Obsessions in Shadows

by Sonic_Shine

Summary:

Alexia was way more desperate for her only friend. Shades were way more assertive in their desire to help their (not so) omniscient master. Claire wished nothing more than safe, stable life for her beloved brother. How does that turn out for Cid? Probably ruining his mob career, how else...

X-posted from FF.

Chapter 1: Princess Obsession

"The case is closed, however, there are still some unanswered mysteries left", a beautiful silver-haired girl spoke.

"Mhm", a very profound and filled with wisdom answer came back from an unassuming raven-haired boy.

This is our Protagonist.

Currently they were on Academy's rooftop, discussing very important things and exchanging very important information (read: gossiping).

"Not like that concerns you… Well, actually it somewhat does. After all, it's because of me you got caught up in this story."

"Mhm."

"But you don't have to worry about that anymore. All charges against you were dropped".

"Yeah, that's cool. What's not cool, however, is the weather outside. Can we go back into the building already?"

And he had a point. After all, the sun was in zenith, and the scorching heat was somewhat unbearable even for someone like h- The scorching heat was absolutely unbearable for an average mob like him.

"Wait. There's still some things I have to tell you."

"Does it have to be here?"

"Yes, it does, in fact, have to be here", girl pressed on, "first things first: do you remember saying that you liked my swordsmanship?"

"Hm, yeah, something like that happened."

Was it the day before kidnapping? Should've been that one…

"Uh, so… Thank you. Really, thank you. I know it's a bit late to say that, but things like these matter a lot for me."

"Yeah, sure, I guess?"

"Even though you're only partly responsible for that, you're still someone who helped me go through this… Even if you're just a coin-hungry Pooch."

"That last part was unneeded, really."

He can't deny the truth, though. Each of these coins is worth ten thousand Zeni, after all! Who could miss a chance to get free load of money? Him? Totally not him! That's why he caught freshly thrown coin right into his mouth.

"Haha… Never change, Pooch…", his enhan- he was an average mob and absolutely did not hear her whispering.

"Right, anything else?"

"We've been in a fake relationship up until now, but Instructor Zenon died that night."

"Oh, that means we don't have to play it anymore?"

On one hand, shame: free money is free money, and he needs money for his activities. On the other hand: FREEDOM!…

"Right, but…"

…And there comes the bad feeling…

"…How about we stop pretending and enter a real relationship?"

"Nah, I'd pass", accurate, precise, and to the point. That's what she got as an answer. But was she one to give up?

"But I insist. I mean, what's wrong with dating me? I am a princess, have access to great wealth, and, though not comparable to my sister, am quite skilled at sword."

"Your point on this subject is pretty much interesting, but unfortunately, it will attract lots of unwanted attention on me, and I don't like being at the center of rumors."

"Nobody said we have to flaunt our relationship now, with my fiancee-candidate being gone. We can just start it out slowly and then take it along the way."

"That's some fascinating thought you have. Too bad it has a word "We" in it while I didn't even agree with it."

"Ugh, must you be so stubborn… Alright, I know what will make you fall on your knees…"

He looks at a pile of coins on the ground with blank expression on his face. Her worries grew with each passing second.

"… Maybe you'll just tell me for what reason you need a boyfriend again?" he spoke, poking the pile with a stick that conveniently was lying right here. How did it appear on the rooftop? A mystery…

"…nd", now that one he really couldn't pick up. Did she get something in her throat? Looks like it, she kinda hung her head there…

"Come again?"

"F…st…end", that one was "first" and… nah, still can't quite get it.

"Dearest Princess, I quite coul-"

"I'm saying is it wrong for me to wish to be closer to the only person who was completely honest with me?! Yes, you might have done so for money, but still! S-Still, I-I just don't want this to end... I-I know for sure that once it all ends... you will go on your way and will only remember me as that strange princess girl that paid you into helping her to avoid engagement! And yet even this was way more honest than whatever most of these so called 'nobles' were spouting every day! Every-goddess-forsaken-day! A-Am I asking for too much to just have one person that would honestly tell me their opinion on me?! That would just go and hang out with me, no questions asked?!"

Silence.

"P-Please, just tell me honestly, like you always did…"

She lifts her head and stares at him with moist eyes.

"Am I really that much of a burden for you? Do you really want to get away from me as much as possible?"

---

Cid was pretty satisfied. Nah, scratch that: Cid was elated!

Play out the role of an unassuming mob? Check (somewhat stained with being princess' fake boyfriend and whatnot but eh)! Get to be interrogation target? Check! Charge at the (fake) Cult hideout with a big army at his disposal (he has to thank girls later for indulging him; pretty sure getting that many extras costs quite a big sum of Zenis)? Double check! Fight a hidden powerhouse from the (fake) Cult?…

Well, that one was a disappointment. Though he did get to save the princess (did they take her for a ransom or something? that's kinda stupid considering they will have a kingdom after them afterwards) and show off his awesome move, so… Check? To be fair, what did he even expect from some third-tier bandits?

There was just one small issue. That one princess he saved? Well, as he mentioned, she was (fake) girlfriend for his mob's persona, going by the name of Alexia Midgard (coincidentally, her family name was also the kingdom name). And yes, normally a mere mob would not be able to even set sights upon a princess, but complicated things happened along the way… Okay, that's not the issue here!

The issue is she wants to continue dating him! That absolutely cannot happen! He can't accept it! Not a single way! And her puppy eyes will not help her! He gained immunity after 3 years of being together with Shadow Garden (he made this organization up, by the way) girls (and they were actually real)!

How can he then make a Grand Reveal™ that will leave everyone with their jaws dropped! "No way, that guy was actually the Shadow?! How could that be, he's absolutely average!" And what would happen if everyone knew he's princess' boyfriend? "Ah, I see, so she actually saw something in him and took under her wing! As expected of our princess!"

Not only will it shift focus from him to her when he finally unveils the truth, but also compromise his current daily mob life! "Wait, isn't that the guy who dates the princess?" "Sure him."

Oh, the misery!

On the other hand, however, there is a glaring issue. Two, actually.

First: she is still a princess, and as much as it would be a huge pain to play a mob role after becoming her boyfriend, it would be even harder to play it if he actually refused. Obviously, no mob would refuse a princess. Ever. And that's not even thinking about what would she do to him afterwards (and he knows her twisted mind pretty well to understand which ways will her insane thoughts go). Conclusion: better agree.

Second: can he really steel his heart to look at this hurt girl that bravely confessed her feelings to him and then cruelly reject her?… Yes, he can. However, refer to point one for consequences. Not to mention…

And then a lightbulb appeared in his mind.

Cid slowly smiled.

It's a wonderful idea!

---

Alexia was nervous. Very nervous. Current situation was absolutely nerve wrecking for her.

Cid was her first actual friend. Her best friend. Her only friend. His honesty, his flawed character were what made him such a great person to be with. At first she was unwilling to admit it; thought it was below her to even think about him more than a tool to get that noisy man off her back. Now? Now she thanks Goddess every day for a chance to meet her Pooch. She even has a photo of them on her table, beautifully framed and looking right at her bed.

So when Alexia first learned about that Iris, her elder sister, decided to throw away poor boy in cell, she laughed it off. I mean, what sane person would even consider this grade-9 guy — who was barely able to fight her back! — to be able to kidnap her, grade-1 talent (despite being inferior to her sister, she still has her pride, thank you very much)? Then came realization.

Then fury.

She seriously considered throwing a tantrum right there and then.

However.

She learned better than this. That man… Shadow, was it? He showed her what a basic swordsmanship can do. Completely annihilating the once-hailed genius with nothing but sword strikes, not even using magic until the very end to prove a point.

Cid taught her to accept herself for who she is. Shadow has shown her what she can become.

She has a pride, after all. And now, she can see a way.

And so Alexia decided to restrain herself from lashing out on her sister; instead, she merely glanced at Iris and walked away.

Well, now she is here, waiting for Cid's answer.

'Please, say something… Just say it already… Even if you reject me, that's better than being left like that…'

Then she saw a smile forming on his lips. He finally looked back at her and said:

"Gotta be honest here, Alexia. I never expected our fake relationship to develop like this. And trust me, because I really mean it: it would be far better for me to just leave all of this while I still can. However…" He tilted his head at her. "However, I just can't leave a sad Kitten like you all on your own. So, yes, I accept it, Alexia. Let's try this out, this time for real. And, even if we won't get along pretty well, we can still be frien- OUCH!"

That one was Alexia jumping right on him and enveloping poor boy in a bear hug.

"Kitten, huh?… Well, it's not like Pooch's mind could come up with anything better, eh~?"

She was happy.

---

So what was Cid's genius, fantastic, absolutely marvelous plan? Very simple, actually! Instead of revealing himself to the masses when the time comes, he will reveal himself to his closest ones! How ecstatic would it be when they realize that this mob they were carefully protecting and loving the whole time was actually their archenemy/mentor figure/ally/etc (underline the necessary)! Especially when he says something along the lines, "Your final test begins", and gives them the hardest battle of their lives! Of course, he will not be taking their lives, because it's a test, not a mortal combat. Now how could he coax Shadow Garden (fake) girls (real) into helping him to set up a stage for this play?…

…And with that, Cid Kagenou's opportunities to play out an average mob's life were gone. Reduced to dust. If he ever knew what this simple little plan brought to him, he would frantically refuse all attempts from the other side to develop their relationships, no matter how much girls' hearts he would've crushed…

Friendly reminder: this is our Protagonist.

Chapter 2: Shades Obsession

Cid was feeling… unwell.

And there was a reason for that. Two, actually...

---

It all started when Alexia decided to drag her now-actually-real boyfriend to that brand new store called "Mitsugoshi", he thinks? In short, she got invited by her sister, Iris, and Alexia, in turn, invited him. Not like he actually wanted to go somewhere on that day, but he accepted the role, so now he had to commit to the fullest!

Unfortunately, all his past life experiences and training did not include "How to be Prince Charming", neither he was interested in things like "Being a boyfriend for dummies", and most definitely he would not find something like "Courting a princess" even if he wanted to find it. I mean, his previous world didn't even have bona fide princesses, technological progress be damned! So that meant he had to utilize his brain cogs to the fullest and draft a plan all on his own. Sure, he could call his playmates, but what could he tell them? "Sorry for pestering you guys but there's that one princess — the one over there, yes, — that really wanted to be my girlfriend, don't ask me how this happened, any tips and gear suggestions for this fight?" He had a feeling that would not end well at all.

And so he came up with this:

1. Do everything within his mob persona abilities to make her happy;
2. But do not bend, because she actually wants someone that will give his honest opinion and not a "yes-man";
3. But also make sure to not show that he's the stronger one until the Grand Reveal because she likes it that way, too;
4. But also show you're diligent in your training;
5. But also…

Now that he thinks about it, that's just like being with his sister, Claire? Maybe? Man, he really should've taken some boyfriend courses…

But as of now, everything went pretty well, actually! Excluding the fact that Alexia became clingy all of sudden. She was clingy before that, of course, but that's was all for show, and tet-a-tet the most affection she would show was petting him. Now, however? The moment he steps on Academy's territory she mysteriously appears (mob will not notice a princess in the bush, mob will not notice a princess in the bush, mob will not…) and jumps on him.

Also because of this he has less time for his Shadowy activities, but the girls seemed to be busy, too, plus they did a run just not so long ago (yeah, kidnapping incident), so he can afford himself to be lenient for a bit?

So, yeah, that's first problem out of the way.

---

Now the second problem is way worse.

In case you haven't noticed, he got invited by Alexia for a store trip. That's absolutely normal pair-in-love behaviour as far as he knows. The problem is the fact that she was actually invited by her sister, Iris, and they don't get along!

Not only that, but, to his and Alexia's knowledge, Iris was the perpetrator (led by that guy, how was his name again? Zalgo? Anon?) behind his imprisonment. That means that they should be angry at her for that, right? And Alexia did seem angry! But he can't afford himself to look like that, because that would ruin his mob character and get him in trouble for going against the princess, and he's not a genius (for public) like his sister that has some privileges nor he's a part of ruling family!

That absolutely sucks!

'And the fact that you try to hide behind me each time Iris looks in your general direction does not help my situation at all, Alexia!'

Of course he did not say that out loud; Iris would certainly try to get his head off for going against her cute (?) innocent (?) sister.

'And stop clinging to me like that, her gaze already made fourty seven holes in my body!'

That one was left unsaid, too.

"So what's the deal with all of this?"

…And that one slipped.

"Cough, cough", that was the elder sister, "so, as I said before, this new store is called "Mitsugoshi". Rumors say that it offers high-quality products, both food and clothes, and is worthy enough to be called as the most advanced store in the city."

Mmm? Well, now that does sound interesting…

"Yeah, so?" 'Alexia, antagonizing your sister like that will not accomplish anything! Be like me, noid and agree with everything!'

"And I wanted to… invite you to go there with me…"

"So-o-o?"

"… And your boyfriend can come, too," 'Stop staring daggers at me, it's not my fault!'

"We-e-ell, what do you think, Cid~? Wanna go there?" 'Does she want to kill me? Because that looks like she wants to kill me!… ' "Of course Iris will pay for our expenses, right?"

"Of course, I still have to make up for that incident, Kagenou-kun," 'I take my words back, Alexia, you're the best!'

---

"I have grim news."

It was a spacious place, decorated with most renowned works of this world. Lights were off, allowing first rays of rising sun to go through the windows to do their job and light up the atmosphere. Unfortunately, even the source of life was unable to fully banish the gloomy mood perpetrating the room.

Seven seats. That's how many people were here. The eight, and the most decorated one, was empty.

"Alpha-sama, what could be so bad that you have to call all of us for a personal meeting?" the one who posed a question was a beautiful, voluptuous silver-haired woman with a stash of books. Her curious blue eyes locked on the speaker as her sharp ears, the mark of being an elf, slightly twitched.

"Mmm… Got distracted… Experiment…" half-sleepy girl in a lab coat shook her head, making her brownish hair fall on her shoulders and slightly reveal a sharp ear. Her eyelids were half-closed, making it difficult to properly see bleary purple eyes scanning the room.

"Calm down, Eta, or I'll have to cut your funds again," sighed a mature-looking woman with indigo hair, her purple eyes threatening poor lab-coat as she was counting their profits.

"I am aware that you all wish to return to your duties as fast as possible, however the situation calls for our immediate intervention," the one called Alpha pressed on, her deep blue eyes forcing everyone to sit down and keep listening. Once the lab-coat's weak objections quietened down, speaker sighed as her golden locks fell over her sharp ears.

"Alpha-sama, as much as I understand where you are coming from, I have a mission given to me personally by Shadow-sama, and I can't afford any slip-ups to happen," blonde-haired beast-kin's tail was swinging nervously, as cat ears adorning the top of her head were twitching uncontrollably.

"Personally, I have no pressing issues at hand, however Zeta is right: there must a dire reason for you to call us outside of our scheduled meetings, Alpha-sama," another elf spoke up, twisting light-blue locks on her finger, her purple eyes being drawn to the body of silver-haired elf while she tried to concentrate on the feeling of slime in her body.

"Correct," Alpha confirmed, "and the situation is as dire as possible, as it concerns Master Shadow directly."

Everyone perked up.

"Master Shadow…" golden-haired beauty gritted her teeth, "has entered into romantic relationship with the younger princess of Midgar, Alexia Midgar."

Silence enveloped the room for a moment before a storm hit with unprecedented power.

"It should've been me, not her!" silver-haired bookworm screamed out.

"...Dissect her?" was the opinion offered by lab coat.

"It would be a shame to go in a direct confrontation with royalty, however…" money-maker's brain started working on possible ideas.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken so long with my work…" cat-girl hissed.

"He surely wasn't attracted by that woman's soggy breasts, right?…" the hair-twisting stopped.

"Calm down," Alpha pressed, "As much as I share your opinion on that, we can't afford ourselves to go down that way. Moreover, that is not the point of our organization," she eyed everyone, "Shadow Garden's goal is to support our most benevolent Master in shadows. He gave his life to destroy Cult of Diablos so no more children would be outcasts. He offered us all teachings and helped us become who we are now. It's thanks to him near a thousand of poor girls who were thrown out of their families for something outside of their control now have a new home and a family that cherishes them for who they are. We will not stray from this path, am I clear on that?"

Nobody spoke.

"Am. I. Clear?"

"Yes, your Ladyship!"

"Excellent. That's what we shall do: Gamma is to go to Capital's Mitsugoshi store under the pretense of check up and meet with Master Shadow to ask for further instructions. I have to admit, I fail to realize his current plan, but I hope he in his infinite kindness will grant us a detailed explanation on his sight. Later I shall speak with him personally about this situation, but as of now, you are to be our connection with him."

"As you command, Alpha-sama," money-maker nodded.

"Eta, you're to make an enhanced version of magic-suppressing cuffs. Shadow-sama mentioned once he needs them for training and other purposes."

"Mmm…" the lab-coat's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Beta, Epsilon, Zeta, your assignments are unchanged. Proceed with your current mission."

Silver-haired bookworm, cyan-haired slime enthusiast, and cat-girl respectively nodded.

"Excellent. Any other questions before we proceed on our arrangements?"

"Umm, Delta has one?" the black-haired dog beast-kin slowly raised her hand, her lush tail wagging around.

"Proceed," Alpha nodded.

"So you said that princess girl became his concubine or something?"

"I did not say it that way," golden-haired elf objected, "but yes, that's close enough."

"So, Delta doesn't understand…" dog-girl's purple eyes blinked, "How is that bad?"

Chapter 3: Tycoon Obsession

"So are we gonna just stand there in the line? I think we will only get in by the evening if it goes like this, y'know that?"

"U-Uh…"

Cid was watching from sidelines as Alexia kept poking Iris on various themes: Knight's Order, investigation, what to expect in the store, how much compensation can she expect for everything they put Cid through ('But it was supposed to be my money!')… And looks like confidentiality of some of these themes was a joke to her as she didn't even bother about Cid being near them.

'Well, looks like we are gonna be here for a while, might as well recap everything I need to do in the future…'

First: since he's committed to being Alexia's boyfriend, might as well pump his shown abilities up a bit. Just a bit, because by his expectations being way too average will bring too many attention on him because of difference in power, both political and own; however, if he was stronger, but not strong enough to be hailed as a genius, people would just assume he's there as a part of her inner circle and forget about him pretty soon. Does this make sense? Cid thinks it does. Conclusion: situation isn't that bad as he thought at first.

Second: contact with Iris. Apparently he has a small edge over her with him being subjected to torment and whatnot, so as long as his mob persona doesn't overstep the boundaries she will close her eyes on some of his actions. What actions? Well, Cid doesn't know it either, but it's better to have that advantage than not to have. It also could serve as a good training for his "Eminence in Shadows controlling the ruling class from curtains" role! Conclusion: very good situation, suitable for his Shadowy needs.

Third: Claire. She was probably worried beyond imagination (of an average mob; him inside knew her very well to understand her emotions) so he has to appease her anger before she decided to choke him (again)… Iris mentioned this place having lots of good sweets, maybe he should get some?

Fourth: his Shado-

"Excuse me, Princess Iris, Princess Alexia, Lord Kagenou?"

Cid blinked and looked at a woman in store's uniform. Her dark brown eyes were locked at them as she sized them up, though Cid could swear she was eyeing him with way more attention than princesses. 'Wait, did she just emphasize "Kage" part of my last name?'

"Yes, that would be us," quirked a brow Alexia. "How do you know about Po- Khm, Cid Kagenou? I don't think he's that much known to be on your list… Unless?" her gaze darted towards Iris that tried her best to mimic surroundings.

"Thank you very much for visiting our establishment. Please, allow me to escort you."

And with that their group just skipped hours of standing in the queue. Cid prayed to every existing God out there it will not affect his mob life even further…

---

'Now this is some bullshit.'

Once inside, a marvelous sight greeted them. Everywhere where their gaze went were shelves filled to the brim with unseen before food, high-quality clothing, jewelry that a high-ranked noble would boast about for weeks to come.

'This is not a store…'

And that's where the problem lied.

'IT'S A FUCKING SUPERMARKET!'

How? When? Who? Where? Was there another reincarnator in his Eminence fantasy? Who could bring concepts like these that clearly belonged in his past life's world, Earth? And more importantly: why didn't he think about doing that?!

"Alright, I'll admit, I am impressed. Even though I clearly see people buying lots of stuff, your wares simply do not seem to end, huh?" Alexia was curious at how many manpower would it need to operate such a titan. And that's not even to mention there are probably other stores like that.

"We place our value in our ability to produce merchandise of highest quality that will leave no customer unsatisfied. Moreover, our products come at affordable price in comparison to the quality of materials used."

'Affordable? Affordable?! That thing costs 59.990 Zeni! And we're basically at the entrance! And I am pretty sure that price was set up deliberately because I heard about that tactic! Something about human mind first picking up the most left number and rolling with it before considering all that come after?…"

"Hmm, yes, I can see that… It does look good. What do you think, Iris-nee-sama?" Alexia turned back into her "cute innocent student" mode.

"Now, please, come after me, we have reserved a place for you."

'Wait, the VIP treatment? Sorry, princess, guess you're broke now…'

'Yep, totally broke.' Cid's apathy broke through as he looked at the price tags. 'One million and two hundred thousand, six hundred thousand, nine hundred thousand…'

"Thank you for your patience, Lord, Ladies," brown-eyed clerk bowed, making her brown-colored hair fall down a bit. Though why she put him first is a mystery indeed… "Please, allow us to offer our brand new product that is not released yet for public. We call it "Chocolate", and it will come out in limited amounts."

'Sure, yeah, make it seem like rare thing to rile up their interest.'

And sure enough, upon tasting it once girls took out their wallets and started throwing their money away like nothing. And after tasting chocolate they were offered another yummy thingy… Then another… Then they tried out jewelries, though Alexia tried more to show off in front of him. Of course, he tried to warn her about spending personsibly, but did she listen? Of course not. He could only steel his heart as he watched beautiful golden roundels disappearing among the sea of store goodies. And then this happened…

"Excuse me, your Lordship, may I ask you to fill out a survey for us?" clerk bowed (he noted it was way lower than when she bowed to princesses even though with their status it should be the other way around) and asked him to go with her. "Our next wares are more… maiden-oriented. In the meantime you're free to check out everything else on your own, this assistant will help you out on everything you ask," she nodded at unassuming woman in the corner.

"Nah, let him st-"

"Please proceed, Kagenou-kun. We will fare on our own here." Iris smiled. That smile was suspicious, so he agreed and went out with brown-haired woman.

"Hey, now wait a minute, that's my boyfriend over there, not yours!-"

---

'Isn't it taking too long?'

By all accounts, they should've been in a room not that much far from the one where girls were, yet clerk decided to lead him some strange ways, and it has been a good couple of minutes already. Not only that, but the hallways turned somewhat purplish compared to usual red-and-gold coloring once they passed a certain point. Strange symbol adorned every corner on their way. If he were to describe it, it looked like a half-closed eye in the middle of a four-pointed star.

'Am I getting abducted by some kind of a cult? I mean, I didn't play that role yet, so why not?'

Once they came in front of massive doors, the clerk subtly changed. Her once professional attitude of store worker was changed into no less professional attitude of an experienced fighter. Two women guarding doors glanced at them… and their eyes widened once they saw him. 'Damn, what's with these store workers? Did I forget to apply my mobfu technique when coming? Nah, I'd never…' Clerk nodded at them and they slowly opened the doors.

"Please, enter, your Lordship," she once again deeply bowed.

And, well, Cid was not ready for the view inside.

Right from doors and to the spacious room's end was spanned by red carpet, adorned by golden-colored edges. From each side of it stood a row of women clad in black-purple uniform, all looking at them with anticipation. Once his gaze deeper inside the room, he noticed It. Big, outlandishly so, throne, standing on marble elevation to which the carpet was leading. Crimson colors were prevalent in it, however near the edges color slowly shifted to purple. And, of course, Symbol. Right above the throne gigantic four-pointed star eye was embedded, as if observing everything that happens in this world.

Cid would for sure think that it really was some kind of a cult if not for two simple things.

One: the throne was empty.

And two: he saw a familiar face right near it.

"We welcome you, Shadow-sama, in this humble place. We hope everything is to your liking," indigo-haired woman bowed slightly as she was watching him slowly walking towards the throne.

"Gamma," that was her name.

'There were no reincarnators. It's just girls took everything I told them and used it to make profits.'

He stopped in his tracks and scrutinized Gamma standing above.

'They took everything I taught them and didn't even bother to tell me.'

For a moment Cid thought Gamma was looking nervous. Sure that can't be, considering the disrepancies in their current status?

'AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN GIVE ME A SHARE?!'

He lost control of his magic for a moment. It's fine, it's fine… Nothing too bad happened… At least now he knows that there are no reincarnators in his fantasy, only girls that robbed him of ideas…

"F-Forgive me, Shadow-sama, did we do something wro-OAGH!" that was Gamma trying to play along the role of horrified subordinate once she saw him showing a displeased expression (it wasn't on purpose though, he just couldn't control his emotions)… and tripping on the stairs.

'Yep, her DEX was all traded in favor of INT and WIS,' Cid thought while holding somewhat pale shaking woman in his hands. And now that he thinks about it, other girls were shaking, too! Where did she even find such good actors? Did she pay extra for that? And how many did she pay to build this room, actually? Hnm, if it's how she chose to repay him, then he might not give that much thought about idea plagiarism… Just think about it: if he had to do it all by himself, he would be practically stuck at work day and night! No time for Shadowy activites! While here he just dropped some Wisdom for her and she did it all by herself! Yeah, that's how Eminence in Shadow works! Oh, but he has to answer quickly, the "frightened subordinates" act got kinda prolonged…

"It is of not your fault, Gamma. I merely thought about… disturbing things," mysterious-looking-master-look-№4, go! "I assure you, I am absolutely pleased with how you ran this place."

"Ah! Thank you for your kind words, your Lordship!" man, she's so-o-o good! She blushed atomically in his hands!… Oh, and now she got out, lame. "Now, please, allow me to take you to your rightful place," wait, that throne is really for him?! Man, how much money she actually makes?

---

"Hmmm…" her beloved Lord was observing the room with his piercing eyes. Sometimes she could notice a faint purple glimmering as he scrutinized every last bit of this place from his Throne. Not many knew, but inspiration for their Symbol actually came from one time he released a bit of his power whilst looking at Mist Dragon daring to challenge him. 'And now that beast is nothing more but a pet- Nah, scratch that, a mere servant whose only purpose is to release concealing mist,' that was her sadistic thought.

"So, Gamma, I assume you took my Wisdom well?" smile formed on his face as he looked at her.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Ah, don't mind that. That's just her poor heart trying to contain excitement from being in presence of her All-Encompassing Shadow-sama.

"It is as you say, your Lordship," her smile matched his, "as of now, our current revenue exceeds one billion Zeni and comes close to billion and half, and that's just from Midgar. If we count other countries…"

"How much?" he raised his eyebrows.

'Is he disappointed?! Please, no! I did everything in my power! Don't tell me it wasn't enough!'

"Y-Your Lordship-!"

"… Ha-ha-ha! Excellent, Gamma! You have exceeded my expectations! I was not mistaken for trusting you with that!"

"! T-Thank you so much for your kind words, Shadow-sama!"

And yet she was mistaken. Her lord was not disappointed in her in the slightest. In fact, he seemed elated at her achievements.

"Your job deserves a reward. Not just you, Gamma, but people who helped you build this powerhouse, too," he spoke in confident, but kind tone. "Now, behold!" he raised his hand and concentrated his magic power. She couldn't take her eyes off it, and she was sure no one else could, either.

As her Lord's power passed through her body, whatever pain was there from her tripping has now disappeared. And, judging from gasps around her, whatever hidden injuries Numbers had were now completely healed.

'Ah… So that's how it is…'

A crazed smile forced its way on her face.

'In his infinite kindness he took a clumsy girl like me that couldn't even fight properly and made her into someone who is able to crash this world's economy… And even now he still consoles me… Just you wait, Shadow-sama! We- I will bring this world to you on a silver plate!'

---

'A billion and half. A billion and half. Just from Midgar. Please tell me she gives me at least ten gold coins from their share!'

Was he jealous? Oh, he was jelly alright! While he was forced to woof for the princess to get some Zeni, they were practically swimming in it! But he should play the role of a benevolent boss, so it is what it is… Come to think of it…

"Say, Gamma?" he turned his head to her

"Yes, your Lordship?!" 'Please stop trying to eat me with your eyes, I'm getting nervous!'

"You don't mind giving me a small sum for my Cid Kagenou persona?" and smile.

"Right this moment, my Lord!" and she nodded to the workers, who brought two large chests right to the room.

'Is she trying to get me in debt for her?! Because that sure looks like a credit offer!'

"Hm, Gamma, I said small sum," he turned his gaze from chests brimming with gold coins (by quick count there was no less than a thousand gold coins in each, or roughly ten million Zeni… he's not jealous) to the woman.

"I understand that you have your plans, your Lordship…" 'Yeah, trying to play my Shadow role, we both know that,' "But please, consider taking it. I understand that for you saving us was merely something you do every day, but for us? It was a moment that changed out lives for the better. It was our chance to turn a new page, to feel alive again. Yes, this mere amount of money will never compare with what you did for us, but… Please, accept it."

'…Naruhodo-ne… So that's girls' opinion about it… Now I kinda feel bad for thinking all of that… I mean, these two chests alone will allow me to play out whatever I want in years to come… And throne room...'

"Then you don't mind me leaving them with you? Because as of now my Cid persona has no place to keep them, and it would certainly be suspicious for an average guy like him to have this amount of money on hand."

"But of course, Shadow-sama," and smile.

"Neat! While we're at it, can I also get a sweets discount for my friends and family?" back to Cid persona.

"Of course, Shadow-sama. We will offer you an exclusive 100% discount on all sweet products."

"…You mean you give them for free?"

"Indeed, Shadow-sama. How many do you wish to take?"

"Uhm, three boxes will do."

"We will prepare them immediately."

"Neat, thank you. If there's nothing else, I'll go to princesses then."

"Ah, right, Shadow-sama, Alpha-sama asked to relay this message for you: Zeta finished her overseas mission and is ready to serve you at the Capital."

'I don't know what mission they're talking about but cool, more lore I guess…"

"And enhanced magic-suppressing cuffs development led by Eta is almost done. We will deliver them to you in a week."

"Got it, thank you, Gamma. Continue working for Shadow Garden development."

"As you command, your Lordship!" he could swear he saw either stars or hearts in her eyes. Though he had one question...

'...What cuffs?'

Chapter 4: Disguised Obsession

It's all ruined.'

Gamma was clutching her head in despair.

'I failed the mission given to me personally by Alpha-sama…'

She will not be able to recover from this, not only because it was a mission, but also…

'I DIDN'T EVEN ASK HIM WHAT HE FOUND IN THAT SPOILED PRINCESS!'

That's right, poor Gamma was so enamored with Shadow-sama magnificent visage, and the way he kindly looks at them, and the way he sits on the throne, and the way he lowers himself just so they can feel at ease around him, and the way… Ahhhh, she'd getting sidetracked again! This is the reason she forgot about the fact that he currently dated Alexia Midgar in his civilian persona!

'But why, Shadow-sama? I understand everything before that, as it was clear as day she's the next target for Cult's clutches, but why now?! I don't understand!…'

"Gamma-sama, you seem to be frustrated. May we know the reason?" the brown-haired clerk interjected before she could drown herself in sea of despair.

And even Gamma herself couldn't help but admit that if she didn't know who that person was even she would be fooled by clerk's disguise. After all, this unassuming woman was, in fact, one of the Named Numbers, Nu, the thirteenth, master of disguise, espionage, and a professional at getting information out of their enemies.

Hmm… Right, a person of such caliber surely wouldn't be like her. Nu will definitely be able to find out why Shadow-sama would take this spoiled, bratty, rude, absolutely non-feminine… Ahem, princess, as his civilian persona girlfriend.

"Nu, I have a mission for you…"

---

'It's all ruined.'

Cid was clutching his head in despair.

'I failed the mission I set for myself in this Academy…'

He will never be able to recover from this.

'EVERYONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO ME! MY MOB PERSONA IS GONE!'

That's right, poor Cid was so enamored with amount of money he got from Gamma (she's now officially his most loved girl, sorry Alpha and Alexia, move on) that he forgot about the fact that he's still princess' boyfriend! And when he tried to go back to tier-9 Bushin section, Alexia looked at him, said "Why is he here? Is he stupid?", and took him back to tier-1! Y'know, where elites among elites are? Now he's stuck here with them and everyone looks at him! And his mob friends, Skel and Po, only looked at him with such amount of jealousy that if it was mana he would consider placing them just slightly below himself…

And then Alexia said, and he quotes: "I want you to enter the Bushin Festival." That's right, she wanted him to participate in tournament that would give to everyone who managed to show themselves glory and money! And the funniest part is, she will not participate! She just wants to look at him squirming under everyone's gazes! And whe he tried to refuse, she just looked at him with sad eyes, then upon realizing puppy eyes don't work on him she just dragged him against his will. Of course, he tried to signal to tournament's clerks that he was definitely not willing, but they just looked at Alexia's smiling face and accepted his entry. He tried to dispute that later without her but they denied it on the basis that he already has an opponent and can't back down now. In short: it sucks!

…Wait. He has an idea. Nobody said that he has to win the tournament. He could just lose against a powerful opponent, but in the process he could also test out his mobfu techniques! Alright, everything is not that bad. It's actually playable. Now he just needs to figure out which opponent would he lose against so it would look the best for his mob persona…

---

'It's all ruined.'

Alexia was lying listless on her bed.

'I failed as a friend…'

She can't even shake off the bad feeling.

'HE DID NOT EVEN WANT TO DO ANY OF THAT!'

It was seen plain as day. Cid said it himself multiple times. He does not like attention. Yet she continued pestering him in public just for her own amusement. After all, he was looking cute when he was flustered from her interjections in his daily life. Normally he just brushed it off, though he would speak everything to her face in private settings.

However.

This time was different. She tried to list him to participate in the Festival. She, unexpectedly, succeeded.

Alexia thought that tournament clerks would surely reject any applications made not out of free will. Turned out princess' influence was enough to override whatever rules they had and force him to participate. As his 'friends' (they were Po and Skel, if she recalls correctly) later told her (while salivating in the process), he tried to cancel his application tet-a-tet, only to be refused as he was immediately paired with his future opponent.

Rose Oriana. Oriana's kingdom princess and the current champion that has risen in ranks barely a day before their application. She was his opponent in elimination rounds. Anyone with a single working braincell would realise why, exactly, was she paired with him: smooth sailing. They wanted her to reach the finals as fast as possible, so they placed weak opponents against her.

Ha… Ha-ha…

"I am so sorry, Cid…" tears started flowing, "Because of me, you will be… w-will be… sniff… Please, forgive me…"

She was barely able to stand up. She needed to take a breather. Then, maybe, she would go to him. They will go to registration point and recall his application, no matter how much damage will her reputation suffer. She can't go any lower as Mediocre Sword anyway.

---

Yep, everything is great!

Cid just checked out who his opponent is, and it actually turned out to be a princess of an ally kingdom! Not only that, but she's also a champion of Academy! Practically the strongest in it! If he lost against such an opponent, nobody would even bat an eye because it's the expected result! Everything is working out in his favor!

Alright, course is set. Now he needs to think about his Eminence in Shadow role. Turned out girls are actually still feeling grateful to him, if Gamma's generous donation is anything to think about, so maybe they will not refuse his next suggestion?-

"Shadow-sama."

As he turned around he met a brown-haired clerk from Mitsugoshi, though if he gave it a deeper thought she is possibly Gamma's bodyguard if her stance is anything to go by?… And why was she in student's uniform?

"Hmm, you were with Gamma back then…" profound-master-look-№13, go! "You are…?" HE DIDN'T KNOW HER NAME! IT'S SO OVER!

"Nu, the thirteenth, specialization: espionage, disguise, torment, interrogation," 'Hollup-hollup, thirteenth? Did they really expand the Shadow Garden lore that much and found more people to play with? That's cool, but what's with this skillset?! Is she an assassin or what?!' "Gamma-sama has sent me over to inform you about Shadow Garden's impersonators that try to defile Shadow Garden's reputation with ruthless killing of innocent."

Well, he did hear about some kind of murderers running around in the city, but to think girls would mark them as targets for their next stage? That's neat as hell, not gonna lie. And here he was thinking on how to convince them to play together again…

---

Well, turned out there really were some interesting things out there.

It was midnight, and he in his Shadow persona together with Nu in her slimesuit were sitting on the roof watching over a trio of strange people in black clothing running around from corner to corner. Honestly, he would rather go on and take them out immediately, but his cliché sense was tingling so he stayed there. Watching. Nu didn't have any complaints and only observed everything with her tenacious gaze, occasionally shifting to his form only to go back to observation duty immediately. 'Yep, she's a real professional. How did they even convince her to participate in my Eminence games is beyond me…'

And then it happened. Suddenly, out of nowhere, God only knows why, Alexia decided to visit this exact gloomy alley in which the strange trio was chilling. He could not believe this coincidence either.

While Cid was processing about what the hell is going on the battle erupted. Alexia tried to take down the guys while they… Wait, did he hear that right? Did they just say that "they were Shadow Garden?" And why do they look like there's no sign of intelligence in their heads? Did they get drugged or what?

"It is as you say, Shadow-sama," 'Oops, slipped,' he thought as Nu started explaining the lore, "these are Third Children of Cult of Diablos. They are made by picking up children that have a spark of magical talent, drugging them to the point until they can do nothing but obey commands and forcefully increasing their magical potential, thus creating perfect cannon fodder," Cid saw cold glint in her eyes when she finished her speech.

But man, they really do not hold back on their lore, huh? Then it's time for him to say something…

---

"Precisely. I am glad that you managed to find this information. It seems Shades' trust in you was not misplaced."

That's what he said. Of course, he already knew all of that and was simply testing her knowledge by throwing a seemingly innocent question. And it looks like she fulfilled her task to a T.

"But it seems we have to intervene. Princess will not be able to hold on much longer."

Right, princess. Nobody knows why, exactly, their omniscient Lord would choose her as his partner for civilian persona, and that's the most important reason for her to go out and relay the information to him. Gamma-sama actually expected her to find out the real reason for this arrangement.

To be fair, Nu could not wrap her head around it, either. After alll, if he wanted to maintain his average civilian persona, then he would need an equally average partner, and she was a perfect candidate for that with her abilities. And if he actually wanted to somewhat reveal his unparalleled might, then she, again, would be a perfect partner for him as a high-ranking member of the most popular store in the Capital. There was simply no need to engage with member of royalty. Especially as ill-mannered as Alexia.

But that can wait. They have a mission to perform.

He nodded at her and minutely looked at the distance. The order is clear: "Wait for anyone who tries to get out."

The Lord himself jumped down right in-between princess and impostors (she's not jealous of her, not jealous…) as his cloak majestically, graciously moved along with the wind.

"Hmm, what do we have here? Three puppets trying to frame Shadow Garden?" Shadow mocked both them and their masters.

The next moment one of dark cloaked people exploded in blood. Nu hasn't even noticed the moment her Lord drawn his sword, it was as if the world itself couldn't notice it. That was it, the peak of swordsmanship, revealed to them in but a moment.

"That's what waits everyone who dares to stain the name of our organization," a declaration. That's what it was. "My name."

Nu couldn't calm down her heart. Even all her abilities in being a perfect spy and easily blending with surroundings couldn't help in containing her excitement at the display of her Lord's majestic abilities. And his declaration made it clear: he is not merely a leader of Shadow Garden. He is Shadow Garden itself. Everything that was ever connected to organization was his to wield, to possess, to use however he wishes.

Cult's pawns realized their struggles are meaningless. They tried to run away. Futile attempt. After all… She already awaits them.

Second one falls down. The unseen blade is the deadliest. She barely glanced at how her Lord ordered the princess to stay back. Nu wanted to tear Alexia's head off when she refused but Shadow, in his infinite kindness and wisdom, merely humored her threat.

"I shall wait eagerly for the day when you are to challenge me, Alexia Midgar," that's what he said to her. "After all, our blades are alike. There would be nothing more exciting for me than to converse with someone whose abilities match my own."

And it was at this moment Nu understood. Shadow-sama saw the potential that Alexia Midgar has and decided she was worthy to be someone close to him once she manages to grow. Nu remembered the fond stories from Seven Shades about how they were training under their Lordship, how exciting it was to receive yet another lesson from him.

'I'll admit, I am jealous, Alexia Midgar. To receive a hidden tutelage from a person like him, it seems like you accumulated plenty of luck in your life precisely for this moment.'

But for now, she has another job. After all, her Lord left the last one for her.

Nu stares down at the last target, oblivious of the fact that she was right behind him.

"You must be envious of what that your partners got, to die from hands of our Lord himself," she whispered in his ear, placing her hands right on his neck, "After all…" slime suit slowly produced needles, "I am not that merciful."

Chapter 5: Planning Obsession

This. Is. The best!

Not only he went out for his Eminence stage, but he also learned that there are actually at least 6 more people that were willing to play out his fantasies!… Or maybe not and they just instructed Nu to be the thirteenth? Who knows…

Reminder that this is our Protagonist.

He also managed to check out the first part of his brand new plan. What plan? Well, you see, there are Heroes, Villains, and Eminence in Shadows. He has already taken the role of Eminence, and the (fake) Cult was designated as the Villains group, so the only part left blank is Heroes group! And of course, he can't just throw the Shadow Garden girls into that group, because they are already on his, Eminence, side, and he doesn't like to change the lore midgame, so he needs to take someone else into his spectacle.

And that's where Alexia, his girlfriend, comes into play! She's a perfect candidate, and here's two reasons why:

1. She's a princess, and everyone knows that princesses are either damsels in distress waiting for a brave hero to save them or future heroines bravely protecting their country and the world as a whole from evil demonic forces. You would think that because he saved her once she would fall into first category, but actually it works a bit different since…
2. He's Eminence in Shadows! That's right, he can play as a hidden mentor for the Hero figure that initially seems suspicious but becomes irreplaceable over time, all the while his civilian persona is muttering encouraging words and cuddle her so she won't feel lonely! And then he can make Grand Reveal to shock her! "But wait, Cid, you were Shadow the whole time? The guy who gave me advices on how to become stronger?" Man, he can already feel the ecstasy!

Oh, but no borrowed power like super magical swords that have their own sentience and will only give in to the chosen one with indomitable spirit and will to sow good in this world. That's way too lame, plus, as he once said, "There's no road to almighty through borrowed power!" So yeah, maximum that he would allow is something like slime suit since that thing actually requires precise control over magic in order to be useful, and that would serve as a good training arc.

Actually, he would need way more Heroes than this since, well, the Chosen One trope is good and all, but he needs a replacement ready in case things go south, and he can't really just change a Hero midplay, can he? Especially considering the new Hero will need a new training arc, new bonding arc, new everything! So better running multiple Heroes parallel with each other.

…Hmm, in that case he might actually need multiple identities. As in, if all the Heroes were to interact with his Cid Kagenou persona surely it would seem suspicious, right? It's as if that unassuming mob is actually the main character here…

Oh! Oh! And then once all the Heroes come together and defeat the Villains, he will leave some clues on how to contact him! For example, defeating all members of Shadow Garden (or maybe not, it would probably traumatize the girls if they were to be beaten up all of sudden) and Demon Diablos (well, since he doesn't actually exist, Cid will need to take the role himself) will allow them to collect pieces of artifact which will be absolutely useless like some kind of a rock until all pieces come together. And once it happens, it would release a powerful magical surge and open up some kind of portal (note to self: research how to use teleportation), then the way to Shadow will be unlocked, like he's some super secret true final boss! And this will be their hardest battle where they all would need to combine their powers! And either he gives in and crumbles into dark particles or laughs it off and crushes them with absolute power!… Well, that would depend on their performance during the show.

And then he will go under radar and stay low for, hmm, a hundred or so years? Then he will make a new batch of Heroes and Villains and play again! Or better to think of something new so it wouldn't be so boring to go through all that again? Oh, the possibilities…

---

"So that's how it is…" Alpha nodded upon hearing Gamma and Nu's report.

Now that she thinks about it, everything was actually on the surface. Alexia Midgar's style was extremely similar to the one the First Shade and Master Shadow used, but unlike Shadow Garden members who were taught it either by Shades and or by Shadow himself, Alexia was developing it on her own. Alpha knew that everything Master Shadow taught them was of his own creation, meaning that he would be extremely interested in a potential master in weapons creating their own style, even if a bit amateurish and somewhat similar to his own.

Alpha even felt a bit ashamed for not realizing their Master's plan sooner…

"Alpha-sama, what are you planning to do next?" Nu inquired, "We now have a precious information about Cult hideouts thanks to Shadow-sama incredible planning, allowing us to capture several members of theirs, both high-ranking and fodder."

"Correct," Alpha agreed, "However, if I deduced his intentions right, we will have to wait for some time before launching our attack."

"And that would be…" Gamma gasped, "after Bushin Festival!"

"Indeed. No doubt several members of the Cult would appear on such important event, allowing us to easily track them down and find even more covers of theirs," she lovingly caressed the letter in her hand, " and it's all thanks to our Lord's wisdom that we can make our operations as effective as possible."

All members present happily nodded in agreement.

"But…" Alpha's expression suddenly turned ominous, "Are you certain that there's absolutely no romantic feelings involved from Master Shadow towards Alexia Midgar?"

Gamma and Nu gulped nervously. They didn't check on that one…

---

Alexia calmed down.

In retrospective, it was silly to worry about Cid that much. Yes, she made a mistake. Yes, it pissed Cid off. Yes, he will probably be pretty angry at her. Yes, she will have to apologize and compensate him for that. But he will not suffer anything irreversible.

Rose Oriana is a kind-hearted student. She would not do anything unnecessary. In fact, if she and Cid explain the situation, she will probably agree to let him off on surrender. Nobody would even object that, since everyone knows how strong the current champion is. In fact, most people might take it as a wise decision on his part and get a closer look at him, possibly opening up a career path!

Yes, Alexia has to admit: she overreacted. It should be a given, considering that her first and best friend suffered from her no more than a day after her confession. She will make it up for him, though.

For now, she has another thing to worry about. Iris staring daggers at her.

You see, she came out to take a breather at night. She accidentally met a group identifying themselves as Shadow Garden, which quickly proved to be a mistake as real Shadow along with his subordinate (a beautiful woman, by the way; is he a womanizer?) quickly dispatched two of them without even moving from their place, and third one? Well, Alexia heard a chilling scream from the side where that woman was, and it was not a female's voice…

And now it was morning. Her sister found Alexia on her knees and staring at the direction where Shadow disappeared. She can still remember his words. Instead of killing her here for disrespecting him, he laughed at her and asked to find him when she becomes stronger so they can fight to their hearts content. That was not a mere boast about his power, that was genuine feeling from his side as he wished for someone equal to challenge him. Why did he think it should be her, though? Is it because their blades, as he said, were similar? Probably… that's why he wanted to see her grow?

There were now three people who genuinely said that her style is something to be proud about. Her sister, Iris. Her boyfriend, Cid. And her future rival (since he allowed it himself), Shadow.

Ah, right, Iris. She was still angrily staring at her and waiting for something. Alexia just blinked innocently, causing Iris to open up a conversation on her own:

"So… Shadow Garden was not the one who killed our knights."

"Mhm", she picked this profound and full of wisdom answer up from Cid, "this Shadow guy said they were nothing but puppets in hands of someone else."

"Yes, Cult of Diablos. These two groups fight each other, and we still know nothing about their goals. Well, we could deduce something about Cult based on documents recovered from place of explosion, but we know nothing about Shadow Garden other than it exists, it's strong, and they have two extremely powerful individuals…"

"Shadow and… Alpha, that strong girl, right?" 'Seriously, during both times I met them I saw no men other than Shadow himself, and he was surrounded by extremely beautiful girls! Is he making a harem?!'

"Correct. And…" Iris sighed sadly. "I met unexpected problems when trying to form a new Order. Approval and financing that should be extremely easy to get for me as a princess were suddenly recalled, forcing me to fund it from own savings, at least until the situation resolves. And, considering our circumstances, we can't even afford ourselves to increase our manpower, as any potential candidate could be a spy from either Cult or Garden."

"Hold on a second, Garden? I can understand being wary of Cult, but Shadow Garden? Didn't they basically save me and a bunch of other people from torment and slavery?" Alexia's brows quirked.

"As much good intentions they may have, they are still, unfortunately, illegitimate organization running around in our kingdom," Iris made a stern expression, "and I can't put much trust in them, not unless they're willing to become subjects of Midgar."

"Oi-oi, you aren't seriously going to antagonize them, now will you?!"

"I will, if I have to," Iris' calm red eyes met Alexia's disbelieving red eyes.

"You do realize how strong he is, right? He practically evaporated the whole underground facility with his power! Screw that, the remnants of his strike made a freaking light column illuminating the whole city! I even heard someone thinking it was Goddess personally descending to punish the sinners!"

"And we both agreed that it couldn't be anything more that artifacts. You were not in your mind considering how many blood Cult drained and how many drugs they applied to you, and neither were witnesses," Iris calmly retorted.

"Oh yeah?! Well, today I was in perfectly sane state when I met Shadow again! And I can vouch that his power did not seem any bit lesser, in fact, I think he were even stronger than before!" Alexia tried to jump up from her bed, only to be held back by Iris.

"I did not wish to do this, Alexia," she smiled sadly, "but I have to put you under the house arrest."

"What?! I still have to talk with Cid about the upcoming tournament! Let me go! I said let me go this instant! I have to meet him!" unfortunately, the night's events left her pretty drained, so she fell back on the bed moments after, having no power to stand up again and only being able to stare daggers at her sister.

"…And even if you are right, I am still a princess of this kingdom, and I have a duty to perform. No matter how much stronger he is, I will not falter against him," Iris gently ruffled Alexia's hair. "Now, rest. I will let you free at Bushin Festival's day so you can watch how your beloved Cid performs."

As Iris promptly closed the door under the sounds of her little sister slowly drifting into sleep, she couldn't help but think…

Who was this man, Shadow? What relation does he have with her Alexia to meet her not once, but twice, and let her go peacefully? And by the looks of it, he did not wish to bring harm upon her. On the contrary, Alexia noted that their styles were extremely similar, to the point where Shadow was elated enough to sincerely wish for her further development so one day they could cross blades.

That left her with a question…

Was she really right in putting themselves against Shadow Garden, too?

Chapter 6: Truth Obsession

The tournament's time was nearing.

Cid woke up from a good night's rest, the first ever in a long time.

'The last night…'

He spent the whole night frantically compiling techniques… Alright, not the whole night, he actually got interrupted by someone he didn't expect…

---

Cid was carefully developing his Mobfu Technique: Fall with Style, Version №14, when one beautiful blonde elf jumped into his room through the opened window. All his expectations about a new stage play were crushed the moment he got hit with a question:

"Master Shadow, forgive me for interrupting you from your plan revision," Alpha glanced at the stack of papers on the table (these were previous iterations of Mobfu Techniques and some writings on Alexia's heroine plot), "however, it has come to my attention that you continued your relationship with Alexia Midgar, even though we've already accomplished the goal of finding out the Cult's hideouts through using her as a bait."

"Mm, yeah?"

'Can't see where she's going with that, but I think she will explain it in a moment…'

"So…" Alpha inhaled deeply, "as you said before, you were not interested in her as a true romantic partner, only needing her to bait out Cult forces," and then focused her sharp gaze on him," however, now you actually continued the relationship with her. May I inquire for what reason would you need to do that?"

'Oh shit-oh shit, I forgot to tell them about new members! Gotta fix that real quick…'

"Ah, you see, Alpha," profound-look-№3, go! "it has come to my attention that Alexia…" 'Think, head, think, and I'll buy you a nice hat!' "is actually a descendant of one of the heroes that fought Demon Diablos in the past, or, to be precise…" 'Come on, come on…' "she's the descendant of the human hero, Freya."

Alpha stared at him, unblinking. 'Don't tell me she didn't like the new lore!' Cid was almost sweating bullets.

"That's… interesting information for sure," her strained voice made him flinch a bit, "but that doesn't explain why would you have to be her romantic interest in order to stay close. As far as I am aware, merely being in her inner circle would be enough to keep an eye on her. Even more: we could simply send some of our forces in order to make sure nothing out of ordinary happens to her again, thus eliminating the need for you to be with her personally and allowing you to focus on more important tasks. This is why I wish to know why you made that choice. If we overlooked something, I wish to fix it so Shadow Garden can be more of use to you, Master Shadow," she slowly walked closer to him.

Alpha's face was merely inches apart from his own, and contrary to the last time when she accepted his (non-existent) reasoning, looks like this time she wanted to dig out the information out of him to the last minuscule detail.

"Alpha. Are you doubting my decision?" and judging look.

Well, he can't just say that he simply rolled with flow and made everything up on the way, alright! That would completely break his character!

"I would never doubt you, Master Shadow," The First Shade voice somewhat wavered, "but I ask of you once again to trust us more. Your well-being is our top priority. We wish to know more so we can serve you better. I wish to know more so I can serve you better," she cupped his face in her hands, "So, please… Trust us. We have grown up. We now are strong enough to take care of ourselves. We are no longer scared little girls that depended on you for survival…"

'Wait a minute, is this goodbye? Like, for realsies?! Did I really piss her off that much?!"

"And…" Alpha gulped, "I think… I think it's about time for you to rely on us more. I understand, you have your own worries. You may think it's beneath you to dump them on us when just a couple years ago most of us couldn't fight a wolf properly. But it's not."

She stopped for a moment to take a breath.

"Cid, it's not beneath you. To us, even though you call yourself Shadow, you were that shining light that saved us all. You took your time to teach us, to make us a shelter and prepare supplies when we were the most vulnerable. Now, it's our turn. Cid, you're not alone. We are all here for you. We stayed precisely because we care about you, no matter whether you're our glorious leader Shadow leading us in battle against Cult of Diablos or a kind and caring Cid that supported us at our lowest."

Alpha gently put him in a hug.

"Cid, please, tell me… What did you wish to do?"

---

She could see him hesitating. She felt his hands clenching and relaxing. She saw his gaze running around the room, trying to avoid making contact with her own. Alpha really didn't want to take him like that at his lowest, but it was important for both him and Shadow Garden to release the burden that weighs him down. And important for her, too. She did not wish to see her saviour crumble under the weight of everything he carries, all alone.

"The truth…" she heard his hoarse voice. It was so strange to see her almighty Master being so… vulnerable.

"Alright. Here's the truth."

He finally looked back at her.

"I had no clue what I am doing."

And truth hit her like a falling tree.

"When Alexia asked me to prolong our relationships, I initially refused, just as I wanted," yes, that's what he said back then, "But I wasn't ready for her to break down in front of me. I tried- I wanted to say "No" to her again, but then I realized I couldn't- that I could do better. 'That's a hero material right there,' I thought, 'being shunned away by everyone. Surely I can aid her both as Cid Kagenou and Shadow,' I thought…"

Alpha listened closely to revelations, tightening her grip on him.

"At least, that's how I justified it. But the truth is, I didn't have a plan. I just went with the flow, in the spur of a moment. It is way after I realized that since I took the path, I must know how to walk it…" Cid hung his head.

Alpha slowly patted his back and took a look at the papers. 'Training arc… Bonding arc… No relying on external power… Support her as friend…' sure enough, that's what it was. That was everything he came up with to help the princess. 'And… "Justified?" Cid, it's almost like you're trying to hide your kind big heart behind a shell of someone that uses everyone to his own advantage, just like some children… do…"

Realization hit her.

'Hah, I forgot…'

She forgot that, despite being unmatched in field of combat and magic and possessing deep knowledge rivaling that of their best minds, he was still young. Not just young, he…

'He's younger than Gamma… Eta…'

The only ones of similar age with him were her, Beta, and Delta: coincidentally, the ones he got along the best with. He didn't try to impress them with something just so they wouldn't be disappointed with him, now did he?

'And the way Cid's expression turns in delight the moment he hears about Delta coming… Could it be because he knows he doesn't need to show off as some omniscient being around her and he can just be… himself?'

"...and that's how it is, Alpha," she saw a sigh escape his lips, "I might have planned ahead some parts of our play, but quite frequently I meet setbacks like these, then I'll just roll with it and try to think of the fly… You still want to stick with me, even though that image I painted the whole time was broken?"

Hah, it turned out he's no less dependent on them than they are on him…

"That still doesn't change anything, Master Shadow," she gently ruffled his hair, "You were the one who put his time and effort when everyone else discarded us. Even if you're not as all-knowing as we thought, you're still our glorious leader. We built Shadow Garden, our family, together. And we will stay together until the very end."

She could feel his body slowly relaxing against hers.

"We may have put you on a pedestal way too high… But it's alright. Now you can rely on us more. If there's something you need help with, please, remember to ask our help," Alpha slowly broke the hug and smiled at him, "No need to keep everything on your shoulders anymore."

She glanced at the clock.

"And… I think you need a proper rest for tomorrow," her beautiful sky-like eyes were filled with warmth as she collected the papers into a neat stack, "After all, we have an important mission on our hands."

Alpha immediately put a finger on his lips upon seeing him trying to say something.

"No, not now. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow. You're tired. You need rest. And don't worry; I will not tell everyone else about it. At least, not until you decide you're ready. We can do it, together. I will help you to get through it, Master Shadow. You can come to me, anytime."

She slowly leaned in, circling an arm around his neck and lifting her face up to his while sneaking a letter into his pocket.

"Let that be our little secret, Cid," blush crept on her face as she distanced herself.

'And I am sure nobody would object you not being that perfect being everyone imagined you to be. On the contrary, I think they all will be delighted to know they can be of help to you. To be able to share your burden, to comfort you. Just like me.'

Alpha gave him one last smile before leaping through the window, into the night.

'We will never leave you, Cid. Never.'

---

He should admit, he did not expect it. He always thought girls were playing with him out of pity and gratitude for their saving, but it seems like Alpha genuinely thought of him as a friend even outside of their roleplay… That's what friends do, right? Support each other in hard times? Wait, if you look at it from that perspective…

'I should've thought about it sooner. I mean, I understand that my thought process is unlike most people, but even then I should realize that everyone wants to live a fulfilling life, being fed, clother, protected… Exactly what I did to the girls back then! No wonder Gamma was so insistent on repaying me: after all, what's more precious that one's own life? It was nothing for me but a mere test of my abilities, but it was everything for them: as Alpha said, they found a new family in me and each other. Even now, they continue to support each other. And me. Has I been too cold to them outside our Eminence roleplay? Had to be, considering Alpha decided to personally drill me about that… Hmm, I gotta give them something good as an apology next time. Maybe take them out in the wild like good old times?…'

He played with letter Alpha gave to him. 'This will be our secret tet-a-tet place…' and coordinates. 'This is where Shadow Garden's base is located. Yes, you're supposed to know about it, but I decided I am going to give you a full report about everything so you won't feel left out of the loop…' huh, so they actually had a roleplay base but thought he knew about it? Neat… Oh, it's where that Mist Dragon was?… Great choice, actually. He would pick it, too.

As Cid slowly read through the letter, he came to know more and more about everything that girls came up with during the years. It's almost as if the Cult of Diablos was real and they actually were fighting it! He has to commend her persistence: even during their heartfelt talk she still didn't forget about Shadow Garden's story, just for his sake. He really needs to make amends with her and everyone else later.

'Though…'

He rubbed his lips.

'Is there a lore reason for her to kiss me? Is she jealous of Alexia?'

Notes:

Alternative titles: "Cid's first reality check", "Alpha shows that she's alpha by stealing Cid's first kiss", "Alpha becomes overprotective"

Chapter 7: Chocolate Obsession

The time was nigh.

The tournament would begin tomorrow.

And he still had these three boxes of chocolates that he got from Gamma back then. At first he wanted to give two of them to his mob friends, but since Alexia's confession they kinda ignore him, so it is what it is, and now he doesn't even know what to do with them. He could give one to Alexia — he heard boyfriends usually exchange gifts like these with their girlfriends or something, — but what to do with the other two? Give them to Shades? Good joke, they own the company that produces it, so he will be basically giving them what they already have. Claire?… Actually, yes, if he gives it to his sister then it might soften her demeanor, maybe she wouldn't even be as clingy… Or maybe it will do the opposite and she will take away all shreds of free time he has now. He will think about it later.

So, what to do with the third box? He doesn't have sweet tooth to eat that many (when he asked for chocolates Gamma ordered to bring the highest quality they had, and the amount packed in one high-quality box… he doesn't want to think how much it costs)… Nah, to hell with it, he will just give it away to the first person he meets! Oh, here's the target! She's walking to the library, looks like a bookworm, possibly from research faculty?

"You don't have any chocolate?" why, yes, I practiced this dialogue in front of mirror for hours, how could you tell?

"U-Um, w-what?…" man, that peach-haired cutie sure is shy.

"Well, now you do. Here, take it," and place it on stack of books she was carrying.

Great, one given, two left. Let's go, Cid, you have a mob mission to finish!

---

"Um, what's this 'chocolate'?…"

Cute peach-haired girl tried to understand what, exactly, was given to her. She saw multiple dark-brownish pieces through the transparent part of a beautiful box. Why would he need to give away something like that which probably is very expensive to her?… What's the mystery behind it?

"Man, she sure is lucky…" she heard girls' murmurs around her.

"Yeah, can't believe that guy actually got his hands on such an expensive box… that should be one of the higher quality, isn't it?" another one joined

"Even for a lower-tier products you would need to stand in queue from morning to evening just to get your hands on one, and even that is not guaranteed because they're sold out that fast, yet here he is, giving away such a precious luxury… He probably spent a lot of time for that confession…"

'C-Confession?!' her cheeks immediately burned after hearing that.

"I'm gonna be honest here, if that guy gave these sweets to me, I would just take him with me to altar. Like, no questions asked, just take and go; he's sweet, and, though average-looking, still is pleasant to the eyes… Wait, anyone actually knows who is he?"

"Not sure, but I heard his name is Cid Kagenou…"

"Wait, Kagenou? Like Claire Kagenou's relative? That Kagenou?"

"Think he's her younger brother, not sure though… Wait, wasn't he in relationship with princess Alexia? Why is he confessing to our Sherry now?"

"I barely saw them together after instructor Zenon's demise though… Wait, instructor was princess' fiancee-to-be… Could it be?!"

"Yes, yes, Kagenou-kun probably served as shield for princess so she would be able to feel herself free in the academy! And now since she doesn't need it anymore they went on their ways, though I still sometimes see them talking so they probably are good friends. So princess is free to pursue her own goals while this guy went on to confess his love!…"

"It should've been me, not them!…"

Sherry's pink cheeks were a dead giveaway about her current feelings. Her shy nature could no longer hold against such a heated situation and she ran away, back to her room. 'I-It can't be, right?! W-Why would he confess… T-To me… U-u-u… It's so embarrassing… What do I do now…'

"…Also, have you heard what Claire Kagenou did to that one guy who tried to bad mouth Cid?"

"You mean that time when she took him to rooftop and practically tortured him for an hour non-stop? Even student council wasn't able to stop her in time back then. Let me tell you, I saw this almost in the first row, and her expression was something that haunted me in nightmares for months after…"

"And that guy just said something about her brother… I passed by Claire when she tried to burst in to princess Iris' office, y'know, when Cid was blamed for kidnapping princess Alexia? So, she took out half of the knights and it required Rose Oriana — the current champion herself! — to go out against her. And I'm gonna be honest with you there, if it wasn't for the fact that she was probably tired from fighting practically everyone before that, I wouldn't bet on princess Rose's victory…"

"I mean, I can see why she's isn't expelled yet. Every time she does something like that it's because of her brother being offended. If it doesn't concern her brother, she's actually good-mannered and reasonable…"

"Strict overprotective strong big sister that would do anything for the sake of her little brother that doesn't have that much achievements… It totally should've been me…"

"Which role?"

"Both!"

---

Two chocolate boxes to give away. One is for Alexia for sure, second one… Hmm… Claire? But Cid doesn't want to meet her now, she would probably cling to him again and then force him to spar with her, in which Cid would totally lose because Cid Kagenou is an average mob, absolutely not comparable to the genius that his sister is.

Cid had to admit, though: she was actually very invested in training. Of course, not on the level as he is, but still she put much work in it. Though he one time noticed that his sister overstrained her magic, leading to Magic Overload, and she was absolutely not ready to handle it yet, so he had to intervene and then chide her about that. Thought he could've sworn that she actually enjoyed being scolded by him? Nah, probably his imagination, the very next day she choked him again.

Right, Alexia. Chocolate. Alexia and chocolate. Chocolate and Alexia.

He actually didn't see her since that night where he met impostors, she couldn't have gotten that badly wounded, now could she? Hmm, all the more reason for "worried boyfriend" to meet her, then!…

"Cid Kagenou."

Huh? Familiar voice…

As he turned around, he saw crimson-haired beauty gazing at him with eyes as red as blood itself… Or commonly known as Iris Midgar. Yes, he was in the mood for poetics, because everyone knows all masterminds behind the curtain are very well-versed in art! He didn't take piano lessons for nothing!

"Yes, princess Iris?"

"Just Iris. What are you doing here?" she sized him up. "And with… Chocolate?"

Yup, while he was thinking, he came up to the place where Alexia should've been.

"Well, you see, Iris-san," still show some respect, you're low-ranked mob and she's princess! "I haven't seen Alexia in the academy, so I thought I could visit her… And brought this."

Iris expression softened. Success!

"Understandable. You're probably worried about her, considering your relationship…" and then her gaze became even more stern, "However, she has made some… Poorly thought decisions and got herself in danger, so she is put under house arrest until Bushin Festival starts."

Really, now? Did that night's little adventure really screw everything up that badly?

"Well, I don't want to worry you even more. Just know that she's currently safe and sound. Right, about that: I will give you a pass. You can come and visit her, anytime. Yes, including now. Even if Alexia doesn't show that, she is always very happy to see you. And this gift… Hm, wait, there are two boxes? Why two?"

"Oh, the second one is for my sister… She's probably still frustrated about that… event… and I wanted to cheer her up."

Iris sighed softly and put hands on his shoulder, lowering her face to his.

"You are a good brother, Cid Kagenou. And equally good friend. I am sorry for putting you through this and dearly hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me. Maybe you do not have power of Dark Knight, yet, but Claire always said you have potential to become one. Alexia praised you sword, too. I am inclined to believe they are not wrong. You already have a will of one."

Iris' gaze ran over his body for a few more moments, then she nodded, seemingly satisfied, and let him go.

"Well, let's not wait any longer. I wish for you to meet her as soon as possible."

And he wishes nothing would go wrong.

---

"P-Poochie?!- I mean, Cid?! What are you doing here?!"

Everything went wrong. Starting from her calling him a dog.

"Well, Kitten, I heard you got sick, so I decided to give something to cheer you up. What would you like? Chocolate? Cuddles? Sweets? Everything at once?"

Kitten called Alexia Midgar just stared at him with wide eyes and pink cheeks as she frantically tried to cover herself with blankets. Why?-

"Nee-sama! You could say that you're bringing him! I-I am not even in proper clothes!"

Oh.

"Sorry, Alexia, I didn't expect to meet him, either," 'She totally planned this, though, I can see it from her smiling face!' "But… Seriously? Pooch? Kitten?"

Alexia started screeching. Cid just stared at the scene with unamused expression. He ought to do something… Oh, he has an idea! Delta and Zeta liked it very much, but every other girl got jealous and asked him to do it, too! Girls surely like it!

---

"Nee-sama, surely you don't think a boy going into a girl's room without asking her first is a nor- Guh?!"

Her outburst was interrupted by sudden feeling of a hand on her head, and that hand did not belong to her sister. No, its owner was actually her boyfriend, Cid Kagenou! He was ruffling through her hair with the most serious expression she has ever seen from him!

And for some reason, she actually liked it! Every passing moment her wish to push him away melted like ice in summer, while her wish to just lie down, don't go anywhere and just enjoy this feeling was overwhelming her like a rising tide…

Maybe, it's not so bad? Sure, Iris looks at them with widest eyes she has ever seen, but who cares? She got to feel so good… Wait, she's a princess! She can't just give in to this… this… Pooch! She's the one in control here- wait, what's that?

Chocolate?! He actually brought her sweets?! And by the looks of it they're not some cheap knock-off, either… Wait, from where did he get the money? His family doesn't have that much, does it?

"Ah, these? Don't worry, I got a discount for participating in survey," he answered her unspoken question.

U-u-u! Not fair! She wanted to command him! She wanted him to be her cute Poochie! Why is she the one who crumbles under that warm hand gently caressing her soft hair?!… No, she has to do something!… Wait, she still didn't talk about Bushin!

"Cid!" she pushed his hand away, "Festival. You don't need to participate in it! Just give up, your opponent-"

"I know," he interrupted her while opening up the box, "Rose Oriana. The princess of ally country, the current champion. I know all of that," he gently pushed a chocolate piece into her mouth, "But I prepared. I got everything ready. I revised my techniques so even if I lose, I lose on my terms."

She could only feel the sweet taste as her tongue tried to touch every corner of small piece almost on its own will.

"Don't worry, Alexia," a smile, so rare coming from him, "I've got this. I spent a lot of time preparing for it. Fourty eight techniques. At least one should work."

Her eyes grew moist.

"C-Cid… You don't need to prove anything…"

She, again, felt his hand gently caressing her.

"I don't prove anything. I just do what I want to."

Right. Of course. He always did everything he wanted to. If he wanted to speak truth in her face, he would do it. If he wanted to get money, he would do anything for that. If he wanted to participate, who's to stop him?

'I don't know how everyone could think of you as weak, Cid…'

"Oh, well then, it's about time for me to leave. Still have something to do," with that he stood up and headed to the door, "Get well, you still need to watch my phenomenal performance!"

Click.

Iris looked at the door in thought.

"Alexia," she turned her head to younger sister, "you're very lucky to have someone like him as your friend…"

"Mmm," Alexia nodded, "even though he has his flaws, they only serve to make his good sides shine more."

"Wonder where you learned to talk like that?" Iris faked thinking.

Sure enough, it caused her poor younger sister to erupt in embarrassment.

---

"Well then, Kagenou-kun… I have to thank you for indulging my request. She looks way happier now that she met with you," Iris smiled at Cid.

After he finished with Alexia, Iris decided to accompany him back to his dorm. Something along the lines of "can't allow my sister's precious friend to go out alone without protection". Personally, he would refuse, but he's playing the role of Cid Kagenou, you know, the average mob, and remember what mobs do when princess says something? They agree! So now she's walking with him… Or 'with' is redundant?… to his dorm.

"Mmm, think nothing of it. I wanted to meet her on my own."

"And that's even better. I'm happy to know that my sister finally found someone she could trust wholeheartedly," her face was practically shining at this point.

Well, it's not like he had a bad time, either. When Alexia was not bitching at him, she was surprisingly wholesome and tame. Hell, he just had to headpat her and she would become like a cat! If he had known it earlier…

"Hey, Cid," he suddenly heard Iris calling out to him.

"Yeah?" wait, why is she looking behind him? And why is her face so pale? He can even see sweat forming on her forehead…

Alright, he got a bad feeling about tha-

Clang.

Cid felt something metallic on his neck. And he already can tell who it is…

"My dearest, cutest, most beloved little brother," he could feel feminine hands running around his neck as Iris started leaving the scene (traitor!), "I missed you so, so, so much," hands found his cheeks and started squishing them while Iris accelerated (traitor!), "and yet here you are, walking with that princess in tow to your dorm while I am sitting here, worriedly waiting for you, all alone," she finally stepped from behind his back, "and what's more? You're coming from the princess' house! So tell me, little brother…" her bloody red eyes were uncomfortably close to his own grey ones as he could feel parts of her raven hair tickling his nose, "What, exactly, were you doing with Iris and Alexia, why do you have a chocolate box, and why can I smell a strong female scent on you?"

'Well, it's shadover, my Shades.'

Chapter 8: Knowledge Obsession

"Well, are you gonna tell me what is going on between you and princesses?"

"Sure."

"Then tell me!"

"Sure."

"You better speak out, now, or else don't blame me for being ruthless…"

"Sure."

This "interrogation" has been going for a good hour already. Oh, you're probably wondering how did he end up in this situation? Quite simple, actually. You see, after getting chained by Claire he was forced to walk with her back to the dorm (and he heard something like "It should've been me, not him!" on the way… probably his imagination), where she then shoved him into his room and sat right atop of him. Yes, you heard that right, she literally sat on him. And then started choking him. Just as he thought. But that didn't end here, oh no! She then started caressing his hair, saying something along the lines "why must you do this, don't you understand that I was really worried when I couldn't see you for so long…"

Oh, Cid for a moment felt guilty. Like, just for a bit. Then the spark died as she went back into her crazy mode and started interrogating him about his relationships with other girls, well, mainly princesses, but she also wanted to know if there's anyone else setting her sights on him. Now for the strangest parts: she strangled him for a total of five minutes. You know, normal humans usually die of this because they're killed (yeah, real shocker); lucky for her, for Cid getting killed wouldn't be enough to make him die, so he just let played along with his ultimate Mobfu Technique: Obedient Younger Brother! Oh, he said that it was a hour long, right? So where's the other 55 minutes? Well, about three of them were her being sad; other 52 were "interrogation". Yep, she was asking the same question in different words for a total of 52 minutes and didn't repeat herself once! He even picked up something to adapt and use in the future!

"Will you go out with me?"

"Hell no."

"Aha!" she pointed accusatory finger, "So you were listening!"

"C'mon, Claire-" her eyes sparked with anger, "I mean, onee-san," now her eyes sparked with happiness, "you do know how Alexia is treated here, don't you? Even though she is very talented, she's still often being compared to other people, especially her sister Iris."

"Oh, right, because some random hus- woman is feeling sad you decided to abandon everything else and go be her dog?" alright, that's a low blow, "You know, your amazing big sister is right there! You don't need to be a dog to earn my attention — thought I wouldn't mind you playing as one someday, — ahem, that's besides the point! What I am saying is, did you think about how I felt? How hard it was for me to keep myself together even though I knew you were rotting in that cell?! Honestly, I could understand you still keeping things with that silver-haired princess, because she was equally a victim here and didn't do anything to actually keep you imprisoned, and you seem to get along very well, and she actually seems to be a good influence on you!" she finally inhaled again after throwing all of this in a single breath, "But what would be the reason for you to stick up to that crimson bitch who decided that making a proper investigation on the case is too hard for her brain, I do not understand."

'Huh, now when you put it that way…' Cid never though about it from that perspective. Yeah, sure, he is nigh invincible, can ignore pain, able to quickly regenerate from any wound, has mastery over all possible weapons (and things that can't be even be called proper weapons), and essentially did all of this for his own amusement, just to cross something out from his roleplay bucket list. He kinda forgot, though, that for literally everyone else getting tortured for five days straight would be one of the most traumatic experiences to ever receive, especially considering that just few days prior these guys would be students going about on their daily life, with the only things to worry about being getting better grades and hoping that your crush would answer positively. 'No wonder, then, that Alexia breaks down the moment she thinks something is gonna happen to me again… Hmm, being a mob surely has its disadvantages… You have to think about other people worrying over your safety… I understand why they think that way but it doesn't make any of this less frustrating to deal with!'

He glanced over at her heated face.

'Well, it's not like I can't think of a way to deal with it, though.'

"Claire, listen," her face lit up with anger, but he's not playing around now, "I said. Claire. Listen," and she immediately ceases any signs of resistance. Works like a charm every time, "I know, you're worried about me, but I am very resilient, you of all people should know this. Yes, it pissed me off that I got locked up for 5 days," the only thing Cid was pissed about is the fact that he couldn't properly train during this time but that's something he can overlook, "but nothing that bad happened-"

"Nothing bad? Nothing bad?! When I saw you coming back, your chest was bleeding! Your arms had multiple cuts! Your back had not a single healthy patch of skin!-"

"But can you see any of them now?"

"…Yes, maybe you healed it over time, but-"

"It was literally few days ago, Claire-"

"Now don't try to divert the topic! It's not about how superficial your wounds were, it's the fact that they were! And that's what got me worried! That you got hurt! That I wasn't able to protect you! That I-"

Pat.

That was his hand caressing her hair.

"Don't you dare to think that this will soothe me…"

"Sure."

Pat.

She slowly fell down on his chest.

"Don't make me worried so much anymore…"

"I will try to."

Pat.

She slowly snuggled up against him.

"Today… I am sleeping with you… Not letting you go… anywhere…"

"You're welcome, onee-sama."

Pat.

---

Alpha was thinking.

She realized that some things were not what they seemed to be.

For example: her beloved Master Shadow turned out to be not so omniscient as she imagined him. Did it change anything? Of course not. However, that made her look back at some events in a different light.

Alpha fondly remembered the first time she ever saw him; as she was just cured of Curse of Diabolos, her master spoke about an impending calamity that threatens to destroy the world as they know it. As the time went on, she found more and more evidence that it's all, in fact, true, and they amassed a large amount of people that once were, how everyone else calls it, Possessed.

However, there were two strange things that she dismissed as her imagination. Up to this very moment.

1. Master Shadow spoke of Cult of Diabolos and Diabolos Curse as 'tales and myths'. It was like he himself did not believe that what he says is actually truth. Of course, that should not be possible.

2. The fact that when she first opened her eyes she managed to see him talking about 'taking a role' and trying to sit on the crate in the most imposing manner.

Of course, Alpha now had an explanation for a second one. That is, that their beloved Master was still a kid at that time (now would you believe it: he was actually the shortest among them back then) and wanted to look cool in front of her.

The first one, however, is way stranger. If he didn't think the Cult of Diabolos is real, why would he need to train so much? Why would he need to put himself in so much danger with his experiments if it's not to destroy a massive organization committing heinous acts like kidnapping children and torturing them? Why would he need to open up his own organization? Why would he share his power with them?…

As Alpha stared at papers detailing every single minute detail about Master Shadow, she could feel a headache. Things just did not make sense.

Master Shadow's power is real. That's a fact. Master Shadow is not an omniscient being that could prepare plans for plans in case his plans did not go as planned. He confessed so himself.

But there was no way he really just went with the flow all the time and always remained successful! Coincidences of that level just could not happen!

Yet here it was. The living proof of 'success by ignorance'.

She scrutinized every detail of the past as much as possible. Beta was correct in her choice to archive every single interaction between Shadow and the world, though her language could be more… official and not tale-like. Now, she remembered that each time she said something about Shadow Garden or Cult of Diabolos, there always was a second for him to think an answer. However, when they were talking about mundane life, there was no delay. Ideally, there shouldn't have been a delay in either situation because he already knows what they are talking about. This was disproven by him, so we can go lower and say that while there are things he doesn't know about, he still should be able to answer instantly to most of their questions. But that was not the case. He thought about every single answer.

It was as if he tried to create the most exciting story to live in.

Alpha could feel that she tapped on something. She had the key in her hands. Now she just needed to find the right door…

Crawl.

Alpha immediately turned her head in the sound direction only to see slime escaping through the door gap.

'Only Shadow Garden has the knowledge necessary to utilize the slimes properly… If the word about Master Shadow not being so perfect gets out, it could damage the whole organization's morale… I can't allow that to happen!'

---

Crawl. Crawl. Crawl.

Slime found its way into a white room filled with numerous devices, each more bizarre than the other. It slithery moved towards the brown-haired girl writing down research results. Once it made contact with her black coat, slime was immediately absorbed by extravagant clothing two sizes bigger than what should have been on a girl of such proportions. And then her hand stopped.

"…Fascinating."

Eta slowly lifted her head.

"Who would have thought… that Master Shadow was not so omniscient… as we all imagined him to be," her speech was somewhat lethargic, as if she still hasn't awoken fully. However, if anyone ever saw her face, they would never be able to recover.

Eta had a large, way too much for a human being, smile. Her eyes emitted a dangerous light as she contemplated the prospects this knowledge would bring her. She partially lost control over her slime, making her clothing slowly dissipate back into liquid state.

"Master Shadow… Gave so much Wisdom… Yet… He's not that wise himself?… Hi-hi-hi~"

She saw a new path opening up in front of her. And she was more than willing to walk it.

"I wonder… How would he react… If we swapped in roles… That would be… a pleasant experience… Right, Alpha-sama?"

The grinning Seventh Shade slowly turned around to face the fuming First Shade.

"Eta," blonde elf gritted her teeth, "how were you able to bypass my detection?"

"Mmm? That's… the first thing you ask?" amusement flashed through brown-haired elf eyes, "Then… let me humour you…"

Researcher slowly stood up and started walking towards de-facto organization leader.

"First… I tried to copy Shadow-sama concealment abilities… He calls them "Mobfu Techniques"… Very efficient… You can blend in with anything…"

Despite being a bit shorter, she seemed intimidating enough for Alpha to subconsciously step back. Eta's smile widened upon seeing that.

"Of course… You were also distracted… I understand that sentiment… I want to know more about him, too~"

Scientist briefly licked her lips.

"Now… You want to know more, don't you? Ask me, then… Alpha-sama," it was clear mocking.

"Eta, you do realize that you show disloyalty with your current behaviour?" Alpha tried to chide her, but…

"M?"

Eta slowly blinked as she processed what the First Shade told… and once fully realizing the meaning behind the words…

"Ha-ha… He-he-he…" Eta's expression slowly twisted, "Hi-hi-hi… Ah-hah-hah-hah!…"

Her laugh caught Alpha off guard.

"A-HA-HA-HA!… GHA-HA-HA-HA… Hi-hi… hi-hi-hi~"

As Eta's laugh slowly died out, her crazed eyes locked on still shocked blonde elf.

"What made you think?… I am loyal to Shadow Garden?… My loyalty lies… With Shadow-sama himself… Not with you, Alpha," her voice became louder with each passing second, "even though I do respect other Shades… and have warm feelings towards them…" Eta's slime suit slowly enlarged, creating liquid weapons around her, "I would not hesitate to put you all on dissecting table should my Lord order me to do so."

Researcher gently caressed her superior's cheeks, making her flinch.

"Now… don't tell me you're so different…" scientist's expression relaxed as she bit her lips, "We all are the same… Would do anything for the sake of our Lord…" her hands slowly moved towards her chest, "But what if…? He's not the smartest…? Not the wisest…? Struggles to lead us…? That's what you think, right? You think I am only attracted to his intelligence, which happened to be a fluke, right?" she moved her face closer to Alpha's one, "However… I became obsessed with him… If he is not smarter than me… I will take him under myself, then… If he suddenly lost his powers… I would lock him up until I can return them back… If he were to happen to be beaten to the point of not being able to move… I would become his caretaker… Hi-hi-hi~" Eta giggled at the mere thought of having Lord Shadow being so dependent on her~ "I barely have morals… Everyone knows that… Everyone thinks I would discard anything if it helps to pursuit my knowledge accumulation… Mostly, that's true… But not Lord Shadow", her lethargic speech was replaced with fervent one the moment she spoke about him, "I keep saying that I want to dissect and drug him, but that's because I know for sure I will not leave him damaged or, worse, dead. I have overprepared everything just in case he actually gets hurt. You hear me, Alpha? He's the most precious thing in the world for me. Before, it was because I thought of him as a specimen way too valuable to be lost. Now, it's because I am so much in love with him. You can say that these are mine… True feelings for him."

Eta retracted herself back.

"Now, don't tell me you are not the same. You would do anything just to be with him. Even if it means dropping all the Shadow Garden. And everyone else feels the same, too," she turned back to her devices, "In fact, I am pretty sure someone would plot making him an Immortal God ruling over the world behind your back… Or maybe not, hi-hi~"

Alpha gritted her teeth as she hatefully stared at researcher's back.

"No need to be hostile. As long as Shadow-sama views Shadow Garden important to him, I will continue to support it. And I will not tell about this matter anyone else, as I know for a fact that it would collapse the organization should it be revealed, which he would be upset with. Just do not be mistaken: no matter how wrong we were about his competence, I am still loyal to him, not to you."

The First Shade fell down on the chair, completely exhausted.

"Oh, right, your order… it's ready, Alpha-sama… Would you like… to receive cuffs now?"

Notes:

Alternative titles: "My overprotective sister can't be this cute!", "My crazy obsessed scientist can't be this cute!"

Chapter 9: Mob Obsession

Now this was plain stupid.

Cid wanted to go to tournament. He really wanted to show off his awesome techniques! But there was one thing stopping him.

Claire, his sister, lying right on top of him and sleeping peacefully. She was clinging on him like a koala (come to think of it, he never saw a koala since reincarnating in this world; did they not exist here?) with a blissful smile on her face. Whenever he shifted his body, she would grumble and grip him tighter, to the point where a normal person's bones would have been crushed already.

'Well, it looks like she's in for a rude awakening… Literally.'

Cid pushed her away to the side and got his reward in form of sisterly screeching. Once Claire realized what's going on, she stared at him with teary eyes.

"Now what was that for?! I just had the best dream of my life and you decided to interrupt it!"

"I need to go to the Festival," Cid pointed out.

"Wait, what?" Claire's confusion was strange for him; didn't she know it already? "You want to watch me beating everyone?" she suddenly beamed, "Right, right, of course, you're finally realizing how awesome yo-"

"No, I am a contestant."

Silence.

"You… what?"

"Contestant, yeah," he admitted casually, "Alexia decided it would be good for me to participate in event of that scale, so-"

"SHE WHAT?!" the eruption of volcano called Claire Kagenou happened in an instant.

---

"I still can't believe that hus- I mean, princess decided to throw you to the arena without consulting me first…" his sis was still angry.

She decided that since they're both are gonna participate in Bushin, might as well come together. Of course, he couldn't say 'no'.

"Still better than fighting against you-"

"You said something?"

"Nah, nothing."

Oh, here's the arena. His fight is in the middle of elimination rounds, by the way, while Claire's is basically at the start. He has plenty of time to make a final revision of how his fight will play out… Yeah, and watch sis fight so she will not pester him about that for the entire waiting period-

It already ended. No, really, her fight turned out to be the first one. While he was walking to his seat and scheming, she already finished and is now running back to him. So how does he get out of this?… Oh, right.

"Sis, I am very happy for your victory," Claire's suspicious gaze locked onto him, "however, if you really, really wanted me to see it," Claire's confused gaze sized him up, "you should have let me take my seat first."

And now her expression turned into something that previous-life-him would have described as "Suffering from success". Really, he could see her being proud and sad at the same time! Proud because she's so strong that round was finished faster than some people could take their seats (these guys are some real late-comers), and sad because he was one of those people (got too lost in thought). Eh, no biggie, it's not like the end of the world is coming.

---

'Oh my fucking God.'

Cid was literally shaking right now. He was looking right at his opponent holding her rapier.

A foreign warrior beauty in her battle uniform; long and silky honey-like hair, bright determined honey-yellow eyes, charming face showing her solemn expression, curvaceous figure that could rival that of some of the Shades…

Rose Oriana. Princess of Oriana, the country of arts. She has a good character, and most students passionately talk about her kind-hearted nature as much as about her power. All of that together makes her…

'WO-O-O-OH! YEAH, BABY! THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!'

A heroine! Finally, he can add another heroine to his roster! Come to think of it, weren't by lore all Shadow Garden members (except him) girls? Now heroines, too… Shouldn't it be heroes instead? Well, whatever, he isn't picky about that.

"Cid Kagenou! Against! Rose Oriana! Let the battle! Commence!"

Alright, it starts, quick, what technique should he-

"If you're unwilling to fight, you can forfeit," the princess heroine spoke up. Really? He still has 48 techniques under his sleeve, don't you dare to underestimate him!… Oh, it's probably because of shaking.

"Never!" that shaking would actually contribute to his mob persona greatly! Going up against a champion, who wouldn't be scared shitless unless you're another champion? But fine, he will stop if that means she will actually fight him.

And the next moment she attacked. Beautiful rapier danced in the air, as if painting an exquisite canvas.

Cid had to admit, her skills were top-notch in the academy. If he was really an average mob, he wouldn't even be able to see what actually hit him. Of course, him being him, he practically sees it in slow-mo… and actually enjoys it! It's the second time he actually could enjoy a style of someone who was not training with him for years!

Now for-…

Oh.

Oh no.

He forgot to prepare blood bags!

Alright, change of plans: instead of making himself look like a dying goose he will instead play out "a very resilient and determined mob" scene… Which was actually just "dying goose" but without blood bags; oh well, today without hyperrealistic blood spraying over the whole arena, just go with a bit of blood here and there. On the plus side, janitors will have less work!

---

Cid Kagenou.

She hasn't heard of this name until that day.

She met with his sister, Claire, when she tore apart the whole squad, all alone. Thankfully, no one was injured badly that day. As for her motive? Her younger brother, Cid, was falsely convicted for the princess kidnapping. A few days later the true culprit was found — what were the chances for it to be her fiancee-to-be? — however, damage was already done. At that time Rose couldn't understand why would Claire risk everything she had just to bail her brother out.

Now she could. A man of pure determination. He lacked talent that his elder sister had, however, his strength of will was twice, thrice as big as Rose's own. Would she ever be able to hold a weapon if she did not have talent and an example back from her childhood years?… Probably not.

She had hit him multiple times. Twenty, at least. Some he barely dodged. Some he didn't. Blood was dripping from his mouth, yet he still stood, smiling. What is it he fights for? What is it that keeps him moving forward despite having no chance at victory?

Why are there no other people like him?

Why is he the only one who had it in him to challenge the champion? How does his body keep itself together after being subjected to such cruelty? And barely a few days ago he was in cell, tortured, if his sister is to be believed.

Even viewers' cheers slowly died out, being replaced with hushed voices of worry.

She thought of herself as one of the main stars of the show, with the second being Claire. Yet here he was, an average boy just trying everything he can in order to achieve victory. She really wishes to bring no more harm to him, yet it would be absolutely disrespectful to someone like him if she did not finish this quickly.

"I ask of you one last time: forfeit," her shaky voice rang out, "just forfeit. You have shown enough," she glanced over at the place where Claire Kagenou was sitting. Even from such a distance Rose could see worry plastered over this boy's sister's face, "Your sister clearly does not wish for you to suffer any longer."

"What… do you know…" yet his grip on the sword only became stronger, "I was preparing for this… for days…" he barely raised his head to look her in the eyes. She could practically feel the power of his spirit surging through the soul's mirrors as he screamed at her, "I still have twenty seven techniques left!"

"...So be it. As a sign of my respect, I shall finish this quickly."

However, as she raised her rapier…

"That's enough. Battle is over. The victor is Rose Oriana," judge looked with pity in his eyes.

"What?… No!… I can still… Go…!"

His weakened body could no longer hold itself after hearing such news. Cid was staggering, still trying to hold himself from falling over. He made a shaky step towards her. The grip on his sword tightened. Another step.

His third step didn't come. He has fallen, right into her embrace as she dashed across the field to catch him. Yet even completely exhausted, he still held sword in his hands.

The arena was completely silent as she escorted him out. This brave guy that went against impossible challenge in order to prove himself.

---

"Cid! Cid! Please answer me!" ah, that should be Claire Kagenou, his sister.

"Shut it, sis, I am trying to sleep here," even in medbay he can't have a minute of peace, now can he?

Everything actually went pretty great, if he's honest! He managed to execute just a bit less than half of his brand new Mobfu Techniques, especially the one he made on the spot: Surging Blood! Basically what it does is using mana pressure in order to force his blood to move out of his body, be it through already existing places or just bursting through. And as he also found out, he can use this mana-infused blood as a weapon! He didn't have time to test it in arena, though, playing a mob and whatnot, but he will definitely give it a try once he's finished with all this business. Maybe call Alpha and see if she can organize a meeting with Eta and Epsilon? These girls sure are smart when it comes to stuff like this…

"Forgive me, Claire-san," oh, that's Rose Oriana, his ex-opponent. She actually took it on herself to carry him to medbay, just like a true heroine! Props for that! "I haven't managed to defeat him in time in order to ensure he's out safely," wait, what?

"Nevermind that," Claire sighed, "at least, now I can see for sure that we both share that trait," what trait?

"Hmph, that idiotic Pooch… Just who does he think he is to try and prove something… You don't need to prove anything to me, you dummy…" wait, Alexia? The hell is she doing here? Wasn't she on arrest? And prove what, exactly?

"Cid-kun, I understand where were you coming from, but please, be more careful next time. You had us all worried," and princess Iris is here, too. So, who next? Alpha? Or maybe Gamma?…

"E-Excuse me, u-um…" peach-haired girl suddenly came in, "is Cid K-Kagenou?… R-Right, Kagenou-kun, I-I have to thank you… F-For that time… O-Oh, and my name is S-Sherry! And, u-um… You w-were… You were very cool back at the stage! Even though you were overwhelmed, you still managed to stand back up and… and… I have never been in events like this before, so… Oh, right! These are called 'cookies'! Um, that's for you! Please, take it!" cookies? Alright, thank you, they should be yummy… Oh, they're from Mitsugoshi? Yeah, quality guaranteed!…

'H-Hold on a second. Let me count real quick…'

Cid quickly glanced at them.

'One. Two. Three. Four. Five. There are five worried women in one room with me, all trying to show their compassion to me… And all of them are thinking that I wanted to prove something on tournament…'

There's no way…

'I failed my task as a mob character…'

But the truth was here.

'I BECAME A HAREM PROTAGONIST! NO-O-O-O!'

Chapter 10: Romantic Obsession

Cid ran away.

He waited for the moment when they all would start bickering with each other (thankfully he saw enough harem animes to know when this trope would come… but looks like not enough to escape it himself) and slithered from medbay in the middle of their heated conversation.

He bet on the fact that both Claire and Rose were still participating in the tournament and so could not go on an epic quest "find mob in the capital", Sherry seemed way too shy to do so even if she had time, and Iris was preoccupied with her duties as a princess, so the only one who could actually go after him is Alexia, and she doesn't know where he could be. Now, he can think in peace.

'Where did I go wrong?'

Yep, Cid was still downcast. He painstakingly created his mob personality, making research in both previous and current lives, and up to this moment it all looked like everything worked out. But now? Now everything is ruined! He suddenly attracted not one, not two, not even three, but five women! Alright, one of them is his sister, so we don't count her, the other one is here just to make sure her own sister is feeling okay, but what about the other three?! Assume that Alexia decided to check up on her boyfriend, seems legit. Assume that Rose decided to honor her opponent, seems in line with heroine personality. What the hell that peach-haired girl was doing here?… Wait, isn't it that one that he gave away his chocolate to? Ain't no way she decided to visit him only because of that. Please tell him it isn't.

Well, one thing was certain: Cid's mob persona is ruined. His mob friends decided to give him boycott, he suddenly acquired a princess as a girlfriend, it looks like his opponent decided to compliment him in front of everyone basically elevating his status, another princess decided that he's cool, too, and now he's at the center of attention. Oh, also because of that he has less time for his Eminence in Shadow play.

Nah, to hell with it. He will go to Mitsugoshi and meet with Gamma, maybe she will give him some coffee. Tea wouldn't be that bad, either. Oh, maybe also some sweets?…

---

Five women were eyeing an empty bed that was occupied by a certain boy just few moments ago.

"So… anyone noticed when he managed to get out?" Alexia raised a question.

"Window is closed. Sherry was standing at the door. Claire and Rose kept an eye on him at all times," Iris reported, lifting the blankets up as if he was simply hiding in them.

"And with all these measures he still managed to escape from five top-level students. Wow, I don't know whether to be proud or angry at him… Well, I always said my brother has potential!" Claire nodded happily.

"But if he had such a skill at concealment and fast movement, he could have used it against me… Two or three times and I would be severely wounded… Why didn't he use it, then?… Why was he hiding it?…" Rose was mumbling to herself.

Sherry was simply studying the bed, frowning. Something about it was strange. She could swear that she just noticed a flash of magic, and not just any simple magic, no, that one was on the level of artifacts, but now there was nothing. And the direction it came from? That's right, this same bed that Cid was lying in…

Knock, knock.

"Oh, excuse me, dear students, have you seen Sherry? She just went… Oh, Sherry-chan, here you are!"

"A-Assistant Principal! I-"

"Ah, Sherry-chan, why so shy? It's father, father!"

Tall, somewhat thin middle-aged man with gray hair made his way in.

"Assistant Principal Lutheran," Rose bowed, "is there anything you need?"

"Oh-ho, nothing important. I just heard Sherry-chan decided to visit her first ever friend, so I simply couldn't miss a chance to meet with them. Though…" he eyed the room, "I assume they are not there?"

"Oh, right, Barnett-san, have you seen Cid Kagenou?" Rose pointed at Claire, "He's younger brother of Claire Kagenou, black hair, grey eyes, somewhat average looking, and should be bandaged as he was injured during the tournament…"

"Hmm… I'm afraid not, young ladies, this old man has not seen anyone like that on my way there…" Lutheran rubbed his mustache as he watched disappointed girls slowly making their way to the exit.

"Oh, little brother, you better pray you won't get in my hands…" Claire's smile made some weaker students lose consciousness, again.

Lutheran Barnett watched them leave, then turned to the bed where this boy was supposed to be.

'How… interesting. I clearly saw him losing against Rose Oriana, yet now he manages to outsmart them and the guards. And somehow, he made his way out without being noticed by me… Curious…'

---

Gamma was in ecstasy.

She was in the middle of conversation with — somewhat pale — Alpha (and Delta, but beast-kin was there for food) when Lord Shadow, in all his magnificent glory of an average person, appeared. He simply sat down with them, caught the squealing Delta, and started petting her.

"Ahem, Master Shadow," Alpha coughed, "may I inquire the reason you are here?"

"What are you saying, Alpha?!" Gamma was furious, "Are you implying Lord Shadow needs a reason to visit his subordinates?! Blasphemy!"

"Yuh-yuh!" Delta raised her head, "Bossman can come whenever he wants wherever he wants! Alpha should know that!"

Yet their lord merely raised his hand, forcing them to calm down.

"Alpha is right," he confirmed, "I have come here to ask for advice. And, while we are at it, Nu, could you please prepare some coffee for me? Black, please. Oh, and some chocolate and candies."

"As you command, my Lord," the Letter bowed and went on her order.

"Master Shadow, you don't mean-?" Alpha's eyes widened. Is there something she knows about and doesn't tell them?

"No, it's not about that," Gamma really wanted to know what exactly this 'that' meant, but if they both decided to keep it a secret, there must be an important enough reason, "It's about my civilian persona."

"Civilian…? As in, Cid Kagenou?" Alpha mused.

"Correct. As you may know, the whole purpose of this persona was to hide in the light, in front of everyone, as an average member of society so I could safely collect important information that would then be used by Shadow Garden," both elves nodded to that, "However, now this persona is compromised."

"Oh?" Alpha… smirked? "How so, Master Shadow?"

"Well, now correct me if I am wrong, but average student certainly doesn't get three princesses interested in him," his frustrated look told them everything he thought about current situation.

"…Three?" Alpha's smile died out as she frowned, "Wasn't it just princess Alexia?"

"It was, initially. Then Iris Midgar decided that my civilian-self is worthy enough to be her friend," he clutched his head; it looked kinda cute if Gamma is being honest, "And now, apparently, the princess of Oriana saw my performance in Bushin Festival as something beautiful and decided to confront me in medbay to tell me something. She was only interrupted because there were two other princesses and my sister. Then a fight over me broke out, and I used that moment to get away to Mitsugoshi."

As Lord Shadow was retelling everything that happened his hand started going faster in its task to pet Delta, as if it would help him calm down.

"Should we take them out?" oh, Gamma didn't even notice Nu coming back… She knows that she's bad at fighting compared to the rest of Shadow Garden, but now it's just ridiculous! But suggestion is sound, yes.

"That wouldn't accomplish anything and will only draw more attention to me as the one link that connected all of them," Lord Shadow immediately dismissed it, shame, "And thank you for your service, Nu."

"It is my pleasure to serve you, Lord Shadow," Nu bowed and stood back.

"And also because you still care about your closed ones like your sister Claire that would certainly be outcast, right, Master Shadow?" Alpha interjected smugly.

"…Yes, because of that, too," he confirmed it with sour look and poured some coffee as Alpha grinned at him. Gamma felt really left out of the loop! Oh how she wished to be Delta now!

Right, focus.

"Ahem, forgive me, Lord Shadow, but wouldn't that be even more beneficial as you can get information right from the top?"

"Mmm, yes. However, it seems like that princesses are feeling somewhat romantic towards me, and my mob persona was not made with being Harem Protagonist in mind."

Harem Protagonist?… Oh, a character having harem, right, thank you, Beta's books!

"Master Shadow, are you against harems?" good question, Alpha!

"I am not opposed to harem as a concept, but neither I am interested in relationships," he calmly retorted, "However, my Cid Kagenou persona certainly should not engage in things like these as that would spell disaster for my cover."

"You are not interested? Why is that?" Gamma spoke out, somewhat nervous.

"Hmm, let's just say…" Shadow put his chin down on his hand, "If I spend too much time in relationship, I wouldn't have enough time in order to train properly."

"…But what if relationship does not take that much time?" Alpha's eyes emitted a dangerous glint.

"Then, perhaps, it could work out. However, the only persona that could actually get in proper relationships right now is my Shadow persona, and I don't see anyone who would do-"

"Me." "Me?" "Me!", Alpha's calm and collected voice, Gamma's concerned and nervous voice, and absolutely brash voice of Delta rang out.

"Mmm?" why is Shadow-sama so taken aback? Did he not know it already?

"Master Shadow, in case you have forgotten, all of Shadow Garden offered their souls and bodies to you. You're our benevolent Lord, and we know for sure we would be happy to be with you," Alpha was now absolutely serious, and Gamma was willing to sign every word in her speech.

"Oh- Hm- Ah- Mmm, I never thought about you that way," wait, what?! "Honestly, back then you were what?… Lost little girls, and I only thought about giving you a shelter and abilities to protect yourselves," he mused, "I honestly never thought that you all would grow up like this…"

"S-Shadow-sama?…" Gamma's whole world started falling apart.

"No, I did not mean you would never accomplish anything; in fact, I actually thought that your talents were quite strong. It's just that…" Shadow tapped his cup, "I simply never imagined that seven little girls that I saved out of kindness would actually grow up to become one of the biggest companies controlling a large part of kingdom's economic," he slowly drank coffee as his expression softened, "What am I saying is… I am really proud of you. Really."

"S-Shadow-sama!" Gamma's world fixed itself back as pure joy on her face was enough to lit up the whole room, "I-I can't thank you enough for your kindness! It's all because of you that we could become who we are today! If not for you, we would never be able to feel the warm sun and familial love again! Shadow Garden itself would not exist if you weren't there to save us…"

"Shadow Garden, you say?…" he smiled, "Do you want to know how I came up with that name?"

"M?" Gamma blinked, "It isn't because of "hunting the shadows" motto?"

"Oh? A-ha-ha, no-no," Shadow shook his head, "I used this name because…" he slowly leaned to her as she did the same, ready to hear the most discussed secret of their organization! "It sounded cool," and wink.

Silence. She could see Alpha barely containing her laugh.

"Eh?! Wait, Alpha-sama, don't say you too-"

"Well, I am not gonna say that I knew for certain," the First Shade giggled, "but I knew our glorious leader good enough to suspect the reason," and wink.

Gamma was shaking in her seat.

"Oh, right," suddenly their Lord posed a question to Alpha, "I remember teaching you the means to cure the Curse. How was it?"

"As of right now, Shadow Garden's manpower reaches six hundred and fifty seven people," blonde elf replied.

Surprise briefly flashed through their Lord's eyes.

"Six hundred and half, you say…?" he turned his head to Gamma, "And I assume most are employed at Mitsugoshi?"

"It is as you say, my Lord," she finally calmed herself down, "we give them a job offer at Mitsugoshi and, should they agree, train them in being store cashiers, assistants, and guards."

"Hmm, that's great. After being subjected to such horrible experiences they might completely lose their will to live. Allowing them to have a proper education and fulfilling job would allow them to stand back up faster and will give them confidence about their future," Lord Shadow softly smiled at her, "Stand proud, Gamma. You did well."

Gamma was shaking once again, but this time out of happiness.

"Now, about your relationships question…" Shadow turned his head back to Alpha, "If you are really willing to go that length for me, then you must know-"

"That you are currently in relationship with Alexia Midgar however superficial it may be, yes," the First Shade nodded, "but I will not back down."

"Is that so?" he tapped his now empty cup, "However…"

"Also having harem is cool."

'What?'

"Oh?" Lord Shadow was taken aback.

"Having harem is cool," Alpha repeated, "It is well known that in history the most powerful people always created harems, be it men or women. As a leader of the strongest organization in shadows, it is expected of you, Master Shadow, to have your own harem, especially considering the fact Shadow Garden consists entirely of females, with the only exception being the leader. You, Master Shadow."

'Alpha-sama, what the hell are you sprouting?!'

"So what you are saying…"

"That as a leader of Shadow Garden you are to have a harem, and once you are to reveal yourself to the world, you can also take all your civilian's romantic interests, thus solving three problems at once: your civilian persona having harem, your Shadow persona answering feelings of Shadow Garden, and adding more powerful members to organization in form of princesses."

"Well then, if you say so, then so be it. You will be the first one, Alpha," Shadow nodded, "and I assume other Shades will not be against it, either?"

"We talked about this, Shadow-sama. We only waited for your approval," the First Shade bowed her head, smiling.

"I agree, Shadow-sama. The best way to preserve our current bonds would be to go with Delta's suggestion and create one family," that was Gamma chipping in.

"Mmm! Delta said this a long time ago and you only now managed to do that?! What are you, stupi-i-i-a-a-h?" Delta tried to growl at them but was interrupted by sudden hand at her tummy.

"Hmm," Shadow smiled as well.

"My Lord?"

"Ah, it's nothing, Gamma. I just wanted to say that I am deeply thankful."

"Eh?"

"You all gave everything in order to help me in my dream, going as far as offering yourselves…"

"S-Shadow-sama, t-that's-"

"Let's cut it short, Alpha, Gamma."

He raised his head and looked straight at them, his usual grey eyes being replaced with beautiful shine of a Blood Moon.

"You, Seven Shades, were the first true friends I ever made in this world. And I couldn't be happier about that."

She gulped nervously, her body weakened as his affectionate gaze reached her own eyes.

"S-Shadow-sama, is this?..." Gamma finally realized what was going on.

"You are a wonderful team. I really love being with you."

Chapter 11: Bonding Obsession

Notes:

This chapter is almost fully about Eta and her obsession with Shadow. Also contains interesting moments; basically wholesome - horni - wholesome

To be honest, Cid did not expect things to go the way they did.

Like, there are not even that many women in his life! Seven Shades, Nu, princesses, Claire… Now hang on a second, that already makes twelve. Did he really become harem protagonist and wasn't even aware of that? That sucks, actually; how much time will they all eat away from him? Nah, nah, he can't allow that. He has a goal! He has to become true Eminence in Shadow!

…Though thinking about Alpha's words, he can't help but agree: in all products of media he ever saw Masterminds Behind The Curtain were always surrounded by beautiful women and competent helpers. Sometimes these two were the same… Hm, just like him and Shades!

He was enlightened. Now everything was falling down in place.

"M-m-m…" oh, that's Gamma slowly bringing him closer.

Oh yeah, what happened after their little conversation?

Well, for starters, he got jumped on by Alpha and Gamma. The First Shade decided that he had an extremely low amount of hugs in his life, while Gamma…

"A-ha-ha, I'm sorry, Lord Shadow… I just really couldn't control myself…" was her (insincere) excuse as she fell with her luxurious chest right on his face.

Yep, that's about right. Gamma decided that he needed pillows for a goodnight's sleep. Well, technically, she wasn't wrong, as it was coming close to evening, but he wanted to go back to his dorm. Shades decided against that and argued that they are to have a bonding time, now. 'To strengthen their bonds', as they said. You know, with every passing day Cid becomes more and more convinced that they aren't roleplaying that part. No-no, not about Diabolos, that bit is obviously fake. However, it seems like girls really bonded over time and, even though were probably angry at his lie at first, decided to still forgive him. Then they supported him in his roleplay and, well… Looks like now they genuinely care about him, to the point where Gamma was ready to give him money the moment he asked for it. Well, yeah, billions zeni is her monthly revenue from one store, so no wonder she was willing to take it out; for her it's literally pocket change.

But did Gamma and Alpha really just fall in love with him? He's inclined to believe they did. And if their words are to be believed, all other Shades are actually attracted to him, too.

"Cid…" oh, that's Alpha taking him back from Gamma.

Funny enough, she's the only one who actually calls him "Cid" among the shades. Just an observation, but nonetheless interesting.

Did he tell that he's right now sleeping on very soft pillows? Yes, he meant Gamma's pillows. Yeah, Harem Protagonist is strong with him, considering that he was dragged to bed by both Alpha and Gamma ("Yes, Master Shadow, this is very important for our bonding!") and Delta jumped on top of him right after that (thankfully she just decided he's a very warm place to sleep so it's all good).

So here he is, lying down in bed and trying to sleep, with Delta hugging his knees, Gamma trying to suffocate him from the right side with her pillows, and Alpha snuggling onto him to the left.

'Sometimes with all these falls I forget that Gamma is actually the most mature among Shades… Even back then she tried to act all maturely around me once she became more confident… And she became confident after I gave her knowledge on business… These girls sure are scary- Now hang on a second, why did the surroundings go dark and I can see purple eyes staring at me?'

Right above him suddenly, out of nowhere, God only knows how, wild Eta appeared. She held herself right above them all by using slime tendrils to fix herself in place and stared, unblinking, right into his eyes. Well, gotta act first then.

"Hello, Eta."

"M-m-m… Master Shadow…" she nodded back at him and then continued her observation.

"Mind if I ask you what are you doing?"

"Collecting… information…"

"Wouldn't it be better to collect information together with everyone?"

She thought about for a moment and then carefully placed herself right on top of him. He had to admit, her stealth skills were top-notch: Alpha only shuddered a bit, but otherwise didn't wake up.

"Master Shadow… do you like it?" her eyes sparked as she pressed herself against him, however her enthusiasm quickly died out, "There's… no reaction…?"

"Oh, that's because I control my drive, can't have all these thought stand in the way of getting power," casually replied Cid.

"Mou… no fair…" researcher pouted, "I wanted… to study it… that's why… I added extra to your drinks…"

"Oh, so that's why they fell asleep so fast," he received enlightment.

"Fell asleep?…" Eta blinked, "Must have been… wrong mixture… I'll make a correct one next time…"

"How about you stop trying to drug other members?" her habit still didn't die out, huh? Well, at least now it's somewhat better; back then she tried to make test subjects out of everyone.

"Sacrifices are necessary to develop Shadow Wisdom," her speech became fervent as her face came dangerously close to his, "Now, Master Shadow, blush."

"Not when you do it on your allies," Cid sighed, "and blushing is controlled by me, too."

"Hmph, then let go of your control, I want to see your reaction at being in presence of four beautiful women," she started massaging his neck.

"Can't see why should I do it, tho."

"It's important for developing Shadow Wisdom," Eta carefully picked a strand of hair and gently caressed it.

"How?"

"I need to make sure you are a healthy male capable of performing intercourse with females that are Shades," she deeply inhaled, enjoying the scent of his hair.

"And what makes you think it's important?"

"The fact that you just approved a harem creation where Seven Shades will be the first members," her smile widened to inhuman proportions.

"…So you spied," he concluded.

"I did not spy. I merely observed your interactions. Now please let go of your control."

"Don't think I will."

"Yes, you will."

"Nuh-uh," a very profound, full of Shadow Wisdom, allowing you to peek in the ways of Heavenly Dao itself. That was Cid Kagenou's answer. However…

"Yuh-uh", Eta raised her own counterargument as she discussed Dao of Shadow Wisdom with her Master.

The conversation died out as Eta moved up on his body, pressing her generous chest (these clothes do very well at hiding her figure) right into his face.

"Say, Master Shadow…" she whispered into his ear.

"M-m?"

"What exactly did you mean by… 'this world'?"

He froze. She did not pick this up from a single conversation, now did she-?

"I know what are you thinking," she gently bit his ear, "'I will just speak my way out', right? That would work before, hi-hi-hi~" Eta's wide eyes did not have a single shred of sanity left, and her smile enlarged even more, "But not now. I know everything about you, possibly even more than you yourself know. Alpha could do a better job with trying to conceal information about you. Oh, right, no one else knows of it. It would be way better if I am the only one who has access to such an exquisite information, after all~" she gently opened his mouth, "Now, Master Shadow, would you please participate in my next experiment? For that I will need one healthy male, which would be you, and one healthy female, in this case, me… Thank you for you agreement~"

Her tongue slowly made its way into his mouth as she took him by his nape. Each time he tried to back down, she would push his head back up, forcing his face closer to her own.

'Now hold on a second, I am the Eminence here! I am the one who is supposed to be in control!'

Cid became way more aggressive and started pushing it himself, to Eta's surprised delight. Her breathing became ragged as she slowly caressed his nape, absolutely contended with sudden change. Unfortunately for her, both of them were still absolute newbies in this, so after half of minute she unwillingly let him go.

"That was good," her slime made its way to his body, "everything falls within my calculations. I have established a complete dominance over you, "Master" Shadow," Eta teased him.

"Yeah, if we don't count that both of my hands are caught within these pillows, sure-"

"Breasts," she suddenly interrupted him, and upon seeing his confused expression elaborated further, "bosom, chest, bust, mammary glands. "Master" Shadow, if you are to call Seven Shades your lovers in the future, you need to know proper naming, lest you embarrass yourself at the most important moment," researcher carefully caressed his adam's apple.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say."

"M-m-m, it is, in fact, whatever I say," Eta nodded and once again suffocated him with her… 'pillows', "as it has come to my attention that you're not so knowledgeable as you made yourself to be~" she rubbed her chest against his face, "Ha-a-a~ That's right, our roles are now reversed~ Oh, who knows, maybe you would like for me to be the one leading you?~" her grip on him became tighter, "What do you say, "Master" Shadow? How does that sound?~ Surely it's a great idea for us, Shades, to become the leading ones for once, right?~ And I would want to study such an interesting relationship~" she lowered herself slightly, "So, will you give in?~"

"Nah, I'd win."

"…Huh?"

Bonk!

Eta fell down with her face resting into his neck.

"U-Uwah…" she clutched her head, "W-What was that for… Master Shadow?"

"You were too horny. You needed to be bonked," he nodded sagely, retracting his slime bat back.

"U-u-u," her sad face said it all, "I just wanted… to be the one in charge… since it seemed… I am the more knowledgeable one now…"

"And that's all you really wanted?" Cid's face softened.

Eta fervently nodded and once more inhaled his scent.

"Yes…! When I realized that I have surpassed you… At first I just thought of you as a specimen way too valuable… Then I realized… My feelings are way too strong to be called scientist's passion… I don't know how to call it properly… But it's good…"

She felt his warm hand slowly caressing her hair as she gently rubbed her face against his neck.

"And when I realized that… I also understood my obsession with you became stronger… I thought about locking you up… So you'll be mine forever… Realized you'd just escape and hate me afterwards… Unacceptable result…"

Her small hands found their way to his chest.

"I don't care… if I am smarter one… or if you suddenly become weaker… I would take it upon myself to protect you against everything… To teach you Shadow Wisdom…" she lifted her head to look at him, "I just wish to be with you… and explore this world, together…"

Eta moved herself in a comfortable position and snuggled up against Cid. Alpha and Gamma's hands slowly moved up and embraced researcher, gently wrapping her in a four-way hug.

"Sleepy… and warm… is this how family… feels like?…" a single tear escaped her eye as she slowly drifted to land of dreams.

Chapter 12: Theory Obsession

"Weren't you supposed to be working on your research? What were you doing in bed with Shadow-sama?" fuming Gamma was cute.

"Same… as you… proving my loyalty to our Lord…" Eta slowly waved her hands. "Also this is part of my research…"

"Oh yeah? Well then, dearest Eta, please do tell us in detail what, exactly, does your research cover?" frowning Alpha was cute too.

"M-m-m… I planned to use the two of you to test out how an intercourse between Lord Shadow and Shades would go… unfortunately, the mixtures were messed and instead you fell asleep so I decided to use myself… and Master Shadow denied that and cuddled me to sleep," pouting Eta was especially cute, if Cid was honest with himself.

It was morning, and Cid had to go back to Academy. Well, in truth, Cid just wanted to go to administration and ask for a week-long vacation, using him being wounded during the tournament as a reason, but that didn't stop Gamma from calling in some workers to dress him up. The workers were kinda overzealous, though, but Gamma revealed that he was actually named as a developer for Possession's cure, so it's probably was a gratitude from their side. To be honest, he still couldn't understand how nobody came up with a solution before him, because it is that simple! Just control the flow of magic in person's body and stabilize it, inject a bit of your magic if needed. Done! Cured! Alpha and Epsilon proved that by doing it themselves! Half of yeah after starting training with him! It's just so beyond him that nobody ever tried doing that… Well, it's kinda a given since this is a somewhat medieval world where Church has strong influence, and since they labeled Possession as something bad, nobody even tries to research it.

Right, Academy. He will take vacation and try to research his newly discovered Blood Magic a bit more. Apparently blood is a very good conductor for mana, even more so than the slime itself. There are only two issues:

1. The amount of blood in one's person body is limited compared to abundance of slimes.

2. It may be possible that he has such good control over his blood because it has the same origin as his mana, that being Cid himself; trying to use it on other people's blood may not yield the same result.

Now that he thinks of it, why didn't he try to emulate Elemental Magic? Yes, it's not even researched beyond making artifacts infused with Elemental power (he heard about them in history lessons, but never saw one himself though…), but who stops him? Technically mythril belongs to either Earth or Metal, right? And mythril has a whopping 50% magic conductivity! Yes, in his eyes it's complete shit, but that's only compared to slimes, which have 99% conductivity, but they are an exception, and without counting them mythril cements its place as number one magic conductor… Until he learned about blood, that is.

"Master Shadow… you seem to be in thought… Is something… bothering you?…" Eta tugged at his shirt as other worried Shades stared at him. Looks like he went really deep in thought…

"Oh, right, Eta, I just developed some theories about magic and I wanted you to help me with them," Cid turned to her.

"M-m-m? More… Shadow Wisdom?" she blinked at him.

"Yep, Shadow Wisdom," he agreed. Even though she somehow found out about his identity as an otherworlder (not even Alpha knew that… he shouldn't have slipped but oh well), she still seemed elated at the thought of studying principles of the world together with him. That kinda flattered him, "And don't forget to call Epsilon, too. Her abilities would ease the process a lot."

"Will do…" and victory sign.

"Master Shadow, I understand out of Shadow Garden, Eta and Epsilon are the most well-versed in precise magic control, however I wish to be present at your gathering too," Alpha interjected, frowning.

"Did I forbid any of you to come?" Cid stared at her.

"…N-No, you didn't," blonde elf deflated.

"Then just come, as long as it doesn't mess with your responsibilities," he shrugged.

"Hm… I think I can leave company's management to Nu for the time being… Production is going well… Additional supplies will arrive…" Gamma mumbled, seemingly calculating something.

"Right then, I shall call Beta and Zeta. Beta is currently at the Capital for the publishment of her new book as Natsume Kafka, while Zeta has just returned from reconnaissance mission."

'Oh, reconnaissance? Interesting, what exactly was she doing?'

"Alright, then wait for me in Mitsugoshi while I go and get that damned vacation at academy, then we'll use the whole week of it for training."

As he concluded his speech, Alpha's eyes glimmered.

"Oh, Master Shadow, are you going to allow us to watch your techniques just like when we, the Seven Shades, were first formed?" she inquired happily.

"Yeah, something like that. I am not yet sure about them myself, though, as they are basically on-paper stage, but eight of us should totally crack the code," Cid mused.

"Oh, Bossman, are we gonna do something fun? Yippie!" Delta jumped up from bed.

"Failure is not an option, not with your guidance, Master Shadow," Alpha smiled at him.

"I am not that much of a fighter compared to everyone else, but I'll help out as much as I can, Lord Shadow," Gamma stood behind her beloved Lord.

"M-m-m," Eta merely showed a second victory sign.

---

Claire Kagenou was suspicious. Very suspicious.

She has long known of the potential her little brother has. However, now she practically confirmed it! You see, there was simply no way for an average person to escape her; the heir of Kagenou family had unnaturally keen senses. However, her brother, who seemed absolutely mediocre and, moreover, bedridden, suddenly disappears from not only hers, but also three prodigy princesses' sights!

Then add to this the fact that he seemingly never learns from their sparrings, remaining at roughly the same level, yet she always drastically improves each time after such experience. Also worth noting that during their sparrings she could frequently feel death's hand… And now recounting that, it was exactly at the moments she was really opened to his attacks! Yet he never attacked and simply allowed her to beat him up! That's really suspicious, if you ask her.

And battle against princess Rose only further proved that! Because during their fights he never really showed that much endurance and was out after first serious injury, yet now he took almost thirty attacks from an opponent that even she was not sure would win against? Color her surprised, now!

And so she came up with a plan: she catches him and forces to spill the beans. Yep, as simple as that. Either he confirms it all verbally or does his disappearing trick again and it would confirm her suspicions, too. "Win-win", as he says!

But there was one problem: he was not at the dorm. She waited for the whole day after finishing Bushin (second place, by the way: she only lost to Rose), yet he didn't come back. After a whole night of stalki- watching she arrived at a conclusion that things were even more off than they seemed to be.

Claire then decided to camp Academy in hopes that he would appear… and it worked! He went directly to administration, though, and once she saw him coming out, she could see a vacation notice in his hands. And at this moment some hus- some female student (grrrrrr) came up to him and they walked together to the exit! What about princess Alexia, then?!

After some time they stopped and that hus- student turned her head around… and stared directly at Claire! She then asked Cid about something, he nodded to her, and they continued walking. That left Claire even more convinced that Cid was in some really dangerous game, as students of that caliber would surely be known to society!…

Unless they hid themselves deliberately.

That was an eye-opening moment for her. She finally connected all the dots that seemingly did not make sense in the past!

She remembered as Cid, back then a mere one year old child, easily saved her multiple times, be it a vase falling over or herself tripping on something. As things went on, his curious gaze was directed at everything at once, especially magic and swordsmanship. However, upon touching the latter exactly one time, his expression twisted in confusion for a moment… and after that he practically never practiced it ever again unless she enforced a sparring session on him, where he would only use the most basic moves. Now the magic, however… his magic was stable.

Now, don't get her wrong, she heard myths about what happens to males that develop Possession, which first sign is magic instability, and of course was very happy for Cid, but his magic was too stable! No person's magic would ever remain that stagnant for a long time!

And speaking of Possession: years ago she got an initial form of Possession, showing in form of black spots on her body. Yet then Cid (on his own!) took her out for a training and shown her some things he called "stretches" while continuously moving his hand around her body… and all signs of Possession were gone! Of course, she simply thought that it was a temporary method, but what if?…

What if Cid actually developed a cure for Possession?

But that didn't explain why wouldn't he present it to society, then. Surely achievement of that level would elevate his status and status of his family to unimaginable heights and forever embed his name in the annals of history, right? Unless… Unless there was something else at play?…

Hold on, Church! Church banned any and all experimentation on Possessed, and all but enforced giving them to it! Of course, a monetary compensation was given in exchange for Possessed, but still, why would they do it? Why not just hunt them down and kill on the spot instead? It would save the time and money wasted on transportation, after all. But if Church had their own agenda at it, that would be a different story.

Of course, Cid would not be able to fight an organization of such caliber… Alone. However, what if he administered the product of his genius to other Possessed out of pity, and upon receiving a cure former Possessed decided that such a divine gift should not go to waste? That would explain why he sometimes seemingly disappears; that's just him going on discussion on how to save more people! And that's why she noticed that her brother upon reaching teenage years seemingly stopped growing in power: in truth he didn't, but had to remain hidden as the only one who ever created a cure against Possession! If he was to be found out, they would surely execute him!

Now she may have a theory… Cid, her beloved little brother, in his genius (which she never doubted!) discovered a cure for Possession. After using it first time the former Possessed realized they could finally live properly again and begged for him to help them in saving everyone else (because how can it be any other way?), to which he, in his kindness (even if he looks like a cold stone she knows he is actually a big softie!), agreed. Since then he had to hide his true power (because if enemies find out who he actually is they would target his family, which is very bad for his double-life!) which made her the heir instead. Then, when she was kidnapped, he and his friends were actually the ones who saved her! It had to be them! But he couldn't show himself to her, so he simply released her from restraints!

…As she continued theorizing, she noticed that Cid and that absolutely-not-suspicious student both went into Mitsugoshi store.

…Which opened up two years ago, exactly at the time she went to the Capital! There's no way all of this is a mere coincidence! Even after that her smart cookie of a brother found a way to protect his beloved big sister while simultaneously having a way to get more funds for the future! That's how it is! And that week-long vacation? Why, that's simply them covering up their operation on saving more Possessed! Come to think of it, this student is somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it…

Alright, that's it! Once he returns back, she would confront him! Then she would persuade him to tell everything about what he has done! And then she would help him out! Because big sister should always protect her little brother!

Especially now that she remembers that Possessed are all women, and they would surely set their sights on her amazing brother! She couldn't allow that! Never!

Chapter 13: Writing Obsession

Cid was bored.

After all Shades assembled, they wasted no time in preparing for a quick journey. What they did waste time in, however, was choosing a place for their training.

Delta shouted that there's nothing better than having a good hunt in the forest, completely missing the point that it was supposed to be their magical abilities' test. Zeta quickly chided her on that but noted that she would not mind if the place was closer to some kind of lake, or sea; Cid would bet one zeni that it was her cat nature speaking.

Gamma whined that it would be the best for them to stay near Alexandria, that one city that Mist Dragon guarded; apparently it has now become a literal city where they keep all the former Possessed until they relocate them to their new homes; really nice of them! And Eta agreed because her main laboratory is actually located there, too.

He also finally got to see Epsilon and Beta, and oh boy he wasn't ready for the view. Beta after all the passing years grew up. No, let him rephrase: she was tall. And busty. And she was still the same age as he is, meaning she could grow even more in following years. Epsilon was an even more bizarre picture. Her breasts were slightly bigger than Beta's, and she was a couple centimeters taller. Her curves were also more… accentuated.

However, everything he said about Epsilon was slime. No, really, her breasts, her curves, even her height was made out of slime! He once said that with her magic talent she could even conquer the nature itself should she find the right tools, and that's what she decided to do? But it looks like he was the only who noticed the fake, since Beta eyed Epsilon's features with obvious envy. Better not say anything, then, let them find it out themselves.

Oh, he didn't say which place they wanted to go? Well, that's because the whole time they were together they spent bickering about who's more worthy of being in his, Shadow's, presence. Epsilon argued that she received private lessons in music and magic, even going as far as mentioning that in training they wanted to go on she was invited by him personally, while Beta was only invited out of kindness. Beta retorted it with the fact that she received personal education in ways of literature and language as well as deciphering, allowing her to become a valuable asset of Shadow Garden (damn, they still went with roleplay?), however agreed that current training was mostly reserved for Eta and Epsilon.

Also they were squishing their boobs against his hands from each side, because of course they should do that, that's one of the most common harem tropes after all! Two busty heroines jealous of each other trap the Harem Protagonist right in-between and slowly come from bickering with each other to teasing atomically blushing hero together!

Well, now that he mentions it, one was actually not that busty on the inside, but well…

"Oh? Is Lord Shadow interested in me?" Epsilon noticed him staring at her (slime) boobs, "Well, that's to be expected," she smugly puffed her chest.

"M-m-m, not bad, Epsilon, you have indeed conquered nature," Epsilon slowly blinked and then Realization hit her as she slowly fell into chair, "Stand proud, Epsilon. You are strong."

"What… is this…?" and now she's sulking. Hello, he was giving compliments here? Why are you sad?

"Epsilon? Are you alright?" Beta is such a kind girl, worrying for someone she was bickering with not so long ago.

"…Get away, breast demon…" Epsilon blankly stared at Beta's huge, soft, perky, gravity-defying breasts.

"You're no smaller than me, though?" Beta frowned and came closer, practically pushing her curves into Epsilon's face.

Epsilon started shaking as she continuously stared at the natural mountains taking up her entire view.

"Master Shadow, what exactly did you mean by… conquering nature?"Alpha incredulously asked as actually petite elf awoke from her stupor and sent him a pleading gaze. Well, in that case…

"Nothing that much important, actually, but if she wants to, she can tell you," he casually answered.

"Epsilon, that would not put you in danger, right?" Alpha frowned at her.

"No, it would not…" Epsilon shook her head, accidentally hitting Beta's boobs, making the latter scream in surprise.

"Alright, that's enough," Alpha showed that she's alpha by forcing everyone to calm down, "Shadow-sama, as Assistant Leader of Shadow Garden I must notice that Eta and Gamma's suggestion sounds the most reasonable."

"That's indeed a sound decision," he nodded. 'If their words are to be true, Alexandria is packed to the brim with their newest inventions, which would make magic research way easier for me, but on the other hand…' "However, I actually wanted for you all to go to our first hideout with to relive our precious memories."

It took but a moment for them to process his words as they squealed in delight and piled up on him.

'At least it's soft…' he mused to himself as he felt Beta's breasts smothering his face.

---

"Alright, we are here," their Lord smiled as he looked at somewhat rusty hut.

Fond memories filled Beta's mind as she lovingly stared at the boy in front of her. In a moment of inspiration she took out her notepad with pen and…

'Magnificent Lord led his beloved subordinates back to that place. As he slowly halted his step, he longingly looked at the old building that once served as a shelter for lost young girls that had no knowledge of the future that awaited them…' she wrote passionately.

"Well, get inside," Shadow chuckled, "it's been so long… I kinda miss these simpler times…"

'As he reminisced about their first days together, he gently touched the old creaking door and pushed in. A dusty, webbed interior revealed itself. Silver-haired elf's gaze shifted to the old bed; once pristine white like shining moon, it has now turned dull gray like rainy autumn day…' Beta's pen came to a halt.

"Damn, this place sure saw better days," their Lord noted, "then our first day will be clearing this place up and then getting all together and sharing our stories, I think. We can train later."

'Lord Shadow sadly smiled at the state of their old home. However, his spirit remained indomitable. He ordered his beloved subordinates to get ready as he himself stepped into the building. And it answered back; as his mere presence fills people up with hope, so did the old building lit up, awakening from its slumber…' she wrote more.

"Delta, Zeta, I think it would be the best if you got us something to eat, be it meat or vegetables," were his first orders.

"I got it, Bossman!" wolf-kin immediately ran into the forest.

"Our Lord's will shall be done," feline-kin bowed seriously and disappeared from their sight.

'As their Leader gave his first orders, loyal servants happily obliged with the task. Wolf bragged she would bring the biggest boar she would find while feline noted that an exquisite fish lived in these places. What was so exquisite about that fish, you may ask, dear Reader? Oh, that was the first fish cat ever caught together with her Master…' Beta's eyes shined.

"Gamma, Eta, please re-count our supplies. We should have prepared enough, but it's still won't hurt."

'The business tycoon seriously nodded upon receiving a simple task of counting supplies, seemingly unaffected by the fact that conditions of old building were incomparable to that of a grand palace she built for her Master. Scientist jolted awake upon hearing Lord's command, slowly floating to the bag and inspecting its contents with interest unmatched by even her will to research,' writer got fired up.

"Beta, Epsilon, you are to prepare food. Please give it your best shot," he turned to them.

"Ah, my Lord, you shall not be disappointed!" Epsilon fist-bumped.

"M-m-m! We will do our best!" Beta happily nodded and quickly wrote one last part before preparing the ingredients:

'As silver-haired elf received her order, she could not be more happier. After all, what princess does not wish for her beloved knight's happiness? And what's better way to bring that happiness than to surround him with love and warmth?'

"And we, Alpha, will start cleaning all this up…"

---

'As the night befallen upon them, they all found themselves sitting in now cleared up building. Wolf proudly stared at the boar's grilled meat, as if saying "I hunted it!" Feline carefully picked up the cooked fish and evenly split it up among everyone. Blue-haired elf took out her freshly baked cookies, however upon seeing tycoon trying to get them jokingly shook her finger. Silver-haired princess gave the last touch to her dish and placed it in front of everyone, allowing her lord to get the first taste…'

Beta kept recording their first day.

'As everyone had their fill, princess' golder-haired friend clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. She came up with a simple game: they would sit in a circle, place a stick in the middle, and someone would spin it. Once stick stops pointing at someone, the one who spun it has to give a kiss to the one who got pointed at. It might be a quick peck on the lips, it might be the most intimate experience to ever receive…'

Silver-haired writer blushed to her elf ears as her chest felt warm.

'Of course, some results were more desirable than the others. Each and every comrade of Lord wished nothing more than to receive even a speck of his attention. On the other hand, Wolf and Feline were reacting to each other like… dog and cat…'

She barely contained her giggle.

'In the end, princess finally got what she was wishing for. In a twist of fate, the stick she spun pointed at her beloved Knight. Unable to contain her happiness, she jumped into his strong embrace and pulled him into the most passionate kiss…'

Elf gently touched her lips, as if to reminisce the most wonderful taste in the world.

'As they retracted, she longingly looked into his eyes and placed her head on his firm chest, closing her eyes and allowing his trained yet surprisingly gentle hand to ruffle her soft hair. Princess listened to her Knight's calm heartbeat, knowing that she was the most safe in his hands…'

She looked to the side to see Lord Shadow sleeping peacefully.

'Yet even Knight has to rest. As he succumbed to his dreams, Princess carefully placed him comfortably in her own embrace and gave him a peck on the head. She blushed at her own boldness and lovingly stared at his sleeping visage. Of course, he thought that her kiss was merely result of a game. She waited for a day when she would confess herself properly to him, and that day would surely come soon…'

Beta closed her notebook. After a moment of consideration, she placed it in her bag, After all, its usual place had a better use today…

Blushing elf gently placed her Lord's head in her cleavage. After a moment of struggle, he relaxed and deeply inhaled, as if to feel the soft flesh properly, not realizing how much it tickled the poor maiden. As Beta blinked her heavy eyelids, she softly smiled. Ah, how she wishes this moment would last forever…

Chapter 14: Magic Obsession

It's hard…'

The weight of seven bodies put a strain on him.

'It's really goddamn hard…'

His body was caught in the softest trap ever known to man.

'Yeah, life of a Harem Protagonist is absolute bullshit.'

Cid Kagenou's awakening was great, at first. He had a good night's sleep on very soft pillows (apparently Beta decided that his head needed something better than old bedding and placed his head in her cleavage… yeah…) after a great bonding over a game that Alpha suggested, though he could have sworn that in his previous life… Oh, right, "Spin the Bottle", sticks edition. And girls were very eager to get their lips on him, going as far as trying to cheat the spinning (yes, Epsilon, your slime is not invisible!); there were also other funny moments like when Delta's stick stopped in front of Zeta, which elicited… an interesting reaction. Delta started growling at cat-kin while Zeta hissed in return. It was quite interesting to watch, but in the end Cid got bored; he gently caressed their heads and smiled, after which they jumped on each other like these high-school couples he saw in his previous life. He doesn't even know, why? Was his smile really that good?… Well, yeah, he trained it in front of a mirror for hours, after all! Looks like it was not in vain.

Right, back to the topic. Beta's head was resting on his own from the left side, both beast-kins occupied his legs and snored peacefully, Alpha hugged his right arm with Gamma hugging her from behind, and Eta struggled to remain on top of him with Epsilon taking up too much space in the same place with her… slime.

And that was the problem. He was completely trapped. It was already morning, the sun shined brightly, and he desperately wished to test out his new theories, but they wouldn't let him go! And if he were to escape, he could bet TEN zeni that girls would be all furious and after that not only would probably refuse helping him but Gamma could take away his money, too! Because that money was actually still at Mitsugoshi!…

Does that justify them for stopping him from reaching power, though? Absolutely not! Alright, he will give them ten more minutes to wake up, and if they don't, well, he doesn't mind repeating Claire experience.

Right, magic.

He actually did not know how it functioned on the smallest level. Like, yes, there's magic in this world, and people have magical reserves, but why, exactly, does it dissipate into thin air the moment you release it unless you compress it beforehand? And why nobody properly researched it, merely focusing on body enhancement and artifact making? Like, when he used the "I Am Atomic" skill (his current peak of compression), he didn't even use that many mana! Barely a single percent which then regenerated back! And it's not even that hard to increase your reserves and control, just cause a magic overload and successfully overcome it, rinse and repeat… Yeah, painful, but no pain, no gain!

