CHAPTER 558: A STRATEGY TO DEFEAT DEATH

Asmodeus sat on the edge of Vinea’s bed, his hand brushing through her hair with a faint smile. The others left before he noticed, maybe returning to Ygrenne’s room.

"Was it difficult for you?"

"Mm?" Vinea brushed against his palm as she closed her eyes.

’It’s strange to feel his gentle touch... normally we train together, this treatment usually goes to the girls like Asmodea or Sariel.’ The cool touch of his palm helped, and she couldn’t help but feel the heat that raged in her chest fading the longer he stroked.

Vinea was happy when Lumina left the room, because she wanted some time to monopolise Asmodeus.

"It’s strange, I almost died..." She smiled weakly. "This body... I felt so helpless."

"You did well." He complimented, causing her to smile shyly.

"You know... when it happened." Her eyes peeked up at him. "All I could see and think of was you, the image of you leaving me, of becoming an enemy and abandoning me."

Asmodeus didn’t respond; instead, his hand stopped moving and just rested on her cheek. He leaned closer and placed his head against hers, feeling the warmth of her body against his own. "I won’t leave you."

"...I know that, but that’s the effect."

Vinea closed her eyes, feeling the softness of his lips brush against her forehead.

"What else did you feel?"

"Frustration, anger... I don’t understand what was happening... the only thing I knew was that something was trying to take you from me." She sighed, her fingers trailing across his arm. "What is happening, my dear? Do we know anything more?"

Asmodeus sat up straight and thought back on the conversation with Paul and Simon.

"It might be some kind of curse..."

"How could we suffer a curse, isn’t there the blessing..."

That’s when Vinea’s voice paused, and her mouth formed a large circle, and then she looked up again. "We’ve lost the blessing of Serena." The sudden words were like a flash of lightning as the pair looked at each other with shocked eyes, yes... the defence against mental and other effects came from Serena’s divine blessing.

However, to defeat Mephisto the first time, she used her power to seal him, but in doing so, she lost those divine powers.

"That makes sense... but if that’s the case..."

"We are in bigger danger than I first thought." Asmodeus hugged her from behind, the feeling of his firm muscles squishing against her body felt divine, Vinea’s breath growing faster as she leaned back.

"Darling... I am sorry."

"For what?"

"For not being able to control myself... for not being able to stop this madness from taking over my mind." She whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I’m sorry for not being strong enough."

Asmodeus’ grip tightened around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Don’t apologise, why are you being so dramatic, isn’t it only a little hiccup? I mean, if you attack me, I’ll just pin you down and fuck you until you calm down."

Vinea’s face turned dark red, her eyes widening in shock. "W-what!?"

"Ah, I’m not joking, haha!"

Asmodeus laughed, his voice echoing through the room. Vinea couldn’t help but smile as she leaned back into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his body against hers.

’This foolish, perverted man... to think he was the one who stole my heart.’

"Darling... I’ll hold you to that, you better not stop until I wake up."

***

The sound of a door opening caused the pair to look up, and they saw Lumina standing there with a smile on her face.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think we should talk about what’s happening."

Asmodeus nodded his head, "Yeah, we need to figure out what’s going on."

Lumina stepped inside, closing the door behind her, before she sat on the bed opposite Vinea and on Asmodeus’s other side, leaning against him in the same manner as Vinea.

"So, how do we deal with him? I don’t think he’s regained his divinity; it’s more like he’s borrowing Alan’s Hero blessing."

"How come he kept the blessing despite Serena losing her power?" Vinea wondered about what had happened to them due to their current state. "I mean, we are still demons, right?"

"I don’t know, but it’s strange... I think when Serena blessed him, she gave a blessing that would sink into his soul. Did she think something like this might happen?"

"Can that happen?" Asmodeus asked curiously.

"It’s possible, but if she did that for him, wouldn’t she have done the same for you?" Vinea replied.

"I don’t know, but we should be careful, I think he’s using Alan’s blessing to boost his power, and he’s also using the hero’s blessing to control the curse."

"So, we need to find out how he’s controlling it and stop him from doing so." Lumina added, "And then we can deal with him."

"Exactly, but how do we do that?"

