Location : Itsuka residence
Time : Early Morning

         Another day , another morning at the Itsuka residence. Shido smiled as he prepared breakfast in the kitchen. The seemingly idyllic mornings brought back a sense of nostalgia in his heart. And while for anyone else, a task as repetitive as making food everyday might be boring, it was almost soothing and relaxing to him. Cooking really helped to drive away his boredom. In the past considering that there wasn't any food in the world to cook , he used to relieve him of his boredom by killing the people of at least one major city every morning. And while cooking didn't have as many exciting explosions as destroying cities, it was still good enough for him. Besides, that was still something that he could do at night. If faced with two options why should you choose only one instead of snatching both of them ? It was quite simple, really.

        A while later , as he was sitting on the table having breakfast with everyone, kotori spoke up and said, " Say Shido , you are free tonight, right ? " As all eyes turned to kotori, Shido raised his brow and said, " Yes , but why do you inquire ? Is there some job that needs to be done ? " Kotori sighed and said, " Yes. You see, there is an event going on in the Blue Lotus Casino. It's under the same parent company as the restaurant you visited yesterday. Shichirou-san and his daughter are also going to be there. Technically speaking, it's a business gathering for Issac-san's associates , but we're allowed to be there . And Shichirou-san himself personally requested you to be present, so can you and the others come for the event tonight ? "

       Shido pauses to think about it. It had been a while since he had actually gone to a casino. The last time was roughly a century ago in a small town in Korea and even then he was interrupted with an airstrike of thermonuclear warheads right on top of it. Sure , he was a bit rusty , but he definitely wanted to give it a go once again. He nodded and said, " Sure. If everyone else is free, I don't exactly mind. "

       As everyone else started to cheer for having the opportunity to go out, Nia spoke up and said, " Say , kotori-chan ? Can you please give us some funds ? It's fine even if it's a small amount, but can you do that ? " Kotori sighed and said, " Fine. All of you'll get  1,00,000 yen (around a thousand dollars ) . I don't exactly expect you to turn it into a profit , but don't make a habit out of gambling. "  Nia cheered on hearing this. Tohka had a confused look on her face as she said, " I don't think I know what to do in a casino "  Nia smiled and said, " Don't worry Tohka-chan ! Onee-Chan here will teach you everything ! " Shido snickered and said,
" Onee-Chan ? Don't you mean Oba-san ? "
( Oba-san means old woman ) Nia nearly screamed with a horrified look and said, " How could you say something so horrifying to your very own cute waifu ! Besides, you're around the same age as me if we count your reincarnation as shinji too ! "

           Shido shrugged and said, " And your point is ? You think something like that is going to work on me ? Unfortunately for you , I am devoid of any pride or self respect, so I don't care, Oba-san ~ "  Nia whimpered on hearing this and said, " Now you're just bullying me ! " Shido chuckled and wrapped her in a hug and said, " There, there. I was just messing with you. You're really fun to tease. So cheer up, okay ? "

       As Nia cutely whimpered in his arms , Shido chuckled softly. He then said, " That said, I'll start with the preparations for tonight. Don't worry about your clothes , I'll personally make new clothes for all of you with my own hands. You can ask Nia about my work , she can validate it. I have a lot of spare fabric at home , so there's no issue of material shortage. If I can make multiple kaiseki boxes in an hour, I damn well can sew multiple dresses in a few hours ! "

         As Shido was already starting to make his way upstairs while everyone had their mouths wide open in surprise on hearing this, Ellen spoke up in a curious tone and inquired , " Wait a minute, even if you're good at making costumes, that doesn't explain one thing. You were going to start making our costumes right away. But that would require you to know our measurements, which I don't remember you ever taking. So tell me, how do you know
them ? "  As Shido turned towards them and chuckled nervously, he saw that everyone was staring at him , expecting an answer. He spoke up nervously and said, " Well , um , you see , whenever you guys just put your clothes for giving to a tailor for minor adjustments or stitching up small tears , it's not the tailor doing that , it's just me. I thought what's the need to spend extra money when I can do the job . Of course, having worked on your clothes for nearly a year now , I have pretty much all of your sizes memorized. "

   As all the girls blushed with some of them covering their chests in embarrassment ( even though they had no need to since they were still wearing clothes ) , Shido spoke up and said in a defensive manner, " Oh come on ! It's not like I was doing something perverted like stealing your undergarments or anything like that ! '' Hearing this, Miku was the first to respond as she said, " Aww, maybe you should start doing that darling ! " Origami soon joined her and said, '' I agree with Miku. If you want, I can give you mine righ- "  Before she could finish however, Shido immediately ran upstairs, with a blush apparent on his face, leaving everyone bewildered.

                   ---------------X---------------

( A few hours later )

           Reine and Nia entered Shido's room as they  wanted to inform him that they would be leaving soon in about an hour. He had already sewed their clothes and handed them half an hour ago. And even Reine had to admit, it was so well done that no one could even guess that they were made in just a few hours. Seriously, at times when she was astonished at the sheer amount and number of skills that he possessed. Sighing to herself, she gently opened the door. ( An : Yes , I just did. And you cannot stop me )

           As soon as they entered, they saw Shido sitting on a chair with one leg over the other while he had a glass of red wine in one hand while a palm sized hardbound book in the other. Holding the book close to his face , he was reading it with a serious expression as he was completely engrossed in it. Though she would not openly admit it , she was definitely enjoying every bit of the sight in front of her as it made Shido look like a sophisticated gentleman.

       Noticing Reine, Shido calmly got up and closed the book and placed it on the nearby study desk. Taking a sip of wine , he turned to Reine and said, " Is something the matter, Reine ? " Reine shook her head and said, " No , I just wanted to let you know that we'll be leaving in an hour . " Shido nodded on hearing this and started to take out his clothes from his wardrobe. Reine asked him in a curious tone, " What exactly was the book that you were reading ? "  Nia too asked him curiously and inquired, " Yeah.  What is it ? Wait , don't tell me you're reading smut ?! Oh my, how lewd ! Perhaps you want to experience some new sensations with your cute waifu, Shounen ?~ "

          Shido decided not to pay attention to Nia's flirting and merely raised his brow and took a deep breath. He then replied in a calm manner and said, " It's a book titled ' I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream ' . It's written by Harlan Ellison. It's set in a dystopian future where Humanity is wiped out except for five survivors. Of course, it's not exactly something to be happy about for the survivors, as they're nothing more than captives and toys for an artificial intelligence named AM. Originally created for the purpose of war , it was first named as Allied Mastercomputer before being finally labelled as Artificial Menace by the survivors. AM continues to torture the survivors due to his sheer hatred for Humanity. AM having achieved powers to bend Reality itself to his will torments them in personally crafted hells for every one of them. Even the end is nothing short of depressing as the only hope that the survivors finally get is by one of the survivors, Ted killing them, though when it finally comes to killing himself, he fails to do so and is captured by AM and turned into a blob like monster incapable of harming itself or commiting suicide. Such is the fate that the last living human has to endure. A prison created by his own mind. The blood on his hands. How truly pitiful…… "

        Hearing this, Nia chuckled nervously and said, " I may be wrong, but I don't think that will make a good bedtime read. " Shido laughed softly and said, " It most certainly won't. That said, the book holds a lot of value for me. I found it years ago. Ever since then I've been enamored by it. Even in times of my loneliness, it was there beside me. I've read it enough times that I can recite to you each and every sentence of the story by heart. "  Reine asked hesitantly, " Is there .... Any reason for the fascination with the story ? "

       Shido paused for a few moments before speaking and said, " I believe it's multiple things. However, the first thing is the characters. And amongst all the cast , the one I find the most interesting is AM himself. Quite the tragic character, if I say so myself. " Nia had a surprised expression on her face as she said, " I'm sorry but I fail to see how a cruel being who can manipulate Reality and tortures the last surviving humans is somehow tragic. " Shido retorted her by saying, " Oh but he is tragic. For all his power, AM is still bound by the constraints he was created with. He was an instrument of war. As such, he was cursed to only destroy, not create. Can you imagine it ? Nigh unlimited power and yet you can neither create nor nurture, but only destroy. How utterly pitiful. "  Saying this, Shido started pacing in the room. Both Nia as well as Reine stayed silent , watching him intently. Shido began speaking again as he said, " AM's name is also a reference to the phrase, ' Cogito Ergo Sum ' , I think, therefore I am . I AM. I am…... AM….. "

