亚洲综合中美

As was said, the scenery swapped for a wasteland of sand and desolation. Surrounding dunes felt like walls guarding the arena. Gophy and Intherna waited with stern expressions. “-And you call yourself worthy of being Igna’s closest confidants?” Intherna smugly said.

“What if we do?” returned a heavily injured Asmodeus, “-I’ve promised to stand at his side no matter the obstacle.”

“Same here,” coughed Kul, “-I’ve never been pushed back so hard in my life,” her arm reflectively wiped the sweat-ridden forehead, ‘-Butler’s down for the count,” she side-glanced. A puddle of blood and tears soaked the dried desert. “-Don’t count me out,” he said with a feeble thumbs up.

“Gophy, Intherna,” approached Lilith, “-do let them pass,” she kindly requested, “-Asmodeus and Beelzebub are my children, I can’t very well let them endure much torment.”

“Listen here,” the words flew from Miira, her arms matched the intent, “-I don’t want nepotism in the trial,” her docile expression marred to hot-blooded ire, “-only the worthy shall be Igna’s close confidants.” Tension grew, the demons had fought all out against two of the four. The result was as said; a laughable defeat.

Asmodeus gathered his strength and pushed to a stand, “-how about a deal?” the eyes burnt vividly

.....

“Speak,” replied the straight-faced Gophy.

“Lord Igna has given his approval. As crowned king of the monsters, he has become the embodiment of what the world views as evil. Will goddesses choose to be at his side, us demons, are strongly bound by our code. If matters went awry and the gods launched an attack, would you stand and fight or flee, and perhaps change sides?”

“Good point,” nodded Gophy, “-Miira, Intherna,” they gathered behind her strong presence, “-God is in our title alone,” she smirked, “-our alliance is firm and unshakeable. No matter what is thrown, we’ll eventually win,” a remarkable confidence spawn from facts and a legacy of winning, one foiled by the defeat and death of Staxius Haggard. Around said time, they were but ducklings watching and waiting. Was the man worthy of their support or not, the ego of being dubbed ‘divine’ blinded fact from fiction. He saved them and was repaid in his own death. Even then, before the scythe came to take its due, he staked the bestowed symbols into a realm for their safety. He had an unconditional way of caring. These emotions gathered to create a tungstenesque bond.

“Tis the vow we made,” an eruption of resolve and strength froze the ground rigid. Doubt and underlying objective faltered, unstable words and motifs were put to the gallows. The brief silence told but one thing, ‘-lie and you’re dead.’

“It doesn’t matter,” refuted Kul, “-I want to help my master,” she stared Gophy straightly, “-the history and well-crafted bonds do not interest me in the least. I’m here to serve one purpose and tis to serve him to the best of my abilities. We know the pain of losing our leader. Lady Miira can vouch for my saying so, the battle was unfair and bound for failure. We were unlucky if only our master was able to revive and not protect the rest of us. In a way, the reincarnation of Staxius carries our dead master too. It’s bared for all to see, Origin’s part of him, the truth Scifer wanted to discover has merged to a being of death.”

“She speaks the truth,” nodded Miira,”-I honestly was happy to see familiar faces around.”

Gophy’s long hair swayed left to right, the ever-seeking stare traveled from visage to visage, “-Miira’s proven her judgment is never wrong, therefore, I’ll trust her.”

The blond hair suddenly flowed, the gust intensified, *clap,* the landscape moved to Rosespire’s palace.

“Let’s discuss the duties of the fellow demons,” proclaimed Adete.

“No,” said Miira, “-they are to do as they wish,” she smiled, “-we’re best suited to take care of the Shadow Realm and intervene when matters are hopeless. They’re demons, and they’ve lived in the mortal realm for longer than we have. Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Kul, and the Butler will be of greater help in Igna’s schemes and current goal.”

“I disagree,” voiced Lilith, “-Beelzebub will stay in the Shadow Realm. He’s gotten weak.”

Thus, lunch was served in the mortal realm. ‘-what are they talking about?’ wondered Igna. éclair joined for the scrumptious meal.

“Hey, Draconis, I still think the Children of Matra is better than the stupid Shooting-Star talk show.”

“Are you stupid?” he grimaced, “-children of Matra is a dumb show about icky romance. The actor is a hero and super-star, he looks too smug, I don’t like him.”

“Then, Shooting-star whatever show is just for perverts to drool over potential idols. What a stupid idea, they talk about love, while my show displays the relation in great detail.”

“Ha-ha,” he pulled out his tongue, “-I don’t care, Matra is stupid, stupid hot boy, stupid dumb actresses.”

“Would you both kindly,” a fork hurtfully screeched against the plate. They yelped and covered the ears. Strained expression scrambled to Igna’s visage, “-we’re in the middle of eating, do not fight.”

“Pops,” said Vanesa, “-don’t do that,” her palms stapled against his cheek, “-feed me and don’t scratch the plate, it will make the food bad.”

“Sorry,” he patted her head and glared, “-you two better watch it.”

*Humph,* they defiantly looked away and continued the argument in an albeit milder tone. Little did he know, the trouble had just begun. A surge of malignant energy dowsed the adjacent corridor black, three figures materialized on the remaining chairs.

“Hello again, master,” cheered Asmodeus, “-long time no see, I hope I wasn’t late.”

“BIG BROTHER ASMODEUS!” exclaimed Draconis, “-what brings you here,” he leaped across and launched a nuzzle attack.

