Chapter 328: Chapter 295
"Welcome to Kyoto – again" I held my hand out for Venelana to take as she stepped out of my portal.
"Thank you for inviting me over." She said rather warmly
"You make it sound like I'm the one doing the favor here. I'm really thankful that you're helping me with this. I've made progress with my Power of Destruction, but I admit it's fallen a little to the wayside with everything that's been happening recently."
Not that I hadn't been keeping up with workouts and sparring with the others. But most the time I've spent on things like experimentation had been for the benefit of the war effort and not on my more personal projects. It's been awhile since I've taken the time to train myself beyond the basics.
As we've entered a noticeable lull between any pressing concerns, now was as good of a time as any to work on my bloodline. Obviously, the war was on the forefront of Yasaka – and by extension, the Youkai's minds, but it was still something we couldn't immediately act on.
We're still incorporating the gifts we received from the Peace Meeting. Which was going to take awhile, so that four month window Yasaka stated turned out to be definitely the right choice in the long run.
The Khaos Brigade was silent for now, no doubt running their own damage control after being revealed to the world. The various Pantheons have gotten wind of their clandestine involvement and were probably going to verify certain things for themselves.
And that little tip off that Hades gave, I'm anticipating some news from the Hindu part of the world soon enough. Those Evil Gods and the like, they're not known for having unbruiseable egos. They'd want to hit Indra just as a matter of personal pride.
"Yes, but I know it's an awkward situation, especially after the whole meeting that just happened. I'm happy that nothing changed since then."
She's always so careful not to overstep, it's really endearing. "Believe me when I say, that you're never unwelcomed." I took her hands, giving her the best smile that I could.
"So sweet~" She giggled, leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Besides, I wanted to get some exercise. After the whole Kokabiel fiasco, I realized I needed to get back in shape. I've been idle for far too long."
Speaking of, I couldn't help but admire what she was wearing. It wasn't anything overly sexy, a simple pair of shorts and a T-shirt that one would expect if they were going to be sweating. However, I don't think I've ever seen her without a dress on. Not that I'm complaining, she's absolutely stunning in anything she wore.
But seeing those delicious legs of hers so easily accessible made it hard to resist.
"If you keep staring at me so intently, I may think you invited me here for something else~" Venelana looked at me coyly.
I turned my head in embarrassment. I guess I didn't' realize how much I was staring. "Sorry."
"Don't be." She let out that enchanting giggle of hers. "I do so love the attention you give me. I like to feel wanted, Wilhelm. And I never feel anything but that when I'm with you."
Haah, I've never been good with my girls saying stuff like that to me, I was used to dishing out not receiving. I must look ridiculous now, and I'm probably even blushing.
"You ready to meet the others?" I asked, changing the subject.
Though given that sly smile of hers, she probably realized what I was doing but continued anyways. "I'm excited to meet my new sisters. I have to say, it's a novel experience for me too. Before, I was the one managing Zeo's harem. I always facilitated things like this, keeping the peace, making sure everything ran smoothly because they're usually a lot of work."
"I never really thought about that. How hard was it to keep everything running smoothly?"
Venelana let out a cute sigh. "It makes me envious that you're even asking that question because you really don't' know. I could write a book on the difficulties involved. There were several girls over the years that didn't mesh well, and some outright hostile to others. On a couple occasions we had to kick out one of Zeo's interests because they simply couldn't accept the situation and were too greedy and ignored everyone else."
I slowly moved my hand over, slipping it into hers. That bright smile that accompanied our fingers interlocking was adorable. "Is it really that strange? I mean, there have been a couple occasions where we had to talk things out because of some miscommunication. But generally, if there's an issue between any of us, we simply say it and work to resolve it in a way to make everyone happy. We're all up front about what we want from each other, and there hasn't been any major tension or fighting between one another."
I pushed the door open of my house as I lead her outside onto the streets of Kyoto. I could have just portaled us over there, but I wanted to be a little selfish and have her to myself for a quaint little walk.
"The only harems I've seen work out similarly as yours are those that had all the members come together at the start, not get added over time like what you've apparently done. It's much more difficult for new members to be added into an existing dynamic than for everyone to agree ahead of time to share a person."
