One-Punch DxD: NEO - Chapter 81: Alfheim
“It is good to see you all again in good health.” Rossweisse greeted as she exchanged handshakes with the leaders.
When the Valkyrie shook hands with Saitama, however, nobody missed the faint pink blush adorning her cheeks and how her smile widened by a fraction.
The assembled team this time composed of Sirzechs and his Peerage, his Rooks included – Bahamut and Surtr the Second have recovered via Phoenix Tears and Asia’s healing powers.
Souji was a man in his late twenties – He wears the traditional Shisengumi uniform, which consists of a light blue haori and hakama over a kimono, with a white tasuki crossed over the chest and tied in the back, preventing the sleeves of the kimono, trimmed with light mountain stripes, from interfering with moving the arms.
McGregor Matthers, the Bishop, was skinnier than Issei expected for a man in his late twenties. Sharp eyes and long, wavy hair of black and blond mixed, eyes that were like literal slits gave him the air of a bewitching magician of the satanic arts, accompanied by his crimson robe and eerie cultist aura.
Bahamut could only be described as a massive golden catfish, scales glittering with a shine that almost rivaled that of Gold’s golden metal skin. His sharp eyes were like rubies, and his size was currently as tall as Sirzechs, but his face was a bit carnivorous, with fangs as vicious as that of a dragon’s by comparison.
In human form, Surtr The Second, not the actual Surtr, but a clone, was a large man in his mid-thirties, with orange hair combed in spikes. He was so large, each of his hands could hold the head of the average man entirely. For some reason, he carried a magical bottle of alcohol with him, tied to his belt by a red rope.
Enku was a Red Qilin, with the head of an eastern dragon, horns of a deer, the body of a horse, but with scales instead of fur.
For the legendary Beowulf (descendant), he looked average and unimposing in his business suit for an ancient man in his mid-twenties.
Vali and his team, Arthur, Bikou, Kuroka, and Le Fay.
Issei with Kiyome standing side by side, Azazel standing behind them, and Rover panting next to Issei’s legs. Asia also joined as their key support and healer, with Griselda volunteering as an additional guard.
Azazel was also present – standing with a somewhat excited look on his face.
Behind Rossweisse stood a young man in his 20s, clad in an Icelandic nobility attire. His skin was slightly tanned, with his auburn-yellow hair styled in dreadlocks. His face was adorned with a visor covering his eyes, metallic glass of beige.
“Huh. What’s with the eyewear, Heimdall?” Saitama asked.
The new arrival, Heimdall, chuckled, “I tried to seek out the elusive enemy you call GOD… He almost took my eyeballs out of my sockets when my gaze landed on him.”
“Oh, shit.” Saitama remarked – despite his casual tone, he winced at the idea.
“I am recovering as we speak. In time, I might be able to see again with the blessing of Yggdrasil. This visor is to help me see while healing the damage. Conventional healing magic will not work on this. But let me welcome you to Salusbury Plains.”
There were several pathways to the other realms that could take from Midgard – being the nexus point connecting to the other nine realms, the one realm of the most conventional traffic.
The route to Alfheim was, ironically, located in certain plains in England.
They were at Stonehedge, monoliths of prehistoric, eroded stone piled around the nexus point on a green, grassy field that stretched as far as the eye could see,l where they could see the setting sun in the orange horizon without obstruction.
The world’s greatest mystery was already solved with the majority not in the know.
“The elves of Alfheim do not like unwanted visitors. They have barred this path from the other side, but with your uncanny power that can punch through the gates of Oblivion, we should be able to… brute force through this path. Theoretically.” Rossweisse explained with a hint of amusement.
“Huh. You sure you don’t need me to help you more than this, Sirzechs?” Saitama turned to Sirzechs, who was standing with his Peerage in the back.
“It is improper for a husband to rely on another man to save his wife. Especially if said Husband is the most powerful Devil in the Underworld,” Sirzechs quipped jokingly.
Saitama gave a soft snort before holding out his hand, “…Don’t die out there.”
“I won’t.” Sirzechs nodded as he shook Saitama’s hand.
Saitama smiled as he turned to Rossweisse and Heimdall, “Alright, show me what to punch. We’re ready.”
“Hah! Still can’t believe I miss hearing your casualness. You will fit right in the grand halls of Valhalla.” Heimdall offered.
“Nah. While I like the food and drinks, it’s not a good place to raise a kid. Plus my wife would kill me if we move out of her home,” Saitama waved off.
“Please do not let that stop you from visiting with your family. She might fit in as well,” Heimdall smiled as he raised his hand at the center of Stonehenge.
Asgardian magic flared to life, runes of Norse sigils circling around Stonehenge.
From the center, a green portal yawned into existence, yet everyone could feel the obstruction.
“The portal is opened, but the wards of Alfheim are preventing us from entering. Not even Odin could force it down as it channels the energy of Alfheim itself to keep outsiders at bay, but… show us your might, o’ Strongest Man.” Heimdall chuckled as he gestured to the portal.
“Don’t accidentally punch a Black Hole, dad!” Issei shouted from the sidelines.
Saitama waved his son off as he walked to the portal.
“Alright, let’s see…” Saitama inspected the portal casually. He squinted at the light green portal to the fae realm of Yggdrasil as he knocked on the portal.
There was something hard, illuminating ripples reacting to his touch like a pond reacting to a stone dropped into the waters, only more solid.
“…Okay.” Saitama inhaled as slid his left foot back, his right elbow rearing as his fingers clenched, nails digging into his red glove.
The Strongest Man punched, and something broke.
They heard something shatter, like glass, but with the sound of the thickest timber of wood snapping in twain as the portal leaked druidic energies, looking as if the portal was spitting green dragonfire at Saitama.
Sirzechs and his peerage took flight in response as the energies enveloped the land behind them.
All that the energies of Alfheim touched, new life sprang. Everything the greed flame-like energy touched, life grew. Grass turned into bushes, into trees, foliages and leaves, flowers of gleaming petals bloomed.
Facing the portal was a forest of another realm making its mark, trees of vibrant colors of blue and red reaching nearly as tall as a skyscraper claiming a cone of midgard soil, yellow bark and blue leaves with flowers blooming on the trunk, a beauty never before seen on Midgard.
“Wow… This is incredible.” Kiyome commented at the sight, walking over to the radiation-grown forest grown over a conical patch of land.
Sirzechs and the others landed beside Kiyome as they approached the new growth.
“This is like Garou blessing the Underworld…” Sirzechs compared.
“The energies of Alfheim are rich with druidic power,” Rossweisse explained. “This is the result of a realm’s energies, the lifeblood of Alfheim mingling with Midgardian life… Although I must admit, the amount of life energy is even more abundant compared to my last visit.”
Rover waddled away from Ise’s side towards a cluster of flowers. He raised a leg… and leaked onto the newly grown flora.
Not long after, the said flora suddenly grew longer, its leaves becoming bigger and swatted Rover away.
Yip!
Rover rolled back to Asia’s feet, on his back, blinking in confusion.
“…The leaf just slapped the Dog,” Beowulf commented.
“Of course it did. Plants in Alfheim are more vigorous than any realm, even Vanaheim.” Rossweisse smiled.
“Anyways, thank you, Saitama… Saitama?” Rossweisse stared at the spot where Saitama once stood.
He was not there. Everyone noticed the absence of the baldy.
“…Dad? This is not the time to play hide and seek, y’know.” Issei called out hoping that Saitama was playing a prank on them.
Everyone was starting to become nervous when there was not a single retort. Rover started sniffing the grass for his long time friend. He whined and rubbed his nose with his paws.
“Heimdall? Can you see Saitama anywhere?”
The overseer quickly tapped into his powers. While his vision was impaired, he could still cover at least several miles radius.
“…My impaired eyes cannot find him. Don’t tell me… Hahahahaha! Well, how unlucky.”
XoX
When Saitama finished getting rid of the last piece of wood latching on his face and body, he blinked when he realized that he was standing in a completely different place.
On the contrary of the lush greenery he stood on previously, everywhere around him now was white, frozen tundra, with the sky completely covered with stormy clouds and chilling winds.
“…Eh?”
XoX
“…Should we be worried?” Azazel asked.
“Nah. It’s dad. He’ll be fine,” Issei assured.
“But what if he gets lost between realms with no way back?” Rossweisse asked.
“I say he’ll probably just punch his way back, literally speaking,” Vali chimed with the most likely answer.
“What he said. Dad has a way of coming back on his own, although he has a track record of being late as hell,” Issei conceded.
“But what if this GOD senses that he is no longer here to defend Midgard?” Heimdall pointed out.
Heimdall’s question got everyone to pause on their tracks. Uncomfortable silence washed over them, as they exchanged glances.
