Scattered Cherry Blossoms Universe, Human World, Japan, Kuoh.
After Rhea arrived with her husband and Lord of the Sitri Clan, Dante, the couple, Tatsuo, James, Sona, Scáthach, Irene, Sona's peerage, and Serafall made their way down into the mansion's training room. And although there were many more people who wanted to watch the process of someone curing one of the Underworld's uncurable diseases, they decided to give the family and their soon to be in-laws some space.
On a side note, Serafall's peerage would have been present, too. However, they were too busy making sure things did not fall apart during Serafall's absence, as she is the Great Satan of Foreign Affairs.
Not long later, the group of people eventually arrived in the training room. When they did, Tatsuo walked to the center of the room, the same place where he tested the potency of his [Purification Magic] on the three cursed items Scáthach had prepared a few days ago.
"So, should I just lie down on the floor?" Dante asked curiously while Tatsuo was approaching the center of the room.
Smiling wryly at Dante's, completely understandable, impatience, Tatsuo eventually shook his head. He then reached into his [Inventory] and pulling out a mattress before dropping it onto the floor.
"Hey... That's from Shizuku's world, isn't it?" James asked. "One of the mattresses you stole from the Heiligh Royal Castle before our first trip to the Orcus Labyrinth, right?"
"Yeah, it is." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "But 'stole' is such a strong word. I prefer the term reappropriated. Besides, the mattress in my room wouldn't have done me any good while I was down in the Abyss, right?"
"Yeah, I get that." James replied with a nod. A moment later, however, he glared at Tatsuo as he continued. "I even get why you took the one in Sumire's room. But why the hell did you take the one out of my room? You know how blown I was when I got back, thinking of taking a nap and there was no damn mattress?"
While James was ranting about having to wait for a replacement mattress, Tatsuo took his gloves out of his [Inventory], as well. Then, once James was finished, he nodded in an understanding way with a smile on his lips.
"I understand." Tatsuo said as he dropped to one knee. "It really must have sucked to not have a mattress."
Tatsuo then pressed his hands to the training room's floor, leaving James to wait for the continuation of his sentence. An apology that would never come. He then circulated his [Energy] through his gloves. More specifically, the [Transmutation Circle] stitched into the back of the gloves. And finally...
*Zap!*
Arcs of midnight purple electricity spread from the spot where Tatsuo's hands came in contact with the floor. A moment later, a bed frame made from the same materials as the floor grew out of it while raising the mattress up to a comfortable height.
"Oh, [Transmutation]." Irene said in an interested tone. "I've never seen it done in such a way. Howe interesting."
Ireen was not the only one who found Tatsuo's [Alchemy] interesting, as all those gifted with magical talent also found it as such.
*Tap!* *Tap!* *Tap!*
"Alright, Lord Sitri, please remove the clothes from your upper body and lay down." Tatsuo said while patting the mattress. "This shouldn't take too long. Maybe an hour at most."
Nodding his head, Dante, who was holding Rhea's hand, squeezed it reassuringly. Then, he released his wife's hand. After that, he stepped forward and started making his way over to the makeshift bed Tatsuo had set up. Meanwhile, everyone watched intently.
However, just as Dante removed his shirt, leaving himself naked from the waist up, and showing off a surprisingly well-defined musculature, James realized something important... Important for him, anyway.
"Hey, wait a minute." James said with a slight frown on his face. "You never finished your apology for taking my mattress at the castle back then."
As James spoke, Dante had just lay down, face up, on the mattress. Meanwhile, Tatsuo had tossed his gloves back into his [Inventory] and raised his hands to start making hand signs. However, when Tatsuo heard James, he stopped. Then, he turned to James with his head tilted in confusion.
"Why would I apologize?" Tatsuo asked. "I mean, you got a new mattress right? And Aletia needed a mattress, too, after we saved her. Plus, if I intended to apologize for it afterwards, I would have never done it on purpose in the first place."
Tatsuo's response left James at a loss for words, something that was rare to see for those who knew him. As a result, more than a few playful smiles were sent his way. And when James noticed those smiles, he was about to retort. Yet, before he did, Tatsuo spoke first.
"Now, if you don't mind, could you keep it down?" Tatsuo said in a serious tone while raising his hands to chest-level. "I'm about to get started. And I'll need to concentrate."
Immediately, James snapped his mouth shut. However, the annoyance in his eyes could not be hidden. And when you add the fact that Tatsuo glanced at him mischievously for a moment, James vowed that this was not over.
'How can I get him back?' James thought to himself. 'I can't take it too far, though. If I do, Mom might get involved, too. And that wouldn't be good for everyone. Still, there's gotta be a good prank I can think of before he leaves in a couple of days.'