"Huh, never really gave it much thought."
"It may help that you seem to have a certain type that lends itself well to this situation."
"What do you mean?"
"It's usually the younger girls that bring problems with them." Venelana giggled again. "From what I've been told, you appear to have a thing for older women. I believe you said that I'm the second youngest amongst your lovers?"
"With Yasaka technically being the youngest." I nodded. "And you're right, I do prefer older women." I sent her a grin, squeezing her hand lightly.
"Lucky me~" She cooed humorously. "Tell me about the others. What should I expect so I don't do something or say something wrong. I want to make a good impression on your other lovers."
"Honestly, I think you'll make a good impression just by being yourself. You're a wonderful woman, and they'll see that in you just like I do. But, if it'll set you at ease, you already met Yasaka and Artoria so far. Yasaka's pretty easy, her Daughter is sacrosanct, so obviously don't say anything bad about her, not that you would."
"Of course, I'm something of a mother myself." Venelana joked.
"As for Artoria, let's just say that she has some personal things she's working through that involve a son. I won't get too into it, but suffice to say that's a delicate topic for her and to let her bring it up if it's relevant."
"Mmm, she did briefly mention someone by the name of Mordred?" Venelana looked at me, earning a nod. "Noted, I'll be careful with that, thank you."
"Let's see...you remember Jinn, blue skinned girl, very bubbly?"
"Of course." Venelana laughed. "She greeted me so happily the first time we met."
"Right, well, she's probably the second oldest amongst my girls. However, her circumstances were.....unique. She never really socialized much her entire life, so she's been exploring a lot of what it means to actually live a life. And she sorta took on the mentality of being the youngest and really enjoys being doted on and being affectionate. Don't be surprised if she tries to hug you. And also don't mistake this for her being.....simple. She is frighteningly intelligent and witty when she wants to be. She introduced herself as a Spirit of Knowledge at the meeting, that is a minimal description of what she actually is."
"She was very adorable when I first met her. I wouldn't mind getting hugs from her at all. I feel like she's someone I would enjoy spoiling in the future"
"Next we have Raikou. She's a little complicated, personal matters that I don't want to get into without her consent. Basically...she didn't have the best family. She calls herself my mom, and I will never rebuke her for that since it makes her happy."
"I'm hardly one to throw stones about something like that. Especially considering I'm your Grandmother." She chuckled.
Which I happily called her when I was inside of her.
"And moving onto Scáthach." Where to start with her? "She's my teacher, I spent a couple years or so learning from her. Things....developed during that time. She's a very direct woman. If you know anything about the stories involving her, you can probably guess what she likes and dislikes. Also, she is very competitive, she will try very hard in anything that she perceives as a challenge. Due to the time she spent in the Land of Shadows, she enjoys learning new things, even those of a mundane nature."
"I did read up after learning who she was. She has a very illustrious history. I'll be careful with my words until I can understand her better." Venelana nodded.
"And lastly, we have Meridia, my first lover." Oh boy, so much I could say about her. "She is a Goddess. I won't mince words about it. She has the attitude of a Goddess and the presence of one. She will appear standoffish until she gets to know you better. She isn't used to interacting with mortals, and sometimes has difficulty doing so. That doesn't' mean she's uncaring, but it's a new thing for her. She is a Goddess of Life and detests things like Necromancy. I would suggest not even bringing the topic up around her. Otherwise, I suggest being polite as you would to someone of her station, and she's eventually open up around you more."
"Oh." Venelana blinked. "I didn't think you would also have a Goddess in your harem. I met Lady Izanami, I suppose I should have expected as much."
"Honestly, I know they'll all love spending time with you just as much as I do." I reassured her. I didn't want to scare her away at this point. We still had a little while to walk, trying to kill time I changed the subject again. "How have things been on your end, after the meeting. Without trying to pry into private matters, obviously."
"Busy. My son and the others have been running around after what happened. The Old Satan Faction is kicking up a fuss about the accusations, but we're having none of it and they've been taking some major hits since the other day." Venelana revealed.
"I was concerned you would be put in an awkward situation. Nothing bad there?"
Venelana hummed. "Not unless you count being asked to seduce you over to the Devil side." She spoke, accompanied by a coy grin.
