Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 90: Devil Lords
There are up to 15 chapters ahead of my update schedule at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
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- Felix -
"I didn't believe it. Well done Felix." Guy complimented.
"Don't sweat it. Actually do sweat it since now I'm calling in that favor you owe me."
Guy raised a brow. "Oh? What did you require?"
I could ask for quite a lot for what I just did for Guy, but… there was one thing Guy had that I wanted. It wasn't something I needed, and I was aware I could probably use this favor in a more efficient way. But I was really curious, and my inner Skill collector demanded to be satisfied.
However maybe I could get two useful things out of this if I play things right.
I raised two fingers. "I want two things."
Guy gestured for me to get on with it, though I could tell he was ready to reject me if I asked for too much.
"Give me your Ultimate Skill."
Guy's lips twitched but I still continued. "Two, tell me more about the threat of the Eastern Empire. I know you know more than you're giving off."
Guy didn't answer me at first. He walked back to the table and took a seat, I followed along with his example.
"Explain." He all but demanded.
"I'm guessing you mean the whole Ultimate Skill thing?"
Guy nodded.
"That's simple. Give me the information on your Ultimate Skill."
I hadn't yet had a chance to copy his Ultimate Skill, and if it was copying other Skills like I thought it was I don't think I'd have many chances to copy it. The only real way to copy a Skill that doesn't have any influence on the world was to get the data on it.
If Guy's Skill only allows him to copy others as I suspected, then I really didn't need it, that didn't mean I didn't want it though.
Guy looked to be genuinely conflicted before he sighed. "Fine. I suppose your favor deserves its own reward, perhaps now those two can be of more use against Rudra. Not to mention the new Daemon Dukes I will undoubtedly have."
It didn't surprise me that Guy was also building up a force against Rudra. They were rivals, I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them fought each other sometime soon.
"Before giving you the data on my Skill, I will give you some more useful information on Rudra." Guy said in a tone that brokered no argument.
I nodded, I already got a lot out of Guy today. A fuck ton of souls, some information on the Eastern Empire,I got him to stay away from the West for some time, and I got to eat some damn good fried chicken.
Today was looking up!
"Rudra's Ultimate Skill is fighting him every step of the way, and likely even now. There is a possibility that Rudra's soul was harmed due to this." Guy shared.
"Huh. Well that's something."
Guy nodded. "Indeed it is. Make of that information what you will."
I slowly nodded. That information might not seem like much but I could draw some conclusions from it.
One, Michael was fighting against Rudra, which suggested it had an ego which wasn't surprising with the history it had behind it. Michael was once Veldanava's Skill and one of the Virtue Series so it contained an ego seed.
Two, if a fight between me and Rudra were to break out there is a possibility that Michael could backfire against Rudra which is good to know. I wouldn't be relying on such a fluke but any extra information can be useful.
Though I am curious as to why Michael is rebelling against Rudra.
"It is likely because his master had died."
'Veldanava?'
"Yes. Skills with egos such as my previous incarnation as well as my current self are vehemently loyal to the individuals who awakened them naturally. Perhaps Michael blames Rudra for whatever reason for Veldanava's death. Perhaps Michael doesn't see Rudra as worthy, or perhaps he has some other plan in mind, who's to say?"
'I see.'
Even knowing that there is a chance that Rudra's soul has been weakened, I'm still not planning to bring the fight to Rudra. Guy's information is outdated, for all I know Rudra has managed to subdue Michael and is in peak condition. Rudra was a man who had named Guy Crimson after Guy had tied with Velzard. The amount of energy needed to name someone as strong as Guy, even if he was weaker then his current self would be absurd.
A guy like that in peak conditions was definitely someone to take very seriously. Attacking someone like that without all the factors is an extremely risky play. So while the information was nice it wasn't going to change my current actions.
"I see, thanks for the information, Guy."
Guy nodded. I could tell he wasn't that happy with what I had asked him, but he knew he owed me. His pride wouldn't let him back out now.
Besides, he was likely coping in some way or another as well. Probably telling himself that since I can likely already copy skills it wouldn't be a big deal, yada yada.
Guy held out his hand to me, I grabbed it. The moment I did I felt a flood of Information Particles attempt to enter my being.
"It is safe." Othinus said as she quickly analyzed the infons.
Guy let go of my palm. "Tsk. Is that enough?"
"Data on the Ultimate Skill: Lucifer, Lord of Pride has been acquired."
I slowly nodded as my grin turned upwards. "Hahaha, Lucifer huh? I guess I should have expected that from you."
Guy having Lucifer fit, especially if his buddy, Rudra, had Michael. Veldanava knew what he was doing.
Guy raised a brow. "Is something the matter?"
I shook my head. "Nah, it is rather amusing though."
"Oh? Care to share?" Guy inquired.
"Sure, sure. From my old world there were various mythologies, each with their own stories. One of the big ones was the biblical one. I'll summarize it real quick, basically basically, Lucifer was a high-ranking angel who rebelled against God. His pride led him to challenge divine authority, which resulted in his fall from grace. He became synonymous with pride and rebellion, often depicted as a ruler of Hell, representing defiance against order and a thirst for power."
