Is it wrong to Speak in a Dungeon? Chapter 19 (Patreon)

I do not own Danmachi/Jujutsu Kaisen or any other referenced franchise, only my own OCs.

…

…

The miserable sound of weeping filled the cold prison room as a tear-stricken girl sat at the corner of the barred cell, her whimpers and sobs the only audible sound in the chilling hall.

She watched the last few rays of sunlight shine through the cracked window before disappearing completely, signaling the setting of the sun and the imminent rise of the moon once again.

She choked down a sob and shook her head to try and dispel the fog clouding her mind. She sat up a little straighter and placed her hands together in prayer, her vision fizzling out moments later as her point of view changed.

No longer was she trapped in the cold and eerie cell of the Royal Court, whimpering at the lack of warmth in the air. She was now atop the clouds, staring down at her home, Kamakura, as the moon slowly rose into the sky. The moonlight lit up the streets of the Capital and filled Miyu with the much-needed warmth she desired.

Or at least she imagined that it did. Her shivers said otherwise.

She gazed longingly at the citizens walking through the barely illuminated streets of Kamakura, a sigh escaping her mouth as she moved her gaze from the walking pedestrians to the sentinels standing guard around the building they were keeping her captive in.

No one dared to step inside the building despite knowing that Miyu was inside. They were all given direct instructions by Amaterasu herself to not allow anyone inside, not even themselves.

Miyu has not eaten or drank anything in several days.

She was a level 3. She could probably live a few more days like this without seeing any decline in strength, but her aching stomach and parched mouth were unhappy with her situation and unafraid to inform her of their displeasure.

It was not fair.

None of this was.

She did not betray her country. She would never. Even with the mistreatment of her goddess and herself, she would never entertain the thought of colluding with the enemies of her home no matter what.

Yet here she was, imprisoned by the Supreme Goddess herself for a crime she did not commit, simply because she was ‘the former Captain of the Tsukuyomi Familia’. A title that was worthless, as she was the only member at the time as well as the only member of that Familia in decades, possibly centuries.

She gritted her teeth and choked back a few more sobs, staring at the flimsy, barred window that was holding her captive as she contemplated whether or not she should escape for the umpteenth time in the last hour.

The answer was obvious. She would barely make it halfway out of Kamakura before either Hikari, Arashi, or Reimei caught her and dragged her back to her cell. Even if she managed to escape, her goddess would bear the full brunt of the Royal Court’s wrath on her behalf, something she would not stand for no matter what.

There was no escape. No hope.

She gazed into her room with her moon vision, staring at her pathetic, tear-stricken face with despair before freezing at the sight of something else in the room standing across from her. She quickly turned off the vision of her blessing and stood up in alarm, reopening her eyes to gaze at the person who had invaded her cell as they widened further at the sight of who it was.

“Amaterasu is more heartless than I thought. Leaving you like this with no food, water, or even human contact… Isn’t this basically torture?” Inumaki Michael, the guest from Orario who took Kamakura by storm a few days ago, was currently facing Miyu with his arms crossed and his back against the wall.

His words incited confusion within her, but the chance to speak to someone for the first time in days was too good to pass up simply because she did not understand what he meant.

“W-what are you doing here? You’d get punished severely if someone caught you talking with me… Y-you should leave…” Miyu winced at how raspy her voice sounded, wincing again once she realized that she was pushing away the only person she’d seen in days. She couldn’t help but worry despite her own loneliness though.

She’d hate herself if he was caught because she was too selfish and wished to speak to him for too long.

“Punished severely? How adorable. There is not a single person in the Far East capable of inflicting ‘severe punishment’ on me. I am at no risk, don’t worry yourself with me.” She noticed his face contorting into a smile beneath his collar as he moved away from the wall and towards her, taking what looked like a brown bag and a bottle of sorts out from beneath his cloak.

Her eyes widened as the smell of food immediately assaulted her nose and her stomach made its presence known once again. She did not hesitate to take the brown bag from Inumaki, muttering a small “Thank you.” under her breath as she almost ripped the bag apart while reaching for the food inside.

It was only a few sandwiches, but the sight of those simple sandwiches almost made her sob uncontrollably. She reached for the first one hastily, but was stopped by a bottle being pushed into her hand.

“Drink first. And eat slowly, you’ll upset your stomach otherwise.” Inumaki Michael spoke to her in a chiding tone as his other hand landed on her head, patting her gently as she slowly nodded her head and began drinking the water.

The soothing sensation of water going down her throat was unlike anything she’d experienced in days, but the sensation of Inumaki Michael’s hand on her head was magnitudes better. It was like his warm hand was sapping all the sadness and negativity inside of her…

She couldn’t help but lean a little more into his touch, the pit in her stomach slowly losing density as her body relaxed. She felt a foreign energy invade her body, spreading a calming emotion throughout her body as well as easing the pain of the few injuries she sustained in the battles and during her captivity.

No… The bruises disappeared completely from her body. Miyu’s eyes widened a little at the sight of her injuries disappearing, her face gaining its natural color back while her body ached significantly less. She was still hungry, but she was no longer starving.

What did he do to her? And… can he keep doing it?

“Are you not going to eat? I prepared this myself, you know? I’d feel hurt if you didn’t even try it.” His voice snapped her out of her thoughts as her eyes widened in alarm and she quickly shook her head in embarrassment. She reached for the sandwiches and began wolfing them down eagerly, missing the horrified look on Michael’s face as she made quick work of the food.

…

[POV Switch]

Well, I see now why Lefiya and Bell have normal appetites despite being the main characters. Miyu is the one who inherited the supernatural eating ability all main characters usually have.

I watch in amusement as she stares up at me with a sheepish yet pleading expression, clearly still hungry after devouring the sandwiches I handed her. I take my hand away from her head and act like I’m reaching for my cloak, secretly assembling a few more sandwiches inside of Edias and placing them in another bag before taking them out of my cloak and handing them to the eager girl.

She was cute. Like Bell and Lefiya.

I swear. This world is begging me to adopt its main characters by making them adorable. Like little stray cats you find on the sidewalk and can’t help but take home despite knowing that it’s probably a bad idea.

Oh well, I don’t care if there are any repercussions. I’ll kill anything that stands in the way of my choices.

Looking at how Miyu was devouring her food, you’d think she was still starving even after I healed her with RCT. I know for a fact she shouldn’t be starving right now, so this is just her normal appetite. What a little munchkin.

Miyu stares up at me in contemplation while she eats, but turns her head back to her food with a flush after I pat her head again. She eats in silence for several minutes as I wait for her to finish, having to make her a few more sandwiches before she’s finally satisfied.

Once she’s done, she mutters another small “Thank you.” under her breath and finishes the water bottle I gave her. I put away the trash and take a seat at the other edge of the bed, enjoying how she squirms anxiously as I take my sweet time making myself comfortable.

“... Why are you doing this?” She finally breaks the silence, incapable of staying quiet or holding back her curiosity any longer. “You should know what could happen to you if anyone saw you speaking to the traitor…”

“I already told you, nothing will or can happen to me. No one is strong enough to force anything on me.” I waved my hand lazily to dismiss her worries, watching her face gain a small smile of amusement at my carelessness. “Plus, I know you’re not the traitor.”

