^^ Janus ^^
— James —
The humans evolved much slower than Monsters, I discovered, even in the same scenarios. They couldn't kill the things in the Elysian Fields yet, so that was probably the main issue, considering that humans had the amazing advantage of requiring 1/2 XP to level up, but that still required some XP.
The White Apples we're still poisonous to them, because of the fact that they Increased Ur, not Holy Affinity, so they were useless. I looked for the Holy version, but had no way of Growing Ambrosia.
Still, a season turned into a year, and the younger ones were only level 150, and none of them had evolved.
The first-generation students got a little stronger over the year, but the Enemies of the Plains ceased to give them proper challenge, and therefore no real XP gains, so they didn't evolve yet, though they were close.
There were no large Demon incursions, oddly enough, as the Continent seemed to have been deemed the territory of Hallox. Som challenges were made, which gave him some XP and some new followers, but no more Lords or Generals, unfortunately.
I sighed and leaned back, looking at my own status. <Individual: James Taaliyah
Race: Spirit Sphinx Monarch (Legendary, 12th)
Aura of the Silver Titan: 6th Form (25th Form Ur, Titan-Class.)
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Status: Blood of the Silver Titan
Effect: Immune to Disease
Effect: Immune to Mental Influence
Effect: Immune to Slave Contracts
Effect: Legendary Evolution Paths
Effect: Level Cap raised by 900
Effect: Crops' Bounty Increases
Effect: Quality of Crafts Increases
Effect: Immunity to Fire, Ice, & Lightning.
Effect: Legendary Healing Buff.
Effect: Legendary Increased Growth.
Effect: Legendary Increased Durability.
Effect: Legendary Increased Virility.
Effect: XP Gained x2
Legendary Effect: XP Reward x5 once a day.
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Combat Level: 999
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Class: Sage of the Mountain (6)
Level: Max
Class: Spirit Warrior Saint (11)
Level: Max
Class: Honored Clan Progenitor (3)
Level: Max
Class: White Mage (4)
Level: Max
-
Class: Honored Spirit Sage
Level: 50/100
Class: War Saint
Level: 80/100
Class: True Spirit Warrior
Level: 95/100
Class: Honored Clan Progenitor
Level: 99/100
Class: Legendary White Mage
Level: 75/100
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Defense: 99/10
Intelligence: 10/10
Speed: 99/10
Stamina: 99/10;
Strength: 99/10;
Unarmed Skill: 999/10;
Weapon's Skill: 999/10;
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Hundred-Millenia Sage, Spirit World Native, True Martial Artist, Many-Handed One, Lecherous Monk, Weak to Bold Women, Sphinx, Trainer of Heroes.>
I sighed again, and read through it, focusing on the number '999'. 'You said that the mortal Level Cap was 1000, Yes?'
<That is Correct. If you level up again, you'll reach it, and hopefully Evolve, which will give you back 74 levels to spread amongst your other Classes. For reference, the Demon Kings are both Level 1000, and to get beyond that point, you need a God's permission, as that's Demigod Territory.>
'Like when Mika was Level 1150 for 11.5 seconds...' I hummed.
<Correct. She received direct permission from a god, (me, Thoth,) to do so. Also, as a Shrine Maiden, she'll likely evolve into an Angelic-Type existence, when she reaches 1000. Her skill will allow her to double that level and be equal to an Archangel, eventually.>
'So that's what Gabriel and the Archangels meant? When the children could 'Summon their forms'?'
<In a way... those Blessed by Archangels, (or normal angels or any sort of Higher Creature,) can petition the gods to become said type of creature when they reach the Level Cap, sort of as a Rebirth. So even if your race is something like an Orc, if you reach 1000 and are blessed by a god, you can become a Heavenly Being, or if you're blessed by a chaos god, you can become a True Demon, which means you can't come to this plane of existence without being summoned.>
I raised an eyebrow slowly. 'So... Demons are just different types of Monsters? They're not the torturers of Hell?'