Guy shrugged. "I suppose that is interesting enough."
"Not just that. Lucifer's twin brother was Michael."
Guy blinked. "Huh."
I'm fairly certain that at this point Veldanava just peeked at other worlds and stole the names of his Skills from the mythos from that world.
Why do the work when someone else has done it for you.
My lips twitched as I went through its sole ability.
Lucifer, Lord of Pride's ability was basically what I thought it was. It had one sole ability, though I'm sure Guy had Skills like Thought Acceleration, Analyze and Assess, Chant Annulment and various others in their Extra Skill forms.
Lucifer allowed Guy to replicate any phenomena he observed as long as he could analyze it. So he couldn't recreate Skills as I guessed, but he could do something very similar. For example if I didn't block his analysis, he could observe Hollow Purple and the laws it functioned on and perfectly replicate it. It would also be tagged onto Lucifer as its own sub-skill.
However this wasn't limited to just Skills… it could replicate any phenomena. Meaning in theory, he could take a look at Anti-Skill and just give it to himself if he was able to analyze it. In theory, even Authorities should be something Guy can instantly acquire. Something which actually made Lucifer, Lord of Pride, more valuable to me. It was up to Guy to analyze and understand the phenomena he was observing, but once that was done he basically won as it became a sub-skill under Lucifer.
It was honestly incredibly surprising that he could basically completely analyze and understand Ultimate Skills like Satanael, and Metatron solely on his own abilities. I had my ego but I was not ashamed to admit that I could not do that. Not with only my own computational abilities at least.
I was able to copy Metatron from Guy's recreation of the Ultimate Skill in question because Guy's recreation was identical to the real deal, making even Odin misclassify the data. The world itself recognized the ability Guy was using as Metatron, Lord of Purity, not as something else, that's just how perfect his recreation was.
Though Guy couldn't analyze any of the internal mechanisms of Metatron since that isn't something he could observe, still what Guy had was enough to satisfy the condition of recreating an entire Skill with just a piece of its data.
I planned to take some inspiration from Lucifer to perhaps further improve Brahma, getting rid of the limitation that I could only bring 70% of the power of a given Ultimate Skill to bear. In fact I was already planning something similar, this just made me even more certain that I was onto something.
Othinus was refraining from interfering from my little experiment upon my request. I didn't want to rely on her for every little thing, when it came to something less major like this I was more than willing to let my pride win over my commonsense. I was already strong, I didn't need to be in a manic state of always seeking more power, that was no way to live.
Lucifer was similar to the original Odin, but also different. Odin was focused on not just copying but also in being my partner, Lucifer was focused on just copying, and so its powers went further than Odin's did in that respect.
"Hmph! I'm far better than it now!"
'Yes yes, nothing is better than you, Othinus.'
'It's good that you know that!'
Odin could not copy Authorities like Small World at all, perhaps Guy's Lucifer would also fail seeing as it was what served as the template to the multiverse and might be too complex for even Guy to analyze. Othinus could at the very least recreate Authorities after some analysis, but now after getting the data on Lucifer, I had felt her give herself the ability to copy any phenomena basically upon sight.
Still, Guy having Lucifer, and his rival having Michael was just poetic at this point. Even if the stories don't really match up. I suppose you could say Guy rebelled against God when he challenged Veldanava to a fight.
Though technically Lucifer didn't let Guy just directly copy any phenomena he observed, it was a bit more complicated than that. It more boosted Guy's already incredible computational power to perfectly analyze and understand any phenomena he observes. Through this Guy used his own mastery over Magic and the Laws of the World to recreate the effect, which could then be stored in Lucifer for easy access in the future.
Simply put, it is Guy that made Lucifer what it was, not the other way around.
Guy snapped his fingers, summoning a glass of wine. A glass appeared in front of me as well.
Guy and I both took a sip.
"So how is Dino doing in Tempest? I assume you are aware of his presence in your friend's Kingdon." Guy said.
I nodded. "I am. Dino is doing rather well from what I've seen and heard. Rimuru made him work though, something he protested against."
"Khaha. Serves that useless Fallen right." Guy chortled.
"One thing I did notice was that he does seem to have a rather odd relationship with Milim." I mentioned.
Guy nodded. "That is natural. Dino was one of Veldanava's most loyal Angels. In fact the entire reason he became a True Demon Lord was due to his slaughter of the Kingdom that was involved in Velda's death."
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm guessing he feels guilty or something." I shrugged.
Guy tilted his glass. "Perhaps. I stopped trying to understand how Dino thinks long ago."
I nodded. "Fair enough."
From the little I'd seen and heard of him he managed to be lazier than even Luminous yet also productive. He got his work done after some nagging and then he was asleep.
"Some weeks ago I also sensed the appearance of the Chaos Dragon. It was quite easy to sense once it stopped suppressing its presence, that miasmic presence is rather unique. Though shortly after it was unleashed its presence vanished once again." Guy continued, probing me.
