Babylon.
The land where Lucifer's new body resided was the son of the lord.
A place with plentiful, fertile lands to the north and east, a mountain range wrapping the southern territory, with legends of extinct dragons and a golden desert to the west held at bay by magical towers.
Lukas rubbed his temples, after two days of adjusting to his state, Galatea arranged his succession and father's funeral.
"How embarrassing."
He mused in the silent room while watching the distant fields out the window.
'A lord whom no one expects anything from.'
"Forget that!"
A cold, dark energy writhed through his veins, flowing to his muscles and limbs over the past few days. After trial and error, Lucifer learned how to use this energy to adjust the constitution and improve his useless body's potential.
'From now on, I am Lukas de Babylon.'
"Well, let's get to work."
Without dwelling on his current weakness, Lukas slipped out of his bed, revealing two pale legs with faint muscles now visible after his efforts. He sighed after stretching both arms, the nightgown tight and deformed by his broader shoulders and hips.
'It took everything that remained to adjust this body to reach the pinnacle of human potential.'
He closed his eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the crisp spring air, only to notice the complete absence of divine power or the mana which a normal human possessed.
A moment later, he shook his head.
"No wonder this child was weak; he lacked mana or a core to use it."
Lukas touched his chest, feeling a ferocious pounding heart, but if one were to look inside, they would find a black heart, surrounded by a chaotic purple mist.
"The life of a Fallen one, huh? Well, power is power."
He looked around and soon found the cabinet where the maid usually stored his fresh clothes. Lukas dropped his tight nightly robes and glanced at his new self in the mirror as his lips twitched.
"This is the new me?"
Inside the mirror was a young man who looked eighteen or nineteen at most, with shoulder-length, messy black hair and blood-red eyes. He brushed the hair back with his hands, examining his face better.
'A bit feminine for my liking...'
sharp eyes with a raised corner, a small oval head with defined jaw and cheeks that bordered on the beautiful rather than rugged, which Lucifer preferred.
His gaze dropped to a rather slim body with broad shoulders but lacking the muscles of someone who practised or exercised often, but not skin and bones like before.
"Impressive."
Despite being a weak and sickly child, the object angels didn't appear in Lucifer's gaze, which brought a smile to his lips.
"From the chatter among knights in the past, I think this one is big."
His eyes shone with a purple light.
Then a mechanical voice sounded inside his mind, along with a blue panel that hovered in front of him, reflected in the mirror.
[Analysing...]
[Size in current state: 15cm, 5.9 inches.
Estimated Size when erect: roughly 22cm, over 8 and a half inches.]
"Good, the Destiny system has been implemented already, and it seems I've kept some administrative perks."
He couldn't help but fiddle with it, touching the soft, yet weighty appendage before realising he needed to check something.
'Am I still sick?'
Lukas performed a full scan with his glowing eyes, the mechanical voice soon giving him a summary of his current state.
[Health: Poor, training and higher intake of calories suggested!]
Knock!
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Lukas, who'd just finished using his father's system to check his situation, suddenly froze.
Because the person entered without waiting for his voice or permission.
"Lukas, I've brought some food from the kitchen. I thought you might be hungry, since you've been eating more recently—Eh?"
Galatea's sharp blue eyes widened as she stared at Lukas, her hand almost dropping the plate before she shook her head and snapped out of her daze and caught it.
"A-Ahem, Lukas?"
"What's the matter, Galatea?"
"G-Galatea? Not sister..." She gasped, cocking her head to the side, placing the plate on the wardrobe beside her as she straightened herself, avoiding looking at his body. "Ahem, why didn't you call the maid to help dress you?"
Lukas didn't feel the shame a human might, maybe if it was smaller than he expected, then it'd be a little awkward.
"Because I felt good and wanted to check for myself."
As she saw him, he also saw her.
