ES - Chapter 251 (Patreon)

Chapter 251: The First To Come, The First To Serve

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Mai was by my side as we moved, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, her movements as swift and graceful as ever. I matched her pace, the two of us gliding over the city like shadows. I was glad that I could give her some time these days, even if it were mere moments of traveling together.

Our search remained mostly fruitless, however. It had been hours, and we hadn’t found anything. The vampires definitely hid with some special-grade stealth magic to hide from my senses. Jade Perception wasn’t easily fooled. Did Valerie just wish for the Holy Grail to stay hidden? That’d be annoying if true.

Since the search wasn’t going anywhere, I decided to do something else besides it. It’d speed up the search too, if I succeeded. “Reminds me,” I said, breaking the silence as Mai and I landed on a particularly tall building overlooking the town below. 

“Yes?”

I looked at her, her hair swaying in the wind, blue eyes looking at me. “You’ve just been hopping from building to building. It’s sad to see my girl so limited. I should teach you how to fly. With the Lagomorph blood in, you can do that easily.”

She looked at me, eyes rippling with surprise. “Right now? You think I can learn it so fast? I did pull off that teleportation trick you taught me, but won’t it waste our search time if you teach me flight?”

“Don’t worry, it’d be a piece of cake,” I replied, already picturing her soaring the winds beside me. “You’ll be airborne before you know it.”

She took a deep breath, nodding as if steeling herself. I could see the tension in her shoulders, the eagerness tempered by uncertainty. Without another word, I stepped closer, standing behind her and putting my hands on her waist. I injected Qi into her thighs, allowing it to flex her muscles.

“Try to follow the sensation with your own Touki,” I said, guiding her through the basics of manipulating the energy needed for this. For the next half an hour, I demonstrated the movement, showing her how to harness her innate energy to manipulate space to lower her body weight and allow her to move freely.

I charged her energy channels with Lightning Qi, somewhat artificially making her magical muscle memory adapt to the feeling. 

She started floating in my arms, and I held her because it’d stop the moment I stopped touching her. “See? Simple enough.” 

She hovered a few feet off the ground, floating like an uncontrolled balloon. “I am not sure if this is simple…” She said, and I started floating up myself. Unlike her, I floated naturally as if I were standing on solid earth. I used my Sage’s authority to manipulate space to do this directly.

“It is simple. Try to tap into the feeling. Remember it. Imitate it. It's all about focus and trust in your instincts. The moment you hesitate, you fall. And be glad, girl.” I joked. “Because no other teacher can grant you this immersive teaching experience. It’s not something anyone can do. I learned it after intensive training.”

It took me multiple lifetimes to learn the basics of something like this because meddling your energy inside someone else’s system generally killed them.

Mai nodded and followed my lead, her gaze focused and intense, taking in every detail. It was still hard, similar to copying the dance moves of someone else, but everything could be learned when it was this immersive. It helped that she wasn’t one to give up easily and that determination was one of the things I’d always admired about her. She hadn’t given up when the entire world was forgetting her when her existence was fading. How could the same person give up something so easy?

I helped her at each step, each flinch, and she asked me for tips. I told her. I guided her the best I could, and the results showed up in no time. She closed her eyes, took a steadying breath, and then, with a small leap, she followed suit. 

She had taken a step out of my grasp, standing in the air. “Oh…” She looked down, standing in the air, above a street that was seventy-story below.

“Easy, right?” I smiled. “Now, I just need to teach you how to fly while floating. It’s not the same thing. It's different for each affinity. Easiest in wind, you just let the air currents carry you, but for space-affinity such as yours, you need to push the world ‘behind’ as if you’re a small magnet traveling across the surface of a larger one.”

Mai didn’t find my analogy hard to relate to. For the next hour, we practiced, moving in short bursts, me leading and her following. Her movements were shaky at first, but with each attempt, she grew more confident. 

Soon, we were weaving through the air, side by side, the rooftops blurring below as we glided just above the cityscape.

“Whoa-” Mai was grinning. “This feels great, Aqua!”

“Hehe,” I laughed as we ascended higher, catching glimpses of the town stretching far into the distance. The sun dipped below the horizon, replaced by the cold glow of the moon. “I told you it was a piece of cake.”

Mai grinned, her eyes sparkling with a newfound sense of freedom as she flew alongside me. Her movements were now as natural as they had been on the ground. When she kicked the air, she leaped many hundred meters at once. Her speed was astonishing. We slipped through the air, two shadows against the night, moving silently under the watchful gaze of the stars. 

“Let’s keep moving,” I said, turning toward the horizon where shadows still lingered. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. But now, we can cover it faster.”

Mai nodded, and together we soared, the rooftops disappearing beneath us as we vanished into the night.

The quiet of the city beneath us felt less oppressive now, and the emptiness allowed us to move quickly as we covered much more landmass than before. We left Tokyo in a matter of seconds. Next, I focused all my focus on my [Jade Perception].

Just where are you hiding, Valerie Tepes?

