Chapter 42: 42 – Three sides meeting

We could hear a pleasant but maternal voice speaking to us as soon as we walked in.

"Welcome, we've been expecting you Ahm and... miss?" Yasaka greeted us and inquired about the name of the guest.

Yasaka, being someone with such high mastery over Senjutsu, could sense my partner's strength but showed no signs of fear or unease; on the contrary, she welcomed her as any other guest. 

"Scáthach, I came to accompany my disciple and discuss various…  concerns that I have with Miss Yasaka at a later date, if possible " She responded quickly and simply gave a valid reason for someone like her to attend this meeting.

"What a… peculiar name, Miss Scáthach. Would you like something to drink before we start?" Yasaka nodded at her request and commented on the familiar name but without surprising Shishou. 

When Scáthach asked me about the names Arthur and Le Fay because she was familiar with it, I told her that this universe had or rather has a similar history to her world and even a version of her.

Which... ended with Shishou talking about multiverses and timelines and theorizing about them.

Is it possible for her to make something similar to the Kaleid Stick, which draws power from your other selves in different verses?

No way… right?

"I'd be glad to, Miss Yasaka," Scáthach replied as we made our way to one of the four designated spots.

In front of us, there were some tables with food and snacks.

Everyone in the room focused their attention on Scáthach because she was a new addition, and her strength, combined with the fact that I treat her with respect, was enough for them to assume her position in our group.

I nodded as well, since the Yokais' tea is pretty unique, and then I looked at the other two individuals in the room. 

"Ahm-chan! It's been a while since I've seen you!" Serafall greeted me with her usual cheerful voice; if it hadn't been an important meeting, she might have jumped at me.

"Sera-chan, I didn't expect to see you here with... " I greeted back but my focus was on the silver-haired maid behind her. 

Despite knowing that I was familiar with her looks, I almost mistook her for a time-stopping maid that had traveled all the way here from Gensokyo...

"Her name is Grayfia Lucifuge, and she came with me to this meeting because she was interested." Serafall presented Grayfia in her usual tone, concealing the purpose of her visit, but...

"Greetings, Sir Ahm, I'm here to look after miss Leviathan " She greeted me with respect, as if she were a maid, but I could see her attempting to see through both of us and failing at it, causing her to frown for a brief moment before reverting to her professional and pleasant demeanor.

"So she was sent by Lucifer? But why is that?" I said it out loud, not bothering to hide my curiosity about why she was here in the first place.

Serafall had an awkward expression for being easily seen through, but Grayfia didn't show much of a reaction to it.

Meanwhile, Yasaka and Scáthach were seated at a table, leisurely sipping their tea and occasionally making eye contact with one another, simply looking at our exchange. 

Is this the legendary 'girl's talk' in silence? In this case, it's the women....

But, as it was Yasaka who had invited them to the meeting in the first place, it was time for her to remark this time.

"They've come mostly because of the possible consequences of your invention… completely removing the Malice could have long term consequences for the Devils, so it's best to talk about it with them being here." Yasaka explained why they should be here, after all, the Yokais and the Devils are allies, and she is also mindful of my current relationship with the current Leviathan.

The servants brought the tea at this point, and everything was set for us to begin to discuss the subject at hand.

But before that, I noticed someone tampering with my thoughts and deceiving my senses.

It's a simple effect that would make anyone ignore him, but it's useless against someone like me, who specializes in mind, or Shishou, who is... Shishou...

How many foes has she already slain with a similar kind of trick? It is possible that not even she knows the answer for that question...

"So, that's the Japanese equivalent of a Peeping Tom… Scathach nodded and added while the rest were alerted by words.

"A great method that would influence most people, especially if they are not prepared for it..." she said, looking at the two oblivious Devils, knowing that Yasaka would piece together our words and figure out who we were talking about.

"Hohoho, today's youth are truly amazing, am I right, Miss Yasaka?" A voice could be heard in the hall, but due to the Yokai's techniques, which rely on hiding and deceiving his opponents' senses, it was impossible to discern where it was coming from.

"Indeed… Greetings, Sir Nurarihyon; please take a seat." Yasaka exposed the newcomer's identity to the two clueless devils and her own daughter who were trying to identify the owner of the voice, with only the young Kunou displaying it visibly while the two Devils tried to locate him while remaining calm on the surface.

It didn't take the old man long to reveal himself.

He was simply standing in the room's entrance with a calm and harmless smile on his face before he started to walk towards the last free seat, leaving him on our left, Yasaka and her daughter in front of us, and Sera-chan and Grayfia on our right.

