is quite populated too. I was quite surprised by the diversity of supernatural creatures here. I even saw some devils and fallen angels here too which was surprising. I'll ask Azazel about it later.

"Our base is just over there. Do you see the small totem?" He asked and pointed at a certain small spot in the sea of trees.

I could see a relatively tall totem, and it had the faces of multiple animals. Perhaps he paid tribute to the god that helped him by doing that? Behind it was a medium-sized building. It wasn't anything special as it was made out of wood from the forest. It had a blue roof that looked like it was still freshly painted.

We landed in front of the totem and he tapped it. To our right was a relatively large open space.

"That's where we'll do the test, Jin-dono!" he said to me and pointed to the spot. "Who wants to go first?" he asked his teammates.

There were six of them in total, and three of them put their hands up. Three guys, using [Observe] on them… they weren't bad, all of them had Ultimate-class as their max potential, and the strongest among them was Middle-class. Hirokazu himself was High-class which wasn't terrible.

"I'll be doing this test alone," I said to them then put my hand up to make a barrier around us.

"Fine by me, good luck~" Lisa cheered me on.

"Good luck, Aar—Jin~! Fusae-chan, you get to see him in actions~" Nia said to Fusae who silently nodded.

I along with the three magicians stepped into the open space and faced each other. It looked like Hirokazu was the arbitrator. He put his hand out then swung it down then shouted 'Begin'. The three of them made a formation. It looked like a triangle.

One of them—the one that looked like he was in charge of them was the 'tip' of the triangle and he created multiple defensive circles in front of him. The two behind him created their own magic circles and started firing elemental attacks at me. They were mostly fire, ice and wind. The one on the left was the one firing both ice and wind, while the one on the right sent out fire.

I slapped and swatted the attacks away. 'They're at least good at teamwork. Most ragtag groups I've encountered were mostly out for themselves. I wonder if Hirokazu trained his team in this?' I thought and kept slapping away their attacks.

"Good, it's a start," I said to them and appeared behind them. "But you can improve more." I then tapped the back of their heads and they passed out. I simply put a sleeping spell on them. After my quick victory, I teleported them to the sidelines. "Who's next?" I asked, looking at the rest of the team.

Three down, three left. I have a feeling that Caeda will go last by herself, and—my prediction was correct, Hirokazu and the other guy came onto the field. This time Fusae decided to step up and become the arbiter.

She raised her hand up and swung it down, and said 'Go' in a monotone voice. Hirokazu's teammates jumped back and summoned a magic circle above himself and his leader. It looked like some kind of enhancement magic circle, and Hirokazu's speed and power increased by around 20%.

Hirokazu then put his left arm out and summoned his [Twice Critical], and true to his word—the Sacred Gear nearly looked like my gauntlet but it was frost blue in color.

"Jin-dono! Please fight me in your Balance Breaker! I will also do the same! Balance Break!" he shouted and was consumed by a small blue light.

Shing!

Hirokazu's arms, legs and head were covered in frost blue armor. His waist also had a frost blue belt with a sapphire-colored gem in the middle. His helmet had the same horns as my [Boosted Gears] Scale Mail helmet. Although it took inspiration from it, it was not a full-body armor; it only partially covered his body.

"This is my [Twice Critical] Balance Breaker, the [Frost Mail Freedom Guard]!"

'He has freedom in it…! What the hell…?' I shook my head and dodged a punch coming my way.

Just like my [Boosted Gears] Scale Mail, he also had boosters in his Scale Mail. He didn't waste any time and kept up his barrage of attacks, but—

Shing! Shing!

Magic circles appeared above and below me, and magic attacks passed through them. I swiped my hand, destroying the attacks and the circles. However, as I did this, Hirokazu followed up with a punch straight at my face, but I caught it with my right hand's index finger.

Don! Fwsh!

It seemed like he had already doubled his own power, that's why he was this strong. He certainly has potential. He's currently a High-class and his potential is Satan-class, a rank above his peers. So he could definitely stand above most in this world.

Don! Don! Don!

Whenever he sent a punch towards me, I also matched it, but I held back so he wouldn't be blown away. He certainly was going all out, but his stamina was quickly depleting. Perhaps he wasn't used to using his Balance Breaker? If he wasn't, this was certainly a gamble for him. The man behind him was also looking quite tired… he had his hands out… did this enhancement magic require him to constantly use it?

