The remainder of the NUS Security Conference went by smoothly. The conference's highlights were Siddharth Ramakrishna and the terrorist attacks on Akuza by Ninjaro. The after-party was the same as the entry party. There were brightly colored dishes across the tables, foods from diverse cultures, and drinks everyone indulged in. Chiro chose to eat some shrimp and a non-alcoholic drink to ease his stomach. At the entry party, he ate like a homeless dog, so it was best for him to relax a bit more at the after-party. Natsuki was chatting with the other subordinates in the lounge area; she seemed like she was able to communicate without making a fuss, a critical flaw in Chiro. Eventually, it was the ball, and Chiro and Natsuki decided not to participate in it. They sat on the comfortable, clean, brown leather sofas that were placed to view the ball and the television nearby. After some time of relaxing and Chiro nearly dozing off(Natsuki had to wake him up quickly), multiple men wearing the same silk outfits as Siddarth approached Chiro and Natsuki. Chiro instantly placed a barrier between the two parties, using his 'Sorcery of the Constellations:- Taurus Wall'.
Then, Siddarth Ramakrishna emerged from the crowd of men in silk.
"I apologize if I startled you," said Siddarth.
He was speaking in a different language than Chiro, but he could understand Siddarth because of the translator that was given to him by Jarob.
"Apology accepted," said Chiro
Chiro deactivated his Taurus Wall, and Natsuki whispered in his ear.
"Whatever you do, try not to make this one angry, too," said Natsuki.
Chiro nodded as a sign of understanding and acceptance.
"Chiro, may we take this conversation outside? Of course, we do not need to if you do not want to," said Siddarth.
Natsuki quickly interrupted the conversation.
"May I ask why he needs to go outside?" asked Natsuki.
"All details will be given if you accept," said Siddarth, maintaining a sense of mystery and authority.
"Then we kindly deny," said Natsuki.
"I am sorry, but I was making this offer to Mr. Zanami, not to you," said Siddarth.
"And even if I decline, if Natsuki chooses to decline," said Chiro.
Siddarth got angry but had to control himself.
"If I give you the details, will you come with us?" asked Siddarth.
"Of course," said Natsuki.
"Alright, we want to create an alliance between the calamities," said Siddarth.
"Why?" asked Chiro.
"Why do you think the terrorist attack happened in Akuza? It was either betrayal or a misunderstanding. If we fix that without a third wheel like NUS, we can create true world peace and enlightenment," said Siddarth.
Of course, Chiro and Natsuki did not believe him. They both gave each other a little side eye, and Chiro used his Virgo analyst to read Siddarth's thoughts. They were correct. His thoughts were jumbled up like a maze, and when Chiro tried to enter his mind, there was a bright light nearly blinding him. He would have died in an instant if he were not Chiro Zanami.
'If I get Chiro on my side, the others will soon follow'
'With all the calamities on my side, the NUS cannot come in the way of my plans'
These were some thoughts in Siddarth's mind. Chiro looked at Natsuki one more time and smiled, which meant that Siddarth is a power-thirsty, persuasive person who thinks he's above everyone. Before Siddarth got a second to speak, Chiro calmly spoke again.
"I am sorry, but I cannot join your alliance," said Chiro.
"I cannot let you live while knowing my plans," said Siddarth.
It was obvious Siddarth knew that Chiro read his mind. The only thing that was a surprise to him was that Chiro read his mind without any struggle. In the Indus, sorcery is not called sorcery; it is called karma, and karma is decided by the soul. If the soul has bad karma, the ability will be meant for bad purposes; if the soul has good karma, the ability is meant for good purposes. The soul is nothing more than the storage to use karma. In Ninjaro, they never go past the 1st stage, because mastering one set of abilities is a hindrance. Why waste your time on one thing when you can have multiple spells for multiple uses? It's more effective, versatile, and useful. However, in India, there is a third stage called Enlightenment. This stage is what Siddarth and the other Great Sages have accomplished. They balanced their good and bad karma on a very microscopic scale, so that they have achieved an ability that makes them as strong as a military force in one body. Of course, this was not enough to beat Chiro. Siddarth's ability is called the Chakra of Fate. He can read the future and change fate at will.
