1st Pov Xicor Samiel:
7 Hours Later:
Groggily, I cracked open my eyes as a wave of lingering exhaustion washed over me, tempting me to surrender to sleep once more.
The room was bathed in the faint glow of midnight lamps, their soft violet light painting everything in shades of purple and casting long shadows across the walls.
The bed beneath me was blissfully warm, the large mattress moulding perfectly to my body. Every instinct urged me to stay where I was, wrapped in its comforting embrace.
But duty and priorities don't mean anything in the face of the looming battle ahead.
The responsibilities waiting beyond this room and probably this dimension, and the future I was trying to build, tugged at the back of my mind.
With a quiet sigh, I tried to begin my usual morning stretch, trying to drive away the stiffness that had accumulated in my body.
Or at least... I intended to, but my right arm refused to move and I finally registered the weight on my chest, keeping me down.
For a brief moment, confusion crossed my mind. My arm wasn't trapped beneath me, nor had it gone numb. Instead, it felt weighed down by something soft, warm and comfortably heavy, and the same could be said about my chest.
Curiously, I lowered my gaze to find that just inches from my face rested a cascade of black and gold hair, slightly tousled from sleep and let down from her usual twin tails. Two familiar lightning-shaped horns protruded through her silky strands.
Naruhime.
She was sound asleep atop my chest, using me as though I was the most comfortable hugging pillow. Gentle, rhythmic breaths escaped her lips, the warm air brushing against my skin with every exhale.
Despite her usual energetic personality, she looked remarkably peaceful like this.
Our bodies remained hidden beneath a thick, ornate blanket that reached her shoulders. However, it did little to conceal the graceful silhouette of her figure as she nestled comfortably against me.
The memories of before sleeping here rushed through my mind, like a movie I'd seen vaguely.
Blinking several times, I shifted my left hand to lift the blanket that blocked her body from the open air. She let out a hum, shivering under the sudden disappearance of her soft and warm shield, before shifting closer to me.
I got a good look at her body, which bore the evidence of our intimate activity together. I remained staring a little too long as she shifted around in her sleep, and I quickly pulled down the blanket before she woke up.
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief; this was a moment to properly look at one of the people I'm fighting with and work toward a better future.
A quiet giggle reached my ears from my right arm. Looking over, I saw a beautiful woman with purple hair and red, slit eyes that gazed up at me with blissful affection, and happiness.
Her amused and soft smile pressed on my shoulder, like a feather. Her body was covered in the same blanket as Naruhime's and mine, resting comfortably with her body pressed against my arm.
Shikoku.
Her arms were wrapped around my bicep as her nails tickled my skin with a soft rhythm. Her thighs encompassed my whole hand, leaving it in a blissful area of warmth and plump softness.
Once our eyes met, there was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she squeezed her thighs against my hand, "Enjoying the view~"
"Yes", I blankly said, earning a sweet giggle from the goddess.
The blanket covered most of her body, leaving her shoulders exposed and her gorgeous silhouette that was created by the blanket.
I don't recall doing anything with her before having my time with Naruhime, so I would have to guess she crawled in once we were fast asleep.
I was broken out of my thoughts by Shikoku shifting her body closer, so she could cup my cheek and lean in to peck my lips.
"Good morning~" She said, her voice sweet as honey.
Before I could reply, Naruhime shifted around as she began to wake up, her enchanting body rising with the blanket following suit before it slowly slid off her revealing her naked form to both of us.
Her eyes were droopy and hazy with sleep. She didn't register that she was naked to the open air or she just didn't care.
Shikoku and I glanced at each other whether to tell her but chose to keep silent.
Naruhime began to stretch her body from the stiffness that had formed as soft cracks reached my ears before she arched her back, proudly pushing her voluptuous chest towards me.
Her hair swayed with each motion, giving a new kind of charm to her list that she had developed by her nature.
Anything she, Kuusetsu, Shikoku and probably their other sisters, immediately captured my gaze due to how ethereal they are, naturally or not.
It wasn't until her droopy gaze landed on us that she registered Shikoku's and my presence before a soft, almost sweet smile graced her lips.
She shifted her body forward as she enveloped me in her warm embrace, resting her chest against my face with her cheek pressing against my hair as she breathed in my scent.
"Mine~...My Xicor~" she mumbled as she pressed her lips on my head, giving light kisses.
Pushing her away was not an option in this kind of situation as it was very comfortable and would be one of the only few times we might interact like this, since she has a duty of guarding their mother.
I used my free arm to keep her there as my thumb drew circles against her back. She let out a content hum as she pressed herself closer.
Shikoku covered her mouth to stifle her giggle before pressing herself closer to the point of pressing herself to my chest so my arm could wrap around her curvaceous body.
It was a peaceful moment for us.
The outside world could wait for a while... can it?
"Xicor!! Are you awake yet!!" Kuusetsu's voice rang out from the gaps of the doors.
...I guess not because fate likes to fuck with me sometimes.
Sighing I was forced to push Naruhime out of my embrace and to my side as she let out a whine.
"Sorry, but I gotta head out now" I said, stretching my body to relieve the stiffness built up before putting on my clothes, which were a standard sleeveless, black shirt and a martial arts uniform, held together by a black cloth belt.
"A shame, but you are correct~ be safe out there dear~" Shikoku waved lazily but her words carried genuine concern.
