Chapter 411: Tribute
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As the last couple days remaining until morning passed within the space-time orb, Alex's claims regarding the potential of his Saiyan children were proven correct several times over.
Firstly, as he told Anne and Gabriel, the children managed to adjust to the first stage of training that Alex gave them within a mere couple days; going from collapsing due to being completely exhausted after it, to only mildly winded. Of course the most convincing evidence of Alex's claims was when he tried teaching Edith how to properly maintain and control her transformation, only for Alec to attempt and make the transformation himself after only a couple days of training, quickly followed by Anna and Mai.
The group then made quite the image when they all went super together, filling their mothers with both pride and sadness from how quickly they were growing. None were more proud though than their father, who relished every single moment he spent training with them.
Of course, unlike Piccolo who began teaching Gohan in order to turn him into a weapon, and Goku who mistakenly believed that Gohan had inherited his love of fighting, Alex's priority in training his children was teaching them how to control their own strength before moving to the actual combat practices. What was surprising was that a couple days after Alex began training the children Gabriel, Kuroka, and Anne also got in on their training as well.
Gabriel had started teaching Edith the basics of manipulating light so that she could learn more about the angelic side of her powers as well. Mai on the other hand was learning the basics of the various types of magics and techniques that Kuroka knew, such as Senjutsu, Youjutsu, and Touki. As for why Kuroka was teaching her instead of Koneko, it was because Kuroka was significantly more skilled with such techniques than her younger sister.
On the other hand, Anne was also teaching both Alec and Anna about Dragon Slayer magic, but due to the potential of their demonic powers she was trying to teach them to use elements other than wind, unless they wanted to. And then there was Myuu, who used the time that her siblings were learning from their mothers to try and increase her own physical abilities in an attempt to keep up.
Another plus about the children needing training, at least for Alex, was that when morning did arrive he was reluctantly exempted from the preparations for his coronation, something that he tried not to act too happily about it when his wives told him.
***
With him spending the last couple days/months until his coronation within the space time orb with his children, Alex had what he considered to be one of the most enjoyable times of his life in recent memory. He'd spend his mornings running the children through their training, which would finish by lunch so they could practice the various skills they inherited from their mothers.
Then, while his children were either resting after their training or practicing with their mothers, he would take the chance to go around and visit his wives and lovers to spend some time with them. Once with them, Alex would then use the time spell he learned from Kuroka to spend several hours doing various 'this and thats', or just simply laying there cuddling as they enjoyed a good book or movie together, or simply enjoyed each other's presence.
Of course, Alex also made sure he didn't neglect his own training, either any one of his strength regimens, or his sparring with Elaine.
Meanwhile everyone outside the orb was exceptionally busy during the day as they prepared for Alex's coronation, and the arrival of so many guests. First they had to remodel the entire inside structure of the meeting hall that Alex and the officials of Asora usually met at, then they needed to make arrangements regarding where each of their guests would stay during the duration of their visit, and then much, much, more.
While everyone else was busy preparing for the coronation though, Sona was extra busy as well with her own work. Ever since the battle Sona had been personally traveling to the homeland of each faction in order to discuss the possibilities of any youth from their factions joining the Academy.
Naturally, a lot of the gods and various higher ups of each faction were extremely interested in having some of their youth attend school in Asora both due to the various skills and types of magic available there, and because of the potential connections that could be made with the people who lived there themselves. They had gotten even more excited when Sona mentioned wanting more teachers to teach at her academy as well, which she insisted on personally interviewing and approving to ensure no one with 'unfavorable' tendencies or intentions were approved.
The busiest person of all though appeared to be Ravel, who was juggling both the preparations for Alex's coronation, and her new position as the head of the house of Phenex after she one sidedly defeated her oldest brother in a duel. One benefit of her new position however, was that all of the wealth and resources of the house of Phenex were now at her, and by extension Alex's, disposal. It was the same with Rias and the resources of the Gremory family after she took over, however they unfortunately didn't have the same pockets the Phenex family did, due to the latter being the only ones capable of producing Phoenix tears.
And so, everyone was busy in their own ways until the day Alex's coronation finally arrived.
...
"Would you look at that!" Odin exclaimed as he looked out one of the windows on the luxury train car, where he and the rest of the hundred or so VIP guests of Asora were riding as they took in the sights of the new world for the first time. What had caught Odin's attention though was the great tree that Anne had planted and helped grow, which reminded him of the life tree Yggdrasil.
"That tree is descended from one in the land of Tortus known as the Great Tree Uralt, which is home to the Haltina Great Labyrinth, and resides within the center of the Sea of Trees that is home to the Beastmen, Elves, and Dwarves of Tortus.
"Fun fact! Within the Sea of Trees is a dense fog that hides numerous threats, and makes navigating the forest itself impossible for those who aren't being guided by one of the forest's inhabitants! Thankfully, our tree instead seems to only encourage the growth of wildlife around it, as indicated the notably greener vegetation, and slightly larger than normal fauna."
As Miledi spoke those who were interested in such things, mostly any present deities with divinities related to nature, moved to see the great tree and the forests around it for themselves. While they had yet to leave the train car since they passed through the portal to Asora, all of those related to nature that had arrived were amazed at how vibrant and 'unpolluted' life in Asora seemed to be. All thanks to the efforts of Anne, Momo, and Nana.
They train then took them away from the great tree as it turned to a different direction, towards Sona's academy, where Miledi pointed out the various buildings and gave them all tidbits of information on it. The train then turned towards the frozen land of the Yuuki-Onna, otherwise known as Yukiguni, where Miledi gave all of the VIPs an explanation of how the snow women came to reside in Asora, as well as a little bit of info of them as a species.
Looking down at them through the windows, the various gods saw people wandering too and fro through the city as more and more men began to settle there and form relationships with the snow women. Now there was at least several dozen Yuuki-onna with increasingly swelling bellies, as they prepared for the biggest population boom their people had ever seen.
After showing them Yukiguni, Miledi then took the train to the coast that the Dagon now called home, New Erisen. There they saw people with emerald hair and fin-like ears happily going about their business as they secured a steady supply of seafood for Asora, and played Blitzball when they had a free moment.
Again Miledi told the gods about the Dagons and how they came to reside in Asora, as well as the fact that Alex's oldest daughter was a member of their race that he had adopted after saving her from underground slavers.
Again the train turned out to the open ocean, taking them further and further away from land until they soon saw smoke rising up on the horizon. Soon the smoke was replaced with rising peaks as they arrived to what was often described in Asora as the Ring of Fire, home of the dragons and most of the Phoenixes of Asora.
While several of the Phoenixes had gone to seek solitude within the distant volcanoes and deserts of Asora, most had stayed within the Ring of Fire Bova had created for his own personal haunt. There, they often worked to increase their own strength alongside Bova and the dragons he led, while the strongest Phoenix, Rho-Dan, watched on silently.
Again the train turned from the sight, as it headed towards its next and final destination, the Capitol of Asora.
As they reapproached the city Zeus muttered out loud for the rest of the car to hear,
"Even seeing it all with my own eyes, it's still hard to believe..." The rest of the gathered gods nodded in agreement as they thought back to Alex's claims, and the evidence of his success.
While it wasn't unusual for people in power to show off the fruits of their success to others, the results of Alex's success were more than a little staggering. His was now the first empire any of them had ever heard of that had grown to not only actually encompass the entire world, but even other worlds beyond it. And not only had he done this, but the people Alex ruled over were noticeably happy and apparently lived marginally better lives than they did in the past.
However someone then snorted at the thunder god's words, Athena, as she snarkily remarked,
"It's not like he himself actually did any of the hard work. From what I've heard he leaves the actual work to those who serves him, and spends his days aimlessly fooling around." Athena's remark earned her numerous glares from those around her, most notably Zeus and Miledi as the formers eye started twitching, while the latter just bȧrėly managed to hold her anger in check.
Miledi had been trying VERY hard to behave herself in front of the gods so as not to make Alex look bad, something that was made even harder due to her negative opinions about divine beings in general. With Athena's remark though, it took every ounce of her willpower to stop herself from making a fool of the bitch of a goddess right then and there.
True, Alex didn't personally handle every single thing like most rulers did, however it was hard to expect him to when there was so many other things he needed to be doing, most of all increasing his strength even more for future threats, and personally addressing any prominent issues regarding the world they were currently visiting.
Thankfully they were already arriving at the place where the VIPs would disembark her train, so Miledi didn't need to hold herself back for much longer as she finally brought the train to a halt, and opened the doors to allow her passengers to leave. Of course, when Athena went to step down from the train she 'accidentally' tripped and fell face first onto the dirty ground below, right in front of the hundreds of passengers currently disembarking the train.
"Pfft..." Miledi snickered at the sight of such a proud and arrogant goddess falling on her face in front of everyone, along with many of the hundreds that had also witnessed such a thing.
When she leapt to her feet Athena glared at everyone round her that dared to snicker at her predicament with a scratched up face, until she felt a slight itch as something healed the mild damage done to her face. This time it was Miledi who snorted as she remarked to Athena,
"You're lucky Alex is a big softy, if it had been me I would've left you like that for badmouthing your host." The moment Athena heard that she almost rounded on Miledi in fury, only to be stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder as her father's voice rumbled,
"Stop it." Though she wanted to argue, the subtle crackle of lightning behind her told Athena that it would be best not to test her father right then, as she reluctantly turned away from Miledi and the train. Of course, the moment the angry goddess turned her back to her, Miledi the proceeded to stick out her tongue at her.
...
Over the next couple of hours the visiting gods made their preparations as the time for them to acknowledge the Dragon Emperor approached, and made sure that everything was in order with all of the tribute that they had brought.
When it finally came time to approach the Emperor Morningstar they were all brought to the same hall where Alex and the rest of the Asoran officials would meet, which looked fairly plain on the outside, but once the dual doors leading inside were opened, the various gods couldn't help but to gasp at what they saw.