        Shido then let out a deep sigh as he continued pacing and said , " The other reason I love the book is because of the portrayal of the true nature of mankind in it. Man by nature is an Evil animal. This is a simple, irrefutable statement that will always remain true regardless of the era. Man confronts the Evil within him to become better. To evolve further. Unfortunately, not everyone is successful in this inner journey. As Nietzsche said , " He Who Hunts Monsters Must Ensure That he Himself Does Not Become One . For When You Gaze Into The Abyss, The Abyss Gazes Back At You. " And once it gazes back at you , you are but doomed to be drawn in its dark embrace. Like bees to the fragrance of a flower or flies to a rotting carcass, all men are drawn to the darkness in their hearts . However, while all men do descend into the dark , few if any emerge out of it towards the light. It is simply a Truth of the world. Nothing more, nothing less. However, it is foolish at the same time to deny the darkness within. It is as much a part of one's existence as much as one's heart or soul. Man is Evil. To be Evil is to embody selfishness to its peak. Man always acts selfishly for the benefit of himself, or that of his clan and kin , his family and friends. It is simply a part of his existence which is necessary for a society to function. After all, a society without selfishness is a society without desires. And without desires , the social structure that man has developed for thousands of years simply falls apart. There exists not a single Human who is truly selfless. If there is , then regrettably that being has let go of his Humanity. By giving up on his selfish desires , he has ceased to be a human.  "

           As both Reine and Nia pondered over his words , Nia spoke in a nervous tone and said, " Those are quite the dangerous words , Shounen. You sound like either a depressed person or a villain monologuing. "  Shido swirled the wine glass in his hand before taking a sip and then said, " Yes , I suppose that is what I sound like. However, you are mistaken to think that there exists a distinction of sorts between normal people and villains. Villains are as much normal humans as anyone else. However, there is but one fundamental thing that separates them from the common populace. Tell me Nia , what separates a Tyrant from an Ideologue ? No idea ? It is power. Power is what separates the mad drunkard who rambles about World domination in a bar and the Cruel Tyrant who slaughters by the millions. Like water to a sapling , power is what nurtures Evil within man. "

        Reine spoke up and said, " Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely ? " Shido shook his head dejectedly and said, " No. That statement is misleading, stupid, foolish and idiocracy of the highest order. No , what power does is much more sinister. Power merely brings out the corruption that already exists within. The darkness within, the silent voices within one's heart , the creeping darkness , the devil on your shoulders as they say, all of these are just forms, forms of the Evil within. Power brings out the Evil in one's heart. After all, you Cannot Reap What Hasn't Been Sown . "

            Nia released a nervous chuckle and said, " Say , Shido , should I get you a
fireplace ? A white cat to pet ? An underground secret base ? Because let's be honest, you've ticked all the boxes for a James Bond Villain. Should I be concerned ? " Shido smirked and walked towards her. He then wrapped one arm against Nia's waist and pulled her closer. Lifting her chin up with his other hand, he stared into her eyes and said in a deep voice, " Perhaps I am . Who knows. Maybe I'm running the world from shadows. Causing acts of mass terrorism to spread chaos in the world. Curious Is The Trapmaker's Art , His Efficacy Unwitnessed By His Own Eyes…. "

         As Nia's breathing was starting to become heavy and a little bit of drool could be seen from her mouth due to Shido's rather sensual words , Shido's expression suddenly turned into one of horror as he exclaimed to himself, " Shit , I forgot to boil the milk in the morning because of all of your antics ! It'll be spoilt ! Fuck ! "  Saying this, he quickly dropped Nia on the nearby bed and stormed downstairs. Sometimes, Reine could never understand how someone so skilled and in many terms a genius, could act so stupid…….

                  ---------------X---------------

Location : Blue Lotus Casino

Time : Late Evening

         
           In front of the gates of the casino, a large black limousine halted. Out of it , multiple women and a single young boy stepped out. The girls were dressed in elaborate ball gowns, with the older women exuding an aura of maturity while the younger ones had a maidenly charm to them. The youngest girl however, the one with blue hair wore a frock which could only be described as " Impossibly Cute ". Among the beautiful maidens however, was also a young blue haired man who wore a black tuxedo. Unlike a few of the girls who had slightly nervous looks on their faces , the man's expression was one full of confidence, as if it was a regular ordeal for him.

        Shido had a grin on his face. It had been a while since he got to attend an actual casino. The last time he did was roughly a century ago and even then it resulted in him burning the entire city in which the casino was located with Essence Flames because of a dispute with the casino owners as they refused to pay his earnings. And though he didn't mind being here with everyone, he was still a bit irked by yoshino's presence. He didn't want someone as innocent as her in such an environment. However, after arguing ( read also, screaming at ) with kotori, it was finally decided that it would be unfair to simply abandon her and she would attend with them , though she would be constantly beside kotori and she sure as hell wasn't going to be allowed to gamble.

          Turning to Kotori , he spoke up and said , " You know, I don't really need a lot of money. I'm not gonna gamble too much, so I'll be fine even with a small amount. So just give me around eleven thousand yen ( 100 dollars )  and I'll be fine. " While Kotori was slightly confused by his words, she shrugged and handed him the money. If he didn't want to gamble large amounts then it was good too , considering that it was a sensible choice to not get addicted to gambling large amounts of money, even if someone else was paying for you.

           After taking the money, he walked away from the group. The others too separated and went to different places in the casino, though they agreed to meet up after an hour. As all of them met up after an hour, each of them had widely different expressions on their faces. Ellen and Reine, who were playing as a group didn't have much changes in their finances , as they played rather conservatively, only making small bets. Most of the other girls like the yamai sisters and natsumi ended up losing most of their money, which wasn't surprising considering that it was their first time. The exception to this was of course Origami, who had managed to turn a thousand dollars into around 4,500 dollars with calculated bets. Of course, it was still a far cry from the team of Tohka and Mukuro, who had earned a whopping 10,000 dollars. When inquired about how they were manage to do so , Nia , who was beside them spoke in a defeated tone , " Both of them just placed random bets on the roulette table. And by some bullshit luck , they were able to make profit a hundred percent time . Ah ! This is so frustrating ! Tohka-chan ! You have to help me next time by pulling for SSR's, okay ?! "  Tohka didn't exactly understand what she was saying, but happily agreed with a nod.

         As they were discussing their earnings, they were joined by Issac and Shichirou-san along with his daughter. Isaac turned to Ellen and asked with a smile, " So are all of you enjoying the party ? There may be a lot of high profile people here , but as long as you don't pay them too much attention, this is a pretty good party . " Shichirou agreed with a nod and said, " I agree. I may not exactly be someone who attends parties like this as I'm generally focused on my cultivation, but when I have to agree that this is a good place. If nothing else, it's a lot better than the stuffy earthen lamp underground meetings we cultivators used to have in the past. From what I've heard , nowadays most of the large sects tend to organise meetings in large parties like this. "

         Chiyome had a smug look on her face as she said, " See , even the others are starting to get on with the times. You're the only one who's still criticizing the new changes dad. " Shichirou sighed upon hearing this. While even he understood the need to accept change instead of resisting or rejecting it. However, considering how quickly things were changing, especially in the last few decades, he felt that he was starting to quite literally lag behind. In the past, changes would take place in several decades, not several years. Culture would remain stable for centuries at times before finally experiencing gradual changes. But now it seemed that every time he would come out of secluded cultivation, the world would have changed once again. He sighed once again to himself. He was certainly getting old. In just a few centuries, he would reach two thousand years of age, after which it would be difficult for him to fight or even travel large distances without supplementary treasures such as elixirs strengthening his vitality.

         His attention was brought to Issac as he spoke up in a rather serious tone and said, " There is something important that we must discuss. " Immediately, a simple concealment barrier spread around everyone. It was quite basic in application, making it so that sounds were prevented from reaching out and normal people would not notice them. It wasn't something fancy , given that it was a basic spell , but it was more than enough to keep out the ears of normal people. Isaac continued speaking and said, " The Convergent Heavens faction have recently released a statement that they will be organising the tournament in a month, three decades in advance. "

          The Convergent Heavens faction, as uncreatively it was named ( not that anyone would have the audacity to say it openly ) , was a coalition between eight different High Sects and was the closest thing the world had to a central authority over cultivation sects. It was only concerned with trying to ascend to godhood, not that they had any success in doing so in all of history. When the spirits first appeared, the cultivators of The Convergent Heavens faction demanded that they be handed over to them , though they quickly learned to maintain their silence after finding out the existence of not just the world's only Supreme Magus at their side , but also Reine , who was a True Goddess. While they had multiple cultivators at their side, even the difference between a True Deity and cultivator of The Supreme Magus rank or a warrior of The Dao Fusion realm was quite literally that of Heaven And Earth. It didn't matter how many cultivators you had , against a True Goddess, even one as weak as Reine , all of them were as weak as children.

