Nurarihyon was feeling quite annoyed. And jealous. What kind of damned luck was this? While he had to teeter at the edge of death and infiltrate a nation’s military command centre in order to finagle a commitment out of Hei Yang, all Mars had to do was be in the right place at the right time.

It was the commitment of a Demigod! Used well it could amount to an extra life, or a chance to advance one’s magical prowess by leaps and bounds. And it was no simple commitment, it was a reward for effectively saving her life. It wouldn't be like the pact with him where the enigmatic ruler of dark flames had fed him incomplete information, thereby trapping him into a situation where he had no choice other than to serve her for the foreseeable future. She would try to fulfil his red-headed protégé’s request to the utmost of her abilities.

Nura sighed inwardly while maintaining his stern façade on the outside as he watched Mars consider his options. When he had heard of Hei Yang’s plan to visit the boy he had decided to tag along. With the rate at which the Felidae scion was accruing merit, fame and authority, it was only a matter of time before people started to deeply investigate everyone around him. It was only a matter of time before they found out that the man he called ‘Master’ wasn’t who he seemed to be on the surface.

Let alone, Ragyo Kirin knew that he had survived. Nura harboured no illusions about being able to fool a Demigod, especially one from Nihon, with a Kitsune Disguise spell.

Since he would get exposed anyway, it was better that he took the initiative to confess. That way there was a possibility for an amicable relationship to exist between him and Mars. He hoped things worked out between them. The boy had proved himself too valuable to be given up easily.

Mars looked up from his contemplation, his crimson eyes resting briefly on him before settling on the Demigod.

“I’ve decided,” he said.

“Yes?”

“I would like you to assign a Doppelganger to protect me and my family... It wouldn't have to be permanent,” he hastily continued when Hei Yang raised an eyebrow. “You would only have to act once when any of us are in mortal danger.”

“That… is acceptable.”

“And, if possible, your Doppelganger could participate in our discussions on magic. I’m sure you would get some benefit out it too.”

Hah. The boy was courageous, at the very least. Trying to milk the favour for all it was worth. A Demigod benefitting from a discussion with mages barely in their twenties? Unlikely.

Despite all his advancements, the boy was still as concerned about the welfare of his family as always. He probably wanted Hei Yang’s help in planning Ceres’ magical advancement. After all, they didn’t have access to the Kitsune magical archives while Hei Yang was one third nine-tailed fox and had probably assimilated all of Miyagi Vulpine’s memories. Phobos would also benefit from a Demigod attuned to darkness.

Nura shook his head inwardly. If it were him, he would have only asked for the first part of the request while slowly influencing the Demigod into joining their discussions on her own. That way, it wouldn’t count as a part of the favour and he could have Hei Yang subconsciously feeling indebted to him. That way, he would be able to occupy the initiative in all further interactions with her.

While he could respect a man who put his family first, the boy didn’t have a single deceptive bone in his body.

Hei Yang didn’t accept immediately. “After I completed my merge with Miyagi not too long ago, I came to know that a fraction of the slippery old vixen had managed to escape. She’s in that crystal pendant your wife carries around, isn’t she?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll truly benefit from this discussion of yours. As will you when I break through her defences and gather all her memories. The spiteful old thing carried all her magical knowledge with her into that soul fragment. It’s something I need. I’ll duplicate the memories for your wife. The knowledge is just as precious to her as it is to me. If not more.” She paused. “This won’t count as a favour if we both profit from it, just a transaction… Ask for something else.”

The corners of Nura’s eyes twitched. Or maybe, the boy could afford to remain so straightforward because he was Fortune’s illegitimate child. Why bother with subterfuge when things would just fall into his lap?

“Well… you could extend your guard duties some more?” said Mars, questioningly.

Hei Yang nodded. “Twice then. I’ll act twice when you or your kin are in danger. After that, we are in the clear.”

Standing up after making her decision, she gestured for Mars to stand as well. “Show me that new clone technique of yours that I have been hearing about.”

Mars complied with a nod.

Nura sensed the shadow mana around the boy ripple before it was drawn into his shadow. The flat piece of darkness bulged upwards, forming into the shape of a man, one identical to Mars in every way except for the fact that it was uniformly black. Then it slowly gained colour and definition until there were two identical copies of the boy standing side by side.

“Interesting,” muttered Hei Yang before her shadow surged as well, dark flames spouting out of it and forming into a burning copy of her figure. Frowning at the humanoid mass of black fire, she dismissed it before trying again.

This time, there were a lot fewer flames smouldering on its surface and its features were much more defined. She waved her hand and the figure disintegrated into bunches of black fire, that, when she clenched her fist, coalesced into a perfect copy of her, replete with black crystal armour. If not for the lifeless stare of the copy, they would be indistinguishable.

Impressive as always. It had only taken her three tries to decode the technique and adapt it to her unique brand of mana. Nura had gained a much greater sense for ambient mana when he had shattered his mindscape and fused his soul with his bloodline. Bloodline Induction he called it. But compared to the Soul Sense of a full-fledged Demigod, or even a fake one like Mars, it was quite lacking.

His brand of magic was much narrower. Each of his bloodlines granted him mastery of certain skills. Whenever he invoked these skills, his bloodline would automatically draw upon the ambient mana to amplify them. The advantage was that the mental load on him was nigh negligible as it was more of an instinctual process. The disadvantage was that his control over ambient mana, beyond using it for his skills, was quite weak.

His was the path walked by the ancient Beasts as well as those of the Demigods who chose to retain their bloodlines. The Deus Theocracy had even coined a term for those like him – Warlocks.

“This one will stay here, disguised as a member of the serving staff. While the other will follow you on your quest to win the Swayamvar. You seem to have a couple of slots free in your posse. I’m sure you can deal with the paperwork to get her in.”

While Nura had been distracted, the two of them seemed to have come to an arrangement. Two clones now stood by Hei Yang, one dressed in the garb of a maid, with her facial features altered into a terribly bland face no one would look at twice. The other was the spitting image of Hei Lian before she had made that fateful trip into the Sixth Forbidden Zone.

“I’ll be taking my leave now,” she said, dark flames licking upwards from her feet before consuming her in a rush of fire. “I believe you have words with your Master.”

As the two clones chose to retreat into Mars’ bedroom, leaving the two of them alone, Mars turned to Nura, innumerable questions in his eyes.

Nura sighed. His facial features began to shift and warp – very small changes that added up into an unrecognizable whole.

Aiko’s gift of her bloodline magic had served him well all these years he had spent in exile. The number of people who had seen his true face in Regiis could be numbered on the fingers of a single hand. The members of the Felidae family weren’t one of them. He felt strangely emotional now that it was finally time to rip away the mask.