Inside was a great throne room, not unlike what any other King or emperor would have, except on either side of the great hall was a row of massive pillars that all had differing designs, each one based around the different factions and people who followed Alex. For example one pillar looked to made of pure ice that never melted for the Yuuki-Onna, while another was made of brightly colored coral for the Dagons.
Each one stretched upwards towards the great domed ceiling, which was covered in intricate carvings and murals that depicted Alex and his wives in various scenes, such as when they originally fought Trihexia, or when Alex fought Ehito in his divine realm.
The pillars and ornate ceiling both paled in comparison however to what lay at the end of the hall, where Alex and Anne both sat upon great gilded thrones at the top of an elevated platform.
Alex however was dressed quite unlike any other emperor when they received their audiences, in a simple pair of linen shorts while his upper body was left completely exposed, though it didn't appear that way. What drew every eye to him though was the fine layer of brilliant blue fur that covered his body from his waist up to his shoulders, and down his arms to his wrists, leaving only his pecks exposed. His hair meanwhile was a brilliant red that matched his divinely glowing eyes, which were both ringed by the same blue that covered his body.
Almost matching the brilliance of the emperor and his empress was a pair of great banners that fluttered in the nonexistent wind behind them, one depicting a great golden ape while the other depicted a great red western dragon, locked in what appeared to be combat as many of the visiting VIPs almost swore they saw the amazingly lifelike banners actually move.
The second that all of the gods and other legendary figures entered the throne room the doors behind them slammed shut, and an oppressive aura like none they ever experienced began to bear down upon them, as if trying to bend them all to Alex's will. His voice then boomed out as he declared,
"Gods, Devils, Angels, and everything in between, welcome to Asora." As he spoke Alex spread his arms wide in a gesture of welcome, to which the various visitors knelt respectfully while Odin replied,
"It is our greatest honor to be welcomed to the home of the Dragon Emperor." Odin's greetings were followed by nearly a hundred others as the visitors greeted Alex and gave compliments to either him, his family, his achievements, or Asora itself.
When the hall fell silent once again a certain figure stepped forward with an almost comically short stature, Toma, King of Fiore made his way to the foot of Alex's throne and knelt as he said,
"I, Toma E. Fiore, pledge myself and the kingdom of Fiore to the Dragon Emperor, long may he rein!" Alex fought the urge to smile wryly as Toma rushed to be the first to pledge him his support, which he technically already had. Unlike the others though he didn't have any tribute to offer to his new emperor, due to Alex already being wed to his only daughter, and the fact that Fiore was still recovering from the damage that the Dark Emperor had inflicted upon them.
As the tiny King stepped away from Alex's throne, one of the eastern gods stepped forward and said their own vows, before presenting their tribute before him. They were then followed by more of the eastern gods who swore Alex their allegiance before presenting their own tributes, which consisted of various things such as the highest quality fabrics, spices, jewels, rare metals, and much much more.
The first 'major' tribute was when Shiva stepped forward and declared his vows, before going on to swear that if Alex ever needed it, his strength was at his disposal. As the undisputed number one most powerful being in the DXD world this was no small promise, especially since Shiva was known for being fairly passive and actively avoided combat unless directly challenged to war.
After him though was Indra, who could only grit his teeth as he swore his allegiance to Alex, before giving him tribute in the form of several members of his vanguard. This of course included Cao Cao and the remaining members of Hero Faction that were still loyal to him, who Alex thought was perfect to appoint to the position of the representative of the humans of Asora. The reason he thought this was because of Cao Cao's Pride of fighting powerful beings as a 'mere human', while Hajime would often complain to him regarding how tired he was of the humans of Asora treating him as if he was their representative.
The next big surprise was when the falcon headed Horus stepped forward and said his vows, before clapping his hands twice.
BOOM!
The doors to the great hall were thrown open as a hundred young women exactly flooded within, each one carrying a tray with different items on it that the Egyptians were giving to Alex, and each one without a single stitch of clothing on their bodies. Instead, each girl paraded themselves before their new emperor while completely nude, with only golden paint adorning every single inch of their bȧrė skin.
"Each and every woman were chosen from amongst the most beautiful in all of Egypt, all between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, and the 'virtue' of each and every one has been confirmed. And each tray that they carry is laden with various treasures from our land, from treasures going back thousands of years to the first Pharaohs, to scrolls containing details on the use of Egyptian magics."
As Horus spoke the women he was presenting to Alex performed various actions such as jiggling their brėȧsts or shaking their buŧŧs to try and catch his eye, making him fight to resist the urge to sigh deeply at the current situation.
It was quite obvious that instead of a marriage arrangement like Alex was already expecting from more than just a couple of the factions, Horus was simply flat out giving him a hundred girls to use and abuse however he wanted, even if they were willing. Even if he disregarded their ages, the fact was that Alex had no intention of taking in so many 'servants' due to the fact that he literally had hundreds of women from former apostles and Pandora that were already ready and willing any time he wanted them.
After taking a moment to consider how to best craft his response, Alex then said,
"I thank the gods of Egypt for their more than generous tribute, however I'm sorry to say I can not truly accept even such an alluring offering." Horus' predatory eyes blinked in shock at Alex's words as many of the gods around them began to murmur in surprise, before Alex directed his attention to the stupefied young women themselves.
"In Asora there is no serving or upper class, as such I will instead send each of you to our academy for the next year. During that time I want each of you to learn more about Asora, make friends, and otherwise integrate into our people. After this year is up you will be free to pursue whatever paths you wish, wether you wish to become warriors, scholars, mages, or even if you still wish to find employment as my maids."
As he said this Alex sent a look to Sona nearby, who nodded briefly in acknowledgment of his unsaid words. Obviously Alex wanted her to subtly guide these young women onto a different path, and open up possibilities for them that didn't involve a life of being someone else's servants.
Though Horus was more than a little irked that Alex didn't truly appreciate his gift, he didn't let it get to him since ultimately the girls were Alex's to do whatever he wanted with. Moving back to his original place, Horus was then replaced with the hulking figure of the Dagda, with his ashen skinned wife, the Morrigen, at his side.
Behind them came two more figures, one with hair as red as fire that flowed freely down her back and emerald green eyes that drew any who saw them in, her curvaceous body being hugged by a white gown that had muted floral patterns sewn into it. The other woman meanwhile also had red hair, but hers was darker with hints of brown that matched her own eyes, while she wore a vibrant green gown and carried a gnarled wooden staff in her hand.
As all four kneeled before him, the Dagda then rumbled in his deep voice,
"It is an honor to pledge myself and my people to the Dragon Emperor, and to show my sincerity, I offer the hand of my own daughter, Brigid." As he said that the Dagda gestured to one of the women behind him, the one with the fiery red hair, and white flowing gown.
"I am Brigid, goddess of spring, fertility, healing, poetry, and smithing. It would be my greatest honor if the Dragon Emperor would accept me as his wife." Brigid said as she stepped forward, taking the chance to pose somewhat provocatively for Alex to scrutinize her body. Taking a second to do just that, admiring the various curves visible on Brigid's body, Alex then said,
"It would be my pŀėȧsurė to accept Brigid as one of my wives, so long as she is truly willing to join their number." With even his wives constantly telling him that he just accept any offers regarding political marriages, Alex didn't even bother trying to worrying about accepting any marriage offers he would receive today or not, his only remaining concern being if the woman in question truly accepted being with him or not.
Unsurprisingly, Brigid's smile widened as she said,
"Of course I am, tales of the Dragon Emperor's 'prowess' are legendary. Plus I believe that being wedded to his imperial majesty would grant me the inspirations needed to craft items the like of which I have never been able to before." As a goddess related to smithing, Alex was unsurprised that Brigid would be interested in the techniques, ideas, and materials that would be available to her in Asora, and naturally her status as a goddess of fertility were what drove her to seek a marriage with him specifically.
Rather than calling her out on that though, Alex then directed his attention to the other woman that had been beside her, and asked,
"And who, might I ask, are you?" The woman then stepped forward and declared,
"I am Mirana, one of the three Arch-Druids that lead our order." Alex nodded slowly at her introduction, before asking,
"I see, and you supposed to be a part of Brigid's marriage to me?" Knowing that it wouldn't be too unusual for numerous marriage proposals to be laid at his feet, Alex didn't hesitate to ask so but was surprised when Mirana answered back with a ŀusty gaze,
"If his imperial majesty wishes for my body, then I would be more than happy to provide it. My purpose in being here however is to request permission for a branch of our order to be established within this world, so that some of us may be close to his imperial majesty should he ever have need for us, and so that we might care for wild areas of the world that he rules over, though from what I've seen so far that might not be necessary."
Alex smiled as Mirana praised the state of Asora, and how little they had polluted the world around them. He then gestured to his empress beside him and stated,
"You should take that up with my empress, Anne. She is the one who has personally overseen our efforts to maintain, and help, the nature around us to ensure that we do not bring this world to ruin like so many others." Mirana's eyes widened as she looked to Anne, who smiled warmly at the Arch-Druid before saying to her,
"I have heard about the Druids before, and of their connection to the world around them as well as their sacred duties to preserve and protect the earth herself. It would be my pŀėȧsurė to work alongside an order such as yours." Mirana returned Anne's smile as she bowed deeply and said,
"Then when I return I shall inform the other two Arch-Druids, and we shall ȧssemble a delegation to station here." Though nothing within her words or mannerisms betrayed such a thing, Alex had a sneaking suspicion that all of the Druids that Mirana planned to bring would be amongst the most beautiful of their female members.
Knowing the futility of trying to call her out on this as well though, Alex said nothing as Mirana moved back to take her previous place alongside the Dagda and the Morrigen, while Brigid moved to the side to stand amongst his wives. Their place was then taken by Odin and the Norse gods, who knelt before Alex before the elderly God said,
"Great Dragon Emperor, from now until the end of time the swords, shields, and axes of Asgard are yours to command! And to commemorate our union, I have prepared some small tokens of our fealty." As Odin spoke the great doors opened once again as numerous massive barrels were rolled in, followed by a certain golden haired goddess.
