Oni and the Snake

This time around, Noel didn't have the luxury of blocking the kanabo coming straight at him with his bare hands and instead shifted to his primary form of combat. A thin and small hexagonal barrier blocked the path of the powerful weapon while locking it in place. They shattered quickly but it made enough space for Noel to send a blade of wind toward her.

Noel could effortlessly defeat Yamato however this was a learning experience not only for her but for him as well. Noel was quite good at using his eyes but it was hard to say he was using them at their best. There was plenty of room for improvement.

His Evil Eyes of Poison was a wonderful example of something he could use well but far from perfectly. He didn't have enough knowledge of poisons to utilize truly powerful toxins let alone use them at even a fraction of Vartes' finesse.

But this time, he wanted to try something else. His Evil Eyes of Precognition were perhaps the ones he was the least used to purely because of how many futures it revealed to him. It became difficult to use it for anything more than a second when he could potentially view dozens.

Ignoring the blade of wind entirely she stepped forward, that was the most common future Noel saw and mere moments later it was revealed to be the truth. She ignored the wind, not even a thread misplaced on her clothing let alone flesh, and swung her kanabo.

Effortlessly jumping atop the weapon he saw a myriad of futures, many of which focused on grabbing him by his ankle. Whether she shattered the bone or threw him into the ground after it wasn't a desirable future so Noel created a barrier between her hand and target.

Crashing into the barrier it held for only a moment, her hand unarmed as it shattered through the magical construct without regard for safety. It was far from smart since it very easily could have been a trap but Noel didn't feel like pointing that out now.

Enhancing his body to the extreme, Noel's foot blurred for a moment—Yamato's eyes vaguely following it—before he powerfully struck her cheek. Digging her sandals into the ground Yamato stood upright even as she was pushed dozens of meters away from the strike.

Shooting forward like a bull, shattering the earth like an earthquake, or even throwing her kanabo in a fit of rage were the most common of the dozens of futures he saw. They were all carried in many ways and it would be difficult to prepare for all of them but Noel had found a way to do just that.

Noel had a natural inclination toward wind magic. It was swift, sharp, silent, and difficult to spot let alone quickly. It was magic perfectly suited to quick murder. But it wasn't his only affinity when it came to elemental magic.

A snowstorm suddenly picked up around them, fierce winds making hearing anything impossible and falling snow blocking their vision. It was a field where Noel alone thrived, a field where he was king.

"Cowa—face—man!"

It was next to impossible to hear what she said but Noel got the jist of it. To her, combat was a straightforward affair where both fighters fought each other head on. Maybe if it was somebody like Sairaorg here that would be the case but Noel was a mage. What he needed was the opportunity to see her have many different options available to see if the best of his eyes.

Beasts were straightforward enemies, they may hunt but they weren't sly. They did a single surprise attack and then fought head on without fear. Yamato was accustomed to that kind of enemy so a mage like himself was far outside her comfort zone.

But she adapted quickly, her eyes closed to prevent snow from entering them and her nose ever so slightly pointed into the air. It was useless since mages wouldn't be half assed enough to leave their scent around but it was a good idea.

Slowly walking up behind her Noel gently tapped her shoulder, her head wiping around just as fast as her weapon zeroed in on his skull. But her weapon hit nothing but the snow and yet another tap was felt on her shoulder.

"Elemental magic is part of nature even if it is magical in nature. Sense it."

Giving her another piece of advice he didn't give her time to think this time around, his gentle taps filled with enough cold to make a grown man freeze only making her shiver occasionally. It was impressive but she was Gaia's child.

With his continuous interference, it took a bit longer for her senses to spread outward at around half a minute but it was still extremely quick. Everything she was learning was the basics of senjutsu and youjutsu but the speed she picked it up was prodigious.

In the end, it was a very swift strike from Yamato that warned him of her success. There were no warnings of her strike so even if he was quite a bit stronger he should have been hit. Should have. Unfortunately for her, he could see the future quite well at the moment.

Yamato was an instinctive fighter so she wasn't one to plan out her strikes, she attacked as opportunities came which led to her having a myriad of futures available to witness. With her as his practice partner Noel had managed to up his time from one second to around six. With the average fighter, it would probably be more though. Nine at most he'd assume.

