Ch 88: The Ten Chiefs.

Once the girls where off to school, Noah put on his ADC black and red uniform, and teleported from his living room, to his basement, where he was certain no bug had been planted. Then he got to work.

Noah had carefully studied the electronic devices spying on him. They had small cameras lenses and microphones to record video and audio, antennas, and batteries. He had spent some time using Promise to check on every house inside a kilometer radius of his home, hoping to catch whoever was spying in the act or see someone he would recognize, but had no luck. He concluded that he either underestimated the range of those antennas, or the surveillance was intermittent. But if he could not catch the culprit directly, he had another method to use.

Those batteries would need to be replaced regularly, and he could use that.

After about an hour, he was satisfied. Most of the room's floor was covered by a powerful array. One whose effects would cover the whole mansion. And at the center of it was a strong cage, its thick steel bars engraved with hundreds of Stop runes.

The array was made to redirect any incoming teleportation magic in its area of influence to the center of the cage and send him a mental signal if it was triggered. Noah also programed the magic to ignore anyone linked to him with a soul contract, those who were already living there, or newcomers who came in company of someone having a soul contract. It also had the equivalent of an on/off switch, and Noah would only turn it on when he was away.

That took care of any potential spy coming from outside, but he also had to consider the possibility that the person spying on him was already within the walls. He could imagine Asia doing it, if the Inquisition gave her the order, or Miyako.

In another room of the basement, he created another magic array that would record anything happening in the mansion, and would send him mental pings if any of the vent covers hiding the spying devices were touched.

When he was satisfied, he took his smartphone and called Ren Yamashiro.

"Greetings, Commander. This is Noah. I have important news regarding the now Seven Thunder Gods. May I come in?"

"Hello, Noah. Yes, come immediately."

Noah teleported to her, and was surprised to see that all the Chiefs were present, sitting around a long rectangular table. Each of them had a coffee or tea cup near them, but the papers spread around indicated it was a work meeting.

"Hello, everyone. I am sorry for interrupting." said Noah as he nodded to everyone. He already knew most of the Chiefs, with his previous interactions and having visited half of the squads to experiment with Eternal Chains.

Konomi Tatara, the new Chief of First Squad, grinned at him. The energetic and high-spirited brown-haired girl was a stereotypical young martial artist disciple. Behind her stood the former First Squad Chief, Riu Myouga. The elderly woman was likely in her seventies, but there was nothing frail about her, and Noah could feel both strength and dignity from her.

The Second Squad Chief, Mira Kamiunten, was both a close friend or Kyouka and her rival for the Commander's seat. Not that Ren intended to relinquish that seat anytime soon. Mira had wild dark yellow hairs with three black lightning-shaped streaks on the left temple and possessed both the look and temperament of a school delinquent, but was an upright and reliable person. Her sacred gear allowed her to create hundreds of clones of herself, like a certain ninja in a popular fiction.

Bell Tsukiyono, the Third Squad's Chief, refused to look at him directly as she blushed, no doubt recalling the Compensation she had given him.

There were no Fourth Squad Chief present, because the squad didn't exist, for superstitious reasons. The Japanese kanji for Fourth being too similar to the one for Death.

Next to Bell sat Ezo Yakumo, one of the only two Chiefs he had not met previously. She had neck-length black hairs with purples tips and seemed to be the easygoing, mischievous kind. Kyouka had mentioned to him previously that Ezo was trying to create a yuri harem for herself, and that her power was about wind control. She could fly or create tornadoes of flesh-cutting winds.

Tenka Izumo, the Chief of sixth Squad, waved at him with a grin. Kyouka was beside her and nodded.

Sitting on Kyouka's other side was the other Chief Noah hadn't met in person, and she glared at him like he had killed her dog and stolen her car. Varvara Pilipenko had long, wavy white hairs divided into two ponytails at neck level and spread in front of her shoulders. long bangs framed her left eye while a small braid kept the right side of her face free of obstruction. She gave the impression of an adorable foreign doll, but there was nothing weak about her cold eyes.

Fubuki Azuma, the Ninth Squad Chief, looked at Noah with her usual speculative expression, measuring him without letting any of her thoughts appear of her face.

And the Tenth Squad Chief, Ren Yamashiro herself, was sitting in at the head of the table.

"You said you have news?" asked Ren, going straight to the point as usual.

"Yes, Commander. Can I share my memories?"

"Do it."

Noah created a link with soul magic and shared with them the part where he saved Shikoku, had a chat with Fukuma and Kuusetsu, and made her release the two people she had "eaten".

The expression Ren and the other chiefs made when Fukuma appeared was quite priceless.

"This Fukuma looking like me is an issue." frowned Ren as soon as the memory stopped.

"Imitation is the best kind of praise, and considering what this girl must have suffered, I can see why she would try to be like the strongest person she's heard of." said Noah.

