"Codex: Celestial Dragons
Amakusa. Corvinus. Fenris. Addams. Gojo. Zen'in. Carmilla. Frump. Rothschild. Barthomeloi. Nura. Gringott. Lunas. Figarland. Fraga McRemitz. Black. Grindelwald. Animusphere. Van Astrea. Flamel.
The World Nobles, also known generally as the Celestial Dragons, are the Aristocratic Families of the Congregation and the founders of the World Government Federation of Terra that rules over Terra.
The Social Class of the Celestial Dragons was established in the Year 20 of the God-Devil Age after the start of the Apocalypse. The Twenty Lords of the Congregation established the Congregation and brought a new world order to Terra, which was being ravaged by the Zombies, Demons, Mutated Beasts, and various horrors of the night.
Since the establishment of the Congregation, which later, after the Apocalypse, assimilated all remaining governments in the world and various forces and established the World Government, the Twenty Lords of the Congregation became the dominant forces in the world.
Approximately 75% of the powerhouses of the World Government Federation of Terra belong to the Twenty Noble Families in one way or another. Even many who didn't originate from the lineages of the World Nobles would join them through the bonds of marriage.
With the expansion of the Terra through devouring other worlds, the power of the World Government grew to the point where the World Government and Congregation became one, as the Congregation represented the Executive and Governmental Body of the World Government.
Most of the highest positions within the World Government and the Congregation are filled by the Celestial Dragons from the 20 Lord Families.
The Celestial Dragons live in the Holy Land Mary Geoise, which is the capital of the World Government. Holy Land Mary Geoise was built on the Lost Continent of Arteum, which was a continent that appeared in the Pacific Ocean after the Apocalypse and was considered the Heart of the Terra.
It was a place where multiple Dragon Veins were located, and it was also the location where many of the Leylines crossed through one another. Within the Holy Land, the Celestial Dragons reside in the Domain of the Gods, which is where the World Nobles and their families live.
It was a fairly regular town, albeit far more luxurious and attuned to the needs of every species, with trees and a fountain decorating the streets. However, it is very large as it constitutes most of the area of Mary Geoise.
In the center was the Pangea Castle, a gigantic castle that dwarfs all the other buildings in Mary Geoise. Pangaea Castle is where officials of the World Government meet and work; it is also the residence of the Grand Chancellor of the Amakusa Clan, the Princeps Congregatio Imperatoris.
Of the Twenty Lord Families of the Congregation, not every family was overseeing the Department of the Congregation and was directly involved in the management of the World Government.
Some Families were given other and more specific duties.
Fraga McRemitz Family was responsible for the management of the Azkaban, the most secure prison in the entire Terra.
Flamel Family was responsible for the management of the Atlas Institute, the prime research institute for the development of Alchemy. Since the establishment of the Congregation, the research and application of alchemy have become increasingly widespread due to the utility of alchemical devices.
Or the Figarland Family, which was responsible for the management of the Knights of God.
The Knights of God were the most elite force of the Congregation that guarded the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, with the authority to oversee the World Nobles. The Knights of God are also the strongest military unit of the Congregation and World Government as a whole, as they act as the trump card and final bastion for the Terra.
They are led by the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights, Figarland Garling, who is also the Lord of the Figarland Family. The Knights of God also act as the ultimate enforcers of the Congregation and World Government in cases when the situation can't be handled by the Burial Agency or Enforcers of the Congregation.
In the modern age, due to the huge size of Terra, which has grown tremendously after devouring several more worlds, it is rather rare to see Celestial Dragons traveling through the planet, as they mostly remain in the Mary Geoise or in their stationed locations.
Among the Celestial Dragons, there is also some sort of hierarchy.
On the bottom were the ordinary members of the Twenty Lord Families of the Congregation.
Above them were the Elite Members, who had achieved considerable combat prowess and were actually useful to the Congregation and the World government. The Elite Celestial Dragons were usually assigned to the various Departments of the Congregation, Special Divisions, or to manage the affairs of the World Government.
Above the Elites were the Patriarchs of the Families, who were managing the affairs of their specific family.
Then there were the Five Elders.
A group of five, the strongest and most competent Celestial Dragons, who possessed the responsibility of overseeing the World Government's affairs as well as the world in general.
During their tenure as one of the Five Elders, they were to be impartial towards even their own families and needed to look after the entire class of the Celestial Dragons. The members of the Five Elders are elected by vote by the Celestial Dragons, with the Voting Rights, meaning the Elite Celestial Dragons and Patriarchs.
Currently, the Five Elders were:
1st Elder - Augustus Barthomeloi
2nd Elder - Nicolas Flamel
3rd Elder - Figarland Garling
4th Elder - Marcus Corvinus
5th Elder - Muzaka Kallikratos
Above the Five Elders was the Grand Chancellor of the Congregation, the Princeps Congregatio Imperatoris, and master of the Empty Throne, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, who acted as the Supreme Ruler of the Congregation and World Government as a whole.
The Celestial Dragons, as the highest ruling class of the entire World Government and Congregation, have access to the best resources that the World Government has, and they are also the only ones who have full access to the full knowledge that the Congregation has gathered.
On the other hand, the Knights of God are obliged to defend the World Government and solve the problems that could be solved by the conventional forces of the World Government or elite units of the Congregation, like Enforcers or Burial Agency.
- Celestial Dragons: The Aristocracy of the World Government Federation of Terra
***
Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain
The morning rays of the sun were shining on the panorama of Hogwarts Castle as the Director of the Jujutsu Association was preparing for the morning exercises once again.
This was his morning routine as he was exercising every single morning.
He was exercising intensively, as he needed to keep himself in shape, though the actual reason was that it was part of the routine that he maintained so his physical capabilities wouldn't decline over time.
Shirou was physically oriented most of the time, os he needed to keep in shape. Despite wearing a priest-like outfit most of the time, he had a muscular physique befitting that of a warrior and fighter, one that would put many bodybuilders to shame.
