Chapter 322 Beginning of the end

322 Beginning of the end

<1 hour after Teivel's death> After filling Yumi in on the details of what has already happened and what must now follow, it was finally time to get busy and extract everything that this place had to offer. It would take me at least a few weeks to extract every bit of information, as I didn't want to overload my brain. Last time I did that, it gave me a massive headache, so it's best I take it slow. Plus, I needed to understand the information I was taking in, especially any techniques like the fire teleportation that Teivel was using. Although I could simply activate it through the system, I still wanted some practice, as to have it be actually useful in a fight I'd probably need to have it burned into my muscle memory. "Alright Yumi, you will stay my personal maid so I want you to follow me around doing maid things." There wasn't much of a role Yumi had in any of my plans and I'd rather have a little sister follow me around than Malinda. The head maid was a little too serious for my liking, so having Yumi would be much more comfortable.

"Mhm." Yumi nodded her head enthusiastically, clearly glad that she still had some use. With her parents gone, even if she wanted to leave I doubt she has anywhere to go, so staying with me is her best option. It will probably be the same with the other maids, as they were ripped away from their families, who are most likely dead now. Nonetheless, if they wished to leave I would allow them too. 'Hey fake Alice, the dude is back and ready for you to make the announcement.' The timely message came just as I was leaving my room. It was finally time to declare my takeover. 'Come on, I'm pretty much her since I have all her abilities now.' Alice wasn't wrong that I was a fake, but I still inherited the original Alice's power. For these people who religiously worshipped that power, that was plenty enough reason to bow down to me.

That's why I wanted to gather everyone in the city to showcase this power. If Teivel did a proper job at brainwashing them, then surely they will recognise the power I hold like he did. 'Yeah, yeah, say whatever you want. Eventually I will get them as well so enjoy it while it lasts.' Alice was hopeful that she would become as strong as her original counterpart. I too believed that she will get there eventually, but it may take years considering the original lived for several centuries. Still, now that I've acquired those skills, I may be able to speed up her progression. It was near the bottom of my priorities for now, but it was something that I needed to try once things calmed down. 'I will. Anyway, I'm here.' I came up to Teivel's office, which is now mine. There were maids still cleaning up the blood that had stained the carpet and walls. Walking inside, I saw the kitsune that I spared, kneeling on one knee, waiting to give his report. "Is everything ready?"

"Really? I thought she would never be able to return." "Yeah, suddenly the Lord brought back a kitsune like us, so she might be the one." "I guess we will find out. It seems pretty sudden, though." "Who knows? If she really is Alice incarnate, then it's possible she might have even killed the Lord." "What a dream that would be. Maybe we finally won't be ignored." "Don't get your hopes up. The true family has always been so selfish, so I doubt much will change for us." "We can still hope, right? We are all of the same blood after all." Whispers and rumours of what was going on quickly spread through the city as they all patiently waited for their new leader to appear. A lot were hopeful for someone better, as they had been under Teivel's rule for a few hundred years and were just sick of him. Others were much more weary of this new leader, as it could mean change for the better or the worse. However, they were yet to jump to conclusions until they saw whoever it was. *

Watching the plaza from above, I saw the wooden platform that had been set-up. It didn't look like the most stable thing, which disqualified any sort of crazy landing from being an option. 'I guess elegance will do.' I slowed down my flight until I was floating above the platform, coating my feet in flames for dramatic effect. I slowly descended as I mentally prepared myself to face all of these people. My flames caught the attention of the people below as they started to look up and point. 'So far, the reception isn't bad.' Considering my family's reputation, I half expected things to go badly, but the lack of any screaming or yelling implied that it was far from the case. *

"It is her!"

"She definitely has Dahlia's flame." "A single Queen as our ruler? That's a first." "We did originate from a woman's desires." "I guess we have come full circle." Once again, talks flared up at the appearance of Elysia, all curious about what she had to say. *

Landing on the platform softly, I finally dissipated the flames. Taking a few steps forward towards the edge, I looked across the sea of kitsune, who all shared the same blood as me. It truly disgusted me to witness this scene. I had already heard our members were not allowed to marry outside of the bloodline. As kitsune, it did not affect us much, even though according to human common knowledge that was not great for our genetics. Still, what really repulsed me was the very idea of sleeping with my own relatives... 'How satisfying it would be to set everyone ablaze right now.' My darkest thoughts surfaced as I watched over the gathered crowd. With so many gathered at one place I could end this entire charade with one giant spell. 'I must hold back for now. Gain their trust, make them love you and only then can you crush everything.' "SILENCE!" I decided to stop daydreaming before I end up acting on my urges. And so I raised my voice, demanding their attention. My voice echoed throughout the city plaza, bringing all idle chatter to a halt and surprising me at how quick they were to shut up. "As you may have heard, I will be taking over the city from now on! I have killed Teivel for his insolence and his treatment of you all! Unfortunately, some of you will still doubt my legitimacy. Words are cheap, but power doesn't lie, so let me simply show you who I truly am!" Letting my mana run rampant, a vicious red aura surrounded me, becoming visible to the naked eye. It was mingled with my flame, dancing menacingly as it rose to triple my height. I also spread my bat wings to show off my inherited vampiric powers, which was reflected in my aura which sprouted its own set of wings made of flame. "If you still hold doubt, come up here and fight me. If not, then kneel before me and pledge your loyalty!"