Earlier that day.

Artemis exhaled upon returning to his lab, his injuries already healed. He dusted off his clothes and lost no time, walking towards the computer, sliding his finger across the screen, and making a cylinder of light appear at the center of the room.

The young demon put the keys inside, making the float steadily while he stared up at them. "Already got two of them... progress is going as smoothly as planned," He hummed as he placed his hands on his pockets.

'And what is your plan to get the other 4?' Kuro asked.

"One at a time, easy as that," he turned back to the screen.

'Who is our next target in that case?' Goliath added with a low hum. 'Perhaps the Lord of Gluttony? It seems like her request would be rather simplistic,"

The scarlet-haired boy reeled at the thought. "Ugh... not today, I can't stand the sight of insects and slop... I'll make plans for that another day,"

'The god slayer is afraid of a bug?'

"Grossed out, don't confuse it," Artemis growled under his breath as he placed his hands on the keyboard.

'Hmmm... something tells me you are leaving the wrath key for last; do you have any ideas for the Lord of Pride?'

"I think I've had enough 'personalities' for today..." Artemis hummed as he changed between scans of the other rings. "That only leaves the Envy Ring.... Lesser of 3 nuisances," He added as he snapped his fingers, making a swirl of magic replace his damaged clothes with identical new ones.

'You are going to deal with the literal snake?' Kuro grumbled.

"People who think they are tricksters are easy to manipulate; all you have to do is make them believe that they are getting what they want from you, and you are none the wiser," Artemis hummed as he tugged his sleeve. "And at least the lord of Envy's Ego will be slightly more manageable than the literal sin of Pride."

'Your reasoning is quite a thing to behold, young one,"

Artemis rolled his eyes, "Don't waste time with flattery, we have to get going." He extended his hand, creating a portal of shadows that he promptly crossed, transporting him to the top of a hill just over a jungle, with wild scenery and dark blue hues. "So, this is the Envy Ring.... Now, where is that old man?" He muttered as he looked around and dusted himself off. He turned around to the edge of hill, his eyes catching a fortress made of wood and vines, making his way over.

'So... what do you think the lord of envy is going to ask you to do?'

'Given his sin, it will most likely be something that doesn't belong to him'

'I will settle that when we get there," the scarlet-haired boy tugged his sleeves as he walked towards the fortress. Once he reached it, he lifted his fingers, spreading crimson magic across the ground and lifting pieces of the dirt until they formed a ladder.

The young demon walked up, pressing his hand against the wall with a serene expression. "Dissect," he said, drawing lines in the shape of a rectangle, cutting the wall and letting him walk inside, landing on the floor with little fanfare.

"What do you think you're doing, brat!" a snively voice hissed. "That was my wall! You think you can just barge in because you impressed Satanael?" a half humanoid half snake stood in the highest point of the tree that served as a foundation of the fortress, staring down at him.

Lord of Envy - Zuruzuru Uramayashi

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, impudent child, how dare you, disrespecting you in your own realm, can we skip that part?" he hummed as he waved his hand dismissively. "I'm here to make you a deal, so why don't you tell me if there is something you need, and I'll get it for you as long as you can meet my conditions."

Zuru narrowed his eyes, the bell at the end of his tail shaking in assessment. "I'm listening."

"I want your key to the nevermore seal." He stated, his hands on his back. "I don't need you to lecture me about their importance for Jigoku's stability and the whole ranks talk, nor to explain my plans to them; we both know you're not interested in them. So, tell me what you want in exchange, and we will get this over with fast, yes?"

The snake demon's lounge slithered out as he stared down at him, its body sliding across the tree's stop. "I don't know what kind of wicked scheme you have with those keys and the gods... but you're right, I don't quite care," he snarled with his mouth opening wide and a reptilian laugh as his tongue stuck out even more.

Once he finished laughing, the lord of envy lowered his head back towards him. "But if you want me to give up a treasure as important as my key to nevermore's seal, you are going to have to deal with a little annoyance for me.... Hmmm, but just which once," he hissed as he tapped his chin.

"Yeah, take your time, I have all day," Artemis muttered sarcastically.

