"So, you just need to stay in the sacred gear for a bit, alright?"
Yasaka was in a very dangerous situation right now, despite the very not-dangerous air in the room. She was sitting in her temple in Kyoto, sitting across from the man known as the Beast King, who just a few days earlier had broken into her temple, held her daughter hostage, and then essentially said, 'do what I say or die.'
"If it's with her soul, it should be possible to contain even Ajuka." The other man in the room, who was sitting to the side of the table, was Azazel - the fallen angel Governor General of the Grigori.
"It'll only be one month?" Yasaka asked, locking eyes with Valon as she sounded a bit doubtful.
At the moment, she wasn't sure how to feel about the man. When she had first met him, which was walking in on him sitting very intimidatingly with his hand on her daughter's head, she had thought every rumor about him was true.
He was an evil man, who was more of a beast than a person. He ate the flesh of his enemies, killed whoever didn't fall into line, and had no respect for anyone. He ruled his Kingdom with an iron fist, acting more like their god than their king. Even worse, he had no qualms about taking hostages, then forcing them to be his lovers.
As she met him for the first time, Yasaka had a feeling of absolute dread. She'd caught the attention of an insane man who was shaking up the entire supernatural realm, and she didn't know why.
As he had sat threateningly next to her daughter, a hungry grin on his face as he looked at her, she had a lot of expectations. She expected to have to sell her body to save both her daughter and her faction, being put in a helpless situation where no one would come to save her.
If she was lucky, he'd do something crazy and get himself killed before she had to degrade herself too far. If she wasn't, then she didn't want to think about the unimaginable things he'd do to her.
But that was just from her first meeting with him.
He's… kind of normal?
Calling him 'normal' might've been pushing it - he was still a power-hungry beast who ate his enemies' flesh, and who had no qualms about using her daughter to bend her to his whims. But he had decidedly not been as bad as Yasaka had assumed.
After their first meeting, he'd actually been pretty cordial. It wasn't that he viewed Yasaka as an equal - no, from his dominating demeanor and in-control attitude, it was clear that he knew she couldn't stand up to him nor go against his desires - but he at least didn't look at her like a piece of meat. He gave her chances to voice her opinions in their few meetings and took into account her concerns about the safety of her own faction once she was within the sacred gear.
"One month, and that's at the most," Valon nodded easily, grinning lightly as his eyes shone with a bit of excitement, "It's Ajuka we're talking about. He might break out quicker, or if all goes as plan, I can free him before he even figures out how to get out."
One month. I'll have to trust him.
Yasaka sighed, just nodding her head lightly, as it wasn't like she had a choice anyway. It wasn't like she thought the Beast King was the most trustworthy person, but…
I guess there are many worse people to be giving your soul to.
Yasaka's lips twitched up lightly, and she decided she would put her faith in the terrifying man across from her.
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"He… really did it," Yasaka muttered, staring off into the space in front of her blankly.
"I didn't expect it either," Azazel agreed, the man having just been released recently from the sealing sacred gear as Yasaka's soul was freed at the same time.
He's insane, but he did it.
Yasaka couldn't help but be impressed - the terrifying man who had forcefully coerced her into his plan had succeeded, and the entire devil faction was his. Half of the remaining 32 pillars, families who had lived for millennia at the top of devil society, were dead, and Sirzechs Lucifer had been defeated.
The world is changing.
While Yasaka was young compared to many of the other faction leaders, who had lived for hundreds, if not thousands of years, she knew her history. While many factions had risen and fallen throughout the previous centuries, three intertwined ones had stayed standing through it all.
The devils, Grigori, and heaven. Three factions so powerful and well-established that their 3-way war was aptly named the 'Great War.' The devils had survived the Great War, the Civil War that followed soon after, and even losing their leaders and establishing new ones.
But, now, after thousands of years of being one of the strongest factions in the world, they had been conquered. Not in a thousand-year-long war, or by some great multi-faction alliance against them, but by one man.
If I don't act now, nothing will change.
Yasaka would call her usual leadership style 'passive,' as she tended to let any allies or political agreements come to her. When the only world-respected power you had was tied to a city, you didn't tend to leave that city to pursue allies or agreements.
But, for the first time during her rule as the Youkai Queen, Yasaka was about to change that.
Everything is changing. You can either adapt or be left behind.
Yasaka was young, but she was no fool. The Beast King had done something that had never been done before, which meant one of two things would happen next.
He'll continue to succeed, gaining more power and factions under his rule. Or, he'll be put down.
While the Beast King had done something unprecedented, he was still the new kid on the block. He was young, having appeared on the scene less than a year ago, compared to other beings who had lived for thousands of years. The rest of the world wouldn't sit by quietly as he continued to conquer more factions, gain more power, and become more of a threat.
It's time to choose.
Yasaka knew she had a choice to make - either accept that her life, and her faction's future, rested in the hands of one man now, or bet that he would be put down before he could truly reach the peak of his powers.
For her, who had never imagined anything less than a Dragon God would ever defeat Sirzechs Lucifer, she knew what her choice would be.
I'll bet that he'll succeed, and I won't be forgotten.
With a faction that was growing so quickly, Yasaka knew that there were those who would be left behind. As Valon gained new, stronger forces, his weaker ones would look less appealing and fall into the backdrop.
She also knew that her faction was already weak compared to both the Grigori, devils, and even Valon's main monster-filled forces. She was already in the worst position, and that would only continue to worsen as other, more powerful forces fell in line.
I won't be forgotten. I won't be.
Yasaka was determined to change the status of her faction - they would no longer be looked down upon. The Youkai would no longer be viewed as an easy target, whom the devils could slight by murdering thousands of them with no consequences.
