The Red Hand

Chapter 290 – Operation Carrot and Stick.

Once Akagi and Co vanished through the portal, they were greeted not with the wondrous sights of another world but rather a long, thin, rainbow bridge that stretched out before them. It was almost surreal and the inky blackness that surrounded them was only broken up by small flickering orange balls of light, the number of which was far too much to count quickly. Halifax, Yumi, and Amakusa were surprised and even taken aback at this strange display, but Akagi looked completely undeterred.

"Come on, the exit should be just up ahead." Akagi beckoned the three to follow, Yumi still hugged around her arm.

"W-Where is this place?" Halifax cautiously followed along. "My journey to Earth looked nothing like this." From her perspective, it was basically just teleportation and seeing something like this was unexpected.

"Yeah this is entirely different than what I expected. Our arrival was basically a free fall and had lots of white rather than this darkness." Amakusa nervously looked down alongside the bridge.

{Holy hell that's horrifying! Its just blackness!} (Amakusa)

"It kinda looks like we're in space." Yumi commented as Akagi pat her head.

"Well its no wonder you're all confused.” Akagi replied. “This isn't exactly something that the average person would even conceive of, let alone actually 'see' with their own 'eyes'.” She used air quotes. “But to answer your questions, we're in a place between worlds." Akagi explained. "As I told Hishya, reality is basically a collection of bubbles where people live." She pointed to the glowing lights above and around them. "You see those? Those individual little orange orbs are actually entire worlds." They looked like stars, though some were larger, indicating that they were likely much closer.

"T-There are so many..." Amakusa said quietly as she looked around. The number of different worlds was far too high to count, and it reminded her of those pictures that showed the night sky on Earth with no light pollution.

{I... Just how many worlds are there?} (Amakusa)

"The number of different worlds climbs into numbers that you could scarcely imagine." Akagi chuckled as the continued forward, seemingly reading the pet's mind. "It's why I said that finding one individual world isn't easy. Inter-dimensional coordinates are hard to find, and even then gathering the needed energy for a trip like this is anything but easy." She figured that most worlds wouldn't be able to generate the kind of power needed to make this trip easily, and that mortals would almost never be able to do something like this on their own.

{It just goes to show how much power that ritual had if they were able to make it from Enoris to Earth. I suppose that's what happens when you use souls as fuel.} (Akagi)

"Morbid curiosity, but what happens if I jump from here?" Halifax asked nervously.

"Very bad things." Akagi answered with a laugh. "I doubt you'd suffer much since your body and mind would evaporate in an instant. Extra-dimensional space isn't very hospitable to living creatures, and plunking you into a place that might just have the laws of physics backwards isn't a very good idea.” She mentioned that the area between worlds had no set rules for how things worked and it was entirely possible that even things like gravity wouldn't exist. “But don't worry about all that. This bridge provides a safe path for you to traverse, so as long as you don't give into those stupid little thoughts in the back of your mind, you'll be safe.”"

{Though, in reality, there is no bridge. That's just how their minds perceive things since, otherwise, it's too complex for mortals to understand what's happening.} (Akagi)

"Fun..." Amakusa gulped, moving slightly closer to Akagi and away from the edge. "So where's the exit?" She wanted out of here ASAP.

"Just up ahead." Akagi pointed to a small glowing vortex along their path. It looked like the one they'd entered through, though it was purple instead.

"Good. I just hope too much time hasn't passed on Enoris since we left. Dad said I was gone from Earth for only five years, but on Enoris ten have passed." Amakusa was worried that a difference in time might cause problems.

"That won't be an issue for us, at least not anymore." Akagi shook her head. "The Spirit's final journey combined with other travels between the two worlds synchronized their time, so one day on one is the same as on the other. Not to mention that even if that wasn't the case, as long as this portal exists between them, time would pass the same anyway." She'd already done some preliminary checks to ensure that no time dilation existed, since that would mean she was away form home for longer than she was comfortable with.

"How do you even know about something like that?" Halifax asked where Akagi's information was coming from. "You're world couldn't have developed enough to understand all this and while you're smart, I doubt you somehow figured out all this information in the last year."

