-The Den-
.
"Hmm what a sight. Now if only he can stay this way." Max (Vega) mumbled as he dismissed the mirror. In the window was a demon of sorts. The demon was bound to a mortal named Jason Blood. It was time for Max to do something to help boost his cultivation more. To his side was Slade sharping a katana. "I have a job for you. A dangerous one but one that needs to be done none the less."
*Tink!* Slade place the katana back on the mantle. He looked at it fondly before turning to Max. (Vega)
"What is it? And will I have time to have dinner with the family?" Slade asked while checking the time. "I rather not miss it. Steak and potatoes tonight."
"Haha, no you won't. In fact you have a week to make contact." Max placed a brown envelope in front of Slade. "Inside is the information on a man named.. well, actually his name is unknown. Codename, however, is "Bad Samaritan." Ruthless Assassin and a master of Disguise and covert Espionage."
"Why would you want someone like this?" Slade asked already reading the files and forming plans. Everything he read threw up mental flags one after another. "What do you have in mind for him? You know it helps to share things."
"You have to ask Slade." Max walked over to look out a window. With a flick of his hand, it turned to the image of the city itself. Scanning over Gotham with a watchful eye making plans and preparations for the future. "Those are the rules man."
"Fine. You are keeping me from the "not so honest" work, but send me to meet this man. I am happy, really I am. But I want to know the end game of things." Slade read the last page then looked up to Max. "How many people have you killed?"
*Creak!* The door open to reveal the actual Max walking in.
"Small compared to others. About 3.4 Quadrillion. To you, that is a big number." Max gave Slade a smile that was just weird. Vega shook his head before dismissing himself to other work. "I am the real Max. Vega is a spiritual clone. To help with a cover among other things while I gain my strength back. If you ask me my age, I have no real idea actually. I have been alive a very long time and stopped paying attention to it."
"Freaking hell." Slade sat down. He knew monsters and people who should not still be alive existed, but mostly thought it was bluster from people that used genetic experimentation.
His doubt was now shattered. A loss for words before he recovered a few minutes later.
"So you.. who was the one that made the offer to recruit me?" He looked Max up and down before answering himself. His own Cultivation helping him through things as well as his analytical mind. "It was you, not the spiritual clone. At times Vega seems.. just relaxed actually. Then there is an intensity that is troubling from him."
"Glad you noticed. I have been evaluating you on how much more to reveal to you. But it was for nothing. Your reputation is still something else to keep considering." Max sat down in the opposing chair and leaned forward. "Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator is just something else. Your training and your origins are what make you worthwhile. But the American man, like myself, is something I find most pleasing. It has been a while since I have returned to an actual Earth."
"Heh! You are right to have to use the spiritual clone. Talking to you like this is weird." Slade laughed. "We can talk more later about this. Glad I know who my actual boss is. The spiritual clone.. I can make one myself eventually right?"
"Yeah but you have to raise your cultivation a lot more, or use a lot of resources to help. Gather more spiritual energy and meditate. Your daughter Rose is already surpassing you in that department." Max said plainly.
"Do me a favor and keep an eye on her." Slade said. This left Max a little puzzled. "I just do not know how to raise a daughter. Boys are easy. I use to be one. I am pretty sure you had a daughter at one point."
"A few." Max said lowly. "All dead now and resting. More sons than I care to remember." His demeanor turning slightly forlorn. "No more kids... and my wife... gone... shit!"
Remembering it always took time to bounce back from. The benefits of talking to someone who has a family and who can offer outside council always helped.
"She is dead to. Have you not come to terms with that before?" Slade asked walking up. As a soldier and mercenary, he was no stranger to loss. He stopped once he saw the silhouette of a more adult Max. It gave him pause from its intensity. The raw spirtual energy twisting in a way. "You need to grieve or comes to terms. Or whatever you do to move on. I will see you later Max."
The adult Max was surrounded by black and white gas. It was beautifully alluring but made Slade very aware of something, Time! Just a few seconds of looking at it, alerted him to how easy things can change. How fast someone can get left behind.
*Thunk!* The door closed a little harder than what Slade intended. But he really had the need to hug his family at the time. Max just unintentionally made the family even closer. Making a more understanding Slade. As well as making him deadly if his family is uncontrollable danger.
"Perhaps it is time. So many years of grieving has damaged my Cultivation Base when I do not pay attention. Still making mistakes despite my age." Max gave a wain smile to himself. Mistakes reminded him he was human still. Despite all the transformations and things he has done. He was able to feel every emotion still. "Haaa, I have been thinking about her more and more lately. It is time I make more of an effort to help her."
In a mirror, a silhouette of a woman could be seen. She slinked around in the shadows moving slowly. She was injured and in need of medical aid. She couldn't obviously, however. As a cursed creature, doing so would have just been bad.
A wave from Max's hand made some medical supplies and a few spiritual elixirs he made recently appear. They would help with recovery and help him learn more on which version she happened to be.
The woman used to the appearance of the items over the years. She remained vigilant and checked it over still before using it. Centuries of training not making her dull in the least.
"I feel a lot better doing that." Max leaned back into the chair and dismissed the mirror. Staring to long would cause him to cultivate Lust instead. Helping her allowed for Charity and Chasity to circulate better instead. "A little more before a better breakthrough. Need more contracts for the Virtue based spiritual energy. It is time Jason Blood and the Demon Etrigan make do with a choice."
*Brrrr, brrrr!* Max's body vibrated as he increased his size slightly. He was already tall for his age so the slight change was not that bad. The problem with doing this, was that it hurt his "Body Foundation" to much. Another reason for having the spiritual clone do his adult stuff.
