Ch 364: Inside the Seal.

Epsilon's consciousness slowly surfaced, and she opened her eyes, feeling comfortable. She had half expected to wake up in chains, but it seemed she was free of restraints, aside from the magic-sealing collar.

Unfortunately, she was also free of clothes, the bed's white cover being the only thing preserving her modesty.

"Good morning, Epsilon." smiled Sakura, sitting in a chair near the bed, book in hand. She was dressed in casual clothes, a black skirt, white turtleneck, and black leather ankle boots with low heels.

The sound of her voice caused Epsilon to tense instantly, and she grabbed the cover to hold it against herself like a shield, but Sakura didn't move to take it from her.

"Have you been waiting here all this time?" grumbled Epsilon.

"I have been there for about two hours. Valhalla members only require three hours of sleep or so every day to be well rested, and with most of us away, I can't really train myself, so I'm enjoying some downtime… Noah asked me to pause your training for now. How was your meeting with him in your Soul Space?"

"…Can you give me something to wear, and return in a few minutes?"

Sakura used Item Creation to make her a set of black silk pajamas, but didn't stand and resumed her reading.

With a sigh, Epsilon grabbed the garments and started putting them on while remaining under the cover. It was awkward, but she managed.

"Oh, and we may as well get you started on this." smiled Sakura as a small web of black leather straps appeared in her hands.

"More bondage." sighed Epsilon.

Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"You should be happy with this one. It is the breast harness I mentioned two days ago. Nature has been harsh on you, and the sooner we correct it, the better. Show me your torso. You will wear it under your clothes for a while."

Epsilon really didn't want to expose her chest to Sakura, but… she had seen it anyway, and if it was for this reason…

"Alright." sighed Epsilon as she opened the pajamas's top.

"With it, your bust size will grow by an average of one centimeter per week, and their shape will become rounder and firmer." said Sakura as she expertly fastened the harness around Epsilon's chest. "This change is permanent, so you should be careful not to go overboard with it. But Noah does prefer them big… So, how was your time with him? He will probably tell me about it tonight, but I want to hear your opinion."

"…Noah is... weird." frowned Epsilon, hastily covering herself when Sakura was done. "And infuriating."

"Infuriating?" asked Sakura with a raised eyebrow.

"He asked me to teach him piano. And in just five days, he's become a better pianist than I am! Now he's the one teaching me new pieces! I have trained diligently for almost two years, you know? He's making me look like a joke!"

"I will ask him to play a few classics next time." smiled Sakura. "But you aren't at fault, Epsilon. We simply have a perfect memory and expanded intellect and dexterity. Learning anything becomes easy."

Epsilon sighed and looked at Sakura with narrowed eyes.

"…Where did the woman who tortured me so much yesterday go?"

"Do you miss her?" chuckled Sakura. "If you wish, I can bring you back in the basement and…"

"No!"

"…I did not actually enjoy pushing you to the point of breaking, Epsilon." shrugged Sakura. "I only did what was needed to get you ready to receive our Master's Shard. Just like you being the one doing most of the interrogations in Shadow Garden doesn't make you a sadist."

"…Fair enough, I guess."

"While you were sleeping, I thought about something important." said Sakura. "Once the current unpleasantness between Valhalla and Shadow Garden is over, we will make public our ability to cure the afflicted and make sure the news spreads far and wide."

"I know you members of Shadow Garden help any possessed girl you find, but there's no telling how many of them die alone. If they knew to find us, we would be able to save the vast majority of the possessed."

"And you'd get even more girls for Noah's harem." snorted Epsilon.

"Yes, that as well." grinned Sakura. "But regardless, it is worth doing, don't you think? Those girls won't be abandoned by their families anymore, once they are aware that they can be cured."

"It is." sighed Epsilon. "Actually, we thought about it as well. But that would have required Shadow Garden to step out of the shadows, and if the Possessed knew where to find us, the Cult would have as well."

"I understand." nodded Sakura. "I don't agree with it, considering Shadow is likely strong enough to deal with whatever the Cult would have thrown at you, but I understand. What else did you do with Noah, aside from teaching him to play the piano?"

"…We talked a lot. He told me about the Demonic Pillar, and about you being immortal. Are you truly immortal?"

"Even Noah gained immortality only a few years, ago, so we do not have actual evidence." shrugged Sakura. "But we can control to some extent our physical age, at the very least. Let me give you an example."

Epsilon watched Sakura carefully, but didn't notice the changes until they were already well underway.

When it stopped, Sakura, who Epsilon had assumed all along was around nineteen or twenty, now looked like when was maybe fifteen.

"This isn't something we use often, because we have no reason to." smiled Sakura with a voice that had a slightly higher pitch. "But you have seen many of the abilities we were granted, including Noah's ability to revive people. There is no reason to think that Lilith-sama would have lied to us about the immortality perk. Besides, it makes sense for the gods to want their servants to be immortal, so they wouldn't have to search for replacements."

"I want to send a letter to Shadow Garden, to warn them about the Cult's plan to attack the academy. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Sakura thought about it for a few seconds and nodded. She also started returning her appearance to what Epsilon assumed was her real age.

"As long as you do not speak about anything else. I will read it before I ask Medusa to deliver it. Keep it short and to the point, Epsilon, or I will assume you have inserted some secret code in it."

"Thank you." nodded Epsilon.

"Did you have sex with Noah?" asked Sakura with a small smile.

"No, and I don't want to!" exclaimed Epsilon.

"You are lucky that he decided to cook you slowly, then." nodded Sakura. "You do realize that he only would have to give you the order, right?"

"He's not like that." denied Epsilon. "He's a decent person! He won't force me until I am rea…"

She suddenly stopped herself as she realized what she had been about to say, and blushed.

"Ahah!" chuckled Sakura as if she had scored some point. "You are starting to fall for him."

"My loyalty is to Shadow! I won't betray my comrades!"

Sakura nodded, still smiling, and Epsilon bristled as the purple-haired girl gave her the impression she was just humoring a child.

