บท 47: The Yandere Returns?!
The Seraphic System
Chapter: 47
Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance. I'll keep posting regardless. If you have any suggestions you would like to see added, I will try to incorporate what I can :)
(The Yandere Returns?!)
"Aphrodite?" I questioned. My eyes flickering briefly to the woman next to her.
The woman in question smiled kindly as she caught my eyes observing her, while Aphrodite practically beamed at my presence. A bright smile appeared on her face after getting over her surprise.
"Kai! What a surprise. What are you doing here?" She questioned happily.
I had previously taken my mask off to show respect to Hades or well Pluto. Meaning she was able to immediately identify me.
I briefly considered how to respond, while she had been nothing but genuine and warm with me I had only met her once before. I wasn't some simpering idiot who would immediately trust her due to her beauty.
Beauty was just another sort of weapon, confirmed by the system as my power level rose when my charisma had risen.
"I just had a meeting with Pluto, I've retrieved his Helm from a certain individual." I answered truthfully. Giving her a small smile back in turn.
The woman next to her perked up.
'Appraisal'
{Name: Persephone}
{Title: Demeter's daughter of Zeus, wife of Hades, and queen of the underworld.}
{Race: God}
{Current Power level: 12,600}
{Power level: 19,200}
That was less than I was expecting from the queen of the Greek underworld, then again she was considered a minor goddess by her pantheon and myth so it made sense.
She was still stronger than Hercules and her divine form reached into the class I had still not decided on a name for that was above the Ultimate Class.
"Oh my, you were able to retrieve my husband's weapon?" Persephone asked. "He did tell me about the young Angel who had so brazenly entered his domain. It seems your bold attitude has some validity if you managed to snatch it from Ares' grasp."
Aphrodite paused at that. Her smile receded.
"You fought Ares?" She questioned with concern. Her hand shook minutely, which I caught with my enhanced eyesight.
She truly was afraid of the fool wasn't she? I suppose having such a stalker work on weakening you over the course of centuries just to enslave you would be intimidating.
A flash of pink and she was suddenly in front of me, checking me over. Persephone looked at her in confusion and amusement. Her warm hands touched my cheeks delicately.
"Are you okay?" She asked. "Persephone told me that Ares was behind the stolen divine weapons and the brewing war. I am not surprised someone like him would start a war just for fun."
I took a moment to register what was happening and used Empathy to detect if she was putting on an act. I couldn't help but be suspicious even if I was technically her friend. Again, I had only met her once.
Such care was strange…
"Yeah, he kind of beat my ass but I managed to force him into his Divine form. Let's just say I got a little payback for you and the friends he hurt." I replied with a smirk.
Her eyes widened and a small blush crept up on her cheeks. She looked flattered. Which was the intended effect of me admitting that.
Persephone was smiling slyly, her eyes continuing to flicker between us. I could already tell she was cunning. There was something about her that put me on edge.
Her emotions were that of Amusement, interest and ambition.
"You didn't have to do that for me." She replied softly. Her warm breath tickled my skin from how close she was. "Are you sure you're okay?"
She ignored the fact I also did it for Avael and Percy along with Annabeth. I was truthful. Ares was a dickhead and part of me had decided it was a good chance to get revenge for her, if only to gain her favour and further our friendship.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I've got a special ability to regenerate" I assured her.
Her eyes narrowed.
"He forced you to regenerate?" She asked.
I chuckled.
"I'm pretty sure he broke about every bone in my body at one point." I smirked. "Don't worry though, it's just the cost of enraging a God. He was left in a worse state than me. Both mentally and physically."
She looked angry.
That genuinely surprised me.
"He still hurt you. I ought to strangle life out of that pathetic waste of divinity." She growled.
Persephone laughed gently behind her, simply opting to observe us.
I smiled awkwardly.
"I don't think Zeus will have much mercy on him after I tell him what Ares has done. Speaking of, I'm afraid I have to go. I have a Bolt to deliver." I replied.
And rewards to collect.
Aphrodite nodded, a frown on her face. She still had her hands cupping my face. Which was a bit awkward but she didn't seem to notice and it felt oddly comforting so I didn't protest.
"I'm coming with you." She stated.
I scratched my head awkwardly and she finally realised she was still closely holding onto me, quickly she stepped back. She was still close but not in breathing level.