Most people at higher levels were technical fighters with more experience than most could dream of. These people had detailed preplanned actions for anything that could come at them which made them quite easy for his eyes to see through.

Still, that wasn't a very realistic number. Sure with his eyes of Precognition, he could see that far easily but it wouldn't be usable. The issue wasn't how far he could see but rather how much information he could take in at once.

He was already pushing it with the Evil Eyes of Far Viewing since his max range was about five hundred kilometers in diameter but add the Evil Eyes of Precognition on top and it was a mess waiting to happen. That much information was damn near impossible to take in.

How many futures could happen in nine seconds? Noel didn't know for sure but he'd wager that even if he removed the most random of them it was well into the millions of ever changing futures. His brain could just barely handle that much but it made doing other things difficult.

"Get back here!"

With a roar Yamato chased after him, her every step cracking the earth and the natural energy rolling off her dense to the extreme. Continuing to calmly avoid her attacks Noel found it easier and easier even as she grew more adept at using natural energy.

It wasn't that she was growing weaker but instead that he was better at learning to filter out the nonsense. He didn't need to see the one future where she picked her nose but instead, the dozens where she attacked him in a myriad of ways.

"No, I don't think I will."

Smirking playfully at the oni Noel couldn't help but notice that she was enjoying herself. It was fun and Noel had no intention of denying that but it was growing dangerous. Gaia's blood was beginning to destabilize from all the damage she had suffered in this area. If it continued it obviously wouldn't be good for the future of this area.

The damage seemed to trace back centuries so it wasn't entirely Yamato's doing but it was far from good. What truly caught his attention was the being slumbering beneath them. It was merely remnants but it was quite powerful regardless.

It was a dark entity reminiscent of some of the more dangerous curses he carried so it was obvious where most of Gaia's damage came from. It wasn't enough to spread—if it was the other pantheons wouldn't be so inactive—but it shouldn't be allowed to fester.

Releasing a burst of demonic energy into the ground Noel continued to dodge Yamato's strikes with a wide grin. She was growing faster by the second. She was really making him want her though he could tell that's not what she had planned.

With each step he made to avoid Yamato, her speed and accuracy grew. With each step, he released demonic energy into the being beneath his feet and it grew one step closer to waking up and wreaking havoc on the area.

The being was injured and devoured Gaia's blood to heal itself so giving it an alternate source should help dramatically. By forcing it to reveal itself the blame of damaging the leylines will return to its rightful owner and Noel will get to show off a bit more to his Rook prospect.

"There it is."

The ground began to shake as a malevolent presence spread throughout the area. If it weren't for the sanctuary's barrier the presence would have spread throughout most of Japan if not all of it. It was only a portion of the being's full power but after devouring Gaia's blood for so long it may even have surpassed its peak.

"What the hell?!"

It was natural for Yamato to yell as the earth broke apart, dirt and debris shooting into the air. It was easy enough to block for the two of them but the being contained within had to be incredibly large if it was capable of throwing rocks the size of buses just by breaking out of the earth.

An ear piercing roar reverberated through the area as fierce winds blew all the dust away. With the dust gone, it was easy to see the being that caused so much destruction. It was a serpentine being large enough to tower over even the tallest human buildings, its eight heads spreading into the skies with infinite hatred.

"So it was you after all."

Gazing up at the large dragon Noel couldn't say it was surprising to see the figure before him. In its fetal position it was hard to tell but now that it was spread out fully it was clear who they were even if Noel had never actually seen them.

"You know this big guy?"

Looking at him in excitement and envy Yamato seemed to misunderstand his words. The dragon glaring at the heavens hatefully was no ally of his and even if it was there was no way it would remain that way. The dragon had lost all semblance of sanity.

"It's Yamata no Orochi."

Blandly responding Noel was relieved to see that the evil dragon had lived up to its legend as one of the worst monsters in history. As it stood now, Yamata no Orochi belonged in the top 50 of the world's strongest if not the top 25. The guy was a monster.

His energy reserves were absurd after drinking Gaia's blood for so long however what truly made him fearsome was the poison it released from all over its body. It wasn't quite as bad as Vartes' black plague in terms of spreadability but in terms of potency, it was far better. 

"Yamata no Orochi? He sounds strong!"

