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"Rias" – Speech
'Issei' – Thought
[BOOST!] - Sacred Gear Ability/ Ddraig and Albion Speech
Beta'd by BigCC
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"In our hubris and arrogance, we unleashed a cleansing Light within Lilith, and we were consumed by it. All of us simply wished to end the seemingly endless conflicts between our people by returning us to what we should have been before Lucifer's fall from grace, Angels. Had I known then what I know now, I would have never helped to create that infernal device.
"Why I, and I alone, survived is a mystery I still cannot comprehend, and one I can't muster up the will to linger any longer just to try and solve. I was near to the epicentre but was not affected. Why? It makes no sense. I was neither the strongest or the weakest, but somewhere in the middle. When stronger Devils were consumed and dispersed in an instant, when the weaker ones begged and pleaded as they vanished, I alone remained, untouched by the terrible power we had unleashed.
"Why did this happen? The only explanations I have been able to come to is that our creation was either sabotaged or that its very design was flawed from the onset. Sadly, all of my efforts have confirmed that the latter is the likeliest scenario. Over fifty of my brethren are dead because we followed a fool's idea, and the only thing I could do was numbly power down the machine and seal it as best I could once its ghastly work was done. With the very bedrock of Lilith engulfed in the toxic magics we unleashed, and the seal besides, no one should be able to touch the Atonement Ritual System ever again. It will remain there, locked away as an eternal monument to our hubris.
"Although I know what I have been a party to is beyond redemption, beyond forgiveness, all I can offer as an apology is my life itself. May the spirits of my companions forgive me, for I cannot."
- The last recording of Lady Kameau of the now-extinct Valefor Family of the 72 Pillars. Maō-eyes only.
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The Twenty-Second Move: Endgame Part 1
Safety Bubble, The Old Capital of Lilith, Underworld
When the light of the teleportation faded, the Gremory Group, the three Maō and Azazel found themselves at the edge of a massive bubble that seemed to cover several city blocks. Just behind them, the toxic magic that engulfed Lilith raged fruitlessly against the dome's edge.
"This is…" Rias whispered, eyes wide as she took in the gothic landscape.
"Old Lilith, former capital of the Underworld and throne seat of the Old Maō." Sizrechs finished, eyes taking in the cityscape nostalgically. It had been a long time since he'd set foot in the old capital. In his youth as the Heir of Gremory attending state business alongside his father, then as a battlefield during several clashes in the Devil Civil War.
He'd never been particularly fond of the brooding city, with its towering baroque architecture and the massive form of Lucifer's Palace dominating the city's skyline, covered in sneering demonic faces.
"This place has actually survived pretty well, despite the magical pollution." Serafall remarked absently, glancing outside where the toxic storm still raged, with flashes of similar architecture still visible through the maelstrom.
"The Original Maō built this city to be able to withstand a siege led by the God of the Bible himself if necessary." Ajuka noted. "It'll take more than a few centuries of exposure to some toxic magic to wear it down."
The Old Maō didn't do things by half-measures, he had to give the founders of the Devil Race that, if nothing else.
"We need to get moving." Azazel pointed out, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. "There's something off about the very magic of this place, I can feel it in my feathers."
"Yeah, it doesn't seem to be coming form the storm either." Sizrechs nodded, glancing around. "Could it be…the Atonement Ritual System?"
"No, couldn't be." Ajuka responded in with a frown. "It's too subdued, anything designed to twist magical energies like the [Head of Pandemonium] could would cause much worse than this if it was brought back online."
"He's right." the former Governor-General agreed. "I think it might be the seal that was slapped onto the thing. You said it was constructed and applied fairly hastily, right? Must be causing some form of magical interference with the barrier set up around the area. Frankly, I'm surprised that it lasted this long…"
The group quickly got moving again after that. There seemed to be an anti-flight enchantment built into the dome, so they were forced to move through the abandoned streets on foot.
"Is that blood?" Kiba called out, pointing to a small splash of red on one side street.
Ajuka quickly raised a hand and cast a quick circle to analyse the puddle before nodding. "It's Mei's, it looks like it was coughed up from her lungs as well."
"Her body's falling apart on her." Akeno whispered grimly. Coughing up blood was never a good sign, but the sheer size of the puddle denoted how serious the issue was.
"Damn it." Sirzechs growled. "She's so wrapped up in her Wrath that she's willingly selling out what little time she has left just to see Amadeus dead by her own hands."
