Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Marethyu, Mike God of Lore
The Gamer's Guide to Necromancy, Remaster
Chapter 12: King
— Rayna Phenex —
It wasn't entirely unusual for Riser to come to them with his tail between his legs, having to admit to his latest mistake.
Normally it meant he'd punched some other heir or slept with a powerful devil's daughter. He didn't like coming to them for help, but he knew that politics were not his strong point. She didn't blame him; he wasn't the heir and she loved him despite the trouble he could cause.
"You bet your sister?!" Rayna nearly screeched, having to physically restrain herself as she stared in disbelief at Riser. Of all the dumb, drunken fuck ups he'd made over the years, this one took the cake by a laughable margin.
"I didn't- I thought he meant Marion and Burent but-" Riser stuttered, before he finally stopped making excuses. "I underestimated him, I didn't think a human would be able to outsmart me."
"He outsmarted Grayfia, and had Serafall herself coming to Kuoh to hire him," Rakul rumbled, displeasure clear on his face. "You let your pride overrule your common sense."
"I know," Riser admitted. They didn't need to shout or scream at him. Riser, for all his flaws, loved his family and was already well aware of the depths of his mistake.
It went without saying that they weren't thrilled at the idea of a human meddling in the betrothal, but with the announcement of what Kuro had created, she and Rakul truly couldn't bring themselves to care that the marriage was 'on hold' until Kuro deemed Rias' apprenticeship over. Of course Lady Serafall would prioritise a solution to the dwindling pureblood devil numbers over some betrothal.
Riser was too young. He hadn't been alive during the worst of the fighting, he didn't see how serious this was. Their population problem was something abstract to him, but she and Rakul had been alive long enough to see their numbers halved and then halved again.
There used to be more pureblood devils in the Underworld before the war than there were pureblood and reincarnated devils combined today. Despite their population blooming from Lord Ajuka's Evil Pieces, they still hadn't come close to their original numbers before the war. Reincarnated devils made up more than half their population already, and it was more skewed in their favour every passing decade. It certainly wasn't helped by reincarnated devils being more fertile than pureblooded ones. Not much, but enough that they were seeing a massive rise in the next generation being primarily children of reincarnated devils.
There was little chance of this generation replacing the noble houses, but would that still be true in five generations when the numbers were skewed massively in favour of the reincarnated devils and their children? As a devil, an immortal being, they had to think about such things and this was the fear that caused so many to support the Old Satan faction who saw the deteriorating power of the noble houses. Kuro's potions could fix that and even those numbers out again. If they were pricey, as she expected, it would be primarily the wealthier pureblooded devils who could afford them, after all.
Riser saw Kuro interfering with their business and insulting their family, not seeing it as the bait it was. What he didn't realise was that with a solution to the pureblood problem, this Kuro could have walked into their house, groped her tits, then taken a piss on Rakul's desk and they'd have had to thank him for it.
Kuro had insulted their family, meddled in their business, and enslaved her daughter and even she was considering how many more children she wanted and how much she'd pay for Kuro's aid. She wasn't alone, she knew how many of her fellow noble women would give Kuro almost anything for the chance to guarantee more children. She knew how many would side with Kuro on this matter against the Phenex family just for a chance to jump the queue and get their hands on a fertility potion, seeing Ravel as a sacrifice for their own benefit.
She didn't blame them. If it was any other noble daughter instead of Ravel, she'd be doing the same.
This was the biggest boon to the devils since the Evil Piece system had been created. It didn't matter that it was made by a human, his contract with Serafall gave him all the legitimacy he needed.
Some people thought that the Gremory and Phenex houses were allying in an attempt to make the next Sirzechs. Combining the Power of Destruction with Phenex Regeneration in an attempt to make a Super Devil.
That was nonsense, frankly. Sure, it was possible, but even if Rias and Riser adored one another and spent eighteen hours a day fucking, it could be decades until they had a single child, and there was no guarantee that their child would inherit either power, let alone both. There was a reason it was so rare to see a devil with multiple bloodlines despite so many years of different houses breeding.
It wasn't like Riser likely pulled out of his harem, and none of them were pregnant.
Rias couldn't stand Riser, at best they'd fuck once on their wedding night and likely never spend a single moment together afterwards.