Rolling his eyes at the oni's words Noel didn't even bother reacting. He could see how Rizevim would have gotten Orochi's soul now. The evil dragon couldn't escape the sanctuary, the Yokai wouldn't send anybody else as Yamato scared all of them away, and Yamato wouldn't be in the story since she would die to Orochi who would be trapped until Rizevim found him.

"I'm impressed you can't sense that much."

Orochi was spreading enough energy that even Noel felt goosebumps and yet Yamato couldn't even sense it? It was odd but Noel couldn't deny that it sounded just like Yamato. It was a little worrying though.

"I'm no good at sensing stuff!"

Sticking out her chest in pride Yamato missed or perhaps ignored Noel's sigh. Regardless of his former opponent's lack of sensory abilities, Noel raised his hand, a large hexagonal barrier blocking the spray of poisonous goop the dragon sent their way.

"I'll deal with him. Stay here."

Not waiting for a response Noel vanished, his figure suddenly dozens of meters in the air as he looked relatively evenly with Orochi's eight heads. Barring their fangs at him instinctively there was a clear lack of intelligence in his sixteen eyes

Orochi was strong, well deserving of rank 50 at least. But this wasn't Orochi. Orochi was feral and arrogant but he was far from stupid let alone this brain dead. He may hold the power of his prime but his ability to wield it was long gone.

"Rank 25 or so in combat power and high 70s in actual combat. It'd still be a tough fight."

Orochi may not be at his full ability but he was still a powerhouse that nearly destroyed Japan once before. He was a powerful being, one that Noel logically should be unable to defeat but he would find a way as he always did.

Besides, it was limited to within the underworld but Ryrindus was stronger. It had been quite a while since then and Noel was confident he had grown enough to not even need his Balance Breaker for something like this. That's if it was a fair fight of course.

"This is a bad matchup for you."

Teleporting atop one of the eight heads he placed his palm on its scales, a sickening pulse reverberating throughout the sanctuary. Orochi may have been a powerful and fearsome dragon at one point but now he was nothing more than a cursed being. His poison drew its power from curses and after his death, he had presumably discarded his flesh to survive.

Orochi became a large, incredibly powerful curse in order to survive and in the process became an almost entirely spiritual entity. To remain in the physical world he needed energy and a lot of it considering his size. It was a stroke of fortune on his part that he managed to find such a hidden leyline but his luck had been cut short.

It took only an instant for Orochi's already unstable soul to falter, the power of Balor destabilizing his very existence. In the next moment, Orochi was gone. He had been completely absorbed by Noel and now was only one of the millions of curses that inhabited his body.

"Hey! Didn't you say he was strong?! That was boring!"

Shouting from far below Yamato's voice was easily heard, her booming voice loud enough that Noel worried about his child's hearing should Yamato be successfully stolen. As devils it was unlikely to happen but it was also unlikely for Noel to have a child so quickly so there was no telling when it came to things surrounding him.

"He was strong. Among everyone in the world, he would be ranked in the top one hundred even in his weakened state."

Teleporting back down to the ground floor Noel spoke to the disappointed oni. With his eyes of Perception, he could see Gaia's body fixing itself, the sanctuary slowly healing. It would take a number of years but with Orochi gone, it would quickly be fixed.

"Top one hundred? Then I must be in the top 10 at least!"

"Can you destroy the planet?"

Scoffing at the claim Noel looked at her in cruel amusement, his smirk taunting as always. It was Amaris who defined his two 'modes' though he didn't quite see it. His taunting smirk and his so called sexy smirk. At the moment, he was in the former.

"Huh? Of course, I can!"

Lying with all the subtly of a child Yamato looked away awkwardly and didn't look him in the eyes no matter what. It was somewhat relieving that she couldn't lie though that much had been obvious from the start.

"One of the tenth ranked beings is Amaterasu, the ruler of Japan. With her dominion over the sun, she could melt this world in the blink of an eye. Can you do that?"

The answer to Noel's question was undoubtedly no. Yamato was strong and had talent like no other but she was far from that level. She was peak high class borderline ultimate class which was a far cry from making the rankings let alone the top 10.

"..."

"Didn't think so. But I think you can make it there. If you follow me that is."

