Running.

The faint light of the fourth Kalpa flickered with the intermittent flashes from the young fiend's blades. The normal silence of the foreboding landscape was instead flush with the screams of dying demons.

Slashing.

A dozen demons were eviscerated by a single sweep of power from a purple energy sword. A moment later there was a flash of green light as the second figure healed her partner.

Still running.

"Shin, you've got one on your six!"

The Demifiend flipped and swung the purple blade he held in his right hand, sending a tidal wave of power directly into the despairing face of the demon that had been unfortunate enough to catch up to the pair. Seeing a squad of twenty more following in the distance, he raised his hands and unleashed a Xeros Beat, the myriad of lasers striking them all down where they stood. Not taking a moment to relax, the Demifiend and his partner continued their sprint down the seemingly endless hallway.

"Thanks, Pix! Looks we have another couple coming from down the corner. You'd think they would have learned the last time we were here…"

Pixie grinned as power began to gather around her fists. "Well we DID forget to bring the giant bug swatter."

The Demifiend snorted. "Ya, not for lack of trying on your part."

"Hey! Blasting things gets boring eventually! Hitting things with a ten meter long fly swatter would be hilarious."

Shin grinned. "You? Bored of blowing things up?"

"Okay, that may have been a teense tiny little lie…" Pixie conceded before unleashing a Megidolaon.

The hallway exploded with light and the wall reverberated as the blast moved through the enemy demons, reducing them to nothing but fleeting specs of dust.

"So Shin, how much longer to the Twelve Meters of Eternity?"

"Well I smell crap and they're getting significantly more pissed at us for being here, so I'm thinking we're pretty close."

Pixie playfully bopped his head . "Cut the sas, that's my job. Now let's go, we don't have much time before someone actually threatening shows up."

"What? With our luck? Never."

Stifling a laugh, the two continued their sprint deeper into the Labyrinth of Amala. Eventually finding the ladder that they had been searching for, the two chose to bypass it, merely jumping down into the pit. If there had been anything unfortunate enough to be waiting at the bottom, it was quickly erased by the combined force of a Megidolaon and two Deadly Furies. The ground was still crackling when the fiend landed with his partner in hot pursuit.

The hallway in front of them was distorted. It was like the image had been stretched and set to a constant rotation, each turn extending and contorting it even more. There was the slight breeze of suction as air was forced into the ever-turning vortex. Even the floor tiles themselves seemed to be affected, with those closest to the portal being everywhere and nowhere in the circle themselves.

The young demon turned to his fairy companion. "What phase is it?"

"Uhh, 1st I think.""

"Alright, well, we might as well rest a little." Shin said, sitting down on the charred ground. Shooting his friend a wary glance, he continued. "You aren't still tipsy from last night, are you? You've been flying a little weirder than usual since we teleported in here…"

"Shin, I am insulted! Insulted!" Pixie shook her fists at him, trying her best to look irritated. Unfortunately, after traveling with her for the better part of a year, Shin couldn't look at the effort as anything less than adorable. "I am not one of your human friends who gets drunk after a couple shots. It would take at least three full, no, seven full barrels to get me drunk!"

"Twelve actually." Shin deadpanned. "It was all very impressive. Dante and I even started making bets on how long you'd last. Then you fell asleep in one of the half empty barrels."

"I remember that much." Pixie shot back. "I'm going to smell like wine for a week. In my defense though, we haven't really celebrated in over a year."

"A fair point. Though I would have thought it had'd worn off by now."

The pair enjoyed a pleasant silence for a small period of time, only ending when the Shin couldn't bear to hold the question in any longer. "Why a giant flyswatter?"

"Because it would be amazing. Think of the look on Surt's face when we slapped him with it. No one would see it coming!"

"But it's giant and red! How could they possibly miss that?"

"Well of course they would 'see' it coming. But they wouldn't see it coming."

"How would you even carry it?"

Pixie winked at him. "How indeed?"

"I am not your squire." Shin deadpanned.

"True, squires don't give free rides on their backs. You're more of donkey."

Shin smirked. "You're more than enough of an ass for both of us."

"Says the man who smells like one." Pixie said in a singsong voice. Turning serious she floated up and looked up. "Alright, Kagutsuchi just changed to its second phase. We're good to go."

"Amen." The Demifiend replied. Getting up from his spot the two demons crossed through the portal at the far side of the room. Gritting his teeth at the now familiar sensation of being shoved through what felt like a tiny bottle opening, Shin was relieved to see the familiar forlorn hallway of Hell's Maze. It was a subsidiary of the Fourth Kalpa, and one that he had been to about a month earlier to save another one of his friends. It served as a sort of intermediary for souls, and Shin hoped to find the soul of a man by the name of Hijiri there now, though he knew his chances of success were remote to say the least.

"Alright, where do we start?" Pixie asked as she darted around the room.

"Where indeed? Perhaps with fire? Yes, for traitors such as yourselves, a cleansing inferno is needed to wipe away your sins."

Turning towards the noise, Shin saw a figure emerging from the shadows. Bright red with large batlike wings, the demon stepped forward, brandishing a long black pitchfork. The coals of hatred flared to life as he gazed in contempt down at the two intruders.

"I do not believe we have been acquainted. I am Belial, 68th spirit of the Goetia-"

"Hey Pix," Shin interrupted. " Remember when you said they would eventually send someone threatening?"

"Yep."

"Guess you were wrong about that."

"Seems so. Total bumbo."

"Complete bumbo."

"The bumboest."

