The Queen and Abomination

[𝐀𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫]

When Morgan returned from her trip to her childhood home, her face was not one of glee nor of relief. On her face was what could only be described as sorrow and resignation. It was a far cry from what most devils would feel but Noel couldn't say he was surprised.

Keeping his silence Noel didn't put up any resistance when she crashed into his embrace, her tail visibly drooping. Gragg was gone, the blood soaking her body made that abundantly clear, and yet Morgan didn't feel relieved in the slightest. 

When she saw Gragg, the man who took her family from her, looking at her in abject horror it made her mind wander to a place she didn't like. Did her family feel that way when he killed them? Did they have the same fear in their eyes?

What made her any different from him? She knew he deserved it, that he would have just been spared by the council. But, just as he killed her family out of desire she killed him for the same reason? Was she truly any different than he was?

"You look horrible."

Morgan couldn't even imagine how she looked at the moment, caked in blood and bone yet on the brink of tears, and yet Noel spoke to her as he always did. It was a small thing really but… it made her feel so much better. It made her feel like a normal person again. It made her feel like she wasn't a disgusting being. But she was. No matter how calmly he spoke she was a monster.

How would her father react to her now? Her brother? The mother she had only seen paintings of? How would the Purson clan react to her once they discovered that she was nothing more than a monster?

"Wanna talk about it?"

Shaking her head in denial Morgan made her intentions clear, her embrace tightening ever so slightly as she buried her face in his chest. Talking about it would probably help but honestly she didn't feel like doing much of anything at all.

Humming curiously at her refusal Noel nevertheless kept silent, content with just running his hand up and down her back. He couldn't claim to understand why Morgan felt the way she did and he doubted he could help so instead he would just lend her some body heat for a while. If that wasn't enough then he'd have to ask for some help from Amaris or Rias.

Amaris was well accustomed to such emotional baggage and Rias was empathetic to a fault so he trusted the two of them to take care of it should it come to that. However, it was a bit shameful that he wasn't able to be there for her when she needed it.

As Cyrus so often said, Noel was a natural born murderer much like the traitorous phoenix was so Noel couldn't exactly relate to such things. His feelings on murder were similar to the time with the six so he couldn't wrap his head around it.

Just as Morgan had killed Ihaben without a shred of regret, Noel had never regretted those he murdered. He didn't believe he was enacting justice or even that he was making the right choice, he just did it because it benefited him.

Riser was a shitty man, lustful and arrogant to a fault yet unwilling to admit to his faults or learn from them. But did he deserve to die? Noel couldn't say. He killed Riser because he could and because it would be the most beneficial. He didn't put much thought behind it let alone regret it.

Noel was no paragon of justice nor was he kind, he just was. He was a person and that came with all the baggage of being one. He didn't care for right or wrong but instead for the situation around him. His peers, his family, his love interests, they were all that mattered.

He couldn't relate to the emotional girl in his embrace. He couldn't help her more than just giving her a shoulder to cry on.

[𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐬' 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫, 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧, 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫]

"Want a cookie?"

Truthfully, Noel couldn't understand how such a man had been born in his clan. It was a mystery of the ages. For somebody so extroverted to come from the taciturn Purson clan was as strange as a Gremory being born with blue hair.

Perhaps that was why Noel couldn't take his eyes of the white haired man excitedly feeding Shirone cookie after cookie. He was a famous figure, his name spread far throughout the ages, and yet Noel wished he hadn't met him.

Merlin Ambrosius, the Magus of Flowers who pioneered magic to its current heights. More specifically, he created the magical formula still utilized by humans to this day over two thousand years ago. 

He was a legend in the magical community and Noel was no exception to that. It was true that he respected Ajuka a great deal more than the magus however he still held a great deal of respect for the man. Until now that is.

As they say, never meet your heroes. Merlin Ambrosius was a scruffy man with long flowing white hair tangled into a perfect bird's nest. Though Noel and Merlin shared the same eyes the way his were filled with unadulterated glee was disturbing.

