Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 102: Fist Saint
There are up to 15 chapters ahead of update schedule at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
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- Arcueid -
As she eyed the submissive trio, a calculating glint entered her eyes, considering all the ways she could exploit them. They were each important nobles in the Western Nations after all, they would have some use.
The Council of the West was insignificant, all things considered, mere pawns kept in power by those far above them in strength and influence, Granbell primarily. Without him there to help maintain their power things could collapse if no one intelligent enough is on the Council. Maintaining the political power they had maintained thus far was no easy feat after all. Still, they had their uses, she would make sure they remained in power, if only so they could be useful to her beloved Lord.
"I do hope my ally made it clear what any sort of defiance will result in." She said as she eyed each and every counselor.
They all nervously nodded, even Ralph, Alfred, and Samuel. It seems having a limb removed truly made things easier. Samuel was clutching his bloody stump, pale from both shock and the crude Healing Magic he was using to stave off blood loss. It was no Holy Magic, but it would do temporarily, while Ralph slowly began to crawl towards his seat, his blood smearing across the tile floor. He would need to get that treated or he would die from blood loss. She was sure he would manage.
"Y-Yes My Lady!" Alfred stuttered out. It seems he had learned from the fates of his companions, she didn't blame him, for most humans losing a limb was crippling. Though he may just come out of all this unscathed, his cut off limb was still laying on the floor, if he could find a skilled enough Healing Mage then he could have his limb reattached.
She clapped lightly. "Excellent. I am glad that we were all able to come to a worthwhile agreement without any undue conflict." She said, her tone perfectly pleasant but dripping with mockery that sent the counselors squirming in their seats.
Benimaru stifled a snort.
"Is there something you wished to say, Benimaru?"
Benimaru coughed lightly. "N-No, nothing."
She nodded, turning back to her prey with a satisfied look as Benimaru settled back into silence.
- Benimaru -
Benimaru kept his expression composed, but he couldn't shake the chill running down his spine as Arcueid turned her piercing gaze away from him and back to the trembling counselors.
That lady seriously scared him, she had to be batshit crazy.
He released a small, controlled breath, grateful that her attention was now focused on the cowering nobles, he really felt for them.
It wasn't that he doubted his strength, he'd honed his skills under Lord Rimuru and battled fearsome opponents. But her Demon Lord's Haki was seriously something else, even if it wasn't focused on him he felt the weight of it press down on him when she loosened her control over it. She was damn powerful, that was for sure.
Her Demon Lord's Haki didn't feel as powerful as that of Lord Rimuru's but she was still far more powerful than even he was, he wasn't prideful enough to delude himself about his own strength.
He observed as she continued speaking to the nobles, her words were sharp and laced with an almost predatory calm. As if she knew everything was under her control and nothing could touch her here. There was no need for her to raise her voice, in fact she was rather quiet, but that was a powermove on its own he supposed. She was forcing the counselors to listen to her deeply.
He met Souei's eyes, both of them sending an unspoken message between each other. They were both observing what was happening, both to report to Lord Rimuru and also to perhaps learn from it. Arcueid was a Primordial Daemon, after all, in the same league as Diablo, and Benimaru had learned firsthand how helpless he was against someone on that level. He was sure anything he could pick up from her could be useful.
Benimaru's eyes flicked toward Sukuna, who seemed to enjoy the display, his smirk widening as the counselors' fear grew. Benimaru knew that if any of them so much as muttered a word of defiance, it would be the last mistake they'd ever make.
Sukuna was equally batshit crazy if not more than Arcueid in his humble opinion. That guy seemed to live for bloodshed, or at least that's what he thought. He hadn't actually interacted with Sukuna much, they just weren't all that compatible, but that didn't mean he didn't like Sukuna. Sukuna was an ally that automatically put him on Benimaru's friendly list.
With Arcueid's presence looming over the room, Benimaru was reminded once again that there were forces in this world he was only beginning to understand. He had thought he was strong after receiving the Gift from Lord Rimuru, yet he had quickly learned that he was merely a frog in a well. He swallowed quietly, committing the lesson to memory, strength was more than just power. It was how you used it as well.
- Arcueid -
After turning away from Benimaru she looked back at the terrified counselors, the papers filled with blackmail were still scattered around the table they were sitting at.
Sukuna stood by her calmly, seemingly content to let her take the lead which was good, if he tried to get uppity she would have to show him his place. She would be the one delivering the Council to her Lord, she would be the one getting praised, not him!
