Ch 330: Declaring war?

"What in the heaven's name did Shuiruo and No… I mean my Lord tell you to convince you to join us? Is it because you wish to repay them for saving you?" asked Erica with a raised eyebrow, staring at a blushing Aki.

They were having breakfast when Aki came into their dorm, suitcases in hand, and Shuiruo had given her a hug while welcoming her.

Today, Noah had chosen for Erica a deep blue kimono with pink Sakura flowers patterns. She didn't like that she couldn't choose her own clothes, but she had to admit that she rather liked how she looked in those.

Aki had looked at her attire with obvious curiosity, but didn't ask.

"Your Lord?" blinked Aki in confusion.

"Long story, you do not want to know." quickly said Rikka before Erica found herself forced to explain the game to her.

"Hehe…" chuckled Shuiruo. "There's nothing like escaping from the jaws of death to make someone seriously think about joining our side. I'm glad to have a new sister!"

"Yes." nodded Aki. "I guess there is a little of this, me feeling gratitude towards Noah and Shuiruo. But it's not just that. Shuiruo mentioned that there were several large-scale disasters brewing on the horizon, and when they come, I do not want to be one of those remaining behind, relying on luck to try to help Norma. I want to be one of those who will actually save our fellow students and the civilians."

"I see. That's very noble of you." nodded Erica. "But I'm not exactly sure you understand what being part of this faction involves."

The way Aki lowered her gaze, blushing at her words, showed her that she did, at least to some extent.

"I told her about Noah's harem." nodded Shuiruo. "As well as how he tends to be rather dominant in bed. But I'm sure he will be very gentle with her."

Aki groaned in embarrassment.

"Well, if you're aware, I have no objection." nodded Erica. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"Still asleep." shrugged Shuiruo. "He spent the rest of the night in Mystic Moon, because he is on some exclusive quest he wants to finish as soon as possible. He doesn't intend to let Eve remain in the first spot. Noah should wake up in maybe an hour."

"What kind of quest?" asked Aki, interested. "Did Noah tell you?"

"He needs to enter one of the forbidden areas far to the East of Azure Dragon City to find some herb and cure the City Lord's son. It's a Lvl 20 and above area." smiled Shuiruo before biting into a waffle with chocolate sauce. "Noah doesn't like having to spend hours and hours riding a horse, but that's an important quest for his plans to help Yun Meng Xin. He'll get a spot close to the city's main plaza for 6 months, for her to establish her trading house."

"Oh. That's quite a good reward." nodded Erica in understanding.

Someone knocked at the dorm's door, and Liliana stood to answer it.

She came back with Nono and Susie, Nono's roommate and closest friend.

"Hey, everyone." waved Nono. "Your breakfast looks quite good."

"Hi, Nono, Susie. Come take seats, we have plenty to share." smiled Erica.

"I'll take you up on your kind offer." smiled Nono as she took a waffle and started dripping maple syrup on it.

Susie smiled and sat, but only served herself a cup of orange juice.

"Why did you guys come to visit?" asked Erica, with a tone that made clear that she didn't mind their presence.

"To warn you about something." said Susie. "As secretaries of the Student Union and Lionheart Society factions, Nono and I get to… hear things. And several students today have discreetly asked around, about Noah. They wanted to confirm if he really was the Noah from Mystic Moon."

"And?" asked Erica. "I assume he has a lot of admirers or people who are curious about him."

"Yes." said Nono. "But when two of them then started asking if and when Noah would leave the Campus, and wanted to get concrete details about his abilities, it caught Norma's interest. She's asked us if we knew anything about people asking those questions."

"Separately, those questions might be harmless." frowned Erica. "Together, they sound like someone is thinking about an ambush."

"Exactly." nodded Nono. "That is what got Norma suspicious, and she started going through communication logs. And it just so happens that both of the aforementioned students made or received a few calls from China recently, from a number that is associated with someone from the Flame Emperor's staff."

"Long Tian Yun is sniffing around, then." nodded Erica, not really surprised.

Long Tian Yun was the kind of man who destroyed potential rivals if he couldn't make them work for him, so it wasn't really a surprise that he would seek information on Noah.

