Ch 56: Meeting more heroines.

Noah left the arena too and tried to act like a tourist, heading toward the southern part of the city. From a distance, he saw Maria, Layla, Alice and Hisui slowly walk toward the city’s southern gate as they chatted and bantered with each other. They seemed to be in a good mood. A dozen guards stood at the gate, but they barely glanced at the four girls as they walked through the gate and left the city.

Noah took a side-street and entered one of the many public toilets. He had originally planned to wait until nightfall, but since the guards seemed to be a bit lax and over reliant on the cursed bracelets, he thought that walking out with a fake bracelet would be less risky than hoping over a wall at night, with the risk of standing out like a sore thumb to any infrared or night-vision equipment.

Noah quickly removed his business suit. He created for himself a fake bracelet like those worn by the captives and a simple, then a frayed set of clothes, rough black pants and gray t-shirt, complete with stains and holes.

After returning his appearance to his usual eighteen or so, he returned to the main street and headed for the gate, walking not too fast, not too slowly. He didn’t stare directly at the guards even once, as it would be suspect, but glanced at the shops as he walked by, as if longing for the luxury items they showed off.

Noah didn’t know if Lilith gave him some discreet help or not, but none of the guards seemed to do more than glance at his bracelet for a moment before their attention returned to whatever matter they were discussing.

The asphalt road turned into a large dirt path not far out of the city and divided into two forks. A wooden signpost indicated directions, Residential areas A and B on the right, C and D on the left. At a whim, Noah took the right fork and soon reached some kind of large village.

The village was ugly, made of what was clearly prefabricated buildings, gray, rough concrete structures built with functionality as the only concern. Like Russian buildings in the seventies. The main difference being that those houses were all made of a single floor.

Noah could see a few kids or young adults walking around or chatting together, and some started to notice him.

“Hey, you! I’ve never seen you before. Is it your first time here?”

Noah turned to see who had spoken and saw a cute young woman with peach blonde, shoulder length hair, brown eyes and a curvy body walking toward him with a kind smile. But the things that drew most of Noah’s attention were the two rounded ears on top of her head and her fluffy tail.

“Yes, it’s my first time here. I’m Noah, nice to meet you.”

“I’m Rui. And my eyes are down there.” She grinned, having noticed his glances.

“Ah, I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m just not used to seeing a… Youkai?” guessed Noah in an apologetic tone.

“A Youkai, yes. To be more accurate, I’m a Tanuki youkai. But you can relax, I was joking. I’m used to those kinds of reactions. So you’ve been kidnapped, too. Welcome to this hellish place. I suggest you try to get along with everyone. Life here is hard enough as it is.”

Noah nodded, smiling.

“That’s good advice, thank you, Rui. But would you mind if I ask a few questions? There’s a lot of things I don’t understand about how life is in this place.”

“You’re in luck, I love to chitchat. But the middle of the street isn’t the best place for it. How about you come to my place? I can offer you water, water, or more water.” grinned Rui, her tail swooshing gently.

“Some water sounds fine, thanks.”

“Follow me then.” Rui started leading him away down a side alley.

On the way, Noah noticed something.

“Rui, I see most of the homes have a ribbon on their doorknobs. Is there a meaning to it, or are they a way to give a personal touch to those dreary houses?”

“They have a meaning.” Said Rui with a slightly subdued voice. “A light blue ribbon means that the people living there are ok, and you must ask for permission before you enter. Red means someone is injured, or recovering. The few among us who are able to heal people will visit them. A black ribbon means that someone died. We leave them for a month… If there is no ribbon, the house is empty and you can claim it for yourself. The houses are meant for two people, and most of us live with someone else for company, or to get someone to share the chores with. You’re free to choose an empty house for yourself, or to seek a roommate.”

“I see...”

Rui’s house wasn’t far, and she opened the door, inviting him inside. He nodded to her in thanks as he passed her by and immediately froze, his eyes widening as he saw the other occupant of the house.

“You!” angrily exclaimed Hisui as she suddenly stood from a sofa and pointed a finger at him.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Oh? You two know each other?” asked Rui with interest. She loved drama.

“…No. I never talked to her before. Your roommate?” temporized Noah as he wondered how Hisui had recognized him.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Noah.”