Arcueid's gaze swept over the trembling counselors, the subtle smirk playing on her lips deepening as she noted their horrified expressions, each one glancing nervously at the incriminating papers scattered before them. Sukuna remained silent by her side, his 4 arms folded with that same unsettling grin, as if he found this entire display of fear mildly entertaining. But that was all he would do. Let him enjoy the show if he wished, he knew better than to try and interfere.
"Now." She said, her voice smooth but laced with steel. "I trust you all understand the gravity of your situation. I'm offering you a very generous choice, your loyalty, or… well…" She allowed a miniature fraction of a fraction of her Haki to pulse again, a controlled wave of pressure rolling over them, pressing them into their seats and rendering their resistance meaningless. Their shallow breaths and trembling hands betrayed how close they were to breaking entirely.
The portly man who had first dared to defy her whimpered, barely able to meet her eyes. "P-Please, we'll do as you say…"
"Ah, good." She said, arching an eyebrow. "It's always nice when someone sees reason without further persuasion. And remember." She continued, letting her words sink into their minds like poison. "If any of you decide to get… creative with your loyalty, I will know."
She would have Moss monitor them carefully, he was useful for those kinds of things with his Other Bodies.
One of the counselors, his face ashen and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, stammered. "W-We understand. We swear our loyalty to Demon Lord Felix… and to you, Lady Arcueid."
Satisfied, her Haki receding as the pressure around the room lightened.
She had them exactly where she wanted them. Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she imagined Lord Felix's praise upon learning of her success. The West's council was now firmly within her grasp, and soon, all its influence and power would be wielded in service to her Lord.
She wanted to finish this all soon as she had far bigger fish to fry. Demon Lord Dagruel would be sending over a representative to discuss Azeroth's alliance with his own Kingdom soon. That was something she would treat far more seriously, doubly so because she knew Dagruel's true background. The True Giant was not to be underestimated.
Just as she was wrapping up she felt Space begin to warp once again. A portal formed through which Lord Rimuru stepped forth.
Benimaru and Souei were the first to greet him, both immediately kneeling. "Lord Rimuru!" They echoed in unison.
Rimuru smiled as he looked down at Benimaru and Souei. "Ah, Benimaru, Souei, no need to kneel."
Both Benimaru and Souei stood up on his orders. Lord Rimuru then greeted her. "Hello once again, Arcueid." He nodded towards Sukuna. "And Sukuna."
She nodded lightly. "Lord Rimuru."
Sukuna gave a light bow. "Lord Rimuru."
Lord Rimuru's gaze wandered to the trembling counselors, she had assumed they would have some hope in their eyes with Lord Rimuru's arrival, but she was proven wrong. It seems Sukuna's display had done far more mental damage than she thought.
Lord Rimuru's lips twitched as he took in their state, she saw his eyes wander to Samuel's severed arm, and Ralph's severed leg. "Uhh what happened here?" He asked cluelessly.
"Nothing much, Lord Rimuru. The Council of the West was being rather rebellious, I merely corrected whatever assumptions they may have previously had." She said. "I do believe they will be welcoming you into the Council now, whatever conditions you wish to be fulfilled will be met." She said, eyeing Ralph.
Lord Rimuru tilted his head. "Huh? Is that so?" He muttered.
Ralph quickly, almost desperately nodded. "Yes! You are most welcome among our numbers Lord Rimuru! In fact we would like to offer you or a representative of yours a seat on this Council!"
Lord Rimuru's eyes widened. "Eh? Seriously?"
Ralph nodded. "Yes!" Ralph was looking at her from the corner of his vision, she gave him a small imperceptible nod causing him to relax his shoulders and exhale a sigh of relief.
- Rimuru Tempest-
This chick is crazy.
He had just returned from Ruberious, Lune more specifically. Watching Hinata face Granbell really was something, especially when she deployed her World System Skill. It was certifiably under the "Hax" category, she seriously got such a bullshit ability! Even he wasn't sure if he could deal with it, he had faith in Raphael but her World System Skill was just that broken.
Her combat ability had also improved a lot compared to where she was at before, even without her Ultimate Skill she was a far more impressive fighter. After his Awakening he could have dealt with her with ease before she traveled to the past, now he wasn't so sure. He was still confident but he didn't have the absolute certainty he had before. It seemed like she had worked through some issues and had grown stronger for it.
