Chapter 89: Power Up for Two!

Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?

Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.

Chapter 89: Power Up for Two!

There are up to 15 chapters ahead at p@treon.com/theogbasilisk

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- Johann Rostia -

Johann couldn't help but gulp nervously as he faced Granbell Rosso. Johann was a man who had more political power than even Kings, he could casually order for a princess to be delivered for his own uses and no one would bat an eye. Yet he still felt nervous as his ancestor, the one man that could claim to be his superior, stared him down.

As one of the Five Elders only Granbell Rosso could order him. Him and Mariabell Rosso, but the latter was no longer relevant to him due to her untimely death.

The deaths of both Yuuki and Mariabell have caused a rather large change in the political scene of the Western Nations. Many did not know of Mariabell, yet she did still control quite a lot behind the scenes. Yuuki's own political power could speak for itself, but a new and rather promising candidate to replace Yuuki had shown up so Johann was no longer worried about the Free Guild's stability.

"Will you be able to?" Granbell asked.

Johann quickly nodded. "Y-Yes!"

Granbell Rosso had ordered for him to sabotage the barriers protecting the meeting place for the Council of the West. He asked to do it on the day that Rimuru Tempest would be meeting with the Council of the West to discuss an alliance of some kind, or perhaps even joining the Council itself.

It would have been a momentous occasion, yet it seems Granbell Rosso had his own plans. And whenever the true King moved, then everyone else merely had to bow to his whims. 

He and his fellow Elders would make sure Granbell Rosso's will was done, he had no idea what the elderly man was planning, only that it would likely cause chaos in the West.

Granbell smiled. "Good. I knew I could count on you Johann." Granbell stood up, but before he left he paused. "The coming weeks will be quite chaotic Johann." Granbell said as a warning before leaving.

Johann released a sigh of relief as he relaxed into his seat. He would fulfill Granbell's order, but that didn't mean he wasn't nervous every time he met the man.

- Raiden -

As she escorted her newest subordinate she considered how to best fulfill her Master's orders. She had yet to fail him in anything, and she wouldn't fail him in anything if she had her way.

Evelyn was rather powerful, a Special-A Class individual. 200,000 EP may not seem like a lot when compared to those she associated with, but that was more powerful than the maids her Master had named. Only Fiel and Shera surpassed Evelyn and they were given two names putting them a cut above the rest.

Her Master wished for her to mold Evelyn into a proper maid, and so she would. At a mere glance, Raiden could tell that Evelyn was merely playing at being a maid. She didn't yet understand what it truly meant. A maid wasn't just a servant, she was the silent guardian of her master, carrying out her duties with grace, loyalty, and purpose. They were always prepared to be of service and had to serve with precision and pride, embodying discipline and humility. It would be her duty to enlighten Evelyn to this fact.

Her Master wished for easy access to Evelyn and for Evelyn to be nearby to satisfy his desires. Raiden could read between the lines and understand that her Master wished to bed the Elf. She did not understand why, her Master was above the Elven faker, but it was not her place to question her Master.

She looked to the side and saw Evelyn looking around with curiosity. The moment they had left the presence of her Master it was as if she dropped the mask she was wearing, all that remained was a curious Elf. Evelyn spotted her gaze and caught up to her to walk side by side.

"How long have you been serving Sir Felix?" Evelyn asked.

Raiden's eyes narrowed. "Address him as Master."

Evelyn blinked in confusion before nodding. "Ah, of course. How long have you been serving Master Felix?"

She had her work cut out for her, but it was good enough for now. 

"I have been serving under Master for approximately 3 years now." Raiden answered.

 Evelyn nodded. "Not that long then."

She did not know how old Evelyn was, for all she knew 3 years could be a blip for the Elf. In comparison to Sir Middray and other older people she looked up to, 3 years was nothing. Sir Middray had served under Lady Milim for over 2,000 years. 

"So where are we going Miss Raiden?" Evelyn asked with a cheery curiosity.

"To the training grounds." She responded.

Evelyn looked at her in confusion. "Eh? Why the training grounds."

"What you may not know is that all the maids that serve in this palace are all combat proficient. Each of them can slay Special-A Class enemies with ease and are capable of defeating stronger Disaster Class ones when they group up." Raiden stated with no small amount of pride. She was the one who had trained them to their current state and she was proud of their progress.

"Master has combat maids?! No fair!" Evelyn whined.

"Indeed, the forces at our Master's command are significant."

