But things didn't escalate into a brawl because Noelle approached the group from behind. The upper part of her body looked like a girl, while the lower part resembled a mutant slug with thousands of disgusting chitinous legs. Thanks to the replicators, I already knew what kind of creature she was and what problems she had.
"What’s going on here?" - Noelle asked in a surprisingly rational voice.
"This is a Shub-Niggurath figure" - Trickster explained. - "He killed Coil, did something to the Prophet, and now he’s demanding to be recognized as our boss."
"Quick one, isn’t he" - the demoness marveled.
"Kneel before me!" - I exclaimed, taking a step forward. - "Or I’ll devour you all."
Imagining myself consuming the souls of these demons, I unconsciously waved my tentacles. While the ordinary demons didn’t notice anything, Noelle trembled in terror.
"Everyone, retreat. This is a Soul Devourer. We bow before you, oh great one, and acknowledge your power" - she was the first to bow.
The rest of the team looked a bit bewildered at their leader, then followed her example and bowed.
"This isn't exactly 'kneeling,' but it’ll do" - I nodded graciously. - "My demands are very simple. Either you act according to my rules, or you get out of the city and do whatever you want."
"We will stay here and await your orders" - Noelle bowed again.
"Okay" - I nodded. - "I’m taking Dinah Alcott with me. She’s no longer part of the game anyway. And clean up this place" - I glanced at the mercenaries. They hadn't yet realized they had only a few minutes left to live. - "Clear the way."
The capes immediately decided to get out of the way, at the same time ordering the mercenaries not to interfere with me. I returned to my human form, took Dinah by the hand, and headed for the exit. Fifteen minutes later, we came into the mayor's apartment, where he was able to reunite with his beloved niece, realizing what had happened to her and who she owed her rescue to.
After that, I headed to the replicators' lair, where I began studying how exactly demons possess human bodies. After all, an excellent test subject was waiting for me at the secret base in the form of Oni Lee. It turned out that possession had an interesting side effect. Although the demon's soul directed the human's actions, it was forced to use the existing astral shells, which imposed certain restrictions on consciousness. In other words, the demons acquired the personality traits of their 'host.'
Having learned everything I wanted, I consumed the soul of the unlucky demon that had possessed Oni Lee, then went home, digesting the fragments of memories from the demon and the angel I had obtained. Taylor had moved out to join the Undersiders, so I could relax for a while and think about my next steps. I wasn't worried about the city, as the replicators were supposed to wake me up in case of any important events.
In the morning, I headed to the Undersiders' base to re-accept their 'vassal oath.' I wasn't sure how they would behave, but in the worst-case scenario, I could always consume their souls and 'return' the real Undersiders. Approaching the building, I transformed into a crocodile and entered the room where the Undersiders were currently hanging out.
"And here's the boss" - Regent greeted me with a sarcastic remark.
I looked at the capes before me and confirmed that four of them were looking at the world differently now. Even their basic expressions and body language had changed. But Taylor was still the same, staring at the world with the frightened eyes of a victim.
"Bee, go take a walk" - I decided to send my ward away. - "And take your pets with you. Don’t even think about eavesdropping."
"But… but why?" - she protested, as she already considered herself part of the team, united with them by the idea of opposing me.
"Because I said so. Go check what's happening at the Dockworkers' Association."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Bee pouted, gathered her things, and left. While she was still within the range of her ability to control insects, I played a silent game with the Undersiders. Grue, Regent, and Tattletale watched me grimly, while Bitch was busy with her dogs.
"Let’s introduce ourselves again" I started when I was sure no one was eavesdropping. "My name is Black Cloak. I am the ruler of this city, and everyone in it must obey me. Those who dare oppose me will meet the same fate as the demon that possessed Bee."
"What happened to her?" - Regent asked.
"I ate her" - I smirked.
"Okay, you’re the boss" - Regent waved his hand and turned his attention to the TV.
I looked at Grue, and he lowered his gaze.
"You're our leader" - he said.
"I’m all yours" - Tattletale smiled seductively.
"Bitch?" - I asked the most rebellious of my subordinates, who hadn't even bothered to look at me during my fiery speech.
