[135] Promise of Eternity
<span style="font-weight:400">Chapter 135: Promise of Eternity
<span style="font-weight:400">—
<span style="font-weight:400">[<b>First Person Point of View</b><span style="font-weight:400">]
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah,” the middle-aged devil man was the first to break the tense silence in the room. He smiled at Mem, which made her frown, as he stood up and began to walk over. “There you are… Ohh, you have your mother’s eyes.”
<span style="font-weight:400">The man himself had red eyes, and the tall girl in the room who wore the same emblem on her clothes as him, making it obvious that she was a family member, perhaps his own daughter, had greenish blonde hair and red eyes too. If so, it seemed the Agares n ran on those two characteristics.
<span style="font-weight:400">Many assumed Mem-Cho’s blonde hair was dyed, I thought the same at the start, but it’s not. Her hair was ck at birth, but after she turned 18, it began to slowly turn blonde as her devil blood grew more prominent. As for her aqua-colored eyes, they came from her mother’s side of the family.
<span style="font-weight:400">Such colored eyes were quite rare for an Asian person to have, which exined why Lord Agares took an interest in Mem-Cho’s mother back in the day. Anything exotic was a feast for the devils.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It may be sudden,” the man walked over to Mem-Cho, and subsequently at me since I was standing in front of her, as he spoke, “But… it’s not a lie, I am your father.”
<span style="font-weight:400">He reached out a hand, reaching toward her head as if to pat her head. I would have grabbed it and twisted it the other way right then, if not for Mem’s gentle tug on my shirt. She didn’t want it.
<span style="font-weight:400">‘Right, it doesn’t hurt as long as he doesn’t propose anything outrageous. I’ll let him be as long as he keeps up the good father act,’ I decided. Considering that he might just be acting as a good father to convince her mind, to pull her into the family, I was aware that this wasn’t a good idea. Still, this was the better choice instead of starting with an aggressive approach.
<span style="font-weight:400">I stepped to the side, my eyes lingering sharply on the man’s movements, as his hand rested on her head and he ruffled her hair. “We have much to talk about, much to catch up to. But there is no rush, we can take it slow,” he said as he looked at me for the first time, his smile vanishing. Of course, he hadn’t missed the disapproving look I’d been sending him from the beginning, I hadn’t bothered to hide it. “After all, our meeting is ovepping your boyfriend and Sirzechs’ discussion. How about we sit still for a bit, as the two of them unwrap what they have to talk about?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mm,” Mem nodded. I didn’t bother toment on that, I didn’t mind it.
<span style="font-weight:400">The middle-aged man smiled, looked at Sirzechs and asked, “Is that okay with you if we’re in the room while you talk, Sirzechs?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Uh, yes, of course. It’s not exactly a state secret,” he said and Lord Agares smiled. He pulled Mem-Cho toward the couches ced against the wall, while she wore aplicated look on her face.
<span style="font-weight:400">I looked at Rias, and she understood my intent as she joined the two of them on the couch. Her Queen, Akeno, followed.
