Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 138: Meeting a Ruler
As always, a bunch of chapters ahead at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
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- Felix -
I took a step forward in the air, space warping around me. I looked around. I was in a secluded alley of sorts, so that was convenient, but what really stuck out to me was the massive Aura I could sense right away.
It wasn't as big as any of the Monarchs', but it was up there. It was also incredibly Holy, not as holy as Hinata of course, but it was up there, which led me to believe that it was a Ruler who had incarnated in their vessel; the Chairman most likely.
The Rulers likely figured out what was going on, so they descended to get a better understanding of the situation. Now it seemed like he was signaling me to meet him, otherwise there was no reason for him to flare his Aura like he was. Either that or he just lacked control in the vessel he was in.
I could also sense Jin-Woo's Aura and that of the other S-Rankers there as well. It seems they met up with a Ruler then.
I took another step forward, space once again warping around me. I looked around. I had aimed to teleport to the origin of the Aura I was sensing.
Now I was in front of the door to an apartment, but I didn't expand my senses into the apartment; that would be rude.
Once I knocked on the door it was quickly opened for me, Sung Jin-Woo being the one who did so.
"Hello there."
"General Kenobi!" I heard Min Byung-Gyu yell from the back.
I grinned. "At least one of you gets it. There aren't enough men of culture in this world." I don't know how many times I used that reference in the Cardinal World and essentially just got "left on heard".
I'm glad I revived Byung-Gyu, he's fun and he had his priorities straight. When you're not fuck off strong, and already super rich, why continue putting your life at risk by going into Gates? I'd also like to retire and enjoy my hard earned money in that situation too.
The only mistake he made was setting a flag beforehand.
Sung Jin-Woo, of course, wasn't laughing or smiling. I patted him on the shoulder, causing him to stiffen up before I slipped past him. "Always so serious."
It was probably rude to enter uninvited, but I'm sure it was fine. Plus, I was going to give him a buffed up Beru. That makes up for any sort of annoyance I could possibly cause.
I took a good look around the room. All the S-Ranks I met at Jeju Island were scattered across the living room, except for two of them. On the TV there was a message saying the broadcast ended.
All of them were looking at me in various states of either wariness, worship, or just plain terror. All of them were capable of hiding what they were feeling from showing on their faces, though. Not that something so simple was enough for me.
By now, I could already feel some faith from this world alone flowing into me which was certainly interesting. Now I had faith flowing into me from three worlds, the Cardinal World, the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, and this one. Not that I used faith much, it was pretty much only used to power up Raiden and her squad of maids since she taught them how to use some holy magic.
My gaze was drawn to one of the love seats. On it was sitting an elderly looking man with gray hair, a suit and numerous scars all over his body. The most eye catching thing though was the softly glowing yellow eyes, and of course the massive Holy Aura he was gently giving off.
"So you're the one that descended." I mused out loud.
"Indeed I am." Said the ethereal voice that came out of the Chairman's mouth. "It is a pleasure to meet you." The Ruler said. "I am known as the Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light. May I call you Felix?" The Ruler asked politely.
"Call me whatever, I'm not a stick in the mud about things like that. Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light though, huh? Not gonna lie, that doesn't really roll off the tongue."
Now that I was in front of him, I could measure his power rather easily. Partially incarnated as he was, his total power was less than the Monarchs I faced, but he was still quite high up there, with over 1,000,000 EP and barely being incarnated on top of that too.
My guess was that fully incarnated he'd be stronger than the strongest Monarch I faced so far.
I didn't know if that meant the Rulers were stronger on average or if this Ruler in particular was one of the stronger of the bunch.
The Ruler ignored my comment about his name, and gestured to me to take the seat across from him, something I complied with. Before he could begin talking, I spoke up. "So since I killed three of your ancient enemies that you guys apparently couldn't kill, I think that merits a reward, no?" I immediately said. I didn't really care for the inevitable small talk and/or questioning.
I could feel the shock of the S-Rank Hunters in the room; shock at what I asked for or how brazen I was being, I didn't know.
The Ruler blinked in confusion before slowly nodding. "That is fair, yes. Is there something you desire?" He asked, completely nonplussed.
"There is, I want the Cup."