The engagement had been set up by two close friends who wanted to join their families and kept going by the stubbornness of two fathers who thought they knew best. It was a shame it had fallen through but hardly the end of the underworld.
Plus, with this fertility potion she imagined there'd be a boom in numbers for both the Gremory and Phenex family. If Rakul and Zeoticus were so inclined, they could just try again next generation and actually have the kids spend time together instead of letting them both run off to do their own thing.
"We can get them back, right?" Riser asked, in that all too familiar tone of 'I've fucked up, please help'.
"Legally? No," Rakul admitted. "You agreed to the contract before both Lady Serafall and Lady Grayfia. They were your peerage members so it's entirely legal, even without my permission for Ravel. Yubelluna was legally your responsibility, you reincarnated her and she was under your control and protection until she became a High-Class Devil."
"But he doesn't have a Peerage, maybe-"
"The bet was simple. 'I get two members of your peerage.' If you'd been smarter, you could have picked them instead of letting him do so as he didn't specify that he had to pick but it's too late for that now," Rakul admitted, rubbing his chin. "If this was made in front of anyone less than a Satan, perhaps we could lawyer the small print, but to do so now would be an insult to Lady Serafall, who would likely ignore our complaints. Kuro is simply more valuable to her than we are."
That wasn't even mentioning Sirzechs. The incredibly powerful man had more self control than most, not using his immense influence to end the engagement he clearly disapproved of, but now that he had a legitimate reason to interfere? It would be impossible to get this contract cancelled as that would bring back the engagement and such things would go to his office as the Satan of Domestic Affairs.
Trying to get him to undo the contract that freed his precious little sister was a fool's errand. Falbium wouldn't care unless they threatened to end their supplying of Phenex Tears to the military, which would be laughably foolish. Ajuka wouldn't care full stop.
"I- what about his potions? Ravel thought they were a threat to us and-"
"They likely are, though hardly the end of our family. We do have other sources of income. Only a fool puts all their eggs in one basket," Rakul sighed. "I won't deny that if Kuro can mass produce his healing potions, our wealth and influence will take a significant hit but that's not my concern right now. We don't know how effective they are, for one. If they are less effective than our tears, we will likely retain our more wealthy clients who will want the best. It's more likely he'll sell to the devils who couldn't afford our tears to begin with. It would hurt to lose the monopoly, for our influence more than our wealth, but again, I'm far more concerned about Ravel than I am Kuro's alchemy. Not least of which is because trying to interfere with his alchemy when it's being sponsored by at least one Satan is asking for us to be heavily punished."
Phenex Tears were a power multiplier. It allowed peerages without any healers- a very common scenario as healers were so rare- to restore themselves and keep fighting. None of the Satans would want this new source of potions, healing or otherwise, interfered with.
"No, my concern is opening up the Devilnet and seeing Ravel's sex tape trending," Rakul finished, a scowl crossing his lips. "Legally, Kuro can do whatever he damn well pleases with Ravel and Yubelluna, and we have no grounds to complain. Riser, stay away from Rias and Kuoh. Do not make this situation worse. I need to make some calls, see what influence I actually have in this nightmare."
That was a concern after Grayfia's milking, Rias's lap dance and the Fallen wrestling in bikinis and lube. She dreaded seeing a new post from Kuro's account, the Underworld witnessing the depths of depravity that Ravel was being subjected to.
"Yes, father. I'm sorry," Riser said, head hung low and shame in his tone. He made no excuses, which was a change. Maybe this would be the wake up call she'd been wanting for him, she only wished it hadn't been at Ravel's expense.
"And keep your word. Contact Kuro and arrange the… milking. Maou, I missed yesterday when things made sense," Rakul mumbled. "I know you said that you wanted to do it, but let Kuro do it. I don't want you spending any time near him and from the Grayfia video, I'm certain Kuro will need to be there for the magic to make them lactate. I don't want to risk you losing your temper, Kuro is clearly a petty man and may take it out on Ravel."
"Yes, father," Riser agreed again, thoroughly humbled. Despite sometimes wishing he'd mature, she couldn't say she loved seeing him like this.
She feared she'd like seeing how Ravel was even less.
— Ravel Phenex —
This honestly wasn't nearly as bad as she expected.
