It's Time To D-D-Duel!

Removing himself from the embrace, Julian grinned. Feeling his relation with the very concept of Lust changing, becoming, more complete, all over encompassing.

As for the kiss, in itself. It had felt quite dangerous. The intimate contact between two holders of Lust was beyond anything an human could feel, it was electrifying, ectasy imbibed in sugar. He already felt adicted, and it amplified his current desire's who were themselves spurned by his current's form.

As he threw a look at the Witch, however, he realised he came out out of the experience quite lightly, in comparison. It could be seen, as he stopped holding Carmilla, she fell to her knees, her face flush, and her eyes twisted into a utterly dazed expression of confused pleasure. It was obvious she wasn't quite there anymore, and he was pretty sure she wasn't even aware her hands had moved to between her legs. Or aware at all, for that matter.

As much as a part of him wanted to continue watching her, or indulge himself in ore of the previous feeling. Both options were robbed from him, as the Witch of Lust froze in time just like her sister were. In a quite fitting position too, as as she was, she perfectly represented her sin, as if she was a masterfully crafted statue dedicated to it.

Putting that thought out of his head. He turned toward the rest of his future subordinates. Most of them he would claim for himself, if he could help it. A part of him knew it didn't work that way. But he also knew that deep down, he didn't care. Not about doing it to them, at least. Since he would do his best to make what was his happy out of this form. So in his mind, it was an equivalent exchange. Or considering their circomstance, a too good to be true one.

In the end, they were beautiful, exotic, and perfect potential members for his peerage. This alone made him unable to not gain them for himself, his Greed, Glutonny, and Lust would not be satiated otherwise.

Of course, Typhon was not part of that sort of conquest. Maybe Daphnee too, but the both of them still had some use. At the very least their authorities did.

After tapping a clawed finger to his chin a few time pondering all of it, he finally took turned toward his next target and took a meaningful step toward Minerva. Who was still on the ground, a seemingly eternal expression of distress etched in her face as she was frozen in time.

This would be easy.

—————

"Why? Why show me all of it? Why be so cruel?" The blonde Witch asked weakly, wiping tears from her face.

Julian stood impassively, gazing down on her kneeling form from a few feet away. "Take it as a lesson, one you have probably ignored willfully for most of your life and shouldn't have. Or at worst a reckoning. After all, I only showed you your own sins."

Staying silent for a few seconds, he grimaced. "I can understand your reasoning behind your use of your authority. But it does not change the fact that it is foolish and at its core, profondly selfish. Loosing a magical spell blindfolded at a group of people to cast a healing one on someone in front of you does not make you a savior. It makes you a murderer. With such an ability, the only one who wins is the one you saved, while everybody else lose."

Slowly covering the last few steps between them, he continued. "Minerva, at the core. You are far from a bad person. It is as such that you, who is the Witch of Wrath. Have the incapability of ever causing harm to someone willingly. But the fact remain, you are guilty because you chose to act, even if such a conclusion is unfair, it is the truth."

Offering her his hand, he said. "The circumstances life has given you are cruel, particularly for someone like you. I can change them, I can give you a chance. A chance for a new beginning. For redumption, if you yourself think it possible. I am very much aware how much I do not inspire trust after what I have done, or even how I look. But you can believe me on one thing. If you take my hand, and accept to follow me. Things will change for you, and very much for the better."

"And better how, exactly?" Minerva asked, she now looked nervous about the situation and rather disbelieving. Though it was clear that she was tempted to just take his hand, even if only in the off chance his words were true.

Julian, for himself, smiled. "Well, for one. I can bring you back to life."

After hearing, her still tearful eyes widened. And hesitantly, she grasped his hand with her's. "O-okay then. I can at least try."

As soon as she took his hand, Julian's smile morphed into a smirk and he proceeded to twirl her and wink while she was dazed. "You will not regret it."

He carressed her cheek. "It's to late to anyway." His eyes burned red as lightning of the same color leaped from her to him, and before Minerva could potentially answer or react she froze back in time. An expression of trepidation and doubt on her face.

—————

"Little typhon, pride is the belief in the person that you are. Your ego. But it doesn't change the fact that the greatest fuel you can use for it are your own achievements. Otherwise, it is arrogance and hubris that were used to built yourself, and those material will always ring hollow."

"..."

"If you take my hand, I'll show you how to build yourself anew. And true. Your sisters will still be there for you too."

Typhon lifted her head. "Fine, scary Onii-Chan. I'll believe you this once, but you better not have lied to me!"

—————

"Daphnee, you are the Witch I have the least grasp on. As is my grasp on Glutonny. I don't think I can rival your raw and eternal hunger for food. But I have something else that maybe can. Though I'm reluctant to show it."

"Julian, was it? You say some strange things. The majority of people stop at their first impression of me. Witch of glutonny, Demon Beast Creator, drooling bafoon. I've only ever wanted one thing since I've awaken. For the hunger to stop. Both for me and everyone else. I've created the Demon Beasts for that. If people were to hunt them, they could feed a lot of people. If they cannot, then it's not my problem. It's the law of the jungle that exist over everything else. And Demon beasts deserve a chance to live and to win as much as everything else."