"I don't think that's a good idea, I've got a mask that completely suppresses my aura. So I can sneak around easily." I explained. "Also Don't you have something that needs your attention here?
I looked towards Persephone.
"Oh don't mind me, Aphrodite merely came down to visit me after all. I do love having one of the few friends I have in my realm." She said, a mysterious smile on her face.
Aphrodite nodded.
"I can alway come visit her at a later date. For now, I will escort you to meet Zeus. He is much less likely to strike you on the spot with me after all." She explained, giving me a gentle smile.
A blush reappeared on her face. "Thank you for being so considerate of me though."
She had a point, I didn't really know of Zeus so I hadn't accounted for the fact that he might just strike me down. Perhaps the myths and legends had some validity?
I also didn't think she was going to take 'No' for an answer.
"Alright, I was planning to make my way out through the DOA Studios exit from the Underworld." I replied.
Aphrodite smirked and Persephone giggled in amusement.
"There'll be no need for that. I'm keyed into the wards and formations protecting Hades domain as a trusted visitor. I can teleport us out." Aphrodite informed me.
Well, That saved me the trip all the way up to Olympus.
"We need to go soon," I said, my gaze shifting between Aphrodite and Persephone.
I put my mask on. I could feel the metaphorical clock ticking on this whole situation, and every second spent lingering put me closer to unwanted attention.
Aphrodite smiled, stepping closer again.
"Of course, but first…" She turned towards Persephone, who was still watching us with that knowing amused expression. "I'll see you again soon, Persephone."
Persephone gave a slow, graceful nod. "I look forward to it and try to take care of her, Kai." Her tone was teasing and there was a hint of something deeper beneath her smile.
Without another word, Aphrodite gently placed a hand on my arm and a pink power covered us as the world blurred for just a moment.
When the haze cleared, we were standing... in Central Park? Not exactly the location I thought we would be going to.
"Wait, why are we in Central Park?" I voiced my thoughts, my brow furrowing. "I thought we were going to Olympus?"
Aphrodite flushed crimson, avoiding my eyes as she shifted her feet nervously.
"Uh, there was a problem with teleportation into Olympus." She said unconvincingly.
Her embarrassment was clear as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
I stared at her a bit flatly but nodded regardless.
-{Aphrodite}-
Aphrodite didn't know what she was doing. She of course could teleport directly into Olympus as one of the twelve Olympians. Kai knew that, judging by the way he stared at her in slight amusement and confusion.
It made her face heat up, this had been a last split moment decision. With what reason in mind? She had simply wanted to spend a bit more time with him.
Truthfully Kai did something to her, that much was obvious. She couldn't remember the last time she had flushed in embarrassment like this. Even without the consideration he had shown for her that she wasn't used to receiving from males.
He fundamentally made her feel a certain way she enjoyed.
Being a Goddess of Love had made her be treated like shit by most Gods, who assumed she would easily put out and spread her legs. Then she didn't take it as a personal insult no matter how kind she was about it.
Finding the right man among Greek and Roman Gods was never going to happen though. There were very few genuine Gods to be found among them.
"I see, then perhaps we should slowly make our way over to Olympus?" Kai suggested.
She nodded, smiling happily at the suggestion.
"Yes, it shouldn't be that long of a walk. We can't simply teleport a bit closer once we leave Central Park." Aphrodite suggested.
He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Simply nodding along.
Kai began walking at a casual pace. Aphrodite follows along, occasionally stealing glances at him.
"So." Aphrodite began. "I must admit that I am curious how you ended up getting involved in my family's mess."
Kai seemed thoughtful.
"I kind of just ran into Percy. I was mainly floating around before all this after some events that left me in need of a break." He spoke with a thoughtful frown.
Aphrodite hummed in response. She had come to know what Kai was involved with after she had done a little research on him. Well, gathering all the information she could on him. For research purposes only. Is what she reminded herself of.
She hadn't been able to find much, which wasn't very surprising. Aphrodite didn't have many people she spoke to and the best she could do was try to gather information through her daughters all throughout the world.
No one has heard of Kai, he had just suddenly showed up in camp when Chiron found him. He had apparently saved the troublesome Demigod son of Poseidon.
"You weren't sent here by your father?" She questioned curiously.
The Father of Angels didn't normally involve himself in the affairs of other Factions, not anymore at least. Excluding the time he drove the Egyptian pantheon to near extinction.
