A Demon King Through The Worlds

'It took longer than I thought it would...' Lucian couldn't help mentally sighing as he looked at Tsukiyama standing in front of him.

The last time they had met, even though Tsukiyama had hidden it very well, Lucian had still been able to see how affected he was – his hair wasn't as neatly combed as usual, his suit had creases and the slight dark circles under his eyes suggested that he was having trouble sleeping.

And of course, in addition to these subtle details in his appearance, there were also some altered physiological functions that would be impossible for others to perceive, but Lucian easily realized using the transparent world, everything indicated that he was suffering and would soon be going for more blood.

He honestly thought that Tsukiyama would run to him as soon as the meeting was over, but contrary to his expectations, it was Touka who showed up.

But it didn't take long for him to understand what Tsukiyama was thinking. Seeing what he had brought, the intention to make an exchange became clear.

"Twenty A-rank ghouls, how generous of you." Lucian smiled slightly, looking at the prisoners Tsukiyama had brought to him.

This gift would be perfect for his outsourcing plan. It's difficult for a demon to obtain a kakuja, so what? Just steal the kakuja from a ghoul who already has it.

He wasn't surprised by this extra difficulty, after all, it has already been shown that genes affect the likelihood of obtaining a kakuja, just as the Washuu are more likely and the Tsukiyama are basically unable to obtain one.

Unfortunately, they aren't able to steal the results of other people's hard work like the demons can.

"Take it." Lucian then put his hand inside his suit, as if reaching for something in his inside pocket, then pulled out a small bottle of blood. He has known for some time that it is possible to achieve various effects by altering the composition of his blood.

Removing the demonic poison and a good part of his cells, but maintaining the vitality and nutrition that can be provided, is what he did to stimulate Kaneki's regenerative capacity.

Maintaining the cells and vitality and controlling them to penetrate the various tissues of the body is what he did to manipulate his blood puppets.

And the blood he gave Tsukiyama… is laced with certain hormones and substances that cause a feeling of euphoria and addiction. Of course, this is thanks to the fact that it's mixed with his blood.

And let's face it, Tsukiyama is already a bit prone to things like this, after all, in the original work he practically got addicted simply by smelling Kaneki's blood. As for the reason for his suffering after the owl suppression operation... it's not known whether it was withdrawal syndrome or whether he was just sad about losing a friend.

"This blood... it's yours, isn't it?", Tsukiyama asked a little hesitantly as he assessed the vial full of blood in his hand, "I can smell it emanating vaguely from you, faint, but the same as blood. You don't look like a ghoul and you're certainly not a human."

"Oh? That's no secret, I'm a demon," Lucian replied casually, "So think twice before continuing to consume the blood I gave you, after all, no one who negotiates with the devil wins."

Hearing this, Tsukiyama lowered his head with a thoughtful look before saying in a helpless tone, "I'm afraid there's no turning back. You've been thinking about this all along, haven't you?"

There are two types of addiction: substances and behaviors.

Tsukiyama's "addiction" to Kaneki is considered behavioral, i.e. it stems from his pursuit of delicious and rare delicacies.

On the other hand… the addiction to demonic blood could be said to be a combination of both. There are more than one one-eyed ghoul, but only one progenitor and demon king... at least in this breed of demon.

No matter which way it looked, Tsukiyama no longer had any options.

"Maybe. Now it's time to say goodbye, I'm expecting another visit." Of course, Lucian wasn't going to admit anything explicitly, and since the matter was over, he urged Tsukiyama to leave.

He sensed that Touka's transformation was over and that she was coming to him now.

Sensing the clear intention to expel guests, Tsukiyama had to say goodbye.

'I never thought I'd end up being used so easily…' Leaving with his head down, only a helpless sigh sounded in his mind.

After about thirty minutes, Lucian got up and opened the door, just in time to see Touka entering the alley. Because he had started this cooperation with Tsukiyama and was preparing in case anyone came looking for him, he had put a door to the infinite castle in a secluded alley.

"Did you already know I was coming?" Seeing Lucian standing in the open doorway, Touka couldn't help but wonder if her coming was in his plans.

"Of course, because I was sure you would have doubts caused by your recent transformation and because I could see you moving here," Lucian replied with a smile.

After turning into a demon, where else could she go for answers? Obviously, to the one place where demons gather.

After all, the answers she's looking for can't be found anywhere else, at most they could make theories and raise conjectures, but what's the point of doing that when you can ask questions and get conclusive answers?

Feeling like there's something tied up in her heart brings a thought - "it must be some kind of restriction", but that's still just a guess, not a real answer.

"Come in, so we can talk calmly." Lucian then invited her into the infinite castle.

And just like everyone who entered the infinite castle for the first time, Touka was amazed by the scenery, which seemed like another world, and this thought is not wrong, because the infinite castle is an independent dimension.

Buildings that rise infinitely certainly come as a shock, especially to those who live in a not-so-supernatural world.

Pulling out a chair for Touka to sit on, Lucian also poured her a glass of tea and positioned himself on the opposite side of the table, facing her.

"What's that? What's this feeling like chains holding me down?" Touka asked, bringing her hand to her chest, the place where this uncomfortable sensation originated.

Although surprised and a little confused, it didn't take long for Lucian to understand what she was talking about: "Hmm... I didn't expect you to be able to feel that. It's a 'safety mechanism' for the protection of the clan members."

"And what does this 'protection' mean?" Touka raised an eyebrow at this question, as he felt Lucian had spoken about it in a very suspicious way.

"It's not much, it just prevents the existence of traitors and prevents the collection of demons' body tissues. There's kind of a history, you know?" he replied sincerely.

Even if the things in the original work didn't happen, it's still a possibility and something to watch out for.

He has a connection with all those he has transformed – all the demons that exist today – and with that connection he is able to control them. But there was Tamayo, a demon who broke that link (although it was with Muzan), so Lucian decided to implant a small self-destruct mechanism.

Broked the connection? Then turn to ashes.