“…Then all hell’s gonna break loose.” Issei could only reply. “Alright, change of plans. Save Grayfia ASAP and then find that baldy ASAGDAP.”
“There is literally nothing in the realms as powerful as Saitama, correct?” Heimdall asked.
“…There might be one,” Azazel said. “The revered Demon God of the Underworld. But the Hero Faction has him… and there is nothing we can do to find them.”
“Alright, can we scrap together a search party?” Issei asked.
“I can arrange one after escorting you to Alfheim. My brothers and nephews are willing to help, if it is for a rematch,” Heimdall chuckled.
“You fought dad, too?” Issei asked.
“Helheim, I saw my defeat a realm away the moment I saw Thor slapped Ginnungagap,” Heimdall shook his head. “But then my brothers jeered me into doing it.”
“He slapped you, didn’t he?”
“Right into the mouth of the mounted giant head in Valhalla. We laughed for days.” Heimdall replied with a wistful smile.
“I hate to interrupt the fun talk, but I’d like for us to move on. We have a Queen to find, after all.” Sirzechs politely interrupted.
“Very well. Simply step into the portal. It should be stable enough to not send you to wherever Saitama ended up. If we’re lucky, we’ll find him in Alfheim.” Heimdall nodded.
There was a disturbance in the land, in the air.
Within the luscious bright forest of Alfheim, Djall sensed it, the influx of energy in the air as he turned from his meal, his kill.
A giant white stag with horns spread as wide as the widest branches, blood and entrails still on his lips and in his teeth, the corpse laid still..
Djall stood up, leaving his meal as he looked around and sniffed the air. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air more a few times, before his eyes snapped open.
He recalled Euclid’s instruction to notify him of anything on his wanderings around Alfheim, and not to disturb the natives of this realm too much in his hunts.
Something he could handle. But he was never one to listen. His skin swiftly absorbed all of the blood on him, not a single red smear left as he broke into a mad dash.
His human form was shed as his leaned forward, hands running with his feet as he transformed, fingers melding from five to three, thick, taloned, arms and legs becoming digitigrade as he transformed into a quadrupedal monstrous wolf, armored with dragon-like scales as his three eyes looked forward.
The forest was a large maze of branches, vines, and leaves, branches of trees as wide as roads, jaggedly connecting to the other trees above, leaves fighting for sunlight above, tangles of blue vines draping down like overgrown hair.
The beasts around were gone already, fled the moment they caught his scent.
Talons latched onto the bark, he jumped from the trunk to the branch, running across it before he leapt to another branch, then caught a vine with his teeth and swung.
Landing onto another path, which spiraled deeper into the foliage, Djall ran within said spiral, following the path, before he jumped out to another tree, then stopped as he sensed newcomers.
Immediately, his epidermis changed color, blending in with this blue and magenta forest, lights of shrooms and glowing alien insects flicking in and out as his eyes caught sight of the natives riding in a herd.
He heard one of them shouting in a strange tongue he never heard of.
But he could sense their intent so vividly.
Distress.
Panic.
Fear.
Concern.
They were riding deer, large ones, with horns branched into sharp, spear-like ends, like the one he just killed and devoured.
One of them shouted, a female, asking about the corpse of the animal he killed. They saw his work, and he learned from them that they were sacred in a sense.
“…Ah, they are hunting for me.” Djall remarked aloud as he followed them.
Their weapons looked like they were naturally grown, or perhaps they weaved the shape of the weapons through their growth, magical blades and bows.
He was curious about them as his eyes zoomed in and examined the leader.
This one and the few closest to her were different, he could sense, from the rest of following them. He could smell it in their blood.
Then he noticed something else as his gaze shifted to behind them…
He could see them. They were hiding in the shadows, using the shadows to travel as their vehicle, but he could see them. His sight was more evolved than theirs, and he could see the brown-skinned ones with pointy ears wrapped in dark leather and insectoid armor.
He could almost taste what the dark elves had become, they could hide nothing from him when they chose that path. He grinned as he chased after them, the elves taking his curiosity just as much.
They were a pack of their own, trampling the luscious grass of dark green as they entered the plains, heading towards another landscape.
If Djall had to describe it, it was like nature grew its own portal.
Standing above a large cluster of foreign trees and alien plants, there was a tree much taller than the rest. No hands sculpted or shaped the semicircular structure that was the portal attached to the basis of the titanic growth.
The skin was rough, bark still intact, and the center of the arch exploded with swirling energies Djall had never experienced in terms of richness and age.
He nearly stopped when several new presences emerged from the wooden gate of Realms.
He sensed it, that same feeling…
It was not like the feeling from the dark-skinned ones hiding in the shadows. He hastened his pace, running ahead of the elves while still invisible. Wings sprouted as he took flight, flying overhead, the land now beneath his gaze as he soared.
And there she was, the female that caught his attention. There was something about her that stirred his essence.
…There was another one.
They emerged one after another. He could see the one with long, flowing crimson hair, armored regal attire of the weak flesh ‘Nobles’ with the insignia of the ‘Gremory’ line of meats as Rizevim ingrained Devil history into him.
This one, he had plans.
The growing one with the flaming figure was there as was the giant fish. So they recovered… Djall already relayed Orochi on improving the intensity of his breath attack.
There was one…
One of the Black wings.
He could tell at first glance, yet there was something more significant about this one unlike Saraquael and the others.
There were two others, both female and with yellow hair… the taller one exudes some kind of tension while…
Djall slowed himself when he saw the smaller one… his heart seemed to calm down at the sight of her. Her presence was familiar yet… it was like she had changed.
He perched atop of the grand gate as he watched the scene unfold when the elves caught up.
XoX
Kiyome twitched as she perked her head.
“Something wrong?” Issei asked the moment they stepped into the foreign realm.
“…Is it just me, or does anyone feel like we are being watched?” Kiyome replied while looking at her surroundings. “Rather, I feel like…. Everything around us is watching, it’s weird.” She ended with a small shiver.
Issei and others looked around at the dense foliage around them.
They stood at the front of the wooden portal. A path of bark led down to the thicket of trees, leaves of dark blue dotting their sights with shimmering glimpses of light blue blossoms hidden within.
“Nya, it’s probably the sheer amount of life energy in this place overloading our senses.” Kuroka remarked, “Even I feel the plantations around us to feel more…. Alive, nya.”
Issei had to agree, he had been to lots of forests and jungles before, but none of them was as alive as this one. Even now, he felt like the tall trees around him were literally observing him.
“As enchanting and mystical this place is, I need to remind you again that our purpose here is not sight-seeing.” Sirzechs commented with graced patience.
As much as he wanted to rescue his Queen as soon as possible, he also understood the youngsters could not help but to be captivated by the land of elves.
The Search and Rescue team (possibly Destroy as well), began to march on two fronts – one group would trek through the trees and foliage of the dense Alfheim forest, while the rest who could fly would took to the air above the trees for recon, while maintaining regular communication, to ensure they did not get lost in the woods.
After around an hour of trekking, everyone was gathering in the small clearing for a small break, as well as regular check-in of their current position.
Azazel, Sirzechs, Griselda and Rossweisse were reading over the map the latter brought along, while the rest were either taking a break or on perimeter duty.
“Bahamut and Enku reported several signatures closing in on the perimeter. But the signatures then withdrew not long after,” Sirzechs said.
“I believe the elves have noticed our intrusion. They might’ve retreated because they were intimidated by the size of our group, and probably will return with reinforcements to confront us soon enough.” Rossweisse replied.
“I think everyone here knows this, but we are not here to pick a fight with them, alright? You can leave the talking to Sirzechs and I here.” Azazel chimed in.
“I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t we bring Serafall Leviathan?” Griselda raised her hand, “Considering she is your Chief of Foreign Affairs, I believe she will be more suitable for this venture.”
Sirzechs sighed, albeit he gave Griselda an understanding look, “As much as we’d like to bring Serafall with us. But currently she has to help in dealing with the aftermath from the bioterrorism wrought by Euclid. While there had been no casualties among the VIPs from outside pantheons, there were still complaints and questions from several gods from Greece, Takamagahara and Mt. Sumeru, that could not be ignored.”
Not far from the adults – Issei, Asia, Kiyome, and Vali team were sitting together on nearby rocks and logs, having quick snacks and drinks with Rover sitting on guard next to Issei.
“…We’re being watched.” Bikou remarked while licking his fingers after finishing his banana.
“Tell us something we didn’t know, Bikou.” Vali replied with a dry tone, “Though… Whoever’s watching us is not too bad. So far I can tell there are quite a lot of them, but I can’t really tell their numbers. What about you, Kuroka?”