"Honestly, I think it’s easier than we are making it out to be." Vinea leaned back, lifting her head to look up at Asmodeus, her eyes flickering with a playful light. "Don’t we just need to beat him, over and over, until he has no power left?"

’Vinea...’

Asmodeus couldn’t help but find it fitting that a princess who fought on the front lines for years without a blessing would come up with this idea.

"There’s one small issue: how do we remove Mephisto from Alan?"

He couldn’t help but pour cold water on their plan.

The trio looked at each other for a moment before Lumina’s red eyes shimmered. "Do you remember the battle against the demon commander, Vinea?"

"Huh? Yeah... he was annoying to fight."

"Not that.. Asmodeus, you should remember, too, how we resisted the mental damage and control from that necromancer?"

’Wait...’

That’s when it came to him, and he suddenly realised how short-sighted he was. If Sariel could pair her mental magic with Riel... would they be able to save Alan, or at least split Mephisto from him at the worst?

"Though that brings one other issue." He responded while hugging both women closer.

"What’s that?"

"Hmm?"

"If we separate him, then who will Mephisto enter after that... what if he escapes again?"

The three of them fell silent, their eyes meeting each other’s. It was something dangerous, but that’s when Asmodeus closed his eyes, a memory from when he first met Serena.

’I see... from the start his ideal vessel was me, not Alan.’

"Darling, are you okay?"

"Ryuji, are you alright?"

Both women called out to him, but he didn’t respond. His mind was racing, thinking of all the possibilities. ’If I can’t stop him from entering another vessel, then I’ll have to take him into mine, and if that happens, I’ll need to be prepared to fight him off.’ The thought of facing a deity that had lived thousands of years, maybe longer, was daunting.

However, he didn’t wish for his women or friends to suffer anymore.

’Can I fight him off?’

The likelihood is that he would fight Alan, and then, in an exhausted state, fight a mental battle against Mephisto.

’No... I can’t let that happen. I’ll need to be ready to fight him off, and I can’t let him take control of my body.’

The two women tried to get his attention, both worried about him, but he was deep in thought, not hearing them.

’How can I stop him? Maybe I should speak to Serena, Sariel and Riel... those are the best to help me.’

Asmodeus opened his eyes and looked at the two women. He smiled weakly, his eyes full of determination. "I have a plan, but it’s risky. Are you two willing to risk it all?"

Lumina and Vinea looked at each other before turning their heads to Asmodeus, one with a cheeky smirk, the other with a charming elegance.

"You don’t need to ask. I made my choice when becoming a demon"

"From the moment I saw you, I swore to make you mine, fufu. I will follow you to the end."

There it was, a plan... Asmodeus never expected it to be so simple, and he knew that the slippery devil Mephisto would have his plans. It would be a complete test of Asmodeus and everything he gained and achieved since coming to this world.

’Can I defeat a god...’

***

At the same time, in the central citadel, Alan lounged on a bed with several women, but Lady Gerude was now absent.

"The pleasures of the flesh are growing a tad boring..." He muttered, swilling a glass of wine, his eyes deep emerald and glowing. "I want more power, more strength, and more control..."

A woman beside him leaned over and kissed his neck, but he didn’t respond, his eyes distant as he thought of something. ’What can I do next to gain more control?’ He looked at his hands and clenched them tightly. ’I can feel it, the power that’s growing inside of me, but that pesky blessing keeps devouring it!’

Suddenly, Mephisto snapped his hand, and the woman kissing him was sent across the room, slamming against a wall with a loud thud. She cried out in pain as she fell to the floor, her body shaking violently.

"Ah... sorry, my dear." Mephisto’s voice was cold, devoid of any emotion, as he looked at her with disinterest.

’She was the one who granted me the ability to sense mana...’

The woman didn’t respond... her neck bent at a strange angle.

"Tch... another death, these human women are so fragile." Mephisto waved his hands, and the other naked women quickly rushed out of the room, trembling in fear. "Leave me."

Thanks to the ability to sense mana, he knew that his dear friend had come to the city.

"Asmodeus... and that fallen bitch?"

He stood in the enormous windows, his nude figure overlooking the city as he sipped the sweet wine.

’Shall I greet my old friend?’