Vash
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Chapter 60
🕑 Added 2025-07-09 14:33:13 +0000 UTCI stood by the window, looking out at the city lights while nursing a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.
The aftermath of Kokabiel's death had rippled through the supernatural world faster than I'd expected. Within hours of our return to the city, my phone had started buzzing with calls from faction representatives, business partners, and entities I'd never even heard of.
The Grigori had issued a formal statement distancing themselves from Kokabiel's actions while expressing "regret" for the fallen angel's demise. Azazel himself had sent a brief message that simply read: "Thank you."
The Vatican had been more complicated. Cardinal Benedetti had called personally to express gratitude for eliminating a "rogue element" while carefully avoiding any acknowledgment of the Church's own involvement in the mess.
Most interesting had been the reaction from the Norse faction. Odin himself had sent congratulations through official channels, praising my "tactical acumen" and expressing hope for continued cooperation. Reading between the lines, I suspected the All-Father was pleased that his bodyguard had survived the ordeal.
But beneath all that, there was something more personal. A sense of closure I hadn't expected to feel.
The fallen angel who'd murdered my parents was nothing more than ash scattered across an Alpine mountainside.
My parents could rest now. For the time being, at least.
Because this wasn't the end. Kokabiel's death was just the first step. Once I became strong enough, once I reached the heights of power that gods and dragons commanded, I would bring them back. My parents would live again, even if I had to tear apart the very concept of death to do it.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
“Mishima-sama.” Alessia peek her head at the door.
"Come in, Rossweisse." I gestured.
She entered quietly. I could sense something different in her posture.
"Is everything alright?" I asked, setting down my coffee cup.
"I want to ask you something." She closed the door behind her and moved closer. "I want you to train me."
I raised an eyebrow as I took a seat on the nearby couch. "Train you? Why?"
"I want to be stronger." Her voice was firm, but I could see the frustration beneath it. "What happened in that basement... I was helpless. Completely helpless. I couldn't do anything."
I studied her face. “I see…”
Training Rossweisse would mean sharing some of my secrets. But then again, she'd already seen most of what I could do. And more importantly, she was already mine.
"It won't be easy," I said finally.
"I understand."
"Come here," I said, patting my thigh.
She hesitated for just a moment then moved to sit sideways on my lap, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Even after these past few days, she still got shy about physical intimacy. It was cute, really.
"Comfortable?" I asked, once she'd finally relaxed against me.
"Very." The tension left her shoulders as she settled more naturally into the embrace. "I'm still getting used to this."
"To what?"
"Being close to someone like this." Her voice was soft.
“Do you like it?”
"Very." She relaxed against me, resting her head on my shoulder. "So you'll train me?"
I nodded.
She shifted to look at me directly. "When do we start?"
"When we get back to Tokyo." I brushed a strand of hair from her face. "But Rossweisse, you need to understand something. You're already stronger than you think. What happened to you... that wasn't your fault.”
"I know. But it won't happen again." She said with steel in her eyes.
"No," I agreed. "It won't. Because next time, you'll be ready."
She smiled. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. Wait until you've been through one of my training sessions."
"How bad could it be?"
I laughed. "You'll find out."
We sat there in silence for a moment.
"Leon?" Her voice was quieter now.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you..." She paused, her fingers stilling.
"Do you really like me?" Her cheeks flushed pink.
I tilted her chin up so she had to meet my eyes. "Yes, Rossweisse. I really like you."
Her shoulders relaxed, tension I hadn't realized she was carrying melting away. "Good." She bit her lip. "Because I really like you too."
"Just like?" I brushed my thumb across her cheek.
Her blush deepened, spreading down her neck. "Well... maybe more than like."
I ran my hand through her hair, watching how she leaned into the touch. There was something I needed to say, something that had been weighing on me.
"Rossweisse, there's something you should know. About my... relationships."
Her head tilted, eyebrows drawing together slightly.
She leaned up and kissed me, cutting off my explanation.
Her lips were soft. When she pulled back, her expression was calm, understanding.
"I don't care," she said simply.
"Leon, you're powerful. Incredibly powerful." She traced a pattern on my chest with her finger. "You're going to attract attention from all kinds of women. Devils, angels, gods, whatever." She shrugged, the gesture casual despite the pink still coloring her cheeks. "It's inevitable for someone like you."
"That doesn't bother you?"
"As long as you don't neglect me, I'm fine with it." Her voice stayed even, but her hand tightened slightly on my shirt. "I understand how this world works. Powerful men have multiple partners. It's been that way since the beginning of time."
"I'm okay with not being your only woman, as long as I'm important to you.”
"You are important to me," I said, catching her hand and intertwining our fingers. "More important than you know."
