Chapter 9: Oblivion

Center of all Creation

Evelyn stood glaring at Hisana, hellfire raging all around her to the point where the only visible part of her body was her amber eyes, which were overflowing with tears and immense anger. After witnessing the death of her beloved a second time, at the hands of her most hated enemy no less, and after seeing her precious daughter kidnapped, the hatred within the demon queen's heart had almost literally exploded. Her anger now was so great that it revitalized her original will enough to subdue that of Strife's. If this was to be her last battle with Hisana, then Evelyn wanted to fight it with her own hands. Hisana glared regretfully back at her former friend. Despite all of her attempts to make peace, she had completely shattered what remained of Evelyn's heart by killing Shinzo. Now there was nothing she could do to make up for the pain she had caused the demon queen. The only thing she could do now was fight, and pray that if she did manage to overpower Evelyn, she would be allowed to spare her. Then she could deal with Wrath, and with his defeat she would use the power of the Core to right all of her wrongs. Reluctantly, the vampiress readied her weapon. Evelyn tightened her grip on Shinzo's sword and held it in preparation.

"Let's end it here, Evelyn. No one else has to die, just take all of your anger out on me. After what I've done to you, I welcome it." Hisana said.

"Believe me, I intend to. You've been a thorn in my side for far too long. I'll crush you, and then I'll take back my family. I can promise you that." Evelyn answered.

"Well then, if you've no more idle chatter, then let us begin the final battle between light and darkness!" Wrath announced from his throne.

The godly being threw up a shield in front of him and Ryunoko, as he knew it was about to get very, very messy. I'm going to enjoy this…

(Final battle theme: Dragon's Dogma: Coils of Light Japanese version)

Evelyn struck first, lashing out with a hellfire fueled swing of her sword. Hisana countered with an ice covered swing of her naginata. The two elements collided, sending forth a tremendous burst of steam that blew the two apart. Quickly recovering, the vampiress charged forward and sent a flurry of quick thrusts at her opponent. Evelyn parried some blows, then caught the naginata just under its blade before Hisana could retract it. With a yell, the demon queen pulled her opponent toward her, swinging at her head at the same time. The vampiress narrowly ducked under the strike and spun around, using her wings to knock her opponent away from her. Evelyn growled and called forth an enormous fireball to her free hand before hurling it at Hisana. The vampiress dodged it just before it could collide with her and explode, then called down a gigantic spear of ice in response. Evelyn cut the large projectile in half with a single swing of her sword. Roaring in anger, she then charged toward Hisana and started slashing quickly and wildly. Despite the recklessness of the attacks, the vampiress found herself struggling to defend against the sheer power behind them. Just as a blow knocked her off balance, Hisana leapt back and flew above her opponent. Evelyn glared up at the vampiress as she began to call down arcs of light to strike at her. The demon queen dodged and parried as best she could, but was left wide open for a downward kick Hisana delivered soon after. The blow sent Evelyn skidding back a few feet. Growling, the demon queen dropped her lover's sword to summon her old hook blades attached to long chains. Just as Hisana was preparing to launch another aerial assault, she flung out her blades. The vampiress was caught by surprise, and cried out as the hook blades stuck into her wings. Yanking as hard as she could, Evelyn brought the vampiress back down to the ground. As Hisana struggled to rise, she cried out in immense pain as she felt the demon queen tear her wings from her body. While her opponent writhed in agony, Evelyn summoned her dual spear and held it ready.

