The Wandering Devil
Chapter: 33
Note: To that one guy complaining about Zephyrion not going murder hobo and using power of destruction, why would he bother?
He could have killed what was a group of middle-class wizards rather easily. But he was sending a message. Along with the fact he knew he was leaving soon so couldn't antagonise Voldemort into hunting his followers while he's away.
Anyways, hope you guys enjoy it. As always leave any worlds you would like to see traveled to below. As for the question of if he's going to get back to highschool dxd. He is.
(A deal with the Devil)
A kaleidoscope of colours surrounded me as I tried to focus.
I pushed all my intention and desire into the image of my home world. I wanted to go back. Partly because I missed my Devil Family and partly because I was in an incredibly good position there.
I was a pureblood Devil, I had many resources practically waiting for me back home.
Right now I was teaching myself with imagination magic, I'm sure I wasn't doing some things correctly without the guidance of anyone to show me.
Also, I'm sure my sisters were… worried to say the least.
My fists clenched in concentration, and to my surprise a rift opened up. Showing the familiar image of the underworld, the purple sky and the fake moon.
My eyes widened, and it was that surprise that I could actually go back that ultimately sent my concentration spiralling. The rift closed and I was snatched away.
A gap opened and I was sent shooting through, landing in the ground with a graceful faceplant while the Basilisk barely clung onto me.
The first thing I noticed was the air… it was covered in a weird smog. And the next thing I knew was a weird sort of gun being aimed my way. Two men were aiming at me.
I took a breath, stabilising myself. I felt the cooldown my strange eyes had settled once more.
"Freeze!" One of the guards said, wearing a helmet.
Oh fuck off.
I wasn't going through this again.
"May I ask why you are aiming at me?" I asked, quickly recovering and slowly standing up.
The masked guards didn't reply for a moment, as if surprised by the question.
"You are on private property of the Yggdrasil corporation." One of them said, feeling confident with my apparent lack of weapons.
Yggdrasil? I had heard that name before, wasn't it from Norse mythology? Was this some sort of supernatural building after all or was it simply a name being used?
The guards certainly didn't seem that special besides the high-tech armour and weapons they possessed.
I sighed. "Would you believe me if I said I didn't want to be here?"
"… No." one of them replied.
"Then what can I say to get myself out of this without resorting to violence?" I asked tiredly.
I hope this wasn't a common occurrence.
"Get on your knees and surrender." One of them commanded. "You will be fined and imprisoned for trespassing on corporate property…"
Right…
I pointed at one with my index finger, and a stunner crackled out. He slumped and the other one couldn't only stare in bewilderment before joining him on the ground.
I looked around and realised I could barely see anything. Experimentally I clapped my hands and I used my imagination magic to send a burst of air briefly that cleared the smog in the immediate surrounding area.
As the place around me cleared up, it was revealed that I was in the middle of a large courtyard surrounded by a massive building. Massive walls stretched up into the sky, and this seemed to be an open space in the middle of the building.
I frowned.
The smog was already rapidly closing back in. The weird sickly smoke attempting to reclaim the area unnaturally fast.
Just where was I?
Maybe it had just been luck that the last world I went too was fictional.
I spotted a door nearby.
I kicked the door open, stepping over the two unconscious guards without a second thought.
Their armor looked military-grade, but clearly wasn't built to handle something like me.
Did that mean I could safely assume this wasn't a magical world? No. The weapons could very well hurt, I wasn't going to assume every universe I entered had the same laws.
I should probably leave this place in any case. Whatever this place was, it obviously wasn't friendly to strangers.
My Basilisk hissed in discomfort as it regained its bearings. "Can I eat them?"
"No." I replied simply, as I focused on the area around me.
The interior of the facility was sleek. Cold, black-tiled floors.
Chrome walls humming faintly. Bright white lights beamed from embedded panels.
I moved quickly. Not because I was worried, just that staying in one spot would invite complications. While being a Dark Lord had played for my favour I didn't want to make a habit of it.
Eventually I reached what looked like a loading dock, wide shutters lining the left side and a massive transit tunnel stretching into darkness. Automated machines sat idle.
I passed by multiple people who didn't seem to care about my presence, mostly because I was completely relaxed which made them think I was one of them. An employee.
"Hey!" Someone shouted.
Great.
Five guards with guns were charging at me.
I didn't even look at them, sending a blast of wind that sufficiently incapacitated them.
I paused, looking up at a camera.
That's unfortunate.