"We need to hurry then; I can see a smaller dome over a building up ahead." Ajuka urged them forward. "I'm willing to bet that that's where the Atonement Ritual System is housed."
"Onii-sama, what did Mei mean back there, where she said that you wouldn't be able to get through Amadeus's barrier without hurting everyone around you?" Rias asked as they ran.
"Once a barrier reaches a certain level of strength, it can withstand pretty much any attempts to dissolve it, but three Maō-class Devils can still break through just about anything with sheer power alone." Sirzechs answered. "The problem is that mustering and unleashing that much power at once isn't something that can be done safely around others. You'll have noticed by now that most fights between significantly high-level combatants usually take place some distance from where the rank and file are fighting? When people on our level start going all out with our magic, there tends to be a lot of collateral damage and splash damage, and its far too easy for our allies to get caught in the crossfire. Once you reach a certain level, your power output can even start to warp and affect reality around you. Even if you can keep that from happening, even your smallest and most accurate spells will have some splash-back against everything around them."
"So we're basically in your way." Xenovia stated bluntly, causing nearly everyone else to wince.
"In a manner of speaking…yes." the Maō Lucifer acknowledged. "Sadly, it's a moot point anyway. If we were forced to attack the barrier at that level here, we'd just as likely rupture the bubble keeping the toxic magic out as well."
Which would likely kill most of them as well, or at least force a quick retreat.
They were soon within sight of the smaller dome. The [Throne of Power] was easily visible within, radiating energy like a second sun. Sitting on it and leaning back was Mei Schwarzwald, her damaged and dying body absorbing wave after wave of healing energy as she prepared for one final confrontation with her former [King].
"Mei, this has gone far enough!" Sirzechs called out firmly.
"Great Maō. Azazel. Gremory Group." Mei greeted them shortly, her voice slightly hoarse. "I've already told you Sirzechs, this is my problem to solve."
"Mei, if that fool completes his plan, then the future of the Devil Race will be erased!" Ajuka snapped out. "Nearly every remaining member of the 72 Pillars will be wiped out if that device activates, not to mention countless ordinary Devils that earned a promotion to High Class and an Evil Piece Set. Our race will be as good as extinct if that happens. You cannot risk letting your body giving out and putting the last key in Amadeus's hands!"
"You say that as if that should concern a woman already half-dead, Maō Beelzebub." the Stray Queen rasped out. "I will not let that bastard die by any other hand but mine."
"Every usage of your demonic power and even your Sacred Gear is cutting a chunk out of your remaining life-force, Mei." Sirzechs offered calmly, but his eyes were darting across the barrier, quickly trying to find a point of weakness. "You had a month left at best just moments ago, but I would be surprised if you haven't already lost another day or two just from removing those soldiers earlier and then teleporting here."
"One day, six hours, seventeen minutes and forty seconds to be precise, but who's counting?" Mei responded dryly, before forcing herself back to her feet. She seemed steadier than in her recording, but it was obvious she was fighting to stay on her feet. "Now then…[Throne of Power], BALANCE BREAK!"
In a flash of light, the Demi-Sacred Gear seemed to shatter, the remnants flying toward Mei and forming into armour seemingly carved from solid marble but remaining as flexible as cloth, the golden light of the [Throne of Power]'s healing effects playing over the armour's entire surface. The final chunk, formerly the Throne's headpiece, slammed into the back of her head before forming into a crowned helmet.
"[Throne of Power Balance Breaker: Set of the Armoured Ruling Monarch]." the Queen of Blood and Betrayal announced flatly. "All of the [Throne of Power]'s healing abilities have been concentrated and are being channelled directly into my body, healing me faster than my body can break down. In addition, the barrier that protected the sitting monarch is still active, I'm essentially invulnerable as long as I can maintain this state."
"Where is my Issei!?" Rias snarled out, having been frantically looking over the area for any sign of him.
An explosion suddenly sounded from within the building beyond, causing it to violently shake. That, combined with a pained scream from Amadeus that followed seconds later, was fairly clear indicator for where the Red Dragon Emperor currently was.
"He's currently keeping Amadeus occupied while I prepare." Mei replied, smirking slightly.
"MY ARM IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BEND THAT WAY!" CRACK! SNAP! "AND NOW IT DOES, YARGHHH!"
"He seems to be enjoying himself." the Stray Devil observed absently. "Apparently even mind-controlled, that man of yours can't stand people who hurt cute girls, so he's been particularly vicious since I set him loose on Amadeus. I'd best go before Hyōdō accidentally kills the bastard…I have far too many things planned to torment that scum with for him to get to leave this world again so easily."
