7 comments/ 15001 views/ 18 favorites The Lost World Ch. 02 By: TheTask Note: I will be introducing another bunch of characters all in one sitting, so bear with me as it fits in with the plot. Now let me ask you a question that you can answer in the comments, your answers may or may not influence a part of the story: Which of the six other Rulers of Sin do you wish to see the most? I've shown off the Shah of Sloth in TLL, so keep that in mind. I actually uploaded this a first time but it was rejected because I apparently already had a submission with the same name. Either way, small delay. -The Lost World Ch. 2- Not all days were fun and games for Rainer Sonian. While being a Lord of Lust had its privileges, it also had its responsibilities. Even though his reign has only been around six months, Rainer was often told that he was a giant improvement over the older one who had died. And considering the frivolous, unserious nature Rainer had discerned from the voice in his Grimoire, Rainer could understand what they meant. Of course Rainer couldn't gain the knowledge needed to rule an entire world overnight, so he left the more complicated things to his subordinates. However, Rainer did spend some of his spare time learning. He learnt how to be a leader who was among the seven most powerful people in all of the circles. He remembered that old quote, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' It often reminded him just what was required of him. (But to think I learned that quote from a superhero movie instead of from the original source first. Oh well, let's get started.) Rainer passed around his thoughts as he was transported from the Capital of Lust to the head city of the tenth district. The tenth district once housed Rainer's greatest enemy during the short rebellion, but now, it was going to be the home to the newest district leader. "I heard about this guy in name and what I was told, but this'll be the first time I meet him." Rainer said to Asmodea as they rested in their transportation. Rainer originally thought he could just walk through a portal and get to this destination, like anyone does when traveling worlds and realms. But apparently there was a sort of interference that prevented beings from using portals to travel to different locations in the same world in ever realm/world. Some people could negate that with natural teleportation abilities, but those were rare individuals. As for what Rainer was riding, it was a large creature known as a tanta. There were smaller tantas which acted as the cavalry of the Land of Lust, but this is an elder tanta which had to be at least twice the size of a wooly mammoth. "You did meet him once during your official coronation. Zamarak is a decent demon, but his personality does not leave a great mark on people. Still, I have personally witnessed his skill in battle and his administrative capabilities are quite a wonder. You made a good choice in making him the tenth district leader." Asmodea quickly sized up the reasons why Rainer chose Zamarak. Rainer ultimately made all the high decisions. After himself, the highest authority in the Land of Lust belonged to twelve people belonging to twelve territories. Rainer, as the Lord of Lust, had absolute command over all the territories, but they twelve had basic leadership over the divided land. Ten of those twelve made up the ten district leaders and their ten districts while the other two were the leaders of the two humanoid species groups and their land: the Queen of the Harpies and the High Priestess of the Yuki-Onna. On a side note, the Capital of Lust is technically independent from the twelve territories, so it is personally governed by Rainer. Rainer was going to the tenth district in order to attend the short ceremony required to officially commemorate Zamarak as the tenth district leader. Strangely, Zamarak also requested for Rainer and his fellow eleven authority figures to attend a meeting he was holding. The meeting would take place during the dinner, and as for what Zamarak wanted to discuss, he would explain then. As for the name of the city they were headed, it was Tleros. "Well, the tenth district would need someone to take the district's mind off of Arazra. I certainly made some weird choices regarding the leaders of the fifth, seventh, and eighth districts." Rainer said with a sigh. "Personally, I think you chose well, my lord." Caetorum who wasn't riding the elder tanta, but in fact leapt onto the creature's open saddle from the ground, gave Rainer his reassurance. "It would not be good for a lord to go against a promise, even if we of the Pillar of Lust made that promise initially. As for the other two you chose for the seventh and eighth districts, it was good that you thought of the two humanoid races. Not all of the Harpies and Yuki-Onna live in the territory given to their races, a large majority live elsewhere. So of course they need a representative similar to their race." They were travelling in a convoy of three elder tantas. Tantas resembled large stingrays with a larger body and elongated legs below the thick body. The creatures were large enough to hold six people sitting down on the comfortable saddles provided. The saddles were covered in fluffy cushions and warm fur in order to provide great comfort to riders. In Rainer's elder tanta, there sat Rainer himself, Asmodea, Nerissa who was cuddling up to Rainer and ignoring the conversation, Aureal in a kneeling position, Zazie who was paying most of attention to her tarot cards, and now Caetorum. Lauren had left the elder tanta around an hour ago after seeing something that caught her interest. She left, saying, "I'll catch up later by myself, I have my ways of not being lost." As for what caught her interest, Rainer could only assume it was some sort of plant or animal. The second elder tanta held Teras and what would have been several demons if they weren't afraid of what the Sadism of Lust would do to them, so she enjoyed tea by herself. The third elder tanta held Little Rouge, who judging by her moans, was probably having a little bumpy fun with her fellow passengers. Of course a demon like Rainer could easily make it to the tenth district in a matter of hours if he relied solely on his speed and flying. But what was the point of traveling if you exercised the entire time and didn't enjoy the scenery? Rainer comfortably situated himself in Nerissa's grasp as he lazed about. He felt his lovely demon of a wife rest her head on his chest and her second hand on his groin. While he could have sex with Nerissa right here and now and nobody would mind (they are demons of Lust after all), Rainer felt like enjoying his surroundings first... First. The Land of Lust was very mountainous. It contained the largest amount and the highest mountains in all of the Circles of Sin and Earth. Because of the cold temperatures and high altitude around the Land of Lust, the previous lord acquired the Harpies and Yuki-Onna for precisely those semi-hostile conditions. Beings of flight like the Harpies found the steep terrain perfect for their homes. Beings of the cold and snow like the Yuki-Onna prospered in the Land of Lust's high mountains and relished the land's rich resources. Currently, Rainer's elder tanta was passing through a deep chasm. The cliffs creating the chasm slanted downwards, so only a slim line of light pierced the foggy veil above. Dense layers of vines and moss decorated the chasm walls. The chasm itself was at least a fourth kilometer wide, providing plenty of room for travelers. Built into the steep cliffs were many different openings filled with speech and light. This chasm wasn't a land removed from culture, but a town filled with vibrant life. Many demons of all shapes, even a few Harpies and Yuki-Onna, strode along the paved road lining across the entire length of the chasm. However, once they came near the procession of elder tantas, they immediately move aside and let them pass. As he peered over the side of the cushioned saddle, Rainer could see many faces looking at him, burning the face of the Lord of Lust in their minds. Considering the size of the Land of Lust, it was very rare for a demon to personally witness the Lord of Lust in person. "I should come back here. This seems like a quiet place that I'd enjoy." Though the word quiet didn't usually embody demons, this little village seemed like the perfect detour for relaxation from a long journey. "Why don't we ditch everyone here and enjoy this place ourselves, husband?" Nerissa offered her attractive proposal just loud enough for only Rainer to hear. To everyone else, it looked like Nerissa was simply flirting with her spouse. This naturally served to bring pangs of jealousy to Aureal and Zazie, though they were not petty enough to muscle in or distract them. Caetorum didn't care, although he did hear what Nerissa say, he didn't plan to do anything but protect Rainer from afar since he was sure the lord wouldn't appreciate him acting as a third wheel. Only Asmodea smiled and scooted her hourglass body closer to Rainer. "Now just hold on a second there, Nerissa. Maybe I want to whisper sweet nothings to my cute lord's ear too!" Asmodea pushed her body into the left side of Rainer, placing his arm between her buxom cleavage that Rainer could clearly see through her sheer garment. "I think I will excuse myself. My lord, everyone." Caetorum stood himself up and nodded in Rainer's direction. Rainer still thought it was pretty cool of the guy that he could naturally discern his surroundings and see where any one individual was despite his blindness. The dedicated incubus turned around and jumped off, onto Teras' elder tanta. Nerissa did not pay Caetorum any bother. She only sent a lukewarm glare towards Asmodea who returned the gaze in kind. The young white demoness lifted her lips back to Rainer's ear and whispered, loud for everyone on the elder tanta to hear. "Would you like me to lavish plenty of loving attention on your exquisite shaft with my ravenous tongue?" If there was one thing Rainer noticed about Nerissa that stood out from her other qualities, it was that she was not shy in voicing just how much she lusted after him. Ever since he became a Lord of Lust, Rainer had lost all inhibitions, right now was certainly no different. He was feeling rather pent up, and he had done proportionally worse things in the past six months, with the key word being proportionally. "I'd love it..." With those three words from her husband, Nerissa's eyes lit up and a lascivious smile appeared on her lips. Like powerful magnet, Rainer's erection pulled in Nerissa's tongue. The shameless wife's lips hovered just centimeters above the head of his prick, but her long tongue slipped past and wrapped itself around Rainer's shaft. Nerissa's tongue was by far the longest one Rainer had seen that belonged to any demon, so it easily found its way around his length. At the risk of favoritism, Rainer felt that Nerissa's oral skills would be hard to match by anyone. Nerissa had always told herself she would do anything for her husband (before she even first met Rainer), and she kept that resolve to this day. Though it wasn't like she didn't enjoy relinquishing herself for her husband in the first place... Rainer groaned out loud, but was silenced by Asmodea's lips, as Nerissa slithered her tongue all over his cock. She pressed the tines of her tongue on the random bundle of nerves located around his genitalia, much to Rainer's delight. Nerissa jerked her tongue along the hot rod, gradually pulling her sculpted face down. Nerissa giggled when she felt her husband's hand smooth over her hair before lightly grabbing on, as if to make sure that Nerissa's noggin never went back up past that point. She never planned on removing herself before she finished off Rainer's erection with her blowjob skills. Her pink lips met the tip of Rainer's shaft where she gave a small peck of the lips before engulfing the entire spear with her mouth. Gratifying feelings invaded Nerissa's mind as she swallowed Rainer's thick cock. She never once gagged on the length, despite it poking the back of her throat because of how far down she forced herself. With her tongue back in her oral cavity, Nerissa coated it with her saliva and slipped it past her lips once again, down to Rainer's balls. The young demoness gathered up the precum that beaded from her husband and slurped it down her throat. She loved Rainer's taste, the taste of his seed and the taste of him in general. Her husband's seed felt fluffy in her mouth and oozed down her throat like delicious pudding. As for how Rainer's essence actually tasted, Nerissa felt it was an indescribably feeling. The residue lust from Rainer's demonic body seemed to seep from his jizz and enter Nerissa's body, making it a very pleasurable experience for the young Daughter of Pride. Though however good Nerissa felt, it was nothing on what the recipient was feeling. Rainer intertwined his fingers with Nerissa's hair as she noisily sucked and bobbed down on his penis. His lips were being invaded by Asmodea's tongue up above, so Rainer returned in kind with his own. Their demonic tongues fought, both trying to gain some sort of ground. Although neither of them actually wanted to gain dominance, merely to coincide together while they shared a steamy kiss. Nerissa flicked her eyes upward and saw a certain sultry red demon stealing her husband's lips... She wasn't particularly fond of when that happened, but she knew better than to restrict the ruler of all Lust demons' lust. Nerissa redoubled her efforts in getting Rainer off. She moved her lips away and licked along Rainer's length. Her tongue twirled around the shaft and jerked it upwards before teasing the head and enveloping it in her mouth once again. Nerissa could tell her efforts were working, because Rainer's breath became more ragged. She felt his grip on her head grow even tighter. Nerissa formed a ring with her lips and took Rainer's entire shaft into her mouth, reaching the very back of her throat. Rainer was amazed that Nerissa's gag reflex had yet to be triggered. The cute white demoness continued to pleasure his prick, not even stopping for air. It felt way too good... Far too good to last much longer. Nerissa felt her love's cock tense and pulse with energy, his climax was nigh. Rainer ceased kissing Asmodea for a moment and focused on the intense blowjob his lovely wife was giving him. "Keep doing that!" Heeding Rainer's orders, Nerissa continued to pleasure the spear deep inside her mouth. She caressed the thick length with her long and talented tongue while she made miniature jerking movements with her lips. The hand on her head gripped tightly and forced her head into his crotch, even though Nerissa had already taken in Rainer's entire cock. Her nose bumped into the skin on Rainer's body, leaving her unable to breathe anymore. That didn't matter, however. What did matter was to make sure she didn't drop any of the precious semen that Rainer was now depositing inside her mouth. Rainer gasped silently as he shot a large quantity of his sticky seed into Nerissa's wanton mouth. Asmodea simply smiled, she was no stranger to acts like these. Zazie shifted uncomfortably, despite her being an insatiable succubus, her only partner has been Rainer and thus was a stranger to such libidinous acts (though she was very interested in trying them). Aureal kneeled silently with closed eyes and a solemn expression, if her Master wished her to, Aureal would do what he wanted and even clean off his... Big throbbing shaft. Any spectators from the chasm walls that saw were actually relived solely for the reason that their lord was not stingy with his lust. And so the rest of their trip went without any major incident except for a small argument between Asmodea and Nerissa over who would be the first to mount Rainer resulting in Rainer taking Aureal from behind. - Lauren had been walking by herself for about an hour. She left the company of Rainer and her friends because she saw a uniquely colored flower which she didn't see in any botany books belonging to the library of the palace. The flower had a set of vibrant gold petals in sets of seven with three sets adorning the stem. Under the lining of every two petals, was a deadly thorn dripping a viscous liquid. Though some of the twenty-one thorns were chipped or broken, the majority of them were completely intact. "Is this sort of toxic flower?" Wondered Lauren out loud. She knelt by the flower, though leaving some distance in case the ground around it was damp with its own juices. She didn't want to make the mistake of dying due to an unknown poison purely because she saw a brand new flower. Being a witch, Lauren had considerable aptitude towards botany and herbalism. While her expertise laid in the direction of rare and mythical beasts, she was still a genius when dealing with plants and normal animals. Lauren had already gained an encyclopedic database of knowledge within her brain about the plants and animals of the Land of Lust. "I guess there are some things I can miss... Perhaps it is a flower than originally came from one of the other circles?" What Lauren referred to was similar to Werner's theory of Pangaea where types of animals were found on completely different sides of the world despite there not being a land bridge where those animals could cross. Lauren hypothesized that this flower could have been a species of plant from another Circle of Sin that traveled through a portal, either with or without the help of demon interference. "I seem to remember Asmodea saying something about how animals from the Circles of Sin traveling through portals back to Earth." Some, but not all, of the mythical beasts of various mythologies were actually day to day animals from the Circles of Sin. For instance, the great kraken of Norse and pirate lore was actually a predator that belonged in the Waters of Wrath. Lauren had learned that pagan gods of Norse mythology had bartered with the Warmaster of Wrath for some of the fearsome krakens. Whether that deal ended in peaceful interaction or in animosity, Lauren did not know. In any case, Lauren wanted to take a sample of the flower. Being careful enough to not accidently poison herself, if the flower was poisonous, Lauren took a sample of a petal, a thorn, and a vial of the viscous liquid. Crack! Lauren's swiveled her neck and focused her eyes in the direction of the sound. She didn't know what it was, but it was most likely one of the Land of Lust's many predators. "Wraith, I call upon our pact and require you to honor it be lending me power." Lauren uttered those words along with a few others under her breath. Lauren's abilities came with her pacts with various creatures. The wraith was a unique case in that it was not a corporeal animal, but a sentient apparition that had a thing for human flesh. Lauren herself was surprised that the wraith ended up making a pact with her. In any case, she was thankful for the power it lent her whenever she needed. Lauren found a soft spot of the ground and kicked it with both her feet. She launched into the air and grabbed onto a limp tree branch. Lauren pulled herself up and positioned herself so that she could react to any threat. The pact of the wraith gave Lauren two distinct abilities. The first allowed her to sharpen her hands and fingers into weapons that could pierce nearly any metal. The second gave her a sort of camouflage that allowed her to blend in with her surroundings. If Lauren took all of the power from her pact, she could also move through physical objects like the actual wraith in which Lauren borrowed power from. But in flat terrain that was fairly open, like the forest Lauren was currently in, there wasn't much of a point to take the full power. The Lost World Ch. 02 Snap! The same thing from before snapped a twig as it lumbered into Lauren's eyesight. (Just a krey...) A krey was an omnivorous beast that resembled a puma and a lobster put together, if you could imagine that sight. Its carapace crackled with each vigorous step and it lifted its maw in order to sniff the air. From its nose came six feelers than wiggled about, testing the air. It had smelt and heard something here and came in order to find its next source of food. (It's a good thing I took advantage of the wraith... Thankfully the wraith also disguises my presence from all senses as long as if I'm standing still.) The krey's feelers were the core of its ability to live in the Land of Lust. It acted for all five of its senses, and its sensitivity was very acute. To be honest, Lauren wasn't sure if her camouflage was enough to hide from the krey's acute senses. She could easily kill the creature, but she would rather live and let live. The krey sniffed the air before hunching its body and releasing a loud GHEEEEEEYEEEE! Lauren shielded her ears. The krey's scream was very powerful. She even read that the oldest of the kreys had screams that could reach supersonic levels. Lauren focused her mind, if the krey had found out her hiding place, it would extend its feelers even further in order to sting her like a long set of jellyfish tentacles. Flash! A bright light entered the scene and stunned Lauren's body. She couldn't move to escape even if she wanted to. A sharp ringing pounded her ears. Her eyes were temporarily blinded with white light. The warmth from the radiance that purveyed the scene touched every cell on Lauren's skin. Keeping very still in order for the wraith's abilities to continue working, Lauren waited until her eyes could finally work before opening them. She saw something which she thought was an illusion or hallucination. Though Lauren knew that her mind was not under the effect of any narcotic or magical effects, what she saw was very real. She saw four angels. Then one spoke up with a clean, crisp voice. "Are you sure about this spell's effect?" This angel was a male who had hair like pure sunlight. He wore a bland set of white hide armor tinted a forest green for camouflage. The one who replied spoke with a reassuring voice. "Yes. There should not be a single demon that can see us now unless they entered the field's range. Even then, the range of the field is only several meters beyond each of us. I doubt even the Lord of Lust would be able to penetrate the field with his gaze." This angel was female that owned a small head of blonde hair. She wore the same set of hide armor similar to her three compatriots. "Not only is this garb capable of generating a camouflage field, it also resembles the colors of whatever environment you are in. (Convenient.) Lauren thought sarcastically. "I do admit that this is an impressive effect for such simple cloth. Though what about the humanoids of the Land of Lust? The harpies and Yuki-Onna are not demons. So would they not be able to see us through the field?" "No, neither should any of the humanoids. A question similar to this was raised by Zadkiel. It was hypothesized and confirmed that the humanoid races that live among the demons in the Circles of Sin have had demonic taint rubbed off on them. Though that excludes the Rakshasa since they are already demonic beings. Therefore while they are not demon in origin, they are demon in spirit and will not be able to see us. Unfortunately that side effect does not prove the same when see if light magic will prove to be an effective deterrent or poison the same way it is to real demons." (That makes sense. Light would affect demons entire being like dark affects angels. Since humanoids do not have a demon's body, they would not be affected by light magic. It still hurts them like any normal non-demon entity, but it doesn't do extra damage.) Lauren had gained some useful information. Still, what she really wanted to know was how and why there were angels in the Land of Lust. A third angel began to speak with a slightly dramatic voice. "When will she arrive? We should confirm the time so that she does not arrive too early or too late when we set up." Lauren couldn't tell if this angel was a guy or girl, but the angel certainly had a beautiful set of long hair draping down his/her back. "She will arrive three hours from now. This is the largest operation our kind will be doing in the Circles of Sin ever since the previous war. She will not fail as long as if we do not fail." "Then let's proceed." The four angels walked off in the direction of Tleros, where Rainer was headed to attend a meeting with the newest district leader. - Rainer took confident steps through a courtyard decorated with numerous stone sculptures. Many of these sculptures depicted various nude figures of both the male and female gender. Each figurine was immensely beautiful and would undoubtedly be considered so by everyone else if the figurine was a live person. This was the courtyard of Zamarak's manor. "Who made all these?" There had to be some sort of master sculptor even Michelangelo would be jealous of. Rainer posed this question to the owner of the manor. "Ah... They are but poor replicas compared to the great sculpting masters of the circles." Zamarak, the new tenth district leader, was quite an interesting fellow. Rainer got a sort of humble impression from the way Zamarak spoke and acted. He was a demon, so obviously his sense of values was much different to the human way Rainer was used to. Even though he was a demon and had lived among them for six months, there were still things Rainer found hard to adapt to. Zamarak was a crimson colored demon who was rather tall, taller than Zazie. He wore a strange top that consisted of thick leather straps moving diagonally along his body. One of the straps wrapped around his waist, holding up a black robe that covered his feet. The most distinguishing feature about Zamarak was a green tattoo of crisscrossing olive branches that covered his neck like a choker. "You're saying you made them?" Rainer was duly impressed. "As I said, they are poor replicas. I'm sure you have seen plenty of sculptures crafted to a much finer degree in the capital?" Rainer thought about for second and decided Zamarak was right. He had actually seen many more well crafted statues around the palace and in the uppermost terraces of the capital city. "Either way, this is my first time in Tleros. So everything is a good sight to see." Rainer shrugged and rubbed his head, paying attention to the itchiness around his horns. "I would be very happy to have someone to show you around later if you wish, my lord." Zamarak offered politely. (He's going to call me lord like Caetorum? Well, a lot of people do that now.) "You don't need to be so formal, just call me by name." "Very well then, Asmodeus." Zamarak dipped his head in respect towards his lord. (That should be the first time anyone has called me by that name in the Land of Lust, not including that angel that one time. Apparently each of the Rulers of Sin are given a secondary name after the original Rulers of Sin with me being called Asmodeus...) Rainer sighed at the prospect of having the same name as that old bastard in his Grimoire. "Is something the matter, Asmodeus?" "No, nothing... It's just an irksome thought." "Very well then, please follow me so we can attend the meeting. All of the district leaders and humanoid leaders have arrived except for Sitri and Reginald." Zamarak turned around and led the way into his manor. Rainer followed Zamarak while Nerissa, Asmodea, Aureal, and Zazie followed suit. They found their way to a quaint dining area that wasn't anywhere near as grand as the one in the palace, and Rainer was thankful for that. There was a long oval table carved from wood with a red hue. Fourteen chairs were situated around the table in a concentric pattern with tableware on the table for each chair. Several lit candlesticks were placed on four points of the table, giving off an unusual amount of light for simple candles, probably a type of magic. Already in eight of the chairs were nine people, seven district leaders and two humanoid species leaders. "AH! It's the Lord of the Land! How are you this fine day?" A lively and energetic voice boomed through the entire room, greeting Rainer. This voice belonged to Zagan, the first district leader. He was without his usual set of plate armor, instead opting for a thick set of chainmail with a decorated surcoat above. Rainer found Zagan a fun person to be around. He was that type of uncle who would always drink plenty of alcohol at a reunion or family get together and still be sober enough to have a good time. "I'm fine like always, how are you, Zagan?" Rainer answered and returned the question as he and Nerissa took seats next to each other on one end of the table. Zamarak took a seat on the opposite end of the table. Nerissa took a seat even though she wasn't a district leader because she was Rainer's wife, otherwise the 'Lady of Lust.' "Just dandy! Why I'm sure everyone here is just as fine as I am!" Next to Zagan was each of the district leaders sitting down in order of the districts. After Zagan was Azail, the second district leader. "Eh, I don't feel especially different today." Rainer felt that Azail was the type of person who just sat back and observed the scene, but would always pull through when needed. He wore an open faced sarong made of purple cloth, it draped over his waist down to his lower legs. Azail was also a black demon who was a son of the previous lord. "I would feel better if my sister here would stop trying to push my buttons." Right next to Azail was his sister, Alizae, the third district leader. "But... But buttons are just so much fun to push! Especially if they belong to someone that is easily annoyed." Alizae took great delight in annoying others with her childish antics. Being Azail's sister, Alizae was also a black demon who was the daughter of the previous Lord of Lust that resided in Rainer's Grimoire. The fourth district leader relaxed in his chair, amused at the bickering between the two siblings. This was Nergal, a demon whom Rainer considered to be one of the strangest he has met so far. Particularly strange when Rainer considered his physical appearance, which consisted of a thin lining of brown fur. Instead of the usual webby demonic wings, Nergal's wings also had that same lining of fur with visible blue veins. His face was mottled and owned a resemblance to a bat. Yea, that was exactly what Nergal looked like, a bat. Since his fur kept him as warm as any cloth, Nergal wore no clothing, though his genitalia were not visible either for some reason. Next to Nergal were two empty seats. These chairs belonged to Reginald and Sitri, the fifth and sixth district leaders respectively. Reginald played a valuable part in the rebellion six months back. He struck a deal with the Pillar of Lust while Rainer was unconscious which required him to assist in the war as much as possible for a seat as a district leader. That was a high price, but Rainer ended up honoring the deal he never made. However, Reginald wasn't a demon of Lust, he was a demon of Pride. This was the first time ever that a demon of another sin became a district leader, which confused many citizens of the Land of Lust. However, Reginald's leadership in the fifth district amazed many who thought he would fail. Sitri was the sixth district leader. She was a black demon and a daughter of the previous Lord of Lust. Rainer never saw her in action, but he was told that she had exceptionally bad luck which led her to be taken out early in both the rebellion and the short battle royale that took place beforehand. "I don't mean to be rude... But I'm not too fond of seafood." This was the seventh district leader talking to Zamarak. After the rebellion, there were four district leaders left open. Rainer, being the only one who had official power to make people district leaders, eventually had to find new people to be those leaders. For the seventh and eighth districts, he chose a harpy and a Yuki-Onna to be the district leaders. "There are plenty of alternatives, like various meats. So please eat what you wish and as much as you want." Zamarak replied curtly to his fellow district leader. "Oh! Shellfish! I love shellfish!" Making that contradictory statement was Risoi, a harpy and the seventh district leader. Rainer made sure to choose an influential harpy, so he chose a member of the harpies' strongest three (excluding their queen), the Three Furies. Risoi was a member of the Three Furies and was a famous name in the Land of Lust, well known for being a beautiful and good leader. Risoi wore a tight dress shirt that covered and hugged her curves while emphasizing them. Being a harpy, Risoi's grand wings replaced arms and hands. In their habitat and old society, harpies never needed hands, using their legs to grasp objects when needed. However, as they found a need to adapt to a more modern and urban setting in the Land of Lust, they and the demons collaborated in order to invent a unique spell which replaced their wings temporarily with arms and hands. Risoi just activated that spell in order to eat at the table without using her lower set of grasping talons. Next to Risoi was a silent beauty that ate her food with precise gracefulness. The eighth district leader, named Nieve, was a Yuki-Onna that was personally recommended by the Yuki-Onna high priestess Katiyana. Although Rainer made her district leader, he had rarely seen her talk. She even seemed to speak less than the late Tozomat (a dead Pillar of Lust member). Nieve had long hair colored a pristine snow white. Her skin was also fairly pale, though it was slightly darker than her hair. She wore long robes that loosely fit over her body. Nearly everything she ate was something cold or frozen. If there was something she wanted to eat, she covered it with a lining of frost. If there was something she wanted to drink, she made ice cubes. That left the ninth district leader, Estair who sat next to Zamarak and Nieve. Of all the people present, Estair was the third youngest (with the youngest being Rainer and Nerissa). He had yet to reach thirty years of age, which made him very young by the immortal demons' standards. Despite that, Estair had proven himself to be a capable leader ever since he was chosen by the previous lord. He wore a simple buttoned shirt with pants, by far the most plain of everyone's clothing here so far. Estair, being quite young, often talked older than he actually was. Because of his personality, he was often teased by Alizae and Sitri who always treated him like a cute kid. Rainer also had trouble seeing him as something other than a kid purely because of his physical appearance, which looked younger than Rainer for that matter even despite the age difference. Still, being a male of similar age (as far as demons go), both Rainer and Estair often talked to each other and became fast friends. "Rainer, I heard you went through the Zio Divide." Estair began a conversation between himself and his friend. The Zio Divide was the name of the chasm that the town was located in that Rainer's procession passed through. Incidentally, the Zio Divide was also the main border line between the ninth and tenth districts. While conversations went back and forth across the table, there were two who sat uncomfortably in their seats. It wasn't because the food or hospitality was bad. It was purely because they were sitting next to each other. These two was the harpy queen Iris and the Yuki-Onna high priestess Katiyana. The entire room's temperature could be lowered by ten degrees on one side and increased by ten degrees on the other. Rainer learned that the source of the animosity between the two was actually quite a petty squabble. They both fell in love with the same man, that damn bastard who lived in Rainer's Grimoire. Of course by now they couldn't be with a dead man, so they moved on, but their dislike for each other remained. Iris was munching on some sort of fruit while looking at random points in the ceiling. She had her legs crossed while tipping her chair back. Every now and then her eyes flickered towards Katiyana as if she was looking to attack. She currently wore a slightly tattered brassiere, leaving her midriff open. She also wore short pants in order to leave her legs free for movement. Katiyana sat straight up and ate with poise similar to her kin, Nieve. Surprisingly, the high priestess was eating a bowl of ice cream, vanilla berry flavor. The frozen food never melted in her presence as she lifted the spoon down to the bowl and back up to her mouth with the most graceful movements Rainer had seen to date. Similar to Nieve, Katiyana wore white robes that draped over her entire body, though her robes were