"Calm down," Kai said, putting his hand on Ariana's shoulder, pacing nervously outside Ren's tent, finally holding her back from moving up and down constantly. "You are one of the few who knows who she is and who came to visit just now; why are you nervous?"
"Because they are still… Immortals!" She answered nervously, playing with her fingers, "And thousands of years are a long time for things to change!"
"Not really." he shook his head, having a different perception of time. "Not to mention, I should be more worried; when they saw my 'new' body, they stopped for a moment. Can't blame them; this is an appearance they are used to interacting with. Very much so."
By now, it was well-known news in the demonic forest that so-called Immortals had come and were now having a meeting with Ren in her own tent, sealed away from the outside world. Not everyone was as nervous as Ariana; for most, this meant not really much. Not knowing what the title 'Immortal' carried, thinking it was just some fancy way of calling someone in command of great power. Why would they sit down and talk with Ren if they were so strong? That was a certain telling point for the demons: they are not stronger than her, right? While Ariana was getting nervous over nothing inside the tent, Ren was finishing up her tale right up to the point of fighting against the dwarfs.
"A lot happened with you… Master…" Ophila sniffled, wiping her eyes.
"You could say that again!" Kaizer sighed.
"I'm sad we couldn't meet your husband! He sounds like a man that is worthy of respect!" Invictus exclaimed, crossing his arms before his chest. "When he is reincarnated, I am going to pay my respect to him and call him Father!"
"Please not!" Ren exclaimed quickly. "He won't have any memories of the past anyway." she shook her head, "Don't scare him away, okay?"
"..." the trio just looked at each other, releasing a sigh before Ren changed topic.
"So, you fought with Nilier?" Ren asked, watching their faces with a proud smile. "Tell me honestly, would you be capable of killing her?"
"Yes." They answered at the same time before Ophila continued, "Not in a 1 on 1 battle, but even if only two of us gang up on her, she would be destroyed!"
"100%?" Ren asked, once again, with a serious voice.
"Yes!" Kaizer confirmed.
"I see. Then if you fight with Alfina or Oynega, you could kill them too. They are weaker than Nilier... If they are separated! Don't let them fight together; then they are as strong as Skoorn."
"How strong is the baldy?" Invictus asked as among the siblings, he was the one who fought with him once, but it was a short battle, deciding nothing.
"In terms of attack power, he could sweep the floor with the other Gods. Simultaneously. But he is not good at strategizing or forward thinking." Ren answered, "He prefers brute force above all else. Fighting with him head-on won't bring results. Especially now."
"What do you mean, Master?" Ophila asked, furrowing her brows.
"His blade."
"That rusty thing? He did not even use it against me." Invictus tilted his head to the left.
"That is for the better! You would have been injured otherwise!" Ren crossed her arms, "I talked with Kai about it…."
"The God who is in your old body? Hearing his story… Honestly, the only reason I believe it is because it is you who said it!" Ophila snorted, annoyed by Kai's appearance, "We know you discarded your old flesh when you ascended, but… it still looks like YOU when you were a God! And now someone else makes his home in it… honestly…" She grumbled with deep frustration. "It is so wrong! It feels wrong! He looks like you and sounds like you but acts completely different! CREEEEEEEEPY!" She cried out loudly like a kid.
"I gave it to him! So stop moaning about it!" Ren laughed. "He is an elder to us by age alone! Show some respect, kids!" She leaned forward, flicking Ophila's forehead. "Anway, I spoke with him about it! You should too, he knows a lot, especially about the Cosmos! That sword Skoorn wields came about when they ganged upon him! It tasted a God's blood then and started to rust! From then on, Skoorn was developing it, feeding it with blood. Kai thinks it is a weapon on the edge of ascending into the highest realm that an artifact can be raised to!"
"Artifacts have… ranks?" Kaizer scratched his chin.
"In the outside world, yes. What we have here, in Kai's words, are only proto-artifacts. From what I have gathered from him, artifact crafting is similar to how we cultivate ourselves. Kai says an artifact is born when the cultivator nurtures it with his own body and soul. He said the only thing he saw that would be called a true artifact in the outside world was the sword in the hand of one of my disciples. Plus… there are rare, special kinds of artifacts that can be nurtured, cultivated, and raised through their ranks alongside their owner! He said those were true and rare treasures, and probably Skoorn's blade became one like that after it was bathed in his blood. Then by countless others… and in the end, mine."