"YOU DARE!" Belial screamed as the entire corridor was set ablaze. Temperatures in the thousands of degrees ate at the very air. "I WILL FEAST UPON YOUR VERY SOULS! I WILL-"

"Sakukaja." Shin muttered. Before the demon could register what had been said, the Demifiend flew forward faster than even a demon could see. In less than an instant he was at the tyrant's feat. Two purple blades surged into existence and Shin brought them up in savage uppercut, ripping Belial's legs apart. As the monster fell forward in agony, the fiend dissipated the blades, instead grabbing Belial's falling head and thrusting down even has he brought his knee skyward with a force that would have broken a city.

Jumping back and making sure that Pixie had gotten into position, Shin didn't even bother to dodge the myriad fire blasts as they rained down at him. Instead the Masakados magatama blocked the entirety of the attack, the immunities it granted Shin being more than enough to reduce the pathetic firestorm to nothing. As desperation set in, the demon started wildly flailing at Shin, making wide, powerful motions with his arms, tail, and pitchfork. Fire flew from the demon's mouth as Belial attempted to hit the Demifiend. Jumping over the tail, Shin swung his foot upward into a spinning kick, shattering Belial's pitchfork in a single strike. Landing with the grace of a dancer, Shin followed up the attack with three rapid punches, one to the gut, two to the left hip. Looking down at his weapon in despair, Belial did the only thing he could and tried to fly upwards.

Thankfully, his wings were among the few parts of his body, the Demifiend had not yet ripped apart and he reached a respectable altitude quite quickly.

Unfortunately, there was already someone up there waiting for him. Tapping him lightly on the back of the head, Belial turned to see Pixie giving him her very best 'you done goofed' smile. Raising a hand about a centimeter from his face, Belial could only watch in dismay as the fairy detonated a Megidolaon at point blank, sending him flying back towards the waiting Demifiend.

Smiling as he held up his own hand, Shin waited until the demon was a hair's breadth away before firing a Destiny Shot into his foe.

The force of the white colored blast shattered the demon like glass. Bits and pieces flew everywhere, ricocheting off the wall before dissolving into small bits of sand.

Nodding in satisfaction, Shin gave Pixie the all clear sign and the two began to move around the maze with impunity once more. For some reason, none of the other demons there seemed to be in any mood to bother them.

Like most spirits of the dead, he was blue.

Pixie scratched her head. "Did he always look like a pedophile?"

"I mean- he looks the same to me."

"So that's a yes...?"

Shin ignored her. Looking up and down the figure standing in front of him, it was without a doubt Jyoji Hijiri, though he seemed oblivious to their presence. He wore his signature scale like coat with a pair of plain pants. His mustache gave Shin little ammunition against Pixie's claim. Coupled with the man's shoulder length brown hair, Shin had to admit it was quite suspect looking if they were basing their assumptions on stereotypes. He also still had that demented little hat of his. Besides never actually seeming to wear it, the hat managed to clash with absolutely every other piece of clothing the man wore.

"Alright then, I think we're ready." The Demifiend glanced around the room. "Pixie, you know the plan."

"Mhmm, you bring the pedo-lord back while I blow the brains out of anyone who tries to interfere."

"Not sure about some of the, ehh- 'terminology', but yep, that's generally the plan."

With that Pixie flew off, such that she would be closer to the doors. Closing his eyes in concentration, For the first time in nearly a month, Shin switched his current magatama equip. "Sophia, equip."

As the demonic parasites that granted him his power switched positions, the Demifiend felt a wave of panic. He had grown accustomed to the protection that Masakados had provided. Now that it was gone, he felt naked. Not that he had much of a choice, Sophia was by and far the best healing option that he had. It would only become a problem if he were to say, commit an unspeakable blasphemy or other act of defiance. As luck would have it, that was precisely what he was doing.

Before he took the final step he quickly shook the small set of bells he had brought with him. One shake, two, nothing. The Afterlife Bells had been more than enough to bring back Futomimi back from the dead but then again, this was no ordinary frowned at the depressing yet predictable result. I should have known. Even the devil himself didn't have enough power to break Hijiri's curse. The Afterlife Bells are nice, but they have their limits. It seems I'm going to have to brute force it after all. Joy.

Holding both hands out towards the spirit. Shin focused his power, allowing the light to flow inside of him. When it felt near to bursting, he unleashed it in a torrent of soothing radiance. "Samercarm!"

As soon as he said the word he knew he had made a mistake. Perhaps a fatal one. From all sides it struck, crushing and harsh, a force from nowhere and everywhere. He tried to shout to Pixie for help, but no sound came out. He tried to move his hands, but found himself incapable.

There was almost nothing he could do. Almost. He still had his trump card, though he would have preferred not to use it. Briefly before the final battle at the tower, he had come into contact with two beings that had claimed to have created the world before Kagutsuchi. They had referred to themselves as Izanagi and Izanami. At the time, Shin had been unsure whether or not they were actually the figures from japanese mythology, but now…

"You who would remake the world." Izanami recited.

"You who would safeguard our legacy." Izanagi continued.

"Please partake of our might, of our power."

"Let it be your guide."

"Let it be you hope."

Reaching deep inside of himself, Shin grasped the small inheritance that Izanagi and Izanami had bestowed upon him. It was barely anything at all, merely a flicker of hope, but combined with the powers of the magatama they became something else, something alien. It was the same power that had allowed the Demifiend to rip a portion of Kagutsuchi's being free. A power outside of the natural order. Feeding that power back into Sophia, the Demifiend was able to amplify the power of the resurrection spell.