"Well, you already achieved half of that."
She looked rather proud of herself as well. "Yes I did."
Utterly unrepentant about the fact that she seduced me. If I could be a fly on the wall when she explained that to a certain someone.
"If we're talking about attempts at subtle side changing, I have one of my own."
"Oh, did Yasaka ask you to seduce me to your side? Because you're just as much to blame as I am for the night we spent together."
That would be a hilarious conversation to have with Yasaka. "Unfortunately, she hasn't. I had a little chat with Zekram Bael."
"Oh Satans, I can imagine how that went." Venelana let out a sigh. "He is...eccentric."
"I noticed." I responded dryly. "He tried to bribe me into accepting his Queen piece to join his peerage. He wanted me to act as a counter to your son since the Old Satan faction were going to get the boot soon."
"Of course he did." Venelana pursed her lips. "What did he offer?"
"You."
I think Venelana had to resist the urge to facepalm.
"He offered your hand in marriage, almost immediately at that."
Venelana actually let out a chuckle. "Of course he did. I should mention that he technically has no authority on that matter after I married Zeo. Once I left and became a Gremory, his power over my decisions waned considerably. That's not to say he can't influence me through other means due to his political power, but as a family head, he's out of luck."
"It was admittedly an enticing offer, but he had no business butting into our relationship. And if it ever gets to that point, I want it to be because we both want it."
That warm smile that adorned her face was always so beautiful. "You really do say the sweetest things. If we weren't going to meet the others, I would have loved to give you a little reward."
Can't say that the idea wasn't attractive. I did thoroughly enjoy the intimate time we spent together, and I did want to do more with her. But bad timing and all of that.
"He did offer me one more thing."
"The way you said that, I have a feeling I'm going to get angry at that man."
"You weren't angry that he basically offered you up for marriage?"
"Oh no, that annoys me quite a bit. But it's offset by the fact that we're already lovers, even if I don't want to rush into another marriage so quickly. I could atleast get over that with time. And before you even explained yourself, I knew that you wouldn't ever accept that as 'payment'." She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek again. "I know what kind of man you are at this point and I trust you."
"Well, he offered you and your daughter. He said something about getting his hands on a marriage contract of hers and shifting it to me?"
Venelana visibly reacted to that. "I'm going to have some very unkind words with him later. I can ignore it when he tries to use me for his games. But going for Rias is very out of line."
"I declined, obviously."
Venelana has a mischevious grin about her. "Did it not even entice you a little bit? Me and my daughter both at your service whenever you wanted~"
"Are you trying to tempt me?" I raised an eyebrow at the 180 she just did. "Maybe I should reach out to him and accept deal. I thought for sure you wouldn't be into that sort of thing."
"Ara ara." She chuckled again. "You're right." She playfully nudged me. "I just couldn't resist teasing you when you were being so sweet~" She leaned a little bit onto my shoulder. "I definitely wouldn't enjoy that relationship. I can't see Rias as anything but my daughter. So don't get any ideas, mister." She added with a little bit of humor.
It was a pleasant and peaceful walk as we arrived at the back of Yasaka's manor, to The private training area the rest of the girls were all waiting at.
As we got closer, I think Venelana got a tad nervous. She was very good at not showing those kinds of things on the surface, but the pressure she added to my hand made me think so.
The sounds of fighting were getting louder as we got closer to our destination. Through a few doors, and we came out to a large courtyard, occupied with a welcomed array of faces.
"Little Lass is that all you have? Perhaps I should slow down for you?"
"If you wish to suffer my blade, then feel free!"
The clash of weapons followed up the throwing of taunts.
Scáthach and Artoria were going at it, and it was getting heated.
Venelana turned to me. "No fights?"
"Believe me, this isn't them fighting. This is bonding for them." The barbs they exchanged were far from intentionally inciteful.
But they stopped their actions once they noticed we entered. The others too as we all seemed to gather around a large table at the side where most of them were seated, even Meridia.
"Well, since this is the first time, let me officially introduce you all to Venelana Gremory." I gave her a little squeeze of reassurance, letting her take the reins.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you all." Venelana stated, a charming smile on her face and formal introductions began.