<Correct... sort of. The 'Demons' are mortal representations of their immortal demonic counterparts. The Hellscapes and Paradises are many and varied, all connected integrally, but nothing from them can come to this plane without being summoned, and even then they can't access all of their abilities, typically being about Level 250-500 when summoned. Archangels or Demon Princes can be as powerful as 1000, though, and Young Shrine Deities, -who are largely exempt from this, as their Territory is not the Spirit Realms or any others, but rather their original Plane,- can be as high as Level 2000, though they are all restricted from certain contact and XP Gains, due to their Higher Existence. Archangels, for instance, cannot challenge the Demon King directly, but can be summoned to assist someone they've blessed, and increase their chosen's powers for a short time.>
"Huh... Curious." I nodded, and looked down at the Festival that was spread throughout the village, a wild and bawdy celebration of the various children that had been born recently, and the continued groups of women who were finding themselves pregnant, as the birth rate spiked to 150x normal, due to the effects of the Titan's Blood.
Immediately upon this realization, all the borders had turned nearly to stone, as the guards kept an eagles watch on every inch of forest. Children were the easiest to steal, after all, and babies even more so.
Still, a festival was to be had, and it was set today, on the anniversary of my 'return', which was both amusing and vaguely concerning. I didn't really want to be Deified by these people, no more than I already had been, but they weren't having it at all, so I was forced to give up my protests and just enjoy the festival.
Even the dwarves, who I hadn't seen even one of since my arrival, came up to the surface and drank with us, bringing with them basic fireworks, and some art to display. They were somewhat stereotypical dwarves, in that they were very short, -on average about three feet tall,- but stocky and soot-covered. They were a very creative people, it seemed, and not afraid of showing off their work, so long as it didn't include evidence of any special, secret techniques.
I glanced up as a crack in the Air appeared in front of me, and a small humanoid with alabaster white skin and small black horns appeared, bowing politely. "Greetings, Sir Taaliyah, Sage of the Mountain, Great Sphinx, Trainer of Heroes; my Master, the Demon King Janus, has invited you to a Thing with the second Demon King, Calais, and the Seven Sin's Clan Members to discuss the soon-to-be Holy War, and your Peoples' position in said war." The sexless creature spoke with a medium pitch and tone, perfectly without inflection of any kind.
"Where and when is this Thing?" I asked, looking down at the festival again, where Hallox was drinking with a few orc women, and generally making a fool out of himself for the entertainment of the various children that'd gathered around him.
"It is being held at just before Dawn, tonight. The Location is an island in the Great Western Ocean that is called No-Man's-Land. I can provide passage, of you like?" They asked calmly.
I nodded and mentally summoned Hallox. 'We've been Invited to a Thing. Come.'
He paused, looking up at me, and then finished his story swiftly, taking a bow for the children, and came up the mountain swiftly. When he arrived, he eyed the messenger warily, then looked at me. "What's a Thing, Sage? Is it like a Festival?" He asked, grinning.
"A Thing is a meeting, actually, where violence is not tolerated, so enemies can meet and discuss things without fear of being attacked during the proceedings, Lord Mars." The Messenger bowed to him, and waved a hand, widening the crack they'd stepped through to fit his large frame.
I stepped through after the Messenger, and Hallox followed, as we suddenly stood in a large Roman Congress hall, of sorts. There were no walls, only a series of iron pillars holding up a high ceiling, and the waves crashing in the distance was a soothing sound. The interior, where a number of beings sat, was dug down, so that a half-moon of descending seating faced the interior stage, occupied by a table and two chairs, both holding an individual with a crown of thorns in front of them.
I hummed, and nodded, walking forward and directing Hallox to follow.
One of them, the smaller of the kings, who seemed to be a human, besides the frosty skull mask attached to the back of their head, turned slightly to see us. "So, you accepted our invitation... how wonderful. Please, take a seat." They gestured at the stadium seating, where twelve Demon Lords sat, segregated clearly with five on one side and seven on the other.
I walked past them, and right up to the table, pulling a chair up from the Stone with a twitch of one hand. I took the seat, staring back at the two creatures who were now glaring at me, and kicked my feet up, while Hallox stood behind me. "My greetings to you, Demon King Janus, Demon King Calais... Now, What do you want?" I asked calmly.
Calais growled softly at me, his hulking form covered in what I'd thought was plate armor, but was revealed to now be actually the body he was inhabiting, an Automaton of sorts, or a Construct. I looked away from him, and checked each of their statuses, just to see what they were all about, here.
<Individual: Janus (Seven Sins Clan Chief, Sin of Pride, Demon King.)