It was odd to consider that the attack on the Tempest Founding Festival was just a few weeks ago. I felt like a lot has happened since then. Killing Yuuki, learning about Granbell and Kagali's plans through Vega, acquiring Brahma, unsealing Chronoa, learning about the story behind Chloe's time loops, becoming lovers with Luminous, naming Odin, Hinata's evolution, the date with Lalatina, Leon's appearance, fighting Milim, Gaia's hatching, the date with Luminous, the hotspring date with Arcueid, going to Sarion with Kurumi.
A lot has happened in a short period of time, and I still had more I wanted to do. I had some more dates to go on, I didn't want to neglect any of my lovers, plus I enjoyed going on the dates.
I've been sparring off and on with Megumin, which she considered a date, but perhaps she'd like something different at some point. I didn't get straight into bed with Megumin. She seemed to prefer a slower progression, she would do it in a heartbeat if I asked, but it wasn't urgent to me. Raiden seemed to enjoy small but meaningful gestures the most, like randomly getting her flowers or other basic things. Saeko just enjoyed being included in anything. Lalatina just enjoyed my attention, and Arcueid liked being appreciated and valued, as well as small gestures.
I focused my attention back on Guy as I considered how to answer his question. "The Chaos Dragon was involved in the attack on Tempest." I shared.
Guy nodded. "I knew that of course. How did Milim react? I'm assuming you handled it since I didn't sense her rampaging."
I nodded. "We did handle it in a way Milim was satisfied with."
Guy raised his brow. "Nothing more to share?"
I shook my head. "Nope!" Guy didn't need to know about Gaia. Gaia was far too weak to handle Guy's attention at this point. If I told him that Gaia was alive he is 100% the type of guy to want to take a look at Gaia in person.
Guy shrugged his shoulders. "Very well then."
As I took a sip of my wine I felt a portal open up beside the table Guy and I were sitting at. I looked towards the blue portal and didn't bat an eye as Velzard stepped straight through the portal as she looked at Guy and I with an exasperated look.
"Hello Velzard." I greeted.
She nodded. "Hello Felix."
Guy nodded towards Velzard. "I'm assuming you sensed it?"
Velzard rolled her eyes. "I'd have to be blind, and an idiot to miss it. I'm sure Velgrynd and Rudra felt it too."
I raised a brow. "I'm guessing you're talking about the Harvest Festivals?"
Guy nodded.
"How did you manage it in the first place? I thought you gave up after all those failed attempts." Velzard inquired.
Guy gestured to me. "Felix figured it out, somehow."
Velzard looked at me. "Did he now?"
"What can I say, I am a man of many talents."
Or rather, Othinus is a woman of many talents. Othinus OP, please don't nerf.
Velzard rolled her eyes. "So it seems."
Deciding I had spent enough time here I got up. "Well, I'll be heading back now. Nice talking to you Guy." I turned to Velzard and gave her a nod, one she returned.
I gave them a two finger salute. "Peace."
- Guy Crimson -
As Felix vanished from his site he turned his attention back to Velzard who took Felix's seat.
"You truly do not know how he did it?" She asked.
He shook his head. "I have a vague idea. He seemed to have directed the souls directly into Misery and Rain's Demon Lord Seeds which caused them to germinate and trigger an Artificial Harvest Festival of sorts. It was difficult to observe as there were no phenomena in the world I could observe, and my analysis through their souls was rather unsatisfactory."
Velzard nodded. "Shame."
He nodded.
"What did he ask for in return? Felix doesn't strike me as the type to do you such a favor for free."
Guy's lips twitched as he recalled what he gave to Felix. "I gave him some more information on Rudra and…"
"And?" Velzard asked.
He sighed. "I gave him the data on Lucifer."
Velzard raised a brow. "Hmm, I suppose that is a fair enough trade. He will not be able to wield Lucifer at even a fraction of your level, same with my own Gabriel. Plus if your understanding of his abilities are right, Lucifer's abilities will not improve his abilities."
Guy nodded. "That's true."
He was still rather annoyed at giving Felix the data on Lucifer, but he had thought it through. While Lucifer was powerful, it wasn't what made him strong. He was strong even before he gained Lucifer. He had managed to face Velzard for a short while without Lucifer before he triggered its evolution.
Was he Guy Crimson because of his pride? Or did he have his pride because he was Guy Crimson?
In the end only Guy knew the answer to that question.
In the end he wasn't that annoyed at giving Felix the data for Lucifer. He knew more than others that merely copying someone's power was not enough at their level. Each individual was uniquely suited for the Skills and powers they possessed, it was why copying Skills wasn't as great a power as it seemed. One needed to be able to use that power for it to matter.
It was still an excellent power to have, one that assisted in his rise to power, but it had its limits. Besides, he was still working on evolving Lucifer further, if Guy had his way the data Felix now had would be irrelevant as he would have acquired a new, more powerful Ultimate Skill.
He accepted that Felix did do him a large favor with evolving Misery and Rain. Their evolution would also trigger the evolutions of their Lieutenants into Daemon Dukes. Plus now they would be of more use against Rudra.
Still, Felix would struggle with controlling Lucifer if he desired to use it. He had only given Felix the data of the Skill. It was a rather prideful Skill, he would know first hand with how he was suppressing some of its more annoying tendencies.
Though in the first place he was not sure if Felix could recreate a Skill out of pure data. If he could, that was rather worrying, but it wasn't something to worry about now.