When he left Hinata and Granbell were speaking, he wasn't going to stay there for their grandstanding when he had other important matters to take care of like dealing with the Western Council. Watching the fight was pretty fun though, he hadn't had many chances to see stuff like that. He even recorded it for Veldora to see, last he heard Veldora was whining about being left out of the "fun" as he called it, hopefully this would appease him.
Then there was the fact that Felix sent Sukuna of all people to help Arcueid manage the Council. Sukuna may not have been the same Sukuna he read about in the manga Jujutsu Kaisen, but in the end his core still stayed the same.
He wasn't all that different from the man who slaughtered thousands in Shibuya for fun, the man who was quite literally a menace to society. He felt like if he left Sukuna alone with the Council for too long, then there might not be a Council anymore.
Sukuna was a very unhinged individual, though perhaps Diablo was even more unhinged, the guy brought random plans to conquer random Western Kingdoms to his desk almost daily. It was almost like taking over countries was an enjoyable pastime for Diablo.
Rimuru managed a polite smile, hiding his surprise at the state of the Council as best he could. He quickly analyzed the papers on the table and held back his sigh as he went through the copious amounts of blackmail.
He glanced over at Arcueid, who wore her usual look of calm superiority, her gaze unwavering and calculating. He knew her methods were harsh, very harsh, in fact he would consider them literal torture, she cut a guy's arm off and another guy's leg off after all.
But the Council had been a thorn in his side for far too long, refusing his previous diplomatic attempts to bring them into alignment, it was only with Felix's help that he got this meeting, since Felix basically told Mariabell to arrange it back when she was alive.
Clearly, Arcueid had her own ways of securing alliances, even if those ways were terrifying. He did feel a bit bad, he didn't like using methods like torture but Souei had looked into each of the counsellors before hand, each of them were scum.
Sure some were less scummy than the rest, but most had slaves, blackmailed the innocent, extorted the hardworking, they were everything that was wrong with a modern society. Only caring about lining their own pockets while the people they had sworn themselves to suffered.
"Thank you, Ralph." Rimuru replied, his voice warm yet authoritative. He knew that Ralph was a rather important figure, the uncle of Mariabell and the brother of the current King of Siltrosso which was the Rosso's home base.
They were all still puppets of Granbell, but that didn't mean they weren't important, though perhaps that importance would wane depending on how things change with Granbell's death.
There was Duke Alfred of Ingrassia, Samuel Doran, the brother of King Doran. The Council was filled with various individuals of importance, so having them on his side was helpful, despite the rather violent method used to gain their allegiance Rimuru couldn't afford to be picky.
He'd hear about everything in detail from Benimaru and Souei later, but going by the two limbs on the floor he guessed Sukuna did something.
"I appreciate the… generous invitation to join the Council. I'll certainly consider appointing a representative." He was thinking of Diablo. Diablo wanted to dominate a few Kingdoms for him, so maybe he would be fine with representing Tempest's interests within the Council of the West. He would have to give Diablo strict orders to not go over the edge and maim anyone like Sukuna did though.
Blackmail was fine though, these guys all deserved it. The saying never trust a politician couldn't be more true.
He turned to Arcueid, who was watching him with something resembling satisfaction. Her crimson eyes gleamed with triumph, a look that reminded him of how serious she could be in her loyalty to Felix.
Lucky bastard!
He wanted a hot onee-san waifu too!
But Shuna was enough for him, she really was too sweet. And who knows, maybe she would grow up into an onee-san!
D-Did that count as grooming? Nah, he was fine. Probably.
He plastered a smile on his face. "Thank you for your help, Arcueid. I imagine this would have been more difficult without your… methods."
She inclined her head slightly. "Your words honor me, Lord Rimuru. I live to serve."
It always weirded him out just how subservient these Primordials were. Before he didn't see it as a big deal, but after Felix shared their history in detail and the significance they held to the world even he was a bit weirded out that such significant figures were completely fine with submitting to someone else. But they were eons old, that probably warped their mindset a bit. He couldn't imagine what he would do for literal eons, that sounded super boring.
Just then, Sukuna's voice broke in, a hint of amusement coloring his tone. "Yes, Lady Arcueid's methods have proven… highly effective." He said, casting a sly glance at the trembling nobles with a playful smirk on his face. He seemed to enjoy the tension in the room, and if anything, their fear only added to his satisfaction.