****

The voice of Balor had been a quiet whisper at first, a soft murmur in the recesses of her mind. It was a decade ago when it all began. Back then, she was barely aware of the power she wielded. She only knew that her friend Gasper was a fragile boy, and she wanted to protect him. So she used her Sacred Gear, the Holy Grail, to make something special for him—a Sacred Gear that would keep him safe. 

She didn’t fully understand what she was doing. She only knew that it felt right. Therefore, a piece of Demon God Balor returned to the world of living for the first time after millennia.

Since then, Balor had never left her. 

Over time, his presence had grown, moving from a background buzz to a constant companion. At first, his voice was sleepy, slow, and lethargic, as if his consciousness had drifted just beyond her reach. But he whispered things to her, taught her, and instructed her. She’d grown used to it, perhaps even found comfort in it. 

After all, the Holy Grail had its price, and he was the one who helped her understand it—he helped her understand its procedure—like a mentor. He’d always been a nice voice in her head, helping her through her lows and insecurities.

But now, things have changed. The voice wasn’t so sleepy anymore. It was stronger, more insistent. Recently, when she’d started to feel the claws of betrayal sinking in from her elder brother, Balor had urged her forward, coaxing her to grant more of his pieces to others. Promising her that he’d help her stay safe. She did so without a second, and Balor lived by his promise.

Each piece she gave out was like handing over a fragment of his soul. It felt great at first. Seeing her old friend who lived in her head slowly come to life through the people she granted the gears to—it felt great. There was something addictive about it, about the way those granted with the Sacred Gears bent to her will. She… knew it was wrong to feel that way, that it made her a monster. But her vampiric nature enjoyed enthralment to a molecular level. 

Unfortunately, she had as much control over these subordinates as Balor. After all, it was Balor who controlled them—and they were only working for her because Balor was telling them to. He was controlling them too.

Did it matter if they were her subordinates before? Not really. By now, they’d become puppets for Balor, pieces on a board she barely understood. 

She had created an army without meaning to. And with each new piece she handed out, she felt more like the piece and less like the player.

“Haah,” Valerie sighed. In the dim light of the warehouse, she sat alone, surrounded by the eerie quiet of her new reality. What is going on even? A blonde vampire in a secretary’s outfit approached, breaking the silence with the soft tap of heels on concrete. 

“Young lady,” she held out a glass of coffee, and Valerie took it with a nod, not looking at her for long. She didn’t want to. Looking at the blank eyes of these subordinates made her skin crawl. She didn’t want to think about who—or what—she had become. So she refrained from looking at their faces.

She sipped the coffee, bitterness coating her tongue. She was angry and frustrated. Balor had been pushing her harder, telling her to do things she’d never have considered before. Valerie never wanted to become the type of person she had right now.

She thought back to Mizuki, the innocent Yokai who’d been alive not too long ago. The same Yokai who was now gone, her Sacred Gear ripped from her by Balor’s orders, killing her. Valerie was against it. She didn’t want that poor woman to die, especially because she had awakened the Balor Gear on her own and not with the help of the Holy Grail like these subordinates of hers. Valerie did not want to kill an innocent soul. 

She turned away, barely able to stomach the memory. Her fingers tightened around the coffee glass, the faint trembling betraying her unease. 

“...Are you still mad, my baby?” The secretary said. But now, her voice had taken on a playful lilt. Valerie stiffened. She didn’t have to look up to know who it really was. Balor was always with her, his presence seeping through every part of her life like a dark stain. He’d often shift his consciousness to the bodies of these thralled vampires. 

Valeria wanted to scream at the hoarse voice that left the secretary to tell him to shut up, but that was a dangerous path. What if Balor hurt her too…?

“...Yes, I’m still mad,” Valerie whispered, her voice tight with barely restrained anger. She didn’t think Balor would hurt her. Unless all the times he helped her during her younger days were false. No, they weren’t fake—she could tell they weren’t. Balor hadn’t shown this evil side of himself until recently when he heard something about the real world. Valerie couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but she knew it was related to that. “I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to kill her just to take her Sacred Gear.”

Balor’s chuckle resonated from the secretary, a low, amused sound that felt like a slap to her face. “She had something you needed, Valerie. Something we must have. Think of it as… the price of progress. It’s not as if I asked you to do something you can’t handle. It’s not as if you bloodied your hands. I did. Don’t be so grumpy.”

Valerie’s gaze dropped, focusing on the ripples in her coffee. She’d argued with him before, fought against his suggestions, but it was like fighting against the tide. Balor always won and always found a way to twist her resistance into compliance.

“You… are not the same as before,” she murmured, her fingers tracing patterns on the glass. “You used to be different. You used to be… kinder.”

“Am I?” Balor’s tone turned sharp, almost mocking. “Or is it that you’ve finally seen the reality of what we’re doing? You can’t pretend to be innocent forever, Valerie. You have a role to play, and so do I.”

Her stomach twisted, the weight of his words pressing down on her. She had always known that bringing Balor back would require sacrifices, but she hadn’t realized the full extent of it until now. 