It seemed like a rather interesting artifact. I don't think it actually rewinded time, because if it did, then Jin-Woo would not have retained his abilities. The more likely scenario is that it overrode your previous self with your new self's soul, creating a branching timeline essentially in which the Rulers would start over.
What happened to the old timelines, I couldn't say, but it was still something I wanted to get data on.
The Ruler froze for a moment. "I will need to speak with my peers before giving you an answer, ignoring how you are even aware of the Cup of Reincarnation."
"That's fine." I said, ignoring his latter question worded as a statement.
I was asking for a rather big thing. The Cup of Reincarnation is the sole thing that's kept the Rulers going so far. They've been using it to rewind their losses against the Monarchs over and over again, which led to the timeline we're currently in.
The only reason they would probably consider it is due to my help in killing three Monarchs, and them likely wanting me to keep helping them.
They'd failed numerous times up to this point. I'm sure they've tried different things, but they still keep losing against the Monarchs. If I were them and some new variable showed up that could perhaps turn things around, I'd be willing to do a lot for them. I'd be getting pretty sick and tired of their continuous war too.
If they won against the Monarchs this time around, then they had no need for the Cup either, so how much were they really losing?
Without missing a beat The Ruler continued. "I would like to formally give you my thanks for slaying the Monarch of Frost, Monarch of Fangs, and Monarch of Transfiguration." The Ruler said as he dipped his head slightly. "What you have done has drastically assisted our side of the war, and The Rulers will not forget this."
"No problem, they got what was coming for them, and it's not like I'm getting nothing out of it."
The Ruler nodded. "If you would be amenable, I would like to invite you to our dimension for a discussion with all of my kin. There you may ask for what else you wish, and perhaps we may form closer ties to one another."
I hummed thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging. "Sure, I am curious about your guys' dimension and I had a few questions of my own that are best asked somewhere more private."
The Ruler smiled with Go Gunhee's face. "Very well. I will have one of our agents meet you to discuss a date and time of your choosing. Unfortunately my continued presence is beginning to strain this vessel." He paused for a moment before leaving. "I overheard that your desire for visiting this universe is what the Humans call a vacation?" He asked.
"Mhmm. Some pretty troublesome stuff is going on in my home world, and this one is a bit more relaxed for my taste."
I really had been dealing with stuff almost nonstop in the Cardinal World. Perhaps not directly, but I was at least always involved in the planning and whatnot, which was unfortunate. Who would have thought I'd have more work to do as a Demon Lord than before I was one, and that was with the mythical power of delegation.
I overheard Lim Tae-Gyu, the Archer guy whisper to Baek Yoonho. "We're having a world ending apocalypse and he's calling this relaxed?"
I ignored him though, as did The Ruler. "Very well. I have instructed my vessel to coordinate with you to satisfy your wishes."
I raised a brow. "Thanks for that then."
This Ruler was sucking up to me quite a bit, which in my experience meant he wanted something. There were a few guesses I had as to what he could want.
With one final nod, I could feel the Ruler's presence vanish from Go Gunhee's body.
Go Gunhee himself gained awareness as he blinked in confusion, before I began to feel a sense of understanding from him through Lover.
He looked at me, a smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Felix. My name is Go Gunhee, and I will be responsible for making your stay as pleasant as possible." He said as he approached me, offering me his hand.
I stood up and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you as well. I've heard good things about you."
At my words he blinked in confusion. "Is that so? I was led to believe you were not from this world."
I nodded. "That's true." I said, not elaborating as I took my seat again. Go Gunhee sat across from me, where the Ruler was sitting.
He looked around the room, to each of the S-Rankers. "I'm glad you all managed to make it back safe." He said with a relieved smile.
"Aha, well I made it thanks to that guy over there." Min Byung-Gyu said.
Go Gunhee nodded seriously as he dipped his head at me. "I cannot thank you enough for bringing Min Byung-Gyu back home alive. Whatever it is that you need for your stay, you will have it."
Baek Yoonho approached us and deeply bowed his head. "As the Chairman said, thank you for saving my friend. Should you require anything of the White Tiger Guild, you will have it."
Min Byung-Gyu joined him with a quick bow. "Yeah, seriously thanks. I really shouldn't have set up that flag with what I said about relaxing after that one final mission." He added with a sigh.
I smiled. "No problem. You seem like a fun person, so I didn't mind." With my words all three of them raised their heads.
