Chapter 952: Souls Beyond Samsara

The roar of the crowd suddenly increased, making the enormous glass walls of the VIP room vibrate with the intensity of the screams. Vergil, who was about to take one of the desserts from Stella's plate, stopped moving when a gigantic shadow crossed the open ceiling of the coliseum.

"What happened now?" Vergil asked while approaching the window, watching thousands of spectators rise from their seats and point toward the sky.

An enormous eastern dragon was flying over the stadium.

Its long, serpentine body was covered in green and golden scales, while a whitish mane followed the movement of its head. Two long whiskers floated around its snout, and four legs ending in sharp claws moved slowly as it slithered through the air. It had no wings, but that did not seem to present any difficulty in flying.

The dragon let out another roar, causing clouds to gather above the coliseum. Small golden bolts of lightning crossed the sky, provoking another explosion of applause.

Vergil watched the spectacle for a few seconds.

Then looked at Susanoo.

"Who is that guy?" Vergil asked while pointing toward the dragon, which had just completed a full lap around the stands.

"Ryujin." Susanoo replied while settling comfortably into one of the sofas, crossing her legs carelessly. "An idiotic dragon who loves showing off and stealing gold. You probably know that story about the dragon who stole a prince's jewels, don't you?"

"No idea." Vergil replied, showing very little interest.

"Well, that story is practically true." Susanoo continued while picking up a glass of wine from the table. "He really did steal the jewels. In fact, he stole much more than that. The idiot owns an underwater palace full of treasures he doesn't even use."

Vergil looked back at the dragon.

Ryujin was performing another display, this time making small spheres of water float around his body. The audience seemed fascinated, especially the younger Oni occupying the front rows.

"I don't give a damn." Vergil replied while crossing his arms. "Actually, this dragon is pathetic."

Susanoo almost choked on her wine.

"Pathetic?!" The goddess repeated, turning toward him with an incredulous expression. "You do know you're talking about a very ancient draconic deity, don't you?"

"That only makes it more embarrassing." Vergil replied while examining Ryujin's spiritual energy. "At his age, I expected something more impressive."

Before Susanoo could answer, two presences appeared beside him.

Nivara and Crymsaria materialized through small manifestations of draconic energy, assuming their human forms. The two Heavenly Dragon Empresses had followed the conversation through their spiritual connection with Vergil and apparently decided the occasion deserved their personal opinions.

"I completely agree." Nivara commented while observing Ryujin through the glass, wrinkling her nose with obvious disapproval. "What an ugly creature. He looks like a long noodle someone forgot to cook properly. And that ridiculous amount of power? He should be ashamed to present himself as a dragon."

Crymsaria tilted her head.

"Don't insult Japanese noodles." Crymsaria immediately replied, seeming far more bothered by the culinary comparison than by Ryujin's existence. "I love ramen. That broth, the meat, the eggs... Ah, just remembering it makes me hungry."

Vergil let out a small laugh.

"I'll take you to eat later." Vergil promised while absentmindedly stroking her head. "I know some excellent restaurants in Tokyo."

Crymsaria's eyes lit up.

"Promise?" Crymsaria asked while holding his hand, displaying an enthusiasm that completely contrasted with her position as a Dragon Empress.

"I promise." Vergil replied, immediately receiving a satisfied smile before she returned to observing the arena.

Nivara let out a sigh.

"You really are easy to please." Nivara commented, although her gaze remained fixed on Ryujin. "But I still think that thing is a disgrace to our species."

Stella, who had finished tasting a small red bean sweet, approached the window with her plate in her hands.

"Really, this guy is pathetic." Stella commented while evaluating the dragon's energy signature. "His power level is lower than a dwarf's."

Vergil slowly turned his face toward her.

"You're being harsh." Vergil replied, showing genuine surprise at the comparison.

Stella raised an eyebrow.

"Am I?" Stella asked while putting another sweet into her mouth. "Brock and Sindri are at least ten times more powerful than this guy. Maybe even more."

"Stella, you're comparing two divine-level blacksmiths to a flying centipede." Vergil replied while pointing toward Ryujin, who continued performing his displays. "That's practically gratuitous humiliation."

Crymsaria started laughing.

"Flying centipede!" Crymsaria repeated, bringing one hand to her mouth while trying to contain her laughter. "That was good!"

