The One Above The Heavens Chapter 25 (Patreon)

The endless hunt for vampires was not because they were unholy abominations in truth. It was because their heresy was that they were an infection upon the glory that was humanity.

"Heh, so two of the Ancestor have been eradicated. And one of them was TATARI to boot." A young male voice spoke as he walked down the aisle between several plane seats before taking one.

A woman following the young man said helplessly. "But that Campione... He favors his local magi and pagan blood-filled clans as well. Well beyond the church." 

The young man dropped his form into a pew, with him dragging his hand through his gleaming blond hair with a chuckle. "I couldn't care less about this Jake Bariss's disregard of the church so long as he keeps killing Dead Apostles and other heretics, haha!"

The said young man was Mario Gallo Bestino. One of the hundred and thirty 'grandsons' raised by the Cardinal Laurent with the hope of the most talented of them being made into the future Pope of the entire Catholic church. Including the Holy Church that dealt with heretics and such.

The woman who was speaking was Noel, an Executor of the church who acted as his 'bodyguard' though in reality she was laughably weaker then the young man.

"Then... Why are we still heading to Japan then?" Noel asked helplessly.

To which the man who had subdued a demon lord and sealed it away scowled a bit before he said quietly. "For good reasons I assure you." More like Mario wanted to get a few of those life-extending elixer's the new Campione was throwing out like candy to his followers.

Within the holy church, especially the heretical use of... Magecraft, magic, and most especially the use of pagan 'blessings' was abhorred except when a Campione was willing to bless or guide church members.

As sometimes even Saints, angels themselves, and other Abrahamic figures have descended to the world as Heretic Gods which needed to be sealed away if not killed.

And if a Campione had taken the blessings from the mad fragment of a true angle. The blades and truest of apostles for the Holy Father. Then if God allowed Campione's to have those authorities, then clearly the church could follow a Campion.

The issue... Were all of the current Campione in this generation were all categorically evil, complete fools, or pathologically insane? Or some combination of those three traits.

Jake Bariss himself was being lauded as arguably the most 'reasonable' out of all of the Campione for the last three hundred years. Sure he all but busted the secret of magic, but he was forced into battle against a manifested Evil God that was incarnated and walking the earth.

Other than that? He had the mindset of a ruler who had claimed Japan for his own land, surrounded himself with beautiful women for his harem, and he ruled his people justly and didn't harm the innocent.

"Hmm, Noel how would you feel if you married Jake Barris?" Mario asked abruptly with Noel who had just finished putting away the several crates of luggage coughing on her drink.

"Hek hek! What do you mean! Why would I marry that Campione... You aren't trying to sell me are you? Sell that bitch Ciel to him! He would be far more interested in her!" Noel all but cried out.

To which Mario blinked and said thoughtfully. "Hmm, it's a pity then. Ciel is a member of the Burial Agency and I can't spend her life so easily... Especially with her immortality. But no, Jake Bariss has proven to be willing to work with the Church and NOT be the sword-obsessed fool that Doni is. The Pope has already been considering ways to earn the good will of this mild-mannered Campione."

Noel was silent for a long moment. Before she said flatly. "Mild-mannered. The mild-mannered Campione who beat Arachne the Dead Apostle Ancestor to death almost entirely in hand-to-hand combat on sight."

Mario nodded and said calmly. "Honored Lord Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Rather than living in a blood-filled fugue of violence, he is living according to the lords wishes of being fruitful and extending his bloodline."

To which Mario then added with a bland smile. "Doni? A fool who can't tell the difference between a naked woman and a sword sheath besides one being shiny. 'John Pluto Smith' is a cross-dresser with a hero of justice fetish. Alec is a pathological liar, thief, and narcissist."

Then Mario's voice became dull as he finished flatly. "And Voban is a monster... He only appreciates women to be used in ritual sacrifices to guide heretic god's that are in the process of descending into his arms."

Noel coughed and said pointedly. "This used car tactics won't work on me sir... I am already almost thirty and I only have three more years of service before I can retire with full benefits!"

The future cardinal in the making made a tsking noise before saying idly. "Truly a fool then."

But then Noel clapped her hands together and said happily. "Wait! Those two weirdo's, you could send that witch Caren Hortensia and Kiara Sessyoin to him!"

The quiet interior of the plane was silent before Mario face-palmed at his subordinate's stupidity.

And with an exhausted tone, he said helplessly. "Kiara is one step from a heretic to be purged and it's only her talent for divining where Heretic Gods and other monsters are that she is tolerated... And Jake slaughtered Caren's father, and his body was proven to be an apostle of the evil god he slayed. Trying to put them together... Would go almost surely, very poorly."