The exit wasn't hard to find, glass panels at the far end displayed the outside, a thin film of smog coating the world beyond.
I was able to make a relatively quiet exit and escape the huge building. The first thing that happened when I stepped out was the air hitting like a truck.
It was heavy, greasy, and thick with pollutants. I summoned a thin barrier of air to keep the worst of it out of my lungs as I walked down the cracked concrete slope.
I was sure I could breath relatively fine with the smog around but I didn't want to put myself through that.
Massive towers pierced the clouds or as far as I could see with the mist covering the area. Neon lights buzzed above, advertising companies I didn't recognize.
People bustled in heavy coats, breathing through respirators and half-masks. The ground-level was packed with broken vending machines, piles of junk, and people that looked like they hadn't seen sunlight in weeks.
"…"
This wasn't looking promising.
Had I wasted a world jump? I had felt like I had made progress.
No one noticed me.
They were probably too used to being weird.
Good.
I moved through the crowd slowly, mostly observing the strange world I found myself in. I couldn't deny that I was fascinated either way.
Skyscrapers leaned together at unnatural angles.
The street signs were mostly digital. Corporate security drones I could barely see through the smog flew in pairs overhead.
I didn't bother hiding. I just kept walking.
At some point, I decided to pull out a few of my demonic summoning slips.
They looked like old paper, with black writing that shimmered faintly when tilted.
I casually placed one in a vending machine slot, slipped another into a beggar's cup, and handed the last one to a girl who looked half-spliced with metal.
She didn't say a word, simply taking it and kept walking.They probably wouldn't do anything with them. But if one did… Well, that'd be interesting. I had nothing much else to do, other than exploring.
I found a bench near a billboard advertising brain-chip upgrades and collapsed onto it.
I thought about what I wanted to do. There wasn't much else to do but wander this bizarre dystopian cityscape. And who knew? Perhaps this place had its own version of magic or power I could learn.
I'm sure I could find some use, especially with the high-tech that seemed present in this world.
For that I decided to focus on what I knew would work: contracts. I only had a few days here but I'm sure I could make it work.
With the summoning slips already distributed, I decided to spend the next few hours placing more throughout the city.
I left them in abandoned terminals, slipped them into the pockets of corporate workers rushing by, and even handed them directly to the more augmented individuals who seemed less likely to question a strange piece of paper from a stranger.
I alternated between handing them to people of interest and putting them in popular areas.
Even if most stuffed them into their pockets, it would activate if they felt a boost of desire.
I passed one to a particular woman who caught my interest, looking to walk past her only to be stopped by her.
"What is it?" She asked, her eyes looking over the details of the flyer I handed her. She raised an eyebrow at the summoning flyer.
I had made the design more appealing. So it looked less… archaic.
"A chance to strike a deal," I replied with a slight smile.
"A deal? I don't see any contact code?" She said, looking amused.
"Just hold onto it. You'll know when to use it." I replied mysteriously.
"Oh? You think you can offer me something?" She asked, looking even more amused. The small mask she wore failed to cover her smile.
She looked well-dressed, in a business suit and I noticed she was being trailed by multiple suited individuals.
"Of course." I replied brightly.
"Do you know who I am?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"Nope." I responded.
"How do you intend to reach me then?" She asked curiously.
"When you want to summon me, push your desire into the flyer and I will appear." I replied simply. "The instructions are on the flyer."
"Ah, are you one of those occult lunatics?" She asked, but didn't seem very judgemental. In fact she seemed amused if anything.
"If that's what you want to call me, then sure. I think you'll be surprised though. How about you give it a try later on? And if I don't appear then I'll be in your debt." I said confidently.
"Fine." She said, the top of her face wrinkling into what I believed to be a smile.
She walked away, and many of the suited men followed her along, not before sending a glare my way.
Hour after hour passed as I explored the endless urban maze.
The buildings grew taller the further I went, but the smog never thinned.
Occasionally security drones would hover nearby, but I'd simply turn down an alley or blend into a crowd until they passed.
Just as I was beginning to wonder if I should find somewhere to rest for the night, I felt it, a familiar pull, a tug at my demonic power. Someone was using one of my summoning slips.
Finally,
The sensation was unmistakable, a direct line connecting me to whoever held the slip. I didn't fight it, instead, I let the magic take hold, closing my eyes as reality shifted around me.
When I opened them again, I was standing in the center of a summoning circle.
The lines glowed faintly red against polished marble flooring.