With that final, malicious statement, a flare of power born of the Sin of Wrath seemed to flare around her again, seemingly causing minor echoes from the Sins held by Serafall, Sizrechs, and Ajuka.
"Her resonance with Wrath is getting even stronger." Sirzechs muttered, eyes wide. "To the point our Sins are resonating with it."
Mei simply remained silent, unaware or uncaring of the flare of power, as she turned and stalked purposefully towards the building's entrance.
"If Issei is harmed in any way by what you're doing, I will make you regret it." Rias hissed out, the crimson aura of the [Power of Destruction] flaring around her.
"When this is over, you are free to do what you wish to me, Rias-sama." Mei replied bluntly, not even slowing in her advance. "By the time that time, I doubt I'll be able to so much as move, let alone fight or even speak, so you have my permission in advance to take whatever vengeance you desire. No matter what happens I shall be content…for my desire shall be complete!"
Leaving the assembled Devils (and one Angel) stunned by her words, Mei Schwarzwald entered the building where the Atonement Ritual System lay.
Inside
With Mei
Despite one of the [Throne of Power]'s healing systems being designed numb any pain a subject was suffering from, Mei could still feel herself falling apart, likely because Amadeus had ripped himself out of her very soul in addition to her body. It was not the damage to her body killing her, but rather the damage done to her soul that was slowly ripping her apart from within. Her failing body was simply her soul reflecting the damage done to it upon her physical form.
'To think, the great Untouchable Queen was dealt a mortal blow by a trap lain by such a slovenly fool.' she let out a derisive chuckle at the thought. It would almost be funny if it wasn't so tragic.
Distracting herself, she cast her gaze about the large chamber holding the Artificial Sacred Gear, the [Head of Pandemonium]; thought it was barely worth the title. The massive creation was crudely made and barely held together, spread out across the twenty meter wide circular chamber, rather than being compacted into a single usable state.
Honestly, the part of Mei that considered herself a Sacred Gear engineer was utterly disgusted with the thing. It was powerful for sure, but it was far too bulky and slap-dashed to be considered a true Sacred Gear. Given time and effort, a capable engineer like herself or Azazel could likely refine it into a true Artificial Sacred, but she doubted either of them would have the time or inclination to do so.
The centrepiece of the system seemed to be a large bust of a blindfolded woman, arms crossed over her bare chest as she started blindly upwards, mouth open in a silent scream. The entire statue shimmered slightly as the seal, desperately emplaced by the sole survivor of the fools who'd crafted the monstrosity, seemed to flicker in power. Still fully functional after all these years.
Scattered across the room's expanse were various alchemic, mystic, and mechanical devices that were part of the Head's regulatory, control, and targeting systems, along with a few items that helped power the device itself. All of it was superfluous compared to the central device, however. So long as that part was sealed, the rest was merely junk.
Mei idly wondered if that was by deliberate design or pure happenstance, but it honestly didn't matter. It was what it was, and she certainly wasn't about to complain about it now.
Standing opposite of one another in front of the [Head of Pandemonium] were Issei and Amadeus. The former [King] of Mei's Peerage was haggard and bruised, his fine clothes reduced to tattered rags. Blood dripped from countless minor wounds across his form, and his left arm hung by his side, broken and useless.
By contrast, Issei looked whole and as fresh as a daisy, utterly unharmed by any of his opponent's attacks. The collar around his neck glinted slightly in the light of the glow-stones illuminating the chamber.
Talk about ancient magical technology; those things had fallen out favour soon after lightbulbs were invented. The human invention required less energy to power and much less maintenance to keep working.
"How…how is it my [Power of Destruction] doesn't even phase you!?" Amadeus growled out. "It is the single most deadly form of demonic magic in existence and yet you…!?"
"Because he has fought beside both his fiancée and future brother-in-law in battle countless times, and both wield that same power with far more strength and finesse than you could ever hope to manage, fool." Mei stated scornfully. "Both Rias Gremory and Sirzechs Lucifer are both more naturally powerful then even that artificially modified body of yours. More than that, both have put more efforts in mastering that power than you in your slothful arrogance could ever hope to understand. And now, with your [Automaton Gears] destroyed, you can't bind or block him long enough to charge your precious [Scythe of Cronus] to even try and extract the [Boosted Gear], leaving you without even a hope of victory."