“Stop slobbering,” he held the boy by the armpits, “-what happened to the table manners?”

“Sorry,” he winked, “-I’ll change it tomorrow,” took point on Asmodeus’s face and kicked in a backflip, “-good to see you again,” he laughed maniacally.

“My troublesome little brother,” a reminiscent expression of dread seeped the lifeforce. Igna returned a sympathetic nod of, ‘-I know, welcome to hell.’

“Quite the party,” commented Kul, “-the food looks delicious.”

The sudden entrance barely dented the cavalier expression. The butler’s stare sent shivers, ‘-ominous,’ he scanned to lock on the culprit, “-what do you want?”

“Master, about our deal. You’ve yet to name me.”

“Oh yes,” fingers to his chin, “-let me think,” the eyes closed. Vanesa wasted no time in cleaning their plate, two morsels of meat gone in two bites. For one as lazy as her, she ate with a mindset of it being her last – a true glutton.

“Got it,” the lids reopened with a sparkle, “-Gravy.”

The table choked, “-pops, he asked for a name, not what we’re having for dinner.”

“No, I like it,” he smiled, “-Gravy, it’s uncommon.”

“-and stupid,” added Kul slyly.

“If the name is adequate, I suppose it ought to work. I had Raven as secondary to Gravy; if you’re happy with it, so am I.”

“-AHAHAHAHAHA.”

“Master played you a fool,” sniffled Kul.

“Good job,” applauded éclair, “-great banter.”

“Whatever,” water sips dowsed his embarrassment.

An hour or so later, Saniata and Draconis resumed their shows. A serious talk about the future was needed. The study’s quiet decorum felt best. The new companions lounged on the couches whilst Igna took notice of the computer. News about the incident in Hidros made worldwide acclaim. The murder of a manager didn’t spawn much traffic, not as much as the war between reclusive underworld factions.

“Master, might I trouble thee with a few questions,” inquired Asmodeus.

“Go right ahead,” he spun and listened attentively.

“What are the current goals?”

“To build an underground faction abled to rival the current hotshots in Alphia. Movement is limited since there’s no backup or political figure we can pull. Right now, éclair and I are trying to break into the world of entertainment. I have a personal stake in becoming an a-list celebrity. I will see what Alicia undertook turn reality.”

“What about the faction, what must we accomplish?”

“Make money, a lot of it,” he chuckled, “-money makes the world go round. We don’t have much to start with aside from 10 million from my guardians. I prefer not to touch her generosity,” he twitched.

“I have an idea,” said Asmodeus rubbing his palms connivingly, “-a gambling house.”

“Gambling house,” Kul’s expression sank, “-no way that’s going to work.”

“Don’t forget,” a pair of die summoned in his palms, “-I’m devil of gambling and lust. Two things needed for an absolute hold on humans. I could make use of my harem and earn us money,” he smirked, “-just say the word and I shall have an army of men and women ready to do thy bidding. The best part, they craved for intimate interaction, tis their way of staying alive. Hence, no need to care for money or incident. Demons are immortal in their own way.”

‘We can benefit a lot from the lust and gambling business. Asmodeus, Kul, and Gravy are competent, far smarter, and stronger than humans. I’ll do things the way it’s meant to be,’ he inhaled, “-Asmodeus, would you consider being the head of a new underground organization.”

“Like a puppet ruler?” he voiced.

“No, as an actual kingpin. My objective of being a star stands true.”

“Therefore, it’s impossible to fully get involved in the underground,” returned Gravy, “-won’t it be harder, what about fighters, they need to place a name and face to their leader.”

“We don’t need guards,” he smirked, “-I’m a thirty-thousand strong army on my own. Besides, fighting isn’t an issue. You and Kul can easily defeat angels if push comes to shove, what is a few Sultrian?”

“I like the idea,” grinned Asmodeus, “-what shall we do, puppet master?”

“First, we purchase a motel and an apartment for the workers,” the tone relayed more than words, “-we need publicity, let’s push the boulder uphill. Once ready, the business will carry itself.”

“A motel for my workers, I understand much, what about the apartment?”

“A place of residence for said workers. It doesn’t matter if they’re slaves, I want them to be free and able to make their decision. After all, the demon-king should grant his servants a medium of entertainment.”

“Works for me either way,” said Asmodeus, “-let the plan begin.”

“Understood. From today forth, Asmodeus is the Kingpin, Kul the hitman, as for Gravy, you’re aid to the Kingpin.”

“What about the name?”

“Raven,” he laughed.

The objective set by Courtney didn’t seem out of reach. Who better to embrace the darkness than demons. The intervention of new companions neatly interlocked with the current quest. The study emptied to only éclair and him, ‘-the apartment will also serve in distributing narcotics. Succubus and incubus working the night, the ultimate seducers. I can’t believe my luck. Phase one is to gather enough capital to purchase a gambling house. We can use the motel to host private events. I guess I’ll have to use the money...’ he gritted.

“Master, I have great news,” announced éclair, “-I have liquidated assets and gathered around twenty million Exa.”

“From where?”

“My private information broking business,” he chuckled, “-I prepared for the day my master might require funds to start a new endeavor or is ruined by other factors.”

“I can’t possibly accept-”

“Please,” he grasped Igna’s shoulders, “-as a personal butler, I must confess, without your intervention, I’d have never been able to walk the earth. Not to forget, my core is safely hidden inside the Shadow Realm, this body grows stronger each day, consider it my way of appreciation.”