章 58: 58. Infernal Negotiations: Treacherous Bargains and Hidden Deals.
Kouske's POV
Honestly, I caught the final moments of the fight between Nakagami and the two Cadres through my familiars. Nakagami's strength for a human is simply astonishing, and Vasco Strada is supposed to be even stronger, being considered the pinnacle of human strength! Gosh!
Remarkably, Nakagami is quite young, only in his early 20s. The dragon aura he's emitting is truly staggering! He bears a resemblance to an older Ryuuta. It's the first time I've seen Momiji Nakiri, too. She possesses captivating light blue eyes and light-blond hair that cascades to her mid-back, reaching just above her upper chest in the front. Her bangs gracefully hang just above her eyes, complementing her buxom figure. Despite being just around 13 years old, she stands tall, radiating beauty. I noticed dirt adorning her silhouette, while Nakagami, covered in cuts and bruises, was fighting with dead weights, slowing him down.
My sudden appearance drew the attention of everyone in the area as I soared through the air. Swiftly, I utilized Observe on them.
Nakagami was around B rank, while Kokabiel and Satanael were around B-. Interestingly, Kokabiel appeared stronger than Satanael, showcasing a power gap within the same rank.
A fallen angel ranked at C+ was also present, but my own rank was only around D-. The odds were stacked against me; all of them surpassed Elle's strength, and I had previously struggled against her, though I would never admit it in front of her.
It was Kokabiel who first called out to me, his eyes widening at the sight of my draconic aura and wings.
"You! You're that Sacred Gear Thief! What do you want now!?" he demanded, his anger evident.
"Tsk... I go by Akatsuki. Do not give names to people willy-nilly," I replied with a hint of contempt.
I was aware of the names and accusations thrown my way on DeviNet. I wasn't a thief; I purchased the gears with my hard-earned points. How could I have known the system had the function of stealing? Those who called me a thief, along with their mothers, were the real thieves! If anyone deserves that title, it should be Clarice!
[Hey!] yelled Clarice in my head, but I ignored her.
"What do you want?" asked Satanael with some excitement, looking at me with a strange hunger(?). What's wrong with him?
"Her," I replied, pointing at Momiji, causing Nakagami to frown and snap Momiji out of her daze. I am sure, I saw her blushing profusely. What's she imagining? Teenage hormones and all!
*sigh*
"We called dibs on her first. You think you can just take her away, appearing out of nowhere like this?" Kokabiel retorted.
"No one's taking my sister!" declared an enraged Nakagami, his aura bursting again. I could practically see his veins bulging with anger!
"Kill him," Kokabiel ordered to all the fallens stationed a bit far away from Nakagami and himself, alongside Satanael and another fallen.
"Don't kill him. Instead, capture him alive! I need to question him," Satanael commanded.
As the fallens approached me, I snapped my fingers, causing blazing black Sakura petals to envelop the sky. It confused the fallens, but as the petals touched one of them, he was set ablaze, screaming profusely before being burned to a crisp.
"Aaaghhh!
The power behind my flames has intensified with Elle's skill, capable of effortlessly burning away individuals far stronger than me. These flames inflict various forms of pain, from burns to frostbites, as they consume the soul. Additionally, I've gained the ability to freeze people using my formidable flames. Moreover, my flames can now devour other flames, assimilating their attributes into my own.
Witnessing this, the other fallens were left stunned and fearful, as it unfolded instantly before anyone could react. Though Kokabiel seemed poised to command the hesitant fallens to attack me, I swiftly incinerated them all, obliterating their existence. I acted even before Kokabiel could issue any orders, leaving those present in a state of shock.
The bloodied Jutshushas in the back appeared horrified, fearing they were next and anticipating their imminent demise. Nakagami was prepared to jump at me, but I withdrew all my flames, causing them to vanish and surprising everyone.
"I am not your enemy, Ouryuu. You're aware of the incident from a year ago, right? Not a single one was killed or harmed in any way. We share a common goal—you want to free your sister from that affliction, and I seek possession of the Longinus. I can safely remove that burden from your sister. What do you say?" I asked Nakagami, but he appeared hesitant, while Kokabiel simmered with anger. I aimed to leverage the inconvenient news on DeviNet to my advantage.
"How can I trust you?" Nakagami inquired.
"For now, let's fight together. We can discuss the details later," I replied.
"Nn," Nakagami nodded.
"You filthy half-breed lizard! Do you think you can defeat us just because you killed a few of those lowly scrubs?!" exclaimed an angry Kokabiel.
"Kouske, pluck out his tongue," said an annoyed Vritra.
'Nn.'
"I can, crow!" I replied.
Understanding my limits and realizing my body couldn't keep up with their movements, I swiftly opened a few portals connected to the Demiplane. Emerging from these portals were the most poisonous and thorny vines of a plant in the Demiplane. Their vines were incredibly sturdy, and the poisons were potent, capable of easily killing Satan Class beings. I had been nurturing and strengthening them with Clarice's help for the past year. Many other deadly organisms also resided in the Demiplane, fully under my control for moments like these. It's called Lurking Lilians (B).
Before anyone could say anything else, I struck first. The vines, enveloped in my cursed flames to enhance their abilities, seized the three fallen angels, leaving them stupefied. Their attempts to break free proved futile.
""Unhand me,"" they all exclaimed.
As they continued cursing and hurling insults, irritation built up within me. Manipulating the thorns, I caused them to bore deeper into their flesh, injecting mild poisons meant to inflict pain rather than cause immediate death.
