The shining sun provided a gentle warmth along the mountainside, countered by the cool breeze plowing against the towering spikes of stone that pierced the cloud above. The mountains only got colder the further they climbed, but the demon was unphased.

 

The view of the open fields and forests below was a beautiful sight, enough for some to justify heading this far just to see it. Tanya wasn’t among those people, but even she could recognize the natural beauty the location had.

 

The mountains she was climbing were tall and mighty, beasts of stone and dirt that stretched a shadow over the lands below during sunset. The mountains were a vital location, bordering many nations which Tempest had not yet swayed to its side. Nations that were seemingly non-threats for now, but could become serious problems if left unchecked.

 

If any one of those nations managed to align the people within the Kusha Mountains, it would become a problem. If Tanya could get them to her side instead then she would have a vast mountain range as a first line of defense to the south. The ultimate fortifications, the ‘Natural Borders’ of the Federation.

 

The problem, however, came with the Tengu people. They were a strong and resilient race, one that surpassed the former Ogre village in strength and had proven themselves capable of resisting forced attempts at subjugation.

 

The Sorcerer's Dynasty had been held back, the Demon Lord Frey had time and time again been defeated, Raja and Veldora had never bothered to try. Had the Orc Lord attempted an invasion, there was a good chance that the Orcish armies would be nearly decimated as soon as they tried to walk up the trails that led up the mountain.

 

Tanya knew little of the Tengu people, supposedly Lycanthrope-like in nature or descent, but very different in terms of magical prowess and origin. In short, they were an unknown and generally unpredictable factor. If nothing else, Tanya wanted to know more about what they were dealing with on their southern border. In an optimal scenario, she would have the region join as the state of Kushia outright.

 

To do that, she needed to handle this meeting well. She had traveled this far up the tallest mountain to find their village, supposedly deep within the ‘sacred mountain’ as they called it. She knew she no longer had Rimuru to rely on, he was out doing who-knows-what at who-knows-where, so the former ‘friendly King, terrifying Chancellor’ dynamic the two had developed wouldn’t work here.

 

She had chosen to come alone, originally contemplating bringing one or two people as ‘guards’ with her, but it would be quite obvious to even the Tengu that such was not needed. Her goal wasn’t to intimidate, not until she needed to at least. Her goal was diplomacy. The Tengu would serve much better as faithful allies than enslaved enemies. 

 

Nearing the higher portions of the mountain, she finally saw what she believed to be the entrance to the Tengu Village above. Before she could approach though she found herself stopped by two armed guards readying their swords. Looking at them it was immediately obvious where the lycanthrope similarities could be seen. Both guards had dog-like ears and a tail, though in contrast to lycanthropes had a massive pair of wings out of their backs as well.

 

‘Angelic influence, perhaps? I’ve learned a bit about angels, but not much, unfortunately. I do know that Demons have a natural advantage against them. That mixed with my numerous counters to holy magic should mean that I’m in a good position.’

 

Tanya mused to herself as the guards took a step forward, commanding, “State your name and your business, human.”

 

Tanya had made sure to take on a more friendly appearance than her usual form. Her demonic appearance could scare people into instigating conflicts prematurely. Demons unfortunately had a poor reputation, after all. Her appearance now was hardly different than her usual demonic one, simply with blonde hair and glistening normal blue eyes like she had once had before.

 

Placing her hands behind her back, she calmly responded, “My name is Tanya Tempest, I am the Chancellor of the Imperial Tempest Federation. I seek a diplomatic audience with the leader of your people.”

 

The guards looked at each other, one of each of their ears tilting like a confused dog as one turned back, asking, “I thought the Chancellor of the Federation was a Demonic Demon Lord?”

 

‘It seems word of the Federation has spread this far. Worth noting, certainly.’

 

“You’d be correct. I am both a Demon and a Demon Lord, however, I come here as neither, and I assume this form as I believe it would be best not to draw unneeded attention or panic amongst your people.”

 

The guards seemed to understand. Whether approved or not, a demon walking through their village would cause rumors to spread and potential panic and worry to occur, regardless of whether they knew the identity of the demon. It was probably best for the general population if her status as a Demon was left unshown for now.

 

The guard, still clearly startled by now standing face to face with a Demon Lord, simply nodded, “Very well then. We will escort you inside.”

 

Allowing them to lead the way, Tanya followed silently behind. Before long they were within the Tengu Village, though Tanya quickly noticed something strange about it.

 

‘It seems to exist within a pocket dimension of sorts. Interesting stuff, really. I wonder if I can replicate it. Its potential implications are fascinating.’