"Since things are like this, unless Noah instructs me to, I won't resume your training even after today. If he spends a few days' worth of time each night in your Soul Space, I give it at most a week before you become our willing ally."

"I just told you I won't betray Shadow Garden." insisted Epsilon. But deep inside, she was worried. If Noah ordered her to act against her friends, she didn't think she would be able to stop her body from following his commands.

"Epsilon, your loyalty is admirable and cute." nodded Sakura as she leaned back against her chair. "But, is it a betrayal to give your friends immortality and the strength they might one day need to remain alive? There are plenty of women in Valhalla who were tricked into joining. Even my sister Rin. They felt betrayed initially, and that's natural. But now, they are all happy, and they have long since forgiven whoever tricked them."

"Isn't it because they have been brainwashed?"

"They have not been. Do you drink coffee, Epsilon?" asked Sakura.

"I do, but what does that have to do with it?"

"The first time you tried coffee, you probably disliked it. You found it too bitter. Am I wrong?"

"…No, but again, what does that have to do with it?"

"My point is that it is only a matter of acquired tastes, not brainwashing. You didn't become, well, not you, after growing a liking to coffee. Just like training you to like bondage sex isn't going to replace the current you by a different person. You will still be yourself."

"So my original point still stands. Joining Valhalla brings a lot more advantages than drawbacks. It is a blessing, not a curse. And if your friends are too blind to see it, isn't it your duty, as their friend, to help them see the truth?"

"…So that's your angle, huh?" asked Epsilon with a sigh.

"That's my angle, yes." smiled Sakura. "But that doesn't make anything I said untrue."

Epsilon looked away, and Sakura didn't insist. After a while, she seemed to return to her book, and Epsilon sat in silent contemplation for a few minutes.

"…You mentioned drawbacks." finally asked Epsilon. "What are they, exactly? Aside from being forced to follow his orders?"

"There aren't many. Noah won't tolerate us being romantically involved or intimate with any other man. Although he doesn't mind the girls of his harem doing this and that with each other. It was his solution to the issue of him not having time to be with each of us, before he became able to leave his Shards in our Soul Spaces."

"We are also expected to contribute to the betterment of the worlds under his supervision, which may be as little as a dozen hours of work per week since we have no quota to fulfill, and to train ourselves to an acceptable level, to discourage things like assassination or kidnapping attempts. You could skip that part, since you are strong enough already."

"And then, there will be that business with the upcoming world cluster, probably starting a few months after all of Solomon's Demons are dead."

"A world cluster?" frowned Epsilon.

"Yes. Unlike the worlds we have visited so far, each of them in their own separate dimensions, the world cluster is a dozen inhabited planets inside a single one, with a total population exceeding fifty billion, according to Lilith-sama. And those living there do not use the kind of magic power you are used to. Instead, they absorb natural energy from their surroundings and use it to refine their own bodies."

"They call this 'Cultivation'. Cultivation of their own bodies and mind, not crops in the fields. We do not know exactly how strong the cultivators over there are, but the hints we have suggest that compared to many of them, Shadow would be considered a weakling."

"A weakling!?" asked Epsilon with bulging eyes. "What are those hints you're talking about?"

"First, the fact there is a dozen inhabited worlds. Traveling between worlds is not easy, at least for those who do not serve Gods. They are separated by enormous distances, and the void between them is empty. There is no air to breathe."

"Second, I said that the local population cultivates. In all probability, the animals are able to cultivate as well. For cultivators to reach a high level, they need to be able to fight strong opponents, collect the fangs and skins and other parts of powerful beasts to create weapons able to keep up with their growth, and so on."

"Then, there is a population of over fifty billion, but the primitive social norms suggest a mostly rural development, thus a low population density. This in turn suggests that each of those twelve worlds are much larger than this one."

"Noah will go first to learn their cultivation methods, with only a handful of Valhalla members to support him. Years later, once he has established himself as the strongest, Lilith-sama will allow the rest of us to reach the world cluster as well, and we will have a lot of work to do."

"What kind of work? Why go there in the first place, if all of Solomon's Demons are dead?"

"Lilith gave us a few examples of how people behave over there. A beautiful woman might get kidnapped off the streets by some lustful son of a local noble if she doesn't belong to some great family or sect. Some nobles execute whole clans simply because one person refused to kneel. Cycles of escalating vengeances and retaliations between strong cultivators that end up slaughtering innocents by the tens of thousands. Barbaric things like this. We are going to go there, implement basic laws to stop the strong from oppressing the weak, and we will enforce those laws."

Sakura did that predatory smile again.

"I must confess that I rather look forward to punishing a bunch of would-be rapists. I am sure there will be many over there..."

"…You seem to be speaking from experience." frowned Epsilon.

"I do." nodded Sakura. "Let us just say that the next time I meet this dear step-brother of mine, he will not enjoy the reunion. But I will... Oh, I will..."

Epsilon wanted to switch to a lighter subject, but something else came to her mind first.

"Noah told me what he intended to do with Shadow. That he would use a drug to turn him into… a woman. Does that drug really exists?"

"It does." nodded Sakura. "We gave one of those to a friend a while back, someone suffering from gender dysphoria. She saw herself as a girl despite being born in a man's body. One little pill and twenty minutes later, she truly was the girl she always wanted to be. And I just thought about another argument to convince you to join us!"

"Remember what I said about Noah allowing his girls to be intimate with each other? He won't mind if you and Shadow develop a romantic or sexual relationship. And Shadow will want regular sex by the time we're done training him."

"Huh, no." said Epsilon as she shook her head in rejection, her face blushing.

But she was already starting to wonder about what Shadow would look like as a girl, and wondering about the kind of things the two of them might do, if Shadow started seeing her as a woman.

A growling noise was suddenly heard, and to her shame, Epsilon realized if came from her stomach.

Sakura smiled and stood.

"Let's go check on Chisato and Millia, then we'll wake up Akane and have breakfast."

…

Acting Archbishop Nelson didn't know what hit him. he had just entered his private apartment late evening, thinking about the new tool designed to safely extract more cells from the still living arm of Diablos that would be finished by the end of the week, and...