"I present to his imperial majesty a total of one hundred casks of the greatest mead Asgard has to offer, and the hand of the most beautiful goddess within our realm, Freya." While Alex happily accepted the casks of Asgardian mead, he frowned slightly as he noticed the expression on Freya's face, one of somber resignation unlike Brigid's eagerness. Before he could say anything though, one of the Norse gods kneeling with Odin seemed to notice the slight frown to his lips and, mistaking why he was frowning, remarked quietly as Freya passed them,
"Looks as if the Dragon Emperor isn't so fond of having someone so 'broken in' as a part of his collection." His remark earned him a round of snickering while Freya's expression of resignation morphed into one of indignation, and her arms began to shake slightly in fury.
True, she was the Norse goddess of love and beauty, and it was true that she had had numerous sėxuȧŀ partners over the millennia, however unlike other goddesses possessing similar divinities she still possessed a sense of self respect and pride. Freya was not as frivolous as goddesses such as Aphrodite, who typically flitted from fling to fling due to their divinities and self indulgence, however that was exactly the treatment she received from the other residents of Asgard who considered her to be little more than a sort of outlet for their ŀust. She had even had numerous men flat out call her names such as 'whore' or 'slut' as they raged at her if she refused their advances for whatever reason, seemingly convinced that her divinities meant she would readily sleep with anyone and everyone who approached her.
Feeling more shame and humiliation than she ever had before, Freya was on the verge of storming out of the great hall before Alex's voice boomed,
"If anyone has anything to say to Freya, then they can stand and say it to her face in front of all these people rather than skulking amongst the masses!" Immediately the snickering ceased as Freya looked up at Alex directly for the first time, and noticed the anger on his face as he looked down at the person who had spoken before.
With no one willing to step forward and do as Alex demanded, he himself then stood up before slowly making his way down the steps his throne sat upon until he stood directly before Freya herself, and said to her in a voice that reached everyone around them,
"When it comes to women who possess divinities or traits such as yours, I do not hold their pasts against them Freya. You are you and the things you have done will never change, all that matters in my eyes is the future and how we go forward. No matter how many men you've been with throughout your life, I would happily take you as my wife and endeavor to make you happy, if you are willing. All I would ask for, is your faithfulness from this point forward."
To punctuate his declaration Alex took one of Freya's hands and brought it to his lips to kiss lightly, as he awaited her answer. Freya meanwhile was completely speechless, as most, if not all, who pursued her saw only a beautiful thing they wanted to keep for themselves like a trophy. For the first time she was left unsure of how to respond to a man's proposition, as she instead stole glances towards Alex's wives as if to see how they reacted.
Instead of the scorn, jealousy, or disdain she usually received from members of the same sėx, she only saw warm gazes as the women around Alex seemed to support her with their eyes, while a few threw dirty looks to the man who had spoken previously. Taking a breath as if to steel herself, Freya then said to Alex,
"If you are willing to accept a 'dirty' woman such as me as your wife, then there is no reason for me to refuse you're proposal lord Dragon Emperor." Alex smiled at her as he kissed her hand once more before saying,
"It's Alex now, wife." Gesturing to the side where the rest of his wives waited, Freya took a place next to Brigid as Alex returned to his throne, and Odin awkwardly backed away.
Finally they were on the last group to pledge themselves to Alex, the Greeks, as the Three Great Factions had already made their backing of Alex publicly known. Zeus then stepped up towards the base of Alex's throne with his wife by his side, and the rest of the attending gods behind them, minus Aphrodite for some strange reason.
Though a few of the gods directed dirty looks to Alex after the way he had humiliated them before, no one paid any attention to them as Zeus stated,
"We of Olympus find ourselves humbled and in awe of the Dragon Emperor's greatness, and wish his forgiveness for any past transgressions as we subject ourselves to his whims." As he spoke, Zeus and the other gods then knelt to Alex as he said,
"I have forgotten all about what has transpired before, just remember not to earn my ire in the future." Nodding in affirmation, Zeus then stood as he said,
"And as a show of our sincerity, I offer the hands of two of my daughters to the Dragon Emperor, both of which are a part of what many people call the 'Three Maidens' of Olympus." As he spoke both Athena and Artemis stepped forward, both dressed in pristine white togas with a wreath of flowers in their hair, and simple golden bands adorning their otherwise bȧrė wrists and ankles.
With Athena being known as a great warrior and tactician, and Artemis being known as a great huntress, all who were gathered gasped in awe of the twos beauty in the simple togas they wore. Athena's golden brown hair that usually tied back in a warrior's braid or confined in her helmet was allowed to flow freely, her stormy gray eyes scanning the room analytically as she felt exposed without her usual armor. Artemis meanwhile usually had her silvery hair tied up in a bun, and wore leather armor made from the hides of creatures she herself had hunted over the millennia, but now hers was flowing similarly to her sister's, and her own silver eyes focused on Alex due to her also feeling exposed and vulnerable in such free-flowing clothes.
Alex looked each goddess over carefully and didn't say anything for nearly a minute, before he finally said,
"I'm sorry Zeus, but I don't think I can't accept your offering." The hall immediately erupted in a series of whispering and murmurs at Alex's words, while both goddesses were torn between relief and indignation as their father struggled to keep his rage in check as he demanded,
"And may I ask why you can't accept them?" Alex sighed as the situation turned, before he stated flatly,
"I can't accept Athena because she is rightfully known as one of the most prideful and arrogant goddesses in your entire mythos. Why should I accept someone into my family when she is liable to take offense and possibly even curse any one of my other wives, or even children, at the slightest provocation?" Athena looked as if she had been slapped in the face at Alex's accusations, and was about to refute them when he continued,
"As for Artemis, she is literally the goddess of chastity. I will not plunder her virtue and give her cause to despise me and my family simply out of a sense of obligation due to her being one of my wives." While Athena was seething at the way Alex spoke of her, Artemis gave him a weird look as she had been the intended victim of many, many, attempts to plunder her virtue through even [email protected] over the millennia, several of which had even been orchestrated by her fellow gods themselves.
Zeus however looked as if he had been slapped in the face, as he appeared to be torn between screaming at Alex for refusing his gift, or exploding at his daughters for their various faults that now made their entire mythos look bad. Before anyone could say anything though, a new voice suddenly said,
"What if I offered myself alongside them? And promised to keep the two of them in check myself?" Anything Zeus or his daughters were about to say or think instantly vanished on the spot, as everyone in the hall turned towards the newcomer with varying reactions.
While almost all of the gods and different beings from the different factions looked confused at the newcomers appearance, the Olympians looked nothing short of stupefied while Zeus paled noticeably as an indescribable look appeared on his face. The only one who seemed to react positively to their appearance was Alex as he smiled towards her, and the woman said as she performed a curtsy before Alex's throne,
"It is an honor to see you again, Dragon Emperor." Alex then replied to her wholeheartedly,
"It may be your honor, but the pŀėȧsurė is all mine, Hestia."
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As the last couple days remaining until morning passed within the space-time orb, Alex's claims regarding the potential of his Saiyan children were proven correct several times over.
Firstly, as he told Anne and Gabriel, the children managed to adjust to the first stage of training that Alex gave them within a mere couple days; going from collapsing due to being completely exhausted after it, to only mildly winded. Of course the most convincing evidence of Alex's claims was when he tried teaching Edith how to properly maintain and control her transformation, only for Alec to attempt and make the transformation himself after only a couple days of training, quickly followed by Anna and Mai.
The group then made quite the image when they all went super together, filling their mothers with both pride and sadness from how quickly they were growing. None were more proud though than their father, who relished every single moment he spent training with them.
Of course, unlike Piccolo who began teaching Gohan in order to turn him into a weapon, and Goku who mistakenly believed that Gohan had inherited his love of fighting, Alex's priority in training his children was teaching them how to control their own strength before moving to the actual combat practices. What was surprising was that a couple days after Alex began training the children Gabriel, Kuroka, and Anne also got in on their training as well.
Gabriel had started teaching Edith the basics of manipulating light so that she could learn more about the angelic side of her powers as well. Mai on the other hand was learning the basics of the various types of magics and techniques that Kuroka knew, such as Senjutsu, Youjutsu, and Touki. As for why Kuroka was teaching her instead of Koneko, it was because Kuroka was significantly more skilled with such techniques than her younger sister.
On the other hand, Anne was also teaching both Alec and Anna about Dragon Slayer magic, but due to the potential of their demonic powers she was trying to teach them to use elements other than wind, unless they wanted to. And then there was Myuu, who used the time that her siblings were learning from their mothers to try and increase her own physical abilities in an attempt to keep up.
Another plus about the children needing training, at least for Alex, was that when morning did arrive he was reluctantly exempted from the preparations for his coronation, something that he tried not to act too happily about it when his wives told him.
***
With him spending the last couple days/months until his coronation within the space time orb with his children, Alex had what he considered to be one of the most enjoyable times of his life in recent memory. He'd spend his mornings running the children through their training, which would finish by lunch so they could practice the various skills they inherited from their mothers.
Then, while his children were either resting after their training or practicing with their mothers, he would take the chance to go around and visit his wives and lovers to spend some time with them. Once with them, Alex would then use the time spell he learned from Kuroka to spend several hours doing various 'this and thats', or just simply laying there cuddling as they enjoyed a good book or movie together, or simply enjoyed each other's presence.
Of course, Alex also made sure he didn't neglect his own training, either any one of his strength regimens, or his sparring with Elaine.
Meanwhile everyone outside the orb was exceptionally busy during the day as they prepared for Alex's coronation, and the arrival of so many guests. First they had to remodel the entire inside structure of the meeting hall that Alex and the officials of Asora usually met at, then they needed to make arrangements regarding where each of their guests would stay during the duration of their visit, and then much, much, more.
While everyone else was busy preparing for the coronation though, Sona was extra busy as well with her own work. Ever since the battle Sona had been personally traveling to the homeland of each faction in order to discuss the possibilities of any youth from their factions joining the Academy.