Her body froze at my words, Miyu’s eyes darting from her bedsheets to my face to search for any sign of deceit only to find nothing but amusement.

“H-How do you know? How are you so sure?” She questions with a low tone, her body shaking a little as her face moves to stare back down at her sheets with tears gathering in her eyes once again.

“I knew from the start. Someone like you could never work as a spy. I bet you can’t lie to save your life.” I smirked at her as she looked slightly indignant and puffed her cheeks to show her displeasure at my claim.

“I totally could! N-Not that I have, but I could…” She protested futilely as I shook my head in amusement. She truly did act like Bell. “You shouldn’t be teasing me like this! I-I’m older than you, you know?”

I sent her a flat look as she stared at me defiantly for several seconds before quickly looking back down with a blush once she noticed that I wasn’t going to back down from the stare-down.

I had no idea what age she was, but she didn’t look a day over 17. Still older than this body technically, but definitely not mentally older than I am. Plus, she exudes the same naivety and innocence of Bell, to a much lesser degree as she’s seemingly suffered quite a bit.

As they say, age is just a number.

Heh. No one can say “And jail is just a room” since I’m literally standing in a prison cell right now.

“Moving past that. I know you aren’t the traitor, that’s why I’m not worried about interacting with you.” I restate what I said earlier again as a small smile reaches her face, clearly happy that someone knew of her innocence.

“Um… If you knew I wasn’t the traitor, why didn’t you act right away when I was being taken away?” She hesitantly questions with a slightly sour expression as I hum thoughtfully, placing a hand on my chin.

“Amaterasu knows you are not the traitor,” I revealed casually as Miyu’s eyes widened in shock and devastation. “She knew as soon as you denied the claim. She’s a god, she would’ve known if you lied. I wished to know the reason she was still imprisoning you despite that, that’s why I did not act right away.”

“... S-she knew? Why… Then why did she still imprison me?” Her voice cracked as she spoke, bitterness filling her face and tone. “... Did you find the reason?”

“I confronted Amaterasu some time later and questioned her.” I nodded my head to her in affirmation as she grew a little panicked at me ‘confronting’ the Supreme Goddess. “She’s planning to draw out the actual traitor and is using you to lower their guard by making the traitor think they’re safe.”

Her eyes widened further with every word I spoke, a complicated expression entering her face before settling into a bitter smile.

“I s-see. I-I suppose I should be glad that I was able to aid my country in rooting out the true traitor. Thank you for informing me, Mr. Inumaki.” Her voice wavered as she held herself back from crying, her feelings mixed between relief and despair at being used as a sacrifice by Amaterasu.

“No. You should not be happy with this treatment, no matter the result.” I firmly denied her words while grabbing her hands as she blinked and looked up at me with wet eyes, a small flush entering her cheeks at our contact as I sapped away the negativity brewing within her. “What Amaterasu did to you was cruel and completely unnecessary. I have no doubt that she’s doing it purely out of spite, rather than necessity.”

“... Don’t you think I know that?” She exhaled sharply, barely holding back her tears as she shook her head. “What else can I do though? If I resist, my Goddess will be punished in my stead! If I run away, they’ll declare me a rogue and hunt me down while also punishing my goddess! It’s hopeless. I’m trapped…”

She finally broke down into tears, her hands gripping mine as she stared at the bed we were sitting on hatefully. She’s left surprised once she’s suddenly pulled into my arms, a pleasant feeling entering her body as the bubbling negativity inside of her was sapped away even faster.

“I’ll save you,” I stated resolutely, watching as her eyes widened and she stared at me with both hope and confusion. “I’ll free you from this cage of yours while ensuring that neither you nor your goddess are harmed.”

Her breath hitched at my words, tears streaming down her cheeks even faster as she hugged me as tightly as her small but powerful body could. She hugged me for several minutes while quietly sobbing, her grip not lessening for even a moment. Eventually, she finally opened her mouth to speak again.

“... W-why? Why would you go so far for someone like me?” She asked with a slightly strained tone from all her crying, her eyes still holding that glimmer of hope alongside a hint of suspicion.

Ah, she was not as naive as Bell despite being quite innocent. That makes things harder, but I like it better this way. I wouldn’t want her to be that naive anyway, so I’m glad she’s not immediately trusting me.

[... Because you’re a simp for… all main characters…]

{Silence.} I retorted in annoyance to Edias as she answered Miyu’s question through our link.

“Hm. May I ask about your Goddess? The one who you used to be the Captain of.” Instead of directly answering her question, I replied with a question of my own as she tilted her head at me weakly before slowly nodding her head.

“U-um, Tsukuyomi. She’s my savior and… Family.” I hummed in response while nodding my head and patting her back, noting how she called her ‘Family’ instead of ‘Familia’.

So they’re very close.

“I believe she’s currently living in a shrine a bit further away from Kamakura, yes?” Miyu’s eyes widened at my question before nodding. “She’s also associated with Takemikazuchi, correct? I believe they run an ‘orphanage’ of sorts at the shrine together.”

“Y-yes! I used to live there with the other children before I was sent to Orario to get stronger… I think most of my friends entered Mr. Take’s Familia. My Goddess only accepted me in hers before I was taken away from her…” Miyu’s mood became worse as she remembered something sad, probably the time when she was ‘taken away’ from her Goddess.

The plot thickens.

“You may or may not know, but Takemikazuchi was the one who informed me weeks in advance that the Royal Court was attempting to ‘recall’ me.” Miyu’s eyes widened in shock before she seemingly remembered something as her expression turned into one of realization. “I owe him a great debt, and I believe that helping you and your goddess is one way for me to repay that debt.”

Miyu’s expression grew even more understanding, the suspicion in her eyes vanishing completely as she finally realized why I was doing this. Or at least what she thought I was doing this for.

Anyone with half a brain would realize that the depth of the ‘debt’ I’m repaying is a lot less than the payment I’m delivering. Takemikazuchi gave me a few extra days of preparation, which I’m thankful for, but I’m about to possibly go against the entirety of the Royal Court just to ensure the safety of the Goddess Amaterasu despises the most as well as her former child.

The gap is too wide.

Yet Miyu does not register this fact at all.

Why? It’s quite simple.

Despite not being as naive as Bell is, she’s still a shonen protagonist/hero at heart. Those numbskulls take an inch and give a mile when it comes to helping people.

Pro Tip: If you’re in One Piece and your country is suffering, just wait for Luffy to come and then give him food. He’ll singlehandedly conquer the world and deliver it to you on a silver platter just like you delivered that meat to him. Stay humble kings.

Miyu is not questioning my motivations because of one simple reason.

In this exact situation, she’d do exactly what I am doing right now.

Why would you question the actions of someone else when you’d do the exact same thing in their place?

“T-Thank you. I can’t express just how grateful I am…” Miyu sniffled and hugged me tighter as I sighed and patted her head, acting like I was trying to make space between us.

“Don’t thank me yet. I still haven’t done anything. Plus, I’m only doing this to repay my debt, so don’t think anything of it.” She blinked at my response and pushed her tears away for a moment to smile smugly at me.

“I-I wouldn’t be so sure of that. You’re doing quite a lot for someone just ‘repaying their debt’.” She pointed out with slight amusement as I huffed and rolled my eyes, giving the illusion of a Tsundere as she giggled at my reaction.

