Ch 45: The Eight Thunder Gods.

After a good night’s sleep, Noah came early to the Academy. He didn’t have to wait long until Miyabi came.

“Hi, Noah. Are you ready to ‘pow pow’ fight?” she grinned as she waved at him.

“Hi, Miyabi. Sure, I hope I won’t disappoint you.”

“You’re strong enough to be in the anti-demon corps, right? You must be strong! Anyway, it’s this way! C’mom, let’s rock!”

“Strength is relative, and killing a few hollows doesn’t mean I’m suddenly the strongest around.” Shrugged Noah.

“So where are you leading me? Isn’t the gymnasium that way?” Said Noah as they walked, pointing to another direction.

“Yeah, but that’s for general students! There are plenty of more private ones, ya’know?”

“Oh?”

“Yes! This academy is HUUUGE! There are many private buildings that only a few students can access! Lucky for us, there’s some I am allowed to use!

Noah had a pretty good idea of which private area she was leading him to. The one that was exclusive to the owner of the Arcana – The Lovers, and his Cards.

Just like High-class devils and low-mid class devils of the most prominent families had their Peerage, made up of up to sixteen members, with themselves as the King, The Arcana holders could nominate up to 14 ‘Cards’, modeled after tarot cards as their entourage. The positions were named 2 to 10, Queen, Princess, Prince, Knight, and Ace.

Unlike peerage members who got a boost of their natural abilities thanks to the Evil Pieces, however, becoming a Card was only an honorific status. At most, it was a promise that the Arcana holder would help them acquire cushy jobs as underlings.

Miyabi led him away for the main buildings of the school and behind a screen of trees and shrubbery. A lavish three stories building was standing there, with a smaller single floor one connected to it. Miyabi headed to a door on the side of the smaller one.

“Come in, Noah! It’s a dojo and training room where we can go ‘Kapaa!’ without bothering others.”

“This place is quite nice.” Said Noah as he looked around. Most of the inside was a like a karate dojo, with the floor covered with tatamis. Most of the rest was occupied with a boxing ring, and a few devices for weight training.

“It is, right? I go there from time to time to train.”

“Is there a place where I can change? I’d rather not get my clothes sweaty this early.”

“This door! See you in two minutes!” pointed out Miyabi, her right hand pointing to the side. She took a few clothes from her own bag and headed toward another door.

Noah entered the small dressing room, with attached shower cubicles, and changed into a black karate gi with a white belt.

Miyabi came back soon after he was done, wearing a white gi and a black belt.

“Oh, we somehow color coordinated by accident!” laughed Miyabi upon seeing him.

“Are you ready to kick my sorry butt?” teased Noah as he took position at the center of the dojo area.

“Here I come!” She grinned as a magic circle appeared under her feet for an instant. Then, she moved toward him at a speed no normal human could hope to match, her arms in a boxing’s high guard stance.

Noah was waiting for her, legs spread widely for stability, his torso sideway, with his left arm protecting his upper torso and his right arm ready to strike.

“Doryaa!” shouted Miyabi, striking in a straight punch with her right arm. She was aiming at his left shoulder as a probing attack, not trying to risk injuring Noah before she could estimate his resilience.

Noah deflected her arm by hitting the inside of her right arm with his left forearm and tried to strike with the other hand, But Miyabi deflected his strike as well.

For almost fifteen minutes, Noah and Miyabi exchanged blows, slowly ramping up in speed and intensity. And it became clear to him that Miyabi was about as fast as he was, but much stronger and more resilient. He only managed to somewhat keep up with her thanks to his experience and Martial Arts skills giving him a noticeable advantage in technique.

In the end, they had given each other a few bruises, but they only grinned at each other as they panted, happy to have found a good training partner. Noah healed her, and she nodded gratefully.

“Thanks. You’re very good, Noah. You rock! But, you’re weird. How did you as a human, manage to use the magic formulas without me seeing them? Or did you activate them when you changed?”

“What magic formulas?”

“Stride, Maximize and Armored, duh!” said Miyabi as if she was stating something obvious.