"And what does that mean for us?" Ophila asked, now more serious than before.
"When an artifact is raised to its limits, it turns into a living being," Ren concluded her story.
"And?" They looked at each other, not really understanding why it would be that troublesome.
"It would wield the same level of power as its creator! Items like that are, by Kai's words, realm-protecting treasures! His own world had only three! And one of them was his own master! It was a sentient artifact, a longsword, in fact! If that blade of baldy's gains sentience, it would be troublesome because treasures like that are loyal to their creators. Zealously! Skoorn alone is trouble to deal with; having a bloodthirsty second version of him would be a headache!"
"So he should be the first to kill!" Kaizer spoke up with a cold voice. "We must plan how to ambush him, but we can't infiltrate his realm…."
"Not that we even know where it is!" Ophila sighed.
"Should be in the ocean." Ren explained, "My disciple met with sea demons that were… weird and worshippers of a God. It should be Skoorn by the details he provided."
"Mmmh…" the trio fell silent before Ren, and she patiently let them think about it.
"Was Nilier still wearing green?" Ren asked out of the blue after minutes went in complete silence.
"Yes?" the three replied at the same time, a little bit taken aback by her question.
"Then she won't be an enemy." she leaned back, closing her eyes, confusing them even further.
"Dad… Mom, I don't get it!" Ophila spoke up, "Can you elaborate on it?"
"You still like acting all mysterious!" Invictus grumbled, "You now not just talk like a woman, but look like one too! Why can't you just be straightforward?"
"I can still spank you, just the same!" Ren raised one of her eyelids, but she was smiling, remembering the old, old years with the kids, raising them as her own. "I asked because the parting words of mine were; Green looks best on you! I said it when we broke up, and I left her."
"So she still loves you?" Kaizer thought, already coming up with ways to exploit this new information.
"Dunno!" Ren threw up her hands, "But the fact that Skoorn has not come for me yet suggests she kept silent about you finding me! Probably still angry at me and would wrangle me to death if the opportunity presents itself… but I don't think she couldn't be persuaded!"
"You want to draw her to our side?" Ophila asked with tangible frustration in her voice.
"Worth a try! She is a bit rough on the edges, but not a bad girl! I don't feel anything for her anymore, but that does not mean I am ignoring our time together! I was once in love with her, and if possible, I want to spare her and allow her to change or transform herself! She should be able to travel the Cosmos one day!"
"Dad…" Ophila said, now looking at Ren with a much softer expression, feeling very warm inside, but it was quickly disturbed by her eldest brother's question.
"By the way, which one of you was getting spanked? Her clothing changed when we were battling seriously! It was sexy but also scary! Were you a masochist?"
"Hm?" Ren blinked her eyes rapidly before something clicked in her memories. "Ah! Ahahaha! She was a bit… rough, as I said, needy, always wanting to be in the center of my attention! Overly jealous even! So I had to… regulate her sometimes. I did the spanking, and she did the moaning~" Ren grinned from ear to ear. "Maybe I did it too much? Huh! This is news for me!"
"Ugh…" Ophila lowered her head, seemingly embarrassed, but deep inside, she was like her brothers, laughing at this juicy nugget of information.
"Anway!" Ren stood up, rubbing her buttocks and legs that were feeling mushy after sitting for so long "I have unfinished business at my hand! I need to resolve this first!"
"The dwarfs?" the trio returned to seriousness in a snap of a finger. "Let us help!" Ophila stood up, followed by Kaizer.
"I am best if it comes to darkness!" the middle child of the siblings spoke resolutely, "I'll go down and find them for you, then we can capture or exterminate all of them!"
"Let's go with capturing, okay?" Ren twitched her mouth, "After this thing is settled, we can go back to my Sect, and I'll introduce you all to my parents!"
This quickly drew smiles onto their faces as Ren finally stepped out of her tent, almost crashing right into Ariana, who was standing outside, trying to listen in, but her powers could not penetrate the field put up by an Immortal.
"Master!" She exclaimed loudly, almost falling backward, before her eyes traveled to the siblings following Ren outside.
