The office settled into a quieter rhythm after that.
Outside the tall windows, the Demon Capital continued its steady, purposeful motion, soldiers rotating through drills, enchantnt hubs glowing with layered mana, administrative divisions weaving together the threads of an increasingly unified kingdom.
But inside the room, the pace slowed.
Nulissa remained comfortably seated on Jax’s lap, her posture far more relaxed than when she first arrived. One arm rested loosely along his shoulder, her fingers occasionally brushing against the fabric of his shirt in idle, absent-minded motions.
Jax leaned back slightly in his chair, one arm still around her waist, the other resting against the armrest as his golden eyes studied her.
Jax’s gaze sharpened slightly, his thoughts shifting gears, "...Let’s talk about sothing else."
Nulissa’s crimson eyes flicked up to et his imdiately, "Oh? What is it?"
Her tone was calm, but attentive. She could tell from the subtle shift in his posture that this wasn’t just idle conversation anymore and so she remained very attentive.
"The Heroes." was what Jax responded with.
Hearing that, Nulissa’s expression didn’t harden, but it focused. The softness remained, yet beneath it, sothing sharper surfaced. Sothing colder.
"...I figured sothing to do with them," she murmured.
Jax’s fingers traced lightly along her waist as he continued.
"I’ve already pulled two of them over."
Nulissa nodded, "Alexi and Natasha. There’s been a-lot of talk amongst DemonKind seeing you conquer two of them so thoroughly,"
Jax smirked faintly, "Information spreads fast."
"It does," she replied simply.
"There are still four left." Jax said and Nulissa’s eyes narrowed slightly in thought.
Killian, Lizzy, Alicia and finally Touka.
She didn’t need to say their nas out loud, Jax knew them better than she did after all.
"I want your take," Jax said.
That got her full attention.
"My take?" she echoed softly.
Jax nodded.
"You’ve been watching everything from your side. Internal stability, external patterns... behavior."
His gaze locked onto hers.
"How should I handle the rest of them?"
There was a mont of silence after Jax asked that question, since Nulissa didn’t answer imdiately.
Instead, she shifted slightly on his lap, turning just enough to face him more directly. Her posture straightened, not rigid, but composed and more focused as she thought about a suitable response.
"...You’re already ahead of them," she began calmly.
Jax said nothing, letting her continue.
"They don’t understand the situation they’re in," she said. "Not fully."
Her crimson eyes darkened just slightly.
"They still think they’re the protagonists of this world."
Jax’s smirk returned faintly.
"...Yeah. That sounds about right."
Nulissa leaned in just a fraction, her voice lowering.
"That’s their biggest weakness."
She paused for a mont and then,"...Break it."
Jax’s eyes glead faintly.
"Go on."
Her expression didn’t change, but the weight behind her words did.
"You don’t need to fight them all at once," she said. "And you definitely don’t need to rush."
Her fingers traced lightly along his shoulder again, slow, deliberate.
"Take them one by one."
Jax’s gaze sharpened.
"Isolate them," she continued. "Not just physically, but also ntally and emotionally,"
There was a cold precision in her voice now.
"Disrupt their expectations. Turn their strengths into doubts."
Jax leaned back slightly, clearly interested.
"...You want to dismantle them."
Nulissa nodded.
"Yes, so far you’ve just been battling them head on and capturing them one by one,"
Her eyes locked onto his, "So change your tactics, make them question everything."
The air felt heavier as she continued, "Make them realize they’re not in control," she added.
Her voice softened slightly—but the intensity remained.
"...And once that doubt sets in..."
Jax finished it.
"They fall apart. They’ll turn on each-other, question everything, and fall right into our lap,"
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Exactly."
There was a brief silence.
Jax’s smirk widened.
"...I like it."
"Of course you do," she replied calmly.
He chuckled under his breath.
"Continue."
Nulissa didn’t need to think long.
"The key is order," she said.
Her gaze drifted slightly, calculating.
"Not all of them will break the sa way."
Jax nodded.
"Killian," he said.
Nulissa’s lips curved faintly.
"He seems like the easiest from what I’ve heard,"
Jax raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"You said it yourself. He has a massive ego, and nothing stokes that ego more than his powers and the won by his side, so just keep stripping those away and he’ll continue cracking,"
Jax’s smirk deepened, "...Yeah. I’ve seen it."
Nulissa nodded.
"Then there’s Lizzy."
Her expression shifted just slightly.
"Compared to him, from what I’ve heard, she’s even more dangerous."
Jax’s eyes narrowed, "Because?"
"She doesn’t rely on logic," Nulissa said., "She’s driven by obsession."
Jax didn’t interrupt.
"Which ans breaking her isn’t about proving her wrong," she continued. "It’s about severing what she’s attached to."
Jax exhaled quietly.
"...Killian."
"Yes."
Another brief silence.
"Alicia?" Jax asked.
Nulissa considered for a mont.
"...She’s conflicted already."
Jax’s eyes flickered slightly.
"aning?"
"She still sees the people here as... people," Nulissa said. "Not enemies."
A faint pause.
"She’s the most likely to turn."
Jax smirked.
"...Good."
"And Touka," Nulissa finished.
Her expression hardened just slightly.
"She’ll resist the longest."
Jax nodded slowly.
"Yeah. That fits."
Nulissa’s gaze returned fully to his.
"But even she isn’t unbreakable."
A quiet mont passed.
Then—
Jax leaned back slightly, clearly satisfied.
"...So your plan is simple."
Nulissa tilted her head.
"Simple doesn’t an easy."
Jax chuckled.
"Fair."
Then his eyes sharpened again.
"...And the Goddess?"
Nulissa’s expression didn’t falter, but her gaze grew colder.
"Kayle," she said quietly.
The na carried weight.
Jax watched her closely.
"She’s the variable," Nulissa continued.
"No matter how well you dismantle the Heroes... she won’t just sit back and watch."
Jax’s smirk faded slightly.
"...Yeah."
Her fingers stilled against his shoulder.
"You need to remain cautious," she said.
"For all of them... but especially her."
Jax’s golden eyes glead faintly.
"Think she’ll interfere directly?"
Nulissa shook her head.
"Not directly," she said. "Not if the Covenant still holds."
"But indirectly?" Her gaze sharpened as she continued.
"Absolutely."
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