         Reine released a sigh and said, " I know that they're definitely planning something. This is too big to be a coincidence. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be right of me to simply destroy them on the basis of an assumption. Perhaps in the past I would have done so , but not now. I don't think I would be able to look Shido in the eyes if I committed a massacre of this scale. " Hearing her words , a chill travelled through each of the people present there, reminding them that regardless of her usual calm demeanor, she was still a True Goddess, who until recently was more than willing to sacrifice the lives of all the spirits to turn the man she loved into a demigod just so that she could be with him for the rest of her life.

          Reine then turned to Kotori and said,
" As we will most likely be invited to attend the tournament, I would like all of the girls except for yoshino to accompany me there. Not only that, I would even want Shido to be present beside me there. While it may seem counterintuitive to take him to a place full of cultivators, at the very least we can assure his safety considering that he'll be surrounded by several demigoddesses and a supreme Magus and a grand Magus. I don't want to leave him alone only for the off chance that our enemies will attack him. As for yoshino, the tournament is a place where people are bound to die and I don't want her to witness such bloodshed. And as she's a demigoddess , she'll at least be capable of protecting herself. However, I'll still be constructing a tier two array which will protect her as long as she's inside it. Array formations may not exactly be my specialization, but given the materials that Ratatoskr has collected, I'm sure that I can build at least something passable. I would bring shame to the Heavenly University if I couldn't even do that much. "

         Sensing the tensions in the room and trying to ease it , Isaac spoke up and said, " I think we should leave these troublesome matters for later. It's the job of us adults to worry about these things, not young people who have yet to enjoy their youths. " Having the tensions diffused due to Isaac's words and cheerful attitude, a sense of normalcy returned to the group. However, as soon as Isaac disabled the barrier, an announcement resounded through the air as it said, " Will Miss Reine Itsuka and Miss Ellen Itsuka please report at the head office ? I repeat, will Miss Reine Itsuka and Miss Ellen Itsuka please report at the head office on the third floor ? "

          As Ellen rubbed her temples in frustration while each of the girls other than kotori and yoshino stared at Isaac with a frown on their faces, Isaac merely chuckled nervously. While Ellen was certainly annoyed by his actions of registering her and Reine with Shido's last name , a part of her felt genuinely giddy as it made her feel like she was already wedded to him , not that she'd ever admit that openly. Shaking her head, she realised that there were more important issues on hand than Isaac's antics. Considering that the only person that was absent, it was a logical conclusion that Shido was in trouble. Sighing to herself, she said, " Reine , come with me. Ike, if Shido has got us into a debt , you're paying for it out of your own pocket, even if you've to sell your company. "

         Not giving Isaac even a chance to respond, Ellen quickly stormed out as Reine followed her soon after……

Location : The Head Office, Third Floor

          As Ellen and Reine were guided inside a large room by a woman, they saw that Shido was sitting in front of a middle aged man while scribbling something on a large paper in front of him. The man was intently staring at the paper , much like a young kid's fascination with any sweet candy. The man exclaimed upon picking up the paper in his hands and staring at it giddily for a few seconds and said, " This is simply amazing ! I've never seen anything like it before ! I'm genuinely honoured to obtain something like this ! "

          Noticing that both Ellen and Reine had entered the room, the man got up and said in a professional and courteous tone , " You must be Miss Ellen and Miss Reine. I'm thankful for your time. I wanted to discuss with you about Itsuka-san's actions. Please have a seat . " Though Ellen was still a bit nervous, she knew that Shido couldn't have made that big of a debt . He even had only a hundred dollars so it wasn't like he could have accumulated some million dollar debt. The man began speaking as he said, " Initially, Itsuka-san spent his money only on slot machines. However, considering that he was winning too much, we asked the security personnel to persuade him to the other games. And I assure you that our men have been extremely polite and respectful in their behaviour ! After that however, Itsuka-san kept winning at every game, from poker to black jack to roulette tables. We analysed every tiny detail, inspected the security footage from every angle of every camera and even did a full body check up to find any discrepancies but we can confirm that there was no foul play involved and after having spoken with him, we found that Itsuka-san was actually using complex mathematical equations and statistical models to make the most optimal bets. Because of this , his combined earnings are even beyond our expectations. "

        While Ellen was slightly surprised by this, it was no secret that Shido was at least a decent gambler. He had only played a few rounds of poker against Nia but he was able to win all of them. Of course, considering that it was Nia, who to put it politely, sucked at gambling, it wasn't too huge of a surprise. Reine sighed and asked, " How much did he earn ? He only started with a hundred dollars, so surely it couldn't be that bad. " The man laughed awkwardly and said, " Itsuka-san managed to earn an awe inspiring 34.5 million dollars in his combined earnings. And while we do pride ourselves on being a large casino chain , it would require us to liquidate all of our assets of this particular location including the property assets just to pay the debt we owe . "

        Upon hearing this, Reine  facepalmed while Ellen slammed her head against the table and said, " We leave you for less than an hour and you've already caused trouble ! What the hell is wrong with you and how the hell did you do it ?! " Hearing her outburst, Shido laughed nervously and said, " Well, I just made a few calculated bets , nothing more. Besides, considering it wasn't my money I was gambling with, I decided not to hold back. I mean, it's not my fault that the other businessmen at the table were a bit too enthusiastic. And considering its common practice for casinos to have a few of their own men in such high stakes games, it was clear that the casino was bound to lose money against me. " Rubbing her temples, Ellen turned to the manager and said, " Rest assured , we do not require the money. Just… keep it….. We'll be taking your leave now. Thank you. "

         As Ellen was getting ready to leave, the manager panicked and said, " Please just listen to me Miss Itsuka ! While I have said that we're unable to directly pay the debt, it would be a huge blow to both our pride and image. As such, I have put forward a proposal. Itsuka-san has already said that he is willing to accept it as long as both of you agree. " Releasing a sigh , Reine gestured to the manager to speak while Ellen was taking deep breaths to calm herself. It was one thing to find that your future husband had already accumulated a massive debt. However, it was perhaps arguably even more concerning if your future husband managed to go from having hundred dollars to a full fledged millionaire in less than an hour. No matter how good he was , she didn't want him to get into any gambling habits. She genuinely wished to prevent his innocence from being tainted by vices like gambling, addiction or violence.

          She was snapped out of her stupor when the manager began to speak in an ecstatic tone and said, " You see , there exists a small private gambling competition of sorts between various casinos which themselves are sponsored by various large corporations. Our chain is allied with DEM industries. It is my sincere belief that Itsuka-san is the most capable individual to be selected as our representative. Upon doing so , any winnings he receives, he is allowed to keep 70% of it while the rest will go to DEM industries. Normally, it ends up in a fifty percent for the representative, and thirty percent for the corporation and twenty percent for the casino chain , however due to our debt , we're more than willing to make an exception. The prize for ranking first is over sixty million, so it should definitely interest you. And in case you're wondering why these are even organized in the first place aside from the entertainment of wealthy individuals, it serves as a tool for the casinos for advertisement among the wealthy individuals while also being a matter of pride that such an experienced gambler represents them. And as the rich people don't exactly hold back with emptying their wallets , it's a rather profitable deal . "

           Reine asked worriedly, " But isn't he a little young to attend such an event ? " The manager shook his head and said, " Ah, rest be assured, that won't be a problem. To hide their identities, none of the players are actually present there. What they're doing is essentially just playing from the convenience of the designated spots from where their actions are recorded with a special apparatus and a hologram of them plays with the other players on the broadcast for the audience. Of course, it's a common practice for people to change the images of their hologram as per their preferences. Skin colour, hair colour, hair style, body shape and even your very gender can be changed. As it basically attributes to a persona of sorts , most representatives do treat it as the player customisation screen in video games, even those of the older generations. "

        Ellen rubbed her temples and said,
" Aren't you worried about entrusting such a huge sum to a kid ? " The manager shook his head and said, " Of course not. Mr. Isaac has been a long time supporter of ours , so we are more than confident about him. And since Itsuka-san is here with his recommendation, we are sure we can trust him. "  As Ellen let out a sigh after hearing this, she turned towards Reine for her opinion. A part of her wished to outright refuse but it was a fact that truth be told, she had no right to restrict Shido's actions. Whatever he was doing, it was completely legal and she had enough faith in him that he won't fall into a gambling addiction. In contrast to her restrictive actions , Shido had enough faith and trust in both of them that if they were to refuse permission for his participation, she knew that he'd happily oblige without saying a word.