“Don’t give me that nice to meet you BS! I saw you in the arena! You’re one of those scumbags who watch us bleed and die for fun and giggles!” angrily stated Hisui.

“Jumping to conclusions, are we?” sighed Noah as he rolled his eyes.

Rui quickly crossed the room and stood beside Hisui, looking both worried and angry at being deceived. Even though he had not really done any deceiving. It wasn’t his fault if they just made assumptions.

Before the angry Nekomata could retort, Noah lifted a hand to stop her.

“I’ll admit it was me that you saw. But I had disguised my appearance back then to look much older. How did you find out?”

“Your lifeforce is unmistakable! It’s so much bigger and brighter than anyone else.” retorted Hisui, her eyes narrowing.

Noah was taken aback for a second, then he shrugged.

“Ah, of course… I’m lucky Senjutsu is so rare nowadays. You can stop acting all angry with me, Hisui. I mean no harm to you or Rui. On the contrary, I’m here to help.”

“Help? How?”

“I have been sent here to shut this place down.”

“Could you come up with a lie less obvious?” said Hisui.

“And why would I lie? Please correct me if I’m wrong, but that guy Taro Aoyama already has you all under his thumb and can do whatever he wants to you. What would be the point in me deceiving you?”

Noah sat in a nearby chair to look less threatening.

Hisui opened and closed her mouth, obviously searching hard for a possible motive. Noah decided to preempt whatever nonsense she would latch onto.

“I came to this part of the island because I need information, before I start killing guards left, right and center. Please tell me everything you know about those bracelets, how many people have been kidnapped, and about your life on this island.”

“…Are you serious?” asked Rui in doubt.

“As a heart attack, Rui." nodded Noah. "I know you don’t have any reason to trust me yet, but what do you have to lose in giving it a try? I’m only asking for information that everyone who has been in that island for a while should know.”

“…You have a point.” conceded Rui.

“But what can you even do? You say you plan to kill the guards, but even assuming that you aren't a sponsor, then maybe you can take out a few, depending on your strength. But Taro Aoyama has gotten his hands on you now. He will use that cursed bracelet to restrain you, and then you’ll only get a painful death.” said Hisui, still clearly doubting him, but being less belligerent.

Noah decided a gesture was worth a thousand words and lifted his left arm to attract their attention on the bracelet clamped on his wrist.

Noah pressed a spot hidden in its underside, and the bracelet popped open with a soft “clack”. He placed it on the nearby table. And he almost laughed at seeing them going slack-jawed.

“That was a fake. Aoyama never put that curse on me, and he should still see me as one of the sponsors. Had he tried, the curse would have fizzled out and I would have had to start my attack with insufficient knowledge on the local conditions. And I might be able to remove your own cursed bracelet, if you tell me how it works.”

“…Rui, bring the others here, please.” decided Hisui, warily staring at Noah.

Rui nodded and trotted out of the small house.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. And I can’t believe you would come to this island and risk your skin just to release us. What are you truly after?”

Noah nodded. He decided that honesty was the best policy to try to win her trust.

“…You are correct. I stand to win something out of this. But I’d rather speak about it when Rui and those you asked her to bring are here, as it might be related to at least some of them, I suspect. Meanwhile, please tell me about that curse. How did they put it on you? Can it be removed by brute force?”

Hisui considered him for a moment. She didn’t trust him at all, but she couldn't deny that there was no harm in answering a few questions Taro and the guards already knew about.

“…Taro Aoyama wears a golden ring in his right middle finger. He pointed it at each of us when we arrived on the island, spoke some kind of incantation, and a black light came out of the ring and formed the bracelet around our left wrist. By using several command words, he can cause barbed vines to erupt from the bracelet and restrain us, and those vines also give us some kind of electric shocks. He can stop it after a while, once he thinks we learned our lesson, or he can increase the intensity and keep it up until we die from it.”

“That’s nasty, although not unexpected. And I suppose there’s some anti-tampering feature to stop you from removing it?”

Hisui winced as she nodded.

“Someone tried, a few years ago. When he tried to forcibly cut off the bracelet with cutting pincers that he has made himself using the forge, the curse activated and killed him. No one could do anything.”

“…Assuming that someone could instantly neutralize the curse, do you think Aoyama would feel it through the ring?”

