Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena POV - September 11, 2008.
Just as I expected, nothing had really changed in Pentagram City. Well, yes, there was a huge wave of relief and celebration among the people upon hearing that the faction of the former Satans had been killed or imprisoned, especially Honest and his people. Most of the people who now lived here were originally from Lucifaad. They had experienced firsthand the corruption and power Honest wielded, and his death had been a relief to many of them, though thankfully none seemed particularly eager to return to Lucifaad.
And speaking of Lucifaad, Ravel and Lucius's plan had been executed flawlessly. Bella's attack on Lucifaad had no significant repercussions, as she had already defeated Esdeath, who had been posthumously labeled a terrorist for her membership in the Khaos Brigade.
Well, she did have it. Since we were at war, rank promotions were allowed in theory, depending on achievements and strength demonstrated on the battlefield. Bellatrix had everything she needed to advance to at least a high-class devil. Her punishment was that she couldn't be promoted for three months. Something Bella didn't really care about.
Some devils had tried to appeal for harsher punishment, especially since the deaths of Honest and many other devils in Lucifaad were involved. Bella wasn't actually involved in their deaths, but her 'distraction' allowed a group of assassins to enter Lucifaad and indiscriminately kill 'honorable' members of the devil race. It didn't work.
The old Satan faction was practically eradicated. A few loose ends remained, but without any real power to exert influence, they weren't really a problem. Bella simply got off with her mild punishment.
Now, Night Raid. I hadn't really expected to see them, but they had accepted the deal to come to Pentagram City, along with the other assassin groups. Half of them had withdrawn on the spot and were settling peacefully into the city, but another group, especially Night Raid, decided to join Astrarium.
Which was good. I didn't really need a group of assassins, but now I had one. And more importantly, they were experienced. So, since I didn't have any targets to assassinate, I put them to work training the rest of the Astrarium members.
Finally, there was Akame and Kurome. Both had been relieved of their fake 'jobs.' While they, incredibly, belonged to the Sargatanas family, I didn't really need any extra servants at the moment. Akame was more than happy to stay close to her group.
Kurome, on the other hand, as a favor to Akame, had been cured of any ailment or drug dependency. I had broken her connection with Yatsufusa, placed restrictions on her so she wouldn't harm anyone, and left her in the care of Akame and her group for the time being.
I had basically cleaned my hands of it.
But putting that aside, I had managed to acquire several Sacred Gears they had been using. Yatsufusa, Shambala, Mastema, Shamshir, Rubicante, Absordex, Hekatonkheires, and Adramelech and Erastone —the latter two courtesy of Night Raid. These were the Teigu/Sacred Gears of Kurome, Syura, Run, Enshin, Bols, Dorothea, Seryu, Budo, and Honest, respectively.
And along with them, they had also been able to seal them all away and sell them off. Truly, the faction of the old devils hadn't held back at all and had sent all their forces. Which was good for us; with them all finally finished, it was one less nuisance I had to worry about.
Enshin (S5) from Akame ga Kill! --SOLD
Izou(T5) from Akame ga Kill! --SOLD
Dorothea(S6) from Akame ga Kill! --SOLD
Bols(S5) from Akame ga Kill! --SOLD
Seryu Ubiquitous(T5) from Akame ga Kill! --SOLD
Run(T5) from Akame ga Kill! --SOLD
Syura(T5) from Akame ga Kill! --SOLD
And besides them, there was also Shalba.
Shalba Beelzebub(T6) from High School DxD --SOLD
Total [218]
It wasn't much, but it was better than the few credits we had before. I still regret refusing to seal Ophis. She was so... trusting that if I had simply asked her to let me press the seal onto her skin for a few seconds in exchange for helping her, she would have done it.
I hadn't even had to sell her; even if I'd freed her as I did with Vali, I still would have made an easy profit of 600 credits. And more than that, capturing Ophis was one of the side missions I still had pending, and the reward was an IMG ticket. So yeah, just me and my big mouth, which I really couldn't stop babbling throughout my entire encounter with Ophis.
Even so, I had Esdeath. And by 'had,' I meant I'd sold her too. After determining that she did indeed possess a Sacred Gear, which I managed to replicate thanks to the Sephiroth Graal. Well, I was still trying to replicate it.