slightly more embellished in order to show off her status. That was all of the people present. Asmodea, Zazie, and Aureal each took a position around the room, acting as bodyguards. Outside and around the manor, Caetorum, Teras, and Little Rouge did their own job of protecting Rainer by searching for outside influence. The rowdy groups continued to eat for a while until the main purpose for the meeting came. "I made the unreasonable request to call all of you here in order to discuss an opportunity." Zamarak stood up and began his speech. "The angels of Heaven have blocked us off from the human world because we lost the previous war, yes. But that does not mean we should bow down to their whims." Rainer was never sure what sort of expression to make during speeches like these, so his face contorted into blankness. "The human world doesn't have much of a use in terms of strategic value. Though when you take into account of a certain valuable resource, the whole definition of the human world changes into something much more meaningful. Souls, or more specifically, human souls. They are not a necessity for the demon race to live, but they are an extremely valuable commodity that can cater to many of our needs. We need them to forge soul weapons or artifacts. We need them to create potent potions for survival and poisons for battle. We need them to power our more powerful magics for peace or war." Upon becoming a Lord of Lust, Rainer soon learned just how valuable human souls were as a resource to the demons. He didn't like thinking about it, but Rainer had realized that he would cause irreparable harm to human lives. It was hard. Rainer was once a human, so of course he was partial to them. But Rainer was now a demon, and a Ruler of Sin, so he had to think about demons as the more important group. "While we have made an agreement to not meddle in the human world for an indefinite amount of time, some brave demons have decided that such an agreement is hogwash. They risk their lives in suicidal attempts to acquire souls from humans. They have risked their lives in the pursuit of selfish interest of selling those souls to demon peddlers and merchants. Selfish interest, yes, but they are the only ones pushing into the human world for those souls we demons desire." Would Rainer, as the Lord of Lust, attempt to make his world better at the cost of human life? Whenever he tried to find an answer, his mind clouded up into a dense fog. "In order to acquire these souls the demons so greatly covet, we need to find a backdoor into the human world. The normal portals which are guarded by angels and the lost humans who perform the rituals to summon are not the doors we seek. I have a way to enter the human world through one of their oldest institutes: Christianity." Rainer raised an eyebrow. There were no sane members of one of the most populous religions on Earth that would willingly assist demons to take human life and souls. The key word was sane. There may, however, be many insane humans who believe that their only path to get ahead in life is to assist demons. The Lost World Ch. 02 "There is a small sect called the Sin's Acolytes that is slowly gathering followers which has begun worshipping that which they were told to reject: Demons, or more specifically, the Rulers of Sin." There have been recorded instances in history where humans have worshipped the various powerful Rulers of Sin as gods or deities sent to bring them salvation and prosperity. A notable occurrence of this happening was during the Reformation Period of the early 1500s. Many different schisms erupted in the Catholic Church resulting in offshoots based upon the teachings of men like Martin Luther and John Calvin. It was not surprising that a smaller offshoot worshipping demons appeared. What Zamarak was speaking about was a similar version to that long dead sect. "This is what I propose: Through the summoning rituals that Sin's Acolytes perform for us, we send a capable force of demons through and sever as many souls as possible from the humans. The angels will eventually find out, their eyes are everywhere after all. Though they should not be able to discover this plot for a good many years, at minimum a decade." The room went back to musty silence. Zamarak's confident voice had resounded through everyone one of their ears. It was clear that he was an eloquent orator capable of convincing anyone that the sky is the ground and the ground is the sky. He was clearly one of the ambitious sorts of people. And if Rainer knew his history well, ambition is dangerous. - Lauren followed the group of angels she saw earlier. There was clearly no logical reason Lauren could think of that angels would have in the Land of Lust. She was thinking far too analytically about the matter. Either way, Lauren knew that an angel inside the Land of Lust was not a good thing. And there were four of them who were waiting for a fifth. Lauren carefully stalked the group as they nonchalantly walked through the hillside. She continued to use the power from the wraith the entire time, but her strength was waning. She didn't know how much longer she could continue to follow them. Once the veil the wraith granted her was lifted, the angels would surely sense the presence of activated magic from Lauren's pact. The four angels consisted of two men, a woman, and an androgynous beauty which Lauren couldn't was a guy or girl. "Tleros, that is what the city is called?" "Yes... It should be the home of the tenth district leader that which has recently been chosen." Then it dawned on Lauren. While she still did not know their exact plot, Lauren suspected the angels wanted to interfere with either the meeting Rainer was attending or do something with Zamarak, the new district leader. "Finally, we will be able to take action against our old enemies." The androgynous angel seemed to be eager to fight demons. "Peace, Artio, if everything goes the way it is planned, we will not be fighting anyone." The androgynous beauty, Artio, calmly smiled with closed eyes. "Yes, that would be for the better. However, I still wish that we are given a chance for battle. Those who dwell within Sin are not fit to exist. God did not create life just to allow them to throw away their lives and souls just for a meager minute of pleasure that Sin offers. "Perhaps someday we will eradicate the demons, though it will not be today." The male seemed to be the most rational of the group, though Lauren had yet to hear the fourth speak at all. Artio turned his/her head around, observing the natural beauty of the land. "I must admit, the Circles of Sin are very beautiful." "That is precisely what draws in the Sinful. The beauty of Sin is there and very attractive, thus the weak minded are drawn in by the attractiveness." The female interjected harshly, she did not care for words that held even a hint of sympathy or complacency towards demons and Sin. "Do you wish the worlds that belong to the demons do not exist? Or do you wish for the worlds to remain while the demons disappear?" The male posed this question to his comrade. "Staia... I understand your grudge towards demons. But I must warn you, grudges breed wrath." The angel named Staia never answered, only returning a piercing gaze back to her male comrade. "Karel, the outskirts of Tleros are four kilometers from this point. Do we not need to make preparations in order to bring her over to this world?" The fourth angel finally spoke, revealing the name of the male angel. "There is no need. She has already arrived." Lauren peered behind a tree, hoping to find out what the angel meant. However, she flinched upon feeling a hand grasp her shoulder. The hand picked up Lauren as if she weighed only a few feathers and tossed her in the middle of the holy group. "You four have been careless. A rat has been tracking you." Lauren didn't even have a moment to react as she was tossed between the four angels. She felt her limbs and neck become restricted to the ground by several bands of light that one of the angels pulled from their waist. "Staia, did you not say that nobody would be able to see us through the camouflage field?" Karel didn't sound angry, but he still wanted his question answered quickly. "Nobody that is a demon or has long since been immersed in demonic taint. This individual is neither, she is a human." Staia seemed to look down upon Lauren, as if she was staring at an insect. In fact, Staia did consider Lauren an insect, and insect that betrayed its race and sided with its enemies, the demons. The voice that originally discovered Lauren walked before her. The young witch had never seen such a radiant being. She was incredibly beautiful; her body seemed to overflow with a sense of purity and virtue. It felt like she could be within her presence and never have to fear for her life. Lauren felt like there was not a single being in the world that cared for her more than this pure woman. Lauren had never been more afraid in her entire life. - "That wasn't really a mature thing to do, especially for a person who represents an entire world." Rainer stood tall as he stared at the night sky. He loved the night in the Land of Lust, it seemed like there were many more things to see and visit. Compared to the empty night sky back on Earth, the film of black that covered the sky was much more interesting in the Land of Lust. Since the Land of Lust was one of seven worlds that belonged to the Circles of Sin, it was relatively close to its sisters. Rainer, depending on the time, could see each of the other six Circles of Sin in the sky, drifting on their set gravitational patterns. They were the size of large beach balls, at least to Rainer's vision. Pools of pink, purple, and orange covered sections of the space, creating an appealing landscape of the dark beyond. Very few painters would have the skill to create a realistic piece modeling the night sky. Besides Rainer was Aureal, his faithful fallen angel. "Master, I am neither a demon nor a human, so I cannot think similarly to you." Aureal's mystical set of black wings fluttered through the cool air as night wind passed between them. "You are the Lord of Lust; therefore you have an obligation to your subjects. Yet you were also a human, so I understand that you bear some responsibility towards the race you once belonged to. This is certainly a trial that you have to go through... Please speak to me about anything, and I will try to think of a suitable answer for you." Rainer was very grateful for Aureal's support. Out of everyone he was close to, she was the one who would always assist and care for him when he broke down and had nothing left. He once saw Aureal when she was at her most vulnerable state. He saw the depths of her soul and feelings. There was not a better way to feel close to someone than the process he and Aureal went through, her falling from grace. "I've learned how important human souls are to demons. There are some demons whose entire lives revolve around human souls, either trading them or bending them for their craft. The most powerful of souls are worth an entire Greed demon's fortune. Of course I want to do right by those whom I rule over! Of course I want to make sure the Land of Lust's economy become successful and prosperous! But..." Rainer tightened his grip on the railing keeping him from falling over. His wings and tail tensed up along with the rest of his muscles. "I JUST CAN'T THINK OF TAKING SOULS FROM ANY HUMANS!" Aureal stared into her beloved's face, boring holes into his eye sockets with her gaze. She didn't like it when he had such a troubled face. She greatly wanted to make him feel better and help him find an answer to the conundrum that troubled him. Her pale skin seemed to glow from the light coming from the stars and Circles of Sin in the sky. This was the cruel reality that belonged to the naïve youngster who became a demonic lord. "Master, if you do not wish to cause harm to any humans, it is as simple as decreeing Zamarak to have nothing to do with harvesting souls. You may even outlaw any hunting for human souls for any demons in the Land of Lust. There will be many who disagree and outright criticize your decision. However, you are the Lord of Lust. In the end, you are the absolute voice of this world. Their protests are nothing but petty cries." Aureal's words rung through Rainer's ears. "Also, Zamarak's proposal has yet to become reality. You do not need to decide immediately, I advise you to sleep and rest on the matter. Decide after you have calmed down." Rainer took a deep breath of the cool air. He was thankful that the temperature was somewhat warm, with the coolness coming from the breeze. During the meeting with the leaders of the Land of Lust, Rainer heard Zamarak's proposal to use a backdoor to enter the human world and take human souls. Disgust. Repulsion. Abhorrence. Confusion. Emptiness. These were all emotions that overflowed Rainer's mind. He felt angry at first, enraged that there was such an asinine plan put forth in the first place. Then, for some reason, Rainer felt a void take over his mind. He rose from his seat, which placed all eyes on him, and he swiftly left the room, not looking back. Because he didn't know the layout of the manor, Rainer eventually found his way a building over and on the rooftop lounge. Aureal, several minutes later, found Rainer and flew to his position. Whenever he saw her flying through the air, Rainer couldn't help but stare at the stunning beauty. They had a short conversation which led to the current time. Rainer desperately wanted a way to relax and unwind. He wanted to think with more clarity before he made a decision. And Aureal provided the perfect way to do so... In the rooftop lounge both Rainer and Aureal were on, there was an empty glass table set before a large pillow that could hold the both of them, it actually was more or less a giant bean bag with a softer material than beans or pellets. On the ground were several blankets and silken cushions so that no matter what happened they would be provided comfort. Rainer sauntered over to the soft pillow and lay down, enjoying the cozy feeling it gave as it enveloped his sides. He pushed his hand into the air, gesturing for Aureal to grab on. The fallen angel did so and was promptly pulled down onto Rainer's body where he began kissing her around her face. "Ah... Master." Cooed Aureal as her voice was hushed up by Rainer's mouth. She kissed back, pushing her tongue forward, meeting Rainer's demonic tined tongue. Her lips pressed down and sucked the wiggling appendage into her mouth, where she savored the taste of Rainer's saliva. Rainer helped the pretty fallen angel out of her clothes before shucking off his pants and shirt. The two opposites entangled with one another while tossing around on the pillow. Rainer's kneed hunched between Aureal's legs, where the girl began grinding herself and creating the self-lubrication that they would need soon. In return, Aureal dragged her hand from Rainer's chest down to his crotch where she began fondling his hardening member. Both of Aureal's delicious breasts were squished between the two chests. Rainer absorbed the entire soft feeling the angel's bust and erect nipples had on him. The sensation provided an entirely new reason for Rainer to become fully hard, which happened while being stroked by Aureal's silky hand. This was the Devotion of Lust's devotion at work. Aureal warmed up her hands as she stroked Rainer's shaft. A bead of precum appeared, prompting Aureal to swipe it away to her lips. As she tasted Rainer's salty pre, she felt a wave of lust work down to her core, fanning the fires of Sin inside her. The fallen angel sat up in Rainer's lap. The rigid pole was smiling at her as if saying, 'I'm more than ready to take whatever you want to cover me with!' The enthusiastic attachment throbbed as it begged for Aureal's attention. Her tits hung free, though they were soon covered by two hands working an expert massage into the soft flesh. "Master, please take me whenever you wish... Please?" What started as a statement saying Aureal was ready ended with her requesting to be ravished with a voice almost too adorable for Rainer. The Lord of Lust propped Aureal's legs over his arms and shoulders as he wrapped his arms under her waist and his hands clamping onto her succulent ass. He stood up with his abnormal strength, lifting the both of them into the warm air of the rooftop and the cool breeze that wafted by. Rainer's reddened shaft was still shrieking for a socket to be plugged into as it rest on Aureal's thigh. The young demon gave his angelic love a long kiss where they tenderly caressed each other's tongues before he finally lunged and pushed his cock past the threshold. "Rainer!" "Gh... Aureal!" The two partners mutually cried out each other's names upon feeling their own pleasure centers overloaded with nervous pleasure. The fallen angel's wings enclosed around herself and Rainer's body while the demon's wings did the same with himself and Aureal. The scene looked like the two trying to cocoon each other in into their own world of sex and lust. Rainer pounded his crotch into Aureal's body, slamming his hips and shaft into her moist folds with each thrust. Nearly each time he pulled away for a split second, he pulled out to just the head of his cock which left Aureal feeling empty for only a fraction of a second before immediately Rainer thrust his cock back in. Aureal wrapped her arms around Rainer's neck, though they hung loosely over his back, moving only as a bounce whenever Rainer bucked his hips into Aureal's pussy. Her sizeable tits leaped around as her body moved up and down, giving Rainer an erotic jiggling sight. His tail swished around behind his butt, happy that the body it belonged to was enjoying a thorough session of lust. It squirmed its way between Rainer's legs and under Aureal's ass until it reached her cheeks. "Master! Rainer! H-harder, ple-!?" The fallen angel's pleading was interrupted by a sudden intrusion in her posterior. Rainer's tail moved between Aureal's back mounds and positioned near her tight ring. Right when Aureal's words were cut off, he flicked his tongue and tail at the same time, sending the long instrument into her tight rear. The onslaught of double penetration by the one she loved was far too much for Aureal to handle. She swiftly came around her beloved master's shaft, covering it with the lustful juices she created exclusively for Rainer. While the two grinded their bodies together, the flow of events brought them to the railing of the rooftop. Rainer lowered the back of Aureal's butt onto the railing, allowing him to continue thrusting his thick shaft into his partner's boiling honeypot. It wasn't that Aureal was heavy; she was actually quite light even considering her glorious wings. It was that Rainer wanted better positioning while he pistoned his throbbing shaft as madly as possible. Aureal constantly released a steady stream of ripe squealing as evidence of her mounting pleasure. The fallen angel loved the feeling of having a large object like Rainer's penis forcing her insides open with consistent, hard thrusts. She manipulated the walls inside her snatch in order to clamp down on her beloved's cock and give him great pleasure. As they fucked over the open railing of the building's rooftop lounge, there could have been spectators watching the libidinous act between a black demon and a fallen angel. There was a grand city, the largest in the tenth district, filled with numerous lights. There were in fact some people watching the two, but neither Rainer nor Aureal cared enough to notice. They were far too busy fucking one another into mutual orgasmic pleasure. And mutual their climax was. Aureal came a second time, screaming loudly into the night air. Rainer grunted immediately after, signaling his intense orgasm. He would have pulled out and shot his load over Aureal's body if it wasn't for her pleading eyes and words that said, "Master! Please deposit inside of me! I..." She blushed, being far too shy to make her desires known. She actually wanted to tell Rainer to come inside of her because she wanted to feel the same warmth that mothers had when heavy with a child. It was a silly and laughable notion, but it was still something Aureal thought about. Even so, Rainer unloaded every bit of semen he had into Aureal's snatch. She made sure he thoroughly fucked his lover's erogenous zone to the point that she would be completely satisfied, despite being an angel fallen to Lust. Fallen angels feel all Sin, but originally fall to one of the seven and thus feel that Sin the most, Aureal obviously fell to Lust since Rainer was the Lord of Lust, even when he was still on Earth. Panting like a hungry dog, Rainer leaned over Aureal's body, which he had placed back on the comfortable pillow. He used her breasts as a natural pillow, resting his head on his Pillar of Lust's soft flesh. Aureal, feeling satisfied just like Rainer intended, stroked his hair as the stared at the night sky. Both neither saw the need to speak, merely enjoying each other's presence. They were past the need for awkward attempts to converse and thus appreciated the silence their comfort brought them. - It was an hour later that Rainer found himself fully rested and rejuvenated. He was walking towards the quarters of Zamarak in order to give his decision. Rainer, once he thought about it, didn't think that entering the human world was a good idea. He didn't think that just because of his moral values, but also out of a logical standpoint. Entering the human world, even through a backdoor, generated a large amount of risk. Not only would he, as the Lord of Lust, basically be announcing that there was no need to regard the peace treaty between angels and demons, he would invite retaliatory strikes from angels. It would be a relatively small incident, one that could be covered up, but it could still be used as a basis for a much larger conflict. It was a long shot, one that Rainer would hope never come true, but if he ordered Lust to send official soul harvesters into the human world, he could potentially start another grand war between demons and angels. There would be no reason to risk the Land of Lust for a few valuable human souls. It would be better to have illegal harvesters operate and keep the economy going instead of Rainer be officially sponsoring them. That was his morals talking right there. Rainer stopped a servant, intending to ask her where Zamarak was. Apparently Zamarak had few servants despite the size of his manor, only four. The servant identified herself as Hanazae, a green succubus. In a strange mixture of awe, fear, and lust, Hanazae quickly obeyed Rainer. "Y-yes, my lord! Please follow me directly to Zamarak-sae." The Lost World Ch. 02 She pointed towards the direction she intended to go. After an affirmative nod from Rainer, she apprehensively stepped forward and walked towards Zamarak's current location with Rainer close behind. "You want to know something? Don't worry, just ask. I'm not about to guillotine anyone just because they ask me a question." Rainer noticed that Hanazae had something to say, but was too afraid to do so. "Y-yes! Uhm, what do you intend to do with Zamarak-sae? He said that you were angry with his proposal and stormed off, probably intending to give him some sort of punishment." Hanazae started bursting out various false words. "Give a punishment... Nothing of-" Rainer tried to interject, but Hanazae proved far too enigmatic to simply cease her speech. "Zamarak-sae is a great demon! He doesn't mean to do anything harmful to the demon race with his intentions! He only thinks about how to better demons and the Land of Lust! Please don't punish Zamarak-sae, he only means to help you, great lord!" Hanazae, despite the adult nature of her succubus body, began tearing up like a lost child searching for its mother. "Hear me out! Seriously, I'm not going to punish the guy!" Rainer raised his hands in the air, as if surrendering to an enemy. "You won't?" "I won't!" "Promise?" "I promise!" Hanazae sniffed up the snot that began dribbling during her crying episode and wiped away the residue from her tears. "Zamarak-sae's quarters are just around this corner." She and Rainer made the turn and found a long hall. Yes his quarters were around the corner, but they were also down a long hall. "I was often told by my parents that Rulers of Sin are the most powerful and cruelest beings in all of the circles... Thus I grew up being scared of those with great power. Yet you are definitely not cruel. In fact, I am glad you are the Lord of Lust." It was very heartwarming for Rainer to hear those words. Most demons were sources of sarcasm and a warped sense of values, which occasionally proved to be an annoying culture difference for Rainer. He rarely ever saw a demon that showed a set of genuinely frail emotions that seemed normal and humanlike. Rainer flashed his trademark demonic smile towards Hanazae. "I'm glad to hear that. It's hard to be a Lord of Lust... In fact, I didn't even know I was supposed to be the Lord of Lust until just a single day after my eighteenth birthday six months ago. It's hard to live up to the expectations of the many capable people around here. Though I can't give up, I was chosen by that... Old bastard... For a reason." Hanazae cocked her head to the side inquisitively, sensing a story behind the scorching words Rainer spoke. She stopped before a door which must have been Zamarak's quarters. "This is Zamarak-sae's room." The pretty servant girl curtly knocked on the door with the back of her dainty fist. "Zamarak-sae, Lord Asmodeus wishes to speak with you." Right after she said this, her eyes widened for a reason that Rainer instantly understood why. They both heard a strange crackling noise just beyond the door. Rainer lifted his foot and kicked the door open, slamming it into the ground and ripping it from its hinges. Rainer entered the room with Hanazae by his side to find a disturbing scene. On the ground was the demon known as Zamarak. His body was charred to a blackened husk no longer fit to call flesh. There was no doubt that Zamarak was dead, though it was still painful to see. Before either of the two could look up, a blinding flash appeared before the two of them. Rainer, sensing animosity, brought his arms up and used the vast magical power inside his body to block the danger. He felt pure light wrap around him, burning his body, acting as a sort of poison and destroying his body. However, Rainer was strong. He is a Lord of Lust, therefore a weak attack like this could never kill him, merely disorient. Actually, because of the lack of danger he felt, he lacked to think about protecting Hanazae besides him. Frantically, Rainer slashed his arms down and dispersed the light before turning to the demure maid demon. Like with Zamarak, Hanazae turned into a burnt husk. She was no longer alive and had passed on. The pure light that entered the scene earlier must have fully impacted Hanazae's body, bringing on intense pain greater than any in the world. For the succubus, it was excruciating; it felt like an eternity that the light touched her body. She wanted to call for Rainer and yearn for him to stop the pain and save her. She was denied that mercy and fell to the pure light all demons called poison. "HANAZAE!" Rainer cried out, trying to lift Hanazae's body up. However, her body turned into charcoal with a thick stench of burnt flesh. He stifled the vomit that traveled up his body and focused every fiber of his being at the being that originally sent the light towards them. She was beautiful. She was pure. She was virtuous. She was an angel. Finding the strength to not hurl himself into battle, Rainer asked, "Who... Are you?" The female angel blinked, staring down at Rainer. "I am the Inquisitor of Castitas, Ramiel." Name pronunciations: Azail: Ah-Zay-ill Alizae: Ah-Lee-Zay Sitri: See-Tree Risoi: Ree-Soy Nieve: Nee-Ev Staia: Sty-Uh Were there any others you are unsure to pronounce? Say so and I'll show how in the next chapter. The Lost World Ch. 03 Rainer glared venomously at the being blessed and surrounded by intense white light. Just seconds before he learned the identity of the being, Ramiel, it had mercilessly slain Hanazae, whom Rainer had befriended. Technically befriended was too strong of a term to describe someone anyone had just met. Either way, Rainer rather liked Hanazae's personality that he found quite unique among demons. Yet now that personality no longer existed. The servant demon was charred cleanly by the angel's light. Rainer was a fairly calm man; he saw no reason to lose himself in emotion like the normal demon population. However, seeing this Ramiel treat her killing of Hanazae and Zamarak as nothing more than a chore infuriated him. Killing them made him angry in the first place, but the angel's attitude was less than desirable. Rainer, who was the Lord of Lust, was deeply experiencing a Sin other than Lust: Wrath. Not once in his entire life, even as a human, has he ever felt such an intense emotion other than the one that revolved around his core. It wasn't good. It was not that demons shouldn't immerse themselves in other Sin, but that Rainer knew he would make some bad decisions in his current emotional state. Slap! Rainer slapped both of his cheeks with his hand, jolting his mind and brain. The burning sensation from his rage seemed to flow out of his cheeks. Though he was still somewhat angry, Rainer could think with an open and rational mind. The Inquisitor of Castitas... Rainer had learned that this was a title of one of the seven special Archangels. Similar to the titles Rainer and the other Rulers of Sin used to differentiate each other with their Sin, the Archangels had adopted titles in order to differentiate their Virtue. The Inquisitor of Castitas, Latin for chastity, was the title for the Archangel, Ramiel. Rainer was surprised to find out that Ramiel was a female angel; he thought that each Archangel was male. She stood tall, around the same height as Rainer. She wore a white-gold vest suit with matching pants, quite a strange outfit, thought Rainer. She was very beautiful, owning a lovely face akin to perfectly cut limestone. Ramiel also had a head of long and smooth white hair that wrapped over her shoulders and down to her waist. In any case, why exactly was one of the mighty Archangels here in the Circles of Sin? Before Rainer could ask any questions, the beautiful Archangel opened her plush lips. "I failed my mission... Assassinate the leader of Lust's soul hunters and pull out without being seen. I succeeded in killing the tenth district leader, leader of Lust's soul hunters, but I was seen by the Lord of Lust..." (Zamarak was the leader of Lust's soul hunters, I'm not surprised. He was very insistent in getting official support from me, probably to make a full scale hunt for souls on Earth. Very crafty.) Rainer curled his lips into an invisible smile. Rainer glanced over to Ramiel, who was eying suspiciously. Now he made himself take action. "There would be no point in assassinating a single leader to a group of soul hunters. There are similar operation going on in the other Circles of Sin, are there?" "How do you know this? It is impossible for demons to know our plans." Either Ramiel didn't care now that the cat was out of the bag, or she was extremely bad in keeping secrets. "Like I said, there would be no point in taking out a single soul hunter, no more how high up their hierarchy you go. Their operations could still go on. The only way to disrupt the hunt for human souls is to completely destroy their leadership." Rainer had learnt much since becoming the Lord of Lust. He knew that among the rough teamwork of the soul hunters, there were four major leaders. Each of these four had their identities a secret, and had numerous methods in hiding those secret to the point that not even Rainer, who had access to every bit of information he wanted, could find out. Who knew that Zamarak was one of them? "Other angels, probably Archangels like you, are assassinating the leadership of the loose group of soul hunters in the Gardens Greed, the Empire of Envy, and the Plains of Pride." Ramiel snapped her tongue and narrowed her eyes. Somehow, this brand new Ruler of Sin had figured out their plans. "As you say... Since I was seen, I must silence those who see me." Well, there was no point in divining the meaning behind those words. It was fairly obvious she was going to attack Rainer with the intent to kill. Rainer closed his mouth and readied himself for a tough battle. This would be the first time he would face someone around his level in power. It was a known fact that only Rulers of Sin could fight Archangels. While there were some exceptions to that rule involving certain pagan gods, the four horsemen, and certain rare humans, it was accepted by the majority of all life that if you faced and Archangel or Archdemon, you would matched a hundred times over and then some. While he expected Ramiel to instantly attack, Rainer saw her take out a glowing orb and held it to eye level. Wary for an attack, Rainer watched Ramiel's actions studiously. The Archangel focused on her orb and spoke to it. "Karel, set up the anti-demon barrier." Immediately after she said this, a muffled voice replied. "We already have, shall we activate it?" "Yes, and be ready for battle. The worst outcome had come to fruition, the Lord of Lust is here and saw me in front of our target." "I see, it shall be done. The barrier only works against demons, there are at least five powerful non-demon presences here. We will be unable to assist." The voice went away from the orb. Ramiel returned her gaze back to Rainer and relaxed the fingers curled around the orb. The glowing sphere began rolling in her hand, as if driven by an invisible force like a conveyor belt. The beautiful Archangel dropped her hand and the orb began floating in mid air, spinning faster and faster until Rainer could no longer tell it was spinning in the first place. Then it shot out like a bullet, acting like a spinning bullet aimed for his head. Ramiel had struck the orb with her palm, using it as a projectile. Rainer saw the incoming projectile with his heightened sight and ducked only to find Ramiel coming in for an attack with some sort of weapon. However, he expected something like this to happen and pushed himself off the ground with one hand. The spinning orb passed between his legs that were now in the air. Their battle had begun. - A glassy web of energy spread from the center of Zamarak's manor. It completely enveloped the manor and several buildings around it until it stopped, holding a two kilometer diameter. At first, nothing changed. People who saw the clear texture spread past them and beyond looked about in confusion, wary for harmful intent. Then half a second later, any single being that was demon in body were pushed out from the barrier by an invisible force similar to a fist. Asmodea and Nerissa who were together with one of the district leaders, Alizae, were involuntarily attacked by this force and pushed into the walls. Any objects that stood in their path were destroyed by the impact from the three bodies until they eventually were forced out of the kilometer shell. They were unable to grasp the situation in time or create a counter measure, so they could only tense their bodies in preparation for their abrupt landing. Thankfully their bodies were trained physically, and could withstand much larger impacts than the normal person. Asmodea had even fallen from a three hundred meter height after her wings were pierced several hundred years back and easily survived. Going back to the matter at hand, the three demons found themselves thrown out of the manor. They arced through the air until the force disappeared and they fell to the ground 700 meters out from the manor inside Tleros. Still, it wasn't like their wings were messed up, so each of the three succubae flipped through the air and halted their movement in the air. Staring down at the silver barrier, two instantly knew what it was, from personal experience. Noticing their solemn glares, Nerissa posed a question as she floated in the air with white wings. "You both seem to know what it is... Well?" Asmodea answered first. "This is a defense barrier completely impenetrable by any demons other than Rulers of Sin." Her eyes squinted down and she shot her arm out to the side. "Arrive." She uttered this sole word and a grey mist gathered around her arm, forming a claymore. This was her special sword, a soul weapon famous in even the human