He heard a small noise behind him, like the sounds of light steps softly hitting the ground after a jump, but before he could turn, the world around him turned uncontrollably. His scalp hurt when he hit the floor, and it took him a solid three seconds, as well as the sight of his headless body collapsing, to understand what had happened. The pain came, blinding pain from his neck, but he couldn't even scream, and darkness claimed him.

Okita swung her blade once to shake the blood off, a futile mannerism she kept from her human life, and dematerialized her sword. She took both the corpse and the head into her spatial ring, locked the door, threw cat litter over the blood to absorb its smell and reduce the chances someone outside would notice, then left.

She returned to the others, traveling in her dematerialized form for only a few minutes. Takina had used hypnosis, and a purse full of gold, to convince a family owning a large house on Lindwurm's outskirts to go on a vacation for two weeks, and again on the neighbors so avoid any inconvenient prying eyes.

Okita appeared in the shed behind the house, where Takina was waiting.

"I am back." said Okita as she reappeared inside.

"Welcome back." smiled Takina. "Was there any issue?"

"No one saw me."

Okita took the body and head out of her spatial ring and dumped them on the ground.

The two young women started searching the body, carefully examining each item.

"I think it's this ring." said Takina after a moment, holding a seemingly simple silver band with a single red stone.

"It feels too heavy for silver, so it's probably titanium. And there's those fine grooves on the inside. It don't think they could have been engraved with this world's current technology."

"None of his other belongings can be what we need."

As a test, Takina slipped the ring on one of her fingers, and after a few seconds, several translucent red screens appeared above her hand, visible by both Takina and Okita.

They displayed several dozen lines of text written in an ancient language, but they had no issue reading it. The ring had just recognized Takina as a new Administrator.

"With this, we can control Sanctuary's security systems and enter without triggering it" nodded Takina, satisfied.

"I am surprised. The Cult is supposed to be strict about security." frowned Okita. "Isn't it strange that you would be granted administrative rights just like that? Did they never think that ring might be stolen?"

"People tend to grow complacent when they stand at the top, and there's no one who dares to scold them." shrugged Takina. "They start to think that the rules are for others. I saw this happen a few times when I was an assassin working for the government back then."

"That may be the case. But it won't be very long before they notice Nelson's disappearance. We need to act tonight."

"Agreed. Can you inform Emi, Shuuko and Kanna, please? I'll get rid of the corpse, and we will go as soon as Scathach returns."

Scathach was exploring city, trying to locate the Sanctuary's air vents. The Cult of Diablos's underground base had to draw fresh air from somewhere, and using the vents was their backup plan if they couldn't enter the normal way.

Okita nodded and left the shed.

…

The girls managed to infiltrate the Holy Order's complex on the surface with ease. The patrolling Crusaders were experienced Dark Knights, but four people being able to use Shunpo, and using two Heroic Spirits as scouts, could easily slip in without being noticed.

They entered the temple's main building and headed toward a circular room in the basement. A room with only one door, or so it seemed.

Takina lifted her left hand, and pressed the ring's red gem with her index. The screens with red text reappeared with a soft ping, and Takina navigated into the options.

She found what she wanted, selected it, and a complex magic array, blood red in color, started forming in the center of the room.

"It was worth following that guy around." nodded Shuuko. "Without it, we could have searched for the entrance the whole night."

"Yes. Are you ready, Emi, Shuuko, Kanna." asked Takina, and the three girls exchanged a glance.

"If you don't mind, we'll let you do the killing." said Shuuko, speaking for her sisters. "Defending ourselves is one thing, but if the guys inside aren't armed…"

"I do not mind it for this occasion." sighed Takina. "But there might come a day when you will have to, or someone close to you might die. I hope we will be done with Solomon's Demons by the time it happens, but if it does, you can't afford to freeze at the crucial time."

"We know." nodded Kanna.

"The door won't remain open for long." reminded Okita, and Takina nodded.

"Let's go."

Scathach was the first to touch the magic array. Her body shone with a bright red light that seemed to be swallowed by the array, and she was gone.

Okita was next, then Shuuko, Emi and Kanna. Takina was the last to enter, as she wasn't sure the entrance wouldn't close immediately behind her.

They were now in another circular room, fifteen meters in radius and connected to a hallway. But where the previous one was made of stone, this was dull gray metal from floor to ceiling.

Farther down the hallway, a man appeared from a side passage, seemingly wanting to walk into the opposite hallway. He did saw them from the corner of his eyes, however, and stopped, gasping. He didn't have time to do anything more as Takina shot him with her silenced pistol, the bullet hitting his forehead.

"Let's separate into three teams." decided Takina. "Shuuko with Scathach, Emi with me, Kanna with Okita. Do not give them any opportunity to activate the Sanctuary's defenses. Try not to damage the infrastructure, we don't want to destroy anything important."

The girls nodded and started running. When they reached the crossroad in the hallway, they each took a different direction.

The Cult's Sanctuary was a vast underground complex, almost entirely made of metal. There were machinery and metal pipelines all around, whose functions Takina had no time trying to guess.

There were more members of the Cult here and there, almost all of them men. Fortunately, she didn't see anyone being held captive.

Takina and Emi emerged into a room significantly larger than the others, and in its center, near several consoles, was a giant aquarium. But there were no fishes.

Inside the aquarium, pinned by a dozen thin metal rods, was a monstrous, red forearm and hand.

The forearm was fire-engine red, with some protrusions forming sharp spikes along its length. the hand was a darker red, turning black at the fingertips, and each finger ended with sharp-looking claws.

The whole thing was about three meters long.

"Stay behind, Emi." said Takina. "From what we heard, that arm is still alive and might react to our presence."

"Still alive, after over a thousand years? That's impressive, in a creepy sort of way." nodded Emi.

Takina nodded, and gave the consoles a quick examination. She didn't find any obvious way to open the aquarium, so she used several Light swords to carve open one of the sides, making sure that the gushing water wouldn't directly splash on her.

Assuming it even was water.