"Mei…!" Amadeus's bloodshot eyes locked onto his former [Queen], a manic fury overwhelming the last vestiges of rational thought. The [Power of Destruction] once more crackling around his form. "Why must you constantly, incessantly and without fail get in my way!? Each and every single time, without fail, you alwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalways…!"
Each repetition of that word was followed by a burst of crimson and black magic being sent towards Mei, who gracefully sidestepped around each blast, her Wrath allowing her to ignore the strain the sudden motions put on her body.
[Explosion!]
The red armoured gauntlet of the [Boosted Gear] suddenly slammed straight into Amadeus' sternum and sent him flying back to crater into a wall, blood flying from his mouth.
"Ah, now that punch was a thing of beauty." the Stray Devil smiled beatifically beneath her mask for a moment before shaking her head. "As always, your tendency to hyperfocus on anything that angers you turns you into a sitting duck. I'm honestly disappointed that you haven't managed to improve at all even after three years in whatever half-dead state you were hiding in."
"Y-You…!" Amadeus seethed hatefully as he forced himself out of the wall even as Hyōdō Issei walked over to stand next to Mei, awaiting her command. He suddenly spat to the side, splattering blood across the ground. "Ha! So what!? Even if you manage to kill me again, your body is ripping itself apart after I tore your soul in half. You're already dead, nothing short of the [Sephiroth Graal] could fix that damage, just like your oh-so-precious sisters! You've already lost everything to me!"
"Chiaki-chan still lives, which is reason enough for me to finish this." Mei responded absently. "Anyway, you forget one important possibility…that I never had any intention of surviving past seeing my plan come to fruition."
"You…!?" For a brief moment, Amadeus's eyes grew wide in disbelief. As a true narcissistic sociopath of the first order, Amadeus could not even comprehend the very idea of such a mentality, of being willing to sacrifice oneself for someone else like Mei was implying.
Unable to cope with the very idea, Amadeus fell back to his normal coping method...insults and anger.
"You fool!" he shrieked out. "You utter and complete moronic cow! What possible point is there in accomplishing anything if you're not around to enjoy the fruit of your success!? What kind of mad idiot would die for such a pathetic thing!?"
This defined the starkest difference between the two; one who would use anything other than himself, the other who would gladly give everything of herself.
"You know, I'd honestly begun to wonder if I'd been vilifying my memories of you, Amadeus." Mei offered thoughtfully. "Thank you for reminding me of just how loathsome you truly are. It makes this so much more enjoyable."
"Worthless Bitch!" Amadeus roared out, once again surrounded in a red and black aura. "I won't leave anything but your Sacred Gear behind!"
"And how will you accomplish that? Your remaining Artificial Sacred Gear is still on cooldown from its failed Balance Breaker, and I have always far surpassed you in combat potential on my own, let alone with Hyōdō here!" the Strongest Stray Devil scoffed contemptuously.
"Stupid cow! A true Devil always has an ace up their sleeve!" Amadeus sneered back. "I wasn't planning on using this just yet, but…come forth, Sacred Gear [Eight Sealing Pillars]!"
"Wha…?!" Mei choked out as memories came back to her, of the day that her mother was murdered. The pillars erupting around her, made from a substance that looked like pale green jade and carved with thousands of Chinese characters in jet black, had haunted her dreams for over seven years. "Gah!"
The suppressive effect of the pillars hit her then, even the power of her Artificial Balance Breaker faltering underneath the power of the [Eight Sealing Pillars]. Pain hit her then, all of the pain of her wounded body that her Balance Breaker had been suppressing slamming into her at once; it was more than enough to knock anyone unconscious. Even with the power of her Wrath buoying her, Mei still sank to one knee, barely able to cling to consciousness by the skin of her teeth.
"Destroy…him!" she ordered, barely holding back an urge to cough. If she did, she'd end up vomiting blood again, and she refused to show such weakness in front of this bastard! Unbeknownst to her, several spheres of white light left her body and covertly left the building.
Obeying her command, Issei charged forwards, fist drawn back and aimed right for Amadeus.
"Damnit, the containment radius is still too small, I couldn't grab the puppet as well!" Amadeus spat out and started to fire out a blasts at the charging [Pawn]. "Such a waste, but it doesn't matter! I'll just wipe you off the face of existence now and claim your Sacred Gear from the next host! Destruction Bolt!"
With that, the deranged Bael unleashed a truly massive beam of the [Power of Destruction], aimed right at Issei. The Sekiryūtei leapt to one side and allowed the blast to pass by him harmlessly.