"Hmmm, oh, I know!" Zuru snapped his finger. "My Daughter has been pestering me about needing my help with something for weeks. If you can get whatever she needs over with, then the key is all yours."

"... excuse me?" Artemis crooked an eyebrow.

Zuru's tongue slithered out of his mouth. "You heard me, child. Figure out what my daughter wants and handle it. As soon as she tells me you completed this task, then the key is yours."

The scarlet-haired boy's eyes narrowed. "I am not your babysitter, nor an errand boy." He spoke through his teeth.

The lord of envy's expression turned deadpan. "Do you want that key?"

His hand gripped his wrist behind his back, his eyes closing while he took a deep breath. Upon exhaling, he looked up at the serpentine demon with a more collected glance. "Where is she?"

Zuru snickered between hisses as he looked down at him, "Well, she's in her room, of course! I thought you were a smart scarlet boy!" he told him in a groveling and mocking tone.

The young demon suppressed a growl, "Very well then, where is her room?"

The lord envy shook the end of his tail, making a sizzling bell noise that made serpentine demonic soldiers slither inside the room. "Guards, show this boy to the princess's room."

They nodded, making a small hissing sound to tell Artemis to follow them and turning around, slowly starting to slide out of the main room.

"At least that was quick." He muttered as he began following them. The fortress was rudimentary for a lord of hell, but the details were tailor-made to blend it with its environment. His eyes only took a couple of seconds to scan the surroundings before he focused back on following the snake underlings.

Soon enough, they reached a small door with vines and carvings all around it, the soldiers standing on either side. "You may enter now." They spoke in unison.

Artemis gave a nod of acknowledgment, placing his hand on the doorknob and turning it, opening it with a single push, stepping inside, and finding a young demon girl sitting on a rug.

Her skin was covered in dark blue scales, her eyes were a sapphire color, and her hair was fixed in waves that reached just above her shoulders behind her back. Her tail stopped short as she laid eyes on him. "E...Ehhh!?" The slits in her eyes became thinner as she backed up. "What are you doing here!? You're the guy who interrupted the council that day!? Did you come for my eyes!" she exclaimed as she backed away and covered her head.

Artemis stared at her, shaking his head and taking a few moments to internalize his frustration. "No. I did not come for your eyes, your father sent me."

"...Huh?" The young serpentine demon moved her eye through her fingers. "Why would Dad send you here?"

Artemis walked towards the rug, standing at a safe distance from her. "Apparently, it seems like you have a situation that you have mentioned to him multiple times, and since we have made a deal, I have come to aid you so he will give me the key to the nevermore's seal." He kneeled to her level. "If you are so cooperative as to tell me what you need assistance with, I'll get right to it."

The envy princess moved her hands away from her face, blinking as she stared at him for a couple of seconds. "Wait... so you're going to help win over my soulmate's heart?"

".... Pardon me?"

"Yeah... It's the princess of the Gluttony ring. I have had a crush on her for a long time." She mumbled as she rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I've been asking my dad to show me how to woo her for a long time, but he's always busy."

'This has to be some sort of horrible sense of humor,' Artemis's hands gripped behind his back. "And you expect me to give you that advice?"

"Well.... since dad sent you to solve the problem I've been talking about for weeks... yeah?" She twiddled her fingers nervously, then her eyes widened again as she gasped. "Wait! he must have asked you because you're a smarty pants!" she said, excited, her eyes sparkling as she leaned towards him, causing him to lean away with narrowed eyes.

Artemis let out a small grumble at the childish compliment, looking away from her as he tried to keep his composure. "I don't have time to deal with your summer crush novel nonsense. If you have feelings issues, then deal with them on your own."

She puffed her cheek, her tongue slithering out. "It's easy for you to say! You already have a girlfriend!"

The demon boy's eyes shot open as his face reddened the slightest bit. "Hamette is not my girlfriend, you slithering baboon!"

The princess of envy narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, sure she isn't," she muttered between hisses. "Come oooon! You gotta do this! If you don't dad's never going to give you what you want! I know how he is, and he doesn't change his deals!" She added, clasping her hands.

"I am not your errand cupid. This is a ridiculous waste of my time," Artemis responded.