She had thought perhaps a Divine war that would surely spread past Greek/Roman boundaries had finally made the powerful God move. Then again sending a young Angel instead of a Seraph didn't seem like a wise choice.
Kai looked pensive before he shook his head.
"No, but my presence in America is known by Heaven." He replied hesitantly.
She understood. He was trusting her.
It made her heart beat slightly faster.
Perhaps all the years of neglect and being seen as a tool for sex had made her weak to any sort of normal interaction. Or the comforting aura he radiated even when it was concealed with that strange mask.
Aphrodite smiled sweetly.
"I heard most, if not all, Angels are up in Heaven. Sounds like you were doing something intense before all this. So, why aren't you?" she asked hesitantly, wondering if she was being too inquisitive.
Kai shot her a sideways glance, and her worry grew. Had she overstepped? As a Goddess, even with few friends, she was used to mortals answering her questions. It was a bad habit.
"I'm a bit of a different case, you could say. I've been able to travel, which has been... interesting," he replied.
-{Kai}-
Aphrodite paused.
"Thank you for telling me this." She thanked me genuinely, looking flattered.
I had been a bit cautious of her questioning for a moment, which was expected from a guy who had been betrayed by his entire family in his past life but her emotions were sincere.
For some reason she felt trustworthy and oddly warm.
So I was okay with giving her some information on myself. I had gotten better at interacting with people during my time in India after my solitude in the Familia Forest.
We walked for a bit, enjoying the slowly setting sun. While I personally would have preferred simply getting this quest done with, I was enjoying the time simply hanging out.
It was a small bit of normality in the chaotic way I lived.
We continued walking, the silence between us comfortable. Aphrodite occasionally brushed her hand against her hair while stealing quick inquisitive glances at me before looking away with a small, almost shy smile.
"So," she began after a moment, her voice taking on a slightly more playful tone, "You mentioned before that you've been to some interesting places. Where has the mysterious Angel named Kai travelled to before? "
I considered her question. Before I decided that telling her wouldn't really change anything.
"I guess India would have to be the most interesting." I replied.
Her eyes widened.
"India? Really?" Aphrodite questioned.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, why?"
"Kai no one goes to India, in fact it's hard enough to get in there without being caught but dealing with the Hindu Gods is always unpleasant." Aphrodite replied.
Oh right, Shanu had told me this but I thought a God would surely have been there before. For one reason or another.
"The Hindu Pantheon is the most mysterious collective group of Gods in the world, perhaps only matched by the Abrahamic God. They are unfairly powerful and have no wish to interact with anything beyond India. Unfortunately their Diplomatic team is less than pleasant and have a tendency not to care." Aphrodite explained.
Seems about right.
"Yeah, well. As I said. It was interesting but did end with me being chased out." I chuckled.
Her eyes tightened minutely.
"I see. Did they hurt you?" She questioned.
I frowned as I remembered what they had done to my still deceased Angel. Which reminded me that Momonga should be downloaded in a week. That would finally allow me to download someone else and most of all obtain the resurrection skill.
"No, but they did hurt… a friend." I quickly caught myself.
It was strange. I shouldn't feel any emotion for the Angel I had lost, but both my Angelic instincts and even just myself had felt loss. The way he had looked at me…
I remembered the Devi that had caused it and I wouldn't forget. I would be going back to India at some point. Even if I had to create my own army of Angels to achieve it.
She held my hand in what I assumed was an attempt to comfort me.
"I'm sorry they did that to you." Aphrodite said softly.
I smiled.
"Don't worry, I'm over it." I replied.
I wasn't and I was going to put that bitch on a pike while marching her down the streets in front of her children.
I felt my Angelic instincts give me a feeling of exasperation. It was weird, they were like its own foreign semi-conscious presence inside my body.
She let go of my hand hesitantly, and nodded. Her eyes worriedly glanced over at me from time to time. She seemingly didn't know what to say, which made sense. I mostly didn't care about how I talked anymore, it was hard too after fighting literal Gods.
Aphrodite suddenly stopped, her clear eyes looking at me with something foreign. Her flawless cheeks flushed. Her hand came out to grasp mine once more and I let her take it with interest.
I could see why people viewed her in a certain way. She was insanely beautiful. I wouldn't be surprised if any Men nearby tried to attack me if they saw the way she was acting.