Naturally, a lot of the gods and various higher ups of each faction were extremely interested in having some of their youth attend school in Asora both due to the various skills and types of magic available there, and because of the potential connections that could be made with the people who lived there themselves. They had gotten even more excited when Sona mentioned wanting more teachers to teach at her academy as well, which she insisted on personally interviewing and approving to ensure no one with 'unfavorable' tendencies or intentions were approved.
The busiest person of all though appeared to be Ravel, who was juggling both the preparations for Alex's coronation, and her new position as the head of the house of Phenex after she one sidedly defeated her oldest brother in a duel. One benefit of her new position however, was that all of the wealth and resources of the house of Phenex were now at her, and by extension Alex's, disposal. It was the same with Rias and the resources of the Gremory family after she took over, however they unfortunately didn't have the same pockets the Phenex family did, due to the latter being the only ones capable of producing Phoenix tears.
And so, everyone was busy in their own ways until the day Alex's coronation finally arrived.
...
"Would you look at that!" Odin exclaimed as he looked out one of the windows on the luxury train car, where he and the rest of the hundred or so VIP guests of Asora were riding as they took in the sights of the new world for the first time. What had caught Odin's attention though was the great tree that Anne had planted and helped grow, which reminded him of the life tree Yggdrasil.
"That tree is descended from one in the land of Tortus known as the Great Tree Uralt, which is home to the Haltina Great Labyrinth, and resides within the center of the Sea of Trees that is home to the Beastmen, Elves, and Dwarves of Tortus.
"Fun fact! Within the Sea of Trees is a dense fog that hides numerous threats, and makes navigating the forest itself impossible for those who aren't being guided by one of the forest's inhabitants! Thankfully, our tree instead seems to only encourage the growth of wildlife around it, as indicated the notably greener vegetation, and slightly larger than normal fauna."
As Miledi spoke those who were interested in such things, mostly any present deities with divinities related to nature, moved to see the great tree and the forests around it for themselves. While they had yet to leave the train car since they passed through the portal to Asora, all of those related to nature that had arrived were amazed at how vibrant and 'unpolluted' life in Asora seemed to be. All thanks to the efforts of Anne, Momo, and Nana.
They train then took them away from the great tree as it turned to a different direction, towards Sona's academy, where Miledi pointed out the various buildings and gave them all tidbits of information on it. The train then turned towards the frozen land of the Yuuki-Onna, otherwise known as Yukiguni, where Miledi gave all of the VIPs an explanation of how the snow women came to reside in Asora, as well as a little bit of info of them as a species.
Looking down at them through the windows, the various gods saw people wandering too and fro through the city as more and more men began to settle there and form relationships with the snow women. Now there was at least several dozen Yuuki-onna with increasingly swelling bellies, as they prepared for the biggest population boom their people had ever seen.
After showing them Yukiguni, Miledi then took the train to the coast that the Dagon now called home, New Erisen. There they saw people with emerald hair and fin-like ears happily going about their business as they secured a steady supply of seafood for Asora, and played Blitzball when they had a free moment.
Again Miledi told the gods about the Dagons and how they came to reside in Asora, as well as the fact that Alex's oldest daughter was a member of their race that he had adopted after saving her from underground slavers.
Again the train turned out to the open ocean, taking them further and further away from land until they soon saw smoke rising up on the horizon. Soon the smoke was replaced with rising peaks as they arrived to what was often described in Asora as the Ring of Fire, home of the dragons and most of the Phoenixes of Asora.
While several of the Phoenixes had gone to seek solitude within the distant volcanoes and deserts of Asora, most had stayed within the Ring of Fire Bova had created for his own personal haunt. There, they often worked to increase their own strength alongside Bova and the dragons he led, while the strongest Phoenix, Rho-Dan, watched on silently.
Again the train turned from the sight, as it headed towards its next and final destination, the Capitol of Asora.
As they reapproached the city Zeus muttered out loud for the rest of the car to hear,
"Even seeing it all with my own eyes, it's still hard to believe..." The rest of the gathered gods nodded in agreement as they thought back to Alex's claims, and the evidence of his success.
While it wasn't unusual for people in power to show off the fruits of their success to others, the results of Alex's success were more than a little staggering. His was now the first empire any of them had ever heard of that had grown to not only actually encompass the entire world, but even other worlds beyond it. And not only had he done this, but the people Alex ruled over were noticeably happy and apparently lived marginally better lives than they did in the past.
However someone then snorted at the thunder god's words, Athena, as she snarkily remarked,
"It's not like he himself actually did any of the hard work. From what I've heard he leaves the actual work to those who serves him, and spends his days aimlessly fooling around." Athena's remark earned her numerous glares from those around her, most notably Zeus and Miledi as the formers eye started twitching, while the latter just bȧrėly managed to hold her anger in check.
Miledi had been trying VERY hard to behave herself in front of the gods so as not to make Alex look bad, something that was made even harder due to her negative opinions about divine beings in general. With Athena's remark though, it took every ounce of her willpower to stop herself from making a fool of the bitch of a goddess right then and there.
True, Alex didn't personally handle every single thing like most rulers did, however it was hard to expect him to when there was so many other things he needed to be doing, most of all increasing his strength even more for future threats, and personally addressing any prominent issues regarding the world they were currently visiting.
Thankfully they were already arriving at the place where the VIPs would disembark her train, so Miledi didn't need to hold herself back for much longer as she finally brought the train to a halt, and opened the doors to allow her passengers to leave. Of course, when Athena went to step down from the train she 'accidentally' tripped and fell face first onto the dirty ground below, right in front of the hundreds of passengers currently disembarking the train.
"Pfft..." Miledi snickered at the sight of such a proud and arrogant goddess falling on her face in front of everyone, along with many of the hundreds that had also witnessed such a thing.
When she leapt to her feet Athena glared at everyone round her that dared to snicker at her predicament with a scratched up face, until she felt a slight itch as something healed the mild damage done to her face. This time it was Miledi who snorted as she remarked to Athena,
"You're lucky Alex is a big softy, if it had been me I would've left you like that for badmouthing your host." The moment Athena heard that she almost rounded on Miledi in fury, only to be stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder as her father's voice rumbled,
"Stop it." Though she wanted to argue, the subtle crackle of lightning behind her told Athena that it would be best not to test her father right then, as she reluctantly turned away from Miledi and the train. Of course, the moment the angry goddess turned her back to her, Miledi the proceeded to stick out her tongue at her.
...
Over the next couple of hours the visiting gods made their preparations as the time for them to acknowledge the Dragon Emperor approached, and made sure that everything was in order with all of the tribute that they had brought.
When it finally came time to approach the Emperor Morningstar they were all brought to the same hall where Alex and the rest of the Asoran officials would meet, which looked fairly plain on the outside, but once the dual doors leading inside were opened, the various gods couldn't help but to gasp at what they saw.
Inside was a great throne room, not unlike what any other King or emperor would have, except on either side of the great hall was a row of massive pillars that all had differing designs, each one based around the different factions and people who followed Alex. For example one pillar looked to made of pure ice that never melted for the Yuuki-Onna, while another was made of brightly colored coral for the Dagons.
Each one stretched upwards towards the great domed ceiling, which was covered in intricate carvings and murals that depicted Alex and his wives in various scenes, such as when they originally fought Trihexia, or when Alex fought Ehito in his divine realm.
The pillars and ornate ceiling both paled in comparison however to what lay at the end of the hall, where Alex and Anne both sat upon great gilded thrones at the top of an elevated platform.
Alex however was dressed quite unlike any other emperor when they received their audiences, in a simple pair of linen shorts while his upper body was left completely exposed, though it didn't appear that way. What drew every eye to him though was the fine layer of brilliant blue fur that covered his body from his waist up to his shoulders, and down his arms to his wrists, leaving only his pecks exposed. His hair meanwhile was a brilliant red that matched his divinely glowing eyes, which were both ringed by the same blue that covered his body.
Almost matching the brilliance of the emperor and his empress was a pair of great banners that fluttered in the nonexistent wind behind them, one depicting a great golden ape while the other depicted a great red western dragon, locked in what appeared to be combat as many of the visiting VIPs almost swore they saw the amazingly lifelike banners actually move.
The second that all of the gods and other legendary figures entered the throne room the doors behind them slammed shut, and an oppressive aura like none they ever experienced began to bear down upon them, as if trying to bend them all to Alex's will. His voice then boomed out as he declared,
"Gods, Devils, Angels, and everything in between, welcome to Asora." As he spoke Alex spread his arms wide in a gesture of welcome, to which the various visitors knelt respectfully while Odin replied,
"It is our greatest honor to be welcomed to the home of the Dragon Emperor." Odin's greetings were followed by nearly a hundred others as the visitors greeted Alex and gave compliments to either him, his family, his achievements, or Asora itself.
When the hall fell silent once again a certain figure stepped forward with an almost comically short stature, Toma, King of Fiore made his way to the foot of Alex's throne and knelt as he said,
"I, Toma E. Fiore, pledge myself and the kingdom of Fiore to the Dragon Emperor, long may he rein!" Alex fought the urge to smile wryly as Toma rushed to be the first to pledge him his support, which he technically already had. Unlike the others though he didn't have any tribute to offer to his new emperor, due to Alex already being wed to his only daughter, and the fact that Fiore was still recovering from the damage that the Dark Emperor had inflicted upon them.
As the tiny King stepped away from Alex's throne, one of the eastern gods stepped forward and said their own vows, before presenting their tribute before him. They were then followed by more of the eastern gods who swore Alex their allegiance before presenting their own tributes, which consisted of various things such as the highest quality fabrics, spices, jewels, rare metals, and much much more.
The first 'major' tribute was when Shiva stepped forward and declared his vows, before going on to swear that if Alex ever needed it, his strength was at his disposal. As the undisputed number one most powerful being in the DXD world this was no small promise, especially since Shiva was known for being fairly passive and actively avoided combat unless directly challenged to war.