"Good girl!" Invictus laughed, leaning forward, suddenly hugging her, lifting Ariana in the air, and cracking her bones.
"Gyah!" she groaned from the sudden bearhug as the air pressed out her lungs.
"I love your loyalty, prodding and pricking at my seal all the time to make sure Da- khm, Ren was okay! Bwahahahaha! You are going to fit right in!" Ariana could barely stand after he let her go, feeling woozy and wobbling from left to right as her eyes spun rapidly.
"Yep, I like her~" Ophila grinned while Kaizer nodded, scanning the rest who were there.
"I'll go then-" Kaizer spoke up but then came Valen's voice.
"Sis!" He rushed there with excitement. "I broke through! I am at the 6th sta- huh?" He stopped, noticing the Immortals but not really knowing who or what they were." Visitors?"
"Sis?" They asked simultaneously, but they already felt that Valen's aura was similar to Ren's.
"Yep, he is Valen, my little brother I told you about!" She introduced him to her old disciples, and the first to step forward, once again, was Invictus. His laugh echoed everywhere like battle drums, scaring Valen as he raised him up high, hugging him with the same force as he did with Ariana.
"What a funny, little unc- khm, brother you are! Bwahahaha! Strong with love and emotions, I like you a lot, kid! We are going to go drinking sometime, and you can tell me all about your life! Bwahahaha!"
"I… can't… breath!" Valen gasped for help while Ophila just elbowed her brother.
"Put him down, you big potato brain!" She scolded him, but just then, another scream arrived in Kyu's voice.
"Stop bullying my uncle!" She flew forward in her human form, aiming a kick at Invictus.
"Hm?" The Immortal tilted his head towards the voice as Kyu's tiny, bare feet landed right on his cheek, but it only produced a loud, blunt-sounding thud, not even making him flinch. For Kyu, this was quite the opposite as she was screaming and fell onto his buttocks, feeling like she kicked an iron plate, sending shivers through her body.
"Moooooom… it hurts! This man is too tough!" Kyu cried out, pouting with tears in her eyes as Ren just held her head, shaking it rapidly.
"Mom?" The siblings asked before it clicked in their heads, and Invictus simply laughed again, releasing Valen, who finally could breathe again. Valen's first instinct was to immediately scurry and hide behind Ren's legs, grasping into them like iron bars, looking out from behind her with dread.
"You must be Kyu!" Invictus roared with renewed laughter, grabbing her into a hug, scaring her so much she turned back to her original, demonic form. Still, she was easily held up by him and hugged even more strongly than anyone before. "Ahaha, what a cute little bear she is! And soft and fluffy! I like her a lot!"
"She is really fluffy…." Ophila murmured, with sparkling eyes, wanting to do the same thing her brother was doing but couldn't act so freely as Invictus usually did.
"Ahahaha! Good girl, good girl!" Invictus squeezed, and Kyu simply opened her mouth as a white circle emerged. She just barfed out a full-power armored dwarf, who was still alive, shaking inside his suit, driven into madness by being eaten alive and 'stored' away in a dark abyss that was Kyu's stomach.
"Kyu…" Ren twitched her eyelids, seeing the thing just pop out from her bowels. Hearing Ren, Invictus quickly put the girl down as she was lying on her belly, gasping for air, scared to death.
"I… I… I came back because we found them with Frenir… they had… information; I did not eat him because… so… you know, mom, he is a prisoner and all!"
"Yeah! Sure!" Ren rolled her eyes, walking before the drenched suit of armor, looking at the saliva trickling all over its body. "I think I'll lend him to you, Kaizer. This is going to help you find them more easily…."
"Sure thing!" He stepped forward with a sly smile. "Leave it to me… by tomorrow, I'll present every dwarf to you on a silver platter!" he raised his hand, and tangible darkness seeped out from his hand, shocking everyone who was watching. The feeling coming from him made Kyu find shelter behind Valen, joining up with him in hiding behind Ren. Kaizer's powers swallowed the armored dwarf, simply making it disappear, and he himself turned into nothing, melting into the ground like he was never even there.
"Master…" Ariana spoke up, watching the point where Kaizer was just a moment ago.
"You are going to learn some things from him!" Ren nodded with a smile. "He is the best if it comes to dealing with shadows!"