“…I don’t know how to use those.”

“WHAT?”

“I really don’t know.” Noah shrugged, amused by her expression.

“…Are you perhaps using them unconsciously? It makes no sense for a human to be that strong if you aren’t…”

“I have a special physique. Long story short, I met a goddess, she found me interesting, and gave me a mission to save innocent people. And I performed to her satisfaction. As a reward, she gave me a few abilities, like creating objects and storing them away. My body is another perk. And that goddess has asked me to grow stronger, so I could save more people and kick more villains’ butts. So if you could teach me whatever those Stride, Maximize and Armored are, I would be very grateful.”

“Eh? A goddess? But wait… if you’re already that strong, and get reinforcement magic on top of it…”

Miyabi’s speech had become devoid of its usual peculiarities, which Noah knew was a sign that she had become completely serious.

“Noah, would you be willing to join my team?”

“Your team?”

“There’s going to be a competition that will start soon, both in and out of the academy. A dangerous one, with 22 teams of sort. The leader of the winning team with get a high position in the Devil’s society, as well as lands in the underworld and a lot of money. The rest of the team will gain benefits, too. It will be a no hold barred fight, against 21 opponents and their own teams. But I must insist, this will be dangerous. You would have to put your life on the line.”

“And you’re going to participate? Somehow, I don’t see you as the kind of person that would risk killing or getting killed, just for lands or money.”

“That… I have my circumstances. My family has supported the Lovers, that’s the name of the team I belong to, for the last nine competitions. And we lost and lost. As a result, my family has declined so much, that it’s just my mom and me now… I must support the one who will get The Lovers’ Arcana and get him to win, or something really bad will happen to us...”

“Something bad?” asked Noah gently.

Miyabi looked at him for a few seconds, feeling his concern. At the same time, she wondered why she was telling Noah so much about her troubles. But there was something about him that made her want to do it. He gave her a feeling of… safety. She finally decided that telling him would bring her some relief.

With a sigh, she walked to the nearest wall and sat down, her back resting against it. She pointed to the side, and Noah obediently sat beside her, leaving a meter a distance between them.

“…If we lose yet again… my family will lose its status as nobility, and Mom and I… will be sold off as slaves.”

“Urgh. That’s rough… Tell me more, about that competition. When does it starts? What are the rules?”

“It already has started, in a sense. The candidates chosen by the Arcanas enter the competition whenever they want, with a small ritual. The Arcanas look like tarot cards, but they have their own awareness, and they give great powers to their owners. And each owner must choose retainers, called Cards...”

Miyabi went on to explain the details of the competition to him, and he pretended not to already know. When she was done, he stared at her as he rubbed his chin in thought.

“So you’re a card for The Lovers? One of the two friends you mentioned?”

“No. The truth is, something happened a few years ago. A human boy… well, that’s not my secret to tell, but the Lovers Arcana already chose someone. Only, the Arcana hasn’t made it official yet, and he isn’t currently a student in this academy. My friend and I will welcome him when he shows up with the Arcana, and we will protect him and train him.”

“That human, does he have a sacred gear?”

“No.”

“I see… That’s a pretty bleak picture you’ve just painted, Miyabi, if your chances to avoid enslavement for you and your mother depend on a human with, presumably, no initial training and no special ability.”

“I know... But me and my friends don’t really have a choice. Most of the devils who participate in this competition are real scums. Helping them win is a no-go, even if it would give us a chance to save ourselves.”

“Do you have a Plan B?”

“There’s no Plan B.” Miyabi sighed again. “We can only hope, and work hard toward our dream.”

“…What if I were to suggest a Plan B?”

Miyabi turned her head and looked at Noah directly.

“…Is that the part where you suggest I become your girlfriend or something, and you’ll protect me from all this? Sorry, but no.”

“I won’t deny that I find you to be quite attractive, Miyabi, but no. If I interpret the situation correctly, your guy will be at his most vulnerable in the first few weeks after joining this academy, then will gradually make up for his bad starting position as you and your friends protect him and train him. Am I wrong?”