“I’m doing what I need to do, nothing more.” My retort makes her giggle again and shakes her head, finally letting go of me and allowing me to lean back from our hug.

“I-I don’t think you’re being very truthful, Mr. Inumaki. I think that you’re just kind, but don’t wish to admit it.” She smugly teased me as I continued huffing and looking away in ‘annoyance’, not denying her words.

I was, indeed, kind. Kinda sexy. Handsome too.

[... How humble…]

{Awww! Thank you, darling. I know.} Edias went to retort but froze as she slowly registered how I called her ‘darling’. That momentary pause spelled my victory, making her grumble and return to her silence once again.

“Believe what you will, it changes nothing. Besides, it’s my duty to help you anyway.” She tilted her head in confusion at my words, making me elaborate further. “My Familia is going to be a Familia of Heroes in the future. It’s my responsibility to help in a situation like this.”

Her eyes sparkled as soon as the word ‘Heroes’ exited my mouth, the sheer radiance exuding from them almost making my lips twitch upward into a smile if not for my self-control. She seemed extremely interested just as I expected.

“For someone claiming to not be kind, you’re awfully concerned with being a ‘hero’.” She teased me again while wiping the tears out of her eyes as I allowed a small smile to reach my face. “Y-Your Familia is gonna be filled with heroes?”

“Yes. This world is… filthy. With the fall of the Zeus and Hera Familias, there’s no one left to restore the balance in the world. My Familia will be the one to fix this in the future.” I casually explained to her some of my future ‘plans’ as she gasped in awe and nodded her head enthusiastically, listening intently to every word I spoke.

I actually had no delusions of ‘restoring balance’. There was never any balance, even in the times of the Zeus and Hera Familias. The only balance that existed back then was the extremely biased scale leaning towards the top two Familias. Everyone else was on the other side of the ‘balance’.

I have no interest in ruling and supervising this lawless world, only ensuring that it doesn’t explode the second I look away.

I’m killing that gigantic bitch of a dragon, conquering the dungeon (already done, heh), and declaring myself the strongest. Everything that comes after is just the Epilogue, probably.

No need to take the fun out of things for the others though.

“That’s amazing! I’ve only heard tales of the dark times that came after the fall of the Zeus and Hera Familias, but it all sounded so horrible. I’m happy that you and your Familia wish to help stop that from happening again…” She frowned a little with a dazed look on her face, probably remembering the Evilus nonsense she must’ve heard about that happened in Orario a few years ago.

Ah, and destroy any of that nonsense. Gotta do that too.

Stupid fucking name. ‘Evilus’. What a joke.

“Why don’t you join my Familia, Miss Miyu?” I suddenly questioned her ‘curiously’ as Miyu’s eyes widened at the offer. “I’m pretty sure you can’t enter Lady Tsukuyomi’s Familia anymore, but you’ll need to go somewhere after I help you leave the Royal Court’s grasp.”

Finally. Now this is why I came here.

“I- um… I-I’m not sure if I have what it takes to be a hero.” She shakes her head shyly while looking away, not noticing how she was currently looking at my Familia as if it was something grand when it was the opposite as of right now.

She’d basically be going from the top Familia in the Far East to just another Familia in Orario (Albeit, one that has the two record holders for fastest level up). Disregarding how we’d treat her a million times better than Amaterasu ever would, it wasn’t exactly the best deal.

Too bad Miyu was now too dazzled by my earlier words and actions to notice that. I doubt she cares about that stuff anyway, shonen protagonist and all.

“Nonsense. You hold the same look in your eyes I see in my Vice Captain, Bell Cranel.” She blinked in surprise at that and tilted her head as I shook mine in denial. “You weren’t there when I spoke of it, but he’s the record holder for the second fastest level up in Orario. He leveled up in a mere month.”

Her face turned gobsmacked.

“M-Month!?? W-wait, you’re the one who did it in three weeks… W-wow. You truly are a group of heroes…” She smiled with slight bitterness and slowly shook her head. “It took me three years for my first level up… and then another three for my second. I don’t believe myself worthy of joining your Familia.”

“You are not the one who decides whether you are worthy or not, Miyu.” She turns to look up at me in surprise as I stare into her eyes blankly, my own slightly lidded to show my exasperation. “I see potential in you. I do not care for trivialities such as how long it took you to level up.”

She gulped nervously as I placed a hand under her chin and lifted it to stare into my eyes, her extremely pale face gaining a red hue at my touch.

“I only care for one thing, and one thing only.” I declared while narrowing my eyes seriously, watching her push away her embarrassment to focus intently on what I was about to say.

“How hard are you willing to work to ensure the safety of your Familia and Friends? How much are you willing to endure for the sake of the world? Are you willing to face the world alongside the heroes of this generation?” Miyu’s eyes burned with every question, the challenge in my words igniting her determination as she nodded her head firmly.

“I would do anything to ensure the safety of the ones I love.” She declared without a stutter while staring into my eyes. “I would do anything to stand side by side with the heroes of my world, working to save the world alongside them.” She continued with the same scorching determination, her hands moving up to grab mine and squeeze it tightly.

“Then, Miyu. In exchange for saving you and your Goddess from the Royal Court as well as aiding you in becoming a hero worthy of standing amongst other heroes, do you swear to stand by the Hestia Familia through thick and thin, holding their secrets as if they were your own, aiding them through their toughest battles, and never betraying their trust?” I activated a Binding Vow as I spoke, watching Miyu flush at the overly serious way I was asking her before determination overtook her face once again.

“I swear it, Mr. Inumaki. If you can ensure my and my Goddess’s safety, I will face the world for you.” Cursed Energy exploded out of my body and into hers, the Binding Vow activating.

Her eyes widened as she felt the energy enter her. She sent me a worried and confused glance as I nodded my head to reassure her and prepared to explain.

“Notice how I spoke about aiding you into becoming stronger to become a hero?” She nodded her head. “That was a Binding Vow I just activated, a technique that is akin to a Magical Contract if you are aware of what that is. By doing this, you’re now able to access my falna-boosting skill to boost the speed of your growth.”

“Y-You have a skill that boosts the speed of your growth? Wait, of course you do! You’re the record breaker-” She froze as she slowly registered what I just did, her face growing slightly excited. “Does that mean I can grow as fast as you!?”

“As long as we both keep our ends of the deal, yes.” I nodded my head with a smile as she squealed and dived forward to hug me. I didn’t stop her and continued speaking as if she wasn’t currently hugging the life out of me. “But as a result, a punishment will be inflicted on either of us if we break our side of the vow.”

“Punishment? What type?” She asks curiously, not sounding very worried as she probably couldn’t imagine ever breaking anything on her side of the deal.

“You’d probably just lose your newly gained boosted growth. I, on the other hand, would probably lose strength permanently if I failed to save you and your goddess. Or possibly die if I fail badly enough.” I noted with a disinterested tone as Miyu’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets and she stared at me with panic.

“D-Die??? Why would you make this vow if you could possibly die from it!?” She started shaking me in panic, making me grab her hands to stop her while staring at her wryly.

“I already promised I’d save you no matter what, didn’t I?” I stated unworriedly as she pursed her lips and slowly nodded her head hesitantly. “Don’t worry Miyu. I’m the strongest.”