"Tch!" the Devil clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That damned collar's actually not half-bad, complete control over the wearer without inhibiting their combat instincts or training in the least. Even your bloody inventions just keep getting in my way, don't they Mei!?"
Meanwhile, the Destruction Bolt pierced through the wall of the building and slammed into the shield blocking it off from the rest of Old Lilith. While the shield was designed to block teleportation spells and beings from entering that didn't bear the distinct frequency of Amadeus Bael's Evil Pieces, it did absolutely nothing to stop spells from exiting it. As it was, Sirzechs had to raise a shield to block the blast from hitting his sister's Peerage.
"There has to be something we can do to get in!" Akeno growled out in frustration as she glared at the shield blocking them from the building.
"Ajuka?" Sirzechs asked.
"Its composition is defensively solid and extremely stable." the smartest of the Four Maō replied absently, multiple streams of his [Kankara Formula] forming in front of him as he analysed the barrier in front of them. "In addition, there are safeguards in place so that it will act as a secondary safeguard if the outer dome is breached or fails. We could overpower it, but the backlash would invariably shatter the outer dome and drown all of us in toxic magic in seconds. Not to mention it would likely incinerate your sister and her Peerage as well."
"We can aid you." a familiar, if ghostly, voice spoke up. Fading into view, the ghostly spectre of Takanome Arisu looked at them sadly. Appearing at her sides were the rest of Mei's Peerage, standing proudly even as spirits.
"Arisu...-tan?" Serafall said, stunned.
"Hello, Serafall-sensei. It has been too long." the ghostly vision of the former wielder of the [Fangs of the Blue Dragon] said softly. "Amadeus has trapped Aneki using the [Eight Sealing Pillars], the same Sacred Gear that was used to murder her mother. We can inhabit the bodies of people to temporarily give them the same unique signature as our Evil Pieces once had. In exchange, we ask that you save our sister."
"How…how are you here?" Irina asked in disbelief.
"Amadeus wanted us to suffer for our defiance of him, so he used a ritual of some kind to shift our souls from our bodies into our Sacred Gears before he ripped them from us." Morisato Natsuko's spirit answered. "It's because of that severing ritual that our bodies died the instant our Sacred Gears were taken from us. Our sister discovered our presence when she implanted the Sacred Gears inside of herself, and worked tirelessly to find a way to restore us to life."
"We've stood alongside her for these long three years, and have seen all she has undergone." Makimoto Aria added. "All of her suffering…"
"…all of her heartache…" Morisato Reo continued.
"…all of her triumphs…" her sister Rika added.
"…and all of her failures." Kurozuka Maya finished. "We know all she has done in our name, and we love her all the more for it."
"Be warned, however, we cannot take the four more powerful of you with us." Yuuki Anya stated. "Their souls are simply too vast, too powerful. Ours would be consumed in an instant if we tried."
"And even temporarily merging with an Angel's body will be painful in the extreme for the souls of devils." Kawamura Aiko added. "It will weaken whichever of us chooses to possess Shidō Irina, should she wish to come."
"Why are you offering to help us, you must know we are attempting to stop your sister as well?" Ajuka asked clinically, eyeing the spirits warily, trying to see what kind of trap this could be.
"Because she's done enough." Hibiki Shinobu answered quietly. "She has already sold most of her life in order to see justice done for us, she deserves to have at least her last few days be peaceful and safe. Even should we all pass on with her as a result, all we wish is for her to have peace. Nee-sama has thrown away everything she has ever valued in order to bring us back and we…we don't think ourselves worthy of it."
"Now, what will you do?" Takanome Arisu asked. "Shall you brave Amadeus in order to save our sister and your beloved, Rias Gremory?"
"Such a question doesn't even need to be asked!" the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess' blue-green eyes flashed with anger and determination. "I will reclaim my Ise! And Amadeus will regret standing in my way should he try!"
The rest of the Gremory Group nodded firmly in agreement. Even ignoring what Amadeus had done to Mei and the rest of her Peerage, he had attacked Issei and mocked their own [King]. There was no chance that they were going to let him off for that now, were they?
"Allow me…" Azazel cast a spell on Irina, a dark curtain covering the Reincarnated Angel for a moment. "This should prevent whomsoever possesses her from being damaged by her Light nature. It'll only last for a few minutes, however, and her own Light Magic will be weakened while it lasts."