"I'm sure you could do it in so little time!" She protested while she puffed her cheek, "You're pretty much the smartest guy around here! I saw you retrieving a god artifact in less than a week. This should be a piece of cake for you!"

"I..." the redheaded boy stopped himself, growling quietly and leaning his head into his shoulder. "Don't you try to flatter me; I'm not going to play matchmaker just because you have no confidence in having social or romantic skills whatsoever."

"Come ooooooooon," she repeated herself with a tiny sizzle. "You are the demon who killed a god! How hard can helping someone achieve true love be?" she added as she grabbed his shoulders and started to shake him.

Artemis reeled from the sudden hold, making him jump back with an intense glare. "Don't you touch me, you slithering baboon!" He grumbled and dusted his shoulders off.

'Perhaps this task would be better suited for Hamette...'

'Until the lord of envy says you did not complete the task yourself, so it doesn't count.' Kuro hummed.

'You are correct for once, and I hate it'

'The princess does have a point, something like this shouldn't be such a hindrance to your skills,' Goliath added.

Artemis stayed silent for a few seconds, his eyes closed and his arms crossed, while he leaned his head down, making the princess of envy look around her room in confusion.

"Umm... is that a no?"

"I'm meditating on it."

Artemis tightened his hands against his arms, inhaling profoundly, raising his head and then lowering it, expelling a groan, "Fine, I will assist you,"

The princess gasped, her eyes sparkling again as her tail's tip wagged with a tiny ringing while her tongue sizzled out in excitement. "For real!? Do you promise!?" She asked as she leaned into his face once more.

Artemis sneered as he stood back up, "Yes, Yes I will! But you're going to have to stop getting in my face," He hummed as he adjusted his shirt. "Seriously, did your father not teach you everything about personal space?"

"Hmm... not really, no, that was all my mama," the snake demon girl backed away, chuckling a bit.

The red-head boy raised an eyebrow. "And do tell me, if she taught about boundaries, why could she not instruct on how to talk with girls?" He questioned with his hands returning to his back.

Her face fell, her hands tugging at the edge of her sweater as her smile faded. "She's... not around anymore."

The young boy's face stiffened for a fraction of a second, the realization hitting like a splash of cold water, then softening. He sighed, running his hand across his face. "What is your name?"

"Huh?" She looked back at him, puzzled by the question.

"You heard me, didn't you? If we're going to do business, then I need to know how to direct you, and I am not calling princes of envy," he extended his hand down at her. "So, hurry up and tell me your name so we can get to work on your little romance novel."

She looked at his hand, then her mouth curved into a tiny smile as she stood before him. "Naosu Uramayashi,"

He hummed, letting go of her hand as soon as she was stable on her feet. "Very well then, Naosu, let's go and see what we have to work with." He reached behind himself, opening a portal in a vortex of shadows. "I hope your father won't mind us going on a little excursion,"

Naosu hissed, "I don't think he cares as long as it doesn't involve him having to actually look for me."

"Charming," Artemis responded sarcastically, signaling towards the portal. "Follow me, and don't do or say anything until I say so." With that, he crossed the portal with her, the darkness becoming a pathway for a few seconds, replacing the dark blues of the envy ring with the numerous bridges and buzzing that encompassed the realm of the insectoid demons.

The Gluttony ring.

"w...wait, we're just going to go into her house!?" Naosu panicked while she looked around frantically upon landing on the hive structure.

Artemis shook his head, "No, you reptilian nincompoop, we are outside of her house, nobody should notice us here for the time being," he opened his hand, letting small devices fall out of his hand, rolling around them and creating a field that made them invisible to the insectoid demons flying around. "That's going to let us have some time to think about the best course of action,"

She exhaled, lowering her head and sitting down using her arms as support, "Okay... I guess that makes sense," she glances back at the devices, her slit pupils dilating while she reached her finger to it.

"Don't touch that," he warned as he sat down in front of her with crossed legs and his hands on his knees.

She retreated her hand and sizzled out. "How are those things making us invisible?" She questioned curiously.

