Chapter 1124: Sousei no Onmyouji

Back to Draconic Deus.

A day has passed since Eiji acquired two goddesses as his servants.

In the process, he didn't hesitate to summon them so they wouldn't have to stay in his mindscape.

Noah and Althena were happy; even though the latter was unable to try to escape or stray too far from Eiji, she was still satisfied with the attention he gave them.

Of course, Althena and Noah were also surprised because inside Eiji's house, there were so many beautiful women. It wasn't that they were surprised he had a harem—after all, the father of one of them (Jupiter) had over a thousand wives.

However, many of those women were just as attractive—or even more so—than they were!

"With women like that… No wonder Eiji isn't head over heels when he sees me."

In one of the living rooms, Noah couldn't help but say this with a touch of narcissism.

Althena shot her childhood friend a flat look. "This is the second time you've said that, Noah."

When she first saw the other women living in that house yesterday, Noah had said something similar.

"But… but… this is the first time a guy hasn't gone crazy over me, and hasn't even drooled, Althena!"

"Stop being so dramatic!"

*Bonk!*

Althena hit Noah on the head with a karate-like motion.

"Ow! That hurts, that hurts! Althena, you need to hold back a little when you hit your childhood friend!"

Noah shed a few fake tears, made a pouty face, and rubbed her head.

Althena sipped the tea Grayfia had made a moment ago and stopped paying attention to Noah.

Her movements were elegant and full of grace.

"Fufufu."

One of the women sitting in front of them laughed. She was incredibly beautiful, but what made Althena a little wary when she first saw her was her aura, which reminded her of the Demon King. But she seemed stronger than any Demon King in her worlds (the universe she came from).

Of course, after finding out who she was, Althena realized she didn't need to be wary of her—and that she was, in fact, a devil.

To be precise, the mother of all devils, Lilith.

The women in Eiji's harem were so unique that her father's harem seemed lackluster by comparison.

"You two have a good relationship."

"That's pretty much true. After all, we've known each other since we were children, even though Noah comes from a race opposite to mine—since those two races once went to war in the past."

Hearing what Lilith said, Althena didn't argue and explained a bit about the strained relationship between the holy gods and the titan gods.

"A war between races? Interesting. My race and the races of some of the women here have also been at war." Lilith seemed intrigued and began telling the story of the Great War between devils, angels, and fallen angels.

Althena was surprised.

"But now you're all sharing the same man? That's surprising."

"That's because Eiji brought us all together as a family and made us love him. He also made every supernatural faction in this world sign a peace treaty. We have no reason to be hostile toward one another just because of wars in the past."

"Eiji did that? That's incredible."

Althena gazed at Eiji, who was combing the hair of one of his daughters (Ravella), with admiration in her eyes.

From Thanatos, she had only heard that he had a harem and that his prowess was no less than that of a hero.

However, she didn't know the details.

Seeing him take care of his daughters alongside his other women also made her think he was a better father than her own father!

Even though he was a pervert for having hundreds of women in his harem, it also showed his greatness as a man.

[Althena +2]

[Althena +3]

..

..

Althena's fondness for him grew; Eiji glanced at Lilith and wondered if she was acting as his wingman.

She was.

Lilith gave a faint smile.

As for Noah?

She had long since left Althena and Lilith and gone to another room where she caught a whiff of something incredibly delicious.

"Ah, Noah-san. Would you like some dessert?" Right in the hallway leading to the room where most of the people were gathered, Erina was pushing a serving cart filled with many of her homemade desserts.

Noah wasn't a foodie, but Erina's cooking skills were now so impressive that even a goddess like her was practically drooling.

In her eyes, those desserts also seemed to glow as if they were truly the fare of the gods.

Just like this morning's breakfast!

Noah was beginning to realize just how delicious the food at Eiji's house was, and it was making her addicted.

"M-May I?"

Erina smiled warmly, "Of course. After all, you're one of us, too. Don't be shy."

One of you?

You mean, one of Eiji's women?

Noah wanted to argue that she and Eiji didn't have that kind of relationship yet. However, the smell of the dishes made her nod.

"I'll get you some."

"Thanks, Erina!"

A few seconds later.

"Hmmmm~!! It's so delicious! This is the best dessert I've ever had! If Eiji doesn't mind, I'd like to make you my apostle, Erina! I can give you a weapon that can kill the gods!"

Noah's eyes sparkled, and her cheeks puffed out slightly as she chewed like a squirrel.