"You've been kinder to me than many I have met over the course of my life. I really do appreciate it, Kai. I'm glad to have accidentally met you. My new friend. I promise I'll try and help you, I can see you've been through a lot. You don't deserve that." She suddenly said, her eyes staring at mine.
Even with my mask on. She seemed to know exactly where to look.
What the hell? Where did this come from? I could feel her sincerity and a foreign emotion that had been developing through the process of our conversation grow.
Hearing such heartfelt words left me speechless.
I went to reply only to freeze as a pressure descended on the area. Aphrodite's eyes widened before narrowing, I felt both annoyance and apprehension emanating from her.
This aura was familiar. It took me a moment to remember where I had felt it and I remembered the person it had come from. It had felt like ages since I had escaped her.
I turned around and found an obscenely gorgeous woman staring at Aphrodite with anger.
Flawless pale blue hair cascading down to the woman's lower back. With two mesmerising blue-slitted crystal eyes staring narrowly. Her lips I noticed were perfectly full.
Her body rivalled Aphrodite's which was incredible in of itself, since I had only seen one woman more beautiful than the both of them and that was Gabriel.
Tiamat…
-{Tiamat}-
A few minutes earlier…
She had finally found him. It had been months since he had escaped and she had time to reflect as Ajuka searched for him.
Since Ajuka had told her not to go searching for himself herself, she had given him six months at the most to find him before she went looking for him. Tiamat knew Ajuka had connections and thus it would be easier to find him through Ajuka.
Firstly, she had rebuilt the part of the Familiar Forest she had destroyed in her brief rage.
Then, she started thinking. She knew that she had been in the wrong. Acting so unhinged wasn't normally like her at all. Falling head over heels for a boy she hadn't spoken to was even stranger.
That emptiness she had felt hurt. So, she had focused by finding out what had happened. With her many treasures there were books, both on her species and theories surrounding her species.
Tiamat had come to a conclusion, the first thing was the suddenly intense emotions. She had deducted that this had happened due to holding in her instincts. Every Dragoness eventually got an urge to procreate.
As a virgin Dragoness she had never allowed herself to indulge in that, so holding in all of that had left her overwhelmed. Finally having that all poured out had made her thinking twisted.
After figuring that out, she had wondered why she had become so attractive and in love with a stranger. Which was when she found out a rare phenomenon among Dragons.
Dubbed 'Bonding' by the dragon that had noted it from an age well past, it was an experience only a couple Dragons had experienced throughout history.
Normally, it simply made a Dragon fall deeply in love with its recipient for whatever reason but Tiamat had experienced a much more intense version of this experience.
This didn't help though. Once she had learnt that she had been left with only her feelings and thoughts. Ajuka was helpful but he couldn't find him. Tiamat had reflected over her actions.
Telling the interest of her affection that she was going to 'Trap him.' Had left her cringing at her actions. She was normally the cool and calm type of Dragoness, so really taking time to view how she had acted was horrifying.
She had made so many plans for when she would find him. Apologising, offering her services to his Father as an Apology. Something she was sure an Angel would appreciate. Even if his Father wasn't the most accepting of Dragons for their chaotic actions in the past.
The emptiness had grown unbearable, consuming her days and nights. She found herself retreating into sleep, using it as an escape from the hollow ache gnawing at her. That was, until Ajuka mentioned rumours from his contacts. Whispers of an Angel clashing with a God in America.
She hadn't hesitated. The moment she arrived at the location he'd been spotted, her heart raced.
After so long, she finally caught a trace of his scent. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished into thin air, leaving only the faintest ripple of energy behind.
Teleportation, she realised immediately. He had slipped through her grasp again.
Her hopes were smothered. She hadn't gotten there in time. She hadn't missed the signs of a colossal battle which made her worry. Then, suddenly she smelt his scent. It was just in her range of smell.
Tiamat hadn't wasted any time. Tearing through the sky like a fighter jet and finally spotting him… with another woman.
Aphrodite.
She knew most Gods. Which was why she could instantly identify her.
The Love Goddess was holding his hand.
Her fists clenched.
-{Kai}-
Tiamat.
The crazed Dragoness who once tried to lock me in her cave for reasons I still couldn't figure out stood before me. I had only seen her in her dragon form before.