Laying out the bait Noel watched in amusement as her eyes clearly changed. She was tempted and on the brink of accepting. He just needed to reel her in and it would all be over just like that.

"Hey! If that big snake was in the top one hundred what are you? Are you in the top 10?"

Asking the big question herself Yamato willingly walked into Noel's trap. She was a girl with strength before all else and if she could get a teacher as strong as he was then she would accept in a heartbeat. It was a good deal for both sides.

"I'm Noel Asmodeus, the 94th strongest being. Well, that's officially where I am. I could probably defeat the 17th."

It would be a little tough but he'd win. After all, Noel had been preparing to fight that man for quite several years at this point. That ability of his might be a little challenging but he was confident he could circumvent it.

"17! Then I'm going to be 16!"

Proudly proclaiming such nonsense Noel could tell that Yamato would fit in well with the group of weirdos he had been gathering. Shaking his head Noel summoned his Rook piece into his hand, a curious look crossing Yamato's eyes.

"If you want to grow stronger then follow me. But you can't leave halfway through so think carefully."

Solemnly warning her it was unfortunate that his warning went right over her head as she grabbed his second Rook piece and looked at in excitement. It was clear that she had no idea what she was looking at.

Most devils would probably take advantage of this situation to trap her into following them but Noel could live without that hassle. Morgan would kill him if he did that and his mother would scold him for hours. It would be better to just do the morally correct thing.

"That can come later. For now, let's head home."

[𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡, 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫]

"What happened to it only being one time?"

Reclining on the beach with a coconut in hand, his chest bared to the world, and dark sunglasses on his face the figure of Ajuka Beelzebub was far from the usual regal sight. It was almost impressive how much he appeared to be the average middle aged man.

"Don't get petty old man. You're supposed to be the wisest among us, not the most childish."

Similarly, the third Asmodeus seemed just as unassuming as the Emerald Satan wearing nothing but swim trunks and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt. Unlike the latter though, Noel's naturally infuriatingly confident grin made him stand out a bit more.

"Your tongue is as sharp as ever. Who raised you to be like that?"

"Nobody but you and Sirzechs' arguments didn't help."

Clicking his tongue at his student's cold response Ajuka couldn't find a good way to respond so he kept his silence. The two had found themselves on the section of the Leviathan Beach dedicated to the Four Great Satans so there was nothing to interrupt them besides their peers.

"So, you're finally going to deal with him then?"

Breaking the silence Ajuka couldn't stop the sigh that escaped him, the paperwork coming up already bringing him to the brink of tears. Regardless, this had been a long time coming so he had long since made his peace with the fate that awaited him.

"Mhm. He's been fine until now but with Magnus around that'll probably change."

"That does seem to be the case. Even if he may be going against a Satan—one with authority over all military affairs at that—he shows no fear. He truly does have the makings of the greatest fool of his generation."

Nodding his head at his teacher's words, the Ashen Satan completely agreed. His target was one he had long since had his eyes on though he had done nothing to this point simply because he didn't have the ability to get away with it.

With Diodora he didn't kill the boy to limit the danger to his clan, with Riser it was a duel to the death so there was no harm, and with Alvis, there was probable cause though technically he should have reported it to the authorities to take care. Regardless, in those cases Noel had either held back or had a good reason.

But with this opponent—Gragg Forneus—there was nothing of the sort. Officially speaking, Morgan's father and brother's death had nothing to do with Gragg and was just a terrible accident. In reality, things were different but there was no proof and even if there was it was unlikely anything would be done about it. 

Morgan's mother died in the process of giving birth and Morgan's brother and father died as well leaving Gragg and Morgan as the sole inheritors of Forneus blood. In the eyes of the Council—the main authority of such matters—it was obvious who would inherit the house between a child and a grown man.

More than that, Gragg was a corrupt man who would be easy to control while Morgan was a child who would readily bankrupt her clan. Additionally, Morgan was a female. In a magical world such as their own the limitations between genders were nonexistent so it may seem like a moot point however the Council was an old fashioned group. To them, she was just a breeder.

When Morgan was 'sold' to the Purson things had been tied up nicely. Any child Morgan bore would be the head of the Purson clan and have nothing to do with the Forneus clan that Gragg led in all but name. But then Noel's greed became known.

