Vash
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Chapter 44
🕑 Added 2025-06-02 12:57:21 +0000 UTCBack at the Mishima estate, I found Alessia waiting for me in my office, a stack of reports on my desk.
"How was your meeting with Sona Sitri?" she asked, her expression neutral.
"Enlightening," I replied, setting my bag down.
She nodded, apparently satisfied with my vague answer. "These just came in," she said, indicating the files. "Reports on Kokabiel, including his known associates and possible locations."
"From Azazel?"
"Some. Others from our own sources."
"Any patterns?"
"Nothing clear yet," she said. "But there are signs he's gathering forces. Recruiting rogue exorcists. Building resources." She paused, then added, "There's something else you should know. We've had several... visitors this afternoon."
I looked up quickly. "What kind of visitors?"
"People from three different supernatural groups. A kitsune from the Yokai faction, and messengers from the Hindu and Greek gods." Her voice stayed business-like, but I noticed the slight tightness around her eyes. "They've asked to meet with you. Right away."
"All in one day? That's... quick."
"Word travels fast in the supernatural world." Alessia's expression remained carefully neutral. "Especially when someone wields Laevateinn against the Governor-General of the Grigori."
“Thanks” She left.
"Tell them I'll meet with them tomorrow. I need time to read these files first."
"Of course." She turned to leave.
"Thank you, Alessia."
After she left, I sank into my chair, letting out a long breath. The Kokabiel situation was complicated enough without half the supernatural world suddenly wanting a piece of me. But I couldn't blame them. If someone with a world-ending sword suddenly appeared on my radar, I'd want to check them out too.
I spent the next hour going through the files, making notes, connecting dots. Kokabiel was smart, he left few traces, changed locations frequently, and kept his inner circle small. But nobody's perfect. There were patterns if you knew where to look.
When my eyes needed a break, I pushed back from the desk and closed them.
Closing my eyes, I reached inward as the Workshop formed around me. The familiar starry void opened up, workbenches and tools floating in cosmic space. It felt more vibrant somehow, the stars brighter, the energy more alive. Was that new, or had I just not noticed before?
I checked the list of projects, looking at the ones I'd started a week ago, right after Laevateinn was finished and before the "Shinjuku Incident."
Yeah, that's what they're calling it now. Sounds better than "that time Leon and Azazel nearly destroyed downtown Tokyo."
[Sacred Gear Extractor: 31 days left]
This thing was going to be crucial. Not just useful—crucial.
I'd been thinking about it for weeks now. There were Sacred Gears out there that could change everything. Annihilation Maker, Zenith Tempest, Dimension Lost—powerful artifacts just sitting inside people who had no idea what they really possessed.
"Can't rely on luck forever," I muttered, checking the timer again.
Sure, I could recreate Sacred Gears in the Workshop. But the manifestation times? Not worth. We're talking months, maybe years for the really broken ones.
The Extractor was different. It wouldn't be like the crude methods other factions used. No torture, no permanent harm to the wielder. Just a clean, precise removal that left both gear and host intact.
[E.V.E. : 29 days left]
The second project was purely practical. Based on the AI helpers from various fictions in my old life with all their capabilities combined, E.V.E. would help me run Mishima Corporation, study supernatural threats, and plan responses, freeing me to focus on more urgent matters.
E.V.E. would be more versatile and powerful, drawing on elements from J.A.R.V.I.S., Friday, Cortana and even Skynet (minus the whole "kill all humans" directive). A truly independent AI assistant who could manage multiple systems simultaneously.
[NZT-48 - Enhanced Formula: 10 days left]
The third was maybe the most useful right now, a perfect version of the drug from "Limitless," but without the bad side effects and with lasting results instead of short-term ones. Better thinking, perfect memory, faster pattern spotting. With supernatural politics getting more and more complex, I needed every edge I could get.
I'd tweaked the formula, ensuring it wouldn't cause dependency or the nasty side effects shown in the movie. Once taken, the changes would be permanent—neural pathways optimized, brain efficiency maximized, cognitive processing accelerated.
Ten days. Just ten days until I could think circles around even the most ancient beings.
As I studied the list, something caught my eye. I pulled up the info for Avalon, a project I'd thought about months ago but put aside because it would take too long to make.
[Avalon: 250 days]
I frowned. That wasn't right. When I first checked, it had been 300 days. I looked at several other possible projects, checking their times against what I remembered.
