RD 4 Ch 49

I stood outside the gates of the Heavenly Fist Sect, trying to appear as casual as possible. I couldn't let them know that I was aware of their true nature. It wasn't yet time to put them on high alert.

For a place filled with so much evil, it was opulent. I snorted, overcompensating much? 

Simone stood next to me, disguised as Winnie.

The real Winnie was about a mile away, with Merlin trying to calm her down. She had insisted on coming, but as soon as she saw the Heavenly Fist Sect, her rage had nearly consumed her. With the little self-awareness she had left, she knelt on the ground and began meditating to keep herself calm. Merlin stayed with her in case she lost control. 

I had pieced together much of Winnie's story from her tales later in life. After the Demon Lord died the curse on Winnie had dispersed, and she had rejoined the world. Once, she had been the core disciple, the pinnacle of the Heavenly Fist Sect's younger generation. Of course, they had plenty of teachers and elders. However, besides the elders, she had been the singular authority of the sect. That was until a new rising star ascended even faster than she had in her past. 

Upon meeting her, the new entrant had pursued her relentlessly, even managing to drug her on two separate occasions. Winnie had shrugged off all his advances, only to try and kill the rising star and earn the scorn of the sect's elders. She had tried to get them to understand the sadistic grin and underhanded tactics the rising sect member wore behind the others’ backs, but nobody would listen.

All they cared about was another top tier talent.

I had never heard the full details of what happened next, but he had somehow cursed her with the curse of Infernal Lust. This caused her body to spark, warming up at the slightest desire and that heat contained aphrodisiac effects, becoming a feedback loop that fed on itself. It drove her to near insanity, while cooking her body from the inside out. The only solution had been her leaving, isolating herself in the cold, breaking a part of her in the process.

I shook my head to clear the thought and looked past the gates again. They had kept us waiting long enough. Frankly, we had been standing for far longer than was polite, even if they were trying to display their authority.

"I'm so sorry," a rich voice spoke from inside the gates just before they flew open. A handsome man with golden hair slicked back greeted us, though his eyes were laser focused on Simone, in her Winnie illusion.

Simone glared back at the man appropriately before stepping behind me, just as his eyes began to flash with some form of inspection.

His gaze landed on me, and to my surprise, I was able to brush aside the Demon Lord's curiosity.

I quickly processed that information, there was the briefest of thought to strike him down now. However seeing the sect behind him bustling full of demons I knew that wasn’t going to end how I wanted.

The Demon Lord should have been far stronger. Whatever he had done to weaken himself explained why he may have delayed further attacks on the human world. And that also meant my plan might just work. 

"Camden Luther," I said, greeting him with as much cheer as I could muster. I focused on my plan and its success, using the smile that came from those thoughts to try to appear more genuinely excited to see him. It was hard to fake emotions, but it was easy to let others interpret them differently. "Well, aren't you a handsome devil," I said.

His eyes flashed strangely at me.

"What? Oh, I guess with demons now roaming the world, that might be a tad offensive, is it not?" I chuckled. "Forgive me for using some older expressions." 

Camden stepped back away from me, his focus shifting to Simone as he leaned to the side. "Winnie, my old sister in arms, will you not come to greet me?”

“I'm only here because Bran has asked me, thinking my name would get him past the front gates." Simone answered, in her best Winnie impression. She stayed hidden behind me.

Camden really looked like a charmer as he flashed her a warm smile.

I didn't dare use soul gaze, for fear he would recognize the more powerful inspect and know that I was suspicious. We couldn’t risk riling up the hive of demons behind him. “Maybe we'll pass the message along and be on our way.” I smiled, an ornate letter coming out of my spatial ring. His eyes locked onto the note. 

"And what is that?” He pressed.

“Could be anything… maybe it's a wedding invitation between me and Winnie," I teased, only for Camden's eyes to flash in such deep rage. With that anger, I worried for a moment I had pressed too far and was about to die. Standing on his turf in front of the Demon Lord and no doubt many powerful demons within the sect, he had the upper hand despite his weakened state.

This was not a place for me to pick a fight. 

"I kid," I said, and the air diffused immediately. 

"Of course. Winnie would never," he said. "I thought she'd given up all contact with men. I am surprised to see her cling so close behind you. Winnie, please come out from behind him and let me get a better look at you." He said, and I could see the intensity in his expression, no doubt readying his inspect to verify it was indeed Winnie. 

"Unfortunately we can’t stay. Besides, it feels like Winnie's body is becoming an inferno behind me." I replied, watching as Camden's smile grow wider. 

"Oh, well, if she's not well, then perhaps she shouldn't linger. Please, we're happy to accept the letter, but please, do share more about this invite.” He prompted.

“There is to be a tournament of sorts, a gathering of the elite, as well." I replied.

"Oh," he said, turning the letter over in his hand, "a gathering of the elites. Well, I'm sure the prize will interest even the Heavenly Fist Sect.”

