The destined Traitor and The last stage - An auction at the 18th floor!

Sunday 31 May 1987

11:30 pm

Malfoy Manor

"Bounded Fields…" Kai mumbled, leaning against a wall in Darcie's enormous bathroom.

"It's astonishing, true," Petyr Baelish commented, holding his chin. "But if we think about it, it sounds reasonable as well."

Rintaro Okabe nodded. "Ms. Virgin (-Item-M-) mentioned something like this, right?" he added. "Like, in the original timeline, many magical subjects and fields were pushed aside for the main storyline. Alchemy, Ancient Runes, and such topics were never given the depth they deserved."

Kai tapped his fingers on the floor rhythmically, his mind calculating hundreds of scenarios, along with the plausible pros and cons of such a thing.

Then his hazel pupils shone.

"If I were to nudge Darcie to learn the magic of Bounded Fields from those old fools," Kai said, "then I could use Dementors Progenitor Skill again."

Petyr smiled slyly. "It won't be that easy, my lord," he counseled. "Manipulating them to learn such a -taboo- magic is a fool's journey at the best. Madam Villanelle would never let them teach you anything about the Bounded Fields without knowing about it first. And, must I remind you that you need to learn Occlumency and Legilimency from them as well?"

Kai was worried about it as well. There wasn't much he could do behind Madam Villanelle's back, other than to know some hidden secrets. If he wanted to do more, then he would have to wait, letting the time take its course.

"Hahaha!"

Kai and Petyr's heads snapped toward the insane scientist. "Now what?" they uttered together.

Rintaro had thrown his hands into his white lab coat pockets. His eyes were closed, his head was drooping a little, and there was an extremely smug smile on his face as if he had figured out the crux of all problems. "In the end," the Character drawled, chuckling, "it is I, the great Hououin Kyouma, who is brilliant enough…"

"Spit it out!" Kai snapped.

"Ahem!" Rintaro cleared his throat. "Why does Madam Villanelle keep monitoring Darcie, Mr. Storm? Heh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Well, because she has nothing else to do. What we need, or what she needs, is a distraction!"

Kai and Petyr looked at each other, their eyes flashing knowingly.

"Daphne's sudden resolve to pursue the study of magical creatures should do the trick," Kai said.

"Or the 2nd part of the Daemonologie Book!" Petyr exclaimed.

The corners of Rintaro Okabe's lips twitched as he heard Kai and Petyr coming at a plan. He merely meant to say that it's time Madam Villanelle finds someone as handsome as him. Marriage would have kept her busy for a long time. But he dare not speak out his thoughts now. "Haha!" Rintaro laughed, throwing his hands. "Genius. I am such a genius!"

Petyr looked at Kai's journal in his hands and said, "Now that Darcie knows Lilith's special magical ability, that resembles Apparation, she will save much time in traveling. I, for a fact, am more interested in knowing the reason behind you creating that theatrical performance, my lord."

"What performance?" Kai frowned.

"Letting Narcissa see Darcie laugh, of course," Petyr smiled.

Rintaro, who was still laughing, choked, and gaped at Kai. "That wasn't real?!" he blurted. "I thought you were just enjoying yourself, Mr. Storm —"

Kai observed Littlefinger and his smile but said nothing.

"I am sure it wasn't," Petyr answered Rintaro, rubbing the journal's coarse pages. "Forget? Darcie Malfoy, the prodigy only seen once in many generations, forgot her purse. Heh! How is that possible?

"It must have been quite a disastrous risk for you to nudge her to do that, right, my lord? Is that why you had increased her workload in the last week so that you could justify to yourself why Darcie forgot her purse? I can think of how, but I can't see the point."

"But there were so many possibilities…" Rintaro wondered, shocked. "For how long you were planning for that moment?"

Kai still didn't answer.

"I know," Petyr answered, smiling slyly. "Since day one, if I am not wrong. My lord… when you told us you wanted to plant a traitor in the enemy camp… who was supposed to be the "enemy" here? Dumbledore's side… or Voldemort's?"

Kai gave a penetrating look to Petyr. "You think too much."

"Haha!" Petyr laughed, shut the journal, and bowed. "And that's… the reason for you to devour my tale, my lord."

Kai stood up. Hot red steam escaped his body, a scalding heat bubbling inside his chest. His skin became blue, a blood-colored gem surfaced on his forehead, and a long, powerful tail lashed out, hacking at the water in the bathtub.

"Go back," Golduck-Kai commanded. "It's time."

Rintaro, stunned and stupefied, vanished into the Book. Petyr bowed again and disappeared as well.

Kai put the Book into the Inventory and recalled the notification that had appeared two weeks ago.