That one’s for you Gojo!

Plus, it’s only a small chance in case I somehow fuck things up majorly, which is unlikely. The possibility of me dying from the Binding Vow is actually a good thing, rather than not.

After all, Amaterasu wouldn’t want me to die, would she? It would be a shame if someone revealed to her that I’d die if she didn’t free Miyu and Tsukuyomi.

That’s right. This is all part of my plan.

Let the Keikaku intensify… Heh.

As Miyu slowly nodded her head and hugged me again, I felt a presence gnawing at the edge of my senses with particularly negative emotions. A quick glance at the window revealed the full moon shining down into the prison room.

My eyes widened as I realized who was currently watching me, my lips twisting into a smirk that went unnoticed by Miyu as I stared directly into the moon’s gaze with a raised eyebrow.

So this is how it feels to cuck someone…

Sorry, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi. I was forced into this war as a player, and these are the consequences of bringing me into the fold.

I’ve never been on any of your teams. Neither the Royal Court nor Yomi. In the end, the only goal I have here is winning.

In this little game I was forced into, I’m a player on my own team. But forced into this game or not, I’ll always be the one to win.

All’s fair in love and war, you two.

… And isn’t this little quarrel of yours both love and war?

…

…

I casually walked through the streets of Kamakura alongside the giant of a man named Arashi. I was currently on the lookout for any sign of Yomi as today was the day of my ‘trail’ as well as the day the true traitor would make an appearance. Probably.

Amaterasu assigned Arashi to ‘guard’ me in case Yomi made another attempt on my life, but he was actually just here for appearances since it’d be suspicious if they allowed me to roam freely after I was attacked barely a few days ago.

I won’t lie, ‘Stormbringer’ Arashi is kinda fucking stupid. Not in an inept way or even in general intelligence, but he’s kinda gullible and airheaded. He’s very straightforward, a punch first think later type person. I managed to convince him that the sky was actually green and that we saw it as blue because the ocean was blue and light reflected back to the sky, making it blue.

He still doesn’t know.

“Are we just going to walk around all day like yesterday, Mikey?” Despite how gruff his voice sounded, his tone was a lot more relaxed and bored. He only looked intimidating to the naked eye. Interacting with him for more than a minute would immediately reveal how untrue that was.

Ah, he’s also taken to calling me “Mikey” after finding out that my Familia calls me that. No attempt at dissuading him has worked, so I’ve just let him do as he pleased since it was not worth the headache.

“Someone of your rank should be quite used to patrolling, no? I’m simply taking in the sights of Kamakura while keeping an eye out for any troublemakers. It’s quite a beautiful city, is it not?” My blank tone and words made Arashi chuckle awkwardly before he puffed his chest out proudly and nodded his head.

“I’m very used to patrolling! And yes, Kamakura is truly the most beautiful city in the world!” He hit his chest with his fist in pride and I suppressed a wince at the shockwaves emanating from the hit. He was truly a monster in physical strength, even if he was not all there up there. “I’m glad you’re so concerned with the city’s well-being that you’d patrol in your own free time!”

I had to suppress a few chuckles at those words, staring at him with slightly pitying eyes as he tried to pat me on the back. He failed, as I was not about to allow myself to be touched by that hulking monstrosity they call a man.

“I am only doing this to pass the time, I care not for anyone’s ‘well-being’.” I heard a few giggles from a crowd of older women nearby, the women immediately looking away once I turned to them.

I’ve gained a bit of a reputation as a ‘Tsundere’ recently after my ‘debut’ recently. While the soldiers who almost died from my attack a few days ago were quite resentful of me, the major consensus towards me is quite positive. I did bring the Royal Court their first ‘decisive’ victory in years, so the civilians seem to like me quite a lot despite all the bullshit I’ve done.

It’s really amusing how they all think I’m lying about my true feelings.

I’ve already informed Hikari once. My words are truth. I don’t lie, because I have no need to lie. If I ever have a need to lie, then my words become truth until I say otherwise. That’s simply how it is.

[... Oh dungeon…]

Edias lamented at my arrogance through our link as I suppressed a smirk of amusement at her misery.

“Haha! I mean, ahem. Of course. I believe you, Mikey.” Arashi coughed into his fist and tried to pat me on the back again to no avail. He’s somehow caught wind of the ‘Tsundere’ allegations and now thinks everything I say is the opposite of what I actually feel.

I have no interest in correcting this misunderstanding. It’s better for my reputation if I’m liked anyway.

If a man looked you in the eye and said that he did not care whether you lived or died, he is not at fault if you decide to disregard his words and believe something else completely. Do you blame the man who spoke honestly from the start? Or the ones who disregarded his honesty and made up their own ideas?

Let them delude themselves. That’s what I say.

We walked through the bustling streets of Kamakura for half an hour in moderate silence, the only sound uttered from me being the occasional thanks as some shopkeepers approached me to offer snacks from their stalls as thanks for ‘saving them from the Yomi attack on the capital’.

It was already a common occurrence, so I didn’t comment much other than thanking them and moving on. Arashi, on the other hand, was completely enamored with all the people crowding around him and thanking him. He apparently saved quite a large group of people from falling debris when the attack was happening, which is a first for him since he’s usually the one causing falling debris.

I took the chance to continue moving without him as he awkwardly tried to stop a few girls from groping his muscles, leaving him to his fate as I started moving deeper into the city.

I felt two familiar presences at the edge of my senses and turned to look at them as the fox girl (‘renard’, or whatever they call it in this world) Reimei and former Amaterasu Familia Captain apparently Kakusu approached me, the former having a pleasant smile on her face while the latter looked as exasperated and exhausted as usual.

“Miss Sanjou, Kakusu.” I nodded my head to the two of them while firmly tracking their forms with my eyes in case of any sudden movements. I was more focused on Kakusu than Reimei though.

I’ve been quite wary of him since I saw his true speed in that fight. Considering how Hikari is apparently his successor, I’ve stopped underestimating him like I have been doing.

“So cold… Why does Mr. Kakusu get to be called by his first name while I get a ‘Miss’ and ‘Sanjou’?” Reimei complained half-heartedly as the two of them stopped in front of me. We’ve had this conversation like 5 times already.

“... At least he’s being respectful to you. I never allowed him to call me by my first name.” Kakusu complained in annoyance, but he didn’t actually sound that irritated at the fact. I’ve been calling him that to annoy him since I want him to fight me.

Why? Because I want a good fight. He’s the former captain of the Amaterasu Familia for gods’ sake.

“I’ll give you respect when you finally earn my respect.” I commented in amusement as he rolled his eyes and didn’t comment. “Good morning to you, Miss Sanjou. If you’re looking for Arashi, he’s currently enjoying his time with several enthusiastic younger women.”

Reimei’s eyebrows twitched dangerously at my comment as Kakusu looked at me with horror, bemoaning at my audacity as I taunted Reimei by mentioning her age and her boyfriend(?) in the same sentence.

Why? I wanna fight her too. She’s the only executive whose capabilities I know nothing about. I’d like to know what she’s capable of now rather than later when we’re facing each other on the battlefield.

Also it’s kinda funny watching Arashi get scolded in front of everyone for ‘infidelity’ by Reimei.