“No. That’s a fair way to put it.”

“There’s one little detail I haven’t told you. I mentioned my goddess earlier. Her name is Lilith. She’s given me a mission, to start on October 17th. I don’t know about the details, but I’m expecting something along the lines of having to investigate and shut down a place performing illegal experiments on sacred gear users. Or something. I have been warned that it would be a very dangerous mission, considering my current combat power.”

“Okkayyy? I wish you success, but what does it have to do with our previous conversation?”

“Just one little thing. The goddess told me that, if I succeed, she will reward me with one of the Arcanas.”

Miyabi’s eyes widened in alarm.

“The Magician one, to be exact. Now that you told me about the competition, I better understand its value. And it’s pretty clear that I am meant to participate to that competition, and not as someone else’s Card. So, back to this Plan B of mine. Let’s make a deal, Miyabi. I want you to help me become as strong as possible over the next few days, to prepare for that mission.”

“In return, I will help protect you, your friends, and your guy when he comes, until he gets his feet under him. I also won’t target your faction until at least half of the competition is dealt with, and I will give you ample warning beforehand, as I’m not the backstabbing type. And, should the Lovers lose the competition, I will offer you a position among my cards, maybe your friends too, and I will protect whoever it is the Arcana choose from retaliation by the others.”

“You are fated to become my enemy, and yet you are asking me to train you.” She said in a deadpan expression.

“It does sounds illogical, when put that way. But I think they are fair terms. You scratch my back, I scratch yours, and offer you better chances to avoid you and your mom being sold off at an auction.”

“…Assuming you win that competition and become a high-class reincarnated devil… wat would you do with the power and influence you would receive?”

“…Miyabi, what do you think about the current situation with… not just humanity, but every person in general, regardless of race? Do you think the world is headed to a bright future?”

“Not really.” Said Miyabi as she shook her head. “Some things are getting better, others are becoming worse.”

“My goddess wants me to make things, better. I want to put a stop to the war between angels, fallen angels and devils. I want to limit the power of wealthy people using their wealth to trample over average people to gain ever more wealth. I want to put a stop to all human wars, child labor and human trafficking. I want humanity to be more responsible regarding pollution, overfishing, and so on. That kind of things. To do this, I need to become the strongest, stronger than any local god, and I need to gather subordinates, because that’s not the kind of task I can do alone.”

“That’s just impossible.” Blurted out Miyabi.

Noah nodded gently.

“Yes, it’s impossible. People are people, after all. They will always be greedy and selfish, and there will always be those who will try to see how far they can violate the law before they trigger a response. But that doesn’t mean it is not worth trying. My goddess doesn’t demand perfection, just that I make the world a better place. This, is my long-term goal… So, are you willing to help me, Miyabi?”

“…I’ll think about it and give you an answer later today, or tomorrow. This isn’t something I can decide on my own.”

“I’ll be waiting. Anyway, we should take a shower and change back into our uniforms. There’s only twenty minutes left until the start of class.”

“Yeah.” Miyabi nodded and stood.

“You took a big chance, telling me about those goals of yours while you are still vulnerable. Others Arcana holders would stomp you out right away, if they found out. I appreciate your trust.”

“You told me about you and your mother, and trust is a two-ways street. Besides, I can hardly conquer your heart if I do not get you to trust me first, now can I?” Noah winked at her, and she smiled as she shook her head.

“I told you, I am taken already.”

“You never know how the future will turn out.” He said as he walked off to the shower.

…

The new teacher was a middle-aged man, and Noah only paid attention to matters related to the use of demonic magic. He lacked the foundations to understand everything, but he made an effort to memorize the lesson’s content anyway. As he did, he thanked Lilith for her previous advice, as his relatively high Mag attribute made it easier for him to deduce some of the things he didn’t know.

Miyabi didn’t speak to him during class and left during the breaks. Noah assumed she had gone to speak with her friends about their earlier conversation.

He turned out to be right, as when she returned from the afternoon break, she went to Noah.