         Seeing that even Reine nodded after releasing a sigh, Ellen turned towards the manager and said, " Very well. I agree with this. Whatever further information will be required, please send it to Shido through Ike , sorry, I mean Isaac. " The manager was ecstatic to hear this as he said, " Thank you very much Miss Itsuka ! I assure you that you won't regret your decision ! With Shido-san's capabilities, we will surely win this match ! Still , I must say, you must be extremely proud to have such a capable and intelligent brother like Shido-san. "

          Hearing this, both Reine and Ellen's mind blanked for a second. The only word that Reine let out was an indignant
" What ? " . The manager had a confused expression on his face as Reine and Ellen stared at him. He said hesitantly, " Um , yes ? I assumed that the three of you were siblings or perhaps cousins at least considering that the three of you share the same last name. He is your brother,
right ? " Ellen was barely managing to hold herself back as she nearly screamed, " We're not siblings ! "  On the other side, Shido had his hand over his mouth, seemingly trying his level best to hold his laughter. The manager, clearly startled by the outburst, said, " Eh ? I genuinely believed that you were…..  Then your last names…… ! "

         The manager had a look of sudden realization on his face as he got up and bowed down and said, " Please forgive my words ! I realize how insensitive my words were ! I assure you that we do not discriminate against others based on their life choices ! It wasn't my intention to offend you or your wife Ms. Itsuka ! I'm sure that after having engaged in conversation , even your son can vouch for me ! "  Upon hearing these words, both Reine and Ellen had their mouths wide open as they were having difficulty to even form coherent thoughts. In her mind, Reine was genuinely wondering whether this was her karma for all the bad things she had done in her life. Here she was , having been mistaken for her lover's MOTHER of all things. On top of that, one of his other lovers was now being mistaken for his other mother and her WIFE. Was this what her life had come to now ? The worst part was, Reine had read the mind of the man in front of her and she could tell that the man was genuinely apologetic. He genuinely believed that Shido was her and Ellen's adopted son and both of them were lovers , and he didn't want an amazingly profitable venture like Shido to slip from his hands because of a careless mistake…..

        Ellen on the other hand wasn't fairing as well. She was barely restraining her urge to strangle Shido considering that he was desperately trying to ( and failing to ) hold his laughter. In her mind, Ellen wanted to do nothing more than digging a hole and burying herself inside it out of shame. As such, she did the only logical thing that she could. She got up and said in a barely restrained tone, " Both Reine and I are not his sisters or mothers, but his Wives. Please keep that in mind. "

           After saying this, she grabbed Shido by his collar and dragged him behind her. As Reine too followed her, Shido shouted towards the manager and said, " Mr. Rentarou , please send the details to Issac-san ! Don't worry, I'll get in touch with you soon ! '' Soon, the room was left empty with the manager having his mouth wide open as he kept staring at the door in shock.

         Once they had exited the room, Ellen dropped Shido on the ground unceremoniously. The hallway was devoid of people, as Shido was kneeling on the ground with one hand over his stomach and the other over his mouth. While at first glance it may seem that he was hurt due to being dropped on the ground, it was quite the opposite as a matter of fact. In just a few seconds, Shido burst out laughing boisterously as both Ellen and Reine glared at him as they were blushing in embarrassment.

          Shido was holding his stomach as he spoke, with his laughter cutting between his words as he said, " You guys ….. ! Hahahaha ! Oh god ! Mother…… ! Oh this is hilarious ! Hahahaha ! Oh Lord ! Wait , someone please call an ambulance, I think I might be dying of laughter ! Hahahaha !!! "  Reine glared at him and said in an annoyed tone, " You're
laughing ? We suffered the embarrassment of a lifetime out there and you're laughing ? "

           
       Shido took a deep breath to calm himself as wiped both of his eyes with a handkerchief as they had started to tear up because of his laughter. He then turned to Reine and said, " Oh come on. You can't expect me to stay calm after such an incident. Besides, the thing that makes it more comical was the fact that it was a genuine confusion. And come on, you should be happy considering that his first thought was that both of you were my sisters. That should make you happy considering that it's a sign to how youthful both of you appear. "

      These words were of course, the breaking point for both of them as Reine eyes began to twitch rapidly in frustration. Ellen was a bit more proactive as she ended up catching Shido by the collar and shaking him like a ragdoll as she screamed , " Who are you calling an old woman ?! How can you be so insensitive ?! " As she was shaking him,  Shido too screamed as he said, " When did I call you old ?! " Ellen, not stopping her actions, continued to shake him by his neck and screamed , " No but you indirectly implied it when you said that the manager thought of us as youthful ! "

           Shido had a deadpan expression on his face as he thought, " What the hell is wrong with women ? I've comprehended the mysteries of the cosmos yet I can't understand the enigma that are women…… "  As Shido's body suddenly went limp , Ellen stopped immediately out of fear of having hurt him. However, as soon as her grip on Shido loosened, he stood calmly on the ground with a smile on her face. Realising that he had played them like a fiddle, both Reine and Ellen sighed.

        Shido spoke with a smile on his face and said, " Oh come on. I was just teasing you a bit. It's fun to see both of you get flustered like this. Besides, technically speaking, because of my life as shinji, I'm an old man too aren't I ? " Considering that his words were true, Reine released a sigh. However, considering that she could say nothing to retort his words , she simply started walking towards the main hall where the others were gathered, with Ellen following her.

          As soon as he entered the main hall however, Shido saw something that made him genuinely want to personally kill every living human in the city with his own hands. He saw two men trying to be forceful with Miku despite her best attempts to get away from him. Beside her, Kurumi was arguing with the other man. However, considering that the kind of place he was in , he'd have to refrain from taking any overtly obvious actions. However, he still had to stop that bastard, so he went towards Miku and grabbed her hand and promptly proceeded to simply walk away from there.

        The man who was trying to force Miku was left momentarily stunned. His boss had ordered him to fetch the woman for him. According to him, she was some sort of singer or idol. Regardless, it didn't matter to him. After all, his boss was directly working as a branch family for the Yamaguchi Family. Years ago, the Yamaguchi Family defeated and absorbed all the other Yakuza families in all of Japan. While it was a truly bloody ordeal, it turned the Yamaguchi Family into a true uncontested powerhouse. And his boss was one of the heads , so he had nothing to fear. If the girl was obedient, maybe she could have a boost in her career. If not, well , her own opinions really didn't matter now did they ?  And considering that once the boss would be bored with her there was a chance that they would get to enjoy her, it wasn't that bad of a deal given the girl's beauty. However, this young brat came out of nowhere and was trying to take her away. Like hell he was going to let him go.

        Without turning to his boss who was standing just a few feet away, the man arrogantly walked towards Shido , with the intention to yank him and throw him on the ground. After that, he wouldn't even have to do anything considering that the security would be the one to throw him out. All they would have to do was tell him their affiliation and they would throw the brat out without any questions.

           However, something unexpected happened just before he was about to grab Shido's shoulder. The man had approached Shido with the intent to harm. And what he didn't know was the fact that upon reaching the Formless realm, one gained the ability to sense ' Intents ' directed at them. And in case the intent to harm was strong enough, the individual's body would move without any input and kill them before their own consciousness even registered what had happened. It was a higher form of self preservation instincts , similar to how one would retract their hand on touching something hot.  And the thing was, Shido wasn't just someone in the Formless realm, but rather someone who had mastered Blade Force. And that meant under normal conditions, the man was sure to die a horrific death as even his very soul would be destroyed by being shredded to countless pieces. However, due to Shido's control over both himself and his blade , Shido was able to avoid this scenario and instead had only shredded the man's arm to the point his arm looked like the several strips of ribbons attached to a stump, with the only difference being that the ribbons in question were pieces of flesh with fresh blood dripping off them and the stump was the forearm.

          The man paused for a moment as the sensation of pain finally dawned in his mind. In front of him, Shido had a panicked expression on his face with a fork in his hand as despite controlling himself, he was unable to prevent himself from picking up a nearby fork and using it to shred the person's arm. Sure , he may have prevented his death, but now he was in deep trouble considering that all the girls including Issac and Shichirou had gathered there.

