Ilias was seeing over the progression of the hero Heinrich with mixed emotions. On one hand, the man had an indefectible faith inside her, and, contrary to quite a lot of other disappointments, acted exactly in the way people expected from a hero serving her even if he wasn't baptized: He was valiant, courageous, ready to defend the widow and the orphan while remaining innocent…

This last trait had troubled her. Initially, she welcomed it, as he didn't question some of the most… questionable orders she had given him through prophetic dreams. And then… Black Alice somehow joined him. She hadn't even noticed at first, and even her spies hadn't notified her before. It was as if the eighth Monster Lord slid herself into the hero's party and the man had naturally accepted her and even came to enjoy her presence. At least, nothing got physical yet, even though Ilias asked herself if the childish Monster Lord even had a sex drive in the first place. She seemed to see everything as a game. Even that war she declared on humanity was treated with the same care she treated her toys: She only gave them so much attention before breaking them.

Still, if anything, she hadn't deviated the hero from his plan to beat her yet, which surprised Ilias. Maybe it was part of a greater strategem? That psychopath looked unable to pull anything more complicated than hitting her opponents with a fire pillar, but Ilias none the less decided to remain wary. She even considered warning Heinrich of the identity of his partner, but she was afraid he would decide to stop his adventure and live an isolated life with her instead…

Ilias snarled as small frustrations kept piling up. The issue of Heinrich was annoying, and it looked like the rest of the world had also decided to piss her too. The king of San Ilia refused to take an offensive approach to things, focusing instead on the defense of the city. When the Three Nobles of Black had attacked that human summit, not a single person ended up dead, as their actions had focused on attempting to take down the hero Heinrich while avoiding an excessive amount of collateral damages. How would humanity come to hate monsters if those abominations from the Dark Goddess refused to take their role at heart?

And then came the Tartarus… A large, black gaping hole had appeared from nowhere in the middle of the Gold's wasteland. Nothing initially came out of it, and the closest inhabitants (namely those cankerous whores from Succubus Village) had come to investigate it. Not only not a single one of them died (although a few got apparently wounded, courtesy of the local apoptosis presence), but they had pulled out powerful makinas that could be used in fights. And, worst of all, they exported them to Remina for study!

But even then, as time passed by, it was clear nothing else would come out from this Tartarus for now. Maybe one day it would grow and become a liability that would require further examination, but for now, she didn't give it so much as an afterthought and only kept a cupid to spy on it by pure safety measures. Since it was more than a year ago, she didn't give it much attention again.

So she was quite surprised to see the cupid report a "strange group" coming from it the precise day Heinrich arrived in the Succubus Village. She stopped looking at Heinrich for a minute, and instead decided to take a look at said party, and "strange group" was probably the single biggest understatement that had reached her ears for the last hundred years of so. She shook her head several times as she had difficulties accepting the identity of its members.

The first one she noticed was Micaela. That had to be an impostor. A parody sent by that damnable dark whore to corrupt Heinrich as he just happened to be by. Else, why would she be accompanied by that damned fox, a fucking whore of a class-queen succubus, and…

Ilias blinked several times as she looked at Luka, as if closing her eyes could make that anomaly disappear from her sight. That man… looked a little too much like Heinrich for it to be a mere coincidence. Same small build. Same short, messy purple hair. Same brownish outfit with a red cape. The only thing that could differentiate them from afar was their posture. Heinrich looked proud and positive, while that other young looking man looked he was like done with his own life. She could see it in his behavior, she could hear it in his tone, she could see it in his eyes…

"No… No… How…"

Ilias mouthed those words in total shock. She could recognize these eyes everywhere. They were not the same blue eyes the hero Heinrich had, no. She recognized them for having seen them during her whole life. Those pupils, that purity, that bloodlust that only asked to be unleashed… Those were Lucifina's eyes. There was no doubt it was her son.

Whatever hypothesis came to her mind about the party's origin didn't make any sense. The Goddess of Light couldn't imagine a single world where Micaela would travel with Tamamo, a succubus queen, and Lucifina's son. It was impossible.

And so she stopped watching over Heinrich to keep looking at this group's actions. She followed them as they made their way through Hellgondo's Cave, confirming their skills by dispatching the monsters there with alarming ease. She kept looking at them as that damn fox gave out precious information on her great Re-Creation plan. She was still monitoring every one of their actions as they entered the castle and cleared away the Nobles of Black in the blink of an eye, just to grab that blue ball. Why would anyone come from another dimension just to get that?

And then… The worst happened. She was so engrossed by watching them progress and talk that she had stopped watching over the Tartarus and had ignored the cupid that had come to bring her a message for several minutes.

That place had disappeared. She didn't give it a second thought at first until it was clear that this… anomaly of a group was discussing how to damage the world to get back. And then Black Alice had appeared… Ilias became absolutely furious when she realized the Monstr Lord intended to use them to break her great plan.

After a snarl that echoed through Heaven, Ilias called for Lucifina. The second seraph showed up barely a second later and kneeled in front of the goddess.