Seeing her in human form was an experience. I could see her power level had gone down which made sense. Namara's power level had gone down when he had taken human form too.
I had to admit, I appreciated this form a lot more than the deadly Dragon one.
Still though…
I nearly threw my hands up in exasperation.
Why now? I was so close.
I knew that fighting Ares would draw attention, but this was ridiculous.
She seemed... calmer now.
Maybe it was because she was in her human form, but she looked almost sane. Her eyes were coldly staring at Aphrodite, though they did linger on me and soften considerably.
Then Aphrodite stepped in front of me, her presence immediately drawing the Dragoness' sharp gaze. One of her eyes twitched in agitation.
"State your business," Aphrodite demanded.
My eyes widened in surprise. She was actually attempting to protect me?
I'm sure she didn't know who this was but she did see my wariness and the power emanating from Tiamat. While I appreciated her attempt, she wouldn't be able to defeat Tiamat.
"I owe you no explanation, wench." Tiamat's soft voice rang out, a stark difference to the lower, more primal voice of her Dragon Form.
Aphrodite actually looked angry.
"I don't know who you are, but I won't tolerate your threats much longer. Leave. Now." Aphrodite retorted.
Tiamat didn't respond immediately. Instead, her cold, piercing gaze drifted to where Aphrodite's hand rested protectively on my arm.
"Remove your hands from him or I'll remove your hands from your limbs." Tiamat threatened coldly.
Her draconic aura intensified and the air was saturated with power. Aphrodite paused as she realised that Tiamat was powerful. She was dealing with someone stronger than her.
"Who are you?" She questioned.
I was observing them quietly for now, simply wondering the best way to go about this.
I couldn't attribute much of any fight that broke out, past stunning her with judgement but there was a chance that there weren't enough sins to experience that would affect her.
She could also just go crazy like Ares and start killing everything. Past it's stun affect it was basically a torture power.
Tiamat smirked.
"I am the Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat and I'll tell you this only one more time. Remove your hand from him. I've killed enough of your kind before." Tiamat revealed.
Aphrodite grit her teeth.
"Kai run." She quickly whispered, not that Tiamat couldn't hear it by the way her face morphed into a snarl.
Suddenly Aphrodite was pinned down on the ground, Tiamat appearing above her in a burst of speed I couldn't even hope to follow. Cracks cascaded through the ground from the sheer force.
Aphrodite whimpered in pain.
"You think you can Charmspeak him into loving you? Skank." Tiamat coldly said.
My eyes narrowed and ethereal chains burst out of me in the next split moment.
Perhaps this was stupid but I wasn't a coward. I didn't suspect I would be able to run by the way Tiamat seemed to keep her sight on me at all times. Her sharp eyes focused.
She swiped her hand and the two glowing chakra chains were swatted away.
Tiamat clicked her tongue.
"It seems she's got you under her thrall already."
Chakra roots erupted from beneath Aphrodite, who was still gritting her teeth in pain from Tiamat's hold. Tiamat simply destroyed all of them with a move I couldn't keep up with.
A burst of pink and I was forced back as a massive beam of pink energy exploded up.
Aphrodite was up. Her hair rising and body covered in a pink aura.
"Love Domain: Prison of the Heart."
A dome formed around Tiamat who merely raised an eyebrow.
"You think I can't break out of this? I admit it's strong, but not even a Domain skill can breach the gap between our power. Especially for someone with such a severed link to their Domain." Tiamat mocked.
Aphrodite flinched and I could see the hurt in her eyes.
Love Domain Skill?
"Love Domain: Heart Break." She sneered.
A copy of me appeared in front of Tiamat, making a show of sneering at her with a look of sheer disgust.
"You really think I could ever love someone as pathetic as you-"
The illusion shattered. The barriers shattered and the world exploded.
Tiamat appears and delivers a punch hard enough to make Aphrodite scream in pain, a barrage of hits a split moment later and Aphrodite was on the ground unconscious.
I didn't wait, quickly creating chains of light to bring her to me.
As soon as I touched her she vanished into my inventory.
Tiamat was huffing in anger, her eyes shining with rage.
Her eyes turned to me.
The thought that I had an unconscious Goddess in my inventory was certainly interesting.
For now I had a Dragoness to deal with.
-END-
Note: Bit of a slower chapter, I hope you enjoyed it regardless.
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