Ren considered him for a few seconds before she made a small sigh.

"You may be right, and I shouldn't deprive someone with psychological issues from her mental crutch. Next time you see her, tell her that I will tolerate her current appearance, but she should not try to adopt my hair color or skin tone, or pass as a member of the Anti-Demon Corps. If she attempts even once to assume my identity, I will crush her."

"Yes, Commander. I will make certain she's aware of that."

"Why did you even try to save one of the people who attacked us in the first place?" asked Mira.

"To be accurate, she didn't actually attack us, even if she clearly stated her intent to do so in the future." shrugged Noah. "But where you see an enemy, I see an opportunity. All but the worst scums can be convinced to cooperate and become useful, given the proper leverage, and her ability to use shadows has potential. It's a matter of recycling rather than destroying, but this policy has served me well so far."

"And her being a beauty is just a happy coincidence, I am sure." grinned Ezo. "Are you trying to form a harem of cute girls?"

"I already have a harem of cute girls. And yes, I'll try to convince her to join in. But that doesn't make my previous argument untrue." said Noah in a virtuous tone.

"Ohohoh, I'm getting envious. And that girl who looks like the Commander? Her, too?"

"…Are you trying to get me killed?" asked Noah, looking sideways at Ren.

She was glaring at Noah, her lips thinly pressed together, and Noah hurriedly decided to change the subject.

"Moving on, I do not think the Corps needs to worry too much about Aizen and his enhanced Hollows. That is a matter for Soul Society to deal with, and to be blunt, even the Commander can't face Aizen and win."

"I resent that claim, Noah… What do you know about him?" asked Ren, frowning.

"He wants to take over Soul Society and stand at the top of all things…I would rank him as the third strongest existence. With Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the thousand plus years old Captain-Commander of Soul Society's warrior division, being the second strongest, and an even older man named Yhwach being the very strongest. Aizen's mastery of Shinigami magic is near unequaled, his swordsmanship is nearly flawless, his Shunpo mastery, that's the name of the movement technique I use, is near the top, and he is a master schemer and strategist. Whatever move you do, he will already have predicted."

"Those alone would be enough to make him a great threat even to you, Commander, I think. But there is still more. His Zanpakuto's ability allows him to manipulate the five senses of his opponents, making them see, hear, smell, taste or touch what he wants them to, and he just loves to use this to make allies fight each other, only to dispel the illusion when one of them is fatally wounded. Also, that ability doesn't expire, and he could manipulate your senses again years after exposure."

Consternation was visible on the faces of most of the Chiefs as they tried to visualize the picture Noah depicted to them. They were realizing that no matter how strong they were compared to humans or hollows, their sacred gears and training just was not going to be enough.

"…And this Yhwach? Can we contact him and ask for his help?" asked Kyouka.

"No. Yhwach is definitely an enemy. A monster who can grant himself any power of his choosing, no matter how ridiculous, and also grant one power to each of his subordinates. His only limitation, as far as I'm aware, is that he can only use one at a time. His goal is to fuse Soul Society, the Human World and Hueco Mundo back into one. The level of disruption this would cause would be nothing short of cataclysmic. He is the final enemy my goddess wants me to deal with, I think, but I should have time to get ready for him before he starts causing trouble."

"And can you deal with it?" asked Ren thoughtfully.

"As long as I don't slack off, I am confident that I will grow strong enough, fast enough to deal with Aizen and Yhwach. My goddess is still the strongest being around, when all is said and done, and she gave me the tools I need to deal with any crisis that would happen. I only need to keep my nose on the grinder... Even if I were to fail, Lilith will not let such a catastrophe happen. But she'll be disappointed if my incompetence forces her to take direct action, and that will not be a good thing for me."

"…Very well. We won't try to interfere with this. Just do your thing as usual." sighed Ren. She could sense a headache coming, and felt a rare feeling of dread. Judging from Noah's memories, she thought she could deal with a handful of Aizen's subordinates simultaneously. But there was only one of her, and she couldn't protect Japan and the Corps against an attack on multiple fronts. And if Noah's description of Aizen was accurate… She had no way to deal with someone like this, if she couldn't even trust her own senses. She imagined herself killing Aizen, only do discover the corpse at her feet turning into that of one of the Chiefs… It was enough to make her shiver.

"…Noah, you said that your Goddess gave you the means to fight them. How can you counter this sensory manipulation?"

"I am completely immune to harmful effects like curses. While I can fall prey to illusions if they are created by an external phenomena like a mirage or hologram, any attempt to mess with my nervous system or my brain will fail. Aizen's manipulation is definitely the later kind."

"And do you have a way to let us benefit from it, too?"

Noah froze for a few seconds, before he sighed.

"That's a conditional yes. Commander, I can share many of my abilities, including this immunity, passive and active body strengthening, Shunpo, teleportation… and an unlimited lifespan." the Chiefs, with the exception of Kyouka, displayed varying degrees of shock.

