The Night that (3): The senses became one.
A quick note: I left a note at the end of the chapter explaining the delay. I know many people don’t want to read it, so I moved it down to avoid disrupting the reading experience.
Well, as always, if anyone wants to read 3/7 chapters ahead, it's possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still thank you for reading. Thank you so much!
That said, good Night and happy reading!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
POV: Anthony Edward Stark
I considered myself fit. Not as much as I should be, but far more than I was months ago. Training, when you had the best doctors, resources, and Jarvis to create the ultimate training plan, was easy. I had plenty of money to spend.
Dedication was something I always had. Many might say I was impulsive; perhaps they were right. But when I set my mind to something, I did it. Failure wasn’t an option. If I committed to something—whether it was making my company one of the biggest in the world, creating an armor twenty years ahead of its time, or simply working out—I got it done.
I also considered—no, screw that, I was certain this time—that I was smarter than ninety-nine percent of the planet. The remaining one percent was debatable, but I didn’t rule out the monsters that existed out there: whether they were mutants with intellect-enhancing mutations, ancient magical creatures, or gods.
I was good, but I was human. And I would surpass them all, given enough time. Was that arrogance? DS would say yes. In some ways, I agreed with him, but confidence made the man... Something DS desperately needed to learn.
I considered myself above average physically, with a brain leagues ahead of what was deemed “exceptional”...
[Shared Senses (General): 2.9%]
...And I couldn’t even reach three percent of DS’s senses. The Stream determined it wasn’t safe for me to experience more than three percent of his general senses. There was a more detailed breakdown—percentages for vision, hearing, and everything else—but I didn’t bother checking. Not now...
Three percent, not even that, and yet...
It was snowing around DS. I could see each snowflake perfectly up to three hundred, maybe four hundred meters away. Their intricate patterns, their unique shapes—not just that. I could literally feel them.
I could feel the air moving against my skin, its flow and direction. I could hear sounds from even greater distances—it was ridiculous. Snowflakes. The cold must’ve been around minus twenty, maybe minus thirty degrees. DS was wearing light clothes. I didn’t feel cold; I felt comfortable. Something told me that if the temperature were far below or above this, it’d still feel the same.
I could sense the environment around me as if I could control it. DS probably could—I’d seen him do it before. Mana was absurd; I’d known that for some time. But feeling it myself, as though I could touch it, command it... That was different.
I could predict how the air would move, where the snowflakes would fall. I felt as if I could reshape the wind’s flow, grasp the environment with bare hands, and mold it as I pleased. The ground beneath the snow, where I stepped—where DS stepped—its texture, its form. I could dig into it, sculpt something, hell, even climb that distant mountain effortlessly.
And the instincts—DS was running at a speed I’d seen before, but being a “passenger” was something else entirely. I knew—DS’s body knew—how to run. He wouldn’t fall, not a chance. He wouldn’t stumble. I could feel that every movement was calculated—the way his muscles moved, every push, contraction, even the blood flow, the breathing, everything...
"Saya is absolutely right..." I murmured, lying in bed. Jarvis remained silent. Pepper was probably experiencing something similar to what I was, at her place. "DS needs a psychologist. Urgently."
I knew that without the Stream, I—like almost everyone in (CHAT)—would be screwed with this new Stream upgrade. What would happen couldn’t even be called addiction—everyone would simply be "consumed" by DS.
“There’s also that nightmare energy...” A shiver ran down my spine. Damn it, DS...
My thoughts were the only things that hadn’t changed much. They were still mine, even though I felt... more certain. I didn’t know how the Stream overlaid DS’s senses with mine while still maintaining those of my real body, but it felt right.
It felt like I could truly do anything... It was a strange feeling.
Three percent, not even that, and yet...
I knew better. I’d seen it written, heard it, read it countless times. I’d seen and heard him confirm and reconfirm it multiple times. Still, even knowing it was just three percent, nowhere near the total... I felt like I wasn’t seeing through human eyes...
...But through the eyes of a god.
[...]
POV: Rin Tohsaka
There were different kinds of surprise. The most common was when something unexpected happened, when someone saw the improbable or discovered something they thought impossible.
The Stream fit into that: something I thought was impossible. Devas was different; extremely strong individuals had always existed throughout humanity’s history, but it was still surprising to see what he could do, even given his current situation.