Because of the soothing and kind tone of his words, one might mistake the Yokai of Deceit for just a normal and ordinary old man... If it wasn't for his elongated head, which is characteristic of Yokai of this type.

This old man is Naruryhion, the leader of the East Yokai faction.

"Greetings, Sir Nurarihyon," Greyfia nodded as she greeted the old man, but it was evident that she was slightly shaken by the fact that she had not realized he had entered the room.

"We weren't expecting Sir Naroruhyon to attend this meeting " Even when Serafall said that, she knows how valuable something that can purify Malice is, letting the young and unskilled members of their race practice Senjutsu quite safely. 

I wanted to tell the old man how incorrect that word was for Shihou, but those red eyes staring at me suppressed me in an instant...

Shishou instincts are as sharp as always… 

"Hehe, there's no way this old man could have missed such a fascinating thing after Yasaka told me about it " The servants brought the old man a new set of snacks and tea shortly after he sat in his spot and while waiting, he pulled out a pipe and began to smoke, creating the impression of someone completely calm and relaxed.

After greetings and basic pleasantries, the meeting went on and on about the contents of the contract, the capabilities of the 'Ki purifier', distribution of it, future trade between us, and how it might affect the Devils in the long run...

Shishou herself decided to break the deadlock by giving the two Yokai leaders some suggestions after noticing their eagerness for my product.

"It is my opinion. Even if you can reduce the side effects of Senjutsu, I don't think you should do so all the time since it could harm the following generations." After knowing her thoughts, I now see what she truly meant by that.

Is there a path to power which doesn't include troubles and challenges?

Yasaka couldn't help but ask, as someone who wants to use this innovation to help her daughter.

"How could it possibly be harmful?" "Shouldn't they gain more now that they don't have to worry about the Malice affecting their minds?" Yasaka inquired, as this is the main concern about teaching Senjutsu to the young Yokais, whether the Malice would cause them to go berserk and lose control for a short time due to a sudden absorption of a large amount of Malice, or how it would slowly corrupt their mind in a long manner twisting their thoughts and even… their personality in some cases

Because they weren't distracted by such thoughts, Narurihyon and the others could think more clearly about her advice.

"I understand what Shishou is trying to say... Any Yokai who has mastered Senjutsu is undeniably a strong figure, but... are they strong mainly because of Senjutsu?" "Or a consequence of having to go to such lengths to obtain said power?" Everyone understood what Shishou meant by her words after I said that.

Would they be as powerful as Yasaka or Nurarihyon if they were free of the burden of Senjutsu?

They might be able to achieve a power comparable to them, but their mind and will would be weak and untrained, a great weakness for any leader. 

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Yes, if they continue down that path, stronger and younger Yokais will appear, but their quality will be nowhere near that of the Elites they currently have.

Everyone understands that there is a huge difference between a regular soldier and a soldier who has been through war… whether it is their reaction, adaptability, or endurance, they cannot be compared to a regular soldier.

Just like someone who reads a book or sees someone else do something and thinks "it's easy" but when they try it, they end up doing average at best, if not failing completely. 

A professional makes things look easier than what they really are. 

If they allowed their children to grow in this manner, their descendants would become weaker with each passing generation.

"We were blinded by greed, I see... We couldn't see the implications, thanks to Miss Scathach " Said Narurihyon 

"No mother wants to see their child become average when they can do so much better, especially… in a world like this where average means…  nothing in the grand scheme of things " Yasaka stated While caressing her daughter. 

"It's nothing, I recommend starting their training with pure Ki and then gradually introducing malice-filled ones so they can gradually adapt to it." Scathach gave her thoughts, and they were undoubtedly going to consider them for future development, along with some tests that needed to be done to determine the efficacy of such a method. 

After a brief moment of thinking about it, Serafall and Greyfia can see that she is… right, how many remarkable Devils had risen through the ranks since the war? Aside from the truly gifted ones? 

none...

But, in the end, it's clear that, in the worst-case scenario, the Yokais would begin practicing Senjutsu decades earlier than they would now, increasing the strength of their faction as a whole and, of course, giving them an advantage over the other Yokai factions...

Finally, they agreed on a deal in which Ahm built them two rooms to collect and store the purified Ki.

The two Devils were fine with the deal because it won't have much of an impact on the Malice outside of the areas near where the rooms will be built, which will be deep within Yokais territory, in the homes of their respective leaders.

In exchange, Ahm gained access to the Yokai's territory, information about global threats, and support from the Yokai faction whenever he needs them, becoming an important guest of both the East and West Yokai factions.

