Ch 219: It never was your decision.

"…What are you thinking, Orihime?" asked Noah, smiling softly as he kept her on his lap with an arm around her waist, and slowly twirled a few strands of her hair around his left index.

"I… I feel like I am betraying Kurosaki-kun." admitted Orihime, her head lowered as she felt ashamed.

They were in the basement, with Noah sitting on a leather-padded chair, and Orihime was straddling on his lap, facing him. Noah was dressed in black pants and a white shirt, while she wore long pink latex gloves and stockings over a black latex bodysuit. She also had a pink leather collar around her neck, connected to a pink leather breast harness emphasizing her considerable bust.

When Noah started training her, starting with light bondage and slowly increasing the intensity of their plays, Orihime had been very reluctant.

She still was, to some extent. Even if she had grown used to wearing latex and being bound, she still tried to deny the obvious. To deny that she already had become addicted to the pleasure.

Whenever Noah played with her, her reluctance quickly melted, and she became enthusiastic. But she also wasn't initiating anything, and she became guilty after the act.

Or just before it, like now.

"Ichigo isn't worthy of you, Orihime. Yes, he's a good person. But he's just hopelessly dense. You may not know it, but I refrained from making a move on you for months, to give him time to realize how you felt about him. But he never did. Now, due to the Captain-Commander's request, his time has run out, and you are mine. I'll help you forget about him."

"B-But even so…"

If anything, Orihime's head lowered further, as if she refused to risk meeting his gaze.

"…You enjoy it when I play with you, right, Orihime?"

"…Yes." muttered Orihime.

"I enjoy it a lot as well, but… I also care about you, Orihime. I want you to be happy, being mine."

"…I know it, Noah-kun. I know you care about me... But I still feel like I'm betraying him."

Noah sighed and decided to change his approach.

"…There is a way, you know? A way to stop you from being guilty."

"There is?"

"Yes. You feel guilty because you think it is your choice. But what if I make it clear that the decision was never yours to begin with? What if I became less gentle with you, Orihime?"

As Noah spoke, he stopped playing with her hair and instead cupped her left breast, gently kneading it.

"Should I be rough with you, Orihime? Should I stop seeing you as a lover to share my kinks with, and instead treat you as a sex slave?"

Orihime shuddered and blushed further, but she didn't say anything.

Noah gently cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. He saw conflict in her eyes, with guilt fighting desire, and a bit of… acceptance.

At least, he chose to interpret it that way, and he smiled.

"In a few seconds, Orihime, I am going to gag you. From then on, I will make you my plaything, without caring about your will."

Her eyes widened… but she didn't object to it.

Noah had played with Orihime a lot in the past few days, but he had never gagged her.

He created a red ball gag, and slowly brought it closer to her face.

He was prepared to stop if Orihime started freaking out. And yet, Orihime didn't say no. And when the rubber ball was only centimeters from her lips, she opened her mouth wide.

Noah took it as acceptance of his intentions, and nodded as he gently pushed the ball in.

"Get used to it, slave. You'll be gagged a lot from now on. It was never a question of you giving yourself to me. I was always me claiming you." said Noah as he fastened the strap behind her neck.

"Mmphj." softly groaned Orihime.

"Good girl. As long as you understand." smiled Noah before kissing her forehead.

He started using both hands to rile her up. It didn't take long, after he had already trained her body to respond to his touch, including in her dreams.

…

Orihime panted, squirming. She felt like putty in his hands, about to be turned into whatever Noah would decide.

And she couldn't summon the will to oppose him.

At first, she had been very motivated to learn those abilities that allowed Noah and some of his friends to repel the attack on Soul Society.

When he had revealed exactly what was needed, and how he intended to achieve it, she had tried to back away, but it was too late already.

Realizing that it was inevitable, and still wanting to be useful to Kurosaki-kun and her other friends, she had resigned herself into sacrificing her body.

To her surprise, Noah had been very gentle with her, and the experience had actually been… pleasant.

And that was what filled her with both guilt and shame.

