Chapter 23: Lucifer Magne Is A Fuckin' Secret Boss?!

Silence filled the mysterious area, as Zack stared at the one known as Lucifer. He had remembered Loona talking about him the day he first started to investigate Kokichi's gang. He never thought he'd ever meet him though. Well, it was more like he wished he didn't have to meet him. Looks like that fell through hard. Zack quickly recomposed himself, his hands slipping back into his pockets.

"Lucifer Magne... I'm guessing you're the father of Charlie Magne, princess of Hell."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, as he chuckled softly, "It would seem your keen eye for details is just as sharp as they say." He said, his deep and regal voice rumbling in his throat, "Yes, that is me. It's a pleasure to meet you, Zack Trevle."

"Ditto. Now, what is it you want to talk to me about? It's obviously something big, if you're calling me here." Zack said, his voice sounding as unamused as ever. Lucifer slowly walked closer to him, his cane clicking against the ground with every step he took. Alastor merely watched, his grin remaining neverending.

"Quick to the punch, I see. Nothing wrong with that, shows you've always got your eyes on the prize."

He began to slowly circle around Zack, his eyes observing every inch of his person. He was around his size, though a slight bit lankier. You'd never be able to tell, however, thanks to his choice of apparel. Zack didn't like this. It was almost like he was sizing him up, seeing where he needed to strike to end him. Whatever the reason, he wasn't going to let his guard down.

"More like I want to get this over with, so I can get back to-"

"Your friends, right? And the woman you're seeing; Loona, wasn't it?"

Zack's heart stopped and his eyes widened. He knew about them? A part of him wasn't exactly surprised, but still, he knew that this wasn't a good sign. If he wanted to, he could most likely kill him, or perhaps use them to hold them over his head. Lucifer smirked, the tip of his cane pressing against Zack's chest.

"I know all about them, and you. From the moment you entered hell, you intrigued me. A human surviving in hell, and not only that, but you gained such a greatly seemed power, at least to human standards," he tapped his can against the bottom of his chin, before pulling it back, "however, I can tell that you're not exactly the same as practically all the humans who sought out your abilities."

Zack raised an eyebrow, as he rubbed the spot his cane touched, "And what do you mean by that?"

"I mean, for one, your humanity has not been rejected, yet the demon essence within you is no more. That only proves one thing," he stepped back, his grin growing larger and more menacing, "you have passed the test."

Zack silently stared. He didn't quite catch it, but he could have sworn he said that he passed the test. What test, though? He did recall there being a test that was mentioned in the book, but wasn't the point of it just to kill the demon within and consume the essence of it.

"I don't exactly follow. How did I pass? All I did was kill the demon in my head, so how does that exactly have a passing condition?" Zack questioned. Lucifer, who seemed to just be eating the entire situation up, continued his explanation.

"No, my dear boy, that is not the real test. The real test is what comes after."

Zack raised his brow in suspicion, "What comes after? Wait a minute, you're talking about the demon essence itself, and whether or not I consumed it or not!"

"Correct! You see, killing your demon is one thing, but what you do with the remains is another. Do you consume their power, their morals, and lose your own sense of self, inevitably turning into what you fought against, or do you learn from your demons, better one's self, and in turn, protect your humanity? That is the test, a test that everyone would constantly fail, except for you."

Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he seriously the only one who passed the test? If that was the case, then was he indeed stronger? What did passing the test entail? So many questions filled his mind, but the biggest one he had was something he had to figure out.

"Interesting... And I'm guessing Kokichi was another one who failed the test, Mr. Demon In White?"

Lucifer stayed silent for a second. The corner of his mouth twitched, a clear sign he wasn't expecting that question. He quickly shook his head and shrugged, "Ah yes, Mr. Nagasaki. A fool in search for power who failed the test miserably. He had potential, but his greed got the better of him. A fitting end for someone who's been a thorn in my side."

"Wait, so you knew of his existence? Of him having his entire gang under Imp City?" Zack asked.

"But of course. Nothing gets past me, and unfortunately, he was going to cause trouble at some point. Thus, I had to take measures. Too bad that-"

"That your mole got found out and killed, right?" Zack interrupted, his hand rubbing his chin, "You sent someone on the inside to get information on him. However, he was found out, tortured, then killed. However, he was still able to hide some information; a USB drive that held documents that could have been useful to you. That's him, right?"