And, the most surefire way to make herself essential to Valon?
Every King needs his Queen.
Yasaka blushed lightly just at the thought, but she was also determined. She'd have a lot of competition, as the Beast King already shared his bed with dozens of women, but she'd show him that she could do what they couldn't.
I'm not just a pretty face.
She certainly was a pretty face - in fact, she was a drop-dead gorgeous one. She wasn't being arrogant in knowing that she was one of the most beautiful women in all of the supernatural world, but she also knew she was more than that.
And, I'll prove that now.
While the other women in Valon's bed could service him every night to gain his favor, she would do something they never could. She would do something permanent.
I'll show him my usefulness. I'll unite the Youkai, and gift the East Youkai Faction to him on a platter.
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This is why you stay passive, Yasaka!
Yasaka silently cursed herself as she stumbled across a rooftop, barely avoiding the blade of a scythe behind her. It cut through the air, narrowly missing her neck as she lunged to another rooftop.
The plan had been pretty simple - meet with Nuriarihyon, then convince him that willingly joining Valon and letting their faction be viewed favorably by him was better than being forcefully crushed and brought under his rule later.
At worst, the mischievous Youkai would decline her, and nothing would be lost. At best, she'd convince him, and Valon would have no choice but to be impressed as she did something no other woman in his bed could.
Instead, I'm about to die!
Yasaka never imagined that Nuriarihyon would pull such a trick. The West and East Youkai Factions had never had a friendly relationship, but they were the same race, and overall didn't view each other as enemies. The man who took the form of an old man was also more of the mischievous, fun-loving type than a warrior.
So, with her guard down, she hadn't even noticed as she fell under his hypnosis. She'd only realized when it was too late, and the man had already reversed the flow of her energy.
He could've killed her right then and there, but luckily, the man wasn't a complete idiot. He didn't want to be tied to her death and was going to pin it on the Greeks, who had forced his hand in the first place.
Unfortunately for him, while he wasn't a complete idiot, he wasn't a genius either. One of Yasaka's handmaidens had already contacted Raya, and Nuriarihyon would be lucky if he could use his skills to hide and avoid death. He couldn't just fade into the background and let the Greeks take the fall for him.
Yasaka stumbled again, raising her hands behind her as she forced her energy to flow to her hands. It was very difficult to do so, and it was a testament to her skill that she even managed to launch a lackluster burst of flames.
I failed completely.
Yasaka had never felt like a failure before - not when Kunou's father abandoned her, and not even when Valon had so effortlessly forced her to bend to his whims. But, right now? As her plan blew up in spectacular fashion, and instead of gaining Valon's favor-
I'm going to die, and my people will suffer.
She was the only shining star amongst the West Youkai Faction, and she was sure Valon would look at the remains of her people like trash once she was dead. While the man was kind, he was also ruthless and valued those with power.
Yasaka stumbled again, turning around as she raised her hands, while the Grim Reapers didn't stop their approach. She pushed energy into her hands, but she couldn't even muster an attack this time as she fell backward. Her ass hit the ground, and she knew this would be her final moments in this world.
I'm sorry, Kunou. I'm sorry, everyone.
She had failed, and she only hoped Kunou wouldn't suffer as a result.
She watched as the sycthe slashed towards her neck, silently accepting her fate. But it never reached her.
"Are you alright?"
The scythe had been deflected away, and the towering form of the Beast King was reaching out his hand to help her out.
Yasaka didn't know if it was because she had just almost died, or because of how weak she felt with her energy reversed, but her cheeks turned red as a thought not fit for the current situation appeared in her head.
Was he always this handsome?
She shoved it away, taking his hand hurriedly, "Y-Yes!"
"I'm here," The man simply nodded as she was pulled to her feet, "You're safe now."
Once again, whether it was because she had almost just died or because she was a weak damsel in distress at the moment, Yasaka couldn't help but blush. In her entire life, three simple words had never made her feel so secure.
The next few minutes felt like a blur as Yasaka's life was saved, watching as Valon effortlessly defeated the rest of the Grim Reapers. Nuriarihyon made his presence known soon after, and Yasaka's face only turned even redder as the Beast King made his declaration.
"You touched something that is mine, and you think you can just leave unharmed?"
H-His? I'm his?
Yasaka shook her head quickly, shoving away the thought. She knew what he meant - she was his subordinate. He didn't mean it in any other way, even if her face was even redder than before, or if her heart had started to pound in her chest.
As Valon started his fight with the elderly Youkai, which could barely be called a fight, Yasaka felt like she was in a daze. He fought with the exact opposite of everything she stood for - she was a kind, gentle Queen, who showed mercy and respect to even the worst of opponents.
By comparison, Valon was a complete monster. He manhandled Nurarihyon like it was nothing, pinning the man to the ground as he casually twisted a knife into his palm. Then, his fist started to slam into his face, turning the man into a bloody pulp casually.
But, despite the brutal method of Valon's fight, Yasaka couldn't help but feel her heart begin to beat even faster.
He's mad because of me.
More specifically, because she had almost been killed. Yasaka knew that it wasn't personal - she didn't even know the man that well. He was just upset because he almost lost a powerful subordinate.
But, as her heart raced, she wished it were something more. As she watched Valon ruthlessly punish Nuriarihyon, something she should've found barbaric and revolting, she couldn't help but think that-
…He's kind of cool…
Yasaka wouldn't admit it right away, but in that moment, her desire to become Valon's woman solely for the purpose of securing her faction's position in his kingdom took a backseat.
The woman who had only ever had terrible experiences with romance suddenly fell in love.
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out tomorrow!
You can also read the next 7 chapters right now on Patreon.com/Koyon !