"I don’t obey anyone and do what I want" - she replied, looking at me defiantly.
"Hmm, looks like we have a live example of what happens to traitors" - I moved towards her.
"Are you threatening me?" - she snapped. - "Angelica, eat him!"
The dog Bitch had just been petting behind the ear instantly turned into a giant bloodthirsty monster. And it wasn’t an ordinary creation of Bitch, but a much more dangerous creature. This is probably what a hellhound might look like. The beast was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. There was no peeling flesh or inconvenient spikes typical of Bitch's creations. This monster was a solid living creature whose sole purpose was hunting and killing.
The creature lunged at me, but my reflexes, accelerated by the neural network, were just as good. I offered my left arm, and the tooth-filled jaws closed around it, but... the dog didn’t have the strength to do more. My arm was covered in armor made from Ancient alloys. I didn’t strike the monster or try to harm it; instead, I extended my spiritual tentacles and latched onto the demon’s soul that Bitch had implanted in her dog. With a plaintive whimper, the creature lost consciousness, and I used that moment to rush towards Bitch.
The demon had relied too much on her minion and failed to react in time. I reached her frail human body and tore out the demonic soul controlling it. Within seconds, it was over, and Bitch lost consciousness.
"That’s it. And note that Bitch is now out of the game, although she remains part of the Undersiders' team" - I looked at the stunned demons. For them, the death of the body was just a minor inconvenience, but the death of the soul was the worst nightmare.
"We bow before you, Black Cloak" - Regent was the first to react, kneeling. Grue and Tattletale followed his example after a brief hesitation.
"Good, good. And Grue, I have a personal task for you."
"I'm listening" - he bowed his head like a true knight eager to hear his lord's command.
"I saw the way Taylor looked at you. So, I order you to become her lover and sleep with her at every opportunity. Just no sadomasochism. Understood?"
"Yes!" - my future son-in-law bowed even deeper.
"Excellent. Then get ready and go on patrol. I haven’t canceled your previous order. Your task is to patrol the Docks and maintain order. You can be tough on bums and thugs, but leave normal people alone. I need the population of this city to be intact and, if possible, unharmed."
"Yes, boss! Everything will be done in the best possible way" - Regent reported, unexpectedly becoming the leader of the Undersiders. However, it didn’t matter to me who was in charge among them. The main thing was that the work was done efficiently and on time.
At that moment, Bitch began to stir on the floor. She struggled to open her eyes and looked around, trying to understand what was happening.
"What the hell?" - she inquired politely.
"You were under the Master’s control" - I explained. - "But now everything is fine. And by the way, look at how your dog looks. It would be very good if you learned to do the same."
Bitch stared at the hellhound, and the rest of the world faded away for her. She saw Perfection.
"For now, it’s better not to disturb her" - I assessed the cape’s condition. - "Maybe something useful will come out of it. Well, everyone back to work!"
Having dealt with the Undersiders, I went to check on the progress of the assembly line. The volume of product sales exceeded all my expectations, and it left our warehouses as soon as it came off the conveyor belt. In return, there was a constant flow of money, a portion of which was immediately paid out to the dockworkers as wages. Overall, this area of activity required little supervision.
Only about a third of the received funds went to the dockworkers' salaries, and I planned to direct the rest to finance other projects, including construction, landscaping, agricultural production, and so on. Spring had just begun, and we could still manage to 'move' not only industry but also agriculture.
Having sorted out my affairs, I turned my attention to the issue of opposing the heroes. Since the game had begun, it was worth considering how to rid myself of anyone who might try to hinder my efforts to save the city. The problem was complicated by the fact that the Protectorate heroes were quite strong. Additionally, public opinion was on their side, although I was actively working to discredit them. Furthermore, I didn't know how the angels inhabiting them would affect their behavior. They might continue acting as before, or they might cause chaos.
That evening, the Protectorate and the PRT had planned a charity event. It was a grand affair under the control of the city administration, intended to show that the strength of the heroes was still significant, and the "minor incident" with ABB and Bakuda was unworthy of attention.