Evelyn continued to ask questions about what duties were expected of her and such as Raiden led her. Before long they arrived at the training ground dedicated to her and her maids.

She spotted a woman in the distance who was sparring against two other maids. Fiel raised her hands, casting four spells simultaneously. A spiraling cyclone of flames erupted from her left hand. The flames roared across the battlefield as Fiel's other hand spewed jagged icicles towards the second maid. The shards spiraled around the Inferno Vortex, creating a cloud of steam and mist.

Fiel stomped her foot, summoning walls of Earth. Thick slabs of stone rose from the ground, forming a protective barrier between herself and the first maid. With her final gesture a powerful gust of Wind formed around Fiel before unleashing sharp blades of wind that lashed out at her opponents.

The maids quickly bowed out as they were overwhelmed by the synchronized spells.

Fiel was quite skilled at multicasting. If she wished she could have used a far more catastrophic spell by using Compound Magic. Merging multiple compatible spells together to increase a spell's destructive power multiple times over.

"Who is that?" Evelyn asked with curiosity.

"That is Fiel, one of the Lieutenants of the Battle Maid Corp."

Evelyn nodded in understanding. "Intriguing. She is rather powerful."

Raiden nodded. "She is."

It didn't take long for Fiel to notice them. In a burst of speed Fiel appeared in front of her.

"Lady Raiden!" Fiel greeted as she bowed.

She nodded in return. "Fiel. I wished to introduce you to Evelyn."

Fiel gave Evelyn an appraising glance before nodding. "Nice to meet you!"

Evelyn slowly nodded. "Likewise."

"I will leave you to your business, Lady Raiden." Fiel said as she bowed out.

She nodded in thanks. "Follow me." She told Evelyn as she began walking towards one of the more isolated training grounds.

"Master Felix didn't skimp out on the facilities did he?!" Evelyn said as she cheerfully followed.

"Of course he did not." Raiden retorted.

They both took their places across from each other. Evelyn seemed rather relaxed for someone about to begin a spar.

Raiden snapped her fingers layering extra barriers over their portion of the training ground. 

"This is merely to test your current capabilities so I know what I can rely on you for." She stated. 

Evelyn nodded as she got in position. As if they had an unspoken agreement they both dashed forwards at the same exact time. 

Raiden's punch was swiftly intercepted by Evelyn's sidearm, sending a minor shockwave through the air. Although she had not been using her Aura, Raiden was impressed by Evelyn's ability to block such a powerful strike. 

Given her own strength as a Dragon, Evelyn managing to defend against her was impressive. Evelyn had to rely on Fighting Spirit to reinforce herself of course, but it was impressive nonetheless. 

Evelyn retaliated with a quick kick, but she easily blocked it.

Raiden was rather impressed. She of course wasn't going all out, but from that alone she could tell that Evelyn had a good reaction time and had some combat ability. Being a capable fighter was important for the maids serving her Master as they needed to be capable of taking out any no-name riff raff in case her Master's territory was attacked. 

So far she was quite happy with Evelyn, Evelyn merely needed to be educated in how to be a proper maid. Still, she was curious as to how far Evelyn's combat abilities went.

Suddenly, Evelyn dashed backwards and waved her hand. Raiden reacted instantly, leaping into the air to avoid the Wind Slashes created behind her. She looked down to see the ground marked with small craters from the attack.

Raiden felt a smile begin forming on her face as gravity did its work, forcing her back to the ground. 

Evelyn merely smiled at her. "You're pretty good Miss Raiden!" Evelyn said cheerfully.

She nodded. "You as well, Evelyn. I hope you do not mind if we, as the Humans say, kick things up a notch?"

Evelyn nodded. "Do what you need to do, Miss Raiden."

Raiden nodded with a smile. She wouldn't be using any of her Lightning, but Sir Middray had taught her much about Battlewill as well as using the planet's energy.

In the blink of an eye, Raiden appeared in front of Evelyn, her fist drawn back and charged with Fighting Spirit. Evelyn's eyes widened as the punch came closer. At the last moment, Evelyn managed to summon a wind barrier, but Raiden's fist tore through it, landing a solid hit to Evelyn's chest. 

"Oof!" She cried out as she shockwaved away. 

Evelyn was flung to the other end of the barrier she had previously set up. Though the wind barrier absorbed some of the impact, the punch's force was still significant.

Raiden watched as Evelyn slowly rose to her feet, blood trickling from her mouth. "Ugh. That hurt." Evelyn murmured, but she quickly regained her stance.