world. Alizae stretched her arms and rested her head between her fingers. Her black wings flapped menacingly, ready to swoop down and wreak havoc on her prey. "You would probably know what this is by its official name: Angel Safe." Upon hearing that, Nerissa understood just exactly what the barrier was. It was a defensive barrier used by angels in order to guard their various command centers during times of war. Like a safe, the barrier was meant to completely guard against the angel's eternal foes. There was no possible way for a demon to enter the premises inside an Angel Safe. The fact that there was one here right now meant that it was certain there were angels inside the Land of Lust. "The fact that there is one here right now means one of those guys is here too..." "Yes, I wonder who? Probably Ramiel, I mean, wouldn't it be appropriate for the Inquisitor of Castitas to go against the Lord of Lust?" Nerissa, oblivious to the implications behind the words of the powerful succubae, tilted her head in confusion. Noticing that confusion, Asmodea cleared up the baffling atmosphere. "There are only seven Angel Safes, one for each Archangel. Only an Archangel has the power to completely block out all demon presence from a set area, in turn it also uses up a lot of their power." "Is there not any way to enter one of these Angel Safes? An Archangel is a serious threat, we must find a way for my darling to seek out and destroy!" Nerissa pumped both of her fists in the air. She was completely sure of her husband's absolute power. "That's the problemmmmm..." Alizae groaned in the air, grimacing as if eating a rotten fruit. "While demons cannot enter an Angel Safe, non-demons can. Basically, only the humanoid harpies and Yuki-Onna can enter the barrier at the moment." "Then wouldn't that mean the two district leaders and humanoid leaders are in there right now?" Asmodea smacked her lips. "Also Aureal if she is still in there, since she is a fallen angel. Lauren could if she was around, since she is human. Lastly, Rainer may also be in there. The only demons powerful enough to negate the anti-demon atmosphere inside an Angel Safe are Rulers of Sin, thus our cute Lord of Lust is still inside." Nerissa gazed solemnly down at the silver barrier, feeling helpless in being unable to do a single thing. She trusted in Rainer's power and ability, but she was still dearly worried for her beloved husband. - While numerous demons stared in awe and discomfort at the Angel Safe, there were a few inside that shell making their move. Aureal was one of them. Since she once fought on the side of angels in the last war between angels and demons, she knew just how awesome the Angel Safe was, and its implications for it being placed here right now. She also knew how the Angel Safe worked and how to disable it. The main device was set in the very center of the shell, but there were four temporary pylons in ninety degrees apart from one another in exact geometric detail. Destroying one or two of the pylons would greatly weaken the barrier, and large impacts would allow for small holes to open up for demons to enter. Destroy three pylons and the more powerful demons could easily enter the barrier, but only the more powerful ones. Once all four were destroyed, there was no base for the Angel Safe to sit on and it would disappear, allowing any demonic presence to take hold. Aureal had already calculated the exact spot of one of the pylons and was heading there now. Leaning on her shoulder was her massive warhammer. She did not wear her plate armor, instead opting for a light set cloth purely for the purpose of keeping her body covered. (This will be the first time I officially fight an angel on the side of demons. To my old kin, I am most certainly a traitor in their eyes. However, I hold no regrets. I am happy here, being with Rainer and everyone else. Everyone is my friend and everyone is kind.) Aureal drifted her head down, smiling at the ground with a tranquil expression. She took four more steps, leaving the manor and finding herself in a vineyard where a glowing diamond shaped object sat. Aureal saw the pylon and swung her hammer in a circle in the air before pushing off the ground for her target. Her hammer turned black, oozing the essence of darkness from the head of the weapon. The fallen angel somersaulted in the air and slammed down her warhammer with all her great might would allow. Her feet found a stable position on the ground where she saw sword stopping the warhammer with only its tip. The dark energy she gathered dispersed and clouded about before disappearing into the sky. A crescent of light spun around from the air and struck Aureal's position. The fallen angel jumped out of the way and flipped through the air. Another crescent spun towards her in the air, aiming to slice off her black feathery wings, Aureal saw it just in time and diverted the crescent's path with her warhammer. A glorious figure of light sped towards the ground with a flowing whip of light behind his body. Although it flowed like a whip, it was as sharp as a sword. The being flung its arm forward and the light wrapped itself around the haft of Aureal's hammer and moved towards her arm. Aureal was surprised by the nature of the weapon and was unable to react in time for the light to reach her arm and cut deeply. The wound was unable to kill her, it was far too shallow. But the figure of light yelled out, "God's magnificent punishment, become a rigid blade!" The whip of light stopped flowing like water and stiffened up. The light did more than just slice Aureal's arm- it cut the fleshy limb off completely. Aureal's severed arm bounced on the ground blushing red and spurting blood. Aureal felt extreme pain, but it was nothing compared to seeing her master in similar of worse pain. She looked at her hammer that clattered on some stones next to her severed arm. She quickly slapped the open wound next to her shoulder with her left hand, instantly cauterizing the bloody mess with a burst of heated light. She willed her warhammer away and back into her left hand. "I obviously knew it couldn't be this easy." Aureal rested her warhammer on her shoulder once again and faced her sword-wielding foe. At once she recognized whom she faced, an angel that went with the name of Artio. "Aro! I remember you, Aureal, is it not? Yes, yes... You're as beautiful as I remember!" Artio, though just as beautiful despite being male, twirled around like a deranged ballerina, freely giving praise. He floated half a meter above Aureal's severed limb. How mentally stable... Aureal thought rudely as she watched the angel pirouette around. "What do you and Ramiel aim to accomplish by activating Angel Safe here? Is this a declaration of war?" Aureal had already calmly assessed the situation. She knew that an Angel Safe could only be created with the power of an Archangel. Just why was such a powerful being here right now? It couldn't be coincidence that they came to Tleros in the exact day her master had come here. Perhaps Rainer was their objective? "Aha, well, since we already completed our orders, I suppose telling you won't matter now! We came here to kill one of the highest-ranking leaders of the Soul Hunters, Zamarak. However..." Artio ceased his cheery tones and twisted his tongue. "However... Now I suspect we'll utterly massacre a traitor like you and your precious Lord of Lust. Sounds good?" Artio was one among many angels in Heaven whom despised Aureal. He was utterly disgusted that a member of his beautiful race would debase their body with sinful dark power. There was no angel in all of time, excluding Aureal, who could wield dark magic along with the angel's normal light magic. It was an unprecedented first among the angel race. It was said that the beginning of every angel is done with God's blessing, however, why would God create such a contradicting existence? No one went against God, no one wanted to. So why did God create something so... Ugly? Artio never understood his reasoning for that part. Of course he was not high enough ranked or blessed to speak with God directly, which is a great honor. If he could, the first question he would ask would be the reasoning behind such an ugly creation. However Artio could not speak with God, so the next best thing he could do was eliminate Aureal, even if that did cause a massive rift between the Lord of Lust and Inquisitor of Castitas that bridges into a war. It was his duty. "Kwah!" Artio spurted blood out of his mouth and reached his hand for a sudden opening in his upper chest. A dark fleshy spear pierced his ribcage protecting his heart, destroying the insides. Looking down, Artio could see the fleshy spear stretching down from the severed Limb he sliced off of the ugly fallen angel's body. "What damned magic is this?" "This is the power my kin despised me for being born with. Dark magic, or more specifically, Shadow Manipulation." Aureal grimaced at the fierce pain. Although it was halved since her limb wasn't actually a part of her body at the moment, having it twist into a lance of flesh still hurt greatly. In honor of the late Romance of Lust, Tozomat, Aureal mainly evolved her dark magic into Shadow Manipulation. It was a special dark magic that manipulated the user's shadow and twisted their flesh into various formations. As long as if you could bear the pain of having your body twisted into abhorrent amalgamations of flesh, you could create anything with your imagination of body. You could even sever your own limbs... You could even remove the head from your body. However there are a few rules with this peculiar magic. The first was that you could only manipulate the shadow or your own body's flesh. The second was that Shadow Manipulation could not reattach any piece of your body that was severed by normal means; any piece of your body that you remove with that magic CAN be reattached. Aureal leaped off the ground and gained altitude with her black wings. With immense strength and a single left arm, Aureal lifted her massive hammer into the air. She looked down at Artio coldly, she did not hate those who bullied her in Heaven, but she would not show them mercy. Artio saw death approaching him. His arrogance led him to believe he would not be harmed after taking the ugly being's arm. Aureal slammed down her hammer with the momentum of gravity onto the pylon a meter away from Artio's position. The pylon remained unharmed, though a small crack appeared from where Aureal's hammer hit. The crack spread like powerful venom until it covered the entire crystalline structure and shattering it completely. "Do not misunderstand. If we fight again, I will not hesitate to kill you. I must destroy the Angel Safe, so I cannot waste any time destroying pests like you. Escape now and I will let you live." Artio blinked and spat at the ground towards Aureal. Normally he would never do such an undignified act like spitting at ones enemy, but this ugly being far surpasses that disgrace. And now he had to run away with his tail behind his back. "We will fight again..." And with those words, Artio touched an object within his garments and turned into a beam of light that disappeared into the sky. The Lost World Ch. 03 Aureal walked over to her limb and picked it up. She put it next to the severed nub on the right side of her body and willed the shadows to reattach. She was milliseconds away from failing to sever her arm with Shadow Manipulation. She actually would have failed if she had not already an extensive knowledge on angelic weaponry. SKEEEER! A loud screech rattle Aureal's ears. She spun around to see an explosion of black fire and white lightning. Their simultaneous show of great power shook the ground and opened up a great hole in the white barrier that quickly went back to normal. The Angel Safe was a lot less stable now that one of the pylons was destroyed. "Master... Please stay safe. Please don't perish against Ramiel." There was no place for her in a battle between Archbeings, so all she could do was offer Rainer her safe wishes and hope for his victory. - At the same time Aureal was rushing towards the first pylon, the two leaders of the Harpies and Yuki-Onna were making their move. And not very cordially towards one another you should know. "Just so you know, Torpor'll slice you up if you get in my way." The Harpy leader, Iris, once again referred to her beloved weapon in third person while speaking to the High Priestess beside her. She ran with her cleaving sword, Torpor, at her waist while her wings slid through the air behind her. Katiyana dipped her head as she literally slid along the floor next to Iris. "And I shall not hesitate to encase you ice should you get in my way." "Do you know the requirements for dismantling an anti-demon barrier like this?" Iris already knew that one needed to destroy the pylons holding the barrier up, but she needed to know if Katiyana also knew. "Of course, it seems that the Devotion of Lust is already headed for one of the corners and I have instructed Nieve and Risoi to head for the southern corner." Iris snorted uncouthly. "I don't believe you have the authority to order around Risoi. Humph, either way, I will head for the eastern corner... Unless you require help." "An undignified woman like you will hardly be of any help. It seems that whoever destroys their pylon first will be the winner?" Upon creating an impromptu contest, Katiyana slid off towards the western corner of the manor where one of the four pylons lay. "That bitch... YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE JUMP ON ME!" And so Iris jumped into the air and took flight. - While Risoi and Nieve were not weak, they both freely admit that they are not the most powerful beings in the Land of Lust. Of course no matter how many years they lived they would never be as powerful as the Lord of Lust himself, but they could still reach the height of the Pillar of Lust. It was expected that a district leader would be a capable combatant in a battle, no matter where their skills lie. Risoi was once one of the Three Furies, leaders of the Harpy forces, so her skills were there. Nieve was once a Priestess of her fellow Yuki-Onna, so her ice creation was considered top notch among her people. Even so, neither of them had very much experience in seriously fighting against foes of a high level. This was the perfect opportunity to practice. Mainly because of the discord between Iris and Katiyana, the Harpies and Yuki-Onna did not get along well together; they certainly did not fight together. Perhaps there was a first time for everything... Risoi ran alongside Nieve as they raced towards the southern corner of the mansion where one of the pylons responsible in keeping the Angel Safe up lay. There was most likely, no undoubtedly a guard posted. There was also no doubt that this guard was rather powerful, powerful enough to be selected for a group of angels infiltrating the Land of Lust. "Erm, where do your skills in battle lie? It would be best for the both of us to have an understanding of each other if we are to team up against a strong foe." Risoi spoke rather uncomfortably to the literally cold woman beside her. Nieve blinked blankly. Her stare towards Risoi could be described as nothing more than expressionless with a hint of inquisitiveness. "I like... Ice." "Eh, what? I understand that your people govern the properties anything cold, but could you elaborate?" Nieve blushed faintly, which was a dramatic change from her cold expression. "I like... Creating ice." "Wha- Why are you acting so shy all of a sudden?" "I love ice." "And that's grounds for acting like a woman who has found their first love?" Unable to understand the reason behind Nieve's sudden emotional change, Risoi forced out that complaint. Nieve tilted her said as if to say, "It isn't?" "Don't tell me you've pulled a Pygmalion and created an ice sculpture of a man or something?!" Is what Risoi would have said if a pulse of white energy had not interrupted her next to her ears. Her wings halted her movements and flapped strongly, pulling her into the air, dodging the pulse. Nieve waved a hand in front of her, creating a thick shield of ice that diverted the excess energy in other directions. Facing forward down the room they were in, a gloomy library, they sat multiple balls of light acting like a bunch of air mines. The sole live presence in the grand library was a figure wearing light cloth. He had a splendid set of white wings and an expensive looking halo hovering above his head, he was without a doubt an angel. A concentrated grouping of the light spheres hovered around a crystalline diamond structure in the very back of the library. "That must be the pylon, let's get to battle." Nieve nodded confirmatively, though she kept an eye on the angel in the room. He was crouched upon a dimly lit chandelier that only added to the gloomy atmosphere. Though the multiple light spheres lit up the room like a sort celebration hall. "Your names? Ah, it would be rude to not give mine, call me Aluphon." The angel named Aluphon spoke with a surprisingly generic angelic grace as he stood up while balancing on the chandelier easily. "Risoi, the seventh district leader." As the Harpy introduced herself, she carefully observed the position of the various light spheres, creating a crude mental map. "..." "Oi, ice girl, at least introduce yourself." Nieve's eyes glanced towards Risoi for only a single glance before returning to their foe. She was already making preparations to fight. Gradually, she was lowering the overall temperature of the room slowly enough for neither the angel nor harpy to notice. Even so, she probably wouldn't have said anything in the first place. "It doesn't matter about names, but we are opponents so I would at least like to know the name of the person who I kill or may kill me." "...Ice?" A roughly unintelligible mumble came from Nieve as invisible tethers of energy lowered the temperature of the room. "What about ice? Would that happen to be your name?" Nieve turned slightly red. "If only. No... Do you like ice?" "I suppose I do not dislike it." Aluphon didn't care if he had a conversation, it only meant more time wasted for the enemy. "Then please become a beautiful statue." Nieve said something rather scary as she walked forward. The ice woman completely ignored the light spheres closest to her that gravitated towards her position. Unable to discern her intentions, Risoi flew down to her side and demolished the light spheres the circled her ally. Risoi used a popular but hard to use magic among the harpies known as Feather Edge. As it alluded to, the feathers belonging to her wings sharpened into razor fine edges. Also, with a sensation similar to plucking out a rooted strand of hair but on a more intensified level, she could shoot out some of her feathers and puncture her enemies. Risoi shot a single feather to three orbs moving on Nieve's right side while slashing her right wing down on three more on Nieve's left side. However, once she did that, each of the sphere detonated into a blinding flash of light that threatened to sear the skin, if they were demons. "I don't recommend that. It would be best to simply stay away from this room. I doubt any humanoid, or demon for that matter excluding Archdemons, would be able to survive this little minefield." While the explosion jostled around Risoi, she immediately regained stability with her powerful wings. Nieve had resisted the force of the explosion by connecting herself to the floor with a sheet of ice covering her legs. Looking back on it, it was a stupid move because if her limbs weren't strong enough, they would have been ripped from the seams. "Risoi." Nieve uttered the Harpy's name calmly. "What do you... Hah, this hurts. What do you need?" Grunting in pain from the light burns of the explosions, Risoi asked her comrade what she wanted. Hopefully it was a strategy of some sorts that evaded or nullified the multiple light sphere bombs. "Kill him... He doesn't want to be beautiful ice." Nieve spoke with a melancholic voice that would perfectly suit the recipient of a great tragedy. "Is ice that impor- No, I'm sorry! I'll try to kill him now, but you better do something about those spheres!" Right after Nieve shot an intense glare at Risoi, she immediately capitulated towards her strange fetish for ice. As expected of a denizen of the Land of Lust, even if they are not a true demon. Aluphon stared strangely at the winged and icy duo. They were up to something, but what? If there was a single bad move anyone could do, it was underestimate an opponent. Even though he sensed that both of his foes had at least half of his power, together they could prove to be powerful opponents. Actually, he was rather scared now. He shivered from a strange sense of fright... No, the room had a dramatically lower temperature than it did before these two entered it. How could he have missed it? One of his foes was one of the Yuki-Onna, absolute rulers of the cold. Aluphon pointed two fingers at two different spheres in the very edge of the room and flicked them at the humanoids as if wielding an invisible whip. The spheres moved as he wished and shot out towards the Yuki-Onna. Two feathers sharper than torture knives hit both spheres, causing them to explode before they got even five meters close. Gritting his teeth, he aimed all ten of his fingers at ten different spheres and shot them towards Nieve, only the five closest to him did so. The other five... Were turned into frozen balls of glowing light. With Nieve as the epicenter, she gradually turned every sphere of light into an ice ball. She froze the particles of water in the air into perfect orbs around each sphere of light, rendering them useless as each ice ball fell to the ground with a dull thud. "You froze them!?" The angel tried lifting the ice into the air, but only managed to make them levitate. Each of the glowing balls of ice floated in the air like a beautiful set of lights combining angelic light and crafted ice. In a state of shock, Aluphon found himself riddled with two sharp feathers pinning his feet to the ground. He saw the Harpy running towards him with her wings outstretched. "Gah! If its come to this!" Aluphon reached into his garb with one of his hands and touched an object that transformed him into a beam of light and sending him racing towards the sky. If he were seconds late, he would have died from two great slashing wounds on his chest since he was not wearing his normal armor. "He escaped, coward. Nieve, that was really impressive, I can't believe you froze every single sphere of light in the room!" Risoi turned to Nieve who had collapsed onto her knees with a look of admiration on her face. "NIEVE?!" Risoi rushed over to the pale woman and grabbed her before she fell to the ground. She was worried since it looked like the Yuki-Onna had collapsed from severe exhaustion. "It is..." Nieve stared upwards at the glowing balls of ice hovering at various heights. Even though the angel was gone, they magic keeping them in the air was perpetuated by a strange force that was completely invisible. "What's wrong? Don't worry, the angel's gone!" Though once Risoi saw that her fellow district leader was in no immediate danger, she instantly became relieved and looked in the direction that her ally was looking at. "Beautiful..." Never had Nieve seen a more beautiful arrangement of ice. "Yea, it is... Ah, you're sleeping? Jeez, and in such a tense situation, don't worry, you deserve a rest after using up such a great quantity of magical power." Risoi laid Nieve down on a cushioned bench were demons would normally sit while reading. "Yuki-Onna aren't really all that bad in a fight, hmm?" A good minute later, she shattered the pylon upon which the sound of a massive explosion occurred. Fearful that she may have caused the explosion somehow, Risoi swung her head in the direction of the explosion only to see a culmination of great power in the guise of black fire and white lightning. She could only stare in awe as she literally bathed in the resulting shockwave of immense power. Such a gathering of power could only mean one thing: There was truly a battle of Archbeings going on. - Meanwhile, in a completely different realm... "Oh my, you have such an interesting taste!" A certain passionate white demoness said this as she stood upwards. Though it was expected that a demon like her would be a beautiful woman, she went above and beyond that description. She had mature sense of beauty that one could most definitely call a sultry and sexy demon. Not only that, she was revered as one of the seven most powerful demons in existence. Her name is Ifrit, and she is the Princess of Pride. Right now she was 'tasting' one of her numerous bedtime partners that she chose generally at random or with another strange method that she declined to reveal. Roughly half her nights had one of these partners and they could be either men or women. She licked up the precum seeping from her current partner's hard and reddened prick. Her soft fingers were restricting the demon's orgasm around his balls, though he denied the woman the pained whispers she desired. She didn't care, she had her ways. "Since you seem so strong and filling, I don't think I'll allow you to cum until I do so. Say... five times?" Ifrit wrapped her fingers around the sack holding his little factories and created a small magical ring. There wasn't much purpose to the ring other than to act as a solid constricting object. It would be impossible for the male demon to climax now without Ifrit or someone of equal power to her to remove the ring. He was rather worried... Ifrit was not a demon of Lust, so she did not think or act upon her lust as often as one of those sorts of demons, but she still had a libido of sorts. She also didn't mind admitting it, but she loved having sex much more often than the average non-Lust demon. "Oh Teras, you lovely minx for teaching me this trick." One of Ifrit's good friends was Teras, the Sadism of Lust. Considering her title, Teras was obviously the one to introduce Ifrit to the joys dominant play. Of course her pride didn't allow for Ifrit to be on the submissive side, she was often 'coaxed' into playing that side by Teras and she actually quite enjoyed it, not that she would ever admit it. This wasn't one of those times however. Ifrit took her white fingernails and tickled the underside of the demon's sack, who grit his teeth in reaction. Rather amused by the reaction, Ifrit continued what she considered innocuous torture. She would eventually let him come... Would she? The sexy demoness simply chuckled huskily and attacked the instrument orally. She engulfed the head with her plush lips and sucked on it like a delicious piece of candy. From the slit at the tip, a steady stream of the demon's semen came out. She instantly sucked up any of the salty liquid like a vacuum. She relished in the pained sounds of the demon as she sucked an orgasmic pressure onto his shaft. However, the magic ring she applied refused to give him the release he needed. "Oh my, we can't have you dying on me... I suppose I'll begin my pleasure now. You're quite lucky, to be given the grace of attending me at night. Perform admirably and the ring shall disappear." The demon grunted with an agonized expression. He had no choice, as there was no disobeying a Ruler of Sin. He had hoped that it would be a much more enjoyable and rewarding experience, how misguided his thoughts were. Ifrit mounted herself in the male demon's chiseled body. She especially loved making strong looking men crumble under her whims. A being with her level of pride would settle for nothing less. Her flooding vagina had been anticipating this for a good while now. She though the red color and tiny movements the demon's cock took was rather cute, though there was no point dwelling any more. Ifrit took one more look at the demon's pained expression with great delight before slamming her body down on his crotch. Almost immediately Ifrit came for the first of her promised five times. The distorted expression of pleasure and agonizing pain of holding in his orgasm on the male demon's face instantly gave Ifrit an orgasm. She gushed a copious amount of her juices as she bounced her wanton body down. "Oh... My, you want to cum? L-Like I said, make me do so five... No, f-four times now!" Ifrit leaned back and allowed her breasts to bounce freely. Since she was a mother numerous times, she obviously had motherly large breasts. Hoping to take advantage of being force to make her cum four more times, the male demon reached up and groped her large tits clumsily. He was delirious with painful pleasure that wouldn't let him make precise movements. "Ahah! You are lucky I'm so s-sens-! Fuck yes! So sensitive..." Even Ifrit was barely able to make full sentences. "Thr-Three more timesssss!" The white demoness' white wings fluttered around behind her back before lying limply on the bedding below them. Her tail did the same, though it traveled under their bodies where it teased Ifrit's rear entrance. "Oh my! You're quite enthusiastic! Do you like pleasing your princess? Do you like making her cum when you cannot?" Ifrit was feeling multiple points of pleasure from her wet pussy, butt, tits, and even her clit which one of her fingers were now furiously rubbing. "You have two more times left! Oh yes, yes, yeeeesss!" The demon grit his teeth, he would go insane if he couldn't release his pent up semen anytime soon. He lowered his hands and grabbed onto Ifrit's luscious butt, which elicited a sharp mewl of delight. "Ho? Taking the initiat-IVEEE?" Ifrit's voice cracked as she felt a hard cock being pounding its way into her pussy as deep as it would allow. The rigid shaft speared its way just past her womb, threatening to impregnate her, if not for the magical ring around the demon's balls. Ifrit somehow managed to utter orders to her tail over to the demon's sack, teasing the tense jewels inside. "HARDER! FUCKING HARDER! POUND ME IN DEEP AND MAKE YOUR PRINCESS CUM!" The sheer narcissism that Ifrit exuded from her every word just made her even hotter and hornier. It was very lucky for the demon that did indeed cum quickly. However damaged his pride was, if he could just last several more seconds... "Say how much you love serving the Princess of Pride! Say you love being my sex toy! Say you want me to deny you pleasure to an orgasm of the greatest heights!" Well, the demon would if he wasn't already rendered mute by a previous punishment given to him. He slammed his ready to burst cock into Ifrit's steamy pot and as a double measure, thrust his tail as far as possible into her tight butt. "OH YES!" With that solitary cry, Ifrit came for the fifth time on the demon's cock. The Lost World Ch. 03 The prideful white demoness removed herself from the demon's embrace and stood up as if nothing had just happen. While she still feeling the full afterglow of five consecutive orgasms, she would never allow those extremely pleasurable sensations to cloud her mind. She is the Princess of Pride, the absolute ruler of the Plains of Pride. Several minutes passed until Ifrit became fully clothed. She looked down on the demon writhing in pain, which nearly gave her gave her a sixth climax. "Oh my, you look so cute like that. Hm, I suppose you did make me cum five times, I should give you a small reward. The demon felt warm relief flow through him. He would actually be given a reprieve. This would mark the ninth punishment he was given by the Princess of Pride. As for why he was given these punishments, well, he was one of four leaders of the numerous soul hunters in the Circles of Sin. His name is Lzagn, a demon of Pride. Lzagn seconds after given the knowledge he would be allowed to cum after denied his orgasm for so long, felt that warm relief turn. It turned into a burning sensation that gradually became similar to being lowered into a vat of molten steel. His entire body was burnt to a crisp. His skin, muscles, and bones were melded into one gruesome statue. Lzagn, a demon who had lived a good seven hundred and thirty-four years died near instantaneously by the most painful experience ever, being bathed in an Archangel's light. Overlooking the now grotesque figure was Ifrit who solemnly stared at a glorious and handsome figure: The Inquisitor of Humilitas, otherwise known as Michael. - Situations similar to the ones happening in the Land of Lust and the Plains of Pride sprung up, but there were not battles between the Archdemons and Archangels. As the original intent was to be stealthy about assassinating the leadership of the soul hunters, the other two operations went without a hitch, though it was of course not easy for them. Rainer had malevolent black fire swirling around his body. This was one of the spells unique to his special Grimoire. He remembered Asmodeus saying that Ifrit had busted her precious pride and begged for him to teach her how to wield black fire. Asmodeus did in fact offer to teach Ifrit within one hundred years as thanks for her forcing to push her pride aside and beg, much to her chagrin, although he died before he could make good on his offer. He stared at the taciturn Archangel before him. He would be lying if he said just about anything bad about her looks or ability. However, he did not like her personality. (Definitely not one of those 'She's got a GREAT personality' types.) Ramiel also had a similar magic surrounding her. White pulses of electricity coursed through her body, threatening to char her if she was a normal person or demon. Her beautiful wings flapped provocatively behind her, she needed to in order to stay a flight. Rainer was at the same level as Ramiel, around four hundred meters into the air high above the devastated manor. Thankfully no one but those who could survive such situations were left. They had several exchanges of power and magic resulting in Ramiel's favor. They also had a few martial exchanges consisting of fists and feet that ended in Rainer's favor. Although no matter how they tested one another, neither could gain any sort of ground. Rainer knew that Ramiel had yet to show her true power, although he had yet to see it, he knew that this couldn't all that she had to show, it was far too weak to be so. It was the same with him, as he had yet to show his power as a Ruler of Sin. Since he was only a successor to Asmodeus' power, he could only call upon that great strength by entering a special state. Yet why did he feel that even without her show of power, Ramiel felt a little lacking? Aside from the obvious difference of Sin and Virtue, the Archangel felt a little similar to the other Rulers of Sin he met: lacking. 'Would you like a hint Oh hey hey! Ramiel's successor is looking pretty cute!' One again, the voice residing within the Grimoire spoke without Rainer's wish. Since he wasn't alone, Rainer opted for a silent conversation between him and Asmodeus. 'Gary Geriatrics, I didn't ask you... Well since you said something strange, what do you mean by successor? I thought that the Archangels had no successors because none of them have ever died.' While he had his mental conversation with Asmodeus, he was forced to repel Ramiel once more. She flew under him and twisted her arm up, shooting white sparks at his chest. Rainer shot his foot down, forcing a blast of black fire through the sole of his foot. They continued to engage in a series of attacks each using their own magic with each attack. 'Gary...? Like I said, call me Asmodeus! Or at least dad. Daddy? Father? Pops? Or eve-' 'SHUT THE HECK UP FOR... How did Asmodea even stand you?' 'With love and compassion? Either way, I never actually said that none of the Archangels died.' Rainer had forgotten there was no point in bandying sarcasm with the old bastard. 'So one did die... I assume that one was Ramiel and this girl is her successor?' 'All of the original Archangels are male. It was by pure chance that the one Ramiel chose to be his successor is a woman. And quote a cute one at that! You should get to know her, nudge nudge, wink wink.' 'Have you ever thought of becoming a eunuch?' 