Chapter 5

–Kuisha–

Life used to be hard. They were in a far better position than a majority of the Devils living in the Underworld, but they didn't have it easy. Though a large part of it was due to their own choices.

Now life was hell. Ironic considering what they were and where they lived. What made it worse was that their suffering was entirely their own fault. Mostly hers, really.

Kuisha could've… should've pretended that she was deaf or at least kept her mouth shut. She could've avoided all of this if she had done that. All she had to do was pretend that Michael didn't exist.

Of course, that wasn't really an option. Their lives would be even harder for the near future, with them barely having a moment of respite, but it would all be worth it in the end.

On the bright side, the food was superb. Disregarding its m̶i̶r̶a̶c̶u̶l̶o̶u̶s hellish effects, it tasted amazing, and they got to enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as Michael was hired as the personal chef of their peerage. Sai just threw money, resources, and whatever else he asked for without a moment's hesitation.

Michael wanted a bigger kitchen with more equipment? Done. It was remodeled and expanded in less than a day.

He wanted a gym of his own? Done. Now he had a massive underground gym with a large pool right under his house.

Money? Not an issue. Sai might not be liked by his Clan, but he was still the heir and had more than enough to throw around as he pleased. It was honestly why they could complete contracts without taking any commission for themselves since he could easily support their needs.

Ingredients to experiment with? They had visited every city in the Underworld to purchase anything that grew in their realm.

Training? Sai was more than happy to help him out and… make a new friend. Their King didn't have many of those, and she was happy to see them get along.

It took him a few days to join them since it took Michale some time to get used to the new additions to his home. Plus, he was a bit busy experimenting with all the new ingredients he now had access to. But once he did, he fit right in with their group.

"You don't often see humans that are naturally this strong," Regulus mused as they moved away from the training ground. "At least not ones that aren't reincarnated heroes."

Due to his nature, Regulus knew more about this than any one of them. Kuisha also had to agree that he was surprisingly strong. Sure, Michael looked the part, but his physical abilities were truly something else, both his speed and strength were comparable to a Mid-Class Devil's. He was like a Queen piece just without the enhanced magical capabilities.

Honestly, Kuisha had a hard time understanding how that vampire survived after attacking him. She stood absolutely no chance against him even with her Magic. The only reason she had survived was probably because Michael hadn't been aware of exactly how strong he was, now that she thought about it.

"He moves like a beast," Ladora added his own opinion.

"He does!" Regulus agreed before he jumped on the assortment of finger foods arranged on the massive table. "Though not as graceful as me."

Kuisha didn't really see it, but those two knew better than her, so she would trust their judgment. One was a legendary beast while the other could transform into a Dragon. Surely they knew what they were talking about.

"Good food, and I get to enjoy watching two juicy beefcakes duking it out? Don't mind if I do."

"Cori!" Kuisha turned towards the only other female member of their peerage.

Coriana Image.

"What?" Coriana asked while already stuffing herself with a small burger and some fries.

"Indeed, they are quite the sight," Beluga chimed in, watching at the two that stayed behind with undisguised interest.

"See? He gets it." Cori gave the Knight a nod before following his gaze.

"Of course, I do!" Beluga said with a wink before thoughtfully looking to the side. "I wonder if he'd be up for a thrust or two?"

"Probably not," Liban answered him. "Noticed him checking out Cori and Kuisha."

"Shame." Beluga shrugged, not too disappointed by that.

Kuisha shook her head and sat down in between Misteeta, who was too tired to even speak, and Gandoma, who was a quiet person by nature. She picked up a few of the finger foods that helped restore her energy before grabbing a bowl with a fruit salad.

"Oh, they are starting," Regulus piped up, causing all of them to focus on the two.

Michael was hopping on his legs and shaking his hands as he prepared for their spar, only for his body to freeze when he heard Sairaorg.

"Come! Don't hold back and give it your all! When you feel you are at your limits, clench your fists, believe in yourself, and push past them!" Sai gave him a thumbs up and smiled encouragingly at him.

Michael opened and closed his mouth a few times, but he seemed at a loss for words. He shook his head as he took a deep breath, and Kuisha noticed how his posture shifted.

"Alright then."

Michael took a step before his body shot out, reaching his opponent in a split second. He placed his foot firmly on the ground before throwing his fist right towards Sai's head. A regular human would've had a hard time even seeing his movements. Even a Low-Class Devil wouldn't be able to keep up.

Sai, however, wasn't just anyone. With just a tilt of his head, he easily avoided the punch. Michael, seemingly not disturbed by his miss, immediately followed up with a left uppercut. Sai was forced to block and catch this one with his left hand.

Having learned that punches wouldn't work, Michael swiped at Sai's head with his free hand, only for her King to catch the attack before it could reach him.

That put him in a slightly awkward spot, with his arms crossed over each other. Not a big issue for Sai as he just pulled back and twisted his hands. The force behind his simple action was enough to lift Michael and make him crazily spin in the air.

To his credit, he managed to recover, twisting his body in the air to lash out with a kick toward Sai. It was blocked, but Michael was back on his feet and continued his assault with a fury of swipes.

"Good instincts," Regulus noted.

