The Top Ten

I

The Underworld

Extra Demons were the houses of Devils who were not a part of the 72 Pillars. Most of the Extra Demons had secluded themselves from the present Devil Society, not wanting to involve themselves with the current government. The reason was that in the Civil War, most if not all the Extra Demon houses joined the old Satan’ side. And when their side lost, they were excommunicated from the Devil Faction. At that time the reason for the excommunication was justified but a few centuries later the current Satan tried to take the Extra Demons houses back, but it was futile.

It was true that the hostility between the remaining pure devil clans and the Extra Demon houses decreased but a lot of issues still remained. The biggest issue was that the Extra Demon houses followed the old ways, and they were content with that; to the point if any devils from the Extra Demons involved themselves with the current devil Government, they would have to break all ties with their households regardless of their status.

It was not that the Extra Demons did not want to rejoin the current devil faction. The main problem lied in coming to an agreement that would satisfy both sides. But,

“Roygun Belphegor, do you accept the terms?”

Roygun looked up from her kneeling position to meet the gaze of the mighty Sirzechs Lucifer.

“Yes, I, Roygun Belphegor, Head of the House of Belphegor, accept the terms written in the contract.”

She saw Sirzechs and other Satan nodding their heads at her words.

“Then, by the authority of the four Great Satan, I, Sirzechs Lucifer, welcome the House of Belphegor as the seventy-sixth pillar clan.”

“Thank you, Lord Lucifer,” Roygun spoke softly.

When she saw the acknowledgment, Roygun stood up and immediately Grayfia was by her side. She took her to the new council seat arranged for the House of Belphegor, which from today would be known as Belphegor Clan, the seventy-sixth pillar clan.

Yes, there would always be issues in coming to a satisfactory agreement. And it had been like this for centuries. But that all changed when the devil faction was utterly defeated by the Avalon Kingdom a week ago.

The general devil populace was not ready for the consequences of their defeat.

Roygun looked at Zekram Bael from her seat, who was up till now very quiet. She knew that something must have happened to Zekram, otherwise the four Satan would not be able to take such bold moves.

The very first thing Sirzechs did was not to hide any facts regarding the Nekoshou massacre. He did not hide the fact that he, the mighty Sirzechs Lucifer, was defeated by the King of the Avalon Kingdom as well as how the same king went against the full might of the devil faction and came out as the victor. And in both scenarios, the Youkai King did not simply win, he crushed them. Needless to say, the whole devil faction lost their marbles.

And unfortunately for a lot of devils, Sirzechs kept his word to the Youkai King. He delivered the punishment that was promised. And it was later found out that quite a few devils along with the ringleaders went missing during the fight. There should have been a huge uproar. But the four Satan calmed the masses smartly. They told them it was them who handed over those devils to the Kingdom. It was a lie, but they made it work by using their fear against them. It was easy to do so. After all, now every devil understood two simple truthful facts.

One, they were not unbeatable.

Two, every action had consequences.

But it did not end there.

Roygun turned her gaze to the opposite side of where the four Satan were sitting, where most of the Heads of the Extra Demon houses were standing.

The biggest change, which no one was expecting, was creating an agreement between the pillar clans and the Extra Demon houses that was acceptable to both sides.

It was not anything complex. If the Extra Demon Houses agreed to follow the rules created by the current government, they would be given the title ‘Pillar Clans’. They would not be replacing any of the extinct devil clans but would be considered as new pillar clans. Of course, the four Satan gave their words that they would make sure the new pillar clans would not face any kinds of discriminations.

Needless to say, most of the Extra Demon Houses agreed. They even went as far as to take back all the devils that broke ties with them in the past, her being the prime example. After all, finally they would not be known as ‘Extra’ but rather would be considered as ‘Pure Devils’.

“With this,” Roygun shifted her focus to Sirzechs, “Today’s session has come to an end. I do realize that there are few more Extra Demon Houses who want to join. But after I personally confirm their requests at a later time, we will hold another council session.”

“So before I call it a day, anyone has anything to say?” Sirzechs asked lightheartedly as his gaze swept over the council room.

“If I may, Lord Lucifer,” Lord Agares spoke up and immediately Roygun could feel the slight increase of tension in the air. After all, he was one of the clan heads who did not like the recent changes. “With due respect, may I ask what your plan regarding the Avalon Kingdom and their king is?”