“Sorry, nya – their location is a bit too far for me to pin-point them. These elves are almost blending with nature itself.”
“Do you think they are not pleased with us intruding all of sudden?” Le Fay could not help but ask, as she clutched her staff in her hands.
“It won’t be surprising.” Arthur shrugged with a matter-of-fact tone, “But it’s not like we are here to antagonize them. I heard that the elves might be xenophobic, but can still be touched with reason. Worst we get from them are cold-shoulders if we play our cards right.”
“Say, I heard the legends say that your ancestor made contact with elves and fairies before.” Issei suddenly spoke to Arthur, “Do you think they will recognize you?”
The Pendragons blinked at the question before their expressions grew interested, “I nearly forgot about that aspect of lore.” Arthur replied with a small smile, “But I don’t know if our bloodline history will move them. The legends of Arthur and the elves are vague.”
More small talks were exchanged, especially between Kiyome and Asia as the former asked the latter about how a certain Imoogi was doing. Rassei poked out of Asia’s hair and played with Kiyome to her delight, Kiyome squealing while tickling the cute baby dragon.
Eventually, Issei stood up from his seat.
“Ise? Where are you going?” Asia asked.
“Nature calls. I won’t be long.” Issei replied before he turned to Rover, “Bark for me when everyone’s ready to move, okay?”
The dog replied with an affirmative bark.
Issei then walked away not too far, but deep enough that the woods would cover him doing his business. While doing his business on a random tree, Issei chose to spend his time by taking in his nature-rich surroundings. The smell and atmosphere were more calming than he expected – if he were to be honest, he would not mind coming around again for a picnic or something.
Have you ever come here before, Ddraig?
[A few times a long time ago. This really feels nostalgic. Even from all the way in this Boosted Gear, I can sense the rich natural energy permeating the very air around us.]
Anything you can tell me about the elves?
[A stuck-up bunch who values their culture and tradition. Although the younger ones can be quite curious and adventurous. I remember seeing a bunch of young elves stalking me for days, thinking that they can brag about stealing a scale from me or something, before I scared them off.]
Once he finished putting his pants on, Issei finally noticed the sound of running water a small distance away. Glancing back at the path where he came from, he shrugged – a quick sightseeing won’t hurt.
It did not take a minute until Issei came into a large body of river, and he had to admit – the sight of the purest-looking water he had ever seen, flowing in moderate speed was breathtaking. He came closer towards the water, knelt down and scoop the water with his hands, before he took a sip from it.
“…Wow.” Issei felt revitalized before he splashed the water to his face.
However, he was lost in the refreshing feeling that he was too late to notice that he was not alone in that river.
Across the river, nearly out of Issei’s periphery – There was a humanoid with pointy ears and a face that rivaled the beauty of the Devils back home.
Her pale, yet creamy skin was glistened with river water, reflecting the sunshine, almost radiant even like a shining jewel of the forest. Her eyes were the most gorgeous of sapphires, her hair was like silk, woven from the purest silver.
And she was looking him in the eyes… And Issei witnessed a beautiful elf in her birthday suit.
Just like most of Motohama’s and Matsuda’s cliche romance anime collection.
“Uhhhhh…”
He was interrupted by her sudden scream.
KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
She even reacted like the girls in said anime, covering her ample, pretty breasts and shrieking at the highest pitch.
“…Shit.” He knew how this would go…
What he did not expect was the elf aiming both palms at him and charging her elf magic.
He squinted as he switched to arcane vision to analyze the magic, something he almost always relied on.
The magical flow was different… slightly in regards to how the magic circles function. The sigils belong to the fae line of magics, less formula and more accessing the elements around them to instigate supernatural phenomena in a sense? It looked like there was room for improvement.
In his perspective, she was slow enough for him to take leisure analyzing her magic.
As for the elf’s perspective, she immediately launched a blast of freezing rays at the strange foreigner she carelessly let close in real time.
An explosion of steam rose upon impact, the warmth in the air stolen by the spell.
However, the steam quickly faded.
“Easy, easy… I’m not here to harm you.”
Issei brushed off the attack as he evaporated the water in his clothes with his pyromancy.
“Ira!” The elf shouted at him in a tongue he could not recognize as she fired more magic at him.
Lightning and ice seemed to be her strengths. Issei casually deflected the spells with the back of his one hand.
Ever since his Dark Half returned to him, he felt more attuned to himself better than ever. He could sense the flow of the elf’s power. The flow gave different colors and scents depending what kind of spell she was casting. For ice magic, the flow gave out bluish-white color with a tinge of frost all over.
It was interesting, but he should get this over with before the elf instigated a further misunderstanding.
Before she could have thrown another spell, Issei swiftly closed the distance in a blink and grabbed her wrists, cutting a path through the river as he proceeded to dominate the flow.
He got this idea from Rizevim and decided to apply a derivation of it as he smirked and let go of the elf.
“Ira, keighmon!” The elf shouted and shoved her palm to his face.
However, confusion wracked her when her magic failed to leave her wrists and blast his head off.
“Huh, it’s working.” Issei looked relieved as the elf looked at her hands.
Issei then regarded the elf’s face. She was confused beyond belief.
She threw her palm at Issei’s face again and again, trying to blast his head off, only to be even more confused.
Mortified by the implication, the elf raised her knee to ram into his groin, but to her surprise, Issei deflected her critical attack with his knee, pushing it aside.
“…That’s not cool, you know that right?”
She grimaced as she looked left and right in apprehension. She let out another war-cry and tried to punch him, but Issei caught her fist. Then he caught her other fist.
“Issei!” Asia called out as she arrived first with Rover dutifully following her, “We’ve heard loud noises from where you disappeared to-!?”
Asia froze at the sight of Issei holding a very naked woman by her hands, with one of her legs trapped with his own. Rover, being no wiser, simply panted on spot and letting out occasional barks.
Soon, the others also arrived – Sirzechs and his peerage, followed by Rossweisse, Azazel, Griselda and Vali team.
“Ise! Asia! What is going…. Oh.”
Asia was a blushing mess, Kiyome who came after was perplexed by the development. Sirzechs and his peerage were a mix of awkwardness and amusement. Griselda herself was looking with raised eyebrows, while Rossweisse was also looking mortified. The Pendragon siblings, however – Arthur was looking calm as ever, while Le Fay was cupping her mouth with both hands.
Meanwhile, Azazel, Vali, Kuroka and Bikou were the only ones who looked as if their birthdays came early.
“…I didn’t plan this.” Issei called out as he released the woman before they could laugh at his compromising position and retreated a step, but just as he did, more presences made themselves known; this time it was from the other side of the river.
“Nisu!”
Emerging from the other side of the river was a pack of elves – men and women with arrows notched back on their bows, ready to be fired.
Bows were more like vines and roots spiraled around each other, pulled into the shape of a bow with the string seemingly growing from one end to the other.
The few at the vanguard looked noble, light silk and gleaming, silvery plated robes with more illustrious bows made of metal and light-beige stone, spiral-tipped silver arrows aimed at Issei.
The tension increased when Rover immediately grew himself to his combat mode – startling the elves that they nearly fired their arrows by accident.
Rossweisse then decided to regain her bearings and stepped forward, raising her hands up in a disarming manner.
[We come in peace, oh respectful protectors of this land! I come as a representative of Asgard and Midgard!]
The elves blinked, surprised to hear their native language coming from her.
“…I can’t understand them…” Sirzechs noticed.
“Yeah, I expected this.” Azazel agreed.
“…I thought devils and angels like us can understand any language?” Vali wondered.
[Languages outside of Midgard do not count towards the Universal Translation system governed by the Gods of Literature and Language.]
Albion explained from the Divine Dividing.
Everyone then watched the elves muttering and whispering to each other. Then the elf that was naked before quickly clothed herself and shouted something at her kin – it appeared she had become sound enough in mind as the elves slowly lowered their bows and arrows, albeit they kept their eyes on them and their arrows remained on their bowstrings, ready to be notched and released.
Then Rossweisse slowly crossed the river and approached the elf-lady who appeared to be in charge of the squad. The Valkyrie shot a quick dirty look at Issei, who winced, before she proceeded to exchange some words with the elf.
There were two kinds of elves mixed into the group.
While there were elves like the previously-naked elf girl, there were elves with a shade of green in their hair, their clothes also fashioned in the pattern of green.
Issei slowly returned to his group, backing away from the water.
He felt a tug on the hem of his shirt. He looked down, seeing Asia’s teary eyes.
“…It’s not what it looks like.” Issei defended himself.
“Really?” Vali asked with a slight grin.