"Calm down," Kai said, putting his hand on Ariana's shoulder, pacing nervously outside Ren's tent, finally holding her back from moving up and down constantly. "You are one of the few who knows who she is and who came to visit just now; why are you nervous?"
"Because they are still… Immortals!" She answered nervously, playing with her fingers, "And thousands of years are a long time for things to change!"
"Not really." he shook his head, having a different perception of time. "Not to mention, I should be more worried; when they saw my 'new' body, they stopped for a moment. Can't blame them; this is an appearance they are used to interacting with. Very much so."
By now, it was well-known news in the demonic forest that so-called Immortals had come and were now having a meeting with Ren in her own tent, sealed away from the outside world. Not everyone was as nervous as Ariana; for most, this meant not really much. Not knowing what the title 'Immortal' carried, thinking it was just some fancy way of calling someone in command of great power. Why would they sit down and talk with Ren if they were so strong? That was a certain telling point for the demons: they are not stronger than her, right? While Ariana was getting nervous over nothing inside the tent, Ren was finishing up her tale right up to the point of fighting against the dwarfs.
"A lot happened with you… Master…" Ophila sniffled, wiping her eyes.
"You could say that again!" Kaizer sighed.
"I'm sad we couldn't meet your husband! He sounds like a man that is worthy of respect!" Invictus exclaimed, crossing his arms before his chest. "When he is reincarnated, I am going to pay my respect to him and call him Father!"
"Please not!" Ren exclaimed quickly. "He won't have any memories of the past anyway." she shook her head, "Don't scare him away, okay?"
"..." the trio just looked at each other, releasing a sigh before Ren changed topic.
"So, you fought with Nilier?" Ren asked, watching their faces with a proud smile. "Tell me honestly, would you be capable of killing her?"
"Yes." They answered at the same time before Ophila continued, "Not in a 1 on 1 battle, but even if only two of us gang up on her, she would be destroyed!"
"100%?" Ren asked, once again, with a serious voice.
"Yes!" Kaizer confirmed.
"I see. Then if you fight with Alfina or Oynega, you could kill them too. They are weaker than Nilier... If they are separated! Don't let them fight together; then they are as strong as Skoorn."
"How strong is the baldy?" Invictus asked as among the siblings, he was the one who fought with him once, but it was a short battle, deciding nothing.
"In terms of attack power, he could sweep the floor with the other Gods. Simultaneously. But he is not good at strategizing or forward thinking." Ren answered, "He prefers brute force above all else. Fighting with him head-on won't bring results. Especially now."
"What do you mean, Master?" Ophila asked, furrowing her brows.
"His blade."
"That rusty thing? He did not even use it against me." Invictus tilted his head to the left.
"That is for the better! You would have been injured otherwise!" Ren crossed her arms, "I talked with Kai about it…."
"The God who is in your old body? Hearing his story… Honestly, the only reason I believe it is because it is you who said it!" Ophila snorted, annoyed by Kai's appearance, "We know you discarded your old flesh when you ascended, but… it still looks like YOU when you were a God! And now someone else makes his home in it… honestly…" She grumbled with deep frustration. "It is so wrong! It feels wrong! He looks like you and sounds like you but acts completely different! CREEEEEEEEPY!" She cried out loudly like a kid.
"I gave it to him! So stop moaning about it!" Ren laughed. "He is an elder to us by age alone! Show some respect, kids!" She leaned forward, flicking Ophila's forehead. "Anway, I spoke with him about it! You should too, he knows a lot, especially about the Cosmos! That sword Skoorn wields came about when they ganged upon him! It tasted a God's blood then and started to rust! From then on, Skoorn was developing it, feeding it with blood. Kai thinks it is a weapon on the edge of ascending into the highest realm that an artifact can be raised to!"
"Artifacts have… ranks?" Kaizer scratched his chin.
"In the outside world, yes. What we have here, in Kai's words, are only proto-artifacts. From what I have gathered from him, artifact crafting is similar to how we cultivate ourselves. Kai says an artifact is born when the cultivator nurtures it with his own body and soul. He said the only thing he saw that would be called a true artifact in the outside world was the sword in the hand of one of my disciples. Plus… there are rare, special kinds of artifacts that can be nurtured, cultivated, and raised through their ranks alongside their owner! He said those were true and rare treasures, and probably Skoorn's blade became one like that after it was bathed in his blood. Then by countless others… and in the end, mine."