The Holy Grail: 330 days, down from 350. The Infinity Gauntlet: 470 days, down from 500. The Hogyoku: 350 days, down from 385.
What changed?
Then it hit me. I got stronger!
The Workshop wasn't just a static tool, it was connected to me, to my power. As I grew stronger through training, through the Dragon's Elixir, through actual combat experience with Azazel, the Workshop responded. Manifestation times decreased as my power increased.
I laughed out loud. The implications were huge. Items I'd written off as too time-consuming might eventually become viable. If the trend continued, what might be possible in a year? Two years?
I pulled up another item I'd been curious about—a perfected version of the Super Soldier Serum. Originally estimated at 600 days, it now showed just 498.
I was getting stronger. And the Workshop is too.
This changed everything. My long-term plans, my priorities, the timeline for acquiring certain abilities, all of it needed reassessing.
I just needed to hold everything together until then. Find Kokabiel. Deal with supernatural politics. Not die.
Simple, right?
I smiled grimly. At least things couldn't get much more complicated.
My phone buzzed again. A text from Sona: “My sister knows about us."
I stared at the message.
Scratch that. Things could definitely get more complicated.
—
Sitri Estate, Underworld - Same Evening
Sona sat at her desk in her private study, staring at a stack of paperwork that hadn't moved in the last hour. The words kept blurring together every time she tried to focus.
She'd kissed him.
Heat rushed to her cheeks again. She pressed her palms against them, trying to cool the burning sensation that had been coming and going since she left the student council room.
"Get it together, Sona," she muttered to herself, but her voice came out breathier than intended.
The memory kept replaying in her head. The way Leon had looked at her, intense and surprised. How she'd just... leaned in. Without thinking. Without calculating the consequences like she normally did.
The firm pressure of his lips against hers. How natural it had felt, despite being completely impulsive.
And the way he'd looked at her afterward—like she was the only person in the world that mattered.
She groaned and buried her face in her hands. This was ridiculous. She was Sona Sitri, heiress to one of the most prestigious devil families in the underworld. She didn't make impulsive decisions. She certainly didn't kiss dangerous boys in student council rooms.
Except apparently she did.
A teleportation circle flared to life in the corner of her study, its blue light casting dancing shadows across the walls. Sona quickly straightened in her chair, arranging her expression into something more composed.
"So-tan☆!"
Serafall materialized in a whirl of movement and sparkles, her magical girl outfit practically glowing with cheerful energy. She struck a dramatic pose, pointing at Sona with her star-tipped wand.
"Your super amazing big sister has arrived to check on—" She stopped mid-sentence, tilting her head like a confused puppy. "Ehh? So-tan, your face is all red☆!"
"I'm not red," Sona said quickly, turning back to her paperwork. "You're imagining things, onee-sama."
"Ooh, you totally are☆!" Serafall bounded over, circling her chair like an excited child who'd found a new toy. "Did something happen at school today☆? Did someone confess to you☆? Was it a love letter☆? Oh oh, was it a dramatic rooftop confession like in those shoujo manga☆?"
"Nothing like that happened," Sona said firmly, though her cheeks were heating up again.
Serafall's eyes went wide, and she gasped dramatically, pressing both hands to her cheeks. "Wait wait wait☆! I can see it in your eyes, So-tan☆! Something definitely happened☆!"
Before Sona could respond, Serafall's expression suddenly shifted to something more serious, though she still bounced slightly on her toes. "Actually, So-tan, we need to talk more about what happened today☆. That sword fight between Leon-kun and Azazel-chan☆."
Sona set her pen down carefully. "We already discussed this when you called earlier, onee-sama."
"I know, but now I've had time to think about it more☆!" Serafall studied her face with uncomfortable intensity, though her voice remained cheerful. "The whole underworld is buzzing, So-tan☆! A human—or mostly human—wielding one of the most dangerous weapons in existence☆! Fighting the Governor-General of the Grigori to a standstill☆!"
"Leon is... capable."
"Capable☆?" Serafall's voice pitched higher, and she threw her hands up dramatically. "So-tan, this boy could probably fight even me for a while☆! That's not 'capable,' that's 'potentially world-ending'☆!"
Sona frowned. "He's not a threat to—"
"How do you know☆?" Serafall leaned forward, her expression becoming unusually focused despite the cheerful tone. "What do any of us really know about him☆? He appears out of nowhere with draconic essence, unknown abilities, weapons that shouldn't exist☆! Even Sirzechs-chan is nervous about him☆!"