“Shut it. I just encountered her by accident, okay? She screamed and started throwing magic at me before I could explain myself. Honestly, I was in a position where I would be labeled a lecher no matter what I did, so I said, fuck it.”
Rossweisse returned with the leading woman of the high elves.
She was taller, much more regal than the lady in the river, a more noble look, kind of like Griselda but sharper… a different kind of beauty with a touch of warrior.
“My name is Sefinia, I speak Midgardian, or at least, one of the derivatives of the language of your kind before the sundering of Babylon.” The high elf spoke in Latin.
Following behind her was the same elf girl, albeit she wore clothes this time. She was glaring at Issei.
Issei smiled awkwardly.
“Princess Ikala also wants to see that human hanged for assaulting her.”
His smile dropped.
“I did NOT assault her, we have a language barrier, and she threw magic at me before I could explain myself!” Issei shouted back at her in Latin.
The elf quirked a brow before she turned to ‘Ikala’ as they exchanged dialogue.
“…Nice Latin.” Azazel praised.
“Not perfect though…” Issei replied.
Issei listened to completely foreign words… yet he could pick up on the words the more they talk. Somehow, he could tell that the two elves in front of him were discussing the defense he had. The younger elf he ran into earlier said some degrading stuff about him being a deviant, that he should be held responsible for molesting her.
Issei held back a grimace – not that he did not understand the elf’s grievance, but he stood by his point.
At the very least, he more or less could understand that the taller elf was trying to instill some reasons.
Issei then blinked – how come could he more or less understand the words spoken between those elves? He did not make out every detail, but he somehow could make out the rough outline of their dialogue.
He then overheard more words exchanged between the elves – did the younger one just address the noble-looking one, ‘mother’?
No, not mother, a simple connotation with the meaning of mother, but different.
Issei scratched his head.
“…Ah, she meant mentor…” He muttered to himself.
“Princess Ikala demands to know what you did to her. She claims that you have done something to seal her magic.” Sephinia asked.
[I blocked the flow of her internal magic, what do you think?]
Issei then spoke elven-tongue on instinct. Garnering some looks from those nearby. Even Issei also blinked in surprise at himself.
“…You speak our language.” Sephinia remarked, albeit her tone had hints of confusion.
“…Ah… I’m trying to piece together your words… Did I get it right?” Issei asked.
The rest of others – Rossweisse in particular, stared at Issei dumbfounded. Macgregor slowly approached the boy with curiosity.
“My boy, Alfheim dialect is heavily restricted, even rarer than Adamic.” Matthers explained. “And you pieced together the elven tongue so fluently like breathing… I am… I am beyond envious. Damn, I wish to be free from God’s Curse more than ever now, what I could achieve with this much freedom.”
Ikala approached Issei. She pointed her finger at him and shouted at him in elven language.
“Are you always this pigheadedly obnoxious?” Issei asked back in elven.
“Obnoxious?! You came to me… when I’m… naked!”
“Where I come from, we have the common sense not to bathe out in the open, or strangers will stumble upon you by accident. Are you so sheltered not to understand that common sense? And you wouldn’t stop trying to kill me with magic, and I’m not some commoner you can just punish without consequence or a bootlicker. Get this into your head.” Issei returned just as strong.
“W-well, you are in our home now! So it’s only expected that you respect our customs! That also doesn’t change the fact that you’ve seen me naked and have to take responsibility!” Ikala refused to back down.
“And what are your customs? There’s no such thing as people suddenly knowing everything about how your people live when they enter your land,” Issei asked.
The elf princess was looking at a loss of words for retort for a second, “You… I… You should’ve studied!”
In return, Issei simply gave a flat stare, “Really? That’s what you came up with?”
Sefinia placed her hand on Ikala’s shoulder, “Please calm down, princess. Remember that you are representing our kin to outsiders. You are embarrassing yourself at this rate.”
Ikala only grumbled with a flustered face before she settled with a huff and looked away.
The elf commander then returned to address Issei and others, “…But that still doesn’t explain your presence in our realm. Why are you here? What is with your band? And… and…” Sefinia’s eyes glazed over Issei’s companions.
“…A winged one from God that keeps trying to spread his infectious religion… A descendant of the mad Lucifer…” Sefinia squinted her eyes at Azazel and Sirzechs.
“How can you tell?” Issei asked.
“I’ve lived through many years, boy. I know by their auras… But two of the angels are…. Peculiar. Their light…” Sefinia’s eyes darted between Griselda and Asia – albeit her eyes lingered longer at the latter.
“We’ll explain later.” Issei interrupted, placing a calming hand on the nervous Asia’s shoulder.
“…And what is she, the one with the brown hair?” Sefinia asked, looking at Kiyome.
Issei exchanged glances at Kiyome – both were unsure of what to say in return until the former replied, “…Human.”
“No, no, it can’t be… What is she, truly? She… Her presence reeks of the Wentara,” Sefinia asked as she placed her hand on her sword pommel.
Issei automatically stepped in between Sefinia and Kiyome – who also looked ready to act, “Okay, okay, calm down; we just finally came to a compromise from one problem, let’s not escalate another, shall we? I can assure you she’s trustworthy. Her name is Kiyome Abe, by the way.” Issei replied in a placating manner, “…Actually, what do you mean by ‘The Wentara?'”
“A great beast that prowls the forests, a ravenous beast. The forest whispers of how it prowls the land, how it adapts and hunts the kin of the Wood Elves… and how it eludes even the eyes of Alfheim.”
Sefinia eyed Kiyome for a moment before she sighed and released her hand from her sword.
“But I will trust you since your group defies my ‘common sense.'”
On cue, Rossweisse stepped in once again, “I apologize, but please, we should take our conversation elsewhere while tensions are still calm.” While the tension did not escalate, both sides were still high-strung at one another.
Sefinia and Ikala exchanged another glance, before the latter eventually nodded. The former then stepped aside and addressed Rossweisse.
“…Please follow us. We would like to report this meeting to our leaders first, however. I trust you and your comrades will be on your best behavior?”
“We are. We are not here to invade or do harm.” Azazel spoke for them.
The elf commander eyed the fallen and the rest of the group before replying, “Hmmm… Your group is definitely the strangest I’ve seen… follow me.”
Their capital in Alfheim was called Andlang.
In myth, it was rumored to be a layer of heaven between Asgard, the first layer, and Vidblain, the third layer in heaven, rumored to be the shelter where souls that survived Ragnarok go.
It was a beautiful place carved from moonstone and marble, a shining floating silver city that encapsulated the very beauty of fantasy, so large that it could cover an island or so.
“Waaaahhhhh…” Asia, riding Rover with Issei, Griselda, Azazel, Rossweisse, and Kiyome, could only gaze upon the shining structure with wonder.
“Oh, wow…” Issei muttered as he stared at the giant pillar of light flying towards the heavens from the center of said giant floating city.
“This is where the high elves live, Issei. Andlang, the heaven of Alfheim.” Rossweisse explained.
Sirzechs and his Peerage were flying above the dog carrying his friends at full size.
Vali and his group were flying beside Rover, mostly to chat.
The elves around them constantly glanced back at Rover, taken aback by his alien presence as they whispered to each other.
“What is that thing?”
“It is a canine… I think? Is it?”
“It has six eyes. It is clearly unnatural.”
“But the others treat it as a comrade…”
“But it’s so…”
“Hush.” Sefinia hissed at her subordinates.
Issei caught sight of something he did not expect to see in the land of the Elves.
Creatures flew around the skies, roaring.
“Dragons?” Issei muttered.
They were not like the dragons of Midgard. Most of them were graceful, bearing the theme of the forest dragons, green and armored in wood.
“Midgard isn’t the only realm with Dragons. There are Fire Dragons almost exclusive in Muspelheim, Ice dragons of great might in Nifelheim, sometimes even Spirit Dragons in Helheim.”
“Are there any Heavenly Class Dragons in those realms?” Vali asked.
“Maybe. Dragons are solitary creatures. There might be another Ddraig and Albion in each realm, hiding in caves, never revealing themselves to the world because they never found a good partner to fight,” Rossweisse mused to herself.
“Reminds me that Ddraig is actually a bum,” Issei remarked.
[…I shall allow myself to fall to your level and say this: Fuck you.]
Issei merely chortled at Ddraig’s retort in his mind.
Kiyome giggled until she perked again. She looked behind her in reflex.
“…Is something the matter?” Griselda asked calmly.
Kiyome switched her visions, X-Ray, Thermal, Arcane, Echolocation. There was nothing there except the presence of her comrades.
“…Maybe it’s just my imagination.”
Her sights failed to notice that their stalker was following them under Rover, slithering seamlessly, gracefully avoiding Rover’s steps in its serpentine movement, Djall eyeing the elves with growing curiosity while being wary of the dark elves following them in the shadows.
