The Red Hand

"Those ninja sure are efficient." Halifax marveled at the Clan's effectiveness as Chloe and her people quickly got to work putting together a modular base with all sorts of modern amenities. "Though something like this will stick out like a sore thumb, and it's gonna attract monsters like a magnet." She pointed out that the Simoea plains were a breeding ground for monsters and more barbaric races like Orcs and Goblins.

{Though I suspect they'll get treated like target practice...} (Halifax)

"Anything that tries to attack this location will be swiftly reduced to ash by me." Silfana said with a proud smirk. "Besides, if those creatures are anything like the ones I used to rule, they'll quickly fall under my sway." Akagi had basically given her carte blanche to do as she wanted with such races as long as they swore fealty to the Demon Lord.

"Either that or perish in a massive explosion!" Akagi laughed, imaging her Clan members setting up all kinds of nasty traps for fun. "Just try not to cause too much chaos while I'm away. Remeber that I need this world intact for my plans."

"I promise only to try." Silfana snickered. "But before I start rebuilding my Dominion over the forces of darkness we need to secure our entry point." Akagi had worked out and built a set of modular buildings that could be transported and assembled quickly and with little effort. She figured one of the biggest advantages she could give the ninja was modern technology and so devised a way to bring it to Enoris.

"I'd like to say that running cables through an interdimensional portal shouldn't work, but who am I to question the laws of reality." Halifax rolled her eyes.

"Don't question it. I'm not." Akagi shrugged. She had no clue how or why this worked and wasn't about to start asking questions. "Just be thankful that we'll be able to use electricity and connect to Earth's internet from here."

"And take nice showers!" Chloe called out from a distance, noting that such things were of major importance.

"That too." Yumi giggled. "I couldn't imagine going without a bath every day."

{I didn't even have such a luxury as the village Priestess, only taking a bath one a week... Gross...} (Yumi)

"Oh yeah..." Halifax was smacked with the realization that she'd be going back to living in a far less advanced society now that they were back on Enoris. "I'm going to miss good food and bathrooms that aren't disgusting..."

{Thank the Gods that I don't actually need to use them for their intended purpose!} (Halifax)

"Yet another reason I'm glad to not have a physical body." Akagi chuckled as Yumi stuck out her tongue. "But don't worry, I've got a solution so our two pampered Princesses don't need to suffer." She winked.

"What about me?" Amakusa asked, not wanting to go back to the poor living conditions of Enoris.

"Weeeeeeelllllll. I suppose that the pet may partake, but only if she uses the doghouse." Akagi laughed.

{Or maybe even the litter box!} (Akagi)

Amakusa grumbled, shaking her fist. "Fucking.... not pet... I'll show you..."

"Speaking of Shiroe. Bringing her into towns will no doubt give us away. She might be the Hero from Amdamell, but almost everyone will know who she is even if they haven't seen her in person." Halifax noted that since she'd been front an center in the war and was a highly public figure that bringing her with was actually going to pose some problems if they wanted to keep a low profile.

"Yeah, I suppose that she does stick out." Yumi gave a wry smile. "Though the same could be said for the three of us, no?" She figured the dangerous Akagi would be the most standout of the three, followed by Halifax.

"As I'm a Mythril rank adventurer, I do have a bit of notoriety, though I don't think it will cause any issues since the amount of people who know my true nature is quite small." Halifax waived off that concern. "As for Akagi, Demons are actually common enough here, so I actually don't think anyone is going to do more than stare at her. Those eyes aren't common, but it can easily be waived away as just a rare trait, and most people will just think she's some child of a Demon and a human, which happens more often than you'd think."

{Heck most of the Nobles and Royalty of the continent, not counting the Demon Kingdom itself, have at least some Demon blood in their lineage.} (Halifax)

"I've already decided to disguise the pet, so don't worry." Akagi held her hand out toward Amakusa. "Time to take the form of what lies within!" She laughed as Amakusa's body warped and changed like a desert mirage. Her hair turned pink, and she grew ears and a tail, making her look like wolfkin.

{I should do this to Mika one day and see how long she goes before Awooing.} (Akagi)

"What did you do to me?!?" Amakusa exclaimed as she touched her new tail and ears.

{WHY AM I FLUFFY?!?} (Amakusa)

"I made the pet into the real thing!" Akagi laughed as she pet Amakusa's ears. "Nice, isn't it?"

"Absolutely, master! Pet me more!" Amakusa said before swiping away Akagi. "TURN ME BACK!"

{I'LL FUCKING BITE YOU!} (Amakusa)

"Just bear with it, please." Halifax interjected to stop an all out war between Amakusa and Akagi. "It's just illusion magic, and we can't let people know who you are, so please just go along with it?" In her mind Halifax was already thinking of ways to 'spoil' the new fluffy Amakusa later.

"Grrrr." Amakusa growled. "Fine... But don't pet me!"

"But you're just so cute!" Yumi said as she ignored her pleas and pet Amakusa's ears. "You're a cute widdle wolf girl, and it makes me want to spoil you rotten!"