A taboo topic but at the same time, all the devils inside the council chamber wanted to know this very badly, and directly from their Lucifer.

“Stay far away from them?” Sirzechs made a questionable face, “I mean I do not want to lose any more limbs.” The red-haired Satan pointed at his missing left arm with his eyes and laughed at his own joke.

Suddenly the atmosphere changed. It was subtle but noticeable. And it made every devil sit straighter.

“I understand your distress, I really do,” The tone of the Great Lucifer changed completely, his voice did not hold any anger or spite but no one missed the unimaginable power it held, “Honestly speaking, the devil faction never faced an actual defeat, if we are talking about from,” Sirzechs pointed at all the clan heads, “Your perspectives. I mean we lost so much in the Great War but officially it was considered as a draw, no one won in that war. Then in the Civil War, our side won completely,” Then he turned toward Roygun and the newly ascended clan Heads, “No hard feelings. So when the Avalon Kingdom defeated us, brutally if I may add, it left a very bad taste. Even now I can see that a lot of the devils cannot come to this term, that the devil faction is not as unbeatable as they thought. I understand this fact. I truly do. But you have to understand who is on the other side.”

The pressure went up another level, “I am not sure why none of you were able to piece it together but Naruto Ōtsutsuki is definitely on the top level of ‘The Top Ten’. I daresay that he is stronger than Khaoss,” The sharp intake of breaths echoed throughout the chamber, “But here is the main difference. Unlike the Trimurti, unlike the Four Horsemen, unlike Khaoss, Naruto Ōtsutsuki is very much active. As all of you had seen and experienced firsthand, he has no problem taking tough choices if it is for his people, regardless of the consequences. Heck, at that time, it looked like he was ready to completely tear us apart if we kept denying him the justice for his people.”

“So what is my plan regarding the Avalon Kingdom and their king, you ask?” Sirzechs turned toward Lord Agares,

“Stay as far away as possible. I do not want to wake up the beast again.”

.

.

X

.

.

Ajuka’s lab

“Is this really how you want it?”

Ajuka asked his best friend who was trying out his new left arm. The thing was it was not a permanent arm but rather a detachable one, more like a summon-able one. Ajuka created a metal plate and attached it to Sirzechs’s left shoulder. This plate worked as the key to summon the left arm whenever he wanted.

“I want to stay like this for some time. It will be a constant reminder to me and the devil faction of our mistake.” Sirzechs chuckled. He closed his eye, and his left arm vanished, “Besides, I do not think you can create a fully working permanent arm for me, not yet at least.”

Ajuka sighed and looked away. His best friend was right about this. No matter how hard he tried he could not create an arm that was able to withstand the full might of the unique power of the destruction Sirzechs possessed. There was a limit, and if Sirzechs would go beyond the limit his prosthetic arm would explode or break.

“Come on, not you too,” Sirzechs whined.

Hearing those words, Ajuka remembered something, “How is Rias doing?”

“She is doing fine,” Sirzechs released a deep breath, the cheerfulness was gone from his tone, “To be honest, I really did not want Rias and Millicas to see me at that state.”

Ajuka did not say anything, but he could not help from clenching his jaw and tightening his fists.

“But I think we needed this,” Ajuka sharply turned toward his best friend who uttered those words. Seeing the questioning look on his face, Sirzechs just smiled, “Both of our powers and the contributions of the new Satan made the devil populace think that the Devil faction is untouchable. Then there is the status-quo of a hundred years that we are… were able to uphold, which made the general devils content with the way things are. Then there is ‘The Evil Pieces’ that had changed the definition of ‘Strength’ for the next devil generation.”

“You feared that we would turn out like the old devils?” Ajuka finally pieced it together.

“Not as bad as them, but I had a feeling that if nothing drastic happened in the next five to ten years, the devil faction would face a great danger from within.” Sirzechs answered.

“Then this happened.” The disdain in Ajuka’s voice was very clear.