It was cyclical, the pain and his power fighting, dancing even, as they pushed and pulled against each other. With each rotation they would both intensify. And just when it seemed as though he would pass out from the pain, there was a minor explosion. The force blasted the Demifiend backward and he was thrown into the wall at the opposite side of the room. In fact he was hurled with such force that he was embedded a good ten centimeters into the wall.

"Shin!"

Silently offering a small thanks to the two deities, Shin pushed himself out of the crater. Dusting himself off, he assured Pixie that he was alright. However, upon further examination, he realized something very disconcerting. "Umm, Pix."

"Ya Shin?"

"I- I can't remember how to use Samercarm."

Pixie looked at him in shock. "What?!"

"I can't remember how." The Demifiend continued. His blood felt as cold as ice. "It had to have been wiped from my mind just now. Perfect. That's absolutely perfect!"

"But why? I mean the only one capable of that would be the Great Will, and that-" Pixie stopped midesnetence as the sound of flesh moving on the ground reached their ears. Looking over at where the spirit had been before, the pair were shocked to see the naked form of a man, lying face down on the ground. As they watched he coughed violently before propping himself up on his elbow. Looking up at the pair, the man's eyes grew wide. "S-Shin? Shin Managi? Is that you?"

For a moment he was too stunned to respond. "Y-yes. But, who are you?"

The man in front of him was not Hijiri. Hell, he was about twenty years younger than the Hijiri Shin knew had been, probably being somewhere around twenty two. He also lacked the mustache that Pixie had joked about earlier. But the most interesting deviation was that his physique wasn't that of a journalist, no, it was that of a soldier.

But the face did look awfully similar… Younger maybe, but damn similar.

"Hijiri, is that you? I mean if so, you look ehh- great? Naked. But great."

"W-what?" The man looked down at himself and his face flushed red. "S-sorry about that. I thought something felt a little drafty. You wouldn't happen to have anything for that?" He added sheepishly.

"Nah, Shin doesn't even have a shirt for himself. I mean, he could give you his pants, but either way we're going to have a naked man walking around." Pixie said with a smirk. Shin could tell by the way she was breathing that she was about one joke away from exploding into a fit of laughter.

Eager to avoid the stream of comments, Shin decided to quickly change the subject. "We'll find you something. Let's just get out of here first, Hijiri."

"Hijiri?" The man chuckled and stood up. "No, please call me Aleph."

"Aleph?" Shin said, testing the name. "Huh, kinda fits I'll admit. But-"

"A fairy, a traitor, and crime against nature. Poetic. Problematic. Pathetic."

Pixie's eyes widened in terror as Shin's narrowed in hate. He immediately shifted back to Masakados from Sophia as a reflex. They should have noticed it before, the sick smell of feces and decay had crept up from below, the feeling of dread and despair that wafted over them, and the soft thud of heavy footsteps steadily getting closer.

Aleph tapped Shin on the shoulder, causing the young fiend to nearly jump out of his skin. Wearing a sheepish smile, the naked man asked. "Sorry, I was just wondering, you don't happen to have any weapons on you? Swords? Guns? Anything?"

Shin glanced at Pixie who mouthing the words "Fly swatter." Rolling his eyes at her, he looked back at Aleph and replied. "Nothing like that I'm afraid. I mostly just use my fists. Besides, how would guns work against demons?"

Aleph shrugged. "They worked for me."

"Really?! Pix did you know this?"

"Ehh…"

"You can't be serious." Shin deadpanned.

Pixie crossed her arms. "I don't see why you're complaining, Mr. 'I can fire lasers from my hands!'"

"Umm, I don't mean to interrupt, but we do have a slightly more pressing problem." Aleph interjected. "Now you don't have anything I can use to hit it with. Nothing at all?"

Shin glanced around desperately. Even in the small period of time that they had been arguing, the light of the Kalpa had lessoned and the air grown thick. A sense of decay had spread through the halls as the Warden of Souls slowly rose from his throne to meet them. If they couldn't come up with a plan soon… well, frankly Shin didn't want to think about what would happen.

Pixie was likewise distressed, buzzing around from side to side. She was even running her hands through her chestnut hair. "Ummm. Ummm. Ummm… OH!" She snapped her fingers as her eyes lit up. "Shin, do you still have Masakados's toothpick?"

"Toothpick, what in the hell are you- wait the Lord's Sword? Ya, I've got it in my bag. One sec." Shin began to desperately dig through his bag, throwing what must have been a king's ransom in lifestones and beads to the wayside as he did so. Eventually he found what he seeked. Taking care as he removed the ancient sword, Shin looked up desperately at Aleph. "Will this suffice? It's old, almost impossibly so, but the edge is still sharp and the hilt still strong. I haven't the training or need to use it save as a key. But if you have the skill, Pix and I could use all the help we can get in the coming battle. That being said, if you feel any doubt at all, run. Run fast, and run far. There are no guarantees how this will turn out, and I don't want to think we came down here for nothing."

Wordlessly, Aleph took the sword. Switching it from hand to hand, he tested the weight and balance. He swung it once. Twice. Thrice. And then he stopped. Looking back at the young fiend, Aleph nodded once. He did not run away.

Pixie let out a bemused snort as Shin rose to his feet. At this point they were the only three beings in the area. All the other demons had long since fled. None wished to be present when the Lord of the Flies arrived.

All three stared at the entry portal. Waiting.