'Hahaha! Some people have tried to make me one! I almost thought Iris or Katiyana would do that to me if I ever banged the other!' Rainer looked down while disregarding Ramiel's threat. His hand burning alive with black fire swiftly found its way into his face. Of course he wasn't burnt since it was impossible for him to be burnt by his own power. Ramiel halted her flight and hovered in the air, cautious for a surprise attack. For some strange reason, she saw the Lord of Lust face palm during their fight. "Is there something wrong?" She didn't actually care for this demon's well being, but she also disliked attacking someone when they were not paying attention. Using underhanded means to win a fight was not her style. "No, just thinking about something far past its due (Asmodeus). Anyway, you're obviously not intent on killing me. If you were, you would entering your alter ego, or rather persona... Successor of Ramiel?" Rainer stared into Ramiel's eyes as he revealed her secret. It apparently was a secret as Ramiel finally lost her poker face. Her indomitable stance faltered as she visibly fell aback, losing a few meters of altitude before regaining her composure. "How... Do you know this? Only... No, not even my compatriots realize that I am Ramiel's successor." The Archangel was highly confused and baffled, although she authoritatively asked Rainer for the source of his information. "What I want to know is how the heck do your fellow angels not know that you're Ramiel's successor to Ramiel himself when he's a guy and you are a girl. Whatever, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." "I see." Ramiel reached into her robe, which now made Rainer tense up. Instead, she pulled out a golden piece of cloth that was draped over... Something that was glowing. "This is something you may want, as all demons covet this item: A human soul, or more specifically, a virtuous soul." Among the many humans residing around the world, some had souls of 'higher and lower' quality. It was a fact that humans who immersed themselves with Sin had souls easier to acquire, although precisely because they were easier to acquire meant that they were of less quality. Virtuous souls, or souls residing among humans that lived pure lives filled with value and religious superiority, were obviously harder to acquire. Not all humans who lived a life of religion were virtuous, and neither were humans who lived lackadaisical lives were not always sinful. There were also variations of human souls like Archmage souls, which are known for their superior and highly volatile usefulness in creating soul artifacts. "Why would an angel have something like that? Isn't that precisely what you were trying to stop by coming here and killing Zamarak?" "Unfortunately we cannot return souls that are stolen to their owners. We take care of all the lost souls that fell to their desires that demons offered. This is one of them that I took back from Zamarak. It once belonged to a young priest that lived inside a humble mission around South America. He always brought food to homeless children around the area and donated money to families that needed it. However, a demon tempted him and took his soul. He can now never do the good he wished except for one thing: be used as a soul to save a life." As long as if Ramiel wasn't trying to kill him or cause some sort of destruction, Rainer didn't mind waiting through her story. However, those last words Ramiel said... "Virtuous souls are capable of doing the many things you demons want them for. However, they can also do one thing that demons do not know they can do, bring someone back to life no matter the injury." "What?!" Rainer stared at the Archangel with wide eyes. Bringing someone back to life, even with the vast capabilities of magic, was not possible. "Yes, you can use this virtuous soul to save the life of one of three people." "If this knowledge is unknown to demons, then how do you know if I won't tell every other Ruler of Sin? The hunt for human souls would be greatly intensified." "..." Upon seeing Ramiel tilt her head as if to say 'Ah...' Rainer had a sneaking suspicion that the pretty Archangel was actually quite dumb, or at the very least and airhead of sorts. (If she is offering to let me have that soul to bring someone back, I could bring back Hanazae or Zamarak... But which one?) Rainer furiously rubbed his head in search for an impossible answer. (Wait, one of three?) Ramiel rolled her head before continuing her proposal. "As I said, you can use this virtuous soul to save the life of one of three. Zamarak, that succubus whom I eliminated next to you, or this human girl." The Archangel swept her arm across the sky, as if revealing a painting by pulling off a piece of fabric. There lay, floating in the air by the Archangel's arm, was Lauren battered and bloody. Rainer's blood boiled upon seeing his friend's body. It was not breathing nor was it showing any signs of life. "LAURRRREN!" Shouted Rainer as he hesitated to move forward and grab her. "Do not bother, she is already dead. After I captured her, I was going to keep her alive since she may have been an escaped human slave. However, her resistance upon being captured proved that she was an ally of demons and provoked the ire of someone under my command. She will be appropriately admonished for the Wrath she showed." Ramiel spoke somewhat mournfully, as if she cared about Lauren and that she died. Normally when confronted with an enemy, and a human that sympathizes with demons, are to be dealt with quickly and without hesitation. That was one of the many things that were taught to militaristic angels. Some angels did not agree with this measure, as they thought it would be best to correct that human's mind. Ramiel was one of those angels who thought that it would be best to save those humans, but most of her subordinates, save for Karel, thought differently. Actually, the majority under her command thought differently than her and it proved to be an effective hindrance to her command. "Who killed her?" Rainer asked with burning eyes. The black fire surrounding his body concentrated itself in his eyes and speech, created a malevolent feel. Ramiel narrowed her eyes, something was different about the Lord of Lust. She soon discerned what had changed about him. He had become Asmodeus, or rather the persona of that ancient demon that held massive power. Any who stood before him would face death, unless they had appropriate power. It wasn't that Ramiel could or did not want to use that power to defend herself, it was that she felt scared. That feeling was quickly diminished as she shook her head. "I cannot tell you because you would try to kill my subordinate. I care about the life of my comrades as much as you seem to do, which is why I am giving you a chance to bring her back to life. I must admit, I am moved by the emotion you show for your friends and comrades, it is far different than the way we stifle our emotions that sway our minds with sinful thoughts." Ramiel truly thought this way. Rainer on the other hand was still blazing with the desire to seek out the one who killed Lauren and repay the deed. He was now in the Asmodeus persona (True Asmodeus), each of his words and actions seemed more harrowing than ever. However, Rainer could now control himself, or more accurately, act in a sober state. The first time he changed into this mode, he went into a killing frenzy that was also coincidentally about Lauren getting hurt. He slaughtered without regard to life and could barely be calmed down. He used some quick thinking to use Zazie's power in order to control himself while in this state, but now he no longer needed that assistance. With that said, Rainer was still an entirely different person whenever he became True Asmodeus. His personality took a change for the darker and vindictive. He didn't care about anything except that which held a firm place in his mind; Lauren was among those things. Rainer could still act smartly, which was why he didn't go into a frenzy that very second and destroy nearly everything in sight in order to take out the one who killed Lauren. "Give me that soul." He coldly said four commanding words. He reached out with one arm, which obviously wasn't long enough to reach the virtuous soul Ramiel held several meters away. Ramiel was intimidated anymore, she had long since acclimated to this level of power being around her fellow Archangels. However, she had little practice in entering her alter ego of True Ramiel. Since she was the only Archangel in existence that was the successor of one that died, she had no mentor in teaching her about this. Not even the original Ramiel stayed behind to teach her with a simple mental voice. There was no need to become True Ramiel anyway. The Archangel looked at the dark figure of Rainer and tossed the virtuous soul to the demon. The soul wrapped in fabric didn't fly according to the momentum of her throw, instead seeming to float only ten centimeters a second. Despite the drawn out sequence, Rainer's arm never flinched as it finally caught the soul. He felt an overflowing sensation of purity that was just begging to be turned to Sin, or so his demonic self thought. "How do I bring one back to life with a virtuous soul?" Rainer continued his callous speech, boring holes in through the angel's eyes. "Force it down the throat of the one you wish to revive. Even if the body bleeds or its throat is crushed by the size of soul, do not relent and force the soul in until it dissolves." Now just whom would this Lord of Lust choose to revive? The strategically important tenth district leader who would continue to plague human lives with his lust for human souls? The innocent succubus servant who painfully died because the Lord of Lust randomly brought her into this mess? Or the young witch who seemed to be the Lord of Lust's friend? "Give me Lauren's body." Said the Lord of Lust, mercilessly. "So you choose the human witch, I see. My opinion of you changes." How exactly her opinion changed, Ramiel showed no notice. Complying with his request, Ramiel pushed the floating body of Lauren into Rainer's arms who deftly caught the corpse. Rainer looked at the lifeless Lauren. Apparently she did not die peacefully, as multiple lacerations covered her body, each seeping their own supply of blood. She had apparently been dead for a good several hours, so it probably happened when Lauren left Rainer's procession of elder tantas. "I am not playing this version of angelic mind games. You gave me this choice to save one of three, well, I don't like it. I'll choose how many I can save." With that said, Rainer released the grip his wings had on the air and fell down. Until he was just a hundred meters away from the exact location he met Ramiel, he stopped his free falling and flew down to where the charred remains of Hanazae and Zamarak were. Ramiel followed, wondering just what he was planning. She couldn't stay for long, as apparently two of the four pylons keeping the Angel Safe were destroyed and there were similar battles going on at the other two. Keeping a wary height of ten meters above Rainer, Ramiel watched as something she never thought possible could occur. Whether he was trying to show off his strength or simply prove that he wouldn't play Ramiel's game, Rainer focused his mind. He held onto the virtuous soul where he noted that the seemingly loose fabric covering the soul was actually a part of the soul in general. Even if you tried, there was probably nothing with enough strength to rip the cloth apart. Yet, that was exactly what Rainer tried to do. While taking advantage of the burdensome persona, Rainer infused every last bit of power into his fingers and hands. He took hold of the soul with a firm grip and pulled. The virtuous soul showed no signs of budging or being taken apart, yet Rainer didn't relent. He gnawed at the top of the glowing orb and tried to bite it like when someone used his or her teeth to separate a bottle from its cap. "I'll bring them all back to life even if I have to get God to help me!" Declared Rainer to no one in particular, although Ramiel was the only one to hear. The Archangel thought he was mad, though it wasn't like she didn't understand him. She didn't understand, why would a Ruler of Sin care about reviving any of these three when obviously the virtuous soul would be much more useful being turned into a powerful weapon? Why would he bother trying to revive all three when it was obvious that it would be easier to simply revive the one who can acquire more souls? Why did he care? Just why did a demon of all things care that much about three people who should have been trash in his eyes? To be honest, Ramiel had not seen very many demons. She was only seventeen years old when the original Ramiel died and made her his successor. After which, an incredibly powerful spell, cast by whomever, no longer recognized her as an angel born just seventeen years ago, but an Archangel who had lived for many millennia and then some. No one remembered her as Micaiah once more, but only as Ramiel. Thus she was inexperienced in dealing with demons, but she forced herself to learn along her path to becoming an Archangel. As arduous as it was, she persevered and here she was now. She had fought several demons in the human world, mainly soul hunters. And not once has she seen a demon that remotely cared about their comrades or the humans in which they reaped souls from. It was quite horrific, when she first saw what happened to a human that lost their soul. That compounded with the many atrocities recounted from previous wars and altercations between angels and demons that she was told about made her form an adamant opinion within her mind: Demons are evil and must be swiftly dealt with. She posed a small test to the Lord of Lust, choosing whom to revive with the virtuous soul she collected from Zamarak. Not knowing what to expect, Ramiel was going to form a negative opinion on Rainer no matter which of the three he chose. Yet he was going to save all three of them? Impossible. A virtuous soul held great power, it could most certainly revive a little over ten people. Yet it would be impossible to revive more than one since the virtuous soul dissolved and returned to Hell the moment it was used. The Lost World Ch. 03 "He won't succeed. It is impossible to separate a soul no matter how powerful..." Yet despite what she said, Ramiel still felt something was off about the Lord of Lust. "Give me a boost." Commanded Rainer as he held the soul in one hand and outstretched the other to Ramiel. "...?" "Infuse me with some of that cool holy power or whatever you angels call it." "You cannot be serious. Ignoring the fact you are a Ruler of Sin, you expect a demon to handle holy light?" Said Ramiel skeptically. She still held her cool expression devoid of emotion, but it seemed to waver each time Rainer said something incredible. Rainer wasn't in the mood for waiting, at least not while overtaken by True Asmodeus. "Now." "Interesting. Whether you live or die, my curiosity will be sated with this." Ramiel pulled her hand around with a quick motion. White sparks fizzled around her pointer finger that condensed into a thin white beam similar to laser. That beam instantly shot into Rainer's hand, which accepted the power wholeheartedly. Rainer's mind was instantly filled with sharp needles. His skin felt like it was surrounding by boiling oil. His blood literally started boiling inside of him. However, he did not cry out. He wasn't that weak... No, he was strong. Strong enough to use his pain as fuel for his determination. Rainer once again took a firm grip on the virtuous soul and pulled. Cuuuurack! A sharp sound came from the fabric covered orb in Rainer's hand. Rainer's black wings and tail started rippling as if being shaken by numerous shockwaves. The virtuous soul separated into three perfect glowing shapes. "Gaaaauuuh..." Rainer groaned as he forcibly expelled all of the holy power in his demonic body, shooting out of his mouth, ears, nose, eyes, and several cuts around his head and neck. The holy power soon dissolved into nothingness as it left Rainer's body. However, the light had charred each area where it came out of, resulting in even more painful wounds than before. It wasn't comparable to having it inside his body, but it still hurt nonetheless. Rainer couldn't see, as his eyes were burnt and swollen. He couldn't hear, as the skin had melted around his auditory canal and blocking any sound. He couldn't smell, his nostrils were blocked and his nose was blackened. He couldn't speak and he could barely breathe, his tongue was fused to the bottom of his mouth thanks to the extreme heat from the light. The only solace Rainer could find, which wasn't much, was that each of his wounds from his fight with Ramiel were now cauterized, ceasing the blood from leaving his body. (I... Can't think about the pain.) Forcing all thoughts out of his mind, Rainer placed each of the thirds of the virtuous soul into the mouths of the charred remains of Hanazae and Zamarak with the third going into Lauren's mouth. Despite his blindness, Rainer could tell where and what to exactly do as if his body was being controlled like a videogame character. Mentally controlling three metal plates that were scattered nearby, Rainer used a sort of telekinesis to act as his hands. His body was too weak to do anything, but his mind was still fresh and he was still brimming with power from True Asmodeus. He wouldn't stay conscious for long, so he had to move quickly. Using his power, Rainer used the metal plates to force the thirds of the virtuous soul into each person's mouth. Until he felt that the power of the virtuous soul completely disappear, indicating the success of the revival, Rainer finally felt relief. And the breath of life returned to Hanazae, Zamarak, and Lauren. (Yes...) Ecstatic over his success, Rainer fell onto his face and fell asleep. - "Amazing..." Ramiel was sitting down by herself in a remote part of Heaven. This section of Heaven belonged to a set of twins, one girl and the other boy. She often visited these two and played with them, greatly enjoying her time spent. "What's the matter, Miss Angel?" The girl was the more talkative of the two, but both children equally enjoyed their time with the Archangel. "Ah, I said to call me Micaiah!" Ramiel puffed her cheeks and lips with a playfully angry pout. "Oh nothing is bothering me. I just..." The boy watched and whispered to his sister objectively, "I think Miss Micaiah has a boyfriend." "EH? A BOYFRIEND?" Screamed the girl as her eyes switched back and forth between her brother and angelic friend. "B-b-boyfriend?" Ramiel was just as confused that moment and even blushed madly around her cheeks, but she soon regained her calm poise. "Nothing of the sort. While indeed I am thinking about a rather interesting man, it is impossible for someone like me to be romantically involved." "She's denying it..." Whispered the boy again to his sister. "Why's he so interesting?" Asked the girl as she drove a toy car up a makeshift ramp the trio made out of blocks. "Well, how should I put it? Is there one thing you both believe it absolutely true yet you wish it was not?" Ramiel didn't worry about her question being too tough for the young set of twins. They were both very clever and had developed minds for their age, so it was a pity they died so young. "Santa doesn't exist!" "Orange peels taste yucky!" Both the girl and boy answered after only several seconds of thought in that order. "Well, this man somehow managed to put a dent in my beliefs which should be absolute. I thought that he, along with his kin, were evil beings that care little about life in general except for their own. I thought they were beings that only indulge in their desires and are completely selfish." Ramiel paused in her building of a block fortress as she collected her thoughts. It was very hard for her to admit what she said next. "Yet I might be proven wrong. This man, who is supposed to be a leader of these selfish beings, proved just how selfless he really was. He risked his life to revive three people that I believed that his kin would not care about. When he was forced to choose in saving one of three, he threw aside that rule and did everything he could to save all three, and succeeded. I am at a loss, is there good in a race of beings that this man belongs to? Or was it just an act?" The twins listened patiently to Ramiel's emotional speech. Despite their maturity for their age, they were still young kids and could not understand some parts of what the Archangel said. Even so... "Just because something is proven, doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to disapprove what was proven." Ramiel was surprised hearing that statement from such a young person, it sounded far beyond her age and was quite wise. "I guess you are right." Ramiel smiled at the girl. She was truly awed by the complete naivety of these children, but she also sincerely respected them for it. It was always the naïve who, in the end, voiced the wisest of statements. "Besides... He can't be all that bad if you like him that much, Miss Micaiah." Said the boy mischievously while balancing an oblong brick at the top of his tower. "I-I already said that it's not like that!" Even as Ramiel said that, the twins simply giggled. - "I have never seen a demon become like this..." Said Asmodea remorsefully as she painfully looked at her lover's sleeping body. "Yes, I am truly amazed at Master's fortitude. To be able to sustain such wounds and live, even with being a Ruler of Sin, is quite a feat." Aureal also stood by Rainer's body and kept watch out for threats despite the unlikely capabilities of another attack at this point. "Rainer..." Nerissa sat at Rainer's head, stroking his hair and holding her husband's body in a loving embrace. She rarely referenced Rainer as anything but a euphemism for husband, she only used Rainer's real name when she was truly worried. "...This is without a doubt more evidence that the only beings who can fight an Archangel is a Ruler of Sin." While Zazie was also deeply worried for the one she loved, she felt there was no need to remove the need for analysis. Only Lauren remained silent out of the five people next to Rainer's sleeping body. She did not reveal to everyone that she had most certainly died. As they would next ask how is she alive. That Lauren did not know herself, but she knew that it had something to do with Rainer and the Archangel. For when she woke up, it was next to the grotesque body of Rainer and two sleeping demons. Above her she had seen an Archangel staring down with a strange amazed face. It was the same Archangel that had found Lauren spying on the four angels. She had yet to be told of what had transpired, but Lauren knew that she was slain by one of the Archangel's subordinates. She should not be alive. There was no possible way that anyone could be brought back from the dead. While angels and demons, especially the latter, had an especially advanced knowledge over magic, neither had any way to bring back anyone from the dead. Or so Lauren thought. No matter what Lauren speculated, the only way to divulge the answer to this mystery is by asking Rainer when he woke up, and who knows when that might happen? Too depressing... Thought Lauren as she thought about her death. "No matter what you did... Thank you." Each of the four women around Lauren didn't care to ask about what she said, only that this matter was resolved. Of course, it was far from resolved. The Lost World Ch. 04 Note: I've been on hiatus for a few reasons. The first was that I recently acquired a job which doesn't pay terribly well, but a job is a job. The second is that I am writing a non-erotic story which I will not be posting anywhere, I haven't really decided what I'll do with it. The third is that with me being a young man, I have certain needs, otherwise known as videogames, as such I have just bought with a discount that new ESO game. Oh, and I got accidentally drunk and broke my leg since apparently a friend of mine was lying around spiked 7-UP. Those who fight for others have been considered saviors or perhaps even villains, it entirely depends on whom you fight for. Just because you save many doesn't mean you are a great hero, it is also the case that just because you slay many doesn't mean you are an evil villain. These thoughts were revolving around the head of a lovely young woman. At least she resembled a young woman. She was in fact known as one of the fourteen most powerful beings in existence, an Archangel. Her name is Ramiel, and she is the only female Archangel. Right now, Ramiel is battling a conundrum that she had recently developed from a battle she partook in with another of the fourteen most powerful beings in existence, an Archdemon. She had been taught that demons, especially Archdemons, were selfish creatures whose entire existence revolves around indulging in some form of the seven deadly sins. The Archdemon she fought should have been no different. He was also known as the Lord of Lust as well as Asmodeus. She often wondered why those demons needed so many varied titles, perhaps it was their ego? In any case, she had yet to see a demon that wasn't vain, wrathful, greedy, gluttonous, lazy, covetous, and of course lustful. Yet while she felt the Lord of Lust have an obviously lascivious aura, it felt like he did not care about acting upon his lusts every minute. Basically, the demon responsible for an entire world of libidinous beings had control over his great desire. Could you truly call this Asmodeus a Lord of Lust then? Ramiel could not deny that the Lord of Lust was not as selfish as the other Rulers of Sin. She had never met the previous Lord of Lust, so she could not gauge the newer Lord of Lust's personality. She did, however, know a unique secret that not even her fellow Archangels should know... That would wait, as she had an important council to attend with her fellow Archangels: A war council. ... Seven individuals stood above a spherical map of green, blue, white, and yellow light. In essence, it was a hologram made of magic light. This map was designed to show multiple events, borders, and other important details of the human world. It was updated in real time thanks to information specialist angels resting in the human world. It could only be updated as long as if you had numerous angels giving their undivided attention to the surface of the world, which could only be done in a comatose state. The seven people standing in the room were collectively known as the seven most powerful angels, the Inquisitors of Virtue: The Inquisitor of Castitas (Chastity), Ramiel. An Archangel known for her literal lightning fast and powerful attacks. The Inquisitor of Temperantia (Temperance), Uriel. An Archangel who was close to falling and had come back with vengeance. The Inquisitor of Industria (Diligence), Saraquel. An Archangel that has yet to fail in any task given to him. The Inquisitor of Caritas (Charity), Raphael. The only Archangel who goes to the human world himself to assist those in need personally. The Inquisitor of Benevolentia (Kindness), Gabriel. An Archangel famous among the many supernatural denizens of the many worlds for fighting and never backing down, he will always fight to protect the many. The inquisitor of Patientia (Patience), Raguel. Although his words and actions make him seem the opposite of his virtue, he often waits before he acts and is seen as too cautious among his peers. The Inquisitor of Humilitas (Humility), Michael. The Archangel known for slaying the most beings at Arch level among Rulers of Sins, pagan gods, and others. Each was quite prominent in their own way. Ramiel had yet to make any name for herself except that which belonged to her predecessor. Even so, everyone believed that she was the original Ramiel, which was not the case. Ramiel didn't understand the phenomena herself. Perhaps it was a spell the original Ramiel placed? Perhaps it was placed by someone else. Even so, the only one to have discerned the truth was the aforementioned Lord of Lust. Just what was he...? Words interrupted Ramiel's thoughts, words that belonged to the calm yet serious Raguel. "Between success and failure, I believe the quadruple assassination was neither. We didn't succeed in our actual objective of eliminating the entire soul hunter leadership, but we did succeed in riling and confusing those down below." Of course the Circles of Sin were not actually below Heaven, but a completely different set of worlds. "This is basically declaring war. Each time in the past, we were the ones who aggressed against, not the aggressors." This passive point of view belonged to Ramiel herself. She was forced to act like she had lived the past Ramiel's life and had to do so ever since she became the Inquisitor of Castitas. It was rather hard to acclimate to, but she endured. "Even so, it is about time we cull the demonic race. The demons have continuously broken the boundaries and entered the human world to reap souls. They act like whatever they do has no consequence for them." Answered Uriel with great lamentation when he uttered the word 'demons'. "I agreed to this plan and even participated in it. I simply hope that our actions won't bring great pain... To any race." "Cheer up, Michael." Uriel patted his compatriot on the shoulder with a bemused smile. "Should we win this war, we will make sure it is the last that the demons can force upon us." In general, Michael was against war, but there were times even he was roused. "I imagine that the Rulers of Sin are holding a similar meeting, but can they do so with Asmodeus out of commission?" Wondered Saraquel out loud as he stared at the revolving map of light. "You did say you fought him until he fell unconscious... Ramiel?" Ramiel was snapped back into the conversation. Her lovely face dazing off upon hearing the Lord of Lust's secondary title. "Oh? Ah, yes..." Uriel stroked his uniquely bearded chin (facial hair was rare among the angels). "Ah yes, I've been meaning to ask, how did the brand new Lord of Lust fare against you?" Ramiel replied honestly. "He has his strengths and weaknesses. He seems slow to get serious in combat and seemed to dislike fighting... No, he didn't seem to want to get others involved in our fight as he understood just how powerful we both were." "Hoh, how strange, a demon with a heart. No matter, continue." "He knew a closely guarded secret about human souls, virtuous souls to be exact. That they could restore the dead." Ramiel intentionally left out that she herself gave Asmodeus this information. From what she understood of his personality, he would not let this information go just anywhere. Two of the six listening Archangels opened their mouths as if to say something, but closed them in order to let Ramiel continue. "He did something which should most certainly be impossible: Separating a human soul into more, specifically into three shards. He used those three to bring back Zamarak, a servant demon who I had initially slain, and a human witch which serves the Lord of Lust." Ramiel recounted her tale in its entirety, only leaving out certain bits of information "This new Ruler of Sin seems to have a compassionate side, how intriguing." The since silent until now Gabriel spoke up. He had sat down on a marble stone that seemed to not take a definitive shape. "About that, I have a theory." "Oh? Please share with the group, Michael." Said Uriel in a condescending tone. Just because you were the pinnacle of Virtue did not mean you had to be the nicest guy. Ignoring the rudeness in his comrade's voice, Michael explained his theory. "We all know that the old Lord of Lust made a deal with us, one that we of course wouldn't agree to if he did not assist us with those two pagan gods. Somehow two Gods of Mischief blocked the transcendental paths, preventing us from entering and protecting the human world. Asmodeus gave us his assistance and banished one of the gods, allowing us to reenter and do the same to the other. He forced us into an agreement, which we did try to break, which allowed his successor to be raised in the human world." Michael cleared his throat as he got to the ante of his theory. "Perhaps the demon gained a sense of care and ethics while living among the race of people that his fellow demons reap souls from." "Doubtful." Uriel rolled his eyes, to which Raphael nodded in agreement which expressed the similarity of their doubt. "Well, whatever the case, the Lord of Lust is a demon and a leader of demons and will be dealt with when needed in the coming war." "Agreed, Raguel. We will take back the old Circles of Virtue in one final war." "We say that, but we cannot remember anything since eradicating the original Rulers of Sin..." For the rest of the meeting, each of the Archangels discussed various strategies involving the defense of the human world and heaven as well as offensives against the Circles of Sin. Ramiel sorted out all unrelated thoughts pertaining the strategy meeting and participated in the discussion with welcome vigor. - "Holy shit..." Rainer clutched his head which thrummed with an intense pain. Once the pain lessened a little bit, Rainer pushed himself off of what he was resting on. (This... Is not my bed.) The first thing Rainer thought was that he was resting on something in Tleros. Upon trying to recall his memories, Rainer instantly remembered the battle he partook in with the Archangel. He remembered everything that happened, even a couple memories from when he was unconscious. Wait a second, are those three still alive? "Ah, you're alive!" Rainer turned his head around to see his demonic wife, Nerissa embracing him around his chest and neck. Her slim arms wrapped around his body, resting her hands and cute fingers to caress his muscular chest. "I was worried... Don't make me that worried! Don't! Don't! Don't!" The young demoness looked rather cute when she hit his chest with her fists while crying into Rainer's neck. At least that was what he thought. "I did some pretty nasty stuff in that fight, felt like my body was going to rip to shreds and boil into gelatin. How'd I get okay after all?" "As expected of my husband, you're quite resilient. The external damage was cured easily, but the internal and mental damage could only be cured by the Ritual of Lust. I did the honors!" Nerissa flashed Rainer a knowing smirk, conscious of the salacious nature of that ritual. "Uh huh... I wasn't conscious; you had such fun without me?" Rainer whispered into Nerissa's ear, causing her skin to prickle with raw lust. If there was anyone who could make her and just about any woman in this world horny from just a few simple actions, it was her husband. Rainer didn't often use his unique nature and aura, but he simple felt like teasing Nerissa, fully knowing that it would make her incredibly horny and aroused. Rainer trailed a finger down the small of Nerissa's back to the base of her tail upon which he caressed like some sort of cute pet. "Yahn!" Just like a cute pet, the cute demon girl let out an equally cute mewl, easily provoking a smile from her lips. Taking advantage of her sudden vulnerable state, Rainer captured the demoness' lips, extending his tongue. Nerissa took the wiggling appendage with her unusually long tongue and wrapped it around the invader. She sucked on her husband's tongue and savored the taste of his saliva well, attributing it to a sort of spicy fruit. When she indulged with her lesbian tendencies, none of the women had a taste like Rainer. It wasn't just the difference between men and women. It was just that his raw lustful aura tasted far better than any aphrodisiac. Rainer mauled Nerissa's pert breasts with expert fingers. He teased the sensitive points of her nipples and pushed the soft flesh around, relishing the way they felt in his hands. "You're as cute as always, even more so when I take the initiative." As his words implied, Rainer didn't often take the initiative when dealing with his lascivious friends. He was seduced by Asmodea and Lauren. He was pressured unintentionally by Aureal and Zazie. And he was often forced into sex by Teras and Little Rouge. Nerissa was really the only one that fell into all three of these categories, so Rainer loved to take the initiative whenever possible. To be honest, Rainer would have assaulted any beautiful women that woke him up, but he was still happy that he was with Nerissa. He removed his tongue from Nerissa's skilled oral implements. He penetrated her slick folds with two fingers which relented easily for just his hand. While he did that, he doubled his assault by latching onto one of her nipples with his teeth, suckling like a baby. While Nerissa felt her mind wracked with mind numbing pleasure, she saw her lover's head suckling on her pointed nubs, giving her a strange but pleasurable feeling. Even though she had done this many times before with Rainer, it always felt different in a good way. "Excuse me for diving into the main course, but I haven't felt release in what must have been a good week while unconscious" Rainer