<span style="font-weight:400">The blonde-haired girl near the table stood in silence for a moment before stepping away. She did not join the Lord on the couch and rather crossed her arms to stand a bit far from the table.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Please, take a seat,” Sirzechs said, and his maidwife pulled the chair for me when I walked over. I slowly sat down, feeling many eyes on my back, while Sirzechs let his smile drop.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I heard your proposal for Rias,” he said, “and I disagree with it. Anyone else and I''d have been more discourteous with this, it''s incredibly outrageous to invite a member of a faction to join another. I''ve decided to look over it since it''s you, who has helped the Devils greatly by curing Lady Ranefer. Plus you''re a young man, mistakes happen. I hope you understand.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“There is a misunderstanding,” I said with a shake of my head. “Joining a Sect does not mean she''s leaving her family, nor her race. It''s basically a school, a [Guild]. I''ve never intended to imply her betrayal to the devils when I asked her to join me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Uh-huh,” he raised an eyebrow. “Sect is not a term I am particrly familiar with, but it''s not a new word to me either. Back in the day, China had quite many sects. I hear that, while many of them indeed acted as schools, many tried to stand up to be a faction of their own. Like a ‘n’. I''m d you cleared up your interpretation of it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Well, I fucking lied. I do intend to rise as a faction of my own, as a Pantheon. But that''s something that should be kept to me for the time being.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I''m d we cleared that up,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Still, it does not benefit Rias in any way I can see. People join ‘schools’ to learn as well as make connections, a sect is not so different from that, is it? What connection can she make there, or what can she learn there that she can''t learn by herself?” He asked, “Keep in mind, she''s the heir to a Duke Family in the underworld. She does notck any resources. From what I see, it''s you and your sect who''ll be receiving all the benefits.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Such as?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“To start, by having the sister of a Satan in your sect, even if Satans are said to keep themselves out of their family matters, it''ll give the world the idea that you have the undisputed support of the said Satan. As in, me.” He said. “It''s not a bad thing, don''t misunderstand, I wouldn''t mind supporting you personally. After all, you''re a good friend to Rias. But my title carries a lot of weight. An enemy of you might see the Devil Faction as its enemy too. And we''ve already seen and experienced the danger level of the enemies you deal with. All in all, this seems like a one-sided deal to me with you receiving all the benefits.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see,” I said nonchntly. I didn’t find his points invalid; in fact, it''s true that the real reason I''m trying to bring by my side is because of the benefits he spoke of. But he was wrong on one part. “Firstly, it''s an insult to my Master to assume that Rias will not receive any benefits. That she will not learn anything, or make any powerful connection that she can''t all by herself.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Pfft-” I caught the sound of augh from my side, turning to find the blonde girl covering her mouth as she looked away.
<span style="font-weight:400">Did she find this funny? How cute.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? Go on,” Sirzechs ignored her and locked his fingers under his chin to look at me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“The Immortal Venerable Over Heavens,” I ignored the girl too, and pointed a finger toward the ceiling. “The true Leader of the entire Sect, while I''m more of a branch leader of Japan. As his direct disciple, I''m granted a lot of knowledge and power that others don''t know.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I can see that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I''m not sure you do,” I stood up, “As you said, I have grand enemies. And while that showcases the dangers of beingbeled as an ally to me, it also means how grand I am if an entire Pantheon is after me.” All eyes were fixated on me as I walked over to the window gently pushing it open, “Of course, all of that is empty words if I don''t show my cards. So Let me show you a bit of what the Venerable One is capable of, and what he granted me. Please follow me outside for this.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Sirzechs and Grayfia exchanged nces with the others, while I hopped out of the window. Upon Sirzechs’ approval, Grayfia snapped her finger to cast a teleport spell that teleported everyone in the room out to the backyard.
<span style="font-weight:400">…..
<span style="font-weight:400">The Lucifer Vi was indeed grand; it was at the center of the Underworld and existed on top of thousands of acres ofnd. Standing in the expansive backyard, I let my eyes wander a little to register the area better. The evening sky was bloody red for starters, and I couldn''t help but marvel at the grandeur of the castle walls stretching far and wide.
<span style="font-weight:400">The vi itself was an architectural masterpiece from the Renaissance period, standing imposingly, its presence a clear suggestion of the Lucifer family''s status. The colorful gardens were meticulously maintained, with exotic nts and magical flora contributing to the ethereal atmosphere.
<span style="font-weight:400">Despite being ustomed to remarkable sights, I had to admit that the majesty of the Underworld was ssy.
<span style="font-weight:400">I stopped taking the surrounding scenery when the devils finally teleported here. I took in their faces before looking up at the sky.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What are you nning, Aqua…?” Rias asked in a murmur, but I decided to let my actions do the talking.
<span style="font-weight:400">I''m going to make another attempt to break through to Archlord, and therefore, subsequently to Sage. I''d have loved to do it in the surface world for the Pantheons to see, but I''ll have to manage here this time.
<span style="font-weight:400">This time, it felt different; I was different. After embracing Ai and getting my heart on the right track, it felt <i><span style="font-weight:400">right</i><span style="font-weight:400"> to advance. I closed my eyes, focusing inward, as the air around me began to crackle with energy.
