Ophis' Offer.

Mark, Runeas, Grimnar, and Celestine were all stuck just starring at Ophis who munched on her cookies.

"What?"

Mark frowned.

"What are you doing here?"

Runeas nodded.

"Yeah. I thought you were just going to leave."

Ophis shook her head.

"I have a simple reason for being here. I wanted to offer Mark here an offer to join my new faction. Someone like him would be welcomed among them."

Mark squinted his eyes.

"A new faction?"

Ophis nodded.

"I don't care much for it, but my goal is to kick Great Red out of the Dimensional Gap, my home. He stole it from me and I want it back."

Mark shook his head.

"I am good, I have no need for a faction as I rather have a small group of powerful friends and allies. And I already plan to defeat Great Red on my own. He is the strongest Dragon and my goal requires me to defeat him."

Ophis looked at Mark in amusement.

"You wish to defeat Great Red?"

Mark nodded.

"And you Ophis. Once I get Albion's powers, I will become the Dragon of Domination and Supremacy. Your powers will one day be mine Ophis."

Ophis laughed a quite joyful laugh.

"Just my powers or me as well? Such a goal only a true dragon could have. Crom Cruach is already working on being the strongest and now he has you to deal with. Do you think me and Great Red will be easy to defeat?"

Mark shook his head.

"Course not, I want you two to fight me with all you got when I challenge you. When I win, you two can look up at me."

Ophis held her stomach at how funny Mark was, but that challenge was a true one.

"Then get stronger and defeat us. I will take my leave."

Mark nodded.

"See you Ophis."

She nodded as she vanished. Once she was gone, Runeas turned over to Mark.

"So, you also want the powers of Great Red and Ophis?"

Mark nodded.

"A Dragon God is the next level above Heavenly Dragon and to get there I need to defeat the two current Dragon Gods. I am the Dragon of Domination, I must continue to dominate even the strongest of my kind."

[Mark, why do I feel you are a better dragon of Domination than me?]

Runeas had an idea.

"You are a lazy dragon?"

Ddraig sadly agreed.

[Yeah, I think the same.]

When Ophis was gone, both Mark and Runeas just went back to relaxing. Ophis was not going to hurt them and she seemed to want Mark to get stronger. For the current moment, they spent that bit of time just relaxing from all the big jumps they had.

6 hours later as they took a very short nap on the couch, Rias came back to speak to them. That woke the 4 of them up as they watched Rias walk out of the teleport circle. She appeared right in front of them which surprised her.

"Oh, you are all here."

Mark nodded.

"We were just taking a chance to rest our eyes. So, how did it go?"

Rias sighed as she sat next to Mark.

"Not too good, they seem to be stuck in contemplating what to do. Though Koneko and Akeno are the very worst as you broke open the safety nets they had built up."

She had a bitter smile as Mark looked at her.

"Are you mad at me?"

Rias leaned on Mark's shoulder and nodded.

"Yes. You did the right thing, but I can't help but get mad at how my friends are now. But I don't blame you, just myself for not being strong enough to do it myself."

Mark wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He even did the same to Runeas and now he had two crimson-haired devils in each arm.

"I see. I had to be as harsh as possible or my words would have gone in one ear and out the other. In the end, if they take my advice and use it they will become a force to be reckoned with."

Runeas gave Rias her own advice.

"He is right Rias. Being a kind person is fine, but not when being kind just gets in the way. Sometimes being firm is better than being kind much like Mark can be. Now, just let his words sink into their heads and you will either see results or nothing."

Rias listened to their words as she liked listening to their advice. They were older and stronger than she was and they had plenty of advice to give. For the moment she did not think as the master of a peerage of a noble, but a regular girl.

However, she remembered the words of Akeno.

"Mark, would you be considered my boyfriend or sugar daddy?"

Mark's sighed.

"I am no sugar daddy. If I was, Runeas would be my Sugar Mommy."

Runeas laughed at what Mark just said.

"Yeah, guess we are all just into younger lovers then."

Mark shook his head.

"No, just think of me as your boyfriend as I am not that old. We are both quite young when considering our natural life spans."

Hearing that made Rias smile.

"Then I want one thing?"

"What is it?"

"A kiss."

Mark looked down at Rias as she looked into his sunglasses. Though he removed those of his eyes letting her see his blazing black-slitted eyes. She could not stop staring at them as Mark leaned down and captured her lips for the first time.

A very simple kiss all things considered and immediately after he turned over and kissed Runeas shocking both. Once he pulled back and licked his lips.

"Tasty. Both of you, like strawberries and raspberries."

Both devils blushed hard as they tried to look away from their fiend-like dragon lover. Rias covered her face with her hair while Runeas just looked away.