Well, truthfully, there was no real reason to know about how the smallest magic particles worked (if they even existed) unless you're diving real deep so he doesn't blame them. But magic dissipated if not controlled! Everyone knows that, but no one ever tries to understand it! How does it go? Where does it go?

And why?!

People, this is magic right there! Do you even know how much he wished for it?! How he did every ritual possible in hopes of obtaining the smallest spark of it?! And they were living with it since, what, time immemorial?! Yet everything he could find was some enhancement techniques and the most rudimentary martial arts ever known!

Seriously, he was now inclined to believe that there was some conspiracy where every top-tier knowledge was carefully taken away prom public eye and only used for the betterment of, what, royalty? Would explain why both champions were princesses, actually…

However, magic actually does not dissipate from artifacts as far as he knows. And neither does it disappear when contained within something, be it his slime suit or his own body… That means that only, so to say, stray magic is at risk. If magic is either contained, compressed, or has a specific order, it should be way more stable, thus… Thus giving him capability to actually use magic how it was written in fantasy books! Fireballs, geomancy, weather change, here he comes!

Well, first he would check out compressed magic as it served as a basis for his Atomic and he's most familiar with it; contained magic is self-explanatory as it is always inside of him, and for ordered magic he would need to create this order first. Come to think of it, Ancient Runes should operate on similar principle, right? Maybe this world wasn't as hopeless as he thought?

…All right, his patience was depleted. Mark his words: he, in his infinite kindness, gave them time, yet they had eyes, but couldn't see Mt. Tai.

So Cid pushed the screaming girls away from him and jumped up, donning his Shadow look.

"Get up, Shades! It is time for great deeds!" and mysterious look, because looking mysterious gives you +50 CHA!

---

But of course they were pissed… well, except Delta and Zeta: wolf-kin ran away into the forest to find another boar while cat-kin noted that there was a lot of fish she could catch. He couldn't blame Shades; he himself didn't want to get up, it was warm and soft together. However…

"I need. More. Power.", purple flame danced in his hand.

He merely mused at their antics and continued pondering about the intricacies of magic.

Even after getting attention from various women he still didn't forget about his goal: to become the ruler from shadows. And for that he needed to obtain power. He had they key to treasure in his hands, and now he only had to walk the dangerous path in order to receive it.

"Master Shadow… what is it… you wanted my help with…?" sulking scientist tried to get his attention.

"For starters, what do you know about magic itself?" he wanted to get an answer from one of the smartest minds he ever saw.

"Hmm… Oh… It is contained within user's body… And can be used to enhance your body first… Then, with practice… You can re-route it to something other… Like artifacts… Or slime… It is very hard to release it without conductor… It dissipates… If not compressed… So tools are a must…" she stared at him. He stared at her back.

"That's… all?"

He was disappointed.

"It's… hard to use magic outside of artifacts… and slime…" Eta pouted, "Master Shadow… Releasing magic energy in air requires big reserves and near-perfect magic control… What are you doing?…"

Cid merely made a pistol hand.

"Watch."

A purplish spark of magic appeared on his finger. After a moment he released onto the large faraway stone. It flew slowly and disappeared over time, not even reaching one fourth of the distance.

The next spark was way smaller, yet significantly brighter. The moment it was free, it broke the sound barrier and made contact with stone, making a big deep hole in it.

"The power at the start… Is the same…? But it's not even enough to create magical slash… Then how?…" Eta tried to understand what's going on.

"You see, Eta… It's not about how much magic power you have…", even more compressed spark appeared not even on his finger, but in front of it, "It's about how well you use it."

Boom!

The stone completely exploded.

"And once again… the same amount of mana…" Eta frowned, "but now even stronger…"

"But Shadow-sama, how could that be?" Epsilon was dumbfounded, "As Eta correctly pointed out, it requires a large amount of magic to send out a magical slash… But you just casually send a single spark and it just flies, not caring about anything?!"

"I remember him releasing his magic before… When he granted us the reward in form of healing…" Gamma pondered, "But back then it was way bigger…"

"Wait, Master Shadow…" 'Eta, from where did you get these cuffs?' "These… restrain the ability to use magic… and disrupt it…"

"Then let me try them on…"

'Indeed, it is harder to feel magic in my body… But nothing I couldn't get past,' Cid flexed his fingers and created purple flame in his hand.

"Impossible…" Eta's eyes widened, "Even one of the Seven Shades… would experience problems with access… to their magic… yet Master Shadow… didn't evel feel difference?"

"No, Eta, the cuffs are working. It's harder for me to actually move it outside my body," he cleared the misunderstanding.

"Outside…" Eta noted, "You are saying… inside isn't affected?"

"Oh, it's somewhat harder to feel, but nothing like 'restricted access' you told me about," Cid blinked.

"…Ah, so you compress you magic energy inside of you, correct?"

"Oh, you just realized that?"

"Compressing magic inside… is very hard… and requires the most stable mental state… Should you lose control of it once… And your whole body becomes damaged…" Eta explained the unspoken truth… Well, for Cid it was really unspoken as every other Shade paled.

"L-Lord Shadow, these are not games! What if you get hurt?!"

"Mhm… Master Shadow… in fact…" scientist's voice lowered, "losing control over your magic… is the reason Curse of Diabolos manifests… It rampages and expands in quantity, mutating your whole body…"

"Oh, you mean Magic Overload?" Cid blinked again, "Well, that's exactly what I did."

"…Excuse me, Master Shadow…" Alpha got dangerously close, "are you implying you were aware of the risks… And still did it?"

"There were no risks," he denied her allegations, "At least, not for me. I was completely in control of the situation at all times."

"Just because you discovered how to treat it, doesn't mean you should now go on and inflict yourself with it! Why would you even do that?" Alpha was angered.

"It increases magical capacity."

"…What?"

"Whenever you experience Magic Overload, it is usually because there is way more mana that you're usually able to control, which inflicts mana rampage. However, if you manage to stabilize it, this will increase the mana available at your disposal," he patiently explained. "This is exactly the reason why you, Alpha, were way above me in magical capacity back when we first met. You have gone through Curse of Diabolos and then received treatment from me, which stabilized your magic. Honestly, it should've been common knowledge for you, my dear Shades. I taught you that, after all."

"…You do realize that you could have died, right?" Alpha looked him in the eyes. "This is exactly what we are fighting against, Master Shadow! You saved so many people by finding a treatment against Curse, yet now you inflict it upon yourself? Master Shadow, please…"

"I wouldn't. It's that simple, Alpha. I would not die. I had it under control."

"…Don't. Don't do it anymore. Don't make us worried like that, Master Shadow."

Well, now that's asking too much.

"I have been practicing magic since childhood, Alpha. I have studied it. And I never experienced Magic Overload since then, so it's arlight."

"…Hah," Alpha sighed, "please, at least be more careful, Master Shadow. You're not alone now, you have brilliant minds on your side that can help you out with your magic research."

"Hmm, yes, that's exactly why I called you all, isn't it?" he smiled at her as she weakly smiled back.

Suddenly they heard rustling from the forest, and as they turned around, they saw a big boar flying in their direction followed by Delta.

"Did Delta miss something?!" her ears twitched as she watched the silent group in confusion.

"No, nothing much, Delta," Cid retracted his Shadow outfit, "Alright, enough experiments for today. It seems like we are way out of touch with each other, so let's just compile everything we know about magic and then compare the notes… Honestly, should've done that from the beginning…"

"Good idea," Alpha nodded, "At least that way I won't get heart attack from your sudden antics…"

"Ah, so this is the First Shade privilege… to be able to talk like that to Lord Shadow…" Gamma sighed in envy.

What was Beta doing? Writing everything that happened down, of course. Oh, and here's Zeta with fish. Better not tell her anything…

'But you know what? I am not telling them about Blood Magic. They were pale enough upon hearing about Magic Overload, and I am sure as hell if I ever told them that I actually enhanced upon concept of Overload and made my own technique they would faint. Bona fide Blood use? Alpha will receive heart attack for sure…'

Notes:

When I was reading LN, I realized that it was never mentioned whether or not Cid revealed that he has undergone his own version of Magic Overload to girls… So I assumed he didn't. I mean, imagine their horror if they realized that in canon?

Chapter 15: Power Obsession

Notes:

I am sorry, Shadowbros, but this chapter is fully about Cid experimenting with magic. Yeah, no interactions with girls. Next will be for them, though.

'Magic Overload is caused by user's inability to properly control large amounts of mana. It is possible to artificially cause Magic Overload by absorbing environment's mana but usually it happens on its own if user's natural reserves are vast enough. If victim is not able to subdue it in time or get help from any other magic user that knows how to treat it, rampant mana will start breaking and mutating the body, completely reshaping its form and inflicting immense pain, making victim Possessed. Theorized: due to inability to adapt to sudden changes victim's mind shuts down, and once cured will have no memories about the time they spent as Possessed. However, such condition brings its benefits: getting treatment will fully stabilize magic flow in user's body, completely negating any chance of mana rampage in the future, and increase the magical reserve available for user, based on their own natural capacity and the abilities of the one doing the treatment. It is one of the few guaranteed ways to drastically increase someone's magic potential in a short time. Moreover, if user manages to subdue Magic Overload on their own, the benefits will become even more apparent: it may be possible that there's no concrete limit on how much your capacity can increase…'

Man, he is so tired! He was writing everything he knows about magic down for nearly 5 hours already!

Yeah, he knows he proposed it himself, but give him a break! Not only that, Alpha asked him to write everything in the most formal tone possible! What, exactly, did she not like about pictures?

In short, Cid was really bored. He wanted to do something! Good thing that Magic Overload part was practically the last thing he needed to write down and now he can focus on his brand new Blood Magic! Now he just needs to find a quiet place where no one will find him…

---

Nice, deeps of the forest! He gave a notice to Shades that he wanted to go out on to get a breather. Of course, they would want to tag along with him, but he couldn't allow that, so he just left it in the form of a small letter that was shoved to Alpha and then ran aw- went to his destination.

Right, Blood Magic.

Cid created a slime blade and made a small cut on his finger. A bit painful, somewhat like a needle med workers use when taking blood… Now infuse the leaking blood with his mana…

He watched as the blood slowly went up. Previously just a splash on his finger, it gradually condensed into a single drop and risen up. Cid slowly retracted his finger and continued watching how this small drop defied all laws and simply stayed in one position, unaffected by gravity neither being scattered away by gentle wind. However, as soon as he commanded for it to change form, it immediately flowed into a little flower.

"Wonderful…" Cid sighed in amazement. He finally unlocked another way to use magic other than conventional Body and Weapon Enhancement and his trump card Nuclear Magic!

Now, the question: how much can he use it before he runs out of fuel? And fuel here being not mana, but blood. You know, people don't really cary gallons of blood in them, now do they? Fortunately, Cid actually was working not only on magic and martial arts, but also on his body as a whole since childhood! He shifted his organs, made new nerve pathways, and changed the structure of his body as a whole, all of the sake of min-maxing his fighting abilities! It's just that he didn't think of using his body parts as an actual magic conductor before… Ahem, what he means here is he knows his body very well and can rapidly restore any damage taken, even if he's left without magic as his current body has quite impressive regenerative abilities on its own. With magic? Pfft, even if he somehow ended up broken doll, he would stand back up in mere seconds with no lasting damage whatsoever!

Which also works on his blood. Theoretically, as long as he has mana, he has the ability to endlessly replenish his supply of vital liquid. Before that it was simply a quick healing method, but now? Now he actually has unlimited access to the greatest magic conductor he knows, because its magical conductivity beats even the slime at a whopping… Ding, ding, 100%!

That's right, there's absolutely no energy loss when using his blood in combination with his mana! The only downside is the fact that it only works for as long as his blood cells remain alive, which when brought outside of his body tend to die in a matter of minutes… And that absolutely doesn't matter because as long as there is mana in his blood cells he can support their life cycle, meaning he can use the same blood over and over again. Still a shame, though; that means he can't just fill blood jars and then use them when he needed, as dead blood cells drop their conductivity to measly 30%.

However, the perspectives don't end here! You see, upon realizing that he can, in fact, use Blood Magic, he got a question: but what if?… What if he can use his body even further?…

And so he got two interesting ideas! First: of course, continue with body modification. By using his previous experience and brand new knowledge he can further adapt his body to anything that could exist in this world. Toxic environment? Not a problem, just create a filter, maybe he can even use harmful substances. Volcano? Well, that's a nice bathtub. Frosty place?… Alright, he doesn't know yet how to counter that.

Who knows, maybe after enhancing his body enough he can go to open space? And even use something here as an inspiration? Come to think of it, there was a fictional guy in his past life that got his power from sun, Super-something?

Now hold on a second, there was a whole genre back on Earth about cultivating your body, wasn't there? Yeah, literally cultivators… Not, not the agriculture ones. Now if only he could remember how exactly were they doing all of that, he could take some inspiration…

Oh, what about the second idea? Well, he can't use it as of yet, as it requires him to literally mess with his body beyond human, for example, creating multiple eyes that would fire out lasers at his enemies. Why would he do that? Because it's cool!

---

'How interesting…'

Cid stared at a ball of water levitating in front of him.

Upon realizing that he could actually control his blood in the same manner as slime, the next obvious step would be using any other liquid. Good thing that this forest had a nearby river!

And, well… It went better than he expected, but worse than he wished it could. Better because the result he expected was not being able to control any somewhat large pool at all, and worse because the conductivity was… 15%. Even worse than his dead blood cells. Moreover, even if compared to weapons made of steel — keep in mind, 10% conductivity, — water still performs worse simply because weapons are made from solid material and you only have fill them with your mana to increase their prowess, while water is, well, liquid. That means you have to have way more precise control in order to use water as means of attack. However, if you get past that, you will realize that using liquids is actually very beneficial.

You see, the power of water is its ability to take any shape. It is already obvious with slime as it also has the ability to take any shape desired by its user, however slime is, at its core, magical gelatin. Items made from slime are more solid compared to those made from water and only require constant mana supply, however once mana runs out it will quickly transform back into its most primitive harmless form. Water is way harder to control, however upon using up last mana it… splashes. And he doesn't mean it just falls down, oh no! You see, in order to actually make any item from water he has to compress it greatly, making it solid enough to be used as a weapon. And this structure is supported by his mana. Once mana runs out, water quickly bursts out, inflicting great damage to everything unfortunate enough to be near this water explosion. And the more water he compressed beforehand, the greater the burst will be. Slime doesn't have explosion feature, unfortunately. In a sense, it's somewhat similar to his Nuclear Magic, but while in Nuclear it's the desired effect, in Water Magic the explosion is after-effect.

Does that make Water Magic overall better than than slime manipulation? Hell no! Even though he already can picture many ways to utilize water as a weapon, slime is leagues superior in terms of versatility. But does it look cool when he drops a massive wave on everyone? Hell yeah!

Well, one thing he confirmed: he can actually infuse and control any liquid with his magic. Now let's move on to the next step!

---

"Damn, that one is way harder than I thought…"

It should've been obvious that the next best step would be Air Magic (yeah, he just decided to call it the same way everyone back on Earth called it). Well, because it is in contact with him at all times, he already trained at rudimentary Earth Magic in form of steel, and it looks cool! Imagine he makes a speech in front of everyone and then his coat starts fluttering in the wind! But that's actually him controlling wind currents to make the moment cooler! Oh, the coolness!

But air was almost incompatible with his powers. Remember how he thought about why nobody researched why magic disappeared into thin air when not controlled? Well, today he found the answer.

Magic quite literally disappears into thin air.

You heard that right: it is because of air that using magic outside of your body is considered impressive. Air just absorbs mana that is not compressed to the level when it overpowers to absorption force. So what, then? It's impossible to control air with magic?

Not quite!

Do you remember about the fact that you can absorb magic energy from the environment? Correct, the way to control air is to control the magic in the surroundings itself. Not a big feat for Cid, honestly, but it is a challenge all previous experiments did not give him.

And so he developed a technique somewhat similar to Overdrive. What does normal Overdrive do? He quickly accumulates energy from the surroundings into his body as wel as pumping up his own natural mana regeneration. At first it was very risky technique and was the sole reason he got Magic Overload, however once he got past that it became his name card (quite literally: Overdrive is the reason his eyes turn red in his Shadow persona).

Now what does the modified Overdrive do? The complete opposite: he quickly releases a wave of mana and mixes it with the environment mana before it can be absorbed. This mixed mana can now be controlled, a bit worse than his own, though, and is way less susceptible to air's absorption, giving him about an hour before he loses control of surrounding air. With that he can actually control air just like he controls water and everything else. As a bonus it should make a field of suppression on everyone other than himself since not only do his opponents need to resist air's absorption force, but also they will have to fight his own mana! Now that one is actually efficient! And cool!

He already tested it out: he only needed to do the mana-wave once, after that he can simply pump up additional mana as a stream just like with slime. He also tested air currents; the way his slime coat was fluttering in the air simply screamed cool! Oh, he also tested out air compression. The resulting blast when he let the control was, well… Let's just say there's now thirty less trees in the forest. Shame.

Results: now he has his swordsmanship as usual means of cool combat, Air Magic as means of "I'm gonna kill by simply looking at you" kind of cool, liquid control for… well, blood weapons look cool, nobody can deny that! And Nuclear Magic is for when he needs his coolness meter to explode!…

Oh, now he has a problem. That air explosion? Well, Shades obviously noticed that and now they're here. And judging by their faces, they did not like his sudden department. What did he write in his letter, again?…

Well, no more magic experiments for today. Maybe not even tomorrow. Alpha's expression tells him he's absolutely fucked…

Chapter 16: Friendship Obsession

"Master Shadow, could you please elaborate how comes it that you give me a letter with seven words written in it, run to Goddess knows where, and when we finally find you, a part of the forest is literally in ruins?" exasperated Alpha was doing what her Master calls "facepalm".

In the middle of noon, Shadow came up to her with the most serious expression on his face. She thought that he was going to reveal something that might shake her world. Then he looked around to make sure nobody else was there and took out some kind of a letter. 'It must be top-secret information!' she thought…

Then he just shoved this letter in her hands and by the time she realized what was happening he was nowhere to be seen. Confused, Alpha opened up the letter.

'Gonna test something, will return by evening.'

It was at this moment understanding dawned at her: he was once again experimenting, all by himself. Then she found his notes about magic. Which abruptly ended on his musings about using Curse of Diabolos as means to quickly increase magic reserve. Of course, she sent everyone on high alert; after all, if his earlier experiments were all closely related to Curse of Diabolos (or, as he calls it now, Magic Overload), who knows what, exactly, is he planning to do now?

But even with Delta's sense of smell and Eta's trackers they couldn't find anything out of ordinary. That is, until they heard a loud explosion. The place where it happened was completely, absolutely destroyed: once big and strong trees now were nothing more than chips, splinters scattered across the plains.

And here he stood. Master Shadow. With a smile on his face akin to a child that just got their favourite present. Upon seeing them, though, a look of acceptance appeared on his face. Yes, he allowed them to escort him back. And when she says escort, she means escort: they surrounded him to make sure he would not run away yet again… though something tells her that if he really wanted to they would not be able to stop him.

"Hmm, well, you gotta be more specific about your questions," and look of innocence on his face.

Seriosly, she respects Cid a lot. She respects his dedication, his kindness, his willingness to go down to their level — just look how he explains everything to Delta! — and the fact that he just gave away so knowledge about fighting and how to treat the Curse even though it was all his hard work.

But at times like this it's just unbearable! Is asking to be a bit more open to them and not take everything on himself too much? Their Master was literally the one who proposed the notes exchange before going on practical tests, yet not even a day after he runs away to do it alone!

"Well, we agreed to have a discussion about magic before going on with practice, right?" her smile did not have a single bit of smile.

"Oh, yeah, something like that happened…" now he takes on thinking expression.

"Ri-i-ight," she stretched her words, "so what about your notes?"

"Oh," he blinked, "well, I finished them and decided to go out."

"And it just so happens to end on your theory about increasing your magical capacity via Curse of Diabolos — or, by your words, Magic Overload, — and then we hear an explosion exactly at the place where you were training…" she pointed out what, she thought, was the biggest problem, "Master Shadow, do you take us for dumb?"

"Uh, no, you girls are pretty smart," he denied.

"Then why would you go out on your own and still test it out without consulting at least Eta and Epsilon?!" she exploded.

But…

"Who said I was experimenting with Magic Overload?" he looked at her, confused.

"…What?"

"I know it pretty well, and everything I wrote was not a theory, but a fact that is backed by a lot of cases. With treatment cases we have you, girls, and with "control-it-on-your-own" case, well, me," he pointed.

"Master…" Eta interjected, "are you saying… you caused it on yourself?…"

"Caused? I am doing it all the time," Cid blinked at researcher.

"…Lord Shadow?…" Beta covered her mouth.

"Yeah, I don't know why you girls are so concerned about that. I mean, I was doing it even before I saved Alpha… Hey, Alpha, you alright?… Alpha?"

Oh, don't mind her. She just feels somewhat uneasy… just need to take a quick rest…

---

'So now I am practically under house arrest.'

After Alpha regained consciousness, the first thing she did was ordering all Shades to take rotations on watching him. No, really, she was so hellbent on that she didn't even listen to him, and it looks like other Shades agreed with her on that matter. He could force his way on them if he wished to, but he didn't want to strain their relationship ever more, not after everything they have done for him…

In short, he agreed to just sit out and not do anything while they were compiling their notes… They are very slow on that if he's being honest; he finished everything in less than a day, yet they say barely managed to write half of their knowledge out! He starts to think what they actually want is him just sitting there and being pretty, not doing anything!

So much for his magic training… No, hold on, there is a way…

"Lord Shadow, I think I just sensed a spark of magic near you…" Epsilon frowned at him.

"Nah, must be your imagination. I mean, there's simply no way for anyone to use magic in these conditions, right?"

"That's true, but… that's you we are talking about…" she squinted.

Oh, right, he's also full of anti-magic things. Eta strapped cuffs on him, then remembered they do shit against him, and strapped another pair. Then another, and another, and so until it was tenth pair. Alpha thought it over and asked Eta to also add some to his legs, to which researcher happily obliged, staring at him like starving wolf at a meat. By that point he realized that unless he goes Nuclear there's practically no way for him to get out… Nah, just kidding, he still had access to Blood Magic, though mana was really hard to sense…

Well, all in all, he has to thank girls. This opportunity is quite hard to come by!

What does he mean? Oh, he thought his control was actually great and there was no sure way to improve it, but upon realizing anti-magic thingies exist in this world he realized he just needs to equip better ones and more of them each time he feels he can control magic just like without them! Then by the time all options are exhausted his magic control will be so precise that he would be able to feel every single magic particle and practically ignore any lesser magic disruption means!

Epsilon shuddered upon seeing her Lord suddenly grin.

---

"What do we even do with you, Master Shadow…" Alpha sighed and hugged a big plushie of Cid.

By that point she realized that her Master was… not right in the head. Nobody sane would willingly go on and experiment with their bodies, especially with something as lethal as Curse.

'I heard him saying genius and insanity often go hand in hand, but to think Cid went that far…'

At that point even their morally ambiguous scientist dropped her usual antics. Not even she would go as far as to inflict Curse in order to use it.

Nobody knew what to do. Their beloved Master was completely obsessed with magic, to the point of willing to abandon even his own words in pursuit of it. He never lies, he rarely makes any promises, but ones that he does? He always fulfills them. But now he didn't.

It wasn't always like this; back in time when they just formed Seven Shades he was very kind to them, even willing to go out of his manor at nights despite knowing he could get scolding from his relatives, all because he wanted to help them. She remembered how cheerful he was when he shared business ideas with Gamma, how he proudly looked at Epsilon each time she learned something from him, how he gently lulled Beta to sleep to help with her nightmares… When did it all go wrong?…

Alpha tightened her grip on the plush.

Eta jokingly proposed to just lock him up until they finish with their own work, but Alpha realized it is actually a sound suggestion. Thankfully, he seemed to understand they only wished good for him and willingly accepted it… for the time being. She had no doubt if they take too long he would just break out, and she wasn't sure she would be able to subdue him even with all the 'nerfs', as he calls it.

It was the first time in years when they finally went out together, all eight of them. It was supposed to be a moment of bliss, when she and everyone else would once again bask in his love. Blinded by her wishes, she did not notice — or rather, decided to ignore — a crucial detail: he did not take them out to reminisce about their childhood years. He wanted their help in magic research.

…First time in years…

…Years?

Could it be that because of their absence he went to the next thing he loved the most: researching magic? That… seemed plausible. He mentioned how Eta was the most similar to him in character, and Alpha knows that if it was not for other Shades being friendly to researcher, she would completely lose all her morals.

And same thing could happen to their Master: while he was with them and his sister, their mutual support held him back just as much as it helped them. Then his sister went to the capital. Then they left him, too. Yes, one of Shades was always with him, but it was seemingly not enough. And so he went all out.

By the time they assembled together again, Shadow was already deep down. He always seemed to be thinking about something, and he only talked with them about development of Shadow Garden. It was as if he was more interested in the organization itself than in people that were in it.

That means they simply should be with him again. Even if he shows his indifferent expression each time they pile up on him, she knows that deep down he's feeling happy about being with them. They just need to remind him that he's not the only one happy with it.

They will just relive their precious memories so he will remember that there are things other than finding the most insane ways to use magic. And if he really wants to do that, then at least they will be there to hold him down. She doesn't want one day to wake up and see him exploding like these trees.

---

'Now this is just ridiculous.'

It was not even an evening when Alpha decided that instead of a rotation Shades will all be in the same room with him. At all times. And that means no training, no polishing his Shadowbroker role, only interaction with girls! He honestly does not mind that, but they are here for a reason!

"Master Shadow, could you please answer one thing?" Alpha tapped on her cup.

"Yeah, sure, go on?"

"How much time do you give for your magic training usually?"

Oh? She is interested in his training regime?

"All the time," yeah, Alpha, while you train, I train! While you write documents, I train! While you eat, I train! And even while we both sleep, I still train!… Just not with magic.

"All the time?…" Gamma dropped her cookie. Pity for the food, Epsilon put a lot of love in it…

"Yeah, even when in academy I try to circulate my magic energy so I can feel it better."

"…But what about rest?" oh, that's our Beta, kind-hearted as always.

"Don't worry, I only need to sleep an hour a day at most in order to fully rest. Honestly, these sleep-overs were the first time when I actually slept like a normal human," and those were also very soft sleep-overs, but shhh.

"…I propose we use this week as a true vacation instead of magic research," 'wait, what?!'

"Our Lord needs proper rest, that's going too far!" "I will order everything necessary for comfortable stay." "Bossman, we will keep you safe!" "For once I agree with dog…" "Too much work… even for me…" "We will need guards around."

"Now hold on a minute, I said it was alright-"

"It is clearly not alright," Alpha interrupted him. "We have closed our eyes on that thinking it was something important, but at that point it's clear you're obsessed with magic itself, even at the cost of your own life, be it literal or social," she pressed her hands on his chest, "And I will not allow the man I love to be left alone because of his obsession, or worse, die because he couldn't properly assess the risks. We will drag you out of this. Whether you want it or not."

"…The man you love?" Cid slowly stood up, eyeing everyone around him. He could see Beta worriedly covering her chest, Gamma clenching her fists…

"Yes. I wish for your safety, and for you to realize that there are people worried about you. I understand that… two years ago… we left you on your devices. I understand that magic and swordsmanship were everything you had, but you don't need to bury yourself that deep."

"…You do know that I do everything because of my dream?"

"L-Lord Shadow? What-" Epsilon's eyes widened.

"Yes, I do," Alpha interjected before the Faithful could finish her question, "but that doesn't mean you need to throw away everything for the sake of it."

"Yes, bossman! Um, I don't understand what Alpha-sama is saying, but you seem sad, so I agree with her!" Delta nodded fervently.

"After all… If you do that, to who would you brag about your success later on?"

"… Hah."

"Shadow?"

"I intended to walk this path alone from the very beginning," he sat back down and sighed, "I wished to just become strong enough to withstand and fight everything should the need ever come to."

'Guess in pursuit of my dream I completely forgot about normal life… They all seem so worried…"

"… I agree."

"Lord Shadow?"

"Magic will not run anywhere. However, it has been long since I spent time with all of you, so let's have fun together again."

"YAY!" collective screaming and attempts to pile up on him.

"Oh, and Alpha… when you said about love, you meant…"

"I meant it with every fiber of my being, Shadow," she smiled gently.

"Alpha-sama, don't forget about us!" "M-m-m, I did no less!" "Do we show our love for bossman again? Delta is in…!"

"Oh… well…"

"Seriously, Master Shadow," Alpha sighed, tired, "were the last three times not enough?"

"Oh, I thought you just went along with role as always…"

"No, I did not do that because of any role assigned to me," Alpha blinked. "I just said, and I quote, "it would be cool" because it seemed like you wouldn't accept our feelings any other way."

"…And now I feel stupid for not understanding it sooner," he blankly stated.

"Then we will give you some knowledge on how to understand social cues," Alpha smirked at him, "because, clearly, you lack in that area."

"Low blow, Alpha… but thank you."

She simply nodded at him, still smiling.

"And we will help you in your dream… but you will have to listen to us when we say you're taking it too far, alright?"

"Sure thing."

'Man, it actually feels good to have friends!… Or should I call them my beloved now? Huh, it looks like I fully accepted my role as Harem Protagonist… Well, as long as they are happy. I already tested magic out, might as well actually rest.'

Notes:

And this should conclude all the drama arc with Shades. From now on wholesome only with them.

Also next two or three chapters are about him being with Shades that didn't have their own yet (Delta, Epsilon, Zeta).

Chapter 17: Doggo Obsession

Notes:

A chapter about best doggo and her thoughts!

It's Delta's turn!

If she's being honest, she still quite couldn't get why Lady Alpha was so angry at Boss Shadow… Like, yeah, it sounded kinda dangerous, but it was Bossman! He's strong and smart and 200% knows what he's doing! But if Lady says that they all will have their own time with Master, she doesn't mind! Even Bossman himself agreed!

"Bossma-a-an!"

Jumpy-jumpy! Delta rubbed her face on his neck to let that stealing cat know her place! It was Delta's mate!

"Oh, hi, Delta. You're the one who will be with me today?" Bossman scratching Delta's ears feels so-o-o good!

"M-m, m-m! Other wanted to get a place, but Lady Alpha resigned saying she already got her share so Delta showed them all who's in charge now! Though I couldn't find that stealing cat, but it doesn't matter!"

"So that's how it is," he nodded at her and ruffled her hair! Aw-w-w!

"So, Bossman, what do we do today?! Hunt?!"

"Nah, Alpha said it would be better for me to not do anything that could reignite my magic fervor for the time being," da-a-amn.

"Ugh… there's got to be something to do…"

Bossman seemed to be thinking. Delta waited patiently… patiently… patiently… it was 15 whole seconds already, she's being very patient…

"Say, Delta…"

"Yes, Bossman?!"

"Why don't you tell me about your dreams?"

"Dreams?" she put on a thoughtful expression, just like Boss does! "Oh, oh, I want us to have hundreds of babies and make a big large family so we can conquer everything!" even Lady Alpha in the end agreed to that, so that means Delta was smart all along!

"Hundreds of babies?… Ah, right…" Bossman looked strange, was there something wrong with that? "Delta, and how do you expect me to do that?"

"Bossman, what do you mean?" Delta blinked at him, "Simply take hundreds of concubines and do the deed with all of them!"

"And where do I find these hundreds of concubines?" why is Boss being strange all of sudden?

"Shadow Garden, of course! There are… ugh, let me count…" Delta started remembering… "Lady Alpha said it was six hundred or something!"

"And you expect them all to accept it?"

"But of course! Boss is the strongest and is pack leader! It is only natural that they will agree!" Delta proudly puffed out her chest.

"That's… not how human relationships work as far as I know…" um, what?

"No-no, Bossman, I clearly heard them talking about how they would like to be with you when going to hunt! Though they went silent when they saw me, don't know why…" maybe he doesn't know because he was simply not there? Delta thinks that's the reason!

"What do I even do with that…" Boss mumbled to himself, but Delta heard everything! "I just wanted to be Eminence in Shadows while also being a mob character, why did I become a Harem Protagonist?"

"Boss, but Harem is not bad! The more women are there, the bigger family becomes!" Delta nodded repeatedly, amazed at her own wisdom.

"Yeah, but how many time will be spent on that? I still need to practice, you know?" he shook his head.

"Well, just take them when you want to and don't when you don't want to?" Delta tilted her head.

"Right, and then they become upset because I don't show them love. Would you be happy with me just taking you whenever I want instead of listening to you?"

"Ugh… no, Delta wouldn't…" Boss had a point there…

"So that means way too much doesn't work, right?"

"Yeah… now that Delta remembers, most tribes ended up like Boss said…" wolf-kin looked at her Boss in amazement.

"But taking one is also a problem because it would be a small family and would leave everyone else sad, right?"

"Yeah, that's a given!" Delta immediately agreed.

"So that means you seven are a good start and we should only add more if we feel good, right?"

"…Boss is so smart! Our family will be the best!" Delta gripped onto him tighter, because she wants to touch him and hug him and sniff him and lick him and mate with him-

"M-m, are there any other dreams?" Bossman kept petting her, it feels so-o-o good!

"Hee-hee, Delta has some… smaller drea-a-ams…"

"You alright, Delta?" how can Boss not understand that doing what he does is way too good?!

"Y-yes, Boss! I just like how your hand scratches my ears!"

"Oh, then it's fine," yippie! "Now what about your smaller dreams?"

"Oh! Oh, Delta wants to be with Boss more!" there! She said it!

"I… can't quite take you with me to academy…" ehh? Why? "But I promise to spend more time with you in all other circumstances," ugh, these smart words…

"Cir-cums-tan-ces… Mhm, Delta will remember that!"

Delta then felt his hand massaging his neck so she raised her head and allowed him to scratch her chin. Her lush tail was wagging around… tail!

"Boss! Boss!"

"Yeah, Delta?"

"Can you please-please-please touch my tail, too?!"

"Oh? Isn't that a sensitive zone?…"

"Please-please-please-please-please…!"|

"Gee, alright, alright…"

Woo! It feels so good! Boss' strong hand tightly (but gently!) gripped her tail and started massaging it! Delta was barely able to stop it from wagging even more!

"How's that?" Bossman, you just don't know how good it feels to have a tail that can feel such things! Delta pities you!

"So good-!" ah! That one was touchy!

"Delta?…" huh? Where hand?

"No, Boss, it just was too good, don't stop!"

"Oh, alright," yippie!

She then lied on her tummy, giving Boss a view on her strong back! Delta trained hard!

"You wanna me massage that, too?" ugh?! Bossman tapped on her back gently!

"M-m, m-m!" Delta forgot how to speak, please don't judge her!

"Well then… I think I know where to start…"

Ah! Delta's shoulders! His strong hands stretched them!

"A-Awoo…" no, hands! "It's good!" hands back!

Aw, Delta feels his finger tapping onto her shoulder blade! And another! Now it slowly moves! And now he places two fingers on her backbone and- he moved them apart! Awoo!

No, Delta, you're strong, you will not jump up! You will keep lying down- Bossman goes lower! To her tail's base!

"B-Boss, do you want to do it now?!" Delta's ears are twitching in eagerness!

"Huh? Do what?" he went even lower!

"T-The deed! You wanna babies now?!"

"No, wait, I just wanted to scratch the start of your tail," huh?!

"But that- that place is very touchy! Like, feels very good!"

"Ah, so this is your special place…" ah, Boss finally understood!

"Mhm! Very special!" wait, where hand?! "Boss, you don't wanna babies?!"

"Not yet, Delta," he scratched her ears instead! Ugh, tail would be better, but it's Boss, so it's fine!

Hmm, Delta has an idea!

"Boss, lie down on your back!"

"Oh? Alright, what do you want to do?" hee-hee…

Jumpy-jumpy! She's now on top of him!

"Boss, Boss, I'll do good things to you, too!" and start licking his face!

"Wai- Del- Hold on-" sorry, Boss, Delta really wants to do things!

Hee-hee, in that position it almost looks like Delta is a mighty predator that just caught her cute little prey! Of course, Delta knows that Boss just lets her think like that and can reverse situation at any moment, but until then she will use it to the fullest!

Lick, lick!

Bossman's lips are hella tasty!

"Hey, hey, Boss, I was the second one who did this kiss thing to you, right?!"

"No, you are the third," he blinked. She blinked back.

"Hold on, who was before me?!"

"Oh, that would be Alpha first and Eta second."

"What?! No, I know Lady Alpha took her place as second after you, but I didn't know that lazy jumped out of order! Grrrrrrr…" Delta is mad!

"Relax, relax," e-he-he, headpats!

M-m-m, Delta doesn't want to think of anything… But Lady Alpha said they need to distract him from thinking about magic… So hard… Oh, Delta knows!

"Hey, hey, Boss!"

"What is it?"

"What is your dream?!" Delta doesn't actually know that! She knows they are fighting against something-something Cult something-something demons, but other than that nope! And she saw him mentioning it.

"Oh, right, I never told you in particular…" Boss rubbed his chin. "You know how most children are amazed at their heroes and wish to grow up like them, right?

"Delta knows! She also wanted to grow up strong and hunt a lot!" she fervently nodded… just don't remember her mother…

"So I was like that… But I didn't want to become some kind of a hero, or the one who opposes the hero… My wish was to become the Eminence in Shadows, the one who controls both parties while being unseen. So that's why I pretend to be an average person in academy: nobody will suspect the average person while I plan in the shadows!" Delta could swear she saw stars in Bossman's eyes! So awesome!

"Nee, so that's why! Delta couldn't understand it before, but if that's what Bossman wants, she will help!" Boss looked at her with warmth! Delta is gonna be praised?!

"Right, I still can't thank you, girls, enough," uwa-a-ah! Ear scratches!

"Don't mind that, Boss! Your pack got you! We are all big family now!" he blinked at her.

"That's true, I suppose," he chuckled, "but since you're so hellbent on helping me, it would only be fair that I help you out too, right?"

"Oh, alright! Delta gets it! And will tell everyone, too!"

"Thank you, Delta. I really love being with you," yippie!

"Delta loves being with the Boss, too! Lady Alpha says that even someone as strong as Boss sometimes need help from his pack, so Delta is very happy to help!" ah, she can't control her tail again!

Bossman simply smiled at Delta and hugged her close.

E-he-he, Delta loves these moments of bonding!

She loves her new family!

She loves her Boss so much!

Chapter 18: Rivals Obsession

Epsilon watched Lord Shadow, unblinking.

He glanced at her, then returned to thinking about something.

Then he glanced again, this time more at her chest area.

If it was before, Epsilon would be proud of her achievements. Now, knowing that he knew? Pure embarrassment. Nonetheless, she met his gaze with her own.

"Y'know, I still didn't ask about the purpose of… this-"

"Lord Shadow…" she smiled, "you do know that some things are better left unsaid, right?"

"Really?" he blinked at her, "Why so?"

"Uhh-" alright, she didn't expect her Lord to be so straightforward, "because it's a very sensitive topic for me…?"

"Oh, if it's like that…" he nodded and then returned to gazing at the ceiling.

Silence permeated the air, only being interrupted by occasional screams from the other rooms; probably Delta and Zeta fighting again while Gamma tries to stop them.

"Y'know…" he started, still looking up, "once this little vacation ends, I can help you with that problem of yours; dunno why you are so focused on it though…"

"Lord Shadow…" not only does he know about her secret, he even keeps talking about… but he always tried to help them, so she's willing to go to the end for him, "Have you seen how other Shades look like?"

"Hm?" he finally looked back at her, "You mean how all of you are very beautiful? Yeah, so?"

"Wha-" 'Focus, Epsilon, focus, you can't lose yourself just because Lord called you beautiful…' "Ahem, what I mean is… Have you seen their… curves?!"

"I never focused on these parts, to be fair," Shadow rubbed his chin, "but yeah, now that I think of it, they all are very well developed in that area?" a spark of understanding flashed in his eyes, "Oh, so that's why?…"

She only nodded in anxiety.

"Then, as I said, once our vacation ends, I can help you out with that. Be warned, though," he yawned and turned on his bed, "that's gonna be very painful… but no pain, no gain."

She clenched her fists.

"And how, exactly, will that happen, Lord Shadow?" she asked in hope. Maybe, she could actually conquer nature and not be content with slime fakes?

"If I start talking about that, pretty sure Alpha will go completely crazy, because that would be the third time she would see me using magic in non-conventional ways."

Epsilon only sighed. Well, she could wait. In the meantime…

"Lord Shadow, mind if we talk about music?"

"Music, you say?" he turned to her again.

"Yes, my Lord. I have taken your piano teachings very well and, if you don't mind, we could discuss various music techniques!" 'And that way I can become closer to you…' she mischievously thought.

"Hm, alright, it's been a long time since I polished my piano skills anyway," he stood up and started stretching before remembering one crucial detal, "Wait, where is the piano?…"

"Don't worry, my Lord!" she eagerly went to his side, "I asked Gamma to bring high-quality instruments so we could go with our lessons without interruptions!"

"Damn, you girls sure go all out on that," he rubbed his chin before nodding, "Good for you, good for you."

"I can't wait to see your brilliance at play, my Lord!"

---

"Oh, you actually went out and developed some pieces of your own? You have surpassed my expectations, Epsilon," he nodded at her, smiling.

"I admit, Lord Shadow, it was indeed hard to actually master the piano," she beamed at his praise, "but in the end it was all worth it!"

"That reminds me of that time…" he walked closer as Epsilon locked her eyes on him, "you know, back then, in childhood I mean, I didn't really like piano that much."

"Oh? Really, my Lord?" Epsilon was taken aback at sudden confession, "I would never think that someone as great at music as you had distaste for it…"

"Distaste?… Oh, no-no, I did not hate it, per say, I just thought I was forced to do that because of expectations. It would be later on that I realized it's actually a great art to study," he replied, reading some of her musical notes.

"Oh, can you play other instruments, my Lord?" Epsilon looked up at him.

"No, at least not at that level as piano, unfortunately," he sighed.

"Then I will learn even more instruments to play for you, my Lord!" she promised.

'And I will play it so damn great that my Lord will completely fall in love with me!'

"Y'know, about your… problem…" 'My Lord, should you really poke me that much?…' "Is that even really a problem?"

"What do you mean, Lord Shadow? Can't you see how much… bigger they are than me?" she was hurt a bit, if she's being honest.

"No, what I mean is… why do you need that?"

"Ah… Well- Lord Shadow- IreallywanttobeyourlovedonebutIthinkyoulovebigger!" she spelt it on a single breath.

"…Now say it again, but slower and coherent."

"I-I… really want to be y-your loved one… u-ughhh…" she was really embarrassed now, "but I think… I think you love b-bigger!"

"…What even made you think that…" Shadow said, exasperated.

"Huh?" she raised her head in hope, "Do you actually prefer petite build?"

"No, it's just that I simply never cared enough about women sizes," as he said that, he took out a coin and started playing with it.

"B-But… which do you like more?"

"Hmm…" he looked at her, "honestly, I don't really care. But if you really want to change your build, be my guest," he shrugged and continued flipping the coin, "I mean, I don't really understand women as you could guess, so do tell me if I upset you…"

"No, Lord Shadow," she smiled brightly, "you have given us all the means to survive and fight against our fate. We are all deeply thankful for that, and the only thing I ever wished is to have more time with you…"

"…Well be I damned if Delta and Alpha didn't ask me the same. By that point I might need a weekly schedule for y'all…" he sighed and placed the coin away before realizing everything has gone suspiciously quiet, "Epsilon?"

"That… Might be arranged," she nodded seriously before speaking to her Lord once again, "Excuse me, my Lord, I have an urgent report to Lady Alpha, I will send a replacement. It was great to meet with you in private again, my beloved~!" she sent him a kiss and ran off before he could even object.

He slumped back into chair and facepalmed.

"Me and my mouth…"

---

"Lord Shadow, I am ready to serve!"

Beta gently opened the door to find her beloved Lord sitting in a chair, deep in thought. 'So handsome!'

"Ah, Beta," his eyes found her own, "I assume you are to be with me now?"

"That's correct, my Lord!" she nodded eagerly.

Elf came closer to him and leaned in, giving a full vied on her cleavage, however, to her disappointment, his gaze didn't waver as he continued to look her in the face.

"I see," Lord shifted his gaze to the ceiling.

"My Lord?" she leaned closer in, practically closing the view with her chest.

"…Now I can't even see half the sky…" he sighed and closed his eyes, moving away from her cleavage.

"But there's no sky?" 'My Lord, my assets are right there!'

"I could pretend that ceiling is one." Shadow backed down even further.

"Why would you need to do that?" at this point Beta practically smothered his face with her soft flesh.

"Because I don't want your boobs to stare at my eyes. Now please re-"

He couldn't finish as she forced his head deep into her cleavage, muffling all sounds.

"My Lord, if girl wants you to stare at her, then you should stare at her!" Beta pouted.

"Yuh, fure, I wess…" he didn't even bother moving and simply used her breasts as pillows.

"L-Lord Shadow!" Beta felt her face heating up as she felt his nose rubbing against her soft flesh.

"Ya fanted diz, tho…" his soft breath gently tickled her sensitive points.

"U-Um… If that's what my Lord wants… But maybe we could take it t-to the bed?" she could feel steam coming out of her. 'S-So lewd!… I-I thought I was ready for t-that… E-Even books didn't prepare me for- for this!…"

"Nah, amma fine…"

"U-u-u…"

"Fine, fine," Shadow moved his head back and blinked, "now is there anything you would want to talk about?"

"O-Oh, right!" Beta collected herself and straightened her posture, "L-Lord Shadow, thanks to your teachings I was able to secure the top-spot in writing world!"

"Oh?" he looked at her and nodded, "Well, now that's quite high achievement. Is there an agency you work with?"

"Agency?…" she rubbed her lips, "Well, I did work for Writers Association at my early months, but after Gamma finished rebranding Mitsugoshi, all of us went under her wing in our respective fields."

"Rebranding?… Tell me more?"

"Well, I am not sure how, exactly, was this arranged, but I do know that Mitsugoshi was an independent company before Gamma struck a deal with previous owners. You will be better of asking her about the details…" she pouted, "And it's not nice to talk about other girls, Lord Shadow!"

"Really?… Yeah, nevermind. Sorry about that."

"A-Ah, you don't need to-! O-Oh, excuse me, my Lord! Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"Yeah, I would like to check out the stories you wrote if you don't mind."

"…Sorry, Lord Shadow, I didn't take any of them when packing up…" she hung her head in shame.

"Don't sweat it, I'll just take a copy from Gamma's shop later," Shadow waved his hand.

"Ah, my Lord, there's Eta's invention…"

"Oh, is that a camera?" he rubbed his chin, "I remember talking with her about that, so she was the one who created it…"

"Y-Yes, she rules over our technological department…" Beta pouted again, "Lord Shadow! It's about us now!"

"Right, right, so you wanted to?…"

"I wanted to take a picture of you with… Right, this music book will do!" she beamed.

"Yeah, sure?" he took a "Profound Reading" pose.

"M-m, great!" snap! "Now with the piano!" snap! "Now looking in the window!" snap! "Now…"

Snap! Snap! Snap!

"N-Now… unbutton your shirt…" she blushed.

"Beta?" he turned at her.

"Oh! S-Sorry, Lord Shadow!…"

"Nah, it's fine," he slowly removed one button, "Like this?"

"Y-Yes!"snap!

---

Beta was happily walking back to the room with a bunch of photos in her hands.

Crack.

As she opened the door, she was met by the sight of impatient Shades.

"Beta," Zeta greeted her," are these… goods?"

"These are, in fact, goods," Beta smiled at everyone.

"Well, show us, then…"

Zeta took out one photo, the one with Lord looking at the window as sun rays framed his visage. She sighed in excitement and rubbed her face against it.

"That's some good product…" Gamma nodded as she inspected the "Profound Reader" photo, "Shadow Garden will surely take a liking for those…"

Epsilon was not able to contain her nosebleed as she stared at the photo of her Lord, showing off his defined chest.

Beta only smiled innocently at everyone else and walked out, back to her room.

After all…

She lovingly took out the picture of her sitting in a lap of her beloved Lord, head against his neck.

You always save the best thing for yourself~

Chapter 19: Pampering Obsession

Zeta's ears twitched.

On the first day, they simply cleaned up the house.

On the second day, Master Shadow shown his abilities in magic, making Shades worried in the process.

On the third day, he ran away in order to develop something really dangerous, making even usually indifferent Eta panic and collected Alpha faint. In the end, he agreed to put a hold on magic research, though everyone could see how reluctant he was to do so.

On the fourth day, he bonded with Delta (that dog…), listened to Epsilon's piano performance (and something else that Epsilon was very secretive about), and allowed Beta to take photos of him (these goods… let's just say that she was admiring for a long time).

Today was the fifth, and the last, day of their little vacation (why is it called "vacation week" if it's only five days?), and it was Zeta's turn to attend their Lord. To be fair, it should've been Eta's, but researcher calmly declined, saying that she already got her share earlier (and Zeta could actually sense Lord's scent on scientist, so it wasn't a lie). Next in line would, obviously, be Gamma, but businesswoman wanted to prepare as much material to impress their Lord as possible, so she pleaded someone to take the turn earlier.

Alpha? Well, the leader said she would be the last to spend time with the Lord, so it only left Zeta.

And now she was peeking through the door at her Lord's magnificent visage as he was contemplating something with a cup of tea in his hands.

"So…" her Lord spoke with his eyes closed, "how long are going to spend in hiding, Zeta?"

"You've noticed me," cat-kin confirmed her presence, pushing the door open.

"Your stealth skills are not that bad," he nodded at her and took a sip, "however, it's very hard not to notice a sudden breeze from opening door, even if slightly."

Such a rookie mistake. She loosened up upon realizing it was going to be a vacation with her Lord and let her guard down…

"Relax, Zeta," Lord sighed and opened his eyes, "I am more than confident that you would easily fool most of the world's population."

"I could not contend against you, however," she pointed out, dejected.

"I simply am on a different level, Zeta," he calmly spoke.

"I cannot be of use to you if I am to remain stagnant."

Shadow eyed her and nodded in approval.

"That's a good mindset to have, Zeta. Remember: there is no peak. Each time you think you have reached perfection, the world will not hesitate to remind you that there's a mountain behind the mountain, a sky above the sky."

Zeta's breath halted for a moment upon receiving such wisdom. Indeed, she once thought that she was strong and could dispose of anything that might sour her Lord's day, then they met Mist Dragon. Seven Shades' combined effort could barely leave a scratch of it, yet their Lord forced it into submission with two moves.

However…

"Not even you, my Lord?"

"Especially not me, Zeta. If I thought I reached perfection, I would no longer pursue magic," he took another sip and leaned back in his chair.

She contemplated his words.

"Say, Zeta."

"What is it, Lord Shadow?"

"You're the head of espionage, correct?"

"It is as you say, my Lord," she tilted her head.

"Then how come…" his gaze locked on her chest, "how come your front is exposed so much?"

"Ah…?"

Indeed, it was as he said. Her cleavage was completely exposed, as her jacket was opened up under her sternum, giving a look at her well-shaped breasts.

"I wear my suit according to my current occupation. If I were in a jungle area, I would dress to blend in with the trees. If I were to pose as an ordinary citizen, I would dress up as one."

"And the reason you dress up like that now…?" Shadow lifted cup to his face.

"It is to seduce you, my Lord," Zeta spoke unashamedly.

He stopped his movements. After a moment of consideration, he placed it back on the table, rubbed his chin, and coughed.

"Repeat that again, please."

"Upon realization that you might be attracted to well-defined breast areas as any male of your current age, I carefully selected my clothes to reveal enough to draw the most attention from you but not too much so your imagination will fill in the blanks and you will be drawn towards them even further," cat-kin elaborated.

"That's… kinda overkill, isn't it?" she should admit, his baffled face was very cute. It almost awakened some of her more… primordial instincts.

"If I am to leave the best lasting impression upon you, my Lord, then I will do everything in my power to accomplish this task," she stated and leaned in.

"…Hm, well, come here, then."

Zeta immediately jumped on her Lord, her knees on her lap. She straightened her posture and pressed her breasts against his face, rubbing nose in his hair affectionately.

"Right, I should've expected that… you all love squishing my face for some reason…" cat-kin could feel him sigh against her chest as he wrapped her in a hug, gently caressing her back.

"We are just showing our affection to you, my Lord," she inhaled his scent deeply, enjoying the feeling of his strong yet tender hands.

"M-m-m, if you say so…"

Zeta only purred in his ear. Shadow gradually relaxed, listening to the soothing sound of her heartbeat.

"Lord Shadow?"

"Yeah…"

"Can you please tell me what, exactly, were you researching that day?"

"Oh… Nothing special, actually, just found out how can I prolong my lifespan through magic and some other minor things."

"You wish to become immortal?" she tensed a bit.

"That… would be nice. However…" Shadow rubbed his face deeper into her cleavage, "I don't wanna use some kind of a drug for that, so I kinda figured my own way out."

"So you already found a way to become immortal?" 'If that's the case, we will not have to use Diabolos and can completely wipe out anything related to it…' she mused with hidden hatred.

"Well, even if not Immortal, I already can live for thousands of years… In that time I will surely find a way to become one. Why ask, tho?"

"Well…"

"Is that because humans on average live shorter than elves and therianthropes?"

"…Mhm," Zeta inhaled his scent once more.

"Nah, it's fine, I am not planning on leaving you," Shadow scratched her neck, making her purr in pleasure.

Unable to contain herself any longer, she licked his ear.

"Zeta?"

"I am sorry, Lord Shadow… I am just marking you… so no other beast… could claim you…" she explained as she kept licking his head all over.

"Right, cats… Go on, then, it kinda feels good…" he relaxed even further.

Zeta's tail wrapped around her Lord's body as she embraced him even tighter, relaxed by his presence.

---

"…And that concludes Mitsugoshi's story," Gamma finished, placing the papers closer to her Lord.

"So it was its own company under a different name before you came and took over…" he rubbed his chin, still petting purring Zeta.

The audacity of that beast-kin! She knew that they all were… a bit over the head, and was accustomed to how Delta behaved, but Zeta always shown herself calm and collected, yet now…!

Ah, that's what she gets for trusting a cat.

Everything was quite simple. She finally collected everything and was ready to present it to her Lord, but once she opened the door, she found a horrific sight!

Her beloved magnanimous wonderful kind wise intelligent all-seeing… thirty pages of praising Shadow's character… Lord was sitting on his bed, his absolutely magnificent handsome all-encompassing… another thirty pages of praising Shadow's body… visage lighting up the whole room. Yet once you lower your gaze, you find out that his lap was occupied by a cat beast-kin!

Gamma was furious! Zeta's turn has already passed, yet she was still there! Preposterous!

However, her Lord was seemingly relaxed as he continued gently touching Zeta's ears, so Gamma couldn't find it in herself to separate them, lest her… sixty pages of simping over Shadow… Lord would become sad.

"As of right now, we have thirty seven billion Zeni at our immediate disposal," she added.

"Oh? Well, you continue to positively surprise me, Gamma," his eyes lit up.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Shadow!" Gamma beamed at his praise.

"You wouldn't mind giving, say, one hundred thousand Zeni?"

Um, what?

"Lord Shadow, didn't I already send ten million?" she blinked.

Shadow's hand stopped.

"…I forgot about them," he confessed. "I was too preoccupied with… well, you know what."

"Oh, right," Gamma received an enlightment.

Of course, how could she forget!

"The Cult of Diabolos is planning an attack on Academy, but of course!"

"Hmm?" his gaze filled with interest.

"Back then, when we received your message before the tournament, we wanted to attack the Cult hideouts. However, your message made it clear that it would be wiser to wait until they all come together so we could take them all in a single move! And that would be the moment when they attack the academy!"

Shadow paused for a moment.

"…Precisely. I am glad to see that you have managed to decode that much from a simple letter. Great work, Gamma."

"Hehe, thank you, Lord Shadow!" businesswoman nodded happily, "But… Can I receive my reward?"

"Ho-o? And what is it you wish for, Gamma?" Shadow encouraged her.

"Ehe, if you don't mind…" she blushed heavily, "can I please be the one to pamper you today?"

"…wut?" what was that sound?

"Lord Shadow?"

"Nevermind…" he sighed, "if that is what you wish, then you shall receive."

"Thank you, my Lord!" 'He-he, I waited long for this moment!' "Now please lie on your…"

Ah, right. Zeta.

"Don't mind me, I am already going," the cat-woman swiftly jumped up (Gamma is not jealous) and stretched her slim body.

"Right, bye, Zeta," Shadow nodded with a gentle smile on his face.

Beast-kin waved back at him and went to the exit.

"Everything is in your hands now," she whispered as she passed Gamma.

Gamma's already heated up face now became atomically red.

"Okay, Gamma, you can start. What, you said, I need to do?" Shadow urged her

"A-Ahem, right, please lie down on your back," 'Collect yourself, Gamma! You can't just shame yourself like that!'

"M'kay."

'That sight…! It's even better than I thought…!'

As he lied down, she was greeted by the sight of his body stretched out on the bed. As he blinked at her, she found herself even more charmed, because…

'My Lord is so cute when he's looking vulnerable!'

That's right. Usually Lord is either in his Shadow persona, which just speaks being an invincible existence that no one can hope to taint, or Cid Kagenou persona, just your average student, completely unremarkable for someone of her status… But now these two combined: she still could see her beloved Lord, however with a weakness that belongs to Cid Kagenou. Such a contrast overloaded her brain, as she was tempted to run up to him and tenderly cuddle his usually domineering visage!…

Wait, he allowed that. Which means no need to overthink that, just do it!

"H-He-he… That's right, my Lord… Let your Gamma treat you…" was she going insane? She might be going insane, but she wants to see which of the Shades would be able to resist such temptations!

'Ah, which part…? But of course!'

She sat down on the bed and placed his head on her lap.

"Hmm…" Shadow hummed approvingly.

Her hands found their way to his hair and started caressing it. Twist here, twist there… Yes, now everything is in order…

---

And that's how Cid's vacation week passed. He thought they would study magic, but then Shades freaked out and started… well, pampering him. And he could understand someone like Gamma and Zeta, like they're two years older than him, maybe their older sister instincts kicked in, but Beta? Sure, she looks even more mature than Gamma herself, but still! She's the same age as him!

Oh, Gamma also said something about terrorist attack on the academy (Cult doesn't exist, after all, it's just criminals that girls brand as Cult to play with him). He asked out Alpha about that and she confirmed the info, so Cid asked out to place some security if they can (like, terrorist attack is cool, he wants to experience that, but it would be better to have a back-up), to which girls readily agreed. They said they can dispatch about fifty people no problems… Yeah, he's jealous alright, but he's still thankful that they go along with him even after growing up.

Oh, Alpha also became really jealous upon hearing how everyone else got to treat him, so she kinda forced him to receive her pampering and cuddles, too. Now each Shade got to stuff their breasts into his face… Except Epsilon, but she promised to do the same once he fulfills her wish.

Well, at least they gathered together once again. He's grateful for that, really.

Now if only he knew what to do with realization that girls actually love him…

Chapter 20: Truce Obsession

Cid finally returned to his mob life.

Don't get him wrong, he was very happy to spend time with Seven Shades, but, how to say that… He was absolutely not ready for the amount of affection they drowned him in, so upon coming back to the academy he could finally sigh in relief.

Now he needs to think about upcoming terrorist attack…

Cid already saw some girls in Shadow Garden's uniform (Eta said they enhanced the slime suit he once created so they probably give it to their workers) standing at the rooftops and watching over the academy, so it seems Shades were quick in their work. He has to thanks them later… Though he would prefer not being smothered for hours.

Oh, he also saw Claire (wasn't she supposed to go to senior years' gathering or something?), but instead of running to choke him she instead smiled mysteriously and winked at him. He doesn't want to know the implications behind that…

Alexia, on the other hand…

"Dearest Poochie, mind explaining to me where the hell have you been the whole previous week?" yep, she decided to do Claire's job and was "gently massaging" his neck from behind.

"Oh, I took a leave because of my wounds," he replied, "And please stop doing that, I want to breathe."

"Yea-a-a-ah, you were so injured that you somehow slipped past five top students, guards, and Assistant Principal himself. Hm, yeah, totally," she didn't buy it at all.

"Try to live with a sister like mine that wants to find you and do unspeakable things to you, and you will learn even more."

"Oh, what kind of unspeakable things does our Claire do to her cute helpless little brother?" he didn't want to think what perverted thoughts were hidden in that silver-haired head of hers…

"Oh, you know, riding me in the morning…"

"R-Riding?"

"Yeah, then she lowers her head to whisper in my ear how much she loves me…"

"L-Love?!"

"Uh-huh, and then, you won't believe it, she finishes it by choking me! Again!"

"U-Uh, you know, I need to go out real quick… Uh, yeah, welcome back, sorry for running away that fast, okie bye!"

Cid was laughing internally as he watched the princess running off to Claire. Technically he didn't say a single lie, it's just that… Alexia is really, really perverted. Well, it's not like he never saw even more insane women in his life… Brrr, Eta…

Ahem, back to the point.

It's still morning, so right now he should go on his lessons. Usually terrorist attacks happen mid-lessons in order to catch everyone quickly, so if he had to estimate… around noon? Yeah, should be something like that… Now he only has to give a signal to someone… Oh, that brown-haired girl looks kinda familiar…

"Hey, Nu," yep, that's the "thirtieth" of Shadow Garden.

"Huh?… Oh, Mast- Cid, did you want something?" she quickly managed to look like a proper student talking with a friend of hers, props to that!

Right, now he has to give some cool lines and say when to act…

"Hm…" profound humming, "when darkness falls in the middle of day, when shadows eat away at the blood of heretics… Is the moment when Garden blooms."

Yes, he delivered!

"Understood, Lord Shadow. I shall immediately convey this to Lady Gamma," she made a quick bow and disappeared among the sea of shadows. So cool!

Nice, now he only needs to go back and look like an average student. Man, if only his mob friends still talked with him… But they were still resentful at him for getting attention of girls. You know, he himself didn't want to do that! Women find him themselves!

---

It was already the last lesson and there were still no terrorists. Could girls be mistaken in their information? Or was it a prank?

"…And this is where our lesson for today ends. However, do not leave as of yet. Student Council President, Rose Oriana, among other council candidates, wishes to give a speech. Please stay and listen."

Meh, looks like he got nothing in the end. Kinda wished for it to actually happen…

As Rose stood in front of the class, she noticed Cid sitting near the window. Smile bloomed on her face as she gave him a nod and went up to make her speech.

'Damn these women, making my mob life even harder!' he noticed the stares from his classmates.

"Greetings. I am Rose Oriana, the current Student Council President, and I wish to talk with you about upcoming election…"

Blah-blah-blah. Basically, what it boils down to is "please vote for me" from each and every candidate. Except Rose. She's heroine material so she just explained what the hell is going on and then went to the side eyeing him from distance. Meh, he has enough with Shades already…

Hold on, what's that feeling?

Cid just felt that his magic became a bit harder to control. If he didn't have experience of being in Eta's anti-magic cuffs, he could say that it would give him about a minute or so before figuring out how to get control back.

'So it's actually happening.'

Well, now he's a little motivated. Maybe he could even cancel the effect of this field? It looks like everyone else didn't even notice that…

Crack!

The door was blasted.

A group of men in black entered the classroom, quickly destroying any and all swords students left there.

'9/10 entrance, could be better if you entered through the window.'

"We are Shadow Garden."

Hold up?

"We are here to occupy this academy. Stay where you are, and we can guarantee that you survive. In case of resistance, however… Heh, see that for yourself, kids."

"Oh? And what makes you think that I would allow that?" Rose took out her rapier.

"As I said: try around, find out," terrorist taunted her.

President took a stance and started channeling her technique, only to realize that…

"My magic?" indeed, her mana couldn't be controlled.

"Eh, you finally noticed?" man in black smirked, "Well, too bad. As I said, should you resist…"

'No, wait, hold on, that's a heroine material right there! She can't just die here! Damn, guess I gotta do mob-style death…'

And so Cid Kagenou jumped in to save Rose Oriana from impending death, determined to trade his life for hers.

Unfortunately, he did not realize that after his training he forgot to get accustomed to his even more developed power, and so instead of jumping in front of a sword he jumped on Rose, taking her to the floor with him as the sword passed through the air where they were.

However, that didn't stop him from activating his brand new technique that he used to control the air, discovering in the process its abilities to interfere with magic from other sources.

---

"Goddamnit, if only we were faster…" Alexia bit her lip as she stood at the entrance with Claire and Iris.

Alexia and Claire were just done talking about their relationships with Cid (as it turns out, all things he said indeed happened… just not the way she imagined it to be) and decided to head back to academy. However, they couldn't get in.

Upon realizing that gates were closed she called for guard, and at this moment anti-magic field enveloped the whole academy.

Such a commotion quickly got attention from Alexia's sister, Iris, and she called upon her newly established Knights branch, Crimson Order.

Unfortunately, even Iris herself would not be able to operate under the effects of magic dispel, so they could only wait until it runs out or someone knowledgeable interferes.

"And Cid is there as well…" Claire muttered. However, to Alexia's surprise, she did not try to rush in. Someone who loves her brother as much as Claire would surely try to break in no matter how much injured she will be.

'How strange…'

"Cid, Rose Oriana, Sherry Barnett…" Iris added, frowning, "High-level researcher, the current champion of academy, and the boyfriend of a princess… They knew how to choose their targets."

Ah, right. Not only Cid himself, but also the strongest fighter and the only person Alexia knew that could remove anti-magic field were also trapped in academy.

Alright, alright, she needs to focus. There ought to be a way…

"W-What's happening?!" huh?

"Look! Look! The barrier! Something breaks it!" what?!

True to soldiers' words, the scarlet anti-magic field was slowly being replaced by violet-colored one. A very familiar color…

'Shadow?!'

The only person she knows that has this color. The person with unmatched swordsmanship. Someone who could destroy a large part of the city with his magic release alone.

Red barrier gave its last resistance, before academy was surrounded in… shadows. That's right, anti-magic field from before merely altered the colors and blocked the magic. The current field, however…

"By the Goddess… the road…"

"I-I can't even see past a meter!"

The current field completely blocked out any and all vision. However…

"You can use magic inside this field," Iris informed after taking a step in it, "Moreover, it seems like upon entering the field you are able to see properly."

Indeed, as soon as Alexia passed through the gate, the view was cleared. She could see everything once again.

"Step back," a voice from behind.

She turned around to see a beautiful blonde elf in a black bodysuit. Behind her was a group of women in same uniform.

"Shadow Garden…" Iris squinted.

"That is not your battle to take," the elf spoke once more.

"Alpha, is it?" Alexia interjected.

"Alexia Midgar. I know of you. My Lord has spoken well of your achievements in swordsmanship," the woman called Alpha suddenly warmed up, "Should you ever find a wish to receive a teaching, you can find us. Would you be able to find us, however, is a question…"

Right, of course. Of course the man she saw twice in her whole life would suddenly be interested in her after fifteen years of being bashed by everyone. That's absolutely normal, Alexia, all girls go through that.

"However…" elf frowned, "That is still not yours battle to take. You are not ready."

"My friend is over there. While we are speaking, he might desperately try to survive," Alexia gritted her teeth, "and I will do whatever it takes to save him."

Alpha simply eyed her.

"And not to mention…" Alexia realized something, "if we were not needed there, field would still block our magic, right?!"

"You are…?" elf's eyes widened.

"Correct, the field made by, I assume, your leader does not affect us, which means we are not targeted by it," Iris confirmed her words.

"I see… So that's his plan…" Alpha nodded, "Then we shall go in and rescue the students, then take out the attackers. Questions?"

"Sounds like a plan for me," Alexia took out her sword.

"…Who is our enemy, anyway?" Iris posed her question, irritated that she didn't know something.

"Isn't it obvious?" elf simply smiled, "Cult of Diabolos."

Chapter 21: Hateful Obsession

It's a nightmare.

Their task was simple: use the Eye of Avarice to establish anti-magic field, take everyone hostage, and drain the magic from them. Everything was going well.

Until it wasn't.

Suddenly something interfered with their barrier, completely reversing its functions: they could no longer use magic and could feel their powers slowly being drained out, while students…

"Y-You bastards…"

Yes, students could feel the magic returning to them. Upon realizing the tables have turned, they quickly incapacitated their attackers. At this moment other black-clothed people started entering the building, however, contrary to the previous ones, that group was consisted entirely of women and seemed to be allies.

"Everyone," seemingly the leader spoke, "our mission is to rescue students who were taken hostage and dispose of the attackers. Please cooperate with us and follow us to the exit, after that you will be taken by Crimson Order. If there are any gravely injured, please speak now."

"W-We are saved…" someone spoke with relief.

"Uhm, excuse me, miss?…" a meek voice could be heard from the corner of classroom.

"Yes?" leader's eyes locked on that direction.

"C-Could you please help us? His chest is…"

"243, 289," upon receiving an order two women immediately dashed towards the injured and started applying first aid.

"T-Thank you very much!"

"That's our job," leader nodded, "Once you are ready, we will move. There are groups currently evacuating other classes, so be at ease."

"Y-You think you are getting out of here alive?!" one of the attackers tried to intimidate them.

There was just one problem.

"Hmph, if you want to bluff, you have to at least be able to see," woman smirked.

"What…?" students whispered amongst themselves.

"Lord Shadow knows everything. His abilities are unmatched. You think your Magic Absorption Field is something great? He-he…" a spark of obsession appeared in her eyes, "See for yourself how it denies your senses… Oh, wait, you can't. He took away your ability to see. Pity…"

She shook her head and slashed cult member's chest.

"Let's go. We made a deal with princess Iris, and we don't like to delay our job."

---

Sherry tried to calm down her heartbeat.

"Good thing someone actually interfered…" the knights stationed with her, Glen and Marco, sighed in relief.

Once their roles were reversed, it was a piece of cake to dispose of a man who tried to attack them. He said his name was Rex, and he was from Shadow Garden to take away the artifact she was studying.

The problem was…

"This sector is clear."

The real Shadow Garden members just arrived with a group of students and upon confirming that this place was protected went to the exit. They were also accompanied by Imperial Guards, so it was clear that whoever the attackers actually were, their goal was to smear the Shadow Garden's name.

Now Sherry had another thing to think about…

This artifact, Eye of Avarice, was connected to artifact she was studying as her research revealed. It was probably the reason behind the anti-magic field. However, it was easily blocked by, apparently, leader of Shadow Garden that everyone spoke of as "Lord Shadow".

The same Lord Shadow that as she heard from princesses was the reason behind that explosion two weeks earlier. Princess Iris insisted that no man can have this kind of power, so it should have been an artifact. However, even if it was an artifact, considering the amount of knowledge this mysterious leader possesses (as it was clear that to easily intercept Eye of Avarice you would need a lot of experience), he probably could create it himself, still making it a part of his own power.

"E-Excuse me, miss!" Sherry interjected.

"You are… Sherry Barnett. Do you need something?" one of the women nodded.

"U-Um, you rescue everyone here, right?"

"Correct, our goal is to evacuate the hostages. After we finish with that, Crimson Order will take over and apply medical treatment to everyone injured," she confirmed.

"Ah, have you seen my fat- U-Um, Assistant Principal Lutheran?"

The group froze.

"Come to think of it… We have not seen him at all, even though he was in the academy before the attack," Shadow Garden members exchanged glances.

Sherry heart sank. Group's leader took out some kind of a device.

"Lady Alpha, we have urgent news…"

---

"So that's how it is…" Alpha frowned.

"What is it?" Iris asked.

Elf took out some kind of a device that was emitting a strange sound. Princess could faintly hear voice from this device, and afterwards Alpha's expression soured.

"Assistant Principal Lutheran was not found by any group currently dispatched in academy. Either he evacuated through some kind of secret tunnel, or…" elf closed her eyes.

"That couldn't be. Assistant Principal was in this academy before I joined it," Iris denied.

"We have to consider all possibilities. It would be great if Lutheran simply escaped through safe passage, but I can't deny that it might be possible for him to be a Cult's member," Alpha calmly explained.

"This is some kind of insanity…" princess rubbed her head.

First, one of the most renowned knights of young generation turned out to be a traitor that kidnapped her sister. Now, even someone in such high position sacrificed the whole academy for… For what, even?! Who could she even trust?!

"I understand what you are going through, princess Iris," Alpha placed a hand on princess' shoulder, "but you should not drown in your feelings now. Your people need you. They need to realize that even though attack was sudden, they are still protected."

Iris sighed.

"You are right. I can pity myself later. Now, we need to save the students… Wait, is that?…"

"Hmm, the first group has returned," elf nodded.

A group of students was carefully escorted outside the building by women in black clothes.

"Lady Alpha, mission accomplished. What is our next goal?"

"Wait for everyone else. Once all hostages are evacuated, we are to clear this place of all hostiles," Alpha nodded at them.

"Understood," group's leader nodded back and turned to students, "please go after the Knights. They will apply any medical aid should you need it, otherwise you are free to go, though we advice you to stay here until we confirm the elimination of attackers."

"T-Thank you very much!" students bowed and went to the medical tents that were put by the Knights.

Iris sighed in relief. At the very least she confirmed that Shadow Garden was willing to cooperate with government as long as it saves the citizen. Even if they are illegal organisation, she can close her eyes on this…

---

Sherry tinkered with Eye of Avarice's key.

"So you are saying this little thing is the cause of all of this?…" Shadow Garden's brown-haired member nodded. "As our Lord said."

"U-Um, he already knew this would happen…?"

"I understand your feelings, Sherry Barnett," woman sighed, "however, we made all efforts to ensure nobody got any irreversible injuries in the process. I understand that you might not forgive us for letting it happen in the first place, however it was our best bet to bait out all the Cult's members in one place."

Sherry shrunk in sadness.

"And my father…"

"It is only a possibility, after all. He is probably safe with everyone else right now," woman's gaze warmed up as she placed her hand on Sherry's shoulder.

"M-m!" Sherry nodded hopefully.

Oh how she wishes that father is worriedly waiting for her right now outside. How she would run up to him and embrace in a strong familial hug.

Ah, she is finished with tinkering.

"Once we use it near Eye of Avarice, the magic field will be dispelled, correct?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Then we shall go. If you are willing, you can go with us."

"Y-Yes!"

And so they slowly moved. On the way Sherry saw other Shadow Garden's members slowly evacuating everyone and taking down the attackers.

She tinkered with key to detect where, exactly, the Eye of Avarice is located. The closer they are to it, the warmer key would become.

Her hopes slowly sank as she realized that key was located near Assistant Principal's office.

"…years of research, trying to return my power, and that's what I get in the end?! My plan was completely ruined by this Shadow Garden!" her hopes were crushed the moment she heard the voice behind the door.

It was the voice of her father.

"Hmm, and why, exactly would you do this?" is that… Cid?

"Cid Kagenou…" she could feel the hate in her father's voice, "I should have realized it back then. A mere student, escaping my view. Hmph, who would even believe that? No, you are… Shadow, aren't you?"

"Ho? It looks like someone in your ranks still has working brain?" she could hear the closing book.

"Ha-ha, who would have thought that as I was hiding in the Academy to enact my plan, someone else would take the same tactic against me. Well, you wanted to hear why?"

Sherry slid on the floor, listening to the reveal in despair.

"…Sherry's mother, Lukreia… A brilliant researcher! So brilliant that she was ostracized by everyone else. That's where I came. I supported her in hopes one day I would find a way to return to my peak. Yet once I found the solution, she refused me! That's why I killed her. First, her limbs. Then, her organs. I finished with her heart."

Sherry couldn't hold her tears anymore.

"However, her daughter remained. Sherry. She was blessed by the same brilliant mind her mother had, but was absolutely naive and inexperienced. I used her as a tool to finish Eye of Avarice… but you came and ruined everything!"

"So that's how it is…"

"You heard everything. Do you feel angry, Cid Kagenou? Do you pity this little girl?"

"Well, we can hear the answer from her personally. Sherry, it's about time you confront him yourself," she could hear his encouraging words.

Sherry felt herself calming down. Nothing remained but frozen wrath, eager to break free. She slowly stood up and pushed the door.

"…So you've heard everything," the usually loving face of her doting father was no more. Instead of him was an expression of an evil mastermind ready to sacrifice anyone and anything for his goals.

"You…" she gritted her teeth.

"Yes, I did all of this. You simply could never understand how it feels like to be powerless, to feel your strength melting away. If you did, you would understand me."

"How could you…" Sherry felt tears swelling up again.

"Resent me. Hate me. In the end, it changes nothing. If my goals were to be fulfilled… Pity…"

"I trusted you… I loved you!" she sobbed.

"Love… she loved me too… But seems like not that much," Lutheran shook his head, "else she would listen to me. If she listened, she would still be alive."

Sherry could no longer contain herself and jumped on him. However, even without magic, he was still experienced fighter and easily deflected her.

"…I hate you, I hate you, hateyouhateyouIHATEYOU!"

"Playtime is over, then," through the veil of her rage she could hear her Cid's voice.

"What?…"

One moment, Lutheran taunts her. Next moment, he lies on the ground, his limbs pinned with black daggers.

"Cid Kagenou!… Shadow!" he hatefully stared at the imposing figure, embraced by darkness itself.

"Sherry, if you can't do this… I understand. I will do it myself," she looked at the misty image of the man in black coat in front of her, "I intended to do it myself. I never wished for you to witness this."

"I…"

"Even if you kill me… You are compromised! Everyone thinks it's your group who did this! The whole world will hunt you down! No matter how powerful you are, you can't go against everyone!" Lutheran coughed.

"That's what you think," Shadow calmly retorted.

"What I think? That's a fact, Shadow. You can't do anything to change that."

"I don't need to change anything. From the start I placed myself beyond good and evil. The world praises me? So be it. The world hates me? Their mistake," his red eyes pierced through the crucified man, "Not to mention…" he looked at the window where students were escorted out by women in black.

"…N-No, impossible!"

"Not to mention, we have shown ourselves as saviours. Your plan was foiled. You couldn't accomplish anything, Lutheran," Shadow's mocking smile was easily seen by everyone in the room.

"…Ha-ha…" a girlish laugh was heard.

"…Sherry?"

And the next moment dagger pierced Lutheran's chest.

"Limbs… organs… and heart, right?" she stared at old man with a smile on her face.

"Kha-ha-ha…" Sherry saw blood leaving his mouth, "Even to the end… Lukreia's eyes were filled with warmth… but yours…" he looked at her, "I adore these… hateful…"

Sherry twisted the dagger as life left Lutheran's body, her empty eyes locked onto the dead body of her once beloved foster father.

She sobbed as she felt hands hugging her from behind.

Notes:

Poor Sherry =(

Chapter 22: Revealing Obsession

Sherry was crying.

Today she lost her beloved foster father and avenger her mother by killing her murderer. Sadly, murderer and father turned out to be the same person, and now she didn't know what to do.

"This is why I didn't want you to witness this…" man in black coat spoke, his red eyes looking at the side.

Cid Kagenou, or Shadow. Her first friend in the academy, the one who gifted her chocolate and cheered her up. And from the other side, leader of organization that seeks to destroy the Cult her father was affiliated with.

"A-And then what?… Living my whole life in lies?…" she sobbed.

"If you simply knew that it was Shadow who took away your father, then maybe… Maybe you would just make it your goal to kill him and believe your father was innocent… Hmm, I don't know…"

"N-No…" Sherry shook her head, "it's b-better that I know… t-this…"

"Ah, better the bitter truth than a sweet lie…" he sighed.

"M-m…."

She stayed in his embrace.

"What will you do next, Sherry?" she felt his hand ruffling her hair.

"I-I don't know… I got an invitation to Academic City of Laugus, and before that I refused in fear that something happens to fath- to Assistant Principal… But now I don't know…"

"Then how about you join me?"

"C-Cid?" she raised her head to look at him.

"Yeah, join us. We have cookies!" she slightly smiled at his attempt to cheer her up, "But seriously, it's obvious that you need someone that would support you, and as much as I want to… I am still a single person, moreover, a man at that… Girls would surely know better how to help you out."

"Girls?" she focused on the important part.

"Yeah, as they said most Possessed are women, so-o-o, when you see a lot of women in that place, don't get surprised."

"P-Possessed? But isn't that-"

"Oh, right, forgot y'all think that this is some kind of incurable disease," Cid rolled his eyes, "Yes, Possession can be treated, yes, the knowledge about it is suppressed, yes, by the Church, yes, something shady is going on, no, I don't read your thought, everything is written on your face and I answered these same questions multiple times."

She pouted at his words.

"Right, right, so, do you accept? One of my friends is really obsessed with science and researches, to the point where she often forgets to eat and has all moral inhibitors turned off, so she would really need someone equal to her that would check out for that."

Of course, by this point it was understandable that Cid wanted to make sure Sherry got a group of people that would help her cope with her loss, and that just coincidentally overlapped with her being a brilliant researcher…

"M-m-m! I accept!"

"Great!" he smiled at her, "Come, I'll introduce you to Eta, she would be delighted to meet you!"

Sherry froze.

"Eta? A woman with brown hair and purple eyes that, a highly renowned architect that made a building for the biggest store in the Capital, Mitsugoshi, with prestige enough to go to any ancient ruins as she pleases? That Eta?" she couldn't believe her ears.

"Oh, didn't know she's that famous…" Cid rubbed his chin. "But yes, she's also a heavy sleeper and clings to everyone. Just saying."

---

"Great, there are no casualties," Iris sighed in relief.

The women in black — Shadow Garden — have just finished evacuating the last batch of students.

"I don't see Cid, though…" worried Alexia was frantically checking every corner in hopes of finding her boyfriend.

"Excuse me, miss," Rose Oriana addressed one of the black-clad women, "is Cid Kagenou here? Male, raven hair, black eyes, usually in white shirt, looking seemingly average…"

"Hmm, there was only one boy that met your description…" Shadow Garden member spoke, "he's currently with Sherry Barnett, consoling her after… what happened to her father."

"Oh…"

"So it seems your suspicions were correct, Alpha of Shadow Garden…" Iris noted.

"Indeed," blonde elf calmly replied, "and it seems like our job here is done."

"As you command, your Ladyship," black-clad women bowed.

"I assume your only goal is to eradicate this… Cult of Diabolos, right?" Alexia interjected.

"Correct, that is our main goal and the reason behind creating Shadow Garden," Alpha confirmed.

"So… who is Shadow?"

"Master Shadow…" elf frowned, "is the person who we all owe our life to. That is the most I can say. Unless he himself decides to reveal his identity to the world, it is not our right to speak of him."

Iris was not satisfied with that answer, but did not wish to antagonize the group. After all, their strength spoke for them, moreover they were the saviors that appeared in hour of need. It would go against her morals to speak ill of them.

Alpha observed her subordinates calmly, then nodded. In the next moment, they disappeared. Shortly after the magic barrier surrounding academy was lifted, restoring the colors back.

"Well, everything is well that ends well…" Alexia smiled, "And I guess I gotta give Cid some reward after that; not only he survived all of this but also managed to help Sherry Barnett."

"You're right," Iris nodded, "that's the best outcome we could wish for. Shame we couldn't take Shadow Garden as a part of our forces, but in retrospective it's better that they don't reveal themselves to broad public that much."

"Mhm," very profound, full of wisdom, allowing you to peek in the ways of Heavenly Dao itself. That was Alexia's answer.

"Hold on, where's Claire?" Rose realised something — or rather, someone, — was missing.

"Probably ran off to find Cid," Alexia waved her hand, "honestly, I would do the same, but I don't wanna intervene with him consoling our researcher, and I know personally how good he is at soothi- Ahem!" she blushed.

"Oh, there was something between you and him that I don't know about?" Iris chuckled seeing her sister heating up in embarrassment.

"Shut! Shut it! There was nothing! You hear me! Nothing!…"

---

Claire Kagenou was on a mission.

The barrier fell, women left. It's time!

She knows for sure where her brother is. With Sherry Barnett. She must hurry and catch him before he leaves the scene!

All the information she received prior to that only confirmed her suspicions. Her beloved brother knew for a fact that attack would happen and used the power of his organization to defend against it, saving countless lifes! Oh, but also she was indeed correct in the fact that his organization was full of beautiful women. Like, look at that blonde elf! Even Claire herself was jealous of her beauty!

Oh, it's fine. She will just find her little brother and drill some sense in that genius, but empty head of his. Though it would probably ruin his reputation if she does that in front of his own subordinates… Or were they subordinates, even?

Who knows, maybe he's just a doctor there?… Nah, no way, her brother is the coolest, so he's definitely high-ranked, maybe even one of the leaders!

She will definitely beat some sense into him, though. He shouldn't keep secrets like that from his sister, after all! It's absolutely unacceptable!

Right, she's near the point.

She can see Sherry Barnett and some man in black coat walking from the Assistant Principal's room. He was hugging researcher as she was crying. Poor girl, from what Claire heard Assistant Principal turned out to be one of this Cult members. And that man in black coat is 100% Cid that is way too kind for his own good and now yet another hus- woman is attracted to him!

Oh, he noticed her. He turned around in her direction, but seemingly disregarded her presence. Hmph, he just doesn't know yet what awaits him once she gets her hands on him!

---

Cid was thinking about this attack.

On one hand, the academy was indeed attacked by the terrorists, which allowed him to check out a line from his roleplay list.

On the other hand, it was too lame! No, they were prepared and all, but he didn't expect that him trying to manipulate the anti-magic field would result in reversal of effects! After that students practically beat everyone up by themselves while his girls evacuated everyone in cooperation with princess Iris' forces. Actually, that's kinda good, since having good relationships with government would be beneficial to their business, but…

He couldn't even have fun! The only participation he got to have was against Lutheran — who turned out to be the driving force behind the attack, how cliché — and even that drove poor Sherry to tears…

To be honest, it was one of the few times when he actually genuinely pitied someone. Researcher was so kind and innocent that in case she didn't hear Lutheran's speech Cid was willing to take the blame himself.

Hmm, maybe that's for the best. His girls were professionals in helping, if their words about six and something hundred were to be believed, so they will quickly cheer her up!

Oh, there they are.

"Alpha," he nodded in a cool shadowbroker way.

"Master Shadow, mission accomplished. Our forces did not suffer a single injury, there are no casualties from civilian side," she bowed.

"Great job, Alpha. And you did a great job, too," right, even if technically they are girls' forces, he still to play the role of benevolent boss and thank them!

"Thank you, Lord Shadow!" man, Shades surely instructed them great! Look at this convincing expression of happiness!

"Right, Alpha, is Eta here?"

"She is currently developing new product for…" elf eyed the researcher… Oh, yeah.

"Sherry Barnett joins us under Eta's wing. After what happened to her… I couldn't bear to leave her alone," and he's very serious now.

"Of course, Master Shadow," Alpha nodded gravely, "Eta would not mind an assistant of her level. Moreover…"

She made a sign for her forces to go away. They quickly dissipated.

"Moreover, it seems you are as kind as always, aren't you?" elf smiled warmly at him.

"Ahem, well, you see…"

"No need, I understand everything," Alpha nodded and turned her head to Sherry, "I hope you do realize that all of this is of utmost importance?"

"Y-Yes… But I am ready! I don't want for a-anything like t-that to happen again!"

"Understandable wish…" Alpha nodded, "Nu."

Oh, here's the brown-haired clerk slash student slash spy master.

"Lead her to Eta. Make sure our Research Department head doesn't do anything… unnecessary to her."

Nu looked at him. Hmm, good to know that even now they play for him!

"Do as Alpha says. I did not place her as my right hand for nothing," profound master look №13, go!

"Understood. Then I shall take my leave," thirteenth bowed. "Let's go, miss Sherry."

"Wait, aren't you that woman from before?…"

"Indeed, I was…"

As they went away, Cid relaxed.

"Well, that was good. Hope you got anything out of it, Alpha," he smiled at her.

"Ah, Master Shadow, I think it's not the time yet," she shook her head.

Right, a little stalker of his sister behind him.

"Claire Kagenou," mysterious look №1, go!

"Cid Kagenou," she nodded at him.

"There are things in this wor- eh?"

Hold on, what?

"Claire Kagenou, I am afraid you have mistaken me for someone else…"

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-uh."

"Come on, Cid, I know everything," she rolled her eyes, "about you living a double life, about you having a cure for Possession, about you being in a mysterious organization… Anyone with working brain in my place would realize that something was off when you seemingly don't grow in power at all, yet I do each time we spar. And your suspicious disappearances, and you going away to Mitsugoshi each time this brown-haired woman comes to talk with you…"

'Maybe if I don't say anything, she will go away…'

"Oh, and now you're trying to be silent in hopes I will get bored and go away!"

'Goddamnit…'

"And don't forget to tell me, what relationships do you have with all these women in your organization! Because as far as I know Possessed are mostly women, and all your members were, in fact, women! Even this elf one!"

In despair Cid looked at Alpha, conveying a cry for help.

She smiled at him and nodded.

'Thank you, Alpha! You're the best-'

"This is my message to my Master…"

'No, wait, hold on, Alpha, where are you going?!'

"This is a fight you cannot win…"

Chapter 23: Inquiring Obsession

Notes:

FF is dead at the moment. I'll crosspost there once it comes back to life.

Cid was in despair.

He did everything he could to make sure his mob persona would be convincing enough so no one would be suspicious of him.

And it was working, to a certain extent. Even the attention he got from princesses only made everyone else look at him, but nobody thought that he was some kind of a powerhouse.

That is, until his sister came in picture.

Somehow, out of nowhere, God only knows why, Claire decided that him being way too average was kinda suspicious, so she decided to investigate everything on her own and came to realize that he’s way stronger that he paints himself to be.

And now they are sitting at Mitsugoshi. Him, Claire, and Alpha.

“Well, that’s some nice store your girls made, huh?” his sister sent him a judging look.

“Yeah.”

“And I am pre-e-etty sure that they have absolutely no hidden goals behind giving you all of this.”

“Yeah.”

“And of course, you will date me.”

“Hell no.”

“Tsk…”

As he was saying, she practically forced herself into his tet-a-tet meeting with Alpha. And now she was even stealing his cookies! Thankfully Gamma was giving him sweets for free, else he would go bankprupt…

“So, when were you gonna tell me that you saved a whole bunch of women that now go around with you every time you need something from them?”

“Hm…” that’s good question, actually, “at least two to three years, I think?”

“Roughly the time when you’re coming of age, huh…” Claire nodded, “And you did, in fact, cure me of Possession?”

“…Oh, you mean these black dots from back then? Yeah, this too,” damn, that’s some good tea.

“And the knowledge about the cure is being suppressed…”

“Pretty much; I wondered why nobody else did it when it’s that simple, then decided it was because of religion,” he shrugged.

“Church?… Oh, right,” she nodded at him in understanding.

And when he says “understanding”, he is inclined to believe that she really understood him. Like, she spent whole childhood with him, and she knows how he thinks.

“And you… Ugh, how’s your name again?”

“Miss Claire, even though you are Master Shadow’s sister, I would still not tolerate your behavior,” hey-hey, calm down! Your eyes are almost literally shooting lighting!

“Relax, Alpha, it’s my sister after all.”

“…As you say, Master Shadow…”

“Hmm…” Claire scrutinized elf, “what do you think of Cid?”

Now where did that come from?…

“Master Shadow is the person who saved me, saved us all. He gave us family, he made us a shelter, taught us everything that was needed for survival, how to fight, all out of his kindness. We owe everything to him, and we are endlessly grateful that he’s with us,” oi-oi, too much flattering!

“Now come on, Alpha…”

“Shut it, brother,” Claire kept looking at elf… that has just reached boiling point.

“Excuse me, Miss Claire,” Alpha stood up, “it doesn’t matter to me what were you doing back then when you were not aware of Master Shadow’s true prowess. However, now you continue to belittle him, and I will not stand for this. Even if he himself allows that, as his right hand, I find this behavior insulting.”

Claire met First Shade’s stare.

“Hmph,” his sister suddenly smiled, “well, I think we will get along just fine.”

“But only if you stop with your insults,” Alpha pressed.

“I am not insulting him! I am just doing what every big sister does to her little brother!”

“Choking him, placing a collar on him, yanking him… Yes, very sisterly behavior.”

“Well, you should know how handful he might be at times!!”

Alpha went silent.

“Alpha?” Cid asked in confusion as he ate another cookie.

“He’s absolute buffoon that doesn’t understand women hearts, right?” Claire looked at Alpha in understanding.

“…Indeed,” elf sighed, “it took a lot of time to make our feelings known.”

“…Hold up, our? Like, multiple women?” upon receiving a nod of confirmation Claire immediately turned around, “Ci-i-id…”

“For your information, I was not the one who proposed that. It was Alpha herself,” he replied nonchalantly as he was munching on sweets.

Claire’s head turned back.

“Indeed, I raised an idea of him having multiple women, because otherwise the seven of us would be at constant tug of war,” Alpha calmly admitted.

“Seven?!” wow, his sister surely erupted here.

“Yes, seven. Do you have any problem with that, miss Claire?” First Shade smiled coldly.

“Oh, you bet I do, miss Alpha!” elf’s smile died out, “While I live in worries about how would my brother fare without me, he’s having a nice time with seven women at once! Oh, but wait, I think there was also princess of Midgar, princess of Oriana, hmmm, wait, that researcher girl, too!”

“…Your point may be valid, but that still doesn’t mean anything, becau-”

“Silence.”

Cid placed his now empty cup back on the plate as both women stared at him in shock.

“I think you both forget one small, insignificant, minuscule thing…” he rubbed his chin, “that being Cid Kagenou’s opinion.”

“Hold on, Cid-”

“Master Shadow, wait-”

“[Silence],” both Claire and Alpha suddenly found themselves unable to form any words, “seems like you really forgot about it. While I do appreciate your worries about me, however from my perspective they might be unnecessary…” his eyes flashed purple, “I will not tolerate any discrepancies between someone dear to me. Am I clear on that?”

Both of them stared at him in shock.

“Man, I surely don’t like forcing y’all, and usually go along with whatever you girls do,” Cid leaned back on his chair as ability to speak returned to them, “but your hostility in what was supposed to be a friendly talk is unneeded. Talk nice or don’t talk at all,” he took another candy, “oh, Alpha, send my grats to Gamma; these sweets are something else.”

Claire coughed in her hand, embarrassed.

“Uh, yeah, sorry, Cid, I guess I stepped out of the line…” she glanced at him, “but I would like to know how did it even come to this.”

“Oh, well, I found Alpha back then in her blob form, noticed that her condition was kinda similar to my own, and after a month of experiments boom! Blob became a girl. Then she rolled with me, one thing after another, and suddenly I have a bunch of girls that need home, food, and companionship. Gave them all some lessons and let them be on their way. Fastforward two years, now one is successful writer, another is pianist, third has an economic gigant under her sleeve… Well, they all are insanely talented honestly. I myself was surprised at their success.”

“Yeah, and that comes to them being your lovers, how?…” Claire inquired.

“Oh, it was quite sudden for me as well… Alpha decided that it would be cool for my Shadow persona to create harem, and since all other Shades — that’s what we call the first seven girls I saved by the way, — right, all other Shades agreed to that so I thought to roll with it. Then I realized that it was simply Alpha taking advantage of my love for cool things so they could sneak in my life as lovers…”

Claire simply looked at elf in pity.

“I can’t believe that someone as brilliant as my brother is that bad at picking up hints…” she covered her face in shame.

“It’s alright, miss Claire,” Alpha sighed, “at least we have managed to get it into him…”

“Oh, by the way, brother…” Claire suddenly realized something, “if you were actually this strong the whole time, why did you allow yourself to get tortured?”

“Oh, you mean Alexia kidnapping? I didn’t lie that time, they didn’t even manage to scratch me; in truth I was simply having a bit of fun and listening to what they got; he-he, they didn’t expect that a seemingly average mob was the Eminence in Shadows!…”

Claire exchanged glances with Alpha as excited Cid started talking about everything he got to experinece up to this point.

“…Well, and that’s how we got there! Oh, but it seems you wanna get some girls time, so I’m gonna check up on… Important things, yeah. Hope you don’t get into another fight while I am away, cya.”

And with that he went out of the room.

The next moment Alpha slumped down.

“Miss Alpha?” Claire felt her hands shaking.

“This is the first time I actually witnessed him being angry at me… There was no time when he was as much as disappointed…” poor elf’s face was pale.

“Y-Yeah, but it’s fine; he was simply worried about whether we would get along or not. It’s fine, moreover I pushed you a bit there,” elder Kagenou soothed First Shade.

“…Thank you, Miss Kagenou,” Alpha sighed, “I hope you are correct. I would never wish for him to be disappointed with me…”

“…Same,” Claire sulked.

Silence.

“Hmm, so you are saying you’re in relationship with him… how is it?”

“He’s really loving and careful. He also usually allows us to rule over him a bit, even though it may come off as overly clingy and possessive, when it’s just us. He also diligently tries to do everything he can to make sure we won’t feel left out…” Alpha smiled happily.

“Boo… and he just tries to ignore me every time we meet…” Claire pouted.

“He doesn’t like when you are too controlling,” elf shook her head, “He will listen to you if it’s something small or you provide good argument, but otherwise you barely can expect him to make a promise.”

“Hmph, but I am the big sister here! He should listen to me!…”

Silence.

“…It was scary, yeah? When we couldn’t speak…”

“I do know that with enough magic it’s possible to overwhelm someone to the point they wouldn’t be able to fight back… But I never saw anyone become mute because someone merely wished for that…” Alpha trembled, “Master Shadow is awesome… I never saw someone so terrifying at the field of combat and magic research… But he is also absolutely willing to do anything it takes to go even further, even if at the cost of his own health…”

“Wait. Elaborate?” Claire peered.

“He used an analogue of Curse of Diabolos on himself in order to increase his magic power. And Curse of Diabolos is also known as Demonic Possession.”

“…Honestly, I expected that.”

“…Miss Kagenou?”

“I have long knew that my brother is abnormal, Alpha,” Claire dropped honorifics, “everything you tell me simply proves I was right the whole time. Moreover, ever since realizing his true potential I wholeheartedly trust my brother in, well, almost everything.”

“Oh? What don’t you trust him with?” Alpha was curious.

“Women.”

It took a second for Alpha to realize what her beloved’s sister said.

Soon the room was filled with feminine laugh.

---

“Hmm, it looks like they made peace,” Cid was smiling as he listened to sound transmission, “Good for them, good for them.”

He used air magic to transfer the sounds from the room to himself. It was hard, yeah, and at first quality was complete dogshit, but he took this challenge nonetheless. It was only by the end of their talk he could get somewhat good quality, only to realize they already got good with each other. Well, that’s great, he doesn’t need to worry about their fallout. His sister might shake him later, though… And he doesn’t even want to know what will Alpha do to him, together with other Shades… Especially about him muting them all of sudden. Eh, he wanted to use that one on his opponents though, that would be way cooler…

Oh, speaking of magic!

“I finally got my hands on you,” he gently caressed the book.

That’s right, he took some Ancient Runes and Language books from Sherry’s library. Finally he can have a look at what somewhat proper magic looked like back then!

He will find a quiet place and conduct some experiments. Right, that’s the thing he should do right now. It’s almost night, so he will return to the girls… In the morning. Or maybe a bit later. Next morning? Well, he did leave a proper letter this time, even pointed out where he will be if they need him, so it’s fine!

Magic will not research itself!

He needs more… Power!

Chapter 24: Experimenting Obsession

Notes:

This chapter is, once again, full of Cid's ramblings about magic. Includes a bit of Xianxia stuff, but just a bit, still warning though.

Alpha was looking through the documents.

'Mitsugoshi's income increased over the last month… Lambda asks for a new training equipment… Eta's department requires more funds…'

A tedious work, but important nonetheless. After all, who else would skim through all of this if not her? And she doesn't want to take Master Shadow's time…

'Hmm? What's this? A letter?'

Once she worked through a pile of documents, she found a simple letter with familiar handwriting.

'Hmm, Master Shadow? Interesting… Going away to work on new magic ideas, will be in this place, if you need something just come… By the Goddess, Cid, not again…'

She could feel the incoming headache already.

---

'Hm, hm, hm, Ancient Runes, here I come!'

Cid found a good place to test the magic out and took the books out.

Most of them were written in language of the ancients, good thing he took the books about it, too!

Of course, at first it's gonna be hella hard, but he doesn't need to start with the hardest runes either; in fact, he's quite eager to learn the basics first. After all, even with his level of control he can't create self-sustaining phenomena yet, while Runes do exactly this; you inscribe them once and only need to do maintenance sometimes to keep them working.

In short, artifact making! Of course, he doesn't want to create some god-tier gear and end up relying on it, that would completely go against his whole philosophy, but learn the magic language and adapt it to his own style? Yeah, he can make it work!

And so he took out the first books and started reading them.

'Oh, so it's like this… Hold up, you can actually inscribe the runes on something? No, wait, it actually differs from time to time… You need a different style for different usage, for example, for weapons it would be like this, while for daily necessities it's gonna be… this…'

Cid was engrossed in receiving new knowledge.

As it turns out, even the most basic Runic Inscription (it didn't have a name but Cid gave one he thought was cool) required different instruments. For example, trying to inscribe something on metals with wood was as great as trying to beat nuclear bombs while being a normal human; completely impossible. Metal completely negates most magic actions you try to do through wooden instruments, yes, even trying to simply paint temporary runes using… you got that right, pencil! For those who don't know, pencils are usually wooden with graphite leads.

However, if you use either other metallic instruments, precious gems like diamonds, or something animal-related, the material will give in. It wasn't explained why, exactly, it worked like that, but if Cid had to guess, it's because metal on metal is normal use, diamonds are superhard materials, and animals' parts still carry on special qualities even after the owner's death after being basked in their magic for so long.

Of course, you can also inscribe runes on something different, but Metal was the most popular choice, and there was a reason for that. You see, it's possible to use soil and rocks as your material, but it does not have enough, so to say, lifespan to actually be used properly. Rocks will simply break down mere days after, being not able to handle such stress on their forms. Soil is even worse; you know, there are plants trying to grow there, little insects making their tunnels… In short, soil is everchanging. Using water? Well, remember what he told about water's qualities? Yeah… However, rocks are a great training material; you will be able to train your inscribing abilities on them as before moving on to more precious materials.

Now wood, on the other hand, is a good alternative, but while Metal was the go-to choice when you wanted to create something you would use in battles, Wood was often used for mundane life. Of course, inscription rules become different here; you can't use Metal on Wood as it would completely kill off whatever magical qualities it had, but you can use liquids instead, for example, using quills and ink. Inscribe the runes carefully on wood, let it imprint, and done!

Oh, if it's so good, why practically no one uses Runic Inscription?

Well, you may have noticed Cid used Past Tense when describing everything, right?

Yes!

Nobody fucking knows how to actually do it!

Everything that was left is old books, and everyone simply deciphered them to know how to use artifacts that already existed. Nowadays magic was used as brute force, unfortunately; people's peak was channeling their mana into a weapon to increase its prowess.

He now respects Eta even more; Alpha often told how she was creating various thingies, and even her cuffs were actually created with a different form of artifact making, unlike ones used by Midgar forces. Now how exactly was she creating artifacts he didn't ask, but it's fine, Eta wouldn't mind a little conversation with him.

The more advanced way was to use your own body as a magic conductor… Yeah, practically press your fingertip into material and start writing. The problem here is the fact that if you mess up your body will be damaged, and you can't change your size so doing it on something small is… troublesome.

And even more insane way is using pure magic. Like you barely touch your material and just send magic in multiple directions, forming runes along the way. Benefits? If you actually manage to pull it off your newly created artifact lasts for as long as the material without need for maintenance, and if creator is the one who uses it, well, conductivity become insanely high. But unless you had great control over your magic it's completely impossible and you will blow up the material instead… Well, good thing he trained in control since childhood!

Now he needs a rock… Yeah, they're literally everywhere, but he needs something big enough so he can use his finger at first. Yeah, he decided to settle for Advance way for now.

Oh, here's the rock. Now, what exactly does he want to do?… Oh, he doesn't know a single rune yet. Where's that book again…

Hmm… what can he use on a rock… Maybe something simple? A rune that emits light? Yeah, that one should be fine…

Cid started moving his finger on the surface as he channeled his mana. Slowly, a pattern appeared. And once he finished…

Nothing happened.

"Huh, now that's weird…"

'Well, trusty book, your time to shine. What went wrong?'

And nothing went wrong. He did everything exactly as it was told in the book. But still nothing happened. Hmm, he should re-read part about inscribing again…

Intention. Yeah, of course. He kinda forgot that each time you use magic you need to visualize what you want first. It is afterwards using it like that becomes second nature and doesn't require anything other than fine control.

Right, let's do this again… Light, light, light… Stroke, stroke, stroke…

Oh, he feels something. He can actually see how his creation slowly lights up… Literally!

It worked!

And if he uses magic sense, he can see how magic energy stored inside the rock slowly goes the way he inscribed and transforms into… something? Light? Electricity? Another type of magic? He doesn't know yet.

But does that mean that what he writes actually doesn't matter, and what he needs the most is his own intention? Gotta test that out, and for that he will take the word 'light' in English and Japanese languages… Well, first Japanese.

Stroke, stroke, stroke…

It worked in both cases, but at less intensity? So Ancient Runes actually have advantage over whatever other language he might use, but what is the reason behind that? Is it because it's practically imprinted into the world itself, existing in it since time immemorial, while Japanese and English came from his past life world?

Then how does Will Inscribing (made up name) works? Like Instrumental Inscribing uses various tools to ease the task, Conductive Inscribing discards them in favor of your own body, and the third one? Just manipulating magic and forcing your intention onto the material?

Cid can use the elements to do what they are already able to do (wind blowing, liquid flowing), but he can't force it to do what they can't, as in metal won't act like liquid unless he melts it. What Runes do is adding something that wasn't present in the material before or enhancing the qualities it already has. So when he uses Inscribing onto material, he practically adds a concept to it? And that's why intention is needed to make it work, as he needs to understand how the process actually works? That might explain why nowadays practically no one uses Rune Inscribing; as tests showed, if he actually uses knowledge from his previous life about light, mana costs become pitifully small while efficiency raises tremendously, but if he just thinks "go light it up or something", he needs a percent or so of his total magic reserve, and even then the result… Well, he threw this rock away. It will break sooner or later anyway. It's trash.

And that's a percent of his magic reserve. For most people it's practically eating their whole reserve up just to make a rock shiny!

But then why do Ancient Runes work better?… Or do they?

Cid inscribed runes in Japanese and Ancient Language with intention "go-go shiny".

Ancient Runes performed infinitely better, giving away a stable light compared to almost unnoticeable light of Japanese symbol.

Then Cid inscribed the light rune in Japanese, using his full knowledge about the light properties. Then he did the same with Ancient Runes.

The check showed that artifact quality was the same in each case.

'So that's how it is…'

His theory was correct: Ancient Runes were created specifically as a language describing the properties of various concepts, and when user inscribes them, they carry these concepts over to material. Once user gains profound understanding of the world around them, they can disregard Rune Language and enchant artifacts with their will alone.

And it turns out he was right; even though the end result was a bit worse than when he wrote anything, he was able to force concept of light onto the rock. There was another problem with that, though: when he inscribed the rune with writing, it was a gradual process. Now he forced it all at once. Guess what happened? Right: rock couldn't handle that and broke in dust. The dust was emitting light, though, so he actually could inscribe concepts into things. The only problem would be material's durability, but otherwise he could do it!

Of course, all of what he has done was simply inscribing a single concept of light. Sure, it works, but what if he inscribes high-temperature flames? Correct: whatever quality material has, sooner or later it will melt away under its own heat. That means he also needs to add fire-resistance to the material without breaking both of these concepts…

Huh, what's that?

Cid focused his gaze. He could have sworn he just saw something in magic spectrum… No, wait, he actually sees something!

It's not magic, per say, but it's somewhat close… Like light? No, it's the light itself? But why here and now?

No, hold on, Cid was experimenting on inscribing the concept of light into objects and now he sees something closely related to it. Coincidence? Cid thinks not!

Upon closer inspection he realized that this thing was indeed a concept of light, but… materialized? If he can say that? Like even now without magic vision he can see that surroundings were indeed brighter than before, even when he covers all his previous attempts. But with every passing moment the light slowly grew dimmer… Yeah, this "wild" concept of light was not able to sustain itself for long without some kind of anchor… What if he feeds some of his mana to it?

Oh, it came back to life! And now it slowly moves towards him. Huh, he actually can feel something on the back of his mind… It's like this thing wants to converse with him?

Well, conversation is not the right word, more like they exchange their intents. What this thing wanted is a mana supply and some kind of anchor, be it something material or his presence; in exchange it would provide whatever it as a concept of light can do and some innate insights into itself, allowing him to understand it on deeper level than even his previous scientific world gave. In essence, it offered a contract.

And what Cid did? Of course, he accepted! That's bright new field of research right there! The presence of materialized concept of light raises a possibility of other materialized concepts! What if he finds concept of fire? Or metals? Or Shadows?!

And the cost was completely laughable for him: he gave away less mana than he regenerated. Oh, this thing also noted (if he can say that) that it can evolve as a concept if it gets more knowledge about itself and other concepts. Neat! He feeds it knowledge, then takes the knowledge himself! Of course, his ability to get this knowledge himself was based on his, well, abilities, so better read more smart books.

Oh, he also has to give it a name… Hmm… Well, he will call it Radiance! Oh, he thinks it liked that! Well, now you're Radiance!

Hold on, there are more lights? Were they attracted to successful contract between him and Radiance? But he doesn't need any more… Oh, they convey that it's alright if he just binds them to material world somehow? Like imprint to something? Sure, he might also need some training in using the materialized concepts…

While working on making an area for them, he also came to an understanding: these things do not have the Ego, per say. They can die, but they do not fear it. If they die, they simply dissolve back into something they were representing, so concept of light will give a final flash of light and disappear, concept of air will merge with the surrounding air… Sure, they will try to fight back when provoked, but otherwise they will simply follow whatever their concept represents. That's completely different from material world, where every living thing seeks to survive in any way possible.

It's almost like… they're spirits! Yeah, he will call them spirits as a whole!

And when he uses Concept Inscribing, his radiating knowledge of concept attracts and materializes spirits of that concept, where he can then either use them as a material for Inscribing (which makes it way easier) or make a contract with them. Or ignore them, they don't mind that, either, and simply dissipate back.

And the deeper knowledge he possesses, the more spirits he attracts and of higher quality they are. Almost like they are formed from his intention… Huh, it might actually be that way.

Oh, Radiance conveys that they either form exactly the way he described — that is, with sentient beings' help, — or in places of extremely high concept concentration. For example, it might be possible to find concept of fire in extremely hot area… Possible, but very rare. Because concept needs understanding of itself, and without sentient beings with deep knowledge nearby… Well, it's almost impossible. It also needs some kind of magic energy in order to actually be born, as material world energy like electricity… Well, it's not compatible, which is why his previous scientific world did not have any concepts running around despite being advanced enough for their birth. And in this world people did not have enough understanding about them, despite having magic, so they were never born here, either. Huh, neat… So he's actually trailblazing here.

Wait, hold on, how can it be if Ancient Language existed?

Oh, it needs an understanding of sentient being and not of language it uses. Not to mention Ancient Language being way inferior compared to his own understanding…

Wait, if other worlds exists, does that mean there might be a world made entirely out of concept?

Radiance conveyed confusion and noted that there was a world like that, literally at his feet.

He slowly lowered his head to look below. At his feet. Where his shadow was.

Shadow.

"Huh, guess I really am gonna become Eminence in Shadows… Literally."

---

"Princess Iris, look, it's here," soldier bowed.

"Thank you, you may go," Iris nodded.

"Damn, that place sure is beautiful… I can almost believe that this is where something like long forgotten sanctuary might be," Alexia looked around, "I definitely gotta bring Cid here… For him to sightsee, of course."

"Hmm…" Iris looked around, "A shame Sherry left after the incident. We could need her help to decipher what this place is."

"Meh, don't we have contact with this Shadow Garden?"

"Doubt they will tell us much, but they probably already know about this place, so we can just wait for them."

"O-key…" Alexia nodded and looked at a shining column of stone.

Shining column of stone, in the middle of night.

And there were other objects that emitted light, starting from small rocks. The biggest thing she saw was an oak that had intricate rune patterns on it.

'Yep, definitely some kind of magic place. Wonder who made that…'

Chapter 25: Otherworldly Obsession

Notes:

Yet another magic exploration chapter; Shadow becomes someone's golden finger for a moment.

Alpha was watching the illuminated place nervously.

Master Shadow said he was going to be training here, but what she found was… Well, whatever these shining things were. Upon inspection Eta clarified that these are some kind of artifacts, and judging by magic signature, they were made by Shadow himself, and then asked to take some of them for further research. Alpha even thought she saw their scientist salivating at the mere thought of taking something that had Master Shadow's scen- cough, cough, trail.

Well then, it's obvious what their Master was working with here. Question: where is he now? Because they can see the results of his work, but can't see him.

Oh, it also attracted attention of both princesses. As the time passes, Cid breaks their "hunting in shadows" motto more and more… Alpha wanted to press them, saying that they should not partake in business like that, but then Eta noted that the only purpose of these artifacts is… to shine. That was their whole purpose. To emit light.

Naturally, it disappointed Midgar's forces that thought it was something like Goddess' Trial… Hmm, if they thought so, them this Goddess' Trial should be researched upon… In short, princesses retreated.

And now they had to find their Master, that once again disappeared somewhere…

Wait, what is this?

Right in front of them shadows started moving, converging into a single point. Soon enough even the artifacts' light was unable to disperse the mass of darkness, but before they could assume fighting position…

"Whew, now that was a wild ride! Gotta do that again sometime later…"

Their beloved Master Shadow stepped out of darkness.

---

Hours before Shadow appeared…

"Alright, what the hell is this?"

Cid was looking around… Well, looking was not the right word. Once he quite literally sank into shadows after a little brainstorm, he found himself… In the same place but completely dark and colorless like these pseudo-VHS analog horrors he saw in his previous life. He also could not see any animal life that was present in the normal world, so he concluded it was quite literally a shadow world; shadow world mimics the real world but lacks its… how to say that… liveness? If he had to guess, that's because plant life doesn't move from spot to spot and stands in one place, allowing a more detailed and stable shadow to appear. Though…

Some kind of shadow-like figures slowly moved towards him.

Yeah, looks like he was wrong about this place not having any life. It does have its own life, but it's kinda shady. Get it? Shady, because the are shadows in the world of shadows!… Well, he was never good in puns as it was not required to become Eminence in Shadows, so it is what it is. Right, monsters. He still doesn't know what their intentions are. Maybe try to initiate contact like with these light guys?

Check, check, check…

Oh, they're not outright hostile, just curious at a new being in this place. As it turns out, they did not have any kind of guests since… Well, since time immemorial, so they were just sitting here. They did not have boredom, though, as in they were some kind of spirits, so they were focused on their conceptual goal, that is, being shadows. They lamented the fact that they couldn't be in material world, but nothing more than that. Oh, they also conveyed that his is not, per say, real Shadow Dimension. Where they are right now is merely a connecting point between real world and true Shadow Dimension. Which means he has to dive deeper.

Well, he will do that later. As of now he wants to have fun in this "connecting point". Oh, he mentioned that this dimension is completely dark, so how does he see, you may ask? Well, these artifacts he made with spirits of light were shining through dimensions, so it brigthened the place up. Not by much, but enough for him to see without using magic, which is cool. The mana in this place was also kinda strange, like… Yeah, a shadow of what is in real world. And when he tries to absorb it, his body rejects it? Hmm, how strange…

Alright then, he will sit here and try to do something with this mana.

This energy is very similar to mana in normal world, but it is kinda… polar opposite? Then why doesn't it actually get attracted to his normal mana? As far as he knows polar opposites attract, no? Hang on, let's release his own mana… Yep, the moment his mana went out of his body it got immediately swarmed by this world's mana, and he could even see entities of this place trying to get it. Then why doesn't it go to his body? Is this some kind of incompatibility?

Alright, let's try the air's method then; he will spread his own mana into surroundings, mix these polar manas together, and then try absorb the result. He even has an idea how to do that…

Cid made a sphere with his hands and slowly released his mana to the center of it. Shadow Mana immediately converged, forming a compressed sphere. However, the longer he released his own mana, the less "eager" converging process became, until it completely halted. Now he had a mixed sphere of mana, and he wanted to do something really outrageous with it.

You see, what do magic users in this world have is some kind of magic vessels. They do not try to forcefully absorb mana into themselves (well, with the exception of these strange guys that gulped these strange drugs down) and completely rely on what their own reserves grant them. Of course, these reserves still passively take in the world's mana, but in the process it gets purified until it comes to user's body standard. Whenever Cid forcefully takes in the mana, it does not get purified and is way harder to control, which gives probability of Magic Overload. Of course, if you get past that, you will receive a nice bonus to your reserve, but it's really painful, even for him.

What Cid now wants to do, however, is completely different. Using Magic Overload to increase your potential? Yes, this world may have some counterparts to his technique. But taking in a large amount of mana and creating a new organ with it that will allow you to use exactly this kind of mana with no problems? He should be the trailblazer here!

Correct, he wanted to insert this Shadow Sphere into his own body and make a new organ out of it. In theory, it should go smoothly. If he tried to create Sphere of another kind, for example fire, he would probably die if something goes wrong because this element will kill him. But Shadows? Shadows turned out to be almost the same kind of mana, minus the polarity. The worst it will do is force Magic Overload on him, and he knows how to manage that.

Alright, now he needs to prepare the place for that Sphere. He slowly guided his magic into the desired place and started smelting the pathways.

And when he says "smelting", he means literally smelting. His magic went to the solar plexus (yes, very hard choice, but he didn't have any better place) and made another sphere, now out of his normal mana. Next he slowly created some kind of channels that connected the newly made sphere with his body. Why does he do this when he can just absorb it into his reserve, you may ask? Because once he does that the mana will mix and over time his body will simply purify it to standard condition. What he wants to do there is to create a second mana reservoir that will carry and generate the mana of Shadow World. If he succeeds in that, it will open up an insane amount of roads for him, like the ability to use whatever element he wants regardless of whether or not the current environment has it. In theory he will also not need to mix mana with the element, because he will be already attuned to mana of that element. In short, really cool!

Alright, he made the pathways and a vessel. Now why did he mix his mana with Shadow World's mana if he needs pure Shadow Mana for his second reservoir? Because otherwise Shadow Mana refuses to even enter the body. Once he has a Sphere, though, he might be able to suck it in and then purify to the world's standard.

Tch, auch! Alright, now that is painful! Bear with it, Cid, no pain, no gain!

Cid slowly injected mixed mana sphere into his body . There was some resistance, but otherwise it went fine! And once he finally connected it to the newly made mana vessels…

"Yes!…"

Once Sphere touched his freshly made vessels, it immediately stationed itself at the center of reservoir as its mana flowed through the channels that were prepared for it. As the mana flowed, it was quickly absorbed into the structure, making it firmer and more suited for the Shadow Mana. Once the process was finished, however…

"Where did it go?"

The Shadow Sphere and everything related to it disappeared. No, not disappeared, it was… In shadow of his normal mana? He couldn't quite explain that, but if before that his material body was normal, now it was kinda doubling in magic vision. If you simply glance at him, everything will look normal, but the more you gaze into his body, the more you realize how wrong it is. It was almost like deep inside his seemingly normal human body there was something… Something dark. And it was waiting. Waiting for his command.

As Cid connected to the feeling, he finally realized what, exactly, happened. Shadow World exists in the shadows of material world. And he is material. So Shadow Mana upon properly connecting with him and getting a vessel from him simply created something similar to it; now he has his normal mana and body, Shadow Mana that occupies the Sphere, and mana vessels that connect all of this like the connecting dimension between real world and shadow world.

That's… actually neat! Now he doesn't have to worry about finding a place in his body for new type of mana! Not only that, but upon receiving this kind of… evolution, so to say, his senses were expanded. Before that there was something obstructing his view in the Shadow Dimension, as if he was not welcome here. Now, however, everything cleared up. He was warmly greeted as the sole connecting point between real world and shadow world. And now he could actually see all the ways where he can enter deeper and exit back.

Of course, he went deeper.

He still needs to get the purest Shadow Mana to fill his new system, after all!

---

"And now I am almost lost."

Even with his brand new senses and mana the fact was clear: as of now, his body was simply not adapted enough for this kind of environment. He frequently lost himself in the deeper parts of Shadow Realm, and the entities that inhabited it… were way more hostile that ones in connecting point. It was no problem for him to fight them, actually, but the moment he killed one he was literally swarmed by the others, and he still wanted to actually research this place, so he went back to connecting point and re-emerged in a different part of Shadow Realm.

Of course, that didn't stop him at all. Once he found a somewhat quiet place (the concepts of sound and vision didn't even exist there to be fair, so he relied on his magic sense to actually make sense of the "surroundings"), he started calibrating his Shadow Core (yes, very cool name, he knows). First he attuned it to the surrounding mana, then he tried to absorb it. As expected, his body rejected the foreign mana, but this time he could actually feel… something like a burn on the places where it touched him. Obviously, Shadow Mana of this purity was completely incompatible with his material body… But once he placed his Shadow Vessels at the front, oh, that when it went great!

Shadow Mana immediately rushed into his secondary reservoir, and instead of purifying it as normal, he allowed the incoming mana to wash out whatever traces of his own mana were left in the Core. He firmly grasped on the slowly weakening connection with Shadow Core, and the moment the last drop of his man was washed away from it, it was almost like he lost it. But he immediately pulled it on himself, and then he felt.

He felt the Shadows themselves. He felt how the world around him immediately turned its full attention to him. He felt how previously hostile shadow entities turned into the most friendly puppies that surrounded him in curiosity.

And he felt how the biggest entity rushed towards him.

Cid watched as the shadow entity in front of him tried to intimidate him. A grin appeared on his face as the previously foreign shadows slowly covered his entire being, merging with his slimesuit and bringing it back to life.

"My name is Shadow," they did not understand the words, but they understood the meaning he wanted to convey. And they listened closely.

His slimesuit slowly formed into his signature coat.

"I lurk in the shadows," he stood up, encompassed in flames of dual mana, as the entity finally realized who it tried to fight against.

Shadows connected with a part of his slime, forming a darkest sword, darker than whatever he tried to create before.

"And I hunt down the shadows."

For the first time ever, Shadow Realm saw light.

The light of Shadow's crimson eyes.

---

"Oh-ho, so your Sect tries to covet the treasures of Heaven and Earth! Blasphemy! Hmph, kowtow three times, then I may be benevolent enough to leave your corpse intact!"

"Even though our Sect is overall weaker compared to your Family, do not think of us as pushovers! If we fight all-out, even your Family will be damaged in the process! And what will your enemies do after that… Hmph!"

"It seems you have eyes but cannot see Mt. Tai! Good, good, good! You had a road to Heaven in front of you, but you had to barge at the gates of Underworld!"

Everyone around them stared with bated breaths. These were the strongest experts of their respective regions, capable of shattering the earth itself with their mere strikes! And they were fighting for the treasure that might allow one to breakthrough to the mythical Immortal Realm! But there was a third side.

A group from the fabled Central Region, disciples from the strongest sect in the world! Legends have it that their Sect Master was Half-Step Immortal, capable of completely eradicating a chain of mountains in a single swoop! They wanted to get their hands on the treasure, too! The Sect Master himself with three of their strongest Elders went out to make sure no harm shall befall upon their disciples and they secure the treasure!

In short, it was obvious that they will get what they wanted. Two other groups can only sigh in pity and take whatever Central Region's disciples leave for them.

But at this moment…

The sky cracked.

"What is going on?!"

"Is that Heaven's Punishment?!"

Everyone's stares went into the sky.

A large dark crack was slowly stretching in all dimensions. It was horrifying enough for normal cultivators, but experts watched in horror as their developed senses showed them an even more terrifying picture!

"Q-Qi of Darkness!"

Was that an invasion from Demon World?!

And then sky shattered.

Onlookers watched as gigantic beast rapidly descended from the sky. No, not descended, it was falling! Falling down on them!

Experts watched in horror as the beast's dark aura completely immobilized them. They could only stand there and wait for their inevitable demise.

Crash!

The place was completely destroyed by the landing, killing all the world's strongest experts in nothing more but a mere aftershock.

Beast of Darkness let out its last wail as it slowly evaporated, having lost its last strength. At the last moment, it looked upon the one who killed it.

A man clad in shadows themselves, his crimson eyes indifferently watching over it. Whatever shred of intelligence Beast had, it finally realized.

'If I simply swore loyalty, I would not end up like that…'

Its body completely disappeared in the air.

The man in shadows looked over the place and then turned, going back into the void. As he entered, the crack finally closed off, allowing the world to breathe in peace once more.

A youth from the destroyed village slowly walked over the place. The village was pillaged by the so-called righteous cultivators, and the youth had nothing left but hate. As the collision completely killed off them all, the youth only cheered.

Then the place of landing came into view.

The sword made of Darkness itself stood proudly, seemingly uncaring about the world around it.

Beneath it, a necklace was shining brightly, dwarfing even the sun itself.

And near them lied an Ancient Scroll.

The youth hesitated briefly before coming closer.

'What would it bring being good if you have no power to back it up?…'

And the youth took a new path.

---

"Whew, now that was quite a wild ride!"

Cid finally emerged back into his world. He got in a fight with this so-called Biggest Shadow Entity and was completely disappointed. It didn't give him any challenge whatsoever! And then he accidentally made an exit with one of his attacks, sending poor spirit flying into material world. He briefly looked around to make sure it would not do any harm, and upon confirming that the place was quite desolate and the spirit dissipated into air went back into Shadow Realm before the crack closed off. Then he decided that it was enough experiments for today and headed back, realizing in the process that he no longer needed connection point to move between real world and Shadow Realm.

"Gotta do that again sometime later…" he muttered. Well, it was fun!

"Do what, Master Shadow?"

"Oh, hey, Alpha."

It's gonna be alright, right? She's not gonna scold him that much, right?

"…Let's just go back to our base and you will tell us what, exactly, were you doing," Alpha sighed.

"Sure, lead the way," well, at least that's better than getting scolded in the… middle of night? Oh, damn, now he understands why she's so pissed. He missed the dinner with them!

'Wait, I think I forgot something… Oh, yeah, I threw away the slime sword together with the spirit… Eh, no biggie, it's not like that will have any consequences…'

Chapter 26: Teaching Obsession

"Hmm, that's some great tea. Thank you, Gamma," Cid was enjoying himself.

"I am glad to be of service, Lord Shadow," Gamma smiled warmly.

They were currently sitting in Mitsugoshi's VIP room, him, Seven Shades, and Claire. He didn't know what exactly his sister was doing here but considering she already knew about his secret identity he didn't bother with that.

"Master Shadow, I assume you decided to deepen your knowledge in artifact making?" Eta's eyes sparkled as she stared at him, her usually sleepy nature completely suppressed under thirst for knowledge.

"M-m-m, that is correct, Eta. And I was absolutely satisfied with the results. If you wish, we can discuss it right here," and that would save him from Alpha's scolding for some time.

"Hmm… Not now… Lady Alpha first…" well, it was worth a try.

"So, Master Shadow," Alpha scrutinized him, "we already understood that your goal was artifact crafting. What happened next?"

"Oh, right! I understood that Ancient Runes are complete garbage!"

"…What?" Alpha and Eta blinked at him as everyone else just stared, dumbfounded.

"No, of course not complete garbage, they serve their role pretty well… But the problem is, they inhibit your growth!"

"Elaborate," Alpha frowned.

"Ah, how do I say that…" Cid rubbed his chin, "Well, you know that some languages have more ways to express some things and completely lack the means for others?"

"Yes, and that relates to runes, how?" Eta inquired.

"The runic language was specifically created as means to enchant things!" he proudly declared.

And then silence permeated the room. Women exchanged glances, not understanding the meaning behind his words.

"My dearest little brother, that's precisely what runes should do?" Claire was the first to ask.

"…You don't get it? Not even you, Eta?"

"I am afraid… not, Master Shadow…" researcher sulked.

"Right, then let me ask you this," Cid stood up and reached out to her, "What knowledge do you have about artifact making as a whole and runes in general, my trusty scientist?"

"Umm…" Eta unexpectedly blushed, "runes are used… to make pathways for magic energy… and to enchant material… Depending on your knowledge… it may be possible to increase prowess of something and even add abilities…"

"Mostly correct," Cid nodded, "however, what you don't know is… Runes carry meaning."

"Hm?…"

"The whole runic language was created in collaborate efforts of all craftsmen. They imprinted their own understanding in every letter, allowing countless people to use enchantment without learning too much about how nature works," Cid frowned, "And that's why it's complete garbage. You are, quite literally, use borrowed power. You, by yourself, don't understand how it works. You just know that if you write things in specific order, it will work. This is not even maths, where you simply use numeric language to make an order out of nature. Runic language is, quite literally, someone's else thoughts about nature, and you end up relying on them too much."

"But…" Eta frowned, "whenever I apply my knowledge in enchantment, it works better…" researcher's eyes widened.

"You start to understand, don't you?" Cid smiled, "If you do actually learn about nature, then your comprehension outweighs whatever opinions creators imprinted…"

"…Which allows me to continue in my growth, and the only reason I continue using runes is because I grew on them too much," scientist beamed.

"You understand anything?" "Uh, somewhat…" "Delta can't understand anything…" "I should have taken Ancient Language courses…"

"Um, little brother…" Claire coughed, "Now can you please explain to every sword user in the room what does that mean for us?"

"Hm, well…" Cid face became extremely serious, as women waited with bated breath, "nothing."

"…What?"

"Yeah, it means nothing for you. You never dabbled in the enchantment, runes, yadda-yadda, you only used sword, which is cool, but…" he made 'so-so' gesture.

"Oh yeah?! Well then, allow me to see how actually strong you are, little brother!" Claire fired up.

"Please, wait, miss Claire," Alpha interjected, "I still haven't asked something."

"Yeah, fine, but after that we will fight!" his sister huffed.

"Well, alright, what is it, Alpha?" Cid urged the elf.

"How did you appear from the shadows?"

"I am Shadow. I lurk in the shadows," he smiled.

"But there's no magic that allows you to literally merge with the shadows, to my knowledge," sta-a-are.

"Well, now there is."

Alpha went silent for a moment.

"It wasn't dangerous, was it?"

"Hmm…" Cid estimated a bit, "nah, everything was perfectly okay."

"Good," Alpha nodded, "because I don't want to think about it anymore. You are to cuddle with me tonight."

"Sure- hold up?"

"You are to cuddle with me tonight," Alpha repeated, "And if everyone else wishes for it, you are to cuddle with them, too."

"But I haven't finished yet! There's so much to explore!"

Bonk!

"Little brother, neglecting your girls surely would bring nothing good, right?… Ugh, your head is like metal…" Claire grimaced, massaging her hand.

"Right, right, I'll stay with you for tonight," he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Good. Next point: Goddess' Trial in Lindwurm."

"Oh, I know about that one," Claire spoke, though after a moment of consideration she added, "but the only thing I heard is that challenger will meet with spirits of warriors from the past."

"Yes, you are indeed correct, miss Claire," Alpha nodded, "Which is precisely why we wish to investigate this place. How does it work? Where do the spirits come from? Could there be… something deeper?"

"Hmm, that sounds pretty great," Cid rubbed his chin.

'Damn, they even invited my sister to play with me. Talk about dedication.'

"Do you know what could it be, Master Shadow?" Alpha turned her head.

"I have a couple of theories, but it would be the best if I saw it personally… Right, how about-"

"No, Master Shadow, you will not go away right now."

"Bummer," he sulked.

"It will start in a week, so we have plenty of time to prepare. Gamma, organize a carriage. Beta, Epsilon, prepare your squads. Zeta, investigate the inner workings beforehand. Eta… Stay here, you have work to do. Delta, do nothing for now, until I or Master Shadow tell you otherwise."

"Right, Cid, I don't think we are needed here. Let's go, you owe me a fight!" Claire beamed.

"You want me to fight you at full power?" he blinked.

"Yes! Let's go!"

"Sure, I guess…"

Next moment, Claire was blown away by a sudden gust of wind. You know, they sometimes may appear in absolutely closed room, yeah?

---

"U-u-u…"

"Stop sulking, you asked for it yourself," Cid sighed.

"U-u-u!"

"Goddamnit…" he slowly patted her head.

"U-u-u…"

After three times of him completely annihilating her in a fight, Claire got pissed. She asked him to fight her using only swordsmanship, and in two blows she was defeated. He didn't even use magic while she gave it all. After that she just fell on his lap and pouted. Her elder sibling pride was hurt.

Yes, she knew that her brother was amazing, but she was praised as one of the kingdom's finest sword users, with magic reserve large enough to sustain her through the fight! Yet here she was, being completely thrashed by her brother, two years younger than her, while he even gave her an advantage of not using his magic.

"Come on, sis, I have quite literally trained myself in every martial art possible and refined my magic control further and further."

"You're supposed to be consoling me, not boasting about your achievements," she glared at him.

"Eh, no biggie, I know you are strong cookie and will be able to learn everything now that I can train you properly," he waved his hand.

"Hmph," yet she still smiled.

He just continued patting her head.

"Say, Cid."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you actually hide your power?"

"Oh, I just don't want all this trouble that will come with me coming to light. I want to stay in shadows and do everything in shadows!"

"Uh, then why do you still go to academy?"

"Foolishness, Claire, foolishness!" Cid struck a dramatic pose (with her still on his lap), "If you play the role of an average person, nobody will suspect you to be the one ruling everything from the shadows!"

She stared at him, unamused.

"Now don't look at me like," he deflated, "that was my dream since childhood, and I gave away a lot to achieve it."

"Yeah, especially public opinion about you," Claire poked him.

"Eh, who cares about them. They know nothing."

She went silent.

There was a lot to unpack, of course, but she was happy. Happy that her brother actually decided to open up to her now that she was smart enough to connect the dots. Happy that her brother was actually really strong, stronger than her even. Happy that he actually cared for her and developed a cure for Possession, which allowed to save countless lives (even if these hus- women become enamored with her brother, grrr…).

"Hey, Cid?"

"What is it?"

"How are you gonna teach me? Like, will you give me points about swordsmanship or…?"

"Your swordsmanship is actually pretty fine, because you were indirectly training under me, but your magic control…" he grimaced, "It's trash."

"Excuse me?! Just so you know, I am one of the most gifted magic users in the kingdom!"

"Exactly, 'magic user' and by standards of Midgar kingdom. By my standards, almost everyone that were not taught by me are complete trash in magic control. All you know is to take more and beat harder. Literally," he ruthlessly spoke. "So you are in for a hellish training. By the end of the month I expect you to be able to use slimesuit," he thought for a moment and added, "And that's the minimum passing grade."

"But the month will end in two days!" her eyes widened.

"Indeed, I expect a lot from you," he nodded sagely.

"Then we need to do it now!"

"Hmm, true… Alright, here, take it," a part of his suit suddenly shifted and divided. She stared at how the black mass slowly fell on the ground in front of her.

"That's…"

"Slime, yeah. I spent some time researching how to use it the best, so listen to me now, because I still have a session with Shades…" he shuddered.

"Hmph! And what will I get if I manage to do it, say, in twelve hours?"

"Well, I'll allow you an hour of doing almost whatever you want. With me."

"DEAL!"

---

Needless to say, by the end of sixth hour Claire barged in the room where Cid and Shades were cuddling. Shades wanted to protest, but upon hearing about bet immediately resigned, though they took a promise out of him to give them similar challenges in the future.

What Claire did with him? That's a secret that he was unwilling to share…

Notes:

I have a feeling that by the time Shadow actually meets with Aurora and Elizabeth he will already be way too OP to consider them worthy opponents, but at the same time magic research is Cid's second nature so he can't just stop with it. Thoughts?

Chapter 27: Energy Obsession

Cid was sitting in a carriage.

To be honest, he would rather go to Lindwurm on his own, but…

But he still had to play the role of an average mob, and their academic break after terrorist attack was over. He took a lot of time with all his magic researches, anyway, and didn't know what to do next yet. Like, where the hell will he find a fire dimension? He will need to find something like a volcano first, or drill underground in order to reach mantle and core. In short, he decided to stop with practice and focus on theory.

Which led him to taking the carriage to Lindwurm. Coincidentally, his school was willing to send some students to the Goddess' Trial. And by "some students" he meant…

"Cid, say 'A-ah'," yeah, Rose Oriana.

The current champion of the academy, the princess of Oriana kingdom, was currently sitting with him and trying to feed him.