"So. You two have experience with the bug?" Aleph asked. Though his voice was barely more than a whisper, there was a confidence to it. There was no fear. No apprehension. Just the glean of a man who had finally managed to regain control of his life.

"Yep. About six months ago. Not exactly a time of my life that I'm proud of, but for a while there I was actually on track to be hell's next top general."

Aleph chuckled. "That right?"

"Unfortunately. Anyways, part of the job interview was squashing a fly. Wasn't the easiest thing to do, mind you, but we managed. Barely. I don't relish a rematch."

"I take it you fell off the career path?"

"You know how it is with those Chaos demons. All fight, all the time. Not the worst thing in the world, mind you, but there are some things that I don't agree with. For one I don't quite like the idea of committing the ultimate genocide just for the opportunity to go fight a war we could very well lose. I prefer the hope life inherently has to the false one that death brings"

He seemed to enjoy that answer, gracing them with a smile for the first time since his resurrection. "For a demon you sure like to talk a lot."

"Oh that's nothing. You should have seen him at the party last night. He was singing, dancing, and yapping up a storm! " Pixie hiccuped and frowned. "Even talked to stupid Yuriko for a bit. Damn succubus needs a Megidolaon shoved right up her- HEY! You know, you should come party with us after this! You know, if we don't die and all."

"You two decided to invade the Labyrinth of Amala after a night of partying?! Shin, I knew you had a couple problems with judgement, you were friends with Isamu after all, but this? I mean, this makes your choice in friends look sane."

Shin shrugged. "Not my fault you were cursed to reincarnate just in time to watch the world die over and over again for all eternity. We were on a bit of a tight schedule. I would have done this before the party, but I kind of needed a bit of a break. You know, killing a god and all. It's a tad tiring."

"I can relate to that."

"Really?" Shin asked, surprised at the statement. Deicide wasn't exactly the most common pastime in the multiverse. Though it does certainly explain the curse he had. As well as the Great Will stripping me of some of my power for breaking it… Then a thought crossed his mind. "I don't suppose you've fought the bug before as well?"

Aleph nodded. "Yes. Once. A… 'friend' and I fought him once at a castle. I think it was called Kether? Anyways, we killed it, but it wasn't easy. Not much of a castle left over afterwards either. Shame, as castles go it was pretty nice."

"I don't suppose you were naked then too?"

"Can't say that I was."

"Damn." Shin swore as the portal began to move and turn as the monster that was coming for them made it's entrance. "You know, if we make it out of this, we'll need to sit down and trade stories. I have a feeling you have quite a few up your sleeve."

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot." Aleph moved the Lord's sword to a defense position, changing his footwork slightly as he did.

"Alright bug-boy, I can do more than heal this time, and Shin's got backup." Pixie winked at the portal as the first blue, hairy leg bent through it, slime dripping off of it and onto the floor. "Hope you didn't get too comfortable with living, cause I have a Megidolaon with your name on it."

"Does the wind fear the bug? Does the ocean, the krill? You merely ride the coattails of power, serving as an amusing little toy. A distraction for the Fiend. When your novelty had died, so too shall your body." A second leg stepped through the portal, followed by two, huge, crimson eyes, mirrored as a fly's are. They were a meter in diameter and were imbedded in the golden skull of a gigantic fly. It must have been over thirty meters in height. Wings came from it's back while a skeletal scepter was firmly gripped in it's right appendage. A tongue in the shape of a human spine slipped in and out of the monster's mouth. The giant ruby spheres turned towards Shin. "And you. Do not think I have forgotten you, traitor. To think, you had such potential, such promise. But in the end you chose to wallow in your own filth; the dirty mediocrity of a human too short sighted to see beyond the narrow confines of his own limited imagination. A failure of all accounts. And to think you managed to kill me." A deep sickening laugh resonated throughout the hall. "With such a weak will, you will not do so again."

Finally the bug turned towards the final man in the room, naked and unarmed save for a single, ancient sword. Shin could have imagined it, but it almost seemed like the Warden of Souls was nervous. "You on the other hand… You should not be here. You're presence is a decay on the natural order. Normally I would be ecstatic, but you… no one wished for your return, false messiah. If nothing else, you are the Demifiend's worst crime. Worse than the neutering of Kagutsuchi. Worse than his betrayal of my master. Worse even still than the prolonging of the great battle. You must be removed."

"Nor did they desire your return, Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. And yet here you stand, disgusting and vile. True to your name, a tyrant in all things." Aleph remained still. Though his eyes flared with a sudden ferocity, his body remained cool and focused. "But enough talk, I can barely stomach the sight of you, let alone the smell. Go back to the void."

In the time it took for the Demifiend to blink Aleph had crossed the room. His sword flashed as ancient steel bit into Beelzebub's flesh. Demonic blood spurted forth across the room in a mist of crimson. The fly screamed in anguish and swept his scepter, calling force a swarm of luminescent flies from the ether, each screaming an unearthly hyme. But Aleph did not falter; dodging the first of the bugs while sweeping the next three out of the air with a single swipe of his sword. Backflipping out of Beelzebub's reach, Aleph continued to buy himself space, switching from a flip, to a handspring, to the same defensive posture he had begun with, his eyes still dancing as they asked the demon if it was ready for more.

All Shin and Pixie could do was watch in awe. Together the two of them had fought most of the major figures in most of the world's major mythologies. They had fought Beelzebub months prior. Even with Pixie being reduced to casting only the most meager of healing spells, they had managed to pull out a win. That was unfortunately reminiscent of most of their battles. Ose, Girimehkala, Thor, Sakahagi, the Fiends, even Metatron, they had all been hard fought battles, won by the skin of their teeth and bought by their blood and sweat. But they had done almost all of it alone. Alone they had forged a reputation that sent most of their enemies fleeing in fear when they entered the room.