It was a simple trick, in Djall’s opinion, hiding in shadows. Something he copied and hid under the dog’s nose… he could have just hid under the creature while hiding from all of the five senses.
But it was a fun trick. He liked it. He should tail the dark elves after this to find out more.
Djall hissed like a serpent while watching them travel to the floating city… it was a strange structure that was like the base he was born in, but less… confining? He could not put it into words.
Were they going to fly up there?
He waited, listening to the chatter from time to time.
The one known as Sirzechs Gremory… his presence was proof that Euclid was getting overconfident.
Djall did not know this ‘Azazel’ more than hearsay from the others.
The girl that resonated with him was called Kiyome… Kiyome…
The name aroused irritation for some reason. At first? Then it turned into longing. He had no idea why her presence aroused such conflicting emotions. Either way, the elven group was accompanied by a flying platform of moonstone, carried in defiance of gravity via magic.
It carried the elves and the others who could not fly up into the city. Djall noticed something and jumped out of the shadows, hiding under the canine’s fur, sticking to it.
The Dark Elves abandoned pursuit. They did not follow him onto the levitating platform… as expected.
There was an enchantment meant to deter shadow magic. Djall just happened to not trigger it in time. He waited until they reached the checkpoint where everyone was onto the plaza, a statue of a high elf in illustrious clothes, most likely someone important.
The elves sent a representative to greet the newcomers and decided that they wait in the royal Palace of Eternal Light.
Djall wondered if he could sneak in there and observe the elves further…
One way to find out.
Within the throne room of the Palace of Eternal Light, Issei and the others were before a being of matriarchal beauty.
This one was different compared to the rest of the High Elves as she had wings of pure luminescence spread from her back while seated on the silver, sculpted throne.
Her attire was silken silver and gold, her presence like the sun of Alfheim, but more gentle, warm, not burning.
Her skin glowed like the purest moonlight, as if she was born from the moon itself, her eyes like crystal gems, her face a beauty that was comparable to the likes of archangel Gabriel.
Honestly, it surprised Issei that the Queen was more attractive than the daughter, if what he heard about Ikala being a princess was correct.
“…Sirzechs Lucifer. Azazel of the Grigori. Two of the most prominent leaders of the fallen Christianity graced my palace, standing side by side… without shedding a drop of blood… despite the miserable history of your creations… How much do you know, Sirzechs of Lucifer?”
“…I know more than enough about my ancestor’s sins to know how vile Lucifer was.” Sirzechs admitted.
“Hmmm…” the Queen hummed before she closed her eyes, then a small smile graced her lips, “I am Titania Ljósálfar. Queen of the High Elves, or Light elves if you prefer. You have gone to great lengths coming here, breaching the portal to Midgard, the main portal to Midgard we barred with the power of Alfheim… How did you get through it?”
“If I may.” Rossweisse then stepped forward, placing her hand on her chest in respect, “It is a pleasure to see you again, your highness Titania. I beseeched Lord Odin and Lord Heimdall to assist these people to travel to your domain. The Asgard are willing to be held responsible for this endeavor.”
The moon-glowing Queen turned her attention to Rossweisse, “Assistant of Odin. What reason do the brutes of Asgard want with our realm? I believe it’s still at least decades away before your regular visit per our last agreement.”
“We are not here to fight or invade your realm, your Highness.” Azazel stepped forward. “We arrive to root out a potential threat hiding in your realm. Have you heard of the Khaos Brigade?”
“Yes. A conglomeration of past mistakes trying to overtake the present… how do you know that a branch of this vile band is here? When the trees of Alfheim see all?”
Sirzechs presented the blood jewel; he willed it to react to Grayfia’s presence.
The jewel shone a brilliant crimson as it rotated suddenly, twisted back and forth in cycles by an invisible force before it stopped to face southwest.
“And that is…? Titania raised one of her eyebrows at the jewel.
“Lady Titania… My wife was kidnapped a couple of days ago..” Sirzechs began. “This pendant was crafted for us to help in tracking her, and it indicates that she and possibly her kidnappers are residing somewhere in Alfheim. I would greatly appreciate it if you allow us some freedom to look for her. We then shall leave you and your domain in peace once we find her.”
“To come all your way here for the sake of love, I suppose I respect that notion.” Titania commented, her eyes also gained a tinge of sympathy.
The High Elf Queen then sported a contemplative look, placing her delicate fingers on her chin in deep thought.
“Before I give my final verdict, there are a few things that need to be addressed.” Titania then replied, “Am I correct to assume that you people are aware about our…. Dispute with the dark elves?”
The leaders exchanged glances before Azazel replied, “Yeah, we are. What about it?” If Azazel were to pull a limb here, he would guess that the high-elves would ask them to help them deal with the dark elves in return for cooperation.
“Some time ago, there had been…. Changes, on the dark elves’ side.” Titania explained, “To tell you the truth, you are not the first group who had intruded upon the Alfheim.”
“…And who are they to be exact?” Sirzechs requested.
“We do not know. We only know them to be outsiders living somewhere where the eyes of nature cannot see them.” Titania shook her head.
“We learned from interrogating a Dark Elf we captured. One that can survive without critical internal organs… and even decapitation. She escaped by reattaching her head while we thought she was dead. She speaks in insults, swearing that the day will come for us and they will surpass us through unnatural ways. And then came the Wentara…”
She wrapped her fingers against the throne.
“I don’t know why but the Wood Elves spoke that the Wentara has a relation with the Dark Elves’ power. We tried to hunt for it but it was too fast. Too perceptive…”
“Stjarna…” Azazel muttered.
Titania apparently caught the muttering, “Oh? I assume you know of this character? Stjarna, is it?”
“It’s… complicated… Let’s just say that we have history with that thing.” Azazel grimaced.
“…It fed on the animals within the lands of the Wood Elves. It ate one of each creature, be it insect, hare, mare… now a sacred stag. Our cousins value their relationship with the creatures within, and the outside predator continues to evade and hunt with profane proficiency. We do not know how it behaves, or how it functions, only that it has a desire to consume and prey. Perhaps we can come to an agreement since you are here with a formidable force and knowledge that we do not have.”
“Agreeable. Since we do not know the land… and we need to know what Euclid Lucifuge did to the Dark Elves because it sounds like he is enhancing them with Trihexa Cells. But I don’t think I ever heard of someone that ate one surviving decapitation, honestly…” Azazel remarked.
Titania took in the information she caught, “So Euclid Lucifuge, is it? And pardon me, did you just say Trihexa, as in the Beast of Apocalypse? How does that creature have anything to do with all this?”
“Khaos Brigade is in possession of its corpse. They were using it as a farm of sorts, creative mutagenic cells we call Trihexa Cells that imbue anything that consumes it with a portion of the Beast’s power… Stjarna is the Trihexa’s son, created accidentally when the corpse was injected with the holy blood of Jesus of Nazareth.” Azazel explained.
Titania took a deep breath as she massaged the bridge of her nose, feeling overwhelmed by new information, “Forgive me, but I’d like for you to explain further in depth. To begin with, you mentioned Trihexa’s corpse. Were you implying the beast of that caliber died before? Did we mishear about your Heavenly Father having sealed that creature away?”
“We are not sure how it died, but it did meet its demise at some point after our Father sealed it. Which is a blessing, actually… until Rizevim made it our bane by turning the corpse into a limitless natural resource.”
“Explain about this Son of the Trihexa and Jesus Christ… by the Light, it sounds absurd when I say it, like it’s from some demented child’s imagination. Despite how horrifying that notion is…” It was the first time they heard the queen joke.
Azazel snickered, “…Then I suggest you make yourself comfortable, milady. Because this is gonna take a while to cover.”
Titania then proceeded to listen to the history of the creature known as Djall in the present day.
XoX
“By the Light….”
The queen and the guards in her court sounded mortified when they heard about the creature’s history, both apocalyptic and tragic.
“And this creature is on our land, sampling the life of Alfheim as appetizers.” She shook her head, “…Is this a creature that we could eliminate if there is no other way?”
“That question will enrage some of my friends, but… I don’t think so. I don’t know how powerful he has become, and he is extremely hard to kill anyways.”
“…I must apologize for my initial reaction. I thought that this creature would be the Beast’s greatest successor… but… It seems that there is a light of hope for him… Very well. We will aid you as long as you aid us in this matter. A good mutual exchange without need for contracts of such painstaking detail, trust in the spirit of the agreement. Do you accept this term?” She asked.
“I do.” Sirzechs replied with a brief smile, “I’d also like to apologize for this inconvenience. We cannot waste too much time either.”