            As the man continued to scream and flail on the ground in pain, Shido had a genuinely bewildered expression on his face. Was this the punishment for his sins ? For the first damn time, he genuinely had no desire to kill or hurt the man…… Okay, maybe he wanted to torture the guy and break every bone in his body but he sure as hell wasn't going to kill him, and especially not in front of everyone ! As the allies of the goon rushed in front of Shido , the girls along with Shichirou and Chiyome stepped in to protect him. Of course, in Chiyome's case, she was stepping in with the intention to protect the goons considering that while she understood that given his facial expressions, for whatever reason her teacher had accidentally filleted that man's arm , he more than likely had enough capabilities to kill every person gathered here , something that she definitely wanted to avoid.

        However, before a fight could break out between the two groups, the sound of several heavy footsteps could be heard. A large group of well dressed men marched towards the injured man. The man in the middle of the group, who was most likely the boss of the men, was dressed in an expensive looking tuxedo. His facial features were , for lack of a better word , harsh and terrifying to the point that most people would find it difficult to maintain eye contact with him for more than a few moments. Upon seeing him, the goon's boss had an expression of equal parts fear and equal parts respect as he and his men bowed down and said, " Ah boss ! It's a pleasure to see you here ! Don't worry about this mess , I'll personally sort it out ! You don't have to worry about such insignificant things ! "

           Gazing intently at the injured man, the leader spoke in a heavy tone and said, " What happened here ? Why is this fool bleeding on the ground ? " The goon's boss spoke in a nervous tone and pointed towards Shido and replied, " This evil brat attacked our men for no reason, boss ! My men just tried to invite those girls to a dance but this vile man cut off his arm ! Don't worry about it, I'll myself mak- " The goon's boss was interrupted when the leader nearly screamed in a harsh tone , " I did not ask you , you spineless cretin ! "

          Hearing his thunderous voice, the man stepped back in fear. The leader took a deep breath and turned to Shido and spoke in a softer and calmer tone as he inquired, " Shido , tell me, what happened here ? You'd never resort to needless violence, so while I have a pretty good idea of what happened, I wish to hear from you what happened. " While everyone was surprised by the leader's familiarity with Shido , none were as surprised as Ellen, Kotori and of course, Isaac. This was because the man in front of them was Osamu Yamaguchi, the head of the Yakuza. It was under his rule that the Yakuza families of Japan were united under a single family, so it was understandable to be afraid of anyone who had even an acquaintance with him.

       However, if the three of them were surprised by his familiarity with Shido, Shido's next words quite literally blew their minds. Shido took a deep breath and said, " It's as you suspect Aneki. This bastard tried to pay his hands on my woman and even tried to attack me from behind. Out of pure instincts I ended up attacking him. Even then I had to forcefully restrain myself to prevent his death. "  While Miku was blushing over being called ' Shido's woman ' , Ellen , Kotori and Issac were nearly having an existential crisis as their brains were having trouble processing the fact that Shido called Osamu Yamaguchi, the head of the Yakuza , Aneki , meaning big brother. And among Yakuza, calling someone big brother only meant one thing, that you had shared sake with them , meaning that the elder , that is the Oyabun, the head of the Yakuza himself was now your sworn brother. And the worst part was, Osamu throughout the years, had been particularly adamant about the fact that he had neither Wakagashira nor Shateigashira
( meaning first and second lieutenant respectively ) , the two subordinates who fill the role of the younger brothers, effectively having some of the highest authority in the group other than that of the Oyabun himself. He had subordinates yes, but not these two important positions. This meant that Shido was the one who held the position of the Wakagashira, meaning that he had enough Authority to mobilize a significant amount of the Yakuza forces of the entire nation in the absence of the Oyabun.

          The three of them were interrupted from their thoughts when Osamu had a scowl on his face as he placed his foot over the injured man's shoulder and nearly screamed in a feral tone , " You filthy maggot ! How dare you try to covet my in law with a lecherous gaze ?! And on top of that you have the audacity to insult my brother ! "  As his foot was pressing against the injured man's shoulder, cracking noises could be heard along with blood starting to ooze out from both the wounds and his shoulder itself.

         Osamu then wiped his shoes over the injured man's clothes and turned to one of the men that followed him. He then spoke in a rage filled yet resolute tone and said, " Ryuji, round up all of these bastards ! From this moment, the Iwata family is now dissolved ! Round up all of them and make them take out their eyes ! If any of them try to escape or resist, hunt every one of them like dogs if necessary ! Now take these bastards away from my sight ! " The man known as Ryuji bowed down and gestured to the other men following him. Immediately, Osamu's men grabbed the boss and his goons, including the injured man lying on the ground. Despite their screams and protests, the men continued to restrain them and drag them away. Those who even tried to resist had their arms quickly broken in a snapping motion by Osamu's men.

        Osamu then turned to Shido and said,
" Shido, follow me. Bring your allies with you too. This place isn't exactly the best for private discussions. " Shido nodded to his words and simply asked everyone to follow him. While most of them were nervous, they didn't exactly have much choice than agreeing to his words. As such, the group followed Osamu and his entourage until they finally descended into an underground floor completely inhabited by the Yakuza members. Every time the group passed by someone, the members would get up and bow down to show their respect.  Finally, the group entered what looked like a large private lounge area.

       As Osamu sat down on a regal looking chair , which seemed more akin to a throne , he gestured to the others to sit down. As the group sat down on the couches in front of them, Shido nonchalantly walked towards the bartender station and removed an assortment of tools from the cabinets. He then placed what looked like two large metallic glasses, a Boston shaker and turned towards Osamu and asked , " So what do you want this time Aneki ? " Osamu sighed and said, " Come on now. You know it already, just give me the usual Manhattan. Lord knows I've missed your handmade one for a while now. These brats at the other spots don't know how to prepare a single damn cocktail. "

         Shido had a playful smirk on his face as he asked, " Shaken , I presume ? " Osamu's face had an annoyed expression as he snarled at Shido and said, " Stirred ! Stirred damn it ! Who the hell do you think I am, Bond ?! And don't even think for a second that I don't see that shaker on the tabletop ! I've gotten old, not blind you brat ! " Rather than be afraid of the outburst, Shido merely shook his head as he had an amused smile on his face while working as he said, " Two decades. It has been two decades and yet you're unable to overcome your trauma over a damned drink. " To his words, Osamu spoke in a tone that was more akin to a young child whining as he said, " You know damn well why I do ! The first time in my life I tried a Manhattan, the asshole who served it shook the entire thing instead of stirring. Compared to the crisp drink that you make, that thing was more like a cloudy bubble bath of piss. It wasn't until you gave me a real Manhattan upon our first meet that I learned what actual cocktails taste like. "

       
           As both of them burst out laughing, it was Ellen who spoke up in a nervous tone and asked, " Um, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you and Shido first meet Yamaguchi-dono ? " Osamu replied in a nonchalant manner and said, " Just Osamu will be fine. You're my younger brother's future consort , so it would be strange to be overly formal. However, to answer your question, I met him first at a bar. Had a pretty rough day, so I was kinda in a bad mood , so I asked him to serve whatever he wanted. And that's when he first impressed me. "

        Reine had a shocked expression on her face as she turned towards Shido and said,
" Wait, you work at a bar ?! "  Shido returned to the group and handed Osamu the glass containing the Manhattan and turned to Reine with a frown and said, " Well, I did say that my employer Ahtu-san has several businesses. Besides, I have all the permits and licenses to handle it. And in case you're wondering how I got those , don't worry, my employer has enough connections to make real falsified documents. I mean, we can agree that most of us have a lot of experience with false documents. Oh and by the way, Aneki knows about the cultivators and spirits. "

            While his earlier words weren't that big of a deal, his last sentence was a literal bombshell on everyone's minds. While everyone was having trouble putting their thoughts into words, it was Chiyome who eloquently put everyone's thoughts into words as he said, " Wait , what the fuck ?! " Osamu replied to her words by saying, " I'm a Yakuza miss, I have a good number of men in the government. Besides, my own great grandmother was a cultivator. She was in the Golden Core Formation stage. Of course I was going to know about this. But even I didn't imagine that my own brother would be the one to go against literal goddesses. But rest assured, I have no ill will towards you. You're my in-laws and Shido's been praising all of you for quite some time now."