At the current time, she didn't have any reason to think that Long Tian Yun was aware that Noah and his faction intended to join Yun Meng Xin's guild and help her win that bet.

"I will tell him about this as soon as he wakes up. Thank you for the warning." nodded Shuiruo.

"I loath that scum Long Tian Yun." shrugged Nono. "He made problems for my family for a while after I turned him down. He only stopped after my dad went to see his father, who thankfully is more reasonable."

She stopped speaking as she heard someone descend the stairs.

…

"Oh? Hi, everyone." smiled Noah as he came down the stairs and found the girls in the living room, having breakfast. Surprisingly, Nono and another girl he didn't know were there, as well as Aki, who looked away with a slight blush.

"Noah, this is Susie, my roommate. She's also Chu Zihang's second in command in the Lionheart Society." nodded Nono, putting a hand on the brunette's shoulders. She was about 165cm tall, although his estimation might be off a limit since she was sitting, had neck-length black hair, and gray eyes.

"It's nice to meet you." smiled Noah as he took one of the chairs and started creating his own breakfast, a black coffee and more waffles.

"Likewise."

"Noah, Aki has agreed to join Valhalla. I already told her that sharing your powers also means sharing your bed, and she agreed!" proudly exclaimed Shuiruo.

"You did?" asked Noah, surprised.

Aki, suddenly the target of everyone's attention, flinched. "This… I want to have the power to protect others, so… Please be gentle with me!"

Her face couldn't be any redder, and Noah was for an instant worried she would injure herself.

"Of course I will be, Aki. I'm very happy that you are willing to trust me with something so personal. We'll discuss this more in private. Nono, Susie, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Not so fast, Noah! What's the link between sharing your bed and your powers? Are they like a STD?" asked Nono.

"Thanks for this charming image, Nono." said Noah with a deadpan tone while the others giggled.

"No. This is a safety that was built-in within the abilities my goddess allowed me to earn. Let's suppose that I give Susie my powers right now. Since she's your friend, I assume she's a good person."

"I like to assume I am, too." grinned Susie.

"Yes." nodded Noah. "So I'm not particularly worried that you would abuse them. But will you still be a good person, a thousand years from now? Ten thousand years from now? In a million years?"

"…No one can say for sure. I'd like to, but I'd probably be very jaded, at the very least." frowned Susie.

"Exactly. In my case, I have my goddess keeping an eye on me, and if I stray too much from what she considers acceptable, she will 'fix' me. She has shown me once how she disciplines the Champions who failed her, and it's scary. But in the case of the Champion's subordinates, Agents like Shuiruo, the safety measure is the signing of a magic contract, where the signatory acknowledges the Champion, that is me, as their leader. This way, I am responsible for preventing my subordinates from abusing their powers in ways that will harm innocent people, and the magic contract gives me a way to do it without requiring a fight between superpowered individuals."

"…Okay?" frowned Nono. "I understand your line of thought, and I don't see a problem with it. If Shuiruo gains your powers, it's only fair that she works for you, at least for a while, and that you be considered responsible for keeping her in line. But that still doesn't explain the bedroom aspect."

"Nono, to gain Noah's power, I did not just need to agree to work for him." smiled Shuiruo. "I needed to mean it, from the bottom of my heart. It requires nothing short of complete commitment. And, while I never had sex before Noah entered my life, I can tell you that any woman, once she gets a taste of it, will fall for Noah. It's not just that one of his abilities makes it more pleasant than normal. It's also that he really wants to make you feel good, and you can feel his affection, and…"

"…and I think they get the idea, Shuiruo." gently cut in Noah. "Let's speak about something else. Nono, Susie, did you come to help Aki move her belongings?"

"No. We came to warn you." said Nono. "A few students in the College are gathering information about you and they seem to be talking with members of Long Tian Yun's faction. Not just questions about what you did in Mystic Moon, but also questions about your abilities, and about the next time you'll be away from the College. The kind of information that someone preparing an ambush would want."

"I see. Thanks." nodded Noah. "I'll pay the Long family a visit today to ask them to keep the hostilities within Mystic Moon."