"Be careful, Rias." Sirzechs said with a stern, if loving, look at his little sister. "Mei knows precisely how little time she has left and her connection to her Wrath will push her past any point of desperation to see her revenge done. Whether he knows it or not, Amadeus is living on borrowed time. Even should he survive Mei, what has been revealed about his actions condemns him to death by the Underworld's own laws. Kin or not, show him no mercy."
"I will do what is necessary to regain my Issei, Onii-sama. If Amadeus interferes, he'll get what he deserves." the younger Devil replied darkly.
One by one, the ghostly members of Mei's Peerage floated forwards and vanished into the bodies of the Gremory Group. Hesitantly, the Gremory Group crossed over as well and then ran inside the building, finding Mei entrapped within the [Eight Sealing Pillars] and Issei fighting Amadeus.
"WILL YOU JUST DIE, YOU LOWLY FAKE DEVIL?!" Amadeus bellowed as he blasted wildly at Issei with his [Power of Destruction]. In the next instant, the spirit of Takanome Arisu flew out of Rossweisse and hovered next to Mei, her face clearly worried for her sister.
"Mei-nee! Pull yourself together!" the spirit urged.
"…mother…please don't…leave me…" the Stray Devil whispered, seemingly unable to hear or see due to the resurgence of her trauma.
"What?! How did you all get in here?!" the Bael Scion growled when she saw them. "Impossible! My shield should exclude all who do not share the same Peerage as me!"
"We aided them, traitor!" Shinobu growled, rising out of Gaspar. "You've hurt our sister enough!"
One by one, the ghosts of Amadeus' former Peerage emerged from the Gremory Group and loomed above their former master and betrayer ominously.
"IMPOSSIBLE! I locked you all away in your Sacred Gears!" Amadeus gaped in disbelief. "You should all be writhing in torment right now!"
"Yes…you…did." Mei said hollowly, the situation finally managing to break her free of her trauma. She waved Issei to one side as she staggered to her feet again. "And I…set them free. They inhabit my body instead of their Sacred Gears, and they even possessed the golems that I used against the Gremory Group to fight on my behalf as they had done in the past. Now, my sisters! Call your Sacred Gears!"
"You stupid bitch! Those are my Sacred Gears now! I've fully integrated them into my body!" Amadeus sneered back. "Unless you've managed to recreate my [Scythe of Cronus]'s Balance Breaker, there's no way for you to so much as touch them now!"
Arisu floated next to Mei, her eyes blazing. "We shall see about that." she practically growled. "[Fangs of the Blue Dragon]!"
"[Blood of the Berserker]!"
"[Hunter's Chance]!"
"[Twice Critical]!"
"[Twilight Healing]!"
"[Crown of Forethought]!"
"[Wedge of Time]!"
"[Second-Hand of Time]!"
"[Memoriam Blade]!"
One by one, the spectral Peerage called for their respective Sacred Gears, all the while Amadeus stood there looking smug and self-assured…until he suddenly gasped in pain as he reached up to grasp at his chest with his one good arm.
"Wha…What are you doing to me!?" he coughed out, his voice tight with pain.
"I wasn't expecting you to return, Amadeus, but I had been expecting members of your little conspiracy to try and get involved in my plans in order to claim my sisters' Sacred Gears." Mei replied coldly, a deep purple glow surrounded her, fighting back the green light emanating from the [Eight Sealing Pillars]. "After all, I had the only known half of [Fatal Attraction], so they needed to get to me in order to undo the seal. In case you'd somehow managed to pass on your monstrosity of an Extractor to them, I…tinkered a bit with the Sacred Gears of my sisters. With a bit of work, it was simplicity itself to reconfigure them to respond to their original host's will rather than any thief's."
"Im-Impossible!" Amadeus screamed out in denial; even as multiple different coloured lights began to emanate from his skin. "You'd need the wisdom of an elder God in order to understand and manipulate the base functions of any Sacred Gear to that degree."
"I drank from the Well of Mímir." Mei answered blandly, the [Eight Sealing Pillars] now trembling as Mei's magic fought against them. "In doing so, I traded away three-quarters of my ten-thousand-year lifespan, but in return I was granted wisdom and insight to match that of the Norse Allfather. [Fatal Attraction]!"
With an immense explosion of energy, the purple and silver staff manifested in Mei's hand. With a single swing of the Sacred Gear, the former [Queen] unleashed the powerful Gravity Magic of her Sacred Gear onto the binding pillars. Spiderwebs of cracks instantly began to form along their lengths, even as a new pulse of magic wracked through Amadeus's body, forcing him to his knees.
