Tale of Discovery

Chapter 229: Uninvited Guests ; Subordination

Sitting at the dining table, I relish the dinner prepared by Sora, Saturnus, and Siesta.

Recently, the meals served have changed a little. It's like they've been perfected. Actually, I believe that is exactly the case.

Ever since Saturnus has decided to help out in cooking, our meals have continued to improve. Honestly, she is so versatile that I'm doubting she was ever meant to be a combat-oriented android.

"Won't that girl join us?" Misa's voice suddenly grabs my attention as well as the rest of the girls seated at the dining table.

Knowing that she's speaking of Jeanne, I shake my head and say, "She says that it's not required."

"What, she's not a human?" Nao adds.

"That's not it," I reply, "Jeanne constantly feeds off of my energy to stay materialized, so there isn't a need for her to consume food."

"So, you're saying that the only reason she's here is that you are giving her your 'energy'?"

"Yes."

"But, when you left this world she was still here, at least, for some time."

"Now that I think about it, you're right," I say while deliberating on what Nao said. It seems like there isn't a limit to the range and location for her. After all, she stayed materialized in the Rift while I was in a Platform.

No, I wasn't in any Platform, but one that I found the Core of. I should try this out sometime in the future when I visit another Platform.

"The worlds are all kinds of strange," I say, "What's wrong with her still consuming my energy to stay materialized even if we are in separate dimensions?"

Silence ensues as the girls gawk at me with odd looks on their faces.

"What?"

"Amazing," Rossweisse remarks.

"Is this how all the most powerful beings in the world think?" Ravel says with awe apparent in her eyes.

"Nah, it's this guy's common sense that's skewed," Misa says in a slightly exasperated tone.

What's with their reaction? I don't think that I've said anything out of the norm.

At this moment, my expression turns serious as I sense the arrival of a few uninvited guests.

Most likely seeing the change on my face, Rossweisse voices, "Your Grace?"

"Looks like some pests want to meet me," I casually say before getting up and continuing, "Don't heed it much attention. I will deal with them and be back soon."

Without further ado, I directly teleport in front of the two visitors who are quietly observing the mansion.

"Vali?" I say in an amused tone upon spotting the white-haired devil whom I had knocked sense into before.

"Why are you here?" I question while squinting my eyes.

"To take Kuroka back," he responds in a firm tone.

"Is that so? Then, you're wasting your time. Kuroka won't leave my abode."

"Hey, now," Vali's companion, a brown-haired man holding a long staff, says in a joking tone, "We're just here to bring our companion back. If you insist on keeping her, we'll have to resort to extreme means, you know?"

Hearing his words, I chuckle for a few seconds before asking, "Trust me when I say that a fight against me is the last thing you'd want. Come on, Vali, you haven't told him?"

"About you being God?" the brown-haired man says while grinning, "I don't know what made others believe you so easily, but I simply refuse to acknowledge you are God."

"You're right," I say, "I'm not God, but his creator."

An odd look appears on the man's face as he shakes his head and says, "Well, whatever. I'm Bikou."

"Victor," I casually respond.

"Before we fight," I say while watching Bikou getting into a battle stance, "Vali lost to me rather badly. What makes you so confident in facing me?"

"Isn't that obvious," he responds, "You just happen to have a Sacred Gear to counter Vali's Sacred Gear. This caught him off-guard and lead to his loss."

"Alright then," I shrug and say, "How about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" Vali who had been silent for the last minute says.

"That's right. If the two of you manage to injure me, I will allow Kuroka to return with you."

"Are you mocking us?" Vali says with furrowed brows.

"Not at all," I solemnly respond, "You guys are too weak for me to even bother using my main abilities. So, I have to give you a handicap like this one to make the bet fair."

"You..." Bikou says as the playful expression he had disappears.

All of a sudden, Vali swiftly appears in front of me and throws a punch at my face, to which I reverse the vectors, resulting in his arm to break as he backs away.

"A barrier?" Bikou exclaims while glancing at me and Vali's arm.

"Regarding the bet," I continue as if nothing has happened, "The two of you will offer me your allegiance."

"As if that's going to happen," Bikou says before slamming his staff into the ground as some energy circulates within his body.

Meanwhile, Vali, who has regained control of himself, raises his arm as a white dragon-like armor covers his body from head to toe.

The next moment, Bikou dashes toward me at an extreme speed and swings his staff at my left.

Unfazed, I simply step forth and kick his abdomen before his attack can reach me, resulting in his body to be hurled into the distance.

At this moment, Vali appears at my side and throws a punch at me as a wave of energy tries to invade my body.