"After seeing that video of you killing that aquatic dragon, I won't ask you to be careful." said Nono. "But still, be careful. The Long family has resources, and allies. They might send a Legatus Legionis after you. I don't think any of them would be crazy enough to attack here in the College, but you won't be there forever."

"I can manage, I think. I may not be able to face a thousand Legions in a frontal assault, but I can evade their fire and run away." said Noah as he took his smartphone, who started vibrating.

Erin had sent him a message, asking to meet him for tea, and to speak about an important matter.

Noah typed a quick answer, telling her he would teleport to her within a few minutes.

"Alright, the Yanling class is about to start." said Susie, standing. "Thanks for the breakfast."

Nono took a waffle as she stood and smiled at Noah. "I'll take this as a tip for the info. See you later."

Noah accompanied them to the door. "See you later, and thanks again, Nono, Susie."

"Kitten, Bunny, do you girls know where I could find Salvatore Doni and that guy Voban?" asked Noah as he sat again.

Aki looked in confusion at the unfamiliar nicknames.

"I know in what cities their main residences are. Why are you asking?" asked Erica.

"Because of their spirits." grinned Shuiruo. "What else could it be?"

"Of course it is… My lord is an unsatiable pervert." sighed Erica.

"Your Lord?" asked Aki.

"Do not mind it, Aki." replied Liliana, hoping Aki wouldn't learn about the game, although she knew it was coming.

"Now that I am more or less established within the College, and that the Principal currently has a lot of goodwill towards me, it's about time I do something about those poor girls. The longer they stay in the hands of those guys, the more damaged they will be."

"That's dangerous, though. Even assuming you manage to take them from their Campiones, those girls will only see you as exchanging one captor for another, and they'll lash out. Spirits are very powerful." objected Rikka.

"I have my ways." smiled Noah. "And today is an odd day. You know what this means."

Erica sighed, put a hand in her pocket, and threw the dice.

"2 and 6." said Yui from Erica's wrist. "Lesbian Training Lvl 1 and Body training Lvl 1. Lesbian training, kiss a woman for sixty seconds every day. Body Training, drink at least two liters of water every day."

"Damn it." cursed Erica.

"Kitten, you are banned from using curse words." chided Yui. "This is your only reminder today. Do it again, and your time will be expanded."

"What is happening?" asked Aki, alarmed.

"Why don't you tell her, Kitten?" smiled Noah with a teasing grin. "And unless one of you girls volunteers herself, I'll take Kitten with me in a few minutes."

"I hate you, my Lord." sighted Erica with an aggrieved look. "Aki, you know how Bunny and I tried to become Campiones, right?"

"You and Liliana? Yes, I know." nodded Aki.

"Well, this guy, I mean My Lord, turned the tables on us then decided to spare us, but he made us agree to become his slaves for five years. And he gave us the opportunity to reduce it to just one year, if we agreed to play a perverted game of his. Every odd day for three months, we have to roll dice, and we get one or two new perverted rules or restrictions we have to follow until the game ends."

"Liliana too?" asked Aki, shocked.

"Yes." sighed Liliana, rolling her own dice.

"3 and 4." announced Hikari. "Bondage Immersion Training Lvl 2. In addition to the previous restraints, a blindfold will be added, and you will have to speak out loud your affection to your Owner every three minutes."

"I see…" nodded Liliana. She remembered this one from two days ago, when Hikari had listed all the options. It was far from the worst possible outcome.

"A-Are you going to try to make me play that game?" asked Aki to Noah, worry in her voice, and he shook his head.

"Nope. I told you, I will be gentle with you. I'm already thinking about where to take you on a date."

Aki sighed in relief, but Noah didn't miss the jealous glance Erica sent him.

He made a note to himself to have a "Soul Space date" with each of his girls tonight. He was too busy to do it in real life, but spending the equivalent of half a day with each of them in their soul space would be easy enough.

…

Noah teleported to the first living room of his palace with Shuiruo, Origami, Liliana and Erica.

Origami's parents were waiting with huge smiles, as well as Yui, Hikari and Erin.