"Sir, I've finished sorting your ingredients. I've made a new cataloging system to stop your storeroom from falling into chaos again," Ravel reported proudly, hands on her hips. "I've also made an inventory, keeping stock of how much you have of each ingredient and set up a system to inform Lady Serafall's contacts when you are running low on an ingredient so they'll be resupplied before you run out."
"Thanks, Ravel. You're a star," Kuro replied, giving her a lazy grin. One hand remained on Yubelluna's head, guiding her as Riser's former queen blew their new master.
Now, she wasn't saying this was ideal by any means. Kuro effectively had her as a hostage against her family interfering in his potion trade, but she'd feared she'd be dragged into his bed the moment he had her alone.
Yubelluna had offered her body, which Kuro had easily accepted, but Ravel knew why she'd changed loyalties so quickly. Ravel was sure her family name was protecting her from much, but Yubelluna didn't have that. It was Yubel who'd told her that the best thing they could do was to make themselves useful to their new master. Yubelluna had two things going for her, her beauty and her power. Kuro didn't need anything blown up right now so Yubelluna had resorted to her second best asset. It wasn't like any member of Riser's peerage was prudish.
The simple truth was that she could act out, screaming and disobeying, but to what end? All she'd do is annoy the man currently holding her life in his hands.
They had lost. Riser had been laughably outsmarted and she'd made things worse by trying to push him to protect their family trade. They'd walked into a trap Kuro had laid out so well she could only be impressed by his cunning. She'd been confident in Riser's strength, unaware that Kuro had been ten steps ahead. It was an intelligence that she genuinely found somewhat arousing. It helped that Kuro was easy on the eyes.
She fully expected to end up sleeping with him. He had her entirely under his control, and if such a thing was going to happen then she'd rather take the initiative to keep some control over the situation.
So, she'd followed Yubelluna's advice and made herself useful. She was used to handling 'boring' things like paperwork or numbers for Riser when the need arose, and it hadn't taken long to realise that Kuro found the logistical parts of his newfound industry entirely dull. It presented an opportunity for her to make herself useful while keeping her clothes on.
She'd even replaced her frilly dress with a tight-fitting pencil skirt, stockings and professional shirt. Kuro wasn't unlike Riser and playing along with his games would make him less likely to force the issue. He wouldn't dress her like he did his Fallen pets if she was already dressing herself up for his amusement.
"You also received a list of the future… erm, milk donors from Lady Serafall. I've taken the liberty of setting up a time slot for them to be taken care of, it just needs your approval," Ravel continued, blushing slightly as she offered the schedule to him. "I can speak with the different volunteers for you, handling the arrangements and scheduling."
"I see you put yourself on there," Kuro pointed out, making her blush deepen.
"It was part of the contract, and while Riser pushed for him to be the one doing the milking, I would prefer to either do it myself or have you do it than have my brother be the one to… milk me," Ravel explained, her face burning with embarrassment. As she said, she didn't expect to get to keep her clothes on for long. If she got through the week with only his hands on her, then she'd be lucky.
But as Kuro did have a legitimate reason for wanting to milk so many girls, even if he was absolutely taking advantage of it, she couldn't be too angry. She may be young, but she understood the significance of fertility potions.
"M-Moving on!" Ravel squeaked, seeing his amusement. "Lady Serafall wishes to speak with you in person tonight."
"Mhmm," Kuro agreed, leaning back with a satisfied smile as he let out a quiet groan. She watched Yubelluna's throat move as she gulped several times before the purple-haired former Queen pulled back, a trail of saliva connecting her mouth to Kuro's cock. She placed her hands on her lap, utterly naked before Kuro.
Ravel was not unused to seeing penises. Riser rarely cared if he had an audience when he was playing with his harem. She'd never been touched by him, maybe Riser feared their parents' reaction or genuinely wasn't interested in bedding his little sister, but she'd seen a lot despite her own inexperience. Her eyes drifted to Kuro's cock, widening slightly at its impressive length and girth.
That was almost certainly going to take her virginity, sooner or later. He was kind enough not to just throw her down and take her like some conquering barbarian, but she was his unless her family could pull off a miracle.