'I see… so that's why they have that triangle formation. He must be in the middle of that formation, and the guy in front of him protects him with the defensive barrier, and the other two help support him and Hirokazu as they fight…'

"Good… I like it," I said to him and appeared beside the man enchanting him. "But there are flaws to your fighting style, but keep on improving as individuals."

Don!

I punched the man in the gut and he was knocked down. Hirokazu's strength also decreased, and I appeared in front of him and elbowed him in the gut too.

"Argh…?!" He let out a painful grunt and fell to his knees.

He was on the verge of passing out, so I said to him, "I'll consider it, Hirokazu, but for now… you and your group need to get stronger. Once you do, contact me again. I'll leave my number just in case."

After I said that, he finally passed out and I teleported him back to the sidelines. Caeda finally faced me. She had a grin on her face and was radiating quite a lot of power. The barrier I erected earlier was the one I usually use so no one else in this realm would know what's happening.

"Fufu, Lapis did say you could find out our identities at a glance. But I'd like to say one thing." She put her hand up and grinned even wider then said, "I defected. I enjoyed this world more than I thought! Middleman, let me tell you something. Our leader, Phumera has sent No. 4 and No. 6 to this world, and around 1000+ soldiers who range from what they call Satan-class to God-class in power."

I glanced at the side and it seemed Lisa and Fusae were both confused and horrified. They were well aware of the Khaos Brigade, but not about Evie Etoulde or Crepuscule Phantasma, so I would imagine what Caeda was saying went over their heads.

"They're stronger than me, much stronger. I'm No. 8, and I lose to them quite easily. No, 1 to No. 3 stands head and shoulders above the rest and finally Phumera is in a league of her own as well, not including her right-hand, Yve. Working together under Lapis, who is more powerful than Phumera? Honestly… it was mind-boggling to see our leader be defeated that easily by her."

"However, we are now trying to wake Magnum Tenebrosum up with the help of the evil inhabitants of this universe, the mechanical gods Evie's and Lapis. Isn't this helpful information for you? I really did defect if I'm saying all this! Haha, I won't survive for too long once they find out, but it's been enjoyable so far."

Her grin had disappeared, and it looked like she was genuinely smiling and looking up at the sky. "This world's sky… its atmosphere, it's nothing like ours, it's beautiful. Ours is nothing but complete darkness and chaos. Even the nighttime and this universe's 'darkness' is much… kinder."

"Anyway, I didn't really want to fight you… no, I never liked fighting. However, I had to adapt to the world that I was born into in order to survive. I even became one of the 'Eradicators', you know? That's not anything easy. There are many skilled and powerful warriors in our universe." Upon finishing her speech (?), she finally sighed and sat on the ground.

I… I wasn't expecting this. All the while, I did not feel a hint of a lie from her. She spoke from the depths of her mind. Even Nia who had been on guard against her, looked at her with pity.

"Um… what did she mean by that? Another universe? Magnum Tenebrosum? Evie Etoulde? Crepuscule Phantasma?" Fusae asked very confused and Lisa nodded beside her.

I sighed and said, "I was hoping to tell you about this during my meeting that's happening in a day or two, but—"

They were told about the multiverse and the omniverse, and about Evie Etoulde and Crepuscule Phantasma, who were working with the Khaos Brigade and were likely to try to destroy our world. Both of their faces were pale at the end of it.

"…I feel like everything I knew before was a whole lie…" Fusae muttered in a defeated tone.

"This… this changes so many things… how do we move forward after this?" Lisa asked herself. "No… how… how do you even know about this, Jin? How did you find out in the first place?" she asked me.

"You haven't told them what you are? Or about 'them'?" Caeda asked.

"No, my harem and most of my friends know, but most don't, including these two… honestly, I want to tell Lisa, but… I've only met Fusae today, so…"

Fusae then walked over to me and put her hand in front of me. I was confused.

"I heard rumors that you have a wide range of abilities. Please bind me to some kind of agreement so that if I lie or tell anyone this secret, I'll die. I want you to trust me, that's...that's what my gut is telling me..." she said quite directly.