Go Gunhee looked to Sung Jin-Woo who was standing to the side of the room. "Thank you for saving them, Hunter Sung. If it were not for you, then none of them would have returned home." Go Gunhee said with a dip of his head.
Jin-Woo merely nodded, his thoughts seemingly being elsewhere.
"Chairman, I hope you don't mind but I need to check in with my Guild and see how they're managing." Lim Tae-Gyu, the Archer guy said.
Go Gunhee nodded. "I will come to speak with you privately another time."
With that, Lim Tae-Gyu left. After that, Ma Dongwook, the Tanker, approached me and roughly slapped my shoulder. "Haha, thanks for your help. We would've been goners if it weren't for you."
I held my tongue in saying they were only in danger because of my presence. That probably wasn't the right thing to say at this moment.
I just nodded. Ma Dongwook then looked to the Chairman, and similarly said he needed to leave. Leaving just me, Jin-Woo, Go Gunhee, Baek Yoonho, and Min Byung-Gyu.
I'm guessing the other two S-Rankers that were present are at the hospital or something since Cha Hae-In was pretty hurt.
The naming culture itself in this country was different from what I was used to. For Korean names, you generally were supposed to say the last and first name together when referring to someone, otherwise it was considered rude.
But that was too much work for me, at least when actually speaking.
"What did you want to speak about?" I said to the Chairman as I relaxed into the seat.
Go Gunhee eyes widened slightly before sighing. "I suppose it is expected that you could see through me. I hope you do not mind, but I find that I wish to get a better read on you as a person, something I was not able to do with the Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light possessing my body."
I raised a brow. "You were aware during that?" From what I could tell, a person needed a rather strong Spirit to remain aware while a Ruler possessed you.
Go Gunhee nodded. "Somewhat, but not as much as I would have liked."
"You have some high standards." I said with a laugh.
The Chairman gave me a minute nod. "Perhaps."
Go Gunhee broke the silence, perhaps sensing the heavy atmosphere. "Felix, if you don't mind me asking… what are your intentions here?" He asked, somewhat hesitantly. "I am aware that you said you wish to vacation here, but is there anything else you desire?" He lightly probed.
I tilted my head, letting the question hang for a moment before answering.
"I don't have any grand ambitions if that's what you're worried about. I'm not here to take over your world or anything. If I wanted to do that, I would have just accepted the offer of the Monarchs."
Normally this insistent questioning would get annoying at some point, but I could put myself in his shoes and see where his worry came from. In fact I could still feel his utter fear of me, but overpowering that fear was his sense of duty, and that was something I could respect.
Go Gunhee nodded. "I agree, having your confirmation will merely make it easier to get the upper echelons of this country, and the world, to relax."
I shrugged. "Speak your mind freely, I'm not going to get angry about you asking reasonable questions or anything. So long as you stay reasonable, I will as well."
Go Gunhee nodded at my words.
"As for your question, I don't mind saying outright that I'm not going to cause trouble if it makes your job easier for you. I do plan to primarily reside in this country, but I'll be going around the world as well. The less people bother me, the better. I'm not going to be a threat to you Humans unless someone makes me into one. I just want to enjoy some peace and quiet, and answer some questions I have about this universe."
The main reason I wanted to stay in this country was due to all the interesting events that seem to center around it.
Go Gunhee nodded, completely believing me. It wasn't like I was lying either, and I had no reason to lie.
Go Gunhee chuckled lightly. "I appreciate your honesty. That already puts you ahead of most politicians I've dealt with."
Go Gunhee stood up. "I have arranged a residence for you to stay in during your time here."
"Is it big enough for multiple people?"
Go Gunhee blinked in confusion. "It can house tens of people. It is an old safehouse that had been refurbished to serve as the residence of established Hunters visiting from other countries."
I nodded. "Great, I'll be bringing some people over soon."
Go Gunhee's smile froze. "Is that so? If you do not mind me inquiring, will they cause any trouble?" He asked cautiously.
I hummed thoughtfully for a few moments. "I've told them to be careful, yes, but why don't you ask them yourself." I said with some amusement. Luminous, and Hinata probably wouldn't cause trouble, nor would Rimuru. But Veldora and Ramiris… yeah they'll probably do something.
In the blink of an eye Lalatina, Megumin, and Sukuna were ejected from my Infinity Space.