Merlin was a man famous for his ability to see all the existed in the present which he used to lead the great King Arthur to fame. He was also famous for his skill in seducing people of both genders which was inevitable led to his being imprisoned in Avalon by Morgan Le Fay.

"I hope you aren't just a crazy man now uncle."

Blandly speaking to the man who was quickly losing Noel's respect it was clear that the man was by no mean sane and yet, the intelligence in his eyes was unmistakable. Two thousand years of solitude hadn't crushed his spirits just yet.

"Well, whose to say? To begin with, what makes somebody sane? Is it normalcy or obedience, social acumen and chivalry, or maybe even madness and disregard?"

"I'm not interested in playing philosophy with you. You should be very aware of why we're here."

Ignoring the madman's words Noel got right into the heart of the subject. Though his father recommended he come it was Noel's choice to bring every one of his peerage and close allies to meet the man. His intentions were obvious for all to see.

And yet, Merlin was aware long before they even arrived in Avalon. Merlin owned the Evil Eyes of Far Viewing and had taken them to a level Noel couldn't even imagine. Though many things could be learned with effort this wasn't one of them. 

The only reason Merlin could see all things in the present is because of the absurd range of his eyes that no other Purson in history could replicate. It wasn't because of some mystical power but instead because Merlin was the longest living Purson and thus had the most amount of time to adjust to the influx of information such a range would incur.

Ignoring Amaris' pointed sigh Noel continued to examine his grand uncle. The man was centuries old and yet he seemed perfectly youthful, an oddity even for devils. Physical age remained static but the mind was vastly different. Merlin was a childish man to be sure.

"He's your uncle?"

Yamato's voice was, as always, loud and boisterous. Glancing at her it became immediately clear that she was sizing up Merlin though Noel didn't care enough to stop her. She'd learn the hard way why such a thing didn't work against mages.

Glancing outside the tower for a moment Noel was relieved to see Morgan smiling as she and the rest played in the flower fields beneath the tall tower. It wasn't quite as bright as usual but she was adapting quickly.

Shirone stayed behind due to candy, Amaris to assist him, and Yamato because she wanted to see the power of Merlin but besides that the rest were happily relaxing. It was a good thing too since they wouldn't have that chance for much longer.

"Indeed. It's nice to finally meet you, young Oni. I see your defeat at my nephew's hand hasn't lessened your confidence."

Though his words and tone were polite it was clear Merlin was looking down on her and Noel couldn't blame him. Energy grew with age and the magus had lots of it. If he continued to study magic even if barely he'd be a monster by now.

To compare, Amaris had enough energy to liken it too a swimming pool while Yamato was just barely above with Gaia's blessing. Merlin on the other hand could be likened to the ocean with depths that even Noel struggled to see through.

"Of course! I'm the King of the Beasts after all!"

Thumping a hand on her chest with pride Yamato didn't quite catch the disregard held in Merlin's eyes behind those thick glasses of his. Merlin was more kind than most but it seemed he was still a devil after all.

"Then I suppose you wouldn't be interested in fighting this guy would you? He's quite the powerful beast."

Summoning a large black cat into his hand, its furry body just a tad bit bigger than one would expect from such a creature. However, despite its odd size it seemed to be merely a normal lazy albeit fierce cat at a glance.

"It'd be a good chance to get used to your Rook piece."

Leaving those words in the air Noel ultimately didn't care what she chose to do. He wouldn't mind seeing her fight but ultimately it wasn't a huge deal. She didn't seem to take it that way though, her eyes lit ablaze with competitive spirit.

"Let's do it!"

Happily accepting the challenge Yamato found herself in an arena floating high in the sky in the blink of an eye. It was only a single snap of Merlin's fingers that caused such swift teleportation and yet Noel doubted he could do it at all. Even Ajuka may not be able to do it.

While Yamato looked around the area in excitement the cat grew larger, its black fur stretching and tangeling until it was a mass of knotted fur. The cat was a strong being, around the ultimate class, so it would be a good test dummy for Yamato.