<span style="font-weight:400">The air around me grew ionized, swirling with the promise of power yet untapped. Above, the sky mirrored my state, clouds gathering rapidly as if summoned by my will, turning thest light of day into night with their dense cover.
<span style="font-weight:400">The underworld thundered.
<span style="font-weight:400">"This time…" I let out a breath. My mind slowed down as I decided on my Archlord revtion. "...My path and my Sect shall carve eternity for ourselves."
<span style="font-weight:400">Standing in the underworld, within the backyard of this Lucifer Vi, surrounded by the opulence of demonic architecture – towering spires, borate gardens, and an expansive estate that stretched beyond sight, I found my will resonating with the universe.
<span style="font-weight:400">My deration, my revtion, and my understanding that my destiny was mine to shape, snapped into ce.
<span style="font-weight:400">Reality epted my words.
<span style="font-weight:400">The world responded with thunder, and in response I took out the artifacts I stored in my Void Storage, and a spark of Soul Fire lit them into mes. The white fire burned even under rain, rushing to me to wrap me like a cocoon.
<span style="font-weight:400">Qi exploded outward from my body, a visible shockwave of raw energy that rippled through the air. Energy surged within me, a tempest blooming out of my dantian. I felt the threshold approach, the pure juncture between failure and transcendence.
<span style="font-weight:400">A waterfall-like wage of lightning crashed down in a relentless torrent, enveloping me in its furious embrace. Soul Fire burned my cells anew, while I embraced the chaos, channeling all of it into a force of pure, unbridled power. It was as if the heavens themselves were anointing me.
<span style="font-weight:400">My willpower bloomed like a flower and my presence reached the far ends of the underworld.
<span style="font-weight:400">Many of my Icons tried to peek out, to reveal themselves to the world. I only let one of them out; one that Sirzechs hadn''t seen before. I tried to pull that new Icon that sang for Ai and me a few days ago, but it did not want toe out. In the end, I decided to pull out one of my more-used Icons. It''ll grow powerful just from this
<span style="font-weight:400">The [<b>Tiger Icon</b><span style="font-weight:400">] let out a shine as it shone brightly like the sun in the night sky, and everyone gasped.
<span style="font-weight:400">The air resonated with a loud thump, as the storm grew heavier, thundering over my head. It rained, and it snowed at the same time, while the dark clouds began to burn with a white me.
<span style="font-weight:400">The world approved me; it recognized the birth of a [<b>Sage</b><span style="font-weight:400">].
<span style="font-weight:400">[<b>The White Tiger Sage</b><span style="font-weight:400">].
<span style="font-weight:400">The rain will continue for days, but I can stop it if I want. I did not, and let it be, a proof of my majesty to the devil world. Under the heavy rain, I stood transformed and naked. Naked, yet not exposed, as I kept clouds gathered around my crotch to preserve modesty. I did not wish to shock the already stunned audience any further.
<span style="font-weight:400">Silence reigned, every eye fixed upon me in utter shock. The power I had unleashed was undeniable; everyone here realized my words were not empty. They were under a spell that Grayfia seemed to have cast, a bubble of telekic force that kept them safe from the rain. But it was toote, the shock had drenched them more than the rain could ever have.
<span style="font-weight:400">I locked eyes with Lord Agares, who was looking at me with wide eyes, and then at his daughter who had daredugh at my words earlier. Then I looked at Sirzechs, “I am just trying to prove that,” I said under the drum of heavy rain, “Your sister will not be unsafe with me. No, on the contrary, she''ll have the entire world on her palms.”
<span style="font-weight:400">His shocked expression morphed, and he smiled at me, “Alright,” he said, “Fine, Rias Gremory will join Nexus of Eternity.”
<span style="font-weight:400">And thus he agreed.
<span style="font-weight:400">As he should have. He was a good brother who knew who to give his sister''s hand to when he saw the perfect opportunity.
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<b>.</b>
<b>Link: /Master4thWall</b>