Chapter 131: Demonic Vessels (Patreon)

Though his Flame-Flame Fruit's awakening had recently reached 58%, Hughes still felt it was progressing too slowly.

Now that Laxus had broken through his bottleneck in Thunder Valley, his strength would surely skyrocket in the coming period.

If Hughes didn't raise his own power to the level of one of the Ten Wizard Saints, if he couldn't continue to effortlessly one-shot Laxus like before, how could he still call himself Laxus's strict father figure?

Crawford Seam signaled the toad envoy with a glance, indicating it should continue leading the way.

Crawford Seam didn't care about demons, nor did he want to consider whether doing this would have negative consequences. All he knew was that once Hughes got what he wanted; he would be released safely.

The group followed the toad envoy toward the sealing chamber.

According to Magic Council regulations, only the Chairman and Councilors were allowed into the sealing chamber. Given the special circumstances, no one brought up the rules. Everyone tacitly ignored them and kept quiet.

Soon, the usually deserted sealing chamber was packed with people.

The chamber was small, lined inside and out with Demon-Sealing Stone. Inside stood only a three-tiered stone shelf, on which rested over a dozen demonic vessels.

Around the three-tiered shelf sat some magic artifacts Hughes had "never seen before."

Hughes glanced over them. There were roughly twenty magic artifacts, each radiating a unique energy. Their powers intertwined to form a complex Sealing Magic Array that completely enveloped the three-tiered shelf.

"This Sealing Magic Array can only be unlocked by the Chairman," Crawford Seam said.

Hughes studied it for a while, committing the array to memory as best he could. Then he released his grip, signaling Crawford Seam to unlock the Sealing Magic Array.

At this point, Hughes wasn't worried about Crawford Seam trying any tricks. He figured the Chairman was probably eager to send him off as soon as possible, so he could deal with those Councilors coveting his position.

After a series of identity verifications, facial scans, and fingerprint checks, the complex array let out a clicking sound before suddenly dissipating.

A pleased smile spread across Hughes's face. He patted Crawford Seam, picked him up again by the collar, and strode toward the stone shelf.

If he remembered correctly, most demonic vessels didn't require unsealing. As long as they were triggered slightly, the demon inside would automatically emerge, just like Lullaby.

Unfortunately, Hughes didn't find the flute containing the Curse Song Demon Lullaby on the shelf.

Otherwise, it would've been fun to play with.

"If you want, you can take them all," Crawford Seam, still in Hughes's grip, said generously.

Hughes gave him a speechless glance. Believe me, I'd love to. He'd love to take them all, absorb them, and push his Flame-Flame Fruit awakening to 100% full awakening.

But his body couldn't handle it. Raising the Flame-Flame Fruit's awakening too quickly in a short period would heavily tax his mind. He had discovered that back in Croba Canyon when absorbing Satan's Demon Factor.

In Croba Canyon, when his awakening went from 6% to 30%, he had needed four vials of Granny Porlyusica's special Mental Potions to suppress the discomfort in his mind.

But in Thunder Valley, as his physical constitution kept improving, he had gone from 30% to 58% awakening without using a single Mental Potion, and had even been completely at ease.

So, to prevent mental abnormalities when increasing his Flame-Flame Fruit awakening, he either needed to continue improving his physical constitution, or consume a large amount of Mental Potions in one go.

Based on his previous experiences and the fact that he had only five Mental Potions left, Hughes estimated he could raise his awakening to around 80% at most.

Pushing too fast would be counterproductive. He should look for missions that improved his physical constitution and were currently achievable, further strengthen his physique, and then consider pushing his awakening from 80% to 100%.

With his current strength, he was already more than sufficient for the early stages before the plot truly kicked off. He still had plenty of time. Steady improvement was the way to go.

With that thought, Hughes reached out and touched all the demonic vessels on the three-tiered shelf. Finally, he picked a blood dagger and a warm stone, tucking them into his chest.

"These two should be enough. If not, I'll just have to trouble Dojigiri Ezel again," Hughes mused internally.

As for the remaining demonic vessels, he'd leave them in the sealing chamber for now. He could always come back if needed.

If he took them all with him, he was afraid the temptation would be too strong and he'd end up absorbing them all without thinking.

Though his thoughts wandered, only a few breaths passed in the outside world. Everyone saw Hughes take two demonic vessels, yet he still didn't release Crawford Seam. Instead, he requested a tour of the Magic Council.

Though they were displeased with Hughes's tactic of holding Crawford Seam hostage, they had no choice but to comply.

And so, the large group made a grand tour of the Magic Council.

Crawford Seam, a thoroughly self-serving opportunist, even vaguely hinted at the existence of ultimate weapons like Etherion and Face during the tour.

To that, Hughes could only say: having Crawford Seam as Chairman was truly a blessing for the entire Ishgar continent.

Two or three hours later, the group had circled back to the plaza. Hughes kept his word. He formed a blade with his hand, chopped Crawford Seam on the neck, and tossed him to the toad envoys.

"The Chairman will wake up in a little while. You'd better protect him well, in case someone takes the opportunity to kill him and pin the blame on me," Hughes said, smiling at Oga and the others.

The toad envoys quietly stepped back in unison, hiding behind the members of the Compulsory Inspection Unit while holding Crawford Seam.

Oga, Michello: ... This brat has ruined our grand plans!

Without anyone noticing, the two secretly exchanged a glance...

Meanwhile, Hughes had already flown above the massive fireball in the sky. He opened his mouth wide and inhaled, drawing the enormous fireball into streams of liquid fire before swallowing them as though drinking water.

He wasn't a useless Natsu who couldn't eat his own fire...

Soon, the giant sun looming over the Magic Council dissipated, and the scorching heat subsided.

Yajima still wanted to say something to Hughes, but when he looked around, Hughes was already gone.

...

In the town below the Magic Council, Hughes had finally found a small restaurant that was still open. He was currently waiting for the owner to serve his meal.

The system notification, though delayed, finally sounded in his mind.

[Detected that the Commander of the East Blue Marine Base has been defeated by the host. Mission "Defeat the Commander of the East Blue Marine Base" has been completed!]

[Mission Reward: Armament Haki (Beginner) has been issued!]

As the notification faded, unfamiliar knowledge settled into Hughes's mind. After giving it a quick once-over, he opened his right hand. His palm turned pitch black before his eyes.

Hughes clenched his fist a few times, a grin spreading across his face. Excellent. Powerful. When he got back, he'd test it on Laxus and let him experience the combined power of Tekkai and Armament Haki.

For now, eating was the priority.

The Magic Council's little show was far from over!