He wasn't a bulky creature of muscle; his muscles were compact, and his physique was perfectly shaped and trained with little to no body fat. Because it was still very early in the morning, about half past six, there were no people in the area of the Great Lake.
The Great Lake, alternatively known as the Black Lake, was a sizeable landlocked freshwater lake on the grounds of Hogwarts Castle, located to the south of the school itself. The castle stood on a cliff overlooking the water. It was about eight hundred meters in diameter, and the castle's plumbing network drained into it.
The lake had a number of unusual inhabitants, including a Giant Squid, a village of Merpeople, and many Grindylows, and it was pretty dangerous to visit without being cautious or having sufficient preparations.
Shirou chose the area around the Great Lake as his training ground for the time being, or rather, during their stay at the castle, because here and at this hour, he would have a lot of privacy.
Selene was still sleeping in her coffin because she was very stressed from the previous day and from the things that she had discovered. She was still very disturbed from all of the findings, so she was sleeping rather a lot, and the House Elves provided her with a very comfortable coffin to sleep in.
"So where to start... let's start with the Black Keys today."
They had the form of long and slender rapier-like swords with blades measuring over one meter and extremely short hilts, looking more likely to be used to thrust than slash at the opponent, although they could also be used to slash through very hard substances.
Depending on their grade.
Weighing one kilo, Black Keys were too thick and oddly-balanced, feeling heavier towards the tip, to use as melee weapons in general, and they seem more like daggers made into swords or arrows, even to someone who does not know of their true nature.
But while they may look like blades, they're actually very powerful Cursed Tools.
During combat, they pour their Cursed Energy into it, switching it over into Auto-Exorcism mode, which just coincidentally happens to look like a blade. With low effectiveness as swords despite their appearance and their great length, their true usage is exclusively as throwing weapons, likened to bullets rather than for swordplay.
The Black Keys were one of the favourite Cursed Tools of his due to their power and versatility, which made they useful.
Cursed Tools are weapons and support items used by jujutsu sorcerers that are purposefully imbued with a Cursed Energy and some sort of Curse. Different from Cursed Objects, Cursed Tools are weapons infused with Cursed Energy.
Due to this, even non-sorcerers can use them to fight, as they were immensely popular among Vampires who used the Cursed Energy, so the Cursed Tools were perfect weapons for their race. However, they were not alone, as even Werewolves, Goblins, and or Psykers chose the Cursed Tools very often as their main weapons.
Conventional weapons such as katanas can become Semi-Cursed Tools over time if the user constantly imbues them with their cursed energy. However, weapons new to the user that are reinforced with Cursed Energy are not considered Cursed Tools.
As with Jujutsu Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits, Cursed Tools are categorized from the Normal Rank that corresponds to the 4th-Class to 3rd-Class beings, Rare Rank that corresponds to 2nd-Class, Unique Rank that corresponds to 1st-Class, and Epic Rank that corresponds to Special Class.
The Ranks were based on the power and potency of the Cursed Tool. The higher the Rank, the greater the advantage granted to the user in a Jujutsu battle. This ranking wasn't exclusive to the Cursed Tools, but it was being used worldwide for the Classification of the Relics.
This was the collective ranking for the Artifacts, Cursed Tools, and other similar things that were used in the Moomnlit Side of the World.
***
It was morning at Hogwarts, early morning at that, so there were almost no people who were already awake at this ungodly hour. At some place around the Great Lake, a young woman with long, voluminous, wavy, dark hair with a hint of purple, which cascaded down her shoulders, was practicing her Magic.
Her eyes are sharp, piercing, and filled with a mischievous or even sinister expression, as she gives off a confident and almost menacing smirk. Her makeup enhances her fierce look, emphasizing her eyes and cheekbones.
She was dressed in an elegant yet dark gothic-style outfit consisting of a black corset-like top with thin straps and a long, flowing skirt. The sleeves of her dress were slightly torn or stylized to give a different appearance compared to the standard ones. She also wore a delicate yet noticeable necklace, adding to her mysterious aura.
Bellatrix Black, the daughter of the House of Black, was one of the most talented and powerful Magi of the younger generation. She was born into the prestigious Magus Family, and she proudly practiced her Family's Craft, Heaven's Feel, a very advanced form of soul-based Necromancy.
The members of the House Black not only practised their Family's Craft, the Heaven's Feel, which allowed them to create Soul Servants, which was a very advanced form of Necromancy, but due to the Heaven's Feel, their affinity for the Necromancy, Black Arts, Curses, Forbidden Magic and Dark Magic was out of the roof.
Within the entire Moonlit World, the members of the House Black were the most talented ones when it came to these types of Magic. Not only that, but Heaven's Feel and its mastery guaranteed that they were free of the side effects of the various types of Magic that would drive other Wizards and Magi insane.
From the current young generation of the House Black, Bellatrix was the strongest and most talented, and it was clear to anyone that, despite the traditions of the House Back, the current Patriarch of the House Black, Arcturus III. Black was even considering making her his Heir.
As unfortunate as it was, the main line of the House Black in man line was a strong disappointment because both Sirius and Regulus were failures one way or another.
Sirius, as the oldest son of the House Black, was someone who openly fraternized with the enemies of the House Black on the political spectrum, never really practiced magic, and was not a strong combatant, among other things.
While Regulus was sympathizing with Voldemort and his goons, this would make the noble House Black subservient to the other forces.
What was even worse was that Sirius, as the Heir Apparent, was barely practising his Family's Craft, and his knowledge of Dark Magic and Curses was far behind that of Bellatrix... or even her sisters, Narcissa and Andromeda.
Though at the same time, despite everything, Bellatrix wasn't really interested in being the Lord of the House Black, as it was too much work. And as a smart young woman, she was, she knew that political positions were not really anything significant; the only thing that mattered was power.
