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Chapter 46 by sumedokin

Time for the Devil!

Idle Hands.

Horns: Check.
Grey skin: Check
Creepy smile: Check
Weird powers: Check
Bootilicious body: Double check

Yup.
This chick for sure wasn't a devil the same way Katey was an angel.
This was the real deal.

The real deal's eyes roamed me up and down like I was a piece of candy. Circling me like a shark, she licked her lips, "My my my! Allow me to congratulate you, ma'am! Not even one week after setting foot in this world, and already you stand face to face with a true blue devil!"
"More like a true grey devil. Am I right?" I said with a chuckle.
"Ah, we oh-so appreciate a sense of humor in our victim." The Devil clasped her hands with a maniacal grin, "They always make the most delightful squeal!"
She slipped behind Mully. Her chest pressed against him, she wrapped her arms so as to sensually draw her fingers across the quilted fabric on his immobile body.
Oh, did I have some harsh words for her! That's my boy! She can't just rub herself against him right in front of me! But my objections got stuck halfway through my throat. All that left me was an awkward laugh. I raised my hand fowards, but backed off.
"Ma'am, is anything the matter?" She pressed tighter against his broad frame, her face inches away from his. Retaining eye-contact with me all the meanwhile, "I must say, ma'am, it really does look like something is on your mind. Something gnawing on your nerves. Eating you up on the inside, as it were. Do feel free to voice your concerns, ma'am! Whatever it is, we're all ears! So, ma'am... Got anything to say?"
I shook my head.
Look, you saw what the last devil could do, right? I'd like to see you tell someone off who could wipe you and the entire city block from the face of the planet without breaking a sweat.
All I could think about was there's no way to know that doesn't happen all the time. What if you were to catch the eyes of some hot devil babe, who decides to pause the inexorable passage of time just so she could go all touchy feely over your hapless body? Once she's done, and time's restored, you'd be none-the-wiser.
As far as you know, that could happen many times per day.

"Femto, please. Leave her boytoy alone." The Witch waved dismissively. The devil turned into a cloud of floating black dots, teleporting back to her side, "The ramifications here at least don't appear to elude you, dear. The might of a devil simply cannot be surpassed. Say, did you see the last match? The one where a Devil fought a Dark Lord. Quite the spectacle, wouldn't you say? Now, tell me; do you suppose that you could've done a better job against her?"

Yeah... I didn't open my mouth to answer that. It was clear there wasn't a good answer.
"If you're still sitting on the fence, Dear, then perhaps a demonstration is in order. Would you mind peeking out the window quickly?"

I peeked between the curtains and looked through the window. Even the streets were suspended right during the busy hours of the bustling cityscape. The river in the distance ran between the city walls, beyond which the mountainous landscape poked up, its colors blending with the sky in the distance.
"Femto? If you wouldn't mind?" The Witch gave the command.
A loud rumble was heard, and the mountain crumbled into a pile of rubble that instead of falling rose into a rocky cloud.

I whistled impressed, "You see that? That's why I'm not into mountain climbing!"
"Oh, I'm confident I could come up with many reasons not to do physical exercise!" The devil had seated herself on the table and leaned in towards me. One hand pointed into the air, a black sphere pulsating above her finger.
"Now, tell me, Allison dear: What do you suppose is easier to do that with?" The Wicked Witch said, beaming with each word, "A mountain? Or your spine?"
The rocks suspended in the distant sky started falling. They arranged themselves back on the ground into the same mountain that she so effortlessly destroyed.

I grunted in annoyance, "All right. I get it. You're in it to win it. Your little demi-god friend can squash me like a bug. I'm toast. So... Did you have a point? Or you just like showing off your assets?"
She traced circles along the edge of Mully's milkshake glass with her finger, "The point, my dear, is that this doesn't suit me."
"What doesn't suit you?" I asked, "Your bodice?"
"No, you." The Witch waved her hands towards me, "You don't suit me. This whole girl-next-door vibe you've got going on. The goofy way you talk. The way your ambitions almost never extend beyond having a pleasant day. None of this suits me. At all. You're no final boss material. You should hardly even qualify as a dreg. It beggars belief that a genius magician like me should have to resort to my pact with the maelstrom of unfathomable dread just to deal with your ilk. And yet, as of now, that appears to be exactly what's going to happen."
She dramatically looked up, shielding her eyes with her forearms in a dramatic pose of despair. A loud, dramatic sigh of resignation and despair fled the Witch.

