86

"What's up?" I walk toward Catherine at a desk, she called for me to visit because she received something I needed to see in person.

"Lots of people are leveraging many different items and vast amounts of riches to duel you, I had Tare comb through it and find the most valuable ones and these are them. Some I am sure will surprise you, they surprised me." I take a short list of challengers and don't recognize any of them, a Samael family member is coming. Could be interesting to talk to him about his artifact and getting a safe place for his family to grow up in exchange, their family is on the verge of dying out and they will likely agree if I say they can still have a wielder linked to it, they will just have to share since I need the soul invasion immunity it gives.

"Two of Raizen's sons are wanting to challenge me? They are in civil war for the right to inherit the empire from their father, why would they want to come to bother me?" Unless they think beating me will somehow show their father they are the worthy inheritor, or maybe he put them up to it.

"I would imagine they think that by beating you that they can show their power to the demon world and likely use the popularity to gain more supporters for their claim. There is also the fact that people think I will marry anyone who beats you for some reason." She shakes her head and leans back in her seat.

"I see, I don't recognize anyone else-." Obsidian Lucifer, this idiot has been under heavy scrutiny from the masses and the elder family since the artifact went missing. Now he is planning to travel to the Dark shadow empire to challenge me. I guess a similar instance of wanting to publicly display his strength and possibly embarrass the dark shadow empire to gain more popularity in fallen angel, when I beat him an opportunity for Shea to take the throne back will appear. He will be viewed as weak for losing, not weaker than most people mind you, but it will still be a huge embarrassment for him. Then the rightful wielder arrives at the capital with the artifact and challenges him for the throne because he embarrassed the empire.

He is presenting the throne to Shea unknowingly, for what? A chance to beat ' Nova '? I am public know to be very rich and should be decently powerful because I was able to attract Catherine's attention enough to marry.

But the word around the street and the ongoing rumors are I helped create the miracle medicine that is created by the Asmodeus family. The Asmodeus family and my stores are the only places that sell Phenix tears and so people think the marriage has something to do with that and not my actual power.

Can't fault anyone for that rumor since there have been numerous strong males in the demon world and Catherine has never married or shown interest. Then all of a sudden after the tears come out she is engaged and only two places sell the tears, my stores and hers. It practically screams under-the-table deal.

"Well, he is making it easy for Shea to take the throne." I sit on the edge of her desk looking at the rest of the demon overlord powerhouses coming to fight me. I don't recognize any names and so I don't feel all that worried. Maybe one will be an alias for a blood fall member at worst and I will just slap a Tracking rune on them of eight yaun count and that will help me when we infiltrate crystal valley to know if there at the place.

"I thought you would have that idea, if she can use the sword and beat him in single combat she can directly sit on the throne after you beat him. His prestige will be at an all-time low and this way there won't be any deaths of the troops that will be needed in the future. It will also cause Raizen to be hesitant in trying anything, he will feel like he is sitting on coals though. It is publicly known that you are the Nova running the Nova enterprise. And Nova enterprises started in dark moon, Raizen will put that together and assume you are a tie connecting fallen angel and dark shadow empires."

I didn't think of it that way, though it won't be a problem. He isn't kingdom rank yet and that's what made him a problem in the original. I also already have Olympus pumping out troops and will soon reach max capacity and will devastate any battlefield even if the city can't fly yet.

"I see, it won't be a problem though, worst comes to worst I just kill him directly and sit Shea onto the throne and anyone who tries anything will also die." No sense in playing their games when I can just smash their teeth out and make them fall in line. We don't have time to be playing politics with some power-hungry old nobles.

"That's what I did, just knock off anyone who will be a problem and firmly grip the empire." I nod and jump up, time to get to work on preparing if this is going to be the case. "Will you have that broadcasting device done in time to spread it over the three empires?" I nod.

"Yea, the gremlin servants have done almost all the repairs to Olympus that they could and so I gave them a bunch of projects to work on with my knowledge of the way the items should work. With the existing technology and a thousand plus gremlins working around the clock they got a working television in less than a day, even made it a flat screen." She shakes her head and sighs.