“Can you come early tomorrow morning, like today? My friends would like to meet you.”

“Sure, I’d be happy to meet them, too.” Noah nodded with a small smile.

“Great.” Miyabi nodded as she returned to her seat.

For a moment, he wondered if they were going to try to ambush him. Fighting the three of them together would be dicey even if he used weapons and went all out. But when he considered it, it didn’t make sense. Killing him before he got the Arcana would only cause someone else to get it, very likely a devil willing to do anything to fulfill their ambitions, and that someone would likely be a lot more hostile to them and Yuuto Morioka, the novel’s protagonist.

The school day finally ended, and Noah left the classroom in a good mood. He was looking forward to his training with the rest of the Seventh squad.

…

“So, what kind of training are we going to do today, sister Griselda?” Asked Kaede as she, Irina and Xenovia came to the training grounds.

She, Irina and Xenovia had just finished a twenty-minute praying session, and were surprised when Griselda came and asked them to come with her. While her new friends had ardently prayed to the God of the bible, Kaede had made three separate prayers. The first to the same god, to show her respect and gratitude for him accepting her presence in his church despite her not being one of his followers. The second prayer was to Lilith, to thank her for her happy and fulfilling life. And the last was to her Master, as she reminisced over the times they had spend together, and wished for his continued success and wellbeing, as well as her sister’s and Asuna’s.

“Today will be a bit special.” Smiled Griselda. “All four of us will join the Cardinal Priest and participate to a real mission. It would normally be a bit early, as your training is far from over, but you girls are much stronger than the average apprentice inquisitor, and both I and Lord Strada will be present to deal with anything you can’t cope with.”

“A real mission! What’s the objective, Sister Griselda?” excitedly asked Irina.

Griselda sighed, sorrow evident on her face.

“We just received information about the possible location of one of the worst heretics, a former archbishop named Valper Galilei. This man captured a lot of orphans and used them in illegal experiments. When we caught wind of it, the Inquisition sent agents to investigate, but Galilei and his allies had already fled. What they found were a notebook containing the names of each kid as well as a few minor details regarding what they had endured, and… their bodies.”

“All children were killed?” asked Xenovia with sympathy.

“Not quite. We found one survivor, a white-haired girl who we assume had awakened a defense-type sacred gear and used it to surround herself with a very strong barrier and fell into some kind of hibernation. She is still under guard in the Vatican, but we have yet to find a way to awaken her. There was also another name and physical description of a young boy, but we didn’t find his body. His whereabouts are unknown.”

“What will be our role in the mission, Sister Griselda?” wondered Kaede.

“The heretic will likely have underlings with him. Your task will be to neutralize them and stop anyone from fleeing. If we find hostages or more people being captive, however, your priority will be to protect them.”

“Yes, Sister Griselda!” Answered the three girls in sync, eyes shining with determination.

“Follow me to the armory. Once you all are armed, we will join the Cardinal Priest as well as an Inquisitor who will quickly send us near the location.”

Without waiting, Griselda quickly walked away toward another building, and they followed.

“Say, Kaede. You’ve never met the Cardinal Priest, right?” asked Irina as they walked.

“No, I’ve only been there for less than three days. Is he someone special?”

Kaede raised an eyebrow as Irina and Xenovia suddenly giggled.

“The Cardinal Pried, Vasco Strada, isn’t just special.” Said Irina as she smirked. “You’ll understand when you see him. He is very kind and gentle, but he also earned some nicknames like ‘The Church’s Device of Violence’ or ‘Limits of Humanity’. He is the Church’s strongest. Xenovia has been personally trained by him for a while.”

“Yes. Master Strada is impossibly strong. He is eighty-seven years old, but I bet is isn’t any weaker than he was in his prime.” Nodded Xenovia.

“That… sounds impressive.” Said Kaede, wondering what kind of man would still be in a fighting shape at this age, or if there was some kind of divine enhancement involved.

Griselda unlocked the door to the armory and ushered them in. Inside the large room where rows upon rows of racks filled with all kinds of bladed weapons, as well as a few firearms.