"And what does that mean for us?" Ophila asked, now more serious than before.
"When an artifact is raised to its limits, it turns into a living being," Ren concluded her story.
"And?" They looked at each other, not really understanding why it would be that troublesome.
"It would wield the same level of power as its creator! Items like that are, by Kai's words, realm-protecting treasures! His own world had only three! And one of them was his own master! It was a sentient artifact, a longsword, in fact! If that blade of baldy's gains sentience, it would be troublesome because treasures like that are loyal to their creators. Zealously! Skoorn alone is trouble to deal with; having a bloodthirsty second version of him would be a headache!"
"So he should be the first to kill!" Kaizer spoke up with a cold voice. "We must plan how to ambush him, but we can't infiltrate his realm…."
"Not that we even know where it is!" Ophila sighed.
"Should be in the ocean." Ren explained, "My disciple met with sea demons that were… weird and worshippers of a God. It should be Skoorn by the details he provided."
"Mmmh…" the trio fell silent before Ren, and she patiently let them think about it.
"Was Nilier still wearing green?" Ren asked out of the blue after minutes went in complete silence.
"Yes?" the three replied at the same time, a little bit taken aback by her question.
"Then she won't be an enemy." she leaned back, closing her eyes, confusing them even further.
"Dad… Mom, I don't get it!" Ophila spoke up, "Can you elaborate on it?"
"You still like acting all mysterious!" Invictus grumbled, "You now not just talk like a woman, but look like one too! Why can't you just be straightforward?"
"I can still spank you, just the same!" Ren raised one of her eyelids, but she was smiling, remembering the old, old years with the kids, raising them as her own. "I asked because the parting words of mine were; Green looks best on you! I said it when we broke up, and I left her."
"So she still loves you?" Kaizer thought, already coming up with ways to exploit this new information.
"Dunno!" Ren threw up her hands, "But the fact that Skoorn has not come for me yet suggests she kept silent about you finding me! Probably still angry at me and would wrangle me to death if the opportunity presents itself… but I don't think she couldn't be persuaded!"
"You want to draw her to our side?" Ophila asked with tangible frustration in her voice.
"Worth a try! She is a bit rough on the edges, but not a bad girl! I don't feel anything for her anymore, but that does not mean I am ignoring our time together! I was once in love with her, and if possible, I want to spare her and allow her to change or transform herself! She should be able to travel the Cosmos one day!"
"Dad…" Ophila said, now looking at Ren with a much softer expression, feeling very warm inside, but it was quickly disturbed by her eldest brother's question.
"By the way, which one of you was getting spanked? Her clothing changed when we were battling seriously! It was sexy but also scary! Were you a masochist?"
"Hm?" Ren blinked her eyes rapidly before something clicked in her memories. "Ah! Ahahaha! She was a bit… rough, as I said, needy, always wanting to be in the center of my attention! Overly jealous even! So I had to… regulate her sometimes. I did the spanking, and she did the moaning~" Ren grinned from ear to ear. "Maybe I did it too much? Huh! This is news for me!"
"Ugh…" Ophila lowered her head, seemingly embarrassed, but deep inside, she was like her brothers, laughing at this juicy nugget of information.
"Anway!" Ren stood up, rubbing her buttocks and legs that were feeling mushy after sitting for so long "I have unfinished business at my hand! I need to resolve this first!"
"The dwarfs?" the trio returned to seriousness in a snap of a finger. "Let us help!" Ophila stood up, followed by Kaizer.
"I am best if it comes to darkness!" the middle child of the siblings spoke resolutely, "I'll go down and find them for you, then we can capture or exterminate all of them!"
"Let's go with capturing, okay?" Ren twitched her mouth, "After this thing is settled, we can go back to my Sect, and I'll introduce you all to my parents!"
This quickly drew smiles onto their faces as Ren finally stepped out of her tent, almost crashing right into Ariana, who was standing outside, trying to listen in, but her powers could not penetrate the field put up by an Immortal.
"Master!" She exclaimed loudly, almost falling backward, before her eyes traveled to the siblings following Ren outside.