After him though was Indra, who could only grit his teeth as he swore his allegiance to Alex, before giving him tribute in the form of several members of his vanguard. This of course included Cao Cao and the remaining members of Hero Faction that were still loyal to him, who Alex thought was perfect to appoint to the position of the representative of the humans of Asora. The reason he thought this was because of Cao Cao's Pride of fighting powerful beings as a 'mere human', while Hajime would often complain to him regarding how tired he was of the humans of Asora treating him as if he was their representative.
The next big surprise was when the falcon headed Horus stepped forward and said his vows, before clapping his hands twice.
BOOM!
The doors to the great hall were thrown open as a hundred young women exactly flooded within, each one carrying a tray with different items on it that the Egyptians were giving to Alex, and each one without a single stitch of clothing on their bodies. Instead, each girl paraded themselves before their new emperor while completely nude, with only golden paint adorning every single inch of their bȧrė skin.
"Each and every woman were chosen from amongst the most beautiful in all of Egypt, all between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, and the 'virtue' of each and every one has been confirmed. And each tray that they carry is laden with various treasures from our land, from treasures going back thousands of years to the first Pharaohs, to scrolls containing details on the use of Egyptian magics."
As Horus spoke the women he was presenting to Alex performed various actions such as jiggling their brėȧsts or shaking their buŧŧs to try and catch his eye, making him fight to resist the urge to sigh deeply at the current situation.
It was quite obvious that instead of a marriage arrangement like Alex was already expecting from more than just a couple of the factions, Horus was simply flat out giving him a hundred girls to use and abuse however he wanted, even if they were willing. Even if he disregarded their ages, the fact was that Alex had no intention of taking in so many 'servants' due to the fact that he literally had hundreds of women from former apostles and Pandora that were already ready and willing any time he wanted them.
After taking a moment to consider how to best craft his response, Alex then said,
"I thank the gods of Egypt for their more than generous tribute, however I'm sorry to say I can not truly accept even such an alluring offering." Horus' predatory eyes blinked in shock at Alex's words as many of the gods around them began to murmur in surprise, before Alex directed his attention to the stupefied young women themselves.
"In Asora there is no serving or upper class, as such I will instead send each of you to our academy for the next year. During that time I want each of you to learn more about Asora, make friends, and otherwise integrate into our people. After this year is up you will be free to pursue whatever paths you wish, wether you wish to become warriors, scholars, mages, or even if you still wish to find employment as my maids."
As he said this Alex sent a look to Sona nearby, who nodded briefly in acknowledgment of his unsaid words. Obviously Alex wanted her to subtly guide these young women onto a different path, and open up possibilities for them that didn't involve a life of being someone else's servants.
Though Horus was more than a little irked that Alex didn't truly appreciate his gift, he didn't let it get to him since ultimately the girls were Alex's to do whatever he wanted with. Moving back to his original place, Horus was then replaced with the hulking figure of the Dagda, with his ashen skinned wife, the Morrigen, at his side.
Behind them came two more figures, one with hair as red as fire that flowed freely down her back and emerald green eyes that drew any who saw them in, her curvaceous body being hugged by a white gown that had muted floral patterns sewn into it. The other woman meanwhile also had red hair, but hers was darker with hints of brown that matched her own eyes, while she wore a vibrant green gown and carried a gnarled wooden staff in her hand.
As all four kneeled before him, the Dagda then rumbled in his deep voice,
"It is an honor to pledge myself and my people to the Dragon Emperor, and to show my sincerity, I offer the hand of my own daughter, Brigid." As he said that the Dagda gestured to one of the women behind him, the one with the fiery red hair, and white flowing gown.
"I am Brigid, goddess of spring, fertility, healing, poetry, and smithing. It would be my greatest honor if the Dragon Emperor would accept me as his wife." Brigid said as she stepped forward, taking the chance to pose somewhat provocatively for Alex to scrutinize her body. Taking a second to do just that, admiring the various curves visible on Brigid's body, Alex then said,
"It would be my pŀėȧsurė to accept Brigid as one of my wives, so long as she is truly willing to join their number." With even his wives constantly telling him that he just accept any offers regarding political marriages, Alex didn't even bother trying to worrying about accepting any marriage offers he would receive today or not, his only remaining concern being if the woman in question truly accepted being with him or not.
Unsurprisingly, Brigid's smile widened as she said,
"Of course I am, tales of the Dragon Emperor's 'prowess' are legendary. Plus I believe that being wedded to his imperial majesty would grant me the inspirations needed to craft items the like of which I have never been able to before." As a goddess related to smithing, Alex was unsurprised that Brigid would be interested in the techniques, ideas, and materials that would be available to her in Asora, and naturally her status as a goddess of fertility were what drove her to seek a marriage with him specifically.
Rather than calling her out on that though, Alex then directed his attention to the other woman that had been beside her, and asked,
"And who, might I ask, are you?" The woman then stepped forward and declared,
"I am Mirana, one of the three Arch-Druids that lead our order." Alex nodded slowly at her introduction, before asking,
"I see, and you supposed to be a part of Brigid's marriage to me?" Knowing that it wouldn't be too unusual for numerous marriage proposals to be laid at his feet, Alex didn't hesitate to ask so but was surprised when Mirana answered back with a ŀusty gaze,
"If his imperial majesty wishes for my body, then I would be more than happy to provide it. My purpose in being here however is to request permission for a branch of our order to be established within this world, so that some of us may be close to his imperial majesty should he ever have need for us, and so that we might care for wild areas of the world that he rules over, though from what I've seen so far that might not be necessary."
Alex smiled as Mirana praised the state of Asora, and how little they had polluted the world around them. He then gestured to his empress beside him and stated,
"You should take that up with my empress, Anne. She is the one who has personally overseen our efforts to maintain, and help, the nature around us to ensure that we do not bring this world to ruin like so many others." Mirana's eyes widened as she looked to Anne, who smiled warmly at the Arch-Druid before saying to her,
"I have heard about the Druids before, and of their connection to the world around them as well as their sacred duties to preserve and protect the earth herself. It would be my pŀėȧsurė to work alongside an order such as yours." Mirana returned Anne's smile as she bowed deeply and said,
"Then when I return I shall inform the other two Arch-Druids, and we shall ȧssemble a delegation to station here." Though nothing within her words or mannerisms betrayed such a thing, Alex had a sneaking suspicion that all of the Druids that Mirana planned to bring would be amongst the most beautiful of their female members.
Knowing the futility of trying to call her out on this as well though, Alex said nothing as Mirana moved back to take her previous place alongside the Dagda and the Morrigen, while Brigid moved to the side to stand amongst his wives. Their place was then taken by Odin and the Norse gods, who knelt before Alex before the elderly God said,
"Great Dragon Emperor, from now until the end of time the swords, shields, and axes of Asgard are yours to command! And to commemorate our union, I have prepared some small tokens of our fealty." As Odin spoke the great doors opened once again as numerous massive barrels were rolled in, followed by a certain golden haired goddess.
"I present to his imperial majesty a total of one hundred casks of the greatest mead Asgard has to offer, and the hand of the most beautiful goddess within our realm, Freya." While Alex happily accepted the casks of Asgardian mead, he frowned slightly as he noticed the expression on Freya's face, one of somber resignation unlike Brigid's eagerness. Before he could say anything though, one of the Norse gods kneeling with Odin seemed to notice the slight frown to his lips and, mistaking why he was frowning, remarked quietly as Freya passed them,
"Looks as if the Dragon Emperor isn't so fond of having someone so 'broken in' as a part of his collection." His remark earned him a round of snickering while Freya's expression of resignation morphed into one of indignation, and her arms began to shake slightly in fury.
True, she was the Norse goddess of love and beauty, and it was true that she had had numerous sėxuȧŀ partners over the millennia, however unlike other goddesses possessing similar divinities she still possessed a sense of self respect and pride. Freya was not as frivolous as goddesses such as Aphrodite, who typically flitted from fling to fling due to their divinities and self indulgence, however that was exactly the treatment she received from the other residents of Asgard who considered her to be little more than a sort of outlet for their ŀust. She had even had numerous men flat out call her names such as 'whore' or 'slut' as they raged at her if she refused their advances for whatever reason, seemingly convinced that her divinities meant she would readily sleep with anyone and everyone who approached her.
Feeling more shame and humiliation than she ever had before, Freya was on the verge of storming out of the great hall before Alex's voice boomed,
"If anyone has anything to say to Freya, then they can stand and say it to her face in front of all these people rather than skulking amongst the masses!" Immediately the snickering ceased as Freya looked up at Alex directly for the first time, and noticed the anger on his face as he looked down at the person who had spoken before.
With no one willing to step forward and do as Alex demanded, he himself then stood up before slowly making his way down the steps his throne sat upon until he stood directly before Freya herself, and said to her in a voice that reached everyone around them,
"When it comes to women who possess divinities or traits such as yours, I do not hold their pasts against them Freya. You are you and the things you have done will never change, all that matters in my eyes is the future and how we go forward. No matter how many men you've been with throughout your life, I would happily take you as my wife and endeavor to make you happy, if you are willing. All I would ask for, is your faithfulness from this point forward."
To punctuate his declaration Alex took one of Freya's hands and brought it to his lips to kiss lightly, as he awaited her answer. Freya meanwhile was completely speechless, as most, if not all, who pursued her saw only a beautiful thing they wanted to keep for themselves like a trophy. For the first time she was left unsure of how to respond to a man's proposition, as she instead stole glances towards Alex's wives as if to see how they reacted.
Instead of the scorn, jealousy, or disdain she usually received from members of the same sėx, she only saw warm gazes as the women around Alex seemed to support her with their eyes, while a few threw dirty looks to the man who had spoken previously. Taking a breath as if to steel herself, Freya then said to Alex,
"If you are willing to accept a 'dirty' woman such as me as your wife, then there is no reason for me to refuse you're proposal lord Dragon Emperor." Alex smiled at her as he kissed her hand once more before saying,
"It's Alex now, wife." Gesturing to the side where the rest of his wives waited, Freya took a place next to Brigid as Alex returned to his throne, and Odin awkwardly backed away.