Her image as a goddess was nowhere to be seen.

"That… No, thank you. Unlike most of the women in this house, I don't like fighting—I just like cooking. So I'm sorry, I can't be your apostle, Noah-san."

"Uhhh... What a shame."

Noah was a little sad that she'd failed to get an apostle who could provide her with delicious food whenever she wanted. But her mood quickly improved as she ate the desserts on her plate.

Erina wondered where her fiancé, Eiji, had found this goddess?

Unlike Althena, she didn't seem like a serious goddess.

At one point, Noah joined Eiji and some of his other female companions to watch TV.

They were like a big family relaxing together.

"Noah, are you still sad because you failed to make Erina your apostle?" At that moment, Eiji couldn't resist teasing the silver-haired goddess.

Noah looked panicked, as if she had done something wrong. "Huh!? Eiji, did you overhear my conversation with Erina? U-Um… I didn't mean to steal someone away from you or anything like that, okay? Besides, being my apostle doesn't require anyone to constantly follow my orders or live with me. They're free to do whatever they want because I'm the Goddess of Beauty and Freedom!"

"Oh... Don't worry, I'm not blaming you. I'm just curious if you're still sad and need me to cheer you up?"

"Eiji, you… want to cheer me up?"

Hearing Eiji's words, Noah blushed. Especially when she saw the smile on his handsome face.

Many of the women in the room fell silent. Eiji's skill at wooing a woman was still terrifying.

Unlike the protagonist Makoto in the original work, who was often teased by Noah, Eiji did the opposite by teasing the goddess.

And Noah's defense wasn't actually as strong as her offense. It seems she could fall in love with a man who isn't captivated by her beauty—and even free her from her seal.

Although it was Thanatos who freed her from the temple where she had previously been confined.

You could say she did it for Eiji. Noah naturally has a very favorable impression of that man.

She's vulnerable to his attacks.

"N-No, I'm not sad… But Eiji, thank you for asking."

Noah narrowed her eyes, a gentle look in them.

If it were the protagonist Makoto, he would surely have blushed if he hadn't activated the skill that made him immune to her charm.

But Eiji just nodded and turned his gaze back to the TV screen. According to his Future Insight this morning, there would be a plot development that he could see on TV.

He wasn't in a hurry to intervene.

"?" Noah.

Is that all?

Is their little flirtation already over!?

Wasn't that a little too short?

Noah's lips twitched.

She began to wonder just how low her own charm was in Eiji's eyes.

On the other side of the room, Althena shook her head.

'Noah, you're too easy!'

She teased her childhood friend without admitting that she, too, was starting to develop feelings for the same man.

Rather than thinking about things like that, Althena actually wanted to ask Eiji what he needed to do before he could go to her universe, and when he planned to do it.

Since yesterday, they'd just been relaxing at his house. That wasn't a bad thing; she herself was enjoying the time she spent at his house.

But—

[Shocking news came from Tokyo and the surrounding areas. This morning, the Police Department has received numerous reports of missing persons and abductions that weren't committed by humans!]

The female news anchor's voice on the TV screen sounded loud, as Eiji had turned up the volume at that moment.

This caught Althena's and the other women's attention.

[With the permission of Mr. Gen Tachibana, the highest-ranking general in the Police Department, we have been granted permission to present evidence at several crime scenes in specific sectors.]

"That's my father's name!" Marika (Nisekoi) happened to be there as well, and she cried out when her father's name was mentioned.

Eiji, of course, also remembered one of his prospective fathers-in-law. Ever since that man had approved his relationship with his daughter, he'd certainly maintained a fairly good relationship with him.

The screen changed.

A low-quality black-and-white video from a street CCTV camera shakes slightly. The time in the upper corner shows 10 p.m. At first, the street appears deserted. There's only a gust of wind blowing dry leaves around. Then, visual distortion begins to occur. The TV screen crackles, filled with static lines.

From the darkness of the alley's corner, they emerged. Their silhouettes did not resemble humans, nor did they resemble any animal ever recorded in biology textbooks. Their bodies were tall and thin, moving with joints that creaked and snapped, as if defying the laws of physics. Their skin—or whatever covered their bodies—seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

Each of them also had lines resembling left-handed wedges on their chests.

(A/N: Kini-kiri is a traditional Japanese spiritual practice and form of meditation that involves reciting nine words or symbols with hand gestures or air cuts for protection.)