In an instant, Origami was hugging both of her relatives, and Yui walked to Erica with a huge grin and extended her hand.

"Hi, Kitten! We meet in person at last!"

"Are you Yui?" asked Erica with a surprised expression, recognizing her voice, as she looked Yui up and down and shook her hand. Yui had told her before that she had a human body, but she had expected to see someone with visible signs of being a cyborg. But unless they were hidden by the black leather dress Yui was wearing, she looked like a normal girl. A very beautiful, normal girl.

"And I'm Hikari!" grinned Hikari as she gave Liliana a hug. "It's so good to see you, Sweet Bunny!"

"Huh, yes?" squeaked Liliana.

"Are you searching for ball joints or something, Kitten?" teased Yui, reading her like a book.

"Well, something among those lines. Your body doesn't look artificial at all, aside maybe for being too beautiful to be natural."

"Thanks for the praise." grinned Yui. "It is a flesh and blood body. Artificial flesh and blood, maybe, but that's a detail. I can even get pregnant, if Master and I want to, and the child would be completely natural."

After Erin introduced herself to Erica, Liliana, Origami and Shuiruo, Noah cleared his throat.

"Yui, Hikari, why don't you take Shuiruo, Bunny and Kitten, and give them a tour of the island?"

"Sure, Master." grinned Yui. "Come, Kitten. I'm going to introduce you to many girls, and you can pick your favorite for your daily task."

As they walked away, and Shuiruo followed her parents out of the room, Erin gave Noah a tight hug and kissed him.

"I missed you, my Master." smiled Erin.

"I missed you too."

"Liar. You've been too busy to have time to really miss your girls at home." snorted Erin. "But it's fine."

Noah only smiled, conceding.

"Give me your hand, Master. They are waiting."

"Who?" asked Noah, taking Erin's right hand.

"It's a surprise." winked Erin.

She teleported with him, to what Noah assumed was another room of the palace, judging by the furniture, but his attention was on the four girls sitting around the table, chatting as they were having tea. He recognized them instantly.

Mari Illustrious Makinami, a young woman with long brown hair styled into twin tails behind her ears, with chocolate-brown eyes watching him from behind thin oval glasses. She wore her signature pink plugsuit with the number 05 on her torso.

Rei Ayanami, with her red eyes and pale neck-length blue hair, was dressed in her white plugsuit with the number 00.

Another Rei with identical features wore a black plugsuit with the same 00 number, but also a smaller red 4 under it.

The third young woman was Asuka Shikinami, wearing a white plugsuit with red accents, and the number 02.

"Asuka?" asked Noah, an eyebrow raised. She wasn't supposed to be here. Last time he talked to her, she had just returned from her timeline and was taking a break in Chaldea.

"not the one you're thinking about." replied Asuka as she shook her head, staring at him as if evaluating him.

"You're Noah, right?" smiled Mari, standing and walking closer.

"Yes. And you must be Mari. It is nice to meet you." smiled Noah.

"Hehe, I'm sure. There must be millions of boys in your world who had fantasies about us." grinned Mari. She stopped very close to him, invading his personal space, and sniffed twice around his neck.

"You smell nice. I like it." said Mari with a husky tone before giving his check a quick peck and stepping away with a chuckle, returning to the table.

"Thank you." said Noah, before sending a meaningful glance at Erin, who nodded.

"Yes, they know their world was created from a fiction. They learned it from the other Asuka."

"The other Asuka? A clone?" asked Noah, surprised, as he looked at Asuka again, who shrugged.

Rei having hundreds of clones, ready to replace her whenever she got killed, was a staple of the original Evangelion series, but Asuka? He wasn't aware.

"Noah, let me introduce you to Mari, Rei Ayanami, Rei Quatre, and Asuka Two. Let's sit, and I'll explain." nodded Erin.

Noah sat after greeting Rei and Asuka, and Erin served him tea as she spoke.

"So, you know that the Nerv HQ in Neo Tokyo had a basement where many clones of Rei were in a state of suspended animation, floating inside glass tubes, right?"

"Yes." nodded Noah.