My Basilisk, sensing the transition, coiled tighter around my arm.
I took in my surroundings quickly. This was no street-level hovel.
The room was spacious and lavishly furnished, with sleek modern designs mixed with what appeared to be genuine antiques.
Large windows revealed a view high above the smog layer, where the sky was actually visible, tinted in permanent twilight from the pollution below.
Artwork that looked legitimately valuable adorned the walls.
I wouldn't mind living here…
A wealthy client.
It seems my choices have been made well.
The poor wouldn't have time to play around with a flyer. They were all too busy making use of their time. The rich on the other hand were more susceptible.
Standing just outside the circle was a man in his forties, wearing what I assumed passed for expensive clothing in this world, some sort of suit with subtle tech interfaces woven into the fabric.
"Holy shit," he whispered, taking an involuntary step backward. "It actually worked."
The shock on his face was almost comical.
Clearly, he hadn't expected his little dabbling in the occult to produce actual results.
I couldn't help but smile.
"Hello." I greeted him.
"Uh, hey?" He asked, seeming to become a bit more timid. "So, uh. What are you? Is this some sort of new super advanced tech?"
"No. It's magic." I replied.
"Magic? Like External Nexus Online? Or Yggdrasil?" He questioned.
"I'm not sure what those are but sure, let's go with that." I responded after a pause.
"So what happens now?" He said, looking around nervously.
"Preferably we make a deal." I replied, inspecting his room. "You seem pretty well-off."
"Ah yes." He nodded.
"So, what is it you desire?"
The man's eyes widened with excitement.
"Magic! Real magic! Can you teach me?"
"You don't have any to begin with so teaching you would be pointless." I pointed out.
"Is there a way to somehow give me magic? If that's how it works?" He asked seriously.
"It's not normally the way it works, considering magic is like an energy reserve in your body. One that can be drained and refilled naturally. But I could do that if I wished." I replied, I think giving someone magic was something I could do.
Then again, I didn't know how it worked. For all I know I could give him the magical energy and once he used that up it would vanish.
"Oh! Yes. Please. I'll give you whatever you want." He replied eagerly.
I couldn't help but laugh. "You don't have enough to afford that."
He scoffed, clearly offended. "I'll have you know I'm very wealthy. I'm a manager at Horizon's Edge Industries."
He didn't look happy at my denial, then again I wouldn't be happy if I was told I didn't have enough to gain actual magic either.
Who wouldn't want magic?
"I seriously doubt even your wealth could afford gaining actual magic, especially considering the work I would have to go through to give it to you," I replied with a smile. "But perhaps there's something else you desire?"
He frowned, thinking for a moment. "What else can you offer?"
I considered what I had. Most of my genuinely powerful items weren't for sale, but I did have some minor trinkets that might impress someone from this world.
"How about this?" I reached into my bottomless pouch and pulled out a small device.
It was a circular base inscribed with runic patterns, designed to levitate small objects within its field.
From what I know it was more of a cute design choice in the wizarding world.
"A magical artifact."
To demonstrate, I placed a small quill on it, which immediately began to float and rotate gently above the base. The runes glowed with a soft blue light.
The man's face lit up. He practically jumped forward, stopping just short of the summoning circle. "That's incredible! Real levitation without tech?"
I nodded, inwardly amused at his excitement over such a basic magical item. In the underworld, children played with more impressive toys.
"What do you want for it?" he asked eagerly.
"What are you willing to pay? I need whatever passes for currency in this world."
"Credits, of course." His brow furrowed.
"How much would you say is a fair amount?" I asked, not betraying my lack of knowledge.
"100,000 credits!"
I gave him a disapproving look, the one Dumbledore had given me.
"Ah fine, 200,000." He grumbled.
I grinned. "Good."
"What's your account code?"
I paused, realizing the complication. "I don't actually have an account here."
"No account? How do you..." He trailed off, confused. "Oh! You must be an off-gridder. Do you have any physical way I can pay you?"
"That would be preferable."
"Give me a minute." He quickly moved to a sleek console in the corner of the room.
He inserted a small chip into a slot, and a holographic screen appeared before him.
After a few minutes of furious typing and several authentication scans, he returned with the chip. "Two hundred thousand credits. More than enough for any tech I've seen."
I nodded approvingly but held up a finger. "One more thing. I'll need you to sign a contract. Insurance, you understand."
I produced a simple contract from thin air, the paper glowing faintly in my hand. "It just ensures you can't claim I scammed you, and I can't claim you didn't pay."
