Ch 118: Endless greed.

[Does User intend to explore and oversee another world? YES/NO.]

[Warning: this choice is irrevocable.]

Noah paused for an instant as he considered. After the sheer number of girls that he already gotten and would still gain after he finished his to-do list, it would be greedy and unreasonable to want still more.

For some reason, the picture of a meme popped into his mind. The caption text said "There is a point where we needed to stop, and we have clearly passed it. But let's keep going and see what happens!"

He chuckled to himself as he interrogated his own soul. Yes, he was greedy and unreasonable. Now that he had managed to get his hands on a few of his favorite anime waifus, his appetite for more had been aroused.

Noah made up his mind, and answered YES.

[User has received a mandatory quest.]

[Quest: Preparations for the third world. User must select eight of his subordinates and train them for long term, independent action. One of them will be randomly chosen to go to the next world. Competition against the subordinates of other Champions should be expected. Remaining time: three months. Rewards: The chosen candidate will gain some of User's abilities, including their own system and inventory, as well as a smartphone to allow communication with User.]

[The Sword Art Online world will be pulled out of stasis in three months. User and his subordinates will be able to travel at will between the two worlds under User's responsibility.]

Noah frowned as the read the messages several times, and their implications.

[Uh, System. If the SAO world is taken out of stasis, my presence will be pretty much required over there. And this talk of independent action, does that means that Lilith is going to send one of the randomly selected eight over there, but I won't be able to go?]

[User is correct. The chosen subordinate will have a Grand Quest to fulfill, expected to take a long time, before User and his other subordinates can access this world.]

[okkayyyy… If one of my girls get her own system, how does that work with access to the Yin/Yang store and the points for it?]

[The subordinate will have access to the store, will be able to earn Yin and Yang Points, and will share them with User. However, the subordinate will not be able to exchange for skills already obtained by User.]

Noah couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment at not being able to explore the new world, and worry at the idea that one of his girls would have to fight some, presumably, very strong individuals. At the same time, he knew he was being unreasonable. The DxD/Bleach world wasn't going to be put into stasis, and it looked like the third world opening would happen before the fight with Yhwach, so he would be needed here as well as in the SAO world.

"Master?" asked Kaede, coming closer with Suzu. "You've been quiet for a while now."

"Yes. Help me gather everyone, please. The peerage, Asuna, everyone except for the girls undergoing training. I've just been given a task by Lilith, and we need to discuss it."

"Understood." said the girls as they went upstairs to knock on doors. Noah took his smartphone and texted Asuna, the girls that were busy with the former nuns, Ren, Himari and Kyouka, and went downstairs to check on Raynare, Mittelt and Kalawarna.

Noah opened the door of the first playroom and found the fallen angels in the middle of training their charges. Yokata and Rinne were both covered head to toe in black latex and leather, sitting on sybians, their arms bound by armbinders, and leaning forward as their tongues played with the clits of Seigi and Rikimaru, bound spread-eagled and facing them. The twins' heads were covered by black leather discipline helmets depriving them of speech, sight and sound, and while they were pleasured by their fellow slaves, they also had their butts and legs regularly flogged by Mittelt and Kalawarna, to feel both pleasure and pain.

"Master!" grinned Raynare as she walked closer. "Have you come to inspect our work?"

Noah smiled as he shook his head.

"No. Something happened, and their training will have to be put on hold for a moment. Girls, please take a quick shower, put on your maid uniforms and join everyone in the first living room as soon as possible."

"Yes, Master!" the three fallen angels almost ran to the bathroom as they quickly stripped.

Noah smiled as he walked closer to the four hapless captives. Rinne and Yokata stared at him from the corner of their eyes, still licking away, as they feared they might get punished for stopping without being ordered to.

"You girls can stop." said Noah as he turned the sybians off. Rinne and Yokata stopped licking, and Noah heard muffled protests from Rikimaru and Seigi, trying to thrust their hips forward.

"Your trainers are telling me that you two are making decent progress. while Seigi and Rikimaru are more stubborn. Keep it up, and you will soon be allowed out of this room."

"…And then what, master?" quietly asked Rinne, lifting her eyes to his face.

"Rinne, I intend for you to be one of my maids. But, really, it's more of an excuse for me to have my girls wear cute uniforms, since our home does most of the cleaning automatically, and the other maids actually do their daily chores in less than an hour. My maids live in a great place, more luxurious than the most prestigious hotels, and they get a lot of free times, at least when they aren't busy training new recruits. Your life will be quite good, once you accept that you are mine."

"As for Yokata, I'll have you become not only my maid, but also Lizel's attendant or pet. A devoted maid serving her every need."

Noah carefully studied Yokata's face when he told her that, and the purple-haired captive didn't show hatred, but a much more complex expression. Noah interpreted it as a mix of shock, reluctance and lust. He deduced from it that Yokata was the kind of twisted soul who tried to bully whoever they were infatuated with.