"Do you want me to give you a 5-minute explanation on how these work, or do you want to start talking about how we're going to deal with this little high school quest?" he responded, crossing his arms.

She looked back up and tucked her hands on her lap. "The second one, please."

"Wonderful," Artemis nodded. "Let's start with something simple. How much do you know about the princess of gluttony, and for the love of everything, please tell me that you have actually met her before."

Naosu nodded quickly. "I've met her a lot of times when our parents are having meetings, but I can never tell if she's actually enjoying speaking with me or if she's just listening to me yapping."

The redhead boy hummed, "And you've never thought about asking her?"

She hissed, "Of course not! I would sound like a desperate girl with a crush, and the princess of envy should NEVER sound desperate!"

Artemis narrowed his eyes into a stern, deadpan face. "Let me guess, that is something your dad taught you."

".... Kinda..." She muttered with another snake noise. "But it's true! If I just go and ask what she thinks, she'll just think I'm annoying and desperate! We gotta find something more subtle," She huffed.

"Of course, we do..." he pinched the bridge of his nose while he took a moment to compose himself. "In that case, tell me how much you know about her that would be useful to gauge her interest in you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if you know her interests and likes?" Artemis mumbled with a strained voice while he placed his hands on his back.

"Ah..." she scoffed and glanced away as she tugged her head lowered, "Well, you could have just said that. Not everyone speaks scientist dude." She muttered in a quiet, dejected tone.

"I..." He stopped in his tracks and exhaled. "Okay, fair assessment, but my point is the same: what is she like, and what does she like?"

Naosu's tail started to wave once more as she began thinking, the rumbling accompanying the sound of her ponderation. "Well, she's a very professional person..."

"What do you mean, professional? You two are preteens," the red-headed boy questioned with a disingenuous turn to his tone, leaning his hand into his face while the other rested on his knee.

"Hey!" She hissed, sticking out her tongue, "You do business all the time."

"Yeah, I'm not even going to explain to you how that's different," Artemis muttered while he rubbed the side of his head. "Just go along and continue, with a bit of luck, we will find something useful."

"She's always having this serious, beautiful look on her face; she doesn't speak much, but when she does, it's always like a little song."

"... right," Artemis tried to keep his tone soft, or at least lower the usual rasp on it, his hands remaining on his knees. "Not a lot I can do with a simple description, so how about we get to the other question, what does this princess like? Are there any of her interests that you two share?"

"Well... one of her favorite things is reading, she's almost reading things when we hang out while the sin lords are in a meeting," She added as she tapped her chin, sitting up slightly.

"Okay... that might be helpful. What kind of books does she read?" Artemis tapped the side of his head.

The serpentine girl gently sizzled her tongue. "She brings all kinds of books whenever she's reading, so it's hard to say if she has any favorites..." She perked up a bit, her tail shooting up with another ringing sound. "Oh! She really likes performing rituals!"

".... Performing what now?"

"Rituals! You know, that magic thing where one gathers various materials to perform a large-scale spell," she said as she lit up, "You should see how she does them, she"

"I know what a ritual is," He muttered through his teeth, fighting to keep his composure. "What I want to know is why a princess of the Jigoku is interested in performing rituals in her free time."

"I dunno," the serpent demon shrugged.

"... okay," the redhead boy took a deep breath. "Well, rituals come in a wide variety of forms, so without knowing the specifics, we can only make very basic guesses about what she would enjoy. Is there anything else she likes, preferably something that you have more information about?"

"Umm," She sizzled again while she looked down at the ground. "Oh! She also likes candy! Like she really, really likes sweet things."

Artemis nodded, "That shouldn't come as a surprise. What kind of sweetness does she have a preference for?"

Naosu gasped, "I know that one!" She cheered and wagged her tail rapidly, making a ringing sound. "She loves it when the apples that grow in the envy ring get mixed in with a special honey that grows around these hives, but she doesn't get to taste it too often since her mom doesn't let her go to the border where it grows, and the jar, she usually retrieves, she keeps it for herself, oh! I could totally come up with something with those two! I had one of the apples saved for a special occasion!

"... huh," he glanced at the ground in thought. "I suppose gathering a jar of honey should be simple enough."

