Jake Gremory 2

Cao Cao smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Well, let's start by ripping off the bandaid, shall we?"

"The what?" Jake asked, perplexed.

"He meant that metaphorically," Jeanne chimed in, her voice filled with a touch of amusement.

They stood facing each other in the middle of the deserted park. Cao Cao, Jeanne, Georg, and Heracles formed an odd quartet, each emanating their own peculiar aura. Though Heracles appeared intimidating with his robust physique, it was Cao Cao and Jeanne who unsettled Jake the most. Georg, on the other hand, seemed like your typical know-it-all, with a face that begged to be punched.

"Alright, let's get to the point," Jake said, frustration seeping into his voice. "What do you guys want with me?"

Georg, (or Mr. Please Punch My Face) as Jake mentally labeled him, spoke up. "We want you to join us. But first, you have to realize your place."

Jake snorted, his annoyance growing. "And what exactly is my place?" he retorted, his irritation evident.

Cao Cao interrupted with a sneer. "Well, it's royalty, of course. True human royalty. If only your father hadn't tainted your bloodline with his disgusting race, then you would truly be perfect for our group. Alas, beggars can't be choosers, and I suppose he couldn't choose to be a filthy half-breed."

Jake was taken aback by the audacity of Cao Cao's backhanded remark. Despite enduring his fair share of insults as an orphan in the public school system, this was undoubtedly one of the rudest comments he had ever heard.

Jeanne chimed in before Jake could respond. "He can't help the fact that his father is a filthy devil!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

To Jake's surprise, he couldn't help but laugh. "My father was a devil? Are you guys for real?" he scoffed. "Listen, whatever cult or club you're selling, I'm not interested. I'm just gonna go." He turned around, intending to walk away from their absurdity.

However, a loud voice boomed behind him, halting his retreat. "Hey, asshole! We're not joking here. You really are a disgusting half-breed devil, and it's only because of our respect for your mother's side that we haven't dealt with you ourselves yet."

Jake spun around, his anger ignited. "What the fuck are you all talking about?" he shouted back, his frustration boiling over. "You all need some serious help. I'm not some devil; I'm just an ordinary human. You want proof? Look at this!" He yanked out a crucifix hidden beneath his shirt. "If I were some evil creature, wouldn't this burn me?"

He had been a Christian, attending church occasionally, but still, it was impressive that he could wear the crucifix unharmed.

Jeanne's voice chimed in, cheerful despite the tension. "Wow, that's impressive. It means you have inherited his abilities." She eyed his crucifix intently. "But there's something strange about that crucifix," she continued.

Georg smirked, pushing up his glasses with a single finger. "You've got a keen eye Jeanne," he said.

"Is this guy an anime character or something?" Jake thought.

That crucifix is actually a seal. I imagine it suppresses your devil side and makes you appear completely human. That's why you don't have the famed red hair of your family." Georg continued.

"Can we cut to the chase already?" Jake interjected, his patience wearing thin.

Cao Cao nodded, acknowledging Jake's frustration. "That's an excellent point," he said. "Very well, you want the truth. Go ahead, Jeanne, tell him."

Jeanne smiled cheerfully, seemingly unaffected by the tension in the air. "Sure thing," she said. "Okay, so here's the deal jake. You're not fully human. You're only half human, and your father is a devil. But not just any devil, he's the current head of the Gremory family from the Ars Goetia. And your mother, well, she wasn't just any human either..."

Jake couldn't help but interject. "Solomon, wasn't he the guy who owned 72 demons or something?" he asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

Jeanne nodded. "Yes and no," she replied. "Solomon was a real person, and he was said to be the strongest human ever. The reason for his strength was his bloodline. He didn't own 72 demons; instead, he possessed their powers! Solomon's bloodline allowed him to copy the innate bloodlines and abilities of not just devil nobility, but also all supernatural races. That includes beings such as angels and even gods. It made him one of the most powerful and feared beings in the supernatural world." She elaborated.

She continued, "Your mother, as it turns out, was a direct descendant of Solomon himself. That's why you have the ability to wear that seal crucifix without it burning you. Your half-devil body has naturally adapted to the holy power and gained an immunity. Something normally impossible for those with devil blood!"

Jake looked down at the crucifix hanging from his neck, contemplating its significance. "So, you're saying this cross is a seal?" he questioned. "But I've had it since I was born, and it's always been perfectly normal for me."

Georg smirked, directing his attention to Heracles. "Heracles, please take care of it," he commanded. Turning back to him, Georg added, "Once he does, you'll understand that everything we've said here is true."

Jeanne nodded in agreement, while Cao Cao and Georg exchanged glances of satisfaction. "And once we've completed our recruitment, we can finally leave hick this town," Jeanne stated, a hint of eagerness in her voice.

"I resent that," Jake retorted, defending his hometown. "Philly is definitely the best place I've ever lived. The people here are way nicer than in other cities I've been to."