As the days went by, and Orihime became very familiar with the kind of sex Noah preferred, and even grew a liking to bondage and latex, however much she denied it. And the guilt grew the more she experienced pleasure.

But still, she was willing to sacrifice herself, to help protect her friends. If she refused, and one of them died, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

Until earlier today, when Noah suddenly insisted that she never had a choice, and that he was going to make it clear to her that she was his slave, not his lover, what she felt was… relief.

He was right. If she never had a choice, there was nothing to feel guilty about.

It was that realization that stopped her from protesting and made her open her mouth to accept the gag.

It was bizarre, to say the least, to feel relief with someone declaring he would make you into a slave and ignore your opinion. And yet, she did.

After gagging her and playing with her body, making her very horny, he brought her to the bed, bound her hands in front of her with leather cuffs, and took her, more roughly than before. And as before, her mind went blank with pleasure.

He was currently lying on the bed with her in his arms, and he gently rubbed her hair.

But he hadn't ungagged her, nor removed the cuffs.

From now on, she knew, he would treat her like a plaything, and she would only be allowed to see Kurosaki-kun again after she had completely fallen and accepted her place as Noah's sex slave.

The guilt was still there. It wouldn't disappear so easily. But as she stared at the cuffs around her wrists and tasted the rubber in her mouth… she actually felt better.

She didn't have a choice, so she should just accept it.

…

Claire left the inhabited part of the city and walked among the ruins. Years ago, a large group or Yoma had terrorized the area, and so many citizens had died, that nearly a third of the city had been abandoned.

She patrolled that part, but didn't feel any Yoma presence. With this done, she started walking back toward the inn where Gudako, Mash and Britomart had rented a room, when she heard footsteps.

She lifted her right arm to hold the grip of her sword, but didn't draw it.

The footsteps came closer, and a man dressed in black, his eye hidden behind darkened lenses, emerged from the street's shadows. Clare relaxed and let go of her sword.

"How much progress have you achieved?" asked the man without preamble.

"I have become friend with them, and they started teaching me the basics of Magecraft." said Claire.

"That's good. how long do you think you will need to learn it?"

"…Magecraft isn't just a set of a few abilities." replied Claire in a flat tone. "It is a discipline deeper than swordsmanship. Some Magecraft practitioners in their home country have studied Magecraft for centuries, and still can't claim to have completely mastered it. But it you are asking me how much longer it would take me to learn how to kill a Yoma from a distance using Magecraft, I expect that I will be able to in a few weeks."

"Centuries?" asked the Agent, raising an eyebrow.

"Some Magus have ways to extend their lifespan. Have you found the Demonic Pillar they seek?"

"We have a few Eyes searching for it." replied the Agent, referring to Claymores who possessed special abilities suited for long-range observation, mainly hypersensitivity to Yoki, the kind of energy that Yomas and Warriors exuded. "But they have to avoid the Abyssals' territory."

Claire nodded. Every Warrior heard about the Eyes at some point. One of them, Galatea, was famous for being able to describe a fight between a Warrior and a Yoma over ten kilometers away, and from the other side of a mountain, just by reading the Yoki fluctuations.

The Organization wanted them to know that at any time, they could be under observation, and not be aware of it.

"Both Magecraft users and Demonic Pillars use a kind of energy that is completely different from Yoki, so most Eyes will not be able to detect it from a distance." pointed out Claire.

"…In that case, I'll have human agents assist on the search. Will they be willing to join the Organization?"

"They won't." said Claire as she shook her head. "I suggested it several times, but they always refused instantly."

"…Too bad. In the near future, a group of several Warriors will contact you. If they won't join by their own choice, they will join by force."

"That will be difficult." frowned Claire. "They aren't just strong at a distance, but also in melee combat. I would advise not trying."

"…I will take your words into consideration. But I still expect you to obey orders, if it comes to that." frowned the Agent, and Claire nodded.

"I had another reason to come." continued the Agent. He walked closer to Claire, and took from his sleeve a black card, with a red symbol drawn on its center. Unlike the symbol on Claire's outfit that resembled a fork with three tines, the one on the card had five.

