Ch 353: Experimenting with Akeno.

"Welcome back, My little master!" grinned Qi Yue as she appeared near him. She was still in a good mood from Noah having retrieved the Virgo Orb so easily.

"Thank you, Qi Yue." smiled Noah as he checked his surroundings, then released Little Grey and Xi Ling. he crouched to pat their heads with a fond smile.

"I'm sorry for not being to connect so regularly these days. After about another week, I should be more present."

"Are you very busy in your world? This big sister heard that players need money to have the right to come to this world."

"That is the case, but I am not spending my time working. Or maybe I do, depending on how you view things... Are you up for listening to a rather sordid story, while I kill those monsters?"

"Of course. I want to learn more about your world." nodded Qi Yue.

Little Grey and Xi Ling, who had started heading for a different patch of monsters, stopped and returned to his side, wanting to listen as well.

"Okay." nodded Noah as he drew his weapons and walked to the nearest target. "So, there is this man, let's call him Sousuke. Sousuke is a very, very nasty person. Starting about twenty years ago, he…"

As he killed monsters, using one single Mirage Blade strike each time, Noah told Qi Yue about Sousuke Shirasaka's deeds, his two daughters, the hundreds of women wanting revenge on them all, and his own role in it. But he did not reveal anything that hadn't already happened.

Noah was telling her for a reason. He was carefully observing her expression from the corner of his eyes, wanting to elicit an emotional response from her. He wanted to see how much of her was a cold-blooded manipulator, and what he got both reassured and frustrated him.

The impression he got from the clues she gave him were that she displayed the reactions of a good person, but hers were somewhat muted in intensity, as if Noah was discussing a minor trifle.

Thinking about it, Noah acknowledged that this might well be the case. If Qi Yue was involved with the crisis he was tasked with investigating, which he was pretty sure she was, the fate of two girls and several hundred rape victims, however unfortunate, simply wasn't comparable in scale.

"…this will come to a head in about a week. After that, I should be able to be more present here."

"I see." nodded Qi Yue. "I hope you will take good care of them. After all, aren't they going to become this Big Sister's fellow slaves? I will try to get along with them in the future."

"Yes, that would be for the best." smiled Noah.

"Ruff, Ruff!" barked Little Grey, his little tail wagging, and Xi Ling nodded.

Noah opened the player ranking. It had been a while since he last did so.

Rank 1          Eve                                Fame: 12225

Rank 2          Ruo Ruo                       Fame: 9410

Rank 3          Ice Heart Demon      Fame: 9245

Rank 4          CuteZero                      Fame: 9092

Rank 5          Noah                              Fame: 8510

Rank 6          Luo Hao                         Fame: 7248

Rank 7          _____                                 Fame: 7180

Rank 8          Silver Sword               Fame: 6940

Rank 9          Rosa Cremisi              Fame: 6815

Rank 10        Yatagarasu                 Fame: 6530

There were a few changes since the last time he checked. Shuiruo was killing it, grabbing the second place of the ranking. Mu Bing Yao was close, which made sense since they tended to stay and fight together. Rin had managed to exceed Noah, and Luo Hao was losing spots in the ranking as Noah was forcing her to spend part of her days giving training to the Cassell College students.

Silver Sword and Rosa Cremisi were Liliana and Erica. They had forced Ceasar out of the ranking with their diligent hard work. And the newcomer, Yatagarasu, was unknown, although Noah suspected them of being Toba Riona, the Campione. In the original novel, she was able to borrow the powers of Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow.

Noah next opened the item ranking.

Rank 1: Scarlet Reaper         Type: Greatsword       Grade: Celestial          Owner: Eve

Rank 2: Soul-Forged Plate   Type: Chest armor       Grade: Fairy          Owner: Eve

Rank 3: Last Rites                  Type: Sword                   Grade: Fairy          Owner: Eve

Rank 4: Soaring Cloud          Type: Spear                    Grade: Fairy          Owner: Long Tian Yun

"Wow, It seems Eve has been busy." grinned Noah. The Celestial-grate Greatsword hadn't been there last time he checked.

He looked down at the two greatswords he was using.