"Gakh!...Stop….Stop this damn you!" he wheezed out, coughing up blood. "I am your…[King]!...Obey me…you damned…lesser beings!"
"I've already killed you once, you inept sack of self-aggrandizing shit!" Mei snarled out, the familiar arrogance even now spiking her Wrath. Even more and larger cracks began to form along the [Eight Sealing Pillars]. "What make you think I'll listen to you ever again!?"
Purple light exploded from around Mei with all the fury of the wronged, her strength finally overcoming the Sealing Sacred Gear in full. The jade pillars surrounding her cracked, crumbled, fractured, and finally vanished into countless shards as the Queen of Blood and Betrayal's Wrath hit its peak and amplified her magic a hundred-fold. Wave of purple magic soon surrounded the shards and sent them soaring upward in a ballistic course. With the seal gone, her Artificial Balance Breaker activated again, infusing healing energy into her body once more.
"Gyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhh!" Amadeus screamed as the situation that had occurred in Mei's throne room was suddenly reversed onto him. The Sacred Gears of his murdered Peerage burst from his skin one by one before they flew over to hover in front of the spirits of their original masters.
Once the extraction was over with, Amadeus collapsed face-first to the ground, groaning weakly as tears of agony ran down his face.
"How did it feel, Amadeus? To have nine Sacred Gears torn from your very soul?" Mei asked softly, the cruel smile stretching across her lips beneath her mask standing in sharp contrast to her soft words. "Not a pleasant experience I imagine. And yet, what you just felt was nothing compared to the tortures you have inflicted onto my sisters. Nothing compared to the anguish my Chiaki felt when she was forced to witness the horrors you inflicted on our family, the agony that made her beg me to use the [Memoriam Blade] on her and seal away her true memories until she was strong enough to bear them."
Mei took a deep breath, the air around her changing to a far more deadly one. "I killed you once for what you did to them, it was only afterwards that I came to regret letting my rage take hold that day, ending your life so swiftly without even letting you taste the pain you inflicted onto my precious family. But now…now you were foolish enough to appear before me again. Truly, fate can be as kind as it is cruel at times, to grant me such a delicious boon."
Stepping closer to her former [King]'s fallen form, she raised a single hand, forming a new magical circle that quickly began to expand.
"Wh…What are you…" Amadeus choked out, trying feebly to push himself up again even as his eye widened in terror.
"Doing what I've desired for over three years, giving you a true taste of the hell that you inflicted on me. Just as you stole what I valued most in the world, so too shall I rob you of yours." the Stray Devil purred out viciously. "Extraction Extinction!"
Crimson lightning erupted from the magic circle, lancing forward to strike the Pureblood Devil and forcing him back to the ground as he was surrounded in corona of crimson red light. Amadeus could only scream as a pain even worse than have his Sacred Gears ripped from his soul enveloped him. His blood felt like it was boiling in his veins and his very soul itself was being picked apart by scores of needles. Worse of all, however, was a sense of profound emptiness that enveloped him as, even through the haze of agony engulfing him, he felt…something…being drawn out of him; some precious and irreplaceable part of what made him who he was.
After only a brief moment the lightning fade and he collapsed to the ground again, this time landing on his back. His new vantage point allowed him to notice the small orb of red energy floating in the air above. Even through the pained tears blurring his vision, Amadeus could clearly see the Bael Family Seal stamped in black on the orb as it slowly floated into Mei Schwarzwald's free hand.
"What…" he coughed out, his voice ragged and bloody from screaming. "What have you-?"
"Just a I said, I took what you valued most in the world. For you, oh prideful, arrogant Amadeus, that is your identity as a Pureblooded Devil of the great House Bael and a bearer of the mighty [Power of Destruction]." the Stray Devil stated softly, though the malice in her words echoed across the chamber. "During my three years, I often fantasized about how I'd punish you if I could, how I'd see those like you suffer for your Pride. In the end I ended up creating that spell [Extinction Extraction]. It's a magic that can permanently rip away the bloodline gifts that grant the Pureblood Devils their unique strengths, so long as the target has been suitably weakened beforehand. The [Worthless] of the Belial Clan, the potent affinity for water magic of the Sitri Clan and, of course, the [Power of Destruction] of the Bael Clan; it can take away any such power, robbing a devil of their pride and heritage…and granting it to me. Complexio!"