"Misato and I found them while we were taking over Nerv, but we weren't quite sure what to do with them. The Rei clones do not share a permanent telepathic network like the Misaka Sisters, but they received information and life experience from the Rei that was active at the time, via those white hair accessories she always wore with her plugsuit. They recorded Rei's thought processes and recent memories and shared them with her clones."

Noah nodded, glancing at the black accessories in Rei Quatre's hair, and the white ones Asuka and Rei also wore.

"So I assume this meeting is transmitted to each of Rei's clones and Asuka's clones."

"That is correct." nodded Erin. "Anyway, there was something strange with the facilities, as they were clearly created to take care of the Rei clones, but the machines and research to create the clones in the first place was missing, and Misato kept poking around. Eventually, she managed to get some concrete evidence of another secret Nerv installation, one that had been hidden even from the staff in the headquarters and was under SEELE's direct management."

"We finally managed to pinpoint it, and inside was, among other things, Nine hundreds ninety-nine clones of Asuka." said Erin. "According to the files we found, they started cloning her soon after Asuka was tested and proved compatible with Eva 02. The accelerated growth they had been subjected to led to a few long-term health issues, but I dealt with that already."

"I understand." nodded Noah.

He could already see what had truly happened. Noah remembered Lilith's words, when she mentioned the Gods were making bets out of throwing girls after girls at him to see when he would finally say he had enough.

But the joke was on them, as Noah wasn't sure he would ever reach that point.

"What do you and your sisters wish for, Asuka, Rei?" asked Noah.

"The same thing you offered the original one." said Asuka. "A family. A place to call home. You're fine with having more of us around, right?"

"Absolutely." instantly nodded Noah. Not only would it be a fool to refuse, but the Asuka clones, even if they knew their tragic backstory was artificial, would be utterly devastated if he rejected them.

"The same goes for Rei and her sisters, and for Mari. Do you have sisters as well?"

"Not as far as I'm aware." chuckled Mari. "The world wouldn't survive more than one of me!"

"Truer words were never spoken." agreed Noah.

"About the matter of Athena creating their world while taking inspiration from a fiction, they all know not to spread it to the other members of the family." nodded Erin.

"Okay. Asuka, Rei, Mari, and all your sisters, welcome to the family. But I will ask you to either choose a name of your own or add a number behind it, or change your appearance a little, anything to help us distinguish each of you. I want to be able to form relationships with you as individuals. Even if you share the original Asuka's or Rei's knowledge and appearance, you each are your own person."

"Thank you." said Rei.

"Yeah." nodded Asuka. "We already agreed among ourselves that only the original one would get to wear a red plugsuit. Some are trying different hairstyles as well. As for names, we haven't decided yet."

"I see. Do you still intend to use those hair accessories to share your experience, then?"

"No." said Asuka as she shook her head. "Well, maybe once in a while for special occasions, and to speed up the signing of the soul contracts with you. But like you said, we're different people, so we'll experience different things from now on and lead our own lives."

"Yes…So, who wants to go to Shuri and tell her she has a lot of new daughters?" grinned Noah.

…

Once Noah returned to the new world with the girls, the first thing he did was go see principal Anjou.

"Oh? Do you need anything, Noah?" asked Anjou, inviting him into his office.

"Hello, Principal. Sorry to bother you, it won't take long. How are you doing?" asked Noah.

"Fine, thank you. I heard you lost the first spot." teased Anjou, gesturing to a nearby chair.

"I intend for this tragic lapse to be a very temporary thing." smiled Noah as he sat down. "I was busy with a few things, and it's for one of those that I came to see you. There are some Spirits, the Yamai sisters and the one named Tenka, who are being mistreated, and I intend to do something about it. Would you perhaps know where I can find Salvatore Doni and Dejanstahl Voban?"

"…I know where they live, and I sympathize with those Spirits, but how do you intend to go about it?"

"I want to secure custody of those girls and have them join Valhalla. I will seal their Angel, and it will remain sealed until they agree to sign a binding magic contract that will make sure they only use their power in self-defense, or with my approval. As for how I secure them, that will be up to Salvatore Doni and Dejanstahl Voban, but I intend to only use the minimum amount of violence necessary."