Nivara looked at the dragon again.

"Now that you've said it, he really does look like one." Nivara commented, nodding with an extremely serious expression.

Susanoo spent a few seconds staring at the group.

Then turned toward Inari.

"Demons really do have loose tongues, don't they?" Susanoo commented while shaking her head, apparently unable to believe they were insulting a draconic deity in front of three Japanese goddesses.

Inari let out a small laugh, partially hiding her smile behind her cup.

"I'm starting to notice." Inari replied while her nine tails moved lazily behind the sofa. "They don't seem to have any concern about offending anyone."

Vergil heard perfectly.

"To be honest, the only person here I'd actually be worried about irritating would be Amaterasu." Vergil commented while sitting back down. "And even then, it depends on the reason. I don't see why I should measure my words around you two."

Susanoo raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know whether I should consider that good or bad." Susanoo replied while placing her glass on the table. "Are you saying you don't consider us threatening?"

"I'm saying I like you." Vergil replied with a carefree smile. "Those are different things."

"Good to know you don't consider me a threat either."

The voice came from near the entrance to the room.

Everyone turned.

Tsukuyomi had just appeared through a small lunar portal. Her long silver hair fell down her back, while a white dress of delicate fabric followed her silhouette. The black rings that normally floated around her body rotated slowly, and her calm expression contrasted with the excitement of the coliseum.

"Tsukuyomi!" Susanoo greeted while raising her hand, showing satisfaction at seeing her sister. "Finally decided to show up."

"Good morning." Stella greeted with a smile, while Nivara and Crymsaria also waved to the newcomer.

Inari merely inclined her head, and Vergil raised two fingers in a casual greeting.

"Did you hear the whole conversation?" Vergil asked while Tsukuyomi approached the sofas.

"The part where you said you only fear my older sister." Tsukuyomi replied while sitting beside Susanoo. "I admit I'm a little offended. I thought my demonstration with your sword had made a better impression."

Vergil immediately remembered when she had stopped Yamato using only two fingers.

"Ah, it did." Vergil replied while letting out a small laugh. "I just don't see a reason to fear someone who isn't trying to kill me."

Tsukuyomi smiled.

"Quite an interesting way of seeing things." The Moon Goddess commented while accepting a cup of tea offered by Inari.

It was at that moment that two feminine arms wrapped around Vergil from behind.

"Darling~"

Vergil did not even need to look to recognize the voice.

Qliphoth had materialized behind the sofa, resting her chin on his shoulder. Her long red hair flowed over Vergil's clothes, and a satisfied smile dominated her face.

"Oh, no..." Vergil murmured while tilting his head to look at her. "What did you do this time?"

Qliphoth subtly puffed out her cheeks.

"Why do you always assume I did something wrong?" Qliphoth asked while tightening the hug. "I was working! I just finished restructuring everything, and now your mental world is perfect!"

Vergil froze.

The last time Qliphoth had announced an improvement, she had completely reorganized his energy system, increasing his capacity to use divine and demonic energy from five to ninety-nine percent.

He had learned to be suspicious of that word.

"What kind of perfection?" Vergil asked slowly, observing her proud expression.

"A wonderful perfection!" Qliphoth replied while a small translucent projection appeared before them, displaying the representation of a gigantic tree whose roots spread through countless spiritual structures. "I finished organizing the central region of your soul. Now I can directly connect the souls of all your wives to your inner world."

Stella stopped moving a sweet toward her mouth.

"Connect our souls?" Stella asked, showing curiosity as she approached to observe the projection.

"Exactly!" Qliphoth replied while pointing toward the luminous branches. "Once each bond is established, the soul will become connected to Vergil's spiritual core. If any of you die, your soul will be sent directly to him instead of following the conventional spiritual paths."

Tsukuyomi slowly raised her eyes.

Susanoo stopped drinking.

Inari placed her cup on the table.

Qliphoth continued, apparently without noticing the change in the three goddesses' expressions.

"Not even Samsara will be able to take those souls from him." Qliphoth explained while enlarging one of the branches of the projection. "The connections will be managed directly by me. It doesn't matter where death happens, as long as the bond remains intact, the soul will have a guaranteed path back."

Vergil observed the projection with interest.