“You can get angry all you want Ajuka, but you cannot deny the results of our defeat.” The tone of his best friend changed, and unwillingly it took his attention. He was the Lucifer for a reason after all, “For ages, we were trying to get the Extra Demons to join our society, but nothing was working. Then in just a week after our defeat, we were able to manage them to officially join us. As for the general devils, they hate the Avalon Kingdom and there is nothing I can do to change that, but at least now they know that their actions have consequences. They cannot just do whatever they want and expect to get away scot-free. And I am sure you have seen it as well.”

“If you mean the recent meetings, then yes,” Ajuka nodded in acknowledgment, “But they may also be plotting to do something stupid behind the curtains.”

“And if they do, none of us will be there to protect them.” The steel in Sirzechs’s voice surprised Ajuka.

For a small time, silence lingered inside the lab before Sirzechs broke it, his voice was back to normal, “Do you know what the best part about our defeat is? The next generation learned the hard way that we, the devil faction, are not invincible. There is room for growth and improvement, there always was but they did not see it from the right angle.”

“And now they do?”

“It’s only been a week, but I can see the changes in them.” Sirzechs answered, “Instead of worrying about getting new pieces, Rias is training to get stronger herself. Instead of being content with what she had, Sona is now asking for advice directly from her sister. And I am sure many of the other young devils are also trying to ‘Grow’ under their own terms, rather than being satisfied with their current positions.”

“I suppose I can see your point.” Ajuka knew that there would be changes, and to be honest he could have figured all these out if he was focusing on what was happening around the devil society. But he was rather busy trying to create the perfect arm for Sirzechs these past few days. The missing arm of Sirzechs also reminded him of how he could not protect his best friend when he needed him.

“And also don’t think that I got weaker just because I lost one arm,” Sirzechs gave a mischievous smile, “I mean I have no problem temporarily creating an arm using my raw energy when I am in my demon form.”

Ajuka didn’t say anything, just stood there looking at Sirzechs. Finally, he replied back,

“Fuck you.”

.

.

X

.

.

The Shinto Faction

“You seem quite delighted.”

Naruto asked the God of the Storms and the Seas. Currently, he along with Susanoo and Tsukuyomi were inside Amaterasu’s private chamber. Well technically, all four of them were at Amateratsu’s main office just a few minutes ago. But Amaterasu had to switch the location since Susanoo was making too much noise.

“Why would I not be, Naruto?” Susanoo laughed out loud as he again finished another glass of sake in one go, “You stomped on the devils’ pride and bitch-slapped the mighty Satan. You took what you wanted without giving any fucks. And the best part,” Then Susanoo pointed his index finger toward Naruto, “You did all these in front of the whole Devil Faction.”

“You do realize that I did it only to give justice to the deceased Nekoshou, there were no other ulterior motives.” Naruto sighed, “And speaking of justice, the main culprits are still out there. Until I catch them and put them six feet under, I see no reason to celebrate.”

Susanoo snorted, “The Avalon Kingdom fucked the Devil Faction, that is a good enough reason for me to celebrate.”

Naruto just closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. The reason why he was feeling irritated was because of how most of the supernatural world was taking this incident.

What the devils had done to the Nekoshou was unspeakable. If the positions were switched, the Devils would have started a war without any hesitation. But he was not them. All he wanted was justice for the Nekoshou clan, for the guilty to be punished accordingly. But the way the Devil Faction responded to his demand clearly showed that they would rather start a war than to punish the convicts. And the actions the devil faction took to protect the criminals was despicable to the point where he once again forced to take a route that he detested... A bloody and brutal route. A path filled with violence and death. Did he want it? No. But it was needed.

The problem was that most of the supernatural world was thinking that Naruto used the Nekoshou massacre incident as a catalyst to show the might of the Avalon Kingdom. Even a lot of the Gods, goddesses and the deities of the Shinto faction were overjoyed at the actions he took against the devils, rather than focusing on the reason that made him take such actions.

“You take ruthless actions for your people when it is necessary, then you become the tyrant to others,” Tsukuyomi spoke, “And if you retreat from stronger opposition to protect your people, then others see you as a weak leader. That is how the world is.”

“I have to agree with both of my brothers here, Naruto.” Amaterasu closed the report that she was reading till now, “I know why you are distressed but you also have to see it from our perspectives.”

Amaterasu conjured a table beside her sofa and put the report on top of it. Then she turned to Susanoo and summoned few more sake bottles. She gave Tsukuyomi a side glance before focusing her gaze on Naruto.