Evelyn charged forward again, seemingly intent on putting Raiden on the defensive. Raiden braced herself, sensing Evelyn manipulating the wind around them. Despite the wind's attempt to disrupt her balance, it lacked the power to be truly effective.

In an instant, Evelyn was before Raiden, her fist pulled back. Raiden expected a punch but was surprised when Evelyn suddenly accelerated. Thanks to Thought Acceleration she could mentally process what was occuring, but her body could not move fast enough to reposition in time. 

She felt Evelyn's fist connect with her face.

The sting faded quickly as Raiden's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she executed an uppercut, her wings unfurling behind her. In a flash, she soared above Evelyn, delivering a powerful kick that sent her crashing back to the ground, creating a sizable crater.

Evelyn had likely used her power over Wind to push her forwards with speeds she would normally not be capable of. It seems she had underestimated her newest underling. 

As Raiden descended she was content to be on the defensive now, it would make it easier to analyze Evelyn's combat proficiency.

As Evelyn slowly got up out of the crater Raiden gestured towards her in a come hither motion which seemed to tick Evelyn off.

As Evelyn dashed forwards once more Raiden wondered what her Master was doing.

- Felix -

With a flap of my wings I tore through the sound barrier and soared through the sky quickly bursting through the clouds.

 I looked down at my territory for a moment. "It really does all look so small from up here." I mumbled before I teleported to the Ice Continent.

In the blink of an eye I appeared above the frozen continent. I could see Guy's ice palace below me. As I descended I released my aura, I'm sure Guy will want to be all official like he always is.

Once my feet touched the ground Misery appeared to greet me. "Lord Felix. Your visit was unexpected but not unwelcome." Misery greeted me with a bow.

I smiled at the Primordial. "Hello Misery. It's nice to see you."

"You as well, Lord Felix. I will guide you to Lord Guy." Misery responded.

"Lead the way." I gestured forwards.

As Misery led me deeper into the ice palace I expanded my senses. "Hey Misery?"

Misery paused for a moment. "Yes?"

"Is it me or are there more Daemons than usual in Guy's palace?"

Guy had a lot of Daemons wandering the Ice Continent, but the ones he approved of resided in the Ice Palace as his servants. Last time there weren't all that many of them, but each was an Arch Daemon so they were still quite strong. Now however the number of Daemons residing in the Ice Continent had practically doubled.

"You are correct. Lord Guy had ordered Rain and I to recruit more Daemons as he felt they may be needed with the chaotic times coming."

So even Guy could tell that shit would be going down soon huh?

"I see."

Misery led me through the ice palace and to the throne room. The same Troll guards were stationed at the large double door. Once the Trolls spotted us they began opening the double doors.

As I walked through Misery began making her grandiose introductions. "Lord of Darkness, Guy Crimson. Demon Lord Felix White, the Usurper of Black has arrived." Misery announced.

I rolled my eyes at Guy's theatrics, the man was a drama queen. But at his age I suppose he takes pleasure in the little things.

Guy himself was lounging on his throne, a characteristic smirk on his face. Rain was stationed behind him. She was standing stoically, if one didn't know her true self she would look like a proper maid. 

Throughout the throne room other Arch Daemons littered around. I noticed a few new faces but most of them were the same as the previous times I had been here.

I wonder, whenever Guy senses my arrival does he summon all the Arch Daemons to stand around for a propper entrance? Heh, I bet he does.

"Felix, welcome." Greeted Guy.

I inclined my head as I approached his throne. Once I was in front of Guy's throne I decided to be a bit theatrical myself as I raised the ice beneath me to put me at an equal height to Guy. It took a bit more effort than I expected, but this is the ice created by Velzard, a True Dragon, I should have expected it to be harder to manipulate.

"Hello Guy." I responded with a smug smirk.

Guy raised a brow before laughing. "So, what is this visit for, hmm?"

"I just wanted to speak to you about a few things."

Guy nodded. "Very well. Let us relocate to the lounge." Without turning, Guy said, "Prepare us some snacks, Rain." Guy ordered.

Rain bowed but I could notice a pout on her face. "Yes my master." She said before she left the room. Guy actually turned to Misery. "And you, prepare some tea."

Misery bowed. "As you wish, master." She said before also vanishing.

Guy stood up from his throne. "Follow me." I nodded and jumped off the platform I made. I'm sure Misery or Rain can take care of it.