What I was feeling now was a different kind of surprise. I knew Devas was strong, that he would have more Prana than me. Od was the more accurate term—the magical energy people generated—but at this point, calling it Mana didn’t matter. Many in the Stream called it that, so it wasn’t important. But experiencing it firsthand was the real surprise.
[Shared Senses (Mana): 11.8%]
A bit over ten percent, but enough to eclipse my Mana by a colossal margin.
“Is this what it’s like to be a Barthomeloy?” I wondered aloud. I was lying on my bed—the Stream had recommended it—and I wanted to focus on this.
Maybe there’d be some rumors or gossip at school about why I left early. God knows calling Kirei and asking him to come up with an excuse was humiliating enough. At least he didn’t ask questions after I said I wanted to focus on my research.
It wasn’t a lie. I genuinely hoped this would help my research overall, but I’d be caught dead before explaining what the Stream was to anyone, let alone another Magus, especially Kirei.
Ignoring the fact that I didn’t trust the priest, it’d be worse if this reached the Clock Tower. If I was bad with technology, most of the Magi there could very well abhor it with every fiber of their being. Explaining what a phone and the Stream were would take time, and I couldn’t imagine a scenario where that ended well.
If I didn’t get a Sealing Designation slapped on my left butt cheek instantly—or even before that—then, at best, I’d be “requested,” with infinite air quotes, to move to the Clock Tower right away so they could learn more about the Stream.
I wanted a normal life before heading to my “university”—as I’d described the Clock Tower to Ayako. Being forced to move there would ruin those plans. Not to mention the possibility of triggering an emergency mission for Devas... That would complicate things even more.
So, the nightmarish ending would be a Sealing Designation. The “good” one would just involve me moving to the Clock Tower. The problematic one would be Devas teleporting to my side because of an emergency mission...
...It was better to just keep everything a secret. I didn’t want to be a lab rat, didn’t want to move, and definitely didn’t want the Clock Tower to stop existing because some idiot provoked the guy who could eat divinity like candy.
I shook my head, spreading my loose hair over the pillow, and refocused. I felt a little drunk. My mind seemed clearer yet foggy at the same time. It was strange...
“Maybe it’s the energy combination?…” I murmured, opening my eyes and raising my hand, opening and closing my fingers a few times. “I feel so much stronger too...” I almost felt invincible. “His Mana is much purer than mine, denser...” I felt embraced by something warm. “Probably his spiritual energy...” And, at the same time, I felt something crawling under my skin, something I was sure was... ‘insanity.’
My vision was doubled: I could see my room and also through Devas' eyes. His vision was better than mine. Maybe I could achieve something similar by enhancing my eyes, but I wasn't confident they wouldn’t just pop like balloons...
"Hehe, pop!" Funny. I made a silly noise with my mouth, blushing slightly as a vague thought crept in: "He must have activated some kind of filter... I can feel his whole body, except for that part..."
I shook my head again, took a deep breath, and clenched my hand as if holding a knife, hitting it against my chest.
My Magic Circuits came to life at that moment. I closed my eyes again, trying to sync my Od with the way Devas' Mana moved. He didn’t have Magic Circuits—it was more like a core—but I could improvise something…
"No more getting carried away. Knowing Devas, he won’t keep the Shared Senses option on all the time. I can’t waste this chance."
I didn’t know how much I could learn or replicate from whatever it was that Devas was doing—whether magical or not, using Mana or any other of his energies—but I would try my best.
My breathing steadied. I began self-hypnosis to focus completely. Within seconds, I started to 'fall asleep,' my attention and concentration entirely centered on my 'self' that was looking through Devas' eyes, through Devas' senses.
Then everything went dark, and I began to 'dream,' briefly noticing the stream message that appeared before me but unable to read it.
[Interference from Alaya: the subconscious of humanity, blocked!]
[…]
POV: Aqua
Devas had stopped looking for the seal, the tomb, the sanctuary, or whatever that place was where the weird deer had been before being killed. He hadn’t found anything and seemed confused.
"Maybe whoever freed it destroyed the place or something?" His voice echoed, coming from the phone in front of me, resting on the coffee table in the mansion.
Kazuma had bolted to his room, locking himself in and yelling that he wanted to know what it felt like to be a real isekai protagonist. Megumin and Darkness had done something similar but for different reasons: the former wanted to see if she could learn something to strengthen her explosion magic, while the latter hoped Devas would get into a fight and be hit for her own… enjoyment.