Seriously, he was messed up. A strong subordinate though, he could see why Felix wanted Sukuna. Especially if Sukuna's Domain Expansion turned into a World System Skill.
All he knew was that Sukuna had a Unique Skill of some kind and that he retained the abilities he was known for in the manga of Jujutsu Kaisen. He learned all that thanks to the monitoring he could do within The Dungeon. Sukuna and Zegion sparred from time to time; those spars would take place within The Dungeon.
Rimuru suppressed a sigh, aware that handling both Sukuna and Arcueid's high spirits after a successful power play might be as exhausting as dealing with the Council itself. "Right… so, I assume everything's in order here?"
"Perfectly." Arcueid replied smoothly. "The Council is yours to command, Lord Rimuru." He was aware that Felix would likely have more control over the Council than him, Arcueid was his subordinate after all. But Felix wasn't really interested in political stuff, so Rimuru wasn't worried about Felix doing something that ran contrary to his own goals.
Rimuru nodded, glancing over the nobles who still dared not meet his eyes. He took a step forward. "Now, as part of our alliance, I expect complete transparency and loyalty to our cause." He said. "I want to avoid any more… misunderstandings." Arcueid went through all the effort, it would be a shame not to use the newfound control he possessed over the Council.
The counselors nodded fervently, their desperation to appease evident.
He sighed again. This really wasn't how he saw all this going, but he wasn't going to complain. With the Council of the West on his side Tempest's expansion into the Western Nations will be easy as pie.
He held his hand out, summoning a Full Potion. Now it was time to make them more loyal and grateful to him. Restoring a limb ought to do that, right?
The carrot and the stick and all that.
- Felix -
I lightly whistled as I descended back down to the ground. It was pretty easy to take care of all the Monsters still around the area, I didn't see any reason to leave Arnaud hanging or anything. He seemed to be rather worried about that Hydra after all. As I descended I eyed the various buildings, each of them were back in perfect condition, Brahma really was broken.
I couldn't thank Yuuki enough for giving Creator to me, it had an incredible amount of potential. It wielded the power of creation, at least to a certain extent. Theoretically if pushed far enough it could basically do anything. Make a True Dragon, turn me into a True Dragon, create Ultimate Skills, anything was possible as long as I had a sufficient amount of energy and understanding over what I wanted to create.
I blinked in confusion as I felt the faith of the Humans in Lune begin to flow into me. Thanks to the Secret Art of Faith and Grace any time someone prayed to me or held faith in me I could feel it.
I didn't particularly care for the faith since I didn't really need it for any Holy Magic since I could just use it all manually, and the extra computational power it granted was minimal in comparison to my own computational power.
But it was useful for when my subordinates cast Holy Magic and they needed a bit of extra oomph. Raiden was the main consumption of my faith since she was one of the strongest Holy Magic users under my command followed by Adalman. I could spend faith to basically help them along with forming their Spells whenever they called upon my name and I could grant the Spells some extra power.
So while I didn't really care for faith I couldn't deny it was useful to a certain extent.
I lightly touched down on the ground in front of Luminous. "Why'd you transport the civilians back already?" I asked.
"I simply believed seeing you repair their homes would be the easiest way to create mass acceptance of Ruberious allying with Demon Lords. While my people will obey me I am aware that some are rather hesitant and worried about the recent moves I have made." Luminous said.
I nodded. "That's fair. Hope you don't mind some of their faith being directed to me. Not much I can do about it."
Luminous merely huffed. "I care not, it is merely a trickle of the faith I receive."
I nodded.
"I will be going back to my palace, I have things that need to be taken care of. Louis will likely need my advice in organizing all of the civilians and maintaining order." Luminous said.
"It is possible to awaken Damrada at any point now. I have regenerated his reserves within the Infinity Space and returned him to peak condition."
I nodded. "I understand, do what you need to do. Though do you mind if I get a small meeting room in your palace? I have someone I want to talk to."
Luminous raised a brow. "Very well." She then snapped her fingers transporting the three of us to Night Garden."
"Gunther!" Luminous called out. Moments later the Vampire butler appeared.
He swiftly bowed. "My Lady." He then turned to look at me and bowed lightly. "Lord Felix."
I gave a short wave before he turned to look back at Luminous.
"I have fulfilled your orders my lady. The body of Maria Rosso has been laid to rest, and an empty grave lies next to her."