He seemed hesitant but signed it anyway. I could tell he was too excited about the device to care about fine print. Little did he know the contract also prevented him from revealing my existence to authorities or corporations.
Standard devil precaution.
I handed him the levitation device and accepted the credit chip. "Pleasure doing business with you."
He was already playing with the device, watching in childlike wonder as various small objects from his desk floated above the runic base.
"Wait," he said suddenly, looking up.
"What are you exactly? I mean, are you even human?"
I smiled as I stepped out of the summoning circle. "Just a trader."
I figured revealing I was a devil wouldn't go down well here.
Some things were universal across worlds.
With the deal completed, I promptly left the building. The man didn't forget to ask for another summoning flyer before I left and I was happy to provide him with another flyer.
At this rate I needed to make more of them.
I played with the strange chip he gave me.
Now I needed somewhere to use it.
Finding a bank turned out to be more complicated than anticipated. The massive city had plenty of financial institutions, with most being automated which didn't help but actually registering with one became a whole ordeal.
"Identity verification required," droned the holographic teller when I finally located a bank terminal. "Please place your palm on the scanner and input your citizen code."
I pressed my hand against the glowing panel, knowing full well it wouldn't work.
"Error. No biometric match found in the database. Please present your corporate citizenship documents or state-issued identification."
Well, yeah. I hadn't even stepped foot in this world till a few hours ago.
Of course.
Three more banks produced the same results. At the fourth, I was nearly detained when security was automatically summoned due to "potential identity fraud." I vanished before they arrived.
Another drone gave me the same thing and I smashed it to pieces easily.
I wasn't angry but that robotic voice was becoming annoying.
"This world is more bureaucratic than the underworld," I muttered to my Basilisk as we retreated into an alley.
By late afternoon, I'd resigned myself to the fact that my newly acquired credits would be largely useless without proper documentation.
Perhaps I could barter them to someone who had an account.
That was until I finally found a bank that had human staff. It was easy from there as they seemed willing to give me a bank account despite my lack of identification.
When I deposited two hundred thousand credits in my first deposit. They simply raised an impressed eyebrow.
I was contemplating my next move when I felt another pull.
Another summoning.
The familiar sensation washed over me, and I let myself be drawn via demonic teleportation. The room materialized around me, smaller than the previous one but still comfortably furnished.
The apartment was modest but clean. Holographic displays covered one wall, showing what appeared to be complex data streams and code.
Technical equipment and components were neatly organized on shelves.
The furniture was minimal but of high quality.
Standing before me was a young man, probably in his early twenties.
Unlike my previous client, he wore simple clothing, a plain black shirt and utility pants with multiple pockets.
"It worked," he whispered, his voice tinged with academic fascination rather than shock.
"You're exactly as described in the forums. The trader who appears when summoned."
Forums?
I had met one person…
I decided to go along with it.
"What is your desire?" I asked.
"You're selling magical artefacts right?" He questioned eagerly.
"Not particularly, I am a deal maker so most things can be traded for if you have something of interest. but I would be willing to part with some, yes." I replied hesitantly.
"I want to buy a magical artefact!" He said, ignoring everything else.
Right…
I feel like he ignored the fact I was willing to make a deal with him that was beyond just selling magical artefacts.
I thought over things that I didn't really need. I had picked up multiple items of interest mostly for their runes, which I wanted to learn and further improve onto objects of my own.
If I could make artefacts it would be a massive boost in protection and I had to admit I did like the thought of making objects of power.
The runecraft books in the wizarding world were scarce and rare to say the least. So I'd probably have to be mostly self-taught beyond the novice book I had managed to obtain.
I took out a feather from my bottomless pouch.
Runes were weaved into its feathers in a way that somehow worked.
"This is a magical feather."
He looked at the feather, noticing the blue rune.
"What does it do?" He asked in pure curiosity.
"When you say, 'Clean.' The feather will activate and start dusting everything around itself." I said, the Feather glowing at the phrase, it levitated and started slowly dusting the table I had put it on.
He stared at it with starry eyes. "How do I stop it?"
"Simple, "stop."
Sure enough, the Feather stopped cleaning.
Funnily enough this was probably more useful than the item I gave the wealthy man.
"How much?" He said instantly, his face turning serious.
"Depends, what are you willing to offer?" I asked, giving him an easy smile.
I think I was getting better at this whole devil thing.
It certainly felt that way.