While there were people who were Lords of their Families, Clans, or Houses who, at the same time, were extremely powerful, those were just a minority. She new that within the Jujutsu Sorcerer Society, the Special-Class Jujutsu Sorcerers had far more influence and power than even the Patriarchs of the large clans.
Gojo Satoru, one of the youngest Special-Class Jujutsu Sorcerers who was born with the Six Eyes and Limitless, was rumored to have much higher influence within the entire Association than even the Patriarchs of the Five Principal Clans.
So, what Bellatrix aimed for was power.
She wanted to be the best of the best, the strongest Magus.
Every morning, she would come to the Great Lake, where she would do some physical exercises and also practice her Magic and Craft before the classes started. She was one of the few Magi who also trained her physical state, as she knew that she couldn't really depend solely on her Magic.
Many Wizardkin and Magi considered fighting in the close quarters as something beneath them and useless because they had Magic. In the end, it was often proven to be pretty fatally wrong, because when many Wizards and Magi fought against Werewolves or Vampires who thrived in close combat, they would end up dead.
While depending solely on Magic to keep distance between the caster and the opponent was rather a good idea, it wasn't always the most feasible thing to do, and it couldn't be done in every single situation.
Thus, Bellatrix picked up a lot of habits from her grandfather, who desired to be a Special 1st-Class Magus and powerful Necromancer, was also very proficient in several Martial Arts, and was one of the best swordsmen in all of Great Britain.
Not to mention, he spent a lot of money on rituals to increase the physical capabilities of his body. When the Wizards were fighting against someone who was using close-quarter combat, the most typical approach to such a fight would be closing the distance and taking out the Wizard in one or two hits.
It worked most of the time.
This was especially true for the Necromancers, who depended on the number of the Undead to keep the enemy at bay. So for the enemies that forgot about her grandfather, it was a deadly surprise when they closed the distance, only to be smacked off by a few good, powerful punches or be decapitated by his sword.
She also made sure that nobody really knew about her training because, according to her grandfather, her physical capabilities were supposed to be a secret that was only known to her...
The number of people who were aware of Arcturus III. Black had physical capabilities comparable to a 1st-Class Vampire or Werewolf that could be counted on one hand, as the old man was very cunning, and even when he was in a dire situation, he tried not to reveal his physical capabilities.
He only used them in situations where there were no witnesses and nobody could pass on information about his true strength. Bellatrix did the same because she knew that this secrecy could save her life and that she needed to be careful about it.
For the Magus, information was probably as crucial as power.
So when she started training today, after several moments at the Great Lake, she noticed that there was another person here. Which was somewhat surprising because, during this time, there was usually nobody even awake, as it was too early for that.
Most of the students were waking up around seven hours in the morning, sometimes even a bit later, as breakfast was served at eight to nine, and afterwards, there were classes.
And not many teenagers or children enjoy waking up early.
So she didn't really need to fear that somebody would spy on her, because nobody aside from her sisters knew that she was training here every single morning.
She was rather surprised to find another person there, though she was sure that the man who was training there wasn't a student of Hogwarts. For the first time, the man was tan-skinned and had a very well-proportioned body, and she could see that he was a warrior at first sight.
When she saw his muscular chest and arms, she almost subconsciously licked her lips, especially when she noticed many scars on his body, which signified that he had seen combat.
A real one.
And a lot of it.
This was something that she liked a lot.
Despite everything, Bellatrix Black was only seventeen years old, and even she was interested in the opposite gender, though she had her own standards. She wasn't like Andromeda, who believed in true love, or Narcissa, who was basically okay with any match as long as it strengthened their family, because it was her duty.
Bellatrix, while she wasn't really opposed to the arranged marriage, had her own requirements for her suitors, and unfortunately for the men, none of them fulfilled even half of the criteria.
"Crap... he saw me."
She realized when the man suddenly wasn't in his position and had disappeared, only to feel a gush of wind behind her, as she noticed that he was standing behind her and aimed one of the swords that he was holding directly at her.
"It's considered impolite to spy on someone, don't you think, my Lady?"
The man whom she was observing now asked with rather a friendly tone. She knew that this could be a ploy, but she trusted her senses that he didn't have any malicious intentions for her at all.
At the same time, she found his features somewhat familiar, as she had seen them somewhere already. Still, she couldn't quickly remember it... not to mention there were many disruptive elements in the process that were attracting her attention elsewhere.
"And, could you blame me?"
She asked with a flirtatious tone as her voice trailed over his figure because he was half naked in front of her, not like she was complaining. Seeing the sword in her hand, he was even tempted to spar with her.
When she was observing him, Shirou was also observing her.
And he noticed that she could fight well.
"Probably not. I am..."
He chuckled, and just as he was about to introduce himself as he should, she suddenly twisted in her position and struck with her sword toward him, as she got into the combat-ready position.
"Jujutsu Marshall of the Jujutsu Association and its Director, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. Patrirch of the Amakusa Clan of the Five Great Principal Clans of the Jujutus Association and one of the strongest Special-Class beings in the entire world."
She immediately said, her voice filled with excitement and thrill, because when they were talking, she realized who he was.
Just yesterday, in the evening, she received a call through the crystal ball from her grandfather, who informed her that Dumbledore, the Director of the Jujutsu Association and Acting Regent of the Old World Coven, had invited him and his guests to Hogwarts, where they would be staying for several days.
Her grandfather told her and her sister Narcissa that he would be very pleased that if one of them managed to get into his good grace. Which essentially meant that they were to seduce him or something...
Right now, among them, Bellatrix and Narcissa, who were both seventeen, were not engaged because of the changing political climate in Great Britain.
Initially, there were several names that were being put on the table, but the Patriarch of the House Black rejected all of them because all of them were aligned with Voldemort's faction.