“I do not know.” said Hisui.

“… So we either need to find someone willing to volunteer themselves and test if it triggers a reaction from the guards, or gather everyone and release them all before Aoyama can react.” Said Noah as he rubbed his chin.

“I’ll be honest, I’d rather go with the first option. Purging hundreds of curses, I assume, on a short time window would leave me tired, and if Taro notices and attacks at that moment…”

Hisui looked at him like he was speaking gibberish.

“Do you seriously think you can remove a curse so powerful just like that? And what are you, exactly?”

Noah smiled slightly and used his Cooking and item creation skills to create a jug filled with orange juice and two glass cups. He ignored her gasp as he filled the two cups and placed one on the table within her reach.

“You have no allergy to oranges, right?”

He drank half of his cup to show her it wasn’t poisoned.

“If I want to be accurate, I am a human who became a reincarnated devil a few days ago. So I am pretty low on the social ladder, as far as devils are concerned. But power-wise, I’m somewhere in the high-class devil category, according to a very strong devil I got an opportunity to spar with. The main thing, however, is that I am also one of the Champions of the strongest goddess this world has ever known, Lilith. She is the one who told me about this place and asked me to do something about it. She also wants me to grow stronger, and this is an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.”

Hisui, falling to the temptation, took the cup of orange juice and sniffed it carefully. She took a sip, finding no strange taste, and put the cup back on the table. She wanted to wait for a while to see if she would feel the effects of any drug or poison.

“Lilith? I never heard of her. What pantheon is she part of?”

“She is the goddess who created this world. All the local gods you may have heard off, Like Odin, Zeus or Susanoo, were created by her.”

“What?”

Noah shrugged.

“Well, to be precise, there are real deities named Odin, Susanoo and so on, that are comparable in power to Lilith. But they rule over their own worlds, won’t interfere with this one, and Lilith just made sort of lesser copies of them for this world. Maybe I shouldn’t refer to immortal beings able to lay waste to cities with unflattering terms such as ‘lesser copies’, but in the grand scheme of things, that is what they are.”

Noah laughed softly at seeing Hisui’s numb expression.

“Too many revelations at once? You don’t need to think about it too much. In the end, what really matters is that Lilith is unsatisfied with the current state of the world, and she has sent me to oversee it and make a few reforms. Heaven knows the human world and the underworld are in severe need of some justice. Long story short, I’m here to save innocent people, protect the environment, and kill bad guys.”

Hisui gulped.

“Messianic complex much?” she couldn’t help but retort.

Noah smiled in acknowledgement, nodded, and emptied his cup before filling it again.

“Being able to create food and items, is this what you can do with your sacred gear? Maybe an ability to alter reality?” speculated Hisui.

“No. Lilith gave me a sacred gear when she sent me to that world, but it’s not something powerful enough to rewrite reality.”

Noah was considering telling her about his Gemini Drive when he heard several people coming.

Rui came back, bringing with her Alice, Layla and Maria, but also one young man and two young women that Noah didn’t know.

The man looked to be in his early twenties, had a pale skin, long black hair tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck, and wore thin glasses. His body was neither slender nor buff, and it was obvious to Noah that he worked out regularly.

The first girl he didn’t know was the smallest of the group, although not by much. She had long white hair tied in a ponytail by a red ribbon and red eyes, and was beautiful enough that she had to be another one of the heroines.

The other was as tall as Alice, with long silver hair reaching her waist and gray eyes, and a large chest. She, too, was heroine level of gorgeous.

“Guys, this is Noah. Noah, this is… hey, is that orange juice?” exclaimed Rui as she stared at the object on the table that weren’t there before and slowly walked closer. Noah could almost imagine drool escaping her mouth.

Noah smiled, and created more cups, along with more jugs.

“Apple juice, grapefruit juice, milk, coffee. Feel free to help yourselves. I am Noah Enfield, and it is nice to meet you all.” He said with a smile and a polit nod.

Seeing their hesitation, Hisui commented with a shrug.

“I tasted the orange juice, and it doesn’t seem spiked.”

“Your voice, I recognize it! You’re the one who helped me in the arena!” suddenly shouted Layla.

From the others’ reactions, looking at him with increased interest, it seemed like Layla had told them about it.

