I clenched my fists, trying to stay calm as I faced Erisa in my female demon form. I had to play this carefully if I wanted to save Cestia without revealing my true identity.
"Erisa, I'm not here to take your prize," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady. "I'm here to make a deal with you."
Erisa raised an eyebrow, her wicked grin never leaving her face. "Oh? And what kind of deal could you possibly offer me?"
"I know you have a reputation for being cunning and ruthless, and I respect that," I continued, choosing my words carefully. "But I also know that you have enemies, and I'm willing to help you eliminate them. In exchange, I want you to release Cestia."
Erisa narrowed her eyes, considering my offer. "And why should I trust you? How do I know you won't just turn on me once I release her?"
Giving my word to a demon was pretty much useless, so I needed to figure out something that I could barter with. Demons didn't live much other than pain and sex, so I might be able to go cover something along those lines.
"I understand your concerns," I said slowly, trying to buy myself some time. "But what if I were to offer you something you can't resist? Something that would make our alliance worth your while?"
Erisa's interest seemed to be piqued, and she tilted her head, waiting for me to continue.
"I know that demons like you thrive on pain and pleasure, so what if I offered you a night of unrivaled passion with me?" I suggested, my heart pounding in my chest as I hoped she would accept the deal. "I assure you, it would be an experience you'll never forget."
Erisa's wicked grin grew wider as she considered my proposal. "You're quite the bold one, aren't you? Very well, I accept your offer. But know this - if you betray me or fail to deliver on your promise, I will make sure you suffer unimaginable pain before I end your miserable existence."
"I understand and accept the terms," I said, swallowing my anxiety. I had no intention of failing, but I still didn't like the idea of leaving Cestia along with this crazy bitch. "But I have a condition."
Erisa's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms. "And what would that be?"
"Once our alliance is formed, and we've helped each other with our respective issues, you have to release Cestia unharmed," I insisted, my voice firm as I crossed my own arms. "While I am playing ball with you right now, don't think I won't tear the flesh from your bones, one strip at a time. Do we have an understanding?"
Erisa's grin didn't falter, but she nodded. "Very well. It's a deal, and you can even take the creature with you. But don't forget demon, I'll be holding you to your end of the bargain. Harissa and the crew are to be dealt with. I want to make sure that they never bother me again!"
With that, Erisa released Cestia, shoving her toward me. Cestia stumbled, her eyes wide with disbelief and gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice shaky.
"We're not out of this yet," I murmured, helping her to her feet. "We still need to get you out of here and make sure Erisa holds up her end of the bargain."
As we made our way out of Diabon Alley, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and apprehension. I had managed to save Cestia, but at what cost? I had formed an alliance with a dangerous demon and promised her a night of passion in exchange for her help.
But as I looked at Cestia, her face filled with relief and gratitude, I knew I had made the right choice. I would do whatever it took to protect my friends and allies, even if it meant making deals with demons.
Unfortunately, her face changed all too quick back to sour once we were outside.
"You are going to fuck the monster?!" Cestia demanded, breaking away from me.
"In her defense, she is quite attractive, and I am doing this for you! I might also add that I am only doing this because you ran away from us," I growled, but Cestia rolled her eyes.
"I am sure that you would fuck her even if it wasn't for me! You're just that kind of man, aren't you?" she snarled, her anger flaring up again.
I sighed, feeling the weight of her accusations. "Cestia, I did what I had to do to save you. It wasn't my first choice, but it was the only way I could think of to ensure your safety. Can we please just focus on the fact that you're alive and free?"
She glared at me for a moment longer before finally relenting. "Fine. But where is Virgo now?"
"Looking for you, and now we have to find her, and I have to go deal with Harissa. I am still not sure how I will do that," I said, tapping a finger to my lips.
Virgo wasn't hard to find since she had talked my blessing, and Cestia and I zeroed in on her location fairly fast. Unfortunately, the entire time, Cestia grilled me about how I was going to deal with the other demon woman.
"You just have to kill her and the other, right?" Cestia asked like that was the only possible answer.
"No, I am not just going to kill her," I said as I followed Virgo's signal.
"Why not?!" Cestia demanded, and I stopped.
"Why didn't I just leave you to Erisa?" I asked, turning my head to Cestia, who screwed up her face.
"I am not a Demon, so you had to rescue me. I also know you, so you had to rescue me!" Cestia snapped back, but I narrowed my eyes.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?!" She snapped, and I shrugged.
"You are clearly not grateful for me or what I did for you. Instead, you just went back to the same way you were before all of this happened. Personally, I could have left you behind and finished my mission, which is more important than just you," I explained plainly, but it made Cestia flinch back like I had struck her.
"You are saying that you would be fine with leaving me with that demon!?"
"Fine? No, but I knew you were going to act like this. I would have worried about you, but right now, that seems like a better emotion than the annoyance and frustration that you are causing me now," I said, but then asked, "You do know the world does not revolve around you, right?"
"Oh, and it revolves around you?!" She demanded, but this time I put my face up to her.
"Yes, it does."
With that, I turned from her and kept going towards Virgo. Women like this annoyed me. I knew that she cared about me, but instead of admitting it, Cestia preferred to act like a child.
Virgo, who had heard our voices, met us halfway, a worried expression on her face. "I heard shouting. Is everything okay?"
I glanced back at Cestia, who was still fuming. "We found her, as you can see. She's safe, but we have a new problem."
"What happened?" Virgo asked, her eyes shifting between Cestia and me.
"In order to save Cestia, I had to make a deal with Erisa. I promised her a night of passion in exchange for her help and Cestia's release," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady despite the awkwardness of the situation. "I also said that I would deal with one of her competitors, Harissa."
Virgo's eyes widened, and she looked at me with concern. "That's... quite the deal you had to make, Galio. But at least Cestia is safe now."
Cestia huffed, still clearly upset, but she didn't say anything more.
"Right," I said, trying to refocus on the task at hand. "So, now we need to deal with Harissa and fulfill my part of the bargain. Any ideas on how to handle this without resorting to violence?"
Virgo thought for a moment, and then a spark of inspiration seemed to light up in her eyes. "What if we find a way to make Erisa and Harissa work together? If they can see the benefits of joining forces, they might be willing to put their differences aside."
I raised an eyebrow, considering the idea. "It's worth a try, but it won't be easy. We'll need to be very convincing."
"Well, we don't have much time," Virgo reminded me. "We really should be making our way deeper into the Underworld. I think that we are going to run into some serious trouble in the next layer. According to what I have been hearing, the ugly and beautiful demons have started to fight, and it is turning into a full-scale war."
I nodded, knowing the urgency of the situation. "Alright then, let's deal with Harissa quickly and move forward. The other Zodiacs are still out there, and we need to find them before it's too late."
With our plan in motion, the three of us set out to find Harissa and attempt to broker a truce between her and Erisa. We knew it wouldn't be an easy task, but we were determined to try. Our mission to gather allies and face Kadeon was far too important to be derailed by a demon feud.
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