"Do you need anything, my liege?"

Ilias ignored the seraph's sarcastic tone, and showed her the group that was now back at the Monster Lord's castle.

"They risk compromising my plan. Black Alice must die by Heinrich, and only Heinrich's hand. Deal with them accordingly."

"As you wish."

Lucifina gave out a large smile, glad to have an occasion to fight after so much time spent in Heaven. She disappeared from the Goddess' sight without another word. Ilias haughtily huffed. It seemed like the second seraph could become a liability: While she never openly challenged her own authority, she more or less kept slinging small slights at the goddess…

But Ilias kept her around because she was the best warrior this world would ever see. She had held back several ancestors at the same time during the Great Monsters Wars, and while Micaela's strategies had allowed them to draw the situation long enough for Ilias to come up with something, it wouldn't have been possible without Lucifina's fighting abilities. She would take out those nuisances in a single bite.

And so she turned back to enjoy the sight of her daughter slaughtering those fools. Her contempt-filled smile turned to dismay, and then to pure horror as her daughter was getting thoroughly trounced by her opponents. Had the Daystar become rusty? It was impossible!

And yet, that hero tanked her famed counterattack and utterly massacred her in an orgy of violence that disgusted even her. And then her death triggered something that awakened the Tartarus back and brought powerful apoptosis. The next instant, she got report from all over the world that strange events were happening: Supernaturally strong earthquakes, black rain, forests of iron... It was as if the world suddenly decided to fall into madness.

Ilias looked at what was happening with pure terror in her eyes, ignoring the cacophony of panicked angels behind her. It was not merely her plan that was collapsing. She could feel it through the air, through her bones: The whole world was now falling apart. It had only one or two years to live at most.

Everything she had done had come to this. The abominable presence of monsters she had to endure for centuries was for nothing. She could see, supposedly hidden from prying eyes, Black Alice smile at her, taunting her as the world was dying. But the Monster Lord didn't matter anymore. Neither did Heinrich. Nothing did matter anymore.

When she turned back, with tears in her eyes, she saw every angels in Heaven waiting for her words, led by Micaela and Eden. The goddess only muttered the same words again and again.

"I'm sorry everyone… I'm so sorry..."

Yao was comfortably sitting on a luxurious chair near the Monster Lord's throne. By virtue of being the regent's right arm, she had the authority to legitimately sit on the throne itself in the absence of her leader, but she considered it in poor taste and disrespectful to the Fateburn bloodline. Her state of mind was not helped by the still present gash in the back made by the sword of the hero that had killed the Fifteenth not so long ago.

Her ears twitched about the matters back at hand. If her mistress was right, the Snow Elves would arrive soon enough with an issue at hand.

And sure enough, a succubus guard stepped in the room, bowed, and announced a request from the Elven Princess to discuss grave matters with the regent. Yao accepted. The Elven Princess entered, hidden from sight by a cadre of her infamous kunoichi bodyguards. They stopped a few meters away from her, and the kitsune's ears could pick a few whispers amongst the group that confirmed the reason of their presence.

One of them stepped forward, bowed and started talking.

"Greetings. We are sorry to disturb you, but the latest lover of the Elven Princess has been kidnapped by a powerful succubus who claimed to serve Black Alice. We ask for your support to deal with that matter."

Yao had already her speech fully prepared. She took a contrite air as she answered.

"In the name of my mistress, I sincerely wish that we would be able to help you with this issue. However, as it is, we do not have the means to help you in your investigation, as every resource available is needed to keep control of Hellgondo. Furthermore, we do not have a single clue as to where Black Alice herself is currently located, and cannot act accordingly."

More whispers. Yao interrupted them. "However, we also wish, in the measure of what is possible, to be informed of your progression in that investigation. We are at least as interested as you when it comes to dealing with Black Alice once and for all, and we would be interested in cooperating with you at this end."

A minute passed as the Elven princess wondered what she would do next. Eventually, her envoy second-guessed her answer. "In that case, we thank you for welcoming us, and we will try to find her ourselves. We hope to be able to rely on your support when the time comes." The group bowed and left.

When they were out of reach, Yao slowly exhaled in relief: At least, that plan went as fine as it could, the support of the Snow Elves was guaranteed, and joining Black Alice would be the last thing on their mind.

It looked like the situation was going up when the kitsune felt a deafened shockwave, followed by a strange sense of change in her environment, and several echoes from different directions. Nothing good. She closed her eyes and focused her senses to analyze the situation, just like her mistress Tamamo taught her: The first shockwave was from southwest… Based on the feeling, its origin point was further than the Tartarus in Remina… The second waves came from several directions south. Seven, and at least one came from that damn place this time…

She had enough information to act. She mentally contacted Alma Elma. The succubus queen's answer was instant.

"Is there a problem?"

"I hope not. But just to be sure, would you kindly check on the Tartarus where Remina once was?"

"…On it."

It looked like the Succubus Queen was concerned with what had just happened too. Yao nervously waited for the answer, walking around the throne room while stretching her limbs. A minute later, Alma Elma contacted her back.