"Ah... I don't know about that," She sheepishly leaned back. "I have heard that those parts of the gluttony ring are pretty dangerous because of how few structures are in there; they say it's dominated by beasts."

The young demon rolled his eyes. "Tch." He stood up and dusted himself, snapping his fingers and causing the devices that kept them invisible to sprout tiny wheels. "I have two of the most powerful beasts working for me; anything that we'll come across in this ring will be nothing."

"We are going now?" She looked up at him.

"Of course, we are going now, I don't have time to lose." he turned around and lifted her over. "Come on, let's get this over before the end days," He added as he began walking down the hive.

The envy princess scrambled to stand up, stumbling on her feet a couple of times until she regained her footing and began following closely behind, her eyes darting back for a few seconds to watch the small devices rolling on the ground around them, keeping them from the gluttony ring soldiers.

"So... why are you looking for the nevermore seal keys?"

"I want to enroll the Nevermore beast for my cause, naturally," the demon boy stated as he pulled a spherical machine from his palm, which promptly camouflaged itself and began floating ahead, projecting a path forward.

She watched the gadget fade from sight, snapping her eyes to the projection. "But why do you want it? Wasn't it locked off because it was very dangerous?"

"Is that relevant for our search?" Artemis glanced back at him

"Well, no, but I don't know what else to talk about. I don't want to stay the whole way in silence." She moved her hands to her pockets.

"I would greatly prefer if we did," his uneven pupils followed the lines of information displayed around the projection.

The serpentine demon girl hissed lightly, her eyes tightening a little more while she followed him. "Well, I am not going to stay quiet the whole way, so we are going to find something to talk about."

His green eye moved to her, "You are not going to stop pestering me unless I find something to talk about, will you?"

She stuck her tongue out. "Yes."

The demon boy closed his eyes, yet he did not stop walking, a tiny disk coming out of his hand to maintain the projection while he brought his hands to his back. "You did mention that you could make a special dessert with the honey and the apple. Do you often prepare desserts for yourself?"

At the question, her reptilian pupils dilated a bit, her hands easing on her pocket while she looked back at him. "Yeah, I do it whenever I can sneak into the kitchen while dad's not looking, the guards don't really mind whenever I go around the house, so I can't pretty much do whatever I want."

"Hmm, sounds about right," Artemis muttered with a hint of disdain at the implication.

"Do you... like desserts?" She walked a bit closer to catch a glimpse of his reactions while still keeping a safe distance.

He followed with her glance until she was a good few centimeters behind him. "I don't often have dessert; most of what I eat is whatever is efficient and quick. I don't need to waste my time with treats."

She furrowed her brow. "That sounds very sad... maybe that's why you're so grumpy all the time!"

He squinted his eyes. "What?"

"Because you haven't had a dessert for a while!" she perked up, stepping a bit closer. "I bet you would lighten up if you got some pretty good dessert!"

"I don't think that is how attitude works," the demon boy responded as he went back to reading the displays on the projection. "Not to mention that I don't have all day here, having to navigate through this hive is already enough of a time investment as it is."

She stuck out her tongue once more between hisses. "Well, it's not gonna kill you to try it out,"

"Hmmm," he placed his finger on the floating disk, expanding the image and changing the pace of his steps to something slower and more cautious. "We are getting close to the edge. You should keep your eyes open. If something attacks us, you focus on filling this," He manifested a jar in his other hand and handed it to her.

She yelped for a moment, holding her hands out and slipping with it for a couple of seconds until she managed to get a firm grip and sigh in relief. "Are you sure you can deal with the monsters alone if they show up? She always tells me that I shouldn't go here because of how dangerous they are."

"Pft," Artemis huffed out a laugh, placing his hand on his pocket and then swiping his finger down, making the machines around them turn off, returning to his hand and leaving them visible. "Those creatures should be the least that you should worry about; you can take that as a certainty."

Then they reached a place where the hive's walls arched down as if it were an enormous waterfall, waves of a shiny, viscous substance in a glistening silver that reflected off the walls and structures around them.

"So... yummy looking," Naosu whispered dreamily.