Even if they could overturn the contract Riser signed, before a Satan no less, such things would take time. Kuro could take her at any time. She was subject to his whims, and that was why it was best to try to stay in his good graces.
She just hoped if he did claim her virginity, it wasn't too rough and didn't end up on the Devilnet. As the loser, all she could do was try to mitigate the damage. She held part of the blame for this, having been the one to push Riser to use the chance to try and stop Kuro's burgeoning potion trade on top of his meddling in the betrothal.
It had escalated this situation and Kuro had jumped to use it to steal her and Yubelluna. He may have been the one to trick them, but she was the one to give him the opportunity.
"Anything else I need to know?" Kuro asked, pulling Yubelluna into his lap. She was facing away from him as she lowered herself onto his cock, working her hips as she placed her hands on his thighs to balance herself. The pleasure on Yubelluna's face didn't seem feigned, as Ravel had a clear view of Kuro's manhood vanishing into Yubelluna's vagina.
"As rumours have begun to spread, a lot of noble houses have started to reach out, sending feelers. Peerage offers are fairly common, and many are requesting to be put on whatever waiting list you have for your fertility potions," Ravel explained.
"Ugh, I guess I can't just shove them all onto Serafall?" Kuro asked with a groan, one hand on Yubelluna's ass and the other reaching around to grope her breasts.
"If you had joined her Peerage, you could have. As you are merely a contracted magician, no," Ravel replied easily. "Rias Gremory has also sent you an innuendo-filled message thanking you and asking when she is to start her 'lessons'. It came with a photo of her in an even more revealing version of the Kuoh uniform."
"Read it out," Kuro ordered, a look of amusement on his face as she blushed.
"'Just got done with my family, engagement to the shithead is officially gone for good and dad promised to never make another as long as I finish my 'apprenticeship' lol. So, sensei~ when are my lessons starting? I promise to work so hard for you, and you can work me just as hard, long into the night," Ravel said, only stuttering a little. "I hope there's a lot of… oral exams. I've been practising. I plan to get plenty of extra credits~. That one has a close-up picture of her lips, with red lipstick on, sucking on a lollipop."
"Heh, fucking over Riser was the best thing I've done since fucking over Grayfia and getting her to pay for the privilege," Kuro laughed. "Pass my phone, please."
Shuffling over, she did so and watched as Kuro sent a rapid message before he tossed it onto the couch next to him.
"Fuck it. Ravel, you're officially my social secretary. You know how this noble etiquette shit works, right?" Kuro asked, as she nodded immediately. "Perfect. Reply to the nobles explaining that my contract with Serafall is set in stone until Rias can make a fertility potion by herself and I won't be joining any Peerages until then at the earliest. As for the people interested in buying them, note down all their names and reply that they've been added to the client list for when my business opens."
"Yes, sir… should I call you sir? Master? My King? You don't have Evil Pieces, but you are effectively my new King," Ravel asked, frowning for a moment.
"Sir works because you really pull off that secretary look," Kuro complimented, confirming that her plan had merits. "So, what are you wearing under it?"
Ravel went red at his question, knowing he took pleasure from teasing her.
"A pair of red, lacy underwear, sir," Ravel admitted, fidgeting in place.
"Show me," Kuro ordered, and she hesitated.
"Which one, sir?" Ravel asked, watching him pause.
"Your choice," Kuro finally decided. She bit her lip in thought, before making her choice. Gripping the edge of her skirt, she lifted it as she turned her head away in embarrassment, baring her panty-clad crotch to him, still wrapped in her thin stockings. "Nice. You can stop."
Dropping her skirt, she patted it down to smooth it over, her heart pounding lightly in her chest.
"Thank you, sir," Ravel replied, reminding herself of her plan. Yubelluna let out a loud moan, throwing her head back against his shoulder as she shuddered. Ravel was almost certain that Yubel was trying to distract their master, and that Kuro both knew it and indulged her all the same.
Kuro was a perverted asshole, smug and petty. Basically, he was the human version of her brother. She knew that Riser wasn't a bad person at heart, and she hoped Kuro had that same inner kindness behind his trolling, petty exterior.
Otherwise she was fucked in more ways than just physically.