The thought made her shiver, and she glanced at the secretary, at Balor’s vessel. “So what? You’re saying I should just accept this? That I should go on, killing whoever has what you need? Even him?”

Balor’s expression softened, and for a moment, it almost felt real. “I just thought you wanted me to be with you properly,” he said, voice dripping with a strange mix of affection and manipulation. “I’m your only friend, aren’t I?”

The words cut deeper than they should have. The secretary gently touched her face, pinching her cheek and smiling kindly, like a mother looking at her daughter. Valerie gulped. Her heart skipped a beat as the implication settled over her like a shroud. Even if he acted so kind, or maybe it wasn’t an act, and he actually cared for her, his kindness didn’t reach anyone else. 

If Balor’s revival required these Sacred Gears, didn’t that mean all her new followers would have to die? Their bodies would drop dead once these Sacred Gears were compiled into one. Then, wouldn’t he have to die too? “Gasper…” she whispered, the name slipping from her lips before she could stop it.

Balor’s gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing as he picked up on the change in her tone. “What was that, my dear? Having second thoughts? Please. We have already talked about this. Or perhaps you’re doubting me?”

Fear flared in her chest, a raw panic that spread across her heart. She didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. Her thoughts spiraled, the reality of her situation crashing down around her. As much as Balor claimed to be her friend, she knew the truth. She was alone, more alone than she had ever been. 

And now, the one person she’d once tried to protect might be the next sacrifice.

“My dear? Answer me.” Balor’s voice wrapped around her like a vice, a reminder that there was no way out. She was caught in his web, bound by the very power she had once thought would bring her closer to those she loved. And now, that same power was tearing her apart.

When she didn’t answer, looking up to shakily meet her eyes, she saw glinting red eyes looking down at her. The secretary's eyes demanded her to speak, but she could only stare.

“...Finish your coffee, darling. We’re moving out soon. It’s about time we make a move on Kuoh.” Balor said when she remained silent for too long. 

Valerie gripped her cup, feeling the familiar pull of his will.

We’re finally going to Kuoh… Gasper… I hope this Aquamarine is strong enough to keep him safe from me. From Balor. Valerie thought, praying for this. 

She forced herself to drink, letting the bitterness bite at her tongue, but before she could even set it down, the ground beneath her trembled. 

A sense of danger filled the air. Dust filtered down from the ceiling, and faint vibrations rippled through the walls. She stiffened, her heart wavering as a low rumble filled the air.

“Trouble,” Balor muttered, his tone losing its usual lazy warmth. Seven vampire subordinates stepped out of the shadow, their usually blank eyes gaining clarity. Balor took over all of them, and they spoke in unison. ““Looks like we have company.””

The seven weren’t the only ones. More followed. Some slipping out of the ground, some coming out of the long hair of the already present vampires, some slipping into this pocket dimension from another. A whole swarm of vampires surged into the room, moving like shadows to surround her, their eyes alert and fangs glinting in the dim light. 

She felt their loyalty, their fear, and it only heightened her own. They closed in, forming a protective circle, every muscle tight and ready. Valerie held her breath, waiting. The seconds dragged on, tension coiling tighter with each heartbeat.

Who managed to find their hiding spot?

Then, with a deafening crash, part of the warehouse wall exploded inward. It was a loud thud. Rubble scattered, and a haze of dust hung in the air as figures stepped through the broken stone. 

At the front was a man with pale armor and a lazy, arrogant grin that twisted her stomach. Valerie recognized him. 

Few in the supernatural world would mistake that face. The Prince of all Devils, Rizevim Lucifer, with his silver hair swaying in the air, hand behind his back.

Shit. Another influential name, perhaps not as much as him, Angela Odinsdottir flanked him, her icy gaze scanning the room, with her grip on a massive sword that trembled with power. Behind them, a flood of Asgardian soldiers poured in, filling the space with an overwhelming presence that made the air feel suffocating.

“Yawn,” more dangerously, a black-haired little girl was sitting in one of the empty boxes inside the warehouse. How did she get- ah.

Shit.

Wasn’t that the Ouroboros Dragon, Dragon God of Infinity, Ophis the Dragon of Void?

No wonder their hideout was found. A supreme overlord of the void was by Rizevim’s side. But why?!

More horrifyingly - if that was even possible - Valerie gasped as she noticed the shaky figure standing just behind Rizevim. Her gaze landed on Gasper, standing there with wide, terrified eyes. He looked lost, his fists clenching and unclenching as if struggling to hold onto anything real. 

Their eyes met, and the regret she’d been holding back struck her like a punch to the gut. Valerie was young. But even she realized what was going on. There could be only one reason for Gasper to be present besides Rizevim. And Valerie couldn’t help but blame herself for what was to come. She’d dragged him into this nightmare. She’d been the one to start it all.

And yet, despite all the powerhouses around her, Demon God Balor only laughed in amusement. The secretary’s body he possessed leaned forward, her lips curling into a smirk as she whispered, “Ah… would you look at that…” The voice was smooth but tainted with something twisted, something almost delighted at the chaos about to unfold. “My last piece.”

Everything was about to spiral out of control.

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