But the eight-winged crow became increasingly annoying, spouting degrading remarks about humans, like humans should know their place; they are just our slaves, parasites to us, living off of us by begging for our mercy, etc. In response, I escalated the dose, directly killing him. With a swift incineration obliterating his corpse, an eerie silence fell over the place.
"You, you... You cannot kill us! We are Cadres of Grigori! Do you think Grigori will let you go if you kill us right now?!" stammered a now-frightened Kokabiel. Satanael's scowl transformed into a panicked expression, visibly disturbed by the turn of events.
"Grigori is already on my tail. Do you think I am afraid of Azazel? He can come to my doors directly if he has any problems with me," I replied to Kokabiel cockily, leaving him staring in disbelief. Well, Azazel wouldn't know my address to come to my door.
"You are bluffing!" says an enraged and frightened Kokabiel.
"Oh, am I?" I smirked as the vines tightened around them.
"W-wait, wait! Let's make a deal! What do you want?" Satanael pleaded, maintaining more composure than Kokabiel.
"What could you even offer me at this moment?" I inquired, injecting a hint of mockery into my tone.
"You can have Arondight if you want! It's the sister sword to Gelatine and Excalibur. It's extremely powerful due to its dual nature," Satanael pitched, adopting the demeanor of a professional salesman peddling questionable items.
"And? It's already mine since you lost the fight. Moreover, it isn't even a good bargaining chip, considering the trouble with the Pendragons once they catch wind of this," I replied stoically as I took possession of Arondight lying on the ground. After that, I put it away in my inventory.
Satanael's face shifted into a look of panic.
"Is that all? Then let's finish this," I declared, tightening the vines further as I prepared to escalate the dose of poison in their systems.
To be honest, I already have something in mind, aware of what Satanael can offer. However, I need him to articulate it himself. As for Kokabiel, I do not know what he can offer.
"W-wait! My Sacred Gear research! I'll share my research data with you! Just spare my life. You're interested in Sacred Gears too, right?" Satanael pleaded hopefully, while Kokabiel remained silent, understanding his perspective.
All this time, Nakagami slowly tended to his and the others' wounds, staring at me without breaking his focus and remaining vigilant beside his sister. Recognizing his current incapacity for a confrontation, he refrained from intervening in my negotiations with the two Cadres. On the other hand, Momiji's eyes sparkled with admiration as she witnessed me skillfully dispatching and capturing the fallen adversaries effortlessly.
"And do I need to wait for you to return to your lab or something? Do I look like an idiot to you? How can I even be certain that what you're offering is genuine?" I questioned.
Swiftly, I acquired a C rank skill from the Shop called Truthful Trace, allowing me to discern between truth and falsehood upon activation. Though not a passive skill, it holds considerable power, capable of verifying words spoken moments before activation and exposing lies, even from some Gods of Mischief/Lies.
"No! It's genuine. I always keep all my research data with me. If you promise to let me live, I will give the data to you," panicked Satanael assured.
Having activated my new skill, Truthful Trace, it confirmed that Satanael was telling the truth.
"W-what about me? Let me go too," pleaded Kokabiel.
"You, shut up! Where is it? I'll spare your life if you hand over all your research data up to this date," I asserted.
"Really?" inquired a skeptical Satanael.
"Or do you prefer to meet your end right here?" I added threateningly.
"No, it's alright. I'll trust you. If you could just loosen the vines a bit, I can give it to you," Satanael requested.
"Just tell me where it is. I'll retrieve it if it's on you," I replied.
Satanael sighed, revealing the location where he kept his pen drive. For a moment, I braced myself, thinking he might point to some unsavory place based on his initial statement. Fortunately, it was tucked away in a hidden pocket under his pants. With the assistance of my vines, I retrieved it. On the ground, I noticed Nakagami shielding his innocent sister's eyes to spare her from this atrocity.
I swiftly retrieved a laptop from my inventory, drawing curious gazes from everyone. In this era, laptops were not yet widespread or available, so I had to purchase one from the Shop. Inserting the pen drive into the laptop, I encountered an encrypted code when attempting to open the folder.
"What's the code?" I inquired.
Resigned to his fate, Satanael provided the code.
Upon opening the file, I discovered numerous documents containing vast information on Sacred Gears. Swiftly, I copied all the valuable data to my laptop.
"Is this all?" I asked skeptically.
"Yes!" Satanael replied confidently and promptly.
However, my skill indicated he was lying. Damn, deceptive crows! He must have regained some of his composure and considered his situation. I tightened the grip of my vines.
"W-why? I fulfilled your demand!" growled an angry Satanael.
"Our deal was for you to provide all your research data until now. What you gave me is incomplete. I can easily verify if you're lying or not," I replied confidently, leaving him stunned.
"W-wait! Don't kill me. I will give you the other half!" pleaded Satanael.
"Don't make the same mistake again this time!" I warned.
"Yes!"
He pointed to a location on his body where the other pen drive was hidden. I had to cut it open to retrieve it. After obtaining the code, I copied its contents. Confirming that this was all, I destroyed the two pen drives, visibly devastating Satanael.
"W-why? WHY DID YOU DESTROY THEM?! You could have just handed them back to me! My years of work!" Satanael cried out loudly, unable to contain his anguish.
I knocked him out, silencing his annoying screams. Turning my attention back to Kokabiel, I wore an evil smile as my eyes flickered red, visibly frightening him.
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