Something like this was absolutely unacceptable for the elderly Patriarch, to the point where he beat his son a few times when he proposed such matches.
However, that was something that Bellatrix was glad for because her father wanted to engage her in Rodolphus Lestrange, and she would rather jump from the tower to the Great Lake than that.
Right now, there are talks about engaging Andromeda with Zen'in Toji from the Zen'in Clan. From what she heard, Zen'in Toji was born with a rather ridiculous Heavenly Restriction.
Despite completely lacking Cursed Energy, his physical capabilities were already comparable to those of a Special-Class Werewolf, and they were still growing. Not to mention, he was only seventeen years old, the same age as them.
Which was a rather frightening thought.
He was also perfect as a Sorcerer Killer or Magus Killer, as he could just ram through the Magic and Jujutsu as much as he wanted, and on the battlefield, he was an unstoppable machine.
So that left only her and Narcissa to be engaged to someone.
Contrary to Narcissa, who was a perfect daughter, Bellatrix wanted more influence in her choice of partner and wasn't really that thrilled that her grandfather was deciding things on his own, though she had to admit that the Director of the Jujutsu Association was indeed a much better choice than the old ones.
Still, she was thrilled at the idea of fighting one of the most powerful people in the world, and seeing that opportunity right in front of her eyes, she immediately went for it.
Meanwhile, Shirou was somewhat surprised that she wanted to fight him right now, but he knew that she was the granddaughter of Arcturus III. Black was somewhat crazy and battlemaniac, as he was keeping tabs on the rare talents.
He was aware that Bellatrix Black was probably the most likely to reach the Special-Class Magus in the future, because in Great Britain, there were not many people with her potential, and others could be counted on one hand.
"Are you sure that you want to fight me?"
Shirou asked for confirmation because the last thing he wanted was to create an incident when fighting one of Dumbledore's students. Despite everything, he was still the Director of the Jujutsu Association and Patriarch of the Amakusa Clan, so there was a certain degree of decorum that he needed to maintain.
Seeing that she agreed to the spar, he took her into the combat stance as he decided to hold back, because she was still only a 2nd-Class Magus, though she wasn't far from reaching the 1st-Class Magus if she trained long enough.
Although that was something he could judge solely on the quantity and quality of her Magic Power, and not on other factors, such as her true combat prowess, because those were two very different things.
Nevertheless, Shirou was somewhat surprised that it was Bellatrix who made the first move, as she immediately made use of the opportunity that presented itself to her, and she slashed with her sword toward him in one swift, precise cut.
Even though he was surprised by her speed and reflexes, he immediately counterattacked, blocking her slash. At the same time, he used his right leg to kick her in the stomach, which she dodged relatively easily.
Shirou noticed that his physical strength...
It was comparable to the 1st-Class Werewolf.
The amount of rituals and resources that the House Black had invested in must have been tremendous. However, if the things that he had learned about her were correct, then she would be the next best bet of the Black Family to cultivate successfully a Special-Class Magus.
And someone who reached the Special-Class with the Heaven's Feel...
That would be really frightening, though, because the number of Special-Class Soul Servants that one could control would be extremely high, and they would be incredibly powerful...
Even though Arcturus Black was a Special 1st-Class Magus, he couldn't control at least one Special-Class Soul Servant, though his true capabilities were still a mystery to most, as the man rarely fought, or when he fought, he never revealed his cards.
Necromancers were always a troublesome bunch.
Shirou didn't like them.
And the ones that had numbers and personal strength were utter pain in the ass.
Like Suguru Geto.
One of the famous members of the Golden Generation of the Jujutsu Sorcerers, together with Gojo Satoru and Zen'in Toji, who had already reached the Special-Class Jujutsu Sorcerer, was Suguru Geto, who had the Innate Technique that allowed him to control the Cursed spirits, which was, truth be told, a rather fearsome Innate Technique.
Even Shirou would refrain from fighting him if he could because it was annoying as hell.
Fighting such an opponent required one thing.
It would be an absolutely overwhelming power that would be able to crush through all obstacles in one go without any problems. Fortunately, Shirou had such an Innate Technique, The Last Judgment, that could decimate through the numbers like nothing.
Fortunately, right now, they were fighting solely using swordsmanship and their physical capabilities, or else, the destructiveness that they would achieve would be much greater, as Shirou was sure that she already had some 1st-Class Soul Servants in her arsenal.
Bellatrix was very adept at dodging his strikes relatively easily because she was fast, and her reflexes were actually very good, which was rather surprising, as he wasn't really expecting something like that.
He thought that she would be maximally good at swordsmanship, but it seemed that she indeed had talent for that. However, he noticed something about her attacks when he was attacking because...
"The sword is not really your primary weapon, right? You are a twin dagger user."
Shirou suddenly stopped as she blocked the last sword strike as the girl gave him a nod of her head.
"Yes. Every daughter of the House Black is taught how to wield daggers from a young age, and I have an outstanding talent for bladed weapons."
She said as her sword suddenly transformed into the two curved daggers.
Shirou noticed that the sword she was using was an Alchemical Weapon made through Alchemy because she didn't use any transfiguration spells during the entire time they were fighting.
When he was fighting her over the past half hour, Shirou noticed that from time to time, she was slipping her strikes and her form wasn't that good, because she was actually used to fighting with much shorter weapons, and also using dual-wielding.
Immediately after she switched to the dual-wield, the new wave of the fight began, as this time it was like he was fighting an entirely different person. She was much more aggressive than before, much faster and even more precise than before.
Shirou knew that she was far more comfortable fighting dual-wielding daggers than using a sword because this was her primary combat style, and she was far better at it. Because he was holding back a lot and treating this more like a game, he allowed her to be more aggressive, as Bellatrix immediately noticed that he was holding back.
Which wasn't that surprising because even someone with a pretty untrained eye could see it.
