Chapter 676: The King and His Queen's.
Alexios, at that moment, was sweating like a pig waiting to be slaughtered; why?
It was the looks that Jeanne, Aphrodite, Scathach, Natashia, Agnes, Violet, Ruby, Sasha, and even his own daughter Natalia were giving him.
"I- I..." Alexios tried to calm down as he adjusted his clothes which were a little messy after he was kidnapped from his own house by his own daughter.
Yes, that is correct. He was kidnapped. He was about to go to sleep; after all, it had been a long day with the vampire king helping the vampires he rescued stabilize and deal with the internal politics of that act when suddenly his daughter appeared and teleported him to this place. He didn't expect that kind of attitude from his daughter and was taken completely by surprise.
"How can I help you?"
"Connect to hell now!" Violet demanded.
"… Excuse me?" Alexios raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Fast! Use your magic or whatever! And connect to hell!" Agnes growled.
"????" Literal question marks seemed to appear in Alexios' head, showing he was clearly confused.
'Did this woman kidnap me just to send me to hell? Doesn't she have a lot of time left?' He didn't understand the gratuitous insult he was receiving.
"Girls, I really understand your feelings, but we need to explain to him what's going on." Leona, who was nearby, spoke.
"… Leona is right." Ruby took a deep breath and then looked at her mother.
Scathach nodded and pulled Agnes and Violet away from Alexios.
"What!?" Agnes struggled.
"What are you doing, Scathach!?" Violet growled.
Ignoring the two women's glares, she spoke, "Let the man breathe for a few seconds."
"You too, Natashia and Sasha. Calm down."
"..." The two women bit their lips, visibly took a deep breath, and took several steps back.
None of the girls blamed the women's reaction. The reason for that was simple, they were very shaken by the theories that Jeanne spoke of.
No wonder when Natalia learned that she could help, she quickly kidnapped her father, not caring if he was tired or not.
All they all wanted to see now was Victor.
"To summarize in a few words, we have some thoughts that Victor has become the new king of Hell, and with this new position, he must have gained some authority over Hell, enabling you to interfere in the dimension. Therefore we ask for your help to try to open a hole in hell." Ruby explained.
"..." Alexios opened his eyes wide, and he opened and closed his mouth like he was a goldfish. He didn't even care that he was showing his special eyes for all to see. The news he had just received was just too shocking.
'Victor, the new king of hell? Huh? Why do they think he might have become the new king?' Alexios' mind was in overdrive. He didn't even consider the girls' theory as if they were lies. After all, unlike Vlad, Victor's women are very close with each other, and they know their own husband very well.
'But... Become the king of hell? Just how much stronger did he get? What is happening...?'
Alexios looked at Natalia; his daughter just nodded as if confirming her own thoughts.
"Haaah … This man never ceases to amaze." Alexios closed his eyes again and spoke in his most natural tone.
"Very Well, give me a few seconds. Please be silent."
The girls nodded and gave Alexios more room to work.
Alexios turned his body towards an area where no one was present and opened his eyes.
His eyes glistened slightly, and the galaxy in Alexios' eyes began to change as if there was a strange zoom in his eyes; Alexios' eyes were like the reflection of the universe itself in motion.
"Oh? The hell dimension has become more unstable." Alexios narrowed his eyes, and a small portal appeared in front of Alexios, and what showed on the other side of the portal was an apocalyptic vision.
"... What is that?" Aphrodite narrowed her eyes.
"Is this hell…?" Sasha asked.
"This is hell, but it's different. What is this destruction? Who could have caused so much damage?" Jeanne spoke.
"Wait, what do you mean by damage?" Violet asked.
"Look around. Everything is destroyed; this black miasma and even red lightning did not have before in hell." Jeanne continued.
"How could you know that?" Violet asked.
"Morgana told me a lot about hell, that dimension most of it is made up of a lifeless rocky desert, with several sub-dimensions where sinners are. If there was a place as unique as this, she definitely would have told me."
"Which leads me to believe this place is recently new, and someone must have done it."
"...Victor..." Scathach spoke.
The girls looked at Scathach.
"There is just one person with destructive potential in hell currently capable of doing that, and he's the only person likely to do so," Scathach spoke seriously.
"Natashia, can you analyze those lightning bolts?" Scathach asked.
"I tried to do that from the beginning, but I can't feel the 'familiarity' that I feel when I look at the lightning of my lineage," Natashia spoke.
"Hmm? I'm being pulled. What's going on?" Alexios spoke in confusion.