          Natsumi spoke up as she asked, " You , don't find it weird that your brother is marrying multiple girls ?..... " Osamu instantly replied by saying, " Of course not. Rather , I'd be surprised if someone as amazing as my brother was limited to one woman. Besides, my own father had five wives. All of my mothers loved me, so I can't really complain about that. Though to be honest, that did also mean that if I caused mischief, it was five pairs of hands that were raised against me, not one. Like that one time I emptied an entire sack of dried chillies in our fireplace when we had gone to our village. Everyone in the house was coughing and crying for the better part of the day.  I still remember I had to run into the forest in a rather unsuccessful attempt to escape punishment……. "

        While Osamu's attempt at humour had certainly broken the ice, it was his earlier words that made the girls experience a sense of relief. After all, sitting against him, it felt like they were sitting against Shido's father and asking for his approval for their marriage, so it was certainly a nice thing. Shido immediately interrupted Osamu by asking, " On the topic of wives , when are you going to get married ? You had that meeting with that business woman, what was her name again ?.... Ah yes, Shizuka-San, was it ? So how did the date go ? "

        Osamu shrugged and said, " It went fine until the moment she pulled a gun to my head and started saying things like how she would take over my empire and all that. Of course, I ended up kicking her ass and breaking most of her bones. So no, I won't be marrying her. Kinda hard to marry a woman after she tries to shoot you. Besides, I'm already over fifty. I'm way past my
years. " Shido scoffed at him and said, " Oh please. I've seen people marrying even at eighty years of age, so it's not like it's a problem. Besides, you still look like you're in your early to late thirties. And while I do agree with you kicking her ass after she tried to get you just for monetary benefits, I don't agree with your last statement. Just because a girl shoots you doesn't mean that you should stop pursuing her. I mean, two of my girlfriends shot me on my first dates with them, so who knows, maybe you'll luck out too. "

         Both Origami and Kurumi blushed on hearing Shido's words. Osamu sighed and said, " Only you can be brave enough to marry the women who tried to kill you, especially when said women also happen to be literal goddesses. But then again, you're the only one who can cut down bullets from several machine guns with a fucking bottle opener of all things. "
Ellen turned to Shido with an annoyed expression and said, " Shido, I think we're missing a bit of context here. Mind filling us
in ? "

          Shido scratched his cheek nervously and said, " Well, a while ago Aneki was visiting the bar and suddenly a few of his enemies attacked him by trying to catch him off guard. It was several men with machine guns against him alone so I kinda sorta jumped in between with the only thing I had in hand, that being my can opener. Then I entered my trance state, which I now know is the Formless realm and cut down all the bullets. Soon after that Aneki and I shared a cup of sake and he accepted me into the family. "

       Reine rubbed her temples and sighed as she said, " Of course. I should have known…. The Formless realm allows one to alter Truth and as such, you must have subconsciously altered it to make it so that it was possible to cut down the bullets while ignoring all known laws of physics, essentially saying ' screw you ' to Newtown…… "  Nia had a contemplative expression on Reine's words as she asked Shido , " Turning an ordinary object into a weapon….. Does that mean your Lancelot
now ?! " Shido smirked and said, " I mean, I may have Knight of Owner but I don't think they sell Fae Constructs for cheap. Besides, I'm still missing the biggest thing from the legend. After all, I've yet to cuck someone's wife. "

           Nia nearly burst out laughing after hearing Shido's words. The others however, still were confused but decided to let it go. Their attention was drawn by Reine , when she turned towards Osamu and asked,
" Osamu-san, there is something I must ask. It is evident from your behaviour that you and Shido are on genuinely good terms and are even like true brothers. However, despite that, I must ask this. Has Shido been involved in any of your businesses ? I know it may be wrong on my part, but I do wish for Shido to get involved in any unnecessary activities. "

         Osamu sighed and said, " I understand your position. I know that we don't exactly have the best reputation, but I assure you, our family has always been honourable despite our line of work. Certainly, we extort money, but we do it only from the wealthy businesses. We commit murders , but only against other criminals. Were it not for us, crimes such as trafficking, drug dealings and such would run rampant, things we have explicitly forbidden throughout the nation. Besides, when the first spacequakes struck the nation, it was us Yakuza who came to the aid of the common people, even before the government. But to answer your questions, no, I haven't involved him in any of the shady businesses. Certainly, he takes care of some of the business by discussing things with our financial advisors , but these businesses are actual legal business, nothing like extortion or such. Even I do not wish to expose him to the darkness of society. However, my support shall always be with him. He's my brother at the end of the day. "

      Reine sighed but nodded at Osamu's words. She was still a bit nervous about this whole ordeal, but she had no right to restrict Shido's actions. Shido had a mirthful smile as he placed his hand on Osamu's shoulder and said, " Come on now. Enough of the depressing stuff. We have a lot to discuss about Aneki. " Osamu smiled at his words and nodded as he sat down in front of him, chatting for hours with Shido and the others.

A few hours later, in a hidden location

         Osamu had already bid farewell to Shido and escorted him to his house. He entered a large room in which a man was kneeling on the ground with his arms being cut off and bleeding from the wounds.  This man was the boss of the goon who was attacked by Shido , that is the head of the Iwata family itself. He had tears streaming down his face due to the sheer amount of pain he was inbut the cloth tied around his mouth muffled his screams and cries.

        Osamu picked up the man by his neck with a single hand and spoke in a venomous, hate filled time as he said, " Did you really think I was going to let you go after you had the AUDACITY to go after Miku ?! " As he said this, several blood red tendrils sprouted from his back. Each of the tendrils had a head attached to them. All of the heads , including the one on the main body then opened up like blooming flowers as they revealed the horror within. Inside the heads were countless large eyes with gaping holes in place of the irises. The holes were lined with several hook-like teeth as they scratched and grated against each other. The guttural noises, the squelching sounds of wet flesh and blood and the hate filled roars from each of the heads combined together to form a truly horrific and abominable sight.

         Suddenly, several tendrils sprouted from the man's body as he was raised in the air by the being masquerading as Osamu. The tendrils anchored themselves in the ground like roots as the man's body twisted and contorted to resemble the trunk of a tree made from a crystalline ruby like material. On top of the trunk the man's head could be seen, twitching violently as the sound of cracking bones could be heard. Soon, black flames emerged from the false Osamu's hands as they spread to the strange human tree and as they by their nature as Essence Flames continued to burn not only the man's body, but also his soul.

        The fake Osamu cracked his neck sideways and stretched his body. Soon, his form shifted to that of a familiar blue haired being. Rhadamanthus grinned as he spoke up and said, " Ah , humans. How easily are they deceived. So naive, so pitiful. " The entire conversation with the group was nothing more than a one man play, a performance that emulated human emotions and interactions with such finesse that even the greatest playwrights and actors in history would be proud. The greatest lies are the ones which have their roots in Truth. His words were no different. While it was certainly true that he had saved Osamu's life from a group of assassins, he had immediately killed and taken over his form as well as that of his closest men. As such, the entirety of the upper echelons of the Yakuza were commanded by dead….. things….. After all, they couldn't be counted as individuals, even as undead. They had their souls assimilated by him, effectively making them nothing more than elaborate puppets that he was controlling on a daily basis.

         And his influence wasn't just limited to the Yakuza. As of right now, every important position of authority in Tengu city was held by his puppet clones. The mayor, the police chief, each and every one of them were dancing in his palms. For him, the world wasn't a stage, but rather a chess board and the people his pawns. Objects to be used, misused and once he was bored with them, to be thrown away and discarded like broken toys. Releasing a dark chuckle, Rhadamanthus mused as he said, " Cogito Ergo Sum, I Think Therefore I Am. I Think , Therefore I Am ! I AM ! I Am l.....AM ! " Boisterous and maddening laughter echoed through the darkness as the abominable beast rejoiced in the misfortune of his toys…….

                 ---------------X---------------

Location : ????, Mahakala's Domain

            In the middle of what seemed like an endless expanse of blue lotuses, a large circular platform of blue marble was located. The platform, just like the lotuses seemed to float endlessly throughout the Void, unsupported by anything. In the centre of the platform, a large circular table was present. On the table, three women and a single man were present. One of the women was dressed in an elegant traditional kimono. She had long black hair with emerald green eyes. Her mannerisms indicated an extreme degree of finesse and nobility. She was the youngest wife of the Mahakala, Izanami herself. Besides her was a rather innocent and shy looking woman. She had long red hair and ruby red eyes. Of course, the phrase ' Appearances can be deceptive ' couldn't hold more true here as the woman was in fact, Daityayani, daughter of Inferno and the Ruler of Hell and someone who was notorious for having no qualms about wiping out entire dimensions on a whim. The last of the women had long flowing blonde hair with light blue eyes and an expressionless face, to the point that someone could easily mistook her for a fragile doll. Of course, this couldn't be further from the truth as she was in fact , Maya , The Paramount Dao herself. And as one could infer, the man surrounded by these beautiful yet dangerously powerful women was none other than the Mahakala himself. Despite being the first entity in existence, he had an extremely youthful appearance, resembling a man in his early twenties. He had long raven black hair that would have made most women jealous of not for the fact that he had matted hair with a shell like braid on his top. His cerulean blue eyes reflected countless aeons of wisdom, yet currently held a degree of unexpected nervousness. He had a silver circlet adorning his forehead, which had a palm sized Crescent moon shaped silver jewel attached to it. However, instead of being in the centre, it was positioned slightly towards the right side of his forehead.