More important than she could possibly understand. She'd been sent to spy on me, yes, but somewhere along the way she'd chosen me over her duty.
"Then that's enough." She looked up at me, a small smile playing on her lips. "Besides, I'm Norse, though I reserve the right to be jealous sometimes."
"I think I can live with that."
As she settled more comfortably against me, my mind wandered to my inventory. The NZT-48 Enhanced Formula sat there, completed just yesterday.
I made a mental note to drink it later.
Anyways, now I have another slot to create.
Rossweisse wanted to get stronger.
Her request had sparked something else in my mind. A new project for the Workshop. Something I'd been considering for weeks but hadn't committed to yet.
Zodiac Pieces
The concept was similar to the devil's Evil Pieces system, but based on the Western zodiac instead of chess. Twelve unique artifacts, each shaped like an ornate key, each tied to one of the zodiac signs. Each piece would grant specific abilities and enhancements to the user, tailored to the characteristics of their corresponding constellation.
I based the abilities similar to Akatsuki Tojou familiars I'd seen in the anime.
And unlike Evil Pieces, their race would remain fundamentally the same, but enhanced. They will be the . Improved physical strength, immortality, enhanced magical resistance, and accelerated healing. All the benefits of supernatural enhancement without losing their former self.
I could already see the Workshop's interface in my mind, waiting for me to input the specifications.
But that could wait tonight. The Workshop wasn't going anywhere.
Right now, I was perfectly content with Rossweisse's warm weight against me.
======
Two hours later, after Rossweisse had fallen asleep curled against me on the hotel room's couch, I carefully extracted myself from beneath her and covered her with a blanket. She looked beautiful, her silver hair spilled across the cushions like moonlight.
I moved to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. Time for the NZT-48 Enhanced Formula.
A small clear vial filled with translucent blue liquid materialized with a thought. The Enhanced Formula looked deceptively simple for something that would fundamentally alter my cognitive capabilities. Unlike the original NZT-48 from the movie, this version had been perfected by the Workshop. No side effects. No dependency. No degradation over time.
I held the vial up to the light, watching the liquid swirl. The formula would boost my intelligence, memory, and processing speed to superhuman levels. More importantly, it would be permanent. One dose, and my brain would be operating at a level that would make Einstein look like a child playing with blocks.
"Here goes nothing," I murmured, and drank the entire vial in one gulp.
The taste was surprisingly pleasant. Like mint and electricity, if that made any sense. For a moment, nothing happened. I just stood there in the bathroom, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
Then it hit me.
It was like someone had suddenly turned on lights in a house I'd been living in with only candles. Everything became sharper, clearer, more defined. Colors seemed more vivid. The sound of Rossweisse's breathing from the other room carried layers of information I'd never noticed before.
But it was my thoughts that changed the most dramatically.
Suddenly, I could see connections everywhere. The political ramifications of Kokabiel's death weren't just obvious, they were mapped out in my mind like a chess board twenty moves deep. I could see exactly how each faction would respond, how their responses would trigger counter-responses, how the entire supernatural political landscape would shift over the next few months.
I could see the Workshop's interface now not as a tool I used, but as an extension of my own mind. Every spell in my grimoire was cross-referenced with dozens of others, showing me combination possibilities I'd never considered. Theoretical magical frameworks appeared and evolved in my thoughts like living things.
More than that, I understood people better. Rossweisse's behavior patterns, her body language, the subtle tells that revealed her emotions.
I could also see something else. The way she'd positioned herself on the couch, unconsciously oriented toward where I'd been sitting. The slight smile on her lips. The complete trust in her relaxed posture.
I focused for a moment and felt the enhancement dial back, like turning down the volume on a radio. The hypercognitive state remained accessible, but I wasn't drowning in it anymore.
One of the best modifications I'd made to the original formula was making it toggleable. I could access the enhanced state when I needed it for planning or combat, but I could also dial it back to simply enjoy quiet moments like this.
Being that all the time would be exhausting. It would also change how I related to people. I didn't want to lose the ability to simply be present with Rossweisse and the others, to enjoy their company without constantly analyzing every micro-expression and behavioral pattern.
The enhancement was a tool, not a replacement for who I was.
I settled into the chair across from her, keeping the cognitive boost at a comfortable level.
As I looked at her sleeping form, my thoughts turned to the timeline. There were only a few weeks before the canonical events would begin to unfold. Issei Hyoudou would soon awaken as the Red Dragon Emperor. The supernatural conflicts that had driven the original story would start cascading into motion.
I wasn't sure how my presence would change things. My presence had already created ripples.
But regardless of how the future unfolded.
I would protect what was mine.
I would burn the world if I had to.
End of Volume I