*Brrr, brr!* Max instantly shrunk back to normal.
(Apologies Max, calculations showed to many problems arriving from altering your body at this time. I had to help you revert back. Additional scenarios have started from the triggering however.)
"Shit!" Max cursed from the pain. Rushing never worked well with things. Even more, he disliked not fighting again. His police activity with the spiritual clone Mr.Vega helped mentally, but his actual body still needs to do things. "Glad I finished these earlier. I always wanted to be a masked hero. Well, guess I am more a masked villain with what I am about to do."
*Vrrm!* Max's body was instantly covered by "spiritually weaved armor." Made from items returned to his inventory after helping, John, Atlanna, and Orm. It was in the disguise of a black suit and white tie. Gloved hands and a Mardi Gras/Jester Mask made from his bone shavings.
Bone Shavings were the discarded pieces of bone from a cultivator. It could also be from animal bones as well. The weakness that was removed for the new stronger bone to take place.
Cultivators tended to use everything they could. Max a little more than others. Especially his discarded parts.
Constant refining and suppressing with the use of his alchemist fire lead to mixing easier. The mask would change back and forth to mimic his facial expressions.
(It was a full success Max. Using the top layer of your bones you have collected over the years has made for an extremely effective Spiritual Armor. The durability is at least at the Master Rank. Your armor is leagues above your current realm.)
"That will have to change soon. I can feel several things twisting. I need to be a higher level to see more with those eyes. Or I guess eye." Max turned to a mirror and stepped inside. "It is going to be fun fighting these demons. I need the push things further."
.
-Demon Realm Location: Masak Mavdil-
.
Masak Mavdil was a hellish place. Even by demon standards. Several painful cries could be heard throughout the place that would cause a mortal to lose their minds.
Max walked through like a walk in the park. His stat value displayed were just a reference for his basic output. But his experience made up for it. If he ran into something like Trigon however, that traveling alien demon could kill him with ease currently.
'Glad this is part of Earth's Hell. Makes things so much easier.' Max took two steps and had to stop. "What the hell!?"
(Scenario started: Unknown Demon Prince Watcher) The A.I. intoned. Max's cultivation skyrocketed and broke his current rank with ease. All the demonic and spiritual energy in the immediate area was swallowed. (Breakthrough from Initiate Level, Student-level to Advanced level Tier I)
The A.I. did its part and made sure to regress Max's cultivation back to allow the excess to fill in any flaws or messed up areaa. (1.34% flaw in Initiate level removed, 100% obtained. 1.22 flaw in Student level filled, 200 % obtained. Advanced level Tier I has a current flaw of 12.14%)
'Meh, these are better than before. Usually have about 34% deficient in most of them. To many resources to use to fix that. Should I make this the time I actually head for perfecton?' Max thought to the A.I. as he worked.
*Vrrrrrmm!* The few unrefined energies clashed against Max's body. He felt no pain as he completely devoured it all. As the excess was stored in his clothing and inside Max for a quick breakthrough on a bad time.
*Vrrrm!* Max did not fight the next pulse power. Not in the least.
*Fwoosh!* In his hands two flames appeared. One white and the other black. The black turned bloated as he fed everything he currently "viewed" negatively into it. The white contained the pureness of the place.
Many creatures have entered the place since its creation. Even devils and demon alike cry, feel joy, and love. Beside's the other things anyway.
'I have never been a perfectionist.' Max shook his head and discarded the thought from before away. "To have flaws, is to be human. Nothing is greater than the pursuit of perfection. Never obtaining is a treat in itself. A never unending goal is enjoyable. Makes it for I am never bored.'
*Swirl!* Humility and Pride circulated even faster in his cultivation. His views and thoughts upgraded his self designed manual greatly.
(Scenario extended. Max, the energy you have stored will be enough to boost several others. However, it will need refining. I take it you wish to do it yourself to boost your mental cultivation back up?)
'Yes. I am going to move all this energy I gain now into techniques. When the demons make it here, it will be quite the fight now.' Max's face had turned into a look of pure cruelty and lust. Max could only think about killing to his heart's content. 'Humph!'
An inkling of self-destruction started to take deeper root. Internal monsters that would undermine him if he was not careful.
With a mental snort, the Heart Monster and Mental Monster that formed from his doubts were destroyed. They had been lurking in his mind and heart making things difficult in the future if left completely unchecked. Max usually would deal with them at each breakthrough.
Max refined them to make himself even stronger. But they would come back again. As long as he remained human. That was just what Max wanted. It was a free way to constantly give himself resources.
Self-infliction was the way to go sometimes.
(Setting up a few spiritual barriers as you work. Time is.. a month here to an Hour back on Earth.) The A.I. started making plans on Max's current contracts. Ways to help his forces to gain strength started to pop up. None of the children and teens could come here yet. (Selina is the only and that new recruit are the only ones capable of surviving this. Making a note to advise Max to spend time with Deathstroke and Black Adam in 3 months time.)
Not to far from Max, a woman was walking over. She was dressed in a Medieval dress and had a gold mask on to hide her face. Despite her best efforts, she was weak and getting ready to collapse soon. She saw the swirl of magical energy and had been heading there. So were countless demons.
In another area, Max's target was on the move. The demon Etrigan was moving so fast the flames of hell rose with each step. The prince was close to becoming the new king.
Max would find out soon that this Etrigan was the one who became the new Ruler of Hell after defeating the residents. But that was about to change on meeting Max.