"And John Pluto Smith? You didn't mention him or his Spirit Natsumi. Are you going to go after him?"

"From what Toba told me, she treats, I mean, he treats Natsumi relatively well, so he is low on my list of priorities."

"…Do you know something I don't about John Pluto Smith? Is he a 'she'?" asked Anjou after a few seconds of silence. He hadn't missed Noah's mistake.

"…No comments." replied Noah before he decided to change the subject. "I also intend to visit the Long family this morning, since it seems they're taking an interest in me. They can be as hostile as they want in Mystic Moon, but if they aim at the College or my friends in the real world, I will retaliate in kind."

Anjou nodded and stood. From a shelf behind his desk, he took a flat wooden chest, its surface engraved with symbols.

Noah recognized the chest they had taken from the underwater temple.

"I was about to entrust this to you." said Anjou, actioning a mechanism and unlocking the chest. "you are the best suited for them."

Noah stood and walked closer. Inside the chest were seven swords, each of a different length and form. One was a Katana. Another, a Chinese sword with a broad, straight blade without a guard. The third was a European-style longsword. The fourth was a falchion. And so on.

Each blade was engraved with a symbol that Noah could easily read. Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth.

"This set is named the Seven Deadly Sins. It was created by Norton, the Dragon-King of Bronze and Fire. Each of those swords was made to kill dragons."

"I can feel those are not ordinary blades." nodded Noah. He could almost feel those swords humming with power. Those were powerful weapons, equivalent in power to his own best creations.

"I mentioned before the four Elemental Kings, the powerful dragons that Nidhogg created. But they aren't actually individuals, but sets of twins. Norton and his twin Constantine are the Lord of Bronze and Fire. Jörmungandr and Fenrir are the Lord of Earth and Mountain. Odin is the Lord of Sky and Wind. Odin's twin, as well as the last pair, have not been identified."

Noah nodded, waiting for the Principal to continue. Anjou slowly ran a finger along the blade of the longsword.

"Those weapons are imbued with dragon-slaying power, but they aren't equally effective against them all. The elemental kings are associated with one of the deadly sins, and the corresponding sword will do much more damage against them. At least, that is what we deciphered from ancient manuscripts. But we do not know which dragon is associated with which Sin."

"I see." nodded Noah. "How about we leave those swords inside the College for safekeeping, Principal? When the time comes to confront the dragons, I will have time to get them. And it will give everyone here a better chance if dragons attack while I am not present."

"Yes, it may be better this way." nodded Anjou as he closed the wooden box. "Norma, give Noah the location of the two Campiones he requested."

"Understood, the coordinates have been downloaded on your phone, Noah."

"Thank you, Norma, Principal." nodded Noah. "If you do not have any more question for me, I will teleport to China and get the Long family to back off."

"I do not. Good luck with your negotiation. The College will act if they start something here, but if you are the one to initiate, and in a place far from my reach, there isn't much we will be able to do."

"Understood, Principal. See you later." nodded Noah before teleporting to a side-street in Shanghai, the same he had previously used to meet with Yun Meng Xin in that restaurant. After a bit of internet sleuthing, he found the main residence of the Long family. A giant estate that included a huge mansion and a garden, but also a skyscraper in a corner where people having to do with the Long family could conduct business.

Noah flew over the estate, stopping at an altitude of about a kilometer, and used Promise. He was quite impressed by the level of security around the perimeter and inside the skyscraper. Someone coming from the ground would need to cross one floor full of armed guards and various scanners to reach the elevator leading to the top floors, where the executives worked. He could even see things like automated turrets hidden under the carpet or the in the ceilings.

Too bad for them, all Noah needed to do was to go near a window, then use his teleportation to get inside.

It didn't take him long to find the father of Long Tian Yun.

…

Long Zhang Zeng kept a polite and professional smile as he walked out of the conference room, Long Tian Yun following him. The executives returned to their offices, ready to implement the decisions that had just been made.

"Before you leave, Tian Yun, follow me to my office. I want to discuss the Horizon Media acquisition you're working on."