"Well, that was something."

Mark laughed as he patted Grimnar to get off him. Once the huge dog jumped off Mark got up and got Celestine off his head and into his arms. When Mark was gone, Rias looked at her ancestor embarrassed to share the same lover.

"This is so embarrassing?"

Runeas nodded.

"A little, but not that much."

Runeas had already accepted the idea as she knew what kind of man Mark was. If he gave you the privilege of entering his harem it was for a reason. And she herself had been the one to accept Rias which he had done so.

---

Over the next week, Mark spent that time either lounging about his home or spending that time with Rias and Runeas. Mark was not becoming complacent just yet as he might be a Heavenly Dragon and the biggest by far, but size did not equal power.

It meant that he would someday soon return to his seclusion and for even longer to keep his training up. He would have to call Ares after his new symbol of power was complete. Then, the two of them could get stronger together and he would have to drag Rias and Runeas with him too.

And anyone else he considered one of his friends which were honestly not many. Though one did need a lot of friends when you had a few powerful friends. Mark preferred quality over quantity as his harem followed the same principle.

And that was why Mark was currently here with Heaphestus, over the Yellow Stone Super Volcano. Grimnar and Celestine were with him while Rias and Runeas stayed home for now. As for Heaphastus, the misshapen god looked over at Mark who was looking down at the ground.

"Alright, let's check out the lava chamber and work from there."

"Sounds good."

Mark teleported the both of them down into the lava chamber to check it out. When the two of them appeared in the nearly empty chamber, the beings who lived here instantly backed away.

The biggest one kneeled down toward Mark as she spoke to him.

"Big eater, back again. We serve you."

Hephaestus was surprised to see these here.

"The hell are those? In all my years I have never seen these before. I guess it's because of how rare Super Volcanos are that I rarely focus on them."

Mark waved his hand and made the lava solid as he walked toward the giant fire and rocky creature. When he floated over the creature's face he ran his hand down her face. The volcanic rock heated up again at the touch.

"Sign a contract with me. As for your name, it shall be Astrid."

When the contract was signed, Mark felt his mana surge toward Astrid the fire bear creature. Much like Grimnar, she formed a giant cocoon of his mana, but Mark for the first time dragged it into the familiar space.

It would be out of the way there and he looked toward the smaller infants.

"She will be fine, now let us work."

The young ones did not dare go against him so they did just as he said. Once that was dealt with he turned over to the god of the forges.

"So?"

Heaphestus looked at the giant open space that was the lava chamber. He reached down and picked up magma that rose from the earth, but slowly. This was why Super Volcanos only erupted every 600,000 years and Mark had drained it of everything.

"We will have to speed up the speed that lava-filled, we need ways to make use of the heat, and mana from the earth. Not to mention that filling this place with heat syncs and runes for the beings who are not fireproof like us.

Will take some serious work."

Mark looked over at him.

"Will you help?"

Heaphestus laughed and nodded.

"Hell yes, this place is a perfect forge one I never thought to build. This is not the first forge I build in the heart of a volcano, but this will be the first Super Volcano I use, not to mention access to the flames of a Heavenly Dragon to work.

What more could I want? I will be your personal smith any day as long as you let me use it as much as possible."

Mark saw no issue with that. He could make the stuff without end.

"For sure. You want me to help you forge a new hammer or something?"

Hephaestus nodded.

"Yes along with an anvil and tools I can make use of to make even better weapons. As long as I have that, I will be making items that surpass that of the Masterbolt, the Trident, and the Helm of Darkness. No, I will even surpass the Longinous of God. I am getting excited for the first time in a long time."

Mark felt glad he was so happy.

"For sure, where do we get started?"

"First, we need to increase the flow of magma and mana from underground. Once we get a steady flow, we will need a way to control the amount and flow of the stuff. You also wanted to make this your lair or something right?"

Mark nodded.

"Yes, a place I can use to relax in the natural heat of the Earth, but this is less important. The forge we need to get ready will take more importance than that."

Heaphestus nodded.

"Got it, don't worry about payment, I will pull out all the stops in getting this place ready. Getting to use your flames and this place will be more than enough for me."

Mark had an idea.

"Wait, would quenching in my blood be better?"

Hearing that made the god of the forges nod.

"Yes, like you won't believe. Wait, we could even forge your blood into the metal to give it life or better yet your marrow. These would be some truly powerful symbols of power."

Mark looked at Backbiter on his hip.

"You have my permission to make use of both when we make them."

Hephestus could barely wait.

"Just give me a few weeks and I will get this place up and running. It will be even faster if I have your and those things help."

Mark popped his shoulders.

"Let's get to work then shall we."