Going down the corridors of the Colosseum, Mithras hummed a silly tune, eyes shut as he bounced with a spring in his step. The crew followed without a word, wondering what put their boss in such a cheerful mood. Only Ishtar seemed to have a hint, smiling for reasons she kept to herself.
Along the way, the crew's numbers dropped to 60ish, the rest dispatched by Mithras to handle various tasks. A gathering of men and women in black awaited outside the Colosseum, about 100 aristocrats who greeted Mithras and crew with polite bows.
"The House of Azi welcomes Your Highness," the group leader, a slender woman with mid-long auburn hair and a bouncy cleavage that popped out of her cocktail dress, said. Her breasts squeezing hard and giving our favorite aphrodisiac a most welcome view.
Honoria and Nagini's eyes narrowed immediately, both nailing the newcomer with murderous glowers while Ishtar looked at her with suspicion.
"Mithras is fine," Mithras said, the information about the House of Azi popping up in his brain.
Renowned as the number two house of the Angra Theocracy, and the most active in foreign nations, the House of Azi was a secretive cabal of shadow druids obsessed with genetics, who invested most of their massive wealth in pushing the limits of Body Modification.
Each member of the House of Azi was a Devotee of Ahriman, born with a pair of snakes around their arms, a Metamorphic Snake on the right, and a Coal-Blooded Taipan on the left. The 100 facing Mithras were no exception, their snake familiars all bobbing their heads at the King of Monsters.
"I wouldn't dare. If before, we simply meant to welcome you as the rightful prince of this city, after getting a taste of your horrifying power, there isn't a single soul in this city who can face you as anything less than a God in the flesh—among the sane folks at least.
And my prince, no amount of false modesty can change that," the big-breasted leader said, her humble tone and stance contrasting with the little jab in her words.
"It's not about you or modesty. Call a man God 24/7 and he will forget he is mortal. I do not want to get used to the feeling of having millions dangling at my feet. My ego is big enough and doesn't need that kinda boost," Mithras said, maintaining his stance with steadfast resolve.
The Azi leader's cheeks twitched a little, and she straightened her back, facing Mithras with an odd look.
"I...see. Well, if you insist, Mithras it is then. My name is..."
But if Elektra was trying to comfort her niece, she was doing a godawful job. Her words did more harm than good, making Celestia fly into a rage.
"You shut up! Think I'm done with you? You still gotta answer for shaming the sisterhood by spreading your legs for someone young enough to be my twin brother!
Aunty! If shame could kill I'd be dead already! Our duo was perfect—so clean and flawless! How could you let a measly playboy break your perfection and do this to me?! You don't deserve to be the Elektra of our house anymore! Give me the name and go marry your playboy!" Celestia snapped with an exaggerated pout, her eyes turning moist as she grabbed Elektra by the shoulders.
"Ohh...you know I'm not going to abandon you, right? Like I said, you need to stop overthinking things. Nothing will change between you and me...with that said, Mithras isn't a playboy. He just has a lot of women around him. Don't misjudge him and...please be polite.
He is your...uncle, after all." Aware that her little girl had abandonment issues, Elektra didn't take it hard, explaining her standpoint with the poise of an elder.
Alas...Elektra's words had the opposite effect, causing Celestia to reel in a mix of shock and confusion.
"Are you listening to yourself? He literally went from Vel'Asha's arms to yours right in front of you! I can't believe this. What...did he feed you? What does he feed you all?!
Cassandra went from stunning to divine after meeting that playboy. Honoria was nowhere near this dazzling before, now even that treacherous trollop is on my level, and even you...my aunty, my role model...are taking his side over mine! Aunty...stop thinking with your ovaries! The brain is up here! Up here!" Celestia shook Elektra by the shoulders, occasionally pointing at her head.
The Queen of Monsters' cheeks flushed like melting iron plates, and she bit her lower lip, dodging the question.
But as Celestia was starting to come up with answers on her own...
"The measly playboy says hi." A tall and imposing figure appeared behind her, with a mane of windblown, raven hair that sprawled at his back, and an irresistible pair of violet eyes that pierced through the onlooker.
If not Mithras, who else? And realizing that she'd startled the rat and exposed herself to the enemy, Celestia went livid, slowly turning towards her...uncle!