Luminous nodded. "Good, and what of Kagali and her partner?"
"They have been buried as well." Gunther responded.
I raised a brow. Luminous was being rather generous, burying Kagali and Tear. I suppose she just didn't care enough about them to actually hate them or anything like that, something like hating or even disliking someone after they already died requires conscious effort.
Luminous smiled. "Well done, Gunther. I have other errands to run, could you escort Felix to a meeting room for his use."
Gunther bowed. "As you wish, my lady."
Luminous turned to me, a small smile on her face. "We will talk later. Before guiding you to a room for your use, Gunther will guide you to Hinata's quarters that I have given her in my palace. Please leave her there."
I rolled my eyes at Luminous' protective words. "Yeah, I'll do that." I waved. With that she vanished, teleporting away. I turned to Gunther. "Before we go, let me do something."
Gunther nodded.
I turned to Kurumi who was still resting on my shoulder, I wanted to keep the conversation I was having somewhat private for now. I could explain things to the others later if I needed to. "Hey Kurumi, I'm going to be sending you back to Azeroth, okay?"
Kurumi, still in her fox form pouted at me but nodded nonetheless. I smiled. "Thanks for understanding." I said as I twisted space, sending Kurumi straight to her room.
Gunther raised a brow. "Your mastery over space has not been exaggerated it seems. Even My Lady would struggle to teleport over such a vast distance with the ease you demonstrated."
"Thanks Gunther, I'm ready now."
Gunther nodded. "Follow me, Lord Felix." Gunther said.
I walked beside Gunther as he led me through Night Garden. "You've been serving Luminous for a while right." I asked, making small talk.
Gunther lightly nodded. "That is right."
"Hmm, what made you want to serve her? You're a Progenitor yourself, you could have afforded to make your own way through this world."
Gunther was pretty strong, he had an EP slightly over 1,000,000, that's around Saint level. Statistically barely anyone is on that level in this world, I just tend to associate with stronger people so they seem more common than they really are. Saints are like 0.0000001% of the population. That's about 10 for every billion Humans.
Gunther gave me a side eye, as if the question itself was foolish. "She is stronger than me for one, us Vampires follow the rules of Monsters, we respect strength above all else. However her charisma is what attracted me to her, her desire to create a world in her own image. Something about that was quite enthralling."
I nodded. "I see." I didn't really get what Gunther was saying, but to each's own. I just wanted to make small talk.
"Here we are, Lord Felix. This is the room offered to Lady Hinata." Gunther said as he opened the door to a room.
"Thanks Gunther." I said as I walked into the room. I looked around carefully, it was rather bland all things considered, but I suppose I should have expected that from Hinata. Nothing was on the walls, her bed sheet and blanket were plain with no design, there was just a dresser and a mirror in the corner along with various other amenities.
Perhaps I should leave a present behind, this room is super dull, I'm sure Hinata would be happy if I lightened it up. Plus messing with Hinata was always an enjoyable pastime of mine.
"You may leave Lady Hinata on her bed." Gunther said from behind me.
I nodded. "Got it. Does she stay here often?"
"No, she does not. She primarily stays in the quarters assigned to her as a member of the Nine Great Saints rather than the room Lady Luminous offered to her." Gunther said with a hint of disapproval in his tone.
"Hmm, I see."
I walked towards her bed and summoned her from my Infinity Space directly on her bed. Her eyes were closed but I could feel a subtle pulse of energy just waiting to burst out of her.
She wasn't evolving or anything, but her reserves were most definitely in the process of growing. She was hatching her Hero's Egg so I expected a good amount of growth from her, she's going to have an even tougher time controlling all her energy. At least she has Fortuna to help her with that.
As I walked away I snapped my fingers decorating the room. Various posters decorated Hinata's walls, the bed sheet and blanket had a bunch of swords designs on them, more specifically the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda series.
"I do not think Lady Hinata will be very happy about that." Gunther said.
I shrugged. "Meh, it'll be fine. What's she going to do?"
Yes! I will abuse my power like a true Demon Lord!
Gunther sighed. "I suppose that is true. If you are ready I can escort you to a meeting room that you may use."
I nodded. "I'm ready."
Hinata will probably take a few hours to wake up.
"Did you wish for me to assist her?"
'Sure, if there's a way you can help then go for it.'
"Very well."