"Fukushu no kokuso!" (black spear of vengeance)

Her dual spear ignited, and she hurled it with all her might at the vampiress. Despite the intense pain from her recent injury, Hisana managed to rise to her knees in time to slice at the powerful projectile. Metal sparked as her frozen blade cut through the flames and split the spear clean in half. The divided weapon crashed into the ground behind her, exploding in a tremendous burst of hellfire. Trying her best to shrug off the pain, Hisana rose all the way to her feet and readied Fotia Diakopti once more. Evelyn picked up Shinzo's sword from where she dropped it and ran straight for the vampiress. Hisana narrowed her eyes as the demon queen lunged at her. Just before the blow landed, she parried it and sent a barrage of strikes with her naginata and legs. Evelyn cringed as her opponent's foot collided with her face, knocking her back quite a few feet. Giving no time for recovery, Hisana planted the pommel of her weapon in the ground and held her hand out towards Evelyn.

"Shiroi tenshi no shamen!" (white angel's absolution)

At her command, humongous pillars of ice rose to form a circular prison around the demon queen. Hisana closed her hand, and the pillars exploded into large and jagged shards of ice. The shards then proceeded to fly at Evelyn, striking rapidly from every direction. A large cloud of cold mist formed as the projectiles collided and burst. When it cleared, the demon queen's flames had begun to die down, and her body was dripping with blood and deep wounds. Evelyn panted in exhaustion as her regenerative abilities worked overtime to heal her numerous injuries. Weakly, she glared at Hisana before roaring and raising her sword. Hellfire formed along Soul Edge's length, and the demon queen prepared herself for another attack. This time though, Hisana was the one who charged first. The vampiress leapt forward mercilessly attacking and defending against her opponent. The two continued to exchange blow after blow until Evelyn finally pushed her body too far past its limits. After a particularly strong blow, all the strength vanished from her weapon arm. Seeing an opening at last, Hisana drove her blade forward. The demon queen's eyes widened as the cold blade of Fotia Diakopti plunged into her chest, leaving a smoking wound behind. Because the vampiress' weapon was meant to exterminate demons, the injury would not heal, and so it left a smoking black scar where it penetrated. Hisana quickly withdrew her weapon, and her opponent collapsed to her hands and knees. When a few moments passed, and Evelyn had yet to rise, she decided that the battle had been won and turned to face Wrath.

"No…not yet…"

Though it had been little more than a whisper, Hisana had heard the demon queen's voice and turned in surprise. Evelyn was resting on one knee now, trying to rise. Her fiery aura began to grow again, only this time the flames were amber instead of blue. The armor adorning her body turned white, and began to take on a bone like appearance.

"I cannot die yet…I made a promise…"

Her strength fully recovered, Evelyn rose to her feet. Hisana gasped upon seeing a small hole in the demon queen's body where the scar had once been. Evelyn now wore a suit of skeletal armor that covered her arms, legs, waist, and chest. Her tail had become longer and thicker, and her horns had enlarged enough to obscure all but the tips of her ears from view. Evelyn tightened her grip as she glared with beastly amber eyes at Hisana.

"I still have a story to finish."

The vampiress struggled to keep from trembling in anxiety. Her opponent's current form was in a state very similar to that of a hollow, much like Yuu's. What didn't make sense though was the fact that she had retained so much more of a human appearance than her father.

"Surprised? You should be. I only recently discovered this power thanks to my father. She was a hollow during the time of my conception, so I too am hollow. My body is that of a mixed breed of sorts, a hollow's powers combined with those of a soul reaper, much like you. Beings such as myself were known as 'Arrancar'."

As if to demonstrate her abilities, the demon queen held out her free hand. An orb of amber colored energy formed in her hand, and in the next instant a Gran Rey Cero exploded toward Hisana. The vampiress was too surprised to react in time, and was struck by the full force of the blast. Slowly, Hisana staggered back to her feet. Just as she finished standing, Evelyn was upon her, swinging Soul Edge in a wild flurry. The vampiress defended against some of the blows, but her quickly failing stamina caused her to take the rest of them. The demon queen scowled as her opponent began to desperately throw everything they had her, retreating as she did so.

"Hisana Takanashi. Long ago, I considered you to be my friend. You and your sister were the only ones to ever show me kindness, the only ones who made me feel like I belonged. But that kindness was betrayed when I learned of Shinzo's feelings for you."