"Anyway, try to rest for a bit, your break isn't expected to last long. See you later." said Noah, leaving the room.

When the returned to the living room, almost everyone was already there.

"Noah, what is this about?" asked Lizel before anyone else could.

"Lilith gave me a special quest. I'll explain once the fallen angels join us." said Noah, using his item creation to create a chalkboard. On the top half, he wrote what he imagined were the best qualities the eight chosen would need.

On the lower half, her simply wrote "Candidates" and made two columns of four '-'.

The people present didn't have to wait long before Raynare, Mittelt and Kalawarna appeared, their hair still damp.

"Okay, everyone." started Noah. "Lilith has given me a warning, and a mission. Three months from now, two things will happen. The first, is that the world Asuna, Suzu and Kaede came from will get out of stasis, and we will all be able to come and go between the two worlds using teleportation, as we already are doing to travel between our new home and Japan. Those of us who cannot use it yet will be able to travel with the assistance of those who do."

"That's great, master!" giggled Asuna. "We can go see Rika, Izumi and the others! I want to see their faces when they see how big the harem has become!"

"I am so going to take pictures!" laughed Kaede.

"I'm curious about that other Japan. I want to see how close it is to the one we know." smiled Lizel.

"Yeah. But I mentioned two things, and the second one is what this chalkboard is about." said Noah, pointing to it.

"Lilith asked me to select eight of you girls. One of the eight, randomly chosen, will get to represent me and Lilith in another world. I do not have a clue what this third world will be like. It might be a medieval one, with or without magic or non-humans, or one with advanced technology, or another Japan. It could be literally anything. It may even be a cluster of several worlds, with their inhabitants able to travel between them. The chosen person will be given a big, important mission, and only upon completion of that mission will I and everyone else be able to travel to that world."

"Why is Lilith-sama not giving you more specifics, so we can better prepare ourselves?" asked Kyouka, her eyes squinting.

"One thing I never told you, because it wasn't relevant until now, is that the gods tend to make a game out of sending their champions to various worlds to reform them. They watch and make the occasional bets among themselves, and they also give their champions the occasional rules to follow, to make it more interesting. The next world is apparently a prime example. Remember Lilith telling us that it is taboo for one God to intervene in the world created by another?"

Asuna, Kaede and Suzu nodded immediately, as well as those who had watched Noah's memories of the event.

"Well, it apparently doesn't apply to this one, because I was warned that whoever will be sent there might have to fight other Champions' subordinates."

"What? That doesn't make sense!" said Miyabi. "Aren't Champions sent to reform the worlds created by the gods and make them better? Why would their subordinates fight each other?"

Noah shrugged and was about to agree, when Seifuku appeared.

"I am not at liberty to reveal too much, or it will give my side an unfair advantage. But I can give you a preview of the briefing each of the seven subordinates will get before entering this world. That world is… special. It has been created by me and six other deities pooling our powers together, and we decided that its governance would be done via a council of up to seven Champions. The seven subordinates will first have to establish the pecking order among themselves within the first few weeks of their arrival, to determine which Champion will be the head of that council, while also stopping the locals from triggering a major crisis. Hence the competition part."

"If whoever among you is selected dies on that world, she will be revived and sent back here, but Noah and all of you will never be allowed to go over there."

"If the chosen one surrenders to the subordinate of another Champion, or willingly chooses to follow them, they will have to obey that person until the world is opened to the Champions. In your case, since I am who I am, I fully expect you to add the defeated or surrendering subordinates to your family. The other gods won't mind, just like I will not say anything if you are defeated and end up in another Champion's harem. If this happen, it it be up for Noah to try to negotiate something with that Champion."

"The winner of the competition will gain for their Champion a permanent tie-breaking vote within the council, in case of an even number of members post-competition. And, well, bragging rights."

"Lastly, once the victor has been decided, violence between the Champions or their subordinates will be permanently banned. And all the remaining subordinates will be expected to work together to avert an even greater threat. Only after all that is done, will that world be opened to you all. Of course, should the subordinates fail to stop the looming threats over that world, we will take direct action, but we would be disappointed with our Champions for failing to train you properly."

"I see. So we are expected to get in, convince, subjugate or kill six of our counterparts, solve a crisis, then a bigger one, and only then can we return home, and everyone can visit that place." concluded Ren.

"That would be the ideal outcome, yes. Also, to avoid candidates teleporting on each other in their sleep, and to make things a little more interesting for us gods, teleportation will not be allowed until the Champions gain access to that world. Noah can tell you the rest." said Seifuku, disappearing.

For a while, no one spoke, as they were busy digesting Seifuku's words.

"I'll be honest, I'm not very tempted to volunteer." finally said Mittelt. "Exploring a new world sounds fun and interesting, same with picking up pretty girls for Master, but I'm not very confident in my strength, and I don't want to risk being taken away from here."

Noah could see that many shared her opinion, but he still had to explain about the perks.