[***]
"And this is the sword you use to help with your Power of Destruction?" Venelana asked.
"Aptly named the Sword of Destruction." I nodded, holding it infront of me as we sat cross legged, facing one another.
The others were watching with interest. The initial meeting went fairly well, as I expected. Most were very open about meeting her, and even Meridia didn't appear offput. I think they all knew how much I cared that they get along, so at the very least, for now, they were making the effort.
"It is a very beautiful sword." Venelana admired it.
"You know, technically, that sword is my brother." Jinn cheerfully commented, making us all turn towards her. "What? It's true."
"Silly girl." Yasaka giggled, pulling on her cheeks.
Venelana smiled lightly at the antics. At this point she knew that Jinn was a type of artifact spirit, basically announcing it within the first few moments of meeting. "May I hold it?"
"Of course." I handed my sword over to her.
She held it delicately, giving it a couple of practice swings, but furrowed her brow as she seemed to inspect it. "I don't' think it'll work for me like it does for you. Call it a hunch." She handed it back.
"Probably. I had to do some enchanting and delicate ritual work to mesh the concepts together. It's pretty much in tune with my own Power of Destruction rather than the bloodline."
"Master said that his bloodline changed from what it originally was. Would it be too much trouble to see what yours looks like?" Raikou asked towards Venelana.
"Oh, it's no problem at all." Venelana raised her hand up, her Power of Destruction enveloped it in that baleful hue. It raged around her hand like an uncontrolled fire, she touched it against the ground, utterly decimated the blades of grass underneath. "Truthfully, his appearing to take the shape of lightning is odd. I'm not entirely sure I'll have an answer to his problem due to the differences."
I held out my palm, producing my own Power of Destruction, appearing as if lightning crackled within. I had to concentrate hard to make it even slightly bigger than the tiny bit that appeared. Holding its shape, containing the wafting power from going out of control. "This is my current problem; I can't bring out more than this without using the sword." To demonstrate, I took hold of my sword and produced it that way, coating the entire length of the blade with my Destruction, waving it around for her to see.
"Is it a problem of simply not having enough?" Artoria asked.
"Maybe? But then, why can I use so much more with the Sword." Because I knew damn well the sword was only acting as a catalyst, it wasn't producing more of my Destruction.
"Hmm, can you walk me through the process that you use to bring it out?" Venelana asked.
"Okay." I held my palm out again, dispersing what I had before and got ready to bring it out once more. "I touch upon my bloodline, begin the process of actualizing it. And I force it into the shape I want, and stop it from rampaging about."
"You're careful about it then? You make sure it's completely contained, that it doesn't cause any back lash and hurt yourself?"
"Of course, it's potentially very dangerous, I don't wanna accidently cause any backlash and cripple myself." I nodded.
"I think I see the most immediate problem." She held her hand out again. "Look at what I'm doing." Her hand was once more enveloped in her Power of Destruction.
"You're doing the same thing as before."
"Yes, but look at how I'm doing it." She waved her hand around. "My Power of Destruction is coating my hand."
"....and you're not getting harmed." I think I may have realized the mistake I was having.
"There you go." She smiled. "With such a potent ability, don't you think it's odd that none of us have suffered any grievous wounds from our own bloodline?"
"Are you saying that we have some sort of innate resistance to our own Power of Destruction?"
"Of course, how else could we wield it properly? It would devour us from the inside out. My son can become a complete mass of Destruction, which is how he earned his spot in our Faction. How else is that possible unless we can survive under the power itself?"
"That is an interesting concept. Does it apply to any other effects or specifically this one instance of 'destruction' incarnate?" Scáthach who had been silent till now asked.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that question. The only powers that could match our bloodline are in the hands of....deities and the like."
"Considering how much Indra tends to look down on Devils even when his fated opponent is the God of Destruction, who possesses a similar power within his domain, I'm going to say that it's just something inborn, a survival mechanism for ourselves only." I responded.
"Perhaps, but it's not important for the moment." Venelana clenched her fist, dismissing her power of destruction. "I think I found out what you're doing wrong. Our Power of Destruction takes a similar form as Fire, it's destructive, consuming, and unrelenting. While yours is slightly different, the idea should be the same. What you've been doing is snuffing out that 'flame' before it even has a chance to truly start raging."