“You seem to have an idea on how to find your wife. I can bestow you a guide and some of my forces to aid your scouting party. As for the rest…” Titania’s eyes then gave a certain gleam, with her smile twitched a tad wider, “I heard that one of you molested my daughter in the lake.”
On cue, everyone’s eyes darted towards Issei who winced and made sure to look anywhere but at the Elf Queen.
Titania’s face then gained a tinge of mischievous expression when the woman rose from her throne and clicked her crystal white high heel pumps down the podium..Some of his friends were either looking at him with concern, curiosity or amusement when the beauty approached Issei and leaned forward, eyeing him face to face.
“What is your name, boy?”
Issei glanced at Titania, who still had a serene smile on her face, “…Issei Hyoudou, ma’am.”
“So are you the one who molested my daughter when she was cleansing herself in the river?”
Vali and Azazel spittled at that accusation, the first clutching his stomach with laughter.
Issei closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “It was pure coincidence. Before I could explain myself, she screamed and tried to blast me apart with all the magic power she could muster. I didn’t do anything to her other than defending myself.” He then looked up and met the queen’s gaze with his own.
Titania stared right at Issei’s orbs for a few seconds before she slightly snorted, “I must say, I believe you…. And you are one fascinating young man.”
Issei blinked when Titania’s eyes appraised him from up to down.
“I… uh…”
“Your aura… it is unique. It shines with such refined purity, and yet I can’t decide to call it clean or… distorted.…”
Meanwhile, Asia had her inner alarm blaring in her mind, while Griselda found herself frowning a bit.
“Did you know… that only those that can match and surpass a member of the Royal Family, in the same age group, or younger than said member, have the right to be a part of the family?”
Issei blinked some more again, “…No? Sorry, what are we on about? You are starting to lose me.”
“You are the first to embarrass my little girl since so long… and because of that…”
She giggled as Issei understood the implication.
Then Titania backed away before heading out, “Well, that is enough teasing from this old lady for now. Would you all mind joining me for supper? A small celebration for our alliance, as unorthodox as it is. We can discuss our next move afterwards.”
Issei could not blink at the sudden mood-shift, he glanced at the others – Asia, Kiyome and Griselda were giving him sort-of judgmental looks, while the others were either shrugging or grinning at him before they proceeded to go after the Elf Queen, escorted by the guards.
So the Queen made an alliance to deal with Euclid’s meddling in Alfheim affairs.
In the kitchen of the Palace, Djall hummed as he proceeded to sample the meats there. The chefs… were drooling on the floor, poisoned, while Djall threw every food his fingers could take into his mouth.
Berries of dazzling colors, the exotic-looking fishes and some kind of potato carrot thing. He decided to try the vegetables since he was here, trying to find the appeal of eating those strange organic matter.
It was not like chewing on an explosion of flavor, the rush of the prey’s essence pouring onto his tongue with every bite.
The taste of the plants… it does not fulfill him as much, though the flavor changes the longer he chews. The only redeeming quality of this brand was the sauce. It went well with the cured meats.
He should try ‘cooking’ next time.
While chewing the stolen goods, he was watching and listening via a small fly drone he made, something Psykos liked to use to spy on others.
[Young master! Young master Djall! Answer me! Where are you?! Why are you outside too long?!]
“…Busy.”
Next he tried some mushrooms. He threw a strong noodly one of colorful red into his mouth and chewed. The texture was soft and chewy, too.
“Oh…. Spicy.” Djall hummed, liking the shrooms as he swallowed.
[Haaaaah. Please come back home. We are not in friendly territory. It will be trouble if you are discovered.]
“You’re tracking me somehow, aren’t you?” Djall heard a surprised stammer from Euclid. “I’m not a fool. I know how you think, uncle. Also, I’m busy with something interesting.”
[What could be so interesting for you to stay in High Elf territory?!]
“Sampling High Elf… wine?”
Djall spotted an open cabinet full of bottles. He could smell the alcohol, the same grade of alcohol his parents like to drink.
Curious, Djall swiped a bottle of what looked to be some kind of alcohol his parents like to drink. He uncorked the cap with his teeth and downed the bottle of the finest elven wine.
The acrid taste was not something he was used to… it was poisonous? It was not nourishing or fulfilling in any way.
Djall blinked as he removed the bottle from his lips, “Why in the world do you people want to drink this poison?”
[You’ll understand when you’re older…]
“I’m still an infant and I understand better than most.”
What was the point? Djall could not understand. The taste was… overcompensating for something.
“So? How’s it?”
“Weird, bitter, unappetizing…!”
Djall blinked, before he immediately threw the half-full bottle at the source of the voice.
Something caught the bottle in midair.
“Hey, hey! Titania loves this brand! It’s bad to waste good wine, silly!”
The figure revealed itself.
Djall was perplexed.
It was the first time something got past his senses…
And it was a small, childlike thing with pointy ears. He bore a similar regal feel like the queen. Hair that was a tad darker than the elves Djall had seen previously, but what truly distinguished his appearance was a pair of small antlers peeking from his locks that was tied in a messy ponytail.
And the Dark Elf was speaking in English, even though Djall made tremendous progress in deciphering the elven language from listening alone.
The boy then brought the bottle to his lips and downed the content… only to suddenly spit it out on the first gulp before tossing the bottle away with a cringed expression, “Ugh, this wine’s taste like piss…”
Didn’t he just say not to waste good wine himself?
Now serious, Djall scuttled back like a cockroach, all limbs on the floor, and hissed at the unknown creature like a viper.
“Whoa whoa, hey hey. I’m not gonna hurt you. You’re here to raid the kitchen too, aren’t you?”
Djall clicked his throat and tilted his head, “…Perhaps.”
“Cool! I never had a raiding buddy before!” The child smiled. “Hey, want to try what I like when I go snacking?”
Djall was not sure what this creature was doing. It sounded sincere… but there was something suspicious about this child. If this thing was even a child to begin with.
“…Sure.”
He was not sure if this child was an invader or not, even though he reeks of elf blood. This one was not a ‘High Elf.’
He smelled more like a wood elf… yet different. He decided to play along since he sensed no hostility or ill-intent.
“Sweet! I know a place you might like!” The child flew towards him and grabbed his hand, then pulled him towards the massive freezer storage where the rest of the food was.
For some reason, Djall couldn’t break into that place, layered with a thick slab of stone covered with runes. Djall could break in, but he didn’t want to cause noise. He just couldn’t unlock the door, and it required a special trigger of sorts.
Djall did not want to waste time deciphering the code.
“Oh, it seems she upgraded the lock… Oh, well!”
The child hummed as he placed his hand on the door.
Whatever the child did, the runes on the door turned around, like the tumblers of a lock falling into place, the door hummed and radiated blue before it automatically slid aside with a grumbling tone.
Djall hummed, impressed that the boy managed to solve it. He memorized how he did it for future use, rearranging the runic nodes within a specific pattern before tricking the magical lock by mimicking the magical signature of another.
The same concept must be used to trick his senses. Djall licked his lips when he saw the treasure behind the vault door. It was a spacious cold room full of frozen, preserved goodies. Especially the rows and rows of giant fishes on the shelves.
Djall immediately reached out for one.
But the child shoved something else into his fingers. It was a strange, tube-like plant, colored orange.
Djall stared at it for a moment before turning to the child, seeing his hopeful smile.
It just looked so… expectant of him to do the right thing. A way that he couldn’t refuse even if wanted.
Silently, he placed the strange vegetable into his mouth and bit a section off.
“So, how’s the Marsolch?!” The boy asked with a smile as Djall slowly chewed the strange ‘Marsolch’.
“…Cold.” Djall slowly swallowed. “The flavor… hmmmm. It is better than the other vegetables others tried to force down my throat. But that’s it. Not as good as meat.”
“Too much meat isn’t good for you.” The child frowned at him.
“Meat is more appetizing.”
“No, it’s not!”
“I ate many meats and compared them to vegetables, I can say yes, yes it is.” Djall argued back.
“Well, then whoever cooked for you sucks and knows jack about cooking,” the boy huffed with a pout.
“I don’t understand why you, weak flesh, like to eat vegetables.”
“Don’t call others ‘weak flesh!’ You won’t make friends that way!”
“Friends?” Djall quirked a brow.
“Yes! Friends! You know, people you can depend on? That you can live your life with?”
“…I have one that can be considered a friend. I think?” Djall tilted his head. “But he is more of a servant now that I think about it… though it is a better fate than what he had before.”
“Oh? What’s his name?”
“Lerneus and Orochi.”
“…So you have two friends?”
“They became one.” Djall answered. “You will not understand unless you know what it is like to be in a Hive Mind.”