"Woah! You can grow!"

Shouting in more excitement than fear Yamato brandished her weapon, an eager grin splitting her cheeks as she laughed endlessly. Among all Noel's peers, she was the one who loved to fight the most.

"Cath Palug is weaker than I expected."

"Mhm."

Truthfully, Noel didn't expect the small hum in agreement that came from Amaris. Shooting her a sly grin that she liked quite a bit Noel took great pleasure in the way the tips of her ears became a deep shade of vermillion.

"That may be the case for you monsters but ultimate class is not weak."

Shaking his head wryly Merlin motioned for the two to take a seat, various appliances flying through the air as tea was automatically made for them. The couch itself was odd as well, contorting to their body's shape in an uncomfortable act of kindness.

'It's horrible.'

Gazing into the pungent water Noel couldn't even pretend to like the drink. It was disgusting, a mix of muddy water and stale bread or some equally disgusting concoction but it did have its benefits. It didn't have any permanent effects but the way it highlight the way his energy traveled through his body was extremely helpful in enhancing control.

"I know why you're here but I can't help you."

That was surprising. Everything the elderly devil had shown led Noel to believe that Merlin could help him should he wish to. Even if Nicholas had recommended his help, there was still no guarantee that Merlin would help them after all.

"Why is that?"

But it would be a lie to say Noel was surprised. Even Nicholas didn't truly think it would work after all. The process of awakening the various Evil Eyes required visualization and understanding and that wasn't something that could be easily replicated.

A child who was naturally curious would awaken the Evil Eyes of Identification and one that wished for things to slow down would awaken the eyes of Paralyzation. The eyes weren't random, they came based on personal interpretation.

And that was the very thing that stopped Noel from learning the last three. All that remained were the eyes of Distortion, Tracking, and Identification and none particularly fit Noel's mindset which made learning them incredibly difficult.

Noel didn't care for tracking down prey since he preferred to let them come to him, Identification was impossible since he didn't care about random things, and Distortion didn't fit Noel's quick and clean fighting style. He simply couldn't relate himself to those types of people.

What kind of person would desire to distort the world around him? What drives him? What did they like? To learn these powers he had to learn how those who naturally awakened them thought down to the most minute detail. That was how he learned them.

All of the eyes he had awakened all revolved around the simple concept of stealth and yet the remaining three hardly did. Identification had little practical value in combat, Tracking was a waste of time, and Distortion was too obvious for his liking. He just couldn't understand.

"To put it simply, you're bad at using what you already have. Why would you learn more?"

To say Noel was bad at using them was a bit harsh but compared to the monster in front of him that may as well be the case. Noel's strength came from versatility, he wasn't particularly good at using any of his eyes. He had begun rectifying that recently but it was difficult to find opportunities to do that these days.

"And you think you can help me?"

Though Noel had no doubt that Merlin was more than capable of thinking of numerous ways to use these eyes of his he wasn't sure it would be worth anything. The best way to grow was in combat and Merlin couldn't push him.That isn't to say Noel would win but that was a different conversation entirely.

"No, I don't think I can. Combat is far from my field of expertise. But, I know somebody who can push you to your limits. Leave your friends to me and search for them."

Pushing up his glasses a blinding glint covered his eyes, his intentions hidden from even Noel's eyes. Merlin had always been a mysterious man who planned for things people weren't aware of long before it was relevant. Was this just a bit of intellectual curiosity or something more?

The answer was obvious wasn't it? Noel was no fool, he knew things were different yet the same from the show he remembered. He wasn't sure what exactly Merlin was worried about but their goals aligned so there was no point refusing.

"Sure, I'll lend them to you. But I'll be watching."

The malevolent aura emanting from his body, ushering in an age of darkness and shaking the very foundation of Avalon, was unnecessary considering Noel was threatening a mage but it didn't matter. Noel was a territorial man and he didn't want his treasured belongings touched.