She tilted her head. "Unlike my sisters, I don't really care where I go and what happen to me. As long as I get to eat many tasty things and further my ultimate goal."

"And what if I could find a way to remove the Witch factor from yourself and end you unnending hunger?"

"... That's something to consider. But not before I've found a way to end hunger everywhere else."

"That's an impossible goal."

"I know."

"Luckily, that's exactly the kind of things I've dealt with. If you take my hand, I'll show you how it's done."

...

"Okay... But I can't promise I'll not munch on one of your fingers or two if we do that. You look pretty tasty."

"Well, you can try. But I doubt your mouth is fast enough to take a bite out of me."

—————

"..."

"..."

"*Sigh* So... what's your plan for us?"

Julian couldn't help but grin as he looked down on Sekhmet, who from her position laying on the ground. Seemed as cautious as she was looking done with everything, as oddly as it sound.

"What can you possibly means? I obviously have nothing in mind doing all of this."

Sekhmet sighed again. "Don't play game with me, I'm too lazy to play along anyway. I tried to stop you. I failed. End of the line. The true question is why are you doing this and what await me and my sisters in the future."

Silence reigned for a moment before Julian relented. "Fine. If you want answers, I'll give them to you. Else I just know you're going to be problematic." Dropping his smile, he sat on the ground in front of the witch of Sloth and gazed into her eyes.

"You and your sisters existence triggered me. So I'm gonna make you my retainers, aides, underlings, confidents, protegees, whatever roles fit best for each of you."

Putting his chin in his palm, his slitted eyes narrowed as he thought. "This wasn't my plan in the beginning, but then. I forgot the station of my own blood and that my powers doesn't come from nowhere. Thus, here we are..." He waved his hands to all the frozen witches around them.

"Of course, this is non-negociable. The strongest is always the one who have the final word. And in this situation, it seems that I was the stronger party." He smiled.

Sekhmet seemed to deflate and groaned. "How troublesome. But I can't argue with this. No matter how crude of a reasoning it is. Still, I have to ask. Are you planning on... Having us for yourself?" She asked, a bit unsure how to ask the question in the first place.

"Depend, some of you... Ummm. How to say? Are more desirable than others, and some are not at all. I would say that I'm unsure how things will proceed. However, that would be a lie. I will get what I want, the end."

The witch chuckled. "At least you're clear on that point. But good luck having your way with us or even wooing us, after what you did. Most of us know how to hold a grudge."

Julian chuckled back. "If I grant each of you everything you've ever wanted and more. Where would there even be a grudge in the first place? You're the last one I had to win against before Echidna, you know? All the others already agreed to follow me." His figure seemed to darken and warp on itself to Sekhmet's eyes as the symbol on both of his wings looked to come to life for a brief second and low whispers began to come from seemingly everywhere.

Then, the next moment. It was gone. "Willingly, I might add."

"What... are you?"

Julian leaned back at the question and only answered after a few seconds. "Right now? I'm nothing much."

"Nothing much you've already lost to. Sekhmet."

"Ah, so that's how it is, uh? So strange, and unfair."

"Don't worry, you'll still get to laze around in the future." Grinning, Julian stood up, as a flood of beige lightning leap out from the witch to him.

The witch of Sloth didn't deign him with an answer before she froze, a mildly bothered expression on her half-lidded face.

—————

Just as he took a seat at Echidna's table. His form reverted to normal without his prompting. And a crippling headache along with a bout of weakness assaulted him. And oddly, he couldn't heal these ailments even with his magic.

Even so, it seemed the duels haven't actually ended yet. As everyone else was still frozen. Even so, it didn't change the fact that Echidna was now unfrozen, and gazing at him with a very annoyed expression.

"Sad you couldn't watch?"

"Very much so. In fact, that's a strong understatement." The witch's lips twitched before her annoyance seemingly vanished in a flash as she took in his current state.

"You're not in that state anymore? How curious. It would seems that transformation of yours was unprompted, unplanned, or both. And from your appearance right now, also took a lot out of you. Not something illogical, per see. But still appear to be something right out of fiction. Truly fascinating." Her eyes shone as she looked him up and down.

"Well, I do try to please. But our technical talk can wait. I'm more interested about what you think of my previous offer."

Echidna smirked. "Eager to get me all for yourself, are you? I totally understand, the appeal of a pure maiden such as myself is irrésistible for hot blooded young men like yourself after all. However, I'm still curious about one thing."

Lifting an eyebrow and not reacting otherwise to her words. He opened his palm toward her. Otherwise said, he told her to shoot it.

"To be clear, I do not care what happen to me. You seems to be already aware of it, but I simply cannot possibly refuse what you offered to me. As not only you proved yourself to be the most interesting subject I ever laid my eyes on. I also have the feeling your mind hide an intellect almost as keen as mine, and secrets I simply have to uncover..."

She trailed off, and then leaned forward over the table. Her smile a bit creepy as her face came close to his. "You claim to have a way to travel to beyond the waterfall and farther. Tell me about it."

A few seconds later, she realized what she had done and quickly sat back on her seat. Coughing once, she began anew. Her face a mask of sheepishness and politeness. "I meant to say. Please tell me whatever you feel comfortable sharing about this with me. That's my only request before I accept your offer."