He gathered women like nobody before him which sowed the seeds of discord. With so many women following him, children would inevitably follow. Only one could inherit the seat so what would happen to the rest? 

And then Noel became a Satan, his right to inherit his house gone in a flash leaving the Purson clan without an heir. Soon after Magnus was born which solved that problem but the rumors of Nicholas Purson and his wife's attempts at childbirth were spreading. If they had another child, Magnus would have no chance to inherit the family leaving only one option.

"He's getting anxious so I thought I'd nip it in the bud."

There was no reason to allow a threat to survive and now with his authority as military man extraordinaire Noel could easily do it. Rebellion, treason, and plenty of others could be used as an excuse so there was little reason not to.

"Fair enough. I'll help but don't you think Sirzechs would be a better fit?"

Even if he had said it to escape the paperwork Ajuka's words did have merit. Sirzechs was the head of all Domestic Affairs among the devils and this would very well fit that category whereas Ajuka had less influence in this specific field as a scientist first and foremost.

"He's busy dealing with the Council about the six, there is no point in involving him."

Even after seven months, the Council was still complaining about the rebellion of the six which left Sirzechs little time to help Noel. He would happily do it but Noel didn't want to bother the busy Crimson Satan. Additionally, it was always a bad idea to involve both Ajuka and Sirzechs.

"Ah, I nearly forgot about that. I wonder how long it'll take for him to find the traitor?"

Smiling broadly Ajuka was already preparing to taunt Sirzechs on their next meeting. A traitor among the Council was an absurd concept in theory but in reality, the Council was made up of the most politically savvy people in the Underworld. In other words, they were the most selfish and underhanded individuals. They were the most likely to be traitors in reality.

"It might not be a traitor. Nobody knows the depths of Ophis' power."

Whether it be the ability to somehow find the core of the Underworld or imperceptible hypnotism both were in the realm of possibility regarding her. She had never shown the world her power let alone just what cards she had available to her. She was the greatest mystery.

"Perhaps but that doesn't fit her. It's more likely that one of the Council members wanted to take advantage of the chaos in some way. It's actually surprising it's taking Sirzechs so long…"

Although it was quite good material it wasn't a good thing for the safety of the Underworld. He had long since become aware that this era would be one of turbulence however he didn't expect things to become so dire.

The Council was betraying them, Ophis was acting in the shadows, the Golden Dawn had been showing some odd actions as of late, and the Grigori was requesting a meeting soon. There was plenty on his plate that he didn't want to deal with.

"Maybe I should retire…"

To escape this immense workload, to avoid the infinite paperwork, and to embrace research as he so desired it would be best to retire! Noel would be the best pick as somebody he had taught from a young age but there were certainly other options! Like… like…

Did he not know anybody…?

"What's with that look on your face?"

Looking at Ajuka oddly Noel couldn't even begin to understand his teacher's expression. He seemed to be enlightened and yet the distant look on his face was one of unmistakable sorrow which was very different from Ajuka's usual slight grin.

"Nothing… just a bit of a realization."

Unlike his usual tone, Ajuka almost sounded pitiful as he comforted his student. Nodding his head in acceptance Noel stood up and stretched, the sun's rays gently caressing his skin. He wasn't sure what had happened to his teacher but he didn't particularly care either. He would be fine and if not then Noel would gladly help him.

"I'll see you soon old man. Don't wallow in your sorrows too long."

Nodding his head weakly Ajuka didn't bid his student farewell, the brief flash of light the only marking of his student's departure. Besides Noel who was there to inherit his position? Who could relieve him of this hell of paperwork?

"I… should go bother Sirzechs."

[𝐀𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞]

Leaving his depressed teacher behind Noel returned home for what felt like the first time in quite a while. Perhaps it was because he was growing emotional but even though he had been here earlier in the day he missed it immensely.

The sound of a wall crumbling was the first thing that greeted Noel, his eyes closed as he tried to calm himself down. Taking a deep breath Noel tried to ignore the second wall crumbling not far from the first. He loved his family. He loved them and did not want to bash their skulls in.

"OOOH! Look, I threw it farther!"

Shouting in pure excitement Yamato didn't seem to mind the fact that she had just destroyed a wall of a Satan's home. Officially, she was a mere guest as he had yet to make her his rook and yet she was certainly acting as though she owned the place.

