NOVEL NEXT Chapter 416: EVERYTHING
The tension soared to an all-time high after the words and actions displayed by Adam before the Gemini Zodiac.
For Inari, this was the first time in all her life that someone, much less a man, managed to face her head-on in such an arrogant manner.
Ever since she sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox spirit within her body, her destiny had completely changed altogether. She had become an entity whose charms could even put a regular member of the succubus race to shame.
Her eyes slowly trailed over the visage of the young man sitting arrogantly on his majestic throne. The simple action of creating this seat and floating inside the world she had created and had absolute reign over was definite proof that he was slowly hijacking this realm and overlapping his own will over her own.
'He is brute forcing his way through but still… how marvelous.'
A fight between illusionists was generally a fight between skills rather than one of brawls and endurance. One's perception and actions would lead to different results and outcomes.
Adam, meanwhile, was akin to a man bringing a gun in a sword fight. Or using a hammer to crush an object when all was asked of him was to make a single paper-thin cut.
What caught her interest were the two entities that appeared next to Adam. Like loyal knights or guards protecting him from all danger, the mysterious and unknown entities were ready to lay down their lives for the lord they served. They stood quietly on either side of him, refusing to move or budge even an inch, and kept observing her with glaring red eyes.
"How dangerous…"
A wide and mesmerizing smile stretched her lips as her gaze finally landed on Adam's eyes.
"The more I look at you, the more I feel like you are full of surprises, young man. A being filled with so many wonders… Astounding…"
She licked her lips with delight before cooing in a gentle voice, "Discovering more about you will be a pleasure like no other."
"Heh… Never thought the mother of my ex-girlfriend would hit on me like this. I guess life is really full of surprises, ain't it?"
"Fufufu~ Competing with my daughter at my age would be the epitome of foolishness. But I am starting to think that you might be worth such a foolish action on my part…"
"Should I say that I am honored…? Doesn't really feel right though…"
"You should, indeed, be honored, young man. Only one man in the whole world was worthy of my courtship. Sadly, he is no longer part of this world."
Her actions, words, and expression did not match in the slightest and Sol simply answered her without changing his own either.
They were sitting quietly but were in fact fighting for dominance already. Their minds were ensured in a clash of their skills as they tried to assert control over the boundaries of this world.
Soon, the world itself seemed to be divided entirely in two and They were defining new boundaries on the parts of the world they now held dominion over, but in the end, it was easy to see that Inari while Adam looked to simply be a few steps away from Inari, the dividing line also gave the impression that they were simply light years apart. They were like parallel lines, always close but never together.
They were defining new boundaries on the parts of the world they now held dominion over, but in the end, it was easy to see that Inari had the upper hand as the domain under her control was far larger than the one under the control of Adam.
"Should I be impressed by your skills or disappointed in myself for losing control of the world that I have created myself… even if partially? Truly, your talent is worthy to be called… peerless."
"I know already, no need to repeat the inevitable…"
Adam nonchalantly leaned against his palm with his hand now resting on the armrests of his majestic throne.
"Very well. I believe that you have not called me to this realm to just state the obvious. Why are we here? Please, enlighten me…"
"How impatient of you, young man. Did you know that such a trait is far from admirable in a man?"
"I have no care since I am not trying to seduce you… yet"
Inari chuckled, "Yet… huh? Fufufu~"
"They say that someone should never say never. Who knows what might happen in the future? It is always beneficial to remain open to changes…"
"My, my, you are making me blush…"
She tilted her head with a thin smile stretching the corner of her lips. With her eyes intently staring at the nonchalant Adam, she spoke up…
"I can see now why that kid is so infatuated with you. Even after all these years… You are really one of a kind…"
"By that kid… Are you talking about Tsubasa?"
"Indeed. My dear, beautiful, and supremely talented daughter— Tsubasa Hanekawa. You are both a scourge and a boon for her existence, which of the two will persevere to the very end, I do not know. What I do know, though, is that your existence threatens the equilibrium of the offspring I am most fond of."
"So, you plan to kill me?"
"Indeed, I did."