And now they had help.

Shin smirked as he unleashed another Sakukaja coupled with a Tarukaja. He saw Aleph flinch as the buffing magic took effect, shooting the Demifiend an inquisitive glance. Winking at his new ally, Shin saw relief spread over his features as Aleph realized it wasn't one of the bug's tricks. Meanwhile Pixie had taken to her job as a healer with gusto, casting a combination of Mediarahan and Me Patra. She had also grabbed Shin's bag of supplies and was spitting up Tetraja stones as though they were bullets coming out of a machine gun. With each impact a small shield formed against the flies, and both sides knew that with each fly stopped, the trio would have just another critical instant. One more chance to strike back at the Warden of Souls.

Shin and Aleph then ran at the enemy demon. By this point, it had summoned a new swarm of flies. The new horde was massive, with numbers that must have been approaching the thousands. Each and every one exploded upon impact, either on one of the Tetraja shields, Aleph's sword, or Shin's body, and when they did they exploded in a flash of almighty energy.

Shin remembered the last time they had fought. How even one of the flies had been enough to drive him to his knees. Each and every blow had been a terrifying ordeal. A screech drove him from his memories forcing him to take a moment to punch three of the flies out of the air and grabbing a fourth to crush in his fist. The almighty energy poured over him. He shrugged it off as Pixie's magic healed it faster than it could hurt him. What had he been worried about again? He couldn't quite remember.

If Aleph had been fast before Shin had buffed their abilities, he was lightning after. His actual motion was near impossible to see, only the result of his efforts were clear, with new gashes and wounds seemingly opening on their own as the naked soldier continued to rip apart the Lord of the Flies with his sword. The flies couldn't seem to get a grip on him, they merely dashed from place to place, trying desperately to catch up. Every so often the ones in the front of the pack would erupt into a cloud of dust as they made it just a little too close to their target.

As far as his own efforts went, Shin was doing about as well as he usually did. Which is to say, lasers were being blasted, swords shoved into faces, and fists going through the back of skulls. (Or rather exoskeletons as the situation would have it) However, he realized fairly quickly that fighting the swarm was all but useless. He would have to strike the leader. And as luck would have it, a good portion of his powers had recovered from his fight with Kagutsuchi the previous night.

His blue tattoos that marked him as a demon flaired with intensity as the light around them dipped into the murk of late dusk. The flies, sensing the danger all rushed rushed him at once, only to be blown away by a combination of Aleph's sword play and Pixie's Megidolaons. In less than a second the attack had finished charging. An instant later, the Freikugel he unleashed ripped it's way through space, time, and any of the unfortunate flies that had dared to try and shield their master. Catching Beelzebub directly through the abdomen, there was an unearthly scream as the almighty energy fried it's internal organs. Unable to continue to maintain the flies, they flickered out of existence.

Taking the initiative, Shin sprinted at the beast, jumping over a sweeping attack it made with it's scepter. Landing on the arm, he jumped again this time landing on Beelzebub's head. Summoning two Deadly Furies, Shin began to repeatedly stab them into the Fly's head over and over, digging a little deeper each time he did. While the Demifiend worked on the head, Aleph flew around the monster's legs, making deep sweeping cuts with his sword. Even Pixie forsook healing in favor of attack, diving into the hole that Shin had ripped open with Freikugel and blasting anything in sight. Finally satisfied with the depth of the hole into Beelzebub's head, Shin fired a Magma Axis into it at point blank, indulging in just a bit of satisfaction as the flames erupted everywhere. Jumping to safety, the trio regrouped as the monster lay seemingly dormant on the ground, it's body little more than a wrecked mess of singed limbs and gashes.

Then there was a deep, sick unearthly noise. It took Shin a moment to realize it, but when he did, it chilled his blood. Beelzebub was laughing.

For one sickening instant it seemed as though the bug was about to heal itself. Green light had started to glow around it's injuries, and both Shin and Pixie were spent from both the battle and their previous ordeal merely to make it to the Fourth Kalpa. However, Aleph was not yet tired, and before the healing magic had any opportunity to take effect, he had a sword to the monster's throat.

Without hesitation, the man ripped the sword through Beelzebub's neck, freeing it's head from it's body. Tossing it aside like trash, he was already walking back towards Pixie and Shin as the demon began to fade from existence.

Still laughing it made it's final thoughts known to the trio. "Down, down, down to the depths my essence flies. But unlike the mortals… it is only… a passing flicker of the candle that is eternity… Until next time… humans. For there will be… a… next time."

Shin rolled his eyes as the demon finally faded into nonexistence. It truly was amazing how often he had heard some variant of that line. Just because they would eventually reform, most demons seemed to think that dying was only a passing inconvenience. As a result they were always insufferable right up to the end, especially the powerful ones.

"Ehhhh." Pixie flopped down onto his shoulder, exhausted. "Stupid bug. Doesn't know when to quit."

Shin smiled and affectionately patted her on the head. "Aw come on, we've fought enemies a thousand times more annoying than that. Remember Spectre?"

"Ugh. Just ugh. Why would you bring that up? Such a little pain." Pixie playfully punched the side of his head. "Now let's go back home. There are at least three more barrels of wine with my name on them."

"Aww that's my little alcoholic."

"Umm, Shin?" The voice came from their naked companion.