-

"No Rin. You need to tie Saturn's rotation to the facets of Amber when using Amber as the base of temporal gem-based magic." I explained patiently as I held the blushing Tsundere in my lap as I taught her real magic.

Not the watered down weak and entirely at a loss gem-based mage craft she and other families practised.

"Ughh! You are supposed to be the Jade Emperor, how does Saturn have anything to do with Western gem mage craft!?" Rin whined as the cat's eye gem she used previously cracked violently and broke apart into dust.

Rin bounced in my lap and whined pitifully as I gave her a poke with her throwing a grow at me as she twisted her head to glare at me.

But with her 'defenless ass' in my lap, any terrible threats she had in store frankly didn't matter to me!

"Heh, skill issue." I said flatly though in reality the Jade Emperor's domain of being the Emperor of Taoism automatically gave me knowledge of all fields of magic to some degree.

Now let's get back to-" I paused as Medea's mana pulsed to me before she sent a mental message to me.

[Jake, I have isolated this 'King Arthur's curse that is keeping her in suspended animation. Would you care to come over as this will be a bit to explain.]

I sent a mental agreement to her and told her I would be up in a few minutes as I wrapped up my lesson with Rin.

And by wrapping up my lesson. I meant switching Rin's position around so we could make out and I could play with her happy handful-sized breasts as we did so.

I then made my way up to Medea's 'spooky' attic where I found big titty Lartoria still alseep and lying out across a bed with Medea sitting next to the bed with a frown on her face.

"So, what's the damage." I said with a grunt as I could tell it was going to be trouble with how she was frowning.

Although I was in a rush to get to Misaki to deal with those Dead Apostles, I still did check out Artoria's form. And I coudn't see a way to break her curse besides what that little succubus Merlin declared was the cure.

Medea snorted and said flatly. "That hack Merlin wasn't lying Jake. The cure for her is as plain as day. The solution is so easy and made conceptual in nature, in turn for making the bindings conceptual in turn and thus all but unbreakable."

I frowned at that and asked with a sigh. 'You can't use Rule Breaker?"

And Medea gave me a dull look before she said flatly. "No, Rule Breaker breaks contracts and otherwise magical bonds in relation to how I was controlled by that bitch Aphrodite. It doesn't dismantle magic whole sale like Diarmund's spear can."

A sigh escaped me as this totally was Merlin's bullshit. When Morgan came to do her bullshit, he/she allowed Morgan to turn Artoria into a futa for a night for Morgan to get the 'essence' to make Mordred.

They did alot of bullshit over the years and this? This wasn't anything new. If anything this was just Merlin the inhuman monster, they were to get a kick out of feeling our conflicting emotions that would be born of this issue.

I then gave Medea a look before I said helplessly. "Do you have any idea what else we can do?" 

To which Medea said rather blandly. "Toss her outside into a trash bin for Merlin to pick up. Obviously, the succubus is playing a game with us, and either we play along for no truly good reason, or we kick her board over and tell her to piss off."

That was a fair point... If I literally just tossed Artoria into a ditch, Merlin WOULD come pick her up, especially if I went to Fiore and sealed her mana so Merlin coudn't drain her 'master' of her mana to exist.

But. Could I truly let go of the chance to plow big titty Artoria in the future?

Could I really?

I blinked before I grinned and said. "Heyyy Medea, how about I give you some mana, and you give her the true love's kiss."

Medea smacked her lips before she snorted and said almost teasingly. "You wish, Jake."

And the thought of seeing Medea and Artoria kissing? Yeah, I would definitely enjoy the sight.

Still, I did have... One trick for possibly beating Merlin's trick of binding the curse of sleep on Artoria.

I first cut my finger tip to pull a drop of my divine ichor to the surface. Then I sucked my finger and coated it in my saliva before I squeezed it again to bring the blood and ichor back up along with pushing mana to my finger and the blood itself.

And then... I just stuck my finger into Artoria's mouth.

Medea snorted in the background, but then she giggled as Artoria visibly shuddered and her eyes snapped open violently as she instinctively swung at me.

A loud crack rang out as a wave of air sent Medea's instruments flying across the room as I caught Artoria's back hand she swung at me.

I saw Artoria tense at how I caught her hand... Then she blinked and took in her surroundings with a heavy frown crossing her face before she abruptly hissed and held her head with a groan.

"Are you alright?" I asked with some confusion.

She held up a hand and through gritted teeth she said. "No... Foreign memories of when I was a Servant in a grail war has been pushed through my head. Along with all the scattered information, the grail gives servants!"

Yeah, having that foreign mental download would fucking suck. At least Pandora was nice enough to make sure the mental strain of getting our Authorities didn't hurt us.

I nodded and I said. "Blame Merlin, for some reason she decided to drag you out of Avalon and throw you into my lap."