Because she remembered a particular scene of the anime, Takina was on high alert as she carved out the front of the aquarium and walked closer to the arm.

So she wasn't surprised as a thick, white bone burst upward, taking the shape of a segmented spine. From each of the segments, two rib-like protrusions quickly spread to the sides, and their sharp tips curved toward Takina.

She evaded death by impalement by jumping forward, touching the arm, and trying to stuff it into her spatial ring.

But it didn't enter inside, and Takina cursed at her own foolishness as she protected her back with a few layers of Light Shields and jumped away.

Of course she couldn't put it in her spatial ring. The damn thing was still very much alive.

She decided to change her methods and approached it again, using Light Swords to cut away any pointy rib coming at her. Emi, standing a few meters away, helped by adding her own Light Swords and Shields to her defenses.

Takina quickly engraved one Stop Rune after another on the arm. After the first one, the Arm's movements became sluggish. After the second Rune, it stopped completely, then the bone spine and its ribs started to dry up and turn to dust.

Takina, not wanting to take any chance, inscribed a total of ten Stop Runes on the arm. She felt tired after the significant energy expense, but shared with Emi a satisfied smile.

"What are we going to do with the arm, if we can't put it in a spatial ring?" asked Emi with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know yet. Please create a chain harness for this thing. We are both going to carry it and join with the others."

"What are the Runes programmed for, Takina? Are they meant to stop it from moving, or to suppress its vitality?"

"Stop its movements." nodded Takina. "But you're right, there's always the option to cancel its vitality and destroy it for good."

Emi nodded as the finished creating the web of thick chains, and they wrapped it around the arm. Grabbing the chains, the two girls started walking down the next passage-way, half carrying, half-dragging the giant forearm between them.

…

It took them about ten minutes to join back with the others, killing a few more Cultists on the way.

"We found Sanctuary's main room." said Shuuko. "The one with that fancy sword in a pedestal. From the inscriptions on the array surrounding it, if we pull off the sword, the Sanctuary shuts down."

"Have you found a clue to contact Aurora?" asked Takina.

"No, but…"

Her words trailed off as a red formation appeared near them, a rectangular one looking like a door full of cogs.

"Well, it seems we are invited." smiled Takina. She released her grip on the chain and touched the formation.

Instantly, her surroundings became an endless white in all directions. The only thing aside from her was a woman sitting on a red chair. Not that she had any choice in the matter, since she was dressed in a white, full-body straitjacket secured with black straps.

She was beautiful, with violet eyes and long, flowing black hair with a purple tint. She had a small mole under the right corner of her lips, and seemed to be in her late twenties.

"Hello there." smiled the woman.

"Hi. I assume you are Aurora." smiled Takina. "I am Takina Inoue. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Takina looked around, but didn't see her companions.

"I am sorry, but one person is the limit." said Aurora. "And please forgive my poor manners. I would offer you tea as thanks for giving those people their just desserts, but as you can see, I am a little tied up right now."

"I can see that, yes." nodded Takina. "Although I am glad that your long imprisonment doesn't seem to have driven you to madness. Or if you are, you are hiding it well."

"Madness would have been a deliverance, in a sense." nodded Aurora. "But the seal somehow prevented it. Those scientists wanted to keep me in a good state so I could cooperate with them. But I have made it my life's mission to disappoint them. I take pride in being responsible for many of them suffering from hair loss!"

"This fits the information we were given about you." nodded Takina.

For a few seconds, they just stared at each other, until Aurora rolled her shoulders, which was just about the only movement she could make.

"So, you have a beautiful maiden in front of you. Shouldn't you try to release her from her cruel bonds?"

"I am considering it." smiled Takina. "But if I am to act as the knight saving the maiden, do I get a kiss as thanks?"

"A kiss?" chuckled Aurora. "Miss, if you get me out of here, I am willing to reward you with a lot more than just a kiss."

Takina nodded, still smiling. "Are you sure? For all you know, we could be more people like those who sealed you away, and you would only be transferred to different captors."

"That's a possibility." nodded Aurora. "But I have observed you since you entered the surface layer of the Sanctuary, and that is not the impression you gave me. Besides, if you imprison me in a different place, it can hardly be worse than here, and I will get to test your security features."

Aurora didn't need to point out what would happen if she found said features lacking.

"I understand." replied Takina. "We did come here to stop the Cult and free you, Aurora. But there are two issues. The first is about you not having a body right now. Your soul had been sealed here, but your body is, as far as I am aware, gone, aside from that big arm."

"That is an issue, yes." nodded Aurora. "I was hoping that you would let me piggyback on your own body for a while, until I gather the resources to make one for myself. That arm would be a start. And I promise I won't interfere with your life unless you are in grave danger. You would not even notice I'm here."

"About that, we came prepared. I can provide you with an artificial body that will be every bit as good as the one you had. But, it is not free."

"I understand." nodded Aurora. "That is fair. If you do me a favor, you should receive a recompense for it. What are you suggesting?"

"I want you to join our organization for a year, renewable by mutual consent, and agree to swear loyalty to our leader for the duration. To be clear, our boss is not interested in the peculiarities of your body, as he already has reached immortality. Our mission is to punish villains and protect the innocent. And to be completely fair, I will also tell you that if you consent to our offer and swear loyalty, it will be magically enforced."

Aurora nodded, and Takina could see a hint of defiance and calculation in her eyes. Aurora was probably thinking that she would manage to undo whatever magic was used to compel her obedience.

"How about I join your organization willingly? There is no need to compel me. My word is my bond."

"That is where the second issue comes into play, with you being known as the Witch of Calamity and Demon Lord Diablos. I assume that most of it is only propaganda spread by the Cult of Diablos. However, I know you are very strong, and before we release you from that seal, we have a responsibility to make sure we can prevent you from going on a rampage. That is half the reason we want to accept being temporarily bound by an oath of loyalty."

"And the other half?"

"Being part of our organization comes with benefits. Benefits significant enough that I am confident you would choose to stay with us in the long term. But most of those perks require that oath as a condition to activate."