As for how Felix managed to control Stardust and Satanael, Guy just chalked that up to Felix having a high affinity for those two abilities. He knew that Milim was the one to name him, which likely increased Felix's affinity for her skillset. And since Felix wasn't classified as Milim's subordinate he could still undergo the Harvest Festival. It was a shame that the world recognized Misery and Rain as his minions, otherwise they could have evolved long ago.
"Will you be testing those two?" Velzard asked with curiosity.
Guy nodded as he stood up. "It has been quite some time since they were at full power. I'm sure a spar with me would be helpful."
Plus it would allow him to compare their current combat ability with back when they first challenged him in the Daemon Realm like the fools they were.
Before leaving he looked at Velzard. "You coming?"
Velzard shook her head. "No, it sounds rather boring."
He nodded, not at all surprised by Velzards words. He sent a Thought Communication ordering Rain and Misery to come to him.
A moment later the two of them appeared. " "Yes, Lord Guy?" "
They seemed to be in a rather happy mood, he didn't blame them. It had been quite a long time since they were back to full power. In fact energy wise they were slightly stronger than they were back in the Daemon Realm. Their energy had yet to stabilize as well so they would grow further.
They had the potential to acquire an Ultimate Skill as well.
"Come, we will be sparring."
A panicked look overtook Rain's face. "There's no need for that!" She pleaded.
"I wasn't asking."
Misery just sighed in defeat while Rain slouched. He snapped his fingers and enveloped the three of them in a spatial distortion, transporting them to one of the edges of the Ice Continent.
Misery and Rain both jumped backwards, taking their places together as they got into a combat stance.
If there was one thing Guy would praise the two in, it was their teamwork.
He walked a little further away before placing multiple barriers around them. One meant to expand the space inside, and then two barriers meant to keep the effects of the battle isolated.
His boots rustled in the snow as he smirked arrogantly at both of his maids.
"You won't use your weapon, Lord Guy?" Misery inquired.
Guy scoffed. "As if I'll need it. You two aren't worthy."
Even back in the Daemon Realm when the two of them ambushed him he didn't need a weapon. And he was far stronger now than he was back then, and his weapon was far beyond the leagues of these two. They were far from worthy of a Genesis Grade weapon being drawn on them. Even with Felix he restrained World's power to the God Grade.
Rain squawked at his insult. "Hey! That's mean, Lord Guy!"
He rolled his eyes. "Stop whining. I will allow the two of you to start this spar."
Misery and Rain both eyed each other before nodding in mutual understanding. Misery dashed forward leaving a sonic explosion in her wake as Rain fired multiple Nuclear Cannons towards him.
As the blasts erupted, the air itself ignited, turning into a swirling inferno of plasma hotter than the hearts of dying stars. The shockwave alone sent razor sharp winds screaming outward, shearing the landscape down to bedrock.
Within the blast radius the ground liquefied, turning into a churning sea of molten rock, shifting and bubbling. The sheer heat warped light into mirages and bent the horizon with waves. The soil, once solid, became unstable.
However none of that wasn't enough to deter him. He created a platform under him, preventing him from sinking into the mushy ground.
He raised a brow as he felt Gravity push down on him. Misery always preferred to use Gravity Manipulation over anything else.
In the blink of an eye Misery appeared in front of him, her fist aimed for his face as her Demon Lord's Haki was concentrated on her fist. It was an impressive show of her own control as Haki was difficult to manipulate as she was doing.
Misery wasn't much of a physical fighter, but Guy guessed that she wished to understand her physical power before anything else. Misery always had a more methodical outlook to battle whereas Rain was more instinctual.
He effortlessly caught her fist before spinning around and sending her flying to the edge of the barrier. The wind from his throw boomed around him as he turned around in time to slap away the Nuclear Cannons that Rain had fired at him.
Rain didn't allow Misery's disappearance to distract her. Rain may be a ditz but in combat she was just as ferocious as any of the Primordials.
In the blink of an eye Rain cast tens of Magic Circles. The circles surrounded him from all angles. A single one of the spells Rain was preparing could one shot a Saint if they weren't careful. Despite his taunting of Rain and Misery, the two of them still held power befitting of their stations as Primordials.
In the blink of an eye tens of powerful Spells were fired in his direction at speeds some Saints couldn't even follow. Yet he merely placed a skin tight barrier over himself, allowing the spells to crash harmlessly against him.
"Tsk. I should have expected that." Rain said.
Misery had also appeared next to Rain. "It was a valiant effort, Rain."
Rain nodded. "Yeah yeah, now let's get serious!" Rain yelled as an icy mist was released from Rain's body. A mist illusion formed beside Rain, a powerful one at that.
Misery and Rain released their Demon Lord's Haki with renewed vigor. There was a sudden weight to the world around him as their Haki collectively pressed around him. The sky parted as the world practically bowed down to their Hakis, at least in this area.
He ignored the flickers of red and black energy that materialized into existence, the tell tale sign of Demon Lord's Haki. Even the mist illusion was capable of channeling Demon Lord's Haki, if at a lesser level than the original Rain.
He felt a smirk coming onto his face as he loosened the chains on his own Haki, bringing some of it out to bear.