"Excuse me?! He's my boyfriend, not yours!" Alexia Midgar.

Younger princess of Midgar, his girlfriend, was sitting from the other side and fuming at Rose's actions.

"Oh, by the Goddess…" Iris Midgar.

Heir princess of Midgar, the previous champion of the academy (only because she finished studying), sat across them and facepalmed at the two girls' actions.

"I shouldn't have agreed to that…" Cid sighed and leaned back.

Yep, at first he was riding another carriage, fit ideally for his mob personality (Gamma once again delivered), but then the girls found him and, well… At first he refused, but then Rose said "I insist", and he couldn't do anything.

"Cid, are you saying that you're unhappy with being in presence of three gorgeous women?" Alexia squinted.

"That's precisely what I am saying; you're too noisy," he stared at the ceiling.

"Hmm, your courage in saying that is admirable," Iris nodded at him, smiling.

"Ehh, so-so," he waved his hand, "I would rather be in some quiet place and think about important things."

"Hoh, so you can think and not just lunge at the coins falling out of pockets?" Alexia giggled.

"Alexia!" Iris' eyes widened.

"Miss Alexia, that's-" Rose tried to chastise the princess, but he didn't actually care for her insults, so…

"I'll have you know, I am not some kind of beggar that is after any ownerless Zeni," snatch! "Thank you for your donation," and smile.

"Anytime, my dearest boyfriend," and smile.

"So that's how couples act with each other…" Iris' shock slowly subsided as she went into thinking mode.

"Cid?" Rose called out.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Here," and she threw him a gold coin.

Catch!

"Thank you very much, princess Rose!"

"O-Oh, just Rose is enough, Cid…"

"O-Oi! That's my privilege! Rose, why are you going out of your way to snatch someone who is mine?! Cid, why did you accept that?!"

"Money is money," he nodded sagely.

"Because I believe that Cid Kagenou is someone that was preordained for me by fate," Rose seriously answered.

Wait, the hell?

"Oh, and what makes you think that?" Alexia heated up.

"He saved me during attack on academy when I was the most vulnerable. If it was not for him, I would be long dead, yet he still decided to protect me with his body."

No, it was a bit different-

"Cid?" Alexia turned around.

"I only jumped in because-"

"…So you actually did it."

"Yeah, I did," well, if they don't want to listen, their problems.

"…I did not expect you to actually be so brave… To go all-out on tournament where it's a given you will be given medical attention and there are rules established is one thing, but in a death situation… You have the spirit of a true knight, I commend you for that," Iris nodded with respect.

"Damn, alright, princess Rose, but I found him way before y'all got attracted for these qualities! He's mine!" Alexia fumed.

"I do not intend to be a third wheel, but know this: I will not back down. Cid Kagenou was preordained for me by the Goddess herself, and I shall pass through every obstacle in order to secure our happy ending," Rose locked her gaze onto Alexia.

"Gr-r-r…"

Alexia glared at him.

"Stop staring at me, I am not at fault here. I only did what was needed to be done," he replied nonchalantly and stood up, "Have fun, girls, I am going to my room."

"M-m-m, I wish you good rest, Cid," Iris smiled at him.

'Right, I can write some theories on my magic research while I am alone. What should be the next topic since I can't access other elements yet?… Oh, I remember I wanted to do something with teleportation, and even though my Shadow Core allows me to travel in shadows, I want a pure teleportation. Right, let's do this!'

---

Iris tapped her cup in frustration.

"You both do realize your childish behavior, correct?" she spoke calmly.

"I am ashamed in what I did and sincerely apologize for my actions," Rose hung her head in shame.

"Iris, but- but Cid is my boyfriend-!"

"Alexia," Iris pressed.

"…I am sorry for being so rash, princess Rose…"

"You are not the ones who you should apologize to," Iris shook her head, "and neither am I."

"Ah…" Rose's eyes widened in realization while Alexia looked confused.

"It was your idea to invite him to our carriage, yet instead of making sure he feels comfortable you started quarrelling with each other, moreover with the topic being him," Iris sighed.

"Ah… Uh… Well…" Alexia paled.

"It's alright, I can see he wasn't offended that much. Just take my words into consideration, both of you."

"Uh, yeah, so…"

"Not now. Later. If you go now, he will only get frustrated more. Let him relax, alone."

"…Sure…"

"Now, let us talk about something else."

"Is it gonna be about Shadow Garden?" Rose guessed.

"Correct," Iris nodded. "As of now it is clear that whatever these terrorists actually are, their goal was to destabilize the kingdom, moreso with the fact that they personally attacked the foreign princess and promising researcher. And Shadow Garden opposes them. What their goals are, that I do not know, however they did help us in ensuring safety. We did not have any… meaningful meeting with them after that, but at least we know that one group suppresses the other, allowing us to grow our powers in peace."

"Hmm…" Rose blinked, "You know, I have noticed something…"

"Continue," Iris encouraged her.

"Back when they were escorting students out, their swordplay was unlike anything else… It is not one of Midgar's recognized styles, neither I saw anything similar to Velgalta's Seven Blades. However, there is one style that strikes horrifyingly similar to theirs…"

"Hm?" Alexia looked up.

"Mine."

"…Princess Rose?" Iris asked, dumbfounded.

"I have never told anyone the reason why, exactly, I took the sword. You have heard that I consider the swordsmanship to be the most beautiful art in the world, correct?" upon receiving nods of confirmation Rose continued, "That's because back in my childhood I was saved by someone, who showed me how beautiful swordplay can be. I became enamored with this vision since then, endlessly pushing myself to create something similar to it. And now I saw this style again, albeit less perfected, at hands of someone other than him…"

"…So you met Shadow back in your childhood," Alexia concluded.

"Shadow, that's how he goes now?" Rose blinked.

"Now? He went under another name when he met you?" both princesses were surprised.

"Oh, right, back then he was… somewhat my age, I think. And his name was…"

Rose leaned in.

"Stylish Bandit Slayer."

---

"Achoo!"

Oh, he felt like someone was talking about him. Eh, probably Claire and Shades speaking out their opinions on him. Right, magic.

Even racking his brains at full speed, with his knowledge about physics, including (but not limited to) quantum physics, with his innate talent for magic, with his insane work… He still couldn't quite realize how to create pure teleportation magic, without relying on shadows, or light, or anything else.

Well, it's not like he was gonna roll on his luck forever, now did he? Quite frustrating, to be honest, but he probably can find something related to teleportation in this world? He surely hopes he can. Shame, though, he wanted to finish with it as fast as possible, but until then he can use Shadow Trail.

You see, upon kicking that poor Shadow Spirit out of Shadow Realm Cid realized that the material world he found himself in back then was… Kinda different. It was way after he realized that it was a completely different material world, and so he took a bit of time to check out how, exactly, that worked. Thankfully the Shadow Spirits became extremely docile and helpful after he obtained Shadow Core, so he quickly learned how to travel in Shadow Realm and use it as shortcut to any place he wants. Unfortunately, he deemed the travel to another world too dangerous as of yet, so he decided to postpone it until he understood how teleportation works, but it's still a great ability for fast travels, and he wanted to use it to get to Lindwurm before settling on mob style.

Alright, teleportation locked, too. What's next?

Blood Magic? Definitely not here, what if they walk in while he practices? His whole mob career will be ruined! Not like it's not ruined already with his princesses' connections, but if he does something this outrageous, it will definitely be game over.

Air Magic? Doable, but he's already proficient in that.

Light Magic? Yeah, if he wants to quite literally make a shining arrow on him, then sure.

Elemental Magic?… He could meditate on fire? Like, lit a candle and try to feel the flame? It's… possible. Alright, let's try this.

Candles, candles… Oh, here's one! Lit it up and focus on it…

What is fire? Hard question. Most people would say it's something that happens when you burn flammable materials, but how, exactly, does that happen? Science says that it requires fuel (obviously, duh) and oxidizer, typically oxygen. They both need to be exposed to heat in order to start fires, and after some point the fire itself will provide sufficient heat, allowing the chain reaction of flames producing heat in order to produce more flames, granted that the fuel and oxidizer are constantly provided…

Well, that's how he understands it. What he gets from that? He always has oxidizer around him — oxygen, yeah, — and he could, theoretically, increase the heat via using magic. How can he work around flammable materials?…

Let's start with adjusting the already existing flames. Inflict a bit of mana in the fire and… It went off. First try failed, second try… Flickered, but still going. Alright, next step: in order to increase temperature he has to… Right, give the energy to it. No, seriously, if you apply the kinetic force to something the temperature will increase! Don't believe it? Try rubbing your carpet real fast and see what happens!

He doesn't need to rub anything with magic, though. He simply directs his energy into the ongoing flames and slowly increases intensity… Alright, that's enough, he doesn't want to burn everything, the candle literally melted in seconds. Take away that energy!

Nice, he took it back… Wait, he got more than he gave away. Now hang on a second… Something is not right here… Let him check real quick…

Cid touched the still warm coffee cup. In the next instant, the coffee has gone cold as he felt the energy flowing from it into his body.

He stared at the ceiling. Then he heated up the coffee back and sipped it.

It's not every day you break multiple laws of reality that you once thought to be fundamental, after all.

Chapter 28: Fiction Obsession

Notes:

This chapter contains lots of references: some extremely obvious, some deep hidden. Can you catch them all?

"Hm, looks like we've arrived."

Finally!

After four days of being with Rose and Alexia he was this close to just jumping off and going on his own.

Each time they made a stop, these princesses ran to him and tried to take him with them on… a stroll, he thinks? In short, they wanted to spend time with him. Preferably alone, but he was too lazy to do it one-on-one so he just took both of them. Iris only chuckled at his predicament.

At least he found some cool things about magic and its interactions with the world. Further experiments showed that with his level of control he can forcibly take away kinetic energy of something, and when he says kinetic, he means both the ability to affect its heat and the ability to stop something; he learned it when he found some bandit group deep at night (R.I.P. in peace, unnamed thugs) and tried his brand new skill on them. Needless to say, even Cid himself was surprised when sword couldn't even scratch his wooden stick. On further thought, he realized that when one thing hits another, they release energy on each other, and he completely took away the energy behind thug's strike, thus rendering the attack useless.

However, things were not as great as they sounded: indeed, he could take away the energy behind any inanimate object such as coffee, sword, even air itself, but he could not do so with living beings, or rather, it was very hard to pull off, and the factor behind that, as Cid thought, was sentience. The more self-aware the living being was, the harder it resists his Energy Drain. Moreover, should living being inject their mana into inanimate object, and that object will receive a grade of resistance against his skill, though to a way less degree that the living being itself. Thank you for contributions in science, bandit group, your names shall never be forgotten… Uh, who were they again?

Oh, he also tried to inject his mana into dead bodies, but… they combusted.

After that he simply relaxed for the two remaining days; he still needed to take breaks. Like, sure, he was very well invested in magic, but he remembered from previous life what happens when you take your goals way too far (he only took shower because else it would put his mob personality at risk), moreover Alpha would surely need valerian if she found out he managed to go deep in research even under such circumstances.

"…Hey, Cid, what do you think about Natsume Kafka?" Rose's voice took him out from his thoughts.

"Who's that?"

"Hah, told you," Alexia smirked, "Not everyone reads things like these, princess Rose."

"W-Well, she's still a great author!" Rose fiercely defended her favourite writer, "The way she writes is simply perfect! The romantic moments, the action, the horror… She excels in all fields!"

"Hoh?" well, now that's curious… "Count me interested, Rose."

"I knew you would agree!" she beamed, "Let's go! She is in Lindwurm right now, too! It's a great chance for you to meet her!"

"Tch, whatever, I am going with you," Alexia clicked.

"Then I shall go and prepare a place to stay. I wish you a good tour," Iris nodded and went on her way.

"Great! Follow me, I know where she is!"

---

"Romeo and Julieta", "Dragonball", "Snow White"…

You know, there are two options.

First: someone other reincarnated with Cid and brought all these books from Earth.

Second: a certain silver-haired female elf heard stories that he told her and decided to adapt them into this world just like Gamma and Epsilon.

Guess which turned out to be true?

"Welcome, sir," 'Natsume Kafka', or, as Cid knows her, Beta, warmly greeted him, "is there anything you wish for?

"Hmm, a book, maybe?…"

Beta only nodded gently and took out a pen to give him an autograph.

"How it's going? Anything you wrote on your own?" he whispered.

"Mhm, I knew you would ask this, so the ones that were created by me personally are on the other side," she whispered back.

Oh, right, there is another stack, and he doesn't recognize any of them. Well, guess that's a pass in his book (pun intended).

"By the way, Lord Shadow," she leaned in as he looked through the books, "Please check right under the autograph; I wrote out all important information about the event here, in Ancient Language."

"Oh?… Thank you, Beta, that would help me tremendously," he smiled.

"Glad to be of help, my Lord," she beamed.

Cid quickly looked at the signed book and noticed that there was, indeed, lots of interesting info.

"Alright, after everything is over consider you got a personal hour," he decided to give out a reward.

"…Thank you, my Lord!" he could practically see her shining.

"Hmm, right… Wait, what are these two books?" these two were unlike anything else in the shop…

"Oh, Eta found them during ruin restoration, right one near the other… We couldn't even try to decipher the language as it is completely different from anything we have seen before," Beta sulked.

"Hm…"

Right, the language is indeed different… Wait, hold on… Isn't that… Russian? Fuck, he did not learn that one deep enough, he always read their classics in English…

The title of the first one is… Damn, he can't even read that one properly because of handwriting… Uh, something like 'Oderjim-' nah, to hell with it.

The second one with printed letters is way easier to read… Hmm, 'Neudachnii Vibor'? 'Bad Choice'? Oh, it also has english words, why? 'Made in H.X.', now what does that even mean?

"Sorry, Beta, I can't do anything about these two, either," he sighed.

"It's fine, Eta already estimated that it should've been something to pass the time, like romance or action novels," elf smiled at him.

"Well, if she says that, I am inclined to believe her…" Cid placed the book back.

"Right, as an established author I have a lot of connections. If you ever need something, don't hesitate to ask me," her glasses made a flare.

"M-m-m, sure," he started walking away.

At the some point, he turned around to take one last look at the strange books.

They were nowhere to be seen.

'Guess Beta took them away,' he shrugged.

---

"Well, Cid, how was it?" Rose asked him with shining eyes.

"Honestly, great. I had lower expectations, but was genuinely surprised," Cid honestly answered.

Seems like Beta isn't full-on plagiarist, after all. To be honest, it was somewhat his fault for giving them all in the first place, but eh, let's not think about it.

"I knew you would like it!" she smiled warmly.

"Tch, it's definitely not because of these things in her chest area…" Alexia hissed. He didn't know she could hiss.

Though, to be fair, Beta's breasts are definitely very well developed for someone of her age. And, unlike some other people, she did not use magic to affect their growth…

"Cid? You are not thinking about that, do you?" now Rose went worried, too.

"Nah, it's just the upcoming Trial," he lied as naturally as he breathed.

"Oh, you want to participate? I can sign you in!"

"Please don't, I had enough on my share already."

"If you say so…"

---

"Hm, hm, hm…" Cid hummed.

Remember his thoughts about shower? Well, turns out there was a hot spring, and he wanted to try it out.

He waited for the next day and went in the early morning to make sure there was no one. Well, his plan somewhat failed, as there were two women in the hot spring: princess of Midgar and princess of Oriana. Did he care? Somewhat, but his wish for a good bath was stronger, so he went in.

"H-How lewd…" poor Rose, probably first time ever being in a bath with a man.

"Ahem! So how is your day, Cid?" Alexia was way less shocked.

"Oh, pretty great so far," he drank a small piala of cold tea with closed eyes, "it's been a long time I visited the hot springs…"

"'Long time?' They were created by Mitsugoshi half of year ago," Alexia sneered, "next thing you tell us is you're friends with President of that company, writer Natsume Kafka, architect Lloyd Wright, and composer Shiron."

"…Damn," he took another sip.

"Thought so."

He refilled his piala with closed eyes.

"Not even gonna peep?" Alexia inquired.

"Nah, not feeling that way. And I would greatly appreciate if both of you stop staring at me like that."

"Well, excuse me for checking out my boyfriend…"

"Uhm…" Rose was clearly feeling unwell, why did she go to hot springs if she has problems with health?

"Oh, maybe you wish to check out my Excalibur? If so, then it is for maidens' eyes only… Oh, right."

"Yes-yes, let me check out the goods!" Alexia practically shouted.

"E-Excuse me, I-I think I shall go…!" Rose, on the other hand, took her clothes and ran away.

"Ho-ho, you don't even know the challenge you have accepted!" and with that Cid stood up,

"Oh… Oh goddess… Well, that has to be some kind of bullshit…" Alexia whispered upon seeing his Legendary Flying Dragon.

"Hmph, you best not underestimate me in the future, lest you be surprised greatly."

"Bold words for someone who can't even beat me in a fight," she turned her gaze away, blushing.

"Thirty years east, thirty years west, do not underestimate the youth," that was idiom that he took from interesting books back when he was on Earth.

"Sounds smart, but is there any practical use for that?" she took a quick glance in his direction, blushing even harder.

"Who knows," he shrugged and slapped his towel in-between his legs, "Right, bye, Alexia. I am gonna chill for the whole remaining day, we'll meet tomorrow at the Trial."

"Hmph, yeah, have fun I guess."

He passed through the still shocked Rose standing at the door.

"Peeping is bad, princess Rose," yes, he knows that he shouldn't do that, but he couldn't resist this opportunity!

"Uhm…" she blushed even harder than Alexia, "S-Sorry…"

"Eh, if I didn't want to do that in front of you I wouldn't do it, that simple. Have fun, too."

"Uh, yeah…"

---

Sherry entered the room assigned to her in Shadow Garden.

She has just finished the last experiments with Eta. Their magic knowledge was way superior compared to the rest of the world, and as it turned out, most of that knowledge was created by Shadow himself, with Eta simply modifying and branching out from whatever he gave.

Shadow. Cid Kagenou. Her only moral anchor left in this world.

As she closed the door, she stared at the wall. The wall, full of pictures and articles with him. Looking through the window, fighting a dragon, sitting at the piano, cooking, without a shirt button, without shirt…

Sherry took out one of her priceless treasures: the student coat that he used to cover her back then. As she huffed the scent, bliss enveloped her entire being. She looked at the table; amongst stacks of papers, there was a photo. A photo of her and Cid, in the academy. Back when everything seemed simpler…

Sherry was lost in thought for a moment.

Cid needs her. He needs her help. He can't work on everything Eta told her about alone. And she's more than willing to offer it.

Then, maybe…

Sherry took out the life-sized plushie of him and stared at it with wide smile.

Maybe he will notice me in the other light~

Notes:

Next chapter is Aurora meeting, yay!

Chapter 29: Violet Obsession

"And now, let us welcome our contenders for the Goddess' Trial!" a bald man on the podium spoke solemnly.

Yeah, it's finally starting. Cid does not know what, exactly, should happen at the Trial, but if Alpha and girls said it's gonna be fun, then probably they are right.

Judging from the words of bald man (uh, Nelson was his name, he thinks?), the contender will come forward in the shiny dome to, what, give the spirits of deceased a chance to estimate their abilities? Then if the contender passes requirements this place will summon him an opponent. Should contender come out victorious, they get a large sum of money and a chance to make a career. Sounds good, actually.

Oh, and the three princesses were in VIP lounge up above. They wanted for him to come with them, but Cid declined. Eh, it's fine, upon realizing who else was in VIP lounge he lost last bits of wish to go there, anyway. Yep, Beta in her Natsume Kafka disguise was sitting with princesses. And knowing how jealous she was even when he was interacting with Shades, no doubt any little talk with princesses will spark a flaming tornado.

So, no, he's not going. Instead let's watch this interesting event. First guy comes up and… Nothing happens. The guy becomes frustrated and leaves the dome… Huh, if Cid recalls correctly it costs 150.000 Zeni to just participate, and you don't get any compensation should you fail… Yep, poor guy just lost a sum.

A dozen or so guys failed, too. Real pity, that's 1.950.000 Zeni lost. Good thing Gamma covers everything for him now.

"Next pretendent: Annerose Nichtsehen!"

And the whole place breaks in ovations. Looks like that girl is hella popular? Should be strong then.

Oh, the dome actually answered! And he can see some curious things happening… Well-well-well, if it isn't the spatial magic he was searching for! Though it's mixed with something else… He will need some time to decipher-

What do you mean it's over?!

The woman on the stage cleaned her sword and placed it back in , she won in mere seconds. Are all spirits here that weak?!

Next time a contender summoned a spirit it was actually a fierce battle that lasted for a few minutes. The end result: contender lost with heavy injuries. Huh, could it be this swordswoman is actually just really strong? If it's like that, he actually found a third Heroine for his list…

Another seven contenders stood up, and all lost. Some lasted for a couple of minutes, some lost in mere seconds. But it was not enough for him to actually decipher what is going on with spatial anomalies! Well, looks like he will need to go up closer. And for that he will participate himself.

---

"And our next contender is- Who is that?!"

A man in black coat jumped up on the stage and came closer into the dome. The moment he did, the ancient symbols started flowing and glowing. However, as time passed, they did not stop like with all previous successful contenders. Instead, the waves of magic started rising up, opening a black portal.

"The ancient memories slumber in the Sanctuary. And today, I shall set them free," his calm and confident voice reverberated across the arena.

He raised his hand and pulled something invisible to himself. The next moment, his opponent finally arrived.

"I-Impossible…" Nelson's eyes widened.

"T-The Witch of Calamity?!" Natsume Kafka placed her hand on the mouth.

The tall woman clad in clothes dark as night itself stepped up from the portal. Her raven hair flowed in the air as she slowly descended on the arena. Once her feet finally found the ground, her violet eyes locked onto her opponent in curiosity.

"You know her?" Alexia asked the obviously more knowledgeable people.

"Aurora, the Witch of Calamity…" Nelson nodded in fear, "legends say it that she was the reason our world was on the brink of catastrophe millennia ago."

"Catastrophe?…" Rose turned her head.

"It is not a well-known story, after all, so no wonder only those who purposely try to find it know about the events…" bald man sighed as he finally calmed down.

"The Trial summons a worthy opponent for the contender… Does that mean that Shadow?!…" Alexia's widened her eyes in realization.

"Impossible," Nelson shook his head, "there never was someone as strong as the Witch of Calamity herself. She was responsible for destruction of civilization. No matter how strong one is, he will be nothing more but a fodder against Aurora…"

Iris frowned at his words and focused on the arena.

Alexia and Rose gulped at his words. There's no way someone would be that strong, right?

Natsume Kafka finally finished scribbling something in her notebook. Her sky-like eyes were watching raven-haired woman. 'Kafka' was worried for her beloved Lord. He always wins, but judging from the man's words, if something goes south…

No. Beta knows that Lord Shadow knows no defeat.

---

'There's no way…'

Cid was watching his opponent. The way she moved, the way she appraised him, the way her feet were standing… Everything said: she knows what she does.

It was first time when Cid met someone like her in this world. It was first time someone actually knew what, exactly, is true spirit of battle. Even now, whilst they were still, a "conversation" was taking place.

Cid calmed down his heart. It is the first time he ever felt something like that. The first time a mere look from someone sent a pleasant shivers down his spine…

'My dear, lovely… Violet…'

He does not know her name, but he does not need to.

Then, he decided.

'After you.'

He made a step to the left. The next moment the place where he stood was pierced by red spear.

It would be easy to completely overwhelm her with his superior magic abilities, but what fun would it be, then? He intentionally set a limit. He will only use swordsmanship and close quarters combat. Let the true skill decide who is the winner.

One spear goes forward. It breaks in two. Two spears. One in front, another from the left. Slash one with sword, send it into another. Spears meet each other and fall.

They explode into countless small needles and continue flying into him. Blood Magic. He was not the first user of it in this world. Curious. She tries to overwhelm him with numbers.

He watches as the needles come closer. Then he makes his move.

All the needles were slashed. In but a moment, his sword danced in the air and deflected each and every projectile from his opponent.

Violet smiled at him and nodded. A bloody red spear appeared in her arm.

She lunges at him. Spear is longer than a sword, so as long as she maintains the distance, she will remain at advantage.

She does maintain her distance. Each time he tries to come closer, she forces him back with her spear. He does not wish to take a single hit. They are dancing. To take a hit is to break the rhythm. That will not do.

He ducks under spear. He places his sword above to stop the spear from coming down. He immediately takes her in a grappling hold. She does not know how to fight unarmed. Somewhat funny.

She ceases any resistance.

"It was a good dance."

"Yeah, it sure was."

"A shame you are but a spirit of the past. I would wish to have a conversation with you at your peak."

"Oh, is that so…? Ha-ha, first time someone says that to me."

"Their problem, then."

"Hmm…" she nods at him.

The next moment, his dagger pierces her heart. She casts him last sad smile and dissipates in red right.

A sense of loss appeared in his soul.

---

"How- How could that be…" Nelson could no longer hold himself. He stared in horror at what happened in the arena.

No one could believe what happened, either. One moment, Shadow is being held back by Aurora's relentless attacks. Next moment, they are engaging in close battle. Last moment, they see her blood as she disappears.

Alexia was closely watching their battle to imprint every single move of theirs into her memory. A doubt seeped into her mind.

'And he thinks I will some day grow enough to give him a challenge…'

Rose was enamored with a beautiful dance again. It reminded her of times, long buried in her memories…

Iris for the first time in her life felt conflicted about her power. It was clear she was nowhere as capable as the two fighters. The difference between her and Shadow Garden's top executives was large, but she believed with enough work she could one day catch up to them. This battle, however, shook her heart.

Beta was writing and sketching down everything that happened during the battle. She even felt a bit guilty for doubting her Lord. After all, it is clear that he is God in human form. How could he ever experience a loss?

Shadow looked around one last time and disappeared from view. Then the dome shined.

---

"A pity…"

Cid was sad. The first person ever to actually give him a sense of satisfaction, only to be taken away like that. Well, she was from this Sanctuary, so if he managed to break the code down, maybe he will be able to take her from here? She doesn't have a body, but when did that stop him? He will think of something…

Hm, what's this?

A door? A large dark blood-stained door… All filled in Ancient Symbols. That appeared right after he defeated Violet. And that door emits these same spatial anomalies.

"Well then… I hope you will give me answers I am looking for."

And then he started studying its inner workings. Hmm, how interesting… It serves as a point between this place and some kind of… Dimension? Seems really similar to Material World-Connection Point-Shadow Realm… If he actually studies it, he may unlock the way to Spatial Magic… And maybe even take his lovely Violet away from that place.

"Stop shaking. I will not do anything rash. I will only study you. Then study what you are made of. Then study your inner workings. Then I will dissect you to understand more. It won't be painful, just trust me on that," his eyes turned red.

The door really wanted to get away. It was first time it met someone that insane, but unfortunately, it was stuck with the True Demon in front of it. Even now, she could feel the horrific scent of something beyond this world.

When Cid reached for the door, it could only pray that whatever he does will not damage it beyond repair.

---

"It worked…"

Cid studied the door for some time only to realize that it was indeed nothing more than a connecting point with workings similar to that of Material-Shadow Point. After some consideration and double checking with his Shadow Sense, he went in.

And now Cid was in some room, with walls made of stone. Oh, here's also strange wooden door. And the place also tried to suppress his magic, but to no avail.

"Why, hello there."

The voice from behind was familiar. He was sure he heard it no longer than a few minutes ago.

"Ah…" he couldn't contain his excitement.

"Hmm, long time no see, right?" he turned around to see the beautiful tall woman with eyes akin to that of his magic smiling at him.

"Indeed, I missed you a lot… Violet," in the next moment he slashed away at the chains that bind her to the wall.

Chapter 30: Sacred Obsession

The light slowly died out.

As everyone regained their sight, a massive white door appeared at the center of arena.

Moments after, it slowly opened.

"The Sanctuary… It answered!" Nelson was elated.

"Huh?" Alexia blinked.

"The Gates only open on a certain day. And that day is today, when the Goddess' Trials commence."

"Wait, what?" Rose turned her head.

"What that means… The Trials are to be cancelled. Guards, take everyone out of here!"

And they did, in fact, take everyone out. Including even VIP guests. However, princesses (and one author) remained still.

"Didn't you hear me, princesses? Leave," Nelson was losing his patience.

"You were not the one who opened the Gates," Iris calmly retorted as she took out her sword, "therefore, it is not for you to decide who enters. Am I right, Shadow Garden?" she turned around to see a group of people in black suits surrounding them.

"Indeed, Princess Iris," a familiar voice reached their ears as blonde elf with sea-like eyes slowly walked closer to them.

"Once he appears, it is a given that his people will follow, miss Alpha," Iris weakly smiled.

"S-Shadow Garden! You- You are Shadow Garden!" Nelson's eyes widened in fear.

"Epsilon, control the place. I shall go in and find what we are looking for. Do not let anyone in," Alpha ordered to another elf with cyan hair, "And when I say no one, I mean no one. Not even princesses."

"What is it that requires so much secrecy?" Alexia wondered.

"You better not know that. At least, not yet," Alpha shook her head and turned to the bald man, "You are to go with us."

"W-What?! That's insanity! S-Sanctuary will not allow that!" Nelson panicked.

"Interesting," a light smile appeared on Alpha's face, "Then why did you want to go in before that?"

"I-I-" in the next moment he received a punch from Epsilon and went unconscious.

"I am sorry, Lady Alpha, I could no longer stand his meaningless talk."

"Understandable. Then we shall go," Alpha nodded and took bald man by the collar, "Princesses, I hope for your cooperation."

"Your point on this subject is pretty much interesting-"

"Alexia?!" Rose and Iris immediately looked at the younger princess in shock.

"But unfortunately, he awaits for my challenge," Alexia looked into elf's eyes.

Of course, she bet practically everything on these words. The words that were spoken to her by Shadow back then.

"…Do you think you are ready?"

"I am not, but how am I to grow if I can't even take the challenge the world gives me?"

"You should know that there are things in this world that you're not meant to see," Alpha squinted.

"If he thought I am not to see that, then he wouldn't even show it in front of everyone, now would he?" Alexia retorted.

"…You are walking on a very thin ice, Alexia Midgar," elf's face darkened.

In the next moment, a wave of pressure almost made the younger princess kneel. It felt like heavy chains shackling her whole body. However…

"…Still not quite his level," indeed, back when he released his ultimate attack the whole city was sinking into itself due to his pressure.

"You are walking on a very thin ice, Alexia Midgar," Alpha repeated once more.

"Hmph," Alexia felt the pressure increasing.

Iris was ready to go into a fight for her sister even though she knew that she would lose it, but as soon as she drew her sword…

"W-What's that?!" Rose looked at the door.

A marble door from before cracked before a wave of darkness swept from it. No one could hold their ground as they all were sucked into the passage.

---

"Is everyone alright?" Rose's worried voice reached everyone.

"Ugh, pretty fine…" Alexia groaned and stood up.

Alpha was not far away from them, studying the place they found themselves in, a frown adorning her beautiful face. As soon as she heard Alexia speaking, she turned her head.

"You do realize the consequences behind your words, correct?" false warmth was obvious behind her voice.

"Tch."

Iris' worried gaze was jumping from Alexia to Alpha as she gripped her sword tighter.

"Just because he found you to be quite amusing does not mean you got a free pass to do anything you want. He will extend his mercy one time. He will extend his kindness second time. The third time? He will drown you in the nearest river."

"Alright, alright, I got it, you can stop already!"

"Arrogance only has a place to be when you can back it up with your achievements, you better well remember that," Alpha shook her head, "As of now, you have no qualification to challenge him. I shall close my eyes on that on his behalf… For this one. Now, since you are here, I believe it's time to explain our goal."

Alpha collected her thoughts.

"It is believed that the hero Oliver cut Diablos' left hand in the past."

"Yes, that was said in the legends," Natsume Kafka took out her notepad.

"And that hand was said to be sealed here, in this sanctuary."

"What does that have to do with your goal? Do you want to find his hand?" Iris' finally calmed her heartbeat.

"That would be great… But our actual goal is to find the truth behind Cult of Diabolos."

She slowly walked forward.

"And that statue… Depict hero Oliver."

"But… That's a woman?" Alexia was confused.

"Indeed. However…" she slowly removed her mask, "Her face is identical to mine."

Alexia looked closer only to realize that, indeed, she was looking at a living copy of the ancient hero,

"Y-You are that elf?!…" Nelson that everyone thought to be out spoke in surprise.

"Ho, it seems you know of me. I wonder, why…" Alpha smirked.

With a flick of her hand she poured her magic into the statue. Moments after, the statue came to life. As it turned around, yet another portal opened up.

"If you wish to see what happened, this place will give answers. After all," Alpha looked up, "This place is a living proof of the catastrophes and fierces battles from millennia ago."

---

"Umm, now excuse me for that, but was it really necessary to summon this… Strange energy?" a beautiful woman with raven hair peered her charming violet eyes on an unassuming boy.

Yep, that boy is Cid.

"Honestly? No. But I don't want to wander around too much so let these boys scout the way," he shrugged.

Right after freeing his lovely Violet he realized that he came a bit unprepared, after all. The place was way superior in trying to absorb his magic, to the point where he had to spend a whole minute to re-calibrate it. Then he realized that this Sanctuary could not affect his Shadow Magic. Then he realized that this place was summoning memories of Violet. Then Violet started punching the shit out of these memories.

In the end he realized that he could not waste so much time as he still wanted to get her out of this place so he went in Shadows for a bit to make a deal with entities; they would get to experience brand new memories in exchange for finding a way to the core. He went a bit overboard when opening up Connection Point with Shadow Realm, but he hoped nothing too bad actually happened… It's not like it would affect outside world, right?

Moving on, as Violet said, it was the core that was responsible for keeping this place afloat, so if he smashed or otherwise took care of it they would be free… Thought Violet also whispered that she would disappear after that as she's nothing more but a memory. Sucks, but he already has an idea.

Then a bunch of dead people marched towards them. Seems like Sanctuary did not like sudden intruders, after all. Eh, it's fine, while Shadow Entities scout this place, he can focus on fixing that little problem of his lovely Violet.

Namely, her not having a proper body.

---

They slowly watched everything.

The truth about the Possessed. The truth about the heroes.

They were nothing more but a bunch of kids that were experimented on by the Cult of Diabolos. Cult's researchers injected the Cells of Diabolos into poor children. Boys' organs ruptured from violent energy, while girls developed Possession. And only three of them actually could resist the effects of Possession.

These girls would later be named as three heroes that stopped the Demon from destroying everything. And the left hand of that Demon was cut off by hero Oliver and sealed within this very Sanctuary. Cult would later use this hand as a source of Diabolos' Cells and, later on, the products made from them: Tears of Diabolos.

Of course, even the perfected version had nasty side-effects and had to be taken yearly in order to continue its effects. Moreover, only twelve of perfected Tears could be produced yearly, creating a need for twelve best organization's members. Twelve Knights of Rounds.

And Nelson turned out to be eleventh one.

The therianthrope named Delta tried to attack him, but he suffered no major injuries. Moreover, it turned out that the Sanctuary was siphoning the magic out of everyone but Nelson himself. What made the situation even worse? He could summon the copy of legendary hero, Oliver.

It seemed like everything was lost.

Until a gigantic claw made of darkness itself made its way through Sanctuary's walls. The elven hero, Oliver, tried to attack it, only to be discarded away by a mere wave of the claw as its owner finally appeared.

The Beast slowly floated into the room as the walls returned to their pristine state, its shining red eyes slowly scanning the surroundings. The body could not be described properly as its form was everchanging akin to the mist.

"W-What is that?…" Alexia gulped in fear.

"T-This!" Nelson's pupils shrunk, "That's- That's a Demon!…"

"What?!" Alpha's eyes widened in surprise, however she quickly calmed herself down, "Delta, what can you say- Delta?"

Beast-kin stared, unblinking. Her gaze was locked onto the Beast as she growled at it. The Beast itself only tilted its head as if it was confused. It slowly floated over to wolf-girl who became even more tense…

And then she suddenly relaxed.

"Safe, Lady Alpha! It won't attack!" Delta's tail waved around.

"Hm?" Alpha was dumbfounded but knowing Delta's instincts decided to trust her, "Then we are free to go further, correct?"

"Yuh-uh!" wolf-girl nodded.

"Then we shall go in. Princesses, follow us," Alpha went to the new portal, accompanied by Epsilon and Delta. Soon after everyone else followed her.

At the last moment Delta looked at the Beast. 'I can definitely smell Bossman's scent on that thing…'

Beast tilted its head in confusion. Then it felt the connection with all other Entities. They found what they were looking for. Time to go back.

---

Cid stared at the gigantic claw in front of him.

"That's…" his lovely Violet was strangely elated.

"You know what's this?" he turned around.

"…I think I should, but my memories…" she shook her head.

"Figures…" he sighed.

That thing was definitely part of some strong beast. He would even go as far as to say that if it was him before accepting Alexia's confession he would definitely feel pressured to go against that beast should it be at full power, and that speaks something.

However, that was not important right now. What was important is creating a new body for his Violet. As she said, she was but a memory of this place, and should she leave it without getting permission or when this place is destroyed, she would disappear as well. That will not do.

Cid wanted to create a body, but quickly ran into a problem.

He did not know how to create a body. Modifications, healing? That he can do. Making it from scratch and nothing but thin air and his own blood? Not on that level… Yet.

Fortunately, his Shadow Entities soon informed him about a strange gigantic hand somewhere deep in the Sanctuary. Of course, it tried to push them away, but he quickly released a bit of his energy to overpower the Sanctuary's anti-magic field.

Violet jokingly said that he was her gallant knight, at which he unexpectedly for himself blushed. After that she teased him even more, going as far as pressing herself against him, and that experience was way different compared to all previous times he was in touch with a woman.

His only saving grace was delving deep into Sanctuary's secrets, namely, how does this place actually function. Well, as he found out, it was collectively made from memories of dead powerful beings… Not collectively, more like, it spontaneously appeared after their dying wishes and memories clashed with each other. In short, it was a miracle of nature. And he was not willing to let it go without properly researching it.

But Violet wanted to be free, too. So first he will create a body for her, then he will let her go, and only after that he will start working with the Sanctuary.

Right, the claw. This thing simply radiated life energy. Just in case someone doesn't understand what he's talking about: It was still alive. Even after being separated from the owner, It was still living. Talk about a perfect material for his lovely Violet!

Cid asked for Violet to come closer. It was not because he wanted to smell her fragrance a bit… Alright, maybe it was, but that's not the only reason. Her memories still held, well, memories about how her body was supposed to be. He wanted to use them as a basis for creating a new one.

Then he started creating. He focused his senses on the claw and slowly poured his power into It. Of course, It tried to resist. Moreover, the entire Sanctuary started shaking around. Talk about power level when Its mere presence slowly breaks apart that dimension! That will not do.

Good thing he knows how to preserve this unique place.

"I…"

His entire being was slowly covered by dark energy.

"Huh? Wait, hold on, what are you doing?" do not worry, dear Violet, he knows exactly what he is doing.

"…Am…"

The shadows came to life.

"…Darkness."

Sanctuary sank in the void.

Notes:

"Don't worry, guys, it's just a prank!
/time set night"

- Cid, probably.

Chapter 31: Creative Obsession

Alexia was scared.

It was bad enough to be in one room with, apparently, high-ranked Cult member and high-ranked Shadow Garden members, both of which she managed to piss off in a span of minutes. However, she placed everything on the fact that Shadow Garden seemingly did not target anyone other than Cult of Diabolos… and that Shadow himself was interested in her as a future powerhouse.

But now situation turned to the worse.

All of sudden, shadows all around started coming to life. They slowly took everything into themselves, and based on Nelson's expression, that was not supposed to happen… And neither did the existence of mist-like dark beasts.

"So, any ideas what to do now?" she managed to speak without stutters, yay!

"By the Goddess, I can't believe that something like this can happen…" Rose was pitiful to look at: wide eyes, nervous grip on her sword, and sweat rolling down her face were all clear indicators of her current state.

Alpha frowned as she looked around.

"Something about that… seems familiar…" she muttered.

"Well, if you know what that is, maybe you also know how to fix that?" Alexia clung onto this hope.

"If I am correct about its nature, then we do not need to do anything."

Alpha calmly stood in place and let the first shadow to touch her. Moments after, a rift appeared and forced her out of the Sanctuary.

"…Well, guess we have to follow her," Alexia sighed and walked into the shadows.

Then she found herself in some forest… No, that's not some forest, that's actually the forest near the city!

"So I was correct," she heard elf's voice behind her.

Soon after, everyone else popped out. Everyone, except Nelson.

"Delta wonders why the bald man didn't appear with us… Delta would show him!" therianthrope growled as her tail waved around.

"Oh, I think our Lord has his own plans about him," Epsilon dusted herself off, making her well-developed curves shake… Though Alexia could swear that something about her figure was strange…

"Indeed," Alpha calmly confirmed, "it was as I expected. Our Master managed to find his way to the Core way before we could even pinpoint its location."

"The what now?" alright, now Alexia was calling bullshit.

Some guy just found out the secret behind Goddess' Trial, fought the strongest being, won, then opened the door, then in time they were watching memories he already found out everything and is now doing his own things?

What is he, some kind of a God?!

---

Cid watched as the Sanctuary slowly stopped shaking. It seemed like the Shadow Realm suppressed the claw enough to make sure it won't break the dimension apart. Well, more power to him, then!

On a side note, it seemed like his reactions towards Violet were kinda… teenager-like. No, for sure, he never left his teenage years in either of his lifes, but he also made sure to work towards his goal so hard that even romantic/platonic/sexual/familial (underline the necessary) relationships paled in comparison, yet now he felt like a boy in front of his crush. He always controlled his hormonal reactions, then why was he reacting like that?

The answer turned out to be interesting: he was so enamored with Violet's battle style that subconsciously lifted his control in front of her. On one hand, that sucks: what if instead of his lovely Violet that was actually friendly with him it was an enemy that wanted to use him?

On the other hand: it seems like exactly because of their amicable relationships he relaxed with her. Kinda strange, but it is what it is. It's not like he minds being with her, after all, and Violet seems happy to tease him, so after everything is over he will let her have her way for some time.

"So, what exactly did you do?" Violet's curious gaze ran across the place as she watched once pristine white walls turning an interesting shade of gray; somewhat close to purple but not quite it.

"Oh, I used the energy of another dimension to suppress this one," he answered nonchalantly, focused on his current task: making sure everything works well in her brand new body.

"Aren't you scared that it would break this place?" she innocently blinked at him.

His hands stopped for a moment.

"Nah, everything would be alright," he returned to his operation.

"Well, if you say so, my gallant knight," Violet chuckled cutely.

Good thing this time he managed to control himself!

Right, body. Take this claw, take a bit of his own blood and flesh (Violet screamed a bit, but honestly it wasn't even that big of a deal… yes, that's exactly what he told her), synchronize with the memories carried by her Astral Body (yep, another cool name, now for the ghost ladies… and not ladies too, but he doubts he will meet that many ghost boys), and start molding.

Oh, the hand resists? Well, no biggie, take a bit of her mana — because if Cid uses his mana he has a feeling his lovely Violet will have a lot of troubles trying to use her powers in new body; also because her mana was really interesting so he took a sample of it for the future, — and force the way through claw's flesh. Huh, it worked even better than he thought! It seems like this body part was created to be compatible with his lady!

Her mana slowly flowed through the claw without any resistance; moreover, it seemed like the claw itself slowly… calmed down? As if once it found its new owner it became extremely docile. Better for him, then!

Cid slowly started molding the now obedient claw. He can use four fingers as basis for her limbs… maybe. Hmm, maybe not? Maybe just completely break down the current structure and just create it anew? Yeah, that's way better.

He commanded for claw to morph into a mass of flesh. It seemed resistant at first, but still obliged. Eh, it's fine, he does it for his lovely Violet, your sacrifice won't be forgotten, unnamed claw!… Note to self: name the claw… Right, now he has a large amount of work materials. Let's start!

Obviously, first will go vital organs. The claw's vitality was absolutely marvelous, but he has doubts it will remain that way for a long period of time, especially considering that claw was just chilling in the Sanctuary, while Violet most likely would participate in fights, which will drain her energy pretty quickly.

He will start with the heart as the engine behind distributing the energy through the body. Take her Astral Body's memory… What the fuck is this? It's horrible! It's absolutely inefficient! And circulatory system is downright horrendous! Upgrade! Upgrade it now! Add multiple blood vessels that connect everything! Add some minor organs that generate blood based on owner's mana! She uses Blood Magic, why doesn't she have any way to replenish the supply?! Upgrade the heart, too! Yes, she will need more energy to sustain that, but her mana pool seems large enough to endure that!

Respiratory system? What is this mess?! It's absolutely inefficient! And he can clearly see someone tried to mess with her build! Oh how he wishes to completely tear off that someone's limbs! If you don't know how to min-max human bodies, don't even touch them, you monkey!… Wait, he shouldn't say that. It's bad. It's insulting! Poor monkeys don't deserve to be compared to that piece of garbage! Immediately add another little organ that would take the surroundings' mana in and filter it for her lovely Violet's body! Oh, and while we are at it, let's fix the system itself: obviously she needs a filter to protect herself from poisonous gas! Even more, make it filter the poison itself, too, so she can store it and remove later!

Digestive system?… Hmm, that one doesn't look that bad, actually. He could just mold it as is… If not for the fact that he upgraded all other parts for higher energy consumption! Upgrade it, too! Make it take more energy from the food! Human's body can only take 25% of it at maximum! She will need more! And waste is useless! Take every last bit of food away, dissolve it fully! Oh, he can't reach that much… Sucks, but he will do what he can… Well, that should be enough: CoP about 60%, same thing about respiratory system… Oh, and her mouth… Nah, that one is actually pretty good. Just add the ability to regenerate teeth based on her will, because humans can't get new ones.

Oh, she will also need a skeleton, because as of now everything is being hold by his mana, and once he stops the supply… Skeleton, skeleton… Hmm, normal one is fine, but how about… Nah, making it out of metal is bullshit, but just making the skeleton a bit sturdier and elastic? That is possible. Oh, and another little magic organ to restore bones too, please.

Well, since he took the skeleton, let's also change musculature… Nah, these he can't actually touch, because her whole experience was with a muscles of certain type. She can quickly re-train herself with new organs, but not when her whole body is different. Moreover, as Blood Magic user, she should be able to fix that little issue by herself; same with immune system.

Now for the hardest part… Nervous system. And it's hardest because of brain. Unlike everything else that just needs to be, so to say, turned on in order to work properly, new body's brain has nothing. And that's a problem, because it is the controlling part of the whole body! Well, he can make brain the last, when he inserts Astral Body into physical one… If he can even say that…

"You know, it now suspiciously looks like me…" Violet interjected, placing her chin on the top of his head (you know, maybe sitting down was not the best idea) as she looked at what was practically her copy, minus the eyes as of now.

"Because it is your new body," he answered and focused on the nerves.

"Oh, really?"

"Uh-huh, now let me focus, that's the most important part here."

"Sure, do it, I believe in you, my gallant knight" he could feel her smiling. And honestly, he couldn't keep himself from smiling after hearing it, either.

Right, nerves. Her Astral Body still contained the layout, but he honestly felt like… It was strange. It wasn't inefficient, compared to organs, but it wasn't the best, either. As if something messed it up. Hmm, maybe he can shorten response time like he did with himself? No, it's better to just copy and paste the current layout, then consult with her. Yep, let's do that.

Eyes… Hmm, copy-paste that one, too. She can do that one herself, after all.

And done. Only brain left. For that one he will need to ask her…

"My lovely Violet, I am almost finished. I only need for you to do one last thing…"

"Yes, my knight?"

"Concentrate on the head and slowly pour your essence into the new vessel!" yes, he went all cool again, but can you blame him?

"As you wish," she curtsied and took the body's head into her hands.

As she did so, Cid could slowly feel something passing from Astral Body into physical one. He immediately ordered for the claw to start creating brain based on Violet's layout. Fortunately, claw itself seemed eager to be a part of this, too, as he felt the body coming to life. If he didn't know better, he would even say that this hand was a part of her once! Hah, obviously that can't be true.

The Astral Body slowly dissipated in the air as Violet cast him a sad smile.

"Thank you, my gallant knight. It is the first time someone not only protected me, but also gave everything to help me. Let us meet again, in the real world."

Right, it's about time they leave this place. Yeah, he can just leave it in the Shadow Realm for later research, for now he must take his lovely Violet back to the material world.

---

"Why am I lying on your lap, again?" Cid asked.

"Why, that's because I wanted to give my knight his well deserved rest," Violet smiled warmly.

Yeah, once he took them out of Sanctuary, they reappeared in the material world… Somewhere deep in the forest, for some reason. But it's fine, because his lovely Violet was actually alive! His experiment was successful!

Oh, there's so much he wants to have a conversation with her about… Battles, magic, mundane life (as it turned out, she very much wanted to experience what is it like to be normal, and he's expert in that area!), foods, scenery! And it seems like she wants to do that with him, too! So cool!

Hmm, he can feel someone familiar coming up… Right, as much as he doesn't want to get up, he needs to meet Shades.

"Your friends?" Violet placed a hand under her chin.

"Best friends, even," he smiled at the memories of being with them.

"BO-O-OSS-M-A-A-AN!" a wild Delta jumps from the bush! She uses "jump over your owner" and "lick her owner"! It's super effective!

"Hi, Delta, how was it?" he pet her ears.

"Oh, we met with some baldy, then something cool happened, but Delta was dozing off, then he finally started fighting, but then some dark beast appeared and it turned out it had your scent! It was yours right?!" she wagged her tail in excitement.

"Yeah, that one was mine," Cid confirmed.

"Delta knew it!… Wait, who is that? Is she a new member of the pack?" Delta tilted her head… before suddenly freezing, "Hey, Boss…"

"Yeah?"

"She is strong…"

"Yeah, I know?"

"No, like, she's super strong! Not as strong as you, but Delta wouldn't want to fight her…" poor wolf-kin whimpered.

"Relax, little one, I have no wish to harm my gallant knight's peerage," Violet was amused at therianthrope's antics.

"Really?" Delta squinted.

"Really, really," Violet chuckled.

"Alright, then!" Delta beamed.

"Hmm, and how might I call you, then?" a beautiful blonde elf walked out of the trees as her sky-like eyes locked onto the raven-haired woman.

"Oh, that one is Alpha!" he nodded at her.

"Ah, so you are Alpha… Hmm, indeed, you seem to be the most acquainted with my knight…" Violet mused.

"Your knight?" Alpha frowned.

"Hmm, right, allow me to introduce myself," raven-haired woman slowly stood up as the pressure slowly emanated from her body.

Delta only stared at her in shock.

"My gallant over here knight calls me Violet… But my true name is Aurora, the Witch of Calamity."

'Hmm, familiar name… I think girls mentioned her once, but apparently she was only in history books… Well, Goddess' Trial was supposed to summon warriors of the past, so it checks out.'

"Aurora…" Alpha's eyes widened, "But- But that means!…"

"Indeed," Aurora sadly smiled, "You may also know me as… Diabolos, the Demon of Destruction. Pleased to meet you."

'…What.'

Chapter 32: Divine Obsession

Notes:

Chapter was rewritten.

While girls were asking his lovely Violet (also known as Aurora (also known as Diabolos)) about all interesting things that happened during her time, Cid was trying to fix his broken picture of reality.

For starters: it turned out that Demon Diabolos from myths and legends that threatened to destroy this world did indeed exist. She's standing right there and is hugging him right now, to the envy of Shades.

Then it turned out that she's not original Diabolos, oh no! Well, she is original, but in a different sense. His lovely Violet was injected with some otherworldly creature's DNA, and that turned her into a monster… and yes, that claw in the sanctuary was indeed a part of her. And yes, just as he thought, guys were complete dogshit at their job, judging by the fact that out of a large number of children they took only four survived, and even then one turned into a monster… Oh, yeah, turns out the other three were heroes, one from each race. And these 'scientists' job was so horrible the Beast's DNA even went down to their descendants, resulting in a thing known as Demonic Possession. Just so you know, whatever he did with girls so long ago was his attempt ever, and even then he made sure to fix it all in a way that would only bring benefits! In short: they sucked at upgrading.

And it also turned out that this otherworldly creature wasn't even that strong! It was a combination of Violet's own genetics and the creature's DNA that created an unstoppable monster that was Diabolos… At this point she admitted that whatever job Cid himself did with her Astral Body and a part of her previous body was way superior, as even now she was comparable to what she was on peak of her power, and Violet still had to adapt to new body. A small thing, but it did warm his ego. Oh, it also made Zeta look at him like… He doesn't even know how to compare that, just know that if he ordered her to bring twenty virgins she would probably just ask what type he likes.

Well, all in all, it changed… nothing.

Literally nothing. Girls were still with him and didn't plan to go anywhere (though they looked at still cuddly Violet with obvious envy… he will headpat them later), his lovely Violet was with him, his sister supported every plan of his, he had plans for three heroines, he had a lot of stuff to do with his magic, there's still a whole Sanctuary waiting for him to uncover how it works… Even if these guys that mutated Aurora are still alive he will just rip their hands off and then place on their asses. Because that's where their hands belong after the horrendous work they did.

"…To think that Cult of Diabolos, in fact, was not even a cult…" Zeta chuckled, "Considering how they treat you, it's more like you are a valuable resource for them."

"Mhm," Violet placed her head on his shoulder, "And other poor children… Especially the three that went against me back when I rampaged across the world…"

"So…" he turned attention to himself, "What do you want me to do?"

"What do you mean, Master Shadow?" Alpha asked with some kind of… caution?

"I mean, it's obvious that these guys are complete shit," at their job, too, "so what are we gonna do? Should I go there myself?"

He has a lot of confidence in his powers. If even Violet at her peak confirmed that she was still way weaker than fully serious him, then these cultists were piece of cake.

"My Lord, that's too dangerous!" Epsilon panicked, "What if you get hurt?! There are a lot of strong people in the Cult, especially those twelve Knights of Rounds! We even fought one in the Sanctuary!"

"Really? Who?" now he was interested.

"Oh, Bossman, it's that bald man I told you about!" Delta chipped in.

"Bald man?… Now wait a moment…"

He turned his attention to Shadow World where Sanctuary currently resided and started searching over the place. Sure enough, there was one unregistered citizen: the bald man… Wait, wasn't that Nelson, the one who was talking during Goddess' Trial?

"Hey, guys, be dears and bring this man to me."

"Lord Shadow?" Epsilon turned her head, puzzled, but her question was answered when Nelson emerged from the shadows.

"Thank you, that's for you," and he dropped a bit of his mana to shadows. Sure enough, they immediately exploded in joy.

Nelson coughed up and looked at him.

"Hmph! I don't know what that trick was, but know- A-Aurora?!" oh, an interesting pale color Nelson turned here.

"Hmm… I remember you," he didn't know his lovely Violet can look so scary… Well, she was Diabolos after all, "You were one of the people who experimented on me back then, now weren't you?"

"B-But you are just a memory! You shouldn't be able to exit the Sanctuary!… And where is it, anyway?!" oh, baldy finally noticed the elephant in the room… or the absence of one.

"Ara~" what's that voice? "Now that's something you aren't worthy to know, mister researcher…"

And then he filtered their banter off. By that point he was completely disappointed: the so-called eleventh Knight of the Rounds was nothing more but a weakling in his eyes. No, really, he couldn't even tell the difference between him and bandits he killed on daily basis! Honestly, if he's not wrong, any of the Shades can completely wreck him… well, maybe not Gamma, but she was no fighter, either; even then she had a bodyguard in form on Nu, the thirteenth… Wait, if girls all knew that all this Cult thingy is real, does that mean?…

He actually created an organization that controls the worlds from the shadows! He succeeded!

He succeeded so hard even he himself didn't know about its existence! Now he has to reward the girls, and a lot! They did all this hard work for the sake of him and his goals, and he didn't even show them some praise… Well, he did, but he thinks it was obviously not enough, especially considering Gamma had to practically rise her company from ashes of old one.

But on second thought… Was it even that big of an achievement for him now? Like, he's so strong that apparently even the previous strongest being of this world was completely humbled in front of him, so was it even worth it now? No, girls did a great job, especially considering they were children back then, but… Why stop here?

He already confirmed the existence of other worlds. He has the prototype of teleportation device (suspicious looking door) on his hands. He can go way further. He can create an organization that spans multiple worlds and controls them from the shadows! He can go to new worlds and stage new plays! Or even in this world; he still has three heroines, after all. Even though he may have ascended past this world, he still has some attachment to it.

Yep, it's decided! He will make this world his residence and will come here to just chill with everyone. He may even continue his mob act… What 'may', obviously he continues it!… No, wait, then he will not have time for his research and world-hopping shenanigans. Decisions…

"…Master Shadow?" oh, Alpha is calling him.

"Yeah?"

"You weren't answering our questions. Is something wrong?" oh, she worries about him.

"Nah, just thinking: do you want me to take their heads or will you go there yourself?" that's a serious question! He wanted to save some bunch of it for his plays! Their lives depended on the girls' answer!

"…Master Shadow, are you sure you can do this?"

"Sure, sure, I already told that he's no different for me than everyone else we hunted down before."

"…So Lord Shadow sees no difference between Cult's fodder members and the high-ranked ones…" fodder?

Oh, right, since all of that turned out to be real obviously they had their own forces… But he honestly just saw them as some weak bandits. He will need to dip in Shadow Garden's documents… Or not and let girls continue doing that? Eh, he will ask for the brief report, then work from that.

"So, your choice?"

"I offered my life for you, my Lord, and for eradication of Cult of Diabolos. I say we need to destroy them once and for all," thank you for your opinion, Zeta, that's +1 for destruction!

"Boss, you are not taking me to hunt?"

"No, this time I will go alone."

"Bo-o-o… But alright, Bossman, you can hunt to your hearts content!" that's two on destruction.

"Lord Shadow, they pissed you off long enough," since when? "Moreover, they subjected countless innocent children to fate worse than death! Please, restore justice!"

"Huh, that's three already," he counted.

"Master Shadow, I always followed you and your goals. Whatever you say and whatever you wish will be my task to complete," damn, he didn't know Alpha was so hardcore.

"And I always gave you free will. And I give you now. Choose."

"Then, of course, I shall choose death of Cult leaders," she smiled at him.

"Then it's decided by majority, and I doubt anyone else will object, anyway."

"So, my gallant knight, are you going to defeat the evil and restore the peace of this world?" Violet's eyes were shining! Literally!

"Indeed, my lovely Violet, indeed," huh, why is it so quiet all of sudden?

"…Master Shadow, your what?" hey-hey-hey, Alpha, no need to suddenly cast a freezing smile towards him!

"...Well then, my dear Shades, I have a task at hand. I shall return by the dawn," he thinks eight hours should be enough for them to calm down.

"Master Shadow, wait, I meant-" by-y-e!

---

Cid immediately went into the shadows and focused on Shadow Entities. He gave them task to find everyone else with energy similar to that of old man's… And yes, to exclude old man himself and his lovely Violet, since it was because of her cells they produced their drugs.

Oh, first target found! He didn't even bother with any introductions? Not cool, man! Every self-respecting evil force will always reveal their evil plans! Quickly take away that dummy! Great, now- what's with Shadow Entities all of sudden?

Souls?! They can actually take souls?! And they are crying because they can't take these yummy snacks that would level them up as he ordered to do everything as fast as possible?!

No-no-no, do teach him, now! Soul Manipulation is very cool! He doesn't know what to do with it yet, though, but the potential! The cool factor!

Uh-huh, like this, like that… And his first soul, taken!… Where to store them, though?… Oh, his Shadow Core can store souls for the time being!

Another base, fodder too? Snap their necks and quickly store the souls… Eh, their souls are kinda trash if he's being honest, but when there's no fish… Hmm, he felt like someone was watching him? Probably Cult reacting to his actions and now trying to see who is that brave guy… He-he, it's him! The Shadow! The one who lurks in the shadows! Literally! And he hunts down the shadows of this world! Sometimes literally, too!

But he has to be quicker, or else they'll run around, and where to find them, then? No, he will find them, but then he may not make it by the dawn, and he already promised!

Oh, he actually found the Knight! Lucky!

"Hmph, you have the guts to intrude into the Cult's territory," the red-headed guy tried to intimidate him, "Heed my name and fear! Mordred, ninth Knight of the Rounds!… And what, exactly, are you doing?"

"Oh, don't mind me, I am just digging a grave for you," Cid blinked innocently as his slime suit quickly dug into the ground.

"Ha, with your measly powers? Know this: should you dig the grave, you will be the one to use it as your bed-!" Cid already finished with his grave only to realize how useless his action is. Why would he need to dig a grave if he can just feed this guy's body to his Shadow Entities?

And Entities did liven up upon hearing about food!

"You- You! Stop! Don't you dare-!"

Entities immediately ripped him apart and now looked at Cid with happy eyes. One even brought up guy's soul, maybe someday he will find a way to use them? Entities need them for some reason, after all…

Hmm, the attention becomes stronger…

Oh, another three Knights? Scratch plays, they might run away soon. Appear from the shadows, dagger to heart, take the soul, run. Cannon fodder will go to Entities.

Another two guys tried to brag that they are fifth and tenth seat, respectively, so he listened to them out of the last ounce of respect. His names were Fenrir and Petos… Was this Yggdrasil lore or what?… Come to think of it, this world clearly had a lot of medieval age Earth references… Eh, he will think about that later.

You know, after meeting with Jormungandr and Hel (Knights too) he definitely thinks that something was suspicious. Like, when people talk about Knights of Rounds, everyone surely thinks about Arthur Pendragon, right? So why these guys are from Scandinavian myths? He definitely has to think about that later… Later.

Nelson is one, Mordred is two, plus three, plus two, plus two… He took nine. Three left.

Strangely, even though someone was practically watching him, none of the knights he found even knew about him. Was it the last ones?

Upon killing them with surprise factor Cid concluded that something else was at play. Eh, he will think about that later, now-

"Daring little thief, aren't you?"

"And you are?" Cid turned around to see a woman of divine beauty.

"Ho? Going to Church made in my name and not even knowing who am I?" woman was clearly smirking… but in her name?

"Oh, you are the… How was even that…" her smile died out, "Breastrix?"

"Beatrix, you little thief," she frowned. "And you took what was mine."

"And what, exactly, was yours?" like, she should not have been angry at him for taking out these guys, right?

"I could care less about their actions as long as they bring me faith energy," the what now? "Hmph, it seems like you, mortals, don't even know about this simple concept. The more people believe in you, the more faith energy you accumulate. The more faith energy you accumulate, the easier it is for you to defy the laws of reality. And you, little thief, just took the souls that were producing the faith energy for me. Either you give them back to me and take the slave contract, or…" the threat was obvious.

Though, there was one question he wanted to ask…

"And you wanna say they will not bring any faith energy to me?"

"Are you idiot?" she rolled her eyes, "Obviously, not. Only Gods can accumulate and use faith energy. You are a mortal, strong, I will admit that, but a mortal nonetheless."

Oh, good, so it was not because of faith energy he did everything he did. He can now try and find a way to get this new energy! Because it seemed really interesting!

"So, your answer?"

"Well, first, let me introduce myself."

"Hmph, go on, then, amuse me," she smirked. Oh, just you wait!

"I… Am…"

" Was the pause necessary-"

"Atomic."

In the next moment, a targeted explosion completely evaporated the place as well as the body of poor Goddess. The only thing that protected her soul and mind was large amount of faith energy that she accumulated over millennia.

Because, in truth, she was no bona fide Goddess. She was a mere spirit born from the beliefs of people that went to the Church of Beatrix. She has risen in power way above anything that was in this world and saw no need to better her abilities, relying on her raw power whenever something dangerous for denizens of this world appeared, as nothing could ever come closer to her… that is, until Cid himself came with similar power level and polished to infinity abilities.

Now, Cid was staring at the resisting soul of 'Goddess' Beatrix. Well, she still had something interesting to his senses that all the Cult members didn't have, possibly that access to faith energy? He was never actually interested in reincarnation and soul topics, and it seems like he should have been! Because it's yet another field of research! Who knows, maybe via using these souls he can create actual life? He will need to strip them of their memories first, obviously, but the perspectives!

Alright, now he thinks he's finished here. Well, at least with heads of organization, if words about Twelve Knights are to be trusted. He couldn't be bothered to go and try to find every single one of the members because apparently not everyone takes these interesting drugs so it was kinda hard to search for literally every cult-affiliated guy, so let's leave them to girls. Moreover, he needs lots of people to play his stages, and these leftovers will fit in just nicely!

He still needs some cannon fodder for his heroines, after all. How can you grow if there's no opponents? Right, right! Of course, if they go out of the line, he will intervene, but outside of that? Leave them be. Hmm, other dimensions, though… Can he bring something else out of them to create even more exciting plays? Girls will surely like it!

Oh, right, he needs to go back and tell that everything is done, they will just need to focus on the remains… That is, if they manage to find them. He couldn't be bothered to do that. He wants to go back, relax for a bit, and deep dive into studying the Sanctuary! Oh, he also promised cuddle time to Beta and body modification to Epsilon…

Notes:

I'll just remind you how it all went:

Alexia actually managed to get Cid as real boyfriend -> Because of hanging out with her he forgot about blood bags -> Found out about Blood Magic -> Found out about Elements -> Found out about other worlds -> Actually revived Aurora -> Found out that Cult is real -> Eradicated the Cult in less than 8 hours -> One-shotted Goddess

Yes, I don't know how we got to this, either.

Chapter 33: Spatial Obsession

Notes:

Ch. 32 was rewritten.
TL:DR: Cult is alive, but lost all Knights. Children are alive and soon gonna be fighting each other; Cid is just watching to make sure everything is going along with his stage play (namely: his plan to raise the heroes) but otherwise doesn't interfere; he also now doesn't have mid-life crisis over the fact that Cult was real and just shrugged it off; he still pissed off the Goddess and one-shotted her, though.

"Welcome back, Master Shadow. I assume your hunt was glorious?" Alpha greeted Cid once he returned.

"Yup. Took away every leader from the shadows, but couldn't be bothered to try and hunt the small fry. That's gonna be your job," he answered, "Oh, thanks, Delta, that meat is great."

"I grilled it, Boss!" wolf-kin proudly smiled.

Alpha's expression sunk a bit. Now what did he do wrong now?

"So, even with all help you have provided us you still had to intervene personally and take out their leaders…" oh, that's why.

"Relax, Alpha. Honestly, most of them were barely comparable to Shades in terms of power, their only saving grace is roots they got in thousands years of their existence. I just made your job a bit easier," he munched on meat.

"If you say so…" look, now she's motivated!

"Correct me if I am wrong, my Lord…" Epsilon started, "Do you mean we only need to take out the small fry since you took all Knights and Children?"

"Children?…" now who these even were… wait, Nu told him about that… oh, right, candidates! "No, I didn't take these out. I only took away the Knights. They are gonna be your job, too."

"Hmm…" Zeta started thinking, "Diabolos itself was taken away by you. Their leaders are gone. Cult may replace them in the future, but as of now you have given us advantage…" oh, she went into her espionage mode!

"Bossman, did you really need to take all the good prey to yourself?" now don't look at him with puppy eyes, it stopped working half of year ago!

"Yuh-uh, now shush, it's dinner time… Where's Violet, by the way?"

"Ah, of course, your lovely Violet…"

"Yeah, where is she?"

"Ara, my gallant knight, I am right here," what was she even doing in the bush?… Oh, it had some kind of berries. Well, he did give her poison resistance on everything, so it should be alright.

"I see you are enjoying your new life," he smiled at her.

"Yes! There's so much to explore and to feel…" she sighed in amazement as she stood near the tree.

"Good to know."

"Master Shadow, excuse me, can I ask you something? In private," Alpha came from behind with very serious expression.

"Mhm, sure, I guess?"

Alpha was taking away… Very much away… Is it even correct wording? Eh, nevermind. In short, she took him away from their temporary camp.

"Master Shadow, do forgive me for asking, but what is the reason you didn't eliminate all Cult's members?"

"Because my Shadows can't find everyone," well, that's the truth.

"Oh… But surely they could find Named Children, correct?" Alpha squinted.

"They could," Cid confirmed.

"Then?…"

"Because if I take them away then who will you grow against? And did you think about what would happen around the world?"

"…Excuse me?" why is she so taken aback?

"Right, let me explain: if I take everyone, at once, what do you think will happen with the places they used as their cover?"

"…They will fall."

"Correct," he nodded, "most Cult members are currently working in the government, and as much as they work for Cult, they still do their jobs fine as long as it doesn't interfere with Cult's goals. If I take them away, the chaos will start. Kingdoms will fall. It will be anarchy."

"Which will completely destroy any semblance of peaceful life in society…" Alpha nodded back in understanding, "Right, and what about "grow up" reason?"

"Oh, that's even simpler," he struck a cool pose, "Because only in hardships can character be tempered, akin to that of steel in forge. It's in times like these your true personality comes to surface: where a perfect image of noble breaks down to show nothing but crumbling dirt, a muddy commoner sheds the old scales to reveal the glistering beauty of iron."

Oh, he needs to write it down! That one was great!

"…So that's how it is," she nodded, seemingly mesmerized by his performance, "Understood, Master Shadow. That's also the reason you took princesses under your wings, correct?"

"Oh?" now we has genuinely surprised, "Correct, Alpha. I am proud you could get that from mere exchange of words."

"Your praise flatters me," he can see her cheeks reddening! "…But, Cid, are you alright?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't fall apart because of our expectations, are you?"

"Ah, no, it's actually pretty fine. I just realized how to make everything even better, so now we're cool!"

"Good to know, Cid. Now, shall we return back, Master Shadow?"

"You know, you girls go first, I still have a couple of theories to test out. Especially with that Sanctuary, a really good place, I will show you some time later."

"Right, but don't forget about your promises, Master," she smiled upon seeing him faltering a bit.

"Yeah, I remember, tell Beta and Epsilon to be ready!"

"Understood," and once she made sure he disappeared, "Hmm, so they are first…"

---

Sanctuary, Sanctuary, Sanctuary!

Oh, he wants to do so many things with it! It was deep diving in shadows long enough, now he wants to know how it's working! Rea-a-ally wants! So let's check it out!

First, obviously, the door. Door worked quite simple, actually: there was the door itself and the… let's call it beacon. So the beacon was a guiding point for the door: it was covered in runes (because obviously nobody knew how to imprint concepts, obviously) and was working on, hmm, a special wavelength? Let's call it like that. So this special wavelength was connected with everything that had another set of runes on it, namely, this door. And the door, in turn, was a teleportation device… With in-built teleportation of itself! No, more like, it was a subspace. The door existed in subspace and was unreachable unless someone with access to Sanctuary wished for it. Moreover, it was not the only door, oh no! There were multiple doors!… But his was the most dirty and dark and scary. Probably because, as Violet then confessed, she was the one to summon him.

Moving on, the set of runes. The set itself was quite interesting, as it was unlike everything else he saw before. As girls said, the Sanctuary itself was a natural phenomenon, because it formed on the leftover memories of dying warriors and the sealed Hand of Diabolos. It was a wonder of nature! And thus, Ancient Language was not used here. No, it was used, but in combination with a bunch of different unknown symbols. Even this bald guy could only use Sanctuary because of his access as one of the researchers back when it was a laboratory (at least he thinks, he doesn't know for sure), and even then his access was quite limited: he was free from magic suppression and could summon copy of hero Oliver (and maybe other, too, if Trial is anything to go by). Oh, he also could come closer to Hand. That's pretty much it.

Oh, even more interesting was the fact that… The Sanctuary itself was a subspace! Oh, and he did not mean anything strange, oh no! It's the fact that it existed… somewhere. He didn't know where, but it existed! And it could open up to the real world! And then close down! You should get by this point where's coming to. No, you don't?

Inventory! Your own personal dimension! The place where you can just run off to and relax and where nobody will find you! And many other things that are now possible thanks to this little wonder of nature. All he needs to do is understand how it actually works. Good thing he can now understand intents on, let's say, spiritual level.

Hm, hm, right, that one is Ancient Language, so he can just read that… Oh, yeah, that one is incomprehensible, let's just 'listen' to what it's supposed to be… Oh, oh, that one is interesting, because it actually serves as a control panel? Hmm, now everything should become easier… Or not, because it rejects him. Bummer. Gotta hack that one down…

Well, it took three threats of breaking it, five threats of relentless hacking, and just one small minuscule threat of just leaving it in Shadow World for the control panel to give up and give him full access to Sanctuary. Oh, and he also threatened the control panel that if it tries to fool him he will just open everything to Shadow Entities. Man, he's so kind and good today, only took away twelve lives and threatened a building, he can feel himself becoming some creature of light like angel. That won't do, he's Eminence in Shadows! So he will go and troll Alexia after everything is over to rebalance his karma. Mhm, good plan!

Right, Control Panel. With it everything now became way easier… Oh, this place also had everything to do with DNA and cloning? So this Cult actually had some kind of modern knowledge?… No, their technologies are techno-magical. Bummer.

Alright, focus. The teleportation. The subspace. He needs it. It's important. First to go to different worlds and take goods from them. Second to have a place to store these goods. Oh, and also to prepare an arena for the final battle. He still didn't forget about placing himself as the final boss of heroes journey!… And secret boss, too… Well, and super-mega secret boss… And another one…

The teleportation sequence goes like this: it takes the coordinates from the beacon, then it comes to the one who was chosen as vict- uh, the honored one! Right, then it would pester this honored one until they enter. After that the target simply is transported to wherever beacon pointed. Simply on paper, in execution… Well, simple too, but kinda different.

He tried to do it on his own, immediately, without any calculations. It worked, but it was hard, because clearly, he is not on the level of using pure Spatial Magic without crutches, or runes. But it worked! And the most important part, if he uses good enough materials, he can leave his Beacons everywhere! And then he can just focus on them and teleport immediately!

He will leave the subspace itself for a bit later!

For now, he will work with his brand new toy! Pylons! He will call them Pylons!

And he must construct additional Pylons!

Chapter 34: Scourge Obsession

"Where the hell am I?"

Alright, that was not in the plans.

Cid was running around the world and placing down his brand new Pylons everywhere he liked. Obviously, he placed one in Alexandria as the main base of Shadow Garden (still can't take the fact that girls actually were fighting the Cult), and what's a better place to shove his toys into than the throne room itself (yes, he actually had one here, too)? So now there was a big, shiny, futuristic-looking… rock. He covered it in runes — and no, they were not actually needed, they served as cool factor; well, they also were a failsafe that carried his secondary imprint — and forced his understanding upon the rock. But that was no mere rock! That one was part of Sanctuary! Very sturdy, very high affinity with magic! Just don't ask him how much the Sanctuary control panel was crying… He didn't even know it had its own sentience to begin with (it didn't, but he scared poor Sanctuary so much that even being inanimate object didn't save it from developing phobia).

So, he placed one Pylon down and tested it immediately. Result: working as intended, he can open spatial rift to it any time. Moreover, considering that he was the creator, he could even use it while being in the deepest parts of Shadow Realm! Of course, in that case connection felt kinda weak, but he still could! That's a success!

Elated by his work, he started visiting points of interest that were marked by Shadow Garden: Oriana's capital, Midgar's capital, this interesting place called Lawless City… In short, he left a Pylon everywhere. He wasn't scared that people would break down or use them: for first you need to be on the level of… Oh, he doesn't even know, in short, you need to be able to break Sanctuary walls at the very least. And to use it you need to know Ancient Language, English, Japanese, these runes that were created by nature, this world's modern language, and a bit of Russian, else you wouldn't even be able to read it… Or you could get the permission from him that would allow you to summon Panel Interface which will translate everything to you. Not to mention, he hid them very well: the only Pylon that was seen in plain sight was the one at Alexandria, all other blended with surroundings.

Upon finishing with points of interest he started looking around for other places. After all, even if Shadow Garden had lots of manpower, they could still miss something merely because they don't know what he deems interesting! And so he found ocean. No, really, he actually found actual ocean! Though checking around the world didn't help that much: their continent was the only one here, though it was very big. There could be life in the ocean, but he didn't want to check it out yet. Nonetheless, he still placed a Pylon here.

Then he found a real volcano! Like, real real! He personally went down and checked for magma! He finally found a place to practice his fire magic properly and not just add/take energy into things. Of course, he placed the Pylon here, too, though he needed to calibrate it a bit first: nothing much, just sensing the fire and then adding protection from the environment to the Pylon's material. It made it even look cool! Now this Pylon in particular was slightly glowing crimson, not unlike the magma around it. He will come back later and try to create something like Shadow Core, but with Fire.

His next stop a snowy mountain. Nothing too interesting, to be honest, but the landscape — respect! Also this place was really quiet, maybe take girls here to relax next time? In short, he left a Pylon, too.

Then he ran out of Pylons. He only prepared so much, after all, and taking any more might break Sanctuary's integrity… At least, until it patches up what he took. Upon realizing he had a nearly limitless supply of cool-looking effective material he was smiling like crazy. Control Panel almost died upon seeing his expression, though, why was that, he wonders…

One might ask: Cid, why the hell do you need these Pylons when you can reach any point of the world in matter of seconds? Well, several reasons.

First: Pylons serve as marks that this place is actually interesting. Without them he would need to run around to find the place he liked so much. Now, since he placed them, he can feel them from any distance and find the interesting place quickly (because he also made sure to add, so to say, different smell to each Pylon to distinguish them).

Second: Pylons' teleportation is instantaneous. He doesn't need to do anything, he just needs to concentrate and wish for it (and add a bit of his mana, of course). They will do the work after the initial calculations.

Third: Pylons can be used by other people! That's right, once he gives permissions to the girls, they will be able to use Pylons for their own needs! No more running around with the carriages, they will immediately appear anywhere they want! However, unlike him who can connect to the Pylon system from anywhere because of his new spatial abilities, girls will need to be near Pylon to teleport. Shame, of course, but he will think about upgrades.

Fourth: Pylons also serve as magic detectors. He managed to snatch interesting enchantment from the Sanctuary that went really well with his Shadow Domain (you know, the one where he uses his mana on the air in order to use it, in process also interfering with everyone else?), creating some kind of surveillance camera, just for magic spikes. If something off happens in the place near Pylon — mere kilometer, no more, — he will be able to sense the disturbance. For example, anti-magic field, or big explosion, or a powerful being releasing its mana.

So, once he finished his work, he decided to use Pylon teleportation back to girls and relax, only to realize at the last moments that something was off. Someone else interfered with their work, and judging by the wavelength, that someone was in subspace. This same subspace where he was currently in.

So, yes, his questions still stands.

'Where the hell am I?'

Honestly, he should have thought about protection system, but he honestly didn't think that there was someone able to interfere with his creations! And looking at what happened, he really should have. Eh, nevermind, Shadow Realm is still available, so he will just go there-

Hello?! Something just rammed at the place where he was standing! If it wasn't for his reflexes, he may have taken damage! He would heal, but such disrespect to Eminence! Unforgivable!

The offender revealed itself. It's body was snake-like, with slithery movements, however with body segmented akin to that of worms. Not only that, but instead of moving on the ground (or whatever this thing replacing it was) his opponent was flying. Indeed, while it was moving like a snake, each and every one of its movements did not make it touch the ground a single time.

As it slowly came to a halt, Cid could see its cosmos-like scales, and how every segment of its body was adorned with a couple of gigantic spikes. As he raised his gaze, he was met with entity's maw, with both jaws containing a large amount of razor-like teeth. And of course, mandibles. Gigantic mandibles slowly clicked against each other as the entity was watching him with its four small eyes.

"Hmm…" and of course, it's sentient.

Oh, did he also say that one segment of this creature contained about 70% of Violet's peak mana capacity?

"I came here for that self-proclaimed Goddess… How I wished to devour her…"

And each segment could be drawn as a cylinder about a hundred meters in length and same in diameter?

"But now I can't sense her… But I can sense her dying scent on you…"

And that there was about a hundred of these segments?

"To foolishly deliver yourself on my plate with your reckless spatial rifts…"

And its head was even bigger and contained mana double of that of Violet?

"You are no god…"

Now you know the situation Cid is in.

"But I shall feast on your essence regardless."

---

You know, everything was actually not that bad. No, really! Turned out this Cosmic Serpent (because it has cosmos-like scales and looks like a snake) was complete shit just like this Goddess… what was her name again? Eh, nevermind, in short, this thing completely relied on its overwhelming power. It was so easy to just redirect Serpent's attacks with well-timed parry that it wasn't even funny.

Yeah, it was big and had any advantage you could think of, but Cid was now bored. It was completely, laughably unskilled. It simply tried to ram at him all the time in hopes to eat him, then upon realizing how futile these attempts were Serpent tried to release its mana in forms of quick bursts, making something like energy bullets. These were easy to dodge, too.

Oh, but it knew how to hype itself, that he can admit. Its looks were undeniably cool! Like, imagine gigantic serpent. Now imagine this serpent's dimension being the void itself! And the ornaments it had looked cool, too! In short, if it was at least somewhat able to actually use its power the right way, Cid would be very hyped to make a cool fight with it. Well, maybe he doesn't understand something, but this was boring. Really.

So boring, in fact, that…

"Don't get cocky!"

The Serpent itself was growing frustrated at his actions, this was obvious. Cid even pitied it a bit: judging by Serpent's speech it should've been the one to eat this Goddess, but he stole the kill and now it's hungry. He was not filling to become the food, though, so he lazily parried its attacks with his slime sword. The only reason he stayed there is to crack this dimension's code and get out of here. He will just patch up any vulnerabilities in his Pylons to make sure nothing like that happens ever again. What if it were his girls who got caught up in that?!

"Playtime is over."

So this is why he decided just to finish this and go home. He parried Serpent one last time and channeled his magic. A single tap on the body and…

"I'm atomic."

A huge explosion engulfed the Serpent. It looked at him one last time before disappearing in a cosmic flash. Eh, he's not sorry. It was quite literally skill issue on Serpent's side; if it developed its abilities, Cid may not have been the winner here… Nah, he's kidding, he would win but maybe not so fast.

Right, time to go home… Hmm, scratch that, he will not use the Pylon system; last time he did that he got kidnapped from his world. He will use the old, good way of Shadow Trails.

A few minutes of cracking the dimension and he's back! Back on that snowy mountain from where he was taken away. No Pylons, he needs to install a normal protection system first… Hold on, it's nighttime, right? Then why is the sky brightening up?

Cid looked up to see a purple flash appear in the sky. Somewhat cosmic-like purple flash…

'Nah, you're kidding me…'

A diagonal slash cut through the flash as Cid used his mana to fly up.

'I blew it up and closed the passage…'

A second diagonal slash appeared.

'Yet now I see its energy here…'

A vertical slash passed through the flash as it slowly started shrinking.

'You wanna tell me it survived and followed me?!'

Cosmic energy slowly compressed to the smallest point.

And moments later, it exploded.

"It's not over yet!"

Notes:

Next on the menu: Cid being chased by big angry DoG

What a warm welcome to interdimensional shenanigans, right?

Chapter 35: Universal Collapse

Notes:

Devourer snatched chapter's title and replaced it with its theme's name.

"Where is Cid…" Alexia was biting her lips.

After all the insane stuff that happened in Goddess' Trial and afterwards, they somehow got kicked out of Sanctuary. Well, not somehow, Shadow Garden members confirmed that it was doing of their Master, Shadow, but that didn't make it any easier! And when they came out, it was already evening, so they decided to go and rest… But they couldn't find Cid.

Somehow, he disappeared.

Iris raised her knights and even went as far as to ask Shadow Garden members stationed nearby for their help, to no avail. Now the only possible hope was-

"I finally found out about his state!" Rose Oriana walked in with a smile on her face.

"Well? Spill the beans, then!" yes, Alexia was nervous as hell.

"He's fine, but is currently recuperating. Turns out Church members were a bit rough when escorting people out, so some people were injured-"

"What? Not only they don't even check out for people in their ranks, they also allow rough treatment of their guests?!"

"…Yes, that's absolutely unforgivable. Should we tell Princess Iris that?"

"Oh, you better believe we do. A scandal of this scale is not something even they can handle…" Alexia went into her scheming mode.

A flash of light shined through the window.

"What now?…" Alexia looked up.

Then she saw it. Something… titanic flying across the sky, dwarfing even the stars and moon. In mere moments its shadow covered the entire city. Then it disappeared.

Alexia rubbed her eyes. Either she was going delusional because of all the insane shit that happened in mere month or…

Probably the former. It's not like something that big could exist, right?

---

The Serpent was chasing the annoying pest. If anyone who knew It ever found out about that, they surely would mock It. A mere human, not only parrying the whole weight of Its body, but also damaging It in the process? Laughable!

Serpent had to admit, though: for a pest this human had… abilities. His magic, while not something that would bring attention of Auric Deities (oh how It wished to feast on them once more!), was certainly not weak. Moreover, something about his body seemed… unusual. The scent… was pleasant. Not on God's level, but pleasant nonetheless.

And Serpent was hungry. It was denied the meal It deserved. Denied by the same very human that was currently flying away from him.

Worthless. Does he not know that the longer Serpent chases Its prey, the faster It becomes? The final dash, welcome to your new-

Pain flashed through Serpent's head.

It was dumbfounded for a moment. Prey has escaped. Where?…

Something cut It from behind.

Serpent immediately turned Its head towards the tail. He was there. The prey fights back. Somehow, he dodged the Serpent at the last moment and inflicted injuries upon It.

Nasty.

Serpent was no mere worm. It was the Devourer of Gods. Many deities found their end in Its jaws.

And now a mere human dares to defy Serpent. Absurd.

It matters not. Soon, human would tire. That's when It would take Its deserved dinner. For Serpent does not tire.

---

Cid was looking at the gigantic snake, unamused. Not only it came back for more, it even followed him back to his world! So much for his peace time. And now it was chasing him across the sky. No, really, it disobeyed any and all laws of gravity and just flied right towards him, accelerating in the process! Soon enough it started flying faster than him, forcing him to counterattack and parry its head. He had a nagging feeling if he got caught by the jaws, he would suffer very heavy injuries… Well, maybe not, but better be safe than sorry.

Oh, snake finally realized that something was off and now was turning back towards him. It lost all the speed it was building up to this moment, however, so Cid was now free to think of the ways he can fight this thing back. Obviously, it tanked his Atomic right in the body, so it should be very strong and was trying to tire him out, right? However, upon striking it a few times Cid realized an interesting thing.

Serpent's body segments were very resistant, to the point where even filling his slime sword with mana to the brim was barely enough to make a small (respectively to its size) cut. Of course, it was possible to try and attack in-between scales, but it was very hard to do. However, head and tail were not that protected. Even a half-charged slash was more than enough to inflict a deep injury on these parts.

And so Cid got a plan…

---

Annerose Nichtsehen was walking back from Goddess' Trial. She heard about some kind of commotion that happened a few hours after, but it did not matter much. What she wanted now is to get to Midgar's capital as soon as possible in order to participate in Bushin's Festival. It was her first time doing that after leaving Seven Blades, and she longed to find a worthy opponent. Who knows, maybe she could fight the princess Iris herself? People said that she's strong…

Annerose's danger sense went into panic mode. She immediately looked up only to see a large magic sphere falling right towards her. Was this another trial from the Goddess?

She took a position and watched as the sphere came closer. It was strong. Strong enough to completely obliterate her, should she ever lower her defence. But that only made it better.

The sphere was mere meters away from her. Annerose breathed in, poured her magic and attacked.

The sphere and the sword met. Annerose could feel the heat scorching her hands, yet she did not give in. With gritted teeth, she gripped her sword tighter and continued to fight back against unbound magic. And a minute after, her efforts were rewarded; sphere slowly started to disappear.

After it was gone, Annerose fell on her knee. It was hard. Way harder than whatever that warrior at Goddess' Trial was.

But…

She looked at the sky, where beautiful stars were shining upon her.

This is exactly why she went out. To find the unbeatable. To challenge it.

And this encounter has shown her that she was on the right way. That there are still peaks she has not reached. With this, her wish to participate in Bushin only grew stronger.

Just give her a moment, please; she needs to collect her breath…

---

Devourer was growing irritated. This human continued to pester It, and was not even tired yet. At first he simply slashed at Its body, but after finding out where Serpent's weak points actually were, he always tried to snipe them.

Of course, Serpent Itself was not idiot: upon realizing the situation, It immediately retreated back to subspace. After that Devourer started sending magic blasts against that human, but even that was proven to be futile when human simply diverted them against one another with his strange weapon, or even outright dodged. One blast even went somewhere to this planet's ground, though it quickly died out.

Serpent even planned to just tire out the human with relentless blasts, however this almost turned out to be a fatal mistake when he somehow cracked through Its dimension and sent a strange dark attack towards It. In the end, Devourer was forced to go back in the material world.

Nonetheless, this fight was… good. Serpent had to admit, this human was excellent. Without Auric Soul, without gods' powers, he still managed to fight It back. Of course, his demise was all but decided, but he would be the one honored enough to be remembered by Serpent. Now, after their small prelude, It could feel human's mana.

Delicious.

---

Cid was… elated.

He finally realized what was going on.

Serpent was a multi-phase boss! Its first phase was a quite simple close quarters combat, if it could be named as such, where snake would try to charge at you at high speeds, occasionally firing at you with magic. Now, it entered second phase, starting with cool-ass entrance (find anyone who says that tearing space apart is not cool!).

And only now Cid noticed that Serpent's appearance somewhat changed. Body segments' ornaments were now adorned by beautiful large gems of various colors, it got a few additional smaller eyes, and some kind of a crown could be seen circling around its head. Indeed, a multi-phase boss with different appearances and different sets of abilities. Of course, for such an occasion Cid changed his attire to that of Shadow!

Now, even though Serpent was a bit faster than before, it also made sure to try and hide in subspace to attack him freely with magic blasts. They did not have any technique behind them, but they were filled with mana to the brim. Of course, because of lacking the technique, the mana was getting absorbed by the air quite quickly, but considering how much mana Serpent sent each time, it was enough to last several minutes.

He planned to do a surprise attack on Serpent when it was in its own little subspace, but somehow it immediately realized his plan and came out to attack him. Eh, no biggie, Cid will just follow with his original plan, then.

---

This human was a hassle.

Serpent was slowly coming to the point where absorbing him would not cover Its losses.

Probably, It should not have tried to use magic blasts against such agile target and just focus on relentless chase. But the problem was, human did not show any signs of being tired. Almost like it was him who had the almost infinite mana supply, while Serpent was playing on the limited stamina.

Of course, that couldn't be. After all, what Serpent meant with 'not covering the losses' is that human, despite smelling delicious, did not have that much of energy. A little snack, no more. Devourer simply did not wish to waste Its time on something so insignificant.

However, now it became a matter of pride to bring this human to deserved end. Namely, being eaten.

---

Cid could see the Serpent starting to hesitate.

It was obvious that poor snake was not so confident now after all the time of chasing him across the globe. No, really, Cid was pretty sure he managed to fly around the whole planet and then some! Of course, he did not have a large mana supply that allowed him to fly for such a long time, so how did he do it, then? Very simple: he infused the air beneath his feet with mana and simply moved with it. Also he used Overdrive to quickly replenish his mana.

Cid would like this fight even more if this thing was at least somewhat skilled, but unfortunately, in terms of actual combat between equals it was even more stupid than Delta. At least she tried to listen to his explanations, and somewhat caught up to what he taught her. Eh, nevermind, he already took his sweet time. Now, there was only one thing to do before he could proceed with killing the Serpent.

Making sure it has nowhere to escape.

---

This was going nowhere.

This human was too agile, and it was a long time since Serpent had a proper meal. It planned to use Goddess of this world as one, but this human somehow took her away, denying It deserved nourishment. Moreover, while Serpent slowly, but surely lost Its energy, human somehow connected to the world itself and used its mana as replacement for his own.

This battle of attrition would surely be won by human, considering that Serpent could not recklessly attack the world, lest human takes on Its moment of vulnerability, neither could Devourer attempt to eat the human so long as he could evade Its attacks. Of course, It could gamble on the fact that human is bound to make a mistake at one moment, delivering himself on silver plate right to Its jaws, but Serpent had better idea.

Human will not go anywhere, Devourer can say that for sure. It will only need to place the Sentinels to protect the subspace while Serpent goes to have Its meal. After that, It will go back, with replenished powers, and take this scoundrel's life!

Devourer of Gods slowly submerged back into the subspace.

---

Cid watched as the Serpent went back to his dimension. Just what he was waiting for.

Upon realizing that this thing could mess with Pylons' properties, Cid thought: "Who said I can't do the same, but to that snake?"

And thus a plan was born: he will connect with Pylon System and use it to trap the Serpent. Sounds great on paper, but he will probably have to replace the Pylons after that; after all, such a stress could not possibly end good for poor rocks, even if they are enhanced… Eh, no biggie, he planned to remake the system for better protection, anyway.

And he started working. Fortunately, after Serpent forcefully summoned him to its dimension, a weak connection still remained, which Cid could use in order to close any attempts at escaping. He only needed to use the knowledge he got from Sanctuary, then open up his Shadow Domain…

---

Devourer hit the wall.

One moment, It was leaving this world. The next, something stopped him from opening up spatial rift. No, not something…

Serpent could clearly see human's energy in whatever this wall was. Somehow, he could block It, the sole ruled of Void, from leaving!

Devourer once again tried to rip Its way through, only for the rift to close up again. Now, Serpent was…

Angered. Yes, angered. Clearly, this human does not know his place. Serpent was merciful enough to let him live for a moment longer, and that's how he repays the Devourer?

And then, It felt pain once more.

Human attacked Its head again, and this time he left something. This… something was quickly going through Its body, absorbing the cosmic and divine energy Devourer collected for millennia. Immediately, Serpent redirected Its aggressive energy towards the intruding one, and only after using up about 3% of Its energy could that intruder be destroyed.

Serpent felt pain. This was the first time someone other than Auric Deity could bring so much pain, and even they could not hold up against Devourer for a long time. Yet now, a mere human was winning!

That couldn't be. That simply couldn't be. This was impossible. Such audacity… Such audacity, to think that he, a mere human, could defeat a God!

Human wanted a fight? He will get a fight!

Serpent will not back down!

A God does not fear death!

---

Shadow Garden members gathered at throne room in Alexandria.

A strange pristine white stone was standing right behind the beautiful throne of their glorious leader, Shadow. It was covered in intricate runes that even the brightest minds of Research Department could not decipher. They could do nothing but call upon the Research Department head, the Seventh Shade, Eta.

To their shame, even Eta herself could not immediately discern the meaning behind them. She even wanted to take the stone away to her laboratory to study it better, but at this moment…

Stone shone brightly.

The familiar violet light filled the room. The light that gave them hope. The light, shining through the darkest places.

The light of their leader, Shadow.

Shadow Garden, always indomitable in face of mightiest foes, fell on their knees in front of the throne. And, as they started praying, the stone shone brighter.

---

Serpent went into third phase.

Cid was ready. He enhanced the spatial stability with his Pylons and covered the material world with Shadow Domain, targeted at Serpent. He can't allow it to leave into space, after all, right?

Then Serpent charged at him from the subspace at breakneck speed. It was so fast that even Cid himself at first was barely able to react at gigantic snake flying towards him. It then went to subspace again and tried to open up another rift to try and escape, yet to no avail, as Cid focused on fortifying the dimensional… walls? How does he even call it? He will think of a cool name later…

Moreover, each time Cid managed to inflict an injury upon the Serpent, he dropped some of his blood into the wound and tried to take the Serpent's energy away. Of course, it did not do anything big, as even his blood could not withstand that much, however he still felt its energy slowly plummeting.

Serpent tried to ram at him multiple times from the subspace, yet each time the only one who got injured was it.

And seemingly realizing that, too, Serpent went on the offensive.

---

Midgar's capital was sleeping. Only a few guards were patrolling the streets.

Of course, there were still not so law-compliant people who were scheming behind everyone's backs, but otherwise, everything was peaceful.

Then a shadow covered the entire city.

Moments after it disappeared, however those who managed to see what was up above could swear they saw some kind of a gigantic snake flying above them.

Shortly after, same thing repeated at other places.

Vegalta. Oriana. Alexandria. The ocean.

Shadow covered everything.

Out of fear, people started praying. And soon after, every city saw shining light.

---

Serpent tried to attack the relentless human.

It has long ceased to be a hunt. Now, it was a battle of survival.

Devourer aimed Its head at various angles, tried to do close-up attacks from subspace, and even feigned ramming to catch human off-guard. Nothing helped.

Moreover, each time human inflicted an injury, Serpent could feel Its energy being absorbed. This was the first time ever Devourer felt being the prey. And It did not like that.

The dimensional walls were fortified. Human's strange energy was finally revealed, closing the world from space. Given time, Devourer could break through. However, it would take several minutes. Minutes during which the human could tear Serpent apart.

And so It did the only thing it could. Ramming at full speed and beyond.

Yet it didn't help.

Devourer was becoming slower with each attempt. Its energy reserves were running out.

And at some point, Serpent, for the first time in Its life, felt unknown force pulling It towards the ground.

For the first time, Devourer of Gods was subjected to gravity.

---

Alexia was sitting at the window. She was waiting to see this strange shadow once again.

She was not the only one, though. Both Iris and Rose were here, too. Turned out, she was not the only one who saw it, and then it appeared again, and then… Yeah, in short, they were waiting.

After some time, they saw the shining light near Goddess' Trial arena. Moreover, they could see multiple people sitting in praying position.

Then they saw the shadow covering Lindwurm once more. However, this time it slowly came to a halt.

And then the light shone from the sky.

"That's… a little early for dawn, isn't it?" Alexia spoke in disbelief.

"I do not think that this is dawn…" Iris squinted, trying to discern the features of thing that cast the shadow.

Rose only sat in silence.

---

I will not be destroyed.

Devourer could no longer move. This world's gravity was slowly pulling him down. It tried to resist, but alas, Its energy was depleted.

Serpent could only rise Its head and look at the one who bested It.

A human was walking on the air. Walking just like on ground. He slowly came closer and closer to Serpent.

I will not be destroyed!

Devourer tried to open Its maw. Jaws slowly parted, opening up the passage. Human still walked towards It, as if not caring about the sharp teeth covering the surface of Serpent's mouth.

"You were strong, I'll give you that," human started speaking as he stopped right in front of Devourer's mandibles.

Serpent desperately tried to move just a little closer, just enough to reach the human. It would be enough to restore the energy to go back to Its dimension!

"However…" human shook his head, "You lacked the skills necessary to back up your strength. Nonetheless, you deserve to know the name. The name of the one who defeated you."

No… No. No!

Devourer could feel Its body not being able to sustain itself anymore. Tail fell off first. Next segment started detaching soon.

I WILL NOT BE DESTROYED!

"Remember well."

Human's body suddenly erupted in mana. Mana so strong that even Serpent felt power behind it. If only It could take just a bit…!

"My name is Shadow. I lurk in the shadows, and I hunt down the shadows. You never stood a chance to begin with. However, out of respect for your power level, I shall reveal another name."

Human's clothing shifted in form and spread Serpent's mandibles apart as he started walking towards the mouth. Devourer tried to close Its maw only to realize that It no longer had strength to do so.

I

"I."

WILL

"Am."

NOT

"Atomic."

---

Alpha looked up.

Right above them, a familiar light filled up the sky itself, bringing a sudden dawn.

Shades watched in awe at the light that gave them second life. Numbers fell down on their knees and started praying.

Alpha herself only smiled at the sight. The sight she saw back when he saved her. All-encompassing energy that washed off all signs of Curse.

The light slowly died out as the night sky once again took its place.

However, Shades saw him.

He was slowly descending down, with gigantic head behind him being held by his mana.

He only looked around the place, then focused his gaze on them. And smiled.

"LORD SHADOW!" cheers erupted in the air.

Chapter 36: Loot Obsession

"Hmm, hmm, hmm…" Cid hummed happily.

After dealing with the Serpent (what was its name, again?… Oh, he didn't ask…) Cid was finally free. Moreover, somehow Pylons actually managed to hold on the whole time and didn't break! Oh, and he also got Serpent's loot. And by loot he means almost the whole body!

Of course, after using Nuclear some parts of its body were completely evaporated, but his bet paid off: Serpent was sturdy enough to not be annihilated fully. It died, but he got the loot: part of its head, mandibles, and all body segments. Unfortunately, tail disappeared, but Cid was pretty content with what he got. After all, these scales turned out to be some kind of body armor? Exoskeleton, maybe? In short, they were sturdy and hard to break, making excellent choice for armor… Hmm, maybe he could somehow merge them with slime suit? It was long begging for an upgrade…

Right, turned out under all these armored scales was another layer. That one was not that sturdy (and actually these exact scales were on head and tail), but very elastic. So elastic, in fact, that Cid could practically see it being made into some kind of clothing… If tailor could even work with material, that is.

He took the head as proof of kill and stored the rest of the body in Shadow Realm for the time being, though Shadow Entities were scared shitless of, even dead, Serpent.

And now he was slowly descending towards girls' camp. And even from here he could hear them screaming something like "That's our glorious leader!", "Lord Shadow!", etc, etc. Kinda flattering, it feels good to be respected.

He landed on the ground and finally let the head free. It then fell down and crushed part of the forest, making a small earthquake. Oops?

"Master Shadow, I assume you have fought a fearsome being?" Alpha being the Captain Obvious today, huh?

"Uh-huh, this guy over here is…" whatever, he will roll with name he created, "Cosmic Serpent. Very sturdy, has lots of power, but completely unskilled. Just tried to catch me the whole time and rammed. The materials are good, though."

"Cosmic… Serpent?" Alpha eyed the gigantic head that dwarfed even some smaller hills. "And how big it actually was?…"

"Uh…" he quickly calculated, "About ten kilometers in length, I think?"

"Ten kilometers, you say?…" elf blankly stared at him.

"Yeah, pretty big snake, I would say," he nodded at her.

Alpha went silent for a moment.

"So… You completely destroyed it, correct, Master Shadow?"

"Oh, no, large part of the body is stored safely. I just brought the head here… Eh, don't even know why, but it looked cool, right?" Cid smiled sheepishly.

"Ah…" Alpha quickly realized something, "Yes, indeed, defeating such an intimidating beast and showing the proof of your victory raised Shadow Garden's moral even more."

"I knew you would understand me, Alpha!" Cid beamed.

"So, what do we do now, Lord Shadow?" Epsilon interjected.

"Oh, I think it's about time we go back… Hold on, where's Violet and Beta?" he realized something was amiss.

"Violet… Right, she's currently sleeping."

"She… what?" Cid blinked.

"She's sleeping. As she said, she still needs to get used to new body, and sleeping is the best way for her soul to do that," Alpha elaborated.

"Oh, right, kinda didn't think of that… and Beta?"

"Beta is going undercover. She took the role of famous writer Natsume Kafka once again and is currently preparing to make connections with princesses. However, she's not on the mission yet. We can call for her if you wish so, Master Shadow."

"Hmm, later. She's yet to receive her reward."

And immediately he heard some strange things from Shadow Garden recruits like "That's the Shade for you…", "If I become one, can I get my share too?", "Dream on"… Yeah, he still has to get used to being a real idol of his own organization, which is now not fake. He still can't believe that girls actually built a shadowy organization for him out of nothing… He knew they were good, but not that good! Come to think of it…

"Alpha."

"Yes, Master Shadow?" she immediately turned to him. Feels bad to interrupt her from giving orders, but news will probably make her happy.

"Do you remember that bet with Claire?"

"…Yes?" she pouted. Probably shouldn't have started like that but eh.

"I am pleased with performance of all Shades. You all are getting the same reward, albeit a bit longer. Three hours, almost anything you can think of, with me."

Alpha froze. Then a smile crept on her face. He already regrets his decision.

"Three hours. With you. And anything I wish?" is it just him or are there really stylized hearts in her eyes?

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for this opportunity, Master Shadow. I assure you we will have a great time together," Alpha practically purred.

"My Lord, by 'all Shades' you mean?…" Zeta's cat pupils turned very round and and very big. He heard that pupils enlarge when someone looks at something they like…

"I mean all Shades. You can do it all together, or you can do it one by one."

"…Can we do both?" Alpha raised a suggestion.

Cid weighed his options. It's not that much, after all, right? Just prolong the reward to a full day, and in return he spends time with all of them and they become happy. Win-win!

"Hmm, that can be arranged," he nodded.

"Thank for your benevolence, my Master," Alpha smiled warmly.

"Don't sweat it. You deserve it after your hard work," Cid smiled back.

"My Lord, in what order do we get our time?" Zeta turned attention to the important topic.

"Hmm…" he mused, "We shall do it this way: starting from Alpha and going by joining order. Then we will finish all together. Is that alright with you?"

"So I will be the sixth… And dog the fourth… Hmm, that crazy scientist is the last one…"

"Zeta?" let's pretend he didn't hear all of this.

"Nothing, my Lord. Just thinking about what to do on my time. Another questions: when can we take our reward?"

"After we return to Midgar's capital," he replied, "I still need to return with princesses, else they will start searching for me everywhere…"

"My Lord, in fact, they did try to search for you…" Zeta's ear twitched, "But I managed to redirect them by saying that you were getting medical attention after… the events."

"Oh? Great job, Zeta!" nice! Now he has an excuse!

"Thank you, my Lord. Here, a list of everything I told them so you can play your civilian role perfectly," Zeta's tail was wagging around in excitement. How does he know? Well, he had pets in his previous life.

"Umu. Then I shall go," and turn away in cool way-!

"Master Shadow, didn't you forget anything?" Alpha's voice interrupted him mid-posing.

"Hm…" no matter how much he tries to think, nothing comes to mind…

"Hah…" blonde elf shook her head, "Beast's head, Master Shadow. We have no ways of carrying something this big back to base."

"Oh," realization hit him, "Sorry, Alpha, guess I am still a bit high after the fight."

With that he opened up Shadow Trail and submerged the head, placing it to the rest of the body.

"…So this is what you meant by 'stored safely', my Lord…" Zeta nodded respectfully.

"Uh-huh. I am planning to make something better, but for now this will do."

"Well then, we shall take our leave," Alpha nodded at him.

"No, hold on, I remembered something," Cid quickly connected to Pylon System and started browsing around.

Some time before that he found out that almost all the faith energy that was collected from killing Goddess before disappeared somewhere. Upon closer look he realized that it was mixed with his energy and sent to Pylon System, fulfilling his wish in making a well-protected system. Moreover, this same energy was what prevented Serpent from leaving. Now Pylon System also acted as this world's protection against any spatial invasion, only allowing to use spatial rifts to denizens of this world and, well, him.

In short: now it has a somewhat good protection. He knows for sure there are ways to make even better system, but that's a task not for one day.

And that means he can use Pylon System to send girls home immediately!

"Stand here. All together. Including recruits."

"Yes, Master," Alpha immediately obeyed.

"Good. You want to go back to Alexandria or?…"

"Mitsugoshi, Master Shadow."

"Great. Well, good luck!" and with that he activated the teleportation sequence.

He also sneaked in the permission slip for her own usage. Well, to be fair, he sneaked it in for every Shade present. And all others? He will give it to them when they gather again.

Well, now it's time to go to princesses.

---

"…Huh."

Alpha was honestly not surprised. Moreover, she expected that.

As much as she knows that her beloved Master is not omniscient, she also knows he's a combat and magic prodigy that can adapt to any situation… and create anything on the spot should he feel like it.

It was no wonder that after seeing Sanctuary's teleportation once he developed his own. Though, to teleport them anywhere?…

"Huh, what's this stone?" hm?

Alpha turned around to see big pristine white stone with runes engraved on it. And judging that they appeared right near it… And the fact that she could feel her pocket being a bit heavier than before…

Alpha took out the small marble slip. And of course, once she did that, some kind of connection was established between it and the stone. Then she felt it.

She felt the position of all other stones. She felt that she could use the slip to transport both herself and other Shadow Garden members to any point where they were located.

"Even now, you continue to show us your kindness and shower us with gifts, don't you, Cid?" she whispered, smiling.

---

"How are you, Cid? Does it hurt still?" worried Rose kept pestering Cid.

He already kinda regretted ever coming back to them, but it is what it is: if he didn't, they would come searching him.

Now he was trapped between two princesses: Alexia and Rose. The latter tried to spoon-feed him, while the former simply pressed her bosom into his hand.

"Poochie, are you sure they didn't overstep their boundaries? Iris was ready to make a scandal out of it," huh, he didn't know Midgar royal family was willing to go on such lengths. His mob cover evaporated day by day…

"Nah, it's fine. Nothing too bad happened."

"Hmm…" Alexia squinted, "I can feel that you're not lying…"

Of course he doesn't. After all, he wasn't even escorted by Church's squad! He was the one fighting Violet!

"Oh, and princess Rose?"

"Just 'Rose', Cid," she softly smiled.

"…Right, Rose, I heard about something interesting happening while I was recuperating?" he needs to know if anyone else saw the gigantic worm in the sky!

"Well…" Rose and Alexia glanced at each other.

"Gigantic shadow covered multiple cities," Iris spoke out, frowning, "And it was not once. It moved from one city to another. Then it stopped at Lindwurm, however, something destroyed it. The flash of power was so strong that it forced a dawn for a few minutes."

"Mhm," Alexia nodded, "I even heard townsfolk saying that it was Goddess' intervention. And as much as I want to deny that, I am still inclined to believe that it can't be anything other than divine power."

"So that's how it is…" he nodded and laid back against the chair as Rose continued to feed him.

'He-he, they think it was Goddess who fought the Serpent… But their Goddess was long slain! Slain by the same person who defeated Serpent! And it was me, Shadow!'

Notes:

Indeed, now we enter phase of cuddling and headpats and... lewd things.

Chapter 37: Jealous Obsession

"So, dearest Poochie, what do you choose?" a beautiful silver-haired girl stared at an unassuming boy with her piercing crimson eyes as she sat on top of his lying body.

Yes, that's Cid. You're probably wondering how he got into this situation? Well, it was quite simple…

---

"Finally, we are back," Rose smiled upon seeing the familiar walls of Midgar's capital.

"Indeed. And it seems like I will have a lot of work to do…" Iris sighed as she heard townsfolk fervently arguing about the "Shadow That Covered The World" (all capital, yes) and Goddess Beatrix that fought it back and brought a new dawn to people.

Cid only listened to it with unamused look. He kinda forgot that people here averaged on just being good swordsmen (or women) that simply used magic to enhance their bodies and were not able to even level out a city. Then they see something of this scale, and then they see it being evaporated as the light from explosion seemingly reached almost every corner of this world. What would they think, considering values here were comparable to Earth's medieval times, with magic as a bonus layer? Of course that it was battle of gods.

But honestly, these so-called "gods" did not seem that strong at all. No, maybe he just met one of the weakest kind, but they do not seem so impressive after that 'Goddess' was evaporated in one Nuclear.

Eh, nevermind. It doesn't matter if they are weak or strong. What matters is this brand new faith energy! And also the energy of that Serpent that is still stored in its body (well, more like in all his blood that drained the energy)… But that's a task for later, now he needs to escort princesses back and then come to Shades.

"Cid, mind accompanying me on a walk?" Alexia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm, sure," he shrugged.

"Great! Our first stop will be Tuna's!"

"I wish you a good day, miss Alexia," Rose nodded with a smile.

"Then I shall go back; Crimson Order has to be prepared against…" Iris glanced at him, "anything that could threat safety of Midgar's kingdom."

He has a feeling that that she wanted to say something else, and that something else would probably not be bandits, but alright.

"Goodbye, Iris, miss Rose!" Alexia waved, smiling.

Cid watched as women slowly walked away. Where? Rose probably to academy, Iris… hell if he knows.

"Now it's only two of us…" Alexia slo-o-owly turned her head.

"Uh-huh."

"So, Poochie, how are you doing?" she walked closer to him.

"Hmm, pretty nice, actually…"

"No pain? No bruises?" she sta-a-ared at him.

"Nah, it's alright, already told you so."

"Oh, then alright. Because I planned for a lo-o-ong day," and with that she started dragging him towards shopping district.

'Sorry, Shades, it seems like their reward is postponed to a later date.'

---

"M-m-m, that ice cream is good!" Alexia beamed.

"It sure is," Cid agreed.

'Reminder: praise Gamma a bit more. Pretty sure she was the one who managed the food department… and clothing department… everything related to business.'

"Cid?" Alexia suddenly frowned. "You are thinking about other women?"

"No, I am thinking about which burger to take," he lied as naturally as he breathed.

"Hmm…" she squinted, "Well, then you are paying for the next one."

"What?…" he slo-o-owly turned around.

"I meant that next two burgers are on my tab!"

"Oh, I thought you wanted me to pay for them," he rubbed his chin, "If you are short on money, you can just say so."

"Me? Short on money? Who do you take me for?" she scoffed and walked to cashier, "Excuse me, I wish to order…"

---

"Hmm, what do you think about these?" Alexia was scrutinizing dresses.

"Which do you mean?" he looked over the clothing.

"One of these blue ones!" she pointed at a separated group.

Though…

"Alexia."

"Yeah?"

"This one is ultramarine, this one is dark blue, this one is actually closer to violet spectre, this one is azure…" he pointed at each dress one by one. How does he know all of that? Color theory is important for both mob disguise and cool Eminence in Shadow!

"Cid," Alexia interrupted him.

"Yeah?"

"I asked what will go the best for me, not the color names!"

"Oh, sorry," hmm, what will go the best for her…

"Well?"

"This one," he nodded at dark blue, almost black, dress. He thinks that's called midnight blue?

"You sure?" she squinted.

"There are other choices, but this one seems the most plausible," he shrugged. Well, she wanted dresses of blue colors, so he is not gonna go with any other.

"Hmmm…" she judged the poor dress for a few moments and nodded, "Well, then I'll take this one. Now, help me choose…"

---

"Huh? Cid, are you seeing what I am seeing?…"

"What…? Oh?"

It seems like some sort of craft exhibition? How interesting… Oh, wait, Bushin Festival? No wonder, then… Hmm, maybe he can take a role here, too? Just to relax and have fun?

"No, look closer. There, Cid, this snake-like sculpture!"

"Uh, what's that-?"

Hold up, isn't that very rough sculpture of that Serpent? Was it really that impactful that people started making art of it? And even with that Goddess defeating it, too.

"What do you think? Should we take one?" Alexia turned to look at him.

"Don't see any point," he shrugged.

"What do you mean? That thing was quite impressive, I wouldn't mind having a reminder of it on my shelf," she pouted a bit.

"If you want it so much, I can make you one by hand," not to mention, he can use real materials and has a body of it in his Shadow Realm.

Alexia stopped.

"…Really?"

"What?" he tilted his head.

"Will you really make something for me?" she suddenly stared right into his eyes.

"Uh, yeah?" Cid blinked.

"…Hmph. Let's go," Alexia blushed.

"Where?" Cid wanted to protest but Alexia suddenly did a grab on his hand.

"To my home. You are being invited. Do not resist," she smirked and once again dragged him.

---

Cid slowly stirred his coffee.

Alexia stared at him from behind her own cup.

Cid took a sip. Alexia did the same and continued staring at him, unblinking.

"So what do you want?" he decided to go all-in.

"Say, Poochie…" she started in sweet voice.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think there are too many women near you as of late?"

"Huh, now when you put it that way…" he sat in thoughts.

Even if he excludes Shades and Claire, there's still Alexia herself, Rose who claimed that she would fight everything to get him, Sherry who he didn't see since the incident, Iris… No, wait, Iris is normal…

"That's indeed strange… I am just a secondary character, why do they keep coming at me?" he asked no one in particular.

"Right?! Who do they all think they are! I was the one who took you!…" Alexia stopped and coughed, "I-I mean, it's bad etiquette to try and take a man who was already claimed."

"Sure, whatever you say," Cid immediately agreed.

"Indeed! And I am saying that you need to stop with charming every woman you come across!"

"In my defence, I am not even trying to do that. And you know that, in fact, I would rather stay away from things like these," he pointed out and took another sip.

"I know, I know, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating…" she groaned and filled her cup again. 'Again' because it was already a third one, while he didn't even finish his first.

Silence permeated the room, only occasionally being broken by sounds of sipping coffee and eating sweets.

Then Alexia stood up.

"You know what, Poochie?"

"Hmm?"

"I have decided."

"Hmm."

"Come here."

"Hmm…"

"Either you come by yourself or I drag you."

"Fine, fine…" he slowly stood up.

Alexia looked over him, then nodded to herself in satisfaction. Cid quirked a brow at her antics, but continued standing in silence. She took his hand and slowly led to the bed.

'I've got a bad feeling about this…' was all he could think of before Alexia decided to throw him in bed.

"You know that I am your girlfriend, right?" she started, looming over him ominously, "You agreed to that yourself. This is not a fake relationship anymore…" she descended to his level and cupped his cheeks, "So why do you continue charming other women, Poochie?"

"I do not. They come by themselves," somehow, he could speak coherently with all the cheeks squishing.

"Then be less desirable. I am getting jealous each time this Oriana's princess starts cuddling with you. I am getting jealous when women I know start scheming on how to take my boyfriend away. I am getting jealous when random women like that writer wink at you seductively."

"She did?" he blinked. Was Beta really trying to seduce him?

"S-s-s…" was she hissing? "That's exactly what I am talking about! This innocent look of yours! I don't believe any woman who sees it would be able to resist taking you!"

'I knew Alexia had some screws loose, but isn't that a bit too much?'

"Oh, right!" Alexia lowered her face to his as her crimson eyes filled with craze, "Even my own sister is slowly falling in front of you! She has come from thinking about you as another average student to regularly mentioning how awesome and brave you are!"

"Huh," his honest reaction to that information.

"…You know what? I'll give you a choice."

"Choice."

"Yes, choice. Either you kiss me, out of your own will, right now…"

"Or?"

"Or I am strapping you to the bed and do it all my own way."

'Well, damn, another bondage lover on my head… Claire, Eta, now her?'

"You're not backing down, now do you?" he stared at the ceiling.

"Of course I don't. Sooner or later, we would come to this. And I chose sooner. What about you, Poochie? Do you want to take the initiative or will you give it to me?" Alexia stared, unblinking.

"…Remind me the rules, again?"

"Kiss me, or I chain you up and do it all myself," she repeated with a crazy smile.

'I don't remember giving you the Shades' reward, though…'

"So, dearest Poochie, what do you choose?" Alexia stared at Cid with her piercing crimson eyes as she sat on top of his lying body.

'I have come from beating snake the size of the biggest mountain to being threatened by my own girlfriend… I can't catch a break, now can I?'

Notes:

I am finally fulfilling the second tag

Chapter 38: Faith Obsession

Alexia was looking down on Cid.

Honestly, she shouldn't do that. Really.

But it was all his fault for being this damn alluring! His annoyed face? Cute! His baffled face? Cute! His smiling face?…

Ugh, now she wants to do that even more! She wants to keep him for herself, to snatch him and never let him go! She remembers how Cid was complaining about his sister, Claire, doing something like that. Back then she didn't understand why would she do that. Now she does!

For some goddamn reason he's irresistible for women! Rose Oriana, Sherry Barnett… Even her own sister, Iris! They all somehow get attracted to him! The only saving grace is the fact that he's not interested in relationships with them, at all, but that doesn't mean they won't do anything!

And so she decided to take initiative in her own hands. She would take him to her house and… well, do… something, yeah.

The plan was a success! First part of it. Now she needed to do… something.

"Hmm…" he hummed as he gazed at her with his annoyed look. In response she pinched his cheeks (very cute cheeks, if she might add), making him flinch.

"Hmhp, for how long are you going to stall the inevitable, Poochie?" she was getting annoyed, too, "I asked you a simple question. For all I know, anyone else jump on the opportunity to be with me and not even look at the conditions."

"I am not anyone else," Cid slowly closed his eyes.

"And I wouldn't take it any other way, but now you are pissing me off!" Alexia took his hands into hers as she lowered her face to his, "Last chance. Kiss me, or suffer the consequences."

She probably shouldn't be this aggressive, but she can't see any other way to develop their relationships past cuddling! The fact that he doesn't get their feelings is somewhat helpful against other women, but must he also be like this towards her?! He's so dense that she could probably try to cut his understanding of relationships and her sword would break instead!

"Can't you just let me go?" he sighed and relaxed against the bed.

"Hmph, you've made your choice," she squinted.

"I'll take that as a no-" whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by Alexia pulling him in a kiss.

'Tasty.'

That's what Alexia thought when she finally got to experience everything that prior to that was only in her imagination and romance books.

She has to admit: as much as big breast monster that Natsume Kafka was (and she was totally padding them!), her writing skills were top-notch. Each time Alexia read her books, she could vividly imagine the scenes in the utmost detail.

However…

That was only the start. There is still so, so much more to do.

Alexia slowly moved her right hand to gently hold his head. His hair was soft. Heavenly, even. As she continued on their kiss, she could feel his now free hand reaching up to her own head as he gently caressed her hair.

'This is even better than I thought…' Alexia interlocked fingers with him.

Now, she was content. She marked him. He was hers. He belongs to her.

Alexia slowly let Cid go as they parted lips. And even now he was looking more annoyed than anything else. Wasn't this a pleasant experience for him, too?

"Y'know…" he started, frowning, "If you wanted to do something with me, you could just tell so. No point in playing games."

"Hmph, I know you good enough to understand one simple thing: if I don't go rough on you you will simply slip away," she teased him as she touched her lips (she still could feel the taste).

"Maybe I would. Maybe not. One thing I know for sure."

"Well, amuse me."

"You completely suck at being dominant," he spoke, blankly staring her in the eyes.

Alexia sat silent for a moment.

---

"Hmm, maybe I was supposed to tell that a bit more… sweetly…" Cid rubbed his ching as he walked out of princess' house.

After his last phrase Alexia went completely crazy to try and prove him that she was the one in control here… which went as he expected.

At first she tried to beat him up, then mid-swing realized that's not how girlfriends treat their boyfriends (his previous life observations said otherwise, though), then once again pinned him to the bed and gently started choking him… Don't ask how can you choke gently, that's what happened. In the end, when all her options were exhausted, he merely took her in embrace and started giving her headpats, once and for all settling the question of who was the one in control.

Honestly, it more seemed like Alexia wanted him to pay attention to her, and once she got what she wanted she was pretty much content with letting him go… If that's the case, he should prepare some gifts… Now what can a mob gift his princess girlfriend?…

Now he was walking back to Mitsugoshi, where Shades currently were supposed to be… Well, maybe not Eta. She was probably busy with her experiments again, but he was fine with that; if nothing else, he will just come to her personally.

Hmm, if he was being honest, this little trip he had with Alexia actually gave him a semblance of normalcy. What does he mean by that? Well, first he was fighting what was unanimously the strongest being in the world (before him), then he resurrected said being, then he fought the Goddess of this world's religion, then he fought gigantic interdimensional worm… One thing after the other, and kinda lost any sense of what was normal life.

Of course, he was long determined to abandon this normal life in order to achieve his dream, but just talking with someone who takes you as equal and just wants to have a fun experience with you? Yeah, that was refreshing. The only other people like that were Alpha and Claire, and first still had some kind of… reverence towards him, while the latter… at first she was busy choking him, now she was looking at him with reverence, too.

On one hand, that flattered his ego; he was now a bona fide Eminence in Shadow! Feared by his enemies, revered by his allies, unknown to the public! He practically achieved his dream!

On the other hand… there's no other hand, his hands were already bare.

Moreover…

He looked at people crafting statues of Serpent, making plays of Serpent being defeated by the Goddess, and other fun things.

Even if it wasn't revealed that he's the one who defeated the Serpent, it still feels damn good for his achievements to be recognized!

---

"Master Shadow, welcome back," Alpha greeted him once he entered the throne room.

"M-m," he nodded as he sat on his throne.

"All recruits that participated in attack on Sanctuary were sent back to recuperate. We also managed to save one more group of Possessed. Epsilon is currently readying herself for the healing…"

Cid interrupted her with raised hand.

"No need, bring them all here," he ordered.

Well, if he was now a real leader, then he should show something once more. Back then he was healing everyone one by one… How about doing mass heal?

"…As you command, Master Shadow," Alpha smiled at him and nodded to guard at the front door.

Guard nodded back and went out to escort the group.

"Now, while we are waiting, tell me, have you made a plan on what do you wish to do at your time?" he inquired as he crossed his legs. "And you do not need to tell everything if you wish to keep something a secret to give me a surprise, this is your reward. You are to decide what to do with it."

"Well, I do have a rough draft, but I will reveal everything after we are at place," she chuckled.

"Ho? You already have a place prepared? Not bad, Alpha," he approved.

"Indeed, Master Shadow. And, since you told I am the one who decides what to do…"

He got a bad feeling.

"You will obey me in these three hours, won't you?" ragged breath, flushed cheeks, and empty craze in the eyes.

'Yep, she's the same kind of nuts as Alexia, Eta, Claire, Zeta… Wait, practically every woman I know is crazy! Except Beta and Sherry, they're good cookies. Hope they won't get corrupted by these evil scientists, businesswomen, and right hands…'

He sat in uncomfortable silence. If gaze could devour, there would be nothing left of him by now… Hold on, devouring gaze… Hmm, could he develop something like that?…

"Lord Shadow, they are here," guard announced as a group of women slowly entered after her.

He watched them closely. Of course, each and every one of them was covered in blue-ish skin that he saw back then… Well, on practically everyone he healed. Hmm, if Curse of Diabolos is actually real, could he just ask Violet — y'know, the actual Diabolos, — to, well, uncurse everyone? This is just a Magic Overload induced by her cells if she's to be believed.

"I will not start with any glorious opening speech," he whispered, but because of magic everyone could hear him. He worked hard on aspect of being cool!

With that he raised his hand…

"This is your salvation," and released a wave of magic.

Back when he was at this throne for the first time, his mass healing was pretty underdeveloped. It could only heal faitigue, lack of sleep, and some minor to mid-level cuts and scars. Now, however? The moment he released his magic, his mind already calculated how and where to go in order to treat the Curse, aka Magic Overload.

One moment, his magic comes in contact with foreign ones.

Next one, his magic gets a mold from their Astral Bodies at how their physical bodies are actually supposed to be.

And it finished with them being completely healed, with their magic reserves and control increased after Diabolos cells were pacified.

Alright, Cid, you get… Eight out of ten, when he can do it by merely quirking his brow he might give himself nine out of ten… Wait, he can do that by quirking his brow… Oh, right, they wouldn't even see that in their pain. Well then, Cid, you receive a bonus point. Nine out of ten.

Women started looking at each other in disbelief. Next thing he knows, they all fall on their knees and start praying towards him.

He would just play along if not for one simple fact.

You know, the Pylon behind his throne?

It started glowing. Glowing in response to their prayers. And they prayed even more after witnessing this.

And if it just ended there, he would be actually pretty satisfied. Like, even his own creations understand when a moment to look cool strikes! But no, he also felt some kind of energy flowing from women to Pylon, and from Pylon to him.

All too familiar energy, in fact. He also saw this kind of energy after defeating Goddess Beatrix and taking her soul.

The one she told him can't be used by mortals. Faith energy.

This same energy was now flowing to him. From the women in front of him. And, if he concentrated enough, he would realize that there are even more points from where it flows towards him.

Alexandria. Mitsugoshi. Lindwurm (albeit less)…

And judging by the look Alpha and other members give to this scene, they all think this is how it's supposed to be. They even nod approvingly!

Did he just start cult of himself?! That was not in the plans!

Notes:

Gotta take a break for a day or two. It is exactly one month (30 days) on non-stop posting.

And if you see a chapter tomorrow again, then I lied and wrote again. You are free to do… things to me in that case.

Chapter 39: Fanatical Obsession

Alpha stared at her beloved Master, transfixed.

It was only three years since he created a cure against the Curse. In these three years, she, Epsilon, and Eta were working tirelessly on the ways to make it better, easier to use. Epsilon was coming closer in cracking the mystery behind it, and Eta was in final stages of making the process automatic.

Then their Master quite literally shoved the reason behind the Curse in their faces, revived the one whose cells were causing it, and now has shown them that in these three years he already cracked everything down and a mere movement of his was now enough to grant salvation to those who yearn for it. To everyone, at once.

Oh, she knows he's absolutely not omniscient god that knows everything that happens in this world, and for sure there are still mysteries that he has to find out the answers for… But that doesn't make it any better for her. She wanted to be of help to him, she wanted to stand with him, together, as equals, so he would not bear everything on himself.

But how can she do as such when the speed at which he grows is completely incomparable to everyone else? Three years ago, while his battle skills were indeed superior, she surpassed him in everything related to magic. Now, she can feel that her full magic reserve was but a mere drop in the vast ocean that was his own mana, and his control was enough to precisely target the one he wished for, down to their body parts, and change the weather itself.

And even now, when he clearly had the power to completely eradicate the Cult as a whole without troubles, he allowed them to live so Shadow Garden has a purpose.

She knows that most members at first only join because they have nowhere else to go and wish to eliminate the reason behind their suffering, Cult of Diabolos. It is later on Zeta and Victoria indoctrinate them into their cause… By the way, she has read their 'Holy Texts', and they suspiciously look like Beta's writing. Of course, she agreed with almost everything — except the parts about suspiciously familiar silver-haired elf with sky-like irises and a mole under her eye, — after all, it only makes sense that their Lord and Saviour is to receive the utmost respect… She's getting sidetracked.

In his infinite kindness, he allowed Cult to live for a moment longer so Shadow Garden has a purpose. So everyone is united with a common goal. So they all continue to stay as a big family. Of course, they would be a family even after annihilating they Cult of Diabolos — especially now, when the Diabolos herself was, metaphorically, in his hands (and she looked suspiciously happy to be there…) — which now would not even be a problem. Just because Shadow didn't kill the Hydra doesnt't mean he didn't take away its heads. If they can't accomplish even such a simple goal, then…

They deserve no kindness of his.

---

'Damn, damn, damn, what do I do?! I did say that I would only participate in religion if I am the core point of it, but I didn't think it would actually happen!'

Cid was really nervous. It's not everyday when you just want to make sure that everything is fine and dandy in your (real) shadow organization, only to realize your organization morphed into an actual cult. Now that he looks over everything thoroughly, he can notice some little things that prior to that were escaping his view.

For example, every Shadow Garden member was wearing some kind of accessories while in the building. He was pretty sure than whenever they were on the field, their suit was, well, just slime suit; almost fully black with no discerning features. Now, however, each and every single one was proudly displaying a purplish amulet with four-star symbol… Like the one behind his throne and on the walls! Back then he just thought they were playing around with him, to make everything look cool, but now that he knows it's all real? He was not ready for this! Absolutely not!

But he has to play his part. Since girls are actually so hell-bent on giving him an actual organization full of fana- followers, then he should indulge them!

"Rise."

Hmm, a bit intimidating, but not much, with a hint of warmth and approval as he releases calming aura… Yep, totally nailing it!

As everyone, including members — for some reason everyone except Alpha herself was kneeling, even those who were supposedly high-ranking members, — shakingly stood up, he thought over about his next words. If he's to play some kind of deity in the shadows, then he should give a proper introduction… Hmm, he has an idea!

"I am Shadow. The leader of Shadow Garden."

Introductions in order. Name first, occupation second, then explain what is going on and how they are related to it.

"Usually, I am not the one to explain it; members of Shadow Garden fill new ones in in my stead. However, I personally took the part in eliminating the biggest threat from our enemies, and as I was here, I felt obliged to help my," nod towards Alpha, "subordinates in freeing you from the Curse."

He saw Alpha nodding from the corner of his eye. Well, it's not like he lied: he really eliminated the so-called Knights of the Rounds, who were in the charge of Cult of Diabolos!

"Now, you might ask what is this Curse, right?" the unsure nods from women, "Curse of Diabolos is another name for what you might know as Possession," widening eyes, "Indeed, the truth about what exactly it is was covered. Covered by our enemies, Cult of Diabolos, that seeks out to resurrect Diabolos and claim her powers for themselves…" he chuckled, "Or rather, sought."

Yeah, after what he pulled off he doubts Cult will be able to get Violet back.

"Umm, excuse me, what do you mean by that?…" thank you, unnamed new member, he was waiting for this question!

He merely raised his hand in response.

"Patience. I shall explain everything."

She nodded quickly.

"And be not afraid. Once I am finished with explanations, you can ask your questions. For now, listen."

Show that you're really benevolent boss and will not take heads for merely asking questions! Just because he's deity in shadows doesn't mean he has to act like some sort of demon. Darkness is not evil.

"Our last operation. As I was talking about, I personally participated in it. Before slaying the mightiest of our enemies," well, they were some kinds of big shots, and he didn't say he didn't count cosmic worm, "I managed to get my hands on the one they were so hell-bent on reviving. The Diabolos herself, or rather, her soul. However, everything was not so simple."

Judging from Alpha's approving smile, he didn't mess up yet. Good, good.

"As it turned out, Diabolos was but a victim in the grand scheme of things. Granted with power she did not wish for, locked up against her will, and used in horrifying experiments…" dramatic pause, "No wonder, then, she turned against her captors. However, in twist of rage, her power went out of control and condemned countless innocent lives. Seeing this, Cult decided to blame everything on her and used the remaining Diabolos cells in order to prepare a batch of powerful soldiers that would be loyal to them. But be it their own inability, or fate's cruel joke, only three managed to survive. Indeed, the three that would later on be written in annals as three heroes that bested the demon Diabolos."

Yes, yes, gasp in shock more! Huh, it seems like Alpha didn't tell that much to other members of Shadow Garden? He thought they knew about it…

"As of now, I have rescued her, and she was granted a new body. Free of relentless Cult members, free to live her new life however she wishes. Now, Shadow Garden only has to make one last effort in order to eliminate Cult of Diabolos once and for all. Of course, some stray members may survive, but they will be no longer able to operate on a large scale."

And for the finishing part!

"Now," dramatic lean in, "You have a choice."

Marinate them a bit…

"One," and show index finger, "You can return to civilian life. You are free to leave this place in full health and safety, granted you do not tell about everything that transpired here. You shall be provided with food, clothes, and money to survive for a period of time."

Huh, they are all silent. No one wants to leave. Well then…

"And two," show index and middle fingers, "You can join us. Even though we are at the finishing part of our crusade, our job will not end here. We are still to make sure all the Possessed are to be saved. Diabolos herself might be able to remove the curse globally once we make sure it's safe to do so, but as of now, our top-priority is securing everyone afflicted with Curse of Diabolos and healing them. For that, we need manpower. We need manpower in order to locate Possessed quickly. We need manpower in order to produce food, clothes, and much, much more things that are required in order to have a stable life. So, rest assured: even if you do not have combat qualities, you can still find a place for yourself here."

Now give them a moment to think about his words…

"Of course, you will be paid and provided for. Moreover, should the need for healing arise, be it because of combat injury or accident in training, you will be quickly catered for," more sweet words!

A bit of silence for the benefits to sink in…

"Now, choose. I shall give time until the next day. Twenty four hours, exactly. Make no rash decisions. Now, do you have any questions?"

One shaking hand has risen.

"Be not afraid. Speak."

Huh, really calmed down.

"Umm, can I say my choice now?…"

"Hmm… I have said you need not to make rash decisions, but if that's what you wish, then speak," he nodded approvingly.

Like, it's not like they will all choose to stay here, right? Who in their right minds would even choose to trust a random guy-

"Please allow me to stay! I wish to contribute to your great goal! I wish to help you in eradicating the plague that has infested the society!" the young-looking girl was speaking in such conviction that even he himself was taken aback.

"Please, allow me to help too! I will give my life if that means securing a better world for our descendants!" the more mature-looking woman raised her hands to her chest.

"That's right! Allow us-!"

"Please, your Lordship-!"

'Really, now?…' he thought bitterly as he raised his hand. The murmurs immediately stopped.

"I have heard you. Since this is what you wish for, then so be it," he turned his head to the Shadow Garden members as they perked up, "Escort them to the dorms. Provide clothing and food. The suits can be arranged once they grow accustomed. Hmm, Alpha, who are in charge of training regime, again?…" he simply didn't know who it was actually, but leave it to his trusty Alpha! She knows for sure!

"That would be Lambda, Master Shadow," elf bowed slightly, "She oversees the usual physical and teamwork training. Eta provides the gear. Nu participates, too, but only to teach espionage tactics."

"Lambda, is it, then…" he nodded thoughtfully, "Inform Lambda about new blood. Let her create training regime. Now, I still have something to talk about with Alpha. Proceed with my orders. Go."

And emperor-like hand wave. Guards bowed and started escorting the still shocked women.

Once he made sure there was no one other Alpha and him left, he deflated on his throne.

"C-Cid?" she immediately walked over and supported him.