"…I see." nodded Aurora. "...Before I give you my answer, I would like to ask about this artificial body you're offering me, and if you have more than one."

"Those bodies were made by the Gods. Near omnipotent beings that our leader serves. We can provide more than one if needed, by cashing in some of the favors we accrued by working for them."

"In its initial state, the artificial body looks like a crude human-sized doll. However, once someone who doesn't already have their own body touches it, the artificial one will imprint on the soul and host it, its material turning to flesh and blood, and its appearance changing to the individual's self-image."

"Special characteristics like bloodline, immortality, or special powers are also duplicated. Please do not ask me how that is possible, I do not have a clue. But there already are a handful of people in our faction who have artificial bodies."

"I see. How about I add a condition on my own, then?" smiled Aurora. "I will accept your offer if you also extend it to three other people whose souls were sealed alongside mine."

"Three people?" asked Takina with a raised eyebrow. Then her eyes widened as she realized who she must be speaking about. "The Three Heroes? Olivier, Freya, and Lily?"

"Three Heroes? Is that how the Cult's propaganda refers to them now?" asked Aurora. "But yes, it is them I am speaking about."

"But how is that even possible? Assuming they got sealed alongside you, how could they have all those descendants around the world?"

"Their essence was harvested before they were sent to fight me, and the researchers from the Cult used it to create a new generation of test subjects. From what I heard while spying on the researchers back then, once this new generation reached maturity, they broke free of the place where they were confined in and separated to live their own lives as free people."

"I see." nodded Takina, thinking that by essence, Aurora meant the women's eggs or genetic materials. "How did they get sealed in the first place? And aren't you supposed to be enemies?"

"The device that sealed us is a crude instrument who didn't differentiate between friends or foes, and they were ordered to keep me pinned inside that magic array at all costs. That is how they got trapped with me."

"Our relationship was… very poor at first, let's say." smiled Aurora "They blamed me for their situation. But we've had a lot of time to cool down, and after experiencing that kind of betrayal and observing what happened in the Sanctuary, they understood that they had been manipulated. Now we get along, and their presence has been a great comfort. That is why I do not want to leave them behind now that an opportunity to escape finally presented itself."

"They will have to agree to be bound by the same agreement, then." nodded Takina. "They join us for a year, then they will decide if they wish to stay or leave."

"I believe they will agree." smiled Aurora.

"Let's hope so... If I had let you piggyback in my body instead, what would you have done?"

"Like I told you, I would have let you keep control of your body without interfering when you would be awake. But when you were sleeping, I would have taken over for a few hours and worked to gather the materials to create my own body."

"Then, I would have returned here to secure control of the Sanctuary, then create three more bodies for them. I would have had to leave Oliver, Lily and Freya behind for a while, but of the four of us, only I am able to create new bodies in the first place."

"I understand." nodded Takina. "But I am a bit confused about how this seal works. If I unseal you, won't that also kill the three heroes if they have no bodies to anchor their souls?"

"The seal is like a prison with individual containment cells." explained Aurora. "From the inside, we can connect to one another's cells, but only one at a time. And speaking with you like this is using that connection of sorts, which is why they cannot join us for this discussion. Freeing me from my cell wouldn't have affected the other three."

"But that is only true as long as the Sanctuary's sealing machine remains intact and powered, of course. If something where to happen to it, our souls would probably end up experiencing whatever happens after death. So, please, don't take that sword out of its socket."

"We won't." nodded Takina.

She walked closer to the bound Aurora and started to undo her bonds, unfastening the straps.

When Aurora was free, she removed the straitjacket and stood, stark naked. And she stretched with a grin. When she lowered her arms, an elaborate black dress materialized on her body.

"It has been so long since I was able to move, you have no idea how good it feels!" smiled Aurora.

Without warning, she grabbed Takina's head with both hands and kissed her. Takina was surprised for a second, then returned the kiss.

"There, the reward for my white knight." said Aurora with a playful smile.

"I think you are going to be fun to be around." nodded Takina. "Can you send me back now? My companions are going to worry, and I need to contact someone to bring three more artificial bodies. She should reach the Sanctuary before the night ends."

Aurora nodded, and the door-like magic array started to form.

"I will trust that you will keep your word and return, Takina." said Aurora. "Do not make me regret it."

Takina nodded, seeing the traces of fear and hesitation in Aurora's eyes.

"I promise you, Aurora." said Takina with a solemn voice. "The long confinement that you and the three heroes experienced is coming to an end."

She touched the array, and was instantly returned to the room in the Sanctuary where the others were.

"We were starting to worry." said Shuuko. "How was it? Did you meet Aurora?"

"Yes. We had a very interesting discussion. I'll explain in a minute. And whatever you do, don't touch that sword in the other room." nodded Takina as she took her smartphone and called Chisato. She picked up after it rang five times.

"Hi hi, Takina!" exclaimed Chisato.

"Chisato, I need you to come to Lindwurm." said Takina.

"Oh? Did the plan go off the rails?"

"You could say that, but it's good news. It turns out that the artificial body you gave me isn't enough."

"Is there some kind of compatibility issue?" frowned Chisato.

"No. But we need more. Aurora isn't the only one whose soul is sealed in there, Chisato. The Three Heroes are, too."

Takina grinned as she saw her companions' expressions.

"Ah! I'm coming! I want to meet them!" shouted Chisato.

"We'll be waiting for you." nodded Takina.

She hung up, and started relating to everyone her discussion with Aurora.

…

It took Chisato less than two hours to reach Lindwurm. Takina had gone out to guide her inside the Sanctuary, and they gathered back in what they assumed was the control room.

"Hey, everyone." grinned Chisato.

Scathach, Okita, and the Aikawa siblings nodded back at her.

Chisato nodded and took out her own Sanctuary. Sakura, Epsilon, Millia and Akane came out of it.

"Let's have everyone gather to welcome our new comrades. Well, aside from Medusa, but she couldn’t come." said Chisato.

"How are things with Epsilon?" asked Takina, noticing the magic-sealing collar around her neck. Epsilon was dressed in a simple but elegant white dress.