All the Hunters in the room froze up as Lalatina and Megumin's ominous Auras leaked into the surroundings.
I rolled my eyes. They could all control their power almost perfectly, that was clear since none of the surroundings were damaged. They were just showing off to establish a hierarchy, Daemons tended to do that with those weaker than them, especially Primordials; all of them liked showing off in their own ways.
In other words, they were aura farming.
Sukuna wasn't showing off or anything though, he was just looking around curiously.
"Reign in your Aura, you two."
Lalatina pouted. "As you wish, Master."
"The purple haired one is Lalatina, the blonde one Megumin, and the pink haired, four armed one is Sukuna."
Lalatina raised a brow and turned to look at Jin-Woo. "Oh? You're trying to analyze me, are you?"
Jin-Woo froze up.
"Leave it, Lalatina." I said before turning to look at Jin-Woo. "I understand that using that ability of yours is the best way to figure out how strong someone is, but keep in mind that it can be considered rude to do so unprovoked. Some of the people I will be bringing might take offense to it."
That was probably an exaggeration, but it was best if Jin-Woo understood that he needed to take it easy on relying on his System for everything, especially against powerful people, since some would take that as him picking a fight.
For all I knew, he would never encounter those kinds of people, but it didn't hurt to give him a warning.
"It is a pleasure to meet you three." Go Gunhee said with a nod, but he couldn't hide the tension in his body. I did just drop three more overpowered Daemons on his lap.
Poor guy, it sucked having to be responsible.
"Nice to meet you three." Min Byung-Gyu said with a bow, as did Baek Yoonho, though the latters hands were clenched. It seems Baek Yoonho's beastly nature influenced him quite a bit. He was getting a bit too freaked out being in the presence of so many people capable of stepping on him.
"Eh? Is she dressed as a school girl?" Min Byung-Gyu asked with some surprise as he started at Megumin.
I shrugged. "She has her own style."
Megumin was in one of her school girl-inspired outfits. I wasn't quite sure why she liked that style so much, but she even had Shuna make her a bunch of them with some differences between each to rotate between.
Lalatina was in a tightfitting t-shirt with some pants, and Sukuna was in a suit.
"I think this is a bit above our paygrade." Baek Yoonho said to Min Byung-Gyu. "We'll be leaving, Chairman." He said as he dragged Min Byung-Gyu away.
Go Gunhee nodded. "Take care." He said, a slightly strained smile on his face.
Megumin walked towards Jin-Woo, who looked at her cautiously. "Hmm, you're pretty interesting. I wonder who that is inside of you. He seems strong." She said as she cocked her hip. "I've been looking for a good fight."
Jin-Woo's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"Just accept that mission of yours; everything will become clear then." I said in the tone of a wise old master, my features changing slightly to match the vibe I was going for.
Megumin shrugged. "I won't say more then if Master doesn't want me to." She said with a shrug as she turned to walk back towards me. Then she paused. "Eh? Why did you grow a long white beard, Milord?"
"Hmm? Oh, well it's my wise old master look." I said as I shifted my features back to normal. "As for a fight, I'll help you later, Megumin."
A giddy smile formed on Megumin's face. "It's a promise then!" She said with a victorious grin, I wasn't surprised at the sudden surge of lust I felt in her at the mention of a fight with me.
She was a battle junkie, of course she got off to being dominated in a fight, an area she normally dominated in. That was something I'd begun to notice a little while back.
She wasn't quite the same kind of masochist as Lalatina, but she enjoyed being "put in her place" for lack of a better description. All of the Primordials were a little messed up in the head.
Go Gunhee ignored our byplay and stood up, though I'm sure he'd panic about a fight between us later. He did feel a bit of Megumin's power when she showed off a bit.
"I apologize for taking over your living room, Hunter Sung." He then turned to look at our group. "If you would not mind, could we relocate to the residence you will be staying in? A car is already here to pick us up."
"Yeah, sure."
He probably just wanted to have some final arrangements made with us.
Go Gunhee turned back to look at Jin-Woo. "If you do not mind, would you stop by the Hunter's Association some time so the two of us can have a chat before you do anything drastic?"
Jin-Woo nodded.
With that, the five of us left.