They disregarded his comment as Heracles walked up to him, invading his personal space—how rude. Heracles reached out and grabbed his pendant, and he exclaimed, "Hey, what the hell, man? Let go!"

"Don't worry, this will be quick. Now, let's just go ahead and EXPLODE!" Heracles shouted, and there was an explosion in his hand. He was taken aback as his crucifix, which he had cherished since birth, completely disintegrated.

Cao Cao smiled and turned to Georg, the group's resident magic expert. "How long should it take for him to revert to his true form?" he asked.

"It should be pretty much instantaneous," Georg replied. "Look, it's already happening."

As soon as Heracles blew up his cross, he started feeling strange—not the good kind of strange when you successfully sneak some alcohol. "Ugh, this hurts a lot!" he exclaimed. It felt like his nerves were on fire, as if there was an uncontrollable force surging through him. And holy crap, he's actually glowing. These guys were telling the truth the whole time?!

"Just ride it out," Jeanne spoke out excitedly. "It will be over soon, and you'll stop bursting with all that magic power. Also, not bad. For someone who's been sealed for so long, your magical strength actually feels like it's near high class in power."

While Jeanne spoke, Georg furrowed his brow. "We might have a slight problem," he said.

Meanwhile, he was still writhing on the ground as his newfound magical power ran rampant inside him, causing intense pain.

"What seems to be the problem, Georg?" Cao Cao asked, his expression concerned.

"I didn't expect him to have this much magical power. In his newly awakened body that's never learned to control it, he might... explode," Georg explained.

"Oh no, that's bad. We need him alive! Do something, Georg!" Jeanne pleaded in worry.

"Oh great, I'm apparently going to explode because of these assholes. That's just perfect. Well, rip me, I guess. Sixteen was a decent number to make it to. Who am I kidding? I don't want to die," Jake muttered in frustration. "Yeah, do something, asshole!" he shouted from where he was lying on the ground. And fuck these guys, because, yeah. Also, now he's starting to glow really bright, so he feels like the whole exploding thing is going to happen sooner rather than later. Georg better hurry it up.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Georg said confidently. "My Sacred Gear, DIMENSION LOST, should easily suppress his power."

As he said that, a blackish mist shot out from Georg's body and surrounded him where he lay, still glowing like the world's edgiest disco ball. As the mist converged around him, he could feel his body locking in place. Thankfully, the overwhelming surge of magic within him began to calm down.

"See, no problem," Georg smiled. "I've got him and his magic locked in place. He should calm down pretty soon, and oh... that's not good. WHAT THE HELL!?"

He noticed the startled expressions on all their faces and soon discovered why. The black mist that was surrounding him from DIMENSION LOST was being absorbed into his body. "OW!" he cried out as his magic began to rampage once again, and he glowed brighter than ever.

"Oh crap, he absorbed the power of my DIMENSION LOST!" Georg exclaimed, while Cao Cao and Heracles also looked panicked.

"Wait, he can do that?" Jeanne shouted. "What's going to happen to him? Can he use the power of your Sacred Gear now?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Georg paused, uncertainty in his voice. "But his magic is about to blow. I suggest we all take a step back."

Jake hated this guy so much right now, he thought to himself in pain bitterly before everything went white, and he exploded...

The explosion was powerful, sending shockwaves through the deserted park. Debris scattered in all directions as the force of the blast rocked the surroundings. Cao Cao, Jeanne, Georg, and Heracles were forced to shield themselves with magic from the intense burst of energy.

When the blast finally subsided, the four members of the hero faction were shocked to see a crater 10 meters wide that had formed... and Jake was nowhere to be seen. It was the worst possible outcome for them.

Cao Cao scowled. "Damn it!" he yelled out. All of his plans had literally gone up in magical smoke. They needed Solomon's bloodline, even if it meant having a filthy half-devil tagalong.

"Is... is he dead?" Jeanne whispered, horrified that Jake had just gone boom.

Heracles burst out laughing. "Hell yeah, he's dead. Look at the size of that crater." He wasn't too worked up over a half-devil's death. He was a little upset that Cao Cao's plans were pretty much ruined at this point, though. Now they'd have to do things the hard way.

Georg's glasses were reflecting the light in a way that made it impossible to see his eyes, but a slight frown could be made out on his face. "I'm not so sure he's actually dead," he spoke out. The other three heroes perked up at this. "I mean, it did look like he absorbed some of my sacred gear's power. He might have survived..."

Cao Cao looked thoughtful at that. Heracles just chuckled, "Oh, please. Since when has your sacred gear ever caused any explosions? Let's just write the kid off and go back to our original plan."

Cao Cao sighed in angry defeat. "I suppose that's all we can do at this point. Ophis won't be happy as we've faced a major setback, but everything will work out for us in the end. For we are the hero faction who will cleanse this world of all its non-human abominations!"