[Silver Heavy Sword]: Type: Greatsword, Grade: Silver, Equipment Requirements: Warrior professions Lvl 30 or above, Strength>=60. A good-quality greatsword, fit for veteran soldiers. Attributes: Attack +105, Strength +20, Agility +10, Pierce Rate +5%, Crit Rate +8%. Creator: Noah.

Noah had renewed most of his equipment with Lvl 28-35 Silver-grade items that he had forged himself. They were the best he could make currently, as a Lvl 38 Blacksmith. His craft skill was capped to his player level.

"Is little Master worried about the duel with Eve?" grinned Qi Yue.

"Not really." shrugged Noah. "Little Grey's blessings are more than making up for the difference"

It was true. Noah didn't care what stats or special abilities Eve's Celestial-Grade greatsword might have.

When Little Grey reached Lvl 30, his Holy Spirit Gift's passive skill had increased to Lvl 3, giving Noah a monstrous +3 Lvl to all of his own skills. The compounding effect of his own skills had boosted his Physical attack to a base score of 1670, and any hit from his Mirage Blade skill was bound to cause 1670 base damage, plus three times 668 damage, regardless of the opponent's armor.

And that was without accounting for his 35% chance to get a critical hit.

Moreover, his attack speed had reached 135%, and his movement speed 150%, which made fighting significantly less uncomfortable for him.

This was why Noah, currently Lvl 38, could get into remote areas with Lvl 50+ monsters and grind leisurely. Anything less than a 1-star elite died in a single strike, Elite monsters only took a few, and the occasional Lord died in under a minute. At least, those that Xi Ling didn't incinerate in seconds.

Now that he felt strong enough, Noah started heading toward the north. Toward the lands of the beast kin.

…

Maika couldn't sleep.

She was in the bed, her body under the cover up to her neck, and kept staring at the ceiling. She could have turned the lights off, but she didn't want to be in the dark.

She felt tired, which was hardly surprising after experiencing all she had. The betrayal of those she considered her friends. The rape. The revelation that her father had raped many girls and young women, that many women wanted her and her sister dead, and that she was to be a sex slave. Then, more sex.

She wanted to bury her head inside the covers and remain there, to forget about everything. But she knew it would be a waste of valuable time.

Katsuko had visited after Ren left, giving her a sandwich and a large bottle of water, then left her alone.

That was hours ago. Since then, Maika had stared at the ceiling, barely moving to eat, drink, and use the attached bathroom.

But those hours alone allowed her fear to gradually recede, and now, she could start to think properly and examine her situation from different angles.

A successful escape from this mansion was unlikely. Minaho and the others had clearly thought about their plan for a while now. Nei and Katsuko had befriended her for months!

And could she really flee while leaving her older sister there? Even now, she didn't know exactly where Yukino was. She hadn't been allowed to leave this room. What would happen to Yukino, assuming she managed to run?

Even if she did, returning home or to the paternal side of her family was out of the question. She couldn't risk placing herself in her father's hands, not after seeing this video, and not within the reach of her grandfather Moritsugu. If either suspected that she had learned about the rapes, or Minaho's sister being buried in the garden… They might decide to make her disappear too. Grandfather Moritsugu has always been colder with her than he was with Yukino.

Maika realized with sadness that, in this situation, her maternal grandfather was the only relative they had who might protect them.

She couldn't run, so she needed to transmit a message to him.

As for the long-term consequences of being known as the daughter of a heinous criminal… She would think about it once she was safe.

Meanwhile, she had to survive. And Minaho made clear that her survival depended on Ren Nagano. She needed to make sure he would not throw her or Yukino away. Even if that meant pretending to accept being his sex slave.

Maika made a resigned sigh. She moved her right hand and touched the leather of the collar still locked around her neck.

It made her think about the sex she experienced, and she clenched her eyes shut for a moment.

It had felt good.

She was ashamed to have to admit it, even to herself, but it had felt good.

And that scared her almost as much as Minaho's threats.

How long would she be able to keep up wanting to escape, if Ren kept treating her gently like that?

…

Noah left Mystic Moon and opened his eyes. The room was dark, and Nei was asleep, spooning against him, her back facing him.

He smiled and used Promise, observing her from all angles. She was sound asleep this time. Noah observed the rest of the mansion. Maika still had her eyes open, her room's light still on, and everyone else was sleeping.