As I walked side by side with Guy he said, "I heard that Velzard and Veldora fought." He mentioned.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm guessing Velzard told you?"

Guy nodded. "That and more. To think that brat would end up getting an Ultimate Skill."

Only Guy would call a True Dragon a brat. To be fair he was far older than Veldora, Veldora was practically a brat when compared to Guy, as was I.

"I also heard that you had a Cryptid under your command." 

I nodded. "Yeah, her name is Kurumi." It was rather interesting that Kurumi had such otherworldly origins. Though Kurumi herself wasn't from the Underworld, her mother likely was, though.

Guy nodded. "You have some interesting subordinates. Velzard informed me about another Daemon Duke under your command, Ingvild."

"Ingvild is a real sweetheart, but yeah, she is a Daemon Duke."

I was already prepared for Velzard to tell Guy about what she learned, it wasn't a big deal that Guy knew a bit more about my forces. He already knew more than enough even before, a bit more wouldn't hurt anything.

"It seems powerful people seem to be drawn to your side, Felix." Guy said as he gave me a side eye.

I rolled my eyes. "Pot meets kettle. Mr my partner is the strongest True Dragon."

Guy laughed. "Khahaha, I suppose that is accurate." 

As we were talking we had arrived at the lounge. I took one of the seats at the ice table while Guy sat across from me.

Just as we both sat down I heard Misery rolling her cart towards us. She gave us both tea glasses and swiftly poured us our tea before leaving. I've been having a lot of tea lately. 

I took a sip and smiled, as did Guy. 

"So, what did you wish to speak about, Felix?" Guy asked.

"There are multiple things, but to start off I want to ask you not to interfere with the mess that will be happening in the Western Nations soon. I know it's your job and all to maintain the stability of the world but I'll handle it."

Guy raised a brow. "And why should I listen to you? If something is happening in the West that sounds like something I should be interested in as the Mediator." 

I sighed. I expected that. I might tentatively consider Guy a friend, but he didn't really owe me anything. Plus his god given job was to make sure the world didn't implode on itself due to the idiocy of the various races. If something big is going on in the West, it would make sense that he would want to be there to make sure things don't go wrong.

Normally this really wouldn't be an issue. But in the other timelines Guy straight up fought Chronoa due to her being a threat. In this timeline that is less likely since Chloe is in control, but if Chloe decides to help fight off the attack on Ruberious then Guy may get certain ideas that could be troublesome at this point in time.

Overall it was just an unneeded risk. 

Chloe isn't the main issue I am worried about though, since I could probably just ask Rimuru to keep her out. The main thing is that humanity will temporarily be in chaos. The largest religion in the Western Nations was being attacked, and I wouldn't be surprised if Granbell and Kagali arranged other attacks throughout the Western Nations to create more chaos to distract us. 

I feel like I know Guy well enough to say that in that situation he would probably try and attract Humanity's attention to stop the infighting and focus on him, the big bad Demon Lord of the Ice Continent. That's what he's been doing throughout history, he has been the villain so that Humanity doesn't implode due to infighting. He will probably send some Daemons to invade the Western Nations which will not help at all.

Honestly, Luminous, Rimuru and I have planned everything out, Guy's interference will just overcomplicate things to be honest.

I did have an idea about how to get Guy to listen to me though. He did owe me a favor, a fairly large one at that. But asking Guy to ignore one of his duties temporarily will be costly. He was a prideful man and wouldn't want to fail in the duties Veldanava assigned him unless he really had to. 

I could have used this favor to get Guy to give me the data on his own personal Ultimate Skill, but I'll get an opportunity to analyze his Skill eventually so I wasn't too bummed out about not having his Ultimate Skill. Besides, from what I understood his Ultimate Skill was similar to Odin in that it copied other Skills. It was the only reasonable explanation for him being able to mimic Satanael's effects. 

That honestly wasn't very useful to me since I already had similar data from Odin.

I just wanted his Ultimate Skill just to have it. I'm a collector of Skills, acquiring Guy's is a goal of mine.

"Fine, I'll use my favor then." 

Guy raised a brow. "Very well then. I will not interfere in the coming chaos in the Western Nations unless you fail to control the situation."

I shrugged. "Good enough."

Guy nodded. "I will still owe you a small favor as the information you provided me was quite useful."

I nodded. I didn't really know what I would do with a small favor, but it would be good to have either way.