Both Lavinia and Lisa stared at Fusae a bit shocked, while Caeda laughed to herself.

"Wooh! You go girl!" she encouraged her.

"Well, Grauzauberer was going to find out eventually since they're part of the alliance after all, so I don't see a problem with you knowing two days in advance," I said to her, but also grabbed her hand. "But it's better safe than sorry."

I then marked her wrist with her own suggestion. Though, I changed it from killing her to just making her mute for x number of seconds. I also gestured for Lisa to come over and she did so with Lavinia. I then touched their shoulders and showed them what I am, who I am, and what I remember…

"Aaron… Outer God…" Lisa muttered as she looked at me.

"…"

Both women looked astonished, but Fusae seemed even more stressed. She sat on the ground and pulled out a book and started reading.

"Ah… she does that when she's stressed. The first time I heard it, I very much had the same reaction as you, Ji—Aaron-kun?" Lisa said to me, the last part sounding more like a question and her trying to call me Aaron.

"Magnus Tenebrosum… he was a terrifying thing. We don't know if he planned on ever waking up after being 'bored' after ruining many universes with the Crepuscule Phantasma. However, his power is on par with Nyarlathotep, but he's just… more sadistic," said Caeda.

"If what Nyarlathotep did to you were 'pranks', then you can only imagine what he would do to you, if he really tried to ruin your life, or try to kill you. Magnus Tenebrosum usually lets his minions—us do the dirty work, however, he isn't against coming down to whatever universe or plant and doing the chaos and destruction himself."

Caeda shivered and hugged herself. "I wasn't part of anything back then—I was still a child, but I remember that soulless and emotionless stare he gave me when I looked him in the eye. It made me wonder… were all those outer gods like that?"

"I always thought about it like that. Magnus Tenebrosum said that all the other ones were asleep apart from Nyarlathotep and Azathoth, although Azathoth rarely showed himself. We saw Nyarlathotep once, but after that… she just looked bored at what he was doing. But she had a slightly different look in her eyes—it was more… curiosity, I guess?"

"Curiosity?" I repeated, probably sounding confused to her.

She nodded her head and said, "Yeah… it's like she was looking at toys—even Magnus Tenebrosum was a 'toy' to her. But she probably was bored because Magnus Tenebrosum was already 'playing' with us, so she left. That's my own interpretation of it, so it may not be true."

She then laughed and looked at me with uncertainty—that's what I thought anyway, and said, "But then you came along. At first we were curious and wary, but after hearing of all your exploits from Lapis… you certainly didn't sound like one, but Lapis' rage proved otherwise. She was the only one that we could connect with Nyarlathotep now, and we had to trust her word."

"But at the same time, we knew we wouldn't win against you, so we sent out scouts… they never came back. As a result, our plan of waking Magnus Tenebrosum was redoubled since in our eyes, he was the only one who could at least try to match you. Then I was sent here with No. 4 and No. 6. I was entrusted to do my own mission… but yeah, as you can see that didn't end in their favor."

"Haaa… I don't want to die… I like this universe, it's really fun. Not like the one I came from, tch… whatever, I'll try to enjoy my remaining days," she said with a tired sigh.

Caeda then looked over at the sleeping Hirokazu… I know that look, I've seen it many times from the women around me. But can her species even—

"Yes it's possible, but very hard," she told me without further explanation.

I see…

'Hey, Cúntóir, what do you think?'

Cúntóir: Answer: Let's put her on trial, but also protect her, and then we will see. We can also use her as a double agent to infiltrate Crepuscule Phantasma. This can be seen as a positive development because she fell in love with the universe/world and that man, Hirokazu.

'Right, it's a good thing… now all we need is one more for the Evie and we're set. But baby steps first.'

I walked over to Caeda and sat beside her. "You like him, right?" I asked her.

"Yeah, he's an idiot. He looks up to you like you're some kind of—wait you are, never mind… a-anyway, he's just way too optimistic about life, that he might actually die again and that worries me," she said while keeping her gaze at Hirokazu.

"Then be a subordinate of mine. If you do, I'll guarantee yours, Hirokazu and his entire team's safety. Be my double agent too."