Race: Daemonic Human (Legendary, 13th)
Demonic Affinity: 23rd Form (maou)
-
Combat Level: 1000
-
Class: Demon King of Pride (25)
Level: Max
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Class: Sword Saint
Level: 95/100
Class: Demon King
Level: 95/100
Class: Elemental Mage
Level: 95/100
Class: Trickster
Level: 90/100
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Taker of Heads, Templar Hunter, Fallen Human, Paragon, King of Pride, Twin Mind, Seven Sins Clan Chief, Banner of Silver (Warning).>
<Individual: Calais (Seven Sins Clan Chief, Sin of Pride, Demon King.)
Race: Demon Thorn Construct (Legendary, 13th)
Demonic Affinity: 22nd Form (maou)
-
Combat Level: 1000
-
Class: Demon King of Pride (10)
Level: Max
Class: Blood Rage Berserker (15)
Level: Max
-
Class: Blood Hunter
Level: 95/100
Class: Demon King
Level: 95/100
Class: Thorned King
Level: 95/100
Class: Mindless Genius
Level: 90/100
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Taker of Heads, Templar Hunter, Paragon, Legend Hunter, King of Pride, Berserker, Blood Hunter, Mindless Genius, Dwarven Construct, Seven Sins Clan Chief, Banner of Red (Slaughter).>
A quick scan of the Demon Lords showed that none of them were above level 750 except two, so I was sure that Hallox could fight most of them, one by one, if necessary. All at once... no. I raised an eyebrow at them, and awaited their response patiently.
"Well, to be clear, we wish to know your intentions, first of all... you're raising two Hero's Parties, and only one of them held enough power to kill two Demon Lords on his own, only a year after beginning training with you... specifically this one, Hallox Mars, killed two of Calais' Lords and took their Power and Followers, but didn't swear himself to Calais, as is custom, but rather to you; having a Demon Lord swear to you means you have a place here at this table." The human-looking one explained calmly.
"Mm. My intentions are simply to preserve and recover the peoples of the Monster Lands, who have been enslaved and slaughtered by both demons and humans alike for a long time. My intentions are to protect my People, and avenge any slights against them, should we deem it necessary. My intentions are to destroy any and all challengers who would come and disturb our peace, and rebuild our civilization and personal cultivation to a level that will make you and all after you think twice about attacking us. The Silver Banner of Warning sums up my intentions perfectly, I think." I nodded.
The Thorned Construct growled again, a deep and rhythmic creaking inside his chest. "You ally yourself with Janus, then?"
"No, I honestly didn't even know they had the Silver Banner as well, nor do I care. If it's necessary to have a different banner, and there's one that just says 'Respect us or Leave', we'll take that one, I suppose." I shrugged carelessly.
"Hmm... well, there's seven, considering that's the largest number of Kings that there's ever been at once. The Banner of White means Truce, the Banner of Black means Death to All, the Red means Hideous Slaughter, Silver means Warning, Gold means Peace by Trade, Green means Greed, and Bronze means Righteous Conquest." Janus laced their fingers together, leaning forward and having at me calmly over their hands.
I hummed slowly. "Curious mix... Hallox, it's your Banner, what do you think?"
He grumbled softly, then scratched his head. "Well... there's Silver, Warning, which I think matches our message best, but that's taken... Bronze would work, because we are conquering our land and kicking out the Slave Trade, and that's a Righteous Cause... Gold might work, cause we're trading with the Holy City, and I don't really mind the idea of trading with everybody else, too, considering we have to destabilize the economies that are being destabilized by the destruction of Slavery... so either Bronze or Gold." He nodded seriously, and I smirked at the surprised looks on several faces at how eloquent he was.
"I agree. Bronze it is, for now." I nodded. "Now that that's done, what else is on the agenda for us? You have your little war plans to handle, I imagine, but we've no part in that, so there's no point for us to be here for it."
Janus nodded slowly. "I suppose that works just as well. It weakens my opponent, so I have no issue with that." They smirked.
"Your opponent? Ah, you mean the Construct... I imagine you fight each other before you fight the Templar's? Or is it a battle of attrition over the next hundred years, and the winner gets to be a True Demon?" I asked dryly, unamused by the prospect.
"Well, the winning side, yes. The losing side takes on the task of revitalizing our civilization after the winners leave this plane." Janus nodded.