Actually, I knew just the thing a small favor could get me.

"Then I'll be calling in that small favor now. Tell me about the Eastern Empire, anything and everything you can share within the bounds of that favor."

Guy nodded. "Very well. It seems you have caught on to the brewing climax?"

That was an odd way to put it, but I still nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fairly suspicious of the Eastern Empire. I have a feeling they are preparing for war and their first targets will be my own territory and Tempest since we are in between the East and the West."

Tempest would likely be the main target though, it was just easier to get through than my own territory since Milim's territory neighbored my own.

- Guy Crimson -

Guy could feel a smile creep up on his face as he considered what to share with Felix about Rudra and his plans. He wasn't going to share everything just yet, Felix merely used a small favor after all. 

For now Felix would stay ignorant about the true nature of his and Rudra's relationship, about how this entire world was merely the board to a game between the two of them.

But Felix was right to be concerned about the Eastern Empire. Felix was powerful, but it was always wise to be wary of a threat you did not have much information on. 

Though Guy felt Felix did not have much to worry about. Felix was one of the few with Time Stop which allowed him to eviscerate 99.99999% of every being alive in every single world. Though perhaps Rudra or Velgrynd had attained the status of Digital Lifeforms over the years, he wouldn't know, so perhaps Felix was correct to be cautious.

"I will confirm your suspicions to start. The Eastern Empire will be invading within the next few years. Rudra has always desired to rule the world and enforce his own way of justice."

Felix nodded. "I was expecting an invasion so that isn't a surprise. Though knowing the motive is a nice bonus."

He had already told Felix about the existence of Michael, Lord of Justice, but he wouldn't be sharing much more about that. He wouldn't hand everything to Felix, not to mention that information was not within the bounds of a small favor. Plus information on Michael was a well kept secret. It was a truly powerful Skill, one befitting of the title as God's power. Castle Guard alone was rather troublesome.

Perhaps it would have been wise to tell Felix everything he knew so he could be more prepared for the climax of their game, but Guy wanted to keep some things a surprise. He felt like Felix could handle it, if Felix failed then he merely failed to live up to expectations which would disappoint Guy but it would hardly be the first time someone failed to live up to his expectations.

"I suppose I can share more about the power the Eastern Empire holds."

Felix nodded. "That would help."

"Keep in mind that my information is rather outdated. The Eastern Empire has a rather large military, however you do not need to worry about the standard military. From what I heard they rely on technology to make do and are rather weak due to this. The only division that matters somewhat is the Imperial Guardians."

"Imperial Guardians? That's a rather gaudy name." Felix mused.

"Heh, Rudra liked those kinds of things." Guy responded. "Each of the Imperial Guardians is an Enlightened at minimum, and the top 9 of them are all Saints and known as the Single Digits."

He went on to tell Felix about some of the Eastern Empire's policies, and the general military structure.

Guy personally did not know an incredible amount about the Eastern Empire, he merely knew what he deemed as important which was generally only the Single Digits, and Velgrynd.

"Now what I will be telling you next will repay the favor I owe you."

Felix raised a brow. "If you think it's worth that much then go for it."

Personally Guy thought the information he was about to share was rather valuable, but he liked Felix so he would give him a tiny freebee. "Rudra can only wield Michael's most powerful ability for approximately 10 seconds at a time, at least it was 10 seconds last I spoke to him which was 2 thousand or so years ago."

Felix pursed his lips. "10 seconds for Michael's most powerful sub-skill huh? I suppose that is useful information. Thanks Guy."

"There is one more piece of advice I can give you. Do not underestimate Rudra, I know him better than anyone else and I am sure he has something in mind if he plans to take action soon."

Felix nodded.

He hadn't told Felix about the issue with Rudra's soul. How his soul was slowly being chipped away at forcing him into reincarnation. Something that is slowly weakening his sense of self.

He turned towards Rain who was rolling a cart full of food towards them. He turned to look back at Felix. "Let us eat, then we can discuss what else you wished to speak about."

Felix nodded. "Sounds good."

- Felix -

As Rain served Guy and me our food, I thought about all the information Guy had shared about the Eastern Empire and Rudra. I'm sure he didn't tell me everything, nor did I expect him to, but what he shared was fairly useful information. 

Nothing truly game-changing, as I already expected the Eastern Empire to have Saints, but having confirmation is nice. Same thing with the information on some of the Empire's tactics that Guy could remember.