Even though it was pretty irritating for her, at the same time, she knew that she stood no chance against someone who had lived and fought for one and a half millennia. That was indeed far above her capabilities, and she knew it very well.
Yet...
Due to her pride, she thought that if he were to fight at his full, she would be defeated almost in an instant, so the fact that he was adjusting his physical performance to match that of hers was something that was allowing them to fight in the first place.
What was even more annoying than anything was the fact that her dress was obstructing his vision to a great degree. Due to the speed of her attacks and movements, her loose dress was waving around and blocking the view of her arms and hands.
This made her combat style, from one point, rather enchanting and mesmerizing, and from the second point, it was even more dangerous because the predictability of her attacks was lower than it should be.
For the experienced combatants and warriors, the predictability of their opponents was often something that decided the outcome of the battle. Especially if both sides were equally matched in strength and raw power, then the capability of predicting the opponent's moves was essentially everything in the single combat.
Just as he was about to counterattack, he suddenly realized that his vision was obstructed by a piece of cloth, and above his head, two of her daggers were approaching. If he were slower by even a millisecond, such a blow could be rather lethal, but Shirou only felt a slight sharp pain on his left cheek as she managed to cut him.
This was certainly rather a remarkable achievement that she managed to wound him as insignificantly as this; it was still a considerable achievement, as she was way, way younger than he was and much weaker at the same time.
Simultaneously, seeing how skilled she was with her dagger made him rather curious how skilled she was with Magic and with her Family's Craft, the Heaven's Feel. Both of them continued sparring until Bellatrix started showing clear signs of fatigue from the training, and over time, Shirou started pushing her back.
Step by step.
Strike by strike.
In split of a second their weapons clashed, as he held one of the Black Keys by her neck.
"And with this, we can count this as my victory, My Lady."
Shirou said that, although this was considered his win, he was still impressed by her skill during the sparring. Rarely did someone injure him during the sparring, especially when it was someone considerably weaker than him.
However, he was very pleasantly surprised.
"Next time, I want to fight you with Magic."
The oldest daughter of the House Black said almost immediately after both of them put away their weapons, because she was eager to fight him once again. Thiuzgh, at the same time, wasn't really that surprised because, during the fight, he clearly noticed that she greatly enjoyed the fight.
Rather too much enjoyed.
She was totally battlemaniac...
That much he could tell.
Combined with his memories of her character from the canon, which weren't always the best source of information for a plethora of reasons, he wasn't really even that surprised by such developments.
"Maybe in the future, Miss Black... and if, then preferably in a much safer environment. We wouldn't want to destroy large swaths of the environment, would we?"
Shirou asked because a fight on that level would be too destructive for the environment, and he seriously doubted that Dumbledore would appreciate them destroying the entire environment of the Great Lake.
With his own capabilities against the 1st-Class Soul Servants and even ordinary Undead that she had under her command, he would probably destroy much of the Great Lake if they fought here.
"Indeed. So... what is the Director of the Jujutsu Association doing at Hogwarts?"
Bellatrix asked him, even though she already knew some bits from her grandfather, who told her about the important meetings between the dignitaries of various factions in the Ministry of Magic, but he didn't tell her anything more detailed.
She knew that the old man wouldn't really tell her the whole truth because that was something that only a select few would be privy to.
These were already the big leagues, really big leagues, as it was involving the rulers of the biggest and strongest factions on Earth, while at the same time, some of the strongest Special-Class beings.
"Just a standard diplomatic relationship, it seemed that Dumbledore was the fastest to invite us. Lord Black and Lord Barthomeloi were not most pleased about such a development, though."
Hearing the name Barthomeloi instantly soured Bellatrix's mood because if there was one person in the entire world who was driving her crazy, it was Lorelei Barthomeloi.
Lorelei Barthomeloi was someone who could be considered as Bellatrix's archrival and vice versa. Both girls were of the same age, and since their childhood, due to their very competitive personalities and background, they were constantly competing against each other.
Both of them were very proud of their Family Lineages and had a rather fierce and dangerous temper when provoked, even though Lorelei was able to control herself much better compared to Bellatrix, who was like an explosive volcano.
Not only were they competing in almost everything that one could think of, but they were also constantly fighting against each other to decide who was stronger among the two of them.
Unfortunately, their Crafts were negating each other almost perfectly.
The Heaven's Feel gave the user an endless supply of soldiers.
Meanwhile, Denial of Nothingness gave the user the power to destroy any obstacle or enemy in their path. Shirou was very well acquainted with the Denial of Nothingness because he had helped create the Craft with the founder of the Barthomeloi Family, who was born with a rare affinity for Void Magic.
Through the Denial of Nothingness, one could deny the existence of anything, even non-existence.
Due to that, both of them were always in a deadlock, because no matter how much offensive prowess Lorelei had, she would be tired out through sheer numbers. And no matter how many numbers Bellatrix had, she would still run out of Magic Power before she was able to cast some spells to end the fight, or she would be too tired to continue.
"Ts... dammed Barthomelois."
She muttered under her breath as she didn't like the Barthomelois even a bit.
However, he wasn't really surprised by that because, from what he knew, Blacks and Barthomelois had been competing for leadership within the British Moonlit Society for many generations.
However, over the past few years, many other families have risen to prominence and strength, including the Fraga McRemitz Clan and the Animusphere Family. Additionally, there were the three factions comprising the weaker families: the Dark Faction, the Light Faction, and the Neutrals.
"Nevertheless... for someone of your age, you are considerably strong."
When he said it, he really meant it, because for the Magus reaching 2nd-Class and being technically speaking only one step from the 1st-Class, the only reason why she wasn't, most probably, was due to the lack of Skills aside from those with her Craft, was a remarkable achievement itself.
He was certainly impressed by that.
"Thank you, but unfortunately, there are not many opportunities to fight to the death in this place."