Lalatina looked at the car with interest. It was a large black SUV that seemed to be modeled for keeping a low profile more than anything else, but it was also discreetly armored with glass that could handle some magic spells, and it was durable enough to be able to handle shots from a tank.
It seems the Humans in this world have been making good use of the magical resources Hunters retrieve from Gates. I wonder what sort of weapons they've managed to make, since I don't doubt that countries have been trying to weaponize mana and the ore that is mined in Gates.
Whether they've been successful or not is another story. Magic nukes sounded fun.
"So this is how normal Humans get around in other worlds?" Lalatina asked with interest as she walked around the vehicle.
There wasn't really anyone in the surroundings, so no one recognized me. I sensed some Hunters show up earlier and safely escort the people away while we were having our conversation.
"It is. They aren't capable of going that fast, only around 500 kilometers per hour at most. This SUV won't be going even that fast at its top speed, but they're good enough for most Humans." I said with a shrug.
The Chairman ignored our conversation as he opened the door for us.
The driver looked familiar to me. Once the Chairman got in the front seat the driver nodded towards him. "Chairman."
Go Gunhee nodded lightly. "Woo Jinchul." He turned to look at the four of us who were getting comfortable in the back seat. "This is Woo Jinchul, he's my right hand. If you four need anything and I am not available, he will see to it that your needs are met. He has already been briefed on your situation."
Woo Jinchul nodded as he looked into the mirror, tucking his glasses down slightly. "Indeed, I will be at your service."
He was an A Rank Hunter from what I recall, and his total energy surpassed the cameraman from Jeju Island by a decent margin. Even within ranks, there were still gaps between the top and bottom of the rank.
With that, the car took off.
- Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light -
As he ascended past the shackles of Go Gunhee's mortal body, he thought deeply. He did not think events would go as they did.
When he had first descended, inhabiting the aged body of the Korean Hunter Association Chairman, he had done so with a simple directive; to monitor, guide, and prepare the Humans the best the Rulers could for the upcoming war, as well as protect them from threats too large.
They were first informed that something was amiss on earth due to one of the vessels of one of his kin, another Ruler, notifying them. The vessel in question being Sung Il-Hwan, a Hunter from Earth that ended up stranded in a Gate.
He was found to be compatible, and so he was trained to properly make use of the power of a Ruler from the very beginning. Now he was the strongest vessel they had access to due to the amount of effort they put into him.
A Ruler could fully manifest in Sung Il-Hwan and fight at their full power if it is necessary. Of course Sung Il-Hwan would end up perishing in the end, but he would last long enough for the Ruler in question to be able to take care of the threat.
Sung Il-Hwan was aware of this and agreed, on the condition that his family be protected, and due to his compatibility they all shared him as a vessel, they agreed and gave him a fragment of all their powers.
Moments after Sung Il-Hwan's warning, one of their Angels had informed them that something incredibly odd had happened. This Angel was among the more powerful ones in their army, only surpassed by them, the Rulers. This Angel had said that the connection he shared with one of the Hunters had vanished, which meant the Hunter had died.
Each Angel shared connections with multiple Hunters, and through these connections the Hunters could borrow power from their respective Angel, the amount would depend on their compatibility. Eventually the humans would develop their own powers, but that would take entire generations if nothing were to go amiss.
But this Angel claimed that after the connection had been severed, it had been restored soon after. This was unheard of. They could resurrect people, but they were the Rulers, and even then it was a complicated process that they tended not to do, especially because it would step on Ashborn's toes as the King of the Dead.
He wished to confirm what was occurring with the Hunter that was revived as well, to investigate and see if Ashborn had been the one to revive them, but that was a later objective.
He had originally descended to confirm if Sung Il-Hwan's words were truly accurate, if a single man was being confronted by three Monarchs. He had only mourned the young soul as he did not believe a Demon had even a chance of fighting against a single Monarch, let alone three, but he was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.
He had been watching the broadcast as he made his way to Sung Jin-Woo's location as once he descended into Go Gunhee's body, some of Go Gunhee's memories were imprinted onto him, making the memories his own.
It was through those memories that he saw an ability he had long thought lost. He had seen Sung Jin-Woo use his Shadows. That was the moment he knew that he found the newest vessel for the Shadow Monarch.