I already knew that the Scorch Dragon would likely help the Eastern Empire in whatever they do, thanks to Chronoa's memories of the other timeline. In the other timeline, Velgrynd had shown up after Milim started rampaging and causing catastrophic damage to the Eastern Empire's infrastructure. 

Guy further reinforced this belief by saying that Velgrynd was not merely the Guardian Deity of the Eastern Empire; she also held the highest attainable military position. I had no doubt she would have a part to play when the Eastern Empire invaded.

I had considered some time ago the possibility of just taking the fight to the Eastern Empire. But that sounded like an unnecessary risk. I didn't have enough information, and despite my strength, I wasn't an idiot who would charge ahead recklessly.

For all I knew, Rudra could fight me evenly. The simple fact that Guy hadn't acted on anything was suspicious enough. No, the simple fact that Guy had warned me not to underestimate Rudra was enough to not act without a proper plan. 

I just didn't know how strong he was. Same with Velgrynd, 2,000 years was a lot of time, more than enough for a True Dragon to grow stronger.

Milim womped Velgrynd in the other timeline, but theoretically, if given time, Milim could womp me too, so that wasn't saying much.

There was also the issue with Granbell. He would be acting soon, and the last thing I wanted was to enter a fight with an enemy whose strength I don't know while being in the middle of someone else's plan. If I was going to be fighting, I wanted to fight one enemy at a time.

In the end, I was satisfied with letting the Eastern Empire attack.

We had a rather large advantage since we knew they would invade and could start preparing right now.

I would just continue to bolster my defenses. I had some plans about strengthening my military, too, so they could fight off the troops of the Eastern Empire. Not to mention I had an idea to use Small World on the invading force to basically isolate them from my territory so the common populace isn't affected by the war.

That way I can also resurrect any of my people who die with Small World's authority over dimensions it creates.

I could, of course, likely solo the invading party, but the military has been training for a while. Defending one's country tended to help people bond, so it would be best if my military could fight off the invaders on their own. While my direct subordinates and I deal with those the military can't possibly beat.

It would also serve to keep my own strength relatively hidden. If I just attacked everyone myself I would be giving Rudra a free show to start planning against me. The less info they had, the better. Though having Rudra underestimate me might be off the table at this point since Rimuru used a fight between Veldora and I as an excuse to evacuate Adventurers from The Dungeon when I stopped restricting my power.

But perhaps things weren't too bad. Velgrynd mopped the floor with Veldora last they fought, Rudra and Velgrynd would have no reason to think that Veldora has grown any stronger and I wouldn't blame them for that thought. Without Rimuru's influence Veldora would be the same as he always was. 

At most Rudra would place me at the same level as the former Veldora which wasn't impossible to deal with. 

Either way, I wasn't placing too much importance on making too many plans of my own. What was that saying? Make the plan, execute the plan, wait for the plan to go off the rails, and throw away the plan.

I was distracted from my thoughts when Rain placed a plate of food in front of me. "Oh, fried chicken? Nice."

Guy nodded. "I had heard about some of the interesting dishes Tempest, Azeroth, and other allied Kingdoms have been serving. I had Misery recreate them, all of them are rather delicious, ramen especially."

Heh, the thought of a guy like Naruto and a man like Guy sitting together eating ramen is a rather amusing one. One a shonen protagonist that uses talk no jutsu, and the other an evil Demon Lord that has killed millions.

As I bit into the fried chicken, the crispy, golden coating gave way to tender, juicy meat, the flavors blending perfectly with just a hint of seasoning. The satisfying crunch made me smile, and I nodded in appreciation. "Not bad at all," I said, savoring the warmth and richness of the dish.

I could tell it was made from Mystic Chicken so it was even more juicy and tender than a normal chicken.

I looked to Rain who was standing nearby awaiting orders. I shot her a thumbs up. "Stand proud, you can cook." 

Rain gave me a smug smirk as she puffed up her chest. Misery, who was standing next to Rain elbowed Rain in the side. "Hey! What was that for?!" Rain whisper shouted.

"Tsk. That was for almost messing up the fried chicken. It would have burned if it wasn't for me." Misery whispered back.

"It's not my fault that I got lost in thought!" Rain said back.

"Then who's is it?" Misery questioned.

Rain looked confused for a moment before shrugging. "Dunno, but it isn't mine!"

Misery just sighed.

I looked back to Guy as I held back my smile. Guy looked constipated and as if he was debating if keeping those two around was even worth it.