"Good girl!" Invictus laughed, leaning forward, suddenly hugging her, lifting Ariana in the air, and cracking her bones.
"Gyah!" she groaned from the sudden bearhug as the air pressed out her lungs.
"I love your loyalty, prodding and pricking at my seal all the time to make sure Da- khm, Ren was okay! Bwahahahaha! You are going to fit right in!" Ariana could barely stand after he let her go, feeling woozy and wobbling from left to right as her eyes spun rapidly.
"Yep, I like her~" Ophila grinned while Kaizer nodded, scanning the rest who were there.
"I'll go then-" Kaizer spoke up but then came Valen's voice.
"Sis!" He rushed there with excitement. "I broke through! I am at the 6th sta- huh?" He stopped, noticing the Immortals but not really knowing who or what they were." Visitors?"
"Sis?" They asked simultaneously, but they already felt that Valen's aura was similar to Ren's.
"Yep, he is Valen, my little brother I told you about!" She introduced him to her old disciples, and the first to step forward, once again, was Invictus. His laugh echoed everywhere like battle drums, scaring Valen as he raised him up high, hugging him with the same force as he did with Ariana.
"What a funny, little unc- khm, brother you are! Bwahahaha! Strong with love and emotions, I like you a lot, kid! We are going to go drinking sometime, and you can tell me all about your life! Bwahahaha!"
"I… can't… breath!" Valen gasped for help while Ophila just elbowed her brother.
"Put him down, you big potato brain!" She scolded him, but just then, another scream arrived in Kyu's voice.
"Stop bullying my uncle!" She flew forward in her human form, aiming a kick at Invictus.
"Hm?" The Immortal tilted his head towards the voice as Kyu's tiny, bare feet landed right on his cheek, but it only produced a loud, blunt-sounding thud, not even making him flinch. For Kyu, this was quite the opposite as she was screaming and fell onto his buttocks, feeling like she kicked an iron plate, sending shivers through her body.
"Moooooom… it hurts! This man is too tough!" Kyu cried out, pouting with tears in her eyes as Ren just held her head, shaking it rapidly.
"Mom?" The siblings asked before it clicked in their heads, and Invictus simply laughed again, releasing Valen, who finally could breathe again. Valen's first instinct was to immediately scurry and hide behind Ren's legs, grasping into them like iron bars, looking out from behind her with dread.
"You must be Kyu!" Invictus roared with renewed laughter, grabbing her into a hug, scaring her so much she turned back to her original, demonic form. Still, she was easily held up by him and hugged even more strongly than anyone before. "Ahaha, what a cute little bear she is! And soft and fluffy! I like her a lot!"
"She is really fluffy…." Ophila murmured, with sparkling eyes, wanting to do the same thing her brother was doing but couldn't act so freely as Invictus usually did.
"Ahahaha! Good girl, good girl!" Invictus squeezed, and Kyu simply opened her mouth as a white circle emerged. She just barfed out a full-power armored dwarf, who was still alive, shaking inside his suit, driven into madness by being eaten alive and 'stored' away in a dark abyss that was Kyu's stomach.
"Kyu…" Ren twitched her eyelids, seeing the thing just pop out from her bowels. Hearing Ren, Invictus quickly put the girl down as she was lying on her belly, gasping for air, scared to death.
"I… I… I came back because we found them with Frenir… they had… information; I did not eat him because… so… you know, mom, he is a prisoner and all!"
"Yeah! Sure!" Ren rolled her eyes, walking before the drenched suit of armor, looking at the saliva trickling all over its body. "I think I'll lend him to you, Kaizer. This is going to help you find them more easily…."
"Sure thing!" He stepped forward with a sly smile. "Leave it to me… by tomorrow, I'll present every dwarf to you on a silver platter!" he raised his hand, and tangible darkness seeped out from his hand, shocking everyone who was watching. The feeling coming from him made Kyu find shelter behind Valen, joining up with him in hiding behind Ren. Kaizer's powers swallowed the armored dwarf, simply making it disappear, and he himself turned into nothing, melting into the ground like he was never even there.
"Master…" Ariana spoke up, watching the point where Kaizer was just a moment ago.
"You are going to learn some things from him!" Ren nodded with a smile. "He is the best if it comes to dealing with shadows!"