Confident that he wasn't under observation for once, he took the remote Lilith had given him and watched Akeno. She, too, was asleep, and alone in her bed.

With a sly grin, Noah dove into the options and turned on the two vibrators of Akeno's chastity belt.

…

Akeno's eyes shot open when she felt the inserts inside her come alive.

"Ah." gasped Akeno as she pushed the covers away. The belt was the only thing she wore.

"I was waiting for this." muttered Akeno with lustful eagerness as she ran her hands over her pelvis. The belt felt hot against her skin.

Akeno didn't try to insert her fingers between the hard material of the belt and her skin. She had tried before, out of curiosity, and the belt didn't let her. It was like her skin had been glued to it.

The vibrations increased in intensity, and Akeno started humping the air. Then, she felt something and looked down. A black liquid was secreted by the belt, creeping down her legs and up her stomach. It had the texture of supple leather.

"It feels good." moaned Akeno as she watched with interest the liquid's progression. Whatever it was made of was strong, having no problem lifting her body off the bed to cover her back.

When it stopped, it had formed skintight spats stopping mid-thighs, and her whole torso was covered by a sleeveless leotard. The material also thickened around her throat and neck, forming a thick collar.

Akeno groped her breasts through the leather-like material as she felt vibrations around her nipples.

As her attention was busy with what she felt from her breasts and crotch, she didn't notice the material forming tentacle-like protrusions on her back. Those protrusions lashed out, ensnaring her arms just above her shoulders and pulling them back.

"Oh?" gasped Akeno, pleasantly surprised. "It can do that too?"

She didn't resist as the tentacles forced her elbows back until they touched, then merged into each other and crept up and down her arms.

"Aw, so good." moaned Akeno as the material formed an armbinder, trapping her arms and hands against each other.

The two vibrators inside her didn't just vibrate anymore. They pulsed, jerked to the sides, and their length shortened and increased following seemingly random patterns.

"Ah, it's like I'm being slowly fucked by my Master, and he's a world away." moaned Akeno as she struggled against the armbinder's grip. When she noticed black tentacles forming on her thighs, she flexed her legs, expecting them to capture her ankles. And this is exactly what happened.

The material bound Akeno's legs tightly, making her heels dig into her buttocks.

Another black tentacle extruded from the tip of the armbinder, and before she knew it, Akeno was bound in a tight hogtie. And then she felt the material slowly creep up her face.

Akeno was humping her mattress in a frenzy, grunting and moaning. The material covered her head and forced her lips apart, and Akeno felt a very familiar shape come into existence inside her mouth. She eagerly sucked on the leathery-tasting cock, breathing through her nose. She could somehow see through the material, and then suddenly, she couldn't anymore. And something pulled her head backward, as if her hair were now tied to her ankles.

Now totally encased in the material, Akeno was blind, mute, and deaf. This sent her sense of touch into overdrive, and she squirmed as much as her bonds allowed. Which wasn't much at all.

Akeno didn't know how long it lasted.

But when the material finally receded, retracting into the belt and releasing her limbs, she had not been allowed a single orgasm. She was pretty sure that a Stop rune was involved, because the stimulation had been more than enough to make her cum in normal circumstances.

She groaned as she rolled to lay on her back, the smile on her face showing both unsatisfied need and gratitude.

Her Master had just proved that he could reach her at any time and play with her however he wanted. All she could do was obediently submit and offer her body. And it felt great.

After catching her breath for a minute, her phone pinged, and she read the incoming message.

"The remote allowed me to watch in real time (sadly, no audio). It was a lot of fun. Look forward to the next time, but I won't tell you when. Love you. Your Master"

Akeno quickly typed an answer, thanking him, and put the phone away. Then, she grinned and spoke.

"Lilith-sama, do I have your permission to make partial replicas of that belt?"

A small laugh in her mind answered her.

[Do as you want, Akeno.]

…

Noah smiled with intense satisfaction as he stared at Akeno's expression, then shut down the remote and put it away. He used Promise again, and saw that Maika had dozed off, her exhaustion finally shutting her mind down. It was time for him to enter her soul space.

As Noah closed his eyes, he decided that Maika would experience a nice picnic with him in a grassy plain, then some gentle sex.

…

Noah dressed in his student uniform, stopped in front of the door and heard the soft sound of its lock disengaging. He knocked twice before entering.