Opening his eyes Noel was unsurprised to see his home a mess, the entire living room turned upside down and walls destroyed just because. If Magnus was any older it would be easy to assume it was his fault but he was only a few weeks old so that was impossible.

Luckily for Noel, the culprits were quite easy to find. With her hands on her hips, Yamato stood over the kneeling Morgan who looked at the ground in disappointment. Taking a moment to calm himself once more Noel froze them in place with his Evil Eyes of Paralyzation.

"Where is Amaris?"

Ignoring the two culprits who were still as though it would make him forget about them Noel asked the important question to the two cats playing games in the corner of the room while protected by youjutsu. Amaris was the only sensible one in the house so it was obvious she wasn't here if Morgan and Yamato were allowed to make such a mess.

"She's entertaining your dad."

Now that was surprising. Noel didn't doubt Shirone's words but Nicholas wasn't one to visit without a reason. He was a caring man but he was the very definition of logical so for him to visit unannounced was strange…

"Then I'll go meet him. You two. If you haven't cleaned this place by the time I'm back and I'm throwing you to my mother."

Leaving that threat hanging in the air Noel sparred a glance to his son who peacefully slept in the unconscious Kuroka's embrace. He was a precious child that adored attention much like his mother so he was quickly becoming adored by the group Noel had built. 

Teleporting away after a brief moment Noel stood in front of the door his father was in with Amaris awkwardly sitting inside. Perhaps he should think about increasing the range of his Evil Eyes of Far Viewing these days. He usually limited it but after the experience with Yamato, he felt like he could handle quite a bit more. Well, food for thought.

"You're here."

Upon entering the room the lazy voice of his father greeted him alongside the grateful eyes of Amaris. She didn't have anything against his father but he wasn't one to talk so it was likely they just sat in silence for however long he had been waiting.

"I am. So, what's the occasion?"

Taking a seat beside the Black Witch the Ashen Satan didn't waste time. If his father had come by it had to be something big and Noel didn't feel like wasting time if that was the case. At worst, he may have to delay his plans to deal with Gragg.

Glancing at Amaris, Nicholas made it clear that this was supposed to be a secretive conversation but a quick shake of Noel's head made it clear that wouldn't be the case. It may be a bit of a strange role but Noel had decided to follow in Sirzechs' footsteps and make Amaris something like his secretary so she had the right to be in the know.

"You can learn how to use the different eyes of our clan can't you?"

Getting straight to business Nicholas didn't even try to beat around the bush. He had the sneaking suspicion that it was the case for years but in recent times Nicholas had finally found the clue. 

Noel was careful not to reveal that he could use multiple Evil Eyes at once and since there were no outward signs of any of them it was nearly impossible to confirm. But his son had given him a valuable clue.

You see, a bit of curiosity about the other eyes was to be expected from any Purson—even Nicholas was no exception—but Noel took that to the extremes. He didn't ask about the abilities of his father's eyes, he asked about the inner workings. He wanted to know how it felt, how it changed the surroundings, how it affected the body, how energy intensive it was, and more.

"Yeah, I can."

Though Noel took quite a bit of pleasure out of the bewildered and amazed look in Amaris' eyes he kept his expression still. He trusted his father but this wasn't exactly simple information and strictly speaking, their familial bond had been broken as soon as he discarded his last name.

"And you've reached a roadblock, haven't you?"

Nodding his head at his father's question Noel was impressed with how fast his father caught on. Among the Purson clan's twelve eyes, Noel could use nine. It was an impressive number that allowed him victory in many situations but it was also the same number he could use nearly three years ago. In that regard, he hadn't improved in the slightest.

He simply couldn't understand the inner workings of the last three, he couldn't visualize their effects let alone bring them into reality. It was like a caveman trying to figure out how a car worked just by reading the manual. It couldn't be done.

"Then… you should meet that man."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hey there, Express_007 here. Hope you liked the chapter.

Finally I can introduce this character! He's going to be incredibly important to Noel's development so look forward to it! Before that though, we have to deal with Gragg Forneus which should be some sweet revenge for Morgan. Look forward to all of it!

As always, if you're interested in supporting the creation of this novel I made a patre*on. Just look up Express_007 and you should find it easily enough. You don't have to support but it'd be much appreciated.