"There are some compensations, though. Whoever is chosen will receive some of the abilities I am not able to share with you girls, such as having their own inventory, access to the list of abilities and items I can exchange Yin or Yang points for, The ability to earn Yin and Yang points, and a smartphone that will allow us to still be able to communicate. And it's not limited to that, but I do not have a precise list."

"More of your powers? In other words, whoever manages to win this thing, will be your de facto closest partner and second in command, right? Right?" exclaimed Asuna, her eyes intense.

"Oh… I'm in!" grinned Raynare.

"That's one way to put it. I don't see how it could be any different, really. That doesn't necessarily mean that I will love that person more, but I will at least reward her plenty for her efforts." nodded Noah. "I have written on the board the qualities I think you should have to thrive over there. if you think you have them and are willing to go, please lift your hand."

Noah had been about to say that he would have to designate people if he didn't get enough volunteers, but it wasn't necessary. Only a few girls like Mittelt, Reina or Seekvaira, who considered themselves too weak or were unwilling to dominate potentially not-so-willing women, refrained from volunteering themselves.

Noah gave them all a grateful smile, then picked and chose those who, in his opinion, would be the most suited for the mission.

Some of the girls were disappointed, but Noah had to choose. He steeled his heart and forced himself to consider things from a tactical point of view only.

"Akeno, I intend to give you Divine Dividing. Are you willing?"

"Yes!" beamed Akeno. After her lackluster performance earlier today, she was painfully aware of the gap between herself and some of the other girls in the room, despite her diligent training. Obtaining a Longinus to bridge some of that gap was a dream come true. She walked to Noah as he took the shiner silvery orb from his inventory and pushed it into her chest.

"Kaede, since you're already a spear user, do you want the True Longinus?"

"Yes, Master! This thing is way too powerful for me to pass on!"

Kaede got her golden orb pushed into her chest, too.

"Finally, I have Twice Critical to give." said Noah. "Lizel, do you want it?"

"What is this? And what does it do?"

"It will let you do more damage if you hit an enemy's weak point, and you can summon four artificial arms that will attach on your back."

Lizel frowned as she leaned back.

"I appreciate your willingness to give it to me, Noah, but I don't think it would suit me. I fight using magic."

"I'm aware of that, and I know you are a very skilled magician, but if you're potentially going for fight against subordinates of a Champion, you will need to be more than just a magician. Imagine fighting an enemy with a movement technique comparable to Shunpo, or something even better, and an anti-magic blade like those I can already create."

"I do not need to tell you how that would end. All eight candidates must be able to fight at all ranges. For that reason, Lizel, I want you, Raynare and Akeno to focus your training on melee combat, with the weapon of your choice or barehanded. But preferably with a weapon. And I want Ren, Kyouka, Suzu, Kaede and Asuna to learn Shinigami magic.

"I understand the logic. You're right, Noah. It would be beneficial for me to train with a weapon. Reina-chan, can I count on you to help me train?"

"I'll do my best, desu!"

"I'll create a large variety of weapons for you girls to try and see what you are comfortable using." smiled Noah. "Lizel, do you want Twice Critical?"

"Yes, please. I'll take any advantage I can get."

Noah nodded, and Lizel, too, got her own sacred gear.

"I will count on everyone to help with training the candidates if they can. And I have one last thing to say before you girls are free to return to what you were doing. Ren, once the magicians we took today are properly trained to be loyal, you can choose a few of them to help you with the paperwork."

"Thank you, Noah. I'll need to take time to train them into competent secretaries, but that will help me a lot." smiled Ren.

"And I'm off to Hueco Mundo. I'll be back to prepare dinner. See you later, everyone."

Noah nodded to them, and teleported to Hueco Mundo.

Once he was alone, he sighed, chastising himself for his cowardly retreat. Whenever all of his girls gathered together, and he was the center of their attention, Noah's shyness reared its ugly head, and he felt an urge to get away. It was tolerable during meals, as the girls chatted among themselves just as much as they did with him, but he still had issues when they all stared at him.

And by accepting responsibility for another world, he had just decided to, assuming all went well, add a whole heap of girls to his household. It was madness.

A few hollows were already starting to emerge from the group around him, as his presence always seemed to disturb the miasma infusing this world and causing it to coalesce into hollows, and Noah quickly used Promise, scanning his immediate surroundings. Seeing nothing alarming, he started grinding.

If he devoted at least half of his days to killing hollows, he estimated that it might take him another month or so to have enough Yin points for the Resurrection skill. Gaining the Yang points wouldn't be an issue. He sat at 2700 Yang Points currently, and just conquering Akeno and Rias alone should net him 200 and 400, respectively, giving him more than enough.

After that, all of his grinding would go toward improving his Item Creation, to equip his girls with weapons that wouldn't shatter after a few impacts from strong enemies like the Arrancars. Or whatever equipment other Champions would be able to provide to their allies.