The Underworld.
The next day I was sitting in one of the living rooms of Gremory's mansion with Azazel and Gabi, as I decided to name the girl, yes, I'm not very imaginative. I needed to talk to him about the new order, the change of power in both the Underworld and Heaven, and that was why I was here. But I also had to check on Rias and her entourage, among other things.
- "So, you want to give them a little vacation in Kyoto, huh?" I asked, petting Gabi on my lap, who was quietly sipping her coffee.
Ah, yes. Among other things, Rias and the others were preparing for their trip to Kyoto, according to the conversations of the mansion's servants, and from that we could deduce that the corresponding arch would be starting very soon. Kunou or Yasaka haven't contacted me yet, but I suppose I'll still take part in the event, if only for fun and to fulfill a promise to the two vixens.
- "Hallo, are you there?" Hearing no answer to my question, I said, but Azazel just stared at Gabi with unblinking eyes, "Yes, yes, this is the homunculus created by you and Da Vinci, and I met her in Heaven. How did she get there, by the way?"
- "Michael just barged into my house and took her, completely violating my privacy and ignoring all my arguments. And he didn't even compensate me for the resources he wasted, and there were a lot of them. Some of them I've been saving since my time in Heaven," Azazel replied irritably, "Anyway, yes, I think they need some rest. Sir Mordred knows how to train hard, though this is more about beating than training."
I shrugged.
From Merlin's words, and from Mo-chan's own character, she didn't know how to train or coach. Her fighting methods were purely straightforward and based on brute force. However, even so, no one can deny her fighting prowess.
Quickly analyzing information and finding appropriate solutions in battle can do a lot, and besides, Mo-chan doesn't rely on honor or dignity - only on winning. Well, most of the time Artoria wouldn't be totally against a particular method of fighting.
- "What they need is a beating. It will harden their willpower and tighten their physical stats."
- "That's partly true. But she gets a little too carried away from time to time," Azazel grinned, "Why are you here, Romani? I hear you've done a lot of business, huh?"
- "Well, it is what it is," I replied, "How do you feel about that? I'm sure you know about the Throne of Heaven and the news from there."
- "Well, I'm not going to lie, the possibility of returning to Heaven has made about half of the Fallen under my command happy, though we haven't been able to find out the exact means of doing so," Azazel began calmly, "And the Fallen are ready to follow you, as all my assistants agree. It would be foolish not to, considering that both Heaven and the Underworld have already submitted to you."
I nodded briefly.
So, the entire Bible faction was now under my control, which meant that the other pantheons would contact me sooner or later. The impulse that the Throne of Heaven released was strong and definitely loud, and so the gods would want to know what was what.
Scandinavians and Shintoists are unlikely to be affected by this, as the heads of those two mythologies are already familiar to me. Sure, they have dissenting elements like Tsukuyomi or Loki, but still Odin and Amaterasu are more welcome than the other way around.
On the other hand, there is the question of when Zeus and his whole family, especially Hades, will start acting up. I'm sure some of the Olympian gods already know about Heracles and Medusa, and it's only a matter of time before claims fly in my direction. They'll be fun to make fun of, though, won't they? Say, Gil and Aphrodite, descended from Ishtar.
- "I see," I said with a chuckle, and looked out the window, feeling my mana surge, "I want to watch them practice. Are you coming with me?"
- "No, you go by yourself. I need to go see Sirzechs," Azazel shook his head.
- "Oh, did something happen?"
- "No, but because of Beast I, as you call him, the Demon Lords have a lot of work to do."
- "Hmm? Even so?" I wondered, "And what did the love of my life manage to do in a whole half day?"
- "A lot, but he's definitely angry with you, as Sirzechs has repeatedly told me," Azazel laughed.
- "Goetia can be as angry as he wants, but he can't escape orders," I laughed back and grabbed Gabi and activated the magic circle, teleporting to Rias and Mo-chan's group.
-0-
The circle spit us out over a vast desert area, and upon arriving, the first thing I heard was Mo-chan's very satisfied and excited shouts.
- "Is that all of you! You are so weak and infirm! One more time!"