"She hasn't accepted being part of Valhalla yet, but it is only a matter of time." smiled Sakura.

"And Millia here just completed her training." grinned Chisato with a thumbs up.

Takina nodded and took from her spatial ring the artificial body Chisato had previously given her.

"Now, how to give it to Aurora so she can take it over…" mused Takina, wondering if she should ask her to bring her back into that strange place, where she could speak to her soul.

She didn't have to ask, as the red door-like formation appeared again. When it was fully formed, the artificial doll moved on its own, walking to it and touching the formation. It disappeared in an instant.

Less than a minute later, Aurora, clad in the same black dress she had willed into existence previously, came out of the array, and it close behind her.

She looked around, satisfied, before bowing toward the girls who had gathered.

"You have my sincere thanks, benefactors. Or maybe I should say, my future colleagues?" smiled Aurora.

"Hi hi! It's a pleasure to meet a new comrade! I am Chisato Nishikigi, and this is…"

Chisato introduced the newcomers, then another artificial body appeared in her hands.

Aurora nodded, and red windows similar to the ones generated by the ring on Takina's finger appeared in front of her. Noticing the looks she was getting, she shrugged.

"After being imprisoned here for so long, I have learned how this place functions."

Like previously, another array appeared, and the artificial body reacted to it.

The first of the Three heroes who appeared was the Therianthrope one.

Lily was tall, and beautiful, with her gray eyes and long blonde hair, some of it gathered into two buns under her fox ears, and a long, fluffy tail. She wore a crimson and gold outfit consisting of calf-high boots, a dress stopping above her knees with slits on the sides, black gloves covering her arms, gold chest plate, and black and gold pauldrons protecting her shoulders. She also had on her head a gold tiara featuring crimson flowers on its sides, and a white cape covering her back.

Lily looked at Aurora, then everyone else, and smiled.

"My name is Lily. You have my gratitude for freeing us from our long confinement. I am willing to serve your organization until I estimate the debt is repaid, even if it takes over a year."

"Thank you." smiled Chisato, producing another artificial body. "Let's free Olivier and Freya, and then we'll introduce ourselves properly, do the swearing in, and we will retire to a quiet place to celebrate!"

Aurora nodded and opened the magic array again.

Olivier was next. The Elf Hero also had long blonde hair, but her eyes were a deep blue, and she wore a blue-colored variant of Lily's outfit. But instead of a tiara, she had on a headpiece that covered her forehead, as well as the sides of her jaws.

Chisato assumed that it made sense considering their equipment had probably been procured by the Cult. But she was mostly struck by how close to Alpha she looked. The two of them might have been twins.

"Thank you for freeing us." nodded Olivier. "From now on, my sword is at your service."

"Thank you. As you may have heard, we will introduce ourselves once Freya is with us."

Once again, the artificial body entered the formation, and a minute later, Freya joined them.

She was a gorgeous human woman with red eyes and platinum white hair cut in a short by feminine style.

Her outfit, while following a similar theme with golden chest piece, pauldrons and cape, was the most conservative as it didn't show any skin below the neck.

Freya's legs, hands, and the top of her torso were covered by a form-fitting black, mate material, and Chisato couldn't tell if it was a bodysuit, or several pieces. Freya wore green calf-length boots, a white leotard with green and gold accents, and a long-sleeved jacket that stopped at waist-level and was too small to be closed.

Freya's eyes turned to Aurora, Olivier and Lily, and she nodded to them once before turning her attention to the large group of women smiling at them. Her gaze lingered for a long moment on Alexia, who had very similar features.

"I am Freya. I am very thankful that you helped me and my companions get out of this place and provided us with those bodies."

"We are glad to have been able to help." grinned Chisato. "My name is Chisato. Chisato Nishikigi. It is nice to meet you!"

One by one, everyone introduced themselves, and Chisato translated for Akane.

Once they were all done, Chisato took her smartphone and called Noah.

"Hi, Noah! Did I wake you up?"

Chisato had activated the speaker, so everyone heard, and Aurora and the Three Heroes leaned forward, looking at the phone with interest.

"You did, but no matter. What can I do for you, Chisato?"

"Activate the video, please. We have four new people who are willing to join Valhalla for a duration of one year, renewable by mutual consent. I told them about the magic contract, and they agreed to swear loyalty to you for the duration."

"I understand." replied Noah.

Chisato held the phone with its screen facing Aurora and the others, who blinked.

"It is nice to meet you, everyone. I am Noah Enfield, Valhalla's leader."

"Likewise. My name is Aurora. This is quite an interesting device. They were similar methods of communication in my time, but the tools allowing it were far larger than this."

"Yes, they are very useful." smiled Noah. "The girls may already have told you, but Valhalla's role is to deal with issues that threaten the safety of humans and other species, enforce peace, and more generally provide assistance to innocent people who face injustice."

"Yes." nodded Aurora.

"Aurora, I am going to make a few statements. At the end of each, I will ask you to answer by 'I agree' or 'I consent'. When you do, you will be bound to those terms."

"This seems pretty straightforward." nodded Aurora.

"Let us start, then. Aurora, do you agree to join Valhalla for a minimal duration of one year in your world?"

"…In my world?" frowned Aurora.

"I gave Chisato an artifact that serves as a portable residence, and the time inside that artifact can be compressed to some extent." nodded Noah. "The girls could for example spend a few days inside to train themselves, but only one night would have occurred here. That is a massive advantage where training or studying is concerned."

"That is a very convenient artifact, and I'd like an opportunity to study it." nodded Aurora. "But yes, I accept."

"Do you agree to consider me as your leader and follow my commands for a minimal duration of one year in your world?"

"I agree." nodded Aurora, and she felt something spread over her body. It was gone before she could properly examine it, however.

"This is done." smiled Noah. "Welcome to our family, Aurora."

"Thank you. Is it really all?"

"It is." nodded Noah.

"I do not feel any different."

"My ability to share my powers does not take effect immediately, but you will obtain them before long."

"I see." nodded Aurora. "Well, I agreed to join Valhalla as thanks for the help and the artificial body, not for those powers, whatever they may be. And Valhalla seems to be an organization worth working for."