"Elena…" muttered Claire, accepting the card.

"She is waiting for you fifteen kilometers north and east of here. On the ruins on top of a hill."

"…I will meet her tomorrow."

The Agent nodded and left without another word.

Claire remained still for a long time, reminiscing about Elena. The person who has shared her cell when she was a trainee in the organization. They had comforted each other, consoled each other whenever the training was too hard, or when they missed their family members.

In the Warrior's lonely life, Elena was… her only friend.

And tomorrow, she would kill her.

…

I have prepared several boxes of bento for you, Jinah." smiled Sung Kyung-Hye. In her hands were six boxes stacked in a pile.

"Thanks, Mom." ginned Jinah as she checked on the things she needed to take. She planned to be away for eight to ten days, to take on the Demon King Castle. A giant dungeon with a hundred floors, and whose boss was no one else but Baran, the Monarch of White Flames and king of Demons.

Kyung-Hye turned to Igris and Beru who were standing near and bowed to them.

"Please take good care of my daughter."

Igris placed his right fist over his heart and nodded, while Beru lowered his head.

"Y-Yes. We w-will protec-ct the Q-Queen."

Beru still had a hard time speaking human language, but he was making rapid progress.

Shortly after returning from Jeju Island, Jinah and the other system users had gone into a A-rank dungeon where they had found High Orcs, led by a powerful Shaman.

Jinah had benefited a lot from it. The High Orcs were as powerful as the average Shadow Infantry, and the Shaman, who Jinah had named Tusk, was capable of some powerful magic bombardment, and complemented well Igris and Beru in battle.

In the next dungeon, full of vicious snow folks and ferocious bears, Jinah turned the boss, a giant bear, into a shadow soldier as well. She decided to name him Tank.

Even better, she had reached lv 75 with that dungeon, and unlocked a new skill. Monarch's Domain created a wide area around her where her shadow soldiers received a 50% boost to their attributes, and it didn't even cost her mana to maintain it.

With that skill, she thought that Beru and Igris together might almost be able to take on a Monarch. Almost.

And now, she felt ready to take on the Demon King Castle.

Moreover, she wouldn't go alone.

…

After hugging her mother and leaving Heejin's condo with Jeanne and Alter, the three women (and 144 Shadow Soldiers, four of them being boss-level) Jinah traveled to just outside Seoul, in the same location where the class-change gate had opened for each of them.

There, she gave a quick hug to Meilin and Joohee, who were waiting for them.

"Akeno really isn't coming?" asked Meilin.

"No. She's starting Hae-In's training today, so…" shrugged Alter.

"Oh. It purr beats dodging blood splatters in a dungeon… What are you muttering about, Joohee?"

"…I was wondering if I could ask Akeno-sama to train me all over again, after the Monarchs are defeated." blushed Joohee, and Jeanne chuckled.

"I'm sure something could be arranged, and if not by Akeno, you could always ask us, you know? As long as you return the favor."

"…I think I will." smiled Joohee, producing her key.

Unlike the random dungeon keys that could be found by opening random boxes, every System user could easily obtain the key to the Demon King Castle, by going twice over het requirement for the daily quest. Only Akeno's warning that the first monster would be high-A-rank or even S-rank stopped them from going earlier.

"Is everyone ready?" asked Jeanne, and they all nodded.

They used their keys, and a large gate opened. With determined expressions, they entered, weapons in hand.

…

"This is a strange place. It looks a little like a dungeon." said Cha Hae-In as she touched the snow and scooped some. The snow didn't melt in her hand, and didn't feel cold.

"Right?" smiled Akeno. "The greatest advantage is that there's a time dilation effect when I load the artifact with mana. We will spend twenty days there, but when we come out, only one day will have gone by since we entered."

"Whoa. It sounds very useful."

"That's a big reason we became so strong." smiled Akeno, looking at the space around the house fondly. "I spend a lot of time here getting trashed around by a great martial arts expert. I have shed more than enough blood over there than what would be needed to fill a bathtub. But I became much more proficient with various weapons and unarmed combat."

