Relaxing Tensions

Though his attacks created gravitational vortexes that ripped through the land like natural disasters, it wasn't long before Alek found himself on the backfoot against his Grandmother, Atofe. They were about equal in terms of skill and swordsmanship, astonishing Atofe quite a bit, but the disparity in their respective strength and regenerative capabilities gave her a near-absolute advantage.

As a descendant of the Immortal Demon Tribe, Alek could regenerate from virtually any injury, even having his head or heart crushed. However, while this ability was greatly envied in human societies, so much so that he had nearly been forced to become a stag, it was nothing compared to his Grandmother's regeneration. Where it took him days to recover from missing limbs and other severe injuries, Atofe took mere seconds.

After being beaten to the point that most of his armor and equipment had been destroyed, leaving him in little more than a pair of tattered pants and chausses, Alek stared blankly up at the breathtakingly beautiful night sky and remarked, "I still have a long way to go..."

Staring down at her grandson in his personalized crater, Atofe, standing proudly despite the face she was completely naked, replied, "Don't beat yourself up too much. Your father, that brat of mine, struggled to make a name for himself until he was close to two hundred years old. You've got plenty of time to surpass him."

Closing his eyes, Alek exhaled a sigh before sitting up and asking, "Can you hand me my arms? I surrender."

Though he could fight without arms, manipulating his sword with just his mind, the amount of focus it required reduced Alek's capabilities by more than 90%. He also felt uncomfortable seeing his relative's boobs bouncing around whenever they traded blows, so his motivation had dwindled quite a bit since the start of the fight.

Nodding her head, Atofe replied, "Sure." before 'extending' her arm nearly fifteen meters to retrieve Alek's left arm. Without her heavy black armor to obstruct her, she could freely stretch, bend, and contort her body in ways that others couldn't hope to emulate.

Tossing Alek his arm, Atofe took the liberty to state, "Listen, Alek. I'm not sure what you heard about Paul Greyrat, but he isn't the type to cause a disaster. If anything, he would do everything in his power to prevent it..."

While holding his tattered arm up to his stump, waiting for this flesh to mend together, Alek asked, "What do you mean...?" with a confused look on his face.

Adopting a marginally more serious expression, Atofe revealed, "That brat is currently under my 'care.' I've gotten to know him well these past three months, and, while he isn't without flaws, he's similar to your Grandfather. He genuinely cares about this world and its people, regardless of whether they're human, demon, or any other race. Also..."

Directing her gaze toward the North, Atofe's expression softened as she added, "If he possessed half the ambitions others have accused him of, he would already be the King of Asura. You know I'm incapable of lying, so believe me when I say that Paul Greyrat possesses more than enough power and authority to conquer any Kingdom. Instead, he chooses to do his best 'within' the current system, willfully bowing his head to others in order to preserve the lives of the innocent..."

Having spent ten years in Atofe's 'care,' Alek didn't doubt the veracity of his Grandmother's words. One of the core tenets of Demon society was that the strong had no need for lies and deceit, so, as the most powerful Demon Lord in existence, Atofe was well known for her honesty.

Lowering his head, Alek responded with a faint, "I see..." as he weakly balled his hand into a fist. He didn't doubt that his Grandmother was telling the truth, but Savva had already informed him of Paul's ability to 'control and manipulate' the minds of others. The thought that his family was being manipulated caused an intense flame to burn in his eyes, but he managed to suppress it by the time he raised his head, smiling as he said, "Then I'll pull back for the time being. However, should a calamity occur in the future, I will hunt him down like a dog. At that time, please do not stand in my way..."

Shrugging her shoulders, Atofe replied, "Do what you want. I've told you this before, but you should never be afraid to follow your heart. It might lead you astray at times, but so long as you pick yourself up and attempt to do better, you'll eventually reach your goals."

Extending her hand, Atofe helped Alek to his feet before turning around and spreading her wings. Before she flew off, however, she half-turned to face her grandson, advising, "If you're serious about opposing Paul in the future, you should voyage to the Dungeon at the center of the Ringus Sea. It would be best if you also recruited powerful allies, preferably others at the level of a God..."

Surprised by his Grandmother's advice, Alek questioned, "Didn't you just say he cares about the people of this world? Why would I need to gather allies...unless...?"

Rolling her eyes, Atofe turned away from Alek and stated, "It's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, you wouldn't even be able to touch Laplace at your current level. You would just get yourself and your allies killed. So, instead of getting involved in the affairs of nations that have nothing to do with you, focus on increasing your strength...understood?"

Having just been defeated, Alek decided to take his Grandmother's advice very seriously. The current Atofe wasn't even half as powerful as she was during the Laplace War. Her body had literally been split in two, half being sealed away by the Church of Milis, so he still had a ways to go before he could be considered the equal of the original North God, his Grandfather...

Lowering his head respectfully, Alek replied, "Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to follow it..."