Gunther quickly led me through the palace, before long he had stopped in front of a door. "Here we are, Lord Felix." He said as he opened the door. It was a medium sized room with a large table in the center.
"Mhmm, thanks Gunther."
"It was my pleasure." He bowed just before I walked in.
As the door closed behind me. I snapped my fingers placing a barrier around the room, preventing even Gunther from listening in on anything. The room didn't have any sort of recording devices so I didn't have to worry about that. I took a seat at the head of the small table.
'He's ready?'
"Yes, Damrada can be awoken at any time, I have suppressed his consciousness while you were busy, Master, but if you desire I can awaken him. However before that I do believe that you should take the new information I have into consideration."
'Oh? What new information? Something from Damrada?'
"Yes. It involved his Ultimate Enchantment."
'Ultimate Enchantment? Is that what his Ultimate Skill is called since it was given to him?'
"Yes, though calling it a Skill is an exaggeration. It does not possess the qualities of a true Ultimate Skill, it merely has one ability that if mastered properly can elevate the user's fighting prowess to the Ultimate level. Damrada likely got to the level he is at now through much training since I do not believe his Ultimate Enchantment has helped him all that much when it comes to direct combat capabilities."
'I'd believe that, the guy is a beast in combat just like Middray.'
I felt Othinus sigh. "You and your respect for fighters like Middray and Damrada confuse me. I find it far more efficient to increase your power with data and exploiting the system rather than training."
'I agree, it is a lot more efficient and all around easier, but I can't help but respect someone who got to where they were through hard work alone. There's something to admire about that.'
"I suppose."
I could tell Othinus didn't truly understand what I was saying but that's fine. We're both our own separate people even if we are closer than most can ever hope to be due to her soul basically residing in my own.
'Now what did you want to tell me about the Ultimate Enchantment?'
"Damrada's Ultimate Enchantment grants him a singular ability, Soul Protect. In essence it is a soul protection against any kind of spiritual attack with an impenetrable psychological barrier."
My eyes twitched. 'That sounds like something that would go scarily well with Satanael, Lord of Wrath.'
"Perhaps, such a thing requires more data, but I have already analyzed it."
The thought of Milim being able to let loose with Satanael without the risk of going mad was crazy. How much raw power would she have then? Truly, Milim was the nepo child of nepo childs.
Though, I didn't think Satanael's Wrath effects could be dealt with that easily.
Still a rather useful ability, not a directly combat related one but clearly Damrada was able to expand his knowledge over the Laws of the World using his Ultimate Enchantment as a base. His soul protection would likely make Greed and Mammon basically useless against him in most cases.
'So what's the issue?'
"This issue is that I have detected a connection between the Ultimate Enchantment and another Ultimate Skill."
My brows raised. 'Oh? Which one?'
"Michael, Lord of Justice."
My eyes widened. 'Seriously!?'
"Seriously."
'Were you able to analyze Michael through that connection?' If I could get God's chosen Skill I would sure as hell take the opportunity. I'm sure it was super broken.
"No, I already attempted to do so but Michael, Lord of Justice is a very, very complex Skill, I need more data if I wish to properly analyze it."
'I see, that's a shame but it's understandable.'
From what I knew Michael, Lord of Justice was Veldanava's primary Skill before he gave it to Rudra.
'I guess that's even more confirmation that Rudra is behind Damrada then.'
"Indeed. I was able to analyze the nature of the connection between Michael, Lord of Justice, and Damrada's Ultimate Enchantment. The holder of the Ultimate Skill: Michael, Lord of Justice can control Damrada's actions."
I held back a sigh. 'So a mind control Skill?'
"That does seem to be an aspect of Michael. Thanks to the data I gained on the connection between the two I was able to install a stopgap between Damrada and the connection he holds to Michael, with this it will not be possible for Michael to be used to control Damrada without Damrada knowing from here on out. I have also blinded the connection a bit making it impossible for Rudra to detect any tampering I have done to the connection on Damrada's side, however the moment Rudra attempts to assert control over Damrada he will know something has changed between their connection."
'Great job, Othinus. I'm not sure if Damrada was aware of that connection or not but better safe than sorry.'
"Indeed. From my understanding I do believe that the connection was mostly unused, it seems to merely be a last resort to keep people in line rather than something that is actively used. However as I do not have a full analysis of the Ultimate Skill: Michael, Lord of Justice there is a possibility that there has been an alteration in Damrada's psyche that I cannot detect."
