Unnamed World, Demon Universe…
The young man walked through the streets, black hood up and hands in his pockets as he strolled through the dark, stormy night. He eventually came to a stop in front of an old church, seemingly abandoned. He heard voices coming from inside.
He smiled, then strolled inside. In the building, he bore witness to a mass gathering of people dressed in clothes that were a perfect match of armor worn during the Crusades, watching the front altar of the ruins. The young man took a seat as he saw a man in robes standing over the altar, where a succubus was crucified on a wooden cross, facing the audience.
"Dear Lord, our Father…" the priest said. "We gather here tonight for a single purpose: to prove our loyalty to you. This creature is a lustful harlot, a sinful abomination that must be destroyed and sent back to Hell where it belongs. We, the Prideful Crusade, shall do our sacred duty as true believers of the faith. Let our sins be absolved, and our hands washed clean by our faith in your son. Amen."
"Amen." The crusaders in the audience repeated as they stood up, getting out sub-machine guns and pointing them at the succubus.
"P-Please, just let me go…" the demoness pleaded weakly, tears in her eyes.
"Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." the priest ordered as the crusaders prepared to fire.
"Just a sec."
This single declaration caused the crowd to turn back, seeing the boy laying back in the pew.
"Hmm? Who are you, child?" the priest asked. "Have you come to join the absolution?"
"Not quite." The boy answered, lowering his hood and showing his blood-red eyes. "I came for blood."
The boy then disappeared, causing the crowd to flinch back in shock, before a scream drew their attention back to the front. There, they saw the priest clutching his severed arm as blood gushed from it, the boy standing in front of him, smiling before he chopped the priest's head off.
"Heretic!" one of the crusaders yelled. "Strike him down!"
The gathering pointed their guns at him and fired, the boy grinning at the attempt before he vanished again, the bullets shattering the stained-glass window behind him.
"Keep your eyes in the sky, folks!" the boy called from above as he drove a fist into the center of the church, creating a shockwave that flew all the crusaders back, most hitting the crumbling walls, burying them in stone. A few stragglers remained however, getting up and holstering their guns, pulling out swords, maces, and other assorted weapons out.
"Kill him! Let his blood cry out for forgiveness!" one of them yelled as they charged.
The boy stood in place before he held up his hands, both adorned with black gloves, which he then took off. "Now would be a good time to repent, mofos." he smirked as the gloves shined and morphed in his hands, becoming large, black-colored brass knuckles.
The first crusader who reached him tried to take his head off with a sword, but found his blade blocked by the boy's weapon on his right hand, before his head was punched off by the left.
The second's halberd was aimed to hit overhead, but was reduced to scraps of steel by a rising fist. The crusader was left vulnerable to getting his head caught in a vice grip, as the boy squeezed until it was crushed, the corpse falling at his feet.
"Murderous brat! An agent of the Demon Lords, no doubt!" a third crusader said as he tried to run the boy through with a spear. "Your masters will fall as you will!"
"Oh please." the boy scoffed as he caught the spear at the head, before he yanked it away from the supposed knight. "You think I work for those guys? I'm here cause I want to be here."
He then flipped the spear around and skewered the knight through the heart, hoisting him up like a flag. He then turned his attention to the fourth assailant, who ran with a battlecry, his scythe raised.
"Man, you guys are just pathetic." the boy said as he casually dodged the swipe, then punched the attacker in the side, causing his body to split in two and fall to the ground dead. "If it wasn't for the succubus, I'd mistake you guys for kids playing with a Ouji board."
He then turned his attention to the final knight still standing, who shook as he held his mace in hand, the boy approaching him.
"N-No… get back, demon! Back, I say!" the man yelled as he raised the mace in an attempt to intimidate his attacker. When the boy got close enough, he swung his weapon with a mighty yell and slammed it against the boy's head.
For a moment, the knight relaxed, thinking it was over. Then, the boy punched the mace's head to pieces, revealing himself to be without a scratch, as he grinned wickedly at the crusader.
The older man dropped the handle and fell to his knees as the boy loomed over him. "What… what are you?" the man babbled in fear.
"...I'm Wrath." the boy said as the man took off scared.
"Wow...and here I thought I was Wrath." a voice said as he turned to see a familiar demon lord standing next to the now freed succubus. "Been awhile, Ira."
"Satan. Was wondering when you'd show up." Ira said, now smiling. "How are ya, you big softie?"
"Geez, not the kind of thing you say to a demon. But I could be better. Demon Lords are a mess right now, trying to figure out who to replace Mammon. And just when we got things figured out, he gets murdered by a devil." Satan said.
"Huh, a demon lord killed by a demon. I guess that's irony for ya." Ira chuckled. "But, I guess you didn't come here just to catch up and play Smash Bros."
"Wish I did. Nah. I wanted to tell you a few things. First off, me, Lucifer and Asmodeus...we're quitting the Demon Lords." Satan said.
"You're joking right? You...you're serious." Ira said, surprised. "Well, holy shit. You're retiring?"
"More like a temporary leave of absence. Just until the chaos in this universe settles down." Satan said.
"Well, ain't that a shock." Ira said. "What're ya gonna do, find a place in the country? Work on your golf game? What about the others?"
"Leviathan, Belphegor and Mephisto will still be leading as Demon Lords." Satan said.
"Mephisto? Where's Beelzebub?" Ira asked.
"Oh you didn't hear? This thief, he went and killed him. And get this, he was an ordinary human." Satan said.
"Is that right?" Ira asked, his smile growing at the thought. "Hmm… guess that's another stop in my travel itinerary. Anyway, you said that was first off. What's the second bullet point?"
"Oh yeah...I noticed you've taken an interest in these holy nutjobs a lot. I'm warning you right now, you should watch your back. They aren't just all talk. They got someone with power leading them." Satan said.
"Oh, I know." Ira said, his expression looking sad. "I could tell from their outfits. I know who's in charge."
He then walked over to where one of the corpses stood and looked at the symbol on the chest: a red cross with a hand holding a war hammer in the center.
"So, Superbia fell huh?" Ira asked in a sad tone.
"I'm afraid so." Satan said. "He never did get over what happened all those years ago. He was against demons before, but…"
"Now he's crossing the line." Ira finished. "Damn it, Sups…"
"Well...that's all I wanted to share. Guess I'll be going." Satan said getting up. "And FYI, you're not the only one who came back to life." he said before vanishing into the darkness.
"...The whole gang's back, huh?" Ira said to himself before he shook his head and steeled his eyes. "Nope, not gonna care, you know what happens when you care… just find the people you wanna fight, fight them, then enjoy what time you got. Let the heroes take care of this… well, until you get to the Hunter, that is."
He then turned to the succubus, who flinched at the boy's blood-red eyes. "Hey, you." the boy said. "The thief, the one Satan mentioned… you happen to know where he is now?"
"I-I-I only heard rumors…" the succubus stammered. "They rarely hit a universe twice. No one knows where they strike until they do. But...the leader of the thieves is from the Standard Universe."
"Is that so?" Ira asked. "Well then, guess I'm heading to White's territory. Thanks, lady. Get yourself home." he said before he turned and walked out of the temple, rain starting to fall, making him put his hood back up.
To be continued… in the Angels of Sin Saga