{I doubt even the Gods could wrap their heads around this.} (Halifax)

"To give you the most unsatisfying of answers, Demon Lords are born with a great deal of knowledge baked into our souls." Akagi said as she and the others stopped in front of the exit portal. "Once I fully embraced what I was, I got access to a bunch of information, and this, along with other things, was part of it." It was essentially as if she'd downloaded a massive file that gave her more information that she could ever need, and even now she found herself with answers to questions that she thought that she shouldn't know.

{I can only imagine what would happen on Earth if I started answering all those questions that scientists haven't been able to figure out. Hell, the real answer to the Dark Matter problem would probably blow people's minds.} (Akagi)

"Convenient." Halifax rolled her eyes.

"Necessary." Akagi corrected her. "But, enough standing around. Are you ready to get to work?" She looked between the three of them, who nodded before walking into the portal together.

"Ugh... I feel sick." Amakusa's head was spinning as she fell to the brown, grassy ground below.

{Its like my stomach wants to shoot everything back out...} (Amakusa)

"It's not great, but going to Earth that first time was worse." Halifax was mostly fine, but her face was slightly pale.

"Hmmm. Strange, I don't feel anything wrong." Yumi and Akagi both seemed fine, which was to be expected.

"So, where the hell are we anyway?" Akagi asked.

Looking around, she could see little more than what looked like a vast and nearly endless Savannah that expanded in all directions, save for the lone tree every now and then. The heavy presence of magic in the air told the Demon that they were definitely not on Earth anymore, and there were a host of other sensations that she wasn't familiar with.

{Strange, I expected to be watched from the moment we arrived, but I can't detect any scrying or similar magic. Are the Gods just not paying attention, or are they watching me in such a was as to get around my detection?} (Akagi)

"Well, we're definitely on Enoris." Halifax said as she shook off her queasiness. "The magic in the air is telling me that." She took a deep breath to fully right herself. "Ahhh, that's so nice! Earth is pretty cool and all, but not having ambient magic made me feel like a fish out of water!"

{This feels so much better! Magic flowing throughout my body! I never thought I'd miss something so simple!} (Halifax)

"It definitely feels better, that's for sure." Yumi smiled. She was used to the feeling of ambient magic from Omara, but this world seemed to have even more magic in the air. "The magic is extremely dense here. Is that because of the portal?" She figured the large swirling mass of power behind them was the culprit.

"Nope. That extra magical power that you feel is specifically because this is the Demon Kingdom, and even more specifically because we're close to a very magically rich part of the world." Halifax said as her eyes scanned the area around them. "I recognize this place. If I'm not mistaken this is south of the Royal Capital, Targul. These are the Simoea Plains, and they run south until they hit the Burning Wilds."

{Its been a while since I was here...} (Halifax)

"Oh yeah, you're right." Amakusa said as she got to her feet. "I've been here before actually, during the..." She paused, not wanting to reference the war. "Anyway, the Burning Wilds was not a fun place."

"I remember Shinlua mentioning something like that during our briefing. It's like a Demonic desert, right?" Akagi asked. She'd obtained as much information from the Spirits as possible, but beyond what Shinlua and Mizumi could tell her about the world, her knowledge was limited.

{Sadly most of the Spirits that survived weren't the exploration type, and even those that did venture into the world weren't able to give much better details than Shinlua. Luckily Mizumi could tell me most of the political situation and a bit of Enoris' history, but they also sucked at telling me geography, and the map they made for me was awful...} (Akagi)

"Hmmmm. Think of it more like a wasteland than a desert, though calling it a place corrupted by Demons would be correct. As you saw from Mizumi's crudely drawn map, it encompasses most of the center of the continent and basically splits it in two." Halifax answered. "At its center is actually a portal into the Hells themselves, and the area is so dangerous that we have only limited contact with those South of it."

{I've been down there before and its a very strange place... I remember seeing snake people and there was even a whole Dragon Cult that took over a nation!} (Halifax)

"Sounds like a lovely place to call home." Akagi laughed. "I wonder what would happen if I showed up and said hi?"

"Considering that Demon Lords are a force that sought to annihilate the entire world, including the Demons, they wouldn't take too well to you." Halifax said. "The Archdukes of the Hells actually teamed up with the Gods to help us beat Vikes, so they might do something similar once your presence is known."

{And if I know Armula, she and her brother are going to take advantage of the coming chaos. I'd like to get them on our side, but who knows what those two Devils will do.} (Halifax)

"I guess that means I need to conquer hell too?" Akagi chuckled. "Funny enough I've done that before, actually."