Without turning around, Atofe gave a curt nod before spreading her wings and taking off like a rocket. She had planned to talk Alek with her, sealing him away in the Dungeon beneath the fortress, but their battle had given her the idea of using him, either as insurance or to test Paul's growth. This likely played into the hands of the shitbag behind the scenes, but if it was indeed Paul's destiny to defeat Hitogami, it didn't matter if she positioned a few obstacles in his way. If anything, it would make him stronger...

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Feeling fatigued despite his usually inexhaustible stamina, Paul allowed himself to float around listlessly while everyone else conversed nearby, enjoying the pool-sized bath.

Observing Paul from a distance, Kishirika and Kishirisu had amused smiles despite conversing with Zhongli about the castle's management. It would be some time before they announced their return to power, but that didn't mean they could afford to sit around idly. Well, they could, but only if they permitted others to act in their stead.

With Ningguang being preoccupied with her goal of founding a nation, she couldn't afford to micromanage the affairs of the Demon Continent. Trade was one thing, but even that would take years to set up due to both sides lacking the infrastructure to support a large-scale operation.

Fortunately for Ningguang, not that she was present to hear it, neither Kishirika nor Kishirisu had the expectation that someone else would solve their nation's problems. More importantly, there was no real point in trying to prosper before the defeat of Hitogami. It would just give power-hungry individuals on both sides an excuse to instigate a war.

Instead of asking for help rebuilding their nation, Kishirika and Kishirisu decided to focus on gathering resources and continuing specific avenues of Laplace's research. They would permit Ningguang to establish trade routes, but her side would be personally responsible for negotiating terms and defending their flotillas. If a war were to break out as a result of her actions, Demonkind would not participate in it, at least not in any 'official' capacity.

Simply put, Kishirika and Kishirisu had no intention of making any 'overt' actions until Hitogami had been defeated. They had learned the hard way that Hitogami would not permit any race other than humans to prosper, so while they intended to support Paul, their cooperation would be limited to supplying their essence and knowledge.

Though the terms laid out by the two Demon Empresses burdened Paul's side with supplying enough resources to rebuild an entire nation, Zhongli agreed on Ningguang's behalf. Four hundred years prior, Demonkind had helped humanity rebuild, and the only thing they received in return was a knife to the back. Many still remembered those days, so if Paul wished to unify the world, humanity or, more accurately, Ningguang would need to make concessions with each of the sovereign races.

Humans were responsible for destroying the trust of the other races, so humanity needed to be the ones to fix it. Personal interest and profits be damned...

As Kishirika, Kishirisu, and Zhongli were nearing the end of their not-so-casual conversation, Paul rose to a seated position and said, "We should pick up Shenhe and Yunyun and return to Fort Necross. I'm worried about the others."

Piggybacking Paul's words, Kishirika playfully teased, "You worry about everything." However, as she understood that Badi was likely on his way to investigate her loss of virginity, she also suggested, "Just have Fayde send you over. Now that you're the owner of this castle, you can order her to teleport you around or ask her to bring others to you. If she complains, just remind her she spent the last four hundred years sitting on her scaley ass."

As per usual, Fayde immediately appeared in response to Kishirika's brash remarks, an unamused expression on her face as she growled, "You're one to talk..."

Shifting her attention to Paul, Fayde made no attempts to hide her gaze, sizing him up with her peculiar blue and pink eyes as she asked, "Would Master like me to teleport him to Fort Necross. After you've donned some clothing, of course..."

Having bathed with countless, well, more like forty different women, Paul ignored Fayde's wayward gaze and replied, "I would appreciate it." before looking to Ei and Yae. The moment he did, the duo immediately rose from the bath, the former affirming, "I will accompany you," while the latter just giggled in amusement.

Nodding his head in approval, Paul moved to exit the bath when Kishirika suggested, "You should move those girls from Fort Necross to here. Until Badi has been dealt with, everyone you care about is in extreme danger. I wouldn't be surprised if the shitbag behind the scenes has already taken measures to manipulate him."

Though they felt a little sorry for Badi, Kishirika and Kishirisu had already decided it was best if he was sealed away. They didn't understand why, but even though Badi warned others not to trust Hitogami, the six-armed oaf regarded the false God as a friend. He was also incomparably petty, so much so that the twin Empresses could imagine him tracking down and forcing himself on every woman Paul had ever slept with, just to spite him.

Having already been warned about Badigadi multiple times, Paul nodded his head and replied, "I intend to do precisely that. Just don't go treating them like servants or attendants. The two of you might be my wives, but I'll take it personally if you try to bully or harass the people I care about..."

Rolling their eyes in nearly the same manner, Kishirika and Kishirisu briefly exchanged eye contact before the latter said, "We'll treat them well if they treat us well. However, so long as you're within this castle, you must share a bed with us before anyone else. You can invite others to accompany us; just make sure they know what to expect..."

Understanding that Kishirisu was referring to her 'collection,' Paul forced a wry smile as he replied, "I'll keep that in mind..."

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