Chapter 30: Brave Guardian

I could feel she had no malice against me.

That's why I decided to play along in this madness and keep my feet within the stage's boundaries.

Trying to understand what her actions meant.

Loki first taught me how to 'Receive Lust', then gave me the opportunity to express myself here.

In a stage that was like a theatre-like prison…

What did I have to show her exactly?

"What would you like to see from me?" (Adam)

"Nothing. You're the composer here." (Loki)

What should I do now? I was no poet or musician of an era. My dancing was awkward and chaotic.

Exactly what should I use to 'entertain' her?

Since I didn't know how to dance, I decided to do something I'd been familiar with for a long while.

I felt the air around my whole body. The stagnation.

Allowing my muscles to pulsate with strength.

Then moved through that 'stagnation' to create my own 'flow'. This was the basic steps of 'Royal Guard', and was the shield that protects the people around me. A mass of energy meant for mobility.

"That's quite different from what I had expected from you." Loki wasn't a quiet spectator at all.

Openly mocking my performance.

It's true. This martial art was inconsistent with me.

But there was also a part of it that played in harmony with my emotions. The feeling to protect.

"Lies…" Loki didn't accept it: "You're just trying to sugarcoat your vanity. Who are you to 'protect'?"

She monologued: "Humans aren't your little kids."

I realised what she meant.

When I rejected the notion of explaining myself to the rest of society, I just put myself on a pedestal.

Putting my beliefs and pride before the humanity.

I believed no one would lend me an ear. That was common sense, but it was also putting them down.

Who was I to say that no one would have believed?

After all, Clarissa did…

It was at that point I realised that my entertainment wasn't a martial art performance, but a story itself.

The comprehensive 'Royal Guard' Fighting Style was in itself a narrative. One formed of history.

Choices that affected the form of the martial art.

Since I didn't alter it, the true essence of that story was intact. The wordless narrative was spoken.

I felt this realisation awakening my 'Narration'.

The narrative imprinted into my bones was that of a man who combined many techniques for one goal.

This man must have come from a far off future.

He had already laid in front of him many more powerful and destructive attack forms, but chose to practice this martial art instead. It was because he had dedicated and devoted himself to guarding.

There wasn't an ounce of killing intent on this martial art because of that. Especially it's 4 steps.

1. 'First Step: Mobile Fortress'.

The first technique of the 'Royal Guard' Fighting Style allowed me to quickly move in any direction.

Breaking the stagnation and riding the flow of kinetics to my target. All to let loose a strong blitz.

Then followed the next 'step'.

2. 'Second Step: Brave Guardian'.

After the first breakthrough from a state of stagnation, one would return to a neutral state.

After all, it wasn't easy maintaining that concept.

Once the body was firmly planted in front of oncoming danger, it'd be time to counterattack.

A guardian must be brave enough to take initiative instead of becoming a meat shield. It was a choice.

I could choose to repeat the first step again to attack multiple foes, or I could use a counter and block one angle of attack. If the person I was protecting stood behind me, then it'd be easier.

There were two 'steps' after this and a 'final step' that acted as the secret weapon of a martial artist.

A perfectly specialised technique fit for a purpose.

I didn't know 'Narration' could be used to glean the history of a martial art like this. It filled up my heart.

Invigorating my desire to protect.

Only… I had to give her a response.

Rather than continuing on this charade, I tried to think of something else that may entertain her.

Anything…

"Stop." Just as I was about to rack my head about this, Loki came back to the stage and halted me.

"What's wrong?" (Adam)

"That's enough. I've understood enough about you at this point. Let's start the negotiation." (Loki)

She went in her own pace, and I tried my best to follow along. Where was the 'compatibility' here?

I blinked my eyes, and the scenery changed… We were sitting on seats in the middle of the stage.

A table between us had the three Ornate Stars I was thinking off using as my bargaining chips.

"How much do you know of me?" Loki interviewed.

It looked like the battle of wills had just begun.

"I've heard that you were of the Greek Pantheon and a Trickster God. You killed the literal God of Kindness as a joke, and are considered more of a source of evil than good." I had some knowledge.

My opponent didn't seem content.

"They say I was 'Evil'?" She smirked.

"That's what I know." (Adam)

"Then what about Zeus? He destroyed numerous families and harmed humanity more times than he blessed them. Most his myths consist of turning into animals forcibly fuck married and unmarried women alike… despite being a married man." (Loki)

"When you say it like that then… it's hard to call you wicked." I couldn't deny she had a point there.

"Moreover…" But Loki wasn't finished: "I was mostly used as a scapegoat for the evil of Gods."

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This was an interpretation I hadn't heard before.