“Yes. That guy was torturing you, so I decided to help. Not that I did much, I just pointed out his location once, and you did the rest. You’re quite strong.”

“Thank you very much! It means a lot to me. Thanks to you, I was able to get some revenge!” replied Layla as she bowed deeply.

“Well, like I said, I didn’t do much. Can you return the favor by introducing your companions? Rui seems to be preoccupied.” Said Noah with a teasing smile.

“Ahem.” Rui blushed in embarrassment, as she had been in the process of helping herself to the apple juice.

“Yes, sorry about that, it’s just that it’s been years since we had anything to drink other than water... You already know Layla, Alice and Maria, since you have watched the matches. This is Zane, Iris, and Claire.” said Rui before Layla could speak, pointing in turn to the man, the white-haired girl, and the silver-haired one.

Zane and the girls greeted him, and they all sat down on the few chairs and the two sofas. They were a bit cramped, but no one minded, as comfort was currently the least of their priorities.

“So…” started Zane. “Rui implied that you might be able to do something about the cursed bracelets. Is that really true?”

“I possess a way to dispel curses, yes. I was discussing this with Hisui. I am confident that I can purge the curse before it can do anything to you, but I was wondering if Taro Aoyama would notice me doing it.”

“He would notice eventually…” nodded Claire, “…assuming you could destroy the bracelets. We might be able to hide it for a while, but the bracelets are also used to notify us when we have to go to the Arena. Those who refuse are… severely punished.”

“I understand what you mean, but I’m not particularly worried about that kind of delayed notification. By the time he and his goons would notice, I would already have started offing the guards and the sponsors. The only reasons Hisui still have that bracelet on her wrist are that she doesn’t trust me yet, and I am worried Taro might feel the bracelet being destroyed.”

“Before we speak further about dispelling the curse, I want to understand what you’ll gain for helping us.” interjected Hisui. “I can’t trust you if I don’t know what you want, and you said you would tell me once the others were present. They are here, so tell us!”

“Yes… I am going to use soul magic to project into your minds some of my memories. That will answer a lot of your questions. Just relax a bit, it is perfectly safe and painless.”

“Why not just tell us? I don’t want you into my head.” protested Iris.

“I’m not going to read any of your own memories, if that is what you are worried about. I can’t even do it. And it’s easy to lie with words. Much harder to do it with memories.”

Without giving any of them more time to protest, Noah started projecting his memories of the speech he had done in the previous world, where he had spoken about his reforms and Lilith made an appearance. And also his memories of granting most of his powers to Rika when she signed the soul contract with him. Although he didn’t let them see the exact wording of the contract.

When he was done, they were all glassy-eyed. Alice was the first to blink. With a slightly trembling hand, she reached for the orange juice.

“I need a drink... This is a lot to take in.” she said with an Italian accent.

Her words woke the others from their trance-like state, and they watched Noah.

“This… Did you make this press conference in Japan? What happened when we were trapped in this island?” asked Claire, very confused. Some of the reporters’ questions and reactions were conflicting with what she knew of the world.

“This press conference was done on another world’s Japan, in a world where there are no hollows, devils or anything supernatural. Only humans, being selfish and doing bad things to each other. Yes, Japan exists in many different worlds. Do not ask me why, ask the Goddess. It’s better not to ask, really. Some answers just aren’t worth getting.”

“What was this SAO incident you were involved in?” wondered Iris.

Noah took from his inventory the Nerve Gear he still kept in his inventory and showed it to them.

“Sword Art Online, a virtual reality game that made the players experience the game by living in it in complete immersion. To resume that incident succinctly, a crazy genius took ten thousand players hostages using booby-trapped helmets like this one and forced them to play his virtual reality game 24/7, and set things up to kill them in real life if they died in the game. I managed to save almost all of those players.”

“But back to the present matter. Hisui, you asked me what I wanted. The answer, is you. This world, in addition to the previous one I was in, will eventually be for me to oversee and reform. That isn’t something I can do alone. I need capable subordinates and advisors to assist me, and while I do not know much about each of you yet, you guys seem to be promising candidates, as far as strength and character are concerned.”