"Good morning, Maika." smiled Noah. He carried a tray in his left hand. On it were two buttered toasts, a Benedict egg, and two waffles sprinkled with hot chocolate.

"G-Good morning." nervously replied Maika. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, having already taken a shower and dressed herself with her own clothes.

"I brought you breakfast. How are you doing? Do you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I… I'm fine."

Noah nodded and placed the tray near her.

"You should eat up while the egg and the chocolate are still hot. I'm not going to stare at you while you do, because you would feel embarrassed. But if you wish to ask me anything, feel free." said Noah as he sat on the other side of the bed, taking his smartphone and browsing for news.

"Alright." nodded Maika. She hesitated at first, wondering if there were aphrodisiacs in the food, but she was famished, and didn't know when the next meal would be. She took the metal spoon and started eating.

"Since today is Monday, Maika, I will return to school with Yukino, Megumi and Sensei. Margo, Nei and Katsuko will remain there, so you can talk to them."

Maika nodded.

"Why do you let Onee-chan go to school? Shouldn't you keep her confined here like I am? Are you not afraid she would run?"

"The school is under Sensei's control. Yukino can't run. And even if she wanted to talk, what would she say? That she's being raped and confined because of her father's crimes? Do you know how things are in Hyakkaou, Maika? About the bets, and the Housepet system?"

"Housepet? Onee-chan didn't tell me anything about her school."

"I see. To give you the short version, bets are encouraged over there, and if the loser cannot pay the stakes, they become the winner's housepet until they can pay their debt. Which is basically a slave in all but name. Sensei gave Yukino a strong incentive to bet with me, and I won, so she is officially my Housepet within the school."

"What kind of incentive?" asked Maika.

"Are you sure you want to know?" smiled Noah, and Maika gulped, then shook her head. He saw her hesitate for a few seconds then steel herself.

"Can I… Can I call you Onii-chan? Since you're about the same age as Onee-chan…"

"You can call me whatever you wish, Maika, as long as it isn't disrespectful." nodded Noah.

"Onii-chan…" asked Maika, feeling emboldened. "Why did you… do all this? Katsuko-san and Kuromori-san and Megumi-san, I understand their motivations, but you…"

"I do not do this for a single reason, Maika. I am balancing a desire to help your father's victims and help them get closure, with a need to keep you and Yukino alive since you both are innocent in all this. I also want to see your father get what he deserves, and just sending him to jail would be grossly inadequate and wouldn't really bring peace to his victims. They would live in fear that he would get out of jail somehow, and you know how the justice system favors families with a lot of money."

"On top of that, I have taken a personal interest in you two. Yukino has some very bad manners she needs to unlearn. She is rude and selfish. Despite that, she is also strong and honest, and I think she is worth the effort."

"As for you, Maika, you have none of your sister's personality flaws, and I believe you possess a different kind of strength. You bend more easily, but that makes you harder to break, too. You are smarter and more observant, and also kinder. That last bit matters a lot to me."

Maika lowered her head, blushing. Noah smiled, suspecting that she had an inferiority complex toward her sister, and that him calling Maika the better of the two sisters was more effective than any praise.

"Onii-chan, what you said yesterday, is it really true?"

"I said a lot of things yesterday, but I don't remember lying to you. Can you specify?

"You said that if I became your sex slave, you would let me have hobbies and a career."

"I said we would discuss it, but yes, I have no objection to you having those, as long as they aren't dangerous." nodded Noah before grinning. "If you suddenly want to become a stunt actor, I'd try to convince you to choose something less dangerous."

Maika nodded gratefully and busied herself with eating a toast as she thought about her next question.

"Are you really Nei's boyfriend, or was it just a ruse?"

"No, I'm really her boyfriend, although it's a very recent thing. We haven't even had a proper date yet. And she's still a virgin, by the way. Feel free to remind her of that next time she boasts to you about the benefits of sex or something."

"…I don't think I'd dare. I don't want them more angry at me that they already are." sighed Maika.

"That's probably wise." nodded Noah.

"Will I be allowed to see Onee-chan soon?"

"I will discuss it with Sensei."

Maika nodded and kept eating. When she was done, she sighed.