Naturally, the foreign energy easily got destroyed as I block Vali's punch by simply grabbing his hand and cancel all vectors of the shock-wave formed by the impact to prevent further damage to our surroundings.

Looking over at Bikou who has gotten back on his feet, I beam a small smile before clutching Vali's hand and throwing him toward Bikou.

A slightly disconcerted look appears on Bikou's face as he leaps up to catch Vali, which I take advantage of by dashing forth and lunging at him.

Caught in a tight situation, Bikou is unable to do much as I burn his legs using Pyrokinesis before Vali's body slams into him.

I stay afloat in the sky as I watch the two of them crash into the road in the distance.

Good. They both have great potential. I can tell that Bikou's fighting style would be overwhelming had if he had my speed.

Nevertheless, the two of them are far from causing me a light injury without a grandiose plan of sorts.

Letting out a sigh, I appear before the two of them as they struggle to get back on their feet.

"Do you still want to continue?" I ask in a nonchalant tone.

Bikou seems to have taken offense as he opens his mouth to say something, but Vali stops him by patting his shoulder.

"I see," I say, "Now then, the two of you are going to report to me from now on."

"And if we refuse?" Bikou challenges.

"Then, you'll die," I respond, "If you run away, I won't be chasing you or anything. However, if I happen to see you again, then your life would be taken before you can tell."

The two of them both frown as they go silent for a few seconds before Vali opens his mouth and asks, "How strong are you?"

Hearing this question, I consider everything that has happened up until now before saying, "I could obliterate Tokyo in a few seconds without making use of any abilities."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Bikou dubiously says while brushing his hair with his hand, "I would get it if you said in a few minutes, but seconds? Without any abilities, no less?"

"Well, that's the gist of it," I casually say, "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Do we even have a choice?" Bikou says before letting out a tired sigh.

"You were the ones who wanted to separate Kuroka from her sister after they've been reunited, so you deserve this."

"Wait, what?" Bikou says while Vali raises his brows.

"You thought I was forcefully keeping her?" I say in a lighthearted tone, "Well you couldn't be more mistaken."

---

"What happened? I heard some explosion outside," Misa asks once I teleport back to the dining table.

Everyone is almost done eating, but they've currently stopped and are gazing at me with curiosity apparent on their faces.

"Vali Lucifer, a demon that I had beaten up before appeared along with another man named Bikou to 'retrieve' Kuroka."

Hearing this, Koneko's ears twitch, while Kuroka slightly frowns and asks, "What happened?"

"What else other than them getting destroyed," Misa remarks before I can respond, "As if this guy would give in to others' demands."

Nao and Ravel both nod their heads in agreement while the rest gawk at me in different ways.

"Brother Yu fought?" Ayumi suddenly questions in a concerned tone.

"It's okay," Nao, who's beside her says while patting her head, "I doubt that anything can happen to him."

"At least show some concern!" I say upon seeing her nonchalance.

Well, it would be expected that they would think this way. After all, I've quite rarely displayed any of my weaknesses.

Speaking of which, the only weakness in a battle for me would be my focus. Most of my abilities and powers are 'lock-on-target' types. Basically, I have immense power that can pick off any enemy on the battlefield but am not fit for wide-area attacks except when it comes to my Holy Effects.

However, my Essence Energy is limited, so in a battle where there is a great number of 'powerful' beings, I could be overwhelmed if the battle goes on for too long.

Nevertheless, I have a few 'trump cards' ready if such a situation becomes reality.

"Anyway," I say while setting my thoughts aside and facing Kuroka, "They claimed that they were in dire need of your assistance after I had beaten them into submission."

"Beat them into submission," Kuroka mutters, stupefied, before shaking her head and asking, "Did you agree?"

"Yes," I respond, "After all, I'm interested in knowing what it is that made them resort to 'retrieving' you from me."

As well as another condition that I better omit for now.

[[You seem to be enjoying playing with the minds of inferior beings quite a bit.]]

"Hey, Tia. Enjoying the show?" I murmur.

[[I just woke up.]]

"Heh, I doubt that."

[[Are you going to visit me soon?]]

"What, miss me?"

[[No, I just wanted to know if you're going to disrupt my sleep because I spoke with you.]]

Why are both of my familiars so lazy? Is the Familiar Space really that comfortable of a place to sleep in?

Letting out a sigh, I focus back on Kuroka who seems to be deliberating on something, and say, "You can go aid them. However, if you notice that your life is endangered, make sure to contact me as soon as possible."

Kuroka remains silent for a few minutes before nodding her head.

A small smile forms on my lips as I get back to eating my dinner and so do the rest.