{Great, so is the kitty going to sit on a skull throne like she did in that one game she showed me?} (Halifax)

"We were told never to go anywhere near that accursed place." Amakusa commented. "But we ended up having to parley with a Demon down there to help us shatter the barrier that protected Zanathon." She recalled the hellish journey South and the seemingly never-ending waves of Demons and other barbarian species that lived in such an environment.

{If the four of them went into the Hells to meet a Demon, it was probably Byaku that they dealt with. He's probably the most skilled Barrier Master in this world, and out of all the Archdukes he's the most diplomatic of the bunch.} (Halifax)

"Myaster! We have arrived!" Chloe popped out of the portal followed quickly by Zephiria, Kira and Silfana, as well as a number of other ninjas.

"Were there any issues crossing over?" Akagi asked as she pat Chloe on the head.

"Nopers!" Chloe smiled. "Everyone is a bit sick after the transit, but after a few minutes, I think we'll be fine!"

"Excellent. Then your first task will be setting up a base to protect the portal and project our power outward. Once you've done that, you may begin your infiltration of the various nations of Enoris and sending out diplomats." Akagi explained what her next steps should be.

"Diplomats?" Amakusa asked as the ninja started bringing over various premade base equipment and boxes of supplies. "I figured you were just going to blow up cities, not negotiate." She was only partially joking since she figured that Akagi was the kind of person to shoot first and ask questions later.

"I mean, leveling the world is an option, but one filled with all sorts of problems." Akagi shrugged. "Not to mention that one of my goals here is to find whatever Spirits are still alive and bring them back with me. If I start blowing up cities at random, I'll likely kill any slaves within."

{Though that doesn't mean that mass destruction is completely off the table.} (Akagi)

"I don't know how many people you're actually going to find..." Amakusa's eyes darted back and forth. "The coalition forces were pretty um... through and the number of slaves we took, while high, pales in comparison to the total Spirit population. Not to mention that getting them free won't be easy." She figured that there weren't even that many left at this stage of the game.

"Don't worry about that. Chloe and her team specialize in infiltration and dealing with situations just like these." Yumi quipped. "As long as they're still alive, I don't doubt for a moment that she'll get them out, safe and sound."

"Exactly." Akagi nodded. "I've also assigned Nima the task of being our official Ambassador, and she'll start heading to the different nations to demand the release of their Spirit slaves." Naturally, a refusal would have consequences but Akagi had decided to burn that bridge when she got to it.

"You realize that there is no way in hell they're going to say yes, right?" Halifax said as she watched the ninja bring over more material. "Not only are you an enemy of this world but those Spirits were enslaved on the Gods' orders. Handing them over peacefully isn't an option." She figured that the most likely outcome was that the Ambassador would be killed, and then an army was raised to hunt Akagi down.

{And then everyone died, then end...} (Halifax)

"I do agree that it's unlikely that most nations will just willingly hand over the Spirits in their possession, but I think after the first one is punished they'll get the point." Yumi giggled.

{THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU GIGGLE ABOUT! PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE HORRIBLY, AND YOU'RE LAUGHING ABOUT IT!} (Amakusa)

"Alright then! Without further ado, let's begin Operation Carrot and Stick!" Akagi decided to name this first push into Enoris after a similar plan that she'd seen in one of her favorite anime.

{I wonder how many sticks we'll have to use before others start choosing the carrot?} (Akagi)

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<Elariel POV>

The Heavenly Realm of Elariel, the Goddess of Time, contained a vast garden of all kinds of flowers. On most days, she would spend a lot of time tending to the different plants that called this place home, and today was no different. However, the peaceful serenity was broken by the loud sound of glass shattering.

*SMASH*

"Ah!" Elariel yelped as she dropped her small glass watering can, which shattered upon hitting the ground. "What was that?!?" She felt a feeling of dread wash over her, causing her to momentarily panic. "That... Was that?" She looked around but saw nothing save for an empty Sword Pedestal and a group of Angels walking nearby.

{That energy... It felt like...} Elariel shook her head, dispelling the unpleasant thoughts.

"No, that couldn't be right. I must be imagining things. That's not possible." Elariel snapped her fingers and fixed the watering can before returning to what she was doing.

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