"Kazuma only attracts lunatics..." I muttered, taking a swig straight from the bottle. It wasn’t the best alcohol I’d ever had, but it would do. I was just lazily lying on the couch, drinking.
I had used the "Simultaneous Existence" option out of sheer curiosity. They’d have to pay me a fortune to even think about trying the other one. I wanted to know what Terraria was like, how different that world would be. I lasted about a minute with it on before deciding that was enough.
Terraria was almost identical to the world we were in. The mana density was almost the same, the amount as well. It was basically the same. The only thing that made me stop was this: the sensation of being watched, which came from the storm.
That feeling was disgusting, even at a distance. It was like some kind of bizarre pervert was peeping at me through a crack. I felt dirty, as if I were covered in some kind of rotting sludge. I knew that "gaze" wasn’t really on me but on Devas. Maybe it was just paranoia—I hoped it was—but it was still horrible.
As for Devas, it was strange to be able to feel him. He was incredibly strong, with a lot of mana for a mortal, and the nightmare energy he carried was something I wanted to purify at all costs. However, the Divine Anathema didn’t affect me as much as I thought it would—perhaps because it wasn’t directed at me.
Of course, I still felt that something about him was the opposite of me, something that didn’t like the divinity in me. His teeth seemed abnormally sharp to my eyes—I knew what they had chewed—but I no longer felt hostility toward him because of it. I also sensed that he wouldn’t feel any toward me...
"Maybe I should trade more strands of hair with him?..." I mused, shifting my attention to another subject when I noticed my drink was empty. I grabbed another bottle.
Devas used my hair strands in practically all the paints he created, so he’d probably need more soon. That could earn me a good bottle of wine or, at the very least, enough gold to buy more drinks, especially since Kazuma had cut part of my budget.
"My debt isn’t even that big..." I grumbled. That’s why Trashzuma would die a virgin; he didn’t even know how to treat a lady. And it wasn’t like our party wasn’t making decent money... such a cheapskate.
My gaze wandered to the man on the holographic screen in front of me. He was talking to himself. I knew it was with Ozma, but he still looked crazy. I thought he was crazy—completely insane.
"The snow would’ve already covered the destruction. You can try digging, but it’ll take time." When the ex-immortal’s voice responded to Devas, the small microphone in the corner of the screen lit up. Along with that, a smaller window popped up, showing Ozma.
He was sitting on a rocking chair, on the deck of the beach house in that bizarre place that was Devas' Spirit Realm. Did he even realize how abnormal that was?... I was certain there were abilities that allowed adventurers to create a mental landscape to organize their thoughts—probably an advanced version of meditation—but that?
I took another sip and flipped the pillow under my head, which had become uncomfortable. The other side was cooler. "The most non-human human I’ve ever seen..." I huffed.
Humans didn’t eat divinity, have free control over hell’s flame, possess what were clearly authorities manifested as racial traits, or have the prototype of a world inside their very soul!
The Demon King would probably have been defeated already if, instead of Kazuma, it had been Devas who came to this world, right?...
I felt a shiver run down my spine at the thought: "He’s going to come to this world at some point, isn’t he?..." I knew Devas was friendly—sometimes too much so—but I had the feeling his presence here would bring countless problems.
Besides, seeing him eat those angel feathers and the divinity of Remnant’s God of Light gave me chills. I didn’t want to become dinner!
"You seem quite sure someone freed the Deerclops. Maybe it escaped on its own." Ozma’s voice drew my attention, and I took another swig of my drink.
"Unlikely. The timing was too perfect."
"On that, we agree. Any idea who might’ve done it, then? The goblins?"
"I wouldn’t rule out their involvement, but I don’t think it was just them." Devas paused, sniffed the air for a moment, then frowned and ran off in a seemingly random direction. "My guess is it was that damned cult."
What cult?
"What cult?" Ozma asked, as if reading my mind.
“They don’t really have a name—at least, not one I know of. I call them ‘those bastards’ in my mind or simply ‘Lunar Cultists,’” Devas explained as he ran. “In short, they want to ‘revive’ something that’ll screw over the world. Complete idiots who’ll end up dying too and probably don’t even care. Lunatics.”
“I imagine it’s something moon-related, given the name and context,” Ozma remarked, and Devas simply nodded. “Was the pun intentional?”
What pun? Oh! Luna-tic!
“No,” Devas replied with an amused snort. “At least not on my part, but the name fits them well.”