"Ahh... I see. And fighting the Templar's and humans is because?" I raised an eyebrow slowly, drawing a conclusion that I didn't like at all.
"Well obviously if the Templar's win, their Templar's get to become Angels or whatever, and they go to wherever they go." They waved a hand dismissively at the careless response. "When there isn't a second Demon King, we needed an opponent... the one we managed just turned out to be a total disaster."
I snorted softly. "So the demons in the Vatican are just spies? Or they're there to drive the Templar's towards War?"
They shrugged. "Wouldn't know anything about that, would I? I fly the Banner of Warning."
"Hmph. Well, anything else? Oh! If you have any monster or human slaves, return them at once, and I'll send the Demons we've saved from slavery back to the Demon Continent." I added, and saw a few of them twitch.
"You mean the Demon Realm?" Janus corrected.
"No. The Continent that your ancestors sent into a Demiplane with that portal magic you have so much of. That's why you still have a sunrise and sunset attuned to the real sun; you're hidden from view and intangible, but you never moved. I planned on something similar for the Monster Continent. Let the humans fight over what's left." I snorted softly, imagining the instant wars as soon as humans were the only foes to fight.
Janus gazed at me in silence for a moment, and then shook their head. "No, I don't think that's correct, but I suppose you're welcome to your opinion. As to the subject of Slave Transfer, we may accept... perhaps."
"Your choices are to return all our people, -and the humans,- back to us or die, so I hope you do accept. If you refuse, our banner becomes Brass, and we trample you back into the muck where all Slavers and Slave Traders belong." I growled softly.
Calais chuckled, to my surprise. "Normally, I would be irate at such a threat, but I agree with your assessment of Slavery, and of those who practice it." His lifeless metal eyes flowed briefly as he glared at Janus.
The two-faced individual scoffed at him inelegantly, and shook their head. "Slavery has existed since the dawn of time-"
"That it has. And it has always been wrong!" He growled, slamming a massive fist into the table and cracking it nearly in half, but it stayed standing.
"Mm... to think I'd side with the Lord of Slaughter... if you keep slaves, Janus, you are my enemy. None of my enemies have ever survived. Remember that, and make an informed decision." I nodded and stood up, bowing my head a little in reference to Calais.
He inclined his head slowly, and looked back at Janus. "With that, the Thing is adjourned... and the Ban on Violence is lifted. Shall I challenge you to a Duel? Or would the Sage like to? I'll happily fight both of you."
"Oh the ban on Violence is gone? Hallox, child, pick a fight with someone of your skill level? I'd like to see your progress." I nodded and looked at the Demon Kings. "Some entertainment for us? We watch and then decide whether or not we fight?" I asked, taking a seat on the other side of the table, now, so I could see the whole arena.
They nodded and sat down to watch, each directing a Lord to fight Hallox mentally, it seemed.
Two lords stood; a thin Elf with midnight skin and a longsword, as well as a Construct like Calais, but bright silver and smooth, also wielding a longsword. I looked at their status', and frowned at the combat levels of 600 and 625, the lowest in the room, besides Hallox, whose level was currently 625 as well.
He glanced at them, and snorted loudly. "No, I don't think so. You're the weakest in this room by a landslide. I'd like him." He pointed a large finger at the largest member of the Lords, a Daemon Ogre much like the one he'd fought last year at the Slaver's town. His level was 850, a Lord of Greed, and the strongest of the Lords in the room.
'Are you sure?' I asked severely.
'Absolutely!!!' He grinned, and drew out Zoken's Sword, to my confusion, pointing it at the Giant and casually shoving aside the two that had approached him. "Come on, then, Greed! I want your FAT SKULL on my WALL next to your KIN'S!!!" He roared a challenge, his muscles visibly bulking up as he let out his aura and Raged simultaneously.
The Daemon Ogre stepped forward, letting a familiar Glaive slam to the ground in his hand. "It is my pleasure, Little One. We don't usually allow Vengeance, as it is a sentimental notion, but I imagine answering a direct challenge isn't against the rules?" He looked at the Construct, who nodded calmly, giving permission. "Perfection." He grinned savagely, and the ground cracked under him as he launched himself towards Hallox like a rocket, his speed very out of tune with his size and thick build.