“You girls pick and choose one or two weapons within that room. Those are normal ones, not magical or holy weapons. You’ll have to wait a bit more before being allowed to use those.”

“Sister Griselda, is it fine if I create weapons for Irina and Xenovia, then? Those I can make are slightly better.”

“Oh? You mean you can do more than use light magic?”

“Yes.” To illustrate her words, Kaede created the latest spear she used during her time in SAO, giving her a not insignificant agility bonus. She presented the spear to Griselda, who took it dubiously.

Seconds later, surprise showed in her face, and she twirled it around for a few seconds.

“…This weapon isn’t normal. Not only is it perfectly balanced and seem sharper and stronger than a regular one, but I also somehow move faster with it. This spear isn’t nearly on a holy weapon level, but… Kaede, would you mind making more of those?” Griselda’s face lit up with a hopeful smile as she looked at the weapon racks around them, and her eyes made it clear that one way or another, she would get her way.

Kaede suddenly wondered if she hadn’t made a mistake as she looked at the same racks, trying to estimate ethe number of weapons present in the room. It looked like she would be busy in the next few days. “Sure… I will warn you, though, I can only make two or three dozen different weapons, and most of them are spears, and no firearm at all. Irina, Xenovia, what kind of weapons would you like?”

“A Katana, please!” eagerly asked Irina, her eyes shining.

“Could you make a two-handed sword for me, please?” replied Xenovia with a smile.

Kaede nodded. Her item creation was limited to what she had experienced within SAO. Which, she admitted to herself with an inner grin, meant that over two thirds of her total patterns were related to BDSM activities. Her experience with gear of that kind had been… extensive. But there had also been times where Noah had let his girls experiment with the variety of weapons he used to train himself, which meant that she had experienced those, too.

She focused, and created a Polaris Fang for Irina, a two-handed claymore called Eternal Rest for Xenovia, and the sheaths for them.

“Many thanks, Kaede!” nodded Irina gratefully as she examined the blue-tinted katana blade carefully. Xenovia was already waving her new weapon around with a smile, getting used to its length and balance.

“Thank you, Kaede. I’ll make good use of it.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Alright, you girls will get to train with those later. We need to move fast. Follow me.

Griselda led them out, locked the armory, and led them to another building. In one of the larger rooms were waiting two men. The first was a lanky man with an easily forgettable face, wearing the white robe of an upper priest. But the second man caused Kaede to gasp in shock the instant she saw him.

The man, who she assumed was the Cardinal Priest Vasco Strada, was two meters tall, with a shaven head and a wrinkled face. But his body was more muscled than any bodybuilder she had ever seen, with arms as thick as trunks and huge hands. She reflected that the Eternal Rest she had just crafted for Xenovia would just be like a one-handed sword for this man. He smiled warmly when he saw Griselda and the girls coming.

“Cardinal Priest, we’re ready. Let me introduce to you Irina Shidou and Kaede Aizawa. You already know Xenovia.”

“Indeed.” Answered Vasco with a deep but soft voice. “Nice to meet you, miss Shidou, miss Aizawa. And long time no see, Xenovia. Have you been well?”

“Yes, Sir, I’m fine, thank you for asking.” Said Xenovia with a soft smile.

“Has sister Griselda told you what we are up against?”

“I told them. We’re ready.”

Vasco pointed to a computer on the nearby table. On it was displayed the satellite view of a church.

“This is a satellite view of an old warehouse in Germany where we suspect Galilei is. Morio here…” He designated the lanky man who nodded to Griselda and the girls. “…will open a portal to that spot, and you will immediately encircle the building. Sister Griselda and miss Shidou will circle left, Miss Aizawa and Xenovia will circle right, and I will stand in front. There are three doors in that warehouse, one front, one rear, and one on the right side. Once you hear me make some noise, you will also enter the building, stop anyone from trying to flee, and save any possible captive. Take prisoners if you can for interrogation, but do not take needless risks. Morio will stand outside and will be ready to open another portal from that place to another church, were several sisters are trained in caretaking.”