It was… quite an unexpected windfall, really. This would solve a lot of my problems. Or rather, once I can replicate it properly.
I truly couldn't remove Esdeath's Sacred Gear from her body. That Sacred Gear had practically fused with her. She really didn't know how this Sacred Gear worked with the god system. Or even how they had been able to remove it from someone in the first place.
Perhaps it simply fused in that way when it was forcibly removed and consumed by a devil. Perhaps that Sacred Gear wasn't meant for such a deep fusion. But putting that aside.
The Sacred Gear was the lifeblood of a demonic creature. I was able to extract the creature's soul and revive it with much help from the Sephiroth Graal; then I killed it and drained its blood before subjecting it to the creation process.
I can't replicate Sacred Gears. Even if God was involved in their creation, however slightly, they still retain a touch of his divinity, enough that I cannot replicate them precisely. Even so, I was able to see how Devils were created. Extract.
And that was the damn interesting thing. God had been able to take the blood of a monster and practically create a way to inherit its powers simply by placing that blood into a new body.
Did that mean I could use my own blood, take a pillar trait, place it in a cup, and give a clan trait to anyone who drank it? That… was very dangerous if discovered.
I still needed to find a way to replicate it. I could see the details of God's creation, but I couldn't do many of the things God did so easily, so I was stuck on certain parts.
Still, it was a step forward. And since I already had everything I wanted from her, I didn't need Esdeath.
So I just sold her. Well, before I took several blood samples. After that, I really didn't need her anymore. I'd admit she was beautiful, no doubt about it, but I already had enough crazy, unhinged people attached to me; I didn't need another one at the moment. Although, with my bad luck, it seems I still managed to attract them somehow.
Esdeath(T7) from Akame ga Kill! –SOLD [298]
With that done, I quickly grabbed my phone and updated Bellatrix's quest. She had leveled up and delved deeper into the dungeon. Several side objectives remained.
Objective 2: Reach Level 2
Reward [ Credits ] : 20
Objective 3: Reach Level 3
Reward [ Credits ] : 30
Objective 4: Reach Level 4
Reward [ Credits ] : 40
Objective 17: Reach floor 58
Reward [ Credits ] : 100
Objective 18: Reach floor 65
Reward [ Credits ] : 200
Objective 21: Kill a Goliath
Reward [ Other ] : Free T5 Companion or 30 credits
Objective 22: Kill Amphisbaena
Reward [ Other ] : Free T6 Companion or 50 credits
Objective 23: Kill a Udaeus
Reward [ Other ] : Free T6 Companion, plus 20 credits, or 75 credits
Bella had managed to reach level 4, much to my surprise, though it shouldn't surprise me. Killing a god should definitely count as a feat impressive enough to earn the gods a lot of high-quality Excelia. In fact, leveling up by only two was almost offensive to Thanatos.
Regarding the Rex Monsters: Goliath respawned the fastest, making him easy for Bella to kill. Amphisbaena respawned every month, so coordinating the dates was also simple.
Udaeus reappeared every three months, and fortunately for us, we knew exactly when he would reappear. In canon, Ottar would fight Udaeus to get his rare item, but with Ottar coming to Pentagram City, he didn't need to.
She was missing Balor, the last known Rex monster on the 49th floor. But he appeared every nine months, and we had no estimated date to camp nearby so we could kill him as soon as he was born.
Even so, it was more than enough. I hesitated for a few seconds before selecting the options and accepting the tickets for now.
Mission Rewards +410 [708]:
Ultimate Dungeon Diving part II in Danmachi
Credits [20]; Credits [30]; Credits [40]; Credits [100]; Credits [200]; Other [Free T5 Companion]; Other [Free T6 Companion]; Other [Free T6 Companion]; Credits [20];
With this, we had 708 credits, 1 IMG ticket, 1 ticket for a T5 companion, and 3 tickets for T6 companions. The third was the one I got by killing Kokabiel and had never used.
And now, I had enough to buy four more slaves. Should I spend it? Although… honestly, I had no idea who to spend it on. I let out a long sigh before dismissing the thought. I'd discuss it with the girls; otherwise, I'd sell them for more credits.