Artemis waved his hand in front of her face. "Let's focus on what we came for. We might be able to get this finished quickly if we don't make any noise."

The young snake nodded, snapping out of her trance and bringing out the jar. "Got it!" She said and rushed towards the edge of the platform they were standing on, stretching her arms towards the falling substance, carefully pushing the container forward to let the liquid pour on.

The crimson-haired boy watched the silver honey fill in, getting halfway to the top only to be interrupted by a shaking in the area, causing him to close his eyes and exhale. "Of course."

Naosu tensed, "What was that?"

"Never mind it, I'll deal," Artemis hummed as he turned around and tugged at his hands on his back.

The honey between the structures shook. It then exploded upwards in a geyser and splashed in all directions as a demonic, gigantic wasp opened its buzzing things. Its stinger was as sharp as a blade, with two spikes sticking out of its sides acting as additional weapons; its legs were dripping and full of tiny spikes at the bottom; its jaws were numerous and sharper than a razor.

"Ah! Ogre Wasp!" Naosu backed up, almost dropping the jaw from her hands.

The crimson-headed boy extended his hand. "Don't move back," he stated, turning toward the titan, his tone dropping to a serious statement that left no notes of irritation or formality. "I told you, I will deal with this; you just get that jar full."

The wasp's head jerked around, its antennae tingling until they caught their voices, its vision snapping low on their direction, its wings fluttering the remaining honey with a violent, rapid movement.

'So that's the strategy now?' Goliath asked

'You two stay quiet, I'll deal with this on my own,' Artemis rolled his sleeves as he walked ahead, kneeling and pressing his hands on the ground.

'Really now?' Kuro chuckled. 'I thought you were beyond proving yourself to others.'

"This isn't about that," he muttered as he spread lines of scarlet demonic magic on the ground. "I'm not here to waste my effort," he added while the lines completed their arc on a section of the structure they were standing on.

"Divide," the lines shone, slicing off the section he was standing on and making the pieces fall, causing the demon serpent princess to jump back with a tiny yelp. However, she rapidly shook her head and went back to filling the jar.

As he was falling, Artemis extended his hands, releasing miniature machines that attached onto the pieces, becoming propulsors that lifted them to the titanic wasp, hitting it on the head, before it could charge at Naosu. In the meantime, the demon boy morphed his feet into rocket boots, flying to meet the demonic giant's level.

The wasp shook its head, its jaws vibrating until its neck jerked back to him, its eyes setting while it let out a buzzing scowl, arching its back down while its body began to shift. Smaller wasps crawled out of its back, stomach, and head, forming a wicked swarm that wasted no time in charging at him.

He narrowed his eyes, joining his eyes and creating mechanical discs on the tip of his fingers, channeling the demonic energy into thinner lines, spreading them out, and then lifting his finger. "Spherical zone: jail," he muttered, making the lines spread around him in a ball of scarlet magic in the pattern of a cage.

He stretched his fingers, moving his hands in a commanding gesture that made the disks completely surround the discs, morphing into canons, swords, hammers, and other weapons.

The sword started to rotate in the air, charging forward like a circular saw that sliced various wasps on its way, while the hammers smashed on their way to approach the mother. At the same time, the canons blasted on the closest areas to the spherical cage.

And even then, the ones that got too close would be burned away by the strings of demonic magic surrounding him, all while he made quick, direct, and efficient hand motions to command each weapon to take a role, like a deadly orchestra covered in white mechanics and red mystic force.

Naosu watched in silent awe as the jar slowly filled while she stood in place. "What kind of magic is that..."

The scarlet magic Artemis commanded was indeed no ordinary demonic arcane force; it was the one thing the young down couldn't disown from his family, a special spell that ran through the bloodline. The ability to apply orders to objects and to magic, bending them to his will.

A kind of magic that Artemis experimented with until he formed it into his own, combining it with his mechanical arsenal to make it clear that the crimson magic was no gift of his family, but a tool he morphed for his use.

The gigantic was dashed behind him, thrusting its stinger at him while buzzing violently, his hand turned up, making a gathering gesture with his fingers as he uttered the words. "encase" making the energy wrap itself into the sharp appendage, gripping with a burning face while the wasp stared up at him unimpressed and stern.