At that moment, he was forced to ignore the fighting between Felix and the Monarchs, and focus on the Shadow Monarch. As much as he didn't want to, he originally was going to eliminate Sung Jin-Woo. The Shadow Monarch could not be allowed to return if he was going to rejoin the Monarchs' side.
It took a few moments for him to make the connection that Sung Jin-Woo was the son of Sung Il-Hwan leaving him incredibly conflicted on what to do.
Sung Jin-Woo seemed to be a good man as well, but he would do what he had to. The Cup of Reincarnation was running out of power, they could not afford to waste another loop, but thankfully Ashborn had initiated communication between them and explained himself.
He wished to die, and he had chosen a worthy Human to inherit his powers. As much as he would mourn his old friend, he had accepted Ashborn's wish, and so he backed off.
If Ashborn wished to pass on his powers to a Human that was likely to assist them, then who was he to stop him. In his prime, Ashborn was capable of taking on multiple Rulers at once, and his Shadows were no weaklings either. The top Shadows could even reach the cusps of their own level of power.
Not to mention Ashborn's army was the greatest of all of them, with millions upon millions of Shadows that served at his whims.
Being the King of the Dead gave Ashborn access to a great many resources.
The entire situation with Ashborn was one which the Rulers deeply regret. Ashborn was merely a pitiful toy to the Absolute Being, just as they all were, and yet he was willing to lay down his life for their creator, a being that saw them as nothing more than entertainment.
That twisted loyalty was ingrained into Ashborn's being and put them at odds.
Once they found out about how the Absolute Being intentionally created them to war with the Monarchs, they realized just how little they mattered to their creator, whom they were fighting for.
And so they rebelled, killing the Absolute Being, a being that created entire universes, and this was only possibly due to one simple thing.
Their creator had a creator of his own, one which intentionally limited the Absolute Being's power, preventing him from causing too much catastrophe on his own right. This was the entire reason why they even had a chance.
The creator of their creator gave the Absolute Being the ability to manipulate a certain kind of energy that existed in the void. With this energy it was possible to create to an extremely high degree, but this energy was only present in the void, in places completely empty, and so once a universe was created, the Absolute Being would lose all the power he had, as the energy he relied upon was gone.
That meant normally the Absolute Being and his kin, for they did know their creator had kin, would leave their created universes behind and continue the cycle. That was what they were created for, to continue to populate the multiverse.
The Absolute Being clearly no longer wished to do so, and began playing god in their own universe leading to today.
As for Ashborn, he did not believe that Ashborn was lying about his wishes. He was not a man who would lie about such things, and as a Ruler, he had a sixth sense for telling truth from lies, one even Ashborn could not ignore.
That was why he was so trusting in the new Demon from another universe, Felix. For nothing he had spoken was lies, at least not directly. He truly was here to enjoy himself and nothing more. Him getting involved in their conflict was only by chance, a chance they could make use of to finally end the war.
He was hopeful about their visitor from another universe. He had been willing to help them in their war with the Monarchs, and he was clearly powerful enough to turn the tides of the war. He couldn't even fully read Felix's power, which said much about the Demon in question.
He didn't know which universe Felix was from, but he had a few guesses.
They would be willing to do much to get such an individual on their side, even give up the Cup of Reincarnation as it had no purpose for them if they had no need to have another chance to win against the Monarchs.
That wasn't the only thing either. There was also an odd energy about Felix, something that seemed incredibly familiar to the Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light.
The Cup of Reincarnation did not originate from the Absolute Being after all. No, it was created by the individual who was the true creator of the multiverse, Veldanava. And it is due to that, that the Cup of Reincarnation contained a miniscule amount of Veldanava's Aura, and Felix's Aura felt similar to it.
That led him to believe that perhaps he was from the Cardinal World. The world that is said to be close to the center of their multiverse, next to the true center of the multiverse, the Star Palace.
The Absolute Being's journal had much to say about those worlds despite only being there briefly after being created and then sent out to fulfil his purpose alongside his kin.
As he materialized in the realm of the Rulers, he quickly called upon all of his fellow Rulers. Their realm was one filled with mana, and was as vast as a universe, so his powers were far greater here.
The universe that the Absolute Being created was held together by the World Tree which branched out to multiple different dimensions within the one universe.