"Damn, playing a deity is hard…" he closed his eyes as he leaned on her shoulder.

"Forgive us, we just wanted for everyone to have something to rely on in the darkest hours…" her voice was sad.

"Nah, that's fine. Just was not ready for it. Had to improvise a bit here and there," he can open up to Alpha, that he knows for sure. Like, he already broke his omniscient leader act to her, so it's gonna be alright.

"If you wish, we could…"

"No-no, it's alright. Just make sure to not go overboard with your little religion shenanigans. I don't want one day to wake up in graveyard because 'they breathed wrongly near our Lord'. If I was offended, I would just do it myself," damn, she sure smells nice…

He could feel her face heating up at his actions.

"Right, Cid…"

"Yeah?" he opened one eye.

He wishes he didn't.

"I wish to receive my reward," completely empty eyes were complemented with a smile.

"Now?" he gulped a bit.

And judging by the look she sent him as her smile grew wider, she felt his uneasiness.

"Now."

Notes:

Yes-yes, next chapter is gonna be spicy!

Chapter 40: Unwavering Obsession

Notes:

LE ALARM! LE WARNING!
This chapter contains spicy content! And when I say chapter, I mean full chapter.
Also it's Alpha domming Cid… but gently!

"Maybe wait a bit?…"

"No. I have waited long enough."

Cid was currently being fucked.

And he doesn't mean it metaphorically, or rhetorically, or poetically, or theoretically, or in any other fancy way. He is being fucked. Straight. Up.

Alright, maybe not yet, but with how things are going, he is willing to bet a hundred (!) zeni that sooner or later Alpha will fuck him.

Again, not metaphorically, not rhetorically… Because it seems like she was very, very thirsty for one humble Eminence.

In fact, he should have seen the signs of that long, long time ago. Back then he was still fake boyfriend of Alexia, Alpha made a habit of coming to him by evening and acting… clingy. Like, real clingy. To the point where she practically jumped on top of him like Delta. Of course, back then he thought she simply was acting like subordinate — she also brought food and reports, plus she changed his clothing, — but with her multiple confessions and the fact that he knows his organization is real…

Hold up, now that he remembers it, after her visits his clothes were always changed. Like, his used shirt would disappear, and in its place a brand new one would appear. Why would they need his used shirt?…

Right, about him being fucked. Alpha immediately cashed in her reward time. Now she was pining him down. Staring with those empty, crazy eyes that would rather belong to research-obsessed Eta than always calm and collected Alpha.

So, he has a plan on how to deal with it, right?

No, he doesn't know what the hell is he supposed to do! He has absolutely no experience in these deals because he never thought Eminence in Shadows needs it! Just drop her off? Sure, if he wants to completely ruin their relationships! He himself said that he will do almost anything with her!

And don't even get started with other six Shades! If they are anything comparable to Alpha and Eta — and judging by how clingy they were with him, they are, — this is going to be a nightmare!

Oh, he didn't say where was he, right? You could think she pinned him on the throne, but thankfully, she was sensible enough to bring him to her room first.

And her room was… actually kinda normal. The only suspicious thing was her placing tons of locks on her door.

"So… what do you want to do?" he tried to shift his body under her, only to immediately be held in place.

"Isn't it obvious, Shadow?" her smile widened, "I have carried this dream of mine since our first meeting. To stand with you, to be your partner… Now, you have given me a chance to accomplish that."

"Yeah, and how you pining me down is going to help with that?" he blinked at her.

"…My Master, do you remember me saying that I will help you understand woman's heart?" he nodded hesitantly, "Well then…" she slowly shifted her body onto his stomach as her face have come closer to his own, "Many women in your life have been saying things like, 'It's so hard to show your love to him'… And so I realized: that's because we don't try hard enough."

Cid's brow quirked as felt a hand on his chin.

"We always tried to be subtle about it, to show our affection in hidden ways…" she gently caressed his neck, "But clearly, you don't seem to pick it up. So the best way is to be as open as possible. So open, in fact…" she lowered her face even further, staring with these sky-like eyes of hers, "That you will have no other way but to accept it."

"…Yeah, because clearly, just saying that you love me and this is not a game was not enough."

"Indeed, not enough," she nodded in agreement, "because if it was enough, you would already go with me on a date."

"…Oh."

Yeah, now Cid realized. He took Shades as his lovers and didn't even get them on a date!

"And even now you are hesitating."

"Huh?" his brow twitched.

"Hmm, could it be because you have no experience in these deals?…" why are you amused?! "Then, leave everything to your First Shade, Cid," she suddenly went all gentle, "I said you could rely on me. I meant it. Even now."

Well, it's not like Alpha is not the one closest to him, right? She knows him better than anyone else in this world, so… Maybe it's not that bad? He already gave her the reward, anyway…

He slowly nodded at her and relaxed.

"Thank you for your trust, Cid," she lowered her face right to his own and , "Just leave everything to me. It will be alright. That I promise."

And Cid's senses were attacked with flavor of strawberries as her lips gently, but firmly pressed on his own. It was incomparable to the first time when she just did a quick peck on his lips, no, this time she made it clear that she is going all-in.

He tried to lean back and take a breath out of instinct, only for her to immediately pull his head back and slightly open her eyes to look at him in… amusement. Nonetheless, she slightly parted her lips.

Cid calmed down only to realize in shame that he didn't even need to breathe that much; with his current magic abilities he was able to take air in by his own. With newfound determination, he joined in the kiss, now as equal.

Alpha's eyes slightly widened as she felt his lips pressing back against hers. A pleasant experience, if she had to say. However, she decided that today she is the one who takes the lead.

Cid felt something… wet trying to invade his mouth. Moments later he realized that Alpha was trying to tongue kiss him. He now certainly blames his own lack of experience in these fields; how can he show himself as enigmatic leader if his own subordinate completely dominates him?!

Nonetheless, he only had to give in. Alpha clearly knew what she was doing, and judging by these snake-like pupils of hers, she was absolutely enjoying being the one in power.

Alpha gently held the back of his head as she caressed his hair. She could see him slowly relaxing in her embrace as his eyes slowly closed. She silently adored seeing his eyelashes shaking oh so cutely, she was absolutely elated to see this reaction of his.

Truth to be told, Cid was controlling his body almost all the time. However, now he decided to honor Alpha's wish and completely let go of his control, resulting in… interesting reactions. He could feel his cheeks heating up at being in her presence (and here he thought living with them for so long made him immune to their beauty), he could feel a strange feeling in his stomach… And that part of his decided it's time to come to life.

And judging by how Alpha squealed in joy, she felt his predicament, too.

He could feel her lips slowly retracting from his own, giving access to actually-not-so needed air.

"Fu-fu~" Alpha chuckled at seeing him flustered like this, "My, it isn't so often I get to see you being this… vulnerable."

He lethargically blinked at her, unsure of what she meant by that.

"You always pose yourself as a mighty leader that knows no defeat… Yet here you are, lying under me, completely limp… Oh, but that's fine. After all, I promised I would take care of you~" Alpha inhaled his scent in ecstasy.

Cid has dug all of his (small) knowledge about his current predicament and has come to a conclusion that Alpha might be someone called "dom". And judging by how most of his girl friends (space intended) act, they might be ones, too. Which is fine, actually… Alpha was seemingly very careful with her actions, after all.

Though, when she started to slowly remove his clothes, he tensed up.

"Relax, my Master… Let your First Shade to be the one in charge today… After all, you promised to do everything I want, right?~" her fingers danced across his chest as her nails scratched his skin.

He only gulped under her loving gaze.

"Right, right…" she purred as she lowered her head, "Easy, easy…" she felt his heartbeat, she saw the sweat forming across his body…

Cid felt something… primal. Primordial, even, awakening in him. His current state was a far cry from his usual collected demeanor. No, now he felt… Hunger. Thirst.

Alpha squealed as she felt his arms circling around her body, taking her into a tight embrace. She saw his cute grey eyes slowly turning into a beautiful shade of domineering crimson.

"Alpha…"

She was drowning in this wonderful sea of red colors.

"For how long do you intend to make me wait?"

Even now, while being under her control, he still fought back.

"Patience, my Master," she took his challenge, "And don't forget, you gave away the control."

She felt his breath on her neck. The sudden transition from a weak, submissive Cid to feral, domineering Shadow caught her off guard.

Alpha shuddered in pleasure as she felt his growl reverberating across her body. Like a mighty beast, he threatened her with a mere sound. If she wasn't already lying down on top of him, her suddenly weak legs surely wouldn't be able to keep her body standing.

Yet he still adhered to the rules he himself set as she felt his body slowly giving in to her touches. Alpha merely smiled as crimson-eyed Shadow slowly retreated in (he-he~) shadows, giving way back to cute grey-eyed Cid that looked at her like a bunny on a wolf.

She saw a bead of sweat forming on his cheek. That won't do.

Her mouth slightly opened, allowing her tongue to touch his cheek. With one swift motion the traitorous droplet was immediately caught as she felt the salty taste of his sweat.

His eyes widened for a moment upon feeling her muscle as she felt his hands trying to reach the face in order to clean the wet trail. How could she allow it? After all, that's one of her marks.

Alpha held his hands with her own as she chuckled at his cute baffled face. To think that their beloved Master was this innocent… That… Made her feel… Things~

And the contrast with his suppressed nature… She had no doubts: if not for the fact that he adheres to his word, she would become his plaything right here and then. Not that she minds it, but today she wanted to be the one in control~

Alpha's fingers ran across his bare back, making him shiver in pleasure, yet she didn't allow him to arch as she immediately caught his head with free hand, pulling him into yet another passionate kiss.

And finally she felt him completely giving in her whims, as he allowed her tongue to pass through his lips and explore his mouth freely.

Yes. Alpha marked him. She was his first Shade. She was his first kiss. She was his first experience in intimate relationships. And she will be the one to take his virginity. Not now. Not yet. But in the future, she will be the one.

For now, she is satisfied with this much. After all, she could see him realizing his place.

Everyone else may have place in their family, however…

He belongs to her.

---

'Hmm, so Alpha wants to be the one on top, but not easily, she likes to dominate me when I resist and in the end give in…' Cid summarised his experience.

Alpha somewhat quietened down after one last time with, uh, dominating? Yeah, dominating him. After that she only cuddled him, purring in pleasure (he didn't know she could purr, by the way; he thought it was Zeta's feature) as she ran her hands across his back.

Well, he did really feel good after all of this, but he honestly thought Alpha wanted to do the deed to the fullest, but it seems like she was still not ready.

Eh, it's fine, he's not gonna complain; he had fun, Alpha had fun, and other Shades will probably have fun, too.

The reward time was not as bad as he thought.

Notes:

Alpha being a good cookie and being considerate about Cid's first time 🤝 Cid being a good cookie and being considerate about Alpha's first time

Both not having it as a result:

Chapter 41: Fairytale Obsession

Notes:

Remember when I told you that Beta is dom?
Well, I lied.
Cid is domming this one… gently!

"Hm, hm, hm…" Cid hummed as he sipped his tea.

Yes, for now he decided to go with nice cold black tea. He really needed something refreshing after… having fun with Alpha. It was certainly… an experience.

As of now, he was sitting in… something like conference room? There were eight chair around the round table, and his chair was decorated nicely, compared to all others which were practically the same. Hmm, another reminder: tell them that they should have cool chairs, too. It wouldn't do if his closest ones had shitty equip…

"My Lord, I am ready!"

Oh, it's Beta.

"So you wish to get your reward as soon as possible, too…" he softly smiled and took another sip.

"Yes, my Lord!" silver-haired elf nodded frantically, making her… assets shake in the process.

Damn, they are all so eager to get their sweet time, huh…

"Hmm, got ideas already?"

"Uh…" she froze in place as her smile shattered.

'Damn, the contrast between Alpha and Beta sure is high…' Cid thought as he looked at the cutely panicking Beta.

"C'mon, Beta, relax," he sipped again, "it's not like the world is gonna end if you don't get a plan on your time."

"B-But if I take too much time, other will take my place in the queue!" she objected, placing her trusty book on her chest once more.

"Well, that might be true, actually…" he went in thought as he refilled his cup.

Beta looked around nervously as she gripped her book. He could even see her biting her lips in worry.

"Right, how about this…" Cid decided to speak up.

"Y-Yes, my Lord?" she raised her head hopefully.

"We will immediately go to your desired place… But," he raised his finger, "I will give a preparation time. Say, thirty minutes. In thirty minutes you have to prepare everything you deem necessary. Will that do?"

"Y-Yes, my Lord!" Beta nodded in elation.

"Good. Then, shall we go or do you want to drink some tea beforehand?"

"Uh, allow me to have one, please…"

"Sure," he chuckled and filled another cup.

---

"He-he-he…" Beta looked at her beloved Lord, sitting on her bed.

Her gaze travelled across his body, hungrily taking in every bit of the magnificent view.

"So, what do you want to do?" his charming voice reached her reddening ears.

"M-My Lord…" her throat suddenly went dry.

"Yeah?" he tilted his head.

"Please treat me… Like a princess…" her breath halted as she felt a sudden dizziness.

'Get a hold of yourself, Beta… You don't want to ruin this sweet moment!'

"Like a princess, you say?…" his brow quirked.

"Y-Yes…" she placed her hands on her chest as her blush deepened, "E-Ever since you told me all these stories, I couldn't get this image out of my head… As you valiantly saved me from the curse… Like a dark knight, encompassed in moonlight…" she closed her eyes in joy.

"O-Oh… So that's how you want it…" she heard her Lord musing.

Beta sat with her eyes still closed, waiting for his response. Then she heard shuffling. She gulped, but still kept her eyes closed, waiting for his actions.

Her hands suddenly felt an intrusion. His strong, yet gentle fingers slowly touched her own, making her squeal a little. His hands felt free as they explored every little part of her palm, tickling her in the process.

No longer able to withstand such tease, she opened her eyes, only to be met with his beautiful smile as he gently caressed her hands. Her mouth slightly opened; she wasn't able to take her gaze away from the kneeling Lord as his loving gaze pierced through her soul.

"My Princess…" Beta's breath hitched as she felt a strange feeling in her stomach, "Would you accompany this humble knight for a dance?"

Ah, how good it is that she was sitting. If she were to suddenly fall down because of sudden weakness, such embarrassment would it be!

"Y-Yes, my Black Knight…" smile crept on her face as she carefully stood up.

Beta slowly raised her hand, allowing her beloved Shadow to rise. As soon as he stood up, she immediately took his hands into her own and slowly led him from the bed.

Moonlight shone through, and her gaze ran across his form, memorizing the beautiful view. She carefully made a move, and he immediately followed.

Beta slowly stepped closer to the window, closer to the wonderful night sky that faintly illuminated the scene. She allowed his hand to slid towards her waist as her own reached out to his broad shoulder.

As they stood near the window, Beta's breath hitched once more as her beloved Knight looked at her with these breathtaking grey eyes of his. The once dull color, paired with him, became the most enchanting view in the world. She felt herself slowly drowning in the shades of grey as moonlight reflected from his eyes.

"What's the matter?" he inquired in a soothing tone as she felt his hand slowly caressing her chin.

Beta didn't answer as she let his fingers to slowly trace her neck, lower, and lower. She gulped audibly as he reached the lower parts of her throat, almost entering her cleavage. Even more, she felt her gulp passing right where his finger was, invoking a somewhat tense, yet pleasant sensation. She stared at him, at his domineering figure, at how with a mere movement of his fingers he forced her to feel pleasure. She stared at him as he slowly lowered his face to hers, his gentle breath warming her twitching ear.

"Something flashing before your eyes?" Knight whispered as Princess did her best not to collapse into his embrace.

Beta shuddered upon feeling his other hand slowly running up her spine; from the waist, to the chest level, to the neck. Now, her throat was surrounded by his hands as he gently massaged it. No longer able to stand upright, she fell onto him, clutching onto his clothes as she frantically inhaled his scent.

She tightly shut her eyes as she felt his mouth near her ear. She gasped, feeling his lips gently leaving a mark on her earlobe and slowly moving up to the sharp end. Her hands grasped onto him, the only thing that prevented her from shamefully falling down on the floor as pleasure overtook her being.

"Shh…" barely audible sound reached her poor red ear as he let it go.

Her back arched as she felt his hand gently tracing it down; from neck, to chest level…

"A-Ah…" Beta gasped as his finger pressed onto her vertebra.

It retracted for a moment, then slowly pressed once more, this time even gentler. Beta shook in his embrace, her face into his neck, as his fingers slowly caressed her sensitive point. She could only inhale his scent as she lost herself in sea of pleasure.

She pressed her chest onto his body as his fingers slowly descended down to her waist area, carefully caressing around her vertebras. She whimpered at the feeling of his hand massaging the area, her breath hitching.

Then, he stopped.

Beta finally felt relief as he simply held her by the waist, gently caressing her silver hair and whispering sweetly into her ear.

Princess allowed her Knight to gently carry her back onto the bed, as she looked at him with misty gaze. Upon seeing his smile she reached her hands out, inviting him to share the comfort of her room.

And he obliged, slowly lowering himself to her level as she reached for the blanket. Once he lay close to her, she covered both him and herself with a blanket as she for his body, pulling him into embrace. Averting her gaze, she once more buried her burning face into his chest, enjoying the scent of his body.

Princess heard her Knight chuckle as his hand caressed her hair once more, carefully touching the ears' sharp ends. She relaxed herself in his embrace and slowly shifted her head to his shoulder, feeling his hair tickling her nose.

She felt herself protected, loved. Just like back in that time, he was by her side, allowing her to clutch onto his body, chasing her nightmares away. Even now, she was relying on him.

She wanted to prove herself as a successful servant of his, however… However, just this once… Just this once, to let your desires lead you… That's fine, right?

---

'Hmm, Beta is more on a submissive side, loves being treated like a princess, also likes a mix of gentle and rough treatment… Completely falls if you take the moment and scene right…' Cid was counting his experience with yet another Shade.

She was currently sleeping soundly in his embrace, with her head on his shoulder. He could feel her ear twitching as it touched his cheek… Kinda ticklish, if he's being honest.

And her quite impressive chest pressed onto his body. No, really, it even squished ju-u-ust a bit!

If he was being honest, with Alpha Cid felt more like… well, Cid: an ordinary guy with zero experience in these matters, being led by his far more mature lover. With Beta, it was kinda the opposite: now he was the one who took the lead as enigmatic Shadow (or Black Knight, as Beta called him… she actually has good taste in naming!), allowing innocent elf to fall into the sea of pleasure called his embrace.

Though…

Cid shuddered.

When he saw her face while sitting on her bed for the first…

He for sure thought he was in for a rougher time than it was with Alpha.

Notes:

You may not believe it, but this small-ass chapter took more time than Devourer whole battle. No, I am not joking.

And about Beta's face: go on the wiki and look at her LN cover. In my honest opinion, she has the scariest art cover out of all Shades in LN: while EVERY other Shade is doing 45 degrees turn with their bodies while looking at the camera, Beta is doing front view pose… but turns her head exactly 90 degrees to the right and gives you a scary side glance. Why is it scary? Well, look at her smile. Then look at her eyebrow. Then look at her eye.

Her eye has no pupil.

Chapter 42: Caring Obsession

Notes:

Gamma takes control
And she likes being the leading one... But very-very gentle one

"My Lord, say 'A-a-ah'," Gamma held a spoon with a smile on her face as she stared at Cid sitting on the chair.

"Sure…" he sighed once more and opened his mouth.

Elated Gamma immediately pressed forward as she held her chin with her hand, her eyes half-closed in joy.

These girls show more and more unexpected sides with each passing day…

---

"Hm, hm, hm…" Cid hummed as he tinkered with the sculpture.

Well, he did promise Alexia that he would make something for her, right? Yeah, that's what he was doing: making a cool-looking figurine of that Serpent! Of course, he himself has never ever in his life done something like that, but magic is a pathway for many thing some might consider… unnatural. So he sculpted the figurine with his precise magic control.

Where did he get the materials? Well, they were at Mitsugoshi, after all, so he simply asked one of the clerks with a smile on his face if he could get some high-quality materials. He got what he wanted, though the clerk almost fainted with nosebleed as she chanted "why is our Lord so cute when not on the throne"… Eh, probably his imagination.

Hmm, should he go for the little details? If he does, it might look suspicious… Nobody saw the Serpent up close except him, after all… If he gives the color, it's still alright, because everyone saw the gigantic serpent in the sky, but if he starts giving things like crown, jewels on the body, it's not gonna look good for him.

Yeah, he will not go for detailed look. Just add a little segmentation — he will cover that up with the fact that it's for mobility, — a little bigger jaw… Hmm, done!

Cid carefully looked over his 'masterpiece' and nodded in satisfaction: somewhat good, but if you look hard enough, you will notice many rough parts; fitting for the mob like him!

Knock, knock.

"Lord Shadow, may I enter?" muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

"Sure, come in," he placed the newly made figurine into the Shadow Realm (reminder: make an inventory already, you dummy!).

"Forgive me for interruption," a beautiful, tall mature-looking woman opened the door and gracefully entered into the room.

"Gamma, relax," Cid smiled at her.

"O-Oh, sorry, my Lord," Gamma got flustered, "I just- GWAH!"

Gamma's legs decided it was the best time for them to get caught in each other's way, resulting in poor elf's absolutely ungraceful fall. Thankfully, he managed to get to her in time, so she didn't meet the floor with her face. Though…

"Uww… Sowwy, my Lowd…" yep, her nose still somehow bled. Last time he checked, his chest was pretty soft, so how the hell did she even get a nosebleed?

"That's fine," he produced a napkin and gently wiped the bloodstains, "But I would seriously recommend you to ask Eta for some kind of motion helpers."

"Ha-ha…" she chuckled nervously, "Yew, that would be wor the west…"

Cid clicked his tongue and healed her nose back to normal.

"Thank you very much, m-my Lord…" Gamma coughed into her hand and took a serious expression, "So, I came here to receive my t-time…" she blushed a bit.

"Alright, lead the way," he immediately agreed.

Gamma nodded with a smile on her face and turned around to lead him to the place. And he could see her ears twitching a bit… Is it a common feature of all elves and theriantropes? He doesn't remember Alpha's ears doing that, though…

---

"Uh, Gamma…"

"Yes, my Lord?" beaming elf proudly looked at him.

"How many Zenis went into this room?" he cautiously asked, looking at the originals of Goddess Beatrix's paintings hanging on the walls.

"Hmm, something around twenty million zeni…" she gave a quick answer, "A small sum, he-he…"

A small sum, you say…

He looked at the most expensive wine in the world, reaching a phenomenal price of two million and half zeni for a small bottle, standing on the table in amount of two one-liter bottles.

Though, now that he remembers it… Yeah, this wine was produced by Gamma's company, so for her it gets a phenomenal discount of 100%. And for him too, actually.

"So, what's on your mind?" he inquired, "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes, my Lord," Gamma smiled slyly, "for now, please sit down."

Cid did as he was told to, curiously eyeing the yet empty table (except wine). Gamma clapped a few times, and soon after maids (no, really, they even got the uniform!) came out with various dishes. One placed a wineglass, carefully poured wine into it, and slowly pushed it to his side. Once they were finished, they bowed to him, then went away as Gamma waved them off.

"Well, now that's quite impressive…" Cid eyed the luxurious dishes placed in front of him. And based on the amount, by the time he eats it all he will become round as ball…

"Thank you for compliment, my Lord," Gamma bowed slightly and sat near him with a smile.

He took his fork and pierced a steak. Who cares about etiquette? He's not in Shadow mode right now, anyway.

Cid raised the fork and pushed the meat into his mouth.

'Huh, that's actually great.'

The meat was tender, evenly grilled. While it wasn't to the point where it would melt in his mouth, it wasn't overly tough, either. Very enjoyable.

He heard Gamma chuckling from the side. He cast a glance in her direction and saw her resting her head on her hand with a dreamy gaze. He munched on the meat. Her eyes locked onto his mouth. He gulped the meat down. Her eyes immediately went downwards, following the sliding lump.

Upon realizing that she has been caught Gamma blushed and immediately pushed a salad (the dish) plate closer to herself. The businesswoman took a spoon in her hand and got a spoonful (heh) of tomato pieces mixed with some finely chopped green onions and salad (the plant), seasoned with a bit of dill.

Gamma carefully ate the salad, in contrast with Cid who practically shoved the meat slices into his mouth.

He sighed as he slowly took the wineglass and sipped the sweet liquid. Gamma took out the napkin and carefully wiped her lips as she watched him eyeing her.

As if overcome with sudden wish, businesswoman took the spoon once more, filling it with yet another portion of salad.

"My Lord, say 'A-a-ah'," Gamma held a spoon with a smile on her face as she stared at Cid sitting on the chair.

"Sure…" he sighed once more and opened his mouth.

Elated Gamma immediately pressed forward as she held her chin with her hand, her eyes half-closed in joy.

He slowly munched on the veggies, positively surprised at the combination. The tomatoes went as the main nutrition, while salad (the plant) went as appetizer, with dill and onions giving the dish an interesting taste.

'Though they went a bit overboard with oil, but eh, still good,' he came to a conclusion and munched on yet another portion as Gamma continued looking at him with a smile.

Soon, the dish has come to an end. Gamma refilled his glass and carefully raised it to his lips. Understanding what she wanted to do, Cid slightly opened his lips as she gently held his head with free hand. Soon, he felt the drink slowly flowing into his mouth and sliding lower, to his throat.

He gulped it down under her watchful gaze as her eyes sparkled.

"My Lord…"

He only blinked at her, his mouth still occupied by the wineglass.

"Today, you will listen to me. You will listen to your eldest Shade…" she slowly moved the glass away and placed it on the table, "Right?"

"Sure," he answered right away, knowing full well what her proposal meant.

"Ara~" Gamma gently caressed his hair, "Then, leave everything to me, my Lord. Rely on your eldest Shade, fu-fu-fu~"

She took a small piece of meat and placed it into her mouth. She slowly moved her face closer to his own as she gently parted his lips with her free hand. Then, he received a kiss.

He felt something small and wet passing through the passage of his mouth. Then, he realized: he was mouthfed. Gamma pushed the meat into his mouth with her tongue as her eyes half-closed in joy.

Cid gulped the meat down under her loving gaze as she gently combed his hair. He could feel her tongue slowly pushing into his mouth, and he had no choice but to comply with her demands. He could feel her muffled moan as her other hand suddenly put him into embrace, caressing his back with slow moves.

Gamma tilted her head in joy, giving in her role to the fullest. Her half-opened eyes monitored every little movement of his to ensure he receives the most pleasure from her actions. The moment he tried to move away, she let his lips go, allowing him to breathe.

"Ara~ My Lord, how do you feel?" she inquired with a sly smile, moving her hand to gently stroke his cheeks.

"Uh, pretty fine, actually," he blinked adorably at her, blush creeping onto his face.

"Fu-fu-fu~ Relax, my Lord, I still have a lot to show you~" Gamma giggled at his reaction and took a strawberry, "Come, say 'a-a-ah'…"

Cid once more opened his mouth as she gently pushed the berry in with her finger. She watched in glee as he munched on it, unable to contain her own excitement.

Who could? Her Lord was so, so dependent on her right now. So vulnerable. So… So cute.

He obediently munched on every piece food she provided him. He blushed oh-so-adorably when her face moved closer to his own. His eyes widened in sweet, sweet pleasure as her tongue explored every inch of his mouth.

She held him closer to herself as she felt his fast heartbeat. She lowered his head and pushed his face into her cleavage.

"Yes, my Lord, relax…" she played with his cute messy hair, "Leave everything to your eldest Shade… Don't worry about anything, and just let me pamper you…" she purred into his ear as she felt him shivering in her embrace.

That's fine, that's fine. He probably still thinks she's the same clumsy little girl he first saw.

She may have remained clumsy, but she's not so little anymore.

She has grown up.

"Yes, my Lord, do you feel my heartbeat~?" she inquired as she saw him lethargically blink in her embrace, his eyelids slowly closing on their own, "Yes, listen to it…"

Gamma carefully stood up as she carried her beloved Lord in her embrace. He only shifted a bit, closer to her chest. She barely contained squeal of delight upon seeing him being so… vulnerable. So reliant on her.

She removed the heels (they are made of slime, after all) to ensure no accidents happen on the way to the bed. As she walked towards it, she continued to lull him, quietly singing a lullaby that he used to sing to her when she was younger.

How the tables have turned… Now, she's the one who cares for him while he trusts her enough to let her care for him…

Speaking about tables…

Gamma slowly placed her Lord on the bed and whistled softly as she carefully covered him in blanket. Shortly after, maids came in and started taking away the plates. She signaled to leave a couple for later. Maids nodded and placed them into the nearby fridge (thanks, Eta; even if you eat the budget like no tomorrow…). Gamma waved her hand off and watched them leave.

'Hmm… One nap will not break anything, right?…' businesswoman thought mischievously.

Gamma carefully lifted the blanked and slid under it, closer to her beloved Lord.

She smiled upon seeing him slowly moving closer in his sleep, pulling her into embrace as his face went into her cleavage.

Her hand gently combed his hair as she answered his embrace.

---

'Damn, didn't think I am gonna pass out, not with all the upgrades I did for myself…'

Cid yawned as he slowly awoken from his slumber. He felt like he was resting on something warm, though he wasn't sure what.

'What did even happen, though…? Was it fatigue or- Oh.'

Cid raised his head to look up, to the source of warmth.

Gamma's loving eyes were looking at him as she held him in her embrace.

Memories of yesterday slowly revealed themselves.

'Oh.'

Notes:

I can feel the "It should've been me, not him/her!"

…Me too.

Chapter 43: Instinctual Obsession

Notes:

This one is a bit weird.

Delta surely has all signs to become a good dom, bu-u-ut… Because of her innate instincts she will probably just cover moments later even if Cid himself allows that.

She has a long way to go to overcome that fear of hers, but once she does… oh boy.

"Bossma-a-an!"

Oh, don't mind it, it's just wild Delta running through the door (poor Gamma; how much times a day she asks for a replacement?) and jumping right on him.

He felt her strong hands locking on his neck as she rubbed her nose into his collarbone, her tail wagging intensely.

"Hello, Delta," he nodded at her happy face and took another bite from the tomato (thanks, Gamma: leaving a bit of food in fridge was very thoughtful of you).

Delta squinted and sniffed all over him.

"Bossman, you smell like Lady, Stalker, and Clumtz!" she pointed at him accusatory.

"Yeah, obviously, I spent time with them, after all," he agreed.

'Though, Stalker? Really? I never saw Beta being a stalker…'

"Bo-o-o…" she pouted, "That's it! Delta wanna cover you in my smell, too!"

"Sure, that's your time, after all."

Delta froze for a moment, seemingly in thought.

"Hey, Boss," she started, "ya mean Delta can ask anything?"

"Almost anything," he corrected her, gently scratching her ears.

"He-he-he…" her ears twitched in response, "You will even let Delta be the stronger one?!"

"For these three hours, yes," he shrugged. He already let Alpha and Gamma do it, after all. Though… Gamma was kinda in another direction but eh.

"Hmm…" Delta went even deeper in thought as she enjoyed his pets.

Cid waited for her response.

"Delta decided!" she beamed and jumped off of him, "Boss, let's go!"

"Oh, what do you want to do?" he inquired, dusting himself off and standing up.

"Duh, that's obvious!" Delta grinned smugly with hands on her hips, "We are going to my lair!"

---

'U-u-u…'

Gamma the Clumtz was right! Bossman really seems absolutely different when not in his costume! In fact, if not for his smell, Delta wouldn't even be able to tell that weak humie is her Boss!

"Hmm…" Bossman looked around, "I can tell that you were not the one who decorated the room, right?" he blinked at her with these prey's eyes of his!

Yes, prey! Now he looked like he was a cute little prey that she, big and strong hunter, cornered! E-he-he…

"Delta, you're salivating," Boss' melancholic voice shook her off her thoughts.

"Ah, uhm…" she stood, frozen, trying to think of answer.

"That's fine, you're not the first to be like this…" he sighed (her gaze got locked onto his neck's artery), "I still don't get why you all act like this, though…"

"Oh, Delta knows! Stalker said it was something like, ugh… 'Mo gap?' Delta doesn't know what's that and why it's a gap, but she heard it!" she nodded proudly at her knowledge.

"Gap moe," of course, her Boss immediately realized what she meant!

"Yes, yes, that one!… Ugh, what does that mean, though?" she immediately asked her Boss; he knows everything, after all.

"It's when you look at something incredibly cute or beautiful and still know that this thing can kill you in a matter of seconds, or the other way around… Oh, like you, Delta," he nodded at her.

"Hmm…" she thought hard, "Wait, Bossman, you are this gap muh, too!"

"How so?" he was taken aback? Why?

"Well, Delta knows that you're very strong, right?!" he nodded at her in agreement, "But right now you look absolutely cute and vulnerable! Delta actually wants to jump on you and prove her might over you!"

"Huh? Weird, I actually went for absolutely unassuming look…" Boss rubbed his chin (cute!), "Does it really look that good?…"

"Yuh-uh!" Delta nodded fervently, "Even Clumtz and Lady said that you look absolutely charming and they wanted to show their love more-!" she stopped and sent a pleading look, "Uh, they also said Delta shouldn't tell you that…" her gaze went sideways.

He chuckled warmly.

"Alright, let's pretend I didn't hear that," wow, he scratched her ears once again!

"E-he-he… Alright, Bossman! You said you will do anything, right?!"

"Almost anything."

"Eh, that means we can make babies!" Delta jumped in joy.

"Do you want to get it before Alpha?" Boss tilted his head.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?!"

"Huh."

"Huh…"

"Huh…"

"Huh-uh!"

"Huh-ah."

"Huh- Boss, but Delta can smell Lady's scent on you!" Delta finally found out how to speak again, please don't judge her.

"Yeah, that's because she hugged, and kissed, and…" Boss shuddered, "Well, she did everything, except for the deed itself."

"We-e-eird…" Delta's honest opinion, "But that means I don't get to have babies with you until Lady gets enough courage…"

"It's fine, Delta," he smiled again, "We have all the time. Now, anything else you want to do?"

"Hmm… Oh, yeah, you say Alpha did all of that stuff on you while being the strong one, right?!" he nodded in response, "Delta wants to try that, too!"

She eagerly anticipated his answer. Like, where can you find a pack leader that would willingly give up their place?!

"Sure, I guess?" he shrugged.

In response, Delta immediately pounced on him and dragged to her bed.

He-he, Delta's prey… She can see Boss surprised blinking, how his form got messy, she can see the way his throat moves…

She salivated once more. Her predator's instinct slowly kicked in, pushing her to do it, to show her strength, to establish domination!

Delta couldn't resist the temptation as her mouth immediately went for the throat, her jaws opening up in anticipation… Only to immediately stop as she remembered that it wasn't just another prey; it was her loving and loved Bossman!

So instead she slowly started licking his exposed throat (who even leaves that?! Any good hunter will immediately target it!), feeling him shiver under her. Her instincts once more screamed at her that she needs to finish playing with her prey already, but Delta is smart! Delta is in-tel-li-gent! So she won't listen this time!

"Pfft…" she heard Bossman's muffled laugh.

Delta just realized something.

She felt the dormant magic inside his body. Even now, being absolutely passive, it still put a weight on her body as she froze at her place.

"Delta?"

"Um, Bossman… You're not angry, are you?" she raised hopeful look.

"Huh?… Oh, ha-ha," he chuckled, "Come on, Delta, I allowed you that, of course I am not angry."

"Uh?" she blinked, "Then what was that laugh?"

"Oh…" his cheeks unexpectedly reddened (so! cute!) "You tongue was tickling me way too much, that's all."

"So, Delta can continue?!"

"Go on."

Yippie!

Delta continued licking his yummy-yummy throat, her tail wagging in joy. Then her tail stopped. Not because she wanted it, but because Bossman took it with his hand and started scratching it! Awoo!

Delta remembered Lady saying that his lips are one of the tastiest things in existence… Ugh, what was the way to do that, again… Oh, right!

Dog-kin raised her head and placed her lips on his own. Yeah, taste is good, but they said it was to be done somehow differently… Maybe move around a bit? Oh, yeah, that works!

Delta slightly opened her mouth, trying to taste his lips with her tongue… Which actually worked! His lips are so tasty-tasty-tasty-tasty…

She felt a hand on her head, urging her to continue. Delta happily obliged, licking his lips and cheeks and nose and… Ugh, the whole face, alright! His whole face tasted great!

Boss continued scratching her ears (focus, Delta, you need to continue asserting your dominance!) with loving look on his face (Clumtz, you were right! This is way too cute! And good!) as she completely lay down on his body.

Delta growled in pleasure as his fingers ran across her vertebras. If it was anyone else, she would surely bite their hands (and heads) off, but her loving loved Boss who was now looking like a cute little rabbit?! He-he!…

Hold up, Lady also said about pushing your tongue into his mouth… Uh, would it really make it better?

Delta tried to push her tongue through his lips, only to be met with his incredulous gaze. Delta doesn't know how it's done, alright?!

Fortunately, Boss only sent her amused look as he parted his lips, allowing her tongue to enter without restrictions. She gleefully went in, only to receive the overwhelming barrage of new experiences. She could feel his tongue slowly raising and meeting her own, entering a fight of domination.

Of course, Delta won't back down! She immediately twisted her muscle to take his own like a snake, but Boss wasn't so simple! He immediately fought back by pushing right through her tongue, right into her mouth!

Delta felt a foreign flesh exploring her cavity, seemingly not scared of her sharp teeth posing a threat to it. The audacity! She knows that Bossman is strong, but today she's stronger!

Or maybe he gives Delta a challenge?!

That may be it! She heard other pack members saying that he always gives them challenges to prove their worth, maybe that's one for her?!

If so, then Delta won't lose!

She immediately pushed her own tongue further, forcing a moan from him. He-he, Bossman, you may be strong, but you're a human! Beast-men (and women) are, how you say, built different! Built for survival! For domination!

He-he-he, give up, Boss! Delta has the high ground!

She saw his unyielding look. She practically heard him shouting "You underestimate my power!", hmph, don't try it!

Wait, hold up, did Boss actually-?!

Delta felt his tongue actually coming further. How?! Bossman, humans don't have that much power in their bodies- Oh, Bossman has. Of course, he's the strongest, so it's obvious that he is strong.

Bossman is strongest because he's the strongest… Wait, is he the strongest because he's the Bossman or is he the Bossman because he's the strongest?

Ugh… Nah, Delta'd win!

Delta made one last thing she could: taking Boss' head into her hands and scratching it with her claws (real ones, not slime). Even then, he seemingly just felt pleasure at her actions! Bo-o-o! How is she supposed to dominate him when he's strong?! Not fair, not fair!

She felt his tongue slowly leaving her mouth. After a moment of thought, Delta did the same and stared at Boss with a pout.

"Bossman, it was supposed to be me dominating you!"

"Yeah, sorry, but I did the same with Alpha and Gamma, and they managed to do that," he shrugged.

"Ugh-" Delta went still.

Even the Clumtz managed to dominate Bossman? Yet Delta didn't?!

Is it possible to learn this power?!

"It's fine, Delta," she felt him scratching her ears as he gently caressed her back, "Just because you didn't manage to dominate me doesn't mean you can't relax yourself and allow me to pet you."

"Hmm, yep! Boss is right!" she beamed and pressed her generous chest (she can feed many children with this!) into his own.

And so Delta spent the rest of the time just lying down on the Bossman and enjoying headpats, ear-scratches, and tail petting!

It was good!

---

'Yeah, everything pretty much went as I thought. Delta, being from a tribe that worships power, simply couldn't overcome her instincts and attack — well, attempt at domination goes as attack for them, — a resting pack leader. Shame, of course, I wanted to get her out of that shell… But I have plenty of opportunities in the future.'

For now, Cid was getting a meal and thinking about the last three Shades.

Epsilon… It was long overdue to finally give her a desired body.

Zeta… Hmm, if she's anything like Delta in that regard, he already knows what to do… even though she's a cat and not a dog.

Eta… well, that one is gonna be hard…

And of course, group time with all of them.

Eh, he will manage.

Though when Delta said everyone thinks his mob disguise looks cute, he surely didn't know what to say…

Notes:

As you can see, Cid is playing a bit here: he tries to understand what, exactly, Shades like the most, so he can give it to them.

Gamma, for example, wants to play the role of big sis/mother, so he gives her that (he then actually falls asleep but eh); Beta, on the other hand, wants to be treated like a princess, so he plays the role of knight.

Here he tried to fulfill Delta's wish, but her instincts stop her, so he instead opted for cuddle playtime.

Chapter 44: Slime Obsession

Notes:

I am starving for magic content.

I am starving for it so much that I cheered upon reaching Epsilon's part.

So yes, you get magic research disguised as Epsilon's bonding time… Though considering what he did, it's clearly +10 Bond.

Cid was looking at his slime suit and thinking.

Back in time when he was developing it, he was amazed at its versatility. As long as you have enough control, you are able to do almost anything! Weapon? Sure. Armor? No problem. Stylish clothes? As you wish.

Now, however, one important flaw was revealed. The slime by itself is one of the weakest monsters. Therefore, their potential limit is not that high.

Over the years his own slime suit had… evolved, if he can say that. As it bathed in his mana, it has grown accustomed to his signature, being able to take more and more of his mana.

But now, Cid has grown too fast and too high. Slime suit was no longer able to sustain his power. Sure, it could still regenerate, given enough mana, but that same mana slowly broke it down. Shadow Mana was outright incompatible with it… Well, no, technically compatible, but attempt to use both normal world's mana and Shadow Mana resulted in slime suit breaking down.

And in fight with Serpent it was shown to the fullest: his suit almost evaporated. Especially the part that he used as swords.

He has outgrown the suit. A shame, really. He has grown on it… Hell, he literally grew up in it! Yes, he was sentimental, so what?

In short, he needed to find a way to continue using it, be it upgrading the suit itself or finding a suitable material replacement.

Hmm…

"My Lord, may I enter?" a melodic voice reached his ears.

"Sure."

Speak of the slimes…

Epsilon slowly entered in all her slimy glory as her unnaturally bouncing breasts attracted his attention. Upon noticing his gaze, she pouted slightly.

"My Lord, I wish to…"

"Finally receive my help in body department, huh?" he smiled at seeing her shaking brows.

Epsilon inhaled, forcibly calming herself down.

"Yes, Lord Shadow, that's what I want to do."

"Alright, then lie down here," he nodded at the comfortable bed near him.

Elf blushed and shyly walked over to the bed. After receiving a confirmation nod from him she lay down and closed her eyes.

Cid sighed, facepalming.

"M-My Lord?" Epsilon shakily opened one eye.

"Slime suit. Get rid of it, it's not gonna help here."

She looked at him, shocked. Upon seeing his serious face she collected herself and let go of her slime.

Her true body revealed itself as slime flowed down to the floor: small, petite woman, a good head shorter than what she painted herself to be. Her big, sultry curves were nowhere to be seen, instead revealing plain as a board chest, short legs and somewhat thin thighs.

Epsilon tried to cover herself with blanket in shame.

"Relax, Epsilon. Hmm, you know, I can now see why you have a complex about your body… Especially considering how stacked everyone else are…" Cid murmured, to Epsilon's neverending grief.

"L-Lord Shadow…"

"You know, how about you tell me why, exactly, couldn't you grow like them while I calculate what to do?"

Epsilon went silent for a moment.

"Back before getting Curse…" she started as Cid looked over her body structure, "I was a heir of the noble family. A very high-standing noble family, to be exact. I received everything I ever asked. I was hailed as a prodigy. Then, Curse took place, and everyone I loved and trusted threw me away."

"Yes, I heard that when you were telling your story for the first time," he nodded and focused on her bones, his eyes red due to activated magic vision, "how does that relate to your body, though?"

"Oh, that's very simple," she chuckled sadly, "every woman in my family has been petite. Either that's a curse or something else… I don't know."

"Interesting…"

Cid looked over her muscles and bones.

How does growth go? In short, that's a result of hormones. However, many other factors also decide how your growth goes: your sleep schedule, whether you lead a healthy lifestyle or not, the environment… Lots of stuff, really.

However, there has to be one important thing in order to grow.

Your bones' growth plates have to be opened. If they are closed, no matter how many hormones you take, you will not be able to grow an inch. Moreover, the hormones you take, having nowhere useful to go, will instead harm your body: growing organs that are not supposed to do so like your tongue…

Why is he talking about that? Well, it's directly related to Epsilon.

After Epsilon's reveal back then he decided to check over every Shade.

All other Shades were well-developed and their body system were functioning perfectly; moreover, they still had room to grow.

Epsilon's growth plates were closed off and her hormonal system was being inhibited. And that started about a year and half ago, if he's correct. About the same time his own magic finally mixed in with Shades' bodies.

This is not normal. At the age her plates were closed, every other human/elf would either enter the phase of the most intensive growth, be in the middle of it, or might have finished it if they are early bloomers.

Epsilon was not an early bloomer. She was not in the middle of her growth. But her plates were already closed.

"My Lord?" her worried voice reached his ears.

"I have found the reason," he replied and focused over, "the situation is as hilarious as it is sad."

"…Please, tell me."

"To say quickly, every child has a growth period. The time you grow the fastest is during your first years, then you growth is somewhat linear until your teenage years, then you experience another growth spurt. After that bones' growth plates close off in your twenties and you can no longer grow naturally."

"You say in twenties… But…"

"Indeed," Cid sighed, "yours closed off almost two years ago. The only thing that prevented them is my remaining mana. After it dissipated, well…"

"Then… what? Can I no longer grow? There's nothing we can do?" her eyes grew moist.

"Who said that?" he looked at Epsilon incredulously.

"But you just said-"

"I said that your growth plates closed off, indeed. But seriously, after seeing me crafting a new body for Violet you still think I can't fix something that easy?"

"No, my Lord, of course I wouldn't!… But that will just open these plates up, right? I will still have to grow?"

"Yeah, I'll have to forcefully quicken your growth process. It's gonna hurt like hell, and you will need lots of energy to sustain through that, but…" Cid made a "so-so" gesture.

"But, what?"

"But I can just pump the energy into you and craft stuff with Blood Magic. Again, it's gonna hurt, and you might not be able to stand that, but that's the only way I can see right now."

"…Please, do it, my Lord."

"You sure?" he eyed her.

"Yes, Lord Shadow," she met his gaze with the most determined look.

"Alright, get ready, I am starting now."

He slowly reached out to her bones with his magic and covered them in his mana. Epsilon shuddered at sudden interjection, but otherwise stayed still.

"I will try to reduce the pain as much as possible, but otherwise…" Cid shook his head, "Ready?" Epsilon nodded at him.

Then she felt pain.

Cid forcefully injected his magic into her bones and forced the growth plates back open. He noticed how something tried to oppose his actions, probably it was really a curse? Interesting, but he has no need for something like that. Just a quick research he did already explained everything to him.

Of course, just opening the plates is not enough. After all, after bones' growth is done, these plates are replaced with solid, sturdy bone tissue. And Epsilon had exactly such case, which forced him to reach out to her Astral Body once more in order to find how, exactly, were her growth plates placed.

Cid slowly tinkered with her bones. Not only that, he also looked over her muscles and magic system. And just as he expected, each time he opened a plate, something immediately tried to close it off. But with each plate he came closer and closer to understanding how, exactly, this 'curse' worked.

Whenever body enters an age where it can close growth tissues properly and replace them with bone tissue, 'curse' immediately manifests, and hormonal imbalance occurs, which tricks the body into doing so.

Of course, there was no actual curse: it was just unlucky genetics, mixed with some kind of left-over magic. Something similar happened with her… curves: instead of properly developing her feminine features, her body poured every last bit of energy into her magic. And while, yes, that made her one of the most gifted magic users, it also caused dismay to her, since she didn't know how to counter that.

In short, nothing he couldn't fix. Painful? Yes. A bit hard and challenging? Maybe. But nothing he couldn't do.

After he finally finished opening plates, he could go onto the next step: pushing the energy and forcing growth.

"If you need a breather, just say so, because after we start with growth process we won't be able to stop until I am finished," Cid gave Epsilon a warning.

"No, please continue," she looked up at him with a mixture of emotions he couldn't quite comprehend.

"Sure, I guess," he sighed and started channeling the energy.

Honestly, it was a bit harder than molding Violet's body… Hmm, he will need to check on her after the reward time ends…

When he made a new body for Violet, Diabolos Hand (her hand actually, as funny as it sounds) had more than enough material to create a new human body, even if he made multiple mistakes. He had a room for experiments.

Here, he was deficient on materials. He only had Epsilon's own body, and he needed to get new materials from somewhere in order to grow it. The only other suitable material would be his own body… Hmm, actually, why not? He can regenerate easily, right?

Cid carefully removed a part of his spine's muscle, allowing a new one to grow immediately. His magic slowly filled the still fresh meat as he slowly cleared replaced any and all marks of it being his own flesh with Epsilon's DNA, in order to prepare it as a material.

'Good thing she lies on her stomach.'

He injected her with his magic once more and created a stable channel between fresh flesh and her body.

---

As Epsilon dreamed, she could feel something entering her body. Something… strange. She also felt her body feeling funny all of sudden, as if her feet that prior to that were right in the bed suddenly found themselves dangling from its corner… Hold on, why is it a bit hard to lie on her chest? It's as if something lies beneath it…

Epsilon woke up. Her eyes blinked tiredly. She slowly looked down only to realize that she was, in fact, lying on her chest. Her big, perky breasts, actually… Which she wasn't supposed to have.

"Done, you can get up and cover yourself back in slime suit," a somewhat tired voice sounded from the side, "Phew, working on material deficiency surely is a new… Hmm, but I got valuable experience!"

She rolled over to see her beloved Lord wiping his hands with a napkin. Then, memories of what happened waved over her.

She immediately started touching her breasts and hips to confirm that she, indeed, now has a body that Beta would envy. And the body looked exactly the same as she did with her slime suit.

Epsilon raised her gaze to look at her beloved Lord. He quirked a brow as she summoned her slime suit to cover herself up.

This time, she merely commanded it to mimic the usual Shadow Garden uniform. She did not need to calculate how her breasts should bounce each time, how her hips should move… No, everything was done naturally. She only needed to control the shape of suit itself, her body has done the rest.

She needs to learn this type of magic. Later.

Now…

She stood up and walked closer to her beloved Lord.

Then, both of them realized something.

"I… may have gone a bit overboard…" Cid started as he looked up to now-one-head-taller-than-him Epsilon.

"No-no, my Lord, it's exactly everything I have dreamed of!" she shut any complaints by pressing his poor face into her now-developed breasts, "And I still have an hour and half left!"

"Wure…" muffled sounds pleasantly tickled her breasts. Real breasts.

She carried him over back to the bed, purring.

Needless to say, he received a lot of cuddling time with her.

Though even her pride was not able to stand in front of his now apparent cuteness as she immediately gave up on being the dominant one…

Chapter 45: Cat Obsession

Notes:

LE WARNING! LE ALARM!

This chapter contains… Body worship, NOT so gentle domination from Zeta's side (even Eta's one will not be that down bad), and more, more content that almost crosses fetish territories.

You were warned.

'It is possible to change body properties via usage of Blood Magic and a precise enough control; moreover, it is also possible to completely rewrite some parts of the DNA. Theoretically, that allows the user to influence the growth of anything, starting from as soon as fetus stage…'

Cid was writing down everything he found out during Epsilon's body modification.

Clearly, sometimes he is too focused on his goal. So focused that he forgets about all other branches of magic! What would it cost him to plunge just a little bit deeper into the body modification when he was changing his own body?

Nothing!

But he didn't, and now he regrets it. Just a bit. Because if he has done it sooner, he would get the valuable information sooner… Eh, it is what it is.

Alright, now he has all the necessary information. Of course, he will still need to create a suitable way to freely alter physiology slash biology; after all, he was still relying on Astral Body of Epsilon while he was doing these modifications, Astral Body of Violet when creating a brand new one, and in his own case he didn't go further than rearranging his organs, nervous system, and cells replacement, AKA regeneration.

In short, he needs in-detail books about body structure! And cellular biology! And now since he knows about portals… Who knows, maybe he can jump back to Earth and ste- cough, cough, borrow some books? Seems like a good idea, though borrowing some knowledgeable people seems a good idea too… Oh, time, time… Where will he even find time?

Hmm, hold up, maybe there's also a way to bend time-?

"Lord Shadow, Zeta is here," cat-kin interrupted his thoughts as she appeared right behind him.

"Hmm," he nodded in a cool way.

Damn, Zeta is getting better and better. Of course, he also wasn't doing a good job with being so focused his research and whatnot, but still, she's certainly skillful.

"Hmm…" she mimicked him and looked around, "Yes, that will do."

"Zeta?" he turned around, only to see her unnaturally large pupils staring straight into his face as a creepy smile adorned her face.

"My Lord, you're mine for the next three hours, correct?" her hands cupped his cheeks.

"Yeah…?" he gulped.

Zeta licked her lips, revealing sharp fangs for a moment.

"You and me. This room. We will do the deed."

"The deed?… Hold up, what about-"

"Alpha?" Zeta sneered, "As much as I respect the First Shade, she's too soft for her own good. It is a good quality to have, since we are one big family, but sometimes I wish she was more ruthless and straightforward. If she was…" cat-kin sniffed around his body, "You wouldn't still be a virgin."

"Bold one, Zeta," he looked at her with dead fish eyes.

"I know," her smile widened, "that's why I am doing it. With how things are going, my Lord, you will not receive a deed for a long… Unless someone brave enough intervenes, that is."

"Like you," it was more of a confirmation from his side.

"Like me," her pupils turned snake-like for a moment.

"And you do not care how everyone else will react to this."

"They got their reward way before me, yet they didn't use it to the fullest," she retorted, scratching his chin with her nails.

"…Damn," he closed his eyes.

"So, my Lord?" Zeta purred, pressing her chest against his head, "You like it, don't you?"

"Like what?" his breath pleasantly tickled her breasts.

"Like what I do with you, of course," he could feel her burying her nose into his hair and inhaling hungrily.

"Can't say I don't like it, but honestly you're pushing things a bit too far with the deed stuff," he sighed; she shivered as sudden warmth enveloped her cleavage.

"Maybe you are right," Zeta mused, "However, I know for sure if I am not the one to take the lead, one obsessed researcher would surely jump on this opportunity…"

"Really, now? You girls compete on who first takes my virginity?" even though his head was buried inside her cleavage, Zeta could clearly imagine the unamused look on his face.

"…Indeed, that's a bit too far," Zeta admitted bitterly.

"Glad you understood-"

"-Because clearly, such a being like you only deserves to experience it with all of his apostles at once."

"…What?" Cid raised his head to look into Zeta's face.

"What?…" Zeta lowered her head to look into Cid's face.

"Nevermind."

'Yeah, I forgot about the cult of me… You know what, future me? That's a problem for you. You think about how to deal with all of that stuff, I'll just agree here and nod in a smart way.'

"Lord Shadow?"

"Indeed, let's postpone deed stuff until we all come together," he nodded sagely… making his head hit her cleavage few times in the process.

"Hmm…" Zeta's pupils grew once more… how the hell does that even happen? There should be a limit, right? "Well then, I have another thing in mind."

"Oh?"

"I wish to have a taste of your divine body. Please, allow me to touch it. I shall explore it in the fullest."

Her cheeks turned red as he could see a bit drool escaping her mouth.

"I shall do everything in my power to offer you the worship you deserve. Please, my Lord."

"Uh, yeah, sure? I guess?"

'Hello? Can I order a book "How to become a proper cult deity for dummies"? I need one real fast!' Cid gulped as Zeta's last shred of self-control disappeared.

---

Zeta eyed her divine Lord's body.

He was currently lying down on his back in her bed, his arms pinned by her own, his slime suit torn open on the chest.

Cat-kin licked her lips as she watched a bead of sweat slowly flowing down, from his face, to his throat, to the collarbone…

She swiftly moved down and picked up the traitorous liquid.

And he shivered.

Yes, oh Divine Lord… Unlike even that stupid dog, Zeta has barbs on her tongue. Just like a normal cat. Ticklish, isn't it?

She slowly moved her agile tongue to the side of his neck.

Lick, lick, lick.

He shivered, he tried to move away, but alas, she moved her hand in the way. Divine being such as him deserves proper worship.

And so she continued, continued to make sure no part of him goes unclean. And he continued, continued shivering. Hmm, part of it could also be attributed to the fact that she was purring in the process, who knows?

"Z-Zeta," she heard his muffled speech.

As he said at the start, he completely let go of his bodily functions control, allowing her to do whatever she wishes… So long as she doesn't overstep the boundaries, that is.

To have such a power over target of her worship…

It drove her crazy.

She wonders: did that stupid dog also manage to use the time to its fullest?… Of course not. Stupid dog is too stupid.

"Do not worry, my Lord," she raised her face to meet his own, "I shall make sure you are to receive the treatment you deserve."

He only gulped as her eyes immediately focused on the lump in his throat. All her instincts screamed: play with your prey.

And so she did.

Zeta immediately went for his lips, completely disregarding any prelude. Shadow's eyes widened as he felt her cat's tongue pushing through his lips, exploring his cavity without question. And unlike all other Shades, she didn't even let him to answer back as she completely dominated over his own tongue.

Hmm, he is so enamored with her eyes… Ah, probably because of her pupils. After all, she also got cat's pupils. Including their relative size to the rest of the eye in enlarged state and ability to turn into slits-like shape.

She let his poor mouth go, giving one last lick on the lips.

He continued staring her in the eyes… She could feel grin forming on her face, revealing her sharp fangs.

"Now, for your chest, my Lord."

And true to her words, Shadow felt Zeta's cat tongue slowly travelling across his muscular chest.

She licked him. She licked him without mercy. She still held his arms in her own as her tongue tickled his chest muscles, leaving wet trails in its path.

Zeta felt him suppressing a gasp as she reached his solar plexus. Hmm, indeed, a common weak point…

'Relax, my God…' Zeta's fanaticism kicked in, 'I shall make sure that the only thing you feel is pleasure.'

She let go of his hand in order to reach the back of his head.

Shadow's body arched as she licked his stomach (surprisingly soft, despite having such well-developed muscles) all the while simultaneously scratching the back of his head with her nails.

As she deemed his front properly cleaned up, she finally let him go.

Zeta watched his chest rising and falling, her Lord gasping for air. Beads of sweat formed across his body. Her cat's senses immediately picked up the most pleasant scent in the world, her nostrils taking the air in.

Her Divine Lord, unshakable, unbeatable, all-knowing, all-loving… Was now nothing more but a whimpering mess under her merciless claws. Nothing more but a mouse that was caught by a cat.

She inhaled his scent once more.

It drove her crazy.

She lowered her face right to his own. His eyes watched her movements cautiously. Such cute, beautiful grey eyes… Such cute, messy raven hair… Such cute, concealed round ears… Such cute, wonderful face.

Her cat tongue once more invaded his mouth. One time is not enough, right? Two would be a good start.

Hmm, indeed… Gamma sometimes said that as the elder ones they should take care of him…

This time, she was gentler. She allowed him to get accustomed to her invade as she purred into his mouth. He relaxed over time, until he stopped shivering and just looked at her with these loving eyes of his.

Yes.

He loved them.

He loved them all.

As their beloved Divine Lord, he granted his love to each and every member of Shadow Garden.

But…

Some were more equal than the others.

Like her.

Zeta slowly stood up and took his body in her hands. Then, she turned him around, placing him on his stomach.

Then she lay down, again, her breasts pressing against his strong bare back. She purred into his ear, gently running her hands on his neck.

"Z-Zeta-" Shadow gasped as she bit his earlobe.

Gently, of course. Even then, her sharp fangs clearly caused a bit of discomfort to him. That won't do.

She started licking his poor, hurt earlobe. He relaxed into her hands once more. Yes, yes…

She retracted her slime suit as she pressed her breasts into his back, allowed them to squeeze against his strong muscles.

Her tongue slowly started moving downwards, to the neck, to the vertebra… Oh, he shivered once more… Yes, she, indeed, learned a lot. After all, what good head of espionage and leader of Lord Shadow's worship group would she be if she didn't even know how to pleasure him.

However, to think that he would just allow him to do whatever she wants…

Zeta once more turned his head to herself. She took him by his chin and stared at this divine face of his.

She felt smile growing on her face.

"Mine."

She embraced him in a kiss, for the third time.

She's just getting started.

After all, everyone knows simple truth.

Cats have nine lives. And she wants each and every one of them to experience it.

Notes:

Cult of Diabolos: "We want to revive the one we worship to steal her powers for ourselves."

Vampire Clans: "We want to awaken the one we worship so she can plunge the world into chaos."

Shades: "We want to fuck the one we worship."

Chapter 46: System Obsession

Notes:

Not so much about Eta since she already had her share multiple times, but finally revealing Victoria and world travel shenanigans.

Cid scratched his poor neck.

After all the stuff Zeta subjected his pitiful body to, he got covered in marks of her… heat.

Yeah, compared to literally everyone else before her, Zeta just decided to dominate him like a wild beast. So wild, in fact, that she bit him (gently, of course, but still) multiple times and licked all over his body, something he would rather expect from bold and energetic Delta… Indeed, the quiet ones are the scariest…

And speaking of quiet ones: he has a last reward time with Eta before they all come together at him. You know, his cute actually-not-so-little somewhat immoral scientist? Yeah, her.

And after what happened with Zeta, he doesn't even want to imagine what Eta would want to do.

At least cat-kin had mercy to just use her body; scientist would probably use her toys in order to inspect his reactions in detail. And to make him do these reactions, too.

He sighed and let his regeneration do the deal, removing all the scratches and other "marks of ownership", as Zeta called it. Cats, right?

Oh, man, he also told Zeta that it would be better to do the deed all together… How does he even get out of this now?…

"Master Shadow."

He slowly turned around to see the always apathetic face of the Seventh Shade.

"Hello, Eta. I assume you finally found time?"

"M-m-m… Indeed… That's partly your fault, Master Shadow…" she pouted cutely; what did he even do?

"How so?"

"Well… these large stones you placed… are hard to decode… I only managed to know about teleportation… because of other members' words… They also shine?… When we pray to it?…"

Oh. Oh man.

"Well, yeah, Pylons serve as a… connecting point between each other, you could say. If you stand near it and use the pass, you can teleport to the other Pylon… Hold up, I gave Alpha the passes so she would give them to other Shades. Didn't you receive one?" he focused his gaze.

"I… Did… But only after coming here…" she crossed her hands under her chest.

"And about Faith Energy…" he started.

"Faith… Energy?… Tell me more…" she suddenly appeared in front of him, face-to-face, unblinking.

"Well…" he was kinda disturbed by her entrance but nothing he couldn't deal with, "Whenever people pray sincerely to me, these little boys collect the energy. I can then get it to myself at any point or just let it be stored here. It has its uses, but… That's pretty much it."

"I see…" she wrote the valuable information down using slime tendrils.

"So, what do you want to do, Eta?" he inquired.

"M-m-m… Did you… have sexual intercourse?…"

Cid was taken aback by sudden question.

"No, I didn't have one."

"Hmm… Pity…" she looked down on her notebook, "I wanted… to collect information… seems like… I will have to do everything myself…"

"Hold up, hold up, Eta. Do you really want to-"

"Yes. I want," her eyes fully opened, "I want to collect as much information about you as possible. I want to strap you down and experience everything your body has to offer. Moreover…"

He felt her slime enveloping his body as she slowly lifted him up.

"Moreover…" her smile widened, "You foolishly gave me an opportunity to do so, Master Shadow. And I wish to study you to the fullest."

'So, any lore reason almost every Shade wants to dominate me?'

---

Eta looked down on her enigmatic Master, strapped to the bed.

She wanted to learn. Learn about him.

She wanted to know. Know every single detail of his.

She wanted to experience. Experience everything about his body.

"Master Shadow… How did your relationship with other Shades during their time go?…"

A very important question.

"Uh, almost all of them wanted to be the dominant one…" he wanted to rub his chin just like each time he is met with strange question, but he had his arms cuffed and strapped to the bed.

"Interesting…" quick write down, "And your opinion?…"

"…Didn't dislike it. They all were gentle… Except Zeta, but even she at the end realized that going harsh is not that good."

"So, our Master Shadow… is actually submissive on the inside," she concluded.

"Nah, I just don't want to ruin your time," he rolled his eyes.

After a moment of thought, Eta agreed. He, indeed, just held onto his word.

"Fascinating…" she muttered.

"Hmm?" he blinked at her.

"And about sexual intercourse? Why didn't you participate in it?"

"Eh, Alpha didn't wanna rush, so I didn't, either. That's pretty much it."

"So it's because of the First Shade… And Zeta's opinion?"

"Agreed to postpone it until we all come to the three hours of being together?" he blinked a ther.

"Hmm, so I assume it would be better to wait for that, correct?" she scribbled down his answer.

"Yeah, that would be for the best, I guess," Shadow agreed with her.

She touched her lips with a finger, looking at his vulnerable body.

"Uh, Eta?"

"Then we shall do it another way," researched nodded and commanded for slime tendrils to launch the machines.

"Eta?"

"My machines shall monitor your state during our time. We will not go down to intercourse, however everything other than that is permitted and will be used," she looked down on her enigmatic Master, "I hope for your cooperation, Master Shadow."

"Uh, sure?"

Machines signaled that Master no longer controls every single reaction of his body, allowing nature to take the course. Good.

She slowly ran her finger across his chest. He shivered at her cold hands. Good. Reaction added.

Her other hand slowly caressed his hair. He blinked at her and relaxed. Great. Reaction added.

Her nail slowly dug into his solar plexus. He almost gasped. Not good. Reaction added.

She lowered her head and embraced him in a kiss. He answered it. Delightful. Reaction added.

She pushed her tongue into his mouth. He is seemingly accustomed to that from other Shades. Great job. Reaction- Machines, please do the work.

He lay down on her bed, his limbs strapped to the sides as her slime tendrils slowly removed his upper-side clothes. He shivered as the liquid flowed from one place to another.

She raised laboratory's temperature a bit to make sure he feels comfortable. She needs her results to be in the most perfect state… and she doesn't want to see him uncomfortable…

She gently traced her finger on his stomach and watched his breath hitching for a moment. Her covered breasts slowly pressed against his own chest as she slowly lowered herself down on him.

It seems he has grown accustomed to being hugged and have Shades' breasts pressed against himself. Splendid.

She looked into his eyes. His expression didn't change. He was still looking at her with a smile, even though he was gasping for air moments ago. Her own expression softened under his gaze.

She had to have a clear mind. She had to completely disregard anything and focus on her research.

However, seeing him being vulnerable under her body… awakened something in her.

Something, once deep buried.

Something, that whispers: "Don't."

And Eta agreed.

As immoral as she was, as focused as she was, she could not bear watching him suffer. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

If the whole world will experience damnation just so his suffering can be stopped, so be it.

She wanted to search for Wisdom with him. She wanted to be his immoral scientist that would do everything for him.

So what if he was not so knowledgeable and wise? Other Shades have already shown her the way. The way of being the one who is in charge. The one who takes him into embrace.

As they all said, they have grown up. And he's the youngest among them. Which means it's their turn to make sure he gets everything he wants.

Eta embraced him into yet another kiss. He readily accepted. Good.

Eta run her cold hand across his neck. He shivered. Predictable.

More tests…

---

"Goddamnit…" Cid walked away from Eta's laboratory.

She didn't, per say, overstep the boundaries. On the contrary, she stayed in bounds of reason and research, only checking up on his reaction to everything she did.

However, it was really exhausting. All other Shades actually were doing something with him. Eta was seemingly only interested in how he reacts.

Talk about mad scientists…

Alright, time to pour some nice cold tea and delve into his magic studies again… Before Eta says that she's finished and now they can pile up on him together…

Hmm? Is someone calling him?

Cid looked around, but nobody was here. Yet he still heard someone… Feminine voice?

It asked for him to give his help?

Uh… Well…

"Granted?" he said in confusion.

The voice stopped.

Nothing changed… Yeah, nothing changed. He didn't lose any mana, he didn't feel… anything?

What even was that?

Confused, Cid shrugged and decided to eat Mitsugoshi's sweets. Cookies will go great with tea!

---

Tall, beautiful, busty elven woman was trying to stand up. Her somewhat pink hair was stained red as blood painted her face.

She supported herself on her large sword as she looked around the battlefield. A sight of disembodied bodies entered her view.

"Goddamnit, is this some kind of a raid boss?" the remaining survivors surrounded her.

She couldn't understand what they were saying. Neither she wanted to. All she needed to know is…

They are enemies.

"'Observe' says that her stats are abnormally large… And nothing more. Her title "Merciless Blade" gives her boost if she's alone or… Uhm, the second condition is hidden, too," the one in witch hat and clothes that stayed behind everyone laid her observations.

'Stats'? 'Title'? 'Condition'? What does that even mean… Though…

She likes the title.

"So she's an enigma of this world?" the one clad in heavy armor raised his axe.

'Enigma'? Hah…

They don't even know about her God.

"Probably. 'Observe' says she's part of some group, though… Eh, it's fine. She looks out of place and is strong, so she's probably one of the important characters of this world. Never saw this world before, though… System Portals are a thing indeed…"

'Oh, my Divine Lord… Please, grant me with your presence… Grant me your powers in the time of need… Allow me to punish these sinners for tarnishing your name with their filthy mouths!'

"Eh, I wrote down the coordinates. We will just need to buy another portal from System Shop after that and use it to find similar worlds. We can also sell information to other guilds, especially waifu hunters."

'O' Lord Shadow… Answer the prayer of your apostle… And, in your infinity kindness, offer your help…'

"But damn, this world is crazy. Like, I am level 363, everyone else is 350+, too, and yet this woman of level 270 actually managed to fight us all at once and even kill nineteen of us before falling? Yeah, her stats are insane- Hold on, what is she doing?"

Victoria grinned madly as she stared at them with endless hate.

"…And allow me to burn the wicked in your name!"

She felt his gaze upon her. She felt his power washing over her body once more. She felt her wounds healing in a matter of seconds.

Victoria inhaled. 'Merciless Blade', they called her? Yes, she's the blade that slays the unfaithful. Yes, she likes that.

She likes that so much.

"You've got to be kidding me…" the witch hat shivered under Victoria's gaze.

"What? What is it?" axe-man readied himself as she slowly walked over, blade in her hand.

"H-Her title…" witch gulped, "second condition was fulfilled!"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"'In presence of Shadow', grants bonuses based on missing health during activation and something else…"

Victoria still couldn't understand anything they said, but somehow they found out about her Lord?

Unacceptable.

"So?!" a slim man with a couple of daggers nervously shouted.

"And it currently gives +200 levels, triples all stats, gives life regen, and gives the Raid Boss trait!"

"What the fuck?! I did not sign for this! Come on, guys, let's use safes and get out of here!" a blonde man in shining armor gripped his sword.

"We can't, you idiot! When you go to Raid Boss, you can't leave unless you defeat it or the whole group dies! And in second-"

She was tired of listening to them. Her Lord already knows everything. And they learned about him.

They will die.

"The hell-"

And second one down.

And third one.

And the fourth one.

And the witch left.

"You."

The witch gripped her staff.

"D-Damned NPC, w-what do you want?!" she braved herself.

Victoria's grin widened.

"Your life."

And in the next moment, witch's head was sent flying.

Victoria looked around and sat on her knees.

"May your sinful souls be of use for our infinitely benevolent Lord Shadow…" she prayed with eyes closed.

And that's it. That's what they deserve. Nothing more.

She slowly took out the plushie that she was so desperate to protect for the whole battle.

Plushie of her beloved Lord, in his civilian disguise.

She already felt the unmatched power of her God.

Now, it's time to feel the unmatched cuteness.

Victoria sat, surrounded by dead bodies, cuddling the small plushie of her beloved Lord…

---

Cid just felt five souls entering his Pylon system out of nowhere.

With a sigh, he went to look what the actual hell is going on with all these voices and whatnot…

---

"Pink Cat" Clan's Chat

Isekai-ed guy [Uzumaki Naruto]: sup guys, what's new?

Ruler of Darkness [Michael]: Yeah, good morning to you too.

Ruler of Light [Momonga]: Not so good.

Mad Sword [Roronoa Zoro]: I still can't believe you guys get into chars opposite of what your nicks are

Ruler of Light [Momonga]: Don't even talk about it, it haunts both of us since our first games.

Demon Lord of Everything That Exists [Dudley Dursley]: Hello.

Ruler of Darkness [Michael]: LMAO

Isekai-ed guy [Uzumaki Naruto]: BRO GOT INTO A NORMAL HUMAN WITH THAT NICK

Demon Lord of Everything That Exists [Dudley Dursley]: Laugh as much as you want. I have info.

Ruler of Light [Momonga]: Hold on, why did you reincarnate? Didn't we send a full squad into Portal?

Demon Lord of Everything That Exists [Dudley Dursley]: Yeah, we were all wiped out by the first NPC.

Isekai-ed guy [Uzumaki Naruto]: but yall were 350+

Demon Lord of Everything That Exists [Dudley Dursley]: That's the point. NPCs in that world are busted.

Golden Goose [Hyoudou Issei]: Damn reincarnation, I didn't want to get into harem-verse again; everything Lord said is the truth, that NPC was very strange. She had only level 270, but could fight our whole squad alone despite our resistances and heal cuts. But when I died she was on her last breath so we'll hear from the survivors soon I guess.

Ruler of Darkness [Michael]: Hope so.

(CL) Pink Cat [Haruno Sakura]: I just received a message about permanent death of five members. The one who went in squad and survived to the end.

Demon Lord of Everything That Exists [Dudley Dursley]: The hell?

Isekai-ed guy [Uzumaki Naruto]: but they had safes

(CL) Pink Cat [Haruno Sakura]: Apparently, that NPC you were talking about was apostle of that world's deity. And System does not protect against such cases; if you pissed of the deity, say good luck.

Golden Goose [Hyoudou Issei]: I thought Gamer saves our souls?

(CL) Pink Cat [Haruno Sakura]: Read the wiki for once, you idiots!

(CM) Pink Dog [Vali Lucifer]: Chill, leader.

(CL) Pink Cat [Haruno Sakura]: Fuck off, dog. Explaining once: if you enter deity's world and go throw shit everywhere, System cannot protect you since it's their domain. Be glad that deity didn't pay attention until its apostle got onto her last breath.

Isekai-ed guy [Uzumaki Naruto]: oh

(CL) Pink Cat [Haruno Sakura]: So that's what we do. Sell info to other clans and say we can't ourselves take that world since we don't have enough power. Then watch as they fucking die to that world's deity… or how it gets killed.

Ruler of Darkness [Michael]: Sure, let's go with that.

(CL) Pink Cat [Haruno Sakura]: Good. And those who died, go level yourselves back already. You already fucked up once.

Demon Lord of Everything That Exists [Dudley Dursley]: Will pay lots of SC if you sell some skill books…

Notes:

Only Shades group moment left and after that I'm driving the plot.

No, Cid himself will not get a system, he's not an idiot to bind something that can affect him to himself. He will only dissect them to understand what is it. And no, Cid is not going anywhere like right now; rather, they will come to him.

Time to hype up the antagonists for lots of chapters only to kill them off in Cid's random movement, he-he…

Chapter 47: Mundane Obsession

Notes:

There's not much things going on in group chapter.

They all just have wholesome time and we move on to the plot.

Cid studied the strange souls.

What's so strange about them? Well, the fact that they had something attached to them.

He is not joking, there was something strange on these fives souls. He is no expert, but all previous ones he got their hands on (aka Knights of the Rounds) were somewhat balanced. Like, yes, they were not that strong and couldn't hold that much energy, but they actually were able to use that energy.

These five, however, completely relied on… Some strange thing that was strapped to them. And when he says "strapped", he means it: this… thing had something like… connectors slash drills that made holes in the soul layers and inserted itself into the soul… Kinda hard to explain, especially with having close to zero experience in this, but that's how he felt it.

And souls themselves were great! Large, brimming with energy! And all of that was completely destroyed because of that thing. They were absolutely unable to use their own energy unless it was done through it.

And that's strange.

What's even more strange, however, is the way how these souls got into his Pylon System. Yeah, after fight with Serpent his Pylons somewhat evolved and now could store the souls (which he immediately did with Knights' souls), but… Shouldn't he get them first? Y'know, get his hands on them so he could store them?

And what's absolutely bizarre is the feminine voice asking for his help, mere minutes before he felt the souls. His agreement did not change anything in his body, but now that he looks into Pylon System… Yes, indeed, for these few minutes the Faith energy was flowing somewhere else. So, he can actually redirect the Faith he gets and allow someone else to use it…

Damn, now he can actually play the role of a deity! You know, before that he only could sit on the throne in a cool way and sometimes grant heals, but now? When he can grant powers just by willing it? That opens perspectives!…

"Master Shadow, we are ready," a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

He blinked and focused on the figure in front of him.

"Oh, Alpha," he nodded.

Hmm, seems like the time has come. The time to give the reward to all of them at once.

"Master Shadow, please follow me."

"Sure."

---

"Lord Shadow would definitely like to spend time with me more!" a silver-haired elf with a mole under her eye placed her hands on her hips.

"Hoh? I think he would be more interested in someone more… mature," cyan-haired elf with pigtails smirked at her opponent… wait, she seems a bit shorter- oh, she just removed these outrageous heels of hers she made the first time.

"Delta thinks you are stupid," dog-girl made her comment, "Bossman said he will take us all together, so why fight?"

"I agree with dog, "cat-girl's ear twitched, "and that should say something."

"I… prepared the machines…" sleepy brown-haired elf blinked at the scene.

"No, Eta, your 'semen extraction device' will not be used," the most mature-looking woman sternly pressed.

"Bummer…"

That was the sight Cid was met with once he stepped into the room. Needless to say… he expected something more organized, not this chaotic atmosphere.

"Everyone," Alpha turned the attention to herself, "Master Shadow is here. Behave yourselves-"

"Bossman!"

"Lord Shadow!"

"M-m-m…"

She was quickly interrupted by other Shades that decided that getting to him first was the most serious task in existence.

"My Lord! Tell that writer that whatever fantasies she writes on paper have no correlation to reality!"

"What?! Lord Shadow agreed to play everything out just as I wished! You just were too cowardly to do it!"

"M-m-m… so noisy…" Eta frowned and closed her ears.

"Bossman, I think it's about time we finally make babies!…"

Cid massaged his temples. He already could feel the incoming headache. When he was taking them one by one, everything was alright as he could just cater to their wishes, but now, when each and every one of them had opposite views on how their time should go?…

You know what? He is not dealing with that.

"…My Lord, should I-"

"Now will you cut it out?"

Both Beta and Epsilon turned to him, shocked.

"You were supposed to live in harmony with each other, not be at each other's throats," Cid tiredly looked at rival elves.

Both of them only glanced at each other in shame.

"Please, don't forget that you are one family," he sighed at their antics, "I understand that this was nothing more but a banter, but considering that it was supposed to be our bonding time together…"

"Um, sorry, Lord Shadow…" Beta closed her eyes for a moment and nodded with serious expression, "I am sorry, Epsilon, for making such a scene."

"Y-Yeah, I am sorry for causing that, too…" Epsilon shamefully looked to the side.

Cid sighed.

"Damn, you carried that over since childhood, now didn't you…"

"Excuse me, Master Shadow," Alpha interjected, "But they only behave like this when in our circle. On missions they are absolutely serious and will not endanger it over their banter."

"Oh, really?" he blinked.

"Yes, Master Shadow. It's all just a friendly banter."

Cid turned around to look at the two.

"I might have gone a bit overboard, but that's really how we usually talk with each other…" Beta sheepishly smiled.

"Yes, my Lord, you could say it's our morning routine, ha-ha…"

"Oh, sorry, then, for interjecting," damn, what a mistake from his side. Not cool, Cid, not cool.

"Don't worry about it, my Lord! Actually, it's rather heartwarming to know that you care about us so much that you're willing to chide us in worry that we are not getting along, he-he!" Beta beamed.

Epsilon only nodded fervently.

"Alright, then…" he sighed.

"Right, Master Shadow," Alpha collected herself, "Obviously, we have different opinions on how to proceed with our time together. So, I propose this: you, Master Shadow, decide what to do."

"Me?" he blinked at her.

"Indeed," blonde elf nodded seriously, "I think it would be for the best to let Shadow lead his Shades."

Everyone else though about it for a moment and nodded.

"Well, if you say so…" he went in thought.

You know, he was kinda tired of being in bed each time. Sure, it was a good time, but when it's done each few hours, it's slowly getting bland! He would rather use that time to either practice his Eminence style or research magic… Or spend time with girls, just in another way!

Hmm… Actually, why not? They all had their share of lewd things, why not just sit and drink some nice tea accompanied by yummy sweets?

That's exactly what he told to Shades. They thought over it for a moment and admitted that, indeed, they all have too different of an opinion on what is perfect intimate moment, but a lunch together? Yeah, that one is great!

And so they sat together in the conference room… Yes, that one where a beautiful chair that probably costs more than everything else in that same room combined was. And yes, they said that this chair was his by right.

Yeah, that was kinda relaxing. Just sipping tea and eating sweets… Perfect. In the meantime, he can think of what he should do next… Hmm, these strange soul attachments, spatial abilities, apparent ability to grant power, hmm… So much to do…

Hold up, he just remembered something!

"Say, Gamma, there's gonna be a Bushin Festival in few days, right?"

"Indeed, Lord Shadow; Bushin Festival is to be held in two days," businesswoman nodded seriously.

"You don't happen to have a list of current participants on hand?" he inquired. That one should be there, right?

"Umm… No, Lord Shadow, but I can call Nu for that," Gamma somewhat saddened.

"It's fine, you did not expect our time to turn like this, so I am not angry. But yeah, please do call Nu for that," he leaned back in his chair and sipped tea.

Gamma livened up and smiled at him.

"May I inquire why would you need a list of participant for Bushin Festival, Master Shadow?" Alpha leaned in.

"Oh, I just heard that people like to go there to check out their abilities, so I want to see if there's someone with potential."

"Understood," Alpha nodded seriously.

"Forgive me for interruption, Lord, Ladies," Nu came in and bowed.

"I have called you, so you did not interrupt anything. Show it," Cid immediately went into Shadow mode.

"Understood," Nu took out the paper, "List of participants, from 30 minutes ago."

He skimmed through the list until he found the one he was looking for.

'Annerose Nichtsehen, former member of Velgalta's Seven Blades, Named Number's level of power… Possibly higher…'

There she is! The third heroine! She actually participates in tournament just like he expected!

He smiled.

"Gamma, once we are finished, I have a task for you…"

---

Annerose was standing in front of arena's entrance.

She was monitoring to make sure no one that was not ready for the tournament participated in it. Because if they did, they would surely suffer from injuries. Moreover, the mockery from other participants could surely ruin all their dreams in pursuing the sword, and what if one of them could become a powerful warrior in the future? She does not want to crush a delicate seedling!

So yes, she was monitoring the entrance to make sure no one not ready enough signed in. She already turned away some young children — and those are usually the targets of other participants! — that wanted to get in to play heroes. When they grow up, they can participate! It's too dangerous as of now!

Yeah, these ones are good… This one looks bulky, maybe can… This one is barely walking with a dead man's face, she will let- Hold up!

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" she walked in front of slow walking black-haired middle aged man with bags under the eyes.

"Me?…" he placed hands on his chest as he hunched over; his voice was hoarse as if he did not have a gulp of water in days.

"Yes, you! Clearly, you are on your last legs, yet you still wish to participate! What about your health?!"

"…Oh," he looked over her, "Appreciate the concern, lady…"

"Annerose!" he really didn't recognize her?

"Lady Annerose, I still wish to participate."

"Ugh!" Annerose clutched her head in frustration.

"Understand your worries, but I am more than ready to participate," man pressed, seeing her state.

"Fine! Go sign yourself in! You are clearly not a child, so do it!" she sighed and went out of the way. "Just don't say I didn't warn you!"

He looked at her once more and chuckled.

"What? Something's funny?!"

"Nothing, just thought you have a good heart."

"Ah…" she lost any wish to continue bantering, "Uh, yeah, thank you."

He chuckled again.

"Just a bit of advice, though! If you see that you can't fight back, just give up! No need to get injured because of ephemeral glory!"

"M-m-m, thank you. I'll give an advice, too…"

As strange man passed near her, he straightened up and looked her in the eyes as his gaze turned unexpectedly firm.

"Do not underestimate your opponents."

Annerose's eyes widened, but before she could ask, he was already limping towards the entry point.

She placed her hand on her chest, feeling the fast-beating heart.

---

"So, when is he going back, again?…" Alexia inquired innocently.

Claire cursed her brother once more.

If you need to get away from academy on your world-saving deals, at least make sure you have a good enough reason, you idiot! It was five days!

Notes:

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Now we can move on to the plot.

And Cid forgot about academy, his mob persona is so ruined.

Chapter 48: Demonology Obsession

"…And now we have to use this formula…"

Cid was sitting in the classroom and writing down.

Claire got absolutely pissed at his absence and decided to come personally to get him back.

Well, she is right. After all, skipping 5 days of studying without a good reason is definitely not something that an average mob should do. Thankfully, Claire covered him.

But just because he was sitting in the classroom doesn't mean he was actually paying any attention to the class… Well, he was, but with a corner of his mind. He was actually focused on writing down his research and roleplaying notes.

For roleplay everything was simple: Gamma provided him the info about a weak man that guarded Cult's carriages a couple years ago… Past Tense, because he was killed by Shadow Garden during attack on these same carriages.

This guy was perfect for Cid's plan: enter the tournament as the weakling that everyone laughs at, then beat everyone one by one, making crowd wonder about this dark horse, and in the end… Well, he wants to meet this third heroine candidate, Annerose. That's pretty much it.

His research, on the other hand, went more complex ways.

He was still studying these strange souls, and now he was slowly coming closer to the answers.

You see, upon a closer inspection Cid realized that all the constructs on these souls were actually almost identical, as if they were result of a machine production. Which meant that there was something (or someone) behind it.

Moreover, trying to rip the thing out of the layers was somewhat hard. Not impossible, but hard. He succeeded, but construct took some damage, and the soul went completely limp from the holes in it, losing energy in the process. He stored the soul back into Pylon System and studied the interesting construct…

Let's admit it: Cid has no experience in soul deals. Like, really. He is speaking purely from what he can understand: he sees the thing that Shadow Entities called soul. This thing can be ripped out of the body (very hard unless you kill them), and the body will go unresponsive. A vegetable, so to say. Which means you rip either a personality or soul itself. Entities said it's soul, and he has no reason not to trust them, especially when his own information correlates with their.

Nonetheless, comparing souls between each other was an easy task. As easy as noticing these constructs. And constructs were actually really interesting!

So, what's so interesting about the constructs? Well, as he previously mentioned, they were integrated into the soul. Integrated to such a deep level that taking it out requires to severely damage the soul in the process… Or maybe it's because he still doesn't have enough experience in these deals. Both may be possible.

When integrated, this construct replaces the ability to use magic energy (and possible something else, because some souls had something… other than magic) by your own will with itself. No, he's serious. He did not see it in practice, but if his calculations are to be correct, this thing was something like… A smartphone in his previous modern world? You just, so to say, tap or say what you want to do, and this thing will do it for you.

Of course, Cid was very disappointed. No, not about the construct itself, this thing was actually a masterpiece! Someone who managed to create that (and especially make it to machine production) was clearly a genius! That, or it was a whole team making this thing… Which meant high-level civilization.

Cid was disappointed about its users. It was the most clear example of borrowed power. They were not able to do anything by themselves. The moment they lose their construct, even if they don't suffer any injuries that are bound to appear because of how deep it sits in their souls, they will be unable to use their own power.

So unable, in fact, that Cid has all reasons to suspect the moment this construct falls off of them, they will experience Magic Overload… Or it's analog for that other energy he still has no idea of.

Oh, another interesting thing was… Some kind of connection? Yeah, connection. This thing was able to connect with other constructs and, theoretically, exchange information. And yes, upon realizing that, he immediately shoved them all back into the Pylon System to make sure it doesn't transfer any information if there is anything else like this.

That's pretty much all he managed to know in a day. He saw some kind of spatial thing like on sanctuary, but he didn't come to it yet. Where can he even find more time…

"Mister Kagenou, the classes are already over."

"Huh? Oh, sorry, guess I got lost in thoughts…" he took a mob-like sheepish expression.

Teacher sighed.

"It's alright, just go."

Right, where was he again?…

Oh, yeah, research and experiments.

He already laid out everything he found out about the souls and constructs, and for any further study he will need to get a practice on the souls… Now, where can he find souls? Yeah, either bandits, or cultists, or something else…

Hmm, maybe it's about time he starts searching for other Realms? No, not like other worlds, but more something more like Shadow Realm? You know, something that accompanies the world he is in? With Faith energy, plus Shadow Mana, plus his own native reserves, he feels pretty confident in doing something like that…

Yeah, seems like a good thing.

Now, how does he find these Realms? Tricky question… Oh, right, that volcano!

He immediately Pylon-ed to that place and was met with almost unbearable heat. Unbearable for his current physique, that is. As soon as he used his mana, he was able to ignore it. Now, why was it so hot? Last time he was here, even being near magma was absolutely fine for him, yet now?…

Hold up, is it just him or does the Pylon really take in the surrounding energy and refines it to the next level? Yes, that's exactly what it does! And that was the only Pylon that he modified for surroundings, all others were just left as they are! Hm, hm, hm, how interesting! Oh, and were those the concepts of flames being born around it? Damn, that's so interesting!

He just fulfilled the second way of Spirit birth! The environmental one! Almost no interjection from sentient being, only the concept in its purest form! Alright, he doesn't even wanna go and interrupt it; where will he find something like that again? In the meantime, he can just go a bit further… Yeah, this place will do.

So, Cid decided to do something really outrageous. He will call. No, not the phone, of course! He will call into the, so to say, void and see if it reaches someone. What he wants to do is find out whether or not something like spirits can just be called from their Realm and whether or not he can persuade them to do something while he doesn't have their element.

And what's the better way to check it out than to draw a pentagram!

Of course, he is not stupid. That's why he took out the Sanctuary! This is a closed off subspace that he can use as a hub! Because if he summons something dangerous, the world he lives in might get damaged, and he still has some attachments to it, you know? While the Sanctuary… Eh, probably something like this exists somewhere; he already took almost everything useful out of Sanctuary, anyway.

The just born Spirit of Sanctuary's Control Panel was writing a letter of resignation.

Uh, now how does he do that, again?… Eh, he will just drop some ink on the floor and do a pentagram with it… done! Hmm, oh! He will also need something to lure the summoned spirit in! Now, what will go the best?…

Oh, what's that? Chicken's bone? Why is he even carrying it with him?… Eh, nevermind, that will do as sacrifice.

What's next? Pentagram done, sacrifice done, mana supply? Yeah, once he's ready he will give mana…

Intention! Of course! Hmm, he needs someone who will be the answer to world slash Realm travelling, who is able to converse with him freely… Now pour a bit of mana…

And nothing happened. Figures. After all, Sanctuary is a closed-off place. How the hell is any spirit supposed to appear here unless he actually has the energy of spirit's element? And if he had that, why would he need the spirit? Yeah, he will have to find another way-

"Human, I understand that you seem quite busy, but what is the reason you summoned me? Especially with this… material?"

Cid slo-o-owly turned around to see that something actually appeared in the pentagram.

A tall, bulky four-handed humanoid was frowning at him. Its four horns and dark fur covering the entire body did not leave a single doubt about the origin of this creature.

'Did I just…'

"And what even is this place? What did you even intend to do with trying to summon in a closed subspace?"

'I actually…'

"And this pentagram… Honestly, if not for the amount of mana you poured in, I wouldn't even bother to answer your call."

'I actually summoned a demon! Wo-o-oh!'

"Hah? You're actually a weakling? Then I will just take your soul away-!"

Oops, his hand slipped and turned the demon into a paste. Who knew they were so fragile, anyway?

Hold up, that demon said "soul"? Does that mean it eats souls? Or does it just store them for some reason? Wait, it tries to get back from where it came from?! Nuh-uh!

Oh. Oh-oh-oh. O-ho-ho! Demon actually carried souls with itself! If he kills a demon, he can take the souls it took! Profit!

Cid immediately sent another call. The moment another demon appeared, he immediately smashed him in pulp and took the souls. Then he repeated it again. And again. And again. He wanted to have as much souls as possible; after all, he needs some material for his experiments, and to his knowledge these guys were all dead anyways.

One of the demons actually felt something was off and tried to escape back, but Cid immediately closed off the subspace fully. Demon tried to offer his servitude and showed a contract. Cid ran across the contract… Full servitude… Can't lie… Uh-huh…

Nah, hell no, too bad for him. Another demon to the graveyard. Next one tried to offer servitude, too, but on better conditions. After reading it all Cid found it very good and accepted… And immediately after that he asked the demon for all the ways it could twist the contract into for its own profit. As demon listed everything with face of dying goose, Cid diligently wrote it all down. Once demon finished it, Cid once again got one more soul.

Next summon, he immediately shoved the upgraded contract into demon's face. At first it didn't want to accept, but what a good threat can't solve? In short, another round of listing all the shortcomings of contract, and Cid moves on to the next summon.

Of course, that place was reeking with demon's scent, so he had to change rooms, because demons simply didn't answer. Thank you, Sanctuary, for your servitude!

Spirit of Sanctuary's Control Panel was writing the tenth letter of resignation; previous nine were all rejected.

Once he finally got his hands on contract that had no shortcomings (based on demons with years of experience in fooling humans), Cid was already a proud owner of thirty seven demon souls and, uh, a hundred or so humans? And after that, with the next summon, he got a letter.

'Dearest Magic User of that world, I hope this finds you unwell. It has come to my attention that you were summoning demons of my domain in order to kill them for their materials. And so I shall keep it simple. Stop now, you dumb fucker, before I come personally and fucking kill you and rip your soul out of your body. Pray to your gods we never meet again.'

Yeah, Cid could no longer summon demons because each time he tried to, he got a letter that told him he's an idiot and can go fuck himself and etc, etc. But what Cid actually was trying to do is to pinpoint where, exactly, that Realm was residing! Because he wanted to visit it! And he still has a day or so before Bushin Festival!

And after a ten or so more summons, he finally could establish a proper connection! Thank you, Sanctuary! You're the MVP!

Spirit of Sanctuary's Control Panel was looking at twenty stacks of papers; all had the same resignation form; all had stamp 'Rejected'.

Right, bind the Sanctuary to the Pylon System temporarily… establish a connection… And go!

He has a Demon Realm to farm!

Meanwhile Alexia was waiting at Cid's dorm. Classes were already over, so he will come back sooner or later, right?

Notes:

Next chapter: Cid becomes Doomguy combined with Terrarian.

Poor Alexia =(

And poor Spirit, bro just got born and is already tired of Cid's bullshit.

Chapter 49: Conqueror Obsession

Notes:

This chapter is Cid's pure insanity in play.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

That's what demons of one unlucky Demon Realm heard when the red sky above them suddenly cracked and a dark energy poured out of it.

In the next moment, a dark flash passed through the demons as they felt their bodies suddenly getting cleaved in half.

"Ya-hoo! That's what I call profits!"

The survivors could only stare in shock as the darkness dissipated, revealing a young male human taking the desperate souls with a psychotic smile on his face.

"Please, donate to the fund of poor Eminences, we have cookies!"

Of course, demons did not, in fact, wish to donate to this fund of whatever, especially with donation in question being their own souls, but who would even ask them? Definitely not a human that decided to break the natural order of things and started taking the demons' souls.

Cid nodded in satisfaction as he felt more and more souls entering the Pylon System. 'Hold up,' would someone ask, 'how the hell do you take them when Pylon System is left in another world?'

Well, you see, he somewhat connected Pylons with Sanctuary, being made out of same material and whatnot. Then he jumped to the Demon Realm and, uh, 'parked' the Sanctuary near it? Like, the Sanctuary subspace was somewhat nearby Demon Realm, but still connected to Pylon System, so he could go back… It also helped that Demon Realm was somewhat close to his perfect fantasy world, too.

The Sanctuary also, being formed of fallen warriors' memories, was an ideal place to store souls for the time being! Man, he takes back his words: he still has lots of use for it! Thank you, you're the MVP!

Spirit of Sanctuary's Control Panel found Nelson's secret stash of alcohol and was heavily drinking to suppress the depression.

But damn, there are sure a lot of demons! Like, he just killed, what, about a thousand or so? And that's only ones that he managed to snatch, many others' souls just went… somewhere. Probably to the so-called Realm ruler. Hmm, wait, does that mean that this whole Realm was one big soul-snatcher?… Well, that's to be expected, it's a Demon Realm, after all, but damn; talk about learning new stuff.

Oh, looks like they sent some better fighters against him… Not that better, because he made a paste out of them anyway. The curious part, however, was the fact that he was not able to take away their souls. If he sees it properly, it's because of some kind of sigil on them? Hmm, yeah, seems like this thing overpowers his ability to snatch the soul… That means he has to create his own!

Somehow. Later. Not now, obviously. He still needs to pay a visit to this ruler and explain that just because he decided to take away 99.9% of Demon Realm population doesn't mean he should now be banned from it! Like, he doesn't even take away that much! If it was 99.999%, then maybe, but this small amount? Nah, Cid today is feeling very kind, almost saint-like!…

Erm, halo, get away, you're scaring the demons. And stop making a light show! He's Eminence in Shadow, not in Light!

No, wait, hold up, get back. Uh-huh, yeah, packed up and sent to Sanctuary. First time he sees that halo, anyway, probably something rare. Now where did he stop?…

Oh, yeah! Farming the demons! He said that, feeling kind today, he will only take away 99.9% of Demon Realm population!

But first he will need to pay a visit to Demon Realm's ruler. Because these sigils were interfering with his farm!

---

"Hmm, yes, by all accounts the super-imposing castle of the Demon King should be super-imposing…" Cid nodded to himself.

He was currently in front a large super-imposing castle of the Demon King, which was super-imposing (important things need to be said twice). It had the required dark color, dark crimson to be exact, filled with bodies of dead people on stakes and all other requisites of a cool demon king's super-imposing castle (which is super-imposing!) like blood fountains and demons guarding the entrance.

The demons were not quite demons, though. Upon seeing him they all dropped on the knees and started pleading for his mercy… In short, they did not act like proper demons at all! It disappointed Cid so much that he couldn't stop himself from beating them up! Like, if you are cool demons guarding super-imposing castle (you know, it's super-imposing!), do your job properly!

Tricked, backstabbed, and, quite possible, bamboozled, Cid was coming through the dark halls in sour spirits, trying to find to palace of the demon king. But he couldn't! The layout was so trash that he made multiple circles! If you build super-imposing castle of the Demon King (and that means it has to be super-imposing!), then you must make a simple, straightforward path to demon king's room, where an epic battle between The Legendary Hero Tasked To Protect Everything™️ and The Demon King Promising Destruction™️ will commence! What is this mess?!

Oh, also traps. Yeah, traps are fine… As long as they are actual traps and not horde of succubi and incubi trying to fuck you! No, wait, there were traps; incubi that were playing as succubi! And the other way around! No, he understands that this is one of Hero's morality tests, like would he fall for charms of evil or would he shake off the delusion… But he's no Hero! He's Eminence in Shadow! Why are they doing that?!

Angry, tired, and filled with souls to the brim, Cid finally found the door to Demon King's lair… No, really, it was just a fucking simple door! Who the fuck built it?!

"Human, it seems like you finally found the way to my room. I give you a choice-"

"Fuck off, you idiot! Your lair is trash! Trash! It completely breaks all the rules of cool! Your guards are trash! Your traps are not working! Your layout isn't even sightreadable!"

Cid finally noticed the room of the Demon King.

"What the actual fuck?! You are a ruler of the Demon Realm! Why in the actual hell we are in you decided it's a good idead to replicate human's office?!"

Demon King slowly stood up from his office chair and placed his wineglass on the office table.

"You have the audacity to judge me, mortal? Know this-"

Cid could no longer bear such damage to his sense of cool and slapped the Demon King. To death. With Nuclear.

Which meant complete destruction of the actually trash castle of the Demon King. Exactly what he wanted, because he planned to build an actual super-imposing castle of the Demon King (and he will damn make sure for it to be super-imposing!), for which he will need…

"Get your sorry asses there!"

Immediately a row of shaking demons appeared in front of him.

"Alright, who's in charge here?"

"Uh, that would be me, si-"

"Wrong. Who's in charge here?" Cid repeated after crushing the speaker.

"Well, she died, so now it's me-"

"Wrong. Who's in charge here?…"

After a dozen or so dead demons someone finally realized the right answer.

"As the one who killed the previous Ruler, you are now the Master here, my Lord," the demoness bowed slightly and fixed her glasses (they give +100 INT, because there's no other way they would have realized the right answer this soon otherwise).

"Good. Finally someone who understands. Now hear my command."

Demons livened up upon realizing that they will probably come out of it alive.

"Remember the previous castle?"

They looked around to see that, indeed, the building from before was now completely obliterated, not leaving a single stone left.

"Don't build like that ever again. Build this instead," Cid quickly made a small projection with his Shadow Magic, "I will come back three days later. If there's no castle, I will take it as agreement to participate in my soul experiments."

Of course, Demons paled at that, but said that indeed, they will finish the task in time. One even boasted that they will actually finish the task in two days! Cid was amazed at their wish to work. So amazed that he honored their wish and lowered the time to two days. And damn, judging by the looks everyone else sent to that speaker they surely were happy!

He also instructed the glasses demoness to control how the construction works… After shoving the contract in her face, of course! The more she read the contract, the more sad she became, almost crying by the end of it. Nonetheless, she signed: after all, the alternative was participation in inhuman experiments, and the fact that she's a demon made it even worse: after all, if he treated fellow humans like that, what would he do with a completely different race?

After that Cid finally took out the soul of the Demon King and started studying it… And found quite a few interesting things!

For starters, there was some kind of organ in there that, uh, allowed to 'hear' the call? When Cid sent the summoning call, all nearby demons could, so to say, sense it, and judging by the reaction of this organ, it was the thing that was responsible for this ability. Not only that, but it also had some innate ability to, uh, make a contact with Summoner's world's infosphere?

Cid was actually very surprised at that! Before that he didn't even think of it, but now… If you didn't notice, Cid could freely converse with demons, which he should not be able to do, because they talk in completely different language. However, thanks to this little organ, all demons are not only able to hear and answer the call, but are also able to immediately receive the ability to speak and write in the language of their summoner! Of course, such a thing was not permanent: the moment they leave the world, they lose the connection with its infosphere, and unless the demon actually made an effort in studying and remembering the language (which he most certainly won't), he wil lose the ability to speak it.

But damn, the perspectives! Think of the perspectives! If Cid manages to upgrade this… A full connection with infosphere! The ability to receive any and all information that the world has in seconds! Of course, he would need to upgrade his mind's abilities, but he would do so, anyway. Oh, and the ability to hear calls is nice, too.

In comparison, the second thing was not all that good: it was a mere, uh, subspace-? Wait, no, it's actually great! It's a subspace bound to the owner's soul! Demon King used this subspace to keep the souls he caught, and if Cid could see correctly, he could actually drain their powers to replenish and increase his own, even in this… dead state.

Well, Cid also has ideas for that! You see, this subspace could only host souls. Like, souls and nothing else. It could not do anything further. However! Cid had Sanctuary! Another subspace which could actually house material things and souls!

What he wanted to do is to somewhat replicate this soul's subspace and make the Sanctuary the core point of it. That way he will have something other than the Shadow Realm and Pylon System as a place to store things (because, let's be real here: these things are tied to his world, and outside of it he loses access to everything he stored here), which will always be with him! Oh, and the pocket home is nice, too.

And the third interesting thing was contracts. You see, whenever you sign a contract (not the one on Earth, the magical one), you accept an obligation. For example, when that glasses demoness accepted his contract which forbids her to lie and try to oppose him (short explanation, there are full twenty pages of what she can and can't do); should she do so, bye-bye, soul! It will immediately be taken away, because she accepted it. Of course, Cid had no place to store the souls other than Pylons (yet), but eh!

What matters is how interesting it is! The mere way how a small word added in the right place can grant you the power over someone's entire being! Now that's The Eminence in Shadow!

Oh, and the fourth thing was just Demon King's connection to Demon Realm. It was somewhat similar to his own connection with Shadow Realm, but different: while Shadow Realm accepted him because he managed to form the Shadow Core and refined Realm's energies by his own, thus allowing Shadow Entities to grow and develop, Demon Realm… accepted anyone strong enough. That's it. You beat previous ruler? Congratulations! Now you take the mantle.

In fact, that's what the Demon Realm wanted to do. But being stuck in it because it wanted him to always be here? Hell no!

And so they went on to create a contract. At first the Realm wanted to fuck him over with forcing him to stay here, but Cid was not what he was hours ago! So instead Cid did "I Am Atomic" and slashed into a random direction. Demon Realm thought it over and agreed that, indeed, it was a bit strange from its side to give such a bad contract. So instead Cid would only need to stay 23 hours a day; the last hour he can use however he wants.

Cid thought about just opening the Shadow Trail and let the Realms fight before Demon Realm corrected itself and said that he doesn't need to stay! Just allow its denizens (aka demons) to continue their work (aka fooling mortals into selling their souls), and then they can split the profit in 9:1 share! 9 souls to Realm, 1 soul to Cid.

Cid was, of course, enraged! How could it even think about something this outrageous! Just so you know, he would not tolerate something like that!

And immediately said that it should be 99:1 share; 99 souls to him, 1 to Realm.

What? Did you think he would be angry at Realm taking souls? Well, if demons just invaded dimensions and took souls by force, then maybe, but if humans are stupid enough to sell their own souls, who is he to stop them?

Of course, Realm tried to object, but Cid was now out of patience, and yes! If he's ruler of the Realm, he decides the share! It should be glad it gets 1 (one (uno)) soul out of 100! it only gets such a great deal because Cid is so kind and good and generous and… half of hour of self-praise… and, the most important, humble!

After listening to his speech Realm, indeed, realized that such a great person like him deserves getting the biggest part of the cake. But it just couldn't go any lower than 5:1, 5 to Cid, 1 to Realm!

Cid was getting tired of this bullshit, so he placed one final offer, 100:1 share; 100 to Cid, 1 to Realm.

The Realm's attempt to object was met with Cid's generous offer to fuck off and get a replacement if it can't do the deals. It thought the offer over and, indeed, the conditions were actually great!

And after a few more attempts from each side to fuck over each other they finally made a contract.

The Demon Realm would send over 100 souls that its denizens take by any means, then the next one it can keep for itself, then repeat; Demon Realm also had to offer its denizens as a combat power should the need for it ever arise; and of course, he was free to build it however he wants.

Cid himself could help the Realm to flourish and grow in power (optional).

But damn, the Sanctuary was way simpler! Just hit it a few times and it worked!

Spirit of Sanctuary's Control Panel finally woke up with a hangover.

Well, he got what he wanted: a supply of souls, a new explored Realm, and a knowledge of contracts! It's great-!

Wait, he forgot about something! The halo! The one he got when thinking about farming demons!

Cid cursed and went to the Sanctuary. He checked over every room, turned over everything, but he couldn't find it!

He even went to Control Room and tried to find it under some kind of transparent flying keyboard, but no! He lost the halo!

Spirit of Sanctuary's Control Panel swore to never drink again.

Eh, it's fine. A rare thing, of course, but he doesn't even know how it appeared to begin with. Maybe it was related to the Demon Realm and disappeared outside of it? Oh, he also didn't take away 99.9% of the demons, only about a half or so… Eh, it's fine! Time to go back!

A couple of spatial rifts, and he's back! Now park Sanctuary back into the Shadow Realm for the time being, he will study the way to bind it to himself like that Demon King's soul trap later…

"Oh, you finally have the audacity to appear, my dearest Poochie?"

Cid slo-o-owly turned around to see a beautiful silver-haired girl giving him a smile full of love and forgiveness.

"Hello, Alexia, how was your day?" he smiled back.

The next moment he felt gentle feminine arms surrounding his neck.

Notes:

We are near round number (50)!

Chapter 50: Garden Obsession

You know, having a tea with your girlfriend is actually not that bad! Really, ask Cid about it!

As long as she doesn't try to do some unspeakable things to you, that is. Which Alexia actually did. You know, these girlfriend things like choking, dragging, pulling… Yeah, that stuff.

Cid wanted to escape that, but he re-emerged back very late into the evening, and by all accounts he already should be in his dorm (at least Claire forced the management to give him his own room)… Now if only he thought about it sooner…

"So, Cid, why did you skip a whole week of lessons?" it wasn't a week, it was five days… Wait, fives days is actually a work week, yeah.

"Didn't Claire already tell you?" he maintained a poker-face.

"O-ho-ho, I want to hear it from you, Poochie~" Alexia gave him a smile full of 'love' and 'forgiveness'.

"Well…"

Uh, what did Claire even say, again? She didn't actually tell him how she covered him!… Hold up, he has an idea.

"You see, Alexia…" he placed his chin on his hands like that one anime character, was it Evangel or something? "I may not tell it, but I am actually a close friend of Mitsugoshi's owner."

"…Really?" judging by her bored expression, it's working!

"Indeed. Not only that, but I am also Natsume Kafka's teacher!"

"Oh, is that so."

"And Shiron's pieces were actually given by me!"

"No way."

"And Lloyd Wright comes to me to discuss-"

"Shut the fuck up if you don't want to tell the truth!"

Well, he did say the truth! It's just that for some reason Alexia doesn't want to believe him…

"…So, you weren't hurt too much by Church's forces, were you?" Alexia looked at him, worried.

"Nah, it's fine," he waved her concerns off.

"And you're sure we don't need to make a scandal out of what they did?"

"Uh-huh."

"Hmph…" she sneered and took a sip of coffee (black, without any sugar or milk or anything else, just pure black coffee; respect!).

Alexia sat in silence. He didn't want to interrupt the peace, either.

Hmm, but that Demon Realm surely was interesting… He already covered the soul traps and infosphere connection, but that 'call hearing' ability? That seemed promising! Because, as far as he can tell, the summoned demons still maintained connection to their Realm, allowing them to return back after finishing their task… That opens possibilities…

"Cid?"

"Huh?" oh, it's just Alexia.

"You were deep in thought," she took his hand in hers, "something on your mind?"

"I am thinking," he took a profound expression.

"Hoh?" she smiled.

"Before you ask it, yes, my head does actually have this function," he predicted her question.

"Tsk…"

"I was thinking about…" hold up, there was a topic to talk! "Sherry."

"Miss Sherry?" Alexia was taken aback.

"I have never seen her after… that event. Did you?"

"Now that you mention it, I didn't, either…" princess frowned as she stared into her cup. "Think something bad might have happened to her?"

"Don't think so, but I wouldn't mind meeting her again…" truth.

"Yes, I hope, too…" Alexia bit her lips. "You know what?"

"Yeah?"

"I will go to Iris and ask if she can help us find miss Sherry," Alexia stood up.

"Hmm, good idea," Cid nodded.

"Thank you for your hospitality," she smirked upon seeing him grimace.

"Uh, yeah…" he pathetically waved his hand as she exited his room.

And then he immediately jumped out of the window. After all, he didn't lie about not meeting Sherry since then. Time to fix that!

---

Sherry Barnett slowly studied the large white stone near the throne.

Such a wonder of craftsmanship… She could see the intricately woven rune strings, how each and every minuscule, barely noticeable rune could affect the entire structure. Moreover, as far as she could tell, it was not a single language used here. No, somehow, there were multiple languages combined and strengthening each other.

And as far as she knew, the one who created it was the leader of Shadow Garden. Shadow. Cid Kagenou.

Something warmed up at the thought of his gentle smile.

He and his Garden was the only family she had left… If there was something to happen to them…

Sherry shook her head. Don't even think about that!

Right, the stone… As far as she could tell, it was a part of the greater whole… Obviously, since Eta (having had zero hours of sleep) was testing out the stone's ability to teleport you to another so long as you have the permission. She couldn't decipher each and every rune, but even the one she could spoke of the sheer complexity this artifact had.

Especially considering that she has never heard about ability to transport something from one place to another instantaneously…

Wait, why did it light up? Someone's using the teleportation-?

"Oh, Sherry, I actually wanted to find you! What a coincidence, ha-ha…"

Cid Kagenou sheepishly scratched his head as he looked her in the eyes.

"O-Oh… Cid…" Sherry gulped nervously.

"Is something wrong?" he blinked at her.

"N-No… Nothing…" she could feel her cheeks heating up as she nervously twiddled her fingers.

Cid turned around… Wait, he saw her instruments that she used to inspect the stone!

"Oh, I see," he nodded respectfully, "You wanted to study the Pylon…"

"U-Um! S-Sorry-"

"Good job, Sherry. It is always important to learn something new."

"O-Oh…"

He actually wasn't mad… Phew…

"But it's also important to rest, so… How about we just go sit somewhere and have a talk?"

"S-Sure!" Sherry fervently nodded.

"Let's go then! I know just the right place to relax!"

---

"U-Um…" Sherry was blushing madly as Cid ate his portion.

Their first stop was the private room at Mitsugoshi. Considering who both of them actually were (Master of Garden and Seventh Shade's right hand), it was no wonder that employees (which actually were part of Shadow Garden, too) immediately prepared the most exquisite meals for them, even though it was already almost midnight. Free of charge, of course.

Sherry herself only took the salads and sweets, like chocolate. She really liked chocolate. Cid, on the other hand, was aimed for meals with more meat in them.

And the reason Sherry was blushing… Well, because she just realized that this all is actually a date! They get their own room where they sit, together! And Cid mentioned they will also go on to do some other things! Books don't lie, it's a date!

"So, how are you doing, Sherry?" Cid inquired after he gulped down a piece of meat.

"E-he-he…" Sherry giggled, "Miss Eta was way more cold at first, but now… I have to help her get to the bed sometimes… And get her meals… And, and many other things. You were right, Cid, miss Eta is really clingy…"

"Hmm, good to hear that you get along," he nodded approvingly.

"Other Shades…" she took a thinking expression, "They are nice, really helpful… Uhm, except the two therianthropes; miss Zeta is silent and only talks about missions, while miss Delta… Uhm, miss Eta and miss Delta… Don't get along that much…"

"Yeah, because Delta sometimes breaks Eta's devices, and then Eta promises to strap her down," Cid chuckled at the memory.

"O-Oh, that's how it is…" Sherry digested new information.

"So, anything else?" Cid took a sip from his cup of tea.

"Oh, right!" she remembered! "Cid, how did you make these things you call Pylons?!"

"Hmm?" he blinked at her, "Oh, these. They are actually from the same source that had some relations to spatial manipulations, which allows me to connect to them easily. Upon realizing that, I just did some magic to make a system out of them…"

They had a good hour or two talking about magic and artifacts.

---

Damn, who knew that talking with Sherry would be this productive!

After exchanging opinions and knowledge, Cid has come to quite a few interesting theories!

You see, he thought that Pylons would only work in his world, with Demon Realm and other similar things being an exception due to Sanctuary parking, because, well, it's different worlds! However, this dialogue actually opened his eyes.

Sanctuary parking, yes. Cid planned to use something like this soul trap Demon King had, but instead take Sanctuary as a subspace. In theory, bonding Sanctuary to his soul will allow him to use it however he wishes… But what about Pylon System? What if he actually also Imprints the Pylon System into the Sanctuary itself, making it a main connection point? And what if he takes, for example, two Pylons, but only connects them with each other? In theory, such a straightforward line should be stable enough to connect between worlds, right?…

Of course, that's all just a theory. As of now. Who knows, maybe once manages to get a good 'call', he might find something good. Or more knowledge to develop his own system. Or, hell, even this world could have something good! He found the Sanctuary, after all!

As to why would Cid want to go to different worlds…

Well, you see, the amount of roles he could play here is limited, after all. Wait for a good moment, do this, do that, wait a time out… Boring! If he just travels between worlds, he could just play a stage in one world, finish, then go to the next immediately!

Despite becoming a bona-fide Eminence in Shadow of this world, he is not going to stop! Because, for some reason, girls did all the job for him! Sure, he taught them and worked from the shadows, gently pushing them into the direction he needs (Common Sense, here and further on C.S.: Really? When?), but when was one world enough!

So he will go and take some other world's knowledge to combine it with his own (C.S.: Because surely, a world with such knowledge would not simply follow you back to your own lair), and then go on to play his stages!

Oh, but what about the girls? Well, he's not leaving them! He's just going in and out, twenty minutes adventure (C.S.: Yeah, you will definitely be able to execute all the cool parts of your roleplay in that amount of time)!

Actually, he doesn't need to go out at all, because he has demons! They will do the searching job for him (C.S.: Creatures whose whole purpose is to fool mortals… I would trust them with my life)!

Oh, but first he needs to finish this Bushin Festival thingy… After that he can go on and have fun (C.S.: I am so done with you)!

Notes:

We have reached a round number. Did you know that this story was actually supposed to be a small 10 or so chapters fic exploring Cid and girls' relationships before I suddenly was met with a thing called "magic"? Yeah, after that it simply escalated out of nowhere.

Thank you for following me all this time! If you have any questions, ask, and I will probably answer them to the fullest, even if I don't have a clear picture of how the story will progress further.

Oh, also I'll take a break for a day or two... yeah, again.

Chapter 51: Queen Obsession

Notes:

This chapter doesn't contain much new stuff compared to LN; however, there are some important moments that were changed.

'Hmm, yes, today I will play the role of a dark horse in the tournament between strongest fighters!'

Cid was eagerly walking towards the arena as he bit the Tuna King burger (apparently, yet another business of Shades, focused on fast food). Why, yes, despite all his achievements in taking over the Demon Realm and fighting against big snake, he still enjoyed these little plays he staged. Plus, there was still his third heroine candidate! In short, a lot of stuff to do-!

"Hello, Cid."

He blinked and turned around, only to see Rose Oriana standing in front of him with a strained smile on her face.

'Oh, right, I wanted to use the Mundane Mann appearance after coming to arena…'

"Hi, Rose," well, she did say that she wanted him to be informal with her, right?

"I see you like food from Tuna King, huh?" her smile became a little more sincere.

"M-m-m…" he nodded at her and, after some thought, extended a burger out to her, "Wanna some?"

"O-Oh-? Thank you, Cid," she carefully took the burger from his hands as if it was some kind some kind of sacred treasure.

"Don't sweat it. I can see that something gloomy is on your mind…" he started probing. If it is what he thinks…

"H-Huh, I guess you are as perceptive as always…" her smile faltered, "My father is coming to the Bushin Festival."

"Ri-i-ight?" 'Please be it, please be it…'

"And he said…" Rose sighed, "He said that I am to be married."

'Yes! Yes! YE-E-ES!'

"And… that's bad, right?"

"No, of course not," she shook her head, "as a princess of Oriana kingdom, it is my utmost duty to serve my nation…"

"But I can see that you do not wish to," Cid pressed further.

"…I do not," she turned her gaze away in shame, "But I can't disappoint my people."

'I guess a little push is needed…'

"You know…" he started as Rose's attention turned back to him, "I am not a selfless person. And, honestly, the only thing I ever wanted is to achieve my my dream."

"What do you mean…?"

"Oh, that's quite simple," Cid looked at her, "Just ask yourself: do you honestly think that what you want to do is wrong?"

Rose went silent. Cid could see her biting her lip as her arms clenched. Then, she sighed and asked him one simple thing:

"Do you really believe in me that much?"

"M-m-m," he nodded at her.

She looked at the still warm burger in her hand. Then she turned her gaze back at him, now filled with determination.

"Thank you, Cid… For believing in me, and… For everything…" she quickly walked up to him and moved her face to his own.

'Smells like rose…' Cid thought as Rose gave him a quick peck on his lips.

"I know that you are in relationship with princess Alexia, but I still do not wish to back down. Follow my dream, you said, right?" a smile bloomed on her face, her cheeks giving off a faint pink color, "Then, after everything is over, I will take you with me."

'Hold up, wait, what?'

"Just wait and believe, Cid. I promise, as long as you believe in me, we will meet together again."

'No-no-no, hold up- wait, isn't that the scene where MC gives a promise to their love interest? But I am a mob- oh, right, I lost my mob privileges after obtaining harem. Hmm, guess it's fine then…' he sighed as Rose gave him one last gaze and slowly walked away.

---

"She did what?!"

Alexia was looking at the paper in disbelief.

"You heard that right," a silver-haired woman in not-so-covering clothes pushed her glasses, "Rose Oriana, the champion of Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy, has heavily injured her own fiancee and went on the run."

"What the hell is that even…" Alexia sulked.

Despite not liking Rose that much after the Council President decided to court Alexia's boyfriend right in front everyone, youngest princess still deeply respected the foreign one. So much respected, in fact, that the three of them (including this breast monster of a writer sitting across of her) decided to team up in order to dig out everything related to the Cult of Diablos after the Sanctuary event.

Natsume Kafka did not have that much of a fighting ability, being easily scared of just existing on battlefield, but she had a large network of information, able to dig out pretty much anything, so long as you provide enough compensation.

And now her abilities turned to the best, as she was the one to find out the juicy details behind the assault… And the possibility of Cult of Diablos being related to this case.

"Oriana's King decided to step in personally and said that Rose will be judged by their own laws, so Midgar should not intervene."

"And of course my father will let all of that slide as always…" Alexia sighed.

Don't get her wrong, she loves her father, but… He's just too soft! Too indecisive!

"And her fiance… Perv Asshat, was it?" Alexia asked rhetorically, "Duke's second son… Yeah, Rose will bear a heavy punishment should she ever get caught…"

"So, what do you want to do?" Natsume looked sharply at the princess.

"…We need to help her."

"This is going to be hard," writer's glasses made a flare.

"I know."

"And Rose herself decided to not tell us about anything, which means she doesn't want us getting into it."

"Indeed."

"And you still wish to do so," Natsume wasn't asking.

"Yes," yet Alexia still answered.

Writer sighed.

"Then I will dig up everything about this case, princess Rose herself, and her fiancee Perv Asshat."

"Good," Alexia nodded and took a sip of black coffee.

"Then I shall go-" yet her attempt at leave was met with princess suddenly standing up and walking towards the writer.

"No-no-no, dearest Natsume Kafka, there's still one thing I wish to ask for…"

"Y-Yes?" writer's gaze nervously danced around the room.

Alexia gently took Natsume's collar, slightly stretching writer's clothes and making her big, soft breasts bounce and stand out even more.

"What, exactly, were you aiming for by flirting with my boyfriend?" Alexia inquired with empty eyes and a smile full of love and forgiveness.

'Dearest Lord Shadow, I hope this finds you well…' Beta mentally wrote a letter…

---

"Achoo!"

"A-And the winner is… Mundane Mann…" judge looked in disbelief at the contestant who was just sneezed (literally) away mid-charge by a frail-looking middle-aged man.

'Damn, I wanted to use that one later… Why did I sneeze all of sudden?' Cid wondered.

Like, he had full control of his body, right? Then suddenly, out of nowhere, God- oh right, he killed her… Ahem, that smart glasses demoness only knows why, he sneezed. But alright, he'll take that, he'll take that…

As it turned out, first few battles will not be done in actual arena… Well, because there were too much participants, so organizers decided to split everyone up and do qualifiers in other places. And, well, Mundane Mann got into the most shitty arena ever possible: literally mud and grass outside of the city.

Well, he just won the last battle, and on the next (or so) day he will be able to enter the legit battles, in the cool arena and all. As of now, there were not even that much viewers, and upon seeing him winning in the most bullshit way possible everyone started shouting something about staged plays… Now how did they even know?

Ahem, nevermind… So, he was finished with qualification battles, it was now evening and he was coming come, to think about what to do next- Huh, a newspaper? And it has Rose Oriana's face on it? Well, well…

Cid quickly took one out of the pile with slime suit (which was now begging for upgrade) and started reading.

Uh-huh, Rose Oriana, current champion, uh-huh, attacked her own fiancee in the presence of Oriana's King and ran away, uh-huh… Uh-huh! Good! All according to his vision!

Now, question… Will she be able to do everything by herself or will he need to intervene? Hmm, let's see… Right, this day passes, now the next two… Yeah, three days later he will personally descend in a cool way to her and offer his guidance! Because 'three' is a cool number- Nah, did you really believe it? Of course, he's going now!

And he knows exactly what he needs!

Epsilon, who just wanted to practice before her stage play, found a letter saying that the instrument will be returned tomorrow in place where her piano stood.

---

Rose Oriana slowly walked through the secret passages. Doubts plagued her mind as more and more pursuers started catching up. Of course, she still had more than enough power to fight them back, but…

She sighed.

Exactly, fight them back. The pursuers were none other than brave knights of her own kingdom that just were adamant in their duty. She could easily slaughter them, but what good would it do? Nothing.

And so she simply knocked them out. Now, she needed to find a way out of this mess. The mess she herself made.

She sighed once more.

As of now, everything was fine. So long as she continues to break through, she can escape, so one day, she could find a way back… A way to help her father…

She remembered. Remembered how Perv Asshat, so-called fiancee, revealed how he was controlling her father. Just seeing once bright, full of wisdom eyes of Oriana's King turning into dull, lifeless orbs as his body did whatever Chancellor ordered him to…

No! Rose shook her head. She will find a way. She has to. She took it upon herself. And with a sigh, she stepped into one of the tunnels.

One Eminence upon seeing her going into the wrong tunnel sighed and moved the piano to another room.

As she walked further, she started reminiscing… The rare, honest smile of Cid Kagenou… The explosive, competitive spirit of Alexia Midgar… The overprotective, clingy nature of Claire Kagenou… The honorable, just character of Iris Midgar…

Rose wiped a tear. Huh, another intersection…

Shadow banged his head into the wall and groaned in frustration as he watched Rose choose yet another wrong passage.

Ugh… She can still hold on, but if it continues like this… She felt strength slowly sipping away, and she could only use her magic to help herself. Even then, for some reason her magic control was slowly slipping away…

But she must hold on! For her father! For her nation! For her beloved!

Cid looked blankly as Rose pumped her fist up and went into the tunnel that he deliberately disguised to make sure she goes into the right one.

Maybe, just maybe… there was a way… A way for her to obtain unparalleled might? A way to take her father and country from Cult's clutch? A way to earn… freedom?...

Her ears picked up a familiar melody. As princess of country of arts, she has known a lot of of musical pieces. And this one was especially familiar to her…

Moonlight Sonata. The piece created by a well-known musical composer, Shiron. Why was it played here?…

Rose's curiosity slowly moved her towards the sound.

Shadow cheered internally as Rose finally went the right way.

Oriana princess slowly opened the damaged door and opened the passage up.

Her breath hitched as she saw the beautiful landscape of ancient temple, its cracked walls covered in bleak, yet still wonderful depictions of heroes and demons.

And, at the center of it, him.

The one who gives a stage to her.

Shadow.

Rose closed her eyes and allowed his play to take her away, into the land of darkness. Darkness, pierced by a single ray of light that completely evaporated it. Light, that casted shadows in the process.

And as soon as he finished, she applauded. Applauded for the beautiful stage he arranged.

He slowly stood up and gave an elegant bow.

"That's… beautiful…" she sighed in amazement.

"Now…" he started, his voice reverberating across the temple.

She saw him slowly walking down from his stage.

"Answer me, Rose Oriana… What do you wish for?" his piercing gaze was locked on her.

She felt pain on her chest. Of course, she knows the answer.

"I… wish for power. Power to help my people… to save my nation! And… to help the one I love!"

"Hmph."

His face was covered in darkness, materialized, yet she still could feel his approving smile. He raised his finger and pointed at her as the beautiful purple flame danced around him.

"Granted."

And in the next moment, Rose felt tension leaving her body. In disbelief she watched as even the old scars completely disappeared, new healthy skin appearing in their place. And her magic…

She suddenly realized that her magic was way easier to control now.

"Remember well."

She turned back to him as his domineering voice shook her out of her thoughts.

"While having power is important… It is way more important to know how to wield it properly. Be it in battle… or peace."

She blinked momentarily as the sudden wind blew in all directions from Shadow's place. And when she opened her eyes, he was already nowhere to be seen.

Rose felt her heartbeat slowly calming down. She was granted power. Now, she only needs to use it…

She has time until Bushin Festival ends. And, judging by this…

Rose caressed the small letter left by Shadow.

They have something planned right at the end of it.

Better use that time for growing accustomed to new power, then. She doesn't want to disappoint the one that gave her power…

Rose sighed. How she wished to just cuddle with Cid right now! But she has a deal to finish. After that… She will take the reign over her Kingdom and marry him.

Thank you for this opportunity, Shadow… Or, as she knows him…

Stylish Bandit Slayer.

Cid sneezed again as he carried the piano back into Epsilon's room. He wondered if he should get a check-up from Eta.

Meanwhile, Victoria felt a disturbance in the force. The word came out by itself: "Riva-a-al…"

Notes:

The most important change is the fact that Shadow met with Rose three days before it actually happened in LN; each fight in LN2 CH5 was done in separate day. Cid only met with Rose after battling Quinton. Here, instead, he went immediately after first two rounds (and these two happened on the same day, too), which didn't allow her will to crumble and Curse to develop. So now Cid has a hellbent yandere that wants to take him away to herself that also wishes to completely annihilate everything Cult-related and become a Queen… Nice job fixing it, Shadow!

...Or was that all your intention?

Chapter 52: Borgar Obsession

Notes:

Once again, not that many canon deviations… yet.

Annerose watched as the sick middle-aged man scored yet another win… By accident. Previous opponent tripped on his own shoes and fell from arena. Current opponent, Goldy Gilded, also the one who is called Unbeatable Legend (because he never fought against opponents stronger than him), was… sneezed away. No, she's being serious! This guy just sneezed and Goldy's strongest attack (which actually caught her by surprise; she could see Goldy becoming a strong warrior if he ever starts taking fighting seriously and not as means for glory) evaporated!

"But that's bullshit…!" oh, another contender. Quinton.

This is one of the few strong people she found here… Though Quinton was only strong in comparison to everyone else; he would, unfortunately, fall down the moment she draws her sword. Pity. Only princess Iris caught Annerose's eye… and Mundane Mann.

After meeting the gigantic magic sphere that she bravely stood against and emerged victorious, she felt like she surpassed the limits that previously were unreachable for her. That included her perception, reflexes, magic control. And she could see that something was… off about Mundane Mann. Very off.

"…Hey, you hear me?!" oh, Quinton is talking to her.

"No," she quickly replied.

"Ugh! Mark my words, tomorrow I will take away that fraud from the Festival!" he angrily jumped up and went to the exit.

She only blinked at him and focused her attention back on Mundane. If she's not wrong…

She finally found a good opponent.

---

"Damn it, dammit, dammit!"

Perv Asshat was getting nervous. It was well over a week and he still wasn't contacted by Mordred, the ninth seat in Cult of Diablos. It was as if he disappeared without a trace! Mordred was supposed to get the Ring of Succession, while Perv brings Rose Oriana back to the kingdom. After that they could proceed with their plan; Perv would become the twelfth Seat and support Mordred in faction wars.

The problem was, Mordred still hasn't contacted him! Perv was to meet with Iris Midgar in but a minute!…

Alright, alright. Rose made a mistake, so Perv has the advantage here. He can play this out as he wishes.

The drugged king, Raphael Oriana, is still under his control…

Knock, knock.

"Please, enter."

A beautiful red-haired woman entered the room, her crimson eyes locked onto him.

"Princess Iris, I have been waiting for you," he put on a charming smile.

"Indeed, we have a lot to discuss," Iris merely nodded at him and took a seat across the table.

"Please, do not mind His Majesty," Perv coughed, noticing princess' curious gaze towards the Oriana King, "he's not feeling well with the events that transpired lately…"

"Indeed, I have heard of that. And I must commend your perseverance: even though you clearly were just attacked, you still seem to be in form to hold a meeting. In fact…" Iris squinted, "I would say you seem very healthy."

Huh, trying to probe him? Two can play this game, Iris Midgar.

"Please, princess," he rolled his eyes 'dramatically', "you, of all people, should understand that trusting rumors is… pointless. Today I have fought Rose back, the next day it will turn out that I actually fought a whole armed group of her supporters as she threatened to blow up the capital."

"Indeed," Iris allowed herself a small smile, "Then, what do you think about placing a security for the duration of the Bushin Festival?"

"Hmm…" Perv feigned thinking, "I think we do not need additional security. You may think that with Rose running away we need as many arms as possible, but…" shaking head, "I know her too well to understand what will she do. It's fine, she will return."

"So you say you do not need Midgar's help."

"Actually, we would prefer to deal with this situation by ourselves," quick command for Raphael to nod in agreement, "you should realize how our standing in world arena would be affected should news about this… incident get out. However, we would be able to manage that… But if the word got out that Oriana had to ask for help of other country to get our own princess back…" and shaking head to make situation look more grave.

"I understand your concerns, Chancellor Perv," Iris sighed, "Then, we shall not do anything for the time being. However, we ask you to quicken your attempts at locating Rose Oriana. It would be the best to do so until the end of Bushin Festival; after that it would be us that would be affected by Rose's disappearance."

"Of course, of course," he nodded 'in understanding',"We shall not cause any trouble for Midgar Kingdom. Now, maybe you need some help while we are at it?"

"Hmm… No, thank you, Chancellor Perv. I wish you a good rest," Iris stood up. Perv followed the suit and gave an elegant bow as Iris went out of the room.

Once the door closed, Chancellor fell back into the couch and glanced at Raphael.

"Hmph, if only you weren't so stubborn, maybe the Ring of Succession would already be in my hands…" Perv mumbled hatefully.

But seriously, where is Mordred?

---

Cid sighed as he walked from the arena.

Today was the fifth round of Bushin Festival. Yesterday he fought some kind of, uh… Victorious-somewhat-dragon, or something… In short, this guy was all show, no power. Cid simply sneezed him away (this time out of his own will).

Today's guy was kinda stronger, and was one of the people who were near Annerose the whole time? Well, Cid played around with him for some time and then just dropped him out of arena with a sudden wind… You know, air currents sometimes just move out of nowhere, right? Yeah, guy just unlucky to be their target…

"Stop right there."

Oh, it's Annerose. And here he was thinking he wouldn't come closer to him… He managed to get second heroine fine and moving, and now it's time for the third!

"Hmm, you are…" pretend that you forgot her, so she will get all emotional!

"Annerose. Just Annerose," alright, she's more stable than he thought.

"Ahh, right… You were the one who tried to stop me from entering," and weak judging look!

"Um-m…" ha, faltered! "W-Well, I only wanted to make sure you won't get hurt after overestimating your prowess!… Though I guess I was mistaken…" she sighed.

"M-m-m, as I said, you have good heart," a little bit of flattery wouldn't hurt, right?

Annerose simply sighed and sent a sharp glance.

"You are clearly strong."

"I said it from the start."

"Yes, and I didn't believe you back then…" she mused, "Tomorrow, we will fight. I expect a good challenge from you!" swordswoman cheerfully added.

"Hmm. Likewise…" he walked past her.

Come on, say something! Anything? Pretty please?…

Damn, she simply smiled at him and nodded. Guess he will need to do it his way…

"Oh, one last thing…" he started.

"Yeah?" Annerose turned around.

Cid silently took the weights on his limbs off and dropped them to the floor. As they fell, the ground beneath them cracked. Swordswoman's eyes widened at the sight as her gaze ran from him to them, then back to him.

"Up until this moment, I fought at disadvantage… But now…" he straightened his posture, "I will fight you without external things holding me back."

Keyword: external. He didn't say anything about holding himself back at will.

"…Hmph!" she simply smiled and… starting stretching her neck?

Wait, isn't it the same way as he did when dodging most attacks in arena?

"Lady…"

"Yeah?!" she increased her speed?!

"I don't think that you're supposed to do that… Out of nowhere…"

"Ugh…" she immediately stopped and blushed, "I just wanted to show you that I can do that, too!"

"Sure, whatever you say…" he waved his hand and went to the exit.

---

Rose Oriana slowly concentrated on the feeling of magic in her.

The day is coming closer. Soon, she will take that bastard's head… And take her wonderful Cid to herself.

Hmm, she hears something… To the right.

Her sword meets a whip. She slowly turns her head to see a beautiful dark-skinned elf evaluating her.

"Interesting. So you got his blessing," it wasn't a question.

"I did," yet Rose still answered.

"What do you think is his plan?"

"Purge all sights of Cult," princess answered immediately, "and make sure it does not emerge ever again."

"Good," elf nodded, "then, this is yours."

A small black puddle could be seen in glass container that elf took out.

---

'Pure bullshit…' Cid sighed as walked to the VIP lounge.