After I said that, she looked at me with a bit of shock, so I continued—

"If it's you, then it's possible. You're one of the Eradicators, therefore they won't get suspicious of you."

Caeda fell silent as she stared at the ground. Both Lisa and Lavinia were looking at me, but also chatting at the same time. However, it seemed Lisa was able to accept the fact that I'm—well, me, so I was grateful. But Fusae was still looking at the ground reading a book. Her emotions were still chaotic and messy. Therefore, it's really taking her time to get used to it, I guess.

"…Can I come back to you in a few days? I need to do a few things before accepting," she said seriously.

I stared at her trying to see if she had been deceiving me the entire time but—

"I will tell you everything I know in a few days. Please wait until then. You can even… I guess read my mind if you want? Unless you already have?"

"I'll mark you then, just like Fusae over there." I pointed at Fusae and Caeda agreed. "So I'll definitely know if you go behind my back."

I was also hesitant about reading her mind. I didn't know if she had that 'fail-safe' like Kanzaki. If she did, she might have just self-destructed here, so I chose to wait and see.

"Very well, that's fair," she said and gave me her hand.

I nodded and marked her. However, this version of the mark was a bit harsher. If she did tell anyone about this talk—especially her superiors… she would die. Her soul will be transported to my [Inventory] and I will have full control of her after that. I'll make a new body for her, read her memories and then remake her into a new Electa.

I just hope it doesn't come to that.

I got up and we shook hands on it. I walked back over to Lisa and Nia, but Fusae stood up and looked at me.

"Is something wrong?"

"Take me."

"…Excuse me?" I asked a bit confused. Even both Lisa and Nia were staring at her confused by what she said.

Fusae thought about it for a second before shaking her head. "Not like that, take me as your subordinate. You're close to the devils, correct? I can form a pact with them as a magician, then I can learn as many things as I can from you. I heard Lavinia-senpai and Lisa-senpai saying that you're making a brand-new library in your home, so…"

'So she's after my library collection? I mean… I did originally want her to be a pact magician with one of the girls, as to who, I don't know but…'

"Sure, why not? I wonder how Mephisto is going to feel about this…? Well, whatever… you two help me with this…"

"Ara? I don't mind, A-a-r-o-n-kun~," said Lisa.

"Okay~" Lavinia also agreed and hugged me on the arm again.

As if on cue, Hirokazu shot up from the ground while screaming something incoherent. He looked around himself while drooling a bit. Finally, he remembered what had happened and laughed at himself.

"We lost! And very badly at that! …Ahhh… we need to train even more, don't we?" he asked himself and laughed again.

I helped him up when I saw him awake. As I did, I also healed him back up.

"You did good. I was quite surprised that your Balance Breaker looked like that. Hirokazu, this age is full of a lot of changes. Many wielders of Sacred Gears are reaching their Balance Breaker states. You're one of them—if you keep working, I think you may be able to evolve that common Sacred Gear into something more, maybe a middle-tier, high-tier or maybe a new Longinus. I see potential. Don't give up."

I take out my number and give it to him. "Train a bit more, and after a while contact me again. I'll test you again. However, so far, the only one who has endured for a considerable amount of time was Caeda. She said she didn't want to be the only one accepted, so she wanted her entire team to be under me."

Hirokazu looked at me, then at Caeda who smiled and nodded at him.

"Okay! We'll train like our lives depend on it! Caeda! Beat us near to death again so we'll get stronger!" he said to Caeda who laughed and agreed with him. He then turned back to me and said, "Then please wait until then, Jin-dono!"

"Yeah, do your best," I said back to him and glanced at his still passed out teammates.

For now… I'll change all their potentials to Satan-class and see how well they do. Hirokazu and I shake hands on it, and I turn to look at the women with me.

"Alright, let's go back and speak with Chief God Tabaldak."

"Then I will introduce you to him. He usually takes walks around his realm, so it's not guaranteed he will be in the tower, but it's a reasonable place to start," said Hirokazu.

"Alright, lead the way."

He looked at his teammates and I forcefully woke them up, and then healed all of them. After that, he told them what was happening and they were all more or less expecting something like that.

"I'll teleport us all back to where the tower is then," I said and snapped my fingers.

…