"I still don't know what those terms are but I can take a guess, I don't know how Raizen will react to them being stationed all over his empire. He might send people around to smash them once he sees the power of manipulating the masses through propaganda as you talked about." I shrug, I don't care all that much once the tournament is over and people are aware of my power. Demons heavily respect the powerful and I will be a key figure and people will listen when I call doomsday and tell people to be ready.

"Still waiting on the helmets, I know how they should work but the gremlins are having trouble connecting a device to the kingdom that will work from a far distance away. Once they get it I will release them to the market and people will passively get prepared to fight the Abyss by just playing a game." She seems to remember something and pulls an outfit from her ring.

"Oh, before you go try this on and see if it fits right." I hold it up and it is a ceremonial-style outfit and I crinkle my nose at it, it's kind of dumb looking.

"Do I have to? Cant I just wear a tuxedo or something?" She smiles and shakes her head, she is very adamant about this wedding being traditional. "Whatever." I double-check we are alone in here since sometimes Tara can erase her presence like a champ and just blend into the setting and you won't even know she is there unless she speaks up.

She gets up and walks around the desk when I have trouble wrapping some stupid sleeve thing on. With a few uncomfortable pulls and tugs, the ugly dress monstrosity is on.

"You sure this isn't you just making fun of me?" Looking into a mirror I debate if it's worth just pissing her off to avoid the shame of wearing such a thing where others will see me. I feel something odd is going on and turn around to see her with a recording stone in her hand and freeze in place. "What?"

"Nothing, just getting something to show the girls later." she tucks it into her ring and I burn off the clothes and approach her to snatch the ring. "Nova don't you dare try, I will hit you." She holds her ground and raises her chin, I ignore her and lunge for her hand.

"Hand it over Catherine and I won't have to make this personal." Her wings come out and she blasts off out a window and I sigh.

----

- Zola POV -

Hmmm, this shouldn't be happening unless something is interfering with my experiment that I am unaware of. My stomach grumbles for the third time and I press on and ignore my growing hunger.

I used to be able to go days without eating, but with Nova bringing me food so often I have gotten accustomed to eating three meals a day. I mean how inefficient is wasting time to eat three meals when instead I could just eat once every three days? People at our power level don't even have to eat, it's more of a comfort thing and our bodies burn the food into nothingness, and yet he is very stern with stopping me and feeding me his good food.

Where is he anyway?

I check the tracking charm I set up on him and debate if I should seek him out. He said he would be busy for a few days and that I would have to summon him with that paper slip if I needed him. It would be embarrassing to summon him just for food.

But is what he doing more important than pursuing knowledge and expanding what is possible with our magic?

The stupid guy is probably just wasting time.

Hmmm, he isn't really that stupid after seeing the speed he absorbs information, he is very proficient at learning new things. Or I am just an excellent teacher, that could also be it.

He is smart. he makes good food. he has equal or a little lesser power compared to me. He has very interesting magic and magical theories. His species also live a long time.

He is starting to sound less like an experimental subject and more like a partner.

"Ughhh." I stop maintaining the magic I was using and slump back and look at the ceiling.

He said he already has a harem, mom would be upset if I got with a bad guy with a harem.

But she also said if I liked something just steal it away, couldn't I just steal him away?

I activate the tracker and stand up, I will see the situation on the outside first. Plus this gives me a reason to try out that space magic I was experimenting with after studying his teleportation. I can't cross vast distances as he can but I can probably open a portal from my pocket dimension to at least close by to him.

Won't he be mad if I do this though? I stop and think about it for a moment and come to the conclusion he shouldn't have run off for days if he didn't want me to come and find him myself.

The worst that happens is he is mad and we break out relationship and I can go back to experimenting without his interference. I feel a bit melancholy thinking about that outcome but that just proves I need to get to the bottom of what's going on even more.

I ready myself to open a portal, one way or the other I will find out what is going on.

[ This is today's chapter, the other was supposed to come out yesterday. Read the author's note if you are upset about the Zola tracking thing. ]