The girls looked at Alexios, specifically at the portal created in front of him, and they saw the portal change from various landscapes at an impressive speed until the vision of a long throne room was seen.
"... This place... Is where the King of Hell stays..." Aphrodite spoke with anticipation visible in her eyes.
A sentiment shared by the girls present.
The image began to slowly flow towards the throne, and soon the silhouette of someone sitting on the throne was seen.
All the girls subconsciously held their breath, and all their attention went to the image.
A few seconds later, their wait was rewarded when they saw a man with ashen skin as if he was dead, black hair flowing like darkness itself, resting his head on his hand.
He was wearing black plate armor, the armor had a cloak behind him made of pure black miasma, and floating beside him was a very familiar yet at the same time different weapon, a large Greatsword that sent chills down the spine of everyone who looked at it.
"Victor!" Violet and Leona quickly walked over to Alexios and looked closer, a gesture that was shared by all.
"The theory is actually correct... He became the King of Hell..." Ruby commented in disbelief.
"Of course it is; this is Victor we're talking about." Sasha laughed with a gentle smile.
"The man will not miss an opportunity to cause chaos." Leona chuckled.
'He's changed a lot... And it's not just his appearance... He seems to be much stronger and older too...' Scathach thought.
Something that wasn't lost on Natashia, Aphrodite, and Jeanne, who, as the oldest of the group, were more attentive to detail.
"… Hmm?" The man opened his eyes, and familiar violet irises were seen.
A shocked expression appeared on the man's face, and he quickly extended his hand towards the air, specifically speaking towards the gate.
His hand started to glow red, and he 'grabbed' the space and pulled towards him.
"Impossible!" Alexios commented in shock.
'He grabbed my magic? How? What kind of power is that in his hand? It's so heavy...' Alexios shuddered at the negativity of that energy.
"Girls… Are you really…?" He asked carefully, Victor's eyes glistening with melancholy as he looked towards the portal and saw the image of his family.
That look made Violet's heart sink, as did all the girls present, and without much thought, she quickly tried to jump towards the portal.
But a big hand prevented her from passing toward hell.
"Stop, Violet."
"Why!?" She roared. All she wanted was to hold him.
"As much as I want to hug you, you can't come to hell."
"What about Alexios' power?"
"The only ones who can come to this place are demons, or someone very resistant to miasma, probably Morgana as an ancient demon. Hard to say. After all, she has changed a lot."
"So you come to us now!" Sasha screamed.
"We miss you, Victor." Natashia added with anxious eyes.
"I can't," Victor responded in the negative.
"Why!?" Agnes roared along with Violet.
"My existence right now is not something the Alioth Clan's magic can handle. Pulling me through the deepest place of hell to Nightingale will take a lot of energy."
Victor elaborated further, "I am the king. As the King of Hell, Hell itself protects me, and to pull out a King of Hell, the very Hell he rules, Alexios would need a huge amount of energy, enough energy that it would easily exhaust him to death."
"... Huh? What is he talking about!? I didn't understand anything!" Sasha and Violet spoke at the same time. The girls were almost hysterical, and they just wanted to jump on Victor then and there, but they couldn't, and it pissed them off.
Ruby, Scathach, Jeanne, and Aphrodite just narrowed their eyes when they heard what Victor said and clearly understood it.
"Calm down. Take a deep breath. I'm not going to disappear, okay?" Victor spoke in a gentle, calm tone, his eyes glowed blood-red for a few seconds, and the effect was instantaneous.
The girl's emotions began to calm down, and they found this feeling very strange.
"What is happening? What is this feeling?" Sasha asked with a strange look, she was irritable and anxious a few seconds ago, but all of a sudden, she was much calmer. It's not like those feelings went away; they've just been suppressed.
"A little trick I've learned from my long stay here, as a Progenitor, I can influence those who share my bloodline a little bit."
"...Long stay..." Scathach muttered.
"How many days…wrong, how many years have you been in hell, Vic?"
"Master…" Victor looked lovingly at Scathach and replied without lying, "Who knows? I don't particularly know, but for reference, soon I will reach my maturity."
The girls gasped. That means he spent hundreds of years in hell!
"...A- Are you okay, Vic?" Ruby asked.
Victor looked at the redhead and smiled gently, "Keeping your mind busy is the answer, right? Honey."
"...." Ruby bit her lip as she held back the urge to cry.
Victor's response was all Ruby needed to understand what Victor was feeling.
He wasn't doing well, but by keeping his mind busy and having a constant goal, he was pushing through the odds, a response much like Ruby's.