 

Despite its apparent existence as a pocket dimension, the village was a wide, open, and overall cozy space. Numerous lights of seemingly magical origin came from all over the cave, most hard to spot until you started to go out of your way to look for them. Contrary to Tanya’s own Veldoria, this village seemed to be built around the natural structure of the cave rather than bending it to its will.

 

The residents of the village did take notice of what appeared to be some human walking through. The village rarely had visitors, leaving such a sight to be a rarity, though one that most simply shrugged off and ignored after a few moments of interest. Some random human with little to no aura wasn’t going to bring anything crazy, surely.

 

The walk took a minute, but eventually, Tanya was brought into a nicer structure in the upper regions of the village, a large building with heavy Japanese inspiration stood as the obvious head of the village. It was pretty easy to assume that this was either the residence or workplace of whoever led it.

 

Once Tanya was brought inside she quickly found herself sitting on her knees at a low-resting table. It was a design he had only seen done by Rimuru in this world, having brought over Japanese culture widely into Tempest. It often clashed with Tanya’s more European-style culture that she had gotten used to in her second life, but she certainly didn’t mind Rimuru’s style either. However this wasn’t Tempest, and it was fairly jarring to see it be used by people completely detached from it. 

 

‘The Ogres had Katanas and Japanese-style armor when we first met them. Their village isn’t terribly far from here compared to most races, it's possible that some Otherworlder came and influenced culture down here. I’ll keep my eye out, though. It’s possible they could still be alive, Rimuru introduced Japanese culture in just two years after all.’

 

A young Tengu woman, easily in her teenage years, sat down across from Tanya. Her appearance felt more ‘human’ than the rest of the Tengu, though had the same animalistic features of ears and a tail. Her hair was pale white with red tinting towards the ends of it and her ears. Her eyes were a blood-red color, staring at Tanya like a wolf stares at its prey.

 

Tanya sat unphased and stared back. For a few moments, the two remained locked in intense stares, the two analyzing as much as they could from simple gazes. In both cases, however, the other learned more than they knew from this.

 

“What does a Demon want with our people?” The girl asked clearly, continuing to stare right at Tanya who remained unphased.

 

The reason she had seen she was a demon was easy enough to spot with Tanya’s Transcending Eye skill. The reason was because of her skill, Godwolf Sense. It seemed to be a stronger version of magic sense, and unfortunately for Tanya, it saw right through her illusionary skill.

 

What Transcending Eye also told Tanya was that her looks weren’t deceiving whatsoever, she was genuinely a young teenager, though had the sheer power capable of rivaling a younger Demon Lord like Carrion. While nothing else about her strengths and abilities seemed of note, she felt something strange about her magical signature.

 

Magical signatures were like fingerprints, no two were completely the same. While genetics could lead to some similarities, even identical twins would be at least a third different. What was raising her notice was how part of the signature felt so familiar. Quickly looking through her mind for a match, she began to focus on the conversation at hand, moving the task to the back of her mind.

 

No longer wasting her magicules on illusions, she dropped them completely with a smile, “Very observant, though I had no intention to really hide it from you. My name is Tanya Tempest, Chancellor of the Imperial Tempest Federation.”

 

The girl’s eyes squinted, staring even more intently at Tanya, “So you’re the Demon Lord? At first glance, I would’ve assumed you’re lying because of how little your aura seems, but even I know a humanoid demon like you wouldn’t have such a small aura. You’re clearly great at hiding it. So what does the Federation want? Have you come to conquer our people?”

 

‘Jumping straight to assuming I’m here to conquer you, I see… I suppose being a Demon Lord has its downsides. I’ve got one hell of an awful reputation just by having the title.’

 

Tanya ignored her mental sigh and continued, “Conquer is a vast exaggeration. I come to negotiate diplomatically. I’m assuming you’re the leader of this village.”

 

The Tengu girl nodded, “My name is Momiji, I am the daughter of the village elder. I am acting in her stead for the time being. You can negotiate with me for now.”

 

‘I see… So I’m truly negotiating with a child here. In that case, it might be best to be blunt and get straight to the point. No point in subtly beating around the bush, that might end up just pissing them off.’

 

“Well, I would like to propose the integration of your people into the Imperial Tempest Federation as the state of Kushia. The Tengu elder would be in charge of the region and be allowed to manage its laws to a significant degree. Mind you, there are still some restrictions and aspects we must control, but in exchange, you’ll be under our protection from say… Demon Lord Frey for example.” Tanya explained simply. Perhaps it was too sudden, but she didn’t see the point in wasting time.

 

“So you do want to conquer us!” Momiji spat, her aura intensifying with sudden anger.