“Oh, I think I do actually. Besides, you should eat your veggies! They’re full of vitamins and nutrients, and energy like Popeye said! It can make you strong!” The boy said while flexing his weak child arms.
Djall could not deny that since he knew about the benefits of vegetables. “…Err… Popeye?”
“What, you don’t know Popeye?” the boy blinked before pity filled his expression, “You poor fool. Where have you been living? Rather, how old are you, even?”
“Months,” Djall answered.
“…Months?”
“Months. I am not even a year old yet. An infant,” Djall answered.
The boy stared at him. Djall could imagine the shock that the child was enduring at the realization that he was speaking to someone much, much younger than him.
“What in the world is taking so long?!”
The sound of the kitchen doors slammed open accompanied the impatient voice of the elven princess as Djall heard.
“You slackers are taking too long… long… Wait, who told you to sleep on the job?!”
“Oops, it’s time to go. Wait, how long will the poison last?” the child asked.
“…Eh.” Djall placed his hand into his mouth.
The child looked disturbed when Djall pulled out a braid of organic spheres out of his mouth, fluids covered in a thin, translucent membrane of unknown organic material, grown from the string of flesh like fruit, and handed it to the child.
“Feed this to them. It will cure them of their ‘malaise.'”
“Oh, thanks.” the boy accepted the organic spheres and watched Djall back into a shadow at the corner.
Then, a young elf lady stepped in and her eyes met with the boys, “…Father? What are you doing here? The chefs… Wait, did you poison the chefs?! Did you go that far just so you can steal food again?!”
“Whoa, whoa! That’s uncalled for, to accuse your King of such an atrocity, Ikala-chan! Just to let you know, it was someone else and that culprit just gave me the cure! The chefs will be fine.” the boy – who was apparently a ‘king’, retorted in the Elven tongue with a pout while holding out the organic spheres.
Ikala blinked as she digested her father’s words, “…Wait, so you ran into the culprit?! Where are they now!? Are you alright?!”
The boy simply shrugged while walking past the elf princess, “Eh, he just went out after we talked and shared some desserts in the storage. Poor kid never tasted a real vegetable dish, and he even never watched the greatness of Popeye the Sailorman! Real heartbreaker there, I tell you.”
Ikala blinked more before her body began to tremble with leaking rage, “…Please allow me to summarize what I heard – You walked into the kitchen and found the chefs already poisoned and immobilized, and not only you ran into the culprit – instead of apprehending them or even calling for help, you gave him our food and let him get away!?”
“Nope. I’ve been tracking the culprit since he started killing the animals in the Great Forest, and followed him here.” the boy merely retorted while he shoved each organic sphere into each immobile chef’s mouth.
Ikala blinked rapidly at the response.
“…He is the Wentara. Your dad is not just a slacker, you know? I’ve been trying to understand what we’re dealing with… and he is much more dangerous than I can imagine.” The boy then stood up once he confirmed that the chefs had swallowed the cure.
“The Went-… It’s here?! You should have at least told mother sooner! You are Oberon, our king, for the Light’s sake!” Ikala protested.
“Well…..” the boy – Oberon, gave a sheepish look, ” He is just too fascinating. I mean, I saw how he snuck onto Andlang. He copied the Dark Elves’ shadow-swim technique at first glance. And he somehow knew that our castle would repel anyone hiding in the shadows and hid under that giant dog. He could’ve done anything in the castle, raid the treasury, assassinate the royal family, but he jumped into the kitchen for food! How funny is that?!.”
Oberon broke into childish laughter while knowing that Djall was watching them in the room, though he wasn’t sure if the creature understood their language.
“Ugh, I’ve wasted too much time here.” Ikala exhaled harshly before she turned around, “Please return to the throne room, or at least talk to mother about this! I will alert the guards!”
“Stay safe! Daddy loves you~!” Oberon waved at the retreating back of her daughter, then he looked around while stretching his body, “Hmm….. I wonder if I should say hello to the other guests now?”
They sat around a long, lavish wooden table, fancifully carved and glossy smooth, smoother than the finest marble.
The Queen and Sirzechs sat at the widths, both face to face as they chewed. Issei and the others sat the lengths, side by side, though Issei sat closest to the Queen.
There was a large window with a great view of Andlang, the splendor of the city shining in light.
Despite the poor first impression – Titania was pleased that there had been no hostility during the entire course of the dinner. The elves serving under her might still be wary about outsiders, but at least they were willing to trust her decision about hosting them.
“I hope Alfheim cuisine is to your liking.” Titania decided to start a light conversation to break the ice. “In truth, we are sorry that we cannot provide more for you with this short notice.”
Sirzechs tapped his lips with a napkin before replying, “Please, no need to trouble yourself, Queen Titania. We are already grateful enough that you are willing to help us in our quest. The dishes your people have presented us have been as exotic as the tales say.”
“Oh, yeah. Almost forgot.” Issei took a drink before addressing the elf queen, “By any chance, did any of your people happen to see a… certain bald man with a plain face wandering around in the forest?” Issei asked.
Everyone realized that they almost forgot about Saitama.
The elves blinked at the question, but when Titania was about to reply, she spotted her daughter stepping into the dining hall, “Hello, Ikala dear! Any news from the kitchen about the desserts?”
Ikala arrived by her mother’s side with grace and professional mien, “Pardon me, mother. But we have a situation.”
“Yes?”
Ikala approached Titania and whispered into her ears.
Her expression then grew concerned.
“Is this true?”
“You know how Father is…”
Titania sighed, “…At least he’s finally doing something.”
“Pardon my intrusion! My queen, princess, a situation has occurred outside the palace!” An elven guard barged into the palace.
“You may speak.” Titania nodded.
“It is unconfirmed, but we have spotted intruders outside the Palace! Dark Elves! They have-”
His sentence did not finish. The window leading into the dinner table shattered as a shadowy figure descended into the building.
Issei could see the intruder in slow motion. This one was female, clad in leather and insectoid black armor, a graceful beauty with dark-brown chocolate skin, thigh high black high heel boots and gloves wearing her with such eerie grace that it was mesmerizing.
It was like seeing the beauty of shadows dance in physical form… and that dark elf had a blowpipe held to her lips as she blew into it.
A dart immediately flew towards the Queen, needlethin, bone-crafted.
Issei grabbed a pea and flicked it with his thumb, knocking the projectile off course as it struck her chair instead.
The dark elf blinked in surprise at her failed attempt, but she soon recovered and somersaulted over the dinner table in her landing as more dark elves entered through the grand window.
Landing all around the guests and the Royal Family.
From behind the Queen, a dark blade appeared and plunged into the Queen’s neck.
However, the tip was repulsed, a magical barrier covering Titania’s skin revealed itself and repelled the invisible assassin to the ball, the dark elf melding into existence with a face of irritation.
“D-Dark Elf Assassins!” The guard shouted before a knife emerged from his throat.
Melting into existence was another dark elf, followed by a group of them.
The rest of the table immediately took action and raised from their seats.
“…Invisibility…” Kiyome uttered, realizing that technique they used.
It was not magical in nature.
The dark elf threw the corpse of the guard aside before aiming her blade at the Queen Titania.
“I don’t know how you noticed us…” The rest of the dark elves then brandished their weapons, “But today is the day you and your kin die, wench.”
To be Continued…
Omake – Millicas’ Observation Journal Case 3: Akeno Himejima
“…Excuse me, but may I hear your request one more time?” Akeno asked her client.
Her client was a CEO of some big-shot company, a man with slicked brown hair in a suit.
Issei and Millicas were with Akeno, in the man’s office, the pale moon peeking into the window wall from a high angle.
“I need your help in dealing with a dangerous transaction I am having. They just arrived in Kuoh from overseas. I understand that you want not to touch this dangerous world, but they are currently rumored to be under new management. Supernatural management.”
Akeno grimaced.
“Waaaahhh…. Shady criminal dealings.” Millicas said with wonder.
“…And you can’t reschedule it the next day?” Akeno asked.
“I cannot, unfortunately. It seems that fortune is against you to bring a child into this… he can stay here if you wish.”
“No! I want to come, too!” Millicas objected. “I can fight!”
“Look, Millicas… You are supposed to observe me work, but I am afraid this one might not be suitable for a newbie…” Akeno attempted to placate Millicas.
“But I can fight! I even have proven I have what it takes to participate in Rating Games! I can do this!” Millicas persisted.
Akeno then decided to play hard as her eyes hardened, unwilling to put her young charge in unnecessary danger, “Millicas-!”
However, before the situation could escalate, Issei placed a hand on Akeno’s shoulder, giving her a quick calming look before Issei turned to the CEO, “…Before we proceed, anything you can tell us about the other party? Like their name, or their leader?”