“Somewhere in killing all of those demons in Copenhagen, someone got an item to evolve their bloodline to a M rank." I said, shaking my head in utter disbelief, "But there was one sect and two clans present. Fighting over it was disastrous, and leadership stepped in. Rather than let so many die over the incredible item, they decided to make it the perfect focal point for the new powers of the world to gather. They want to promote the newest generation, and what better way than a mythic ranked bloodline as the prize?" 

As I told my story, Camden's eyes flickered from confusion to surprise to something bordering on suspicion. 

"Is that so? And you would extend the invite to the Heavenly Fist Sect, myself included?" He folded his arms behind his back and a practiced expression of curiosity whipped across his features. "Well, if it's for an M-ranked bloodline, even I would be interested in participating." He turned the letter over in his hands. "I assume there are some requirements.”

“Yes. To avoid the same world shaking disaster of the elders competing, the decision was to  open it to the 'younger generation'," I air-quoted, "but what is youth in these days? So to manage that, we will hold a level requirement to compete for the M-ranked bloodline. Several other artifacts and potions that would similarly help people have been gathered together for other brackets. But the contestants for the main prize all have to be less than level 100." 

Camden rubbed his knuckles against his lips thoughtfully. "A tempting offer. I assume all of those details are in here?" He wagged the letter at me. 

"Indeed, all you have to do is come," I held my hands out as if the concept were simple. "I am simply the messenger." I thought of the plan and of it working to keep a friendly smile on my face rather than my hands dripping in his blood. I suppressed my killing intent, my hostility, and thought of warm fields and sunshine.

"Will you come, Winnie?" Camden asked, trying to look around my large frame and failing as Simone hid behind me.

Frankly, we hadn't been expecting the Demon Lord himself to come answer our call. But him coming and his response told me one fact clearly. The Demon Lord was obsessed with Winnie. He was not infatuated. The look on his face was darker and more primal. He wanted to control, possess, and consume Winnie.

I'd heard during the Second Demon War that demon courtship was different. Those that came from other worlds tried to detail it in ways that I could understand. Demons first made one subservient to the other and when they grew bored they feasted upon the soul of the weaker one in the pair, absorbing their strength and allowing them to bud their soul off into more demons.

The concept felt so foreign. It was such an alien version of relationships that I really struggled to see it as anything that could be classified as affection. It was more like stalking to me.

"Well then, if Winnie promises me she'll let me see her at the event, then I think you have my word we'll be there," Camden held out his hand to shake.

I chuckled, deflecting the offer. No doubt he’d use that as a way to inspect Simone behind me and I didn’t want him breaking that illusion. "Sorry, I think I have my hands full. Winnie, let's go." I turned and grabbed her so that I could shield her with my body the whole way as we moved, but I made sure to give Camden small glimpses of her form.

Getting Simone as far as I could from the sect and insuring that no one was following us, I shuffled her down the mountain to a small concealing enchantment I had set up for Winnie and Merlin. "She's still struggling?" I asked, looking down at Winnie whose face was twitching.

Her lips continually dropped in a scowl and I could feel the heat wafting off of her as if I was standing next to a bonfire. Steam was rising off of her and the small puddle that hadn’t been there before. Even with the bracelet I made her it wasn’t enough.

"She's having too many issues," Merlin said. "I think we're going to have to put her back on her island and see if we can't get her to cool off. Otherwise, I'm not sure she can deal with this on her own." There were puddles all around Winnie, as if Merlin had tried to freeze her and failed.

"Fine, let's go there first, Merlin. The last thing I need is Winnie to go crazy on all of us." I answered.

Winnie’s eyes snapped open, glaring at me as she ground out the next several words. "Was he there?"

"He was. And as long as he sees you, he promised to come to the tournament. Now, I need you to get your shit together so when he comes, you can kill him." I knelt down, glaring at Winnie. "You can't even control it after my bracelet is suppressing it? How do you hope to do it then? I can't have you lose control, not in front of all of the sects and clans."

Winnie let out a sharp breath through her nose that was so hot it steamed out of her. "I will get it under control. I will become even stronger before then."

"I'm sure you will. We have three months to prepare before the tournament. He’s committed to coming, which may buy us a bit of calm before the storm. And I will gladly help you grow stronger in that time." I told Winnie, giving her some hope. She was likely somewhere amongst the top three on earth, but she needed to control herself better. If she couldn't even control her curse with her years of practice and the bracelet I made her, she was next to useless for actually fighting the Demon Lord.

We needed to put on a strong front at the tournament. This was all about showing strength enough that the Mul Branova could put themselves on the world stage. As well as gathering the sects and clans for me to figure out who was infected and who would be helpful.

It was all an excuse to get those who could change the world together and hopefully draw out enough of the demons that they would realize they had to act.