{FLOOF!} (Yumi)

*Sad whimper noises*

"Yumi likes cute things, so get used to it." Akagi laughed. "In the past, she used to give Chloe a lot of pets, so be prepared for it."

{I don't wanna be pet...} (Amakusa)

"I still prefer my kitty though." Yumi giggled as she stopped her pets. "It probably helps that the kitty in question snuggles me back."

"It also doesn't hurt that you enjoy snuggling with the kitty as a kitty." Akagi snickered which caused Yumi to begin hitting her softly on the chest.

"Don't talk about that! It's bad enough that Miji and the others know!" Yumi hissed.

"But it's so cute!" Akagi pulled her into a hug. "Yumi kitty is top tier!"

{Though Miji kitty might actually be better. That girl really enjoys giving me happy hugs!} (Akagi)

"Gag me..." Amakusa was never a fan of open flirting like this.

"Oh? Are you jealous?" Halifax nudged her with her elbow.

"No I'm not. I just don't like such things. Relationships can take a hike." Amakusa huffed.

"They can be a pain, but a good one is worth it." Halifax smiled. "My time with Sherry was honestly what saved me from going down a very dark path." Her face showed a smile, but Amakusa could tell that it was just a facade.

"Well I wouldn't know what a 'good' one is like since every relationship that I've had always ended poorly." Amakusa sighed. "Either they cheated or... or they were afraid of my strength." She'd had three boyfriends before, and two left her after discovering her power. Even before she was sent to Enoris, Amakusa had far more strength and physical prowess than a normal person, and it made many men feel inadequate or nervous. "The last guy I went out with broke up with me about a month before I was summoned, and he said that he couldn't stay with me since he was afraid that I might one day hurt him if I ever got angry..."

{I... I can't say that he was wrong about that either... One wrong move and I could've snapped his arm if I wasn't careful...}(Amakusa)

"There's nothing wrong with staying single." Akagi spoke up as she hugged on Yumi. "Until I figured out the whole Bonded Soul thing, I never planned on having anyone in my life. Hell, I can't even feel love, but Yumi here is my Squishy and that makes me happy." She smiled, though Alice's words echoed in her mind.

{I... I can't feel love, right?} (Akagi)

"I suppose that's just a consequence of being a world-ending machine." Halifax gave a wry smile.

{That's honestly kind of sad... Not being able to feel such a connection... Even after... Even after what Elariel did to me... I'm still glad I got to experience what it felt like to be loved...} (Halifax)

"But enough sappy talk." Akagi said as she let go of Yumi. "Let's get going! It will take a bit to get to the Imperial Capital, and I'd like to move as quickly as possible. The faster we can figure out how to get me into a brawl with the Gods, the sooner we can end this mess and go home and give me pets!" She laughed as she glanced up at the sky, seeing what looked like multicolored cracks that zigzagged above. As a Demon Lord, she could see the structural flaws in the world, but most other beings couldn't. "Luckily, this world isn't on a short timer, so we don't need to worry about it falling apart around us."

{Though based on what I'm seeing and feeling, the Gods might have been a bit too generous in their assessment. My money is that in less than two centuries, this place will start coming apart at the seams and I'd bet that using my power to forcibly open up some kind of connection to whatever plain the Gods live on might bring the whole house of cards crashing down. Which means we're going to need to find an alternative...} (Akagi)

"We're on the other side of the continent from the Capital. Even at my top speed that would still take a few days." Halifax commented. "So as a group and having to drag along those who can't fly, I'd expect it to be at least a week until we arrive."

"Fuck that." Akagi waved that notion away with her hand. "We're getting there today." She snapped her fingers and lifted the three of them into the air.

"Eh?!?" Amakusa squeaked as she levitated into the air. "I'm flying?!?"

“I'm guessing this is going to be interesting...” Halifax laughed nervously.

“It will be fine! We're only going to fly at like the speed of sound or something.” Yumi smiled.

{TOO FAST!} (Amakusa)

"Now, hold on tight!" Akagi floated the four of them high up into the air before summing a small microphone. "This is your Captain speaking, please sit back and relax on our nonstop flight to the Imperial Capital. We expect minor turbulence during our journey, so mind the shaking."

"Shaking?!?" Amakusa looked down and started panicking as they were already hundreds of feet into the air. "I DON'T LIKE THIS!"

"It's not too bad." Yumi giggled. "But I'd watch out for the bugs. Getting one in your mouth isn't very fun." She'd experienced that before.

"Well, I've never had a Demon Lord fly me places, so I guess I'll count this as a new experience!" Halifax laughed.

"Three... Two..." Akagi started counting down.

"WAIT! NO!" Amakusa pleaded for Akagi to stop but was ignored.

"ONE!" Akagi powered up, and the four rocketed forward at speeds far exceeding the speed of sound, creating a sonic boom as they took off.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Amakusa screamed as they flew into the distance before vanishing into a small twinkle from the perspective of those below.

"Bye-bye, myaster!" Chloe waved them away. "And make sure you give those evil gods what for!" She snickered before turning back to the other ninja. "Alright, everyone, myaster has gone on her mission, so now it's our turn! Lets show her that her trust in our abilities isn't misplaced!"

"Right!" (Ninja)