(AN 1: For general power scaling, I would consider James in pure physical strength to be around 20 finger Sukuna level, but loses because of Sukuna's experience and ingenuity. Alastor would be about 2, and Lucifer would be about 50 whole Sukuna's while he's holding back his true power as the King of Hell.)
(List of james' powers:
Ten Shadows
Shrine (Sukuna's technique)
Batman's willpower
Ghost with the Most (30 minutes)
Total Concentration Breathing
Peak Performance (Peak human condition all the time)
(Nnnoowww, on with the story (-_-)
"Angel, are we about to get assaulted?" James whispered into his ear. "Probably not, but stay on your toes." He whispered back, staring at the Devil.
"Now, come on, I wouldn't assault the best gamblers this casino has seen in the past few years, would I?" He rhetorically asked, summoning his trident from Hellfire as he turned around to Nifty. "I honestly don't know how you won, Maid. You are such an enigma, aren't you?" He mockingly says, grabbing Nifty's cheek before walking into a wall near the blackjack table. Nifty's eye twitched a bit as she rubbed her cheek with a strained smile.
He taps his trident three times on the wall before it opens into a large white corridor. "Well, do I have to make you come or not?" The room was silent as James clicked his teeth and started to step forward along with Nifty and Angel. When they all stepped through the door, it soon closed, but not before Vaggie secretly slipped in as well.
While they walked throughout the corridor, paintings started to appear on the walls. Normal ones at first: The Creation of Adam, the Mona Lisa, the Birth of Venus, and the Last Supper—all normal paintings.
But they soon began to change. A portrait of a blonde woman with freckles holding what seemed to be a child, James, in a headlock, both smiling; what seemed to be a photo of Angel Dust sitting next to many people with suits; and Nifty standing next to a chubby man in a wedding gown.
"Ah, yes, this room is a personal favorite of mine; it shows the happiest memories of everyone walking through." The Devil comments as he walks ahead, missing the painting of everyone in the hotel sitting at a table with Vaggie at the forefront. 'Wait… Why is that here?' James asked himself, but before he could fully question it, they had already stepped into another room that was completely different.
The room had a swanky feel to it, with blue velvet coloring draping the entire room and sleek mahogany wood that shined just a bit more than it should. A large table was in the middle of the room, four red seats contrasting with the blue coloring of the room.
"Wow, Mister Devil Sir—" Angel said, bumping into a bookshelf near him that jiggled a bit, dust coming off. "You really know how to lay out all the cakes and candles for your guests, huh?" The Devil gave a small chuckle but said nothing as he sat down, snapping his fingers and summoning a deck of cards.
"You may be wondering why I called you three in here. Well, that's because I would like to play a small game with you three." He purrs out as the other three chairs swoop in and take the three others and put them at the table. "The game is simple, really. Just a simple game of cards; whoever loses each round has a little secret pulled out of them."
"What's the catch?" James asks skeptically, glaring at the Devil. "Well, no game is fun without something on the line… A soul or two, maybe?" James lets out a loud sigh and leans back in his chair. "Thought so. I mean, some furry guy comes out and offers us a simple game of cards? Come the fuck on."
He leans forward in his seat, his gaze directly challenging the Devil's. "And what if we said no? What if we didn't want to play this fuck-ass game where we could be sold into slavery if we lose a game of cards?" he asked, aggressively pressing The Devil, who looked completely unbothered.
"Well, isn't it obvious? I'm doing this because it's basic manners, but if you don't want to participate, well…"
PRESSURE
"Who's to say I can't just take your soul for cheating in my casino? Your friends can go with you as well, guilty by association and all." The Devil's pressure loomed down on all of them, Angel grasping the table while hyperventilating, Nifty balling up her fists hard enough to draw blood, and James sitting there, cool on the outside but panicking on the inside.
'Even if I used everything I had… I don't think I could even lay a single scratch on him. Fuck! I hate feeling like this, so damn helpless I can't save my girlfriend and my other friend… Maybe if I use Nue, I can get them—' James' thoughts get interrupted by the Devil extending his arm, splitting into three, and going to them. "Why don't we shake on it? If all of you combined lose 15 times, I get your souls; if I lose 4 times… Well, ask me for whatever; I don't plan on losing."
And without another choice presented, everyone shook the hands of the Devil. "Splendid, splendid." The deck of cards on the table shuffled itself before throwing out 7 cards to everybody, setting itself back down face flat on the table.
As the first round went by, James' six eyes were working in overdrive, dissecting every microexpression The Devil made and how the cards moved, acted, weighed, or whatever he could think of he observed. Yet, they still lost, James being second to last.
"Ahhh, my favorite part of the game." Before anybody could ask, a chibi version of James appeared before his hands.
"One time I jerked it to Miruko 6 times in one day!"
'...Just take my soul, bro.' James embarrassedly thought as he buried his head in his hands, trying to disappear from existence entirely. Yet, unfortunately, he couldn't, as Angel and The Devil 'Ooooooh'd' while Nifty blankly stared at James. "Honey… Who is Miruko?"
"Look, look, look, she's a fictional character that I used to whack off to, okay? I was 13 at the time, young and dumb—"
"Full of cum too if what we just heard was true." Angel interrupted.
James sighed. "Yeah, that too, I guess."
"Now, although that was an admittedly humorous sight, I must ask you all to get back to my game." And with the Devil straightening them out, they returned to the game, the mood lightened but still aware of the sword of Damocles still hanging above their head.
And behind a bookcase, an angel was present, trying to limit her presence as much as possible while fiddling with her fingers. She bites her thumb as she tries to listen as quietly as possible, summoning her spear at her side.
(Shameless plug:Ko-fi.com/mrlegantrop)
I know, I know, it's a very short chapter, but I vowed I wouldn't go to sleep without dropping this.
To survive Viltrum invading Earth, I'll have to be…Invulnerable–Mark Grayson