"Don't think too much about my conditions, Girls, I'm fine, and I'm glad I came to this place and not you... Honestly, this was the best possible result at that time."
"...That selfless idiot..." Natalia mumbled as she bit her lip, tears already streaming down her cheeks.
"Hey, I'm like this just for you guys. I'm pretty feared in hell, you know?"
"They call me Alucard, the Tyrant King. Wow, quite a flashy title if you ask me." Victor laughed.
"Being called a tyrant by demons, Vic. It is something of great respect. After all, they only respect strength." Jeanne spoke.
"Yeah, the bunch of masochists." Victor laughed.
This casual attitude managed to make the girls swallow the distressing feelings inside their hearts and also laugh in relief.
They were happy to know that he hadn't changed anything for them, even though he had been away from home for several centuries.
"Guys … I'm running out of time…" Alexios mumbled as he sweated profusely.
The girls looked at Alexios with intense gazes, but they softened a bit when they saw the state of him.
"Father!"
"I'm fine. Just finish the conversation quickly."
A powerful voice, which did not allow refusal, was heard:
"Jeanne, touch Alexios, focus on your natural energy, and replenish his energy reserves."
Jeanne as well as the girls, and Alexios himself looked at Victor in shock; the authority contained in those words was simply surreal.
"I don't know, Vic... I've never tried to give my energy to anyone."
"It's okay. The energy you use is quite powerful and theoretically could explode someone if transferred, but this energy is also natural energy. Just focus on the positive aspect of it and transfer a small amount; that will be enough."
"But-." She tried debates, but Victor's voice gave her no choice.
"Jeanne, you can do it. I know you can."
Confidence began to build in her body, and she nodded.
"Okay."
Jeanne approached Alexios and tried to move some of the energy in the palm of her hands; soon, her hand glowed with intense green energy.
"Calm down. Don't be scared. You're using too much energy." Victor's voice was heard, and she started to follow his instructions.
Slowly, the intensity of the green energy started to get weaker until an almost transparent greenish energy was seen by everyone.
Feeling that enough was enough, Jeanne touched Alexios on the shoulder, and the man could feel all of his reserves of energy returning to his peak state.
"Good." Victor smiled.
Jeanne just stared at Alexios in shock. 'Did he influence me in any way? Even in the past, I wouldn't have been able to have such precise control of my energy.'
"… You seem proficient at controlling energy now, Vic," Scathach spoke.
"Basics are important. I never forgot that lesson from you, Master. In these years, I focused completely on training the basics and controlling my body's energy."
"…I see …" Scathach closed her eyes and smiled gently as she contained the anxious feeling in her body. She really wanted to fight Victor right now.
"Hey, little Wolf. Will you ignore me?" Victor spoke with his childhood friend.
"Humph said the man who was thrown into hell and left us alone." Leona snorted.
"Accidentally guilty. I promise I will have a good time with everyone."
"A really good one; things almost went to chaos because you're not here."
"I can imagine… What is my parents' progress? And my Maids."
"..." Leona shuddered visibly.
"I see … You guys didn't tell them, huh."
"We don't know how to approach the situation," Leona spoke.
"Just speak the truth. That's enough."
Leona looked at Ruby and Sasha, and both women nodded.
"We will do it," Leona spoke.
"How are my Maids?"
"Everyone is fine. They are getting stronger too." Violet answered.
"Good, I miss them." Victor was sincere.
Victor looked at the pink-haired goddess and smiled, " Hey, my goddess. Are you well?"
Aphrodite smiled gently, "Yeah, much time hasn't passed for us, Vic. Despite you not being around, only a few weeks have passed here."
"…Is the difference really that big?"
"That's because you are in the deepest places of hell, where the miasma is most concentrated. The time in the Demon King's castle is completely confusing." Jeanne spoke.
"I noticed. I also realized that I lost track of time." Victor was honest.
"Due to my new… Condition. Months of training feel like hours, and a few hours ruling this place feels like days pass. It's completely confusing."
"Will you return...?" Sasha asked with an anxious expression.
Victor looked at Sasha and Natashia, who were next to each other:
"Of course." Victor smiled gently at the two of them.
"I miss everyone. I want to see my daughters, my parents, and even my fat cat. I want to see them all."
"Darling..." Agnes, Leona, Violet, Sasha, and Natashia's eyes softened.
"But for me to come back, I need something." Victor's face turned completely serious.
"I need the key to hell."
"... I knew it... That item is still with Diablo, right?" Jeanne spoke as she continued to give energy to Alexios for the man to keep the portal open.
"Yes."