Lucifer silently stared, before grinning evilly, "You're quite skilled, Mr. Trevle. I'm impressed you could figure all of that out. Bravo."

He proceeded to clap in feigned gratitude. He was almost as playful as Alastor, but he knew better. He wasn't the king of hell for nothing, and the last thing he needed was to set him off.

"Which, by the way, I must thank you for that. If it wasn't for you, I would have had to dirty my hands, and the last thing I need is to get blood all over my suit. Bloodstains are so hard to get out of white, you see."

Zack stayed silent. He knew that the torture victim was someone working for another person, but for it to be the actual king of hell was an almost impossible possibility. Of course, almost impossible doesn't mean it's completely impossible. He just couldn't wrap his head around any of this, and he still hadn't been told what he was doing there. He huffed softly, trying to compose himself as best as he could, before he began to question him further.

"Why am I here? What's so important that you felt the need to tell me all of this?"

With a smirk, Lucifer slowly slipped his left hand into his coat pocket and threw something to Zack so fast that he could barely make out what it was. Even so, he caught it with relative ease, before holding it up to inspect the foreign object. Zack's body froze. He was just tossed a dagger, as well as a belt with throwing knives attached to it. What was this? Why would he throw something like that at him?

"I believe that's what you're akin to, right? Quite the fitting ensemble, in my opinion," he slowly gripped the length of his can, along with the edge of it with his free hand, before slowly pulling them apart. Imagine Zack's surprise, when his eyes were slightly blinded by the gleam of a steel sword. He tossed the sheath over his shoulder and got into what could be a fencer's stance. Now he knew what this was. He wanted to fight him!

"Wh-Whoa, hang on a second, you're not seriously suggesting that we fight, do you?!" Zack stuttered, even with him knowing the answer. Lucifer smirked, a deep chuckle escaping his grinning teeth.

"You're the investigator, so I'm sure you already know that answer," he slowly raised his free hand into the air, "Now, for a change of scenery!"

He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing throughout the barren area. With little time for Zack to speak, the ground slowly began to glow, as white feathers circled around the three. The light grew brighter, blinding Zack so much that he had to cover his eyes, lest he go blind. Within seconds, the light dimmed and dissipated, allowing for him to look once again. As if things couldn't get any worse, the scenery had changed again, this time back to the hellish landscape he had grown accustomed to. The only difference was that he and his new opponent were now standing on top of a skyscraper! Zack quickly looked around, his heart pounding against his chest. This was gonna be way more dangerous than his fight with Kokichi, he could feel it.

"This, my boy, will be our battleground, atop the demonic world you have accepted as your home," Zack's head whipped back to Lucifer, as he quickly snapped that belt around his waist and pulled the dagger out of its sheath, "Now show me your power; the power to kill an angel!"

"Wait, kill a wha-?!"

Before he could even finish, Lucifer lunged forward towards him, his sword trailed for Zack's eye. Luckily, he was quick enough to block it with the side of his dagger. The sheer force of his attack picked him backwards, but he was able to keep his footing. Zack winced, his hand throbbing from the strength of his attack. For such a prissy-looking man, he was much stronger than even Kokichi! With every attack he made at him, Zack would block or dodge as best as he could. Most of his attacks came so close to hitting him that his clothes were getting cut and knicked.

"This guy's really fast! If I let any of those hit me, then I'm done for! Gotta fight a bit more unorthodox!"

Zack quickly pulled a knife from his belt and tossed it into the air in between the two. Lucifer glanced toward it in confusion; this was his chance! Using his split-second lack of concentration to his advantage, Zack quickly threw his fist towards his face, but not before catching the knife as it twirled in the air. Lucifer, who caught his plan, quickly tilted his head, causing the knife to just graze his left cheek. He wouldn't stop there though, as Zack slammed his other hand into Lucifer's stomach, knocking him back a few feet. His feet skidded on the ground, but with Zack's powerful punch, he was still able to keep himself standing.

He smirked, as he wiped the blood from his sliced cheek, "Not bad, very unique. Let's see more!"

Once again, he lunged towards him, his sword aiming for his legs. Zack quickly jumped over the weapon, before giving his left cheek a harsh backhand. He landed back on the ground and grabbed the collar of his coat, before quickly throwing him over his shoulder and off the edge of the building. Zack watched, as gravity pulled him down the air, leaving him alone on the roof of the building. He silently stared, as he pulled out three throwing knives, his other hand gripping his dagger. He knew it wasn't gonna be this easy.