A loud crack was heard as his Haki pressured the entire Ice Continent that was within his barriers. Flickers of energy materialized in and out of existence as he increased the pressure.
His Demon Lord's Haki contested against both Rain and Misery's. Both Rain and Misery took that as the signal to begin their attack.
Misery dashed forwards, appearing in front of him in less than a second. His eyes narrowed as he blocked her strike before delivering a counterattack of his own. Misery winced as she caught his fist before firing off a high powered Magic Bullet from her free hand.
Before her Magic Bullet could land he used the Spell Felix was fond of, Archangel Shootdown to intercept the Magic Bullet that was fired at point blank range. The resulting clash created an explosion that both he and Misery easily withstanded. Before he could continue with his counterattack he sensed the illusionary Rain appear behind him.
Mist was a Skill that Rain had developed so she could be in multiple places at once. It was similar to the Extra Skill: Body Double, but far better.
Rain was capable of generating a single doppelgänger out of mist with a similar level of power to the original. At any point in time the user is capable of moving their consciousness between their original body and the new mist body, making the one they currently inhabit their main body.
In the blink of an eye he leaped upwards. Guy smirked in midair as he sensed both Misery and the illusionary Rain dash after him, their combined Demon Lord's Haki flaring with intensity. He knew they were trying to corner him, but it wouldn't be so easy.
He avoided the Nuclear Magic, Ice Magic, Compound Magic, and various other Magics that the real Rain fired at him as the illusionary Rain and Misery chased after him. It wasn't that the spells were slow or weak, he was simply Guy Crimson, Rain would need to try far harder if she wished to hit him.
Even back in the Daemon Realm he defeated the two without being touched once.
He deliberately slowed down his own speed, allowing the two to gain some distance on him before he took action. He let out another burst of his own Demon Lord's Haki, not quite at full power but enough that the oppressive force halting their momentum midair for a split second, enough time for him to vanish from their sight. He reappeared behind the real Rain, who had been preparing another series of magic circles to bombard him.
Rain immediately felt his appearance and attempted to teleport away, she knew full well the futility of attacking him without a truly powerful attack.
"Predictable." He muttered, flicking a hand toward Rain's back, aiming to send her spiraling to the other side of the barrier.
Before his attack could land, Rain's transferred her consciousness to her doppelgänger, making the body he was attacking the mist illusion, while the mist illusion became the new primary Rain.
The doppelgänger caught his strike with a well-timed mist barrier that shattered instantly but absorbed the impact as he had not used much force.
The real Rain spun around with a devilish grin, her hands already glowing with blue energy as she used the time she had to get closer to him. "I told you, Lord Guy. We're not pushovers anymore!"
She unleashed a stream of freezing energy, the ice spreading rapidly in every direction. Even the space within the barrier around them crackled with frost, as the air itself froze over. Rain always was a very good user of Ice Magic, not on Velzard's level of course but he would still be hard pressed to find anyone as good as her.
Still it wasn't enough. He barely raised a finger before an invisible shield protected him, the frost cascading over the barrier harmlessly.
Misery took advantage of Rain's diversion and closed the distance once again, gravity itself bending around her fists. This time, she aimed for a joint attack with Rain, who had already summoned another barrage of spells. Each one felt sharper, faster, and far more dangerous than before. It seems she had purposefully weakened her earlier Spells in an attempt to catch him off guard now.
A small chuckle escaped Guy's lips. "Impressive, but still far too slow."
He extended his arms, and the entire battlefield seemed to tremble under the force of his power. He released more of his Demon Lord's Haki, and for a brief moment, everything stood still. Even Misery's next attack stopped mid-strike, frozen in place as Guy's overwhelming pressure overwhelmed them both.
Rain's spells flickered, and her misty doppelgänger disintegrated instantly under the weight of his Haki. Misery grunted, her body refusing to move any further, but her resolve didn't waver. They were ancient Primordials, Devil Lords, they wouldn't give up without trying, as was propper of them.
There was a reason why he accepted the two of them under his service. They may have been annoying but if there was one thing he admired, it was their will and refusal to give up. Even when beating them to the ground in the Daemon Realm the two of them got back up until he got bored and killed them. Of course they weren't dead for long.
"Hmm, why don't I try a little more now?"
He could see the light of fear in Rain and Misery's eyes as the instantly began attempting to dodge whatever attack he would throw.
He vanished again, appearing between Rain and Misery in an instant, moving faster than either of them could react. His hands lashed out, targeting both of them simultaneously, Misery's chest and Rain's back. They barely managed to dodge, but the shockwaves of his strikes tore the ground apart beneath them.
Guy's grin widened as he saw both of his maids struggling but refusing to give up.
"Show me everything, or this will be over in an instant."
- Felix -
As I appeared in my office I immediately sent out a Thought Communication to Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina.
"Could you three come to my office if you aren't busy?"
"Do you wish for the three of us to serve you together, Master?!" Lalatina exclaimed.
"Shut up Lalatina!" Megumin responded in embarrassment. "I am sure that Milord has something important to discuss! But… if you really want to then…."
"Khaha, that's cute Megumin but you're right. I do have something serious to discuss."