It was the next day, and Claire suddenly, out of nowhere, smart demoness only knows why, decided to gift him a VIP ticket. Upon hearing his question she simply coughed and said she wanted to gift this thing to him, because, quote: "Well, I know you're pretty strong and all, but having connections with sister of your girlfriend is good, right?!" Oh, she also said that Iris was already waiting for him. He is beginning to think revealing himself right here and then is a good idea that has many merits…

Hmm? He feels something… interesting…

Cid turned around and saw… Alpha? Since when did she become older-? No, that's not Alpha…

But that woman really looked like Alpha! Blonde, blue eyes, similar body structure, and many, many other small details, especially her sharp ears! Oh, she also was in grey coat with a hood on her head.

Elf slowly walked up to him and frowned.

"Have we… Met somewhere?" she inquired.

"No, I don't think we did."

"Interesting… Do you know where is my niece?" who the hell asks questions like that? You just came up!

"Oh, and who is your niece?" you know, just to be sure.

"Beautiful elf, looks like me, but younger," woman patiently stared at him.

"Hmm, I can't see anything under that hood…" he rubbed his chin.

Elven woman stood for a moment and removed her hood, showing her face… Which totally looked like Alpha. Which means…

"Hmm, no, sorry, I haven't met anyone like that recently."

Keyword: recently. Their last meeting was almost a week ago.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"You're not lying?"

"I am not."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Is that so."

"Indeed."

M-m-m, that felt like a good conversation! Alright, time to-

"Then why can I smell elf's scent on you?"

Oh, fuck, he forgot about their sense of smell- Wait, it's therianthropes who have a keen sense of smell, not elves, right?

"Hmm… Well, I was at Mitsugoshi not so long ago…" he rubbed his chin.

"…Yes?"

"Didn't you know that Mitsugoshi has a lot of elf employees?" he redirected the conversation.

"…Oh."

"Yeah."

"Excuse me, then…" she bowed slightly.

And immediately slashed at him, taking no more than a fraction of second to take the sword out of its sheath.

Now, if it were before, he would convincingly play the weak mob role. Now, however…

"The hell are you doing?!" he barely dodges the blade and angrily stares at her.

"Forgive me, but I had a suspicion you were a strong fighter," she closed her eyes.

"…Huh?"

"The way your body moves, your small face changes… It all said, 'This person is strong'. And I trust my instincts."

'Where the hell did that woman come from?! She will completely ruin my act if it continues!'

"…Now, tell me. Does my niece not wish to see me?" elven woman opened her eyes.

"I tell you, Lady-"

"I would believe you," she nodded, "if not for the fact that I can smell the scent of engaging in carnal acts with elf."

"…Really?" he blankly stared at her.

"No. I just decided to bluff," the corners of her lips went up as she saw his eye twitching, "So, my niece does not wish to see me?"

"…She really didn't want to meet anyone from her family, to be honest… So even if you do beat me up, I am not telling where she is."

"…Hum," woman blinked, "But she is alive and well."

"Yeah, and made a lot of friends," he nodded.

"Good. Then I can wait," with that she went to… VIP lounge?

"Ahem, one thing I want to ask…" he coughed.

"Sure?" she stopped and turned to him.

"Please do not reveal that I am stronger than it looks; I do that for a reason," 'called roleplay'.

"…Sure."

And with that, they went to the VIP lounge together.

"Oh, wanna burger?"

"Yes."

And she was just as hungry for burgers as Alpha. Burger elves, right?

Notes:

Borgar.

Chapter 53: Sword Obsession

"Oh, hello, Cid," Iris nodded with a smile, "Please, take a seat, I have been waiting for you… And who's that?"

"Greetings, princess Iris," elven woman removed her hood as Iris realized who she was, "I assume you know me."

"Swordmaster Beatrix, the first winner of the Bushin Festival, yes, I have heard of you," princess' eyes widened at the sight, though she quickly calmed herself down, "Please, take a seat… Hmm, I assume you met with Cid along the way?"

"Hum," Beatrix nodded as she sat near Cid, "Indeed, quite a peculiar young warrior," she gracefully ignored his irritated glance.

'Man, what did I even do to deserve this…'

Not only she took his whole stash of burgers away, but she also still managed to draw attention to him with one sentence! Because, well, as it turns out, getting recognition from a famous warrior, actually named the War Goddess and First Bushin Champion, kinda makes you stand out…

Cid sighed and took a look at the arena. Some mobs were fighting… Well, if he can even say that. They just poured as much magic as possible and waved their swords around like clubs. At least Gamma tried to do so elegantly. Eh, who cares, anyway. He has something else to worry about…

He left the instructions for Rose on how to proceed with play, but he didn't even check up on her-!

"Your drinks, sir," maid with brown hair brought a plate with various drinks on it.

"Hmm, thank you," he nodded.

Yeah, that's Nu in disguise, Cid can say it with one hundred percent certainty. He took a cup of black tea from the plate and sipped.

"I guess you are enjoying yourself," Iris merely smiled upon seeing him growing accustomed to the high nobility average day.

"You could say that," yeah, even all of that is not comparable to how every Shadow Garden members kissed the ground he walked on… sometimes literally. He had to stop them from doing that… then when he looked in secret, the amount of people kissing the ground tripled. At least Shades and Named Numbers seemed civil enough and acted somewhat calm in his presence.

If only Cid knew what they did with plushies and pictures of him…

"…Say, Master Beatrix…" hmm, Iris wanted to ask something from Alpha's (apparently) aunt?

"Yes?"

"Is there anyone who attracted your gaze?"

"On the arena? No," elf shook her head.

"Your question means there was someone outside who got your attention?" Iris quickly picked up.

"Indeed," Beatrix turned his gaze to him, "This boy seems promising."

"Him? No way, he's not comparable to his sister at all!" "But was War Goddess ever wrong?" "You have a point, but…" "That means we simply have to forge relationship before he becomes strong… I have a daughter of his age…"

'Thank you very much, Alpha's aunt,' he sent burning gaze towards the elven woman who just smiled at him and nodded. Now he's at the center of attention, and everyone thinks highly of him! What the actual hell?!

"Ah, excuse me, I guess I am late," a middle-aged man came in… and Cid immediately noticed something.

'Hmm, isn't that Violet's magic I feel in you?… Guess you're from that Cult… Which I kinda already forgot about honestly… Should I make up a new ancient evil organization, by the way?… Maybe later.'

Perv was surprised by the stare a seemingly unassuming boy sent in his direction. No, more like… Hmm, nevermind.

"Chancellor Perv, where is His Majesty Raphael?" Iris inquired.

"He… doesn't feel so well, I am afraid," Cid smells bullshit!

"Understandable. Please, take a seat," princess sighed and nodded at the empty seat to her right hand.

The man immediately took the offer and sat down. Cid curiously eyed the this so-called Chancellor but in the end decided against taking any action: the guy seemed to be from Oriana, and judging by his words he had a beef with Rose… which has just gotten power from mysterious mighty individual hiding in shadows! Hell yeah! That's what he calls good hero story!

Oh, his fight is coming soon, in two rounds or so…

"Excuse me, I need to go out…" he stood up and walked out of the lounge.

He noticed how Beatrix eyed him in curiosity, but paid it no mind.

He also heard nobles calling him "weak character" but who cares about them anyway?

---

Rose Oriana focused on the slime.

Shadow Garden had… terrifying arsenal. Even this one thing that was supplied to every combat-oriented member was more than enough to allow an experienced fighter to completely annihilate his enemies. Sure, if you had weak magic control and bad fighting abilities, slime suit was even worse than a common steel sword.

But should you be experienced enough in battles and have a high level of magic control… Weapon? Armor? That's just the basics taught to everyone in Shadow Garden. The real challenge starts at being able to modify the suit on the spot… and frankly, even most members struggled at going past making the suit and weapon of their choice.

She heard some of the higher-ranked members, so-called "Seven Shades", were so terrifying that they were able to use the slime in the most insane ways: someone called Epsilon was even rumored to be able to completely change the way she looks and keep that form for a long time without anyone noticing something strange. And when she says completely, she means completely: even changing to completely opposite body type.

Of course, even they were simply not comparable to their leader, Shadow: if Lambda's (her current instructor) words are to be believed, he was the one who invented and granted most of the styles used in Shadow Garden… which meant he had a high proficiency in all possible weapons.

Of course, Rose did not wish to court Shadow; her heart solely belongs to Cid. Ah, she wonders if he still believed in her…

She only needs to sit out this day. Tomorrow, she will go and take that bastard's head. Then, she will promise herself to Cid. Hmm? Someone said about countries' relationship and the fact that Oriana might not take that well?

My, such a relationship between two countries' members of nobility would surely be beneficial, right? And if there's someone who wants to meddle in their relationship… She has enough stakes for their heads.

---

"So that's Annerose…" Perv nodded upon seeing the legendary Velgalta's Seven Blades member… even if she relinquished that title.

"And that's her opponent I heard about… Mundane Mann, was it?" Iris continued the dialogue, looking at the sick-looking middle-aged man who could barely stand on his legs.

"I am no swordsman myself, but…" Perv noticed Iris' gaze, "well, I am, but am no expert in these deals. However, I still think there's no way for this man to win."

"Hmm, we shall see on that," she turned her head back to the arena.

"Ready?" judge scrutinized the sick-looking man," Then, Annerose against Mundane Mann! Begin!"

---

Annerose carefully studied her opponent. His speed was unmatched. She knows that for sure. His speed was so overwhelming that no one was able to even notice his movements, and when they tried to attack, it was already over.

Nobody, except for her.

That magic sphere encounter was an eye-opening moment for her. From that moment, she trained herself to exhaustion each day before the tournament. And she saw improvements.

Now, she was sure enough: she could if not win, then at least put up a fight against him.

After all…

"You came here for the same reason as me, right?" she smiled.

He tilted his head, taking out his sword with shaking hands.

"You wanted to fight a worthy opponent."

Surprise flashed briefly in his eyes.

If it was her before, she would surely think this guy had absolutely no experience in sword and purely relied on his overwhelming speed to defeat his opponents. However…

She noticed that he always targeted the hardest to break weak points of his opponents. Always. Hardest to break, yet once broken, opponent will surely fall down. That was no mere coincidence. Mundane Mann knew, exactly, how swordfight worked.

Which means he was proficient enough in sword. Probably even an expert.

She slowly walked around him, seeking for his own weak points. He just blinked at her lethargically.

There… here…

Now!

She appeared in front of him in a fraction of second and slashed at his neck. Surely enough, he blocked. However, her real target was below!… Which he also blocked.

With each strike, she slowly opened him up more and more, until she gave one last blow that should have taken him… But it didn't.

She immediately turned around and blocked the strike.

"Hmm… Not bad…" she heard a whisper.

Not bad?! She is going all-out here, and all he can say is "not bad"-?!

Relax. Breathe. He probably wants you to erupt in anger. Don't look away from him. The moment you do, he will practically teleport and snap your neck. Focus on him. Don't blink.

She felt the air behind her. Her body reacted faster than her mind, blocking the strike once more. And again. And again.

Slowly, she could feel improvement. With each strike, she could feel her body growing accustomed to his speed. His dead fish stare was slowly replaced with that of curiosity.

And then, he jumped back.

"Interesting…" she heard him mumbling.

He still had that same pose of a man that got every disease in the world on himself that she saw back at registration days. Yet now, she could see that he finally takes her into account… Even though thinking like that hurt her ego a bit.

"Annerose."

She tilted her head upon hearing him speak.

"You were the first one to make me fight without limiters."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she smiled briefly, knowing that attacking each other at such a touching moment was a taboo between warriors.

"Indeed. For the sake of my dream, I have forsaken a lot…" he coughed.

"I can understand you to some extent…" she sighed and gripped her sword tighter.

"So… let us make this dance beautiful," and at that moment, she felt it.

Out of the pure instinct and battle reflexes, Annerose placed her sword in front of her. Mundane Mann stopped a mere millimeter from it. Of course, she should have expected that.

In fact, she did.

Mundane's strike was blocked with her shoulder's plate. It hurt like hell, but she managed to get a hold on herself and strike right back!

Of course, he immediately went out of the way, but…

"Hmm…" he studied her once more.

Annerose took a battle stance.

"I haven't intended to use this until the very end… But you."

Her eyes widened as he finally took a proper battle stance, too.

"You're worthy."

And in the next moment, he slowly moved his sword. Beautiful, just like a dance he promised.

She could feel multiple swords attacking her body… Wait, he had only one, didn't he?…

Ah.

Now she can see.

That's how Sword looks like.

To be with the sword. To be the sword.

In a spike of determination, she looked up one last time. She looked up, and saw him smiling in respect.

'Beautiful…' she smiled back.

She could no longer hold herself. Huh, first time she felt that…

"Stand proud, Annerose."

And that was the last thing she remembered before losing consciousness.

"You are strong."

Notes:

Yeah, Rose is going nuts. Cid's dream of Tyrant Queen will finally be realized… though would he like the consequences?

Chapter 54: Awakening Obsession

"What a battle…"

"Yeah, I couldn't even see their later movements…"

"'Later'? Don't try to boast, I am pretty sure even their starting movements escaped your sight."

"As if you are any better…!"

'Yes, yes, yes! More, more amazement!' Cid was bathing in sea of glory akin to that of a cat that just found a stash filled with premium-quality fish and milk. Everything was playing out exactly as he wanted! The dark horse finally let a slip onto his true powers, defeating one of the strongest tournament participants!

Ahh, the thrill! The thrill!

Oh, and that heroine actually surprised him with her determination. He honestly thought that she was gonna fall after a few hits, but no! Somehow she actually adapted to his battle style and forced him to reveal a part of his true power! Though, considering how she looked at him at the end, it seems like she got enlightenment after he showcased his sword style… And that works for him!

After crushing defeat, hero does not despair… Instead, she takes that as inspiration and her growth skyrockets! She endures hellish training, all for the sake of meeting her rival once more and taking the sweet victory! Man, that's so awesome!

Right, time to leave, isn't it? The final (because he said so) round will start tomorrow, and judging by how everything goes, his opponent should Iris, right? He doesn't even know what to do with her, to be fair… Where can she even fit in his stage?

---

"Such strength… how is it even possible?…"

Iris held onto armrests.

She could, to a degree, understand Annerose. Velgalta's former Blade relied on her ability to adapt to any circumstances, allowing her to stall out almost any opponent until she manages to create a counter-strategy. Of course, even that level of adaptation has its limits, but even then, Iris herself evaluated Annerose as a powerful opponent; dangerous enough that should princess ever drop her guard, she might receive serious injury.

But this… Mundane Mann… His speed was so high that Iris herself was unable to follow his movements! At all! Yet Annerose still somehow managed to block them! Block good enough that even her opponent praised her skill with the sword!

Iris had to admit; if it was her on the arena… She did not have confidence to win.

"It looks like I lost the bet, huh…" Perv Asshat sighed. Iris was jealous of his ability to stay calm in a situation like this… Though it could also be tied to the fact that he, by his own admission, was not that good in sword way and thus could not understand what, exactly, just transpired.

"I had a hunch that he was stronger than he looks… But not to this point… A warrior of that level, and unnoticed by any major force?…" she shook her head.

"Indeed," Chancellor frowned, "I have never received any reports about a lone fighter of his strength…" he rubbed his beard.

"And I have never seen a technique like his…" she stopped on her words, "How could someone like him evade us for so long is beyond me…"

Iris leaned on her chair and sighed. She could feel the public's gaze turning from the arena to her. Because she was supposed to be fighting tomorrow with winner of this round.

"Even though he's my opponent…" she started carefully, "I do not intend on losing."

"Indeed," Chancellor nodded, "As much skill as he has, unfortunately for him, magic dictates everything. And if he doesn't have enough magic power…"

"…Any opponent that has it will completely crush him," Iris finished with a weak smile.

"Exactly my words."

Iris studied her future opponent once more. The way he barely moves, how his hands shake…

"He tries to fool everyone," she declared, "he wants everyone to think he's nothing more but a mere weakling. Yet now, when everyone is aware of his true strength, this is not gonna work."

"Which means…"

"Yes, I have to prepare for tomorrow's round," Iris stood up, "Farewell, Chancellor Perv. Please, don't forget about tomorrow's meeting."

"Sure thing," his charming smile once more appeared on his face.

Iris went out of the lounge.

Unfortunately, she did not witness Perv going in fit of rage.

---

Annerose stood up, groaning.

Damn, he sure hit hard… Wait, he's already walking away?!

"Mundane, wait!"

She did not need to scream, though, as he turned to her as soon as he heard her steps.

"Ah, you're more resilient than I gave you credit for…" he cast a weak smile.

"Hmph, thought you could just defeat me and drop here?" yet she smiled back.

"Who knows, who knows…" he chuckled at her.

She gathered her thoughts before speaking further.

"You know, this is the first time ever I receive such a crushing defeat… No, don't get me wrong," she waved her hands, "I am not mad or anything! I am actually really glad I got such an opponent! I left my home country exactly for this reason, to find someone strong enough so I can exchange pointers with them! Though with time I grew a bit… cynical, you could say, as I did not meet anyone proficient enough… But you reignited my passion in sword!" she bowed deeply, "So, thank you! Thank you very much, Mundane Mann!" and extended her hand out with a smile.

"Ah…" he was taken aback, clearly, "Well, pleasure is all mine, I guess…" he scratched his chin.

Nonetheless, he reached to her hand, too.

"Though, I have to admit…" he answered the handshake, but not like how he walked; rather, it a strong, tight grasp, fitting his warrior prowess, "This is the first time someone managed to make me show my true sword skills."

"Ha-ha!" she beamed at his praise, "You flatter me!"

Yet, there was still one thing left to ask…

"You said you have forsaken a lot for your dream… Did you mean?…" she hesitated.

"Ah, about that…" Mundane sighed, "Indeed, I have left out a lot in my pursuit of power…" his gaze turned melancholic as he gazed at the sky.

"Maybe, you did, but!" Annerose raised her hands to her chest as he turned to her in surprise, "That doesn't mean you can't live your best life now!… I have an idea!" she did fist-and-palm, "How about you go with me? I will ask out so you can join Velgalta's Knight Order!"

"Hah, thank you for your kindness, Annerose," his lips curved in a smile, "But I have not yet considered joining such a world…"

"Hmm!…" she sighed, "Alright, then, but if you ever change your mind, you have my recommendation! And don't you dare to not show up tomorrow! I will wait for your match against princess Iris!"

He only blinked lethargically. Then, he chuckled.

"W-What's so funny?!" for some reason, she felt her cheeks heating up.

"You have such a faith for someone you only met a handful of times…"

"But of course! Everyone knows that's the best way to forge friendship is battlefield!" she coughed in her palm in sudden shyness.

"If only such a truth reached me earlier…" he shook his head.

"But it's fine! We are friends now, right?!"

"Friends…" he muttered, "Yes, I like this word…" he slowly walked away.

Annerose watched him until his silhouette disappeared.

She made up her mind. She has grown too stale.

She thought of herself as one of the pinnacles of the world, yet now she knows that there's always a taller mountain behind the mountain, and the higher sky above the sky.

Mundane's technique was practiced to perfection, something she did not do, being content with the skill she already got. And now, she can only watch him.

But she made a promise. She will train herself even further.

Then, they will fight again.

---

Aurora finally woke up after a long dream.

Hmm, at least she is alive now, isn't she? To once more feel the real warmth of the sun… The chirping of birds… The rustling of the trees… It's good to be alive, isn't it?

She looked around in curiosity. A beautiful, luxurious room… But not over the top. Rather, the materials themselves were of high quality, but the overall feeling felt like… Home?

She heard a door opening.

"Miss Aurora, you are finally awake," a brown-haired human woman entered carefully.

"Indeed, I am," the Witch nodded with a smile and stretched.

"Bring in the food," two more women in a strange uniform entered with plates.

Hmm, right, she did feel hungry, after all… Ah, the perks of having a real body!

She gleefully started eating. Since her death, the world evolved so much… She can see and identify the ingredients, but their combination created a flavor she has never experienced before!… Ah, to be honest, she did not experience that much… But that makes it even better!

Oh? Isn't that ingredient poisonous?… Hmm, no, this dish was made in a way that completely removed all the possible toxins, only leaving the flavour and sustain behind! That's so interesting!

Once Aurora finished with her meal, the two women in uniform (yet another new thing) took away the now empty plates and placed cups with some drink instead. She smiled at them in gratitude and took a sip. It was cool… and refreshing?

"To think that the fearsome demon we all thought to be a world-ending threat would just be a simple girl that likes to have a good meal…" brown-haired woman shook her head, "Cult's propaganda does, indeed, have a wide reach…"

Aurora only hummed in response.

"So, what do you intend to do now?"

"Ah, well…" the Witch frowned in thought, "I wish to experience everything world has to offer and create some beautiful memories," she smiled.

"A good wish," woman smiled back. "My name is Nu."

"Aurora, but… you probably know that already," she squinted mischievously.

Nu just nodded.

"Oh, I also wish to see my gallant Knight!" she remembered the most important detail.

"I… am afraid that you will have to go a long way before meeting with him…" Nu's smile became strained.

"Hmm? Is he busy?" Aurora tilted her head.

"In fact, yes… However, he did say he wished to see you once you exit your, how he said, "healing coma", so once you are ready, I will escort you."

"Well then, I need to prepare good clothes, right? Can't look bad in front of my Knight, right?" Aurora suddenly blushed.

'Miss Beta, I think your dreams about being a Princess with a Knight are under severe threat…' Nu sighed internally.

---

Rose slowly played with burger's foil that she got that day. The only thing left from Cid.

But it's alright. Soon, she will remove all threats to their peaceful existence. And then they will enter the marriage. It doesn't matter that he's the weaker one right now. She will care for him and nurture him. With his spirit, she knows for sure that one day he will surpass her.

In the meantime, she will protect him. Protect from everything. And give him everything he wants.

Maybe she will even allow Alexia to join in… Maybe. If Cid himself agrees.

First rays of rising sun appeared, only to immediately be covered by gray clouds. Hmm, it's going to rain today, isn't it?

But it doesn't matter. The day has come.

Rose gently caressed her attire. She was still unused to the large black coat with golden linings, and the sharp crown on her head felt a bit heavy, however…

What was more suited for the princess in exile coming back to claim what is hers than black?

Notes:

The great yandere war is coming… The Witch of Calamity, Seven Shades, Black Rose…
Oh, and Alexia.

Also the old, withered swordmaster that lost too much in pursuit of power, and the young, spirited warrior that looks up to the old master in admiration and wants to prove themselves… I would watch that.

Chapter 55: Overthrow Obsession

Notes:

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Cid only knows why, a second daily chapter appeared.

Iris breathed in to calm herself down.

She recalled what the War Goddess, Beatrix told her in private…

---

"This guys seems interesting…" Iris heard elven woman's voice as she walked away from arena.

Startled at the sudden presence, Iris turned around and saw the sky-like eyes watching her.

'Come to think of it…' sudden realization hit her, 'Doesn't she look like this member of Shadow Garden, Alpha? And the hero of the past, Oliver?…'

"You noticed something unusual, Master Beatrix?" Iris politely asked.

"Not so unusual, more like…" elf paused, trying to pick up the right words, "Trying to conceal something."

"Yes, indeed, he tries to hide his skills-"

"I am not talking about skills," Beatrix shook her head, "Any warrior worth their bread is able to detect the minute changes in someone's body and pick up on their opponent's power."

"Then… what?" Iris tried to not sound offended; after all, by War Goddess' words, everyone on the arena were not worthy of being called warriors since they didn't understand Mundane Mann's power immediately.

"Personality."

"Personality?…" Iris echoed.

"Yes," Beatrix turned back, to the arena; Mundane just went through the exit and now was limping… somewhere, "Look deeper."

"Deeper…" Princess focused on the man.

Indeed, someone of his power level would never act like this… On the contrary, almost everyone worth their skill would try to flaunt it in hopes of obtaining more support from the people. However…

"He doesn't want any glory?…" Iris couldn't quite understand it.

"Indeed. He did not come here for glory. Rather…" Beatrix smiled, "One specific reason brought him here… To be more precise, person."

"…Annerose," Princess finally put everything together.

But to think: something that the whole stadium of people couldn't understand in their combined efforts was immediately seen through by the War Goddess.

"Do…" she gulped, "do all people of yours and his caliber have a similar way of thinking?"

"Hmm… You could say that. In fact, I wouldn't mind fighting him. And, I presume, he wouldn't either."

"Then why-"

"Why haven't we fought each other before?" Beatrix understood her interrupted question, "Well, exactly what I said: we do not want glory. What we want is a worthy opponent… However, how do we find a worthy opponent if we do not get glory?" elf chuckled at Iris' stupefied expression, "It's fine, my question was not supposed to be answered."

Iris collected her thoughts and decided to go all-in.

"Master Beatrix… About your niece…"

"That she is a part of some group?" upon seeing Princess' face Beatrix chuckled once more, "Yes, I do know about it. Despite not having a grasp on politics and being focused on the sword, I still have a lot of experience in life. That, and a bit of luck, I suppose…" her gaze turned melancholic.

Iris just stood there, not knowing what to do. After all, similar to Beatrix, she never had a talent in politics, either; everything was carried out by competent people around her, while she served as their sword and shield. As long as she had military power, her nation could see prosperity. That's what she believed.

"Go," she heard Beatrix, "Don't belittle your opponent. Prepare yourself for the battle. And even if you lose, lose gracefully."

"Gracefully?…"

"Indeed. If you just meet the soil with your face without being able to retaliate, people would doubt you… But if you manage to put up a fight, your opponent might give you face and make it look like the battle was hard-fought… If he ever manages to appear, that is," smile crossed elf's face.

Yes, he already got what he wanted. Fight with Annerose. Though, it hurt her ego that a Swordmaster would think of her as lower than Annerose…

Iris bowed to Beatrix and went out, to prepare herself for the battle. After all, despite what the War Goddess told her, she still believed that she had a chance to win. Or, rather… She had to win.

Beatrix only shook her head and sighed. Sooner or later, Princess would face someone stronger to her. And she can only hope that it happens here, where her opponent only wishes to test other people's skill and character, rather than on a bloody battlefield…

---

Iris breathed in and went to the arena.

Her opponent was already waiting, with his uneasy posture and shaking hands trying to hold a sword. However, she did not dare to be fooled.

She took a battle stance and kept looking at him. She learned the lesson of her predecessor, Annerose. Rather than being proactive, she has to be reactive.

Then…

Iris immediately dodged to the side as she felt the sword passing right through the place where her neck-

What?

It didn't happen?

He was still standing here, waiting for something. Though… The smile on his face that he had at the start of the round… diminished.

Was he… disappointed?

No, no!

She forcibly calmed herself down.

Something was off. She heard that true Master can force their reality onto opponent. However, up to this day, she never saw someone doing it… Literally.

After all, everything all her previous opponents, including teacher, did was merely doing a false hit in order to confuse her. Here, her opponent didn't move at all, yet she was already experiencing hallucinations. Even her own battle sense was completely unreliable… Which means…

She has to rely on her mind instead.

She slowly walked towards him. One step, two, three…

She placed her broadsword in front of herself. Just in time as his own sword hit it.

"Hmm… And here I thought I was mistaken in my evaluation…" she heard his whisper.

So, he did think somewhat highly of her, but her previous action almost made him doubt it. That's… surprisingly reassuring.

Her mind started looking for solutions. However…

She had to immediately relocate her sword. Still, the power behind the hit was more than enough to send her flying, and though she managed to land safely, it still hurt a lot.

"You think too much. Think less. Think more efficient," Mundane played with his sword.

Too much?

Then…

Up.

Her sword immediately blocked the attack from above.

'So that's what Annerose experienced, huh?…' Iris thought as she blocked two attacks almost at the same time.

She had to admit; a fight like that was heavily beneficial for her. Even now, she could feel new ways opening up in front of her… She has never focused too much on the sword skills, relying on the overwhelming power she was born with. However…

She stared in admiration. Her opponent never used even an ounce of magic. It was pure skill. He did not use anything other than his sword and physical body.

"Why don't you attack?" she heard him asking.

"Because if I do, I will lose immediately," Iris replied.

"… Good thinking," he nodded at her approvingly.

And then she felt multiple attacks coming at her. However, she did not listen to her battle sense that was a part of her since she was born. Rather…

'It's all fake. The real one is…'

She slashed at the ground.

'Below me!'

Her broadsword met his own sword. Even her weapon of choice reflected her nature: relying on raw power in order to win. Of course, that does not mean she has to deny her nature.

Rather, she needs to cover up her weaknesses. And she knows what, exactly, her weakness is.

Her intelligence.

Compared to her own little sister, Alexia, Iris did not have a tactical or political mind. Hell, even her studying the sword was mostly relying on the battle sense she was gifted with. But it was about time she patched that weakness of hers up.

And she will start with the area she was most familiar with. Fight.

Corner of his lips went up in approval.

"Good. You finally realized it."

She immediately placed the sword to the right, only to be met with a hit from behind.

"You still have a long way to go, but… It's not helpless. Today's lesson is over, Iris Midgar. You did way better than I thought at first," he nodded at her.

She breathed in once more.

"I concede," her voice rang out on the arena.

He sent unamused look at her side. She allowed herself this small victory, alright?

And then, she saw her.

Rose Oriana. The Princess of Oriana that everyone was searching for.

However, she was… different.

Instead of her usual school uniform or dancing attire that was usually white, now she clad herself in dark clothes with a large coat. The sharp-looking dark crown only made the picture way more… Intimidating.

Yes, that was the word. Previous Rose Oriana was the Student Council President, kind, good-hearted, eager to help anyone and everyone to achieve their dream.

Current Rose Oriana was the picture of a tyrant, coming… To do what, exactly?

Not only that, but even Mundane himself seemed a bit surprised at her appearance…

"My dearest Princess Rose, you finally came back!" Perv's cheerful voice rang through the arena, "Come, come, allow us to meet each other!"

"Ah, Rose…" King Raphael voice seemed… suspiciously devoid of life, if Iris was being honest; not quite the tone she expected from father reuniting with his daughter, "Please, come here."

Iris watched as Rose slowly walked to the lounge. Then she stopped in front Perv and King Oriana, with King being way closer to Princess than Chancellor. On one hand, it seemed right, as worried father would surely come first; on the other hand, it still seemed off…

"Hello, Perv," Rose's lips turned into devilish smile, so unnatural looking on her face, "How are you doing?"

"My, it should be me who is worried, my Princess! But that matters not, now that you have returned, everything will be alright!"

"Not quite," Rose shook her head.

"Whatever you mean, my Princess-?"

He could not finish his words as Rose Oriana immediately appeared in front of him and lifted him by the throat.

"Interesting… How could it be that Oriana Kingdom, known for the lack of its military power, has so much skilled fighters at their side, hmm?" Princess Oriana looked around herself as she was surrounded by numerous black-clothed people.

And, truth to be told, Iris herself could not quite understand it… Unless…?

"P-Prin-cess… Sto-o-op…" Perv tried to breathe, but Rose only held him tighter with a sadistic smile on her face.

"Oriana was peaceful for way too long."

She shifted her hand to his face.

"But no more."

She slowly tightened her grip as Perv tried to break out.

"No more will We tolerate this."

Mundane Mann suddenly chuckled.

"So that is your choice, Rose Oriana?"

Iris' eyes widened as the sick middle-aged man suddenly erupted in a black goo… Wait, isn't that…?

"Shadow…"

She saw the mysterious leader of Shadow Garden before, at the Goddess Trials… But it was her first time seeing him up close. His face was clad in Darkness itself… And when she says that, she means that the Darkness covered it, not allowing anyone to gaze at his features. Only two red orbs could be seen studying the world around their owner.

"Slayer…" Rose's own voice was heard.

He turned around to look at Oriana Princess.

"Rose Oriana. You've made your choice, didn't you?" even though Iris couldn't quite understand what they were talking about, she could feel the approving notes in his tone.

"Indeed, Bandit Slayer," corners of Rose's lips went up, "I still didn't thank you for that time."

"I did what I should have done."

"And I will do what I have to."

Rose turned back to Perv that has long ceased any signs of resistance.

"Now… How did you say? 'Internal problems of Oriana Kingdom'?" her eyes shone holden.

She raised her second hand up to his head.

"Then consider it me cleaning them up… Cult's pawn."

And in the next moment, Rose crushed Perv's head.

Notes:

At some point, Rose will realize that this powerful Shadow-slash-Slayer guy that she deeply respected since childhood and her unassuming future husband Cid Kagenou are actually are one and the same. Should it ever happen, one can only imagine the depths her imagination and yandere tendencies will go…

Chapter 56: Emotional Obsession

'This is so cool. This is so cool! This is so freaking cool!'

Cid was on the verge of shaking. From excitement, of course. Rose Oriana, his second heroine candidate, has finally bloomed… Into dangerous (ha-ha) rose.

Instead of becoming a heroine like he thought she would, she chose the path of a Tyrant. And she started it with brutally killing that cultist guy… Uh, what was his name, again?… Right, nevermind.

Not only that, but the colors, Duke, the colors! Instead of white-and-golden usual hero colors, with occasional blue and red, she went full dark, clad in black clothes adorned with golden linings… Actually, her attire was somewhat similar to his Shadow persona one, but while he went for the more… clothing style, she morphed her slime (and it was actually a slime suit, he can tell that) into some kind of armor. Honestly, there's no reason for making slime suit into armor in terms of efficiency… But for the style points? Hell yeah, Rose, he's so proud!

Her large shoulder pads were nothing if not intimidating, her crown signified her becoming a bona fide Queen, and her boots looked metallic enough to make everyone realize that getting under the heels… would be painful.

In short, Rose Oriana stopped being the all-loving, kind hero and became a fallen one after experiencing the cruelty of this world. Yes, that was a trope indeed… Especially considering that the third heroine was actually the opposite; Annerose was cheerful and positive woman, only wishing to get a strong opponent to fight and talk.

Hmm, he also had Alexia, the first ever heroine… He kinda neglected her…

"…Rose, what is the meaning of all of this?" Iris' voice interrupted his thoughts, making him look at her.

Midgar Princess looked pale, staring in the distance and holding her sword. To be fair, Cid didn't even expect her to actually be able to fight back… He wanted to finish the tournament in a dramatic way where he one-shots Iris, but seems like she was actually good enough.

"Isn't it obvious, princess Iris?" Rose finally spoke as she let the now headless body of… cultist fall down to the ground, "I am cleaning up the trash. I am treating the illness that took over my country."

"By killing your own Chancellor?" Iris gritted her teeth.

"By killing the traitor that collaborated with Cult of Diablos, infiltrated the government, and drugged my father in order to gain political standing," Rose calmly retorted.

"T-That's…" Iris was at loss of words.

'Man, what a drama! Right, where's my popcorn…'

"P-Princess Rose!" one of the Midgar nobles stood up; people of lower ranks have long been escorted, "T-That's outrageous! Your nobility will surely not let it go like that-!"

"Nobility?" Rose cocked her head, "Ah, right, that scum that decided getting a hefty sum of money is a reason enough to close their eyes on abducted and brainwashed children, to give away their own princess just because she did not fit in their standards…" she mused.

"Y-You're going too far!" the younger nobles paled at her words.

"Well, I fail to remember when did I ask your, Midgar nobles', opinion on what to do with Oriana nobles," she squinted.

"Y-You-!"

"Unless you are in collaboration with them and just want to cover up your messy deals?" Rose raised her gloved hand with a chilling smile.

'More! More! Bread and circuses!' Cid cheered on her as he quickly shoved the still hot popcorn into his mouth. It seemed like no one detected his minute department and disappearance of Shadow.

"Do you know that such accusations have to be backed up by evidence, Princess Rose?" the elder noble calmly spoke up.

"Evidence?" Rose cocked her head once more, "What evidence?"

"Well," noble smirked, "unless you want to break the law-"

"Ah, it seems you misunderstand something…" she mirrored his smirk.

In the next moment, one of the cultist's fighters that was sneaking up on the King Oriana suddenly found his sword kicked away.

"Actually, you are wrong on two things…" she mused, staring at the terrified fighter, "One: I am Princess no longer. For way too long we stayed peaceful. Now, the country needs a strong ruler."

"P-Preposterous! Are you claiming that you will take over the throne?!" the youngest-looking noble lost her composure.

"'Will?' Well, do forgive me for this, then…" she walked to the throne and gently took the crown from her father's head.

"Rose…" Raphael weakly sighed, his face still pale after being subjected to drugs for so long, "Are you sure about what you want to do?"

"More than ever, father," for the first time, a sincere smile appeared on her face, "And I am sorry for taking it away like this, but…"

"I understand. I have grown stale and allowed our enemies to take advantage of me…" he weakly spoke, barely able to form words; however, he still finished what he wanted to say, "I just hope you will be a great ruler and don't make same mistakes as I did…"

She only nodded at him as closed his eyes. Moments later, two women in black clothes took him away.

"Not 'will', not 'would'…" she played with a golden crown, "Already did."

Cid realized that one bag of popcorn was not enough. He would need more. And something to drink.

"So, the first thing is out of the way. Now, the second one…"

"The ruler still needs support of his people; I thought you, of all heirs, should know this," she was interrupted by the same elder noble.

"Indeed. People," she chuckled at his realization, "Not scum that only cares about filling their pockets with money."

"Even so-"

"I am done arguing with you."

'Yes, finally, it's coming!' Cid emptied his hands and readied himself.

"You want to lead me in circles in hopes to stall time. That will not work."

She slowly walked over, not bothered in the slightest by the Cult fighters around her.

"You are lucky you are under Midgar's protection; if not for the fact that I do not wish to threaten my allies, you would all find your yourselves decapitated."

One of the cultists found his field of vision suddenly shifting. Moments later, his head has fallen over to the ground, detached from the body.

"Like this one."

"Rose, I would not allow anyone to threaten the people of my country," Iris finally found the courage to speak as Queen Oriana turned her head, "Not even you."

Rose blinked and smiled.

"I would never expect anything less from you; in fact, I deeply respect your, Iris…" she shook her head, "However, I will not take back my words."

"Understandable… However, there's one thing I want to ask."

"Do so, then."

Iris breathed in.

"How are you related to Shadow Garden?"

"Hmm?" Rose was taken aback.

"Only a fool would not notice that your current attire is the modified uniform of Shadow Garden."

"Well…"

'My time!'

---

"Indeed, you are spot on, Iris Midgar," everyone heard a calm, yet eerie voice interjecting in their dialogue.

Beatrix looked with interest at the warrior, clad in shadows. Nobody noticed how he seemingly disappeared mid-conversation. Nobody noticed how he reappeared once more, this time in lounge. Except for her.

"Rose Oriana asked for power to free her people from reign of terror. How could I not assist in such a noble goal?" he slowly walked towards the Queen Oriana.

Cult's fighters took a battle stance. He only sighed and raised his hand.

"I. Am…" he snapped his fingers, "Inevitable."

In the next moment, the number of cultists was cut in half; they seemingly were consumed by their own shadows.

Beatrix focused on him.

She wants to fight him.

She saw how he fought in the arena, seemingly holding back. She knows for sure he holds way greater power that he has shown. And she wants to battle it.

"Shadow, what are you trying to do?" Iris calmed herself down forcefully.

"Shadow Garden's whole point of existence is to destroy the Cult of Diablos…" he mused, "How could we miss a chance to catch them off-guard when they thought they were at their safest?"

Iris only gripped her sword.

"This is my second lesson to you…" he started, "Rarely anything goes as you wish it would, unless you have power to back your claims up."

Princess' eyes widened for a moment before she realized his words fully. Then, she sighed and relaxed her stance.

"I am aware of that… However, it does not make it any easier…"

"P-Princess Iris?!" nobles paled.

"I have long knew that I am not spectacular mastermind… However, I believed that with superior power I could just protect my country as a warrior."

"Hmm… Well, you do have a prime example of someone who reached political power with power of a warrior, don't you?" he inquired.

The longer Beatrix listened, the more it looked like… coaching. He was speaking to one person at a time, yet nobody dared to interrupt him; not the now Queen, not the nobles… and not Beatrix herself.

"I… don't think that I am capable of what she did…" Iris clenched her fists; Beatrix could see how much it hurt her ego to confirm that out loud.

"So… are you going to give up?"

"N-No…" she trembled.

"Then fight."

First droplets of rain fell on Iris' face.

"Fight. Fight to the last drop of blood you have."

Thunder struck across the skies.

"Fight. Fight until you have snatched victory from the Death's jaws."

Wind was slowly rising up.

"Fight! Fight and prove your worth to both yourself and the world!"

Even in the lounge, Beatrix felt soaking wet; it was no mere rain, it was the storm that is approaching.

"Fight!"

Shadow's body flared in magic.

"Or be forgotten!"

And in the next moment, rain was no longer.

The moment Shadow released his magic, Beatrix felt as if the world gained additional colors… In fact, she was not wrong.

Instead of grey clouds, a shining sun was seen in the sky. His burst of magic completely cleared the weather.

"S-Such power…" sighs of amazement were heard around.

"I hope you do understand that everything that transpired here is… Confidential information?" Rose Oriana smiled sweetly… though nobles paled at that sight.

Why? Beatrix herself can say that it was, indeed, a sweet sight.

"Should even the smallest bit of information be revealed… Well, you all will lose your lives. I am not in mood to try and find the culprit, after all."

"O-Of course, Your Majesty!" nobles completely lost any will to resist.

"Good. Then…" Rose looked around to confirm that Shadow has, indeed, disappeared, "I shall go. I have an important meeting."

Iris only watched as the now Queen went to the exit. Moments later, the remaining cultists were taken away by women in black.

Iris gripped her sword. If Rose could do that… And Shadow encouraged it… Then it was possible.

---

'Man, what a stage!'

Cid only wanted to play a bit with his third heroine candidate, yet, somehow, he actually managed to promote his second heroine candidate into a full blown Fallen Hero turned Ruler trope! Not only that, but he also met Alpha's aunt, actually found out Iris was not as bad as he thought, and made a Grand Reveal to the world!… Though he did not reveal who Shadow actually was, bu-u-ut it was a thing for the future!

Right now Cid was eating a burger from Tuna King (again; Gamma supplied a lot of these to him) and enjoying his well-deserved break time.

Surely, nothing can go wrong-

"Cid."

He slowly turned his head around and saw Rose Oriana standing in front of him with all familiar sweet smile on her face. It was as if she did not become the Tyrant Queen and was still the romantic obsessed Student Prez!

"Hi, Rose," she beamed at his greeting.

"Ha-ha, umm… You haven't heard… anything strange about me?"

"Only about the fact that you attacked your fiancee," and he showed the days old newspaper.

"Ha-ha, well…" she shyly twisted her hair.

This action broke his mind because she was still in her Tyrant Queen uniform all in black and clad in darkness like why the hell she acts like a shy schoolgirl confessing her love to her idol-

"Do… you remember your promise?"

"I believed in you, Rose," that's what he's supposed to say, right?

Her eyes sparkled.

"Ah, Cid," Rose took his hands into hers with a sweet smile on her face, "That makes me so happy… It's only because of you I managed to get back…"

She put him in her embrace.

Her behaviour still broke his mind a bit, but he concluded it was because Cid Kagenou was her last connection to the normal life she once had.

Well, he thought that because he did not want to dive deep into whatever was going on in her mind.

"Cid…"

"Yeah?" he mumbled into her neck; why were her heels so high?

"Come with me. I have arranged everything. We can now marry happily."

"Nah."

"Not yet…? Alright. I'll wait."

Huh, he didn't think she would actually agree with his words. Kinda unfitting for someone who wanted to become a Tyrant ruling her country with an iron fist, you know?

Eh, it's fine. Oh, he will also ask Alpha about the slime suit, because when he left Rose after granting the power, he did not give her any slime…

---

"You… look familiar," Beatrix squinted.

She wanted to find this Shadow and fight with him after he left the scene, but instead she found a group in black clothing similar to that of the new Oriana Queen.

And she also noticed that one of them reacted… with hostility towards Beatrix.

"It's fine. He said that you are living your happy life," the figure trembled at her words, "I will not take away that from you. I only wished to find you and ensure you are healthy and well."

The figure sighed erratically as others placed their hands on her shoulders in support. Some even took out their weapons.

"I do not know what happened between you and the others, but… I am always on your side," Beatrix smiled softly and placed her hands on her chest, "If you ever need help, I will be here."

She stopped for a moment.

"And, please, do tell him that he owes a match with me. Out of all people on the arena, I was the only one who did not get to fight him," elf finished in joking frustration.

She saw figure nodding in hesitation.

And, as Beatrix walked away, her sharp ears caught a faint "Thank you".

---

Victoria finally entered the Capital of Midgar. She felt the surge of familiar power.

Her smile widened. Her beloved Lord and Saviour was here. It is time.

Oh, it was also the place where she felt the disturbance in the force. Now, who was it that wanted to take the role of the most zealous Lord worshipper, she wonders?…

Notes:

This chapter could be better, especially the nobles part, and you probably were waiting for Shadow dunking on Beatrix and other people…

But that one is for later. Yep.

Also Rose vs Victoria showdown is near. Who is the most cultish cultist of Shadow cult?

Chapter 57: Runic Obsession

Cid finally escaped the clutches of… women.

Yeah, women.

After the fight he first got into Rose's embrace, then Alexia and Iris found them and… Well, it did end well, but not so well as he hoped it would end. So, it was not well.

In short, Alexia got jealous at Rose for hugging him so intimately, Rose said that she will do anything it takes for him to love her, Alexia got even more jealous and… Yeah, he felt first-hand the life of Harem Protagonist with his jealous love interests. Iris only suppressed her laugh at the sight; she did seem a bit better, though. Could it be attributed to his speech to her?… Nah, no way.

Then, once they got heated enough, he once again slithered away and went on to do… something… Oh, right! Demonic Realm! He said he would give them three days — well, actually two, but let's pretend it was a joke, — and it was about time he visited them!

---

"So… he escaped again…" the princesses heard Claire's voice.

And indeed, once they paid attention to the surroundings, turned out one Cid Kagenou has long disappeared.

"How does he even do that…" Alexia massaged her temples.

"Fu-fu~" elder Kagenou puffed her chest in pride, "That's my brother for you!"

"You do realize than even a hailed genius like you can't find him once he decides to disappear?" Iris sent a glare towards the smug girl.

"Yeah, my brother is awesome, right?!" Midgar Princess attempt to poke fun at proud sibling was crushed upon meeting with Claire's brocon tendencies.

"Wait, miss Claire," Rose joined the conversation (this is her beloved's sister, so proper respect has to be paid), "how do both of you even appear and disappear without anyone paying attention to you?"

"Well…" Claire went into thinking mode, "That's because my brother is the most awesome!"

"But…" Alexia felt the incoming headache, "Aren't you the stronger one?"

"My brother is the most awesomest! The most awesome of all awesome!"

Princesses exchanged a glance and sighed. Seems like they wouldn't get answers any time soon…

---

"Ah, greetings, my Lord," the glasses demoness jolted and bowed deeply upon seeing him.

"Hmm," he nodded in a cool way and looked at the rebuilt castle.

And there was a lot to look at! For the starters, the super-imposing castle of the Demon King (which is super-imposing: remember, important things need to be said twice!) was now actually living up to its name: dark colors, sharp spires, exquisite materials, after all! And the more Cid looked at it, the more he nodded in satisfaction. Even layout was now sightreadable, with one wide straight path to the Demon King's throne room! And the demon guards upon seeing him only stood even more straight than before and tried to look cool and intimidating! And the traps were actually traps of all kinds instead of succubi and incubi trying to fuck you (well, they were still here, but now only as one of the traps, not the whole freaking castle)!

Yes, that's exactly what he wanted! Now his mind and soul are at peace. Oh, and throne room was super-imposing (and super-imposing is good, since he's in super-imposing castle of the Demon King (which is super-imposing)).

Cid sat on the throne and looked over at the kneeling demons. Even though he wanted to be the power in the shadows, who's to say he can't enjoy some other roles from time to time?

"Well then, you positively surprised me…" he started.

They only looked at him with bated breath.

"You actually managed to do my task in such a short amount of time…" he rubbed his chin.

"Thank you for your praise, my Lord," glasses demoness bowed once again.

"Hmm, well then, what is your name?" he inquired.

Like, really, he was bored of just calling her "glasses demoness"!

"N-Name?" …don't tell him.

"You do have a name, don't you?" Cid's brows quirked.

"F-Forgive us, my Lord, we do, but…" she started shaking.

"Nobody bothered to ask that before, I get it," he facepalmed.

Demons only glanced at each other in unease.

"M-My name is Lility, my Lord…" she finally answered.

"Good," he nodded and took out a card (he just made it from one of the Serpent's scales), "see this?"

"T-That's-!" everyone stared at him with wide eyes.

Then, all of sudden, they all fell towards him and started praying.

'What? Again?'

"I am giving this one to you," he passed the card over to Lilith, "And should you ever be summoned by someone who holds a card like this, you are to offer your services freely."

'He-he, I am gonna make them work under Shades! The girls will surely know how to use free man… Hmm, demon-power!'

"Understood, Realm Master," oh, they changed how they address me? Alright, he doesn't mind.

"Oh, and don't try anything funny. Should you do so, and I am gonna do a decimation, but inversed."

"I-Inversed?…" Lilith gulped.

"Yeah, you know, decimation is when I take out each tenth one and execute them?" unsure nods, "Well, inversed would be me taking out each tenth one and killing everyone else."

Huh, why are they so pale all of sudden? He's so kind and good, only taking away 90% of population!… Oh, hello, halo, long time no see. Go-go into Sanctuary, he will deal with it later.

"Ahem," he coughed, "Well, you understood me, right?"

"Of course, Realm Master!"

"Good. And don't forget out contract, y'all: I am still in need of souls."

Time for him to finally bind the Sanctuary!

Spirit of Sanctuary's Control Panel wrote the last will.

---

Cid immediately met with a problem: he did not have a proper soul structure for binding Sanctuary… yet.

He took out the Demon King's soul and once more studied it.

Here was the problem: he had a good hunch that once he starts working with his own soul, he would not be able to, well, do anything; since the soul is culmination of his being, he had a good reason to suspect that even the smallest attempt to do anything to it would render him unconscious. He could freely manipulate other souls with his will once they were outside of the bodies, of course, but that's the catch: with his will. What would be of his will the moment he touches his own soul? He needed something that would help him with this task.

And that something would be…

"Guess I treated you too harshly…" Cid sighed as he took out the notepad.

Yeah, runes. He will need to create his own rune language so it could act as a substitute for his own manipulations once he enters the phase of soul modification. Yeah, real ironic considering not so long ago he trashed all the rune languages for their limitations, but here he is, trying to come up with a language.

Why not use the existing ones? Well, he needs something that would contain his own will and understanding, anything else will not do.

Why not use Will Inscription? Well, that one will be used! Just in combination with all other methods he knows of, and also don't forget to double, nay, triple back-up!

But Cid was once again met with a setback… Namely, he doesn't know how to create a proper rune language!…

No, hold up, there's an idea. He will use latin alphabet, or rather, the english variation with 26 letters… But with different symbols!…

Nah, bad idea by itself, but maybe will do as a basis that he will expand upon? How about…

Cid started writing in inspiration.

How about using step-by-step instructions? He will explain it right now, because the premise itself seems that good! Moreover, it is way closer to his original goal of something that will do the work instead of him!

Of course, it will not be a bona fide rune language, but rather…

Rather, it will be something like how a combination of words and rules produces an entirely new effect! For example, by adding minus at the start (you know, ⟨-⟩ symbol) he would be able to completely reverse the effect of the next word or phrase!… How will that work? Well, that would depend on his understanding, actually!

In short, what he intends to do is to create a dictionary. Not the language itself, but dictionary. He can use the already existing language as a basis, but the dictionary will explain each different word in full… Or, at least, how he understands that full.

In theory, once he creates this dictionary, he could use it as a substitute for his own understanding… In fact, he suspects that anyone who gets their hands on it will be able to use the understanding he imprinted in it! But for that, he will first need to write at least one word and a set of rules…

Rules… Maybe mathematical? Yeah, that with minus, plus, etc., etc.? Of course, he will need to be able to use it properly; he can imagine how to use the inverse symbol (¬ this one), where using it together with "fire" would extinguish any fire in vicinity, but, uh, what would happen with multiplication of "air" and "fire"…?

Damn, creating magic languages is hard…

---

"You have gotten his blessing," tall, voluptuous elf woman with somewhat pink hair stared daggers at the no less intimidating human woman with honey-like hair.

"Indeed, I did," the human's honey-colored eyes calmly met elf's blue ones.

Victoria gritted her teeth. The audacity of that bitch! She just got a blessing of the Divine Lord, and she already thinks of herself as a big shot!

Elven woman has just entered Mitsugoshi and requested audience with Seven Shades. Of course, given her standing, she was immediately accepted.

And there she found her. This… Rose Oriana…

"I fail to fathom the plans that Lord Shadow has on you…"

Was she jealous!

Yes, she was jealous! She could understand why Seven Shades got his blessing; they were the first ones, they were doing their job to the utmost perfection based on their talents, they were sisters as much as it was possible for non-blood related people!

Yet this bitch-! This bitch just waltzed into their organization and got his blessing… Why? Why?! What did she do to deserve it?!

Wasn't Victoria his most devoted servant? If so, she will do everything in her power to fix it! She will bring twice — nay, thrice as many cultists' heads! She will build more temples!…

"Victoria, please, relax," Alpha, the First Shade, sighed upon seeing Victoria's inner turmoil.

"As you command, your Ladyship," Victoria breathed in and sat down.

"Master Shadow," Alpha started, "has said that he will visit us tomorrow. In that time, you could inquire about his reasoning."

"I would never-!" Victoria's eyes widened.

Yet another stark contrast: from the whole organization only Alpha and Eta allowed themselves to call Divine Lord their Master and ask about his goals; Alpha by the right of being First Shade and his direct disciple, and Eta by the right of being the one who was called the one closest to his research mindset. Victoria herself could not dare to think about questioning him.

"It's fine," Alpha chuckled, "he himself said not so long ago that he will allow us to have a time with, tet-a-tet… that is, if you do good job."

Victoria inhaled. To be in presence of Divine Lord… To fell his gentle gaze upon herself… Ah…

Hmph, what does that heretic know about proper worship! She was just lucky to get help from kind all-encompassing forgiving graceful wonderful beautiful… a whole book later, probably divine texts one… Divine Lord! Victoria will prove herself, and then… and then…

She blushed heavily.

"Um, Lady Alpha…" Rose whispered, "Is she… always like that?"

"You'll get used to it," Alpha just sipped her tea.

Notes:

So, you have a choice. One: Victoria jumps on Cid in his, well, Cid persona and calls him Shadow out loud in front of Rose because she thinks as a member of SG that got slime suit and his blessing Rose 100% knows his identity just like all other major members, thus revealing his identity to her. Two: this does not happen, and Rose remains in ignorance.

The next chapter should all be about Cid trying to create Rune language, anyway, so it's plenty of time to decide.

Chapter 58: Inner Obsession

"How the hell do I even do that…"

It was the second day since Cid got stuck with creating rune language, and he still couldn't quite get the right way. No, technically, if he used his understanding during writing, runes would work, but… He wanted to create his own language that would work regardless of the level of understanding that user possesses!

And, honestly, despite encountering difficulties in his goal… He was actually pretty content.

He genuinely enjoyed researching magic, finding new ways to use it, creating brand new techniques, and so much more. Each time he felt the flow of his mana he experienced boundless joy. Maybe for majority who only knew of world with magic in it that would be a daily occurrence, and they would only try to use it during training or something like that, bur for Cid? The mere feeling of power at his fingertips was… intoxicating.

It was not even about becoming strong enough to defeat the nuclear explosion: he has long realized that with his current power level he can overpower the nuke with raw energy alone. It was just… this. The feeling of discovery. The feeling of power that only belongs to him. He wanted more of it.

At this point, magic research was not just a way for him to become the power in the shadows, but a genuine second goal. He wanted to know more. He wanted to experience more.

That's why he was creating a new language solely for himself. That's why he wanted to bind the Sanctuary to himself.

And, yeah, if he got more ways to use magic, that would open up more possibilities of roleplay. Can't deny that.

So, Cid was stuck with creating brand new rune language. Everything was going pretty decent, except for the symbols, or, as he decided to call them, "Modifiers".

Creating the dictionary was actually not that hard; he only needed to write everything he knows about every word he knows. Not hard, but tedious. Fortunately, he had magic! And so it was yet another test for him: would he be able to use magic to write quickly?

Turned out, he could. It was hard, especially considering that he had to control the output: use not enough, and it will not write properly; use too much, and his book will freaking break, forcing him to start from scratch.

Fortunately, after seven failed attempts Cid remembered that he still had the Serpent scales!

Cid slowly drank wine from his glass.

Right, so created a suspicious looking book from these scales. How? Well, he used magic (lots of magic) to fine-tune every page! And even more to create a cool cover! Now he had a violet book engraved in runes (they had no effect, by the way, purely decorative); from one scale he could create a hundred pages after fine-tuning. Not only that, but they also were incredibly resistant! You couldn't simply tear them like any normal book, neither were they affected by fire!

After finally creating a cool-looking and efficient book, he started filling it up with his knowledge. This future dictionary will contain all the definitions and understanding, allowing you to draw its power to create rune scripts!… Well, he said it before multiple times, but repeating wouldn't hurt, right?

Cid found out that the wine ended; he refilled the glass with some kind of juice, though it had a funny taste…

So, what he needs to do now is to somehow convince, well, something that his rune language is not something created in two days with half-insane mind, no sir. Also he needs to connect his dictionary with this… something so he (and anyone else; he only needs it for one time anyway) can properly use it. Hmm, what to do…

He slowly tapped on the new made book. Hmm, if it's a language, as primitive as it can be, he needs to create its rules, right?

Say, let's add all these maths and logic symbols he was thinking about before… The inverse symbol would, obviously, inverse the effects, so instead of starting fire it would end fire, instead of proper healing it would cause cell degeneration, you get it. Of course, not everything would be compatible with it, but that's a point for more experiments!

Of course, since he adds maths, it would math! So addition, substraction, multiplication, division are a must-have!… He still doesn't work how it would work yet but anyway. Hmm, actually, we can just reduce it to addition and multiplication since the other two are just cases of the first two, right?… Or should he just not go apeshit and at least work with something that he knows for sure?

Alright, he went a bit overboard. No maths in his rune languages!… Yet.

Damn, but really, how hard can it be to just create one small language that could affect the entire world? He's not even asking for too much!

Cid slowly filled his glass with yet another drink and sipped.

… Actually. Why doesn't he use other energies? Say, Faith energy?

Say, he knows that Inscription and Imprinting are just cases of his will being materialized into reality, right? And all the previous rune languages (exactly one) were created in collaboration of many craftsmen, or… You got that right, their collaborative will!

And what's Faith energy? That's the fact that people believe in your ability to shape reality with your will! So, theoretically, if he supplies his dictionary with his will and Faith energy, he should be able to create a proper-functioning, well, rune languages dictionary, right?

And so Cid did it. All the (not) hard-earned Faith energy was slowly being used on making the dictionary the basis of his own rune language. Fortunately, since he was doing it in Sanctuary, over time he filled it to the point where Faith energy was practically in every corner of the… well, Sanctuary. Which meant that combined with his will he could finally use the Dictionary (now it deserved capital D) to its intended purpose!… Only in territory of Sanctuary, though, but anyway.

The last drink was kinda delicious so he filled another glass with it.

He finally achieved his goal! His rune language was working! Currently only in Sanctuary, but he will actually use the soul binding in Sanctuary anyway, so it's all fine. Why in there when this thing will be bound to him? Well, not quite in, more like he will use door's connection as means of using the Dictionary in outside world. It will not be quite as effective, but it will still be good!

And so Cid found a quiet place (and what's better than Alexandria's throne room where no one comes in when he's not there?) and started preparing the place for the ritual. Completely lock the doors with use of magic, fortify the walls, create a connection between the room and Sanctuary… Good, now locate then Call, Infosphere, and Soul Trap… Study them for a bit longer… Re-translate them into his own understanding, Imprint… Now Inscribe it with his Dictionary… Now do the same, but with conventional rune language…

The rune strings lined up across the walls. Slowly the previously empty space was filled with shining runes, though his own language was still kinda underwhelming compared to Will Inscription and Ancient Rune Language, but maybe he can work on that after everything is done?

Cid drank the last bit of delicious liquid.

Right, now locate his own soul… Show where to go… Fill it up with mana and go!

---

"Fu-u-uck, what happened yesterday…"

Cid slowly stood up from the bed with the strongest headache he ever had since reincarnating into this world.

He can remember doing the Dictionary… Alright, that's nice.

Then he started making the ritual space, yeah, that too… Then he doesn't remember anything!

Where was he, even?… Looked like one of the Sanctuary rooms.

Further inspection revealed that it was, indeed, Sanctuary…

Wait, did he actually succeed?

Cid immediately came out of the Sanctuary to confirm that it was, indeed, now permanently bound to him. Further inspection revealed that it somehow connected to his Pylon System and drained the energy out of it for the task he has given… Well, because apparently even his mana was not enough to just stuff the gigantic place that is Sanctuary into his small body!

Even then, he suffered some consequences: despite regenerating like crazy, his body still couldn't quite handle the strain, so right now his body was in extreme pain and almost refused to work… would not be the first time, anyway, so ignored it. The second part was a bit worse: he activated Overdrive on instinct in order to re-supply the used mana, and even then it was barely enough to cover the losses. In short, he was currently drained. The third, and most important part: he can forget about doing anything like that for a month or so even with the highest temps of recovery, because his soul was strained a lot.

Now, for the good parts: the implantation was a success! Now Cid could hear the Call from beyond the world and choose to either answer it or ignore it… And there were a lot of them! Though sometimes he could see it immediately disappearing, probably someone other answered it first. He still didn't check up the Infosphere part, but that's a task for later, when he rests properly.

Next part: such intense Overdrive would usually result in Magic Overload, but thanks to the ritual, mana draining, and his overall ability to control magic and his own body he instead underwent a rapid evolution: now even without mana his body was restoring itself extremely fast. In fact, while he was still thinking about all the cons and pros, his body already went from "it's deader than dead" to "a bit sick but otherwise fine"!

Same thing about his mana and its regeneration: now his recovery rate was the same as it was with Overdrive previously. And for that he needs to thank the Sanctuary and… Shadow Core.

Yes, Shadow Core went onto giving him mana, too! And now his mana was even more compressed than before, and Shadow Channels evolved on themselves, creating multiple branches to supply his body better.

The final part was the fact that the Faith Energy that was used up apparently went to evolve this Soul Trap; now it was a proper Soul Space (brand new name)! Instead of just storing souls inside of it, he can use it as a proper… Yes, Inventory! No longer he needs to leave anything in Shadow Realm, he can always carry things with himself!

And he immediately did so with storing Serpent's remnants into it.

Right, Faith energy… Some parts of it somehow got stuck in his body during the ritual. He still didn't know the implications, but as he watched it going in his body, his state only got better, so he concluded that it only benefited him. He will study it. Later.

For now, he needs to check on the last part: namely, the fact that he can feel something inside the Sanctuary.

He entered the Sanctuary again and went to the place where he felt a disturbance.

He was not ready for the sight.

You know that this world had an abundance of various creatures, right? Slimes, carnivorous plants, golems, even mythical demons and dragons (hello, Realm Dragon and Mist Dragon)!

Yet even these things could not compare to the monster that was in front of him.

Its green skin shined in the light while its cold eyes stared at him without blinking. It slowly tilted its head and opened its large mouth.

Cid could even feel connection with it that has risen from the soul. Inner Beast, right? Who wouldn't want a cool-looking Inner Beast?! Dragons, basilisks, gryphons, serpents, wolves, lions, even spiders and insects — these are the things that everyone would choose, right?

Well, Cid's Inner Beast put everyone to shame.

You would think with its green skin it would be something cool like serpent or basilisk, right?

No, his was way superior-

Nah, what the actual fuck?! Hello, world, couldn't you give him a cool dragon or something?!

Why is his Inner Beast a fucking bipedal toad in a lab coat?!

Notes:

Before you ask: the second choice was hamster.
The third was crocodile.
All in lab coats.

Next chapter will explain why these ones, but hint: it's related to greed.

Chapter 59: Beast Obsession

Cid stared at the big — two meters tall! — bipedal toad in a lab coat. It stared at him back.

"I don't even know how you survived until this point," and with that the toad turned around.

Of course, Cid couldn't tolerate something like this! So he immediately started beating the shit out of the poor amphibian. It did not do much, considering he didn't even use magic, but at least it calmed him down. After that he demanded the explanation. And, well, now Cid had to reconsider how much points he put into luck stat.

Judging by the toad calculations, he shouldn't have survived the process of binding the Sanctuary to his soul. In fact, his soul should've been destroyed and evaporated like dust; toad gave a 99.9% chance of this happening. Another 0.099% chance was for him being permanently crippled, both physically and magically. And with all these chances, he actually lucked onto 0.001%: being successful in his attempt and coming out without major consequences… What, soul strain? Come on, it's not permanent and will heal up with time.

Todd (that's how he decided to call Toad) actually brought up a stack of papers filled with its calculations and started showing the most important parts. As Cid listened further, only one question appeared in his mind: when did Toad even manage to write all of that? There were 153 pages! Filled from both sides!

Of course, he had to know that immediately. Turned out, there was someone else who helped to write all of that! Which means he actually had a second Inner Beast! Lucky him!

All hopes in finally getting cool-looking beast, though, died immediately after meeting with it. Sure, it had a nice fur, was big and somewhat intimidating. However, there was one major issue: it was a freaking hamster.

Oh, yeah, in a lab coat, too. For some reason it also held the Dictionary and was writing something onto the papers… It has already written nine stack of papers, each three times bigger than the one Todd showed him, and was close to finishing the tenth one.

Upon feeling his presence, Hams (yeah, he cut out the "ter" part) immediately jumped up and started complaining: about the fact that he could actually give some time to calibrating the magic language he created, about the fact that he was in the world for so long, met so many magical beings, and yet their storehouses were still not filled with ingredients to the brim! Cid's objection on the fact that they didn't even have storehouses to begin with was heard, processed, and Hams went over onto showing the amount of rooms Sanctuary had.

Not only that, Hamster also criticized him for not properly checking out the Sanctuary, and that was a big mistake on his part! It had a cloning room, room for storing the created clones, room with a lot of sealing runes that previously held the Diablos' hand in place, room that could create something from memories… In short, Hams was angry! These were goods, their goods! It should all be checked out, placed in special containers, catalogued, and kept in safety (meanwhile Todd finally finished containing Serpent's remains properly)! Yes, even dust! What if they need to make something appear more ancient? Everyone knows that something with lots of dust on it is ancient and revered!

Cid listened calmly to everything Hamster said, nodded, and then took out Serpent's scale and started channeling his magic into it. Upon realizing what was going on Hams — and Todd that just jumped out of one of the room, — fell on their knees and begged him to stop, to not destroy the loot of the enemy so valiantly fought against, the one that threatened to destroy the world: that's a rare material! Where will they even find a replacement?!

After ten minutes or so Cid finally placed the scale back and inquired what the actual hell these Beasts were.

Turned out these guys were both manifestations of Greed that were born while the ritual was binding the Sanctuary: short story, there was a lot of Faith energy involved. Hams immediately soothed his worries and elaborated that no more strange things born from his emotions will appear, because now his soul was strong enough to just shrug it off. Well, there was the third one, but…

Cid looked at the grave filled with sealing runes to the brim and agreed that, indeed, such a terrifying Beast should better stay here.

So, with all these things, a question has arisen: what can these absolutely not-cool-looking Beasts (and Todd is not even beast, it's amphibian) even do? Turned out, a lot.

Both Todd and Hams were incarnations of his greed (and grind) and were obsessed with collecting everything. And when he says everything, he means everything: Serpent's body? They got it into the room already! Money? Todd created a cool-looking treasury one not so long ago! Mana and other energies? Faith one was being redirected from Pylons into the Sanctuary and slowly filled up the reservoirs, Mana and Shadow Mana were connected with his own body and were refined non-stop by him! Though Hams sighed and lamented the fact that the efficiency was not 100% and some parts of it were lost, but threatened to create something that would help to increase efficiency factor… And yes, he means "threatened", Hams looked that scary.

Speaking of creating, Hamster made some research on the language that Cid created and found out a lot of ways to optimize it. Humble Eminence looked onto the ground where stacks of papers (450 was the average amount of pages, yes, filled from both sides) lay and asked which one of these was about his rune language? To which Hams blinked and replied "All!"

Yeah, all of these 4000+ pages were about the rune language. Of course, Hamster corrected itself and elaborated that most of them were just theories that it already tested out and found out not being applicable, so the actual working material was about a thousand of or so pages, and waved at the three stacks.

Cid took out one of the papers in curiosity and was immediately hooked. That was exactly that he always wanted to find! Full research on what, exactly, magic was and how it worked with material world! Hams once again lamented that it still didn't manage to check out the theories yet, especially considering that it was only born a day or so ago.

Cid thought it over and decided to bring as many books about magic of this world as possible as well as search for other natural phenomena; who knows, maybe they will find something that could completely turn everything around? As of now, Hams was tasked with creating an actual portal system so he could connect everything and finally go out to find some other worlds. Call is good and all, but he also would like to have a working ability to teleport on his own!

Then Cid realized that Todd disappeared somewhere, but his worries were unneeded as the amphibian was simply placing goods into the Sanctuary rooms. Toad complained about the fact that at some point the rooms will run out, and what's next? Where will they place their hard-earned stuff?! That would be a catastrophe!

Hams interjected and said that if Todd had been working as much as it was placing coins from one place to another, they would already be finished with rune language and could think about actually using it! Yes, maybe even in things like "where do I stuff more stuff"!

Todd only looked at the pile of coins it was holding and sighed. Then it placed them back into the treasury room and went over to help polishing the rune language. Cid focused on it and realized that, in fact, the job was almost done, so he decided to step in and help with finishing it too.

The results were quite simple: the alphabet and dictionary were finally filled fully, the rules were implemented, Hams combined it all with Ancient Rune Language, and simple examples of runemaking were included in the pages from 259 to 798. Upon seeing the "simplest" example Cid almost went crazy: who the fuck uses 10 words and 182 runes just to create a small flame?!

Hams had to defend it by saying that it was the most efficient way to actually use magic; moreover, wasn't Cid all about actually using his resources thoughtfully and not go "my stick big your stick small ooga-wooga"? He thought it over and agreed that, indeed, having skill is important, so he decided to check it out. Turned out using it the way Hamster and Toad created reduced the mana consumption to bare minimum required for runes to even start working, everything else was carried out by the meaning behind them and laws of physics. About second part: as Todd elaborated, most of the runes related to material world were actually there to check out for the laws of physics in the surroundings and adjust accordingly, so the flame would be able to go off in any place with minimum mana consumption… except absolute void, of course, but they both had doubts even Cid himself would be able to survive in such case.

Upon seeing how hardworking his two Inner Beasts were, Cid shed a tear: while all other Beasts were just there to look cool, trashtalk their owner, and rarely grant their powers, his own helped him in creating his own magic systems and were all around smart! Yeah, lab coats and glasses- Wait, hold on, what are they doing?

Cid stared as Hams wiped his tear. He even thought that they were very fond of him and shed another tear before Todd elaborated — while placing his tears into a vial made from laboratory glass, placed into the chest made from Serpent's scales, and held it in place with Sanctuary's chains and twenty rows of runes, — that Cid's genuine tears were as rare as a potion made from Demon's Skin, God's Blood, Honest Student's Saliva, and Dragon's Talon.

Upon receiving Cid's question about Honest Student's Saliva both Beasts went into thought before admitting that, indeed, they went a bit overboard: at least the other three you can find, but Saliva? Yeah, dream on.

But overall, Cid was very content: after all, he got two more… sentient beings of his level that could help him with creating magic stuff! Moreover, unlike him who was also caught up into doing Eminence stuff these two were in Soul Space 24/7, and they didn't even need sleep! As they elaborated, by the way, he did not need it now, either. From papers they gave him apparently he has now evolved to the point where sleep was more of a nice way to rest than a real necessity; sleep is needed for the information you received during the day to be catalogued properly and remove the nasty stuff that you receive during the day. His body was now advanced enough (especially with magic) to restore itself during the day and use Soul Space as a secondary back-up… By the way, Hams also promised to create something so Cid could catalogue his memories properly like a library, but that was task for months to go.

But as of now, both of them said that he needs rest for at least three days before they could go on their experiments again: his last attempt still strained him heavily. Cid finally remembered about the Shadow Garden girls that he didn't visit properly in days and went out of the Sanctuary.

A moment of concentration, and now he's back at Mitsugoshi. And just as he wanted to relax with a cup of nice tea and some cookies…

"Lord Shadow!" something warm and soft launched itself into his embrace and clung to him like a koala, "I have missed you so much! Ahh, to think about receiving the blessing to be with you…"

The "thing" in question was a very tall (no kidding, taller than he was in his mob persona!) and voluptuous woman with somewhat pink hair that looked at him with so much love and fanaticism that he heard Todd's wails of not being able to collect Love energy. At least Faith was collected at a rapid pace.

And after searching through his memories he finally realized that this woman was suspiciously similar to Victoria, that one girl he once saved from being killed when she was possessed… Hmm, he didn't think a growth spurt like that could happen… 

But he had another problem at hand. Right behind her, Seven Shades stared with such amount of jealousy that Todd audibly gasped and clutched onto its chest in despair that so much energy was left to waste. Hams promised to think about it.

But even that paled in comparison to the sight near them.

The Tyrant Queen Rose Oriana looked at him in shock after hearing how Victoria addressed him.

"S-Sha- Cid?"

"Hey, Rose," he slowly waved his hand, "guess you finally managed to fulfill your goal?"

That was not in the plan.

Notes:

Coming soon: Cid, Hams, and Todd session of magic research
Lawless City is on the horizon

Chapter 60: Portal Obsession

Cid slowly sipped his tea.

From the left side, a tall pink-haired woman pressed her well-developed upper curves into his arm and purred affectionately.

From the right side, a bit shorter woman with honey-like hair rested her head on his shoulder.

In front of him sat a mature woman with dark hair; she stared lovingly at him, resting her chin on her hand.

"Cid, I still can't believe that you were concealing your true strength this whole time, all for the sake of saving the world…" that was from the right side.

"Lord Shadow, I shall make sure all your wishes come true! Please, give a command!" a somewhat fanatical voice could be heard from the left side.

"My Knight, what would you like to do next?" mature woman blushed like a girl with a crush.

He sighed. How did it even come to this?…

---

"Cid…" Rose Oriana couldn't even continue her speech.

Yeah, a really bad situation. He planned this grand reveal for a way, way later, when all the heroines come together. Then he could make a grand stage just like he planned (ignore Todd's croaking about waste of resources)!

Unfortunately, he was revealed by one of his subordinates… And honestly, he should've anticipated that. Like, yes, Rose got into contact with Shadow Garden, but he forgot to say that unlike all other members she didn't know that Shadow == Cid! So no wonder the moment they were in Shadow Garden's secured place they went all open.

"Hi, Rose," he waved his hand.

She only stared at him in shock. Just so you know, he doesn't feel any better right now!

"Guess you finally managed to fulfill your goal?" that was not the best continuation, but hey, he tries to improvise here!

"Cid…" she gulped, "You were Shadow this whole time?…"

"Yeah?…" he tilted his head.

"So… you were doing all of this… since you were Slayer?"

"Yeah."

"But…" she realized something, "Weren't you but a child when you saved me?"

"Hmm, yes, I was, I think…" so that's from where she remembered his previous nickname, huh?

"That means…" her eyes lit up, "That means you were fighting for the world ever since you were but a child!"

"Huh-?"

"You just realized that?!" oh, yeah, there was also a pink-haired woman in his embrace, "Lord Shadow is the most magnanimous existence in the world! His kindness knows no bound! He laid his whole life to make sure we all receive a chance to live…!"

You know, Cid long knows how much Shadow Garden worships him. He doesn't even mind that, at least not that much… But that woman surely is nuts, even more so than Eta and Zeta… Huh, what are you saying, Hams? "Don't fix her, she produces a lot of Faith energy"? Sure.

"…You are right," Rose sulked, "I should've realized long ago that such a perfect, determined, loving, caring…" every woman present nodded in agreement to every word, "and the most important, humble person like Cid was the most obvious candidate to be Shadow…"

"Hmm…" Victoria squinted, "At least you repented and accepted the grace of our Lord and Saviour. Ah, my Lord…" she turned her head to him, "The last time you granted me the power to purge the heretics!…" she blushed madly and stared at him with so much love in her eyes that Todd kicked Hams and urged him to finally create something to store Love energy properly and not place it together with Faith.

"Oh, it was that one where you killed these guys with those strange things?" case solved, this woman is seemingly his apostle.

"To think that you remember it!" Victoria squealed in delight (Hams swore and recalibrated the channel; the amount of Faith she gave was a bit too much).

"…Cid, but why did you need to play like a weak student?" Rose suddenly inquired.

"Uhh-"

"No, wait, Cult of Diablos would surely target you if you were to reveal yourself as Shadow!" Rose 'realized'.

"Yeah, something like that."

'Yeah, I am not telling her I did all of that only because of thinking it was all a roleplay… Come to think of it, I will not tell that even to Shades.'

"Excuse me, Lord Shadow," a muffled voice came from behind the door (Cid just realized that Shades were suspiciously silent this whole time; turns out they left already), "There's someone who wishes to meet you."

"Hmm?" who would want to meet him in his Shadow persona? "Sure, let them in."

And moments later, a dark-haired woman gracefully entered the room.

Cid's breath hitched.

"Violet…" one of the few people that managed to get through his self-control.

"Hello, my gallant knight," she chuckled.

"You're finally awake," smile crept on his face.

"M-m-m," Violet smiled back, "and I see you're having fun."

"Are you gonna poke me with that?" he sent her a deadpan stare.

"I sure will," she covered her mouth to suppress the laugh.

"Excuse me," Victoria finally lost her patience, "but who are you and what relationship do you have with our Lord and Saviour?"

"My, where are my manners…" Violet feigned realization, "I am the one called Aurora, the Witch of Calamity."

"M-m-m?" Rose blinked, "I have heard about from Goddess' Trial… Wait, didn't Cid fight you back then?"

"Indeed, that was me… Or rather, my fragment."

Victoria was silent.

"I see you have some doubts," Aurora addressed his apostle, "ask me anything; I don't want the followers of my Knight to feel bad, after all."

"Wasn't Aurora also called Diablos?" Victoria went straight to the point.

"Yes, I am, in fact, the Demon Diabolos," Witch saddened.

Victoria turned around to look at Cid. What does he even say there?… Oh, yeah, better just say the truth.

"it was kinda sad seeing her trapped for things she did not do, so I freed her and gave her a new life," and shrug.

"…I see!" her eyes sparkled, "Your compassion extends so far that you are willing to save even the one who endangered the world in hopes that she will redeem herself! Brilliant, Lord Shadow!"

'Uh, yeah, I don't think I was ready for this amount of worship…' he sweated internally as Hams and Todd made yet another channel for Faith energy (Faith he got before was but a scrap of what he should've gotten because of Pylons' inefficiency in being energy storage).

"Ah, I never doubted my Cid…" uh, Rose, the hell you mean by 'my'?

"Your…?" Victoria suddenly turned to Queen Oriana, "Don't think too highly of yourself. Yes, you were saved by him in your childhood, but I was granted salvation by him directly!"

"And what advantage does that give to you-?!" Rose didn't want to lose.

"Silence."

Cid knew well enough where will things develop at this pace and he didn't want to bother himself with, how he called, "harem wars". They wasted energy, and Cid didn't want to waste energy. Hams and Todd wouldn't approve that.

"Considering that you have joined Shadow Garden, you are now a part of the family. And family members don't fight each other. Am I clear on that?" upon receiving nods Cid cancelled the 'mute'.

"Forgive me for doubting your decision, Lord Shadow," Victoria bowed in shame.

"I am sorry, Cid; I know you cherish everyone you save, yet still…"

"Forget about it," he sighed, "moving on; how about you join me on a tea?"

"That would be the highest honor, Lord Shadow!" fanatic mode on, understood.

"Well, allow me to accept your invitation, my Knight," Cid could see the demons dancing in Violet's eyes, and these demons promised to make fun out of him to no end.

"Yes, Cid!" that answer from Rose was almost military-like.

---

Cid slowly sipped his tea.

"Cid, I still can't believe that you were concealing your true strength this whole time, all for the sake of saving the world…" Rose inhaled his scent from the right side.

"Lord Shadow, I shall make sure all your wishes come true! Please, give a command!" Victoria's fanatical voice almost deafened him from the left side.

"My Knight, what would you like to do next?" Violet blushed like a girl with a crush.

He sighed and placed a cup back on the table. With each passing day, he becomes Harem Protagonist more and more. He just wanted to roleplay in peace and not think about anything, why did they all decide to suddenly become obsessed with him?…

Well, it's not like it's bad. On the contrary, Cid actually appreciated their attention! It's just that… there's that one thing called 'too much'.

"Well, as of right now I am thinking about-" he suddenly stopped.

"My Lord?" Victoria tilted her head in confusion.

"A moment."

Hams was practically screaming for Cid to pay attention, and once he finally listened, Beast started dishing out everything it found out. At some point Cid got fed up with this and demanded the shortened version.

And, well, it was simple: Hams was checking up the Pylon System out of boredom (it already read everything Cid gave; time to give more) when it realized that something in Oriana Kingdom was off. There was some kind of spatial anomaly akin to that of Sanctuary but at different level. Moreover, it was somewhat similar to his Pylon System, but still different.

And each time Hams touched the Pylon System this anomaly would shake and reveal itself a bit.

Upon hearing these news he had to act immediately.

"Rose, is there anything of interest in your country? Natural phenomenon or something like that?"

"I…" she blinked, "I have heard legends of something called 'Black Rose', but I am not sure…"

"Get ready, we are going to check it out!" he immediately stood up and commanded slime to take Shadow's attire.

"Understood, my Lord," Victoria immediately changed her expression to a serious one.

Rose simply nodded and morphed her suit into Tyrant Queen.

"Violet, please be lovely and tell Shades that we will return soon," he asked with a charming smile.

"I just met you and we already have to part…" she gave a dramatic sigh, "I wish you a safe return, my Knight."

"M-m-m," and with that Cid activated the Pylon teleportation.

---

"So that's the power of Lord Shadow…" Victoria produced even more Faith energy upon realizing they suddenly appeared in Oriana's capital.

"I shall go in and prepare everything for a good stay," Rose immediately collected herself.

"M-m-m," he simply nodded and focused on a certain part.

"And… I wish you luck, Cid!" she suddenly blushed.

"Hmm," he acknowledged her blessing while Victoria growled.

As Rose went away to the castle to inform everyone that ruling party has changed, Cid slowly flew closer to the suspicious point with Victoria following him. And once he finally came near it, he felt a scream from the deeps of his Soul Space.

Hams was convulsing (literally) in ecstasy after realizing what, exactly, this anomaly was. Todd tried to inquire what was so shocking about the anomaly. Once Hams calmed down enough to tell about the result of his research, Todd joined in convulsion. And, honestly, if it was not for the fact that Victoria was still there, he would lay in ecstasy, too.

This thing was a spatial anomaly! The one that connected two worlds! Though currently it was sealed, but would that even be a problem for him? Cid himself was good enough to crack down the code (at least he hoped so), but now, with Hams and Todd and Infosphere knowledge? Yeah, he would have more problems with studying the anomaly itself. The seal was a thing for an hour, no more.

"Victoria, guard me."

"Yes, my Lord!" the amount of adoration that was contained in this not-so-small body was enough for Hams to consider creating something good to show appreciation. Honestly, Cid thought the same.

And, true to his thoughts, no more than a couple minutes later Todd made a solution on how to crack the seal down. Of course, Cid immediately did it!

The next moment, the skies darkened.

Dark clouds slowly converged until they formed a gigantic flower.

And then it opened.

An armada of beasts flied through the finally opened portal. They were eager to tear this world's inhabitants apart!

That is, until they met one unassuming man in a black coat.

They stopped as if they hit a wall. Man slowly grinned. And beasts' only shreds of intelligence told them that it would be wise of them to just go back.

And so they did.

"Stop right there, ingredients!" for some reason, they didn't stop even though Cid asked nicely.

Notes:

Yeah, I swapped around Lawless City and Earth arcs
Don't worry, Hams and Todd are smart, and Cid is smart, too, so they will work around the time difference between worlds; Earth arc will take not that much if I am being honest…

Chapter 61: Player Obsession

Cid physically felt Todd's joy at getting so much loot.

To be fair, it was, in fact, a lot of various interesting things. These guys, despite looking even more demons than some actual demons, were not, in fact, demons in nature. Cid could even say that they were just some mutated beasts, and the variety of mutations was, to say the least, large.

Though one problem has arisen: they were running out of rooms to store goodies. Todd was already shaking poor Hams to create more space for the hard-earned items, and Cid wholeheartedly agreed with the Toad (capital T, because it's not just some toad, it's his Toad!). Like, what if they run out of space and there's still something interesting left? Toad will get a heart attack because they will be forced to leave something!

In short, Hams was forced to think about something to store more stuff, be it another subspace or the expansion of Cid's Soul Space… But only after they study this Black Rose!

---

Victoria looked into the sky in delight.

This was her God.

This was their protector, the one who granted salvation to those in need, the one who purged the filth that plagued the world.

Lord Shadow opened the Black Rose. Not to summon the so-called demons here, oh no… He wanted to slaughter them so his world would no longer fear their invasion.

Yes, his world. Everything in this world was his. Including the world itself.

If someone doubts it, they can come and say it straight to her face.

If they have the skills to survive her wrath, that is.

---

"So the Black Rose was nothing more than a door for otherworldly beings to enter, huh?…" Rose mused as she looked outside the window, at the sky where all the invaders just turned into nothing by the will of Shadow.

Or, rather, Cid Kagenou, the one she proclaimed her husband…

Her cheeks reddened at this thought as she buried her face into her hands. Now she was feeling kinda silly with these thoughts; Rose thought she could just take him away and let him grow under her wing. Turns out, this whole time it was actually the other way around…

Well, now she wants to take him as her husband even more, but…

Rose counted mentally.

Yes, there are Seven Shades, apparently this Victoria… Should she count Alexia Midgar and… Sherry Barnett, was it? If yes, then it's eleven women that all have sights on him. This is gonna be tough…

Rose inhaled.

But that's fine. She will prove her love to him, and then they will marry and have a happy family…

She felt someone behind her. Interesting… After training with Shadow Garden members she has grown quite perceptive…

After turning around she saw two elves clad in Shadow Garden uniform. One with white hair, another with blue. Both looked at her with curious blue eyes.

"You are…?"

"I am 664. This one is 665. We were assigned to serve as the link between you and the rest of Shadow Garden, and we were instructed to wait until you come back into Oriana kingdom," the shorter one with blue hair spoke military-like.

"Hi~ I am 665, pleased to meet you," white-haired was, in contrast, more laid-back and a head taller than her teammate.

"I see," Rose nodded and turned back to the window.

Two Numbers simply stood right behind her and watched the Black Rose in the sky.

She will need to finish the clean-up and make contacts with other countries. Maybe, collaborate with Shadow Garden. Later. For now, she wishes nothing more than to watch her beloved.

---

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, equip is good, full mana and HP, skills' CD over."

"Same."

"Mhm."

The leader nodded and looked over the squad. Their guild was not the top-100, and not even top-250, but they still were strong enough to fight for top-500; a lot of people looted the Naruto worlds, giving access to Doujutsu, Fuinjutsu, and other interesting stuff; other preferred to start new games in worlds that were at war or had a large amount of outlaws, like One Piece where it was pretty easy to farm Soul Crystals from pirates and marines alike, depending on which side you got reincarnated to.

They had a large amount of people (over three hundreds), were lucky enough to reincarnate into the worlds where leveling is pretty easy and a lot of powers to get and trade existed, so no wonder they got into top-500 out of 214985 Guilds. Honestly, nobody knew how much, exactly, people were in The Game, but it was definitely a large amount, probably close to billions-

"Lead, take trade," voice of clan's second-in-command interrupted him.

"M-m-m," he immediately accepted.

Second-in-command received a mythic-grade bow, while leader got a mythic-grade armor.

Apparently, the world they wanted to go into had a Raid Boss of high level. Some small clan used the System Portal to get into a random world, and was instead met with level 500 or something Raid Boss. The most important part is… The world like that was never found before. Which means new place to farm, new powers to get, and much more.

Of course, the guild decided to overprepare for that. Twenty level 470+, ten level 500+, five level 520+, and the guild leader himself at level 534 that will serve as tank.

"It's finally available."

Indeed, the System Portal finally answered to coordinates. It was unusually long, probably because it's first time this world was identified by System.

"I am not gonna talk much about it; it's not your first Game, and you all are high-levels, so you should know how Raid Boss works: unless we kill it, we are not going back."

Upon receiving the confirmation guild leader used the Portal.

The next moment, a raid squad of thirty six players appeared in a new world. Some kind of medieval city surrounded them, and gigantic image of a flower was shining in the sky.

Leader immediately received a notification:

New quest received: Shadows of Garden

Description: A new force appeared in this world. Please, eliminate it to restore the balance of this world.

Main Goal: defeat as many members as possible (0/672)

Secondary Goal: defeat higher-level members (0/12)

Secondary Goal: defeat force's leaders (0/7)

Additional Goal: defeat Sha/ERRRRR…

Rewards: +1000 EXP for every member defeated, +5000 EXP and a epic-tier item of your choice for every higher-level member defeated, +50000 EXP and a legendary-tier item of your choice for every leader defeated; EXP reward is given out to every participant of squad, item is only given to the one who killed the member.

Refusal penalty: none.

Failure penalty: none.

He blinked for a moment, but this Additional Goal was nowhere to be seen anymore. Did he just imagine it? The quest seemed normal so far, even generous. Of course, 50000 EXP by itself is not that much, but considering that everyone in the group will receive 50000 each? Yeah, if they manage to fully finish this quest, they should be able to get two to three levels. And a legendary item is only one tier below mythic-

"And who are you to interrupt Lord's investigation?" they suddenly heard a voice behind them.

Upon turning around leader's breath hitched: tall, beautiful, voluptuous woman with pink hair stared at them as she held a sword in her hand.

"[Discern]."

Name: Victoria

Level: 324

Just 324? Surprisingly high, but still not enough. It should be easy then.

"Take her," he commanded and prepared the sealing collar.

Moments later, he heard screams. But not feminine. The woman suddenly slashed against one of their DPS, inflicting heavy damage. Very heavy. [Status] window showed that their DPS lost 48% of her health in one strike, which… Should not be possible because of difference in level.

Come to think of it, that small clan did say that they met with a woman that at first seemed unassuming and then revealed herself as Raid Boss of a high level… Could it be that one?

"Prepare the formation!"

Woman just stared at them with icy blue eyes and shifted a bit. Leader himself got into tank position.

She slashed at him. Her strike was… not that strong, only taking about 0.8% of his HP. The problem was, he was exactly 210 levels above her. With that difference, she should not be able to damage him at all. Yet she did.

She only smirked at him and jumped to the backrow. That's why he held his [Taunt] until now-!

It didn't work? No, it did work, but she only staggered for a couple of seconds and shook it off. And now his [Taunt] is in CD for a couple of minutes.

"Don't you dare to think a vermin like you can shake the faith in my Lord!"

Oh, she got enraged. On one hand, sucks, now she can probably two-shot their squishes. On the other hand, she herself should now be more easily damaged.

But the fact that she can ignore the [Taunt] clearly shows that she's one of the Raid Bosses… Could she be the one related to quest? They did appear near her, after all.

"Hmm, are you related to Garden, missy?" one of their members asked, salivating.

Leader only sighed at his stupidity; it was one of the newbies, third Game only, and he still didn't shake off his left-over morality and whatnot. It was long time to realize that the only goal was to enjoy the Game itself and min-max your stats, only caring about NPCs in regards of how useful they can be for that… Waifu Hunters never change…

"…Are you Cult's pawns?" she smiled coldly, "Well, then I will give you painful deaths."

'Cult,' he noted. Apparently, Garden was the new force of this world, while Cult was the old one… The more information they get now, the more places for farm they will get in the future.

"That's none of your business," he stated calmly.

"We shall see… Watch over me, my Lord! I offer this victory to you!"

'Indeed, she suddenly got 200 levels…' he calmly noted. And now her strike took away 7% of his HP every time. A Raid Boss, indeed. Probably one of that Garden's leaders.

However, they still had something to surprise her-

"Victoria?" another woman appeared.

And once again he could hear the gulps of male members… And even some of the female ones. Well, she had an alluring figure and beautiful blonde hair, he had to give that, but he was more interested in her stats.

Name: Rose Oriana

Level: 269

"Rose…" the Raid Boss squinted, "As you can see, there are some… heretics."

The newcomer merely nodded and took a fighting position. And, of course, the moment she did so she suddenly got a boost in levels; though, compared to Raid Boss, that one only got 150. Honestly, it was the first time he saw such strong boosts on NPCs.

Leader calmly calculated their odds; they could sacrifice some of their members in order to take victory. Leveling them back wouldn't take that much, and rewards they could get from the quest are way superior.

Then, the course of actions is set.

"Oh, what are you doing here?" sudden voice from behind startled them.

"Lord Shadow!" Raid Boss suddenly squealed in happiness.

Come to think of it, wasn't Additional Goal trying to say "Sha-" or something?

Leader slowly turned around and saw a man in coat made of darkness (and he's now being serious, he saw shadows moving in it), face closed off that only two red orbs watched over them.

So, if he's the Lord, that means he's the highest authority in that Garden?

"[Discern]."

Of course, it's not [Observe], but it should do its job.

NAmE: Sha/ERRRRR

ERR- ERROR-

"Oh, what was that, I wonder…" he could hear the mocking.

Guild leader only stared in shock as his System suddenly shut itself down. And judging by reactions of everyone else, their own did, too. And without System, they couldn't access their skills!

"My Lord, these people appeared right after you slaughtered these beasts! I assume they are related to Cult!" Raid Boss fell on her knee towards the man, as if not caring about the Players in the slightest.

"No, these guys are not from Cult…" man himself tilted his head, "They are from beyond this world, just like the beasts and those you fought before."

'So that's why we didn't hear from any of them back then,' sudden realization hit the Guild Leader.

That Pink Cat clan was silent about disappearance of their members. Now, he knew why.

"How amazing…" the blonde woman gasped, "You found out about other worlds and realized that you could use the Black Rose to get them out and remove all threats!"

"Ah- Yes, something like that," the man agreed.

And at this moment, Guild Leader heard System's reboot. In hopes, he looked at the message.

However upon seeing the contents of the message he lost any will to live.

That… had to be a joke, right…?

---

One day, System suddenly shut itself down out of nowhere. 

A lot of Players, not being able to use skills and System Revival, perished permanently.

They waited it out, and in a hour or so System was brought back to work. Apology compensation was sent out to everyone who survived.

They thought it was over.

In the next three System days, Players got a shocking quest.

They were just minding their own business, converting NPCs and mobs into SCs and CCs, respectively, when they received a quest message. They thought it was an apology from System Administrator for the sudden shutdown.

Upon opening it, however…

Cough, cough.

Param-pam-pam!

Congratulations!

You just got a brand new quest!

Goal: drown yourself in the toilet!

Reward: you will not be forced to drown in the toilet!

Refusal/Failure penalty: you will be drown in the toilet!

Time limit: 12:00:00

Many dismissed it as a joke, only to suddenly find themselves drowning in the toilet's sewage with all their skills locked. Needless to say, 70% of the Players were very angry. System Administrator had to step in and manually fix the strange bug.

They still couldn't find the reason behind that, though many suspected one of the once top-500 guild to be guilty of that, considering the time they went into some new world and the time Players started receiving this quest to be suspiciously close…

---

These guys appeared again. You know, the ones with these constructs on their souls? Yeah, these ones.

Apparently, they somehow got through the Black Rose. Cid did not expect it, either. He was busy fixing the Black Rose channel with Hams and Todd, after all!

What's to fix? Well, it was two-sided portal between worlds. And when he says worlds, he means worlds, not Planes like Demon Realm, Shadow Realm, et cetera. Planes, as Hams' research showed, belonged solely to the world they, so to say, were bound to, and were easy to travel to and back; moreover, Shadow Realm breakthrough into another world was just one time dangerous thing. For worlds, something way better was needed… Which they just found!

The problem was, by Todd's calculations, the time between one world and the other was way too different. For some reason, time on Cid's side (again, if Todd is to be believed) was going way faster than it should. Hams was busy recalibrating that thing, but the only thing he could do currently is reverse time difference: now instead of going five times faster on his side it would go five times faster on the other side… At least, that was the intention. Hams sighed in pity and lamented that if only they had something about time, they would be able to recalibrate it to lower or higher parameters; he would prefer magic, but physics books will do just fine, too.

Anyway, what they did should fix any problems that would arise should he disappear for a long time! Now he can spend more than a month on the other side, and by return only a week will pass!

"Rose, tell to others that I will be gone for some time," he smiled in delight.

"Alright, Cid, good luck," she smiled gently (Todd took out some gold and precious gems and started making a ring; if she gets it she should produce more love, right?).

"My Lord, allow me to travel with you!" Victoria suddenly spoke.

"Sure, I guess?" he immediately agreed; now, that was not because Hams screamed into his (inner) ears that having a source of Faith nearby is good.

Victoria suspiciously beamed as Todd rang the alarm about overflowing Faith containers.

Well, what will a brand new world show him?!

Notes:

Cid: exists

System: "My job here is done."

Oh, yeah, there also was Ragnarok, right? Well, there's no more Ragnarok, only "very precious ingredient №42".

Chapter 62: Earth Obsession

"Victoria, do you see what I see…?"

"Indeed, my Lord," pink-haired woman squinted in disgust, "Such an unsightly, messy place. Absolutely unfitting of someone of your status!"

Cid only sighed and looked over once again. Well, he did, in fact, appear in another world.

It's just that this another world turned out to be his own previous world. Earth.

Well, at the very least, Hams and Todd are gonna have a field day once he gets his hands on the knowledge that was accumulated by humanity. That is, if he manages to find the place where it's stored… Come to think of it, it would be a good time to check out his Infosphere connection ability…

Cid concentrated. A beautiful sight appeared in his mind; he felt like swimming in the ocean of knowledge… That is, until he tried to give a question to this ocean. The moment he established contact, all the information started pouring into his mind.

He groaned and forcefully cut the connection.

"Lord Shadow?!" Victoria appeared in front of him as he rubbed his forehead.

"It's fine, just tried to cheat my way and quickly find what I wanted," he sighed.

"Cheat…?" she tilted her head.

"Forget about it, I now know what we should do."

"As expected of my Lord!" she beamed.

'Yeah, having a fanatical worshipper that thinks you can do no wrong is certainly reassuring when going into the unknown.'

Hams once again drilled him, this time about the fact that his soul still didn't recover yet, so he only should sit down and suffice with Omnispeech (made up name; that thing that allowed demons to speak in every language).

So, about where they appeared. Turned out, something strange has happened, and now Japan (because everywhere he looks he can see Japanese symbols) has become a post-apocalypse sight: broken cars, rotting corpses, smashed devices… And, of course, cracking buildings. Oh, and "Tanaka" on one of the buildings, looks like a store. Yeah, it's 100% his old city.

"Now, listen to me: the name of this world is 'Earth'. The country we are in is called Japan. This is… or rather, was one of the cities. However…" dramatic pause! "As you can see, calamity has fallen upon denizens of this world…"

Victoria listened to him with her mouth open as they walked into the building..

"Hmm…" oh, a newspaper; a bit old and torn, but good anyway, "'Japan fell'? How interesting, so they could not overcome the calamity…" he sighed and started looking around to see if anything else of interest was here; there was, but these things were completely unusable.

Shame. The computer that was in office room completely died. A real shame; if they could access the Internet (granted, if it was still intact with all the post-apocalypse stuff), he would not need to run around in search for books and whatnot.

"My Lord, you can already read this language?…" Hams and Todd sent out an alarm about overflowing Faith.

"Hmm?…" oh, right, "As I always said, all knowledge is inter-connected. Whenever you learn one thing, you place foundation to learn a thousand other. This is why it's important to have a vast amount of knowledge; who knows if that one thing you deemed useless would be the important piece unlocking a grand mystery?"

Yes! Yes! That was so cool! Hams, add this one to the "cool speech" list!… Thank you!

"So this is the Shadow Wisdom Shades were talking about…" Victoria whispered.

Yeah, looks like he overloaded her here. Nice, now he can think what to do next… Hmm? What are you saying, Todd? "Nishino University"?… Oh, right!

"Follow me, Victoria. It is time for us to uncover everything this world has to offer," and a cool swing of the cape to look mysterious and cool. Looking mysterious and cool is +100 CHA!

---

"Hey, Gamer, how it's going?"

"Stop interrupting me, I am working on the System!"

"Yeah, yeah, we heard that. First time ever you experienced a bug since its creation, isn't it?"

"Yes, though it was not a bug, it's just that some shee- Players met some kind of a deity and managed to make it mad. The result? You see it yourself."

"Come on, Gamer, we all know what these 'Players' actually are."

"Yeah, a livestock, you don't need to tell me that, I am the one who created the System after all!"

"Well, you are not the only one…"

"But certainly the first and the biggest!"

"Someone would beg to differ."

"Huh? Who is it? Tell me, I'll cut out the livestream privileges for them and they can go and roll to other System!"

"Don't think you can cut out his privileges."

"What- Oh. Yeah, even I wouldn't want to inquire his wrath."

"Thought so."

"But listen, what a great idea I got, right?"

"…Not agai-"

"Just think about it: use the external tool that would grant the one who has it a little bit of your Faith in order to quickly increase their power, then they give away their own Faith onto you! But you continue the cycle, and some time after you have a bunch of lower gods on your beck and call! But the best part is not even it, oh no! Sometimes so-called 'Players' decide that they now can overthrow me!"

"Yeah, because they can't use their powers without the System."

"Exactly! The moment I turn off the System for them, the so-called archmage can't even light up a small flame, while the master swordsman can't even take their own weapon right! And it's not because I sealed their power or anything, no! It's because these idiots are so dependent on the System doing everything for them that they didn't even bother to learn it themselves! They just know that they should press a cool-looking button, and after that boom! They defeated everyone! Idiots!"

"Uh, Gamer, that's the seventh time this cycle you tell us-"

"Yeah, archmages! So strong, so powerful, a lot of mana, some even step onto the gods' level! Ah, what an irony… These idiots don't even know the formula for the easiest spell, neither do they have enough willpower and magic control to just use it without one! These looks on their faces when they realize they can't even use their own powers… Hmm, some even die right here and then because their own energy breaks out of their body."

"And then you eat them."

"Indeed, why else would I let them grow? They are livestock, after all."

"Though you still let us watch them and give some rewards."

"Well, why not? Whatever they get in reward is but a part of what you pay me to use my pawns, anyway."

"Oh, remember that one time when they tried to make an alliance against you?"

"…Pfft, why did you remind me of that?! Their 'clan territories' are nothing more but a part of my domain! No wonder the moment I saw all of them being in them, I just closed them off and crushed everyone!"

"Some gods were disappointed, though."

"Those that invested into these idiots? They are no saner than the idiots themselves. Who would even invest into other god's property?"

"True. Oh, one more thing…"

---

"Hmm…" Cid looked over the abandoned hospital building.

"It reeks of death," Victoria noted as she tore the doors open.

'Indeed,' was all Cid could think of upon seeing the mutilated bodies on the upper floors.

His inner poet even wanted to say something along the lines of "seas of blood have flooded the place that once served as temple of life"- oh, he already said that.

"And… I smell… Blood!" Victoria's eyes widened as smile of insanity made its way onto her face.

He definitely shouldn't have listened to Hams, but eh, it is what it is… Hmm? Victoria crushed yet another door and found lots of monsters! And these monsters…

"Well, well, well," his light-hearted chuckle for some reason frightened the monsters, "seems like we found another set of ingredients…" he noticed something peculiar, "Aren't they weaker than those who attacked Oriana despite looking like them?"

For Cid the difference was minuscule, of course, but still, could it be because Earth itself was not a magical world and therefore couldn't sustain magical entities? If so… Oh, wait, his magic does actually leak into the surroundings, but only that which exceeds his maximum capacity. Hams lamented that he didn't manage to create something to store the excessive mana. Well, for him that was nothing, his natural regeneration was orders of magnitude higher than whatever the environment wanted to get, so why not? Let's give his old world a touch of magic!

"My Lord, what do I do with them?" Victoria inquired with beaming eyes.

"Eh," Hams tried to protest about waste of resources, but after getting jab from Todd about still not being able to create a proper additional space sat down in despair, "just remove them."

"As you wish, my Lord!" fanatic fanatically raised her fanatic's weapon and with fanatical glee started chopping down the monsters that did not wish to become fanatics… did he use too much "fanatic"? Of course not. Did she ask for their opinion? Hell nah.

'Hmm, Nishino University…' he thought lazily as he watched Victoria making a quick work out of the monsters.

In his past life this thing was a premium-level education center, if he could say that. An average man like Minoru (his past name; he still remembers it!) could never hope to get into it. He even wanted to just break all the windows for shit and giggles…

Well, now he could just waltz into it and take everything he wanted! Hams was drooling at the amount of knowledge he would get!

"You finished, Victoria?" stupid question, considering not a single beast escaped the onslaught at the hands of this cute woman, but eh.

"Yes, my Lord!" she hugged her weapon as she stared at him with slasher's smile and completely lifeless eyes. It's a bit scary, if he's being honest… Especially considering her face was painted in blood of dead monsters.

"Then…" hm? There was someone else? "Change of plans, Victoria, we wait for our guests."

"Guests…?" she tilted her head, and then realization hit her, "Oh, I can sense them… Not beasts… Humans?"

"Hmm."

Should he play the role of mob…? Alright, alright, Hams, I heard you, no playing around this time! Geez…

---

"Sector is clear," one of the squad members reported and stepped forward.

Akane Nishino could only curse and tackle him on the ground, just in time to save him from Magic Beast's attack.

"Not clear, not clear!" she shouted to get everyone's attention. "A-One-Three!"

Upon receiving an order they immediately assumed a formation around the Beast. They prepared their weapons and watched it. Swords, of course.

For some reason, modern weapons did not work that well against Magic Beasts. Scientists theorized it was because firearms — or, to be more precise, bullets, — did not contain human's magic energy, however infinitesimal the amount may be. Swords, on the other hand, were always in contact with one's hand, having a constant supply of that energy. That energy, they thought, was the reason Knights — soldiers that were able to fight against Beasts — were way more effective against Magic Beasts than conventional firearms. In fact, unless the firepower used was able to overpower Beasts' natural regeneration and kill it instantly, no matter how many bullets you waste, you will never kill them.

On the other hand, even a single sword slash from a Knight will leave a wound that will not close for several minutes. Of course, that depends on strength of Knight and Beast, their difference, et cetera…

And that was the core of the problem. Everything she said was applicable at day.

"Goddamnit, it's strong…" squad member panted heavily.

At night, Magic Beasts gain a huge increase in their prowess, to the point where a weak Beast that a Knight could kill in dozens without breaking a sweat during the day would pose a severe threat to that same Knight at night.

And right now, it was nighttime. Which means that she will have to tap onto her powers…

"Huh?"

Beast suddenly stopped and whimpered. Before anyone could understand what was going on, a flash of purple suddenly appeared. Moments later, Beast was disintegrated.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Sound of footsteps. With heels.

From the darkness, two figures stepped in.

Akane gasped upon seeing the beauty of the woman in front of her. Her light-pink hair, stern gaze of blue eyes, curves that would rival those of top models, yet looked completely natural… Not to mention, she was tall. Almost matching the height of another person. The only reason Akane was not enchanted by the sight was an excessive amount of Beasts' blood that stained her pure skin.

And then, Akane felt.

"What- What is this?…" squad members almost fell on their knees.

Akane couldn't fault them. She felt the same.

After all, while the woman that came out looked like a Goddess that descended to purge the filthy Beasts rampaging across the world, the other figure was a man clad in darkness itself. His face couldn't even be seen, with the only feature that was allowed to be seen being the two red orbs watching their every move.

"Greetings."

He raised his hand. Akane gulped and stepped forward.

"I am Akane Nishino, a Knight from Messiah," she was barely able to speak coherently, but it is what it takes to save humanity, she will do so.

"Wonderful," she heard entity's voice (she had doubts if he could be called human).

The man slowly walked closer to her. She gulped again and waited.

He stopped in front of her and lowered his head, his two red orbs staring right into her soul.

"You… are interesting."

Her breath hitched as she felt like every single secret of hers was laid bare in front of him.

"I am Shadow, the one who lurks in shadows and hunts down the shadows."

'Shadow,' she repeated.

"Now, tell me: what is it you wish for?"

Her wish… To save the world… And meet that boy once more…

"And what are you willing to give for that?"

Notes:

Soon Hams will get his hamsty paws onto Earth's knowledge…

Also it was briefly mentioned about firearms not being all that useful against Magic Beasts in ln4 ch5, but, uh, it wasn't explained why, exactly. So I made up my own reasoning knowing from canon that Beasts regenerate if not being damaged by magic (ln4 ch4). Yeah.

Chapter 63: Training Obsession

Cid was sweating internally.

Yeah, who would have thought that this Nishimura that was his… classmate, right?… would become one of the Knights, forces that protect humanity (actually Japan) from Magical Beasts, aka lowest-tier trash that even a noble child would quickly dispose of. Well, Magical Beasts, as it comes from their name, have magic, and this magic grants them very strong regeneration, unless your attack carried over your own magic.

What does that mean for Cid himself? Well, it seems like old dusty Earth has now become this light novels trope that was popular back in his time… Uh, something about towers and dungeons and people who go into them to fight monsters? Something like that, yeah.

Oh, Nishitane finally collected herself and was now ready to dish out her thoughts!

"What is it you wish to get from me, Lord Shadow?" she inquired. Nice, let's go-!

"Preposterous!" uh, Victoria? "How dare you talk to Divine Lord-"

"Quiet."

He raised his hand to stop the elf from speaking.

"U-Understood, my Lord," great, now she's sulking!

"As for your question…" a small pause as if he thinks on an answer, "I repeat: I can grant a lot. But I will ask no less."

"So it would depend on how much I ask, huh?…" Nishikage said with a sad irony.

She went into thoughts. He didn't mind that, he still needed to set the course onto his next role… Actually, what will be his next role? Hmm…

"How much will it be for me to obtain power to protect the world I live in and love?" Nishimura raised her gaze.

"Easy," reply came out faster than he could think, "I will become your Sensei for the time being, and after your world repels the threat successfully, you are to serve me with your soul."

'Guess it's set, then; I didn't play out the role of enigmatic Sensei yet, so why not?'

"…That simple?" she couldn't believe it.

"Indeed. In fact…" Todd, papers, please! "Here, contract."

In a second he made a small contract and showed it to Nishitane.

"Akane-san, no!" one of her teammates suddenly shouted, "Don't do it! Trading your soul for power is exactly how the downfall begins!"

"Do we have any other choice…?" she retorted sadly and started reading the papers.

The neat thing about contracts is the fact that they are readable. Don't get it? Well, no matter what language you write contract in, both parties will always be able to read and understand it as if it is their own language. And even if they don't know how to write and read, contract will still be understood as if they can! Though it only counts in sentient beings; anyone not being able to have a conversation will not be able to read it and, therefore, sign it, because contract has to be signed with at least basic understanding of its contents.

Of course, to make things easier for both parties involved it would be better to write it in a language that is understandable for everyone, so he wrote it in Japanese.

The contents could be summarized as follows: Shadow (aka Cid Kagenou) was to offer power and knowledge necessary to repel the invasion of Magical Beasts (ten pages describing what are Magical Beasts), Akane Nishino (he could swear that her family name was Nishikage, but anyway) was to offer full servitude (then ten pages about not twisting the words for her own benefit, not trying nor thinking about harming him and his allies with speech, actions, other contracts, etc, etc) in case Shadow fulfills his part of the deal; should Akane violate her part of the deal, she will experience a horrible death and her soul will enter his domain; in case Shadow does not fulfill his end of the deal the contract is null and void.

Yeah, Todd already created about ten or so contract samples just for these kind of deals; just add water- uh, the contents!

As Todd explained while dying of laughter, this whole thing was scam riding the deceit while cooking deception: let's take "offer … to repel invasion" as example. Nishimura asked for him to grant her power; Todd twisted it into "offer". What's the difference? In first case, Cid has to give her enough power to steamroll the Beasts, in essence, grant power. In second case, Cid can either give her power — grant, — or steamroll them himself, thus offering his power. And that's only the first example! Out of at least hundred that Todd didn't bother to explain! Cid quickly needs to up his knowledge! It doesn't matter that Inner Beasts are technically a part of him, he wants to do so!

Of course, there were things like "Shadow is not to inflict any serious, lethal, and/or irreversible damage to Akane's body and soul", but by that point Todd was already under the table (where did they even… oh, right, Sanctuary), so Cid didn't bother asking. He could already understand what it meant, anyway.

Apparently, world didn't care about whether their participants did it by the spirit (aka how both parties wanted it for themselves) or by the letter (aka exactly the way it was written).

"I accept," Akane's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Moments later, Cid felt a connection forming. Great!

Because it doesn't matter how he could twist a contract, he wanted to play the role of a Sensei!

---

"Wonderful."

After hearing Shadow's voice, Akane Nishino suddenly found herself in desolate place. The only other living beings here were Shadow himself and his beautiful companion that scowled at her presence.

And for some reason, she could swear that she saw some dark place, full of monsters that made Magical Beasts look like harmless kitten in comparison…

"Then, we shall start."

She turned her attention back to him and readied herself. There's no going back now, after all.

"But first, you will be gifted a proper weapon. Can't have my student to carry around that…" even though she couldn't see his face, she was pretty sure he was not all that pleased at her current weapon's state.

As ashamed as she was to admit, humanity's cold weapons were not that great even after they discovered the ways to use magic. The main reason being the fact that you can't charge machinery with magic enough for it to carry over to weapons, and without usage of magic at the crafting stage… Well, Beasts surely didn't care about something that barely scratched their skin. Of course, even then Knights could use swords like these, and even fight properly, but… Yes, she did need a better weapon.

"Hmm, what should I give…" he closed his eyes, thinking about something.

She patiently waited (and tried to ignore the stares from the woman behind him).

"Ah, right, this thing," he snapped his fingers, "A bit sentimental to gift it, and the quality is not that great, but… It does have a lot of potential."

He raised his hand. She waited with bated breath as something started swirling towards the center of his palm. And once he was finished…

"Take it."

He offered her a crowbar.

"Huh…?" was all she could say as she took the tool into her hands.

"What?" did she imagine it or was there really a chuckle?

"But that's… Not a weapon?" she was really dumbfounded, alright?

"You think so?" she was 100% sure he raised his brow.

"Uh… Yeah?"

"Take position, then," he took the crowbar back, "ready your sword."

She did as she was told.

"Attack at any time you wish."

Akane inhaled and started looking for vulnerable points. But there was one problem.

His whole position was full of vulnerable points! No matter how she attacks, she will hit him easily!

And so she immediately went on the offensive… Only for her sword to be easily taken by crowbar's notch and ripped out of her hands.

She looked in shock at her weapon lying on the ground. She raised her gaze, only to be met with two red orbs staring from the darkness.

"Pick it up."

He played with crowbar, seemingly not caring about her being this close to him. However, Akane couldn't even move properly as she continued staring at the crowbar. And she could swear that she could hear its laughter.

"Pick. It. Up."

Shadow's patience was running thin. With a gulp, she picked the sword up and took the stance, shaking.

Until the end of the day, he continued fighting her with crowbar, pointing out more and more mistakes of hers.

---

On the second day he gave her the crowbar. It was early morning, and the first task he gave was…

"I should do what?" she couldn't believe her ears.

"Use crowbar as the shovel and dig out a small trench, about one meter in length and height. I will prepare the food for you in the meantime."

Akane wanted to protest, only to find out he already went somewhere and now she was left with that suspicious woman. With a sigh, she got to work. Five years ago, she was one of the upper-class citizen; then, she became one of the world's protectors; now, she was working as excavator. Life is strange…

By the time she finished digging, it was already evening. Exhausted from all the work, she barely got out of the trench she made and saw her new Sensei cooking something. Upon seeing her he nodded and waved to the seat near him. With a groan she crawled towards the spot. Surprisingly, the woman was now looking at her with less hostility.

"Good job. I honestly did not expect you to actually finish it in one day…" if she had any strength left she surely would scream. What was all this suffering for, then?! "Which means you get a reward. Here, double for you."

Double? Well, the smell was heavenly, so… Yeah, she deserved that! Now, give-!

She stared at the meal she got. It looked normal… Until it didn't.

"S-Sensei…" her voice faltered, "What is that?!"

"Oh, that's something I created," he spoke nonchalantly as he ate a spoonful of the meal (she still couldn't see his face), "Rich in nutrients, gives a lot of energy, and has a good effect on your health and body strength. Trust me, two weeks later you will not recognize yourself."

"Y-Yeah… I surely won't…"

Of course she won't. It looks like the meal actually wanted to eat her instead…!

Two hours later, she finally finished the first plate, silently cursing the woman that got normal food in the process. The amount of injuries she got trying to eat it? She doesn't want to talk about that…

---

On the third day, her task was to increase the length to two meters, and height to two meters. Sensei once again left somewhere, probably to find yet another set of ingredients for the meal.

Akane sighed and readied her now trusty crowbar. Today it felt way lighter than usual; either yesterday's feats really improved her strength or the crowbar itself was actually sentient…

She started digging. Yesterday doing so was heavy and tedious. Today, she didn't even think about anything as her hands moved by themselves. In the afternoon, her task was already finished.

"Not bad, not bad," of course, Sensei was already here and cooking yet another meal.

This time the meal felt way less threatening. She finished the plate in half of hour.

---

On the fifth day, her powers were enough to extend the trench up to fifteen meters. After that, Sensei finally decided that it's about time for her to move onto the next step.

"Now that your body is barely passable," she suppressed the wish to drop right here and then, "I have prepared another course for you."

"And that would be…?" she inquired cautiously.

"Crafting."

With that, he took out another crowbar and a plank of wood. What happened next would make any self-respecting craftsman become an alcoholic in the last stages.

In barely a minute Sensei made from an unassuming plank a detailed figurine of that woman… which, by the way, now only looked at Akane in curiosity and wrote everything down; they still didn't talk even once…

Oh, he also did all of that with crowbar.

"This is the result that would place you into high-tier craftsman in my eyes," he said as she stared at the figurine in shock.

Yeah, she has a long way to go.

"Now, I shall explain how, exactly, should you do this… That is, if you want to make yourself a normal house, of course."

Oh, yeah, did she mention that while he somehow (well, now she knows how) made a good-looking house that would put even upper-class citizen to shame, she was sleeping in the small hut? Talk about motivation…

By the end of the day she finally managed to make a small figurine of snake. After being asked why snake, she answered that there was Green Serpent, Apex Beast that was surprisingly not hostile and only wished to fight someone who could best it, and she made a figurine in its form. Sensei went silent after hearing that.

---

On the seventh day, she finally managed to create a proper figurine that showed all the small details of Green Serpent. She herself didn't know how she was able to do such a feat, especially with a crowbar. Apparently, Sensei really was some kind of a divine spirit.

Oh, and a peculiar thing happened…

"You. Talk."

These were the first words that she heard from suspicious woman.

"Talk?"

"Yes. Talk."

It was really hard to understand what she was saying. Apparently, while Shadow could freely converse in any language she could think of (she tried to test him with English, German, even Chinese and Russian; now she has to live with this knowledge…), his companion was not so gifted… Well, what did she expect from divine spirit?

She nodded at the woman and waited for her question.

"You. Adapt. Good."

It was a pain to understand what she was saying, but it was a progress! Of course, she shouldn't say complicated things.

"Sensei. Good. Teach. Well-"

"Can. Understand. Can't. Speak."

Oh.

"Sensei taught me well, I am myself surprised that I went that far in such a short time," Akane sighed.

"Lord Shadow Divine!" for some reason, that one was said almost without errors and in one breath, as if she repeated it for a long time. Come to think of it…

"Are you his apostle?"

"Yes! Me! Apostle!" the usually stern woman suddenly turned into some kind of fangirl.

So he really was a divine spirit…

"Say, would you happen to know why, exactly, did he choose me?" it was worth a try, right?

"No," woman shook her head, "Lord Shadow. Knows. Best. I. Follow."

'Hum…'

After that the dialogue died out. Akane continued polishing both her skills in using crowbar and the figurines themselves.

---

On the tenth day…

"Sensei, what is this?!"

"Oh, that?" he turned to her, "I got that one from some forest. Great, right?"

"Sensei, that goose is a Magical Beast!"

He did, in fact, somehow bring a whole living Canada goose into their training ground. And that goose was, in fact, a Magical Beast. Of high-level, even. Almost close to Apex Beast level.

"Magical Beast?… When I was bringing it here, it didn't have an ounce of magic, though…"

"You want to say you created a Magical Beast without knowing it?" she stared blankly at him.

He nodded.

"You know, I start to think it was you who opened Earth to magic…" she joked weakly; however, instead of chuckling or reprimanding her, he only went in thought; then he nodded slowly, "No-no-no, it's just a joke, right…?"

She didn't want to think that Sensei was so Sensei-ish that he single-handedly granted magic to this world!… Though it would actually be a possibility, but… No, just no!

"So, what do I do with that goose?!" she decided to change the topic.

"Beat it."

Upon hearing his words big (two meters tall) goose slowly redirected its gaze on her and started hissing.

"S-Sensei, are you sure I am ready?…"

"Yes."

And so she charged into the battle.

Needless to say, goose just flapped its wings, and she flew away with severe injuries.

---

On the fourteenth day, after realizing that beating the goose was not equal to killing it, she finally managed to tame it.

Now she had a big pet Magical Goose. Sensei even said that it was excellent completion of task and allowed her to take it with herself. She named the goose Minoru to honor the boy from so long ago… Though for some reason Sensei coughed after hearing it. Could he have a cold?

Well, true to Sensei's words, after two weeks of training she did, in fact, could not believe how far she has come. Even now, while fighting against a high-level Magical Beast that could easily crush multiple squads of trained Knights, she held her ground. She did not win, per say, but she could fight back for dozens of minutes. That was a progress!

After seeing how she could easily wield the crowbar for any task — don't ask her how she came from being a complete newbie to expert in less than two weeks; she has no answer, either, — he took the sword and said to get ready for fight.

Sensei said he will just stand in one place and defend. Her task was to break the sword out of his hand or touch his clothes once. She would lose if she was to lose her own weapon or get too tired.

She still lost, but she could see the progress; when he tried to take away the weapon with well-timed strike, she counter-attacked so fiercely that it was him who almost lost the sword. He nodded approvingly and gave a lecture; if it was to be said without all the water that took about 99.9% of overall speech, it would be "fight effective, use cheap tricks".

Sensei deemed her worthy. Tomorrow, as he said, he will give her the final exam.

She doesn't even feel that bad now about leaving to serve him. The only thing she regrets is not meeting that boy since…

Akane sighed. Maybe, just maybe, if reincarnation exists, she will find him again.

Notes:

Shield Hero?

Nah, Crowbar Hero!

Chapter 64: Science Obsession

Cid couldn't be happier.

First, he finally managed to actually play the role of hero's teacher, and that's a big win! Moreover, as it turned out, he's so great at being one that his disciple has quickly risen in power in just two weeks! At the start she was comparable to noble that picked up the combat lesson less than a month ago. Now, she was comparable to… Hmm, Iris? Yeah, Iris. In just two weeks he managed to make from low-tier fighter a force to reckon with.

Second, where do you think he was all these times when he left her under Victoria's watch? You won't believe it… Universities (surprisingly, the rest of the world was somewhat normal; only Japan was post-apocalyptic)! That's right, he went into the universities to collect the knowledge Hams and Todd (and Cid himself too, to be honest) were so eager to get their hands on. Of course, he wasn't so evil as to just steal it and not give anything in return, so he left his lower-level magic theories in their place. The books he took were all copies, anyway.

And in these two weeks Hams and Todd were integrating the scientific knowledge into his magic system. Or, at least, tried to… As it turned out, most things he made back then were still fairly crude. Yes, he absorbed all the knowledge in his past life like a sponge, but… In the years he spent after being reincarnated most memories were dulled, only leaving a generic outline of what was supposed to be proper theories. This, in turn, made some of his abilities somewhat… ineffective.

Now he had proper science books in his library (which Hams just finished arranging) and could finally polish his skills! Of course, it would still take some time to actually raise them to a certain standard, but… He had Hams and Todd now! Even if he himself is busy, skills would still be polished! Yes, when he trains, he trains! When he rests, he trains! When he spends time with girls, he trains! And even when he sleeps…! You get it.

Hams threatened to combine science and magic together and create something interesting. Apparently, that Hamster of his was really invested into rune magic, artifact making, and many other things that were not directly related to combat and which Cid himself glossed over, only doing it for the style points. As Hams noted after Sanctuary binding experience, making Will Inscription together with Rune Magic creates a way more stable enchantment; Rune Magic is prone to structure damage, while Will Inscription is… well, it's good, but it's really hard to Imprint a reasonably large structure with your mind alone. But hard doesn't mean impossible!

So, Cid was content. He had Heroine, he had knowledge.

Though that Heroine was… Apparently, gifting her crowbar was not the wisest choice. No, don't get him wrong, it is a good tool that has a lot of potential, but… Yeah, he did it out of sentimentality (he saved her back then with crowbars, after all!) and a bit of humour, you know? But now, when he saw her actually doing every task with crowbar (especially digging)? He doesn't want to say it was all a joke…

Oh, and these meals he fed to Nishimura? Yeah, that was one of Todd's experiments to create something that would allow faster growth. Of course, Cid himself would not use that (because it was useless for him, anyway, as he could manually fine-tune himself), but for someone else? Yeah, that was good. Though he still had to fix some rough moments when Akane slept, but Todd noted these and promised to make better. Well, by the end of second week Todd actually did create something good, so who is he to complain?

"Sensei, what's next?" oh, Nishitane.

"Hmm…" mysterious humming, "It's about time you experience a real battle with new power of yours and…" glance, "grow accustomed to battle beast."

"Well then, we will do it. Right, Minoru?" and she pet the content goose.

Yeah, he still couldn't get over the fact that this girl actually named the Canadian goose (that Cid apparently mutated… oops) Minoru. You know, his previous life name? Well, he listened a bit to her speaking in dreams, and, well… Apparently, she for some reason blamed herself for his past death. He doesn't even know why, like, it was two magic spheres that brought him to the fantasy world! Though apparently he was also the reason Earth got magic… Yeah, really complicated stuff.

Oh, and apparently Victoria somehow learnt the Japanese from their conversations. She still wasn't able to converse freely, but she could understand everything they said. Now tell him he isn't a brilliant teacher! With gifted disciples, no less!

"My Lord, I am ready," speak of Victoria.

"Wonderful. Let's go."

Meanwhile Hams lamented the overflowing Faith going out of Cid's body. They really need bigger containers… and as many as possible!

---

Akane Nishino appeared back in the abandoned hospital. That reminded her… She wanted to save people who went there, yet the command chain was adamant about leaving them to their fate. Unfortunately…

She sighed.

They were too late. She saw what happened to them before leaving with Divine Spirit and his apostle: torn apart bodies is definitely not a sight most people can stomach…

At least, now she was assured that humanity would be able to fight back. With her new powers, with knowledge that Beasts can be tamed…

"Lead the way."

And, of course, Sensei. He did say that he would offer his powers in fighting the Beasts, and she honestly thought he would just destroy them all in moments, but… Instead he decided to allow humanity to grow by itself and be ready for all the threats that could appear in the future. She had no doubts he would intervene should she fail, but… In these two weeks she has grown on this distant and calm, yet somewhat friendly Divine Spirit. Unlike how she imagined all these spirits would act based on myths and religion, he was… Like a human, just with powers and a bit different mindset.

"Yes, Sensei."

With that they went into the Messiah. Of course, he would know where to appear, but decided to give her a sense of purpose. She really appreciated that.

Half of hour of light run (which two weeks ago would be just right above her top speed) later they appeared near the building.

"University, hm?"

Of course he knew what it was. Indeed, Messiah was once Nishino University, one of the most prestigious educational centers in the country. Now, it served as one of the strongholds that allow humanity to survive. And her brother, Akira Nishino, served as a scientist while she was one of the fighters.

"My Lord, it just me or…?" the woman (as she said, Victoria) spoke in somewhat broken, but still understandable Japanese. Horrifying to think that just two weeks ago she didn't even know a single word out of Japanese… Well, Akane herself was not any better here.

"Indeed," he calmly said, "This place is on high alert."

High alert…?

Now that she thinks about it… Yes, it was on high alert. Just what happened here?

She stepped forward towards the entrance.

"Name yourself!"

"Akane Nishino, the Knight of Messiah."

"A-Akane-senpai?!" one of the squad members looked from above, "Hey! It's Akane-senpai!"

"W-What?!" more people peeked out, only to erupt in cheers, "Open! Open the passage!"

Shortly after, Akane found herself surrounded by a large number of Knights.

"Akane-senpai, we thought we would never see you again…!" the newbies sobbed in joy.

"Calm down, you…" she rolled her eyes, "I wasn't gone forever."

"Ah, sister, you're finally here."

Oh, that voice surely is familiar…

"Brother," Akane nodded as she saw the scientist and one of the head figures of this place, her brother, Akira Nishino.

"You do realize that you put everyone in danger by whatever you did back then, right?"

As always, cold and indifferent, only caring about the results.

"It's either I take the gamble, or we continue to live in fear of Magical Beasts," she spoke dryly.

"Well, I do hope your new knowledge will be of any use. Speaking of it, may you introduce these two individuals to me?"

Ah, right…

"My name is Shadow. I lurk in the shadows, and I hunt down the shadows."

Sensei went silent for a moment.

"That's all you need to know."

"Is that so…" credit where it's due, her brother remained calm and quickly realized what was the best course of actions, "Well then, will you accept my offer and stay here for the time being? On my behalf, you will be provided with all the necessities needed for a comfortable stay."

"Hmm…" she saw Sensei nodding in approval (in time she got to know when it was approval and when it was "what the fuck did you just do"), "Wonderful. I assume we can speak out what do you want from me later, correct?"

"I-Indeed," huh, why was her brother shaking? And everyone else too… Sensei wasn't even being threatening! If she had to say, he was just imposing and commanding respect, nothing more!

Meanwhile, everyone else saw a tall entity clad in shadows with two red orbs instead of eyes that made contracts on the soul left and right.

Yeah, she sold her soul into servitude, but Sensei only wanted the betterment of humanity! He wasn't some kind of demon!

Akane's teammates speculated that this monster once decided to make a contract with the Devil. The deal was a success. Now Devil's soul belongs to entity.

She even asked once where the hell were all other mythological creatures that were supposed to protect them. Like, weren't they praying for salvation? Well, as he said, "Well, look where I am and where they are"; yeah, he's right here training her, and everyone else are… somewhere. She doesn't know where, but certainly not on Earth.

In short, she could understand why this strange woman was Spirit's apostle. There was simply no one else who bothered!

Victoria suddenly found Akane more pleasing to the eye. Almost like the girl finally found a true faith.

"Well then, we shall enjoy your hospitality. If you have any questions, especially about magic, you can consult me."

"Y-You mean?…" her brother's eyes sparkled.

"The price has already been paid," Sensei calmly answered, "Now, the gates of knowledge are opened. Whether or not you enter them, that would be you choice."

Yes, with just her soul humanity got their hands on the knowledge about brand new force. If you ask her, that's a worthy price.

"…I will make sure everyone knows about your sacrifice, sister," her brother spoke calmly.

"I did not do it for fame."

"I know. Still, I will do it."

Akane sighed. She was sure there were three to five layers that were hiding his true purpose, but… It did, contrary to her words, tickle her ego.

"Then, we shall go and get ourselves at home."

"Hmm, Dr. Yuka will show you the way," brother waved at the woman near him. Akane always found Yuka way more pleasing than her own brother…

"Uhm, yes, please follow me!" doctor bowed slightly and lead Sensei and his apostle to their rooms.

As Akane looked at his back, she thought that the stance was somewhat familiar, if she's being honest… On the other hand, she was probably just projecting.

However, she really wanted to know what was on Sensei's mind. When did he appear in the world? Why was he helping humanity? How many grand plans was he making?…

Meanwhile, Cid wondered if Earth's burger with its half of Mendeleev's table and Coca-Cola with another half were better than Mitsugoshi's products.

Notes:

I have to say, these books Cid left in universities will play a big role in the future (like, really future).
Because, well, it's lower-tier for him.
And you know that his lower-tier is top-tier even for Cult of Diablos and Shadow Garden, not to mention for a civilization that just got their hands on magic.

Chapter 65: Apocalyptic Obsession

"…Which means that magic is just another extension of nature's forces that you can use to your will; however, unlike electricity, you can freely manipulate it, provided you have the necessary knowledge and ability to control it."

Cid was slowly getting tired. Don't get him wrong, he likes the role of a teacher, Shades and Nishitane could testify! It's just… Teaching how to fight is one thing. Giving snippets of knowledge of knowledge is another. But giving a full lecture on something that even you yourself just tapped on? Yeah, he was getting tired!

Fortunately, he had a trusty book that he, Hams, and Todd painstakingly wrote.

"But if magic is extension of your will, why does it actively harm the body at certain point?" one of the scientists — it was Nishimura's brother, right? — raised a question

"This is phenomenon called 'Magic Overload'. Whenever amount of mana held within the body goes over a limit, it will try to find exit. Magic user should find a way to control it, either by their own efforts or with help of someone who managed to do it on their own. Of course, both options have their own merits: in second case helper's mana will forcefully calm down the rampant mana, and the Magic Overload will not happen again… provided the operation was done perfectly. But that's it. In first case, you will be able to choose whether to just take control over the rampaging mana… Or gather even more mana in attempt to increase your magic attitude."

Yeah, Magic Overload was something that he had a vast amount of knowledge about. Like, three of his techniques were closely related to it! Even, he could say, relying on the process itself!

"Do you think it's possible to replicate the solution against it with technology, Divine Spirit?"

Oh, yeah, apparently Nishiho thought he was some kind of god that descended upon Earth in order to help humanity. At first he wanted to retort the notion, but Hams and Todd howled about Faith energy that was just waiting to be collected and stored!… And it doesn't matter that they still didn't create more things to collect it, they need it now!

"Theoretically, it might be possible… In practice, however?" shaking head, "It would be a good thing if you just created a machine that stabilized your mana once and for all, but if it's something that you have to carry around all the time in fears of not having it once the time comes… You would be better off actually training on your mana control so you can use Magic Overload as opportunity to grow further instead of fearing the Sword of Damocles."

Well, that's something he genuinely believes in. No borrowed power! No shortcuts! Only you and your efforts!

"Today's lecture is over. Gather your thoughts for tomorrow."

And with that, all the people present in the room started packing their papers. Looks like they will have a field time with it…

Cid sighed.

It was the third day of being in Messiah — formerly Nishino Institute — and Cid was already tired. He would rather go outside and do… anything! Fight these beasts, do some actual magic… But he had to be stuck there and give all these lectures because Hams decided they need more Faith energy!

Well, at least he had fun having an online (yes, it's still alive!) conversation with someone who adored Shadow a lot. And by "had fun" he means trolling the hell out that person! Though the words she wrote right before being banned were… Yeah, for a moment he thought someone other from Shadow Garden appeared… Of course, it couldn't be Victoria! She was smart and cute good cookie that wouldn't hurt a fly (she would behead cultists instead)!

Right, at least let him check what the actual hell does that Hamster want to do!

"Victoria, guard this place," he motioned to the door.

"Yes, my Lord!" fanatical girl did not need a second order; she went out of the room and closed the room shut.

With a sigh, he went into his Soul Space to have a talk with his Beasts about greed…

---

"What's that?" Cid's eye twitched.

"Nothing," was Hams' calm answer.

"You call that nothing?" he turned his gaze to the absolute darkness.

"Yes, this is nothing," Hamster confirmed.

"Well, I think that's a wall. With hole in it," he pointed out.

"Agree about the wall, but there's no hole. It's nothing," Beast retorted.