"Hey Felix?" Guy said as he put his drum down. He had a perfect smile plastered on his face which made me suspicious.

"How would you like a new maid? She is a Primordial even if she is the youngest among us." Guy asked sweetly.

My eyes widened as I crossed my arms over my chest making an X. "No thanks, I'm actually quite content as is. More than content, really, I'm doing just fine."

Perhaps there were many plus sides to getting offered someone like Rain. She was a Primordial, even if weaker than Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina, at least in my eyes. However her loyalty to Guy was literally ingrained into her, overwriting it would involve rewriting the Infons of her soul, something that wasn't worth it for me. 

I didn't want to make it a habit to brainwash people to be my subordinates every time I had the chance, it just left a bad taste in my mouth. 

But all that were side reasons, the main one was that I do not want Rain as a subordinate. That sounds like a pain in the ass.

Guy's smile faltered slightly as he leaned forwards, but he tried to recover. "Are you sure? She's really great at—"

"Trust me." I interrupted, holding up my hand. "I am good."

Guy sighed as he leaned back. "It was worth a shot." 

"Good try buddy." I said as I took another bite of the crispy chicken. Fried chicken just hit a different spot, it wasn't some fancy gourmet dish but it was still damn good. There's a reason I have Raiden make me some from time to time.

"That was mean, Lord Guy!" Rain exclaimed with teary eyes.

Guy ignored Rain's whining, as did I. Guy and I ate in silence as we listened to Misery and Rain's bickering. They bickered like sisters with Misery being the responsible one and Rain the bratty little sister. Actually, I'm pretty sure that's true. They were basically siblings.

We both finished up our meals quickly. Once the plates had been taken by Misery and Rain, Guy looked at me with a renewed seriousness.

"So, what was the next thing you wished to discuss?" Guy asked as he lounged back on his seat.

"I have a method of Awakening Rain and Misery." I began, perhaps it was foolish to tell Guy this but I had a plan.

That alone caused Guy's eyes to widen before he scoffed. "If it was so simple then I would have done it already. I've wasted tens of thousands of souls on them to no avail."

I nodded. "I am aware of the issue, but I came up with a method to induce an Artificial Harvest Festival. As long as someone possesses the qualifications, meaning a Demon Lord Seed, I can Awaken them as long as I have souls."

"Fine, I'll bite. Why haven't you done this for your subordinates? I know some of them have Demon Lord Seeds." Guy said.

Before I could tell the truth about my primary reason, that being that I didn't have the souls I was interrupted.

"Inform Guy Crimson that they have not reached their full potential yet, due to this germinating the seed too early would be wasteful."

'Got it, I'll trust you.'

It wasn't even a lie, it just wasn't the primary reason that came to mind.

"It would be a waste. Each of them has room to grow, the stronger they are before their Harvest Festivals the stronger they will be after it."

Guy nodded. "A sound explanation." Guy stood up. "Very well then. I suppose I can give this plan of yours a shot. Do you require anything from my end?"

I nodded. I needed the souls. Normal Harvest Festivals required 10,000 souls, Artificial Harvest Festivals needed 10x more, so 100,000 souls each, 200,000 souls total for both Misery and Rain.

"Inform him that you require 1,500,000 souls."

I immediately realized what game Othinus was playing. 

Fuck it we ball.

"I need 1,500,000 souls." That also was not technically a lie. I did need more souls. Guy never specified if I needed anything for just Rain and Misery in particular.

Deception? Pfft, what is that, can you eat it?

Guy didn't even bat an eye. "Oh? That's all you need? In that case, the amount I have stored up should be enough without killing any more humans."

I rolled my eyes at his casual mention of mass slaughter. It didn't surprise me that Guy had a reservoir of souls at his disposal.

"Is that so? Good."

Guy raised his palm upwards as a mass of energy appeared floating above his palm. No, it wasn't just simple energy. Guy was holding 1,500,000 souls in the palm of his hand.

He casually chucked them at me, thankfully I could interfere with the metaphysical soul so I was able to catch it with ease. "Those are high quality souls, straight from the High Human Kingdom that occupied this land." Guy states with indifference. 

I stared at the amount of souls in my hands for a moment before sucking them into Infinity Space. Guy didn't bat an eye at the souls disappearing.

"Rain, Misery! Come here!" Guy yelled.

I could feel the differences between the souls, some were stronger than others.

"Individual differences were detected in the souls obtained. Do you want to reconstitute uniformly?" Othinus chimed

'Go for it.'