Finally they were on the last group to pledge themselves to Alex, the Greeks, as the Three Great Factions had already made their backing of Alex publicly known. Zeus then stepped up towards the base of Alex's throne with his wife by his side, and the rest of the attending gods behind them, minus Aphrodite for some strange reason.
Though a few of the gods directed dirty looks to Alex after the way he had humiliated them before, no one paid any attention to them as Zeus stated,
"We of Olympus find ourselves humbled and in awe of the Dragon Emperor's greatness, and wish his forgiveness for any past transgressions as we subject ourselves to his whims." As he spoke, Zeus and the other gods then knelt to Alex as he said,
"I have forgotten all about what has transpired before, just remember not to earn my ire in the future." Nodding in affirmation, Zeus then stood as he said,
"And as a show of our sincerity, I offer the hands of two of my daughters to the Dragon Emperor, both of which are a part of what many people call the 'Three Maidens' of Olympus." As he spoke both Athena and Artemis stepped forward, both dressed in pristine white togas with a wreath of flowers in their hair, and simple golden bands adorning their otherwise bȧrė wrists and ankles.
With Athena being known as a great warrior and tactician, and Artemis being known as a great huntress, all who were gathered gasped in awe of the twos beauty in the simple togas they wore. Athena's golden brown hair that usually tied back in a warrior's braid or confined in her helmet was allowed to flow freely, her stormy gray eyes scanning the room analytically as she felt exposed without her usual armor. Artemis meanwhile usually had her silvery hair tied up in a bun, and wore leather armor made from the hides of creatures she herself had hunted over the millennia, but now hers was flowing similarly to her sister's, and her own silver eyes focused on Alex due to her also feeling exposed and vulnerable in such free-flowing clothes.
Alex looked each goddess over carefully and didn't say anything for nearly a minute, before he finally said,
"I'm sorry Zeus, but I don't think I can't accept your offering." The hall immediately erupted in a series of whispering and murmurs at Alex's words, while both goddesses were torn between relief and indignation as their father struggled to keep his rage in check as he demanded,
"And may I ask why you can't accept them?" Alex sighed as the situation turned, before he stated flatly,
"I can't accept Athena because she is rightfully known as one of the most prideful and arrogant goddesses in your entire mythos. Why should I accept someone into my family when she is liable to take offense and possibly even curse any one of my other wives, or even children, at the slightest provocation?" Athena looked as if she had been slapped in the face at Alex's accusations, and was about to refute them when he continued,
"As for Artemis, she is literally the goddess of chastity. I will not plunder her virtue and give her cause to despise me and my family simply out of a sense of obligation due to her being one of my wives." While Athena was seething at the way Alex spoke of her, Artemis gave him a weird look as she had been the intended victim of many, many, attempts to plunder her virtue through even [email protected] over the millennia, several of which had even been orchestrated by her fellow gods themselves.
Zeus however looked as if he had been slapped in the face, as he appeared to be torn between screaming at Alex for refusing his gift, or exploding at his daughters for their various faults that now made their entire mythos look bad. Before anyone could say anything though, a new voice suddenly said,
"What if I offered myself alongside them? And promised to keep the two of them in check myself?" Anything Zeus or his daughters were about to say or think instantly vanished on the spot, as everyone in the hall turned towards the newcomer with varying reactions.
While almost all of the gods and different beings from the different factions looked confused at the newcomers appearance, the Olympians looked nothing short of stupefied while Zeus paled noticeably as an indescribable look appeared on his face. The only one who seemed to react positively to their appearance was Alex as he smiled towards her, and the woman said as she performed a curtsy before Alex's throne,
"It is an honor to see you again, Dragon Emperor." Alex then replied to her wholeheartedly,
"It may be your honor, but the pŀėȧsurė is all mine, Hestia."
As the last couple days remaining until morning passed within the space-time orb, Alex's claims regarding the potential of his Saiyan children were proven correct several times over. Firstly, as he told Anne and Gabriel, the children managed to adjust to the first stage of training that Alex gave them within a mere couple days; going from collapsing due to being completely exhausted after it, to only mildly winded. Of course the most convincing evidence of Alex's claims was when he tried teaching Edith how to properly maintain and control her transformation, only for Alec to attempt and make the transformation himself after only a couple days of training, quickly followed by Anna and Mai. The group then made quite the image when they all went super together, filling their mothers with both pride and sadness from how quickly they were growing. None were more proud though than their father, who relished every single moment he spent training with them. Of course, unlike Piccolo who began teaching Gohan in order to turn him into a weapon, and Goku who mistakenly believed that Gohan had inherited his love of fighting, Alex's priority in training his children was teaching them how to control their own strength before moving to the actual combat practices. What was surprising was that a couple days after Alex began training the children Gabriel, Kuroka, and Anne also got in on their training as well. Gabriel had started teaching Edith the basics of manipulating light so that she could learn more about the angelic side of her powers as well. Mai on the other hand was learning the basics of the various types of magics and techniques that Kuroka knew, such as Senjutsu, Youjutsu, and Touki. As for why Kuroka was teaching her instead of Koneko, it was because Kuroka was significantly more skilled with such techniques than her younger sister. On the other hand, Anne was also teaching both Alec and Anna about Dragon Slayer magic, but due to the potential of their demonic powers she was trying to teach them to use elements other than wind, unless they wanted to. And then there was Myuu, who used the time that her siblings were learning from their mothers to try and increase her own physical abilities in an attempt to keep up. Another plus about the children needing training, at least for Alex, was that when morning did arrive he was reluctantly exempted from the preparations for his coronation, something that he tried not to act too happily about it when his wives told him. *** With him spending the last couple days/months until his coronation within the space time orb with his children, Alex had what he considered to be one of the most enjoyable times of his life in recent memory. He'd spend his mornings running the children through their training, which would finish by lunch so they could practice the various skills they inherited from their mothers. Then, while his children were either resting after their training or practicing with their mothers, he would take the chance to go around and visit his wives and lovers to spend some time with them. Once with them, Alex would then use the time spell he learned from Kuroka to spend several hours doing various 'this and thats', or just simply laying there cuddling as they enjoyed a good book or movie together, or simply enjoyed each other's presence. Of course, Alex also made sure he didn't neglect his own training, either any one of his strength regimens, or his sparring with Elaine. Meanwhile everyone outside the orb was exceptionally busy during the day as they prepared for Alex's coronation, and the arrival of so many guests. First they had to remodel the entire inside structure of the meeting hall that Alex and the officials of Asora usually met at, then they needed to make arrangements regarding where each of their guests would stay during the duration of their visit, and then much, much, more. While everyone else was busy preparing for the coronation though, Sona was extra busy as well with her own work. Ever since the battle Sona had been personally traveling to the homeland of each faction in order to discuss the possibilities of any youth from their factions joining the Academy. Naturally, a lot of the gods and various higher ups of each faction were extremely interested in having some of their youth attend school in Asora both due to the various skills and types of magic available there, and because of the potential connections that could be made with the people who lived there themselves. They had gotten even more excited when Sona mentioned wanting more teachers to teach at her academy as well, which she insisted on personally interviewing and approving to ensure no one with 'unfavorable' tendencies or intentions were approved. The busiest person of all though appeared to be Ravel, who was juggling both the preparations for Alex's coronation, and her new position as the head of the house of Phenex after she one sidedly defeated her oldest brother in a duel. One benefit of her new position however, was that all of the wealth and resources of the house of Phenex were now at her, and by extension Alex's, disposal. It was the same with Rias and the resources of the Gremory family after she took over, however they unfortunately didn't have the same pockets the Phenex family did, due to the latter being the only ones capable of producing Phoenix tears. And so, everyone was busy in their own ways until the day Alex's coronation finally arrived. ... "Would you look at that!" Odin exclaimed as he looked out one of the windows on the luxury train car, where he and the rest of the hundred or so VIP guests of Asora were riding as they took in the sights of the new world for the first time. What had caught Odin's attention though was the great tree that Anne had planted and helped grow, which reminded him of the life tree Yggdrasil. "That tree is descended from one in the land of Tortus known as the Great Tree Uralt, which is home to the Haltina Great Labyrinth, and resides within the center of the Sea of Trees that is home to the Beastmen, Elves, and Dwarves of Tortus. "Fun fact! Within the Sea of Trees is a dense fog that hides numerous threats, and makes navigating the forest itself impossible for those who aren't being guided by one of the forest's inhabitants! Thankfully, our tree instead seems to only encourage the growth of wildlife around it, as indicated the notably greener vegetation, and slightly larger than normal fauna." As Miledi spoke those who were interested in such things, mostly any present deities with divinities related to nature, moved to see the great tree and the forests around it for themselves. While they had yet to leave the train car since they passed through the portal to Asora, all of those related to nature that had arrived were amazed at how vibrant and 'unpolluted' life in Asora seemed to be. All thanks to the efforts of Anne, Momo, and Nana. They train then took them away from the great tree as it turned to a different direction, towards Sona's academy, where Miledi pointed out the various buildings and gave them all tidbits of information on it. The train then turned towards the frozen land of the Yuuki-Onna, otherwise known as Yukiguni, where Miledi gave all of the VIPs an explanation of how the snow women came to reside in Asora, as well as a little bit of info of them as a species. Looking down at them through the windows, the various gods saw people wandering too and fro through the city as more and more men began to settle there and form relationships with the snow women. Now there was at least several dozen Yuuki-onna with increasingly swelling bellies, as they prepared for the biggest population boom their people had ever seen. After showing them Yukiguni, Miledi then took the train to the coast that the Dagon now called home, New Erisen. There they saw people with emerald hair and fin-like ears happily going about their business as they secured a steady supply of seafood for Asora, and played Blitzball when they had a free moment. Again Miledi told the gods about the Dagons and how they came to reside in Asora, as well as the fact that Alex's oldest daughter was a member of their race that he had adopted after saving her from underground slavers. Again the train turned out to the open ocean, taking them further and further away from land until they