— Serafall Leviathan —
"Hey, Sera," Kuro greeted lazily as he arrived. She didn't take offence, by Kuro's standards anything less than a slur was him being respectful, from what she'd heard of his meetings with Sirzechs and Grayfia. "Nice place."
"Glad you like it, because it's yours," Serafall admitted just as lazily. "You don't have to use it, but I need to send a message that you're working with the Great Satan faction and having you hide away in your pocket dimension isn't helping."
"Ugh, politics," Kuro groaned, slumping into a chair. "Well, I can somewhat tolerate it when it comes with a free mansion."
"Call it a perk of working for me. I don't recruit easily, but I take care of my employees," Serafall boasted. "You got to work fast. I take it Ravel is the one currently messaging half the noble houses in the Underworld?"
"She's a clever girl, so I put her to work. Don't worry, I haven't touched her. I'm not stupid, I know that there's a limit to how hard I should poke the Phenexes," Kuro admitted with a grin. "She's my social secretary. She even dressed up for the part. It's adorable."
"I have received messages from Lord Rakul Phenex about his daughter, but he knows his hands are somewhat tied. He's got a decent amount of influence from the Phenex Tear trade, buying favours with them, and I imagine he's currently trying to find a way to either free Ravel or find a way to get you to release her," Serafall explain, pleased to know that he hadn't defiled Ravel. She didn't think he would, because while he very much took amusement in being a dick to people, he didn't seem the type to use force to get what he wanted. It would be too much effort for him.
She'd put money on him seducing the Phenex girl instead, subtly and sneakily until she was offering her services willingly and rejecting her family's offer at buying her freedom.
She'd have to make sure word spread that Ravel had simply been given a position worthy of her noble blood. Some Devils would rage at a Pureblood working for a human, but it would squash the rumours that Kuro was inflicting all kinds of depravity on the daughter of the Phenex. The Old Satan Faction had used her enforcing this contract to try and stir up a shitshow by making it out that she was not just allowing but encouraging her human pet to defile a Pureblood princess.
Of course, their attempt had been lost in her own counterplay, the public reveal of the fertility potion results. She knew how to play the propaganda game. They couldn't smear her name as someone degrading Purebloods when she was painting Kuro, and by extension herself, as the saviour of the Pureblood Devils.
Plus, she had the support of the Great King faction for once. Provisionally, of course, and reliant on the old bat Zekram getting access to the highest quality fertility potions, but their support all the same.
She feared the Old Satans would target Kuro soon, they couldn't permit him to continue empowering her like this. And yet, they couldn't attack him because if he died, and the secrets died with him, then they'd lose all support and be seen as traitors to their race instead of just to the current government. She had her people watching them closely, but she was fairly certain that they wouldn't try and assassinate him outright.
Mostly because she'd 'leaked' that his necromancy could interfere with resurrecting him due to magic he'd done on himself. Was it true? Probably not, but when had that stopped a politician from boldly claiming something was true? Especially when she got Ajuka to back her up, claiming he was 'looking into it'.
It meant her 'failure' to recruit him into her Peerage would seem like a wise, cautious move instead. She was talking out of her ass, but she was willing to bet that nobody but Kuro knew enough about his magic to claim otherwise.
"Meh. I like her, she's fun. She goes the funniest shade of red," Kuro replied, getting a laugh from her. "I'll send them a fertility potion so they can make a new one."
"I'm sure they'd be thrilled," Serafall agreed blandly. "I'm also sure you'd find a way to steal their next daughter too, just because you can."
"Probably," Kuro admitted lazily. "So, did you just want to see me to give me this place?"
"Not quite. A comment you made to Sona drew my attention. After the boy she was trying to recruit was killed, Sanji or something, you offered to recall his spirit for questioning," Serafall explained. "Was that a genuine offer or were you just fucking with Sona? I might have to spank you if you were. As her older sister, trolling Sona is my responsibility and I don't appreciate you cutting in. Actually, that's a lie. You frustrate her so much it's hilarious to watch her reactions but still, answer the question."
"Oh, I meant it. As long as I have a name or something connected to them, I can probably call back most spirits. I can't control them, yet, but with a properly prepared spirit circle they won't be able to wander or try and possess anyone," Kuro explained. "The spirit circle is tied to my own mana so I wouldn't recommend trying to summon someone like the OG Satans since they might just break free, but I should be able to reinforce it enough for most spirits."