"…My Onee-chan, she's sometimes a bit dumb, but she's a good person. I remember, when they went on vacation without me… I only got souvenirs because Onee-chan insisted they buy some for me."

"…That's not exactly a high bar, but yes, I agree that Yukino is worth saving." nodded Noah. "And maybe, you can help me convince her later. She's still in complete denial about your father. But then again, we have yet to show her any of the recordings."

He stood, took back the tray, and leaned toward her to kiss her forehead.

"I'll be going. We can't be late for class. See you this afternoon, Maika."

"Yes, see you later, Onii-chan." replied Maika.

When he was gone, Maika sighed and placed her hand on the spot to her left, covered by the folds of her skirt, where she had hidden the spoon.

She didn't find it. And she paled as she realized that, as he was kissing her forehead, he had managed to take it back without her noticing.

…

He found Minaho in the living room with Margo and Nei.

"Katsuko is making sure Yukino is getting ready." said Minaho, and he nodded.

"Maika asked me when we would let her see Yukino."

"Soon. I do not know yet if Maika would be a positive influence on her sister, or if that would only make her more stubborn. And Maika isn't reliable."

"I believe that the greatest lever we can use is to cause Yukino's reputation among her peers to collapse." nodded Noah. "Once she realizes that the name Shirasaka is becoming mud, the future we offer her will become a lot more palatable."

"It won't be enough." snorted Nei. "That girl might be infatuated with her father. She defends him instantly no matter what. I think it would take him admitting his crimes in front of her for her to start believing it."

"…Maybe that can be arranged." frowned Noah. "What if we put her on the other side of a one-way mirror while we taunt her father?"

"That might prove useful to break her resistance, but I do not have a suitable mirror for this."

"I do." shrugged Noah, not exactly lying. He didn't have such a place, aside from a certain room in the basement of his main palace, but he could create a customized Sanctuary easily enough. "I can even use an illusion to camouflage the mirror into a plain wall, so that he wouldn't suspect a thing."

"And on the topic of reliability, I am able to create magic contracts, whose terms are binding. I cannot coerce anyone into signing them, but if they do sign, they will not be able to go against its terms. If I make Maika sign a contract preventing any escape attempt, would you consider letting her out of her room?"

"Is that magic of yours foolproof?" asked Minaho, leaning forward in interest.

"Those who sign the contracts cannot go against the terms, but it is possible to exploit loopholes if those are badly formulated." shrugged Noah.

"I will need to see those terms before I consider relaxing our vigilance with those two." nodded Minaho. "And for your idea to use a one-way mirror… I like it. Can we do it tonight, with Shuiruo's cooperation?"

"Sure." nodded Noah. "I will give her a call during lunch break."

The door opened, and Katsuko, wearing her maid uniform, entered, followed by a sullen Yukino, dressed for school, housepet choker in evidence.

"Hi, Yukino." smiled Noah.

"Hey." grumbled Yukino, barely sparing him a glance. Her attention was on Minaho, and she obviously wondered what kind of torment would be next in store for her.

Seemingly reading into her mind, Minaho smiled and stood.

"It is time to go, or we will be late for school."

It was only once inside the car, when Minaho was driving, that she spoke.

"Shirasaka, did Katsuko make you use a pregnancy test?"

"Y-Yes."

"And what was the result?"

"I'm not pregnant."

"Yet." nodded Minaho. "Nagano-kun, you will spend the whole afternoon filling her with baby batter."

"Understood." nodded Noah.

Shuiruo had told him about Minaho's visit, and what they discussed. He had been slightly disappointed that Shuiruo told her about his intent to restore her ability to conceive later, and that he didn't really want to make Yukino pregnant.

But, while Minaho's attitude toward him had warmed up a lot as a result, she had decided not to talk about it, as if pretending she didn't know, and Noah was fine with it.

"That shouldn't be a problem for you, right, Shirasaka? You like being raped by him now. Can it even be called rape anymore?"

"I don't like it! You're forcing me to do it with him!" angrily exclaimed Yukino.

"That isn't what you were saying this week-end." sneered Minaho. "Didn't Nagano-kun make you admit you wanted him to make you cum?"

"That's…" replied Yukino with in intense blush, her voice lowering. She glanced back at Noah.

"It's your fault! Idiot!"