She looked back at the Three Heroes, and Olivier was the first to nod and step forward.

"I am willing to swear loyalty as well, under the same conditions."

Noah nodded, and started a new verbal contract.

It only took a minute for both Lily and Freya to also swear loyalty.

"Now, everyone, Chisato is the team leader for this world." said Noah. "I won't strictly demand that you follow her instructions, but please do not do anything that would endanger the team, and keep your teammates informed about your own plans, so they can coordinate."

"I have no problem with this, it makes sense." said Lily, and her companions nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Noah!" smiled Chisato as she changed the phone's orientation back towards her. "We'll clean up the scene and… Ah, Medusa is calling. Later, Noah."

"I understand, see you later." replied Noah.

Chisato ended the call and accepted the other one.

"Yes, Medusa?"

"Chisato, I have delivered the letters and kept an eye on Shadow from a distance. He is at his dorm. I am confident that I can execute Phase Two safely. I request your approval."

"About that, I had an idea earlier, and I contacted Rin. I will send you a video recording in a few minutes. Please leave it behind as a token of appreciation." grinned Chisato.

"…I understand." replied Medusa with clear approval in her voice. "I will call back later to confirm success and clean extraction."

"Thank you, Medusa. Be careful." said Chisato.

"Who is this Shadow you mentioned?" asked Aurora.

"He's a pain in the butt, that's who he is!" sighed Chisato, and Epsilon twitched.

"Shadow leads a secret organization named Shadow Garden, entirely made of descendants of the Three Heroes." explained Takina. "At least, that is what they believe, since they actually descend from that generation of test subjects who received your essence."

"What?" asked Alexia, confused.

"I'll explain later, Alexia." replied Takina. "Shadow Garden fights the Cult of Diablos too, but Shadow has a very problematic personality and doesn't mind getting a lot of civilians killed if an opportunity to show off appears. And when Valhalla approached Shadow Garden to negotiate a temporary non-aggression pact, his response was to ask us to surrender to him or die."

"You're glossing over a lot of important details, Takina!" retorted Epsilon. "Like you knowing about Shadow's real identity and threatening to reveal it."

"Yes, but I'm trying to keep it short for now. We'll tell them all about it after we reach a secure location, and you can tell things from your point of view then." replied Takina before turning to Aurora and the Three Heroes. "Epsilon here is a core member of Shadow Garden that we captured, and we're in the process of convincing her to join Valhalla."

"Unfortunately, for all his childish behavior, Shadow is also very strong, likely stronger than even you, Aurora." nodded Chisato. "So we're avoiding a direct confrontation until Noah can enter this world."

"I see." nodded Aurora. "I get the impression that there is quite a lot to it. I look forward to hearing the details."

"Yes." nodded Chisato as she pointed toward the Arm of Diablos. "What should we do with this thing, Aurora? We can't leave it there for the Cult to retrieve."

"That's easy." smiled Aurora as she walked closer to the arm. With a hand gesture, she created a blood-red magic array, and from it burst several tentacles, seemingly made of blood. They pierced the arm and hand in multiple places, and Chisato could almost see the magic energy being drained from it.

It shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eyes.

"Aurora, I was wondering, why did you create this large body in the first place?" asked Takina.

"Oh, that?" smiled Aurora. "The first time Olivier, Lily and Freya attacked me, I managed to escape, but it had been a close thing. I knew they would find me again eventually, so I created this War Form that is a lot more suited for fighting multiple opponents and enduring battle damage, and I spread a rumor that I had transformed my body and wanted to conquer the world. It was also my lizard's tail that I could abandon if they still managed to defeat it. And for a little while, they really believed I was dead. But then they found me again by chance."

"Not by chance." corrected Lily with a proud smile. "I caught her scent."

"I understand." nodded Takina.

When Aurora was done, the monstrous appendage was only a gray, desiccated husk that started to crumble into a pile of grey ashes.

Aurora smiled in satisfaction, and Chisato could feel her power had grown a little.

"What about the Sanctuary?" asked Freya. "Do we destroy it to prevent the Cult from using it again? Do we keep it?"

"We can't keep it." said Chisato as she shook her head. "This is a fixed structure that is very likely referenced in documents held elsewhere by the Cult of Diablos. Which means Shadow Garden will inevitably find out at some point and come to investigate. And now that you are all freed, it is useless to us. Destroying it might damage the city on the surface, so we must not do that. I think we should just turn it off and take the key with us."

"I agree." said Aurora. "We have no more use of it either."

She and Olivier exchanged a nod. Olivier walked to her sword in the pedestal and grabbed the hilt. The sword seemed to recognize her, and another red window appeared. Olivier ignored it and pulled the sword up, easily taking it off the pedestal.

All around them, the lighting dimmed, and the low background noise coming from the machines disappeared almost completely.

"Now, the Sanctuary's functions are limited to this dim lighting, air circulation, and the entry formation." said Aurora.

Chisato nodded and took her own Sanctuary from her inventory.

"Everyone, this artifact is also named Sanctuary. This is the portable residence Noah mentioned. I will bring almost everyone inside, then we will leave this place. We will fly to the wilderness north-west of Lindwurm before stopping, and then, we celebrate to properly welcome our new companions!"

No one objected, and Chisato transferred everyone but Takina inside. She handed her the Sanctuary.

"You have that ring, so…" grinned Chisato.

"So I get to carry you away." nodded Takina, and Chisato disappeared with a chuckle.

Takina, keeping the Sanctuary in the crook of her arm, walked back toward the complex's entrance, wondering what kind of 'token of appreciation' Medusa would leave behind.

…

It was still about an hour before sunrise when Nu entered the Mitsugoshi headquarters.

She wondered where Epsilon might be, and what kind of treatment she would be facing. Her heart was filled with worry and shame, for not having been strong enough to stop the members of Valhalla.

Had they captured one of them, maybe Valhalla would have contacted them to organize an exchange. And maybe…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed Alpha on the first floor, busy giving directions to some of the girls. This was unusual, as she generally came later. The Vice-Leaded tended to sleep very late and resume her work mid-morning.