"Interesting, and potentially very powerful if you can learn to take control of them," Serafall said, her mind giddy with ideas. Kuro was just a mystery box of goodies, wasn't he? And he was all hers, because she'd got ahead of the rest by realising that all she had to do was pay him and not aggravate him to get him to agree to a contract. "And I know just where to start, as a test of sorts."
She loved plans that paid off in multiple ways, because she had questions she wanted answered, and she needed to make sure Kuoh was truly safe if that was where Kuro was going to be lurking. Not to mention Sona and Rias, of course.
So, it was time to find out what truly happened to the last devil who ruled Kuoh.
— Later —
Looking at the circle Kuro had formed, out of the high quality materials she'd provided for him, she prepared herself to defend him if anything went wrong.
"Ready when you are," Kuro said. She gave him a nod, motioning for him to begin. She couldn't deny that she was highly interested in seeing his magic in person. He held out his hand, the temperature in the room dropping noticeably as the ritual circle glowed with a soft purple light and a figure began to form in the centre.
Oddly enough, she'd never actually met the woman herself, but she recognised her from the pictures.
"Lady Leviathan?" Cleria Belial finally spoke, her voice having an ethereal quality to it. "Where- I died, didn't I?"
"You did, I'm afraid. Several years ago," Serafall admitted. "You were accused of betraying Devilkind and consorting with an exorcist, who was killed alongside you. There have been… accusations that this story doesn't add up, especially by your cousin, Diehauser. I've gained access to a magician capable of summoning the spirits of the dead, and decided to settle matters as part of a test."
"I see," Cleria replied, her face falling as the exorcist was mentioned. "The rumours were true, but it wasn't why I was killed. I had hoped Masaomi had escaped, as they were here for me, not him."
Serafall frowned at that admittance, but saw no reason that Cleria would lie about such a thing.
"Who was here for you?" Serafall prompted.
"Zekram's assassins," Cleria revealed, and instantly Serafall's heart dropped. Damn it all. "The Great King Faction. I dug too deeply into their business, I suppose. They wanted to silence what I'd discovered. I took it to the grave, but I suppose that has less meaning now, doesn't it?"
"Ooh, spicy," Kuro said, getting a scolding look from her which he just shrugged off.
"Are you sure it was Zekram?" Serafall asked tiredly, seeing the mountain of shit about to hit the fan. "And what could you have learnt that is worth crossing the Belial clan?"
"I learnt the truth about the Rating Games. How the entire system is rigged by the Great King Faction, so they can profit and gain influence from rigged matches. I learnt about the King Pieces they used to do it, ensuring that their pawns, Roygun and Bedeze, never lose their positions," Cleria explained, a look of fury crossing her face, and something deep in her head clicked. "And even with their cheating, they still couldn't beat my cousin."
She had asked Ajuka about why he'd never made a King piece, and he'd waved it off as 'something he'd done but was more trouble than it was worth'. If she knew Ajuka, he probably tossed it into storage once he lost interest in it.
"Damn it all," Serafall mumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Diehauser was going to go apeshit if he learnt Zekram had murdered his cousin to cover up their crimes.
"I can't say for certain that Zekram ordered it, but I am sure he had a part in it. I recognise the men as members of his faction," Cleria confirmed.
"Your deaths were orchestrated by a joint operation between both Zekram and the Church, but they claimed it was to maintain the status quo. They had evidence of your consorting, but Diehauser refused to believe that you'd betray our kind or make that kind of mistake," Serafall admitted.
There was a big fucking difference between killing a traitorous devil who had 'gone native' on Earth, and killing a member of another clan to hide your crimes.
"Loving Masaomi wasn't a mistake," Cleria answered, her tone firm and certain. "Nor do I deny it. I'll simply return to the void with the knowledge that the information didn't die with me."
Well, at least there was that? Not that it would make Diehauser any less murderous. His title as Emperor wasn't for show, he was the number one champion in the Rating Games system by a large margin. If Roygun and Bedeze, the second and third rankers, were truly cheating then the difference between Diehauser and the legitimate second place was as vast as the Dimensional Gap.