The Demifiend looked over at Aleph. "Huh, what's up? If it's about the lack of clothes, don't worry, we'll find you something back at Titania and Oberon's. Thankfully, the fairies seem to be one of the few tribes to actually wear clothes."

"Well some of us have to be civilized." Pixie said. Despite the fatigue she seemed to be doing quite well. " I mean have you seen the Foul tribe?"

"No. It's not that." Aleph began, clearly uneasy about something. "I was just wondering, would it be possible to do what you did with me to someone else?"

Silence fell onto the group.

"You mean bringing you back from the dead? That is what you meant right?" Shin asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Umm, well you see…" Pixie began.

"I lost the ability to do that." The Demifiend finished. "Apparently bringing you back, or rather, breaking your curse was as much a crime against existence as ripping almost a thousand dimensions from the rest of reality. I don't know what you did when you were alive, but helping you almost killed me. Instead it just stripped me of a portion of my power. Sorry, but I don't think I can help."

"But what if she wasn't being reincarnated constantly like I was?" Aleph asked desperately. "What if she was just being tortured here like all the other souls?"

Shin shrugged. "Well that's another case entirely. I mean we've done that twice now, right Pixie?"

"Yep, once with Futomimi and again with Sakahagi." Pixie replied happily. "Though the latter was just so we could kill him again… Such a dick."

"Such a dick." Shin agreed. " Now, my vindictive tendencies aside, if what you're saying is true, we could hypothetically use the Afterlife Bell to bring her back. BUT we would need to physically find her soul. You think you could do that?"

Aleph nodded. "No problem. You might have noticed, but I can be quite quick when I want to be."

"Alright. And you do realize that killing Beelzebub will have pissed off quite a few demons down below. We're not exactly in a good neighborhood you know."

"Understood, this won't take long."

"As long as you realize that." Shin said with a smile. "Pix, would you mind tagging along? Not that I don't trust him, but it would be nice to have someone who's used the Bells before. Also, unlike me, Aleph can't heal himself." Shin stopped and shot Aleph an inquisitive look. "Wait can you?" Aleph shook his head. "Thought so. Anyway, would you mind?"

"No problem. Alright naked man, let's go find your girlfriend!"

"She's not my- ehh actually I guess she is."

"Of course she is! Now let's go. Step one two three. Step one two three." Pixie continued to repeat the chant in a soft sing song voice as the pair ran deeped into the Kalpa.

With nothing left to do, Shin took a seat by the portal, standing guard while his friends did their job.

A few minutes passed as he sat there watching out while his friends did their job. You know, all things considered, today has been pretty nice. Shin chuckled. I guess now's the time where something inevitably goes terribly wrong. Like that would happen.

Mentally congratulating himself on a job well done, he almost didn't notice when a small figure pushed it's way through the portal.

"Hey-Ho, Mr. Demifiend! I need your Hee-Ho-Help!"

Oh please don't be something bad. I am begging you. Shin smiled as the sixty centimeter tall snowman ran up to him. Of all the demons he had been expecting, no dreading to see in the Fourth Kalpa, the little ice fairy had not been one of them. "Hi there Jack, to what do I owe the pleasure? You know Pix and I were going to come back right after we were finished down here."

The snowman started to jump up and down frantically, almost knocking his little blue hat off as he did. "No-Ho! My King and Queen sent me to get help! An army of Law demons are attacking my Hee-Home! Please. We need you Mr. Demifiend!"

"What?!" Shin jumped to his feet and motioned for Jack Frost to follow him. The two demons took off in the direction of Aleph and Pixie in a sprint. "Jack, how many are we dealing with?"

"At least a couple thousand He Ho!" Jack Frost responded in a desperate tone, struggling to keep up with the Demifiend on his little legs.

"How are Titania and the rest holding up so far?" An army of Law demons. How the hell did they move so quickly? And why for that matter?

"They're Hee-all right for now. Ongyo-Ki and Yuriko are helping out for now Hee Ho. They were still there from the victory party."

Shin grimaced. "Let me guess, they can't rally they're forces for fear of being attacked themselves."

Jack nodded. "Hee Ho, everyone is really tired from the battle."

So did they wait until now to attack so we would be tired? OR is this about Aleph and not related to Kagutsuchi at all? Either way this is bad. REALLY bad. And to make matters worse, I haven't heard anything from Metatron. Did the archangel backstab me after all? No if he was going to do that he would have done it when I was defenseless. This is something else. "Jack, was it an angel leading the attack or something else?"

"I don't know-Ho. I think it was Odin Hee Ho."

"Wonderful." Shin muttered to himself. How long can they hold out? Yuriko and Ongyo-Ki will definitely buy us some time, but if they are facing a full army… "Pix! Aleph!"

The fairy's head perked up upon hearing Shin's voice, though her smile froze and quickly turned into a frown upon seeing Jack. "Jacky? What's wrong, why are you here? It's dangerous!"

"The Fairy homeland is under attack. Jack says that a couple thousand Law demons have laid siege to it. Titania and the rest of the tribe are putting up a good fight, but they need our help and fast." Shin replied. "Ongyo-Ki and Yuriko are helping as well, but they can't bring any of their tribesmen for fear of drawing attention to themselves."

"W-what?! A couple thousand! That backstabbing, chicken-winged bastard!" Pixie fumed. "Alright Shin let's go! Now!"

Shin nodded and the pair began to run back towards the Portal, only for Aleph to call out after them. "Wait! Let us help!"