"And that means?…"

Five minutes and three beatings later, Cid finally could understand what the actual hell was that.

Turned out, it was nothing.

No, really, nothing.

The most nothing-like nothing.

Alright, let him explain: you know how there's Material Plane, Elemental Planes, Creatures (Demon, Spirit, etc) Planes, and some others that do not fit in classification (like Shadow Realm)? Well, turns out, there was also nothing. Like, nothing. But not Void, that's a different thing altogether if Hams is to be believed.

Void, or vacuum (he thought these two were different things, no?), is a state when there's no thing in some area.

Nothing is something existing between all the worlds.

You don't understand it? That's fine, Cid can't, either. But Hams did, and he was very eager to obtain nothing. Another beating later Hamster conceded and finally explained that this nothing he wanted to get was actually Interworld. Like, when you travel between worlds — yes, Hams saw it when they used the Black Rose, — there's a split moment when you pass through a place which could not be properly described… Because it's nothing yet! It only gains defining qualities after being subjected to person's beliefs… Yes, Faith!

That was the reason Hams was so adamant about gathering Faith. According to his research (two hundred and fifty two pages attached), if they can make a safe contact with Interworld (and unsafe contact will most likely result in their and the whole world they are in annihilation), they will be able to transform nothing into something. What would it transform into? Unknowable. No, literally unknowable! Todd interjected and said that Interworld is so strange that they have no guaranteed way to predict what will happen. There is a possibility to somewhat assure the direction in which nothing will become something — like using items with clear function like watches, — but otherwise? Nope.

Except for one way. Faith.

As Hams showed, via usage of Faith energy they can influence the transformation of nothing into something. Of course, even Cid himself would have troubles in making something out of nothing.

In Material Plane.

In Soul Space, his own little world, he was a true, bona fide god. And with usage of Faith energy, that becomes even more true. So what Hams wanted to do is create a channel from Soul Space to Interworld and take some nothing. But apparently, there was some difference between nothing and more nothing-like nothing.

The nothing closer to already existing worlds was influenced by living beings of these worlds, and carried their beliefs however small they were. Yes, as Todd theorized, that was exactly how Planes are created: people's various beliefs slowly made an actual existing place out of nothing. How did creatures appear there, though? That neither of the three knew, but were very eager to find out. It was probably related to souls?

So, as Cid said, Hams wanted to take some nothing and use Faith to make it into something while being in Soul Space. Theoretically, they could expand their Soul Space using nothing, which would give them more room to store loot and energies, which in turn would allow for faster growth…

After listening to Hams' enthusiastic speech, Cid had to agree; the perspectives were large! However, Hamster forgot about one small, minuscule, absolutely not important detail…

Poor Beast sensed something bad, but it was already too late; Cid was already swinging his palm. You know, just in case. At least, tell him if you want to do something that concerns his own soul!

This idiotic Beast just said that soul had to undergo a month of healing, yet he already makes holes!… Todd's weak attempts to object and say that it was nothing, not a hole were met with divine judgement of palm.

After calming down, Cid realized that he overreacted. Like, yeah, your Inner Beast made a hole connecting your soul and the chaotic space between worlds. What's there to worry about? It's not like it would obliterate your very being should you do things carelessly, right?

Upon receiving this question Todd and Hams for some reason started shaking, but they confirmed that it's absolutely safe and there was simply no way something bad could happen should the precautions be followed.

Of course, not now, his soul is still healing after all, but later on he will check out this Interworld properly. As of now, he wanted to finish the current stage.

Cid went out of the Soul Space after drilling Hams and Todd about not doing dangerous experiments that concern his very soul… At least without his presence.

---

'The hell they doing over there?' were Cid's first thoughts after seeing the chaos unfolding in the Messiah.

One of the workers noticed him and immediately ran up to him.

"O-Oh Divine Spirit, you're here!" man screamed out with so much hope in his voice that Todd croaked about needing yet another type of container.

"Hmm…" about time for his role! "The time has come."

"L-Lord?"

"The Gates of Darkness have opened."

Everyone present gasped.

"The Humanity is about to enter a new age…" and made his eyes flicker. Yes, like that!

"S-So you already know about Beast invasion…" someone sighed.

'The what now?'

---

Akane Nishino stood behind her Sensei. This is it.

He said the final hour struck. The hour when the fate of humanity would be on the line.

Would they fight back against the spawns of darkness? Or would they fall down in front of it?

She has long knew about online opinions about her Sensei. Some called him a fraud, some called him a government's fake… Though there was one that just trolled Victoria that decided to scroll the web.

It has cost a lot for Akane to stop Victoria from going on rampage. Well, honestly, she wanted to do that herself, but if it was that woman… Yeah, they would need a memorial service for the whole country.

"I will hack, and chop, and cleave, and sunder the filth of your forms! I will sever your limbs!…"

Akane shuddered upon remembering the stuff Victoria wrote to that poor guy. She was banned shortly after, but, uh, it only fueled her wish to go out and find him. Sensei had to intervene and say that she was needed here… Though she was suspiciously happy about that.

Meanwhile, Victoria wrote the two hundred and first page about things she will do after finding the scum that dared to badmouth her beloved Lord Shadow.

Right, the current situation.

Sensei wanted her to show her progress via defeating Magical Beasts. Well, in a minute she finished killing a large squad consisting of twenty three Beasts! That's a progress! She also heard Victoria mumbling "She does have potential", which, frankly, was quite good. Victoria was, after all, the apostle of Divine Spirit, so her opinion on that matter should be incredibly accurate.

Now, it's about time-

Huh?

Akane squinted. No, there was no way…

However, her wishes didn't come true.

A gigantic green creature slithered across the roads. She always thought it was but a myth, but apparently, such a creature did exist.

Green Serpent, the Apex Beast. The only one who was indifferent towards humanity so long as they didn't provoke him. However, it also wished for a good challenge.

Which meant…

Realisation struck her.

Serpent was here to challenge Sensei!

"You have finally appeared."

Sensei slowly started walking forward, calm in face of the incoming threat.

Green Serpent slowly moved up to the university, and at this moment the size difference paralyzed Akane. Serpent's head was as big as the gates, however its whole body could circle around the university five times, and still have something left.

"Are you ready to take my challenge?"

For some reason, everyone could understand what the Serpent was saying, as if it was actually speaking in their heads. Could it be yet another Spirit?

"Before that, humour me: how did you appear?"

'Sensei?' Akane was puzzled. He knew everything, including the final hour, right? So what was so peculiar about this Beast?

"Ssshh… The big land to the northwes-s-st of this plac-c-ce…"

'Can you talk normally?!' Akane wanted to scream. All that hissing made it really hard to understand what Serpent was saying!

"I see."

Sensei stood for a moment.

"I accept your challenge."

Akane waited with bated breath Serpent's answer.

"Finally."

It slowly moved closer to the Sensei.

"I have waited long for this-s-s-s moment."

Sensei only calmly looked at the Beast.

"I have never los-s-st a challenge… Yet you…"

Apex Beast inhaled.

"Your s-s-scent is-s-s… S-S-Strong…"

"Indeed. Now, shall we proceed?"

Sensei readied himself. Beast's snout morphed into something like a smile.

"Yes-s-s…"

And in the next moment, Green Serpent somehow, out of nowhere, God only knows why, took out a gigantic bottle of wine.

Notes:

When Cid said about Gates of Darkness, he thought about unending horde of beasts, not a snake that wants to make you alcoholic… Well, that's what happens when you leave a chuuni with overflowing Faith energy to run out in the wild.

We are about to enter one of the more insane parts that I planned.
So insane, in fact, that two well-known Chaos- and Madness-related guys will appear.

Chapter 66: Rambling Obsession

Notes:

Chuuni, Manifestation of Alcoholism, Prince of Madness, and God of Chaos walk into a bar…

Akane Nishino looked in awe as both Divine Spirit (her Sensei) and the Apex Beast disappeared.

After taking the challenge both of them agreed to change location to make sure the environment and living beings don't suffer in their battle. Since then, the amount of Magical Beasts in the area lowered drastically, to the point where they had to deliberately seek for them in order to continue the research.

After that even the most skeptical about Divine Spirit's abilities were convinced. He really was the humanity's saviour that appeared at the final hour, only to disappear after fulfilling his goal.

But he left his apostle and disciple as well as the knowledge that would allow humanity progress further; moreover, judging from Victoria's words, it already happened few times in the past; he would return soon. The best thing they could do is make places of worship so he would know they pray for him and his safety, and so they did.

For now, they could only wait…

---

Day one.

Green Serpent took Cid out for the challenge. He didn't know why Hams wanted to have a diary of all the events, but thanks to the enchantments they did diary will record everything by itself.

Serpent's challenge was drinking contest. No, really, it took out a large, enormous, gigantic bottle of wine and a couple of wineglasses… Though calling them wineglasses was an understatement: things were as large as some beer glasswares! A liter, no less!

Well, Cid accepted the challenge. He had poison immunity, after all, which included the alcohol.

Day two.

"Do you res-s-spect me?" Serpent hissed at his drinking buddy.

"Yes-s-s," Cid hissed back.

Don't ask him how he could hiss. Even Todd doesn't know that, and he's the closest to snakes among them… As close as toad could be, anyway.

The challenge was gaining momentum. The previous bottle was now lying to the side, right among the three other ones. Green Serpent turned out to be very interesting and understanding individual, refilling his glass each time it ran out and giving some home-made (even though there was no home, no pots, and most definitely no stove) meal.

However, something was missing.

After a hour of brainstorming, the idea was born: they need more drinking buddies! But where do they find drinking buddies? This world didn't have anyone close to their level that wouldn't fall out after a hour or two…

Another hour later they realized the problem: this world. Yes, if this world didn't have anyone close to their level, why not just go to the other one and find someone who would be?! But first they will have another glass, for the luck.

Day three.

With help of Green Serpent they finally constructed something. Of course, they placed the beacon here; judging from Serpent's words they would be able to get back via usage of it. Cid, of course, already knew this — the premise was taken from Pylons, after all, — but didn't interrupt the Serpent out of politeness.

Another feature that they did was forceful pulling: if the time that he sets on the beacon runs out it connects with him and does a pull back; he can deny that but overall a nice feature.

They set the time for two weeks and went out.

First thing they saw was some kind of a fog. Like, really, they appeared in a forest with such a strong fog they couldn't even see past few meters. After another glass of brainstorming, they deduced that it would be for the best to just press forward and find something.

They saw all kinds of interesting things on the way, like the guy suddenly transforming into a fox or vice versa, some kind of guards trying to stop them and make them pay for stealing tomato (they did not steal any tomatoes… actually what these guards were doing in the foggy forest?), and chicken. He didn't know what was wrong about these chicken but he was sure something was wrong.

After a hour of walking around they came up to a table, filled with all kinds of meals and drinks to the brim. A fine-dressed elderly gentleman sat lonely in front of it, not even touching the food.

"Greetings-s-s…" Serpent decided to show his politeness.

Gentleman raised his head and looked at them.

"Well, well, well!" he livened up, "Now who would that be?! Hmm… Jack the Ripper?… No, maybe John Smith? No, that's not quire right, either… Who would you be, boy?!"

Oh, that's about him!

"Hmm! Hear my name, old man. I am Shadow, the one who rules the shadows, lurks in the shadows and hunts down the shadows!"

"And I am Green S-S-Serpent," lame, snake! Where's your cool-ass title?

"Ah, ah, ah!" gentleman teared up, "What a spectacle, what a passion! Oh, where are my manners! I am Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness! And currently I am on vacation."

"S-S-Same."

"Yeah, vacation is nice."

They went silent.

"Well, sit down, take a meal," Sheo showed hospitality.

Green Serpent thanked the gentleman, slithered closer to the table, and took out a large bottle of wine (where does he even keep them anyway?). Cid followed the example and sat across the gentleman.

"Oh, that's exactly what I needed! A good company! However, something is missing…" and with a snap of his fingers, another object appeared on the table.

"Hmm, is cheese important?" Cid gazed with interest at the new object.

"How?! You don't know?!" Sheo gasped in shock, "Sit down, youngsters, Uncle Sheo will explain how important cheese is for our universe…"

Day four.

'So that's how it is…'

Cid had an epiphany. That's right! Everything is cheese!

Uncle Sheo (deserved, including capital 'U') explained the Theory of Multiverse with cheese. By his words, if you imagine the cheese wheel as the multiverse, then all the holes would be Interworld, while all the material would be, well, material. Of course, that was oversimplified information, but it did wonders on Cid's understanding about the world. The full version went to Hams and Todd; when else would they get a lecture from such an intelligent and wise man?

However, that was not all! Cheese was actually the origin of everything! At least, that's how they thought until Cid realized a contradiction: if cheese is the origin, how could it be eaten by mice? To which Sheo replied that mice were actually the World Eaters! Cid couldn't find anything to retort that, so they accepted that cheese is the world, while mice are its eaters.

At some point a squirrel came out of the forest. Sheo eyed it for a moment, but then Green Serpent interjected and said that it was his old friend. Cid immediately gave a bit of his meal to the squirrel. For some reason, it teared up and hugged him. Do they not treat it well here?

Sheo promised to fix that. Later. When they finish their meeting. Yeah, it would be bad manners to leave while everyone is having fun. That's why they stopped the squirrel from leaving and gave it a liter glass of wine. For some reason its eyes went so wide that Cid had to help it; what if they fall out?!

Later on, the squirrel got tired and went to sleep. Cid placed it on the chair near himself and pet it. Good animal.

Then Cid realized that Sheo didn't know some critical information! And immediately revealed this crucial piece of knowledge. Now Sheo was busy thinking about mice and how they are related to dragons.

Well, yes, by his own fantasy world Cid knew that dragons are connected to the world! And mice are connected to cheese, which is the world! So mice == dragons!

Flawless logic!

Day five.

Green Serpent revealed the dark secret of the universe.

Apparently, not only the dragons were mice that ate the world, which is cheese, but they were led in battle by bear…! Or was it the other way around? Nevermind, in short, they were connected!

However, it were no simple bear. This bear hid themselves amongst their common kin in order to rule the world from the curtains… Which actually was Cid's life-long dream! Now he wanted to find this special bear and take a couple of lessons from him.

However, shadowbroker bear was skillful. They were seeking for him for a few hours already, to no avail. They found, like, fifty common bears, and none of them were special. However, it didn't stop them! So they decided to just make these special bears. Maybe having more of its kin will make original special bear come out?

Green Serpent thought for a moment and took out a bottle of something alcoholic and some kind of musical instrument. As he said, this will 100% make the bear special. Well, he was an expert, so Cid believed him.

Later on, the bandit camp was beaten to death by bear with musical instrument that wanted to find more of that wonderful liquid. The elder dragon that decided to land at that moment soon found out dragons were rulers of skies, not ground.

Day six.

They lost all the special bears. A bit sad, but it's fine! At least they found out that special bears did, indeed, rule over the dragons, as was shown by that rebellious dragon who tried to intimidate the bear. Let's just say, they made a lot of special bears after that.

However, there was a problem. They have proven that world is cheese. They have proven that special bears exist and rule over the dragons, which are mice, that ate the world, which is cheese. Now, how do they prove that dragons are actually mice?…

For that, they needed to find a dragon.

How lucky they were to actually find it flying right above their heads! Large, intimidating, with wonderful black scales and hateful piercing crimson eyes! That's totally some high-level dragon! Which means high-level mouse!

It landed right in front of them and wanted to say something, probably a greeting, but Green Serpent didn't waste any time and immediately abducted it into his embrace. Sorry, dragon, but Shadow Wisdom requires sacrifices!

They started doing their high-level ritual; it required a lot of wine, cheese, and some kind of musical stage that was done by special bears (which was excellent, according to his taste: when did they come back, by the way?), which was paid by Green Serpent with that strange alcoholic brew. Soon after, the result was revealed.

"Guys, I don't think this is mouse…" Cid looked over the short human girl with black hair and piercing crimson that stared at them fearfully.

"No-no, my friend, look here!" and Sheo ruffled her hair, "There! Mouse ears!"

"Oh, true…" so they were right! Dragons are mice!

Yeah, now Cid can even see the tail! Totally mouse! Now, for the last part…

Cid took the cheese piece and shoved it right into mouse-girl's mouth, which opened just in time to eat it! Though before he did so the mouse started saying something like "Sheo", but it was probably his imagination. What matters is the fact that everything they theorized was correct! The conspiracy! Uhh, Cid can feel the excitement!

But to fight back against it, they would need more allies!

---

"Father, how do we fix it?" short human girl with black hair stared at the short human girl with golden hair.

"You think there's fix any other than ending the world and creating a new one?" was the answer.

Both looked over Nirn, where all the dragons turned into mouse-girls one after another.

"Damned Daedra…"

"I knew we should not have let Sheogorath meet with these two…"

---

Day seven.

Cid invited Sheo and Green Serpent to rest a bit on Earth, which they gladly accepted.

On the way they met Nishimura, which for some reason reacted strangely to his presence. Was there something on his face?… No, both Sheo and Serpent assured him that his face was as hidden as ever, with hood and all that concealing stuff. Probably something with her, then?

They also met with Victoria, and girl was good cookie like always. He left some of his thoughts about everything in creation, and she took them in awe, then proceeded to take a praying position. This was seen by other people in the vicinity, and soon after Cid heard Hams' scream about overflowing Faith… Come to think of it, Hams didn't say anything prior to that…

After checking on him he found out Hams and Todd were busy compiling the new knowledge. That's an important job, so he didn't interrupt them.

Oh, Victoria actually compiled everything they said to her! So dutiful! So he left her in care of squirrel that he honestly kinda forgot about… But this animal is no better! It was still asleep!

After that they sat with a bottle and started brainstorming. They needed a strong ally, but also the one who would accept their reasoning… Where do they even find someone like that?

Then Cid realized: just send a Call! Someone is bound to answer!

They sat in one of the nearby Planes and started Calling. Soon after, something appeared out of the void. A thousand faces stared at them in curiosity.

"Why did you call me?" they cautiously asked.

"Hi, would you want to join us in our crusade against dragons that are actually mice because they want to eat all the worlds which are actually cheese?" Cid immediately went to the point.

For a moment, faces took a thinking expression.

"That… sounds like madness."

"…Well, not always first try goes well," Sheo added philosophically and took another bite of cheese.

"Yeah, looks like we will need to find someone else. Sorry for interrupting you," Cid was ready to cancel the call.

"I didn't say I don't accept. Tell me more."

Half of hour of explanations laters, the thousand faces guy introduced himself as Tzeentch, the ancient God of Chaos and the Great Conspirator (they lucked on someone with knowledge about conspiracies!). He (or she? or they?) also pointed out that their theory was lacking one severe thing which could cause everything to fall on its legs: they forgot about moon! The moon looked like cheese!

To that they looked at him in confusion and noted that everything was cheese. Including moon. Conspirator couldn't find anything to object.

Then they realized it's about time they find more about the whole cause.

Tzeentch helped recalibrating the portal, and they went forward.

Day eight.

They stopped in front of some kind of gigantic fleet. Some kind of, because ships more looked like if a futuristic building got ship's qualities.

Then Cid suddenly got an epiphany. If dragons were actually mice, that means something else might not look like what it actually is, right?

Like, who's to say all these ships are not actually beautiful girls? No one! Everyone knows ship is "she" (except these guys living in place from where Green Serpent came from, for them ship is "he" for some reason)!

Others listened to him and realized that, indeed, ships should be beautiful girls.

They sat down in front of the fleet and started making a ritual. In the middle of it, however, they realized that, unlike dragons, fleet didn't have its soul and personality. Fortunately, Green Serpent had an idea! They would give them souls and create a construct that would take Faith and beliefs into itself. Then, after some time, it would place the record of personality into the soul and initialize the transformation sequence! In the end, it should be a cute girl with a power of ship! And, of course, it would fall in love with her captain!

To that Tzeentch interjected and inquired what would happen if captain liked the ship's part of the girl more than human part? Well, that would make a wonderful drama story about a ships fanatic that knows everything about them and a girl that is actually such a ship but wants to know what it feels like to be human!

Tzeentch coughed with all of his thousand faces and said that it's indeed a wonderful story which he wants to see. Cid knew Conspirator would agree!

With the help of everyone present, they finally finished with prototype of construct. It looked like a a cube and was overall unassuming, but it's alright for prototype!

Their first attempt didn't go well. After a round of brainstorming with a bottle, they realized it's because there were no beliefs about that ship. For that deal Cid (ignoring Hams' screams about waste of resources) gave out some of his Faith, and after that the process went smoothly!

The ship-transformed-girl looked at him in curiosity. After a cough, he introduced himself as Antioch and said that the future shipgirls actually are force against a threat that wanted to destroy the Multiverse! But for that, they need to train a lot and get their own personalities.

With that, they presented the Wisdom Cube (because Shadow Wisdom and because it was a cube) technology and said that she needs to create a good army, both in quantity and quality.

After creating a few more girls which they called Sirens (because they looked sea-like and were related to it because they are ships), Cid and others departed.

Some time after, the army of shipgirls went out to find their Creator. They would find him, sooner or later, and then…

Day nine.

The squirrel suddenly appeared with them once again.

Cid wanted to go back to Victoria to understand why did she let poor animal go, but squirrel took all the fault on itself and said that the girl was very diligent about her job. It's just that squirrel didn't like being confined like that.

Upon understanding that Cid wrote a quick letter to Victoria so she would not worry about that. Squirrel took the letter and promised to return in ten minutes. It lied, by the way; it came back in nine minutes and fifty nine seconds.

Cid decided to ask more knowledgeable uncles about nothing and how to make something out of it. They explained. Now Hams has another textbook to write.

Tzeentch, after taking especially good cheese wheel, invited everyone to go to his dimension and help him in having fun. Well, why not?

And so now they were chilling… somewhere. Cid had some troubles in understanding this place, but it's fine. Apparently, they had the so-called Imperium of Man here, but the ruler was… not feeling good. Upon seeing the ruler Cid agreed that, indeed, it needs the utmost fixing! Right, where's the halo…

---

"The current status of army?"

"Armies are ready."

"And what about this… religion of me?"

Everyone went silent.

"I remember saying that only when the last sprouts of religion die out, the civilization will see the light of progress. Why is there a religion of me?"

Nobody could answer that.

"Well then…"

"Excuse me, my Empress-"

A gigantic blade landed near the speaker.

"It's Emperor," a girl in heavy armor smiled darkly as she sat on the gigantic golden throne.

Everyone else lamented about the days when there was only corpse on the throne…

---

Day tenth.

Green Serpent left first; said something about Cid besting the Apex Beast in challenge, thought he also said that he would like a rematch at some time. Fine by Cid.

Sheo went out shortly after, with an excuse that higher-ups or something called him to fix some mess. Yeah, these guys do mess, while Sheo should fix it?! But Sheo still had to go.

Tzeentch went out last, but he left some kind of books about Interworld. Apparently, he was well-versed in it! Nice, now he can do stuff without trying to force his way in!

Upon realizing that he was now alone, Cid turned back and flew back to the Messiah. Damn, he kinda wants to sleep… Hams said he doesn't need to do it, but apparently everything he did was damn energy-consuming…

With that, he took squealing Victoria in his embrace and went to the bed. After that he rested his head on the soft pillows and drifted to sleep. An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening, as they say, and it doesn't matter that it's afternoon now!

Notes:

Mentioned characters:
Green Serpent and bears - Slavic folklore
Sheogorath, Alduin (Black Dragon), Akatosh (Golden Dragon) - The Elder Scrolls
Tzeentch, God-Emperor - WH40k
Sirens and Shipgirls - Azur Lane

Did you recognize everyone at first glance?
Also beware the dragons that are mice and want to eat the world because it's cheese…

Chapter 67: Resulting Obsession

Notes:

A bit of a filler chapter to explain what happens after Cid's little adventure.

'Fu-u-uck, what happened yesterday?…'

That was Cid's first thought after waking up in Victoria's embrace. The elf girl watched him with happy puppy's eyes and was all ready for anything he wanted to do. The problem was, what he wanted to do was to remember what he did! Actually, yeah…

"Hey, Victoria," he made a charming smile.

"L-L-Lord Shadow took me into his embrace… and slept with me… ahh…" understandable, Victoria's brain is offline.

"Victoria?…"

"Ah, sorry, Lord Shadow!"

With a sigh he went out of the bed (Shadow Trail is cool) and looked over himself. Hmm, everything seems pretty fine, better than ever, actually, if his feelings are to be trusted.

However, the problem of not remembering what happened still remained. He can briefly remember that he went out to fight the Serpent, then… blank. Almost blank; some scenes flashed before his eyes, but other than that, nope…

Hold up, didn't they make an auto-filling diary that would record everything he does? If so, then it should be in his Soul Space!

He immediately went into his little world, only to be met with Hams' and Todd's judging stares. After realizing that he doesn't know his faults, Hams sighed and took out a large scroll. Before Cid could even think for what such a big thing would be needed, Hamster started reading everything. And the longer it went, the more uncomfortable Cid felt.

What Hams read was the list of all potential goodies that Cid missed during… what, world travelling? Their technology isn't even finished, what world-travelling is Beast talking about?… Oh, so they perfected it… How the fuck?! Hello, give him the diary already!

After finally receiving the book of revelations, Cid started remembering what, exactly, happened. Apparently the sly Serpent decided to make him drunk, however, Cid managed to outplay it… Somehow. After that they became buddies and it helped him finish the portal project, which was now all ready to help him travel whenever and wherever he wants to. That's cool.

Also they somehow met two more guys that helped them out, one of them even left books about Interworld and navigation in it! For that Hams was happy and already made a draft of what should they do to maximize their profits.

But upon finishing the last parts Cid realized why his Inner Beasts were so angry. He didn't even take an example of anything he and buddies did! Sure, diary diligently recorded everything, and Hams himself managed to copy most parts, but the problem was, they did not have a single piece of anything they made! No dragon-mice, no shipgirls, nothing! And Cid even used some of his Faith for these! No profit, only losses!

Well, it's not like they didn't gain anything out of it, right? A lot of precious knowledge, new technology (even if it's in paper stage), and connections with his new buddies! They should come up again sometime later… Right, ignore Todd's croaks.

Now for the yummy parts: his Soul has finally stabilized. Hams noted that during all this time his Soul was actively leaking all overflowing energy, be it magic, Faith, or something entirely different that they had no clue about as of yet. How does it go usually? When energy overflows, part of it is sent out in the environment, while the other part stays and tries to compress itself to fit into the system. However, Cid's Soul was damaged after Sanctuary binding. Most energy went to fix the damage, and everything else… well, leaked. And usually, that would not do anything bad; well, yeah, it leaks, but it can't be so bad, right?

Well, turned out, it could. Earth's newfound magic was still in practically infancy stages, weak and uninspiring… And now Cid comes in, with reserves large enough that Earth's whole magic energy would only fill up to 80% of his reservoir. But that's whole energy! Earth itself is much, much bigger than him! Which means that at any place he stands, the amount of magic energy would be minuscule and practically non-existent.

So, his leaked energy easily overpowered the environmental. That's bad, right? Well, Cid said 'could'. In practice, however, he almost immediately went into teacher mode, with his thoughts fully being about it; all the leaked energy took after his emotions and thoughts and made a positive environment that allowed him to teach anyone with increased efficiency, and even those who studied by themselves (like Victoria) would experience a large boost in their learning capabilities. So, he found a cheat, right?

For that Hams took out "Losses" scroll and pointed to the end: each day he did this teaching thing, he would lose 10% percent more Faith than he got. Yes, Faith, because it was Faith energy that allowed him to do all of that.

However, who was Cid? He did all the insane stuff even before getting Faith energy, so he will just create something that would work the same way, but without using Faith!

Thought Wisdom Cube technology was really hard to make, according to Beasts' words: not only did it require a soul to create one shipgirl, but it also required a lot of beliefs from which the personality would be made.

Hams also remembered something interesting about Faith and beliefs and pointed it out: apparently, just like his leaked energy took after his thoughts and wishes, so did the Faith from his believers was, so to say, "colored". And when it was stored in the Pylons, it was all good: with passage of time it slowly lost the "coloration", and only pure Faith remained. Now, however, all Faith went into his Soul Space. And his Soul Space was, well, Soul's Space, which meant that Faith could affect him. In fact, as Hams pointed out, that's exactly what happened: after being seen as high and mighty leader of Shadow Garden first, then as Divine Spirit later, he took after these models. This was the reason behind his strange actions in the past weeks. In fact, Hams predicted, if things are left as they are, five to six years later there would be no Cid Kagenou, only Shadow!…

Well, that were the predictions when his Soul was injured: now even hundreds of years would not affect him. However, Cid wasn't one to leave something dangerous like that in the open, and so they sat down to think about the solution.

How easy was it when only magic existed; just practice every day until you can't even stand anymore and be happy! Now they had to make something that would purify the Faith energy, just like the Pylons. Some time later, Cid realized: why complicate stuff? They already have different containers, right? Just store pure Faith like usual, while filtering all the emotional "coloration" and storing it other place!

Todd calculated something and realized that it would make them lose 10% of their total Faith and emotional energy. Of course, Cid did not care about that; since when does he need that many, anyway? If he uses the amount left efficiently, even this would be too much for him!

Now time to work on that: sorry, Victoria, Nishimura, he will come up later!

---

"Hic!"

"Tzeentch?! Are you drunk?! How?!"

"Oh, ya won't believe it, I met some interesting people out there! They actually were calling me! I went to check out of curiosity, and what do you know? Manifestation of Concept, Madness-related deity from another dimension and… Uh, I don't even know who it was? Human, apparently?"

"Not funny."

"I am serious, Slaanesh! This guy looked me in the eyes and the only thing he thought was "Damn, that's an intimidating look! Gotta copy that later"; moreover, he also somehow collected Faith!"

"Sounds like an interesting toy for a cycle or two…"

"Well, good luck with searching him, then. Because even I somehow lost this guy, hic!"

"So, how did you get drunk, again…?"

"Oh, that Manifestation of Concept…!"

---

Gamer was in depression.

His newly sent group of shee- Players met with unexpected surprises. For instance, almost everyone sent into the Akatosh's (not actually his, but the Primordial Two don't do shit in ruling over Nirn, anyway) domain were wiped out by dragons. That wouldn't be so bad, if not for the fact that every dragon looked like mouse-girl! And Players got baited by that! Now he lost 5122 pawns, just in Nirn.

The one with best mind-related abilities was supposed to take over the God-Emperor of Mankind, but apparently exactly at this moment his soul finally decided it's time to come back, and his pawn was absorbed. And that wouldn't be so bad, if it was not for the fact that part of pawn's knowledge was absorbed, too! Now God-Emperor was hellbent on purging the heresy that was Gamer and his System. Or should he say Goddess-Empress?…

There was also apparently some kind of minor deity called Green Serpent that offered his strange brew that was 100% alcoholic, but gave insane buffs. Some Players even decided to pledge their alliance to it instead of him! Well, if only they bothered to read the contract when pressing "Yes" in System's Proposal, they would realize that accepting help of other deities if it was not arranged by Gamer and that deity was forbidden. In next reincarnation, they will be stripped of the System, all the powers they managed to get, and even their Soul's evolution. Good luck reincarnating, sheep! You would be lucky to become a worm! Read the contracts next time!

---

"It was this way, right?"

"Correct, Observer."

"Continue moving."

"What do we do with the world we meet?"

"Conquer. Either through war or negotiation. We are to present the results of our work to our Creator."

"Understood, Observer."

---

Alpha sighed. It was the seventh day since Master Shadow's departure. Of course, they were able to continue their operations, but… She missed him.

Rose Oriana finally managed to unite everyone under her iron (almost literally, if not for the fact that her clothes are a slime suit) fist. Any noble that tried to object her rule was met with harsh punishment. For that Shadow Garden allowed to use some of their people; it was good for them, too, as a lot of officials in Oriana Kingdom were tied to Cult of Diablos. They also sent the former king back into the country; their best doctors tended to him, after all, so he has almost recovered.

Iris Midgar seemingly took her loss with dignity and was now opening up the negotiations with Rose Oriana… though considering their cordial relationships before Rose's ascension to the throne it should be a given that peace will be in place.

Annerose and Beatrix were still waiting for Shadow to come back and let them fight him without holding back; Beatrix also wished to meet with Alpha, but was content with just knowing that Alpha had a good life. It seems like aunt didn't know about Alpha's possession and simply thought she disappeared or, worse, was kidnapped… It warmed young elf's heart.

Aurora, or Diablos herself, was slowly getting accustomed to a peaceful life. In fact, other than going on a nice stroll in the forest and having an interesting book to read she did not have many wishes. Well, if we don't include a wish to meet with Cid.

Hah, she really misses him… Hmm?

Alpha blinked as an unnaturally large squirrel made its way into the office room. It scrutinized her and, seemingly content, took out a letter. Alpha carefully took it and revealed its contents:

'I will come back soon. Get ready. Hope you have something fun on your mind!'

She smiled. Well, it seems like her dreams will become a reality soon…

---

"Hey, Hams?" Cid asked once they finished the primitive filter system.

"Yeah?" Hams promised to upgrade it, but that would take a week or two.

"You see that too?" for now, though, Cid felt fine.

"Oh, he was like that since beginning," except for one part.

Cid watched with twitching eyes as Todd bowed and prayed in front of self-made altar. The altar itself was surrounded in piles of money and precious gems, with Gamma's photo at the center. Yes, his Beast of Greed was bowing to the picture of the woman that made an economic hegemon in less than two years. Well, Cid had a feeling that if things went differently, he would be secretly praying to Gamma, too…

Hold up!

"Hams, what's that in your laboratory?"

"Uhh…" Hamster started sweating… somehow.

"No, don't tell me you too!"

A quick glance revealed yet another altar, this time with various devices around it and Eta's photo in the middle. Yeah, of course, Beast obsessed with science is praying to the lead scientist of Shadow Garden… It's fine!

Hams quickly calmed himself down and went on the offensive: he claimed that Cid has long neglected the most important part! Upon receiving a question about the part, Hams went into the mood and started saying that Seven Shades are such good girls: do everything in their power to make Cid happy, go along with everything he says, make an organization just because he once said that he wanted to fight against Cult of Diablos, and so much more! They're just ideal, right?

Cid thought about it and realized that, indeed, girls pretty much laid their life for him: Alpha organized everything in his organization, Beta dug out the ancient books so he can read them, Gamma made an economic powerhouse for him, Delta was pretty content with being his pet, Epsilon infiltrated all the noble circles so he can have the most recent information, Zeta trailblazed the unknown territories to find new stuff for him, Eta created inventions out of his words (most of which he himself didn't have proper knowledge about at the time)…

Yeah, Seven Shades were great! He was even feeling a bit ashamed for thinking about them as mere roleplay friends… They loved him!

Upon receiving confirmation Hams nodded in satisfaction and took out a suspiciously large box. Led by curiosity, Cid slowly opened it.

You can imagine his shock when the box revealed seven marriage rings.

Notes:

For anyone who wants to say that Hams is the goat: no, he is hamster.

Chapter 68: Flaming Obsession

Cid couldn't retort anything about what Hams said.

Because, yeah, girls were the best, did everything for him, and loved him very much. The problem was… Cid wasn't ready!

He wanted to have fun, to play stages, to study magic! Give him a hundred years! Alright, maybe two… Five hundred is all he needs, trust!

…Yes, Cid was having jitters. But try to understand him: even all his previous plans about marriage were in "I'll take the most random and unassuming girl to make a picture of most random and unassuming family" area! There was no love involved!

But in this case everything is different! The girls love him a lot! And Cid himself had feelings for them, too! That's why he was so nervous! What if he hurts them?!

Hams listened patiently to his ramblings, nodded to himself and then slapped the back of Cid's head. Before Eminence could even answer back, Hamster started explaining like he was in presence of the most dumb idiot in the world that the girls themselves opted for the harem option since they realized that Cid himself is too dumb and dense to see them as love interests, which means that they all already see him as their husband. He only needs to answer their feelings, and what's the better way to do that than old reliable marriage?

Cid still had doubts, but Todd came out of the shrine room and noted that it would be better to try and fail (even though that's literally impossible in his case) than to lament missed possibility for the rest of his life. Both Beasts even joked that being practically half-step away from actual sex is fine and dandy, but confirming their love with marriage? Too lewd!

And upon thinking about their words, Cid realized that he was, in fact, too nervous about that. As Hams and Todd said, girls almost had sex with him, with only missing point being, well, the intercourse itself; their reward time was on the border of actual sexual play. Why is he so nervous about that?… Is it because he has never experienced actual relationship in both of his lifes?

Right, it's decided! After coming back he will summon his beloved Shades and ask their hands in marriage! Though…

"Hey, Hams?"

"Yeah?"

"These rings are good, but it's my girls we are talking about. We need the best we can do," Cid stared at the beautiful rings in the box.

"Ah, like using better materials and making them artifacts?"

"Yes."

---

Cid excused himself from the Messiah; they wanted to call him for some kind of banquet but he had a way more important deal on hand: getting materials for the rings!

And for that he will need something good. So good, in fact, that anything available in Earth's jewelry stores wouldn't even be able to compete. Which means that he will need to go underground.

Thankfully, he had Hams and Todd. Was it because of their manifestation as Greed or something entirely different, they were extremely efficient in finding good stuff. Cid only needed to dig while Hams and Todd were sniffing (he didn't know if metaphorically or literally) the environment and telling him to change directions when there was precious material. That way Cid found himself a quite good amount of gems; Todd already promised to refine them, so for now they are good. Hams, however, wanted more of the gems, with main premise being "Well, better to have than not to have"; Cid couldn't agree more, so they continued digging around while Todd refined what they already collected.

As time went on, Hams developed more precise tools of locating and extracting the gems, reducing the need for Cid himself to work around the rock formations. Ten or so hours later, they managed to accumulate an amount Hams called "barely passable". Now they needed to find something that would serve as, well, the ring. And that's when Cid got an idea…

Despite Hams' attempts to dissuade him, Cid continued digging down, to the Earth's core. Yes, despite being able to craft whatever he wants with practically sticks, Cid wanted to create something of value. Something that he himself could look at and say: "Yes, I made every effort in order to create this". He wanted his masterpieces to not be good just because of rare materials, but because he laid out his very heart to create it.

That's why he was going to the Earth's core. He was currently in mantle layer, and it was already kinda hot for him. Thankfully, both having magic and min-maxing his body was proven beneficial as temperatures that were literally melting everything around him were but a small problem for him.

That, however, quickly changed as he went deeper. The temperature was rising, the pressure made it harder to move, and he was already considering Hams' words at just turning back and do it the normal way. However, upon remembering how much girls laid for him, he gritted his teeth and continued moving.

And that's when a thought struck him: he already experienced it once, back then when he tried to control the Shadow Realm. He wanted to create other Cores sooner or later anyway, right?

So Cid remained calm and concentrated on the feeling of magic energy around him. Surprisingly, there was not much of it; Hams theorized it was because of magic being introduced to this world only a few years ago. Nonetheless, he started collecting it and activated Overdrive.

Immediately he was met with a sharp pain: apparently, the mana that took after the hottest place on the planet (if we exclude inner core of the planet itself) was absolutely not safe compared to the usual environment mana. Figures, considering that humans were more attuned to magic energy in normal environment than whatever the hell Cid is doing on himself each time he tries to do something like that…

Nonetheless, he endured and started repairing the places where the mantle's mana entered. Yes, repairing, because trying to regenerate from whatever the hell remained after a burn of this level was… not feasible.

And so they started brainstorming: how do they introduce the mantle's magic energy to their body properly? Yes, Cid had more magic than all this place combined, but what good would it do if the core problem was in making the body able to handle foreign magic energy without protection of his own? Moreover, there was another problem: mantle was still, by itself, a freaking large mass of molten matter that threatened to make him a part of itself without any magic. Unlike Shadow Realm, this was a real, material thing.

That's when Cid remembered: concepts! Yes, materialized concepts can serve as introduction to the mantle itself! Come to think of it, wasn't there one near him at all times?…

After being taken out of his Soul Space, Radiance complained a lot about masters that forget about their own servants, but calmed down in the end. Now its task was simple: help Cid in locating the other materialized concepts, if there are any.

Unsurprisingly, there were none. Figures, considering that magic was introduced only few years ago. That meant Cid will have to do the same he did in the Shadow Realm: creating a double magic system that would contain Fire (or Magma?) mana, then somehow merge it with his own body and hope everything doesn't explode, blow up, melt, or end bad in any other unsightly way.

Hams and Todd were on the watch in case everything does end bad, but it should not do so because Cid made a solution… get back, Beasts, he isn't finished yet! In short, he would expel his own mana in the surroundings like Reverse Overdrive and mix it with Fire mana. Considering how much superior his own mana is to Fire one, this should reduce its prowess to an acceptable level where he would be able to construct magic channels that would not hurt his own body, but would be able to contain the Fire mana… The same as it was with Shadow mana! Back then he was worried that in case something goes bad he would not be able to recover, but now, with support of his Inner Beasts that monitor everything and the Faith energy that is supposedly a miracle… Yeah, he is sure everything will go well!

And true to his thoughts, once he mixed his mana with Fire, it slowly became more and more docile. Soon he was able to inject it into his body without any damage whatsoever. He slowly started constructing the channels out of it.

He was so enthralled in the process that neither of the three noticed that he slowly went deeper and deeper to the core.

---

"Akira-san, are my eyes betraying me or…?" one of the scientists looked at the graphs in shock.

"No, I do see what you see…"

Their shock was understandable; it's not every day that the magic suddenly goes up everywhere at the same time. Though they had a suspicion who could be the culprit behind that…

And upon checking the magical signature between mana in the environment and the one they had as sample their suspicion was confirmed.

"So that was the reason Divine Spirit went on his own without attending the banquet in his name…" scientists nodded to themselves.

"So, what does that mean to humanity as a whole?" Akane Nishino was all but sure what this meant, but she still wanted the confirmation from the other side.

"If it goes at the same temp, in a month or so humans will be able to collect magic energy in their bodies in enough quantity that even a civilian will be able to overpower a common Magical Beast," her brother nodded to himself.

"Of course, the Beasts themselves may take advantage of that, too, but unlike the current situation where we have knowledge but no resources to use it, in the future we will have access to weapons blueprints while having all the materials to construct them, which would put humanity at heavy advantage instead," the old doctor explained further.

One of the scientists listened to everything they said in turmoil. Yes, The First took away her loved ones, but…

She looked at the screen.

Was her revenge worth it if it would cost the future of their descendants?

---

Cid, Hams, and Todd watched with owl's eyes as the Fire magic system slowly integrated into his body and then disappeared. Then his Soul Space suddenly got an addition in the form of slowly enlarging fire near the Sanctuary.

Alright, contrary to his words, Cid did, in fact, use Faith energy to make the process faster and safer! And that was the result: a lot of materialized concepts suddenly appeared around him and started begging to give them home. But what they wanted was no mere rock, oh no! They wanted to live in his Fire Realm! He did not have the Fire Realm, of course, but that was a temporary thing, because soon after his Faith energy, obeying his wishes to create Fire Core, created the freaking Fire Core!

And this Fire Core, being led by Faith and materialized concepts of Fire, slowly increased in size and quality. And then it did the same as Shadow Core: going further into his… soul, yes. It appeared in his Soul Space and transformed into Fire Realm, where all the concepts happily went to, increasing the speed of its formation. Now Cid also had Fire Realm in his Soul Space. The question was: where is the Shadow Realm of his Soul Space?

Turned out, it was hidden in the shadows of everything else; there was a shadow of Sanctuary and shadow of Fire Realm. Apparently, Shadow Realm mimicked everything else he had. Cool?

Well, now he was practically immune to the the temperature and pressure around him. Time to dive deeper and finally make the most wonderful rings in existence!

Notes:

Cid is very serious in his intentions and is willing to do anything to make sure the girls receive the best thing possible. Girls will sure love how much efforts he put into making his feelings known! What they won't like, however, is what he did in order to do so…

Chapter 69: Preparation Obsession

Cid slowly appeared in Earth's inner core. A moment later he made a safe space out of mix of his normal mana, Fire Realm's mana, and Earth's core mana. Not for himself; he wanted to make sure rings will not be damaged in the process.

So, what Cid wanted to use as the shank of the ring? He had several ideas, but in the end opted for the most challenging and interesting: cooling down the core's magma. Yes, in theory, this is gonna be one hell of thing to do, but he had Fire Realm, Shadow Realm, and Faith energy! Not to mention his own knowledge and Beasts' help!

In the process of cooling he will also use Serpent's scales; these things were resilient enough to practically ignore the surrounding heat, could pair nicely with the magma itself if he doesn't mess up, and, that's the important part, were of matching color scheme with Shadow Garden style! As for gems, these things would go matching with girls. He just hopes he doesn't mess this up…

And with that he slowly started the crafting process. Of course, not having proper tools somewhat slowed the process, but he managed to make a detailed figurine with a crowbar, what's making rings by hand and mind compared to that?

Right, Cid, focus on the task. Obviously, trying to manipulate magma can't compare to using slime suit: one is something that he spent years of researching and perfecting, and the other one is thing that he took his hands on for the first time in his life. About slime suit, by the way…

He slowly looked over the melting liquid. Yeah, it was no longer comparable to his level. Figures, considering that slimes are actually the weakest monsters in fantasy world. He doesn't deny the possibility that there might some kind of Slime God that was top-tier monster even by his new world standards, but he didn't see it as of yet. Which meant that he had to create one!

Yes, Cid wanted to upgrade the slime suit first so he could use it in making rings later. And for that he will use an interesting combination…

First, he would need some Serpent's scales, the surrounding magma, and his own flesh and blood. Serpent's scales will be used to grant a bit of of their resilience to slime, magma is for granting suit the ability to withstand extreme temperatures (because scales are rigid and magma is somewhat liquid… somewhat), and the parts of his body for… hell if he knows what for. Theoretically, it's to bind the suit to himself, but in practice Cid just wanted to see what adding the blood of min-maxed human will do.

Moreover, exactly this slime suit should be able to take everything well and not be destroyed in the process, because it bathed in his mana for a long time and should have grown accustomed to it. Yes, that's because it was still, technically, living (at least, his version; he doesn't want to know what Eta did with her version).

He carefully took out one scale (because all of them are freaking huge; if Sanctuary wasn't a subspace with lots of room, he doesn't know how they would store the Serpent's remains…) and placed it outside of safe space. And true to his thoughts, it completely defied the surrounding temperature and pressure and just stood proud. Cid had to admit, it was strong. That's what made it a great choice!

He has grown a lot since his battle with Serpent, and the scales themselves, not being supported by gigantic… worm?… were way less sturdy. He still had to use a lot of his strength to do what he wanted with them, but it was not to the point "waste 10% of your reserve to make a small hole" as it was before; now Cid could use just his physical prowess to bend scale however he wanted. And with usage of magic he could now also melt it and give it a new structure.

And at this moment Hams appeared and gave an advice: what if he makes instruments and tools out of these scales? Cid had to admit, the idea held merit. Considering how good the scales proven themselves to be in area of magic conductivity (70%, by the way) and how sturdy they were, he had all reasons to think that these things would prove a great material for mage's working station. He himself was salivating at the thought of being in a proper workshop; what about Eta, then? Would she lose all inhibitors once he gifts her something like this (and he 100% does it: wedding gift, after all)?

After a minute of brainstorming they decided to make the following set: anvil (because anvil is cool), forge (with usage of his new Fire Realm it would go on indefinitely, allowing them to melt anything), slime suit (all-in-one tool), and artifact station with amplifiers and analyzer.

The last one is not for him… well, for him too, but in another way: in normal artifact making the mage had to sit down and patiently carve every rune by themselves; Cid could do it simply by his will, but he still had to concentrate a bit to create the enchantment. That's where the station comes in: by Hams' design, it would contain the molds of pre-existing rune enchantments; user only had to place the item they desired to enchant and then choose one of the molds, the station will quickly engrave and activate it.

Of course, that was function for a mere user; for someone who was proficient enough in artifact making on their own, the station offered a large amount of tools to help them out in this task: special instruments like carving knifes, quills, pens, and inks that were preloaded and could be replaced at any time. They were made with combination of Serpent's scales, Sanctuary's walls, and the flowing magma.

Another interesting thing he managed to add was analyzer. Its function was simple: you place the artifact in special case, place a bunch of books about the language it uses, and analyzer deciphers the artifact. It could also copy a mold for future usage… Who said something about magical printer?

The station could also be opened if user wished to study the molds that already came in or replace them with their own… Though Cid had all reasons to think Eta would not replace any of them in foreseeable future; his own designs should be way superior to anything fantasy world had to offer, and he planned to load a lot of them: defensive, offensive, mundane life… Anything you could think of.

But the most important parts in artifact station were amplifiers. By Hams' design (what the hell does Todd even do all the time?… oh, he was busy making contracts and melting gems), these things served as focus for user's magic and tremendously lessened the magic loss. The station magic conductivity should already be at about 70% (it could drop depending on how good other materials will be), and amplifiers will take the parasitic losses back and use them once again. Anything that could not be used would be stored in the special crystals that then could cover the magic if the user for some reason depleted their own reserve.

Of course, for Cid himself this station was but a small help: he was already able to do anything the station could, and it could only serve as a way to spend less time on mundane things like mass enchantment. But for Eta that thing could tremendously lessen the workload and help her focus on the more important parts of research.

Of course, other girls will get their wedding gifts, too! He already had ideas in mind what to gift each Shade…

With help of Hams and Todd Cid managed to craft two sets. Why two? One for Eta, the other one for his Beasts. Yes, for some reason they needed it… Alright, he actually needed one himself to make sure he doesn't mess up in slime suit and ring crafting. He only had one slime suit that was used by him for a long time, yes, the one he is wearing right now. Mistakes can't be made!

Now that Cid made the proper crafting stations, he could continue with making the upgrades slime suit. The first thing he did was, of course, melting the serpent's scale; with brand new forge, his own powers, and surrounding environment it was a piece of cake. The challenging part was to fuse the melted scale with slime suit and not destroy the latter in the process. But he managed! Though it was still not a proper fuse, and he was now practically naked until he finishes the upgrade… No biggie.

The next step was adding the magma. He needed to cool it down enough so it won't melt the slime to puddle, but also let it be hot enough to not become a stone. He spent a good hour or two forcing the conditions to meet, before finally managing to make a perfect balance.

The slime almost evaporated, but being held by his magic power (and Faith; if something goes wrong drop some of Faith and have faith for the best) allowed it to 'survive'. And now comes his flesh and blood.

By his theory, his body parts now contained a large amount of life force, surpassing even that of Diablos (aka Aurora (aka Violet)), and by Diablos cells' example he knows that it's possible to add them into another living being, either forcing it to mutate horribly or obtain new powers while maintaining the original structure. The problem with Diablos cells' was, they were not given out of free will. They were harvested by scientists… which, if Cid is being honest, knew nothing about proper biology; if they knew, they would not make so many mistakes…. Back to the point; Violet did not want to grant her cells to anyone.

And that meant that they carried over her residue will, the will to break free, which caused the Magic Overload and subsequent random mutations, which rarely ended well. In his case, not only he has the knowledge of technologically advanced Earth and his own magic research, but his cells are given out of free will with "I want to help this poor slime to survive and evolve further" wish.

And so Cid took out a bit of his blood and a chunk of his flesh. He already did it once with Epsilon, but back then he completely cleared off anything related to him and replaced it with Epsilon's own DNA to make sure the process goes smoothly. This time he will not clear anything and allow his monstrous lifeforce to support the slime suit.

The process started: he placed the barely alive slime together with his body parts onto the artifact station and started working through the amplifiers. Slowly, but surely his flesh merged with magma and scales parts, while his blood supported the slime itself. Slowly, bur surely suit came back to life.

And then, everything stopped. The suit before was a conglomeration of original slime, Serpent's scales, cooled magma, and his flesh; now, it was an uniform liquid that contained everything in certain proportions. Cid curiously injected his mana to it with intention to wear, and slime suit immediately obliged. In fact, he could say that the response was even faster than before.

Moreover, compared to all the previous experience where slime suit barely held itself onto his body when he let his control go, now it stayed in one piece even when he stopped the supply of his mana; though Cid could feel that once its own reserve runs out, it will fall down, but compared to previous iteration where without mana it immediately becomes a pile of liquid, that was a large upgrade. It also seemed like it was… connected to him?

Oh, right. His flesh and blood were a part of upgrade, and so once it felt the familiar signature, it immediately connected to his wishes. That's nice, he supposes?

It did not lose any of its versatility, though. In fact, it just became easier to use. Before that he had to concentrate constantly to make sure it works properly, and while it was fine for the most part, any precise work on a small-scale was nigh-impossible to do. Cid did, but it was very hard. Now, however, it obeyed his smallest wishes, to the point where he could work on millimeter level properly and make an accurate sentence with ease… yes, he just tested that out on a random stone.

Which meant now he had all the tools to create rings. And, as laughable as it was, with proper instruments it was a piece of cake to create shank! Really, he just need to merge magma with melted scale, then create a shape out of it and let it cool down. Then with artifact station he placed some minor enchantments: additional mana reservoir, in-built light spirit, place to store slime suit, some of his healing abilities, and the direct channel to his Faith containers like with Pylons.

Even Hams and Todd agreed that girls themselves were a treasure far more valuable than anything they had in their possession, and there was no point in holding back for them.

The shank itself was somewhat black, but with occasional purple lines; the black was from the cooled magma, while purple was from Serpent's scales. It went very good with Shadow Garden's color scheme!

Now it was time to make the ornaments. Cid honestly did not give a single fuck about any beliefs related to gems; what he wanted to do is make sure the gems' colors matched girls' eyes.

First went Eta's ring; after a moment of consideration Todd took out a single large amethyst.

Then they finished Zeta's ring: they used amber here for large gem and a couple of smaller yellow topaz gems.

Epsilon got herself emerald and aventurine.

Delta was a tricky choice, mainly because she and Eta had a similar eye color; fortunately, Todd turned out to be an expert (self-proclaimed) in gems and advised to place black jade. His source? "Trust me".

Gamma undoubtedly got a large sapphire, like, really large; she was really Todd's favourite, huh…

For Beta they took out aquamarines.

And Alpha's ring was special. Despite all the claims he made, he couldn't deny the fact that Alpha was the closest to him. She always supported him, made everything for him, and even the Shadow Garden as a whole was created because she wanted to make organization worthy of him.

Cid wanted to answer her feelings in the fullest, but just finding the most expensive gem in the existence? That was not his style. And then he realized: if he can't find one, why not make it?

Now they all stared at the gem they made with Serpent's scale, Sanctuary's wall brick, part of his heart, a unit of each other gem, and Faith. They could not understand it at all.

If you look at it from one angle, it looks like sapphire. But if you look from another, it shines with Serpent's purple. And then you tilt your head, and it suddenly shines rainbow! Some unknowable thing they created, but it was 100% safe and had a good synergy with their enchantments, so it was a success!

Cid wanted to prepare to leave when Hams suddenly said that his sister would be very worried about him, and it would be good to prepare a souvenir for her. And Alexia was still his girlfriend. Rose's coronation would require a small gift, too.

Well, his beloved sister Claire will get a Serpent's scale necklace with rubies, then. Two rubies, actually!

Alexia will have to do with a simple bracelet made out of magma stone with ruby and two small diamonds. Magma stone and gems should not be that rare compared to flying snake's scales, right?

Rose?… Oh, yeah, Tyrant Queen. Crown made from Serpent's scale mixed with Sanctuary bricks. A good combination of purple and white!

Anyone else?… Hm, Nishimura will get a graduation gift: a single emerald with enchantments that will be inserted into her crowbar. Nice and with style!

Victoria?… Well, if she was the one behind the cult of his, then he will give her a handmade necklace with that spooky four-star eye symbol made out of Serpent's scale… You know, isn't that too much women in his life?

Nah, it's probably fine. He still has to think about gifts to all other Seven Shades… There's no way he fucked up with gems, right? Everything should go well, right?

Notes:

Cid went all out. Now he has to create wedding gifts.

Eta gets herself a set of crafting stations so she can enjoy science and magic in peace. Anything else for other Shades?

Chapter 70: Plot Obsession

Cid slowly emerged back in the Messiah.

And he was immediately met with a large squad of scientists that all looked extremely eager to see him.

"Excuse me, Divine Spirit, can you please explain what-"

"Divine Spirit, the magic rises-"

"Is it possible to do that-"

"Silence."

He breathed in and calmed himself down.

"One by one. And make sure your speech is understandable."

"Divine Spirit," the old doctor started first, "Your actions have led to overall magic energy increase. It is theorized that in a month or so every citizen will be able to have enough energy to fight back the weakest beasts, and the ways to use that energy in industry will be opened."

'The hell?'

Did his crafting session really release that much magic in the process? Shouldn't have been, considering that he controlled every last bit of magic… Then it was during Fire Realm creation? If so, then… He had no idea it could happen! But it's better to play cool, right?

"Indeed. Exactly as I envisioned," ignore the squeals from Victoria, she's just in her fanatic mode again.

"Thank you for your gift, Divine Spirit!" one of the younger scientists came up, "In all honesty, most people here at first had faith in some higher beings that would help us since magic turned out to be real, but…"

"Nobody came."

Figures, there was nobody here to begin with. Even magical beasts were otherworldly creatures.

"Y-Yes, so we had to trust in our own brawns and brains. And then, as if answering our prayers, you came."

'I think it wouldn't be that bad to reveal one simple thing…'

"The reason might be behind the fact that time goes differently between worlds," he shook his head, "For every five days here one day passes from my side."

"So the other worlds are real… And time might not be a constant…" scientists immediately started discussing the news.

Cid enjoyed the stage. Playing some kind of higher being that intervenes to help humanity? Crossed out!

"Now," he drew their attention, "my job here is done. You were given resources and knowledge. You are now at advantage compared to magical beasts. If you can't fight back again…" and shake his head, "In order to prosper, you have to learn to meet problems head-on and solve them as fast as possible."

Yep, that one goes to his cool phrases list.

"So you are leaving…" the pleasant woman from before spoke with a hint of guilt.

"Not now. I have time until tomorrow. Then I shall take my leave…" he diverted his gaze, "And take my disciple."

"Ah, right, your contract…" Akira realized something.

Yeah, his contract with Nishimura. By the contract, she was to serve him in exchange of him making sure that beasts can't harm humanity anymore (Hams interjected and noted it was Cid offering his power). Well, from his side the contract was finished, now it was her part. There was a small point that if he wishes so he can free her from the contract at any time, of course, bu-u-ut… That was his disciple right here!

"Indeed. Now that I have fulfilled my part of the deal, it is time for her to fulfill hers. If you have anything to talk about, you better do it now," last part was for Nishitane.

"I… I think I do."

"Good. Then I shall wait," and go away in mysterious and cool way!

---

"Doctor Yuka, you wanted to talk with me?" Akane Nishino sat down on the bed.

"Yes," woman was uncharacteristically silent and grumpy.

"…So?"

"You were the First, right?" the mere mention of it shook Akane to the core.

"I-"

"I understand, you could not control yourself. However…" Yuka bit her lips, "This will not return my husband."

"I-I…"

"I understand that you're as much of a victim here as me… But your brother…" doctor hatefully stared across the room.

Akane started sobbing. Despite all attempts to suppress it, the memories of hateful past still haunted her to this day.

"I am sorry for making you remember this, but… I had to talk about this. With you. I… want to confess," Yuka breathed in, "I am a spy."

"…Huh," was the reaction from Akane.

"I am spy from the Alliance. I took this job to become closer to you and your brother and take my revenge. But now, knowing that you secured a bright future for humanity?…" poor widow shook her head, "I can't bring myself to do this. No matter how much I hate you…"

"If it makes you feel better…" Akane started carefully, "I want to punch my brother in the face, too."

Yuka blinked at sudden sentence. Then, as if finally breaking down from the stress, she laughed. She laughed hysterically, letting everything out.

Akane only sat closer to the doctor, allowing her to cry her anguish out.

---

Alexia sighed in sadness.

It was a week since Cid won a vacation ticked from Mitsugoshi.

She wanted to use her position as princess, but Mitsugoshi declined her. Figures, considering they were working in multiple kingdoms at once; unlike other stores that were tied to Midgar, Mitsugoshi was working on a large scale. It's just!…

Ugh!

She wanted to meet with Pooch! To talk with him! To pet him! To be pet by him! Yet he disappeared right after the Bushin Festival! They only got to talk once, and then he went away!

At least his sister, Claire, was still here. And considering she wasn't running around in screams like she would usually do in a situation like that, everything was legit.

He promised her a cool figurine! That one, with that serpentine thing! And he better get it at whatever vacation he is in!

Or else! She will have to! Place a choker on him!…

Ugh, so embarrassing… Almost as embarrassing as her sister Iris felt when Alexia tried to gift thongs… He-he-he~

Alexia cheered up.

Pooch should come back tomorrow, right? Oh, she has so much to say to him!

---

The vampire clans moved.

Crimson was ready.

Soon, their Queen shall be awakened once more. And then, they will take their rightful place as rulers of this world.

The heart of their Progenitor, Elizabeth, was heavily protected and placed in exquisite crimson coffin. Everything that was left of their Queen. Anyone else would surely perish when their body turns into dust. However…

Progenitor was different. A heart was all that was left. And that was enough. One sacrifice. Just one, and she would come back to this world. Weakened, sure, but with a good supply of blood she will quickly restore her powers. And then…

Then humanity will learn their place as cattle.

---

The cyclop travelled across the worlds. He and his siblings have long since transcended their world.

Well, he did. His sister was still stuck trying to beat the gatekeeper for the first time, while his brother tried to challenge the universe… And got beaten. He had to intervene back then to make sure foolish brother stayed alive.

As laughable as it sounds, cyclop was bored. Bored of his phenomenal power, bored of lack of challenge. His only brief joy was finding the potential… candidates. However, after finally reaching either him or his brother, they would chicken out. Hmph, why, then, were they trying to woo his little sister? They would be lucky to exit before his brother; this sibling was a bit apathetic and only quickly ended their lifes, allowing to reincarnate with whatever they got left with. If they challenged the cyclop, however? It is an expected result that they were disintegrated from a wave of his hand, being forced to start soul evolution from the beginning.

Especially these 'System users'; completely reliant on that tool, it was no wonder they were unable to do anything once he found out how to turn it off.

Still, it was boring. He wanted a fight, a challenge. He placed restrictions upon himself. He locked his power. He fought using copper shortsword. It didn't help. Even the so-called gods were unable to provide a challenge. Leeches that fed off the Faith energy; he wonders, what they felt once he cut off the connection?

He had met true Gods before; while they still used Faith energy, it only served as a way of betterment for them. They continued to polish and increase their own power, and even when cut off from Faith, were still able to provide a strong fight… For his siblings, that is. Cyclop saw no major difference between gods and Gods, other than the latter being actually thoughtful.

Oh, there were also these idiots who tried to seal power of the universe into something and use it for their own goals. Idiots. He simply released his aura, and they dropped down. If they cultivated their own strength instead of chasing after ghosts, they

There is no road to almighty for those using borrowed strength. None!…

…He suddenly felt a connection. As if, someone just heard his thoughts… and agreed.

Multiverse started unveiling before his gaze.

Where.

Cyclop, for the first time in his life, felt a connection with someone who was not his sibling.

Where?

He wished to find this person, to have a conversation with them.

Where?!

Mutant wanted to scream.

Where. Are? You?!

---

For some reason, in the next morning Akira had two slap marks across his face. And, if Cid's abilities serve him correct, these two slaps were from different hands. Hum-hum, interesting…

Nevermind, it's about time he finally comes back to Shades, his sister, his girlfriend… A lot of people that he misses dearly! Damn, just a month or so of being in another world made him such a sad sponge…

"Sensei, I am ready," oh, Nishimura.

"Good. Stand with me. Both you and Victoria."

A lot of people stood around them. Mostly scientists. As they said, they want to see and record what happens during the moment he travels back to his world. Why not?

Also the cheers. Yeah, cheers. Everyone was clapping and chanting "Divine Spirit"; Hams and Todd could only run around to make sure to collect as much Faith as possible.

Well, this travel was bountiful! Disciple, lots of science books, lots of talks with smart people (because even if magic was something that appeared recently, they were still scientists with a lot of knowledge and experience), and, important, upgrade to slime suit, new powers. Marriage rings and gifts!

Yeah, the harvest was great this time. If he manages to get his hands on some better magic books, that would be so much joy! Hmm, maybe ask Violet?…

Cid thought about everything while connecting with Black Rose portal. Hams promised to read the science books carefully, especially the physics ones; he theorized they could use it to make Black Rose better, either in making it able to connect to multiple worlds or just increasing stability. The last one was important because of that time otherworldly creatures ran into his little fantasy world; for him they were ingredients, but what if he was not here? Yeah, it would be an interesting character arc for Rose, but she was already on the path he wanted!

And now coming to the reason he wanted a mini-Pylon.

He had a plan…

Now hear him out on this one, Beasts…

What if he… poses as mighty divine being and sends people to other worlds?!

Huh, did he hear something? Oh, something fell in the Soul Space… eh, Hams was nearby, he will pick it up.

Right, time to go back! This time with souvenirs!

Notes:

The vampire arc (and, subsequently, Yukime's one) is near.
I have thoughts about a completely new role that Cid would play...

Hold on, wait, who is that Cyclop?...

Chapter 71: Crowbar Obsession

Notes:

Who the hell thought making the word "cyclops" instead of "cyclop" is a good idea? Thank you for telling me about this error.

And the Cyclops itself… Google Fargo's mod.

It has been an year since Divine Spirit left.

In that time, Japan has finally relented against Magical Beasts. With the blessing of Divine Spirit and his apostles, humanity gained magic en masse and was able to use it however they wished.

People now knew that higher being watched over them and granted His protection. However, they also knew that He wants them to develop on their own and not rely on whims of powerful creatures. And so they did.

World quickly united under the banner of Divine Spirit. They poured all their powers to restore infrastructure that was destroyed in place where Spatial Rift happened. Scientists all over the globe studied the newfound energy with endless curiosity. Government programs were made to ensure that all magically gifted people were able to get proper education.

Even upon leave, Divine Spirit still left something behind: the books about magic and how to wield it, from the tips for beginners, to advanced wielding, to intricate patterns with multiple complex structures that were available only to people proficient in both science and magic. Of course, it did not end on this: Divine Spirit theorized that it was possible to industrialize magic and had no qualms about it, however He wished that people would not neglect their own betterment.

And how could they? Something that before was only stuff of legends was now available to everyone. Maybe, in two or three generations people would grow accustomed to it and treat as yet another daily occurrence, but as of now every person on planet Earth was tapping on powers previously non-existent. Look to the left, and you will see children trying to cosplay mighty fighters. Look to the right, and you will see chefs and blacksmiths inserting magic energy into their instruments and products to increase their quality.

Of course, everything was not shine and rainbows. As it turned out, too much magic could cause mutations, and not always were they positive. However, even here Divine Spirit left the hint: it was a problem of excess energy. If being was not able to handle their magic, they either had to increase the control over their powers, or drop off the magic energy. Faculties were opened to fine-tune the amount of magic in human's body. The results were not great, however they had a lot of time to upgrade their technology.

Cosmos was yet another enigma; only planet Earth was currently able to produce magic. Scientists researching that finally pinpointed the reason: Divine Spirit has left something in planet's core that conversed the thermal energy into magic energy and released it to the planet. It could've been a problem, but the process was mutual: the magic energy that was released by living beings was absorbed back into planet's core, slowly raising the overall quality of it. By estimations, in ten to fifteen years the planet will develop its own magosphere surrounding the whole planet, and in another thirty years it will reach the peak point of its growth, maintaining the status quo after that.

As for the cosmos itself, to great disappointment of humanity, it did not have an ounce of magic. However, Earth's magic slowly seeped into it, and bright minds were already developing the solutions to manually bring the energy to other planets. In theory, the process of terraforming combined with granting magic to the planet's core will heavily benefit the planet itself: even now, with undeveloped magosphere, Earth was slowly shifting to self-sustain. After the magosphere enters its peak, the life across the globe should no longer be reliant on the surrounding cosmos, especially their sun… Or rather, not that much reliant: there were many things brought by stars that could not be replaced even with magic, but most primitive lifeforms and some of the higher ones should be able to survive in magic environment even without sun rays.

As magic has slowly risen, strange beings started manifesting across the globe. At first, people thought that these were ghosts, but as it turned out, these were the concepts. Living concepts that were born in places where magic environment was the most dense, born from humanity's combined knowledge. Each time people capable of wielding magic were heavily invested in their work, concepts would be born. They did not live long, but anyone lucky enough to witness them could obtain enlightment in their field. Many scientific breakthroughs were made that way and heavily accelerated the magic research.

Yet the most important of them was hidden in planet's core. The one that was left behind by Divine Spirit. And its task was simple: increase the magic density across the planet. Without it, scientists calculated, magic would fill up way slower, possibly prolonging it up to a hundred years just to develop a weak magosphere, and thousands years to make it to the peak.

Humanity united under His banner, and started thinking: "If he came down to us, who says we can't go up to Him?"

Despite being clad in shadows, He was the guiding light that granted humanity new future. And they wished to repay Him.

They still did not have any results with understanding where He came from, but it was alright. First, they will make the universe a place worth of His presence by bringing magic into it. Then, they will show their results.

He will be proud, they are sure of that.

The four-star eye looks over them.

---

"Hams, care to explain why we made it one to fifty instead of one to five how it was before?"

"…"

"Oh, it's temporary? How temporary are we talking about?"

"…"

"Oh, barely a week and then it's back to one to five? Wait, you used Faith, didn't you?"

"…"

"Go think about time manipulation without using such an unreliable resource!"

Yeah, Hamster decided to use Faith to do time shenanigans. What's the reason for bringing science books, then?

At least his first attempt at time manipulation was something safe. Cid doesn't want to think what would happen if Hams tried to do time stop and then couldn't fix it back. Brrr…

They finally landed back in Oriana. And by 'they' he means himself, Victoria, and Nishitane. Oh, and Goose.

Currently they were in some kind of forest, but that didn't matter that much because Cid connected back to the Pylon system and knew exactly where to walk. Why walk? Because, uhh…

Hmm… Stop croaking, Todd, he thinks… Oh, right!

"Nishimura."

"Sensei?… It's Nishino," Akane blinked at him.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about. Got a bit… caught up."

"I understand," she nodded at him seriously, "You did a lot for humanity."

"Right, so… Nishitane."

"S-Sensei, it's Nishino."

"I have a gift for you," he decided to ignore her protests. He already knows she's Nishikage! "Both of you."

"G-Gift?" Akane perked up, while Victoria…

"T-To think I would receive blessing directly from Divine Lord…! A-Ah!" yeah, last part was unneeded…

"This is for you, my disciple," he took out the emerald. "Place it on your crowbar."

"A-Alright…"

Once she did so, emerald started sinking into tool by itself (actually with Cid's silent control to make it look cool); once it finished, a wave of magic went through the crowbar, placing enchantments onto it and creating an artifact. The emerald shone brightly, seemingly connecting with Nishitane.

"T-That's…" her breath hitched.

"Now that you have graduated, I thought your weapon deserves an upgrade," more smart words! "This is a graduation gift."

She raised her head, but he already turned to Victoria.

"And this is for you, my faithful servant," he showed a beautiful necklace made in his symbol… or rather, whatever the hell they made his symbol, "A sign that I recognize your faith in me."

"L-Lord Shadow!" she accepted the gift with shaking hands. Cid had a feeling that if it was not for the fact that Shades practically claimed him for themselves, she would jump on his bones right here and then.

Victoria wore it, dropping the eye part in her… cleavage. Yeah, where else does necklace go? Should not have made the chain so long…

"Now, Nishimura…"

"Nishino…"

"I have a task for you."

"Yes?" she tensed up.

Now, random bullshit go!

"Not only your world was plagued by disasters. A lot of other worlds are in danger as we speak. However, even I wished to, I am not able to be everywhere at once. That's why…" dramatic pause!

"That's why you need apostles and people who would do the job in your stead," Akane stole his line!

"…Precisely."

Now, where was the mini-Pylon… Oh, here!

"Take this. It serves as a spatial artifact that will allow you to travel easily. You merely need to connect it with spatial channels, and it's ready to use."

Yeah, he and Hams spent some time crafting this thing! Of course, the main part was the fact that it connected to his Soul Space, where Hamster just finished making a cool screen. When he's bored, he could go and watch whatever the hell is happening with her! Oh, and the spatial abilities were inserted, too. Artifact Station for the win!

"So, I am to save the other worlds…" she nodded at him seriously. "I am ready. But I have one favor to ask, if you don't mind…"

"Speak."

"…Could you please remove your hood and show me your face?"

Victoria tensed up at Akane's words, but did not go aggressive.

Cid thought it over. Like, there's no harm in doing that, right? She's bound by contract, she will go to another world anyway… Why not?

He allowed the shadows on his face disperse and removed (literally; slime suit, after all) the hood.

Nishimura suddenly paled as if she was looking at a ghost.

"N-No… T-That's impossible…"

What's with her? Nevermind, time to use the Black Rose!

The air cracked as the spatial rift opened once more.

"H-How could that be?…"

Hmm, she will need company, right? Goose, you are going with her!

"I-I thought…" she finally noticed the anomaly, "N-No, wait!"

In the next moment, Akane and Minoru went on an adventure.

---

"O' Heroes, please save our world!"

'What?'

Akane Nishino suddenly found herself in a stone room, surrounded by people in robes. Her mind was still processing what just happened.

The Divine Spirit…

"…We have summoned you, four Heroes…"

There was no way, right?

The Divine Spirit simply could not be her long dead classmate…

"…We can go back in our own world, right?…"

But if so, that meant…

That meant…

"Um, what is this… animal?"

"Isn't that a canada goose? I heard these guys are ferocious, but I didn't think they were that big!"

"How did it even appear here?"

Akane finally focused on the situation around her. There were three teenage-looking boys in circle with her, one with sword, one with bow, one with spear. And she was surrounded by mage-looking men.

She reached for her trusty crowbar; a weak shock passed through her body as she tried to take it in her hands.

And in the next moment, crowbar jumped out of her hand and aimed at something at her hand. A shield?…

Crowbar quickly reached under shield and started pulling the defensive item out. It tried to resist with its straps, but in the end tool proved victorious and finally yanked the shield. It felt down on the ground, followed by the crowbar.

Tool started beating the defensive item, and suddenly, it bended. Shield tried to 'crawl' away, to no avail; crowbar slowly, but surely broke the item apart.

And then, shield was destroyed. Crowbar 'crawled' to the gem that fell out of shield and took it into the notch. Shortly after everyone could hear the eating sound that was eerily similar to the one in a popular block game.

Crowbar finished, and its own gem suddenly became brighter. The tool returned to its owner's hand.

Everyone stared in shock as shards of Legendary Weapon that was the epitome of word 'indestructible' lay on the ground. Crowbar's gem shone… menacingly.

Akane Nishino's brain finally rebooted. She realized whose fault was all of that.

"KAGENO-O-O-O!"

Notes:

Hero of Crowbar is here!

…What, you thought I was joking back then?

Chapter 72: Proposal

Summary:

Double chapter because Nishino part was already written 10 chapters before this one (I am not joking).

Also chapter's name is different… come to think of it, the only other chapter without "Obsession" is DoG's battle… hum…

'Not bad, not bad…'

Cid looked in satisfaction. Everything proceeded exactly as they envisioned: Nishimura went in another world and safely managed to reach the destination… Though at the start they suddenly picked up the Call. About damn time! So he sent his, so to say, representative. Judging by whatever the hell that world was 'saying', it needed Heroes. Well, here! Hero! Hams, don't forget to make a record out of all of this!

"Lord Shadow…" oh, right, Victoria.

He turned around to see the fanatical eyes of his worshipper… Yeah, the usual look girls give him when they catch a feeling for him: widened eyes, creepy smile, and a wish to jump on him. He wonders, if he ever summoned the whole Shadow Garden, would they participate all together?… What was that thought? Perish, perish! He has Shades to confess to!

"Let's go, Victoria. It is time we return to Mitsugoshi."

---

"So… you say we were summoned to save the world from so-called 'waves', right?" Akane played with her crowbar.

"That's correct, Hero of the Shield-"

"Crowbar," she interrupted the speaker, "I am Hero of Crowbar."

She looked over at her… status…

##Name: Akane Nishino

Class: Hero of ##Crowbar##

L#evel: 498&

EqUIPment: Crowbar (Crowbar-class weapon)&&, ######'s clothes

Skills?: ?

MAgiC:  A-A-A-A-A! I CAN'T DO THIS NO MORE!

'Huh, it broke,' Nishino thought lazily as the screen in front of her glitched out and disappeared.

"Right, Hero of… Crowbar…" the speaker on the throne who identified himself as king of this country said with a doubt in his voice, "I assume you have found your Status, o' Heroes?" he spoke to the other three.

"Indeed, and I am level one…" the sword guy sighed.

"Can we even fight with something like that?…"

She also noticed how they slowly shifted away from her. Yeah, yeah, leave her alone. She will beat these 'waves', then come back and beat Kageno for everything he pulled on her! 'Divine Spirit', he says… 'Save the world', he says…

But at least he's alive, right? That's all that matters…

"…Correct, o' Heroes. You are unable to increase the prowess of your Weapon in presence of other Legendary Weapons," king spoke about something, but she honestly did not listen.

Huh, Status is poking?

Attention: the Legendary Weapons and their own#ers will ex#pe&ri-i-i-

Oh, shut the fuck up already!

…

There's no negative effects when travelling with other Weapons.

Akane Nishino stared at the crowbar in her hand. The crowbar's gem shone innocently.

'I knew you were not that simple…' she sighed.

Come to think of it, didn't this crowbar look quite similar to the ones Minoru-kun used back then to save her from gangsters?… Oh, it shone again. Huh, that's what he meant by 'sentimental'…

"Uh, guys, my Status glitched?…" she heard bow guy.

She looked at them in curiosity.

"Yeah, it says something about Crowbar not affecting other Weapons?" spear guy poked (pun unintentional).

"I mean, that's actually thoughtful. It was Shield before, right? And Shield cannot attack, but is very useful at early game for protecting the carries… Oh, so that's why!" bow guy 'realized'.

'No, I think it's because whatever Kageno did broke the fucking system.'

"Hmm… No, by the legends Shield was unable to travel with other Weapons…" the minister (?) spoke cautiously.

"Please, fair lady, travel with me!" spear guy posed, "I shall protect you from everything!"

"Fuck no," was her immediate answer.

"Ugh! A tsundere! I am melting!" what a bunch of weirdos…

Oh, Status is poking again… What? Beat other weapons and absorb their gems to power up? Hmm…

"Ahem!" king coughed, "I suggest the heroes go and rest for now. We shall prepare companions for everyone to travel with in the meantime, and tomorrow, you will go on adventure to increase your powers!"

"Seems good with me…"

"I will totally get girls…"

"Me, a hero…"

'Fuck you, Kageno. And by the time I come back, it will be literal. With this very crowbar…'

The gem shone menacingly.

---

Cid sneezed.

He had a feeling someone thought about him in a bad way. Probably his imagination.

Right, he sent Victoria out to fetch Seven Shades. It was twenty minutes already. He was nervous.

He didn't know why, but he was. Like, he prepared and triple-checked everything. Gifts, rings, his own speech… But he was still nervous, alright! These were the girls he genuinely cherished!

"I have brought them, Lord Shadow," Victoria brought him out of his thoughts.

"Thank you. Leave us. This is a confidential matter."

Zealous worshipper nodded and went out of the room. He had a feeling she was going to protect the door so hard no one would be able to enter… Let's hope she will think about the walls, too.

"Master Shadow, I am glad to see you again," Alpha smiled at him.

"Likewise, Alpha, likewise," he smiled back.

"Right, there are reports-"

"Not now, Alpha. I have brought you gifts and souvenirs."

Everyone perked up.

"What kind of souvenirs, Lord Shadow?" Beta inquired, "I have heard that you went away, but…"

"Oh, yeah, I was in another world."

Everyone went silent.

"…Didn't Victoria tell you?"

"No, Master…" Eta shook her head lazily, "Just said… to come here…"

"Well, I was in another world and managed to obtain precious knowledge and things! So yes, I am gifting them to you!"

"Ah!…" Gamma gasped.

"Gifts from Boss?! Yippie!" Delta jumped, making her… assets bounce.

"Right, we will go from the end… Eta, come here."

Researcher curiously took a step forward. After a moment of concentration, Cid took the gift out.

"T-That's…" her eyes widened.

"Yeah, this is the combination of otherworldly knowledge and Shadow Wisdom! An advanced set for everything researcher and crafter would want! Anvil from high-level materials, Forge with multiple settings and understandable controls, and an Artifact Station with built-in artifact molds, instruments for advanced users, and a deciphering tool! Everything an enthusiast would need-" his speech was interrupted by sudden flying object called Eta that just launched herself into his embrace.

She looked at him with girls' usual scary look: wide smile, wide eyes…

"Thank you, Master Shadow… I will cherish your gift… And find a good use for it… Hi-hi-hi…"

"Uh, Eta…"

"Yes…" she rubbed herself against him.

"Eta, think about the others, please," Alpha smiled darkly.

"Ugh… F-Fine…" she let him go.

Cid coughed.

"R-Right, Zeta…" he took the gift out as cat-kin silently stepped forward, ears twitching, "The espionage tools. Sound transmitters, stealth suit, survival package… In short, everything needed for a solo mission! Instructions included!"

"Hmm… Thank you, my Lord, I have already found the ways I can use your gifts…" Zeta squinted and grinned. Poor anyone who got on her bad side.

"Now, Epsilon."

"Yes, my Lord!"

"I know about your… magic enthusiasm…" she stared at him, "So, here. Magic books that I myself compiled and made easy to understand. You can learn from them, then distribute to everyone else…"

"My Lord, is that knowledge… here?" oh, yeah…

"Somewhat. The basics. Everyone is different, after all, and it's more a matter of experience, but the foundation is here, yes."

"Thank you, my Lord, I will make sure to surprise you in the future," Epsilon smiled brightly.

"Alright, Delta, come here."

"Bossman!" she jumped up to him.

"Hmm, what do I have here… Oh, but of course!" he took out the… collar, "This thing makes hunts easier. Smell, sounds… Everything will be way less potent on its wearer. If you ever want a challenge, you can turn it off. We can also… play with it…"

"Thank you, Bossman! Aww!" wolf-girl immediately started trying to wear the collar. He honestly didn't want to use it, but she seemed to be happy with it, so…

"Now, Gamma…" the mature woman gracefully came up to him, "Here, full-fledged economy books, with my own thoughts. Also take this," he took out the card from Serpent's scale, "Channel the magic into this symbol, and a free man… cough, cough… yeah, workers will appear. Contrary to whatever they say, they are already paid, so you don't need to give anything from your pocket. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, my Lord…" azure eyes scanned the gifts, "Hmm, that would certainly help in business…"

"Beta, for you I prepared… this!" he took the gifts out.

"Lord Shadow, is that?!…"

"Camera from another world, made and enchanted by me! Can take almost infinite number of pictures, and they are fully colored, in high resolution! And, knowing your writer passion, a notepad with built-in search and navigation features," don't ask him how much time they spent making it. The spirit they caught made it a lot easier…

"T-Thank you, my Lord!" her breasts squished against each other as she placed the gifts onto them.

"And, Alpha…"

"Master Shadow," she smiled slightly.

"I honestly didn't know what to gift you at first… But then I realized something. So, here."

He took out a large case. Alpha looked at it in curiosity and turned her gaze to him. He nodded at her and motioned to open it.

Once the lid was removed, elf gasped at the sight.

Inside a case, the dark sword lay sheathed. Even though she could only see the hilt and the sheath itself, it was clear that whatever the materials were used, they were exquisite.

"Take it," he was happy at her reaction.

Alpha reached out and slowly unsheathed the sword. Similarly dark blade slowly revealed itself, with occasional flashes of purple running on it. Once it felt her hand, the dark ruby flashed at her presence.

Yeah, the binding system. Hams and Todd spent some time making the recognition system that would only allow the weapon's owner to wield it, anyone else would get zapped… or burnt… or frozen… you get it.

"This sword…"

"Yeah, I made it," he declared proudly.

"You created all of that?…"

"Uh, yeah…" he blinked.

Shades stared at him with… oh, he knows that look. Eta just showed it not so long ago… and Victoria…

"Ah, my Lord…" Gamma raised her hands to her face, "To think you care about us so much."

"Speaking of it, I am not finished."

They tried to calm themselves down.

"Right, so…" he gulped and slowly took out seven boxes.

With his magic, they slowly flew towards the Shades.

"C-Cid?" Alpha broke the character.

"You have been with me since… since my childhood, basically… You went with everything I said, helped me build the world-wide organization that controlled everything from the shadows… You have taken my dream as your own, simply because you wished to be with me… And… And I appreciate that a lot… Nah, to hell with it!"

He decided to scrap his speech and just say it straightforward.

"Alpha. Beta. Gamma. Delta. Epsilon. Zeta. Eta. I love you. I love you all deeply. You are the best thing to ever happen with me in this world. If it was not for you, I… I would be so alone… So…"

Boxes opened per his will, revealing the exquisite rings, each in its unique style.

"My Seven Shades… Will you marry me?"

Girls' breath hitched. They looked over at their Master. Master, who had finally answered their feelings…

And in the next moment, Cid suddenly felt their soft embrace.

Notes:

HE DID IT!

GUYS, HE DID IT!

Chapter 73: Loving Obsession

Cid was… happy.

Really, really happy.

The happiest he ever felt in both of his lives.

Seven girls that he saved on a whim… Who would have thought that they would become the most important people in his life? Who would have thought that his dream would be fulfilled with their help?

That's… nice. It feels good. It feels good to be loved, to have someone who would just take you in their embrace and…

You know, it kinda reminds him of the shower. Back then when he only showered twice per week just because it is expected from an average student; he only realized later on that an hour in warm water is a good relaxation. Something similar happened now; he thought of relationships as one of the steps to become good Eminence, but it turns out that they're… good.

Is he being weird for thinking like that? Maybe…

What he knows is… He is willing to do everything for them if it makes them happy. And they think the same.

He inhaled deeply. A mix of their scents invaded his nostrils; he can't even compare it to anything. It feels good, and that's everything that he needs to know.

Alpha raised her head and looked at him with these moist blue eyes of hers. Her smile was as bright as the sun itself… Uh, he's being poetic again? But that's because Alpha really is his beautiful sun!

"I have waited long for this moment…" barely audible whisper from her, "When you would finally accept us… Accept me…"

"I…" he shivered under her gaze, "was dense."

"Yes, that we all know," she suppressed a chuckle.

"Uh, Boss?" Delta suddenly spoke, "These rings mean that you take us as your lovers, right?"

"Wives, Delta. The most important people in my life," he gently corrected her and scratched her ears."

"So that means we will make children, right?!" her spirits raised.

"Uh, yes, after we finish the ceremony we will… do the deed," Cid coughed.

"He-he!" Delta proudly puffed her chest, "See?! Delta was smart! Delta was in-tel-li-gent! Delta knew the best- OW!"

"Delta," Alpha stared at dog-girl after giving her a bonk on the head.

"Uh, ha-ha, yeah, your Ladyship, I am, um…" therianthrope nervously sweated.

"Alpha, don't bully Delta," Cid rolled his eyes.

Golden-haired elf turned to him.

"You're too lenient, Cid. Sometimes you need to beat common sense into her…" she gazed briefly towards the still whimpering dog-kin, "Literally."

"No beating anything into anyone today."

"As you wish, Cid," Alpha smiled sweetly at him.

"M-m-m…" he hummed in satisfaction.

Other Shades, even Eta, stayed silent and simply enjoyed the warm embrace. Their family surely was big. And children… Hmm, will he be a good father?… Huh? What are you saying, Hams? You will make sure to make the best preparations for Shades' pregnancy and a loot of books about children? Damn, even his Beasts are so supportive…

---

Hams and Todd were sitting at the table and drawing the runes necessary for safe and painless childbirth. Just in case. Of course, they were aware that Cid still was not ready yet to be a father, but better to have something like that than not to have, right?

As of now, they have managed to inscribe 'Pain Relief', 'Benefication', 'Healing', and a lot more that they deemed important for girls to have a happy, easy childbirth. Though…

They locked their gazes.

"Gamma is the better one," Todd spoke, his tongue tasting the air.

"Eta is scientific genius that uncovers the secrets of this world with mindset similar to that of our Human part," Hams puffed his cheeks.

"Gamma makes sure that her subordinates have a bright future and brings money and bread to the house. Her economic and managing talents know no rival," Toad blinked.

"Eta is the marvel behind Gamma's success," Hamster retorted.

"Eta wouldn't have money nor materials if it was not for Gamma's funding."

"Gamma wouldn't get this much money to begin with if Eta didn't sacrifice nights of sleep to provide inventions one after another."

They stared at each other for several moments before sighing and returning to their work.

What does their dialogue matter, anyway, if Human fawns over the blonde elf way more?

---

"…for the crimes that you have committed, you shall be subjected to punishment! All of your savings shall be confiscated for the betterment of other Heroes, and you shall be stripped of all your companions! You will have to prove yourself at the Waves…"

Akane didn't bother listening, if she's being honest.

Two days ago, she was summoned (or rather, kicked by Kageno) into this world. She was one of the four so-called Legendary Heroes that were supposed to stop the calamity that fell upon this world. Well, at least, it was supposed to be like this.

In truth, everyone actually despised Shield, it was plain as day. Even the guys she was summoned with were mocking the Shield, saying that it was worthless weapon unable of dealing damage and absolutely useless at high levels when damage was infinitely higher than whatever Shield can block. Apparently, they were from alternate versions of Japan, each of which had a game which include these four weapons, and all of them were quite similar in class setups despite being made in different years; one had MMORPG, another had just RPG, and the last one somehow got the VR version. Interesting.

Also their worlds had no magic at all, though it seems that even her world got magic thanks to… Kageno, yeah. If something weird happens, blame Kagenou; 95% chance he's at fault.

But she was no Shield, and everyone knew that. Moreover, she had no restrictions about being together with anyone, so they tried to bait her to come with them. Of course, she refused. Oh, they were also spied on by the maids, or whatever these servants were.

"…want to protect her good name, but you…"

The next day (which was yesterday) they got party members, or rather, party members chose them. She got none. Was fine by her, but at the last moment one woman changed her mind. She did not give a shit, though, and after receiving the starter money (by the way, they are Heroes, right? Why the hell does kingdom give such a small sum and no instructors, especially when they know Heroes should be weak early on?) ran away to explore the monsters of this world.

They were… disappointing. In just a day she explored most part of the forest surrounding the city… Thanks to Minoru… yeah, apparently, naming her pet goose after the dead classmate was not the brightest idea… Anyway, goose allowed her to travel on its back, gave air support, and a lot more stuff.

After looting the monsters (which apparently crowbar wanted to eat or something) she got back to the city and decided to stop in an inn for today. She felt too tired of all this bullshit; tomorrow she will go to the wild and make herself a nice house (crowbar shone in excitement for work).

Well, that's what she planned, at least.

For some reason, this same bitch (Akane is 100% sure that woman is bitch; she doesn't know why but she's sure) decided to sneak in Nishino's room late at night, but got bit by overprotective goose. Next thing she knows, a squad of guards appears and decided to apprehend Hero instead of whoever broke in Hero's room. Bullshit, you say? Yeah, bullshit.

That's why she took her trusty crowbar and went to the castle, to explain to these stupid officials that they were wrong, and the truth is actually the other way around.

Now the king is singing praises towards other Heroes for stepping in to protect the innocence of poor woman who almost got, uh… Got, yeah!

Akane had two things to say about that.

One: the Heroes in question sat in the corner like mice upon seeing cat and did not peek until guards came.

Two: Akane heavily doubts the innocence of that woman and especially the fact that she's poor, as it turned out the woman was, you will not believe it… Princess of this country!

Yeah, who would have thought!

In short, it was clear that they tried to frame the Shield. And if it was the Shield, it may have worked… But she was Crowbar.

And as Kageno said, 'There's no trick against crowbar'. Wait, no, that was not Kageno, that was this Green Serpent that visited them at some point…

Whatever; these words meant one simple thing.

"…Now, what do you have to say in your defense?!" king generated coolness will all his old might.

"I don't give a fuck."

In the next moment, her crowbar suddenly flew out of her hand and started beating the shit out of the guards. Some ninja-like women jumped down to stop it, only to be beaten in the process, too.

"Minoru, pack them up, don't wanna any shit to happen while I collect the goodi- I mean, important things and information," she coughed.

"S-Shield, what is the meaning of this?!" king paled at her actions.

"I am Crowbar, you degenerate," she retorted as she collected other Legendary Weapons, "Now I ask, and if you manage to give a full detailed answer, I shall let you go."

"D-Don't you dare to try! Heroes are supposed to save the world, and all four Legendary Weapons are to be present in order to do so! You can't-"

"Correct. Four Legendary Weapons should save the world," she could see king calming down as confident smile returned to his face.

She almost feels bad for twisting the contract like that, but they brought it upon themselves.

Thank you, Kageno, for your lessons!

"The world, not its denizens. Weapons, not their wielders."

---

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Beatrix only knows why, Alexia felt an urge to find one average-looking boy and beat the shit ouf of him. Of course, she quickly suppressed such an urge, but, uh…

He did not suddenly find several women interested in him, did he? She doesn't know why else would she feel like that!

…Hold up, whose carriage is that? All black, with golden linings… And rose symbol? Is that?…

The carriage door opened, and a tall woman clad in black slowly stepped out of it. Her honey-like hair fluttered in the wind, and her gaze travelled across the street. Upon finding the Midgar Princess, however, a sense of warmth appeared in honey-like eyes.

"Hello, Alexia. I hope Iris does not overwork you."

"Q-Queen-"

"Relax, Alexia. I wouldn't allow my friend to act like that," she squinted with a smile, "Moreover, weren't you quite eager to get at my actions back when we were with Cid?"

"Y-You!" alright, that's definitely Rose Oriana she knows!

"Ha-ha, now this is Alexia that promised to offer her hand to eradicate the evil," Rose nodded with a smile.

"U-Uf…" Alexia pouted, "What are you here for, anyway?"

"Oh, Princess Iris sent an invitation to participate in peace talks."

"Y-Yeah, I forgot about that…" princess went silent.

They simply stood for a moment until Rose inquired for something she really wanted to know.

"Say, where is Cid?"

"Hell if I know! This guy just disappeared, and the only thing we know is Claire saying everything is fine! Hmph!"

"I see…" wait, why does Alexia feel like Rose really knows what's the deal behind that?

"C'mon, don't leave me out of the loop! Hello, Rose! Tell me!…"

---

"Uh, Alpha?" Cid found sky-like eyes staring at him with slit-shaped pupils.

"Now, since we have confirmed our love for each other…" Alpha inhaled his scent, "Isn't it the time for us to satisfy our carnal desires?"

Cid eyed the room. All Shades shared the same crazed look as they gazed upon him lying on the bed. Then he looked back at Alpha, who suddenly appeared even closer.

Well, they could do it after an official celebration, or they could do it now. And honestly? Cid doesn't mind now!

"You know, Alpha…" he started.

"Yes~?" she purred.

"All this time, I have allowed you to command me over for a bit, right?"

"Yes…?" she blinked.

Shades saw his eyes slowly turning red. The next moment, they all suddenly found themselves being dragged to the bed.

Notes:

…seggs?

Chapter 74: Course Obsession

Notes:

Not much seggs actually; sorry guys

Alpha gulped under the stare of crimson eyes.

She, and all other Shades, were on the seventh heaven after their Lord — their Cid — reciprocated their feelings. The fact that he decided to make it official with marriage was the last straw. They are his, and he is theirs now. Of course, they wanted to make this moment even more memorable.

And, as it turned out, Cid himself was not that much against it. In fact, he wholeheartedly supported it. That's why today he decided to the dominant one, to show how much he cherishes, loves them.

Alpha felt his strong hands pulling her in embrace. She looked into these eyes that emanated how strong his feelings for them are.

Elf trembled as his lips found her own. Back then, she was the one who initiated all intimate actions. Now, she was at the receiving end of his affection. Her back slightly arched as he gently caressed her hair.

She heard the sighs from the side. Yes, other Shades. One quick glance showed that all of them — even the usually lethargic Eta — were… in heat. At least, two therianthropes were for sure. Nonetheless, all of them were certainly eager to join her in being with their Lord, with their Cid.

And he himself was quite aware of that, too. Why else would he lure them in with a slow, charming wave of his hand while wearing the confident smile on his face?

---

'Fuck, fuck, fuck!'

You know, back then when he gave out the reward he only had to do whatever Shades did, so it was a no-brainer that he would succeed so long as he followed their wishes. Now, however?

He took the dominant role! And it would be fine if he did it one at a time, but he got cheeky and decided that bedding them all at once is totally a task easy to do!

Now he doesn't know what to do! How does he give enough attention to all of them at once?! He only has one set of lips, one pair of hands, and one, uh, organ! That's definitely not enough for all seven of them!

Well, let's just hope he doesn't fail that much at his first time ever.

Come on, Eminence, you have read the books exactly for this moment! If only they also covered how to do it with multiple women at once…

---

Beta slowly crawled on the bed in daze. Her Knight charmed her with his confident, yet warm smile and alluring motions. She found herself watching the movements of his finger. Left, right, left, right…

Ah, she was now so close to him. She was so close to the dark light that drawn her in; a Princess was saved by the darkness in hour of need and granted strength to push through anything, however this darkness claimed her as his own forever and ever.

Shadow slowly raised his finger to her lips. She readily — if not hastily — parted them, allowing the manifestation of his will to land onto her tongue.

Beta could barely contain the moans as it slowly started playing with her muscle. She knows she should not feel that good, but her body said otherwise.

Ah, it feels so good… She… She might have a new fetish…

---

Cid was internally sweating as Beta started moaning in his hands.

He only wanted to caress her lips for a moment, but Beta decided to open her mouth, resulting in his finger caressing the tongue instead. Well, it turned out for the good, right?…

Beta seemingly enjoyed the sensation of being so utterly dominated by a mere finger of his, so-o-o… He did his job?

Though he may need to go for some more… intimate things if he wants to proceed with the deed…

---

Gamma slowly hugged her Lord from behind.

He showed he wanted to be the dominant one today, and she wholeheartedly accepted that, but… She can have her own moment of glory, right?

That's what she thought as she decided to be a big spoon for a moment. Her attempt completely, utterly failed when he turned around and stared with hungry crimson eyes. In the next moment, his head landed on her breasts, the hot ragged breath making pleasant shivers in her body.

What felt even more pleasant was her skin being licked carefully. She felt his tongue slowly moving across her cleavage, leaving a wet trail in its path. She felt a sudden sense of arousal as he blew a gust of air onto the wet parts, tickling her even more.

She can see Alpha and Beta looking at her with a smile. Yes, she understand that her Lord is doing his best… But his best was apparently really good…

---

Delta did a jumpy onto Bossman from behind!

Now Bossman is stuck between Clumtz and mighty Delta!

He-he! Now that they are one big family (they were before, but now it's confirmed!) Delta doesn't need to fear other girls lashing out on her for saying that marrying Boss all at once is best idea! Like, what was there to not understand? Bossman is cool! Bossman is kind! Any woman would want to be his lover!

Of course, Delta doesn't mind to share… But only if Delta is only below Bossman himself and Lady Alpha!

Oh! Boss turned around to meet her and did… He bit her gently! Awoo!

Bossman finally decided to show that he's in charge! He-he-he! Delta doesn't mind! That's so good! It feels so good!

Hum? Clumtz is pouting at Delta? She took her turn already, hmph! Sharing is caring-!

A-Awoo! Bossman started massaging her tail! No-o-o! Delta surrenders! Please, Bossman, have mercy! It's too good!

---

'Alright, at least Delta is easy to pleasure…'

Yeah, that surprise attack from Gamma was really surprise. He almost lost the control of situation. Fortunately, he remembered what Zeta did with him and managed to copy that, resulting in complete domination over Gamma.

Delta, on the other hand, was easy to predict, and that meant Cid could easily give her the best feeling possible. He even had a feeling it was not so from the being sensitive, but rather that it was him who did all of that… But that could be attributed to all girls. They all seem rather fanatical when they get his touch…

---

Epsilon swayed her (now real) hips as she moved closer towards her Lord. She couldn't contain her excitement. Of course, it was him who in the end fulfilled her body goals, but that did not make it any less exciting. On the contrary, it only made her more fervent in her wish to serve his in the best way possible, and that's where all the skills she has managed to learn will come into play!

Yes, not only did she train in controlling slime suit, but also in all wife-related fields! Including, he-he, pleasing her husband~

She knew back then that she was not as gifted as other Shades in terms of body, so she wanted to make it up with her skills. Well, now she was both gifted and skilled-!

Uh, Zeta? What are you doing?

Do you want to compete with Epsilon?

Epsilon knew that Zeta made her work on the material, too… That means they're rivals now!

---

Zeta's ears twitched as she stared at Epsilon's smile.

Yeah, apparently this elf made her research. Doesn't mean therianthrope is willing to lose here, though.

Almost synchronized, they moved towards their Lord. Zeta occupied his right hand and started purring while Epsilon pressed her generous chest into his left hand.

They planned to up their methods, but Divine Lord decided to remind who is in charge today.

In the next moment they both found themselves lying on the bed under his crimson gaze. They exchanged glances before submitting to their fate.

---

'I have to remind myself that all of that is only the prelude…'

That was his thought as he finished, uh, preparing two more Shades.

Yeah, he heard and read that good preparation is necessary to make sure girls feels good and not bad. He doesn't have much experience in this field, but he knows that.

One more left, and then they can proceed to the deed…

Though the one in question decided to join in herself.

---

Eta carefully observed every single interaction between her Master and other Shades. He was… gentle. Too gentle, even. As if he was afraid that his actions might break them.

That's why she decided to go all-in.

"Eta?!" Alpha, the worrywart, immediately reacted upon seeing her slowly removing Master's pants and revealing his manhood.

Researcher didn't answer, only poking the big, solid thing in curiosity. The manhood immediately reacted, slightly twitching. As far as she knows, it has a flaccid state and the erected state. While flaccid, it's small and soft. While erect, it's big and solid. Interesting.

She continued playing with it, listening to Master's gasps. Hmm, so this is somewhat vulnerable part… Ah, he wanted to be dominant one, right? Well, looks like-

Eta suddenly found her face pressed against his stomach. His manhood found itself right in her breasts, surrounded by her soft flesh. She squished them and listened to his moans of pleasure. Seems like even such unshakable being like her Master cannot fight back against carnal desires, hi-hi-hi~

A lock of golden hair passed her vision, and researcher found Alpha joining her in crusade against Master's manhood. Blonde elf stared at Eta with a mix of undecipherable feelings… Hmm, jealousy?

Nonetheless, they continued in their holy task… hmm, she talks much like Zeta… of cleansing the holy sword… now like Beta… with their bodies. Upon realizing they were being left out, other Shades joined in, making the task all the more messy.

Hmm, Eta can feel Master's manhood twitching more and more. She knows what is going to happen.

---

Seven hours later, one exhausted Cid crawled to the rooftop. Apparently, while his stamina was near-infinite, his mental fortitude was not so much. Why mental? Well, try pleasing seven girls at once while making sure no one is left out… Especially if it's your first time in this field.

He needs to do something about it. Even now, he could only lead about 70% of the deed; surprisingly, the one who tried to dominate him the most was Eta. He thought it would be Zeta or Alpha, but no, they only stared at him in awe and did everything he wished. Eta, on the other hand, tried to do… stuff 'for the name of science'. Yeah, his dick was being subjected to her whims more than once, and not always she herself participated; she was content with watching as he gave away his virginity to Alpha. Was that some kind of agreement beforehand that First Shade is to take his virginity?

Right, nevermind that. What he knows is the fact that he currently lacks in this field. Yeah, he can easily pleasure one woman, but he has seven of them! And skill is to be trained, yet. Which means only one thing…

Cid took out Green Serpent's gift, a large bottle wine. After some thought, he drank a bit from it and went in thoughts.

After some time, he stood up.

"Hams."

He went silent for a moment and continued.

"I need tentacles."

Chapter 75: Business Obsession

Alpha woke up with a moan.

She wanted to overwhelm Cid a bit and force him to show his cute baffled side, but…

"Ghm-m-m…" she heard Beta's muffled noises.

Yes, somehow their Master still managed to push through, only faltering in the end to Eta. Speaking of morally ambiguous researchers…

"Hmm… yes… good results… hi-hi-hi~" Eta was busy trying to stand up to write everything down, but similar to all other Shades, she was unable to do so because of…

Alpha blushed.

Yes, events of yesterday left them all exhausted. Exhausted and with sore parts. She honestly didn't think it would turn out like this… Don't get her wrong, she knows of her Master combat prowess, but…

Combat prowess and bed prowess is not the same.

Yet he still showed them that whenever he wants it he's the one in charge.

Alpha tried to stand up and, just like everyone else, fell back down on the bed.

Alright, it seems like today she's not doing anything.

Even using magic did not help that much.

---

"Are you 100% sure it was safe?"

"Yes, now shut up and help me calculate the next set of runes."

Cid sighed and went back on making the spell package. You know, that one which would help Shades to go through pregnancy without troubles and give children a lot of good stuff? Yeah, that one.

Of course, he's not becoming father anytime soon (that's why he asked Hams if he was sure), so his sperm currently was… ineffective, so to say. And no, it would not harm Shades at all. If it did, he would be the first to hang Hams…

But yes, it would be better to prepare for children in advance to make sure they get best conditions and environment possible than to try and do everything on the fly. That's why they were currently finishing creating yet another tool.

And yes, finishing. This set of runes (both his language and Will Inscription, as always) was the last one.

After giving the finishing touch, Cid sighed in relief and prepared to venture out of Soul Space when he remembered one important thing…

"Hey, Hams?"

"Yes?"

"About tentacles-"

"It… might be possible, but…" Beast glanced at him, "I think for now you can settle for slime suit."

"Already tried out, absolutely did not feel the same," he sighed.

"What about merging with it and growing nerves?" Hamster took a thinking expression… and let Cid tell you: thinking hamster looks interesting, to say the least.

"Plausible, but…" a lightbulb, "No, wait, I got an idea! For later, of course, now I have to do something else…"

"Oh, right, this job."

Cid only nodded and went out of Soul Space.

---

"'Permission to allocate funds for Eta's research?' That's the third one in a row, denied."

Yeah, one humble Eminence was currently sitting in Mitsugoshi's office and doing Gamma's work. Well, he was the reason she couldn't manage to appear, right? He did a check-up on Shades, and apparently, they actually thought he did so great they couldn't even properly stand up… He had to bring them some food and drinks (and quickly disappear upon seeing their hungry gazes landing on him; he had a suspicion they would take him instead).

All in all, it did boost his ego; if they thought he did good then everything is pretty fine and there's no need to search for tentacles to attach right now.

"'Permission to allocate funds for Eta's research', again. Denied."

Does she really need that many? Like, if she really wanted, she could just make sure to create and use some renewable resources, right? What does even cost this much money?

Other than Eta's endless stream of money asking, though, there was a lot of interesting stuff. Like, how about Mitsugoshi's branch in Velgalta? Yeah, they really built a lot of stuff across the world. He couldn't be more proud of how much they had grown.

Oh, look here! Apparently while he was on Earth, girls made connections with Rose and now supply her country with lots of stuff! Awesome! Hmm, the amount of money they make surely is high…

Huh? What's that?

Cid slowly started reading about a brand new location. Apparently, there were some problems in place called Lawless City… Yeah, something that is called 'Lawless' is bound to bring problems. Hmm… Should he go check that out? Just in case?

Ah, who he's kidding! Of course he will go! Who knows, maybe he can set another stage for himself there all the while helping girls! Double profits!

Right, he just needs to prepare a good role and costume for himself… Where was his bucket list…

---

Akane made one last swing and looked over her new house in satisfaction.

Crowbar shone in excitement after being used as a tool for such amount of work. Honestly, Nishino herself was feeling great. With a couple of trees and a bunch of stone she managed to make a cool-looking house in less than a day. How? She doesn't know, either. What the eyes fear, the hands do.

And now she had quite a good house for herself! Already filled with furniture like beds, stove, tables… Lessons paid off, huh?

Doesn't mean she will not beat the shit out of Kageno after coming back.

Now she can go back to the city and check out what it can offer. What? The entry for her was forbidden? Who cares?

Oh, yeah, after practically threatening all the officials and making her way out through the battle she was disallowed to appear near the city, much less in the city itself. And, yeah, she did not care in the least. She didn't know why, if it was her before meeting with Kageno she would surely feel guilty, but now? Not a chance.

Why would she need to go to the city, though, if she can get everything she wants in the wild easily? Well, one thing is, she wants to see how a real Middle Ages city looks like in full (though it has magic, but anyway).

Two, maybe she can find something interesting here.

Oh, she also tried to take the gems out of the Legendary Weapons, but it needed a good minute of beating or so before she could do so, and then… Gems rejected each other.

Yeah, apparently her Shield gem rejected other gems. She had a feeling it was possible, but for some reason each time she tried to do so the weather started becoming cloudy and lightning appeared in the sky trying to target her. Not harmful, but annoying. Yeah, strange stuff. So for now she kept the Legendary Weapons and their gems on herself.

She didn't know what all other guys are gonna do, and honestly did not care that much. They pissed her off, they paid the price… Hum, she's slowly becoming as crazy as Kageno and his apostle, right?…

She stopped for a moment. Kageno had an apostle. That apostle was the most beautiful woman Akane had ever seen.

Her expression darkened. She suddenly wants to treat Geneva Convention as Checklist for one unassuming raven-haired boy…

Ahem, the city!

She finally appeared near the walls. And jumped over them, yeah. Who needs gates, anyway, right?

The city looked… somewhat clean. She had good education, of course, and she knew that medieval city would probably have a lot of messy places… And that's giving it the benefit of the doubt.

This one, however, looked surprisingly good. At least, it did until she went into the less rich parts of the city.

Hmm, who is that one behind her?…

"Young lady, it seems like you may need some help," some kind of strange man looked at her. She refuses to give him description because she wants to save her psyche.

"And what kind of help may you give, I wonder?" she played with her crowbar.

"Why, my products would surely interest you!" he turned around and signed to follow him.

And the longer they went, the worse her suspicions became.

Shock passed through her body as she looked at a row of cages.

"Yes, young lady, these are slaves! As you should know-"

Her vision covered in crimson.

---

When she came back to her senses, she was already near the house, with a big bunch of… wait, do they have animal features? How does she call them, then?

"So, you have animal ears…" she nodded, "And this one has scales…"

"Haven't your Ladyship heard of Demi-Humans?" muscular wolf guy cautiously inquired.

"I am not of this world, in case you didn't know," she nonchalantly replied, not noticing how hopeful their gazes became.

"Forgive me for asking, your Ladyship…" another (ex-)slave asked, "Are you the Legendary Hero?"

"Yeah, I was summoned with a Shield, though my crowbar made a short work out of it, so now-"

"It's the Shield Hero!" wolfman jumped up with a wide smile on his face.

"Lady Shield! Lady Shield!"

'Really?' Akane watched with apathy as the previously fearful and scared (ex-)slaves suddenly livened up and started chanting around her.

---

Mutant made yet another short work out of so called Players.

Absolutely useless bunch, if you ask him. Completely reliant on power of that parasite, Gamer, who only knows how to force-feed them with Faith until they bloat and become good cattle. Always a pleasure to remove one or two thousand as a morning procedure.

He watched his brother slowly ripping some kind of monster apart. Hmm, his sister is having fun picking flowers again? Alright.

Oh, there's someone who survived?

Player stood up with shaking legs. However, what piqued Mutant's interest the most was the fact that he could actually use magic.

"So, you did not rely on that System that much."

"I knew sooner or later I would need to be able to use my abilities on my own. And I was right."

Mutant nodded in respect. This guy will not be annihilated; Mutant will make sure to grant him a good reincarnation.

"You did well. I will not forget you for as long as I live."

"Huh-?"

Gigantic eye rammed at light speed into Player's body, completely obliterating it in the process.

"Pass on proud. You were strong."

After giving a moment of respect, Mutant once more concentrated on the feeling of that strange person who somehow heard him and agreed. He was coming closer to them…

"Hey, brother!" his cute adopted little sister jumped in front of him.

"Deviantt," he recognized her presence, his eye flaring purple.

"Who was that guy you killed just now? You seemed happy!" she asked innocently, her hilarious large hat tilting in the process.

Mutant stared for a moment.

"I don't know."

---

"Ah, thank you again, Mas- Cid," Alpha corrected herself after seeing his gaze.

Yeah, he came back to Shades to talk with them and bring them some food.

"Don't sweat it, Alpha, it's my fault you are unable to even stand up… Come to think of it, why did you refuse my offer to help you, again?"

"I… liked the feeling," her cheeks reddened.

He went silent for a moment.

"Uh… Alright, yeah, I am here to ask about something, actually," he took out the papers, "This Lawless City, what about it?"

"Hmm, we wish to have a branch here, but…" Gamma went silent.

"But since it's literally Lawless, it is quite hard to make deals here, I see…" he rubbed his chin.

Well, it's fine if he goes to have fun once in a while, right (common sense screamed that he already had fun literal few days ago, and few days before that, and before that…)?

That's why he prepared this!

"Wait a minute, my Shades!"

Right, costume, on! Mask, on! Cool gloves, on! Hairstyle, changed! Face, somewhat shifted! Done!

---

The door opened, and a tall man that was the definition of 'handsome' entered the room. He placed his right hand behind himself while his left fixed the mask on his smiling face.

"C-Cid?…"

"My, Zeta. You should know how important it is to maintain your secret identity. Please, call me…"

His hand suddenly reached for cat therianthrope's blushing face, lifting it by the chin.

"John Smith."

Notes:

'Deviantt' is not a mistake. That's how it's written in Fargo.

Cid will do both Business and Vampire arc at once.

Chapter 76: Undercover Obsession

"You invite me…?"

"To go with me to Lawless City and have a bit of fun in fixing problems there," Cid repeated.

He suddenly realized that after reviving Violet he practically didn't have any interactions with her other than immediately after his work and before going to Earth. That's not nice, absolutely not nice! So now he was fixing his mistake to make sure she doesn't feel left out… Not like she would, considering she immersed herself in experiencing the brand new world she found herself in, without suffering or cruel experiments…

Hmm, Todd, write down the "Reincarnation of Knights of the Rounds" point into the list… He suddenly realized that he needs to give them a better punishment…

"My, my," Aurora's eyes lit up, "Are you inviting this lady to accompany you and make new memories together?"

"Hm, yes, exactly."

"And your current attire…?"

Oh, right.

"I will play the role of undercover agent to find out whatever happens in that place. Overwhelming power is good, but over time it becomes boring to just annihilate whatever goes your way, and so I give myself new experiences in various roles with pre-set abilities," he told almost the truth.

"Hm, hm!" she nodded, "Yes, such an experience would certainly be new… Do you think I should get a matching attire?"

"Actually…" his eyes lit up as well, "Yes, exactly! What a brilliant idea! A pair of undercover agents working together!"

"My, my, look who is fired up all of sudden," she teased him.

Hell yeah, he's fired up! That's one of kids' dreams! Being a super elite secret agent!

"So, what do I need to be this, as you said, 'undercover agent'?" Aurora inquired.

"Well, my lovely Violet…" he started, "First thing, you will need to be able to do close quarters combat."

"…Eh?"

---

"I told you multiple times: I have not learned weaponless combat!" Violet pouted cutely.

"And I am saying that this is a mistake. I have taken the weapon from your hands so much times that it's about time you do."

Cid was slowly getting tired. As much as of great fighter and magic user Aurora has been (befitting her of the Witch of Calamity), she was absolutely unable to fight with just her body, in contrast to Cid whose strongest area was actually close quarters combat. Yes, he could say that even now his CQC abilities were not that much below his magic abilities.

"If I lose my weapon and ability to use magic, I don't think I will be able to-"

"I did not use magic at all during our sparrings."

He sighed at her antics. Yes, he understands that this world was absolutely barbaric in terms of developing proper fighting techniques, but even Violet who he recognized for being proficient in combat was still like this! And she was rumored to be the strongest being this world had to offer! If she had to fight the Serpent, Cid honestly wouldn't know who to bet on… Probably Serpent, since that thing had hundreds times over Violet's mana capacity.

"I only want to give you the basics so you can still play the role to a some degree. You don't need to make it your main area. You will get another weapon.

"Eh, alright…"

And don't sigh on him!

---

"How much longer until you finish with costume?"

"Not that much longer. A minute or so."

Cid was giving the finishing touch to her undercover agent attire. Upon placing the final accessory he walked back and smiled in satisfaction.

Violet's hair was flowing freely, just like usual. However, that's where similarities ended.

The top half of her face was closed off with a black mask, similar to his own silver. Her usual Witch clothes were replaced in favor of a large gray jacket with inner-side pockets that held papers, small-scale weapons like throwing knives and needles, some money, and other mundane, but vital things for an agent. But once you remove the jacket…

Skin-tight bodysuit that allowed for free, unrestricted movement in combat. It was not that much different from Shadow Garden's uniform; in fact, Aurora's attire was actually a revised version of it. Golden linings were completely removed, leaving a fully black attire instead.

In short, her clothing complemented his own. Hers was fully blacks, while his was a mix of grey and silver. A perfect duo!

"Uhm, that will take some time…" Aurora complained a bit.

Yeah, skin-tight suits are a bit lewd…

But what matters the most is that they are now ready! Only six hours passed, yeah…

Hmm, she has to have a cool name, right? Now, which one, which one…

Hey, didn't Green Serpent say something about a cool spy from the place where Beast appeared? Like how he infiltrated the enemy camps easily and everyone was none the wiser?

Yeah, that one. That spy is a man, of course, but who would question him in fantasy world?

It's decided. Her name will be…

---

"Claire is where?"

"Yes, my Lord, Claire Kagenou left a note saying that she was summoned to Lawless City in order to join the knights here. We are suspecting the goal of Midgar kingdom there is the same as ours."

Cid listened to the report Gamma (who could finally walk) gave him. Yeah, that does not bode well. His sister was supposed to stay here… Though considering her fiery nature and the fact everyone thought she's the rising star of Kagenou family, it is not surprise she was called to fix all of that. Really, that was his fault for not paying attention.

Right, he and his buddy in roleplaying, aka Violet, were currently sitting in their attires alongside Gamma. Of course, Violet still had her jacket on and did not reveal her bodysuit. It wouldn't do good to go out with attractive woman in skin-tight clothes right after proposing, right?

"Hmm…" he gave out a profound hum.

"Who else do you wish to take with you to Lawless City, my Lord?" yeah, Gamma continued with the official tone in public; as they said, it would do no good if they would start going all lovey-dovey in front of other people. Honestly, he agreed; what would onlookers think about his cool Shadow persona if he's constantly surrounded by pink aura?!

"No one. This is operation for us two. However…" he made a motion, "You are free to use your own manpower and attempt to take over everything we leave. And not only manpower."

Understanding flashed through Gamma's eyes.

"As you wish, my Lord. When do you wish to proceed with your plan?"

"Now," he calmly replied.

---

Claire fought back against yet another mindless ghoul.

They have just evacuated another batch of people.

It came all of sudden… alright, not sudden, they anticipated it, but it was still something unexpected.

The moon turned red.

And with it, a lot of ghouls suddenly turned into killing machines and started their rampage across the city. Knights worked tirelessly to ensure safety of people, but… Their manpower was lacking.

There were simply not enough people to cover the whole city. They could only focus on a small patch if they wished to have a good standing against undead. Yes, undead.

Their enemies were undead. They were probably the underlings of Blood Queen… But why would they go on rampage all of sudden? Was it related to red moon?

"Tch…" she clicked her tongue.

At this point, they would not be able to fight back… And probably will suffer huge casualties…

If only Cid was here…

She shook her head. She knew her brother was way stronger than everyone, and his organization could probably easily handle everything that was going in Lawless City… But if he didn't command it to come here, then he probably had his reasons…

"L-Look, over here!"

Hm?

Claire focused her gaze and saw a pair of people, man and woman, eliminating the ghouls. They worked efficiently, their movements were terrifyingly precise; Claire could only see man's fingers moving at incredibly high speeds as multiple flashes appeared in her vision. If she concentrated enough, she could recognize… Threads? Yes, threads. Man used threads as his weapon.

The woman, on the other hand, used knives to dispose of the undead. She preferred closed quarters combat, unlike her partner who focused on maintaining the distance, and tore through her enemies.

Yet the more Claire watched, the more suspicious she became. Something about that man… Something about the way he moves… Was familiar…

The battle ended. People who got stuck in horde of undead were finally saved. Some woman (Claire pities her; not only was she a prostitute but also got attacked like that) frantically thanked her saviours before leaving.

"Thank you so much, kind sir and lady…" their squad leader, Claudia, calmed her breath and spoke to the pair.

The man only looked up into the crimson sky, humming.

"If you would be so kind as to introduce yourselves…"

"The frenzy has begun."

She was interrupted by the man in silver mask.

"What… No, does that mean…?!" Claudia's eyes widened in realization.

"The moon is red."

Yes, the moon is red. What about it?

"T-Then the Blood Queen… And the prophecy… It's all true!"

"We are out of time."

Man nodded to his partner and prepared to leave.

"Wait, we need all the help we can get-!"

"Worry not. Once we are finished, there will no need for help."

Claudia gasped.

"Do you want to take Blood Queen and her servants head-on?!"

"Indeed."

Calm. Indifferent. Calculating. The more she looked at it, the more it seemed like…

"Just who are you to attempt that?!"

He stopped. Then he turned around and placed the right hand behind his back, while his left fixed the mask on his tilted face.

"I am John Smith. I was sent here to fix the situation. That's all you need to know."

"John Smith?…"

Claire, meanwhile, found her pocket to be a bit heavier than before. Upon finding a safe place she took out the new item. A letter, to be exact.

Curious, she unpacked it.

'Hey, sis, sorry, was a bit busy here and there. Heard about the situation here from Shades and figured it's about time for me to join in the fun. They will come a bit later, though, so for now you will have to settle with me and my partner. And yeah, please don't blow our cover, it's absolutely vital!'

Yeah, just as she thought.

Well, at least now she can surely say that the situation will be fixed, right?

---

"So, this is what you propose…" the fox therianthrope waved her fluffy white tails.

The pair in front of her suddenly appeared at her doors and offered a deal: they would help out in becoming a sole tycoon of Lawless City and fix the problems with Blood Queen and Red Moon in exchange for exclusive offers for them. As of now, they did not want to reveal themselves, but…

"Say, would you be so kind as to say your names?" she folded her fan.

"Indeed, now that we are on agreement, it would be the best to introduce ourselves properly," he fixed his silver mask, "My name is John Smith. I shall work undercover and provide the necessary information as well as business strategies. I am proficient in combat, however I would like to maintain my distance against my opponents."

"I see…" therianthrope mused, "And your partner?"

"She, on the contrary, is highly skilled in combat and prefers close quarters. Do not be fooled by her appearance," he placed the right hand behind his back, "She is a professional, just in a different category. She can easily blend in anywhere, find out everything, all the while everyone thinks that she is one of them and does not question it until it is too late."

"Is that so… And her name is…?"

"Oh, but of course! Please, meet…"

The woman bowed, red shining through her black mask.

"Stierlitz."

Notes:

I was suddenly overwhelmed on the previous two days, so the previous chapters were a bit rushed and lacked in quality. Yeah, sucks. This one should be vastly better, in my humble opinion.

And yes, Aurora is now Stierlitz. A good way to make new memories, right?

Chapter 77: Deals Obsession

"Really?"

"Stop booing me, you know how cool this line is!"

"I do, but you took it from that girl…"

Cid groaned in embarrassment. Yeah, that 'moon is red' line was plagia- uhh, borrowed from some kind of vampire hunter that they met by a chance. That girl assumed they needed help and interjected, dropped a cool line, refused to elaborate further, left. He got enamored with that line and started using it everywhere. And Violet called him out on that.

But what can he do?! It's just… so peak…

"Ara, what are you doing here?" their current partner in cri- agent shenanigans walked in the room and stared at the papers on his table in curiosity.

Fox therianthrope lowered her face, her icy blue eyes focused on the plans he wrote.

"The ghouls might become a problem," he placed his chin on his hands, "As it stands now, the forces that were supposed to maintain order in the city are overwhelmed with amount of undead swarming them… Yes, I am aware they were laughable to begin with."

"That is true, however…" her white tails waved around, "You were claiming to have something under your sleeve."

"Indeed. My people who will soon enter the scene to suppress the enemy forces and allow us to focus on our main goal," a bit of mysteriousness…

"Ho-ho, I am pleased to hear that," his co-partner unfolded her fan and started waving it, "And what is our goal, pray tell me?"

Grin slowly appeared on his face.

"Why, dear Yukime…" he stood up and spread his hands apart, "Take over the Lawless City and make the monopoly here!"

Violet tried to mimic him.

---

'His plans are…'

Yukime slowly read the papers. It has been barely two days in, and her new allies already surprised her. First, they managed to make sure her roads were properly protected. Second, they completely annihilated all ghouls that managed to get through.

And third, the plans. Even she herself did not know about the fact that both economic giants — Major Corporation Alliance (MCA for short) and Mitsugoshi — planned to distribute banknotes. No, rather, she knew about Mitsugoshi's, but did not know about MCA's. And what John Smith proposed was very simple.

Distribute fake banknotes to bankrupt the MCA.

Why wouldn't he target Mitsugoshi, then…? Could there be something bigger going on that she was not aware of? Is he related to Mitsugoshi?

She played with her fan.

Does it even matter, honestly? He promised to help her in taking revenge against her hateful ex-fiance. As long as she manages to do so, she would be happy.

She will get her revenge, and he will get the control over majority of Lawless City.

A perfect plan.

---

"It's going as we planned?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Great. Mitsugoshi will not be able to recover from this."

Gettan sat in the office and played with a coin. Cult of Diabolos higher-ups, Knights of the Rounds, were not answering his letters. Probably busy with something, huh.

Doesn't matter. He was way too deep in this shit now.

"Prepare Clovers, it is about time we make an attack on Mitsugoshi's carriages. We need to cut off their supply chain and force their employees to abandon their work. Once we succeed, we will be able to take over and eliminate it. Go, Garter."

"As you command, sir!" his toad-like servant bowed and went out to give out his orders.

Gettan leaned in his chair and sighed.

By his plan, once they succeed, Mitsugoshi will not be able to recover. Public's trust in them will be plummeted, their banknotes will have no value behind them, and they will definitely not be able to produce enough gold to ensure paying out.

He would only need to give out a command, and Mitsugoshi will fall on its knees for him. After that, he can ascend to the Seat.

A perfect plan.

---

Crimson drank from his glass. Ah, such a perfect taste! This blood was quite good.

"Have you found the suitable victim?"

"Yes, Lord Crimson. The boy has been sent to the room. We are prepared."

"Wonderful news! Soon, the Blood Queen shall show our cattle its proper place!"

The vampires around him murmured in agreement. Wide smile appeared on his face.

The reason why they needed a male and not female, despite their Progenitor being female, too, is because of Possession… Crimson does not know what would happen if Blood Queen gets Possessed, and he doesn't want to know. They needed a safe variant. Moreover, once she is awakened, she will be incredibly thirsty for blood, anyway. They need to prepare a good sacrifice…

His red bangs flowed as he raised his head to look at the moon.

But not now. Now is too soon. The Red Moon is still not in full power. They need to wait for it reach the apex. Then, they can proceed with revival.

"Soon, my Queen…" he gently caressed the red coffin, "Soon, you shall drown this world in rivers of blood…"

With their Progenitor awakened, they will be able to finally take their rightful place as rulers of the world.

A perfect plan.

---

"We are entering the outskirts."

"Indeed, I can see the reddish light shining upon the city…" Beta squinted.

At first, she didn't understand why would their Lord (and husband!) proceed by himself (oh, and that Witch, too). Now, she realized.

The events happening here were quite major. The fight between economic giants might have been a problem below his standard, but something as legendary as Red Moon? Now that is worthy of his attention.

"Prepare the carriage," she ordered, "Let's see if they take the bait…"

She was still a bit sore after the night, but not enough to impede her ability to fight. And that's exactly what she planned to do… Well, Gamma planned.

The carriage was to transport everything that would help citizen of Lawless City to survive through the Red Moon: food, clothes, medicine, and of course… The fighters themselves. Indeed, Shadow Garden members were participating in operation with intention to cover the city and protect its citizen. Of course, they were, as their Lord said, 'undercover'. Their current attire was nothing like Shadow Garden usual uniform; on the contrary, they used the design Lord Shadow came up with, and fighters were to be presented as Mitsugoshi's own pocket army. A company that can offer peace and high quality products, what's not to like?

However, their capabilities did not end here. Queen Rose Oriana was informed of what was happening in the Lawless City and agreed to send out her own forces in order to clean up the undead, alongside Midgar's Knights. Speaking of Knights, wasn't their Lord's sister here? They have probably already met… Do they need to say that they're now sisters-in-law?…

Beta shook her head. Focus! You have a mission! You husb- uh, Lord believes in you!… Waa, it's too hard! She just got her life dream fulfilled, and now she can't focus on her task!

"Lady Beta?"

"It's fine! Proceed with my orders!" her voice was a bit more stern than she wished to.

"Understood," thankfully, other members did not seem to mind.

And true to their suspicions, once they surpassed a certain point, a group of people appeared from the sides and started taunting them.

"A pity…" their leader started talking with a huge grin, "You simply chose the wrong side. If Mitsugoshi didn't stick their nose where they should not have, you would probably survive another day."

"What?…" all the plans Alpha, Beta, and Gamma painstakingly made… And they just receive the information on silver plate?!

"Indeed. Garter and other companies are too tired of your arrogance, so they hired us to do some stuff on you. No hard feelings, ladies… Hm, actually, there are hard feelings. Yes, something very hard, he-he…"

Beta's face morphed in disgust.

"Eliminate them."

Once she gave an order, hidden members immediately jumped on the 'bandits'. Several minutes later, there were no more mercenaries from Garter's side.

---

"Hey, have you heard of Mitsugoshi's help?"

"Yeah, seems like someone finally stepped for us…"

"I got a package of food and medicine today's morning! And my son got new clothes!"

"How much does it cost? Is it low enough for someone with barely a hundred Zeni to get?"

"It's a charity!"

"You mean…?"

'Huh, seems like girls actually won over the masses,' Cid listened in curiosity.

Apparently, they decided to bring in the charity event in light (he-he) of Red Moon. Not like he was against it or anything, but that was an unusual decision, especially for a world that was still mentally in Middle Ages…

"Wait, isn't that?…"

"Oriana forces?!"

"Our pleas were heard, first Knights, then Mitsugoshi, now Oriana…?"

"Long live the Queen!"

"Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!…"

Decorated carriages of Oriana Kingdom (or is it Queendom now?) made their way into the city, gathering people around. The armed forces of Oriana slowly entered the scene… Hold up, since when does Oriana have its own army, and quite good at that?…

Cid rushed through his memories and finally remembered about one peculiar document: apparently, Shadow Garden offered their instructors to up Oriana recruits training. Nothing too outrageous, but two weeks with Shadow Garden's personnel were way more beneficial than whatever the hell was going on in Oriana in decades. Well, he gave them knowledge, after all!

Neat. Looks like Tyrant Queen is slowly turning her Kingdom (or Queendom?) into a military powerhouse. He doubts it will be comparable to Shadow Garden itself, but Oriana should still be able to stand equal with Midgar… And maybe even overpower it! Maybe. He can't compare.

"Hey…" Violet nudged him.

"Yes, Stierlitz?" they were in public, after all!

"Do you think we will be able to pull all of your plans off?"

"All. For sure not. After all, some of them rely on the fact that others didn't work."

"Mou!" she pouted, "You know what I mean!"

"Hmm, let's say…" he made a thinking expression, "As long as I can manage to do the RM-A, MCA-D, and MU-S, we are golden. Literally."

Because code names are cool…! And now Violet looks at him in confusion. With a sigh, he first pointed at the sky, then at the Alliance's stores, then at Mitsugoshi's employees. Understanding flashed through his partner's eyes.

But man, he kinda forgot how cool it is when you just roleplay! No need to think about anything, you just do whatever you find good for your stage! Of course, he still has to make sure Mitsugoshi doesn't get into the crossfire, but if his plan goes as well as he thinks it will, Mitsugoshi only wins from that! And even if it doesn't, that's fine.

He has tons of gems and gold from when he was mining through the Earth to find the best things possible for his proposal. He will just give some of them.

If he fucks up, he will pay. Girls are his treasure, after all!

"Hm?"

"What is it, Smith?" Violet tilted her head.

"Excuse me, my partner, I have a sudden deal…" he stood up.

"Sure. I will wait here," she took a 'professional' expression… Yeah, her roleplaying still has some work to do.

He passed the corner and went into Soul Space.

"Well, why did you call me?" he addressed Hams and Todd, of course.

"We finally finished the prototype for a perfect childbirth," Hams fixed his glasses and showed him the papers, "Vitamin, mineral, energy supply, healing and pain relief mechanisms, beneficial effect on the children themselves…" it could go on and on.

"Yes, I can read that…" they managed to write even the most minuscule effects down. The full list was five pages total.

And true to their words, the effects were all around beneficial. Good, good. Though the thing itself should have thousands runes, and that's only one part of it… But it's for his girls, so he will work for it.

Then he found the second list, for another thing.

"Todd…" he thought he was hallucinating, "What is this?"

"Well, since Hams was busy with "Perfect Childbirth Prototype-S", I decided to fulfill another wish of yours," Todd took a proud expression, "Remember when you said that you want to punish Cult of Diablos properly? Indeed, since we have their souls on us, we can make it a reality once we create this mechanism. Just shove their souls into the ritual, grow new bodies for them, and use them as sheep! Yes, they might not give much, but better to have resource than not to have! The healing part will make sure they will always have something to take away! Make them feel what lovely Violet felt!"

Cid stared at cold-blooded Inner Beast silently.

"…What?" Toad croaked, "Do you think I am too soft on them? Hmm, I may be too soft, indeed…"

Notes:

Hams' and Todd's loyalty only lies with Cid himself, his Shades, and anyone who he develops good feelings for, and unlike him, they are not inhibited by morals. Cid is something that almost nothing, in their opinion, can touch, but Shades and other people are viewed as vulnerable (from Cid's early memories abou them), and because of that Beasts are just as overprotective about them as Cid is (well, they are part of him, that's a given), so they might come up with some… questionable methods to ensure that his friends are avenged.

The question is, should Cid roll with the punishment Todd created? Or is it a bit too much?

Chapter 78: Tower Obsession

"Hm, hm… Oh, so it's like this… Um, Todd, elaborate on this one?"

Toad took the paper and focused on the part Cid showed.

"Ah, didn't think it would be here. That one is about…"

"I can see that it describes all ways we could possibly harvest material resources from Cult members, yes. The question is, how did you even come to the conclusion we need something from them?"

"Ah, you see…"

"We are running out of Serpent Scales," Hams interjected.

Cid stared at them in perplexity, looked into the room to confirm that they barely used 0.1% of their Scales, then quirked his brows.

"Yes!" Todd took it as confirmation, "Sooner or later, our reserves will run out! We need to make sure we have a constant supply of every material possible so we can run our experiments without worries!

"And how, do pray tell me, we can use Cult members for that?"

To that Hams tapped some buttons on Control Panel and showed something on the screen.

"That's the cloning facility of Sanctuary that we got after Soul Bind," he explained, "It was left unused after that baldy got on your bad side, but it still is in good state and can be used for its purpose. However…" he swiped the screen to show an army of same-looking blonde elves… that looked suspiciously similar to Alpha, "Cult has never used it properly, instead relying on Sanctuary's ability to summon ancient memories."

"And all of that is now ours…" Cid noted, rubbing his chin.

"Indeed, we can now use the cloning facility. Moreover, what they did was completely worthless; memories, as funny as it sounds, did not have any memories or emotions and could only use the power of original without any actual thought behind it."

"Yes, I think I remember something like that…"

Cid did not, because he never actually met her, but that's besides the point.

"Moreover, for the whole growth process the organism is required to stay in the growth reservoir… Unless it has a soul."

"Ah, I see…" Cid received enlightment, "If it has a soul, it fights for survival and automatically directs all the processes for it. However, if it does not have one…"

"…Then it could only rely on life-support systems," Hams finished, fixing his glasses.