The CEO glanced at Millicas and sighed.
“…Their leader is Lundun. We are about to seal the negotiations on paper in front of their organization’s representatives. A deal made in blood.”
“Lundun…” Issei muttered the name before a small smile appeared on his lips, then he turned to his two companions.
“Akeno, I think we can bring Millicas for this one.”
Akeno blinked, “Eh?”
Millicas on the other hand, was beaming, “Really?!”
“If Lundun is who I think he is, then I think we can go… Remember that time we fought the Chinese Triad while rooting out the corruption of the Church?”
Akeno nodded.
“Yeah, we might meet the scorpion man again. Let’s see how he’s doing after all this time.”
XoX
They waited by the warehouse…
It did not take long for Issei, Akeno and Millicas to change their clothes – per the client’s request; apparently the meeting required an appropriate dress code as stated by the other involved party.
Issei was clad in a simple yet immaculate black and white suit, with Millicas wearing a similar attire, only his slacks were replaced by knee-length shorts. Akeno was now clad in an elegant dress that hugged her frame nicely with one slit on her left thigh, complete with a pair of heels.
They were then instructed to secure the meeting venue and they were waiting for the client to arrive. Ironically, it was the same warehouse that Issei infiltrated with Irina and Xenovia, the base of Binbougami himself.
“This is like one movie I watched with Gasper-senpai…” Millicas commented giddily.
“Ah, I wasn’t with you when you joined Gasper last time. How did it go?” Issei asked.
“Gasper-senpai was so cool with computers! He’s like, he’s like that super smart guy in the chair in spy movies! He also promised to teach me some stuff about computer later too.” Milliacs gushed.
Giggling in amusement, Akeno finally spoke up, “Well, this has turned out to be an unusual job…” Akeno remarked as she glanced down at her appearance, before she turned to whisper to the young man next to her, “Ise, are you sure this is going to be okay? I don’t mean to pressure you, but we have the son of Satan with us.”
“Don’t worry, I got a good feeling about this.” Issei replied with a confident smirk, “…And gotta say there’s a good feeling from you too. You’re looking great, Akeno.” He complimented in order to ease up Akeno’s tension.
The said girl was apparently appeased, judging from the faint blush and a smile that came after, “My, my, thank you, ufufu~ You look dashing too, Ise.” her eyes then glanced at Millicas, “You also look handsome yourself, Millicas.” she said with an adoring look.
The young boy looked a little bashful at the praise, “Um, thank you! You look beautiful too, big-sis Akeno!”
The trio exchanged small laughter when the limousine belonging to Akeno’s client finally arrived, revealing the CEO dressed up and prepared for business. He nodded at the three youngsters before he walked past them inside the warehouse, prompting the trio to follow after him.
The interior of the warehouse was normal, and they stood around, surrounded by crated boxes and dust, Millicas hopping on his toes, fists ready and eyes darting around the complex.
“…Issei Hyoudou.”
The CEO and his bodyguards reacted to the voice. They looked around, they heard him, but they did not see him.
“Yo, Scorpion Man! How’re you doing these days? Don’t tell me you’re still into that ugly business as a mafia boss?”
The CEO was staring at Issei, “Boy, you have connections with the triads?”
“…Hahahahahahahaha!”
There was a warm laughter echoing around them, garnering more confusion from the CEO.
“I didn’t expect to encounter you here. But since you are here, how about a rematch to rekindle an old man’s pride in his skill and strength?” the voice replied.
“I’m not the same as before, too! Anyways, get out here and make this deal with this CEO and stuff. Actually, what are you guys dealing with anyways?”
“Real estate. He is selling us this warehouse and skyscraper. I see no problem in telling you… And let me show you how powerful I am now.”
Issei smiled as the lights around them flickered off, leaving them in silence.
But when the lights flickered back on…
Lundun, his three apprentices, and a squad of his goons stood before them.
But the difference was that he was jacked.
Issei and Akeno’s eyes were like dots when they saw the three martial apprentices surrounding Lundun were even more jacked.
Like, from lithe fit martial artists to bodybuilder-sized jacked.
Lundun was more like professional-boxer or wrestler.
“I hope you aren’t too surprised by the benefits of new management.”
Their uniforms were gold-themed.
Glittering gold..
And creeping from the shadows, they saw Black emerging into the light, smiling wickedly at him.
He was as the westerners put it, pimpin – a gold crown on his tentacle head, gold sunglasses, and a golden scepter.
Issei could only drop his jaw… feeling a bit horrified.
“…Awesome.” Millicas was awestruck as always.
“…Black!?” Issei called out.
“Say hello to the newest boss of the Triad, kid. Prepare to give me your lunch money or else, hehehehehehehehe.”
They couldn’t take Black’s sinisterly laughing face seriously. The way he was moving up in the world confounds Issei no matter how many times he sees it.
“Profits have risen exponentially under this one’s guidance.” Lundun explained as he walked forward.
“So, have you come to negotiate in his stead? Or… are you just here as a guard?” Issei asked while jabbing his thumb at the CEO.
“In his stead as I am now the face of this organization.” Lundun answered, “But before we can get down to business… mind if I ask who the child is? And the woman beside you?”
Feeling that he should step up or else he would have been forgotten, the CEO decided to speak up to save face. He gained everyone’s attention by clearing his throat, “If I may, the young man and woman are the devils I am contracted with, I requested them to be my escorts for this evening. The child is…. A rookie who is here to observe.” he glanced at Issei as a confirmation, in which the latter nodded.
Lundun blinked at Issei, “…Didn’t you tell me that you were human the last time we met? Or did you sacrifice your humanity for more power?”
Issei snorted, “Nah, I’m still not a devil. I’m here to accompany the little guy.” he said while lightly patting Millicas head.
“Wait, you are not a devil?” the CEO turned to Issei, who merely shrugged with a smile. “I see… My apologies, I’ve been under the assumption you are… Akeno’s lover or something.”
The girl in question flushed at the remark, she found herself struggling from giggling herself silly.
“I guess…. We are still figuring out what we are?” Issei eyed Akeno, who returned his look with a sultry one.
“Indeed, Ise-senpai is now building his own harem.” Millicas proudly boasted.
Lundun, the CEO, and Lundun’s muscular disciples all turned their eyes onto Issei.
Black was busy cackling in the background at the scene.
“…Eh?” The CEO was stunned.
“…Did I mishear?” Lundun asked.
“…Ehhhhh… no, he’s right. I’m… yeah.”
Lundun’s face remained frozen in shock before his lips cracked into a smile.
“Kuh… Ahahahahahaha! You… I have underestimated you. And I thought that one girl was your only lover but… now I feel like my status as a man is being threatened… that’s it. I’m putting the negotiations on hold.”
Lundun grinned as the Chinese man slowly took off his clothes sleeve by sleeve and threw his golden changshan to his disciples.
Issei watched the man transform into his iconic scorpion man form, his size growing, exoskeleton of black replacing his skin, his braided ponytail turning into a scorpion tail.
No, instead of one scorpion tail, it was more like a tentacle of stingers instead as four pincers grew from Lundun’s back.
“L-Lundun, what are you doing?!”
The CEO backed away with a face of fright and panic.
“Calm down.” Lundun’s deep, insectoid voice called out. “I’m not here to kill you,” he then pointed his claws at Issei, “You – Disciple of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. Since we are here, let us give him and my disciples a battle to remember.”
Instead of two pincers accompanying his arms, there were four scorpion claws instead.
Six insectoid eyes greeted Issei’s two orbs, his throat chittering with excitement.
Issei stared at the scorpion-man before he snorted and took his suit-jacket off, handing them to Akeno. She immediately accepted the jacket with one hand, while her other hand reached out to hold the back of Issei’s head, before she went to capture his lips with hers.
The place went into silence as Issei’s eyes closed briefly to return the kiss, only to open up immediately after when he recalled Millicas was watching them. He broke the kiss off and turned to see the young boy was watching them with a gaping mouth and the face that slowly grew redder.
“Err….” Issei was not sure what to say to Millicas, while Akeno was looking both sheepish yet unremorseful.
“I-i-it’s okay, Ise-senpai! Big-sis Akeno! Y-you two make a great couple!” Millicas stammered while failing to keep his composure.
“…Right, let’s just start the show on the road, shall we?” Issei quickly loosened up his tie while walking up towards the scorpion man, wanting to distract Millicas by something else.
“Good luck~!” Akeno cheered as she waved at Issei.
Lundun screeched a guttural warcry as Issei entered his water stream stance.
“Let’s see if your bulk isn’t for show.” Issei taunted.
What do you think? 🙂
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