Us? Shin thought. Turning around he say that apparently Pixie and Aleph had been successful in their quest. A blonde woman who looked to be about Aleph's age was leaning onto his arm, obviously still rattled from her resurrection. Like her compatriot, she was severely lacking in the clothing department. For goodness sake, why does dying get rid of your clothes? At this point the awkwardness is more painful to me than anything else. Though on the current list of grievances against heaven this ranks pretty damn low. "Aleph, I'm sorry but we don't have time. As things are right now you'll just get in the way."

"Shin this is obviously a trap." Aleph urged. "Think about it. They couldn't come after you here so they attack you where you live. Also, from the sound of it they attacked as retaliation for bringing me back. I can't let you and Pixie get hurt after what you did for us. You saw me during the battle with Beelzebub and Hiroko is almost as strong as I am. If you're going to fight that many demons, you'll need us."

"Oh really? And just what can you do missy?" Pixie said, an eyebrow raised. "Bet you couldn't even cast a Migido spell."

"Try Megidolodyne actually." The woman said with the barest trace of a smile.

"... Alright, I'll admit that is pretty impressive, however-"

"However, it doesn't really change the fact that you both are unarmed and naked." Shin finished. "As much as you may say otherwise, all you would do is get in the way."

"Beelzebub had to have had some treasure lying around. There would have had to be at least a few sets of weapons and armor included in that. Please, just let us find that." Aleph stepped forward and placed a hand on Shin's shoulder. You've helped us more than anyone else ever as. Let us at least try to pay you back. Unlike in the Vortex World, I'm not just going to stand by and make you do all the work. I can actually help you. So please. Please."

"Shin, this is my home. Every second we wait, our friends are going to… No, we can't wait. Please… let's go." Pixie said, her eyes uncharacteristically serious.

Shin looked into his eyes. They weren't Hijiri's eyes. Though he had been a good man, there had always been fear in Hijiri. Always a slight hint of doubt. That had only increased and grown with time. By the point that Isamu had killed him, Hijiri had been a gibbering mess, lashing out at everything and everyone. But Shin couldn't see any of that. Aleph's eyes held the same compassion, but instead of the fear there was only confidence. He actually believed what he said. The Demifiend didn't know if that was encouraging or terrifying.

Shin sighed. "Jack, how long do you think we have?"

"WHAT?!" Pixie shouted, starstruck.

"I don't Hee-Ho know." Jack said. Contemplatively the little demon scratched its head. "Maybe ten more minutes before the damages become irreversible. We need to Hee-elp-Ho quickly."

"Aleph, you have five minutes. Then Pix and I leave. Understand? I'll show you to Hell's Vault. That's where they'll have what you're looking for. Come on."

Aleph nodded and Hiroko smiled.

Pixie wasn't about to let the matter die. "But Shin!"

"Pix, I'm sorry but we don't have time for this!" Shin replied, already leading the way back to the portal, back to the twelve meters of eternity. "As things stand now, even we would have trouble. Thousands of demons with Odin at their head? It would be a coin flip at best! If they are half as good as they say, half, then we might have a chance."

"Grrr! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Pixie started swearing furiously as the group made their way into the Vault. A couple demons had started to loot the area, probably as a result of Beelzebub's 'untimely' death. Thankfully, it gave Pixie a chance to alleviate a fraction of her frustration. After the dust settled, she turned to the naked humans. "Alright Bums, you've got two and half minutes. MOVE IT!"

True to their word, the pair moved quickly and methodically. Within a minute the two were armed. Within another they had (finally) found and put on some clothes. Aleph had found a gun and ammunition he paired with the Lord's Sword. In addition he had found an old suit of white armor. It had green leggings and a metal earpiece. The stomach area also had a black flexible portion that would be invaluable during a fight.

Hiroko had found an old sword in addition to a semiautomatic pistol. Her armor was crimson in color and featured a white cape as well as the same flexible material as Aleph's.

Shin nodded. He had to admit, now that they were outfitted they certainly looked formidable. "Alright. And with thirty seconds to spare. Not bad. Now-"

"Now, if you don't mind, my home is currently being burned to the ground… So without any further ado let's go!" Pixe shouted grabbing Shin's hair and pulling him back towards the exit. "Alright Hijiri, or Aleph, or whatever the hell you're name is, let's go do to these bastards what we did to Beelzebub."

"Sounds like you had quite the party before reviving me." Hiroko mused as the group raced back to the entrance of the Kalpa at top speed. Jack Frost was riding on Aleph's back and Pixie on Shin's so everyone could run without worry of leaving the demons in the dust.

"It was more spontaneous than anything else." Aleph shrugged. "Though, Shin and Pixie managed to pull their own weight."

"Well that's a nice change of pace."

"My thoughts exactly." Aleph agreed.

"I hate to break up the chatter, mostly because I can completely relate to useless help, but we are here. So let's save this for the inevitable victory party later." Shin said as the group finally came to the large cylinder that acted as a gateway to the Kalpa. After downing a Soma and giving one to both Pixie and Aleph, the Demifiend readied an attack. "Alright Pixie, would you be a dear and open up the portal?"

"Naturally, my good Shin." Pixie said, a small portion of her former humor returned.

And as the portal opened, and the Demifiend unleashed his attack, blowing away any enemies that had been standing in the vicinity.

As the sounds of demon fighting demon wafted across the home of the Fairies, two humans, two demons, and one fiend entered the fray.

"That can't be it." Corrin asked as the memory finished. The blue lined figure of his other self sitting a couple meters away. "How can it just end like that? They were about to go into battle. Pixie's home was under attack! Was everyone alright? What happened?"