“I see…” said Zane. Then he smiled. “Although I couldn’t help but notice in your memories all your subordinates are pretty girls. Am I included in your list of candidates? If so, I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“Touché.” chuckled Noah. “Actually, I already have a male subordinate, he just doesn’t live in the same house as my girls, and I’m keeping his connection with me secret, so he can move freely without the various governments spying on him. It would be the same with you, if you are willing to become immortal, gain various powers, and fight for a good cause.”

“Am I not very comfortable with the notion of being your subordinate, with that BDSM undertone... That isn’t part of my preferences.” Said Alice. “Still, it seems like a cause worth fighting for, and if you help us get out of this place… Maybe I can entertain the idea of a temporary relationship… But I want for your goddess to grant me a wish.”

“A wish?”

“There is someone I want her to resurrect. If she’s as strong as she seems, she should be able to, right?”

From the way all the girls and Zane flinched and looked at Alice, especially Claire and Hisui, it seemed that they all knew who that person was, and Alice wasn’t the only person wanting him back.

“One of your relatives?” softly asked Noah.

“No. His name is Kensei Amagiri. He died a few years ago, on this island. He was killed by that scum who leads the Gehenna guards.”

“I do not need to bother Lilith with that wish. The ability to resurrect people is one of the perks I know I will be able to exchange my favors for, at some point. I will resurrect that person myself, then, if we can come to an agreement. I was warned that there would be a not insignificant price for me to pay to use that ability, so I’m not doing it for free.”

“If you can bring him back, I’ll do anything, please!” pleaded Claire, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Ken Ken…” muttered Hisui, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

Noah looked at them for a moment, then nodded and created a soul contract.

MAID CONTRACT.

1/ I, ……………………., hereafter called the 'Maid', agree to serve Noah Enfield, hereafter called the 'Master', for a duration of a thousand days, renewable by mutual consent.

2/ The Maid agrees to live in the Master’s house for the duration of this contract. There are no boundaries of place, time, or situation in which the Maid may willfully refuse to obey a legitimate order of her Master.

3/ The Master will provide the Maid with any uniforms, clothes, tools or accessories he will deem useful for the fulfillment of her duties. The Maid will wear or use the items provided by the Master while inside the Master’s house.

4/ The Master will provide the Maid with the training necessary for her to perform her duties to the Master’s satisfaction. Those duties involve, but may not be limited to, fighting hollows and stray devils, protecting the Master and the other Maids, or participating in the house's cleaning, cooking, and other domestic chores.

5/ The Maid agrees to serve her Master to the best of her ability, for the duration of this contract. An exception to this includes sex. If the Master demands sex with the Maid, the Maid has the right to decline.

6/ The Maid understands that, for the duration of her contract, she must always consider her Master’s wishes, interest and wellbeing as having priority over her own.

7/ The Maid agrees to be disciplined by her Master if she does not perform her duties to his satisfaction, to learn from it, and to be grateful for his efforts to teach her how to better herself as a maid.

8/ During and after the termination of this contract, the Maid will not divulge to any tierce party any information that she knows would bring harm to the Master, his subordinates, or their reputation.

9/ As compensation for the Maid’s service, the Master will resurrect Kensei Amagiri shortly after unlocking that ability.

Signed:

“That should do it. If at least two of you agree to sign this contract and become my maids for a little less than three years, I will resurrect Kensei Amagiri shortly after I acquire that ability. At the rate things are going, I expect it to take me one to two years.”

Noah placed the contract on the table in front of Alice, and the girls started reading it.

“…The formulation is overly formal and a little strange at places. I can see a few loopholes. Why three years, though? Don’t you need subordinates for life?” asked Alice, frowning at the contract.

Noah shrugged.

“If after three years living under the same roof and getting to know each other, I have failed to convince you to renew the contract, there is no point. I want my subordinates to be happy to be part of my extended family. If I can’t convince you by then, I’ll give you some compensation for your service in addition to resurrecting Kensei Amagiri, and we’ll hopefully part ways in good terms.”

“I’ll sign that contract.” declared Claire.

As the other girls looked at her, she added. “If Noah can bring Nii-chan back, any sacrifice is worth it. Three years of being a maid, I’ll tolerate it. It can’t really be worse than living on this island anyway.”

Alice looked at her for long seconds, seeing the determination in her roommate’s eyes. She sighed.