Seeing her complaining about the lack of a life-and-death battle made him chuckle because she was really crazy when he noticed the gleam in her eyes. It was the famous Black Madness, as the members of the House of Black were mad in one way or another.
"Well, you can always try fighting the Cursed Spirits if you want."
Wizardkin, like other Supernatural Species, could also see the Cursed Spirits if they wished. Many Wizards and Magi, if they wanted to temper themselves in a real fight, would go out and fight against the Cursed Spirits, as it was one of the best methods of training.
"Bleh... that's rather boring. Even though the Cursed Spirits provide stimulation, they are too easy to manipulate... too easy to ragebait and defeat. I would rather fight against other sentient species and their powerful ones; they are... far more exciting."
She said as she licked her lips because she was already dreaming about some good life and death battle. If there was one thing that Bellatrix thrived on, it was fighting.
From a young age, she was trained in combat, and she loved it. Because she was also a natural-born leader and strategist, she excelled at controlling the Undead and Soul Servants on the battlefield, to the point where she wanted to participate in the large-scale battles.
Unfortunately for Bellatrix, her grandfather would never really allow her to go into some really dangerous situation because she could die or be severely injured, so until she reached the standards of the 1st-Class Magus, there was no way that Arcturus III. Black would allow her to go into some dangerous battlefield or something.
"Unfortunately for my family, for some time, when nobody was looking, I was taking contracts as a Bounty Hunter."
Shirou raised his brow at hearing this because this was indeed rather surprising. He could imagine that if someone found out that the scion of the House Black was working as a Bounty Hunter, it would be really funny.
Many Nobles would think of this as a disgrace to the House Black because the Bounty Hunters were usually not really the most appropriate occupation, and it was heavily frowned upon.
He could understand because most of the people who were Bounty Hunters in the Moonlit World were not the best sorta of people. Most of them were criminals themselves or they were from the lowest drags of the society possible.
Though he could understand why she chose that.
"That's not really something that a young lady of your stature should be doing in her free time."
Shirou stated that this wasn't something that most young ladies from the prominent noble lineages would do in their free time, but he guessed that Bellatrix wasn't really liked the most.
She was an anomaly even among the other Magi because most, if not all, Magi were rather engrossed in their research and understanding of their Craft, as it was the root of their power.
Meanwhile, he felt that Bellatrix was closer in mindset to the Jujutsu Sorcerers, who were most of the time battle-hungry and eager for a fight of any kind. Though considering her personally, he wasn't really surprised by it.
"What can I say... I am not like most of the people... though most of the people are really boring if I had to say."
The oldest daughter of the House Black stated that she then sat down on the ground while Shirou sat down next to her, and he found her rather interesting. He rarely found other people interesting as most of them were boring.
On the contrary to the majority of people, he found her apparent madness rather appealing in fact. It was certainly refreshing, not to mention that she was one of the rare breed of the Wizardkin who was very eager to fight and kill.
Most of the Wizards and even some Magi, to a certain degree, were avoiding fights and battles.
Even fighting against the Cursed Spirits that were appearing in Great Britain was something that many were avoiding, and they were mostly depending on the Wards to just push them away or kill them through the Wards.
"You would really fit with the Jujutsu Sorcerers... you are too combative like most of us."
Shirou said as he sat down next to her because he didn't really think that he would have a friendly conversation with someone. The fact that Bellatrix lacked the usual awe, respect, or fear towards his person was something that was making this possible.
He was one thousand and five hundred years old; he was one of the strongest people on the planet while also being in command of one of the strongest factions on Terra.
Rarely could he talk with someone on equal grounds or chat casually.
"Maybe once I finish school... Grandpa is eager to find a proper match for me, but I already beat most of them and they were pathetic."
Bellatrix ranted as she was rather eager to go into the heart of the Jujutsu Society, because she knew that there she would be able to fight powerful opponents as much as she wished, not to mention, she wasn't really keen on living like some housewife.
"Even my stupid parents think that I would be some obedient housewife... what a pathetic notion..."
She scoffed at the mere idea of being married off and becoming nothing but a housewife who would look good. Fortunately, she knew that with her talent and power, such an outcome was essentially impossible because her talent was too high for the House Black to marry her off so her genes would be passed to another House.
But she knew that the topic of passing down her genes along the Black Line was something that was of paramount importance to the entire House Black because her genes and talent were too strong, and it was impossible not to pass them down.
"Can I go with you on the raid?"
As she was wiggling on her spot, suddenly she asked, as Shirou squinted his eyes when he heard that. He was a bit surprised that she knew about the upcoming raid on the Death Eater Forces that served Voldemort and some of their allies.
"What are you talking about, girl?"
Shirou still thought that the knowledge about the upcoming raid on the forces of the Death Eaters, remnants of the Moonsnatcher Gang, and other allies of Voldemort was secret.
And that secret was supposed to be known to just a few people within the British Ministry of Magic and people who were present during the interrogation of the Fenrir Greyback at Azkaban yesterday.
So he was rather surprised how she figured it out.
Essentially, she was right.
"Don't play stupid. I can see that the Director of the Jujutsu Association and the Regent of the Old World Coven, two of the most powerful factions in the world, wouldn't be common there for vacations. If you add to the fact that just a few days ago, Fenrir Greyback was captured and coupled with the fact that right now, since the capture, many Slytherins whose parents follow Voldemort are looking so tense that they would faint any time, it means that something big is happening."
Hearing what she said made him raise his eyebrows because she really showcased her analytical mind. She really figured most of it rather perfectly, to the point where even he was surprised by her ability to notice detail and patch them up in a way to see the bigger picture.
"You are really smart brat, aren't you?"
Just as he said that, he noticed that she was pressing one of the daggers up to his throat, rather faster than he could react.
"Don't call me brat, old man... though for such an old fossil... You are rather handsome..."
She whispered into his right ear as she licked his cheek and put away her dagger.