“I have said it many times, but I will say it again Naruto. If you were not here at ‘The Great Faction War’, the Shinto Faction would have perished.” Amaterasu said with a soft voice.

Naruto scratched his chin. The Great Faction War, or the World War II as the humans dubbed it, was something he was not prepared to see, definitely not after just reincarnating. But at the same time that war taught him valuable lessons and showed him how different this dimension truly was from his own.

“We should have told the truth,” Everyone shifted their focus on Susanoo who had a scowl on his face right now, “You not only saved us but took actions that made sure that the top-tier factions did not join the war. In a roundabout way, you protected the whole world.”

Naruto chuckled, “You know me Susanoo, I do not want fame or power, I never did. But I will obtain them, under my own terms, if the situation calls for it.”

Susanoo just grunted at his answer and chugged down another glass of sake.

“Coming back to the topic,” Amaterasu said and chuckled seeing both Naruto and Susanoo bashfully shifting their focus back at her, “In the Great Faction War, through subtle means, you showed the mid-tier factions that the Shinto Faction has a very powerful champion; a champion who will fight to his last breath to protect us. By doing that, you showed us ‘Hope’. And after many centuries later, we could finally put our faith in this ‘Hope’, knowing that with you by our side, we will make it to the future. Then by creating the Avalon Kingdom, you gave the youkai and the faeries an ‘Identity’. Now they are no longer considered just monsters. They are civilized beings belonging to a never-seen-before multi-cultural Kingdom.”

“And lastly,” Amaterasu released a deep breath, not breaking the eye contact with Naruto, “To give justice to the deceased Nekoshou, you took actions that many of the Gods and supernatural leaders would not even dare to think. To you, the actions you took that day delivered a simple message… ‘The King of the Avalon Kingdom will do anything to protect his citizens’. But to us, to the Shinto Faction, to the youkai and to the faeries… your actions held much more importance than you can imagine… For the first time, we can walk tall, we can stand with ‘Pride’, because of our king.”

Amaterasu closed her eyes and paused just for a moment. Naruto could very well see that the reason she did that was to hide her emotions, not just from him but from her brothers as well.

“The reason why other supernatural factions and societies are showing their doubts is because of fear.” Tsukuyomi took the spotlight from his sister, giving her time the much-needed time to compose herself, “You defeated Sirzechs who is ranked at the mid-level of ‘The Top Ten’. And then, you went against the full might of the other three Satan along with the devil army. This clearly showed that you are amongst the top-tier of ‘The Top Ten’.”

“I know this,” Naruto sighed, “But I just did not think it will turn out this bad.”

“It’s because you came out of nowhere, brat.” Susanoo snorted, “We know all the things that you have done but the rest of the supernatural world don’t. You wanted things to be done subtly and without revealing your power and identity. And now that decision of yours has backfired.”

“Regardless,” Amaterasu took everyone’s focus again, she looked much calmer now, “If the Biblical Faction does not take any actions, then the only faction we have to worry about is the Greek Faction.”

Out of nowhere, Naruto felt it again… His muscles tightening, his power vibrating, his senses sharpening. It was as if his body was warming up before a fight. But he knew that there was no danger around them. He knew that it was a false alarm.

“Naruto?”

Naruto looked and saw the three Gods and Goddesses were looking at him worriedly.

“Are you feeling alright, Naruto?” Amaterasu spoke up first.

Naruto took a few steady breaths and felt his body and power calming down. He opened his mouth… and then closed it. He was going to say that there was nothing to be worried about but he knew it was not going to cut it. Not when Amaterasu was here.

“A side effect of Senjutsu, I think,” Seeing the confused looks, he decided to elaborate, “You know that I can absorb the ambience energy and the life energy from my surroundings when I enter my ‘Sage Mode’. Usually I have full control over it, but just like everything else, if I go overboard I will face troublesome side effects. One of them is to absorb the said energies at random times. Even if I am not in ‘Sage Mode’,” Naruto saw that the confused looks now became worried ones, it warmed his heart, “Don’t worry. This will get fixed all on its own.”

“Please let us know if you require any assistance,” Tsukuyomi said.

“As long as you are fine brat,” Susanoo groaned as he looked at his now empty cup, “Don’t ruin the festive mode like that.”