soon saw smoke rising up on the horizon. Soon the smoke was replaced with rising peaks as they arrived to what was often described in Asora as the Ring of Fire, home of the dragons and most of the Phoenixes of Asora. While several of the Phoenixes had gone to seek solitude within the distant volcanoes and deserts of Asora, most had stayed within the Ring of Fire Bova had created for his own personal haunt. There, they often worked to increase their own strength alongside Bova and the dragons he led, while the strongest Phoenix, Rho-Dan, watched on silently. Again the train turned from the sight, as it headed towards its next and final destination, the Capitol of Asora. As they reapproached the city Zeus muttered out loud for the rest of the car to hear, "Even seeing it all with my own eyes, it's still hard to believe..." The rest of the gathered gods nodded in agreement as they thought back to Alex's claims, and the evidence of his success. While it wasn't unusual for people in power to show off the fruits of their success to others, the results of Alex's success were more than a little staggering. His was now the first empire any of them had ever heard of that had grown to not only actually encompass the entire world, but even other worlds beyond it. And not only had he done this, but the people Alex ruled over were noticeably happy and apparently lived marginally better lives than they did in the past. However someone then snorted at the thunder god's words, Athena, as she snarkily remarked, "It's not like he himself actually did any of the hard work. From what I've heard he leaves the actual work to those who serves him, and spends his days aimlessly fooling around." Athena's remark earned her numerous glares from those around her, most notably Zeus and Miledi as the formers eye started twitching, while the latter just brly managed to hold her anger in check. Miledi had been trying VERY hard to behave herself in front of the gods so as not to make Alex look bad, something that was made even harder due to her negative opinions about divine beings in general. With Athena's remark though, it took every ounce of her willpower to stop herself from making a fool of the bitch of a goddess right then and there. True, Alex didn't personally handle every single thing like most rulers did, however it was hard to expect him to when there was so many other things he needed to be doing, most of all increasing his strength even more for future threats, and personally addressing any prominent issues regarding the world they were currently visiting. Thankfully they were already arriving at the place where the VIPs would disembark her train, so Miledi didn't need to hold herself back for much longer as she finally brought the train to a halt, and opened the doors to allow her passengers to leave. Of course, when Athena went to step down from the train she 'accidentally' tripped and fell face first onto the dirty ground below, right in front of the hundreds of passengers currently disembarking the train. "Pfft..." Miledi snickered at the sight of such a proud and arrogant goddess falling on her face in front of everyone, along with many of the hundreds that had also witnessed such a thing. When she leapt to her feet Athena glared at everyone round her that dared to snicker at her predicament with a scratched up face, until she felt a slight itch as something healed the mild damage done to her face. This time it was Miledi who snorted as she remarked to Athena, "You're lucky Alex is a big softy, if it had been me I would've left you like that for badmouthing your host." The moment Athena heard that she almost rounded on Miledi in fury, only to be stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder as her father's voice rumbled, "Stop it." Though she wanted to argue, the subtle crackle of lightning behind her told Athena that it would be best not to test her father right then, as she reluctantly turned away from Miledi and the train. Of course, the moment the angry goddess turned her back to her, Miledi the proceeded to stick out her tongue at her. ... Over the next couple of hours the visiting gods made their preparations as the time for them to acknowledge the Dragon Emperor approached, and made sure that everything was in order with all of the tribute that they had brought. When it finally came time to approach the Emperor Morningstar they were all brought to the same hall where Alex and the rest of the Asoran officials would meet, which looked fairly plain on the outside, but once the dual doors leading inside were opened, the various gods couldn't help but to gasp at what they saw. Inside was a great throne room, not unlike what any other King or emperor would have, except on either side of the great hall was a row of massive pillars that all had differing designs, each one based around the different factions and people who followed Alex. For example one pillar looked to made of pure ice that never melted for the Yuuki-Onna, while another was made of brightly colored coral for the Dagons. Each one stretched upwards towards the great domed ceiling, which was covered in intricate carvings and murals that depicted Alex and his wives in various scenes, such as when they originally fought Trihexia, or when Alex fought Ehito in his divine realm. The pillars and ornate ceiling both paled in comparison however to what lay at the end of the hall, where Alex and Anne both sat upon great gilded thrones at the top of an elevated platform. Alex however was dressed quite unlike any other emperor when they received their audiences, in a simple pair of linen shorts while his upper body was left completely exposed, though it didn't appear that way. What drew every eye to him though was the fine layer of brilliant blue fur that covered his body from his waist up to his shoulders, and down his arms to his wrists, leaving only his pecks exposed. His hair meanwhile was a brilliant red that matched his divinely glowing eyes, which were both ringed by the same blue that covered his body. Almost matching the brilliance of the emperor and his empress was a pair of great banners that fluttered in the nonexistent wind behind them, one depicting a great golden ape while the other depicted a great red western dragon, locked in what appeared to be combat as many of the visiting VIPs almost swore they saw the amazingly lifelike banners actually move. The second that all of the gods and other legendary figures entered the throne room the doors behind them slammed shut, and an oppressive aura like none they ever experienced began to bear down upon them, as if trying to bend them all to Alex's will. His voice then boomed out as he declared, "Gods, Devils, Angels, and everything in between, welcome to Asora." As he spoke Alex spread his arms wide in a gesture of welcome, to which the various visitors knelt respectfully while Odin replied, "It is our greatest honor to be welcomed to the home of the Dragon Emperor." Odin's greetings were followed by nearly a hundred others as the visitors greeted Alex and gave compliments to either him, his family, his achievements, or Asora itself. When the hall fell silent once again a certain figure stepped forward with an almost comically short stature, Toma, King of Fiore made his way to the foot of Alex's throne and knelt as he said, "I, Toma E. Fiore, pledge myself and the kingdom of Fiore to the Dragon Emperor, long may he rein!" Alex fought the urge to smile wryly as Toma rushed to be the first to pledge him his support, which he technically already had. Unlike the others though he didn't have any tribute to offer to his new emperor, due to Alex already being wed to his only daughter, and the fact that Fiore was still recovering from the damage that the Dark Emperor had inflicted upon them. As the tiny King stepped away from Alex's throne, one of the eastern gods stepped forward and said their own vows, before presenting their tribute before him. They were then followed by more of the eastern gods who swore Alex their allegiance before presenting their own tributes, which consisted of various things such as the highest quality fabrics, spices, jewels, rare metals, and much much more. The first 'major' tribute was when Shiva stepped forward and declared his vows, before going on to swear that if Alex ever needed it, his strength was at his disposal. As the undisputed number one most powerful being in the DXD world this was no small promise, especially since Shiva was known for being fairly passive and actively avoided combat unless directly challenged to war. After him though was Indra, who could only grit his teeth as he swore his allegiance to Alex, before giving him tribute in the form of several members of his vanguard. This of course included Cao Cao and the remaining members of Hero Faction that were still loyal to him, who Alex thought was perfect to appoint to the position of the representative of the humans of Asora. The reason he thought this was because of Cao Cao's Pride of fighting powerful beings as a 'mere human', while Hajime would often complain to him regarding how tired he was of the humans of Asora treating him as if he was their representative. The next big surprise was when the falcon headed Horus stepped forward and said his vows, before clapping his hands twice. BOOM! The doors to the great hall were thrown open as a hundred young women exactly flooded within, each one carrying a tray with different items on it that the Egyptians were giving to Alex, and each one without a single stitch of clothing on their bodies. Instead, each girl paraded themselves before their new emperor while completely nude, with only golden paint adorning every single inch of their br skin. "Each and every woman were chosen from amongst the most beautiful in all of Egypt, all between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, and the 'virtue' of each and every one has been confirmed. And each tray that they carry is laden with various treasures from our land, from treasures going back thousands of years to the first Pharaohs, to scrolls containing details on the use of Egyptian magics." As Horus spoke the women he was presenting to Alex performed various actions such as jiggling their brsts or shaking their bus to try and catch his eye, making him fight to resist the urge to sigh deeply at the current situation. It was quite obvious that instead of a marriage arrangement like Alex was already expecting from more than just a couple of the factions, Horus was simply flat out giving him a hundred girls to use and abuse however he wanted, even if they were willing. Even if he disregarded their ages, the fact was that Alex had no intention of taking in so many 'servants' due to the fact that he literally had hundreds of women from former apostles and Pandora that were already ready and willing any time he wanted them. After taking a moment to consider how to best craft his response, Alex then said, "I thank the gods of Egypt for their more than generous tribute, however I'm sorry to say I can not truly accept even such an alluring offering." Horus' predatory eyes blinked in shock at Alex's words as many of the gods around them began to murmur in surprise, before Alex directed his attention to the stupefied young women themselves. "In Asora there is no serving or upper class, as such I will instead send each of you to our academy for the next year. During that time I want each of you to learn more about Asora, make friends, and otherwise integrate into our people. After this year is up you will be free to pursue whatever paths you wish, wether you wish to become warriors, scholars, mages, or even if you still wish to find employment as my maids." As he said this Alex sent a look to Sona nearby, who nodded briefly in acknowledgment of his unsaid words. Obviously Alex wanted her to subtly guide these young women onto a different path, and open up possibilities for them that didn't involve a life of being someone else's servants. Though Horus was more than a little irked that Alex didn't truly appreciate his gift, he didn't let it get to him since ultimately the girls were Alex's to do whatever he wanted with. Moving back to his original place, Horus was then replaced with the hulking figure of the Dagda, with his ashen skinned wife, the Morrigen, at his side. Behind them came two more figures, one with hair as red as fire that flowed freely down her back and emerald green eyes that drew any who saw them in, her curvaceous body being hugged by a white gown that had muted floral patterns sewn into it. The other woman meanwhile also had red hair, but hers was darker with hints of brown that matched her own eyes, while she wore a vibrant green gown and carried a gnarled wooden staff in her hand. As all four kneeled before him, the Dagda then rumbled in his deep voice, "It is an honor to pledge myself