"Despite being the king of hell, I am not bound to hell like Diablo and Lucifer, who were imprisoned here by the heavenly father."
"As long as I have the key to hell, I can transit between hell and the world of the living."
"A unique situation that has never happened before, as expected of you," Leona spoke.
"Not exactly, Some kings of hell like the Hindu, Norse, and Greek pantheon can come out to the human world too."
"Biblical hell is just more special..."
"What do you mean more special?" Natashia asked.
"I don't really know how to explain it exactly but think of it as if this hell is a planet, and the other hells orbit around this planet, and occasionally even souls from the other hells enter this hell as if they are being attracted by something."
"Not to mention the hell I'm in is also home to the negative world tree of Earth, or as Roxanne likes to call her sister."
"I also think it's because the world tree is here that this place is so irregular."
"…Did you meet the other world tree?" Jeanne asked carefully.
"Not Yet. She's been avoiding me for some reason." Victor narrowed his eyes in confusion.
'I don't doubt that it was she who made this meeting possible too.' Victor thought.
"The reason this place is special is that it restricts the Demon King in this place. Hell itself won't let the Demon King out, and Diablo himself had to use several sacrifices to be summoned on Earth, and besides that, this place is more restrictive than the other hells." Victor explained.
The girls looked pensive, specifically Aphrodite, Jeanne, Scathach, and Ruby. The others were just looking at Victor as they made sure to watch his every action, like predators waiting to pounce on prey.
"Anyway, enough talking about it. Alexios has little time left. It's not healthy to waste energy and refuel at the same time over and over again."
Victor became extremely serious and said:
"I need your help. I need you to retrieve the key to hell that is in Diablo's possession."
"What is the plan?" Violet quickly asked.
"Before that. The job is just to retrieve the key, okay?" Victor was explicitly clear.
"Under no circumstances should you fight Diablo."
Before the girls could protest, Victor opened his mouth:
"I'm not underestimating you. It's just that this bastard has several tricks up his sleeve that can harm the 'living', and he doesn't mind going through all the unforgivable sins to complete his plan."
"..." The girls closed their mouths as they remembered the report of a subordinate dabbling in necromancy.
"The only one I allow to try to deal with Diablo is Scathach and Morgana, both of whom are natural fighters with keen instincts."
"Hey, I'm a beauty goddess, okay? Even a demon like him isn't immune to my charm. He can't handle me."
"I don't want that little shit ogling my wife." Victor snorted.
Aphrodite laughed when she felt that delicious possession of Victor through his tone.
"I want you to steal the keys to the gates of hell and not fight Diablo. The faster you get this key back, the faster I can get out of hell."
The girls nodded their heads in determination.
"The main plan key is Natashia, Kaguya, Natalia, Backup Scathach, and Aphrodite."
"You should-."
"My King."
Victor snarled visibly, "What?"
Victor's heavy, demonic voice sent chills through everyone present.
"C- Clan Baal is causing another emotion."
Victor nodded and said, "You can leave."
"Y-Yes!"
"Annoying woman, hasn't she learned her lesson?" Victor muttered as soon as the demon left the room.
"Woman? Who are you talking about, Vic?" Violet and Agnes asked at the same time.
"Baal's whore of a wife, that annoying woman. The only reason I didn't just kill that woman is because she is very useful in the internal politics of the higher demons."
"I gotta go." Victor rose from his throne, grabbed the Greatsword, and placed it behind him.
He turned and looked at the portal.
"Scathach, use the strategy you used against me when we fought in Japan. Just add Kaguya and Natashia as Seekers and Aphrodite, and Natalia as Backup."
Scathach raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I understand your plan."
"As expected of you." Victor smiled gently, then he looked at Violet, "Hey, I'll be home soon. So don't get too stressed."
"Darling..."
"The same goes for you, especially Natashia, Leona, and Agnes."
"Oyy!"
Victor laughs and says, "Take care, and watch each other's backs."
The girls looked at each other and smiled.
"We know."
"Good." Victor turned and started down the stairs to the throne, "See you another day. And Natalia put off that guilty face. You don't have to blame yourself for anything. I would have made the same decision as I did in the past if it was going to save you guys."
"…Vic…" Natalia just kept looking at Victor's back with a melancholy look until the portal created by Alexios closed.
Natalia closed her eyes and clenched her fist with determination, several thoughts appeared in her head, and soon she opened her eyes with a neutral look that she always had before.
"Lady Scathach, what shall we do?" Natalia asked.
"First, we need information. We need to know the exact location of the key to hell. If we don't know that, I can't plan anything concrete." Scathach replied.
.....