This dimension was the one in which they kept their armies, which were more limited in number than they used to be. In the past, the Absolute Being used to create more troops for them from the fruits of the World Tree. However, he was the only one capable of doing so. Due to this, when they killed him, they lost their single source of more Angels making each Angel far more valuable now.
It didn't take long for the other Rulers, his kin, to arrive.
"Did you discover anything?" One of his kin asked in their eldritch tongue.
He nodded and quickly explained the events that had occurred. Each of them could peer into Earth through their vessels, but it would strain their vessels to do so.
"Hmm, that is concerning." The Illuminating Fragment of Brilliant Light said.
"He did kill three Monarchs. I believe we owe him the benefit of the doubt, even if he is foreign to our universe." The Luminous Fragment of Brilliant Light spoke out.
"Indeed. The Cup of Reincarnation is nothing compared to the opportunity he has granted us." The Radiant Fragment of Brilliant Light said.
They heard a deep sigh. "I am growing tired of this continuing war with the Monarchs. With us losing and being forced to use the Cup to try again. I believe that since we have an opportunity, we must take advantage of it." The Glittering Fragment of Brilliant Light said.
"We are in agreement then?" The Dazzling Fragment of Brilliant Light asked.
The Gleaming Fragment of Brilliant Light gestured to him. "He did already agree, and I see no reason to make the Rulers seem untrustworthy to this new element."
No blame was being pointed at him for agreeing before discussing everything with his kin. There was no opportunity to discuss it with them, after all. The Gleaming Fragment of Brilliant Light was merely stating a fact.
With everyone spoken for they came to an agreement. There were currently 7 Rulers and 9 Monarchs including Ashborn, though with three Monarchs dead and Ashborn was not participating, it was 7 against 5, leaving the greatest threat Antares.
"Very well then. I will have Sung Il-Hwan give this Felix an invitation to our dimension. Should he not be capable of entering due to his nature, we can communicate differently."
The realm they resided in was spiritual in nature, meaning nothing truly physical could reside here, but he had a feeling the Demon would manage.
"Now onto the topic of Ashborn." The Glittering Fragment of Brilliant Light began.
There was a momentary pause in the conversation as they all came to terms with what Ashborn was planning.
"The Human he chose seems to be one who would ally with us, so this works in our favor." The Illuminating Fragment of Brilliant Light said calculatingly.
They weren't always like this, but eons of warring against the Monarchs made them a bit cold when it came to things like this.
"Indeed, we should agree to Ashborn's terms. Let him die on his own terms as he wishes and recruit his successor. His father also serves us and can also perhaps be used to convince him. Go Gunhee already seems to have a good relationship with him, so he will be our point of interaction with Sung Jin-Woo once he becomes the Shadow Monarch."
They all nodded in agreement.
"Now I believe we need to reconsider the Gates." The Dazzling Fragment of Brilliant Light stated.
"Reconsider?" The Luminous Fragment of Brilliant Light said with confusion. "Were you not the one who came up with the idea?"
The Dazzling Fragment of Brilliant Light nodded. "Indeed, but now that they have served their purpose, I think it is time we optimize them as the Humans say. We already know who the Hunters with the most potential are and where they are located. I suggest we increase Gate activity in their domains, give them more chances to hone themselves before the final war, as well as intensify the mana quantity and quality."
He hummed thoughtfully. "That is a good idea." He eventually agreed, as did the rest of his kin. More humans would likely die in those areas, as those Gates would connect towards even more dangerous areas of the Chaos World, but such was the price to pay to ensure earth's defenders were as prepared as they could be.
And so it was decided to increase the Gate activity in certain key areas on Earth.
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Author's Note:
Hello everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. In this chapter Felix finally meets his first Ruler. I tried to portray the Ruler as a more reasonable individual, we don't have much to go off of from canon but they gave off a benevolent image so that's what I went with. They seem like the types that would much prefer to talk rather than get straight to fighting, especially when it comes to a potential asset like Felix.
The Rulers have also found out about Sung Jin-Woo far sooner than in canon, before he was even really ready to handle the attention of the Rulers, but Ashborn is basically his plot armor so he was fine lol.
A lot more about the universe will be explained during Felix's meeting with the Rulers. I did take some creative liberty with the verse to fit it into the tensura multiverse, but things have remained mostly the same.
Anyways, thanks for reading, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.
Last bit of editing -Omnax
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