"We will be on our way, My Lord." Arcueid responded for the three of them.
With that I ended the Thought Communication. With the souls I now have I could use Life Reconstruction to see if those three can evolve. Undergoing a Life Reconstruction was a rather strenuous process, similar to a Harvest Festival in which an individual has to withstand the resentment of all the souls used in the evolution.
Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina were ready for such a thing. The others, not so much. Saeko, Raiden, Kurumi, and Sukuna still needed some time to further develop before I felt comfortable with them undergoing such a risk, and I wasn't sure if Ingvild would even want to do such a thing so I'd leave her for later.
I took a seat on one of the loveseats as I waited. It didn't take long for all three of my Demonesses to appear in front of me.
Megumin walked in first. "Sup milord!"
"Hello Megumin."
After her came Lalatina. "Master~!"
My lips curled up into a fond smile at Lalatina's shenanigans. "Lalatina."
Lalatina plopped down across from me on another one of the loveseats, as did Megumin.
The last to enter was Arcueid. "Hello My Lord." Arcueid greeted with a smile. Unlike usual she didn't kneel or anything. The hot spring date did bring us a bit closer, I learned more about her past, her hobbies and such. I didn't doubt that in an official setting she would act as professional as she always did, but progress was progress!
Once Arcueid was sat down I began. "I have a way for each of you to evolve into Devil Lords, to return to the state you were in when you ruled the Daemon Realm."
All three of them seemed rather interested in the prospect of returning to their once greater strength. Devil Lords were big deals, straight up Divinity with a minimum EP of 2,000,000. And theirs was likely higher than that.
Even now the three of them could fight on the Ultimate level, their Magic was that high level. I'm sure each of them will become quite something after becoming Devil Lords once again. That's not even considering an Artificial Harvest Festival down the line.
Arcueid smiled as if she expected nothing less. "I have been working on reacquiring my former strength, however it will be a long process. Evolution for us Daemons becomes rather difficult at the higher levels."
Lalatina nodded. "Yeah! I'm guessing that to reach the Devil Lord stage we need some kind of stimulus."
Megumin nodded. "Heh, nothing a battle to the death can't solve!"
I ignored Megumin's words as I nodded. "Yeah, that's why I wanted to see if you wanted to use this method of mine."
Evolving as a Daemon became a pain in the ass after the Arch Daemon stage. Up to the Arch Daemon class it was still difficult but not impossible. Becoming an Arch Daemon if you weren't born as one required immense effort and skill. But there hasn't been a single natural born Daemon Duke according to Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina.
Moss evolved into a Daemon Duke from my naming, as did Veyron. I used the energy from being named by Milim to evolve. If Daemon Duke was that hard to naturally reach on your own efforts, then I imagine becoming a Devil Lord is nigh-impossible.
Still, the fact that Arcuied, Megumin, and Lalatina were still trying to reach that stage to please me did warm my heart a bit. The devotion of these three was rather heavy, and I didn't want to be the kind of person to misuse or abuse that devotion.
"How does this method of yours work, My Lord?" Arcueid questioned.
"It's pretty simple, I call it Life Reconstruction. Basically I will remake you into a stronger form using souls. Similar to a Harvest Festival you will need to withstand the hate and resentment of 50,000 souls and absorb all their energy, using it to refine yourselves."
Megumin smirked. "Sounds easy enough!"
"Yeah, I don't think any of you will have much trouble."
Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina had been alive for an absurd amount of time. Their egos were incredibly powerful, they should be capable of resisting the egos of 50,000 souls easily, even if the souls are stronger than usual as they are from High Humans.
Lalatina clapped. "I will trust your judgment, Master! If you think I should do it then I'll do it!" Lalatina said while puffing up her chest.
I smiled. "Thanks for your trust then." I turned to Arcueid and Megumin. "What about you two?"
Arcueid huffed. "Of course I will undergo this ritual as well."
Megumin nodded excitedly. "Me too!"
I stood up. "Excellent. If none of you have any prior obligations do you want to go through it now? The evolution may force you into a slumber for a few hours so keep that in mind."
"I have already ordered my subordinates to continue with their tasks." Arcueid responded.
"I was just training up some of the riff raff. They'll keep training if they want to get stronger." Megumin said.
"I was just hearing some reports, it can wait until later." Lalatina said.
I nodded. "Great." I snapped my fingers deploying Small World around the room, turning it into an isolated dimension I had complete control over. I switched around the surroundings a bit, creating three beds for Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina to lay on.
"Each of you lay on one of the beds."
Once they were all situated I began the ritual.
'Othinus, help me out?'
I didn't want to mess up, who knows what consequences that could have.
"Of course."
Arcueid's eyes close in calm acceptance. Megumin, ever enthusiastic, grinned even as she relaxed into the bed. Lalatina, was looking at me with doe eyes as I made my preparations.
The way Life Reconstruction worked made it so that the entirety of the soul had to be used. Due to that I couldn't extract the cores from the souls to perhaps revive the souls at a later date.
So I would be condemning 150,000 souls to being used as fuel for my three demonesses' evolution, and I was fine with that. I wasn't a perfectly moral person. I'd help the souls out if I could at some point, but I would prioritize my people's lives and safety over some random souls that died thousands of years ago.