"Scapegoat?" (Adam)

"Right… This aspect is what makes us both similar and different at the same time. Making me out as the source of wickedness made it so 'Evil' could be given shape and form. It's only when there are wicked Gods can 'good' like Zeus exist." (Loki)

I couldn't help but hold my face and feel sympathy for her. After all, it made more sense why Greeks would worship such a chaotic pantheon when put in this interpretation. Like Aphrodite and such.

Because there was already a cause to blame besides their own faults and misbehaviours in life.

But that highlighted the biggest difference between us. Which was willingness to be a 'curse'.

The path I chose was to be a scapegoat that would be hated in order to prepare humanity for calamity. 

Loki never had that choice.

From the moment Greek culture grew in their certain direction, morality also looked different.

The way they thought absurd for the modern era.

Still, there were many who romanticised Roman culture as a marvel that had been lost by time.

Which also twisted the interpretation of religions.

Well, at least it was better than religious history that was touched by Christianity and fully changed.

But that was enough trivia for now.

"How does this relate to our negotiation?" I wasn't really an expert, and didn't talk to Frankenstein enough to get the reasoning behind this. All I knew was that myths had some kind of crucial function.

Loki looked like she would facepalm at my 'dumb question', but gave another question in response:

"You have an Unawakened Gift and three Awakened Gifts, which is around four in total. Are you seriously telling me you came here with this amount of 'favour' to ask for something random?"

It was after those words that the blonde woman looked at me with pity. As if I was a bloody idiot.

Maybe I was one…

"So you're saying I can negotiate for powers depending on what I have and what you got?"

"Precisely. You put it together faster than expected." Loki seemed to praise my good insight.

If what she said was the truth, then how much I got was really dependent on how much I 'negotiated'.

"Your practically a Demon God." (Adam)

"Not officially." (Loki)

"But that IS an interpretation of you." (Adam)

"You're planning to ask for more power?" (Loki)

"No." I already understood a lot from my mistakes in the past. Even if not much changed my mindset.

'Insightful Savant', 'Blood Nurturer', and 'Toxic Blade' had been really helpful to me for a long time.

But I understood that they just weren't enough.

If I wanted to take on an entire planet within a short amount of time, I needed to sacrifice much more.

Give up much more.

For the sake of that, it was better to curb my own greed and try to sincerely win over Loki's strength.

"I'm putting something else on the table." Loki lifted a brow when I brought up this arrangement.

Her eyes widening when I put something I had been holding back for a while. A source of greed.

It was the 'Gacha phone'.

When I was just starting to get used to my Narration ability, I wasn't able to handle a lot of data at once. Thus, it sublimated into my phone into my prized Gacha account unexpected way.

Creating a summoning mechanic filled with endless possibilities. Different from anything seen before.

I decided to give up the role of 'chance'.

Even though it was foolish, I had believed that I'd be able to get by with my luck in drawing lots.

How foolish I was…

One wrong move got me trapped in the Imaginary Realm for who knew how long. I was just unlucky.

To carry this around was just false hope anyway.

This phone was created by a miraculous coincidence of fate, and I decided to use it now.

As a bargaining chip to buy back my fate.

I wasn't planning on sitting around doing nothing.

If what Frankenstein said was the truth, then this dimension made time in the real world flow in reverse. It meant that if I stayed here for as long as I did outside, then I'd be able to go back to Earth.

However, I wasn't expecting that to be easy.

Gaining the favour of the ruler of this dimension was necessary if I didn't want anymore 'gambles'.

The fate of all that I loved was at stake here.

The blonde woman looked at the phone for a long while, then let out a sigh as if she was exhausted.

"…I thought you were incapable of expressing emotions like 'love', but I was wrong. You're much more suited to be an Incubus than expected. I like your personality." Loki grabbed the Gacha phone.

"That's good for me." (Adam)

"You know this still has privileges yet to be used. I thought you'd use it up first." She glanced at me.

"The worth of it would go down if I did. I'm sure this would come off as insincere if I did that." I laid all my cards on the table. The mood of this Trickster God seemed to improve in front of my honesty.

"Good~ Then this isn't a 'negotiation' anymore." My heart thumbed when Loki changed the world again.

The table had disappeared, and the Gacha phone with my three Awakened Gifts was in her hands.

What did she mean?

Was she going to-

"From this day forth, you have my full support. I'll grant you all the help I can give you in return for your sincerity." There was a radiant smile on Loki's face when she talked about happily assisting me.

It made me feel that this was the best choice I'd made ever since I came to this world. Making allies.

With her complete support, I'll come back a 'Devil'.

Just wait…

It didn't matter what depths of depravity I had to sink or how much of my pride I had to trade away.

I'll do it with the conviction of a Brave Guardian…

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