"Uh... Thanks?" I uttered, unable to tell if this was a compliment or insult, "Well, like it or not, the audience seems to fancy me."
The Witch spun on her heels, turning back towards me, "And that's exactly the problem. You're a perfect storm! Flashy. Unpredictable. Yet one of the masses nonetheless. You are someone with whom they can relate. Someone who's having a blast in the Tournament, enjoying themselves with them. They want you to win, because they see it as they themselves winning."
"All right. So..." I cleared my throat, "What then does that make you?"
The Witch puffed her chest, flashing a gloating grin, "I'm making myself out as an unparalleled genius. One who transcends the limitations of the common man. Now, there will come a time when the crowd, albeit admiring her might and brilliance, presumes to have discovered the true extent of her capabilities. An opponent against which a mere mortal, regardless of her brilliance, could never hope to budge. Introducing, the Devil of Time."
Her hand waved towards Femto, who bowed, "The vast power of the eldritch void, wielded at my behest. Oh, imagine the looks on their faces when the illusion of vulnerability sheds from my presence! No longer will anyone presume success to ever be beyond me completely. And yet, as if fate itself conspired against me, what do I have to deal with, if not...?"
She gestured towards me with an agitated motion.

...For crap's sake.
Seems like having the power to change the world to one's whims comes with a license to live in one's own little world.
Her dilemma was clear enough, though. I was her challenging but anti-climatic opponent. She didn't think I could be beaten without her overpowered familiar. It'd be a cakewalk with her, according to her. But then she'd undermine the dramatic tension she imagined herself building up.
"And so you see, I'm left with little recourse. I approach you with this choice. Either you drop out of the Tournament. Right now. It'd be as easy as sleeping in next morning. Just don't show up in the Arena, at all. Allow me to become victor by default. Not the most glorious victory, perhaps. But I can work with it, if it means my big dramatic reveal will be salvaged for an opponent truly worthy of it. And you... You may take the earnings you amassed so far. Live happily ever after as a free woman."
After a long pause it became clear she forgot there was supposed to be a second option, "And if I don't?"
"If you don't, I will use Femto right from the start. And she will make you surrender."
The devil flashed me a sinister smile, "Now, ma'am! You may imagine that you stand a chance against the onslaught of my void tentacles! Perhaps, ma'am, out of all who has fallen victim to my tendrils, you and you alone have the fortitude to resist them?"
With a poof of black orbs she appeared next to me, her face inches away from my ear, "Perhaps, ma'am, you're under the apprehension that evading surrender is as easy as keeping your mouth shut!"
She vanished, but I could feel her breath on my neck, "Oh, I'm under no illusion that I can otherwise compel you! If you wish to try it out, ma'am, then be my guest. Who knows? It may turn out the one mortal who can resist my torment for more than a Femto-second just so happens to stand before me! But, ma'am, I simply must clarify; once your torment starts, it will only end with your resignation. Think you can run out the clock? Oh, golly gosh no! I run the clock! The clock is mine to speed up or slow down. You're looking at the Devil of Time, ma'am. Accept no substitute! But, by all means, ma'am! It's all up to you! Consider yourself cordially invited to your own. Personal. Hell."
When this close to anyone who could talk casually so bloodthirsty psychotic words, I was compelled not to move a muscle. And I could feel every motion I didn't move.
Finally the devil poofed herself away, standing next to Beatrice, who stepped into view, "Do not test your will against her powers. It'll end only one way. You'll gain nothing from fighting. You've got nothing to prove. All that awaits tomorrow, if you step foot in the Arena, is eternal servitude."

So, she was strong-arming me to concede victory without a fight, so she could save the staged performance she's imagining herself giving the crowd.
My eyes peered towards the poor Fake Asssassin on the floor. All naked and cat-like. That's what awaited me if I wouldn't comply?
He looked funny. Funny and adorable. But that guy was actually kidnapped by this Witch and **** into that predicament. That wasn't funny at all.
I wouldn't put it beyond her to **** him into the bedroom as well.
Okay, that thought actually made me shudder.