"I'm done," Merlin murmured. She had been casting with her eyes closed to the side and seconds later, the scenery all changed and we appeared on an island that was a little more than a floating sheet of ice with waddling penguins everywhere. Simone dropped the illusion and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"Even having been here before, the cold is startling," Simone said, her teeth chattering. However, I could see that Winnie had relaxed slightly, that cold helping her fight the curse and the feedback loop that fed it.

"Merlin, let's help get her back into her office. Winnie, I know you can still hear me. Get control over this thing and we'll come get you in a few weeks."

She cracked her eyes open. "You will come get me in one day, and I want any instance you can give me. I will be stronger and when the time comes, it will be my blade that ends the Demon Lord.” Her eyes were full of ferocity.

"One day and we'll get you. And I'll put you through hell if I have to, Winnie. You'll be ready when the time comes." I confirmed.

She closed her eyes and her expression softened as Merlin made a sheet of ice that scooped Winnie up in her meditative position. Merlin then began moving, bringing the platform with her as she walked Winnie into the inner chambers of the sect.

Simone turned to me. "She might be a liability, Bran."

"I know," I said, looking after her departing figure. "Which is why we need to prepare. Even if she's a ticking time bomb, we need ways to deal with her, ways to make her effective. I think when we get back, Simone, we need to start taking pieces of our army to the Trial of Kings."

Her eyes flashed. "Are you going into the trials?"

"That's not the plan. But while we run instances and demons dry, the first trial has an endless source of experience and combat practice. That’s what the Tartarus Branch had been training on. The loot's shit, but we can figure out another solution for that problem. Shuffle around the Mul Branova so we can get the most down there. I want to show them off as a new Sect during the tournament."

Simone nodded sharply. “Will do. By the way, How's Circe?" Simone asked, flashing a smile as she changed topics to something lighter.

"Is that really the topic we're going to discuss? With everything else going on?" I pressed.

Simone shrugged. "Adding her would really be some additional power, especially after you gave up your own bloodline to tempt all of the clans and sects into this." 

I grunted. My own bloodline had decreased to Golden Titan SSS as I drew on my own blood to make the prize to entice the clans I had to show them something. Otherwise they wouldn’t have believed that it existed. "I'll make up for the loss. Especially when we can pour all of the bloodlines we've collected and passed to the Mul Branova into me to reset my levels." There was a secondary problem that my titan physique wouldn’t rank up at all now. It seemed without the bloodline it wouldn’t progress.

Simone's eyes flashed excitedly. "You mean you're going to do another not-a-vampire power expansion?”

“Is that what we're calling it?" I grumbled. “Here I though you would have made it into some Mul Branova ritual.”

Simone tapped a finger against her lips. "Good idea. I’ll make one by the end of the day.”

“I think I'd rather talk about Circe now." I groaned. "She's rain-checked our date. Four times? She’s a workaholic." 

Simone stared back at me, waiting for me to come to some sort of conclusion.

"What? She does work too hard. Just because I also work hard does not make me a hypocrite." I folded my arms. 

"It's kind of the definition of a hypocrite, darling," she said with an innocent smile.

I did my best to glare back at her, but Simone was completely unfazed by any level of reaction I could give her.

"You're only mad because it's true. I think because she's putting it off really is a clear indication that she feels something." Simone told me. “She’s afraid to lose something.”

"Is that so?" I said slowly, the doubt clear in my voice. 

"Absolutely," Simone's head wouldn't stop bobbing. "She's smitten! So smitten. She is primed and ready for you to sweep off of her feet. You just need to, you know, start sweeping. And perhaps if you don't go after her, there’s always Winnie and Merlin. Seems like you and Merlin have stalled a little." Simone tisked, as if disappointed in me.

"Well, you little minx." I grabbed her by the rear and pulled her up over my shoulder before slapping her other cheek. "I'm gonna start punishing you if you keep trying to set me up with all of these other women." 

Yet my punishment didn't go as planned. Simone smiled and moaned like a woman in heat. "Harder," she breathed with the kind of voice that sent tingles shooting down my spine. 

If you keep this up, I don't know if you get to be called good girl." I teased her. 

Simone gasped and smacked my back, though there wasn't any strength behind the hit. "You wouldn't dare take that away. You enjoy it just as much as I do. Don't deny it." 

Even though I couldn't see her, I knew she was crossing her arms and giving me the cutest of pouts. I set her down. Sure enough, she was exactly as I pictured. "You are my good girl," I said, whispering the words into her ear and causing her face to blush bright red. "But good girls don't get ahead of themselves. We have a world to save, a Demon Lord to foil, and enough problems as it is without inviting romantic ones." 

"Well there's your problem," Simone said, throwing her arms into the air. “These things are all important, Bran. Romance most of all. What’s life if not worth living?”

Simone turned to spot Merlin walking back towards us alone, then gave me a cheeky smile. "You see it as a problem, and I see it as an opportunity." 

I glared at her, daring her to continue, but she wisely stayed quiet. Merlin walked up, a look of question in her eyes as she took in each of us. But she let it all go, starting to cast her spell to take us to our next stop.