“Ah~, is that so? It appears that I’ll need to have another long talk with Arashi tonight. Thank you very much for informing me, Michael.~” Reimei used to call me ‘Inumaki’, but she immediately began calling me Michael as soon as she saw Hikari doing the same.

“... I have witnessed atrocities that would make the strongest men weep, yet this may just be the cruelest inhumanity I’ve ever had the displeasure of witnessing.” Kakusu commented with horror lacing his tone as Reimei giggled at his words. “You, sir, are the Devil.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s Hikari, actually.” I comment casually as Reimei giggles even harder. I notice Kakusu’s lazy eyes suddenly sharpening at that before he quickly composes himself and looks away.

Oh please. They think I don’t know. Her title, Akenomyōsei, while intended to mean ‘Morning Star’, can also be translated to Lucifer. I’ve already spoken about Hikari to Amaterasu. She’s an oni or demon of sorts, that much is obvious.

“Moving past that.~ What are your plans for today’s trial, Michael?” Reimei changed the subject away from Hikari and back to me as Kakusu’s eyes focused again and turned to me, waiting to hear what I said.

“Nothing, really. I’ll probably say a few disrespectful things to the Court to incite their anger and then fight Hikari once she can’t hold herself back. I’m sure it’ll be funny watching those old men and gods fume at my ‘disrespect’ before shutting up once I match Hikari blow for blow.” I casually revealed my plans to disrespect the Court without any shame, watching Kakusu’s face twist into something sour while Reimei started laughing in joy at my response.

“So troublesome… I’m not sure if I’d be happy or sad if you actually managed to escape the Court’s clutches.” Kakusu commented in exasperation as I rolled my eyes amusedly.

“That’s quite rude Mr. Kakusu! You’ll make our guest feel unwanted if you say things like that.” Reimei elbowed Kakusu lightly while pouting as he sighed tiredly and grunted at the hit. “We’d accept you with open arms if you ended up with us, Michael.”

“Not happening,” I answered without missing a beat as Reimei’s smile twitched dangerously and Kakusu turned away to stifle his chuckles.

How many times do we gotta tell you this old man?

“Well, as you say then, Michael. It is getting quite late, so I’ll be on my way now. I have many duties to attend to, after all.~” The renard girl sighed and smiled wryly after taking a few seconds to compose herself before looking up to the sky to tell the time, excusing herself once she noticed how late it was getting. “I wish you both farewell!”

She’s… interesting. Out of all of the Executives in the Royal Court, she’s the one I can’t read well whatsoever.

It’s no secret to me just how much she hates Hikari. The hatred is practically overflowing from her every time she’s mentioned. If I had to guess, Reimei’s objective should be to recruit me and take the credit from Hikari, undermining her.

The problem is, she isn’t trying at all. Half-hearted attempts at most. It’s like she already knows it is fruitless and is barely making a token effort, to at least look like she’s trying.

Her emotions are also complex. So much more than anyone else around. I feel extreme love emanating from her whenever Amaterasu is mentioned, which is surprising since everyone in the Far East already loves Amaterasu to death.

Yet she loved her more than any other.

She also holds great respect and love for Kakusu, but it’s also accompanied by slight regret and fear. There was probably more to that than the eye could see, but I didn’t care enough to dig deeper.

I did not understand her.

I watched her departing form with focus for a few seconds before turning back to Kakusu, staring at him with half-lidded eyes as he narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

“Have something to say, old man?” I questioned blankly as he huffed at my way of addressing him and pulled out a flask of some sort.

Qrow? That you?

“... You’re a troublesome kid, you know that?” He took a swig of his flask while not batting an eye as I continued staring at him blankly. “Are you really planning on pulling that stunt during the trial?”

“I’m not sure. There’s a chance the trial isn’t even gonna happen, so how could I be sure if I’ll do a little trolling or not.” His eyebrows twitched violently at my comment of ‘doing a little trolling’ before thinning out as he processed the rest of my words, narrowing his eyes as he did so.

“And how can you be so sure that the trial might not possibly happen?” Kakusu asked with a little suspicion as I shrugged and stared at him smugly.

“The true traitor should reveal themselves today after all. I don’t think we’re gonna have time for the trial with that going on.” Kakusu froze in shock at my casual statement before coughing violently as he almost choked on his drink. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and glared sharply at me as I stared back undeterred.

“What?” He hissed and placed his flask away while discreetly looking around for anyone eavesdropping on us.

“You’re obviously not the traitor considering how you’re the former Amaterasu Familia Captain-” Kakusu hissed again with widened eyes while searching even harder for anyone listening in. “-so I see no issue in telling you. We both know the traitor isn’t Miyu, and could never be Miyu.”

It’s really funny watching him panic about possible eavesdroppers. I’ve already placed a sound-concealing Curtain that makes the surrounding civilians move away from our little patch of land. No one can hear us.

“You think I don’t know that? I’ve raised every single one of our Executives since they were mere children. The traitor is not and could not be any of them. I have no idea what that delusional woman is doing, but I’m at the end of my wits with her right now.” Oho?~ To casually refer to Amaterasu as a ‘delusional woman’... How interesting.

“You’ve raised all of the Executives? How interesting. Speaking of which, aren’t there a few more Executives I’ve yet to meet?” I’ve been keeping an eye out for information and recently found out that Arashi, Miyu, Reimei, Kakusu, and Hikari were not the only executives around. There were two more that were out for ‘expeditions’ of some sort and only returned the day of my arrival. Quite the coincidental time of arrival, but it happens.

Ichijouno Ayaka and Nijouno Hayate. Hanakishi (Knight of Flowers) and Kazewokiru (Cutting Winds). The heiress of the first noble family Ichijou, and the bastard child of the second noble family Nijou.

I haven’t gotten a chance to meet either of them as they were immediately dragged into some family nonsense when they arrived.

“... Your attempts at fishing for information are cute. You already know plenty, don’t you?” Kakusu rolled his eyes and I chuckled while raising my hands appeasingly as he grunted. “Those two are the youngest of the executives and the ones I’ve raised the most personally. In fact, Hayate is possibly my protege as I’ve taught him everything I know to help him grow.”

“A second Kyōfu no Yaksha huh? How scary.” I hummed thoughtfully at his information as he rolled his eyes, sensing the lack of ‘fear’ in my tone despite my words. “I won’t beat around the bush. Isn’t it likely that Hayate might be collaborating with Yomi as revenge against the noble families?”

Kakusu grunted in annoyance at my question, clearly not expecting me to know so much and planning to do something about the ‘leak’ in information.

“No… He- He would not.” Kakusu gritted his teeth as he spoke, my words clearly shaking him as the possibility of his ‘protege’s’ betrayal set into his mind.

Hayate is a bastard child of the former clan head of that clan. His father died during the war between the nine, now eight noble families, but Hayate was conceived slightly before the man’s death. Normally, they’d welcome Hayate with open arms despite his position as a bastard, but the Nijou family focuses greatly on magic and are known to produce the best spellcasters of the Far East.

Hayate is incapable of magic.

It’s not that he does not know any magic spells. That can easily be fixed with a Grimoire. No, Hayate literally cannot use magic. This isn’t some mind-blowing condition, as some people are known to be incapable of using magic completely, but it’s certainly a roadblock when your entire family focuses completely on magic.