 

Realizing her plans had the opposite desired effect, Tanya sighed. She hoped this could be salvaged somehow, but for now, a fighting retreat may be needed. If necessary she could just nuke this entire mountain and not tell Rimuru.

 

Regardless, Momiji’s aura flooded the room, acting before Tanya could try to clarify her misunderstanding. Her fan dashed forward toward Tanya at near-impossible speed, however, the clashing of metal echoed through the room before it could hit its target.

 

Tanya held her rapier up with her right hand, pointing it down as it clashed against her fan. She rarely used the rapier, but her training with Hakurou, albeit far less than he did with Rimuru, had paid off to some extent. She could have easily blocked it with a barrier, but that would’ve simply encouraged them to continue their attacks, only hitting harder and more frequently until they tired themselves out.

 

Had they done so, de-escalation would prove a lot harder. That was why she used the long, thin blade of the rapier. Blocking it with a sword showed speed and skill, though she was somewhat lacking in the latter in regard to sword combat. The point, however, had been made. While a barrier would encourage them to just keep attacking until it breaks in the hope of landing a hit, her speed had shown that they would never hit one.

 

‘I just hope I don't need to do this more often. If they weren’t fifteen years old and had more experience, my speed wouldn’t be able to make up for the difference. Of course, in an actual fight, a gun beats a sword every time. That is unless you have a skill that can eat projectiles…’

 

Momiji stood frozen, paralyzed in shock, now gazing into the Demon’s unrelenting gaze. Never before had she seen someone who stared with so much confidence when facing her, never before had she met someone with so much power in their eyes. They had stopped attacks from Demon Lord Frey in the past, but this demon was on another level entirely.

 

Before a further response could be muttered, the sound of an opening door was heard behind Momiji and her ears perked up. All the guards in the room, now far more alert, knelt in unison as the woman stepped through the door. 

 

The woman that walked through looked similar to Momiji, however decades older with longer hair stretching down to her waist, the red tips at the end faded to almost a complete gray. Just from the magical signature alone, Tanya could tell that this was her mother, though the visuals certainly made it more obvious.

 

Once more returning to the topic of Momiji’s familiar magical signature she quickly realized it. Putting together a theory—it was a stretch—but with the fighting style she used, it wasn’t impossible.

 

Tanya lowered her weapon, sheathing it again where she knew she would probably continue to underuse it. The rifle was still her better weapon, but the blade had its uses at times.

 

Momiji slowly lowered her weapon as she turned toward her mother, ears lowering as her mother seemed to have both an exhausted and disappointed look on her face.

 

“Silly girl!” she scolded loudly, causing the girl to jump in place, startled. Turning to Tanya, she politely bowed, “My name is Kaede. I am the Elder of the Tengu, as well as Momiji’s mother. It is a pleasure to meet you, Demon Lord Tempest, I’m sorry for the trouble my daughter has caused you.”

 

‘I’m certainly annoyed, but I need to be diplomatic and forgiving.’

 

“It’s fine. I understand she is young. It is also my fault for the misunderstanding. I hope you understand the Federation does not seek to subjugate or conquer you.” Tanya responded with a nod.

 

“I have heard about your Federations. Many of my connections to the outside world have grown old and passed on by now, but there are a few left out there that have told me of events. It wasn’t too long ago when my contacts with some of the elders of the Lizardmen started to tell me all about the countless events going on in the forest.” Kaede explained.

 

“I see. What other contacts do you have? Not that I intend to punish them, of course. Trust me, you wouldn’t find out anything I don’t want you to, anyways.” Tanya said with a slightly terrifying grin.

 

“The lizardmen are the only connections I’ve had for the last few centuries. I’ve stopped maintaining them as of more recently, so in time, they’ll fade away as well. But they’ve told me of your Federation and how it works. I may not know what is going on in your capital, but I understand that you mean what you say. The Federation, as I have heard, is a fair place for its subjects.”

 

“Does that mean you’ll take my offer under consideration? Protection and progress for loyalty feels like a fair trade-off.” Tanya made a more gentle smile, though could tell there was still some uncertainty in the Elder’s eyes.

 

“I accept it's a possibility. What I truly care for is to see my daughter thrive. I had hoped having her take on a husband would help but… I’ve heard what you’ve done with the Lizar-I mean Dragonewt chieftain’s son…”

 

‘I sure hope she’s not referring to any training sessions I might’ve done involving the new 203rd…’

 

Luckily for Tanya, Kaede smiled and continued, “From what I’ve heard he went from a boasting champion of the younger generation to the most despised of the lizardmen. Despite this, you managed to bring him around, make him stronger, and once more restore his position as a champion of his kind. His reputation might not be all restored, but it showed just what you’ve accomplished.”