Cid went in thought. Yes, for now he has a large amount of various resources, but who's to say he wouldn't run out of them? Sooner or later it's bound to happen, unless he prepares for it.

"So, you want to grow mini-Serpents that will produce the scales using Cult members' souls."

"Indeed. The quality, of course, will not be quite the same, unless we are willing to let them grow to Serpent's power level, but it would be good enough for our experiments."

"And what about resources of non-organic origin?" he took out another document.

"That's… complicated. A lot of processes occur during the time it takes for one precious gem to form, not to mention for a large amount of them."

"But artificial diamonds existed, right?"

"Yes, however, we still need to make sure the process is fully automatic and does not require our intervention."

"That's true…" Cid slowly looked over the papers.

His Inner Beast really decided to make a large self-sustaining system out of his Soul Space, huh. An interesting project…

"You know, I have an idea…" he attracted their attention, "Let me first talk with Violet about that, then we'll see what we should do with these guys."

Cid went out of Soul Space. Todd stood still for a moment, then turned around to see the souls stored into the crystals. With a croak he placed crystals back into the room for souls.

---

"Stierlitz, report," he spoke in a cool authoritative tone.

"Nothing unusual, Smith," she responded in somewhat similar way. Yeah, she really needs to up her roleplay, but they have fun, so who cares?

"Good. We are to set off in a hour," he took his bottle of Mitsugoshi's fizzy drink. He had to admit, it was pretty good.

Violet, on the other hand, sufficed with a cup of warm tea. And soon he will have, too; cool undercover agents don't drink not cool things in public…

"And what does our special agent have in mind?" she teased him.

"You shall see…" he looked at the setting sun.

He had long noticed the interesting towers. They looked really-really ancient. He has a suspicion they might be related to some secrets!

---

"My, my…"

Yukime looked around.

"Don't you feel shame attacking such a weak woman like me in groups?" she fanned herself as a bunch of people surrounded her.

"Sorry, missy, can't allow you to interrupt our Lord," the vampire licked his lips and stared at her neck in hunger.

"And here I thought we would do things like civilized people…" she feigned disappointment.

Indeed, Yukime was currently encircled by ghouls while this vampire boasted in front of her. Not the worst situation she has been in.

"Civilized? People? Don't make laugh, woman," vampire sneered, "Humans, elves, therianthropes… What's the difference? You all are nothing but cattle! Livestock! Blood supply! Your life has no purpose! Your only quality is being food for us, higher beings! You should give yourself in, now!"

Silence permeated the air as Yukime stared at vampire in bewilderment. Even ghouls straightened a bit to look at their master in confusion.

"That's…" therianthrope continued fanning herself, "Quite an interesting look at life…"

"Hah! Continue your bravado, woman! Soon, you shall experience the endless joy of-!"

His head was suddenly sent flying. Yukime shifted her gaze to her bodyguard, Stierlitz. The agent only lowered her head and nervously tapped her foot on the ground.

Yukime quirked her brow at bodyguard's actions. Stierlitz turned to the side. Fox therianthrope chuckled lightly.

"Alright, alright, I could no longer bear with whatever he was saying!"

'Yes, Smith was right. This girl surely is something else…' Yukime mused as she watched Stierlitz eliminate the ghouls around them, 'But it's time to proceed to the tower.'

---

"The tower guard has been eliminated. What are your orders, instructor?" Yukime heard as they came closer to the tower.

'Oh, these are Oriana and Mitsugoshi forces…'

Hmm, at least now someone bothered to send help. All the previous times Lawless City was left on its own devices each time something strange happened.

"Take a siege on the tower," tall dark-skinned elven woman started giving out the orders, "Do not let a single vampire or ghoul out. I repeat: not a single vampire or ghoul out! If so much as a piece of their skin ends up on the streets…"

"Yes, ma'am! Understood, ma'am!" Oriana soldiers straightened.

"Good! Proceed with your orders! Go!" soldiers immediately entered the tower.

On the other side, Mitsugoshi's forces were instructed by a brown-haired human woman. Some time later, they similarly nodded and entered the tower, too.

'Seems like Oriana and Mitsugoshi cooperate…' Yukime fanned herself.

Both leaders turned around, and their eyes widened in recognition.

"Yukime, leader of Snow Fox Corporation…" brown-haired woman nodded, "I assume you are here for vampire problem?"

"Indeed," therianthrope closed her fan and turned her head, "Please, meet Stierlitz, my personal bodyguard."

"Hm?" both of them locked their gazes onto Stierlitz, "Ah, I see."

"Saw something interesting?" Yukime chuckled.

"I did not think a person of your caliber would need a bodyguard…"

'Of course they knew about my power level,' fox mentally rolled her eyes.

"It's called 'status things', my dear," she smiled warmly.

"Status things, you say…" unfortunately, their dialogue was cut short by sudden appearance of other 'rulers'. Really, she quite enjoyed their little banter…

"Spirit Fox. And ladies I do not recognize," Juggernaut entered the scene, his bulging muscles being shown openly.

"Tyrant of the Black Tower," elf squinted her left eye. Interestingly, she held her right eye closed.

"And who might you be, missies?" he grinned, not hiding the lust in his gaze.

Well, even Yukime had to admit that all women here were quite beautiful. She does wonder, though, what relationship does Stierlitz have with John Smith. Are they related by something more than work? Are they relatives or a pair in love? Or just old friends?

"What, no one wants to answer? Old had, are they your squad?" Juggernaut turned around.

"…My, you've got the guts to call me old had in presence of four potential enemies," Fox's eye twitched.

"Hah? Come on, grandma, show me that you still got powder!… Wait, you can't! It's all dust now!" he taunted her.

"Well, let me give you a lesson, little boy…" she feigned stern tone, "Women don't like pushy men."

Mentally, she prepared herself for the fight. Even if two other women turn on them to help Juggernaut (which Yukime highly doubts, but better be prepared for worse), Stierlitz has shown herself to be comparable to Yukime, at the very least. In fact, Yukime had a suspicion agent could actually be stronger than Fox herself, but true to Smith's words, tried to remain as unnoticeable as possible.

"Yukime, Stierlitz, it is time," sudden voice interrupted them.

"Mister Smith," Fox smiled warmly.

"Who the hell are you?!" naturally, Juggernaut erupted at another presence. And unlike even Stierlitz herself, Smith was completely closed off in terms of giving out the aura.

And naturally, John Smith completely ignored Juggernaut's fuming face. Upon confirming that his partners are ready, he nodded and moved to the tower.

Tyrant could not allow someone to belittle him like that and sent out a strong attack with his gigantic sword towards the agent. However…

"T-The hell-?!" his body was suddenly covered in cuts.

'And he says Stierlitz is more combat-oriented…' Yukime watched in amazement as threads shone in the air. With swift, precise movements Smith forced Juggernaut on the defensive in order to protect from inflicting even more damage.

Of course, the damage was superficial. Juggernaut's innate qualities allowed for development of strong physical body, but Smith only participated in combat for a total of one second. Yukime had no doubt: if the fight went for as long as ten seconds at least, Juggernaut would fall down bleeding from all places possible.

"If you wish to enter, then enter," John Smith's cold voice permeated the air, "However, I would not tolerate you attacking me or my partners."

"D-Damn you…" Tyrant gritted his teeth.

"Let's go," agent paid no more attention and motioned to follow him. Stierlitz immediately went after him. Yukime followed soon.

'Hmm, these girls went after us, too…'

---

Meanwhile, somewhere in tower…

"Are you sure this is the right place?" one sister of a certain humble Eminence nudged her companion.

"Yes. This is where we can find out everything about Queen Elizabeth," the red-haired woman spoke, not paying any attention to her partner.

"Well, if say so…"

Not even a moment after a sister that is overly obsessed over her much stronger brother's life (she just wants to make sure hussies don't take advantage of him) got bored.

"What is this haven you mentioned, by the way?"

"Haven, not haven. A place where vampires, humans, elves, therianthropes… All races would be able to live in harmony. That's what it should have been…"

As Claire Kagenou listened to sudden history lesson, only one thought was beating in her mind.

'Sorry, brother, but you're not the only one who wants to save the day. I know you have your own plans, but I have a feeling there is something you missed, and that something is not a small unimportant detail…'

After all, if her brother could pull this off at a much younger age, surely she can do the same.

Alright, she's not stupid. She just knows that Cid will back her up if something happens.

She already managed to get an ally from other side and important information. Blood Queen was actually in frenzied state similar to that of Possessed, and if Cid can heal her, then there's no need for violence. Of course, he can heal her, that's her brother they are talking about-!

Wait. Hold up.

That's Blood Queen, right? In other words…

Hussy alert!

Notes:

All according to Cid's keikaku...
(note: keikaku means plan)

Chapter 79: Freedom Obsession

"Hmm…" John Smith narrowed his eyes (even though it couldn't be seen behind the mask) as he scanned the surroundings.

"Something taken your interest, mister Smith?" Yukime caught his curious gaze.

"I have noticed that the things here appear to be… quite antique," he replied vaguely.

"Indeed, vampires can live for much longer than any other race, surpassing even elves…" therianthrope fanned herself, "It is no wonder they amass quite the wealth."

"That's not what I am talking about," he suddenly refuted her words and took out an item out of the pile, "Take a look at this."

"Hmm?" everyone present, even Juggernaut who cautiously walked behind them, locked their gazes onto it.

Yet, contrary to their expectations…

"There's nothing here, mister Smith," Yukime replied in confusion. Their companions nodded, not understanding why would he show something as simple as a mere ruby.

"Ho, so you really don't get it…" he fixed his mask, "Allow me to explain…"

All of sudden, they heard a commotion from the upper floors. Smith sent a quick gaze to the sound and then turned back to them.

"Excuse me, then. I have to depart to participate in gruesome battle, just as I have promised. You will be left here, with this very gem, and I hope you can understand its peculiarity on your own. Now, I shall bid you farewell," he bowed slightly and disappeared.

Yukime blinked and turned her gaze to the gem in her hand. That's quite interesting… What was so special about it that it has taken attention of a man of his caliber?…

---

"Now, my Queen, it is time for you to awaken…" crimson-haired man walked closer to a couple of coffins.

The crimson one was closed off fully. Another one was opened and contained an average black-haired boy, their sacrifice to Blood Queen. Once she awakens, she will be very thirsty, and they will have to sate her appetite, lest they themselves serve as food.

He looked through the window. The Red Moon has reached its peak. It's time.

He gently opened the coffin and took out the still beating black heart, the only thing left from their progenitor.

Crimson inhaled the scent in ecstasy. Yes, their Queen will be pleased…

Vampire walked closed to the sacrifice. With a swift motion, he took away the boy's heart and quickly shoved the Progenitor's one into his body.

Now, it's time to move away. If he stays here any longer, the reawakened Blood Queen will choose him as target for her bloodthirst. He needs to wait until she calms down enough.

He walked out of the room. And then he stopped.

In front of him, a rather tall human in strange clothing stood in a confident pose, his face hidden behind strange silver mask.

"Who are you?" Crimson could not feel human's presence at all. Even vampire's abilities were unable to pick up on him.

In response, human only raised his hands.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

"Wonderful."

Human applauded. Human saw what, exactly, was Crimson doing. And he applauded.

"Delightful."

A strange red light shone through human's mask.

"Marvelous!"

Crimson subconsciously made a step back. This man… Who was he? Why did he react so… different?

"To think someone would try a marvel of resurrection!" human spoke in frenzy, "Now, consider me interested. Who is it you try to revive?"

Crimson stiffened. This man could guess what was happening with a mere glance? Nonetheless, once Blood Queen awakens, he will be nothing more than her toy. Lord can humour this human a bit.

"Hear and tremble!" vampire raised his hands, "For before is coming to life none other than Blood Queen Elizabeth, the Progenitor of Vampires of herself!"

"Ah, the Red Moon."

But of course he already knew about that.

"In her future flesh," Crimson added, "Now, since you know what is going on, what do you plan to do next?" he smirked.

"Wait for her revival, of course."

"What-?"

"I have long sought for a wonderful opponent. Now, I can see one being brought back to life. How can I afford myself to interrupt such a glorious moment when I know for a fact that it would deny me a thrill of battle?"

"Hah. You are crazy. Even if you killed me now, the ritual would still go on. Blood Queen shall return, and you can do nothing even if you wanted to!"

"Oh, so the ritual goes on its own without you?"

"But of cour-!"

That was the last thing Crimson managed to say before he felt his blood suddenly gushing from inside out.

---

"All vampires have been taken care of. Seems like the forces that were sent out are quite helpful, huh?" Mary, the vampire huntress, peeked out of the corner to see Oriana's soldiers marching through the corridors and clearing up the way.

"Yeah, Rose really went all-out for that…" Claire Kagenou agreed, flinching a bit at the memory of Queen in Black.

"I take it that you had first-hand experience in meeting Oriana's ruler?" Mary, actually vampire, showed interest in the world outside.

"Will you believe it if I say she was actually my senior at the academy that makes future Knights?" Claire chuckled.

"I would," suddenly serious Mary nodded.

"O-Oh…"

They watched as the last ghouls and vampires were eliminated, silently deciding their next course of action.

"Crimson's faction wants to revive Queen Elizabeth," Mary reminded as she prepared to dash forward.

"I know. Wonder what he wants to do, though…" Claire started thinking.

"He?" vampire tilted her head and wanted to inquire more when a sudden noise startled them.

They stared at the direction of the sound and mentally prepared themselves. Claire placed her palm on the sword…

And a rat slowly jumped out of darkness. It made a quick squeal upon seeing a couple of giants towering above it and ran back into the saving shadows.

"…Really," Mary sighed and relaxed.

"Well, we do not know for sure what is going on here…" Claire let the sword off, rubbing her chin, "But one thing is simple: all the ways lead up!"

---

"Beta, report."

"Lady Alpha, we have secured all entrances. The only thing we are waiting for is our- Lord Shadow's command," Beta staggered when she addressed Lord Shadow's title.

Honestly, Alpha could quite not understand how to address him now, either. He was still the supreme leader of Shadow Garden, however, he was also now their husband. A confusing situation indeed…

As soon as they restored the ability to walk properly, they went on to help Cid in Lawless City. They mobilized Shadow Garden's members and asked Queen Rose for her support. Naturally, once she heard about the fact that Cid had some kind of a plan, Rose Oriana became extremely delighted, to the point of…

Alpha shuddered. That's a memory she does not wish to relive.

Right, their mission.

Crimson Tower was their target, and it was related to vampire outbreak in Lawless City. Lambda and Nu led their subordinates to make sure not a single rat can escape. They succeeded.

Lord Shadow, as reports state, went all by himself to the top of the tower.

Now, they only had to wait for his signal.

The time went on. And on. And on…

Until half of hour later the tower erupted in mix of purple and crimson.

It is time. They are ready.

---

Queen Elizabeth slowly landed on the floor, her curious crimson eyes peering on the tall man in strange uniform and silver mask.

Progenitor lowered her gaze to see someone lying by his feet, blood staining the marble floors. A vampire, she realized.

She raised her head again and looked at the man.

"Hmm, quite peculiar… Resurrection proceeded just as this guy said, but… Something feels off?" she heard his voice. It was… beautiful.

Subconsciously, she made a step forward.

"And of course she doesn't have any clothes… Really, from what was she supposed to make them? Blood?… Wait, no, that's actually great idea for someone who is Ancestor of all Vampires…"

Oh, right.

With but a thought her blood emerged and made a beautiful dress.

"Blood Magic…? Oh-ho, second time I meet someone who can use it effectively! Great, just great!… Wait, hold up, she made clothes for herself right after I said about that… You are not listening to me, are you?"

She shook her head in denial.

"Oh, good, and here I thought- Hold up, you are lying!"

She shook her head a bit faster.

"Yes, you are!"

Elizabeth went in thought for a moment, then shook her head once more.

"Yuh-uh!"

Facing such a strong argument, she had no choice but accept the lose. She nodded in agreement.

"Finally we are on the same page. Right, so you are Blood Queen, yeah?"

She nodded.

"Alright. So, by all clichés and tropes we should now engage in a cool battle with placing a lot of stakes from each side, but… I assume you don't want to do it that much?"

After a moment of consideration she nodded.

"Figures… What do we do, then…"

She raised her hand.

"You have an idea?"

She nodded.

"Speak, then. Maybe together we can think how to make it more exciting…"

She created a bunch of spears behind herself.

"…So, we still go for good old scuffle, huh?"

She nodded and pointed her delicate hand at him.

"Well, let's start, then."

In the next moment, the steel threads blocked her spears.

Clash of their attacks made a shockwave crushing the entirety of the room, drowning everything around them in sea of crimson and purple.

---

"Remember, Demi-Humans!" a delicate teenager girl with raccoon ears and tail spoke fervently, "Remember who always went on our side and helped us become independent, helped us to build our own happy life!"

Akane stared at the commotion with dead eyes.

"That's right, it was the Shield!" raccoon girl raised her fist, "It was the Shield who always advocated for equal rights, so everyone can see that humans and demi-humans are not so different! We all have our own personality, we think similarly, we breathe the same air! Why is it that they always try to belittle us, to make us mere slaves that exist for their wicked amusement?!"

Cheers of agreement erupted in the public as masses of demi-humans converged around raccoon girl and wide-eyed Nishino.

"Back then, bearer of the Shield helped to create Siltvelt, a country where demi-humans can live freely! Shieldfreeden, while being wary of Siltvelt, also welcomes all races with open hands! And even now, the Shield Hero helps to create equality!"

"I am Crowbar Hero," Akane insisted half-heartedly.

"The Shield has always been for protecting the weak! All other weapons only know to gain the glory on battlefields, completely ignoring the pleas of innocent, but Shield is always ready to stand in front of them and take hits of the fate to make sure citizen can work and sleep in peace, while children can enjoy their childhood!"

Even more people raised their hands and started chanting "Shield! Crowbar! Shield! Crowbar!…"

"So, I ask of you! Are you read to overthrow the corrupt nobles and create a new country that would treat everyone equally?! Are you ready to make sure that such cruelty would never repeat itself?! Are you ready to create a better future for your children with your own hands and protection of Legendary Hero?!"

"Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!"

Akane looked at the thousands of people around herself. Then she looked back at the large village that slowly became a town. She squinted to see her own house that was slowly rebuilt over time to resemble something like Church of the Shield from Siltvelt.

Nishino turned around to see the people around her once more. Ex-slaves, villagers that were pillaged by their own knights during the Wave she had to single-handedly fight against…

She then looked at the town on the horizon; Melromark's capital. The source of all suffering, according to people around her.

There was only one thought in her head.

'What the fuck.'

Notes:

Cid 🤝Akane: becoming an idol and symbol of justice for a large mass of people

Elizabeth is alive again… and it seems like she's not all that insane?

Chapter 80: Fighting Obsession

Cid looked at the Blood Queen.

Yes, indeed… The final boss of the tower is here! Honestly, at first he thought that that one guy… what was his name, again?… was the boss, but as it turned out, it was a cutscene with boss awakening. In short, R.I.P. in peace, unnamed vampire guy, you will not be missed.

Now, his opponent sized him up and prepared her blood spears… Come to think of it, wasn't there a myth about some guy who was a ruler and was feared as blood-sucking monster? He also impaled everyone on stakes… How was his name? Vlad? Yeah, something like Vlad.

He sees more and more similarities between Earth and this fantasy world, as if they came in contact at some point… Actually, it might've been possible, as his research showed. But really, Midgar? Who dropped the 'd' at the end?

Right, back to the topic. The Blood Queen slowly prepared her arsenal to launch at him. And come to think of it, wasn't she the third user of Blood Magic in this world? Cid himself, Violet, now her?… Wait, if she is awakened and Aurora existed as Diablos, doesn't that make him the youngest of them? So they are his seniors?

Damn, that surely feels weird…

Oh, she's shooting her spears. A couple of swift movements, and threads break their acceleration. Of course, he lost some of the threads, but who cares? What matters the most is…

She's good! She has battle knowledge, she knows how to move, she incorporates magic into her style nigh seamlessly! Of course, not quite the level of Violet, but still pretty good! However, there's one major difference between Violet and Elizabeth.

His lovely Violet was, as it stands, severed. Yes, she has Blood Magic and stuff, but in the end she was mortal. She could die, she had to mind her steps. Elizabeth, on the other hand… Well, if his vision was to be believed, this guy literally shoved her heart into chest of another human, and suddenly she came back to life. Apparently, she was very resilient; Cid could even say she could tank more damage than he could, and she would still be able to restore herself back to peak if provided enough fresh blood. Yeah, she's Vampire Progenitor, after all.

However, Blood Queen lacked in… power. Yes, as funny as it sounds, despite the immense prowess she had, her main area was still Blood Magic. Sure, in this area she was top-tier and probably could annihilate cities en masse… Or rather, their citizen. Her physical prowess, while impressive, was nothing like Violet had if myths and legends about Diablos are anything to come by. But maybe he's mistaken?

Maybe he is. At least, Blood Queen was quite good with weapons. Somewhat.

He made a slight movement to the left. Spear flew straight through the place where his head was. Hmm, come to think of it, that's like second non-Shadow Garden case when he can see magic usage outside of body and weapons, right? Of course, it's Blood Magic and all, but still, quite impressive! Maybe these books he read from time to time were right saying that everything Ancient is good…

He moved his fingers. Blood Queen reacted quickly and turned into some kind of mist that allowed her to pass through all the threads easily.

Once she appeared in a clear area, she transformed back into humanoid form and revealed a slight smile.

"…Really?" he stared at her. She only raised her hands and created blood weapons once more.

'Damn, who would have thought that the cool style I wanted to use would be absolutely useless against the final boss because of her mechanics?'

In frustration he tried to trap her in thread field, only for her to use the disgusting evasion technique once more. Hams, are you writing this down? He is doing all of it just so they could study it later and develop a similar technique!

---

Elizabeth watched her opponent with a slight smile on her face.

He was… interesting. He was intimidating, she can't deny that… But his reactions were unique. Instead of cursing her or descending into fear, he only grew frustrated each time she evaded his… threads? Interesting weapon choice.

Of course, her technique still had its own weaknesses, but unfortunately, the area around them simply did not allow to utilize any of them.

Nonetheless, the peculiar thing she noticed about him is the fact that he… holds back. Queen had a feeling that once he goes all-out, she may not be the one to emerge victorious. Yet for some reason he holds himself back with his weapon choice.

Could it be one of the ancient training techniques? She is not sure.

Anything "ancient" in her eyes is something thousands of years before her birth. How much did pass since her 'demise'? She is not sure.

What she is sure of, however, is the fact that this man is able to put her out of her misery. That is, if she manages to get on his serious side. Now, how should she do that?…

…Mary?

Elizabeth focused her gaze on a pair of women below her. One, with dark hair not unlike the man who stands in front of her and deep piercing red eyes. Another, with lush crimson hair and golden eyes. Mary.

Mary was looking at her with unending worry. Her mouth opened and closed, as if trying to convey something, yet failing each time.

Elizabeth chuckled briefly. Her opponent raised his gaze to look at her in question.

It's fine, Mary. Maybe your Queen was unable to create a Haven… But looking at how many people united under this man's banner, maybe he would be able to.

---

"Queen Elizabeth…?" Mary looked in the sky.

Two figures stood at the top of breaking tower. One, a man in strange suit, wearing a silver mask on his face and using some kind of threads as weapon. Another, with a cascade of crimson hair and wise crimson eyes. Queen Elizabeth.

The Progenitor. The Ancient Vampire. Blood Queen. Mary's Queen.

Crimson has succeeded. Queen Elizabeth was revived. Yet, for some reason, she didn't got into rampage. Instead, she allowed the strange man to participate in battle first, and up until now, no side has made any serious movements.

At this point, she realized: somehow her Queen was able to control her bloodlust once more.

And that means only one thing.

The Haven might have a chance. They could make it a reality. They only need to find a way to convince everyone of that…

---

Shades stood outside the tower. They could see two figures fighting at the top, but they did not intervene. Lord Shadow had his own plans, they only needed to make sure nobody interrupts them. For example, this tough guy.

"You, girls, think ya some kind of big shots?!" Tyrant Juggernaut erupted, holding his gigantic sword.

"Why, indeed, mister Tyrant," Beta smirked, "We cannot allow you to enter."

"You cow, just you wait…!" he could not finish his words as Alpha planted his head into the ground.

"You have secured the perimeter, correct?" she inquired, looking in the distance.

"But of course, your Ladyship!" a chorus of answer came.

Alpha raised her hand and pointed at the rooftops.

"Then why do we have guests?"

Upon hearing her words Shadow Garden members immediately drawn their weapons, preparing for defense. And after realizing they have been caught…

"Gettan!"

The blind wolf therianthrope raised his head at the direction of the sound.

"Long time no see, Yuki…"

---

'The hell they doing over there?'

Cid cast a quick glance to the ground and realized that somehow a new batch of people came and started the skirmish. Eh, Shades were already here (props to his… wives, yes!), so they could manage that. Wait, hold on, Yukime is seemingly angry at that one guy… Is that revenge plot he is seeing! Fuck, he wants to participate in it, but the Final Boss is way cooler! What does he do, what does he do…? Nothing! Final Boss is called Final because you fight him in the final! It won't do to just get up and go away from the cool battle!

He dodged yet another spear and made a web of threads around Blood Queen. And she, as always, evaded. This is getting frustrating. How is this a cool battle when both sides are always on the defensive? That's right, this is not cool! Not cool at all!

And yet, they continued their little 'banter'. Yes, 'banter', because he could not call it 'conversation'. When he fought Violet and they both thoroughly enjoyed their battle, it was a 'conversation'. Here and now, they just sit in their turtle shells and threw shit from time to time, thus 'banter'.

And yes, Hams long finished the compilation of technique! Cid didn't even have an excuse to continue with this battle, but he couldn't just go away, right? That's absolutely not cool… Alright, he has a couple of scenarios when just walking away is the coolest thing you can do, but this is not one of them!

Hmm, hold up.

He has long wished to try this thing out, but couldn't quite get the time and opponent right. Now, however? The opponent is here, and the time is absolutely perfect!

Alright, it's about time!

---

Elizabeth quirked her brows as she watched her opponent suddenly discard his weapons and previous stance. Instead, he slowly started moving his hands around. And then she noticed what was going on.

Slowly, but surely, the air and walls around them were filling up with runes. This is the first time ever she can see someone easily using runes in the air.

Actually, it's first time ever she sees runes being used in the air. To her knowledge, runecrafting required a lot of knowledge, concentration, and materials to make sure your product actually works. And yet she can see her opponent making runes on the go, on the most unstable thing in the world. The air itself.

She even tried to try and blow them away, yet they still persisted, surrounding the fighters. Of course, she tried to escape the encircling, yet her opponent immediately followed her. However, here comes the interesting part: runes followed them. Or rather, followed a certain point between them. Runes always tried to make sure that they surrounded fighters somewhat evenly. What is the point, though? Could it be some kind of condition?…

Blood Queen tried to scare him away with her attacks, yet somehow he still avoided them easily despite being concentrated on maintaining the runecrafting. How curious.

Elizabeth was under the Red Moon, yet she still could somewhat maintain the clarity of her mind. Could it be because the revival cleared the insanity granted by Red Moon? Possible. Yet it could also be related to the man in front of her.

Whatever was the reason, she was glad she was not thirsty for blood, as it would surely lead to people below them being drained. She would not want something like that.

Elizabeth stopped and tilted her head. However much she wants to get her hands on her opponent, she is unable to do so. However, he is clearly unable to get past her defenses and Mist Form, either. So now he tries to do something. Interesting.

She waited in curiosity. Who knows what her opponent could bring? She has never seen something like that in her entire life. Did the world evolve so much?… No, other people seemingly did not have such abilities. Was he an outstanding person of his era?

He has finally finished. Runes shone around them.

Then, gigantic purple rune appeared behind him. She did not know what it meant, but Elizabeth felt… worry.

He reached his hand towards her. She squinted.

He slowly started to clench his hand. On the instinct, Elizabeth tried to move… Yet her movements were sluggish.

She stared at her opponent slowly clenched his hand into fist. The rune behind him shone faintly, and Blood Queen realized another one was right behind herself as its light danced on her shoulders.

He released his hand.

WELCOME

And then, everything darkened.

Elizabeth could no longer feel life of people around them. There was no Red Moon in the sky.

Instead…

Dark creatures surrounded them. And watched. They did not move. They dared not to move.

They could only watch.

And in front of her, her opponent stood. However, his silver mask and a slight smile was gone. Instead, he was clad in black attire with golden linings, hood on his head. No matter how much she stared, she could not discern the features of his face; they were completely hidden by the darkness.

She had no connection to outside world. She could not replenish her blood supply even if she wanted to.

There was only him, her, and a horde of monsters watching them.

TO OBLIVION

Notes:

A-a-and there it is. Cid finally made the use of Shadow Realm's true potential! Only 55 chapters passed, ha-ha…

And I'll take a break. Yeah, I know it's kinda bad doing a cliffhanger like this one, but the last time I took a break was… checks notes… 12th of April? Yeah, no chapter tomorrow, sorry guys. Sunday I should be fine, though.

Chapter 81: Blood Obsession

Cid, changed into his Shadow attire, was looking at Blood Queen proudly. Well, not like she could see his face, but he was proud! He has finally managed to employ this technique against a worthy opponent! He spent some time carefully managing the "drag into your Realm" part, and even more time with making it look cool! Like all those runes flying around him? They were completely unneeded… Well, they did help a bit, but he did not actually need them, and he actually could just insta-cast it, but where's the cool factor in that?

The moving part itself was simple: make a connection with Outer Shadow Realm (that one where everything is just grayed out and dark), control the shadows around target, and drag them down with yourself. Now both you participate in glorious 1v1 against each other!… Though Cid does have some unfair advantage like being connected to Shadow Realm and thus being able to move and use magic freely and even getting a boost from it, while his opponent is being restricted by it as the unwanted guest… But that's even better, right? Like what's the point of technique if it doesn't give you advantage? Well, maybe the 1v1 part is advantage? Like if it was a team that relied on each other, and then he takes away the most vulnerable target? Hmm, that feels like Raid Boss type or something…

Anyway, back to the point! He took his opponent to Shadow Realm for the cool 1v1 showdown! And be he damned if he did not use it to the fullest!

---

It happened all of sudden.

One moment, Lord Shadow was fighting with Blood Queen… And even though he did his best to stick to one fighting style that he chose, he still managed to fight back against her. As expected of Lord Shadow, even the Ancient bringers of doom were nothing in front of him.

Then, he started doing… something. Beta was not sure what, but it involved a lot of runes, and it would probably be better if Eta was here… But she was not here, because in the end Lord Shadow took the control in bed back and… Yes, Eta ended up being the most used up, and even slime control was quite difficult for her… It should've been Beta, not her!…

Oh, right, battle! Yes, Lord Shadow did… something. And then both he and Blood Queen disappeared… Or so it seemed, but in truth there were some kind of… silhouettes. One red, one purple mixed with black. And no, she does not mean "crimson red", she means "red".

The purple one was in place of Lord Shadow, while red one was in place of Queen Elizabeth. However, they were intangible. Beta tried to snipe the red silhouette with arrow, however it simply passed through as if there was nothing. However, they still moved. They moved as if they were still engaged in combat, though this time…

Blood Queen seemed to be losing.

---

"The hell just happened?…" people looked up.

When a sudden flash of light erupted in the sky, everyone covered their eyes. However, it dissipated very soon, and participants found out that the two figures disappeared from the view entirely… However, their silhouettes were left.

And the silver-haired female elf just tried to shoot one of them, to no avail.

It was at this time everyone realized that… Blood Queen was gone. She disappeared along with mysterious agent that escorted Yukime, the Spirit Fox, to the Crimson Tower. However, his partner remained.

"My, my, gentlemen," Stierlitz smiled mysteriously as she took out the throwing knives, "It would do no good for you to attack the one under my protection, now would it?"

"Move away, woman. I wish to speak to Yukime," the blind wolfman waved the agent away and focused his senses on the fox therianthrope.

"Ara? Quite bold man we have-"

"Let him come," Yukime interrupted Stierlitz.

"…Hmm, well, if you say so," agent shrugged and made a step back, "Though I was tasked with your protection first, and that order will have priority over yours if I see your life being in danger."

"I am aware…" Yukime bit her lip.

Wolfman slowly came forward and stopped right in front of fox-woman.

"That's how you decide to repay to me, huh…?" he snickered.

"Both you and me are aware of what actually happened back then, Gettan," Yukime coldly retorted.

"Hmph! And I have long said that only might makes right! If we were stronger, all of this wouldn't have happened!" Gettan gripped his sword.

"And that's why you decided to kill my mother?" her voice lowered.

"Your mother was a senile old fool!" wolfman erupted in anger, "'Don't go against your nature', she said! 'Cult only wishes to use you', she said! And you know that!"

"Clearly, the pills have gotten to your head," Yukime closed her fan, "Actually, was your head of any good use, anyway? The only quality of yours was always your inborn physical strength, nothing more and nothing less. You never had the wisdom to actually think about your actions-"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he pointed his sword at her, "If only-! If only you were on my side-! All of that- All of that wouldn't happen! And we would- would live! Our clans would survive!"

"Survive, but not live. That's the key difference. And I am pretty sure if you did not backstab my mother, we could have defended ourselves…" Yukime's eyes shone crimson as her lush nine tails wavered in the air, "Everything is gone, now… Because of you."

"Because of me?… Because of me?! You, foxes, were the one who invited the destruction! You are the one hellbent on revenge! Even though it was all your fault!"

She easily stopped the attack with her fans.

"You weren't always like this, Gettan…"

Wolfman jumped back and stared at her with hateful blind eyes.

"Life is not always a shining sun, you know?! Someone has to dive through shit so you can live your life as, how was it, oh, right, the Spirit Fox, ruler of a large corporation!" he spat on the ground and changed his stance.

"Hoh?" Yukime parried his sword, "I wonder how much worse was it for you, then? What did you do? Pillaged villages? Was Cult's dog?"

"So what? So what?! I did everything I could to ensure the peace of my people-!" his speech was interrupted as fox placed her fans under his chin

"The ones which you killed with your own hands," she pressed the fans' blades onto his throat, "We both know the truth. I want to believe that your heart still has a place for kindness, considering that you did try to save us… But it matters not. You coming here and trying to kill me and people who tried to help me only proves that."

"Tch…" Gettan gritted his teeth, and everyone heard something crushing in his mouth, "Never! I will never yield!"

Burst of dark magic suddenly erupted from him, forcing Yukime to back away. Wolfman's muscles bulged, his wounds restoring, and his power increasing. With a roar, he went on the offensive once more.

Stierlitz only watched it with a slight smile on her face. Who knew that people had such stories? This is so interesting…

---

Elizabeth focused her gaze on the figure in front of her.

"Who… Are you?" were her first words.

The cloaked figure tilted his head. And spoke.

"I am Shadow. I lurk in the shadows…" he raised his hands, "And I hunt down the shadows."

Both went silent, inspecting each other.

"Tell me."

She cocked her head.

"What is it you wish for?"

"My wish?…" Queen lowered her gaze.

What is it she wishes for?…

The memories of better times flashed through her eyes. Back when she finally managed to make the first steps towards the peace between vampires, humans, elves, therianthropes… Back when they built first city together… Back when vampires slowly refused to drink blood, and even though they lost their undead powers, the sun itself welcomed them back into its embrace, allowing them to enjoy the beautiful view of bright rays shining upon their world…

And how it was all destroyed. It took one bad night for all her efforts to be for naught. One Red Moon, and the previously peaceful Queen went into rampage, making a waste of her own Haven and three countries in the process… Who would believe her after that? Who would trust her words? She was named Blood Queen, and she herself agreed with the moniker…

That's why she decided to let it go. That's why she decided to lay herself in the coffin and let time take its course. And she almost succeeded.

However, power-hungry, bloodthirsty vampires did not want their reign to end, and they had brought her back to life. Right under Red Moon. Right in a moment when her sanity would not be present. However…

This man, Shadow, brought her to this place. This… realm. Realm, where Red Moon had no access. Realm, where she could think properly.

She was grateful for that.

And…

And she made a wish.

"I wish…"

Her delicate hands were raised towards the Darkness itself. Something inside her wanted to believe, to believe in a man that ruled the Shadows. After all, Shadows are where the light shines, right?

"I wish for everyone to live in peace, for vampires no longer being forced to drink blood in order so survive, for all of us to make amends with each other…"

Shadow slowly walked towards her.

"And for myself…"

A single tear escaped her eye as he took her small bare hands into his own large gloved ones.

"To be free of this curse."

She felt the realm around her slowly making way for the reality as Red Moon shone sinisterly on her. And yet…

"Granted."

---

Aurora didn't know what she should do. Should she intervene? Or not? As it stands, the fox therianthrope still can hold on her own, but… It looks like soon she will fall down.

Though this guy… He actually used pills made from her cells? Really, that's what they were used for? To make drugs? Here she thought idiots from Cult actually learned something during all the time she spent sealed…

Oh, it looks like fox can no longer fight back- Really? Another one? Wolf had to eat two bottles of pills to dominate a single poor woman? Shame, shame. No wonder she left him.

Huh?… Now would you look at the sky, her Knight and… come to think of it, that girl seems to be somewhat connected to her in a way…

Hmm… Oh, yes, there was a theory among Shadow Garden (Aurora can swear she did not peek, they were too loud for her liking) that Possessed and Vampires might have the same source… Yes, Diablos' own blood. How curious… Could it be some kind of evolution? Her Knight will be delighted to hear that!

…Damn, she got too caught up in theories and almost let the poor fox die! That won't do.

"Excuse me, sir, I think your fight went too far," she politely interjected in their 'conversation' via blocking Gettan's attack with one of her knives. You know, knives aren't that bad, actually! Her Knight really knows how to choose best weapons for his people!

"Shut up!" he tried to relentlessly attack her, however it did not do much.

She easily intercepted each and every one of his slashes. She only needed to stop him from killing Yukime, after all. After that, her Knight can decide what to do. What if he had a plan? She doesn't want to ruin their play!

Oh, what is that shining in the sky?

Aurora stopped in curiosity. This guy is all out of breath and on his last legs, anyway. Might as well watch her gallant Knight doing something interesting.

With a corner of her eye, she caught Spirit Fox movement towards the wolfman. It looks like your story ends today, then…

The light became brighter. It surpassed the Blood Moon itself, and soon every person heard two words.

"I…"

However, Aurora heard four. First two that were heard by her only…

"Am…"

And next two that were heard by everyone.

"Recovery Atomic."

Notes:

Cid: "I am gonna use Shadow Realm as a 1v1 stage! So cool!"

Elizabeth that restored her sanity in it: "Nuh-uh"

Chapter 82: Healing Obsession

Genuinely, what the fuck?

So, Cid took this Queen to Shadow Realm, right? Right. He did everything to make sure he has a cool one-on-one battle against this Queen and then reemerges as the sole victor, right? Right!

But what did Blood Queen do? She just… She just refused to fight and decided to play 'damsel in distress' card! No fair! No fair, he says! His perfect scene was ruined!

He just started enjoying their 'conversation'! Oh, well, maybe if he asks her she will entertain him for some time…

Eh, anyway, he changed his plans. Instead of a cool battle he went for the "God descended to his apostle and asked what she wished for" scene. Surprisingly, her wish was really close to the 'world peace' one. Almost. She wanted to be free of curse. She probably means vampirism? Cid always thought they are kinda cool… Like, the ones that are the Night Rulers that live in secluded places and rule the world from the shadows, not the ones who glisten in the sun.

But it seems like in this world being a vampire is a curse, huh? Well, judging from the ghouls he saw on the way, yeah… Though that guy who planned Blood Queen's revival was a very good evil minion, though who cares about him now, anyway?

Right, Queen's wish. Actually, it was pretty simple; just of configuration here and there, realization that being Vampire is just another branch of Magic Overload (or rather, Violet's cells doing stuff; did these guys really use them everywhere?), and then release it as Nuclear… No, really.

Cid had an epiphany: nuclear explosion has several effects. The most obvious is, of course, the explosion itself. Then comes then blinding light. Another part is shockwave that reaches way farther than explosion itself, and from shockwave also comes the deafening sound. The part that everyone is afraid of, however, is radiation. Without radiation nuke would be just another bomb that explodes and that's pretty much all. Radiation, however, makes sure that even if you survive the initial explosion, your flesh will melt off from aftereffects, and you will curse at yourself for trying to delay the inevitable.

So! Cid wanted to replicate radiation effect, but a bit different. You see, he already has his mass healing, right? But this healing is one-time only; you used it, it healed, job is done. Now, however, he wants to make it ongoing recovery. Just curing Blood Queen from vampirism would be easy, in fact, it was one of the effects that he wanted to achieve. Another effect, however, would be giving mid-level regeneration, disease immunity, and some other beneficial stuff for the time being. Nothing too long, only a day or so. He has a whole city of vampires, what's a better testing ground?

Once he confirms that it works, he may be able to do the actual Nuclear Magic with all the effect that he talked about. Why? No reason, really, he just wants to be able to do it. Take it as obsession with overpowering the nukes from previous life, even though he has long ascended past that level.

Right, so mass-healing that has ongoing recovery effect and grants several buffs… Hmm, with each day, he comes closer to being actually deity…

---

Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes.

The bright moonlight shone upon her. Bright, white moon…

White?

Blood Queen blinked and stood up. She… feels good… She shouldn't feel good.

She has asked the Darkness to take her in and grant her release. Why is she still alive?

Confused, she stood up.

She can see a lot of people around herself. Some fighting each other, some just standing at the side. And some…

"Q-Queen Elizabeth!" crimson-haired woman ran up to Blood Queen and intertwined their hands, "I am so happy that you're unharmed!" golden eyes stared straight into red ones.

"Yes, Mary…" what else could she say?

"When that man took you… somewhere… I was so scared… I thought it was the end of you!…"

"I thought so too…" Elizabeth closed her eyes.

Why was she alive? Was there some higher purpose for that?

"What about vampires?" she asked straight away.

"Oh! That's right!" Mary stood up and coughed, "After you and that man came out from… somewhere, he released some kind of light and said something about Recovery and, uh, Atma? After that all ghouls reverted back to human form, while vampires…" she opened her mouth.

"Your teeth…" Elizabeth watched in interest as Mary's jaw shifted from human-like to vampire one and back repeatedly.

"M-m-m," Mary closed her mouth, "I do not feel bloodthirst anymore, however I still have benefits of being a vampire."

"Hmm…"

True to her words, the thirst was no longer present. Instead, she felt her body being as light as a feather as her organism produced the necessary energy by itself. Of course, Elizabeth herself was way more proficient in Blood Magic, and so she realized that the effect was temporary: in merely a few days it would dissipate, forcing her to procure food on her own. However…

The changes themselves were permanent. She no longer had to drink blood to satisfy her cravings, instead being able to consume any kind of food non-vampires could. She could drink the same drinks humans could, she could eat anything that humans could… Is it the peaceful existence she wished for? They could finally… live without fear?

"D-Damned woman…" Elizabeth heard the commotion.

Curious, she turned her head and saw some kind of a man lying on the street as fox therianthrope pressed her heel against his head.

"Would you, please, hand over this man to us?" blonde-haired elf spoke to the fox.

"Hmm?" brief surprise flashed through therianthrope's eyes.

How… interesting…

"How… interesting…"

Queen immediately turned her head around to see strange masked woman looking at her interest.

"You know, I haven't had a chance to speak with you all this time. Now, however? How about we take it somewhere more private, and you will tell me how you came to be. Deal?" woman mysteriously smiled.

Elizabeth's gaze was locked onto the mask. Mask so similar to the one of…

"Are you with him?"

"Oh? Interested about him? I am interested too, but he rarely tells me anything…" woman sighed and signaled to follow her.

Unable to fight off her curiosity, she followed right after. Maybe she will get to know who her saviour is…

---

"Hand him over to you, you say…" Yukime bit her lips.

The sudden heal came in a clutch, and even though Stierlitz could handle Gettan on her own, that still did not do wonders for Yukime's mental state. And so, she wanted to deal with him herself. However, she realized that something was… off. For example, Blood Queen that was previously fighting at the top of Crimson Tower was now suddenly talking with Yukime's bodyguard. On the street. While Spirit Fox is still near a dangerous person.

So, should she hand him over? Rational part of her believes that yes, it would be better to hand him over now that she had nothing to do with him. Emotional part, however… Wanted to kill him. To tear him apart. To teach him how her mother felt…!

She inhaled to calm herself down.

Yes, it would be far better to hand him away. Away from herself, so she doesn't feel such anger anymore.

And yet, before she could proceed…

A figure clad in black slowly descended to them. A man, whose face was hidden by darkness, only two piercing red eyes could be seen.A man, in clothes similar to that of blond elf speaking to Yukime. And in his hand…

"John Smith?" she had her suspicions, but…

" This name was merely my alias, something that was chosen for a successful completion of the mission. Outside of that, I am Shadow, the one who lurks in the darkness and hunts the darkness."

"Shadow, you say…" she squinted. The longer she looked at him, the more familiar he felt…

"Y-You! It's you!" wolfman suddenly tried to jump up, "You were the one who stopped me back then!"

'Back then?'

And then, memories flashed before her eyes.

Back then, when she didn't even reach fifteen, her village was destroyed. Destroyed, because of actions of her fiancee, Gettan. Back then, she truly loved him, and he loved her, too. And yet…

He decided to go against her mother's advices. Moreover, he was the one who took the life of old woman that cared for both him and her. By assassinating her. And he threatened to do the same to little fox. Oh, Yukime did not want to believe that something like that could happen. She desperately wished for it to be a dream. And yet…

It was no dream. It was cruel, harsh reality. Cold indifference of the world did not care about feelings of one small therianthrope. It only cared about one thing: were you adapted enough to survive?

And so she did. She tried to do everything in order to survive, going as far as taking up a job in the brothel. Yes, that one job. Over time, she has risen enough to open her own, one where all her employees would be treated fairly.

However… How did she survive against Gettan, back then when he was a formidable warrior, and she was nothing more but stay-at-home fiancee?

She was saved. Saved by strange… boy? Yes, it was a boy. A boy who stepped against Gettan as she desperately tried to cling onto her consciousness.

Later on, she woke up. And found no one. She hoped that her village still stood, but there was nothing. It was then she dismissed the vision of that boy and simply thought Gettan had a spark of kindness and mercy left to leave fox alive.

Now, however?…

"It's you…" Yukime's lips parted.

"It's you!" Gettan screamed in fury.

Man simply tilted his head at them.

"You were the one who saved me back then…"

Man nodded at her.

"Then… even now…"

Even now… Even now he saves people?

"Wait, then…" a realization struck her.

"Master Shadow is leader of Shadow garden…" elf simply smiled, "And all people present are members of this organization, excluding you and Gettan."

All. All people. Even the ones who are actually with Oriana.

"Our goal is to eradicate the Cult of Diablos," blonde elf stated further, "And we are not short of measures to do so. In fact, President of Snow Fox corporation…" she leaned a bit, "How about you enter in a cooperation with Mitsugoshi?"

Shadow simply listened to them. Upon seeing their questioning glances he nodded.

"Mitsugoshi…" she fell in thought, "So that's why he never targeted it, despite it being the easiest target… All of this was done to… To take away the Lawless City," she raised her head at him once more, "You didn't even lie about your purpose. You always told me the truth, and yet I dared to think that I used you successfully…" she chuckled sadly.

"Reality is… often disappointing," he cocked his head.

"True."

She went silent for a moment.

"I will enter cooperation. And… You can take Gettan away."

"A sound decision. We promise you will not regret it," elf smiled brightly, "My name is Alpha."

"Yukime. But you already know that, I assume."

"Indeed, we do. Now, Shadow Garden, bring this man to Eta."

Members behind her nodded and came forward. Wolfman tried to resist, but he was completely emptied after the fight, and so even lower-ranked members could easily subdue him.

"You… You!"

Gettan screamed at his last powers as he was being carried away.

"You appeared at the moment of my triumph and saved this fox back then!" he screamed, tears of anger falling from his eyes, "You have left me scarred for life!" the diminishing scars were clearly visible on his face, "And now, you waltz here and take away my last hope at accomplishing my goal!"

Shadow only watched the wolfman's breakdown.

"And now-! Now…"

Gettan went limp in feminine hands.

"You took everything from me…"

Wolfman blinked, seeing the Darkness looking at him in amusement.

"I don't even know who you are."

Notes:

Hams crossed off yet another line in Cid's bucket list.

And yes, Shadow Realm was, indeed, a parody of Morde's ult, though unlike Death Realm, Cid went mainly for the cool factor… Domain Expansion is cool and all, but that's a classic Brazil Ticket, guys!

And yeah, words, I know…

Chapter 83: Servitude Obsession

And just like that, it was over.

Cid was robbed off of his boss battle, super-secret elite agent persona lasted for barely three days, and even the revenge plot happened right at the same time as his own meeting with Blood Queen. At least the agent scheme turned out to be profitable, since girls quickly managed to pick up from his words and plans. And by girls he means both Shades and…

"Well, it seems like I owe you yet another life," mature-looking therianthrope fox-woman smiled seductively at him and fanned her face.

"Don't sweat it. It's not like we didn't try to use each other," his scheme did work out, after all.

"Yes, and I hope you understand that in business…"

"Yeah, business stuff and all that. Just don't try something like that on me again," he certainly doesn't want to double and triple check everything that people around him do.

"M-m-m," she nodded at him with a sly smile, "Now, mister Shadow, do you think we need to try and know each other a bit closer~?"

"Excuse me, miss Yukime," Alpha interjected with a very 'warm' smile, "But you are trying to flirt with someone who is already married," and showed off the ring on her right hand.

"Oh…" fox somewhat faltered, her ears flattened.

"Yeah, just cooperate like business partners and it's gonna be alright," he nodded sagely and quickly disappeared.

Another one to his harem? Nope! Sorry, fox-woman, even though many people like girls with animal features, he still has to say no! Not until he gets his tentacles or any other way to satisfy multiple women at once! And not until he and Shades make an agreement about women, anyway! They also have to pass Claire test!

Oh, this view is quite nice. The moon reflected in water looks especially cool. Don't mind him, he just wants to enjoy the scenery a bit more.

With a sigh he sat on the bridge and looked at river under it.

Well, it's not like this little trip wasn't enjoyable. He got to play a role, and that even was together Violet! He actually helped the girls to expand… yeah, it would have been way easier to just shower them with diamonds and all that stuff, but where's the fun in that? So, yeah, he helped the girls to expand their not-so-little business, and he witnessed the resurrection of Vampire Queen! Speaking of which, where did she go? He didn't see her after his Recovery Atomic, and he already saw it working with example of that wolfman… Who was he, anyway? Eh, doesn't matter, he wants to see this Queen!

Hm, hm, hm… oh, there!

Queen sat down together with Violet, and they seemed to be talking about something, huh? Well, don't mind if he interjects.

"Violet," he called out.

She turned her head, her violet eyes locking onto him. Recognition flashed in her eyes as she smiled.

"Why, hello there, my Gallant Knight," she chuckled, "Please, join us. This girl here," and now towards the Blood Queen, "was very interested to know more about the one who freed her from curse that plagued her kind for so long."

"M-m-m," the petite (no, really, she was like Epsilon before modifications!) girl perked up and stood from her chair.

She slowly walked towards him and curtsied.

"Greetings, kind sir. My name is Elizabeth, the Vampire Progenitor. I have yet to thank you properly for the wonderful gift that graced our race in your mercy."

'Wow, what a sophisticated speech. I can't just lose here, now can I?'

"Pay it no mind, Queen Elizabeth. What I did was merely extending the helping hand to someone in need. We, Shadow Garden, hunt down the shadows, but we also lurk in shadows to find ones in need of salvation."

Yep, that's great! Hams, write it down! Todd, make an Oscar!… Thank you, now place it to the five others!

Also, Queen Elizabeth that is presumably very ancient? Is it time to joke about the eternal queen?

"I see…" Blood Queen half-closed her eyes, "And I presume your party allows for anyone to enter freely so long as they remain loyal and fully commit themselves to the goal?"

"You are spot on," so this is the kind of experience that true rulers have? Damn.

"How interesting… And your party fought against another that wanted to use Diablos?" she leaned in.

"Pretty much," he's not telling anyone he thought it was made-up thing for more than five years.

"And now you have freed Diablos, almost the same way you freed me…" Elizabeth nodded.

He didn't bother answering that.

"You're trying to evade talking about that, right?" Aurora interjected, looking at Elizabeth, "The longer you stall it, the less you would want to pick this topic up in the future."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. Moments after she calmed herself down, sighed, and turned back to Cid.

"You have granted salvation not only to me, but also to our whole race. Your kindness shall not be forgotten, and your mercy shall be repaid in full," she closed her eyes and continued, "And so, if you have any wish regarding my or my race, please speak it. I will do everything in my power, negligible as it may be compared to yours, to make sure it comes true."

"Hmm…" is it that part where they swear loyalty to him?! "I see. Then, there is one thing I may need your help with."

"Please, speak. I shall make sure it is done."

"You see, as much as my Shades are talented, they are still… inexperienced. With my help, they managed to grow into formidable powers even on their own, and an unstoppable power when together, however… They still have much to learn. And I assume you, an Ancient Ruler of Vampires, can give them much needed knowledge and experience that even I may not be able to grant."

Yeah, he needs to give his girls the best! Best equipment, best environment, best teachers! And in the meantime he will also steal a couple or so lessons for himself, he-he.

"Understood…" she curtsied.

Nice, a teacher got! Hold up, another topic!

"Also I wouldn't mind us three to come up together and talk about Blood Magic at some point."

"Blood Magic?…" Elizabeth blinked, "That is my in-born ability. I do not necessarily need to use magic to control my blood, however I am able to enhance the ability with magic."

"Hoh? You know Blood Magic?" Violet chuckled, "Well, you did restore my body in the end. Though I do wonder why would you need our input about that…" she half-closed her eyes.

"Oh, that's because I am actually the youngest Blood Magic user of us three," he casually dropped a bomb.

---

"Meet Her Majesty!" the raccoon-girl announced to the bowed soldiers.

Akane Nishino sat on the throne, her trusty crowbar in her right hand.

"Hah…" a sigh got out, oops, "Speak."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the wolf Demi-Human stood up and placed his fist on his heart, "As it stands now, last remaining forces of trash king are currently trying to hide. They want to destabilize your position through sabotage and diversion, however we continue to fight them back and ensure citizen's safety."

"Citizen, yes…" she mumbled, "What about them?"

"With knowledge that Your Majesty brought from beyond our world we managed to increase efficiency of all our administrative bodies! Centralized Agriculture Ministry now counts everything correctly, allowing us to decrease the need to tax field workers this much, which in turn increased the support from our people. In fact, most citizen tend to say that every Shield Hero managed to uplift their region, giving Siltvelt and now Melromarc as examples! We also have received a letter from the former Queen Melromarc, and she wishes to speak with you about the current situation."

"Uh-huh, say when she comes…" Akane yawned. "Right, what about the previous Wave?"

"Thanks to Your Majesty's teachings our brave warriors have managed to fight back against the Wave almost by themselves, only needing your intervention against, how it was called, Boss."

"Oh, yeah, I remember now…"

There was also some kind of a woman but Akane didn't bother to remember her; one bonk, and let's go back.

"Siltvelt has sent their warmest congratulations on your victory against both the wave and trash king, your Majesty," another soldier came forward, cat-woman this time, "They are saddened how you were treated by trash king and offer their full support, both economical and military."

"Uh-huh, yeah, Raph, please look it up later…" Akane nodded.

"As you wish, miss Akane," girl (or not? That weird level aging mechanic still irks Nishino) smiled happily.

"So, slavery is no more, right?" she went to the topic that she deemed important.

"Correct, Your Majesty," a human woman came forward, "Nobles and Pope tried to object that, but…"

"Yeah, I know what I said about people like that. Next."

"As of now, both humans and demi-humans slowly warm up to each other. It will take time, but with Your Majesty's leadership we are sure to build a prosperous country that has no discrimination against anyone!"

"Hum, good, meeting is over, then. Go back to your duties, or what you were doing…" she waved them off.

As soon as the last soldier went away, Akane leaned on her throne and allowed herself to become a puddle.

"Miss Akane, that's not very hero-like!" Raphtalia's voice reacher her ears.

"Shut, I did not want all of that, and you know it…"

"U-Uh, yeah, but as wise ones say, those who don't work their job at all are the ones who can do it in the most efficient way!"

"Oh…" Akane groaned.

"Um, sorry," Raphtalia lowered her head.

"Relax, after I am done I should be able to leave, anyway, and there's one guy I really want to meet…"

"Oh, is it someone you like?!" Raphtalia jumped up in excitement, "I remember you saying that everything you know was taught by him! I want to see such great teacher!"

"Uh, yeah, I was… But that's not the reason I want to meet him."

"Then… what?" raccoon-girl curiously cocked her head.

Akane collected herself and stood up, her face darkening.

"I want to beat the shit out of him."

---

"Cid~!"

"Oh, hey, Claire," Cid turned around to see his sister fuming.

"I was searching for you everywhere, and you're talking with some women out there?!"

"Indeed, I do. Here, let me introduce you to each other: this is Elizabeth, the Vampire Progenitor, Blood Queen, and Shades' future teacher. Elizabeth, meet Claire, my elder sister!"

"Greetings, miss Claire," vampire curtsied.

"Oh, um, nice too meet you, too," Claire faltered in front of such politeness.

"So, you wanted something from me?" Cid went straight to the point.

"Oh, yeah! Hold up, let me get them out…" Claire started searching for something in her bag, "Aha!" she took out a stack of papers, "Here it is! Ahem…"

She took out the first letter while Elizabeth and Aurora went away to not mess with Cid's private matters.

"This is from… Rose Oriana, she wanted to meet with you to discuss… Political marriage?!" Claire crushed the letter, "Forget about it, that one didn't happen!"

"Sure, I guess?…"

She took out the second letter.

"This one was written by… Sherry Barnett. She sends report about how, uh, Eta did during your absence. Also report about their achievements together, huh. And… Invitation to tea?! Not on my watch!" another letter to the trash.

"Hum…"

Third letter.

"Annerose Nichtsehen and Lady Beatrix wrote a letter together, they want to get a good fight with you. Interesting, interesting…"

"You did not read them beforehand?"

"If I did, do you think I would allow first two to get through?!"

"You have a point."

Fourth letter.

"Alexia and Iris want you to visit them…? Ugh, I guess you will have to go on that one, considering your, as you call it, mob persona…"

"Yeah, I didn't meet with Alexia for a long time, to be honest…" that's not good.

"Oh, and now we come for the one I actually know contents of! Because the short summary is written on the front. And this one sucks."

"Huh?" he leaned in.

"Ahem… 'Cid Kagenou, you are about to be expelled from Midgar's Dark Knights Academy for repeated absence and unsatisfactory grades. Please visit our office and speak with the director.'"

'…Huh?'

Claire raised her gaze and sighed.

"Sorry, Cid, I tried to cover up your activities, but…" she shook her head, "I wasn't able to do much. Sorry," she placed the letter in his hand, "Here, you can read it in full here."

As Claire walked away, Cid only had one thought in his head.

'Welp, here goes my mob persona.'

Notes:

R.I.P. in peace, Cid mobfu.

Chapter 84: Parted Obsession

"A-a-ah…" Cid yawned and leaned back on his chair.

He was currently entering the Midgar's capital on the carriage that Gamma once again provided him with (after caressing his hand and blushing like tomato).

After receiving the letter he had to think on what to do now. On one hand, he could agree with office decision and just drop out of the academy. The pros are obvious: the time that would be spent on sitting on lessons would be freed towards anything that he wants to do, be it magic research, roleplaying, and much, much more.

However, it would bring some problems: the most obvious is losing his status as Dark Knight student, and consequently, losing connections with princesses. Alexia would probably still talk with him, but Iris will be disappointed… not like he cared about that, anyway. That's pretty much all: Dark Knights are respected and all, but there are plenty non-warrior noble families in Midgar that taken other fields. Well, yeah, who would feed all the fighter families if everyone is a fighter? Go back to hunting like therianthrope clans?

On the other hand, he could somehow convince the board to not expel him. It would be hard to do as a normal mob, though… And the pros are not that much goood, anyway, since he could try to be a mob in any other field… Pianist by the day, or a guard?

Overall, the problem was simple: do the benefits of being a student outweigh the benefits that would come with free time he could use on any field he deems interesting?

Well, there was one point that mattered for him more than any other he said before…

Alexia.

His girlfriend. Previously fake, now real, and that doesn't even know he managed to marry seven women while she wasn't looking.

…You know, when it's said like that, it makes him look like a scoundrel? In his defense, the relationship he had with Shades were going for far longer than whatever stuff he had with Alexia.

…That sounds like an excuse. Eh, to hell with it.

Anyway, Alexia. Despite not having such strong feelings for her as he has for Shades (romantic) or his sister (like annoyed brother that still cherishes his clingy sis), she was still someone of importance for him. He wouldn't risk his life for her, but being with her brought that interesting sense of mobness and normalcy, if you get what he means. Funny, considering she's bona fide princess, and low-level noble like shouldn't even be able to have these kinds of relationship with her, but she really kinda doesn't compare to Demon of Destruction, Ancient Vampire, ruling members of worldwide organization, Tyrant Queen…

She's just a normal girl that just happens to be a princess and just wants to have a good life. That's all.

She's also his heroine candidate №1, and despite having the number 'one', she's the only one who didn't get any progress or update since he chosen her as so. Rose became Tyrant Queen and restructured her kingdom (or queendom now?), Annerose got enlightment from his actions and now waits for their next meeting, Nishimura is somewhere in another world doing stuff after a course of training from enigmatic Sensei…

Alexia got nothing other than some encouragement words from her boyfriend and her future rival. Kinda sucks, if you ask him. Now, what can he do to make up for that?…

Wait, he was talking about academy, right?

Right, he will give Alexia a visit after having a talk with the director.

And then he will give her the souvenir, the necklace from magma. Come to think of it, he forgot to give Claire the bracelet, right?…

---

"Ah, mister Kagenou, please come in," the tall old man in office chair said cordially.

"Excuse me for intervention…" Cid mumbled back.

"Pay it no mind, mister Kagenou…" old man sighed and took out a bunch of papers, "Now, could you please elaborate on your absence and unsatisfactory grades?"

"Absence…" oh, here it is, "Documents from Mitsugoshi that explain the reason, sir."

"Oh, I see… However, even though having ties wish such a reputably company is important, it is no less important to focus on your studies, mister Kagenou," director chided him.

"Yeah, yeah…" Cid suddenly realized something, "Wait, head librarian?…"

"Oh my, and here I wondered when will you realize that it's not director you are talking to…" old man chuckled, "Director is currently absent, and I replace him. Now, mister Kagenou, even though Mitsugoshi covers your absence with valid reasons, it does not cover all of your missed lessons, moreover, bad grades. What do we do with that?"

'What do we do, indeed…'

It looped back onto the question if he even needs the academy. The only real benefit of being a student is Alexia and the time he could spend with her to make sure she grows into actual heroine… Everything else is just a hindrance, and Hams already drilled him enough about wasted time. What to do, what to do…

"Say, mister Kagenou…" librarian tapped on the table, "As I can see, you do not need the academy that much, not the Dark Knight part for sure… So I have a proposal for you, while director doesn't' see."

"I am listening?"

"You do know that other than Dark Knight courses we also have connection with Academy of Science of Midgar, correct?" upon receiving a nod old man continued, "I have long noticed that the only reason you stayed in the higher tiers of training is because of your connections with princess Alexia… Yes, mister Kagenou, it was that easy to see. As I was saying…" old man leaned in, "You do not give enough effort in pursuing sword path, and so my proposal is simple: considering how much you invested in path of brains, if these papers are to believed," nod towards the Mitsugoshi's documents, "I can arrange your entrance into Academy of Science instead."

"But as I heard, the schedule there is even more tight than in Dark Knights?" Cid cocked his head. He wouldn't want to lose so much precious time…

"…Ah, so that's the problem you have…" librarian leaned back on his chair.

Silence permeated the air.

Truth to be told, if it wasn't for such a tight schedule, Cid wouldn't mind going into science branch instead. It would be even easier to play mob there than here, because they mostly checked theoretical knowledge as far as he is aware, which means tests, writing, and other stuff that is way easier to scheme with to stay on average.

Unfortunately, requirements for this were also much higher, and he didn't want to waste even more time…

Hmm, come to think of it, what is this that seems to take his attention below the academy?

"Can I ask you a quick question before we proceed with a problem of my student status?"

"Sure, I guess," librarian nodded.

"What is below the academy?"

Old man stiffened.

"What do you mean, below? There's nothing below the academy."

"Nothing, you say?…" Cid concentrated, "Absolutely no suspicious ancient places that hold something back?" he decided to shoot in the sky.

And seeing how librarian flinched, he actually shot something!

"…My boy, listen…" he bit his lip, "There are things in this world that you're not meant to see. There are forces you're not supposed to go against. And you better be wise about whether or not you would want to incur their wrath on yourself. Please, listen to the old man: abandon your pursuit of the truth. Simply forget about it. It's not worth it unless you have a power to back yourself up."

"Speaking from experience, huh?"

"Indeed. I have tried to… to be a just person. Now, I am stuck here, with books. So, please, Cid Kagenou… Don't be like me. You could achieve so much more, given time. Use it. I am old man, on my last legs… You are still young and full of lifeforce. Use it wisely and live your life happily. Don't mess with it, at least for my sake…"

"It's Cult of Diablos, isn't it?" Cid sighed.

Seriously, why is everyone afraid of these losers?

"…I am so sorry, my boy. If only you did not say it, maybe I could let you live until you grow enough…" librarian slowly took his sword with a look of pity. "I wonder what your last thought about that are…"

'I finally found an idea! I will just ask this guy to give me some kind of paper that confirms that I can attend Academy freely and skip any lessons I deem unnecessary! Of course, Director himself may be suspicious about that, but eh, who cares!'

Cid stood up in excitement.

"Hmm? Something funny, my boy?"

"Can you, please, give me a document about free attendance considering that I am working with Mitsugoshi?"

"Free attendance?… I don't know what you are talking about, mister Kagenou; there was never a concept like that…" old man sighed, "But if that is your death wish, I will have to fulfill it… You will be the first person ever in Midgar Academy history with free attendance. I guess that is an achievement on its own…"

Cid patiently waited until old man finished signing the papers.

"As I said… Such a thing as 'free attendance' was never in the rules… But I guess the dead person would not need it, anyway… Now, do you wish to see the underground facility before your death?"

"Hmm?" Cid was taken aback.

"You are very calm in the face of your death, and I admire that, mister Kagenou. I hope I can show what you were trying to see, even just to make your last moments more memorable."

"…Sure, I guess."

"Follow me, then."

---

"Say, mister librarian, what made you come into contact with Cult?"

"Cult… Back then, I was just like you. Young, hot-blooded, full of justice… And then I went to the wrong place. I guessed correctly that Church was affiliated with Cult of Diablos, however they already expected me there… I got into trap, my squad was killed, and my hands…" he slowly revealed the scars, "My hands were cut off. They healed them back, but I was never able to reach the peak of my strength ever again. A broken sword, that what I became."

"Hmm…" Cid hummed.

"And we are here."

A large ancient iron door stood in front of them. Librarian slowly came closer and whispered something. Door responded and opened with a creak.

"This is the underground facility. This is the place you sought for. Are you happy, my boy?" old man turned to him.

"Indeed, I am."

Now he finally realized what was that he felt. The presence really reminds him of Violet! And Violet is Aurora, which is Diablos, which was severed into parts of her body and sealed in various places!

That's what it is!

"I see… You really are happy, huh…"

"Now, any last wish?"

"Now, any last wish-? Mister Kagenou, these are my words. You don't think you can fight back against me, especially with…" white fog slowly seeped through ventilation, "this?"

Cid studied it in curiosity. It's somewhat similar to that barrier back from attack on academy, but completely different at the same time. How interesting…

"…I see. So you came prepared."

"Say, old man, wanna see cool swordsmanship?" Cid slowly morphed the slime sword in his hand. First time he actually uses the slime sword since upgrade, by the way; before that it was threads.

And now it gave out a cool violet glow!

"Hmm?" librarian squinted, "This guise… seems familiar… Don't tell me!"

Slime suit slowly morphed into Shadow's attire.

"Shadow… So that's why you were in the academy… You targeted the arm of Diablos," librarian studied his opponent, "But to think, you were hiding yourself as average student… I expected no less from faction that went against Cult."

"Thank you for your compliment. And if I am being honest, you were one of the better people I have interacted with. Now…" a sluggish move, "Farewell."

And… nothing happened.

"Hah…? Ah, that was a warm-up, huh… Can you tell me, then, why would you need a free attendance document?"

"I don't want to waste so much time in the academy, but student status is too good to pass for. This is an acceptable medium ground," Cid answered honestly.

"I see…"

Cid slowly concentrated on the feeling of Violet's (or rather, her hand's) lifeforce. Judging by the signature, it's a bit below this level? Good, good.

He slowly picked up the pace and went to the staircase.

"Hmm?"

"What?"

"Not even gonna do anything? You said you would show me the peak of swordsmanship."

"Yeah, I did."

"Then-"

Shadow interrupted librarian by raising his hand.

"I have already shown it."

"You don't want to say that amateur move was the peak of swordsmanship, now do you?" librarian's lips quivered as he pointed his sword at Shadow.

"You are already dead."

"…What?" old man cocked his head.

In the next moment, Head Librarian's body suddenly exploded.

Cid's lips formed a smile.

"Hams, Todd, you recorded that? Man, always wanted to do that one."

Notes:

Poor librarian dude… I mean, it's not like he got better exposition in canon considering he appeared for 1/3rd of a chapter, but at least in canon he got a cool sword battle. Here he got "Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru" instead…

Smol Violet is on the horizon. And Alexia.

And Mutant.

Chapter 85: Cute Obsession

"Hmm…" Cid hummed.

"Hmm…" a little girl with raven hair and smart violet eyes repeated after him.

Yep, 100% Violet. No questions asked. No, wait, one question: how the hell?

Like, he realized that if there was one severed hand sealed, then probably there are also other body parts, but he didn't think each body part had its own consciousness! That makes things way more complicated than it should be…

"You are thinking about something bad, mister."

"Nope, I don't."

"You don't?"

"I don't."

"You don't lie."

"I don't."

"Is that so."

"Indeed."

Сome to think of it, isn't that place somewhat like Sanctuary? No, it's a bit different, actually… Sanctuary was a marvel of fusion between artificial and natural, born from countless memories and breakthroughs… or something like that. He needs to give praise to something that became a catalyst for his Soul Space, right?

But the principle is simiilar: a place made from memories.

"So, mister, who are you?"

"Oh, yeah, you don't recognize me…" for some reason he thought she would know about him, but it seems like each part only had a part of memories, not connected with each other.

"Should I?" she cutely cocked her head.

"I think no… Alright, let me introduce myself. I am Shadow, I lurk in the shadows and hunt down the shadows!"

And a pose of coolness!… Umm, what?

"U-u-u… P-Please don't hurt me…"

'…You know, Hams, I suddenly realized whatever we came up with is not enough. Could you please also add this, this, and this? Oh, also this one, I think they need it very much. Oh, and Todd, also start doing that one… Yes, that one.'

"Uh, hey, sorry for startling you… Yeah, my name is Cid Kagenou…" he sheepishly scratched his head.

"Uff… Ahh… Sniff…"

"Hey, let's start over, alright?" he made a small step towards her.

"P-Please don't come… Don't come closer!…"

Damn, this amount of magic power is surely something. Why does the small one contain more of it than the adult one? Did all magic power went into some other places for adult one?

Ah, small Violet is crying even more!

Cid swiftly maneuvered between sparks of magical power, coming closer and closer to the girl. And at some point, he gently embraced her.

"Uh, please, don't-!"

Pat.

"There, there. Relax. It's fine. I am not here to hurt you."

He gently caressed her and injected his mana to imitate the effect of curing Possession. Slowly, but surely, small Violet calmed down and leaned on his chest.

"I… I don't wanna remember… not this…"

So, she remembers what they did to her when trying to create Diablos, or something. Hmm…

"It's alright. I am here to take you out."

"Take… me out…?" a spark of hope appeared in her eyes.

"Yes, take you out. I will take you out, and you will live a good life, full of happiness. How does that sound?" he continued petting her.

"And… I will get to have good memories?" she clung onto his clothes.

"Of course."

"You don't lie?"

"Of course I don't."

…Uh, Hams, what is happening in Soul Space? Something near the grave with third Beast, or something?… Oh, nothing? Yeah, seems like it's nothing.

So, he will take her out and let big Violet to know small Violet. However, there's one problem…

"Where are you, number…?!"

The girl shuddered and continued to stay in his embrace.

"You want it the hard way, huh?!…"

"P-Please…"

"Of course, Violet."

Seems like unlike Sanctuary, small Violet can't control her memories, huh. Then…

He will just take her into his Soul Space.

Hams, Todd, please receive her well. He will appear to settle things, of course, but then he is going to make another body, this time for small Violet.

---

Aurora slowly, fearfully opened her eyes.

She awaited the pain that always came after these words.

However…

A hamster's snout appeared in her vision. Hamster in question was very big, with intelligent face and glasses that somehow reminded her of… something. She can't remember, but she knew this hamster was looking intelligent.

In daze, she reached out her small hands towards the snout. Hamster blinked at her and leaned in to make reaching easier for her.

'Fluffy.'

That's what she thought when her hands found the soft, rich fur of the intelligent hamster. Its snout twitched a bit, but it seems like hamster didn't mind her touch.

"Having fun yet?"

She flinched and turned to the voice. A familiar voice…

And familiar face. Completely average-looking human face, but of the one who promised to take her out of that goddess-forsaken place…

Wait…

"You… You did it…"

"Oh… yeah…" he scratched his head, "I did, I guess?"

She jumped over to him.

"You did it… You did it…"

"Come on, relax a bit… I said I would do it, and I did it."

"U-u-u…"

Is it over? Is she finally free?

"Well, I still have to do some stuff, but after that we can go and have a celebration about you finally being free! For the time being, can you please stay with these guys? I promise, they are very trustworthy!"

"Hmm?" she turned her head in curiosity.

Oh, he is talking about hamster and… Um, she can't quite see them.

"You can call this one Uncle Hams," hams…ter in question only puffed up his chest in proud, "He is very soft and very smart. If there's something you don't understand, you can just ask him, and he probably knows the answer for it."

"Why is grass green?" she immediately asked the question that she always wanted to know the answer for.

"Oh, that's because most plants have a green pigment called 'chlorophyll', which is required for a good photosynthesis, and photosynthesis is a process of absorbing the light of sun and transferring it to-"

"Alright, alright, Hams, calm down, you can explain that one after I go away, we still have another one to introduce."

"Buh," she pouted.

"And that over here is Uncle Todd," he waved his hand towards the unseen person who finally came up.

And it was a big, bipedal toad. With glasses. And intelligent face.

It nodded towards her and took a proud pose.

"While Todd is not that good in science compared to Hams," toad visibly deflated, "he is the most excellent in terms of hoarding stuff. You can ask him anything, and he probably has it somewhere in his storage room."

"Umm… I like Uncle Hams more… He's fluffy…" she whispered.

But it seems like toad heard her, clutching its heart in sadness.

"Stop horsing around, Todd," Cid Kagenou rolled his eyes, "You are not a horse to horse around, you are a toad. Anyway," he turned back to her, "As I said, I have an important deal to finish. Once I am done, we can finally go out and give you a good walk under the sun."

"With grass and clear skies?"

"With grass and clear skies," he nodded with a smile.

She raised her hands with a similar smile.

"Alright, please behave! And don't forget to ask Uncles for anything you want!"

A moment later, he disappeared. She turned her head back to Hams(ter) and Todd (toad).

"So, um…" she raised her gaze," Can you please continue talking about grass, why it's green, and, um, chlo-ro-phail?"

Hamster's snout twitched in joy.

---

Mutant slowly looked around.

That person is somewhere in this sector. Somewhere. He doesn't know where, exactly, but they are clearly here. How strange.

There's nothing even remotely strong here. Even gods are minor, not even one of medium level. Sure, it may be a good practice for their little sister, but middle brother already grew tired and asked Mutant about going somewhere else to find a good opponent. Yet they couldn't give up.

He almost picked up the signature, yet all of sudden it disappeared. However…

Mutant found a familiar trail. 'Devourer of Gods' was here, wasn't it? This little cosmic worm, a servant of another deity… Interesting. Why was it here? These minor deities would barely satiate its hunger, yet for some reason it was here… And lost.

He can actually feel the suppressed echoes of its death, though he could not pinpoint where, exactly, this happened. Probably problem lies in the fact that Serpent frequently used dimensional rifts to go through, and it messed up the energy passage.

However… Whatever its opponent was, they clearly were capable of bringing the Serpent down. Either through sheer power, or…

Mutant's eye shone in excitement.

"Hey, big bro, you seem kinda happy?" his little sister chipped in.

"Yes, I believe we have finally found the person I am looking for."

"Really?!" she jumped up, "Wow! You said this person should be quite good!"

"Well, not found yet, but I have confirmed that they are in this place…" he slowly looked around.

"So, what do we do now."

Ah, his middle brother joined in.

"Abominationn," Mutant thought it over for a bit, "We will split up."

"Huh?" Deviantt cocked her head, "Why?"

"I cannot enter those worlds all at once, as that would require for me to release my power in full, and such a feat could shatter them. Abominationn could do so, however his arrival may alert anything that could lie, slumbering. You, on the other hand…"

"Yes, yes, I am not even on a minor deity's level, and in fact just rely on spamming my attacks… Yeah, anyway, you wanna me go and check some places? Sure, I can do that."

"Thank you, Deviantt," he smiled… as far as he could do so with the fact that eye took 70% of his head, anyway.

"If I actually get to see you enjoying the fight with them, that would be a good 'thank you', big bro!"

Good. Now, they shall check out other places while his sister goes through her share.

---

"Ouch!"

Deviantt suddenly met some kind of a 'wall'. Like, energetic one. She has checked about two worlds already, and this one was very strange. Like, for what reason would it need a wall?!

Wait, hold up, could this person be here?! If so, then it's great! She will need to check it out first, of course, but, like, that means her job is done!… Wait, how does she enter?

Like, she can't decipher this wall at all! Unlike her big bro who was 'I-wanna-know-everything' guy, she just enjoyed a cool battle from time to time! Yeah, she learned battle patterns and all that, but making an effort in studying all these runes, or something?! Bleh!

But she can't overpower this wall, either!

Uff, she will make sure to fix that mistake once she finishes with her task!… Maybe she could get a day or two to rest before that. Hmm, a week of vacation would actually be beneficial, though. And a month of beach episode!

Right, how does she get in?! This planet (yes, planet; other planets weren't protected at all) had some kind of spatial anomalies around itself! If she just goes as it is, she's totally roasted!

Gu-u-uh, how long is she gonna wait? She wants to go in already!… Hold up. Isn't that small asteroid?… Oh, she has an idea!

---

In retrospective, deep diving on a meteorite wasn't the brightest idea. Yeah, she can respawn and stuff so long as her big bro is alive, but he would totally roast her for doing something like that. Well, she survived, that's all that matters!

She may need to get out of here, though. Even the primitive civilization quickly react to stuff like 'a star falling from the heavens'… Bleh, if an actual star suddenly appeared near your planet, you would all be cooked! Cooked, she says!

Right, where is she, anyway? Looks like some kind of forest… Hmm, she likes forest! It's green and cool! But she needs some civilization signs, though…

She flew up and sat on tree's top.

Not here, not here, not here… Oh, that looks like a city! In the distance! Nice!

Deviantt jumped from the tree and started flying towards the city.

Eh, she probably should train or something. Maybe one day she could even defeat her big bro Mutant! Then she would be able to remove the extra letter!

---

"And… Done!" Cid nodded in satisfaction.

The body is finally ready! Looks exactly like small Violet!

He-he, he can't wait for small Violet and big Violet to meet! That's totally gonna be fun!

Notes:

Smol Violet has awoken! Quick, give her all your headpats and cuddles!

Chapter 86: Peaceful Obsession

Notes:

Fluff/slice of life chapter.

"How are you feeling?"

"Umm… I think, good?…"

Cid was helping small Violet to walk properly. Apparently, unlike big Violet, the small one kinda forgot how to move properly… Or rather, she never had to, considering that most of the time she was being carried, or pushed, or more of that stuff… Uh, Todd, are you sure there's nothing bad near the grave? Sure? Alright.

Right, so, helping small Violet… By the way, how does he actually call her? Violet is already taken, Aurora? Could be possible, but everyone else calls big Violet that… Hmm, he will think of that later.

"Umm, mister, are you sure it's alright?…"

"Of course it's alright!"

Believe it or not, Cid still had some moral grounds left! And torturing children was certainly something that a good Eminence would never do! So, yeah, there is stuff that he gets disgusted with, like now or back when Sherry's… uh, who was he to her, again… Well, when that guy revealed he killed her mother and inserted himself as the most important person in her life! Yeah!

Oh, yeah, small Violet. He promised to take her out on a walk, and it's about time to do so. His academy problems were solved with free attendance document, the only person who knew about that was now dead, and small Violet's soul (or what was left of it; Hams complained that it was basically a mere fragment of the whole) was successfully inserted into her new body, which she already tried out with eating some kind of burger that was stored in Soul Space (damn, his Beasts sure are Greed…).

Where does he exit, though… Like, it's not as if he could just waltz out of dungeon with a little girl in tow, right? Well, technically he could, but…

Eh, let's go the easy way.

"Now, hold tight."

"Um?…"

Man, she's so adorable.

---

"Welcome to Mitsugoshi!" he raised his hands.

"Yay," she raised her hands, too.

"Ahem, so this place is a store and a branch of my organization, if you follow me… Right, there's one person I want you to meet with. I think you would be very happy to know each other!"

"Uhm… sure."

He-he, he can feel the excitement from mere thought of them meeting!…

Right, where is she?… Oh, there!

"Um, mister, what are these symbols?"

"Which…? Oh, these."

The four-star eye symbol. To be honest, he kinda forgot about it. Like, he knows it's used as his symbol in Shadow Garden, but he himself has never wore it… Where did they even get it from?

"Well, let's just say that I am not the last person by importance in this organization… Yeah, I just told you that it's my organization, anyway; for some reason they thought this symbol perfectly represents me, and now it kinda stuck."

"Humu, I see…"

"Uh-huh, now let's go!"

Corridors. Corridors. Corridors. Even more corridors. Did Eta really decide to just make a bunch of corridors and only then planned the actual rooms?

Eh, nevermind, they are at the place already.

"Hey, Violet, are you busy?" he knocked at the door.

"Just a bit, my knight; I will come out in a minute."

Hmm? Oh, right, she was probably changing from her agent form… It was him who practically charged into the academy.

Well, waiting, is it.

Small Violet only looked at him in curiosity. After some time she turned her attention to the door and made the most serious face she could muster. Hams screamed something about cuteness energy and the need to store it… More power to him, he guesses?

Oh, he hears the footsteps!

"So sorry, my gallant Knight, it was just so sudden that I had-" Violet stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed the small copy standing behind Cid.

"Hello again, my lovely Violet, allow me to introduce you to each other. Aurora, this is Aurora. And Aurora, this is Aurora. Say hello!"

Oh, they god blue screened. Just as he expected, he-he!

---

"Allow me to get this straight…" big Violet slowly raised her hand, "you found another part of me that was sealed right in this town, then you found out about existence of my another consciousness and decided it would be a good idea to create another body for her?"

"Hmm… Yup, everything is correct!"

"…You were completely right! Say, little me, what do you think about this one?" Violet slowly showed Tuna burger to her small copy.

"Hmm…" the small copy's nose twitched, "It smells so good…"

"I know, right? Here, take it," with a big smile on her face Violet gently shoved the burger into small, delicate hands of small Violet.

"M-m-m!" as expected, the girl liked it.

Small Violet munched onto the burger in happiness, parts of food stuck in the corners of her lips.

Cid watched it with a strange feeling of warmth in his heart. They were currently sitting at one of Mitsugoshi's public tables and having a big lunch. Of course, the sole purpose of it was to give little Violet a sense of a happy life around other people. Some children even ran past them, and the girl blinked at them with a smile. Speaking of it…

He turned back to big Violet. Seeing his attention, she leaned in.

"So… how do we call her?" he whispered.

"M-m-m?"

"We can't just call both of you Aurora or Violet, right? There ought to be some distinction…"

"Violet is a flower, not only a color, right?" the mature woman whispered back.

"Yep, it is… Oh, I have an idea…"

He coughed to get small girl's attention.

"So, is there anything in particular you want to be called?"

"Hmm?" she cutely cocked her head.

"I mean, do you want to get a new name or…"

"New. I wanna have new name and new life."

"Then, from now on, your new name shall be… Lilac."

"Lilac?…" the newly named repeated after him, "It sounds good… But somewhat similar to, um, Violet?" she turned to her big copy.

"I mean, technically we came from the same source…" Violet twisted her hair, "So that would be a good way to give us a connection, but still have some distinction, right?"

"Hmm…" cute furrowed brows, "Alright!"

And came back to munching on burgers. That's the third one, by the way.

Yep, everything is going well. Surely there's no princesses that would interrupt his peaceful time-

"Greetings, Cid. I see you decided to have a rest after your trip."

A certain crimson-haired crimson-eyed Midgar princess (the heir one) walked up to his table with a smile on her face.

"Yep, princess Iris, I think I sent my papers into the academy. And in case they didn't come, I have my own in the bag," is it a lie if he really has documents?

"My, Cid, I already said we can go with just first name…" nonetheless, she smiled, "And no need for papers. Better yet, how about you-"

"Hello, Ciddy," oh, speak of the devil.

A certain silver-haired crimson-eyed Midgar princess (not the heir one) came up from behind and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Say, would you be so kind as to explain who these two are?"

"Oh, hey, Alexia," he greeted her, "The elder one is Violet," Aurora waved her hand with a smile, "the younger one is Lilac," the girl didn't react to her new name and drank the cold tea.

"I see… and how are you connected to them?" Alexia pressed further, both into the matter and onto his shoulders.

"Please, stop, it hurts," she immediately ceased her attempts to assert dominance, "and the truth is…" he waved his hand for princesses to lean closer.

Alexia immediately complied, while Iris thought for a moment and just sat down.

"So…" he went onto whispering, "You would be wiser not to speak about the past with them."

"It's that bad?" Iris frowned, placing her chin onto her hands.

"Claire fought over them with some guys in Lawless City…"

"Slave traders?" Alexia interjected, "I mean, yeah, it is bad, that's the Lawless City we are talking about, after all, but there are tons of people-"

"No, she said these guys were in some kind of, uh, cloaks and robes? And something about Cult, I guess?" he feigned thinking… and true to his expectations, both girls tensed up.

"Cult…" Alexia worriedly held his hand, "Cid, do not try to engage with this Cult. Never."

"Are they really that bad?" he 'innocently' tilted his head.

"We can't speak of it in public, even if whispering," Iris shook her head, "Please, if you really wish to know about it, visit me or Alexia at some point."

"if you say so…" he 'relented'.

He-he, all according to his plan! Absolutely non-suspicious mob-like friend of main heroines who guides them towards the end and then…! Hmm, he didn't think that far yet. Gotta revision his plan.

Oh, but Lilac surely held good. He expected her to break down at any moment after millennia of suffering, but it seems like either are all Aurora's parts are pretty resilient, or being close to the mature version of herself made her calm down. That's good, actually, he doesn't want Lilac to suddenly get flashbacks.

"Um, brother," he suddenly heard her talking to him (he had to reanimate poor Hams after he suffered a heart attack from cuteness, "I am sorry if I am interrupting you, but who are these pretty ladies you are talking to?"

Stop it with the smug, Alexia, she's just being polite!

"This crimson-haired one is Iris Midgar, heir princess of this country," he decided to introduce the elder one first, yes.

"Aunty Iris?" Lilac cocked her head.

"Hmm, yes, little Lilac, I am Iris," princess smiled and reached out her hand to pat Lilac's head.

"Aunty Iris, are you sure we aren't connected? We both have plant names."

"That's…" Iris stopped for a moment, "No, that's just a coincidence…" after a moment, though, she added, "But you still can call me Aunty, little one."

"M-m-m, alright, I will!"

"Ahem," he coughed to take her attention, "and the silver-haired one is another princess of Midgar, Alexia Midgar. Yep, also a sister to Iris."

Oh-ho, he can see the familiar fires in little Lilac's eyes! Seems like someone is planning something mischievous!

"Aunty Alexia!"

"Wha-" Alexia in question almost fell down while trying to sit on a chair.

Yes, Lilac, avenge his nerves!

"E-E-Excuse me…" a tic mark appeared on Alexia's temple, "Unlike my elder sister, I am still in my teenage years, and therefore it's too early to call me Aunty."

"Um? No, you look the same age, so you are Aunty!"

He can see the arrow piercing younger princess' heart!

"No-o-o, she's five years older than me. In fact, I am the same age as Ciddy! Right?" she turned to him, "Ri-i-ight?"

"Hmm…" he leaned back on his chair and feigned thinking as he sipped his cold tea.

"Now don't you dare to back down!" she reached out for his neck.

"Hmm…" Lilac made a thinking gesture, "But that's impossible!"

"Why?!"

"Because Cid looks younger than you! He's also cuter!"

"Pfffft-!" Cid in question spewed his drink in shock.

"W-Wha-?!" Alexia experienced a blue screen, too.

"Give up, Alexia," Iris chuckled, "Clearly, you have lost the contest of youth."

"What?! No! Impossible! Someone as beautiful as me…!"

'Seems like it worked,' he winked to Lilac.

Yep, everything he did was to cause some stir in both the princesses and Lilac herself to help them all forget about their troubles for a moment. Isn't he the best boyfriend, saviour, and… uh, he doesn't know who he is to Iris, but that doesn't matter. In short, he can pat himself on the back!

He-he, good job, Cid-!

"What do you mean you can't accept these coins?"

"It is as I said, miss," the clerk explained, clearly wary of the customer, "We do not know the origin of these… 'platinum' coins, and therefore cannot accept them."

"Ugh, fine! How about gold ones!"

"These ones… Could work, however we do not know their true value compared to Zeni, and appraisal would take some time…"

"Come on, I just wanna get some drinks and foodies!"

Cid peeked in curiosity and saw… Well, a very strange sight.

A short girl in a comically oversized hat stood in front of a stall and tried to buy something. Her clothes were… a mess, to say the least: blue shirt with red necktie, one silver boot, one red boot… No, wait, the silver boot is actually silver boot, like, metal! And the other one is actually flesh-like! The hell?! And her left hand looks like a pink slime! And right is brown like a tree!

Hold up, are these butterfly wings on her back?! He didn't see at first because she kept them folded, but once she turned around he was able to imprint the sight into his memory!

Something clearly suspicious is going on here…

"Goddamnit…" the suspicious customer in question visibly deflated.

"Excuse me," he interjected, "I will pay for her."

"You…" clerk's eyes widened. Yep, recognized him, "Sure, that would be 600 Zeni."

'Oh, right, a discount.'

"Really?! Oh, you're a saviour!" girl jumped up, "I will give you these Zee-nees back… Maybe. Later. Trust!"

"M-m-m, just come sit with us," he pointed at the table.

As they came closer, both princesses were clearly on the edge. Yeah, this girl's appearance was something else…

"Welp, now that it's settled, maybe we will get to know each other?" he decided to speak first once they sat down.

"Oh, right!" she placed her drink back (when did she even get to take it?) and showed that she's all ready to digest information.

"Well, my name is Cid Kagenou, son of Kagenou family," this girl didn't have any reaction, "these two are Violet and Lilac, they are here to visit," this girl didn't have any reaction, "and these two are Alexia Midgar and Iris Midgar, both are princesses of Midgar Kingdom, with Iris being the heir."

This girl didn't have any reaction.

"Oh, cool! That leaves me!"

She stood up and struck a strange pose, covering her right eye with right hand and reaching out her left hand to the horizon.

"My name is Deviantt, the demon of love and justice!… In training, I think. Uh, it's fine, I have a lot of time to train! Next month for sure!"

Deviantt then squinted and looked at him in suspicion.

"Hmm… I can tell… You've killed a lot!" she pointed an accusatory finger at him… before frowning and retracting her hand, "But you've not killed enough!"

She then smiled all of sudden.

"Oh, but it's fine! You're cool, so I will let you call me just 'Devi', he-he! Only you, though! All other please refer to me as 'Deviantt'! And don't you dare to omit the extra letter!"

'Yep, that girl is nuts.'

Chapter 87: Rich Obsession

"Uhm, miss Deviant…"

"I just said it's 'Deviantt'! Extra letter!"

"Right, miss Deviantt… What, exactly, did you mean by 'demon of love and justice'?" Iris squinted in suspicion.

"Oh, ha-ha, uhm…" 'demon' suddenly sweated, "Uhm, please don't tell my big bro that, ha-ha… I am not a demon, of course, I just loved this greeting one time, and then it just kinda stuck…" she munched on her food to calm herself down.

"I-I see…" Iris clearly didn't believe girl's words, but wisely decided to not press further.

"Hey, what does that mean, by the way?" Alexia interjected, "You know, that part about Cid killing a lot? This… guy doesn't even have the guts to become a knight, let alone kill someone…"

"Huh?" Deviantt blinked and turned to Cid.

He sat there, seemingly indifferent to their speech, simply tapping his finger on the table. However, Deviantt knew Morse code, and Cid actually was tapping 'I dare you to explain that'.

Well, please forgive him for trying to maintain his mob persona… at least what was left of it, anyway…

"Oh, that's just another one of my customary greetings, e-he-he… Whenever I find a person I like the most in a new group, I immediately give them some cool introduction!"

"…Is that so," Alexia smiled, dark aura looming over her, "Aren't you a lucky guy, Cid? Being in presence of so many women…"

"Would you believe me if I said that I am as bothered by this as you are?" huh, Deviantt tapped back… 'Come on, man, I am just here to have fun'? Well, not at his expense!

"Actually, yes, I would believe you," younger princess sighed, "and that's the reason I don't understand why do they seem to appear in your circle…" tap, tap, tap… 'How the hell did you even appear here, anyway? Clearly you're not of this place'.

"What can I say? You, girls, sometimes don't even understand yourselves, how am I supposed to understand you?" 'Oh, you won't believe it, but this world's protection is quite cool! I had to use an asteroid to do a deep-dive!… Weird, to be honest: how did they protect against dimensional attacks so well that even my big-but-not-biggest bro would struggle against it, yet forgot about space assault? Are they stupid?'

…Alright, that's on him.

"I am sorry, Ciddy, did you say something?" Alexia cutely leaned in.

"Just how lucky I am to have such an understanding girlfriend as you," uh, Iris is giving him a stare over that tapping between him and Deviantt. 'Later.'

"Yes, yes, praise me more!" princess puffed up her chest.

"Hmm, well, actually…" he suddenly realized something, "I have prepared something for you?"

"You? For me?" Alexia slammed her hands on the table, "You're not kidding?"

"Of course not… Let me just find these things…" he placed his hand into his bag (actually reached out to Soul Space) and took out a bracelet and figurine.

"W-What's that?…" Alexia's voice quivered.

"Remember when I told you I would make you that figurine back then, right after Goddess Trials?" he reminded her, "It surely took some time, but here it is," and presented a serpent-like figurine to Alexia.

Yes, it was figurine of that Serpent whose scales he used so much now. He created one first back then with just his magic carving abilities, but since then he had no time to present it to Alexia, and once he remembered about that, his abilities got a huge upgrade, so he decided to redo it. Of course, the principle stayed the same: it was still quite a rough copy of Serpent himself, many small features missing, but the overall shape stayed similar!

He-he, this is peak mobfu!… Um, why is this comically oversized hat girl eyeing him so strangely?

"Wha- Whu- Guh?" very intelligent and wise words of Alexia reached his ears.

"Yes, I made this figurine myself. Take it, it's a gift," he looked at her seriously.

Alexia went as red as tomato.

"…Is this a confession from your side, Cid Kagenou?" Iris suddenly went all serious.

"Hm?" he blinked at her.

"I can see that you have, indeed, made figurine of that anomaly from back then yourself, but…" she gazed over the intricate crimson bracelet made from strange stone that had a large ruby and two smaller diamonds embedded into it, "This accessory seems more like a wedding gift."

"Huh?" no, wait, that was not in the plans, "No-no, you misunderstand, this is just my gift to Alexia-"

"Even someone in the higher echelon of aristocracy would probably not be able to find something like this no matter how much they tried, and yet here you are, bringing it as just a gift?" Iris squinted.

"Yep, indeed," Cid sweated bullets.

Fuck, should've probably did it one-on-one.

"Even though just a month ago you had to earn money by yourself?" Iris leaned in… menacingly.

"Uh, yeah?…" he sweated even more.

"…Alexia, if you do not accept this confession, I am taking him to myself," the heir princess suddenly retracted.

"W-Wha-?!" Alexia jumped up, "Who said I do not accept?! I accept!" she snatched the bracelet from his hand and wore it on her left hand, "See?! I accept! Don't you dare-!" she suddenly stopped in realization.

After a moment she became even more red than before, immediately falling back on the chair and hiding her face in her arms.

"Fu-fu-fu…" Iris chuckled menacingly, "It seems like you still have much to learn from me, Alexia."

"Shut. Shut up. It did not happen," Alexia peeked to reveal the dangerous glint of her crimson eyes.

"Of course, it didn't," Iris nodded with the most serious face, "You just so happened to stumble upon Cid Kagenou who just so happened to prepare the gifts for you, and it just so happened that they appeared in your possession."

"Yes, that's exactly how it happened… Um, Cid?" Alexia suddenly realized that the only boy in their company has gone suspiciously silent.

Upon noticing that the state of aforementioned boy was very far from normal, Iris became nervous, too.

"Mister Kagenou, if you actually were not ready yet, I severely apologize for my intervention…" she started in panic.

The empty eyes on his face said it all. He slumped on his chair, not even reacting to pokes from both princesses.

"Hey, if you wanna have some fun, we can go and kill some bandits!" Deviantt cheerfully added.

'Where the hell did I go wrong.'

---

"Mister Kagenou, I once again apologize for my actions back there…"

"It's fine."

"Come on, Cid, cheer up a little! I really liked your gifts! E-Even if you're not ready…"

"I just realized I got scammed for something I didn't know the true value of."

He never fucked up so much before; he was always careful in his attempts to cover up his double-life activities, and he clearly knew the price for most things. He did a lot of research, after all. And yet, now he somehow fucked up so hard that it gave him kick back to reality.

"A-Ahem, just so you know…" younger princess coughed, blushing, "I-I really like your gifts!"

"You already said that," he blinked at her.

"Well, it's important to say important things twice!"

Like, really, why the hell did he think giving out a bracelet made out of the molten magma and embedded with the most precious gems on the planet as a normal gift is a great idea?! Did all the new power and research really make him blind to material things?! Not cool, Cid, not cool!

At least he didn't fuck up with figurine, that's a plus.

"Mister Kagenou…"

"Come on, princess Iris, aren't we on first name basis?" he sighed.

"Right, Cid… Please excuse me for making such assumptions, but…"

"I already realized that I was simply fooled."

"You know, it kinda pains me to think that you didn't actually want to propose…"

"What?"

"Just saying that you could've been a bit more observant!"

He heard her the first time, but decided to ignore that. Man, he fucked up so hard… Hold up, he has an idea!

"Well, the merchants in Lawless City aren't exactly the most knowledgeable kind, either…"

"…You were there?" Iris leaned in.

"Where do you think I got…" a small nod towards Violet and Lilac.

"Oh, right…"

Alexia just played with her gifts.

"I mean…" younger princess started, "At least you've tried to give me some presents… I honestly thought you forgot about your promise…"

He did, but let's pretend he didn't.

"Someone is being a sad kitten, I see…" he made a jab.

"And someone wants to be a dog, I see…" she returned it back.

They both looked at each other before chuckling lightly. Iris looked at the scene with a smile.

---

"So, now we're alone, mister 'I-definitely-didn't-kill-nine-generations'," Deviantt's sarcastic tone was obvious.

Both princesses went home with a promise to send him some books about art and whatnot, while both Auroras decided to head back and rest at Shadow Garden's rooms in Mitsugoshi.

That left him with this seemingly otherworldly girl.

"Yeah, miss 'I-definitely-don't-stand-out-with-this-excuse-of-an-outfit'," he poked her back.

"I'll have you know, this set was made by my big bros!"

"That just means they suck at fashion sense."

"They do, but that besides the point!" Deviantt coughed, "Devourer of Gods, was he here?!"

"…Who?" Cid stared at her blankly.

"Devourer of Gods! The one that eats gods!… Um, dimensional pain in the ass? Scourge of the worlds?" his empty gaze told everything, "…Cosmic Serpent?"

"Oh, the big one that looks like a purple worm?" Cid suddenly realized, "Yeah, he was there. Died soon, though."

"Oh…" Devi went in thought.

"How did you even know that I killed so much, anyway?"

"E-he-he! That's easy! We, me and my big bros, I mean, are very keen to that as we ourselves are obsessed fighters! My big bro even relishes in all that stuff, going as far as to create scenes in various worlds to satisfy his cravings!"

That… sounded suspiciously like Cid himself.

"Oh, right, and the reason I am here is to find the guy who was strong enough to kill Serpent and then tell my bros so they can have a good fight with them!" Devi suddenly realized something, "By the way, don't you know where's that person could have been?"

"Everyone you ask will say that Goddess Beatrix punished this… Serpent."

"…Gods again? Bleh!" Devi frowned, "There goes our fun… Alright, thank you for your input! And for you paying for my drinks! Hmm, here, take it!" she took out some kind of platinum coins, "Change unneeded!"

Honestly… This girl was weak. Like, about elf Beatrix level of weak. Sure, it seemed like she had a lot of magic energy, but… She wasn't that strong.

"Alright, it's time I find that person! Bye… 'Ciddy', he-he!"

Deviantt spread her wings and flew away, not caring in the slightest about onlookers. Fortunately, he managed to go into absolutely-non-suspicious-mob mode before the attention turned to him.

Now, he had a bigger problem on his hands.

With a sigh he went to his Soul Space. Sanctuary, Hams, Todd, facilities, treasury… All that was unneeded now.

What he actually wanted to visit was…

The sealed grave of his third Beast.

What, exactly, is it? Why does it need to be sealed?…

"…Just so you know, once you open it up, it would be hard for us to shove it back…" Hams' voice reached his ears.

"Is it really that influential?"

"This is something that you've been suppressing your whole life," Todd noted, "The sealing runes are just something we added as an additional measure, but otherwise…"

"I don't remember suppressing anything," with that, he tore the grave open.

Both Greed Beasts came closer in caution.

"…And… What is this supposed to be?"

"Uhh…" they looked at each other in panic as the third Beast slowly started going up.

"Yep, this is clearly a very dangerous thing, right? So dangerous, in fact, that you decided to waste your time sealing it…"

The Beast finally reached the surface.

"Now, don't you wanna say anything to these two?" Cid turned around to the new addition in his Beast folk.

"Coo! Coo!"

From deep inside the grave, a magnificent big dove flew out.

Notes:

Doves are symbol of peace.

Nuff said.

Chapter 88: Family Obsession

Notes:

Yet another fluff chapter, this time featuring his sister.

The big white bird sat near the dining table and took a sip of nice cold tea with elegance that put to shame even the highest-ranking nobles. Its mere presence caused hamster and toad sitting nearby to shrunk back in shame, and there was no one who would be able to resist its charm and confidence.

No one, except one humble Eminence.

"So, you are my Conscience," Cid concluded after listening to its story.

Apparently, this dove was born at the same time as his Greedy Beasts; however, the two quickly realized that not only bird would mess with their, well, greed, but also could intervene into Cid's normal life, being, well, conscience.

In fact, at some times it actually was able to act; yes, these moments when Cid felt that the grave was uneasy… Ahem, nevermind that.

What matters the most is how it would affect it now. Don't be mistaken: just because he has freed the Beast doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to beat it back. He has done it one time when he decided to follow his dream, he doesn't mind to do it again.

The dove itself, of course, quickly realized that fighting back against main part is not the wisest move, and instead took a different approach: it would remind him when it's about time to be closer to important people in his life. That's it.

In fact, Cid himself knew that sometimes he went too far into his roleplays and other stuff, to the point where girls themselves had to intervene and drag him away… Like back then with magic, yes… Ahem, it hasn't happened in a while, though, because of his Greedy Beasts that proclaimed Seven Shades as the most important treasure in Cid's life (he, of course, agreed)… But they didn't talk about other girls.

And he forgot about other girls. Like, Rose, Alexia, Claire! And probably someone else…

Dove started flapping its wings. How could he forget about Sherry?! Yeah, Sherry too. And Violet!… Man, he already has trouble keeping the track on all the girls in his life.

This is so bullshit, if he's being honest. Like, he does like all interactions he has with them, but this becomes more of a chore when there's so many of them… And there's only one Cid!

…You know what? To hell with it. He will go to Claire and just have some fun. That's it.

But first, the most important part of acknowledging new Beast.

"Your name shall be Diva," at least one of them will have a majestic name. Considering it actually looked somewhat cool with being heavenly white, name suited it well… Though it does contradict his Eminence in Shadows look, but eh.

The dove nodded seriously.

"Oh, and by the way, who's your favourite Shade?" he asked the most important question.

After a moment of consideration, Dove produced a sketch of Beta.

After listening to bird's explanations, Cid understood that Beta is the good cookie of the group that focuses seriously on her writing talents, and unlike some people, doesn't go rampaging everywhere and just sits quietly. Well, the bird was his Conscience, so… Yeah, what did he expect?

But man, if it goes like this, he will be the only one with the correct opinion.

Obviously Alpha is the best, right?

---

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little brother that has so much fun with women around him…"

"Hi, sister."

"Don't 'hi sister' on me!" she pouted.

Yeah, it wasn't going so well.

Upon seeing him Claire immediately went on the offensive and tried to force him to take the blame for women around him. It didn't go so well for her, considering that he himself only needed Shades, Alexia, maybe Rose… Well, it's not his fault all the hero candidates are women! Curse this world with its 'only women can inherit the power of cells of Diablos' rule!

…Ahem, nevermind.

"Alright, let's cut it short," Cid decided to end this charade, "You, me, the small lake near the city. You have one hour to prepare."

"W-Wha-? Wait, is it-?!"

"Yes, we are going to have some family time," he confirmed her suspicions.

"Well, you should have started from that! Let me prepare something, and we will go immediately!"

"Uh-huh."

What would she even need there, anyway? He has everything in his Soul Space.

---

Turned out, a lot.

Good thing he had Soul Space and Shadow Trail… Yeah, teleport was better for long distances.

"Hmm, well, this ability of yours sure is useful…" she squinted at him.

"Yup, now sit down while I prepare everything."

Claire did as she was told, looking in curiosity as items appeared out of thin air. Yes, yes, be marvelled, big sister of his! Your younger brother was actually strong this whole time!…

"Yeah, with this ability I could buy so much stuff… Though making you carry it feels better."

He almost fell down on the spot from her words.

"I am not a carry horse."

"Of course you're not," she waved, "you're, as Alexia told me in secret, is actually carry dog!"

"You aren't going to remind me about that for the whole life, now are you?" he gazed at her as he took out a wood table out of his Soul Space.

"Of course I will!" she chuckled, "The one and only ruler of the strongest international organization was barking for coins by the orders of younger princess… Pffft!" she couldn't contain her laugh.

Cid warmly smiled at her.

"He-he-he… Huh? Cid? What are you doing? Why did you take this collar out?" she backed down.

"Oh, I just realized that one dog is being way too unruly, so we need to place this dog on a chain, right?" he pulled the chain links as if testing their quality.

"Hum, yes, you are completely right, my smart cookie of a brother," Claire nodded repeatedly, a small bead of sweat falling down her cheek, "So, let me just watch how you do it while I sit peacefully; sounds good, right?"

"Hmm…" he feigned thinking, "But I rea-a-ally want for you to participate…" he slowly moved closer to her.

"No-no-no, sometimes siblings have to separate and do stuff on their own," she retreated carefully.

"…Come here, Claire!" he suddenly made a dash.

"Neve-e-er! I will not let you to taint my dignity as big siste-e-e-er…!"

---

"Heh…"

Cid loomed over Claire as she lay on the ground, exhausted.

"Gotcha."

"No-o-o, my good cookie of a brother suddenly turned out to be a shadow tyrant, whatever now shall I do-o-o…"

Cid chased his sister around for a good ten minutes. Of course, he did not go all-out, or else it would not be fun, but he still held speed at about the same as hers. She did not go all-out either, if he's being fair.

In the end, however, it was proven that his stamina was simply infinitely superior, and she fell down… Or rather, decided to stop playing around.

They both stared at each other. They stared. Stared…

"Pfft…"

Their lips quivered.

Unable to contain themselves anymore, they laughed.

Cid slowly slid from Claire and lay near him, sun shining over them.

"You weren't serious about chaining me back then, were you?" Claire asked in curiosity.

"Were you before you knew about my secret identity?" he asked back.

"Hmm… Well…" she pondered, "Touché."

"Knew it."

Silence enveloped them.

"Hey, Cid?…"

"Yeah?"

"You are not leaving me, are you?"

"What makes you think that?" he turned to her.

"Well…" her lips twitched, "You were all enamored with your Garden… And considering that the Seven Shades, as you call them, are all incredibly beautiful and madly in love with you, I thought… OW!"

Cid retracted his palm back as he stared at her clutching her head with small tears.

"Stupid," he gave his verdict.

"What?! Who's stupid?! I am not stupid, you are stupid! Here I am trying to have a serious talk, and you do something like that!"

"That's why you are stupid," he shrugged, "I took you out for a peaceful time together. I was tolerating everything you did to me back then, and even helped you from the shadows even though I knew it could spell danger for me. Why, do you think, I went on such lengths?"

"Uh…" Claire was taken aback, "Y-Yeah, that makes sense…" she averted her gaze.

"That's because I care about you, Claire," he took her hand, "Even though I might have been annoyed with you from time to time, I still care about you, just like you care about me…"

"S-Such sweet talk from you, Cid… What would your subordinates think if they saw you all in pink light…?" Claire was clearly embarrassed at sudden affection as she sat up.

"Uh…" he imagined himself in pink, "And you have the guts to tell me I am the one who ruins the serious atmosphere?!"

"Pfft! Ha-ha-ha!"

Claire laughed at this picture.

"…Heh, at least you're not a sad kitten now," Cid said smugly.

"Who's sad kitten?! Me?!… Alright, maybe I was a sad kitten," she suddenly agreed, "However, now I know that you cherish me, your amazing big sister, just like a little bro should!" she puffed her chest proudly.

"Yeah, sure, I guess," he stared at her blankly.

"…And, uh, thank you for being with me…" she suddenly went shy, "I know that from your perspective it all might have been silly, me trying to train you, I mean, but, you know…"

"You simply was scared that I was too weak to be on my own, I know," he caressed her head, earning a stare in the process, "But trust me, even though I might have been annoyed, I did enjoy our time together."

"Hmph!" she smiled at him.

They once again enjoyed the silence, her taking the headpat with blush.

"Hey, Cid…"

"Yeah?" deja vu.

"You do love them, right? Shades, I mean?"

"I do," he replied without hesitation, "Only you and them always supported me and my dreams without questions, simply because you cared about me. I might have not seen that before, but… I do now."

"Again with the sweet talk…" she blushed harder, "But did you confess your love to them?!"

"I did. In fact, I have already proposed and gave them rings of promise," he smiled in delight.

Claire, however…

"You…"

"Hm?" he turned back at her.

"You…!"

"Wha-?" Claire took him by the collar.

"How could you propose to them and not invite me to watch that?!" she started shaking him furiously, "Do you know how much I wanted to see you being all flustered and shy and full of love…?!"

"Ho-old u-up, Claire-"

"Yes, I have approved of these Shades of yours, but that doesn't mean there's no point in inviting me now! I have missed such an important event in my brother's life, and he didn't even tell me!" she leaned closer, staring deep into his soul, "…You didn't hold a marriage ceremony yet, now did you?"

"No, I didn't-"

"Good," she let him go and turned her back on him, "because I will attend it, and I will look at you being all hesitant and shy. Get it? Don't you dare to forget about it!"

"Sure, sure…" he massaged his throat and coughed, "Right, that reminded me of something…"

"Hmm?" she turned back to him, "Wait, that's-?"

"Yes, I couldn't just leave my big sister out of fun at all, right?" he took out a necklace, "So, this is my gift to the best big sister in the world," he gave out a warm smile.

Claire stood for a moment.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she dashed towards him and embraced him in a bear hug, "Fu-fu-fu, I knew it! You did love your big sister! He-he-he!" she quickly put the necklace on, "And it even has rubies! And what's that material? I have never saw it in my life!"

"Oh, remember that big worm in the sky back then?"

Claire stopped in her tracks.

"Yeah, it's made from his scales."

Claire processed everything.

And then Cid received even more beary bear hug.

You know, when she's not being all controlling, his sister is actually very cute and good-mannered.

Just don't let her hear that.

Or else she surely will go feral.

Notes:

Yeah, there will be no Alabama.

Only pure sibling relationship.

Chapter 89: Battle Obsession

Cid slowly sat down and sipped his nice cold tea.

Everything went pretty great. Even though at some point there was a misunderstanding between him and Alexia, he managed to clear it… Though Alexia seemed a bit saddened over that, but that's besides the point. Claire's hangout was even better than he thought it would be: she seemed very happy now that they had a quality time together without interruptions, with the only problem being… Yeah, not being present when he confessed to Shades. Apparently she really wanted to know ins and outs of his life, huh…

Good, good, good. The most troublesome parts are over. Now, next onto the list…

Cid took out all the letters that Claire gave him back then. Alexia and Iris are done, academy is done, Claire is done even though she wasn't a part of the list… that leaves Rose, Beatrix, Annerose, and Sherry. He can organize meeting with Sherry together with Eta, he thinks, Rose can be arranged as official Mitsugoshi-Oriana meeting where he will simply go in… That leaves Beatrix and Annerose, huh?

"Nu," he tapped on his cup.

"At your service, Lord Shadow," the bespectacled woman bowed.

"Where are Annerose Nichtsehen and… 'Goddess of War' Beatrix…" his eye twitched at the nickname.

"They have been in the Mitsugoshi guest facility the whole time, my Lord," she fixed her glassed, "Apparently, they do not have a set home and are more travellers in nature."

"Hmm?" his brows rose, "Well, that's respectable. Not everyone has the bravery to leave the society behind and set off on a journey to find their true selves…" he leaned back with a profound expression.

Hams, quick, write it down! And get ready, there will be a lot more moments where he will be speaking in cool manner! They need all of that!

"Do you think Shadow Garden needs to scatter in order to learn more?" Nu tensed up.

"No," where the hell will he find better subordinates? Moreover, Shades… "You have already experienced the hardships of loneliness, and even though it was caused by Possession, this is still a valuable, albeit traumatic, experience. Of course, if anyone wishes to go on a journey, I do not mind it… But I advise to be prepared."

"Understood, my Lord."

"Good, now, where I have been… Ah, right, please call Annerose and Beatrix to the throne room… and Alpha, too."

"By your will, Lord Shadow."

A moment, and the espionage master disappears among the shadows. Man, that's so cool! Should he organize training so all Shadow Garden members know this trick?… Maybe later.

For now, he has a way more important stuff to do.

Namely…

How does he present himself at the meeting?!

---

"Lady Annerose, Lady Beatrix," the bespectacled woman appeared at their doors, "Lord Shadow is ready to accept you. Please follow us."

"Finally!" the cheerful blue-haired woman jumped up from her bed and started preparing her gear.

Don't get her wrong, the facilities Mtisugoshi provided were more than satisfactory, especially the training ones (they actually upgraded the stuff they provided since their meeting two years ago, huh?), but it was so boring! She only stayed because apparently Mundane Mann… who is actually someone called Shadow… right, he was the leader of this organization!

And so she waited until he finished with his business and came back, and for that she asked the staff to inform her when they can arrange a meeting! She has so much to discuss with him about the way of the sword!…

"Understood," on the contrary, Beatrix was absolutely calm.

As with Annerose, Beatrix was provided with everything needed for stay and granted the permission to visit training grounds. And to be honest, she was amazed at the way Shadow Garden trained their members. Even Velgalta, famous for their military power, was not quite comparable to how Shadow Garden did the usual training… And especially so when dark-skinned elf was around.

Of course, average member was still not comparable to Beatrix herself, but the higher the list went, the less her chance of victory became. Someone like Lambda herself was still doable to fight against, as she was more of an instructor, but Nu was already a hard task because of her secretive nature and stealth attacks… And above them there were still Seven Shades, the main power of organization, as far as she was aware… If they don't count Shadow himself, that is.

Shadow…

A boy who managed to obtain such power that even the old powerhouses of the world had to think thrice before trying to do anything… And with him, there was her niece.

Beatrix sighed and went out of the room. Confirming that both Annerose and Beatrix are ready, Nu led them.

They passed through the corridors filled with intricate paintings and symbols… Especially the four-star eye ones. Beatrix got tense: they felt just as real as a material eye… Yet they were mere paintings on the wall…

Beatrix shivered and turned her head. Nothing. Did she imagine the eye moving in her direction?…

She inhaled to calm herself down and turned to look at Annerose. Contrary to elven woman, human was cheerful and did not mind the realism of pictures around her. In fact, Beatrix could say that Annerose didn't even care about the paintings as much as about the meeting with Shadow.

Finally, they came to large doors.

"Lord Shadow is waiting," guards nodded to them.

"Enter, then," Nu turned around and stood near the door, "He has not summoned me, so everything that happens after you go in will be completely on your shoulders."

"He-he, that's even better!" Annerose livened up and walked into the room.

Beatrix followed after and saw the beautifully made room: marble walls, windows on the sides of the road which was covered with carpet and lead to the elevation where the gigantic throne stood. And on the throne, he sat.

Shadow.

"You are here."

That was not a question, but a fact.

"Took you long enough! If I didn't want to meet with you, I would have left long ago!" Annerose waved her hands around like a child that felt wronged.

The blonde elf near Shadow — her niece — tensed up and wanted to go in before Shadow himself raised his hand and commanded a standby.

"And you are just as lively as ever. It seems even defeat did not crush your spirit, now did it?"

"That only proved that I still had much to learn!" Annerose smiled brightly.

Shadow leaned in, crimson dots focused on the cheerful woman.

"Good. Remember, there is no peak. Each time you think you have finally reached the pinnacle of power, someone from way above spits on your head. There's always a mountain behind the mountain and sky above the sky."

"That… That sounds so wise…" Annerose went in thought.

Beatrix herself has long since acquired this wisdom, however it seems like the human was still way too young to properly understand it herself. That is something that will come with experience.

"Come to think of it, I have already said this, now didn't I?" he spoke from his throne.

"Indeed, Master Shadow, you have offered this wisdom to us about a month ago," her niece calmly confirmed.

"That's why it seems so familiar…"

Beatrix came up.

"Hmm? Do you wish to tell me something?"

"I want to have a fight with you. I was the only one denied the battle against you, and I wish to fix that," elven woman placed her hand on the hilt, "At full power. No holding back."

Blonde elf near him tensed up.

"Hey!" Annerose interjected, "It was me who was supposed to fight him! Don't get in the line!"

"Your turn has already passed," Beatrix didn't even bat an eye.

"Now what was that-?!"

"Boring."

Both women immediately turned to him.

"You two are supposed to be the peak of martial arts in society, yet you two act like spoiled children."

Annerose gritted her teeth.

"Attack me. Together. Let's see how you can show yourself."

Is he serious?

Annerose and Beatrix stared at each other in disbelief. Sure, he was strong, but even he should have problems against two of them at the same time, right?…

"Master Shadow?…" blonde elf cocked her head.

"Well?" he placed his chin on his hand, "How long do I have to wait?"

"This… is heavily insulting," Beatrix frowned.

"The fact that I did not even stand up?" he chuckled, "Well, I will have to humour you, then."

He rose from the throne and walked up to them.

"I hope you are ready."

He looked through the window.

"Follow me. We will use this training ground."

---

Beatrix revealed her sword.

"Stainless steel…" Shadow immediately recognized the material, "30% magical conductivity at its maximum."

The fact that he could tell the material at a glance told a lot about his proficiency if not in combat, then in weapon creation… And she knew that he was, in fact, proficient in combat.

"Let's see… Attack me together. First turn is yours. Then, I shall show you the level of swordsmanship you have never thought possible."

He still underestimates them. How… naive.

In the end, despite his prowess, he was still a young boy… And young people usually are very hot-headed and arrogant.

Beatrix looked towards Annerose who did the same. They did not need words to discuss their strategy.

They nodded towards each other and dashed towards Shadow. Annerose decided to use the overwhelming power against him, using her sword art as means for relentless and powerful attacks. She jumped up in the air and channeled her magic into the blade.

Meanwhile, Beatrix placed her bet on one precise strike. It doesn't mean that it lacked power, on the contrary: while Shadow would have to defend himself against Annerose attacks, Beatrix would finish the battle with one swift sword strike. The same one she once used to become a Champion of Bushin, yet now it was way more refined.

Shadow raised his hand.

The onlookers, other Shadow Garden members, were discussing the battle amongst themselves. For many it was the first time ever they saw their glorious leader with their own eyes, and they had many expectations for him. After all, everyone here saw the strength of Seven Shades and Numbers with their own eyes; Shadow himself should be the peak of peaks, right?

Alpha looked at the commotion calmly. She knew for sure her Master… and husband… knows no defeat… even if he may be a bit lightheaded at times…

She blushed slightly. People around her who noticed that immediately started gossiping about reasons why would her cheeks turned pink all of sudden. Could Shadow and Seven Shades?…

Beatrix focused her all on the target. Annerose already started her assault, and soon human's first sword strike will land onto Shadow. After that, Beatrix will deal the finishing blow, making an end out of this… 'fight'.

They were the strongest sword users of their perspective regions. It was foolish on Shadow's part to be so arrogant about his power.

She has come into the range. Annerose's strike almost landed. Beatrix quickly released her sword.

A shame. She wouldn't mind a true fight… but this farce ends here-

Clang.

Beatrix looked at Shadow. He looked back at her.

"…Huh?"

She looked at her sword. And Annerose's sword. Which were held together. By Shadow's index finger.

"…What?…" was all she could say.

One second, they launch a fierce attack on him. And the next moment, both their swords are stopped by nothing more but a finger of his.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Annerose's voice was full of disbelief. She could only stare in shock at the swords as she landed on the ground, still holding onto the hilt.

Shadow looked around, then at the swords. Then he turned back at then.

"Oya?"

He bent his finger.

Beatrix' eyes widened. She tried to jump back.

However, she was still caught.

Countless cuts and wounds appeared on their bodies as they fell down, suddenly drained of their strength.

She watched as their blades broke down into countless small shards, unable to stand the strength behind the grip of his finger. She didn't even notice his attack. It was not speed. It was not power. It was like… he was nature incarnate, passing through her mind as something unimportant…

"…For someone who wanted me to fight at full strength, you did not pose much of a challenge," his indifferent voice cut worse than any of her previous enemies' blade, "Now, you will stay here and learn under Shadow Garden until I decide that you're worthy of being called swordswomen."

He turned around and started walking away. Beatrix' vision grew hazy.

"Heal them and tell Lambda she has new addition."

The last thing Beatrix saw was the worried gaze of blonde elf directed at her. Huh… Seems like her niece doesn't hate aunt as much…

---

He totally nailed it.

The supreme existence standing at the peak of Sword Way, he means. He created this stuff after that interaction with librarian; basically it's usage of his Nuclear Magic to disrupt the matter around him. Is it related to swords? Actually, yes, since he simply created the blades right on his opponents, and once women moved (and they couldn't not move because they still breathe), blades cut them. A lot.

However, it is actually possible to replicate with sword! Just very hard. But possible!

He-he, after that Annerose will get motivation to become stronger and surpass him, and then…!

Hams, why the plans are still not ready?… Because they didn't prepare them? Oh, yeah, that makes sense.

Notes:

Whoever recognizes the reference gets a cookie.

Chapter 90: Structural Obsession

Notes:

A big, chonky chapter that dives deeply into magic theorycrafting.

"So Rose will only be able to come in a day or so because of alliance talks with Midgar officials…" Cid leaned back on his chair and tapped on the table… in a cool shadowy way, of course.

"Correct, Lord Shadow," Nu nodded, "Of course, she mentioned that it is something important, she will immediately drop her business and come to aid you-"

"No need, let her do her own thing."

"As you wish, my Lord."

Cid pondered a bit on what he wants to do next. Rose was currently busy, he already gave the gifts to Alexia and Claire, Shades are probably busy, too… Hang on a second.

There was also Sherry, right? Who was currently working under Eta! And she noted that she wants to have a meeting with to discuss the development of Shadow Garden's Research Department!… Which existed only on paper since the only member for a long time was Eta alone, and Sherry was a recent addition… Yeah…

"Nu, notify Eta that I am coming to her facility," he stood up, "I did not visit her place in a long time."

"By your orders, Lord Shadow!" Nu bowed and made some signs to guards at the door. They bowed and went out of the room.

"Good. Now…" he turned back to one of the few humans he saw in Shadow Garden, "Tell me, how are our most recent additions?"

"Ah, they…"

---

"Stand up, microbes! The training is not yet finished!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Annerose grunted and stood from the ground with shaking hands. Her gaze went sideways, to yet another victim of hellish environment that for some reason was called 'training grounds'.

"Remind me, why are we here, again?…" she whispered to the mature-looking blonde elf with azure eyes.

"Because we have lost against Shadow and now have to complete the training course he has set for us," elf replied indifferently.

"I mean, I know, but… Isn't it a bit too much?!" Annerose waved her hands around.

"Don't know about you, but I wouldn't scream so much," elf said nonchalantly and continued the training course.

"Huh?…"

It was at this moment that Annerose realized something was off. She slo-o-owly turned around and saw the tall dark elf with one closed eye that smiled warmly at her.

"Um…"

"Recruit, could you explain what are doing?" dark elf asked cordially.

"Ah, well, you see…"

"No need, I understand…" elf closed her eyes; Annerose beamed at the instructor's understanding, "I understand that the course is too easy for you, and therefore you need to double the amount of your exercises!"

"Wha-?! No, wait-!"

"Triple! Say anything, and it will be five times more than usual course!"

Annerose just stood there in shock. She didn't even notice a familiar face of the Velgalta's former knight who was looking at her in pity.

"What are you, deaf?! Begin!"

"But you didn't-"

"NOW!"

---

"Uh… yeah…"

Cid's jaw almost dropped before it remembered that its owner was actually Eminence in Shadow, and they are never surprised at anything because everything goes according to their plans, so it went back to its rightful place.

But to think that they had their own drill sergeant in the ranks! And judging by description, it was that dark-skinned elf that commanded the support troops in Lawless City… Not bad, not bad at all!

"My Lord, do you have any order about them?" Nu asked politely.

"No, not yet; continue with orders I have given you before."

"Understood, Lord Shadow."

"Alright, if Gamma asks about my whereabouts, tell her that I have went to Eta's facility."

"Yes, my Lord."

Nice, he has long wanted to discuss something with Eta!

---

"Ah, C-Cid…!"

"Hey, Sherry," he smiled brightly, "I have come to visit you."

"Oh, um! Please, come in!" Sherry immediately stepped from the entrance, allowing Cid to pass into the room.

"Master…" Eta's voice from the deeps of laboratory reached him, "He-he, you have come…"

"Hi, Eta," he waved as the Seventh Shade came out to the light.

And the sight was… not something to behold. Tired appearance, a bit messy clothes, dishevelled hair…

"And this is how you treat yourself, huh…" he caressed her hair and slowly channeled his mana into her, healing her and removing fatigue.

"Hi-hi-hi…" she clearly enjoyed the feeling of headpat, "Shadow Wisdom… has to be developed…"

"You're still sticking to that, huh?"

"Of course… speaking of it… Have you come… To develop some?…"

"Yeah, pretty much that," he nodded, "Sherry said you two wouldn't mind if I came along."

"Hmm…" Eta turned to Sherry… and gave her a thumbs up, "Good thinking…"

"Ah, thank you?…"

Clearly, Sherry still hasn't grown accustomed to being in presence of Eta, huh? Kinda funny, if he's being honest.

"So, Master… What shall we do?…"

"Hm, I had a couple ideas here and there…" he walked further into laboratory and saw Eta's working place, "I see you're making full use of my gift."

"Yes, Master," Eta suddenly turned lively, "The instruments and tools you have provided me with have proven their worth in full. The runecrafting table in particular greatly reduced time I waste on writing the runes manually, allowing me to focus on my research way closely than before."

"I am glad that you found my gift useful…" seriously, 'runecrafting table'? Like, she's completely right, but it's absolutely not cool!… Eh, whatever.

"Master, what about your ideas?" Eta pressed her breasts into his arm, looking affectionately at him.

"Well, here's what we shall do today…" he concentrated on the feeling inside of him, "Study the magic."

"…Um, Cid, don't we study magic every day?" Sherry raised her question, looking at Eta with jealousy.

"No, you misunderstood me," he raised his hand, "Today, we shall study the magic as the phenomenon!"

---

"How interesting…" Cid mumbled.

As it stands, not even Cid himself touched the concept of magic itself before. Like, he knows there are multiple types of it, it follows its own rules, it can be controlled and used for whatever task you want… But he did not dive deeper into it.

Wasted opportunity, if he's being honest. The magic itself was no less interesting than the material world! For example, Cid was suddenly struck with a thought: why can't spirits and the like use magic on their own? Sure, the materialized concepts could use whatever they represented, but other than that? Nope, nada. They didn't even use magic in an usual sense of its word, instead just being the living phenomena.

And so Cid started searching for answer. Surely there ought to be a reason why dead people can't just use their magic, right? Like, he knows reincarnation with memory is possible, and he knows souls of the dead exist (he has some in his pockets, after all).

You may think the conclusion is in the physical body itself, right? And, well, you would be almost right. Almost, because it's not the physical body itself that allows you to use magic, but rather how it interacts with the material world and mana…

Cid volunteered as the study object, and with Eta's help they slowly came to an understanding on how it all actually works.

Even to this day Cid had an interesting question: how comes it magic only appears in living beings when, well, mana comes into the world? Surely there are latent magic users in the magicless world, right? Even Nishimura turned out to be one! And yet, unless mana comes into the world, you cannot become a magic user…

They would have been stuck if Cid suddenly didn't remember about the souls he had. The normal ones, and the peculiar kind that was stuck with some kind of construct that connected with them. And so, he went on to study them.

As it turned out, the construct in question was heavily reliant on a particular part of the soul… Exactly the one which hosted magic energy. With that, Cid started to develop a theory…

When he reincarnated into this new world, he already had the ability to see magic. When he later returned back to Earth, he also saw the magic here, albeit way less than in his new world. So, he already was a latent magic user, but he could not use it before coming to world with mana. What did that mean? That means that while he had the potential, it could not be opened before coming into contact with mana.

What, too obvious? He didn't come to the best part yet.

He has tasked Eta and Sherry to bring some animals for testing, both magicless and ones that already had magic, while he concentrated further on the soul in front of him.

Let's see… This part, as he established, is hosting the magic energy, right? However, for some reason soul by itself cannot take a lot of mana, and, even more, cannot use its magic… Physical body, yes… How does it interact with magic?

"Master, here…" Eta brought the rats.

"Thank you, now sit down and watch."

Alright, here goes nothing.

Cid slowly surrounded the poor rat with his magic. As soon as he felt the compression reached his limit, he started pushing the mana into rat's body. He was absolutely extra careful to make sure the animal does not die or get any wounds, and soon he got the result.

Rat acclimatized with the magic, and suddenly Cid felt a spark of magic inside of it. However, the magic was unlike his own; even though it was his mana that was a catalyst for rat's awakened abilities, animal clearly had different… Hmm, how does he call it?… Spectre? Probably spectre, yes…

Cid watched eagerly as the magic from the environment started going into the rat's body… And the physical body had some changes, too! Even now, he could clearly feel some kind of… vessels, he thinks? Yeah, vessels that contained mana.

He raised his gaze to look at the two girls near him. Yes, indeed, he can see their mana being stored in the body… The problem is, his own case was completely different: for some reason, his mana could not only be contained in the body, but also in the soul itself, and in quantities way larger than his own body…

Hmm, what was about that soul part that hosted magic, again?…

He looked at it from a different angle and finally realized how, exactly, that worked. Yes, indeed, this part of the soul was the one responsible for magic. However, most people in this world didn't bother to properly train it, instead simply using it as means to increase their physical prowess; rarely anyone trained in the control of magic… Yes, even now he can see the large difference between the Cult's members and, say, Eta: most of Cult's members' magic was stored in their bodies, while Eta's was hidden deeply, only summoned whenever necessary.

And his own, by extension, was completely moved into the now-developed part of his soul… Yes, Soul Space was actually an extension of that part… Or rather, a byproduct of its evolution. In short, his own Magic Part fully bloomed, and instead of relying on external stuff was now producing mana on its own.

Yes, even now Eta subconsciously 'inhaled' the environment's mana; the body then purified it to a certain standard, and then transferred it into various vessels… or Magic Part, if it could contain it.

As it stands, Magic Part connected with mind and body, posing as another muscle system, only for magic. Even things that did not have ability to use magic could be exposed to magic environment and develop it, albeit in this way the results… vary.

The more you refine your magic control and magic itself, the more your Magic Part blooms… until it comes to a point where it fully develops into something separate from the body. From that point, as Cid theorized looking at himself, magic could be used without body… He didn't want to try it out, though.

And if he could see correctly, it's not that Magic Part did not exist… It actually did exist all the time, but without magic it was simply inactive! Why? Is it something that exists in all souls? He could say it did…

So, here how it works, by his observations: first physical body of living being is exposed to magic. Over time, mana seeps deep into the being's essence, becoming a catalyst for Magic Part's awakening. After that, the living being could either use the magic to increase the prowess of physical body (most people in this world), or go deeper into research about its nature and allow the Magic Part to bloom fully.

Once that step is finished, Magic Part starts working on its own and becomes unaffected by environment; in theory, if magic was to suddenly disappear, most people of this world would lose access to it… But not Cid. His own soul has already evolved to a new step, step where he becomes a source of magic. And in theory, at some point his existence would become the catalyst for a new age of magic… Just like it was at Earth!

Physical body at this point was more like a filter between him and the world; it refined the magic energy from environment should he take any, and it also made his own mana more… worldly, if he can say so. He tried to release the mana without body's interjection, and it dissipated faster than he could say 'oya'… but it was also infinitely easier to control.

That's why without physical body using magic is nigh impossible. Sure, for the most part mana was a mix between his energy and world's energy, refined to a certain point, but it was body which, so to say, 'polluted' the mana that went out. And that 'polluted' mana was way heavier than pure, pristine one, which allowed it to stay so long as he had control over it.

So, physical body allowed the development of Magic Part, and Magic Part after fully maturing, in turn, affected the development of physical body. However…

Cid took the second magicless rat and injected Shadow Mana into it. At first it was quite normal, however once it tried to take environment's mana in…

It squeaked in agony and died. Its organs fully melted from the clash between Shadow Mana and world's mana.

He heard the gulp from behind. Sherry, huh… Yeah, poor girl can't handle such stuff.

Right, it seems like while the living being without any magic can take and awaken any type of mana, it would still be far better to develop the mana attuned to the world… At least, until they can develop Magic Part to the point where it can take in multiple types, like his own was… Come to think of it, when he deep dove into Shadow Realm, he wasn't that developed and still relied on physical body… And yet once he finished refining Shadow Magic System, it suddenly went deep into his body.

Later he found out that it actually went into his Soul Space, which was not developed yet at the time, but it gave a foundation to make it. Yes, it gave a foundation. His reckless action actually boosted the development of Magic Part, allowing it to bloom early. After that he also found out about Faith Energy and Sanctuary and used them for his own advantage, completing the process early… With a lot of damage, of course, but in a sense he was an early-bloomer. Once his soul healed back, his Magic Part was now fully functional. That raised a question what his Soul Space was, as after separation it was almost completely unrelated to Magic Part, but he will come to that at some point.

Now, since his Magic Part fully matured, with his body being min-maxed for purpose of combat and using magic, he could almost freely refine world's mana into the type he could use on his own, like normal, Shadow, or Fire… Almost freely, because there were some parasitic losses during conversion that even full control during the process could not remove. Not that much, about 10% when he's not concentrated and 1% when concentrated, but it still pisses him off!