“Then I’ll sign it, too. I won’t let you carry that burden alone. And I want him back just as much as you do.”

“I’ll also sign it.” Said Hisui firmly. Claire and Alice looked at the Nekomata and nodded in sync. They looked like they were accepting a challenger as being worthy of being their rival.

They made Noah a little jealous of this Kensei guy. Even though he wasn’t in a position to complain. Although he was going to netori the crap out of him. By the time he resurrected him, those girls would only see him as a friend or a brother.

“I hope you don’t expect me to sign that contract and dress in a maid uniform.” Said Zane with a smile. “Kensei was a good friend of mine, but there are limits.”

“Ugh. That was a mental image I did not need, Zane.” complained Noah.

“Noah, I have a question, about those powers you granted your subordinates.” asked Rui.

“Will those who sign that contract receive them?”

Noah shook his head.

“No, not with this contract. The power I can grant my subordinates isn’t something to be put into anyone’s hands lightly, and people change over time. There is no way to tell what kind of person each of us will be in a few centuries or millennia. That is why only a permanent soul contract with me will grant you those abilities. I have Lilith to keep me in line and punish me if I become corrupt. And I will in turn stop my subordinates from abusing their powers via those contracts."

“I see… I may not love Kensei, but he was my friend, and if Hisui, Claire and Alice will end up living with you… I’ll become your maid, too. And we’ll see how things go during those three years.” sighed Rui.

“I will not sign that contract.” stated Maria. Iris nodded, her expression troubled.

“However…” she continued with a softer voice. “…I will observe you. If you truly strive to right the wrongs of the world and protect innocent people, I’ll become your subordinate.”

Noah nodded. “That is fair. Still, would you mind being my sparring partner on a regular basis? After seeing you fight in the arena, I think we are fairly close to each other in technique and physique.”

“Sure, I’d like to.” smiled Maria.

“What about you, Layla? What are your thoughts on this matter?” gently asked Noah.

“Like Maria, I would like to get to know you better before making a decision.”

Noah nodded and created three more contracts for Claire, Hisui and Rui. He was already quite pleased with gaining four more girls, at least one of them being very strong.

“To sign the contracts, you need to touch them with a drop of your blood.” said Noah, giving them small needles.

After they did, the contracts disappeared.

“Thank you, Claire, Alice, Rui, Hisui, for trusting me. I know it will take you a while to adapt to working as my maids, but I promise you all that you won’t regret it.”

“So what now? Do I need to call you my master?” asked Hisui.

“Only when you’re in uniform, Hisui. Give me your left arm, please.”

She did with a little bit of apprehension.

“Is it going to be painful?” she asked.

Noah took her hand in his and activated Purge. A second later, the cursed bracelet turned into black smoke and dissipated.

“Done. Did you feel any discomfort?” asked Noah with a slight smile.

Instead of answering, Hisui stared at her wrist. With a trembling hand, she clasped it, feeling her bare skin with an expression of wonder.

Her eyes started to get teary again, and she suddenly jumped from her chair, hugging Noah fiercely.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” grinned Noah as he patted her back.

After a few seconds, she remembered her friends, watching with warm eyes, and broke the hug, awkwardly looking away.

“Can you remove ours as well?” asked Maria. “If the guards come, we’ll help you fight them!” The others eagerly nodded. They all had scores to settle with Taro and the guards.

“I’m fine with it.”

Noah removed their cursed bracelets just as easily, and got a few more hugs from Rui and Maria in return.

“Before I start removing the curse from every single person of the residential areas, I think we need to make plans. I do not want to risk some random spy running to Taro to warn him about what is coming.”

“I agree. We shouldn’t give him an opportunity to run away.” said Zane.

Noah shrugged. “Even if he runs, I can find him and teleport to him in seconds. But I’d rather not give him time to get the guards organized or call upon the high-class devils that support his business… I’d like to capture his database and client list intact, too, to get at the sponsors who aren’t in the island. Do you know if there is any kind of self-destruction magic or device that Taro might choose to use if cornered?”

“Not as far as I’m aware.” Replied Zane, and the girls shook their heads.

“Just in case, I’ll make sure to kill him early.”

Noah looked at each of his new companions.