"That's good." Vergil commented while examining the spiritual structures displayed. "So, as long as the souls continue to exist..."

"You'll be able to revive them as many times as you want!" Qliphoth immediately completed, smiling from ear to ear. "You're the progenitor of an entirely new race, darling. Your capacity for biological and spiritual creation is absurd. You can produce a new body, and I can insert the soul into it. We can repeat the process indefinitely, as long as the soul isn't destroyed."

Vergil became thoughtful.

"So theoretically, they wouldn't need to worry about conventional death anymore." Vergil commented while beginning to understand the possibilities of that structure.

"Exactly." Qliphoth replied, satisfied that he understood. "Of course, I can't recover a soul that has been completely annihilated. And each connection has to be established correctly. But outside those limitations, I managed to build an almost perfect spiritual preservation system."

Stella observed the projection.

Then looked at Vergil.

"Does that mean if I die, you can simply bring me back?" Stella asked while discreetly holding his arm.

"Basically." Vergil replied, looking at Qliphoth for confirmation.

The Negative World Tree nodded vigorously.

"As many times as necessary." Qliphoth replied while leaning over to observe Stella. "And you don't need to worry. I won't connect anyone without permission. I'm only saying that now we have that possibility."

Stella remained quiet for a few seconds.

Then smiled.

"I like it." Stella replied while approaching Vergil and kissing his cheek. "It's good to know my husband is investing in family security."

Vergil let out a laugh.

"I didn't even know she was doing this." Vergil replied while pointing his thumb toward Qliphoth, who remained wrapped around his neck.

"Details!" Qliphoth commented, dismissing the projection with a movement of her hand.

Meanwhile, the three Japanese goddesses remained strangely silent.

Susanoo was observing Vergil as if he had just announced that he intended to personally reorganize the laws of death.

Inari maintained a faint smile, but her ears were completely raised.

Tsukuyomi was the first to recover her composure.

"Vergil..." The Moon Goddess began while carefully placing her cup on the table. "Do you realize that you just discussed, in front of three deities, a method of preventing Samsara from receiving certain souls?"

Vergil looked at her.

"Yes." Vergil replied with absolute calm.

Tsukuyomi blinked.

"And wouldn't that be some kind of ultimate secret?" Tsukuyomi asked while discreetly gesturing toward Qliphoth. "We're talking about a mechanism that directly interferes with the spiritual administration of several pantheons. There are entities that would start wars just to get their hands on something like this."

Vergil shrugged.

"It's not like you are my enemies." Vergil replied while settling back into the sofa, allowing Qliphoth to remain hugging him. "Besides, I'm not planning to interfere with the fate of every soul in the universe. I only want to protect my family."

Susanoo let out a sigh.

"You talk about this as if you're installing a new lock on the front door." Susanoo commented while massaging her forehead.

"To him, it's probably the same thing." Nivara replied while sitting beside Crymsaria, who had found a bowl of ramen among the available food and seemed completely uninterested in the discussion.

Inari, however, tilted her head slightly.

"You're quite confident, aren't you?" Inari commented while observing Vergil with an amused smile. "You say we're not your enemies, but you don't even know what we might be thinking. Maybe one of us will decide to betray you someday."

Vergil slowly turned his face toward her.

His eyes dropped for a moment toward the nine white tails moving behind the sofa.

Then he smiled.

"Inari, every time you talk to me, your nine tails start moving as if they're extremely happy." Vergil replied while resting his face on one hand. "Honestly, I think it's only a matter of time before you beg to be seduced."

Inari froze.

Her ears immediately rose, while her nine tails, as if they had decided to betray her at that exact moment, began wagging even faster.

Susanoo widened her eyes.

Tsukuyomi brought one hand to her mouth to hide her smile.

Stella started laughing.

"What a conceited man..." Inari murmured while narrowing her red eyes, trying to recover her provocative expression. "Do you really think you can seduce a goddess like me?"

Vergil looked at her tails again.

"I don't need to think anything." Vergil replied with a satisfied smile. "They're already answering for you."

Inari turned her head backward.

Upon noticing the movement of her own tails, she closed her eyes and let out a deeply irritated sigh.

"Damn traitors..." The Fox Goddess grumbled while trying to force them to remain still, provoking such loud laughter from Susanoo that even some of the guests in the neighboring rooms could hear it.