Artoria finally looked between me, Medea, and I, and then said in confusion. "She is a servant... And you, you aren't exactly human, are you?"

To which I chuckled and said with my divinity flaring beyond my mana and making Artoria twitch at my words. "You are correct. You have been thrown into my court. I am the latest reborn Campione. Yuheng Yudi, the reborn Jade Emperor."

There was a pause as Artoria needed to mentally process that before she took a deep breath and asked me rather bluntly. "Why. Why has merlin thrown me into your service? I was... Dead and in Avalon before this as far as I know."

My face was a bit odd as she was anything but dead when I found her...

Still, I could only shrug as there was so much bullshit going on that I had no idea what part Artoria had to play exactly.

So I could only say with complete honesty. "I have no idea why Merlin threw you into my court and wanted me to molest you, to wake you up. But, please beat the snot of him to find out at your earliest chance."

I then got up and gave Medea a look. "Alright, I got her awake. Now, I think she still needs new clothes and a place to settle."

And Medea at first scowled at being given chores... Then her eyes lit up as she chuckled evilly and said, Oh too happily. "Good... Good, come now, I have some ideas of clothes that will fit you just wonderfully!"

Before Artoria could blame me for being made into some kind of dress-up doll, as all she had at this point was a sleeping gown of sorts.

I quickly beat a strategic retreat with a hum.

'Hmm, should I go visit Medea and Sakura in the library? Go play Nintendo 64 with Illya and her maids? Or go see what devilry Erica is up to with her having a meeting with some people from the Four Clans?' I mused.

The thought didn't need to be considered for long... I needed to see what my spicy witch was doing before she took my nascent empire and started a fire by challenging my sister Huo Ha or something.

Erica was holding court in my own throne room. Though thankfully she wasn't stupid enough to be sitting on my own throne as I guarded the thing more closely then an old man and his favorite recliner during a holiday family get together.

She was sitting at an office table below my throne's steps with the people she was meeting going down the oval shaped office table.

"Ohhh there is my hubby! Would you care to join my little meeting?" Erica called out to me all to happily.

And seeing that evil grin she was hiding as affection towards me. I knew she was up to no good.

So I sniffed and came over and gently began massaging her shoulders. And she went still as I looked past her and spoke to magical Japan's four clan repersenatives who were here. 

"So, what is my darling... Love trying to spin you around with?" I asked quietly.

A larger musclar man spoke with a slightly sheepish expression. "Ah Lord Yudi, your... Paramour was speaking with us about the distribution of the technology you gave us. While we were explaining the issues we likewise were facing." 

I thoughtfully hummed and leaned against Erica's chair. My almost teasingly pressure filled massage became more soft with Erica sniffing in amuesment as I could all but also see the pout she was putting on for the outsiders to see.

"My name is Oda Seishuuin, and as for issues... The Korean mega fabrication plants have put embargo's on the chips coming out of other countries we need to get started on the factories to make the factories for your advanced technology my lord."

He took a breath and then a woman spoke and she was miko obviously with her outfit even though she wore it in a very flattering way. "My lord there is also the issue of the seals of our temples becoming looser. Especially the seals on the Victorious Fighting Bhudda, his seals are already broken but-"

She drew off with a blush as Erica sniffed and said in amuesment. "They sent the old monkey a bunch of divine wine and drugged food that put him to sleep. It won't even hurt him, but it's keeping him in a coma in his temple so long as no one with negative intent arrives."

My face twitched at that... And I coudn't help but face palm as I muttered. "Damn it. I still have another goddess wanting a dance of death with me as well."

Athena would be fucking wroth incarnate if I skipped out on our date of brutally murdering one another to go fight another heretic god.

So I sighed and said with a helpless smile. "Give me a week and I will go sort out old Son Wukong... It is my fate as the Jade Emperor to deal with the monkey anyway."

Truly how could I myself not go deal with him? If I didn't and that troublesome monkey learned that there was a new human/campione Jade Emperor.

That damned monkey would flip my entire house over just to fuck with me. Not to fight me or hurt the people close to me. He wouldn't be able to resist the chance to mess with the 'jade emperor'.

Still I hummed and paused as I realized something. "So I assume that those countries that are suppressing you. Have mage support correct?"

As I brought this new tech to these entrenched mage families because they themselves already had power literally and finacially to get this done.

So if it was just... Samsung trying to cut their ankles out from under them. It woudn't make sense as to why this was a issue.

And my face twitched as the big man the Seishuin family member whose entire lineage was formed around being combat capable said rather angrily. "Yes my lord! They are being supported by several of Lord Luo Hao's retired disciples!