Not knowing what was running through James' mind, Tatsuo started making hand signs. And that process went on for exactly thirty-one seconds, with Tatsuo forming hand signs at a rate of six per second. AS a result, there were one hundred eighty-six symbols made from Tatsuo's [Energy] floating in the air around the makeshift bed.
"*Sigh* Okay, that was the easy part." Tatsuo muttered as he spread his arms. "Lord Sitri are you ready. This part is probably gonna feel weird. I have to scan your body with my [Energy] while combining these symbols. That way, it should account for any minute changes."
Hearing that, Dante inhaled a deep breath. Then, after holding it for a few moments, he exhaled. After that, he looked Tatsuo in the eyes with a resolute gaze.
"I'm ready." Dante replied.
Nodding his head in return, Tatsuo also inhaled a deep breath. Then, his eyes turned sharp as he exhaled and started using his [Energy] to monitor as many little details about Dante's condition as he could. And with that, the true [Purification] process began.
Slowly, the symbols were pulled toward the first one that was created when Tatsuo started making hand signs. And one by one, they were fit into place, as if Tatsuo was solving a puzzle. However, Scáthach noticed that the process was going much slower than it had at any point during the tests.
And that was too be expected. Tatsuo had either used his [Purification Magic] on inanimate objects or on mundane diseases. No matter how potent the curse was, as the vessel was not changing, it was a simple process, just needing more [Energy]. The same was true with the diseases. No matter how complex, there were no energies to dispel. So, the only thing he had to deal with was the patient's condition.
But the Sleep Disease was a combination of the two. This disease fed on the demonic power of those it infected to strengthen itself from what Tatsuo understood by analyzing it with his [Energy]. Meaning, the stronger the Devil afflicted with Sleep Disease, the more affected they would be by its symptoms.
The process of making the final symbol, or rather seal, took nearly two full hours. The whole time, everyone in the training room remained silent, watching Tatsuo with rapt attention. On top of that, they also noticed Dante's uncomfortable expression.
As Tatsuo said, his [energy] was constantly scanning Dante's body. And the feeling of something foreign moving around his body was definitely uncomfortable. Luckily, James was unable to hear what Dante thought about it. Otherwise, he would surely tell a horribly inappropriate joke that would utterly destroy the current atmosphere.
Eventually, there was a single, extremely complex seal floating in front of Tatsuo. Meanwhile, Dante, while still feeling uncomfortable, was looking up at Tatsuo. And when he saw the young man who was working to help him, he could not help feeling a hint of worry.
Currently, Tatsuo's skin had paled. On top of that, he was breathing deeply while sweat streamed down his face and his clothes clung to his body. In fact, it was clear to everyone watching that Tatsuo was starting to run low on [Energy]. And if it weren't for his [Mana Reactor Ability], Tatsuo would have probably run out of [Energy] a few minutes ago.
Even so, the determined expression and sharpness in his eyes were the same as when he first started.
"Alright, I'm honestly not sure how this is going to feel for you." Tatsuo said after taking a couple of deep breaths. But it won't hurt you at all. So, do NOT under any circumstances resist."
Once again, Dante nodded his head. Then, he closed his eyes to keep himself calm so that he did not resist instinctively.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, after seeing Dante close his eyes, took another deep breath. Then, before exhaling the breath, he raised his right hand over his head.
"Ha!" Tatsuo intoned as he exhaled sharply.
At the same time, Tatsuo brought his right hand down, pushing the seal down as he did so, before slapping it on Dante's chest.
*Hum~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*
However, just like every other time he pushed the seal into a patient or an object, instead of the sound of flesh slapping flesh, a strange humming sound reverberated around the training room.
And as soon as Tatsuo's hand came in contact with Dante's chest, the Lord of the Sitri Clan's entire body jerked. And that was due to the seal entering his body and starting to act against the Sleep Disease. And Dante had to say that Tatsuo reminding him to not resist was a good idea.
The reason for that was because as soon as Dante's body settled down again, the seal in his body started forcing the Sleep Disease out of his body through his pores. However, as the disease piggy backed off his demonic power... Or... Maybe saying that the disease parasitized his demonic power would be more accurate. AS a result, not only the disease was being pushed out of Dante's body. But his demonic power was being forced out, as well.
Naturally, the others in the room also noticed the current situation, as well. And as soon as Serafall noticed that Dante's demonic power was being drained, her demonic power started to flood the room as she prepared to rush forward and stop Tatsuo.
"Sera-Tan, stop!" James shouted quietly as he grabbed Serafall before she could do something she would surely regret.
In response, Serafall turned her head to glare at James.
"Let go of me, Jay-Kun." Serafall said in a menacing tone.
"Sister, please listen to James." Sona said, drawing Serafall's surprised gaze to herself. "I know this looks bad. But look at Father. He's clearly still conscious and he's not stopping Tatsuo."