"Yes, father." nodded Long Tian Yun.

"Is it about my methods?" asked Long Tian Yun as they walked along the deserted hallway, too impatient to wait.

"Yes." frowned Zhang Zeng. "What is this I hear about their board members being blackmailed or threatened? They were already about to accept our offer."

"It will allow us to buy them at a lower price and save a few billions." shrugged Tian Yun. "I do not see the problem. We already own the police and the judges, and the medias are too cowed to touch this even if they hear about it. The board members know it, too, so they will quietly fall in line."

Zhang Zeng's frown deepened, and for an instant, he wondered where he had gone wrong with his son. Had he been too strict in raising him as his successor? Maybe he had spent too much time working and not enough with him? Or was it the relative isolation from normal citizens leading him to believe he was inherently above them, and above the law?

Zhang Zeng himself wasn't a stranger to doing illegal acts on occasion, but he generally resorted to them only once all legal avenues were exhausted.

Shaking his head, Zhong Zeng opened the door of his office, stepped inside… and stopped dead. A young man with short black hair and gray eyes was sitting on a sofa, watching him. No, watching his son behind him.

"Who are you? Why did my secretary let you enter?" asked Zhang Zeng.

"Your secretary isn't aware I am here. Greetings, I am Noah Enfield. The one who entered your world about two weeks ago, in Japan. Your son has been investigating me."

Zhang Zeng turned to his son, whose eyes had widened in surprise, but Tian Yun quickly controlled himself and nodded with a slow smile.

"Quite impressive. You learned about it and came to meet us on your own. I assume you decided to reach this office unnoticed in order to showcase your capabilities?"

"You assume correctly." smiled Noah, nodding.

"Very well. You certainly gave us a good surprise. Let's start the negotiations, then." said Tian Yun as he sat on another sofa, facing Noah. Zhang Zeng remained standing, wondering how Noah had found his way here.

"How much do you want to join the Yan Huang Alliance?" started Tian Yun. "I must admit that I am quite interested in your fairy-grade weapon and your pet. If you are willing to transfer them to me, I would compensate you greatly."

"Thank you. Soaring Cloud will be up for sale at an auction in the near future, so if you really want it, it will be possible. As for my pet, I will never sell or transfer it. You are, however, mistaken about my motive. I have no interest in joining your Yan Huang Alliance."

"Oh?" frowned Long Tian Yun.

"No. I came to deliver a warning. You may not know it, but we already are enemies. I have met Yun Meng Xin, and I agreed to help her win that bet with her family. In return, after the bet is won, she agreed to become my girlfriend."

"…I see." replied Long Tian Yun with a cold voice. "I will say that I admire your guts, to come all the way here to declare war against me, right to my face."

"Take it as a declaration of war if you wish." shrugged Noah. "But on to my warning. If you come after me, Yun Meng Xin, or the members of her future guild within Mystic Moon, I will retaliate only within the limits of Mystic Moon. As far as I am concerned, all actions over there are fair game."

"If you try anything in the real world, however, the gloves are off. I have already shown you that I can reach you anytime, anywhere."

"And now that I have done what I have come to do, I will wish you both a good day. Eve took my spot in the ranking, and I do not intend to let that stand for long."

Before Zhang Zeng could tell Noah what he thought of his threats, he stood, opened a window, and flew away, disappearing behind a building.

Zhang Zeng saw a glass impacting and shattering against the window next to the open one, and turned to his son, who had just thrown it. His face was displaying a rare expression of fury.

"Control yourself, Tian Yun!" scolded Zhang Zeng.

"That man is dead." promised Long Tian Yun. "To dare threaten us, threaten me, in our very home! …Father, don't tell me you intend to let this go!"

"…Of course not." fumed Zhang Zeng as he walked to the open window, took a good look outside, and closed it. "But be smart about it. Spirits are dangerous foes. If you aim at him, you better take him down with the first shot."

"Understood." replied Long Tian Yun as he paced the room, his anger turning cold and calculating. "…I will not have him killed. He is more useful alive and leashed than dead. I will hire Lord Voban and Signore Salvatore. Even Lord Smith. And a Legatus, Lord Sun Tzu, to be sure. It will wipe out two years of profits, but it is worth it."