 

Tanya’s eyes narrowed, questioning her intentions in bringing this up, “Just what are you suggesting?”

 

“The lizardmen elders are my old friends. I will trust their judgment of you. Tanya Tempest, the Tengu will openly join your Federation. But in exchange, I want you to take my daughter as your student.”

 

Momiji’s eyes widened, shouting “Mother!”

 

“No buts. I am sorry Momiji, but there is only so much I can teach you as I am. I am old, and not only will I not be around long enough, but I lack the power I would need. Tempest is a strong nation, even if Tanya is not the best at the haze art, I’m sure they have plenty of teachers there who can help you learn more.” Kaede now turned to look at Tanya, asking, “Someone must have taught you the Haze style, yes?”

 

“I’m surprised you recognized it, let alone how inexperienced I was,” Tanya responded.

 

“Yes, I’m experienced in it myself. I am curious about who trained you. I can tell, and have heard, that sword fighting is not your preferred tactic.”

 

“You’d be correct. I did want to ask you about something. Did you happen to ever meet an ogre swordsman who specialized in such arts?” Tanya’s gaze gradually drifted to her daughter, still in shock at being handed over so suddenly to this demon as she asked.

 

“Judging by the fact you’re looking at her when you say that, you already know the answer don’t you,” Kaede muttered.

 

“I’m merely wondering why he never mentioned it.”

 

“Is he still alive?” Kaede asked. Her expression and volume remained the same, yet there was an audible shift in her voice’s tone, a slight ring of excitement in it now.

 

“I can’t say for sure that he’s the same man, but if he is, he is alive and goes by Hakurou now,” Tanya explained.

 

“I see… So he goes by Hakurou now. It's a shame I couldn’t name him myself back then. As for why he didn’t tell you, I’d have to imagine he simply didn’t know. I haven’t interacted with him in nearly three hundred years.”

 

‘Was she pregnant for three centuries?! At this point I can’t rule it out as impossible, but still!’

 

Wanting absolute confirmation, Tanya used her Illusion skill to manifest an image of Hakurou from her memory, specifically drawing from his appearance as an Ogre when Tanya first met him. “For clarification, is this him?”

 

Kaede took a step towards the illusion, holding back the urge to reach her hand out toward it as if it was real, silently nodding, “He has certainly aged, but that is him.”

 

“Well, that’s not his current form…” Tanya shifted the illusion, now showing a modern projection of what he currently looked like, explaining, “He evolved into a Kijin and this is how he looks now.”

 

“I see… Glad to see he’s doing better. I see now that I am definitely leaving her in capable hands.” Kaede muttered.

 

“I’m just surprised you were so quick to hand her over,” Tanya admitted.

 

“I am old. I cannot teach her for too much longer, and besides, there is only so much I can teach her. If you could turn a person that I’ve heard was an egotistical child into a competent leader, then I believe you could teach my daughter much more than I possibly could about leadership.”

 

“Who is this guy the two of you are talking about?” Momiji questioned, inserting herself into the conversation, still clearly confused as the two adults talked.

 

Kaede smiled and turned to her, “That, Momiji, would be your father.”

 

“F-Father?!” Momiji looked in startled shock at the illusion that remained there as Tanya simply let the two converse.

 

‘I suppose finding out that your father is not only alive but is working for the demon you just tried to kill might be startling to her.’

 

“Then is father where you would be taking me?” Momiji asked Tanya now.

 

“Yes, Hakurou teaches much of our army in sword fighting tactics among other things,” Tanya explained.

 

Momiji nodded, “Then I will go. If nothing else, to meet my father. But I will not guarantee that I’ll be your student.”

 

‘I didn’t ask for you to be. Though in reality, I can’t turn down the possibility of shaping such a powerful asset, I want her to be in her vital developing years. This mother is really giving me too much power. To be fair though, Kaede may only have a few more years left to live. I’ll see what Rimuru or the TRI can do for her.’

 

Tanya nodded, “Alright then. I take it that you agree to join the Federation?”

 

Kaede nodded, “I’ll handle whatever process of integration you need from our kind. I do hope you understand there may be some things we cannot compromise on.”

 

“I understand. I had no intention to fight you over things like that. I’ll send some people over to discuss details. I’ll try to limit the bureaucracy you have to deal with.”

 

Kaede bowed, “That would be greatly appreciated. If you don’t mind, I would like to write a letter to Hakurou. Give me one moment.”

 

Kaede disappeared into the other room for a few minutes, returning afterward with a letter in her hands, handing it to Tanya, “Please give that to him, and treat my daughter well. I place her future in your and Hakurou’s hands.”