He immediately looked away when Amaterasu sent a harsh glance on his way. She softened her face when she turned toward Naruto, “Is it after the fight?”

Naruto smiled back, “Not exactly after the fight. I think it started after a day… or around that time,” He started scratching the back of his head, “I don’t remember the exact time, but I know the cause of this was the fight and excessive use of Senjutsu.”

Amaterasu frowned but did not say anything back.

Naruto decided to change the subject, “By the way, I know this will come out of nowhere, but I am thinking of reaching out to other factions.”

It seemed his distraction tactic worked as he felt the three focused gazes on him, “Before I begin, you should understand that the idea is still at its infant stage. It still needs a lot of polishing…”

“Out with it brat!” Susanoo grumbled.

Naruto just gave the storm God a dry look before turning his gaze toward Amaterasu, “Look, this is just an idea, alright? I think we should create friendly relationship with other factions. I am not saying we should get close to every possible faction or create an alliance out of nowhere,” Naruto sighed, “What I am trying to say is that we should learn about other factions, not through the pages from a book or words from others.”

“So, you want to reach out to various factions… to learn and befriend them?” Amaterasu asked.

Naruto chuckled, “To understand them… what motivates their people, what goals do they have. Do they have enemies? The Nekoshou tragedy taught me is that the peace we see in the Supernatural World is fragile and can easily be broken by those with ‘Power’,” Naruto let out a tired sigh, “It is true that we brought peace to our people. But it is not enough. If we want to maintain this peace, we need to learn about other factions. We need to find out who can be our allies, and who can become our enemies.”

“Extend one hand for friendship, while hold a shield with other. Greet them with smiles, but watch their every moves. With this, we cannot be betrayed if we already know them,” Tsukuyomi smiled, “An ingenious idea. As expected from the unpredictable king.”

Naruto smiled as he scratched his cheek.

“It seems you thought this through. As for your first choice, do you have any faction in mind?” Amaterasu asked.

“Yasaka-chan is going to meet Lord Odin today. She will see if there is any possibility for the Avalon Kingdom and the Norse Faction to set up some friendly terms. Nothing too grandeur. And if the situation is favorable she will discuss about a possible alliance. For the time, nothing too long term. As for me, I will go look for Shiva, see what he thinks about my idea.” Naruto answered swiftly.

“You are way too friendly with Lord Shiva,” There was no accusation in Susanoo’s tone, just annoyance.

“Hey, Shiva is a wonderful guy if you get to know him.” Naruto defended his friend, he really wondered why everyone was so wary of him.

“Sorry if I don’t have the balls like yours to stand side by side and make jokes with one of the strongest entities out there, who can destroy you with just a single thought,” Susanoo replied back with a very dry tone, “You could have befriended Brahma, but no~ You have to pick the strongest God of Destruction.”

“Come on, you are just overreacting. He will never do what you are thinking of.” Naruto huffed. It was Sasuke incident all over again.

“Not everyone is like you, who can see beyond the titles and the facades,” Tsukuyomi added his part, which did make some sense to Naruto.

“Well, think what you want,” Naruto snorted. Suddenly an idea hit him, “I wonder how they will react if I invite Shiva to one of our festivals.”

“Just a thought, but, would it not be better if you meet Lord Odin yourself?” Amaterasu asked.

“In a way, I can see where you are coming from, but Yasaka-chan is way better than me at handling these kinds of things,” Naruto answered with a large toothy smile.

.

.

X

.

.

The Avalon Kingdom

Odin was outright speechless. He had lived for thousands of years but never had he seen a city of this caliber. The beauty of the city could not be described with words. It was not the stunning structures or the unique way of using magic and technology that caught his eyes.

What truly captivated him was the people, the normal interactions he was seeing between many different races. There was a rumor that the capital of the Avalon Kingdom could be considered as a supernatural wonder. The rumor was not exaggerating at all.

The Norse God felt the flying stone plate, on top of which he and his entourage along with their guides were standing, slowly landing on another tower. And he saw who was there to greet him.

“Welcome to Amaterasu, Capital of the Avalon Kingdom, Lord Odin.”

Yasaka, the Queen of the Avalon Kingdom, bowed gracefully and so did all the shrine maidens behind her.