However, there are rumors that Hayate’s status sheet has his magic stat as ‘Null’ rather than ‘0’. That’s quite an interesting rumor as that’s never been heard of before.

“He wouldn’t, you say? What about Ayaka? Could she possibly be the true traitor?” I questioned next with a tone of ‘curiosity’ as he glared at me for a few seconds before turning away, his eyes looking slightly lost.

“... Impossible. Aya is only 18 years old despite being a level 2. The traitor would’ve needed to have infiltrated the Royal Court for a time longer than Aya was alive.” Kakusu denied firmly after a few seconds of thought as I hummed in response, understanding where he was coming from. “None of my children are the traitor. Especially not those two, who I’ve taught personally from birth.”

Aya huh? And such firmness in that declaration… Who knew Kakusu would be so defensive of the other Executives? Very interesting.

“Level 2 you say? Then I guess that means she’s actually a level 3.” Kakusu grumbled and didn’t respond, making me chuckle mirthfully. “If not those two, then who, Kakusu?”

My question stumped him for a few moments before he sighed again and pointed to the Imperial Palace.

“The gods.” He declared solemnly, his voice sounding quite grave. “They are immune to each other’s lie detection abilities and are the most untrustworthy and malevolent members of the Royal Court, prioritizing their own amusement and enjoyment over the needs and wants of the Far East’s people. Several of them have proven themselves untrustworthy over the course of the Far East’s history, and now is no different.”

That’s a serious accusation from Kakusu. Former Familia Captain or not, this type of accusation could seriously ruin him in the future if it got out.

Gods are fickle creatures who care first and foremost about their own enjoyment. If their fun is disrupted by a mortal accusing them of being traitors, they’d do anything in their power to remove the person disrupting their fun.

“You must understand, Inumaki. I’ve raised the executives since the day of their births, with the only exception being Hikari who I found as a 10-year-old as well as Miyu who lived most of her life with Lady Tsukuyomi at the temple before eventually joining the Executives. They’ve all had constant contact with the gods for most of their lives. There is no chance that neither I nor the gods caught any lies from them that would’ve led to suspicion of them. Hell, Amaterasu regularly questions our loyalty like the paranoid freak she is.” Kakusu spoke the most I’ve ever seen him speak as he stared at the Imperial Palace hatefully, clearly distraught greatly by the accusations of betrayal towards his ‘children’.

“Being a single father must suck, huh?” His hateful gaze turned to me and intensified for several seconds as I felt my danger sense blare before Kakusu took a deep sigh and turned away, allowing my senses to relax once again.

My lips twitched upwards.

Almost.

Oh well.

“... Your words are going to get you into a mess you cannot get out of one day, boy.” He warned with a slightly bitter tone as I turned to him with slightly widened eyes, shaking my head a few moments later and beginning to laugh loudly without care.

“I welcome the challenge! Let fate run its course, old man. I am not so pathetic that I’d allow something like ‘consequences’ to bring me down.” I openly contested Murphy and fate without care, welcoming the challenge and accepting whatever hardships I was forced to face for my impudence.

It just wouldn’t be fun without a little challenge in this journey, after all.

Kakusu stared at me silently as I slowly stopped laughing, his eyes slightly dazed as he stared at me, reminiscing something from his past. He continued staring at me as if I were a ghost for several more seconds before I tapped him on the shoulder and began walking away, breaking him out of his funk.

“W-wait, where the hell do you think you’re going at this time? The trial is happening in a few hours!” He exclaimed with panic as I lazily waved him off, continuing to walk away.

“I already told you that the entire trial is a farce, did I not? Return to your goddess, old man. She’ll surely explain everything to you quite soon. See you on the battlefield.” Whether it was as an enemy or friend, Kakusu did not know yet.

As I walked further away, I felt a soldier appear next to the stationary Kakusu to likely recall him. Their signatures were still for a few minutes before they quickly began making their way back to the Palace, leaving me to continue making my way to where Miyu was being confined.

It’s time.

…

…

[... The wheels on the bus… go round and round…]

{Round and round, round and round.}

[... The wheels on the bus… go round and round…]

{All through the town.}

[... The wipers on the bus…-]

{Shush. I sense something weird.}

I shushed Edias as I felt something weird happening in the hallway adjacent to the prison cell where Miyu was being held, my eyes widening as I sensed what was happening and who it was.

I was currently inside the cell opposite Miyu, calmly waiting for who I believed to be the traitor who should be arriving any second now. Miyu was completely unaware of my presence here despite facing my cell, all thanks to the fact that I was inside of Edias right now.

Edias was currently sticking to the wall while spreading herself so she was only an inch thick, blending in with the shadows in the cell and making for an almost perfect disguise.

How am I currently inside Edias when she was only an inch thick?

That’s a stupid question and you should be ashamed for thinking it. Edias is holding thousands, possibly millions of corpses inside of her, yet is barely more than a meter and a half in height. Her body is probably a different dimension or something.

I was currently inside this ‘different dimension’, completely incapable of using any of my 5 senses. The only senses I could currently use were my Observation and Cursed Energy sensing.

It was actually quite snug if you ignored how giddy Edias was at ‘devouring’ me as well as how I was being groped every few seconds by my surroundings which consisted of nothing but Edias’s… essence.

What a lovable psychopathic genocidal entity I have.

Refocusing on what was happening, I noticed that the shadows in front of Miyu’s cell were currently vibrating unnaturally. Miyu herself noticed that something was off and was currently standing up in alert while staring at the hallway warily.

{Get us closer to Miyu just in case, Edias-}

*FWOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOM*

Just as I was about to order Edias to get closer, a cloaked figure jumped out of the vibrating shadows in our direction and punched Edias with enough strength to shatter the wall behind us and send us flying into the outskirts of Kamakura’s forest.

I quickly exited Edias’s body with my polearm while pulling her back inside me just in time to meet Jigoku Youko’s next strike, the tip of my weapon clashing against her twin blades in a surprisingly difficult struggle.

Her form flickered during our clash and I narrowed my eyes as my danger sense blared. I barely had time to grab her hand to stop it from grabbing my neck, but I didn’t recognize her true intent and was dragged through the air further and further away from Kamakura.

Ah, shit.

As we flew through the air, I twisted myself in the air and swung the blunt part of my weapon at her head. Her eyes tracked my attack as it flew through the air towards her, but she didn’t act and simply dismissed it.

She regretted that decision soon after as my weapon slammed into the side of her head and launched her into the ground, the deathly grip she had on my wrist no longer holding me down as I was finally allowed a moment of respite.

She took us quite far from Kamakura. I can barely make out the familiar night lights of that city.

It seems she’s attempting to kill me once again. Fun.

“Should I consider that your revenge for last time after I punched you through the walls of the temple?” I asked with slight amusement as she laughed maniacally while hovering out of the crater she was in, shadows dancing across her body and allowing her to levitate up to my level.

“I forgot about that, but I’m glad you reminded me!~” She giggled sweetly and slowly licked some of the blood on her fingers as my face scrunched up in disgust. “I’ll make sure to repay you for that time.~”

[... That’s your blood… That bitch…!]

My eyes widened at Edias’s words and I quickly inspected my body, noticing a few light cuts on my wrists where she was holding me. I didn’t feel it at first, but she must’ve cut me with her nails while I was attacking her.