'Damm... she is really hot when she's this kind of crazy.'
He didn't know why, but he always had a thing for the crazy women who were not mentally the most stable around. However, then there was the question of who among the Jujutsu Sorcerers was mentally not ill on some level?
Everyone was crazy to continue living in this cruel world.
"Well, if you so want to go, then you are welcome to join me and Selene. Though fair warning, you should probably be prepared to deal with your grandfather. Also, the raids would be tough, and you may or may not fight to the death with people that you know or even some of your friends. Are you alright with it?"
In the end, Shirou decided to take her with them on the raid. If she wanted to go so much to fight, then he would happily oblige her. It wasn't his problem in the first place, and he had seen her combat instincts from the first row.
He knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself during the raid, and at the same time, she would have the opportunity to fight against some really powerful foes. Not to mention, as someone who was also possessed of Heaven's Feel, her numbers would be very useful during the operation and arrests.
"No problemo with this! And thanks!"
Bellatrix knew that there were many among her acquaintances, fellow students of Slytherin, and even among her friends who were either followers or sympathizers of the Dark Lord Voldemort, which wasn't really that surprising.
She was long ago prepared for the possibility of killing such people, because it would, in the end, come to that if Voldemort decided to attack the House Black for not pledging their allegiance to them.
Right now, they had capital for that, due to her grandfather being someone who could overwhelm even the Special-Class beings with sheer numbers, not to mention he was bound to have some Special-Class Soul Servants and Undead in his arsenal.
Shirou wanted to chuckle, seeing her excited face that lit up like a Christmas tree as she threw herself around his neck like a coala.
'Really... she is one of the few people who would be delighted to go to the warzone that would turn into a slaughterhouse in seconds.'
He didn't push her away, as he let her be happy, though he had to admit that for her age, she was very well developed, and even despite being a Magus, her physique was trained like that of a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
It was not really surprising that she was a member of the House Black.
Due to them being literally embodiments of Necromancy, many tended to assume when they didn't know their names or faces that they were just like regular Necromancers, and one good hit would take care of their problems.
So many of them were in for a very unpleasant surprise.
***
Hogwarts Castle, Slytherin Dungeons, Common Room
The common room was a dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. This dungeon extended partway under the lake, giving the light in the room a green tinge. The common room had lots of low-backed black and dark green button-tufted, leather sofas; skulls; and dark wood cupboards.
Some of the wooden tables had a Wizard's Chess set on them or other things. It was decorated with tapestries featuring the adventures of famous Medieval Slytherins. It had quite a grand atmosphere, but also quite a cold one.
The Slytherin students had the biggest and most luxurious common rooms, as most of them didn't need to share a room with another person, or maximally, they were rooms for two people.
A young woman with long, platinum blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, dressed in an elegant dark green and black outfit with a gothic and fantasy-inspired style, searched through the common room for something or someone.
She wore a high-collared cloak and a neatly tied bow at her neck, along with a triangular emblem pinned to her attire. In her right hand, she had a book that she was holding as she was going through the room.
Seeing that her search yielded zero to no results in the common room and considering the time of the day, she went immediately to the outskirts of the Great Lake to search for her oldest sister.
She noticed that during the past days, the atmosphere was very tense in the Slytherin.
Very, very tense.
Narcissa Black knew the main reason behind it was the capture of Fenrir Greyback, which was slowly spreading across the nobility of Great Britain, and the Wizardkin Nobles were talking a lot.
Her own grandfather had personally participated in the capture of the Greyback, together with Lord Augustus Barthomeloi. Once they had captured Greyback, it was only a matter of time before they began interrogating the creature.
It was also kind sorta of an open secret that Greyback was allied to Voldemort, which caused many of the students of the Slytherin house to be very nervous. She could see how Malfoy, the Lestrange Brothers, Avery, and their little band practically disappeared from the public's eyesight and lay low.
It was now a wonder.
These were the families that were betting partially everything on Voldemort's rise to power for one reason or another.
Either for the promises of power or something else.
In the end, it didn't even matter at all because the outcome was the same.
She never really understood the idea of the blood purity among the Wizardkin Noble Families and their keenness on exterminating all Muggle-Borns and No-Majs. If they succeeded in their foolish endeavor, who would be working for them?
Who would be doing all the menial tasks that nobody among them wanted to do or to have anything to do with?
She really doubted that the scions of the Noble Houses would be growing crops, cleaning streets, or working as clerks and bureaucrats in the administration.
Though at least right now, she didn't have to deal with the antics of young Malfoy following her like a dog, because he aimed to court her. She knew such ideas were impossible because her grandfather, who held all the decision-making power in his hands, would rather die first than agree to marry her to Malfoy.
Not only due to his personal opinion on the low-born French who were weak as shit in his words, but also because they were Voldemort's thugs. This was something obviously unacceptable to practically any Magus family, as that meant that they would lose their autonomy and become another's subjects.
Or a slave, in this case.
What was worse, they would also lose the exclusivity to their Craft, as nobody was stupid enough to say that Voldemort wasn't after their Family's Craft and knowledge.
She had already arrived at the area of the Great Lake and searched for Bella, as her oldest sister was always training here during the early mornings. Among the three of them, Bellatrix was the one who was talented in combat, Andromeda was more inclined toward general Wandcraft, and she was learning more about Healing Magic and Potioneering.
Narcissa even wanted to pursue her passion and became a Potion Master and Witch Doctor, which was a sub-branch of the Wizardkin that focused on Healing Magic and so on.
However, she was also the most realistic among her sisters.
She didn't have the high independent nature of Bellatrix, who basically rejected any possible match for her hand unless they could defeat her in a duel, or Andromeda, who wanted to marry out of love.
One could call Narcissa pragmatic.
She was aware of the reality that, as the scion of a Noble Family, not just any Noble Family, but one of the most prestigious Magus Families in the world, marrying out of love was something that she could just dream about.