"It looks like Tartarus is expanding and those weird apoptosis monsters are pouring out. They're fighting a few of the local monsters."

Yao swore under her breath. Tamamo had warned her that it meant the situation was taking a turn for the worse. Even the usually whimsical and playful succubus was serious. It was clear she had already gauged the danger of the situation, and understood what it meant.

"Try to push everyone north and east, get them away from that place. I'll contact Tamamo to see what we do next."

She cut the communication and focused her senses toward finding her mistress. She couldn't get the smallest hint of her signature. She exhaled loudly as she could feel pressure building up. Well, she still had an alternative way to contact the Pocket Castle where their new allies resided.

She activated a communication crystal and waited a minute. Eventually, someone picked up, and she could hear an educated, but worry-filled feminine voice.

"Greetings… Yao was it? I apologize for my rudeness, but the situation over here is chaotic. We noticed activities near every Tartarus with apoptosis rising everywhere and we can't seem to reach Luka's party."

"And mistress Tamamo was with him?"

"So was Micaela… We have a contingency plan for the crisis at hand, but we really need them, and, I can't stress this enough, we can't contact them for a reason."

"Do you have any idea about the cause of this activity?"

"Nothing certain, but the team that was in charge of guarding the Holy Wings Shrine is still missing. No, wait, they're back… The shrine's been destroyed by Black Alice. She also killed two of ours." The queen's tone became angry.

Yao swore. The situation had become critical. Whatever reason Black Alice had to destroy the altar didn't matter: It was a key component of true history, and had just been reduced to rubble.

"What is it Nuruko? What… I apologize, but I can't understand… Go fetch Hild!"

"What's happening?" Yao swore she heard various inflections of "kyu" being pronounced behind, amongst the chaotic noise.

"I'm waiting for a translator… There she is. Thank you for coming Hild. Now, Nuruko, please repeat yourself."

Yao heard a rapid fire series of "kyu" followed by a thankfully articulate robotic voice.

"The waves of chaosization are now too powerful to control. The Goddess messing with Tartarus and the Holy Wings Shrine is responsible for this. The world fill be destroyed in three months at most."

The communication suddenly became eerily silent as everyone took in what the machine girl had just said.

"I translated exactly as Nuruko said. Did Hild do something wrong?"

Yao sat down on the floor in shock. "Do you have a plan to deal with that?"

"…Actually yes. If Luka's still right. And when he comes back. In the meantime we'll focus our defense on strategic points. If I may advise you, you should do the same."

"Already proceeding. Please, I beg you to inform me as soon as Tamamo's back." Yao could feel her voice crack ever so slightly.

"You will be the first informed. I wish you the best."

When Yao cut down the communication, she had a small hiccup of fear. The situation was hopeless, and their mistress wasn't there for their darkest hour… Still she took her resolve and went to the succubus elder that was guarding the entrance of the room.

"Tell the other Heavenly Knights to prepare for a fight and help the locals as they can. Tell Sphinx that she's in charge of the castle until new orders arrive. I'll check on the kitsune village."

The succubus bowed and disappeared.

When the Grand Noah Queen cut the communication, she sighed heavily: The apocalypse was upon them, and it fell to her and her fellows, humans and monsters alike, to face it and hold it away until they found something, anything to turn the tide in their favor.

Thanks to those books Micaela had managed to find and their own findings, they had thorough information on every type of apoptosis they would encounter. The leaders had spent much time debating strategy and how they should deal with that threat, and, most of all, how to manage every one of their less cooperative allies. Right now, their first mission was to have troops ready to protect the population. Every effort had to be done to slow the apoptosis' advance.

She passed by the main entrance and saw the side inn rapidly being turned into an infirmary. Laura was discussing with Freya, while Lucretia was giving a pep talk to her harpies before they left. Preparations in that direction were well underway. She then moved into the large council room that had been left unused until Amira had decided to install her network management center. The reverse lamia had protested against the intrusion at first, but a few mean looks instantly calmed her down and she fortunately decided to focus on her duty of managing reports with the same focus she did when she ran one of her money-making scheme. The place that used to look like a council room now looked like a war room, with arcane-powered makinas connected to each other used to communicate with the teams that were fighting abroad. Reports of hostile engagements were already flowing in at a steady pace. For the moment, the King of San Ilia was the one currently leading, flanked by Eden, the third seraph, and Fatima, the vampire queen.

While there were a few signs of friction here and there, they were not enough to slow down the effort. At least, everybody stored their petty grudges and racial tensions aside in front of the current stakes.

"Luka's party has returned to the castle."

The Grand Noah queen took a look at her counterpart who nodded, and she made her way downward as another team was preparing to join a battlefield. She saw Micaela in her seraph form carry a wounded Luka, and Alma Elma doing the same with Tamamo. It looked like they had gone through hell, if the amount of dried blood and wounds on their bodies was any indication.

At least, all four of them were alive, if anything. Yao would be relieved to hear it.

Together, they would defend the world until the very end.