"Alright, come on up, pal. I know you're still-"

Suddenly, the white-clad demon zoomed back up from the lower depths, taking him off guard. As if things couldn't get any worse, Lucifer had somehow grown a pair of white wings, akin to an angel. Zack huffed, as he rubbed his face in annoyance.

"Fallen angel, Zack. Motherfucker is a fallen angel, why didn't you realize that?!" he chastised loudly. Lucifer merely shook his head, his wings flapping up and down slowly, keeping him aloft.

"A lot of people forget that, my dear boy. These wings are fairly useful, especially for this."

His wings would flap harder and faster, before he would soar above Zack, making feathers fall to the ground. Zack raised an eyebrow; they looked shinier than he thought. That's when he realized that they were gleaming due to them having a cutting edge! They began to fall towards the ground quicker, cutting through the air and straight towards him. Zack, using his quick reflexes, rolled to the side, just barely dodging the aerial assault.

"Great, as if I didn't have enough shit to deal with! Gotta get him out of the air quickly."

He quickly readied his knives and chucked them into the air towards Lucifer. He shrugged and folded his wings, letting gravity pull him down to the ground to dodge. Zack, using this to his advantage, sprinted towards him. He twisted on his heel and readied his lifted leg for a roundhouse kick to his person. Lucifer quickly caught it in his dominant hand, his left eyebrow raised in question.

"You'll have to do better than that, you know."

Zack smirked devilishly, "Never underestimate a well-developed plan."

His eyes widened, as his eyes glanced over his shoulder. The three knives he had thrown were both spinning away with great strength and speed, but then, it happened. Two of the knives grew closer to the third in the middle, and miraculously, they both banked off of the third, sending it back to the two at breakneck speeds. It was going so fast, too fast for Lucifer to dodge completely! He went to move to the right as best as he could, but it proved fruitless, as the buzzsaw-like blade embedded itself into his shoulder, stabbing him. His eyes widened in shock. He actually wounded him. he used his intelligence to attack, instead of just focusing on his raw strength! He was awestruck, so much so that he didn't notice Zack readying another attack. He pulled back his fist and slammed it against his cheek, giving him a well-placed strike and knocking him backwards a good deal. His cheek stung harshly, the shock attacking his ability to move for a split second. He would soon catch himself with his hand and pushed off the ground, landing on his feet once again. Zack panted harshly, as he shook his hand, trying to get the sting off of it. It was definitely a sign that ol' Luci was much more durable than he looked.

"How's that for doing better?" he taunted, trying to make himself seem tougher than what he was. Lucifer merely stayed silent, as he touched his cheek. It was throbbing, coursing with pain. It was such a long time since he had felt such pain, such cunning, such demonic tendency. It made him feel, alive! He slowly began to chuckle, before he loudly began to laugh out, his head thrown back. Zack stared in shock, as he stared at him, completely at a loss for words. Was he actually laughing? He had not only gotten stabbed, but also punched so hard he went flying across the roof. This man was a complete mystery all on his own.

"I knew you would be the one! Such cunning, such strength! Not many have been able to wound me, and here you are, dodging and attacking with the best of them!" he reached back at the knife and pulled it out, tossing it off of the roof, "Yes, you are the one. The perfect one to have this."

In the blink of an, he would appear in front of Zack, and with all of his strength, he slammed his open palm against his chest, knocking him back onto the ground. Zack groaned loudly, as he gripped his chest.

"The hell?! How did you do-" out of nowhere, his chest began to glow a bright white light, his eyes widened in awe. Whatever Lucifer did, it wasn't hurting him. In fact, he was feeling warm and stronger. It was off-putting, to say the least. As the light died down, he slowly got to his feet, before brushing his pants off of any dirt and dust, "What was that about? For an attack, it was kind of...short."

Lucifer only smirked, as he stepped closer to him, "Congratulations, Zack Trevle. You have just been accepted."

"Um, accepted? Accepted into what?" Zack asked, his head tilted to the side in confusion.

"You, my boy, have shown a great deal of prowess, intelligence, and cunning. One that only a demon could have. However, you still have been able to keep your humanity, the thing that makes you human. Not many have been able to achieve that. Thus, I have decided that you," he pointed to him, "shall be the Overlord of Imp City, as well as a member of the Ars Goetia."