“Does everyone understand?”

“Yes, Sir!” answered the girls in sync.

“Let’s go, then.” Vasco nodded to Morio, who took some distance from them and raised his hands. A green whirlpool appeared in his hands and quickly enlarged, forming a portal to another place.

Vasco, Griselda, and the girls jumped though, keeping their eyes on the target building a hundred meters in front of them.

Xenovia didn’t wait a second to head turn right at a light run and Kaede followed. Irina and Griselda were doing the same on the opposite direction.

As she and Xenovia reached the back of the warehouse and spotted the rear door, they drew their weapons and nodded at each other.

“It won’t be long.” Muttered Xenovia.

A few seconds later, they heard a great noise of rent metal.

Kaede jumped forward and delivered a strong kick to the door. With a great clang, the metal door held, but had a large dent in it. On the second kick, the door was blasted in.

The inside was dark, but it didn’t bother Kaede as she looked around quickly. She had entered some kind of administrative office. With Xenovia’s help, she quickly searched any place large enough for someone to hide in and walked further inside to check the next office.

Kaede could head some noises and screams coming from the front part of the warehouse, but she and Xenovia had to complete their search first.

They were ending their search of their third office when they heard the footsteps of several people running in the short hallway. Kaede and Xenovia got ready.

Turning the corner were three human figures wearing black cloaks.

“Stop and Surrender!” shouted Xenovia.

“Shit! Pull through!” The one leading them yelled, raising his right hand as he kept running. Flames appeared between his fingers.

Kaede snorted and formed a shield made of solidified light, and the fire ball exploded harmlessly against it. She used the pommel of her katana to strike the first man in his forehead, knocking him unconscious, and the blade to parry the dagger of the second attacker. With her other hand, she punched him in the nose, breaking it. The man dropped his dagger and screamed as he stepped back and raised his hands to his face, and Kaede used the opportunity to deliver a swift kick between his legs.

The man screamed as he fell, apparently not knowing whether to protect his face or his crotch, and Kaede took mercy upon him and knocked him unconscious with a pommel hit at the temple.

Xenovia had already dealt with the other one using the flat or her blade, and they got ready as more footsteps came closer.

They relaxed when Irine and Griselda turned the corner.

“Nice.” grinned Irina as she slowed down and made a thumbs up.

“No injuries?” asked Griselda.

“None, they were pushovers.” said Xenovia.

Griselda removed her small backpack and opened it. From it, she took six pairs of steel shackles and three black hoods.

“Secure the prisoners and being them outside. I’ll go check on the Cardinal Priest.”

“Yes, sister Griselda.” Answered Irina.

Kaede and Xenovia were already applying the restraints in the three unconscious men. It took the three girls only about a minute to have the three men laying on the ground a few dozen meters from the warehouse.

Then they waited. No more sounds came from the warehouse.

After two minutes, Kaede began to grow worried, and from the looks of Irina and Xenovia, she wasn’t alone. She sighed.

“Xenovia, can you run to Morio and tell him we may need help? I think something’s wrong. Irina, you’re okay with keeping watch on the prisoners? I want to check on them.”

“On it!” Xenovia sprinted toward the building’s corner.

“Be super careful, Kaede.” urged Irina.

Kaede nodded, and she ran back inside, following the hallway Griselda had taken. With her enhanced speed, it only took her seconds before she reached the main part of the warehouse. Three people were present. The Cardinal Priest and Sister Griselda were both on the ground, their bodies restrained by many long black snakes. Several bite marks were visible on their exposed skin.

The third figure standing in front of them was a beautiful young woman with long black hairs and red eyes, and wearing what looked like a traditional Japanese kimono. Very, very long hairs. It took a second for Kaede to understand that the black snakes were actually made of the woman’s hairs, and she seemed able to extend them at will. Behind the woman was some kind of altar.

“Oh my, a cute one has appeared.” Said the woman as she looked at Kaede with an appreciative smile.