"My fault for making you feel good?" asked Noah with a raised eyebrow. "Blame me all you want for this, I will take it as praise…"

"Hmpth!" exclaimed Yukino as the turned her head back and stared at the road.

Noah's phone started to ring, and he picked it up, frowning. Kurumi was calling him. He accepted the call and quickly pressed him against his ear.

"Hello? Kurumi?"

"Noah, please help me! I'm being attacked!"

"I'm coming!" exclaimed Noah as he ended the call.

"Sensei, there's an emergency, I'll be gone for a little while."

Without waiting for her approval, Noah thought furiously. Teleporting directly to Kurumi would expose his Ren Nagano disguise to whoever was attacking her, and he couldn't change his appearance back to his original with Minaho and Yukino watching him. Teleporting away only to change and then go to Kurumi would require to wait for the teleportation to finish its cooldown, and in this situation where every second counted, That wasn't a good solution.

He decided on a compromise and took from his inventory his black gladiator-like helmet, then put it on. He was still going to expose his Hyakkaou uniform to Kurumi's attackers, but he didn't have time to change.

"Where did that thing come from?" exclaimed Yukino. It was the first time she saw him doing something supernatural.

Her surprise grew when Noah disappeared instantly.

"W-what?"

"…Compose yourself, Shirasaka." said Minaho coldly as she accelerated again. She had been about to park the car to let him leave, but it proved unnecessary.

"Where did Ren go?"

"Obviously, to deal with whatever this emergency is."

"But how? He was right there!"

"…I suppose there is no harm in telling you." sighed Minaho. "You surely heard about this young woman who appears in hospitals all over the world to cure patients of the Isrock virus, among other serious cases, then disappears."

"Of course, but what does it have to do with…" started Yukino before blinking. "Are you saying that he can do the same thing?"

"Yes. That girl is actually Nagano-kun's lover, one of the two he mentioned, and he is the one who gave her the ability to teleport and cure people."

"…Ah?" said Yukino with a gaping mouth.

"And there's an interesting implication for you, Shirasaka. He told me his teleportation could function by using specific individuals as a beacon. Do you understand what this means? It means that there is no place on Earth where he will not be able to reach you. Even if you were to escape my clutches and return to your family, or hide yourself in some remote village, you will not escape from him."

Yukino ruminated on this for a while before she spoke again.

"What else can he do?"

"He didn't exactly give me a list." snorted Minaho.

"…Who is he?"

"He is your master. Beyond that, who knows. You will have to wait until he decides to tell us."

After reaching the school, Minaho and Yukino left the car, and they were surprised to see him waiting for them, trying to straighten a wrinkle on his red blazer.

"Have you dealt with your emergency, Nagano-kun?" asked Minaho.

"The 'urgent' part of the emergency is settled." sighed Noah, looking around to make sure no one could hear. "My friend is safe, and my home has a pair of not-so-willing guests in the basement. Ruo Ruo and Lily will keep an eye on them for now."

"Did you kidnap two people?" asked Yukino in disbelief.

"They tried to kill or abduct a friend of mine." shrugged Noah. "They do not get to just walk from this."

"But…"

"Keep your nose on your own issues, Shirasaka." said Minaho. "We already have started leaking to the press footage of your father raping some of my acquaintances. I wonder how long it will take for the news to reach your classmates."

Yukino paled.

…

A few minutes earlier, when Noah teleported, he found himself in a narrow street.

Kurumi, dressed in a black and blue student uniform, was pinned against a wall, her feet off the ground. Her hands were gripping some kind of mechanical jaw or pincer around her throat, desperately trying to pry herself loose.

The one keeping Kurumi pinned against the wall was a young woman with long blue hair styled in a ponytail, wearing a blue and gray skintight outfit made of a sleeveless leotard, long gloves, and stockings with bits and pieces of high-tech gear affixed to it. The large pincer or jaw she used against Kurumi was an extension of some type of gauntlet.

The girl held an anti-spirit collar on her other hand, making her intentions obvious. She was waiting for Kurumi to weaken, maybe even lose consciousness before collaring her.

She was accompanied by another young woman with long orange-blonde hair, styled with two side-braids joining together behind her head that reminded Noah of Asuna. The girl had green eyes and wore an outfit and equipment similar to the blue-haired girl, white with neon blue highlights.