This was going to be so much work-
"Hey, Sera. What would you give me if I can solve this fuck up?" Kuro asked, a smug smile on his lips.
"Forget milking me, you can breed me if you can truly help with this nightmare," Serafall answered immediately. "I'll put on my Levi-tan outfit and let you fuck me on camera for your adoring audience."
"Fucking bet. Hey, can you get me some of that Diehauser's dude's blood?' Kuro agreed instantly.
"If I convince him it's for Cleria's sake? I could probably get you an arm," Serafall laughed, wondering what the fuck Kuro was scheming.
— Later —
As she watched Kuro work, she confirmed two things in her head.
First, Kuro was the greatest golden goose she had ever gotten her grubby hands on and she was never letting go of him. Fuck gold, he was shitting out pure mythril.
Second, she was going to be making a sex tape.
Cleria gasped, rising in her new body as she watched in disbelief.
"Worked this trick out after working with Viser's body. Neat, right?" Kuro answered smugly as the naked, awestruck Cleria stared at him in disbelief. "So, full disclosure, you're not technically alive but as people will tell you, I fucking love technicalities. I placed your soul into a soul jar which is inside your new body, which you are possessing."
"I'm possessing… myself?" Cleria asked, her lips twitching in what could either be amusement or disbelief.
"Eh. That body isn't technically you. I grew it, like in a vat. I just used Diehauser's blood to make you a Belial. Also, I have no idea if you actually have your house's ability. Shit, I don't even know what your house's magic is. You're also probably weaker since you're basically a newborn."
"Wouldn't that make you a pedophile, given the way you keep looking at my breasts?" Cleria teased lightly, the joy of life clear in her tone despite a mixture of grief and disbelief. "And may I have something to cover myself?"
"…I was going to, but now I feel like being petty so no," Kuro decided, getting a laugh from Cleria as he blatantly stared at her breasts.
Cleria focused, her hand extending as it glowed with energy.
"I have Worthless. You're right, I do feel a lot weaker, however," Cleria confirmed.
"Maybe you'll get stronger as you age, or maybe I'll just have to work on making better bodies, fuck if I know," Kuro shrugged. "Also, you're less of a cousin and more of a clone/maybe daughter of Diehauser now. I grew your body out of his blood and flesh after all. I didn't actually need the flesh he cut off, but credit where it is due, that man does not do half measures. It did help, a little."
"Like I said, I could have gotten an arm," Serafall agreed with a quiet, disbelieving laugh. Her contracted magician could bring people back from the dead.
Oh, this was going to cause an even bigger shitstorm than the one that she was worried about to begin with… but on the bright side, this was once more a joyous thing she could use to distract people from the potential mass corruption of the Rating Games and dubious actions of the largest political bloc in the Underworld.
— Bonus Scene — Akeno Himejima
Rias was like a new woman, freed from the betrothal that had hung over her like the sword of damocles for so many years. It made Akeno happy to see her King and friend so free and happy, but she couldn't deny that her thoughts were elsewhere.
Kuro had mentioned he could summon spirits to Sona. It had taken everything in her to not rush him and demand he summon her mother on the spot, but she had stopped herself for one reason.
Her mother wasn't going anywhere. Rias' marriage was.
She'd sworn to herself that she wouldn't push Kuro for anything while the marriage was looming over Rias. She wouldn't risk distracting him when Rias' future was on the line. She owed Rias too much for that.
"Your mother?" Koneko asked, causing her to jump. Koneko could be damn sneaky when she wanted to be. It wasn't a surprise that Koneko had guessed, basically the entire Peerage knew that she was barely restraining herself. Rias had guessed on the spot when Kuro had first mentioned it, and suggested that Akeno should approach him but Akeno had insisted that they wait.
"Yeah," Akeno admitted, her usual teasing attitude gone. "And yours?"
"Don't remember her. Was… young," Koneko replied, a frown crossing her lips. "Maybe. Don't know what I'd say."
Akeno could only laugh at that.
"You think I do?" Akeno replied, a dry smile on her lips.
"Probably not," Koneko agreed after a moment. "Yours first. Mine… maybe after."
Akeno gave her a smile, ruffling her hair and laughing as Koneko batted at her hands, her tail popping out and swaying agitatedly.