[

Candidate Blood Demon, the 2nd Stage of Tournament of Worth is finalized. Please refer to the following points:

1. Theme of ToW: Survival

2. Total Number of Candidates: 2

3. Local Time of Teleportation: 31 May 1987 - 11:45 pm

4. The Auction of Candidates' services will precede the 3rd Stage of the ToW. Only the Sponsors and the sponsored Candidate will take part in it

5. The nature of the 3rd Stage will differ with each Candidate. The Systems will take necessary measures to maintain the impartiality of the Tournament

6. The Systems will share the details of the individual stages after the auction

7. Irrespective of place, ongoing battle, or conversation, all Candidates will be teleported out of their Time Node to their respective stages, alerting no other Contestant and in-world Character

WARNING: Once entered the 3rd Stage, the Contestant can't back out

NOTES:

1. Only Contestants from the 2nd Set are chosen as Candidates. Each Candidate can qualify as a Candidate only once

2. The 3rd Stage of the Tournament will not be broadcasted to anyone

]

Only 2 Contestants had passed the 2nd Stage of ToW successfully!

This didn't shock Kai at all, though. Item-M had told him that Survival Theme was one such theme of the Tournament of Worth that forced the Contestants to their knees. It was especially so when this Theme only appeared once in 10,000 years.

If it wasn't for that, Item-M could have easily entered the 3rd Stage, too, with no need of giving mid-stage.

After all, the fallen Priestess of Hastur… was ranked 5th in this Tournament!

Yet, the gaps between Contestants with ranks between 1st and 10th were just too great for them to even get called gaps anymore.

There was no comparing a 4th ranked Contestant with 5th, for such a Contestant could hold the grounds against the combined might of 5th to 10th ranked Contestants.

So, Kai had no reason to worry about the 2nd ranked Contestant. If he was worried about something, then it was the Warning.

'Once entered, the Contestant can't back out,' Kai repeated, narrowing his eyes. 'Just… why would anyone back out?'

A blinding blue flash answered Golduck-Kai.

In the next moment, he had already vanished.

*

*

It was a hall, as grand as the Inheritance Land's black dome-like structure, but magnificently beautiful. Its walls were covered with lavish tapestries, and many-colored gems and diamonds decorated the hangings in it like pearls in an ocean.

Thousands upon thousands of torches and candelabras, embedded with strange items and engraved with runes, lit the entire hall like a celestial palace.

And in the middle of all this, seated on a high-back chair, was Kai Stormborn, the Blood Demon.

Bright lights welcomed Kai's eyes as they struggled out of a blur.

Before Kai could marvel at the sight of this grand hall, his gaze landed on the 5 persons… No. Better was to say 5 Beings, for no "person" could come close to defining the feeling they were giving Kai.

There was a long, arching table in front of Kai, with several dozens of feet of marbled floor between them.

And behind that table, there were five chairs grander than Kai's in appearance and status, colored Pink, Gold, Red, Purple, and Black from left to right.

The 5 Beings were seated on 5 grand chairs as if they were Kings on their thrones, but they were not Kings. Not yet.

Moreover, their appearance was nothing but a blur for Kai even now.

The reason?

[

Contestant Kai Stormborn, you have the option to keep your appearance hidden from the Sponsors. In that case, you cannot observe the sponsors' appearances as well.

Would you like to keep your appearance hidden?

]

Kai didn't even think about it. Almost a year had passed for him since the beginning of the Tournament of Worth. In the Primordial Tower, it was close to just over 2 months.

It would be a miracle if they hadn't already found out what he looked like, Kai knew.

No. Such an opportunity would not present itself again easily.

A chance to look at the Beings who were closer to the Peak of Absolute Power, and incredibly ahead of him.

Naturally, he rejected the offer.

The veil of Golduck-Kai was all he needed, according to his plans.

Suddenly, the blurry appearances stirred, making Kai see the faces and bodies of the Contestants seated on the grand chairs.

Simultaneously, Kai's appearance presented itself to them.

A chuckle escaped from the Contestant seated on the Red Grand Chair, the one in the middle. It was a chuckle that almost made Kai's member shoot out of his pants.

Kai knew seduction, but this feeling he was having surpassed everything. He just wanted to take it out and stroke it, listening to the chuckle meanwhile.

Kai's eyes went bloodshot instantly. Other than that, he showed no reaction.

"Ara-Ara!" Viceroy Aphrodite giggled, twirling her hot-pink hair, seated on the Red Chair. "That's quite astonishing willpower, no?"

"Enough, Aphrodite!" another feminine voice snapped at the Viceroy of the Red King. She was seated on the Black Grand Chair, her hair shimmering with a jade-like color. "He's just a kid."

"Ah!" Viceroy Aphrodite exclaimed, her enormous breasts jiggling up and down. "Kid, is he? Don't tell me you didn't see his…"

"Cough!" an old man with a long beard, seated on the Pink Grand Chair, coughed. He was over 8 ft tall, had a gentle expression, and his eyes were closed. "Perhaps not the best time to argue about such things, my ladies."

"I'd put it in around 7 inches," the man seated on the Golden Grand Chair suggested. He was lean but short in height. His voice was thick, and his spiky, short hair was black. "It could be shorter, as the angle was never right enough to have a good look. Shinobu is small in stature, after all."

Kai was absolutely gobsmacked.

"Sigh!" the man dressed in a formal black suit and pants, with black pearl-like eyes, and seated on the Purple Grand Chair sighed. "Anyway —" he said, smiling at Kai.

" — Welcome to the 18th floor… Blood Demon."