"Jeez~! Calm down why don't you?"

Casually dismissing his nephew's words Merlin didn't care for the birds that flew out of his hair in a hurry. He looked fine outwardly but in reality he was every bit as fearful as those birds. A mage always had backup plans and he was no exception but he really was playing with fire. It would all be worth it in the end though. That shell of a man needed at least this much.

"Take care of them for me."

Patting his uncle on the shoulder Noel teleported away, already aware of where he was supposed to be going. Slumping down onto the coffee table as soon as his nephew was gone Merlin let out a long sigh of relief.

"Man he's scary! Are you sure he's just a kid?"

The analytical glint in Merlin's eyes worried Amaris immensely but she didn't dwell on her worries for long. Noel kept plenty of secrets even from them but that was fine for now. They'd figure them out in time. There was no need to rush.

"Really? I think he's quite adorable."

Amaris couldn't stop herself from beaming, her tone dripping with sincerity while her eyes were filled with warmth. If Merlin wasn't so adept to love he would have puked from the amount of sugar in the air.

"Scary and a womanizer… he's just like me!"

"Not in the slightest."

Shooting to his feet with renewd vigor Merlin made a claim so absurd that even Amaris couldn't stop herself from immediately shooting it down. Merlin may be strong but he was far from scary and though both were womanizers their paths were clearly different. All of them loved him dearly so they wouldn't even dream of trapping him inside a tower for all eternity.

…Right?

[𝐅𝐚𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧, 𝐓𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫]

It had taken longer than he would have liked to reach the center of the Fae Forest however considering the dense energy of his destination it was a miracle he had arrived so quickly. Just their presence made the area like a sanctuary of the yokai so if she didn't willingly allow him entry as well as flight it would have taken much longer.

"Are you the current Fae Queen?"

Speaking to the young girl kneeling before a lake with her eyes closed Noel could instinctively tell that she was awake. It wasn't anything fancy but he could feel it, the sensation of standing on a tightrope with life and death on either side. She could kill him.

The crescent moon like staff she presumably wielded was peacefully resting on the ground and yet he was sure she could grab it before he could even get a spell out. She was a monster, more so than Merlin ever could be.

"Why are you smiling?"

Holding a hand up to his mouth at her words Noel only then realized that he had indeed been sporting a wide grin. How long had it been since he met somebody actually capable of killing him? Ryrindus was perhaps the only example besides his teachers and even he had fallen when he utilized his Balance Breaker.

"Hell if I know."

Chuckling at the absurdity of it all Noel didn't even try to get rid of the smile on his face. It wouldn't leave even if he wanted it to. Instead, he focused solely on the fae queen who sat peacefully before him, her emerald eyes only slightly opened.

"Is that so?"

Those words hung in the air for a moment before two spells soared through the air, blood and flesh disintegrating as Noel's cheek was dug open by a simple yet effective silver sphere of pure mana. A magic bullet, the most basic spell of them all.

"Damn, you're good!"

Laughing in genuine excitement the fae queen didn't seem to understand anything he did, her face the definition of confusion. In that split second, Noel's blade of wind was destroyed by her mana bullet and then the latter struck him.

It was a matter of skill and finesse of course however a large part of why Noel lost that clash was because she was like Morgan. Her output was instant whereas Noel's was fast but far from instantaneous.

"Why have you come into my forest?"

Seemingly ignoring the darkness spreading from his cheek the fae held her staff toward him, a glowing white sphere floating atop it in warning. The power of that darkness was strange and she couldn't even begin to decipher it. It was like an amalgamation of all the worst parts of every pantheon's magic.

"Does it matter now?"

Truthfully, if Noel explained the reason he was here the entire battle would come to an end in an instant. It was by far the simplest way out of the predicament. But he didn't want it to end, not now anyway.

"No, I suppose not."

In an instant, the battle continued as the dense mana bullet crashed into a wall of darkness, Noel's body instantly replaced by that of the abomination of darkness that was his Balance Breaker. Even in this state, he wasn't sure he would win.