Evelyn deflected a barrage of light arcs, then cut Hisana across her shoulder before continuing her advance.

"I hated you for stealing away the one thing I ever truly desired, I still hate you. But because you were unaware of your sister's feelings, I chose to suppress my anger, and tried to keep on waiting for the day when Shinzo would recognize my love. In that time, I felt immeasurable despair. Though no one had told you directly, there were more than enough signs of how I felt, and how Shinzo felt. You should have seen the truth, but you were still blind to it."

Hisana yelled in anger before making a desperate lunge at her opponent. The demon queen stepped out of the strike's path, and countered by whipping the vampiress with her tail.

"When I lost Shinzo, you tried to tell me you understood my pain, when I knew that you did not. So I showed you my pain, I showed you what it meant to lose everything. But still, you do not seem to understand. You pretend to sympathize with others to try and win their hearts, when all you truly do is push them away. And now, you have once again taken that which I hold most dear. You slew my beloved in cold blood, before me and my child. Now, I will do what should have been done long ago."

Exhausted, the vampiress struck one last time with her blade. Evelyn caught Hisana's wrist as she dodged, and squeezed it with so much force that it broke instantly. The vampiress released her weapon, allowing the demon queen to grab and position it at her heart while she pinned her to the ground with a powerful kick.

"Hisana Takanashi, DISAPPEAR FROM THIS WORLD!"

With a final cry of anger, Evelyn plunged both Fotia Diakopti and Soul Edge into her opponent. Hisana's eyes widened to the brim as she silently cried out in agony. Fatal amounts of blood burst from both her chest and mouth as she thudded against the ground before going limp. The demon queen stood there for a few moments, panting as she savored her victory. Then, to her surprise, Hisana's now half lidded eyes turned to gaze up at her. Though barely, her bleeding chest still rose and fell as she breathed.

"This may…mean nothing to you…but still…I must say it…at least this once…" she gasped.

"Evelyn…for all that I've put you through…for all of your pain….for all of your suffering…I…am sorry…"

Her breaths began to get longer and slower, and the vampiress closed her eyes.

"I no longer care…what happens to me…go now…save your daughter…take the Core's power…do what you must…my only request…is that whatever you do…"

Slowly, she rolled her head to the side.

"Live…happily…"

And with that, Hisana Takanashi finally passed from this life. Evelyn remained staring at the dead vampiress for a moment, reflecting over her last words. Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of slow clapping, and she turned to see Wrath smiling wickedly down at her.

"Well done, Evelyn Koutari. I must say I am impressed. Your power exceeds my expectations." the godly being began. "Now that Hisana Takanashi is dead, only you and I are left to battle over control of the Core. However, despite your power, I'm afraid that you've no chance against a god!"

Wrath stood up from his throne, and began to draw in power from the Core.

"Prepare to meet your end, Evel-"

The next thing he knew, the demon queen was shoving her fire clad fist straight through his chest. The godly being staggered back, clutching at his fatal wound and glaring at Evelyn in disbelief.

"No…how can this be?! You cannot best me so easily! I am a god!"

The demon queen grabbed Wrath by the forehead with her bloodstained hand, and glared straight into his eyes.

"I don't believe in gods."

A surge of hellfire shot through her hand, setting the godly being ablaze. The demon queen held him within her grasp as he burned, screaming in pain. Only when his body had been reduced to charcoaled remains did she release him. Upon his death, the orb containing Ryunoko vanished. Evelyn caught her daughter just before she touched the ground, and looked over at her sleeping face in concern. Slowly, Ryunoko's eyes opened, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mommy…" the child whispered.

"I'm here, little one, I've got you. You're safe now."

Ryunoko smiled lovingly up at her mother, then gave her a look of surprise and confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Mommy, you're glowing!"