"A great Expert?" asked Hae-In, interested.

"Scathach, the Celtic Warrior-Queen, famous for training heroes like Cu Chulainn. Not quite the original one."

"I have heard of her, but didn't she die long ago?" frowned Hae-In.

"She did, but she became a Heroic Spirit, sort of a summoning of her soul, reinforced by her own legends. Just like Jeanne is Jeanne of Arc, the maiden of Orleans."

"What? How is it possible?"

"Soul Summoning, as I told you." grinned Akeno.

"…But what about Alter, then? Aren't they sisters?"

"Jeanne was summoned by… an entity called Alaya, that the Catholics revere as the God of the bible. Alaya uses Jeanne and others as an operative to deal with threats to humanity. But an anomaly happened, and Gilles de Rais, who loved Jeanne deeply and fell into madness after her death, used a forbidden artifact to summon his own version of Jeanne, one who would want revenge against those who executed her. It's complicated, and I'm glossing over a lot of details."

"…So there both originate from the same soul, but are now two different people?"

"Yes. But returning to the subject of training, we also spent years here learning Magecraft. And training to become a Troubleshooter. Let's come inside, and we'll start."

"Yes. There's no time to lose, when other Monarchs might appear at any time."

Akeno nodded and invited Hae-In inside.

"The first thing is that I need to temporarily seal your current abilities. They will interfere with the process if I don't."

"Oh. How long do you think it will last?"

"Very likely less than a week in the real world. And a lot longer from your point of view. Show me one of your hands, please." smiled Akeno.

Hae-In didn't hesitate and extended her right hand toward Akeno, who drew a strange pattern on the back of it. Immediately, she felt somehow weaker than before.

She didn't much like the feeling of vulnerability that came with it, but didn't protest, determined to undergo the mysterious process as quickly as possible.

"What do I need to do now? You have been rather vague about the process where people outside could hear, but surely there is no need to maintain secrecy now, right?"

"You are right." nodded Akeno. "To benefit like me from Noah's abilities, you will need to sign a magic contract and swear loyalty to Noah."

"That's… fair. If we borrow his power and immortality, we should give back in return and help him save more people. What else?"

"That is the condition." nodded Akeno. She started creating a slave contract, and Hae-In watched with interest as mana coalesced into what looked to be a sheet of parchment.

"Is that really all? I just sign this contract, and I get some of the powers you used? Surely it can't be this simple? And why would it take longer for males?"

"It is all, but with a little caveat that is pretty important. You have to actually mean it. Not just reluctantly agree, but actually be ready to do anything he would ask of you. Emphasis on 'Anything'. Now, before I show you that contract, I will warn you. The terms are deliberately exaggerated, and not indicative of how Noah actually treats us. But those terms do show just how far you must be prepared to go."

Hae-In nodded, and started reading. Her eyebrows shot up the instant she went over the title, and she paled as she kept reading. Then her face became red with anger.

"What kind of joke is that?"

"I signed the same contract, just so you know. Noah treats me like a lover during the day, but the sex is seriously on the kinky side. It will be the same for you."

"I'm not signing this!" angrily exclaimed Hae-In, throwing the parchment at Akeno's feet.

"Not today." nodded Akeno, recovering the contract and storing it in her inventory. "But you will, one day. All I need to do is teach you to enjoy sexual submission. And I will, I promise you that, Hae-In."

"I already have trained many young women. Jinah, Joohee, Jeanne, Alter, Heejin, Bora and Gina, just on this world alone. Do not think you will escape it, or that you are strong enough to resist where the others have given in. Now start undressing, please. I have a lovely leather harness for you to wear."

"No." said Hae-In, ready for a fight, and Akeno sighed.

"Do not force me to be violent, Hae-In. You are alone and isolated, your strength sealed. You know just as well as I do that I can easily overpower you."

Hae-In didn't need the reminder, as she knew that already. But she had her pride, and she wouldn't go down without a fight!

