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Von Hohenheim knew perfectly well that while he could fight as a Heroic Spirit, his real strength lay in research.
Alya already had more than enough spirits who specialized in combat—many stronger than him by far.
So why had Akio chosen him?
Akio answered without hesitation."Fighting strength doesn't mean much. Even if Alya has warriors who can fight, can they fight like me?"
He leaned back, a little smug."I'm not exaggerating here—Solomon, the Old Man of the Mountain, Gilgamesh, Merlin, Cú Chulainn, Heracles, Taigong Wang, Karna, whoever you want to name—stack them all together, and they still couldn't beat me."
"That's why I don't need more warriors. What I want are talents like you."
He pointed, first at Medea."Medea, disciple of the goddess Hecate. A true magus of the Age of Gods."
Then at Hohenheim."Hohenheim, the legendary physician and alchemist, a sorcerer who commands all five great elements."
"You two are exactly what I need."
Medea's eyes glimmered; she let out a soft laugh. "Well now, I feel almost honored, Lord Demon God."
Hohenheim nodded as well. Akio's words carried a rare sincerity—enough to make him think this new "employer" might not be so bad after all.
Akio waved a hand. "Don't call me Demon God. Just call me Akio—or Boss. Has a better ring to it."
Medea accepted easily. "Then I'll take the liberty, Boss."
Hohenheim echoed her, "Boss."
"Good. That's the spirit."
Akio looked satisfied. Just then, Erina Nakiri and Hisako had finished preparing breakfast, carrying it in like an offering.
With a snap of his fingers, Akio summoned the dishes directly to the table."Here, a meal prepared by my faithful. Dig in."
Medea and Hohenheim didn't stand on ceremony. They sat and joined Akio in tasting the feast.
Akio picked up a steamed dumpling, bit into it, and immediately lit up at the burst of rich flavor and juices.
He shot off a message to Erina: "The dumplings today were excellent. Same thing tomorrow."
"Yes, my lord," Erina replied happily. From her tone, it was obvious she'd made them herself.
Akio urged Medea and Hohenheim to try more. For them, it was a revelation—modern cuisine was a luxury far beyond the fare of their own eras. The mythical Age of Gods had its glories, but not its food. And compared to sixteenth-century Europe? There was no contest.
They ate heartily, thoroughly enjoying the meal.
After breakfast, Akio casually formed contracts with them both. From that moment on, Medea and Hohenheim were bound to him. Any energy they needed to remain in the human world would be supplied by Akio.
And he had more than enough to spare. Two spirits, twenty, two hundred—even two thousand wouldn't strain him.
Feeling the depth of his unfathomable power for themselves, Medea and Hohenheim finally understood what gave Akio the right to negotiate with Alya.
This new Boss was the real deal.
"What do you want us to do next?" Hohenheim asked.
Akio leaned forward."Alya wants me to track down Umbrella's hidden virus caches around the world and destroy them. After that, He plans to send Heroic Spirits to crush Umbrella for good."
He shook his head."But that approach is too slow. Too reactive."
"So, I've got a better idea. Something permanent."
Medea smiled knowingly. "And what's your brilliant plan, Boss?"
Akio turned to Hohenheim."That's why I wanted you here. I'll secure samples of Umbrella's viruses and put them in your hands."
"If you can develop antibodies—or even a cure—then Umbrella's entire operation becomes worthless."
Hohenheim's eyes lit up. "That is a clever approach, Boss. And I can't deny I'm curious. A virus so dangerous it even makes Alya cautious… I want to see it with my own eyes."
Of course he was curious. A true alchemist lived on curiosity—without it, Hohenheim would never have earned his place in history.
Akio grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's move."
True to his nature, Akio didn't waste time. He phoned in an excuse for his absence to Satoko Yamano, then took Hohenheim and Medea straight to Umbrella's Tokyo branch.
This time, no sneaking around.
With sheer psychic power, Akio hypnotized every single staff member in the facility. Then he strode in openly with his new team.
To the employees' eyes, Akio wasn't an intruder at all. He was their branch director.
Hohenheim? The new chief researcher.
Medea? His secretary, of course.
As for the actual director—Akio's hypnosis had reassigned him as the janitor.
Medea gave a soft click of her tongue at the display. "Boss, you really are overwhelming."
Still, her admiration wasn't for his technique. In her eyes, his method was crude—just brute-forcing their minds with raw psychic strength. Nothing elegant about it.
But strength was strength. If anyone else had Akio's power, they could have done the same.
Akio knew that too. He smiled. "Which is exactly why I wanted you on my side. As a magus of the Age of Gods, I'm sure you won't be stingy about teaching me some real magic, right?"
Medea chuckled lightly. "Of course. A little knowledge, nothing more."
But Akio knew how valuable that "little knowledge" truly was. If the Mage's Association ever found out what she could teach, they'd fall to their knees, begging to learn.
Magic from the Age of Gods was on an entirely different level compared to modern sorcery.
So, Akio left Hohenheim in the Tokyo branch to begin his research, and took Medea into the Radiant Dimension to study magic.
Why there? Because the Radiant Dimension was his domain. Inside it, Akio was nothing short of a god—able to twist time and space however he pleased.
Acceleration. Pause. Anything.
Which made it the perfect classroom.
Eight hours passed in the real world.
Inside the Radiant Dimension, half a year had gone by.
And in that half-year, Akio absorbed nearly everything Medea could teach. By the end, his mastery rivaled hers—perhaps even surpassed it.
Akio was now a sorcerer more terrifying than Medea herself.
"..."
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