With a single-word incantation the floating orb of Demonic Power shrunk from roughly the size of a grapefruit to smaller than an actual grape. A single tap to the side of her mask allowed the lower portion to retract inwards. Before anyone could truly comprehend what was happening, Mei popped the orb containing Amadeus's stolen heritage into her mouth…and swallowed.
Rias could only gape in shock. Had she truly just….!?
"You…you ate…my magic…!?" Amadeus muttered out, complete and utter disbelief etched into his face. That lasted for only a moment was before it was overwhelmed by a surge of fury, desperation and a smattering of despair. "Give it back! Give me back my heritage, you bitch! It's MINE!"
The once arrogant Pureblood had been reduced to screaming like a fussy toddler, unable to do more than desperately reach out and claw at the monster that had robbed him of everything he deserved.
"Supplementum!" Mei ignored him, her body suddenly encased in clashing aura of red and purple. "Capere!"
In a burst, both magics vanished. Then the Strongest Stray Devil held up a hand and a familiar magic circle appeared, a crimson red one bearing the symbol of the Bael Family on it, with an orb of the [Power of Destruction] manifesting obediently above her palm
As the lower half of her mask slid back into place, Mei chuckled. "No, no…I can do better than that, surely?"
Seconds later, and the magic circle had been overwritten, the symbol of the Bael Family replaced by her own personal one, the symbol of a [Queen] chess piece.
"Now that's much better." Mei hummed pleasantly, nodding slightly as she left her Sacred Gear floating above the ground next to her and began to causally approach the still-prone Amadeus.
Amadeus's maddened tantrum came to an abrupt end when he noticed his former [Queen]'s approach. "Wha…What are you…? No, you wouldn't, you can't!?"
"Sisters, the right of judgement is yours. What say you to his fate?" the masked Devil asked softly.
"Death!" the spirits of those Amadeus had slain all hissed as one.
Her vengeance complete and judgement at the ready, Mei no longer held back. A single sharp kick, knocked the prone Amadeus into the air for a moment before Mei's free hand lashed out and grabbed him by his throat, choking him.
"Now that I think of it, this is the same position we were in three years ago. Right after I managed to use my Balance Breaker to free myself from the suppressants you'd bound me with." The Stray Queen hissed. "You really should have stayed dead then, coming back has only given me the opportunity to kill you again."
"Neh, neh!" Amadeus choked out weakly struggling in the grip, eyes darting across the room in search of something, anything, that could save him. His eyes locked onto the forms of the gathered young Devils and Angel. "Stp her! Plse…!"
"This is punishment well-earned." Rias stated softly, shaking her head. "Your actions, those in the past, present, and those that you intended in the future, all mark you as a monster. You shall find no aid here, Amadeus Bael."
The rest of her Peerage, and Irina, were silent but there was no sympathy for Amadeus to find. The despair and hopelessness slowly filling her former [King]'s gaze was like the finest wine Mei had ever tasted.
"Now, my foolish, hateful Master…begone to nothingness and never dare try to return to this world again!" Mei snarled out. A part of her would have relished simply strangling the life out of the bastard for the next few minutes, but she would not inflict such a sight on her sisters. Instead, a more fitting death would wipe this stain from the world.
Raising her hand, still holding the magic circle and [Power of Destruction], she channelled more magic into it, causing the orb to grow from the size of a beach-ball to slightly large than Mei herself.
With an almost absent flip of her wrist, Mei tossed Amadeus's sobbing, ragdolling form into the air before launching the massive orb of [Destruction] after it.
Amadeus didn't even have time to scream before he was engulfed in the power of his own family's magic, leaving not even dust behind.
Only a single thought passed through his broken mind in the moment before he ceased to exist.
'I…don't…believe it…! This bitch…this lowly Reincarnated Devil…killed me…again…!'
After watching her most hated enemy be reduced to nothingness, Mei simply drew in a few deep breathes before throwing back her head and laughing loudly. "Hahahahahahahahaha! Justice has been taken at long last, my sisters!"
Just as the Gremory Group were preparing to ask her to free Issei, an alarm started to sound, the lights in the building dimming and a glow appearing around the [Head of Pandemonium].
"What now?!" Akeno demanded.
"The beginning of the end." Mei replied as she turned to face the other Devils and summoned her Sacred Gear back to her hands. "Both for my quest, and for Old Lilith. Well then…shall we get started?"
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Next Chapter: The Twenty-Third Move: Endgame Part 2
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