"...Come back home safely" Naruhime said, somewhat shyly as the haze of sleep finally passed leaving behind an embarrassed girl hiding herself using the blanket, only leaving some of her face.
Walking out of the room and closing the door behind me with a soft click, the sound of rapid footsteps racing down towards me, reached my ears.
Blinking to its source, I found Kuusetsu rapidly approaching with a big smile before leaping at me with her arms spread out as she crashed into me, dragging my body across the floor.
"Xicor! Xicor! Are you ready to head into the human world?" Kuusetsu said on top of me with a big smile.
"Almost, I just need to grab my armour and then I'll meet you on the other side" I said, getting off the ground.
"Okay! Don't take too long, I'm already anticipating what we could do there!" she said running off in the opposite direction.
I didn't follow her as I went the other direction to grab my greatest creation, well my first creation.
This was in a private room reserved for me and my creations, similar to how Jaku'un has her own personal laboratory.
Entering my workshop, the flickering flames of the torches hung on the walls illuminated the room in a soft, ember glow.
On both sides was a long desk, one was filled with tools, that I managed to snag from the Demon Defence Force garages, in organised positions.
The other table had piles of books and notes stacked on top of each other, they had my ideas and blueprints of future projects, some I may need Jaku'un's help with.
At the back of the room stood an empty suit of armour that was black in colour with red outlines, and a red hood to give a mysterious appearance, the mask was in a similar colour to the armour, with the appearance that of a skull, representing imminent death.
The helmet also assisted me in using Ino's technique as I needed to cover my face to use the technique.
While the armour looks intimidating, the works around in tells a different story. The whole armour is infused with cursed energy, giving the armour a natural defence.
Even without the cursed energy improving its defences, the armour was still durable against heavy munitions such as tank shells, though this is the highest I can get it without redoing everything.
Each part had to be perfectly even in each area and in durability. Hopefully it would be useful since this is the first time using it in the field, and most certainly I would see the needed improvements after the battle.
The mission given to Kuusetsu was to cause as much chaos as possible within the human world while absorbing humans with useful abilities, in order for her to grow stronger.
The humans, after discovering our presence in this realm, have been accelerating their control over Mato and seem to be hunting us, sending out scout drones to locate us wandering the surface, though these were quickly taken out by Jaku'un crow Shuuki.
Shikoku secretly requested that I go with Kuusetsu to keep her safe and I obviously agreed, which seems to delight Kuusetsu that it was just the two of us.
As I donned my armour, my thoughts drifted to my personal mission that I have in mind.
After so long of my crows' searching, they have finally found a base of those people who have been hunting me.
I plan to head there once Kuusetsu and I have set up a temporary base of our own to come back and relax in.
Once I completely donned my armour the helmet's red eye sockets flashed to life. Raising my hand, I opened and closed it as I felt the cold steel at my fingertips.
"Not bad" I muttered under my breath.
I walked calmly out of my workshop and through the hallway, with the only sound being the clattering of my armour's footsteps and the faint flickering of the wall torches.
My helmet was retracted and my red hood was pulled back to reveal my whole head. I arrived at the double door of the portal room with a sense of anticipation.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling, I opened the door to reveal the swirling portal that likely went into the human world.
In front of it was Kuusetsu staring intently at me, her hands shaking in excitement and her eyes sparkling at the sight of my new armour. Jouryuu stood beside keeping a hand on her shoulder, preventing her sibling from charging at me and enveloping me in a crushing embrace.
Rairen stood further away, closer to the wall with his arms crossed, giving the impression of someone who didn't want to come here.
"Took your sweet time" he commented, tilting his head away from me.
"Of course, had to make sure everything was ready before annihilating a portion of Japan" I replied as I walked straight over to the two Goddesses.
Jouryuu released her hold on Kuusetsu, which immediately caused the woman to rush at me, darting around me as she poked and inspected my armour.
"You look amazing!" she declared as she stood in front of me, "You have a goddess's approval for this armour"
"So, can you make one for me?" she said, batting her eyelashes at me.
"Maybe after this mission" I said, stroking the top of her head as she leaned into the touch.
"Yay!" she cheered before her eyes widened, as if she remembered something, "Oh, by the way, Big sis Shikoku gave me a deck of cards for me to use, and some of the ones you captured are in here"
She pulled out a deck of cards from between her fleshy pillows that contained a multitude of Shuuki with several unique Shuuki and the two I last captured with Jaku'un.
She put the deck of cards back between her chest as she walked enthusiastically towards the portal, "Come on, I can't wait any longer!"
I took a few steps forward before a soft, yet firm hand was pressed on my shoulder. Turning to the source, Jouryuu stood there with a worried expression.
"Please be safe out there, mainly Kuusetsu" Jouryuu said, "Those humans are unpredictable to me and those blessings can be dangerous once someone fully realises them"
The hand on my shoulder tightened before I placed mine over hers, "Don't worry, We'll be fine, I'll have my crows broadcast our battle to you"
She nodded slightly, the only reassurance she would get as I can't predict everything about how this will go.
She glanced at Rairen by the wall before a determined expression appeared on her neutral face. She leaned down fast before pecking my cheek with a soft kiss.
"There will be more as a reward if you come back unharmed" she said after pulling back with her cheeks slightly flushed.
I nodded silently as I moved next to Kuusetsu who was vibrating with excitement, before reaching out and holding my arm, pressing it against her chest.
"Ready handsome~" she purred out.
"Ready, my lady" I replied before both of us entered the portal.