In other words, it's a kind of mantra typically used by exorcists or Onmyōji in ancient times.

On the screen, a married couple was seen just getting out of their car. They didn't have time to scream. In the blink of an eye—too fast for the mind to grasp—the creatures had already surrounded them. Without any bloody scenes of violence, the creatures simply touched the shoulders of the two victims.

In that very instant, the space and air around them warped. The next second, the two residents vanished. They simply vanished along with the creatures into thin air, leaving the car door still wide open.

Other videos recorded by CCTV cameras also captured similar scenes involving different people and locations.

[As of this afternoon, the Police Department and the Central Intelligence Agency confirmed that the number of residents who went missing under similar circumstances had surpassed four thousand in the span of a single night. Official authorities admit... they have absolutely no idea where these victims were taken. There are no clues, no ransom demands, and no traceable destination.]

[Until the identities of these creatures and their movements are clearly known, residents are advised to exercise greater caution when venturing outside their homes.]

Ordinary people would be terrified after seeing that news, but everyone living in Eiji's house was clearly not ordinary.

Instead of being afraid, many of them had strange expressions on their faces and were speculating about who the culprits might be.

"Maybe the remnants of the Old Devil Faction have been experimenting and created those creatures? Eiji, didn't you kill the remnants of the Old Satan Faction when you saved Lilebette with Zekka?"

Rias was referring to the episode where Eiji gave Yamato (Vergil's sword) to Zekka so he could kill the monsters summoned by a devil from the Old Satan Faction, and where Eiji himself killed that devil and the other devils in his group after Zekka had defeated Lilebette in a duel.

She and Eiji's other women watched that scene on a livestream.

Sona refuted what she said. "No, Rias. Those don't seem to be creatures created by any organization in our series."

As the two of them discussed it with serious expressions. Fortunately, their daughters were taking a nap in another room.

"Eiji, is this a serious problem in the world?" Noah asked curiously.

After all, he didn't know much about the evil creatures in that world.

Eiji casually replied, "No, it's not a serious problem—at least not for me and most people here. If we wanted to, we could solve that problem at its root."

It wasn't just Noah; the other women in the room were also confused.

Only those who could hear his inner voice knew more about what the creatures that had just been shown on TV actually were.

[Those creatures are the Impurities from the series titled Sousei no Onmyouji. They should have appeared a long time ago, even before I wiped out the Old Satan Faction, the Hero Faction, and the other factions full of evil people in this world.]

Impurity?

What are they!?

They seem to be creatures from a new series.

Wait... Since they've been in this world for so long, why are they only appearing now?

[According to my observations, they've only just made their presence known to us because the dimensional barrier between many series and the Sousei no Onmyouji series vanished last night.]

[I remember mentioning something about a dimensional barrier that prevented certain series from interacting with other series in the past.]

The women: Really? When was that?

[Perhaps because the conflict between the Onmyouji and the Impurity on a certain island was nearing its climax, it also affected the dimensional barrier within that series.]

[To be honest, I'd long since forgotten about that series.]

Eiji rubbed his nose as if he were a little embarrassed. However, he wasn't actually embarrassed at all.

Miss System: You should be embarrassed, host. You haven't even used the reward I gave you to solve the problem of a heroine in that series.

Eiji: Ah, I just remembered that.

Miss System: "....."

If she hadn't intentionally destroyed that barrier to stop her apostle from slacking off, he would have forgotten about it forever.

Eiji: A while back, you gave me a plant seed or something like that, right, Miss System?

Miss System: That wasn't a plant seed! It was a seed of light that can purify a heroine's dark side!

Eiji: With my current power, do I still need that item?

Miss System: I think... I don't think so.

Eiji and Miss System communicated telepathically, and Eiji was still thinking about how he would solve this problem.

I mean, it's easy for him.

But he also had to figure out how to maximize the benefits he'd gain.

That's what the biggest villain boss behind the scenes is supposed to do, right?

At her residence.

Knowing what her apostle was thinking, Thanatos fell silent.

"Can't you stop thinking like a villain, my apostle? But that's exactly what I'd expect from him. He truly deserves to be my apostle."

They're a match made in heaven.

Ahem! Just kidding.

Thanatos decided to stop reading Chinese novels to keep her mind in check.

...

A/N: This will be another arc where not only Eiji, but his women will also show their power. After that, the Fate arc—or maybe the Danmachi arc—will start again.