Inari was quite direct with her words. There was an eerie nonchalance in her words as she delivered that statement with the same smile on her face, her expression not changing throughout,
"Five years ago, I decided that killing you and freeing Tsubasa from her obsession by manipulating her memories to forget you would be the best solution."
"Did you change your opinion then?"
"You seem pretty unsurprised at learning about how you might have died by my hands."
"Meh. Been there, done that. I am used to this kind of thing already. Either way, since I am still alive, should I take it that you decided against killing me?"
After all, he was still alive at this very moment.
"No. My daughters eliminated all the assassins I prepared for you. So, the plan was a failure…"
'Daughters, huh?'
Adam did not comment on how Inari added Yui as one of her daughters. The same girl she simply called a sacrifice not long ago.
Inari was showing an extreme case of bipolarity syndrome that was actually closer to multiple personality disorder than simple bipolar disease. Most likely, her current behavior was a side effect of the technique she was using.
"I was extremely impressed and the display of power assured me then that Tsubasa's talents did not wane despite her infatuation with you. No, far from declining, it seemed to have continued growing by a terrifying margin and while her level stagnated a bit, I have no doubt that she will jump in power at a speed no one can anticipate once she finishes her metamorphosis."
There was pride and an absolute sense of love in her voice as she delivered those words. Even if not taking into account her personal relationship with Tsubasa, simply as a clan leader, her daughter was without a shadow of a doubt the greatest heiress to have ever been born into the Hanekawa family.
Even Inari, who was recognized as a genius of the likes that could only appear once in a millennia, recognized that she paled in comparison to her daughter— Tsubasa.
In Inari's opinion, Tsubasa was an epoch-defining genius. The kind of genius that would still be talked about hundreds if not thousands of years after their death.
"Now though, I am facing another epoch defining genius."
She smiled as her gaze trailed Adam's magnificent form.
"I have analyzed your growth speed and realized that you will become someone very important in the future. Someone whose words and actions will have enough weight to change the very fabric and rules of the world. But you are weak right now and so this is the best occasion for me to bet."
"Betting?"
"Indeed. A storm is coming our way, young man. A storm that will affect the mortal world in its entirety. As a member of the Heavenly Court, protecting myself from the storm is extremely easy. No matter what happens. I could play it safe and hide in my trusty cave until the storm passes. But you see— I am a very ambitious woman."
"Oho~ That is indeed quite surprising. I would have never guessed that. Not even in a trillion years…"
Adam spoke in a deadpan manner, sarcasm dripping from his eyes and lips.
"Pretty surprising, right? I am simply a weak and gentle woman deep down though."
Her smile never wavered, as if his mockery was not even registered in her brain.
'I guess she is truly a professional at this business.'
Adam mused but he was surprised to find that he did not feel repulsed by her. Inari had been pretty forthright in their discussion and while it was clear she did so because she knew he would learn about it sooner or later, she also made it clear that she was only interested in him for her own interests.
This was purely a give-and-take relationship with nothing much more to add to the table.
In a way, this was a relationship akin to what he had with Medusa these days.
Adam had no reason to hesitate at this moment. Hoping to only get loyal friends was a delusion at best. Most relationships in this world were based on interests and they would remain as such for all eternity.
This was why, he had a simple question for the woman before him.
"What can you give me?"
Inari grinned alongside the behemoth of a fox underneath her,
"Everything…"
(AN: First chapter of a new month. Hope you like Inari or dislike her. Everything depends on you, haha. Yesterday I published the first chapter of my new story. As I already said in the past, this story will not be on WN. My final goal is Amazon if possible or WSA on WN in March if I don't like the Kindle contract or if I am not offered one. The story might be a flop. But I have confidence.
The story is a mix of Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Fairy Tale. Yep, rather than myth like in SHK and GoC, Fairy Tales will be at the forefront in SOS, my new story.
Here is the link: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/854556/space-odyssey-a
-journey-through-the-stars/
Currently only on scribble. No ch on Patreon and RR yet. In case you cannot click, just search Space Odyssey: a journey through the Stars. If you like One Piece, Gurren Lagann, Gundam, and Star Wars, I believe you will like this story. The theme is exploration, adventure, and war. While the story will be R18, it won't be smut and explicit chapters will be kept in special chapters to separate from the main story.)