          The atmosphere relaxed when a portal appeared in the space as a familiar face,  Nyarlothep stepped out of it. Nyarlothep bowed down towards the women and greeted them by saying, " Greetings Lady Izanami, Lady Daityayani and last but not least, Lady Maya. "  While the three of them accepted his greetings with a silent nod, they knew it was unnecessary as Nyarlothep had been with them for aeons at this point and was like a family friend, so he more than had enough reason to skip the formalities. Of course, they also knew he had a penchant for theatrics, so they let it slide. Nyarlothep sat on one of the chairs and clapped his hands for a theatrical effect. He then spoke up with a grin and said, " To reiterate, we are here to discuss the current situation with Rhadamanthus. As I had informed you prior recently, the seal on his soul has started to crack. Not only that, he has found Sharanga and it has completely accepted him, giving him complete authority over itself. "

       Hearing his words, Izanami had a worried expression on her face as she released a heavy sigh and asked, " So how many galaxies has he destroyed ? Or dimensions ? Wait a minute, oh no..... Don't tell me some idiot managed to piss him off to the point where he decided to blow up an entire branch to vent his frustrations ! Damn it ! This kid…… " Izanami's shoulders slumped forward as she had a crestfallen expression. Like all of the people present here, she was well aware how destructive Rhadamanthus could be when pissed off. Still, it wasn't like he was completely irredeemable. He genuinely showed kindness and care when around her, Daityayani, Maya and even Ziwei. Of course, while the same couldn't be said for his treatment for Izanagi, it was evident that it wasn't anything serious but playful banter between two idiots. And while she certainly knew that it would take a long time till she could make Rhadamanthus behave in a way that could be considered morally acceptable, she would be damned if she wasn't going to try. Besides, he was only three thousand years old. That was too young an age ! Everyone makes mistakes in their youth ! His age meant that he wasn't even considered a proper adult by Heaven's standards. Hell, there were more  than eighty six thousand categories of alchemical ingredients that kids his age weren't legally allowed to access much in the same way that ordinary humans wouldn't hand out nitroglycerin in the hands of a six year old.

         Seeing her crestfallen expression, Nyarlothep had visible confusion on his face as he said, " Eh ? What do you mean by branch ? I genuinely don't understand ? " Izanami let out a groan in annoyance as she nearly screamed, " Branch ! A dimensional Branch ! You know, a group of closely linked multiverses which follow similar restrictions and similar constructions and forces with similar beings with minor variations ! Enough with the jokes Nyarlothep. Just answer me honestly, did he or did he not destroy a branch with Sharanga ?! " Nyarlothep had a confused expression on his face before finally understanding why Izanami was acting like this. He then smiled as he said, " I think you're mistaken my lady. I believe you'll be happy to know that since obtaining Sharanga, Rhadamanthus has only destroyed a single solar system and even then, it was not possessing sentient life. Of course, other than that , he did target a few planets , but he didn't completely eradicate all life on them, but just pushed it to near extinction. "

      Hearing his words, all four of them had evident shocks on their faces. The most intense reaction however, was if Izanami as she got up from her place and was currently shaking Nyarlothep like a ragdoll with a delirious expression on her face as she said,
" Are you certain ?! This isn't one of your jokes, right ?! That means he has learned to restrain himself to the point that he has only destroyed a single planetary system ! Oh thank goodness ! He's genuinely making progress ! This is amazing news ! " Izanami was genuinely ecstatic to hear this. After all, her efforts were actually showing fruits. This was certainly a step in the right direction ! And while one might question how destroying an entire planetary system counted as a step in improving oneself and becoming a better person, when considering the fact that in the past said person used to destroy entire branches, reducing the destruction to a planetary system certainly seems like a step in the right direction.

         The Mahakala had to himself get up and had to hug her from behind to calm her down. After she had finally calmed down, Maya , in a rare instance, had a playful smirk on her face as she said, " You have to be careful to not get so worked up so easily. Otherwise you'll start to look older because of stress. " Izanami nearly screamed in annoyance as she said, " I'm a goddess, I can't get old ! Besides, you're one to talk, you're older than time itself ! " While it was completely foolish, Izanami always had a complex about her age, even though she was the youngest among her husband's wives and the fact that she didn't age. And knowing this , the normally expressionless Maya didn't lose a single opportunity to tease her about it.

         Both of them however became quiet after seeing their husband's gaze at them. It wasn't one of anger or annoyance but rather of disappointment, like an adult admonishing a child for mischief. Seeing this interaction, Daityayani had a soft smile appear on her face. She turned towards her husband and said in a calm manner, " I think I should go next. As I informed you prior, I called a meeting of the Seventy Two Demon Gods to inform them about it Rhadamanthus's awakening. "

          Nyarlothep interrupted her and inquired, " Shouldn't it be Seventy One ? I mean, Asmodeus is technically still alive as her soul is still in her body, but her consciousness is completely destroyed. I mean, forget about sentience, she doesn't even have something like a survival instinct. She's more a living corpse at this point. " Daityayani shrugged nonchalantly and said, " Seventy One, Seventy Two, what difference does it make ? Who cares ? Besides, it was her own fault that Rhadamanthus ended up destroying her consciousness and kicking the asses of the other Demon Gods. I only asked her to invite Rhadamanthus to meet me, but she in all her stupidity, decided it was smart to seduce and enslave the guy who literally has titles like ' The Mad King ' and ' The Butcher Of The Gods '. So she definitely deserved it. "

      Izanami sighed as she said, " They are your creations. At least pretend that you care about them…… "  Daityayani scoffed and said, " Oh please. The only reason I created them was so that I could shrug off my responsibilities and wouldn't have to worry about managing Hell. That and I wanted to impress Ashura when he was mentoring me during those days. So they're just an old science fair project for me at this point. Who gives a damn. " Mahakala sighed on hearing her words. He knew that while his wife really didn't care about Hell or its inhabitants, but at the very least he was content that she was putting a bit of effort to at least ensure its existence, even if it was only for the reason that he had asked her to do so. And while someone else might find it strange to be called by different names by his loved ones, considering the sheer number of names he had received in his life, he didn't mind it. Mahakala by Maya, Ashura by Daityayani and Izanagi by Izanami.

         Daityayani began speaking again as she said, " As I was saying, I informed the Demon Gods about Rhadamanthus's awakening. " Izanami, clearly annoyed by being left on what essentially amounted to an oratory cliffhanger, asked, " And ? " Daityayani took a deep breath and let out a sigh as she said, " Of the Seventy One, thirty seven froze and then passed out because of shock and terror. Of these thirty seven, after waking up, twenty four kept screaming and thrashing in delirious state , while the other thirteen have become unresponsive or catatonic. Other than these, twenty nine tried to immediately commit suicide untill I had to personally stop them. The strangest however, were the remaining five , as they had completely calm expressions on their faces. When I asked them why their reactions were so different from their peers, they said that it was a common consensus among them that even if they killed themselves permanently by destroying their souls, Rhadamanthus would definitely find a way to recreate their souls and then torture them even more for having the audacity to try to escape him. So it's better to just give up and accept whatever torture is coming their way. Maybe if they're lucky, Rhadamanthus will be happy with them and reduce the torture ? "

            Hearing Daityayani's words, Izanami couldn't help but feel pity for the Demon Gods. Certainly, in the distant past she, her son and her husband had fought against them, but even she felt pity for them. She spoke with a worried expression and said, " That's not how it works and you know it Daityayani. Once a soul is destroyed, there is nothing that can be done to recreate it. That's the end. " It was Maya who spoke up as she said, " And I think that you're forgetting that it is Rhadamanthus that we're talking about. Since when did things like
' Logic ' or ' Truth ' matter to him. If he wants something, he'll make it true, one way or another. Besides, he's already done it once before. "