"Ah, Nu." nodded Alpha. "Follow me upstairs."

"Yes, Alpha-sama." nodded Nu, hoping she hadn't given Alpha any reason to scold her.

When they were alone, Alpha turned to her, speaking In a low voice.

"Last night, a letter was slipped under the door. It is from Epsilon."

"Epsilon-sama? Did she manage to escape them?"

"No. It was sent with their permission, and it is obvious that they didn't let her write anything they didn't approve of." sighed Alpha. "Still, she said that while they had tortured her a little during the first day, they weren't doing it anymore, and she was fine. She also described an attack from the Cult of Diablos on the Dark Knights Academy, that will likely happen very soon."

"Valhalla also sent another letter to Claire Kagenou, where they too spoke of the attack. It is clear that they intend to use us to deal with it."

"The arrogance!" exclaimed Nu. "We aren't tools for them to use!"

"Yes. Still, we aren't going to just do nothing. We will infiltrate a dozen human members inside the Academy, yourself included. When the Cult makes its move, more of us will attack from the outside, while you…"

"Alpha-sama!" shouted 74, running toward them with a terrified expression. "Something terrible happened!"

"What is it?" asked Alpha.

"The vault in the basement! I opened it to allow the cashiers of the morning shift to take the change money they needed, and… All the Zeni are gone! We have been robbed!"

"How is that possible!?" barked Alpha as she quickly walked toward the stairs.

As the Vice-Leader, the awareness that her breaking into a run would hurt the others' morale was the only thing that slowed her steps. She still walked very fast until she reached the vault underground.

The vault's massive door seemed intact, but all the massive reserves of Zeni Mitsugoshi had accumulated, enough to fill a dozen carriages to their breaking point, all of it was now reduced to a mere dozen gold coins lying around the empty shelves.

And Nu didn't doubt for a second that those isolated coins were a message. That they had been left here deliberately to highlight the absence of what should have been there.

And there was something else as well, placed on one of the shelves. A black device of some kind. Alpha walked closer to it.

Nu already knew who was responsible. This much gold wouldn't be carried out of the building without the members of the night shift noticing. It was simply impossible, unless some were complicit… or the thieves possessed spatial rings, as well as an unknown number of strange techniques.

"This is Valhalla's doing." muttered Alpha, reaching the same conclusion. "Nu, secure the perimeter and start asking the neighbors if they saw anything. Do not let anyone touch that thing. It may be a bomb. Transmit orders to the branch offices to transfer to us twenty percent of their own funds as soon as possible. I will go and inform Shadow."

"Yes, Alpha-sama." replied Nu, her back ramrod straight. She had never seen Alpha so angry before.

Alpha nodded and left the basement, and Nu started on her task.

Nu had secured the basement and transmitted the fund transfer orders by the time Alpha returned with Shadow, and she felt another burst of shame as she followed them to the basement. They had failed their leader yet again.

Shadow didn't say a word as he entered the vault, After a few seconds, he took the black device that Valhalla had left behind them, turned it in his hands to examine it from all directions, then put it back on the shelf, and pressed a few specific parts.

As expected of Shadow, he already knew how to use this device. One of its flat surfaces lit up, showing strange symbols, while the device also projected an enlarged version of it on the vault's white wall.

Shadow pressed another spot on the lit-up part, one with the number 1 in white on a red circle in its upper right corner, and Nu inhaled sharply as a familiar person dressed in black and gold uniform appeared on the wall, smiling at them coldly.

"Hey, Shadow." said Rin with a mocking tone. Her voice came from the device.

"You must be surprised seeing my face after you killed me, you damn jerk. Unfortunately for you, I am too stubborn to just stay dead, and I am back to haunt you."

"Stealing this gold is just the beginning, Shadow. That debt you owe us won't be settled with just this much. You answered our peaceful intentions with hostility, so you guys will harvest what you sowed. We are going to make you miserable until you regret crossing us and beg on your knees for forgiveness!"

"Before you killed me, I told you that Sakura would avenge me and make you her bitch." continued Rin with a smirk. "You probably thought it was a figure of speech. It wasn't. Sakura told me she already procured a dog collar and an anal plug with a tail attached. A big one, too. You may want to start training your butthole now with a small plug."

Nu gasped in absolute outrage. She had never heard of an anal plug before, but the name and the context made its nature unambiguous, and to think that Rin and Sakura would dare harbor such perverted designs toward Shadow, of all people, made her so furious she thought she might faint.

"Anyway, I have better things to do than taunt a damn chunnibyou. Like preparing the next steps of our campaign against Shadow Garden. See you soon, you jerk."

Rin stopped speaking, and her image went still. Nu assumed that it had been some kind of recording.

Nu didn't understand the word 'chunnibyou', but she saw Shadow's shoulders start to tremble, and the expression on his face suddenly filled her with fear. His eyes were glowing with purple magic power.

"Lord Shadow." said Alpha with a voice that froze Nu's heart. "Give the order, and we will stop all activities aside from searching for them. We will not leave a stone unturned. We will not rest until…"

"No. You will work as usual. Do not fall for cheap provocations. That may be what they want. And Valhalla is my prey!" declared Shadow.

"I understand, Shadow. What about the Cult's scheme at the academy?"

"You deal with it." said Shadow as he turned away.

…

When Shadow stepped out of the headquarters, he was too angry to care about the direction and simply walked, imagining all the things he would do to Rin and the others to make them pay. No one stole from him. No one! It was a good thing that Rin could return from death! It meant that he could tear her apart again and again!

But once he calmed down a little, he realized there was a problem.

He still didn't know where to find them.

But coming back to the headquarters to rely on Shadow Garden's spy network would be very uncool. A proper Eminence in Shadows would never return and admit he didn't know.

All he could do, then, was to rely on his luck. If he traveled around long enough, he would eventually find them.

With a shrug, he kept walking, unaware of the invisible Heroic Spirit 200 meters behind him, watching from a rooftop.