A tall woman with her silky blonde hair tied in a high ponytail, with wide hips and a thin waist. She wore a blue tunic and tight black pants that revealed a subtle puffy crease at her crotch.
On top of this, Galatea wore silver pauldrons, a breastplate, gauntlets, and tasses with a red cape flowing behind her. Her breastplate barely hid her full, rounded breasts and deep cleavage that peeked through the opened buttons of her gambeson.
However, he continued searching the drawers for something to wear. He found a softer pair of undergarments, a dark red tunic, black pants and a belt with a sheath and began to dress himself in full view of Galatea.
Galatea's voice remained a little off as she hummed. "W-Well, I can see you're feeling good, it's been so long since you left your bed."
"Yeah, I plan to change from now on. Galatea." He paused while fastening the dark, tanned leather belt before turning to face her with a faint grin. "Watch my actions from here on out and come to trust me as your lord."
The beautiful blonde knight stared at him with her mouth half open. "Do you even..." But she stopped and remained silent for a few moments before closing her lips and nodding, despite a clenched jaw and fist.
A strange atmosphere spread between the two.
'Yes, you were always like this.'
Galatea then lowered herself to one knee, her blue eyes like a hawk when facing an enemy, yet he found them so beautiful.
"If you can do that, I will swear my fealty, body and mind to you. Lord Babylon."
Lukas didn't push any further. This young woman was a Galatea, who hadn't faced the destruction of humanity's defences. The woman he met already carried countless wounds, while the Galatea before him lacked those wounds.
'No, she must have small wounds that I cannot see even now.'
"Rise, my knight."
"Eh?"
Galatea's eyes widened again.
"What, do you find it too soon?" Lukas didn't know the original body's father, but he carried the child's memories and emotions. However, he also needed to prepare for the incoming horrors. "However, I must take my father's mantle."
He stepped closer, his steps steady and elegant, applying memories of his time as an archangel to this body felt strange.
Yet, when he stood in front of Galatea, looking down at her kneeling on the floor.
A pleasurable tingle shot up his spine. "If I cannot even win your approval—Galatea. Then how will I make those greedy merchants and foolish cowards serve me? To save Babylon from its current fate, I need everyone!"
Galatea's mouth opened, her soft pink tongue gliding across her teeth.
Lukas clenched his teeth, assailed by numerous unfamiliar feelings and emotions that he'd never experienced before, which churned inside him like a blazing quagmire or desire.
"Join me, I will first ensure revenge for our fathers."
To stop her from retreating, he offered his hand, soft and pale with delicate fingers that surely hadn't done a harsh day's work in their life.
She didn't take long, soon extending her hand, placing one hand across her chest and closing her eyes as if in prayer.
"I, Galatea de Alverain, Daughter of Galahad, Knight of Babylon. Swear to watch every moment of your journey at your side."
Lukas watched in a daze as the image of his Galatea and this younger version overlapped. A sudden wave of dark emotions and desires gushed free, overflowing his body, eager to gather in his abdomen.
Yet his lips moved as if nothing happened.
"I accept your oath."
Then she kissed his fingers, the soft touch lingering even after she pulled away.
Almost instantly after the ritual ended.
The intense desires gathered inside him faded, melting into his flesh, muscles, and bones before a mechanical voice rang out inside his head.
[Your Desires have increased your power!]
[Soul Corruption Increased]
[Sin Energy increased: 9 --> 10]
[The Unholy Sword Oblivion has Awakened]
Lukas watched the pretty face of his first knight in both lives and smiled.
'I see... so this is how the Fallen grow stronger, is it?'
To grow stronger in a way without levelling up, as his father's system implemented, was to go against the divine order.
'Even if it's Blasphemy! I will use anything I can to destroy my enemies.'
With the dark emotions fading, Lukas regained a clear focus and control of his actions, no longer dominated by the obscene hunger for his knight's bare flesh, he stepped past her and approached the door.
"Galatea, take me to see my father. I have much to report to him."