Zack only stared, his mind processing what was just told to him. Did he legitimately just say that he was going to be both a member of the Ars Goetia AND an Overlord?! That had to be a lie! Zack's face twisted into a look of disbelief, as he stepped back.

"W-Wait a fuckin' minute! You can't be serious! I can't be an Overlord or Ars Goetia! I'm not even born a demon, let alone a demon of royalty!"

Lucifer shook his head, his eye holding a serious tone to them, "This is important. There is a reason why this must happen. You must raise your status, especially for what's to come."

His playfulness was gone, replaced with an aura of malice and determination. He was serious, very serious. Zack slowly composed himself, his hands slipping into his pockets.

"Alright, but what is to come? Do you know at all?" he asked.

"No, but I know what my gut is feeling. Hell is going to be a part of a terrible storm, one that shakes the very fabric of life for both humans and demons. You are the only person that can stop it, my friend. However, the only way you will be able to do this is if you take your place in the Ars Goetia, and act as the Overlord of Imp City," he slowly extended his hand to him, smirking devilishly, "So then, Zack, do we have a deal?"

Zack could only stare at his hand. What was he going to say? What could he say? He was just happy that he was able to survive, but now he was being asked to be a member of not one, but two parts of the hierarchy! No, in actuality, he was being demanded. With a soft huff, he took his hand and slowly shook it, nodding his head.

"We got a deal, I guess. You're looking at a new Overlord...and Ars Goetia too."

Lucifer chuckled, before stepping back. He jumped off of the building and hovered over the drop below, his wings keeping him aloft. His hands slipped behind his back, his eyes staring down at the new member of the Ars Goetia.

"We'll keep in touch, my friend! I do hope you're able to enjoy yourself here in hell! After all, this is your new home!"

And with that, he turned his back to him and began to soar through the air towards god knows where. Zack only watched him, his fists clenched in hopes to keep him calm and collected. He felt like the world was on weighing him down; like it was all on his shoulders. If what Lucifer said was true, then that meant life would only get harder for him, worse even.

"Don't worry, my friend," Zack's head whipped to Alastor, who was now standing behind him. He had completely forgotten he was still here, "Even though you may be in such a harsh state of events, doesn't mean that you are hopeless. You have all the power within you to take down your obstacles and to rise to the top!"

Zack blinked silently, his heart slowly starting to calm down. Was he actually comforting him? This wasn't anything like Alastor, not at all. That's when it hit him. This entire time, he was watching him to make sure he was able to live. Perhaps maybe even because Lucifer "requested" him to do so. If that was the case, then that deal was...

"Hey... that deal we made... it wasn't for me to meet him, right? So, tell me, what was that deal for...?"

Alastor stayed silent, as he closed his eyes, huffing softly. It was odd, completely odd. He was, of course, still smiling, but it was a bit smaller than usual.

"...I wanted you to prove me wrong," Zack tilted his head in confusion, as he let him continue, "When I saw you and what you were, I was curious to see what you were going to do. I have seen individuals like you before, thus I wanted to know what you would do. Did you have the power to best your inner demon, or would you fail? I was holding out hope for you, and I'm just happy that you were able to survive all of this," he gently pats his shoulder, his grin return just as large, "So come now, smile, my dear friend! After all, you're never fully dressed without a smile."

Zack smiled softly, as he looked up at him. He wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but all in all, he was pretty okay.

"Thank you, Alastor. You're a pretty cool guy."

"Of course, my friend! Now, I must be off, and you should get going too! Your friends are waiting for you." he said, as he walked away, his body slowly disappearing into the shadows. Zack sighed softly, as he stepped closer to the edge, his eyes gazing out into the hellish world before him. From the way he saw hell, it was almost like New York. So many people lived their lives, whether they were good or bad, or anything in between. The buildings were so similar, almost identical, and the streets all were made the same way. Not only that, but he was finally happy with the people that he called his family, and the one he saw as the love of his life. Nothing could keep him down, and if this adversary wanted to fight, then he was gonna fight with everything he's got. This was his home, and goddamn it all, he was going to protect it.

"Don't worry, guys. I'll protect all of you. Geez, I'm definitely gonna have a lot of explaining to do though..."

To Be Continued...