Hah, alright, fine, at least he now knows how it works. Hams, Todd, Diva, write everything down for future use. Maybe they will develop something out of it…

Now, for the girls.

"Eta, get ready, it's about time I implant some Shadow Wisdom…"

"Master, what were you doing the whole time? You just stared at rats and empty space…"

…Oh, yeah, she didn't see the world in same way as he did. Come to think of it, he has never saw any mention of other people seeing the magic clearly; instead they all felt, sensed, but did not see… Not to mention, the souls… That will take some time to explain…

Notes:

Welp, that's pretty much it. Some explanation on souls, though there are a lot more that Cid doesn't know yet about them, something about magic, and a hint at to what Soul Space could become in the future if you remember previous chapters.

Chapter 91: Vision Obsession

Notes:

A bit of Rose and another chunk of magic research… yes, I love magic, how could you tell?

"…And that's pretty much it," Cid finally finished his speech.

"Master… You are cheating…" Eta raised her gaze and pouted.

"Well, how would I know that other people could not see magic?" he defended himself.

No, really, it occurred to him just now that everyone else could feel magic, but not see it like he does. Well, they could see it when it was formed like the magical slash or something, but the way he can see magic? This is unavailable to them. And here he thought why girls sometimes looked at him in confusion when he said that they need to look here and not there when he trained them with magic…

"Master…" she reached out for his coat, "Can you tell me how did you do it?…"

"Hmm…"

How could he even achieve it? Viewing magic particles/waves (surprisingly, magic behaved just like light; it had dual nature and behaved like a particle and a wave at the same time) was something he had since being reborn into this world… And probably, if his theories about Soul's Magic Part were correct, even before being reincarnated, but without magic environment it could not reveal itself… Until he found two magic orbs and got reincarnated.

Hold up, he did some kind of training while trying to reach magic, right? Maybe one of them could be a catalyst for that? Maybe there even was magic on Earth at some point, but it was lost for some reason?

"Alright, Eta, let us try… Wait, where is Sherry?" on the third hour, Keen Eye noticed that there was something amiss.

"She got very tired in the middle of your explanations… and went to sleep…" Eta yawned.

"…How long have we been here?"

"Um, twelve hours?…" Eta blinked.

"And how many did I use for my research?"

"About… seven…"

Man. The further he goes in, the longer his research sessions become. Will he at some point just forget about everything else and go straight for days trying to understand something? Not like he minds that, but Shades sure will…

"Master…" Eta drew his attention, "What about… magic vision…"

"I don't know if my methods work for sure," he confessed, "So I need to run some experiments first."

"M-m-m…" his researcher nodded seriously, "Then… I wish you luck…"

Cid walked out of the facility and was met with Nu standing in the hallway.

"Lord Shadow," she bowed, "Queen Oriana is waiting for you."

Well, he wanted to go for the experiments immediately, but it seems like he really took his time with his session in Eta's laboratory. Can he even trust her that it was just twelve hours and not twenty four?

---

"Ah, hello, Cid!" Rose smiled brightly once she saw him.

"Hey, Rose," he sat down on his throne-like chair and took a cookie.

"I am so happy you have actually invited to a personal meeting! It has been so long since I met with you!…"

'It has been a few days.'

"Yeah, yeah… So I got your letter, what is it you wanted to talk with me about?"

"If you have read my letter, you should know it already," she smiled slyly.

"…Just so you know, I am already-"

"I know about your relationships with Shades, but I still want to take you as my husband," she took his hand.

"No, I am saying that I am married to them already."

Rose froze on the spot.

Hold up, wait, the cookie is actually quite good. And if he also drinks some tea?… Man, now this is life!

"W-When?…" Rose's eyes lost all light.

"Not so long ago, actually… Just before we went to Lawless City."

"Is that so…" she let go of his hand.

Damn, now he feels kind of guilty… kidding, of course. He told her multiple times he already had feelings for someone else.

"However…" she suddenly started, "you said 'to them', right? As in, multiple wives, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"Then I just need to convince them that I would be a good addition, right?"

"Don't you have pride, or something?"

"What pride was left in me when the only one who helped me each time was you…?" she sighed sadly, "I will keep telling this: I will not back down from you becoming my husband, Cid. We are destined for each other, and I want for us both to enjoy it."

"Is that so…"

"I understand that you already have someone you love, but-"

"My Divine Lord, I, Victoria, has come to serve-" pink-haired tall elf girl walked into the room and froze upon seeing the honey-like hair of a certain human, "you."

'Huh, interesting…'

He noticed the hostile gazes both of them sent to each other.

"Rose Oriana, what are you doing here?" Victoria didn't even bother with being polite and went straight to the topic.

"I have come to offer my future husband a marriage offer-"

"Future husband?…" Victoria interrupted her, "Hmph, he was already taken by Seven Shades! You, outsider, have no hope in becoming a partner of Divine Lord!"

"Cid knows how important it is to not give up on your dreams, and he will certainly like the fact that I do not falter in front of anything!"

"So at least deep down you realize that your wish is-"

Crunch.

Both turned around to see Cid happily eating cookies. Upon realizing that they are not quarreling anymore, Cid stopped and looked straight at them.

"What? Please, continue, it is very interesting to look at you bickering with each other," he munched on another cookie.

"Uh…" Rose averted her gaze, "I am sorry for making such a scene…"

Victoria, on the other hand…

"Please grant me a punishment, Divine Lord!" she fell on her knees and lowered her head, "I have sinned! I interrupted your conversation merely because of my feelings!…"

"Stand up."

He sighed as he saw Victoria standing up, still not daring to look in his direction.

"Come to me. Both of you, I mean."

They complied with his 'order'.

He reached out his hands to them.

Pat. Pat.

They looked up in shock as they felt his hands caressing their hair.

"M-My Lord?…"

"If you mess up again, I will take measures."

"U-Understood, my Lord! Your trust shall not be misplaced!" Victoria beamed.

"O-Of course, Cid!" Rose brightened up, too.

"Good. Now, I have a gift for you, Rose."

He inhaled and took out a large purplish crown.

"That's…"

"This crown is made out of the best materials possible. I have decided that since you are to become a Queen, you need a proper crown, not this… thing that previous rulers wore."

"Thank you, Cid," she took the crown with shaking hands, "It is not a wedding ring, but it's a gift from you… I appreciate it greatly!"

"Good. Now, go. I expect great accomplishments from you, Rose Oriana," he turned into his Shadow mode.

"Of course, Lord!" she giggled. "However…"

"Yes?"

"Will you take me as wife if-"

"Go already!"

She chuckled in amusement and went out of the room.

Man, what's with these women and their wish to become his wives? Rose only knew him for such a short time, yet she was already obsessed with him…

"My Lord, what do we do now that we are alone?" Victoria turned to him and leaned in.

Her cleavage was revealing enough that he saw the four-star eye necklace peeking out of it. His gift, huh? She seems like to love it a lot.

"I have some research to do. Notify everyone that I will be absent for… some time."

"Understood, my Lord!" Victoria bowed.

Man, such a good devotee he has… Just kidding, but it's really nice to have someone that would just do anything you say.

"Alright, I am out. Bye, Victoria."

"I wish you luck, Lord Shadow!"

---

Where does he find a steady supply of test subjects? Bandit camps, of course!

That's exactly where he went. And, of course, the very first camp provided him with a large amount of test subjects! Though most of them couldn't even use magic, but that's even better!… Now will they shut up already? Good.

Right, so he wants to know how Magic Vision is even possible. Like, he's the only one who is able to see magic, right? What caused it? Why others could only feel it, but not see? That requires some experiments!

The main test subject is, of course, himself. Yes, he wants to try to understand it on himself first. Just watching, of course, not touching. Then he wants to try to replicate it on someone else.

It is most definitely not something body-related, because otherwise Claire and his other relatives would probably be able to see magic, too… So it has to be related to soul. That's where Soul Space comes in.

In order to see the soul, you have to take it out first, right? However, it does not work quite the same for him now. Instead, he can plunge his consciousness into Soul Space, while the soul itself stays… Well, stays. And he can get a rough outline of it as if he's watching at someone else's soul. Very rough, though, but better than nothing.

Alright, here, here, and here… Hmm, these parts are quite big and developed… Oh, that's Magic Part! Could it be related to Magic Vision?… Maybe not, considering that he got Vision before even developing the Magic Part properly… Alright, he definitely needs a name for it.

Right, anyway, he started sketching it down. As much as he could, anyway; it was very hard to try and look at your own soul, as if he tried to stare at his own back without using mirrors. He did, however, pick up the largest parts of his soul: Magic Part, something connected to it closely, another something that was barely in touch with Magic Part but fully connected to the one that was connected to Magic Part, yet another one that was connected to previous two but not that connected with Magic Part… Hmm, how interesting…

Now, time for the experiments!

He took one bandit and started studying his soul. Yeah, here it is, the completely undeveloped Magic Part of someone who has never used magic in their life… But it did exist! Now, he needs to find a way…

Hmm, how about that one that was connected with Magic Part properly? A little touch here… Now there… Oh, fuck, what did he do?!

Bandit that was previously threatening him suddenly went silent. He still reacted to Cid's actions, especially ones perceived as danger, but outside of instincts he did nothing. So, that part, the one connected with Magic Part… It was mind? That's… quite scary.

Not even a minute later bandit suddenly regained consciousness as the Mind Part restored its stability, however now he fearfully stared at Cid. Sorry, friend, but he needs to know more.

He already realized that the connection between Magic and Mind; of course, the Mind controlled the Magic. However, what piqued his interest was how the Mind Part restored itself after some time… If he Cid was to explain it, in normal circumstances the Mind Part was connected to (and 'stored in') brain. Seems like whenever one part gets damaged, it's backup on the other plane attempts to restore it… As much as it can being non-magical being, anyway. Cid himself was not quite sure he would survive the complete destruction of his physical body, especially in light of recent discoveries about pure magic being nigh impossible to use without physical body…

Anyway, back to the topic. Cid noticed that each part was still weakly connected with one another; yes, some parts are connected better with each other, but otherwise they were all interconnected… For example, this one which was almost like a foundation for Mind Part, but was not in connection with Magic Part that much. What was it?

Cid in curiosity tried to inhibit this part on the bandit, and slowly the bandit in question started losing his fear. Strangely enough, organism itself tried to produce the hormones necessary for that, but it was as if the individual did not register it; the body itself continued shaking, however Cid could see that the person himself did not have a slightest bit of fear left. For ten seconds, anyway: as soon as Cid released his pressure, the ability to feel fear returned to the man.

Emotional Part, huh… Come to think of it, the soul structure is somewhat layered. Like, Magic lies on Mind, Mind lies on Emotion, Emotion lies on… something else, which, in turn, is the one which resembles physical body in shape. By the way, there was another part which he did not see at first, and that one was actually right inside the physical body; seems like it was some sort of… life energy? Maybe that's the mythical Ki, or Qi, or whatever? In short, physical body hosted two different types of layers, one for this Ki, another for everything that was about Emotion, Mind, and Magic.

Yeah, he will call them Layers! Physical Body, Lifeforce (or Ki), unknown layer that resembles Physical Body, Emotional Layer, Mind Layer, Magic Layer… and just as he expected, Magic first passed through Mind and Emotion, then went to this third layer, and then either went straight away, or through Physical Body.

However, this did not explain Magic Vision ability… It was not Mind, nor Emotion, and while it was related to Magic, it was not here, either… The third layer, maybe?

Cid slowly reached out for the third layer. It almost completely mimics the Physical Body, however, there were some… interesting parts. And unlike anything else, Cid couldn't even understand where to start. Sure, it mimics physical body… And that's exactly why it's so hard to start! What part of physical body requires you to see magic?! Alright, alright, relax…

Let's look at it another way. This layer is right in-between Physical Body and everything supernatural, correct? Correct. However, there are some parts where it ignores Mind and goes straight for (undeveloped) Magic Layer. There is also part where it only touches the Emotional Layer… Hmm, alright, there should be a connection somewhere…

Come to think of it, Cid's Magic Vision was active since the moment he was born. He had, in fact, to concentrate a bit to turn it off, and then he could use it whenever he wished…

Hams, could you please note which parts activated when he used Magic Vision?… Really, should've done so sooner.

Ah, this one?… Yes, the one that acts as inter-connection between Mind, Magic, and third layer… He will call it Spirit Layer. Right, so… It opened up a bit each time he tried to use Magic Vision… So it acts as an intermediate organ between Mind, Magic, and Spirit.

Interesting… Let's say he pours a bit of his energy into it and try to open it for the vic- subject. Aha!… Or not. Nothing seemingly changes.

No, wait, it does change a bit… Maybe if he pushes it a bit more?

"A-A-A-A-A-!"

Huh?

"What is it?! What did you do to me?! What is this… light I see?! Why it hurts so much?! Why-"

Oops. Blood leaked out of his… everything that was near brain. And brain itself… yeah, dead.

So, pros: he did open Magic Vision, if bandit's words about light are to be believed.

Now, cons: it's very taxing on the being if they are not prepared. R.I.P. in peace, unnamed test subject, you will not be missed. Next in line, please, he needs to refine the Magic Vision opening technology.

Notes:

Got lost in Soul's structure? It's fine, I am a bit lost too.

Short version: Physical Body hosts Lifeforce and Spirit Body, and SB, in turn, hosts Mind, Emotions, and Magic. You can lose some parts, however if you lose everything, the Core (which Cid did not see because you need to remove all layers first to see it) will go on reincarnation immediately.

Also I went over 200k words, yippie!

Chapter 92: Foundation Obsession

'Subject #063: developed Magic Touch, was able to hold on for three hours, has gone insane from not being able to stand the new sensation coming with Magic Sense…'

Cid sighed. Not everything goes his way, especially if the subject in question is not him.

As it turned out, while Magic Vision was indeed possible, all other senses could develop Magic Sense, at random. Like, instead of seeing magic people could start feeling its touch on their skin, or smell it, or taste it, or hear it… You name it. Naturally, this made the experimenting way harder than it should've been. No, really, how can he develop Magic Vision opening technique if there was no way to assure that what you open is even Vision?!

At least the Vision opened up in ~=90% of cases, followed by Hearing, then Smell, Touch, and Taste… Theoretically, it was possible to open them all, but trying to do so resulted in immediate death of his 'volunteers'… Sucks.

He also couldn't quite get his subjects to stay alive; apparently someone that did not train with magic properly was unable to perceive it properly… How did he survive back then, if that's the case? Is it because he opened it up in previous life with his training, but because there was no magic yet, his 'organ' was able to grow properly and did not strain him too much? Or is it because he's reincarnated? Well, he did see the magic spheres in his last moments…

So, if body (or soul) is prepared, then even if it was never introduced to magic before, it can handle sensing new energy… That's good. That means he simply needs a more… refined test subject.

---

Cid stood before the caught bandit in thought. This one has proven to be able to wield magic, at low level, of course, but it was still better than… whatever the hell previous bandits were. He has opened bandit's Magic Vision and waited for the results. They were… interesting, to say the least.

Once Cid finished with the technique, bandit sat in shock for a few minutes, before starting to condense the magic inside him. Apparently, he also saw how the magic moved within his arms, and, well… It only messed everything up for him. It was like the guy who was blind his whole life suddenly gained vision and saw his arms moving; yeah, it's not like anything motor-like changed, but the new sense certainly will force you to adapt for some time. Sure, after you're done, your efficiency will tremendously rise, but for now guy had troubles connecting seeing magic and feeling it at the same time.

Other than that, the results spoke for themselves: if the vic- cough, cough, volunteer was strong enough, they could withstand the initial strain of opening Magic Sense. Some time after it would only bring benefits. Which meant his experiment was a success!

Hams was already planning on how much it would benefit Shadow Garden, and honestly, upon seeing the plans his Beasts wrote, Cid himself was quite scared. Like, Eta was a genius scientist and researcher that up to this point relied on tools to measure and work with everything… Now give her Magic Senses. Scared? Cid is scared. She was the closest to him in terms of power search and world exploration, and he knew himself good enough to understand how scary it is.

Eta is his good cookie, though, so he definitely gives her Magic Vision once he's finished with safe version of technique… he gives Magic Vision to all Shades, if he's being honest.

Right, the bandits. Of course, he can't let all the upgraded guys roam free, so kill them and take their souls for further studies… No, Hams, they are not taking the dead bodies! There's no use for them- What? Necromancy? Blood rituals? Uff, good point… Do they have storage? They do? Nice, pack them!

Ahem, so what he was talking about?… Oh, right! Magic Senses! Hams already started preparing the necessary rituals to make the awakening easier and painless, Todd revised the concepts to make it easier to create the ritual itself… And Diva stared at him in judgement.

No, really, for some reason Conscience decided to start drilling him about humanity and all that stuff! What humanity can there be if these guys were bandits? Cid thought there was none, and he even looked at the grave if he can just throw the bird back into it… Fortunately for bird, it realized that by this point Cid could really just seal it back, and so it went quiet. Good, its job is to make sure girls don't feel left out; better yet, if this Beast is about peace and stuff, it should be helping Hams to prepare the harmless version of the ritual! Bird thought it over and realized that, indeed, this is a great thing to dive into.

Good, good, good! Now… Huh, hold up, what's that buzzing in his ear?

No, wait, is this… The Call?! Is someone summoning a demon? He can't miss this! Damn, but he needs to notify Shades…

Pat, pat.

Cid turned around and saw…

"Squirrel!" it's that one squirrel that came to him when he had fun with Green Serpent! "But man, did you become fat or something?"

No, really, poor animal was really big and full and stuff! Back then it was just a normal squirrel, now it was reaching his chest when it stood up on two legs! Hold up…

"Can you give my letter to Shades, please? I really don't have time…" to his joy, squirrel nodded seriously, "Nice! Hold up, lemme write it first…"

So, what does he write…

Hmm, how about this?

'Hi, girls, sorry if it's all of sudden, but I really need to go off somewhere. Don't know…'

Nah, not cool enough. Maybe this?

'It is I, Cid 'Shadow' Kagenou, and I have an announce-'

Nah, too corny. What about…?

'Greetings, my Shades. I have to inform you that I suddenly got myself an important deal, and it may take some time. I deeply regret the fact that I am unable to be present in our most joyous time, but I promise to make up for it later. Signed, your Lord and Husband, Cid 'Shadow' Kagenou.'

Now we're talking!

"Alright, fetch this to them, and once everything is over, I will treat you to some good stuff," squirrel nodded fervently, "Thank you! Now go!"

And it sprinted away. Nice! Now he doesn't need to worry about it!

Let's see who is it that Calls him! Oh, but Shadow attire first! Clothes make the man, after all!

---

"Beat him! Beat him!"

Cid blinked and started looking around. The summon was really a success, it seems. Now, where was he even…?

Ugh, this place sucks, if he's being honest. What's that? Barely holding walls? And holes in windows… Is it some kind of abandoned building?

Right, let's look at his summoner. Uh-huh… Really? A group of teenagers?… Wait, they're fighting?

"Goddamnit, why won't this rat die?!"

Oh, interesting, it seems like… Man, there are monsters everywhere! Is this place experiencing an Apocalypse or something? He last saw something like that back on Earth, but it was more like… Hmm, 1850 or something? If he can judge by the buildings around him…

"Finally, done…" one of the teenagers, a bit on the fat side, swiped the sweat away.

"Done with one, there are five more," another one, thin as stick, spoke grimly.

Right, time to intervene, is it? Cool entrance is our all! He already knows a role he wants to play!

---

Suddenly, the attacking monsters were ingulfed in black flames. Barely a second, and the only reminder of their existence was a scorch on the ground.

"Not bad."

They turned around and saw a tall, imposing man in black coat with golden linings. His face was obscured by darkness, yet the two red eyes were seen plain as day, watching over them.

"You have held long enough for me to come and finish the job."

"Y-You are…" one of them started with bated breath.

"I am… Administrator. I secure the status quo, contain what society doesn't need to know, and protect humanity," he introduced himself, his coat fluttering in the wind, "Unfortunately, as professional at it as I am, I am but a lone person, trying to fight back against the world…"

"Y-You are saying there are more?!"

"But of course. You didn't think it was merely one time this happened?" he questioned them… to their fault, they did, "Well, that's exactly my job, to make sure humanity doesn't collapse against the threats of hidden world… If people don't know about it, then my job is done well."

They gripped their makeshift weapons. There were thirteen of them, and yet they barely fought back against one such thing… And this man had to deal with, how much? Hundreds? Thousands? And he did it every day…

"Now, since I am finished here…" he started thoughtfully, "I would have to… erase your memories about it."

"W-What?!"

"I am sorry, however it is of utmost importance that no word of knowledge about events that transpired here goes into society," he shook his head and raised his hand.

"Wait, what if we help you?!"

He froze.

"Help me… How?"

"You did say that you were all alone doing your job, right?! But what if you had supporters?"

"That… would have been feasible… however…" he shook his head, "I am already at my end."

He removed the darkness around himself, and the teenagers gasped. An old man looked at them, the ruby eyes replaced with tired black ones.

"T-That…"

"However, I do agree it's time for me to find a successor… or multiple of them."

They waited for his answer.

"I have decided. You thirteen. You shall become the new shield of humanity against the forces that lurk in the shadows. You shall hunt down the shadows. I understand that most humans don't have an inherent ability to fight back against these forces, however, what we possess is…" he tapped on his head, "our intelligence. How united we are. That's why we are strong. I foolishly thought that I, alone, could fight back against it…"

He went silent.

"I only have a week left. I feel it. I shall give you the knowledge on how to fight back against the forces in shadows, and how to raise a great organization capable of creating miracles."

---

"Administrator…"

Tall, imposing middle-aged man stood in front of a coat.

"What would you have done, were you still here?…"

It has been a hundred and fifty years round since they met the mysterious old man. As the time went on, more and more mysterious things — anomalies — happened. Was it the result of civilization's progress? Or was it because they were incomparable to the Administrator himself?…

"First, you are still talking to 262?"

Ah, Second.

The initial Thirteen managed to take interest from several strong forces, who all invested into brand new (at that time) company. As time went on, their organization grew larger and stronger, until at one point they were able to throw the collar away and become fully independent protectors of humanity.

However, they were not ageless, and over time, people from initial Thirteen succumbed to old age. Even anomalies that were comparatively useful were proven unable to lengthen their life… Or rather, most decided to not do so. Fountain of Youth was useful, however most wanted to die off as humans… First himself could not afford this gift. Who knows what would happen, were he not here to point newcomers in the right direction?

And yet…

"I already told you, Second. This is not just another item. This is the coat of Administrator himself."

"…Yes, sorry."

Hah, they start to think that they could throw him away. They think he's just some old man, lost in his delusions and memories about past times… Well, they may not be so wrong about that. Who knows, maybe he really was?

"First, the meeting is about to be started. You are the only one missing."

"Coming."

He was the First of Overseers. He was also the last of first Overseers…

He looked at the greyed out coat, reminiscing about times when it carried an imposing black color, paired with golden linings.

Time passes on…

But he will carry on the will for as long as he can.

Secure. Contain. Protect.

---

'Noted, if going via Call, the time you can stay in the world is limited, and you will be thrown back after that…'

At least he had fun being an old teacher. How much time passed here?… Seven hours?! Hams, Todd, they may have struck gold!

Notes:

There's not much left of TEiS canon. The only part left is LN6, which cannot happen in my opinion since, well, SG and Crimson Order (which actually functions properly here since Cid saved the important knights in ch20-22) already took care of corrupt nobles in Midgar, while Rose practically slaughtered them all in Oriana.

What do we do now? The only grace left is deep-diving into magic research and having fun…

Chapter 93: Eminence Obsession

Notes:

I set up a lof of stuff in previous chapters that was seemingly random, but actually isn't; it all comes into fruition with all these Magic research chapters.

'The Call can be accepted, and the summoned will be granted access into the world temporarily. The exact time varies depending on how much energy the summoner used, whether or not there are anchors that can prolong the stay, or if the world itself offers a contract…'

Cid wrote everything he learnt down. After the initial summon that lasted seven days in their world and seven hours in his own he started listening to the Calls.

'After initial summon both the summoner and the summoned have to come to agreement, contract. Whether or not it is written, doesn't matter; it is preferable to be written, however the Infosphere can accept a contract verbally, provided both parties agree at the same time…'

Apparently, there was some kind of time dilation in effect whenever he was summoned. Each time he went on the Call, each day in the world he went in was equal to an hour in the world he came from. Kinda interesting, if he's being honest.

'If no contract is made, the summoned will be rejected soon and return into their world. If there is a contract, they are temporarily allowed to stay for the time it takes them to complete their part and accept their payment in full. The contract itself substitutes as anchor that prolongs their stay…'

And so, the next three times he was summoned — and he means summoned, not whatever happened back then with these thirteen guys — by other people. The first one was pretty simple: about same time the Earth was before his reincarnation (interesting, actually; that means there are multiple Earths?), guy wanted a figurine of anime girl, and was ready to pay. In the end they have come to an agreement; Cid gives him a high-quality figurine, while the guy holds an anchor for a bit longer than it's supposed to be. After finishing his part of the deal (he made detailed figurines multiple times already, what's one more?) he went out and… started searching for military storages. No, really, he wanted to take some guns and machinery for himself. Why? No point, really, but maybe someone on the other contract would want them? He managed to ste- ahem, take in his possession about ten or so tanks and about fifty guns before the anchor ran out and pulled him back.

Hams and Todd were salivating at the sight of modern technology; yeah, having books is cool and all, but having the existing example to deconstruct will help tremendously! Because apparently his own Earth decided to drop the firearms production because of Beasts, which were highly resistant to anything without magic… Or rather, they just regenerated quickly. What that means, anyway, is the fact that he could not get his hands on the modern weaponry. Now he did, and his Beasts already started drafting plans on how to make them better; adding some magic, for example, would allow to have a firearm that cleans itself, does not suffer from the heating issues, enchants the bullets on the go, etc., etc.

Of course, it will take some time, but they really wanted to have a cool-looking modern weaponry. And he did, too! Like, imagine someone coming to Shadow Garden's base, and then all the members just take out guns and start gunning the enemies down! Hmm, yes, now that's a declaration of power!

His second summon was a bit more interesting: this time he was summoned by actually rich old man that was on the brink of death, but he did not want to die yet. In his life he spent a lot of money trying to accelerate the production of medicine that could help to prolong his life, but unfortunately, it was to no avail. At this point he grew desperate and started searching for occult ways to bring back his youth; praying to all gods imaginable, doing all insane rituals possible… Hell, even going to shady places and pay a lot of money to 'mages in ninth generation'! Nothing worked, of course, and so he decided to do one last thing he was fearful of doing (and rightfully so): demon summon.

Upon realizing that this ritual actually worked the old man went on his knees and started begging the summoned to grant the youth. Cid, of course, could so quite easily, thanks to all the time he spent researching and enhancing his own body, plus the times with Epsilon, plus… In short, the contract was made quite quickly: Cid returns old man's body back to the peak, while the old man focuses his company on the ways Cid himself needs. What Cid wanted? Well, he didn't forget his dreams! He became the power behind the curtains in his fantasy world, but what about other worlds? That's right, for an hour or two of restoring the old man Cid gets a whole company in the other world under his sleeve. Moreover, this company will place a special hall that Hams and Todd managed to draft: basically this thing will work as an equivalent of Black Rose, as they promised… And yes, they have been working on it ever since coming back. In short, once they place their own piece, they will be able to connect to this world as they please, without fearing rejection.

By Todd's estimation, with the help of that world's company they would be able to slowly convert it into their own force that would seek for resources. In fact, he theorized, since this was yet another modern world, it would be no wonder if that world's humanity could go into the cosmos soon, and cosmos means planets and stars, and planets and stars mean even more resources! Intergalactic empire? Quite a possibility! They do need some time, though; even now they couldn't increase the time dilution more than it was with summons, which equalizes one day in that world to an hour in his world. In short, ten years there will be 152 days here. Not much, but still annoying. The benefits are real, though, especially, as Hams calculated, if everyone works as zealous as Shadow Garden… Like that's ever gonna even… What a load of nonsense; where does he find another Shadow Garden?

Now, the third summon was the most interesting! Because he was actually summoned into… Medieval times! No, really!

Apparently this guy was some kind of… prince, or something? In short, he was heavily ostracized by both the current ruling class, being called shitty prince (of course, when they were sure he was not nearby… they didn't account for his servants, though), and by the religion itself. He was so hellbent on taking what was his by the right, as he thought, that he went over the despair horizon and tried to summon a demon… successfully.

Cid didn't even manage to start his cool speech before the prince went on his knees and started bashing the floor with his head, begging the summoned 'demon' to kill his opponents for the throne and the priests that refused to even take the prince into the religion, and, if possible, condemn their souls for eternal damnation.

Well, you could imagine Cid's surprise. Here he thought he would roleplay some kind of a good figure, but apparently this time he will play the role of a demon that slowly corrupts the noble prince… Actually… Why not? If any Faith energy is good, then why not try and convert the medieval country into a place of fanatics? It's not Shadow Garden, after all, so who cares?

In short, Cid agreed to the contract, but with a few changes: namely, after becoming a king, or whatever the ruler was called here, his contractor will make sure to overthrow the current religion… and yes, prince was quite happy to hear such request… and instead make it a religion of Shadow. Prince's unsure question about how it might affect population's morale was met with counter-question: "How much times have you called your gods and how much times they answered?"

Prince confessed that priests, of course, pray and all, but he has never seen gods actually helping people. Then Cid inquired that if it's like this, surely it would be better to embrace new religion where higher being (Shadow) actually answers, right? Prince couldn't fault this logic.

Cid took out the blueprints and said that if they wanted to get the full protection of Shadow, they need to build these altars… And a schematic of altar in question. Prince only gaped in shock at the quality of the picture and material used for creating it, but Cid calmed him down and said that he needs to create the altars to make sure envoys of Shadow can come in to help people.

At this point Cid also got tired of calling the prince, well, prince, and asked for his name. Upon obtaining the priceless knowledge of prince being called Faux he nodded and wrote it into the contract.

Then came Cid's part: get rid of all opponents for the throne, and get rid of the religion figures. Both of which were easy, if Cid is being honest: this world had no magic to begin with, and so someone who could, quite literally, dive in shadows was completely undetectable… Not like anyone could detect him even back in his fantasy world, anyway. It took one evening to make everyone trip on bananas and break all the bones from unlucky fall, or suddenly die of heart attack, or any other bad case…

In short, upon seeing that the previously bashed prince was the only one who got through 'Divine Punishment' the citizen (no, really; he thought that this country was some kind of powerhouse, while in fact it was about three cities and ten villages) chose him as a new ruler. Faux himself was quite shocked to see the results of their work so fast, however the altar will not build itself… Well, it will, of course, but that's an emergency altar, in case all open ones are broken.

After coronation Faux went to him to discuss the plans, and Cid, after some thought, promised to think about how to increase Faux' political power. Hmm, maybe get some actual demons from his own Demon Realm? Or not? They all are soulbound to him, anyway? Hmm, some food for thought…

All in all, once the contract was fulfilled, Cid was free to go back to his world. The altars made sure that he could go back with the use of his own part, but he did not need to do so right now.

Cid leaned back on his chair in thought. Apparently, thanks to the Call ability he implanted himself, he can now visit new worlds… At random, of course, you can only gauge the strength of the summoning side, not the environment around them, but overall it was a very nice addition. He could roleplay in other worlds to his heart's content! After all, sooner or later this fantasy world would run out of opportunities… But new worlds won't! Even now, in one world he was playing the role of a true demon that fooled the mortals, while in another he played the role of a deity that came to give humanity prosperity… What would all other worlds give him, then?!

"Lord Shadow, Lady Alpha has asked for your presence," the brown-haired woman walked from behind and bowed.

"My presence? Alpha? I wonder what would it be about…" he mused.

"That I do not know, however she issued that it is important."

"Important, you say? Alright, I am coming. Where is she?"

"Her bedroom, my Lord."

Her bedroom? What a weird choice of location… Eh, it's Alpha, she knows what she's doing.

Cid stood up from the chair and started walking towards her room. Alright, if he's correct, then he can use new worlds for a lot of benefits… Even the guns are quite cool against fantasy world humans, since, unlike beasts, humans do not possess innate regeneration… And that's even without enchantments and stuff…

He opened the door. Hmm, empty? She didn't come yet? Alright, he can wait.

Cid sat onto the sofa and relaxed. Man, it's been a long time since he has last talked with Alpha… Wait, barely a day passed in this world… But for him it was almost two weeks. So weird…

"Thank you for coming, Cid."

"Sure, Alpha, you know you can always count on me-" words got stuck in his throat.

Because Alpha decided to use the most revealing outfit possible for their meeting. Upon seeing his reaction she smiled slyly and beckoned to her bed, where other Shades suddenly peeked from the blankets. And then Cid finally understood what was going on. Apparently, it was about time to fulfill his duties as a husband… again.

Legends have it that one morning Shadow Garden members saw their Divine Lord crawling out of the Lady Alpha's bedroom and muttering something about 'ten tacles'. What are these tacles and why there should be ten of them, no one knows.

Notes:

Before you ask: no, these two worlds Cid went to are not of any existing series. I made them up.

Also Cid got seggsed. Man really needs to up his prowess.

Chapter 94: Hero Obsession

"We need to do something."

These were the words that left Cid's mouth the moment he got to meet with his Inner Beasts.

"We can't go on like this," he continued, "How can I be a proper power the curtains if I am the one being fucked by my own subordinates?"

Hams placed paw on his face and sighed.

"That's why I need tentacles!" Cid raised his hands in a cool manner.

No, really, this is now getting ridiculous! At this point he wasn't even sure who is the one who gets the most enjoyment out of it! Probably not him…

Anyway. He needs to do something, or else his self-esteem will suffer. He is kidding, of course; girls are pretty happy, but, how to say that… He needs to up his ante! That's why he seeks for ways to increase the prowess in bed activities.

"Maybe, but why tentacles?" Todd probed.

"Oh, that's the simplest way to ensure that I can tend to all girls at the same time," Cid shrugged.

"I can't fault you for thinking like this, but surely there is another way to do that?" Hams' snout twitched.

"Even if there is, I don't know about it…" Eminence said grimly.

They all went silent. True to Cid's words, while he was definitely able to take any Shade one-on-one, doing it with seven of them at the same time… hard. Very hard. And no, he is not talking about that part of his body. The task is hard, not it… Though when Alpha is in her revealing suit… No, bad Cid! Stop thinking about women in revealing suits! And women without them, too!…

He groaned. In his past life, ignoring temptations of flesh was easy. In this life, up to a certain point he was able to do so, too. Yet ever since proposing to Seven Shades he was very, very eager for this kind of stuff. Is it because he is turning sixteen soon? Maybe?

Right, back to the topic. He needs to find a way to tend to all seven of them at once. Maybe not now, but he needs to. In the meantime, however…

"Hams, how is our project going?"

"We have finally managed to establish a constant connection between worlds," hamster fixed his glasses, "The easiest one was the medieval world. The altars have been built en masse, ensuring an easy, stable connection. In fact, we started slowly getting Faith energy from the other side, albeit with some losses."

"Uh-huh, and the developed one?"

"That one is a bit harder, since we have only one altar there… However, we still managed to connect properly."

"Well, we are in no rush, anyway. Actually… yes, I think I have an idea what to do now…"

Cid stood up and disappeared from Soul Space.

---

"And you shall receive judgement…! No, this one sucks."

Cid stood in front of the mirror and practiced his speech.

"Heed my word: I am… Man, I didn't even create a name yet!"

Yes, preparations for stage are important. If you can't deliver your point in the flashiest way possible, people would be less likely to pay you any attention.

"Alright, take two. Heed my word: I am the bringer of salvation. I am the judge of wicked. Pray, and I shall answer. Curse, and I shall retaliate… Oh, yes, this one definitely goes into the list!"

Yep, that one is for his deity look. Now, next one is…

"Reveal yourself, or else I will have to…"

To. Yeah, failure again. What can be used as-

"As expected of you, my Lord: even though I just came to the room, you have already found me despite all my espionage skills."

"Quite so, Nu."

Fuck.

He didn't expect someone to actually be here. Like, didn't he place a sign 'Do not enter'?… No, wait, he actually didn't. Man. He was so engrossed into practice that he didn't even check the surroundings. So lame…

"My Lord, I have a report," the brown-haired woman bowed.

"Hmm? Something that ignores the Shades and goes directly to me?" Cid honestly was surprised. Like, if organization's leader takes every small deal into his hands, what's the point of subordinates?

"Correct, Lord Shadow," Nu took out the stack of papers, "Please, have a look at this."

"Well, let's see what is this…" he muttered and unsealed the documents.

Mitsugoshi's (and Shadow Garden's) help for Oriana, uh-huh, that one is expected… Mitsugoshi actually grew so big that its leave could threaten the entire kingdom? Now that's neat, girls surely did a great work in all fields… Man, to think that just two years ago Gamma was small and cute girl that slipped on almost everything… She still slips on almost everything, but now she's tall and beautiful.

Ahem, back to the point. Mitsugoshi's branch in Velgalta… Oh, isn't it the country of his Heroine no. 3? Annerose? Wait, they actually managed to grow here even before he reunited with them? That's… wild.

That's really wild, but… What's the point? Doesn't he already know that girls made a world-controlling organization?

He raised his gaze at Nu and quirked his brow. Nu blinked at him and looked at the paper herself.

"Oh…" she paled a little, "Please, forgive me for wasting your time, my Lord, I brought incorrect papers…" she took out another stack of documents and this time properly checked them, "These ones are important."

"Ah, good… And before you ask for punishment, the previous ones gave me a good look at how girls fared so far on their own, and I was pleased with the results. Continue on your work," he spoke in advance.

"…Thank you for your praise, Lord Shadow," Nu beamed. Man, these zealots…

"If there's another important deal, please wait outside, I will call for you once I am finished."

"By your orders, Lord Shadow," she bowed again and left the room.

Alright, time to dig in.

Iris Midgar clears out the corruption in Midgar, assisted by Crimson Order, an elite squad of knights that she herself made, and Alexia Midgar… Ah, they are at finishing stages. Sucks. For him. Who knows what kind of roleplay he could do here? Eh, it's fine, he now has endless opportunities to make stages.

Rose Oriana finished making a proper military in her country after being provided with instructors from Shadow Garden… Oh, yeah, he remembers the squads in Lawless City. Nice, nice. He affects major forces without so much as moving a finger! This is what being a power behind the curtains is like!

Hm, hm… Oh, results of Beatrix' and Annerose's training. Let's see… Man, Lambda didn't hold back at all, huh? Well, he did say he wants the training to be as harsh as possible, but this kinda goes way above whatever he imagined… No, really, making two professional swordswomen do basic push-ups? For hours, at that? Even he was not so strict when training Nishimura… By the way, what's about her? How does she fare?

He peeked at the display in his Soul Space in curiosity. Apparently, she was sitting on some kind of throne…

---

"Queen Melromarc," Akane spoke dully. She was so done with all this ruling bullshit already…

"Ah, Lady Shield…"

"Crowbar."

"Right, Lady Crowbar…" at least the queen had the ability to maintain a friendly face, unlike one trash king, "I hope you understand that current situation is quite…"

"You have left your country and didn't even leave a single safeguard here…" Nishino yawned, "Which resulted in bashing of the Shield Hero…" she yawned again; when was the last time she slept properly? Fuck it, she takes a vacation and goes fishing for a week after this meeting is over, and let the country burn.

"Indeed, and we do regret it very much…"

"'We'? Who's… we? There's no 'we'."

"Excuse me, Lady Crowbar, by 'we' I mean myself and rulers of other countries," queen smiled politely.

"Doesn't matter. If it was anyone else, say, an average boy from Japan, he would probably be accused of all the world's evils and forced to fight off the Waves for a generous offer of being left alive for as long as it needed, and then be offed the moment Waves end. He would also get no support since he's the evil incarnate, basically Devil himself," queen flinched at Akane's words, "In short, no, your regret doesn't amount to shit. Wanna argue with that? My crowbar will do the talks," emerald gem on the handle shone menacingly. What a bloodthirsty tool she has… that's good.

Queen Melromarc only stared at Akane with 'friendly' smile.

"Please, reconsider, Lady Crowbar."

"No point in considering shit, Queen. You fucked around, you found out. Not every Hero you summon is gonna happily jump on the dots; you lucked out in summoning me. If you summoned one guy I know pretty well, he would watch the world burn and giggle in the process."

"I do know that many Heroes did not act… heroic, but they still are chosen by the Legendary Weapons. You all are needed to protect this World…"

"And I have proven otherwise with giving a good training to soldiers. Now instead of praying for Heroes villagers can see that their country can hold on on its own, and even then they know that the Hero is still there, in case things go south. Isn't that better?" Akane asked directly.

Queen had no words to retort that.

"Oh, and about other countries; I don't give a shit about them, honestly. If people want to, they can join us and help against the Waves. If they don't want to, however…" Akane shrugged, "Who cares?"

"…That's not quite Shield-like thinking."

"I didn't choose to be summoned. The only reason I am still here is the contract with the World, and once its fulfilled, I am a free bird, allowed to take everything that I earned here."

"I see…" Queen spoke quietly.

"If you worry about your throne, then again, I will leave at some point. Though you will have to prove to citizen that you at least can maintain the level I got, so…" Akane shrugged again.

At this moment doors suddenly opened, revealing a small girl with angel-like wings, white dress, similarly white hair with… three cowlicks?

"Greetings, Crowbar Hero."

Akane stood up.

"This is the first time someone actually managed to speak my title right without me having to fix them… Alright, I already like you. What do you want?" she spoke friendly.

"Allow me to introduce myself… I am Fitoria, the Queen of the Filolials," she curtsied.

"Filolials, Filolials…" Akane muttered, "Oh, these bird creatures. Never knew they had a queen…"

"And I have come for one simple reason," girl stared directly at Nishino, "Return the Weapons to their Wielders and act as one team."

"Hell no."

Not to mention that these guys were all around stupid, even if she did forgive them, that wouldn't change the fact that they were hell knows where-

"The other Legendary Heroes are currently under my protection. It is imperative that you are to return their Weapons," Fitoria repeated with empty gaze, "Else I will have to cull off the current Heroes and let the new ones be summoned."

And, well, everyone tensed up at this declaration. Even people not related to Melromarc knew that Akane did way more good than bad since coming to this World, what to speak about the extremely loyal soldiers and citizen that sung praises to Crowbar Hero every day? Yeah, no wonder Fitoria was immediately surrounded by people.

"Your loyalty is commendable," Filolial Queen nodded, "However, Heroes must work together. They have to. Please, reconsider."

Akane signed for everyone to disperse and took out her crowbar.

"I see. You leave me with no choice," girl closed her eyes and…

Warning!

Your skills are on lockd0www##

…

Reboot in the process.

Ah, yes, Anti-Lockdown Technique. Haven't used that since Earth era.

"What?…" Fitoria's eyes widened.

"Tried to take away my powers?" Akane chuckled and pointed her crowbar at the Filolial, "Sorry, bird, I have earned them fair and square, without any RPG shit. You can't take that away."

In the next moment, crowbar launched itself onto the girl.

Weird knowledge added.

Permissions to fuse Weapons were granted.

Wrath Shield was added into skill tree.

Wrath Shield is in the process of rebranding…

Wrath Shield was successfully rebranded!

'Unparalleled Wholesome Loving Crowbar of Wrath' was added into skill tree!

Akane stared at the messages on her RPG screen as she took out the Weapon gems.

"Your naming sense sucks just as much as Kageno's."

Crowbar shone in resentment.

Meanwhile, Minoru the Goose happily chipped on the Wave monsters' meat. He worked hard to get it, after all!

---

"Who's naming sense sucks? Mine?! Impossible!" Cid fumed.

And what's about the name, anyway?! Did she see something that he didn't? Who was she talking to, anyway? That bird?

Eh, nevermind. Seems like Eminence-in-Training was doing well, almost as good as he was actually! But she's still young, a lot of time for her to make a worldwide force… Though… She is not Eminence in Shadows, right? She's just Eminence. Well, still good, anyway! Especially for him, since she's actually his, mastermind behind the curtain, disciple! Hams, don't forget to record everything she did. He wants to watch more at some point.

Right, time to summon Nu back. What is that second deal, he wonders?…

Notes:

I dunno, guys.
Crowbar Hero deserves her own work at this point, but I doubt I would be able to go with two works at the same time, especially considering that, while humorous in nature, Crowbar Hero still maintains some sense of realism despite her being blessed with 70% of Cid's luck, unlike, well, Cid.

Anyway, who would win?
- A Filolial Queen raised by another Hero with hundreds of years of experience in fighting off Waves that has her own opinion upon this World and Heroes;
- one crowbar boi

Chapter 95: Worshipping Obsession

"Come in, Nu."

"By your command, my Lord."

Cid watched as the brown-haired woman entered back into the room with a profound expression… yes, this is important! He is still the Shadow Garden leader, after all!

"I am ready to listen to your second point, Nu," he waved his hand in royal way.

"Well… You have entered in relationship with Seven Shades, correct?"

Welp.

"This… indeed happened."

"I see," Nu smiled lightly and bowed, "That means we have nothing to worry about anymore."

"Hmm?" he raised his brow, "Elaborate."

"Ah, forgive me for being to blunt, Lord Shadow. Most Shadow Garden members wish to know more about your relationship with Seven Shades, seeing that they are your most trust subordinates."

"And… why would that be important?" he genuinely didn't see the point. Is it like back on Earth, where fans watched over celebrity's every move?

"Well…" Nu suddenly blushed a bit, "Are you aware of miss Beta's romance books?"

"I haven't read them, but heard about their popularity."

"And are you aware of… 'divine texts'?"

"Hmm, to a certain degree, yes," wasn't Victoria the one curating them?…

"Then you need to know that miss Beta was always insistent on adding a certain character…"

"Self-insert?" he can already see where this is going.

"Self… Oh, yes, indeed, 'self-insert'…" Nu blinked, "So you already knew about that."

"But of course."

He didn't know shit. Back then he just thought it was a small fantasy of hers. Who would have thought that she actually created stories about him and self-inserted as his companion? Now that's a surprise, if he ever saw one.

Come to think of it, if he actually managed to be wrong about Beta's interests, could it be that he's also mistaken about other girls?

"Nu, what do you think about…"

---

Hams diligently compiled the data from other worlds. Of course the most important and hard task was placed into his paws…

Hmm, that one goes into 'World's structure' section… That one goes to 'Potential resources'…

He raised his head and looked at Todd. The toad in question was busy collecting and placing the resources they got, including Faith energy that slowly, but surely started going from medieval world to their containers. Of course, this full channel was barely comparable to how much 1 (one (uno)) Shadow Garden member gave on average, but they have all the time; soon they will be getting a good harvest of that every day.

Hmm, Serpent's Scales were very useful, however they also contained a spark of its dimensional abilities… Maybe they could use them as material for altars? Or, better yet, a hub where they would save worlds' coordinates and use them to travel freely? That might be a possibility…

Come to think of it, they could use Black Rose as prototype for hub? There were also these creatures that were way stronger than ones on Earth, but Hams never saw where they came from. Probably they have their own dimension? Yes, that definitely needs investigation.

Hams wrote yet another point into their ever-growing list of 'Things that need to be done'… At this point he will need another notepad…

He glanced at Diva. Now look at who got the easiest task: just write down Shades' preferences! Things simply couldn't be easier for Conscience! Well, it is a dove, after all, and new at its job, so it's fine. For now Hams will allow it to be a bit lazy.

Hmm, come to think of it, wouldn't it be better to create their own gems and stuff instead of trying to find them everywhere? Like artificial gems? Yes, he did think about it before, but he wants to do even more insane stuff… Also the need to upgrade guns… Also reverse-engineering these same guns… Also making sure their plans go as planned…

Damn, too much work. It's about time he gets some helpers. Of course, they need to be at least one third as smart as Hams himself, diligent, loyal, hard-working… Willing to do everything, in short. He will even give them a house! They will need to pay for food, though… What? Salary? Insurance? What age they live in?! For a chance to work with him they actually need to pay!

---

"I see…" Cid closed his eyes and started thinking.

Yeah, he honestly did not know Shades that much. He didn't even follow their journey after they separated two years ago, to be fair… To be fair again, it was kinda a misunderstanding on both sides… To be fair even more, their whole relationship relied on misunderstanding, didn't it? Eh, nevermind, now he knows what to do.

But to think, Alpha had a plushie of his Cid persona on her! That's… adorable! He honestly didn't expect something like that, especially from always serious Alpha… Other Shades got their own plushies, too! Some more focused on Shadow side, some on Cid's side.

He also got the most crucial piece of information, namely, the preferences of Shades! Yes, yes, now he knows their favourite foods, where would they like to spend a date, and more, and more… Though Nu smiled strangely at it and wrote something down, but let it be. If she gives him info about Shades, she also probably will give them info about him. Seems fair.

After receiving all the necessary, simply vital information Cid let Nu go. She walked out of the room in high spirits, and not even a minute later he got another guest.

"My Divine Lord, allow me to take place of Shades for the time it takes them to give you a offspring!" pink hair, fanatical eyes, tall, luxurious chest… yep, that's Victoria.

"They aren't even in that state yet," he blankly stared at the heated (he doesn't want to know in which sense) elf.

"Of course, of course! I am talking about the future!"

Cid sighed.

"Victoria."

"Yes?"

"Don't you think… it's a bit too much to peek into someone's personal life like that?"

"Oh… O-Oh! Please forgive me, Lord Shadow, I-I merely wish f-for…"

"Never do it again. I appreciate your concern, but there's a time and place for everything. Never forget that."

"Thank you for your kindness!"

"Good," 'good, because I don't want to bullshit my way out of this one,' "Then, do you have any other questions?"

"Yes, my Lord!"

"Speak, then," he took a sip of tea.

"Uhmm, allow me to redeem myself!"

"Redeem yourself?" he leaned in, "How so?"

"Allow me to serve you!" she stared at him with fanatical eyes.

---

"Here, my Lord," Victoria offered a bunch of grapes.

He merely opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him.

You know, he only agreed because it seemed kinda cool; like, your faithful subordinate wishes to improve your day and serve you, what's not to like? And yeah, it went exactly as he envisioned. Though he would also like a bit less of cleavage flashing, but it was a given since her outfit wasn't exactly covering anything.

"Would you like a massage?" she asked him, and he could swear that he saw stars in her eyes.

"Shoulders only," he replied lazily and allowed himself to focus on the important stuff.

Namely, other worlds. Hams has already given him the necessary information about the world structure, and Interworld structure, too. Apparently whenever you travel in Interworld, you create a passage with your own power, and it depends on how much your pour whether or not your passage will be stable. Of course, there are multiple ways to make passages, and even natural ones like Black Rose are possible, but… But yeah, not buts. It's as simple as that. Either you can make a stable passage and go through, or you get lost in Interworld.

"Anything else, my Lord?" Victoria whispered in his ear.

"Hmm, get me another branch of grapes."

"By your wish!"

Right, so, Interworld. What Hams planned is to create one huge hub that would connect all the passages into one point, from where Cid could then travel safely. Honestly, he liked the idea. The problem is, in order to create a passage for world he first needs to visit that world, and it requires a Call. There has to be some other way, right?

Well, he can afford himself to rely on Call for the time being, but he does need a more reliable way to find worlds in the future…

"Oh, cold tea, please."

"Right this moment!"

In the meantime, he can watch the reality show that is Akane Nishino's life. Good thing they installed that screen!

---

"Hmm…" Akane scrutinized her opponent, the small girl with three cowlicks and angel-like wings.

The girl in question, Fitoria, stared back in fury.

"Why won't you understand?" the Filolial Queen asked, "Heroes must work together, or else the World will be doomed."

"Hmm…" Nishino repeated.

"You are strong, but there are enemies who are even stronger than that. Reconsider-"

"I already considered," Crowbar mused, "And I did not change my mind."

She did a quick strike towards the Filolial. Honestly, this one was quite a challenge. Reminds her of the times when Minoru (the Goose) was trying to peck on her. She was getting beaten left and right before she managed to soften its temper and tame it. Good times.

It's as if she can hear its cackling… Hold up, she can really hear it!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kageno only knows why, a tamed Canadian Goose appeared in all its two meters glory. It saw its owner and slowly stepped on the floor. As soon as Minoru heard the awed voices of soldiers that recognized Crowbar's fierce beast, it spread its wings proudly and cackled once more.

And at this moment goose noticed the suspicious human-bird. It slowly lowered its head and hissed angrily at the intruder.

"Hero of Crowbar, this is your Beast?" girl cocked her head.

"You have said that your previous owner was Shield, right?…" Akeno raised her gaze to the ceiling, "Maybe there is some resemblance between Heroes."

"So you agree."

"No, I didn't say it. However, if you manage to so much as scratch my goose… I will be willing to listen."

Fitoria's eye twitched. This was supposed to go the other way around. Now she's getting irritated. This… Crowbar also somehow managed to snatch the System permissions, unlocking everything at once.

"Very well, if that humours you."

Fitoria stood in front of Minoru. It only hissed angrier. However…

"Do it, no balls."

Yes, she could understand its speech. And its speech was… completely toxic and unrefined.

Fitoria immediately launched her attacks, however the goose merely flapped its wing and deflected them all. Moreover, I also sent a wave of wind into her direction, somewhat slowing her down. And yet when she thought it would stay on the defensive, goose suddenly flew right onto her and tried to peck her. She had to protect herself, lest he manages to pierce her flesh.

"Self-taught…" she heard, "And not half-bad."

Not half-bad? Where did this… thing even come from to consider one of the strongest World's guardians to be just 'not half-bad'.

"Still…" it continued, "your technique lacks something…"

Her lips twitched. It still continued with humiliation?

She pushed back against the beast, trying to damage it, yet it merely flew back and stared at her. As if that goose was… studying her.

"Now I see…" it finally realized something, "You deny your weapon its purpose."

Goose spread its wings in anger.

"It yearns to bathe in the blood of your enemies! But you hold it back!"

"…What are you talking about," Fitoria stared blankly.

'So birds can communicate with each other,' Akane noted.

---

Isn't that… the Canadian Goose he took to training? Damn. Who would have thought that something like that could happen… It could give a run for their money to average Shadow Garden member! Maybe a whole squad! Maybe even Nu or Victoria!… No, Victoria is kinda nuts. He saw her fighting, and he doubts goose can take her.

"My Lord, another branch?"

"Yes. And more cold tea."

Ah, this is life of shadowbrokers!

Notes:

I gotta take a break for tomorrow to gather my thoughts and make a better Interworld structure.

That, and break in general is needed, too, because when you see your chapter heavily going off-rails mid-writing and you have to catch it and place it back on track, that's a sign. So, yeah, no chapter tomorrow.

Chapter 96: Transfer Obsession

'Victoria left, huh…'

Cid lazily played with apple in his hand. The tall elf has just left the room, and now Cid was left alone. Now, the time to continue with his research has come!

He immediately concentrated on the feeling of Calls around him. Hmm, that one… Nope, by feeling it was just something random, without any magic power, so no point going there. This one… better, but not quite yet. And this one… Huh, now that sounds like good stuff!

Cid immediately donned his Shadow attire (looking cool is cool!), accepted the Call, and was transferred to the summoner.

Upon arriving to the place the first thing Cid has noticed were the various runes around him. If he can decipher their meaning correctly, it's something about binding?

"Not attacking?" his summoner, old man in a exquisite robe, asked.

"Not feeling like it," he immediately answered, studying the rune circle around him.

"Good, sentient and sapient summon! I will cut to the case: can you heal her?"

Cid had to stop himself from immersing into the runecraft and focus on the girl in front of him. By the looks of it, she was heavily injured and only survived until this moment because of the flow of magic from this old man. However, that was still quite not enough, because…

"Oh, a Magic Overload? Interesting," yep, that was indeed one.

"So it is possible to heal," old man concluded.

"Yeah, will not even take much time. If you have prepared the payment-" the summoner just showed a row of exquisite looking crystals… that contained souls. How did he get them, even?… Hold up, you can store souls in material objects? Like, not just his Pylons, but any material objects? "…Well then, we can start."

After making a contract Cid immediately went down to fixing the flow of magical energy. Not even a minute after the rampaging mana calmed down and stopped trying to break out of the girl's body.

"Done. She will awaken in about thirty minutes, but will not have memories of what happened during the time she was afflicted with it," he dusted his hands. Not like he needed too, it was more of a habit.

"Yes, I can see that," old man rubbed his beard, "The contract is finished, then. You can have your payment."

Cid immediately took the soul crystals (10 of them, to be precise) and got teleported back into his world. Quick check on the watch showed that only about ten seconds or so passed… Despite him being there almost two minutes. That's good.

Hams also managed to write down a copy of rune circles he was studying. Not full, of course, but still good enough. Magic of other worlds might be… interesting, to say the least.

He-he-he…

He's so excited! Muh-ha-ha!… Note: work on villain's laugh.

---

"I am searching for this guy for a few days already, and I still can't find his presence…" Deviantt sighed.

She was tired. She was almost 100% sure that this guy, the one who caught her big bro's attention, was here. At the very least, because of that spatial field! But she couldn't find him! Like, at all! Somehow, he evaded her gaze like nothing! She was not that much strong, she admits that, but still!

Though, if she actually could find him, then there probably would be nothing special about him, which would make her big bro disappointed… Hmm, that means that it's better that this guy could evade her so easy!

Though she still feels rather pissed…

Reminds her of that one time her big bro fought that guy who was really strong, and then it turned out that what her big bro fought was just a marionette of that guy… Yeah, this is how she feels like now that she can't find this guy… That guy was called… Ugh…

Though she still feels rather pissed…

"Huh? What's that?… Sweets?!"

Well, nothing will go wrong if she will get herself some candies and sits down to rest for an hour or two!… Who said it was her seventh time in the past three days?

---

"Uff…" Alpha groaned.

They have teamed up to take their husband down, and yet it was them who have been left exhausted… While he just went out of the room as if they didn't even manage to take a hit on his stamina.

"Hi-hi-hi…" and of course, Eta instead of relaxing decided to write everything down in order to find more ways to 'take him down'.

Yes, they were talking about sex. They did everything they could, and yet he was still the one victorious. She even had a feeling that crawling he did was just to boost their ego a bit, and otherwise he was pretty much still ready to go…

"E-Even with all my techniques…" Zeta was lying down with empty eyes.

Yes, this is what happens when Master Shadow takes the reins himself instead of giving control… They cannot do anything about that. Only lie down and accept their fate… Yes, she was just influenced by Beta who diligently wrote her… 'stories'.

---

Cid calibrated the hub. It was still far from finished, but at least the base was laid out; he could use the portals to places where he has already been and placed the altars in. Hams threatened to make an even better version with intuitive controls and design, but for now this will do, too.

The Beasts in question stood nearby and helped him in calibrating everything. If something goes wrong, his remains will be floating in Interworld… if they will at all.

Meh, no biggie. He has done dangerous experiments on himself since childhood, so it's not like anything is different now… Except for the scale, yeah. Moreover, he made sure to be prepared as much as possible.

What he wanted to do now was to use Black Rose as a temporary hub and get a Call from there. By Hams' calculations, if they combine Black Rose and the summon time dilations, they will be able to leave the world for a long time without anything major happening… Like Shades suddenly turning old when he returns back. Would be… a nasty surprise.

Ahem, in short, he was getting ready for yet another summon. Now, what would happen there?…

A familiar feeling of being tugged to the side, accepting it…

A-a-and they really could get a better place for a summon. No, he's serious! Where the hell is he, even?

Glance here, glance there… Yeah, it's some kind of forest. The trees are unlike anything he has ever seen, though… They also seem to emit some kind of… energy, he guesses? Kinda like mix of magic and… uh, lifeforce? Kinda, but not quite… Damn, he just appeared there and it's already a box of marvels!

"Yes! I did it! Now sensei won't tell me I can't do techniques, dattebayo!" oh, right, his summoner.

Cid turned his gaze in curiosity… Where? The voice was here, right?… Oh, a child… Wait, a child?

"You're the one who summoned me," yes, he was still in his Shadow persona. Old but… he has golden linings, so gold!

"You bet I am! He-he, now they for sure will accept me as Hokage!… After old man steps down, of course…" kid added quieter.

"Interesting…" was all Cid could say.

The child was interesting. He had strange channels in his body that transferred a mix of life and magic (but his magic was wrong, without any world energy; only… spiritual?) energy, similar to those in trees. Yet even that paled in comparison to… Strange part on his stomach. There was something there, but Cid was not sure what…

"Hello, you listening?"

"You are interesting," Cid repeated, startling the kid a little.

"Yeah?! How so?!"

"Your energy structure seems quite different…"

"Ener-gie…? Uh, what?" yeah, by estimations that kid was just a bit short of being 6 years old.

"Nevermind. You have summoned me. What is it you wish for?" Cid came to the point.

"Oh. Oh!" kid beamed, "I wanna become the strongest shinobi ever and become the Hokage and-!"

"Enough. You wish to become strong, don't you?"

"Well, yeah!"

Hmm, he already did the enigmatic sensei… And another enigmatic sensei… What, third now? That would be repeating what he already did… How to proceed with that…

"Hmm…" profound humming, "Allow me first to see this world… I have some suspicions about what is going on there…" more mysteriousness!

"Oh, alright!" kid nodded… with sadness.

"Follow me, then," and cool swing of his coat!

And, well… True to his thoughts, other people didn't have the strange parts in their stomach. Hell, most of them didn't even have energy channels that the kid had! The channels only were in some of them, and these guys usually hanged by rooftops! Especially these masked ones. They were suspicious.

Though he had to admit, the kid's channels were way bigger and better than most of the adults had… Ones that even had them, that is. Only masked ones were always better than him, other people (they also had a strange headband, by the way; it had a strange symbol) on average barely reached his level. Very strange.

There was also one peculiar moment… All the people around him have been sending hateful stares towards the kid. Like, what can a small kid do to get the hate of every fucking person? Make a factory that harvests their family members? Man.

One of them even tried to raise a hand at the kid, and Cid had to intervene. He needs the kid both for continued summon before he can place the altar and because the kid himself was interesting.

What was even more bizarre is that some of these headband guys decided to intervene when Cid tried to protect the kid, not when the adult tried to attack him.

"Excuse me, I would advice you to leave this place," headband guy even placed his hand on his… um, belt kit?

"Why is that?" oh, the guy faltered. Is his voice really that scary? The kid only became even more eager when he heard Cid, though…

"This little thing is a demon," wait, what?

"That's right, that's right!…" and then the people around him erupted in barely recognizable noises.

If he had to make it short, this little kid was a reincarnation, or a seal, or even the demon himself from years ago that almost destroyed this place, and so everyone and their dogs… No, wait, dogs actually didn't dare to come closer… In short, the kid was bullied to no end.

Yeah, now he can get some picture… Especially about that strange thing in kid's stomach.

"I see," he turned around to the kid, "Let's go, I have all information I need."

Did he even bother about other people hearing him? Heck no. Even if something happens, he will just come back and mark it as failure, then go and chill with Shades.

Kid beamed at his words and sprinted after him. The guys with headbands tried to stop him, but were stuck once he used Shadow Beasts to hold them in place. Some muttered something about 'Nara', but he honestly didn't care at this point.

"Guide me to your place," he said to the kid. He already has an idea of what he wants to do, he-he…

And, well, almost like he expected, the place was a mess. 'Almost', because it was fucking horrible: broken windows, barely working refrigerator, spoiled milk, ramen cups… Is that a fucking mouse that hang itself by its own tail?!

Nah, he won't tolerate this shit. Where was his food stored… Ah, there it is.

He took out a large steak (still warm; thanks, Hams!), some fruits and vegetables, drinks…

"Eat. I have interesting news for you," he said once he saw the hesitating gaze of the kid.

And, true to Cid's thoughts, kid jumped on the food like no tomorrow. The amount of food Cid took out was enough to feed a family of four for a day, yet this kid apparently had Delta's appetite…

Once he was finished, Cid placed his chin (still hidden by darkness, by the way!) on his hands.

"Now that you've had your fill…" he started, looking at the kid patting his stomach, "I have three questions for you. They are simple, and I am already most certain of what I am about to tell you, but they are more for you than for me."

"Uh, sure?" kid blinked at him. Come to think of it, his eyes were blue like Alpha's… And he was blonde like Alpha… Though his ears were human's, but he had 'painted' whiskers on his cheeks?

"What is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage, dattebayo!" again with Hokage part.

"Do you know why people treat you like that?" he leaned in.

"Uh, they think I am some kind of a demon… But I am not, I am telling you! Like, if I was one, I would have red skin and stuff, right?!" kid… Naruto waved his hands around erratically.

"Do you know who you are?" he pressed on the 'who' part.

"Uh, no?… Do you know?!" kid jumped up.

"Muh-ha-ha…" alright, now that laugh was done better!

Kid backed off a bit, surprised by Cid's outburst. It's alright, the best part is coming soon!

"Hey, what-?"

"Ha-ha-ha! All these years, and yet it was a mere coincidence that has allowed me to finally…!" 'mad' eyes. Yes, 'mad' eyes. He even allowed his smile to flash red as if he was losing control of his energy… Come to think of it, he also allowed a bit of his energy to leak out, making a purple aura.

"Hey, hey, explain!"

"Have you never thought about why, exactly, do you have these powers?" he was betting hugely right now, but if it works out, he's so golden!

"Powers?… Well, I heal pretty fast, and I can run long… But it doesn't help that much?…" profit!

"That's because they didn't allow you to grow!" and waving hands!

"'They'? Who 'they'?!"

"It doesn't matter… Yet! But soon! Soon! Muh-ha-ha!…" even more villain laugh!

Kid waited until Cid 'calmed down'.

"Now, you want to know, right? Know why, exactly, are you called demon?!"

"Yes! Tell me!"

"The truth is simple!" Cid leaned in, revealing his red eyes, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

A perfectly timed pause!

"I am your father!" he heard someone falling down from tree.

Notes:

You can't go wrong with this world. Cid's magic and chakra (in canon) worked pretty similar (at least in earlier installment), there's fuinjutsu, the world itself is interesting, the amount of toomfolery Cid can inflict with his mere presence is insane.

Also, I thought about it a lot. TEiS canon was pretty much finished (Ln6 can't happen because Iris and co. purged the corrupt nobles). There's nothing left other than Cid's and girls relationship. I will still return to them, since I still have plans for Heroines and etc., plus the, ahem, lewd moments, but other than that it will be now more Cid-focused… We have come from relationship-focus to Cid-focus, how does he even do it?

Edit: welp, if you have read to this part and are still interested, you can go over to the next fic in the series; all next chapters are in there, but way better polished

Chapter 97: Adopted Obsession

"What, you don't believe me?" Cid crossed his arms.

"If you're my dad, where have you been?!" blonde kid, Naruto, cried out.

Well, yeah, how would you react if you suddenly found out about a parent who was absent from your life for so long?

"You see, Naruto," he started passionately, "There are…" think, think… "Otherworldly enemies that want to invade this world and consume its energy without regards to anything."

"What?" of course he didn't believe him.

"And as such, I have taken it upon myself to eradicate them. Unfortunately, that also meant that you… have been neglected," and sorry-sorry face.

"B-But…"

"Listen. I understand that if was… unfair from my side to just leave you out… However, I have placed faith in this world's denizens… Seems like my faith was misplaced, in the end."

The kid said nothing, only staring at him with teary eyes. Yeah, kinda sucks, if Cid is being honest. Even he felt genuine pity for Naruto, and that says something!

"So… you will not leave?…"

"Well, I do have a crusade to do, but otherwise I will stay here and watch you grow up," Cid shrugged. He was very interested in how the things will play out; the whole world's energy system was interesting, and the kid in question was even more interesting with his own anomalous energy system.

In response kid jumped onto him and held onto his clothes. Yeah, weird stuff…

---

Naruto slowly woke up.

He didn't want to wake up. In his dream, he finally found his father who turned out to be very strong someone that travelled the worlds (what does that even mean?) in order to protect them.

And now, he was back to reality.

He sniffed a bit.

It's fine, he will just make some ramen with milk… Though for some reason he didn't feel that hungry.

With sloppy steps, he walked towards the kitchen.

"Took you long enough to wake up, huh?" Naruto froze upon hearing familiar voice. He slowly turned around and saw the enigmatic dark figure sitting on the chair, "But honestly, I would change a lot of stuff here. How do you even live like thi-"

"Dad!"

---

"Are you sure everything you wrote in the report is correct?" old man in white clothes and hat with red symbol on it exhaled the smoke.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Down to the last detail," the masked man bowed, "However, I have to mention that the suspicious person frequently looked out of the window and stared exactly at the place where I have been at the moment."

"So an elite shinobi with infiltration specialization…" old man rubbed his beard.

"Hiruzen," old woman on the couch spoke with hoarse voice, "We cannot let the obvious spy of another village to go wherever he pleases, especially near village's weapon."

"I agree with Utatane," another old man with glasses grumbled, "Such audacity cannot be forgiven. If it continues like this, everyone will think Kohona is a pushover that allows potentially hostile elements to waltz in and out."

The last member stood in silence.

"I understand your points, councillors," Hokage slowly closed his eyes, "And yet, we cannot allow ourselves to be rash. Danzo, do you have anything to add?"

He stood in silence a bit longer, pondering on the next course of actions.

"This is what I propose," the one named Danzo started speaking, "We will send out someone Jinchuuriki is familiar with to ensure no hostility from him. If the infiltrator takes dangerous actions, it will be a quick disapproval of lies he built around village's weapon. If he doesn't, we would still have a trusted man near Jinchuuriki, inhibiting whatever actions the infiltrator could take."

"That is the problem, my old friend… He doesn't have anyone to trust, because everyone shunned him away," 'and you know whose fault it is'.

"Indeed, that would be a problem… Would be, if there wasn't one old man who was kind enough to a certain kid who just happened to be a Jinchuuriki," the hint was obvious.

"Then I will take this task upon myself. Decision is made. Disperse," Hokage commanded. Everyone except for councillors bowed and immediately exited the room.

Not long after the councillors followed. With a sigh Sarutobi Hiruzen placed his hands on the table and looked outside the window, where the prosperous village lived. The world that was unavailable to a certain boy that just so happened to be unlucky to become a Tailed Beast's container.

"His name is Naruto, not 'weapon'…" he whispered weakly.

The one who was called the God of Shinobi now could only look how the kid who was trusted into his care was being treated like feral beast by the very place that owed its life to him.

"What would you say, Minato?… Would you be disgusted that I allowed things to develop to this point?…"

---

He had to see this coming.

Like, you're coming to an orphan, not even a teen at that, introduce yourself as their parent and then promise to fix everything. Of course, at first you would be treated with mistrust, but once you prove yourself capable, the kid will surely cling onto you like you're their last hope… Because you are, in fact, their last hope.

Eh, nevermind. That's exactly the result he wanted, anyway, so he's the winner here.

"Hmm, this place will do," he decided after stopping near a tree.

"Huh? What are we doing here?" kid still was obviously a bit wary, but otherwise he trusted Cid way more than yesterday.

"Do you know how to control the energy inside your body?" Cid shot a question.

"Uhm, what?" Naruto only stared blankly at him.

"Nevermind…"

Yeah, what did he want to get with asking a six years old boy about such complex matters…

"Alright, then here's what we shall do…" Cid rubbed his chin, "I will inject some of my energy into you and try to move it with yours. Once you get a hang on feeling it, you will do the rest yourself."

"Uhm, yeah, sure?" kid was unsure.

That's fine. Once he realizes what, exactly, is going on, he will cling onto it with all his small prowess.

Cid gestured Naruto to sit down and placed a hand on his spine. Now, how does he proceed with that… He actually wanted to use the obviously superior energy system (superior to other denizens of this world, that is) as a reference to make his own, especially considering that this energy was way different compared to mana.

And, yes, he found a way not so long after. In fact, the whole principle was actually very simple: the energy itself was constantly moving around the body without stops. However, there were a lot of points where energy itself was, hmm, able to release? If Cid can say that? In short, it was weird and somewhat inefficient, but very interesting!

After finding the safest way to affect the energy, the case started going way better. Cid covered Naruto's inner channels with magic energy, making it quite clear where, exactly, kid's energy system was located.

"It feels… strange," Naruto spoke thoughtfully, "Like I suddenly feel something different…"

"That's fine; it only means that you can finally feel your energy. Now, try to move it."

"Move?…" kid's brows quirked, "How?"

"Concentrate on the feeling of my energy; it takes hold of your own. Break through it."

Cid continued watching with interest. Apparently, having completely foreign energy in his system caused Naruto to quickly develop something akin to an immune reaction. So amazing! He just came here and he already gets to see something so interesting!

Naruto huffed, but continued trying to do something. And in the end…

"I did it, dattebayo!" he jumped up… and got launched five meters into the air, "Huh? Ah?! WA-A-A-A-"

"You did well, Naruto," Cid couldn't stop smiling, allowing a part of his face to lit up in crimson light as his face was still shrouded by darkness, "Now rest. Soon the next part will come."

"Uff, yeah, sure, huff…"

Cid also could feel a strange structure near the organs of kid… This energy system has somehow merged with all the internal organs? Interesting, but considering that one part of it was lifeforce… Yeah, seems plausible.

And unlike magic, almost the whole energy reserve was slowly converging near solar plexus in something akin to his Shadow Core before it went into his Magic Layer… Hmm, how interesting… There was also this strange construct on kid's stomach, but Cid couldn't quite figure it out yet…

Hold up, who is that?

"Hey, old man!" Naruto jumped up despite his 'exhaustion' and started running towards a strange old man with large white hat with red symbol and in similarly white clothes.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," old man smiled warmly, "I assume you had some fun there?"

"Yeah, you won't believe it! My dad is finally back! He-he, you just won't believe what he has been through-!"

"Sure, Naruto-kun. Will you allow me to speak with this gentleman for a moment?" old man softly interrupted the kid.

"Uh? Oh, yeah, adult talks, right? I am not listening!" kid turned around and puffed his cheeks as if to amplify his point.

The old man gave one last warm look towards the kid before sending Cid a cold stare.

Slowly, but surely, he walked towards the Eminence.

"You assume to be his father, huh?" old man stood in front of him.

"Well, I am his father," or rather, Naruto seemingly became his kid. Adopted, sure, but who asks for full details?

"Quite a bold decision from your side, considering who his real father is."

"Is this guy who, you said, is actually kid's father so unpopular that all adults in the radius of three streets come up to beat a six years old boy?" Cid smiled back, seeing that old man had nothing to refute.

"…What goals do you have that it needs to involve a child?"

"If you have spied on us, as you probably did," he created a small wind with magic to make his coat wave around in a cool manner, "Then you already should know this."

"…And you expect me to believe in that?"

"I don't," Cid leaned in, red light blinking from the darkness, "But, do tell me… When my information turns out to be correct, what will you do?"

"Not 'if', but 'when'…" old man bit his lip, "And what do you intend to do with Naruto?"

"And why do you care?" no, really, from the looks of it the kid held a lot of respect towards that man. Why?

"Because…" old man closed his eyes, "I made a promise to his parents to care about him."

"…Well, things certainly don't go your way, considering…"

"That is one of my biggest mistakes that I regret to this day," old man took out the pipe, "I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, leader of military power of Konoha, hidden village of Fire Country. And if all that you said is true, then… I am willing to leave Naruto in your care for the time being."

Cid quirked his brow. That didn't go as expected. Also did that man really just use Japanese terms out of nowhere?

"If you look at it from my side, I have already lost. Tailed Beast can be re-sealed into someone else, granted we find a suitable container, but Naruto… You have Naruto on your hands. I would want to fight with you for him, but that would only result in death, either mine or yours. In both cases the child would be left traumatized, especially if he realizes you have fooled him."

"I did not fool him. I am his father."

"Sure. So long as it allows him to experience happiness… Not to mention…" old man placed the pipe in his mouth and inhaled, "You are quite strong by yourself, if Nara's technique is anything to go by."

"So you won't interfere into my business?" that was the most important part.

"So long as you won't harm Naruto or village."

"Then we have a deal."

Ahh, yiss! He actually managed to fool even the seemingly powerful guy of this place with his roleplay! His speeches in front of the window and on the open space didn't fail him!

"You did not tell… Who is that that goes after the energy of the world?" Sarutobi sternly looked at him.

"Correct. Listen to it one time, for repeating it more would bring disaster…" mysteriousness!

He slowly flared up his mana.

"The enemies of this world are…"

His eyes shone.

"Ootsutsuki."

Notes:

Cid rolls the dice… Cid gets nat20!
Once again the made-up villains turn out to be true…

Why did Hiruzen believe Cid? Because he saw the summoning technique being used by Naru (hint, hint: peeking orb).

Chapter 98: Chakra Obsession

Cid lazily watched as Naruto huffed, trying to concentrate on his energy, or chakra.

Yes, after their talks with Hiruzen, aka Hokage (that's a title, by the way), Cid got access to some juicy stuff, namely, the repository of information, library. Of course, they did not give him anything secret, but even what was available to the public was enough for his brains to start working.

Chakra. The inner energy of people in this world. A combination of their physical and spiritual energies, mixed into one that allowed them to surpass limits of human body and even wield the elements at their will… granted, that they have affinity with them.

It was both similar and different from magic. Magic, as he knew it, was still the mysterious energy that was contained in body and soul, and the more you advanced in magic wielding, the more it transferred to the soul. It could be used to create artifacts, harden materials, and even enhance your body. However, it's primary use was in bending the laws of the world to your will.

In comparison, the major chakra advantage was in enhancing your body. Yes, just like magic, it was quite versatile, and there were many various techniques that used chakra in non-conventional ways, but otherwise, chakra was still the energy of the body. Moreover, if magic runs out, then a person is simply left without magic; they can still fight physically. However, if you run out of chakra, you are dead. Really. Chakra replaced your lifeforce, or rather, it was lifeforce, just combined with spiritual energy.

Cid almost had a headache thinking about that… kidding, of course, but it was still quite interesting to think about. Apparently, people here decided to separate all ways of using chakra into categories (which Cid fully approved!): ninjutsu, which utilized chakra into wielding elements and doing various techniques (somewhat close to how he does it, but using some kind of seal system); genjutsu, which focused on making opponents see illusions by messing with their chakra (scary stuff); fuinjutsu, basically runecrafting of this world (he can't wait to dive into it); and taijutsu, style that is the least reliant on chakra as it focuses on physical combat.

There were, of course, other ways to use chakra, like medical jutsu which, as expected, used chakra to heal injuries, but otherwise everything would fall down into these four categories. Now Cid was all ready to immerse himself into the new world, and there was only one thing stopping him from that. Namely, lack of chakra system.

You see, chakra had yet another important distinction from magic — chakra system. Remember when he said about all these interesting channels that reminded him about his own attempts to smelt a pathway for Shadow Mana (and Core). Magic users of his world had channels, too, but his became redundant once he created Soul Space, as all his magic completely went into his Magic Layer over time. However, magic system and chakra system, despite looking similar at a first glance, were completely different upon further inspection.

Magic channels encompassed the whole body in a somewhat random pattern. They allowed to add and release your magic energy from any part of your body, granted you had enough control. Moreover, they could move and even remake themselves depending on how their user used magic.

In comparison, chakra system was fixed in place, in a pattern not different from circulatory system, and had some kind of gates called 'tenketsu' through which the chakra could be released. If they are unable to let chakra through, you can't release it, therefore you are unable to use about 90% of stuff that should be possible with it. Chakra also had some kind of a… core? If he can say that? Yeah, core which was located near solar plexus, similar to his own Shadow Core before it went into, heh, shadows. Magic system did not have one and stored the energy in the body as a whole.

This also made a difference in output of energy: you had to 'expel' the chakra out of your channels in order for it to take effect in whatever way you used, which forced you to learn to control it; magic started working the moment you make the energy output.

In short, while chakra was way harder to control, people here have grown accustomed to that restriction and started making roundabout ways in order to use it; magic was way more versatile if you can actually control it properly, but could be controlled to some extent even by complete beginners, resulting in most people not even bothering to learn properly, which forced an age of stagnation in the world he reincarnated into.

Another interesting topic was Magic Overload: there was nothing similar to that, or, at least, not that public knew about it… But judging by first glance, it was simply not possible. Chakra merged with people's lifeforce too tightly, and if chakra's amount started growing all of sudden, it was only for the betterment of the user… Well, if you don't count the fact that they need to re-learn how to control their newfound powers.

"Uhh, I can't make it!"

Oh, someone snapped.

"Can't make what?" he removed his sunglasses and slowly raised over his lounge chair… because every self-respecting enigmatic sensei makes it look like they enjoy the scenery while their students suffer, trying to finish the training.

"I just can't make this cha-ku-ra move the way I want! It's too hard!" kid whined.

"Do you remember how I controlled your chakra?" Cid asked calmly.

"Yeah, but each time I try to do it, it fails! Like something interrupts it!"

"Interrupts, you say…?" now that he thinks of it, there was also some peculiarity about that thing in kid's stomach… "Try to do it again, I will watch closely."

Kid mumbled something, but complied. Cid watched in interest as the chakra inside Naruto's body started moving, but before it even could go out of tenketsu, the anomaly on the stomach interrupted it with sudden release of… another chakra? But somehow… darker?

"Again!"

"Yes, I have seen that…" how interesting…

Clearly, there was something inside that anomaly…

"And do it yet again, I shall try something."

"Uh, sure?…"

Another attempt, and this time Cid manages to interfere right before the foreign chakra could enter kid's system. He caught the sample of it and barred the rest from entering.

"It worked!"

"Indeed, it did," Cid muttered, looking at the sample with a grin, "It did."

Naruto livened up and started doing training with twice the vigor. And whether it was placebo or were Cid's actions enough to somewhat scare the foreign chakra away, but this time kid could actually succeed in his attempts. Not every time, barely one out of three, but even that was enough for him to feel happy. And Cid felt happy, too.

Come to think of it, at the last moment he managed to take a glance and notice something like rune when anomaly emerged… Is this the mythical fuinjutsu? If so, Cid has large plans for it…

---

Naruto woke up yet again. He ate the delicious steak (two, actually!) mixed with veggies (bleh!) and drank the nice cold tea!

It was the second week since dad (?) came back from his mission and started training him seriously. At the second day Shadow, as he introduced himself, met with old man Hokage, and it seems like they were friends! Because almost every day old man has come to visit them and talk about something… Though it was hard for Naruto to understand, but sometimes it was related to his training!

Speaking about training, he can now use chakra! As old man said, using chakra was something important in becoming shinobi and especially Hokage, as chakra allows you to do cool techniques like disappearing in cloud or running really fast or breathing fire! He couldn't use it con-sis-tent-ly, though… Sometimes something just interrupts him, but dad (?) just says that it was some kind of anomaly that needed a proper check-up and buried himself in mountains of scrolls. Naruto couldn't understand a single word out of it, but dad (?) wanted to help him, so Naruto tried to do what he can!

Sometimes Shadow muttered about something like 'stage' and 'roleplay'. Naruto couldn't quite understand it, but from the likes of it it was very important! He even came up to ask about that and got an answer! It was a bit complicated, but what struck him the most was: "Remember; how you do first impression is important. If you manage to struck the public with your mere appearance, then they would accept you with open arms".

Naruto then came up to old man to ask about it, and after a minute of blinking (Naruto really thought it was something bad) Hokage confirmed that being able to hold a stage was, indeed, one of the crucial parts of becoming recognized and respected. He then pressed that if Naruto really wants to learn about it more, then it would be good if he paid attention to Hokage's speech when it was the time of Shinobi Academy enrollment… to which Naruto was accepted beforehand, by the way.

Old man clarified that considering Naruto already surpassed the initial requirements for the academy (at this moment kid puffed out his chest in pride, to Hiruzen's hidden smile), it would be wiser to just accept him on the basis that he can control chakra, albeit not quite at the level of being able to come out as genin… Genin was the first rank shinobi gets after finishing their study, by the way! After that come chuunin, jonin, and then… Uh, he forgot. Old man said it's important for Hokage to know their people, though, so he will definitely remember it!

Dad (?), on the other hand, was seemingly busy with his research on how to fix Naruto's control problems… from his simplified explanation, it seemed like something was actually interfering with his chakra and it was not an imagination, but for that he will need to study fuinjutsu for a bit… by the way, that was one of the ways shinobi can use their chakra! Others were ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu!… Though old man said that there were other ways, but overall the most used were ones that dad (?) mentioned.

Oh, they also now slept in a good house! Shadow made it using his own abilities to control the energy in things, and even said that if Naruto trains enough, he can at some point do the same! But that's a lot of training…

Oh, and people in the village don't try to beat him anymore! They still look at him with hate, though, but Naruto kinda didn't mind. He had old man and dad, after all!

---

It was the third week, and Cid has finally cracked the code on how to replicate the chakra system in his body. Turned out, the chakra was kinda unnatural in some way, as in it was merged with usual lifeforce… he already said that, right? But there were traces of something interesting in the chakra, couldn't quite figure out what it was as of yet, but it was… interesting. He also came to a conclusion that chakra somewhat differs depending on person's genetics. How did he know that? Well, he saw some strange guys with eyes that did not have pupils, and their chakra was… way different compared to usual. As it turned out, there was a whole clan of these people that had pupil-less eyes, and they had some kind of… x-ray vision? Or something? Something close to his magic vision, but kinda crippled. Overall interesting, though.

As Cid ran through the village, he found even more interesting cases: like, how about another clan with darker chakra that, too, had some kind of special eyes? Or a clan that could pack bond with dogs and raise them as warriors? Or clan that… used insects and hosted them in their bodies?…

In short, it heavily depended on genetics. That's why Cid decided to do the most wild stuff he could think of: use the left-over magical channels that were now unneeded since his soul used magic way better and in more natural way. He would try to grow them into a proper chakra system, so his body would not be left out. Of course, he will also try to integrate chakra into his soul, but considering that chakra is combination of physical and spiritual energy, it would probably not work out without body, anyway.

He also took some samples from other people, but overall he concluded that his body was way superior to whatever these people had, and the only interesting part were the super eyes.

Alright, he has prepared the stage and the rune circles (thanks to Hams and Todd), time to do yet another power up operation! It worked last time with Soul, right? And back then his methods were still in infancy stages, basically a coinflip! Now he is prepared! Chakra system, it's time!

Notes:

Tomorrow I will go to hospital to do a check-up. If all goes well, then I will probably return the same day. If it turns out that what I am checking out is not well, then I will probably lie there for some time, without access to my PC, and I am not accustomed to writing from phone, so… yeah, you get it.

Just being transparent here, that's all.

Chapter 99: Circulatory Obsession

Cid watched over his magic channels.

There was just one small problem of trying to convert the magic-oriented thing (which heavily relies on soul) into chakra-oriented (which is more on physical side). He already had a draft on how to proceed with that, but, uh… It would be really, really painful. Not on the level of shoving a freaking dimension into your body and soul, but still painful. What wouldn't you do to get power… And he needs. More. Power.

Alright, what does he do now? He tries to find the ideal proportion of physical and spiritual energy. Unlike people of this world, he was not born with in-built chakra system and genes that programmed it. Theoretically, he could use the samples he got to decode the genes, but there was no point in doing so; if he was correct, without chakra system the genes would be useless. And to get chakra system he needs to know the ideal proportion between physical and spiritual energy. Which would be the easiest to get if you have the example before your eyes.

And he had one! Naruto! Though kid's chakra system favored physical energy way more than spiritual… Probably why he had troubles with controlling it and was so energetic. In comparison, other people had way more balanced distribution.

Hmm, come to think of it, wasn't that academy entrance soon? If he somehow gets there, maybe he can watch over everyone? But for that he needs changes… And now he also remembered about academy in his world. And girls. Almost eight hours passed… for them. For him it was a whole fucking month!

Patience, Cid! Patience! You can do it! You can at least get chakra system and then leave for some time! Chakra system can allow you to dominate them in bed…! Wait, no! Why did he think that?! Now he wants to return even more!

Focus.

Alright, focus. How does chakra get mixed? That he does not know, but he is willing to try!

---

Experiment #1: try to forcefully mix physical and spiritual energy. Result: went well so long as Cid held control. Once he let it go, mix self-destructed. Good thing he has done it outside his body. Theory: mix is possible, but does not hold on itself. Need to find a way to make it stable.

Experiment #2: try to gently mix physical and spiritual energy. Result: it doesn't mix, acting like water and oil. Theory: it seems like some conditions have to be met before a stable process can occur.

Experiment #3: try to make an environment with enough pressure so the mix can happen on its own. Result: the energies slowly flowed around each other until a small mixed drop converged an hour later. Too slow. Theory: either apply more pressure or think a way to re-create a temperature in non-material plane.

Experiment #5: environmental conditioning has proven to be a strong factor in energy mix. However, it still required a lot of power to condense even small (in comparison to magic reserve) drops of chakra. The mix is stable, however, so experiments can continue in his body. Theory: the body would be a way better environment to create chakra out of his energy.

Experiment #8: a success. Chakra mixing is actually done better in the body, however they affect each other in strange ways. Nonetheless, it's a success. He now has a certain amount of chakra, but no chakra system as of yet. He needs the core to make it self-producing.

Experiment #13: the chakra amounts are finally enough for a try. The rune circles are ready, the stage (a cave) is ready. Finishing the diary.

Cid looked over the experiments in thought. It has been two weeks since he started the chakra system creation, and he only managed to produce it manually. Nonetheless, the amount produced was quite good, and by his estimations if his next experiment is to be a success, he will gain another energy to use. And he really wanted to get chakra because of… fuinjutsu!

That's right! The runecrafting of this world! Cid and Hams were long thirsty for the knowledge about it, and even though they actually got the beginners guide into fuinjutsu, it was unusable without having access to chakra. However, it will be changed once his chakra system is ready to use!

Hams, oversee the process of ritual! Todd, control the Soul Space! Diva… oh, whatever, just do something.

Let the ritual commence!

---

Hiruzen slowly sorted the papers in thoughts.

Ever since Naruto-kun has summoned the strange human, it seems like he has become way happier than before. Even though deep inside he probably knows that the man is not his real father, he clings to the only resemblance of family he ever had. And of course, not a small part of this was old Sarutobi's fault…

Old man took out a pipe.

Soon, the cloud of smoke was released into the air.

Maybe, just maybe… If back then he was way more insistent, small Naruto could've been hailed as a hero that held the Tailed Beast back. Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs', and instead poor child was harassed for something outside his control.

No one knew that he was the son of the hero that defeated the Tailed Beast. The Fourth Hokage himself, Namikaze Minato. He sacrificed his life together with his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, in order to make sure the village survives. The only thing he asked for is for them to make sure Naruto is taken care for. And Hiruzen… failed to hold that promise.

Ever since then, it was as if something was broken inside old Hokage. He allowed to be swayed by other people's opinions, to the point where councillors has noticed that and started pushing their agendas. Of course, everything they did was for the betterment of the village, but was it any excuse for some of the immoral actions? Especially towards their own people?

Fortunately, it seems lady Luck itself favoured a child, and he summoned a protector. Protector that seemingly did not go back to summon's world… That somehow stayed indefinitely after being summoned… If it was any other case, Hiruzen surely would act against a threat as such. But now, he was desperate. He wanted to make sure Naruto feels safe and loved.

And if old man Hokage was unable to do that, then let the protector do the job in their stead. Even if he makes up some imaginary enemies from other worlds… Or does he?

---

"Fu-u-uck…"

Everything hurt like hell. Come to think of it, the last time something like that happened was when he shoved Sanctuary into his soul. Of course, this time it was way weaker, but still… After-effects were similar.

Cid did a quick check-up on his body and was pleasantly surprised. It seems like their experiment was really a success!

What did they do? Well, by their plans they wanted to create some pathways between lifeforce and spiritual energy. In these pathways, the energy would slowly be collected, mixed, and then released into chakra system. How would they accomplish that?

Well, as it turned out (or rather, they already knew that, but only found an application for it now), there is an excess of energy whenever your reserves are full. And this excess is released into the environment if there's nowhere for it to go. Like, when you train physically, this excess will go into repairing your muscles, right? It's used with profit. However, if you just laze around, the energy is being wasted. And in Cid's case it was even more prominent, with his rich lifeforce and whatnot.

Hams could not stand such a waste of resources, and neither did Cid nor Todd, so they sat down and started tinkering with ways to use it long before coming to this world. They, of course, tried to simply store it away for future use, but even their containers are finite. In short, in long-term it did not work out.

But now they actually found a use for it! Chakra! Which would unlock even more uses! And so, they came up with filters and drains… if they can even say that. In short, whenever there's an excess of energy, it would quickly be collected, not allowed to be released into the environment, and instead used in creating chakra.

And it turned out to be success! To some extent. For some reasons, instead of the gateways that released chakra — tenketsu, — his drain-filters were in their place, that collected excessive energy and converted it into chakra. Moreover…

"Hams, did you use the samples from Naruto?"

Huh, they really did. Anyways, the previously abandoned magic system that slowly started to disappear got a second life when chakra was introduced to it. Upon receiving the instructions — rune circles with samples that contained DNA — magic system was slowly reconstructing into chakra system under Hams' watchful eye. Todd reported that Spirit Layer was connected via pathways with chakra system in places where tenketsu was supposed to be. Physical body did not need any connection as chakra system existed directly in it, however excessive energy was gathered in these same places.

Moreover, it seems like chakra system itself was not even finished yet. The chakra channels — which, again, suspiciously looked like a mix between circulatory and nerve systems, — were still growing in ways that Cid himself quite could not understand yet, but it was interesting to look at. They developed the most in hands and legs; in comparison, the rest of the body was fairly undeveloped, and Cid had doubts it would be able to release the chakra properly. That will not do.

He took a hold of his newborn chakra system and started explaining the politic of their party. Namely, the fact that being basically crippled was not in his plans, and so it would be better to grow in all directions. In fact, since chakra system already resembles circulatory system, why not grow very small chakra channels branching from bigger ones that would supply his body everywhere? There's nothing against that!

And so Cid interjected and in his usual research craze started messing around with chakra system. If it was already established, if Cid did not have previous experience with using magic, if he did not have deep knowledge about the body and physics… In short, without any of these factors it would nigh impossible to tinker with chakra system. Fortunately, chakra system barely came to life, Cid was the best magic user of his world that possessed deep knowledge of advanced scientific world, and he also had support of very intelligent Inner Beasts that were a part of him but still quite different!… Yes, if you don't praise yourself, who will?

Well, it did go well. So well, in fact, that is was suspicious, but upon checking it up three times they have come to a conclusion that there was nothing dangerous about what they did, and if there were, the chakra itself was quite beneficial for the body, Cid could regenerate from basically any wound, and, well, he had Faith energy. If even their previous calculations would not be able to help them, he would just apply Faith. That will fix everything. Though his ego will be hurt for sure…

Ahem, nevermind. Everything is well that goes well! And it all went well, so it's all well! He can't wait to test out his brand new energy! That's not some Faith that you just wish and it happens! You have to think, to be proficient here! Muh-ha-ha!

They could finally dig into fuinjutsu! Ninjutsu? Genjutsu? These are good, too, but they are most interested in fuinjutsu! With fuinjutsu they could probably replicate at the very least ninjutsu, anyway.

But first things first, let's see how it works. The mysterious chakra, he means. He allowed the chakra to enter his muscles all around the body. A pleasant feeling, somewhat similar to what magic did, but, hmm, almost without strain? Well, it is to be expected, since mana is somewhat alien to physical body energy, while chakra has physical's body energy in the mix. The only strain was from the fact that the body was not yet adapted to new energy, but that did not matter since he has trained the body to the peak and had magic to fix anything.

Alright, let's see… Jump-!

The trees quickly descended past him as he saw the gigantic mountain with faces carved onto it standing below him. He put a hand on his chin.

"Hmm, you know, maybe the control could use some work?"

An astute observation, Cid Kagenou! It only took you launching yourself one time to the clouds to realize that!

Notes:

The check-up took up until evening, but I managed to come back! Now I will lie down for the procedures on 18th of Juny. Just heads up. Up until that I am free!… If we don't count work, that is.

Chapter 100: Technique Obsession

Cid was sitting on top of a tree and scrolling through… scrolls. Yeah.

After finally obtaining chakra system he suddenly realized that the control of newfound energy was… let's just say, barely passable. And that's taking it lightly. Cid couldn't even properly control chakra for the first few minutes properly; either he didn't push enough energy and it didn't work, or he pushed too much energy and everything was blown up. No, really, the craters on the ground are plain to see!

Though over time he finally managed to take chakra somewhat under control and was able to do jumping around without crushing poor ground… Now he crushed trees' branches when he landed on them instead. Man.

The good part is, his chakra still did not fill his system fully; as of now, he was just a bit above the kid's chakra levels, and by estimation, he should be able to reach just a bit below old man's level. Not bad, not bad at all. That means he can focus on refining his control over chakra. That' s where scrolls come into play!

'Chakra control for beginners', 'Fuinjutsu: creating basic sealing scroll', 'Ninjutsu: three techniques that are required for genins'… So much stuff! Completely incomparable to what he got in his fantasy world! Back then he had to learn everything with trial and error, but here? Just go and grab a book (or scroll, in this case) and you're golden! Of course, he took it under the premise that he needed it for his disciple, and technically that is not a lie… Anyway, the old lady receptionist was more than happy to give him out the stuff after he flashed old man Hokage's permission.

The first scroll, 'Chakra control for beginners', was exactly what was written on the… scroll. Yeah.

Anyway, the first steps ever were about feeling the flow of chakra inside of you. Well, he can skip this one since he practically created his whole chakra system, and the problem was more about not knowing how much is enough. Uh-huh…

'Take the leafs and place them on your forehead. Use your chakra to hold them in place and let them go. If you use not enough chakra, leafs will fall down. Recommended to start with one.'

That one didn't help much: no matter how much chakra he pushed, leafs simply stayed in one place. Well, at least he now knows the lower limit! Already something!

Next one…

Oh, how interesting! Apparently, using chakra allows not only other things to stick to you, but also allows you to stick to them! As its written here…

'Level one: release your chakra to your feet. At the same time continue circulating your chakra through your whole body. Place your feet on the stone wall and start walking as if on the ground. Unless you have really large chakra reserve, usually it is not enough to break stone with chakra release alone without applying force, therefore this exercise is to help students familiarize themselves with feeling of chakra without thinking about precise control.'

In short, it was quite similar to leaf's sticking practice, but instead of sticking the leaf to your body, you stick your body to the wall. Quite interesting, if he's being honest: back in fantasy world, again, nobody even thought about using magic to stick to stuff… Other than him, again.

It took him exactly one minute to realize how it's done properly using the nearby stone (big stone!), and he continued reading through the scroll while sticking to it with his back. You know, that even reminds him of that one comic hero that had the ability to stick to the surfaces. Yeah, that's how Cid felt right now.

'Level two: release your chakra to your feet. At the same time continue circulating your chakra through your whole body. Place your feet on the tree and start walking as if on the ground. This exercise is harder to execute: stone is harder to break than tree, and if you apply too much chakra while trying to walk on a tree, the place where you step will break, and you will fall down. This exercise helps students calibrate the amount of chakra needed for task.'

And Cid had to agree on that one. His first attempt to walk on the tree ended up in poor plant being completely evaporated… Well, not evaporated, but it broke in two the moment he stepped on it. Oops.

The next tree suffered the same fate, and the third one… Then he fell down because he got under the required chakra amount. On the fifth attempt he managed to do few steps. On the sixth one he could walk up. Then he walked down.

Honestly, if not for his experience with magic, he would probably be stuck here for a day or two. Maybe. He doesn't know.

Anyway, next step…

'Level three: release your chakra to your feet. At the same time continue circulating your chakra through your whole body. Place your feet on the water and start walking as if on the ground. This exercise is way harder: water always changes, and unless you are able to react to these minutely changes and adjust the flow of your chakra, you will soon fall down through the surface of water. This exercise helps shinobi calibrate the amount of chakra on the fly.'

Immediately the first difference: not students, but shinobi. Apparently this exercise is for people who have already graduated form the academy. Interesting stuff… Basically, since the water moves, unlike tree's or stone's surface, if you just try to apply a constant amount of chakra, sooner or later it will be either not enough or too much. In either case, you fall down.

Which was exactly what he did… joking! His concentration with magic training paid off yet again, making the level three even easier than level two. Once he managed to find the correct proportions of chakra, changing them on the fly was very easy, considering his experience in using slime suit.

Standing on the water, Cid realized that they were just like him… Ptui! Cid realized that most people in his world (yet again) did not bother with actually applying more efforts for the betterment of their magic. That's kinda sad, and annoying, too. Sad, because the progress stagnated there, and annoying, because he had to find everything out by himself. Eh, nevermind… He finally managed to find out how to use chakra properly.

Now, let's jump onto the new stuff! Ninjutsu!

Yes, ninjutsu, because apparently fuinjutsu is somewhat advanced even on beginner levels, and it is adviced to be able to use first three genin techniques at the very least. And these techniques are…

'Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) — user concentrates their chakra around the body and attemps to mimic the appearance of something with a careful concentration. The better user can control the flow of chakra and imagine their target, the better the result will be. This is one of the three basic shinobi techniques that are required to pass the academy exams, unless student is able to provide excellent results in other fields.'

'Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique) — user releases their chakra in the form of illusory clones; clones stay in one place and cannot interact with environment. They may be useful to fool enemies, but most shinobi that can feel chakra will quickly realize this is a distraction as illusory clones do not carry over a copy of chakra system. This is one of the three basic shinobi techniques that are required to pass the academy exams, unless student is able to provide excellent results in other fields.'

'Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique) — user imprints a log of wood or something similar with their chakra. Afterwards, it can be used as a way to exchange places, either to dodge a fatal attack or fool the opponent. Body Replacement can be done without imprinting chakra into an object, however it would be way harder. This is one of the three basic shinobi techniques that are required to pass the academy exams, unless student is able to provide excellent results in other fields.'

…Isn't the last one basically an invulnerability trick? Like, you are about to be attacked, and then suddenly you disappear to… uh… goose knows where? There are probably some limitations, but anyway, he can crack it once he realizes the underlying principles behind it.

There were also some kind of, uh, hand seals? Like, you place your hands in certain position, and then it suddenly works? Probably won't work as well with him, considering how different his chakra system is being a pirated (but upgraded!) version of theirs…

Uh, alright, next part is… Actually using these techniques? Damn… Alright, he has a plan. He will just show the techniques to Naruto and roll from there.

---

Naruto focused on the feeling of chakra inside him. After whatever dad did, the interruptions suddenly became rare. They still happened from time to time, but now Naruto himself could force them back… from whenever they came from.

And, uh… it was a long time since he was in the village. They were in this forest the whole time. But he likes it there! Dad made a cool house, and meals are so tasty that he can eat a lot of it! And old man comes in to check them from time to time! Sometimes he thinks it's all a dream, but then he wakes up and it's not a dream.

…Damn, he got distracted! Back to chakra, back to chakra!

Naruto already felt how much chakra changed stuff. Like, before that it was hard to run a lot, but now it's easy! And there's a lot of chakra! No wonder shinobi have to use chakra, it's so good-!

"I see you are not slacking off."

Naruto immediately turned around and saw the familiar figure of tall man surrounded by shadows.

"Dad!"

He jumped up into man's awkward embrace.

"Ah- Khem- Ahem," the man coughed, "I have brought new knowledge for you to digest."

"Digest?" Naruto cocked his head, "Is it yummy?"

Man froze on the spot. It happened sometimes when Naruto didn't understand the first explanation and Shadow had to do it a second time.

"Once you learn this, you will advance in control of chakra," dad elaborated further.

"Oh, I see!"

"Also I got my hands on three techniques that all students should know before they can finish the academy," he took out a second scroll.

Nice! Old man said that people who finish academy before the usual year are hailed as geniuses and can advance in the career way faster!… What is career, by the way?

"Gimme! Gimme!" Naruto really wanted to learn cool techniques! Old man always said he can only do so after entering the academy, but apparently it is possible now!… Though controlling chakra sometimes was really boring, and old man probably knew about that… Damn, thinking is hard…

"Let's see…" Shadow opened the scroll, "Transformation Technique. If you do this, you can look like someone else."

"What?!" he opened his eyes, "You can do this?!"

"Yes, you can. However, before we proceed with it…" dad took out a leaf, "Try to use your chakra to stick this to your forehead."

He also showed how to do it by sticking another leaf to his own forehead. Chakra is so cool! Right, right, let the chakra flow… Uhm…

Naruto frowned in efforts. It was a bit hard to actually let chakra out of his body as dad instructed, but upon realizing that he actually succeeded he jumped up… and let go of his concentration. Leaf fell down.

"Good job on your first try," but dad actually complimented him! "By statistics, not everyone can do it this soon, so you are off to a great start."

And with that, Naruto renewed his vigor! Because there was also another stage of chakra training, if dad's speech is to be trusted! And then cool techniques! Though he really wants some yummy steak now…

Notes:

We are on the round number again! Once again, ask any questions, and I will try to answer them.

On another topic; someone (aka Imperial) suggested splitting this fanfic in two. In short, everything that was related to the initial spirit (aka first 90 chapters which were related to TEiS somewhat) will be left here, in this fanfic, while a new fanfic will be made with X-over and World Travelling tags and will be about Cid's otherworldly shenanigans. After giving it some thought, I have realized that it makes a bit more sense.
So, question: mark this one as complete (since TEiS canon is finished, girls are headpatted, etc.) and proceed to a new one (Cid will still return to TEiS world, don't worry)? Or no?

Another another topic: should I move from 2.2k daily chapters to 15k-20k weekly chapters?

Chapter 101: Fuin Obsession

"How do I look, dad?!" Naruto's expectant eyes peered at Cid…

"…Could be better," was all he could muster as he stared at a horrible copy of his Shadow persona.

No, really, it seems like Henge is kinda hard… or maybe that's just because it's the first time Naruto did it? Let's hope it's because of that.

It was the second week since Cid started teaching Naruto the proper chakra control (and fifth week since arriving into this world), and in this time kid managed to learn proper wall walking. He still had some troubles with tree walking, but these troubles were minor; more like, kid sometimes fell down because he forgot about chakra control. Otherwise, it was all fine. Seeing this, Cid was elated to finally crack down how ninjutsu works.

And these were the results.

Well, Naruto's Henge did, in fact, resemble Shadow: black coat, some golden linings… that's all. Other than that, it was a complete mess: the coat itself didn't even look like coat, golden linings melted, and face… It was still Naruto's face, not even the darkness. Even the eyes still stayed blue.

Meh, at least Cid managed to see how it actually works, especially with all these… hand seals. As it turned out, the moment user makes hand seals, chakra starts flowing in required ways, allowing user to significantly ease the task of controlling it. Of course, techniques still required having enough chakra control to successfully perform them, as shown by Naruto's wry transformation. Cid got enough information on that now, with seeing how chakra moves and whatnot.

"Better?…" Naruto looked over himself, "Yeah, ttebayo…" he sheepishly scratched his head.

Cid took out his notepad and started sketching average chakra system as Naruto dismissed Henge.

"Um, dad, what are you doing?" kid has grown accustomed to calling Cid dad, huh?…

"Chakra system and how it reacts to hand seals."

"Hmm?"

"Also looking over the ways you can do the technique better," Cid added nonchalantly, focused on the most interesting part. How would it react if Cid did this?…

"You bet I am gonna do it in no time, dattebayo!"

---

"Hmm…" Cid scrutinized the copy of himself.

He tried to do Bunshin no Jutsu (aka Clone), and it worked! Somewhat. You see, it was a bit hard for Cid to separate usage of his magic and his chakra in techniques. When it was simply using chakra to stay on surfaces, it was pretty easy. Now, however, techniques required proper control, and if he only had chakra, that would be fine and dandy. But he also had magic, and he has grown accustomed to using magic every second of his life (no joking; even when he rested, he continued to train his magic: compressing it, moving it in certain ways, controlling the slime suit with it…); not using it now was kind of… Hard to explain, almost like he willingly threw away all the clothes he had. And he had to, at least for now, until he realizes how techniques work. What if he uses magic and it blows up? Energies were practically the opposite of each other, with chakra being the lifeforce mixed with spiritual energy, and magic being a completely separate energy that affected the world around user.

In short, Cid didn't want to be blown up. He will regenerate from that (or even not be affected at all), but… Eh, better not to. No, really, he doesn't want to be blown up.

So he controlled his chakra in a pattern similar to how Naruto's chakra behaved when doing the Clone technique hand seals, and… He got a clone. No, really, he got a clone. It's just that… The clone itself, true to the description, was not moving, didn't react to anything, everything passed through it easily… In short, it was illusory. Illusory clone. But if illusory clone exists, then other types should exist, too, right? He has all hopes they do!

Henge was actually not that hard, either: basically what it did was creating the chakra field around the user that mimicked a certain… object. Yeah, object. There were mentions that it is possible to henge into inanimated objects, but doing so would be… A bit hard, to say the least.

However, he still succeeded in doing a perfect copy of… Claire. Yeah, Claire. He thought it would be a lot easier to do transformation into his basically female copy, since Claire is his sister and whatnot, but the transformation jutsu was not transformation: as he said, it was just a chakra field. No, of course it was mentioned that better execution of technique would be an actual transformation, but for now he only got mimicking chakra field.

Kawarimi (Body Replacement) was one of the easiest to execute… Would be, if not for the fact that its activation requirements were so damn stupid! Unless you were in danger, it is very hard to execute; however, if you actually are in danger, it could activate automatically so long as you had something to be replaced with. And this is called 'one of three academy exams techniques'? Kinda bullshit… Oh, wait, you are only required to know how it's done and show at least one time during studying; after that teachers don't ask to show it again, other than for grading purposes. Alright, that's neat.

After that he finally managed to move onto fuinjutsu! Basic sealing scroll! Yeah, it's just basics, but neither did his magic knowledge appear one day because he pressed the 'Learn' button on a glowing screen!

Somewhere, one Gamer sneezed.

Right, what he needs to do?… Huh? Special paper? Chakra-infused ink? The hell? Can't he just, like, do it on his own?… Oh, he can, but better equip gives better results. As usual. Hmm, he could craft it himself, right? But he would need at least an example on what to do before proceeding to experiment on it himself…

Come to think of it, this is a whole village full of 'shinobi', as they call themselves… Surely they would have it there if it's basic level, right?

---

"Greetings, dear customer, are you here to buy something or just looking out for the future?" middle-aged man warmly greeted Cid once he walked through the door. Why wouldn't he? Cid managed to get the permit from old man himself, after all.

"I have come for the fuinjutsu paper and ink," a bit of change in how air moves out, and now he has a profound voice that would command respect!

"Aha, a fuinjutsu user. Let's see…" Cid patiently waited as the salesman took out the goodies, "Here, an equipment set. Paper for a hundred scrolls and chakra-infused ink," no quill? "That would be a thousand ryo."

Thank… uh, Gamma that he still had the piles of gems lying around in his Soul Space… No, he didn't use them. He just showed off with having them and attracted some bandits outside the village, then he beat them up and took money for himself.

After paying out Cid returned to his usual place and started studying the special paper and ink. As it turned out, the only difference between normal paper and special one was in the kind of tree that was used to produce it. That's it. The tree was just built different. As of now, Cid just sent one paper as an example to Hams and Todd; let their head hurt while they try to somewhat replicate its effects.

In the meantime, he would just use the ones he already has. Alright, let's see… You write this symbol… then you write this symbol… Then your chakra goes there and makes and imprint… Aha, now let's move onto the surrounding parts… No, wait, the surrounding parts actually auto-complete themselves as he goes further with main parts?… How does that work? He wants to know!…

Five minutes later Cid finally managed to finish his first ever fuinjutsu scroll. If it was not for the fact that he was frequently using the rune symbols (Will Inscription is good, but sometimes combining the two makes it better), he would probably not be qualified enough to do a perfect calligraphy. But he was! Muh-ha-ha!

Now let's see how that works… By description you place the item over the scroll and use this technique to proceed with sealing…

Poof!

A small smoke appeared in place of the item, and soon Cid noticed that item disappeared while a new symbol appeared at the previously empty center of fuin. Out of curiosity, Cid did the unsealing technique, and sure enough, the item appeared at the top of the scroll, completely fine and dandy. The symbol at the center, as expected, disappeared. Cid did the sealing again. And then unsealing. And sealing. And then repeated it twenty more times, until the scroll suddenly broke. Like, it fell apart. It seems like there's a limit to how much you can do seal/unseal practice with one scroll…

And then Cid suddenly heard Hams and Todd's screams. Quick connection explained that they suddenly realized that via using sealing scrolls they could store their goodies better! For example, instead of just falling everything down they could seal stuff into scrolls, then separate them by sections! That way it would take way less place!

Well, Cid himself was elated at that, too! And that's only the basic scrolls! What would be the next ones-!

"Greetings," the familiar old man in a funny hat came up to him.

"Hiruzen," Cid nodded in a cool shadowy way.

"I see you are having fun with fuinjutsu?" Sarutobi smiled cordially.

"Indeed. This is very useful. I wonder if there are any other way to use it…"

"Hmm, what would you mean?"

"Using it to seal fire? Or water? Or using it to increase room's size? Or creating enchanted weapons?…" Cid was getting agitated.

"Well, fuinjutsu does exactly that — sealing…" Hokage murmured, "But everything else you talked about? That would now be the territory of juinjutsu."

"…Juinjutsu?" Cid was all ears now.

"Yes, juinjutsu," Hiruzen confirmed, "while there is large similarity between fuinjutsu and juinjutsu, the first one is used primarily for storage purposes, while the latter has a variety of uses. I will offer you scrolls about it later."

Cid went silent. That's it…? Just sealing? Well, he doesn't mind it. Even the basic sealing is useful, anyway, and judging by old man's words, it seems like there's a bit more to fuinjutsu than it seems. There's also this juinjutsu…

"Do you want to know why I am telling you all of this, despite you being very suspicious if you look at it from objective point of view?"

Cid nodded. Is this the part where other party gives out some heartaching secret?

"Well then…" Hiruzen took out a pipe and made a fire, "As you may have noticed, Naruto-kun is… quite not liked in the village."

Yep, this is the heartaching secret part.

"I have already told you about that, haven't I?" Hokage mused, "Cough, cough… I have promised to take care of him, and yet my inaction led to… this," he breathed out a large cloud of smoke, "I have seen Naruto trying to perform a summon technique. Of course, it would not work out in the end, but… It seems like it did. Somehow, he summoned you. And you didn't go back to summon's dimension."

'Because I placed a bunch of altars everywhere to make sure I have an anchor here.'

"That's why I thought it to be a fate. Where I have failed, you would succeed. I will give you an access to training courses, even though I don't know why would you need them, so long as you help Naruto live happily through this."

"As I said before, old man, we have a deal."

"Good," Hiruzen smiled, "then I only have to worry about Konoha. I will buy time for as long as possible until Naruto is strong enough to handle it on his own."

He made a strange seal with his hands, and moments later, an exact copy of him appeared nearby. With a sigh… wait, sigh? Wait, it went away?!

"That's Shadow Clone Technique," the what? "It creates almost a perfect copy of user, with the exception of the fact that it is quite fragile. Everything the clone does will be transferred to you once the technique ends. You can receive knowledge that clone gained throughout its existence and amass experience in a short amount of time. You can also create more than one clone, however there are certain risks in doing so."

This technique…

"I want it," Cid's eyes flashed crimson.

"Don't forget that Naruto should also benefit from it, though."

Is tailor-made for him!

Notes:

I am making preparations for moving otherworldly stuff into new fic (aka cleaning it up a bit to make it fit better in case readers from other fandoms come upon it and can't understand why we are talking about Cid as if he had 100 chapters behind his character). Once you realize that this fic suddenly didn't update, or its chapters amount was cut, or you just stumble upon new fic under my name, the moving is done.

Till then I continue posting new chapters here.

Chapter 102: Fooling Obsession

"Hmm…" Cid scrutinized a perfect copy in front of him.

"Hmm…" the copy answered back.

Shadow Clone Technique. This world has finally given him something that he himself could not do previously.

You know, he was able to use something akin to it with magic, but… His own clones had to be controlled with his mind. Like, it was plausible and all, but… It was completely incomparable to Shadow Clones.

Yes, his own were actual flesh and all instead of being fragile chakra constructs, but! These chakra constructs actually carried a copy of his own sentience and were able to study and go on by themselves! And by that he means, if they learn something different that he didn't know yet and then dissolve (or disappear?), he will get all their memories! And obtain the valuable experience! He can shorten the amount of time that he has to spend on something from weeks and months to days and hours!

Muh-ha-ha!

"You just laughed in your mind," clone said dryly.

"How do you know?"

"I am you."

"Oh."

Right, so the first test he immediately did was to send the clone into the forest and then let it dissolve to check how good the memory transfer is. It was very good. There were some parts that he got with a bit of difficulty, but he blamed it on the fact that he wasn't proficient in chakra yet; overall, the experiment was a huge success!

Muh-ha-ha!

"You did it again."

But if he looks a little bit closer… yeah, there was a slight difference in character between himself and the clone. Clone was a bit more serious, a bit more… similar to an average person. He still carried the traits that made Cid, well, Cid, but overall it was noticeable. Though the last clone was, on the contrary, a bit more easygoing… But he made this one with thought of being focused on research, while that one was just for fun… Hmm…

Damn, even this seemingly simple technique had so many hidden stuff! What would the harder ones bring?!

Elated, he once again concentrated on the feeling of chakra and cast the shadow clone technique.

Immediately nine more clones appeared with a 'poof'.

"Alright, boys, listen to the task…" Cid started.

"We know the goal you set for us the moment you use the technique, boss," one of the clones interrupted him with a blank stare.

"Oh, yes…" Cid nodded, "However, you still need to use Henge."

Clones looked at each other in realization.

"Yeah, can't have people seeing me naked."

Unfortunately, slime suit could not be copied with the technique, since it was not clothes in usual sense of its word; it was actually a (somewhat) living being that was molded with his mana. Shame.

---

Brigade of clones worked hard on making sense out of fuinjutsu and juinjutsu and how these two were different from one another. Turned out, fuinjutsu was, quite literally, sealing. There are tons of various techniques for it, but overall fuinjutsu is all about sealing. Sealing food, sealing elements, sealing… everything you can think of! Juinjutsu, on the other hand, was more like… actual runecrafting? Like, you imprint stuff in a certain way, and then it works? Though compared to runecrafting, he could see that juinjutsu and fuinjutsu required the symbols to work, while he worked around writing the runes via Will Inscription, which allowed to draw the concept that he has sufficient knowledge about from his mind without the need to write the runes. If he had to guess, it's because chakra is being more… down to earth, if he can say that. More material. It could be charged with ideas, but not to the level of not requiring 'anchors'. Shame, of course; Will Inscription is really overpowered

Now, let's look at it from the other angle. Fuinjutsu is markings that seal stuff. Juinjutsu is markings that do literally everything else. Why the difference? Why would these two things be different from each other? Is it because of nature of chakra? What is It, then? Man, that's so interesting… A whole new world, new energy, new stuff… New stages to play!

Even the sealing technique itself is already interesting! Like, how does it work? Is it some kind of subspace similar to Sanctuary and his Soul Space (thus the symbol appearing on the scroll being the key to it)? Is it shifting something to another plane of existence like Shadow Realm (thus the symbol appearing on the scroll being the key to it, again)? Or is it breaking stuff down into information (thus the symbol appearing on the scroll actually being the item)? He doesn't know that yet, but he wants to!

Because in any of these cases this is the distinction between fuinjutsu and juinjutsu, where the last one is just runecrafting that produces various effects, while the first bends to space to user's will…

Poof.

Oh, one of the clones dismissed themselves. And immediately Cid and other clones obtained new information about fuinjutsu. Nice. This technique is really overpowered! The only drawback was the fact that it tried to evenly split his chakra, but he worked around that with his control. Now, for the juicy stuff!

With all the knowledge they obtained from new scrolls (that were brought by strange masked men, apparently old man's squad or something) he could finally start making sense out of this system. And create his own, of course! Just like he did with creating the new rune language! Muh-ha-ha!

"Boss is being weird again," one of the clones noted dully as he wrote yet another symbol.

"Just leave him be," another replied, focusing on the 'Fuinjutsu: how does sealing work?' scroll, "It's fine."

Muh-ha-ha!

Alright, alright, calm down.

Shadow Clones are overpowered. That he now knows. Their only downsides are fragility, the need to control chakra or else it splits evenly, and the fact that they don't inherit magic and slime suit since first is his soul's part and not body's, and second one is its own living being. Other than that, they are OP!

Now, second part… Hmm, what does he need to do now… Clones are working on fuin and juin, also ninjutsu, but that's another group… Hams theorizes how they can be implemented together with magic… Is there anything left for him to do?!

Lame! Lame, he says! He already gave the kid instructions for training, too. What does he do now? Runs out and hunts for bandits?…

"Excuse me, Shadow-san," oh, that's one of those masked guys. Though the guy is wary of him, "Hokage-sama has requested your presence."

"Hmm? Well, lead the way, then."

And just when he thought he would die of boredom, the opportunity falls into his hands!

---

Danzo has been waiting, gripping his cane.

Hiruzen, senile old fool!… 'This man is just a summon of Naruto'… 'He's not a spy'…

Danzo knows about the seer technique of his old comrade, but isn't he being a bit too easygoing for someone who needs to think about village's safety? Danzo has a feeling it's about time to change Hokage…

"I assure you, councillors, there is nothing to worry about," Hiruzen was way too joyful for someone who has a walking explosive tag running around the village.

"I hope your hopes have a solid ground under them, Hiruzen," old woman, Koharu Utatane, grumbled.

Danzo hopes so, too. As much as he wants to take the position of Hokage for himself, he wants to make sure village doesn't lose its power, and losing someone with prowess of Hiruzen is… a bad situation.

"Hm, here he is," Hiruzen spoke.

Danzo focused his attention on the surroundings. Slowly, but surely the light in the conference room dimmed, allowing shadows to grow. The shadows themselves slowly converged at one spot, forming a figure.

'That's… problematic,' Danzo's lifetime experience allowed him to realize that someone with such ability could easily walk in and out of any object, no matter the amount of protection they place around. The only way he could see is placing a combination of powerful fuinjutsu and juinjutsu along with professional fighters trained in chakra sense. The problem was, Danzo barely felt any chakra.

And that's concerning.

Meanwhile, the figure finally finished forming, showing a rather tall man with flashing red eyes and darkness instead of his face. His black coat with golden linings only further reinforced the impression.

He truly lived up to his name.

"Shadow," Danzo greeted the figure.

Now, Danzo could believe that whoever he was, he was clearly a summon. Not a single human feature, except for the general shape. It was as if the figure was living clothes instead of human inside of them. That would explain the darkness instead of face.

"Greetings."

His voice… doubled. As if two people were talking at the same time; one seemed like a normal person, while the other one… Was metallic.

How would they fight it if it pose a threat to Konoha? He has to have a plan ready.

"I am Shadow. I lurk in the shadows, and I hunt down the shadows…" it went silent for a moment, sending a glance towards Danzo, "Especially ones that are rooted to the place."

Alarm.

Alarm went through Danzo's head. It knew. It just barely glanced at him, and it already knew something that it shouldn't been able to. The Root Anbu was an organization in shadows of normal Anbu, taking up the tasks that Konoha itself was unable to do as not to tarnish its reputation. Of course, village's important figures knew about its existence, but only Danzo and Hiruzen had wide knowledge about it, with Danzo being the leader of it, while Hiruzen… Had knowledge, but did not know full extent of Root's reach.

And yet… This 'summon' already realized everything. Barely a glance, and it already knew the best way to provoke him.

Can Danzo do anything to ensure village's safety?… It can use shadows, and even better than Nara, if what transpired here is to be believed; it is seemingly living clothing, thus probably does not have usual living beings' weak spots; the only way Danzo could see, again, was fuinjutsu… But they first need to make sure to use the right technique to use on it.

"We have heard about your relationships with Uzumaki Naruto, Shadow," old councillor, Homura Mitakado, pushed his glasses, "We wonder if you could tell us more about it."

"That's all?" Danzo could clearly hear the mocking behind its voice, "He's my son, and that's all I need."

"Your… son?" Utatane was clearly surprised.

"Indeed. Almost a copy of my wife, sans the gender… And these strange lines on his cheeks…" it clearly went in thought.

Wife. It has a wife. Probably somewhere in summon's world. Unreachable. Next.

"And how can it be that way if we have knowledge of the fact that this kid was a child of someone else?" Mitakado calmed himself down and counter-attacked.

"By all means, release it to the public. Wonder how would he react in that case…"

It knew. It clearly knew everything.

It knew who the real father and mother behind Jinchuuriki were. It also knew they could not reveal it until the weapon at least finished academy. It played with them. Even if it is a summon, there was no way Danzo would let such a threat to village's safety slide.

"That's enough," Hiruzen, senile old fool! "We have agreed that you would teach Naruto everything that shinobi needs to know, in exchange of your temporary assistance," why didn't Hiruzen let them know about that?

"Indeed," the red eyes flashed brighter, "Have you found something worth my prowess?"

"I believe I did," Hiruzen smiled and took out a paper, "How do you look at taking this group of failing students and try to make a group of genins out of them?"

Failing students?… They are not failing, they are at the verge of expulsion… No, indeed, in that way they can gauge its character and abilities… So that's what game you are playing, Hiruzen. Clever. Very clever.

"That's… a great idea," suddenly similarly red smile appeared on its 'face', "I would gladly take this job."

"Then we are finished. Council dismissed."

No… Entity smiled. That's exactly what it expected. Just how much it planned? Does it only span one generation? Or is it a plan that would go over and over?

Ten years? Twenty years? Fifty years? Danzo himself was not sure he can plan for more than five years, and yet… this entity clearly outplayed him.

Moreover, Danzo had to think about protecting the village. 'Summon' could just go back in case it failed. Even there it outplayed him.

What does it want?

Why would it even drop such hints for them? Is there a deeper meaning for that?…

Meanwhile, Cid suddenly was hit with a realization that Naruto was, indeed, almost a full copy of Alpha in childhood years. He wonders how he could explain that to Shades after he gets back…

Notes:

Ah, yes, the plan upon plans that is required for these plans to be planned, thus making plans working… that plan?

Chapter 103: Elemental Obsession

'Now if I write it that way…'

It has been a week since talking with, apparently, the ruling class of this village (why do they call it village if it's a whole functioning military town?). Cid was now busy with attempts to make better sealing scrolls, but to no avail as of now. Everything simply went down into being unable to mass produce paper of better quality; at least his own blood served as great conductor for fuinjutsu…

What? He didn't forget about his Blood Magic! Just because he had no use for it most of the time doesn't mean he wouldn't use it the moment he sees its potential!

Meanwhile, some clones were equally busy with attempting to use ninjutsu. Apparently, this world's elemental system was divided into five elements: your classic earth-water-fire-wind, plus… lightning. No, really, they somehow managed to squeeze lightning into classic elemental system and even derive the weaknesses from each element! Like, earth buries water, water extinguishes fire, fire burns the wind, wind (somehow) blows away lightning, and lightning… does something with earth, apparently. Strange stuff, if he's being honest; he just learned that ninjutsu works that way and didn't bother anymore.

There were also derivative elements, or something? Like when you combine chakra of two or more elements into one technique and it works? For example, he heard that via combining water and wind you can get ice… That's even more weird, if he's being honest. Though, as he also heard, stuff like that was only available to those with special genes that unlocked the ability to use that derivative element…

You know, that makes him wonder. Magic is something that is quite versatile and should be capable of practically anything, right? And chakra is, quite literally, just your lifeforce mixed with some spiritual energy, so it should be more focused on direct confrontation and use of your body, right?

So why the hell does chakra have so many useful fields, while magic in his world was limited by body enhancement and occasional artifact making?! He had to create all the cool stuff like elemental magic from scratch!… Ah, to hell with it…

So, clones attempted to use ninjutsu… to no avail. As he previously mentioned, the usual hand seals that accompanied techniques were unavailable for him since his chakra system was a bootleg version of normal one with multiple crutches that had to stay for about half of year before they would grow into normal tenketsu, or something that would resemble them, and even then, since he modified his chakra system so much with adding small channels and exits to ensure that he can use chakra the same way he uses magic, hand seals would still be something out of realm of possibility.

However.

He only needed to know how hand seals make your chakra move, and for that he spie- cough, cough, watched over young generation training their techniques. It took some time and research, but in the end he finally had an album full of drawings that explained how chakra moved whenever hand seals were used. Let's just say… Some techniques required as much as hundred hand seals in quick succession. However, it was a known fact that with passage of time user could reduce the amount of seals required for technique down to one, and even zero if they are especially familiar with it. How is that possible?

If Cid had to guess, it was because over time chakra system gained something like muscle reflex for this specific technique; of course, that was just a hunch, but judging by his previous interactions with magic, chakra ought to be the same… or even more like that, considering it was, again, lifeforce combined with spiritual energy.

That brought a question, though; Cid has managed to memorize all ways chakra should flow when using a technique, right? And most techniques not related to elements were perfectly usable: clones, henge, kawarimi, and even some of the newer stuff he learned. But not elements. Why?

For that Cid once again immersed himself into the ninjutsu section of the scrolls. 'Hand Seals and their proper execution', 'Useful jutsu for mundane life', 'Elemental affinity', 'Derivative jutsu'… Hold up! Affinity! That's what he needs!

Uh-huh, let's see…

'As it is known, there are five main elements of ninjutsu: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water. Together they create a perfect balance of five elements, with one suppressing the next and being suppressed by previous one. If it's like this, then all shinobi would strive to study all five elements, right? However, there is one major issue with that.

Elemental affinity. Main and secondary element. Chakra affinity. There are many names for this phenomenon, but we will use 'elemental affinity' in general and 'main and secondary element' in special cases.

Each shinobi is different. Lifestyle, body structure, amount of chakra, preferred battle style… The list could go on and on, but the end result is the same: you will not be able to find an exact same shinobi anywhere else, even among twins. And the same is true for elemental affinity.

Elemental affinity is how suited your chakra is towards a specific element. Depending on how high it is, you may experience an easier time drawing your chakra to induce Elemental Transformation — the ability to redefine your chakra's elemental properties. Of course, it is possible to use Elemental Transformation without having affinity of the element, but doing so is extremely taxing and hard.

The easiest way to know your elemental affinity is to take a test with special paper made from a tree that has been fed chakra for the duration of its growth. Once you fill paper with your chakra, it will immediately display a result: Fire will ignite the paper, Wind will cut it in two, Lightning will make it wrinkled, Earth with transform paper into dirt, Water will wet it.

There are also advanced elements that are created via combining basic elements, however to do so you are required to have a certain amount of control with these elements and the affinity with advanced element itself. It is impossible to use advanced element without having affinity with it, typically through Kekkei Genkai — genetically granted ability to use it…'

Oh, so that's how it is…

Cid looked up from the scroll and focused on the clones.

Of course the world with energy that was so close to lifeforce would be reliant on genetics way more than the magic one… Don't get him wrong, the genetics played a heavy role in that one, too, but it was more because of Demon Diablos whose genes were passed down through generations… and who turned out to be a cutie pie in the end. Strange stuff, yeah.

So, he needs this special paper…

---

Thanks to shinobi stores, he has managed to get a hold on a stack of so-called 'Chakra Induction Paper'. Now, the moment of truth! Which one of the elements should he develop first-

Paper stayed the same. Cid looked at it, dumbfounded, and injected chakra again. Paper stayed the same. Cid, irritated, blew almost percent of his reserve. Paper stayed the same.

So. Paper doesn't react to his chakra. And he also had troubles using elements. You know, this is now kinda concerning…

Thankfully, Hams finally looked up from his papers and with tired yet intelligent look on its snout started explaining what, exactly, was wrong.

Apparently, chakra really relied heavily on genetics, with elemental affinity being one of the more extreme cases of that; by Hams' estimations, there should be whole families able to use that one certain element, with very rare exceptions. How does that concern Cid?

Well, you see, Cid was not born in this world. He was not exposed to any chakra, and the only time he did was when he set up bootleg chakra system… Which was still a combination of his own physical and spiritual energy. And if it was Cid before he got Soul Space, it would be all fine and dandy; after all, magic passing through his body would still leave something from environment, considering how often he used Overdrive, which heavily relied on pumping up his mana regeneration and taking in environment's mana.

However, with obtaining Soul Space all his magic went from the body into the soul itself. He still had all the benefits of having magic as if it never went away, but in all meanings, on the material plane there was no magic in his body. And that meant he washed away all body elemental affinities into the soul.

So, what he needs to do now is expose himself to elements again, but this time instead focus on chakra. Or take some genes and borrow the affinity for himself. Or just be himself again and brute force elements learning. Any way would work.

And, yeah, if Cid is being honest, he just forgot that he had to adapt his mana into element at first before being able to cast it. Who said with chakra it would be different?

After that everything went quite well: Cid concentrated on the feeling of wind around him. Hmm, different world, different rules… Instead of magic, chakra floated everywhere… Nature's chakra, huh? Well, let's try Overdrive with chakra-

Todd sounded an alarm.

Cid opened his eyes and realized that a part of his hand suddenly became… stone. No, really, stone. Is it some kind of Magic Overload?

In curiosity he raised his hand to his face… Hmm, it still works well, but… The environment's energy seems to affect his body? Well, even magic in large quantities caused mutations, but he thought getting more chakra would result in betterment, not something like this… Or is it exactly because it's environment's energy and as such incompatible with humans? More research is needed…

With a sigh he stopped holding the nature's chakra and let it disperse. His body immediately took its normal form.

He sat down and started thinking. Apparently, for some time Overdrive is unavailable… at least, that part which heavily gathers energy out of surroundings. Sad, sad; this magic technique was his butter and bread, considering how much it skyrocketed his magic growth. Of course, since then his magic was growing way faster by itself than via using environment, but for chakra it would great, too…

Well, it seems like elements are unavailable for him for now, too. Though…

He reached out for Fire Realm in his Soul Space and allowed chakra to mimic its properties. And immediately after that, he was able to use the basic fire ninjutsu.

Aha! So it is quite similar to magic!

Shame he didn't bother getting more elemental Realms after Shadow and Fire… First because he's, well, Shadow, and second because he needed to deep dive into planet's core… No, he's not joking.

…Technically speaking, he could just deep dive into some elements, like ocean, or earth, or somewhere windy, or in storm… But again, nature's chakra.

So the best way for now is collect some samples from people with great elemental affinity and try to reproduce their results… After getting some more experiences with clones, of course-

Poof.

Memories flashed before his eyes.

Smile appeared on his face.

Finally! Success!

The first clone managed to use the wind technique! Weak as hell, but technique, nonetheless! Progress!

Muh-ha-ha! Now nothing can stop him-!

Huh? Hams? What did he want? Oh, he wants to talk? Alright, come out.

And, well, Hams came out. That is, literally. Which he should not have been able to do.

But…

"This Shadow Clone technique is really interesting," Hams spoke, currently in the body of one of shadow clones.

Hmm…

Shadow Clone creates a clone with a copy of user's sentience. Hams is practically his another sentience that exists in his soul. It is possible to take it out and use for Shadow Clone instead of just creating a copy.

"Though…" Hams spoke again, scrutinizing the clone which he resided in, "Eh, human's body is quite a shame, completely incomparable to my glorious rotund hamster body-"

Cid 'gently' pressed onto clone's mouth with a 'friendly' smile on his face.

However, the possibilities are indeed large. Especially with knowledge that he and Hams can now do runes and other stuff in reality together.

"Alright, alright," Hams pushed Cid's hand away, "So, there is another topic I wanted to talk you about with."

He raised the 'Elemental Affinity' scroll.

"Look," tap, "right," tap, "here," tap.

Cid did as he was told.

His ego wished he didn't.

'…The easiest way to train Elemental Transformation for beginners is to take tree's leaves and try to produce an effect similar to the one that happens whenever user puts chakra into Chakra Induction Paper. Compared to produced with special techniques paper, normal leaves are way more resistant to elemental chakra. It would be up to user to train their control.'

Notes:

Cid has grown so accustomed to being the lone trailblazer that he forgets to use methods other people create.

Now, important stuff: most people wanted for otherworldly stuff to be separate fic. I have almost finished recompiling it properly with explanations for readers that did not read this fic, and tomorrow I will put out the new fic with new tags. This one will be marked as complete and only get updates for… lewd scenes with Shades that would be copied over from new fic to here.

I mean, it is quite obvious: if you look at the description of the fic and how it turned out to be, it is… a stark contrast.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of OiS