To which I scowled at that... As this was now FAR more complicated then just upjumped mage family messing with my goals.

Luo Hao was infamous for her motto of strength speaks the loudest within the Five Elements Martial Sect of hers.

Yet if a Dead Apostle Ancestor killed one of her disciples or likewise a Campione killed one of her disciples? She would happily go beat them to death if she could get ahold of them.

Or in her words, it was perfectly fine for the strong to bully the weak. But if someone too strong bullies her own people and they have zero chance to stand up for themselves. Then she would go full cultivator murder hobo on them.

I exhaled heavily before I said helplessly. "If you can. Try to force past the embargo. If they resist, beat them off while reminding them that I am aware of their actions and I WILL come pay them and their families a visit if they insist on messing with my kingdom." 

That was all I could say right now. In terms of fighting Luo Hao... Frankly I didn't have the centuries fighting divines and the strongest beings on a constant basis while also refining my personal martial arts style every single day without fail for those centuries.

Luo Hao in terms of pure combat skill was above all the rest of my 'siblings' so I wasn't looking forward to fighting her in the slightest.

Still I refocused as the Kuhoutsuka clan's miko cleared her throat and said quietly. "Also my lord. Over the last couple of days, there has been several reports of foreign owls filling the city. We are unsure if it's foreign-"

I cut off the miko as I said helplessly. "No, it's not foreign mages and there familiars. It's the Heretic God Athena. That's her way of watching the city anyway."

I cleared my throat at seeing the mages and mikos in attendance shivering at the reminder a rogue random heretic god was running around.

Still with a chuckle I gave Erica one last squeeze to her shoulders before I said. "It seems you have things well in hand Erica. If you do need my intervention, I am here. But I should probably go meet with that impatient little goddess before she does something foolish."

Then my flying sword shot out of my sleeve to cut a hole through space to let me teleport out above the city while I was hidden from the casual view of mortals without control over magical energy.

"Now... Where are you Athena?" I mused aloud as I couldn't put off this Athena's desires anymore lest she go crazy as a heretic god and start killing people en-mass.

Not that even normal Athena was a 'reasonable' goddess anyway.

And for a moment I wondered if I needed to go find Athena herself but flaring the Gorgonioen's power sealed within the grimoire itself was more than enough.

"I was worried you would make me look for you." I spoke with a light tone.

Athena formed as dozens of owls came together and then faded away to leave the younger girl standing on the grounds of the empty park I had picked for our battle.

The empty park that even to this day carried the evil aura of Angra Mainyu where the grail mud originally flooded into the world.

"You were flashing my power out so clearly. How could I not accept your invitation?" Athena retorted blandly before she tilted her head to the side.

"It's a pity, however. I allowed you to come home to write your last will and testament. Yet you didn't do so, nor did you lay with your harem to ensure your lineage." She spoke with something akin to disappointment in me.

I snorted and said rather bluntly. "If I die, what does it matter? My lineage is that of an orphan washing up on these shores and now I became it's emperor simply due to location."

Popping my neck to the side I then just tossed the Gorgonien towards Athena who caught it casually but I could see her frown at my action.

As it was still the source of her powers that had been beaten out of her.

Then a crack rang out as she shattered the grimoire and darkness flooded the world as the Earth serpent nature of this Heretic God Athena was pulled free and then added back to Athena.

Her form became a dark version of a Pokemon evolution, and I watched with a raised eyebrow as the shadows quickly faded with Athena's younger weak form evolving to her 'true' form of divinity as a full woman in a toga and holding a long scythe of all things.

'How does Athena having a sycthe make sense in her historic lore? Bah, she is a mix of Athena, Gaea, and Medusa anyway.' I thought as Heretic gods truly made no sense at the best of times anyway.

Athena took a deep breath. Her deep cleavage partially showing by her toga all but bounced as she laughed darkly. "Finally... Finally, I regained my power after those humiliating battles with the Jade Emperor and Verathragna!"

To which I tilted my head to the side and asked with a raised eyebrow. "So... Now you decide to throw yourself at me? The person who killed them both?" 

Athena sniffed and said in disdain. "They were but fools who underestimated you. I will not. You are but human, yes, but luckier than most indeed." 

'Yup she is drinking the insane evil kool-aid.' I realized before I stretched as my divinity flowed through my body.

"Whelp... I can only disabuse you of that notion." I said before, my eyes lasered in on Athena.

And all the while, familiars of the History Compilation Committee, other mage families, and such were quickly approaching as any sensor at all picked up our roiling divinity that screamed our intent on violence to the world.

"Let wisdom be sealed then! Let faith be the answer for all who live under my sun!" I spoke in a swift incantation as I became a large incarnation of the Buddha to swat at her with a gleaming hand of gold.