Time froze in his eyes and yet she still moved, her movements hardly impeded as she soared into the air leaving mana bullet in her wake. Dozens of white streaks decorated the air, crashing into the wall of darkness released by Noel's casual movement.

It was something hadn't tried until now but 'merging' his Balance Breaker and Evil Eyes of Absorption was a wonderful combination. In this state, his body was made of shadows so each construct he made was part of his physical body meaning he could absorb things with perfect efficiency no matter the range.

Manipulating space itself with just a thought a blade of wind manifested behind her, its size inadvertently cutting a large portion of the forest in half. It was a shame since it was a beautiful place but Noel didn't have the time to care for it.

Morphing the shape of his body dozens of holes covered his almost liquid body mere moments before dozens of mana bullets shot through it. Even though it worked flawlessly this time, he could already tell that it wouldn't work again.

He wasn't all that surprised that she was capable of casting two spells at once but it was something to worry about anyway. He wasn't sure about what her upper limit would be so he had to be wary at all times. Not that he had any other choice from the very beginning.

Waving his arm horizontally a tsunami of darkness taller than mountains rose into the air, absorbing both the earth and forest that blocked its path. Raising her staff, a large ball of flame floated atop it in the blink of an eye.

Dropping the miniature sun onto the darkness the flaming sphere imploded sending flames in all directions as a burst of heat spread through the battlefield. And yet, her breath still came out as a faint white mist.

Clenching his fists the remnants of the dark wave rose into the air as numerous large spikes fast enough to shatter the sound barrier numerous times. Flowing through the air as though it wasn't even difficult the queen avoided each spike with enough time left to look toward the suddenly cloudy skies, a slight frost chilling her arm as snow descended from the skies.

Stopping her momentum at the drop of a hat the queen conjured thick hexagonal barriers beneath her feet as she pointed her wand toward the cloudy skies. It took no longer than a second for the skies to begin twisting as the clouds began to be sucked up into some kind of reverse tornado.

Spreading his arms to the side his darkness began to grow from the earth, the entire forest seemingly becoming darkness and standing up to combat the dark clouds hanging high above them. Noel would have likened to Lucifer's rebellion but he doubted Lucifer was having this much fun.

Shooting into the air the two forces of nature clashed, the skies themselves splitting as the earth was reduced to a barren wasteland in the blink of an eye. Dust hung in the air, a gentle breeze washing it away moments later revealing the aftermath.

In the center of the wasteland was a puddle of darkness trapped in a strange cube, the queen of fae standing above it with empty eyes. She hadn't even broken a sweat and not a drop of her blood had been spilled.

"You spread yourself too thin."

The darkness that made up his body was his weapon, his only weapon, as well as his greatest shield. When he committed fully to offense his defenses became nonexistent which allowed her to capture him in the middle of their clash.

"Is that so?"

The way the puddle shifted to mimic human emotion sent a shiver down her spine, the sudden darkness of the sky alerting her that something was wrong. She had believed that he must be connected to the darkness to manipulate it. She was wrong. He wasn't a finite amount of darkness, he was all of it.

A cage of pure darkness covered the skies, the top closing completely before she could escape the trap rendering all light null. In the blink of an eye, the world had become dark and he grew infinitely stronger.

She could feel the darkness surrounding her, coiling around her body to keep her still for an attack she couldn't sense. In this cage, she was a bird without wings while he was the overseer who determined the bird's life or death.

"... I don't like that."

Accompanying her realization came a burst of light as she erupted with mana and transmuted it into pure light. It lacked the holy properties of the church's divine light however it was more than enough to push the darkness away.

It was a good move to give her a little bit of wiggle room but she was still trapped. This reckless usage of mana left her with a strict time limit before even she ran out and there was no telling what he would do in the meantime.

She could fly to the edge in an attempt to escape its range however it was difficult to say if it truly did have an 'end' to begin with. Darkness was an ever present force, eternally growing and forever thriving. That plan could be scrapped.