He frowned. "I'll give you ten thousand credits."
"No."
He bit his lip. "Thirty thousand?"
"Nu uh."
"F-fifty thousand?" He stuttered.
Maybe I was holding him to an unreasonable standard.
"How about fifty thousand and one percent of your life force?" I offered.
This was as good a time as any to test out the new contract I had made, one with the goal to store metaphysically traded concepts.
It had been hard to make, but I wondered if all those demon contracts with thousands of souls trapped inside them had been real or merely rumours. I had already gained souls, magic and strength through contracts.
"Huh?"
"Give me one percent of your life force, nothing much really. And fifty thousand credits." I reiterated.
"How is that even possible?" He asked in bafflement. "I can't exactly just give you my life force."
I grabbed a contract, two of them. One of them being the container and the other being the standard dealing contract.
"It's quite simple really," I explained, unfolding the parchment between us. "You sign this contract which stipulates the exchange of goods and services. One magical cleaning feather for fifty thousand credits and one percent of your life force."
He hesitated, eyeing the contract suspiciously. "You're not joking? My actual life force?"
"One percent of it. You won't even notice it's gone,"
I assured him with a smile that wasn't entirely meant to be comforting.
"Think of it as... an energy tax. Your body can technically naturally regenerate this vitality by training and increasing your Ki or life force, it would naturally take quite a bit of training to regain this but still... This would be like donating blood, except less messy."
He shifted nervously. "And there's no side effects?"
"None whatsoever," I replied smoothly. "Well, you might feel slightly tired for a minute or two, but nothing serious."
After several more minutes of deliberation and answering his increasingly paranoid questions, he finally relented.
"Fine," he said, extending his hand for the quill I offered.
He signed his name with a slightly shaky hand.
The moment the signature was complete, the contract glowed brightly, and I felt the metaphysical transfer happen.
A small wisp of bluish energy separated from his body, flowing into the second contract, my container.
I watched the contract with focus, and felt a sense of accomplishment as the contract held. That had been hard to make after all.
Contract making was a whole thing. The more complex it was, the harder it was to make them. I'm pretty sure studying this the underworld had been outlawed beyond the basic contract but that seemed like a them problem.
I had been discovering the contracts' limitations myself. Nothing physical like racial traits or appearance could be taken, and I suspected bloodlines were also something that couldn't be traded.
The young man gasped, putting a hand to his chest. "That felt... weird."
I grinned as the container contract sealed itself, now holding one percent of his life force within its metaphysical folds. The experiment had worked perfectly. I now had confirmation that my contracts could indeed hold intangible concepts like life force.
"Transaction complete," I said, folding the papers and tucking them away. "Now, about those credits..."
He seemed a bit dazed but nodded and transferred the credits to another chip like my previous client had done.
I should probably go see how much I had actually made, since I had no indication if the amount I had secured was good or not. For all I know it could be chump-change and I would have reevaluated my options.
"What's your name?" he asked, still clutching the magical feather like a precious treasure.
I considered lying but decided against it. What harm could come from giving my actual name in a world I'd be leaving soon?
"Zephyrion Gremory," I replied with a slight bow.
His eyes widened. "That... doesn't sound like any name from around here, are you even human? You've appeared out of nowhere through what I assume are magical means… your name doesn't even seem human thinking about it."
"That's because it isn't. Pleasure doing business with you."
I left him standing there, staring at his new acquisition, undoubtedly with questions swirling in his mind about what exactly he'd just encountered.
With another fifty thousand credits added to my growing fortune, I headed back to the bank to deposit my earnings.
With my credits securely in my new account, I decided it was time to see what this world had to offer.
Shopping seemed like the logical choice, since I needed to understand the value of things here and learning more about the world around me couldn't hurt.
I didn't currently have any minions to secure me a house…
Maybe I should have brought Reginald and his family? I was probably being lazy in any case. So this was a good chance to stretch my legs.
The upper levels of the city proved to be a consumer paradise for those with credits to spare.
Stores were seemingly selling everything from cybernetic enhancements to designer clothing lined the walkways of what appeared to be a massive indoor mall.
I browsed through shops selling holographic entertainment systems, personal security drones, and even what they called "atmospheric purifiers" for an insane amount, they were devices that created small bubbles of clean air around the user.
What caught my attention was the full-dive machine that had multiple versions. A machine that allowed you to deep-dive and game as if you were really in the game yourself.