It is what it is.
I felt Othinus pull on 150,000 souls of the 1,400,000 souls I currently possess. I had understood the process that the three were about to undertake, but I wanted to leave it to Othinus to minimize the risks.
"Let's begin then." I voiced out. I separated the 150,000 souls into three groups of 50,000 before I focused the groups of souls into each of my demonesses' bodies. 50,000 souls went into each of them as Othinus began the ritual to basically force an evolution through sheer energy.
I felt the energy of the souls course through each of their bodies as the three immediately got to work on refining and forcing the energy. Of course it wasn't that simple, no soul wants to be consumed in another's evolution so they fought back.
The souls' resentment and hatred was quite tangible. I could feel the resentment and hatred contesting against Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina's wills. Of course the souls were facing a losing battle. The only reason this process would take time is because the process of refining the souls would take some time.
As Othinus conducted the ritual I heard her speak into my head. "Did you wish for me to assist in the development of their Ultimate Skills?"
'They're already forming Ultimate Skills?'
I wouldn't say I was surprised, they were Primordials after all, but it was still impressive.
"The beginning process has begun. They are condensing their will and desires which will eventually take form in an Ultimate Skill, though this will take time."
Hmm, so maybe Rain and Misery were also in this stage, the process of forming an Ultimate Skill. I was quite surprised that the only real gain from the Harvest Festival those two got was increased reserves and Divinity.
'Will you helping them weaken them in any way?'
If an Ultimate Skill wasn't formed from someone's will, rather it was given to them then the Skill would be far weaker. An Ultimate Skill was still an Ultimate Skill, but I didn't want to weaken these three unnecessarily.
"It will not weaken their Ultimate Skills as they will still be the driving effort behind the formation of the Skill. I will merely speed things along."
'Go for it then.'
- Arcueid -
She internally scoffed in derision at the presumptuousness of the foolish souls she was using as fuel for her evolution. Did they think one such as her would be impeded by their meager wills?
She could feel her body being refined by the soul energy she was siphoning from the souls, as well as her Spirit being strengthened back to its former might and beyond. She could feel the seals the world placed on her existence unshackle as she began to feel her energy sore in both potency and quantity.
The ritual her Lord devised was rather interesting. The simplest explanation was that the ritual would use the lifeblood of the souls to elevate her own existence, forcefully breaking through the seals. The very existence of the souls was being burned in her evolution, their memories and experiences included. In fact flashes of the souls' memories would appear in her mind before she brutally suppressed them. They had no experiences she could make use of so they were unfit to contaminate her essence.
As she suppressed the raging wills of the souls she thought back to everything that had happened.
Things do change rather quickly.
She thought back to her dear friend.
I don't think you would have liked him, Blanche.
Blanche was a gentle girl. Her Lord's tyrannical ways would likely upset Blanche, but Arcueid knew that if they had time her friend would get along with her Lord. Unfortunately some things were simply not meant to be.
She felt the energy within her get to a breaking point. She swiftly began focusing on further controlling the energy. Control was what separated the riff raff from the truly strong. Even the strong needed to hone their ability and stop relying on their superior strength, that was something she had been working on exclusively ever since incarnating. Before she had no reason to work on improving herself, she was already at the peak of the Daemon Realm. However in this world her Lord needed her to be stronger, and she lived to satisfy his wishes.
How one controlled their power made a world of difference in how strong you were in this world.
She felt something attempt to take form within her, however it wasn't quite complete. It was a familiar power she had made use of for millenia, it was the source of her Freezing White Flame.
All of a sudden she felt some entity connect to her from her Lord. The being came from her Lord so she did not have her guard up against it at all.
"If you give me permission I will assist in the formation of your Ultimate Skill." The being spoke into her mind.
If she was conscious her eyes would have widened.
That voice!
It was the same voice that had spoken through her Lord's body during his Harvest Festival.
"I am Othinus, our master's partner."
'And I am Arcueid.' She spoke out into the darkness. 'Very well, I give you permission to assist me.'
"Excellent."
The next moment she felt that same something that had attempted to take form change. It took on a clearer shape. Arcueid focused her attention on it. She focused her determination and her desire onto it, further growing that something.
Before she would suppress this power and bend it to her whims. Now however she attempted to nurture it, to let it fully bloom.
The Ultimate Skill: Belial, Lord of Underworld has been acquired.
- Megumin -
As Megumin felt the calm darkness envelop her, she thought back to everything that had happened.
Things had changed quite a lot ever since she was brought to her Lord by Arcueid. Now instead of chucking Nuclear Magic at Leon's territory out of boredom, she had an actual job to do. A job that her Lord entrusted to her and so she could not fail.
She had rather enjoyed her time under her Lord. She, Arcueid, and Lalatina had grown closer than before. Megumin always considered them as rivals and friends, that was simply the nature of their relationship, but seeing each other almost daily did allow her to understand her fellow Primordials better. She was glad her Lord had other such capable servants.
Fuck Diablo though, that guy was just a dick.