"Woah, woah, calm down dragon boy." Shin urged. Corrin had the faint impression he was trying very hard not to laugh. "We can't very well have you get overwhelmed on the first memory. And if you had met Titania and the other two tribal leaders in addition to Aleph and Hiroko that may very well have happened."

"You can't be serious." Corrin replied, outraged. "That's your excuse?!"

"Was fighting both Belial and Beelzebub not enough for you?" The Demifiend teased. "Or perhaps you'd rather just sleep the entire day away. I mean, you are about to reach the village the king sent us to investigate, but you don't care about that!"

"Yes, yes I totally have better things to do, but still." Corrin conceded while trying hard not to fidget. "These memories aren't like a book or a story. They feel personal. I guess it sounds obvious when I put it like that, but that's still the truth. Pixie and the rest..."

"Calm down, you'll make me cry."

"Oh bite me." Corrin spat.

The Demifiend actually laughed that time. "I appreciate the spirit, Corrin. Really I do. But you really do need to wake up now. It wouldn't do to invite suspicion from your allies. They're probably still a little rattled from what Naga said before."

"About that…"

Shin groaned. "Don't bother asking, I'm just as concerned as you are. Why the hell is there a crack in the dragonstone? Was it traveling dimensions or using one of our abilities? Did Naga herself do it to punish us or was it a lucky shot from Arete? Or was it something else we haven't even discovered yet? Regardless, that stone is the only thing keeping our powers from overwhelming us. If it were to break, well I don't know what we would do."

Corrin nodded in agreement. "I'll talk to Lilith and see if she knows anything. She's a dragon too after all."

"A bit of a weird coincidence that. Wouldn't you say?"

"Her being a dragon? I guess I never thought much about it." Corrin said while considering the question. "You don't think she's secretly a demon as well, do you?"

"Wouldn't be the first time I met a demon with that name…"

"Really?" Corrin asked in confusion.

The Demifiend waved him down. "Don't worry. There is no way they're the same person. Suffice to say the demon I know is hardly known for her subtlety." The figure shrugged. "She was an ally anyways."

"Uhh, neat. Good to know. Anyways, are you going to tell me what happened to the Fairy homeland or not?"

If he'd had eyes Corrin was reasonably sure the figure in front of him would have been rolling them. "Look Corrin, I'd love to stay and talk, but you are about thirty seconds from waking up. Let me leave you with three pieces of advice. One, be caring towards your allies. Right now they are probably ruffled from your talk with Naga. Be sure to at least try to put them at ease."

"Makes sense." Corrin agreed. "I'll be try to talk with them later today."

"Second, as we discussed previously, with a memory restored, you should have access to another fraction of your powers. This time it would seem you've regained the kaja spells you saw in the memory."

"The speed and strength buffs?" Corrin inquired.

"Those are the ones. Just for heaven's sake don't do something stupid like try and use Freikugel or any of the other higher level moves. I'm reasonably certain it would kill you. Lastly, As far as Aleph and Hiroko go…" The Demifiend trailed off.

"What about them? They seemed nice." Corrin asked.

Shin stood up and seemed to smile. "I'm honored to say that those two are the best friends I've ever had. Save Pixie of course. I've known them for over three thousand years now and never once within that time have they ever let me down. I'm sure that if they knew we were in this situation they would rush to our aid."

The fog began to encroach upon his vision as the dream faded into oblivion. At this point Corrin had to yell in order to be heard. "That's all well and good, Shin, but what about the battle, how did it end?!"

As the light and fog consumed his senses he heard the Demifiend chuckle. "Oh? That fight? Heh, heh. Suffice to say that it has been well over three thousand years since that battle, and since that day no force from either heaven nor hell has dared so much as look at the land of the fairies."

Author's Note-

Thank you very much for reading! If you have questions, critiques, or predictions, please leave a review and I'll do my best to get back to you!

I'm sorry it happened again! This was originally only supposed to be the first half of the chapter that introduced the faceless. Unfortunately it ended up a little longer than I anticipated. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed our little foray into the Fourth Kalpa.

ALSO- some of you might have noticed Yuriko was mentioned, and as an ally no less. This is probably surprising. (Especially if you've played SMT4.) The main reason for this is that I'm using the Nocturne alignments exclusively. And shockingly enough, in Nocturne the Night Clan is neutral. Go figure.

The main reason we're using that name instead of her demon one is mostly just to avoid confusion.

Now finally, will the fact that Yuriko is Shin's subordinate inevitably cause problems with a certain pony-tailed samurai and his manga loving sidekick? No spoilers, but oh my yes.

Demons Anarchy of Pride- Thanks for reading! And oh ya! True fact: messing with Pixie is scientifically proven to be bad for your health. And yes, Corrin is well on his way to being severely overpowered. It would be a real shame if something were to happen and mess that up.

rc48177- I'm not even going to try and make a joke- that was just plain bad ass. Hats off to you, good sir.

vampireharry the 2- Thanks man! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Guest- This is mostly a variation of the Freedom ending where Shin made a temporary alliance with Metatron. However, as we saw in this chapter, there is hardly any love lost between him and heaven. As far as your theory goes, I can't really say for fear of spoilers. Thanks for reading though and I hope you like where things end up!

Guest- Will we saw Chrom, Robin, and co again? Short answer- coughyescough.

Disclaimer- This is a nonprofit, fan-based work. All characters and settings belong to their respective owners.

Next Time (Oct 29) - Faceless. (For Real this Time.)