A few seconds later, he reached his destination and came to a halt. It was a kind of bay, nestled between two large peaks, with the sea calmly lapping against the rocks. The place was like a miniature forest, too; besides the white sandy beach, there was soil, trees, and all kinds of vegetation. Not only that, but there were also plenty of animals…
“How strange…” I muttered. “Rabbits don’t usually stay so calm around wolves…”
Wolves, rabbits, foxes, birds of all kinds, squirrels… All of them were coexisting in some kind of harmony. Even magical creatures, like those giant gray wolves, a few snow wolves, about half a dozen trolls, and what looked like a white puffball with eyes.
Devas stood still in the air for a few seconds. His gaze turned toward the distant storm before shifting back to the animals. His face was tense, concerned. Then, he descended into the bay.
Only then did I notice: half of the living beings there were missing one of their eyes.
[…]
POV: Perseus "Percy" Jackson
I could feel the fear. The terror that the animals and magical beasts around felt for Devas was palpable. I could see every muscle twitch, their gazes darting in search of an escape route, their pupils contracted.
I understood the reason, especially now that I was in the body they feared.
[Shared Senses (General): 12.3%]
The stream shared nearly thirteen percent of Devas’ senses with me, and even with such a relatively low percentage, I felt like I could bend and twist metal with my bare hands. Everything around me seemed incredibly fragile… I felt the power overflowing from my body—or rather, Devas’ body. Flesh and steel didn’t seem all that different; both would tear apart like soaked paper with just a subtle squeeze…
The strangest thing was the sea. I felt like I could control it, shape the water with Devas’ mana. It was the same with the ground, the air, and even fire. The connection to Shadowflame gave me an odd sensation, something that felt off—not to Devas, but to my own senses.
But the sea was different. Completely different. I felt like I could command it perfectly, that the waters would heed me if I merely whispered an order. One murmur, and the waves would be mine.
“This isn’t just something of Devas’, is it?... It’s not just his magic…” I muttered. I didn’t care who might hear me; I had locked myself in the bathroom. Maybe I’d take a while, but I could always claim I had diarrhea or something.
It wasn’t just that. Devas’ teeth gave me an odd feeling. A part of him felt… wrong. I adjusted the setting from “Shared Senses” to “Simultaneous Existence,” and the sensation intensified.
It wasn’t exactly dangerous, but every time I was near Devas—especially when I looked at his teeth—a small voice whispered at the back of my mind that it was better to keep my distance. It was the same feeling I had when looking at fire: it wouldn’t hurt me as long as I didn’t get too close or touch it.
The teeth were sharp, but they weren’t for me…
“But why?... What am I?...”
Why did I feel that it wasn’t the Echo Humanitatis giving me this sense of danger?
[…]
POV: Ainz “Momonga” Ooal “Suzuki” Gown
I won’t lie; feeling what it was like to have a human body again was… pleasant. The softness of flesh, the flexibility of skin—it was nice…
Devas was weaker than my player body, not physically, but his mana reserves were much smaller. I was a mage, after all, but the Shadowflame was intriguing. I’d need to see if I could trade something for a spark of it when Devas eventually came to my world…
However, Sun Breathing was unpleasant. My affinity for death was the opposite of that technique, and my evil alignment only made it worse. I wasn’t divine, so that racial trait only caught my attention briefly, but the other one was more fascinating. The Echo Humanitatis recognized me as human—or at least part of me—it was something I could feel.
That was curious… Was it my soul, perhaps?...
I sat on the throne of Nazarick, silent, with my “eyes” closed. No one would interrupt me; I had given the order. I would savor this moment. I could be clinical tomorrow, study what I could learn from Devas, but for now, I just wanted to relax.
Maybe this was the most expensive spa in the world?…
"Every one of them who lost an eye always lost the left one." he murmured, realizing the fact. Devas slowly sat down in the sand, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees. His voice was firm: “Calm down. I’m not going to attack you.”
I could tell, just as Devas could, that his words had worked. The animals began to relax, though not entirely. Then the mana of the dryad emerged from the surrounding plants, soothing them completely. Not even a second later, a message popped up.
[(MOD) JinnOfTheLamp]Alalia asked me to tell you she can sense you outside the storm. Your mana is quite unique to her. If you’re not in some kind of anomaly, like the Deerclops’ storm or the Eye’s storm, just poke a plant, and she’ll help.(Emote of a ChibiJinn as a gardener)
“Yeah, I noticed…” Devas looked around. Several plants were waving at him. He waved back. “Kind of creepy, but okay. Alright, let’s check these wounds…”
Curiously, he approached a rabbit instead of a large animal or magical beast. The small, one-eyed white rabbit stared at him, tilting its head slightly, and didn’t try to escape even when Devas picked it up. He didn’t use Analyze: Item on the animal at first, merely inspecting it with his energies and senses.