Her combat capability had also grown, something that hadn't happened for millenia. In the Daemon Realm she was at the top of the food chain. Merely one Spell could wipe out even the strongest of Arch Daemons, so she had no need or desire to improve.
That changed after meeting her Lord. She wanted to be more useful to him, she wanted to protect him, she wanted him to rely on her. She was a Daemon, once they found someone worthy they tended to latch on, that was true even for the Primordials.
Guy and Veldanava, Diablo and Rimuru, Rain and Misery with Guy, and then the three of them with their Lord Felix.
And so she got to work on becoming more useful. She had to make up for no longer being a Devil Lord somehow, and skill was the method she chose. She took up swordsmanship and had Agera teach her. Her reasoning for swordsmanship in particular was because her Lord also used a blade. It was simple, but she liked simple.
She had an infinite lifespan and used to spend her days at will, never dedicating her all to anything. But once she found something to dedicate herself to she found her skill growing by leaps. Her swordsmanship was now at a point where she could last against Agera for some time, and Agera was a Daemon who had been training for millenia.
Not to mention her general combat abilities also grew thanks to sparring with Arcueid, and Lalatina fairly often. Her spars with her Lord also allowed her to understand new things about herself and improve her fighting style. Overall while she may not have possessed the raw power she once did, she had almost certainly grown stronger.
In the end the strength of one's will determines one's strength. That was something she learned when her Lord absolutely destroyed her when she asked him to go all out. Her will was powerful, but she never truly had anything to give it her all before meeting her Lord.
"I agree. Now if you give me permission I will assist you in forming your own Ultimate Skill."
She mentally shrugged. 'Sure.'
She could tell the thing talking in her head was an ally of her Lord. She may have been unconscious but she could feel the characteristic familiarity of her Lord coming from the new connection within her.
"Excellent."
She felt something deep within her soul begin to change. She knew what was happening and so she focused her dreams and ambitions on the change within her.
Skills were meaningless if they were given. It was only through the desire to acquire it that its essence could truly be utilized.
She now understood that she would never be able to defeat those who had awakened to the ultimate power. Even more so, she could never be a match for Guy Crimson, the one at the top. It was not enough just to think about increasing power. If that was the case, no matter how hard she tried, she would only end up as food for the strong.
If one truly wanted to fight the strong, one needed to understand themselves more deeply. To do this, what she needed above all, was a strong will.
The Ultimate Skill: Abaddon, Lord of Destruction has been acquired.
- Lalatina -
As she felt herself change, and the seals placed on her unshackle, Lalatina contemplated the various ways she could be of more use to her master. She had changed much since the past, now the very center of her being revolved around her master. Her every thought was spent on ways to be near him, or to please him.
She was a Primordial Daemon, and yet she had been reduced to such a state, and he couldn't have been happier. Before meeting her master her life was boring. Fight Arcueid or Megumin, torture some disappointing souls, beat up her minion, scheme for ways to acquire a Material Body, rinse and repeat.
Originally she had only believed the beings capable of defeating her were her fellow Primordials and the non-standard beings such as the True Dragons.
At her full power in the Daemon Realm even Luminous would have been helpless against her. But then she had met her master and that belief was shattered. A Daemon, one not a Primordial, had so thoroughly destroyed her. Most would see it as a humiliation, she however saw it as an opportunity.
She had gotten the opportunity to experience that battle. And she had survived, though she had been changed and dyed in her master's colors.
It's true that our basic abilities are very high. That said, relying too much on our potential is also a problem. With more ingenuity, one can become even stronger!
After meeting her master she had begun experimenting on her. Her combat capabilities were immense, however she could admit to herself that her raw power was what set her apart from the rest. She wanted to change that, she wanted her skill to be what put her apart from the rest, to become someone her master would be proud of. He had already said he was more than happy with her and that he cared, maybe even loved her, but she wanted more. Her master may have seen her as enough but her master deserved only the best!
She was someone who had never gained more power before. But this time, she wished to have it too.
How much stronger could a powerful being who is already invincible become, if they strive and work hard to reach a higher level?
Someone like her master and Guy Crimson?
She knew that she was half-hearted in everything she did before meeting her master, and although she was a mass of talent, she had no experience of working for anything with her whole heart.
Lalatina continued to focus on that wish, on that desire.
"I suppose I can help you with that."
She conveyed her sense of approval to the voice, trusting her master to have protected her.
And then she felt something change. The vague sphere of power that was always within her but had never taken shape began to form into something new… something powerful.
The Ultimate Skill: Samael, Lord of Deathly Poison has been acquired.
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I am highly motivated by your guys' reviews and likes, so do that! I'll probably keep writing or something.
I have a discord server, come hang out if you want! https://discord.gg/VxR5Gn72Fp I also have a channel in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse.
Author's Note: Sup everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. Felix finally gets the data on Lucifer, though it won't do much for him. Felix just likes collecting Skills at this point.
Was the Guy fight scene necessary? No, did I still do it? Yes. Guy's chadness needs to be displayed! Dude has been done dirty in canon
Finally Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina have returned to their full power and beyond. Plus Rain and Misery got a bit of a power up. I also got to show you all a bit more about how Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina think. Character development, yay!
Anyways, thanks for reading, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.