[Spirit of Lust] Chapter 156: Truths revealed. (Patreon)

It was something everyone could tell. Even the simple-minded oni realized something had changed. Ariana removed her foot from the man’s crotch, stepped back and stared down at him with intense warryness. Azazel and the other incubi aimed their spears and Aoi unsheathed her sword.

“‘The coward gave up’” Aoi quoted. “So he surrendered control back to you? Mr. Spirit of Sloth?”

“Just so, young lady. Just so.” The Spirit of Sloth chuckled softly. “My name is Belphegor. A pleasure to meet you all. Context notwithstanding, of course.”

Aoi stepped closer to the man pinned down to the ground, sword at the ready. If her steps were slow, it was out of caution, not any hesitance.

Belphegor, however, simply smiled. “If you’re willing to hear some advice from an old man, I’d suggest not driving that into this body, young lady. If what you want is to kill me, you won’t be able to do it with that. Kill this body, and I’ll simply move to another in your world. And if what you want is to kill the coward whose face I’m wearing, well, I won’t stop you, but it would be wasted effort.”

“Wasted effort?” Will asked.

“I gave Jack Evans all of my power, boy.” Belphegor chuckled. “I retreated to the back of his mind and let him do as he pleased. His ambitions turned out to be as simplistic as I expected, but he had no talent and a narrow vision. And now that he was completely cornered, he pathetically gave up and surrendered all control back to me. Jack Evans is now sleeping in a deep corner of his own mind, and won’t ever come out unless I wake him up. And you know what?” Belphegor grinned. “I think he had his chance, and he blew it. I’m taking this body for myself. Permanently.”

“That man,” Aoi said, stepping forward and gritting her teeth through her words. “That man used me to kill my own comrades! I can’t let him get away with it!” Aoi was seething. “He needs to pay!”

Belphegor began to stand up, surprising everyone there. The huge, powerful oni stumbled back as the man rose, unable to hold him. He was like an unstoppable boulder coming out of the ground, slow and steady.

He dusted himself off and gave Aoi a kind, elderly smile. Much like how people noticed Will’s body language changed when Ishtar took over, it was clear that expression did not belong to Jack Evans.

“Would you feel better if I gave this man constant nightmares, then?” he offered.

“W-What?”

“The law of your world can’t punish him. The authorities of magic there are scattered and useless, claiming to pursue order yet chasing their own agendas. Your only way to ‘punish’ this man is to kill him, but like I said, it’d be pointless now, not to mention a big bother to me.” Belphegor smiled wryly, yet he stood proudly with a straight back. “I am Belphegor, The King of Sloth, the second oldest of the Seven Kings of Sin who ruled this world you stand in right now. I am strong, girl. Do not fight me, for I’ve never liked such troublesome banalities. Finding a new body would be just as bad. I offer you to punish the man you’ve chased for so long. He will forever dream horrible dreams, caged in his own mind with no awareness of what happens outside.”

“W-Why?” Aoi asked. “Why would you do that?”

“Because you want it, because he turned out to be a disappointment, and most importantly, because it takes me no effort. Hohoho.” Will began to believe the man’s claims of being old. His laughter had the tiredness of an elderly man. “I stand here, offering the proverbial olive branch, because I see no gain in antagonizing you. What’s more, Lady Inanna, there, seems a fair bit weakened. She poses no threat to me as she is.”

Ariana, Azazel, and the other incubi let out loud gasps. Belphegor had nodded towards Will as he uttered that name. Inanna, the one Azazel had called their Queen and Goddess, long gone now.

Will felt Ishtar trying to take over his body. Not a forceful takeover, but a silent plea to let her out. And Will easily made her way for his partner to take control.

***

She settled into Will’s body with a faint feeling of awkwardness. His muscles were tense and slightly sore from the fight and the strain the flow of aether had put them under. His jaw still felt kinda numb, too. She couldn’t call him a baby for complaining about the pain. The guy had taken it like a champ. Ishtar would’ve whined a lot more, she knew.

“Excuse me,” she said in a confrontational tone. Her posture changed. Ishtar rested a hand on her hip and loosened her shoulders. She glared at the old man calling himself Belphegor. The name was distantly familiar, like she’d heard it spoken of before, but never paid attention to it. “What do you know about Inanna?”

“Hm?” The old man tilted his head. “Holes in your memory, girl? Inanna was the King of Lust, the fifth one with the title since Asmodeus, the first. The youngest of the Seven Kings, too. A funny thing, how they never bothered to change the title to Queen of Lust, hohoho!” He laughed as if he truly found it amusing. It rubbed Ishtar the wrong way. “Everybody called you Queen, anyway, so I suppose it wasn’t a priority to go through the bureaucracy. I quite respect that, really.”

“Me? They called me Queen?” Ishtar asked, arms crossed. “What makes you think I’m Inanna?”

“The lust in your aether is nothing like that of the lesser incubi and succubi here. Out of all Kings, you were always the most easily recognizable. Your commitment to pleasure permeated your magic more so than anyone else, you playful minx! Hohoho!”

Ishtar clicked her tongue. She’d had enough of this.

“Sorry, Mr. Belphegor, but my name’s not Inanna. I may have holes in my memory, yes, but my name is Ishtar. I know that much.”

Belphegor blinked in surprise, and his jaw half-dropped. “Ishtar? Ishtar… Oh! So you’re the daughter, then! My mistake! Sorry, lass. Age seems to be getting to me.”

…

D-Daughter?