"I see.....because I've been concerned about hurting myself, I've been stopping it from being produced properly. Whereas, when I use the sword, while also acting as a catalyst to bring it about easier, I also don't have that same concern over my wellbeing and let it flow freely."
I'm a little embarrassed that it took me this long to realize. Without Venelana's help, how long would I have been stuck on this issue?
Even with the proof, I was a little hesitant. This was a potent power and I didn't want to just disintegrate my hand. So, I held my palm out and didn't try to contain it this time. My Power of Destruction burst out a few times larger than before. I admit I panicked slightly, jerking back a little before it dispersed again.
Venelana giggled lightly at my surprise. "It's alright, do it again, I'll be right here in case something happens."
Alright, alright.
I held my palm out again, and forced myself steady. I let my Power of Destruction not flow out, but completely burst with as much power as I could. It was loud, the crackling of baleful lightning erupted at the focal point, jutting out in every direction.
"Now, begin shaping and control it." Venelana spoke up.
I followed her commands as I reined in the erratic power, keeping it from dancing too far off my palm. "It's much bigger than before." I breathed out. "Several times bigger." While still no where near the power I could produce with the sword, it's a huge improvement. Something I could genuinely work with now.
"I think I heard Artoria say something similar a few days ago." Yasaka said with a mischievous grin.
The Blonde Knight let out an adorable squeak as her petite fists met the fox's shoulder.
Venelana let out a laugh of her own. "It'll get easier to do with more practice. Less of a disconnect between bringing it out then turning into what you want. It's the first thing I taught my children, but you seemed to completely skip over that part and went for the more advance parts right away."
"I was curious when I first saw this power, I felt it had much potential. What other methods do you have available?" Scáthach asked, looking clearly intrigued, which wasn't surprising. Anything revolving around fighting, she would take an earnest interest in.
Venelana stood up, brushing herself off. "How about I show you?" She smiled, her hands igniting in that baleful power.
".....You challenge me?" Scáthach raised an eyebrow.
"I don't think I can match any of you, but I wouldn't mind seeing where I need to improve since it's been a very long time since I've had to truly fight."
Scáthach looked at her silently for a minute, evaluating her. "Very well, let us see what this praised power of yours has to offer."
Part of me was hesitant to let this happen.....but I also didn't want to step on Venelana's pride. I felt like she was doing this to prove something.
And I know that Scáthach wouldn't simply look down on someone for being weaker. Venelana trying in her eyes would go a long ways towards acceptance.
I also trusted her unconditionally, I knew she wouldn't cause any irreversible harm.
And to be honest, I was also a little curious to see how someone more experience with the Power of Destruction wields it. Perhaps it can give me some more ideas for my own?
Regardless, I mentally wished Venelana luck, because I knew first hand, the hell she was walking into.
[***]
Lugh POV
"Things did not turn out as expected." I broke the awkward atmosphere.
Michael smiled wryly. "Yes, I do not believe anyone could have anticipated the results of the meeting."
"The main objective was fulfilled. You now have a strong agreement of peace between your three factions." I pointed out.
"Indeed, it is a boon. And with father's blessing, hopefully we can finally see new faces amongst my brother's and sisters again."
Right, those Angel version of Evil Pieces, or whatever they deem to name them. I'm not quite sure I like the implications if they succeed. I suppose it couldn't be worse than what the devils already did with theirs.
Odin had been turning Humans into Valkyries for centuries, was it truly any different? Granted, the method was much more complicated and specialized.
And in the East, there are plenty of Humans who ascended to become 'Immortals' of the Jade Emperor's court.
It wouldn't be my place to say anything if this was the course of action they decided upon.
"I wish you success then." I smiled towards the Angel. It's strange, this Angel always felt like a young nephew that I wanted to pat his head and tell him he was doing a good job despite the circumstance. "It's unfortunate that you could not retrieve the spear."
Michael frowned slightly. "It is unfortunate. However, we did gain something meaningful."
That Sacred Gear that made Holy Swords? I could see the use for his faction. "Are you still concerned about the Half-Devil's use of the Spear?"