“It’s lovely to see you again, Lady Yasaka. You look more beautiful than the last time I saw you, if it is even possible.” Odin laughed and ignored the vicious glare his lovely bodyguard was sending toward him.

“It is very nice to see you as well, Lord Odin,” Yasaka said with a gentle smile.

Odin could not help but let out a small sigh. In their worlds, there were no shortages of strong and authoritative lead female figures, but all of them had issues that turned off most of the males. For example, Gabriel, one of the most beautiful females ever to exist, was religious to her core. She never belittled any other factions or Gods but her constant and over the top praises about her father and her brothers would turn off any males who were not Christians. Then there was Tiamat. Many found her feral attitude and demi-human form quite charming, but she had a very nasty temper. There was a reason why no one could maintain a lasting relationship with her. But the Satan Leviathan was on a different league. She was gorgeous, there was no doubt about it. But she had issues, lots of issues.

Then out of nowhere, Yasaka came into the picture.

At first, everyone thought she would turn out like all others. Yes, she had her own unique charm. She would be a kind and lovable shrine maiden in front of the general people, and mature and calculating Queen in front of the dignitaries. This gap between her personas actually enticed the young males rather than pushing them away. And his son, Thor, was no exception. The Norse God also wanted his son to get married to Yasaka.

But she was already taken, and everyone realized it too late.

“Is there anything wrong, Lord Odin?” Yasaka asked as she opened a portal.

“Just admiring this magnificent capital of yours,” Odin replied back while brushing his beard.

“Thank you for the compliment, Lord Odin. But,” Yasaka turned toward him, “We have to owe it much to our prized citizens.”

“Humble as always,” Odin laughed as he walked through the portal to enter a big but cozy looking living room.

As they took seats, Yasaka started first, “How is everyone doing?”

“Everyone is doing great, Lady Yasaka. You could come and meet them yourself though,” Odin smiled.

“I do apologize for not visiting Asgard for such a long time.” Yasaka said, and he could sense the sincerity from her tone. This was another reason why he liked her so much.

“But we are meeting for a different matter, are we not?” Odin pointed out.

Yasaka did not say anything but her demeanor showed that she wanted him to start, or more like wanted to know his opinion of the report she had sent. But first, The Norse God had a question of his own, “I am quite clear about this alliance you spoke of since you wrote everything in details, and I have an idea as to why you want this. But what I want to know is what do you think can be truly gained from this? And I am not talking about the ethical aspect of it.”

“Before answering that question, Lord Odin, will you answer a question of mine?” Seeing him nodding, the Queen asked, “What are your people thinking about the recent event?”

The Norse God could not help but chuckle seeing where this was heading, but he gave an honest answer regardless, “They are trying to decipher the rank of Naruto Ōtsutsuki and how much power he truly possesses, and I am sure my people are not the only one.”

“That is the problem, Lord Odin. Everyone is putting aside the reason as to why he, and our Kingdom, had to take such actions. I can see why they are wary of our king, but it is the actions that they may take because of this is what worries us.” Yasaka sighed.

Odin nodded but did not say anything, which made Yasaka continue, “To be honest, we actually wanted our Kingdom to be known to the supernatural world through this alliance and having a direct discussion with the Heaven Faction.”

“Ahh~” Now it clicked, “In that way, everyone would have focused on the Kingdom and its origin rather than their king.” Yasaka shook her head and confirmed his opinion, “And I am guessing you would have let others know about his power through the next appearance of the Core Stone?”

“Yes, we thought that might have made him look less threatening.” Yasaka answered.

“But not always things go how we want them to be,” Odin’s lip curved slightly.

Yasaka could not say anything to that.

“So, going back to the beginning,” Odin leaned forward, “What do you think can be truly gained from this?”

The answer did not come immediately, but Odin was patient. Yasaka took a minute before finally started speaking, “As much as I want to say that this alliance may help us to decrease the rising tension of other factions, I know it is not possible, not after what happened between the Avalon Kingdom and the Devil Faction.” She paused, just to release a deep breath, “But we do believe that through this alliance we can hold of other factions from taking any impulsive actions before the next appearance of the Core Stone, which is a year away at max.”