[Shared Senses (Mana): 100%][Shared Senses (Nightmare Energy): 76%][Shared Senses (General): 72.2%]
I couldn’t share all of his senses, but this percentage was enough for me to understand what he was doing. It was always impressive to watch someone who knew what they were doing—especially in literal first-person perspective, like now.
Devas’ mana, spiritual energy—which was the energy I had the least affinity for—and nightmare energy examined the animal. I could feel the paths it took, focusing mainly on the missing left eye.
I could sense the mana around the wound was completely abnormal—it felt withered and rotten. The flesh was a sickly brown and dry. I could tell it wasn’t infected, but it was unpleasant to look at. The rabbit was also clearly unwell; it seemed cold-like and felt warmer than usual to the touch.
After a few seconds, Devas narrowed his eyes and pulled a potion from his inventory. He dropped a few droplets into the rabbit’s eye socket, but nothing happened. His brow furrowed.
He went to the nearest tree, a palm tree, and knocked on it twice with his fist, as if he were knocking on a door.
“Alalia, can you heal this rabbit?” He pointed at the animal before looking at it again. The white rabbit and Devas exchanged a glance, and then the human pressed the animal against the tree trunk.
I have to admit, it was funny.
Nothing happened at first, but then the flesh in the rabbit's left eye socket began to heal, slowly — so slowly that, without Devas’s heightened senses, it wouldn’t have been noticeable. Yet, I noticed something, just as Devas did, and he said it aloud:
“It’s not regenerating the eye… Why?” His tone was that of someone confirming something they already knew, something bad.
A message from Jinn popped up immediately afterward:
[(MOD)JinnOfTheLamp]The rabbit didn’t appear to have any injuries to Alalia at first. She only managed to heal it because she did so in a generalized way; she couldn’t tell it was hurt. In fact, to her, this rabbit still has both eyes…(Chibi Jinn worried emote)
“Fucking fantastic…” Devas pulled the rabbit away from the tree and placed it on the ground, though not before analyzing it. The only noteworthy detail was also the most terrifying.
[Current Status: Cold (Medium), Erratic Mana Flow (Low), Headache (Medium), Muscle Pain (Medium), Flu (Medium), Sleep Deprivation (Medium), Exposure to: The Outer Foreigner Presence (High) (Dormant), MoonBite (Medium)]
What caught the attention of both Devas and me was the one status we had never seen before: the last one.
-//-
[MoonBite: The cruel touch of the moon]
Type: Debuff
Description:An almost undetectable curse that prevents body regeneration, both natural and magical. It can be suppressed and its status reduced with sufficient power or through potent remedies and blessings.
The MoonBite found on the animal (white rabbit) was at a High-Extreme status, but after the blessing and healing by the Last Dryad, it was downgraded to Medium.
The moon’s touch is cruel, just like those who attempt to deceive others, claiming it is gentle and kind...
[..]
Effects:
Completely prevents regeneration of the body in the affected area (via any method).Partially rots the affected area.Disrupts mana flow in the affected area.
[..]
MoonBite is inflicted under the following circumstances:
Birth of ‘Demon Eyes.’Birth of a ‘Zombie.’Awakening of The Outer Foreigner.Presence of 'The Eye'.Presence of 'The Brain'.Presence of 'The Skeleton'.Presence of 'The Moon'.
-//-
I remembered some bosses in YGGDRASIL with debuffs like this. They were either the easiest or the hardest and most hated ones. If the debuff was at a high level that the healer couldn’t remove or cure, it was almost a guaranteed TPK.
“Just one more of the many reasons I hate the existence of this fucking eye…” Devas sounded more exhausted than annoyed.
I could completely understand him. Surprise debuffs were one of the things I hated the most too...
[...]
POV: Serafall Leviathan
Did I cancel a meeting with Takamagahara? Yes, and that would probably give me a headache later. But screw it, this was way more important!
“I have more magic energy and am physically stronger… But what the hell are these senses?!” I shouted. Thankfully, the room was soundproof; otherwise, a servant might have come to check on me and gotten in my way.