“There is one more thing I need to tell you. I intend to kill Taro, those like Mason and Jason who betrayed you guys and became their lapdogs, the guards, and every single one of the sponsors. No one gets to walk away after supporting what has been done to you guys, taking you away from your families and forcing you to fight and suffer for entertainment. I however intend to let the staff surrender. If some of the hostages accuse specific individuals among the staff of abuse or worse, I will interrogate them. I have a way to discern truth from lies. If the accused is guilty, I will pass judgement upon them, according to the severity of their crimes. Does any of you have any issues with this policy?”

“I have no lost love for the guards, but I think we should accept the surrenders of those who do.” suggested Maria.

“They can all die for all I care. They’re all scum.” countered Hisui.

“But we do not need to become monsters like them.” Protested Iris.

“…Fine. I’ll spare those who surrender, then I’ll interrogate them one by one. If they acted professionally, as much as that term can be used in that kind of place, I’ll let the anti-demon corps deal with them. Ah, yeah, I didn’t tell you, but they’re aware of the situation, and ready to act if needed. If any guard abused the captives, however, off with their heads.”

Maria and Iris nodded, and the others didn’t object.

Noah took the pamphlet form his pocket and spread it on the table.

“You guys know the city far better than I do. Can you tell me where the guards sleep, where the enemy sacred gear users sleep, and so on? Speaking of them, how many more are there, and what are their abilities?”

“There’s only Mason and Jason. There was a third one before, but that bitch has gotten what she deserved when she fought Alice in the arena.” Said Hisui.

“Only three have switched to their side?”

“We made sure to keep the number down.” explained Zane. “Whenever a newbie comes to the island, we tell them in no uncertain terms that if they go over to the other side, we won’t pull our punches in the arena.”

“I see... Do you know where those two live?”

“It should be somewhere in the main tower… As for the guards, they have dormitories here, and here, and…”

Noah and the former captives talked for a while, organizing themselves and setting up objectives. Noah made fake bracelets for his companions, and each of them was to find and discreetly gather at least four of the captives who had high combat potential and could be trusted. Tomorrow at 14:00, Noah would start by killing the sponsors in the arena, kill Taro who would likely be near the top of the largest tower, then work his way down, where the guard's elites would likely be located, while the others would form eight squads and hit the barracks, gate, plaza and arena in a quasi-simultaneous assault.

Hisui would use her Senjutsu illusion power to infiltrate them in the city without the guards at the gate noticing the unusual number of residents entering the city. Once the barracks and armories were neutralized, the squads would search the city for anyone not being a staff member, and deal with them.

Noah had spent the night in one of the empty houses, then discussed a few more details with Zane, Claire, Hisui and Maria. He quickly found out that they were the unofficial leaders of the captives, From times to times, one of the people he had discussed with the day before brought a wary boy or girl with them, and Noah was always amused and gratified by their expressions when he removed the cursed bracelet and gave them a fake one. The only ones he didn’t touch right away were those scheduled to fight later that day. He would remove their curses after they entered the city.

At 13:30, Noah, accompanied with a little over forty sacred gear users, each eager for some payback, entered the city. Hisui had used Senjutsu to create an illusion showing only a handful of the candidates for the day entering, and things went without a hitch. One by one, they separated and walked alone into the side streets. They knew where to wait while keeping a low profile, and the rendezvous spots for their squad members to assemble right after the operation started.

Noah nodded to his remaining companions and entered a public toilet. A minute later, Noah the middle-aged sponsor walked to the arena.

Most of the candidates supposed to fight this afternoon were part of the plan, and they were ready to attack the guards the instant the screams would start. Hisui was with them, officially to provide first aid to those who would be injured, as she often did.

Noah sat among the wealthy sponsors, waiting for the clock to reach the appointed time, listening to the chitchat of those sitting nearby. They were mostly discussing their bets, or the quality of the service they experienced, but whatever doubts Noah might have disappeared when one woman said she regretted the lack of death in the previous matches, suggesting they might be staged, and a few of the listeners agreed. And one of them started asking a guard if the curse used to keep the people in line could be bought. He apparently intended to buy Layla, and maybe use the curse to enslave a few key people in his company as well.

The hour finally reached 14:00, and as Taro started speaking through the speakers to hype up the crowd, Noah canceled his disguise.