felt Nerissa's beautiful nether lips already incredibly wet, and thus decided to proceed to the next delicious act. Nerissa looked up with face strained by the pleasure. She meekly nodded and silently assented to being taken by Rainer. It was quite a contrast to see the usually aggressive Nerissa to be so demure in the bedroom, but Rainer was used to and quite enjoyed it. Rainer was at least twenty centimeters taller than Nerissa and obviously much heavier as a result. So with his immense strength, he easily lifted Nerissa up and over his towering erection which never seemed too big or too small for the lovely half-succubus. It was actually a rather nice side effect of being the all-powerful Lord of Lust, and it was especially reserved for the Lord of Lust precisely because he embodied Lust. In order to bring the most pleasure for himself and his partner, his genitalia accustomed itself to perfect size for the current partner. Rainer didn't actually notice this until a month into his service as the Lord of Lust, but he welcomed it all the same. Nerissa allowed herself to be carried by Rainer's arms, which positioned her dipping snatch just above the mushroom head of his thick member. Her hands weakly grasped onto Rainer's broad shoulders, attempting to gain some sort of contact with her beloved husband. Rainer admired Nerissa's lovely chest, which pushed her breasts out with every heavy breath. He pushed her legs up and over his shoulders while his arms wrapped around her limbs and under her body where he clutched her appealing rump. The glistening bottom set of lips dripped her womanly juices onto his head. It probably wouldn't even matter if he shoved it in right away. Rainer did just that. "Eyahh!?" Releasing an animalistic cry of pleasure, Nerissa felt herself get impaled by Rainer's rod. It was a familiar shape, but nonetheless there was no other object that could satisfy her desires than Rainer's cock. It wouldn't even matter if Rainer wasn't the Lord of Lust, which was just a bonus. Nerissa did not doubt that she would have still fallen in love with Rainer even if he wasn't her fiancé a while back. Rainer did all the work, bouncing Nerissa's lithe body up and down on his crotch. He slammed his hips into her nether region, resulting in loud slaps throughout the entire room. Every time he lifted her body up to where only the tip of his shaft remained inside, he moved both his and her hips so that he could get every centimeter inside her tight pussy. Nerissa just barely had enough rationale to manipulate her side of the going ons. She used her succubus instinct to clamp down with her inner walls around Rainer's cock, trying to give her partner the utmost pleasure she can. She squeezed all her might, though not enough to make it painful for her and Rainer. She milked Rainer's cock with just enough pressure to coax out a gratuitous load of his delicious semen. Considering his virility, maybe she would get pregnant? As she thought that, Nerissa's eyes went wide and she let out a tender squeal. "I'm cummmming!" It was not that she had a pregnancy fetish, nor did Rainer for that matter, she simply wanted to have his children sometime. Well, maybe she had a fetish for being impregnated, Nerissa didn't know. "Then I'll go ahead, mmmk?" Rainer said as little as he could in order to not distract himself from the vigorous fucking he was giving his demonic wife. He had to use just enough strength in order to pry open her tight insides with the head of his spear. The sheer tightness Nerissa's vaginal walls provided was enough to make him blow his load many minutes ago, but through sheer willpower, he fucked Nerissa to orgasm. Now it was his turn for release. He stood up, lifting Nerissa's body into the air. Her legs splayed to the side, hanging listlessly next to his shoulders and bouncing with every thrust of his hips. Her hands clawed the back of his shoulders, but his skin was too tough to break and give Rainer pain. He bounced her body even wilder now, his impending release coursing from his balls into his shaft. It felt like the slowest minute of his life which gave him an intense climax as a result. Although unseen, the head of Rainer's dick opened up and released sticky white fluid. He came as deeply as he could, which was past the entrance of Nerissa's womb. He flooded her insides with his lustful taint. To cover up what would have been a loud moan, Rainer latched onto Nerissa's mouth for another succulent kiss. The white demoness greedily sucked on the Lord of Lust's lips and tongue as she received his spunk inside her womb. With her arms wrapped around Rainer's neck, she seductively kissed along his neck and cheek as they rested in the precious afterglow. Rainer stared straight into Nerissa's jeweled eyes and asked, "So... Where did I wake up at again?" - "Ah, young lord, you've awoken." Rainer, who was buttoning up a flannel shirt, walked out of the temporary hospital room to find Caetorum dutifully standing guard. It was exactly an hour from when Nerissa left him with a change of clothes he had asked for a week earlier. Rainer had wanted some clothing similar to what he wore in the human world. Despite how valuable human world clothing was in the Circles of Sin, Rainer figured that he would have gotten what he wanted since he was the Lord of Lust. If you have power, you might as well make use of it. Selfish demands are a leader's prerogative. Rainer was now wearing a plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans just a little too tight around his waist. He also had a pair of polished sneakers which were the same pair of shoes he had brought with him when he first entered the Land of Lust. Apparently his reddish-brown hair was cut down to its normal size around his forehead while he was asleep. Rainer scratched his head as he left the top button of his shirt alone. "Yea, I feel a lot better now. That was a really tough fight. Did the previous Lord have any trouble against the Archangels?" Caetorum glanced towards the sky, thinking about the past. "The last Archangel he fought was during the previous war between our race and the angels, it was also Ramiel. He apparently won, but I or anyone else do not know the details behind the victory. In the end, us demons still lost the war." The Lost World Ch. 04 "I see..." Rainer then formed a hypothesis. (That was probably when that old bastard slew the previous Ramiel and when the next Ramiel became an Archangel.) "So what happened after I fell unconscious? How is-" Cutting Rainer off, Caetorum recounted the events that transpired. "Lauren, Zamarak, and the servant girl are alright. After you fell unconscious, Ramiel immediately left along with her remaining two subordinates. I'm sure you know about the Angel Safe from the history books you've read. That barrier activated leaving the Devotion of Lust, Iris, Katiyana, Nieve, and Risoi the only ones able to stand in Zamarak's manor. Although I do not know how Zamarak and his servant still managed to stay behind, it seems you were able to save them from being killed by Ramiel with a healing spell. Lauren, who had apparently left us during the procession and was ambushed by the angels. She must have been brought here by them for whatever reason." Rainer nodded, acknowledging Caetorum's words. "Ramiel came here to assassinate one of the four leaders of the numerous soul hunters in the human world. Zamarak was one of them." "That must be why he proposed an officially sanctioned hunt for human souls." "Yea... Oh great freaking rapture." Rainer rubbed his tired eyes. This was quite a predicament, even after the actual battle. "I don't wish to presume your actions, so may I ask what you plan on doing with Zamarak? Whatever your command, I will fulfill it." Caetorum placed a hand on his breast and dipped his head in respect for his liege. Rainer rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. He had long since stopped trying to force Caetorum to do these sorts of things. Rainer bet he could even order Caetorum to invade Heaven and slay God and Caetorum would still attempt it no matter the odds. "Well, I obviously don't plan on execution, that's out of the question. Finding another tenth district leader will be too much trouble, can't we just order him to stop dealing with the soul hunters and keep a close eye on him?" Rainer only realized it after he gave the suggestion, but his request was a bit too simplistic. "Of course. I am sure Zamarak will be grateful that you spared him. The previous lord was very harsh on soul hunters. Although he didn't do anything about the merchants who sold souls, and punished anyone he had found illegally reaping souls." (Was that old bastard really like that? I figured he'd just go with the flow...) Pondering over the unimportant new information about the presence residing in the Grimoire, Rainer shook out all the tension in his body. "Anyway, I feel like I should address the matter of the angel invasion. Apparently three other Circles of Sin were also invaded; maybe I should talk with Ifrit..." Rainer began walking next to Caetorum, although the wingless incubus intentionally walked a step behind Rainer. "Yes, about that..." "Hm, what?" "There has been a summons for you." "Eh, who'd want to summon me?" The only ones who would dare to summon a Ruler of Sin would be another Ruler of Sin. When he thought that, the answer to Rainer's question was narrowed down to six other demons. "Ennariel, the Governor of Greed, has called for the Iel Summit. This is a call for one thing only..." Caetorum's tone changed to a somber one. "Um, Caetorum, why do I feel like you're going to say something really normal but in a dramatic tone?" "Would you like me to?" "Uh, no thank you." Rainer swiftly shook his head. Sarcastic acting would not suit the calm and serious Caetorum. "I see. In any case, the only time an Iel Summit, which is the only obligatory meeting all Rulers of Sin must attend, occurs is to discuss war." Rainer took the news with a relaxed expression. There really was no reason to get all exasperated like he usually did. "Where will this Iel Summit take place?" "The Circle of Sin of the Ruler of Sin who called for the Summit in the first place. This time, the Gardens of Greed. - "Governor Mammon." A young demon boy with premature wings and horns stood before the most powerful being in the Gardens of Greed. His name is Zelti, Mammon's only personal servant. "I believe I told you to not interrupt me unless one of the Rulers of Sin has arrived... Has one or more?" Ennariel didn't speak with the anger implied by his words, but rather a parental sternness. Zelti didn't cower, he simply dipped his head. "Yes, two have arrived, the Emperor of Envy, Leviathan and the Shah of Sloth, Belphegor." Ennariel cocked his head with a curious expression. "The guy got here rather early. Aren't Sloth demons supposed to be lazy?" Although the Governor of Greed knew that not every demon was or had to be a perfect representation of their home Sin, it was still very strange that the head of Sloth was punctual for a time. "I overheard him wanting to be early so he could enjoy the luxurious rooms you have prepared for each Ruler of Sin." Ennariel snorted and went back to the business ledger he was perusing. "Figures. Oh well, have Malia attend to Justinian's needs and Pachizea to Belial. Ah, and bring me a Ghast Tart, I'm in the mood for something sweet and spicy." "Of course, Governor Mammon." - "Would you like a more suitable set of vestments for the Iel Summit, Rainer-Sae?" "Uh, no thank you." "Would you like an energy reviving beverage, Rainer-Sae?" "Uh, I'm not thirsty." "Would you like a cushion or a warm blanket, Rainer-Sae?" "Uh, I'm fine." "Ah... Would you perhaps want... Um, me?" "Maybe later." The succubus who was giving Rainer all this attention recoiled out of shyness from his suggestive words from just now. It was quite strange, seeing the curvaceous beauty of the girl be so contrastingly shy. It was like combining Asmodea's mature body with Zazie's bashful personality. Yes, this was the striking in so many ways Hanazae. "I hope you do not find me a bother, Rainer-Sae." Hanazae was standing off to Rainer's side as he sat down on an exceptionally comfortable couch. He leaned back and propped up his legs up on another chair. He had offered the chair to Hanazae, but she furiously declined. "Of course not, why would I?" "Zamarak offered you to me as thanks and you accepted... But you have yet to make use of my services." (Ah, so that's why she feels so down.) "Well, it'll be a good few hours before I take the portal to the Gardens of Greed, so can I have some tea?" "Of course, Rainer-Sae." Hanazae left to get what Rainer asked for, intent on fulfilling his order and bring him the best tea she can make. Rainer looked around the quaint room. It was filled with very little, only the sparse amenities needed for a daily life in the Land of Lust. As there were no modern appliances like on Earth, it was very interesting to see how medieval the demons lived their lives. In no way would Rainer have imagined a world of demons like this when he was still living as a human. It was basically one gigantic society where each demon played their part. There were demons harvesting various crops unique to the Land of Lust. There were businesses each catering to a specific service. There was no electricity, no advanced technology, and no convenient inventions. It was as if science and technology had been completely inverted and replaced with magical conveniences. It was quite cool; Rainer rarely had a dull moment. Rainer was in this plain room with a strangely comfortable couch for one reason only: to avoid the incessant worries of a certain group of five. ... Half an hour earlier... "RAINER!" Asmodea splayed her arms and glommed onto Rainer, forcing his head between her generous cleavage. It felt quite soft and Rainer had to resist the urge to grope her then and there. Actually, the result may have been quite nice if he did so, but there were others present as well. "Master..." Apparently someone turned on the waterworks in Aureal's eyes, as she was standing still with statuesque perfection although her eyes were tearing up a tsunami. "...Lovers." Zazie had a calm face the entire time, even while she pulled out one of her twenty-two cards. She had told everyone Rainer was going to be fine, at least according to the divination of her tarot cards. However, if you looked very closely, you could see a hint of relief in her voice's tone. Lauren on the other hand, had the most contrasting appearance and expression of the group. The way she looked at Rainer bordered on suspicious. "Uh, is something wrong, Lauren?" Rainer attempted to dispel the tense atmosphere around the young witch. Thankfully he succeeded. Lauren shook her head and pulled out a smile. "No, nothing. I'm glad you're alright." Nerissa popped up out of nowhere and latched onto Rainer from behind, nibbling his ears in a defiant display towards Asmodea. "Darling, you were just so amorous when you woke up. Mmm, how about we have a little repeat session right now?" Each of Rainer's harem (he himself would never call it that), had a unique reaction. "Oh dear, I was aiming to be the first to fuck you when you wake." This was Asmodea, she said these words as she traced seductively traced her fingers around his face. "Naughty boy!" "Master..." Aureal repeated the lone word she said before, but in a much more dramatically melancholic way. She even completed the set by holding her hands together like a wife who had just been cheated on and looking down forlornly. "...Devil." Zazie pulled out yet another tarot card with closed eyes. Even though her eyes were closed, she instinctively knew what card was drawn and its meaning, and her evaluations were quite harsh. Lauren on the other hand, was standing back and laughing like there was no tomorrow. Rainer wanted to call out and ask for some help from the only human in the room, but his voice was currently muffled by two extremely large breasts. He doubted he could escape even if he tried prying himself loose with a crowbar. Around this point, Rainer began drowning out the noise, trying to think of a way to escape. He heard inaudible words coming from Asmodea and Nerissa being flung at each other. It often came to a war of words between the two, but recently it had been rather quiet. Perhaps sensing Rainer's intense discomfort, Aureal came over with a frantic look, attempting to separate the two zealous women. Lauren was sipping a cup of coffee which must had magically appeared out of nowhere because he never saw her leave or anyone enter the room, not that he could see much from inside Asmodea's cleavage. The moment his eyes could peer out of the valley of flesh, he saw that cute succubus maid, Hanazae gesturing for him to follow her. Like one of those scenes from a classic film where the bad guys pile on top of the hero, Rainer slipped out from under the females and snuck over to Hanazae. ... And that brought him to where he was now. Rainer was already scheduled to enter the 100th portal of Lust in several hours. It would bring him to the portal closest to the Capital of Greed. While one would logically think that creating a portal would be as easy as chanting a few lines of a spell, it was actually a rigorous process involving scribing stones, a highly powerful mage, and a sacred circle. You could create a portal anywhere, getting rid of the requirement for a sacred circle, but it would exponentially increase the need for the other two requirements. When Asmodea was forced to do exactly that and forgo the requirement for a sacred circle, she had to acquire twice as many stones and 'borrow' magical power from Rainer unbeknownst to him at the time. In reality, the requirements to create a portal at any time were close to each sacred circle, so as long as if a suitable mage would cast the spell was around, a portal could be created. A system was created for the portals interconnecting each of the Seven Circles of Sin for the opening and closing of various portals, mainly for efficient flow of business. It was also created to allow travelers to go to and from the various circles. Of course all of that could be thrown away by the Lord of Lust's whim. Rainer could just have one of the portals opened any time to allow himself to instantly enter the Gardens of Greed. However Rainer disliked being a tyrannical autocrat. Having brand new human world clothes was one thing, disrupting an entire transportation system responsible for millions of demons was another matter. "Rainer-Sae, here is your tea." Hanazae interrupted Rainer's thoughts with a steaming cup of tea. Rainer wasn't a terribly big fan of hot drinks, but he resigned and partook. It was quite good, delicious in fact. There was a hint of sweet berry which revived Rainer's taste buds from his coma. Now that he thought about it, he had yet to have a decent meal since his coma. He wasn't hungry, he had eaten a few things to sate his hunger and thirst. He had yet to truly savor anything. This tea provided that respite and a little extra. Hanazae peered over the tray that she had brought the tea in with. Rainer thought the succubus resembled a lion stalking its prey over a hilltop considering the way her eyes looked over the tray. She was anything but, merely a shy gazelle worried about the taste of her tea. Rainer laughed at the horrible analogy he created in his mind. "Don't worry, this is some pretty good tea. You should make some more another time." "Ah, thank you very much. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Hanazae clutched the hem of her sheer dress in relief. She bowed her head, indicating her desire to assist Rainer further. "Anything?" Rainer raised an eyebrow as he said that, knowing full well just how many different implications that single word could indicate in this Land of Lust. "Yes! Anything!" And it seemed that Hanazae had no idea she was opening herself for just any single one of those 'indications'. As she bent forward to show off her sincere face in front of Rainer, her giant breasts bulged and pushed the fabric of her garment to the limits. Rainer chuckled under his breath. There was truly no way he could resist his lust right now. Even though he had come inside Nerissa a few hours ago, his libido was fully ready for a tryst at any time. Rainer didn't have a terribly arrogant or prideful ego compared to the Princess of Pride, so of course he wouldn't believe that he could have sex with just about anyone (he was wrong, Rainer is the Lord of Lust after all). However, he had a sneaking belief that Hanazae would be more than willing to sate his lusts. "Anything... Well, there is certainly something I'd like you to take care of." Rainer let out his trademark smile, smooth and libidinous at the same time, towards Hanazae who seemed to finally realize what she got herself into. Not that she minded, quite the opposite. As the realization hit her mind, she already had a mushroom shaped stick object thrust into her face. Well, the naïve Hanazae had nothing to call it but that redundant name in her mind. Sure she knew the actual names for both the male and female genitalia, and she did in fact have sex before. Well, it wasn't a very pleasant experience to look back on. Most likely thanks to instinctive succubus instinct, Hanazae extended her forked tongue and licked the head of Rainer's always hard shaft. As if being that hard wasn't enough, Rainer's cock tensed up, spurting out a dollop of precum which Hanazae swiftly lapped up like a cat. She moaned lightly as she swallowed the salty liquid down her throat. She wanted more... Hanazae pulled aside the band of soft cloth holding her breasts up, leaving them open to the air for all their glory. She took out a small bottle of special oil specially made in the Land of Lust specially made for the demons of Lust. Well, you get the idea. She popped off the cap of the bottle and tilted it ever so slightly. A few drops of the glossy oil dropped onto her impressive chest. The drops divided into different strands of cool liquid. "Rainer-Sae, please help yourself." Hanazae lifted Rainer's hands and placed them onto her breasts with a strangely seductive voice. Was this the normal Hanazae? Not seeing any reason to not continue, Rainer began groping the sexy pair of tits in front of him. Using his eyes as a Lord of Lust, he could tell that they were not as big as Asmodea's own chest. Despite that, they were quite big, even for the naturally busty succubus race. As Rainer massaged the oil around her two immense globes, Hanazae poured more of the oil until it finally covered every centimeter of her considerable bosom. The sleek sheen her orbs took on aroused Rainer to even further heights, if that was possible. He tweaked the tense nipples, eliciting a sharp moan from Hanazae's pursed lips. The succubus bit her lower lip as she received the numerous pleasurable vibrations from what Rainer did to her body. Ah, if this went on, she wouldn't be doing her duty to give Rainer a most pleasurable climax. Hanazae lifted her hefty breasts by their underside with her hands, removing them from Rainer's grasp. Rainer allowed it as he leaned back in his seat so that the only thing that could be shown off was his erect cock. It quivered, begging for some sort of attention and eventually release. Hanazae granted just that when she swallowed Rainer's entire shaft in one skilled gulp. She moved her lips and mouth all around it, coating every bit with some of her saliva. This was done so she could provide a slicker surface for her to slide her breasts on. She slowly moved her lips back up and off of Rainer's shaft in a very slow, affectionate manner. Rainer would have unloaded then and there if it wasn't for the promise of a more awesome experience in several seconds. Hanazae batted her eyelashes seductively. She danced her breasts around, bouncing them in her hands. She could barely contain them within her two dainty fists, the flesh spilling between her fingers. The moment the elastic softness touched the sides of Rainer's dick, electricity shot through his crotch up to brain. Hanazae began her assault. She pressed her two breasts together, wrapping every centimeter of his cock within her bust. Only the head of Rainer's shaft remained, which the succubus maid licked and swallowed the gratuitous amount of precum. "Rainer-Sae, be sure to give me a lot of your delicious seed, I want every drop in my mouth." Said Hanazae with the sexiest pouting face Rainer had seen. Those words had an instant effect. Rainer didn't cum, but a small spurt of his precum spat out from the cockhead and into Hanazae's mouth. She swallowed; emblazoned by the taste, Hanazae began fucking Rainer's cock with her tits while her face had a frenzied look of lust. She bounced her tits on her lord's shaft, stimulating every bundle of nerves within his phallic instrument. Every so often, a bit of the thick cock popped between her cleavage, she sucked and teased, bringing Rainer closer to orgasm each second. Hanazae alternated between which direction she directed her breasts. She rubbed them in opposite directions, sending one up and the other down. Sometimes she just stroked Rainer's shaft through her breasts, the softness giving the best handjob Rainer could ask for. "Geez, you're far too good at this for such an innocent demon maid girl. Sounds so contrasting... Where'd you learn how to do this?" Asked Rainer through lascivious gasps. "My mother taught me..." As she said this, Hanazae saw Rainer raise an eyebrow. She continued to fuck Rainer's big dick with her large breasts as she said, "Rainer-Sae... Does that turn you on?" Right on the money. Rainer grunted and nodded at the same time. Her mother taught her these sexual acts? This generally innocent succubus had her mother teach her how to fuck? What a... Normal situation in the Land of Lust. Rainer couldn't deny that the Land of Lust had corrupted him to the point where he wasn't surprised by anything in the realm of sexuality. The Lost World Ch. 04 "Would you like me to bring mom so we can fuck you together? Well... I'd do as you ask if you wanted me to do that, but I'd be jealous." Hanazae smiled, her body sleek from her from the sweat of her active titfucking. (Gah, the intensity of her cuteness and hotness is too immense!) Rainer knew he couldn't last probably another ten seconds. "I'll cum soon, say something hot again." There was something about the words and voice that came out of Hanazae's beautiful lips that aroused Rainer greatly. "Of course, Rainer-Sae... You see me cute face here?" Hanazae looked up at Rainer with a strangely cute face that seemed just so innocent and teary. "Wouldn't you like to spurt all of that delicious jizz over my face and mess it up? Wouldn't you like to corrupt this innocent face with a load of that lustful demonic semen?" Rainer let his head and eyes roll back. He grabbed onto Hanazae's shoulders with his hands and pulled his cock free of her lovely pair of tits. Hanazae understood what was happening and began furiously stroking the thick shaft. Within seconds, Rainer began pumping a hot load of his sticky semen onto Hanazae's enchanting face. Hanazae opened her mouth and extending her forked demonic tongue in order to catch as much as possible within the confines of her lips. She kept her eyes opened just far enough so that her eyelashes would prevent cum from getting in her eyes and not allow her to see the show. Rainer came a lot. Ropes of that familiar stick mixture went from her chin to her horns. The strands stuck together, forming a sticky spider web of semen that dripped from her chin and onto the breasts which had so lovingly stroked Rainer's cock to a great orgasm. Hanazae sent a smoldering look towards Rainer before she swept her hands across her face and breasts, collecting every drop of his load and depositing it into her mouth. Her lovely face then turned to one savoring a delicious meal, possibly a cream dessert? "Ah, um, Rainer-Sae, did I do well?" Just like the switch Hanazae made from her teary innocent self to her master seductress self; she did the exact opposite and switched to her normal personality. Did she have split personalities? "Oh yea, that was just... Well, marvelous." Rainer tenderly stroked Hanazae's head, still reeling in a good way from the intense orgasm the succubus maid provided. "OHHHHHH RAIN RAIN!! Did you just go at it again without me? Naughty!" Within the doorway stood the entire group with Asmodea as its vanguard. The next few hours until the portal opened became a hell for Rainer in many different ways. - "The door between worlds and realms I call upon you to open unveil the path Towards the sinful lands of the Circles Towards the avaricious Gardens of Greed." These magical words resonated throughout the entire scene. Rainer had heard similar ones before when he had left Earth to the Lands of Lust. It never occurred to him that he had yet to visit a single other Circle of Sin, this would be his first time leaving the Lands of Lust. He would be leaving with a large entourage. Obviously his powerful group of bodyguards would accompany him everywhere: Asmodea, Aureal, Zazie, Little Rouge, Teras, and Caetorum. Each of the Pillars of Sin would accompany their Ruler of Sin to the Iel Summit, which would often invite the enmity between powerful demons into one small area. Regarding that, the Iel Summit is always held on a luxurious site away from large groups of civilian demons, so that not too many would die in a feud between two pillar members. This happened more often than one thought. Among the other people coming with Rainer, there was Nerissa, Lauren, and Hanazae. The demon wife and human girl were already coming, although Lauren would have to be especially careful since she was a human among a den of some of the most sinful demons. Hanazae also came with the excuse that Rainer would need a trusted servant, as you could of course not always trust the other demons. Although, two others requested to come, which Rainer found surprising. Reginald, the fifth district leader requested that he accompany Rainer because he wished to speak with a member of the Pillar of Pride who he had known since he was young. And the other demon was Emiel, the eccentric leader of the mysterious Huracan who came under the pretense of, "This sounds exciting! I want to come and see what happens during your big unveiling to the other powerful demons of the Circles of Sin!" Undoubtedly each of the other Rulers of Sin would arrive with a similar train of staff, which would consist of demons powerful all in their own way. Rainer even learned that Hanazae was particularly skilled in one form of magic from Zamarak, the magic of barriers. Finally, Rainer and his entire group stepped through the portal. Caetorum went first, the dutiful incubus making sure nothing malevolent was on the other side. He led the way for everyone else, with Rainer being the fourth person to step through the portal and Emiel being the last. And the world around Rainer stretched and contorted into a meaningless mass. "Ah, I certainly remember this..." "Uogh... I agree." Both Rainer and Lauren were clutching onto a handlebar on the other side of the portal, reeling from the intense experience. Several of the demons, which included Teras, Little Rouge, and Emiel all chuckled at their small predicament. When Rainer finally recovered his senses, which didn't take more than two seconds, he surveyed the scene of the new world he had entered. Beautiful would be too lenient of a compliment. Rainer had almost the same feeling he had when he first entered the Land of Lust. Unlike the Land of Lust, which was akin to a taiga or deciduous forest ecosystem in the mountains, the Gardens of Greed was more like a literal tended garden. Everywhere that Rainer looked had a hint of vibrant color from every point of the visible spectrum. There was yellow off to his right side; red off to his left. A column of spindle shaped blue trees separated the two. And beyond those were even more colors of every variety. Brown, green, violet, orange, white, pink, turquoise, and even more beyond that all had their place in the gardens. There was a single path, trailing from the portal to a magnificent castle in the distance. Rainer could see a demon here and there flying around, either tending the gardens or carting supplies to another destination. The moment they turned their heads towards Rainer, they immediately fled the scene, perhaps because of fear towards a Ruler of Sin. Of course one couldn't recognize Rainer as the Lord of Lust unless they were given a description or picture, and even at this distance it would be hard to recognize Rainer. Still, it was widely known among the Gardens of Greed that the Iel Summit would be happening in this area, so all those who care for their life should stay away. "Ah, so is our destination that castle in the distance?" Asked Rainer to whoever had the information. "I believe so, a guide should be here to show us the way... Ah, over there in the air." Caetorum scratched his head and pointed in the direction of a demon flying towards the group. Despite the incubus' blindness, his senses were as perfect as always. In a way, he was the perfect bodyguard since practically no one could get past him without being found. Rainer could easily see the demon from this distance thanks to his enhanced senses, which were probably at or beyond the level of Caetorum's senses. He didn't think to look in the air as he was searching for a Greed demon around the portal or on the path. In any case, the demon flew just before Rainer's group and respectfully bowed into a perfect right angle. He had green skin like an emerald and small wings like blades of grass. His horns were small stubs next to his ears and his tail was rather small and stubbly. The demon seemed rather immature, growth wise... Perhaps he was actually younger than Rainer? "Please allow me to introduce myself to the grand Lord of Lust and his respectable followers. My name is Zelti, there is no need to grace me with yours as I either already know them or do not need to know." There was neither arrogance nor haughtiness in the uptight sounding Zelti. Even his voice sounded young. After pausing and memorizing the figures of each person in the area, Zelti continued. "Governor Mammon has instructed me to guide you to the place where the Iel Summit will take place. Which as you may have guessed, is that castle within our field of vision. Lord Asmodeus, you will be the fifth to arrive, as Warmaster Satan will be arriving late." Zelti turned around, ready to guide the group. Before he did so, the demon boy performed another 180 and asked, "Would you prefer to fly or walk to our destination?" "Walking will be fine. Four of us are not able to fly effectively or at all and will be unable to fly along." Rainer had in mind Caetorum, Teras, Reginald, and Lauren. Three did not have wings and one was not able to fly with precision. Three of them didn't really care, although Caetorum was about to interject. Teras pulled his neck back with the hook of her umbrella, hushing him up. Rainer ignored the slapstick comedy happening behind him and scratched the base of his left horn. He began walking despite the hushed argument between the childish Teras and annoyed Caetorum. Rainer walked in the front for very different reasons. The first was a normal one, Rainer just wanted to sightsee an incredibly beautiful garden that probably covered the entire world. The second was one that seemed rather arrogant: So he could show the lesser demons that he was above them. Rainer was coerced to do this by several people like Emiel and Asmodea so that he could come off as a more powerful leader and person. "It's rare to see such a young demon, and yet you're trusted by the Governor of Greed to escort the Lord of Lust, why is that?" Asmodea, who walked besides Rainer, asked Zelti a question similar to one Rainer had. Zelti closed his eyes while nodding seriously. He continued to lead Rainer and Co while answering the question. "Governor Mammon bought me from the slave markets in the Gardens of Greed ten years ago when I was four years old. He is an avid buyer of slaves who show talent in any area from combat to music to business... Especially business. Apparently Governor Mammon thought I showed promise in those three areas and beyond." Rainer narrowed his eyes upon hearing the mention of slaves and Zelti being one of those forced indentured servants. He knew that the slavery still existed in four of the seven Circles of Sin. Only the Land of Lust, Plains of Pride, and the Grounds of