He also invited her to Kei's 'Mud baths as a gift after asking for some tea for Arthur.

Of course, this also tied the Yokai faction with us since I made it clear that the room is going to be built With Annihilation Maker and that I can control it remotely. 

Later… 

At the end of the meeting, Yasaka asked us to stay. 

"Before departing... didn't Miss Scathach want to talk about something with me? " After finishing the details about the contract Yasaka remembered what she said to her and asked about it.

"She wanted to discuss the LeyLines as they're very important." I told her why we came, and she looked surprised because this is such a sensitive subject and the source of her strength...

"That's quite a... sensible topic, I hope Miss Scathach understands," Yasaka responded, wanting to see what this is all about before deciding whether or not to discuss it.

"In that case, I won't comment on how inefficient your use of it is but… I want to be certain that nothing will harm something so vital." Scathatch responded bluntly about her point of view and objective with her asking about the Leyline.

"I'm more than confident in my own strength; few would dare to deal with me while I'm here, and those who would... wouldn't care." Yasaka dropped her motherly and gentle demeanor this time, and her aura changed to that of a leader, full of pride and confidence in her own strength while fighting in this place.

"I understand you won't let us alter or interfere with anything related to your connection with the Leyline, but... only an idiot would attack you directly in order to... deal with you." Scathach looked into the little fox at her side as she said this...

A cornered mother could be terrifying... let alone a giant fox with the power to level cities.

The impact was amplified when her little daughter tried to hide behind her due to Scathact's gaze...

"I'm listening, Ahmya, Scathach." Making Yasaka transform from a proud and confident leader to a fierce and wild animal parent safeguarding her child.

With a bit of... disbelief and guilt for failing to recognize something so... basic.

"Nothing fancy, just an object that can teleport your daughter to wherever you decide to place a mark," I tried to explain as I offered her two options and explained each of them.

The first is something I'm connected to, so it could work as long as I'm alive, but it also means I will always have direct access to her daughter.

The second is an object created by Scathach that, when activated, would teleport Kunou to a designated destination, but it could also be blocked, unlike my method…

"You don't give me a choice, do you?" Ahm let his life energy flow freely throughout the meeting so Yasaka knows Ahm isn't an enemy, and since they accepted the first part of the contract, they already gave Ahm access to them due to the nature of his items because they are made with his Sacred Gea  and he demonstrated that he can control them even over long distances.

"I want both of them, and in exchange, I will support you when you reveal yourself in the future. You must take it into account because some believe there is a connection between the Mud Baths and the disappearances that occur nearby "After saying that and answering some questions, all that remained was for Kunou to receive the items.

Scathach already has both parts, the Kunou one and the Yasaka one. After activating it, one would be teletransported to the other's location.

As for me, I made a Necklace out of [Ink] and [Annihilation Maker] with the simple order 'notify me if she is in danger' and gave it to the adorable little fox girl.

"Kunou, thank our guests," Yasaka instructed her daughter, and Kunou obliged by hugging me.

"Thank you, big brother, Miss Scáthach." Kunou said. I should have expected it, but she hugged me a little longer than usual, and I could feel her sniffing with a contented smile on her face.

I suppose the cause is the effect of my body communicating 'pleasant' and 'calming'... 

... ...

...

"Is this all right, Miss Serafall? The disappearance of humans, particularly children, and the low number of awakened sacred gears are thought to be due to… them " Grayfia told Serafall her doubts and Serafall couldn't help but wonder why Ahm would do such a thing but at the end she knows that there must be a good reason behind it.

"I know, but it doesn't matter to us... and I know Ahm-chan well enough to know that he won't take orphans and homeless children for bad reasons, especially when he doesn't need them thanks to his Sacred Gear " In the middle of the meeting, Ahm flared the aura of his Sacred Gear while creating a 'Ki purifier,' alerting them that he possesses one of the most dangerous Longinus

Especially for someone like them who has problems expanding their numbers… 

Grayfia agreed with her, what is the point of raising homeless and orphans when you can create a monster that can match a trained Devil... let alone an army of them if the data collected about his Sacred Gear is to be believed.

"He did it on purpose, didn't he? He wants everyone to know he has it..." Asked Serafall

"One would never reveal a trump card like that unless it is beneficial or necessary, and... looking at the monster of a woman at his side… It's the former. " After giving it some thought, Greyfia gave her thoughts on it. 

There is no need to reveal such a trump card like that when you have someone like that. 

He let them see it, to demonstrate how powerful their group truly is so they 'reveal' it to the other factions basically giving them fame for free...

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