That was definitely something I wanted. I could see the appeal and I was already a Devil with a high-class worth of demonic power. In the Devil world and many worlds I had been too, I was already a powerhouse.
So the fact that I could even see the appeal meant this was probably a popular product.
I'd have to buy one at a later date. Would they even work in a different world? I'd have to see.
After purchasing one of the purifiers and some clothing that wouldn't make me stand out, I stopped by a tech shop. I also purchased an EMF and radiation shielding case just in case. The salesperson eagerly showed me their latest neural interface.
"This model allows direct brain-to-network connection, sir."
I nodded politely but passed on the brain implant. Some technologies seemed better left untried.
By the time I'd finished my shopping spree, I had concluded that I possessed an insane amount of credits. What my clients had paid me for trinkets could have bought small vehicles or several months in a luxury apartment.
I was contemplating how to best utilize this newfound wealth when I felt that now-familiar pull again.
It seemed to be a busy night.
The sensation took hold, and I allowed myself to be transported once more. This time, I materialized in what could only be described as an executive suite.
The space was enormous, at least three times the size of the first client's apartment.
Large windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling revealed a breathtaking view of the city from what must have been one of the tallest buildings.
The furniture was minimalist but clearly custom-made and exorbitantly expensive.
And there, standing by the desk with an expression of mild surprise, was the business woman I'd handed a contract to earlier.
"Well," she said, her voice cool and controlled despite the obvious shock in her eyes, "it seems the occult lunatic wasn't exaggerating after all."
"I told you." I replied easily. I looked down at the casual expensive dress she wore. "Nice dress."
"Thank you." She replied smoothly. "So… what are you?"
"Does that matter?" I questioned.
"Yes." She nodded.
"I'm a devil." I revealed.
I wasn't too bothered, she was obviously involved with corporate or something like that. She was probably more of a demon than me.
As expected she didn't look bothered.
"Interesting, are you going to try to take my soul?" She questioned.
I'm not sure if I want to try it to be honest.
"No, I am here willing to make a deal though." I said, ignoring her smirk.
"Consider my interest peaked. It vertically explains why you don't know who I am."
Yeah, that look in her eyes… I didn't know if that was going to be a good or bad thing yet.
"What can you offer me then?" She asked curiously. "I'm guessing whatever you used to get here could be summarised as magic?"
"Indeed…"
"How curious, can anyone use this magic?" She asked, getting closer to me.
"No. What you refer to as magic needs a magical energy or some sort of variant regarding that." I explained.
"How does it work? Would I be required to learn spells? What are the limits of those spells and what effect would they have on my body?" She calmly fired multiple questions.
Funnily enough she was the first person to actually ask what magic could do.
"The type of magic I could provide you with? Well, yes. You would be required to learn spells, and even a few of the spells would allow you to move without the bodyguards over there." I said, nodding my head to the dozens of bodyguards that had just stormed the room.
She smiled darkly, her hands clicking and the guards backing off.
"It'd also slow your aging." I added.
Her eyes sharpened and I could see that lone effect made it more desirable than anything else.
"What would you require from me to obtain this magic? That is under the assumption that I do not possess magic in the first place." She calmly asked, her eyes narrowed.
I had this sneaking suspicion I was being tested.
"You don't, and I am capable of bestowing magic upon you if that's what you're trying to get at." I replied.
"That leaves my first question unanswered." She replied.
"I'm afraid you probably don't have anything that I would need. I'm willing to trade magical artefacts or other such things if that's the direction your mind has travelled too."
Making a deal that would require me to go back to the wizarding world, capture a wizard and then come back here to sacrifice him didn't feel like something I wanted to go through.
I could sacrifice a small amount of my demonic power but I didn't know the effect that would have on the human body.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me with increasing interest. "You seem to fail to understand who I am. I'm Elara Hargreaves, CEO of Hargreaves Tech, the leading tech corporation in the world. I'm incredibly rich, Mr. Devil. I can offer you virtually anything."
She moved closer, deliberately sitting on the edge of her desk, her dress riding up slightly as she spread her legs in an invitation. "Perhaps there are other... arrangements we could come to? Something that would satisfy both of us."
This woman was infinitely more evil than me. I could sense it, and my devil instincts were oddly enjoying it.
She was definitely hot. She had that rich evil girl look going on and I could tell she had gone through multiple incomprehensibly procedures to look like this.
I cleared my throat, shifting the conversation. "I noticed your interest perked when I mentioned prolonged life. That's something I could make a deal on, if you're interested."