Evelyn looked about herself. Her daughter had spoken true, her entire body now radiated the same light that had once shone from Wrath. She began to feel a change within her, as if some form of freedom had just passed over her. This feeling…this is it…this is the power of the Core… the demon queen now had the power to create and destroy as she saw fit. The entire multiverse was her canvas, the lives of all its inhabitants now as small as ants. With this power, she could wreak untold destruction. She could conquer all with but a thought, no one would dare challenge her power. And yet…the demon queen had no interest in any of these. She had taken more than enough lives in her anger, and now she had at last destroyed her greatest rival.

"The time has finally come. Now, I can have the life I always wanted." she smiled down at her daughter. "A life of peace, where I can live in happiness with those I love."

And with that, Evelyn set about using her newfound godly powers. First, she restored Shinzo to life, as she was when they had married. Then she created a new world that sat apart from all others. A world where the oppressed and the discriminated that had served under her as well as those who were not as fortunate could call home. A world devoid of human life. After relocating everyone, she remembered another promise she had made to Lucy and the Diclonii, and rewrote the laws that governed their race so that all of them were capable of reproduction, and not just Lucy. This way, they could save their species. Once that was finished, Evelyn then wiped the knowledge of multiple worlds from the minds of all but those in her world, and replaced the barriers that kept them divided. She did not, however, repair any damage she had caused to the worlds she had attacked. Instead, she merely revived the local inhabitants, and left them to sort out their lives. Because she had been by her side for her entire life, Evelyn then separated Didymo from her body, and gave the other self a form of its own choosing. (which ended up being eerily similar to her, i.e. a younger duplicate of her with longer black hair and blue eyes being the only real differences) Oddly enough, despite the immense hatred she had harbored for her, the demon queen had also revived Hisana and her boyfriend to live their lives as they pleased in Karakura Town, without any knowledge of Evelyn or Shinzo's existence. When she was finally finished with all of her work, she spread the power of the Core so thin across the multiverse that it would never again be found. Unlimited power was as much a curse as it was a blessing after all. Now she was finally free to live her life, and to do it with the ones she loved by her side.

The New World, sometime later…

"And so, after many trials the Devil finally found her Rose. Not long after they were reunited, they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. From that day forth, the Devil, the Rose, and their child lived happily ever after. The end." Evelyn finished as she tucked Ryunoko in.

The succubus smiled happily at her mother. "That was a good story, Mommy. Will you tell it to me again sometime?"

Evelyn smiled and nodded.

"As you wish. Goodnight, my dearest."

Ryunoko closed her eyes, smiling, and slowly drifted off to sleep. Now that her mother would no longer cry or be sad, she was as happy as she could be. The demon queen smiled fondly at the sleeping child before quietly closing the door. After making her way down the hallway of their fairly large house they shared with Yuu, White, and Didymo, she arrived at her and Shinzo's bedroom. Her husband was already waiting there, smiling lovingly from where she lay on their bed. The demon queen lay down beside her beloved, gazing fondly at her as she let out a sigh of relief.

"We've been through a lot, haven't we?" she said tiredly.

Shinzo moved closer to her wife and gently caressed her shoulder.

"Yeah…we sure have…"

"I'm so glad to have you and Ryunoko in my life…I've never been more happy than I am now."

"Now we will never part. I will always be there for you and our daughter." the younger demoness chuckled lightly. "I can't wait to see what kind of person she'll grow up to be."

"Speaking of which, I've been thinking…"

Before her husband could ask what about, Evelyn positioned herself so that she was straddling the younger woman. The demon queen leaned down so that she could whisper into Shinzo's ear.

"Want to try for two?"

The End

A/N: I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who's stuck with me throughout this entire series. The fact alone that you took the time to read my work means more to me than you know. I don't know when I'll be writing again, but I promise that I will continue to do whatever I choose to write about to the best of my ability. Thanks for everything, it's been a blast! Hope you enjoyed the final conclusion!

Till we meet again,

DarkNovelist out.