Right in front of her, Rias' entire entourage, including herself, were lying on the ground, bleeding sweat and breathing heavily. Their Kuoh school uniforms were badly damaged and covered in dust and soot, and their skin showed bumps, cuts, and bruises. Each of them was definitely at their limits, for they were trivially unable to get to their feet.
Merlin, on the other hand, was standing next to Mo-chan and smiling, looking at her partially exposed thighs and breasts and chuckling to himself. And of course, neither Mo-chan nor Merlin showed any signs of struggle, nor did they look the least bit tired.
- "We... can't... Sir Mordred..." Kiba muttered.
- "She's... too strong..." Rias added, looking at a badly exhausted Gasper and Asia.
- "I didn't realize that the court mage of Camelot was skilled not only in magic, but also in swordsmanship..." Akeno said, and Koneko nodded her head.
- "Which is to be expected from someone like him," Xenovia commented admiringly, causing Merlin to fancy himself.
- "Ddraig... Is it even possible to defeat her...?" Issei asked, "She smashed our Balance Breaker as if it meant nothing...."
- "I don't know, partner," replied the gauntlet, "But there's definitely an improvement. You can now maintain a Balance Breaker for almost four minutes."
I raised an eyebrow.
Wow. They're making progress. Aside from Issei's already voiced improvement, I noticed how their mana reserves had increased. And since demons were magical beings, one could already draw certain conclusions from that fact alone. Apparently, Mo-chan and Merlin were the perfect solution.
- "Master? What are you doing here?" Mo-chan asked me, slinging Clarent over her shoulder and noticing me.
And at that very moment, the gazes of everyone present were directed in my direction. Admittedly, they then quickly shifted to Gabi, holding my hand. The reaction, of course, was instantaneous. Their eyes went wide, and some of them even jumped up, regardless of fatigue or wounds.
- "Sensei... who... is she…?" Pointing a trembling finger at me, Akeno asked.
- "How cute..." Koneko, Gasper, and Asia muttered.
- "Sensei, do you have a child! I can already see how sexy she's grown..." Issei was about to say as the next moment he went flying from the magic fist I created.
- "Aya-ya-ya, skillful stupid pervert-kun. You shouldn't use words like that in front of children," I said and shook my finger, then looked around at the demons, "Anyway, this is Gabi. She's not exactly my daughter, but we definitely hit it off, right?"
- "Uh-huh," Gabi nodded, to which I patted her on the head and handed her coffee, which she began to sip slowly.
- "Not really?" Akeno asked, still keeping her eyes on Gabi, "What do you mean?"
- "I can sense your jealousy even from here, Akeno-san. Keep yourself under control, okay?" I waved her off, which she of course ignored.
Huh... What should I do with her?
- "Why are you here, sensei?" Issei asked slowly.
- "Don't you have other things to do besides being here?" Rias added.
- "Oh? My dear students don't want to see me?" Grasping my chest and wiping away a non-existent tear, I said, "My heart breaks with sadness and sorrow listening to all this."
- "As if you ever had one on principle," Rias said irritably, "What are you doing here again?"
- "Now, now, calm your tits down, tomato-san. Are you still a virgin?"
- "Wha... How could you...?! And you're the one who was scolding Issei for saying that?!" She blushed and became indignant, and then took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.
- "I wanted to check on you, since I've assigned you two Servants," I said, "Also, since you're trying so hard, why don't I offer you some kind of reward?"
- "Reward?" Rias asked hesitantly, "I'd like to decline it in advance. Everything that comes from you usually ends up..."
- "Wouldn't you like to try to kick my ass, hmm?" I asked with a cute smile on my face as all the demons instantly froze and stared at me.
- "What's the catch?" Rias asked.
- "Hmm? Why should there be a catch, tomato-san?"
- "Because there's no other way with you."
- "And yet, would you turn down an opportunity like this? You know, kick me in the balls or charge me in the face with magic, hmm?" I chuckled, to which Rias and the others were still slow to agree, but definitely interested. And so, after a few glances, the tomato did make a decision.
- "You're going to regret this."
- "Me? I doubt it, tomato-san," I laughed and snapped my fingers, causing all their wounds to instantly heal and their strength to fully recover.
Well, let's see what they've actually accomplished. Uh-huh-uh.
-0-
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