Gluttony were the circles without slavery. It was well known to Rainer that human slaves were of the most valuable merchandise, hence one of the reasons why Lauren was going to have to watch herself. "Even I do not know what Governor Mammon plans to do with me; I can only hope that he gives me a future." Zelti walked down the path, leading Rainer through the massive flower gardens. What Zelti said revealed a decent bit of information about the Governor of Greed. Rainer would have to keep this conversation in mind when dealing with the masterful business demon. This would certainly be an interesting Iel Summit. The rest of the time spent traveling to the distant castle was in either silence or random mumbles about various things. Aureal talked to Little Rouge and Teras about the other members of the Pillars of Sin. Emiel and Reginald were exchanging jokes and wisecracks behind everyone's back about the demons of various Sins, every now and then Teras joined in with a particularly cruel remark directed at them, though the two laughed it off. Nerissa happily walked with her arms linked to Rainer's arm. Nothing big happened until just before they reached the castle. About a kilometer left until Rainer reached the castle, a loud explosion sounded off in the northwestern tower of the large fortress. A spear of elemental ice pierced the side with a sword opposing fire shooting off in the opposite end. Already a fight has broken out. "Ah... This would mark the fourth confrontation." Commented Zelti on the side as he continued to calmly lead the group to the castle. Two demons took flight from the hole opened up by their magic and began exchanging a series of magical blows. Rainer observed the fight with his hawk-like eyes. The demon using fire was using palm strikes and heating up his palm each time he thrust it forward. The demon using ice was using various types of hand attack, Rainer saw shards of ice orbiting the hands and shredding wherever it struck. "Should they be doing this?" Probed Lauren as she shielded her eyes from the sun. (The two main sources of light for the Gardens of Greed were a red star and the unusually bright Sands of Sloth. "No. The Iel Summit is supposed to bring us all together in the name of peace. Fights like this often break out, however. I believe those are demons from the Plains of Pride and the Empire of Envy." "How does the Governor of Greed plan to make sure these fights stop? I remember at the last Iel Summit, the Princess of Pride used an Archmage's soul to erect an anti-hostility barrier." Asmodea asked a question and recounted a small detail of the past. Zelti tilted his head in a downcast manner. "To be honest, I have no idea. He mentioned that the Rulers of Sin will tend the flock themselves. He said that would be a more interesting and profitable way to conduct the Summit. Unfortunately I know not where Princess Lucifer and Emperor Leviathan are located at the moment..." "Huh... From what I remember, Ifrit likes to see battles among the powerful, and I doubt this Leviathan guy will show up. I think I'll take care of things and show off a bit." Without even waiting for an answer, Rainer lowered himself and jumped off the ground with his powerful legs. After a single second, Rainer was already halfway to the point where the two demons were fighting in the sky. He could see that the fire user was a pink skinned female demon that he didn't recognize. This one must have been the demon form the Empire of Envy. The ice user was a chocolate skinned male demon Rainer recognized to be the Dignity of Pride. Rainer had met each member of the Pillar of Pride when he had to go through his arranged marriage with Nerissa. Some of those people were amiable fellows, some were rather uptight. In the end, Rainer was going to at least make an attempt to keep this Iel Summit roughly peaceful. Two seconds past from when Rainer jumped, he reach the two demons. At this point, the Dignity of Pride had his back facing his opponent, but he kicked out with a surprise kick from his awkward position. The Envy demon snarled as she wasn't prepared enough to defend. Then Rainer popped in between the two like a mole in that one arcade game. ""Wha?!"" Both demons reacted in the same way, not expecting this intruder to somehow get between the two of them without their noticing. Rainer flashed a friendly smile and grabbed onto their outstretched leg and arm. "Now let's halt this pointless fight, shall we?" And with that, Rainer pulled in his charcoal wings and began freefalling to the ground with both the Pride and Envy demons. As they fell to the ground, the Envy demoness tried to wrench her arm away to no avail. Rainer's grip was solid and the more she struggled the more strength he applied. The Pride demon flailed around in the air mainly due to the air resistance. However, both demons cried out in fear all the same. The point where they were fighting had to at least be roughly eight hundred meters in the air, no matter how tough their bodies were, they would surely splatter against the ground. It was a known fact that their wings, of the demon race as a whole, could not fight against the effects of freefall effectively. At this height, they would surely die. Or so the two demons thought. Rainer couldn't simply just land on the ground. His body could handle it considering he was a Ruler of Sin, but the two he brought down with him would die. If he wanted to keep them alive, he could simply use a buffering spell from his memory in the Grimoire he owned, but what fun would that be? Nearly seconds before Rainer reached the ground with the two screaming demons, he flipped in the air and flung the two upwards as hard as he could muster. It would take massive strength to counteract the effects of freefall. What he just did was similar to the theory of jumping in a falling elevator right before impact, though just because you jumped does not mean physics will give you a reprieve. Rainer thought to himself, (I eat physics for breakfast.) And he utilized his strength to throw the two demons just tens of meters above ground, allowing them to bypass death by falling. They hovered in the air for what seemed like multiple seconds before falling safely to the ground without any serious damage. Rainer, on the other hand, was still falling like a rock. In the split seconds before Rainer's impact with the ground, he spun around. With a loud, "HAH!" He thrust his palm downwards and a strong blast of air went forth. The shockwave spread in an omnidirectional blast, but that was not important. Rainer amazingly used the blast as a sort of springboard from which he vaulted off of and front flipped right in front of his group that had just arrive thanks to Zelti's guidance. "Gee, Rain Rain, you sure like to show off. Nevertheless, as impressive as usual." Said Asmodea with a sarcastic tone. She strolled over to Rainer and chuckled at the two demons that had just landed on both sides of Rainer, gasping from their near death experience. Nerissa frowned and walked over to the Dignity of Pride with stern steps. "Kaelgan! Just what do you think you were doing?" The Dignity of Pride, or Kaelgan forced his eyes open, apparently aware he was not dead. Upon seeing Nerissa, the Daughter of Pride, Kaelgan jumped up and did his world's version of the salute (which was hold your right hand in a fist and pushing it against the center of your chest while having the elbow out) , albeit in a groggy manner. "The Spite of Envy had insulted the Princess, calling her the Pariah of Pride. I saw fit to educate her on the true name of Princess Ifrit." Nerissa sighed, keeping face was everything to Kaelgan. "Were that to happen anywhere other than the Iel Summit, I would command you myself to educate her. However, in the Iel Summit, we are here to discuss diplomacy and therefore must be peaceful. Prove yourself that you are better than Spite and rise above with your noble Dignity." Kaelgan recovered himself and nodded with a tranquil smile. "Of course. Ah, I am very pleased to meet you again, Lord Asmodeus." "Likewise. As you are here, does that mean the rest of the Pillar of Pride and Ifrit are here as well?" Rainer grinned, Ifrit was a quite a character. "Of course, Princess Ifrit is here and should be currently conversing with the rest of the Rulers of Sin in a private room. Apparently you and Warmaster Abaddon were supposed to join them when you arrived..." Kaelgan's words trailed off as he saw the demon he had just fought regain her composure. The Spite of Envy stood up and glowered at the group. However when her eyes rested on Rainer, they went wide and she meekly looked downwards. She bowed and swiftly left the scene after murmuring, "My Lord..." "Lord Asmodeus, shall I lead you to the other Rulers of Sin now, or would you like a tour of your accommodations for the week?" The demon boy chose now to interject before things went any further between Dignity and Spite. Rainer cocked his head around to Zelti's question. "Hmm, well, there's always time for a tour later, take me to the other Rulers of Sin, please. My curiosity about them is really getting the better of me." Other than the two het had met already, being the Princess of Pride and the Shah of Sloth, Rainer was incredibly curious about the four other Rulers of Sin. The Lost World Ch. 04 From what he gathered, the one he could probably most easily get along with was the General of Gluttony considering the short stories he had heard about his joviality. Rainer was unsure about the Emperor of Envy, but he had learned that this person was among the cold and calculating types. The Governor of Greed seemed to be purely business, so he could prove to be either friendly or a deadly enemy. Lastly, the Warmaster of Wrath perfectly fit the definition Rainer had expected of the word Wrath, a lover of battle and violence. "Krza and Byzial will show your subordinates to their quarters for the duration of the Iel Summit. There will be separate rooms for each Sin and gender... Though you are all free to break those boundaries as long as if you understand the importance of peace for this meeting of Sinful beings of different races." Although the predominating race were demons, there were still some members of the Pillars of Sin and staff of the Rulers of Sin that were of the numerous humanoid races or others. Although no one in Rainer's group was a humanoid, Aureal was a fallen angel and thus not a demon. "Please ask us if there is anything you require in making your stay more comfortable." Raising an eyebrow, Rainer asked, "Yea, as a matter of fact... Do you have any pizza?" Raising the same eyebrow but in a more confused manner, Zelti scrunched his face. "Eh?" - "Should Master be careful regarding the other Rulers of Sin?" Asmodea laid her massive warhammer next to the bed she would be sleeping in for the week. It was a small alcove hewn from the thick stone wall. A soft mattress allowed Aureal to sit and sleep comfortably when she needed and it was large enough for any nighttime activities she wished to engage in. "...Rainer is a capable man. I doubt he should have any trouble verbally against the other Rulers of Sin." Zazie was the other person in the room. The two were sharing the room, though Zazie had a separate alcove she would sleep in. There were more than enough rooms for all of Lust's representatives to have their own room to sleep in, but it was purely out of safety that they all decided to room together. When powerful and devious demons gathered, who knew what the results would be? "I do not doubt that, however I have a feeling that this will not be entirely peaceful for Master." Aureal stretched out her weary angel wings, black feathers spreading out in all their glory. "...Allow me to perform a simple divination." With that, Zazie shuffled the tarot cards in her hands several times. Aureal arched her neck, curious about the readings Zazie performed. As far as she could sense, no magic was involved despite the cards each being powerful magical artifacts. Was there some sort of arcane secret only Zazie was privy to? In any case, Aureal always paid attention to Zazie's divinations. When she was satisfied with her shuffle, Zazie, in an exaggerated manner, slammed the cards on an ornate wood table in the middle of the room. She was careful not to damage the cards during this process, not that they could be damaged in the first place. The violet succubus spread the twenty-two cards in a perfect semicircle. Shen then looked up at Aureal and blinked. "...The one with the premonition should choose the card which will decide fate, it will be more... Accurate." Aureal pulled in her lips, wary of her choice. In matters like this, it was best to close one's eyes and simply take the first card your hand touches. Aureal did just that, apparently taking the card four from the very right side when she opened her eyes. Flipping it over... "...Wheel of Fortune, in reverse. How disastrous, I wonder what will happen?" Zazie stared at the card Aureal had flipped over with narrow eyes. Something unpredictable was going to happen soon. And in what better place for that to happen in than a castle holding not only a large gathering of powerful demons, but seven of the most powerful beings in all existence? - In a room in the northern side of the castle at least twelve stories high, were five demons. They were not normal demons, but powerful Archdemons. The very essence of five of the seven deadly sins were in this room: Pride, Gluttony, Envy, Greed, and Sloth. They were here waiting for the other two Sins in order to discuss two things: war and peace with the angels. "Gaaaaaach! Just how much longer do we have to wait for the other two? Don't they realize just how rude it is to make us wait?" The Emperor of Envy, Belial, laid back in his chair in a very lazy manner. He had his feet propped up on a coffee table, where his coffee lay, and his arms wrapped around the back of his head. Each Ruler of Sin was perusing their own interests as they waited for their two fellow Archdemons to arrive within the next hour. One was lazing (Envy, two were reading (Pride and Sloth), one was writing (Greed), and another was drinking while enjoying the scenery from the window (Gluttony). "Maybe so, but there is no need share your annoyance with everyone else." Ifrit, the Princess of Pride, turned the page while denouncing Belial. Belial didn't bother to look over at the one speaking to him, rather choosing to roll his eyes and levitate his coffee to his lips. Belial wore a black vest suit with a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, he also wore black pants with snazzy black and white dress shoes. By his belt lay two deadly barbed daggers with a curved tip. These daggers were specially made to augment his powers by Greed's humanoid group of Norse dwarves. As the five waited, every now and then one of them piqued up with something to either intentionally or unintentionally break the ice in the room. "Oh my, that looks interesting, what is that you are reading?" Curious about the book Justinian, the Shah of Sloth, was reading, she asked about its identity. "Curious aren't you! Why, this is a very curious book I acquired from the human world! Apparently it details the adventures of a man called 'Prince Valiance', a curious fellow indeed. Ah, If you let me explain more-" With a fervor unlike the definition of Sloth, Justinian attempted to speak about the book full of pictures he was perusing. "Uh, no thanks..." And with that, Ifrit lost all interest and went back to her book about the mysteries of human souls. Justinian wore a dusty buttoned jacket that reached down to his feet with a brown shirt and blue jeans under it. He even wore a strange pointed hat which dangled in front of his head, making him resemble an anglerfish. As for a weapon, Justinian didn't bring anything. Ifrit wore a sexy orange dress over her skin down to her knees with grey stockings. She had several pieces of jewelry adorning her arm and neck with the most beautiful piece being two glowing emerald earrings. For a weapon, she had a large bladed chakram leaning on the chair behind her. Strangely, the round disc had no area for a handle. "OHOHOHO! YEA! GO GET 'ER!" Dagon, the General of Gluttony was cheering on someone while quaffing a hardcore alcoholic beverage provided by his hosts. Dagon was quite a spectacle of a demon. He had a very well built body covered by a leather jacket and long pants. His tail was holding his cup while his hand held the bottle which he drank out of. On his back was a type of sword called a 'Pata'. Forged by a powerful pagan god at Dagon's behest, the Pata was literally a sword attached to a gauntlet. All Dagon needed to do was reach over his shoulder with whichever arm he wished to use and grab onto the handle in the gauntlet. "OOOOOH! SPITE VERSUS DIGNITY! YEAHERHER!" After spouting an inaudible cheer, Dagon stood on the tips of his toes, straining his eyes at something. More annoyed by the fact that their pillar members were fighting instead of Dagon's annoying shouting, Belial and Ifrit forced themselves out of their seats to view the spectacle. And right when they peered out the window along with Dagon, a young black demon jumped in between their subordinates and forced them to the ground by grabbing their limbs. "Ah! My son Rainer is here. We now have Lord Asmodeus and are waiting on Warmaster Satan." Delighted that the husband of her lovely daughter was here, Ifrit went back to her seat and resumed her reading. "Eh... As long as if he doesn't kill Danzikal." Mumbling under his breath a faint prayer for his subordinate, Belial did the same and sat back down. "Do not worry, everyone. I understand that Abaddon has just entered the Gardens through the portal. He will most likely arrive before his Pillar of Wrath, considering his personality." Ennariel, Governor of Greed, ceased his writing in order to see for himself what the Lord of Lust looked like while reporting his new bit of information about Abaddon. He wore a black suit and blue tie, giving him a very business man like appearance. He had matching black slacks and polished black dress shoes. The only thing that looked out of place on his appearance was the deadly weapon strapped to his back. A long wicked looking maul rested on his back with spiked heads on both side. The haft and head looked like they were of the same material, as if the weapon was made as a whole instead of several parts (which was the case). It was completely jet black, though the faint hints of grey from wear and tear of using the weapon in the past. This was Disaster, one of the Aspect of Death weapons similar to Old Age that Nerissa wielded. "Ehh, considering his personality, he'll make an excuse for a duel." Informed Belial while smirking. "And considering his personality, it will probably be against Rainer..." Ifrit sighed under her breath while thinking of the possibilities. A duel was completely different than the definition implied, at least under the circumstances of the Iel Summit. Instead of a straight out battle involving every bit of power two Rulers of Sin had, a duel had more subtle implications. "That actually sounds rather interesting. This Lord of Lust is supposed to be the youngest out of all current and previous Rulers of Sin. I'm very interested in what he is capable of." Belial sipped his coffee hands free as it floated in the air above his lips. "I simply hope he's just not a weak little shit." Justinian smiled while flipping another page of the book. He alone was the only one who knew what Rainer was capable of. And while his short glimpse at his power bore very little fruit, it gave him great insight on the Lord of Lust's beliefs and capabilities. However... There was something about this Ruler of Sin that seemed a little off. Just what was it? Just why did that man not feel... Demonic? - Rainer smoothed over his features, trying to seem as presentable as possible to his fellow Rulers of Sin. Considering they were all rulers of an entire world, none of them had an obligation to be polite or well-kept in front of one another. Still, it was best to look at least a little bit decent in front of his peers. His wings were elegantly displayed behind his back and his tail floated in the air with a mind of its own. On a side note, Rainer found that it was best to just let his tail do whatever wanted half the time. His horns found their way through his hair on the top of his head, giving him a menacing look to any god fearing human. In all, Rainer looked like your average black demon (which were rare in the first place), although he was a cut above his black demon counterparts. Rainer didn't feel especially worried or nervous, in fact he felt more excited and agitated in a way. Just what would happen between the seven most powerful demons? Whatever happened, Rainer knew something interesting would occur, and soon. No one accompanied him into the room as Rainer opened the double door into a spacious lounge. He saw five demons, three of which bothered to look at the newcomer. The other two seemed uninterested. "Ah, Lord Asmodeus I believe. Or would you rather me call you by your given name of Rainer? Ah, call me by my simple name of Ennariel." A demon full of the many worlds' greed walked up to Rainer and offered a handshake. "Please, names are precious and I prefer my original one." Rainer accepted the handshake and looked Ennariel straight in the eyes unwaveringly. "Very well then, Rainer. With you, we are waiting on Warmaster Abaddon. Since you are a newcomer to our little clique of Rulers of Sin, shall I introduce you to everyone?" Ennariel was a courteous individual, just like a CEO inviting a VIP for a visit. "If everyone doesn't mind, please. Ah, I'm already acquainted with Ifrit and Justinian." "...I see." Ennariel was caught slightly off guard. He had known that Ifrit and Rainer have met and had hit it off quite well in order to continue to annoying alliance between Lust and Pride. What he didn't know was that Justinian and Rainer were already acquainted, just what had these two concocted, if anything? A small matter to be wary of, hopefully he was simply being too cautious. Ifrit waved her hand like a teenage girl seeing their boyfriend coincidentally in the mall. Justinian on the other hand put his comic book down for only a moment and performed a simple wave before returning to his reading. "Belial of Envy." Ennariel gestured towards Belial, introducing him to Rainer. Belial didn't react, simply lazing in his chair uninterested in the proceedings. "Dagon of-" "AH, allow me to introduce MYSELF!" Dagon heartily strode over to Rainer and tossed the empty bottle of liquor over his shoulder with a shatter as it hit the floor. He took Rainer's hand and furiously shook it. "My name is DAGON!! And don't forget it." His booming voice overtook any sound that was left in the area. If Rainer didn't have his immense strength, he would've been thrown all over the place. However, Rainer stood still and returned the handshake with the same enthusiasm. "Yea, good to meet you, Dagon! Rainer will do, so don't forget that either." "Of course!" Dagon stroked his bearded chin with eyes that seemed to bore through Rainer's face. "Hmm, you're better than the last Asmodeus... And you seem more fun that the other five Rulers of Sin. WE SHOULD DRINK TOGETHER SOMETIME SOON!" After evaluating Rainer, Dagon bellowed out a proclamation. (What a friendly guy...) Thought Rainer as recoiled from Dagon's incoming face. "Sometime soon then." Rainer didn't see why not, Dagon was quite a funny guy despite his tall and bulky stature. "Everyone, Warmaster Abaddon should be here any moment, he has just entered Castle Yhis by himself, his staff close behind several kilometers back." Ennariel informed everyone in the room at its center. He then tilted his head and pressed against his forehead with two fingers. "Ah, Zelti has just informed me that Abaddon's current behavior is more... Brusque than usual. I would watch out if I were you Rainer." "Why so?" Rainer felt rather confused by that sentence. "Abaddon has a history of dueling Rulers of Sin as often as he can. As he always tries to force a duel on a brand new Ruler of Sin. Since out of all of us, he is the second oldest Ruler of Sin, he has lived quite a long time and gained much experience in wielding our dangerous power. I would be careful if I were you. Ten seconds..." "Ten... Seconds?" Rainer paused for a moment, soaking in the information until revelation came upon him. "Oh shit." "Two seconds." Two seconds later, a loud bang rung throughout the room. The doors were blasted open to the other side of the room straight from their hinges. A tall black demon stood in the doorway. Wearing only a thick set of leather straps on his chest and matching leather pants, the demon marched into the room shoeless and weaponless. Judging by the very essence of Wrath resting in this demon's body, Rainer figured he had to be the Warmaster of Wrath, Abaddon. Abaddon searched the room until he found what he was looking for. He pulled up his arm and pointed it directly at Rainer. "You, duel me." Note: A while back I promised to do a small contest. Basically, each person who posts a comment on this story chapter or sends an email with their literotica username will have an entry into the contest. Along with users from another site, I will put all of those names into a random selector and choose a random name. I will announce that name on my author profile and if that person responds, I will write a 10,000 to 15,000 story using characters of their choice (from a fiction or entirely from their imagination) in a setting of their choice, with sex scenes of their choice. Of course there are certain fetishes that I will not cater to like rape, pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, watersports and scat, and etcetera. For the most part, I will write any more mild fetish which can range from consensual vanilla romantic sex to a 15 inch shemale girl dominating a crossdressing boy. By the time this story is posted, the time limit for entrants will be from one week to two weeks (depends on my mood or number of entrants). After that point, I will soon announce the winner. If you decide to participate, I can promise that I will write a pretty decent story without making you wait like I did with this chapter. Good luck. The Lost World Ch. 05 The Lost World Ch. 5 In a grand castle, built exclusively for the purpose of housing a delegation of demons from seven different worlds, there were eight of these demons hanging out in one of its numerous rooms. This room was a sort of armory/arena. The room's purpose was to allow the demons from each world to spar peacefully. To be honest, aside from the bar, it was the most popular hangout for all of the demons. Every now and then, one of the eight demons would leave and a new one would enter, changing the number from eight to nine to four to even fifteen. "So, Isterzas, what were your first impressions of the Lord of Lust?" One of the demons, the Studiose of Gluttony posed this question to the one known as the Spite of Envy. Isterzas was relaxing on a large amorphous chair. After hearing the question from her peer, she thought about it for a second before replying. "What happened between me and the Dignity of Pride is as general knowledge to everyone here, so why bother asking me, Oraol? Everyone should know how our fight was interrupted." "That's exactly why I'm asking. What do you think of the Lord of Lust? I mean, the previous one was such a mystery that not even his closest subordinates or children knew much about him. Yet he chose such a young demon as his successor." "Quite an enigma, huh?" Added another demon randomly. This one happened to be the Debility of Sloth. Isterzas snorted on the interjection. "Nobody asked you." "Now now, that's quite an unladylike thing to do, Isterzas. You won't find a husband that way, though I certainly don't mind..." Rolling her eyes, Isterzas went back to what she was talking about before. "This Lord of Lust, Rainer I believe his name is. As young as he is, it seems like he has already grasped the great power unique to a Ruler of Sin. I can't comment much further except that... Well, he has no sense of danger." "Oh, do I sense some sort of admiration in your voice?" Isterzas frowned upon hearing Oraol's sentence. "Rather than admiration, I feel like his aura of Sin is affecting me." "Ah, I see what you mean. Rulers of Sin have especially strong sinful auras compared to us normal demons, but you must be saying that his is even more unique?" "Oh, are we talking about my cute Rain Rain?" Another voice, and a rather sultry one at that, entered the room. "Ah, if it isn't the Seduction of Lust. How are you these days, Asmodea?" A fifth demon in the room, the Control of Greed, who had just finished engaging in a friendly match against the Resentment of Envy, welcomed the newcomers to the room. "As for your companion, I do not believe we have met..." A green demon, walking next to Asmodea, revealed a big smile. "I'm thinking of relinquishing my life as a recluse, so here I am: A loyal subordinate of the Lord of Lust, Emiel is my name and I am honored to be giving my name to such an intriguing beauty such as yourself." Emiel emphasized the cheesiness of his line while bowing dramatically. "Uh... Okay..." "I know you probably don't want to reveal any details which could have negative effects in the future, but would you mind whetting our curiosity about this new Lord of Lust?" Asked the Studiose of Gluttony, Oraol. "Yea, I heard he fought one of the invading Archangels, how did he fare against one?" This question came from the Resentment of Envy, he was always curious about anyone and anything, often asking for the details of even the most trivial people. "Ah... I was not there in person, and nobody was able to spectate the fight either, so no one knows the results of the fight." Asmodea looked back on the battle. She was somewhat depressed over the matter of not being able to participate thanks to the Angel Safe barrier. "Oh man, you should've been there! Although I couldn't witness it close up, I managed to get a good look from a distance!" Emiel interjected with an excited tone. He began gesticulating and reenacting with an odd vigor. "Rainer- Ah, the Lord of Lust... Well, first he engaged in a messy close combat fight with the Archangel, knocking her all over the place with his skills. Then he blasted her back to damn Heaven with his magic! It was amazing!" Then with a playful smirk, "Oh and I'm kind of exaggerating." """""...""""" Everyone listing in on Emiel deadpanned the green demon while he took it all in stride with a shrug. "EVERYONE!" A loud shout pierced the entire room. Currently, the ten demons in the room all swung their heads in the direction of the newcomer in the room, a Naga. Naga were one of the two humanoid races taken in by the Waters of Wrath along with the Mermaid species. In fact, this Naga was also known as the Enmity of Wrath. Compared to the two all-female races taken in by the Lands of Lust, the Naga was actually an all-male race. And contrary to belief, the Mermaids held both males and females, or Mermen and Mermaids. It was similar to the unimportant structure of the word 'Human'. "A duel... A duel! Between the Warmaster and Lord is about to take place!" The information from the Enmity of Wrath was expected by some and unexpected by others. In reality, the demons present all roughly understood the personalities of each Ruler of Sin from stories and thus all knew that it was highly likely the Warmaster of Wrath would duel the new Lord of Lust. They just didn't expect it to happen so soon. "Well, looks like the mystery may be enlightened a bit, eh Spite?" "Yea..." Isterzas looked on in wonder as a bunch of demons and humanoids flooded in, presumably to watch the duel take part in this room. Demons of all colors, even two black demons and one white demon, entered the room with vested interest in watching the duel. The sparring room was rather large, in order to accommodate the purely ranged minded, it was a roughly one hundred meter square room with relatively few decorations. Finally, the participants of the event everyone was looking forward too entered. First came the Warmaster of Wrath, Abaddon. He walked in with a fierce gaze and confidence in his step. Seconds behind him was the Lord of Lust, Rainer. Everyone noted his relaxed expression and laidback way of moving, it completely contrasted the determined Abaddon. "GO RAINER!" "KICK HIS ASS, DARLING!" "Master is superior..." Comments from Asmodea, Nerissa, and Aureal were the forefront of a fountain of cheering from the Land of Lust's representatives. Possibly threatened by the show of loyalty, the representatives of the Waters of Wrath flaunted their own voices, cheering on the Warmaster of Wrath. Upon hearing these cheers, Abaddon slightly blushed, but it was too faint for anyone to notice except for Rainer's keen senses. Rainer almost burst out laughing. The simple act of blushing did not suit the one known as the Warmaster of Wrath. Rainer had been informed of the contents of the duel. Formal duels which put an emphasis on not being too destructive were a best of three format. These rounds could be anything that could present a winner. The loser of each round chose the type of contest the two would partake in the next round. In the past these rounds consisted of simple magic or melee battles, contests of speed or perception, the depths of their wisdom and knowledge, and many more. Also, a simple test of luck chooses who decides the format for the first round. In fact, the previous Lord of Lust participated in one of these duels against the previous Warmaster of Wrath and purposely lost every other battle. Why he did that was so that he chose seemingly frivolous contests that had nothing to do with the term 'duel'. The contests the Warmaster of Wrath that time chose was a martial battle and a race to see who reached the other side of the world in a literal straight line through the crust and core of the world they were one (which was the Waters of Wrath). In contrast the previous Lord of Lust chose an eating contest, a staring contest, and a game of hide and seek (he won the two latter but lost the eating contest). In the end, the Warmaster that time won, but he wasn't particularly pleased with how the duel progressed. The two Rulers of Sin faced off. First off was the test of luck to decide who decides on the format for the first round. "It is my understanding that one of the members of the Pillar of Lust has a unique ability which is completely objective and probability based. We will use that to for the beginning." This wasn't a request, but a demand. Some of the demons in the room marveled at the audacity of a Ruler of Sin attempting to command another Ruler of Sin's subordinate. Perhaps they thought that the senior Ruler of Sin was attempting to enforce himself as the "Elder which should be respected by the junior." Rainer tilted his head, slightly confused for only half a second. "Oh, I get what you mean. I guess if Zazie doesn't mind then it's okay." Rainer almost forgot about the unique powers of Zazie's tarot cards. Each of the twenty-two cards of the major arcana held a unique power, though that didn't mean they could all be used conveniently. Zazie silently walked over to Rainer upon his beckoning, unperturbed that all eyes were on her. Precisely because of her cards, Zazie could be counted as one of the most powerful in this room (not counting Rainer and Abaddon). Even though the most powerful of all the seven Circles of Sin were gathered here, Zazie had confidence in her ability. Some recognized her from the time she showed off in the decade's tournament several decades back. She won effortlessly and spectacularly and gained a position in the Pillar of Lust upon the previous Lord of Lust's invitation. "..." Zazie wasn't much of a talker except to those she directly knew. She placed her fingers upon a seemingly random card of her deck. "...Wheel of Fortune." She tossed the card in the air and the faces of both Rainer and Abaddon appeared on opposite sides of the card (on a side note they resembled what they looked like if their portrait was a part of a set of stained glass). Everyone stared at the card as it flipped and gyrated in mid-air while it fluttered to the ground like a leaf. When it finally hit the floor, everyone attempted to see which face landed face up. Faster than anyone could see (though neither Rainer nor Abaddon were paying attention). Zazie picked up the card and pointed at the Warmaster of Wrath. "...You will be choosing