'Got it, I'll keep that in mind. Can you get rid of the connection entirely?'
"Affirmative, it will be a deeply invasive process in Damrada's soul however."
'I see, well I'll keep that in mind.'
Depending on how this conversation goes I could bring it up to him.
All of a sudden a thought came to me.
'His Ultimate Enchantment is linked to his soul right.'
"Correct?" Othinus said, not quite getting where I was going.
Damrada had an incredible amount of raw power, and Skill, I didn't see much lacking in him as a fighter, so my question was just why he wasn't able to become a Divine Human.
Othinus quickly understood where I was going.
"...It is possible that the Ultimate Enchantment had some sort of effect on Damrada's evolutionary prospects, whether halting the process of developing Divinity or otherwise."
'That would explain it.'
I'd think about it further depending on how this conversation went.
'You can wake Damrada up now.'
"Affirmative."
I raised my palm, a spatial distortion leading to Infinity Space formed and from it Damrada was flung out onto the ground.
As I waited for him to get up I went through all the information I had. I'd have to be a bit careful with what I tell Damrada due to his connection to Rudra. There are some things I wouldn't want getting back to Rudra after all. Thankfully I didn't show Damrada anything all that special, sure I showed that I was way stronger than Damrada but that was about it. Rudra won't get much information on my abilities from that alone.
A moment later, Damrada's consciousness began to stir, and his eyes flickered open as he found himself in the room. He took a moment to regain his bearings, then focused his gaze on me. There was recognition in his eyes and his lips were curling upwards. I suppose he was happy I didn't just kill him when I could have.
He slowly stood up. "Lord Felix." He greeted with a low bow, he was as composed and confident as ever. I suppose he wouldn't be where he was if he just cowered in front of every person stronger than him. "I am glad that you agreed to speak with me in private."
I waved him off. "It's no problem. You interested me and I saw no reason to disagree."
"I am glad that I was able to interest you then." Damrada said humbly.
"Take a seat." I said while gesturing to the chair across from me. "I've already secured the room so no one can overhear."
Damrada nodded gratefully before sitting across from me.
"So, what was it you wanted to speak about?"
Damrada shifted in his seat slightly. "Before we get into that, allow me to explain some of the backstory so what I request after makes more sense."
I raised a brow. So he was going to ask for something, huh? Well I'll decide whether I should accept or not after hearing him out.
"Go ahead. Let's hear the full introduction."
Damrada took a deep breath. "I am known as the Fist Saint Damrada, the former Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Nasca, the former Commander of the Imperial Guardians and the current Vice Commander of the Imperial Guardians. It is nice to meet you officially, Lord Felix."
Hold up, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Nasca? I'm pretty sure that's what the Eastern Empire was known as before it you know… became an Empire through rapid and tyrannical expansion.
Damrada might be even more valuable than I thought, one thing we've been lacking on is information on the Eastern Empire. I know the basics such as the existence of the Single Digits and how their military is generally structured but nothing else really which is not ideal since it seems the Eastern Empire is going to be our newest enemies.
I seriously need to take a break and go to another world, I need some time without having to worry about the next impending attack.
If Damrada was telling the truth about him being the current Vice Commander and former Commander of the Imperial Guardians then at least I can somewhat guess the general level of the Imperial Guardians below him in ranking. The Single Digits are all Saints, but strength between Saints can vary a lot.
"Now that's a lot of titles." I said out loud.
Damrada smiled. "Indeed, but you wished for the full introduction."
I nodded. "That is true. Now what could the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guardians be doing here? From what I know you lot are directly under your Emperor's command. Did Rudra order you to be here?"
I could see that being true. Ordering Damrada to cause some chaos in the West would be a good way to overall weaken the Western Nations, making them easy pickings for when they invade. But if that were true why would Damrada be here, telling me his whole story?
He could be buying for time, or it could be something else. I suppose the only way for me to know is to hear him out. I still didn't even know why he worked for Yuuki if he was already an Imperial Guardian, from what Guy said those guys are pretty loyal to Rudra, not to mention the Ultimate Enchantment Damrada has which basically guarantees loyalty if Rudra wished to enforce it.
Could Yuuki be more related to the Eastern Empire than I thought? Could he have been working for Rudra to weaken the Western Nations as well? Maybe Yuuki wasn't aware of it, he could have been used but I guess only Damrada has the answer to that.