That spell is called: Command.

Then the boy separated two of his fingers. "Amputate," He spoke, making the mantle of scarlet energy separate the stinger from the tail, causing the enormous wasp to hiss and buzz in pain.

It flapped its wings, commanding the rest of the swarm to charge at him, moving around all angles. Yet, the demon boy didn't flinch; he rocketed through the air, his arms morphing into blades surrounded by crimson energy, slicing apart the hordes of devilish insects charging at him.

As they gathered in a wave of buzzing and hissing, he pointed his hand forward, exhaling a simple "pierce" before a needle of demonic energy carved a path ahead, from which he flew through and continued to cut around his way in a display of calculated proficiency and cold-blooded ferocity.

Once he reached it, he raised his hand, made a spiraling gesture with his fingers, and then spoke. "Storm," with that, the red energy mixed in with itself, forming a mass that resembled a thunderstorm, releasing violent barrages of crimson blasts that eradicated the swarm of wasps in packs and packs.

He then looked down as the demonic giant wasp began to morph, its wings and limbs growing sharper ends, and its jaws becoming even larger than before. Its eyes turned into a cyan glow while it began to rush at him, its wings making fractures on the sonic barrier as it hissed.

Artemis hummed, extending his arm and opening his hand, a blue light opening and summoning the machines from before. Still, this time there were a lot of them, each one carrying a piece of the comb structures, with a gripping gesture, the drones started to surround the wasp in pieces of the comb, halting its advance until it was nearly fully encased into a makeshift nest, its eyes tightening. At the same time, it roared in defiance and shot a pearly sphere of burning magic.

The demon boy's eyes opened a bit wider, only to tighten the second later, his draconic slid intensifying was he spun around, throwing his leg back and shooting up the propulsor's on his boots.

He sent a monstrous heavy kick that was covered in shadow and scarlet magic, the impact painting a beautiful yet terrifying mix on the air, sending into wasp's head before he snapped his finger. "Detonate," He scoffed, making the nest explode into a burst of blossoming energy.

Artemis exhaled, "How annoying," he muttered and landed back on Naosu's side, his vision turning to her. "All done?"

"Dude..." the envy princess muttered, honey, pouring out of the already-filled jar. "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" she exclaimed as she turned to him, accidentally letting the container slip out of her hands.

The scarlet-haired boy rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers and making one of the drones grab the jar. "I was efficient, but it's not worth that kind of praise, don't lose your marbles under a candle light"

"What are you talking about!? You dominated a monster like it was nothing!" She threw her hands up. "No wonder why you managed to beat a god in a day, you're the best!"

"Tch," He huffed, his hand extending to his hand, "I don't need your praise, let's go finish your plan before I regret helping you," he stated while creating a shadow vortex.

"Right!" She nodded and hopped through the portal, landing back in her room, "Okay! Now we just need to get to the kitchen, and I can make the dessert in no time!"

Artemis nodded and closed the portal behind himself, "Good, let's get going."

A couple of hours later, the gluttony ring place.

Naosu sighed, holding a bowl that was filled with slices of the apple coated in ropes of the silver honey and adorned with smaller fruits, shining on the white plate that she subconsciously gripped firmly. "Are you sure it's good?"

"It is remarkably well crafted," Artemis hummed with his hands on his back.

She gasped, "Really? You think it's good!?"

The crimson-haired boy looked away, scoffing. "I just recognize efficiency, don't think too much about it, open the door already,"

She nodded quickly, pressing her hand on the door, pushing it open to see a room with a shape pattern on the floor, a small desk, and a door, where a young girl was sitting down, four eyes, arms, and legs.

"Naosu?" She raised an eyebrow in a monotone, if a bit surprised, tone. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I" her mouth arched into a nervous curve, her tail moving uncontrollably behind her back. "U...umm well you see..."

"She came to tell you something," Artemis said, standing by the doorframe with his hands behind his back.

The insectoid demon girl turned one of her eyes. "You are the boy who challenged the lords of Jigoku. What are you doing with her?"

"I assisted her, it's up to her to tell you the rest," He responded simply and pointed at the envy princess.