the format of the first round." She deposited the card back into her deck and melded with the audience once more. "And?" Asked Rainer, wondering how the first round will play out, though he had some ideas. "Everyone should be able to guess how I want this to start, let's decide the first round with our fists and feet." Abaddon slammed his palms together and rubbed them as if he was about to enjoy a sumptuous meal. "Rock-paper-scissors?" Rainer added in intentionally being a bit snarky and sarcastic. Rolling his eyes and snorting, the Warmaster of Wrath took a stance like something out of a martial arts movie. "Guess not". Rainer did the same, getting into the stance he always did when he fought with his bare hands. "The first to be knocked out for a single second or more loses; surrendering is also an option for loss. This fight must remain within the boundary of this room and may not cause excessive destruction. You may both now begin." The Governor of Greed who had just now entered the room voiced the rules for the fight, the other two Rulers of Sin quickly nodded in agreement. And so the fight began. ... Who would attack first? Everyone simultaneously thought this in the audience. "Satan is a hot head. Of course he'll attack first." "Agreed, this Asmodeus seems a bit subdued and reserved... Odd for a Lord of Lust." "You're all ignorant. It's always the reserved ones who're most deadly. Haven't you ever read a book?" Several conversations were created among the audience, though they were careful not to break the tension and stayed as quiet as possible. "Aaaaand... Now." Asmodea rolled out her words, as if counting down when the battle would start. And right when she said "Now", Rainer surged forward like a great wave. Rainer slammed his foot on the ground as he burst forward, resulting in him flipping sideways through the air. His leg wheeled around with him and followed the trajectory he was aiming for, smashing the ankle down on the Warmaster's right shoulder. Abaddon blocked the kick with his wrist and smacked it away in a display of exceptional strength. He planted his feet on the ground, to act as a sort of fulcrum for his left fist which he brought in to his stomach. He then shot his fist out like a magnum bullet, aiming for Rainer's body. With feline agility, Rainer brought in the leg which was following behind and shoved it onto the incoming fist. Rainer pushed himself off of the fist like he was vaulting in a circus act and back flipped through the air meters away from his initial position. And they continued on. In the audience, the representatives of the Land of Lust began conversing. It was rare to see such an interesting matchup, and they devoured the contents of the battle. "They are both clearly impressive in their own ways. It makes me wonder how my old Parish even thought we could take him out back then." Reginald acknowledged his old assassination group's foolishness while simultaneously acknowledging his old target's power. "Hmmmm, where did our cute little Lord ooooof Lust learn tooooo fight like that innnnn the first place? ♥" Little Rouge asked out loud to anyone who had the answer. "...Lauren or Asmodea should know." Mentioned Zazie. "I don't know myself; I wasn't really involved with Rainer until he initially became the Lord of Lust." Lauren was careful in choosing her words. The fact that Rainer was once human was not a well-known secret nor did those who knew it wished for it to be known. Other than Rainer and herself, the only ones who knew Rainer used to be human were Asmodea, Nerissa, Aureal, and Zazie. Only those closest knew the secret, not even the other members of the Pillar of Lust knew this secret. Instead, the mere fact that Rainer lived in the human world for a period of eighteen years was a completely different fact. One known by the majority of higher ups in the Land of Lust and a select few like the Princess of Pride and Shah of Sloth. Even the Archangels knew this fact, though they did not like it due to an agreement between them and the previous Lord of Lust. What exactly that agreement entailed was a complete mystery other than it allowed Rainer to live until he was of age to become the Lord of Lust and that Asmodea would watch over him until then. "Well, I guess I should shed some enlightenment upon Rainer's apt skill." Asmodea was thinking about what to say as she used her arms to hold up her considerable bosom. She was quite large after all in that department. "Oh? Do grace us with story time!" Emiel emulated a child as he clapped his hands with mock glee. Ignoring Emiel, Asmodea continued. "Rainer barely had any time with his parents. They died while he was young and he was forced to live in an orphanage for a time. He had no other relatives close enough to take him in, and he was too young to make any choices then." Nerissa put on her most attentive face and paid as much attention she could. Aureal had a blank expression, but it was easy to tell that she was honestly paying attention. Zazie and Lauren had similar expressions, though both unique to their facial structures. Everyone else listened with equal interest. Rainer had declined to speak about his past, and had asked Asmodea to not reveal anything if she could help it. In fact, Asmodea was reluctant to even reveal what she was doing right now. "Rainer was a very antisocial child and was rejected by the other children inside the orphanage, not that he cared. In order to fight back against the loneliness, he often left the orphanage against his guardians orders and ventured into the city's interior of which the orphanage was located. Eventually, Rainer's innocent exploration found him in a rather unpleasant area. This city was not a seemly one and was wrought to the core with the human underworld's stench. You could call him lucky for not finding himself in a more hostile area." Asmodea paused to check out Rainer spinning around, trying to hit Abaddon in the back of the head with his elbow. The large black demon ducked and grabbed Rainer by the elbow, tossing him over his body across the room. Rainer landed with a roll and re-positioned himself with breaking a sweat. "Where Rainer found himself was a sort of underground arena where humans fought without regard for their safety to the enjoyment of the spectators. Sometimes people even died in this arena and the floor was always stained with blood. In any case, the main participants of the arena were quite friendly with one another; generally the ones who died were newcomer rookies or veterans to the arena. Over time, Rainer visited this arena more and befriended some of the fighters of the place. It seemed they considered Rainer a sort of mascot, as he often tried to emulate their various techniques. They taught Rainer some of their moves and Rainer copied others and gradually he memorized all of them to the point where anyone at or around his age wouldn't be much of a match for him. It is quite amazing really, his aptitude for martial prowess is prodigal." Though some of the parts of this story were familiar to those present, the majority of those listening had never heard of this facet of Rainer's past. In ways, they all considered Rainer more mysterious than the previous Lord of Lust. Even Caetorum somewhat wanted Asmodea to break Rainer's order to tell them all more about his Lord's past. "Almost like an origin story out of some bad superhero comic..." Mused Lauren as she shrugged while returning her attention back to the ensuing fight. Minutes had passed, and if she had to guess as to when it would end, it would be soon. Those present noted the contrast between the styles of combat both Rulers of Sin took. Abaddon was like a stalwart tower, yielding to no one. He kept his position resolute and had an impenetrable defense. Whenever Rainer entered his reach, Abaddon moved his arms in order to block and counter, not giving in once. Rainer, on the other hand, was the paragon of aggression, an angry hornet. He attacked and attacked like, moving all over the place like a fly. One might think that Abaddon was the more skilled of the two considering he blocked every attack of Rainer's and didn't even budge an inch, but it was quite the opposite. It was the fact that Rainer never relented in his assault that Abaddon didn't acquire a chance to attack. So far, he could only attack via counters, the momentum belonged entirely to Rainer. 'I should have attacked first... Fuck!' Abaddon cursed within his mind. If he attacked first, he probably could have stopped the onslaught that came when he defended. As this was a purely martial prowess focused round, no magic was allowed. Although not once did Abaddon regret his decision to make this round based on martial prowess. Rainer smirked cockily. He rushed his fist forward in a straight punch. Abaddon grabbed onto the arm, intending to pull Rainer in and attack, but then he realized that that was exactly what Rainer wanted. In other words, this simple movement Abaddon brought him into Rainer's hastily concocted trap. Rainer ignored the fist on his arm and retaliated with both of his hands grabbing onto the same outstretched arm. He jumped up, twisting his body around his opponents arm as if it was a monkey bar. This resulted in a sickle movement where Rainer's feet slammed against the back of Abaddon's head, forcing it downwards. Abaddon was unable to shift his head. If he did, it would simply make it easier for Rainer's feet to kick his head down. Just before they fell, Rainer pulled on the arm he held tightly, wrenching it behind Abaddon's back. The Lost World Ch. 05 Both bodies fell to the ground, though Abaddon stopped his fall with his free arm, though what could he do? He was caught in a perfect grapple. Still, he would not surrender just yet... Though as Abaddon thought this, his sight went black and his mind faded into unconsciousness for a single second. "The victory of the first round goes to the Lord of Lust, Rainer Asmodeus." The declaration of Rainer's victory was made by the Governor of Greed. It was clear, Ennariel had sensed Abaddon's life fade for a little over a single second, signaling Rainer's win. Rainer breathed a sigh of relief and rolled off of Abaddon's body. He stood up and brushed the dust off his shirt and repositioned his sleeves. "So I need to win two more times, right?" Ennariel nodded. "Abaddon, as the loser of this round, decide the next round's format." "Yea yea..." Abaddon grunted as he jumped back onto his two feet. He slapped his ear, as if it was blocked up by something. "Alright, for the next round we'll find someone. Mammon... Ennariel, whatever, name a random citizen of your world and the first one to find that person wins this round." Rainer scrunched his eyebrows upon hearing the unusual proposal. He had honestly expected each round Abaddon decided the format for would be a test of strength of sorts. "Very well then." Ennariel thought it over a second before deciding. "Dwunst Ingr. The first one to find the location of this person and brings a signature back to me wins. You may obstruct each other if you wish. Please keep destruction to an absolute minimum. And go." At the word go, both Rainer and Abaddon leapt with all their might, bursting through the ceiling and into the sky. They both unfurled their wings and took one look at each other before taking off in opposite directions. Even though he began flying faster than an airplane (he used memorized wind magic to assist with acceleration and stability), Rainer had no idea where to begin. The name he was given, Rainer was confident it was not demonic in origin. Although there were many billions of demons in existence over the Seven Circles, Rainer knew that a demon would never be name anything other than what belonged in their language. Basically, their names did not stray from the norm nor were terribly original. With that thought, Rainer speculated that Dwunst Ingr was a name that belonged to one of the two humanoid species living in the Gardens of Greed, which were the Djinn and Norse Dwarves. As for which of the two, Rainer had to guess it was a Dwarven name, it simply resonated more with the mythology Rainer had located in his mind. Wandering city to city, asking for that name would be a complete waste of time. Rainer knew that Abaddon probably had methods to shorten searching for the owner of the name, so he had no time to waste. Rainer looked for a suitable landing spot, finding a circle within the massive and grand garden. The circle Rainer landed in was surrounded by strange looking orange and green fungi which branched out into thin strands and interconnected with one another. "Come." With that word, Rainer's Grimoire appeared in his hand with a flurry of flapping pages. 'Ahhhhh, HOW'S MY FAVORI-' "Shut the hell up." Rainer immediately hushed up the presence residing in his Grimoire. Rainer didn't summon the Grimoire because he wanted to look up a spell he didn't know. He needed it for two other reasons. The first was because that the spell he was going to use required a suitable surface in which to scry into the location of the owner of the name he was searching for. The generic surfaces was a mirror or a pool of water, which were in fact easier surfaces to scry with, however Rainer was simply powerful enough to literally use anything he wished as a scrying surface, it was just that the book would provide a clearer image. The second reason was that the Grimoire would amplify Rainer's power so that the search radius would encompass the entire Gardens of Greed. This was something only an Archbeing could do. 'Gosh. Ru-uuuuude! Anyways, what're you doing?' The presence inside the Grimoire, the old Lord of Lust, did not have an all seeing eye, especially since he was technically dead. So it wasn't like he could always know what was going on around Rainer. "The Warmaster of Wrath challenged me to a duel. I won the first round and this time we both have to search for a random denizen of this world." Rainer relented in telling Asmodeus as the annoying old fart would simply just bug him until he did so. It was like a younger/older brother relationship, although Asmodeus would have him not being the younger brother and the father instead. 'Ohoh, a duel eh? And against Satan, eh? I remember the last duel I participated in was against a Warmaster of Wrath, mind you it wasn't against the same Warmaster you're dueling right now.' "Cool story." Rainer didn't really want to talk. He was in a hurry after all. Well, and that he didn't want to talk to Asmodeus at all in the first place, rather never again would be better. Instead, Rainer concentrated on the scrying spell. "The one I seek, this book shall reveal. Be you in this world or elsewhere, you will be found. Show me Dwunst Ingr!" 'I know, right? It's so cool, I think you should take some time off and listen to me talk! I'm you're elder, c'mon, respect my war stories.' Rainer whistled a little song as he ignored Asmodeus. 'Hey-' Rainer whistled louder. 'HEY-' Rainer's whistle practically became screaming. Right when Rainer was out of breath, the spell finally found the location of who he wanted to find. "Dwunst Ingr... You're quite a few ten thousand kilometers away from me." Rainer implanted the general location of Dwunst Ingr in his mind. Unfortunately Rainer could only grasp the relative location, which was the southernmost portion of a coastal city bordered by mountains some ways away. 'It was a dark and stormy night... When the Warmaster challe- HEY NO! RAAAAI-' Ignoring the cries desperate to tell Rainer a long and annoying story, the young Lord of Lust closed the Grimoire and dismissed it from where Rainer summoned the tome from. "Ah, today's a good day for some flying!" And with an oddly natural cheeriness, Rainer jumped and took flight. ... A while later, Rainer found himself a few kilometers away from his destination. He began slowing down and drifting downwards. Of course at the speed he was flying (too fast), Rainer wouldn't land as softly as a feather. Instead, Rainer traversed the final distance needed while dropping like a comet. Rainer landed in a pentagon shaped open bazaar in a portion of the large coastal city. Accompanied by a loud sound and a cloud of dust, Rainer formed a crater in the vast market. Numerous cries and shrieks soon followed, presumably from distressed demons and humanoids that were near. (Crap.) Rainer fled the scene before he became harassed by the city guards. Though it seemed like a sort of stereotype, Rainer headed for the side of the city bordered by the mountains, thinking that Dwarves like mining and therefore would be situated by the mountain. And he was amazed that the stereotype was mostly correct. Although there were still quite a few demons and even one Djinn, the majority of the population on this side of the city was the Norse Dwarves. To start off with, Rainer walked towards the Dwarf which seemed in charge as he was directing the construction of an oddly upside down pear shaped building. He noticed that he was garnering quite a few looks from everyone who looked in his direction. Of course the reason why is that Rainer is one of the rare black demons. However, that was unimportant at the moment. "Hey!" Rainer attempted to catch the attention of the stout man. "Oi! You three, get that keystone in position NOW! If you shits screw up here, the entire foundation will crumble! Damn it, why the hell was I not granted magical assistance for this project? Too expensive? TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE MY MOTHER'S RUMP!" The Dwarf spoke very gruffly, which seemed somewhat appropriate for his visage. He had a bald head, though it looked like the hair was completely grown out on his beard and mustache, it even granted him furry sideburns. Then the two other Dwarves, which were taken the brunt of his shouting, stumbled. A flying stone, which had bounced from the rooftop, hit one of the Dwarves on the head, knocking him off balance and bringing his associate with him. The supervising Dwarf's eyes bulged as was forced to spectate the upcoming disaster. Rainer chanted a short spell, which allowed him to hold the keystone up with an invisible force. Instead of telekinesis, which one would think to use in this situation, Rainer used an earth spell to literally attach the keystone to the surrounding stones so that it no longer could be moved unless the entire foundation was brought down. "Magic..." The supervising Dwarf uttered this word and swiveled around. His eyes were met with Rainer's chest and he looked up to meet Rainer's eyes. Actually, if he wasn't standing on top of a mound, the Dwarf would be looking at Rainer's waist, but that was unimportant. Actually Rainer was somewhat surprised that the Dwarf wasn't startled to see a random rare black demon standing beside him. "Yea, no need to say thanks. You don't have to worry about the keystone moving anymore. Instead, can you tell me the location of a Dwarf named Dwunst Ingr?" "Speaking." "Eh?" "I said I am Dwunst Ingr. You wanted to know where Dwunst Ingr is, then open your damn eyes." Either the Dwarf had no sense of fear, or he had no reason to worry about Rainer attacking him for the rudeness in his words. (Shit, am I seriously that lucky?) Rainer didn't question his luck and got to the point. "Yea, this may seem weird, but I need your signature for something." "Another one, eh?" Dwunst Ingr pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Rainer. "What do you mean?" "A large black demon came to me around ten minutes ago asking for a signature and said there would be another black demon looking for one as well. I don't really care why you need my signature, but I know better than to not give a dangerous black demon what he wants." Muttered Dwunst Ingr and he went back to his supervising, shouting at the two lackeys who had fallen and insulting their mothers at the same time. (Of course I can't be THAT lucky.) ... It seemed the second round had come as Rainer's loss. Though he didn't know how, Abaddon had somehow found Dwunst Ingr sooner than Rainer did and returned with the signature back at the castle in which the Iel Summit was located. At least Rainer was comforted that the time difference in their arrival spanned only a few minutes. He arrived in the exact same hole in the ceiling both he and Abaddon created when they left. "I suppose that could be counted minimal destruction..." Ennariel rubbed the bridge of his nose accompanied by a sigh. "No matter, the Warmaster of Wrath wins this round bringing the results to a 1-1 tie. Lord of Lust, please choose the format for the next round." Rainer mulled it over. This duel happened so fast and progressed so quickly that he had no time to decide on the format for any round should he have lost one. Rainer wasn't arrogant enough to believe that he wouldn't lose a single round. Still, Rainer hadn't expected to lose so anticlimactically in the last round. "How about... We play a game of tag? The one who is "it" after an allotted amount of time would be the loser." Thinking of a random kids game, I came up with a possible idea for a round format. Abaddon raised his eyebrows and slightly nodded his head. He clearly thought this was an interesting idea. "Hm, interesting. The duration of this game of tag will be a single hour. Like with all rounds, excessive destruction will result in a loss. As the winner of the last round, Abaddon, you will be the one who starts out as the 'it'. Is that acceptable?" Ennariel mediated the duel like an honest middle man, though as the Governor of Greed that was simply impossible. In a matter like this, not even Ennariel would forgive himself if he didn't referee something as interesting as this with the utmost impartiality. It was far more... Entertaining to watch a duel between Rulers of Sin if they went at it with everything they had. "I do not mind." After Abaddon uttered his agreement, Ennariel declared, "You may now begin." After five tense seconds of calm breathing, everyone present wondered why the two Rulers of Sin didn't begin moving. The only two noticeable movements Rainer and Abaddon made was pulling an arm back for the former and an arm forward for the latter. Abaddon frowned and tilted his head while beginning to walk forward with a relaxed pace. He managed to traverse the entire distance to Rainer until they were only half a meter away from one another. Perhaps wondering why his target wasn't fleeing, Abaddon lightly slapped his hand on Rainer's shoulder. Immediately after doing so, Abaddon was flown backwards, slamming against a portion of the wall where the crowd divided. "Gah! Damn, to think I did something this careless." Abaddon had tried to move his body, but he found himself paralyzed by a great potential force. "Normal paralysis was useless against a being like an Archdemon, normal being something like poison, muscle failure, or the body forcefully becoming rigid." An extremely attractive and mystical voice appeared between two groups of demons. "Mom!" "Nerissa!" After exclaiming recognition towards one another, two white demons embraced each other in a loving hug. The Princess of Pride had always been quite affectionate with his children, and Nerissa was no exception. Nerissa also dearly loved her mother and thus tightened her embrace even though it had only been a short span of a few months since they had last met. "Oh, if it isn't Ifrit?" Teras twirled her umbrella within her hand and welcomed her friend. "Unfortunately for the rest of US, WE are not Rulers of Sin, therefore please elaborate." Yes, the Sadism of Lust and the Princess of Pride were somehow good friends. Often they were both asked how they had become friends, they always replied with, "Oh, would you like us to demonstrate upon you with the activity we bonded over?" And those who knew what activities of a salacious nature the two liked, immediately shut up... Unless they wanted to be toyed with. Unfortunately the only one who was brave enough and liked being toyed with by their sadistic nature was slain in a fair battle by Caetorum, in fact, that one demon was once known as the Submission of Lust. "Oh my, Teras, is that Hysteria? It has quite a lovely smell." After inquiring the flavor of tea that Teras was partaking in and accepting a cup of that tea, Ifrit relented and began explaining what she was just talking about. "Magical paralysis comes in two different forms, kinetic paralysis and potential paralysis. Most people who use magic would only know about kinetic paralysis, which is using pure force to bind an enemy or pin them down. Kinetic paralysis can also affect one's body and render it useless for a short or long duration. What Rainer just used was potential paralysis. He basically injected... Or rather invested a great deal of magical energy into the Warmaster's body. It is like using an elastic band to bend something; in this case the elastic band would be restraining the Warmaster, tightening itself around his body until the band bursts or dissipates. The Warmaster can either use pure force to make the potential paralysis burst, although the explosion of kinetic energy will internally damage his body, possibly destroying his organs and bones. Or he can wait for the energy to dissipate into nothingness, although that would most likely take a while, the energy Rainer invested in the paralysis spell was quite a bit, apparently even to restrain the indomitable Warmaster of Wrath." ... While Ifrit was giving her explanation of the bit of magic Rainer showed off, he had long since sprang into action. Whether it was too prideful or arrogant, it was easy to say Rainer was a genius when it came to combat. Half of that noteworthy praise could be attributed to the hellish but extremely potent teachings of Teras. It didn't matter how much power one had. If they did not know how to use it, it would never be useful. Well, a slight exception to that rule could be given to Rainer. All he needed was to learn the basics of casting and concentration and from then on he could evolve his ability. Rainer, after initially paralyzing Abaddon, had two choices: hide or stay. Rainer had already became 'it' when Abaddon touched his shoulder, but the immediate attack afterwards transferred the 'it' status back to its original holder. Although Rainer didn't hear her explanation, Ifrit's expository words were the truth. Abaddon could either break the paralyzing spell at the cost of being handicapped by a crippling blow for the duration of the hour, or he could wait until the magic paralyzing decomposed into nothingness which would give him relatively little time to catch Rainer. "Fuck, this is impressive nonetheless. I have no desire to damage myself by breaking the bond holding me, as it would leave me crippled through this round and the next. No need to worry, I will take my chances with waiting it out." Abaddon could talk, surprisingly. Rainer hadn't expected the 'Warmaster of Wrath' to be this levelheaded about the situation. He also wasn't sure if the black demon was telling the truth, so to be on the safe side... "Fair enough, but I'm not taking any chances. I'll be back in around an hour!" And with that, Rainer flew out of the same hole in the ceiling they had made earlier, menacing black wings flapping strongly behind him. Rainer didn't really have a destination in mind, so he fled in a random direction which turned out to be due west from the castle. When he was at least two kilometers away, Rainer looked back at the overall shape of the castle. Like with the architecture in the Land of Lust, the castle seemed to be an amalgamation of different types of architecture. This particular building seemed to be a concentration of the Dwarven stuff he had seen earlier (dome covered buildings with an emphasis on the top half being larger than the bottom half of the building), and old Ottoman style architecture. "The guys who make these weird buildings are pretty damn creative..." Commented Rainer has he drew in the breathtaking sight." Noticing a quiet lake roughly half a kilometer away horizontally, Rainer flew down and rested while formulating a plan. The lake had a pier which had rowboats designed similarly to Viking longboats tied down. It wasn't a terribly large or small lake, Rainer had to say its area and circumference was somewhere between Lake Victoria and Crater Lake. It had sandy shores with a beautiful array of reeds and cattail like plants. Nearby was a cordoned off section of the lake which had a grid arrangement of black and white hyacinths. "This place has everything you need for some relaxation. Though a bit too flowery for my tastes." If there was one thing about the Gardens of Greed Rainer disliked, it was that the majority of the landscape was a literal garden. It didn't really leave much to the imagination. "I had hoped he would try to immediately break the magic and damage his body, like he said, it would cripple him for a small while. I only succeeded in affecting him with paralysis because he was careless, it definitely won't happen again. Actually, it was a gamble in the first place, I was too lucky." Rainer found a comfy spot hidden between two mounds of sand where he could lay his head against a mossy log and crossed his legs. His eyes closed, allowing him to contemplate things. "Considering how fast he found that Dwunst Ingr guy, I bet he'll find out where I am the moment the magic wears off. If I think about it, there really is no point in hiding. All I need to do is wait and relax for a while." The Lost World Ch. 05 And so without regard for what may happen within the next hour, Rainer brought himself to a quick sleep. ... Abaddon wasn't weak. In fact, the magic was wearing off sooner than normal. He could wiggle his fingers and toes. He could finally blink again and contort his face. His wings trembled with the electric impulses he sent in his body. "Hm, the effect is weakened to the perfect degree." It was a fairly obvious solution. Why wait for the effect to completely disappear when you could break free of the paralysis while its effect was weakened. The Warmaster's body thrummed with power unique to only Archdemons. The energy constricting his body attacked every bone, organ, and blood vessel in his body, threatening to put him out of commission. However, the Warmaster of Wrath would not allow himself to be defeated this easily... No. Of course he won't. (Don't tell me that brat is underestimating me, Satan, the Warmaster of Wrath... That little shit.) Despite what ran through Abaddon's mind, he also fully knew that breaking the paralysis early would still damage him to an extent, giving Rainer a clear advantage over this round. However, Abaddon didn't care about losing this round, he still had two more rounds to win and test the strength of the new Lord of Lust. Right now he simply wanted the Lord of Lust to taste some fear. As quickly as he forced the end of the paralysis, the magic ended. There was nothing notable to mention other than that everyone who curiously watched Abaddon and looked closely could see a few drops of blood seeping from his eyes and mouth. The Warmaster wiped away the small rivers of blood with his tongue, sending the iron liquid back into his body. Leaving everyone behind, Abaddon wasted not a single second in pursuing the Lord of Lust. He flew into the air approximately one and a half kilometers into the sky. He thrust his hand out, as if grasping for a weapon. Then something curious happened. The area around his hand distorted and crackled with a sound similar to chirping birds. The air opened up, as if the invisible gas had folded and folded into a dense pocket and now opened up. Abaddon reached inside this pocket and pulled out a handgun. This was no normal handgun; it was infinitely more powerful than any gun created in the human world. The barrel was at least half a meter long with a perfectly cylindrical shape. "Tracer bullet." Aiming the handgun upwards, Abaddon pulled the trigger. A small ball of red light shot out from the barrel and spun in circle until it halted in the direction of a round lake. After halting, the light sphere shot forth in the direction of the lake, or rather, a beach besides the lake. "There you are..." Abaddon smiled, "Gatling gun." After Abaddon chanted those two words, the amount of barrels on the gun he held multiplied by eight. Once again, the black demon pulled on the trigger, releasing a hail of bullets from his eight barreled gun. ... Rainer opened his eyes and jumped up. As sleepy his short nap made him, he was instantly jolted awake when he heard the whizzing of high speed projectiles racing through the air. With reflexes far superior to any ninja or martial artist, Rainer dodged the dozens of bullets aimed at him. Each bullet left a small crater around him, blowing sand omnidirectionally. "Eh... Isn't this supposed to be tag?" Worried for a second about Abaddon losing the gist of the duel, Rainer then barely noticed a black blur out of the corner of his eye. The young Lord of Lust sidestepped and ducked his head in a frantic move. A palm went over his shoulder with the force akin to a tank shell. Rainer kept with his momentum and jumped to the side, making trail marks upon his landing in the sand. Time until the hour was over: eighteen minutes. "Ahhh, you came sooner than I hoped. Well, this still can't be easy for you to move, can it?" Rainer acted rather relaxed, but he was somewhat worried in his mind. "I'll admit I am impressed by your magic. And yes, I am somewhat weakened by the aftereffects. Though that is temporary, and I am at least going to finish this game of tag by making you work for it, maybe win if I'm lucky." Abaddon raised the gun in his hand, which had returned to its original single barrel, and pointed it into the air. "Rocket barrage." Several cylinders sprouted from multiple areas of the gun barrel, each with a cone at its tip. Rainer watched with a tense sort of intrigue as the rockets attached to Abaddon's handgun screeched into the air. After forming a parabola with the smoke trail, the rockets began homing in on Rainer. "Isn't this just a straight out battle?!" Shouted the young black demon as he took off in the air, swerving around to dodge the rockets that continuously followed him like heat seeking missiles. Uttering a short buoyancy spell which essentially gave Rainer the ability to walk on water, he landed on the lake's surface with the intent to begin casting some ice magic. "Damn, I'm really going to have to defend myself? So much for a peaceful duel!" He raised both of his hands and two clumps of ice perfectly sculpted into tower shields raised from the water. This was the Dominion spell of Ice, granting Rainer complete control over the concept of ice. The shields shattered when the rockets exploded into them. It seemed that these rockets followed the straightest path to their target, disregarding any obstacles in the way. Rainer kept his eyes on Abaddon the entire time, wary for the demon trying to make another attempt at tagging him. He saw the Warmaster fire several normal bullets, each of which Rainer dodged easily. Those bullets, however, were simply meant to buy keep Rainer busy for even seconds. "Net round." Running forward as fast as his body allowed, Abaddon ignored the need for a water walking spell like Rainer and sped along the water's surface like a strider. Rainer instantly noticed the incoming danger. Unfortunately he was too busy dodging the normal bullets to notice the next projectile. "Shit!" With a cry, Rainer became tangled in a yet made of an unknown but tough material. He felt a light tap on the top of his head, which Rainer saw as Abaddon's head. It seems he was now the 'It'. Rainer of course didn't intend to lose, at least not like this. While he could lose this round and win the next two, he saw no point in simply giving in. Rainer, while still floating, made his body cold. Rainer was now colder than ice and colder than the peak of the tallest mountain. It almost felt natural, on how cold his body temperature dropped, as if his body has always lived this way. And that was only a result of the magic gathering in one hand. In the other hand, Rainer gathered the oxygen around him and incorporated it with the net covering his body. When that process was complete, Rainer froze the gathered oxygen and net together. He then lashed out with his limbs, shattering the net into more than a hundred pieces. The net was strong, nothing like the flimsy ones made by the craftsmanship of the seven circles or Earth. Of course it was obvious by the abilities it presented that Rainer knew the gun was clearly not a normal pistol. It was magical. It was a soul weapon. It had a similar presence to that which