She looked around the living room, searching for something to throw at her, and grabbed a wooden chair.

She couldn't even initiate the throwing motion before Akeno was on her, grabbing her wrist and performing a judo throw. Hae-In found herself on the carpet, both of her thumbs tightly held behind her back in Akeno's left hand as she started removing her shirt, with both speed and precision.

"Don't bother asking me to let you go, Hae-In." said Akeno as she pushed Hae-In's shirt off her shoulders and unhooked her bra.

"I'll make you pay for this, Akeno! You better watch your back."

"Oh? What happened to that determination to do whatever it would take to help save humanity and fight the Monarchs and their armies?"

"That…" hesitated Hae-In. The terms of the slave contract had been such a shock to her that she had forgotten about the reason they were doing this in the first place.

"But, do I really have to become a sex slave to do it?"

"Hae-In, when we retire, you will be one woman living in an island with one man and over ten thousand women, all of them possessing a high sex drive and a definite preference for kinky sex and BDSM plays. And while Noah approves of his girls being affectionate with each other, he won't ever allow you to have a physical or romantic relationship with another man."

"If I do not teach you to like those things, you will end up being miserable."

Akeno kept undressing Hae-In as she talked, removing her boots, and pulling on her jeans.

"I think I'd rather remain single forever, then. And ten thousand?"

"The vast majority of them are clones of a single girl that other members of the harem recently saved, but that's a story for another time. As for you being single, no, not allowed. You are too beautiful, and it would be a complete waste... It's not as bad as you think, Hae-In. The crystal ball is far from the only magic item Noah created, and some are designed to facilitate the transition of a reluctant girl into a willing one. It will be much easier and faster than you realize."

Hae-In was now completely naked, and Akeno turned her over. Akeno used light magic to remove Hae-In's body hair below her neck, and Hae-In groaned in shame.

"Now, are you going to cooperate, or do I need to keep you bound 24/7?"

Hae-In, using her hands to hide her breasts and crotch, glared furiously at Akeno. But she was also pragmatic enough to know that reluctant cooperation was better, if it allowed her to avoid being restrained.

Still glaring, she nodded, and Akeno stood, taking from her inventory a black leather harness, made of two-centimeter-wide straps and steel rings. She sorted it out and crouched in front of Hae-In.

"Step into this, please."

Hae-In hesitated for a second, then reluctantly put her feet through the loops Akeno was holding wide open for her, and Akeno straightened as she brought the mass of leather and steel up.

"Your arms go through these."

Hae-In slipped her arms inside the loops, and Akeno raised the harness further, until the two top straps settled over her shoulders.

Akeno stepped back to take a good look.

"This harness, did it just move?" asked Hae-In as she felt something weird. All the straps clung tightly to her skin, as if gently squeezing her.

"All the restraints or clothes that Noah create are enchanted with self-repairing, to always look brand new and avoid wear and tear, self-cleaning, for obvious reasons, and self-sizing, to always be a perfect fit no matter who is wearing them. What you must have felt was the harness adjusting itself to your body… It suits you well. The black of the leather against your fair skin nicely emphasizes your beauty."

Hae-In looked down at her body, obviously not sharing Akeno's opinion.

"Your hands, please." smiled Akeno, holding two black leather cuffs.

"Didn't you said that if I cooperated, you wouldn't tie me up?"

"I said that I wouldn't keep you bound constantly. Not that you would never be. But I can't nurture in you a taste for bondage, if I don't bind you at all. Your hands."

Hae-In sighed, reminding herself over and over that she was doing this for her comrades, and that she had civilians to protect. Akeno fastened a cuff around each of her wrists. Softly, but firmly, she brought both of Hae-In's arms behind her back and used a padlock to lock them together.

"And this is where the magic happens." smiled Akeno, showing a black leather collar for Hae-In to examine. The collar was about four centimeters wide, possessed three D-rings, on the front and sides, and a single belt at the back.

Akeno opened the collar and started fastening it around Hae-In's neck, and when she was done, Hae-In felt the leather contract slightly, becoming snug against her skin.