“You’ll try. You’ll also fail.” I coldly declared while glaring at her as she giggled with a slight flush on her cheeks for some reason. “If I remember correctly, was it not you who ran with your tail between your legs in our last encounter?”

{Edias, do the thing.}

[... Aye Aye Captain…]

My face twisted into an uncomfortable grimace as I slowly felt Edias’s essence filling up every part of my body. I was left surprised when Jigoku Youko herself seemed to react to what I’m doing, her face growing shocked as she stared at me and somehow sensed what Edias was doing.

“... How interesting.” She muttered with a cold smirk before blinking and returning to her bloodthirsty grin, her eyes growing feral once again. “Perhaps.~ It would’ve been quite the hassle fighting the sun bitch, Kakusu, the Storm Hound, and you last time, so I politely made my exit for the day. I hope you didn’t mind?~”

“It matters not. I’ll kill you here and now without any more interruptions.” She laughed maniacally once again as I felt my patience thinning more and more. “Could you stop it with the act? It’s very annoying watching you act like a fool.”

That definitely makes her pause.

“Oh?~ And what exactly do you mean, Mikey?~” I narrowed my eyes at her as she used my nickname before huffing and rolling my eyes.

“Your little maniac act. It was broken the second we met when you first met Edias and reacted like a reasonable person, but you’ve continued to act like a psychopathic fool despite the number of times you failed. That’s not to mention how I can clearly sense your emotions, and you are not as giddy about killing me as you’re acting. In fact, you’re quite nervous right now in the presence of Edias.” Her eyes widened slightly at my analysis before her maniacal grin slowly faded away, replaced by an irritated frown that easily settled into her cold face a lot more naturally than her maniacal grin did.

“... Emotion sensing? How troublesome.” She sighed exasperatedly and placed a hand on her hips lazily, forgoing her maniacal act now that I’d discovered her. “You’re a very annoying man to trick, Inumaki Michael. No one’s ever seen through my mask so quickly and effortlessly.”

“Your efforts were hopeless from the very beginning. There is no world where you are capable of tricking me with such terrible acting.” My harsh words caused her to laugh, this time a lot more naturally without the maniacal tone she held earlier.

“Is that the famed arrogance of yours? Or was that simply an insult to my abilities?” She placed her hands together in mock-apology and smiled ‘sheepishly’ at me. “Please do forgive me for attempting to trick you, Lord Michael!~ How could I ever repay you?~”

“I have no interest in fossils.” I commented dryly in response to her attempt at seduction only to feel a sharp, piercing pain in my chest, my eyebrows twitching at the painful sensation.

{My bad, Edias. I didn’t mean you when I said fossils.}

[... You’re forgiven, but that… wasn’t me…]

My eyes widened again and I quickly focused back on Youko, watching her huff in annoyance before letting out a ‘tsk’ of disappointment as she slowly lowered her arm.

Good thing I asked Edias to do the thing earlier. That could’ve been bad.

To explain in simple terms what is happening here, Youko was trying to control the shadows that exist within my body to try and stab me from the inside. That was what she did the last time we fought, or at least that’s what I believed she had done after I reviewed the fight later in my head.

Edias is currently pushing all of her energy to ‘occupy’ the empty space inside my body, not leaving any space for Youko to push the shadows in my body or to try forming them into something dangerous. It’s a bit stuffy and uncomfortable, and I also feel bloated, but it’s better than getting exploded.

She must’ve tried to control something inside of me for a moment before Edias pushed her away.

I’m glad this worked because the only other choice would’ve been for Edias to actually push her body into mine. That sounds just as dangerous as it is disgusting.

“You truly are an annoyance to fight against. Haaah~... as expected of my Lady’s Chosen, I suppose.” My eyes narrowed at her words, confused at what she meant.

I swear to Hestia…

“If you’re about to say some nonsense about your goddess desiring me, I’m going to rip your throat out and feed it to the dogs,” I stated simply without any hint of humor in my voice. I was done with this nonsense.

“Hah! That’d be funny, but no. My goddess could care less about who you are. What she cares about… is the spirit inside of you.” Edias slowly exited my body while still leaving some of herself inside of me to stop Youko from doing anything dumb. “I know what you are, Inumaki Michael. ‘Edias’, as you’ve apparently been calling her, as well.”

“... What does your… goddess want?” Edias asked aggressively while glaring at the girl with heat. I was surprised that she was showing such aggression to her, but it was probably because she sensed that this woman may know something about her.

“It’s quite simple. She wants you to return to your true master. Your creator, ‘Edias’.~” Youko giggled with genuine amusement in her tone as Edias blanked.

Her creator?

Is Youko saying that the creator of the Dungeon is a God?

“Allow me to take it from here, my dear Youko.~” A sickeningly sweet voice suddenly entered my ears and I turned my head in alarm towards the new figure slowly walking out of the forest line.

I was able to immediately recognize that it was a Goddess simply by the ethereal aura that immediately encompassed the entire clearing upon her arrival. She was almost disturbingly beautiful, holding the same striking beauty that Amaterasu had which was unlike any other god or goddess I met. Just as Hikari resembled Amaterasu, Youko resembled Izanami quite a bit.

Unlike Amaterasu though, Izanami seemed surprisingly different from Youko in certain ways I couldn’t explain. It was like seeing an original painting next to a replica and immediately recognizing which of them was the original. Izanami’s wavy onyx-colored hair fell down to her waist while her Amethyst eyes almost pierced through me as soon as we crossed eyes.

I did not care for her beauty at the moment though. I had much bigger priorities.

“You… You just used your Arcanum did you not?” I asked gravely while glaring at the newly arrived Izanami, my spear glowing with a purple aura after being enveloped in black energy as I pushed my CE output to the max. “The gods will not stand for this, you know?”

My danger sense was screaming at me louder than it ever had before at the mere sight of Izanami. If she was not releasing her Arcanum, then I had no idea what the hell this could be.

If she truly activated her Arcanum, then I was dead no matter what I tried.

All I could do was buy time until the gods noticed that she had activated her Arcanum and dragged her back-

“Calm yourself, child. I have not activated my Arcanum if it concerns you so much. Fufu~... Such a good child, worrying for your patron Goddess like that.” Izanami giggled into the sleeve of her plum-colored Kimono and continued approaching Edias and me without any sign of worry or care.

“You do realize that I can kill you with just a word now that you’re here, right?” I threatened her with narrowed eyes while slowly lowering my collar, showing my Snake and Fangs seal to attempt bluffing my way out. Edias was looking at me worriedly as she wasn’t able to sense what I was sensing yet could still feel my anxiety.

Izanami giggled amusedly at my threat and tried to step into my direct personal space, only to be blocked by Edias who hovered in front of me threateningly with her hair floating independently behind her like snakes.

Fuck.

Think, Michael, THINK.

She wasn’t lying when she said she hadn’t activated her Arcanum, so that means she might not be as “Fuck off” strong as I thought she was at the beginning, but I still know I have no shot at beating her how I am right now.

Escape?

As I contemplated possibly escaping the scene, the air around Izanami shifted as she stood merely an inch away from Edias. Slowly, a skeletal figure made of eerie energy surrounded Izanami and slowly grew in size as Edias moved back in surprise and dragged me with her.