Odin nodded his head in understanding. He could see that the Avalon Kingdom knew that by taking such direct and vicious actions to secure the justice for its people, it indirectly provoked other factions. The actions were justified and it got the best outcome if he was being honest, but not everyone was going to see it this way. He knew that few factions would try to take advantage of this situation. And it was clear to him that the Avalon Kingdom did not want this.

“It seems that you have not lost your touch in politics, Lady Yasaka. I can see where you want to go with this. A temporary measure to keep some noisy factions in check before the next appearance of the Core Stone. A brilliant idea if I say so myself. If that is your goal, then I can say this with full certainty,” Odin steeled his expression as he said the last part,

“The Norse Faction will humbly decline this offer.”

.

.

X

.

.

Unknown location

“Come in.”

Indra said as he reached for the beautifully decorated jug to refill his cup. He sensed the boy’s excitement from the moment he entered the palace.

“Excuse my intrusion, father.”

Indra watched Arjuna opening the door and entering his private office. The room hummed for a moment. It was an indication that someone has entered his private chamber, a safety mechanism.

“You are early,” Indra said as he took a sip from the herbal tea.

“I have finished the assignment father. And it seems luck has favored us, we found another Longinus user.” Arjuna replied in a formal tone, standing a few feet away from his table. But Indra could see the excitement and the admiration of the boy, to the point as if his emotions were taking the form of a sparkling aura; talk about dedication.

“Sit, Arjuna,” Indra conjured a chair opposite of him and pointed there.

“Thank you father,” Arjuna sat down and immediately took out a report, “Here is all the information you need about the new member of the Hero Faction.”

Indra did not say anything. He just took the report and started reading it. There was not anything interesting written there, even the Longinus was a mid-tier one. Well, the Hero Faction already possessed three top-tier Longinus wielders along with the strongest one. So, finding anything to top that would be hard, even for Arjuna. Still, he had to admit, there could be some use of this Longinus seeing the current situation of the supernatural world.

“A job well done, my boy.” Arjuna beamed at the praise. Indra put down Arjuna’s report and took another one that was on his table, and gave that to him.

“Read that and tell me what you think.” Indra already knew what the final outcome would be, still, he had an image to maintain.

It did not long for Arjuna to get to the last part of the report, and the most interesting part if Indra was being honest. And just as he thought, Arjuna’s eyebrows shot up and he visibly moved back when he read the final part of the report.

“It can’t be!”

“But it is, my boy,” Indra smiled but he was sure his smile didn’t reach his eyes, “The Devil Faction was brutally defeated by this new Kingdom. And their king, Naruto Ōtsutsuki showed enough power to indicate that he is amongst the top-tier of ‘The Top Ten’. And if all the information in that report is true then he is already way stronger than me.”

“But it is just a one day fight, it is not a war.” For a brief moment, Arjuna lost his cool composure.

“Yes, it was not a war. But the reason why no one considered this as a war was because the Youkai King did not allow it to go that far.” Indra immediately put up his hand when he saw the protest coming, “And that is why I think we will need to use the Hero Faction earlier than we thought.”

Arjuna paused, and a moment later he sighed and bowed, “As you wish father.”

With that he got up, bowed again. But when raised his head, Arjuna frowned, “Are you alright, father?”

Indra did not say anything but just made a questionable face. And in response, Arjuna elaborated, “Your right eye has some grey spot, very subtle though.”

Indra’s index finger twitched at that.

“Maybe I am not getting enough sleep,” Indra replied with a seemingly tired smile.

“Do get some rest, father. I will send some more herb tea,” Arjuna said politely before leaving the room.

When Indra was sure that Arjuna was gone, he got up from his chair and conjured a full body size mirror. He leaned toward the mirror and touched the corner of his right eye. The grey spot became more noticeable. With a frown, he touched the skin right below his right eye and put pressure there.

The skin cracked.

Releasing a deep breath, he put a bit more pressure dragged his finger down his cheek. The subtle crack in his skin was becoming more and more prominent. He closed his eyes and focused on his power. He could feel it doing its job. And when he was sure that the issue was solved, he opened his eyes and was pleased to see that his face was back to normal.

He opened his mouth wide, moved his jaw around, smiled very widely, and made many more exaggerated facial expressions. But his face remained normal.

Satisfied, he returned to his chair.

“I have to be more careful.”