The blonde girl noticed him immediately and aimed a large rifle at him.

"Contact!" shouted the girl as she pressed the trigger.

Noah had already moved out of the line of fire, and the blue streak of energy flew past his shoulder and hit a wall, causing a sizable explosion.

Not wanting for the fight to end in collapsed buildings and civilian casualties, Noah didn't waste time. He reached the blonde girl, taking an Eclipse from his inventory, and severed her rifle in two. With a light punch on her stomach, the girl doubled over, exposing her back, and Noah destroyed the two Realizer units fixed to her shoulder plates.

The Blue-haired girl, seeing her teammate losing, dropped the anti-spirit collar and grabbed the handle hanging from her wait as she released Kurumi.

As the Spirit collapsed to a sitting posture, choking, the girl pressed a button on the handle, and a yellow energy blade was formed.

"Yahh!" shouted the girl as she jumped toward Noah and swung her sword diagonally, already preparing to follow her strike with a thrust from the mechanical pincer.

Noah calmly kicked the ground, moving sideways explosively, and grabbed her right wrist mid-slash. He squeezed just enough to force her to release the sword with a cry of pain, and slashed through the pincer, shortening one jaw and cutting the other away.

"You!" gasped the girl as Noah yanked on the wrist he still held, breaking her balance and exposing her back. With two quick slashes, Noah destroyed the girl's Realizer units as well.

He threw her at the blond girl, who couldn't evade yet as she was still trying to breathe properly.

Noah watched his surroundings, seeing no immediate threat, put his sword back in his inventory, and his right hand in his pocket. He took from his inventory the Improved Sanctuary Lilith had created. The pebble's conveniently small size allowed Noah to use it without exposing it to anyone watching.

He sent the two girls inside separate cells in the second basement under the main palace, deciding to deal with them later.

"Are you okay, Kurumi?" asked Noah.

"Who are you?" cautiously asked Kurumi, not recognizing Noah's voice, and seeing that his eyes and skin tone were different from Noah's.

"I told you I'd be undercover, remember? I changed my appearance and voice."

"Ah, I see. Thank you so much. I was in deep trouble." replied Kurumi, feeling intense relief.

"Let me see your throat, you seem injured." said Noah as he crouched beside her.

Kurumi nodded and put her hands away. She had some minor lacerations from the serrated insides of the pincer, but nothing too serious. Spirits naturally possessed stronger bodies than humans.

Noah healed her, and she nodded gratefully.

He used Promise and sighed in relied after confirming that the previous explosion hadn't injured or killed anyone.

"There's an Anti-Spirit generator somewhere close, and I didn't notice until I saw that there weren't enough people around, and I tried to bring in another me. That's when I called you."

"As expected, it was DEM. You'll need to come with me, Kurumi. You aren't safe anymore living alone." said Noah. He spotted her smartphone on the ground and handed it to her.

"Yes, please. I need your help still." smiled Kurumi as she took her smartphone.

Noah nodded and took her hand, then teleported to his home, using Liliana as a beacon. She was watching television and jumped to her feet when they appeared.

"My Lord?"

"Hey, Bunny. This is Kurumi Tokisaki, a Spirit who lived under everyone's radar for a while now. She's also the one who warned me about the DEM anti-spirit generators before my fight with Luo Hao. But DEM found out about her existence and attacked her. She will stay with us for the foreseeable future."

"Oh, uh, Nice to meet you." smiled Liliana.

"Sorry to intrude, miss... Bunny? I am grateful for your hospitality." awkwardly said Kurumi as she looked away for Liliana's current attire, a black and white latex nun outfit.

"Bunny, I am going to the basement. I took the two women who attacked Kurumi as captives. Please give them food and water later but be careful not to give them any chance of escaping."

"Understood, My Lord. I will inform Ruo Ruo when she returns."

Noah smiled and gave her a quick kiss before heading for the stairs to the basement. Before opening the door to the stairs, however, he paused and turned.

"Kurumi, I am going to trust you and not seal your angel. I do not think I need to tell you, but if you harm anyone close to me, or even any innocent, you will become very familiar with what I call the Bad Girl Protocol. That is not something you want."

"Of course." quickly nodded Kurumi. "I am not stupid, and you saved me."