All I could think at the time was-

“Is that a fucking Susanoo!?” I yelled in both horror and fascination as Edias almost tripped in the air while dragging me and turned to look at me exasperatedly.

[... Not the time!…]

“... a what? Why would this be Susanoo?” Izanami stared at me with genuine puzzlement as I rolled my eyes at the uncultured heathen and didn’t respond to her question.

“You truly haven’t activated your Arcanum, huh? I see. I sense Spiritual Energy emanating from that thing. That was what you’ve been using this entire time, right? That spirit.” The Skeletal figure finally materialized completely, enveloping Izanami and all of her nearby surroundings in dark purple energy as Izanami laughed merrily at my words.

“Oh?~ You can sense the energy of spirits? You truly are more fascinating than I expected, Inumaki Michael.~” Just as it appeared, the skeletal figure slowly receded into the air and left Izanami standing on her lonesome amidst a patch of burnt grass beneath her. “As expected of my… what was it? ‘Edias’s’ champion?”

I did not make any hasty moves though. I could still sense its presence around me even after it disappeared from sight.

I understand now. The dread I felt from my danger sense was not from Izanami herself, but the spirit currently sticking to her.

“... I am not… yours… and Michael is… mine…” Edias bit out with venom to Izanami as the Goddess’s eyes widened for a moment before she began laughing calmly, a certain glint entering her eyes that made me step in front of Edias protectively.

{Edias, I know this is your first encounter in a fight with someone who knows what you are, but you really shouldn’t be showing what your weaknesses are to your enemies. You know she’s gonna target me now, right?} Edias froze a little at my telepathic message before flushing a little and glaring at Izanami even harder.

“Quite the rebellious little spirit, aren’t you?~ I understand why you’d be so protective of your little partner. He’s the first mortal to charm you, is he not, little Dungeon?” Edias twitched and glanced at me as I nodded my head gravely, realizing that Izanami was the real deal if she immediately recognized that Edias was the dungeon and wasn’t bluffing.

“You know quite a lot, don’t you?” I asked rhetorically as Izanami turned away from Edias and to me, her eyes sparkling in amusement. “You do realize I’m going to kill you, right? I couldn’t care less about becoming a God Slayer.”

“How scary!~ You’re such a brave one, little Michael. But we both know you wouldn’t escape this little field alive if that were to happen, no?” She responded smoothly with a pleasant smile as I clicked my tongue and turned away, subtly glancing at Edias and sharing a nod with her.

Survive or not, Izanami would not leave this clearing with whatever it is she’s here for.

“You’re not taking Edias, so let’s skip the chit chat and fight already.” I decided to do a little risky maneuver and raised my spear at Izanami as she giggled and shook her head.

“You’re not fooling me, little Michael.~ We both know you wouldn’t win against both me and my little Youko.” The woman, who was quiet up until now, waved lazily at me from behind her goddess as she rose out of the shadows a little more. “Why would you choose to side with Amaterasu when she can give you nothing you don’t already have? I gave you a gift like no other in the form of ‘Edias’, yet you repay my boon by siding with my biggest enemy?~ How cruel…”

Izanami’s pitiful act was interrupted as I began laughing vigorously, my laughter echoing across the clearing as Izanami’s smile slowly faded into a confused expression. I didn’t stop to explain my amusement though and continued laughing under her confused gaze.

Only after an entire minute of laughing did I finally stop. I slowly wiped away a stray tear from the corner of my eyes and turned to Izanami with a smirk on my face, stabbing my spear into the ground and leaning against it casually.

“Siding with Amaterasu? Since when?” My words reverberated through the field heavily as Izanami blinked in surprise before an ecstatic grin entered her face.

“Wonderful! Then you’ll join me-” “And who said I’d side with you either?”

Izanami froze as my tone suddenly turned cold, a small wave of my presence emanating from my body and making the clearing feel a little colder as Jigoku Youko stepped in front of her Goddess protectively while staring warily at me.

“Something you gods seem to not have realized since the start of this little fad… is that I belong to none of you,” I spoke venomously while picking my spear out of the ground, my presence intensifying a little more. “If I had a nickel every time a Goddess claimed me in the Far East, I’d have two nickels. Which is not much, but it’s fucking annoying that it happened twice.”

“Ah?~ And what are you going to do about it, little Michael? Do you not wish to find out how ‘Edias’ came to be?~” Izanami recovered from her little bout of surprise and smiled uncaringly as I very slowly walked towards her.

My already slow pace slowed for a second before continuing, only to be stopped as I felt Edias tug at me from behind. I turned and found her looking at me pleadingly before looking to the ground shamefully.

. . .

“Speak. If you are truly Edias' creator, prove it.” I glared and stopped walking, staring daggers at her as she raised her eyebrows at me before sighing exasperatedly and shrugging her shoulders at me.

“Very well.~ ‘Edias’ was a little project that I, Hades, Osiris, and a few other Death Gods worked on while Gekai was being built. The reason I can claim ‘Edias’ as mine is because, while the others were working to make ‘Edias’s’ vessel without rousing the suspicion of the other gods, I was the one who personally made her soul and spirit. The other gods did not intend to make her sentient at first, only intending for her to be a puppet for them to use for their own amusement.”

Izanami’s gaze became fierce as she thought of the other Death Gods, the chilling atmosphere surprisingly turning a little colder as a frown marred her beautiful face.

“The fools. They did not comprehend the sheer potential ‘Edias’ had as a Spirit than if she was just a non-sentient puppet that spewed monsters out for them. Once they had finished the dungeon’s ‘vessel’, I placed ‘Edias’ inside it and linked them together. To explain it in simple terms, I was the one to place her soul inside of her body. I was not aware that, by doing this, my connection with Edias would be cut off completely and she would become a separate entity completely.”

“Once the other gods realized what I did, they turned furious and began fighting fiercely while accusing each other of treason. They were completely unaware that I was the one who did it.~” Izanami giggled giddily like a kid who got away with doing a bad thing scot-free. “I simply decided to begin creating other spirits to stave off my boredom as I knew I could do nothing now that Edias was formed. Yet here I am, finally reunited with my first creation after thousands of years!~”

Edias stood next to me with an indescribable expression, her body completely frozen as it held my arm in a death grip and didn’t let go. It was already world-breaking for me to discover this, but it was even worse for Edias who hasn’t known this about herself for thousands of years.

Izanami slowly began walking forward again, extending her arms out to Edias as if she was offering to hug her as Edias’s eyes trailed the woman’s form the entire time.

“Would you please return to me, my proudest creation? I have been awaiting you for thousands of years, Edias-” Izanami paused, a beautiful smile entering her face as she shook her head. “No, I suppose I should use your real name… my Chimera… Mother of Monsters… Bane of Humanity…”

“... My Typhonia.~”

…

…

I delivered within a week (more or less)! Praise me mortals, for your Overlord has finally broken the record of one update per 2 weeks (sometimes 1 month). And what's this? Mf'ing EDIAS lore finally? My goodness. 

I'm gonna be posting some pictures of Izanami on the Discord since my beta Gerald found some particularly spicy pictures for me when I asked, so check that out in #the-anxious-chat later with the message containing the chapter.

I'm probably gonna do another Speak in a Dungeon next since I'm on a roll right now, but that should be all for today. Hope you enjoy, losers! Bye bye.