[Shared Senses (General): 49.6%]
The stream thought it wasn’t safe for me to experience half of Devas’s senses! That was ridiculous! Both the stream and his senses were. I already had excellent sight, hearing, and everything else, but this guy could probably see grains of dust on the moon and hear what I’d say tomorrow!
I pouted, even with my eyes closed. But of course, that wasn’t all — I knew that. As absurd as Devas’s senses were, they weren’t the true “problem.” There were three things, specifically. I could feel it: these three things were what really “held back” the stream, preventing it from fully releasing Devas’s senses to me so I wouldn’t harm myself: the Shadowflame, the Sun Breathing, and the Echo Humanitatis.
Devas’s connection to the Shadowflame was something that, honestly, scared me. I felt like that thing could consume me if I were there. It felt like it had a kind of “dominion” over me, even though I came from a completely different hell than the one it ruled. I could resist, but it would be complicated…
And I did feed it angel and fallen angel feathers, didn’t I?… At least, these questions will be worth it!
"Or at least I hope so... If it asks for something like devil wings or fingers, I’ll refuse..." I murmured. That little purple thing already had ‘Increases damage against’ followed by the name of some random race way too often!
The Sun Breathing was the most obvious. If my senses were synced with Devas’s — if I shared his senses completely — that thing could genuinely hurt me across literal universes.
If I instinctively started mimicking his breathing or even the way his spiritual energy moved, using my demonic energy in my real body, I’d hurt myself. It wouldn’t be life-threatening, but it would be painful, to say the least.
But between the hellfire and the sunfire within that man, what was truly more dangerous to me was simply the fact that he was human.
"I am human, nothing human is foreign to me."
The phrase escaped my lips instinctively. I licked them. I’d seen Devas repeat it a few times, but it was only now that I truly understood its meaning and how literal those words were.
…How much Devas hated and loved humanity at the same time, in equal measure… How twisted his mentality was.
If it weren’t for the stream controlling what I could feel — the percentage of what I could feel — and if it weren’t for [Reality 4D] with the (safe) seal, something in my mind would have been altered, shredded, and remade simply by “touching,” sharing, Devas’s mind.
The mental difference between me and him was colossal, and it wasn’t because I was a devil and he was human. I’d dare say even other humans would have this problem. Maybe an even worse one, because they were also human, and nothing human was foreign to him...
A shiver ran down my body — several, actually, from fear and pleasure. I writhed on the bed. It was only then that I noticed I was lying on ice, as my nails shattered my pillow, which exploded into crystalline powder instead of tearing the silk. My teeth, instead of merely denting the pillowcase, left cracks in it…
“So this is what the first Satans felt? … This craving? … This desire? …” My voice came out hoarse from my throat. My nails had grown, sharp and icy blue. I could feel my energy writhing under my skin, unsettling, almost like his nightmarish energy. “But this one can fight back… This human can corrupt us as much as we can corrupt him…”
The reflection I saw in the crystalline ice, into which my ceiling had transformed, was worthy of a painting. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying. I truly was stunning.
Lucifer, you bastard… So this is what you felt? This pride, this Superbia?
My skin was icy blue, with something that resembled scales made of tiny crystals. Two large, segmented black horns curved from my forehead, encircling my head like a crown. My long hair had grown even longer, now pure white, spreading beneath my naked body like sinuous serpents. A pair of slit-pupiled eyes, in a mesmerizing shade between purple and dark blue, stared back at me.
The sharp, seductive smile on that face didn’t leave me as wet as the mere thought of having that man. Of corrupting him...
I ran my hand between my breasts and down to my navel. My body had changed: larger breasts, a thinner waist, thicker thighs. My stomach looked even more toned. A single finger, with a nail so sharp it tore my skin, slid along it. The pain was good. My blood had shades of blue. Was this what Luxuria truly meant?
“I will win… I’ll destroy humanity there…” I murmured to myself. My tongue, which I saw reflected in the ice, was long, purple, and rough like a cat’s, but forked like a serpent’s. I bit my lips before licking the blood. A moan escaped my throat. It was sweet. Delicious. Gula.
“But if I lose… So be it. That’s just as good a finale, maybe even better…”
I didn’t want to get up. Acedia. But I forced myself. Those two were coming. I could feel them... So much power. Invidia. I wasn’t that strong... Not yet…
As I rose, I noticed I was a bit taller. I was still admiring my reflection—the twelve beautiful, gleaming wings made of ice crystal scales that had grown on my back—when Sirzechs and Ajuka burst through the door, taking the entire wall down with it. Their eyes were wide, surprised, and alarmed.