Noah nodded with a smile and left the living room.

Kurumi turned to look at Liliana, and the atmosphere turned awkward instantly.

"That's… a nice outfit." said Kurumi to break the silence.

"Ah… My Lord chooses a different one for me to wear every day." said Liliana, fidgeting in embarrassment.

"I see. So, he's into that kind of things, huh?"

"He is." nodded Liliana.

"…Did you know what he meant by Bad Girl Protocol?" asked Kurumi with a short hesitation.

"…My Lord mentioned it. He uses it to reform murderers and other bad people. It is designed to …break the subject and turn them into a different person. A very obedient person, who will then work for humanitarian causes."

"I…" started Kurumi before gulping. "Well, I'm glad he won't do that to me."

"Yes. My Lord is a good person. I'll go upstairs and prepare a room for you."

"Thank you very much." nodded Kurumi.

Kurumi watched her go and slowly nodded to herself. Bunny was very beautiful, and so was the black-haired girl she had seen holding Noah's arm when she let him catch a glimpse of her, on the second day of his arrival.

She understood that she had some strong rivals, rivals who already had a significant lead over her, but Kurumi wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. She took her smartphone that had miraculously survived its previous fall undamaged and started browsing for sex or fashion shops selling fetish outfits.

…

*CLANG*

*CLANG*

Again and again, Mana Takamiya hammered the lock with what remained of her tactical pincer, to no avail. The metal around the lock wasn't even scratched!

She stomped her foot in anger, realizing that she was stuck in this cell until someone came to release her.

Mana swallowed tears of rage and humiliation when she remembered how easily she had been handled, Handled! by the enemy. Like she was just an unruly child wanting to fight an adult. She was Adeptus 2! Deus Ex Machina's second-ranked Wizard!

Not that Artemisia, the one holding the title of Adeptus 1, had fared any better against him…

She suddenly felt a presence behind her and whirled around, aiming at head level with her mangled pincer. Her blow was intercepted just as easily as when she had tried to cut him with her power sword. Golden chains appeared out of nowhere, ensnaring her body.

"Hum, now that I look at you properly, I think I recognize you. Is your name 'Mana'?" asked the masked man.

"Mana Takamiya, DEM Industries, ID 1125-3492!" spat Mana. "That's the only thing you'll get from me!"

"You speak like a prisoner of war." said the man as he rolled his eyes. He forcibly started to strip her. "But you aren't. You're a kidnapper who got the tables turned on her. There are no laws to protect you and your friend."

"I'm a properly licensed Wizard of DEM Industries! I was doing my job to apprehend a dangerous Spirit! And get your hands off me, you pervert!"

"A dangerous Spirit? And what makes you say that?" asked Noah as he kept going.

"Isn't that obvious? She's a Spirit, and Spirits kill people if they aren't collared and controlled!"

"And yet, Kurumi has been around for months, and she hasn't killed anyone. The evidence contradicts your claims."

Mana stared at him, speechless at the absurdity. To her, it was like someone pretending crocodiles made good pets because a particular one hadn't tried eating people recently.

But seeing steel shackles appear in his hands jolted her out of her stunned contemplation, and she resumed her desperate struggles.

It proved useless, however, and she quickly found herself wearing only the leotard part of her battle suit, with ankles and wrists cuffed together, and her mouth stuffed with a red ball gag.

"I don't have much time to deal with you and the other one today, or even for the next few days. That gives you maybe a week of time to reflect on your actions and beg for forgiveness."

The surroundings suddenly changed, She and the masked man were now in a larger room, one furnished like…

"Mmmpho!" shouted Mana, vehemently shaking her head. The man ignored her outburst and dragged her to one of the few small cells on the dungeon's far end.

He locked her inside, then disappeared.

Less than two minutes later, he reappeared with Artemisia, who was now gagged and bound just like her. The masked man locked her in the nearby cell, then disappeared again.

"Mmphapha?" asked Artemisia.

"Mpheiph." replied Mana with a sigh. They couldn't communicate with the damn gags and a sturdy-looking wall between them.

With another sigh, she carefully examined her surroundings, not seeing anything she could exploit to free herself, then decided to lay on the mattress, turning her back to the basement. She didn't want to see what was in there, and how it might be used on her.