Pushing herself to the side with a burst of wind she narrowly avoided something, its form impossible to perceive yet the wound it left certainly existed. Even in the narrow safe land she had carved for herself, it was impossible to see.

It wasn't space manipulation like she saw earlier nor was it his ability to manipulate the flow of time. It was an odd thing that she couldn't understand, or rather she didn't understand how he had done it. Nothing had struck her and yet the end result still occurred. He was messing with cause and effect.

However, suddenly the darkness crumbled into pieces like glass as light illuminated the inner area previously unseen. Mere feet away from her the mass of darkness held a spear of pure darkness. No, it was a stretch to call it a spear.

It was much closer to a sharp stick and yet it was no less fatal than one. It was packed with so much of that accursed energy that even the queen felt as though her reserves paled in comparison but the worst of it all was the pungent scent of death emanating from it.

"Poison."

Her soft murmur was returned with an amused grin. She wasn't sure where such horrific poison originated from but it was powerful enough to permanently kill all life on Avalon for decades with only a few drops let alone the huge amount shoved into that spear.

"And here I thought I was being excessive."

The oddly distorted collaboration of voices from her opponent was filled with nigh infinite amusement even in the face of the literal black hole hovering in the air. She couldn't escape the cage so she decided to devour it all instead. It was risky but she was confident she would survive with enough energy left to continue fighting.

"Yes, yes. You two are very strong. Now please stop fighting."

The familiar whiny voice alerted her of who had destroyed the cage which even she had been incapable of doing. That was likely because her opponent forcefully enhanced its inner defenses at the cost of the exterior ones but she wasn't sure of that.

Merlin Ambrosius stood on some kind of golden cloud—another of his strange inventions to be sure—and looked at them with the fury of a Karen. Looking up at him blankly, she only remembered who he was after a few seconds.

"Teacher."

"What's wrong? We were just playing around a bit."

While her answer was still quite bland for somebody talking to their teacher it was leagues better than the smug and taunting voice of her opponent who had returned to his normal state of being at some point in time.

Were they just playing around? To a certain extent she supposed. Neither were trying their utmost and were instead gauging each other's strength though it was quickly becoming more dangerous. All together the battle had only lasted a few minutes so they hadn't become fully serious just yet.

"Well, your 'playing around' just destroyed the entirety of the Fae Forest."

In Noel's opinion, that was just pointless nagging. There was nobody in the forest besides the queen anyway so it was clear they all left at some point. All that was lost was a few thousand trees and a large portion of Avalon. That was hardly worth the nagging session.

"Anyway, wanna join my crew?"

Noel wanted her badly. Somebody as strong as her was more than welcome to join him and she would make for a great training partner. He'd have to talk to Ajuka about using the Reverse Realm for that though… Well, that was a bridge he'd cross when the time came.

"Why?"

Tilting her head curiously the silver pigtails of the fae queen dangled in the air, her green eyes looking at him in bewilderment. She truly couldn't understand what he meant. But Noel knew the glint that momentarily appeared in her eyes. She wanted to be anywhere but here and he could give her that.

"You don't have a home anymore and I want your strength."

It was a fairly simple proposition really, one that even she could understand. But she still looked a little hesitant. She didn't want to accept, to give up her duty as the fae queen. She was responsible for guarding the forest…

"Bah! What forest is there to protect now that you've both destroyed it? Just get out of here!"

Interrupting her thinking Merlin spoke with all the sass of a grandparent who wanted to kick out their freeloading granddaughter. But he was right, wasn't he? She didn't have a place to protect anymore and her people had long since abandoned her. What reason did she have to remain?

"Okay."

For the first time in over one thousand years, she decided to leave the forest.

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

Merlin's a bit of an odd one huh? How much of his actions are planned and how much of it is just random coincidence? As for the Fae Queen, we'll get a better look at her outside of combat next chapter so wait for that.

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.