A smirk spread across her face, and she looked into my eyes. There was something distinctly evil about her expression that made me feel oddly at home.
"And what would such a deal require?" she asked, her voice silky.
"First, I'd like to know what you can offer," I replied coolly, keeping an unaffected mask on.
She stood up, moving to pour herself a drink from a crystal decanter. "Credits, of course. Millions if necessary. Protection. Technology. Information. I could have someone killed, if that's what you desire. I have considerable resources at my disposal."
I considered it.
"Let's keep it simple. Five hundred thousand credits per one percent boost of life force," I offered.
It wasn't going to cost me anything, considering I was going to get her to do all the work. Which was why the cost was so low.
"Life force? Explain," she demanded, taking a sip of her amber-colored drink.
I slowly stared at her, making a statement that I wouldn't accept her demands.
She sighed, raising an eyebrow. "Please? Is that what you need? And here I thought you were the devil."
I ignored her remark.
"Essentially, I can transfer life force to you, extending your lifespan and rejuvenating your body. Each percentage point would add approximately a year to your life, while reversing some aging effects."
"And you require credits in return? That's all?" She seemed surprised by the simplicity.
"Not exactly. You'll need to provide me with willing participants to have their life force transferred for every percentage point you want."
She didn't even hesitate. "Done."
Huh…
I expected more resistance for making her do all the work.
With a snap of her fingers, one of her guards approached.
She whispered something to him, and he nodded before leaving with an entire squad.
I produced a contract, carefully laying it out on her desk. "You'll need to sign this."
She sent me a firm stare. She spent the next ten minutes meticulously reading through every clause, asking pointed questions about specific terms.
"If I sign this, the exact words in the contract must be obeyed?" she asked, tapping a manicured finger on a particular paragraph.
"Yes, precisely as written."
"Could I draft the contract instead?"
Absolutely fucking not.
I smiled. "I'm afraid not, for obvious reasons."
Finally satisfied, she signed her name.
Just as the ink dried, the doors opened, and her guards returned with dozens of people, all looking slightly dazed.
"Each has agreed to offer five percent of their life force," she said, but her tone suggested "agreed" might be a generous interpretation of the series of events that probably took place.
The next twenty minutes was spent using contracts to transfer what ended up being 130% of an average human's life force. By the end of it, the special contract I had made was practically pulsing with life energy.
She took the contract from my hands, looking at me expectantly.
I activated it with a gesture.
A massive burst of blue energy surged from the contract into her body.
The subtle signs of aging? They vanished in an instant.
Elara ran her hands over her face, down her neck, examining her rejuvenated skin with obvious pleasure.
She had been attractive before but the increase in life force had taken her to another level. A level that wasn't normally possible for humans.
She turned to me, her gaze sultry and satisfied. "I've certainly hit the height of my luck finding you, haven't I? To think I had no clue beings like you existed before."
"I'd be most curious if you had. From what I've seen either magic has long faded from the world or it never existed." I replied easily.
"Now, how do you want your payment? Does the Devil have a bank account?" She replied, curiously.
"A chip will do." I responded, I didn't think letting her know which bank I was in was a good idea.
There was a downright obsessive glint in her eyes.
For humans when they reached the peak of wealth and power they only had one more currency.
Time.
I imagine the fact I was probably the only one who could safely sell this currency was a massive deal.
"If that's what the Devil wishes. Though do have to wonder what would happen if I simply didn't pay you." She commented.
"You can find out if you want, but there is a reason you signed a magical contract." I pointed out.
She laughed, making a gesture and bringing out an already prepared chip.
"65,000,000 Credits."
I took the chip and made way to leave only for the CEO to turn, pulling me into a deep kiss.
"…"
She pulled back, licking her lips. "Can I have another summoning contract?"
I didn't think that was a good idea…
"I'll think about it." I said, before quickly leaving.
An hour later, I finally relaxed once I lost the many trackers she had sent after me.
I didn't hand out any more contracts, I honestly didn't think I needed to at this point.
As I walked throughout the streets, Intended to find a way to spend the massive amount of credits I had just received. I was shocked to find yet another summon.
Today was really busy.
Most people normally ignored my contracts. So it was definitely a welcome surprise that was making this world seem more worth it.
I allowed myself to be pulled along once again.
-{Suzuki Satomi}-
She frowned, logging out of Yggdrasil and returning to the real world.
No one online… again.
The game was shutting down in a few days, and she was trying to make the most of it but that was hard to do without her long-time friends.