"Indeed, the Imperial Guardians can only be commanded by myself, the Commander, the Marshal, and the Emperor, and I am here under the Emperor's orders." Damrada continued. "Before I explain why, allow me to explain more of my backstory."
Info dump time, huh? Well I guess that's fine.
"Sure, sure, go ahead."
"In the ancient past I was once a mere Prime Minister of the Small Kingdom of Nasca." Damrada's gaze drifted, as though he were seeing back through centuries. "Nasca was a peaceful kingdom." He began.
I stifled a snort, if they really were a peaceful kingdom then they seriously have changed when compared to the past. Now they were basically the boogeyman of the world, well them and the Angels.
"I was appointed as Prime Minister by the then King and Queen of the Kingdom of Nasca, I was a mere boy back then but they saw potential in me. It was then that I met Emperor Rudra, he hadn't even taken the first steps in his journey back then. He was powerful, yet not even an Enlightened."
Damrada sighed. "Something about him had captivated me from the moment I met him, I knew he was destined for greatness, he just had that charisma about him. Even his sister was extraordinary in her own right."
Heh, I imagine Rudra's sister had to be something special to get God himself to fall for her.
"But I digress, eventually Rudra left to begin his journey, and I remained managing the nation's resources, navigating alliances, and securing prosperity. Our people were merchants, skilled in trade, our lands rich in resources. I took pride in guiding them toward wealth and influence, keeping the kingdom safe from the powerful nations encircling us."
I rested my chin on my hand as I waited for Damrada to continue. While learning about the history of the Eastern Empire was neat and all, I really didn't care for it.
"Now I will skip the rest, I am sure you are getting bored." Damrada said as he noticed my expression. "Eventually, years later tragedy struck, the king and queen had passed away, to poison of all things. The culprit was apprehended but the damage was done. Rudra and his sister, Lucia returned after years of training under the Star King. I could tell the Emperor was a changed man, he was determined to achieve a certain goal, he wished for world peace."
I sighed. Great, Rudra wanted world peace, yet he was ruling the biggest warring empire in this world.
"From what I know, Emperor Rudra and Guy Crimson were having a competition, I don't know the details however."
I raised a brow. Now that I did not know, but it was only natural that Guy didn't tell me everything.
"Rudra wished to conquer the world to bring peace. In his eyes as long as there were multiple Kingdoms in existence each with their own goals, world peace would be impossible." Damrada said.
I nodded. That was true honestly. The easiest way to world peace was through conquering the entire world, with the entire world at your boots then everyone was equally under you. If you had the capacity to do such a thing then I could understand Rudra's reasons for his rapid expansion even if I didn't particularly approve. The amount of bloodshed in such a thing would be absurd.
Not to mention it would be a hollow peace, with everyone equal only under you.
World peace won't come easy. Though Guy was bound to be an obstacle in Rudra's goals, for now Rudra hadn't pushed Guy's limits, but the moment Rudra did something that Guy's role as a Mediator demanded he challenge.
I imagine a big fight would take place. Though I do wonder why Guy hasn't acted already in some fashion, I'm sure the Eastern Empire wasn't always as big as it is now. The Empire is known to conquer all the Kingdoms in their vicinity. I suppose that wasn't a danger to Humanity in Guy's eyes though so he didn't do anything about it.
Well either that or I'm missing something. I'll have to ask Guy next time I see him.
"I decided to believe in him and his dream. By that point I was already an Enlightened as I had been training myself. I evolved into a Saint soon after." Damrada explained. "Rudra would then return to the tutelage of the Star King where he would go even stronger."
Damrada went on to explain basically everything Rudra went through. If you asked me, Damrada seemed to be Rudra's biggest fanboy, he knew a lot about the guy.
Shortly after returning to learn under Veldanava, Lucia Nasca got married to Velda Nava leading to Milim's birth. Then of course a neighboring Kingdom attacked Velda when he was weak due to Milim's birth, Velda died, as did Lucia. At this point Dino went on a rampage and destroyed the Kingdom that caused Velda's death turning into a True Demon Lord.
"So what next?" I asked as I sat up in my seat. From this point on I didn't know nearly as much, sure I knew the general events but not much more.
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Author's Note:
Sup everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. We got some more councilor bullying, now there really shouldn't be much trouble going on in the western nations at all so the focus will be the empire.
Now we learn a bit more about the eastern empire.
Thanks for reading, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.