he felt from Old Age and Disaster. This was, without a doubt, Strife. This gun is obviously one of seven shards of Death's Scythe. Time until the hour was over: four minutes. Rainer chanted the name of a second Dominion spell: Water. He dipped one hand in the lake and threw it upwards. Instead of making a normal splash, one fourth of the lake entered the sky, taking on the form of harpoons and lassos. Abaddon knew that he would be unable to counter this incredible magic due to the short term crippling he was enduring. In actuality, he had absolutely no cards he could play, at least none that would cause little in the way of destruction. His gun could not counter the large scale water attack without pulling out an attack of destruction. If one thought about it, Rainer was actually not causing destruction by pulling out a fourth of the lake, he was actually assisting the growth of the gardens around him once the water was released, thus feeding the plants. The water entered the sky and surrounded Abaddon. The harpoons were too weak to pierce his body, but they hooked onto the little amount of clothing he had. The lassos wrapped around his legs, arms, and neck in order to hold him in place. "Tag, you're it." Rainer gently touched Abaddon's shoulder before leisurely flying back to the castle. He did not release Abaddon until the last few minutes were up. ... The two Rulers of Sin flew together, neither sharing animosity nor discord among each other. It was something akin to mutual respect. "That gun is Strife, right?" Asked Rainer even though he already knew the answer to the question. "Yea, what about it? Nifty little item, I don't really use it that much, but I needed it to make up for this temporary weakness... Ah, I've recovered now." Abaddon flipped the gun around in his hand like some western flick cowboy. "Although all of the Aspect of Death weapons are indeed dangerous, more so than any nuclear bomb, what exactly does the gun do that makes it so dangerous? I felt like you only used a small percentage of its true capabilities." "You are quite perceptive. You mentioned nuclear bombs, an extremely potent weapon in the human world. This gun of mine has the capability to completely replicate any weapon created by the humans of scientific origin. From crossbows to long-range missiles and to whatever humans create in the future: I can use this gun to fire all of them. I could have used this gun to fire off a blast comparable to a nuclear bomb, however why would I? If I did, I would lose the round of this duel." The fact that Abaddon cared more about winning the round than causing an ultimate explosion showed just how little regard he held towards life. Rainer truly saw this man as a demon. ... "And so the Warmaster of Wrath loses the third round of this duel. Please choose the format for the next round, Satan." Ennariel calmly went through the exact same thing he had done several times before. "Yea yea, for this round, I'm going to choose a favorite past time of mine: hunting. Hey, greedy bastard, we're going to my Waters of Wrath to hunt a kraken." - "The winner will be decided based on two aspects: the size of the kraken they hunt and the quality of the kraken they hunt." The location had switched. In order to hasten the process of transferring, only the Rulers of Sin came along with two subordinates each. Rainer chose Lauren for her knowledge over beasts and Hanazae for a reason unknown to everyone who witnessed his choosing. It was unknown only to those he brought with him to the Gardens of Greed; those of the other Sins assumed that Hanazae was a powerful warrior or magician of sorts. In fact, Rainer chose her for one reason only: her expertise as a maid. Rainer and Abaddon both stood on the beach of the Waters of Wrath's second largest island. "Size is self-explanatory. Quality will be graded on the completeness of the kraken's body and level of artistic beauty. You may now begin." As Abaddon leapt into the ocean with an impressive dive, Rainer slowly tread into the water. As ruler of this land, Abaddon had a clear advantage over Rainer. He could swim with great speed while completely ignoring water resistance; he probably even knew the lay of the oceans to an eidetic degree. Rainer needed magic to overcome his handicap. Magic to make him a being that could freely swim through the ocean waters even more effectively. No... That was too simple. Why bother transforming himself into a being that could swim when he just become the water itself? (Sheesh, and here I used to be surprised by nearly every nonsensical thing I see in these damn circles. And yet now I'm doing one of these impossible things myself? I need to embrace the impossible if I ever want to be able to beat her, that Archangel. Unlike me, she didn't even enter her Ramiel avatar. Well, let's stop wasting time...) Nearly the opposite of 'Dominion' was a class of spells called 'Form'. Where Dominion gave you complete control of a type of entity, Form literally gave you the form of that entity. "The natural element of water, you are plentiful You take hold in every one of our bodies Now you will take hold in every part of my body Until you and I are completely alike." Rainer dissolved completely into a clear liquid tinted a faint blue and morphed into the great ocean. "R-Rainer-Sae?!" Hanazae called her lord's name in fright after his disappearance. "What the hell?" Lauren was equally surprised. Although she vaguely knew of the magic Rainer had performed, she had never even thought she would see it happen. Her mother had taught her the dangers of such a magic. If you lost even a portion of your fluidic body, should you take on the form of a liquid like water, you would lose that body part forever. And you would not even know if you lost that body part until after you retook your original body. Her mother had even told her of a mage who had performed a Form spell for, believe it or not, alcohol (it was to ambush another man who drank copious amounts of alcohol. In the process, the mage's target accidentally spilled the beverage, resulting in a small portion of the liquid body to splash from the chalice the alcohol was held in. Once the mage reformed his body in order to perform his attack, he instantly noticed that his body no longer had a head. That portion of alcohol that had spilled from the chalice used to be his head. The mage died instantly after spurting blood all over his target. If Rainer did not keep his liquid body together, he could very well die. ... Rainer surged like a miniature ocean current throughout the vast Waters of Wrath. He extended the reach of his liquid body in order to maximize his search distance for a suitable kraken to hunt. (I haven't really practiced this type of spell very much. So I better concentrate as hard as I can.) With these thoughts in mind, Rainer obviously knew of the dangers of a Form spell. In fact, he nearly lost his demonic tail the one time he did practice. Rainer fully understood that if he had to become someone who could protect a world, whether it is the Land of Lust or Earth, he needed every trick in his hand to be fully utilized. And by that, he needed every single spell inside the vast text of the Grimoire. Rainer didn't really know how he could 'see' while taking on a distorted figure of water resembling his body while stretched into thin strands. All he knew was that he could see, feel, and hear while in the water. Another curious effect of the form spell was that Rainer could sense the exact locations, shape, and size of certain objects via the electric impulses in the water. It was similar to how a shark could zero in on prey when it thrashed about in the water. The Waters of Wrath was without a doubt an extremely immense body of water. In fact, the bits of land scattered throughout this world were islands of varying size. And as fitting a world of mainly water, Rainer saw an ecosystem he never thought possible. Imagine the entirety of the animal and plant kingdoms of Earth exponentially expanded upon and lazily tossed about in the ocean. Rainer recognized not a single animal in the water. He saw a type of animal resembling a puffer fish, although it was drastically increased in size (by about a hundred meters). Rainer witnessed several of the spikes literally shoot out from the fish's body and pierce another animal which writhed in pain. The strange fish then reeled in its spikes and brought the prey to its mouth which it ate in one solid crunch. Then, out of nowhere, a green blob which looked like a ball of moss, floating into the vicinity. The massive puffer fish shots its spikes out, presumably to either eat some more or defend itself. The spikes embedded themselves into the green blob, but as the spikes reeled in its prey, the green blob split itself in half. Then the blob enveloped the entirety of the puffer fish who shot all of its spikes in a frantic attempt to escape. It turned out to be a fruitless attempt as the puffer fish become completely swallowed up by the mossy green blob. (Was that a sort of carnivorous plant? No matter, where shall I find this kraken?) Rainer went even deeper. He was only just below the surface of the ocean, a dangerous beast like a kraken would not be anywhere close to the surface unless during a special circumstance. Beforehand, Lauren told Rainer everything he needed to know about how to find a decent kraken. They were nearly at the bottom of the Waters of Wrath's oceans, only coming up to feed on large quantities of food for decades at a time. It seemed they hibernated deep below water for hundreds or more years at a time, so the majority of the race of monsters would be there. Logically thinking about it, the largest krakens would be the ones who have lived the longest. The highest quality ones would be the krakens that have freshly fed up and returned to the ocean depths, although at least half of those would by damaged by the prey who defended themselves. (That's the kind of kraken I need to hunt. One that has freshly fed for its decade close to the surface.) Rainer searched for a good twenty minutes, admiring the local flora and fauna along the way, until he found his first kraken. It was monstrous, that was all Rainer could think to say about it. Around fifty tentacles, forty-four of which had those familiar octopus like feeling with suckers. The other eight looked like deadly clubs similar to dinosaur. However... (It doesn't look too tasty. I'm not hunting that one.) As his thoughts implied, the kraken had numerous bits of mottled skin and several scars. One of the tentacles even looked like it had been frayed to its core. It was quite large, but it had nothing in the quality department. Either the kraken noticed Rainer's presence despite him being literally one with water, or it outright knew Rainer's location, but it slashed two of its clubbing tentacles at Rainer. If those tentacles severed the body of water Rainer had as his body, he would most likely die upon releasing the Form spell. (Don't go underestimating me, you damn squid!) Rainer bunched his body of water together and began spinning like a drill. The club tentacles continuously attacked Rainer, but he effortlessly avoided all of them. It was simply an animal after all. It was too outmatched against an Archdemon. When he was satisfied with the speed of his rotation, Rainer burst forward with a great bit of speed and pierce the kraken's main body like a drilling spear. After entering the disgusting body of the kraken, Rainer released his compressed body of water, effectively making the kraken explode from the inside out. (Wait, what's that?) Rainer asked this, but he could already tell there was another kraken somewhere nearby. He just didn't know if it was suitable to his tastes. Krakens were actually creatures with a moderate amount of intelligence. However they only showed that intelligence to their own kin. They were strange, despite their outright hostile nature to everything, it seemed they formed small peaceful cliques among their species and occasionally hunted in packs. Rainer recalled more information Lauren had taught him, perhaps this was an occurrence of that? What Rainer saw surprised him. The kraken he saw was relatively diminutive in size, suggesting it was a younger kraken. It had a unique coloring to it, a dark hue of blue which allowed it to blend in with the ocean depths. (That's it, that's the one I want!) Declared Rainer in his mind. He didn't know exactly what it was about this kraken, but he knew it would be perfect for his plan. After all, Rainer wasn't trying to win this round, but the next, using the kraken he caught as the deciding factor. The Lost World Ch. 05 The kraken attack Rainer's water body to no avail, each of its numerous tentacles missing the amorphous blob of water. Although Rainer was caught in the leftover currents caused by the tentacles, he strategically used those currents to make his body of water move faster around the kraken's body. Rainer manipulated his water body as if he had his own set of tentacles and knocked aside every attack the young kraken sent at him. Eventually, after a peculiar battle between a set of fleshy tentacles and a set of water tentacles, the result became that the fleshy tentacles were lassoed by its enemies. Rainer took the chance to land a killing blow inside the kraken's main body, eliminating the bit of life it had left. Krakens were quite impressive, as Rainer had found it quite difficult to cease its death throes. In essence, krakens were like even larger versions of squids and octopi, thus it only makes sense that its survivability is greatly improved upon. Still, Rainer did it in the end. (Now to bring it back...) - "And so I declare this rounds winner to be the Warmaster of Wrath, Abaddon." The kraken brought in by Abaddon was an impressive kilometer long ways and at least half that wide. It seemed that ones that size had to be at least nearly one thousand years old. On a side note, the largest kraken recorded was thrice that size and twice its age. Abaddon had slain it from the deepest depths of the ocean and rode its dead body to the surface and pulled it while he swam back to the round's beginning. Rainer feigned being unable to find a decently sized kraken and just hunted the first one he saw and brought it over. It was slightly understandable since Abaddon of course knew the best spots to hunt the beast in his own world while Rainer did not. Of course that sentiment would change if everyone knew that Rainer's assistant, Lauren, had informed him on the best places to find krakens. "This brings the result of the duel to an even two victory split on both sides. The results of the next round decide the winner. Lord of Lust, Rainer what will the format of the next round consist of?" Ennariel stroked his chin, somewhat curious about what the brand new Ruler of Sin would choose as a desperate attempt to win the duel, if he cared about winning. Rainer looked over his shoulder with a smirk at Hanazae. The succubus maid looked inside a large bag she had hoisted over her back and swiftly nodded back. "Don't worry; what she has won't greatly affect the duel. In any case, I decided to emulate my predecessor a bit, that damn frivolous bastard. So the final round will be a cooking competition using the krakens we hunted. Let the gluttony demons be the judges or something." ""..."" Both Ennariel and Abaddon were wordless. The rest of the people present for the short detour in the Waters of Wrath, save for Lauren and Hanazae, had various looks of surprise. After the initial stunned looks wore off, Abaddon muttered a curse under his breath. "You expect me, the Warmaster of an entire world of demons, to participate in a bloody cooking competition?" "Isn't the loser allowed to choose the format for each round regardless of the complaints of the other party?" Rainer countered the complaint with flawless logic of the rules of a Ruler of Sin's duel. "That's..." "Strategy is just as essential. I intentionally searched for a kraken which I knew would have superior parts and taste, disregarding simple size of the beast. In an outright battle between the two of us, I don't really know who would win. Probably you since you have plenty of more battle experience, but I'm not going to lose when it comes to thinking." Abaddon felt the flame of fury ignite within his head, but he knew that he was clearly wrong. It was despicable to choose such an inane way of ending what could have been a glorious battle, but the rules were the rules. If he thought about it, he had already tested the guile and battle strength of the new Asmodeus and found it worthy to be a Ruler of Sin. Still, he had gone this far, he certainly wasn't going to give up now (even if the closest he had come to cooking was chewing a piece of bubblegum). "Very well then, as odd as this final round will be, the duel will be decided by whoever makes the best meal using the kraken they caught as the main ingredient. For Abaddon's sake, you may have one assistant each. Dagon, would you and your two subordinates be willing to judge?" Ennariel gestured towards the towering demon who was watching with interest while downing a skin filled with presumably a strong alcohol. "OF COURSE!" With that shout, Ennariel nodded. "Well, then let's waste no more time. Begin." ... "Rainer, though you said you were going to cook this kraken, can you really do it? I mean it's a completely different animal than what is back on Earth... Even then, had you cooked anything like it before?" Lauren raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he had in mind. "Hey hey, Lauren, don't underestimate the cooking skills of a guy who's lived alone for half his life." Exclaimed Rainer with mock hurt. "No, I don't just underestimate the cooking skills of a male bachelor... I don't estimate at all because there is nothing TO estimate." Lauren said sardonically while blowing a lock of black hair out of her eyes and mouth. "Ouch, rude." While he said this, Rainer began chopping a length of the kraken's tentacle into small cubes. He also severed the little suction cups which his assistant, Hanazae, put into a bowl and began kneading them into a mixture of spices. Lauren directed her eyesight to Abaddon. It seemed like he had no idea what he was doing and was consulting his assistant which turned out to be a rather short orange skinned Wrath demon. "Seriously... This is just too silly for me to say anything anymore. You're dueling the Warmaster of WRATH with a cooking competition. Anybody in the magic community on Earth would be laughing their asses off right now." "Good for them; too bad for them they don't get to eat my cooking. You remember back at school, right? My lunches always looked delicious when I brought them" As Lauren looked back on the school life the both of them left behind, she did indeed remember a delicious smell that wafted towards her during lunchtime. Well, there was no going back even if they wanted to. "If I may... How are schools different in the human world compared to the Circles of Sin?" Hanazae asked a question while she busily prepared the food with her keen fingers. "Neither of us would be a good person to ask, we weren't really involved in school. Hm, Hanazae, hand me the honey." Rainer took the bottle of sweet honey and coated the cubes of meat in the sticky substance. He then began added a salty complement to the cubes, in preparation for roasting. "Yea, though it was better that way. I didn't really know how to make any friends considering my hermit lifestyle after I parted with my mom. I really only befriended the mythical beasts I entered into pacts with, especially Fafnir." "Well, I simply didn't try to get any friends. A poor excuse yea, but I really didn't care about my future back when I lived in Earth." Rainer spoke with an odd enthusiasm, despite the depressing nature of his words. "You certainly turned that thought process around this past year." "I just found something to work for, that's all. Now, let's win this damn duel!" With that exclamation, Rainer went into a cooking frenzy. - The results were obvious, though the ending was quite entertaining. "Look, I know you're the Lord of Lust and you have a world to lord over... But can you come to my Grounds of Gluttony and cook for me some more?" That sentence said it all, coming directly from Dagon's mouth himself. It was actually the most soft spoken Rainer had heard him be yet. Everyone knew at that point Rainer had won the cooking round and thus the entire duel. While Abaddon had made a half-hearted attempt at the round, he did submit a dish which actually was rather impressive. It could probably even top those made in a swanky five star restaurant, not that Rainer had any idea what was in a place like that. It consisted of small strips of kraken meat presented almost like sushi. In the end, Rainer's submission, a seafood salad with roasted kraken chunks and improvised croutons. As a side, he presented various edible organs of the kraken each presented and cooked in their own way. "Lord of Lust, Rainer, you are the winner of the duel. As per the rules of a duel between Rulers of Sin, you make take custody of one of the Pillar of Wrath." Rainer was currently being congratulated by the two lovely women by his side, barely able to acknowledge the demon's words, "Ah, oh, uh... What?" - "Mmm, you won so majestically, Rainer-Sae!" "Uh, I don't think you should call it majestic. Still, nevertheless, you were quite impressive in more ways than one, Rainer." "I clearly understand, and in all meanings of the word humble accept the praise, but..." On both sides of his head, Rainer found two soft valleys crowding his sight. "I don't think now is a very good time for a 'reward?'" "On the contrary, now is the perfect time for a reward. Besides, I haven't had very much time with you recently." Lauren's enticing chest was all the more glorious in the way she pushed it forward. As Lauren was human and not a demon, she was much less prone to frequently engaging in sinful acts of any type, especially the libidinous ones the Land of Lust is so famous for. Yet despite that, it was precisely the fact that she was human in that she could fall prey to Lust more easily than other beings other than the ones that have always resided in the Land of Lust. Now was one of those times. "Rainer-Sae, we should have just enough time to make the pleasure mutual. Or perhaps you would simply like to watch the two of us go at it instead?" Hanazae opened her rounded lips just wide enough for her forked tongue to slither out and seductively dab against Lauren's own set of lips. Any normal being, angels included, would have capitulated at this point. Rainer went above and beyond mere 'capitulation', instead opting to take what was his. The young Lord of Lust kissed both the demoness and the human in turn and skillfully removed what little undergarments they had on. "I wouldn't be able to take much teasing from you two, so I'll be joining in." Without waiting for any hint of confirmation, Rainer speedily bypassed the defense of the two and began expertly fondling their various erogenous zones without abandon. Hanazae mewled like a cat while Lauren smirked and slipped her hand downwards while returning the kiss to the demoness. The demon maid accepted the kiss with shameless sucking sounds. Her moans of pleasure from the skillful fingers of Rainer were drowned in Lauren's mouth who was moaning with an equally loud but muffled voice. The faint smell of magic permeated the scene, but it was simply Rainer willing away the rest of the clothing the three of them wore. If they wanted it back on, all they had to do was literally 'summon' an outfit. Rainer worked the fingers of both hands around the tender folds of both girls' lovely pussies hidden between their closed thighs. He gently pried open their entrances with two fingers each, teasing their insides with the tips of his digits. He worked his thumbs around the hoods covering their unique nubs, rubbing the sensitive bumps as if his thumbs were erasers. While he was administering tactile attention with his hands, Rainer began suckling on the erect nubs on both sets of breasts before him. He admired the sight of both ladies making out before his eyes. Lauren's sleek head of short black hair (which currently had streaks of green and red hair dye) intermixed with Hanazae's set of glamorously long, purplish hair until Rainer could no longer tell which individual strand belonged to whom. His shaft, which was being slowly stroked by Lauren's fingers, was on the verge of turning blue from the constant stimulation. He wanted-No, needed to cum lest he went partially insane with lust and began fucking every pretty girl in sight. On a completely random side note, the previous Asmodeus had this happen to him when he was trying to see how long he could go without indulging in his lusts. Rainer, though with some small effort, forcibly separated the locked lips, compelling the two beautiful women to focus their gaze on the interrupter. "Hey hey, the Lord of Lust here could use some assistance, like... Now?" Often Rainer had to use his authoritative voice and temperament in order to get what he 'needed'. If he didn't, the ones he was with often attempted to tease him or lead him on longer. That was probably the sole reason why Rainer avoided every single possible opportunity Teras had given him to have sex with her. She wasn't named the Sadism of Lust for nothing. "Mmm, of course..." Lauren slipped downwards until she was on her knees, Hanazae followed suit until they were both in the same position. "Hanazae, I don't believe we've teamed up before. Would you like to do the honors?" Asked Lauren with the most arousing voice Rainer had ever heard from the witch. "It would be my pleasure." After uttering that phrase, Hanazae engulfed as much of Rainer's length as she could into her mouth. The succubus maid could feel herself quickly growing wet. She often found herself getting off more on giving her superior pleasure he ordered for than receiving the same pleasure. Of course she greatly loved the intimacy and great pleasure one received from the simple action of sex, Hanazae simply found it infinitely more arousing to please her master with her every asset and skill she had. The purple skinned maid sucked and licked with the full power of her tongue and lips. However, she made sure to not deny access to Rainer to Lauren who moved in to assist in bringing Rainer to climax by tenderly sucking and licking around his sack. Rainer's hands found their way to Hanazae's lustrous horns and Lauren's silky head, grasping them both firmly but not forcefully. The dual stimulation from Hanazae on his shaft and Lauren on his balls was quite effective, but it wasn't enough to satiate his lusts. Unfortunately, time just wasn't on their sides. Fully knowing this, Rainer stood up and tightened his grip on both girls' heads and forced his shaft as deeply as possible down Hanazae's tight throat. The maid succubus gagged slightly, but got rid of the reflex and worked the insides of her mouth, tongue, and cheeks as effectively as possible to bring her lover to orgasm. She hefted her breasts upwards, holding them up with the length of a single arm while slowly massaging her throat. The impressive maneuver surprised Rainer, making him more susceptible to the subtle milking process involved. Lauren watched from the side, slightly amazed at how the once teary eyed Hanazae turn from such a docile creature into a terrible predator. (Maybe I should take notes...) Lauren mused absentmindedly as she stared at the sight before her. Noticing Lauren's distracted look, Rainer grinned like your normal arrogant bastard and pushed away Hanazae's head. The pure suction Hanazae had on Rainer's cock nearly left a red mark around his dick remnant from her lips. Pouting slightly from not having the object of her desires, Hanazae bunched her arms up under her chest, causing the two voluptuous orbs to jiggle like water balloons. Rainer took advantage of Lauren's blank thoughtful state by doing exactly what he did to Hanazae: forcing his dick as deeply down her throat as possible. "Ah, I'm so evil. Doing this to a fair maiden." For fun he stressed the words 'evil' and 'maiden'. Lauren reacted with a muffled cry of surprise rather than distress. She was particularly pissed off, as she had seen actions similar to this quite a bit around the Land of Lust and had gotten acclimated to it. However, having such a brusque move pulled on her was entirely different, not that she minded when it was Rainer. The witch opened up the passage in her throat as best as she was able, though she still gagged on Rainer's thickness. Lauren was human, not a succubus, she didn't have a natural talent towards sex like Hanazae, Asmodea, or Zazie. Still, she persevered and accepted Rainer's girth down her throat, earnestly sucking on the shaft she had come to memorize the shape of. Lauren lifted her breasts upwards, aiming the tips of her nipples onto the sack below her mouth. She managed to free herself just enough to work her magic and suck off Rainer to the best of her ability. Rainer endured this long enough, his semi-ruthless throat-fucking was going to make him cum soon and the deity of Lust within him wanted it to be now. Sensing the burgeoning load inside him welling up through his cock, Rainer removed himself from Lauren's mouth and began furiously stroking himself off. "Here you both go!" Although it sounded reminiscent of a cheesy porn video, Rainer began stroking himself in order to release his load onto the two beautiful women before him. Hanazae moved next to Lauren, kissing her cheek with a dainty kiss before pressing herself cheek to cheek. Lauren pushed back and opened her mouth alongside Hanazae as they both extended their tongues outwards. Rainer though about one thing only, that they would only do this for him despite being so involved with Lust. It made him feel so incredibly... Thankful, though not because they simply fucked him, because they truly cared about him. Rainer's mushy thoughts instantly disappeared when he released a held back breath and shot out multiple ropes of his personal load. Over the contrastingly cute and sexy faces of both girls appeared streams of Rainer's white seed. The bits that ended up on their tongues and in their open mouths became enveloped with their saliva and found their way down their throats. Lauren stole the initiative and licked the cream that glistened from the head of Rainer's cock. After licking her lips, she asked, "So, Rainer, you're going to get a cute girl from the Warmaster, aren't you?" "Sounds good, maybe I'll see what those mermaids look like- Ah? H-Hey!" Rainer's reply prompted Hanazae to swat his behind with her tail. "No." "Ah, Hanazae? I do believe that the Lord of Lust doesn't take no for an answer." ""No."" This time the no came from both Hanazae and Lauren. "Uh, well, even if I do choose a beautiful woman, it doesn't mean I'll be pulling authority to get into her pants... Or in a mermaid's case, whatever she wears." Rainer scratched his head while laughing off the threating glares with little success. "Still, I've given it a little thought and I won't be choosing a hostage based on looks. It won't do any good if the one I acquire is weak, they'll have to be skilled enough to be on the level of a pillar member, maybe be a pillar member themselves." ""..."" "Ahah, apparently neither of you are convinced. Well, I admit, I'm going to base at least fifty percent of my decision on their looks- AH, WHOA!" - In a church building located in a country named Italy, there was a secretive and obscure sect. This sect was known to its followers as Sin's Acolytes. It, as the name implied, worshipped demons and attributed Rulers of Sin to the equivalent of gods. In a basement room below the church was a circle of numerous runestones each inscribed with a unique character. The numerous cabalists were busy preparing for a long-range teleportation spell which would grant access to another world. As for the world they were aiming at, well it was of course a Circle of Sin. As for which one, they didn't know there were multiple worlds the demons lived on, believing all of them to reside in the true hell which was a completely separate dimension itself. The Lost World Ch. 05 When the preparations were complete, the cultists, young and old, male and female, all gathered together in a vast circle of more than seventy members. They all wore clothing of various styles. Some had on priest and nun garb as they pretended to be devoted worshippers of god by day and insane delvers of sin at night. Others wore the normal clothing you would see on an everyday man or woman or child. They had all gathered together as loyal followers of the concept of Sin. Virtue is the downfall of man to them, the only true way to become like their saviors, the demons, is to immerse oneself in Sin (they weren't technically wrong). However, if it was that easy to become a demon, everyone would have become one long ago. They all began chanting the same prayer, a prayer devoted towards Sin, in Latin, over and over again. This was a cursed prayer, one unlike any repeated in the sermons across any public church. A prayer towards demons never ends in harmony or happiness. Even though not all demons were inherently evil or malicious, they are still corrupted beings that revel in their Sin. All races have the good and bad, demons simply have more so of the latter. One of the seventy people exploded in a mass of blood, bone, and hair that sprayed in all directions. None of the other members of the cult seemed to care or notice; they went about their cursed prayer. Two, three, four, and then even ten members of the cult exploded in turn and at times simultaneously until there were only fourteen cultists going about their prayer without a thought in their minds. These humans were ones of relatively low density of magical power, and thus utilized themselves as live sacrifices offering their life force to further the spell. A damned spell of summoning requires a damned way of bringing about the result. No doubt each of these cultists' souls would be going to hell, which would be their version of nirvana. A small sliver of crackling energy began on the centerpiece of the circle of stones and spread around to the entire circle. Once a full circle was drawn, a webbed field of shimmering blue and white liquid spread from the base of the circle up into a half-sphere. The shimmering liquid stayed true to its shape, though every so often a ripple appeared. A single man walked through, taking steps with absolute arrogance and solidarity. At once the various cultists noticed the man's jet black horns, tail, and wings. What they summoned was without a doubt a demon. "You're-" One of the cultists tried to say something, but he was instantly decapitated, with his head rolling to the ground and his eyelids still blinking. How the rest of the thirteen cultists would have reacted remained a mystery, as all their heads fell to the ground in a similar manner. "Ah, the human world... When was I here last?" The demon ignored the heads that rolled around his feet and the blood from the exploded humans which he stepped in. He stroked his bearded chin until he came up with an answer. "That's right, I remember now... Though it was an insignificant event. Didn't I kill a bunch of sluts at some guy's request? I remember taking his soul after the fifth... Or did I kill a sixth? No matter, I have become the one to rip apart a human head from its body in this brand new war against angels. I am the 'Ripper' after all, tis only natural. Oi, everyone, let's make ourselves a stronghold, shall we?" After the demon who called himself the Ripper walked past the bodies he made into corpses, many more demons followed him through the portal. Some weren't even demons, but members of the humanoid races that resided in the various circles. One was a Djinn wielding a unique scepter and another was a Anubite with four sickle shaped swords strapped to his back. And so the war against angels unofficially began. - I had come up with many different formats for this chapter, but if I used certain ones then it would end up making the chapter even longer and more pointless. In ways I had great fun writing this chapter, but I'm also quite unsatisfied with its outcome. It just simply seems like a random sidestory. In any case, it was probably noticeable that I got bored and hustled through the chapter, though I had a bit of writer's block near the very end. In any case, thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoy to any extent this chapter of the story.