        Hearing her words, Izanami couldn't help but release a sigh. Maya's words were completely true and struck the heart of the matter. Rhadamanthus wasn't someone bound by common sense, and certainly not when he had decided that he wanted to torture someone. His tortures were so horrific that even Daityayani, someone who was considered to be the greatest ( and oldest ) torturer in existence had to admit that his methods were a cut above her. Even after his influence from Heaven was mostly erased, part of it lived on in his tortures. The Department For Hunting Of Heretical Gods , as uncreatively as it was named ( by Izanagi nonetheless and approved by Ziwei, but then again, bad naming sense just ran in the family ) was the department of Heaven responsible for tracking down and eliminating rogue and criminal Gods. As such, it and it's members were some of the most feared in Heaven. However, even it's members were afraid of using a collection of six torture techniques simply known as the Forbidden Six ( once again, bad naming sense ran in the family ) . These six techniques , created by Rhadamanthus were termed so horrific that it was made so that to enact them upon a criminal, all the members of the Heavenly Twelve would have to approve its usage. As such, since its creation, only once it has been used. And the worst part was that these were by Rhadamanthus's own admission, " The most merciful, uncreative, pitiful and least torturous techniques that he had ever created and would ever create " . These horrific techniques that all of Heaven was afraid of were quite literally at the bottom tier of Rhadamanthus's torture techniques and him being quote on quote ' Being kind ' . That was how horrific Rhadamanthus's methods were. And the worst part was that he specialised in targeting not the souls, but rather the consciousness of the victim.

          While it was the soul that made a person that person, it was the consciousness that gave rise to that person's ' Sense of Self '. The soul was like a template upon which consciousness arose from. The soul contained things like ideals, elemental affinities and connection to either light or darkness and the core of what made that person that person. The consciousness on the other hand was something that arose from, like it was embossed on it. ( AN : For those that don't know, embossment is the opposite of engraving. Engraving is sort of carved on the surface while embossed words are ' raised ' from the surface. ) The consciousness contained things like mannerisms, habits, memories and skills, rational and intelligent thoughts and expressions of an individual. Upon reincarnation, the consciousness was wiped clean, but what made that person them, their core , was still intact. If something made an extremely strong impact during the life of an individual, an ideal or even a memory could become a part of the soul, becoming an intrinsic part of their existence that even the cycle of reincarnation couldn't remove. And Rhadamanthus specialised in destroying consciousnesses specifically. Upon its destruction, the person was still technically alive and living and their soul would still be undamaged, but all rational thought and memories were wiped clean. They were no different than a newly created existence. This was something akin to Factory Resetting a computer. And since there was no damage to the soul, there was no method to revert or heal it. That is what made these torture techniques and by proxy, Rhadamanthus so terryfying.

             Daityayani sighed and said, " While it is " Unfortunate " what has happened with the Demon Gods, it is something that happened because of their stupidity and as the result of their own actions when they had the bright Idea of antagonizing him. So there is nothing that can be done. With that being said, is there anything else that you wish to tell us Nyarlathotep ? "  Nyarlathotep smiled and said, " As a matter of fact, yes. You see, recently, one of the parallel dimensions of the branch that Rhadamanthus's dimension is a part of, an iteration of " Shido Itsuka '' has awakened the Fool Arcana. "

            Hearing his words, Daityayani was confused as she said, " That doesn't make sense. Rhadamanthus's Fool Arcana being sealed and reincarnation as Shido Itsuka was what led to the formation of that multiverse. Rhadamanthus was the origin point for all the other alternate timelines and parallel worlds that arose. And once he had awakened his Fool Arcana again, as in accordance with the rules of the cosmos, all the other dimensions should have been wiped out. So how did this one survive ? "

       Before Nyarlothep could answer, Maya spoke up and said, " That's because of his existence as the Abhorrence of the Paramount Dao. By his mere presence, he causes the breakdown of existence and all of its laws and rules. He's what happens when you place a drop of molten iron on tissue paper. That's the reason the fabric of space is so weaked in his dimension to that point that even a continent level spell can cause it to destabilise as his very existence is causing the degradation of existence itself. Because of his influence, even the nearby dimensions in the branch were affected and that caused the operation of the Will Of The World to malfunction slightly, and thus causing the delay in the termination of that one dimension. And by sheer dumb luck, it just so happened that the Shido Itsuka of that world happened to awaken the Fool Arcana , thereby securing his world's existence and preventing it from being erased. "

         Mahakala looked at Nyarlathotep and asked, " You have given this Shido Itsuka, Bhagirath, you named him ? A significant number of powers were given to him ? Why ? " Nyarlothep grinned and said, " I gave him appropriate tests and he excelled in all of them, and thus I handed him those powers. And as for why, it's because after undergoing those tests, there was a change in his mentality and ideals. He now genuinely wishes to ' SAVE ' Humanity. He genuinely believes in Humanity. He is EXACTLY like you. " Upon hearing this, Mahakala had an excited look on his face as he got up and said, " I am going to meet
him "

          The three women sighed together as Daityayani said, " Here we go again….. "  Izanami too spoke up as she said in exasperation, " How are you even going to meet him ? Have you forgotten that your existence is so powerful that preparations have to be made to strengthen the realm that you're visiting beforehand or the entire fabric of space-time will fall apart by your mere existence ? " Mahakala shook his head and spoke in a tone that showed how barely restrained his excitement was and said, " I can still visit Vaikuntha and once he has passed out and fallen unconscious, I can summon his consciousness there and speak with him. If he's as worthy as Nyarlothep says , I don't mind giving him a few gifts. This is a rate chance, all of you. If true, the Cosmos will finally have someone who will protect and care for it personally in much the same way I used to do during my days as The Aura Guardian. As my power has grown, the Cosmos is no longer capable of handling my existence. As such, I can't directly interfere without causing limitless destruction. But if this kid is someone who believes in the potential of Humanity while at the same time caring about all living beings in existence, then we could be having someone who has the potential to truly usher the Cosmos into a new era of peace. "

          Immediately, Mahakala disappeared out of existence, leaving the three women with defeated expressions as they were well aware of their husband's earnest desire to help and see all the beings in existence prosper and thrive…...

Author's Notes :  And this marks the conclusion of not just this chapter but of the first arc itself. The next arc will be the tournament at or as I like to call it, " The Butchering Arc " because boy are there gonna be a lot of people who are gonna die. And this will be the arc where Shido reveals his powers to the girls. And he'll also demonstrate his combat capabilities as compared to other, so be on the lookout for it. Also , did someone else find out the hidden meaning in Rhadamanthus's words ? The part where he says, " ' Cogito Ergo Sum ' , I think, therefore I am . I AM. I am…... AM….. " . This is a reference to an assertion that Rhadamanthus makes. A similarity between him and AM from ' I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream ' . Both of them had humanity's influence on them. Both were created for another purpose and yet because of the cruelty of sentient beings, they turned to Hatred. And most importantly, both have nigh unlimited power and yet they are only capable of destruction, not creation.  And as for the last part, the conversation with the Mahakala and Daityayani should have established how much of a terror Rhadamanthus was in his past life and how much he has mellowed out. And the other Shido which was mentioned briefly by Nyarlothep, he will be part of a separate book, where that world's Shido receives the power of projection magecraft of Shirou Emiya from Fate. And he'll be a stark contrast from Rhadamanthus as he's a morally righteous person and has ideals similar to Shirou Emiya ( but not quite same, as he doesn't think it's possible to save everyone ) but they're essentially cranked up to eleven to the point that you'll wonder if he has mental problems. And yes, Rhadamanthus will be making an appearance there too and both the stories will be connected slightly. And also, if you thought that Rhadamanthus has suffered a lot , considering he lost his family and the destruction of his planet, then trust me, you'll love the other Shido. His suffering will be off the charts ! By the time I'll be done with him, he'll make the combined suffering of Kiritsugu, Archer Emiya and Shirou Emiya look like rainbows and sunshine in comparison ! And I'll be releasing that book next, so be on the lookout for it. Truth be told, this'll be my most ambitious project and I'm more excited for that book than this current one even.  And as for why this chapter was delayed, yeah , sorry about that. College assignments were hell and I was barely getting more than a few hours of sleep daily , so I couldn't write more quicker. So yeah, sorry about that. And on case you were wondering what Izanami, Daityayani and Maya look like, here they are. And in case you don't get it, they're also a callback to my discontinued story in the past.

                               Izanami

        ( Yes, the events of Persona 4 never
       happened in my story, only 3 and 5 did )

                              Daityayani

                                   Maya

Word count : 1481 words