"....it raised many questions, which were....answered, however, I am doubting the validity of them." Michael admitted. "I do not believe they lied, but I believe they withheld some truths."
Smart kid. "I had the same feeling."
"Did you also not wish to inquire about the Balor View Sacred Gear?"
"....originally, I was going to, however, things took a turn that I didn't expect." A secret organization led by various gods throughout the world. I had thought something was going on, but not to this extent. "The contents of the meeting are going to become public soon, I did not wish to divulge the location of Grandfather's Eye when I don't know if any unsavory individuals may wish to acquire it through dubious means."
"A wise decision in light of recent information. I fear I may have to look through my own ranks to make sure there are no loopholes in father's system being exploited....After hearing what Kokabiel did, it's clear that some methods to interface with the system yet exist."
That must be a dreadful thought he has. That one of his brothers or sisters retained their white wings, yet were still traitors.
"What a mess." I couldn't help but sigh. "I didn't even intend to get as involved as I did, but that Fox did a magnificent job of pulling everyone into her orbit and forcing us to follow her whims."
"Did you not just wish to confirm the existence of Scáthach?"
"That was my original goal, maybe extend some light aid if the need arose. What I didn't expect was to join in on such a broad agreement, extending our already established one for the Fae to the Youkai, and even agree to lend some of my best Druids to teach over in Youkai Territory."
I agreed with Odin completely here.
Damn Fox.
"Are your people going to accept it?"
"They will, it'll be easy to convince them of that with this Khaos Brigade running around. I can just blame the Fomorian situation on them, and that'll get them all riled up. Not to mention, I still need to reveal to my people that Scáthach is alive and well."
"I assume that it will be a poor react for some?"
"That's an understatement." I snorted. "Some will care, a lot won't. Some will really care in a negative way. The Morrigan might not sit still, even if Scáthach is living over in Japan of all places. She really had a thing for my son and never forgave Scáthach for that."
Which never really made sense to me, my son was, as the modern humans called it, a man whore. He would have gladly taken them both. But they seemed to have some kind of rivalry that prevented that from happening.
"And it's truly her?"
"As far as I could tell. Mannerisms, presence, etc..." The way she insulted me without a second thought. I doubted an imposter could get all of that correct, at least in my presence.
Looked different though, but that could easily be explained for a number of reasons.
"And it seems her student followed in her footsteps. Another Godslayer isn't something to ignore."
"One who possesses both the True Longinus, and the Boosted Gear."
Right, that gauntlet too. It wasn't ever a main focus, so it was easy to forget. He summoned that damned dragon out of it, which should have been a more important point of discussion, but it somehow fell to the wayside.
"With all the questions we had, we seemed to have gotten very few answers, and only more problems thrown in our laps."
"Excalibur, a Sword that Father never told us about, but was undoubtly a holy sword." Michael shook his head. "I don't understand and I can only hope that Father had a reason for keeping it from us."
That....I had no answer for either.
That Excalibur sword, from the reports, was powerful
Something like that doesn't just pop out of thin air
Odin knew something, but he wasn't talking though.
No, he just kept silent after learning that the kid had his blessing, and confused as to how he got it.
.....time travel?
The thought was absurd, but it would make sense if it happened at some point in the past or the future.
"Well, we both are sending some people at some point ot deal with the Youkai. It'll be a good opportunity to scout them a little, see what they're up to." Because it's obvious we don't know enough, and we needed to figure out what the hell was going on with that Faction.
They went from some random third rate gathering of a species into a Faction that could dictate terms to us, taking the front stage.
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"You could send your sister to seduce the kid, that might work."
The gurgled cough combined with the shocked look on his face was worth it.
I was only half kidding.
It was obvious what kind of relationship Scáthach had with him, just look at her previous students. There were a few looks here or there, but I could tell that the majority of the women there were his as well. He was a Half-Devil, so it should be easy enough.
So...throw Heaven's most beautiful at him, see what happens.
At the very least, I'd find it amusing.
[***]
Sorry for the late chapter, not really doing well atm. I think the lack of sleep over the past two weeks has finally caught up with me, and i'm definitely not at 100%. Going to take a personal health day for tomorrow, so don't expect a chapter.
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