But putting all those worries aside, I needed to decide if I wanted to get involved in what was about to happen. Loki was supposed to attack Odin and Rias's group sometime in the next week or the week after.
I didn't doubt everything would work itself out even if I didn't get involved. But… I could. Seize the moment, kidnap Loki, and usurp his authority, though I wasn't sure how Odin would react if I went so far as to kill and usurp Loki's power. I might be able to keep Odin from finding out in the short term, but sooner or later he would. So, putting Loki aside, at least, maybe I could do it with Fenrir. That was a good option too. Or perhaps with Skoll and Hati.
Hmm... decisions. Or, during that time, I could take on a short mission. I hadn't succeeded in releasing the Shikai from my wand, therefore, I wasn't even close to Bankai. I just needed time, but there were... a few things I'd like to try.
Mashle or Black Clover.
The first was obvious. Magic aside, what interested me most about Mashle was the wands. Specifically, the wands of people known as Thirds, and Thirds' magic, considered the highest expression of magic, even described as the magic of the gods, and specifically, summons.
Summons. An exceptional ability only a select few can use, involving invoking divine power from within a magic wand. I really… didn't know they were so closely related to the gods. And it wouldn't take me long to find out.
I'd just have to convince Wahlberg Baigan, the headmaster of Easton Magic Academy, to summon Uranus and see it in action. Or, if not, I could go and find Innocent Zero, the criminal organization involved in murder, human trafficking, and smuggling, and kill them all. I'm sure its members would be happy to use summons if they're about to die.
And Black Clover… I just wanted access to the Grimoires there. They're supposed to be special books made of mana, and supposedly, they're wisdom bestowed by the gods. Again, I had no idea whether the gods were involved. But considering devils existed, I couldn't really rule them out.
Whatever my objective is, it needs to be a quick mission. I wasn't really interested in staying in either of those two worlds for too long. Thinking about those worlds made me think about one I really wanted to go to.
Fairy Tail.
The main reason… Acnologia and his arcane dragon slayer magic. Dragon slayer magic that uses magic itself as its element. Until now, I'd been ignoring it because I definitely wasn't strong enough to even get close to Acnologia and survive.
But now it was possible. And, although I only wanted the magic of Dragon slayer, specifically his, now I also had the Circle of Usurpation; I could steal more from Acnologia. And from the other Dragon Gods as well.
Besides that, I was also excited by the sheer amount of magic available in a world where everything revolved around it.
But… I'd rather enjoy Fairy Tail for a while longer. It's best to leave it until after the tournament.
"Serena!" Enid exclaimed loudly in my mind, and I grimaced.
"Yes, dear?" I asked patiently. Enid just kept shrieking.
"Stop working! Our series is about to premiere! You have to come!" Enid said with a mental shriek. I just sighed.
"We already watched the series two days ago, when you finished editing it. We had a movie night." I reminded her.
"This is different! This is the premiere! We'll be on TV! We have to watch it! And then check social media to see the public's reaction! We have to be on it!" Enid said quickly. I stopped as I heard her voice speak rapidly.
"Are you nervous?" I asked playfully. I could almost feel Enid's indignation from here.
"Nervous?! Why would I be nervous?! I'm not nervous! It doesn't make me nervous that my face will be on international television for everyone, normal and supernatural! Of course not, ma'am! I am the very picture of serenity and calm, and I'll let you know that!" Enid said quickly and sharply. I chuckled.
"You're adorable." I purred playfully.
"Seraaa!" Enid complained, and I chuckled.
"Okay, I'll come keep you company, " I said easily. I looked at what I was doing here, then left everything where it was and stood up. No plan mattered more than comforting or taking care of Enid or any of the other girls.
"Thank you." Enid sighed, trembling slightly. "I'm sorry, I know we did spectacularly, but I can't help it." Enid said, biting her lip. I shook my head.
"Don't worry. I'll get some snacks and take them to the screening room. Will the others be there?" I asked curiously. I could feel Enid mentally shaking her head.
"No, Ravel and Lucius will join us later to monitor social media and all that. But the others are busy," Enid said, pouting. I chuckled.