"In addition to the previously mentioned enchantments, the collar had two more." explained Akeno. "The first is that it registers the mana signature of the person who wears it, and will lock itself if that person attempts to remove it. Anyone can take that collar off your neck, except yourself. The second is… I'll let you discover it by yourself."

"Now, I will leave you for a few minutes while I go change into a more appropriate outfit. You can sit on the sofa."

Akeno walked up the stairs, and Cha Hae-In sighed, wondering how things had turned out this far out of her expectations. She had imagined some kind of hard physical training, or maybe having to lay down on a table while Akeno did things to her body. Likely, uncomfortable things.

Instead, here she was, shaved, her torso, waist and hips covered by leather straps forming rhombuses against her skin, her hands cuffed, and collared. Waiting for Akeno to return and, very likely, molest her.

She tried to imagine what Akeno's next moves would be. Would she try to whip her into obedience? Probably not. Hae-In had no experience in those matters, but surely, Akeno knew that she wouldn't submit to such barbarism.

If the other girls Akeno had mentioned truly had been trained by her into becoming slaves for Akeno's lover… They didn't show any sign of being abused. They didn't flinch whenever Akeno looked at them or lifted an arm, and bantered with her as equals.

As her imagination started picturing images of herself in various bondage positions, being forced to perform things like oral… Hae-In's eyes suddenly widened in incredulity. She was getting aroused!

She tried to deny it and think about something else, but her present situation forced her to think about sexual slavery and bondage again, and again, and her arousal slowly grew.

In a moment of clarity, she realized that the collar had to be responsible for her state.

After a few minutes, she heard Akeno descend the steps, and Hae-In gasped at her appearance.

Akeno now wore black leather platform boots with high heels, a black latex bodysuit that seemed so tight that it looked painted on her, a black leather belt around her waist, and a black leather collar without any ring on it, its surface engraved with dragons. She looked… Domineering. Confident.

She slowly approached with a victorious smile, and Hae-In gulped at the cheer sexual power that she projected.

"You seem to like what you are seeing."

Hae-In blinked and glared at Akeno.

"It's that collar's fault! You must have drugged me with some skin contact chemical. It's not normal for me to feel this way just from being tied up."

"It is the collar, yes." chuckled Akeno. "But no drugs are involved, or at least not in the way you assume. What the collar does is influence your brain chemistry, promoting the production of dopamine and serotonin, responsible for both short and long-term happiness."

"Because of the collar, you will end up liking everything I do to you. I could treat you like a pet, whip you like you're a masochist, or do all sorts of perverted things, and you will still grow to like it. Eventually, it will become a part of you, and you will still feel this way even without the collar."

Akeno pushed Hae-In down on the sofa, and straddled her, lowering her face to be just above Hae-In's.

"Have you ever had any lesbian experience, Hae-In."

"I…I was kissed by my roommate during college." said Hae-In, seeing no point in being dishonest about this. "Just a drunk mistake, really."

"Did you like it?"

"Not really. I didn't hold a grudge about it, but it still made things uncomfortable between us, and she moved out."

Akeno nodded, and slowly lowered her face, her intentions obvious. She felt Akeno's fingers slightly pinch her right nipple, and Hae-In gasped. Then she felt Akeno's lips against hers, and her tongue started exploring her mouth.

Hae-In moaned as her body tensed, but she didn't try to move her face away, knowing it would be futile. To her surprise, Akeno's kiss felt quite pleasant.

"Another of the abilities Noah gave all of his subordinates." smiled Akeno, breaking the kiss. "Even without the collar messing with your head, our touch can give more pleasure than normal. You should start to understand by now that there is only one outcome to your situation. So, spare yourself some pain and just give in."

"Some strong-willed people can withstand pain even to the point that their body will break before them, but no one can resist the allure of pleasure."

Hae-In realized that Akeno was probably right. Even right now, her gaze alone gave Hae-In a slight urge to submit to her. But she didn't intend to just surrender.

Her pride wouldn't allow it. She intended to resist as long as possible.