"I cannot single out and share only one of them, it's the whole package or nothing. But a boon of that magnitude comes at a cost, and only those who will be willing to irrevocably become part of my faction will benefit from it. Now, if you do not mind, I need to go training. Good day, everyone. Kyouka, please give me a call when you're done."

Without really leaving Ren time to order him to stay, Noah teleported away.

He reappeared inside his basement, in the bedroom attached to the training room, and sat on the bed, thinking. Dangling the bait of power and immortality in front of Ren and the Chiefs had not been part of his plans. He already had too many girls to process properly at the moment, between his maids and the church girls, not even counting Lizel, Miyabi and Reina. The conversation had just gone in that direction, and he couldn't really lie to them about something that important.

Thinking back, there were several moments where he had been too loose with his tongue. Maybe he shouldn't have told them so much about Aizen and Yhwach, and things wouldn't have turned out that way.

Still, while the timing was bad, it was not necessarily such a bad thing. People who lived on the edge of death were especially vulnerable to the temptation of increasing their strength, and no one was immune to the siren song of living without ever growing old and feeble.

Ending his introspection, Noah started getting things ready for Kyouka. Today would be the start of her training, and he suspected the proud warrior would have difficulty learning to submit to him. One way to do it would be to make her experience a lot of degradation play to reduce her pride, but Noah didn't much like the idea. Kyouka was proud, but not arrogant, and kind. He didn't want to risk upsetting this balance.

Instead, he decided that a slower, gentler approach of repeated kinky sex and lots of cuddles would be more appropriate. Kyouka had asked him to expedite the process, but that was when the Eight Thunder Gods were an imminent threat. They weren't in such a hurry anymore.

About half an hour later, Kyouka called him, telling him she was ready, and he brought her to the room.

Noah hugged her gently as she stared at the bed.

"I'm sorry it took so long, Kyouka." said Noah. "I made you wait."

"It's fine." nodded Kyouka, her gaze drifting on the items Noah had neatly arranged on the bed. "I understand why you had to prioritize Himari, among other things."

Noah kissed her, and she returned the kiss, but he could feel her nervousness.

"Do not worry, my dear. We will start slow and gradual. You will learn to love it." he said as he started removing her uniform.

"A couple of rules, Kyouka. You will call me Master, until your training is over, and in private after that. You will to anything I instruct you to do, and do it well. I will not accept half-hearted efforts. And you will thank me for disciplining you. Just like the terms of the slave contract you already signed. You have given yourself to me that day, and now, I will claim what is mine."

"Yes, Master. I am… yours." said Kyouka, her body heating up.

Noah continued undressing her, folding the garments neatly before placing them on a nearby shelf.

When she was completely naked, he used a small, customized spell using his Light rune magic on her body down the neck, and her eyes widened as her body hair fell to the ground.

"Laser treatment. You won't need to worry about hair removal anymore, and you'll be smooth as a baby, just like I like you."

Kyouka nodded numbly as he made her sit on the bed and started applying on her the items he had prepared. Silver colored latex gloves and stockings, covering most of her limbs in their glossy embrace. Thick, black leather cuffs on her ankles and wrists, above the knees and the elbows.

For the first time, Noah didn't intend to restraint her physically. But the cuffs on her body would still help put her in the mood.

The last item was, of course, a black leather collar. Wide, heavy, and intimidating. A few words were engraved on the inside.

"Noah's beloved slave, Kyouka."

Her eyes softened a little when she read them, and she helped him by keeping her long silver hairs out of the way as he fastened the collar around her neck.

Noah took a step back, admiring his prize for a few seconds.

"Do you like, Master? Now that you have dolled me up?" smiled Kyouka.

"I like very much, yes." nodded Noah. "Not that I don't see you as beautiful without those accessories, don't misunderstand, but this is training after all. And there is a deep meaning in your collar."

"Yes… I can feel its weight. It feels, strange. Humiliating, oppressing. And yet, at the same time, I somehow like it. I can't quite define it." said Kyouka, feeling the collar with her right hand.

"A feeling of safety? Of belonging, maybe? Of knowing that I will always be by your side?" suggested Noah, gently pressing Kyouka backward until she laid on the bed, and getting on top of her.

"…Yes. That's about it."

"This collar isn't just a fetish accessory, my cute Kyouka." said Noah after kissing her. "It isn't just the proof that you belong to me. It is also a symbol of your devotion to me. That you have offered me your everything. It is also a promise that whatever happen, I will always take care of you. I will give you happiness, Kyouka."

"Yes, my Master. I believe so." smiled Kyouka, before she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

As things got more heated and Noah started removing his own clothes, he reflected that being in Lilith's service certainly had its ups and downs. Relentless training and huge responsibility, but also moments like this.

It was good to be the king.