Hearing that, Serafall turned her head towards Dante. When she finally saw him, Dante was signaling for her to calm down with one of his hands. Seeing that was enough to calm her. And with that, Serafall retracted her demonic power.
However, now that she was calm once again, Serafall found something strange. Other than James and Scáthach, every other devil spectating the casting of Tatsuo's magic flinched when her Major God-ranked demonic power flooded the room. Even her father flinched for a moment before forcing himself to not react to defend himself any further.
Yet, Tatsuo did not even flinch. In fact, his only reaction was to briefly glance at Serafall from the corner of his eyes before returning all his attention to the casting of his [Purification Magic].
'How is that possible?' Serafall asked herself. 'Because he was the target of my hostility, that much demonic power should have crushed someone at the High-Rank like him to the floor.'
At this point, not even Tatsuo knew why he wasn't turned into a meat paste when Serafall lost her cool. However, both James and Scáthach, with their abilities to see the souls of others, saw something that they had not seen until now.
'There's a seal on his soul.' James and Scáthach thought simultaneously. 'And when Tatsuo's life was in danger, that seal opened and protected him. But how is that possible? Why does he have such a powerful soul?'
While Scáthach continued to think about that question, James was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a shiver rundown his spine. There was a very potent killing intent locked onto him at the moment, and it was suffocating.
'No... This isn't directed at me.' James thought to himself while looking down at the magical girl in his arms. 'It's aimed at her. And the one behind this is so powerful. Something like this should only be possible by Ophis or Aislynn. And I know it's not Ophis. The question is; what is this about.'
Reaching that point, James looked at Tatsuo with astonishment.
'The only thing Serafall's done is lose control and set her demonic power on Tatsuo.' James thought to himself. 'Is that why she's mad? Does that even make sense? But it's the only explanation. Just who the hell are you, Tatsuo... Really.'
On top of not receiving an answer to his question, James also noticed that he was the only one who could perceive Aislynn's killing intent, which made perfect sense. As the only one with power in the God King-Rank among those present, the others were simply too weak to perceive anything from a conceptual being like Aislynn, if she did not want them to, that is.
Eventually, Aislynn's killing intent was retracted. And as it just so happened, it happened as soon as Tatsuo raised his hand from Dante's chest. However, before Tatsuo could say anything, he stumbled before falling backwards.
Deciding he would worry about Tatsuo's true identity later, James finally let go of Serafall. Then, he [Flash Stepped] over to Tatsuo, catching him before he could fall onto the training room's floor.
"Hey, you good, Tatsuo?" James asked in a somewhat worried tone.
"*Pant* *Pant* Yea... *Pant* Just really *Pant* Tired." Tatsuo replied while desperately taking in breaths of air. "*Pant* I've never... *Pant* *Pant* been so out of*Pant* [Energy]. Need *Pant* sleep."
Then, before James could reply, Tatsuo fell asleep.
"Well, damn... You went all in for this, didn't you?" James asked rhetorically. "Thanks, man. I'm grateful for your help with this. I don't wanna imagine how this would have affected Sona or Sera down the road. *Sigh* I'm sure Rias is gonna ask you to help Sai's mom when she finds out about this."
Meanwhile, everyone else surrounded the bed where Dante lay. And it was clear to everyone that he was weakened severely. But that was natural when nearly ninety-five percent of someone's demonic energy was syphoned out of them.
"Dear, how do you feel?" Rhea asked as she held Dante's hand gently.
"Other than the fatigue from demonic power exhaustion, I feel fine." Dante replied as he squeezed his wife's hand. "I don't even feel that tired feeling that has been getting stronger and stronger lately."
"Does that mean you've been cured?" Sona asked as she held her father's other hand.
"Honestly, I think so." Dante replied. "But we won't know for sure until we've run some tests at the Medical Center. Until then, though, I'm hopeful."
Hearing that, smiles spread across the faces of the Sitris and Sona's peerage.
"By the way, where is that young man?" Dante asked. "Please allow me to thank him for his efforts."
"Sorry, Unc." James said, his voice coming from outside the group surrounding the bed.
When they heard James' voice, everyone turned to look at him while making space for Dante to see him. And what they saw was James with one of Tatsuo's arms over his shoulder while supporting him to stand.
"Looks like that took just about everything out of him." James said with a smile. "He went out like a light as soon as he finished. So, I'm gonna take him up to his room... Or I'll take him to Tio and Aletia. I'm sure they would love to take care of him in this condition. Anyway, you can thank him later. He'll be here for a couple more days, after all."
"I understand." Dante replied. "Then, I'll let him rest. Thanks can wait for now."
Nodding his head, James turned towards the elevator before heading inside and taking Tatsuo upstairs. Shortly after James left with Tatsuo, Sona, Rhea, Serafall, and Dante teleported back to the Underworld to have Dante tested, leaving the others to head upstairs and tell everyone else what happened.