The princess of gluttony looked down at the bowl, the scent of the honey combined with the fruits causing her nose to twitch in recognition, her eyes stayed with a deadpan glance. And yet, her cheeks reddened with an almost undistinguishable blush.

"Naosu... you dummy." She used her lower hands and held the bowl, and placed it on the table while her higher pair held the serpent demon girl's. "You went all the way to the hive's end just to get him this?"

Naosu blushed at the contact, "W...well, technically, Artemis and I did,"

"I purely followed instructions due to a deal; she was the one who did all the thinking," Artemis hummed, keeping his waiting stance.

Chō looked back at Naosu, her hands still on her. "I... greatly enjoy spending time with you too, I accept your feelings... I was wondering when you were going to ask me."

Naosu blinked. "Y... You were??"

"Oh my god," Artemis growled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The girls hugged each other tightly. By the time the scarlet-haired boy had opened his eyes, Naosu was in front of him with an ear-to-ear smile, "Thank you so much! Really, I don't know how to repay you!"

"Telling your father to give me the key, perhaps?" He crossed his arms.

"Oh, true!" She perked, "I'll be sure to tell him as soon as we get back!"

Next, Chō bowed her head. "I am at fault for giving her the courage to finally confess her feelings. My name is Chō no ō, princess of the gluttony ring, and from now on, we are best friends."

Artemis blinked, his eyes moving between them, "Oh no, no, no, no, negative, non, niet, nain." He shook his arms, "This was purely and strategical cooperation, I didn't have any emotional involvement in this ridiculous quest,"

"This was not a request," Chō responded. "You wouldn't have gone this far if you weren't worth our friendship. Now I will aid you in your goal, and we will hang out together as every friend should."

"No, we will not! If I were to contact you is because I will use you for my plans, and that's all," Artemis growled with his hands gripped.

"He's just grumpy like that, don't worry," Naosu said, giggling and holding one of her hands.

The scarlet-haired boy facepalmed, "Unbelievable," He pulled out two small devices, tossing them to them. "Here, these two can be used to contact me. Only use them if you have something to offer in change, I am serious,"

"Hmmm," The princess of gluttony tugged the device from her pocket. "I will be sure to contact you for your friendship outings."

"Yeah! Actually, before you go! Pass my home's kitchen, I left one dessert for you too!" Naosu added with a wide smile.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because we are friends now! Plus, you should get a dessert every once in a while, so you don't become way too grumpy for us," She added and snickered, "So be sure to come back sometime for more."

His expression changed for a moment, softening for a second while he glanced to the side for a second, his eyes furrowing to hide the touched expression. "Whatever you say, but don't get used to that. If I go there, it will be because you're useful," He muttered and opened a shadow portal behind himself.

The lust ring palace.

"And that's essentially what I did," Artemis hummed as he brought the Envy ring's key on his hand. "A lot of turns for a single key if you ask me,"

However, Hamette was staring at him with wide eyes, sitting against a sleeping Lazuli. Her tail was completely still while her pupils dilated.

"... what?"

Without warning, Hamette jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek against his. "Artemis-chan! You made friends! Oh, I am so happy for you! I knew people just had to get to know you to see you are the best!"

He tensed, his face becoming red as he growled and looked away from her, "They are not my friends, Hamette! They are just... people who are useful and happen to be less annoying than others!"

"I can't wait to see them in the next Sins meeting! Oh, we will have so much fun together! Wait- you would have to talk with mom and the other lords if you were there... erm... we gotta think about something else, but don't worry, I got it covered! I will make sure we can all hang out sometime soon!" Hamette continued to talk as she kept a constrictor grip on the demon boy.

Artemis exhaled the sound of her chattering, 'I can't believe I am going to have an aneurysm before reaching adulthood.'

Kuro snarled, 'You're just mad you had to use my power on that last part today.'

Goliath hummed, 'or perhaps you are trying to hide that you are actually glad that you're connecting with people your age.'

'Silence, you two, I need to start thinking about what to do about the last two keys'

'Pride and Wrath, you mean?' the lion added.

'...Maybe I can allow myself to take a breather.'