Kaede saw that the woman’s pupils were actually slits, like a snake’s. Those eyes made her feel like she was a mouse about to become lunch. But Kaede was made of sterner stuff, and didn’t let herself panic.

Griselda painfully lifted her face toward Kaede.

“Kaede… run! She’s too str… mmph!” Her voice was muffled when one of the snakes entered her mouth.

“There, no more talking from you. It’s too late for her to run anyway.”

“Who are you?” cautiously asked Kaede as she slowly walked forward. She could sense the aura of that person, and she was strong. Much stronger than herself.

“My name is Shikoku, one of the Eight Thunder Gods.”

“What is someone so obviously strong doing in this place?”

“My, thank you for the praise.” Laughed Shikoku, revealing sharp canines. “I was searching for humans with strong life force, and found a priest doing some naughty things. Naughty enough that even I was disgusted. He told me he could arrange for strong ones to come to me, if I spared his life. And he did! This big burly man is prime material, and so are the other two of you.”

More of her hair transformed into snakes, and Kaede jumped forward, trying to surprise Shikoku with her speed. As she did, she formed multiples golden shields and swords to try to intercept the snakes and cut them.

“Oh?” said Shikoku as she narrowed her eyes and got more serious. Dozen more snakes formed and plunged toward her prey.

Kaede managed to deflect some of the snakes, but her light weapons failed to sever the flexible and resilient hairs they were made of, and her spear failed to reach Shikoku’s body before she was restrained like Vasco and Griselda. The snakes could somehow interfere with her light magic and she could not create more light weapons.

“That was a nice try…” acknowledged Shikoku. ”But now, all of you can get a nice sleep.”

Two of the snakes bit Kaede on her neck and left thigh and injected their sleeping venom. More snakes bit Vasco and Griselda, and after a few seconds, they went limp.

Kaede relaxed her muscles and let her body go limp as well, pretending to be affected by the venom. She lowered her eyelids almost completely, making Shikoku believe her eyes were closed, while Kaede could still just barely see some of what was in front of her.

Shikoku was satisfied with her catch and dragged the three unconscious bodies closer, as she started to sink in her own shadow. She used her power over darkness to cross the boundary separating the human world to Hueco Mundo, and appeared in one of the Eight Thunder Gods’ bases, her three prizes emerging from her shadow.

She allowed her hair to return to their normal silky appearance, ending at knee level, as she heard a voice behind her.

“It seems you had a good harvest, Shikoku-nee.”

Shikoku turned and smiled. Before her stood a beautiful young woman, and her younger sister, Fukuma.

While Fukuma was a shapeshifter and could take on anyone’s appearance, she had chosen one as her default. She had light brown skin and long white hairs with amber eyes. Her bangs covered most of her forehead, excepted on the left side where a blue ribbon forming a clover-shaped knot held some of her hairs on her temple. Fukuma was dressed in a white and blue uniform of a design almost identical to the one of the anti-demon corps.

She was just as gorgeous as the black-haired, fair-skinned and violet-eyed woman whose appearance she was copying, and looked a bit like an evil twin. Which was likely her intention.

“Oh, Fukuma. I wasn’t aware you were back already. I am quite satisfied. It was worth going to the human world for a while. The big man in particular, I’m not certain I could have defeated him in a straight fight. The other two aren’t bad either, for mere humans. They‘ll make good materials for the next Thunder God.”

“I was preparing tea. Naruhime-nee should join us, but she seems to be running late. How about you tell me about your trip in the human world?” suggested Fukuma as she pointed to a stone table a dozen meters away. A tea set was already on it, and a kettle full of water was suspended over a fire nearby.

“Gladly.” Shikoku walked over and sat on one of the stone benches. “I wasn’t very hopeful, and I thought I might need months. But… eh?” Shikoku suddenly turned her head toward her prizes, who should have remained unconscious for hours.

Kaede, couching between Vasco and Griselda and keeping a firm grip on their wrists, grinned at Shikoku and Fukuma.

“Hi, and farewell!” She winked, and teleported back to the human world.

Shikoku gasped as she saw her three prizes disappear. Seconds later, Fukuma burst into full bellied laughter.