Zhang Zeng slowly nodded. With three Campiones and a Legionis Legatus against him, he wanted to see if that Spirit would still be so arrogant!

"I agree. Still, this is your mess, so you will be the one to deal with it." decided Zhang Zeng.

Long Tian Yun nodded and took his smartphone, activated its speaker function, and first tried to contact the Legatus. Of the four people his son mentioned, Sun Tzu was the one who knew best the value of cultivating relationships with the business world.

Campiones tended to be aloof and unbothered, pursuing their own desires until they needed to do some work to keep fueling their extravagant lifestyles. But they might balk at the idea of taking on a dangerous Spirit, one in full control of his abilities. It would be easier to convince them if he could mention that they already had secured the help of a Legatus Legionis.

After being made to wait a few minutes, the soft voice of an old man answered.

"Long Tian Yun. It has been a long time, young man."

"Is has been too long, Illustrious Legatus. I hope the day finds you well."

"It does. Are you in need of some advice?"

"I wish to hire you, as well as three Campiones I have yet to contact, to deal with a rogue Spirit. He threatened me and my family in my father's very office!"

"Oh oh, that is bold." chuckled Sun Tzu. "Why did that Spirit do such a thing?"

"It is about a woman. He said he wants to steal my fiancée."

"Ah, women… The eternal bane of valiant souls. So that Spirit is a man. That is a rare thing, and I am interested in testing his mettle… Moreover, I have a friend who might be as well. She has been considering the idea of taming a Spirit of her own for some time, but found none who could satisfy her. Is that Spirit strong?"

"He overwhelmed a squad of the Japanese AST within ten minutes of his emergence, and plays Mystic Moon. His name is Noah."

"That Noah? The dark horse who was first to leave the novice area?"

"This is him, yes."

"Oh, she will definitely be interested." chuckled Sun Tzu. "What do you know about his abilities?"

"He can fly, uses multiple flying swords made of some kind of energy, and even defeated a Dragon Servant last night, if the latest report is to be believed."

"I see." replied Sun Tzu.

"Illustrious Legatus, if I may ask, which of your acquaintances are you referring to?" asked Long Tian Yujn.

"Her Eminence, Luo Hao."

Long Tian Yun met his father's gaze, and they both exchanged a joyous smile. The woman was even more aloof than a Campione, and Long Tian Yun hadn't even considered contacting her, assuming she wouldn't accept meeting them. But she was a real monster. She had challenged and defeated all four Campiones soon after they captured their Spirits, and no one knew how strong she truly was.

"We would be greatly honored if Her Eminence agreed to lend a hand. But I am not certain even my family could easily afford to compensate Her Eminence for her time."

"She isn't really interested in worldly matters, only in the pursuit of martial arts." chuckled Sun Tzu. "If this Spirit is as strong as you suggest, she might even lend a hand for free!"

…

Standing on a nearby rooftop, invisible, Noah was listening. He used both Promise for visuals, and the invisible magic array he drew in one of the office's walls for the audio. The array would dissipate in just a few hours, leaving no traces behind.

It had been a long shot, as he thought Long Zhang Zeng would be smart enough to assume his office could be compromised even if he wasn't able to find anything, but it seemed that anger had blinded him to the possibility.

He wasn't dissatisfied with how the situation was turning out. Long Tian Yun was going to ignore his warning, but at least, his hostility was fully focused on Noah, not his companions, and he could deal with that. And the confrontation with three Campiones, a Legatus Legionis, and Luo Hao, would be interesting. He could even see Lilith's hand in the latter being pulled in.

And if Lilith wanted to organize a showdown with him against some of this world's strongest, it wasn't his place to interfere and stop it from happening.

Actually, he looked forward to it.

But first, some time-consuming preparations needed to be made. He would have to spend some time inside his Sanctuary, and it looked like Eve would get to be first in the ranking for a while longer.

Smiling, Noah flew away at a sedated pace, redacting a message on his smartphone to inform Yun Meng Xin of the latest development.