and my people to the Dragon Emperor, and to show my sincerity, I offer the hand of my own daughter, Brigid." As he said that the Dagda gestured to one of the women behind him, the one with the fiery red hair, and white flowing gown. "I am Brigid, goddess of spring, fertility, healing, poetry, and smithing. It would be my greatest honor if the Dragon Emperor would accept me as his wife." Brigid said as she stepped forward, taking the chance to pose somewhat provocatively for Alex to scrutinize her body. Taking a second to do just that, admiring the various curves visible on Brigid's body, Alex then said, "It would be my psur to accept Brigid as one of my wives, so long as she is truly willing to join their number." With even his wives constantly telling him that he just accept any offers regarding political marriages, Alex didn't even bother trying to worrying about accepting any marriage offers he would receive today or not, his only remaining concern being if the woman in question truly accepted being with him or not. Unsurprisingly, Brigid's smile widened as she said, "Of course I am, tales of the Dragon Emperor's 'prowess' are legendary. Plus I believe that being wedded to his imperial majesty would grant me the inspirations needed to craft items the like of which I have never been able to before." As a goddess related to smithing, Alex was unsurprised that Brigid would be interested in the techniques, ideas, and materials that would be available to her in Asora, and naturally her status as a goddess of fertility were what drove her to seek a marriage with him specifically. Rather than calling her out on that though, Alex then directed his attention to the other woman that had been beside her, and asked, "And who, might I ask, are you?" The woman then stepped forward and declared, "I am Mirana, one of the three Arch-Druids that lead our order." Alex nodded slowly at her introduction, before asking, "I see, and you supposed to be a part of Brigid's marriage to me?" Knowing that it wouldn't be too unusual for numerous marriage proposals to be laid at his feet, Alex didn't hesitate to ask so but was surprised when Mirana answered back with a usty gaze, "If his imperial majesty wishes for my body, then I would be more than happy to provide it. My purpose in being here however is to request permission for a branch of our order to be established within this world, so that some of us may be close to his imperial majesty should he ever have need for us, and so that we might care for wild areas of the world that he rules over, though from what I've seen so far that might not be necessary." Alex smiled as Mirana praised the state of Asora, and how little they had polluted the world around them. He then gestured to his empress beside him and stated, "You should take that up with my empress, Anne. She is the one who has personally overseen our efforts to maintain, and help, the nature around us to ensure that we do not bring this world to ruin like so many others." Mirana's eyes widened as she looked to Anne, who smiled warmly at the Arch-Druid before saying to her, "I have heard about the Druids before, and of their connection to the world around them as well as their sacred duties to preserve and protect the earth herself. It would be my psur to work alongside an order such as yours." Mirana returned Anne's smile as she bowed deeply and said, "Then when I return I shall inform the other two Arch-Druids, and we shall ssemble a delegation to station here." Though nothing within her words or mannerisms betrayed such a thing, Alex had a sneaking suspicion that all of the Druids that Mirana planned to bring would be amongst the most beautiful of their female members. Knowing the futility of trying to call her out on this as well though, Alex said nothing as Mirana moved back to take her previous place alongside the Dagda and the Morrigen, while Brigid moved to the side to stand amongst his wives. Their place was then taken by Odin and the Norse gods, who knelt before Alex before the elderly God said, "Great Dragon Emperor, from now until the end of time the swords, shields, and axes of Asgard are yours to command! And to commemorate our union, I have prepared some small tokens of our fealty." As Odin spoke the great doors opened once again as numerous massive barrels were rolled in, followed by a certain golden haired goddess. "I present to his imperial majesty a total of one hundred casks of the greatest mead Asgard has to offer, and the hand of the most beautiful goddess within our realm, Freya." While Alex happily accepted the casks of Asgardian mead, he frowned slightly as he noticed the expression on Freya's face, one of somber resignation unlike Brigid's eagerness. Before he could say anything though, one of the Norse gods kneeling with Odin seemed to notice the slight frown to his lips and, mistaking why he was frowning, remarked quietly as Freya passed them, "Looks as if the Dragon Emperor isn't so fond of having someone so 'broken in' as a part of his collection." His remark earned him a round of snickering while Freya's expression of resignation morphed into one of indignation, and her arms began to shake slightly in fury. True, she was the Norse goddess of love and beauty, and it was true that she had had numerous sxu partners over the millennia, however unlike other goddesses possessing similar divinities she still possessed a sense of self respect and pride. Freya was not as frivolous as goddesses such as Aphrodite, who typically flitted from fling to fling due to their divinities and self indulgence, however that was exactly the treatment she received from the other residents of Asgard who considered her to be little more than a sort of outlet for their ust. She had even had numerous men flat out call her names such as 'whore' or 'slut' as they raged at her if she refused their advances for whatever reason, seemingly convinced that her divinities meant she would readily sleep with anyone and everyone who approached her. Feeling more shame and humiliation than she ever had before, Freya was on the verge of storming out of the great hall before Alex's voice boomed, "If anyone has anything to say to Freya, then they can stand and say it to her face in front of all these people rather than skulking amongst the masses!" Immediately the snickering ceased as Freya looked up at Alex directly for the first time, and noticed the anger on his face as he looked down at the person who had spoken before. With no one willing to step forward and do as Alex demanded, he himself then stood up before slowly making his way down the steps his throne sat upon until he stood directly before Freya herself, and said to her in a voice that reached everyone around them, "When it comes to women who possess divinities or traits such as yours, I do not hold their pasts against them Freya. You are you and the things you have done will never change, all that matters in my eyes is the future and how we go forward. No matter how many men you've been with throughout your life, I would happily take you as my wife and endeavor to make you happy, if you are willing. All I would ask for, is your faithfulness from this point forward." To punctuate his declaration Alex took one of Freya's hands and brought it to his lips to kiss lightly, as he awaited her answer. Freya meanwhile was completely speechless, as most, if not all, who pursued her saw only a beautiful thing they wanted to keep for themselves like a trophy. For the first time she was left unsure of how to respond to a man's proposition, as she instead stole glances towards Alex's wives as if to see how they reacted. Instead of the scorn, jealousy, or disdain she usually received from members of the same sx, she only saw warm gazes as the women around Alex seemed to support her with their eyes, while a few threw dirty looks to the man who had spoken previously. Taking a breath as if to steel herself, Freya then said to Alex, "If you are willing to accept a 'dirty' woman such as me as your wife, then there is no reason for me to refuse you're proposal lord Dragon Emperor." Alex smiled at her as he kissed her hand once more before saying, "It's Alex now, wife." Gesturing to the side where the rest of his wives waited, Freya took a place next to Brigid as Alex returned to his throne, and Odin awkwardly backed away. Finally they were on the last group to pledge themselves to Alex, the Greeks, as the Three Great Factions had already made their backing of Alex publicly known. Zeus then stepped up towards the base of Alex's throne with his wife by his side, and the rest of the attending gods behind them, minus Aphrodite for some strange reason. Though a few of the gods directed dirty looks to Alex after the way he had humiliated them before, no one paid any attention to them as Zeus stated, "We of Olympus find ourselves humbled and in awe of the Dragon Emperor's greatness, and wish his forgiveness for any past transgressions as we subject ourselves to his whims." As he spoke, Zeus and the other gods then knelt to Alex as he said, "I have forgotten all about what has transpired before, just remember not to earn my ire in the future." Nodding in affirmation, Zeus then stood as he said, "And as a show of our sincerity, I offer the hands of two of my daughters to the Dragon Emperor, both of which are a part of what many people call the 'Three Maidens' of Olympus." As he spoke both Athena and Artemis stepped forward, both dressed in pristine white togas with a wreath of flowers in their hair, and simple golden bands adorning their otherwise br wrists and ankles. With Athena being known as a great warrior and tactician, and Artemis being known as a great huntress, all who were gathered gasped in awe of the twos beauty in the simple togas they wore. Athena's golden brown hair that usually tied back in a warrior's braid or confined in her helmet was allowed to flow freely, her stormy gray eyes scanning the room analytically as she felt exposed without her usual armor. Artemis meanwhile usually had her silvery hair tied up in a bun, and wore leather armor made from the hides of creatures she herself had hunted over the millennia, but now hers was flowing similarly to her sister's, and her own silver eyes focused on Alex due to her also feeling exposed and vulnerable in such free-flowing clothes. Alex looked each goddess over carefully and didn't say anything for nearly a minute, before he finally said, "I'm sorry Zeus, but I don't think I can't accept your offering." The hall immediately erupted in a series of whispering and murmurs at Alex's words, while both goddesses were torn between relief and indignation as their father struggled to keep his rage in check as he demanded, "And may I ask why you can't accept them?" Alex sighed as the situation turned, before he stated flatly, "I can't accept Athena because she is rightfully known as one of the most prideful and arrogant goddesses in your entire mythos. Why should I accept someone into my family when she is liable to take offense and possibly even curse any one of my other wives, or even children, at the slightest provocation?" Athena looked as if she had been slapped in the face at Alex's accusations, and was about to refute them when he continued, "As for Artemis, she is literally the goddess of chastity. I will not plunder her virtue and give her cause to despise me and my family simply out of a sense of obligation due to her being one of my wives." While Athena was seething at the way Alex spoke of her, Artemis gave him a weird look as she had been the intended victim of many, many, attempts to plunder her virtue through even emailprotected over the millennia, several of which had even been orchestrated by her fellow gods themselves. Zeus however looked as if he had been slapped in the face, as he appeared to be torn between screaming at Alex for refusing his gift, or exploding at his daughters for their various faults that now made their entire mythos look bad. Before anyone could say anything though, a new voice suddenly said, "What if I offered myself alongside them? And promised to keep the two of them in check myself?" Anything Zeus or his daughters were about to say or think instantly vanished on the spot, as everyone in the hall turned towards the newcomer with varying reactions. While almost all of the gods and different beings from the different factions looked confused at the newcomers appearance, the Olympians looked nothing short of stupefied while Zeus paled noticeably as an indescribable look appeared on his face. The only one who seemed to react positively to their appearance was Alex as he smiled towards her, and the woman said as she performed a curtsy before Alex's throne, "It is an honor to see you again, Dragon Emperor." Alex then replied to her wholeheartedly, "It may be your honor, but the psur is all mine, Hestia."