“He’s mine and mine alone…” I whispered to them, my voice dripping with Ira and Avaritia. The first, for the mere possibility of their interference. The second, possessive. “That predator is mine to corrupt…”
All seven… I could feel them crawling inside me…
My tail coiled around my right thigh, while my wings covered my body like a cocoon. One hand went to my neck, while the other moved downward…
[Imminent danger to viewer’s mind detected!][Canceling [Reality 4D (Safe)]][Neutralizer initiating!]
I had just enough time to read the three messages before everything reverted.
The ice shattered like fragile glass, and my body returned to normal in the very next second. My skin regained its milky white tone, my hair turned black again, shortening, along with my height, breasts, waist, and thighs. My horns vanished, my teeth became less sharp, and my tongue went back to being pink and normal.
Now, I only had a single pair of bat wings on my back.
“This…” I blinked, confused and tired. My body felt lethargic, and all I wanted was to sleep. I was spent. “I don’t know… No, actually, I do…”
I was confused, aroused, horny, angry, exhausted, and more. My mind was fucked, as fucked as I wanted to be. Fuck, I was wetter than ever and felt the urge to kill something.
“Sins are sins…”
Now, I understood what that phrase truly meant. I let out a long, frustrated sigh. I’d have to take back what I’d said. He wasn’t born into the wrong species; he was born into the exact and perfect species he was meant to be.
Devas, you damn human... The most human of humans…
... Well, I guess that was just one more reason I wanted to possess that man.
[...]---[...]
[Note]
To summarize—since I know few people care, but I still feel I should inform my readers about the delay—there was a problem with the lease for the house I’m renting. The landlord, who used to be a friend of my mother’s, told us we had to move out within a month. The reason? He couldn’t raise the rent unless we left, but if we moved out, he could increase it for the next tenant.
Day after day, the last three days have been hectic. My mom was absolutely pissed, and I reached out to some old friends to see if they knew of any places. One of them introduced me to a real estate agent, and now I’ll be moving in about ten days. It’s a nice place, bigger, and the price isn’t bad either, so I guess it all worked out... I think.
This is the reason for the delay. I also didn't like the chapter I posted on (P)(A)(T); it could have been much better. It had been a while since I last delayed a chapter...
At least I managed to deliver a chapter of normal length, which is something!
[Note]
A lot of discoveries, many pseudo spoilers, and a lot of mess!
The (Safe) in [Reality 4D (Safe)] means safe in the sense that: no one will get hurt, and it's definitely not permanent. It doesn’t mean that the viewers are immune to the shit that might happen, just that they won’t actually be in danger.
Well, about the chapter: what happened speeds up some things, which is why I couldn’t include it in the Remnant arc. It sped up something in Percy, in Serafall, Rin, and other people for whom the POV was supposed to exist but doesn’t, for reasons explained above. I’ll mention them when the time comes.
Mainly Serafall. What the hell is that? It’s kind of obvious, I think, but I’ll leave it for the future. That only came about due to the ‘exposure’ of Serafall’s mind to Devas' mind. Both the ‘human’ and the ‘sin’. Sirzechs and Ajuka were not affected for reasons that the next Serafall POV will explain.
Sona is just too weak to even have the possibility of that happening.
Oh, yes, Alaya noticed something and was blocked before she could investigate. It’s really funny writing FATE, I feel like just by putting Gaia’s or Alaya’s name somewhere, the mess goes up about 10 levels.
Finally, something I wanted to explain: "Shared Senses" and the percentage each person is 'allowed' doesn’t mean strength in itself. At least, not entirely. Serafall and Ainz are stronger than Devas, especially the latter with his infinite tricks and P2W items.
Devas may have many useful things against the two, but he would lose if he fought them right now. The percentage not being so high is simply due to incompatibility or something like what Serafall explained.
The best example I can give is: the animal with the most color receptors compared to humans is the mantis shrimp, which has 16 different types of cones. The human, by comparison, can see 3 cones. I could crush a shrimp with no effort, but if for some reason I shared its senses, my brain would at least have a headache from the extra colors.
Well, I think that’s it. I’ll probably end up writing the next chapter as a POV from the viewers, since I need to write from Jarvis, Penny, the HOTD crew, and the ??? that showed up when Salem became BBQ.
Well, good Night and happy reading!