"Relies too much on them and telegraphs his attacks," Ladora added his own opinion.

"It is still a good showing for someone who lacks fighting experience," Liban praised him.

"Mhmm." Cori was just drooling.

They continued watching the spar while idly commenting on it. Michael was going all out, doing his absolute best, but Sai was Sai. She doubted that there were many that could compete with her King when it came to physical strength and martial arts.

Sai nodded as he deflected yet another attack before finally making a move. It was just a simple straight punch that seemed to have caught Michael by surprise, though he still managed to raise his arms to block it.

Her King's eyes widened in surprise as Michael was sent flying back, his body tumbling on the ground like a skipping stone. Sai might've put a bit too much force behind that attack as he was used to sparring with Gandoma and Ladora.

Kuisha was just about to rush over to help him, but Michael stood up on his own, proving yet again that he was far stronger than a regular human.

"That fucking hurt," Michael murmured before taking a deep breath.

"Ha! That's the spirit! Push forward and never give up no matter how many times life puts you down!" Sai called out just as Michael was about to rush him again.

Their new chef paused and looked at him oddly. Sai just grinned back and gave him a thumbs up.

Kuisha wondered what exactly was going through his head at that moment.

–Michael–

Kakarot Uzumaki, is that you?

How was he not embarrassed saying all of those lines? Fuck, I felt second-hand embarrassment just from hearing his words even if I felt strangely motivated by them.

"Alright. I'm gonna go all out," I warned him as I shrugged off all distracting thoughts.

I clenched my fists as I thought how much I wanted to punch his face just once. The way he easily played with me, and my inability to even land a single hit on him fueled my rage.

Fuck! The rest of them were probably making fun of me!

My heart pumped loudly in my chest as my body was revitalized and filled with newfound energy. My Ki flared to life as I took a step forward, my foot sinking in the ground before I shot towards Sairaorg like a bullet.

I just needed to punch his stupid face once! He laughed loudly as I approached him, his Touki flaring to life to meet mine in battle.

Fueled by my rage, I was way stronger and faster than moments ago. So much that even I had trouble following my fist. A problem that Sairaorg didn't share with me since he blocked my attack just as easily as he blocked all the others.

Then he proceeded to beat my ass. Nothing worked no matter how much I raged, and I ended up sprawled on the ground, my entire body screaming in pain from the abuse I put it through.

Getting angry on demand was hard. It sure was useful though, even if it didn't really work against Sairaorg. But he was a monster, so that didn't count. It also left me terribly exhausted, and it wasn't something I could use regularly.

"That was a good fight!" Sairaorg said as he pulled me up. I just raised my eyebrow in response. Like hell it was!

"It really was," he insisted. "And I'm sure you will get better in no time at all."

"If you say so," I murmured back.

"You just have to believe in yourself and never give up," he continued with his Talk-no-Jutsu.

I just stayed quiet because it was fucking working!

We walked over to where the rest of his peerage was sitting. They praised me for my performance and even gave me some tips on what I should work on. Those guys knew what they were talking about, so I listened to them as I stuffed myself with my food.

They really weren't what I imagined Devils to be. They were just so… human-like? Both in appearance and the way they acted. The only difference was the monstrous power they all wielded.

Honestly, I was a bit tempted and considered accepting Sairaorg's offer to join his peerage. There were plenty of benefits of being a Devil. Like, immortality and an intuitive Magic system based on imagination. Those were the two that interested me the most.

It really was an enticing offer, but I wanted to remain human for the time being and see how far I could reach. Probably very far, considering all the things I had going for myself at the moment.

Even if I don't get anything else from the Grimoire–which I doubted–my Ki and Cooking Magic should be enough to push me to Ultimate-Class with enough time. Of course, it wouldn't be easy, and I would have to train hard for it, but that only served to motivate me to try my best…

Fuck. Sairaorg had clearly already infected me with his main character energy.

I perked up as they started discussing their plans for the future. Apparently there was some tournament for young Devils in about six months, so they would all start focusing on training in preparation with the exception of Misteeta, Ladora, and Gandoma since those three had yet to be promoted to Mid-Class.

Ladora needed to complete just a few dozen contracts before he was eligible to take the required test to be promoted. That surprised me because he looked like he was the oldest, but I learned that he had a bit of trouble forming deals due to his arrogance.

I don't even blame him. I'd also be arrogant if I could turn into a freaking Dragon on demand! I was jealous of this, I could admit as much.

Misteeta was the youngest, but he didn't have that much trouble making deals. He was only behind the rest due to his age and was already catching up with how quickly he was completing contracts.

Gandoma was the one that struggled the most due to his appearance. He looked like the Thing from Fantastic Four, just not as rocky and with gray skin.

Gandoma Image. 

"Hey," I called out to him.

"Hmm?" Gandoma curiously looked at me.

"Do you have a flier of your own?

"I do," he replied, his voice deep and rumbly.

"Give it over," I said and noticed that everyone was now looking at me. "I can't play couch co-op games on my own, now can I? I need a second player for that."

Gandoma stared at me for a moment before nodding his head. "Thanks."

They were a good bunch, so I didn't mind helping out. And, hey! The smiles I got from the girls were very encouraging!