Narcissa knew that as a member of the House Black, she was destined to marry someone with a similar status from a different Magus Family, Jujutsu Clan, or Psyker Family, in order to produce a stronger generation of descendants, secure the bloodline, and create an alliance.
As she was walking through the outskirts of the Great Lake, she noticed that her sister wasn't at her usual location, but at the same time, she sensed that there were two people fighting against each other.
She was also a 2nd-Class Magus, a remarkable achievement.
All of the sisters were at the 2nd-Class Magus, but compared to Bella, their combat prowess was much lower, as neither Andromeda nor she were focusing on the combat Magic as much as Bella.
Their older sister was the embodiment of a battle maniac.
When she arrived at the location from which she sent the fight, she said that she was shocked and would be severely underestimated of the situation because she saw her sister fighting against the Jujutsu Marshall.
At the same time, she wasn't shocked that her sister was fighting someone, because Bellatrix had a rather obsession when it came to fighting powerful opponents. She would never pass up the opportunity to fight someone powerful; that wasn't like her at all.
She was surprised that someone of the calibre of Lord Amakusa Shirou Tokisada agreed to spar with a meager 2nd-Class Magus in the physical exchange. Such powerful people would rarely lower themselves to fight against someone who was considerably weaker than they were by several leagues.
Yet she was seeing them fight as she stood there from a distance.
Simultaneously, she also noticed something very different about her sister's behavior this time. Usually, she was eager during the fight; that was for sure, but this time, she was excited for whatever reason, and she enjoyed the fight much more than she had seen any time before.
As they ended the fight, she could also see that Bellatrix was talking to him casually and was even gently smiling. If not for the absurdity of the situation itself, she would have thought that the world was ending with how unnaturally and weirdly her sister was behaving.
Soon enough, after they stopped fighting, they were both sitting on the ground and watching the Great Lake for another half an hour. Narcissa observed the two of them from a distance with great curiosity, as it was a very rare sight.
Nevertheless, she remained hidden as she observed their exchanges as if she was observing the precious animals that were next to each other during some weird circumstances, and if there was even one sound, they would escape back into the forest.
After more than ten minutes or so, she noticed that her sister suddenly appeared near the Director of the Jujutsu Association, and in front of her eyes, she was licking his cheek like a dog.
Considering Bella's mental state over the past years, she wasn't really that surprised.
Bellatrix wasn't the most mentally stable person around.
It was very hard to describe it, because she wasn't like mad or incapable of rational thought.
She was just extremely eccentric and hyperactive, and she would do what she wanted at the moment she got the idea, notwithstanding that some of her ideas were pretty weird, and she didn't think of the consequences.
Bella just did it.
Deciding that she had already seen enough, she prepared to leave when she noticed that two pairs of eyes were already looking at her from a distance. She could clearly see that her sister was pisssed at her.
Very much.
Soon enough, both of them caught up with her, and Narcissa could see that Bellatrix was very engaged because she could see that she had been observing them for some time already.
Which was...
Unfortunate.
"What are you doing here, Cissa?"
Bellatrix asked in a low voice as she looked at her youngest sister, her expression promising pain and vengeance if she had seen something that she shouldn't see. And when she realized that her sister was not answering, she must have seen everything, which was like a literal nightmare for the oldest daughter of the House of Black.
Shirou, due to his not really caring about the social protocols and everything, was glad for the informal approach, as it was rather refreshing.
"I was searching for you... and it's already almost eight hours, the breakfast would be served."
Saying that caused both of them to realize that they had already been talking for more than one hour. Soon enough, they would have breakfast, as today was Saturday, so the breakfast was served a bit later.
He was engrossed in the conversation because, well... Shirou had to admit, he was a bit captivated by her personality, which wasn't really the most usual, but anything that wasn't usual caught his interest.
"Ts... this is not the end, sister. We will talk about this at a later date."
Bellatrix stated as she made a mental note to discuss with her younger sister that some things that she had seen today were just a product of her imagination.
Yeah, that would be in everyone's best interest.
"Well... not to make this situation even more awkward than it already is... It's my pleasure, Lady Black. Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, at your service."
Shirou said, as both Black sisters were somewhat embarrassed because, for a brief moment, they had even forgotten that he was still present while they were talking and exchanging gazes that only the two of them could understand.
Narcissa gracefully outstretched her hand, as he gave her a light kiss, as the young woman visibly blushed a little, as a tingle of red appeared on her cheeks. Though she quickly calmed down, she smiled gently, much to her older sister's annoyance.
"It is my pleasure, Lord Amakusa."
She said it with grace and nobleness befitting that of the daughter of a noble house that was taught manners and everything since childhood. It was in total contradiction to Bellatrix, who...
Just did what she wanted.
Yet everything that she did was also being done with some level of grace and charm.
"Then, shall we go? I think Selene would already be awake from her nap."
Shirou said as they started walking toward the direction of Hogwarts Castle, as the sisters were staring at each other from time to time. He would have noticed it if not for the mild hostility that they were showing one another during the gazes, though Shirou could say that they were communicating through their minds right now.
"Your sister mentioned that you are a very talented Potioneer and Healer, Lady Narcissa. I wonder if you intend to pursue your studies in this area after completing the standard education at Hogwarts?"
The Jujutsu Marshall asked as Bellatrix mentioned that her youngest sister was a very talented Potioneer and had an affinity for the Healing Magic, which was one of the rarest affinities all over the world.
And it seemed that regardless of the power system.
Especially for the Jujutsu Sorcerers who used the Cursed Energy, healers who were Jujutsu Sorcerers were worth their weight in gold.
Even more than that.
"Yes. I plan to apprentice under the Potion Master Slughorn after graduating, and also learn about the Healing Magic from some Masters. But I would also like to examine how the healing methods for the Psykers and Jujutsu Sorcerers work, too."