"Sirzechs-san is nervous about Leon?" That was news to her.
"Of course he is☆!" Serafall spun around once, her magical girl outfit swirling. "When someone shows up who can potentially threaten devil society, we pay attention☆! The question is, what's Leon-kun's endgame☆? What does he want☆?"
Sona thought about Leon's words earlier. His quiet determination to protect what mattered to him. The way he'd talked about building something better than what came before.
"He wants to protect people," she said finally. "His company, his territory, the people he cares about."
"And you believe that☆?"
"Yes."
"Why☆?" The question was sharp, probing, though Serafall's smile never faltered. "What makes you so certain☆?"
Sona hesitated. How could she explain the chess games? The quiet conversations? The way he looked at problems like puzzles to be solved rather than obstacles to be crushed?
"I've worked with him for months," she said. "I've seen how he thinks, how he approaches problems. He's not... he's not like other powerful beings."
"Different how☆?"
"He doesn't want to rule. Doesn't want to conquer. He just wants—" She paused, searching for the right words. "He wants things to make sense. To be fair."
Serafall stopped bouncing and tilted her head, studying Sona's face with the kind of intensity that only came when her sister complex was activated. After a long moment, her eyes widened.
"So-tan☆..." she said slowly, "you care about him☆."
It wasn't a question.
"We're business partners," Sona said automatically.
"So-tan☆." Serafall's voice was gentler now, though she still ended with a star. "I'm your onee-sama☆. I can see it in your face when you talk about him☆."
Sona felt heat creeping up her neck again. "It's complicated, onee-sama."
"Complicated how☆? Because he's human☆? Because he's dangerous☆? Because—" Serafall stopped mid-sentence, her eyes going impossibly wide as her mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "Oh☆. Oh my☆."
"What?"
"So-tan☆..." Serafall's voice dropped to a whisper, though she looked like she might vibrate out of existence from excitement. "You're in love with him☆!"
The words hit her like a physical blow. Sona opened her mouth to deny it, to say Serafall was being ridiculous, but nothing came out.
Because she wasn't wrong.
"So-tan☆," Serafall squealed suddenly, clapping her hands together and spinning in a circle, "this is so exciting☆! My little sister found love☆!"
"Onee-sama—" Sona started, but Serafall was already in full sister-mode.
"Oh oh oh☆! Is he treating you well☆? Is he romantic☆? Does he bring you flowers☆? Wait wait, more importantly—" Her expression suddenly turned serious and slightly dangerous, "he better not be taking advantage of my precious So-tan☆! Because if he hurts you, I'll freeze him into a popsicle☆!"
"It's not... we're not...yet"
"Does he know☆?" Serafall asked quietly.
"Yes..." Sona said as she touched her lips unconsciously.
Of course, this didn't escape her sister's eyes.
"You kissed☆?!" Serafall's voice reached a pitch that could probably shatter crystal.
"No! No!" Sona tried to deny it, but her face was burning red now.
Serafall's eyes went impossibly wide, sparkling with excitement. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh☆! My precious So-tan had her first kiss☆! With the super powerful dragon boy☆!" She started bouncing up and down like a hyperactive child. "This is so romantic☆! Like something out of a magical girl anime☆!"
"Onee-sama, please—"
"I have to meet him☆!" Serafall declared suddenly, her magical girl outfit flaring with power. "Right now☆! I need to see if he's worthy of my precious little sister☆!"
Sona felt her blood go cold. "Wait, onee-sama, you can't just—"
But Serafall was already forming a teleportation circle, her wand glowing with magical energy. "I'm going to give him the big sister talk☆! Don't worry, So-tan, I'll be gentle☆!" Her smile was absolutely terrifying. "Unless he's not treating you properly☆!"
"Onee-sama, no!" Sona shot up from her chair, but it was too late.
With a flash of blue light and sparkles, Serafall vanished.
Sona stared at the empty space where her sister had been, panic rising in her chest. Leon had no idea what was coming. Serafall in full protective sister mode was a force of nature that could probably level mountains.
Her hands shaking slightly, Sona grabbed her phone and quickly typed out a message:
"My sister knows about us."
She hit send and immediately followed with another:
"She's coming to see you. NOW."
Sona sank back into her chair, burying her face in her hands.
"I think," she said to the empty room, "I may have made a terrible mistake."