I looked back to Beatrice, "So, if I don't do exactly as you say you'll turn me into your ****? Did I get that right?"
"That..." She sighed, "Would not be the outcome I prefer. Which is exactly why I took the time to grace you with the knowledge of what's at stake. This deal benefits you as well as me. You get to walk out of the Tournament with your freedom intact, far richer than you've ever could have dreamed of. And it costs you nothing. Unless, were you really hoping to claim the Championship Title?"
I shook my head, "Nah, not really. Just came here to test my inventions."
"That's... Adorable. But I can relate to you now the outcome of your next test. Your machines will have absolutely zero effect on Femto. She will rip them to pieces. And you will become my ****. Now, the one who is tested is you. I hope we can come to an understanding here."

I looked between the bodacious witch and her devilish familiar. They really were as different as different can be. But they seemed to complement each other and work on their strengths.
My eyes peered towards Mully. His sword was drawn. His pose was locked in time, one of a man unafraid to challenge an opponent he knew could devastate him.

I glanced back to the Witch and her familiar.
And I smiled.
"Hah! You think I was born yesterday? Well, I'm on to you!" I pointed towards them accusingly, earning confused glances, "Now, I'm not from around these parts. Sure. But in our world we've still got stories of people making a deal with devils! And let me tell you, those stories never end well for those getting suckered into a deal! I'm not gonna fall for that, no siree!"
The Devil's smile grew wider with each word, until reaching from one pointy ear to the other.
The smile faded from the Witch, "No, you misunderstand. You have no commitment, here. All you need to do is..."
"Yeah! Exactly! It's always as easy as 'all you need to do'! That it's just so easy is exactly what makes the deal seem so sweet! Sure, it starts out all nice words and grand promises. And then BAM! Soul gets sucked right outta you! Well, forget that! You can count on me showing up tomorrow!" I laughed uproariously, "Bring as many devils as you'd like! That'll set the stage for the show of the century!"

The Witch scowled annoyed, "...This isn't gonna end well for you."
"Yeah? But hey," I waved my arms, "Maybe it's not about the end! It's about how you get there!"
"This is preposterous." The Witch snapped, "You're making a terrible mistake. If you would just slow down a bit, see common sense..."

I jumped out of my chair, "Ha, and that was your mistake, Witch! I don't have any common sense!"

An exasperated sigh left the Witch's mouth, "Clearly you don't." She turned around, "Very well. Then we shall see you tomorrow. In the Arena. Just remember, I never wanted it to come to this. I... was hoping that you would see reason. Come on, Femto. We're leaving."
Femto poofed herself into my face one last time, "Oh, I do so look forward to this exchange, ma'am! And do bring your own diapers there, will you?"

With a snap of the Witch's finger, the world resumed moving.
"...That you can...! That you can...?" Mully looked about confused, his sword dropping from his stance, "...Where is she?"

The Witch was gone.
The Devil was gone.
The Fake Asassin was gone too.

All that was left of them was the fatigue of having to stand up to such a terrifying **** of nature.
I shrugged, "You scared her off. Nice work there."
I patted him on the shoulder.
"Oh... Oh! But of course!" He laughed, sheathing his sword, "I apologise for the interruption. Let our date resume now."
"All right... That's... " With an extensive yawn, I stretched my arms out. Man, I was more tired from that exchange than I thought, "Actually, would it be fine if we cut this evening right now? Doesn't seem like I'm in my A-game at the moment. But I've been enjoying myself. Maybe we'll get together for a next date. How about that?"
"That... Is just fine by me." The exasperation in his tone could be felt a mile away. I'm guessing he had a long, cold shower to look forward to tonight.
"Thanks." I spread some coins on the table, "You really are an amazing guy, you know?"
I slipped right into his space and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Let's make next time double as amazing shall we?"
With that I walked out of the cafeteria.

Just the look on that Wicked Witch's face was worth telling her off. There would be no no-shows tomorrow. Just all me and her, and her little eldritch friend.
Now, all I had to do was figure out how to not get utterly owned.

Early bedtime?

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