She let out a sigh, looking at the time.
Satomi would have to go into work in a few hours, she had honestly traded a night's worth of sleep reminiscing within Yggdrasil.
The emptiness of her apartment seemed to close in around her as she removed her neural interface.
Her friends had all moved on. The connections she'd built over years of gameplay were fading away with the sunset of her favorite virtual world.
Her eyes wandered to her desk where she'd placed that strange paper the man had given her earlier. What had he called it? A flyer? A summoning slip?
She picked it up, turning it over in her hands. If she'd been anyone else, she would have thrown it away immediately.
But years of playing Yggdrasil, of immersing herself in a world of magic and fantasy, had kept her mind open to possibilities beyond the mundane dystopia outside her window.
The instructions seemed simple enough. Focus desire, summon trader. It was probably just some elaborate marketing scheme for a new game or service.
She looked at one question in particular.
'What is your desire?'
She thought about it, and decided to be truthful to herself.
"I just want my friends back," she whispered, clutching the paper. "I'm so tired of being alone."
She didn't really expect anything to happen. But as she held the paper, she felt a strange warmth spreading through her fingers. The writing on the slip began to glow, faint at first, then intensifying until it was too bright to look at directly.
Satomi dropped the paper in surprise, but instead of falling to the floor, it hovered in midair. The light from the paper expanded outward, forming a circular pattern on her floor.
Then, in a flash that momentarily blinded her, someone appeared within the circle.
When her vision cleared, she found herself staring at a handsome man with crimson hair standing in her living room.
But it was his eyes that made her stop breathing for a moment, they were unlike anything she'd ever seen, a spectrum of colors like a living rainbow.
"Hello." He greeted casually, as if he hadn't just teleported into her small apartment. "What is your desire?" he asked, his voice smooth and confident.
Satomi jumped up from her chair, knocking it over in the process. "How did you get in here?!" she demanded, though her voice shook slightly.
She looked down at the glowing circle on her floor that was slowly fading away, then back at the stranger. Her brain was struggling to process what she was seeing.
"Wait, did you... appear from nowhere? Is this some kind of magic?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them.
She knew it sounded bizarre and maybe it was a combination of a lack of sleep and too much deep-divine into Yggdrasil.
"Please, calm down," he said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "You summoned me. I'm merely responding to your call."
"This can't be happening," she whispered, backing away slightly. "Are you using... magic?"
"Yes," he replied simply.
She gawked at him. "M-magic is r-real?"
He confirmed it with a smile that she instantly decided she liked. Before she shook her head and stayed on the main focus at hand.
A man had just appeared in her apartment.
Her mind refused to believe magic existed, and then looked down at the glowing circle of magic. Until she went back to refusal and repeated this process a few times.
"How is this even possible?" Her mind was racing. "Why isn't this widely known? If magic exists, why isn't everyone using it?"
"To my knowledge, I'm the only one with magic currently in this world," he replied, watching her reaction with apparent amusement.
"In this world?" she echoed, eyes growing wider. "Are you saying there are other worlds?"
She began to pace around the room, hands gesturing frantically as she tried to comprehend what she was hearing.
"So there are other worlds? With magic? Is that where you're from? Can you teach others magic? Are there magical creatures? Is it like Yggdrasil? Are there dragons and elves and-" She paused, realizing she was rambling, again, another effect of no sleep. "Sorry, I just... this is a lot."
She felt stupid for asking if this situation was like Yggdrasil. After several deep breaths, she finally calmed herself enough to ask, "What are you doing here, anyway?"
The question was mostly asked to give her some time to think over what was happening.
"I'm here to make a deal," he replied casually, obviously finding her lack of composure amusing as he pointed to the now-normal looking paper on the floor. "As stated on the flyer you activated."
Her eyes widened as she remembered the words. "A deal? Like... What kind of deal?"
"That depends on what you desire," he said, his rainbow eyes studying her.
She blushed slightly under his gaze. What did she desire? There were so many possibilities suddenly opening before her.
Wealth? Power? Knowledge of other worlds? Magic?
But in her heart, she knew what she wanted most.
"Would you..." she began, then paused, feeling suddenly shy. "Would you be willing to play Yggdrasil with me?"
His expression shifted to one of complete bafflement.
-END-
if you wish to read up to sixteen chapters in advance among my stories and other things please visit pa/t reon * / Snipez818, the app is charging a lot more for some reason so I suggest using the website.
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