The number of souls immediately swelled up to a little over 1.6 million. 

Damn.

I separated 200,000 souls from the rest as I began making preparations. I was well aware that the majority of the souls I received from Guy were from innocent bystanders who were unlucky enough to be in the High Human Kingdom when Guy showed up.

I doubt a large portion of the populace were actually bad people. I'm sure they existed, as according to Luminous the High Human race was a flawed one from the start. But that didn't make each and every single member of that race bad and deserving of death with no hope of reincarnation.

During Harvest Festivals the consumed souls fight for their survival, if they lose they are consumed fully, core and all leaving them with no hope for reincarnation.

That's what happened to Clayman's men that I used to evolve, same thing for the Falmuth army. I didn't regret my decision back then but I wasn't needlessly cruel.

In the first place an Artificial Harvest Festival didn't require the consumption of the cores of souls, so I could preserve the core of these souls and revive them at a later date or just send them off into reincarnation if I wished.

Rain and Misery appeared behind Guy.

"You two, Felix here will be giving you a power up, show your thanks."

I could tell both Rain and Misery were confused but they bowed nonetheless. " "Thank you." "

I nodded. "Come closer." Once both of them were in front of me I placed a hand on both of them. This would be easier if I had a Soul Corridor with them, but it is what it is.

I looked to Guy. "This is a rather large favor, one I will be cashing in soon." I stated.

Guy nodded without a hint of surprise. I wasn't doing this for free after all.

I separated the cores from the energy of the souls, safely storing the 200,000 cores for some other time.

I closed my eyes as I located their Demon Lord Seeds which were located deep within their souls. I gently pushed the soul energy of 100,000 souls into each of them and directed the energy towards the Seeds.

Both of their eyes widened as they felt what was happening. Guy himself was also watching with a keen eye, but I didn't think that he would be able to learn what I was doing, especially since Othinus was blocked his analysis attempts. 

"The evolutions of both Misery and Rain have begun."

'Great, thanks Othinus.' 

I let go of the two as they both looked incredibly drowsy all of a sudden. Though it seemed like they were able to resist it.

"Unlike the initiation from standard Harvest Festivals in which an individual has to resist the resentment of all the souls the seed consumed, the Artificial Harvest Festival merely induces an evolutionary sleep which can be easily resisted."

'I see.'

I could sense some of the Arch Daemons close by falling unconscious, as could Guy going by his look. I'm guessing those were the subordinates of Misery and Rain who qualified for the gifting.

Both Misery and Rain were looking at themselves wide-eyed. 

Rain clenched her fist. "Haha, finally I'm back at full strength, baby! No, I'm even stronger than before!"

Misery had a wide uncharacteristic grin on her face.

They weren't official True Demon Lords, they hadn't been recognized by the Voice of the World, but their seeds had germinated and they got to evolve because of it as well as receive a bit of a power-up.

Misery and Rain were now certifiably Devil Lords, meaning they had returned to the level of power they held as Primordials in the Daemon Realm. Though it seems these two surpassed their original peak.

Their EP had yet to stabilize but both of them were well over 2,000,000, they'd likely go a decent bit higher once they stabilized. 

"You two, go collect the ones undergoing the gifting."

Misery and Rain both bowed before vanishing.

"I didn't believe it. Well done Felix." Guy complimented.

"Don't sweat it. Actually do sweat it since now I'm calling in that favor you owe me."

Guy raised a brow. "Oh? What did you require?"

I could ask for quite a lot for what I just did for Guy, but… there was one thing Guy had that I wanted. It wasn't something I needed, and I was aware I could probably use this favor in a more efficient way. But I was really curious, and my inner Skill collector demanded to be satisfied.

However maybe I could get two useful things out of this if I play things right.

I raised two fingers. "I want two things."

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I am highly motivated by your guys' reviews and likes, so do that! I'll probably keep writing or something.

I have a discord server, come hang out if you want! https://discord.gg/VxR5Gn72Fp I also have a channel in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse.

Author's Note: Sup everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. This chapter we see Granbell making the last of his preparation. Raiden is hilariously misunderstanding Felix's intentions but fuck it we ball. Elmesia even in a homuncules is rather powerful as well. Then finally Felix tells Guy to stay out of the west and gains a bit more in that visit as well. Plus some good ol' Rain bullying. Everytime she shows up in this story she is bullied.

Thanks for reading, peace.

Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.