Siddarth did not want any risks. He instantly started chanting some words, and an eye in the center of his forehead opened. Siddarth looked into the future, seeing it all. He also viewed something catastrophic. No matter what he does, Chiro will win this fight because he has an ability that can destroy anything at will. He also saw Chiro's past. The third eye started bleeding, and Siddarth closed it at once.
"How much power can one individual have…It's scary," said Siddarth. "I certainly apologize for my rude behavior. I hope you return to Lukia unharmed."
Chiro merely smiled and left the after-party. After two days, Chiro and Natsuki safely return to Lukia.
Meanwhile, Danso returned to the headquarters. Haruki was still asleep; he is fourteen after all, and summoned such a beast, it would take a toll on him. As soon as Emily reached the headquarters, she informed Natsuki which is the main reason why Chiro and Natsuki left the party so suddenly. When Chiro and Natsuki returned, she started treating Haruki. Chiro scolded them all because they did not take care of Haruki enough, and they all went into their respective rooms afterwards. On the other hand, Danso wanted to try something. He took a spare Holy Steel Sword and his Soul Ruby Sword. He went to the blacksmith room on the ground floor, outside the lobby, and to the left of the reception. It was a hot room, with sparks flying everywhere. Magma flowed down the precise, metal tubes, and the room smelled like rust and ash, with it burning the walls, turning the walls into a blackish grey color.
Danso looked at the instruction manual on the table in the middle of the room. To the right, there was the smelting area, to the left, there was the hammering area, and beyond the table, there was a cooling area for the new weapons. Danso broke or pulled the Soul Ruby Sword out of its sheath. Danso did the same to the Holy Steel Sword. He carefully removed the center of the Soul Ruby Sword helm where the ruby was located and put it aside. Inside the helm, there was a network of slime nerves that charged the ruby to use the final attack. Where the ruby was created was a mystery to Danso. He removed the network, trying his best not to damage it in any way, and put it in the same place where he put the ruby.
Then, he started melting both helms and both blades. The plan was that since the Soul Ruby Sword was near indestructible, and the Holy Steel Sword is a conductor for soul energy, if he melts both blades together, he can create a sword with both of those properties. He also melted the empty helm of the Soul Ruby Sword and the helm of the Holy Steel Sword because the helm is what Danso holds while fighting, and it would be a nuisance to repeatedly touch the blade to charge soul energy in the sword.
After he melted all the parts, Danso carefully put the molten blades in the mold of the sword and made two parts of the helm that could be attached and removed. It was more of a lunch box, a top layer and a bottom layer, but the only difference was that it was in a cylinder shape. Danso reconnected the slime network and put the ruby in the helm, and heated the attached part of the helm to make sure it never falls apart. Danso then put the cooled sword into the helm and heated it again to solidify the connection between the helm and the blade.
He also had one more idea. Emerald Crown of the Soul Slime Ruler was too heavy to repeatedly carry on his head. So he got an idea. Danso could turn it into a necklace or a ring. Danso chose the ring after seconds of thinking, because a necklace flaps around during a battle, while a ring is more comfortable and stays in place.
Danso melted the crown and put it in a ring mold, and created the Emerald Soul Slime Ring that could summon the army of the Soul Slime. Of course, the army he currently possesses is not the full army, since they are all scattered, but the amount he has now is very useful. Danso played with the shiny, green ring. It had all smooth corners, and Danso was very proud of himself with his sword and ring work.
Now all that was left to do was to test it out. As Danso left the blacksmith area, there was an explosion. Smoke and fire alarms were blasting all over the area. The front door burst open, and a silhouette was visible. The letter that Danso received, him not following the instructions, was coming back to haunt him right now.