“Ahhhahhahha! Shiko… Ahhahhah… Shikoku-nee! You got scammed! Ahhaha...”

Shikoku closed her mouth, sighed, and smiled at her sister.

“Alright, she got me good. I’ll let her savor her small victory for a while. Long enough for them to relax their vigilance. But this girl and I will meet again.

“…Still, resistance or immunity to my venom, some kind of teleportation, her light weapons, and there may be more still… Her potential is good, and she was smart enough to fool me and to not antagonize me needlessly with immature insults. So I won’t waste her. Instead, I’ll make her my pet.”

Fukuma smiled and took the kettle out of the fire and dropped dried tea leaves in the boiling water.

“I don’t dislike the idea, but if she can teleport at will, you’ll have a hard time training her to be loyal to you.”

“I’ll just have to grab hold of her weakness. She must have someone I can take hostage or something.”

“I wish you success." nodded Fukuma.

…

Back on the human world, Kaede, Vasco and Griselda suddenly appeared near Irina, making her jump with scare. Xenovia was back with Morio.

“Kaede? Are you, are they okay?” asked Xenovia in a hurry.

Kaede wasted no time and used Greater Cure and Greater Healing on the sister and the Cardinal Priest. She then shook them awake.

“They’ll be fine. I just neutralized the venom.” Assured Kaede.

Vasco opened his eyes and almost jumped to his feet, looking for threats. Seeing only familiar faces, he relaxed just as Griselda regained consciousness.

“What happened? Where is that woman?” Asked Vasco.

Kaede took a deep breath and related to them everything that had happened. The enemy’s ability to move using shadows, the strange place they were brought into, Shikoku’s intention to turn them into materials for making another Thunder God, the one named Fukuma and the mention of a third one, and how Kaede had gotten them out and cured them.

When she finished, Griselda hugged her tightly.

“Thank you, Kaede. I owe you my life.”

“It’s okay, please consider it as repayment for training me.”

The Cardinal Priest also bowed deeply to her.

“Miss Aizawa, thank you. I owe you a big favor, and I will repay my debt.”

“Ah, it’s fine, really.” Awkwardly laughed Kaede. Then she sighed. “But this Shikoku is scary. And so is the one named Fukuma. Her aura was weaker than Shikoku’s, but not by much.”

Vasco nodded. “Yes, she is strong, and devious. When I entered the warehouse and defeated a few underlings, I saw a woman laying on a sacrificial altar, dressed in hospital clothes. I made the mistake of lowering my guard as I checked her for pulse, and a fraction of second later, I had snakes all around me and was bitten in a dozen places.”

“She’ll wait until we lower our guard, then she’ll come for us.” mused Griselda. “That’s what I would do in her shoes.”

Vasco nodded.

“If she didn’t come back already, she’s likely bidding her time, yes. But we can use that time. Miss Aizawa, miss Shidou, and Xenovia, I would like to assist in your training, if you would allow me.”

“Of course, I would be honored!” said Kaede eagerly, as did Irina and Xenovia. She hadn’t seen him fight, but she could tell he was really strong, too.

“Kaede, you have resistance to poisons, you can create weapons, you can teleport, and cure others. Just where do all those powers come from?” asked Griselda intently.

Kaede thought for a moment, wondering if she should use the opportunity to promote her Master or not. She finally decided to run with it.

“Those abilities, come from my Master. I can borrow some of his. And there are more I haven’t shown, like being able to tell if someone is lying, or being more resistant to fatigue, both physical and mental... Before you ask, yes, he can share those with more people… but he won’t do it with just anyone.”

“Would your Master be willing to join the Inquisition or the Church?” asked Vasco.

“You would have to ask him, but I do not think he would.”

Vasco nodded. He looked forward to meeting that Master of hers. But other things needed to be done right away.

“Morio, let’s return to the Vatican. We have prisoners to interrogate. Miss Aizawa, if you’re able to detect lies, I would like for you to attend. We need to find where Galilei went after preparing this ambush.”