"This is your fault for wanting to have the preview," I said playfully. That only made her pout worse. I chuckled. "Think on the bright side, it'll be just the two of us," I said flirtatiously. And to my surprise, her nervousness almost completely disappeared.
"Come quick! I want to cuddle with you!" Enid squealed with delight. I smiled gently. I left my desk and created a portal to the kitchen. I had snacks to prepare for my night with Enid.
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Author's Notes : Okay. With that, the next world is decided, at least. Or rather, worlds if you count Mashle /Black Clover. Serena will go to one of them, and for once, I'll try to make it quick, I promise! ( I know I make this promise every time I start a new arc, but this time I'm committed to keeping it!)
Now, I have some digressions to make.
Actually, in the future, I want to enter a space-sci-fi world for GLaDOS, Lucy, and the others. Mass Effect. So, I've been thinking about which one to go for and considering the options. Mass Effect. And being the benevolent being I am, I've decided to listen to your ideas, if you have any. Mass Effect.
Now, seriously, I want to write something about Mass Effect. And before you say anything! Tali'Zorah forever! Tali is my love, Tali will join whether you like it or not, I've already decided that and nothing you say will change my mind!
But putting my love for Tali aside. Which, you should know, is considerable. To the point of downloading a mod that lets me romance my Female Shepherd and play it again.
I must admit that the Mass Effect universe, within the realm of space-based science fiction, is among the least dangerous. The Reapers, however dangerous they were portrayed in the game, are not a real threat compared to other space series. And Serena could even take down the Reapers herself in a matter of hours.
So, what's the solution? Several, actually.
1. Go Mass Effect, but with a limited level. Limit magic, limit what Serena and her group can do, and require them to build everything like Shepard if they want to stop the Reapers. This is the easiest way, and the one that would take 'the least amount of time'—let's say, at most, the 3-4 years the games span, unless I decide to finish everything as quickly as possible.
2. The other option is to merge worlds. I was thinking, Mass Effect + Star Wars. Interestingly, the entire Star Wars story dates back 25,000 to 30,000 years. So its entire history would fit within a Mass Effect cycle. Here, I could start creating more complex things. First, the Reaper mind control. It would be more dangerous. And besides, it could even make the Reapers Force-sensitive after harvesting millions of Force-sensitive beings in each cycle. (Warning: I don't know Star Wars very well, so if I decide to write this, it will likely have some significant gaps; keep that in mind. Even so, I liked the idea enough to mention it and consider writing it.)
3. The other one, following the idea above: Mass Effect + Ben 10 + Steven Universe. Just because. No further explanation needed. I have no idea what will come of this mix, but I like Ben 10, I like Steven Universe (or at least, the Gem Empire), and that's it. And mainly, I'd like the idea of Serena becoming a Diamond and managing to fuse with the others. (In fact, all the girls have Evil Pieces, made of crystals, in their souls; would they be considered Gems?) And also, Ben 10 has the greatest variety of powerful aliens. Intergalactic war between gems and bio-beings!
4. Another idea: Mass Effect in an already available world. This version is the most complex and the longest to execute. Let's say, Mass Effect in the world of Cyberpunk 2077. GLaDOS is already building spaceships and the Jump Drive. So this would begin with the discovery of the ruins on Mars, the Mass Relay of the solar system, and the First Contact War. Then it would progress over years or decades as the Cyberpunks establish themselves in the galaxy.
5. And the last one. Combine several of them. Let's say, 2 and 4, or 3 and 4 aren't mutually exclusive. 2 and 3 would be complicated if I keep adding world after world, but maybe something could be achieved.
So, as you can see, I have a lot of ideas. Honestly, there's still a long way to go. As I mentioned, I still have to finish the current DxD arc, Mashle, and Black Clover, all of Fairy Tail, and then maybe one or two more DxD arcs before even venturing into the world of science fiction. I want to get a concrete idea. Merging worlds and timelines so that everything coordinates is complicated, and I'd like to have something already put together before I start writing. Especially since I like all the ideas enough to have several ideas about what to write about each one, so I haven't been able to decide.
So… ideas. You can choose some of them, or suggest others. What's not up for debate, though, is Mass Effect, no way. I'll go to the ends of the galaxy to get Tali'Zorah.