 

‘Yeah, she’s way too trusting. Or desperate. Or both. No matter, I don’t intend to disappoint.’

 

“Are you ready Momiji? Tempest’s quite far without flight. I don’t have the equipment to teach you right now, unfortunately, so we'll be walking until I can call over some people to help us.” Tanya looked down to Momiji who had gathered some items in the time her mother had written the letter.

 

With a sigh and a pout, she muttered, “Yeah I’m fine. Let's go.”

 

The two walked toward the exit, Tanya breathing a mental sigh of relief at another successful operation regardless of how derailed it had become.

 

[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]

 

Guy sat at the rounded table across from the demonic being he had come to call ‘Argent’. Her true nature was unclear, though she was supposedly similar to a ‘manas’. She was the closest thing that existed to his theoretical Primordial Silver, the missing primordial that could exist but didn’t seem to.

 

The void around him still gave off an empty air, the darkness constantly threatening to rip him apart in a void that sought nothing but complete destruction. It felt like the very existence of matter in it was an anomaly that it constantly tried to fix, yet was failing.

 

While it placed some strain on Guy, he was able to push through it. Despite the power that he needed to survive within it, the girl seemed completely unphased, perhaps even unaffected by it.

 

Her existence raised that question as she seemed to be the remnants of whoever this Silver Primordial was, and now that he sat across from her, she had offered to explain to him just that. Not wanting to interrupt what could likely be an answer to all his questions, he allowed her to begin.

 

“Back in the first timeline, before what I am now truly ever existed, there were six primordials. Each manifested as a different color, though I’m sure you recognize this already, though the number may seem off to you. There was Rouge, Violet, Jaune, Vert, Bleu, and Argent. Each one was a color, though Argent, silver, was specifically not any one color but rather both all of them and none of them. A mix of white and black, meeting in a happy middle ground as silver.

 

As you know, the early years of their lives went on without much interaction. Each gained more strength and matured to hold more power. Before long the primordials and their growing families began to clash and contend for power and influence. Among these primordials, two began to stand out as the strongest. Rouge and Argent. They would clash infrequently over the many years, though no clear victor was ever decided.

 

Eventually Argent would secure an upper hand with her skill ‘Creator’. While Rouge’s Pride skill posed a threat due to its usurpive nature, it was through her Creator Skill that she devised a counter, Anti-Skill. Anti-Skill was a somewhat temporary measure, and one that given enough time, an individual could learn to counter. But that didn’t matter, in the next few battles the Argent had the slight upper hand.

 

The two recognized a fight of complete dominance would take years of non-stop fighting due to how little difference there was in the strength of the two. However, through holding the slight advantage, Argent was able to push through an agreement; Rouge would be given dominion over all Demons in Hell, and Argent would be given dominion over all Demons in the material world.

 

The deal was highly beneficial to Rouge, but Argent got what she truly wanted. Uncontested now in the material world, using a body made through her own skills, she was free to create the nation she so desired…”

 

Guy listened closely to the story. The fact that this Argent had once been able to stand on equal ground with him, even a younger version of himself, was a threatening prospect. The only one that could’ve done so in history was Noir, though should this Argent be truly the source of Noir, it would make sense. Yet this story didn’t tell him much yet. He needed to know more.

 

Instead of continuing, however, the being simply said, “That’s all for now. I’m sure you’re a busy demon. Come back sometime later and I’ll tell you a bit more.”

 

“Huh? Later?” Guy asked, confused and somewhat annoyed that he wasn’t just given the answers now.

 

“I only get to tell you this story once every timeline. I quite enjoy telling it, so I like to space it out, savor it a bit. You’ll find when you only really get to interact with someone once every few thousand years you like to savor the moments as much as possible.”

 

Guy sighed. He had hoped this would be a quick in-and-out venture to find out the answers he wanted, but it seemed that if he truly wished to know more he’d have to come back later.

 

He picked himself up out of his seat with a nod, “Alright then. In that case, I’ll be back. I do hope this is worth my time; I will say I’m intrigued.”

 

He couldn’t ignore this info. The possibility that this being could rival him meant he needed to watch out for it. If nothing else, knowing more about it would allow him to at least anticipate it should it become a threat.

 

For now, though, he would just have to wait.

 

[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]

 

Thanks to various editors and helpers on the Discord who helped with things like plot decisions, grammatical errors, and other aspects of the chapter:

 

Ultra, Dragon1008, Terraman60

 

To join the discord for chatting, discussion, updates, or to apply to be one of the credited helpers, join the link below:

 

https://discord.gg/xcCvpSxmA7